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Chapter Text

Being shot felt terrible.
Being reincarnated the literal moment L.B.Johnson was sworn in,felt even more terrible. 
But when The balladeer hid behind some bushes and watched the assassins boo at the live tv of Johnson,they coudnt help but smirk.

They were all right. 
The balladeer was right,because they predicted-no,they knew that shooting the president wasent going to help anyone be happy.
The assassins were right that "the american dream" doesent exist,not for them.

But damn them if the balladeer didnt atleast  try to listen. And they were right,they knew that the assassins just coudnt see the way to get their prize. And look where that got their group.

Johnny didnt bring "his country" back,wasent celebrated.
Zangara still had stomach issues and hadnt got rid of "the king".
Guiteau wasent rememberd.
jealous actor
Spitefull immigrant
deranged priest

Czolgosz didnt make workers equal,he destroyed the reputation of anarchy. (He did win the love  of Emma Goldman though.)
Hinckley didnt win jodies love and wasted most of his life in jail.
Squeaky didnt free Manson,

moody anarchist
upset pedophile
petty hippie

Sara Jane Moore still doesent know what her purpose is.
Byck didnt make people listen.
confused woman
boring drunkard

Outside their carnival world,all of them are nothing more then footnotes

Except Booth. Booth always takes center-stage,always acts.
Just like he acted to convince Lee.

Lee still cant connect,cant break out of his lonliness. Nobody dares tell him that the propietor was Ruby. Soon he will know.

pessimistic Marxist.

But for now,the group cheers,everybody knows that Johnson cant do shit.

The balladeer has lost once,they just have to try again.

But for now.

They run.

Chapter Text

Lee had just joined the group and was now watching Johnson be sworn in.

It made him wonder if he fixed everything at all.

He wasent really paying attention until that girl in the red dress curiously turned her head to him and asked him "so....what did you want as your prize?"

Lee paused for a moment. He just wanted...he knew what he wanted as a prize,right? He shot jfk for something. He didnt just do it because the other assassins invited him to their family,right? 

He actually did,because he wanted to feel welcome,to belong, to  connect.

But he couldn't just tell the girl(lynette? Squeaky? He doesent know how to call her) that,it would made him seen needy. Because he used to move a lot between schools,he always had to introduce himself,again,and again,and again. He knows oversharing isent a good idea so he just says:

"I did it to change things"

That was the truth after all.

Squeaky just slighty frowned,still confused and was about to ask him for more info until Hinckley interupted her with a "let him be,hes shy,ive read it in every book about him i could!"

"you did WHAT" lee says in shock. "How many books are there written about me!? Are you stalking me like that poor jodie girl!? Answer me!"

Hinckley just smiles nervously before answering"...yea,i kinda got and still am obsessed with you. Not in the way i reserve for jodie,but still..."

Lee,who is annoyyed and shocked:

" But still,stop doing it! Its still creepy!"

Hinckley just sighs as the carnival lights start to to shine red,reflecting the sunset

Byck notices this and says: "you know what the time is???"

Guiteau,enthusiastic as ever,speaks up: "our daily truth and dare play,where i can make everyone reveal their darkest secrets :)"

The other assassins all groan "NOT AGAIN...."

Lee swears he hears someone mutter under their breath

"advice? never ever say truth" but he can't figure out who it was

Chapter Text

Lee kinda zones out,wondering how the hell he got into this mess that was the Carnival. Until he suddenly hears someone mentioning his name.

"So...Lee,truth or dare?" Booth says with a smirk.

Lee internally wonders how this smug idiot was the same guy who convinced him to shoot Jfk. Deciding to take the random advice he just says "...dare,i guess"

Booth is in thought while Hinckley excitedly says "LEE,I KNOW YOU WOULD SAY THAT!!! CAN YOU GIVE ME YOUR AUTOGRAP-"

"Wear pj's with dinosaurs on them and start pretending you are a dinosaurs." Booth says while chucking,thus interupting a now pouting (he didnt get an autograph) Hinckley.

The genuinely confused Lee just answers:"Wait-...where am i even supposed to get dino pj's???" 

Everyone in the group suddenly reacts at once,with answers like "your mom"(by byck),"ask it to the children in my basement :)" (by Guiteau,nobody knows if hes joking) or even "IL ASK CHARLIE,HES THE SON OF JESUS AFTER ALL!!" (by Squeaky,shes high on drugs but serious about asking charlie manson)

"Guys...thats not helpfull" is all the irritated Lee can say.

"Just let me handle it!!!" The propietor says when he suddenly walks into the room

Lee,who hasent met him yet :"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?!?" 

"Well um...im like the owner of the carnival,nice to meet you!" The proprietor flashes one of his usual reporter smiles before holding out his hand to shake hands with lee

"O and also,he is Ruby" The balladeer,who was tired of hiding behind the vending machine because they didnt want to enrage the assassins by letting their group know they came back.

The assassins (minus lee) and the propietor calmly amd rationally respond:"WHAT THE HELL BALLY?!YOU DIDNT NEED TO TELL HIM THAT!"

Chapter Text

The balladeer just sighs and with their faux-innocent smile they say "okay fine,im sorry. But when were you guys going to tell him? Hm? Tommorow? Next week? The next century?"

Meanwhile lee is just in a state of shock and looking at the propietor : "wait...that makes no sense...you dont look like Ruby...also why would shoot me?"

The proprietor just looks slightly haunted before going back to smiling "well-you see- first of all,unlike ballad boy here whos just a lame concept,i can have action."
The balladeer just lets out a "HEY! THATS RUDE :(" before pouting.

The proprietor smirks at this before continuing:" secondly,it was a safety measure. If you accidentally broke in front of the interrogations of the feds and addmitted that you originally came to kill yourself,the mystery would be gone and the effect would be failed,makes sense huh?"

Chapter Text

The balladeer just sighs and says with their faux-innocent smile  "okay fine,im sorry. But when were you guys going to tell him? Hm? Tommorow? Next week? The next century?"

Meanwhile lee is just in a state of shock and looking at the propietor : "wait...that makes no sense...you dont look like Ruby...also why would shoot me?"

The proprietor just looks slightly haunted before going back to smiling "well-you see- first of all,unlike ballad boy here whos just a lame concept,i can have action."
The balladeer just lets out a "HEY! THATS RUDE :(" before pouting.

The proprietor smirks at this before continuing:" secondly,it was a safety measure. If you accidentally broke in front of the interrogations of the feds and addmitted that you originally came to kill yourself,the mystery would be gone and the effect would be failed,makes sense huh?"

Before either Lee could vocally express his shock or hickinly could ask Lee for an autograph (again)The ballader interupted them both by just saying:
"come on seriously?! Ive known you since czolgosh,and i know your a bit crazy but seriously? killing me rather then risking Lee being honest? Did you really think you could kill me, *an idea*???"

The propietor,in shock and slightly embarrased by being scolded (he is used to being in control and smoothtalking/manipulating everyone) just stammers a quick "uh-about that-it was Booth's idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The balladeer turns to Booth and they looks frustrated because they are:"WHAT?! WHY DID YOU DO IT BOOTh!?!"

Booth,though noticing that the balladeer refused to call him johnny,probably because they were still upset,still just says with his Honey-sweet melodic voice he only used because he knew its was capable of getting everyones attention:

"well lets just see what you did.......you purposefully startled me to make me look crazy to David,then procceded to *giggle* about it,yes,laugh about convincing my friend im crazy,i dont get how your supposed to be the good guy...and you also burned some pages from my diary"

The balladeer just listens (they always do) at first with a smirk before they just pales when they realise Booth knows that they burned parts of his diary just to spite him. They stand frozen in shock for a while before trying to explain:"well....uh.........how do you even know that? But dont worry,i can explain! In fact,i can even make a song about i-"

"No songs,i swear if you-" the proprietor says,hes by now annoyyed before being cut off by the balladeer.

They just smirk:"dont pretend you dont like my songs! In fact,thats how we met! I was about to Sing a marvelous song about hope,dreams and fine imaginings with the topic of Czolgosh here but then i heared you speak as a radio announcer and i immeadiatly knew:"thats the guy who convinced Zangara and Booth" and you ruined my ideas :(" by now they are pouting

"your songs are horrible anyway" Squeaky suddenly says

"but-my songs are great-the audience you cant see for a damn reason,agrees with me!! and im the good guy! im supposed to have good songs!!" the balladeer says,being a bit insecure about their passion,their soul being insulted.

Moore interupts:"okay fine...good songs,sure! but the good guy?? Didnt you once admit that you refused to sing about me because quote unquote "im perfect,i dont sing about failures"??like seriously,that stung"

By now,the balladeer was nervous,both because they were confronted with their slight hypocrisy and the fact that they felt cornered again like that moment when they were killed certainly did nothing to calm their nerves (uh oh looks like our dear storyteller is traumatised and cracking) "THAT WAS A JOKE I SWEAR!! COME ON! MOORE! Sarah,you know i was joking,right?...right?...Your not actual failures,dont worry,i didnt insult you!! You know that,okay??? P-please dont get the wrong idea!!! I meant it as just a little jest-"

Moore,who is smarter then she looks just calmly says: "if so,if you were really joking......why are you panicking?????????"

The balladeer actually knew exactly why they were panicking.They felt cornered. Like,even the slightest notion that they are not unfailible makes them feel anxious. Like seriously,they watched and stood as the barn burned down without being affected,they thought they were immortal. They thought they could get away with everything because 99% of the humans coudnt even see them. But for them to be bound to the human world in some very slight way instead of being above it as an entity who coudnt get hurt? For them to be somewhat bound to the opinions of the people he had to protect? Horrifying.

But where they about to tell that to the woman who technically helped killing them in the first place??
Absolutly not.
So They just stay silent,looking down like they were a young child being scolded before akwardly saying "you're actually.....being a bit too loud. Thats all."

If only they werent afraid of speaking the truth,as they would soon come to know was the better option.

Zangara,who on this rare occasion has been deep in thought suddenly says to the balladeer:"wait.....You didnt meet-a the carnie until czolgosh?! What the hell did you do before that?"

That was a long story,the balladeer knew. It bought back some memories for them

Chapter Text

They had someones story to tell. Thats atleast the task the balladeer took upon themselfs. To tell about people whos stories history refused to tell. To tell about the forgotten or the wicked who were portrayed wrong. And right now,the nation felt a lot of desperation,they could feel it. They dont know why,they are worried. The civil war is over,so why are the people upset?

Quickly they tried to feel and figure out the cause.

the president's been shot

Lincoln's dead.

And the guy who shot him happens to be one of the wicked. So they gotta tell his story. Somone gotta sing that song. (and they are the only one who can) Did the country really have to go wrong again so shortly after that huge war? But madman are bound to come along. This story reminds them of the crazy guy who almost shot Jackson so many years ago. Even then,people were shocked. But damn if they let an assassins change the story!

They have to sing. So they do. Their ukulele is their only companion in expressing their frustration that the guy whos story they had to tell just killed the best president.

That handsome devil was supposed to keep his temper level! Why did Johnny do it!? Even they dont know. They can only guess(what pushes a person to kill the president anyway?)

It could be that Johnny did it because his strong voice faded over the years(and so did his ideas) Maybe the passionate actor was drunk? (he wasent,he planned this out) They already know what the newspapers say about him,that he wanted to improve his reputation among his friends. (but he didnt,Johnny has always valued the country over people. How does the balladeer even know the whole life story of a person they only heard about a few minutes ago?They have no idea)

He had everything. Grace,glitter,riches. They already know that he will die,so young,so close to being 27.

He threw it all away! And for what? To kill the joy of a country recovering from a bloody war?! 

It was his brother,the balladeer realises. He was always trying to compete with his unionist brother. He probably shot the president just to spite him.

Suddenly their song is interupted with David Harold barging into the barn,trying to save Booth from his fate,to hold his best friend and save him against a world which hates him. But silly Johnny is only preocupied with his reputation. He threatens David.

And the balladeer can not stay quiet anymore. How dare he betray his best and most friend for something as minor as reputation?! They make a plan This racist bastard doesent even deserve to die with a friend by his side. The balladeer takes a risk to show Themselves to Booth,who ofcourse immeadiatly notices the glow. They have to interupt him to scare David off.

"they say your ship was sinking John....." they have purposfully put on their hopefull and longing voice. That would really scare Johnny,because he doesent believe in hope.

That doesent work though,Booth doesent even look up from dictating David. They just have to try again "You'd started missing cues..." booth doesent appreciate the mocking and looks annoyed (he only cares about his legacy)

"They say it wasn't Lincoln, John..."

that annoyes Booth and gets a "shut up" from him,while David wonders why tf his probable crush is talking to air(david cant see the balladeer) Bingo.

They just really have to mock him. "You'd merely had A slew of bad Reviews—"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" booth is really pissed off now.

David ofcourse takes the chance to run and surrender the moment he can. And thats all it takes for Booth to notice them,finally.

The balladeer would later never admit it to anyone,but in that moment,they felt kinda self-rightous and they even laughed.  Later,they would realise this and  hate that this guy was making them act like a monster.

Booth is practically begging,still only caring about his legacy: "I have given up my life for one act, you understand? Do not let history rob me of its meaning..." surely he really coudnt think that they would listen to him? " Pass on the truth! You're the only one who can." The balladeer pales,how did he know?! 

"Please..." okay now they feel kinda bad. It is going to be their role to protect this guy from the country and protect the country from this guy,after all. And they gotta tell his story before they can do that.

.They sigh and begin to read from his diary,talking to america,to the country. To every time. Today they sing to the 1860's,tommorow they'll sing in 1901.They know that the country can somehow listen,even if the people dont know about them.

They take their guitar,give a stern look to Booth and begins to sing:"Damn you, Lincoln You had your way—" "Tell 'em, boy!" how does he know about the audience anyway?! Booths an actor,ofcourse he'd assume an audience. This is painfull to read. They know that Booth will have written something really racist somewhere.

"With blood you drew out Of blue and gray!" Thats the only thing they see negative in Lincoln. He did somewhat escalate the war. "Tell it all! Tell them till they listen"

Does he not know that the people only listen because the balladeer is the one singing about him? "He said: "Damn you, Lincoln And damn the day You threw the "U" out Of U.S.A!"" as on cue(they only one he doesent miss)Booth begins to sing himself,being center-stage and taking his story into his own hands.

The balladeer has to admit that Booth is damn good at giving speeches.

Like,hes objectively wrong but he makes himself sound like a hero. "...Because someone slew the tyrant Just as Brutus slew the tyrant—" Thats it. The bastard is almost about to go back to his racist and anti-lincoln speeches. suprsingly,Booth already knew what they were going to sing and sang along: "Damn you, Lincoln You righteous whore!" How dare he call Lincoln a whore?! that poor guy was the most depressed president in existence!

They sing a bit before Booth does his attention-grabbing,dramatic speech(again) "How the end doesn't mean that it's over How surrender is not the end! Tell 'em: How the country is not what it was Where there's blood on the clover How the nation can never again Be the hope that it was How the bruises may never be healed How the wounds are forever How we gave up the field But we still wouldn't yield"

Oh oh. He started to sound more angry. The balladeer prepared himself for a racist slur. Surely Booth was crazy. "How the union can never recover From that vulgar High and mighty N!gga lover" That really shocked them. This guy deserves zero symphanty. They are definetly buring his diary and mocking him later.

"Never—! Never. Never. Never. No, the country is not what it was... Damn my soul if you must Let my body turn to dust Let it mingle with the ashes of the country Let them curse me to hell" Whos them? Is he talking about the country? "Leave it to history to tell" BOOTH POINTED AT THEM O NO O NO O SHIT HOW DID HE KNOW!?!?

While the balladeer paled and was still panicking,Booth continued: "what i did,i did well" as if "and i did it for my country" which country? america? the confederacy? his twisted idea of his nation? "LET THEM CRYYYYYYYYYYYYY 'DIRTY TRAITOR..." that was exactly what they were about to say! booth suddenly gets quiet:"...they will understand it later" okay thats just scary. What does he mean by that? "the country is not what it was..." this guy is delusional! He shoots himself.

The balladeer thinks that the history books say something diffrent. They stand there frozen in shock,after all the guy who knew so much about them just shot himself.

But they arent done yet. They still gotta mock the now dead guy after all "Johnny Booth was a headstrong fellow Even he believed the things he said Some called him noble, some said yellowWhat he was was off his head"

Nothing could prepare them for what happend next. Booth just stood up while he offended! Did they just make him stand up from the death by mocking him?! They take it as their chance to really question Booth

. "How could you do it, Johnny Calling it a cause? You left a legacy Of butchery And treason we Took eagerly And thought you'd get applause?!" Booth grunts but stays quiet. They had a hunch that the assassination would solidate lincoln in history as the good guy forever

:"But traitors just get jeers and boos Not visits to their graves While Lincoln, who got mixed reviews Because of you, John, now gets only raves!" Booth angerly tries to stomp (or limp) off. The balladeer holds him back.

They realise,in horror,that this will not be the last time someone will try to kill the president. They suddenly see flashes of other presidents being shot,time doesent move linear for them after all. They take a deep breath before continuing.

"Damn you, Johnny! You paved the way For other madmen To make us pay Lots of madmen Have had their say— But only for a day" thats right. No way Booth can influence the future,right? "Listen to the stories Hear it in the songs Angry men don't write the rules And guns don't right the wrongs"

As on cue,this union soldier named Corbett barges into the barn and shoots Booth in the neck,paralyzing him. Booth is so annoyed by their song and glow that he asks to have take a look at his hands before saying "useless,useless!!" How rude. The balladeer doesent even know if hes talking about his hands,about them,or both.

"Hurts a while, but soon the country's Back where it belongs" They could still feel traces of the desperation the country felt at that point. Booth is dead by now (or so they think,in reality,he keeps peeking) "And that's the truth Still and all.." They smirk, Finally getting their revenge,getting what they want for once

Using their warm glow to dramatically burn some pages of Booth's diary,talking like someone who just went through a massive breakup and was now in denial: "Damn you, Booth!"

Chapter Text

After the balladeer quietly told their story about Booth to Zangara,they still coudnt realise that by then,everyone was listening very attentively,because come on,they were just that good of a storyteller.

Booth is very confused "YOU SEE ME AS THE BAD GUY?!"

everyone just groans,its so obvious by this point that even Lee notices:"my dude,you are a racist idiot"

Booth,whos had his pride hurt,exlaimes in a mix of horror,shock and faux-innocence "you knew?!"

Zangara ,who is annoyyed by always being subtly mocked by Booth because of his Italian orgin mutters : "it is so obvious that the chance of-a someone not noticing are lower then the chance that guiteau stops being deranged,but yeah Booth,you are probably already used to being a bit idiotic as well"

"HEY,IM NOT DERANGED!!!" Guiteau and Booth state at the same time.

Czolgosh who is,like zangara,tired of being mocked sighs and mutters with some anger present in his voice :"Booth,you are so racist that Woodrow Wilson could could call his treatment of black people humane by just comparing his ideas to yours"

All the assassins let out an audible gasp. After all,nobody but Booth dares talk about the presidents .

The Balladeer,feeling uncomfortable by everyones shock suddenly proposes "so......how about we play hide and seek? Who will be it?"

"NOT ME" everyone says. Except Lee,who has no idea yet how all these inside jokes work. 

He groans,rolls his eyes,and mutters bitterly (you can tell that he is VERY happy right now):"does that mean i have to be it?" But everyone has already dissapeard out of his sight. Lee is not having a good day.

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Booth is a good actor.

He knows this as well.

Which is why he pretended to go hide by the shooting gallary.

But instead,he hides behind the vending machines on the other side of the carnival.

He sees a coin laying on the ground and picks it up.

He decides to put it in a vending machine and check out this "soda" that Byck and Hinckly seem to glorify.

And well,

now he understands why.

:D:D:D:D:D:D

Guiteau thinks of the most marvelous idea he's had since proposing to Moore and shooting Garfield.

He will hide ON the high carnival tents where nobody can see him!

yes,nothing that can go wrong!

This marvelous idea will definetly make him the ambassador to France!

Hes sure he wont fall!

🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭

Czolgosh,ever the practical man,decided to do something unexpected.

He realises himself could no way know the best hiding space (because a good hiding space is so hidden that even he himself cant find it) 

He decides to follow his compass north.

🚬🚬🚬🚬🚬

Zangara is unlucky.

Just when he thinks he could hide in a crate(hes small,okay?)

he falls out.

He only has 60 seconds left.

He climbs onto a carnival tent.

He sees a Guiteau who is widely smiling and muttering something to himself,immeadiatly goes back down,prays to god and decides that just hiding in the crate again is better then sharing a hiding spot with Guiteau.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Byck is two things:drunk and a real menance.

But especially drunk.

He will hide under Lee's bed and pretend to be a demon.

That will scare that newbie so much that being found and berated is worth it.

Lets hope he doesent fail.

👠👠👠👠👠👠👠👠👠👠

Moore is lost.

How shes lost in the carnival shes known for years(shes not sure how long,time is tricky here),she doesent know either.

This reminds her of the time she got lost in a mall with her husband on their honeymoon

Her Best husband.

The only one who saw her as a real person instead of a stupid housewife.

Damnit now shes upset 

Fueled with nostalgia,she hides in the random shop behind an aisle.

And hopes she wont be found in her upset state.

🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀

Lynette didnt know what to do or where to hide.

Hide,like she had to when she and her friends were accused of killing.

And they said that Charlie did it!

Their Manson family is as pure as they get,

theyre not criminals!

She misses Charlie.

Which is probably why she goes to the toy section and hides behind a huge stuffed Teddy Bear.

Squeaky hopes that nobody will see her mourning.

God,she needs more weed because shes starting to come down from the High.

Thats the only reason why shes silently crying.

Right?

right?

...right?

Ofcourse,Charlie would say so as well.

And charlie is always right,he is the son of Jesus after all.

🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞

John Hinckly is in the walls.

Litterally.

Actually,he is in the ceiling.

Thats right,hes hiding in the vents.

Clutching his favorite picture of Jodie

asking her to lead him in his quest.

At first,he wanted to be found.

To see Lee's shock

and to ask him for his autograph.

(And maybe give the poor guy a hug too,

he needs it after all.)

But then,he realised he could visit his secret Jodie memoir.

A central yet hidden place in the vents of the Carnival.

He finally arrives.

The place just screams Jodie.

The pictures.

The dolls (he's got one of Lee too,but that doesent mean anything!)

The lavender candles with the same scent as the Shampoo she probably uses.

How beautifull is she.

She told him she was too young for him.(which makes sense)

But he knows that is not all.

There HAS to be more.

He will prove his love.

He shot Reagan for her after all.

Maybe he is just not committed enough?

Whatever.

✨✨✨✨✨✨

The balladeer just runs away the moment lee starts counting.

When they think they are alone.

They sigh in relief.

Finally,no more having to be hyper-focused

and always prepared to stop arguments.

They are more then just a storyteller.

Sure,thats their main thing.

But theyve got years to fill without an assassin.

They also write other songs.

Or draw birds.

Or haunt some villans in other afterlives (their monthly victim is Stalin-)

Or just explore new horizons (they are also hope after all)

Sadly,after being shot,theyve somehow lost connection to the other afterlifes and the human world.

Probably because of the same reason they needed to be killed just to let Lee shoot the president (they still dont know the exact reason).

Whatever,

They know that some teen will try to shoot president 44 whos running to also be president 46.

And that they will be back by then (because they gotta tell another assassin's story)

But thats still a long time.

Until then.

Theyve been left to just exploring the forest outside of the carnival.

The place somehow always manages to lure them in.

The babbling creek,

the chirping of the birds,

the beautifull leafs.

the squirrels and butterflies seeming to greet them.

Even though they dont understand,they listen.

And the balladeer feels with them too.

It is here that they get their best song ideas.

Where they photograph or draw the best birds.

It is here where they can retreat and feel calm.

There is something magical about this place.

That is why they climb up a tree,seemingly enchanted

by the almost breathing nature arround him.

They reach the top,make themselves comfortable.

Once again put in a trance by the absolute beauty of the view they have of the autumm/fall leafs painting the place in a fantastic hue, alongside the lights of the carnival.

There is no way they are going to be found.

Which is perhaps why they glow brighter

and seem almost as alive as they were pre-Booth(damn him,he ruined everything)

The wind humming a long forgotten song.

They finally allow themselves to smile.

It just lights up the place even more.

They love it.

💈💈💈💈💈💈💈

The proprietor had diffrent ideas.

He decided to hide in the control room of the Ferris Wheel.

This is great

Life is great

Hes got everything under control,

just sipping some wine 

and listening to the radio.

Nothing will go wrong.

🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫(me when no gun emoji:"😨😭)

Finally,after what seemed to last forever,hes counted to 300 seconds.

Why that exact number?

Lee has no idea.

He has no motivation.

What even is the purpose of this game?

What even is the purpose of this afterlife?

He was promised a family,

was he lied to?

Will he be used as a scapegoat?

Like he pretended Marina was the problem by beating her?

He shoudve just killed himself in the book depository before the other assassins could say anything.

Then perhaps,he could finally rest.

Perhaps,he woudnt terrorise and hurt the world even after his death with his mere legacy.

But whatever.

He needs to get searching now.........

First he checks the tents.

There is obviously nothing in her- "BOO!" Byck appeared 

What the hell was evil santa doing under his bed?!

before Lee could ask his question,Byck just pouted "o come on? your not scared??"

Byck is drunk,he realised. 

But Lee is still anoyyed by Byck underestimating him,their conversation went a little something like this:

Lee:"you do realise ive done a lot in my life? im not scared of some weirdo santa under my bed,for example,i-"

"OKAY OKAY stop we should ask Hinckley,il show you where he is!!" Byck shouts.

lee:"wait you KNOW WHERE EVERYONE IS?!"

byck:"yea"

lee:"AND YOU DIDNT TELL ME?!"

byck:"yea"

lee:"SHOW ME!!"

byck"its miller time"

"WHAT THE HELL IS MILLER TIME?!"

"nothing..lets go"

and then they went to search everyone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8:notes

Hi everyone! As of writing this,i just got my scores for my exams and they are all fairly good!

I decided that there will be no second chapter for the hide and seek saga because i dont kmow what else to write about it.

Ive had this idea of splitting my story into acts like those huge fanfics do.

All chapters prior to this would be from act 1:silliness. Short chapters(0.2-1k words) written spontaneously with almost no prior planning,full of jokes and banter.

Act 2 would be a bit mor story-packed and angsty(what? I like angsty stuff!). The hide and seek chapter is a transition to this with small exerpts of everyone's POV.

Because,to be fair,everyone here has problems.

The proprietor is low-key sadistic.

The balladeer is pretty anxious and easily caught of guard,especially after the events of another national anthem. Theyre Kinda having a minor mental breakdown but i already gave them some peace last chapter.

Booth is a narcist and racist.

Zangara is bitter and has stomach issues.

Czolgosh was rejected by his crush and has some PTSD from his job.

Guiteau is delusional and probably bipolar.

Squeaky has trust issues.

SJM has attachment issues (really sarah? FIVE husbands?)

Hinckley is schizophrenic(also was irl) and has some unhealthy limerence(i think thats how you write it?)

Byck is bitter and has trust issues.

Lee is suicidal and reckless.

So yeah,thats just my announcement for the second act, with more angsty stuff.

It will now be winter break for me,which means that i have more time to write more but probably will post less often, which will lead to longer chapters.

Thanks for everyone who has given me feedback in some way,im a beginning writer and feedback is sacred to me.

Thats all,

Enjoy and see you all later!

Chapter Text

It took an entire hour to find everyone.

An entire hour.

Even with the help of Byck,who somehow knew where everyone else was.

What does that guy know that you don't?

And why the hell is this carnival place so large?

Ofcourse,at this point it was evening and so everyone was naturally sitting at some campfire that you can swear wasent there before .how does everything just appear? 

As you walk to the central plaza,that Guiteau priest is smiling widely at you and waves,yet you're afraid of him. You dont like being looked at like you're standing in the spotlight,it makes you uncomfortable. 

Why wont he stop looking at you?

His smile is fake. 

That much you know.

You decide to ignore him and arrive at the central place.

Hinckley ran to his carnival tent and told you to wait here because he wanted to show you something.

How long is that bastard going to take? You could have read all of Marx's works by now!

Finally,he comes running to him with a lot of books in his hands. All of them seem like they have a lot of pages,some are dictionary-sized.

Hinckley smiles at you and you stare at him before taking a step back because it freaks you out. This all freaks you out, what's up with everyone's smiles? Are they all just highly-functional psychopaths?

And besides,you are (still) not used to people actually wanting to be in your presence,if his interest in you is even real in the first place. 

Hinckley doesent seem to notice Your discomfort and just smiles even more

"look,here are all the books about You!!"

Your first thought is You wondering how this happend in the first place.

So many books,all about You?

You don't like it. You don't deserve it. 

*ou crave the attention though,after all,is that not why you shot at the president?

Marina would be upset if she knew,

Shes too good for you.

But hey,its not like you always ruin people by upsetting and harming them..nope,you have no experience with that at all.

You stop zoning out when Hinckley starts shaking you and nervously exlaims "so? so? Will You sign the books? You can choose any book,don't worry! Please?"

You sigh. Do You really have to appeal to his fantasy? But You decide to sign it anyway. 

Finally,he can never complain to and gush about you ever again.

Or so you hope.

He beams,and just as you expect him to just thank ya and walk away,he actually comes closer.

Does this man not understand how awkward this is right now?!

He hugs you.

Its slightly disorienting,but you cant help hugging back for some reason.

You dont really feel like you're all there,like this is just some fever dream.

Why hug you?

He coudve hugged anyone else.

Done everything else.

You dont need the hug.

By now,he has sensed you tensing up and let go of you some while ago,looking at you curiously. You are so confused that you haven't noticed,that until now.

You're sure he just hugged ya because he pitied you. To be polite. Because he feels bad.

He look away before quietly saying "well..sorry i guess,you just looked like you needed the hug."

Yup,he definitely pities you.

You refuse to tell him that youve lost yourself over time and that there is not much soul left in you to be pitied about.

He's still quietly and repeatedly apologising until you just shoo him off and he walks away.

Now you are the one feeling bad for him.

He looked so desperate.

But why?

Youve already eliminated the possibility of him having a crush on you,because he would have been completely red and flushed after hugging you.

So he probably has mental issues.

Who here doesent?

You,for example,have shut off the world and everyone most of the time to laserfocus on one goal.

You were confused a lot in your life.

You didnt know whether you wanted to be an American,a Russian or a Cuban.

Even before being shot by Ruby (who is just an alter ego of that carnie who runs this carnival,according to that glowing guy)

 You had grimaced confused for the press.

Why so much people interested in you?

O right,you shot the president.

You dont regret it.

Nor do you blame whoever shot you.(you're just sad you werent the one to shoot yourself,but whatever)

This all had a goal,a reason.

You feel too numb to know wether you have failed or not.

You just-

You wanted to connect.

Chapter Text

People have differences.

No two people are the same after all.

Yet we assemble in communities.

Everyone who's in the creator community will understand this.

It's not just writers.

It's also poets,painters,artists,sculptors,actors,singers,dancers,whatever you call people who make origami...

Upon all of us,there comes a time where the creative spark seems to leave you.

Perhaps it's because studies.

It can be because an emergency.

Whatever it is,it drains your energy and time.

This is also less dramatically known as artist or writers block.

And I've hit that point.

Now for me, the source doesent neccesarially come from my enviorment.

I have winter break right now after all,and more then enough time.

It's my internal energy.

The cause could be quite litterally anything. My period,me  being a moody teenager,being scooped up at home,nagging people all arround me (IRL,don't worry Internet,none of you have upset me)

So il be taking a break to work on myself.

For how long?

I plan to update this by mid-January though.

So unless I either die,have a medical emergency or somehow lose acces to all my accounts..

I WILL RETURN.

as proof,I will give you my current short summary for chapter 2.

If  I don't post an update either on here or my tumblr(same username) by 1st of FEBRUARY 2025.

you can assume that the worst(medical emergency,i died,my parents figured out and delete everything...) has happend.

In that case,I give everyone the FULL PERMISSION to continue this story.

Now onto the summary(SPOILER ALERT)

order should be

-Lee:being anxious about everyone and isolating himself while wanting to connect.(FINISHED AND POSTED)

-Hinckley:reflecting on Lee and Jodie,feeling worthless.(STARTED)

-Squeaky: longing for her Manson Family and being comforted by Moore.(NOT STARTED YET)

-Moore: comforting Squeakster and opening up about her husbands.(NOT STARTED YET)

-Guiteau:realising all his emotional wounds stem from not feeling loved and tries smiling even more to make up for it.(NOT STARTED YET)

-Booth:feeling all sophisticated until he notices Guiteau's behavior and trying to talk him out of it. However,Guiteau accidentially triggers him and he storms away with a self-righteous inner monologue about his goals.(NOT STARTED YET)

-Czolgosz:feeling grim (NOT STARTED YET)

-Zangara :NO IDEA BRO(NOT STARTED YET)

-Byck:bitterly getting the assassins to confronting the leader couple (NOT STARTED YET)

-Props:happily clarifyg his being and motives(NOT STARTED YET)

-Bally:darkly explaining their backstory and pulling an uno-reverse by confronting everyone else with their trauma's(NOT STARTED YET)

That's all my folks. I will hopefully be seeing you all later.

Much of love and happiness wished upon all my readers and all the supportive and awesome people of the comunities I'm in <3

Chapter Text

QUICK UPDATE:

i have an idea for another fic,which would be a crossover between the four main historical US musicals(Hamilton,Bloody bloody andrew jackson,1776 and the assassins au which corelates with this fic)where they meet and have more drama and silly interaction blablabla

. This would allow you guys to still get a but of content on this au while also making it easier for me to write chapters as i dont have to limit myself to one set of characters and wonder "how will i fit this reference in here?" Because now i just can.

After taking a break of arround 1.5 weeks like i announced, Im almost done with the first chapter of the crossover fic. This would however mean that this one would be paused for a while. You've been warned :)