GAMING IS LIFE

All gifs used come from stefansalvatored

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

raleighreed:

There were some people whose beauty just punched you in the gut. Del. Lou. Poppy. Rumi. Hye. Taliesin. Wes. (What could she say? Her friends were hot.) Dylan. Negative. Drew, academically. But Young? Young was like getting hit by a bus. Or, less violently, like hanging in the air for a moment like Wile E. Coyote before plummeting into his deep brown eyes. Even his nervous energy was intoxicating. Or maybe she just liked having someone whose external energy was as anxious as hers was inside. “Hi.” She smiled, feeling her face flush and her fingers go number from holding them too tight. She was pretty used to just shooting her shot once her safety was guaranteed but without that on the table she found herself just… looking. Realizing slowly yet suddenly that this part was the most frightening of all. The waiting. The wondering.  

Then she remembered she was supposed to talk. “Oh. Yeah. I think I have something for that.” She reached into her tiny backpack and pulled out a small diamond cutter. “Rich people, am I right?” She said, trying to make that sound less douchey than it felt. “I have this for art stuff, actually. Cutting plexiglass is a bitch and my materials can be kind of ephemeral.” She paused. “That’s my way of saying glitter gets everywhere.”

[youngachillesjang]

Young's eyebrows raised. He didn't know what she holding but it looked...kinda deadly. Despite his suddenly clammy hands, he was committed to this. They would get through this. Probably she would get them through this because she brought power tools.

"Thanks for explaining. I don't think I've ever seen that before, but you're very trustworthy." He winced, that didn't sound super cool. And the idea of glitter getting everywhere was dangerous territory for them and twisted his stomach into knots.

"Right," He cleared his throat, "That's a rough hazard for your hobby. I just have to worry about the skin on my hands." Fuck, that sounded horrible. "Um, joy stick cramping." Nope. "It's not important. The skills I have there don't really translate here."

He gestured towards the door, "Ladies first." He was going to figure out how to be smooth in front of her. It just might take a few more non-dates first.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

So the brightest minds in New Ham are bickering about guinea pigs, the government can’t decide how long they should take to read things, and some people want to know where Noah is. Others want to know why the fuck they should care.

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it. 

So press play and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Murder on the dance floor, murder on the dance floor, murder in the dark on the dance floor I really hope there isn’t a murder on the dance floor. (continued from here and here)

Keep reading

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

So the brightest minds in New Ham are bickering about guinea pigs, the government can’t decide how long they should take to read things, and some people want to know where Noah is. Others want to know why the fuck they should care.

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it. 

So press play and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

The party begins, but the fun doesn’t last long. Tell me. Where were you when the lights went out in New Ham? (continued from here, continues here)

Keep reading

[youngachillesjang]

therealamaranguyen​:

Phase: Day Nine

“Exactly.” Amara said, offering him a literal and figurative cookie. 

She was proud of him, kind of. He was standing up to her. It was cute. In a cat barking kind of way. “Fine. You have twenty-four hours to handle Tee and Leo, but we are going to bother Regulus. He has been neglectful of late, and we can’t eat all of this by ourselves.” She shoved some baked goods into glass tupperware and shoved that into an Ikea shopping bag. 

Then she marched towards her mother’s Camry, not bothering to check if Young was following. She unlocked the door and got into the driver’s seat, adjusting the distance to the pedals and checking her mirrors. She turned the car on and gripped the steering wheel with purpose as she shifted into reverse. Who cared if she only had her learner’s permit? There were far worse crimes being committed. 

Young took the cookie. He nearly choked on it a minute later when she gave him a deadline. He could not work up anything in twenty four hours. He needed at least a few days to think about it. He swallowed. “Reg. Yeah, let’s work on helping Reg.” Maybe, if he was really lucky, Amara would forget about the other part.

He followed after her helplessly. When she wanted to do something, there was no point in fighting against her. She was seven final bosses in a deceptively slight package. He put on his seatbelt and said a quick prayer. He hoped that if Gabe’s dad had met his end, he was at least putting a good word in for the rest of them. “There are still stop signs and traffic lights, Mari. Please. Please. Please, respect that.”

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

[youngachillesjang]

raleighreed​:

wewerechildrenwerenotnow​:

So the brightest minds in New Ham are bickering about guinea pigs, the government can’t decide how long they should take to read things, and some people want to know where Noah is. Others want to know why the fuck they should care.

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it. 

So press play and go.

Britt might be a zombie. It was still true when Raleigh woke up bleary eyed the next day after a very strange visit to the West Ham historical cemetery. She didn’t know what to do with that. She didn’t know where to start. Luckily, or, perhaps, unluckily, she didn’t have a shift today, so she was left to sit in her loft in the barn, staring up at the glossy white painted rafters and trying very very badly to get out of bed. Then a reason appeared. 

Young.

hi 👋

did you want to check out the bank today? 🔫

Raleigh would have fallen out of bed if she didn’t have an Alaskan King size mattress. He’d said they needed to take it slow and had actually meant it, rather than making her feel nice and pretty and wanted only to disappear or booty call at some time in the future. 

Okay. She could do this. She just needed to play it cool. Low key. How would she text Del? No that was not a good schema. God, she was already taking too long to respond. She made sure to reply in all lowercase, even though her texting was usually grammatically correct to a truly embarrassing degree. 

sure! meet me there in an hour?

if that’s not too much time

too little

?

It was too little for her really. She liked to spend 30 minutes on her hair and makeup alone (the avant garde didn’t make it self.) But she’d offered so she couldn’t go back now. 

@youngachillesjang

Young showed up fifteen minutes early. He knew that wasn’t his normal problem, but it felt like a good idea to preempt new problems. Like being late. He didn’t know if this classified as a date. Although did anything say commitment as much as committing a crime together? He wasn’t sure. And he couldn’t ask Drew because Drew was keeping people from participating in criminal activities.

He rocked on his heels as he waited for her to show up. None of his games would load on his phone. He’d fallen too deep in the hole of the microtransaction mobile games. They just didn’t work without internet. He was not going to freak out about that today. He’d grown. He could freak out about it later.

But when Raleigh appeared, every panicked thought he had about lack of internet flew out of his head. She was stunning. Always. The sun made a halo around her like she was a princess in an 8-bit game but this was better because she had agency. And that agency led her to want to hang out with him. Whoa.

“Hey,” he could feel that his ears were red. “I’ve never done this before, so I hope you know how we’re getting in. It can’t be as easy as opening the door. Right? Like, that’s a bit too easy.”

[youngachillesjang]

therealamaranguyen​

Phase: Day Nine

“There’s considerable literature on it on the citizen detective forums. I’d send you a link but…” Amara sighed to make her point. “It’s an entirely informal system but maps onto many things quite well. It’s very gendered, obviously. Really, the greatest crime a woman can commit is not behaving like a woman.”

She paused. Then she paused again, making sure she’d heard what he’d said. “Yung-taek. What.” It was rare for Amara to be rattled. Even with Tony Alessi in her face, she’d been more infuriated than intimidated. But the idea of her sweet, silly, and highly vulnerable friend being in the company of someone who had upset an Alessi was not something she could tolerate. She’d only wanted to stake her claim as the most important person in his life and to force Young’s hand because he could be so very indecisive. But now she was rattled. And Amara hated being rattled. 

“No. Please.” Had she ever said please in her life? She wasn’t sure. “Don’t tell Tee. Just… get them out. Or you get out. Someone get out. You know what? We’re going to go talk to Regulus. Right now. He hangs out with them. He’ll fix this.” Or, rather, she would tell him how to fix it and he would do it because that was how Sandbox Squad worked. It was the natural order of things. Even in a very unnatural situation. 

“That sucks.” His eyes widened, “Not the being woman a part, just that these things are so heavily gendered and unfairly punish women.” He was definitely a feminist but he always felt so out of place in these discussions. He was cis, this wasn’t a huge thing he could relate to.

But Amara pausing was more unnerving than anything that had happened in the past few days. He never trusted her silence, it’s where her worse ideas popped up like a surprise final boss when you thought you cleared a level.

“I...but you just said to be patient with him. I can handle this. I’ve been handling this, Mari. It’s gonna be okay, I’m going to talk to them.” If he could work up the nerve to do it. Might take him a day or two because he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. “We don’t have to do this,” but she was already moving to the front door. He wasn’t sure he could stop her.

[youngachillesjang]

rumibehbahani​:

Phase: Day Eight

Rumi was delighted. She was getting so many things done. “Wonderful. Take stock and send me a list with what you’re comfortable with.” His comfort was very important here. She didn’t want to push him too hard. His excellence was in competition. The entertainment was incidental.  

“I’m generally the same.” she agreed. She had always meant to learn about the construction side of stagecraft but she’d roped Cricket in when he and Lou were still… well, she’d never say together but when they were different. So she’d never had to take it beyond theory. “Design I can do but implementation? Not at all. I suppose I’ll have the time to learn now.”

A slight flush of red went to Rumi’s cheeks. “That makes me so happy to hear. But you’re always useful because you are here, bringing your unique perspective to the world. Perhaps that’s a little Pollyanna but it’s true. And not true of everyone, to be clear. Some people just don’t help.” She had a few in mind but she wasn’t going to say.

It was at that moment that she realized he’d asked after her. She took very brief stock, as if she’d ever let anything less than grace appear in front of anyone other than Lou. Sure, she was very upset with Taliesin on her best friend’s behalf but that wasn’t something Young or really anyone could help with. Including Taliesin apparently. Little helpless lamb he supposedly was. And she couldn’t bring up Gabe. Just the thought made her cheeks hurt. Though whether it was from blushing or a smile she wasn’t sure she knew. “I’m doing very well actually, so far. Perhaps it hasn’t really hit me yet. But thank you for offering.”

“You got it!” Young was relieved to have something that could make things a little easier for him. He needed a solid distraction. This would be perfect for his brain. 

He was surprised to hear that Rumi had some flaws. She always seemed so competent. He could picture her with a drill easily. “I’m sure you’ll have it down in no time.” If it was anything like picking up impressions, she’d be the next HGTV star in no time. 

His ears turned pink at her compliments. “Thanks.” Things had been so complicated lately and he’d turtled instead of facing up to it. He wasn’t entirely sure that he deserved all the praise. He was going to take it because life had gone full boss mode on him and he felt like the worst newb on the planet. He needed a little bit of building up, but the fear that she’d realize he wasn’t all he was cracked up to be lingered. 

“Of course. If there’s anything else I can do for you, I’d really love to help. I don’t think I’ve been pulling my weight in the community. Animal Crossing can be all consuming and I forget to unplug. You’re kinda one of the best people at reminding me of that.” It used to be Tee, but everything was changing so fast. He had to find new normals. 

[youngachillesjang]

therealamaranguyen​:

Phase: Day Nine

“Of course she’s not a serial killer. I said that. But there is a spectrum between Princess Di and Aileen Wuornos. You never know where people fall until you do.” Amara didn’t think this was complicated but she frequently made that mistake. It was the only one she allowed. 

She leaned forward to give his shoulder a supportive squeeze. Then she held out a cookie. “You shouldn’t have to feel awkward in your own home, Yung-taek. That’s non-negotiable. If you want to move in with Hye, you should. But you are also allowed to change your mind about them being there. You’ve said Tee is conscientious. I wouldn’t want people to stay in my house if they were having cake fights, clean up or no. You don’t have to say why either. There are many empty houses.” Amara had started to venture out to do her own exploring on that front and had found out many interesting things. And objects.

She could tell he didn’t trust her to react well. But no one ever expected her to react well. It was a calculated decision, really. But it also gave moments like this more weight. “I respect your decision. I’m sorry that it didn’t work out as you hoped, and I’m honored you told me.” She meant every word. “And I wish they had far better judgment.” She meant that too. 

Amara took a deep breath. She hadn’t expected to say this, but he was offering her a secret and wanted to know what was bothering  her. This was it. “You have been very candid with me so it’s only fair that I be candid with you. Leo and his cousin came to my house to threaten me three days ago. They were upset that I interacted with Finn Beaumont’s little sister and decided I needed to be told to not do it again.” 

“I’ve literally never heard of that spectrum before.” Where did she come up with these things? It wasn’t something that most people would think of. But maybe that was part of her um...unconventional charm. That was the right way to put it. There was some sort of charm involved in it. 

Young gratefully took the cookie and bit into it immediately. It was a bad move. He nearly choked as she dissected the situation. He needed water and maybe to not be having this conversation. Curse Reg from running away from everyone. He didn’t have the best advice, but he could temper Amara. Somewhat. 

He wanted to say something. But he also wanted Amara to have the floor while he finished eating and figured out what to say. He didn’t expect her to drop quite the bomb on him. 

“Um...so...fun story....Leo’s in hiding in my house.” If he’d known that Leo had threatened Amara of all people, he wouldn’t have accepted him into his home. Tee knew that. Had they lied to him too? His stomach hurt. Really hurt. “He left the Alessis, I don’t know the full story.” He should have asked, even if he didn’t want to hear it. “I’m gonna talk to Tee about it. That’s not okay. I’m sorry.” 

[youngachillesjang]

norasharps​:

Phase: Day Seven

Well, Nora was all for destabilizing the government. She thought a few governments in the real world could use a little destabilizing, now that she thought about it. Maybe someday their own council would need a derring do from one Nora Sharp. And she would do way better than Guy Fawkes.

(That was her story and she was sticking to it.)  

“Whenever the game gets going, count me in, ‘cause I’m officially interested.”

Much like everyone else, Young had a story. (A backstory before a quest, Nora corrected silently, amusing herself.) She felt bad hearing it, though. As hard enough as it was to get your heart broken by someone else, insecurity on its own was a lot worse. There was never anywhere to hide when you were running from yourself—Nora would know. “Casual dating can be fun. No muss, no fuss, and if you get a fuss, that’s usually the time to lock it up or move on.” Was she making sense, or were Heli malapropisms sashaying into her vocabulary? Either option worked for her.

Ah. Time for her story. Nora squirmed. “Mine’s not hypothetical, but it’s still kinda going on, I guess,” she explained. Trying to bottle the lightning in her love life was a lost cause until another storm hit. “Can I, um, give you an update on it later?” 

She needed to wait for Frankie to stop running. She could, but that didn’t stop Nora from feeling like an ogre waiting to be slain by an enterprising D&D party. Waiting wasn’t the problem, it was the insecurity. The anticipation. And, maybe most of the all, the almost same wonder that worried Young—was Nora ready for the answer?

That she didn’t know.

“I’ll let Tee know.” They would be psyched! They loved introducing people to the world of tabletop gaming. And they were definitely up there with Mulligan and Iyengar and Mercer when it came to DMing. 

He nodded his head as Nora doled out advice. It was possible to be casual with this thing. She’d done it. He could do it too. Maybe. He was really happy to be around Raleigh, but he knew that she didn’t do anything like that. And they weren’t dating. They were friends-ing? Something along those lines. 

“Updates can take as long as they need to.” The last thing he wanted to do was pressure someone. He knew how difficult it could be to talk about these things. He was still finding the language to understand himself. “Let me know when you’re ready. I’ll be a nonjudgemental ear.” 

[youngachillesjang]

janghye-jin​:

Phase: Day One

“You need to fault them for that, Young. We’re in crisis. Pretending you’re not in crisis doesn’t prevent the crisis from happening. It just means you miss important things.” Hye-jin was quoting her mother there. Pretending you weren’t in the middle of a bombing or tense exchange with secret police just got you killed. She had to remember it all for posterity. That was how journalism worked. 

“Day-night.” she confirmed. “That’s a good term.” She couldn’t say she wasn’t pleasantly surprised at the offer. “Alright. I’m going to start by turning over some rotten logs and trash cans. Come along.” She paused, holding out her hand. “Cake for the road?”

“It’s the first morning, Hye. We gotta cut them a little slack.” They were still in scrim mode. To switch to actual game time took a little bit more work. No one’s brain worked that fast. “They’ll get there, but like three hours ago people were partying and thinking the cops might be back tomorrow.” 

He was studiously not going to think about Tee being there and what they were doing there. Nope. 

Young hadn’t meant to invent a term, but he could roll with it. “Thanks.” Some part of his brain was online now. And he didn’t want to be here when Tee got back. That would be too awkward. “Sounds great.” He grabbed the cake from her. “You’re the best.” 

END

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

It was only supposed to be a picnic. It was only supposed to be an interview. It was only supposed to be a supply trip. 

It was only supposed to be a dinner. 

But something has shifted. 

The stars have moved. 

So press play, and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

A simple question can change everything.

Keep reading

[youngachillesjang]

norasharps​:

Phase: Day Seven

Oh, they were making characters? Nora’s starved-for-entertainment brain creaked into action. She was thinking…eight foot tall something. Big axe. Skull mask like that creep from Mad Max. Could behemoths like that wear combat boots in the game? Did sartorial choices make any difference? Nora had so many questions. At least Young would help out. “Like a ‘save the princess’ adventure? Those are cool.” Nora wouldn’t mind saving somebody, fictional or otherwise.

She laced their pinkies for a minute before she let go. “Yeah, I want. Someday.” Maybe sooner, if their Blue Lagoon situation kept going. “I hope you can have that too—if you’re interested.” Nora stopped to consider Young. “Are you…interested?”

Nora picked up the paper, nodding seriously. She had just the place of honor for it alongside her Girl Scout badges (the ones she kept hidden under her bed that nobody was ever gonna see). It had the same sentimental value. “No takebacks, pal.” 

“I think that’s a little too cis-het for Tee, but kinda. Usually it’s like going into a corrupt kingdom and de-stabilizing the government so it can be given back to the people. We’ve saved and escorted the last living creature of a species to a nature reserve. One time we did sorta like a fantasy escape room thing. That one was just a special event, not a full quest.” He was probably over-explaining at this point. He was just so excited. It was the closest thing he had to a real game outside of the game cube. 

He was surprised to learn that she wanted someone. She came across as so unaffected by things. It had never occurred to him that she might be lonely too. “Yeah, I think I wasn’t ready for it for awhile.” 

He thought of Drew and abandoning him. Gosh, he was so glad they could laugh at that now. Well, Drew was the one doing the laughing. Young still wasn’t over it all the way. 

“But gaming has been my whole life and I want to try something new.” He realized that might not tell the full story. “I tried dating a while ago and I just got scared of the whole thing. Now that I have the time...well, I picked a bad time to realize my feelings for someone but now I’m trying the casual dating thing with other people and seeing how that feels.” 

Raleigh almost made it easy. His stomach still hurt and he didn’t always say the right thing. But she was so comforting and beautiful, it made it hard for him to remember that he was messing up. 

“Do you have a story or is yours more hypothetical like me?” 

[youngachillesjang]

rumibehbahani​:

Phase: Day Eight

Rumi gave him a slightly halting high five as it wasn’t exactly her “thing” but she appreciated it all the same. “Thank you. I try.”

She wrote down everything he was saying in her own strange short hand. She’d mostly developed it for blocking, but she was able to cut out a few vowels here too and it still made sense. “Maybe a poll? I’ll make a poll we can do at the next public meeting. With a few options we choose together of course. I’ll research these first. But as long as it’s not Prince of Persia we’re good.” She smiled at him so he knew it was a joke. Mostly. The game itself had made her father very uncomfortable and the Gyllenhaal situation was massively upsetting on so many levels. Heavy eyebrows did not a Persian make.

“Oh no I wouldn’t ask you to build anything. I have people for that.” It sounded pretentious but she really did. They might hem and haw about it but it was true. Cricket might think he could say no to her but she knew how to trick him into doing anything. She’d observed Lou closely enough at the time to figure out the formula. 

She made a note to ask Amir about the show with the boxing gloves. “You’ve been so helpful, Achilles. Is there anything I can do to return the favor?”

Her high five got an A for effort but a C for execution. He wasn’t going to tell her. It was just that he got a lot of them at events. He knew what an A one looked like and she wasn’t there. It wasn’t a skill she wanted to nurture. That was alright. He appreciated the attempt. 

“Polls would be smart. I don’t wanna start something that no one else cares about. I don’t think my anxiety can handle that.” Or his stomach. He was practically breaking into a sweat at the thought of it. “Nope, no Prince of Persia. I promise.” He made the scout symbol. “Not a game I’m into.” 

She had people. Wow. That was really impressive. Rumi was impressive in general, but this was extra icing on the cake. “That’s good because my hands are only good for games, not power tools.” He really couldn’t afford to damage them in any way. At all. 

“Umm I think you just did, Rumi. You made me feel useful. It’s not something I’ve really had here. So, I’m good. What about you?” He wanted to ask about Gabe, but he wasn’t sure that was a good idea. So, he just kept quiet on that. 

[youngachillesjang]

norasharps​:

youngachillesjang​:

Phase: Day Seven

Nora tried that, too, but you couldn’t just observe Cricket and Del. She, at least, felt compelled to grill them with a lot of questions. That roomba idea was cool!

“Speaking of the game, I really don’t know the first thing about what it is.” Tabletop was usually mocked on television, wasn’t it? Nora for one couldn’t remember it ever being cool until recently. Or was it always cool and she was only just made aware? “I’ll probably have to look over your shoulder for awhile until I know what I’m doing.” Was that allowed? Nora didn’t want to look like a cheater, much less get caught doing it.

Wow. Nora paused, trying to tell if he was kidding. No dice.

Okay, she wasn’t raised by wolves. She could address a comment like that with emotional intelligence, especially for her new friend who was confiding in her. “We could pinky promise,” Nora offered, resting her chin on her hand and going for the jugular with some honesty of her own, “if that makes you feel any better, but I bet you’ll be fine. I think there was only one person in love with me and it didn’t work out.” A part of her would always care about Simon, though. How could she not?

“Who was your last buddy?” Reconsidering, Nora scribbled on a napkin and passed it across the counter, then the pen. “Check yes or no. I won’t be upset if it’s a no.”

“Oh. Right. So, it’s like a story that you all tell together. You build a character and your group goes on adventures together. The type of character you pick kinda helps you figure out what your role in the story is.” He didn’t have Tee’s charisma modifier here and he wished he did. “Tee is better at explaining the stuff. We’ll go slow though and I’ll sit next to you so I can help with your character sheet.” That’s what they did on actual plays and he really dug it. 

He offered his pinky to her. “Can’t hurt.” He was taking whatever help from the universe that he could get. “I’m sorry. I think everyone deserves to find their partner if that’s something they want.” He didn’t want to invalidate anyone’s orientation and it didn’t feel like the right time to ask. 

Young was relieved that Nora changed course. They were friends, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about telling people. The more people who knew, the more likely it was for him to slip up. He didn’t want to ruin his friendship with Tee over some dumb feelings. 

He tapped the pen on the table. This felt like a big decision. Yeah, it was a joke but it was about him too. He was trying to open up to new experiences. He wanted to be the kind of guy that had irl supports not just virtual ones. He wrote a new box and added “as a friend.” Then he drew a heart inside the box and slid the paper back. “That’s the one.” 

[youngachillesjang]

therealamaranguyen​:

Phase: Day Nine

“Charming people hurt people all the time. Most serial killers are very charming. Not that I think she is. That’s just a not at all constructive criteria.” He could be so naïve sometimes. Him AND Regulus. The latter she was never prepared for. She usually chalked it up to rich people nonsense and moved on. 

“Whoa. WHOA.” This was more emotion than Amara was used to dealing with, even from Young. Still, this was a lot of information at once. Some of it was much more important than others. Namely Leo. Leo who had been in this house. Who’d stood outside her mother’s office when Tony Alessi had… Well. Amara wasn’t a fan. Still, Leo didn’t know what was said. No one did but her and Tony. She’d come out of the interaction without evidence of Charlie and Rin’s wrongdoing but with a clear deal to protect herself. If Leo had defected, was that deal still intact? 

“You should make them leave, Yung-taek. It’s your house. I wouldn’t agree to cake fights in my own house regardless of my feelings for anyone involved. It’s a waste of cake and boundary crossing besides. I can tell them for you, if you like.” There was something very pleasing to her about the idea of walking up to an Alessi with a glint in her eye. I know who you are. I can hurt what you care about. Even if you hurt me. He hadn’t taken that from her, even if he thought he had.

Amara had never really bought into the “empowerment” side of true crime. She found the My Favorite Murder girls to be in terrible taste, and she knew that sometimes bad things happened to people, regardless of how they held their keys between their fingers or ignored hitchhikers on the road. But still, she felt like she’d survived that interaction with the Alessis. She’d come out of it feeling braver and more sure of herself. She hadn’t buckled entirely. Maybe she was her father’s daughter. 

“But no matter where you end up putting them, we need to address the larger part. Have you told Tee you love them? Because if you have and they’re still doing that, they’re going to have a very different fight on their hands.”

Well that wasn’t exactly what he expected Amara to say. Who would think that? “I don’t think Sera’s a serial killer. She seems more like the kind of person who would faint at the sight of blood.” He was not going to over think this. He didn’t want to be considering if his friends could be killers. That was too much for his brain right now. 

“Yo-you don’t need to do that.” He laughed uncomfortable. “It’s a big house. I thought it would be fine. They cleaned up the cake. It’s just weird to hear them giggling and being in love when...” he wasn’t going to say it again, “y’know? They haven’t crossed my boundaries, I just feel awkward.” Yeah, his stomach hurt but he didn’t know what his boundaries were here. He wanted to help them out. And he could. It just might be simpler if he was somewhere else. 

Young took what was probably the biggest breath of his life. He could feel something like adrenaline surging in his chest. It was like the start of a professional match. But worse. Much worse. “No. They have no idea. I think it should probably stay that way. I was just telling you because you’re my best friend. And I haven’t been able to say it. So, yay you.” He’d probably just made a terrible mistake. 

[youngachillesjang]

janghye-jin​:

Phase: Day One

“Ew. But they should stop that. This is important.” Hye-jin found most social stuff gross if she was expected to talk. The New Romantics were nice that way. She could just sit and hold Lou or Wes’ hand. And they usually gave her at least ten minutes to tell them what she learned about her special interests that week.

She paused. “How many seconds then?” She paused again. “Oh. It’s an idiom.” Her fingers were itching to stim, but she worried she wouldn’t have time to stop. Someone could be moving the animals as they spoke. Maybe it was worth pushing towards a shutdown. Maybe. This was bad. “Perhaps I should leave. That way you won’t feel pressured to compose yourself.” 

“I don’t think that everyone has figured that out yet.” Young had his panic attack and Tee had helped him through that. He wasn’t sure if this was real to them in the same way. They had smoothed over the edges. “Or maybe they have and they just want to forget. I can’t fault them for that.” There was plenty he’d learned tonight that he didn’t want to remember. Especially Amara’s breakdown. 

He breathed for a few seconds. Hye-Jin had figured the rest of it out on her own. She always did, you just had to give her the right cue. When he felt a bit more under control, he smiled at her. Didn’t seem to work though. “No, no, you don’t need to leave. I’m okay. It’s been a long da-night? I’m not sure anymore. But I think I’d rather help you than be alone. If that’s okay?” 

[youngachillesjang]

janghye-jin​:

Phase: Day One

“I don’t know what’s behind it I just know that every single one is missing. None of the animals at the clinic are in their kennels. Even ones that were scheduled for surgery. I put out bird seed and bug juice. Nothing came. That’s…” She did her best to not look upset. “Very bad.”

“I could discount the mammals’ absence as an evacuation, but the obliteration of all zoological life suggests something sinister.” Hye swallowed. “Nuclear.” it was a fear their parents had lived with, but not them. It felt strange and alien. A promise of safety broken. “But all the buildings stand. The flora shows no evidence of abnormal or hyperactive bloom. It’s very concerning.” She realized, suddenly, that she had gone far beyond the scope of her intended brief. “I meant to only tell you that wherever Roscoe is he’s not alone. Whatever that means. Would you like me to leave? Or to call Tee or Gabe?”

Young nodded his head. “Yeah, it sounds awful.” The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. They could be in serious trouble. Animals were vital parts of eco systems. But he didn’t know what to do about it, but keep looking. Maybe he’d start a text search party or something. That could be a good way to scrounge up some players. 

His chest started to tighten. He practiced his breath. Tee had just been over this with him. He couldn’t be heading towards bronze already. He breathed in and out slowly. Hye could puzzle these things. That was her arena. It wasn’t his. “Um...no they’re both very busy tonight.” It sounded like she hadn’t heard any of what happened. That was probably for the best. “Gross social stuff. Not interesting. I’ll be fine, just give me a sec. Metaphorically.” He didn’t want her counting to one and waiting for him.