#feel free to lmk what you think

[monowires]

i’ve written almost 1k words since yesterday afternoon!! crazy what deleting c.ai did for me wtf

anyway here’s some early act 2 akoryrr wanting gale to comfort him

at this point in his canon, ako isn’t in an established/defined relationship, but he’s still got Things going on with astarion and gale. he’s been sexually involved with astarion quite a few times by now and there is some Unacknowledged Emotional Attachment in both of them, but with gale it’s basically the opposite. it’s a dichotomy i love a lot akdndjsjd and even though astarion isn’t explicitly in this piece it’s fun to explore the dynamic of the relationship

anyway here you go. this shit is raw and unedited

It was getting bad. He was cognizant enough to know that much. It’d been a while since he’d had an attack this intense, which meant that he wasn’t used to dealing with them. And that, of course, only worsened his panic, and his thoughts of that distant Underdark cellar were quickly replaced with the panicked thoughts of perceiving himself to be near death. For the first time that he could remember, he wanted someone to be there with him—wanted them to see his vulnerability for all that it was and still choose to take him into their arms and hold his pieces together until he could do it himself. He hated vulnerability, but he hated being alone even more, regardless of how much he’d tried to convince himself that he didn’t need anyone but himself.

He didn’t want to be alone now, not when his mind was his own worst enemy. He wanted comfort, safety, and warmth—he wanted Gale.

[thedeadthree]

-ˋˏ .·:·. ⊱ 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐄𝐈𝐋𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐛𝐲 @pavus — day one: 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞.

— 𝐈𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐑 . 𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐈 𝐃𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀 . 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄.

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐒. 𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐎𝐘 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐒.

— 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 (mutuals can opt in/out via 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 <3):

@loriane-elmuerto, @carrionsflower, @auricfog, @girliefailure, @sunsofdawn

@risingsh0t, @griffin-wood, @lilywatt, @full---ofstarlight, @grapecaseschoices

@tommyarashikage, @shadowsofrose, @shadowglens, @weisshaupts, @queennymeria

@deadrlngers, @d-esmond, @courtana, @gothimp, @wlwaerith

@unholymilf, @aezyrraeshh, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @shellibisshe, @florbelles

@celticwoman, @neonshrike, @cloudofbutterflies92, @adelaidedrubman, @carlosoliveiraa

@pinkfey, @spookyrares, @yharnams, @aceghosts, @confidentandgood

@theelderhazelnut, @leviiackrman, @ellierenae, @anoras, @lavampira

@dialdrunk, @full---ofstarlight, @imogenkol

[paintpanic]

This week's doodle sheets! There's... a lot of different stuff going on here. 😅

[crouching-mouse]

Ok you guys, it's apple season and this is the time of year when I become an unpaid shill for Sweetango apples

I discovered these a few years ago when I was trying out different apple varieties. I like to cut up apples and snack on them; I usually have at least half an apple per day. I was tired of Galas (my go-to at the time), had tried Envy (too sweet), Honeycrisp (too inconsistent and sometimes bitter??), and a few others that just didn't do it for me.

I brought home some Sweetangos and they blew my freaking mind. They taste just like apple cider. They have a thin skin with a nice snap when you bite into it. The flesh is the perfect consistency of firm but easily chewable. They're a good balance between sweet and tart. Did I mention they taste EXACTLY like apple cider??

The catch is that they're only in season from late September to maybe mid-December, and not all stores seem to carry them. I've found them at Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Trader Joe's myself, though it may be different in your area. If you're even a casual apple-snacker, you gotta try these things. I rave about them to everyone I know IRL so it seems only fair I do the same to my followers.

[robo-dino-puppy]

horizon forbidden west | scorpion!

[oatmilk-vampire]

steddie suspense for my lovelies <3 tw: panic attack, mention of death // ~700 words

-

Steve feels the exact moment the blood drains from his face.

Of course his mind would find a way to ruin this, using an innocent conversation between the two of them against him to prove he will never be okay.

“Did you give ‘em hell, baby?” Eddie had asked with a crooked grin when Steve was talking about the unruly customers he had to deal with earlier.

He bites his cheek hard as the lights flicker and dim around him, as the four walls of his room shift into the cruel expanse of the Upside Down.

He wants to run. He doesn’t have the strength to fight anymore.

“No.” He breaths out, voice just as shaky as his limbs.

“No? That’s okay. Maybe next time.” Eddie shrugs, as if Steve wasn’t struggling to breath.

He has to get away.

“Steve, where are you going?”

Why is he so cold? My God, he’s freezing.

“I gotta go. I gotta go. I can’t be here.”

“Steve, wait!”

He’s using that voice again, the one from earlier that makes Steve squirm. He doesn’t know why, though. Not yet. All he knows is it’s too much. His chest physically aches at the intensity of emotion.

Steve starts breathing fast and shallow.

It’s too much. He’s too cold, and he can’t breathe, dry ice invades his lungs.

The room starts to close in on him. His heartbeat races so fast he’s scared he may die, thinks maybe he already has. His breaths turn ragged as he tries desperately not to suffocate. He doesn’t know how to make it stop. He can’t make it stop. All he can do is reach out for the man in front of him. All he can do is try to get away from him.

“Oh shit. Come on, Stevie. I’m sorry. I was teasing—I didn’t mean to—”

Whatever tone Eddie was using before is gone, instantly replaced by something closer to his normal voice, only maybe a little softer.

“Hey—hey it’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe, I’ve got you.” He wraps his arms around Steve, dragging him down, down, down until he’s sitting. Pulled so close he’s practically in Eddie's lap.

Steve feels himself melt into Eddie’s touch, throwing his arms around his waist and gripping the fabric of his shirt in his fists. He buries his face against his chest as he continued struggling to breathe. Steve is horrified to realize it’s warm and sticky, slick with something he doesn’t want to look at. Can’t stand to see.

“Shhh It’s okay. I’ve got you Steve, it’s okay. You’re gonna be okay. I’ve got you.” Eddie murmurs, cradling his head and petting his hair in soothing repetitive motions.

“Try to take some deep breaths, okay? You’re safe here. I’ve got you.”

Steve is still shaking in Eddie’s arms, and may or may not be making pitiful noises as he hyperventilates and cries, but he does try to slow his ragged breaths by matching them to the rise and fall of Eddie’s chest. Being held so tightly, and having the steady rhythms of Eddie’s heartbeat and breathing to focus on helps tremendously. It takes him a while to realize that was the whole point.

“I’ve got you, Steve. You’re doing so good. Keep taking deep breaths with me.”

Eddie’s voice is so gentle, so caring, and his exaggerated breaths are so soothing and easy to follow, Steve almost can’t remember why he’s so scared. Eddie’s here. Eddie’s here with him. Why did that feel so wrong?

It takes a few minutes, but eventually he stops shaking.

Eddie keeps comforting him, whispering soft praise against the top of Steve’s head.

“There you go. Deep breaths. You’re doing so good. Just stay with me. This will end, I promise.”

That’s when the dam breaks.

Steve lifts his head from Eddie’s chest, blinking away his tears.

“You’re not here, you’re not here. You’re not real.” Steve backs away, tries to shield himself, tries to get away.

Eddie follows after him, quick to pull him back into his arms in a tight embrace, preventing Steve from going anywhere.

“You’re okay, Stevie. You’re right here. I’m right here. It’s okay. Whatever you’re seeing isn’t real. Just me. Focus on me.”

“You?”

“Me.”

Steve shakes his head, a new sob rips through his constricting throat.

“No, Eddie. You’re dead. You died.”

Steve squeezes him tight, knows the moment he lets go reality will come back to him. The false memories and imaginary conversations his consciousness had conjured up will be revealed as exactly that: fake.

He’ll be all alone.

“You’re not real.”

[crowscallthecrows]

(Mostly nsfw) poly p4 headcanons

Pretty explicit lol you have been warned:

Their relationship is probably very much kept a secret from their fags. They like it that way though. Keeps their own little world very private.

The way they got together is either very comical or very dramatic filled with so many misunderstandings that it almost causes a permanent rift between all of them, there's no in between.

Edgar Redmond

With the most experience socially, Edgar's usually the one to give the first push when he wants them sexually. He's never been shy, and he enjoys teaching, so it works out fine.

When he wants one (or all) of then to bed, he'll let them know it. It always catches them off guard because contrary to his usually flowery language, he hits them with a "I want you right now" or even a blatant "I want to fuck" in the middle of Lawrence reminding them of tomorrow's schedule lecture.

He's a teaser, giving or receiving in the bedroom. He comments on how red Lawrence's ears get, how funny it is to see Herman's hair all mused up from its original slick back, and the smear of Gregory's lipstick on both their faces.

He's not being mean of course, it's his way of getting them (particularly Lawrence) at ease in such intimate moments: they're all new to this and a even a small laugh can comfort all parties greatly.

If it wasn't obvious enough yet he's very vocal.

A talker. Complimenting their performances before, during, and after constantly.

Doesn't care what position they decide, as long as he can see a glimpse of at least one of their faces during. He can't stand looking at a white blank wall when it could easily be a at one of his partner's instead.

Favorite position: missionary. For a fancy guy, he's pretty simple in that aspect.

Lawrence Bluewer

Stoic in to the naked eye, needy in the sheets.

His weakness are anything with his neck. Nips, kisses, licks, you name it. The fastest way to get him to relax or turned on is immediately targeting his neck, and they all know it. It gets him panting abnormally fast.

Edgar uses it to his utmost advantage. He's the most comfortable pushing his friend's buttons, and he finds it extremely convenient to have it at his disposable

Herman and Gregory use it sparingly. A kiss below his collarbone and a well placed nuzzle and they have Lawrence finally giving in and putting his books away for bed.

I'd like to think he's a hair puller, and it's a bit of a fascination too. With the shortest hair of all his partners (going out on a whim here, I'm only assuming Herman's is longer cause Lawrence's is literally shaven all round his head) his hands and fingers always seem to find their way to thread and tug at their scalps. Especially if he's receiving.

It's a bit of a hassle with so many limbs in a single place, but he likes to keep his glasses on during the deed. Seeing their actions and faces make him feel more relaxed.

He's taken quite a liking to being fingered (thanks Edgar). To him, it makes him feel loved with the time they take to prep him rather then rushing straight into the deed, especially if Lawrence himself knows that he's able to take right away. He likes the patience, the starting slowness. Makes his stomach twist.

Favorite position: he's hard to place, but as long as his hands are free to keep them roaming, he's happy.

Herman Greenhill

Being the biggest physically, it's rare he's on the receiving end. He feels more comfortable giving anyway (as his gentleman morals state)

Similar to Edgar, he likes feeling another's body weight on him, except he likes ALL of it. So, someone straddling is a very big love of his.

It's probably a strength dynamic to him: he feels good knowing he can take their weight at any time. It's probably protectiveness too.

He likes surprising them. Being a big, dumb jock from green house, most would think he's big and dumb in bed. But not Herman Greenhill, oh no.

For example, he likes showing them patience when they least expect, when they're begging and pleading for him to put it in, and he hushes them with frusterating gentleness and continues with his foreplay. For the other three, it's extremely annoying. And also attractive.

Of course, going back to his roots, he can be rough. The typical animal like pace and temper you would expect someone from green house to be. So don't think he's shyed away from those stereotypes yet.

He's basically non verbal during sex, and I don't mean quiet. He lets out all sorts of noises whether it be over them, or right near the shell of their ears. But the language part of his brain basically turns off and trying to get a coherent answer out of him is impossible, confirmed by all three of his partners. Edgar and Lawrence do all the talking themselves, but a session between him and Gregory is basically all noise and no words.

Favorite position: ride that man fellows, ride that man.

Not a position, but he's a sucker for a sloppy blow, especially if they're short on time. Makes him feel special being prioritized.

Gregory Violet

Sensual. Kisses.

All the time. Every day. They have to be careful not to kiss him too deeply when they have places to be or he'll start subtly dragging them to the closest place he sees fit for a quickie.

With how quiet he is, his partners tend to baby him. But, fight me on this, I think he'd be a pretty decent top. And would regularly too.

Quite possessive in the bedroom, actually. Gregory would mark every inch of unmarked skin if he could. I think he loves the hardest and that shows in the bedroom.

Going off of marking, he finds it extremely hot when he sees his own kiss marks in his black lipstick he loves so much. On the neck, lips, cheeks, anywhere. Once or twice, he's slipped one on the white cuff of one of their sleeves (which lawrence did not appreciate. He happened to be visiting his sisters that weekend and was basically interrogated on who the 'secret girlfriend' was. Whether Gregory knew and did it purposefully on that particular weekend he refuses to disclose).

He's actually pretty kinky. Shower sex is definitely in character for him.

Probably not opposed to just watching the others get it on too. He's an artist, after all and I'm sure he can easily get off to visuals.

Speaking of visuals, this man stares. He's constantly catching their eyes every time he makes a move to asses their reaction. Their facial expressions and reactions are everything to him: he would stop at nothing to make them feel the best possible.

He's also the least patient of the 4 and as their relationship progresses, it starts to show. Foreplay is nice, but what Gregory really looks forward to is always the main event. Of course, he would never skip the foreplay if he knew his one of his partners wanted it.

Favorite position: also hard to place, I feel like he doesn't necessarily like being completely dominated or being fully in charge.

[dailynakaharachuuya]

(Here's a list of ideas and aus I made to [somewhat] follow! You can follow it too if you wish but no pressure!)

[magpod-confessions]

the latest eps was complete dogshit. It wasn’t funny it wasn’t scary it was just annoying. I understand the “cringe” aspect of it but I think that a middle aged British man probably doesn’t understand the complexity’s of modern day slang and AAVA and instead just found words that he thought the *kids* would say and used them[which.half of them weren’t even in USE there r some rllyyy outdated terms used] anyways I’m super disappointed with it.am I insane 🗣️🗣️

Yea agreed

Ive seen ppl argue including horribly butchered aave was a commentary of how its used on social media, but if thats what happened then I think it did not have enough time to properly explore and elaborate on that topic. Also not enough ppl know abt aave to even be able to take that away from the ep

To my knowledge the voice actor for Madam E is Ki Griffin, who is a black intersex nonbinary person, so there is a chance they were aware of how 'internet slang' is just stolen aave and they specifically wanted a black actor for this ep, but again they did not have enough time or used what they had to properly explain that

So overall yea not happy with tmagp 16

[yeonban]

I was thinking there aren't enough memes catered to third parties on this site (ex. two muses talking about a third) which imo make rp flow so much smoother sometimes bc it feels more realistic for interactions to not start & end at only the two people directly involved, but then I realized... blud, you have a meme sideblog. You can literally make your own dreams come true

[solitaireships]

Debating if I make Corvo’s emoji the anatomical heart bcs on one hand it’s the first thing I thought of and he has one with him he uses throughout the game. But also it’s his dead former partner’s heart and idk if that would be weird for me to represent as an emoji with my ship with him

[skitskatdacat63]

Fernando and Fisi pictures that I like and enjoy a normal amount (pt. 1: 2005)

[weewoow-20706030]

Bruce has an special lullaby (/song) reserved for each kid.

(2 of these songs I got from @Molliewhuppiemusic on TikTok so go check out her versions if you can)

Dick- Red River Valley (Mollie Whuppie ver.) (After Dick moved to Blüdhaben he would sometimes try singing it to himself after a bad day but it always made him feel worse<3)

Jason- You are my sunshine (Bruce used to only sing the first few lines up until 'please don't take my sunshine away' but when Jason came back from the dead he started singing the next part to him)

Tim- Sleep, My Little One (Mollie Whuppie ver) (Tim broke down sobbing the first time Bruce sung to him because he wasn't used to that kind of affection)

Damian- The Tarzan Lullaby (Damian also cried when he first heard it, specifically at the line 'for one so small, you seem so strong')

[prismatoxic]

list your 10 favorite characters from 10 different fandoms, then tag 10 people!

thanks for the tag again @northstarfan!

iiiiiiin no particular order...

Laios Touden - Dungeon Meshi

Link - The Legend of Zelda (Twilight Princess specifically, but also all of them)

Akira Kurusu/Joker - Persona 5

Yosuke Hanamura - Persona 4

Dipper Pines - Gravity Falls

Brad Boimler - Star Trek: Lower Decks

Lio Fotia - Promare

Narinder/The One Who Waits - Cult of the Lamb

Cole - Dragon Age: Inquisition

Kyle - Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

and i'm tagging (but no pressure):

@captainfkingmagic @s1mpl3sp0ng3 @vixenscratch @every-captain @avoidcrow @aibyoutachi @snakewife @schmidtho @unkat @psiroller

[imminent-danger-came]

tbh you are so real for talking about the misogyny targeted to mei & other women in the lmk fandom. in general its like people only value mei as: a: the wingman to some basic mlm ship or b: macaque 2.0. its honestly crazy how so many male side characters overshadow her in the fanbase despite not even having a FRACTION of her screen time. idk chat i feel like the reason people dont care about mei but care about some random male side/background character is less because they're inherently more likeable but because some of you view women as inherently less likable. and everyone is always like "mei is so girlboss pussy cunt slay shes the only reason theyre still alive because she keeps them safe from their silly boy shennanigans shes their ultimate wingman shes so badass shes their lesbian best friend i totally paid attention to her when i watched this show LOL" and even ignoring the obvious misogyny here (ie. how people reduce her to being the male characters babysitter) its like... okay... i know mei is cool & badass already... could you name literally ANY other character trait she has. like people just value her as being "the braincell" who can get red son and mk together or something stupid and its like are we having fun still is this still fun. literally every day i go into the mei tag its like "look at mei shes red sons wifey and shes vaguely in the background of this drawing of red son and mk staring into each others eyes #trafficlighttrio am i right oh look shes macaques niece now this post is about ao lie why is it in the mei tag"

and thats literally JUST talking about mei and it doesnt even begin to cover the other female characters. chang'e constantly gets reduced to being red sons aunt/mom/big sister despite them like. not having any actual interactions in the show. lady bone demon constantly gets overshadowed by her minion who has like 2 seconds of screen time, or she gets made into a cartoonishly abusive madwoman who people call lady bitch demon. just in general people act like shes a horrible person for like. being a villain. liks yeah the trying to destroy everything was bad but also she was an antagonist and thats what antagonists do LOL. spider queen gets completely ignored. princess iron fan gets made into a cartoonishly abusive mother so that way red son can have a poor angsty backstory and some male character (usually nezha, macaque, swk) can take care of him.

(also theres just a great deal of ethnocentrism in the lmk fanbase? like im white so take what İ say here with a grain of salt but so many people will misconstrue aspects of chinese culture for their own personal hcs. people will say male characters are transfem or nonbinary while completely ignoring the time period/culture their from where thats the norm. like yippee youve implied that an east asian man is feminine/emasculine because he has long hair. how do you not see the negative connotations with this. people also turn pif (& lbd to an extent) into a dragon lady which obviously has negative racial connotations lol.)

anyway this is where my unhinged rambling ends have a good day have a good night İ had more to say here but İ reached the text limit. İ dont see a lot of people talk about the misogyny thats prevalent in the lmk fanbase so İm glad youre pointing it out lol.

Yeah, I totally hear you. The lmk fandom has plenty of issues with misogyny and, like you said, ethnocentrism. It's definitely something worth having a discussion about, along with these issues in fandom as a whole.

[wreckedhoney]

Forrest stops, going still and wearily alert, and it lasts a beat long enough that Henry begins to suspect that, yes, Forrest sees him. But then Forrest's shoulders ease back down, and a soft exhale falls out like a small and timid cheer. 

"Oh," he says to Henry. "You startled me."

x 🔪 o

BUZZ/KILL (Henry Barrow Comes Home)

Fanmix below & Fanfic on AO3

Since he can remember, everything between them has been shared - fears and rage, dreams and desires - until they became one. Henry doesn’t need to be his own person. He owes himself to his mom. It shouldn’t have unsettled him when both their attentions turned to the same person, then - but last Whistling Night snapped something in their partnership, and something about Forrest Nash makes Henry finally not want to share.

Happy birthday, KFAM! It's been a year since the worldwide release of the game ♥ Here's another boost to the Henry/Forrest post-game longfic published last Halloween and super updated since, this time with YT links to the music featured in the author's notes, and little blurbs from most chapters attached! (The last two blurbs are just one continuing conversation lol) Hope you enjoy both or either. Happy anniversary! Did you know it's also the birthday of my Uncle Roni?

x 📻 o

Track 01: Baby - Cannons It was the best show Forrest has ever done, his voice always smooth, but that night, it was something more, a sound that solidified the shape of his shoulders and the steadfastness of his hands, becoming part of his body so that Henry didn’t need to see his face to know what was there.

Track 02: So Bad - Gesaffelstein …behind Forrest Nash, Henry’s mother sits quietly, watching the back of Forrest’s head, deliberating. Henry doesn’t give her away, doesn’t warn the man beside him, but silently, he’s wishing for the dream not to do it, not after that last film - because if Marie kills Forrest in a dream, then when Henry wakes up, surely, Forrest will… Marie looks to Henry, a warning in her gaze. Henry feels himself ready to stand and ask, just this once. Just give me this one, for once. Just for now.

Track 03: Original Sin - Sofi Tukker Later, though, he’ll consider the stillness that settles over Forrest, in this moment, comes across in memory as, for the first time with Henry, easy, and his voice disarmingly fond.

Track 04: Spellwork - Austra “How do you know?” Henry asks at a crosswalk, stopping. “What do you mean?” “What does it look like,” Henry elaborates, “when I’m closed?” Forrest takes the time to stare at him, considering. “Nothing like you are here now,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s like you just have a lot on your mind, but other times, it’s like,” he mulls, and says with some reluctance, “you put on another face, like a mask.”

Track 05: Hello Lover - Empires As far as he can snoop, there’s no photo of Forrest as a child with his family, his parents, or of how he looked when he was Henry’s age. Would he have been lankier, awkward? Henry imagines looking at Forrest from the past and seeing through him, another young face laughing with a group of friends passing by. Was he still mean back then? Would he have caught Henry staring and squinted, glared? Smile?

Track 06: Get Goofy - Kornél Kovács Everything else should be affecting him more than the latter, but he eats and settles for the night and at the forefront of his thoughts is the lit doorway of Forrest’s home glowing in a dark, empty street.

Track 07: Pillow Talk (ft. What So Not) - Imanu Maybe Henry has an itch and Forrest being close, closer, is going to scratch it, and then Henry will be normal - his version of normal - back to a good son and a better liar, a good killer instead of a struggling town stalker. Maybe one date isn’t going to cut it, but a few, and some time - and Henry’s draw to the man could settle into something that doesn’t do what it did to him this morning anymore. And then, he can go back to being…being…

Track 08: Talk Fast - 5 Seconds of Summer Sometimes, he looks as alone or solitary as Henry often feels, but there’s the draw to slot the two of them together that was never present with the others, or other groups. Henry almost wants to ask, “Does that make me weird,” but refrains. He feels like he already knows the answer, anyway.

Track 09: Rabbit Hole - Cherry Glazerr “What made you come over?” Forrest asks. Before Henry answers, he recalls another day and another inquiry, a different mood and the same result, “What’d you come up for,” over a small dancefloor, under such different lights, in a world far, far away. “You,” Henry answers.

Track 10: i'm yours - Isabel LaRosa Don’t let him get far, he wishes, and another memory presses onto him, soft and insistent. Don’t let him say no, the first night he tried to kiss him. This is a bad idea, he thought then. “Is this a good idea,” Forrest asked him not long ago. No, Forrest. No, no, no take-backs, no going back. You and me forever, baby.

Track 11: Desperado - Rihanna He doesn’t look around the room, because he’s been here long and often enough that it’s committed to memory. The storage space next door is a labyrinth he can navigate with ease. The stairs up, the hallways, the staffrooms and studio, the rooftop that sometimes smelled too much of old cigarettes. The thought comes unwittingly. He might not have to leave.

Track 12: Desire - Cannons No, Henry thinks. No, no. This long into the game and this deep into it - No. “This is Forrest Nash,” the radio plays, “host of 189.16, The Scream.” But what’s the alternative, if he wants to keep him? “We’re almost through the night, folks.” What’s the alternative, if Henry wants to be the vessel for his mother that he’s always strived to be? “And it looks like we have room for one more caller. Let’s see who it is!”

Track 13: Jupiter 4 - Sharon Van Etten “It’s still home. I’ll go back eventually. But to work? I loved it, even with everything that happened. I still miss the city, but,” his lips pursed, eyes shifting away. Embarrassed, Henry wondered. “I like myself more now. Here.”  “You changed.”  “Yeah. I go back, same work and same issues, then wouldn’t I go back to who I was before, too?” Then, to him, directly, “Do you get that sense? That you changed?”

Track 14: Wolf (Boys Noize Remix) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs & Boys Noize “I don’t know,” Henry answered.  “Well,” Forrest mumbled, smile slanting, looking briefly unsure. “For what it’s worth, I do. Like you,” he clarified, soft and confiding, and, it occurred to Henry, shy. “The way you are here, now.”