Insomnia

[celebratory]

the i n s o m n i a meme
It happens to everyone - sometimes, you have nights where you just can't fall asleep, no matter what you do. It could be for a number of reasons, or no reason at all. And this is what's happened now: you've been laying in bed for what feels like hours, just tossing and turning, and nothing seems to help. So what's left to do? Get out of bed and go wake someone else up, of course. If you're not getting any sleep, then why should they?


i n s t r u c t i o n s
• Post with your character (note the name and fandom in the subject).
• Other people reply to you by generating a number from 1 to 10.
• Have fun!


o p t i o n s

01 • FEAR.

Maybe you're hearing strange, indeterminable noises; maybe there's a severe storm happening outside; maybe you watched a scary movie before bed? Whatever the reason, you're terrified and it's keeping you awake. You just want to wake someone else up so they can protect you from the monster in your closet.

02 • HUNGER.

Your stomach is growling and it just won't stop. Or perhaps your throat is so dry you could cough up a tumbleweed? Well, you've gone to the kitchen to remedy this and hey, that was a pan that just dropped on the floor. It was loud enough to wake the dead! Oops.

03 • PAIN.

Your body is completely worn out, be it from exercise, battle, sickness, or what have you. Either way you're in enough pain to keep you from sleeping, so maybe someone else has a home remedy or something, or can at least help you take your mind off of it.

04 • SOLITUDE.

For some reason, your bed just feels so empty at the moment. You're feeling terribly lonely and really just want someone to keep you company for a while. Maybe it'd be easier to fall asleep if you're with them...

05 • DISCOMFORT.

Your room is an oven. Either that or a freezer. Or maybe this bed is just really uncomfortable? Who knows why you can't get to sleep, it feels like it could be anything. Why even bother trying? Maybe someone else can preoccupy you until you feel tired enough to ignore your discomfort.

06 • PENSIVE.

Something's on your mind, and no matter how hard you try to focus elsewhere, it's just not going to work. Your body may be tired, but your mind is incredibly busy and it's virtually impossible to get to sleep. Surely, talking it out with someone else will help?

07 • SADNESS.

Something terrible has happened that day, perhaps; or you could just be severely depressed. Either way you're trying your hardest not to cry yourself to sleep, and it's not working at all. Better find a way to get it out of your system somehow; you need a shoulder to cry on.

08 • ANGER.

You are just... fuming. Who knows why - that annoying dog is barking again, or maybe the people next door are getting busy and keeping you awake. Whatever the reason for your ire is, you'd better put an end to it so you can get some damn rest already! Go wake up a friend so you can complain to them.

09 • RESTLESS.

You're far too energetic to sleep right now. Maybe you're just trying to do so out of necessity - you have to be up early tomorrow! But you just don't think you'll be able to fall asleep for a while now, so why waste the time trying to sleep when you could be doing something else? Namely bothering someone else - you're totally jealous because they're getting more sleep than you.

10 • WILDCARD.

Choose one of the options above, or make up your own scenario.

Comments

[secondcatch]

[Getting into specifics about her night, she's not wrong. Not that Will has always stayed on the letter side of the law himself in order to get his job done. There are shades of gray that he operates in and he knows she does too, but neither of them veer too much to openness with regards to details. Still, he accepts her answer with a nod even if he hadn't intended it to be more than a vague response at most. She's alive and he doesn't see any visible injuries, he'll take it.]

I can't believe there's still a late night diner I'm trying for the first time, but I'm not complaining about it. I'd probably be bummed if I ever did run out of them.

[pilfeline]

Let's hope there's plenty left for you to discover. Is there a time crunch on this case of yours or is it just not letting you sleep?

[ If it's cold, she imagines a night of sleep might not change things too much one way or the other, but she also knows he gets really swallowed up by his work. ]

[secondcatch]

Just not letting me sleep. But I'm not much of a sleeper, anyway.

[If it isn't a present case, often it's a past one, or worrying about the next. Quieting his mind has never been a trick he's learned, so instead he simply has adapted ways to survive on little sleep and filling in his time with other activities.

He takes a sip of the coffee, the bitterness tasted on his tongue and the warmth pleasant throughout him.]

So, do you have any specific activities you do when you can't sleep? Warm milk, reading, trolling online...

[The last suggestion is meant as a joke.]

[pilfeline]

[ And it does get a quiet chuckle out of her. ]

I hang out with my cats. Doomscroll on my phone. If it's really bad I head outside. Roam the city like an alley cat.

[secondcatch]

The cats and roaming sounds nice. I'm pretty much the same, except replace cats with dogs and just wandering around any green or forested areas I can find rather than alleys.

[pilfeline]

How many dogs do you have?

[secondcatch]

Seven. Thankfully, I have a lot of land just outside the city for them. Also helps keep neighbors from being too friendly when they're not that close.

[pilfeline]

That's hilarious, I have seven cats! And sounds like living at your place is a good life for a dog.

[secondcatch]

[That earns a little laugh from him.]

Thankfully, I also like cats. Although if I ever meet yours and come home smelling like them, it might be seen as an act of betrayal.

Yeah, I wouldn't take them in if I couldn't give them what they need. They give me back just as much, you know?

[pilfeline]

I do know. My place isn't actually big enough for that many, only four of them are there to stay forever. Working on finding new homes for the other three but I figure being with me is still better than nothing, you know? At least they're safe, and fed.

Hopefully your dogs won't hold the permanent cat smell against me if I ever meet them.

[secondcatch]

It's better than nothing to foster them, yeah. I'll ask around, see if I know anyone interested in giving one a forever home. The four that are yours to stay, do they have names?

Little trick, if you bring anything with peanut butter, they'll look past just about anything to be your friend.

[pilfeline]

Really? Thank you, that's such a huge help!

They all have names, mine are Isis, Hecate, Julio and Otto. The other three are Slinky, Miss Kitty and Diablo for now.

I'll remember about the peanut butter. I'm definitely not above bribery.

[secondcatch]

Of course, I'm happy to help. I'll put the word out in my classes. One of my students or someone they know might be wanting a furry friend.

Good names. I hope Diablo lives up to theirs. Mine are Buster, Winston, Ellie, Max, Harley, Jack, and Zoe.

Likewise. Are yours big fans of tuna wet treats?

[pilfeline]

He's actually the biggest cuddlebug of them all but he looks super mean, so I started calling him that as a joke.

Tuna wet treats would definitely make you a hit with the gang.

[secondcatch]

Ah, he's got permanent resting mad face?

I'll stock up the next time I'm at the pet store.

[pilfeline]

Yup, and he's had a rough life so he looks pretty messed up in general.

You'll charm them in no time.

[secondcatch]

He reminds me of that one poem by Charles Bukowski. "The History of One Tough Motherfucker." It's about a cat who had so much shit happen to him but who survived. And subsequently, about how a spirit in general can prevail through endurance and determination.

[pilfeline]

I don't read a lot of poetry but that sounds like one I'd enjoy.

[secondcatch]

[He finds the poem online and sends the link to her in a text.]

I don't get the chance to read as much as I'd like, but that poem's always stuck out to me.

[pilfeline]

[ That's sort of adorable. She reads it over right away, smiling. ]

Definitely my kind of poem. What do you like to read, when you do?

[secondcatch]

Am I typecasting myself if I admit that I like to read mysteries? I also like historical fiction.

[pilfeline]

No, I think that's a bit of a surprise actually. I'd think they'd be too unrealistic or inaccurate for you or something.

Do you always solve the mystery before the book reveals it?

[secondcatch]

Depends on how well-written the mystery is. A lot of them are bad red herrings and gotcha moments that don't make much sense. I can't predict those when they make a switcheroo at the last second that didn't have any build up to it. I guess I like it when they get a good atmosphere for the stories though, and I do like a mystery where there's justice in the end. I can put up with a lack of some logic for a good tale in other respects.

[pilfeline]

Not a whole lot of mysteries with justice at the end out in the real world, is there?

[secondcatch]

Not enough, at least.