#wakingnightmare

[zoneofwaiting]

I think I've been here before, but only in a memory that isn't mine.

[snowcapmt]

Waking nightmare - Chapter 2

Written by @snowcapmt​ and @derpu-doodles​ Illustrated by @snowcapmt​ (At least, this chapter)

Chapter 1:

https://snowcapmt.tumblr.com/post/671151527296204800/waking-nightmare-chapter-1 

The mood quickly uplifted as many of the Links reunited with their Zeldas. Now, granted, a few were still missing. Those being The Queen Of Time, and the Princess Of The Past, and the Princess Of The Wild. However, Wild's Zelda was rumored to be arriving quite soon…The Cook eagerly awaited her, slightly envious of the others. He slowly raised his head as he heard footsteps. “Zelda!” He chirped, getting to his feet. He halted in front of her.

…oh.

This is…

Quite a bit more awkward than he wanted.

He should have expected that— of course, things had been awkward ever since his amnesia. But still…

“Link….” The researcher breathed after a long pause.

“…WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” She yelled.

The Cook was taken aback and squeaked. He paused and looked around.

…

“I was just…”

He gazed at the other boys.

“Making some new friends.” He said, expression softening.

The Traveller waved eagerly at the dog, Sailor soon following suit.

Vet, on the other hand, merely spared her a single glance before returning his gaze to the ground.

She gazed at them for a few moments, then back at The Cook. “I see…”

The researcher smiled ever so slightly before turning slowly. Wild frowned, but acknowledged that she wanted some space and let her go, watching her struggle a bit as her hair got tangled in a bush. He quickly scrambled to her aid as she let out a small hiss.

“Ugh, it always gets stuck!” She laughed dryly, “I swear, I’m gonna chop it off!”

The Cook looked at her in visible alarm for a few moments. She blinked at him.

“What, do you think I would look bad?” She snickered.

He ruffled the hair on the back of his head “What?! No no, of course not—! You’d look good with any haircut— besides, why would it be my business what you do with your hair?”

She laughed.”Right, it’s not.” and left it at that. He smiled under the false hope that she’d stay with the group, but she went off to sit by herself anyway.

Later on that day, the Cook wandered over and sat beside his travel companion with a small, warm smile. “…Good evening, dog.” He said, lowering a plate of dinner he made in front of her.

The Researcher smiled in return. "Good evening..." she replied. "Thank you."

Something within The Cook’s chest seemed to stir at that smile, but he pushed it away. “Hope I’m not bothering you by sitting here, I would rather not intrude on your alone time…”

"Ah, it's no issue—" the Researcher squeaked. "I don't mind!"

He smiled in return and sat back. “…If you say so.” He said, turning his gaze to the sunset. “So what you said earlier, about cutting your hair…”

“…Are you really going to do so?” He peeped, expression mixed with so many emotions, it was hard to tell what he felt about it.

Her gaze lingered toward The Cook for a moment. With a small hum, she turned her eyes to the sunset as well. "...I've been thinking about it for a while. After a century with long hair, I figured I could try something new," she said with a dry chuckle.

“I suppose it would be nice to get that weight off your shoulders after so long.” He smiled warmly. “Of course, that doesn’t mean this is changing anytime soon.” He let out a small cackle and gestured to his hair.

The Researcher chuckled. "Of course not. It rather suits you, after all."

He quietly ruffled the hair on the back of his head. “…You really think so?”

The Researcher nodded with a small hum before returning her gaze to the sunset. "I can't imagine you with shorter hair like the other heroes."

“Yea well, I can’t imagine myself like any of them in any way. “He snickered, though his tone had a touch of sadness to it.

“…Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like they understand me.” He sighed quietly. “A little while ago, I got caught in a trap. Set up by bokoblins. It was embarrassing…! And then they set me up to clean up Epona’s dirt the next day, instead of helping with other tasks!” He sputtered.

The Researcher grimaced. "...Well, I suppose they just didn't trust you for a bit. I'm certain they won't treat you like that forever."

He only nodded quietly. “It seems to happen every time I mess up. One too many slip ups and suddenly I’m not allowed to be in a room with glass because ‘you break everything’. I’m ten feet away! What can I do?!”

"They'll just have to accept that's how you are," she huffed. "They can't expect such a drastic change like that."

He nodded quietly. “I hope they do soon… I care about them a lot. I don’t want it to be hard to exist around them some days.” He chuckled dryly.

The Researcher nodded. "...Maybe we could think of something to convince them," she suggested, canting her head slightly.

“Perhaps.” He smiled

“…Thanks for listening to me spew on about this bullcrap.” He chuckled.

"You've done it for me so often in the past. It's only fair I return the favor," she replied with a small giggle.

“I suppose so!” He chirped, glancing back at the setting sun. He felt a brief twinge of guilt at the fact that she still referred to his past self as the same person he was now. He had forgotten everything— he might as well have been a different person.

…Oh, what he’d give for all those memories. For her sake, and for the sake of people he lost.

“…Say, do you want to go horseback riding? Before the light disappears?”

The Researcher blinked before smiling warmly. "Of course."

The cook sat up excitedly and guided her over to Epona. “Ah,, I forgot you haven’t got your horse with you—“ he said, stepping back.

"Ah, that's alright— we can both ride on one, right?" the Researcher replied.

He perked up in response. “Yea, that’ll work—!”

The Captain weaved his way in. “You sure? You two are soooo heavvvyy, you’ll crush Epona!”

The Cook scoffed at his sarcasm. “We get it, Cap’n, we’re short.”

The Researcher quirked a brow. "...I choose to ignore that."

The Cook rolled his eyes and nodded at her statement before taking her hand in his and getting on Epona.

The Researcher hoisted herself behind the Cook, quietly shifting to get comfortable. "How far should we go?"

Once again, something stirred in the cook’s chest, particularly when she touched him— and it was much harder to ignore. “..Not sure.. but I know for a fact that I don’t wanna be on trail!” He cackled, and Epona promptly took off into the forest.

The Researcher let out a squeak as Epona started, giggling and holding on tight to the Cook. He let out a joy-filled laugh, breathing in slowly as fresh air passed him. The smell of fresh dirt and grass flooded the air as the sunset’s light leaked through the leaves above and warmed their skin.

During these just moments, everything seemed okay. As if nothing in his life had ever gone wrong.

Epona let out a sudden whinny and leaped into the air to avoid stumbling on something. He let out a shocked laugh as a rush of excitement came to him from the sudden leap.

The Researcher was startled by this, clinging tightly to the Cook and burying her face in his shoulder with a giggle, thus causing the Cook’s very heart to jump. He nearly began to squirm at how many strange things he was feeling at the moment.

Finally, Epona settled into a calm strut and they turned around, keeping a slow pace as they returned to the ranch, taking a different route to keep the scenery fresh.

…Back at the ranch, the rest of the boys were lounging. Many were interacting with their Zeldas, unsurprisingly.

Tetra sat back. “Where’d that long haired crazy Link go?”

The Captain crossed his arms with a grin. “Went off riding Epona with his princess. Last I saw she was clinging to his back as the horse charged forward.”

The Old man smiled. “Even after all that, they still seem close.”

The Veteran huffed. "You would be too, if you went through hell and back with someone."

The Old man sighed. “I suppose so.”

Only a moment after, the Cook and Researcher made their return, talking idly with each other and chuckling occasionally. The Veteran watched with a small huff before turning and sifting through his items.

The Old man cast a quick glance at the Veteran before smiling at the two as they wandered off again, not even bothering to stay with the group. One would think it was because they just have a lot to catch up on, but no. They simply babbled about the most trivial things imaginable.

The conversation went on for some time, until eventually, it turned somber. The Cook stared up at the now dark sky and spoke. “…I dunno, after everything… sometimes I just wonder if it’s even worth it.”

”What is the reason we go through life? To suffer? Is it really worth trying when you’re always hurtin’ so bad?”

These all seemed like questions for himself more than anything else.

The Researcher gave the Cook a solemn look. "Well... think about all you've done for Hyrule. You may have been hurting during that time, but it turned out to be for the better, right?"

He let out a quiet sigh. “…Hyrule’s fields were burned. During my travels I witnessed ruin after ruin. Those were people— families. I spoke with people who said that the destruction reached nearly every corner of the kingdom. The only places that are safe are in the furthest reaches of the castle possible. I failed. If I can’t even do what I was out here for, what’s the reason?”

"Link. You were not responsible for Hyrule's destruction. That was the Calamity," the Researcher huffed. "And before you go saying it was because you slept so long and forgot everything, that wasn't your fault either. That was the fault of the Shrine of Resurrection. You did all you could."

“Everything I could do clearly wasn’t enough.” He said quietly. “Why did I have to be the one to survive? The champions had so much ahead of them. I don’t even know what to do with my life now.”

"You were the only one who could deal the finishing blow. I miss them so much, but... if they'd lived instead of you, the Calamity would have won regardless."

Wild tensed up and gritted his teeth, feeling pressure increase in his eyes as tears tried to flood into his eyes. He blinked them back— and then stood up on his feet. “…I’m sorry— I can’t—“

"Link—!"

He gave one last look at her before turning and running. Like a coward.

[sgcruz21-blog]

(via New horror movie release: Waking Nightmare)

[magicmcsparklepants]

I’m living in a nightmare

So i’ve got two really good friends, one male one female. I had this crush on her for a long long time, have talked to my other friend about it alot. I’ve have had an issue about being jealous of him, thinking they’ll eventually hook up.  He’s animatedly denied anything ever happening between them, and i’ve never really believed him and this caused a rift between us.  Things kinda came to a boil and all three of us talked it out.  He feels hurt that i think he would do something like that, and she feels like she’s being objectified and uncomfortable with my possessiveness. and they’re both right, those are things that i did and need to fix with my behavior. I’ve been working really hard to squash down those thoughts and feelings, using their promise nothing like that is happening to solidify me. But my male friend told me that since they have talked together about the problem in our group(me and my feelings) they’ve been hanging out without me fairly frequently.  I’m having a hard time not reading into it further or taking it personally. Putting my feelings for her aside, the three of us were best friends, the three amigos. now i feel like im losing them and left out.

The worst part is is that this is exactly what my fears were. I would be honest about my feelings, they would be mad and end up being pushed together and pushing me aside. I feel like im living a nightmare, i dont know whats real anymore

[mikepowernyc]

I 
We looked at the past - at lamps, rivers, and drawings – and imagined the future they’d bring. We traveled down highways, up mountains, down waves and found ourselves in the place we had once called our home. 
II 
We called to the captain, “Change your course! We’re heading for the end of the world!” But he was too drunk, more even than us, and could only hear the sound of himself 
III 
We drove to the place where the oysters were poisoned, carrying our most precious cargo, hoping for the worst but fearing the best.
We watched the ice descend.
. . #writing #streamofconsciousness #writersofinstagram #prose #wakingnightmare #writerslife https://www.instagram.com/p/ButWFkDhE3U/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=foc6kg44i90z

[badgersinthesky]

Waking Nightmare

Evil was once again present at Hogwarts.

This particular evil, however, had always been around.  No one knew its origins, or who had first discovered it.  All they did know, was that it came about when you were least expecting it.  It could be absent for days….months….years…….and then, it creeps up on you out of nowhere.  There was no known form of defense for it either.

When it chose you, there was not a thing that could be done to combat it.  You were forced to succumb and comply with it, until it moved on to its next victim.

Few ever encountered it.

Those who did, were unlucky enough to encounter it more than once, at varying stages of their life.

It came for her in the dead of night, while she was safe and sound asleep.  Slowly, ever slowly, it crept into her bed, and enveloped her like a blanket.  It crushed her chest, suffocating the girl inch by agonizing inch.

She tried to cry out, but no sound escaped her.

As she tried to sit up, and get away from it, she found that she could not move.  The girl was paralyzed, her limbs ignoring even the basic of commands.  As the panic started to seep in she saw it, creeping along the edge of her bed and steadily moving about her room.

It slowly started to take shape amid the inky blackness of her surroundings, the being somehow darker than anything she had ever witnessed in her young life.  A mouth grinned at her, rows of needle sharp teeth glinting in the darkness, surrounded by dead and decaying flesh.  Eyes peered down at her and steadily drew nearer, a single drop of yellow amid the bloodshot whites.

She screamed but, was not heard, no sound escaping her.  

She desperately tried to move, but could not.

The demonic presence drew nearer, and nearer.  She could feel her heart pounding painfully in her chest as the blanket surrounding her tightened even more, constricting lungs that were struggling to work.  Every breath she took in got harder and harder, until she was fighting to continue breathing.

It was like she could not even remember how to breathe, how to move.

It was getting closer.

Then out of her peripheral she saw something else moving towards her, some new horror.  It was reaching for her with wrinkled hands and razor sharp nails, the vision coming closer and closer.

The panic was overwhelming; the girls breath was shortening even more, her heart was frantically beating, and she was fighting with every fiber of her being to get up.

Closer.

She can not breathe; her heart is pumping and stuttering, pumping and stuttering…..she gasps for another breath but is unable to.

Everything stops, and the evil is upon her, scant centimeters away.

A silent scream rips out of her, the pressure from the blanket so overpowering it feels as though her ribs are going to break like dried twigs.

No one can hear her.

No one can save her.

Otherworldly laughs and shrieks erupt around her and engulfs the girl as both beings fall upon her like the prey she was laid out to be, the darkness encompassing everything and forcing itself down into her prone and trembling body.

And then it was over.

“Alex wake up.  Ale- Al, come on, wake up!”  Susan shook her friend by the shoulders, trying to keep her voice down in an effort to not wake up the other girls in the dorm.  The calico cat that had pounced on her in the middle of the night was perched on the bed next to her owner, fluffy tail twitching slowly back and forth, a loud meow echoing around them.  “Iris, be quiet!!  We’re just trying to wake Alex, not the entire Slytherin dorm! Geeze.”

After a moment Alex shot up into a sitting position, hazel eyes blinking owlishly in the dim green light that flooded her four-poster.  She spotted the blonde sitting next to her, her lungs finally taking in a much needed breath.  “Sky?” she asked groggily, batting a fuzzy tail out of her nose as Iris plodded into the girls lap and promptly curled up into a ball.  In an instant she remembered her dream and hastily looked around, her eyes open wide in horror.  “Where are they?  Did you see them?!”

“Al,” Susan said gently, crawling across her friends lap and sitting down next to her, the curtains of the bed closing behind them and plunging them into a partial darkness.  “We’ve been over this before.  It was just a dream, there’s nothing in here that’s going to get you.  No demon, and no scary old lady.  You’re safe.”

“But Sky, it was so real!!  I was awake and I couldn’t move and-”

“It felt like your chest was been squeezed, making it hard to breathe?”  she asked with a yawn, curling up with the cat that had rolled over next to her.  “It wasn’t real, Al.  Sleep paralysis, remember?”

Alex huffed as she reluctantly laid down next to her friend, rolling over on her side to peer at her.  Her heart had finally resumed its usual staccato, her chest no longer feeling like it was being crushed to death.  “What about the creepy demon thing and the old lady?”

“That’s normal, too.  Though when it happens to me I never see the old lady, just some creepy black blob moving around.  It would probably be scarier if my eyesight wasn’t so bad…. But sometimes, it’s just different for me.”

“Different how?  Why is this happening?” she asked in a small voice, subconsciously moving closer to Susan.

“The last time, I was dreaming of my family and they were all just so awful to me.” Susan caught the scared tone in her friends voice and smiled quietly to herself, reaching a hand across Iris to pat the girls arm reassuringly.  “My mom said there’s no real good answer for ‘why’.  You’re stressed out because of the Quidditch game coming up, our final exams are coming even closer, and our homework is piling up.  Plus, you sleep on your back a lot and that can apparently cause it.”

“Mm.” came the mumbled reply, the dark haired girl slowly dropping off back to sleep now that her ordeal was over with.  After a few seconds of silence her eyes popped back open and she glared over at her friend.  “Wait a minute, how the hell did you know I was uuuuh….having problems?”

“Your cat came and jumped in the middle of me.” Susan said with a yawn, snuggling down into the covers beneath her.  “The last time this happened you must have kicked her off your bed or something.  She was very insistent.”

“Oh.  Well…..how did you get in here?”

“You gave me the new password, nerd.  Now are you gonna keep asking me questions or are you going to shut it and go back to sleep?”

Alex muttered mutinously under her breath as she resumed her spot next to the blonde, stifling a yawn as she once again started to drop off.  “Go back to your own bed, then.”

“I’m too tired to.”

“Fine.”

Within a matter of seconds, the two were sound asleep without a care in the world.

Hopefully, it would stay that way.

[thedannydavies]

Lunchtime, innit? #sketchbook #wip #workinprogress #abstract #inkpainting #indianink #inkwash #horror #wakingnightmare

[williebaronet]

View this post on Instagram

##wakingnightmare #fish #aquarium #bubbles #ro2 #highway #art #dallas