texts on a sunday

[keylogged]

texting meme You’ve got your TFLN, you’ve got your sexting, now here’s the meme for all those gen texts, phone calls, voicemails, pictures of your cats, and whatever else your little heart can come up with, because who doesn't like a little old-fashioned friendly texting. (Or enemy texting, if that's more your bag.) instructions: What it says on the tin! Leave a comment with your character, include preferences, a start, absolutely nothing or whatever you want. Run around and reply to others. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Comments

[antifungi]

You want a pep talk, you're gonna have to earn it.

[semicharmed]

And I intend to.

Any kinds of falsehoods in particular you're trying to look out for? Dishonesty in business transactions, infidelity? Or are you interested in more of a catchall

[antifungi]

Business transactions ought to cover it.

I assume there's a little flexibility in how exactly we're defining that.

[semicharmed]

Oh, sure. It could be as broad as "detect untruths when I'm party to an exchange with someone else"

or some more elegant phrasing

[antifungi]

Yeah, that'll work. No need to get fancy with it.

[semicharmed]

Great. Those parameters should work just fine.

That'll be done, like ... tomorrow night? Day after?

[antifungi]

We officially calling it payment in advance, then?

[semicharmed]

No need to be official, I hate labels

[ 😘 ]

I'll text you when it's ready.

[antifungi]

[ 🙄 ]

Uh-huh.

No need to rush on my account.

[semicharmed]

[ Sure enough, it's a few days before Joel hears anything else from Matt. Three, a bit past Matt's estimated window. Something probably came up; in his life, things frequently do.

When Joel does get a message from Matt, he'll find it doesn't contain any words. Just a picture: a small crystal of a milky blue-green hue, clear enough to see the lighter veins that run through it. It's been tumbled to smoothness, and looks small enough to sit in the palm of one's hand.

But like, fundamentally, it's a picture of a rock. ]

[antifungi]

[ Uh-huh, that sure is a picture of a rock. But this is not at all outside of Matt's usual MO, so. ]

You planning on putting that through my window, or just showing off?

[ It's been three days. He may have forgotten what this was about, in the moment. ]

[semicharmed]

[ "Random-seeming picture sans commentary" is very much him, it's true. ]

It's for you!

So ... showing off, I guess, if those are my only choices. But only a little.

[antifungi]

[ just wait, give him a minute... ]

Oh, yeah. That's the thing?

[ wait for it. ]

I thought it'd look different.

[semicharmed]

It's the thing.

What were you expecting it to look like?

[ Matt can make some cosmetic changes, but not particularly dramatic ones. Still, he's curious. ]

[antifungi]

Don't know. More magic like?

[ because that is a thing. ]

Definitely less like a rock.

[semicharmed]

Hmm.

Well, if you want more magic ...

[ Another picture. This one is the exact same rock, but now it's surrounded by a shower of multicolored sparks. Like fireworks in miniature.

~Ta daaaa.~ ]

Alternatively, I could embed it into some other object. Jewelry's easiest? But fundamentally, it just needs to be something that's in contact with your skin.

[antifungi]

[ you are a deeply unserious person, matt. feel free to imagine the incredibly unamused look that picture garners, in the brief, ensuing radio silence. ]

What, like a necklace or a bracelet or something? I guess that would be more convenient.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt is in a state of constant war between esoteric scholar and little nightmare. And for whatever reason, not encouraging him only makes him worse.

Sorry Joel, but at least you get an enchanted item out of it. ]

Necklace or bracelet is easiest, I think. If you think you'd wear something like that.

[antifungi]

[ it's... probably worth it. ]

Necklace ought to be easier to hide.

[semicharmed]

Gotcha

[ Then Matt goes away for two hours. If Joel has any follow-up, it doesn't get a response, until--

A new picture. The same rock as before, now with a small hole drilled through one end. A thin metal chain has been slipped through it, its silver gleam interrupted by a few tarnished spots. ]

Thoughts? I don't have that many stringing options

[antifungi]

Not bad.

[ it's simple enough, not flashy. which is surprising, coming from matt. but he's not going to question it again. ]

Looks good.

[semicharmed]

[ And this level of praise is more positivity than Matt expected from Joel, so it's an evening of surprises all around.

He's actually deeply relieved, because he put a lot of effort into coming up with jewelry Joel might like and he was steeling himself for Joel to thumbs-down it immediately.

About 2% of those feelings make it into his answering text of: ]

Good.

Whenever you want to test it out, let me know and I'll bring it by

[antifungi]

I'm free tomorrow night. You can just stumble in at your usual time.

[ Which is kind of just, like, whenever. But Joel has made his peace with that. ]

[semicharmed]

Excuse you, I'm a picture of class and grace

[ What was that about Matt not being a serious person?

Anyway. The next night rolls around, the moon like a gleaming marble overhead. Matt thinks it's an auspicious evening to test out some magic charms, and packs his messenger bag carefully for a couple different scenarios. Then he unpacks, and repacks for a different one. This is the secret to at least some of Matt's chaos: It's the product of stupid, stupid overthinking.

So it's actually later than he means it to be by the time he makes it to Joel's. Matt fishes a key from the depths of his bag and tries the door. ]

[antifungi]

[ Joel can't claim to be completely beyond the bad habit of overthinking things - but he tends to save it for when it really matters. And that isn't really this. Matt's visits are often at odd times and frequently not when expected, so he doesn't put too much thought into it, either, when he doesn't show up any earlier than he's expected, either. (Not that there was any more than the vaguest outline for when that might be, in the first place.)

He does give it a bit of consideration when it looks like he might not come around at all, though. Which is how he ends up a step away from the door on the other side when Matt tries his key. Joel waits for him to unlock it before opening the door, himself. ]

About time. [ That straight face is pretty convincing. If you don't look too closely. ]