Tumgik
#i am not super talky on here but i <3 u all
pplatonic · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
my name is platonic i go by all the pronouns (here's my pronouns.page)
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
. <- this dot is here so i can edit the userboxes easier :3
We're a system that collectively identifies as a multigender a-spec abrosexual. Me specifically as in the one that uses this blog i am a loveless heartless non-sam aplatonic bigender boygirl.
check out my sick neocities site
my main fandoms are Vocaloid, Serial Experiments Lain, Blue Exorcist, Soul Eater, and ones I'm less active in are Haruhi Suzumiya, MHA, and Touhou. Vocaloid is the biggest out of all of those, and I'm a synth v producer. I have Haiyi, Saki+AI, Yamine Renri, and Yuma. I also have all of the lite/free banks (including Mai) but like those are the babies that I paid for and would give my hand in marriage if they asked me even though I'm aro. I also sometimes use Neutrino, SEVEN is my fave.
i'm alterhuman and otherkin! All of my kins are endelic.
Deitykin
Ghostkin
Robotkin
Corpsekin
Shapeshifterkin
Rosy maple mothkin
Pink heronkin
Cathearted
Naturehearted
Fictionkin
@inspectorlyfrakin (u cant cancel me for this bc nym gave me explicit permission
my fictionkin list looks like:
Platonic the Phantom Thief (Evillious Chronicles)
Lain Iwakura (Serial Experiments Lain)
Haruhi Suzumiya (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Clarisse McClellan (Fahrenheit 451)
Abigail Williams (The Crucible)
Millenium-chan (Living Millenium by Iyowa)
Susuwatari (Spirited Away)
...and kinsidering Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche (Evillious Chronicles)!
日本語を勉強していますよ! 間違い出やすいからおかしな日本語になってたら、教えてもらいたいです。「時々」と「凸凹」ってはあたしのお気に入り言葉だよ!日本語のボカロ曲を英語に時々訳します。
Tags guide:
#plat art - All visual creative stuff #plat music - Original songs, including remixes #plat cover - All of my vocalsynth covers #plat writes - fanfic links #plat rambles - Random talky post tags
you hit kept reading and scrolled to the bottom so you get my super not really secret sideblogs list:
@non-sam-aplatonicism - Sideblog for aplatonic stuffs @ganbaruwayo - JPN to ENG translations @mogaihaze - Deluna's mogai coining blog @alexithymia-culture-is-what - Culture is blog for alexithymic folks @vocalsynth-culture-is - Culture is blog for vocalsynth @lumen-sancta - Kin-centric sideblog @gray-gray-gray-gray - Mental-health centric sideblog, used to just be my secret vent blog, but now I post my psychosis related nerd rambles and edgy middle schooler poetry so I feel safe linking to it here. @delunas-amazing-blog - Deluna's sideblog. @ghost-coral-girl - Haiyi's sideblog. @the-carol-of-caroline - Caroline's sideblog. @team-chimera-phoenix - The TCP group's sideblog.
24 notes · View notes
quicktimeeventfull · 1 year
Note
25, 27, 35 for Weird Questions for Writers!!
hello jessy thank you!!!
25. what is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?
L from lavender haze is a starbucks girl & loves all the sickly sweet drinks. she was obsessed with that ariana grande cloud latte thing & was devastated when it left stores. she’s only been back in japan for three days but she’s already obsessed with the peach panna con latte. near took her there to discuss her absolutely disastrous time in england & she had an incredible time carefully separating the jelly from the peaches.  
27. who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? why?
i answered this here but i just realized there’s another way to interpret it so i will answer it again. the most stressful character i’ve written is L from animal games bc he plays off of an extremely harsh interpretation of his canon characterization & also interacts with lawlight age discourse, my #1 least favourite thing to be involved in, and i was irrationally terrified people would try to like. idk. fight me? or that i’d just do a terrible job and make him come across as either innocent or a complete monster. luckily it turns out that most people aren’t actually looking to brawl with strangers & also if u write something in first person only super cool and chill people will read it anyway so everything came up roses. 
35. what’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?
show don’t tell!! i think a lot of dn writers break this rule, presumably bc death note is such a talky manga, and i am grateful for this bc exposition gets so unfairly maligned. there’s some interview with o&o where they said you can basically include as much exposition as you want as long as you balance it out with a bit of ongoing action (ex. near’s toys) and personally i agree with that. <3 <3 <3 exposition.
4 notes · View notes
s1ithers · 3 years
Text
man i don’t get notifs on the Nurses Do It Better post since it’s not my op but every once in a while i remember it and feel like, oh... i have made it as a painter
12 notes · View notes
parkers-gal · 3 years
Note
Hi. I was wondering if u could do a Tom x reader story where y/n will randomly show up on set of avengers with a bouquet of flowers and give them to Tom and the rest of the crew members are going on about how cute that is. I don’t know if u are still taking requests but if u are I would love to see this. Or where the reader will just randomly show up with cute little gifts for Tom and everyone thinks it’s super cute ?
hiii hope u like this :):
wc: 1.4k <3
something sweet
The fresh scent of flowers wafts through your nose and brings a soft smile to your face. You’re outside the building that houses Tom, a small card and a bouquet of flowers in your hands. You’re merely dropping off a small message to Tom whilst he’s on set, just to let him know that you’re thinking of him.
You’ve been going out for about a month and a half, nothing exclusive and nothing labeled, but he’s the only person you’re going on dates with, and you’re the only person he’s going on dates with. It’s pretty exclusive, to be real.
And, it’s the second time this week you’re dropping a gift off at set for him. On Monday it was his favorite chocolate bar and a cute Spider-man pen, and today it’s a card and flowers. You’ve been dropping things off for about three weeks now. Even the security guards recognize you now.
Strolling up to the entrance of the building labeled “SET THREE,” you smile at the security man you’re approaching.
“Hi, Oliver.”
“Hey, Y/N. Here to see Tom?”
“Yep,” you smile and rock back and forth on your toes.
Oliver nods, says something into his walkie-talkie, and hands you a temporary pass to grant you clearance. “Tell the folks I said ‘hello.’”
You smile at the discreet mention of Tom and nod shyly. The electronic lock lights up green and the door unlocks. You swing it open, dress flowing while you walk through the familiar corridors. You pass Rachel on your way, and you give her a quick hug before continuing your journey.
By some chance of luck, you happen to reach set just as the director calls for a five minute break. Tom is pleasantly surprised to find you by his personal table set up in a corner of the room.
“Y/N?”
“Oh, hi,” you smile.
“Hey, darling. What’re you doing?” his hand goes to the small of your back, and he finally gets a glance at what you’re setting up on the table. A smile creeps up onto his face as he sees the fresh flowers resting on the table, and your handmade card standing upright. “Awh,” he looks at you with doe eyes. “Another gift?”
You shrug bashfully, and Tom pulls you closer so he can kiss your temple.
“You’re so sweet.”
You scrunch your nose up. “Maybe.” He giggles and you do too. “Just wanted to say hello before my lunch break ends.” Tom nods.
“‘M glad I got to see you.”
You mirror his smile. Unbeknownst to both of you, the lighting crew is discussing how cute the two of you are, and how ridiculously sweet you are. They’ve kept mental records of the gifts you’ve given Tom. Even if it’s just his favorite tea order and some banana bread, they all find it romantic. Even the directors find it adorable. It seems as if the entire crew thinks your relationship with Tom is the epitome of romance.
“Okay, well I should be heading out.”
“Okay,” Tom smiles. “Drive safe, okay?”
You hum and nod, and Tom gives your temple one last kiss before he’s waving you out.
And then, you repeat the same thing two days later, on Friday. You’d gotten off work early, thanks to your boss, so you decide to be extra special today and pick up a fresh batch of cookies from your favorite bakery downtown, perhaps maybe the entire crew could use a little snack. You manage to get Tom a coffee order and a small fidgeting toy to distract himself.
You find Oliver outside the entrance as always, and he’s delighted to see you again.
“Back again, Y/N?”
“You know it,” you smile before your eyes light up. “Oh! Can I offer you a cookie?” You open the package and hold out the assortment. Oliver’s face lights up and, with a grateful smile, he takes one and a napkin.
“Thanks, Y/N,” he smiles as if you’ve been longtime friends, and the feeling makes you warm in happiness. “Here’s your pass. Tell the crew I’ve said ‘hello.’’ You nod again and you walk through the door that Oliver has so nicely opened for you. Strolling through those same corridors, you don’t pass many people, which is only peculiar on the days that aren’t busy. So, as you reach the end of the hallway where the set door is, you find the red light above the door blinking rapidly, telling you that they’re in the middle of an important scene. You wait only over a minute before the light dies out and you open the door.
Rachel is the first person you see, and she smiles at you tiredly. You’re guessing it’s been a long, slow day. Arriving at the food table, you notice how bare it is, also assuming that the snacks have run low as the day had gone on.
You smile when you see a new vase set up as if someone was expecting new flowers to come in. You pluck one from a vase on the far end of the table, place it in the vase, and set up the freshly baked cookies. You lay out the napkins with a smile, and Rachel comes over to you just as you’re finishing up.
“Hey, Y/N. Tom’s been pretty busy today.”
“Oh! That’s okay,” you grin. “These are for everyone.”
“Aw,” she glances down at the delicious-looking desserts. “Then count me in. May I?”
You step aside so you’re not blocking the platter. “Be my guest.”
As you step aside, your foot hits a chug of unopened lemonade, and you find the dispenser empty. Connecting the dots, you reach for the lemonade, and with minimal assistance from Rachel, you refill the lemonade dispenser.
You’ve been onset for about ten minutes now, and over fifteen people have already plucked their cookies. Still, no sign of Tom.
“No work today?”
“Got off early,” you tell her. She nods.
“How jealous I am.”
You chuckle and rub your arms. “Seems pretty harsh down here.”
“Eh,” she shrugs. “Just slow.”
Just then, the scene ends and Tom is striding towards the food table.
“Thank god the lemonade is ref- Y/N!” He practically runs over. “What’re you doing here?” Both of his hands grab yours.
It’s occurred to you that you’re standing in front of the platter of cookies, so you once again move to the side so Tom can see them. “Just dropping something off.”
“You’re so sweet,” he pouts. “You didn’t have to get that for everyone.”
“Eh,” you laugh, “looks like you all could use something sweet.”
“I can’t tell if you’re talking about the cookies or yourself,” he nuzzles your nose.
“Yo, are those cookies?” Matthew from soundcheck interrupts.
“Yup,” Tom smiles proudly. “Y/N brought them in.”
“That’s dope. Can I have one?” He looks at you, and you nod with a laugh.
“Of course.”
“That’s so nice,” he waves at the two of you. “Off to work again.”
“Have I mentioned how much I love having you on set?” Tom grips your hands a little tighter. You smile at the boy.
“No, you have not.”
“Well, I think everyone agrees with me when I say you’re a great person to have around.”
“Is that so, Holland?” You tease. He rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. Just sayin’ thank you.”
“I know,” you pull him in so you can hug him.
“Thank you,” he says softly.
“Maybe this means you can finally ask her to be your girlfriend,” Rachel cuts in.
Tom’s mouth drops open in unamusement and you laugh at him. Rachel shrugs sheepishly, knowing she isn’t wrong.
“Now, now,” you usher her, “He’s still flowering. Let him go on his own pace.”
The two of you burst out into laughter and Tom scoffs at the fact that you’re ganging up on him.
“Whatever,” he says, pulling you in so he can kiss your forehead. “I’ll see you tonight, girlfriend?”
Your grin widens. “Okay… boyfriend.”
364 notes · View notes
satoruvt · 3 years
Text
for now; forever
Tumblr media
pairing → kwon soonyoung x reader
word count → 9015
genre → mostly fluff, angst ↳ tags: ooh boy. firewatch au, banter, like a little bit (a lot) of pining, strangers to friends to… something, FLIRTING, reader’s kinda fucked up but its ok, hoshi’s weird and endearing (as always), a tiny bit of hurt/comfort, minghao best boy, soonyoung is very sweet it makes me want to cry
synopsis → after an unfortunate burnout that lands you in every critic’s negative and all-seeing eye, you decide to take a break from the one thing you know. you’re not sure if you’ll find what you’re looking for out in the middle of the woods - if you’re looking for anything at all - but at the very least, soonyoung will make the hunt a little less lonely.
warnings → there’s eventually a forest fire (starts on day 64 and is mentioned throughout the rest of the fic) that leads to an evacuation but it’s not super detailed, mentions and descriptions of creative burnout/breakdown
a/n → IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! i made a fancy banner nd everything <3 i know 9k isn’t a lot to some people but this is probably the longest one shot i’ve ever written LMAOO so i hope it’s paced ok and everything <33 PLEASE let me know what yall thought about this i am insanely proud of it. ok thats it hehe. hope you enjoy!!! see u on the other side!!!!
btw here’s a fun playlist of songs i listened to while writing mixed with some songs i think reflect the fic super well <33
Tumblr media
DAY ONE.
So. You’re… out here, now.
Save for the bugs you have to swat at every fifteen seconds, the outdoors doesn’t seem that bad. The weather isn’t too hot (yet, your mind reminds you) and there’s something about the color of the sky that makes your heart constrict in your chest. You can’t tell if it’s good or bad, but given your luck recently, you’re hoping it’s not a warning for the coming months - God knows you need a break. The weight of the journal in your bag feels heavier than any of the camping gear you brought with you.
You debate texting Minghao that you’ve made it to the park safely, but when you check your phone after deciding yes, you see the words no service instead of the familiar lines of a signal. It’s not that big of a deal - you’d told him when you left that you probably wouldn’t have service at all - but a little part of you feels the tender shake of anxiety at the thought of not being able to contact your best friend. 
He was the most worried out of everyone when you told him you were leaving for the summer. You can’t really blame him - it was abrupt, you saw the flyer at the grocery store and took it - but after what happened… doing something felt, feels, better than sitting around and waiting for nothing to happen. Waiting for a healing you aren’t sure will ever come, at least not completely.
“Is this really…” Minghao had started upon first entering your apartment after getting your text. Clothes were thrown all over your bedroom floor in an attempt to pack. “Do you need to do this?”
The tone of his voice told you he wasn’t going to try to stop you, that he just wanted to make sure this was what you needed. You had only nodded, sitting down on the edge of your bed to fold clothes and pack them into your suitcase.
“I just don’t want you to run away from it all,” Minghao said softly, sitting next to you. “You’ll need to face it eventually.”
“Is escaping really such a bad thing?” You asked, looking at Minghao. He gave you the look he did when you said something stupid, and if you weren’t still so wired from everything, you might have laughed. Instead, you sighed, placing a pair of pants into your suitcase. “I just need some time.”
Before you can face it, before you can come back, before you can write again… you still don’t know. Minghao had placed a kind hand on your shoulder to tell you there was no rush.
It’d taken no more than two days for you to get everything ready - including buying some apparently necessary survival equipment from Target. In a matter of a few hours you had gathered everything up, texted some other friends and your family that you might not be available the next few months and then… you left. 
(Your manager was pretty pissed off that you left so suddenly, but she was also pissed off at you when you told her you needed a break for at least a few weeks, so you’re not really offended.)
You take one last longing look at your car before locking it, pocketing the keys, and starting on your hike.
Tumblr media
The hike takes almost the whole day. 
You think you almost cry when you finally see the watch tower you’re supposed to be staying in, your legs barely able to hold the rest of your body up. The hike wasn’t hard, really - long, though, and for someone who usually spends a work day sitting at a desk, you’re surprised you’re still alive. You find the little lock that holds the keys to the tower at the bottom of the stairs, fastened onto the railing. It takes a few seconds for you to enter the code you’d been given earlier, relishing in the soft breeze the cools the sweat on your face and neck. The sun is just barely starting to set beyond the mountains, a beautiful sight that you can’t properly focus on because all you want to do is pass out. You’re pretty sure you almost do on your way up the stairs.
The cabin at the top of the tower is pretty scarcely furnished, save for a few basic necessities (a gas stove rests on one wall, a small desk opposite to it by the door, a mini-fridge, and a bed in the corner plus what looks like a map table in the center of the room). It’s a little weird, a feeling caught between the nostalgia of moving into a new place and something you can’t quite name, but you figure you have a few months to make it all a little more comfortable.
For now, though, you feel like you’re on the last leg of your energy. Your mind is saying eat, sleep, eat, sleep on repeat and you have to agree with it, so you change the sheets on the bed, take down the boards over the windows while you wait for the macaroni from the Kraft box to cook. You end up eating a few forkfuls of poorly-made mac and cheese before crashing.
When you wake up, it’s to gentle static and a semi-clear, unfamiliar voice. It takes you a minute to remember where you are and what you’re doing, too disoriented to even think about the voice, but then - oh. Forest. Watch tower. Escape. Okay.
“Yo, Cottonwood! Am I coming through okay? Pick up your radio!”
Right. The voice. Radio?
“Come on, I saw you get in yesterday, I know you’re there. Unless,” a gasp, “you died! Oh my God, this is like a horror movie… and I’m next!”
You manage to wake up enough to locate your radio (a walkie-talkie resting on a charger on the desk) and, after a few seconds of gentle struggle, work it. “Not dead,” you say, then clear your throat because your voice does not sound good right after waking up. “I mean… almost. But not dead.”
There’s barely a moment of hesitation before the person on the other end hoots, apparently excited. “Arisen from the dead! Brought back to life by none other than the legendary Hoshi!”
A brief thought crosses your mind about having to listen to this guy all summer, but you quickly shoo it away. You won’t have to deal with it for the whole three months, right? “Who… who is Hoshi?”
“Me!” The voice answers, sounding a little too smug. “But it’s really just an alias. You can call me Soonyoung. I’m at Twin Peaks tower, west of yours!”
You spin around your cabin, looking through the windows cluelessly - how long have you been asleep, it’s practically afternoon - until you see a very small silhouette of another tower in the distance. You nod, then realize Soonyoung can’t see you. “Oh. Cool.”
“Aren’t you gonna tell me your name?” Soonyoung asks, but his tone is light, breezy. You blink, reciting your name to him in a daze. “Pretty! So, what brings you out here?”
You weren’t expecting that question. “What?”
Soonyoung giggles into the radio. “Everyone comes out here for some reason. Like… Jihoon says it’s ‘cause it helps him write music. And Joshua loves the outdoors, so… what’s your reason?”
“You…” you start, not exactly wanting to tell a stranger the reason you ran away from everything you know. “Do you normally ask this many questions?”
“Yeah!”
You feel yourself sigh, already tired again.
“I… just wanted to get away for a while,” you end up saying. A half-truth. “I live in the city.”
“No way,” Soonyoung gasps excitedly. “Me too! I wonder if both of us have ever been walking and, like, passed each other without knowing…”
This isn’t exactly what you had in mind when you thought of escaping.
DAY TWO.
The next morning, you dedicate time to getting a little more settled into your home for the next few months. You didn’t bring a lot of decor - you didn’t think you needed any - but even seeing your blanket on the bed and a few books you need to catch up on reading stacked on the desk makes the place feel a little bit more like you. You eventually reach the journal you packed (that Minghao made you pack) and stare at it like it might do something. Like it might tell you to write again, or like it might tell you to leave everything behind. You don’t really know what you want from it.
A sing-songed version of your name comes from your radio and you blink away from the journal, set it down on the desk. “Good morning!” Soonyoung says from the other end, and you feel yourself take a deep breath as you pick up your radio and press down the button so he can hear you.
“Morning, Soonyoung,” you respond, calm compared to his excitement. 
“So… what are your plans for today?”
“Um,” you pause, brows furrowed, looking towards the direction of his tower even though you know he can’t see you. “Looking out for fires?”
“That’s boring,” is Soonyoung’s immediate response, and you laugh a little.
“Kinda my job for a while.”
And listen, you’ve known Soonyoung for less than a full 24 hours, but even before your brain really comprehends what he’s saying you know you’re not going to like it. “Wait, that reminds me,” he says, tone of his voice a little less overexcited puppy. “What did you do before this? Or, like, what’s your career? I mean, you don’t have to answer, I just thought it could be a way for us to get to know each other…”
His voice fades away for the split second you remember a little too much all at once, but somehow your voice still sounds put together when you speak. “Nothing special,” you say. There’s a pause when you don’t elaborate any further, but instead of asking about it, Soonyoung changes the subject.
“Okay!” he says, back to a more playful tone. “Anyways, I asked about your plans ‘cause I kind of need you to do something for me.”
“Already asking favors?” you tease. “We just met, Soonyoung.”
You hear him laugh, loud and hearty, and it’s contagious even through a radio line so you feel your own smile pull at your lips. “One of the other lookouts found some teenagers with fireworks,” he informs you. “I need you to meet him and get the fireworks from him.”
Your feet are already in your shoes, one halfway tied. “You can’t do this?”
Soonyoung’s voice is strangely thoughtful, but you catch a hint of mischief at the end of his sentence. “I would, but Jihoonie said he’d eat me if I tried to see him again and I think he’s serious this time.”
He tells you where the other lookout - Jihoon - should be and gives you a quick lesson on how to properly use your map to get there. You’re not really excited for another hike this early on (you’re still sore from even getting up here) but by the time you meet the halfway mark you’re convinced it’s not that bad. It’s neither long nor challenging, and… well, Soonyoung’s insistent on keeping you company the whole time. 
When you see what looks like a guy at the edge of a now-abandoned camp, you tell Soonyoung you’ll radio him when you’re on your way back to your tower. “Hey,” you call out as you get closer. The man looks up at you, his eyes sharp but not unkind. “Jihoon?”
“Yeah,” he replies. Under his cap you notice that his hair is a gentle silver, almost purple. He’s dressed casually, like you, and you suppose it’s a given since there’s no exact dress code for this job.  “You’re the newbie?”
You didn’t know people knew about you. “I.. I guess,” you say, then tell him your name.
“Cool,” Jihoon says, voice flat like he’s distracted. He picks up the bag next to his feet and hands it to you. “Take these. Thanks.”
He starts to walk away, down a trail opposite the direction you came, but you think of earlier, when Soonyoung asked about your job (or when he didn’t). You call after Jihoon, hesitate, but then opt to make this quick since he looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here. “Have you and Soonyoung… known each other for long?”
Jihoon turns around. He shrugs, then nods. “We met in college, a few years ago.”
“What kind of person is he?”
You watch in vague amusement as Jihoon’s nose scrunches up, but the small smile on his face refuses to hide and it makes you giggle. “Really annyoing,” he tells you, then pauses for a second like he’s looking for the right words, “kind of overwhelming sometimes. But he’s good. He’s someone you want around.”
Someone you want around, your brain repeats to you. You nod with a friendly smile as you haphazardly stuff the fireworks in your hiking bag. “Okay. Thank you.”
Jihoon offers an acknowledging nod of his own before continuing on his way back to his tower. You’re about five minutes into your hike back to yours when your radio sounds from your pocket with a now-familiar voice.
“Are you on your way back?” Soonyoung asks. “You forgot to tell me!”
“Sorry, yeah, I am now. I was talkin’ to Jihoon for a second.”
“Really? That’s weird. He rarely talks to anyone, especially strangers. What’d you talk about?”
You can’t help the small smile that lands on your face as you speak. “Stuff to blackmail you with.”
You think you hear Soonyoung’s groan all the way from his tower, and your smile only grows when it turns into a laugh.
DAY FIVE.
The clouds look dark today.
They haven’t covered the sun completely yet, but they’re closing in fast. You hope that it rains, already sick and tired of the disgusting heat, but also. Something else.
Rainy days always used to be the best to write, your brain supplies to you. You brave a glance at the still-unopened journal on the desk, thinking that maybe…
Your radio turning on drags you away from the crack in metaphorical door, coming at the perfect time as if to tell you that you’re not ready yet. You listen to it, grab the radio, murmur a greeting to Soonyoung.
“It’s getting pretty dark out, huh?” He says. He must be looking at the sky, too.
“Yeah,” you hum. “Hopefully the storm isn’t too bad.”
The line goes quiet, but you know that Soonyoung’s still there even if he isn’t saying anything. The knowledge comforts you, just a little.
“Well... got any rainy day stories?”
DAY SEVENTEEN.
“So, Soonyoung,” you call into your radio as you step outside. You’ve taken advantage of the small balcony around the entire cabin, setting up a few chairs you found in the storage unit at the bottom of the tower (just in case someone stops by, you tell yourself) and a small table you weren’t using inside. The nights are hot but still relaxing, and you find yourself sitting outside often, catching up on reading or taking in the stars. 
“I can’t believe you radioed me first,” Soonyoung responds, and you hear the smugness in his voice. “I’m so happy!”
Soonyoung somehow almost always manages to be with you in the nights, too, even if not physically. Being away from the urban civilization you’re used to has been a little difficult to adjust to, but you feel significantly less alone whenever you hear him calling you. You tell him to be quiet even though both of you are laughing. The distant crickets make your chest warm.
“What do you do? You didn’t tell me before,” You ask him after a second. There’s a small wave of anxiety that rushes over you at the idea that he might call you out about when he asked you the same thing. That was two weeks ago, though, you think, and Soonyoung wouldn’t. You’re sure he’s been able to tell that it’s a touchy subject. You’re not as discreet as you think you are, even if (and you’ve learned this the past few weeks) Soonyoung’s a bit more on the oblivious side sometimes.
“I dance!” 
Somehow, despite having not even seen what he looks like, it’s fitting. “Like… teach, or choreograph, or…”
“A little of everything,” Soonyoung tells you, and then starts elaborating. His voice echoes through your radio and you look up at the stars as you listen to him, trying to map out constellations from memory. He sounds so excited to simply talk about it, you can’t imagine what he must look like when he’s actually on stage. You hope you get to see it one day.
“You’ll have to teach me something sometime,” you say once he’s finished, voicing your thoughts. With a giggle that sounds like the stars above you, he tells you he’d love to.
A moment of quiet passes, spent focusing on the tiny specks of fireflies you see in the field around your tower and feeling the summer breeze as it passes. The words slip out of your mouth with much less resistance than you thought they would.
“I used to write,” you murmur into your radio. It takes you a moment to register the heavy beat of your heart, like you just got back from a run.
“Used to?” Soonyoung asks, curious but soft.
“For now,” you answer. The ache you’ve become familiar with throbs in your chest. “Hopefully not forever.”
It’s not the whole story - not even close - but you figure you might be able to tell him with time. The thought stresses you out even when you have nothing to stress about, and you think Soonyoung is psychic because he says, next, “the stars are really pretty tonight.”
You’re not looking at the sky when you answer. Your head is tilted in the direction of his tower. 
“They really are,” you say.
DAY THIRTY-THREE.
You’ve fallen into a bit of a routine with Soonyoung. 
Not a day goes by where you don’t talk to him - the one day you radioed and he didn’t pick up you genuinely thought something happened to him, seconds away from calling a park ranger. Right before you actually did it, though, he picked up his radio and said he had been taking a nap.
(His voice was a little groggy from sleep, sounded like he was pouting whether he meant to or not and you’d be lying if you said the thought didn’t make your heart skip a few beats - but if anyone asked, you’d definitely lie about it.)
One of you calls the other around the same time every morning and you don’t put down your radio until the sun is well behind the mountains. You’ve grown used to his presence, in a way, even if you can’t really feel him with you (though sometimes you swear you can). It’s comforting to have him out there with you, and it’s been so long since you’ve talked to someone the way you do with Soonyoung… you find yourself looking forward to every morning, waiting for when you hear him over your radio.
Today is no different.
Well, in an unrelated way, it is - you have to hike to a supply box to get your surplus of food for the next month and a half you have left. But even as you’re doing inventory of what you have left in your cabin on a piece of paper, you’re waiting for Soonyoung’s usual good morning. It comes as always, makes you smile when you hear it.
“Good morning!” 
You leave your scratch paper on your desk and reach for your radio. “Morning,” you say after you’ve pressed the button down. 
“So…” Soonyoung trails off. “Supply drop day.”
“Yeah,” you reply, sitting on your bed.
“Both of us are getting crates of food today…”
What is he getting at? “Uh-huh…?”
“Both of us… getting supplies… from the same place.”
A confused laugh leaves your lips. “Soonyoung, what is your point?”
Even for as often as you talk to him, you’re still always surprised when he starts yelling. “Let’s meet up!” he exclaims, obviously excited, and it clicks in your head.
“Oh my God, can we do that?” 
“Yeah!” Soonyoung sounds like he’s grinning, smile palpable in his voice. “If we pull some strings with the other lookouts and get hiking at the right time, it’s totally possible.”
Holy shit. Your heart is beating wildly, butterflies swarming around it at the thought of meeting Soonyoung in person. “Okay,” you tell him, noting that you sound a little breathless. “Okay, yeah, let’s do it.”
It takes a few minutes to work everything out - the supply boxes should be dropped off by midday, so you can leave your tower around then and get to the drop location in a little over an hour. Soonyoung has to leave earlier than you since he’s farther away, but if everything goes well the two of you should get to the drop location close to the same time, margin of error small. You radio Jihoon to cover for you while you’re out, and he agrees, although he sounds a bit miffed.
When you finally leave for your hike, you’re not expecting how quiet it is. Soonyoung’s usually there to cover it up with his voice - you don’t hike often (you’ve not had to, given your job for the summer is to watch for fires) but whenever you have he’s been there to keep you company. You plug in your earphones about halfway through your trip just to drown out the quiet, something more to listen to than just trees and the sound of your own footsteps.
Eventually you make it to the supply box, and, well. There’s a guy. Standing in front of a long, green box - you think you see lookout tower names engraved ever few inches: Thorofare, Cottonwood, Twin Peaks. Packing some ready-to-eat meals into his backpack.
Holy shit, Soonyoung? your brain automatically asks, and it sends your heart spiraling up and down. You’re not sure what you thought he looked like, but it wasn’t this. Tall, lean - wait, you don’t even know if this is actually him yet.
Before you can think too much about it, you call out, voice tentative. “Are you… Soonyoung?”
The man turns around, shakes his head with a kind smile. “No,” he says. “I’m Joshua.”
You think about throwing yourself into the river by your tower when you get back for absolutely no reason. Somehow you manage a polite smile and a gentle sorry.
“No, don’t apologize, you’re fine!” Joshua chirps, adjusting the cap on his head. “You’re looking for him?”
You pause. Those aren’t the exact words you would use, but they’re not technically wrong, so you nod. After all, you don’t know what he looks like (you probably should have asked him before both of you left, but you weren’t expecting another person to be here).
“Please don’t tell me he got lost again,” Joshua says, suddenly looking tired, and you look back at him wide-eyed because... again? Has this happened before?
“No,” you tell him. “No, I mean, I don’t think so. I don’t know. Since we both have to pick up supplies he thought it’d be cool if we met up in person.”
Joshua sighs, seemingly relieved, then continues packing what’s left of his supplies into his backpack as he hums. “That’s weird.”
“What is?”
He shrugs. “Soonyoung likes the outdoors, yeah, but the supply box is a pretty far hike from his tower. I think the last few summers he’s had them delivered.”
Oh, you think, and maybe say out loud, because then Joshua’s looking back at you, a mischievous smile on his face. 
“He must really like you to come all the way out here,” he tells you, and you laugh like it might get rid of all the thoughts popping up in your mind that you keep telling yourself to stop thinking about.
“And yet,” you say wistfully, looking towards the horizon. “I still come second to Jihoon.”
This time Joshua laughs, a friendly sound, and the two of you fall into a playful conversation. He’s somewhat a superior of yours, though not by a far gap - as the lookout who’s been on the job the longest, he oversees the rest of you (which is you, Soonyoung, Jihoon, and a few others you have yet to come across). You get along with him easily and it’s weird to think that if you hadn’t gone through what you did a few months ago you wouldn’t be here talking to him, establishing what could be a new friendship. You wonder if that’s a new step towards healing, finding a way to be grateful even if it was horrible.
You talk to Joshua for a while until he says he should get back to his tower. You nod, tell him goodbye (and thanks for his company) and he starts to walk away -
“Shua!”
A burst of platinum blonde hair rushes past you from the opposite direction you came from, heading for Joshua. The new guy drops a bag at his feet and almost softly crashes into Joshua, who has this look on his face you can’t really decipher.
“Hey, Soonyoung,” he says, and you blink.
Soonyoung, like… your Soonyoung? The Soonyoung you’ve been talking to for weeks?
You watch as the two hug, Soonyoung excited to see Joshua and completely ignoring you (though you’re not sure he’s doing it intentionally). All you can do is stand there. This is him, your brain keeps telling you. This is the guy.
“I haven’t seen you in forever!” Soonyoung exclaims, bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly. “How are you? How have things been?”
Joshua shrugs, a small smile on his face as he puts a gentle hand on Soonyoung’s head and starts… petting. “I’ve been good, same old deal. I know that you’ve been doing good too, though, as far as I’ve seen from your reports.”
Soonyoung beams at the praise and you take note of it in the back of your mind (you also note the way Joshua’s treating him like a toddler and how it’s working). He opens his mouth to say something else but looks around and meets your eyes - for a second there’s nothing at all, but then you think you see an exclamation mark actually pop above his head.
The yell of your name is so loud it makes you jump. “Oh my God,” Soonyoung whines, falling to his knees dramatically. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you!”
“This is the first time you’ve seen me,” you say. You can’t seem to hold back your smile.
Joshua excuses himself (again) and finally moves on his way, says he’s in Thorofare lookout if anything happens. The sun is mellow on your skin as you look at Soonyoung, take him in - light hair, warm eyes, tan skin. His smile matches your own. A breeze shifts by, slow and sweet.
“Hi,” you say.
Soonyoung grins.
“Hey.”
-
So the bag you saw Soonyoung drop on the ground before was, in fact, for a picnic.
He didn’t bring a lot of food (the whole point of the hike was to get supply boxes anyways) aside from a few candy bars he’d saved for today. He did bring a blanket, however, and the two of you set everything up on the edge of a rock not too far away from the drop location, under some trees. It looks over a small ravine, a stream cutting through at the bottom. 
The time goes by like it was never there in the first place, spent talking and laughing. Soonyoung is just as animated in person as you thought he’d be, telling stories wildly as the two of you snack away a portion of your supplies. You know the two of you don’t have much time together, given how late it already was when Soonyoung arrived and both of your hikes back to your respective towers, but it’s still… refreshing, almost, to be with him like this, to finally get a piece of him you didn’t before. To hear him without the crackle of the radio and to see him.
To see him.
Something stirs in your chest when you look at him lying back on the blanket, arms supporting his head with his eyes closed. The sun lights up his skin in a golden glow, like honey, and the dark roots growing into his blonde hair are somehow endearing. The breath leaves your lungs when you finally label him as pretty. You hope you can blame the heat in your cheeks on the sun.
“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Soonyoung sighs, still not opening his eyes. You almost reach out to brush the hair away from his face, but a breeze comes by and does it for you. You hope it’s not a sign.
“It would be nice, huh,” you murmur in response. You finally break your gaze from Soonyoung and lean back on your hands, soaking up the feeling of the blue sky.
It’s now that you remember what Joshua had said earlier about Soonyoung usually getting his supplies delivered, and you turn back to him. “Hey, before you got to the supply box, Joshua and I were talking.” Soonyoung hums in acknowledgement. “Is the hike from your tower to here really that bad?”
His voice strains as he stretches, opening his eyes to look at you. “I mean, yeah, it’s a bitch of a hike to take sometimes. But it’s not really hard except for a few spots, just long.”
You furrow your brows. When you agreed to meet him, you didn’t think it’d be this much trouble for him. “And you came all this way so we could… what, sit here and eat? Like we do most of the time anyways? Just separately?”
Soonyoung pouts at you and you feel personally attacked. “Food tastes good when you’re with other people.”
You give him a soft, semi-playful glare, and Soonyoung offers a small giggle. You turn back towards the view in front of you.
“Did you not want me to come down?” He asks, and he doesn’t sound… sad, really, more observant. Like he wants to know where you’re at.
“No,” you answer almost immediately (Jesus, your brain says). “I just… it’s a long trip. It doesn’t really seem like it’s worth the effort.”
Like I’m worth the effort, you think to yourself. 
You hear Soonyoung shuffle behind you and turn around to look at him again, finding him sitting up straight. “It is to me,” he tells you, and there’s something in his eyes that holds you in your spot. The tips of his fingers brush against yours on the blanket. You’d look down if you didn’t think you’d miss something. “I wanted to.”
In a second, it clicks.
-
It’s not much longer until Soonyoung needs to start heading back. The two of you get your things together, and you help him pack up the picnic supplies he brought. When everything’s said and done and the two of you are back by the supply box, there’s a second of uncharacteristic quiet that falls over you.
“Let me know when you get back,” you say after a moment. Soonyoung grins.
“You’re worried about me!” he swoons, and you hit him on the shoulder playfully, but don’t deny it. It can be dangerous out there, and even if Soonyoung has been out here longer than you, anything can happen. 
“Just radio me, okay?”
Soonyoung smiles, something a little softer from before. He nods. “I will. You be safe too.”
You nod in return, taking a few steps back towards the trail that leads back to your tower. “Talk to you later, Hoshi.”
The last you see of him before you turn around is the grin on his face.
DAY THIRTY-FOUR.
It feels like forever since you’ve been here.
A window is open and welcomes a distant ambiance of the forest around you, trees and birds and animals. The journal you brought with you is open to the first page, but remains untouched - nothing on the pages. At least, not yet.
(The not yet you always tell yourself seems closer, this time, not so far away. Within reach, or at least within reason.)
Soonyoung had called in that the hike from yesterday had worn him out and he needed a nap. You had laughed fondly at how tired he sounded, told him to sleep well and that you’d be waiting for him. And you feel the words, right at your fingertips, the way the rest and wait to be written. Their presence is both terrifying and reassuring. 
You don’t think they’ll be able to bleed out correctly, not the way they used to since it’s been so long. But they’re there, in your mind, in your heart. 
You pick up the pen you got out, feel the weight of it as you click it a few times. You tap it on the desk once, twice, and then.
You take a deep breath and start to write.
DAY SIXTY-FOUR.
“Are you lookin’ at the fire?”
Your eyes leave the page of your book at Soonyoung’s voice crackling from the radio, looking around your cabin windows to see that, oh, there is a fire. You’d kind of forgotten that it’s… literally your job. At least there are multiple lookouts.
You fold the corner of the page you’re on as a makeshift bookmark before closing the book and setting it down on your bed as you stand to get your radio. You grab a can of soda from the mini-fridge you’ve started to utilize (as best you can, given it does a mediocre job at keeping things cool) before walking out onto the deck, sitting in one of the chairs you set up. “Now I am,” you tell Soonyoung as you adjust the chair so it faces the direction of the fire. You think you’re the closest lookout to it - which makes the fact that you didn’t notice it even worse - but not in any danger. The smoke paints the evening sky red-orange, washing over the purples and blues the sun used earlier as it set. “You’ve called it in?”
“Yeah, told Josh, who told the higher-ups,” Soonyoung responds, voice strangely… solemn? He sighs his next words. “They’ll probably send a crew in for suppression by morning.”
“Is there a reason you sound sad about putting a potentially dangerous forest fire out?” You tease, cracking open your soda and taking a sip. The carbonation feels good in your mouth, pops on your tongue.
“I’m not!” Soonyoung denies after some sputtering, and you laugh. “Just… ugh, looking at it - I’ve worked here every summer for the past, like, five years, and I’ve only ever seen two fires. Three, counting this one.” His voice gains a certain softness, like he’s lost in thought. “I don’t want the place to burn down or anything, but… don’t you think it’s kind of beautiful?”
It’s a little morally ambiguous, but as you look at the distant, licking flames you have to agree. In the dark, it’s vibrant, more than just ashy smoke and the smell of burning - it glows red, flushes out silhouettes of the trees in between it and you.
“I guess it is,” you hum into your radio as you stare at it.
“So. What should we name it?”
“The fire?”
“Yes,” Soonyoung says, dramatic as always. “She needs a name! I’ve always given them names, but I’ll let you do the honor this time.”
There’s something sweet in the way he offers you the chance to name it, and you try not to dwell on it too much. “Ah,” you start, thinking for a moment. “Barbara. The Barbara Fire.”
Soonyoung howls out a laugh and it’s infectious; you feel the tugging of your lips into a grin. “That is the worst thing that has ever come out of your mouth,” he says, and you roll your eyes. “We are not naming it the Barbara Fire.”
You huff out a fake whine. “Come on, it’s just Barb! She’s beautiful.”
“But deadly,” Soonyoung adds in a voice that sounds like it came straight out of a crime documentary. It makes you giggle, the two of you throwing around silly, stupid names.
“Okay, okay,” you say after a few minutes. “Then… hmm, the Hoshi Fire.”
There’s a long, long pause, and you hold down the button to your radio again. “Uh oh, is he broken?”
Soonyoung’s voice comes through, joking, but you sense a pinch of sincerity. “You want to name a raging forest fire after me… I feel like I shouldn’t be happy but I kind of am.”
You remember to push the button as you laugh, looking directly at the fire and shouting, “I hereby dub thee… the Hoshi Fire!” as loud as you can.
After the laughter dies down, for a second, there’s quiet - not awkward or for the sake of a bit, just quiet. Soonyoung’s not telling a story, you’re not giving witty comebacks. It’s just the two of you and the fire, alone in the forest.
It breaks eventually. Soft, gentle. “I’m glad you’re out here, you know,” Soonyoung says.
His words make you stiffen and relax all at once, and almost on instinct you look in the direction of his tower. You can’t really see the silhouette - the sun too far gone, taking the last of its light with it - but you know it’s there, can pinpoint exactly where it should be. You hope Soonyoung’s looking over at you, too.
And even if the reason you’re here in the first place is still a tender bruise to be pressed, you find yourself recovering a little more every day. “I am, too,” you respond. “I… I wish you were over here.”
It’s a roundabout way to say I miss you, but a part of you thinks neither of you are ready for something that explicit. You reach a hand out in the direction of Soonyoung’s tower, grasping at it like it might bring him to you. It’s not as if you can’t meet up with him again, but… between the distance and the fact that there’s an actual fire to keep your eye on, it certainly wouldn’t be easy. This is the closest you can get for now.
“I wish I was too,” Soonyoung says. You close your eyes to picture him, pretty smile and fond eyes. “We could hang out, like last time.”
“Without the radios,” you add. 
“We could, um… you know.”
His words make you giggle, and you feel a little lucky that you’re not holding down the button. Your heart is pounding in your chest, nervous but stable, secure, as you reply. A welcomed beat, even if startling.
“No, I don’t,” you tell him. Your soda sits forgotten, half-empty, on the floor of the deck by your feet. You don’t bother paying attention to the fire. “What could we do?”
Soonyoung groans and this time you laugh pushing the button so he can hear you, warm and affectionate. “Don’t tease me! You know what I’m talking about.”
You do. “What could we do, Soonyoung?”
There’s a pause, but you know he’s still there.
“Well,” he says eventually. “Let me tell you.”
DAY SEVENTY-SIX.
The fire’s gotten big.
You feel like you shouldn’t be surprised by it - it’s a wildfire, they’re not exactly easy to contain, but seeing it up close like this is vastly different from being in a city and barely even noticing the smoke. It is larger than life out here, consuming more and more of the forest each day. The last few days you’ve spent inside due to the low visibility (though it’s not as if you take a hike every day anyways). It makes you wonder if it’s safe to stay out here.
“...Hey,”  Soonyoung radios in. “I have a question for you.”
Rationally, you know whatever it is, it can’t be that serious. But your heart picks up pace anyways, beats a little harder as you pick up your radio to respond. “Look, it was Jihoon’s idea to use the fireworks, I promise neither of us knew it would start the fire.”
Soonyoung sputters out a laugh and you match him, feeling yourself calm down. “I’ll… I’ll ask Jihoon about that later, but - I really do have something to ask you.”
You lay down in your bed, unmade and messy. “Is it… bad?”
“I don’t think so,” Soonyoung responds. “Maybe?”
“Okay…” you say, timid. “Shoot.”
“When you first got here, I asked why you took the job,” he says, and you nod to yourself, remembering the first call you got from him. “You just… never really responded. I get it if it’s, like, a touchy subject, I don’t want to pressure you at all…”
“No,” you interrupt before you realize what you’re saying. You take a deep breath, Soonyoung waits. “No, it’s probably… it might be good to talk about it. I’ll tell you.”
He murmurs an okay, tells you to take your time and you do. It’s not like you’re scared to tell him - you’ve come to trust him, you know he won’t judge you for anything that happened or think any differently of you. You’re not even sure that’s why it’s hard for you to talk about - rather than any sort of outside force that might affect you, it’s more… more of a part of you that you felt you lost. It’s more coming to terms - even after these months - and going through the motions. It’s scary to talk about disconnection, especially from the one thing you loved (love?) more than anything.
“I… write,” is how you start, looking at the ceiling of your cabin as you speak. “Or wrote, maybe? I’m an author. I have a few books published. Writing is something I’ve loved since I was so young, it’s… a part of me, really. It’s special to me.
“When I finally got a manager and a publishing company and all that official stuff, I was so excited. It was like I was finally living my dream. I wrote my first book and got it published and it did really well, so my management asked me to do another, and I did. Then they asked for one after that, and I didn’t… it felt too soon, in a way. Rushed. But I guess I did it because I had to, because I figured this just came with being a writer and not everything is what you want it to be - and I didn’t want to risk losing what I had wanted almost my entire life.”
You take a moment to steady yourself, note the tremble of your fingers and take a few deep breaths. Soonyoung waits for you, patient and kind. “It went like that for a while, and I lost touch with writing. I stopped loving the only thing I knew how to love. I was so detached from it. A few months before I took this job my manager set up a press conference for me, and I… kind of… had a breakdown. At the conference. So I’m out here to run away for a second. Be away from it all.”
The quiet that follows doesn’t make you nervous, really, but you’re still waiting for a reply of any sort. Even if it’s the common oh or it’ll be okay that you got from distant friends and relatives who didn’t know what was really going on. But Soonyoung was patient with you, so you can be patient with him.
“Have you written since?” He asks after a minute, and your eyes flash over to the journal on your desk. One page has the familiar strokes and loops of your handwriting, written after you met Soonyoung in person.
“Only once,” you respond, truthful.
“When you start to write again… will you show me?”
And for some reason the question is so tender, filled to the brim with something you want to name. It makes tears spring to your eyes as you look out over the rising fire, trying not to let your voice shake too much as you reply.
(Maybe it’s because he said when and not if, maybe it’s because he didn’t tell you it’ll be okay, maybe it’s because it’s him and not someone else telling you the same thing.)
“Yeah,” you say, letting go of the button to sniff. “Yeah, I will. If you let me see one of your dances.”
You hear Soonyoung’s smile through the radio as he tells you it’s a deal.
DAY SEVENTY-EIGHT.
For the first time since you started working, someone who isn’t Soonyoung calls you through the radio (not counting the time you radioed Jihoon to make sure he was still alive, because you only saw him once and hadn’t heard from him since then). You hear the familiar click that tells you someone’s on the station, and you’re fully expecting Soonyoung’s voice to light up your cabin the way it always does. Instead, Joshua’s voice rings through.
“You there?” He asks after a comfortable call of your name, and you pick up your radio.
“Yeah, I’m here. It’s been a while,” you respond, and Joshua hums. “How’ve you been?”
“I’ve… been,” he tells you, which earns a small laugh. “Anyways, I called in to let you know that they’re having trouble controlling the fire -”
You take a look at the giant flume of smoke north of your tower, nodding to yourself. “I can see that.”
Joshua tells you to be quiet. You hear the friendly smile in his voice.
“There’ll be an evacuation team here within the next two days,” he says. “Maybe less, shouldn’t be more. They’re gonna get all the lookouts evacuated.”
Oh. Evacuation? That means… the city. Your apartment, back to your family and friends. You’d forgotten an entire world exists outside of the bubble you created for yourself.
“Okay,” you say slowly, still looking at the fire. “I assume you’ve told the other lookouts?”
“I’ve got a few more to call, but other than that, yeah, everyone’s covered. I told Soonyoung and Jihoon first,” Joshua tells you, and you blink at the fact that you didn’t even have to ask. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
“Yeah. Stay safe, Josh.”
You sit for a while after that, trying to cope with the feeling in your chest. You… you feel better about everything, about writing, for sure, but. But. It’s cut short, even if only by a little over a week. You haven’t even started packing anything up - so much of you is strewn around the cabin, in the field around your tower, in the trees of the forest you hiked through. You don’t think you’re ready to say goodbye to the place you’ve made your home and the people (person, your heart whispers) with it. 
The sun starts to set and the fire grows. You sit on your bed and look at the things you’ve made your own, a sunken, unfinished emotion spreading through you. Eventually it is Soonyoung’s voice that comes from your radio, low and humorous.
“The Hoshi Fire can’t be stopped…” he murmurs, and you laugh despite the loss you feel. 
“Please,” you groan into your radio after you’ve grabbed it. “We’re getting evacuated!”
Soonyoung giggles, something mischievous that makes your heart warm with slow appreciation. “I can’t believe it’s ending so soon,” you say, standing up to walk around aimlessly.
“Yeah, the summer went by super fast, huh?” Soonyoung replies. “I’m kind of excited, though. I’ve missed a proper dance studio.”
That’s… oh. 
A current of mild surprise rolls through you and you think you physically feel your jaw drop, just a little. That - that hurt. More than you want it to, more than you think it should - but it’s... fine. You’ve only known Soonyoung for a few months, it’s not like…
You realize you haven’t responded and open your mouth on purpose this time. “I wish we could share the sentiment, Hoshi,” you joke, hoping it doesn’t sound too stiff. 
If Soonyoung notices anything, he doesn’t say it. Only laughs, sweet and genuine. “I’m sure you’ll find something to yearn for just as I yearn for dance,” he says dramatically. You laugh, forced, because yeah, you will. Maybe you already have.
DAY EIGHTY.
Evacuation day.
Last day in your tower. Last day in the forest. Last day of the job you took to escape, to heal. It’s spent packing up the things you brought with you, throwing away everything else. Joshua said helicopters would be touching down at two points - Twin Peaks lookout and Mule Point lookout. Twin Peaks is Soonyoung’s tower, and if you planned it out right, you could probably get there and leave with him.
You tell yourself that the reason you can’t is because Mule Point is closer. Safer. They’re evacuating you for a reason.
“Hey.”
Speak of the devil, you think, grabbing your radio from its charging port. “Hi.”
“So,” Soonyoung says. For the first time since you’ve known him, he seems awkward. “Evacuation day.”
“Yessir…”
“What evacuation point are you hiking to?”
You pause, hesitate like you’re about to say something you shouldn’t. “Mule Point,” you manage to get out. “It’s closer,” you say after, your brain telling you to justify it, explain.
“What did the Hoshi Fire ever do to you?” Soonyoung huffs out through a laugh, and it sounds so unaffected that you feel that ache from before again. After a second, he adds, “so… this’ll be the last we talk. At least for a while.”
That realization hits you like a brick and the sting behind your eyes seems normal - regardless of whatever was built between you and Soonyoung or what lead you out here in the first place, it’s so sad that it’s ending. “Yeah,” you say quietly. Everything is packed, you just need to get hiking. “I, um. Is it cheesy to say thank you?”
“Maybe,” Soonyoung chuckles. “But it’ll also make me feel really good, so…”
You feel yourself calm down and let out your own small giggle. Maybe it was always meant to end this way, a little too soon, a little too sad. “Really… thanks, Soonyoung. I think it would’ve been worse for me if I got the silence I came out here for. I’m glad I had you to talk to.”
“Thank you, too,” Soonyoung says back. “I hope… you write again. I’ll talk to you later.”
The mention of it doesn’t hurt as much as it used to, and you feel the smallest of smiles on your lips. “Yeah. Later.”
The radio clicks off and that’s the last you hear from Soonyoung.
EPILOGUE.
It’s hard to come back.
From nature, from Soonyoung - everything, really. To go from trees and fires and talking every night back to car horns, busy sidewalks and your own apartment. It’s weird to wake up and not see the immediate shine of the sun through your windows. But you come back, slowly get used to the life you had before.
And you start writing.
Given - you get back in August only start writing again in October, but you write. Little by little, page after page. Maybe not every day, like you used to, but the words are back and they are eager to get out, leave their mark as your work. You stand up to your management (with Minghao’s support) and take control of your own writing schedule. The pressure from before leaves. Writing becomes special more than ever, returns as the one thing you never get truly tired of.
Minghao asks about the job, your summer. You tell him it was easy and peaceful, and that you’re thankful for the time. You mention the other lookouts. You mention Soonyoung. Only in passing, though. 
(Minghao definitely suspects something, but even if he asked, you wouldn’t tell him much.)
Sometimes you allow yourself to think of him - when you got back, you looked for a Soonyoung in the multiple dance studios in the city, but since you didn’t have a last name or any proper title, nothing came up. After that, you gave up, but he still shows up in your thoughts from time to time, bright blonde hair (the roots growing in) and glowing smile. It’s cold out, now, so you hope he isn’t getting sick and that he’s staying warm.
You’re reminded of just how cold it is when you have to brace the outside world to get your mail. There’s not even any wind, just an undeniable cold, and it makes your nose burn and eyes water as you walk the short trek to your mailbox. You find your slot and push your key in, unlocking it and gathering your mail. Most of it is junk, but you could have sworn something you ordered was supposed to come today -
“Excuse me?”
You turn your head to the voice and find a man walking towards you, his head turned down towards a small piece of paper. His voice sounds familiar, but you figure it must just be a neighbor you haven’t spoken to in a while. You turn your body to him, waiting for him to look up from the note so you can place a name on him. “Do you know where I can find an author…”
He looks up.
It’s Soonyoung.
He looks a little different - his hair is shorter, dyed black instead of the platinum you remember from last July. But it’s definitely him. The longer you stare at each other the wider his smile gets, and you stand, speechless. He’s looking at you like you’re the only thing in the world. Your heart starts to race, warms you up beneath your jacket.
“Found you,” Soonyoung grins. You can’t take your eyes off of him.
“Yeah,” you breathe. “You did.”
156 notes · View notes
hateful1979 · 3 years
Note
loki finale ask (finally)
tbf i didn’t really go in blind because i am an internet addict. parts that were already spoiled for me include:
mobius doesnt know who loki is 😭
sylvie and loki kiss (why!) & she immediately transports him back to the tva. so presumably wasn't actually that romantic, just manipulative (still bad)
the multiverse gets created
kang is the one who remains
actually watching the episode taught me that:
kang created the tva is because he’s a genius egomaniac who wanted to keep himself safe from all the other genius egomaniac versions of himself (this totally works given his comic origins, he's dealt with many versions of himself, eg. immortus, but i have a lot more questions below)
sylki kiss was definitely not romantic. she tricked him so she could kill kang. (still not a good enough excuse smh)
my interpretation of their fight: neither loki nor sylvie, if they 100% knew that kang was telling the truth about the tva, would kill kang. sylvie told loki she was doing this because she thought he was lying. (not totally true to loki's characterization imo, i'd think that both loki and sylvie would rather deal with infinite kangs than give up on free will)
new mobius doesn't know who loki is not because the tva wiped his memories, but because this is a totally different version of mobius (unmined angst potential imo)
ravonna fights mobius, lets him live, and goes out in search of "free will", and may align with kang in the future, since ravonna in the comics is kang's wife. (curious to see what they do with her. i have Thoughts on her place in the whole religious allegory of the show i will explore in my wowki fanfic)
me overthinking things
if kang knows all why would he go through all this trouble to lead loki and sylvie here? he couldn't have done this in an easier, less heartbreaking way? his plan was so contrived :/
one question i've kinda pushed aside for the show is: what kind of time travel disruption would qualify for a nexus event? because technically any variation, no matter how small, should create a branch in the timeline, because 2 contradictory things can't happen in the same timeline at the same time. but now we might have a kind of answer: if kang founded the tva to avoid other versions of kang, he doesn't need to make sure there's 1 sacred timeline, he'd just need to make sure all the variations are so small that the infinite timelines are basically the same, so there's basically infinity copies of the same timeline in existence, thus averting multiversal war between egotistical kangs.
why was there that arbitrary barrier past which kang couldn't see? yeah, ✨suspense✨ and ✨plot✨, but it's arbitrary, and it really would've made no difference if he knew what happened to him. in fact i quite like the idea of kang walking into his own death.
thoughts that don't really fit on this list
the finale was awful. not just the sylki kiss & bad narrative choices or whatever. there was so much padding and exposition, jonathan majors's performance totally took me out of it (i doubt he's a bad actor, this episode didn't give him a good opportunity to shine), the writing was super slow and bad, this ep could have been slimmed down to like 15 minutes because not a lot actually happened.
natalie holt's music — both the titles (lokius!) and the actual tracks — slap so hard. probably the best soundtrack in the mcu other than black panther. she really gets the show
production & costume design of everything related to kang was amazing, felt very vast, old, and regal
sylvie is acutally a surprisingly well-realized woman character and i'm quite proud of the show for that. (unfortunately neither her nor b-15 are fully realized until they kiss each other which has not happened as of yet)
please watch this it has brought me great comfort
HIIII so happy u saw it <3
1. YEAH :’) that broke me .
2. IKR i am Not a Fan and yeah! it was a manipulative kiss so sylvie could get what she wants but there are so many other things they could’ve went with !!!!!
3 + 4. damn it sucks that u got spoiled for those but yeah that’s what new in the em c you !!
——
1. yep! i don’t know much about his comic origins but from what i know it seems pretty in character
2. exactly!!!!!! and yeah it’s not a good enough excuse they could’ve gone with anything else !!!!
3. yeah !! i think both options (killing kang and fighting other versions of him / ruling the timeline) seemed pretty loki HJSKD but i feel like he’s gone through lots of character development through the show and i thought they would both go with killing kang but i guess not dhdjjfjd
4. yep and it hurts . so much .
5. yeah that makes sense !! and yeah i’m curious to see what they do with her, she felt kind of vague and didn’t have enough good motives to be a villain, so yeah i’m curious to see where her character goes !!!
——
1. yeah his plan kinda backfired HJSJDJD but i guess it works for plot HJSKDKD
2.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
that’s a lot of thinking to do but i think ur right !!
3. yeah ! i think that ✨suspense✨ was nice for a minute but him walking in to his own death seems way more fun
——
1. yeah it was really,,,,,,, boring ? idk i wasn’t really interested yknow? there was a lot of talky talky (ha mobius reference am i cool) so yeah this ep could’ve been a Lot better but it is what it is i guess
2. YES !!! everyday i was up and think about the opening of ep 5 (was it ep 5? i think it was yeah) but anyway i could listen to the soundtrack for HOURS
3. YEAHH they made him really interesting so i’m excited to see him again !!!
4. YES i think that’s why so many people love her bc she was really well written and she didn’t turn out to be the whole “woman helps man to get what he wants” trope !!!! she actually got what she was going for in the end so yeah !!!! also so true manifesting sylvie and hunter b 15 kiss next season
5. HAAHHAHAHH i love that tysm my day is blessed
1 note · View note
kpoptionate · 6 years
Text
skz ➾ boyfriend!hyunjin
stray kids masterlist // official masterlist
07.19.18
requested: anon + anon + anon
a/n: thank y’all for requesting <333 (anon #3 i’m writing this at midnight and i’m crying i love you) (also i’ll get the minho one up soon !!)
a/n2.0: this got really long dammit lmao i’m so in love with him
woojin // bangchan // minho // changbin // hyunjin // jisung // felix // seungmin // jeongin
Tumblr media
h w a n g  h y u n j i n
y’all
this is my boyfriend right here mkay
but if he were yours
wOw do i wish i were you
he was at the park with his dog kkami one morning
and he was just chillin on the bench bc his dog is chill too
but then she (he ? idk someone inform me please) sprinted over to this girl on a nearby bench and started barkin at her (it’s you !)
hyunjin goes to collect his dog and apologizes and you tell him it’s fine, your dog does that too sometimes
and he doesn’t really know what to do so he just kinda apologizes again
you think he’s hella cute and adorable so you pat the bench beside you and motion for him to sit
he was lowkey hoping for you to do that bc he thinks you’re super cute
so y’all’s dogs run around and play while you and hyunjin talk and get to know each other
time flies by and the sun’s starting to set wow
kkami is asleep on your lap and to hyunjin that’s literally like the best thing ever
the prettiest boy/girl ever getting along with his dog, what else could a guy want am i right
he thinks you’re pretty cool and all so he gets your number as the two of you separate
y’all hang out a lotttt
definitely waits a few months to ask you out just to make sure
he eventually does when y’all have a picnic at the park late at night
he brought flowers and a necklace :’)
the first time he brings you over to the dorm to meet the guys they’re freaking out
like wow one of us actually managed to get a girlfriend
i mean everybody thought the first one would be hyunjin tho bc like
he’s hyunjin
he’s also kinda cliché but it’s so cute
your first official date as a couple he takes you to the amusement park
the rest of skz follows y’all but they make it so obvious
like dressed in all black and everything
he wins you a stuffed animal and gets you ice cream and goes on all the rides you wanna go on even if he's scared
when it's dark you he takes you on the ferris wheel
the guys def know what’s going on, cue them spaced out around the area with binoculars and walkie-talkies
when y’all get to the top
he takes his finger under your chin and makes you look at him
he gives a small smile with a little huff and
leans in
and
kisses you
sweetly
when he pulls back he’s got that grin™ on his face
the guys on the ground are screaming and cheering and hyunjin gets superr shy but doesn’t let you know they’re there
okay
so
y’all don’t argue a lot
he hates making you feel bad
boy has a little temper on him but he knows how to control it
until he gets jealous
he is one jealous boi™
around his members he might get jealous every once in a while but it’s not enough to bother him too much
with other people tho ?
watch out hun he’s coming for you
when he sees you talking to a friend and it’s going a little too far he’ll invite himself into the conversation
but the other person just doesn’t stop and you’re too naïve to notice they’re flirting with you
so he’ll pull the other party over to the side for a conversation with his hand tightly around their wrist
“look, i’m not trying to interrupt or anything but that’s exactly what i’m doing, keep that shit up or i swear to fucking god”
i’m not experienced with aggressive dialogue i’m sorry lmao
however, on the occassion you do argue he can get kinda out of hand
might accidentally yell something you’re self-conscious about in the heat of the moment
he’ll hate himself when you storm out crying
very stubborn, but not when it comes to you, no sir
he’ll give you two or three hours to rest and calm down
then he’ll show up at your door with flowers and snacks and little gifts to apologize
his eyes’ll be all red and puffy from crying
if you still close the door on him he’ll probably just burst into tears and not leave bc he just feels so bad and doesn’t want you to be mad and possibly leave him over something so trivial
always tries to make you smile
your laugh is literally like the best thing he’s ever heard
you guys goof around so much
he has so many pictures of you on his phone
he probably sets up a personal insta just so he can put up photos of the two of you together
they’re usually while you’re eating or sleeping (you asleep on his lap is his wallpaper)
or while y’all are on dates
expect lots of those btw
lots
if he’s feeling like the aesthetic boyfriend he is he’ll take you on small ones like the dog / amusement park or ice cream or to a little outdoor café or bike rides through seoul and stuff like that
but he also loves fun ones like laser tag or go-karting
if you guys haven’t seen each other in a while though he’ll take you to something a little more fancy
he always makes sure you look good he always thinks you do tho
like if y’all are going out and you look kinda dumb
he refuses to leave until you fix yourself
he does it in a playful and loving way though
if he can’t find anything for you to wear he’ll buy you something to
he definitely takes you shopping a lot
mostly for clothes
likes you wearing leather jackets and a tshirt
especially his leather jacket
or his sweatshirts
any of his clothes really
you just look so cute and soft and cuddly and fhsjfhjkds you bust all his uwus
it makes him want to cuddle and squeeze you to death
especially if you’re just in your underwear and one of his white shirts to bed
waking up with him is the best bc he’s all up against you with his face nuzzled in your neck
whines when you try to get up and he’ll grab your hand and pout and you just can’t resist bc who can say no to a pouty hyunjin
i feel like crying imagining it :’)
likes cooking with you
even if it doesn’t turn out so great
y’all are always just messing around in the kitchen
likes finding recipes so when you fall asleep or something he can have something for you to eat when you wake up
always makes sure you eat too
oh you just woke up ? i’ll get breakfast
you haven’t eaten since lunch and it’s been four hours ? let’s get a snack
jUst finished pizza ? you need more hun
you need to make sure he eats and rests enough too though
bc he practices a lottt and often forgets to grab lunch so please please please bring him something to eat
he absolutely loves when you do that
it makes him feel loved and cared for and important
likes to be babied, but also likes babying you
love love love loves showing you off
like he’s constantly talking about you to everyone
cool with pda only if you are
if you are then that’s gREAT
he likes to drape his arm around your shoulder when you guys walk
especially around people
loves hugging you from behind and resting his chin on your head
cuddling 24/7
cooking ? he’s back hugging you and waiting for you to feed him
dancing ? he’s changing the song so y’all can slow dance
watching netflix ? he’s all up on you, legs tangled in yours with your head on his chest and his fingers in your hair
really good at kissing
like have you seen them lips boiiii
does it all the time
especially little pecks on your lips
doesn’t care if there’s people around, he’s your boyfriend he can do what he wants
he doesn’t go past that when people are present
but when they’re not
bitchhhhh
okay so
he might be legal in america however he’s not in korea so i’m gonna keep it appropriate for his age, lmk if there’s a problem please
okay so everything usually starts with cuddling
which’ll lead to him giving you little kisses on your forehead or cheek
which moves to your lips
and he’ll peck you some times before giving you a longer kiss
he’ll gradually move from your lips to your jaw to your neck to your collarbones
leaving marks all the way down
then back up again
he’ll teasingly drag his tongue up and across your lips before finally locking his with yours
pulling you onto his lap with a hand at your jaw around your ear
his other on your waist
when it comes to kissing he’s definitely not rough at all with it, very slow and passionate
lotsss of open-mouthed kisses with tongue
probably groans a lot
especially if you bite his bottom lip oh lord
he loves it
also bites and pulls yours while looking at you with dark, hooded eyes
somebody stop me please this is too much for my heart
runs his hands up and down your body
like he’ll start from your neck and slowly travel down to your waist and thighs before going right back up
will also slip his hands under your shirt when he comes back
loves it when you roam your hands around his body too
especially his chest and collarbone area
however he also loves your body pressed all the way up against his to where y’all can feel each others heartbeats
probably won’t go farther than pushing your hips down against him
bc even tho he’s a confident boy he respects you and doesn’t want to do anything you don’t
even if he did i’m not writing past that dammit
#stopsexualizingminors2k18
so he’ll end it off by dragging his hands up to cup your face
and he’ll slow down the kissing until it gets to soft little pecks again
then he’ll kiss you all over your face and lay down facing each other with your legs tangled
smiling with red and swollen lips
facing each other with your legs tangled and your arms around his torso, his draped across your waist
bc he just loves looking at you
he’ll kiss you again bc he just can’t help himself
he loves the feeling of your lips on his
then he’ll pull away and settle his face in your neck and fall asleep
wow i’m in love :’)
overall someone who just loves you so so so so much and loves to take care of you
but you need to take care of him as well bc he’s busy and forgetful
you’re truthfully the best thing that’s ever happened to him, nothing makes him happier than being able to see and touch you
it’s not possible to love him more than he loves you
okay i’m soft
i’ll stop now goodbye
2K notes · View notes
Text
melanie martinez
i dreamt that i met melanie martinez at my school. there was a school play and after the play there was a “secret guest singer” i helped out with stage crew and sorts. i see her in a small office and introduce myself. “hi, i’m mackenzie. would you like anything? drink? snack?” she looks at me and smiles, showing her gap teeth. “is there chocolate here?” she says “yeah, what kind would you like?” “a normal chocolate bar is fine, please” she grins. “of course. oh aha by the way, what’s your name?” i obviously knew who she was i just didn’t want to fangirl and be weird. “melanie” holding her hand out. “nice to meet you, melanie” i smile “as you as well. by the way, i LOVE your hair” she says i’m so ecstatic and blushing profusely. “oh my goodness, th-thank you! you’re hair is so unique and gorgeous!” i smile “oh stop it” i look at her half dyed hair, left side black, right side pink and purple. my hair is blue and pink. “i just realized your eye brows match your hair!! that is so cool, i wish i could pull that off”
“aw thank you, to be honest with you, i don’t even do my own makeup.. hahaha” she laughs “oh that’s cool, i do my own makeup” her jaw drops “you’re kidding? right?” i chuckle and say “nope, i’ve been doing makeup my whole life and am now studying cosmetology” “it’s just– incredible” she says in awe “you’re too sweet, you cry baby” i do a cheeky wink “*gasp* if you know who i am then why did you ask for my name?” confused “i didn’t want to seem too crazy, i just wanted to stay professional, you are our guest” i say “wow, whenever i meet a fan they are never as controlled as you are!” she says “don’t get me wrong, i’m a huge fan. but i try not to be so creepy and try to be normal and treat them as if they were one of my friends” i smile “that is the sweetest thing ever! well since you know i’m from long island, i bet you didn’t know i went to this school also” she laughs “woah! i didn’t know that! so i’m guessing you know this area really well” i say “of course, i love it here” she says with a genuine smile “wanna play a game while we wait for my appearance?” she says with a cheerful tone “u-hu, sure. what game” i say ��it’s a cry baby board game” she whispers making sure no one hears. i agree and we play. we played about 2 games while waiting for the 3 hour play to end. while playing the game she says “we should keep in touch!” she says lightly touching my arm. my heart drops to my stomach and i immediately smile. “absolutely !! you’re such a genuine and kind person, who would say no?!” i say excited we exchange numbers and add each other on our personal, private social media. at this time i was in shock, and i was he happiest i’ve ever been in years. i get a call on my wallow talkie “kenz, you there?” James, calls me “yeah what’s up” i reply “we need help moving the piano, can you come to the music room?” he says “sure, be there in a few” i reply “sorry the game had to end” i say to melanie “it’s okay, did you have fun?” she says with her fingers intertwined in joy. “you know it, i’ll see you after your performance?” i question. “totally! i’ll text you kenz!” she said she CALLED ME KENZ this was the most exciting time of my life. i help with the piano and run into my friend sara. “hey girl what’s up?” i say sara is a stoner that is super pretty and has great makeup and is very skinny. “hi! did you know *whispers* melanie martinez is performing??” she says excitedly “you’re kidding?!? how did you find out ???” as i look at sara, i realize that she’s wearing her “melanie martinez alter ego makeup” it does not look good on her, sara is pakistani and blue eye brows and pink shadow doesn’t look good on her sara whispers “i saw paper work that said so” “wow that’s incredible, i can’t wait ” i say sara jumps up and down and says “me too!!” in a high pitched squeaky voice. “i’m gonna try and find her” she says “she may not be here yet, even if she is here, let her have privacy” i say “oh ok, i’ll just pick the best seats to sit at when she starts singing” she says “alright i’ll cya around” i’m relieved bc i don’t want mel feeling uncomfortable. i check my watch, it’s 7:45, ok. i’m going to go back to mel and check up on her. i get back to the office and i see her eating chocolate. “hey how are ya doing?” i say “good, thanks! do you know when i’m supposed to sing?” she says “it’s 7:48 now, so about 20 minutes. need anything for your performance?” i say “i’m good, thank you” she says “wanna smoke a joint real quick?” she says “yeah sure” i agree we share the joint and as we finish the joint we start talking about the stereotypical fake crybabys *basic bitch voice* “omg i’m such a cry baby! melanie is bomb! i love her song dollhouse!” she says “legit all the fake crybabys say that, it makes me laugh every time” i say we go back inside, she says “it’s about time for me to sing” she says in a low voice “alright i’ll see you after the show” i say she gives me a bear hug and then i go find a seat in the auditorium. i pick a seat in the middle and sit down. mark, my crush, says “hey did you like the play?” he was in the play “yeah it was great” i reply “stay for the surprise singer” “okay, do you know who it is?” he says “nope, it’s a surprise” i say with a giggle the curtain opens and it’s melanie, looking amazing as ever. i try to act surprised and open my eyes and mouth in shock “OH MY GOD ITS MELANIE MARTINEZ” i say in my most convincing surprised voice “who is she” mark says “ummmm my absolute favorite singer in the world” i say
still thinking about the fact she wants to be my friend melanie sings about 5-6 songs. and she’s even better in concert. i’ve never seen her live before this moment. after the concert mark says “meet me out side in about 10 minuets” i’m confused so i say “um okay, ” i get my stuff in the office me and mel were hanging out in, she’s in there packing up. she already changed into pajamas. i tell her about mark and she said “ooooooo i bet he’s gonna tell you that he had feelings for you” “i hope so, i’ll text you how it goes” i say nervously “don’t text me, FACETIME ME” she yelps i’m in shock im officially the happiest person alive “oh my- of course!!! totally i will call you when i get home ahha” i went outside to meet mark, i see him in the parking lot. i go to him and say “hey what’s wrong?” “me and you” he said "will you go out......." i woke up
1 note · View note
kristablogs · 4 years
Text
The truth about Area 51 UFO sightings, according to a local expert
What's the real story behind the mysterious lights over Rachel, Nevada? (Phil McDonald/Deposit Photos/)
Reprinted with permission from They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers by Sarah Scoles. Published by Pegasus Books. © Sarah Scoles.
Arnu arrives at the A’Le’Inn in a big SUV, pulling up and saying hi to the hungover twentysomethings rocking in rocking chairs out front before he greets us.
“You ready?” he asks, and we pack into his Tahoe and head right back out on the Extraterrestrial Highway.
Arnu has owned property in Rachel since the early 2000s. Back in its boom, when the tungsten mine near Tempiute Mountain was still digging wealth out of the planet, around 500 people lived here. Today, it’s a small town—just around fifty residents, who meet up at the collective mailbox when the Postal Service arrives. Young people, Arnu says, tend to leave. There’s no TV reception. There’s just a squeak of cell phone service. Few places exist to build a career, none to go to college. Some people work at what they simply call “the test site,” an umbrella term that could refer to any of the secret-squirrel operations nearby—the Nevada National Security Site, the Tonopah Test Range, or Area 51.
Around ten people also work at the A’Le’Inn, by far Rachel’s biggest employer. They’re always hiring, because people are always leaving. But people are always showing up, too. “Sometimes they come up here because they are interested in Area 51,” says Arnu, “and they just get stuck.”
That’s what happened to Arnu, decades ago now. It all started with online research into Area 51, reading a website run by a former programmer and airline worker named Glenn Campbell. In the 1990s, Campbell ran the Area 51 Research Center and two UFO newsletters—The Groom Lake Desert Rat and the just plain Desert Rat. The newsletter logo featured a sentient rodent with safari shirt, walkie-talkie, and binoculars, underneath the tagline “The Naked Truth from Open Sources.”
Recalling this, Arnu speeds along the straight road. “He was one of the first that brought the attention of the general public,” he says. But Campbell was mysterious, evasive. “I wanted to know what’s really going on here. Are there UFOs are there no UFOs?”
So Arnu took a day trip, traveling from his home in San Francisco. And when he arrived, he found a place that was fascinating as much for its terrestrial qualities as its celestial hypotheticals. “I had never really experienced the desert in this way,” he says. “And it was just like, ‘Oh my God, this is a whole different world.’ ”
He thought of it, thinks of it now, in terms of motorcycle trips—a hobby of his that he just calls “riding.” “It’s always my thing: I want to see what’s behind the next turn, the next hill,” he says. And despite how this highway feels—unchanging, flat, forever—if you veer from it, turns and hills and the secrets behind them abound.
Release date: March 3 (Courtesy of Pegasus Books/)
Arnu went back home knowing he would return. The presence of the place loomed over him, shook him. Soon enough, the labor market gave him a chance: His company downsized, so he took a severance package and car-camped around Rachel.
Soon after that, Arnu started his own website, mostly a blog detailing his daily exploits: As he summarizes it, Today I went out to this gate, this is what I found, check out my pictures. More important than anything he wrote, though, were the comments sections.
“It’s like people were only waiting for a place to congregate,” he says. He soon started a forum—still going strong today—dedicated to such interaction. “We’re geeks,” he says. “We’re loners. But at the same time we also want to discuss what we do with like-minded people.”
He moved to Vegas in 2002 and then bought the property in Rachel, working remotely a lot so he could spend a week at a time in the remote desert.
“And here I am,” he says. “Years later. Still unraveling the mystery of Area 51.”
Arnu looks through the Tahoe’s windshield and points at a prominent peak ahead of us. If you can get to the top, you can see inside Area 51, which would then be 26 miles away. This high spot is the only one left with that view, the military having gobbled up all closer vantage points in a series of land grabs. Here’s what the base looks like from up there: Dark, if you’re doing it right, because the interesting stuff happens at night. But all of a sudden, way across the valley, a runway illuminates itself, a long line of lights dotting the landscape. “You know something is about to happen,” Arnu says. Aircraft bulbs streak along the runway, as a Whatever speeds to takeoff. And as soon as the Whatever is airborne, its lights blink out of existence, and so do the runway’s. The Earth becomes as optically opaque as it was before.
It’s not that they appear. It’s that they disappear.
Nevertheless, the base continues to give away information invisibly: Pilots talk on radios, and if the chatter is not so secret, you may be able to catch a monologue.
Arnu has a radio scanner, which he now turns on, mounted to the dash of his Tahoe. It runs through many Hertz in search of such communication. As the display rolls across frequencies, I prepare to tell Arnu about what we saw last night, feeling silly and like every other overexcitable person who’s ever visited the region.
I know from our prior emails that Arnu doesn’t ride the alien train. Sure, creepy stuff happens here. Sure, there are strange lights, technologies we can barely fathom. But they don’t require invocation of the extraterrestrial: They’re just the government, doing things the world isn’t privy to—the growing up of projects perhaps born classified, just like it always has here.
That started with the U-2, which flew twice as high as a commercial jet, and much higher than anything else at the time. Workers commuted daily on passenger jets—a secret service people call, in its modern incarnation, “Janet airlines”—partly so that permanent residences would not reveal the scale of efforts here. U-2 pilots, though they worked for the CIA, wore civilian clothes and pretended to do weather-related research, according to the book Area 51 by investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen.
Later, Area 51 hosted the Oxcart spy plane project, the U-2 successor that also flew close to the sun but showed up dimmer on radar. Jacobsen writes that FAA and NORAD employees were instructed “not to ask questions about anything flying over 40,000 feet.” And when commercial flights crossed paths with an Oxcart, and a pilot did report it, the FBI would meet the plane at the gate, asking passengers to sign nondisclosure agreements.
Rachel is the closest town to Area 51, a top-security Air Force testing ground in the southeastern Nevada desert. (Alexey Stiop/Deposit Photos/)
Around the country, people nonetheless spotted spy planes and reported them as UFOs. Says a CIA report from 1997, “Over half of all UFO reports from the late 1950s through the 1960s were accounted for by manned reconnaissance flights (namely the U-2) over the United States.” Many, including UFO skeptics, dispute this take, but it doesn’t seem absurd that the government would use UFO reports to understand how conspicuous its technology would look in less friendly skies. And it doesn’t actually want people to see skylights and think “spy planes.” So it is sometimes in the feds’ best interest to let people attribute the phenomenon to something mysterious, unearthly, not them. And—bonus—because many people thought UFOs were woo-woo and not “real,” whoever heard about these UFO sightings would likely dismiss the very real U-2 or A-12 their kid had just seen. The government’s secrets could stay secret. If you wanted to create a theory about why the military hasn’t come out swinging against some of its pilots’ more modern sightings, you might consider this part of the past.
“ ‘Oh, well, these people just saw another UFO,’ ” mimics Arnu. “In actuality they may have seen something super-secret ... If you make people look like fools when they say they saw something, if they say they saw something super secret, what better way to discredit them?” Given the government’s history of passive deception, and active secret-keeping, here, is it any surprise that people suspect it could be hiding something more inside Area 51?
But I want to know what Arnu, who sees this stuff every day, thinks of my sighting. So I describe the on-off lights, their hovering, and my theory that this was some kind of hide-and-seek exercise.
Arnu frowns in concentration. “Were the lights kind of orange?” he asks. “A bright orange color?”
“Yes!” says Carolyn from the backseat. Arnu nods and then goes on to describe exactly what we saw, detail for detail, as if he were there.
“That was flares you were seeing,” he says. A plane chases another plane, and the chaser sends off a (fake) heat-seeking missile. The chased plane drops flares, which burn so hot that they distract the missile, which then chases them instead of the jet’s exhaust. These planes drop flares in patterns—disc shapes, sometimes—to send the missiles clear off course.
Hearing this incident repeated back, with more meaning, makes me feel the way people do when they discover their seemingly singular experience is, in fact, universal: equal parts relieved and disappointed.
Arnu’s first UFO sighting, turns out, was also flares. He had been camping right where we did, in the gravel parking area. “I looked over Tikaboo,” he says, referring to one of the peaks, “and all of a sudden, I see this disc-shaped object of orange orbs hanging in the sky.”
It’s all true, he recalls thinking. They’re coming to get me.
But they weren’t and they didn’t. He was just primed: He thought he had witnessed a UFO because that’s what he expected to witness. “Your eyes see what you want them to see,” he says.
He then begins to talk about YouTube videos of cars disappearing on the Extraterrestrial Highway. They’re not disappearing, he says: They’re coming down from summits, hitting dips.
“We saw that!” I say, and describe how I scared ourselves into thinking that the guards had set a trap.
“That’s why I’m such a skeptic,” says Arnu. “Because I’ve seen it. And I know for a fact what they’re describing is very explainable.” Talking to Arnu feels like seeing a therapist who understands, even when you don’t, that your problems are all because of your mom.
0 notes
scootoaster · 4 years
Text
The truth about Area 51 UFO sightings, according to a local expert
What's the real story behind the mysterious lights over Rachel, Nevada? (Phil McDonald/Deposit Photos/)
Reprinted with permission from They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers by Sarah Scoles. Published by Pegasus Books. © Sarah Scoles.
Arnu arrives at the A’Le’Inn in a big SUV, pulling up and saying hi to the hungover twentysomethings rocking in rocking chairs out front before he greets us.
“You ready?” he asks, and we pack into his Tahoe and head right back out on the Extraterrestrial Highway.
Arnu has owned property in Rachel since the early 2000s. Back in its boom, when the tungsten mine near Tempiute Mountain was still digging wealth out of the planet, around 500 people lived here. Today, it’s a small town—just around fifty residents, who meet up at the collective mailbox when the Postal Service arrives. Young people, Arnu says, tend to leave. There’s no TV reception. There’s just a squeak of cell phone service. Few places exist to build a career, none to go to college. Some people work at what they simply call “the test site,” an umbrella term that could refer to any of the secret-squirrel operations nearby—the Nevada National Security Site, the Tonopah Test Range, or Area 51.
Around ten people also work at the A’Le’Inn, by far Rachel’s biggest employer. They’re always hiring, because people are always leaving. But people are always showing up, too. “Sometimes they come up here because they are interested in Area 51,” says Arnu, “and they just get stuck.”
That’s what happened to Arnu, decades ago now. It all started with online research into Area 51, reading a website run by a former programmer and airline worker named Glenn Campbell. In the 1990s, Campbell ran the Area 51 Research Center and two UFO newsletters—The Groom Lake Desert Rat and the just plain Desert Rat. The newsletter logo featured a sentient rodent with safari shirt, walkie-talkie, and binoculars, underneath the tagline “The Naked Truth from Open Sources.”
Recalling this, Arnu speeds along the straight road. “He was one of the first that brought the attention of the general public,” he says. But Campbell was mysterious, evasive. “I wanted to know what’s really going on here. Are there UFOs are there no UFOs?”
So Arnu took a day trip, traveling from his home in San Francisco. And when he arrived, he found a place that was fascinating as much for its terrestrial qualities as its celestial hypotheticals. “I had never really experienced the desert in this way,” he says. “And it was just like, ‘Oh my God, this is a whole different world.’ ”
He thought of it, thinks of it now, in terms of motorcycle trips—a hobby of his that he just calls “riding.” “It’s always my thing: I want to see what’s behind the next turn, the next hill,” he says. And despite how this highway feels—unchanging, flat, forever—if you veer from it, turns and hills and the secrets behind them abound.
Release date: March 3 (Courtesy of Pegasus Books/)
Arnu went back home knowing he would return. The presence of the place loomed over him, shook him. Soon enough, the labor market gave him a chance: His company downsized, so he took a severance package and car-camped around Rachel.
Soon after that, Arnu started his own website, mostly a blog detailing his daily exploits: As he summarizes it, Today I went out to this gate, this is what I found, check out my pictures. More important than anything he wrote, though, were the comments sections.
“It’s like people were only waiting for a place to congregate,” he says. He soon started a forum—still going strong today—dedicated to such interaction. “We’re geeks,” he says. “We’re loners. But at the same time we also want to discuss what we do with like-minded people.”
He moved to Vegas in 2002 and then bought the property in Rachel, working remotely a lot so he could spend a week at a time in the remote desert.
“And here I am,” he says. “Years later. Still unraveling the mystery of Area 51.”
Arnu looks through the Tahoe’s windshield and points at a prominent peak ahead of us. If you can get to the top, you can see inside Area 51, which would then be 26 miles away. This high spot is the only one left with that view, the military having gobbled up all closer vantage points in a series of land grabs. Here’s what the base looks like from up there: Dark, if you’re doing it right, because the interesting stuff happens at night. But all of a sudden, way across the valley, a runway illuminates itself, a long line of lights dotting the landscape. “You know something is about to happen,” Arnu says. Aircraft bulbs streak along the runway, as a Whatever speeds to takeoff. And as soon as the Whatever is airborne, its lights blink out of existence, and so do the runway’s. The Earth becomes as optically opaque as it was before.
It’s not that they appear. It’s that they disappear.
Nevertheless, the base continues to give away information invisibly: Pilots talk on radios, and if the chatter is not so secret, you may be able to catch a monologue.
Arnu has a radio scanner, which he now turns on, mounted to the dash of his Tahoe. It runs through many Hertz in search of such communication. As the display rolls across frequencies, I prepare to tell Arnu about what we saw last night, feeling silly and like every other overexcitable person who’s ever visited the region.
I know from our prior emails that Arnu doesn’t ride the alien train. Sure, creepy stuff happens here. Sure, there are strange lights, technologies we can barely fathom. But they don’t require invocation of the extraterrestrial: They’re just the government, doing things the world isn’t privy to—the growing up of projects perhaps born classified, just like it always has here.
That started with the U-2, which flew twice as high as a commercial jet, and much higher than anything else at the time. Workers commuted daily on passenger jets—a secret service people call, in its modern incarnation, “Janet airlines”—partly so that permanent residences would not reveal the scale of efforts here. U-2 pilots, though they worked for the CIA, wore civilian clothes and pretended to do weather-related research, according to the book Area 51 by investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen.
Later, Area 51 hosted the Oxcart spy plane project, the U-2 successor that also flew close to the sun but showed up dimmer on radar. Jacobsen writes that FAA and NORAD employees were instructed “not to ask questions about anything flying over 40,000 feet.” And when commercial flights crossed paths with an Oxcart, and a pilot did report it, the FBI would meet the plane at the gate, asking passengers to sign nondisclosure agreements.
Rachel is the closest town to Area 51, a top-security Air Force testing ground in the southeastern Nevada desert. (Alexey Stiop/Deposit Photos/)
Around the country, people nonetheless spotted spy planes and reported them as UFOs. Says a CIA report from 1997, “Over half of all UFO reports from the late 1950s through the 1960s were accounted for by manned reconnaissance flights (namely the U-2) over the United States.” Many, including UFO skeptics, dispute this take, but it doesn’t seem absurd that the government would use UFO reports to understand how conspicuous its technology would look in less friendly skies. And it doesn’t actually want people to see skylights and think “spy planes.” So it is sometimes in the feds’ best interest to let people attribute the phenomenon to something mysterious, unearthly, not them. And—bonus—because many people thought UFOs were woo-woo and not “real,” whoever heard about these UFO sightings would likely dismiss the very real U-2 or A-12 their kid had just seen. The government’s secrets could stay secret. If you wanted to create a theory about why the military hasn’t come out swinging against some of its pilots’ more modern sightings, you might consider this part of the past.
“ ‘Oh, well, these people just saw another UFO,’ ” mimics Arnu. “In actuality they may have seen something super-secret ... If you make people look like fools when they say they saw something, if they say they saw something super secret, what better way to discredit them?” Given the government’s history of passive deception, and active secret-keeping, here, is it any surprise that people suspect it could be hiding something more inside Area 51?
But I want to know what Arnu, who sees this stuff every day, thinks of my sighting. So I describe the on-off lights, their hovering, and my theory that this was some kind of hide-and-seek exercise.
Arnu frowns in concentration. “Were the lights kind of orange?” he asks. “A bright orange color?”
“Yes!” says Carolyn from the backseat. Arnu nods and then goes on to describe exactly what we saw, detail for detail, as if he were there.
“That was flares you were seeing,” he says. A plane chases another plane, and the chaser sends off a (fake) heat-seeking missile. The chased plane drops flares, which burn so hot that they distract the missile, which then chases them instead of the jet’s exhaust. These planes drop flares in patterns—disc shapes, sometimes—to send the missiles clear off course.
Hearing this incident repeated back, with more meaning, makes me feel the way people do when they discover their seemingly singular experience is, in fact, universal: equal parts relieved and disappointed.
Arnu’s first UFO sighting, turns out, was also flares. He had been camping right where we did, in the gravel parking area. “I looked over Tikaboo,” he says, referring to one of the peaks, “and all of a sudden, I see this disc-shaped object of orange orbs hanging in the sky.”
It’s all true, he recalls thinking. They’re coming to get me.
But they weren’t and they didn’t. He was just primed: He thought he had witnessed a UFO because that’s what he expected to witness. “Your eyes see what you want them to see,” he says.
He then begins to talk about YouTube videos of cars disappearing on the Extraterrestrial Highway. They’re not disappearing, he says: They’re coming down from summits, hitting dips.
“We saw that!” I say, and describe how I scared ourselves into thinking that the guards had set a trap.
“That’s why I’m such a skeptic,” says Arnu. “Because I’ve seen it. And I know for a fact what they’re describing is very explainable.” Talking to Arnu feels like seeing a therapist who understands, even when you don’t, that your problems are all because of your mom.
0 notes