Hi. I know this is random but I just finished rewatching Coraline with my lil siblings and got super reminiscent so have this lil au blurb idea I got:
Coraline goes missing. Nobody has seen the family in a week. They grow concerned and police get involved. They vanished. Their belongings are still where they belong, but the people fell from the face of the earth. It’s a mystery.
Wybie always gets goosebumps remembering it. His grandma says the curse got to them. They’re with her sister now.
Wybie hasn’t been able to forget the last time he saw Coraline. He thought she was being manic, insane, but her ramblings that he could only hardly remember-
Another mother?
A doll spy.
The small, locked crevice…
His curiosity was big, but his fear was bigger. People went missing in that house. He wouldn’t be caught dead there.
Or so he thought.
Years pass. He’s an older teen now. He’s still a loner weirdo to his peers, only having made fleeting friendships, but he’s aced engenireeing competitions. His grandma is so proud.
He’s given a fully paid scholarship to somewhere far away. He’s going to go soon.
The start of his last week home is sentimental. He can’t sleep. He feels like he’ll be missing out in time spent here.
He decides to take a walk instead.
His feet has led him everywhere but they always stopped at the edge of the garden. Overrun with weeds killing everything below.
And beyond it, the house.
Nobody ever moved in. The neighbors long left. It’s completely abandoned.
And it’s one of his last nights.
He grows a backbone. Once and for all. He’s leaving anyways, right? He won’t have to deal with crazy missing girls or supernatural mysteries anymore.
Not after this….
The door is locked but he knows how to sneak in. It wasn’t his first time contemplating how to get in. He had a plan.
Once through, he decides he’ll just walk through the rooms. They’re ghost-like.
Some furniture was sold, but others had stayed. The dining table, a dusty cushion.
A doll in Coraline’s bedroom.
She was just like he remembered. Positioned snuggly under the covers of her owner’s musty bed.
Who would do that?
He shivered and debated getting closer. He knew if he returned it now, his grandmother would be mad that he went inside. He should probably leave it be. But he noticed something black settled neatly on top of its chest.
He inched just a bit closer.
A key.
The oddly shaped key he remembered seeing the day Coraline left.
He needs to run. This is weird. This is haunting. He rushes down the stairs but trips on the long rug in the bottom.
He hit the ground hard. He stumbled, trying to get back up quickly. He stopped when he noticed a glow.
The room where it happened.
He shouldn’t go in… but…
That hit must’ve done something to his head.
He trembled as he slowly made his way to the living room. There on the side, like nothing had changed, was the door.
He heard a clang from behind.
He jumped and screamed. He didn’t see anyone. Looking down, he saw the culprit for the noise. The key. It followed him downstairs.
Everything was telling him this was a bad idea.
The place is haunted.
He’s seen horror movies.
His grandmother has lived through two disappearances already.
It would break her to have a third.
The responsible part of his brain told him it was better to leave now.
But he picked up the key instead.
He had to line it into the hole with shaky hands.
It opened.
And inside, he saw blue.
A tunnel unfolded for him, magical and beautiful.
His fear somewhat subsided. He squatted closer and considered going in. But something pricked at his brain.
“What did Coraline say about this place again?”
He could only recall certain details. He knew she mentioned what had made it dangerous but…
It slipped past his mind.
He decided to scoot a bit inside.
It didn’t feel dangerous…
It was
Fascinating.
He’d moved a bit more away. And now he was crawling.
He could see another door.
He was just curious.
He could take a peek, and return immediately.
He reached the other side and took a deep breath.
He squeezed his eyes shut as he pushed on the knob. It cracked as it swung forward a bit. He hesitantly began to open his eyes, but a noise made his blood run cold.
“Why so shy, Why-were-you-born?”
Her voice. The shock made him look and he came face to face with the girl through the crack.
She was older. Shorter hair. Same smirk.
Button eyes.
He screamed and tried to shut the door, but she put her foot to stop it.
“Are you going to run away again? I thought you’d grow braver by now. You opened the door, afterall.”
“It was a mistake!”
He was a coward. Mysteries weren’t his to solve.
So what was he doing getting so close to something spooky?
As if sensing his doubt, Coraline laughed.
“Come in. Please. I promise you’ll be safe. I just want you to see how I’ve been.”
She moved somewhat away to show what was behind her. It looked like the room he had left… but colorful. Lived in. Alive.
“…. what?”
“See? It’ll be okay; you know this place. It’s like your world, but better!”
She widened the gap by taking advantage of Wybie’s looser grip. He tried to fight it, but the awe of seeing the weird room cut his force.
Gadgets everywhere. Mechanical abominations ticking, alive and made into furniture. Incredible.
“I knew you’d like it.”
He didn’t want to respond. He was still afraid.
But he let her open the door in full. More than the room, his breath caught as he saw make an expression that was… vulnerable.
“Please, Wybie? It’s just for tonight. You don’t have to come back if you don’t like it.”
This wasn’t the Coraline he remembered. This was…. nicer.
She extended her hand, offering to help him.
He gripped his gloved hands.
“Only… one night. And it’ll be okay? I’ll go back?”
Coraline looked solemn for a second. Then she smiled.
“I promise you, Wybie. You’ll go back safe. You’ll be ok.”
He still had difficulty reading people but… she felt so genuine.
His shaky hands grasped hers.
He was pulled in.
~
Ok so let me explain a bit of the au. This is a universe where Coraline still had a spat with Other Mother, but instead of being eaten, Other Mother was so impressed by her ingenuity that she decided to… condition her. Coraline became her somewhat pupil. She resisted for a while, but eventually, she had to break. She’s learned to play along with Mother. She’d accepted her life. Then came Wybie. Other Mother decided this was a great opportunity to put her to the test. Lets see how good Coraline is at softening victims.
If she passes the test, she’ll be granted more freedom. She might even be able to go back outside.
All she has to do is keep Wybie in. Mother’s gone too long without food. Coraline has to prove her worth.
“It’s not real scientific, but I heard an ordinary name like Caroline can lead people to have ordinary expectations about a person.”
The 5th of eight new seasonal charms for a horror pairing collection. Preorders close October 27th. Each preorder comes with a free matching sticker. Shop link in bio.
Norman: The teacher couldn’t possibly be a vampire.
Neil: *spends 15 minutes expounding the evidence*
Norman: … Well, damn, dude could legitimately be a vampite.
****
Dipper: *is shy*
Mabel: *is the world’s greatest hypewoman*
***
Raz: *repeatedly makes accidental mention of the secret agency he absolutely is not ever supposed to let anyone know exists*
Lili: I am 2 steps away from having to murder you.
***
Coraline: Which means, naturally, Step 27 will be to kill the Queen of England.
Wybie: Not necessarily. With any luck, she’ll already be dead by the time we get to Step 27. And Steps 16, 19, and 24 could very well trigger an anti-royalist revolution in the UK.
Coraline: Oh, that’s an excellent point. Still, we should come up with a plan for regicide. Just in case.
Wybie: What are your thoughts on drones with flamethrowers?
Abilities: Can emit sabers of energy for either close range or fire multiple as projectiles. Project dragonfly-like wings that allow her to fly up to supersonic speeds (Similar to Sasha’s wings).
Dipper Pines - Violet - Intellect
Abilities: Can project and summon mental images of supernatural and paranormal creatures from the journal and other encyclopedia for combat.
Mabel Pines - Rose - Imagination
Abilities: Also projects and summons mental images but only unleashes wacky characters, cute animals and other figments of Mabel’s wild and eccentric imagination.
Lili Zanotto - Magenta - Fury
Abilities: Produces a wide variety of fauna that can cause serious damage, depending on the plant. Also amplifies her pyrokinesis and is powerful enough to turn almost anything to ash.
Razputin Aquato - Scarlet - Determination
Abilities: Power from the Calamity Stones have increased his psychic power to the point he can rip entire buildings off the ground.
Neil Downe - Orange - Strength
Abilities: Granted invulnerability and superior strength. Can project an invincible shield onto himself and others.
Norman Babcock - Chartreuse - Spirit
Abilities: His spectral powers increase tenfold and can summon hordes of undead spirits.
Wybie Lovat - Mint - Creation
Abilities: Controls and manipulates all metals and parts to create his own weapons, soldiers and even a whole mech.
