#had a friend text me abt something positive that happened to them and it makes me happy bc that shit is infectious

[glitterghost]

Trying a little sun, a little music, and a little iced coffee (espresso shot included) to shake out all the lingering fog.

[ame-to-ame]

oh. hm.

[time-is-restored]

btw this might be me swinging a bat at a hornets nest but like. absolutely none of my disappointment from the tl finale comes from ship baiting or any relationships that didn’t happen (though to be clear, i think the tedbecca fake outs were meanspirited and served no narrative purpose - in noted contrast to the season's earlier jamiekeeley fakeouts, for example, which were explicitly there to demonstrate jamie's growth + maturity)

tedpendant is a really fun concept for me, and i LOVE the characterisation + thematic potential there!

but as someone who personally resonated with a lot of ted’s struggles, the idea that ted could leave richmond so… seamlessly, for lack of a better word, really doesn’t sit right with me. the thesis of the shows entire first season - assuming it can be said to have only one - was about how everyone needs the love and support of a community, whether that comes in the flavour of someone who hypes u tf up or someone who will relentlessly call u on ur shit (or, as happened quite frequently, both!).

rebecca, roy, jamie are the clearest examples as the characters with the most screentime: they were all deeply isolated and disconnected from the people around them, and that was making them miserable. the connections they made with the team, the vulnerability they finally allowed themselves to express (the ghost banishing ceremony comes to mind!), and them going on to want *more* out of their life are what made their arcs about *progression* rather than *regression*. without that clear theme of compassion + community inspiring positive growth in everyone who encounters it, there is, frankly, no season one.

my personal favourite scene from season one comes right after michelle walks away from ted, when they’ve agreed to get divorced. ted sits down on the bench looking gutted, and a little shell shocked - and beard sits down with him. hands him the drink, and they sit there together. silent, but together. to me, that scene is an implicit promise from the episode, to the audience: ‘it’ll be okay. it’s going to be hard, but ted isn’t alone, and his friends won’t leave him behind.’

it also makes it clear to the audience that ted isn’t the saintly-giver-of-grace who needs nothing in return, as one might assume on first brush, but rather that he’s Also struggling with his own shit (as is everyone, always, in real life!) and he has something he needs from the people around him too.

and looking at the text of s3, and the conclusion to his arc in the finale, i just don’t believe that he got it. he wasn’t just sad that he was leaving (which would be understandable!), he was completely closed off. unresponsive to the people around him reaching out, borderline confused as to why they were trying so hard!

(side note, while i completely respect the read of ted and trents last interaction being rather rude + ooc on ted’s part, i personally read a different motive into it. for me, it was more like… he didn’t understand where trents enthusiasm was coming from? like, he read that as trent being too invested in what other people think of him, and responded in a way that he hoped would emphasise that ted doesn’t *need* to laugh at everything trent wrote, bc trent Already Knows that he’s done something really cool and kickass, and he shouldn’t value anyone else’s reactions above that. basically, based on his demeanour in the episode, i genuinely don’t think it would’ve even occurred to him that trent was more invested in HIS reaction than he would’ve been with anyone else.)

again, looking purely at the text, the show had already established that ted has really strong depressive + avoidant tendencies, as well as panic attacks (largely triggered by his fear of not being ‘good enough��� in various roles, ie: a father). we saw one area he was able to calm HIMSELF abt these fears (worry for henry, which is a Hell of a choice considering the ending…), but in literally every other heightened moment, he had to rely on his support system to help him make the choices that he WANTED to make, rather than ones inspired by avoidance and fear (ie: confronting michelle abt jake, talking to his mum abt why she was visiting + his dads death).

and to be clear, this is a GOOD THING! we’re not supposed to go through life alone, no matter how bad OR well we’re doing. rebecca and keeleys friendship isn’t worth less for all the scenes where they’re both in good places. if anything, the opposite is true - it’s lovely that they both have someone who want to celebrate the achievements in their life!

and fuck it, we’re sure as hell not supposed to go through life with exactly one (1) person whom we expect to fulfill ALL of our emotional needs at all times either! like, im sure i don’t need to labour my point here, but tying everything to one (1) person in ur life doesn’t make u any less isolated than if u were going it completely alone, whether it’s a family member, a friend, or a partner. i won’t pretend to know the first thing abt what it’s like to be a parent, but i don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that no parent would be at their best if they had absolutely no support/camaraderie/general love provided to them from Anyone other than their child.

so when ted is SPECIFICALLY shown to be in a bad place, over and over again (did he come to terms w his fear to be close to henry overnight???????), and then removed from his community? of COURSE the audience is left feeling unsettled, and like the rug has been pulled out from under them. there was no time in this finale dedicated to how ted would still be in contact with anyone from richmond. no promises of visits, or phone calls - fuck, nothing about emails!! according to the text, we might as well assume this is a clean break (and the maybe-dream-sequence does Fuck All to assure us otherwise. if ted doesn’t go to beards wedding, what WOULD he go to????). and since the show has ALSO completely failed to give us even an IMPLICATION of who/what ted’s support system would be in kansas, there’s… a reasonable argument to be made that this is It for ted. that, after two seasons doing NOTHING but attesting otherwise, the audience is supposed to suddenly believe that ted can (and SHOULD!) pull himself up by his bootstraps, and cope entirely on his own.

that, to me, is a betrayal of the show’s premise. we were promised a show about how, no matter how dark things may get, none of the characters would be left to struggle alone. and then they ended the show with ted alone.

i don’t know. i guess if i had to give this post a tldr; if anyone has any gen fic/meta/Literally Anything in the pipeline, i would absolutely love to be tagged/directed towards it. i’ll be endeavouring to write something myself, as well, but it might take a while before i can return to my WIP, lol.

[uriekukistan]

Hi!! I saw the character ask thing and was wondering if you would answer for Megumi? :D Questions 1-15 (if you feel up to it)!! <3 I literally love him so much and ik from your blog that you do too ! :) (btw loving your itafushi week works!! 🖤)

hiii thank you for the ask and im glad youre loving my itafushi week fics :3 hope youre doing well !!

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

i looooveeee everything abt him tbh, but i think probably the thing that makes me the most fond of him is that he reminds me a lot of myself in the way he processes things and makes decisions, sorting them into good or bad

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

hmmm idk if it’s my top fav thing abt him but i love his technique and the way he uses it. especially the shadow inventory and when he stores himself in it? so cool. ig its more when he sets his mind to it, he’s crazy powerful. underrated fr.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

i cant say im a fan of the position he’s in but at the same time i appreciate the narrative choice. wouldn’t ask for things to change, i just wish he was suffering less.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

i’ve been writing him in a tokyo ghoul crossover fic recently if that counts

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

rn…avalanche by bring me the horizon

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

a lot tbh….lets go w we’re both more reserved, a bit avoidant, and keep our feelings hidden 88% of the time (the right person can see through)

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

i love when ppl show him as like. the type to subtly show he cares like acts of service type and then he acts like nothing happened. canon. to me.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

WHEN THEY HATE HIM FOR NO REASON & BLAME HIM FOR THE EVENTS OF JJK LIKE THATS SO WRONG & INCORRECT HES JUST A KID DOING HIS BEST AND MOST OF YHE PPL SHITTING ON HIM WOULDNT LAST TWO MINUTES AS HIM. or when they make mahoraga jokes that are just tasteless, midgumi, potential man, nah i’d give up….im in your walls

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

like. if i had to yeah. we both prefer our own space so it could probably work but it also might be a bit awkward. gonna go with if we were already friends before we became roommates, yes. if not, then no bc neither of us would ever speak, and you gotta be able to communicate w your roommates

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

yes, if there was a “facilitator” friend. like we need the local extrovert to get us to hang out first or we’d never even become acquainted

11. Would you date this character?

no. one he’s a minor two i dont like men like that

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

recently i have been writing abt bassist megumi, so im thinking he air guitars while he’s listening to music when hes alone in his room. or air drums maybe. won’t sing along out loud bc the walls are thin, but if he did, he’d have a nice voice.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

i think he would not use emojis or emoticons when texting but maybe he’d adopt the ‘:)’ bc yuuji kept asking if he was mad (gojo would also ask, but megumi’s not gonna change his habits for that). (￣^￣)ゞ but this is megumi

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

basic but color coordinated, baggy, no patterns, mostly darker colors (black, green, & blue - royal blue not navy). sweaters & jackets most of the time w jeans or just regular pants. he’s cold easily so wears this in the summer too. getting rid of his canon shoes and giving him vans or doc martens oxfords.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

ITAFUSHI <3333333333 I LOVE THEM SO MUCH its like. semi not normal but idc.

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Texts from the Lost Tomb, part 5.4

I swear folks once I get this and the last part up I’m gonna condense it all

But yeah couldn’t resist some <3

Zhang and Wu Chat

Wu Xie: Um. I’m all done with the shower if you want a turn.

Zhang Qiling: I’m alright without one.

Wu Xie: sooo are you pissed at me still?

Zhang Qiling: ? I have not been angry with you since the ladder incident.

Wu Xie: you’ve barely said anything since the necklace thingy

Zhang Qiling: I believe it is a long-running joke amongst my friend group that I do not, in fact, say much.

Wu Xie: okay but there are multiple gouges in the tea house walls that would suggest you had somewhat strong feelings today

and I kinda caused the events that sparked said feelings

so just checking in you know

Zhang Qiling: I was not angry so much as I was afraid. More afraid than I’ve been in a long time.

Wu Xie: ??? But it has worked out fine??? Everyone made it out alive and Uncle Erbai gets to feel morally superior to the Zhang family for a while so today was a win overall

Zhang Qiling: I heard you scream. I didn’t know what had happened. I couldn’t get to you right away. Therefore, I was afraid.

Wu Xie: ohhhhh. oh, Xiao Ge. It’s alright now—hey the necklace was actually helping u look out for me:) It’s not like those ppl were actually trying to hurt me, really. Your family isn’t so bad, at least you don’t have any uncles you know of

today was just some big misunderstandings wrapped in some poor life choices. Tbh my memoir title

I feel kind of stupid for screaming but when a glowing necklace wraps itself around your neck it’s a little uhoh moment lol

I did like the design tho def my aesthetic.

Zhang Qiling: I am pleased that it was able to protect you when I was not.

Wu Xie: Uh no you are not allowed to get all emo abt this it’s only like 3pm

damn time flies when it’s flashing before your eyes lol

Are you on the roof? You’re def on the roof. I thought I heard the tiles moving over my head. Come down or I’m coming up.

Zhang Qiling: I will be down in a moment. Do not come outside, it’s cold and raining.

Wu Xie: you know, Zhang Rishan said he thinks the necklace might be linked to you, somehow

something from long ago, even though you wouldn’t remember it.

It’s lucky that it liked me, huh:)

Zhang Qiling: Yes. Quite lucky.

Babysitters Club Chat

Wang Pangzi: AWW LOOK AT HIM NAPPING ON YOUR SHOULDER SO CUTE. BEBES HAD A BIG DAY. YOU TWO ARE PRECIOUS. BE GOOD AND POSE FOR THE PICTURE NOW.

Zhang Qiling: No. Also, I am considering what steps I should take with Zhang Rishan. Regardless of his concern for the Zhang family line, his actions were unacceptable.

Wang Pangzi: HES DROOLING A LITTLE ON YOU WHICH IS LESS CUTE BUT I CAN CROP THAT PART

LOOK I KNOW YOURE STILL PISSED. IM NOT EXACTLY CALM MYSELF, I JUST HAVE WAYS TO SKIRT AROUND TIANZHENS BULLSHIT FILTER THAT YOU LACK

GET ON MY LEVEL

WU ERBAI WILL HANDLE IT, THINGS HAVE SETTLED I THINK

BUT ABOUT THAT NECKLACE

SO INTERESTING HMMM

Zhang Qiling: I am the patriarch of my family. The necklace behaved as I would, apparently, to protect a vulnerable family member. Wu Xie’s bad cold last week activated it, and it responded to a perceived danger to him today. Simple enough.

Wang Pangzi: UH HUH

A FAMILY MEMBER

THE NECKLACE REALLY SAID LOVE WINS

TOLKIEN COULD NEVER

Zhang Qiling: It protected him on a technicality. But I will not allow him to bear the burdens of my family ever again. It has taken so much from him already.

Wang Pangzi: YEAH SURE BLAH BLAH DESTINY BLAH BLAH ANGST

“A TECHNICALITY” WOW WHO SAID ROMANCE WAS DEAD

ANYHOO IM SCREENSHOTTING THIS FOR UR WEDDING RECEPTION SLIDESHOW

YA KNOW DURING MY SPEECH

Friends of Wu Xie Support Group Chat

Hei Yangjing: you’re welcome for everything today<3 I accept PayPal, although of course it is always my honor to assist my friends:)

Wang Pangzi: WE ARENT PAYING YOU SHIT

Zhang Qiling: You did absolutely nothing.

Hei Yangjing: whoa whoa maybe I wasn’t threatening family members or busting up load-bearing walls like some undying divas I could name but I totes helped

or at least I was there for moral support maybe?

Zhang Qiling: The only reason I knew you were there at all was that as I lowered my blade from Zhang Rishan’s neck, I heard the camera click and saw you were taking a selfie making a peace sign, angled to have the two of us in the background.

Xie Yuchen: I saw it on social media just now. The caption is “#greatdaycatchingupwiththelads #blessed”

Wang Pangzi: TBH KIND OF JEALOUS I DIDNT THINK TO DO THAT

Hei Hangjing: okay yeah you see Xiao Ge that is a modern kind of help I should’ve known you wouldn’t be aware

It’s called performance, you wouldn’t understand

it’s a ‘Gram thing

Also it means I’m a great person

Bc letting you handle the situation was my gift to you

Zhang Qiling: Wu Xie mentioned there is something called “blocking ppl” that gets them out of my phone.

Hei Yangjing: nah

Can’t trust that Wu Xie, bae can’t tell a coffin from an urn amirite

it’s not a thing, blocking

Xie Yuchen: It is a thing. I’ll show you later, Zhang Qiling.

Wang Pangzi: YOU BOYS GO GET CLEANED UP AND COME BY AROUND 9 I SNAGGED SOME OF ZHANG RISHANS BOOZE ON THE WAY OUT

Bonnie and Clyde Chat

Hei Yangjing: you looked pretty comfortable in those handcuffs earlier ;););)

Xie Yuchen: Go to sleep, idiot.

Hei Yangjing: You’d have to do something to tire me out ;););)

Xie Yuchen: Are you like this around Wu Xie? Not that I care, I’m just asking.

Hei Yangjing: uh that’s a big nope

First off all Idk when I’ll die but Id prefer it to be on my terms and not at the hands of those other two

Secondly there is a part of me that remembers how adorable he was when he was younger and that makes it weird

(No offense but u were not adorable. He was bebe luke skywalker, you were bebe princess leia I am obvs Han Solo 4lyfe)

Also I’m a little scared that if i flirted with him and he flirted back he’d be better at it.

Xie Yuchen: All valid concerns.

Hei Yangjing: as cute as he is I don’t really wanna tap that.

Xie Yuchen: I see.

Hei Yangjing: do you tho

Main Chat

Wu Xie: okay folks who wants cocoa to top the evening off? I picked some up today:D

Wang Pangzi: UH YOU SPENT YOUR DAY BEING KIDNAPPED AND PLACATING A SENTIENT NECKLACE WHEN DID YOU HAVE TIME TO GET GROCERIES

FRANKLY THATS INTIMIDATING

Wu Xie: the tea house gift shop:)

Wang Pangzi: …YOU BOUGHT COCOA FROM YOUR KIDNAPPERS. FROM THEIR GIFT SHOP. DURING YOUR KIDNAPPING.

WU XIE

WU XIE WHY

Wu Xie: I mean we were there the whole day, it felt impolite not to buy anything.

Wang Pangzi: OH RIGHT GREAT POINT ID HATE TO BE RUDE TO THEM AFTER THEY WENT TO THE TROUBLE OF ABDUCTING US

LISTEN WHEN PPL STEAL YOU IT BECOMES FREE REIGN ON THEIR SHIT

UGH YOU PROBABLY GOT A RECEIPT AND EVERYTHING

WAS UR LITTLE SHOPPING TRIP BEFORE OR AFTER THEY STUCK U IN A DUNGEON TO EXPERIMENT ON YOU

WAIT NVM I DONT WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT

Wu Xie: look, let’s focus on the positives/ we are all okay, and we learned something new, that necklace is still active! It’s really quite nice-looking when it isn’t moving of its own volition.

Wang Pangzi: YOU AND YOUR RELENTLESS DUCKING OPTIMISM

ZHANG QILING ARE YOU SEEING THIS

Zhang Qiling: I would love some cocoa. I’ll come to the kitchen.

Wu Xie: I have special marshmallows for you!!

Wang Pangzi: I SEE

WE ARE SUBSCRIBING TO THE PRESTIGIOUS “FUCK IT WHY NOT” SCHOOL OF THOT TONIGHT

LOL SURE LETS GO COCOA IT UP

IVE GOT SOMETHING STRONG TO POP IN IT

Wu Xie: Still thinking about that design… I’d love another chance to examine that necklace under less Zhangy circumstances.

Kinda sad we couldn’t borrow it to use for illnesses and dangerous missions :/

ah well it’s for the best, a family heirloom should be treasured, preserved and protected<3

Zhang Qiling: I put it on your dresser.

Wu Xie: ???????

Wang Pangzi: AND THATS WHY YOU AND I ARE FRIENDS, XIAOGE <3

Wu Xie: I—

Zhang Qiling: Are those bunny-shaped marshmallows for me?

[lunaastoir]

Heyhey! May I request a childe x reader where the reader simps for him but he doesn’t know? Like what if she was online best friends with the tsaritsa but the reader doesn’t know the tsaritsa is the tsaritsa so she constantly simps for childe to her. Like “OMG HE’S SO CUTE.” AND STUFF LIKE THAT. So since she’s like besties with the tsaritsa the cry archon decides to set her up? Thank you :>>>>

AAAAA NONNIE holds your hands gently this is so cute i love it :,) 

genshin doesn’t have internet/technology but for the sake of this ask shhhhhh we’re gonna pretend they do

i hope i interpreted your ask correctly, if i didn’t just lmk <3 

crack, fluFF- LOTS OF IT???

the tsaritsa’s meddling

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

all you wanted were groceries. that was all you wanted. you were standing in line behind the stall as you counted the items you needed to get. salt, milk, sugar, fowl, what else? you were lost in thought as you prayed that you had enough mora to buy everything - god knows how hard eating is as an adventurer. which was why, when you dropped your precious mora, your mind immediately went into panic mode. not now, not now, please don’t let the line move, you begged internally. in hindsight maybe if your mora hadn’t dropped, maybe if you weren’t at your wits end as a broke adventurer, maybe if you had just bought those damn ingredients sooner, you wouldn’t be in this position. as you breathed a sigh of relief after collecting your money and returned your gaze back to the stall, the only thing you could do was stare. where...did everyone go? instead of simply turning around and fleeing which should’ve been your first instinct considering how deserted the place was, you stood there trying to process the information. that was, until you saw a head of auburn hair peak up out of the stall. startled, you almost dropped your mora again. as the tuft of hair gave way to a very tall, handsome, blue eyed man, your brain short circuited. 

oh god how you wished you had run when you had the chance. you imagined you must have looked quite comical; mouth hanging slightly open, the list of ingredients fisted in your hands while mora was hanging precariously from your fingers. after what seemed like an eternity, the man seemed to finally notice you. 

“oh hey, you must not have noticed but this stall is sold out for the fatui” 

the sentence accompanied with his signature smile practically brought you to your knees. that smile? aimed at you? you would be surprised if you weren’t drooling. 

determined to not look like an absolute idiot you flashed him a smile of your own before saying, “sorry my bad, i must not have been paying attention” while doing what little you can to get some semblance of balance. tuck the mora here, try to balance your list more gracefully, move that piece of hair from your face. 

his eyes surveyed your undoubtedly disheveled appearance, before making a quick decision. 

“what items do you want, i’m sure i can spare a few ingredients for someone as pretty as you” 

one blink. another blink. did he just call you pretty? oh my- 

“oh no, it’s really ok, i can just get these later - it’s not that important anyway” you lied through your teeth. you needed those ingredients or you were most likely going to starve on the road but he didn’t need to know that. 

“don’t worry about it, as a harbinger i’m sure my subordinates can overlook a few missing ingredients” he smoothly said before gesturing you towards him. 

“i’m childe by the way, if you didn’t know” his eyes flicked up to meet yours.

“y/n” you offered while handing him the list. 

as he looked over what you needed, you tried your best to keep your breathing steady while your mind raced. if you didn’t know? of course you knew who he was, who didn’t? you would know better than most considering how often you thirsted about him to your mutual. if anything, you should’ve been the one saying that line to him. as an adventurer, you tend to not spend much time in liyue harbor, chasing down ruin guards and running errands was how you would rather keep yourself busy. however, ever since you saw childe in liyue, sharing a pot of tea with zhongli of all people, you started swinging by the harbor more often. fascination was what kept you seeking him out wherever you went. you had heard about the infamous eleventh harbinger, supposedly the youngest of them, all while being quite easy on the eyes. you had brushed off all the talk you had heard to just that - talk. international affairs wasn’t something you cared for and if anything, seeing the fatui made you wary. however, your curiosity grew after seeing him whenever you were in town. you chalked up your eyes subconsciously seeking out his figure to the fact that he was just an interesting guy. nothing wrong with wondering about a peculiar fellow, right?  you went through excuses upon excuses until finally, you had concluded that perhaps, maybe, you had a little crush on him. tiny, you assured yourself. just a tiny crush on a very attractive man. 

that crush then trickled over to your time spent talking to your mutual. it started off with little hints of “oh there’s this guy i saw and i thought he was kinda cute” to full blown hysteria of “PLS SEND HELP HE LOOKED SO GOOD TODAY.” @cryogoddess definitely had a lot of patience putting up with your thirsts over a man she didn’t even have the name of. you felt horrible sometimes since more than half of your conversation was about the newest detail you had noticed about childe - however your protests on boring her were met with reassurances about how no, you weren’t boring her, and yes, this is the most lighthearted talk she’s had her entire day so please keep going. you weren’t exactly sure what this woman did, or even how old she was. all you knew was she was someone who was constantly stressed (maybe a fellow adventurer?) and she was quite honest (which you happened to appreciate). despite how busy she was, she seemed to always make time for your texts which made you feel like you could trust her with anything.

“is that all? do you need anything else?” childe’s voice interrupted your mental tirade as you owlishly looked at him. 

“oh! yes that’s fine thank you” you smiled before taking the bag from him. grabbing the mora, you rushed to hand out the correct amount before he stopped you. 

“don’t worry about it, it’s on the house” he laughed slightly before waving your mora away. 

it’s on the- excuse me? did he just give you all this for free? is this what fatui hospitality is like?  

rushing to close your mouth, you quickly recovered while slurring out a quick “thank you so much” before shouldering your bag. your brain was currently running on fumes and you were very sure that if you stayed there any longer you might just combust. 

“well, i’ll be off then, thank you again” you shot him another smile before quickly scurrying away. 

without turning back to look at his expression, you moved as fast as humanly possible while trying not to seem like you were about to jump out of your skin. you didn’t know what was more embarrassing, your thumping heart or the dopey smile on your face. there was no way you were ever going to get over this, not with the way he looked at you the entire time. sighing, you put your bag down near a bench and pulled out your phone. at least you had an update for your friend that consisted of something other than just mindless thirsts. 

your mind was still reeling over from what happened as you texted her with shaking hands. the reply was immediate: “wow, you finally got up the courage to talk to him huh.” you rolled your eyes playfully at her blunt message. “bY ACCIDENT- IT HAPPENED BY ACCIDENT,,, guess he couldn’t keep himself away from this sexiness 😩” another blunt reply: “right.” smiling softly, you responded: “thanks for hyping me up bestie i really appreciate it <3 ok but maybe childe and i belong together??? is this a sign from the archons???” you stared waiting for her reply, however you were met with a read 8:45 pm. you’re lucky i love you bestie, leaving me on read during my crisis you whispered to yourself as you shouldered your bag once again to head home. at least you won’t be starving tomorrow on your commissions. 

as soon as you entered your house, your phone lit up. “wait. as in childe, eleventh of the fatui harbingers, also known as tartaglia, feared by many on the battle field, currently stationed in liyue, major pain in the ass, and is currently ignoring some of his paperwork???” - @cryogoddess. your eyebrows furrowed as you read her message, “yes that’s him but why do you sound so freaked out and how do you know sm abt him?” another notification: “i can’t believe you’ve been thirsting to me abt CHILDE.” you: “KDJKSFJ YOU DIDNT ANSWER MY QUESTION - also??? i thought i told you his name did i not??? 😀” her: “no??? wow this definitely is...interesting” you: “BESTIE ANSWER MY QUESTION DO YOU KNOW HIM???” her: “i’ve gotta go, work is calling.” 

you sighed in frustration as you tossed your phone on your bed. why was she so freaked out? you weren’t dumb, you knew there was something she wasn’t telling you but you trusted her enough to know she’ll let you know if it was important. you wondered as you pulled the covers over your head, if you’ll meet childe in your dreams and if you do, hopefully, in a less embarrassing scenario. 

the next morning, you awoke to a barrage of texts from none other than @cryogoddess. they were all along the lines of you should go to bubu pharmacy and stock up on medication this evening (i heard they’re having a sale). you responded back with a maybe, if you had time today after your commissions and if xiangling didn’t stop by with some food. however, your mutual made you promise you would visit in the evening, even if it’s just for a few minutes. you gave in because a) you never could say no and b) she made it sound like it was urgent so maybe she was obsessed with medicine? hmmm you would have to figure out where she lived so you could send some to her. 

you walked toward bubu pharmacy while tiredly sheathing your weapon, loosely taking in your surroundings. kids playing near the pond, teenagers chatting at the steps, adults keeping a watchful eye over their kids while laughing about the day’s events. your eyes studied the sign outside of bubu pharmacy. sale? what sale? there doesn’t seem to be anything regarding a sale?

“y/n?” a mildly familiar voice called your name. you whipped around looking for whoever uttered those words before your eyes fell on none other than one blue eyed harbinger. he was holding a few silk flowers in his hand as he stared at you with a sheepish smile. 

“hi” you stuttered out. your mind was blank, what was happening? 

“oh sorry, these are for you. i don’t mean to make you uncomfortable but i heard that you might be interested in me? you caught my eye at the stall yesterday, so i was wondering if you would want to grab lunch from the third-round knockout and then go watch the sunset at mt. tianheng? there’s this really cool trick i can do with my hydro vision where i can make the sunlight dance across the waypoint.” 

you stared at him as you wordlessly took the silk flowers from his hands. the golden light of the setting sun cast his face in a beautiful sheen, softly showing off the gentle blush on his cheeks and the brilliant blue of his eyes. his auburn hair seemed to grow alive at the touch of the fiery light and all you could do was stare. 

childe’s confidence seemed to wane with every passing second that you gazed at him, open mouthed, so he decided to save himself the embarrassment before hesitantly opening his own mouth. 

“yes, i would love to” you quickly said. you smiled gently up at him. 

“i would love to watch the sunset with you” 

you felt your cheeks burning up as you looked at him with soft eyes. when he returned your expression with a dazzling smile of your own, you could feel yourself relax. yes, your heart rate was off the chart right now, but you were content. the sunset, childe, and the silk flowers was something you never knew you needed, but were glad you got. you had enough time later to worry about the oncoming mortification of how he found out you liked him. 

a single notification appeared in your phone as the two of you walked laughing towards the mountain. 

“you’re welcome <3″

BONUS: 

“i know i’m too sexy for you to not fall in love with me” childe sighed dramatically as he leaned against you for support as the two of you went up the stairs. 

you promptly rolled your eyes and pushed him down the steps as you walked ahead with his protests falling on deaf ears. 

[ciggylungz]

Music to my ears

Music to my ears- 1.7k

Blurb night: (Request: What abt like something in the studio? Like studio sex 🥵 your header inspired me lol)

 ------

Y/n always loved when Harry brought her to the studio with him, seeing her man all in his grove and in his element made her happy. She couldn’t deny how sexy he looked when he was strumming on the guitar or sitting with a clenched jaw, drumming his fingers while tweaking some lyrics to make it perfect.

Harry was all smiles when he heard the studio door open, his beautiful girlfriend making her way into the room holding some water bottles for him and the band, and some nice food- remembering to skip any item with dairy in it since it can clog up his throat with phlegm which wouldn’t be too good while trying to belt out another billboard hit.

“There she is! Hey darlin’” Harry craned his neck to peck her as she walked by, he was seated in a office chair going over some sheet music Mitch had written that belonged to the instrumental section of one of his works in progress and Y/n gave him a good once over decided he looked especially hot in his black slacks and wrinkled rolling stones shirt. “I brought treats! The BLT for Mitch, Cesar salad hold the crotons for Sara with a side of soup, two blueberry muffins and a black tea for Jeff and a sparkling lemon water with a vegan chicken noodle soup for my Harry- with of course- the breads you requested with it my dear.”

Y/n handed out the goodies to the group of artists, giving Harry his food with a kiss on his cheek perching herself on the table in front of him to snag a few bites of his food every so often as she talked with the group listing to some of the music they’d already got down dancing in her spot a little bit enjoying the behind the scenes of his upcoming album. “Sound’s good, I think you got another hit in the makin’ here baby. ‘m proud of yeh bub!” Y/n ran her fingers through Harry’s hair, the man giving her a content coo and grip on her thigh in return rubbing his thumb on the denim covered skin lovingly.

“Thank ya’, couldn’t do it without these guys or you my love. You guys make me great, would be nothin’ without ya’” his sweetness got a chorus of adored ‘awes’ which the slightly arrogant artist bathed in dramatically waving his hands and pretending to be bashful earning him some chuckles from everyone in the room.

 -------

It was nearing 10 in the evening when Mitch finally decided to call it a night, everyone else besides Harry and Y/n had left over the last few hours. Each trickling out with some yawns and good bidding's as they decided to make their way home but Harry was focused on his music, and Y/n knew once he was this much in a grove, he wasn’t going to pack up till he felt it was time. in the meantime Y/n was sprawled out on one of the couches in the room, her left hand absentmindedly running over the suede pushing the material back and fourth in a satisfying pattern while scrolling through her phone texting a few friends and replying to some emails in between playing random games on the device.

Harry was deep into his work, tongue tucked between his teeth while his knee bounced slightly to the melody playing in his head. He was currently trying to put the finishing touches on medicine , a rather proactive song that he was still on the fence about releasing or keeping a concert special. His inspiration behind it was his journey through sexuality, romance and the fast pace lust that he’s experienced as a star during his formative years. Of course his Y/n was a big inspiration on that track, their sexual endeavors prominent in his mind while coming up with the lyrics.

His mind was filled with photographic memories of the times they did various naughty things. The foursome in brazil where they both explored bisexuality, having Harry, Y/n and then another couple join them, the hand full of times they’d had sex in public. In his car, in an alley, in bathroom at the VMA’s. on the roof, in a pool, and even the once Y/n went down on him in his mothers back garden while she ran to the shop.  He thought of the sloppy kisses, the spitting, cum eating, rim jobs and pussy eating. It was all so dirty and god he knew this song would drive people mad. So being the cheeky bastard he is, he made two final decisions about the piece of work right then and there.

1-      It would be an exclusive concert song

2-      He wanted to have some special audio in it

 Harry knew the idea was daring, likely to turn heads and cause mothers of concert goers to place a hand over their heart with a raised eyebrow but this was his music and he never had an issue with controversial art.

The man then looked to his side, seeing his love in her natural state. Relaxed, lips slightly pursed with her eyelashes batting every few seconds as she focused on the screen. Somehow even when she was lying in a lazy position, hair in a messy bun with a small stain from her tea on the bottom of her shirt, she still looked insanely beautiful.

“Love?” y/n shifted her eyes towards her boyfriend when she heard the pet name, turning onto her side to give him her full attention. “What’s up, H?” she rested her chin on her fist, blowing a few stray hairs out of her eyes. “How would you feel about helpin’ me out with this song?”

Harry gave her a bit of a suggestive taunt of his brows, the girl tilting her head slightly. “Sure, what do yeh have in mind, bub?” Y/n was quick to her feet walking towards him to peer down at the notebook full of lyrics, yet her attention was soon focused on the sensation of being tugged into his lap and the feeling of a rather firm lump pressing into her bum. Her head turned to look at her now smirking boyfriend, pursing her lips slightly in question. “Well, the songs a bit alt to what I usually write…going to keep it off the album make it exclusive but I think I want some background audio of us…making love princess.”

To be clear, Y/n wasn’t a prude. She wasn’t shy about her sexuality, she actually felt very empowered by how confident she was about her sex life and Harry found it exceptionally sexy to be with a woman who was open and not shy at all about trying new things, and this was definitely a new one for her to consider.

He gave her a moment to mull it over, seeing her head sway slightly while she weighed the offer before she gave a shrug and a nod to her boyfriend. “Sure, why not? Gonna be music layered on it right? So it’s not full blown balls smacking into ass?” her question made the man snort, nodding his head. “Yup, gonna layer the instrumental over it. Hoping to isolate the vocals of the moaning to mesh into the music then my singing. I think it could sound fuckin’ excellent and well I get to fuck yeh, so I think it’s a win win hmm?” his hands migrated to her tits, giving them a firm squeeze as his lips pressed into the back of her neck. His touches achieved his goal of sending a shiver through his girl, her spine tingling and hips starting to squirm as he sponged open mouth kisses from the nape of her neck to each shoulder.

“Yea…yea lets do it.” Her words were breathier, his touch putting her under his spell instantly. Lust hung in the air while he kept his grip on her his free hand used to turn on the mic in the sound booth before starting the recording and pushing them both in the padded room.

“god, you’re a doll lettin’ me fuck yeh for my track. I love you so much baby..” his words were as rushed as his frantic hands tugging their clothes off. Hers were prying the buttons of his trousers undone while he ridded her of her bra and started on her pants their mouths crashing together in a sloppy, needy dirty kiss. One that left the lower half of their faces shiny and their teeth slightly clenched from knocking them together in the heat of their movements.

“I love you more, jesus Haz, please hurry up need you in me.” Y/n worked on shoving her panties to the side, Harry hoisting her leg up to have her angled just right to sink his cock into. These were the moments he praised whoever invented birth control, nothing beats getting to spontaneously fuck his girl without having to worry about finding a condom.

Gasps, moans and whines filled the booth. The pleasured noises bouncing off the foam glued to the walls, the insulation amplifying their noises as Harry pounded himself inside Y/n relentlessly, his cock forcibly spreading her inner walls stimulating the deepest parts of her making her pour out a river of beautiful moans he couldn’t wait to mesh into the song. He did little to contain his own groans, deciding if they were prominent in the recording he’d match them with the bass so the deep tones complimented each other.

“ ‘m gonna cum”  

The string of words every guy loves to hear from the woman they are pleasuring, it boosts their ego and gives them an extra shot of stamina to push her over the edge satisfying her fully before he lets himself go.

When the tightening of her cunt gripped onto his cock, sucking him in further happened the best moans of the session were let out. Harmonious perfectly pitched moans spilling from her mouth, his joining hers in a duet soon after as his balls gave everything they had inside of her. the pair were a sticky mess, but it didn’t matter to them they both were still in the orgasmic haze complimented with the rush of voyeurism.

“Jesus baby, I think we just secured a grammy.”

[hkeroro]

catching up w hospital playlist uwu

ep6

yes to the residents (now fellows!!!!!) all hanging out and shit I WANT MOREEEEE

the boyfriend of the neuro patient deserves all the pAin in the world screw his ass

also seongyeong poor bb :((

OH TO BE ROSA AND JUNGSU JUST ROAMING AROUND MAKING THE BEST OF THEIR RETIREE DAYS (bruh im still in my early 20s AND I WANT THAT SO BAD I NO LONGER DREAM OF LABOR)

changmin :(((((((

i love the residents and fellows progression in this ep, wish we got to see more of them

honestly i dont have much to say abt this ep

ep7

its the way the side character’s stories and development interest me more than the supposed leads lmaoooooo im not even mad anymore yes give me more seungyeong changmin yunbok screentime!!!!

i know a lot of the HP fans came and stayed for the lacking five but since the beginning i watched for gyeoul nnn so im not overtly pissed per se, but still how come the leads’ stories seem like it’s at standstill?

and idk like all the scenes for the first half seem like fillers (the fact that i’ve said this for prev episodes AHHH)

it feels like there’s no weight to most of the scenes

i dont wanna talk abt how that scene w seokhyeong’s mom was unecessary tbh bcs we barely got any gomgom progression and all it was just more seokhyeong’s mom character assasination but ANYWAYS

the patients cases today were pretty lovely ngl esp the liver transplant and security guard :’)

also junwan my bb YOU DESERVE THE WHOLE WORLD AND IM MAD THAT HES LOWKEY CRYING FOR HELP BUT HIS FRIENDS DONT REALLY SEE IT

also give him a break for the love of god that ending just why

wish we got to see how wintergarden communicates etc bcs they literally went from lovey dovey to ‘i cant be bothered to call and update you but i can send a text to say im flaking instead’

guess the scene in pretimeskip w jeongwon asking her to confide in him more actually became the point of conflict for them

but it’s so sudden and it happened when he wanted to propose??? godddd

they’ve been with each other for more than a year i refuse to believe it’s just been a honeymoon phase all this while and they haven’t established on proper communication between each other zzzzz

something else that really irks me i realized is how a lot of the plot lines are being unecessarily draggy as compared to s1 where most patient cases were and conflicts were solved in one ep hmmm

ending this on a note that despite the opinions im spewing out i cant blame shinlee PD 100% over how this season in the simplest terms just seem all over the place

season 1 was prepared in four years, giving them ample time to look back and work on and perfect the story and script from the pacing to tackling plotholes and eliminating unecessary scenes and incorporating just enough to keep us entertained and it PAID OFF BECAUSE S1 was honestly beautifully executed and with such execution, the positive response was well deserved

but with the positive response comes more demand and pressure to live up to it

i’d like to believe that they were forced to speed up everything to cater to the demands and if they had more time i’m pretty sure the season would be soooo much better

also wanna add on that the writers did such a good job in season 1 with the world building for the lacking five, it must’ve been hard to honor everyone’s story within the time constraints they had :(

i kind of feel bad bcs it’s not to say the current season isn’t good, it’s just that it had a super solid predecessor that might not be easy to follow up w yknow

i’ve made it this far and i’m def gonna continue watching it but maybe when the season is over huhu

[harringtonstudios]

games.

plot: it’s always been back and forth between you two.

A/N: idk :/ something different for anon. tell me how you feel abt it <3

masterlist!

taglist: @iamdorka @no-shxt-sherl @bakerkells @findingmyths @rosegoldrichie​ @mayaslifeinabox​ @itjustkindahappenedreally @hnbtx @backoftheroomandnotbelonging​ 

“Come over.” 

It’s a text popping up on your phone as you shift on your couch, eyes glazed after taking a couple of hits of a joint you had saved up. You breathe a little, adjust yourself again on the couch as the light coming off your television screen illuminates the way your fingers hover over your keyboard.

“No,” you text back after a minute, throwing your phone to the side and grabbing your blanket from the foot of the couch. Pulling it up to your chin, you let the Netflix show wash over you, eyes softly falling closed as the dialogue drones on. 

Five minutes later, you’re jolted awake, phone ringing somewhere around you. Scuffling around your blanket, you reach under your legs, pulling out the culprit of the noise. The name flashes across the screen and you immediately groan, deciding to let it ring out to voicemail. 

Lying back down, you bring your eyes to the show, realizing you have no idea what’s going on anymore. Your phone buzzes against your side again and you grab it, fully aware who’s been blowing up your notifications. 

“Y/N, c'mon.”

“Just come over”

“Pick up”

“I know you’re up. Stop ignoring me,” the last one reads and you groan before deciding to text back. 

“What do you want Colson,” you type out, sending it before you can talk yourself out of it. 

“You.”

The text comes in and you smirk just a little before remembering you’re supposed to be annoyed at him. The credits of the episode start rolling, and at that moment you realize you know how exactly tonight’s going to end. 

-

Getting off the couch, you move to your bedroom, pulling on a pair of old sweatpants and a stolen hoodie before grabbing your keys. Strolling down the stairs of your apartment complex, you walk into the California air, taking in the chill of the night around you. 

This little game of back and forth had been happening for too long, and you were so determined to put a stop to it last time. But then, he’d kissed you just right and the next thing you knew, you were back in his bed, waking up with the sounds of the birds flying outside his window. 

For almost a year, you two had been playing along. Ending up in each other’s bed after parties, concerts you went to, even a family get-together you had hosted one night. That’s all it would be though, just beds, quick sessions in the bathroom of that one club, mornings filled with quiet moans and warm sheets. You’d fallen into an accidental friends-with-benefits situation, but you and Colson weren’t friends and these benefits were wearing thin. 

As you got into your car, you took a moment to pause and remind yourself exactly why you were driving to the middle of the Hills at night. This was the last time you’d let yourself be back in this position, he wouldn’t be able to call you after this. You were tired of it, tired of leaving early mornings without your head on straight, tired of having your thoughts constantly filled with what Colson was gonna do next. Just tired. 

-

You drove the trek up to his house in the Hills, letting the soft beats of your music library calm you down. There hadn’t been any new texts from him, no phone calls lighting up your screen, and it dawned on you, he probably wasn’t even expecting you anymore. Biting down the sour taste that rose in your throat from the idea of him calling on anyone else, you pulled into the always packed driveway.

Not even bothering to knock, you walked into the house, sighing at the mess you could already spot from the entranceway. No one seemed to be around in the main living room, and even though voices flowed over from the kitchen, you decided to take your chances and go straight upstairs. 

Walking into his bedroom, you smiled just a little, seeing Colson’s head propped up as he sat with his back leaning on his bed, guitar in hand. Hearing the soft strums, you moved closer, until you were standing right next to him. 

He looked up, eyes meeting yours and you bit your bottom lip, seeing the redness etched into his pupils. 

“Wasn’t expecting you to come,” he mumbled out softly, looking back down, eyes trained on the view from his window. 

“Yeah, well I’m here,” you responded, crossing your arms. You really weren’t in the mood to play any more games, words itching to crawl out of your throat on their own. 

“Wanna sit?” he gestured right across from him with the neck of his guitar.

“Not really,” you uttered back, already feeling antsy. 

He looked up at that, glaring at you for a second and you suddenly snapped, “Look, why’d you call me over man?”

“I thought it was pretty self-explanatory,” he scoffed out, hand stilled on his guitar, and you could hear the anger laced in his words. 

“We called it off last time. I told you I wasn’t doing this anymore,” you spat out, hand reaching up to run across your forehead. 

“Did we? Cause the only thing I remember is you begging me for more,” he smirked, guitar fully placed on the ground, as he pushed himself up. 

You bit your tongue, the slight amount of leverage you had gone now that he was standing in front of you, taller than you could ever be. Faltering, you took a step back from him. 

“Colson, I’m done. With you, with this shit, done,” you exclaimed, seeing the fire in his eyes suddenly roar. 

“I say when we’re done,” he shot back, voice going low as he reached towards you. 

“Not this time,” you shook your head, turning away from his to cross the room. 

You took a couple of steps away when you heard, “We’re good at this.”

You scoffed, knowing exactly what this was. This wasn’t the second or even third time you both had fought to walk away from each other. Somehow, you would end up in the same orbit, never too far away from each other. 

“Fuck you Colson,” you whispered out, letting the words fall from your mouth before actually leaving his room. 

-

You felt your eyes start to burn, pressure pounding behind your forehead as you walked down the stairs. 

“Oh shit, Y/N, you’re here?” you heard a voice question, and you looked up to see Baze standing there, spatula in hand.

“Um, yeah no,” you started, faltering off as he continued, “I would’ve made more chicken if I knew.”

“No, it’s cool. I’m leaving. Enjoy your chicken dude,” you waved off, desperately hoping that he wouldn’t see the way your eyes were lighting up. 

He mumbled out something else, but then you could hear Colson coming down the staircase, and you turned away, eager to leave before anything else could be said. 

-

Getting into your car, you took out your keys, struggling to fit them into the start position. You could feel your hands shaking and the pounding in your head felt even worse as your vision started to get blurry, tears smudging your glasses.

“Fuck,” you whispered, dropping your keys before resting your head on the steering wheel. Your heartbeat was thumping out of your chest, and you shakily reached for your keys, hand rubbing against the carpet of your interior car. 

There was a knock against your window and you stifled a sob, looking up through the wet lens of your glasses. Colson was wearing a hoodie, but you could still recognize his silhouette and you wiped off your face. Another knock, this one lighter with his knuckles tapping against the glass. You opened your door. 

“Oh, um,” he muttered out.

“Yeah, sorry I dropped my keys,” you mumbled, feeling the wetness of your tears as soon as you opened your mouth. 

“Come back in?” he asked, and you could hear the underlying desperation in his voice.

“No. I can’t. Colson, you know I can’t,” you rambled out, hands running up to your hair in frustration. 

“Y/N, please, just come in,” and his voice cracked.

“Give me your hand,” you whispered out, not willing to process exactly how his voice had sounded.

He licked his lips before dropping one of his hands towards you. Reaching up a little, you grabbed onto it, feeling the warmth of his fingers against yours. Breathing out, you used your other hand to grab the keys from the floor, finally spotting them. 

He tugged a little at your joined hands, as if knowing the debate going on in your mind. You caved, again. 

Getting up, you closed the car door and he pulled you in, both arms tightening around you in a hug. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled into your hair, lips softly kissing the crown of your head. You let a breath against his shoulder, further burying your face into his neck. 

“I fucked up and I keep fucking up,” he murmured and you lifted your head off of him, pushing back a little so you could see his face.

“Hey,” you started, eyes locking with his blue ones, “we both keep fucking up. This isn’t on one of us, okay?”

Your hands reached up to his shoulders, tapping your fingers against him, you knew exactly what to do now.

“I’m going to go home now. I’ll call you tomorrow and when we’re both feeling better, we can talk yeah?” you mumbled out, squeezing down just a little on his shoulder. 

“Stay with me,” he responded, forehead moving down to brush against yours. 

“Colson,” you whispered, knowing that if you broke into his resolve, you wouldn’t be able to stay away. 

There was a beat of silence, quiet filling up the air around you. You could feel his hands on your hips, your own fingers laying against his shoulders. His eyes were closed, messy hair softly brushing against your exposed forehead. You could almost hear the thoughts rushing through his mind, knowing what he said next would make or break this. 

“Yeah, okay,” he let out after a few moments. 

Taking in a second to soak all this in, you took a step back, putting space in between you both yet again. 

“Take time to breathe,” you mumbled, playing with your car keys as he stood there, hands by his side. 

Opening your door, you slid back into the car, feeling just a little bit better at the whole situation. Plugging in your keys, you turned the engine on, wet laughing a little as your music immediately started playing. 

You rolled down your window, shouting out, “Go back in!” as Colson smiled at you from his spot in the driveway. 

Inching back out on the road, you let reality sink in. Tomorrow you would wake up, feeling better prepared to take this on and you were certain of that. This time around you drove back home, finally ready for a good night’s sleep alone. 

[primatechnosynthpop]

I'm Gonna Be The Anti-Hero (So I Can Save You When The Time Comes)

"You have to choose now. Beat me senseless and uphold your 'law', or go back to being the Ryan Murphy we've all come to know and love."

That seemingly earnest plea rang in Ryan's ears like a bomb going off as he tried to sleep. It wasn't exactly warm in the alleyway, but he didn't have the means to afford a secret vigilante base (yet; he'd have to look into that in the future) and, well, there was nowhere else he could go. Well, no, that wasn't true. He could always just go back to his own house. But that would go against his pride.

Where he really couldn't go back to was the clubhouse. Not anymore.

He had been about to tug his hat and mask off in shame, to denounce the crime-fighting lifestyle. "I choose to be your friend"... those words had been on the tip of his tongue. Even now, his heart ached with an infuriating ferocity when he thought back to it. But then.

The crunch of footsteps on the pavement behind him had snapped Ryan to attention, and he'd whirled around to see Neil sneaking up behind him with a bottle of chloroform. All at once, Ryan had understood what was really happening here. Kevin's words had just been a distraction so they could apprehend him. And then what did they plan on doing with him? Handing him over to the cops?

Well, he wasn't going to wait around to find out. In one swift motion, he knocked the bottle out of Neil's hands and pinned him to the wall with a hand around his neck.

"You…" he growled, being sure to use his vigilante voice after having momentarily slipped out of it before. "You traitor!"

"R-Ryan, wait," Neil gasped, hands scrabbling to pry Ryan's hand off of him. Ryan loosened his grip, something he wished he could say he regretted doing now, but instead he felt he would regret it more if he hadn't. "We still want to be your friend! Weren't you listening to Kevin just now?"

"I meant what I said, Ryan," Kevin put in, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm. Ryan flinched away from the touch.

"Yeah, the chloroform was just, you know…" Neil gave him a nervous smile and shrugged, apparently trying to seem casual even as his throat jumped beneath Ryan's gloved hand. "A backup plan."

Even now, replaying the confrontation in his mind, Ryan wondered if he should have believed them. If he just went along with what they were saying, took his mask off and went home with them, wouldn't that be so much easier? Whether or not they really liked or respected or trusted him, at least they were going to pretend they did. He could pretend too, couldn't he?

No. I'm not going to play along anymore. His hands curled into fists, just as they had a few hours prior as he faced down his so-called friends.

"If you value your own wellbeing, get away from here and don't come back." He released his hold on Neil and stepped back, looking between him and Kevin with a glare. They lingered in place, looking back at Ryan with wide, frightened eyes. "Now! Get out of here and leave me alone!"

"But Ryan--" Neil began, stepping toward him with his now empty hands extended.

"Don't," Kevin told him quietly, holding an arm out in front of Neil. He leveled his gaze at Ryan--not quite a glare; the anger in his eyes was too heavily outweighed by sadness. "He's already made his decision. Haven't you, Ryan?"

Have I made my decision? Even now, Ryan wasn't sure he had. It felt more like the decision had been made for him. But if this was really how these people felt about him… that he had to give up part of who he was in order to keep being their friend… well, then it wasn't much of a decision in the first place, was it?

In the end, despite having told them to leave a moment ago, it was Ryan who turned and ran from that alley. He didn't want to spend any longer looking at the expressions of hurt and betrayal etched deep across his friends' faces. Not that it made any difference, because those expressions were engraved in his mind now; he saw them every time he closed his eyes, and he could tell that he was going to be seeing them for some time yet. But only in his head. He wasn't going to see them again in person, not if he could help it. Even if that thought made the persistent ache in his heart grow even sharper, he couldn't go back.

Now, as he sat with his back against the wall of another alleyway on the other side of town, eyes clenched shut in a futile attempt to get a decent night's rest, his mask was still on. And it would be staying on for the foreseeable future.

*

Mere seconds after Ryan rounded a corner and disappeared from view, Kevin groaned and shook his head.

"Oh man, what am I saying? He didn't make his decision yet."

"He didn't?" Neil asked skeptically, rubbing his neck. It wasn't even particularly sore, but it was the principle of the thing. "His mind seemed pretty made up to me."

"No, see, I told him to either beat me up or go back to being our friend," Kevin explained. "And he didn't beat us up, so…"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Neil muttered. (Never mind that Ryan's hand had been around his neck a minute ago. They'd pretty much all screwed each other over at some point; it was probably only fair. That was just how friendships worked, wasn't it?) "Should we go after him, then?"

Kevin didn't respond immediately. He stared down the alleyway to the street where Ryan had taken off. It probably wouldn't be too hard to chase him down if they went after him now, but the longer they deliberated, the more opportunity he had to outrun them. And what would they do when they caught him? Guilt stirred in Neil's gut as his gaze drifted down to the discarded bottle of chloroform. He knelt down and picked it up, then turned the bottle over in his hands. Should I apologize?

Almost like he could tell what Neil was thinking--probably because he was thinking a very similar thing--Kevin laid a hand on Neil's shoulder and gave a slight, hesitant shake of his head.

"Let him run off if he wants," he said. When Neil's concerned frown deepened, he added: "Don't worry, he'll come back soon enough. Our bond can't be broken just like that."

"Right," Neil sighed. He wished he could have Kevin's confidence… although, from the way he didn't quite meet Neil's gaze, he had to wonder if Kevin was really that confident either or just pretending. Either way… "And when he does come back, let's not chloroform him. I think that part was a mistake."

Even as he said that, Neil tucked the bottle back into his pocket. He didn't want to have to use it, really. He didn't take any pleasure from the idea of forcefully knocking Ryan out. He just…

Well, after reading those news reports, he hadn't expected Kevin to be able to talk Ryan down so easily. If Neil had listened a little more closely to the exchange, been at an angle where he could watch Ryan's expression change, then maybe he would have thought better of the chloroforming part of the plan. But what was done was done. And now… now Neil had to wonder if the same trick would work twice. If they did run into Ryan again and he wasn't so friendly, would they be able to get him to come home with them without using force?

"It won't come to that," Neil told himself, as if muttering self-directed reassurances under his breath would lighten the weight of the bottle in his pocket. "It's like Kevin said. We're still friends. Ryan's gonna come back."

*

Ryan didn't come back.

On some level, that was exactly what Kevin had expected. He tried to keep up a positive attitude, for Neil's sake if nothing else--he'd given up too quickly before and been proven wrong, after all, so there was always still a chance--but after two whole weeks with no word from their friend, it was hard to imagine Ryan just strolling back into their clubhouse any day now like nothing was wrong.

At least they knew for a fact that Ryan was still okay, physically speaking. The newspaper articles about vicious attacks by the "crazed vigilante" just kept coming. As much as those articles made him cringe, their continued presence in the paper was kind of a relief, too. He read enough comics to know that crime-fighting could be pretty dangerous, and if anything bad happened to Ryan… well, he didn't want to think about it.

To make things worse, it seemed that people had taken to throwing bricks at them. This only came to Kevin's attention when Neil held up one brick with a note attached to it and proclaimed that it was "another brick from those people who keep throwing bricks at us!" Without acknowledging Kevin's bewildered response to that remark, Neil jumped into reading the note, which announced the addition of a…

"Hmm," Neil said, tilting his head as he read over the note. "It looks like they crossed out the words 'fourth member' and changed it to 'replacement member of your team'."

"Replacement?" Kevin echoed, immediately wary. He got up from the couch and walked over to read the note over Neil's shoulder.

"I know, that's weird, right?" Neil muttered. "Who could possibly replace Ryan?"

Before they could read any further, an unfamiliar voice rang out from behind them. "'Sup, bros, I'm that new rocker kid!"

They turned to see a guy in a hulkamania t-shirt grinning smugly back at them, hands in a finger-gun position. Kevin and Neil exchanged an uneasy look. This didn't bode well…

*

So, Cynthia, remember that filmmaking studio I was telling u abt? They partnered me up w/ this pair of total frados. We're gonna have a fishing sesh now even though fishing is totally midtown. So not deck.

While Spencer was typing out this text message, being sure to select only the most infuriatingly nonsensical slang terms, the foliage above him rustled. He rolled his eyes and swatted a falling leaf away from his hair without taking his eyes off his phone screen. Okay, now to take some gnarly selfies… He leaned back and, after selecting an appropriately pretentious black-and-white filter, held his phone out in front of him and started snapping photos. He tilted his head to one side, then the other… Hmm, what angle makes me look smartest? He stuck his tongue out in contemplation, all the while making sure to keep his vape in the frame.

Just as he pressed the "send" button, a sudden flash of motion in his periphery made him jump. He turned to gawk at the masked man who had just appeared as if out of thin air--although, Spencer quickly realized, he'd probably jumped out of the tree that Spencer had been leaning against a moment ago. Huh, that was weird. Spencer took a puff of his vape and blew the smoke in the masked man's face.

"Hey, what's with the costume, bro?" he asked. "Are you wearing that ironically or what?"

"Vaping in the middle of the woods," the stranger growled in response. "Do you have any idea how much damage that can do to the ecosystem?"

"Woah, chillax, dude," Spencer laughed, holding up a hand in a gesture of surrender (but, like, only ironically, because raising a hand to indicate surrender was so mainstream). "Hang on, let me get some pics of you in that--waugh!!"

He broke off into a yelp as the masked man grabbed him by the collar and tugged him behind the treeline, well out of those lame filmmakers' line of sight. In a series of terrifyingly quick movements, the masked stranger wrenched the vape pen from Spencer's hand, clocked him over the head with it, and then kneed him in the groin. Spencer doubled over with a moan.

"D-dude… so not cool…"

The masked man harrumphed. Without another word, he grabbed Spencer's head in his hands and gave it a forceful twist sideways. The last thought to go through Spencer's brain before it permanently shut down was that the forest twisting around backwards like that would make a sick album cover.

*

Through some miraculous twist of fate, Spencer apparently wandered off during their walk through the woods and never showed back up. Evidently he'd decided that he didn't want to hang out with Kevin and Neil any more than they wanted to hang out with him--a small mercy if they'd ever seen one. That was one problem solved without them even having to come up with a solution.

But the main problem, the real problem, still wasn't solved--that problem being that they had a hole in the team that the studio saw the need to fill in the first place. And that hole did need, desperately, to be filled. But not with an annoying hipster. With the missing original member of the group.

Another few weeks went by. Autumn turned to winter. Soon there was snow on the ground, and the overnight temperatures were low enough to implant a freezing panic whenever the newspapers went a few days in a row with no reports of vigilante attacks.

"Say, Neil… you designed Ryan's vigilante costume, right?" Kevin asked one frost-covered morning, his hands clenched tight enough to rip the front page of that day's paper.

"Yeah, I helped put it together. Why?"

"You think it's warm enough?"

"Oh, uh, it's pretty well-insulated." Neil smiled, but there was a strained twitch to his expression that made it obvious that he knew why Kevin was asking. As if to banish those thoughts from both their minds, he forced his smile a little wider while twisting his hands anxiously under the table. "Ryan's gonna be fine. And if it gets too cold, then he knows where to go, right?"

"Yeah, of course. Back here."

Kevin didn't bother saying what they were both already thinking: that if Ryan wanted to come back to their clubhouse, back to them, then he already would have.

*

Ryan held his breath as he crouched atop the apartment building's fire escape. If he exhaled, then his breath would puff out in front of him and give away his location. His body already ached from having to stay frozen in that position for as long as he had, and the cold was only making matters worse. He was deeply grateful for his gloves; he didn't think he'd be able to stand gripping the frost-coated metal with bare hands.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the door to the apartment beneath him opened and his target stepped out onto their balcony. The target--a middle-aged woman with graying hair dyed pink--leaned over the balcony railing with a heavy sigh and reached into the pocket of her winter coat. A moment later, a puff of smoke filled the air around her--not just her breath made visible by the frigid December air, but cigarette smoke. Not technically illegal out here, but it should have been. What if there happened to be a plant or animal out on this balcony? There wasn't any that he could see, but… in any case, it went against Ryan's sense of justice, which many would argue was as incomprehensible as everything else about him.

With the agility of a cat in an acrobatics competition, Ryan leapt off the fire escape and dropped through the air, cape fluttering behind him, to the smoker's level. He came down on her feet-first. A loud, squawking cough erupted from the smoker as Ryan planted a kick to her back. The force sent her falling against and nearly over the rail; Ryan caught her by the hood of her coat and flung her back toward the door.

"Smoking in public," he spat. "Disgraceful. You're a hazard to everyone around you."

The cigarette dropped from the woman's dangling jaw as she gaped at him. It went out as soon as it landed on the snow-dusted balcony, but Ryan stamped on it and ground it beneath his heel anyway for good measure.

"Wha… you…" Her gaze flickered over Ryan, landing on his mask. "Oh, christ, are you that vigilante who's been going around beating people to death over nothing?"

"No!" he snapped, inadvertently using his natural voice. Upon realizing his mistake, he flushed with embarrassment, cleared his throat, and tried again in the proper gravelly tone. "Not over nothing. I make sure every criminal in this city receives their punishment."

With that, he lunged toward the smoker with his hand tightened into a karate-chop position. He made short work of her, as he did with all his targets. Within seconds, she was sprawled unconscious on the ground, with several bones twisted out of place. (Can't you see how crazy this has all gotten?) Was it harsh? Of course. (We're afraid of you.) Harsher than was strictly necessary, even? Maybe. (You're a horrible fascist.) But it was what he was meant to do, and… well, there wasn't much severe crime in Plymouth, so he had to make do with fighting what was presented to him.

The smoker had left the door to her apartment open behind her. Ryan dragged her back inside before taking off. Didn't want to just leave her exposed to the elements.

After that, he had to get out of there as fast as possible, which in this case meant descending the fire escape three steps at a time. Although he didn't think anyone had seen him, you could never be too careful with big buildings like this. There was always a chance someone could have seen and called the cops. Ryan had dealt with the police around twelve times too many in the past month, and it hadn't always gone well--he could begrudgingly admit that he probably owed his life to being held up in a jail cell over a couple of the colder nights recently, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

While he was running through the apartment complex's courtyard, muscles coiling in preparation to jump the fence, a high-pitched laugh from nearby caught his attention. Ryan froze up, a chill running through him. He turned to see a strange man in a bowler hat leaning against a tree, twirling his mustache.

"My, how marvelous," the stranger crooned. "You certainly gave that miscreant a run for her money."

Ryan approached the stranger with narrowed eyes. "Who are you?" he inquired, trying not to let any apprehension reveal itself through his growl.

"Why, you haven't heard of me?" The stranger raised his hand and snapped his fingers, only to pause and frown when nothing happened. "…Ah, right, the background music is only rigged up for when I'm in my lair. Well, anyway! I'm the Misery Meister, and I believe my goal in life is remarkably aligned with yours. What do you say to the two of us teaming up?"

"Teaming up?" But vigilantes work alone, don't they? Then again, maybe not all of them did; Ryan had never actually met another crime-fighter before. He decided to err on the side of caution with his next question: "What's in it for me?"

"Oh, all sorts of useful things… room and board, for example. I've been watching you for some time now, Mr. Murphy, and you don't have a proper home base, do you?" The Misery Meister laughed, in a tone somewhere between a giggle and a cackle, at the way Ryan squirmed at that question. "That won't do if you plan to keep up this crime-fighting business all through the winter. You could freeze to death without a lair to go back to at night, you know."

As if to accentuate that point, he raised his hand--also gloved, Ryan noticed; he felt a faint twinge of kinship toward this strange person--and gave a wriggle of his fingers. A bluish-white glow began forming in the Misery Meister's palm, and the temperature of the surrounding air suddenly dropped a few degrees. Ryan shuddered.

"If you work with me, I can keep you safe and secure up on Misery Mountain." As he said this, the meister closed his hand, and the ball of ice energy disappeared. "In return, you can… hmm, do a few favours for me. Simple things that I'm sure you can manage. Does that sound like a fair arrangement?"

Ryan paused to consider the offer. He knew all too well the dangers his current lifestyle posed, from bad weather to the police--even now, as he thought this over, he was tensely surveying the area to make sure there were no flashing red and blue lights coming his way--to the possibility that one day he'd encounter a more serious criminal who could hold their own against him in a fight. Teaming up with someone with… ice powers, it seemed?… and apparently a secure place of dwelling could certainly help him out. And, he rationalized, if this Misery Meister fellow turned out to be untrustworthy, Ryan could always just stop working with him.

"Alright," he decided, extending his hand for a shake. "Partners in crime-fighting."

It was only once they were already en route to the Misery Meister's mountaintop hideout that Ryan realized the meister had never actually mentioned crime-fighting. But he had to be another vigilante, right? After all, who else would dress and act like that, and have supernatural powers?

*

The truth was that this arrangement had very little to do with Ryan's abilities or his innate potential as a human being or anything ridiculous like that. It was just that, after spending weeks remotely monitoring everyone in the area, it was clear that this so-called vigilante was the most consistently miserable person in Plymouth county. That made him the perfect specimen to extract DNA anticultures from in order to concoct an anti-happiness elixir. Naturally, someone as powerful as the Misery Meister had other ways of obtaining DNA samples. But if he could obtain those samples while also getting a capable bodyguard/servant to carry out his evil bidding, well, that was just a convenient bonus.

He made sure to start Ryan off slow so as not to scare him off right away. Housekeeping, shooing away hapless trespassers, finding new traffic signs for him to spray paint--things like that, that anyone could do. If Ryan was bothered by being assigned such simple tasks, he did a good job hiding it. Clearly he was more desperate for a place to call home, not to mention some direction in life, than he'd let on.

A few days into their arrangement, one of his monitors started going off. "What?" he gasped. "Somebody's happy in Plymouth?!" Sure enough, the words "happiness alert" blinked on the green-tinted screen beneath live footage of two young men--around Ryan's age, by the looks of it, but that didn't seem relevant or noteworthy--one of whom was petting a dog. It didn't take long to discern that the dog was the source of the young men's happiness. Which meant there was an easy way to deal with it…

"Ryan, come in here," he called, tapping his finger against the little bell he'd installed on his desk to summon his servant. "There's an errand I want you to go on."

Ryan entered quickly, obedient as always. He looked vaguely uncomfortable, as he always did when addressed by name, but he had yet to come up with any monikers that he would rather be called. "What is it, sir?"

The Misery Meister motioned to his monitor. "Look at this. The dog is making these boys happy. I want you to remove it."

To his surprise, when Ryan leaned in to look at the monitor, he stiffened and sucked in a sharp breath. His lips moved, apparently mouthing a name, or multiple names. The Misery Meister raised his eyebrows, intrigued. Ryan didn't know these people, did he? …Ah, but if he does, that could be a new opportunity to spread even more misery…

"Sir, you want me to…" Ryan looked at the monitor and visibly gulped before looking back at the Misery Meister with a poorly hidden grimace. "You want me to kill Roc--I mean, the dog?"

"Kill it? Oh, I didn't even think of that! Should I have you kill it? …No, that's not necessary," he decided. "Just capture it and bring it back here."

"Capture it. Right." There was an audible waver to Ryan's deep, gravelly voice that made the Misery Meister wonder, not for the first time, if maybe that wasn't his natural voice. Still, Ryan clenched his jaw and gave a stiff nod. "Yes, sir. I can do that."

*

Ryan didn't stop thinking about what he saw on the monitor for the rest of the day. Watching the men who he had considered his dear friends smiling and laughing amongst themselves… admittedly, some part of him was glad for them. But later that day, as he replayed the footage in his head with some details slightly distorted by memory, a painful twinge of jealousy stirred in Ryan's gut. It was accompanied by a residual pang of betrayal--a startlingly poignant sensation even a month after the fact.

Look at them, carrying on like that. Like everything was normal… well, maybe everything was finally normal for them now. After all, I was the weird one, wasn't I? With me out of the way, things are probably better for them.

With that thought, the roiling mix of emotions swirling within him calcified into a hard, cold bitterness thick enough to choke on. Yes, it all seemed so obvious now. He had made his choice to leave his former friends behind, and now both himself and those "friends" were doing better than ever. Maybe having ever become friends with those two was a mistake. Clearly they didn't need him, and he certainly didn't need them, either.

*

What Ryan didn't see, looking at low-res footage on a computer with the volume muted, was that the happiness detected by the monitor was diluted by melancholy. In fact, just a few short minutes before the happiness alert started going off, Neil had been on the verge of tears.

He'd been trying to figure out a holiday cookie recipe, but even though he was following the recipe to the letter, the results just weren't turning out how they were supposed to. He could only assume that Ryan had some sort of secret ingredient to make them taste right. Even though it had been several weeks already, his first thought upon coming to this realization was, Oh, then I'll just ask Ryan what that ingredient is. Of course that wasn't how secret ingredients worked, so Ryan probably wouldn't have told him even if he had been around--heck, if Ryan was around, then he could be the one doing the baking like usual and they wouldn't be in this situation.

But none of that would cross Neil's mind until later. In the moment, upon having that thought, he poked his head out of the kitchen and opened his mouth to call Ryan's name, only for it to die on his tongue when he remembered that his friend wasn't around anymore.

"Oh, hey, Neil," Kevin greeted him from his position on the couch. "Everything going okay in there?"

"Not really," Neil admitted. He wiped his flour-coated hands off on his pants and moved to sit down next to Kevin. He noticed there was a newspaper on the end table--unsurprising; Kevin had been very vigilant about keeping up with the news lately. Neil picked up the paper and thumbed through it. "Any more reports of vigilante attacks?"

"Not today."

That was the answer he'd expected. It had been a few days now without any reports of vigilante activity, and at this point they were both pretty worried. Although Kevin's countenance was outwardly calm now, Neil had seen him pacing around the living room muttering to himself earlier. That was what had prompted Neil to try baking something in the first place--an attempt to cheer them up and get their minds off things.

"Well, at least…" Kevin added after a moment in a quieter, more weary voice, "There's nothing in the obituaries, either."

Neil grimaced and looked away so Kevin wouldn't see him tearing up. That effort was probably undone, though, by the warble that he couldn't keep out of his voice as he rattled off the same empty assurance that the two of them had been repeating back and forth to themselves and each other for a month now. "Right, so… there's no reason to think anything bad happened to him. He's fine."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment, with the only sound being the faint rustling of the newspaper as Kevin picked it back up and started looking through it again, as if searching for any relevant news he'd missed the first time around. Neil realized after a minute that he'd left a batch of cookies in the oven and they were going to burn, but he didn't bother getting up to take them out. They probably weren't going to turn out very good, anyway. Just like how their last webisode, the one about fishing, hadn't turned out very good. The studio had said it was boring because nothing interesting happened in it. If Ryan had still been onboard their team, he could have come up with a way to add conflict to the narrative, but without him… it seemed like nothing Neil or Kevin did was turning out properly.

However, as soon as the oven's timer beeped, there came the scuffle of paws against the kitchen floor, followed by the sound of the oven opening and the clatter of the tray being removed. Neil gasped in delight as Rocky trotted up to them, tail wagging, with the tray of cookies in her mouth.

"Hey, there's a good girl!" Kevin reached down to scratch her behind the ears while Neil took the tray and set it atop the end table.

"Let's see how they turned out," said Neil. He was admittedly still skeptical that this batch would have turned out any better than his previous seven attempts (he'd been at this baking thing all day; was it any wonder he was getting a little frustrated?) but Rocky showing up to help like this felt like a good sign. She tended not to get involved with lost causes, which might have been why she didn't usually help them out with their webisodes.

And to his pleasant surprise, when he bit into a cookie, he found that it tasted… if not exactly like the ones Ryan made, then at least the closest to it that he'd gotten all day. Similar enough that he could close his eyes and imagine that it was Ryan who had made them, and that he was sitting right there next to them, and they'd all apologized to each other and everything was fine. As quickly as that illusion faded when Neil opened his eyes, it lingered just long enough to implant a genuine comforting warmth within him. For what must have been the first time in weeks, he smiled.

"It's a good thing we've still got Rocky, huh?" Kevin murmured, vocalizing what Neil had just been thinking. As if to punctuate that statement, the dog jumped up and licked his cheek, prompting a little huff of laughter from Kevin and subsequently from Neil as well.

"Heh, yeah, we can always count on her to lift our spirits!" Neil reached over to give her a pat on the head, eliciting a happy bark in response. "Things don't seem so bad when she's around."

Things were still bad, of course, and this moment of semi-cheerful respite wouldn't last long. But when their beloved dog was jumping up on the couch to clamber onto Kevin's lap even though she was much too big to fit there comfortably, it was hard not to laugh. It was hard not to be happy, even if it was just for a minute.

*

Freshly fallen snow crunched beneath Ryan's boots as he made his way through the forest at a quick pace. According to the monitor in the lair, his target was currently in this area. Out on a walk, no doubt. He tried to ignore the acidic sting of guilt that rose higher in him with every step. In his pocket, his hand curled around the drugged hot dog he was supposed to use to capture the target. He wouldn't use it, he decided. Not unless he had to. Unlike some people--the image of a bottle of chloroform flashed through his mind, and his scowl deepened--he would only stoop to such tactics as a last resort.

It wasn't long until he heard a set of all-too-familiar voices coming through the trees up ahead. Despite going into this mission knowing full well that he was going to encounter his old friends, hearing them in person from what couldn't have been more than a few metres away froze Ryan in his tracks. Holding his breath, he ducked behind the closest tree as their voices grew closer.

"What about that one?"

"That's a rock."

They were out looking for a tree, he realized. Yes, just as he thought--carrying on just fine without him. Keeping his back pressed flat against the tree, Ryan cautiously turned his head as far as he could to catch a glimpse of them without revealing his presence. His heart was pounding all the while. While his vigilante outfit had served him well for prowling the streets late at night, it didn't do much for stealth in broad daylight against all this snow. Luckily, they passed him by without noticing. Their canine companion, however, paused to raise its head and sniff curiously.

The dog. The target. An it, not a she. Yes, that was how he forced himself to think of it, the terms he had to conceptualize this mission with. If he stopped lying to himself for even a second, if he let himself acknowledge that these were his friends and their dog--that this was Rocky, and his mission was to steal her from Kevin and Neil… then he wouldn't be able to go through with it. But he had to do this.

(Why did he have to do it? What was he trying to prove? Hadn't he told himself a few short days ago that he didn't have to keep working for the Misery Meister if he didn't like it? Ryan didn't want to think about those questions, either. He just wanted to get this mission over with and get back to the lair.)

While his former friends were busy picking out a tree, Ryan stepped out of hiding and made a soft clicking sound with his tongue. Rocky immediately perked up and ran over to him, tail wagging. The dog's utter lack of apprehension at approaching him only made the vice of guilt squeeze tighter around his heart. But she must not understand, he told himself. Despite being a fervent animal rights activist (at least according to the unauthorized biography that Kevin had written about them with the claim that he was going to show it to his grandkids one day) Ryan had to imagine there was some discrepancy in the intelligence of humans compared to animals. Rocky probably didn't understand why he had left, and she surely didn't know his intentions for showing up again now. If only his human friends shared the same willingness to approach him, maybe he wouldn't have had to leave…

He banished those thoughts with a shake of his head. This wasn't the time to stew in resentment towards either himself or his friends. But he could use Rocky's naive trust to his advantage.

"Come on, girl," he whispered, patting his knee. "Follow me."

Rocky barked out her agreement loudly enough to make Ryan wince.

"Ah, no, don't bark," he told her in a whisper. "Quiet, okay? Good girl."

He realized with a twinge of discomfort as Rocky obediently shut her muzzle and set off after him that this was the first time in days (or was it weeks?) that he had intentionally used his natural voice. At this point, a normal person's throat would be irrevocably wrecked from constantly keeping up that intimidating vigilante growl. But he slipped back into his original voice all too easily. It was like his very biology wanted him to drop the vigilante act. It's not an act, though, he reminded himself. It's who I am. Anyone who can't accept that isn't really my friend.

Although Rocky initially trotted after Ryan without hesitation, she slowed to a stop once he got a few metres away. When he realized that the sound of her pawsteps behind him had stopped, he turned to see her sitting in place, tilting her head to look back the way they came.

"No, we're going this way."

She whined and thumped her tail against the ground. Ryan sighed and shook his head. He walked over and looped his hand through Rocky's collar, then gave a gentle tug to urge her forward. She didn't budge; he tugged harder on the collar, but all that accomplished was making her whine louder.

"I know, girl," Ryan murmured, running a hand over her back. He wished he could take his gloves off so he could feel the soft silkiness of her fur, but that would be unprofessional… maybe back at the lair. "But Neil and Kevin can't come with us. I know you think you need them, that they're your friends, but…" His hand clenched tighter around her collar, and he stuffed his other hand back in his pocket, where it wrapped around the drugged hot dog. "They're not our friends. We don't need them. Let's just get out of here, and I can introduce you to someone who really understands what's important."

Rocky blinked and tilted her head, the picture of confusion. It would be cute--well, it was cute, but he'd be able to appreciate that cuteness better under different circumstances. As it was, the dog's puzzled expression only served to tighten the noose of guilt around his throat.

"Come on," he whispered one final time, with a desperate plea hidden just below the surface of his words: Don't make me drug you. Don't make me stoop to their level.

In the end, Rocky took one last reluctant glance at the clearing behind them and then followed after Ryan. Whether that was because of anything he said or just because she smelled food in his pocket, he couldn't say. Either way, he arrived back at Misery Mountain with the dog in tow, and the Misery Meister ushered her into a kennel and praised Ryan for completing his mission.

*

Ryan tried to ignore the persistent stirring of unease within him as he watched the news report displayed in the Misery Meister's flickering magic screen. While his employer cackled with delight next to him, he couldn't bring himself to smile at the sight of his former friends in such an obvious state of stress and anxiety.

"One trillion dollars for the return of our dog…"

"What do you think, Ryan?" the Misery Meister asked, laying a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Quite the pathetic display, isn't it? Those 'new kids on the rock' will never see their beloved mutt again!"

"Right…" Ryan tore his eyes away from the screen and glanced over his shoulder at the caged dog behind them. Yes, it was a cage, not a kennel. He could acknowledge that much, even if it made him uncomfortable.

He had no idea what the Misery Meister planned on doing with Rocky, if anything--as much as his employer liked to loudly announce his plans to himself when he was alone, he was highly secretive about everything when asked directly. But it would be okay, Ryan told himself, although he had trouble believing it. Rocky was still being fed--mostly by him--and he would stick his hand through the bars of the cage to pet her whenever the Misery Meister wasn't looking. And if the meister's plan did involve hurting her at some point… well, Ryan wouldn't let any harm, direct or otherwise, come to the dog. Even if protecting Rocky would lead to him being exiled from the temporary home he'd managed to secure for himself, even if he wound up back on the streets… that would be worth it, right? Or would it?

Ryan wished he could be more certain of where his priorities lay. As it was, he was kept awake at night by all the questions plaguing his mind like a swarm of hornets.

On the screen, the news report concluded with Neil looking into the camera and delivering a speech.

"We've already lost one good friend this year. We really don't want to lose another. Ryan Murphy, if you're out there watching this, please come home. We miss you a lot, too. And if you know where Rocky is, then please bring her home too. Thank you."

Ryan flinched at the mention of his name. He stole a glance at the Misery Meister to see if he had registered it, but his master's icy smile gave nothing away. Neil's wide, plaintive eyes stared back at him from the screen. His speech sounded every bit as heartfelt as Kevin's speech to Ryan in the alleyway had sounded all those weeks ago. And if that speech hadn't been earnest after all, why believe the sentiment behind this one either?

Still, on some level he couldn't help but hope that Rocky would miraculously escape and find her way home somehow. He couldn't be the one to let her out of her cage, because the Misery Meister would know it was him and probably punish him for it. And despite all the promises he made to himself about moral codes and priorities, Ryan couldn't afford to go back to life on the streets and risk freezing to death overnight. This arrangement only sat worse with him with each passing day, but there weren't any feasible alternatives.

It was almost a relief when, a little less than a week after capturing Rocky, the Misery Meister announced that there were a pair of intruders on the mountain. Ryan didn't need to see the footage on the monitor to guess exactly who those intruders were. So they really do care about her, he thought, and inwardly smiled--an expression he didn't dare make outwardly, at least not in front of his master. Maybe that means they really care about me, too… no, now's not the time to be thinking about that.

"Dispose of them for me, will you?"

He nodded, obedient as the dog he had so easily captured a few days prior. "Of course. Right away, sir."

*

"Man, my head hurts," Kevin groaned, rubbing at his temples with a grimace.

A few steps ahead of him, Neil muttered his agreement. "Yeah, that was a pretty rough landing. But at least we're here."

According to Frosty, the spell of channeling their happiness would have worked better with an additional person. With only two of them, he had to drain an increased amount of happiness from each of them, leaving them feeling weak and dizzy. Kevin almost felt like the happiness was still leaking out of him--either that or it was internal bleeding. Hopefully not the latter. Either way, not a great condition to be in while heading into the lair of a potentially dangerous villain. But it was too late to turn back now.

While they made their way up the twisting mountain path to a building that looked like a large warehouse with a lighthouse-esque spire, they stopped to grab a couple of makeshift weapons off the ground. Kevin selected a stone that fit comfortably in his hand, while Neil picked out a branch. Kevin was worried that it was a bit too small to make a good weapon, but Neil assured him that it was deceptively sharp. Once they got to the building, they paused outside the door and exchanged an apprehensive look. What now? It couldn't be as easy as just marching in there and getting their dog back. If they had learned anything from the past few weeks, it was that things could be difficult and have lasting consequences. Still, they had to try. Kevin gave a stiff nod: No way around it. Let's do this. Neil returned the nod with a grim expression that looked jarringly out-of-place on his face, and together they pushed the door open.

The building looked about the way you'd expect a villain's lair to look. A cursory glance around revealed various electronics including a control panel with a flashing red light, but no sign of Rocky. Kevin was about to ask whether they should split up to look for her when a rough, gravelly snarl rang out from across the room.

"Get out of here, intruders, before I make you leave."

Kevin's head snapped up to stare in slack-jawed disbelief at the figure standing in the nearest doorway. Fog of indeterminate origin swirled around his feet as he marched towards them, posture tense but stride confident, masked face set into a scowl. If it weren't for the familiarity of the costume, not to mention the ponytail swishing behind him as he walked, Kevin might not have even recognized him. An unparsable mix of emotions jolted through his system--shock, amazement, confusion, relief, terror.

At his side, Neil gulped and raised a shaky hand to point at the approaching man. "H-hey, isn't that…?"

"Yeah. It is." Kevin addressed the vigilante through gritted teeth. "What are you doing here, Ryan?"

"I'll have you know that I work here," Ryan growled. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah, we do," Neil retorted with an accusatory jab of his finger, "Especially if you're the one who kidnapped our dog!"

Ryan came to a stop a few feet ahead of them, close enough that Neil's outstretched finger nearly brushed against the front of his vigilante costume, and crossed his arms. "Rocky followed me here willingly. She must have finally figured out the same thing I did: that you two aren't her real friends."

His voice audibly wavered on that line, although he quickly caught himself. Neil slowly lowered his hand away from Ryan's chest and took a couple steps back. Kevin moved to stand in front of Neil, assuming a defensive fighting stance that he hoped he wouldn't have to use.

"Ryan, seriously, listen to us," Kevin said slowly, doing everything in his power to maintain outward composure even though his heart was hammering hard enough that he wouldn't be surprised if Neil and Ryan could hear it. "We've been really worried about you. We've missed you, a lot. All we want is for you to go back to being our friend."

"And, uh, I'm sorry about the chloroform thing," Neil interjected. "I shouldn't have… I mean, listen, I thought you might be dangerous. I just wanted you to come back with us, whatever that took. We still want that, Ryan, more than anything."

A high-pitched note of pleading crept into Neil's voice at the end there; Kevin thought he could see the beginnings of tears glistening in his friend's eyes. He placed a steadying hand on Neil's shoulder as they watched Ryan's reaction. For a moment, Ryan just stood still and stared back at them, his expression unreadable behind the goggle portion of his mask. He slowly raised a hand toward the mask, as though he was going to take it off, and for a moment hope reignited… but then he paused, lowered his head, and dropped his arms to his sides with his hands clenched into fists.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that."

*

There was no way around it. Ryan had to fight them. He went into this confrontation, such as it was, knowing he had to fight them. They were traitors, liars who never really cared about him, discarded fragments of his worthless former life… even just looking at them now, listening to their pleas, ignited a seething resentment in his chest. How could they still pretend to genuinely care about him?

(Unless of course they weren't pretending, and they really meant it, and he was the one in the wrong and he could fix everything here and now by agreeing to go back home with them… No. No, he couldn't start thinking like that. Even if Neil and Kevin really did want to be his friends again, it was too late for that. Ryan had his orders.)

"This is your final warning," he growled. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword--a weapon whose existence he frequently forgot about altogether, because he'd never encountered a tough enough opponent to warrant drawing a blade. "Leave this place now."

I don't want to have to hurt you, he didn't say. Part of him wondered whether the Misery Meister was monitoring this exchange. If so, he was probably already annoyed with Ryan for letting these trespassers remain unharmed for this long.

"Sorry, but that's not how we operate," Kevin said sharply. He tossed a small object in the air and caught it like a baseball as he spoke--a stone, Ryan realized. Was he planning on using that as a weapon? "We're not leaving without our dog, and we're not afraid to fight to get to her."

"Yeah," Neil added, jabbing his own makeshift weapon--a thin stick, practically a twig--in the air for emphasis. "We're not messing around here!"

Under his breath, Ryan let out a huff of incredulous laughter, although under these circumstances he didn't find it very funny. If he'd been in their position, he'd have at least brought a full-sized brick to fight with. But he wasn't in their position; he was positioned across from them in what was about to become a battlefield. There was no way around this. Ryan took a deep breath, unsheathed his sword, and sprung toward them.

Neil intercepted his first strike with the branch he wielded. The sword sliced through Neil's makeshift weapon like the twig it was, and could have easily sliced his hand off if Ryan had let the momentum carry the blade any further. It still wound up grazing him. Neil yelped and stumbled back, clutching his bloodied hand, while Kevin lunged forward to throw a punch. Ryan swerved to avoid the attack, then raised his sword above Kevin's head and let it hover there for a second. It would be so easy to kill them if he wanted. And then he would never have to worry about them again. Wouldn't that be easier? Wouldn't that be better?

"No," Ryan whispered aloud, his hands almost involuntarily weakening their grip on his blade. "No, I don't want that."

No sooner had those words left his mouth than something sharp poked into his shoulder. With an indignant yelp, he looked behind him to find that Neil had jabbed him with what remained of his stick. The moment Ryan turned to swat the stick away, something hard connected with the back of his head--the rock. Not a very strong hit, but it was enough to momentarily stun him. He stumbled forward, directly into the path of another jab from Neil's branch. This one struck his cheek, and it actually stung. Ryan rubbed at his cheek with a grimace and then took another swing with his sword. This time Kevin knocked the blade aside with the stone. Ryan let the sword clatter out of his grasp and made no move to pick it up; likewise, neither of his opponents made any move to grab it for themselves. Instead Kevin hit him with a punch to the jaw, nowhere near as hard as he could have, and Neil jabbed him with the broken twig again.

Ryan groaned, out of frustration with himself rather than from pain. Obviously none of them wanted to be doing this, so…

"Why don't you just leave?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Rocky is fine. You don't have to worry about her. Just get out of here before I get serious."

"Oh, only getting serious now, are we?"

Ryan froze, a shiver running down his spine, at the sound of his master's lilting tone. The Misery Meister stepped out from behind a piece of machinery, watching the tableau before him with steepled fingers and a manic grin. Looking at his employer's countenance, Ryan was once again reminded of himself. Was this how he appeared to others? Well, of course it was--that was how he tried to appear most of the time. But did it delight people, or did it actually scare them in an unpleasant way? Ryan had always thought that he was only spooky in a fun way, but now he had to wonder…

"I see you've met my servant here," the Misery Meister went on, laying his hands on Ryan's shoulders and flashing Neil and Kevin a menacing grin. "It's such a shame he's not on your side anymore. Well, Ryan?" He traced a finger across Ryan's face to tilt his chin up; Ryan shuddered at the touch. "Are you going to take care of these intruders, or do I have to finish the job myself?"

"I told them to leave," Ryan mumbled. He looked back at his friends--former friends, he reminded himself, but that bit of mental recitation did nothing to ease the tension that permeated his body and calcified into a knife in his heart. "Sir, can't they just have the dog? We're not doing anything with her anyway, so--"

"What? Of course not!" the Misery Meister gasped, reeling back and laying a hand over his heart. "That would increase the total amount of happiness in the world. I would sooner die than let that happen!" Then something flashed in his eyes, and a wicked grin spread over his face. "Speaking of dying… heh, yes, I know just how to deal with these little pests…"

A chilling spike of dread jabbed through Ryan with those words. He grabbed his master by the sleeve and shook his head vehemently, lips drawing back in a grimace.

"S-sir, what are--no, no, you can't," he stammered, his vigilante voice dropping away in this moment of panic. "You can't kill them!"

"Oh, can't I?"

Still grinning, the Misery Meister reached into his pocket and drew out a sleek pistol. The weapon gleamed as he leveled it at Kevin and Neil, who gasped and recoiled at the sight of it. Ryan's eyes widened behind his mask. No! The Misery Meister was making some villainous speech now--yes, villainous, he was so clearly a villain, how could I have been so willfully ignorant?!--but Ryan didn't hear a word his master was saying. His senses were laser-focused on that gun, and the hand wrapped around it, ready at any moment to--

The Misery Meister's finger twitched against the trigger. Too quickly to formulate a single thought, let alone consider all the potential consequences, Ryan moved on pure instinct. He grabbed the Misery Meister's arm and wrenched it to the side as hard and fast as he could. A loud crack rang out in unison with the echoing bang of a barely misfired gunshot, and the Misery Meister shrieked.

"Why, you… you just broke my arm!"

Ryan offered no snappy comeback to that remark the way Kevin or Neil might have. There was no room for words in his mind; in that moment, it was reduced to a void of rage. He moved on instinct, with all the force and swiftness that the meister would have had him attack his friends with: a karate chop to the neck, a punch to the stomach, a kick in the shins to knock him off balance. At some point the gun went off again; a loud metal clang indicated that this time the bullet found its mark in the spray-painted stop sign hung up on the wall. He didn't let up for a second. Soon he had the Misery Meister backed into a corner, bloodied and gasping. The glint of fear in his eyes gave Ryan a vindictive thrill as he drew back for one final decisive strike. That's what you get for threatening my friends.

Then the Misery Meister pressed his wrists together, and a flash of blinding blue filled Ryan's vision. He flinched at the sudden shock of cold, and then…

*

Neil watched the fight breathlessly, heart hammering with equal parts fear and excitement. This was just like before, he thought, when Ryan had fought off that thug who wanted to steal their ice creams--the encounter that had started this whole mess in the first place. Sure, the stakes were a whole lot higher now (that was where the fear part of the fear-and-excitement came in, because holy crap that guy has a gun we're all gonna die) but at the same time, it was like everything was coming full circle. And Ryan, he realized with a slowly forming incredulous grin, was defending them.

"You see that, Kevin?" Neil whispered. "He really does still want to be our friend!"

"Yeah…" Kevin gave a slow nod, just as wide-eyed as Neil but with a little more apprehension. "I just hope he comes out on top."

"What are you saying, of course he's gonna win!" Neil grinned and clapped Kevin on the back as a bullet whizzed by a few feet away from them and lodged itself in the "stop smiling" sign. "I mean, look at him, he's totally kicking that guy's--"

There was a flash, and the room's temperature suddenly dropped several degrees. Neil flinched and rubbed his eyes. The sight that met him when his vision cleared made his blood run cold.

Ryan was frozen mid-lunge, arm poised above his head to bring down a finishing karate chop. Frozen, in a very literal sense. His body was encased in glowing blue ice, vigilante cape hanging stiffly behind him and all.

Neil and Kevin screamed in unison, while the Misery Meister cackled. Before they could turn and run, the meister stepped out from behind Ryan's frozen form and, with his non-broken arm and nothing in the way to redirect his shot this time, fired his gun at them. Thinking fast, Neil grabbed a random object off the nearest surface--a handheld mirror--and held it up like a shield. He let out a sigh of relief as the bullet bounced off the mirror and flew back across the room…

…Directly into Ryan's back.

A shrill scream split the air; it took a moment for Neil to register that the sound came from his own mouth. The mirror slipped from his fingers, which turned suddenly numb along with the rest of him. Countless shards of shattered glass scattered in a hundred different directions when the mirror hit the floor, just like the explosion of blood-soaked flecks of ice where the bullet tore straight through Ryan's frozen body, leaving a gaping, crumbling hole in its wake.

"Ah… ahhh…" Neil raised his trembling hands slowly up his face to clutch at his hair. He took a step back and then promptly dropped to his knees as his incoherent screams crescendoed into a wail. "AAAHHHH!"

"Get ahold of yourself, man!" Kevin told him, clamping a hand on his arm. "We can help Ryan after we deal with that misery moron."

"Help him? No, we can't… can't you see?" Neil shook his head wildly, while his nails dug into his scalp hard enough to sting. An image of a dark alleyway flashed through his mind, of him standing there with a bottle of chloroform still in his hand and watching Ryan run away, making no move to go after him. Of a hidden room with pictures of Ryan's ancestors, and a lie Neil made up on the spot just to mess around, not thinking anything serious would come of it. And now… "H-he's dead! And it's all because of me, I--I killed him, Kevin!"

The bullet's force--the bullet he had redirected--had shattered the area of impact like glass. Now half of Ryan's back was gone, reduced to a pile of blood-soaked slush on the floor. The gaping crater around where the bullet had hit narrowed into a roughly fist-sized hole that went the rest of the way through him. More of that ghastly slurry of half-melted ice and human tissue dribbled out through the hole. Spreading out from the hole itself were dozens of cracks, some just hairline fractures, others wide enough that they were bleeding too… if you could call it bleeding. Bleeding, melting, whatever it was--the structural integrity was collapsing.

"My, how excellent," the Misery Meister trilled. "It seems that in your moment of brilliant self-preservation, you disposed of my traitorous servant for me!" He flashed his maniacal grin over his shoulder at the half-shattered chunk of ice that had been Ryan. "Don't worry, my brave little vigilante, your precious friends will be joining you very soon."

As he said this, the cracks in the ice spread out until there was nothing holding Ryan's body together. At that point, the frozen figure collapsed in on itself. Chunks of ice and flesh crumbled apart and came crashing down into a pile of sludge on the floor. My fault my fault he's dead and it's all my fault--

Kevin grabbed Neil tight by the shoulders and shouted something, probably another attempt at reassurance, but Neil couldn't make it out over the blood rushing in his head. All he could do was scream and cry and shake beneath the crushing weight of the realization that he had gotten his friend killed.

*

"Neil? Neil!" Kevin grabbed his friend by the shoulders and jostled him, but Neil just kept wailing and shaking his head. "Damn it… he's totally out of it."

A shrill laugh diverted his attention back to the Misery Meister, who was now walking slowly toward them, still aiming his gun. "One down, two to go," he said in a lilting, sing-song tone. "Let's see… which of you wants to join your friend first, hmm?"

Kevin gritted his teeth and glared back defiantly at the Misery Meister. His already burning rage toward the villain, now further ignited, clashed with surging panic. What are we gonna do? The mirror lay broken at Neil's feet--couldn't use that trick a second time. Kevin's gaze swept across the room and landed on Ryan's discarded sword. If he made a quick enough dash for it, maybe…

He sprinted for the weapon like an athlete trying to score a touchdown in the last five seconds of the game. Two gunshots rang out, prompting a wince from him as he ran; one bullet whizzed so close over his head that he was pretty sure it skimmed off a couple hairs. He grabbed the sword and charged straight into the path of a third bullet. This time the bullet bounced off the blade, leaving a crack in the metal which Kevin paid no mind to. He didn't have any long-term plans for this weapon, and besides, a broken blade with a jagged edge could make just as good a weapon as an intact one.

"This is for kidnapping Rocky!" he proclaimed as he slashed the blade across the Misery Meister's chest. The blade shattered upon impact, leaving him with half a sword in his hand but every bit as much rage to drive him.

The Misery Meister stumbled backward with a hiss, firing another shot as he did so. This time the bullet grazed Kevin's shoulder. He clutched at the injury with a pained hiss, while with his other hand he readjusted his grip on what remained of the sword. He couldn't let a minor injury slow him down now. One more press of the trigger followed by a click and a string of curses revealed that the Misery Meister was out of bullets. Kevin smirked. He charged forward and took another swipe, this time slashing the jagged strip of metal across his opponent's face.

"That's for making Neil cry! And this…" He drew back the blade and, with all the strength he could summon, thrust it deep into the Misery Meister's chest. "This is for Ryan!"  

"My heart," the Misery Meister gasped, eyes widening as he stared down at the hilt of the blade protruding from his chest. "My heart…."

With that final pathetic declaration, his body spiraled in on itself and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kevin coughed and waved the smoke out of his face, only to yelp at the pain that shot through his grazed shoulder when he moved that arm. It was just a surface wound, he'd been hurt worse just from playing sports, but it sure stung like a bitch. He backed away on unsteady feet, face twisting into an agonized grimace as blood seeped through his sweater and onto the hand he clutched his shoulder with. His other hand, dangling at his side, released the broken blade and let it clatter to the floor. He wouldn't be needing that thing anymore. And, well… neither would Ryan.

Silence fell over the room as Kevin trudged back over to Neil and helped him to his feet. Neil seemed to have stopped shaking and crying, but there was a glassy look in his eyes now, and he was unresponsive to Kevin's assurances that they were safe. When Kevin followed Neil's shell-shocked gaze to the crumbled pile of melting ice and flesh, his stomach heaved. The whole sickening mess was seeping into the floorboards now, leaving a glistening stain in its wake--a person, their friend, reduced to that.

"…Come on, Neil." Swallowing down the choking grief in his throat, Kevin put his arm around his friend's quivering frame and guided him across the room. "Let's get Rocky and get out of here."

As he walked past the remains, while being sure to steer Neil's head away from the sight, he could have sworn he saw a detached blue eye blinking up at him before it dissolved into red-tinted slush and disappeared.

***

-FOUR MONTHS LATER-

In the most luxurious mansion in all of Plymouth county, a young man in a finely-pressed suit reclined in a state-of-the-art gamer chair. On the widescreen monitor before him lay a virtual world with the most dazzling 3D graphics the 21st century had to offer. And it was his, all his, for he was the only kid in town who could afford such a high-end game.

"Ah, how being rich pays off," Mitch said to nobody in particular, smirking as he pressed the series of keys that would deliver a devastating finishing blow to his virtual enemies. If only he could enact the same level of violence against those who opposed him in real life… Hmm, perhaps I'll look into hiring a bodyguard.

After playing for a while (he wasn't sure how long exactly; it was so easy to lose track of time when he had all the time in the world to do whatever he wanted) thirst began to claw at his throat. He reached for his glass of the finest wine in the world, only to find that it was already empty--and all his servants were busy with the dishes and laundry right now, so he couldn't summon one of them to refill it. Mitch regarded the empty glass with a scowl. Did he have to do everything for himself around here?

With great irritation, he paused the game and went over to the kitchen to grab the wine bottle off the counter. His annoyance only grew as he realized that the kitchen sink was running, but nobody was currently manning it. Did his good-for-nothing servants want to flood the place?

"That settles it," he decided. "Their pay is getting docked again this month. And if this keeps up, I'll have all the staff laid off and replaced by someone more competent!"

However, when he tried to turn the tap off, he was startled to discover that it wouldn't budge. A steady stream of icy water--far icier than the faucet's position indicated it should be--poured into the sink until it threatened to overflow. Then, when Mitch leaned over the sink to figure out what on earth was going on, a hand shot out of the sink and grabbed him by the throat.

"Gah! Wh-what--aughh!!"

He screamed and flailed, but the hand had a solid grip despite seeming to be made of water. As Mitch looked on in heart-stopping horror, another hand reached out, and then both appendages extended into arms… and then a full body, stepping gracefully out of the sink as it took solid shape. Mitch found himself face-to-face with a masked vigilante clad in a hat and cape, and gloved hands squeezing painfully tight around his neck.

"Wh-who are you?!" he managed to choke out.

"My identity is not of your concern," came the vigilante's reply, halfway between a growl and a gurgle; the voice didn't even sound human. Mitch shuddered. "But your actions are inexcusable. Die."

*

Local Deadbeat Millionaire Found Dead-- Third Mysterious Drowning This Month, the front-page newspaper headline proclaimed. Attached was a full-colour photo of the drowning victim in question, facedown in a bafflingly large and ornate kitchen sink. There was something on the counter next to the sink… Kevin squinted at the photo, holding the paper closer to his face. Was that a strand of long brown hair? It wasn't high-definition enough to tell.

"Hey, Neil, you don't think…?"

"What?" Neil glanced up from the four-leafed clover he was absentmindedly fidgeting with. The plant didn't seem to be giving him much luck so far, but it gave him something to keep his hands and by extension his mind occupied, and the bright green leaves provided a nice splash of colour against the dark clothes he'd taken to wearing since that tragic December day.

Kevin looked back at the paper and skimmed through the article. There was no mention of the hair strands by the sink; apparently the consensus was that one of the victim's servants was responsible for the murder, because the mansion had such tight security that there was no way in or out. "For it to have been an intruder, they would have had to literally come in through the sink," one member of the household staff was quoted as saying. "And as we all know, that's impossible." Kevin lowered the paper with a sigh and shook his head. He didn't know what he was doing, jumping to conclusions based on such flimsy evidence. That was supposed to be Neil's thing, wasn't it? Then again, Neil hadn't exactly been cheerful enough to fill that role lately.

"Ah, never mind. Just wondering what the guy did to piss one of his staff off enough to kill him."

"Well, at least we know we'll never have to mess with him," Neil replied with a weak little half-smile. Then he lowered his head again and went back to silently twisting the clover between his fingers.

"…Yeah, guess not."

Still, for some reason, Kevin couldn't stop thinking of the similarities between this new series of mysterious drowning cases, and the string of "mysterious" vigilante attacks that had come before. And although he wasn't usually one to get his hopes up, he couldn't help but wonder.

-- END -- [....TO BE CONTINUED??] -- [Edit: read the follow-up here!]

[naturallybelle]

tea time! ☕🐸

Okay, so where to begin. I guess I'll start at the beginning, I was attending Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington and it was my freshman year. I ended up getting on Bumble to initially make friends but then started seeing some good looking people on there so decided I was looking for more than just friends. I matched with this guy named Daniel aka D.J. (and yes we're using real names) he was cool, we hung out a couple times, I didn't expect anything to come out of it other than sex. I wasn't really looking for anything too serious at that time anyway. So one night we chill at his place and we're drinking these juice flavored beers and one beer after another ... I'M DRUNK. things start getting sexual and he's falling in loooove with this 😽 (or at least that's how it came off) lmao. He kept talking about how he wanted to raw dog and me being drunk I'm just like do whatever you want because what's with all this talking? we were legit in the middle of effing and he's trying to have a full conversation. So he ends up taking the condom off and is in for about 5-10 seconds but gets paranoid and puts that same condom back on ... a minute later takes it back off to raw dog then puts it back on. FAST FORWARD

So after that night he starts acting very weird, this is maybe a week later and he's asking me all sorts of questions like is my period usually this late and how many people am I messing with. Just very strange. I reassured him that my periods had just started being regular because they used to be every 3 months and that I don't sleep with more than one person so that he was the only person that I was involved with. At the time I wasn't sure why he felt the need to randomly ask me all of these questions but as the days passed I started to get concerned as well. However, he was so scared that I was pregnant that he BLOCKED me. yes, that's right blocked me. I didn't really care until I ended up taking a pregnancy test which of course showed up as positive thennnn that's when I started freaking out. After finding a way to get in touch with him we decided to meet in person to talk more about what was happening. That didn't go too well, he tried convincing me to get an abortion and for some reason I felt really uncomfortable with the idea of doing that, so uncomfortable that I actually had a bit of a dark moment where I felt like hurting myself. An abortion wasn't an option for me. I decided I was going to keep her and gave him a choice to be involved, I said if you decide this is something you want to go through with... no walking out after. He agreed.

A COUPLE MONTHS DOWN THE LINE - SOMETIME IN DECEMBER

I ended up finding out he had a girlfriend, they weren't dating around the time me and him were sexually involved but I had brought her up in conversation because he would never answer my calls and would get back to me really late or not at all. Now when I brought her up it wasn't in a jealous way I simply mentioned that I found a girlfriend and was curious as to if that was the reason I would barley hear from him. Out of nowhere all hell breaks loose, he starts saying that I'm not pregnant with his child, that I'm trying to pin a baby on him, and that he wants a paternity test. Even went as far as to try to say I told him that I was messing with other people when we were sexually involved when I specifically said that I was not. I had agreed to doing a paternity test and then all of a sudden he didn't want one. I had nothing to hide and he didn't expect me to agree to doing the test. Also not to mention he didn't contribute not one thing, constantly had me stressed, and didn't give not one f#*% if I were gonna pin a baby on someone I think I would do that with someone I know is actually going to care, be involved, and keep me happy.

FAST FORWARD ⏩

I'm in my 3rd trimester and am coming up on my due date, I was told by my doctor that I was going to be scheduled to be induced which I notified him of. After our serious talk in December his attitude was a lot better and his communication was a lot better however he still never bought a thing for the baby. There was a time he LIED and said he did, but his lies were so bad. He still lived in Bloomington and I had moved back home to Indianapolis (same state different city, abt an hour and 30 minutes away). I asked him to get stuff and told him what was needed, why did he lie and say he bought the stuff but accidentally put his address instead of mine. Uhm sir, you have to enter a whole different city and zip code there's no way you didn't notice. Could've sent money or "re-ordered" the stuff but of course he didn't. SO anyways, I go in on May 20th to get induced and I was of course there the entire day but had some pain so I stayed off my phone. I delivered the next day in the afternoon and had really bad hemorrhaging. Needed 3 bags of blood because I had lost a lot. Finally after all of that I was able to hold my daughter and thought I should let him know that she was here. I go to call him no answer, so I text. Message didn't even deliver, this boy had blocked me. BLOCKED me after I told him I was going in to get induced. this ne**o waited 9 MONTHS Y'ALL. I tried reaching out to his girl Emily but she blocked me and months down the line I've tried contacting them via instagram which has of course gotten me nowhere. So it's been a year now and still nothing.

[sunflowerhae]

She plays bass with jaehyun pls!! Also your music taste is *chefs kiss*

| 📣 > > ty! I quite like my music taste as well🥳😌 follow my spotify if u wanna see my playlists lmao (( @coolangelgwen - lowkey hate myself for this one but no regrets, right?!? )) I tried to make a more realistic conversation style, but idk how I feel abt it. Lemme know! Also~~ last thing, I promise - this isn’t proofread lol so sorry if it’s bad

Send in your own requests! 🧚🏻‍♀️🐮

“Hey, won't you call me back? ‘Cause I've been waiting for a text back. It hurts my brain - This chick who plays bass”

“Jesus Jaehyun, simp much?” Jaehyun reluctantly drew his line of sight from the unlit screen of his phone to the eyes of his best friend.

“What? No, what do you mean?” Johnny rolled his eyes and glanced around the coffee shop the two currently sat in, not focusing his attention on anything specific, before returning his gaze back on the hopeless romantic in front of him.

“I know you’re waiting for her to text you.” At the ~truthful~ words thrown across the table in humor, Jaehyun rolled his own eyes with a “psh” - trying to play off the fact that Johnny was unfortunately right.

“Her” was in fact Y/l/n Y/n, a girl he met at the NCT party that his frat held the previous night. Jaehyun didn’t usually enjoy or attend them, but he had a feeling (some unknown feeling) that he should maybe go to this one, so he found a calming spot in a corner, hunkered down with a beer and a bowl of chips, and prayed that the party would end soon. Friends came by and talked to him, girls came by to seduce him, but Jaehyun’s ass stayed firmly cushioned on his seat in that little, calming corner.

The corner just so happened to be near the food table, so people were coming and going; you were not privy to this fact. You - much like Jaehyun - didn’t usually attend these events. It wasn’t that you had anything against them, you just felt there were better ways to spend your nights. However, Haechan - your best friend - practically begged you to come, stating that,

“it’d be nice to have at least one other cool person there!” And when the younger boy used his pouting charms on you, you found yourself agreeing to his request.

It was lame, though. Haechan had been stuck like glue to you the whole night, prancing you around to his frat brothers and with the obnoxious, “see - I told you she was real!”, he enjoyed seeing the fire of joy ignite in his brothers eyes the more they got to know you. Haechan claimed it was because you were quite known on campus for being the cool, quiet skater girl with good fashion, and everyone who had a conversation with you came out better because of it. You would just respond that he was the Leslie to your Ann (which he would just laugh at, joking that he has scrapbooks of your friendship - thus scaring you more). What was lame, was the party. There was no reason or organization, which you didn’t really care about, you just hated the amount of people, thus lessening the amount of air flow. One glance at the food table that had basically no one by it, and you were telling hyuck you were going to get food and heading that way.

When Jaehyun first saw you, his mind immediately registered who you were. Y/n. The girl that skated through campus, and had dyed hair, and always had butterfly clips in. He had always wanted to meet you, but was never courageous enough to act on it. It was funny, girls practically killed for a conversation with him, yet the one girl he actually wanted, never even looked his way.

That was until now.

You turned your body out to the crowd and glanced around; eyes landing on the little, calming corner, and on the boy who was already looking straight at you. You knew him. Jaehyun. A lot of people liked him, but you specifically knew him as a member of this frat.

“Hi!” You smiled, and he looked surprised that you were even talking to him.

“Hey,” he waved back, “y/n, right?”

You moved closer to him, “yeah, Jaehyun, right? You know Haechan.”

“Oh, yeah I do. You know Haechan?”

“He’s my best friend.” You both nodded at this, but Jaehyun looked a bit surprised.

“Wow, how do you know Haechan? Aren’t you older?”

“I mean, yeah. How do you know I’m older?” You had a playful tone, which calmed Jaehyun’s nerves a bit.

“Oh, we have a class together. Environmental Impact on Civilization with Professor Cilinado?” Your eyes went wide, and even with the strobe lights going off, Jaehyun could see the blush that projected itself onto your cheeks.

“Shit, that’s right. Hi!” You both laughed, “um, I don’t know, Haechan just kind of came up to me once and started talking like we’ve known each other for years and I went along with it, and I guess the rest is history.” The memory of meeting your best friend made a smile cross onto your face, and Jaehyun couldn’t help but think you were beautiful.

“Yeah, that seems like him. Weird I’ve never met you, though.”

“Yeah, I don’t really come to this stuff.”

“Same, what do you like to do?”

“Um..listen to music, I like to play my bass, skate, I guess.”

“Wow, you play bass?” Jaehyun’s eyes went wide in surprise, and you laughed at his taken aback expression.

“Yeah, why, do I seem like someone who wouldn’t?” Jaehyun felt idiotic for once more saying something insensitive, but you, again, had a smile on your face.

“No! Yes? I’m not sure, it’s just always cool to hear that someone plays an instrument. And the bass is so cool.”

You start to respond, but turn your head instead at the sound of Haechan calling your name. “Well, can’t keep the devil waiting. Speaking of, if you want you can get my number from Haechan, text me!” Jaehyun eagerly nods, but you’re already walking away; your back turned around.

Johnny has to literally snap his fingers in front of Jaehyuns face to shake him from the memory of last night, and the moment Jaehyun saw Johnnys amused face, he knew he was caught.

“What’d I say - simp.”

“She plays bass, she plays bass. Nothing matters 'cause we're both in space”

Y/n (4:57pm) hey Jaehyun! I’m happy u texted me! Yesssss let’s totally do something together!! What did u have in mind??

And that’s how you and Jaehyun - basically strangers - ended up on the hood of his car at 1 am; eating chicken nuggets from McDonald’s and looking at the stars together.

“Everyone knows the buffalo sauce is the best, Jaehyun!” He laughed at your counter argument, but shook his head none the less.

“No, honey mustard is superior!”

“No, because you could get that anywhere-“

“-you could get buffalo anywhere! And why is it orange, and why does it taste the way it does?” You were both laughing in between arguing your respective sides, and if it weren’t for the slightly uncomfortable position of laying on the hood of a car, this moment would have been picture perfect (but really, it was anyway).

You were thankful that the college you went to wasn’t directly in the city, so when Jaehyun picked you up and drove to a good star gazing place, it was easy to see the night sky.

“Sometimes, I like to close my eyes and imagine I’m floating in space. It feels kind of trippy.” Jaehyun turned his head at the sound of your voice, but you continued staring at the sky.

“How do you do that?” He asked.

“Well, I have to be in a completely dark and silent room. Then, I just unfocus my gaze and I don’t move my body at all. It’s how people become, uh..Jesus what’s the word? When they get like, controlled?-“

“-hypnotized?”

“Yeah! I watched a video where he hypnotized the crowd and the viewers to see their past life - it was crazy.” Through out your small speech, you waved your hands a lot, and Jaehyun took notice of the fact that you spoke with your hands; it was something small, but he tucked it into the back of his head, and kept it to think about for when he needed to smile.

“What was your past life?”

“I lived at an old korean palace - like 19th century. I wasn’t a high position, but I was wealthy. I wore red a lot.”

“Send me the link?” You finally turned to lock eyes with Jaehyun.

“Yes, of course.” You both smiled at each. Nothing was said, but both of you could practically feel yourselves making room for each other in your hearts, the longer you sat on the hood of Jaehyun’s car; staring at the stars.

“How I wish we could just date - So you can teach me how to be more like you”

Jaehyun could feel himself fidgeting slightly while he waited for you to open the door to your apartment. After gazing at the stars, you offered him a tour of your place and a beer or two, and Jaehyun didn’t admit it, but he didn’t care if you said you wanted to kill someone - he would have agreed if it meant spending more time with you.

“Sorry it’s kind of a mess! I was going to clean it on Wed...” your voice continued going, but the farther you walked away, the less Jaehyun heard it, so he just chose to instead look around the main area of your apartment, and what he found left him in awe.

A black bass sat snugly in the corner of your living room, surrounded by plants. Behind your couch framed, vintage movie posters decorated the wall, and fairy lights, records, and books sat on the shelf above your tv.

You came out of the kitchen with a wine bottle and two glasses, and you sat them down on the coffee table while Jaehyun took a seat on your couch. “I like your apartment.”

You looked back at him with a smile while pouring yourselves drinks, and sat down next to him while laughing, “thanks. Like I said, it’s kind of messy,” you paused to take a drink, “But it’s home. Bleh, wine makes me feel old.” Jaehyun nodded while laughing, and the air became thick with quietness, which teetered between awkward and calm leniently. Jaehyun - as slyly as he could - stared at your side profile while you started talking about the movie posters hanging behind you. You had an aura of chill vibes, and it seemed that whatever you talked about, you managed to make interesting. Jaehyun was debating whether he wanted to date you, or be you, until he came to the conclusion that he wanted to date you so he could learn to be like you. Although it was the beginning of what he hoped was a new relationship, Jaehyun already had so much respect for you, and as you joked around with him about whatever the two of you could think of, Jaehyun’s excitement for the the future held only increased more and more.

Past life video

That was my actual past life btw! Lemme know what y’all get 😩 also just go on the website if you get a lot of ads - bc that can fuck w ur hypnotization! It’s not scary, I promise. The dude has a super nice voice. It’s vv trippy. If you’re a skeptic - do it anyway. Worst case scenario, you get a good laugh.

[bqstqnbruin]

if u wanna rant abt the person u h*te go for it !

I’m going to put this under the cut because it’s just a lot but 

to preface this: it takes a lot for me to genuinely hate a person. Like there are people that I dislike, but that’s different from me hating them, ya know? I HATE this girl.

So y’all know I was a chemistry major in undergrad, right? I did organic chemistry research the summer after my sophomore year until I graduated. There were four of us: myself, the other girl in my year who was also new to the lab that summer, then two girls who were going into their senior year, one that I liked, one that I didn’t. The one I didn’t like was technically ‘in charge’ because she had been there the longest, she was a year ahead of me (she was class of 2019, I was class of 2020). Let’s call her Jane, because there are a lot of people in this story. 

This girl is really smart. Like brilliant. 4.0 as a chemistry major with a physics and math minor, is currently getting her PhD at Harvard in Physical Chemistry. 

She is the kind of girl who would get the highest grades in the class, ruin the curve type of student. And that’s fine, if you’re smart, you’re smart, get those grades. She would make sure everyone knew that she got the highest grades and make snarky little comments about how “well if you just tried harder then you could get these grades too!” like bitch ??? science is hard calm down ! we know you’re smart ! If you got a higher grade than her, she would make you feel bad about it in a ‘well how did you get a better grade than me’ kind of way. 

So I already didn’t like her going into the summer. 

The night before, my friend and I who were new to the research group get a text from one of our friends saying “Hey, just so you know, Jane was bragging to us yesterday that she was planning on hazing you guys. It shouldn’t be anything actually dangerour, but please be careful.” Keep in mind: hazing is against university policy. In the student handbook, it says that anyone who is caught hazing other students will be removed from the university. 

First day in lab, my research partner and I were there, and she starts telling us to do all this stupid shit, like saying we have to weigh everything out on the scale three times to make sure that it’s accurate, giving us random goggles to wear when we used certain equipment, telling us to yell “fire in the hole” when we used the dry ice tank, that sort of shit. Jane was bragging about it to a professor and he literally had to tell her “if I hear Christina and her partner say anything else about what you’re doing, I’m reporting you to the university president” as if her basically telling him she was hazing us wasn’t enough, but whatever. 

In our lab, we use a lot of glassware. For whatever reason, we call them our “dishes.” Not sure why, that’s just the way it’s always been. It somehow fell on me to do all the dishes, to the point where I would have to come to the lab an hour earlier than everyone else and leave an hour later than everyone else just to get everything done. Our lab was joined with another lab (there was a doorway connecting the two), so we spent a lot of time with that other lab group, and the sink was right by the door that connected them. We were all in the back talking to each other, I’m standing there doing all the dishes, and Jane is complaining about how she hasn’t been able to do anything. So my friend, the one who had texted us saying Jane was going to haze us, was like “Well, why?” Jane turns to me and goes “my minion isn’t washing my dishes fast enough for me.” I was shocked and didn’t know what to say because, like, what the fuck? My friend goes “Maybe wash your own dishes instead of making Christina do them when she has her own shit to do.” 

I still ended up doing all the dishes. At one point, she threw a dish into the sink when I was standing in front of it doing dishes, and it shattered in the sink. Shards easily could have cut me had I been standing a little bit to the left. 

Her 21st birthday was during the summer. Lab tradition is that anyone who has a summer birthday gets like a little celebration: we decorate the lab, we make them a cake, that sort of stuff. So we did. We went all out, because that’s what the lab did for everyone, and that was a tradition we did even after she left. She brought in a bottle of vodka to the lab (I think her boyfriend had picked it up for her and brought it to the science center). We’re a wet campus, so having alcohol isn’t a problem as long as you’re of age. We were all in the back room of the lab, and she passes out cups to everyone, and I tell her, “Oh, I really don’t drink, I don’t want one,” and apparently that meant nothing to her because she kept yelling at me to take the shot of vodka until I did, which, considering I was 19 at the time, definitely wasn’t legal. If the professor of the lab we were in had walked in 2 seconds earlier, I wouldn’t ahve had to drink it. 

So that’s not even all of it. This shit continued into the school year. We were all in the chemistry club (because we’re NERDS). She was one of the presidents with the other girl from our research group in her year, the one that I liked, while I was treasurer and our other friend was secretary. At the begining of the year, she sends me an email outlining the potential fundraisers that we wanted to do, and asked me for my thoughts. The included things like having nights at the local restaurants where they give us a cut of the profits, selling custom stickers that we bought, bake sales, that stuff. She told me, “send me your thoughts.” 

One of her ideas was making and selling liquid nitrogen ice cream. Outside. In November. In Philly, it doesn’t get horribly cold in November, but it gets cold enough that selling liquid nitrogen ice cream outside isn’t the best idea. I had suggested “we can do another bake sale, or other clubs are decorating flatware beakers and selling them like that, we could do that instead. And then we could do the ice cream fundraiser during the sping because it will be warmer and more people will want it.” Everything else, I told her, sure, I like those ideas, this is how I can make them work, this is what I already have going through with the restaurant stuff.

She texts the other president throwing an absolute fit that I turned down the ONE fundraiser for November, telling her “she needs to step up and do better” and that “I’m telling her that this is what we’re doing and she has to do them or we’re removing her from her position.” My friend literally told her, “No, Christina said she would do everything but the one fundraiser and I agree with her.” One of the professors had to get involved because they found my crying in the lab over this, so that was fun. 

I had mentioned the dishes before, but that part of the saga continues. I was the only one doing the dishes still. the girl I liked did hers all the time and tried to pick up the slack, the girl in my year wasn’t doing research during the semester and wasn’t technically allowed in the lab because of legal safety reasons. Jane was still using glassware and not cleaning it. Our research advisor tells us “the health and safety inspector came by the lab and saw all the dishes in the sink. If they aren’t clean by whatever date he comes back, we’re going to get in trouble.” So ok. We have three group chats for the lab: one with the four of us and our advisor, one with the four of us, and one without Jane. Both the one with and the one without Jane were going. In one of them, someone said “we need to figure out a schedule of who can go in when so we can get these dishes done.” I said “I’ve been doing them, but no matter what I do, more and more end up in the sink and I can’t keep up. Maybe if her highness did her own dishes instead of expecting me to do them all, this would get done faster and it wouldn’t be a problem.” I thought I was texting the one without Jane. I wasn’t.

She responds back “Um, haha, wrong group chat” I go, “oh well, do your dishes.” So she knew I didn’t like her, and she definitely didn’t like me. It was pretty obvious before, but now it was pretty much confirmed. 

We had a few research presentations together as a group. Keep in mind, she didn’t much over the summer in terms of research, and what she did do, never worked. Which is fine, that’s how science goes sometimes. She spent more time in the lab working on her applications for various shit. She took our research and presented it at so many different conferences. Granted, we didn’t do much, either, since we only had two months of work which isn’t a lot of time, but she left our names off the posters and really didn’t give us any credit. She said it was because ACS rules stated that the only people who need to go on the research poster were those presenting that actual poster. I went alone to a conference in Florida in 2019, and I had to have her name on the poster for some reason, though. 

That’s pretty much the end of what she did to me, but there was so much other shit that she did to other people, too. I mentioned her intelligence. Her boyfriend LEFT HIS MASTERS PROGRAM TO MOVE WITH HER TO CAMBRIDGE. HE LEFT IT. I’m still mad about that. He deserves better.

Before she had decided to go to Harvard, she had the audacity to tell me that she didn’t want to go to Boston because it was more dangerous than Philly (statisically, it really isn’t). 

She had a restraining order on a guy who was a year behind me because he “assaulted her.” I know both of them fairly well. What had happened, according to him and other students, was that he was getting up from his desk, and the way he swung his backpack to put it on, it ended up hitting her by accident. It was not intentional. The rows of desks are close together, and she was standing close to him. He did not do it on purpose. This guy was also not well liked by people, and something tells me they wouldn't defend him if he actually did it on purpose.

For graduation, you know how people wear cords and medals to represent their activities and accomplishments? She was jealous that the girl in our lab group had more chords than her, so she went and bought more for herself.  

What’s frustrating is that because she was so smart and had so many grants and got the school a decent amount of attention, whenever we said anything or talked about it, nothing happened. The professors knew her and I hated each other, but they didn’t seem to believe why. Whatever. 

I think that’s it. I hope she fails in life, honestly. I do not like her at all. 

Sorry that was a lot, but thank you for letting me rant about this oaidjfaoi

[shannara]

This is completely out of the blue, but I would like to hear your HCs about Durin and Dayel.

hahaha this is because I did the post it note thing, isn’t it? ok buckle up 

So! Since I recently did go through the entire tsos for all references of these two, most of this is going to be either 1. overlooked canon or 2. inferences from canon -- also all page notes are for the edition of tsos that is the entire og trilogy bound into one. 

ok so, first of all - this was something abt Dayel that I was going to make a separate post about but! it belongs here. 

“ ‘Eventine will come,’ Dayel spoke quickly, trying hard to sound cheerful.” (tsos, 353)

So there’s a lot to unpack here. Throughout tsos, we’re reminded that the other members of the party are fond of Dayel in part because he’s the youngest + that they feel protective of him for that reason. What I take from the above quote is not just Dayel’s awareness of this dynamic, but also a degree of...social literacy?...emotional intelligence? I’m uncertain as to the right phrase -  that I don’t really see in the other main characters (except *maybe* Menion who can be decently manipulative if he feels like it)? As in - because of his position as the cheerful one people like, it becomes his role even when the circumstances are pretty grim. 

To be a little more coherent (hopefully) I think Dayel is someone who fills silences, is generally upbeat by nature, and is probably the one friend who makes plans and texts first  - but who is also very aware of his position and will step into that role even if he doesn’t really feel up to it. I hope I explained that well lol

Anyway ages! So Dayel is 19. I think he’s the only tsos mcs to have an exact age - though this is being taken from the fact that he is 1. old enough to get married (but doesn’t look it) and 2. once specifically referred to as not being 20 yet. Ig he could be 18? But I’m more inclined to believe he’s 19 with a baby face. I generally think of Durin as the oldest of the non-boomers which gives us this layout for ages - 

Dayel & Lynliss (19) -[couple years]-> Shea & Flick (arguing over whether a month is enough of an age difference to validate a “respect your elders”* claim) -> Menion (Brooks can’t decide if he’s the same age as Shea [said in tsos] or older [said in twos] -[a couple more years]-> Durin.

(We have no indicator of where Shirl falls on this. I usually assume her to be the second oldest besides Durin)

*I use “respect your elders” on a friend who’s a week younger than me, so I’m inclined to agree with whichever is the elder on this one.

Speaking of quotes I can’t find the page of but distinctly remember reading (sometimes too many tabs is a bad thing) I’m pretty sure Dayel is described as the company member who’s physically the smallest?** Which, given how many times Shea and Flick are described as small, this means he must be tiny. 

I’m not saying trans Dayel but I’m also not not saying trans Dayel.

[Shea voice] Dayel walk next to me i want to look tall for once

**on pg. 142 he’s described as frail (possibly in comparison to Menion?) but I’m certain I remember reading him being described as the smallest

For Durin - I noticed he’s the company member who really stands out as being on the lookout for everyone else? For example, when they’re having the serpent miniboss fight in the hall of kings - Flick and Hendel are knocked out. For a while (ok...half of page 163. but a lot happens in that half page) Durin is the only one who notices Hendel is down (he had been previously helping Dayel and Shea evacuate Flick) but he also doubles back and tries to rescue him - something that he is literally not strong enough to do (only Balinor showing up and carrying Hendel out saves them). 

The one exception to this is that there’s a part (pg. 189) where Flick has been missing for a while and only Dayel notices. But you know we all have off days. 

Durin also gets injured the most out of all of them - but also appears to be the first one to jump to fight. Granted, he’s always engaging in defensive violence, but it’s still an interesting note that when everyone present is on guard, it’s usually Durin who’s noted as acting first (and when it’s not Durin, it’s usually Menion). Examples include - in Paranor against the gnomes (pg.183), probably when chasing Stemin (pg. 350)***, and being the only one between himself, Balinor, and Dayel to have been noted to prepare to attack (pg. 258). 

***I say “probably” because Brooks says “Durin and Dayel” which I usually take to mean “Durin with Dayel following” - though it could very well be because he prefers that to how “Dayel and Durin” sounds

This is getting really long so I’m gonna do one more and then wrap it up. Ik I posted “Durin gay” a couple days ago as a meme but tbh Durin and Flick are the two tsos characters that I really read as gay men (which, fwiw, is projection on my part but hey who cares)****. Ik you wrote in your Flick post that you read him as being seeming largely uninterested in romance, which I agree with! I just happen to read him as gay but deeply closeted - which goes hand in hand w my assumption that Vale culture is what we would recognize as deeply conservative. In contrast, I hc Durin as the one who, due to different cultural circumstances, is able to be out. Which is why I’m on the Durin and Flick should be friends train. 

****And just to clarify no I don’t ship them. It just doesn’t work imo 

I have two pieces of textual “evidence” for this - one is this whole thing here that I posted a couple days ago and the other is. god. it’s this part early on (pg. 114) - 

“ ‘Nice shooting, Menion,’ Durin approved at his shoulder...” and at some point I read that be like a  “wow 😳 what nice shoulders you have 😳 you doing anything after this quest” moment. I have not been able to get that read of this line out of my head and I am so sorry for inflicting it on the 3 other people in this fandom but there it is. 

I’m gonna wrap things up here lmaooo this got wayyy too long 

[alexiaugustin]

Since I seem to be in a really positive mood today and even though this show clearly doesn't deserve this post here's my list of favorite skam france s6 clips:

Samedi 07:52 The day after ep1: I really really loved the first clip of the season a lot more than the trailer and I think that it was such a great introduction to Lola's pov. We really saw the world through her eyes in such a special way in that moment n I loved all the hints to the plot (same sex couple walking down the street and being viewed as completely normal> w|w storyline with no internalized homophobia; the raccon tag > foreshadowing for otteli and urbex plot; lola photographing broken things > insight into lola's feelings) The cinematography and use of pov was a masterpiece in this one.

Lundi 7:43 Tiff ep1: This one is just here for the grew being the most supportive and loving friend group, skipping classes together to take care of Daphné and that group hug <33 need I say more?? No. Every clip with the grew is gonna be on this list because the little screen time they had this season needs to be honoured. I'm sorry that they did you so dirty babes:((

Mercredi 13:03 Fuck the planet ep1: my absolute favorite mayla clip this season!! one of my absolute favorite clips in general!! I still remember the day when they dropped that clip and I got so excited for this season again. Maya being a climate activist and such a warm and lovely person I immediately fell in love with her. Maya looking at Lola as if she's a princess walking down the stairs to a ball in some fairy tale. Maya not letting Lola's cold remarks throw her off n replying with equal sass instead, Maya's iconic coming out line and Lola smiling for the first time all season!! That clip was really off the charts

Vendredi 16:43 Someone exceptional ep1: This is my absolute favorite clip of the whole season and the amount of times I've rewatched this is actually unhealthy. Something just clicked and for the first time I felt really connected with Lola and felt and understood her pain (probs to Flavie she was amazing here) I loved the lil details abt this clip: Lucas playing the piano, le grew all hugging Daphné, Daphné's speech and break down (lula was amazing here too I really really felt connected to Daphné in that moment), Eliott and Lola meeting for the first time (their best clip this season, gosh the potential they had to actually develop such a cool and beautiful sibling relationship with them and then they did.... whatever the rest of their storyline was), Lola trying so hard to read Daphné's speech and then holding her own instead because she so desperately needs to get this off her chest and make ppl understand her and last but not least the cinematic shots of her running out of the church and breaking down. Truly my favorite clip.

Mercredi 12:56 You don't know me ep2: my second favorite mayla clip and hell did I love their dynamic and chemistry in this one. The community service clips were so so special and gave them such unique vibes I'm so sad that the rest of their storyline really couldn't live up to that because the beginning really was breathtaking and I was so here for their storyline and really believed that I would get the w|w rep I deserve this season. Rip

Jeudi 19:33 Sorry ep2: Daphné and Lola finally warming up to eachother, both of them apologizing, Lola saying that she can make dinner and they can watch one of Daphné's favorite tv shows together. Baby steps. Also Daphné grieving and smelling her mother's shirt to find comfort. Such an important clip!!

Vendredi 22:22 Otteli ep2: Again the opening shots and cinematography of this clip!! Lola meeting la mif for the first time and I was completely buying their found family dynamic from the start, maya and lola being 👀 the entire time and last but not least Eliott being introduced as urbex legend n royalty,, the wasted potential of that storyline tho...

Samedi 6:43 An awesome party ep3: again maya's and lola's chemistry in this one and their first real and deep conversation, maya opening up about her parents and how she found a home and family in la mif, their smiles and laughs and lola replying to Daphné's text messages because that's growth baby!

Lundi 7:53 The slap ep3: again just here for le grew, the way they all pulled daphné in for a group hug I'm cryinnn. Also Lucas telling the people who were gossiping abt Lola to turn around and mind their own business, dare I say iconic. the way we could have had it all this season and then skamfr decided to make them enemies. Hate it here

Samedi 13:18 Hangover ep4: this clip being a parallel to the beginning of ep2, we all believed that Lola went out and slept with another stranger and would feel lost and overwhelmed again and then! we and she found out that she's at maya's n instead of being lost again she completely openes up to Maya abt her life and Maya just holds her and Lola clings onto her as if her life depends on it and finds comfort in Maya. Still crying about this one

Mardi 21:43 You want to talk about it? ep4: I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I've rewatched this clip countless of times simply because seeing Eliott so happy and excited at his workplace has me feeling some type of way. I liked his and Lola's general dynamic in this one my main problem is just that it was so damn underdeveloped and came out of nowhere. Skam france you're a transmedia show text messages would have really helped you bby!!

Samedi 14:23 Luquette ep5: ohh out of all the clips with Eliott in it this one's definitely my favorite (and also one of the only ones I liked) both Eliott and Lola getting to speak for themself abt their mental health, seeing Eliott's development going from being ashamed and hiding his mental illness to now being so open about it and giving others advice, them talking about Eliott's Lucas and Lola's Luquette (🥺) Eliott being ready to run from Daphné with Lola and Lola saying that she's gonna take responsibility and Eliott looking like a proud big brother > the only clip with sibling vibes of them this season

Samedi 17:36 Just a girl ep5: Daphné and Lola reconciling, Daphné wanting to buy Lola picture frames and not letting that go even tho they have so little money and she sorts other stuff out instead. Please their sister bond this season has my heart. And also Maya and Lola at that supermarket gay panic energy at its finest. I loved that clip and that even after what happened last Friday Maya is still such a warm and loving person in that clip. Ugh why did they had to ruin her character later that season??☹

Mercredi 18:49 I miss you ep5: in case y'all are wondering if I'm just gonna put every single mayla clip on that list- don't worry this one is gonna be the last in a while. Anyway back to the good old days lamifex hanging all out together and being literal children together <33 mayla finally getting to talk and Maya explaining herself, showing Lola her scars and telling her that she misses her when she's not around. My heart combusted watching that clip

Lundi 12:35 We are even ep6: le grew studying together!! especially lucas and imane!!!! screaming. the only time we ever got to see them preparing for the bac but at least we have this one clip. Basile and Lola sibling dynamic and also the clip confirming that Daphné indeed has an eating disorder and Lola beginning to be really worried about her

Mercredi 18:27 I don't know what you're looking for ep6: Lola finding out about Daphné's eating disorder and finding proof in her room, Daphné freaking out and the last shots of her trying so hard not to fall apart, lula's acting in this scene!! It was all so realistic it truly is one of the top ten clips too

Jeudi 21:53 It won't always work ep6: Daphné and Lola talking and Lola opening up abt her addiction problems and telling Daphné that she can really really understand her and that both of them can get better again, Lola and Daphné being completely at peace and cuddling on the couch and watching tv together. One of my favorite clips of them this season I just love their sister bond so much

Mercredi 16:52 The break up ep7: both Lula's and Paul's acting was incredibly I was 100% buying that break up, Basile desperately wanting to help Daphné but not really knowing how, Daphné throwing him out and immediately having a break down, feeling so helpless and lost :'(( also Lola seeing her sister breaking down and not knowing how to help her either broke my heart. Protect the Lecomte sisters at all costs

Dimanche 18:32 Freesias ep8: for me this one was the true full cycle moment this season. The Lecomte family visiting their mum on mother's day, Lola revealing that she does know her favorite flowers and that her mum used to sent them to her along with letters she never read, Lola saying that if she could she might read them now but it's too late for that and in some kind of way she was making peace with her mum and everything that happened between them. Daphné taking the umbrella so Thierry can pull Lola close and them just standing in the rain and healing n growing as a family!! This clip was so emotional and important and skamfr had the audacity to destroy all that development with Thierry for useless drama. I'm endlessly bitter

Mardi 18:03 Vital prognosis ep8: just daphné, basile, lola and maya being a happy lil family together. This clip was so peaceful and beautiful to watch every time ep9 ruined my mood I went back to this clip to cheer myself up again. Really wish we could have seen more of them together and maya and lola as a couple

Vendredi 23:04 Emergency ep10: okay so I really didn't like that skamfr switched povs to build up suspense and was actually just triggering for many of us. But I just wanna say Lula's acting!!! The way she said "But how do you know we're going to find her, Lucas? Putain! She has never left a note before this is the first time for all we know" truly her acting!! I rewatched that clip so many times for that line alone (until I realized that the storyline was actually really triggering for me so I haven't watched the clip ever since but still)

Samedi 01:06 Sisters ep10: still hate the storyline and that it was done in episode 10 but I'm sooo glad that Daphné went to talk to Lola alone, that Daphné tells her that she's always loved her and basically everything they said in that clip!! Really moving and emotional one of the only clips that really made me cry this season. Again I live for Flavie's and Lula's acting

Mercredi 16:38 Beep beep beep ep10: even tho the mayla storyline was in context of the season really lacking depth at this point, watching this clip ignoring the context really was a cultural reset. One thing I love abt skam france is just that they let lgbt people live their lives without having homophobia being thrown at them left and right so kissing your gf in the middle of the supermarket like that might not be realistic but I don't care!!!!! let the gays live their life and kiss in the supermarket!!! thanks!! also that song especially the lyrics "darling I won't let you go" thoughts are being thunk💌

And yeah basically that's it. As yall may notice I loved the first half of the season way more than the second half and I feel like there was so much wasted potential and important storylines left unaddressed because they wanted to throw in more drama....

[dolphin-enthusiast]

bună seara, dragă mea 🌹🌜✨ ahh i hope i wrote that correctly,, another romanian friend of mine taught me that haha, he teaches me romanian phrases in exchange for me teaching him bits of italian ☀ ah, so much to address no? well, i'll just start off by saying i wasn't expecting my friend to expose my problems like that,, i'm not mad at all, just surprised. let me first say that i am okay as of writing this. i have eaten and hydrated and have been taking naps all day, i am stable. (1/9)

"my older brother and other siblings have been taking good care of me, and two of my friends came to sneak me out of the house for a bit and bought me food. so i am fairly calm right now (2/9)

now then, about that person, it was just some texts i woke up to that caught me off guard, my friends are apparently planning to go after this person, even though i insisted on not making this a big deal, and frankly i didn't wanna worry you all either, i feel bad when i do. (3/9)

sadly i hear a lot of horrid things directed at me on a daily basis, so this is quite ordinary and there's not much i can do about it, i cope by trying to stay positive for others and be as kind/loving as i can since i usually don't have people to treat me that way, you're quite the exception, what i thought of as a stupid question blossomed into something i could never imagine, and i was shocked to see how everyone, including you, took to me quite quickly (and not in a joking way either) (4?/9)

i'm not used to it at all, so i mean it from the bottom of my heart when i say that everything you guys say and do means the world to me, i get overwhelmed with positive emotion when you all treat me so sweetly, i truly couldn't ask for anything more. that being said, i wasn't planning to open up about my mental health on this account (since i don't wanna talk about these dark subjects when trying to brighten other's days),, (5/9)

but i guess it's warranted now so hopefully you all can understand me better and not worry as much, i suffer from multiple mental illnesses, two different depressive disorders, an anxiety disorder, and body dysmorphia, some from genetics and others from trauma. i try to keep it on the down-low to not bring down anyone's moods, so i be as cheerful as i can. i'm professionally treated for it, so please don't fret. it really went downhill during the start of this pandemic and declined since (6/9)

i was absolutely miserable, and having dealt with many s*icid*l tendencies, self hatred, and lots of destructive habits, i was truly falling apart my sister introduced me to your blog sometime in january, and even though i did not have a tumblr, i still greatly enjoyed checking it everyday with her and requesting things from time to time, it's a nice escape from the world i live in, and after months of checking your blog, i decided to interact a bit more with that silly ask of mine. (7/9)

it really is a miracle that we formed such a bond, it's truly the best thing to have happened this year, i love having such a meaningful connection and getting to experience some positivity everyday i am completely serious when i say that you and the followers give me something to look forward to everyday, and you all have helped me to stay a little longer on this planet. i owe you all so much for that, so i still plan on popping up everyday to cheer you all up,, (8/9)

i could never thank you all enough, you all truly do mean the world to me 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗 i can't wait to come back tomorrow with something more lighthearted, so please keep being extraordinary, because i'd hate to lose connection with any of you - from the bottom of my heart and soul, with much love, your local waifu xoxo 💘 ps: i can't wait to hopefully meet someday morgy darling, there's lots i'd love to do, so that's another reason for me to stay alive a little longer 💞 (9/9)"

Dear this is quite alot so i'll just start by saying that im flattered u greeted me in romanian😳✌️ i dont wanna pull a ghiaccio but although dragă does exist in this context it would be more like "bună seara dragA mea" but it really doesnt matter bc my wig is snatched and i was n o t expecting this ddhxhddj

Trivial matters aside, you shouldnt feel pressured into opening up on here even though some things surfaced but you did it nonetheless and im proud of u bc i myself would rather y e e t than talk abt myself and personal issues🤡🤡🤡 but aNywAyS let me start off by saying that again, you shouldnt get used to horrid things being said to u. Its fucking tragic that u get treated like this meanwhile all u do is be kind and care for others, but them treating u like that is entirely THEIR fault and u should never feel guilty for it. And keep telling others if shit happens (including us if u want) since we're all gonna do some good ol' as whooping @ the ppl that talk shit😤👋

I wont reveal much but just so you know i completely understand what you're going through and felt what you described in ur letter on a spiritual level, although i know just saying "i relate" doesnt really help. Its unfortunate and unfair ur goin thru this and yes i agree the pandemic did only worsen things (even for myself) and its really shitty🗿🗿im glad u at least had siblings that took care of u and made sure u felt better in no time doe

As always seeing u say that me and my blog cheered u up and motivated u to go on truly is smth like...w o w i never expected any of this to have such a major impact on anyone when i first made this blog as half of a joke lmao hdhxxhdj but im glad it helped u and other ppl so that means i'll just have to keep on running it😳😳😳 you really dont have to thank us for anything since we enjoy brightening up ur day and i have to ageee it IS a miracle how all of this came to be but thats exactly why its goddamn wig snatching ahsydjdkf

Also bro to say u have another reason to stay alive just to meet me....😞😞 Take care of urself bro