GOTHSIC.
for a second, he’d forgotten all about that man and his rather obnoxious, larger than life naivete. oh no, not his personality, but his utter ignorance. every word that fell out of his mouth was boisterous, proud, yet strangely innocent in that childlike way. it was not enraging as much as it was rather annoying - a bit like having your cheek repeatedly poked and prodded, or an·unscratchable itch.
and then, reality decided to smack him right in the face. right. he agreed to go… golfing with this guy? fuck. what in the hell was he thinking? golfing was for rich people, the ones with bottomless pockets and a failure to recognize the world around them. hell, they needed their own private world to feel powerful in while the riff-raff suffered outside. and yet… he’d said yes. why? well…
because this guy was just a total fuckin’ weirdo, to put it simply. and jonathan was dressed to head out - not in his sunday best, perhaps, but in something that looked mildly presentable. black and brown striped sweater, his usual rings, and black jeans. oh, and we can’t forget the combat boots, of course. those were essential.
jonathan sighs, taking a drag from his cigarette. letting it out. taking a moment to contemplate just what he was about to get himself into ( A WHOLE LOTTA FUCKIN’ TROUBLE, SIR ), and gave him a slight smile. pained, a bit tired, but a smile nevertheless.
he inhales, the cigarette between his lips, and his hand behind his head. scratches his scalp, really digs his nails into the skin, maybe even draws blood. it’s going to take the patience of a saint to get through this.
“ i sure do live here, man, as random as that sounds. ” he responded after a moment. no hesitation in his voice, but there is a slight bite. ·" though i’ve heard cardboard boxes are en vogue this year. guess it’s not the same as living in a mansion, huh? must be nice. “ for a moment, another certain someone crosses his mind. red hair, overly made-up face. also a chain smoker, and quite the talker. in fact, the two were rather alike, though one was far more insufferable than the other. gotta scope out your options, lest you risk becoming irrelevant again, right? well, he certainly can’t argue with that logic.
he closes the door behind him, and takes a few steps down to the walkway. though, he stops, and looks back at the place he had called home for so long. sure, he lives in a shanty. it’s been beaten by the sea salt, the wind, and a lack of upkeep over the years. and sure, he was renting it from his older brother for a steal, but it wasn’t as if he thought about leaving it. no. it suited his needs nicely. how could someone like this rich baby understand? never in a thousand years. and yet, jonathan only strengthens his smile, and shoves his hands in his pockets.
” time to golf, huh. i’m surprised you’re even interested in that stuff. i thought you were more the live fast type, based off what you told me. “ he continues, taking a few steps towards the limo. fuck, what a huge limo it was. but jonathan maintained his posture - slightly slouched, eyes focused on him. onceler, was it? mr. onceler. what a weird-ass name. that had to be one of the weirdest names he’s ever heard in his entire life, as a matter of fact. sounded a bit like mister twister, that capitalist american pig who took steps onto russian soil and made an ass out of himself in the famous cartoon. if only a jazz score followed him around everywhere. ” we’ll probably pass more totally random places on the way there. i’m sure your driver won’t mind. ‘cause based off what you told me, this course is in the pacific palisades. hilly place. a nice place. you can look over those cute little hovels from the isolated hill they built up there. really makes you feel like macchiavelli, so i’m told. “
he steps inside the limo, carefully, of course. the seats looked incredibly well kept, and the car itself appeared to have been buffed at least five times over before it was driven out here. jonathan sinks in his seat, looks up at the ceiling. the lights inside dazzle him, make his eyes feel heavier with the weight of his exhaustion. if only he could fall asleep in there, with the smooth bumping and grazing of the limo’s tires on the asphalt soothing him. but alas, the noise in his brain would never cease, not even for a second. it would simply be impossible to do much of anything other than listen to this man go on and on and god knows what - a hyperactive overly wealthy puppy who, if he might be elected president ( a horrible, horrifying thing to think about )… no. we can’t even think it. it’s far too hideous to imagine.
and yet, jonathan maintains his smile as he looks over at onceler. it’s all the same to him. it’s a job. it’s a person who’s giving him something to do, a chance at relevancy again. it’s something, and he’ll be damned if he messes it up.
” dunno if you care, but the piece i wrote is interesting. i think you’ll make for a good character, “ he starts, hoping to shift the subject away from anything golf-related. making it about onceler, perhaps, would do just that. ” very charismatic, endearing, little offbeat. like a peewee herman, except you run your own company. the question is more where i’m gonna put your character. no idea yet. though maybe i should hear it from the man himself. “
” where do you see yourself in this story? 'cause you’ve been running your business for a while. what would be your hypothetical next step? and here’s the catch - you can’t say anything·business related. “
❝ JONATHAN ! ❞ HE EXCLAIMS through chuckles, gesturing to his pants. ❝ jeans ? that’s gonna be so restricting ! haven’t you ever been golfing before ? ❞ to be fair, the once-ler has never been golfing either. seeing as most of his business partners enjoy it, he figures now is as good a time as any to practice. shrugging, he leads them out the doorway, lowering his head for fear of spiders, and toward his limousine.
❝ oh, y’know, i thought it’d be a nice change of pace from, well. i’m sure you saw... ❞ as one of the youngest self-built millionaires of the decade, the once-ler pretty much lives for parties and at times, those parties would get a little out of control. specifically, he’s referring to some trouble he’d encountered in the press lately for being caught with certain illegal substances. he clears his throat uncomfortably, a little frown tugging at his lips. ❝ those reporters can be so...mean ! like, hello, don’t they have anything better to do ? aaanyhoo, i’m sure golfing will be nothing short of awesome ! ❞
he directs a nod of gratitude toward his driver, who opens the backseat door for them. proudly, he observes jonathan’s reaction to the luxurious interior of his limo. the sarcastic intent behind jonathan’s description of the golf course flies right over his head. instead, the once-ler seems thrilled. ❝ ah, that sounds amazing ! i cannot wait ! ❞ he blows air between his teeth enviously. whoever this macchiavelli guy is, he must be living the high life.
the talk of jonathan’s characterization of him is all very flattering. he looks down, focusing on pouring the two of them flights of sweet champagne in an attempt to hide his delight. after a moment, he’s unable to suppress a big, childlike grin as he passes jonathan his glass. ❝ peewee herman ?? that guy is SO funny ! am i gonna be funny too ? i mean, not to brag or anything, but knock knock jokes are kiiinda what i’m known for ! besides the thneed, obviously. but i’d love to read your story--you should totally send it over sometime ! ❞
as far as other ventures ? the once-ler has been focused on thneed inc. for so long, the idea of expanding excites him. a guilty laugh escapes him. ❝ okay, i get it. i probably talk business a-waaay too much ! i’ve actually considered releasing a rock album before ! did you know i wrote the original thneed jingle ? the one that adam levine sings in the commercials ? all my original work ! of course, that was when i was way younger...and i was into yodeling. can you believe it ?? ❞
he shakes his head and sips his champagne pensively. ❝ but i don’t know if my investors would really go for that. y’know, not cool enough, ❞ he whispers as if it’s a secret that they might overhear and immediately withdraw their money. ❝ my mom says i should stick to what i know. i was thinking maybe running in the next local election ? we just renamed greenville to thneedville so it’s basically my town...but the title would be pretty neat. mayor once-ler, ha ha ! ❞












