pride rock

Jackson Buchanan. 34. Heeding the call. Hunting the damned. Traveler. Journalist. Pride leader. Shapeshifter. Human.

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

addiexvalentine:

It didn’t take much for Addie to notice Jackson in the crowd, standing a head taller than almost everyone around her. When she saw his grin she couldn’t help but smile too, but still shook her head in disbelief at the costume. “Seriously?” she asked incredulously. “This is crazy, why do they think that’s how they should look to be witches? And why is a warlock costume a guy in a robe and pointy hat with a beard?” she asked, pointing to someone not far from them. “I don’t know where they got the green warty idea from but it’s awful.” she complained, making a face before looking up at him again. 

“Are you enjoying the festival, though? They sure gave us a lot to do.” she commented, looking around at everything. “I haven’t tried this apocalypse room thing I’ve heard about though. I’m not sure if it’ll terrify me or be great. Have you tried it yet?”

Jackson almost stepped forward to offer Addie a hug before he realized that they weren’t that close yet. The woman may have saved him from a night of hopelessly wandering the woods, but he didn’t know anything about her other than the fact that she was a witch named Adeline. Well, that wasn’t the complete truth as he learned that she was offended by human depictions of her kind. He chuckled and casually ran his hand through his hair, covering a nervous smile. “If you think that’s bad, you should look around for some werewolves. These people make them look even more hideous than they already are.”

The comment was a quick addition to the conversation, an idea that had been drilled into him since birth. He didn’t pause before he continued speaking, his nonchalant smile still plastered on his face. “It’s great,” he continued, nodding. “All these people in one place, having fun? It’s definitely great.” At the mention of the apocalypse room, he subconsciously glanced into the crowd again, hoping to catch Evelyn. “No, not yet... But I planned on going in with a date that I seem to have lost...”

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

addiexvalentine:

Adeline danced to the music of the bands, a bottle of cider in her hand as she grinned, looking around and making small talk with the people around her. She found herself laughing at the many clever costumes people had come up with, not even realizing she should have come dressed up instead of in her jeans and a blouse. “What about you? What creature are you?” she asked a girl who donned a black robe and painted green face, a large fake nose with a wart on it, and carrying a broom. “I’m a witch, duh!” the girl replied with a laugh, tipping her pointed hat towards Addie.

Right away her face got a look of confusion, “You’re a what? Why are you dressed like that then?” she asked, and the girl now looked confused as well. “That’s not how –” she stopped herself, realizing that she couldn’t very well explain herself to this random human. With a huff she turned and walked away, avoiding any further confusion from her. “I can’t believe that.” she said to no one in particular as she reached the edge of the dance area. “That’s the ugliest witch costume I’ve ever seen!”

Having lost Evelyn in the crowd, Jackson decided his best bet would have been to stay in the open. He had managed to find a rather lonely spot by the crowd of dancers that took the field in front of a stage and, after all, he was most likely one of the tallest people standing in the area --- how hard could it be for the blonde to find him?

As he speculated the answer to his own question, he couldn’t help but pick up the sound of a familiar voice in the crowd. The phrase piqued his interest, and he found himself looking for the source before he fully recognized who it was. Adeline’s face among a few others caught his attention, and he couldn’t help but grin before stepping forward to approach. 

“Trust me, there’s a lady at one of the food trucks that looks way worse,” he offered, careful to make himself seen before he was heard. “Fancy seeing you here.”

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

Peaches and Herb // Buchanan Brothers

@mcahbchnxn

The event had been a fun and well needed escape for Jackson. The chiming of laughter in his ears, the mingling of people all around him, and the warm and fuzzy feeling everything gave him --- these were all the things that kept a man like Jackson Buchanan afloat in a world as twisted as his. They were the only things that distinguished him from every other sad man that couldn’t find their way, because they gave him something to come back to. Even when he couldn’t shift, he had this sense of socialization to come back to.

It was what he needed, after all. Knowing that there were people he could tell his stories to and people he could get stories from. The push and pull of a crowd energized him: it gave him a purpose that nothing else could --- because aside from his passion of journalism, he traveled for the people. 

For the experience.

A content smile played on his lips as he made his way across the many tables set out for patrons, two sodas in his hands. One for him, and one for Evelyn. 

He was still some ways away from the table where he had left his date, and the cups were precariously lidless. This would have been no problem for a man as big as Jackson, as he could have easily held the drinks above the reach of others. Well, it would have been no problem for him, had he not been slammed into. 

“Woah, shi---!” There was nothing his unfinished swear could stop as one drink flew from his hand onto the floor, and the other against his chest, spilling its content all over his shirt. There was nothing he could say as disappointment --- not anger --- swept away his  previously good mood. But there was something he could do, and that was to look up at the man that he had bumped into. At the man that he had sacrificed his drinks for --- the one he had been missing for two, starting three months. 

Not thinking to verify if it was really his little brother, Jackson dropped the second cup and threw his arms out, not caring that he’d get his brother’s shirt sticky in the process. 

“Micah!”

[lecomplice]

Visit Original Link

You vow your life and blood but this is not our home in the water Our hope here’s never found just try and keep your way in the water.

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

Resurrection // Evelyn & Jax

@earthlyeve

A dull ringing sounded in his ears, leaving all else around him a garbled n o t h i n g. The screams of excited children to his left and the screams of terrified adults to his right and just ahead, they were all faded --- as though he weren’t even standing outside in the line to the zombie room, where it all occurred. As though he weren’t standing with Evelyn’s hand in his own, their fingers loosely laced together as they had been all night. As though he weren’t even in the human realm at all. 

One could say his eyes had clouded over as he zoned into ceaseless thought, having been standing in silence for too long. He had been standing for too long, and he had been left to himself for too long. What he thought about wasn’t a concern to most people --- and it wasn’t even one to Jackson: mostly because it was always too painful to fully acknowledge. 

The only thing that could have taken him out of his state (and it was the smallest of things), happened to be the very faint squeeze of the hand wrapped in his own. With a blink and a clear of his throat, Jackson glanced down at Evelyn, a weak smile flashing across his face before concern overtook it. 

They were third in line to enter the room. “Sorry, I--- Are you okay? I mean, you still want to go in? It’s okay if you changed your mind.”

[itsreyntimebaby]

Visit Original Link

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

“Lion” by Hollywood Undead, album Notes From The Underground.

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

Look Papa, A Lion // Jax & Addie

@addiexvalentine

    How had this happened? How had this happened? H O W? step . . . step . .  He had been careful. Every precaution possible, every precaution,                      every single one, he had taken it. step . . . step . . .       So how was it, exactly, that he found himself in this scenario? step . . . step . . . step . . .                C R A C K !

A lion’s worth is in his strength. A lion’s strength is in his resolve. And a lion’s resolve is in the circumstance. 

A Buchanan lion resides in the quality of these four things --- and Jackson Buchanan had a lack of quality in every category. His circumstances were close to what would probably end up in history books, and not under good light. His resolve was equal to that of a captured gazelle. His strength was hardly enough to snap the twig below his paw. And his worth?

Best to not get started on that.

Jax had shifted. After his efforts and his prayers, he had s h i f t e d. He had gotten himself lost in the trees again, and he had shifted. The heavy weight on his shoulders as a human only seemed to triple as he weaved the forest trees, his head ducked, ears twitching and tail hanging. The only thoughts through his mind were focused on the dull ache of previously morphing bones, the knowledge that he didn’t know when he would be able to shift back again, and what would happen if someone were to see him. 

But he was not focused on the fact that someone could, eventually, s e e him...

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

owed thread info

Hey, everyone. I’m here and alive, but struggling with muse for Jackson. Sorry I haven’t replied to many threads, but he kind of developed a bit differently in my head than I thought he was going to. :/ I’ll be dropping most of those threads, but please message/contact me if you specifically want to continue! Because I’ll be messaging each and every one of you to see if we can plot some new things~

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

In the Shallow Waters // Jax & Evelyn

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

earthlyeve:

He didn’t exactly reply with anything to help Evelyn figure out if he was a shapeshifter too. He sounded like he’d been living in this town for ages. Although, she could hear he was not telling the entire truth. He sounded like he was trying to appear more knowledgeable than he actually was. Evelyn couldn’t help but smile at this. She felt a rush of energy shoot through her. She started to go through what she calls Don’t Do this Again aka gaining a crush. She started to think Oh My God, what if he likes me back? It usually leads to nothing but Evelyn was hopeful this time. And she needed to do something about it.

He stuck out his hand and she immediately grabbed it. His hand was so much larger than hers, it made her want to laugh, and warm, almost comforting. “Jackson, by the way. Sorry about the magazines, again.” For some reason, this time she didn’t feel like she had to over think her words. Normally, she would take forever to reply just to make sure she doesn’t sound stupid. But now, she wanted to talk forever. She needed to say something to him. She felt like whatever she would say, would be accepted. “Oh, yeah. Hah. It’s fine. Magazines fall on my head all the time,“ she rambled. 

Then, realizing what she had just said, took her hand out of his firm grip and attempted to shy away again. “That was a… that was a joke…” She quietly said in case he didn’t get her sarcastic remark. “I’m Evelyn, by the way. You can call me Eve.”

Afraid she would say something stupid again she turned to walk away. You can’t let this go Eve, she said to herself. She decided to turn back around. “Hey… What are you doing later?”

He had laughed at her joked, but she immediately explained it. With a furrowed brow, his smile became more natural once more. There had been no reason for her to verbally tell him she had been joking — but she had done so anyway. It was cute how she kept popping up and drawing back. “Evelyn. Eve,” he repeated, nodding. “That’s a beautiful name.”

Back home, Jackson would have had no problem with his words. There had been no heavy weight distracting his mind from his tongue; there had been no need for pause between phrases. But this was not home, and he did need to pause to think about what he said. Otherwise it would not come out so smoothly. Which was exactly why Evelyn had somehow managed to turn and begin walking away without him being able to react as quickly as he expected to.

“Ah, wai—”

“Hey… What are you doing later?”

He blinked. What was he doing later? He didn’t know. But a hope sparked in him — perhaps she hadn’t been so eager to leave as he had thought? “Later, I’m sitting around at home if I’m not out having a cup of coffee with you.”

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

double-mcintosh:

Getting himself out of bed was getting easier now. he wasn’t dragging his body as much anymore, and while he still had some flash backs he was better. Better than before at least. Parker had gone out early in the morning just to walk around and feel the cold, crisp air. It must have been an hour or two since he had wandered outside until his stomach started to growl. So he made his way back into the area he was more familiar with and stopped by a cafe he frequented often. 

With a scone and a latte at hand he made his way outside to sit at the outdoor tables. His hoodie was still pulled around him tightly and the hood hung loosely from the back of his head as he sat down. Watching the sun rise and the people start to fill the streets was calming to him. As he nibbled on the pastry he overheard someone else that was relatively nearby. “There’s some in.. some in the park and woods kind of near here,” he said to the other man.

As more people began filing out to the cafe’s tables, Jackson found himself watching them. Humans were more or less like those he knew from his own world, concerning habits. But something about them told him they were less...social. 

The fact that he noticed this was laughable. Jax was the type of man to ignore most of what happened around him --- to disregard the lack of chatter and mingling that most others provided. This was because he himself was a force to be noticed. There had never been a need for him to regard people who didn’t immediately flock towards him; it was nature. But this world’s nature --- and its lack thereof --- was nothing he knew of.

The man speaking had almost gone unnoticed by Jackson, until a few seconds later that he realized the words were for him. “Uh... Yeah, I saw them. But it’s kind of not the same, compared to where I’m from. You know, knowing these buildings are still so close.”

[lenestrawix-deactivated20200516]

The air was filled with rambling voices that floated around Zaira. They reached her, but she never absorbed their meaning, she didn’t want to give her attention to try and figure out what the people around her were saying. It wasn’t a matter of incapability, she simply didn’t care. At her short experience, humans were merely similar to the supernatural kind when it came to physical appearance. In all the rest, they were highly different. Or so she liked to think. There was a lot of interesting facts yet to be learnt about them, but overall they seemed alike, with behaviours and manners easy to decipher. This was her solid opinion about them, one not likely to be changed; yet deep down she wished to be wrong; or else the humans would prove to be very dull people.

She flipped the page of the magazine she was reading, coming back to earth, leaving her thoughts for later. There was a lot of foolish quizzes and even more foolish articles to be made and read. But somehow it had kept her drowned into the pages, giggling to herself as she read an absurd thing or two. The atmosphere on the cafe was pleasant, and even after having finished her coffee, she couldn’t make herself leave the place.

While she was reading, she lifted her eyes as a tall man passed through her, disturbing her attention for a moment. He sat in one of the tables, one which wasn’t so far from her. In fact, the space between them was small enough for her to hear him sighing. She looked at him carefully, not wanting to attract his attention. But when his words came in what it seemed to be a complainant tone, she let herself smile. “Nature enthusiast?”

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

“Nature enthusiast?”

“You can say that, yeah.” He responded before even stopping to check who had spoken to him. There was no reason to check, even, as most of the people here were still strangers to him. The only voice he would have recognized belonged to his brother --- and Jackson reckoned the words nature enthusiast wouldn’t have come from Eris. 

His eyes landed on a woman sitting not too far from himself, and a smile instinctively replaced his frown when he saw her expression. A smile for a smile. “Trees are better than skyscrapers, in my opinion. But I’m here and, you know, c’est la vie. I think the only thing keeping me here is the plentiful supply of cigarette and engine smoke.”

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

---She looked at him and it was like the whole world made sense. She looked at him and her eyes sparked a world of color in his broken heart. She looked at him and it was like nothing else in the world would ever compete for his smile.

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

In the Shallow Waters // Jax & Evelyn

[earthlyeve-blog]

Unsure of what to do, she clenched on to the magazine she was holding. Then, out of nowhere, he began to speak. His voice rumbled through her like thunder. Although it felt light, like the sky after a storm. He stumbled over his words several times and rambled a bit. Evelyn found it to be the most adorable thing. She wanted to record it and keep it forever. It made her smile. She tried to hide it but a smirk creeped up on her lips before she could control it. Suddenly, she worried about what she looked like. She hadn’t seen herself in a mirror for a while and was afraid her haggard appearance would scare away this opportunity. Words had never been a thing Evelyn was very good at. Afraid she would say something stupid herself, she stayed quiet and looked away nervously.

Then he spoke again. “Uhm… Were you looking at the current events too?” Her eyes fluttered up to his face and she remembered he was a shapeshifter. Her answer could mention being a shapeshifter herself. “I.. Yeah.. I..” She wanted to acknowledge the fact that they both were shapeshifters. But she couldn’t go out and say it in case there were listeners. She wondered how she could let him know they were the same. “I wanted to see what was going on around here. I’m… I’m new…” She said hoping he would get the clue.

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

She seemed to be as tongue-tied as he was, and it brought a smile to his face. Not a malicious one, not one that reveled in the fact that she was struggling too — but one that showed just how relieved he was that he didn’t need to worry about presentation. And with that knowledge, his shoulders straightened and his chin lifted in what was his usual confidence. His usual stride; his smile widened just enough to show his slight cockiness — but it remained casual.

“Not much goes on around here, actually.” A complete lie, as he had no idea what went on in the small town. He only knew it to be small. “Tiny town, tiny events. I was just checking to see if they had anything about cities in the area.”

He felt like a different person, compared to how he had been a few moments before. That was the funny thing about Jackson — his consistence depended on the consistence of the situations at hand. Without missing a beat, he stuck out his hand, his grin slipping into an easy smile. “Jackson, by the way. Sorry about the magazines, again.”

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

In the Shallow Waters // Jax & Evelyn

[earthlyeve-blog]

Evelyn didn’t realize how little she knew about socializing with humans. She always made it a point to blend into the crowd, so as not to stand out. Now that she was in a whole different world, her desire to blend in had grown. She realized she needed research methods on blending in- socially. She headed to one of her favorite places in the world- the library.

It was a building as large as Jupiter with little red bricks lined up all around it. Taking cautious steps, she walked inside, breathing in the comforting smell of old books and rotting wood. She eyed the rows and rows of books surrounding every wall and the spaces in between. She saw the books as millions of little windows, each leading to a new world, a new universe to explore. Home, she thought. With long, increasingly confident strides, she headed to the magazine section. She slowly scanned the shelves for something that might be useful. On the bottom shelf, she spotted the most recent news magazines. She bent down to collect what she had came for. She heard quiet footsteps nearby, but decided not to look up as a way to avoid drawing attention to herself.

Suddenly, she felt a random thud from what seemed like several magazines bouncing off her head. She was not entirely sure what had happened, so she looked up to see who had knocked them over. She noticed a man standing right in front of her so she stood up. He’s not like the others, she realized. He’s one of us.

She felt he was a bit too close for comfort, their chests only having been inches apart. However, at that point she could not move back, as there was a shelf right behind her. He did not move and instead started directly into her eyes. She could not think of how else to react other than to stand there. Moments later, she noticed their breaths matched that of the other’s perfectly…  and she could not help but notice how tall this man was. Almost a foot taller than her, and yet she hadn’t found him intimidating at all. He seemed soft and friendly. She payed close attention to his eyes as they settled in a way that looked like a kitten’s. A tiger shapeshifter, maybe? She wondered.

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

When she didn’t say anything, Jackson faltered. As if he had needed something to make him feel more awkward than he already had been. They were standing too close to each other, the magazines were still littered all over the floor, her eyes were very...very blue...

He stepped back when he realized there was still space behind his foot, and found himself with his back against the parallel shelf. Breaking the small moment resulted in breaking the steady posture he had managed to get himself in, and his hands fumbled with books they had collided into with the movement. “I’m really sorry about that...again... I--- Are you okay? I mean they’re just magazines but paper cuts are pretty bad and I remember once I... Uh, I’m rambling.” Of course he was. This woman’s blue hues were gorgeous enough that Jackson couldn’t hold himself together long enough to get a simple sentence out. Her initial silence threw him off enough to where a light blush spread across his cheeks, and his words caught in his throat.

She’s a shapeshifter, he told himself. You’ve met enough of them that look like her. But the last thought wasn’t quite true, and he knew it. There hadn’t been a smaller animal shifter that failed to cower before him in quite some time. And either it was because he was weakened in his state of confusion, of hesitance, or it was because this woman was overwhelmingly different; he was befuddled. 

“Uhm... Were you looking at the current events too?”

[addiexvalentine-blog]

Adeline nodded in thanks at the worker behind the cafe counter, taking her cup and filling it up with fruit punch before waiting for her order to be ready. She’d been excited to try out the small cafe, but as she looked around she realized she wasn’t the only one with that thought today. The place was jam packed and she wasn’t sure she’d find anywhere to sit down and eat. Not that she would mind standing so much, but with her luck she’d spill everything all over herself trying to do so.

Once her order was ready she took it with a smile and turned around, furrowing her brow a little as she searched for a spot through the restaurant. After twice through the rows of tables she couldn’t find anything, so she headed outside. She’d just spotted an empty bench when she heard someone talk and nodded, “Right? Everything is concrete and glass around here.” she agreed with a nod, then looked down at the empty chair across from him.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit here with you? This place is packed.” she asked, waiting for his answer before setting her stuff down.

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

At the unexpected voice, Jackson’s eyes opened again. He spotted the woman and rose a brow, taking in the food in her hand and the slightly lost air that hovered around her. “Concrete, glass, and selfish thoughts,” he whispered, sitting up in his seat to let his feet slide off the chair across him. “No, I--- go ahead.” 

She mentioned the crowd, he glanced around. Things had packed up without his noticing --- and had he known so many people had arrived, he would have finished his coffee and gone. But there it sat, now cold; and there he sat, now embarrassed. “Uh---” Something was off with the woman, he realized. She didn’t...seem the same as the rest of the people surrounding their small table. Something told him she wasn’t. “You prefer nature too?”

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

In the Shallow Waters // Jax & Evelyn

earthlyeve

A library was the quietest place Jackson would ever let himself step foot into. There were far too many thoughts streaming through his head --- thoughts that could only be drowned out by some kind of background noise --- for him to successfully withstand being somewhere quieter than the lazy drone of readers among shelves. He supposed he could have found a book shop instead, where there were most likely people making at least a bit more noise. He could have dragged himself through the shop’s doors in order to look for the books he wanted to delve into --- but then, he probably would have been told he’d need to purchase something if he wanted to stay.

So, the library it was. With it’s tall walls, high ceilings, and book shelves that his height just barely matched. There was nothing intimidating about a library. There was nothing that could spook a six foot tall Lion Shifter that felt so out of his element away from the fresher outdoor air, standing with his hair in a frenzy and his exhaustion clear on his expression. But there were things that could throw him off; things that he could miss, and could miss him.  

Like the fact that, as he stood by the library’s Magazine and News section, a woman had approached and taken her spot in a crouch just in front of him. Like the fact that this woman was not a human, but a shapeshifter like himself: someone that could comfort him even if it was just that small notion of letting him know he wasn’t alone. It was amazing how quickly things could happen as he was unaware, in a state so unlike his own that he felt the title of Lion Shifter couldn’t apply to him. 

It was only when he stepped to the right, trying to get a better look at a magazine wedged between others, and brushed his leg against the woman’s shoulder, that he startled. It was then that his hand let go of the many newspapers and articles in his grip, right over her head. 

“Oh--- Jeez, I’m--- I’m sorry, miss. I--- Fu---! I’m so sorry.” And as he spoke, he didn’t kneel to try picking everything up. He didn’t pause to see if she had any cuts from edges of newer editions. He stopped in his tracks and stared, taking in the fact that this woman was a shapeshifter as well. 

[jcksnbchnxn-blog]

If there was one thing Jackson could say he absolutely loathed about this new world, it was the atmosphere. The push and pull of a world so “Me me me!” that he could get lost in himself in less than two seconds. The haze of asphalt reflected against glass, next to glass, next to more glass... Where were the trees? Where was the dirt one could set their paws (feet) on? He was a man that kept himself on all fours whenever he could; he had been more lion than man. One that kept his head clear best when there was wind blowing the mane around it. But now, among the humans --- the abnormal humans --- he was simply that. A human. A human that could turn into a lion. But for no certain period of time. No reliable, no comforting period of time. 

As he sat at an outdoor cafe’s table, he sighed. It wasn’t a conscious sigh, but more of a habit. Something he did that told him “I have to shift.” But he couldn’t. Not without creating mass hysteria. Not without being unsure of when he would be back on two legs. 

So he spoke aloud, to no person in particular --- not even to himself --- when he said, “This place needs more trees.”