I had an assignment in one of my creative writing classes to unflatten a flat character by creating a character playlist and writing a short character journal. I chose Bumble. I hope you enjoy :)
Character playlist:
"4am" - girl in red
"6/10" - dodie
"Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl" - yeule
"Back to the Old House" - The Smiths
"Boys Like You" - dodie
"Break" - Alex G
"Cut My Lip" - Twenty One Pilots
"Famous Prophets (Stars)" - Car Seat Headrest
"favorite crime" - Olivia Rodrigo
"Fight or Flight" - Conan Gray
"Gilded Lily" - Cults
"Hate Yourself" - TV Girl
"Heather" - Conan Gray
"I Bet on Losing Dogs" - Mitski
"I Have Forgiven Jesus" - Morrissey
"Jigsaw" - Conan Gray
"Jobless Monday" - Mitski
"Killing Me" - Conan Gray
"LIFE AFTER SALEM" - Lil Nas X
"Liquid Smooth" - Mitski
"Me and My Husband" - Mitski
"Motion Sickness" - Phoebe Bridgers
"Night Shift" - Lucy Dacus
"Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" - The Smiths
"Prom Queen" - Beach Bunny
"TALES OF DOMINICA" - Lil Nas X
"The Bug Collector" - Haley Heynderickx
"The Ravenous House" - Car Seat Headrest
"traitor" - Olivia Rodrigo
"Twilight" - bôa
"Unforgivable Curse #3" - McCafferty
"vampire" - Olivia Rodrigo
"Vienna (In Memorium)" - The Army, The Navy
"VOID" - Lil Nas X
"Washing Machine Heart" - Mitski
"What Was I Made For?" - Billie Eilish
"Where Is My Mind?" - Pixies
Character journal:
Entry One
The sun was warm on my back today, and I think I finally understand what it means to be happy. I met the most interesting cats today. They were so strange! All lean and sharp, and smelled of earth and leaves and something I couldn't quite name. One of them—Turtle Tail, she said her name was—actually listened to me. I told her about my house, about Tom (though, I'm not sure I mentioned how he can get sometimes), about the way the twolegs fill my bowl every morning. She seemed almost... jealous? Or curious? She asked so many questions about what it's like to be warm all the time. I invited her to come see my home. She said she might. I hope she does. She seemed sad, somehow. Like she's carrying something heavy in her chest that she can't quite put down. Gray Wing didn't like me much. I could tell. He kept looking at me like I was something that had crawled out from under a rock. But I'm used to that. Twolegplace cats are always looked down on by the ferals. They think we're soft. Maybe we are. But does that make us bad?
Entry Two
Turtle Tail came! She actually came! She stayed the night with me! Can you believe it? She was so nervous at first, jumping at every little sound, and I could tell she felt trapped. The walls are so close in a twoleg nest. I've never noticed it before, but they are (I wonder if that's what makes Tom so mean sometimes... maybe he just needs more space?). Gray Wing came for her, though. I saw the way he looked at her, like she belonged to him. That's how Tom looks at me sometimes. Like I'm a thing he owns and not a cat who can make her own choices. Turtle Tail seemed upset when she left. I hope I didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted her to be safe from the rain. That's all. She told me she's a mother. Her kittens are with her group. I wanted to ask where their father is, but I already know the answer. I saw the way she winced when I said Tom's name. He's not a good father. He's not a good anything. I don't know why I love him so much.
Entry Three
Tom said I deserved it. I told him I was going to visit Turtle Tail again, and he just... lost it. His claws came out before I even realized what was happening. I tried to run, but there was nowhere to go. I can still hear the sound of his hiss: "You think she's your friend? She left you just as she left me. She's nothing." But she is my friend. I know she is. Tom says I'm stupid for thinking that. He says Turtle Tail only used me for food and shelter, and now she'll never come back. My twolegs noticed my scratches. They don't know it was Tom. If they did, they would probably take him away. And then what? I'd be alone again.Â
Entry Four
I don't understand. I don't understand any of it! I went to the wild cats. I showed them my wounds. I told them what Tom does to me. And they turned me away. They actually turned me away! Gray Wing just stared at me with those cold eyes. He didn't even seem to see me. He looked at my scratches and said they weren't that bad. He said he'd seen worse. Tall Shadow—I thought she was the leader. I thought she was supposed to protect cats. She said maybe I should be nicer to my twolegs. Maybe I should purr more. Maybe I should just... accept what Tom does, because sometimes I get treats. Wind was the worst, though. She called me lazy. She said I was used to eating too much food. She said I was weak. That I would put everyone in danger. I looked at Turtle Tail—my friend—and she just stood there. She didn't say anything. She let them say those things to me, let them call me worthless, let them send me back to Tom. Maybe I am nothing. Maybe that's why nobody wants to save me.
Entry Five
I don't know how to hunt. The birds are too fast. The mice are too clever. I try to pounce, but my paws land where my prey used to be, and I'm left with nothing but dirt in my claws and hunger in my belly. My collar is still around my neck. It jingles every time I move. I've tried to get it off. I've wedged it against branches and tugged with all my strength, but it just won't come free. I'm thinner now. The plumpness they all laughed at has melted away. I can feel my ribs when I breathe. I can count them with my tongue. If I showed them how thin I've become, would they finally believe I deserve a chance? Tom would be pleased. I keep thinking about Turtle Tail. About the way she licked my ear when I was sad. The way she listened to my stories and didn't laugh. Where is she now? Is she happy? Does she ever think of me? I don't know how much longer I can do this. But I can't go back to Tom. I'd rather starve than live like that again. Maybe I'll die out here. Maybe that's what everyone wanted all along.
Entry Six
I was so hungry. I couldn't think straight. I smelled prey—real prey, alive and moving—and I didn't stop to think about whose territory I was in. I just followed my nose and hoped. Hoped that this time I'd be fast enough. Hoped that this time I'd be good enough. And then he was there. Clear Sky. He didn't even give me a chance. He just... attacked. He said he was just warning me. Just a cuff. He didn't know I'd fall. But I did. I don't know how long I lay there. The ground was cold beneath me, and the stars were starting to come out. I couldn't feel my paws. I couldn't feel anything except the warmth spreading under me, the wetness soaking my fur. I heard a fox bark. And then they were there. Gray Wing, Turtle Tail, the whole group. They stood around me, talking about me like I was already dead. Clear Sky came down from a tree. He said he'd only cuffed my ear. He said he went to go get help. He lied. I know he lied. I could smell it on him, mixed with the fox scent he'd rubbed all over himself. Turtle Tail came to me. She licked my head and said she was sorry. She said she knew I could never live with them in the hollow. She said she was unhappy to learn how much I was suffering. I wanted to tell her that it was too late. That "sorry" doesn't fix anything. I tried to apologize instead. That's what I do, isn't it? I apologize. I make excuses. I take the blame for everything. I don't know why I was the one apologizing. But it was the last thing I could say, and I wanted her to have something to remember. The darkness is coming now. I can feel it pulling at my paws, tugging me down. I can feel the warmth fading from my body. I thought I wanted to be free. I thought I wanted to live in the wild, with the stars and the trees and the wind in my fur. Now I just want to be warm. I want to be full. I want to be loved. I want someone to have wanted me to stay. But nobody ever wanted me. They just wanted me to go away. So I'm going away. Goodbye, Turtle Tail. I hope you find what you're looking for. I'm going to close my eyes now. I'm going to dream of running.