The Silence Between Is Heavy And The House Seems To Settle Within It, Wind Whistling Through The Room

  ❝ 𝑌𝘖𝑈  𝐴𝘙𝐸  𝐶𝘙𝑌𝘐𝑁𝘎 !  𝑌𝘖𝑈  𝐴𝘙𝐸  𝐴𝘍𝑅𝘈𝐼𝘋  𝘖𝐹  𝑀𝘌 !  𝐴𝘕𝐷  𝑌𝘌𝑇  𝐼  𝐴𝘔  𝘕𝑂𝘛  𝘙𝐸𝘈𝐿𝘓𝑌  𝑊𝘐𝐶𝘒𝐸𝘋.  𝐿𝘖𝑉𝘌  𝘔𝐸  𝐴𝘕𝐷  𝑌𝘖𝑈  𝑆𝘏𝐴𝘓𝐿  𝑆𝘌𝐸 ! ❞

(  dev  patel  .  cismale  .  he/him  )    ───  VIKRAM  SHAH  a thirty  five year  old  ,  has  survived  another  day  in red  creek where  they  have  lived  for most  of  their  life . THE  SHEPHERD  is   known   for   being loyal and off-putting and  is  often  associated  with  digging  a  finger  under  a  tight  collar,  mornings  covered  in  dew  and  fog,  the  clenching  and  unclenching  a  fist,  a  cornered  animal  snarling  both  in  warning  and  in  yearning.  in   a   small   town   where   they   work   as the  funeral  director  at  red  creek  cemetery ,  word  travels  fast  .  it’s   hard   to   keep   a   secret   ,   and   it   looks   like   the   boogeyman  knows   that   [  REDACTED  ].  

 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝚂 | 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 | 𝙼𝙸𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁 | 𝙴𝙳𝙸𝚃𝚂 | 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃 | 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃

𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘 𝐈𝐍: being the local weird kid, touch deprivation, a fear of loneliness, a profound understanding of death, an anxious temperament, loving to the point of devotion, feeling uncomfortable in your own skin, feeling too deeply or not at all.

[ Ⅰ ]  .  .  .  𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 

full  name. vikram  shah.  nicknames.  vik,  vikie, .  age.  35.  race.  gujarati-indian. nationality.  american.  birthday.  november  15th.  zodiac.  libra   gender.  cismale.  pronouns.  (  he   /  him  ).  sexual  orientation.  demisexual.  birthplace.  rajkot,  india.  occupation.  funeral   director.

[ Ⅱ ]  .  .  .  𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘

mother  :  uvrashi  shah father  :  jasprit  shah

[ Ⅲ ]  .  .  .  𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

∗  back  in  the  day,  viktor  shah  was  a  name  that  was  more  whispered  than  celebrated  around  the  streets  of  red  creek.  hushed  rumors  of  a  troubled  child,  a  young  man  with  a  hot  temper  and  a  knack  for  getting  into  trouble. ∗  what  a  shame  it  was  too,  that  his  parents  were  the  sweetest  people!  jasprit  &  urvashi  shah  were  nothing  if  not  upstanding  citizens.  and  well,  vikram  resented  them  for  it.  his  parents  were  too  busy  cultivating  their  image  and  keeping  the  business  that  they  put  raising  vikram  quite  low  on  their  priority  list. ∗  affection  was  not  something  that  was  commonly  found  in  the  shah  household.  sometimes  it  felt  like  they  saw  vikram  more  like  their  personal  assistant  rather  than  their  child. ∗  as  a  young  man  who  lacked  the  space  and  the  ability  to  express  himself,  he  resorted  to  acting  out  instead.  smoking,  drinking,  trespassing,  vandalism,  all  the  petty  things  rambunctious  teenagers  like  to  do  to  raise  a  ruckus  around  town. ∗   which  was  interesting,  because  vik  didn't  carry  himself  with  the  same  type  of  rowdiness  or  misconduct  that  his  peers  did. ∗   he  was  shy,  soft-spoken,  got  decent  grades  --  all  the  makings  of  a  nice  unproblematic  kid.  there  was  definitely  something  else  though.  an  underlying  temper  that  could  spring  to  life  in  a  blink  of  an  eye.  one  wrong  comment  could  turn  a  meek  smile  into  a  vicious  snarl  just  like  that. ∗   it's  unclear  to  everyone  what  finally  got  vik  to  mellow  down.  maybe  something  his  parents  said  finally  got  through  to  him  or  maybe  he  grew  tired  of  being  known  as  the  towns  'freak' ∗   regardless,  vikram  slowly  began  to  phase  out  his  rebellious,  wannabe  criminal  phase  during  his  college  years.  he  graduated,  went  back  home,  and  eventually  took  his  father's  place  as  the  town's  funeral  director. ∗  vikram  is  still  known  around  town  as  a  generally  polite  man.  a  little  quiet,  tends  to  keep  to  himself,  but  is  more  than  willing  to  lend  a  helping  hand  around  the  community.  in  the  morning,  he  is  usually  spotted  walking  downtown  holding  bouquets  of  flowers  and  in  the  evenings  he  is  known  to  catch  a  film  at  the  movie  theatre  or  grab  a  drink  at  one  of  the  local  bars. ∗   his  profession  and  overall  awkward  demeanor  still  makes  him  a  little  of  a  freak  to  some  people  but  any  rumors  around  him  are  more  made-up  tales  stirred  by  the  more  judgmental  folk.  stories  of  him  being  a  necromancer  or  a  witch,  snide  comments  about  how  he  seems  more  comfortable  with  dead  bodies  than  live  ones.  anyone  close  to  vik  would  tell  you  that  he's  a  sensitive  soul  and  simply  prefers  a  wallflower  lifestyle. ∗   if  one  were  to  pay  close  attention,  they  would  notice  that  he  keeps  his  knuckles  bandaged  most  days,  that  he  rarely  invites  people  over  to  his  home,  the  shadow  that  falls  on  his  face  when  someone  brings  up  his  childhood,  and  sometimes,  a  pensive  look  -  like  he  has  something  to  confess

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘  :  your  local  angsty  teen  grows  up  to  be  a  soft-spoken,  somewhat  nervous  adult.  followed  his  father's  footsteps  in  becoming  a  funeral  director.  living  proof  that  emo  is  not  a  trend,  it's  a  lifestyle.

[ Ⅳ ]  .  .  .  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒   ───  all  connections  are  open  to  any  gender  unless  specified  otherwise.

wc  pinterest  |  wc  tag

[ Ⅴ ]  .  .  .  𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

 ＋perceptive＋sensitive＋loyal －awkward－intense－insecure mbti  :  INFJ natal  chart  : ↑  libra, ⊙ scorpio, ☾ scorpio inspired  by  : the  phantom ( phantom  of  the  opera  ),  evan  kelmp  ( misfits  &  magic ),  carrie ( carrie )

requests — anonymous asked — can you gif the ‘you’re not my type’ ‘we just had sex’ 'if you were i wouldn’t have, i’d have gotten to know you first’ conversation separately?

location : the dance floor @ the warehouse

time : approximately 10:30pm.

open : to anyone!

“are you thirsty? wanna grab a drink?” kennedy half yells into the other’s ear, yet her voice is barely audible over the music pumping around them. fingers flutter down the other's arm, ready to grab hold of their wrist to lead them out of the dance floor or loosely interlace her digits with theirs to twirl them around. depends on their answer!

matilda's offer to let him stick by her side is sweet and a man with vikram's disposition can't help but immediately lean to decline the offer. "i wouldn't want to get in the way of your fun." then he remembers what his therapist who may or may not look like gabriel luna and be played by flea said, about allowing himself to be open to new experiences. "–but i might actually take you up on that... uh, if you'll have me." awkwardness and all. her laugh encourages one of his own, as he shifts a little in place, as if to settle more into the conversation. "no whispering tonight– i can do that." he's gonna have to if she has any hope of hearing him talk over the music. "yeah, wasn't he in that jumaji remake? i haven't watch it but i like the original."

vikram nods along as matilda explains the reference, trying not to show any confusion that would expose how chronically offline he is. has no idea why the local teens have taken a liking to calling him demure recently. "i don't think i've seen the picture. you'll have to show it to me when i see you tonight. get the side by side." vikram feels like his costume is not as clever or relevant in comparison. "i'm dressing as the phantom. from phantom of the opera? figured it was an easy enough costume to put together last minute." he already had the suit and the broodiness that came with the character. all he really needed was the mask. he wants to ask her if she's read the novel but instead thinks it would be better to take advantage of the fact that they rarely get to meet outside of the library to focus on a topic other than books. "are you heading home right now? would you like some company?"

“You know, if you want, you’re more than welcome to stick by me, since I’ll be doing the same. But either way, I’ll gladly take you up on that drink, if it means talking to you at a level above a whisper,” she said, a laugh bubbling out of her. She’d planned on chatting with him at some point that night anyway, but the realization that she had a Pavlovian effect on the volume of Vikram’s voice only made her more determined. “Um, yeah. Do you know The Rock? Like, the actor?” She stumbled over her words, suddenly very conscious of the idea that she could be explaining her costume all night. “There’s this picture of him with a fanny pack, in a turtleneck. I was gonna do that, but maybe switch the jean pants for a jean skirt and some heels.” Matilda made a mental note to save the picture to her phone, for easy access if anyone wanted to see it. “What about you?”

Barbie (2023)

BOBBY BRIGGS TWIN PEAKS | 1.04

   ❝ 𝚈𝙾𝚄  𝙶𝚄𝚈𝚂  𝙰𝚁𝙴  𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃  𝙰𝚂  𝙵𝚄𝙲𝙺𝙴𝙳  𝚄𝙿  𝙰𝚂  𝙸  𝙰𝙼 ,  𝚈𝙾𝚄 '𝚁𝙴  𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃  𝙱𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁  𝙰𝚃  𝙻𝚈𝙸𝙽𝙶  𝚃𝙾  𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚂𝙴𝙻𝚅𝙴𝚂  𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚄𝚃  𝙸𝚃 !  . . .  𝚈𝙾𝚄 '𝚁𝙴  𝙻𝙸𝚅𝙸𝙽𝙶  𝙾𝙽  𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙺  𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃  𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴  𝙼𝙴 ! ❞

 //   (  natasha  lyonne .  cisfemale .  she/her ) .   ⸻ JOANNA  ‘JOEY’  HARLOW,  a forty  four  year  old,  has  survived  another  day  in  red  creek  where  they  have  lived  for  her whole  life  . THE  BROKEN  RECORD  is   known   for   being  audacious  and destructive  and  is  often  associated  with  cackling  laughter  over  loud  music,  chipped  red  nail  polish,  a  pack  of  camel  cigarettes  tucked  in  a  back  pocket,  a  crude  sense  of  humor  .  in   a   small   town   where   they   work   as  the  owner  of  redstone  bar,  word  travels  fast  .     it’s   hard   to   keep   a   secret   ,   and   it   looks   like   the   boogeyman  knows   that   [  REDACTED  ] 

 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝚂 | 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 | 𝙼𝙸𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁 | 𝙴𝙳𝙸𝚃𝚂 | 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃 | 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃

𝐀  𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘  𝐈𝐍:  the  trailer  park  life,  sobriety  chips  scattered  on  the  floor  of  a  1985  ford  f150,  making  a  bad  situation  worse,  gaslighting  yourself  into  believing  you’re  tougher  than  you  really  are,  constant  reminders  of  everything  you've  lost,  looking  for  dopamine  in  the  worst  places.

[ Ⅰ ]  .  .  .  𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 

full  name. joanna mae harlow.  nicknames.  joey, joe,  jm.  age.  44.  race.  white. nationality.  american.  birthday.  december 21st.  zodiac.  sagittarius. gender.  cisfemale.  pronouns.  (  she   /  her  ).  sexual  orientation.  pansexual.  birthplace.  redcreek,  michigan.  occupation.  owner of redstone bar.

[ Ⅱ ]  .  .  .  𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘

mother  :  helen harlow father  :  cameron harlow siblings:  tristan harlow ( presumed dead )  , might make a wc for more siblings!

[ Ⅲ ]  .  .  .  𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

TW: brief mentions of death, grief, & substance abuse.

*  in  a  small  town  where  everyone  knows  each  other,  it's  easy  to  get  an  idea  of  someone's  character  just  by  the  stories  attached  with  a  surname. for  the  harlows,  their  name  was  often  associated  with  trouble  because  wherever  there  was  any  to  be  found,  it  was  almost  always  guaranteed  that  a  harlow  kid  was  involved  in  one  way  or  another.  * comfortably  nestled  in  a  trailer  park  just  a  couple  blocks  away  from  the  main  road,  this  family  of  misfits  were  known  to  be  loud,  crude,  and  quick  to  piss  off.  damn proud of it too -- wore  the  title  of  redcreek's  trashiest  family  like  a  badge  and  joanna  harlow  was  no  exception.  * a  firecracker  of  a  kid,  known  to  have  the  mouth  of  a  sailor  and  the  disposition  of  a  renegade.  she  had  a  talent  for  playing  the  bass  guitar,  a  talent  that  she  gained  from  her  older  brother  -  tristan.  it  was  an  ongoing  joke  that  joey  was  tristan's  mini-me.  they  were  the  spitting  image  of  each  other,  both  in  physicality  and  temperament. * joey  was  nineteen  when  tristan  went  missing  and  that  was  when  her  world  turned  upside  down.  her  family  were  among  the  many  broken  by  the  events.  many  in  her  inner  circle  felt  like  they  had  to  distance  themselves  from  joey,  finding  her  familiarity  to  tristan  too  much  to  handle,  including  her  own  parents * TW: DRUG MENTION:  so  with  everyone  in  her  life  too  busy  dealing  with  their  own  grief,  joey  all  but  isolated  herself  further  by  turning  to  the  first  break  she  could  find  –  drugs.  she  had  her  first  taste  of  them  when  she  was  looking  through  tristan's  room,  in  search  for  answers  to  what  could  have  happened  to  him.  instead  of  a  note  though,  she  found  a  stash  of  fine  white  powder  tucked  in  little  tiny  ziploc  bags.  * the  rest  of  her  life  from  there  has  been  a  blur.  she  never  left  redcreek.  never  managed  to  fulfill  her  dream  of  becoming  a  big  musician.  somehow  managed  to  sober  up  and  gain  enough  money  to  buy  a  shitty  building  and  turn  it  into  what  is  now  known  as  redstone  bar.  * one  doesn't  always  know  what  they  will  get  with  joey.  she’s  just  as  likely  to  start  a  fight  as  she  is  to  offer  a  drink  so  most  people  tend  to  proceed  with  caution.

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘  :  a  girl  who  was  set  on  a  path  of  bad  decisions  by  her  rambunctious  family  grows  to  become  a  mess  of  a  woman,  ricocheting  between  recovery  and  relapse.  her  dreams  of  leaving  town  and  becoming  a  rockstar  were  squashed  the  moment  her  brother  went  missing.  punk  meets  small-town  hick.

[ Ⅳ ]  .  .  .  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒   ───  all  connections  are  open  to  any  gender  unless  specified  otherwise.

wc  pinterest  |  wc  tag

[ Ⅴ ]  .  .  .  𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

＋adventurous＋unapologetic ＋protective －selfish －unreliable －volatile mbti  :  ISFJ natal  chart  : ↑  aquarius, ⊙ sagittarius, ☾ aquarius inspired  by  : natalie scatorccio ( yellowjackets ),  mercutio  ( romeo &  juliet ),  eleanor shellstrop ( the good place ), fleabag ( fleabag )

❝𝘛𝐻𝘐𝑆  𝑃𝘓𝐴𝘊𝐸  𝑊𝘐𝐿𝘓  𝘈𝐿𝘞𝐴𝘠𝑆  𝐻𝘈𝑉𝘌  𝘖𝑁𝘌  𝘊𝐿𝘈𝐼𝘔  𝘖𝑁  𝑀𝘠  𝘈𝐹𝘍𝐸𝘊𝑇𝘐𝑂𝘕,  𝑊𝘏𝐼𝘊𝐻  𝑁𝘖  𝘖𝑇𝘏𝐸𝘙  𝘊𝐴𝘕  𝘗𝑂𝘚𝑆𝘐𝐵𝘓𝑌  𝑆𝘏𝐴𝘙𝐸.❞

//  (  henry  zaga  .  cismale  .  he/him  )  .  ⸻  SALVADOR LUIS PEREZ  ,  a  twenty eight year  old  ,  has  survived  another  day  in  red  creek  where  they  have  lived  for  his  whole  life  .  THE PROMISCUOUS is  known  for  being  flirtatious  and  toxic  and  is  often  associated  with  calling  dates  pet  names  to  not  risk  saying  the  wrong  name,  a  lopsided  shit  eating  grin,  text  messages  left  on  read,  collarbone  hickeys  poking  out  of  the  hem  of  his  shirt  .  in  a  small  town  where  they  work  as  a  line  cook  at  dolly’s  diner  word  travels  fast  .  it’s  hard  to  keep  a  secret  ,  and  it  looks  like  the  boogeyman  knows  that  [  REDACTED  ].

𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝚂 | 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 | 𝙼𝙸𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁 | 𝙴𝙳𝙸𝚃𝚂 | 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃 | 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃

Ⅰ    .   .   .  𝙱𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙲𝚂

full name  : salvador  luis  perez nicknames  : salva,  salv,  lu  (  close  friends  and  family  only  )  age : 28 birthday  : february  3rd gender  : cismale ( he   /   him   ) sexual orientation  : pansexual occupation : line  cook  at  dolly's  dinner fc : henry  zaga

Ⅱ   .  .  .  𝙵𝙰𝙼𝙸𝙻𝚈

mother : monica  perez father  :   ernesto  perez

Ⅲ  .   .   .   𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚄𝚃

∗  if  you  have  been  in  red  creek  long  enough  you  have  probably  either  slept  with  salvador  or  know  plenty  of  people  who  have. ∗ he  wasn't  always  so  promiscuous  though.  extroverted,  maybe  flirty,  sure.  he  got  along  well  with  everyone.  kids  liked  playing  with  him,  adults  found  him  endearing,  his  family  loved  him...  by  all  means,  he  was  just  a  normal  kid. ∗ got  into  some  trouble  in  high  school  but  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary  for  a  small-town  kid  left  to  find  their  own  entertainment.  he  was  a  star  athlete,  on  track  to  go  to  university  on  a  soccer  scholarship. ∗ then  his  mother  passed  away  and  it  seemed  like  she  took  all  of  his  ambitions  and  hopes  for  the  future  6  feet  under  with  her. ∗ with  so  much  grief  and  nowhere  to  put  it  he  unfairly  decided  to  aim  it  on  his  father  and  all  the  ways  he  failed.  to  this  day  salvador  firmly  believes  that  his  mother  would  have  had  a  better  chance  of  surviving  if  his  father  had  taken  her  symptoms  seriously  from  the  beginning.  salva  resents  him  for  it  and  their  relationship  has  been  strained  ever  since.  any  attempt  to  rebuild  that  bridge  is  made  for  the  sake  of  his  sister,  quinn. ∗ he's  very  close  to  his  sister.  after  their  mother's  passing  he  took  on  the  role  of  mom  the  best  he  could.  making  her  school  lunches,  driving  her  to  any  events,  cheering  her  on  when  she  decided  to  pursue  a  career  in  nursing,  etc.  salva  worries  for  quinn  and  how  hard  she  works.    ∗ he  never  ended  up  leaving  red  creek  and  has  found  himself  too  attached  to  the  town  that  his  mother  loved  so  much.  ended  up  taking  a  job  at  the  local  diner  as  a  line  cook  and  now  very  much  lives  up  to  the  stereotype  of  how  slutty  they  are. ∗ he  doesn't  play  soccer  anymore.  the  only  passion  of  his  that  has  remained  all  these  years  is  his  love  for  motorcycles.  has  a  vincent  black  shadow  that  is  his  pride  and  joy  (  someone  should  key  it  <3  ).  he  likes  fixing  old  motorcycles  in  his  free  time.  isn’t  good  enough  to  be  an  actual  mechanic  but he  might  be  willing  to  help  someone  every  now  and  then.  if  he  likes  them  enough. ∗ for  a  line  cook,  he  looks  like  he’s  doing  surprisingly  well  for  himself?  he’s  got  nice  clothes,  nice  cologne,  nice  motorcycles.  he’s  flashy  with  his  gifts  and  is  known  to  spare  no  expense  when  it  comes  to  dates.  if  you  ask  him  he’d  say  that  he’s  just  good  at  managing  his  money  but  maybe  there’s  something  more  to  that.  IDK  YOU  TELL  ME ∗ he's  rougher  around  the  edges  now  than  he  used  to  be  before  his  mother's  death.  still  overall  nice,  but  can  definitely  come  off  as  a  prick  to  some  people.  will  gaslight  you  into  believing  that  it's  all  in  your  head  though  <3  doesn't  have  the  best  track  record  romantically  and  has  a  tendency  to  get  bored  of  people  easily.  he's  a  hot  guy  okay  and  is  awfully  aware  of  it.

𝚂𝚄𝙼𝙼𝙰𝚁𝚈 :   kid  with  insane  potential  lets  it  all  go  to  waste  when  his  mother  passes  away.  when  he  isn't  flipping  burgers  at  the  local  diner,  he's  most  likely  talking  up  some  pretty  tourist  or  working  on  a  motorcycle.  make  sure  to  compliment  your  girlfriend  if  she  makes  her  way  to  dolly's  cus  if  you  don't,  salvador  certainly  will.

Ⅳ   .   .   .   𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂   -   all   connections   are   open   to   any   gender   unless   specified   otherwise.

wc  pinterest | wc  tag

hookups,  hookups,  hookups, people  he's  ghosted  lol an  on-and-off  relationship  (  messy!  ) fwd  that  caught  feelings friends  ofc regulars  at  the  diner coworkers! id  kill  to  have  someone  older  for  him  to  seduce  ghfjghkgh  pls  let  him  ruin  a  marriage  <3 his  latest  hyper  fixation  like  someone  he's  low-key  got  a  crush  on.  maybe  someone  knew  in  town?

Ⅴ   .   .   .   𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈

＋flirtatious  ＋laid-back＋charming －manipulative－arrogant－self-centered mbti   : ESTP natal   chart   : ↑  scorpio, ⊙ aquarius, ☾ aquarius inspired   by   : john  willloughby  (sense  &  sensibility  ),  eleanor  shellstrop  (  the  good  place  ),  bronn  (  game  of  thrones  )  ,  joey  tribbiani  (  friends  ),  john  tucker  (  john  tucker  must  die  ), 

"eh, you're not missing about much. beer's just... you know, cheap." it fit his nature of taking things slow. shots were too quick, too reckless, and much harder to nurse on those nights when he simply didn't want to be alone. but quinn's offer was kind and as a man who could use a little more of it himself, it was only natural for him to agree. he taps her shot glass with his, then downs the shot. the burn is strangely soothing. it gives him something to focus on. "oh! yes, that's me." any reminder that vikram is not invisible to others makes him nervous. "yeah, i think I've seen you around too. i usually work with the mortuary so i don't really um, get to meet other people. what do you do there?" she seems a little young to be a doctor.

the  brunette  let  out  a  laugh,  “  unfortunately  ,  i'm  gluten  free  …  so  beer  and  me  don't  usually  get  along  .  ”  she  responded  ,  sending  the  taller  male  a  friendly  grin  .  quinn  had  recognized  vikram  from  the  hospital  ,  but  it  was  usually  during  a  moment  where  she  was  quite  busy  and  stressed  .  quinn  wasn't  super  outgoing  ,  but  she  wasn't  super  introverted  -  she  was  somewhere  in  the  middle  .  if  she  didn't  know  someone  ,  she  didn't  always  say  hi  ,  but  when  alcohol  was  involved  …  her  extroverted  side  had  an  edge  .  “  yeah  !  i'm  quinn  .  ”  she  responded  ,  holding  up  the  shot  glass  and  cheersing  .  “  vikram  ,  right  ?  i've  seen  you  a  few  times  at  the  hospital  ,  i  believe  .  ”

“you are just so…” frustrating. annoying. disrespectful. hurtful. “…typical.” the detachment in his gaze sends a wave of déjà vu over them. a memory flies by them, an afternoon where they cried to their mother on the way home from school, distraught over some playground injustice made against them. ‘that’s awful, sweetie. how did you do on your math test?’ it was then that kenny came to the realization that their existence is only ever recognized when they do something exceptional. it’s why they’re always, reading and writing. why they make time to work out no matter how exhausted they are, why they never left the house without looking presentable — they were an accessory, something to be bragged about. they played into it, but acceptance did not equal contentment and the more they molded themselves the more they felt a rumble within—a simmering anger that had taken root in their chest and now lodged itself at the base of their throat, itching to break free. if they were to finally snap, would people be inclined to listen or laugh at them? they think ricardo would fall under the latter.. it was stupid to think the two would see eye to eye. no, it’s embarrassing and kennedy should have known better.  after all these years, could there still be a corner of their heart that yearns for someone—anyone—to just understand them? stupid, stupid, stupid! 

they told their head back with a sigh, deep with an exhaustion stemming from years back. this time it’s their turn to look up at the sky and for a brief moment, they are distracted by a thought… when was the last time they saw stars? have nights at red creek always been devoid of them or is it just the one time they look that they decide not to show themselves? is this the price one has to pay for defying them? the mention of effie brings them back to earth, the sting of yet another jab at their ego anchoring them. ricardo doesn’t need to remind kennedy they are not the only writer worth a damn in this town — they are already painfully aware of it, thank you! but he does, and it feels intentional, like he's baiting them.  they don’t know what their expression is, right now. if they look like they want to laugh or cry or both. it doesn’t matter. they shrug the blazer off their shoulders, gathering it in their hand and pushing the fabric toward his chest—not shoving, because the last thing they want is for him to add ‘aggressive’ on top of his ever-growing determination to belittle them. “i said, five.” they spit back. "i’ll have something at your desk by five.” they were going to write this piece and they were going to do it well. if the story does happen to take off then they will be damned if they allow ricardo to be anything more than a footnote in its success. if ricardo has nothing else to say, they will turn on their heel and continue to make their way to red stone. with or without him

this is what ricardo is good at - ruining things . he was born to destroy . why else would he have been left at such a young age ? he's never quite been able to understand how to connect or converse or enjoy , much less love . he shakes the thoughts away , ignoring the feeling within him that reminds him : THIS IS WHAT YOU ALWAYS DO . this is all you're good for . kennedy's annoyance only vaguely amuses him . his brain is sinking back into its own comfort of a black hole . he finds himself barely paying attention as they speak , instead focused on his steps , and on REDCREEK . what is he doing here ? what on earth did he expect to happen ? sometimes he is that little boy all oven again , reaching up his arms to nobody , an empty kitchen .

he takes a long moment to readjust , realising they've stopped talking but seem to seethe on the spot . he blinks at them , genuinely puzzled for a moment before deciding that it probably wasn't anything CRUCIAL anyways . " sure , sounds great . " ricardo dismisses , with a small wave of his hand . he thinks of the countless times he's received blocks of angry , tirades of text . his ability to gloss over them is par to none . i'm not reading all of that , he'll often think to himself , with an eyeroll . it seems he can do the same when people talk too incessantly to him for too long about things he simply doesn't care about . " so . 6am , yes ? or is effie less . . . emotional about this than you are ? " ricardo chooses his words with faux - carefulness . he understands emotions are running high , hence why kennedy may have decided to start ranting - but ricardo doesn't have time or care factor for that . he just needs the best writer on this . he thought it was kennedy , but now he's beginning to feel he was more than wrong .