#[ ANYWAYS!! hope you're all doing good guys! ]

[bamboo-muse]

I feel the problem is they have been loved unconditionally for a very long long long fucking time and the constant issue is not holding strong in driving home that their actions have consequences. "Boys will be boys" mentality.

You don't get a "good boy" head pat when you constantly spew that you think all other marginalized groups are subhuman.

People have tried countless times to hold the conversation for them to change or realize the fault in their hate and will turn around and scream and threat how unacceptable the left is.

And here we are.

They have voted for a monster who they know is fucked up, who they know is a monster, who will hurt so many, and have said they agree with his policies, but think the politics don't matter and believe left leaning people should still be their family and friends.

"Hey I voted for the guy who will forcibly peel off your rights regarding your body(your body my choice hurr hurr), but maybe you could be like my friend still? Or like a pet? Wait you don't want to serve me like that? Oh you don't think you should serve me? You think I'm a monster too? That's not very woke of you."

No, you get consequences, you get cut off.

You were begged and pleaded with to vote for good change, but because you weren't the center of attention -because you're the little shit trying to blow out someone else's birthday candles YOU SMASHED THE FUCKING CAKE AND ARE LICKING THE VISCERA OFF OF YOU FUCKING KNUCKLES WHILE ALSO CRYING THERES NO CAKE ANYMORE LIKE WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

Fuck you and your mommy am I good boy? BULLSHIT

You knew the wrong move and fucking did it anyway because the insatiable greed to be patted on the back for fake conscience.

You chose hate.

You chose "I'm sorry if you think I hurt you" instead of "I'm sorry I understand what I did upset you and I will work to change that, what can I do to fix this?"

That is why your family, friends, and others are cutting you off.

You're hateful and unsafe.

You prioritized your greed and comfort over their lives.

AND YOU EXPECT A FUCKING "THANK YOU" HUG AND KISS?!

I hope you get what you voted for, you monster.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[tsukii0002]

Imagine that Mc, who makes fun of the brothers for being so dramatic when they don't see each other for a while, thinks that they are not like that when it comes to being away from them for a while. So for a reason like exam time, delivering a major project at work or whatever reason, Mc has to spend some time in the human world with hardly any contact with their demons. (If you like the temporality with respect to the original story this would happen after Mc can travel freely from one world to another, after season 4 of OM, when they gets used to being with their demons every day, even if it's only for 5 minutes).

One day

Mc: It is incredible that there can be so much silence and so much tranquility, ha, ha in the end this is going to be good for me.

Two days

Mc: Well, at this pace of work I'll finish ahead of schedule… not bad, but it's a little strange that nobody “bothers” you.

One week

Mc: *eating* I've made too much food… Beel is not here… well, I don't have to cook again for five days.

Two weeks

Mc: *sitting in the living room* How quiet…. what will they be doing?, I hope they didn't get into too much trouble….

One month

Mc: …

Mc: Damn, it's not normal to feel so sad if it's only been a month…*sighing* well I'm just as dramatic… I miss them…

Returning to the Devildom

Mc: *hugging the first demon they see*

Satan: Mc?

Mc: I missed you…

Satan: *blushing as he hugs them* Us too.

Mammon, Asmo and Levi appear running down the corridor and embrace Mc.

Mammon: You're back!!!!

Asmo: Oh, honey, I've missed you so, so much!!!

Levi: Don't go away again for so long ever, ever!!

Mc: *about to cry without understanding why* It's your fault!!! I can't live peacefully anymore if I don't have you around!!!!

Mammon: *moved* Mc!!!!

Mc: I hate you.

Asmo: We love you too, hon!!!

.

.

I managed to fix my phone without losing my data!! 🎉 , so for a week I have been feeling a little bit like this, missing the guys, they are really part of my daily routine together with studying, work or doing chores, even if it's just 5 minutes to do the daily tasks. Anyway, all this to say that I'm back🩷.

.

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[dr-flipflops]

OOC: Will's Lonely 18th Birthday people, as per Cresent's request. - @permetutotheworld @the-eclipse-is-in-me @fukurouonthesea Here we go :) Its sooooooo long, I got so bloody carried away, sorry guys.

*Will left another tray in front of Nico's door, a yellow sticky note on the side*

(what the note said is in italics)

*I hope you've been eating all the food I'm giving you Neeks. Ew- I'm 18 today, EW!!! I'm oooooold :( . I don't have to be a functional adult now do I? Surely, I get a pass for being neurodivergent. I hope you have a nice day INSIDE, please come out. I miss you*

*It had been a week, and Nico was still holed up in the cabin. Will had been denied access, but he'd seen Cresent and Noa go in just fine, heck even CLARISSE gained entrance. It broke something inside Will, but he shrugged it off. They were his family, of course he'd let them in. Will was just an inconvenience he had to put up with, and take care of. He'd known Clarisse for years, Cresent was his sister, and Noa was like his little brother*

*Its fine Solace, come on. Its your birthday. Cheer up. Its fine. Everything's okay.*

*Will's siblings had given him a lovely morning, and the campers who remembered and were the ones who still looked him in the eye had wished him at breakfast. It was nice. But it wasn't the same. Chiron had given him the full day empty, but he had no-one to celebrate with. His siblings all had duties, and they refused to let him work on his birthday. Everyone else was busy too. Will would usually go back to Texas for the week to be with his mother, but with Nico holed up he wanted to stay here*

*Besides, it wasn't like he wanted to celebrate it anyways. The only thing good about it was that he was another year closer to the grave. He didn't know what to do, he wished he could work, that way at least he wouldn't feel so lonely and useless. At least healing gave him a purpose and he felt good after saving someone. At least he'd feel something*

*Will lazily walked through the woods, kicking his feet, cupcake with candle in hand. He made it to his special spot on the coast, where he had the shade of the trees, and a view of the sparkling lake, but could still bask in the sun's rays without it bothering his eyes, not that it had ever in the first place. Wind whistled past, and birds sang, the sun shone golden rays that illuminated the rocks, slick with crashing waves*

*The day was undoubted perfect. Will knew it was curtesy of his father, his way of saying "happy birthday". Will was grateful, but he didn't really feel it*

*The candle glowed bright, Will cupped the cupcake in his hands and held it close*

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to meee.

*Will blew it out gently, and wished that today would be the day Nico would come out, even if it was to just say a simple hello. Tears stung his eyes and he laughed a little*

Guess I'm an adult now. huh. Never thought I'd get here.

*Will leaned back against the rock behind his perch, face tilted up as one or two tears down*

But you always knew, didn't you Lee? You said I'd make it Micheal, you were right it seems.

*Tears choked his throat, he looked up at the trees shadowing him above, and the sun softly shining through the canopies. It was like they were here, he could almost hear their voice. Almost feel the laughter of the younger ones. Gracie would've loved to meet Fay*

I wish you were here. I wish you all were.

*Something shimmer past his head and he looks to see his mother's smiling face*

*Will jolts upright*

MA!!?

Naomi: Hi Billy!!! Aw, my little William has grown up so much, 18 now! I thought you were coming home for your birthday?

Will: You-you remembered?

Naomi: no, I just happened to throw a drachma into the lake on accide- OF COURSE I REMEMBERED WILLY!!! You're my favourite son, I can't believe expect so little of your mother.

Will: Ma, I'm your only son.

Naomi: Even better! No competition. Anyways, how come you aren't home?

Will: Sorry Ma, things happened, and I got caught up in camp.

Naomi: Aw, I wanna see my son! You're officially an adult!

Will *small laugh*: Still can't drink though.

Naomi: You can drink water.

Will *groans*: Maaaaa

Naomi: Oh pish posh. Those Americanos *tuts* we're Spanish William, they don't have to know *winks*

Will *laughs fully for the first time all day*: Maaa!

Naomi *grumbles about Americans, then gives Will a stern look* : You better come home for Christmas William Andrew Solace, and you can tell that Chiron of yours to stick it where the sun don't shine if he says otherwise

Will *laughs again*: Alright, alright ma!!!

Naomi *smiles*: Seriously. Oh look at you my sweet boy. When you were taken from me, you couldn't even tie your laces, now you're 18, all grown up. *sighs*

Will: I'm still your little boy Ma, always

Naomi: Damn right you are! Don't you change a bit Billy. You've got a big heart, you dare lose it and your Abuelo will roll in the grave, and your Abuela will storm over from Spain

Will: Don't worry! I won't :) Even if the reason is my fear of Abuela's ladle.

Naomi: That woman, when she has her hands on a cooking utensil, y'all better run away or run towards the table ready to be stuffed like a Christmas hog.

Will: Yeah.

Naomi: Well, you're only 18 once Willy, I hope you have a good day!

Will *tight smile, hiding the loneliness*: Yep, terrific, look! I got the cupcakes you sent me!!!

Naomi: Aw, *someone gestures off-screen* uh huh, *back to Will* Billy, I'm so sorry, but I'm gonna have to go, there's something wrong with the sound systems, I'm so sorry. I want to talk to you more, after all, my baby is only gonna turn 18 once, its a special day! *bites lip and looks conflicted*

Will *his heart breaks. He was gonna be alone again. He makes a smile*: Its alright Ma, I've got a cupcake to eat after all! *huffs a laugh*

Naomi *blows him a kiss*: Love ya Willy! Happy birthday sweetheart.

Will: Bye-

*Naomi cuts the message*

-Ma.

*Will swallows. He was alone again. His mother had more important things to do, OF COURSE SHE DID SOLACE, SHE HAS A LIFE, grow up Will. Will took the burnt out yellow candle from the cake, and bites into it*

*It tasted like home. Tears brimmed on Will's eyes and warm memories flooded his brain at the chocolate melting in his mouth*

*Memories of Spain- the brightly coloured streamers everyone would hang around. Abuela would be cooking a feast in the kitchen , so Will would wake up to the scents of heaven filling the house and smooches from Ma. He'd bound down the stairs and promptly be told that even though it was his birthday he still had to brush his teeth. Will would get it done as fast as possible, then go and help Ma bake cookies and cupcakes. He'd go outside and immediately be pelted with shouts and cries, hugs and noogies from the neighbourhood kids. Then, after being fed like a king, at night, the family would gather and Will would blow out the candles, and cut the cake to find the clue at the center*

*He'd use the clue to find others to find his gifts, which only then he'd be able to open. The whole procedure from the candles, to the singing, to the cake, to the hunt, to the opening would be filmed. Will's beaming face photographed on his birthday every year*

*Will finished the cupcake, and found a note in the centre. Hollowness that had filled his heart swelled. It was a little heart with a smile, and a "happy birthday Billy". Will smiled through the tears, and he was almost home in Texas with his Ma. But he looked up and the empty lonely came back. He smiled a bit through the tears. At least his Ma had sent him these. Will knew he was going to find other notes in the other cupcakes, he turned the paper over and found another message: "Brush ya teeth Billy"*

*Will laughed, and no one heard*

-----

*That night, Will came back late, his siblings already fast asleep*

*He felt vacant again*

*Nico had decidedly NOT come out. He didn't see Aria's smile all day, and Noa never even said hi. Cresent, as per usual, avoided him*

*Will collapsed into bed, and curled up. Emotionally exhausted*

*He missed home. He missed his Ma. He mourned his life. He mourned the Will Solace he used to be, the one everyone sees, the one everyone wants. Campers look at him, but its not him they see, they see the Will they knew, the Will he'll never live up- hell he doesn't even remember the memories, HE DOESN'T KNOW THAT WILL. He missed Nico. He missed being loved. He missed so much. He hated this overwhelming, all consuming loneliness. It's like his life has been reset, and everyone is treading on eggshells, and he was deserted by those he loved most all over again*

*For his "special day" he sure as hell didn't feel it- DON'T BE SELFISH SOLACE. he felt nothing at all, and while that may be a blessing some days, today he hated it. Hated himself. Hated living*

*When he had gone to pick up Nico's tray he saw that Nico hadn't taken the note. He always took the note. Will didn't bother placing another one with the next tray*

*Something consumed him*

*That night, Will cried himself to sleep*

[liquidstar]

If my mom sees a significant amount of blood she gets lightheaded, and has fainted on some occasions. Once it happened when we were kids, I wasn't there to witness it but I heard the story from my dad. Basically my brothers, around 7 or 8 at the time, were playing outside while my mom was making their lunch, and she accidentally cut her finger. It wasn't anything serious, but it drew a fair bit of blood and she passed out. My dad saw this and rushed over, but he didn't really know what to do so he just sort of started slapping her to wake her up (not recommended, but he had no idea and panicked)

At that exact moment my brothers both came in from playing, and all they saw was our mom unconscious on the floor and our dad slapping her. So, like, without even saying a word to each other they both just INSTANTLY start whaling on him, like, full blown attack mode to defend our mom. Which obviously didn't help the situation, but she did wake up and everything was fine.

Now our dad says that he's actually really glad they attacked him over what they thought was going on, because it means he raised good boys. And I still think that's true, they're very good boys.

[clubsmarties]

He grinned even though she couldn't see him he still did it. "I was getting to the hello just needed to catch you off guard first." His laughter was easy going and flowed like a river. "A National Park, not just any old one. Lassen Volcanic National Park. The meadows were freckled with wildflowers and those lakes are so crystal clear. I mean, I know I wasn't there for the sights but it was refreshing to see a familiar sight to home. Water wise anyway." He sighed and shook his head. "Truly unexpected way to start Monday morning with hearing grab your boots we going hiking. My legs are killing me though."

Hearing Liz on the other side of the call made him smile. He knew he'd missed her but it didn't click just how much until he heard her voice and consequently her teasing banter. He rolled his eyes as he chuckled and sighed. "He wishes he was this cool. Actually, we do have a UFO department did you know that? Fun fact of the night. I may just request a transfer. Thank you for the reminder. Alien life expert." Wally couldn't help but laugh at his own lame joke.

Getting the picture of his pup made him smile as he chuckled and talked to Dolly knowing she could hear him. "There's my precious girl." he cooed and saved the picture. "Thank you again for keeping her company. She looks very happy and very well loved." That pause made him open his eyes and frown. "That bad huh?" He wasn't sure if it was the tone of her voice or that pause that gave it away to him but he picked up on something in her voice. "For what its worth im glad you got my furry best friend to at least get a smile out of you." His dog was good at that. "Timezones you say, huh it's the first I'm hearing about it."

"Oh that tells me you have not had a moment to sit. Manoa Falls? It has a pretty name. Tell me about it. What did you like the most? A guard dog? Has she already found her new calling? Is this your way of breaking it to me? I'm glad that she's been having a ball of a week so far. I hope that when people asked if she was yours you said yes." He wouldn't have minded it either. Dolly took to Liz so he knew the dog liked her.

Wally sighed and knew that cop bullies usually tended to set their sights on a new target, the ones that came after them first. "I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do let me know." Just by the sound of her voice he knew she didn't want to dwell on this so he switched the topic. "Messy for sure. It turned out that the sheriff for the county lost the paperwork so Sunday when I landed had me at the station waiting for seven hours to see one page of a report that someone actually had saved. The rest needed to be requested from the San Diego office. Not only that but they had three suspects that all had alibis but stories didn't align correctly. So, now we have to trace all three of their footsteps. First guy had us at the National Park. The other was the aquarium and the last one which is my least favorite will have us at a strip club talking to some of the employees there. All this because no one thought to pull fingerprints. One deputy touched a bloody cloth with his hands." Wally sighed. "Upside is that they're all cooperating."

"Why are you so sure that Wildfire will hate you? Do you not trust me? If I had a doubt that she'd hurt you I wouldn't even have you consider this. It'll be like when you met Dolly. Wildfire will fall in love with you. Its not hard to do you know?" he rolled his eyes and laughed. "You are always thinking worst case scenarios. A pony? We can put you on ponies but technically Wildfire is a baby. You're scared of a little baby." His laughter wasn't mean spirited just amused. "It is a ranch. Fine we are adding feeding goats to the list. They jump up just FYI."

His sleepy little laughter rung out and nodded against his pillow. "Mhmm. The big old circle isn't there anymore but that's because city didn't let them build it. Said it was too big. But still there." Her laughter made him hum in content as he had forgotten how melodic a sound it was. "It's actually a funny story. The guy you were looking is friends with suspect number two. They just didn't put two and two together until I saw the report."

Wally switched to video as he had missed seeing her face but could use the pretense of seeing Dolly. He smiled sleepily as his eyes were the only thing visible. "They said it was Marilyn Monroe's ghost but I know that's false. She haunts the Roosevelt and we're so far away from that hotel. I think it's a poltergeist, might be, I hear rustling more than I see any figures pop up. I'm not scared," a little lie. "I just don't fuck with them. What if you inadvertently piss them off because you step on their favorite spot on the floor? And then you have one hanging on you and you have no idea how to begin to apologize." Shaking his head his eyes sparkled with amusement as he moved slightly so his long bang would fall to the side inside of on top of his eye. "Do you believe in them?"

" Well, hello to you too." Elizabeth chuckled as she plopped onto her bed before Dolly joined her. It was not like they bothered with greetings most times, but she couldn't help but poke. And it seemed like Dolly could either hear him, could tell by the way she spoke that it was him on the other line, whatever it was she nuzzled against her and looked up towards the phone. As she listened to him, she pet her head and gave her a look that said that she'd let her hear him in a moment once he was done talking. "Tell me where did they take you this time."

When he had left, she thought it would be a bit of freedom, no more him popping up randomly during her day. Or reaching out to bounce ideas off of during a case.

"Okay,Fox Mulder," she teased. "You're not in that department focus on your case."

On day one though, she realized how, lonely quiet, her days were without him. Charlie would check in from time to time as he usually did, but it wasn't the same. She would never admit it of course, but she liked the calls. She hated that he had seen through her lies and had Jamie deliver food when he dropped off Dolly, upset at herself, that he had seen through her stupid lie.

"Great, she's right here actually looks like she's missing you. Here," She took the phone away from her ear for a moment to take a picture of Dolly on the couch and send it his way before returning to the call. "It's been," a pause as she thought it over. "a week."

He was tired, he was babbling about time. "Yea, you know in all my travels I learned about this crazy thing called time zones. Pretty crazy." Hand absentmindedly petting Dolly began to scratch her behind the ears, as she decided to stop being so mean if only for a moment. "What haven't we done? And yeah, I found a new trail, well new to me anyway, Manoa Falls. It's really pretty. Some people thought she was mine and she had the best time on the trail. And a couple of people that came into the office thought she was some new guard dog of sorts." Smiling she looked down at her companion of these last couple of days and nuzzled down against her.

"Oh, him," her mood soured slightly. "It looks like it'll all be settled out of court with everything I provided, but he found a new target to aim his ire at." Sighing, she leaned back into a reclining position with her pillows underneath her. "But tell me about your case. Was it as bad as you thought it was going to be?"

Oh, adventure week. She had forgotten about that. Part of her had hoped he had too. "Not this again. Wildfire will hate me. And there's a first for everything, watch she'd bite my hand." Was she making excuses? Of course. Were they partly true to her fear of anything that she couldn't talk to, convince to see her way or seduce? Damn right. "Why not a pony? Ponies are nice and small, right? Or a goat? You said this was a ranch right? I could feed a goat. Or chickens!"

"Randy's still around?" That drew a laugh from her, she had seen cities change, towns become cities, and other places become living cemeteries, the fact that some things didn't change amused her. Not as much as what he said about a fax and it pertaining to her case. A raised eyebrow, she began to settle into a lying position, finding tiredness sinking through her bones. "You said that they needed you with their case, how could they possibly help me on mine from an ocean away?"

Laying on her side, she cuddled up against Dolly and placed the phone between her and the pillow. She didn't want to think about work and cases anymore. "Tell me about the haunted hallway. Are we talking full poltergeist or spectral nuisance? You never struck me as someone being scared of a little ghost. "

[deoidesign]

.

[teddybeartoji]

i know the bday is coming up when the big gloom hits lmao

[despairforme]

[ I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send Nnoitra a birthday ask yesterday! It was super sweet of you and I had a blast! ;O;// I still have some asks that I got after I went to bed but I will try to get to those today! Thank you for making writing Nnoitra so lovely. I truly love it here! uvu// ]

[mercurial--supernovae]

"And? Not my problem. Never promised either of you would have what the client's looking for, just that if any of it's on the planet you might have some of it based off your little stunt in the news. "

Ya... Sounds like he doesn't care too much about Apollo apparently from the sounds of it no longer having any of the materials that they were after, at least not in a state they would be useful for their purposes.

"Just more of a reason for you to get lost and get out of the way."

He grumbles, dashing behind one of the sets of shelves to dodge the fucking knives. Only for them to land on the other side anyways. Great. Doesn't seem like he wants to get too close while the other was holding the lament, or like the guy even visibly has a weapon on him that isn't the gun currently in his hands.

Which he was now using to block the brunt of the swing. What the fuck were these things even made of?

It's almost like it's questionable why he was the one left to deal with the Exo right now.

Upstairs Bibi can only be thankful at least their webbing provided enough of an irritation to take the blade off them for even a moment.

Any second to breath with the complete and utter onslaught they'd been facing since the moment the two arrived was frankly needed.

The arachnid inches backwards towards one of the windows, in hind sight maybe making a mad dash would have been better seeing one of those storm grenades being brandished the moment this stranger got free.

"Whoa now.. Whatever the fuck.. all.. that is you're dealing with, blowing out the entire god damn floor from underneath us isn't going to be good for anyone involved here. You or Kallex included"

"Might want to take a breath before doing anything rash. Or stupid."

If the device is thrown anyways, Bibi uses all their hands to shoot webbing in hopes to encase the thing and maybe stop it from going off before it hit the floor. Though they had no clue if that'd actually even fucking work.

Apollo gave a derisive snort at the chimera's apparent offer. Not that they planned to hand anything over, but given what his goal was, this was going to be a real fun excuse to kick ass...

The Lament was brought up, a Solar shield keeping the brunt of the damage from sticking, albeit not without a bit of shrapnel or a stray bullet or two grazing their armor. With one arm braced against the flat end of the blade, they procured two Swarm grenades from their pack, and dropped them to their feet.

A quick gambler's dodge to the side, and the SIVA nanites that had begun to swarm the god slayer were met with vicious resistance from the tiny drones that had burst from their dropped artillery.

"Hate to break it to you bud, but you're a bit late to come looking for what I took."

A fan of blazing knives were chucked at Kallex, as the Guardian leapt into the air, kicked down and jumped on top of the fucking air, to get just a bit more distance and land behind the career criminal to then attempt another swipe with the Lament.

Meanwhile, Kallex's new partner was currently having a hell of a time, and was absolutely mentally stable and not having a breakdown in the slightest.

For one, there was now some kind of freaky, glowing webbing restricting movement, and throwing attacks off-balance.

For two, the ONE PERSON this assailant did not need to see again was right down these stairs.

So one might be forgiven for being a bit sloppy with the swordplay at this particular moment, two-handed swipes with Worldline Zero only chipping away at the substance.

"This- was- supposed to be EASY!!!" the warlock swore, each word punctuated with a swipe of the blade. After a concerted, definitely completely collected effort, the Stormcaller was now free.

Free, and holding up another Storm Grenade, ready to be chucked straight to the combatants' feet, unless stopped somehow.

"But you know what?! I am SICK and TIRED of my life going to shit because of that STUPID FUCKING EXO!!!"

Was... was this lightbearer... crying...?

[darklight-owl]

Worst thing the mental illness did was stop me from working on CoU. Absolutely CRIMINAL. You guys could have known who Amala is by now

[oculusxcaro]

SEX VALUES

"I'm not gonna do... that for just anyone. Just... look, just forget I said anything, okay? Can we change the subject?"

Tagged by: @twcfaces (mwah ♡♡) Tagging: If you haven't done this yet, YOU!

[melverie]

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh today I've been constantly experiencing the urge to un-private today-in-the-devildom & start writing for it again

[blackcatxmagic]

Copper hoped that he hadn’t overstepped with Dorothy. After all, he barely knew her, and here he was asking her about her private feelings. But it went against Copper’s nature to ignore someone who was upset, and that was especially true when it was someone he knew, no matter how minimally that may be. Luckily it didn’t seem as though Dorothy was offended. On the contrary, Copper felt like maybe she wanted to talk about it. Nodding, he agreed, “Yeah, and then when those days just keep coming, then everything starts to bleed together; everyday starts to feel the same, and soon you’re not just having a string of bad days. That’s just your life.” For a moment after saying this, Copper just sat there lost in thought; he knew very well what that was like. But then he snapped out of it, saying, “Wow, sorry, I made that really dark, didn’t I?” Copper wasn’t sure how much Dorothy knew about what he’d gone through, but he wasn’t about to bring it up now.

Copper understood what Dorothy met. “Once when I was in college, this guy I sort of knew died. He was gay too, and even though we didn’t know each other that well, when he died, it kind of hit me hard. I think it’s because it already feels like our community - whether it be the gay community, the witch community, or anything else like that - already feels so small, and then it just gets a little smaller when things like this happen.” So yeah, Copper understood exactly what Dorothy meant. 

He hadn’t been sure if Dorothy would know what he was getting at, but at her question, he exclaimed, “Yes!” and smacked his hand against the table. A few people around them looked over in surprise, and Copper mumbled a quick apology to them before turning his attention back to Dorothy, speaking at a normal volume now. "It changed for me too," Copper said quietly. "One minute it was the article about Avalon, and then next..." He trailed off; the memory alone was enough to cause his heart rate to increase, vision suddenly a little blurry as he remembered how he had felt. "Sorry," Copper apologized a moment later once he had himself back under control. "Anyway, the next minute it turned to a picture of me, but like...this grotesque version of me. And the article title became 'we know what you're hiding.' I...didn't handle that well." Copper remembered how he had had to call Aris just to calm down; he didn't know what he'd do without his brother. "Is that what happened to you too?" Copper asked Dorothy.

Dorothy's words felt heavy, ominous even, and Copper shuddered because he agreed. "Yes," he answered simply, his voice quiet, like saying it too loudly would make it too real. "I've thought that ever since that weird storm," he went on. "I had a horrific nightmare that night, and I...I haven't felt right since. Since then, I feel like something is getting closer. It's like I can see it at a distance, and it's becoming clearer with each step in our direction. And though I can't tell what it is, I just know that it's not good."

Dorothy sat quietly for a moment, her gaze flickering over Copper's words as she processed them. His understanding, his empathy - it was something she hadn't expected, but that she was grateful for. There was a gentle sincerity in his voice that made it feel like he wasn't just passing the time with small talk. He got it. And that made her feel a little less alone in her frustration. "Yeah, it’s…" Dorothy sighed, shaking her head as she felt completely speechless for a moment. The warmth of his understanding was comforting, but it wasn’t enough to calm the storm swirling inside her. "It’s hard," she agreed, her voice quiet but steady. "I know what you mean about those days stretching out. It’s like… like you wake up and it’s not even one bad day. It’s a string of them, and before you know it, it feels like it’s been weeks."

The mention of Avalon had her pausing for a moment, and a weight seemed to settle in her chest. It wasn’t just one thing, but the whole mess - Avalon’s death, the chaos surrounding it, the memories of terrible moments in her past that it reminded her of, the strange silence that had followed, and that damn newspaper... It was all tangled up inside her, pulling at her and making it hard to breathe. Dorothy was surprised by how quickly Copper had pinpointed that it was connected to Avalon - he was right, and even more scarily correct at the mention of the newspaper. Surely he couldn't have meant...

"Yeah, Avalon…" Dorothy finally said, hesitance soaked up in her tone of voice, her head nodding slowly. "It's always going to be hard to lose someone in the community, especially someone who I practically grew up beside, even if we weren't ever the closest," Dorothy's eyes flitted back up to finally meet Copper's again. "But it's also... It's a whole string of things that comes after it, and after..." did Copper have the same experience with the newspaper? Or was he talking about something entirely different? Hesitantly, Dorothy decided that she needed to find out. "The newspaper, when I was reading about Avalon... Did you see something wrong with it?" She questioned, specific enough for it to make sense if Copper had had the same experience, but vague enough to later brush off if that wasn't the case.

Her own words hung heavy in the air, and Dorothy shook her head, trying to gather herself. The vulnerability she felt was strange - she wasn’t used to letting people see her struggle, but something about Copper’s quiet, steady presence made it easier. Almost comforting, in a strange way as Dorothy was so used to relying on the same specific people, or else bottling up all of her troubles. "I don’t know if it’s just me overthinking things, but I can’t help but feel like something's happening in town, and… I’m not sure if it’s just the grief making everything harder to see straight or if there’s really something more to all of this." Dorothy gave Copper a searching look, her voice quieter now but with a clear sincerity. "But I appreciate you asking. I guess, maybe, it’s just helpful to talk about it with someone who doesn’t think I’m crazy for wondering..."

[coollyinterferes]

*taps mic; a certain gentleman is standing right beside him*

"Good evenin', everyone!! We're back!! Hope you didn't miss us much!"

"It sure hasn't been that long.... has it....?"

Uhhmmm....

[crescentfool]

i think something that is important to me to remember is that there are small ways i can do things to spark joy for myself and others without waiting for someone else to do it... (conjures up little sparklies from my hands) life is so whimsical!!!

[byanyan]

the amount I've been hoarding away some of the memes I've seen on the dash over the last week or so is so not okay for someone with as many drafts as me ashfjdh