my feet are broken, knees are loose.

mika antonov. the editor. penned by peyton.

[arcsthestics]

rpmememaker​:

Send me a room, and I’ll tell you my headcanons:

Kitchen:

What is the character’s favourite food?

Are they good at cooking? How good/bad?

Do they clean up while they cook or wait until after?

What kind of snacks do they always travel with?

Do they eat out or get take-away/delivered food more?

Living Room:

How does the character spend time off?

What kind of movies does the character watch?

What do they do with friends?

What’s their favourite pasttime?

What’s their favourite TV show/Film?

Bathroom:

How does the character prepare in the morning?

Do they sing in the shower?

What kind of hair products/make-up do they use?

How clean is this character?

Does the character travel with a lot of products, just the essentials, or just take whatever the hotel/motel has?

Bedroom:

How does this character sleep? (Position, sleeping habits, bedtime routines)

What are their pyjamas like?

What do they dream about usually?

How neat/tidy is this character?

How affectionate is this character?

Attic:

What is the character afraid of?

How do they deal with bad memories?

What is this character’s role in a horror movie?

How do they hide their secrets?

Which of the Seven Deadly Sins does the character relate to most?

[prizrakis]

"Hey. Hey! Wait up.” Mika calls out, coffee in hands as she was feeling sluggish from the night before and grabbed some much needed caffeine. The person she’s following is quick and she couldn’t help but wonder why. Turning the corner of the hallway, she stops abruptly as someone else crashed into her, causing the blonde to drop her cup. She watches as her drink seeps into the carpet. “Ugh fucking hell. Watch where you’re going.” She groans as if she was any better.

[prizrakis]

rcsearcher·:

“I promise I’m not lying,” he stated, although he realized that if he was lying a promise would probably mean nothing. “Can I just look it up online? That seems a lot easier.” He could feel a blush rising as she continued to tease him, which he hoped she wouldn’t take as an admission of guilt. “Maybe, but that’s not my thing,” he continued, unaware that this was all in jest until she laughed. The blush had starting to leave his face slightly until she called him sweet, forcing it back in full force. He looked down, hoping that she wouldn’t notice how easy it was to affect him like this. “Credit where credit is due,” he said after a moment, his voice quiet as he attempted to hide his embarrassment. 

"So what? You’re calling me a liar for saying you’re lying? That’s toxic behavior baby.” Mika says with a tsk. Truth be told Aidan might have been too nice for his own good but she wasn’t in any position to criticize. “I guess. You’re so red right now you probably even last ten minutes in a lingerie store. I get it, the curves on those mannequins make me want to act up.” The idea was entertaining but she was willing to put money on her claim. It wasn’t a discredit to him, everyone had their own comfort level, it was just an easy jab. “Why not? Because you’re into something way worse? The nice ones always are.” She raises her eyebrows to him. Mika tucks a piece of hair behind her ears and grins at Aidan. “Thanks for the ego boost. It was a team effort and I don’t say that everyone I sleep with even if they do take my shit.”

[prizrakis]

theaftcrlife·:

When she didn’t forcibly throw him out, he considered himself begrudgingly welcome, settling into the mattress comfortably. “Psh, don’t lie. I know you watch some weird shit, too.” Any anxiety he felt beneath her gaze, any overwhelming desire to pick at their scabbed wounds and unearth her feelings was hidden beneath his faux excitement, though he couldn’t keep his fingers from scraping through his hair and tugging at his t-shirt. As if it mattered what he looked like. As if anything between them mattered anymore. 

He’s a little surprised at how easy it is to read her — he’d thought her body language might have changed, that the signs that had once been second nature to him might have become foreign. But even as he flicked through the TV channels, eyeing her casually from the corner of his eye, he noticed the tension in her spine, the casual tone of her voice, and knew exactly how to read between the lines. “I’m wounded, Antonov —” he paused, gaze flitting over to her with a grin. “Wounded that you would think calling me “trashy” would hurt my feelings. I’m the King of reality TV, the Emperor of trashtown, the reigning champion of cheesy movies.” Finally, he found a showing of 21 Jump Street and, tossing the remote aside, interlocked his hands behind his head. “A classic.” 

A sense of familiarity washes over Mika, like a wave of calm, as he responds to her. Their rapport was always so special to her which made their falling out that much more painful. It felt as if she was reliving a past life or some sort of alternate reality where they didn’t leave each other in the first place. “I don’t watch porn that much because I’m too busy having sex. Not that you can relate.” She snorted. Despite her words there wasn’t a harsh bite to them. She knew it was because she was feeling vulnerable and Frankie happened to be the first person to find her. Mika wasn’t feeling vulnerable enough though, especially not around him.

She attempts to loosen herself up, even shaking her hands to get rid of any tension. It didn’t work. She winds the strings of her sweatshirt around her fingers as she stares at the screen and hoped keeping her hands busy would distract her from all kinds of thoughts. “You know I’ll fuck with some reality TV but if you do a romcom I’d rather take my chances with the ghosts.” Mika looks at him for a moment before turning her head back to the TV. “Do you remember when we ripped through Dance Moms? That show was practically child abuse.” The blonde perks up at the movie choice, visibly satisfied as if her tastes had changed at all since they were friends. “That’s the first right thing you’ve done in years.” She pauses. “I can’t believe we’re sitting through this stone cold sober though. You couldn’t have grabbed a bottle of vodka?”

[prizrakis]

destinypsychic·:

“No you definitely cannot eat anything if you’re dead, there would be no point,” Destiny explained with a slight yawn, not out of boredom but out of the lack of sleep she had been getting. “That’s the thing, we don’t know. I can’t just sit down and ask a ghost ‘hey so why haven’t you passed on yet’ that’s not really how it works,” she shrugs her shoulders. “What makes you say that?”

“That has got to be the worst part about being a ghost besides the whole being dead thing. I’d knock popcorn out of people’s hands too.” She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about what it must be like to be a ghost, but for the moment Mika didn’t have any plans on finding out. “Why not? Are they shy all of a sudden?” She looks at Destiny up and down. “So you don’t deny it?”

[prizrakis]

nightmxde·:

-

There’s a gleeful peel of laughter from the cameraperson as she tosses her board onto the other side, fence rattling as she follows close behind it, scrambling up as quickly as she can which is made difficult from the lack of footholds. 

She is nearly up and over when she hears Mika’s scream and looks over to see the editor looking down at the fallen pack of cigarettes. “Big rip. This sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

She throws a leg over, then herself, dropping the rest of the way down to land haphazardly on her feet. 

"Damn, you couldn’t have waited? What about respect Sab?” Mika looks down to her friend, throwing down her board and hopping off the fence as well. She runs her fingers through her hair and stares out to the empty swimming pool. “This is nice. I was getting withdrawals being in the middle of fucking nowhere.” 

Putting on foot onto her skateboard, she looks back over to Sabiha. "I’m not sure if you heard me but I actually said the first one to get to the pool buys dinner. So.” Without giving the brunette much time to process she kicks off and cruises over as fast as she can.

[prizrakis]

destinypsychic·:

“Why would you want to haunt a Denny’s? You wouldnt even be able to eat any of the food they hve there,” Destiny scrunched her nose in confusion. “Oh come on, you’re not innocent, babe,” she laughed a little to herself. “Unfinished business? What, have you been watching a lot of Julie and the Phantoms?” she lifted her shoulders in confusion. “That’s fine, I’ll just trap them inside my mind and they’ll regret their decision.”

“That is a fair point. I can’t eat anything if I’m dead anyway though, right? It’s about the ambiance. It just really fits my energy if you know what I mean. Or maybe a Waffle House.” Mika thinks about it but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t fully expecting to haunt the likes of a dumpster. “Fucking hell. Don’t tell me I’ve been wrong about ghosts my whole life. They just hang out to hang out?” She looks at Destiny up and down. “If you ask me, I think you’re already possessed.”

[prizrakis]

rcsearcher·:

“Sorry, I’m usually good at keeping track of things.” Aidan didn’t catch that it was meant playfully, and so his apology was earnest. “I don’t know how expensive they are, no. You could have pretty much asked me for any amount and I would have been like ‘yes, that seems reasonable.’ Within reason. I don’t imagine they’re a couple hundred dollars each, because that doesn’t seem sustainable.” He had looked intrigued at the beginning of the explanation, but slightly disturbed by the end of it. “I didn’t snatch them, I swear.” He promised when the other had finished speaking, “I didn’t need a souvenir. I remember the whole thing. Assuming that’s normal. If it’s not then forget I said that.” 

“And lie too. Are there any good ones left?” Mika replies forlornly, having a little too much fun with pulling his leg. “Within reason, he says. Where do you think so much of my salary goes? Walk a mile in my shoes and go to a Victoria’s Secret.” There certainly were women’s undergarments that were hundreds of dollars but if she had that kind of money she wouldn’t waste it in such a way. “Hm.” She rubs her chin, giving Aidan an accusatory glance. “We all have our thing.” His final sentence makes her break character as he laughs. “My sweet, sweet boy. I believe you, for now. The whole thing, huh? I'm flattered. You give a girl too much credit.”

[prizrakis]

theaftcrlife·:

“Right, yeah, maybe I should. I’m sure that’s what you’d like. I’m sure that’s what everyone’d like.” The words tumbled out, slick and slippery beneath the alcohol on his breath. He resisted the urge to bounce anxiously on his feet. He never liked having his back open, especially not in the middle of the night in a haunted hotel. His skin tingled at the thought, as if something was watching him from somewhere further down the hall. Why was he even still standing here, anyways? After their last conversation, he was sure he was mere seconds away from having his worst fears confirmed in the form of Mika’s worst insults, so maybe he should do as she said and piss off. 

But she didn’t look fine, and her dismissal lacked its usual conviction, as if something had stolen the venom from her tongue. His expression softened, for a moment, as she looked at him, and he felt some ancient tether spring to life between them. Sometimes, during wars, there were days of peace. Truces struck for the greater good. Frankie could do that — could pretend there wasn’t years of hurt between them. With a reluctant glance over his shoulder, he brushed past her and stepped into her room, closing the door behind him with a definitive click. There was an awkward silence, then he stepped out of his shoes and flopped himself into her bed, grinning. “You get the good channels in here? Either my TV is haunted or TJ blocked my access to the good shit. What are we feeling, horror?” He paused to shudder dramatically. “Yikes, definitely not. Comedy, I think. Or trashy rom com? 

“You said it not me.” She responds, although she most certainly said something akin to it in the desert. Mika knew she wasn’t in any position to pick a fight and she had meant what she said, she didn’t have the energy. Not tonight. He was lasting longer than she thought he would have, admittedly, and he was looking at her. Actually looking at her for the first time in she didn’t know how long. She suddenly felt so small under his gaze, guilt beginning to creep in as if she wasn’t experiencing enough tonight. She looks to the side. “Don’t just stand there you look like an idiot.” And to her surprise, he moved, and not in the direction she had expected. 

The moment he stepped in she immediately knew this wasn’t going to be like the last time they interacted. She told herself she had every right to tell him to get out, to apologize to her, to finally say something about what happened all those years ago but truthfully all she wanted to do was to curl up beside him. Nostalgia was a hell of a drug, Mika thought. “I don’t know if they’ll have your weird taste in porn here.” Following him onto the bed, she sits on the other side and crosses her arms over her chest in another attempt to calm her body down. “I’m not a baby.” A pause. “But we can do something trashy, since you suggested it.” She takes a deep breath. “Something really bad. I mean it should come easily for you.” Her voice is quiet but her tone is surprisingly playful, an unfortunate symptom of coping through humor.

[prizrakis]

theaftcrlife·:

Sure, he’d had a few drinks. And sure, he was a little unsettled, the empty hallway yawning ahead of him like a mouth eager to devour him. But he knew he wasn’t imagining the sounds from behind that door — and he was pretty sure they sounded real. Human. Like the sound of someone crying. The whole floor had been rented out by the team, so he knew the sounds belonged to someone he knew — provided they were, actually, human — but he didn’t realize whose room it was until she opened the door. 

“Oh.” He said, before he could stop himself. “Sorry.” His spine shivered at the emptiness behind him and the promise of the terrors it held. He should just leave her alone. She’d made it abundantly clear in Texas that she wanted nothing to do with him, and he felt the same. But her hands were shaking in that way they did, and he remembered holding them until they stopped. “I—uh,” He rubbed the back of his neck, which had suddenly grown warm, and felt the drinks he’d consumed twisting his tongue into something useless. “Are you…okay?” 

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. Their last conversation left a bad taste in her mouth that she couldn’t get rid of, like sour cherries. Mika so desperately wanted to show him that she had the upper hand, that she was the one who cared less, so this was less than ideal. She hurriedly wipes at the tears that were streaming down her face since she had woken up, thankful for the darkness. "I’m fine.” The words come out of her a little too quickly, like she had her answer prepped and ready for anyone who came by despite the fact she looked anything but fine. “So why don’t you piss of, yeah?” She does her best to make her tone harsh to get her message across, but it comes out meeker than she intended as it severely lacks the usual bite her words have. 

Mika balls her hands up into fists but releases them almost immediately. “I’m not— I’m not in the mood tonight Frankie.” Not in the mood for whatever on earth brought him to her room. Whether it was by chance or divine intervention, it was the last thing she wanted. Or so she told herself. It’s difficult to get the words out when she loathed being so vulnerable in front of him. She sighs, looking at him in defeat because she already knew how she was feeling wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. “But...I don’t really want to be alone right now.” It was the most she could say, but she hopes the implication is enough.

[prizrakis]

LOCATION: Hotel Parq Center STATUS: Closed for @theaftcrlife​

Mika was used to bad dreams. For a long time they were the only kind she had as if the memory of what happened back in her high school days wasn’t enough. Normally she’d skip a good night’s rest altogether but the lull of sleep was too strong to ignore when she was editing footage. She was glad to be alone, relieved she didn’t have to deal with another person seeing her like this. That is, until, there’s a knock on her door.

It makes her jump as the noise is a stark contrast compared to the silence she was in. She crawls out of her bed, hands shaking, and opens it to see Frankie of all people. God dammit. “What do you want?”

[prizrakis]

theaftcrlife·:

Frankie could feel his heart pounding in the center of his chest like a warning signal, sending its pulse into the tips of his fingers and the soles of his feet. The boulder jabbed at his back, digging beneath his shoulder blades much like Mika’s presence did, unearthing old scabs and picking them open. “Doing, what, exactly, Mika? Having some stupid, pointless argument? It doesn’t fucking matter. None of it fucking matters.” He could feel her steely gaze boring into his temple, now, and he forced himself to turn towards her and look at her head on for the first time since she’d joined them. The past months, he’d let his gaze skit over her amidst the crowd, had let her become a shadow at the edge of his vision, never taking center stage, but he took her in now with what he hoped was a blank expression. 

She looked older — harsher around the edges. A far cry from the smiling girl he’d climbed trees and played cards with. Had he done that to her? He almost shook his head. She’d been the one to push him away. She’d fought first. Narrowing his eyes, he exhaled sharply and shook his head. “You want me to leave? I was here first.” He realized how childish he sounded as soon as the words were out, but it was too late. “TJ and I started this together, and you want me to leave. Yeah, right.” He let himself pretend that was true, that he was as essential to the group as his brother. “I don’t really care why you’re here.” He shook his head again, his voice cracking with exhaustion. “I just wish you weren’t.” 

Mika was aware of just how much her presence bothered Frankie. She hated to admit just how well she still knew him but it did give her an advantage— she knew exactly what to say to get under his skin. “Are you sure? Because you’re really starting to act like it matters. You’re just too scared shitless to do anything about it. Grow up for once, Frankie. Let shit go.” She ends her sentence implying that she had moved on, that was the grown up in this situation even if they were both arguably acting like petulant children. She matches his gaze, giving him a cold, hard stare because the last thing she wanted was for him to know how she was feeling. It wasn’t his business, not anymore. 

“TJ started this and you followed him because you can’t think for yourself.” There was a part of Mika that nudged her, tugged at her brain until she had no choice but to pay attention. She was being too harsh, she always was. She pushed people away. She couldn’t fix anything that happened between them. The damage was already done. “Yeah, well.” The girl tosses her cigarette to the ground and crushes it underneath her boot. “That’s not my problem.” She brushes past him, giving him one more look before making her way back to the tents.

[prizrakis]

nightmxde·:

Sabiha was about to comment on a fence never stopping them before when she was propositioned. Right on the heels of the news of an empty pool was a Mika to drag Sab to it. Her skateboard was part of essential packing, therefore it was always on hand at any of their locations. The question was always whether or not they would have the time or land to break their favorite pastime out and she was delighted when Mika appeared, heralder of all good news.

Now, Sab held her own deck under her left arm, hands casually shoved in her pockets and when she caught sight of the glint in Mika’s eyes, it was easily matched as Sab grinned in return, anticipating her next words.

“And dessert.” Sabiha quipped back, then launched for the fence.

These days, Mika was fairly cautious with who she’d label as a friend due to her own struggle to keep any positive relationship. While she and Sabiha had bonded fairly quickly due to their shared interests and similar temperaments, she was still hesitant. That didn’t mean she couldn’t call the other up for their usual shenanigans. She was the first person to call whenever she was bored as Mika knew fully well Sab would always be down for anything. 

“Fucking cheater!” She yells out but is right behind her as she clings onto the fence, clawing her way upward to the top. Mika’s quick on her feet as she convinces herself she’s going to win before she watches in agony as her packet of cigarettes falls to the ground. “No!” It’s enough to make her stop at the top, peering down. “Sometimes we do have to leave men left behind.”

[prizrakis]

destinypsychic·:

“What, you don’t like a little Phantom of the Opera action?” Destiny turned to look at the other. She sits down to tie her shoe before looking back up at the other as she spoke. “Oh no, all ghost children are demons. They’re much more dangerous too so if you hear a child laugh you should run the other direction,” she says casually before bursting into laughter. “No, I’m fucking with you. That’s all bullshit, where did you hear that from?” 

"I think I’d rather haunt a Denny’s than have to watch another stage show in my afterlife.” Mika listens to Destiny carefully, nodding as she speaks before rolling her eyes back. “Can’t you save the bullshit for the camera instead of the innocent?” She shrugs but the corners of her lips pull into a smile and she lightly nudges the other blonde. “I don’t know. The internet? It’s something about how kids don’t have unfinished business so they don’t come back. I wasn’t sure if you had to be in the eighteen plus to be a spirit. If there’s a demon though, I’m going to say it can take you first.”

[prizrakis]

rcsearcher·:

“Not as far as I know, but if you did I’d say they were probably left in that room and they’re long gone. Sorry.” He looked concerned, “I could give you money for new ones if you want. Is that the right thing to do in this situation? Or is that a weird thing to offer?” His brow furrowed, “also, should I ask why someone would keep someone else’s underwear, or is it better not to know?” 

“You really can’t trust men to keep track of anything.” She scoffs, but she gives him a playful look to imply she was only joking. “Do you know how much a lady’s undergarments are? If I was a worse person, I’d hustle you right now.” And maybe if he was someone else she would have but Aidan was a sweet boy. “For all sorts of reasons, sometimes it’s sentimental and sometimes you want a cheeky whiff of someone else’s bodilyfluids. It depends on the person really. Trust me it’s better that you hear it from me first, panty snatcher.”

[prizrakis]

arcmusings·:

“i absolutely wouldn’t believe you.” he countered, moving next to her now and taking out his own packet, placing one between his lips and breathing in before he spoke again. “because that’s going to be my excuse if they come out and we definitely can’t both have it.”

“Why not? I’ve got a totally believable, innocent little face. Would I lie to you?” Mika gives TJ a look before taking another drag of her cigarette. She pools her lighter out of her pocket and lets the flame erupt, holding it out to him. “In my defense I didn’t see any of the “no smoking” signs. I don’t even know English.” She quirks a brow to him. “Well I came up with it first so you can, how do they say, suck it.”

[prizrakis]

LOCATION: The Plaza Theatre STATUS: Closed for @rcsearcher​

“Hey, can I ask you something?” A rare question from Mika who typically didn’t enjoy asking anything from anyone, but she approached Aidan casually. “I know it was a minute ago but I didn’t leave anything behind when we hooked up did I? I wore my favorite pair of underwear and haven’t seen them since. I’m just checking you aren’t some sort of perv but anything’s possible. I won’t be mad, just disappointed.”