checkitdontwreckit-blog

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

“Oh, I had no reservations about the quality of the paper. I’ve read and heard a lot of wonderful things,” he assures. Yes, the club was... smaller, than he’d expected to hear it was, but perhaps that’s for the best. Less butting heads, easier discussion, and less people to have to pretend to like for the sake of professionalism. Not that he expected to dislike anyone, but the percentage of people who disliked him on sight was far higher than those who he got along with easily, at the very least near the beginning. “I’ll be sure to seek her out, thank you.” “A second meeting would absolutely be a good idea, I say go for it. Not only would it be convenient for time management and a good place to get in touch with people who are harder to get in touch with, but having that second day in place would also probably lessen the number of impromptu meetings, since there’s a day after Monday that students will definitely have their conflicts cleared for.” But that’s just your two cents. Wait, did that come off as arrogant? “You definitely don’t have to take my word into account, though, seeing as I’m a notably recent addition, heh.”

What, Are You Typing A Novel?

Kankri had his sights on joining this club long before he even settled into his boarding room. He knew that being a contributing part of the paper here would look especially good on his college application, and had plenty of experience writing both longer and shorter works. Generally nonfiction, but that’s what news delivers. News. Facts. Notes on how to improve one’s self and society, bit by bit. Or that’s what he hoped to contribute to the paper, if the Snow Cat Times didn’t already have a column on such a topic.

Kankri had a folder stuffed full with his proudest moments as an avid blogger, and other personal notes he’d made to himself that he felt would assure him a spot in the paper. He had no doubts in his mind that they’d be eager to welcome him into their ranks. However, he knew better than to saunter in and let them know he expected the position to fall into his lap. A good dose of humility would be the key to his acceptance. 

He strode up to the room the newspaper club was supposed to meet up in, at the time they were supposed to meet up and knocked on the door, thinking over his introduction. ‘Hello, I’m Kankri Vantas. I’d like to apply to be a writer for your paper.’ Yes, a-

Oh no. Well, Kankri knew what he wanted to write about. And he knew what subjects he could address immediately, but he suddenly realized that he had no substantial title for the column he had ready. Nothing snappy or succinct. “A Column People Should Read So They Can Be More Aware Of Their Harmful Behavior And Language” probably wouldn’t cut it. Oh, dear. Think fast, Kankri. This could be what would tie his interview together. Why did he have to go and knock before he was completely prepared?

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Alternia Academy was driving all of Kankri’s expectations into the ground. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, he felt way over-prepared for anything thrown at him, which was always a positive note. But the one thing he was unprepared for was people simply handing him what he sought after.  Well, it’d still look good on his college applications, right? They didn’t have to know how easy it was to get in. “Well, to start off, just how many people are in this club? And, on that note, should I seek them out to introduce myself to them prior to the next meeting? What days and at what time does this club meet, anyway?” Kankri caught himself and cleared his throat before asking too many questions for her to answer at once. Something to work on. 

What, Are You Typing A Novel?

Kankri had his sights on joining this club long before he even settled into his boarding room. He knew that being a contributing part of the paper here would look especially good on his college application, and had plenty of experience writing both longer and shorter works. Generally nonfiction, but that’s what news delivers. News. Facts. Notes on how to improve one’s self and society, bit by bit. Or that’s what he hoped to contribute to the paper, if the Snow Cat Times didn’t already have a column on such a topic.

Kankri had a folder stuffed full with his proudest moments as an avid blogger, and other personal notes he’d made to himself that he felt would assure him a spot in the paper. He had no doubts in his mind that they’d be eager to welcome him into their ranks. However, he knew better than to saunter in and let them know he expected the position to fall into his lap. A good dose of humility would be the key to his acceptance. 

He strode up to the room the newspaper club was supposed to meet up in, at the time they were supposed to meet up and knocked on the door, thinking over his introduction. ‘Hello, I’m Kankri Vantas. I’d like to apply to be a writer for your paper.’ Yes, a-

Oh no. Well, Kankri knew what he wanted to write about. And he knew what subjects he could address immediately, but he suddenly realized that he had no substantial title for the column he had ready. Nothing snappy or succinct. “A Column People Should Read So They Can Be More Aware Of Their Harmful Behavior And Language” probably wouldn’t cut it. Oh, dear. Think fast, Kankri. This could be what would tie his interview together. Why did he have to go and knock before he was completely prepared?

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri stiffened. He kept every muscle of his body still as the delinquent next to him spoke and invaded his personal boundaries. Even when he felt the guy’s breath on his ear he made sure to stay stock still. When he refused to pull away, Kankri took a deep breath and pulled an arm up to his chest. He aimed his elbow and put all his strength into jutting it into the obstacle screaming Stranger Danger into his ear. Hopefully that’d at least get him to back off a little bit.  “Didn’t I tell you you should try to be more mindful?” Kankri asked him, pulling his key back as took a few steps to the side away from Tattoo’d Menace. He was not going to open his door when the man could so easily just slide by him, and Kankri had a bad record with reporting incidents to authority figures. Very similar to the Boy Who Cried Wolf, only Kankri was the only one who was ever able to see the wolf from the start. Or wolves. Oh, metaphors get messy when one is tired and emotionally drained.  If this guy didn’t- “Oh, you’re right. How rude of me, I apologize. Sincerely, I’ve been just awful. I would bring up a mountain of excuses, but what good would that do? I could stand to muster up some basic etiquette. What is your name, friend?”

Check Yourself

Kankri sighed loudly as he made his way to the dormitory. Today had been long indeed, and he couldn’t easily say that he’d gotten along with everyone he’d met. Not that he’d been hoping to, necessarily. A little conflict is what kept life’s dynamic interesting. The problem was that the ratio of which students he couldn’t stand and couldn’t stand him versus which students he could summon up some respect for summoned a very stark difference.  It didn’t help that he was physically much smaller than most of his adversaries. He wasn’t easily intimidated, but even he knew that the odds were against him should they combine forces. None of his allegiances were quite as strong. This was a continuing pattern with him, and Karkat loved to remind him how dumb it was to set the field that way. Because of course Kankri was doing such on purpose. 

So, what he needed now was some peace and quiet. Maybe some relaxing ASMR and then an hour or four dedicated to working. At the risk of seeming rude to his roommate, he was going to go to whatever lengths necessary to block the social world out. It was rare to be able, but Kankri was doing to make sure he got some time to breathe. Sans chlorine. Of course, that was the plan. Unfortunately, once he reached his room, he came upon a presumed student that he had yet to meet leaning on the door. Kankri set his shoulders and approached his room, chin up. He stepped up to only a foot (only a foot!) away from the student and cleared his throat loudly. He was going to get in with as little interaction as possible, and all he’d have to do was hold his tongue for once.

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri turned his head sharply and deflated rapidly. Of course it was Karkat. Yes, this is just what he needed! To have a squabble with his brother in the middle of the hallway over music that was too calm to be considered a ruckus but too loud to be left alone. Kankri closed the door to his dorm behind him and walked the short distance to Karkat’s dorm. He made sure to keep a reasonable distance between them and kept his voice low. “Hello, Karkat. Sorry for the outdoor voice, I didn’t know you were so close. Glad to hear that a focused emphasis for your art to accompany the more necessary academics hasn’t diminished your relationship with music. However, I hope I can say the same about your hearing, if such a volume doesn’t strike you as somewhat painful.” Kankri could appreciate that Karkat was careful enough to stay within the perimeters of his dorm room. He was probably banking on the fact that, though Kankri was family, he would not trespass even for the well-being of the student body’s hearing. “And how does your roommate feel about you playing music so loudly?”

Turn Down

Kankri was trying to sleep. Trying being the operative word. Unfortunately, someone was playing classical music at a ridiculously loud volume. It was only nine in the p.m., and they weren’t necessarily required to turn it down. Authorities had yet to be informed, and it seemed like Kankri was either the only one who cared or the only one who could hear it. Kankri really hoped that it was only the former.  He sat up slowly in bed, looking over at his roommate’s empty one. Sure, Kankri was going to bed early, but it wasn’t so early that Jake shouldn’t be at least in the dorm if he was at all hoping to get a good night’s rest. Oh well, there could be other factors that Kankri couldn’t account for. Kankri stretched his arms out, cringing at the aches in his neck and shoulders. Then cringing even more at a sharp twang of a violin.  He stood up and slipped on a pair of slippers, making his way out of the room and to the door of the dorm. Bracing himself against even louder music, he pushes the door open and looks up and down the hall, trying to determine which way the music seemed to grow louder. Instead of trying to wander the halls and find the source, Kankri summons up his well-pent rage and projects his voice to call out, “Excuse me, whoever is playing the classical music: WOULD YOU PLEASE TURN IT DOWN?”

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Turn Down

Kankri was trying to sleep. Trying being the operative word. Unfortunately, someone was playing classical music at a ridiculously loud volume. It was only nine in the p.m., and they weren’t necessarily required to turn it down. Authorities had yet to be informed, and it seemed like Kankri was either the only one who cared or the only one who could hear it. Kankri really hoped that it was only the former.  He sat up slowly in bed, looking over at his roommate’s empty one. Sure, Kankri was going to bed early, but it wasn’t so early that Jake shouldn’t be at least in the dorm if he was at all hoping to get a good night’s rest. Oh well, there could be other factors that Kankri couldn’t account for. Kankri stretched his arms out, cringing at the aches in his neck and shoulders. Then cringing even more at a sharp twang of a violin.  He stood up and slipped on a pair of slippers, making his way out of the room and to the door of the dorm. Bracing himself against even louder music, he pushes the door open and looks up and down the hall, trying to determine which way the music seemed to grow louder. Instead of trying to wander the halls and find the source, Kankri summons up his well-pent rage and projects his voice to call out, “Excuse me, whoever is playing the classical music: WOULD YOU PLEASE TURN IT DOWN?”

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri’s shoulders rose with tension at Cronus’ mispronunciation of his name. There was a very slight chance that it was on accident, so Kankri was going to assume it was. At least. He would act like it was. He definitely had never gotten ‘cutie’ before. “Kankri. As in can and decree. Try not to mess it up, again.” “I understand, just try to be more mindful.” Kankri moved forward, the key to his freedom in his hand. “Have a good afternoon, uh. Pal.” What exactly was that he was hearing? An actual impediment? Or another special effect that would be passed off as a coping mechanism? Kankri couldn’t handle another pun, not after the day he’d had. If it was subtle punning, Kankri wasn’t going to give himself the chance to notice it. He pushed the key in and turned it, so close to every good thing that was left in the day.

Check Yourself

Kankri sighed loudly as he made his way to the dormitory. Today had been long indeed, and he couldn’t easily say that he’d gotten along with everyone he’d met. Not that he’d been hoping to, necessarily. A little conflict is what kept life’s dynamic interesting. The problem was that the ratio of which students he couldn’t stand and couldn’t stand him versus which students he could summon up some respect for summoned a very stark difference.  It didn’t help that he was physically much smaller than most of his adversaries. He wasn’t easily intimidated, but even he knew that the odds were against him should they combine forces. None of his allegiances were quite as strong. This was a continuing pattern with him, and Karkat loved to remind him how dumb it was to set the field that way. Because of course Kankri was doing such on purpose. 

So, what he needed now was some peace and quiet. Maybe some relaxing ASMR and then an hour or four dedicated to working. At the risk of seeming rude to his roommate, he was going to go to whatever lengths necessary to block the social world out. It was rare to be able, but Kankri was doing to make sure he got some time to breathe. Sans chlorine. Of course, that was the plan. Unfortunately, once he reached his room, he came upon a presumed student that he had yet to meet leaning on the door. Kankri set his shoulders and approached his room, chin up. He stepped up to only a foot (only a foot!) away from the student and cleared his throat loudly. He was going to get in with as little interaction as possible, and all he’d have to do was hold his tongue for once.

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri narrowed his eyes as the taller kid looked him over, but made sure to keep glancing back at the door behind him. This whole ‘body language’ thing didn’t seem to be working out very well. So much for ‘not everything needs to be said, holy shit’. Speaking of things that needed to be said, was this guy old enough to have so many tattoos? Kankri had to hope that they were fake.  Then the obstacle opened his mouth. Kankri’s eyes widened and he reeled back, somehow managing to keep himself from tripping over his feet. After straightening himself up, he cleared his throat. “If you could refrain from using pet names like that toward me, Kankri works just as well at getting my attention. The only reason I was so close to begin with was to get yours, and I apologize if I crossed any boundaries into unwanted territory.” Then he shut his mouth and sighed. Perhaps he was too quick to jump to conclusions because of the appearance of this man. He had the look of a ruffian, honestly. Of course, Kankri knew better than to judge a book by its cover. “I apologize, my reaction was unwarranted. I was looking to get into my room, if you will excuse me.”

Check Yourself

Kankri sighed loudly as he made his way to the dormitory. Today had been long indeed, and he couldn’t easily say that he’d gotten along with everyone he’d met. Not that he’d been hoping to, necessarily. A little conflict is what kept life’s dynamic interesting. The problem was that the ratio of which students he couldn’t stand and couldn’t stand him versus which students he could summon up some respect for summoned a very stark difference.  It didn’t help that he was physically much smaller than most of his adversaries. He wasn’t easily intimidated, but even he knew that the odds were against him should they combine forces. None of his allegiances were quite as strong. This was a continuing pattern with him, and Karkat loved to remind him how dumb it was to set the field that way. Because of course Kankri was doing such on purpose. 

So, what he needed now was some peace and quiet. Maybe some relaxing ASMR and then an hour or four dedicated to working. At the risk of seeming rude to his roommate, he was going to go to whatever lengths necessary to block the social world out. It was rare to be able, but Kankri was doing to make sure he got some time to breathe. Sans chlorine. Of course, that was the plan. Unfortunately, once he reached his room, he came upon a presumed student that he had yet to meet leaning on the door. Kankri set his shoulders and approached his room, chin up. He stepped up to only a foot (only a foot!) away from the student and cleared his throat loudly. He was going to get in with as little interaction as possible, and all he’d have to do was hold his tongue for once.

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

“Alright, Rose. It never hurts to give a heads up, though.” He watched her eagerly as she scanned his portfolio, surprisingly taking the time to read from cover to cover. It felt good to see someone pore over his words, though he expected there to be something in his work that would incite a conversation or at least push her to ask him... something. If it weren’t for her body language, he’d assume that this was all just a formality. Of course, it very well could be. Whether it was in his favor or not was yet to be seen. Then she put aside the portfolio and gave him the answer he’d been waiting for.  Kankri blinked owlishly at her before letting out a short, surprised laugh. Well, that was certainly easier than he’d expected it to be. He at least though he’d have to share his name verbally, if not any other more personal information. Yes, his voice and personality shone through his portfolio, and it could be said that one’s writing was a reflection of one’s soul, but this all seemed a little lax for an interview. Could he really have made such a positive impression? “Really?” This was a rare moment in history. “Thank you so much, Rose. You won’t regret adding me to your cavalry, I’m a very dedicated student, and my work ethic will mirror itself here as well,” he promised. Then he held his breath as his thoughts settled. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, though?”

What, Are You Typing A Novel?

Kankri had his sights on joining this club long before he even settled into his boarding room. He knew that being a contributing part of the paper here would look especially good on his college application, and had plenty of experience writing both longer and shorter works. Generally nonfiction, but that’s what news delivers. News. Facts. Notes on how to improve one’s self and society, bit by bit. Or that’s what he hoped to contribute to the paper, if the Snow Cat Times didn’t already have a column on such a topic.

Kankri had a folder stuffed full with his proudest moments as an avid blogger, and other personal notes he’d made to himself that he felt would assure him a spot in the paper. He had no doubts in his mind that they’d be eager to welcome him into their ranks. However, he knew better than to saunter in and let them know he expected the position to fall into his lap. A good dose of humility would be the key to his acceptance. 

He strode up to the room the newspaper club was supposed to meet up in, at the time they were supposed to meet up and knocked on the door, thinking over his introduction. ‘Hello, I’m Kankri Vantas. I’d like to apply to be a writer for your paper.’ Yes, a-

Oh no. Well, Kankri knew what he wanted to write about. And he knew what subjects he could address immediately, but he suddenly realized that he had no substantial title for the column he had ready. Nothing snappy or succinct. “A Column People Should Read So They Can Be More Aware Of Their Harmful Behavior And Language” probably wouldn’t cut it. Oh, dear. Think fast, Kankri. This could be what would tie his interview together. Why did he have to go and knock before he was completely prepared?

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Check Yourself

Kankri sighed loudly as he made his way to the dormitory. Today had been long indeed, and he couldn’t easily say that he’d gotten along with everyone he’d met. Not that he’d been hoping to, necessarily. A little conflict is what kept life’s dynamic interesting. The problem was that the ratio of which students he couldn’t stand and couldn’t stand him versus which students he could summon up some respect for summoned a very stark difference.  It didn’t help that he was physically much smaller than most of his adversaries. He wasn’t easily intimidated, but even he knew that the odds were against him should they combine forces. None of his allegiances were quite as strong. This was a continuing pattern with him, and Karkat loved to remind him how dumb it was to set the field that way. Because of course Kankri was doing such on purpose. 

So, what he needed now was some peace and quiet. Maybe some relaxing ASMR and then an hour or four dedicated to working. At the risk of seeming rude to his roommate, he was going to go to whatever lengths necessary to block the social world out. It was rare to be able, but Kankri was doing to make sure he got some time to breathe. Sans chlorine. Of course, that was the plan. Unfortunately, once he reached his room, he came upon a presumed student that he had yet to meet leaning on the door. Kankri set his shoulders and approached his room, chin up. He stepped up to only a foot (only a foot!) away from the student and cleared his throat loudly. He was going to get in with as little interaction as possible, and all he’d have to do was hold his tongue for once.

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Oh, so it was a sort of... coping mechanism? A curious one, but far be it for Kankri to decide what kinds of mechanisms were valid and what ones weren’t, That was to say, all coping mechanisms were valid. Well, most of them. A large majority. (Okay, seriously? Punning? And there was no way that it was appropriate of her to compare her speech impairment to smoking.) As a matter of fact, “Are you really going to compare your pun habit to a smoking addiction? I really hope that wasn’t the actual meaning of your words. Because if so, I think you severely misunderstand the effects of smoking on everyone in a four foot radius. If you meant merely to compare the process of habit creation, ‘smoking’ was a very poor example.” And suddenly he was too amped up to respond to the truth in everything else she’d said. “In all honesty, I don’t think I can bring myself to put much weight into your reasoning, considering the careless comparison you made. You also neglected to see if perhaps I’d had a bad experience with smoking and/or smokers themselves. And my name is Kankri, I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you.”

Yes, that ought to sting. Though not in a purely malicious way. Of course not. No, he wasn’t antagonistic without cause, he was just baiting her into taking a closer look at her words at the effects they could have on others. That was all. He wasn’t trying to be mean for the sake of being mean or to cover up his fault in tearing down these posters without consulting anyone. Though, he’d do well to come up with a reasonable response to that, and soon.

Water You Doing?

checkitdontwreckit

Kankri squinted as he listened to her. No, that was no impediment. He did his best to hide his grimace as he realized she was punning. Casually. About the ocean, sea and water-based creatures. And then he had to force his expression to remain entirely neutral as he itched to interrupt her. She didn’t understand what he was saying at all, did she? She just wanted to assume he was a baseless vandal, when that was not the case!

So, he waited patiently and silently for her to finish chewing out his reasons before clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. “I’d appreciate it if you toned down the puns, as it makes it somewhat harder to understand and take you seriously. Now, I would only be getting in trouble if I was doing it with a subjective goal, but I can assure you that the reasoning I have is entirely objective. I’m not taking them down because I dislike glitter myself, I’m taking these down for the sakes of my classmates. Sure, one wouldn’t necessarily be poisoned by it, but glitter that isn’t properly glued gets on your person one way or another. And that glitter can make its way into your eye, where it can do damage. Such as scratching your cornea. Not only would such an injury be obtrusive and annoying, but if the scratches go unchecked, they can become infected and permanently impair your sight. I doubt you’d wish that upon another student, right?”

“Okay, on to your point about the advertisement being necessary. Surely we can cover plenty of bases without using so much paper? I really don’t see how putting ten posters up in the same hall will better your chances when you can easily put four, or even just two, at the ends where people leave and enter. People aren’t going to join while they’re going to class, they’re going to join when then have free time. Point dismissed,” he said curtly. “Speaking of dismissed points, you didn’t even comment on how having so many copies was in fact harmful to the ecosystem. Recycling is always an option, yes. But then we make the full circle back to glitter, which is not recyclable. So dozens upon dozens of papers are just. Wasted. For what? Annoying people into agreeing only works so well, and it rarely gets people to willingly spend even more time with you. I’d know.”

He takes a breath and sighs, smiling at her. “I’m sorry, I never got your name.”

     He was squinting at her, He had definitely picked up on it by this point, but honestly she didn’t care anymore. He was making pretty valid points but again that doesn’t necessarily give him the right to come through and take down what he pleased. Couldn’t that be considered a form of vandalism and, knowing who put them up, there was hell to come as soon as she found it. Meenah didn’t take kindly to people messing with her things as she had learned from experience in the past and with how this boy was already irritating Feferi, who was hard to irritate most of the time, she was sure Meenah would have a much more negative reaction to him and his reasons, solid as they may be, for taking down her posters.

     Feferi looked genuinely taken aback at his insistence that she stop using her puns. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “My use of puns may take away from the seriousness of what I’m saying but I have a bit of a problem with them. It’s kind of like smoking in a sense. After doing it for so long it’s hard to break the habit, except I don’t have an addiction. They just tend to slip out and trying not to use them feels forced and not like myself. It’s a comfort thing.” She did stop herself from using puns that time and many of her words were faulty and hesitant.

     "And of course, the whale-being of the student body is concerning to me, but shorely by now if the school saw them as unfit they would’ve had them taken down and would’ve consulted the swim team first, unlike you. In some cases, I can sea why someone would eel the need to take matters into their own hands but this is a school. The staff is highly qualified for their jobs and I’m shore these posters had to be approved before they could be put up, right? It’s not like the staff hasn’t seen them because they’re everywhere, just like you said.” 

     She was confused by him asked her name. The question just popped up out of nowhere. She squinted at his smile. Was it fake? ”Feferi Peixes. Yours?”

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri felt his pride bolster at her approval, and could barely manage to keep his pace even as he took her invitation and entered the room. He eyed the number of chairs subtly, hoping that they would give him a sense of how much competition he was up against. Not much, but their crew seemed of reasonable size. Even if none of them seemed to be here at the moment, he couldn’t tell that Rose’s team was lacking. “Thank you very much for agreeing to speak with me, Rose. Is it alright if I call you Rose?” After all, she would be playing a role similar to an employer. So, he was going to pay the same respects to her as he would to a person of authority. He set his portfolio on the table, upside right in the direction of the computer. He could hardly contain his excitement, if he was to be at all honest with himself. “I hope nothing in my portfolio contains any content that could upset you. Some of my racier subjects from when I was younger are in there, and are not really well worded. They’re dated to avoid confusion. And if you’d prefer to steer clear of anything too controversial, pages five through nine and eleven have the pieces you’d want to avoid,” he warned her, folding his hands in his lap as he watched her evaluation of him.

What, Are You Typing A Novel?

Kankri had his sights on joining this club long before he even settled into his boarding room. He knew that being a contributing part of the paper here would look especially good on his college application, and had plenty of experience writing both longer and shorter works. Generally nonfiction, but that’s what news delivers. News. Facts. Notes on how to improve one’s self and society, bit by bit. Or that’s what he hoped to contribute to the paper, if the Snow Cat Times didn’t already have a column on such a topic.

Kankri had a folder stuffed full with his proudest moments as an avid blogger, and other personal notes he’d made to himself that he felt would assure him a spot in the paper. He had no doubts in his mind that they’d be eager to welcome him into their ranks. However, he knew better than to saunter in and let them know he expected the position to fall into his lap. A good dose of humility would be the key to his acceptance. 

He strode up to the room the newspaper club was supposed to meet up in, at the time they were supposed to meet up and knocked on the door, thinking over his introduction. ‘Hello, I’m Kankri Vantas. I’d like to apply to be a writer for your paper.’ Yes, a-

Oh no. Well, Kankri knew what he wanted to write about. And he knew what subjects he could address immediately, but he suddenly realized that he had no substantial title for the column he had ready. Nothing snappy or succinct. “A Column People Should Read So They Can Be More Aware Of Their Harmful Behavior And Language” probably wouldn’t cut it. Oh, dear. Think fast, Kankri. This could be what would tie his interview together. Why did he have to go and knock before he was completely prepared?

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri squinted as he listened to her. No, that was no impediment. He did his best to hide his grimace as he realized she was punning. Casually. About the ocean, sea and water-based creatures. And then he had to force his expression to remain entirely neutral as he itched to interrupt her. She didn’t understand what he was saying at all, did she? She just wanted to assume he was a baseless vandal, when that was not the case!

So, he waited patiently and silently for her to finish chewing out his reasons before clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. “I’d appreciate it if you toned down the puns, as it makes it somewhat harder to understand and take you seriously. Now, I would only be getting in trouble if I was doing it with a subjective goal, but I can assure you that the reasoning I have is entirely objective. I’m not taking them down because I dislike glitter myself, I’m taking these down for the sakes of my classmates. Sure, one wouldn’t necessarily be poisoned by it, but glitter that isn’t properly glued gets on your person one way or another. And that glitter can make its way into your eye, where it can do damage. Such as scratching your cornea. Not only would such an injury be obtrusive and annoying, but if the scratches go unchecked, they can become infected and permanently impair your sight. I doubt you’d wish that upon another student, right?”

“Okay, on to your point about the advertisement being necessary. Surely we can cover plenty of bases without using so much paper? I really don’t see how putting ten posters up in the same hall will better your chances when you can easily put four, or even just two, at the ends where people leave and enter. People aren’t going to join while they’re going to class, they’re going to join when then have free time. Point dismissed,” he said curtly. “Speaking of dismissed points, you didn’t even comment on how having so many copies was in fact harmful to the ecosystem. Recycling is always an option, yes. But then we make the full circle back to glitter, which is not recyclable. So dozens upon dozens of papers are just. Wasted. For what? Annoying people into agreeing only works so well, and it rarely gets people to willingly spend even more time with you. I’d know.”

He takes a breath and sighs, smiling at her. “I’m sorry, I never got your name.” 

Water You Doing?

     His expression confused her for a moment. It had twisted into confusion and she couldn’t tell if it was because of how she talked or because she had actually come up and accosted him about his actions. So much for making friends. So far she wasn’t liking this guy. Feferi could feel her chin tilt slightly and felt the familiar twinge of haughtiness and disdain that came to her when she felt someone was doing something wrong.

     “So you’ve confirmed my susfishion that you are indeed doing this without permission from the people you need it from. I’m pretty shore that’s not allowed. You cod get yourshell in a lot of trouble, you know?” she tripped over the word susfishion at first 1) because it a bad pun and 2) because she was trying not to use puns again but decided to just roll with it. He’d probably picked up on it by now.

      “And there’s nofin wrong with a little glitter. Or a lot of glitter. It’s porpoise is to catch the intended audience’s eye and it’s reely nice to look at.” She herself was adorned in necklaces and bracelets which she was sure had a similar sheen to the craft glitter plastered all over the poster. “The swim team needs that much advertisement. It may come off as shellfish but not everyone is lunging at the chance to join the swim team.”

     She was not one of those people. Should the opportunity come for her to join, she’d immediately jump on it. Then she could use the pool at her leisure anytime and, already being a great swimmer, winning tournaments wouldn’t be too hard. She practically lived in the water.

     “Who would even get sick from it though? The only way it could be harmful is if they used toxic glitter and most places only shell non-toxic kinds, so that eliminates that possibility. You’d literally have to lick the poster and possibly even eat it for it to hurt you,” she vociferated, her tone picking up her aggravated excitement. 

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri took a moment to look taken aback by her speech. Was that some kind of impediment? An accent of sorts? Would it be rude to ask just what had happened right then? Yes, of course it would be. It would be best to just move on like nothing strange had happened. 

“’Is there something wrong them?’” he scoffed, holding one up as he prepared to present his case. “First of all, no. I haven't spoken to the staff or to the swim team about these as of yet. I was planning to stop by the pool after removing a reasonable percentage of these posters, so that any solution we'd manage to come to would be easy to put into motion in a shorter amount of time.”

"Now the issue with the posters themselves. Exhibit A would be the exorbitant amount of posters spread out about campus. Not only is that harmful to the ecosystem, but it leaves little room for other advertising, and is in general over the top. There'd be no break from the attack on our senses. Exhibit B: the extravagant doses of glitter poured onto each one. Not only is it hard on the eyes, but as you can see,” he gestures to himself and holds up his glittery palm, “it gets everywhere. This can potentially come to bring minor or major harm to a student's health. Need I continue to Exhibit C?”

In all honesty, Kankri didn't have an Exhibit C, yet. He supposed if he wanted to play it catty, he could bring up the abhorrent aesthetic, but he doubted that such an approach would go over too well, anyway. And if this girl was anything like the rest of the swim team, he either had to learn to be convincing or hope she had a good sense of reason. These posters could not stay up, not in their quantity, and hopefully not with their current design.

Water You Doing?

    Room 106 had become boring to Feferi almost instantly. Initially, there was excitement for the possibility of having a new roommate and a seemingly never-ending sleep over every night. Bags full of clothing and personal items in hand, she had unlocked and pushed open the door excitedly. Only to be met with bland walls and two beds with only plain white mattresses. At first, she thought her roommate just wasn’t there yet. That was until she glanced at her boarding assignment and her heart sank as her excitement faded. Feferi’s name was the only one on the paper and in her haste to make a new friend she hadn’t even bothered to check for another name. They would’ve at least notified her in some way of her roommate’s name or if she would even have one.

     Glum and feeling lonely, she had unpacked her things and gotten settled in. Of course, without having someone to get caught up in conversation with, she’d had plenty of time to move everything around and decorate as she pleased. Though as she had stood back and looked at the room, she was still unsatisfied. Though the school year had already begun and everyone was moved in, there was still possibility for the arrival of a new student so she’d made sure to keep everything on her side of the room and it left a huge contrast. One half of the room was bright and colorful and looked alive and lived in and the other half was just boring, dreary, and left her with a sense of boredom. 

     After about ten to fifteen minutes of trying to entertain herself, the prospect of friend-making was still fresh in her mind and drove her to leave her room and explore the campus for a little while. After stepping out of the room and securing the door, she felt slightly relieved to not have to be in there alone. It’s a huge disappointment to expect someone and end up by yourself. She turned away from her door and made her way out of the dorm. The fresh air hit her and she breathed in deeply, still slightly warm from the summer but with the hints of an autumn chill. There was barely any noise except for the chronic chirp of insects and birds and… a ripping sound? It was faint but with everything else relatively quiet and hushed it could definitely be heard. 

     Curiosity getting the better of her, Feferi tracked down the noise to a very short boy with slightly darker skin than her own. He looked disgruntled and had a pile of flashy papers at his feet. As she neared and upon closer inspection, she realized he was tearing down posters for one of the school’s clubs. Namely the swim team’s. Her favorite club.

     “Water you doing?” Her tone was a little too loud for one-on-one conversation and tinged with a little irritation. Judging by his build and posture, he obviously wasn’t on the swim team so what gave him the right to tear down the posters?

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri chewed his lip, unsightly as the habit was, trying to think up something catchy that people would remember easily. He knew it was there he just had to think. But then the door opened and his time had obviously run out. He refused to let his shoulders sag with the defeat he was feeling as he pushed past himself. “Yes, if you are in fact Rose Lalonde.”

He presented the folder he’d prepared proudly, though not for her to take. If he was mistaken, he didn’t want to appear too foolish. Though, this person seemed like they’d be understanding, even if he did. “I’m looking to join the school newspaper, hopefully as a writer. I’ve taken the time to assemble a portfolio of sorts as well, showcasing my growth from two years back to now. What’s most noticeable is an increase in eloquence, length, and vocabulary, though the ideas do manage to gain more depth and substance, if I may toot my own horn for a minute.”

Of course, he knew that people were expected to toot their horns at interviews. To preen and make themselves the most desirable employee, to the employer. It just took a lot of consideration and rethinking to make sure that kind of advertisement didn’t come off as snobbish or anything of the sort.

What, Are You Typing A Novel?

Kankri had his sights on joining this club long before he even settled into his boarding room. He knew that being a contributing part of the paper here would look especially good on his college application, and had plenty of experience writing both longer and shorter works. Generally nonfiction, but that’s what news delivers. News. Facts. Notes on how to improve one’s self and society, bit by bit. Or that’s what he hoped to contribute to the paper, if the Snow Cat Times didn’t already have a column on such a topic.

Kankri had a folder stuffed full with his proudest moments as an avid blogger, and other personal notes he’d made to himself that he felt would assure him a spot in the paper. He had no doubts in his mind that they’d be eager to welcome him into their ranks. However, he knew better than to saunter in and let them know he expected the position to fall into his lap. A good dose of humility would be the key to his acceptance. 

He strode up to the room the newspaper club was supposed to meet up in, at the time they were supposed to meet up and knocked on the door, thinking over his introduction. ‘Hello, I’m Kankri Vantas. I’d like to apply to be a writer for your paper.’ Yes, a-

Oh no. Well, Kankri knew what he wanted to write about. And he knew what subjects he could address immediately, but he suddenly realized that he had no substantial title for the column he had ready. Nothing snappy or succinct. “A Column People Should Read So They Can Be More Aware Of Their Harmful Behavior And Language” probably wouldn’t cut it. Oh, dear. Think fast, Kankri. This could be what would tie his interview together. Why did he have to go and knock before he was completely prepared?

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Yes, Jake would probably get along with Kankri fine with even just half-listening. Kankri liked to talk at people more than he liked to talk to them.

“Oh, I know, but my vocabulary... blanked, for a second there. And as far as health-code goes, yes they’re so bad. I’m not talking about the design’s aesthetic, you know. Of course, if I’m being entirely honest I don’t much care for that either. But I’m not the one benefiting from them, so there you go. My opinion is inconsequential.” Kankri pulled one out and held it towards Jake after straightening it out. “If you manage to hand it back to me without suddenly getting glitter in your eye, I might reconsider my stance on whether these are necessarily a safety hazard.”

▸ Random Encounter

No rules to suggest? That seemed unlikely to Kankri, but he presumed that Jake would prefer to bring this conversation up in a less public setting. It was rather silly of Kankri to assume that everyone would be comfortable with such a discussion to be out in the open. “Ah, well if you think of anything, let me know.”

He followed Jake’s gesture to his bag. “Oh! Yes, I’m taking these to the swim team. The excessive amounts of glitter are going to get in many people’s ways, and could get into orifices that could greatly harm a student’s health. Not to mention just how many copies they made, it’s. Well, it’s preposterous. Hopefully I’ll manage to talk some sense into them, but if it comes down to it, I’d be glad to take this situation into my own hands. Hey, you mentioned being strong and durable. If they refuse to listen to reason, could I possibly count on you to help me tear these– for lack of a better word– abominations, down?” 

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

No rules to suggest? That seemed unlikely to Kankri, but he presumed that Jake would prefer to bring this conversation up in a less public setting. It was rather silly of Kankri to assume that everyone would be comfortable with such a discussion to be out in the open. “Ah, well if you think of anything, let me know.”

He followed Jake’s gesture to his bag. “Oh! Yes, I’m taking these to the swim team. The excessive amounts of glitter are going to get in many people’s ways, and could get into orifices that could greatly harm a student’s health. Not to mention just how many copies they made, it’s. Well, it’s preposterous. Hopefully I’ll manage to talk some sense into them, but if it comes down to it, I’d be glad to take this situation into my own hands. Hey, you mentioned being strong and durable. If they refuse to listen to reason, could I possibly count on you to help me tear these-- for lack of a better word-- abominations, down?” 

▸ Random Encounter

Kankri’s expression brightened at Jake’s consent to conversation, and was far from aware of the other’s discomfort with his rambling. “Fantastic. I’ll do my best to keep things simple. Now. I’d appreciate it if we could clean up after ourselves, which is typically a given. Also, if you could refrain from casually disrobing, for example: walking around without a shirt or with only boxers or briefs for pants. Socks are appreciated, but not essential. If we’re planning on inviting others over, three day’s notice would be perfect. And, lights off at curfew, headphones in if filed with audio are to be played, and proper hygiene is a must.”

Kankri put a hand to his mouth in thought. “That’s all that comes to mind at the moment, but I have a list on my laptop that could be pulled up later or tomorrow for a deeper conversation about comfort zones. Is there anything you’d like to add to the list now?”

[checkitdontwreckit-blog]

Kankri’s expression brightened at Jake’s consent to conversation, and was far from aware of the other’s discomfort with his rambling. “Fantastic. I’ll do my best to keep things simple. Now. I’d appreciate it if we could clean up after ourselves, which is typically a given. Also, if you could refrain from casually disrobing, for example: walking around without a shirt or with only boxers or briefs for pants. Socks are appreciated, but not essential. If we’re planning on inviting others over, three day’s notice would be perfect. And, lights off at curfew, headphones in if files with audio are to be played, and proper hygiene is a must.”

Kankri put a hand to his mouth in thought. “That’s all that comes to mind at the moment, but I have a list on my laptop that could be pulled up later or tomorrow for a deeper conversation about comfort zones. Is there anything you’d like to add to the list now?”

▸ Random Encounter

Kankri nodded slowly. He’d just said that, hadn’t he? Maybe his roommate processes phonetically-delivered information at a slower speed. “Yes, that’s me.”

He looked down at the offered hand warily before clasping it tentatively, hoping Jake’s macho-man act didn’t extend to how he treated, well, smaller people. Hard handshakes were the bane of Kankri’s existence. “Yes, well. I had lots to do in little time. I’m glad that I found you here, though. It would have been a little awkward to only just meet at curfew, and having that talk when one or both of us is tired from a long day isn’t a good idea. Rules get jumbled and misunderstood and suddenly someone is having panic attack in the restroom because lines that could have been made more clear were crossed. Not that I’m making the assumption that you’re prone to such episodes. See, there’s so much we need to clear up. You have time to talk, yes?”