Reality Bites (1994) Dir. Ben Stiller

vikram has never been good at delivering jokes. there was always something for him to fall flat in. his tone of voice, his expression, sometimes the context of the joke itself. "um, no? more like... i'm flirting with you by referencing a killer cheerleader while we live in a town with a —" okay. maybe he should have read the room better, with that one. he's grateful he's not facing her now or else she might catch the hint of a redish hue on his skin. vikram moves the flashlight further down, before catching a glimpse of a pumpkin shaped item a couple of cars down. "oh, i found it!" he proclaims, placing both his hands on the concrete to push himself up and go to the car in question. now that he knows where it is, he doesn't have to pull the chivalrous get-on-the-knee move. he simply bends down to retract the bucket before turning around to offer it to kirby. "is this it?"

“  are  you  flirting  with  me  by  referencing  a  masked  serial  killer  while  we  live  in  a  town  with  an  active  killer  on  the  loose  ?  ”  kirby  was  not  serious  ,  she  hoped  her  smile  would  show  that  but  also  …  read  a  main  street  buddy  .  okay  ,  that  was  nice  of  him  ,  pulling  out  his  flashlight  .  she  recognizes  that  it  will  do  very  little  ,  as  the  street  lights  are  on  and  the  bucket  is  neon  orange  ,  practically  glow  in  the  dark  .  however  ,  she  recognizes  that  he  is  trying  to  help  so  she  bites  her  tongue  so  as  to  not  ruin  his  moment  .  “  it's  somewhere  over  here  .  i  live  less  than  a  block  away  and  i  thought  if  i  hid  it  somewhere  over  here  ,  i'd  be  able  to  get  it  quickly  and  be  munching  on  a  snickers  by  the  time  i  got  back  to  my  place  .  ”  she  had  a  half  a  mind  to  crawl  but  she  also  had  common  sense  so  no  ,  she  would  not  be  getting  on  the  dirty  ground  .

Miller's Girl (2024)

location : the register

time : early afternoon

for : ricardo( @inadeqcies)

in response to this

it was kennedy’s day off. they had plans to unwind. do some grocery shopping. take themselves out on a date to the movies like they had been meaning to. maybe even try not to think about the murder that had been weighing on their mind since halloween. the last thing on their todo list? a literal manhunt... yet there they were, storming into register, stomping past familiar cubicles and any coworkers that might still be lingering in the area. if anyone had said anything to her, kennedy couldn’t hear them over the blood roaring in her ears. “what—” the door slams behind them as they barge into his office. they knew ricardo was in there—could practically smell his cologne from the moment they walked into the building. intrusive. out of place. like the rest of his presence in redcreek. . “—in the ever-loving fuck—” a copy of the newspaper is slammed on top his desk, the sides wrinkled from where they had dug their nails into it, red ink scattered angrily across the print. almost like a bloodstain. “—were you thinking? quickly.”

♰  ⋅  ⋆  ───  #𝑩𝑹𝑵𝑻𝑶𝑼𝑻 .  .  .   is a  dependent,  multimuse blog  for  REDCREEKFM  brought  to  life  by  aime,  twenty7,  she/her,  mst.

Ⅰ . . . 𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝚂𝙷𝙴𝙿𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙳  —  vikram  shah.   thirty5.   he/him. funeral  director.

ⅠⅠ . . . 𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙳𝙸𝙶𝚈  —  kennedy  stuart.   twenty8. she/they.   journalist/author.

Ⅲ . . . 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝚁𝙾𝙺𝙴𝙽 𝚁𝙴𝙲𝙾𝚁𝙳  —  joey harlow.   forty4. she/her.   owner of redstone bar.

quality advice from jeremy allen white

vikram wasnt usually out during this time but with festivities to prepare for he decided to hit the town to get some last-minute chores done. primarily, buying too much halloween candy. his eyes meet hers down the street but he doesn't expect her to stop and talk to him. "hi matilda," the greeting begins as a whisper but gains volume at the end as he clears his throat. "sorry, i think i'm used to talking to you in the library." there's a knowing smile as he says that. "i hope so." see her around, he means. matilda's energy is soothing, something that vikram thinks he will need if he's going to be surrounded by so many people. "eh, nothing special. just gonna follow the crowd around and see what everyone else gets up to. you'll have to let me buy you a drink if we do run into each other." he clears his throat once more, "are you dressing up?"

closed starter with: matilda and vik (@brntout) setting: 6:05pm, downtown

With headphones in and hands thrown deep into her pockets, Matilda walked briskly down the sidewalk, more than ready to make it home. For reasons that seemed foreign to her now, she’d decided to walk to work that morning, and after stumbling upon a hoard of work that she’d forgotten about, she was now scrambling to make it home with enough time to grab dinner and get ready for the night. Despite that, she stopped at the sight of a familiar face walking on the sidewalk in her direction. “Hey, Vik,” she said, taking her earbuds out and dropping them in her pocket. “You gearing up for anything special tonight? Will I see you out and about?” 

“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 .

"yeah, believe it or not this is about half of it. at this rate i'm going to have to start eating reeses pieces for breakfast." so he's grateful when nathan is kind enough to relieve him of his burden that is too much halloween candy. "thank you, mayor. you're saving me from some hefty dentist bills." vikram poses a la standing emoji as nathan looks him over, unsure of what to do with his hands now that the bucket of candy has been taken. "that's nice. i'm not big into musicals either. i just really like this one. i've never uh, seen it live though." but he wants to. someday. " the music's great. think you still remember the lyrics? should i suggest karaoke for the next council meeting?" he asks, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“  oh,  please,  you're  too  kind.  i  feel  like  i  might  have  more  than  enough,  even  if  halloween  lasted  a  whole  week!  ”  nathan  kids,  but  he  accepts  vikram's  offer  anyway,  because  of  course  the  mayor  would  have  too  much  candy  to  hand  out;  it's  why  everybody  stops  by  every  year.  there's  a  glint  of  recognition  in  his  eyes  when  he  puts  the  mask  on,  a  small  ahh  escaping  his  lips  as  he  nods.  “  i  wouldn't  say  i'm  an  avid  watcher  of  musicals,  but  i  have  seen  my  fair  share  of  them  —  it  was  my  mother  who  loved  them,  ”  he  shares.  “  and  she  did  take  me  to  see  the  phantom  of  the  opera  in  broadway  all  those  years  ago.  i  vividly  remember  having  the  songs  stuck  in  my  head  for  weeks  after  that.  ”

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?”

Monkey Man (2024) dir. Dev Patel