aladdinelkadi-blog

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

dontcallmedarlene:             

Daria took all of his questions in as she nervously clutched on her flyers. She wasn’t the confronting type or the type to defend herself in social situations. If she tripped, she did. How can you defend facts? But she always defended one thing and that’s her art. She couldn’t blame him from questioning what she wanted to do. But the thing was she doesn’t hate The Creator. She wasn’t anything like Ciggy. She only has questions. She questions most things. Her family’s choices, her existence, if she should’ve chosen waffle instead for breakfast — everything. 

“I want to know.” she replied without stuttering or bouncing back the question to his court. “There’s a story there, you know?” she continued. She took deep breath and introduced herself straight up. No snarky remarks, just the truth. “I’m, I don’t know, a storyteller?” she said kind of confused on whether that was the right title. “I’m not questioning His actions.” she answered. “What I want to know are do people have the answers to those actions.” she told him her intentions. 

“Emotions, actions, you know, story.” she rambled on, unsure if it made sense to anyone but her. “It doesn’t have to be on a divine scale.” she said. “But there’s something haunting about almost losing yourself… or someone.” she trailed off at the end, the image of Mordecai watching with his friends imprinted on her mind. The wave of uncertainty crashed over her so suddenly. She caught herself before she got swept away and just nodded at him. “So.. um.. yes.”

“There’s stories in everything, isn’t there?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets just so he’d have something to do with them. “Not all of them are worth pursuing...”

Admittedly, this one did pique curiosity though, even if Aladdin largely wanted to forget about it. He was more than a little bitter over the fact that his dog had been hurt. He blamed himself for most of it, knowing he shouldn’t have brought him along, but if the Creator had the amount of power people said he did, he could have prevented injuring Abu. Aladdin could take a few bangs to the head any day. God knew he’d made his fair share of mistakes when freerunning that made him see stars. He didn’t really care about himself, but his dog...

“I dunno, man, what’s there to know? It was scary, and a lot of people got hurt. My dog got hurt... It was awful.” He sat down in a nearby chair, exhaling all of his exhaustion over the memory. “I don’t... I don’t know why it had to happen like that. I don’t know if anyone knows why it happened like that though. Maybe the Creator is just a douchebag. Or maybe we deserved it.”

Nevermind All That

#p: dontcallmedarlene #daria001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

dontcallmedarlene:                 ��             

Daria crouched down after declaring her annoyance toward the Universe and laws of physics. She picked up the flyers alongside the man who was everyone else’s type: tall, dark and slightly bruised. Others might have gazed within his brown eyes and drown in them, but what she was fixated was the stitches on his head and busted up lip that were on the road to healing. She almost didn’t hear his question: “Are you just putting these up or are these yours?” 

She looked away from his scars and then back to her flyers. She sighed and read the contents of it again, her request in Impact font and a crudely drawn meteor on top. “I guess I should’ve gone to Craiglist with meteors like that.” she dryly replied, not really answering his question. She slowly got up with most of the flyers that fell. She scratched the back of her neck with her free hand. 

“Why? Know anyone?” she asked already knowing the answer by looking at him.

“Uh, yeah, everyone,” he said, a tad harsher than he’d intended. He cleared his throat as a way of apologizing for his tone and handed the flyers he’d picked up back to her. “I mean, i guess not everyone got hurt or saw exactly what happened. I don’t know if anyone saw exactly what happened, to be honest. Besides, I don’t know if anyone would tell you if they did. They’re all a little spooked at the moment.”

He scratched a hand through his hair, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t being listened to. The place was pretty much deserted for the moment, as were most places in town. A good majority of the people of Hermosa had taken to hiding out in their homes for a bit, at least until it didn’t feel so unsafe to be out and about. Aladdin had spent his fair share of hours holed up in his room too, though he’d used looking after Abu and resting after his concussion as an excuse. Telling people he’d been scared didn’t feel like a tough, cool thing to do, even if everyone else was in the same boat.

“Don’t you think it’s a little unsafe to be asking questions about it anyway? Everyone says it was just the Creator’s doing, and people really don’t wanna piss him off, you know? I mean, yeah, it was weird but no one died so... isn’t it better to just drop it and move on? What are you hoping to accomplish here?”

Nevermind All That

#p: dontcallmedarlene #daria001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

A moderate concussion and several stitches had made the night of the meteor shower unforgettable in a way Aladdin hadn’t anticipated. It certainly didn’t help that he had come in for his coffee alone rather than with Abu who was still recovering at home. It made him feel all the more isolated with no one to bounce his words off of. He didn’t like feeling how he used to feel back before his benefactor had rescued him from his fate. At least the concussion dulled those feelings a little he supposed, if only because he was still having a hard time concentrating (he was told that would let up in the next couple of weeks).

It was because he wasn’t paying attention that he collided with the body of someone else and sent her papers scattering everywhere. He blinked owlishly as he watched the flyers flutter to the ground around him, only belatedly realizing he should probably get down and help pick them back up.

“Sorry,” he mumbled as he crouched, gathering the papers as neatly as he could. The flyers were talking about the meteor shower... and that made him pause. “Are you just putting these up, or are these yours?”

Nevermind All That

Time: July 14th, 5:00 pm Location: The Yellow Book Road, Mini Cafe Status: Open

Suspicion ate Daria up and it was highly appropriate. The night of the Ridge’s has passed but chaos still left the town in shock. But still, Hermosa is known for a town that’s full of secrets and passive aggression. She would know these traits well. His father exudes them in an alarming rate. Able to escape the tragedy with her family, she left the scene unscathed. Her semi-circle of friends or rather colleagues seemed to fine and dandy as well. But as she reviewed her footage in her dingy, DV camera, it was as if she had clips on the latest natural disaster-based blockbuster.

She held the camera a bit high but just high enough for it to stay in her line of vision. She tapped her unmanicured finger nails mindlessly on the table before her. There’s a story in here was a phrase echoing her mind that moment. Another was what the Sibyls had said in their late night transmission: the universe is very much upset. She heard these phrases on repeat in her head as she watched mindlessly of the meteors bringing destruction to the kind people of the town. A lot has happened. And that just meant she had lots and lots of work to do if she wants to get started. 

She sipped on her cup of cafe Americana and stared at the pile of flyers beside it. It read: Where you at the night of the falling? You comfortable being filmed? Hit me up. in a modernized Impact-esque font. She looked at the barista in the counter, trying to build up her confidence. After psyching herself up, she grabbed her flyers and her brown leather rugsack. But as she stood up, she accidentally collided with another person causing her flyers to fall slowly to the ground. 

She sighed at the sight of it and at her slight humiliation. “At least, we’re off into a good start.” she murmured under her breath. 

#p: dontcallmedarlene #daria001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

Rami Malek by Eric Ray Davidson

#fc

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

exceptionaloddity:              

Brown eyes followed the burning ember of the cigarette as it arched over the edge of Devil’s Ridge.  Under the darkening sky, it didn’t take long for the fading flame to disappear from sight.

A thoughtful expression overtook her features as Lilo considered his words. Nani was always warning against her propensity for talking to strangers, and talking to a prince would certainly cause enough stir to reach her sister’s ears… Shrugging off her worries, Lilo plopped down on the blanket next to the man. “That’s okay. That just means I’m important enough to talk to a prince, which is pretty cool.”

Watching the man as he turned his gaze to the sky, Lilo felt a pang of sadness at the desperation lacing his tone. She knew what it was like to wish on stars; none of them ever came true but that never stopped her from hoping with the same determination she held as a child. “We can share wishes,” she whispered with a smile. Surely if they shared, one of their wishes was bound to come true. “You can have the first shooting star.”

Chocolate eyes brimming with hopeful curiosity turned their attention back to the sky above her. “Do you see that constellation up there?” she asked, pointing toward the spaced out cluster of stars. Tracing the familiar pattern with her pointed finger, Lilo didn’t even wait for his confirmation before continuing.  “That’s Ophiuchus. It’s supposed to be a man holding a snake; well, the snake is kind of going through him so my dad always said it was supposed to be wrapped around his waist.” Her voice trailed off into the night as memories of her parents brewed beneath the fragile surface of her mind.

“Anyway, he’s the son of Apollo and everyone said that he was able to bring people back from the dead. He actually learned how to bring people back from snakes. He killed one of them and another snake came along and brought it back to life. He brought a lot of people back to life, but then Zeus got mad that he would make all the humans immortal. Hades got pretty mad too cause he’s the god of the underworld and if no one died then he wouldn’t have much of a job to do. So Zeus used his lightning bolts and killed him, but he felt bad and put him in the sky to make up for it,” she finished with a flurry of excited hands.

“I didn’t know that,” Aladdin said softly, squinting at the stars, trying to see the shape. He couldn’t make it out, but he pretended like he did. “Seems kind of unfair to Ophiuchus though... He was just trying to help, and even if he ended up doing something that wasn’t quite so good, he did it with good intentions. Still the Gods get angry and punish him for it... Seems like they could have at least tried talking to him first.”

He knew though that talking didn’t tend to be people’s first instinct though. When he’d been caught stealing, they didn’t care about his reasoning-- the cops, the judge, the townspeople, none of them... 

“It kinda sucks,” he said. “Everyone always judges you by what you do rather than who you are. If they’d just look a little closer, maybe they’d understand, but no one wants to. You end up having to reinvent yourself in order to be liked. You hear someone tell you you’re wrong or you’re weird or you’re messed up enough times, and then you start to believe it and...” He trailed off, sighed. “I dunno... what if those people are right? Maybe Zeus was right to strike him down. Maybe, regardless of intention, Ophiuchus was irredeemable.”

He shook his head. “Sorry. I’m not making any sense. I’m being weird.”

#p: exceptionaloddity #lilo002 #event001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

ciggyjones:

Ciggy was in a daze. She opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing, and the muscles in her back had been bent and torn into uncomfortable angles. There was a sharp ache in her ankle which screamed at her to stay still when she tried to put weight on it. Slowly, Ciggy sat up. There was dust and dirt caking her tongue; it was tangled in her eyelashes, hair and clothes, too. She stared up at the sky, the inky blackness so still and peaceful in comparison to the chaos below. People’s names were being called out; and she focused on trying to discern Mordo’s or Charlie’s voice from amidst the cries, but heard nothing. Panic would have flooded her, had Ciggy not been completely and utterly detached from the whole thing. She felt exactly like she had when she’d dragged her cut up body out of the car wreck, only to find that Mouse wouldn’t be joining her on the side of the road. Ciggy’s stomach dropped. She couldn’t have this happen again. Not with her friends. 

With a few choice curses, Ciggy managed to clamber to her feet. Someone bumped into her from the side, the fabric of their jacket rubbing against a slice in her elbow, which made her hiss. The pain was helping her come back to herself. She began to move. Slowly, Ciggy wove her way through the sea of people, arms extending every now and then to keep them from bumping into her. An whimper from a few feet away, wobbling from the bushes, drew her attention. It wasn’t human. 

Ciggy limped over to the tangle of leaves and heavy stones. Trembling fingers parted the flora, and she gasped at the sight before her. The dog wasn’t dead, but she couldn’t tell if it was dying. There was a pool of crimson shimmering under the glare of the stars, right by its belly. “Oh, no, no, no,” Ciggy whimpered herself, feeling hot moisture attack her eyes. She blinked, and the tears began to roll down her dirt-stained cheeks. With as much care and delicacy as she could muster, Ciggy managed to bring Abu up into the careful cradle of her arms. She hushed his whimpers and tried to soothe and distract him with gentle words. All the while, Ciggy looked around, searching for his owner. She saw him. 

Her throat felt far too dry to yell for him; instead, Ciggy limped over to where Aladdin was alarming someone with his desperate question. Abu whimpered and whined again in her hold. Finally, when she was within earshot, Ciggy tried to get his attention. “Hey.” Her voice came out watery, thick with unshed tears and straining with pain. Abu twitched in her arms, nose reaching out to sniff out the familiar scent of his friend. “I found him.”

Aladdin turned, eyes wide and wet. He only registered briefly that the girl standing before him was the one he’d met at the coffee shop before he was completely consumed by the image of what was in her arms.

“Abu...” he said, voice feeling softer than he’d thought possible, like he automatically wanted to provide comfort to the dog who hated loud noises. He was hurt... God, he was hurt... When Aladdin had taken him from that apartment, he’d promised him that he’d never let him get hurt again. Just like all the other promises in his life, it looked like he’d failed to keep it. “Oh, no...” he whimpered, taking the dog from her into his own arms. Abu whined, and all Aladdin could do was hold him closer. “I’m sorry, Abu... This is all my fault.”

No, he could-- he could still fix this. Couldn’t he? He just needed to get him to the vet. If he could just get him there soon enough, he’d be okay. He could start fresh on the promise, just like always.

He looked up at Ciggy and said the only thing he could think of. “Do you have a car?”

#p: ciggyjones #ciggy002 #event001 #tw blood #tw car accident #tw death

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

Date: July 5th

Time: post-plot drop

Location: Devil’s Ridge

Status: Open

Aladdin’s ears were ringing.

It took a moment to figure out what had happened. One moment everyone was just watching stars and making wishes and then the next thing he knew he was lying on a pile of rocks with the sound of panic all around him (albeit muffled by said ringing in his ears).

He wiggled his toes and his fingers. Nothing appeared to be broken, at least... He sat up with a wince, and that was when he felt the warm trickle down the side of his face. He touched his temple and found his fingers smudged with blood. What the hell had happened? He looked up and found it to be a short climb back to flat, solid ground. He looked down and found a long precarious drop not far form where he laid. Apparently he’d missed certain death by just a few inches. It made his skin crawl and his palms clammy...

No. Now was not the time. Aladdin had other, more important things to deal with right now. He needed to climb back up, get Abu--

Abu...

“Abu!” he cried, mortified, looking over the edge to see if there was any sign of him. Immediately his panic rocketed up by ten degrees as he searched frantically for his dog around him. The climb up made him dizzy, but he managed to reach the ground above him. He saw the blanket he’d brought halfway slung over a rock, but again, no sign of his dog.

For a brief, horrible moment, he couldn’t help but think that the last time he’d felt like this was when his mom died. His chest tightened, and the familiar sting of tears welled up in his eyes as he looked through the chaos for any sign of the dog. Aladdin may not have had nothing without him, but he sure felt like he did. When no one else wanted to be his friend, Abu did...

He didn’t care if the other townsfolk didn’t like him. He didn’t care about anything but Abu in that moment. He was practically begging when he asked the first person he could get to, “have you seen my dog?”

#knowthystarter #event001 #tw blood

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

belledesrosiers:

Belle stopped, still half-turned towards the crowd of people in the distance and the boy, standing next to her two steps away from the cliff. “Are you sure?” he seemed like an amiable person, so few of those in Hermosa. At least he wasn’t looking at her with pity in his eyes or a quizzical tone in his voice. Her family was known for many things before her father’s disappearance, however, they never seemed to bother how it affected them; their words weren’t whispers, but they were now, and Belle hated it even more. She would rather have it all back, the funny smiles and scold looks for then she had her father to lean on and the notion that together, their words wouldn’t hurt them. There was a time where they amused her but now, she hates that their hypocrisy turned into pity. She didn’t need it.

“I guess we had the same idea, Aladdin,” Belle smiles and stretch her hand to his, waiting for a shook. “I’m Belle.” She didn’t want to assume he knew who she was, even if it was almost impossible not to. “And you, little guy!” the dog laid lazily on the blanket, undisturbed by her arrival or her caresses. “I’m surprised he doesn’t smell the odor of cat in me.” She looks back at Aladdin, caressing the dog one last time before getting up again. “We can avoid other people together.”

“Avoiding people is my specialty these days,” he said, giving Abu a little nudge with his foot as he reached out to shake her hand. “Come on, Abu, greet the lady proper. Don’t be rude.”

The dog huffed and curled up, promptly ignoring him out of spite. “He uh,” Aladdin said, hand scrubbing along the back of his neck, “he doesn’t listen to me much. Sorry. He’s spoiled.” He offered her a small smile and looked back out over the ridge, taking another drag off of his cigarette. It was getting quieter as the town geared up for the inevitable falling of stars. He wondered if Jasmine was here watching too.

“So, a cat, huh?” he said. “Abu actually likes cats, honestly. More than other dogs anyway. I like cats too. I used to feed a bunch of strays outside my apartment back when I lived there with my Mom. She used to get on my case for using that money on cat food.” He laughed a little, but it ached a bit around the edges.

#p: belldesrosiers #belle001 #event001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

belledesrosiers:               

For the longest time, Devil’s Ridge was an almost forbidden place, scenario to tales of horror and local legends, people were either too foolish to walk too close or too brave; Belle was neither. She remembered the first time she visited Devil’s Ridge, shortly after she and her father came to Hermosa. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen, standing at the tallest point in town, you could see everything around you and below, shrunk to tiny details in the distance. Standing there was like standing at the top of the world, with all its perks and cons. Of course, it was the best place to watch a meteor shower, of that Belle had no doubt. Still, no one dared to sit too close to the cliff.

Everyone had already placed their blankets on the ground and in their shoulders, wrapped around in cocoons with their significant others, family and lovers all gathered there to notice the wonders the Creator blessed them with. It was beautiful but Belle couldn’t help but feel a thug in her heart, biting her cheek and walk away from the picture perfect families laughing and enjoying themselves together. Not too long ago, she had that. But now it was gone.

She walked where she knew no one else would be: the edge of the cliff. To her surprise, a shadowy figure was already there, standing, just like Belle, looking for solitude. She knew him from around town, his face was familiar but his name escaped her memory. “I’m sorry,” his abrupt standing stopped her from taking another step. “I was just…” Belle gestured towards the crowd behind them and shrugged. “Looking for solitude. I didn’t think someone else would be brave enough to walk this close to the edge.” She smiled and looked to the sky, already beautiful just before the grand spectacle started. She closed her eyes for a second, breathing in the fresh night air. “I love it here.” Belle looked to the distance before contemplating the figure still standing next to her, a few feet away. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you to it.” She smiled and turned, ready to go.

Aladdin hadn’t expected it to be... her.

Oh, yes, he knew her. Everyone in town did since Maurice had disappeared. He’d heard his fair share of whispering about it, but no one really talked to Belle about it. He could imagine it was very isolating... In fact, he didn’t have to imagine it at all. All of his mom’s friends had done a lot of whispering and not talking when she was sick too. It was just that her disappearance didn’t happen quite so quickly.

It didn’t seem right to take away the one thing she was seeking, a place to be away from the eyes of the rest of the town. He knew how that felt too. “Uh, wait, wait,” he said, slightly awkward as he jogged closer. “You don’t... you don’t have to go. It’s all right if you want to stick around for a little while. It’s just me and Abu, and we won’t bother you. I’m Aladdin, by the way.”

#p: belldesrosiers #belle001 #event001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

exceptionaloddity:            

Relief flooded her form at his affirmation of remembrance. For a moment lasting longer than a lifetime under the pressure of further disgrace, Lilo worried that she had mistaken the man before her for someone else. However, fate - or the Creator or whatever anyone in the town called it – decided to spare her any indignity and grant her a friendly face for the evening.

An enthusiastic nod bobbled her head as Lilo hiked the blanket higher. “Yeah, he can share too!

Confusion overtook her expression in the form of a furrowed brow and turned down lips. “Why wouldn’t I want to be seen with you?” Following his gaze to the friends that had previously rejected her company for the evening, Lilo felt her frown deepen. “Don’t worry about them,” she said, turning back to the man. “They’re my friends. They’re not laughing at us… one of them just probably told a funny joke or something. They do that a lot. Tell jokes – like ‘I don’t know where you got your shirt, but I hope you got a receipt.’ I don’t always understand them, but they always laugh so it must be funny.”  

Aladdin wasn’t sure even she believed that, but he didn’t call her on it. She’d likely been disappointed enough today. Instead, he focused on the question she’d asked... Of course, the answer to that question might be just as disappointing, so he needed to come up with something else other than the truth to answer it with.

He had always been quick on his feet, at least. “Well,” he joked, laughing as he tossed his cigarette butt over the edge of the ridge, “what if I turned out to be a prince for real, huh? Then everyone would be so scandalized, you getting so close to Prince Ali.” He moved back to the blanket on the ground, planting himself cross-legged next to Abu.

“Of course, they say when stars fall, you make a wish and it’ll come true. Maybe all I have to do tonight is make a wish and then I really will be a prince.” He looked up at the sky again, feeling like those very stars were hovering on edge, waiting to make their leap. “There’ll be so many. You’ll just have to hope you see one that hasn’t already been wished on.”

#p: exceptionaloddity #lilo002 #event001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

exceptionaloddity:      

The laughter of her peers echoed through the humid air as Lilo turned her back on the group of girls lying out a thick, threaded blanket. Although it was not a new phenomenon to be excluded, Lilo still felt the sharp sting of rejection threaten to bring tears to her eyes at the exclamation that there was not enough room on the blanket to join the group of people she still considered friends. It certainly looked as if they had enough room; but at her hesitant inquiry for invitation, they had quickly spread their limbs in an effort to occupy as much space as possible. The oldest (or at least who appeared to be the oldest) had hidden her amused giggle behind a patronizing tone of regret. “Sorry, there just isn’t enough room with us all on here. Maybe next time, okay?”

Clutching her threadbare comforter, Lilo made her way to the next open seat she could find. A vaguely familiar face, not well-known enough to generate a name but recognizable enough to produce a feeling of friendship, came within her line of sight. Rushing over to the man, Lilo paid no mind to the hastiness at which the man got to his feet.

“Hi! I don’t know if you remember me but I told you about sea stars once when we were outside Bread and Butter.” Shifting restlessly on her feet, Lilo let her gaze flutter over to the beautiful view the ridge provided. “My, uh, my friends told me there wasn’t enough room for me to sit with them,” she said in a soft voice, smile faltering as it fell into a frown. Sparing the still giggling girls a quick glance, Lilo felt her cheeks heat in hesitant humiliation. If she remembered correctly, this man showed her nothing but kindness and she would have no reason to worry about a second round of rejection in one night. “So, uhm, I was wondering… Well, I was wondering if I could sit with you?” Sadness transformed into a hopeful smile as she turned her gaze back to the man before her. “I even brought a blanket in case we get cold!”

It took Aladdin just a beat, but then he recognized her. He recalled her kindness and her slightly off-beat nature, and he was instantly relieved. She certainly wouldn’t be trying to do anything cruel to him... In fact, he suspected something cruel had been done to her instead. He’d seen that look before-- the look of rejection, of wishing you were someone else for just a moment so you wouldn’t have to feel that way. He’d seen it on his own face.

“I remember you,” he said, offering her a smile, “and I mean, sure, you can sit with me, as long as you don’t mind sharing the blanket with Abu.” Abu let out a little snore as if to respond. Sometimes Aladdin wondered if the dog didn’t fake sleep.

He wandered closer to her, hands in his pockets, glancing over at the other girls that she kept looking back at. “I mean, are you sure you want to be seen with me?” he asked softly. He feared his reputation in town might sully hers further.

#p: exceptionaloddity #lilo002 #event001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

Date: July 5th

Time: 8:00 PM

Location: Devil’s Ridge

Status: Open

The show hadn’t started yet. Aladdin didn’t mind because the view was incredible all on its own. He’d always appreciated a fantastic sight, and here, sitting with his legs dangling over the edge of the ridge, Aladdin couldn’t help but take it all in. The sun had set and the stars were glittering above him, and they felt almost brighter than usual, like they were excited about the meteor shower too.

Magical, he thought, smiling. He fiddled with the chain of his necklace absent-mindedly, fingers tracing over the worn ring his mother had kept on her finger until the day before she died. She’d handed it to him and told him to give it to a special girl someday. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to part with it though, even for someone that special... He wished his mom had made it to this night. He would bet she’d love it.

He glanced back behind him at the blanket he’d brought to sit on. Abu was snoozing, oblivious. Aladdin lit a cigarette and looked back out over the ridge. The rest of the town was moving into the area, but he’d found a spot close enough to the edge that he was mostly by himself. It made him less nervous that way, knowing that their eyes weren’t watching... though that wasn’t to say he wasn’t being watched, he supposed, given the Sentinels and the Creator....

It was best not to think about that. He should just enjoy the beautiful summer and the spectacle that was about to come forth. There was a small breeze blowing through the ridge, knocking some of the heat off of the day, and he was completely at peace.

Then, he heard footsteps approach from behind him. Instinctively, Aladdin pulled himself back from the edge, not wanting to be shoved off by anyone who disliked him enough to make an attempt. He tried to keep the move casual though, so as not to imply that was the case. “What’s up? Need something?” he said, getting to his feet and turning to head back to his blanket.

#knowthystarter #open #event001 #tw smoking

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

ciggyjones:                

Although Ciggy wanted to argue, to stubbornly have the last word and see to it that this guy knew exactly what she meant, and agree with it, she clamped her mouth shut and instead busied it with her cigarette. An overwhelmingly large cloud of smoke began to form between them as she puffed, and puffed, and puffed, all the while quirking her right brow in disbelief. Ciggy, far too honest, couldn’t ever shield her emotions, no matter how white the lie was supposed to be, and so her skepticism was on full display for Aladdin’s perusal. With one final exhale, Ciggy hummed.  “You don’t know that,” she finally blurted out, lifting the now cold coffee to her lips in an attempt to drown the venom that threatened to seep into her words. She was tired, and cranky, and the drink was shit. Hopefully Aladdin wouldn’t take her irritable mood to heart. “What I mean is… Well, yeah. You don’t know that. Maybe I think you’re an asshole now and would’ve preferred the older you, or whatever it is you’d call it- not that I think you’re an asshole. Just… FYI.”

“All I’m saying is, you do you. If you end up changing yourself for other people, you’re just gonna lose who you are. Can’t please everyone, y’know? Plus, people aren’t that malleable… Yeah. Um… Photography, but I’m kinda failing, so… Here I am!” She spread her arms, accidentally knocking the back of her hand against a passerby’s backside. Ciggy let out a snort. “Whoops. Sorry, buddy.” A pause. “Anyway, what do you do, handsy?”

Aladdin wasn’t quite sure how to respond to what she said. He felt slightly attacked, but he wasn’t sure that was what she’d intended. He definitely didn’t want to call her on it in case she really did attack him... and besides, it wasn’t like he expected her to understand. The Aladdin that he was now wasn’t worth much, never did anything great, and had nothing. The Aladdin he was becoming was going to be so much better. He’d make sure of that.

Since he wasn’t sure what to say about the rest of it, instead he decided to answer the question she’d asked instead. “Me? I don’t... really do anything,” he admitted sheepishly. “I don’t have a job and I don’t go to school, though I’m thinking about going back... I dunno. I was never really all that good at school. I’m not sure if that would change now either, so...” He shrugged.

“So, photography, huh? Do you like it?” He wasn’t sure why she would be failing if she was passionate about it.

#p: ciggyjones #ciggy001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

ciggyjones:          

Ciggy was, admittedly, taken aback by the other’s approach. She couldn’t bring herself to agree with him, given that becoming one’s best was borderline impossible, alongside a blatant dishonesty. As always, Ciggy was incapable of keeping her lips sealed shut, and she was quick to voice her thoughts.  “But,” she began, tone tentative, “isn’t that just, like… Lying? Like, don’t get me wrong, sure you can do stuff to… I don’t know, live a healthier lifestyle, or whatever, but if you’re trying to become this better, different version of who you are, isn’t that just pretend? Plus, if you think that she has to see this new and improved side of you to talk to you, or something, then she isn’t worth shit. Take it or leave it, y’know?”

Ciggy shrugged. As a gulp of air flooded her lungs, she realised just how much she’d ended up ranting. Nevertheless, the topic was something that always riled her up, given that her own father had ended up crippled by depression as he attempted to comply with his wife’s expectations of the man he was supposed to be. It never worked that way; it was toxic. Ciggy pursed her lips, the memory of her parents, long buried, was threatening to surface, and she couldn’t let that happen. She took a sip of the lukewarm coffee, focusing her thoughts, instead, on how horrible the addition of sugar was. When mentioned, Ciggy’s gaze dropped to the guy’s hands. Again, she shrugged, “they’re nice.”

“Oh, y’know. Class.” Ciggy rolled her eyes, waving her spare hand dismissively, “this is much more interesting, anyhow.”

Aladdin looked down at his hands on the table, not really sure how to take the... compliment? Well, in any case, she definitely didn’t know what he’d meant and he was going to make sure it stayed that way. The less people who knew about his past at this point, the better.

“I’m not lying by trying to better myself,” he said, though he wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, her or himself. “I just think I can uh... present myself in a way that’s better than I do now. I’m not much of anyone at the moment, so I’m just trying to be better. I don’t think it’s dishonest... and she is worth it, I know she is. She just makes me want to be a better guy.” Was it really so wrong to want to be worthy? He couldn’t help but wonder what had made this girl feel the way she did. 

“Anyway, if you’d known me before, you’d definitely say this is a big improvement. If nothing else, I at least dress better. So you go to school, huh? What are you studying?”

#p: ciggyjones #ciggy001

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

mabel-pinesapple:                                   

If one were to comprehend the totality of Mabel Pines, they would perhaps say no negativity can bring upon a frown onto the angel’s face. It may perhaps be an irritating and confusing view for some, seeing as the girl would rather crack a humorous smile despite being offended by words. She’s much of a sanguine, even an insult about her would transform and be taken as a compliment regardless of how upsetting blows are usually thrown towards people. Yet, as much as this specific trait of hers is predominant, Mabel isn’t completely herself when grandeur was withdrawn. Oh, her eyes would twinkle in delight once faced with a task of creating an empty, clean space into a colorful splendor. The girl just adores making everything look magnificent as possible and just the satisfaction of finishing the likes of said breakthrough is one thing Mabel would enjoy for the rest of her eternity. 

Mabel was sat outside the Bread and Butter Cafe, her hands sore from the hours of nonstop sketching for her Christmas sweater ideas ( the mentioned holiday being ‘ more important than my limbs ’ by Mabel Pines, 2017 ). She didn’t mind, however, as her half way finished cup of coffee was idly standing on top of the table gave her the feeling of relief; relieved that her rationality would not opt to visit its wilder side with the presence of caffeine. 

Elated by the last stroke she made, Mabel looked satisfied with one of her latest works. A sweater with a lit gingerbread house to be embroidered on its facade for the whole of Hermosa to witness — you’re such a genius, Mabel, she whispered to herself. She was silently praising her work, almost spilling her coffee in the process as her hands were flying at random places caused by her pure incitement. This was cut short, however, as her hearing skills were able to pick up the man’s words from the other table. It can’t be helped, her attention was piqued and no force will be able to hold a barricade in between her and embarrassing herself. She stood up, eyeing the man only a few steps away from her as her hands slowly came to form like a camera. “Oh, yes, you’ll look like a hot prince,” Mabel piped up out of nowhere, her words were said slower than normal. She hummed, her eyes still looking through the hole of her improvised camera. “Who will you be dressing up for? I’m completely not against the idea if it was for me.”

There was a moment of shock and awe that left Aladdin silent. Was this girl messing with him? Flirting with him? Both? He was usually pretty good at reading people’s intentions at a quick glance if only because he’d spent a lot of time watching them, but with this girl’s genuine smile... he wasn’t quite sure.

“Uh,” he said, and wasn’t that a smart reply? He cleared his throat and scratched a hand through his hair and tried again. “Sorry, um... I was just uh... daydreaming, I guess. I mean, I...”

He paused again when he realized he was skipping over the most important thing here which was what she’d said. “You really think I’d look like a hot prince in a suit?” Princely and hot? He’d sort of hoped even one or the other would be too much to hope for, but then, he didn’t really have a strong idea about what girls liked in guys. Maybe this girl with the big smile could help him!

#p:mabel-pinesapple #mabel001 #my gifs suddenly aren't working so i'll add one later

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

ERIC

Eric let out a friendly laugh, getting down to his dog and scratching his back. “You have to be a friend, Max. Don’t petrify everyone, try and be friendly.” The dog seemed to listen to him and sat calmly on the cement, though his tail was frantically going left and right. “He’s barking at both of you,” Eric smiled and got up with a jump, fixing up his rolled up sleeves. “Max is very social, he would interact with absolutely everyone which is a gift and a curse.”

His ocean eyes fixated on the well-hearted gesture exchanged between his dog and the unknown person beside him, lips pulling up in a warm but gentle smile. Sometimes, the man wondered what was going on in the mind of his dog. What were they thinking about, how did they perceive the world – was it in colors or nuances or was it black and white? He didn’t want a scientific response, this he could find in the numerous books in his library – he wanted the simple response. 

“Oh, I get that. Everyone’s different, including animals and if you really need help I could give you some tips. This boy has been my friend and companion for about seven years now.“ Eric bent his back a bit, extending his hand to the concealed Abu, “Hey there friend! I’m Eric and this is Max. We don’t bite, wanna come out and meet us?“

“Abu is uh... not as friendly, I’m afraid,” Aladdin laughed as the dog yapped at Eric. “He’s a little bit of a coward.” The dog looked up at him, offended, so he amended, “Well, not a coward. He’s just uhh... uncomfortable around other people.”

He reached down and picked Abu up, which seemed to help his fear since he was now taller than the other dog. “I will admit that it’s weird being a pet owner though... Even though Abu’s really not a pet. He’s just my buddy. I’ve gone online though, looked up what the good food is, what dogs like to do... I dunno how accurate all that stuff is though. It’d be nice to have someone around to help navigate pet-ownership-hood. I’m not too good at navigating regular person-hood, so any help I can get is good.”

Abu was giving Max the eye, but he didn’t seem scared of Eric at least. The guy seemed really friendly after all. Who could help it but come around? 

“I’m Aladdin, by the way,” he said.

#eric001 #p: ebbandflcw

[aladdinelkadi-blog]

ciggyjones:                                           

First, Ciggy’s eyes were fixated on her now empty hands, fingers still curled to accommodate the weight of the cigarette, lighter standing on the table beside her, poised to burn the paper and tobacco. Then, they shifted to the coffee cup, watching the coffee slosh against the white interior, staining it brown. Ciggy reached into her fanny back to retrieve another paper and filter, and resumed rolling, as though her previous cigarette hadn’t been swiped. The lighter sparked to life with a click, and the roll-up sizzled as it was burned. Ciggy inhaled, held the smoke so that it scorched her lungs just so, and exhaled.  “So,” she said as the cloud drifted from her lips, “you mentioned a suit? Got a date?”

“To have a date, I’d have to be able to talk to her first,” he admitted sheepishly. “She probably doesn’t even know I exist... but that’s the good part, actually. After all, if she doesn’t know me, then I can be the best version of me there is when she actually gets to know me.”

Even if the greatest version of him was an entirely fabricated one, he supposed. It didn’t matter that much. The money was real, at least, even if it wasn’t technically his own money. 

“I don’t even care if she dates me though,” he said, and that much was true. “I just want to be able to talk to her. Actually I kinda feel that way about anyone these days. Just kinda want people to be looking at my face rather than at my hands.... That probably doesn’t make any sense, sorry.” He just hated the way some people in town only looked at him to make sure he wasn’t taking anything of theirs, the same people he’d worked hard to help... He supposed he deserved it though, didn’t he? He was a thief, and the only reason he didn’t steal now was because he didn’t need to steal now. Who was to say he wouldn’t go right back to it if his benefactor decided he was no longer worth the trouble?

He decided to change the subject. “So, what’s got you in a hurry?” he asked.

#p: ciggyjones #ciggy001