#maybe because putting a trash bag on with a few decorations (that was our ancient Egypt costume) and calling it a traditional dress or suit

[wannabe-all]

God I can't believe this. Carnival is approaching here and of course kids dress up in costumes, guess what costume have the teachers picked this year. AFRICAN TRIBES. LIKE DUDE WHAT THE FUCK YOU PIECE OF SHIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?! Oh, and that's not the worst part, THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE THEM DANCE AND SING. Dance and sing african songs (I don't know which, I don't even know what tribe they want to use as a base but hell no) I can't believe it, well I can but it's still indignant. I am not black nor come from a tribe but I'm an immigrant in this country and I have faced my own little struggles regarding my cultural background and identity (obviously I can't compare with what POC have to face, this isn't about me) honestly if my culture was butchered and used like a costume I'd commit manslaughter

I just want this to be used as a reminder that culture, that traditional clothes from other places and cultures, that traditional dances and songs are NOT A COSTUME, THEY ARE NOT FOR FUN OR TO WEAR TO ONE EVENT AND EVEN LESS TO MOCK THEM.

People from all cultural backgrounds and races are more than invited to comment and state what they think (go ahead please). Make your own posts and revindicate this.

Carnival is coming

[perspective-series]

Zapped Perspective (1)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Fear, arguments, treating someone like a pet, and feeling helpless.

(Check the reblog for the links to any future chapters)

Time for a brand new story!

——————————————————————————————————–

  “Thanks again for the meal, Pat,” Virgil said, standing up where he was on the kitchen counter. Patton smiled, waiting until Virgil took a few steps back to grab the empty saucer dish.

 “Not a problem at all, Virge! You know you’re welcome here anytime.” Patton said, turning to rinse the plate off and put it in the sink. Virgil watched with a smile, yeah, he did know that. Patton had found him close to a year ago now but not once since their initial first meeting had Patton touched him without his consent. Not only that, but Patton left him alone. Only talking to Virgil when Virgil himself initiated it. It was honestly perfect and Virgil found himself wondering all the time how he had managed to find the one human who understood and respected his boundaries.

 “I should probably head out,” Virgil spoke, gathering up his bag. Patton just nodded, still smiling. There was no arguing or trying to stop him. Virgil knew full well that Patton was going to let him go.

 “Bye kiddo!” Patton waved as Virgil disappeared back into the walls. Yes, Virgil really did have a great thing going here.

 So it was strange when, that night, he had a dream. Well, more of a nightmare, really. Of a world where borrowers had been found out and turned into pets for humans.

***

Meanwhile, in an alternate universe…

“Alright, Microsoft Nerd.” Roman chuckled, scooping Logan up off the desk. “Time for bed.”

“Roman!” Logan gave an exasperated groan, watching helplessly as Roman closed the book and put it away. “I was still reading that.”

“And you would’ve been reading it all night if I didn’t stop you.” Roman teased, heading into his bedroom. He knew his little Logan too well; the borrower was a non-stop machine until Roman stepped in. He tussled Logan’s hair, pressing the incredibly tolerant borrower to his cheek as his own version of his goodnight hug.

Logan, to his credit, knew better than to try to protest Roman’s incessant touches. Squirming would only result in an increase of contact. Or worse, tickling. But, as Logan was let off in front of the dollhouse-like confinement that served as his stationary home, Logan had to admit to himself that the contact was far from unbearable. In fact, Logan had grown rather fond of Roman. His owner was much more lenient than other humans Logan had seen.

Logan supposed it was this line of thinking that prompted his strange dreams. Of all things, Logan imagined he was a wild borrower, still living in hiding and trapped in a world of floorboards and dust.

***

 When Virgil woke up the next morning, he didn’t recognize a thing. He blinked and then promptly jumped out of bed, looking at his surroundings in a growing panic. This was not his home in the walls. This wasn’t the place he had fallen asleep in. Had he been moved? But how? No one except another borrower should be able to reach him in the walls and why would another of his own kind move to...wherever this was.

 Virgil wasn’t even sure what this place was. It looked so much like a human’s house but...off, somehow. And he wasn’t just talking about how everything was his own size. What was happening?

“Logan?” A knocking came through the wall, rattling Virgil’s surroundings. “Come on, sleepyhead, it’s time to be awake. I’ve even brought caffeine as a peace offering.”

 Virgil flinched away from the wall, taking several steps back from the direction the voice had come from. What? Who was Logan? Was that a human? It had to be but…

 No, no time to think. He had to find a way out of here before the human saw him. He looked around the room, noticing the door and going through it. He found himself in a hallway and headed for the stairs that went down.

“Logan?” Roman knelt down, looking through the windows to try and get a read on where his pet could be hiding. He sounded far too active for this time of day.

 A giant eye suddenly appeared in one of the windows and Virgil was quick to duck behind a piece of furniture. It took him a moment to realize that he was hiding behind a borrower sized couch. Huh.

“...are you hiding?” Roman frowned, tilting his head in confusion. Logan never hid. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

 Just go away. Leave me alone. Virgil thought. From his place behind the couch, his eyes scanned the wall he was facing. There had to be a way out of here? Right? Some sort of door-there. 

 A door near a window told him that it led out of wherever he was. Not wasting any time, Virgil stood and ran for it.

“Woah!” Roman leaned back, watching the shadowy figure dart towards the back door. Thinking quickly, Roman set down the mug on his dresser and came around to wait at the entrance.

 Virgil ran out but came to a screeching halt as he realized the human was now in front of him. He looked up into his eyes, shaking. And then he turned and tried to run back into the house.

“What the-?!” Roman gasped, grabbing up the tiny that was quite obviously not his Logan. He brought the borrower up, inspecting it for some sort of tag. “Who the hell are you?”

 Virgil yelped as he was picked up and struggled against the grip. He was reminded of the one and only time he was in Patton’s grip. Of course, it hadn’t lasted long but he had a feeling this would. “No! L-Let me go!”

“Come on, who do you belong to?” Roman pressed. “What are you doing in this house? Where’s Logan?”

 Virgil paused briefly, taken aback by the question. “What? I-I don’t belong to anybody!�� What was going on? This human clearly knew about borrowers but how? 

“What?” That statement threw Roman off almost more than the appearance of the strange man. “You’re wild? I didn’t know there were still wild borrowers!”

 Virgil flinched at the use of his kinds name. It was one thing to know about tiny people, but to know their name. Whoever this Logan character was must have spilled the secret. But what this human said next threw him off even more.

 “What...What are you talking about? All borrowers are wild!” Or they were supposed to be.

“Um, nooooooooooo.” Roman drew out the word with a scoff. “Where have you been living, under a rock? I suppose under the floorboards is more accurate. Stop fooling around, what’s going on?”

 “Th-That’s what I want to know!” Virgil said, picking up his struggles. He just wanted to go home, maybe see Patton to get his mind off of this crazy human. “No one is supposed to know that we exist!”

Roman looked pityingly down at this borrower struggling in his grip. Had the poor thing hit its head and gotten a horrible case of ancient amnesia or something?

“Everyone knows about borrowers,” Roman explained gently, waving his arm behind him. “We’ve known about them for decades now. Why do you think my house is borrow-ified?”

 “Wh-What?” Virgil looked around, seeing what Roman was talking about. “No, no that isn’t possible. You-You’re lying! Humans always lie! You probably just found one of us and are trying to convince me for some reason!” That...That had to be it.

“Oh, yes, because that makes sense.” Roman rolled his eyes. “I don’t even know who you are! And frankly, I don’t care.” Fed up with this nonsense, Roman turned back to the dollhouse and began unlatching the side. “Logan? Logan, are you in there?”

 “There’s no one in there! He probably ran away first chance he got!” Virgil yelled, wishing he could do the same thing. It was obvious this human was crazy and he did not want to be around to find out just how much.

Roman frowned, beginning to worry when he swung the house open and it was confirmed empty. A few of Logan’s notes were scattered from the movement, but Roman couldn’t worry about that now.

“Did you see him?” Roman turned back to the borrower, now his only lead. “Where did he go?”

 “No, I didn’t. And like I said, he’s probably long gone. And good for him, our kind deserve to be free.” Virgil spoke, finding it weird about how brave he was feeling. Perhaps the fear hadn’t sunk in all the way yet.

Roman gave the borrower a warning squeeze, an irritated growl rising at the back of his throat.

“I don’t know what your deal is, but you’d better knock it off,” Roman warned, before standing up to begin searching the house for any sign of his own borrower companion.

 Virgil let out a small gasp of pain as the human’s hand tightened around him for a moment. His fear rose up as he realized just how much power this human had over him. He shut his mouth, not wanting to get the life squeezed out of him.

 “Logan? Looooogan?” Roman called out, traversing from room to room and careful to watch his step. Where could that little borrower be?

***

Logan gave a shiver, awoken from his slumber by a slight chill. Roman must have forgotten to close the window. However, as Logan opened his eyes, he was startled to notice his surroundings were not the familiar decor of his home. In place of his bed, a discarded glove was the surface upon which Logan slept. He cringed, quickly standing up to get off the filthy thing. 

A small amount of light filtered in through a few slits in the wall, and Logan took in his surroundings with hesitation. It seemed as though someone had compiled an assortment of trash to serve as a borrower room, almost like Logan’s ancestors used to do before being inevitably discovered.

Was that what this was- an old borrower home? But why was he here? Where was Roman?

“Hello?” Logan called out, cautiously peeking out into the other rooms. “Is anyone home?” 

Logan pushed on one of the doors connected to the complex, surprised to find light flooding in. Logan blinked, stepping out to see he was now standing on a counter he didn’t recognize.

 Patton walked into the kitchen, intent on starting breakfast when he noticed a tiny figure on the counter. He grinned as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. “Morning Vir-” He cut himself off when he actually took in the figure. That...wasn’t Virgil. He froze in the middle of the kitchen, not knowing what to do.

“Excuse me.” Logan turned to the human, unafraid to speak up. He lived in a world of humans, after all. Though usually Logan only spoke with Roman, Logan knew desperate times called for desperate measures. “Where am I?”

 Patton blinked at the bravery of the borrower. Thrown off guard by it. “Uhh, you’re in my house?”

“Do you know how I got here?” Logan asked. “Or perhaps, better to focus on the future. Do you know a Roman Prince? Or how I could set about getting to 421 Apsley Alley, Lightwilde?”

 “Oh, uh that name and place don’t sound familiar,” Patton admitted. “But I could look it up for you?” Anything to help out a borrower. Though it was weird if this borrower was, in fact, asking about another human. Were they like him and Virgil?

“Yes, please do.” Logan gave him a smile. “I have no recollection of how I managed to get separated from my human but it is of the utmost importance I return to his care.”

 “Right, uh, let me just…” Patton took out his phone and opened Google. He glanced over at the borrower. “Did Virgil send you to me for help?” It was the only reason he could think that the borrower would actually come to him.

Logan blinked. “Who’s Virgil?”

 Patton frowned. “Oh, I guess not then. Uh, he’s my friend! And a fellow borrower like you!” Patton explained as he started to type the place Logan had told him into his phone.

“I see.” Logan nodded politely. It was uncommon but not unheard of for a human’s borrower to be referred to as a ‘friend’; indeed, Roman had done it himself on a few occasions.

 Patton waited for his phone to load and then frowned as the results came up. “Uh, what was the address again?” Maybe he typed it in wrong.

“421 Apsley Alley, Lightwilde.” Logan prattled off from memory. Roman had ensured Logan knew it for just such a scenario.

 Patton typed it in again for good measure but the result was the same. “Uh, it...it says that place doesn’t exist,” Patton said with furrowed eyebrows, looking back down at the borrower.

“What?” Logan gave his own look of confusion. “Perhaps you spelled it incorrectly. If you would allow me, I can type it in myself.”

 “Okay.” Patton set his phone down on the counter, letting the borrower at it.

Logan typed it in, startled to find the same result. He typed it in again, and again. How was this possible? It couldn’t be… there had to be a logical explanation. Shoddy cell service? Low WiFi connection? Looking at the device neither were valid but there had to be something. According to this device, it was as though his home didn’t exist.

 Seeing the borrower getting more and more frustrated, Patton bit his lip. “Maybe you're remembering it wrong?” Patton suggested.

“I’m remembering it perfectly.” Logan snapped, before realizing what he had done. “I- I’m sorry, I just- I’m not-” Logan shook his head, too frazzled to think correctly. He turned to the search bar, now attempting to find any indication of his human at all.

 “Oh, hey it’s okay,” Patton said, noticing his distress. He thought for a moment. “Do you have his phone number?” Patton asked, figuring if he had the address he would have that.

“I, yes, of course, I apologize.” Logan hit his forehead. He clicked into the phone app, tapping away the ten familiar digits. He pressed speakerphone, knowing it was polite to include a human in his conversation when using their device.

The phone rang. And rang. And rang.

 Suddenly, it was picked up. “Hello?” A woman’s voice answered and Patton blinked. Well, that definitely wasn’t Roman.

 “Uh, hi.” Patton went ahead and spoke. “Is a Roman Prince there?”

 The line was silent for a moment. “Sorry, you have the wrong number.”

“We do not.” Logan insisted, knowing for a fact this was Roman’s cell. He had called it just yesterday. “Where is Roman? We desire to speak with him. Inform him it’s Logan, his borrower.”

 “His what?” The woman asked and, in a panic, Patton hit the end call button after a rushed goodbye. He turned towards the borrower.

 “Wh-Why would you say that?” Patton asked, knowing very well that borrowers were supposed to be a secret.

“Say what?” Logan frowned, unsure where he had committed a misdemeanor. “We need to get a hold of Roman, I’m merely attempting to acquire information.”

 “Well yeah, but you can’t tell some random woman that you’re a borrower. I mean, I can’t believe I’m actually telling a borrower this but you guys are supposed to be a secret.” Patton was sure Virgil would not be happy to have his kind be revealed. Especially by another borrower.

Logan raised an eyebrow. Had he stumbled upon some sort of intense historical LARPing? It would certainly make sense, considering the borrower hovel Logan had woken up in, but he was in no mood for this behavior.

“Look, I am not here to play games.” Logan said sternly. “Help me get home and you can return to your strange role-play scenario.”

 “R-Role play scenario? I-I don’t understand.” Patton said, eyebrows furrowed in immense confusion. What was this borrower talking about?

“The borrower secrets have not been relevant for nearly a century.” Logan reminded him. Unbelievable he had to give a history lesson at a time like this.

 “...What?” Okay, now Patton was really confused. “Borrower secrets are still very much secret, unless you keep trying to talk to everyone about it.” 

“I told you, I’m not playing games.” Logan’s mouth formed a thin line in his frustration. “Please cease this behavior. I’m not giving away any secrets that aren’t public knowledge.”

 Patton looked into the borrowers eyes. “You...really don’t believe me.” Patton honestly was so confused. Why did this borrower believe that everyone knew about borrowers? “Look, just look up borrowers on google and see for yourself.” Patton said, motioning towards his phone.

Logan did so, surprised to find no results. Surely this only confirmed his doubts about the functionality of the device.

“I regret to inform you, your cellular device is faulty.” Logan stepped away from it.

 “It-It really isn’t.” Patton let out a sigh as he took his phone back. How could he prove it to him? He glanced into the living room, at the tv. “Uh, how many times do you see borrowers on tv? Like on shows or commercials and things?” Patton asked.

“I suppose fairly frequently, why?” Logan gave him a suspicious glance.

 Patton nodded and ran to get the remote from the coffee table. He placed it in front of Logan. “Can you see the TV okay from here?” Patton asked.

“I suppose.” Logan answered, still confused as to what the human was implying.

 “Great! Now, uh, just go ahead and turn it on. Flip through some channels. You’ll see what I mean.” Patton said, sitting back and out of the way so Logan could see the TV better.

Logan did as was requested. Just as Patton had hinted, there were no borrowers present on screen. Logan had to give this LARP session credit for taking the time to create false advertisements.

“Yes yes, very clever.” Logan turned the television off. “Can I go home now? I wish to take no part in this.”

 Patton deflated. “You still don’t believe me?” Well, this was one stubborn borrower.

“Look, clearly you want my participation, but I will not indulge you.” Logan narrowed his gaze. “How did you bring me here? Where is Roman? What occurred last evening?”

 Patton put his hands up at all the questions. “Now wait a second. I don’t have anything to do with this! I didn’t bring you here and if I knew where your friend was, I would tell you.” Patton tried to explain. 

“What’s with the borrower hovel?” Logan gestured back towards the wall. “And the secrecy? And the cell phone?”

 “Well, that’s where Virgil lives.” Patton explained. “And I’m trying to tell you. There isn’t anything wrong with my phone. And before Virgil, I never even knew borrowers existed. And that hasn’t changed for anyone else.”

“You keep mentioning this ‘Virgil’.” Logan realized. “Where is he? Perhaps he has some answers as well.”

 “Well, he should be around. But I don’t really have a way to contact him. He usually just comes and goes when he pleases.” Patton would never even think about keeping Virgil here against his will. They both were perfectly happy with the arrangement they set up.

“Ah, yes, the ‘wild borrower’ act.” Logan rolled his eyes. For a moment, he had forgotten this tedious charade. “Well when does he usually appear? Where can I find him?”

 “Uh, you can look in the walls? That’s where he lives, anyway. And he never leaves the building.” That’s what Virgil had told him, anyway.

“I’m not about to traverse the walls, my clothes will become soiled.” Logan wrinkled his nose in disgust. 

 “Well, you could wait then? He usually shows up by dinner time, at the latest.” Patton said with a shrug, not knowing what else to do. It was also weird hearing a borrower talk about not wanting to go into the walls. When they lived there.

“I...suppose.” Logan relented. He was certainly against the idea of waiting around here so long, already missing Roman, but it seemed this human wasn’t going to provide him with any answers.

 “Great! So, uh, I guess until then...breakfast?”