#ignore the angsty paragraph in this. it was supposed to be crack.

[bestangelofall]

Jason weaponizing his coming back to life by going to the media and telling a story about how he'd been kidnapped and held hostage for months/years so that even his family believed him dead. Months of torture before he bravely escaped and returned to his beloved family, who took him and helped him heal (even keeping the story secret and him away from the media until he was mentally prepared to go out in the world again).

Forcing Bruce to sit beside him in an interview about what happened. Forcing Bruce to talk about how he's happy that his believed dead son is back (and oh, how hollow those words sound, but he sometimes pretends they are true, even if Bruce has never told him those words when it wasn't in front of a camera). TEARING UP during interviews.

Talking about social projects he has for Park Row and that he's doing that with the support of Wayne's social projects (which is true, for the appearances and the IRS, but he's also putting a lot of money he obtained through Red Hood means into it). Becoming the darling of the gossip columns (even if he hates that the same people who say they like him now were calling him "Bruce Wayne's charity case" back in the day).

Doing all that in a way that makes him become sort of high-profile, a known face, and springing that on Bruce before Bruce can react in any way that doesn't play right into Jason's own plan. What is Bruce Wayne going to do? Reject the boy who's already been through so much? Try to expose Jason's lies, when Jason holds many of his secrets? Tell people the truth???

Jason Todd's connection to Bruce Wayne becomes a dangerous thing, because if they find out that Jason is Red Hood, then he'll have nothing else to lose.

[bensboynton]

Perfectly Flawed b.h

hi hello!!! @kellysimagines sent in a really cute prompt and i just finished it, so here it is :)

the borhap cast is involved in a lot of this one

female!reader x ben hardy

word count: 4.8k

warnings: fluffy, angsty, mentions of infidelity (DO NOT CHEAT ON YOUR S/O) unedited

“Hey babe, going out with the boys for a drink tonight after we’re done filming for the day. Don’t wait up for me, I’ll be late. Love you.”

You removed the phone from its place on the side of your face, anxiousness gnawing at the insides of your stomach that sprouted from the harshness of your boyfriend’s voice. And that you had barely seen him at all this week, the third night in a row he was going out.

He left early in the morning for “a workout” or to “auditions” or whatever else he could come up with an excuse, and either didn’t get home until you were long asleep or would come in for five minutes to change and leave again.

You had been living with Ben for almost a year now, and saying you were in love with him would be the understatement of the year. You were completely smitten.

Everyone around you constantly spoke about how you had literal hearts in your eyes every time you looked at him, how you were the perfect couple, blah blah. And you believed it for a long time. But the last week has made the foundations of your relationship begin to crumble in your brain.

Every Tuesday, you and Ben go out to eat somewhere and stop at an ice cream parlor near your shared Townhouse after, but he canceled this week. He claimed he “forgot” and made plans that day even though you’ve been doing it every week since you started dating. That was three years ago.

And then the one day you saw him after work, he was distant. Said he was “too tired” to watch one of his favorite movies of all time with you. At first, you gave him the benefit of the doubt. But now your mind was beginning to turn to the worst.

You texted the first person to come to mind, desperate for human contact. You sent a loving paragraph to your best friend, Lucy, asking if she could come over for a much-needed girls night, but she sadly declined. She had plans to go out to eat with Rami.

Must be nice spending time with your boyfriend.

You shook your head and scolded yourself for having so little trust in the loyalty of your boyfriend. But, you couldn’t help to wonder what was going on. He used to go out once a week, at most, and now he’s going out every other day?

You weren’t having it.

Picking up your cell phone again, you scrolled to Joe’s contact in your phone. You chewed your lip, weighing the pros and cons in your head.

You could leave it alone and put your trust in your boyfriend, or call one of your mutual best friends and see if Ben was really out to drink with him. I mean, it’s not like you were accusing Ben of anything just by calling. Plus, you were worried about his safety.

And also if he was fucking another woman. But you tried to push those thoughts from your mind.

You deserved to know, especially after being ditched and denied quality time again and again. He would creep in after midnight, and you’d wake up to him in his sweatpants at the far end of the bed.

You had dropped plenty of hints of how much you wanted to spend time with him, how much you missed being around him and he seemed to ignore it. At the time, you shook it off as you being clingy. But the more you thought about it, the angrier and more abandoned you felt. You deserve an explanation!

So, in a burst of impulse, you clicked on Joe’s contact, your stomach doing backflips as you waited for him to pick up.

“Hello?” you heard a concerned voice on the other line, “Y/N are you okay? You never call me.”

“Hey! Yeah, yeah I’m good I just…” you trailed off, noticing the odd silence of the background, “where are you?”

“Home. Rami and Lucy are over and we’re eating dinner. Why? Do you need me to come over?”

“No! No, it’s okay. I just thought you were with Ben.”

“What? Was I supposed to be with Ben?”

You felt tears welling up in your eyes before you blinked them away. Maybe Ben just hadn’t invited Joe. No big deal.

“No, it’s nothing. Thanks, Joe. I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch,” you were short with him, ending the phone call abruptly. I guess it didn’t make sense for Joe to go out with Ben when you and Joe had planned a little brunch get together.

You repeated the process, listening to the ringing before another familiar, yet British voice popped up on the phone.

“Y/N! How are you love?” Gwilym spoke cheerily into the phone. Still, the same silence in the background.

You felt your heartbeat begin to quicken in your chest again, “Hey, Gwil. Just wanted to check if you were out with Ben?”

“Me? No, I haven’t heard from Ben in a few days actually. Why, what’s going on?” Gwil asked, his cheerful voice slowly quieting as he heard the distress in yours.

“It’s nothing Gwil. Have a good night, I hope I get to see you soon.” You mumbled quickly into the phone, praying that Gwil didn’t catch the large crack in your voice.

But, to your dismay, he tried calling you back a minute later. You let the phone ring, taking a deep breath and wiping the one lone tear off of your cheek. One last phone call to make. One last chance.

Ben’s childhood best friend Sam was supposed to be coming into town soon to visit, and you were banking on the idea that he got an earlier flight. You were crossing your fingers that they were together at some bar dancing and singing really bad karaoke. You were about to get on your knees and pray to any God that that’s what was going on.

You rung him up, using all your energy to hold back tears.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sam! It’s Y/N.”

“Oh Christ, Y/N! How are you love, it’s been a while since I’ve heard from you.”

“I’m doing great actually,” you lied through your teeth, fidgeting with the ends of your hair, “I just needed to call and ask if you were with Ben by chance?”

“Ben? As in Benjamin Jones?”

“Yes, that’s the one.” You added a mechanical laugh for effect.

“Is Ben flying into London to see me? I’m sitting in my flat right now darling.” You could hear the confusion seeping from Sam’s voice.

“Ah. Okay. Thank you, Sam.”

You ended the phone call before placing your phone on the couch, breaking down into a mess of tears. You had just called all the people that Ben would normally consider getting drinks with, and none of them were with him.

Your mind quickly turned back to all the many scenarios you had hoped to God weren’t true. After a long while of crying on the couch in your living room, you changed into a sweatshirt and sleep shorts, making your way back to the bedroom you shared with Ben.

You sat down under the covers with a random episode of Friends playing off of Netflix, not really focusing on it. Your mind was racing at a million miles a minute. Were you not good enough for Ben? You knew you weren’t perfect, but was it stupid for you to believe him when he told you he loved you?

You were so absorbed in your thoughts, you didn’t hear Ben enter the house, only noticing as he crept into the bedroom.

You quickly closed your eyes, calming your breathing pattern. You felt Ben walk around to your side of the bed to make sure you were asleep, before turning to put on something comfier for bed.

You heard his phone start to vibrate on the dresser, and a whispered “shit” as he grabbed the phone and quietly responded to the phone call. There were a few mumbled “yeah’s” and “okays” and “sounds goods” and a long silence before he started speaking again.

“Thank you so much for this, Jessica,” your breathing hitched in your chest as he continued talking into his phone, “I appreciate all of this so much.” There was another pause.

“No! No, it was perfect. I promise. Why would I lie to you?”

Jessica. So it was true. The man who you told all your friends was the love of his life, the man you told you mom you wanted to marry. He was cheating on you with another woman.

Your brain was telling you to “wake up” and talk to him rationally, quietly, and express your emotions in a healthy way but your heart was so shattered you couldn’t move. You sat there for a while, waiting to hear the soft sounds of Ben snoring before getting out of bed. You grabbed your phone and a random pair of gym shoes, practically running out of the house.

Ben, of course, didn’t stir. He was a heavy sleeper, always was. You were almost jealous of the way he was able to sleep at night, not giving you a second thought.

You shakily called an Uber to your townhouse, even though you had a car. Your eyes were blurry with tears, and your arms were shaking, so you couldn’t trust yourself to drive. You sat down on the stairs near your doorstep as you waited for the red Toyota to pick you up.

You tried to calm yourself down as much as possible, but you couldn’t. You were shivering in the oddly brisk LA air and could taste the saltiness of your tears.

Your Uber arrived extremely fast, and you stepped into the backseat. The driver looked to say something but saw how puffy and slicked your face was with tears before turning back around. Thank God he took a hint.

He stayed silent for the entire ride until you were suddenly standing in front of Joe’s home. Rami’s Audi was parked near the curb, and you sighed a shaky breath of relief that you were far away from Ben and that house.

Never thought you would say you were glad to be away from Ben.

“Have a good night. Hope you feel better,” your Uber driver said with a slight wave and sympathetic smile. You returned the favor, walking up the stairs to Joe’s house, knocking three times.

“Joe, are you expecting anyone?” you heard Rami bellow through the house, obviously tipsy on white wine.

“No. Maybe they did a late delivery on my amazon package.”

“Was it your sex toys?”

“Rami!” Joe scolded in disapproval.

“I’ll get it,” Lucy hummed, opening the lock and swinging the door open cheerfully. She had a beautiful, content grin on her sweet face before she went slightly pale at the sight of you on the doorstep.

You were shaking, bawling your eyes out in the ugliest sweatshirt you owned with a pair of mismatching socks and a very thin layer of sweat clinging to your skin from your rattling sobs.

“Oh my fucking god,” she muttered, rushing out the door to wrap you in her arms, “Y/N, baby what’s wrong? What happened?” you just started crying harder at the sound of your best friend’s voice.

“Did I hear ‘Y/N?’ Why is she here-” Joe began before gasping at the sight of you collapsing in Lucy’s arms at the door.

Rami and Joe both ran up behind Lucy and helped lead you to the couch. Your throat and chest were beginning to tighten from the constant crying, and you just wanted to go to sleep and forget about all of this.

Rami and Lucy were on either side of you, comforting you gently instead of pestering you with questions. Joe walked swiftly from the kitchen, a glass of water in hand before sitting in front of you. You could see the pain on his face from seeing you like this.

You had known Joe, Rami, and Lucy from when you went with Ben on the set of Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as the other cast. You had gotten really close with everyone, and you considered them all your family.

“Sorry for interrupting your little get together,” you sniffled, trying to hold back sobs.

“No, don’t say that you weren’t interrupting anything,” Rami comforted you quickly, rubbing your back assuringly. He always had a comforting aura but for some reason, his calming persona didn’t seem to be helping.

“I-I just didn’t know where else to go,” you spoke, your voice cracking as a few more tears escaped your eyes. The same eyes Ben used to look into every time he said he loved you.

“It’s me and Ben.”

Lucy’s grasp on your hand tightened and Joe’s eyes went wide, “What do you mean?” Lucy asked quietly, her voice overly quiet.

“He’s been going out the get drinks almost every day this week, which isn’t a big deal. But he’s just been distant and cold for a while and I…” you trailed off, sobs working their way back up your throat and you started to cry again.

Rami, Lucy, and Joe were so silent you could drop a pin on the floor and it would probably hurt your ears it’d be so loud.

“He told me he was going out for drinks tonight with ‘the boys,’ so I called Joe, Gwil, and Sam to see if he was with him and they all said no.”

Your three best friends just nodded, an idea of what happened started to grow in the pits of their mind.

“And he came home late, so I pretended to be asleep to avoid a conversation with him,” you paused, taking a shaky deep breath in, “and someone called him, so he answered and starting thanking this girl named Jessica and talking about how perfect ‘it’ was and I just- I ran.”

Lucy put a hand to her mouth and Joe’s jaw dropped, their shock somehow adding to the painful silence in the room. Joe stood up slowly and walked to gaze out the window onto the street in front of his house. You were feeling so much, yet so little you felt like you were going to disintegrate.

“That son of a bitch,” Joe sighed from his spot looking out the window. He let out a huff of disbelief, “I thought he would be better than this. Truly.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Rami said to no one in particular, struggling to wipe the shocked look off his face. You looked up to meet Lucy’s eyes who her glazed over in tears.

“I can’t believe he would do something like this…” Lucy trailed off, “especially to Y/N.” Her voice cracked as she pulled you into a tight hug. You slowly looked back up at Joe who was pacing.

“I’m gonna kill him for that. What a piece of shit!” Joe was starting to angrier as time passed, “give me one second,” he mumbled, walking out the door and dialing a number on his phone.

A few minutes later, Joe walks back inside, his face slightly red and out of breath from yelling into the phone and walking back to meet you on the couch.

“He’s asleep but I just left a very unpleasant voicemail for him to wake up to,” Joe mumbled, pulling out his phone again, “I’m calling Gwil and Allen just so they know not to be to nice to him.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Rami said, a wave of newfound anger in his normally soft voice. He typed furiously into his phone, and Lucy followed his lead. You glanced at their phones to see them practically typing novels in your defense at Ben.

“I’m so, so sorry Y/N. You deserve better than that.” Lucy said, pulling you into another hug before the quiet was interrupted by Joe again. He burst into the room, slightly out of breath.

“So, Gwil and Allen are apparently on the way over right now, so just to warn you all,” Joe sighed, plopping down on the chair next to the couch.

You absentmindedly snuggled up to Lucy as Rami covered both of you with a blanket, and Joe turned on your favorite movie on Netflix to try and bring some comfort to you.

They didn’t really know what to say, so they tried to make up for their lack of words with all the comfort they could possibly offer.

You had been so scared that you’d show up and tell them what you heard and they wouldn’t believe you, or maybe not care. After all, they knew Ben better and were really close to him. You knew it was irrational to think these things because they were your best friends, but your entire existence was irrational at this point.

You were starting to fall asleep leaning against Lucy when there was an aggressive knock at the door. Joe leaped up to answer it to reveal Gwilym and Allen standing at the door.

“Where’s Ben? Is he here? I want to kick him in the nuts,” Allen spoke aggressively, his hard expression softening immediately at the sight of you.

You were crying again at the idea and sight of all your best friends gathered in the same spot to support you and be there for you. You walked over and quickly hugged Gwilym and Allen before they took off their jackets and made themselves at home in Joe’s house.

“Just want to be clear, do you need to talk about it? Because if so let’s get that done with before we start Titanic. I want to bask in all of Leo’s glory, uninterrupted.” Joe spoke, trying to lift the heavy mood in the room with a joke. You let out a breathy laugh before meeting the bluish-green eyes of Lucy.

“Let’s talk about it.”

And that you did.

You all sat there and you told them all about Ben’s weird behavior the past few days, the phone call, all of it. They all sat around with you quietly with open ears, drinking in the details of the recent events, silently nodding or expressing their anger when it was appropriate.

“I-I just don’t know what to do. Where to go,” you said, choking on tears in the back of your throat.

“Y/N, you have a home with all of us until you figure out where to go. We’ll go beat up Ben- I mean, we’ll settle this situation calmly tomorrow,” Gwil began, “but for now I think we should all just watch Titanic and simultaneously fall in love with Leonardo DiCaprio.”

You laughed, a smile creeping onto your face for the first time in quite a few hours. “There she is. There’s that famous Y/N smile.” Rami said from next to you, pulling you into a side hug.

Joe turned on the movie, sitting in the chair to the left of the couch alone, while Allen and Rami sat on the floor in front of the coffee table. Gwil and Lucy were on either side of you on the couch, and you’re not quite sure when, but you were eventually lulled to sleep. The comforting voice of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio kept you company, while you were also surrounded by the group of people you love most in the world.

You were at peace. For now.

--

“Ben, I promise you she doesn’t wanna see you.”

“None of us do, actually.”

“You’re a piece of shit Ben. If I didn’t have any common sense I would-”

“Joe, not now.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“Point is Ben, Y/N doesn’t want you here and you’re not exactly a sight for sore eyes for all of us. Just leave before you hurt her anymore.”

You were rudely awoken by some intense whisper yelling happening at the front door, and you kept your best to keep up your act even with your sore neck from sleeping on Joe’s couch all night.

You assumed that everyone had stayed the night at Joe’s, due to their intense defending of your honor and mental state at the front door. But you could also assume that Ben was there.

“Please, just let me talk to her. I didn’t cheat. I promise that’s not what it was. I can explain the whole thing-”

“Oh, yes I’m sure you can Ben. Tell it to ‘Jessica.’” Lucy snarled, slamming the door in his face. it was frightening to hear the normally bubbly and optimistic girl sound so mean. The loud noise of the door almost coming off of its hinges caused you to jump.

You decided to stop with your act, sitting up and cracking your neck to alleviate the stiffness. Lucy turned around and her face softened, suddenly very apologetic. “Oh! Y/N I’m so sorry for waking you up I got carried away and-”

“I want to see him.”

“Ben?” Joe questioned, uncertainty written all over his face. The rest of your friends seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“Just to get closure.” The group nodded, and Lucy opened the door again and called Ben back in. He tripped he ran back up the steps to the porch so fast.

“You say anything that is off, I swear to god I’ll-”

“JOE!” your friends yelled, practically dragging him off into the other room. Lucy gave you a small reassuring smile as she closed the door behind her, leaving you and Ben alone in Joe’s living room.

The silence was crushing. It was awkward and grimy, making you feel like it was encasing you in a layer of goo that made you want to run out of the house and never look back.

“So-” Ben began before you abruptly cut him off.

“I’ll start,” you croaked, your voice already cracking. This scenario sounded better in your head, your voice was a lot stronger and assertive. But this would have to do.

“I don’t know what I did, what made me so boring or why you would want to cheat on me, but you must’ve had a reason. And I’m sorry for ever making you feel trapped or like you couldn’t talk to me or break up with me. Because you deserve better than that.” you paused for a moment. You could tell in Ben’s eyes that he was screaming to say something, but you continued.

“But I also know that I deserve better than to have my loyalty and trust betrayed by you. And cheating on me was a really shitty thing to do-”

“Y/N for the love of God please listen to me. I’m begging you I don’t know what else to do.” Ben pleaded, his voice weak and his eyes searching yours desperately. You closed your mouth and nodded, trying to prepare yourself for the worst.

“I didn't cheat on you,” you scoffed loudly at his statement, “and I know, that sounds fake but just give me a moment to explain.” Ben took a deep breath, looking at his shoes before meeting your eyes.

“I know I’ve been distant, and it’s physically pained me every single day that I’d have to lie to you and tell you I couldn’t hang out and watch movies, or canceling our ice cream date. It was physically hurting my heart. But I was worried I would slip up and tell you the secret-”

“That you were cheating on me.”

“No! Christ, no. Y/N I was going to ask you to fucking marry me.”

To say your heart dropped out of your ass would be an understatement. Suddenly, pieces slowly started to come together in your mind.

“Jessica is the woman at the jeweler's who was in charge of your ring… and when I said I was out I was actually arranging a spot to bring you to, and checking on the ring size. And I was scared I’d accidentally ruin the surprise.” Ben ran his large hands through his hair, meeting your eyes again. You were frozen.

“I love you Y/N. More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my entire life. I would never even glance at another woman because you’re the only one I see.”

Your heart melted in your chest as you felt a tear roll down your chin and settle in the hollows of your collar bone.

“Ben… I-I’m sorry for assuming anything-”

“No. Don’t say sorry. You had every right to be upset that I was ditching you. I could’ve handled that a lot better,” Ben took a few steps closer to you before laughing and looking up at the ceiling, “I was planning on waiting to do this, but what the hell, right?”

Ben pulled a tiny black velvet box out of the pocket of his jeans and knelt down on one knee in front of you, opening it up to reveal a beautiful, silver ring. You gasped and took a step back, clutching your hands to your face as you started to cry harder.

“Y/N,” Ben swallowed thickly, never breaking eye contact, “as cheesy as it sounds, I’ve loved you from the day I met you, and even though you were with someone else, I knew we were bound to be together. It was fate. And you know I don’t believe in fate. But with you… the only way I could’ve gotten so lucky was if some otherworldly force brought us together. I love you. Please, do me the absolute honor of being my wife.”

You couldn’t believe the turn of events. One moment you were crying because your boyfriend was cheating on you (so you thought) and now you were bawling because he was proposing to you.

“Yes. Yes, Ben yes!” you screeched, bouncing back on your heels as Ben wrapped you in his arms and pressed his lips to yours. You felt a strong warmth run through your body at the feeling of his touch, something you had missed so much.

At the sound of you screaming slightly, the rest of the cast burst into the room to see you and Ben almost making out in the middle of the living room.

“Oh my god… he proposed,” Lucy spoke, gasping lightly, her face brightening as all the pieces started to click into place in her mind. You turned around, smiling the hardest you’ve smiled in months, which quickly brought a smile to Joe’s, Rami’s, Allen’s, and Gwil’s faces.

“Thank God Ben didn’t cheat. I was about to go and have him removed as my emergency contact,” Joe joked, earning a laugh from everyone, “what? I wasn’t kidding.”

You turned back to Ben and threw your arms around him, basking in the feeling of his hug and smelling the stale cigarettes on his shirt(a smell only he could pull off).

This past week had been a rollercoaster, to say the least. And you had cried way too many tears, but standing in that brilliantly sunlit room at 8 am felt so impossibly right, so perfect, you could’ve cried again.

You looked up into the crystal orb-like eyes that belonged to your lover, and you couldn’t help but smile. The stress and pits of despair brewing in the bottom of your stomach were gone. You were relieved again.

Standing there in the arms of the man you loved, surrounded by your family, you had never felt so at peace and calm in your entire life. Everything was perfect, even if you didn’t get a glamorous dinner or romantic beach walk for your proposal. It was flawed, and that was honestly very fitting.

Because both you and Ben were very flawed, and that led to a flawed relationship, with flaws in every single thing that you did. For example, when you literally just jumped to conclusions about Ben cheating. And that one time you almost burnt down your house trying to make grilled cheese because you forgot you put it on the stove. But those flaws is what made you two a perfect match, that’s why you were made for each other.

Because suddenly, when you were with Ben, those flaws and imperfections didn’t matter. You looked beyond them, you accepted them, and you learned to love them.

It suddenly hit you, standing there, that all of those perfect relationships never work out because they don’t know how to handle issues or fights or false conclusions. It’s like a blizzard suddenly rolling in on a perfectly sunny day in Florida. It’s a shock to them, they don’t understand it or know how to deal with it. You and Ben, on the other hand, frequently experienced blizzards and tiny drizzles of rain, and sometimes full-on hurricanes. But those storms only managed to make you stronger.

And you had never felt more grateful for every single flaw and imperfection and Ben both possessed at that moment.

You were both perfectly flawed. And you were both perfectly okay with that.

[wingsporkhalo]

“Fate’s Flawed Design”: an old original story by MysticDelphox97-- Chapter 2

I know, I know, I should be putting up chapters 6 and 7 of Evva: Agent of Shield, but I didn’t want to put those up until I had more of it recorded. It is totally coming soon though.

Also, just as a note to everyone, starting May 8th, I’ll be taking some summer classes (three of them, although only one of them starts May 8th; the others start in June), so I may not post as much! Or who knows; maybe I’ll post MORE because I need the stress relief that only laughing at bad stories can provide. Either way, I hope you’ll be patient with me! C:

All right, let’s delve into Chapter 2 of “Fate’s Flawed Design,” otherwise known to @mysticdelphox97 and me as “The Cringe.” In this chapter, Remy writes a story even stupider than this one and spends entire paragraphs talking about how beautiful her dog’s eyes are, and also discusses Leaf’s “hoe-craving father.”

If you missed Chapter 1, it’s over here.

Fate’s Flawed Design

With me, disaster finds a play field. Love seems to draw dark twisted pleasure tearing at me, Cause I can't let you go. Mercy, like water in the desert, shines through my memory, like jewelry in the sun. Where are you now?

~Lyrics from Dreaming Wide Awake, by Poets of the Fall

Wing: those angsty lyrics doe

Mystic: they're in every. single. fucking. chapter

Chapter 2: Back Story

“Seriously? Leaf got jumpy like that on you?”

I nodded, looking at the laptop screen that portrayed Kyle and his room.

Wing: Portrayed It was just like, a fanart of it, I guess

We were currently chatting on VideLog 2.0, which is sort of like the Skype that people used when it came out in 2003, nearly 22 years ago.

Wing: Wait, this story is supposed to take place 25 (or so) years in the future?

Mystic: from the looks of it, apparently?

Wing: Come to think of it, I think you did give a year in the last chapter. But I didn't see any descriptions of new/invented technology, so I totally forgot.

I sat on my bed, resting against my pillows and the headboard. The Instant Messaging icon kept blinking, meaning someone was trying to contact me, but I ignored it. Right now I was in the middle of an important conversation with Kyle.

“The incident with the Populars shook her up. You know how they treat her,” I said.

Wing: Yeah, how dare they want to ask a question

“Yeah, no kidding. I saw what they did last year, when I had her in my class. God, it was terrible, I’m surprised they never got in trouble.”

“That’s because they had built a sympathy relationship with the teachers. I think the only teacher that cracked them was Mr. Lockwood, before he was replaced by Mrs. Brightly after he got a job in California.”

Wing: A “sympathy relationship”? Is that a relationship formed only because of sympathy? Like, you just saw a girl get viciously and publicly dumped so you walk over and say “So uh...he was a jerk, right? Do you want a cupcake, my treat?” (I would totally do that.)

Kyle grunted in agreement. “It’s too bad she won’t be in the same high school as us though. She’s going to some specialty school, right?”

“Yup. She’s going to The Learning Clinic,

Wing: “Clinic”? That doesn’t sound like a school...

which is near the town of Pomfret. So, she’s going to be moving…” My voice cracked slightly. The thought of Leaf moving away was… unbearable.

“Well, at least she’ll be going to a good place. And Pomfret isn’t that far away, because some of the students there go to the same high school as we will be,” Kyle stated, trying to reassure me. It wasn’t exactly working.

“Come on, Remy. I know you’re upset about this, but it isn’t like Leaf’s moving across the continent! Christ, I don’t think her family can afford that.

Wing: You don’t have to tell Christ. He already knows.

And from what Leaf told me, her mother is going to get her a cell-phone for graduation, so when you get yours, you can still be in contact with each other.”

“Wait… Leaf’s getting a cell phone?” I asked. Leaf never mentioned anything like that to me…

“She didn’t tell you? Well, that’s weird. I thought you knew, since you’d be one of the first to know,” Kyle said. Then his eyebrows furrowed. “She really didn’t say anything?”

I shook my head.

“Not even a hint?”

Again.

“That is totally freaky.”

I sighed. “Well, it’s not like I would have cared anyways.”

“Why not?”

“Because, isn’t it more convenient to use a regular docked phone?”

Wing: LOL, and this is supposed to be in the future. Adorable.

Mystic: pffffffttt

“Leafsters

Wing: Stop that.

would’ve wanted you to care, Remy, because unlike us, she doesn’t have a laptop to use, and you know how her mom feels about her using the docked phone constantly. Who knows, maybe you’ll get one by graduation too. That way you’ll never lose each other.” There was a brief noise from Kyle’s end. He turned around, answered it, and then focused back on me. “Sorry, Rems—I have to leave now. My grandma wants me to help her cook dinner.”

“Its fine, Kyle. You know where to find me.”

Wing: Next to a docked phone?

He smiled and then disconnected. I stared at the empty screen, with a blinking banner across it that read: “Your conversation ended. To reconnect, click on the refresh button at the bottom of the window.” I didn’t need to though, because Kyle was done talking to me.

Wing: Oh, thank goodness you reminded me. I was beginning to forget that, since it said Kyle had to go a whole two paragraphs ago.

He had a point though. If Leaf was getting a cell phone for graduation, then if I got one, we’d always be in touch. And yes, I did care that she was getting one. I was supposed to two months ago, on my birthday in March, but we were very tight on money then. My dad said he would make it up to me, but I don’t want to get it by High School, because what if I can’t get a hold of Leaf then?

Wing: ...Uh...what? Wing: You...don't want to get it by Strangely Capitalized High School? But wouldn't it be good if you got it by then??

I know I sound all defensive and possessive of her… but after seeing what she had to go through, and having to stick up for her for nearly eight years… who wouldn’t be?

Wing: Look, buddy, just because you “had to stick up for her for nearly eight years” doesn’t mean you get to decide how she conducts her social life. She’s not a freaking sculpture that you’ve spent eight years molding. Also, you don’t sound like a very nice friend. Your wording makes it sound like you resent having defended her and stuck by her. What a jerk

I got up and placed my laptop on my desk, closing the lid. My cat clock started mewling, signaling five o’ clock. I had done my Science and Social Studies already. My English assignment I haven’t even looked at.

I dug around in my backpack to find my English folder. We weren’t using the books at the moment because we covered all the material for the year. I checked my planner for what was due: my story plot for the Creative Writing project. I grabbed my purple notebook, which held a lot of crucial details for my story. I had the characters narrowed down except for their names, but it was the plot I needed help with.

I looked at my first main character, a round teenage girl

Wing: "a round teenage girl" omfg ROUND REALLY  BWAHA

Mystic: SHES SPHERICAL

Wing: JUST ROLL HER DOWN A FREAKIN HILL

who has low self-esteem and is often picked on by her peers. She has a crush on a “hot” guy, who is dating some snob.

Wing: I like how "hot" is in quotation marks, like Remy can't really see how guys could be "hot" :3c

The guy is my second main. He’s a jock who is a major flirt and doesn’t care which girl he dates, as long as he is never bored. My third main is a geeky boy who has a crush on the main girl, but has an odd way of showing it. I personally like the geek because not only is he funny to admire, he has guts for trying to prove his worth. I have secondary characters as well, but it mainly focuses on those three, because of the love triangle.

Wing: Pick a teen-oriented rom-com movie. Any of them. Bam. you wrote a summary for it.

How exactly I was going to incorporate my horror theme to this angsty thing, I have no clue.

I ran it over my head. Self-conscious girl who isn’t skinny but certainly not obese,

Wing: Well of course not. Obese people can’t be sympathetic characters./sarcasm

dealing with peer pressure and feelings for the hottest guy in school. Said hot guy who isn’t into serious relationships and is a bit of a jerk. A geeky boy who loves the girl, but no matter how hard he tries to show her, she doesn’t seem to notice.

Geeky boy actually has some potential…possibly for a murder? But it wasn’t just Geekster that has it—Insecure Girl does too. And Too-Hot-To-Be-Cool Guy.

Wing: Wha?

It hit me like a bull.

Wing: At least it wasn't like a car t-boning you [boos and OHHHHHHs heard from audience. I shrug and give a smirk.] I know, I know, I'm awful. Poor Charlie. Also, all of this is hitting me like a lot of bull too. [more booing] Tough crowd.

Mystic: PFFFFFFF

I began to scribble down plot ideas that could include an angsty-romance, as well as horror. Gore counted, right?

Wing: No.

Well, that’s what I put down.

The plot was that there was no definite plot.

Wing: Seinfeld: The Novel

That each arc has its own story. Arc 1 will have the girl, who turns emo

Wing: OMFG

and takes her classroom hostage, fed up with the insults and the fear of her school, and plans to eliminate the sources. Arc 2 is Geeky, who gets tired of trying to please Insecurity, so he kills her, then kills Hotsauce because he’s the reason why she never fell in love with him, then he goes insane from it and commits suicide. Arc 3 is about Hotsauce, who tries to find love but never does, so after he starts dating the snob, he starts to go insane and decides to kill the snob, because he felt that all she wanted was the drama and to vacuum his wallet dry, and she wanted to be the first to get laid by him, so he “loved” her then slowly tortures her to death. I’m thinking of a fourth arc too, but I’m not that far yet.

Mystic: I was so appalled by the whole "the plot is that there is no plot!" like????? doesn't a story need a plot??? Whhhh???

Wing: what the fuck even with the story tho Wing: I would never feel okay with turning something like that in to a MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER

Mystic: I KNOW Mystic: honestly wtf was eighth-grade me thinking???

I think Arc 3 might be a bit M-Rated,

Wing: Okay, 1) What, all the killing wasn’t M-rated enough for you?! and 2) JUST WHEN I THOUGHT THIS HYPOTHETICAL STORY COULD NOT GET ANY WORSE, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AUTHOR DECIDES TO PUT PORN IN IT. GREAT

but there’s a good chance that the Creative Writing project won’t be finished by school’s end.

And there’s a very good chance that Mrs. Llaydeu would butcher it anyways, if she ever found out.

Wing: YO, SHE'S NOT THE ONE DOING THE BUTCHERING HERE, APPARENTLY

Mystic: yeesh its a good thing i got therapy like shit

Wing: At least you were writing about someone else writing about another person doing it, and not doing it yourself LOL

Mystic: AND YET THIS EXISTS

Wing: IT WAS YOUR SELF-THERAPY Wing: WHICH PROBABLY ACTUALLY WASN'T HELPFUL FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN FRUSTRATION-RELIEF, BUT STILL Mystic: well at least it proved successful at times. there's about six of these chapters lol

So I think I need to make a back-up plot just in case. I decided to make it a classic teenage angst-story where Insecurity realizes that Hotsauce isn’t all that she thought he was and instead goes to Geeky. I honestly liked my original much more.

Wing: Go back to watching Higurashi, Remy

The backup has a cheesy setting, yeah, I know, but it’s better than no plot, and it’s just in case I get caught by Mrs. Llaydeu.

Wing: "Just in case I get caught by Mrs Llaydeu"?? YOU KNOW, YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT ON YOUR OWN TIME. HOW SHE GONNA "CATCH" YOU WRITING STUFF YOU WRITE AS A HOBBY?? WTF, REMY?? JUST WRITE YOUR MURDERFEST FOR YOURSELF AND WRITE SOMETHING ELSE FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT. THIS IS NOT A DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO SOLVE

I might actually continue with the original if I really wanted to. Or it just might as well end up as one of those stories you’re so into, but then you just drop it and lose inspiration.

Wing: Ouch that hits a little close to home Mystic: oof yeah

Yeah, I know, I have a very horrific side when it comes to stories. I’m sort of like the next Stephen King, a bit.

Wing: I'm sorry, is your ego Santa's list? because you need to CHECK IT. TWICE.

Mystic: remy dear you aint Stephen king YOU FUCKIN NUTS

But hey, who knows, right? You definitely won’t catch me writing some chic-fic or whatever though,

Wing: Because of the way "chic" is actually pronounced, I'm pronouncing that "sheek feek"

because I’m just as girly as Kyle is gay, which he isn’t.

Wing: [narrows eyes] I find your specific denial highly suspicious...

I could smell my mom’s broccoli potato soup cooking downstairs. So, soup tonight with just me in the house and Rocky, because Dad is living with his brother in Massachusetts, while I’m stuck in Connecticut at the moment. But last I heard, Dad was planning on buying a house closer to where I’ll going to High School next year. I’ve seen the school, the only thing I haven’t done was shadow, because I was too fucking lazy to.

Wing: a) How do you shadow a fucking school and b) calm the fuck down with your language, young lady

Mystic: oh that's actually a thing Mystic: see eighth graders could "shadow" a freshman at my high school for a day to see how a typical day on campus was like

Wing: oh okay you didn't say shadow a student tho Wing: it sounds like she wants to shadow the school, not shadow AT the school LOL

Well, at least there’s summer to take a tour around the school. The only thing I’m insecure about is transportation, because I don’t know if the bus that picks up my neighbor will pick me up at the same time or whatever. We’ll see though.

“Remeleen, supper’s just about ready. Can you come and set the table?” Mom asked from the first floor.

“Coming, mom!” I called.

I leapt from my bed and went down the flight of stairs, taking a turn into the living room and then through to the kitchen. The dining room was a small area, with a simple table that could fit four people, and it had cabinets for the plates, bowls, eating utensils, and cups. I set it for two before hitting the couch to look for some television series. I found one of haunted houses and watched that for fifteen minutes, with Rocky cuddled up on my lap.

After Mom placed the food on the table, I nudged Rocky off and headed to my usual seat, which was across from Mom. We ate our supper quietly, which was the broccoli potato soup, salad with dressing and fixings, and pieces of oven-bread to dip in our soup.

Wing: "Oven-bread"? Is that bread that only lives in ovens? Is it like, homemade bread??

Mystic: ...bread that's made in the oven i guess?

Wing: So like... ...bread, then.

When I finished, I grabbed Rocky’s leash, clipped it to his collar, and took him for a walk.

Walking Rocky was probably the best thing to do at my mom’s, because she doesn’t take us out to eat or does anything fun with us, in fact. The only fun things we ever did was always involved with Dad, who arranged most of the activities.

Wing: Cringing at "does" and "was" in those sentences

Mom only went with us if she found someone to watch the house, even for just a few hours. I know it may sound harsh, especially to my mom, but I kind of agree with my dad; she does need some sort of therapy help. Obsessing over a house isn’t healthy, and we live on one of the safest neighborhoods, because it’s not as packed with residents as the huge estates, like where Marybeth lives, at Grey Hound’s Landing. Her house has been robbed, broken into, and damaged so many times for her whole life, that it’s hard to keep track of the exact number.

Wing: Jfc. Maybe she should move?? Also I don't really think huge estates get broken into??? Wing: Huge estates can generally afford security???

Mystic: very unrealistic i agree

So compare that to our homely situation

Wing: Remy obvs doesn't know that "homely" means "plain" or "ugly"

(which hasn’t been robbed before, thanks to Mom), and you can tell that she needs to lighten up. Even just a bit.

Rocky pulled a little on the leash, and I gave it a sharp, quick tug to pull him back. He looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes that remind me of storm clouds. It’s like they could just pull you into a dream, a small fantasy, which had helped me calm down before. When I imagined being in a calm, relaxed state, Rocky’s magnificent irises appear. They give you a sense of dreaming, but it’s not considered day-dreaming. It’s more than that. It’s like you’re dreaming with your eyes wide open, visioning things that you’ve never imagined of before. It’s a very comforting experience.

Wing: Jfc. Remy spends a whole paragraph talking about how beautiful her dog's eyes are. Should I be worried

Mystic: obviously remy is a furry

Wing: ROFLLLLL

If only Rocky were around when Dad and Mom were first arguing, when I was only seven years old. It was two years after that when my dad left, but he bought Rocky as Charlie’s, Amy’s, and my present before departing in November. That was the worst Thanksgiving ever, because Mom didn’t let him come, worried he might bring home a girlfriend. He never called that day either. And then Christmas, he dropped off presents, two for each of his kids … none for Mom.

Then, right before Amy’s birthday in April, he says that he has been living with a woman he met on the internet. And that he broke up with her. Then, a week later, he called the house phone. I was only nine then, but I still loved my dad.

Wing: ...Because...everyone knows that people stop loving their dads at age 8?...

I picked up the phone since Mom was putting Amy to bed. I knew something was wrong right away; his voice was slurred and hard to understand. He said awful names that he thought were being directed to Mom… but it was me. I cried, telling Dad to stop, I wasn’t Mom. He said something I’ll never forget:

“Oh, I’m sorry (hiccup) sweetie. Can ya tell your (hiccup) your Mom what I said? She needs to kno-(hiccup)-ow what a true bitch she is, and how much Hannah (his now ex-girlfriend) loves me.”

Wing: I like how her dad takes the time to pronounce "hiccup" in (somehow) verbal parentheses, and also reminds Remy of who Hannah is

Mystic: wait who's hannah

Wing: According to the story: “Oh, I’m sorry (hiccup) sweetie. Can ya tell your (hiccup) your Mom what I said? She needs to kno-(hiccup)-ow what a true bitch she is, and how much Hannah (his now ex-girlfriend) loves me.”

Mystic: OHHHH

Wing: I guess you needed Remy's dad to parenthetically explain to you.

Mystic: Pfft it's not very memorable xD

Wing: Shrug. It's a palindrome, at least. Wing: Also, I don't think he's drunk. If he's hiccupping that much, he probably just has hiccups.

That was the first time I swore at my father. I pulled the ones I knew that Mom and Dad would say sometimes, but rarely in front of us. I threw the phone to the ground and ran to Mom, crying, sobbing, and yelling about what happened.

I refused to speak on the phone with him since.

When my dad realized what had happened, he tried desperately to earn my trust back, so far as breaking up with his ‘girlfriend’ again (at least, as far as I know) and moving in with his brother. I’m happy that he’s trying, but… I still can’t get over it. How can I, a typical Daddy’s-Little-Girl figure, who was part of something that should have never, ever have happened? I still have a grudge, knowing that it’s gonna happen again, knowing that that was the bullshit my mom had to go through.

Both of them are neither right nor wrong. My dad’s not the perfect husband, but he jumps right back and tried to mend the pieces instead of finding another slut to knock up again.

Wing: Jfc. How is the nameless hypothetical woman who only exists to demonstrate a point in this specific sentence STILL being blamed here??

My mom has always been there emotionally for us, but her possessive behavior can get overwhelming. But sometimes, they both can have their moments where they just lash out. Mom did that to me when she thought I was defending Dad about something (I was only stating what happened!). Even Dad, who would compare me to my mom, mostly for mistakes and when I get obsessed and stressed over something he considers ‘stupid.’

The two of them are not perfect, but they’re not messed up like Leaf’s hoe-craving father.

Wing: "Leaf's hoe-craving father" I'm cracking up omg spelling it like that just makes it sound like he's REALLY into gardening ROFLLLL seriously though hoe-craving HE CRAVES THEM HOS

"How ya feelin, dad?" "Well, if I'm being honest, I have a bit of a craving right now." "Oh, really? For what?" "FOR A NICE HOT JUICY HO. THIS HO CRAVING WILL NOT BE SUPPRESSED"

Mystic: OH MY GOD

I just … only wish … we could be a real family again. I wish that Charlie was walking with me, instead of bruised, battered and broken at the hospital. I wish Amy was here too, because she’s an amazing conversationalist and knows how to brighten my spirit. I wish that Dad hadn’t been drunk that night nearly four years ago, and that Mom wasn’t obsessive over everything and more enjoyable to be around. I wish everything was different! I want my dad back, like the father I knew six years ago, instead of someone who’s trying to be that same dad but isn’t; and I want a mom who acts like she cares and isn’t obsessed over some god-fucking-damned house! I just… I just…!

Jesus Christ!

Wing: Aww, the writing here is very raw and emotional, though. I can tell it came from real emotions you felt and I wanna hug you :C <33 Mystic: Oh gosh senpai ;; it's ok that was a long time ago! Wing: I knowww, but like, I'd feel just... AWFUL if I continued trampling all over this thing you wrote without acknowledging that you were undoubtedly very sincere about it at the time and it is a reflection of who you were emotionally back then. Y'know? So, Younger!Mystic, just, keep trying, you're awesome, and I love you ;-; Mystic: SENPAAAIIIIIIIIIIII ;A; Wing: KOUHAAAAAAAAI ;n;

I broke down right then and there, collapsing on the curb and crying, no, sobbing my emotions out. I was surprised later on that the neighbors didn’t hear me, even though I swear I was loud enough for somebody to notice. I felt Rocky brush up against me, sitting on his haunches and nuzzling me. His pitiful whimper brings my head up, which he takes advantage of and licks my face.

I sort of laughed, trying to lighten myself up, but the tears didn’t stop. My face was heated uncomfortably, even though the night was much cooler than at dismissal earlier today. My eyes stung from crying so hard.

Then those piercing, gentle canine eyes met mine, and the negative feelings start to simmer down. Rocky tilted his head and whined in concern. I stroked his head, feeling the soft fur on top.

“Oh Rocky, what a mess this has become,” I said, choked by the hurt, anger, and sadness that began to bubble again. But Rocky’s intense gaze kept them from overflowing. “I know it’s nothing like Leaf’s dad, or her mom or whatever … but … it hurts … it--” I spurted out a sob,

Wing: Aaaaand then the mood was broken at the sentence "I spurted out a sob" Like, just spewed that sob everywhere It got on the pavement and everything

Mystic: JUST SPURT THAT SPIT EVERYWHERE REMY Mystic: JUST LIKE AUDREY

sniffled, then continued, “it’s like what she said. Life never works the way you want it for anyone. Instead … it challenges you, sees how much you’ll try to make the best, until you do crack from the pressure and shut down.” There was silence for a few moments before I asked: “Do you know if that’s right?”

Rocky only barks.

Wing: Suddenly in the present tense.

I laughed shortly. “Course you didn’t,” I muttered. I then turned my body to face the husky and Akita mix, who has a smile on his muzzle, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Wing: omg, the dog is smiling Wing: the DOG is SMILING

Mystic: SMILING DOGGO

Wing: it reminds me of when I was doing the first spork that I ever did for tumblr, which was more in the format of reviews/summaries for every chapter, and I got SO MAD about the introduction of a fucking husky into the story for NO REASON and it was magically intelligent and could do really cool stuff and NODDED WHEN THE MARY SUE SAID THINGS

Mystic: pffffff omg xD

“You’ll be there for all of us, right? Not just me; I’m sure Amy and Charlie will need you as well … especially Mom. I know she doesn’t really like you, but … I’m sure she’ll want someone with her in her time of need.”

He moaned in that cute, doggish way of his,

Wing: "He moaned in that cute, doggish way of his" The Remy x Rocky is real/I'M GOING TO HELL

Mystic: BRUH Mystic: REMY CONFIRNED TO BE INTO BESTALITY

Wing: CAN'T SPELL BESTIALITY WITHOUT "BEST"/SATAN IS CALLING FOR ME

Mystic: OH MY GOFD

and placed his head on my shoulder. After I collected myself and found the strength to carry my own weight, I got up and walked Rocky back home, even though we didn’t get out too far.

We got back home at around 7:30. Mom asked what I was doing coming back so early, but I ignored her. Although I vented to Rocky, I knew I needed a person to talk to. I haven’t the guts to tell Mom, and I’m sure Kyle is busy with his Grandma and talking to Marybeth. Leaf is very limited to talking on the phone, but she’s one of the few I knew would understand.

The one person I never would have thought of came to mind instantly.

I grabbed the home phone and retreated to my room. I looked thoroughly in a small box that I kept under my bed, looking for that number. I found it, the simple, pink-heart sticky note, with a carefully handwritten cell number and the name of the contact. I smiled when I recognized it.

Erika.

She was one of my best friends, but she moved to Killingly last year.

Wing: Killingly??? THAT'S not a horrible name for a place or anything

Mystic: That's a real place lol Mystic: my community college is actually in Kilingly

Wing: omg, that's, whoa, I. I mean I knew there were places called that, but geez, just. What a horrible name LOL

I always kept in touch with her though, because she is the best girl ever,

Wing: Add another stone reading "gay" to the pile I've made for Remy

and I used to always have heart-to-heart conversations with her. She was close to Leaf as well, and part of our CSI games that we played when we were younger. Erika also had a thing for sassing things up with the popular group; she was a bit of a Mary Sue when standing up to bullies,

Wing: ????????????what??????????

Mystic: remy don't know what a mary-sue is apparently

Wing: like if anyone's the Mary Sue here, sweetie...

Mystic: PFFFFF EXACTLY

but she was targeted because of one thing: she was an orphan. I met her foster parents, and they were very nice, despite the obvious differences in their appearance when compared to their child, who had Puerto Rican characteristics. But Erika was very happy to have a doting family, and to just have one at all, because she saw what the orphans at the orphanages had to go through. Some had given up hope for finding a family, since many were rejected because they were teenagers and not cute babies or adorable little kids.

Wing: You make them sound like dogs and cats at the pound.

Erika’s real parents gave her up because they didn’t want the responsibility (they were teenage parents, by the way)

Wing: ...And this was necessary to mention why?

to take care of a baby. So, Erika was brought up by the Nuns

Wing: They were very important Nuns that required capitalization.

that ran the orphanage that she was put into. She grew up inside there until she was ten years old, and then attended my middle school. I loved her because of her spunk, despite her past, and she was patient enough to listen to even a Popular’s angsty story. And she gave pretty good advice, too. She was the most natural mediator I have ever seen. Why else would Mrs. Jillian have picked her as one of the Peer Mediator Officers at our school?

We haven’t spoken to each other in a while, which, now that I think about it, makes me nervous. Please, don’t let her forget about me already, I thought desperately. Then, taking a deep breath, I dialed the number into the phone.

As I listened to the connecting rings, I reminisced about the good times I had with Erika, even though for a short while. I missed her, I really did. She was a second Leaf, in a way, but she could control her mad personality, and (I hate to point this out) she didn’t have any disorders that I knew about. But that didn’t make her any more of a person than Leaf. I would never think of replacing Leaf for someone else. That’s why I really don’t have a single best friend that I liked more.

Wing: Uh, what I'm hearing here is "except really good at being a person and basically psychosis-free! Basically she's like the finished product while Leaf is more like the prototype! Erika's just all around better!"

Mystic: oof youre right Mystic: that's pretty shitty tbh

Wing: Like, just in general, the whole "a second Leaf" thing was...pretty bad LOL

Mystic: yeeahh, especially since the two characters are nothing alike at all

Wing: And then she actually goes further to explain that "oh yeah, Erika doesn't have Leaf's PROBLEMS, though. Oh, but that doesn't make her better than Leaf! It's just that she's better at a lot of...shit!"

Mystic: remy hun u a piece of trash

Wing: Rofl!

My heart jumped as a familiar voice answered the other end.

Wing: Erika makes Remy's kokoro go doki-doki.

“Hello? Who is this?” Erika.

“Hi Erika … its Remeleen,” I said.

“Remy? Is that really you? Oh my god, we haven’t talked in weeks! How are ya, what’s happenin’ how’s Leafsters, Kay-Kay and Marybeth?” Erika asked.

“They’re fine,” I reassured, giggling at Erika’s nickname for Kyle. Then I remembered the reason why I called. “Actually, I was hoping … that I could talk to you.”

She got what I meant. “Fire away, girl. I’m listening.”

I smiled, and the rush of emotions start to brew in my stomach again as I shakily began to speak. But Rocky jumps on the bed and lays down next to me,

Wing: That inconsistent tense tho

and as I’m pouring out my feeling, I glimpse those blue eyes, and I feel complete again.

Wing: I'm not saying she's in love with her dog or anything...but she totally appears to be in love with her dog

Mystic: PFFFFFFFF Mystic: did i have like a thing for dogs or something what the fuck

They remind me that I’m not alone, that there are other people out there feeling the exact same way as I am.

Wing: Rocky is Remy’s religion. He brings her comfort and solace and a sense of community

And it calmed me down.

Time to leave the past behind me.

This is the last night you'll spend alone. Look me in the eyes so I know you know. I'm everywhere you want me to be. The last night you'll spend alone, I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go. I'm everything you need me to be. The night is so long when everything's wrong. If you give me your hand I will help you hold on, tonight,

Tonight.

~Lyrics from The Last Night, by Skillet

Wing: the fucking song lyrics Wing: are obviously about Wing: Remy and Rocky Wing: I just Wing: can Wing: 't

Mystic: ASLKJEODHGD Mystic: DID I JUST WRITE A FURRY ROMANCE Mystic: HOLY SHIT

Wing: NO SERIOUSLY READ THEM AGAIN; IT IS ABOUT THEM I SWEAR

Mystic: AHHHHHHHH IT TOTALLY IS Mystic: HOLY CRAP

Wing: IT'S NOT EVEN FURRY ROMANCE THOUGH. LIKE, FURRY ROMANCE IS ARGUABLY MORE ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE FURRIES ARE ANTHROPOMORPHIC. AND THINK WITH HUMAN INTELLIGENCE, BUT...! Wing: THIS Wing: I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY Wing: ...EXCEPT MAYBE “ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER!”

Next part up soon!