#lachlan mortimer

Starter for @oil-and-water-rp

The Last Drop was heaving with life by the time Lachlan finished his shift, slipping past the crowds on the club floor and out onto the cool night street. Today was one of the precious days he wasn't rostered to work the closing shift, and didn't have to cover for a colleague who'd called out last minute either. Lucky.

He knew the quickest route home by heart; it hadn't changed in nearly ten years. Letting his feet move on autopilot, Lachlan ducked his head a little to light his cigarette. He took a long, hungry drag before expelling it into the air above him with a sigh.

Smoking wasn't a good habit for his lungs, as Erin liked to remind him - but then again, neither was living in The Lanes, breathing in the grey smog that still shrouded the sky, choking out the sun and stars. Not that this point dissuaded his little sister from giving him constant lectures whenever she caught him with a cigarette. Smoking, according to her, was just a bad choice he'd made.

Why don't you just quit? Erin would ask him, whenever she caught him brooding out back with a cigarette in hand.

Maybe it wasn't really about the cigarettes.

The work that put the money on their table, that bought his cigarettes and their groceries and their ma's expensive medication, hung heavy and unspoken in the air between them.

Lachlan didn't like to think about it. There were a lot of things he didn't like to think about, because if he started to think about them, the horrible, suffocating weight in his chest would return, and he'd get the impulse urge to do something ridiculously stupid.

So he smoked on the way home instead, letting the hit of nicotine take the edge off the stress that was always simmering in his veins after a shift. And his sister would pretend she didn't smell the smoke on him when he hugged her.

The hair on the back of his neck prickled, around about the same time he heard something behind him. Something closing in fast.

Oh, fuck -!

Lachlan whipped around, but he wasn't quite fast enough to dodge the arms that shoved him unceremoniously up against the wall and pinned him there. His cigarette flew from his hand; his cheek scraped against the cold brick. Instinctively, he brought an elbow up to counter-strike and drive his attacker off him - then froze as he got a proper look.

Pink hair. Steely blue eyes. Older than he remembered, but he knew that face. His mind started racing, a flurry of adrenaline and shock and disbelief and questions.

Impossible.

You're supposed to be dead.

Where were you all this time?

What are you cornering me like this for?

When did you get tattoos?

Is that a nose ring?

"Ow, Vi," He settled for gritting out pointedly instead, under the iron bar of her arm. "Nice to see you too."

Lachlan made no effort to resist her grip; he didn't want to fight her, if there was still a chance this could be talked out.

The fact that she hadn't punched him yet suggested he had a shot.

Lachlan's shoulders relaxed a fraction at the familiar voice - his hand, which had reflexively flown to the pistol at his hip, slowly returned to continue wiping down the surface of the bar.

Jinx tended to unsettle a lot of the staff. His colleagues got twitchy and quiet whenever she plopped down at the bar. The jumpscares and casual disregard for personal space certainly kept everyone on their toes.

Normally, there would be a lot less tolerance for a kid getting underfoot and pulling pranks, but it was overshadowed by the fearful understanding that under Silco's guardianship, the girl was Untouchable. Jinx could get away with pretty much anything she wanted here - and the girl clearly knew it.

"You got me good, kid," Lachlan conceded mildly, pulling out a cup and pouring her usual soft drink of choice - an ingrained habit by now. If nothing else, it typically served as a good peace offering.

"Did you make that thing yourself?"

The mask was disturbing on its own, with the grotesque stretching grin, but the effect had definitely been amplified when it had dropped down from the beams directly above him.

It was a good thing he had nerves of steel.

Nora cuts her own hair, and doesn't allow anyone else to touch it.

Lachlan and Vi grew up with home haircuts and are pretty adept at cutting their own hair. (They also both took over cutting their younger sibling's hair, for a time.)

Gretchen, in certain 'Verses, dyes her hair to hide her natural ginger colour, as it's distinctive and memorable (which is not a good thing when you're on the wrong side of the law.)

Writers, bold all of your character’s traits.

Muse: Lachlan

1. Smoking: the action or habit of inhaling and exhaling the smoke of tobacco or a drug.

2. Binge drinking: the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time.

3. Drug abuse: the habitual taking of illegal drugs.

4. Nail biting: a common body language sign of anxiety/tension.

5. Lip biting: a common body language sign of anxiety/tension.

6. Night Owl: a person who is habitually active or wakeful at night.

7. Early bird: a person who rises, arrives, or acts before the usual or expected time.

8. Negative attitudes: a philosophy of approaching life with criticism and pessimism.

9. Positive attitudes: a philosophy of approaching life with optimism and confidence.

10. Swearing: the use of offensive language.

11. Superstitious: an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.

12. Inspecting fingernails: a common body language sign of boredom.

13. Scratching your neck: a common body language sign of uncertainty.

14. Foot and finger tapping: a common body language sign of stress/impatience.

15. Nose touch: a subtle body language sign of deceit.

16. Flipping hair: a common body language sign of craving attention.

17. Twirling hair: a common body language sign of flirtation.

18. Cracking knuckles: a common body language sign of readiness.

19. Hands behind back: a common body language sign of confidence.

20. Finger pointing: a common body language sign of authority.

21. Hands on hips: a common body language sign of readiness.

22: Hands in pockets: a common body language sign of mistrust/reluctance.

23. Frequent touch: a common body language sign of warmth/familiarity.

24. Throat-clearing: a common body language sign of rejection/doubt.

25: Jaw-clenching: a common body language sign of hostility.

26: Eye-rolling: a common body language sign of irritation.

27: Head-tilt: a common body language sign of interest.

28. Whistling: to emit high-pitched sound by forcing breath through a small hole between one’s lips or teeth; usually to a tune.

29. Humming: make a low, steady continuous sound like that of a bee; usually to a tune.

30. Perfectionism: refusal to accept any standard short of perfection.

31. Photographic memory: the ability to remember information or visual images in great detail.

32. Paranoia: a mental condition characterized by delusions of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically worked into an organized system.

33. Exaggeration: a statement that represents something as better or worse than it really is.

34: Intuitive: using or based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning; instinctive.

35: Quick-witted: showing or characterized by an ability to think or respond quickly and effectively.

36: Interrupting: breaking the continuity of a conversation with one’s own statements.

37: Doodling: to scribble or make rough drawings, absent-mindedly.

38: Irritable: having or showing a tendency to be easily annoyed.

39: Gambling: to play games of chance for money; bet.

40: Travel-sick: suffering from nausea caused by the motion of a moving vehicle, boat, or aircraft.

41: Sensitive: having or displaying a quick and delicate appreciation of others’ feelings.

42: Melancholy: a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.

43: Chewing gum: the exercise of chewing flavoured gum which is not intended for swallowing.

44: Fidgeting: to make small movements, especially of the hands and feet, through nervousness or impatience.

45: Skeptical: not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.

46: Neat-freak: compulsively obsessed with cleanliness.

47: Gossiping: divulging personal information about others.

48: Prim: feeling or showing disapproval of anything regarded as improper; stiffly correct.

49: Abbreviating: Giving others nicknames/shortening names/giving pet names.

50: Having a catchphrase: having a sentence or phrase typically associated with a specific person.

scraped knees, silent tears in a locked room,  slamming doors,  pervasive loneliness,  a dog barking, rain on a metal roof,  flinching at movement,  the creak of an old house,  forced laughter,  wandering in the dark woods,  wondering how you made it through,  sudden loss,  trying to make sense of the noise,  hiding what you love to protect it,  trying to explain but your words falter,  invaded privacy,  confusion at the pain,  running barefoot in the grass,  wondering what you did wrong and coming up with nothing,  realizing you aren’t a priority,   grass stains on white clothing,  trying to earn love you will never have,  being threatened over the smallest mistake,  secrets you are warned not to share,  the feeling of never being good enough,  the hope things might someday get better,  grief that aches in your bones,  childish dares and pranks,  the sense that your body isn’t yours,  shame and guilt that aren’t yours to carry,  sledding down a frozen hill,  absentmindedly following snakes through the grass,  punching a tree until your knuckles bleed,  tears over every dead creature you find,  searching out small places you can hide… just in case,  climbing the tallest tree so they can’t touch you,  the feeling of something tainted under your skin,  a curious child told to stop asking,  floral dresses,  body tensing at approaching footsteps,  anger with nowhere to go,  brief escapes from the chaos,  the purr of a contented cat,  taking the blame to keep the peace,  being told you’re too sensitive,  the creaking springs of a trampoline on a sunny day

scraped knees,  silent tears in a locked room,  slamming doors,  pervasive loneliness,  a dog barking,  rain on a metal roof,  flinching at movement,  the creak of an old house,  forced laughter,  wandering in the dark woods,  wondering how you made it through,  sudden loss,  trying to make sense of the noise,  hiding what you love to protect it,  trying to explain but your words falter,  invaded privacy,  confusion at the pain,  running barefoot in the grass,  wondering what you did wrong and coming up with nothing,  realizing you aren’t a priority,   grass stains on white clothing,  trying to earn love you will never have,  being threatened over the smallest mistake,  secrets you are warned not to share,  the feeling of never being good enough,  the hope things might someday get better,  grief that aches in your bones,  childish dares and pranks,  the sense that your body isn’t yours,  shame and guilt that aren’t yours to carry,  sledding down a frozen hill,  absentmindedly following snakes through the grass,  punching a tree until your knuckles bleed,  tears over every dead creature you find,  searching out small places you can hide… just in case,  climbing the tallest tree so they can’t touch you,  the feeling of something tainted under your skin,  a curious child told to stop asking,  floral dresses,  body tensing at approaching footsteps,  anger with nowhere to go,  brief escapes from the chaos,  the purr of a contented cat,  taking the blame to keep the peace,  being told you’re too sensitive,  the creaking springs of a trampoline on a sunny day

Tagged by: @whatbecomesofprogress

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Peppy songs (particularly about being a simp for someone)

Anything with a fast, almost manically cheerful melody but I Am Not Okay lyrics

Chaotic fight scene songs

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I had to look up what Urbex meant lmao