For Those Who Need To Hear It

Museum of Living Statues Pt. 3

TRIGGER WARNING: Character death, manipulation, and creepy ending.

This was my final project for my creative writing class, and I was pleased with how it turned out, so please enjoy!

“Ok dear, all done! If you want to just come with me I can take you right over to the casting room.”

The waiting room was decorated with simple and clean furniture, all of which was a purple that matched the door. I was surprised to see that there were no other people sitting in here. The receptionist lead me to a plush purple loveseat, picking up a stack of papers sitting on the receptionist desk along the way. They handed the papers to me along with a pen, and I noticed their hands were shaking considerably. I looked up at their face hesitantly, and was met with a blinding reassuring smile.

“No need to rush, handsome. Just fill these out and then I’ll take you back to the casting room.” Their smile stayed bright and as I nodded in understanding, they stayed in the same spot. I hesitated as they continued to beam down at me, and their close presence began to make me sweat as I looked down at the form, which began with basic background questions.

     1. What is your full name?

     2. What is your date of birth?

     3. Where is your current residence?

I marked my answers with trembling hands as the receptionist continued to stare down at me, their eyes boring into the back of my head.

    4. How tall are you?

    5. How much do you weigh?

    6. Have you ever had plastic surgery?

My handwriting grew messier as my hands continued to shake, and my heart began to pound in my chest as I reached the last set of questions that dealt with the new ‘everyday citizen’ collection.

    7. What is your household annual income?

    8. Do you live with your family?

    9. If yes, how many people and what are their relationships to you?

Relieved that I had reached the last question, I took a deep breath and skimmed over it quickly.

    10. If you were to disappear, would anyone notice you were gone?

My pen hesitated on the last letter of my answer, my brain not fully processing what I had just read, but as soon as the receptionist saw that I had finished they snatched the pen and paper away. They skimmed over it, then grabbed my arm in a vice like grip when they had finished.

“Ok dear, all done! If you want to just come with me I can take you right over to the casting room.”

Sleepy Thoughts #2

Friday, May 20, 2016 1:33 AM: Took a sleeping pill two hours ago and yet my mind still doesn’t want to go to sleep

I just saw a video on Facebook about a very obese cat who was learning to swim in an effort to lose weight and it made me feel very sad for the cat. Like, is the cat so fat that it can’t do things that cats do? I’ve heard of cats that get so fat that they can’t groom themselves properly, or be as agile as they used to be, and doesn’t that make them feel sad? Can cats feel sad? I have two cats, one is fat, and when he’s stealing the leftover pizza crust and doritos from my desk, does he realize that he’s only contributing to his downfall? Or is the emotional joy that he gains from eating these treats, and stealing the food from my much smaller cat, simply too enjoyable for him to stop? Do cats feel joy? Do cats realize the basics of cause and effect? The world may never know.

Museum of Living Statues Pt. 5

TRIGGER WARNING: Character death, manipulation, and creepy ending.

This was my final project for my creative writing class, and I was pleased with how it turned out, so please enjoy!

I heard a click and the hum of the suction coming from the machine, and I attempted to breath steadily through my nose to calm myself down. As I breathed out slowly, I took in a massive gulp of air as the hose was suddenly shoved down my throat. I gagged reflexively and my eyes shot open just in time to see the receptionist calmly flip a second switch on the machine and almost instantly my vision went blurry as a thick, acrid liquid flooded down my esophagus. Instinctively I attempted to breathe and only managed to change the course of the liquid as it flowed into my windpipes, then my lungs. The receptionist glanced up at me in my state of panic and clicked their tongue.

“Now dear, I thought I told you to close your eyes. You wouldn’t want to burn them, would you? That would be awfully painful.” They reached up to the steaming hot bucket positioned over me, and gave the chain dangling from it a swift yank. I shut my eyes just in time before the boiling hot wax covered my entire body, not that shutting my eyes helped protect myself from the unimaginable pain that followed. As I attempted to scream, the shooting, burning sensation in my chest and throat intensified and the liquid spluttered as I choked and gagged. The burning hot wax now sat on my skin, and when I attempted to open my eyes I found that they had been glued shut by the thick substance. My mind began to grow fuzzy and I felt myself drifting, unable to see, feel, smell, or taste anything other than the foul liquid. My ears strained to hear anything through the thick wax that now clogged them. I felt pressure on my left cheek and heard a soft voice speak to me.

“There there my dear, that wasn’t so hard was it?” they cooed, their voice lulling me into the sleep that my body was calling for, “Look how beautiful you are!”

“Welcome, everyone, to the grand opening of our new exhibit!” The receptionist spread their arms open wide, and their smooth voice rang through the crowd. “This new collection is based off of simple, everyday people, just like all of you! Now, without further ado.” They held up their scissors, and made a spectacle of cutting the red ribbon that marked the entrance to the new exhibit. The crowd applauded, and people began to pour in to appreciate the detailed wax figures. In particular, there was one pair of people with pudgy bellies and crooked teeth who stood out from the rest. While the rest of the crowd took their time looking around them at the beautiful figures that all wore similar expressions of terror, this couple shoved through the crowd while looking around wildly.

“There, honey! I found it!” The woman said to her partner as she ran ahead, coming to a halt in front of a statue wearing an expression of sorrow. The mother paused, cupping her hand over her mouth as she struggled not to cry. Her partner caught up and rested their hand comfortingly upon her shoulder. The mother reached up to stroke the beautiful waxy cheek that once belonged to her child, while the receptionist watched closely from among the crowd.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie.” The mother said as a tear escaped down her cheek. “But Jesse really wants braces.”

I don’t really think anyone has read this, but it still makes me feel good to have something I’m proud of out there in the open, and hopefully at least one person cares. Thank you for reading!

Reblog this if your inbox is open for anyone out there who is struggling and needs to talk.

push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise. 2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable. 3. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else. 4. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything. 5. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice. 6. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small. 7. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full. 8. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle. 9. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck. 10. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog. 11. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through. 13. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything. 14. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends. 15. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.

(via aureat)

Pillars of Creation surrounded by stars

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via Jennifer Bin (@jenniferbin) • Instagram photos and videos

I just noticed how when you hover over the tumblr logo the colors change to a bunch of a different lgbtqia+ flags and idk if I’m really late to the party and it’s been happening for a while, but it still makes me happy

Museum of Living Statues Pt. 1

TRIGGER WARNING: Character death, manipulation, and creepy ending.

This was my final project for my creative writing class, and I was pleased with how it turned out, so please enjoy!

Being ugly has made my life pretty difficult. I was bullied in school, of course. The other kids loved to make fun of my crooked teeth and pudgy belly, and most of all, my height. They’d ask me why I was still fat, despite the fact that I was tall, and that my model height was wasted on someone as ugly as me. Probably the best part of being ugly is that people’s eyes pass right over you when walking down the sidewalk. People always notice me pretty quickly because of my height, but once their eyes travel to my face they become disinterested in a second. They may think that I don’t notice, but I do. I always do. My teeth were crooked because my family was too poor to get me braces, and my pudgy belly ran in the family. Once I, the eldest, entered high school my parents would always send me out to do various odd jobs to bring in some extra cash. Things like dog walking and babysitting, lawn mowing in the summer and snow shoveling in the winter. My parents were always eager to use me and my siblings as a means of extra funds.

One day when I came home from school my parents immediately bombarded me with another odd job, this one a lot more unusual than the things they usually had me do. A wax statue museum had opened up in town a little less than a year ago, and it had quickly become well-renowned for the beauty and detail of their works. My parents shoved a flyer in my hands that had information about becoming a model for the museum. I laughed.

“As if I of all people could be a model.” I scoffed.

“Look! It says right here that they’re looking for everyday people to be featured in their new ‘low class citizen’ collection!,” They persisted. “Besides that, they’re offering one grand and no experience is necessary!”

“So why don’t you do it?” I said dismissively.

“You seem like you’d be better suited for it.”

“Oh yes, I’m definitely model material” I said sarcastically.

“Well, at least you have the height!”