oceanview || ❝ made a promise i'm coming out alive. ❞

[outlierdirector]

OCEANVIEW III

and now i'm wide awake.

Oh, I died like a million times.
Through the waves, I break
The nightmares finally over CODE BY TESSISAMESS

Comments

[crazyisinevitable]

[ Jesse's deductions concerning Scratch would be correct, although the dark entity would most certainly frame them in another way. He has to be resourceful, clever, and smarter than Alan, because Alan's grasp of words and writing is better than his. Not that he ever admits to Alan being better at anything. No, Scratch is superior to Alan in every way, even with that tiny little flaw that really isn't a flaw at all.

Words can be useful, but Scratch can use more than just words to get what he wants. And of course, Alan is lacking in the charm department, whereas Scratch very much isn't.

A smooth, almost smarmy smile spreads across his face just seconds before he presses his mouth to hers. It's a hungry kiss, a desiring, almost devouring one. Even when he feels the push from Polaris, he pushes back even harder. There's no room for Polaris in this equation; he just wants Jesse, wants to pull her over to his side, to have her join him in the dark.

But if having Jesse was as simple as just overwhelming her with darkness, well, the fun of the fight would be lost. He lurches backwards just an inch or two as he feels Jesse pushing him away with the help of the cursed Polaris. Still, his lips remain curled up in a smile. She's powerful and strong and he wants her more because of it.

Even when she drags him with her so that she's standing in the light again, that smile doesn't go away. ]

I just love seeing you like this. The power, the strength, it's all there in spades. But don't think about it as drowning you out: think about it as making you stronger. You can be stronger-!

[ He's cut off by her pulling him into a kiss, and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Whatever he was expecting from her, it wasn't that, but he's bought what she's selling.

He leans in to deepen the kiss, and a dark kind of light gleams in his eyes as he drinks in the feel of her. If darkness begins to leak in through their contact, then that's for the best. That's what he wants, to lure her over with promises of strength and power and becoming better than the fools who let their emotions dictate everything. Emotions have their place, but power is better.

With Jesse with him, he imagines they could do anything they wanted, and no one could stop them, although they could certainly try.

While Scratch is reveling in what he sees as his triumph, Alan's fear is growing. He's struggling to hold on and keep fighting what he feels is a losing battle. The waves are too strong and the darkness too thick, and he doesn't have the strength to fight back. He feels that urgent ripple as it travels to him through Polaris, and that sense of terror only rises.

Something bad is going on above the surface but he's powerless to do anything about it.

A voice breaks through the darkness, and Alan's head snaps up in search for the source of the voice. He can't see anything, just the hand he's desperately clinging to, but he knows that voice, and he knows he doesn't like how it sounds. Terror falls over him again and he very nearly lets go of the hand he's holding onto, as the urge to just clasp his head and relinquish his fragile hold rises.

I don't want to let go, but- Polaris, what can I do?

He can't help, not like this, not when he's narrowly avoiding drowning in the waves. Damn it, what can I do? Polaris, what's happening? Is- Is Jesse...? He fears the worst, but he can't know for sure what's going on unless he asks. ]

[outlierdirector]

Didn't we go over this? I don't want power. I don't want the spotlight. You know what I want. Those things don't replace or are accepted in place of what that is. You're sure you're better than Alan? He could understand that at the very least. [ Jesse says the words lowly against his mouth as they break the kiss to breathe. Her eyes are locked onto his with that look of luring him to her. Hands leave his face to rest on his shirt and tug him closer. Polaris rings in her ears. Loudly. Threatening to make her nose bleed. ] Have you ever thought about what could happen if you worked with a complimentary entity instead of dominating it?

[ « Not that you two compliment each other in ANY way. I just need to see how far we can take this. How far Scratch will indulge in this before he catches onto everything. One shot. That's all we have with this. Justz keep trusting me. Okay? »

Polaris shifts but it's clear her best friend doesn't agree with the choice of action.

Jesse leans forward, placing her weight against him. Her mouth still close enough so her lips brush over his as she speaks. ]

I don't care about your power. Show me how much you love me. How much more you apparently do than Alan does.

[ « Fat chance with that one. »

Polaris' shimmer is once again around the hand gripping tightly. A waver of power waning as the Dark Presence continues to try and push against Polaris--push against Alan. Drown them both. ]

｟ Letting go is giving up. Drowning. The Writer will drown. Grow brighter. ｠

[crazyisinevitable]

Wait, wait, wait. I know this. I know what you really want. I know what you want because you thought you found it when you met him, but here's the thing: he'll never be able to give you what you want.

You wanted to meet someone like you, someone who sees the world the way you do. You see how the world really is, when other people can't or won't. What's that thing you always say? The poster on the wall? I can see what's behind the poster. I know what you've seen, what you've been through, and what you can do, and I celebrate all of it.

Yeah, you're right, you don't need power. You have enough power already, but what you're looking for is just... acceptance. I can give you that.

I'll admit, I haven't thought about that, but I'm willing to do it now. I'm willing to do it with you.

[ At least judging from the look on Scratch's face, he thinks he means every word he's saying. There isn't even a fraction of doubt anywhere on his face, and his tone seems resolute enough. ]

All right, I'll show you.

[ He leans in closer, and one hand moves to rest behind her head, while the other reaches for her hand. He leans in even more, and his lips brush against hers. First, it's just a brush, light and barely there, but then, slowly, he begins to deepen the kiss. There's a hunger in his movements, maybe a hunger that's reminiscent of how Alan kisses her.

Alan, meanwhile, is even more desperate than before. He's sinking, drowning, slipping further away, and he's not sure how much longer he can hold on.

It's so dark. I can't- I can't see. I can barely hear you.

...Is this it?

Alan's fingers curl slightly as if trying to desperately hold on, but he's beginning to feel like this might be it for him. He'll lose his grip for good, and he'll drown in the darkness just like the Dark Presence has always wanted.

I don't want this to be the end... ]

[outlierdirector]

[ A small part of her does truly wonder if what she is looking for could ever be possible with Alan Wake. That doubt, mistrust, paranoia. Except, Jesse knows that the Dark Presence is trying to exploit that. Scratch is trying to exploit it. She isn't going to let him do that.

Jesse doesn't remark that Scratch is what's behind the poster. Not every poster, but, the poster at Bright Falls. He's one in the same with the Dark Presence isn't he? That means he's the scary monster people pretend not to see but really know exists out in the Lake. An eyebrow lofts instead. ]

You really think you know what I've been through?

[ « Alan doesn't even know all of it. » ]

Let's see if you're just hot air.

[ Her heart skips a beat as he deepens the kiss. Of course, it's still not the same as when Alan kisses her. It mimics his kisses if anything. Even while she knows that and it's apparent? She still feels her heart skip that beat. Fingers thread in her red hair. She kisses him back, demanding that he show he's not just the spooky monster from the other side of the Lake.

Not that he's more than that.

The hand around Alan's tightens further. Enough to press the nails into his skin to wake him up. A shock, a shout. Polaris tries to project into his mind--his sense of self. If Alan gives up now, then Scratch will take all of him. He'll become Alan Wake. He'll take his life, his career, his works... and the woman he loves. ]

｟ GROW BRIGHTER. ｠

[crazyisinevitable]

[ Scratch pauses for a moment, because she's got him there. ]

All right, no, I don't know what you've been through. Sure, I know some of it, but I don't know the whole story, and I don't have to know it, unless you want to tell me. You can tell me, you know.

[ Scratch might be just the spooky monster on the other side of the poster, but when he's kissing Jesse, even he has to admit that the feeling of it and all the sensations leave him almost weak at the knees. And that's not something he'd ever say out loud, but it's the effect kissing her is having on him.

Alan, meanwhile, is still desperately fighting to stay afloat. At this point, it might as well be him trying to stay alive while the darkness tries to strangle him. All of his senses seem muted and blocked, and he can barely feel the hand that's holding onto his, or the nails digging into his skin. It's there, but it's barely registering as a sensation. Everything seems dark, covered by darker waves, and Alan can't even see his own hand in front of his face.

That is, until he hears Polaris's voice in his mind, and suddenly, everything around him is blasted with bright light.

Scratch, sensing that not everything is how it was a minute ago, suddenly pins Jesse with a stare. ]

Now, now, you're not doing any funny business, are you?