⛧ 1940 and its Peculiarities
daemos_ 2024

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Start Date ˚.* 19 ╱ 08 ╱ 2K24
Inspiration ˚.* Miss Peregrine's Home for
Peculiar Children
Graphic Credits ˚.* auqagin

❛ Grandfather, what are Peculiars? ❜

𝕿HERE WAS A PAUSE, a smile etched into the older man's face as he sat back in his armchair, his hands shaking slightly as he cupped his mug. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the room—but eight-year-old Marcel Levesque had never been afraid of the shadows, or of the unknown. His grandfather had taught him to embrace the unique, the different. The man's eyes, once sharp and vibrant, were softer now, holding the weight of many untold stories. He took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea, as though the warmth of the cup could somehow steady the tremor in his hands. His gaze began to drift towards the window, where the evening fog rolled in, curling around the ancient trees with its ghostly grip. For a moment, the man's smile dropped as he swore he could have seen something move between the trees, a slender shape stalking through the shrubs.

"Peculiars," he began, looking back towards his grandson who was sitting comfortably in his lap. "Are those who are born different, with gifts—or curses—that have set them apart from the ordinary world. They're like the silver thread in a tapestry of grey, standing out whether they wish to or not. We call them syndrigasti, but you may call them Peculiars, since that's hard to pronounce." He leaned forward slightly now, the chair creaking under his weight. The smile softened, but there was something in his eyes, something that spoke of nostalgia, of fond memories tinged with sorrow, like a sweetness that had turned bitter, regrets at leaving something behind.

"I knew one girl, who could summon a swarm of bees from her mouth. Another boy, Rainer, could transfer life into all things dead and inanimate. We used to all live together in the children's home, looked after by Miss Peregrine," the man continued, trailing off as he tipped his head back, the leather of his armchair creasing as he looked into his grandson's eyes and smiled. "To the world, Peculiars are myths, bedtime stories to frighten children, or amuse curious souls. But to those of us who know better..." his voice dropped to a whisper now, drowned out to Marcel's father, who was busy watching the football game that was on the television, the static playing loudly. "They're very real. And they live among us, hidden away in places where time doesn't flow as it does here, protected from those who would misunderstand or harm them."

"Who would want to harm them, grandfather?" Marcel questioned, his eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Perhaps it's difficult for a young mind to quite piece together why anyone would want to bring harm to someone, just because they happen to be different. The man knew this, and he sighed deeply, the weight of the question pressing heavily on him. He leaned in closer, as though the shadows themselves might be listening, his voice dropping even lower, to a volume only Marcel could hear.

"Well, Marcie. Sometimes humans fear what they don't understand. But make no mistake, it's not only humans. Hollowgasts," his eyes darkened, his tone grave, and he looked away for a moment, as if the mere thought of these creatures pained him. "Hollowgasts are the lost souls of those who once were Peculiars themselves, but who tried to achieve immortality. Who wanted to live forever. They were once like you and me, but greed and ambition twisted them into something monstrous. Now, they are blind, hideous beings with an insatiable hunger for the flesh of Peculiars. They hunt us relentlessly, guided only by their otherwordly senses—scent and sounds—trying to devour the essence of what makes us special."

"I don't understand, can't we just find them first, grandfather? Or run away when they come near?" Marcel pulled his knees up to his chest as he listened intently, his grandfather stroking his hair to soothe him. "You said they're blind. It must be hard for them to capture other Peculiars."

"That's the terrifying part, my boy," the man nodded, acknowledging how bright his grandson was for bringing the point up. "Not everyone can see them. Not humans, and normally, not Peculiars either. They're invisible, nothing more than a cold breeze of a fleeting shadow. But to the few who can see them, they appear as tall, gaunt creatures with gaping mouths, lined with rows of sharp teeth. Their limbs are elongated, and they move with a speed that belies their size. And their tongues... their tongues are like tentacles that they use to lash out at prey. They are creatures born of nightmares, and the only way to truly escape them is to stay safe in the loops, places where time stands still, protected by ymbrynes like Miss Peregrine."

"What's more, Marcie, they don't just want any flesh, they crave Peculiar flesh. It's what sustains them, what keeps them from turning into something even worse: wights. A wight is what a hollowgast becomes if it manages to consume enough Peculiar souls. They regain their human form, but they lose their eyes—the windows to the soul, as they say. A wight's eyes are as white as snow. That's how you know them," he took another sip of his tea, eyes narrowing as if the memory itself clawed at his mind. "Wights are even more dangerous, because they blend in better with ordinary people. They disguise themselves, and they take up positions of power, all while working to capture Peculiars to bring them to the hollows, to ensure their monstrous transformation back to being more human-like."

"Why would they do such terrible things?" Marcel frowned, filled with a deep unease at the idea of someone being willing to hurt others to regain something they had lost. Especially if that thing was humanity.

"If you ask me? Power. Some creatures are driven by the hunger for power, no matter the cost. But don't be afraid, there are those who stand against them, Peculiars who have banded together to protect each other, to fight back against the darkness. And you, Marcel... you have a role to play in this too," that familiar smile deepened in his features again. "One day, you will understand your own gift, and when that time comes, you must be ready to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Like I did, once. Be ready, my boy... be ready."

"What do you mean? What was your peculiarity, grandfather?" Young Marcel asked, a spark of determination in him growing, although that hint of stubbornness showed in the way he furrowed his brows. The man paused, eyes distant as if caught in the webs of memories. For a moment, it seemed like he might share more, a hint of his own past, a glimpse into the life he had once lived. But he only shook his head gently.

"Ah, but that's a story for another time, Marcie," his grandfather said, breaking the spell of the moment. His voice was low and warm, like the crackling of the fire. "For now, it's time for bed. You need your rest, tomorrow's another day, and who knows what adventures it might bring?" Marcel's face fell slightly, but he nodded, knowing better than to protest when his grandfather indicated that story time was over. The man reached out, ruffling Marcel's hair with a gentle hand, his touch soft but firm, a gesture that was both affectionate and final.

"Off you go now," he smiled, eyes twinkling with that familiar mixture of kindness and mischief. "We'll talk more about Peculiars and all their mysteries another night." Marcel slid off the armchair reluctantly, his sheet shuffling on the worn rug as he made his way to the door, his father turning off the television and taking his hand to tuck him into bed. Marcel paused in the doorway, looking back at his grandfather one last time, as if hoping he might change his mind and share just one more story. But the old man only lifted his mug in a silent toast and winked at his grandson, and Marcel knew that the night's tales were over.

"What was your grandfather telling you about now?" Marcel's father asked jokingly as he pulled the covers up around Marcel, patting him on the head absent-mindedly, his mind occupied by thoughts of football scores as he ran a hand through Marcel's dark hair.

"Lots of things. About the peculiar children, and the hollowgasts, and the wights, and—" Marcel stopped as he noticed the look on his father's face, this mixture of amusement and sadness. All of a sudden, he found that he didn't want to keep sharing, he could already tell that his father would dismiss the stories, like he did everytime.

"And 'Miss Peregrine', right? I was told the same stories as a kid. They're not real, Marcel, don't take them to heart, and don't let them scare you. Your grandfather... has a condition. He misremembers things, and believes them to be true," his father pat his hand, leaning forward to give him a final kiss on the forehead goodnight. "Don't believe them, alright? Goodnight."

Marcel turned over in his bed and watched his father close the door, the room enveloped by a sudden darkness as the last shafts of light from the corridor disappeared. It was good that he wasn't afraid of the dark. But just now, he could almost feel something watching him, as though there were a creature lurking behind the windows, and he was glad that he was safely tucked into his bed with the curtains drawn. He knew that he shouldn't believe his grandfather's stories, but he did—and he knew there was so much he didn't yet understand, but he also knew that he wanted to be brave, like his grandfather, to protect the people he loved. As he drifted off to sleep that night, Marcel dreamed of Peculiars and the world they inhabited, a world where danger lurked around every corner, but where courage and hope shone brightly in the darkness. The night deepened, and the words of his grandfather lingered in Marcel's mind, echoing in the stillness: "Be ready, my boy... be ready."

₊˚  Information    ✶‧₊˚.

So that was a little introduction to the plot, that should hopefully have explained some of the aspects of this applyfic, based on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and introduced you to one of the characters, Marcel, made by auqagin !! Who also has done the book cover for this, and the graphics, so big applause for Sammy, who we love in this household <3

        Next, I should probably give a more in depth explanation for those who aren't familiar with the franchise. Commented under this paragraph will be links to helpful resources, like a plot summary and a link to the free film up on Youtube (though keep in mind it does divert from the novel slightly!). This will just be a summary of that to give you a quick glimpse into what this plot is going to be like.

        Miss Peregrine's is about a teen boy, Jacob (in our af terms, Marcel), who is very close to his grandfather, who used to tell him stories about the world of the Peculiars. The grandfather, Abel, is a syndrigast/Peculiar himself, and his peculiarity is that he can see hollowgasts where most people cannot. Jacob was told all these stories, but as he grew older, he was taught to believe that his grandfather was just a madman and that he had dementia which was leaving his memories murky, even if he loved and cared for him regardless.

        When his grandfather is killed, it's Jacob who finds the body, and he actually sees a hollowgast at the scene of the death. He ends up going to see a psychiatrist, and everyone convinces him he must also be going crazy from the trauma of seeing his father dead, so now he believes he's just messed up. For peace of mind, the psychiatrist recommends he travel to Wales with his father, where this supposed 'children's home' is (this is the movie version I believe, iirc the books differ a bit, but we're going to go with this). The peculiar children from the home end up mistaking him for Abel, and they essentially kidnap him and lead him to the home, run by Miss Peregrine.

        Miss Peregrine herself is a ymbryne, a special kind of syndrigast who can turn into a bird and has the ability to manipulate time. She's set up a time loop for her peculiar children (not biologically her kids) to live in, and the day, September 3rd, 1940, repeats indefinitely, it's the day that the children's home was hit by German bombs, so the loop resets and begins again right before the bomb hits. There are time loops like this globally, which are run by other ymbrynes like Miss Peregrine. What this means is that all the children there are technically from 1940, and just have been living on in this time bubble, Abel was also from this time, but he made the decision to leave the time loop, and has now progressed to the modern year, which is about 2012.

        The Peculiar children are in the home for their own protection, both because they're different, and because of hollowgasts and wights threatening their existence. The trouble occurs when Miss Peregrine is kidnapped by wights and becomes stuck in her bird form, so she's unable to reset the time loop, and for the first time, we reach September 4th, 1940, and the home is bombed. It's now up to Jacob and the other peculiar children to rescue Miss Peregrine and to stop the wights and hollowgasts, some of who are trying to reinvent this experiment in immortality. And that's pretty much the same premise for this plot!

        Just to put out the other necessary information: there will be about 14 slots (two of them being mine and Sammy's), but only 8, including ours, will be accepted into the main cast. The others will be sidecasted if they fit well into the story, meaning they're characters who will be relevant later in the plot. Miss Peregrine and the Mr. Barron (the leader of the wights who are looking to try to become immortal again) variant will be done by vjscere ! The slots themselves will be vague other than explaining the peculiarity and possibly touching on a few canon conns between slots, this is so you can be more experimental with them and have more freedom with writing them.

        The age range for the slots will be 8-17, but if your OC is below the age of 16 they won't have a l/i, because I'm 18 and I'd feel odd writing that, and you should too if you're a grown adult! @lunarella- or something (sorry you guys, still pissed). Anyway, do feel free to be diverse with the age ranges, because that brings a lot to the story for sure.

As always, feel free to ask any questions if there's anything you guys are unsure about!!

₊˚  Rules and Regulations   ✶‧₊˚.

𝖀N.
As usual, don't be rude to others. Unless they've done something to deserve it, like certain people, y'know. If someone does something messed up, idk go off. Other than that, don't make anyone uncomfortable, and on a side note, if you're going to write about a topic likely to be triggering, include warnings and handle with care! Password one is to tag 3+ people.

𝕯AU.
Detail is always preferred! Only Google Docs forms will be accepted, because your boy hates commented forms. I'll make a blank form template if people ask for it! Only if it's something people will use though, because those things take way too long to do. Also quick note on FCs, face claims that fit the 1940s vibe more, or as close as possible to that, are heavily preferred. Younger versions of older actors are preferred, but there'll be more leniency the younger a character is (as long as there's sufficient resources!).

𝕿RI.
If your character is accepted, try to be active! Activity will influence if a form is accepted to the main cast, I appreciate that people have their own lives and things going on, but it just makes writing so much easier. There'll be a Discord server eventually created for plotting and connections, but probably not for a while. Also please don't only comment on parts of chapters with your character (unless they're a side character), it's fr annoying when people only care about their own OCs.

𝕻EDWAR.
Don't make the peculiarities too overpowered, though the slots will sufficiently expand on them, so that shouldn't be an issue. There's quite a range in power, you have people raising the dead and other kids with like, bees in their mouth, but yk, that's canon, and it's great. Every peculiarity will be relevant to the plot. The roles will probably be up later today (as in, the 19th). Password two is either your favourite Miss Peregrine's character, or if you don't know the franchise, your favourite peculiarity/quirk.

𝕻UMP.
Make realistic characters! I don't want a character perfect in every way or who's just boring to write. Keep in mind these are kids too, that's an integral part to Miss Peregrine's. Their backstories can be dark, but please please don't go overboard with the angst (as in, put too much of it to the level that it becomes overkill). By dark and twisted, I mean like one of the characters with superhuman strength named Bronwyn snapping her abusive step-father's neck. This is Miss Peregrine's after all, shit does get twisted, but not all characters need extremely dark backstories to be complex and interesting.

𝕮HWE.
I should probably throw in that this is quite obviously not a romance fic. There can definitely be love interests, but I only recommend it if it comes about really naturally, and obviously if the characters are in that 16-17 age range. Tbfr, most of the kids have bigger things to worry about, like not being killed. But also, crushes and stuff is normal in teens, however I'm not going to be writing anything sexual or to do with hooking up or fwb, since these are kids, that should be obvious but just putting it out there. Password three is to post this to your moodboard.

𝕾AITH.
The cast will be decided on writeability and which character I think flows best with the plot! For FCs if you're struggling, feel free to reach out. In terms of deadlines, the deadline won't be until November 10th, and I'll be relatively lenient with handing out extensions, unless it's at a point where everyone else is done, then I'll have to add some more urgency to it. Since the deadline isn't for ages, detail is preferred! Anything minimum 3k words and above is acceptable, but a good amount of detail would be good, esp because the cast is small. Opinions will be compulsory for main cast characters, since that's only like, 8 characters other than your own. One more thing to note, you can apply multiple times if you wish, but only one OC maximum will end up in the main cast.

𝖂YTH.
As always, contact me if you need something or have a question! Don't be embarrassed to reach out. You can contact me on my Discord ( daemos__ ), or just ask a question here, it's up to you! Random fun fact, the rules are done in the Welsh numbering system, since the children's home is in Wales!!

𝕻ASSWORDS.