yogen | i don't want to survive, i want to live

Who: Yes
What: Movie Night + Slumber Party
When: 9/11, Saturday Evening
Where: Dorm Common Room
Warnings: A ridiculous amount of Fluff, probably

( it starts out small. a need for comfort food, and a need for something heartfelt but silly and fun, something genuine and kind. ... and, well, she did find a weird. bootleg vhs set of her favorite movie series, hamster space wars. but the dorm is only barely furnished- and it's not like they can just go out and buy a tv or anything. honestly she completely doubts there's even anything beyond the woods. but she remembers a teacher playing the thing and other stuff in the first month of all of this.

it's so long ago...

but there's a television and a vhs player in the school. and nene... nene's tired and sad and is currently out of fucks to give, so at some point in the day, after everyone else has left, nene has returned to the school and, uh. "borrowed" both things. it's fine. they just have to get it back in by sunday evening. don't worry about it. like, it's definitely heavy but she's a tough cookie who tills soil and everything, and also sara and noah both witnessed everything and are accomplices by default, so they had to help carry things too.

(they were completely happy to help on both accounts, she asked very nicely.)

so the "borrowed" television is set up across from one of the larger couches, and the vhs on top of it. she had cookies in the oven, donuts and hot chocolate made and popcorn popped. the common room paintings are covered with sheets of cloth. all that was left was something cozy- but at this point, nene's made so many little cushions and blankets and even cozy pjs that that's super easy. all that was left was letting anyone who wanted to come know too. so at some point in the halls, nene walks down calling out: )

Cartoons in the common room! Bring blankets and stuff!

( and, so everyone knows what their characters are getting into: hamster space wars is a movie series about different factions of hamsters that have been trying for cross planetary peace for ages now, with a villainous faction having sabotaged the final negotiations so they can control the war from the shadows to make the most money and also get the most seeds (Very Decadent). the first movie follows the main hamster and his little group trying to escape the villains after having witnessed the sabotage, and are trying to avoid assassination and end the war for good. the sequels follow allied factions, with hamster galactic wars being the Thrilling Conclusion.

it's heartfelt. it's silly. it's very cute. nene loves it. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why would they be ghosts, though? Ghosts haunt places. Nice people don't haunt.

Maybe they really liked that place, and they want to be able to still look after it. Or, maybe they care about a person there. There's lots of different reasons to stay behind.

[ ... ]

Would they still be friendly and nice if they stayed back, and can't be a part of anything? When everybody's moving on without them. And maybe, over time, they forget about them.

I guess it'd depend on the ghost. What kind of person they are, or were.

[idly kicks her legs]

But, even friendly and nice people would get lonely. There's nothing wrong with that.

How would you feel if nobody remembered you? If nobody talked to you, or played with you, or knew you were here? How would you stand the loneliness?

[ You become a vengeful ghost, that's what you do ]

... I had to play by myself for... a while. I had my diary, and my drawings, and if I didn't have a friend, I tried to learn how to be my own best friend. When I finally did have others, I cherished them all the more for all the times I didn't have them.

... Loneliness can make you want to pull away, or it can make you want to reach out. [pause] I guess it's up to the ghost to make that choice.

[ ... ]

What if... when you reach out, the other person gets scared, and runs away?

You just keep trying, I guess. Or decide you accept their fear, and let them be. I think trying is important.

... I know someone, back home. He's afraid of not being lonely, I think. He's pulled away... But, we reach out, every day, even if we just get hurt for our trouble.

There's always somebody who hasn't given up on you. Even when it's hard.

[ ...

Trying is scary. Rejection is scary. Putting up walls and seeing who's willing to climb them... is selfish... but less scary. Even if the walls get higher and higher each day. ]

Mm...

[ ... ]

Did you get to play hopscotch with him? Double Dutch? Skipping stones?

He's... not really interested in those kinds of games. He plays in different ways. [smiles] He dances with us, sometimes. I like those days. Even when he tries to pretend like those days never happened after. I'll always remember them.

[ Why play with somebody who won't hopscotch with you... ]

What sort of games does he like to play? As long as it's a game, it'll be fun, I thought... Why would he pull away from games?

Not everybody likes the same kinds of games! It'd be weird if everybody liked the same thing, right? I like all kinds of games, but part of playing with your friends is finding something everyone would enjoy. Now, he likes... [saying "evil schemes that sometimes flirt with, at best, negligent homicide" would require way too much explanation so] Dress up, and playing pretend! Pirates, circus, cowboys, princesses and knights... It's fun! I kinda miss it, sometimes.

Playing pretend is fun. I'm a very good actor.

[ They play salesperson all day; they're very good. ]

And it's the sort of thing you need lots of people to play with. Are you sure you're not friends?

We're all... kinda friends? Sometimes people just have trouble with the word, and if you use it, the walls go all the way up again. So, you just work around it.

Yeah, it's a weird word.

[ It's not like they have friends? They do like playing, though ]

Do you want to play pretend pirates someday?

[she tries to tamp down the intensity of her glee, but can't stop how wide her grin gets.]

Sure! And I bet an old place like this has tons of buried treasure. We'll split the loot, even stevens!

Oh. I was actually sort of thinking—- ...

[ ...

... ]

Well, never mind. That works too, sure! Even stevens!

[... how did they gain progress so quickly she has spent the last two years--]

You can have my gold, too, but I'll want all your sports equipment. It's only fair.

[ sometimes you play pirates, ]

All your gold, silver, bronze, copper, aluminum, zinc, uh... coins and banknotes and currency in general is mine. And you can have my sports equipment.

[... god it really is like being back home in the worst way--]

Deal. [sticks her hand out]

Yessss!!

[ hands up in the air like \o/ before they take Stephanie's hand ]

I know a locker with lots and lots and lots of money we can plunder!

-- Okay, no, that's actually robbery.

[FUCK ARATAS ALL MY HOMIES HATE ARATAS and she's taking her hand back too]

[ no!!!!!!! ]

I thought we were playing pirates.

[ This is what pirates do! Set things on fire and steal money! ]

And you've read a lot of stories about pirates breaking into students' lockers? It's not even under the ground! Buried treasure needs to be buried in the dirt, not under gym socks!

It's called playing pretend! We can pretend buried treasure is buried under gym socks...

(no subject)

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