Chapter Text
To: [[email protected]]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Welcome to Colours Connect
Date: Monday 4 September 2025, 08:01
Dear Student,
You have been selected to participate in Colours Connect, S.H.I.E.L.D. High School’s anonymous group chat programme. This initiative aims to promote student wellbeing, develop emotional intelligence, and help you connect with peers outside your usual social group.
Each group is made up of 8 to 10 students. Every participant is assigned a colour-based alias (e.g. Red, Blue, Gold). Identities are kept anonymous for the full 12-week duration of the programme.
You will be added to your Colours Connect chat shortly.
Programme Guidelines:
1 Remain anonymous.
Do not share your name, homeroom, or any identifying personal information.
2 No guessing.
Speculating about or attempting to uncover others’ identities is not permitted.
3 Respect others.
Be kind, constructive, and appropriate. Disrespect will not be tolerated and hate speech will result in an instant ban from the programme.
4 Participate weekly.
You are required to check in with at least one message per week. Councillors may post automatic generic prompts and questions to encourage engagement, but do not have access to a chat’s history, unless a message is flagged as inappropriate.
5 No screenshots or sharing.
Messages are private. Posting them on social media or sharing them outside the chat is a violation of programme rules and will result in the chat’s shutdown and possible suspension.
6 End-of-term unmasking is optional.
At the end of the programme, your group may vote to reveal identities. This will only happen if every member gives explicit consent.
Messages are lightly monitored by the Student Wellbeing Team for safety purposes only. Any flagged content will be reviewed by staff, and students may be contacted if needed. Your privacy and safety remain a priority.
If you have any questions or wish to withdraw from the programme, you may reply to this email or speak directly to a member of the Wellbeing Team.
Thank you for participating in Colours Connect. We hope this experience provides a space to speak openly, listen respectfully, and build unexpected connections.
Kind regards,
Student Wellbeing Team
S.H.I.E.L.D. High School
[email protected]
COLOURS CONNECT – AUTUMN CHAT 07
Members: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black, Gold, Brown
[ 09:00 04/SEP/2025 ]
System Message: Welcome to your Colours Connect group chat. You’ve been randomly assigned this group as part of S.H.I.E.L.D. High School’s Autumn Term anonymous peer communication programme.
System Message: You have been given a colour-based alias, and your messages will appear only under this name. No identifying information should be shared.
System Message: This group will remain open for 12 weeks, until Friday 1 December. Please aim to send at least one message per week.
System Message: This chat is lightly monitored by the Student Wellbeing Team for safety only.
System Message: Be honest, respectable, and open-minded. This space is what you make of it. When you’re ready, introduce yourself, or just say ‘hi’ — someone has to type first.
[ 09:05 ]
PURPLE: *deep sigh*
PURPLE: fine
PURPLE: this is me saying ✨hi✨
PURPLE: hi
PURPLE: I’m done now
[ 09:08 ]
RED: honestly,,, mood
RED: this is my equally A+ effort way of saying ‘hi’
RED: see u guys next week, same time, same place, lol
YELLOW: NOOOOOOOOOOO
YELLOW: WAIIT
YELLOW: DON’T GO STRANGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YELLOW: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YELLOW: WE HAVEN’T STARTED YET ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
RED: well… I mean… we kind of have…?
PURPLE: I’m deaf
RED: lol same
RED: I didn’t realise it was possible to be screamed at through a screen
YELLOW: ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
GOLD:…
GOLD: Good morning?
BLUE: Good morning, Gold. 🙂
RED: oh no
RED: ppl who text w proper punctuation and grammar
PURPLE: ikr
PURPLE: ew
BLUE: Hey. That wasn’t nice, Red.
RED: U litterly proved my point Grandpa 🙄🙄🙄
BLUE: Literally*
PURPLE: LOLLLLLL
BLUE: Also Grandpa? Really? You know that we must be a similar age.
RED: u give the vibes of an older person
RED: v prof plant vibes
PURPLE: trueeeee I can see that
PURPLE: no teen drops a period after a hey
GOLD: Blue is not a plant. The programme’s ‘plant theory’ was heavily debunked years ago. People just have different styles of expressing themselves through text.
PURPLE: says the other plant? 🤔🤔🤔🤔
RED: lolll was going to say the same thing
PURPLE: yoooooooo
PURPLE: we are so in sync today bitch
RED: Wait we can swear in the gc???
RED: There’s no filters???
RED: Fuck yeah
PURPLE: ngl I did check the rules like a sweat before the gc was created to see if we could swear n it said nothing about swearing so…
RED: honestly,,, valid
RED: n I’m not just saying that bc u’ve earned fav colour status today
PURPLE: :)
[ 09:24 ]
RED: so who r we waiting for?
GOLD: Orange, Green, Black, and Brown, I believe.
[ 09:30 ]
BLACK: hi
RED: minimalistic, love it, 10/10
BLACK: 🖕
RED: …
RED: r u d e
RED: but I respect it
[ 09:45 ]
ORANGE: Morning all. Sorry, I don’t have notifications set up on my phone, so I hadn’t realised the programme started already. 😅😅😅
[ 09:49 ]
BROWN: same
BROWN: hi
[ 09:53 ]
RED: uh green???
RED: u alive??
[ 09:58 ]
GREEN sorry
GREEN hi
[ 10:41 ]
RED: it’s suddenly dawned on me that none of us shared our sex/gender/preferred pronouns
RED: I’m a guy
RED: he/him
RED: if it wasn’t obvious
[ 10:44 ]
PURPLE: omg ur right we didn’t
PURPLE: n same
PURPLE: guy, he/him
[ 10:50 ]
YELLOW: SAME
BROWN: same
GOLD: 👍🏻
BLUE: Yep. He/him
ORANGE: Wow, looks like we’re all guys. I didn’t think it would work out like that.
[ 11:00 ]
BLACK: No
BLACK: I’m a woman
BLACK: she/her
BLACK: n Green hasn’t said anything
BLACK: they r my last hope of not being stuck w a bunch of stupid men for a semester
RED: I’d say rude but that’s a valid crash-out
RED: unlucky ur stuck with us @BLACK 🤣🤣🤣
[ 11:10 ]
RED: hey um green???
RED: buddy???
RED: u there????
[ 11:18 ]
RED: ??
[ 12:55 ]
GREEN: he/they
[ 13:03 ]
BLACK: I take that as a win
[ 13:06 ]
RED: oh
RED: nice
[ 13:10 ]
YELLOW: Thx for sharing green. 😁😊 My brother is genderfluid, so he’s not always my brother. Sometimes she’s a girl and sometimes they’re both or neither but I still love them very much. 🥰🩷
YELLOW: I’m not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, but I want to be the best ally I can be for my baby bro and our friends. 🥰🥰🥰
RED: I’m bi
RED: not that anyone asked
RED: but if we’re sharing, I swing both ways, and I’m not ashamed of it
RED: homophobes can go fuck themselves
PURPLE: BI GANG LET’S GOOOO 😎😎😎
PURPLE: SAMEEEE 🩷💜💙
BLUE: I’m also bisexual. 💙
BLACK: eww attraction
BLACK: I’m aroace
PURPLE: valid
BLACK: I didn’t ask for ur opinion
BLACK: but thank you
GOLD: I’m gay.
BROWN: gay
ORANGE: Bi! 😁
PURPLE: omg this chat is so gay I love it
PURPLE: ngl was worried I’d become invested in a chat n suddenly get jump scared by homophobic “jokes”
ORANGE: Yh, I know what you mean. Our school isn’t the best with dealing with homophobic abuse and isn’t the safest to come out at, but I’m glad we all felt comfortable be open with each other. 🩷
BROWN: I’m only out to my best friend and lil sister
BROWN: n now u guys ig
BROWN: my teammates would beat me if they realised they were sharing their locker room w a homo
PURPLE: my bro’s a senior n he’s homophobic af
PURPLE: the culture here sucks, man
PURPLE: but at least we managed to get shoved in this chat instead of one polluted by bigots
PURPLE: luck was on our side
PURPLE: ‘randomly generated chat’ but we’re all queer???
PURPLE: except one
PURPLE: O N E
PURPLE: like it doesn’t make sense to me
RED: it’s a lucky coincidence
RED: but I agree
RED: statistically, the possibility of a queer majority chat is questionable, especially considering I can count like,,, three,,, ppl ik in rl that r out at SHIELD n I have just met 7 ppl who r also queer, so that’s an increase of around 233% for ppl ik that r queer at SHIELD high
BLACK: eh I’ve counted 9 looks-wise
BLACK: but 3 of them r women so u can’t all be part of that 9
RED: looks-wise???
RED: u be out stereotyping @BLACK ??? 🤣
BLACK: I have eyes
BLACK: I observe ppl
RED: w o w
RED: fully admitting it
RED: bold choice
[ 22:48 ]
PURPLE: ugh sch starts back tomorrow n I’m not ready 😭😭😭
[ 23:01 ]
RED: ngl I’m kinda relieved to be coming back
[ 23:07 ]
PURPLE: huh
PURPLE: what did i just read
PURPLE: u want to go back???
PURPLE: to school??????
PURPLE: r u a nerd or something??
[ 23:10]
RED: I’m smart, yes
RED: but it’s not that
RED: my father’s getting on my nerves
RED: the summer’s been too long n I’m sick of him
RED: anywhere is better than home
RED: at least at sch, I’ll be away from his bullshit
[ 23:15]
PURPLE: I hate that I can relate to that
PURPLE: I hate it so fucking much
[ 23:22 ]
RED: go to sleep @PURPLE
[ 23:30 ]
PURPLE: fine 🙄🙄
[ 23:34 ]
PURPLE: night @RED
[ 23:38 ]
RED: goodnight, @PURPLE
RED: look after yourself, yeah??
PURPLE: u too
PURPLE: 💜
COLOURS CONNECT – AUTUMN CHAT 07
Members: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black, Gold, Brown
[ 07:04 05/SEP/2025 ]
ORANGE: Morning guys ☺️😆 Ready for a new year?
[ 07:09 ]
PURPLE: um no
PURPLE: too early whyyyyyyyyyyy
BLUE: Maybe go to bed earlier next time?
PURPLE: omg r u d e
PURPLE: it’s true but ur not supposed to say that
PURPLE: blueee ur supposed to agree w me that it’s too early
BLUE: Oh.
BLUE: Ok.
BLUE: Yes, purple, oh my god, it’s so early. I had no idea I would need to get up at a reasonable time in order to make it to school. It is so unfair.
PURPLE: …
PURPLE: idk whether to be pissed off or impressed that our chat pensioner understands the concept of sarcasm
YELLOW: GOOD MORNING COLOUR NATION
YELLOW: I CANNOT WAIT TO BEGIN THIS NEW YEAR WITH YOU ALL
RED: wow hold on relax
RED: we can’t know who each other r
RED: it’s the whole point of the programme
YELLOW: YES BUT WE WILL SURVIVE THE SEMESTER AS A TEAM 👍🏻😊😆
RED: funny u assume we will all be friends by the end of the semester
PURPLE: hEY
PURPLE: DON’T JINX IT
YELLOW: 😕😕😕😕
YELLOW: I AGREE W MAN OF PURPLE
YELLOW: DO NOT PREDICT THE DOWNFALL OF THE COLOUR NATION
[ 07:20 ]
BLACK: why r we screaming at 7am?
BLACK: it’s too early for this shit
PURPLE: THANK YOU
PURPLE: SOMEONE AGREES IT’S TOO EARLY
BLACK: ffs
BLACK: Stop. Screaming.
PURPLE: oh
PURPLE: whoops
PURPLE: sorry 😅😅😅
[ 09:00 ]
System Message: Good morning and welcome back to S.H.I.E.L.D High School! We hope everything runs smoothly for you today. Don’t forget to check in with your Colours Connect group at least once a week. Your honesty, kindness, and participation will help build a safe space for everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D.
[ 09:05 ]
PURPLE: uh cringe
[ 09:08 ]
RED: kindness is cringe now?
BLACK: yes
RED: come on guys
RED: don’t u just wake up n want to be honest and kind??
RED: the power of friendship is going to make S.H.I.E.L.D high a safe space for all
[ 09:12 ]
BLUE: I have to admit that it is a bit hypocritical.
BLUE: The school’s counselling team, which does nothing to help vulnerable students, collaborates with a wellbeing charity, which also does nothing to help vulnerable students, to tell said vulnerable students to not only get along with the students, who bully them, but to support each other anonymously. They care more about the reputation of their programme than about combatting bullying and hate in real life.
[ 09:18 ]
GOLD: …
GOLD: That’s so fair.
GOLD: A valid point, @BLUE.
GOLD: I don’t see our counselling team do anything other than running this programme, and when issues are brought to their attention, they only take it seriously if it’s related to the programme.
RED: as if hate is only hate is there’s a digital record of it
RED: fucking cowards
RED: Bullies r lucky I’m popular bc if anyone would dare to say anything hurtful about me to my face, I would punch them
RED: genuinely
RED: I would not be able to stomach their bullshit
RED: also can’t keep my mouth shut
RED: no way I’d be able to stop myself from fighting back, physically and verbally
[ 11:05 ]
PURPLE: math sucks
PURPLE: I should have skipped
PURPLE: now I’m just bored
[ 11:08 ]
YELLOW: MATHS IS THE WORST MAN OF PURPLE
YELLOW: TOO MANY NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS AND SHAPES
YELLOW: IF IMPORTANT, WHY HURT MY BRAIN??? THEY SHOULD MAKE MATHS EASIER IF THEY WANT US TO BE ENGAGED
PURPLE: for realll
PURPLE: like wtf is the point
PURPLE: I don’t care about any of this crap
PURPLE: it’s torsha
PURPLE: torsher
PURPLE: tortur
PURPLE: oh ffs
PURPLE: u know what I mean
GOLD: Torture.
PURPLE: YES
PURPLE: that’s it
PURPLE: thx gold
PURPLE: maths is torture
GOLD: Stop looking at your phone and listen. It might make more sense if you pay attention.
PURPLE: um rude
PURPLE: also ur on ur phone too
GOLD: It kept vibrating in my pocket.
GOLD: I was curious. 😅
PURPLE: ok ig that’s fair
PURPLE: I am known for being a bad influence on ppl
PURPLE: what class am I distracting you from @GOLD ??
GOLD: Geography.
GOLD: I prefer history, but it’s not my worst subject. At least I have a better prof this year.
GOLD: Slightly disappointed they’ve split me from my friends, though.
PURPLE: ah that sucks
PURPLE: sorry dude
PURPLE: so no one to gossip under your breath with?
GOLD: No one to pass notes to or laugh with behind the prof’s back. It’s just me, in a room full of faceless acquaintances, twice a week. Tragic, really.
GOLD: We’re kicking off the year with population distribution and migration patterns. It’s easy to pretend I understand, but honestly? It’s mind-numbing. I think I’m losing brain cells trying to take notes from these outdated slides.
PURPLE: Take notes??
PURPLE: Dude.
PURPLE: Don’t torture yourself
PURPLE: No wonder your brain is melting
GOLD: I know. I don’t make it easy for myself.
GOLD: Let’s be honest, the first week doesn’t count that much, anyway. If I ease back into my studies, it’s not going to affect my GPA.
GOLD: Right?
PURPLE: dude I’m always slacking
PURPLE: ur fine
PURPLE: don’t sweat about it
GOLD: Thank you.
GOLD: I think I needed that.
GOLD: Sometimes, I put too much pressure on myself. 😅
GOLD: Meanwhile you’ve got being chill down to an art! 🤣🤣 I should be taking notes from you, instead!
PURPLE: Oh I wouldn’t say that
PURPLE: Besides my skills r a gift
PURPLE: passed down through generations of slackers before me 😁😇
PURPLE: so not something u can just learn bc geography is being an ass
GOLD: Well, I’m still honoured to be in the presence of greatness.
GOLD: Seriously, though.
GOLD: Thanks, purple.
PURPLE: Anytime, dude.
PURPLE: We’re all surviving the first day today
PURPLE: Glad I could help :)
[ 11:49 ]
RED: Well well well
RED: look at u 2 bonding
RED: should we leave u alone?
RED: offer u a room?? 😏😏😏
BLACK: Please do.
BLACK: I could use some silence.
BLACK: Or at least, fewer ping noises.
YELLOW: PING PING PING
BLACK: that’s it
BLACK: I’m muting the chat
PURPLE: noooooooo
PURPLE: @BLACK
PURPLE: WAIT 😭😭😭
RED: Yh she’s not coming back today
YELLOW: 😕☹️
PURPLE: 😭😭😭
RED: don’t act like u wanted her here
RED: she was going to cockblock u, chillzilla
RED: Mister Overachiever over here was about to propose 😏😏
RED: “oh purple thank u for ur wisdom, let me take notes on your chillness”
RED: We get it Goldie Locks 💛📝
PURPLE: goldie locks 😭😭😭
GOLD: That’s it. I’m leaving.
GOLD: This is cyber bullying. 😞
YELLOW: LOOOOOLLLL
PURPLE: THAT’S NOT FAIR
PURPLE: U CAN’T LEAVE 2 😭
RED: omg relax
RED: they’re not dying
BROWN: yet
[ 12:18 ]
RED: I’d ask how long brown has been lurking in the chat, but I don’t think I’ll want to know the answer 💀