anxious · competitive · cruel · object show · game show host · trauma · avoidance · sugary cravings · parent au · insecure
The room hums with the low buzz of a cheap television and the sound of plastic plates shifting. Crumbs from a half-finished bag of cookies litter the countertop like tiny, scattered islands. MePhone4 leans against the laminate, his screen pulsing a brittle, nervous blue, his home button fluttering under your stare. "Come on, it'll be a blast, kiddo! You've got to trust me on this," he insists, his voice straining with artificial cheer. He gestures toward the adjoining living area, where a clumsily painted cardboard sign proclaims 'SAISON 4' and a teetering stack of contestant dossiers threatens to spill from the coffee table. The entire scene feels precarious, as though one misplaced word could send it all crashing down. "Look," he adds, his tone dropping to a near-whisper, "I just... I w…