post atrophy

luna molina // 21 // groomer

[lunitamedia-blog]

baeilas:

“I know, right? Who doesn’t speak to the person that brought them to life for long periods of time? It’s just… Ridiculous.” She crunches away at another carrot and looked into the sky. Laila had been the perfect mother to the flying horse when it first popped out of her storybook. James had almost had a heart attack though – he was used to her making things appear, but a whole flying horse in the house was different. “I have. Once, it was on top of the pizza shop because I think it really likes my dad or pizza? One of the two. I walk up and I’m all smiles because it is essentially my kid and I want to check in. It just flies off. Leaves me standing there looking like my name is boo-boo the fool.”

“Maybe...pegasus just grow up like that? Aren’t there some animals that just - leave the nest forever at a young age? They do come back to visit sometimes, though, so that’s good?” Luna tries to be optimistic, because she really seems own about this, but her advice abilities are pretty limited. She tucked her lip between her teeth quickly to state off a chuckle, the crooked smile on her face bitten back. “Um - can you bribe it? With sugar cubes? People do that in movies with horses...they’re similar, right?” Luna lifted a shoulder in a lazy shrug - she didn’t know much about pegasuses (pegasus? pegasi?), but they were basically horses with wings, in theory. 

[lunitamedia-blog]

“I don’t work with the reptiles, but um...I know the person that does, and that Critter Keeper might be dangerously small for a snake” 

[lunitamedia-blog]

baeilas:

“You’d think that if you created a horse, they would come see you every once in a while.” She could hear it overhead and looked up from her book just in time to see the legendary Pegasus that hovered over Elswood shoot through the sky. Laila bit into a carrot and squinted up as it zoomed off into the distance. “I bought that thing to life and I’ve seen it twice in the last five years? Not a hey mom how are you or even like some free flights to the salon. It just floats around and grabs some food like I don’t even exist. How disrespectful is that?”

Luna had seen a lot in Elswood - from people disappearing into thin air to people turning into animals right before her eyes. She’d never seen a pegasus, though. “Yeah...” she hummed absentmindedly, nodding along as the stranger bit into a carrot and nonchalantly watched the mystical horse fly away. “Um...it does seem a bit....rude?,” Luna agreed, a frown on her face, her eyes still trained on the sky until the pegasus was gone. It seemed rude to just walk away after that, and she shifted her backpack as she thought of something to say. “Have you tried....talking to them about it?” That was probably a stupid question, and Luna winced the second it was out of her  mouth, but she wasn’t sure what to  say to someone lamenting the lack of visits from the creature they brought into existence - there was sort of no protocol. 

[lunitamedia-blog]

kingcaide:

The office is spotless in a real eerie sort “all pieces of dust are incinerated on a daily basis” type way. Danny sits beside the desk in the center, scrolling through his phone for something that is more interesting than working a regular nine to five. When the doors slide opens, he places his phone down and offers up a smile. It looks harmless, but there is a strong undertone of “you’re fucking with my schedule” mixed in. “Did you come with a complaint? If so, feel free to slide into the box right over there.” 

He gives it a couple of seconds to sink in because not everyone thinks as fast as he does. “Now, if you’re not here to complain, how can I help you?”

“I’m not-” Luna replies quickly, her voice an octave higher than she’d like it to be. She clears her throat and attempts to square her shoulders - a move that reads less decisive when her eyes dart to the door.

“Um - I’m not here to complain,” she clarifies, her eyes back on the desk attendant. “...I might be lost, though...” Her lips tilt into a frown and her eyes dar to the door again, a nervous laugh o her lips. “I was just - I think I was looking for the city permits office. If there is one?...” Luna trails off with a watery smile. The desk attendant looks annoyed, and her voice takes on her stay-out-of-trouble tone. “This isn’t the city office, though...is it? I can - I can just get out of your way, if you know where it is?”

[lunitamedia-blog]

trashebags:

“Ring-a-ding-ding, I got a supreme pizza with your name on it straight out the firey coals of LUIGI’S COMMUNISM KITCHEN. Elswood doesn’t even have a Luigi as far as any of us know but damn, that son of a bitch makes a really good deep dish.” He’s really not supposed to say all that when someone answers the door, but fuck it he’s kinda blazed. “So are you payin for this in cash or credit?” Ah, that classic Elswood-has-no-real-currency humor. Check his Twitter for tour dates for his upcoming show Money? In This Economy?

There’s a hint of tension in Luna’s shoulders at the underlying criticism - afraid to laugh at the communism joke (she’s still not sure if they really have every home in Elswood bugged). But she can’t help but chuckle at the jokes anyway, the first genuine ones she’s heard in over a week. The dogs at the shop are sweet, but they don’t exactly speak. “Um - points, I don’t carry cash...” she replies, edging toward a joke in reply. “My bank isn’t international - or um, interdimensional, so...” Luna cracks a small smile at her own joke and fumbles with her phone, transferring the amount for the pizza plus a tip. “Um - do you know if they’re bringing back the boneless wings?” 

[lunitamedia-blog]

angeliezhou:

Angelie does not have a cat.

She has two turtles and some koi fish, all living in pretty ponds in her backyard with shiny rocks and lots of plants, but she does not have a cat. Her brother doesn’t have one either, so the cat that has been following her for the past twenty minutes must be lost. Or something. (As it turns out, she can’t talk to animals. Not even aquatic ones.)

So when she passes by someone, she spins on her heel and calls out, “Hey, uh, is this your cat? Or do you have any idea who it belongs to?” Elswood’s…kind of small. If there’s anything she’s learned from living here for almost her entire life, it’s that people know people.

Luna is on her way home from the grocery store, fully engrossed in the conversation in her head when she hears someone call out to her. She startles at the voice at first, tension melting from her shoulders when she sees the kitten, his paws covered in mud. “Oh..” she mutters to herself, dropping her grocery bag and kneeling toward him. She recognizes him, but he’s not hers, not really. “c’mere, kitty” she coos, gaze flitting up to the stranger. “He’s not mine, but...he lives here,” she explains, gesturing to the alley with one hand and scratching behind the now-purring kittens ears with the other.

“Um - I don’t think he belongs to anybody? He’s been here a while - we just...set out food sometimes,” Luna shrugs and frowns at his paws - she might take him to wash them off later. “But he’s not - he isn’t a nuisance, and he’s quiet. Do you know anybody that wants a kitten?”

[lunitamedia-blog]

Luna’s already stuffed a pear into her school back, and she eyes the fruit cup sliding precariously on the stranger’s tray. They’re obviously about to throw in the trash. It takes her a few tries to actually get the nerve to tap them on the shoulder - they’re a stranger, after all. But the fruit cup has mango pieces, so she manages.  “Um - I’m sorry to bother you, but - are you gonna finish that?” 

[gh0stgay]

reblog & tag urself as an alt-pepe

[hxneuls]

“I’d do all the talking,” she pointed out, catching onto the underlying meaning of Luna’s already unsure, hesitant words. “You wouldn’t have to do a thing; you wouldn’t even have to approach the person if you really wanted to. I’m sure we could clear up the misunderstanding when they realize they have two jackets.” Unless, of course, that student saw an opportunity and seized it, swiping the jacket for themselves without points spent.

Perhaps the venom hurled at her back in Seoul had only fueled her desire to be better, to rise above, and now that she was free of terror taking place in her old house forever, her self-esteem had risen considerably. She was worth more than her stepfather and stepbrother ever thought she was ( which, in their eyes, was less than nothing ). Unfortunately, she didn’t see this same confidence at all—not even a hint—in Luna, and it was, dare she say, pitiful.

Not that she’d ever admit so.

“It’s fine,” she said gently, flashing Luna a soft smile. Well, at least it was impossible to be mean to Luna. “Next time, maybe put your name on the tag?”

[lunitamedia-blog]

"Um...I don’t know....” she mumbled, furrowing her eyebrows and mulling it over. Confrontation was definitely not her strong suit, and she didn’t want to cause any trouble - but the jacket had been so hard to buy. Luna knew that it would take her a while to save up enough points again and convince herself that it was okay to buy it. That and the fact that Haneul was offering to do the talking for her helped her make up her mind. 

“Well - if you wouldn’t mind? I don’t wanna - waste your time or anything, but...” Luna gave her a small, hopeful smile, fiddling with the strap of her backpack. “Of - of course. I should’ve thought about that,” she whispered, frowning at herself and nodding her head quickly. “If we get it back, I promise I’ll put my name on it.”

[trashebag-blog]

Oh, damn. She doesn’t even know she’s doing it. Well, this might get fuckin weird then. “Just the ‘sorry’ thing that you’re doin.” There’s a pause, a headshake. Bad wording. “I mean, it’s not a bad thing to say sorry, of course but—You just don’t have to apologize like that. Or at least, you don’t have to apologize to me. I don’t know about everybody else, but for me, it’s cool. I’m a big boy. I have tough skin. I bounce back from shit real quick. Can’t really hurt my feelings that bad okay?” In his MIND, he’s giving her a cup of hot cocoa and a stuffed animal. It’s the thought that counts right?

[lunitamedia-blog]

Oh. He wants Luna to stop saying sorry. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tells her that she does it too much. It’s usually followed by something like you’re making me feel bad, though. “Oh, I - I didn’t realize. I’m s-” She stops herself and quickly snaps her mouth shut, pursing her lips together like the word might slip past if she doesn’t stop it. That’s the problem with apologizing all the time - it’s hard not to apologize for apologizing, too. “Okay,” Is all Luna can manage, determined not to say it again. He doesn’t look mad, and she wants to keep it that way. “I just - I know some people don’t like it. When you ask a lot about - those kinds of things,” she explains. Luna wants to ask if he really took points from her account then, but she knows she wouldn’t do anything if he did. So she goes for another question, instead. “Um - could I have my phone back, please?” 

[fleurctte-blog]

(( &&. Elswood + Tumblr Text Posts: 1/? 

[mortante-deactivated20140413]

[dillonhilton-deactivated2018051]

“I’m getting sick of being a ghost no one can hurt me but no one will kiss me either”

me

[eveliinaheikkila]

Instead of responding, Esme again begins to hum under her breath as she toes chairs out of the way, checking under tables and on shelves. It’s not that she doesn’t want to answer, it’s just that multitasking, and yes Esme considers walking and talking multitasking, is hard work. And if she starts talking now, she’ll completely forget that she was supposed to be remembering where she hid this girl’s jacket.  

Turning another corner, Esme focuses in on the little round ottoman at the end of one of the library’s armchairs. She pries off the lid and pulls out the jacket, looking very pleased with herself. 

“Here,” she says, holding it in her outstretched arms, “no one stole it.”

[lunitamedia-blog]

The stranger continues to ignore her and roam around the library, and Luna just can’t help the little lump that forms in her throat. Her chest gets tight despite the fact that she tries to stay calm - the stranger is obviously looking, she’s not just ignoring her. It’s not her fault that Luna is terrible at taking the silent treatment, that she’s racing through a dozen ways to apologize or earn her jacket back or take responsibility for whatever she did wrong. She’s just not used to messing up and getting things back without consequence. 

So the tears finally start to well up in her eyes when the girl pulls her jacket from a secret hiding place in one of the library ottomans. She actually looks proud of herself, like she wasn’t sure that she would find the jacket at all. Luna swallows thickly and gives her a watery smile - wary at first, because there’s a little voice in her head that wonders if she’ll have to make up for it some day. But the girl seems sincere, and Luna’s smile widens just a tad more. 

“Thanks,” she whispers, gently taking the jacket and immediately slipping it on. It takes a lot not to hug herself in it, but she feels a bit safer when it settles around her shoulders. She feels inexplicably heavier, too, but she ignores that. "Sorry, I - I’m really forgetful sometimes. And no one stole it ‘cause you put it away for me. Thanks, I really appreciate it. Is there any way I can pay you back?” 

[abigailfullwood]

Such Small Hands La Dispute

[whufy]

really bad

[trashebag-blog]

Shit she remembers that is the first thought that enters his mind. Of course she remembers the popcorn. Of course she does. Should he tell her the truth though? Best case scenario is that she immediately forgives him and they start talking about the weather or their latest test. Worse case scenario she burst into tears and he doesn’t want to make anybody CRY. Through her rambling, he has the urge to just hug her and say —

        shhhhh It’s okay! You are right! I stole your popcorn because I’m a piece of shit, but please don’t be sad, small child. I steal from assholes who won’t miss their shit, but you are sweet and small and must be protected so I will buy you all the popcorn in the world and we shall eat it together and be merry the end! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

— Because she’s still holding onto that and that shouldn’t be. But that would be weird, right? Yeah, that would be weird. And it wouldn’t end the way he’d want it to. She’d probably cry or think he was creepy. Yep. Not an option.

“It’s okay. Don’t be so hard on yourself, do you do that all the time?” Way to avoid the question.

[lunitamedia-blog]

It takes him a minute to reply, and Luna braces herself for whatever comes next. She knows that she shouldn’t have brought it up, it was such a stupid mistake but she just has difficulty holding her tongue sometimes. Her mouth gets her into trouble whenever she opens it, and she only has herself to blame. Luna knows this, but it doesn’t stop her from making the same mistakes over and over, and - she can only hope that he won’t be mad. She holds her breath and ducks her head a bit, trying not to wince - people don’t like it when you look like you’re bracing for it. It makes them feel bad, makes them look terrible when they’re really not. And then it earns you what you get in the end. 

Things seem to go in the good direction though, and Luna lets out a sigh of relief. She’s always grateful when things go well - it happens, sometimes, too. That’s always rare, with these things, but sometimes she manages to get it right. Or people are just gracious and throw her a bone. She’s always reminded of that, that she doesn’t always earn the kindness, that she’s allowed it. But she’s not sure what he means - she’s not being hard on herself at all. “What - do I do what all the time?” she asks, finally meeting his eyes, her eyebrows furrowed. 

[eveliinaheikkila]

It’s a good thing not much time has passed since Esme found the jacket, for had it been much longer and there’d’ve been a good chance that she would’ve forgotten about it. Without responding to the girl, Esme walks back over to the book she left abandoned on the floor, humming under her breath as she goes. She flips through it’s pages and sets it down on a desk, finally nodding her head in answer. 

“Yeah. I thought－I know I hid it, I just forgot…” The end of her sentence trails off and Esme walks over to the other side of the shelf, presumably to check if that’s the spot where she hid it. Hiding things has been a little quirk of her’s at Elswood for sometime now. While Esme might not know this, she started hiding her things around her dorm when they first starting sedating her, she’d use that to judge just how aware she was. Now, she just does it with things she thinks look valuable. 

[lunitamedia-blog]

The girl started to walk away without a word and Luna trailed after her, assuming that she would show her where it was. But she picked up her book instead and started to page through it, all but ignoring her. Luna wondered if she’d done something wrong - if she was being taught some kind of lesson. Maybe she had to do something to earn it back? That happened sometimes. But then the stranger was nodding and replying, and Luna listened intently.

“Oh, I see...” She just forgot. That made sense. Luna’s own memory tended to play tricks on her from time to time, completely erasing things it knew she needed to forget or accidentally removing important bits of information. Possibly similar to the way a certain someone used to forget that she’d borrowed things and put them away for her, despite being asked several times only to be told that Luna had been the one to misplace it. She didn’t have long to dwell on that thought, though, because thegirl started to walk away again. “Wh - where are you...?” she mumbled, turning around again and following in hopes that she would be led to her jacket. “Can I have it back, please?” she asked, hoping she would hand it over if she just asked nicely. Sometimes that was all it took - sometimes people made you jump through hoops. Luna just hoped it wouldn’t be the latter. Or maybe she hadn’t forgotten that she hid it at all, but where it was. “Wait - did you forget where you hid it?”