#but they love when we scream 'get a room' at them. cause yeah! theyre allowed to be out together now!

[simplydnp]

how many date night photos have we gotten at this point i love it

i scrunch my face but i'm always thinking about when they used to not do this. they're gross 🙄 but they're free 🥺

[shhhhyoursister]

childhood friends to lovers!au

yes i am uploading these all at the same time what about it???? yeah so this the one where david is a rich kid who is “forced” to play with matteo (who is autistic in this au) but of course they become best friends because theyre soulmates so ahh i hope you like it!!!

He knows that he shouldn’t be climbing the tree.

His mom has told him at least a hundred times that he shouldn’t. She always tells him that he’s going to fall, bump his head or break his arm, and he needs to come down right this second or he’s going to bed without any dessert which is almost always enough to convince him.

He wraps his legs tight around the branch he’s on and let’s himself fall backwards, hanging with his head poking out just enough under the lowest leaves so he can see if anyone is there. He knows that Laura is doing schoolwork and his mom had been cooking something last he saw her, and he thinks it’s still too early for his dad to be home from work. His eyes scan the huge backyard, and, seeing nobody, he grins and grabs onto the branch to swing himself back up.

He stands, looking down at the dark blue velcro sneakers that he had begged for last time his mom had taken him shoe shopping, and starts walking across the branch like a tightrope. He holds his arms out, careful not to knock into any leaves  or twigs jutting out at him. He gets to an upward curve in the branch and puts a foot on it.

It’s higher than he’s climbed before. Usually by this point someone has noticed that he’s gone, his mom or Laura bursting through the glass double doors that led to their backyard, yelling for him. Always calling out a name that makes him glare and wrinkle his nose. He almost loses his footing thinking about it and refocuses.

He knows what his goal is, and he’s only a couple feet away from reaching it. There’s a birds nest in the tree, high high up, that he’s been watching every morning with the binoculars his dad bought him. His mom would watch him pointing them out the window at the pretty blue bird, and one day got down on her knees next to him, pointed to it, and said, “There are going to be new baby birds in the nest soon, I saw two eggs. That mama bird is going to have two little baby birds, just like me.”

And he’s been trying to get a closer look ever since. He loves watching the birds, the whole reason his dad had bought him the binoculars in the first place, and he will spend hours just lying on his back in the grass, sunglasses (that his dad also bought him) snug over his eyes, watching the birds fly overhead.

With his mission reset in his mind, he looks up, seeing the nest close by, and only a little bit higher than he is. If he puts his foot right between those two forking branches, and shifts his weight just the right way and grabs onto that one branch at the right time, he’ll be able to look into the nest. He takes a deep breath and tries to focus. He plants his foot and shoots up next to the nest, grabs the branch, and shakes a leaf out of his face. When he opens his eyes he grins, and starts laughing.

He can see two little birds in the nest, and they’re ugly. Gray and fuzzy, pink bald heads, huge eyes barely open as wiggle around. He watches for a moment, wishing that he could reach out and pet one but listens to his mother’s warnings against doing such. He rebalances himself, shifting his weight onto a different foot, and almost stumbles. He gasps and catches himself quickly. He grins at how fast he was able to grab onto the branch but quickly realizes his mistake when he hears an angry squawk.

He had grabbed onto the branch with the nest, the branch strong enough not to move but his hand close enough to the nest to alert the mama bird, who had been somewhere close by the whole time. He gasps again, quickly letting go as the bird jumps closer to his hand, and starts yelling as he loses his balance enough with the surprise to start falling backwards. He hits the ground, hears a crack and the worst pain he’s ever felt shoot up his arm, and he screams until he hears his mom running out the back door.

***

He throws the biggest tantrum when the doctor, along with his parents, tell him that he isn’t allowed to play rough or run around or climb or do any of his favorite things for weeks. He doesn’t even know how long a week really is but it sounds like it might last forever, and he cries and kicks his legs the whole time they’re in the doctor’s office. It’s summer so all of his friends are going to be playing outside and riding their bikes and going swimming, and now he’s being told he can’t do any of that? It’s the most heartbreaking news a six year old could’ve gotten.

On the way home from the doctor, his parents drag him, still crying, and Laura, who’s just excited about all the fanfare, into an ice cream shop. They tell them to get whatever they want, and he orders at least four different flavors through his angry tears because he always orders for himself. He only stops crying when his dad sets down the huge paper cup of ice cream in front of him, a spoon shoved in it, and says, “Go crazy.”

After he eats until his stomach hurts his parents take him to the store, lead him to the video game section, and tell him to choose three new games. He picks fast, his Wii still so new that he only cares about getting games for that, and his eyes are completely dry by the time they get home that night.

It’s later that night that his parents tell him the news. They both come into his room to tuck him in for the night which is unusual, but he’s thrilled that he’s going to get double the attention, not even complaining like usual about Laura having a later bedtime than him. His dad sits in the big chair across from his bed, his mom settling down on the edge of his bed, both smiling at him.

“You did quite a number on yourself today, kid,” his dad starts, grinning while trying to maintain some kind of authority. His mom looks at his dad and smiles, holding back a laugh. He glares between the two, much less happy about their presence in his room if they’re just there to make fun of him.

“I just wanted to see the baby birds.” he mutters under his breath.

“Well, you have your binoculars for that,” his mom said quietly, placatingly, patting his leg, “and we have some news that might make you a bit more happy.”

He looks up at that, wondering what else his parents were going to give him. He’s no stranger to gifts and treats, but he thought that the new video games and the ice cream were going to be it. He smiles, excited for whatever else it is they have planned.

“Do you remember Mrs. Florenzi? From the restaurant?” his dad says, smiling at his mom again.

The restaurant. He frowns again, not wanting to get into the topic of his dad’s job. He doesn’t even understand what his dad does. All his other friends’ dads are lawyers, or doctors, or other big words that he doesn’t understand. His dad seems to just...own a lot of things. One of those things being his favorite restaurant, that he had purchased a few years earlier. His family went there a few times a month, and he could remember Mrs. Florenzi if he really focused. Long brown hair, kind eyes, always smiling when she sees him at a table. She’s a chef there but sometimes would sneak out of the kitchen to pinch his cheeks. He nods.

“Well, I don’t think we told you, but she has a son around your age, and she needs someone to look after him some days when she’s at work. Since I’m home, and already have two crazy kids running around,” his mom says, poking at him until he giggles, “why not take in a third?”

He tilts his head, thinking about that. He has friends, lots of them., but if he’s going to be stuck inside because of his arm, it might be fun to have a new kid around. Especially so he doesn’t have to go to Laura if he wants to play with someone else, because they fight as much as they get along. After a minute he smiles, says, “Okay!” and drops his head to his pillow as his parents laugh.

Having another boy around sounds like fun.

***

The next day, after breakfast when he’s wandering around his playroom trying to find something to do that was fun but wouldn’t cause his mom to tell him to settle down because of his arm, the doorbell rings. His head pops up, and he runs out of the room just in time to see his mom open the door.

Mrs. Florenzi is waiting on the other side, and he frowns, not seeing a kid with her. She’s smiling and greeting his mom, talking in that way that moms always do when they drop off or pick up their kids. He’s not shy, not in the slightest, but he hangs back a bit. He wants to know where this other boy is.

Mrs. Florenzi seems to notice him, and ducks down to wave, and he waves back, and then walks over and past his mom, and pushes his face out the door to look around. When the moms laugh he pulls back, kind of annoyed at that, and demands, “Where is he?”

The moms laugh again and he considers pulling the face that his mom always chides him for, pouting his lips out big and glaring so hard it makes his head hurt. He hates being laughed at by adults.

“Sorry honey, he’s a bit shy. Matteo, do you want to meet your new friend?”

That’s when he notices the small hand clutching desperately onto Mrs. Florenzi’s skirt. His mouth twists up a little; he doesn’t usually get along with shy kids. He finally sees a blond head poke out from around her, the face on it looking nervous but also a little excited. They stare at each other until Mrs. Florenzi shoves the kid in front of her.

He gets a good look. Matteo is small, scrawny even, and his shoulders are hunched in a bit, making him seem even smaller. His shoes are dirty which he hopes means that Matteo at least like playing outside, and the scratches on Matteo’s knees that match his own makes him even more hopeful. Matteo looks at him, tilting his head, not saying anything, and then he looks off to the side, his hand clenching in the hem of his shirt.

“Hi, Matteo,” his mom says, bending down so she can smile at Matteo, and then shoves him forward and introduces him.

She doesn’t do it right though. She never does. Nobody ever does. He scowls.

Mrs. Florenzi pushes Matteo forward again, into the house, and thanks his mom before leaving for the restaurant with a kiss to Matteo’s head, and something whispered in his ear. He watches the door after she leaves.

He hopes the kid doesn’t start crying.

His mom sends them off so she can do something in the kitchen, and he and Matteo look at each other. Matteo looks nervous almost, probably because of the fierce glare on his face, so he decides to clear that up before the other kid tries to say something.

“That’s not my name you know,” he says, and turns, making his way to the playroom because that’s always a good place to start with new friends, “I don’t have one.”

“You don’t have a name?” Matteo asks, his voice quiet, his face confused, “Then why did your mama call you that?”

He shrugs. Matteo looks uncomfortable with that answer.

“But- everyone has a name,” Matteo says as they reach the door of the playroom, his hand twitching at his side, looking up at the big door in front of them, “you have to. How am I gonna talk to you if you don’t have a name?”

He rolls his eyes, something his parents started scolding him for the second he learned how and when to do it,  pushing into the playroom. Nobody really gets it. He shrugs again, and says, “I don’t know but if you call me that I’ll beat you up.”

Matteo’s eyes pop open and he looks nervous. He nods, pushing his arms out at his sides, twisting them in the air and then snapping them back down at his sides.

He nods back, glad that they got that conversation out of the way. He looks around the playroom when Matteo doesn’t say anything, trying to find something to do with this quiet boy who seems like the opposite kind of kid than he usually plays with.

“You have a Wii?” Matteo asks suddenly, pointing at the white console attached to the big TV in the room, his other hand twisting at his side. He’s smiling for the first time since he had come in, bouncing on his feet.

“Yeah!” he exclaims, hoping that Matteo would want to play video games with him because that’s always easy and Laura never wants to, “I got Smash Brothers when I broke my arm, do you wanna play?”

Matteo grins and nods, rocking up onto his toes and his hands flapping at his sides as the game is set up. They both settle in front of the screen in the special chairs his dad had bought for him and Laura, his a light blue (that again, he had to beg for), Laura’s a darker purple. Matteo starts rocking in the chair when he realizes that he can get the momentum to.

“I know!” Matteo calls out a little while later, after they had played enough of the game that they were joking around and laughing with each other, Matteo losing every round but having fun regardless, “We should have nicknames! I want to be Luigi!”

He snorts and asks, “Why Luigi? He’s not as cool as Mario!”

“He’s green, though, that’s my favorite color. I don’t like red.” Matteo says, shrugging and shaking his head, focused completely on the screen in front of them. He’s tapping his fingers on the controller in his hand, pressing buttons, selecting and deselecting his character.

He nods, looking at the character selection screen, thinking that if Matteo picked a Nintendo nickname, he needs to do the same. He considers a bunch of different characters before landing on one and smiling, and he turns to Matteo, proud even though Matteo doesn’t look at him.

“I’ll be Link!” he says, and Matteo turns to him, smiling just as wide.

“I like Link, he’s green too!” Matteo says, and turns back to the screen, starting the next round.

They play for hours. They switch between playing different video games and looking at Pokemon cards and playing dress up with the chest in the back corner and bothering his mom until she feeds them, and when the doorbell rings and his mom calls them both down, he thinks fast.

“Come on,” he whispers to Matteo as he grabs his arm and yanks him out of the playroom, “and don’t talk about my room.”

He opens the door and shoves Matteo in first, glancing down the stairs to see his mom standing at the door, talking to Mrs. Florenzi. Neither of them seemed to notice so he follows and closes the door quietly behind him. He tries to ignore the fact that Matteo is staring around at everything.

It’s not that his room is small, or boring, or that his bed is uncomfortable or that there are monsters hiding in his closet waiting to eat him (he’s too old to be scared of monsters). It’s just ugly. The wallpaper was put up before he was even born, when his parents first found out they were having another baby, and the pink and white flowers made his head hurt. There were lots of marks on the walls from balls he had thrown and toy rocket ships he had “launched into space”. The canopy draped over his bed was cool when he closed it, pretending that he was in a tent in the middle of a jungle, but any other time he despised it.

Matteo stands in the middle of the room, his head tilted back, staring at the ceiling above them. It’s covered in those little glow-in-the-dark stars and planets, something he had begged for after seeing it on TV once. Matteo seems to get lost in his own head, still staring up but spinning in slow circles around the floor. He turns to the door when they both hear a mom voice calling them down, and Matteo’s head whips back to him and he holds a finger over his mouth.

They hide as long as they can, quietly giggling, until his mom decides to check his room even though he almost never chooses to go in there, especially not with friends. Matteo looks like he’s going to cry when he’s escorted out with Mrs. Florenzi’s hand gently pulling his, and he waves bye as the moms reassure the two that they’ll see each other the next day. His mom closes the front door and turns to him with a smile.

“So, did you two have fun?” she asks, and instead of answering he runs into her legs and hugs them.

The next morning can’t come soon enough, and when the bell rings, he jumps up from the table to answer it, ignoring his mom yelling behind him that he needs to come pick his chair back up. He unlocks the front door (he doesn’t know if his parents know he can do that) and smiles at Mrs. Florenzi, who smiles back and pinches his cheek. She greets him and he frowns at the name.

Matteo runs past her into the house, his face bright, and they run up the stairs and into the playroom before they even say hi to each other. He can hear the moms laughing fondly behind them, and he closes the door to shut them back into the little world they had created around them the day before.

“Hi Link.” Matteo giggles, a hand over his mouth like he’s sharing in a secret, and he kind of is.

“Hi Luigi,” he says back, unable to stop his own giggles from  escaping, and then points to the TV and asks, “wanna play more?”

Matteo nods enthusiastically, spinning in a circle before flopping into the same chair he had sat in the day before. He starts setting the game up like usual, but frowns when he turns the TV on and doesn’t see the usual black screen with words on it that he could read if he cared enough to.

“What’s wrong? Why isn’t it working?” Matteo asks, and he looks over, and Matteo is staring at the screen, his eyebrows drawn down. He gets up, walking closer to the screen, examining it like he could figure out how to fix it. His hands come up and start rubbing at his arms as he squints.

“My stupid sister did something and then didn’t fix it,” he muttered, and Matteo’s head whipped to him, a surprised smile on his face.

“That’s a bad word, you can’t say that!” he scolds, but he looks secretly pleased.

“I know all the bad words,” says, smirking, proud of that, “even the really bad grown-up ones.”

Matteo looks at him, awe on his face, and he starts bouncing and says, “Wow, I think you’re the coolest friend I have!”

He grins, puffs up his chest a bit. He knows he’s cool, but hasn’t ever been called the coolest before. He’s going to have to make Matteo say it again in front of Laura.

Remembering his sister, he frowns again. He thinks that Laura may have watched a DVD and then not fixed the TV after, and he doesn’t know how to make it the Wii again. He has to either go ask her to change it, or find his mom.

“I have to go get my sister,” he says to Matteo, and then points off to the cabinet containing the Pokemon cards they had looked through the day before, “you can look at those but be careful, they’re fragile.” He doesn’t really know if they are but he had heard his dad call important things that before.

Matteo nods and he walks out of the room, running down the hall to Laura’s room. He isn’t in the mood to talk to his sister when he already has a friend over, especially a friend who thinks he’s cool, but he kicks her door a couple times, bangs on it with his fist, and yells, “Laura!”

He keeps up the noise until the door is wrenched open. Laura is already glaring, her curly hair frizzed around her face making her look even angrier, and he just grins when she crosses her arms over her chest, scowling at him.

“What do you want?” She asks, sneering, and he puts a frown on his face to match hers.

“You messed up the TV, and I have my new friend over, and we can’t play video games!” he sneers, crossing his own arms over his chest, “You need to fix it!”

“Ugh, fine,” she says, and stalks out of her room, shoving past him to get to the playroom. He clenches his fists and follows after her. She closes the playroom door in his face just as he gets to it, and he smacks it with his fist before yanking it open with a growl.

He sees Matteo pressed against the wall on the other side of the room. It seems like Laura hasn’t even noticed him, as she’s focused on the TV, but Matteo’s eyes are wide. He looks towards the door and places a hand flat against the wall.

“Laura, this is my super cool new friend Matteo,” he says, pointing to the boy cowering against the wall, who only presses himself more into it, “Matteo, this is my stupid ugly sister Laura.”

He smiles when Laura shrieks and throws down the chord she was holding, and runs out of the room, yelling behind her, “I’m telling mom!”

He turns to Matteo, who’s still against the wall, but with Laura gone he looks a little less tense. He puts a finger on his lips and waves Matteo over, and once he’s close enough he grabs his hand and whispers, “Come on, we have to go hide now.”

He tugs on Matteo’s hand and quickly, quiety leads him down the stairs. He doesn’t know where his mom is but he can hear Laura stomping around upstairs so he figures they’re safe for a bit. He can see his mom washing dishes at the sink, her back to the hallway that led to the basement, and he tugs again.

They get to the door and he slowly opens it, trying to avoid the loud creak. Once he gets it open as silently as he can, he turns to Matteo and is about to tell him to follow, but as he takes a step down onto the first stair, Matteo’s hand twists out of his.

“No,” he says, stepping back, shaking his head, rubbing at his arms again, “I- I don’t like the dark. I can’t go in basements.”

He grabs for Matteo’s wrist to try and drag him down anyway, but Matteo rips his arm away and wraps it behind his back fast. He glares, and is about to complain and whine and whisper that they need to hurry up because Laura is coming down the stairs, but Matteo glares back at him. He’s wants to argue but instead he rolls his eyes and pushes Matteo back, and then walks past him to the back door.

He pulls it open and runs outside, not even waiting to see if Matteo is following, because Matteo isn’t going to get in trouble if they’re caught. He runs until he finds what he’s looking for, the large shed in their backyard that housed various tools of his father’s and larger toys and bikes and such of his and Laura’s. He puts a hand on the doorknob, and then finally turns, and sees Matteo a little ways behind him. He decides to be nice and take extra long to get the door open.

He can suddenly hear his mom calling for him. His eyes widen and he tugs Matteo inside, who doesn’t seem happy at David’s hand on him so he lets go as soon as he can close the door. He puts a finger over his lips again, and even though Matteo looks mad at him he does the same.

He leads him to the back of the shed where there’s an old playhouse that his dad had built for him and Laura. The only reason it’s in the shed is because he, not loving the colors his parents had chosen for it, decided to splash a can of old black paint he found in his basement all over the exterior walls. He had gotten in trouble for that, but a new playhouse was in it’s spot the next week, a light blue one instead of the pink and purple that the original had been. He opens the door, quickly checks around for bugs or mice, and, seeing a clean enough space, steps inside.

Matteo looks around before hesitantly walking in behind him. He isn’t used to having friends as sensitive as Matteo seems to be, and he reminds himself of the words his mom would sometimes say to him when he’s getting frustrated at someone else, when he’s being too stubborn to think about how someone else might be feeling. His own brain is still a little too interesting to himself, all the thoughts and feelings that come so quickly and leave just as fast, and he sometimes needs to be reminded that other people have their own different, interesting brains.

“We can hide here for a little bit,” he whispers, and then noticing Matteo staring down at the ground, shoulders hunched like the first time he saw him, “are you okay Luigi?”

Matteo looks up, twisting the ends of his shirtsleeves around his fingers.

*** PART TWO

David’s high school graduation present is top surgery. Nothing about it is a surprise due to all of the meetings and consultations and doctor’s visits he needs to complete before they can do the surgery, but it goes by fast enough, probably due to his father’s presence. Or more his father’s money’s presence. He knows that he’s lucky, and can barely even remember the annoying process by the time he’s out of surgery, and on his way to healing again.

They had scheduled everything so he’d be able to go back to school on time, still finishing up the last of his recovery, but healed enough to do the rest of it on his own. As someone who already had a lot of confidence, getting top surgery makes David feel like he’s on top of the world.

His parents take him on a huge shopping trip before he goes, order him everything he adds to his college wishlist on Amazon, and help him pack up his car when it’s time for him to leave. They hug him goodbye, reminding him to be safe, and smart, and to focus on his work but also to have fun, and to call them if he needs money or food or anything. He waves them on and hugs them both quick, too excited to start this next phase of his life to stay and chat long. He gets in his car, starts the engine, and laughs hysterically as he pulls out of the long driveway.

And of course, he thrives there. Being raised in the family he was, he knows how to network, how to get himself out there in the exact ways he wants. The first person he meets is his roommate Jonas, a nice guy around his height with curly brown hair. They bond quickly over the fact that they both brought tons of music posters to hang around the room, and Jonas doesn’t even blink at the trans flag he places in a cup of pens on his desk. He’s perfect.

His classes are easy for him, and more fun than he expected, even the ones not relating to his major. He speaks well, has always been a good student, and gets on all his professor’s radars within the first few weeks with how articulate and insightful he is. He jokingly thinks to himself after getting praised one class for his eloquence, thank god for private school.

He joins as many clubs as he can, too. One for photography, making a note to look for the nice camera he had gotten one Hannukah, some kind of club that he ends up dropping because all of the other guys in it are the type of film bro that David always swears to never become. He also joins LGBT clubs, one for trans people specifically and one more general, and blushes when he’s asked to join the Burlesque club, turning the invitation down with a pleased smile. He makes friends fast through all the clubs, quickly finding people in each of the little niches he was forcing himself into. He tells all of this to Amira with a proud grin that falls the second she decides to start calling him Mr. Popular.

There are other things he does well in, up at school. He’s a little put off at first, how quickly people are to come up to him with small, private smiles already on their faces, touching his shoulder and laughing even when he doesn’t say something funny. The people who would squish themselves up against him at meetings, or put a hand on his arm to ask him a question about something in class. He can’t say he minds the attention at all, feel a little bit in his own cocky way like some prince with suitors parading around his castle doors. It only goes to his head a bit.

That stops a couple months in, when he starts actually noticing the girl in one of his only non-film classes that had been making eyes at him since the first week. Their professor always has the class sit in a circle to “better facilitate discussion” or whatever, after David notices her looking at him, a small smile on her face with her eyebrows raising when she sees him noticing her,, and they spend the rest of that class, raising their eyebrows at each other and smiling, daring the other not to laugh.

David catches her on the way out of class a week later, and finds out that her name is Amelia, finds out that she has one dimple on her left cheek that gets bigger when she laughs, and finally finds out that yes, she’d love to get lunch with him. She has hair that she tells him she dyed the mixture of greens and blues one night when she was drunk off of a bottle of wine and found her roommate’s leftover dye in their bathroom. She

When David gets back after his first year is over, he feels accomplished. He had done fantastic in all his classes, had clubs and friends to return to once the next year started, and as he drives home, music blasting in his car, he realizes he’s excited to have some time off.

When he gets back both of his parents are waiting by the door to greet him, proud smiles on their faces as he tells them about finals, and how much he misses his friends and Jonas and his girlfriend, that he’s definitely going to be inviting some of them to the house over the summer, and that he needs a new pair of headphones because he lost his good ones in the chaos of moving out. He feels like he’s rambling, but he’s excited to see his parents and actually talk to them again.

They tell him that they want to take him out to dinner to celebrate him finishing his first year and doing so well, and he runs up to his room to get changed at their insistence. He would’ve been happy just staying at home, ordering something from the local Mexican place that he’s been missing, but he know if they have an idea for something more celebratory he won’t be able to stop them. That’s confirmed when his dad calls up the stairs that they have a reservation at the most expensive restaurant in his town.

He gets into the backseat of his dad’s truck, buckling himself in and quickly taking his phone out. He wants to see his friends as soon as he can, and had promised to text Amira when he got home. He opened his conversation with her and started typing.

David: Hey, sorry I didn’t text sooner, my parents wanted to take me out and they’ve barely given me time to breathe

As he waits for a response, he realizes that he should probably text his girlfriend, too. He snorts at himself for not thinking about it and opens his messages with Amelia.

David: I’m back!! You’re probably still driving so keep your eyes on the road and text me when you’re home <3

He gets a text from Amira just as it sends, and he switches back to that conversation.

Amira: Ah yes, your best friend is much less important than a fancy dinner David: 🙄

He was going to send more but before he can, his mom sighs, and he hears, “Oh look, we haven’t gone there in so long!”

He picks his head up and looks out the window in the direction she’s staring, and they’re at a red light so David has time to realize that it’s the restaurant his dad owns. He tilts his head, biting the inside of his cheek, and goes back to texting Amira, and checks to see if Amelia responded.

“Maybe we can go another night,” his dad says, turning his head just enough to catch David’s eye over the back of his seat, “we need somewhere fancier, our son just finished his first year of university with straight A’s!”

David smiles before casting one more look out at the restaurant as his dad starts driving again, and once it disappears from sight he turns back to his phone. He doesn’t like to think much about the restaurant, though he knows the reason they haven’t gone in a while. He doesn’t like to think much about that reason, either.

After Matteo was sent to live in Italy, David had a rough time dealing with it. He had lost his best friend, the one person he could talk to about all of the new and terrifying thoughts that were just beginning to drift through his head, he lost him before he even had a real name for him to know. He was angry, at the world for taking him Matteo away, and then at his parents for refusing to let him talk to Mrs. Florenzi about it.

“You don’t understand,” they said to him one night, after he had gotten so frustrated he had kicked a hole through his door and thrown everything off the desk in his room, “yes, you lost your best friend, but she doesn’t have her son with her anymore. If you ask her about him it’ll just make it worse. We know you miss him, but this is for the best.”

He didn’t talk to them for weeks. After about a week of complete silence in the house Laura stormed into his room with the intent to yell at him over something, and it all boiled over. He started crying the second her glare focused on him, and then he started talking. He told her about how Matteo was the only person who understood him, didn’t question what he did or said or called himself, just offered support and companionship no matter what. Through his tears, in a shaky voice, he explained to her that he was a boy, that it was okay if she didn’t want to talk to him anymore but he couldn’t deal with only one person knowing, especially if he didn’t have that person anymore.

She had sat on the edge of his bed and listened, nodding along until David could breathe again. She thanked him, told him that it was okay that he was angry, and asked if he had a name he wanted her to call him. He had hung his head, ashamed that his answer was no. She had nodded at that too, and said, “Well, we’ll find one then.”

David sighs at the memories that had come flooding back at the sight of the old, slightly dilapidated restaurant, and texts another friend. His dad orders a bottle of wine at dinner and pours David glass after glass, until his mom cuts him off with a tipsy laugh of her own, and he’s smiling with red cheeks when they leave later that night, stumbling to the car on steady legs as his parents laugh fondly at his state.

He collapses into bed that night with an urge he hadn’t felt in a couple of years. He takes his phone out and unlocks it after a couple of tries, ignoring the messages from Amira from earlier and opening Instagram. He gets distracted commenting on a friend’s post, but then goes to the search page and hesitates before typing in Matteo Florenzi.

He’s done it before, of course, tried to find him on every new social media site that popped up over the years, and he’s never found anything. That’s why he sits back up in his bed, his jaw dropping open as he sees an account called matteohno, and sees the profile picture, sees that he can almost recognize the face in the tiny circle, and he clicks it.

There are more pictures than he expects. He scrolls to the bottom, trying not to get ahead of himself, and clicks on the first picture he sees. It’s tagged with the name of some restaurant, as far as he can tell, and Matteo is in frame, David can tell it’s him. He has the same button nose, same floppy, dirty blond hair, same half smile on his face like he’s waiting for the right time to let a full one out. David lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

He scrolls through all of the pictures, his heart tightening each time Matteo is in them. The memories that have always been hard to think about, of a little boy, sensitive, quiet, happily following David’ lead, were especially hard to reconcile with these new pictures. Matteo looks like he’s grown into himself, more confident in himself or his abilities, David doesn’t know, but it makes him smile and send a pang of something through his chest.

There are pictures of food, and Matteo alone, and Matteo with random other people, all the captions in Italian so David can only guess what they say. He stops when he sees one, Matteo and some other young looking guy, their arms draped over each other’s shoulder as they laugh and each hold up a rainbow flag.

He locks his phone on the image, feeling something strange and nostalgic twist up in his gut, and drops his head onto his pillow. He closes his eyes, thinking back to days full of running through his backyard, hiding from angry parents and talking more deeply about life than kids should be able to.

He wakes up the next day, mid afternoon, with his head pounding and his phone buzzing with a FaceTime call from Jonas.

“Hey, man, is this your shirt?” Jonas asks, and David squints at his screen to see button down shirt he’s holding up, “I think it got lost in all my shit.”

“Uh, maybe?” David says rubbing a hand over his eyes. He blinks them open again and sees Jonas on his screen, smiling knowingly.

“Too much fun celebrating with the parents, huh?”

David flips him off.

“Okay, okay, love you too bro,” Jonas says, chuckling, and then continues, “I have to go though, I just found out that one of my old friends is coming back from Italy this week, I need to call him and yell at him for not telling me.”

David feels his face drop, but puts a smile back on and says goodbye before Jonas hangs up. 

[gayshowerthoughts0]

I genuinely think that either my mom is a literal facist or theocratic bitch, either that or she just doesnt understand thw truth of the matter. But either way, i told her that with the mail in ballots it might take them a while to count them and she said that "if they couldnt count them in time then why did they go through with it" and other classics such as "it should be illegal for them to do that, if we (me and her specifically and other commoners i guess) wanted to do that we wouldnt be able to, I dont know if shes under the impression that mail in ballots them selves are just bad, or if they are holding open the door for people who missed the actual election day by still allowing mail in ballots to be turned in after the fact, or if she thinks that counting all of the ballots is bad, or something. I know that last one is true, she's like "it should be illegal for them to still be counting votes after election day has ended" and im like trying to explain but its just sinking in, I'm convinced she thinks that them counting ballots that came in before election day ends after election day and has it confused with them still letting ballots come in.

She also thinks that "stupid people shouldnt vote" but because i was in there spitting facts to the best of my abilities, she also added on "but also smarty pants who think theyre smart but their not smart spiritually"

She said i should vote with my soul and that Kamala Harris was a demon and that joe Biden is a puppet, and I'm sat here like, did this bitch really just say all of that mess, like what does she think a representational democracy should be? I think people like that believe that people should be voted in and perform their duties as they want them to, but only some, like i dont know if they think that Christians are still 99% of the country, but they are fully convinced that if the people want them to do something they should(asterisk) except when its something they particullarly dont like because of "a vocal minority" idk girl.

I wish i would have though of this description back when i was talking with her about it because i fully think she doesnt under stand the whole, "counting votes != letting people cast votes" != means "not equal to" in c# because i couldn't find the right one.

Anyways yeah thats the bullshit trump and his followers are going into this election thinking and going to the supreme court with because hes a joke and an opportunistic monster.

Like if someone hands him a gun, hes gonna shoot it, if someone hands him way more power than a president should have, hes gonna use it, if they give him this election and he wasnt the actual winner, by both the popular vote and the electoral vote, then yeah, hes gonna take it, and presumably keep taking for as long as hes alive.

Alex Jones: hey mr. President i just wanna say big fan,

Trump, now fully focused on the con man before him: thank you, you seem very nice.

Alex Jones: aw thanks mr. President sir, i just thinking, gays got too many rights these days, i dont think they should be getting married, and the bible says it so my hands are tied even if I didnt want to because my agents told me not to say it but I'm being brave and speaking my truth while being legally vague enough to not illicit any cancellations, but anyways Mr president ive been thinking, we should put em in a camp somewhere, just go through the streets and gather em up, and take them to this camp, maybe we try to make them the gay intended and make em straight, if they cannot be cured of this sin, then lets just oh idk, maybe shoot em or, put em in some kind a rooms and full those rooms with poison, or maybe just work them till they stop being gay, and if they cant stop being gay well theyre gonna keep on working.

Trump: you know what, you called me Mr. President which a lot of people dont do but they all do because I'm the president they have to love me, and I have no idea who you are but i gotta say im already a huge fan and since you like me you must know what your talking about, lets do it. "AMY, GORSICH, KAVANAUGH"

All three: yes sir Mr. President sir.

Trump: is it illegal to do what ever the heck that guy just said?

Amy: well i certainly dont think they should be married, its just not right for my actual marriage to be compared with some kinda tax fraud scam because gay people arent real they just do it for tax benefits.

Gosich: yeah i was hit in by one of those things, then i turned around cause I was scared he was gonna diddle me, and screamed and ran away, it's disgusting, and wrong, and dont get me wrong, i have gay friends, i just dont think they should be allowed to exist, and I'm only saying that because the bible says and so i cant not agree with it, even though i already agreed with it, but the bible says so I couldnt even if i wanted to which i dont, but I'm not a bad person i promise.

Kavanaugh: ADAM AND EVE NOT ADAM AND STEVE, HASTHAG THINGS DONT GO UP YOUR BUT IT HAS THE CONSITENCY OF TOILET PAPER AND WILL BE RUINED BY ANTHING GOING UP THERE, I HATE THAT THEY GET TO BE TOGETHER AND BE IN A HAPPY LOVING RELATIONSHIP AND CALL IT MARRIAGE, MARRIAGE IS SUPPOSED TO BE BETWEEN A MAN AND THE WOMAN HE GOT PREGNANT IN HIGHSCHOOL AND HATE EACHOTHER, AND NEVER MIND ABORTION, DID YOU KNOW THAT GAY GUYS DO GET PREGNANT BUT THEY ABORT IT BEFORE IT CAN BE BORN, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BUTT BABY BEFORE? EXACTLY!

[megagarymofooak]

Part 1: Preparing for the worst

I did a POV zombie fanfic. There will be more parts, just have been too lazy to write anything. Craig's POV:

First day of my Senior year and I haven't even seen anyone from town in a week. Visiting my extended family in other states was so tiring. I sigh, wondering who would show their face to me first. Without a doubt it's Clyde, loudly calling my name seemed to call attention of the others.

" Craig! It's been a while man! What's up with the family?"

I shrug, not really wishing to tell them my grandma died. That shit was personal. " Nothing, but being in a car so long left my ass numb..." I could still feel the sting of numbness in my posterior.

Tweek just looked at me intensely and I gave in. " Yes?"

" You forgot to text me yesterday."

"NO!" Clyde gasped " Tell me it isn't true."

Token slapped him for me and I nodded my thanks.

" I fell asleep in the car, when I woke up my phone was dead."

" You left me on read." Tweek crossed his arms, here we go...

I sigh and try to cover up my shame for not replying " I fell asleep before I could finish the text. Ruby finally had shut up for once and I was tired. I don't know what else you want from me."

I must have done a shitty job with it as usual because I can't hide anything from him. Tweek tilted his head and shrugged. " Fine, j-just don't do it again." He huffed and took my hand, leading into the school. " We'll be late if we wait any longer."

That was way easier than last time, last time he accused me of being too busy for him. Whatever makes him happy.

First day goes by fast with introductions and those little 'Get to know you better' papers. Needless to say the only thing I disliked about it was the fact Kenny kept hitting on the younger years. He never means it, he just thinks it's funny to make them confused or blush. Tweek made lunch for us today. He says he'll start making lunch for us every day from now on. I had offered to help him, but he was determined to do it himself. Saying ' I want to suprise you with things dayly.' God damn I love him. His twitching never left him, but instead only happens once in a while per conversation. He stresses about things and it gets worse, but when that happens I'm always there for him. Clyde and Token chose to sit with Stan and his guys, suprisingly the girls are constantly inviting us to their tables. Not that I care much, as long as they don't hit on us. So far Tweek's fitting in with them, his new found sass about things is entertaining to say the least.

On the ride home Tweek sits next to me. " Did you see the way Butters looks at Ken?" Clyde chipped in from the seat infront of us. Dumb ass was on his knees looking over the seat.

" No, why? Is there another gay couple in South Park now?" Craig wondered how this would fair with the fan girls at the school.

" Kenny hasn't been seen kissing ANYONE for the whole SUMMER!" Clyde exclaimed. When was he not loud? Oh yeah, never. I cross my arms and Tweek just looks at Kenny and Butters, Kenny at the back of the bus and Butters up front.

" I don't see them ever interact though." Tweek sounded confused and aprehensive.

" I bet you they fuck." Clyde grinned and that earned a swift galre from Tweek. " We don't talk about those things, it's only going to make things worse for them if we spread rumors like that."

" He's right. Clyde sit down like a normal idiot." Token pulled him down onto the seat.

"Aww! No fair! I'm allowed to have my observations too!" He whined and pouted.

Getting off the bus was harder than usual, somewhere from Stan's place to my own Kyle and Cartman started fighting, they only got more agressive towards one another through the years. Kyle even taking Judo classes so when Cartman challenges him it doesn't take much of anything to knock his ass out. Cartman lost weight over the years, him and Clyde almost weighed the same now. That fact can never be said infront of Clyde however because he starts crying about it. When Kyle kicks him out of the bus and I get off, the bus heads off without Cartman.

" Dumb ass, you never learn to stop fucking with Kyle." I kick him in the side for good measure, then head inside. Red Racer sadly ended when I was sixteen, I have since then watched the whole series twice over from first episode to the last. Today's episodes were more of a filler episode than most. I zone out while watching five or six episodes, so much so I miss dinner and have to heat it up. Mac n' Cheese with Fishsticks and grean beans. Ah how American of them. I smile to myself as I eat the meal. Looking at the clock, it's almost seven. I sigh, at least it wasn't too late. I took my phone out. Three unread text messages, at least one of those was from Tweek. I open the ones from Clyde and Stan first. Tweek's message chills me a bit.

Tweek's POV:

What. What was that? I must have been seeing things, no, no I wasn't seeing anything. That was for sure what the news story was about. The screams of terror and dismay echoed. Zombies? Looking at my phone as I packed as many useful things as possible, I look on as Craig is texting me back finally. " Why do I need to get as much as food and supplies as possible? What's with the weapon reconmendations anyway? Are we playing again?"

" NO! THIS IS REAL!" I shouted as I typed up the same message. " I swear Craig, tell your dad you guys need to meet here at my place. I texted the others to do the same. I'm not kidding, zombies are real!" I scream to myself as I'm set into panic mode. My parents saw the same thing and are trying to get ahold of other parents they know.

" What kind of Zombies though? Like The Walking Dead zombies? Spore Zombies? Fast running ones?"

"WHY WOULD I KNOW THAT YET!?" I feel like this is a lost cause. I should have just told the guys and not the parents. I text him back, fumbling over my own fingers. " I dont know thy dont look like theyr runners."

" Hold on, I'm packing things. Do you think a compound bow is okay for this? I mean, besides that I have a bat."

" Take both, please be careful." I looked out my window as some of the other boys and the parents started for my house.

I get my stuff on, a hiking backpack that I had bought for camping full of useful things and head downstairs. Kids and parents piling in, some of them being made to go upstairs. The parents mainly talking about a plan. Randy seemed to be really into the idea that was being shared, but Sharron and most of the moms hate the idea. I creep my way to the door and flag down Craig as he heads over with his parents and sister Ruby. First thing he does is hug me. There is a time and a place Tucker! I groan and hug him back for a second before leading him inside. Cartman, Kyle, Stan, Kenny, Butters, Myslef and Criag were all together. Clyde, Token, Bebe, Wendy, Jimmy, and Timmy were across the room. The parents were seperating people into groups for travel. The noise the house was under made me shudder, I take a peek out of the window. Oh god. Oh jesus, oh god. No. The zombies were slowly approaching at a steady pace from the graveyard area. I can't say anything but I do manage an "AAAAUGH!"

Craig, bless him, looks out and in a deadpan voice says. " Oh, The Walking Dead zombies. Cool."

I want to strangle him for that but instead I end up making the whole place become on edge. They start ordering us out, this was apparently the plan. We were the B Team. Token, Clyde, Bebe, Wendy, Jimmy and Timmy were the A Team. They got the keys to my family's two cars and were sent off first with supplies. Jimbo supplied everyone with at least two guns. Team B, us, we're sent to both the neighbors houses Kyle won't leave Ike, so he's sent with us. Kyle, Ike, Stan and Cartman take the left. Craig, Kenny, Butters and myself took the right side. Thanks to the fact we're not slow as a group we get into the car. Craig takes the wheel and we're out of town within a few minutes. People I didn't know well in town, they were being eaten or trying to escape the madess. I just closed my eyes and curled up. Craig wouldn't allow me to sit in the back when we piled in, so I had a close up on what was happening. " Damn it... This car only has half a tank." Craig sighed , country roads hard to see, using the headlights on this thing wasn't working. " M-My mom and dad. They Euuggh- always have both tanks filled. Token and Wendy shouldn't have problems." I get a text. Why wouldn't I? Maybe all those movies and TV shows were wrong about the immediate cut of electronics. It was Clyde, thank goodness it was him!

" How are you guys holding up? Wanna meet at that weird off road gas station and talk? Maybe switch team mates? We have Jimmy and Timmy with us, I think both teams should have one. "

" Yeah, s-sure." I look up to Craig. " Clyde wants to meet at that Shell up the road a bit."

" Good, we can talk to them like normal people. Stupid parents..."

"Wait..." I look back at the phone. " Did you ask Jimmy about this?"

"Dude, Jimmy's the one who suggested it! He thinks Timmy should stay with me and Token and he should go to your team." Clyde's words meant he was serious.

At the gas station we made sure no zombies were around, the place was evacuated and there was still food, Token split up what he found between the groups. " Enough for both A and B teams. In case you guys run in with one another." Token was so calm, I wonder how he does it. I get a huge hug from Clyde who looked to be just freshly done with crying. " I'm going to miss you and Craig so much Tweek..." His voice... He was. Talking softly. Clyde. I hug him back and nodd. " We'll miss you guys too, but they sent us in teams for reasons." Token came over with Craig." I heard it was the best way for our survival."

Jimmy headed over from where he was talking to Butters. " BBButters and I ha-have made an agreement. I will svwitch places w-with him."

" I have no problems taking over for him." Butters was arguing with Kenny. " Don't you see it's unfit for them to have two people who can die easily?"

" YOU can die easily!" Kenny groaned and grit his teeth. " Why you though. Why do you have to go."

"Because Tweek and Craig shouldn't be separated."

"We shouldn't be separated Butters! I don't know what I'd do if you died on me." There was desperation in Kenny's voice.

" Then don't die on me, and I won't on you." He smiled and Kenny hugged him.

I bet Clyde couldn't help himself, because the dummy started wiggling his eye brows at me and making weird noises.

" Stop being this way Clyde..." I sigh. " What weapon did you pack, those guns should be a last resort."

" I have a whole thing of tools with me." Token said.

Clyde pulled out a knife. " It was the closest thing."

Butters showed he had a frying pan. " These things hurt real bad."

" It's not about pain it's bout destroying the brain." Clyde chipped in.

" Aww Hamburgers..." Butters kicked the ground with a scuffing noise.

" It's a good enough weapon." I nod in approval.

Craig had his bat on hand. " You already know what I have."

" I d-don't have any weapons but the gggun." Jimmy pointed out.

"Timmeh!" Timmy showed his hands.

" What did you bring Tweek?" Clyde was curiously eyeing him.

He went to the trunk and got out his sword. " I always have it sharpened. I also have a poison dart set I made myself and the ingredents for a few different kinds of explosives. I got them f-from a chemicle website."

I may have said something weird. Did I? Why were they looking at me like I was weird. I put my stuff away.

Craig came over and pat me on the head, something he does on occasion. " That's my boyfriend. Always ready."

I smile for what seems to be the first time tonight since the incident.

Stan's POV:

I take on the role of driver as Kyle uses a local and nationwide map and marks off where we came from and where we're going. Cartman is oddly quiet as he looks out the window and Ike is in his seat playing with one of Kyle's action figures. Not too many Zombies the way we're going, a few cars were on the side of the road, maybe a few accidents here or there, but nothing we couldn't handle. Being in a rush we completely forgot about our other half of our group. Man, I hope they chose a good route or at least something. They had gotten the text that Craig was the driver of the other car and that they had food and water if they could meet. Problem was, when they left in the direction they did, there was like a huge pile up that happened behind them. Not knowing where to go next Stan just started going through small towns.

Kyle took out his phone and called his mom. No answer was an answer on it's own. He got annoyed and turned it off to save battery. " I'm glad I packed these maps.."

"What else did ya pack Kehl?" Cartman had his usual inflection to his voice, but as far as Stan could tell it wasn't like he was taunting the guy.

" I packed four note books, writing utensils, a few books, maps of all over north america, and a chainsaw from my back yard. My dad got it, and never used it. Said it was too loud or some shit. I think I can mod it to be more quiet."

" I gotta go pee!" Ike whined.

" Pull over and let him pee, I'll keep watch." Kyle took out a dagger and Stan pulled over. Ike went right by the car as Kyle instructed and they were on their way in no time. A bed and breakfast was close to where they were and Stan hoped they could sleep tonight, they would need it.

" I think Wendy went this way Stan." Kyle pointed out the street sign that had a purple W and a yellow B on it. "Wendy and Bebe."

YES! Maybe we could sleep after all. I hope Wendy has secured the Inn.

Upon arrival to the Bed and Breakfast, they found cars parked in a manner resembling a fort wall. Wendy took aim at them with a rifle. "Who are you, what do you want, and when are you LEAVING."

Stan parked the car with the lights on so when the four of them got out Wendy could see them. " It's Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Ike. We wanna know if we could crash here. And we'll leave tomorrow."

" Oh you guys! We've been here for nearly an hour setting up." Bebe let them in. " We found a few loners, oh and Shelly."

Shelly was writing something in a book.

" We have room for tonight. I think Bebe and I will stay here, close to town, for a while."

" Yeah, predicting we have about four months of food rations."

" Craig and Token have more food, but they went East." Kyle stated as he lead Ike to one of the rooms that had a cracked open door.

Cartman took the room opposite of Kyle's.

" Stan, what do you think about the groups... Do you think we'll survive?" Wendy looked exausted. The way her hair... and her eyes... It was just... Damn she was hot when she was in charge like that. I had to stop looking at her before I vomited. " I-I think my group can survive, You and Bebe look to be doing fine already. Craig might come into some trouble, but I'm most worried about Token."

" We should have taken Timmy, damn it, I know!" She groaned and face palmed. " We weren't thinking Stan, we left both Jimmy and Timmy with Token and Cyle. Token can handle himself, Clyde is okay, but Jimmy and Timmy?"

I have to calm her down. " Maybe if we meet up with them in the future, we can see if they survived. If that's the case then, you can just ask if one of them wants to join you."

Wendy sighed. " Yeah, thanks. Go turn your car's lights off now..."

I just smile sheepishly and go to get the lights turned off and park the car within the barrier.

Kyle's POV:

Taking out some paper and a pen I start to write. " I think today was possibly the worst day of my life. I can't confirm it yet, but I think my mom at least is dead. She'd never leave a call from me hanging. Besides that, I'm in a group with Cartman. Cartman. God I hate writing that name." I use white out to take out the word 'Cartman' both times. "There, that's better. No more of that name here. I have to think about Ike now. He's far too small for this sort of thing, but it's not like we have a choice. I'm going to teach him how to shoot a gun soon. He needs to know." I sigh and look at my younger brother. " I swear I'll protect you, Ike." He kissed his sleeping head goodnight and turned off the bedside light to lay down for some rest. With Wendy on alert, we should be fine. I trust her.

It was the sun that woke him up, Ike was trying to read a big book. " Kyle! How do you wead... Paernora...."

"What?" I went over, the book was a study on the paranormal. " Oh, paranormal. Like what we thought Zombies were. It's mainly just hypothetical."

Ike tilted his head.

" Big 'What ifs.'" I explain.

" Oh!" He goes back to trying to read. He's going to be smart I think to myself as I look out the window. Stan is already up and helping Bebe with the rigging of barbed wire made from electrical chords.

" Smart move girls. " I say as I head outside, things all packed and Ike in tow.

" Thanks Kyle, you know you guys can stay here if you want. " Bebe offered. "Stan was a big help this morning."

" I think we should all have our separate things. Stan come on, we need to go before it gets too late."

Cartman comes out from his room, not packed and sloppy as hell. " Go get packed asshole we're leaving."

" EH! Don't call me an Asshole! I didn't even do anything yet!"

" Yeah, that's the point. GO PACK." Why do I even loose my temper so badly with him anyway, I used to be able to handle anything he said. Now I just want... No, I want it but I can't say what. That would be admiting to myself that I've givin in. I just glare at him as he mutters to himself and goes to pack.

Clyde's POV:

OMG! It's HAPPENING! Bunny bunny bunny bunny~ I giggle to myself as Butters and Kenny keep their embrace, the others are sorting out what to do and where to go. I mean I could listen in, but I don't want to. Not knowing where we're going is basically what an adventurer strives for. And in all honesty, I have to keep this an adventure because what it really is, is killing me inside. I'm left without my Bro and Tweek. It's not fair! Token treats me like a kid too, and while that's good in some cases like an extra juice box, it SUCKS in other cases! I hear my name and tune into their channel. " Clyde and I should trade places as well. I can't leave Butters."

No. Freakin. WAY! I looked at Tweek and Craig with my signature puppy dog eyes.

" Are you sure Kenny, we could need you man. You're crafty."

"They have Timmy, if Timmy's wheelchair gets broken or stops working for some reason. I can carry him. Clyde can't."

I stop begging. What? How dare he. I can SO carry Timmy. For like a block.... And then... Nevermind, it's true they need him.

" No, you take Clyde." Tweek looked at me. " I think he's better off with you."

" Then I'm leaving you guys for Butters."

Craig frowned. " That's not even though. How will Tweek and I take care of Jimmy?"

I sigh. " It's okay. I'll stay with Token."

Token broke appart Kenny and Butters and took Butters to his car. Craig taking Kenny, who faught with him about it, back to thier car.

I take a last glance at my friends as we depart down a fork in the road. I hope Token has orange juice...

[purgatoryandme]

fic idea, modern au, arimon: people kept asking both of them when theyre gonna get married and have kids of their own (not knowing that theyre dating each other) they came out to their friends by posting a new baby photoshoot but with a husky puppy bc arima wanted a dog

((((((I really want to see Arima and Amon get an old dog bc they have that old married couple aesthetic going on))))))))Another day, another marriage interview. Amon wasn’t evensure how his coworkers kept managing to trick him. This was the 10th“hang-out” this month that wasn’t reallt a hang-out.“I’m sorry,”He apologized, delicately taking his “date’s” hand and trying to smile, “But I’m not looking to get married yet. You are a wonderful person and I wishyou the best.” As he left the café, Amon tried his best to ignore his potential partner’s redface and whispered,“I’ll wait for you.”After all, he was already taken.

Instead of heading home, Amon trudged all the way toArima’s tiny one-person apartment on the east side of the city. It was crampedand surprisingly plain, but it had the one person in it that could make himfeel at home. He didn’t bother to knock on the door, instead pulling out thekey he’d been gifted only a week prior (hehad given Arima a key almost a month before that). 

“Koutarou,”Arima’s soft voice managed to carry through the tiny space perfectly (something Amon loved…it was always likeArima was right next to him when he was here),“Are you alright?”Amon sighed and tossed his suit jacket onto the couch, running a hand throughhis hair as he tried to gather some kind of positivity into his voice,“Yeah,”He responded,“I am now.”

Another day, another marriage interview. Amon was pretty sure he was an idiot at this point.Less than 4 days had passed since his last one. Admittedly, his friends hadchanged tactics this time, telling him that the boss wanted to have a talk, butthat was hardly an excuse. Shifting uncomfortably, Amon glanced around the rather intimate (and expensive) restaurant. Another manacross the room looked almost as awkward as him and, hoping to commiserate withsomeone, Amon tried to catch his eye. The man was his boyfriend. Arima looked like he was holding back laughter, but Amon’s heart rateimmediately picked up in a panic. Oh God, his boyfriend had seen him at amarriage interview. What if Arima thought Amon was trying to leave him (not that he would veer…he wanted to…)!? Sheer desperation lead Amon to escaping his marriage interview in under anhour, something his polite upbringing had consistently prevented in the past,and he went to Arima’s apartment at a dead sprint. Halfway there, he realizedhe needed to grovel properly. He’d never really had to apologize to Arimabefore, but Akira liked flowers and said they were the only kind of apology thatwas proper for a partner…He ran to the florist (arriving sweatyand, apparently, terrifying). After buying a massive bouquet of roses that he managed to severely bedraggleon the way home (Arima’s was home, damnit, he wasn’t going to give that up), Amon slammed into the apartment tofind Arima already there. His boyfriend grinned at him (at least, Arima’s version of a grin) and said,“Oh, are those for me? I’ve never gotten flowers before.”Which caused Amon to immediately (outloud) vow to buy him flowers more frequently. Arima looked perplexed, butAmon simply plowed onwards with his apology,“I’m not trying to leave you, I swear! Everyone keeps trying to set me up withstrangers without telling me and-“Arima stood up from the couch and strode over, taking the roses out of Amon’scrushing grip.“It’s alright,”He said, patting Amon on the shoulder (waytoo hard…God, why was Arima so strong),“I was at a marriage interview too, actually. For similar reasons.”

Arima and Amon had told their coworkers almost a year ago that they weretogether. It had been at a company party and was totally unplanned. It had justseemed like a good time and, well, Amon was never good at hiding his happinessfrom others (Arima just didn’t care much,though he seemed pleased when Amon grabbed his hand). Everyone had laughedand…

Amon had a bit to drink. So did Arima. They both just…assumed the laughter wasa positive reaction.It had taken months to realize everyone had taken Amon’s (admittedly ostentatious) confession as a joke. By then, it was fartoo awkward to bring it up again. Amon didn’t even know how to beginexplaining…it felt like he’d been keeping a secret intentionally. Still, ithadn’t seemed like a problem until the endless marriage interviews began.“Ugh, they keep asking me when I’m going to have kids.”Amon groaned, burying his face in his hands. Arima made a face, mumbling underhis breath about Haise Sasaki (that newdetective he had taken on), and muttering,“I already told them that I have kids. All the kids that they are asking me to train.”A black mood was beginning to take over Amon. As he sunk deeper into histhoughts, he blurted,“It’s annoying that they misunderstood in the first place. This is ridiculous –now I feel like I can’t even ask you to move in with me, even though I have anew place picked out and I bought a bunch of monogrammed towels and I want tosee your face every morning…”Arima “awkwardness is a thing only other people experience” Kishou took hisboyfriend’s sudden confession in stride, even though Amon was internallyscreaming. He blinked slowly before crinkling his eyebrows in thought. “I have an idea.”Arima said, crushing Amon’s shoulder in what he probably thought was acomforting grip,“If we get a kid, they have to take us seriously right? So we can livetogether?”Mutely, Amon nodded, though he was torn between excitement and breaking out ina cold sweat (wasn’t Arima indifferenttowards kids? Did he want to have some? Was Amon ready to be a dad????). “Is your new apartment pet-friendly?”

(What?)

Picking out their dog had been the best day of Amon’s life. He’d never seenArima smile like he had when they’d adopted a crotchedy old Husky would hatedeveryone and everything. The following week had him returning from work everynight with Arima to try to earn their dog’s trust together. 

Once he stopped biting them and started tentatively allowing them to pet him (though his ripped ear was 100% off limits),they started finding treats that he liked. Then they started taking him forwalks around the city, brushing his fur, buying him sweaters (that he tolerated just for them)…Turns out, their dog was a huge sweetheart even if he seemed cold (Amon glanced at Arima and tried not to gettoo many mushy feelings).  Arima, king of terriblenames, called him Peanut Butter (”What? He likes it!”). They were going to keep him.

The announcement was poorly planned, but hilariously well executed. They hireda photographer, a tiny girl named Hori, and staged a photoshoot in their newplace. Arima lay on the couch, Peanut Butter tucked under his shirt like apregnant woman’s belly. Throughout the shoot, the dog steadily wiggled his wayout until he was licking Arima’s face.

Hori loved all the photos enough to scrap their original idea of sending justone out. Instead, she strung them together into a little scrapbook of Arima “givingbirth” (she was one weird girl) and wrote “it’s a boy” on the front cover. She deliveredthem all herself, not even asking for pay.She said seeing “embarrassing a bunch of detectives” would be enough.

Everyone called in sick the next day at the CCG detective agency. Amon and Arima wenthome early to play with their dog.

[comicteaparty]

September 6th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on September 6th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on MORBIDITY by Charu.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing MORBIDITY by Charu~! (https://tapas.io/series/MORBIDITY)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Superjustinbros

Ello!

RebelVampire

good day, SJ

Superjustinbros

Good day to you as well

RebelVampire

lets see, i think not so much a full scene, but one of my favorite moments is when Yuuto asks Keagan why Keagan let him in if Keagan doesn't recognize him. and keagan just has the best expression while saying he wonders himself. it was such a great insert of comedy in that moment that i couldnt help but laugh. i also think it was kind of a great showcase for keagan's personality as well

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1111726 I dunno why but I got a bit of a chuckle out of this scene

With how... sudden the tone changed

RebelVampire

i do enjoy how confused keagan looks in this part. i like the sense of ominous with that broken piece on the plant though. it screams with beautiful foreshadowing i hope at least.

Superjustinbros

Yeah

RebelVampire

ive also been enjoying how the recent chapter has been going. mostly with how its framed in that we never really get to see who i assume is ryo really. its focused on keagan and i like that it makes ryo seem a tad more mysterious

saetje

My favorite scene is definitely near the end of the content where Ryo starts freaking out/getting corrupted. I think it’s at that point we’re getting a sort of taste for a mood shift that’s going to be happening

Superjustinbros

I couldn't think of a good way to mention that little... episode earlier

but it definitely seems strange(edited)

saetje

I also agree I like that ryo is only seen through Keegan’s eyes right now. Solely focusing on Keegan’s perspective leaves ryo on a pedestal currently. I have a feeling we’re going to learn more about ryo later, but it’s smart to start us off through Kaegan’s eyes

RebelVampire

i like how with the whole mood shift that ryo was super accurate in that he was spoiling the mood. i particularly loved when yuuto caught up to ryo cause at that point just the sheer imagery and what was going on made me feel that the situation was truly dangerous

mathtans

I made it. ^^ Rebel, I liked that same scene, where Yuuto then remarks on how it's good he's trustworthy or whatnot.

Superjustinbros

MATH

mathtans

I didn't even notice the planet, whoa.

Hi all!

Superjustinbros

The end of the chapter looks like the start of some kind of crazy creepypasta(edited)

mathtans

Yuuto's attitude in general is pretty fun in my mind (okay if I play games?) but it definitely took a turn with the reactions towards the end. I think he didn't do his research on Keagan.

RebelVampire

haha it does kind of have a creepypasta vibe. i can picture the reddit thread for r/nosleep now. XD

to be fair to yuuto its been like 16 years so ryo would be a poor source of keagan info and maybe keagan is an internet hermit who doesnt even have facebook

saetje

I think it’s an interesting thought that kaegan’s attachment to Ryo is a little selfish. It seems as though it’s literally tethering Ryo’s ghost from moving on and putting his spirit (and others?) in danger, as well as ruining kaegan’s own relationships and life. Kaegan does seem quite overly obsessed(edited)

mathtans

It's possible. I wonder if Ryo was paying more attention to Keagan for a long time (either of his own volition or not) and only recently got his brother involved... then Yuuto didn't realize how bad things were.

seatje: Agreed. I wonder if maybe he was partly responsible for Ryo's death.

saetje

Oh that’s an interesting thought, math!

RebelVampire

yeah tbh i adore how grey it is. cause you could make an argument equally as valid in saying its selfish for ryo to ask keagan to move on. and i love that cause its what makes the conflict complicated and complex. cause there isnt one right answer cause you just cant make ppl feel things you want to feel at the drop of a hat.

saetje

So true

mathtans

I can't think of another good reason why he'd obsess that much. Even if they were lovers (which is kind of implied), I figure there has to be more to it...?

Yup, humans are a complex mess.

RebelVampire

nah they werent lovers cause huge age diff. i think the summary says it was a one-sided crush.

Superjustinbros

Right they are, math

RebelVampire

so theres def something fishy going on here

mathtans

I'm actually kind of reminded of a serial I wrote on a similar topic, which occurred to me as I was reading too. It's a good theme to build on.

saetje

I’m a little confused by the timeline- was kaegan young and just had a crush on an older ryo or did they get to a point of being consenting lovers?

Oh! Rebel answered

mathtans

Rebel: Ahh, good point, missed that. Guess I jumped to conclusions given the circumstances of when we first heard the name.

RebelVampire

“Nine year old Keagan had a onesided crush on eightteen year old Ryo. Then, Ryo died. Nearly sixteen years later Ryo's little brother Yuuto comes into Keagan's life to tell him to "get over Ryo's death".”

just so everyone can be on the same page

Superjustinbros

Thanks, Rebel.

RebelVampire

i take the implication to be that ryo died when keagan was 9

saetje

Okay, there you go! Thank you

RebelVampire

which man, props to keagan for A+ memory. i barely remember anything from when i was 9 XD

mathtans

Could still have been somewhat responsible though, even if young.

I barely remember things from last week sometimes. O.o

Superjustinbros

I remember a lot of things from my childhood

just saying

I practically remember how all the rooms in my house looked when I was that age

saetje

I was just thinking that, ha. Sixteen years is a long time to hold onto something, especially from childhood in such a strong way. But I guess it was also such a traumatic event for him, which tends to stick more too

Superjustinbros

and how my schools looked at the time I attended.

RebelVampire

yeah i guess if were being fair id have remembered a traumatic death. but it implies super closeness i think that goes beyond a one-sided crush. so theres definitely more to see there

QUESTION 2. While it’s clear that Keagan and Ryo had past history, a lot is left to question. How do you believe Keagan and Ryo met, especially considering their age difference? Why do you think Keagan crushed so hard on Ryo despite the age difference between them? Do you think the attachment to Ryo was born purely out of affection, or do you think there’s more to Keagan’s past that explains the attachment? Do you think the way Ryo died has something to do with why Keagan can’t move forward? Or is it something in general perhaps about Keagan’s past history with Ryo? Lastly, why do you think Keagan remembers Ryo so well but seems completely clueless about Yuuto?

gives self A+ for beautiful segway

mathtans

Or segue, even.

saetje

Oh that’s true- how could he not know yuuto?

mathtans

Maybe Yuuto's a half-brother?

saetje

I have a thought that yuuto may be a trans man? So perhaps he transitioned and presented as a girl on the past?

Superjustinbros

I wonder, if Ryo didn't die, would Keagan find it more easy to move forward?

mathtans

Yuuto's also younger, so maybe Ryo left home at 16 or something and didn't talk about his family.

saetje

Just feels as though the artist is fairly good at drawing anatomy of all sexes, not shying away from lgbt content, and yuuto seems intentionally more slender and androgynous. But it’s just a passing thought/hunch , I could be wrong

mathtans

On the topic of how they met... maybe they met online first? Or through some sort of spiritual connection? That could also explain the difficulty in letting go.

saetje

Yeah it’s also possible he never met Yuuto?

Superjustinbros

What was technology like back when Keagan was younger

I wonder

mathtans

Saeje: Could be, I guess based on some of the Q&A stuff I just see him as a guy with his own style.

Superjustinbros

Cause when I was that age the internet was like, brand new

mathtans

That who never met Yuuto, Keagan or Ryo himself?

saetje

Ah, I tend to skim q&a stuff so it’s possible I missed some key character insights

RebelVampire

dont discount the trans theory. never impossible. and i assume theyre following our time line so internet was probably like it was 16 years ago.

i feel like keagan must of met yuuto tho

just cause yuuto showed up thinking keagan would obviously know him somehow

and if they never met there is no reason for yuuto to assume that

and in all honesty it seems most likely that keagan met ryo through yuuto

just cause yuuto and keagan seem closer in age maybe

mathtans

I guess I just assumed that the "would obviously know" part came from the fact that if you're obsessing over a guy for 15+ years, you'd look into his family. Come to think, maybe they met at the funeral and Keegan simply doesn't recall that.

Assuming that there was a funeral, and it's not a case of Ryo's body vanishing after being murdered by an evil demon that Keagan unleashed upon the world.

saetje

just found this on the 'q&a' section, but might not be canon:(edited)

mathtans

(Oh no, new channel, I can't do my trolling face...)

Superjustinbros

Dawwww!!!

saetje

so I'm probably wrong aaand! I guess they did know each other, but it's just likely Kaegan didn't recognize him right away. I mean his style did change quite a lot

mathtans

Right, I saw that, I guess I didn't immediately think it was an actual photo as much as an artist rendering.

RebelVampire

ah yeah i was just gonna point that image out from the Q&A!

mathtans

Yuuto dyes the hair now.

Superjustinbros

well people do change a lot when they age

mathtans

I wonder if he went into the practice in part because of whatever happened to Ryo.

Maybe it used to be Ryo's thing.

Now gotta pick up the slack in the family.

RebelVampire

yeah to be fair if yuuto and keagan lost contact, of course he probably doesnt recognize yuuto after 16 years old.

Superjustinbros

Exactly

saetje

yeah

RebelVampire

and yuuto is silly in retrospect to expect that. but hard to say what the nature of the relationship was

maybe keagan and yuuto were bestest friends, yuuto introduced keagan to ryo, and then keagan was like "who are you im busy crushing on this cool older fellow"

saetje

It's not improbable they (kaegan and yuuto) were friends first, and Kaegan just crushed real bad on the older brother, which would also make sense why it was so one-sided but they would also be hanging out (as he was probably hanging out with/chaperoning his little brother, and consequently his little brother's friends as well)(edited)

mathtans

Maybe it's something a bit more supernatural. Like, Keagan tried some sort of "forget" spell on Ryo but it backfired so much that he forgot Yuuto instead.

RebelVampire

thatd be tragic, tho would be more likely itd be yuuto doing the spell casting.

albeit to this notion of keagan and yuuto being friends, we dont really see yuuto in the flashbacks so far so its also possible something else was going on. like ryo was keagan's tutor or something

im gonna go out on a limb and suspect that keagan did not have a happy home life

and thus the attachment to ryo cause ryo was an adult who was showing him kindness

mathtans

That's a very good thought.

Interesting how in the bit of flashback we've seen, Ryo is trying to get Keagan to skate on his own, metaphor for life?

Superjustinbros

Oh yea

That would traumatize someone, seeing an adult that they once loved died

RebelVampire

oh ya know what, i wasnt even reading that scene metaphorically. good catch, math~!

metaphorically i certainly is very telling of what keagan is feeling

mathtans

Seems like even back then, before Ryo died, Keagan had issues. Tied in with your unhappy home life thing.

Superjustinbros

^

RebelVampire

but im just taking a stab in the dark tbf. i just feel like theres gotta be more than one-sided crush. and that ryo's death is tied up in personal demons

albeit you could be right that keagan somehow caused ryo's death

mathtans

Keagan introduced the cat, not knowing about the deadly cat allergy.

RebelVampire

has it been stated how ryo died?

mathtans

If so, I missed it.

I just offer up my crazy theories.

RebelVampire

i dont recall either so how ryo died could have a lot to do with things even if keagan didnt cause it

QUESTION 3. The entire plot of the comic is essentially based around one question: will Keagan be able to move on from Ryo? What do you think is holding Keagan back exactly? Is it fear of the future without Ryo, true love, or some sort of inner demon? Do you think Keagan is sincere when he says he has tried to move on, or do you suspect self-sabotage? Even if Keagan gets over Ryo, do you think Ryo will successfully be able to move on? How do you even think Keagan might get over Ryo? Also, what do you think Yuuto and/or Suzy’s role if any might be in helping him move forward? Finally, do you have any theories in general for future events of the comic?

mathtans

I feel like it's one of those things where after you move on, you're worried you'll forget details... which is true enough. But Keagan's got himself so tied up in it that he might forget things about himself. I don't know that it's anything external.

RebelVampire

oh ya know what, i never thought of it from that perspective. that he doesnt want to move on cause hes afraid of all the memories vanishing in the breeze

mathtans

Also, I think Keagan might have tried to move on in the past, but after it didn't work a couple times he just goes through the motions now to appease others around him.

Not just memories of Ryo, but memories of how happy he was back then. Maybe the happiest he'd ever been?

Superjustinbros

Perhaps

Then again it can be hard to move on form something

and even if you do, memories of what happened can still haunt you(edited)

RebelVampire

tbf this makes me reconsider that maybe keagan's attachment is not bred from a bad past, but a lackluster present.

Superjustinbros

That could be the case

RebelVampire

in that maybe keagan has continually had life issues that have made him cling to that happiness

like what does keagan do for a living even O_O maybe he missed out on dat dream job

mathtans

Could be a bit of both.

Maybe he's an insurance salesman.

"Please buy this life insurance... I have this whole story about how sad people will be if you die..."

RebelVampire

spirit insurance. if only yuuto had come to him sooner, yuuto couldve gotten ryo's spirit state ensured. yuuto is gonna miss out on that sweat afterlife policy money now

in regards to keagan's sincerity in trying to move on, i actually think it was subconscious self-sabotage. so in that he was doing everything he was told mentally and physically, but there was that small tiny part of his brain continually whispering how nothing would ever be right again without ryo

mathtans

Which reminds me, I wonder where Yuuto had to go to get the stone.

There probably was some self-sabotage, or at least Ryo seemed keen on calling him on that.

Maybe Yuuto was guided to find the stone by Ryo...? Wait, no, because Ryo didn't even think it would work. We're not sure what any of their day jobs are, are we?

RebelVampire

well yuuto said he was a spirit medium. albeit doesnt mean thats a career technically speaking. idk if being a spirit medium can pay these days without people staring and accusing you of being a fraud. or ya know if you get a reality tv show.

cleary the entire comic is just a tv show hoax so yuuto can become the most prolific spirit medium on tv

mathtans

A spirit medium's rare.

He seems to know what he's doing though. I wonder if Ryo sought him out for that reason, or if it's just a freebie for the family.

Superjustinbros

Now that'd be quite a twist

RebelVampire

that or ryo just had nowhere to go. i mean its like theres much to do as a ghost i imagine

cause you cant touch things or anything

or talk to anyone

you just float around and look at stuff

but considering the cover to chapter 1, i will say that its not just keagan holding ryo back. cause ryo is clearly chained to both yuuto and keagan and i dont think yuuto has quite moved on himself.

mathtans

Oh, that's an interesting point with the visual. Does the chaining work both ways, I wonder, or is it a matter of Yuuto's moved on but is still linked to Ryo out of necessity?

Ghost karaoke might be pretty neat.

Superjustinbros

Poor Ryo :<

For real tho ghost karaoke sounds metal as heck(edited)

mathtans

As far as the future of the comic goes, I figure we'll see the results of a spirit being darkened somehow, either directly or in the history books or something.

RebelVampire

oooooh

did not consider that but i hope thats the case

that we actually get to see a vengeful spirit not ryo

cause i feel like keagan is the type who goes by the mantra seeing is believing

in the sense that yuuto will tell him, keagan will be like "suuuure"

and then vengeful spirit will be seen and keagan will be like "RYO NOOOOOO"

mathtans

"You see this building?" "No." "That's because a ghost KNOCKED IT DOWN." "Ahhhh!" ^.^

Do you think Ryo can see other spirits? Like, would have an idea of what's happening to himself? Or is it not obvious internally?

RebelVampire

idk about seeing other spirits but maybe? i do think ryo has some idea about whats happening to him tho. cause i get the impression that its not so much the spirit ceases to be themselves as it is that they become engulfed in their own emotional vengence and can think of nothing else

mathtans

Ryo: "Look, the ghost of Christmas Future."

RebelVampire

but dont quote me on that, cause theres a lot to be learned about spirits

mathtans

Ooh, emotional vengence is an interesting one... do you think Ryo might hurt Keagan? (And that Keagan would just totally take it?)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Events in the comic come about solely because of the actions of the mysterious Yuuto. Do you believe Yuuto’s motivations are purely to protect his brother’s spirit, or do you think he might be up to something else? How do you think Yuuto wound up becoming a spirit medium? Was it family tradition, a career choice for Yuuto to connect with spirits (and his brother by extension), or was it happenstance? Considering it’s been 16 years, why do you think Yuuto waited so long to come to Keagan? Did Ryo’s spirit only come to Yuuto’s attention recently, or did Yuuto feel no need to take action until Ryo was becoming a vengeful spirit? Additionally, why do you think Ryo has been stable as a spirit over all those years and is only now coming undone? What consequences would there be if Ryo became a vengeful spirit at the end?

RebelVampire

if ryo became of vengful spirit then yes

cause the vengful part implies vengence

and clearly the vengence is gonna be aimed at the ppl not letting you move on

Superjustinbros

Well it's part of the name

mathtans

Could just be aimed at humans in general. Or for that matter, at spirit mediums, maybe that's part of the reason Yuuto's motivated. Doesn't want ghosts messing up his profession.

RebelVampire

could be. it actually would also depend how mindful of vengful spirit is. cause if theyre driven by pure emotion than they might not be consciously able to target their hurt and just lash out at anyone

mathtans

Also, maybe Ryo hasn't been stable as a spirit over all those years? Maybe he was more etherial, and it's only in the last year or so that he's been able to manifest himself to Yuuto.

RebelVampire

that could be

Superjustinbros

Seems like that could be the case, @mathtans

He's never been stable cause he's had someone latching onto him for years

even in death

He can never escape affection

RebelVampire

or ya know, we have no idea how long yuuto has been a medium

maybe yuuto has literally been a medium for all of 2 weeks

and just happens to be smug about it XD

mathtans

He graduated from being a small last year.

Maybe he's not even the most powerful medium in town, just the one most connected? Keagan might seek out others for more information.

I wonder if Ryo can possess people, now that he's levelling up.

saetje

That would be scary

I’m interested to know how like a corrupted ghost like ryo could/will harm those around them

mathtans

Oh! Maybe Keagan is just a prognosticator, because Ryo is going to possess Suzy, and that's why he used the name at the start.

"I have foreseen this."

Superjustinbros

Guess this is gonig further into the idea that this story's gonna get a lot more creepier

mathtans

I think it can still be lighthearted though. In fact, that makes some of the other moments (a la Release Me) all the more eye opening.

Superjustinbros

Yea

good point

RebelVampire

possession would certainly be quite dangerous. though idk how that fulfills vengence. unless the plan is to possess keagan, spend all keagan's money, and then roll out

Superjustinbros

Christ

that's cold

mathtans

"I spent it all on potato chips."

Superjustinbros

I would totally do that

RebelVampire

if im going to assume yuuto is actually also chaining ryo to the mortal plane, i actually want to assume ryo has been around for a while and yuuto himself just didnt want to do anything about it. and was like "nah its fine well get you to move on soon bro lets spend time together." and only now when ryo is going crazy is yuuto like "oops"

but this begs a question suddenly

how the heck did they even know its keagan's fault?

like is there magic ghost senses going on here?

are they just visiting everyone who knew ryo and accusing them?

Superjustinbros

All this time I was thinking "who is this ghost boy just chilling around everyone" until I noticed it's Ryo

mathtans

I suppose I just figured that Ryo would know who was tying him down/thinking of him.

Given the need to have the stone, I don't think they'd be walking around semi-randomly.

I'm also not convinced that Yuuto is tying him down. Maybe he's just acting as an anchor, like, to keep you from getting pulled way over there to the dark places, hold onto a piece of me.

Superjustinbros

I can see that

mathtans

Though it could have morphed into something else over all this time.

Maybe even something neither of them see.

What with both of them wearing glasses.

Superjustinbros

Lol

mathtans

Actually, any comments on art style? I'm very bad for really noticing that stuff. Nice shading though?

Superjustinbros

It's got some good shading, I'll say.

Backgrounds aren't super detailed but that's alright since they're not the focus

https://tapas.io/episode/1089748 Though some of the more trippy ones like these are cool

mathtans

Spirit craziness.

Superjustinbros

Playing with spirits is some really trippy stuff

"What kind of drugs are you taking"

mathtans

That androgynous look that sae brought up is a good point too; I can see it, but Yuuto still comes across as male (and in the genderbend art for q&a as female).

RebelVampire

visually i think the comic stands out most when the tone shifts to the creepy. cause thats when the effects really are A+ and just capture that nice unsettling feel

Superjustinbros

Exactly

saetje

I think the art is pretty good! Artist has a good eye for anatomy, I appreciate the character designs.

I agree the art style is neat when it gets creepy

Superjustinbros

Anatomy especially

Plus the creepy stuff is out of place that it can surprise the viewer when comparing it to the comic's normal art

saetje

Yeah, they vary their body types and really understand anatomy! Very solid character construction

Superjustinbros

Indeed

saetje

Ohh yeah good point Superjustinbros

It sort of gives this vibe of duality

Superjustinbros

Indeed

Like you got a normal world

and a creepy spiritual one

like dimensional rifts between two universes that don 't belong

saetje

Yeah!

mathtans

I liked seeing how some of the character designs shifted in the behind the scenes stuff.

As for my usual shipping thoughts.... hmmm... Suzy and Yuuto? He did feel bad for her. ^.-

saetje

He also seemed to check her out walking up the stairs

RebelVampire

i do hope suzy has a role in this because at the very least i hope she gets her underwear back XD

saetje

Ha! Also bras are expensive so, yeah, definitely.

mathtans

Oh, right! That little whistle.

Superjustinbros

Gotta go for that underwear! XD

saetje

She needs those back

Superjustinbros

Definitely

mathtans

It's interesting that Yuuto has an earring which is an inverted cross too, I think.

Superjustinbros

Well this is the last minute, so I'd like to say good luck to charuchii on continuing the comic.

mathtans

I'm all for more Suzy partly to see if she has some girl friends she talks to as well. Normal people.

Superjustinbros

It was fun chatting~

mathtans

It's a very interesting premise!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Charu, as well, for making MORBIDITY. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Charu’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/MORBIDITY

Charu’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/charuchii

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about Gemini Journey by Tracy MacLauchlan & Yesenia Carrero. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, September 13th, from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: http://geminijourney.com/

Comic’s LINE Webtoon Mirror: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/gemini-journey/list?title_no=111693