trying on a metaphor
tannertan36
#extradirty
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@lana-rchrds
so i was stalking the talk tag and i found this and thought i’d give it a whirl! maybe a little bit late as i’ve been posting for over a week but oh well lol
i think i’ve mentioned some of these things before but hopefully it’s helpful to have them all in one place! <3
NICHOLAS & LANA:
He’s driving slow in his truck, the steering wheel in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, crumbs from the bagel on his lap, and John Denver on the stereo. He’s on his way back to the hotel he decides to take a different route than he usually does every morning he’s been here, perhaps he’ll find something of interest to him, something he could use for his book, and manages to drive by the local cemetery. Through the metal fence, he sees a lone figure standing on the grass, her head bent to pay respects to the dead. Her dead? Most likely.
He doesn’t know what for, exactly, but he kills the engine and stumbles out of the car, the coffee still in his hands. His keys are shoved unceremoniously in his pocket as he walks past the entrance and treads the path towards the graves. Nick likes to think that he has a special connection with the dead, as all other people who’ve lost someone special in their lives do. And so immediately, he feels a kindred spirit shared with this stranger. He walks closer to her, but not right away. He takes his time reading the names on the headstones, silently noting the years engraved. A lot of them are recent. It sends a chill down his spine.
Straight up ahead, he hears the woman’s muffled sobs. He feels like he’s intruding now. He walks forward, swirling the coffee in his hand as he acquaints himself with the poor soul underground.
He chugs the rest of his coffee and it goes down the wrong pipe, reducing him into a coughing fit. He attracts the attention of the woman beside him, and he flushes a deep red in embarrassment. “Sorry, I- uh…” He tries to stifle the sounds from his throat, but then it starts to itch and allows himself a few more moments to compose himself. He points at his neck then raises the now empty cup in his hand. “Wrong pipe.”
if she were in any other state, lana would have laughed, but she could barely muster the watery smile she gave the man. this place - it sapped the energy out of her, every positive emotion. this day was hard, but being here was something else. it was selfish, but she never lingered long, unable to stomach it for extended periods of time.
she wiped at her cheeks again, shaking herself slightly to attempt to regain composure.
“you should really try to drink more carefully - that can be dangerous, you know.”
she feared it may have come across as rude, and reddened again. she never had been good at lightening the mood.
LULA & LANA:
The excitement spreading across Lula’s features was one of childlike wonder and excitement. The kind of expression worn by a child come the crisp morning of Christmas after a visit from Santa. She was a big believer in adults having more childlike curiosity and wonder. And not giving up that innocence. “Yes absolutely serious, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner.” Her mind started running off with this idea, like the littlest steam train that had lost its breaks down a hill. She’d get more bean bags, more YA books so she could whet their appetite and then they’d explore more mature novels by themselves. In this day and age of modern technology, films, tv, and ebooks she was worried the library would die off. She’d be left clinging to a relic. But this was the perfect solution. The next generation would value the library as much as she.
Grinning from ear to ear, cheeks pink with excitement she could help but giggle too. “Well that’s what happens when a good idea is brewed between like minds. This is going to be amazing!” Clapping her hands together and interlacing her fingers she was practically bouncing in her chair.
lana felt her own energy rising to match the other woman’s, her smile widening further and excitement building in her chest. no one here ever cared like this. this is what she admired so much about her - the refusal to say no, the determination, and the excitement with life.
“i can’t explain how grateful i am for this. really lula - thank you.”
lana placed a gentle hand over her friend’s, feeling the heat warm her own cold palms, bidding her tears to disappear. she always cried, whether she was happy or sad, and used her other hand to swipe at her cheeks.
NEVE & LANA:
neve only shrugs in response. ego supersedes so many things; she sees it more often than not where she works. still, she tries to remind herself that the people she’s seen are only a small subsection of the population–as are the people who put other people there. there’s still a lot of good she doesn’t ever get to see, because it’s so rare that good things come to the emergency room.
she always parks nearby and so it doesn’t take long to lead the principal to her car. she doesn’t say anything either when the woman apologizes, because she and her father were close. still, closeness doesn’t always tend to be a requirement for the grief one feels at the loss of a parent. she hardly remembers her mother anymore, but that pang is still just as sharp as the one she feels for her father. “you can just toss anything on the seat into the bag,” she tells her. “and, uh–sorry about the dog hair.” huskies shed like molting snakes and if she left him home for a week without vacuuming or sweeping, there’d be tumbleweeds formed from his coat.
“sounds ominous.” neve chuckles darkly as she turns on the engine. “the neighborhood i grew up in was like that too. a real ‘nobody gets out alive’ feel.” didn’t make it true. still, she couldn’t get over the sickening instinct that told her that maybe she could’ve escaped one limbo for another. “seems kind of on the nose, doesn’t it?” neve wrinkles her nose playfully at her–the principal loving a place called the schoolhouse. “do they have good croissants? i can never find a good one and i’d really love to find a place that makes a decent one.”
lana noticed the other woman’s silence, and internally chastised herself for mentioning her father. what a great way to introduce yourself, she thought, talking about dead relatives. thankfully, the conversation shifted as they approached the car, and lana moved a pair of magazines to the backseat. dog hair she can deal with, it’s just the animals themselves that alarm her.
“that’s alright - really, you’re doing me a favour, you don’t need to apologise.”
she slid into the seat, belting herself in as she listened. her hands unconsciously began to fidget in her lap. “it can feel ominous sometimes, but it’s harmless. i’m still here, after all - i went to college in new york, and stayed the full four years.” she forced herself to laugh slightly, steering away from the dark once more. “oh, they’re fantastic - really fluffy, and tasty.” her mouth began to water at the thought, even as her stomach clenched slightly. “i sometimes have one as a treat - i couldn’t find a better one, even in the city.”
lana sighed deeply, the breath wracking her frame as she placed the flowers down on the grave. it had reached the day, the day that every year, she lost her focus, felt her patience slipping, her tears closer to the surface. now, they were pooling in her eyes, threatening to slip down her cheeks. alicia mary richards - the words had faded slightly, but still shone out. loving mother. her whole life, reduced to two words. cordelia’s made her heart clench even worse - beloved sister. at least her mother would be remembered for something she had chosen. but the time to bemoan that was a month away still - today, she remembered the woman who had taught her how to be gentle, and most importantly, how to forgive.
she barely noticed as the sobs started, but straightened up suddenly, immediately snapping into self-awareness as someone beside her coughed.
she swiped at her tears, turning towards them as her cheeks reddened.
“i’m sorry - i -”
she didn’t know why she was apologising, but did so anyway.
@boothillstarters
ANDIE & LANA:
“this might seem random, but can i… can i stop you for a moment and interview you?” it wasn’t a far walk from her place to get to the schoolhouse cafe. and though it might be nice to get a broader range of people, she was doing her best in putting herself out there. clearing her throat, andie held a clipboard up to her chest and offered a polite smile. despite living in boot hill for the last… four, five years? she had just begun to get the paper rolling. she wanted to create something, maybe talk about the residents in the town they all seemed so attached to. “it won’t take too long. and it’s nothing serious, really. i just want to get an idea of the people who live here. coffee and whatever else you’d like on me, of course. and in the end, if you decide you don’t want me to publish anything you say then… we can just say we had a nice little chat. please?” she needed content. she needed a voice. with her free hand, andie smoothed out her beige burberry skirt, and then made sure the white blouse was tucked in nicely. always keeping a professional look to her. @boothillstarters.
lana had spun round at the tap on her shoulder, a little perplexed by the request. she paused, and felt her cheeks reddening.
“oh - yes, if you’d like. i’m not very interesting.”
she tried to smile, but it came out too self-deprecating and she reddened again. the woman seemed a little flustered, smoothing down her clothes, and lana felt a pang of sympathy.
“that won’t be necessary - really. i’ll just get myself a coffee before we sit down.”
SHEP & LANA:
He’d just wanted snacks. That was it. With tentative plans to head back out onto the open road tomorrow morning, Shepherd had thought that a trip to the Amen Grocery Market to restock his mini-cooler would’ve been easily accomplished. But, instead, he found himself frozen halfway down an aisle and eavesdropping. Well, he was ‘eavesdropping’ in the least incriminating sense of the word, because the pair of obnoxious teenagers a few feet away were having the loudest conversation possible – which very well could’ve been done on purpose. How else would locals get their kicks than by scarring the out-of-towners with artfully crafted urban legends? If that had been their intent, then mission accomplished, because, fuck, did Shep hate ghost stories.
“– That’s not true, is it?” His words were hushed and conspiratorial as he turned towards the nearest person to ask, eyes still tracking the retreating backs of the teenagers as they laughed their way towards the checkout. Holding a bag of Doritos in one hand and Cheetos in the other, Shep seemed a little more than ridiculous to be debating the validity of secondhand gossip, but his thoughts had already drifted to how difficult he’d found it to sleep these last few nights. How he could swear all he heard was static when he stood in the shower. He shook his head, frowning just slightly. “About… that shrieker thing? Amen Shrieker?” Shepherd pressed, hoping to find a voice of reason. “You haven’t heard anything about that, right? It’s ridiculous.”
lana was pulled from her thoughts by the voice of the man beside her - she jumped slightly, turning towards him. she was more than exhausted, her head pounding, and she had been feeling shaky all afternoon but knew she really did need to replenish her cupboards.
she hadn’t been expecting the man to mention the shrieker - she’d heard the tale far too many times, but it still chilled her to the bone. she felt a shiver run through her spine at the name. yes, it was ridiculous, but that didn’t stop the fear. the lurid colours of the chip packets in his hand were exacerbating the headache, and she felt an unbidden wave of nausea, which she quelled with a deep breath.
“well... i’ve heard about it, but i wouldn’t pay it much mind. there’s a lot of gossip around here, it’s best just to try and ignore it.”
who are the hottest people in Boot Hill?
honesty day : accepting!
“i can’t say myself again, can i?” he’s joking. sort of. “i don’t think you really know what you’re asking. i’ll fuck pretty much anyone. the guy with the weed. that other guy at the motel is hot, so is the girl, i don’t know their names. the sheriff is hot. the girl with the drugs at that bar, she’s hot. so is that guy at that other bar, the one who wouldn’t stop talking about abba or whatever. that one blonde lady, that bought me the food. i told you, i’ll fuck anyone. i’ll even fuck you if you want.”
@cianmacclean / @sheparson / @petitrenarde / @amxrc / @dariingdearestdead / @emchav / @lana-rchrds
what's the most important piece of literature you like to have as required reading for your students
“it’s well used across the country, for a good reason - to kill a mockingbird. it’s insightful in so many ways, and is an american classic that i believe everyone should read.”
what happened to make you so easily frightened
lana pauses before answering, worrying at her lip with her teeth. “i couldn’t tell you - i think it’s just my disposition.” she tries to smile, but looks away as a carousel of images flashes through her mind.
do you enjoy being a principal?
“oh, i do. it’s so wonderful knowing that i can make a difference, i can make things better and make education more accessible.” she pauses for thought. “but there’s a lot of paperwork, a lot of responsibility, and it can get stressful. still, i wouldn’t change it.”
HECTOR & LANA:
hector does whatever it takes to get by. he does more than whatever it takes to get by, sometimes too much, but eating food that’s already had a few bites taken out of it doesn’t register as extreme in his mind. in fact, it’s such small potatoes that he sometimes forgets that other people don’t do this, they don’t live like this. he’s used to getting looks, though. he’s used to the exact look this woman is giving him, a look that asks: how could a boy like him have fallen so far? the truest answer, the answer that hector will never willingly give, is that he chose this life.
“it’s alright,” hector drops the weary street kid act, replacing it with a soft, shameful expression that usually works with women that wear their sensitive heart on the outside. “i don’t want to trouble you.” his hand holding the burrito shakes twice, “i’ve got what i need.”
lana watched carefully as the boy’s (he looks more like a boy without the false bravado) face softened, a hint of shame appearing, and she felt her heart clench as he waved away her offer. too many of her students have been in this position, too many have refused her help until it was almost too late, so she doesn’t think twice before gently trying to insist. it always fills her with guilt, this cycle that she can attempt to ease but can never change.
“it’s no trouble.” she looked at the half-eaten burrito, the filling of which was meagre - certainly not enough for a meal, especially if it was the first in a while... “please - really, it’s no trouble at all.”
do you believe in ghost stories?
“i’m terribly easy to frighten, so i suppose i would have to say yes. please don’t use this against me.”
Whats keeping you in Boot Hill?
“it’s where i’m from - it’s my home. i suppose i’m tied here, but with no family left… it’s nice to be somewhere that is familiar.”
would you ever have sex with one of your students?
“no. god, no - never. not only is it completely inappropriate (and illegal), i don’t view them in that way at all. i’m shocked anyone would ask that.”
Southbound Honesty Day!
Here’s how it works: instead of just having an hour or two to play that’s only convenient for a select few timezones, Honesty Day lasts for a whole 24 hours! From 12:00 AM EST Saturday to 12:00 AM EST Sunday, you may send and answer anonymous questions (or not anonymous, if your muse is feeling brave!) to all participating characters. To participate, reblog this post onto every character you want to be part of the game and only send questions to those that have reblogged this post. Include everyone that wants to play and remember to pay it forward. Remember to keep your questions respectful and absolutely no anonymous hate will be tolerated; you are not required to answer any questions you find upsetting or disrespectful. Other than that, go wild and have tons of fun all darn day!
