#except howdy. he's a mess. to him relaxing is working. things are too calm. too quiet. understim effect x100

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Hello! I have come asking for you to info-dump about the the modern human au. I full of brain rot of them (especially after the last thing you posted about them, damn) Maybe you can tell us a bit more Sally!!

lucky for you, i've been full of that good ol brainrot As Well! thoughts! feelings! ideas! i got em!

so since we're already on the subject of the Crash Arc, allow me to expand on it for a moment before i get to Sally Thinkings! if you've read the snippet, you may have noticed the extent of Wally's injuries was not listed yet. well! he got messed up with a capital F! since it's fiction and i'm god in this scenario, i'm veering slightly away from realistic damage, immediate & lasting. bc lets be real. if i stuck to "this is as realistic as i can make it", then Wally would be aaaaaabsolutely fucked. it was a bad crash in a very unsafe vehicle at high speeds. like - this is what happened. a drunk driver hit Home going 70 down the freeway. swerve, fishtail, tumble down a (small, shallow, really its more like a glorified ditch) ravine with trees and rocks and shit on it. absolute miracle that Wally didn't die in the crash, let alone during the solid half hour (slightly longer) he was trapped in Home before someone noticed the crash site and called emergency personnel. Wally "hanging up" on Barnaby was actually the impact jarring him so he slipped and hit the end call button. but yeah without going into technicalities and detail, Wally has some lasting damage in his dominant hand. It takes extensive physical therapy for him to be able to paint/draw again at the same level he had been at. the hematoma hadn't done a lot of brain damage that wouldn't resolve itself with time. in my mind, when Wally wakes up in the hospital, for a few days he's very confused and his memory is shot. he'll wake up, interact, then go to sleep, but when he wakes up again its like waking up for the first time again. he just can't retain memories for a bit. he's got some severe brain fog. his mood is also kinda fucked with - he's uncharacteristically irritable with low patience, etc. these are all things that clear up with time, but in my mind Wally has chronic migraines going forward. bad ones! and there are days where it's harder fr him to concentrate. and yk. a teeny bit of chronic pain where his shin bone was pinned back together and where his hand was essentially crushed. but other than that he's fine going forward! good days and bad days!

but enough about that! You Want To Hear About Sally!

i imagine that she becomes quite successful in the theater industry. i'm not too familiar with it myself, so i'm gonna be uh. Vague about it? but she starts her own theater troupe - it's a bit of a commute from home base to the town she works in, where the theater is located in, but she makes it work! of the group, she's probably away more than any of them. working on shows, traveling to work on other ones - i like to think she's been on Broadway! she probably has had opportunities to do tv/movie acting, but idk... i feel like Sally would be like "nah. live shows or nothing". maybe at some point she takes up voice acting gigs, as long as she can do them from home. she probably has her own little room-turned-VA-studio thing. idk how that works either! it seems right! but yes Howdy's store's automated messages and advertisements are in Sally's voice. she's probably picked up a temporarily modeling gig here and there.

so Sally is very very busy. Poppy is supportive. everyone is, and they all love to help out when they can - and reel Sally in when the "stardom" starts to get to her head. they do their best to acclimate to occasionally getting jumpscared by her voice in a grocery store or in. idk. fashion shoots. victoria's secret billboards. that last one was a joke! maybe. i think she would.

i also like to imagine Sally like... getting some sort of award and then spending a solid five minutes naming her friends, thanking them with specificity, and then plugging their own stuff. they probably have a rotation for who accompanies her as her plus one for events and parties she may or may not be invited to. she's not like... a Big celebrity but! she's Known and Liked! she has Connections! i like to imagine her and Wally looking dapper as fuck at a Venue...

so the friend group typically stays together, with Sally going off to do her Things the most. she makes sure to schedule time to be with her friends and girlfriend/wife/Poppy between work and gigs and etc. she somehow finds a balance with Ease. or apparent ease... someone get this girl a vacation...

[campcamp-theories]

Camp Is Out - Camp Draws to a Close

Chapter 1

 When David announced Parents Day, Max could only scoff at the idea. His parents were living their shitty lives, faces stuck in their shitty computers, not giving a shit if he existed or not. They were workaholics to the extreme.

 His parents were both lawyers who spent more time dealing with clients, filing documents or organizing office space to even have time to care for him. For as long as he could remember, he had to take care of himself. That included cooking, cleaning, overall hygiene; hell even studying he would do in his off time and he sure had a lot of that. The most his parents had ever done was register him for schooling… that and give him Mr. Honeynuts on his 7th birthday. At the time he had complained he was too old for the teddy bear, but it later became his only sense of comfort and security. As for school, he was lucky the bus stop was just down the street from his place because for a preschooler to be out walking alone was dangerous, not that he would know anything about that being a kid and all. It’s not like he’d been nearly kidnapped a time or two and it’s not like his parents would care either, except maybe to avoid a lawsuit or some shit.

“Well you losers enjoy your family bonding because there’s no way my folks are coming. Guess I get to kick back and relax. Maybe I’ll just order a pizza…” Max withdrew David’s phone from his hoodie, a gadget he’d secured from his counselor on multiple occasions. The idiot never even noticed most of the time, being too caught up in trying to teach all the campers to appreciate nature and whatever the fuck else crossed the dipshits head.    

 He could see the beginnings of recognition cross David’s thoughts before he was interjected by the founder of the camp, Cameron Campbell making an untimely appearance, like always.

 Max could care less as he tried picking up a signal to browse the web. When Cameron started wildly thrashing David around, he looked up with interest, and smirked behind the screen to hide his amusement. That enjoyment was short lived as the bus carrying the parents pulled up. His expression drooped into a deep frown as the riders exited the vehicle and were escorted inside the mess hall. He lagged behind a bit, watching the children find their respective families. Taking a seat at the table, he observed from the side lines, finding things about each campers parent to pick apart for his own personal satisfaction.

 It didn’t take long for questions to arise as parents started to take notice to something not quite right with the other children and the camp as a whole. Eventually voices were raising with question after question, with which the founder tried calming the visitors down by trying to explain that they hadn’t been tricked or swindled. He declared the camp provided all activities that their children had been signed up for.

‘Oh this will be good…’ Max pocketed the phone to see how things played out. Perhaps today wouldn’t be all bad.  

“Everyone outside! It’s time to show off Camp Campbell camptivities.” Everyone gathered towards the back door, piling out to explore more of the camp.

“Have fuuuun…” Sitting back on the bench, Max folded his arms behind his head with a smug smirk.

“Oooh no you don’t!” Cameron snagged the back of Max’s hoodie, much to his disdain and dropped him off at David’s feet. “This Parent’s Day needs to go off without a hitch and that means good times and happy families!” To follow up his comment, he shoved Gwen back into David and Max.

“WHAT!?” Max shrieked in disbelief.

“Until this one’s actual parents get here, you three are going to be the perfect nuclear family. GOT IT!” With a pointed jab at them, to further get his point across, he stormed away to try and save his image before it was damaged beyond repair.

 Max could already feel dread weighing down on him. A slight vibration from behind drew his attention only to look up to find David practically vibrating in place. Before he had time to question or act, he was scooped up into a tight hug. “We are going to have so much fun, family!” Max grit his teeth together, thoughts raging with malice.

 David carried him over to the door before setting him down on the ground in a hurry to follow his idol. As soon as his feet touched down, he hastily backed away from David and watched him with murderous eyes.

“Why did I have to go along with David’s idea…” Gwen muttered after him.

 Stuffing his hands into his hoodie pocket, Max gave a huff of indignation. Today was going to be a looooong day.

 As he followed along behind David and Mr. Campbell, he kept his mask of indifference in check, trying to ignore the sting of jealously that tried to rear its ugly head as each child showed off their camp camp activities with their parents.

 He was only half paying attention to what was being said as his eyes roamed the crowd. Eventually his interest landed on Space Kid who was alone at the moment. Perfect. Someone he could take out his frustration on. Slipping away from his “family,” he walked over nonchalantly, feigning interest.

“So what are you up to?” His eyes scoured the contents strewn about the ground around the cardboard rocket ship, finding a box of matches and a few sticks of firecrackers. Squatting down, he picked up the firecrackers and box while Space Kid answered his question.

“Oh howdy do Max! I am working on finishing my rocket ship.”

 He hummed in reply while he inserted three firecrackers inside the front cone adorning the cheaply made replica.

“So Space Kid, can’t help but notice I haven’t seen any grownups walking around with fish bowls on their heads.” Pulling out a match, he swiped it along the side of the box, trying to ignite the sticks as he talked.

“Oh my parents couldn’t make it.”

“Oh really…. That sucks.” He looked down at his fellow camper, feeling a twinge of familiarity.

“Yea… but my uncle came instead. He’s the coolest guy in the galaxy.”

“Oh. Really.” Happy moment gone.

“Yep! Say, could you hand me that Hydraulic monkey wrench.” Ignoring the question, Max threw the match box away and kicked the peg out from under the rocket ship, causing the contraption to fall on top of Space Kid with little regard for his wellbeing.

 For a moment he felt like he had someone he could connect with, but that was just a fluke and it ruined his mood for sabotaging their project. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked away with his head bowed only to knock into David’s knees. Stumbling backwards, he glanced up to see a very unhappy David and Gwen. Just great…

 He heard David ranting about how he and Gwen were disappointed in him, even going so far as to call themselves his parents. Max just rolled his eyes, not entirely listening and looked over at Gwen.

“Okay, you are definitely taking this dumb parenting role to seriously. Am I right Gwen?” He looked up at the other counselor, expecting her to take his side of the argument but instead she folded her arms and agreed with David.

“Nah, for real Max, look at what you did to Space Kid.” Max glanced over just in time to see Space Kid’s uncle hurry over and lift the rocket off his grandkid.

 Gwen and David gawked as realization dawned on them. “Buzz Aldrin!?” They blurted out in synch. Max followed after them as they went up to greet the X-astronaut. It was entertaining watching the pair struggle with the fact that they were meeting the real Buzz Aldrin after having just sent fake footage of Space Kid, otherwise known as Neil now, walking on the moon to his family. A satisfied sneer spread across Max’s face as he watched the man chew the pair out. Gwen tried salvaging the situation by fumbling some half assed excuse.

“You’re lucky I’d never hit a woman. There’s no greater crime than faking a moon landing.” The man grumbled out in his lecturing tone.

“David helped too!” Max pointed at David for emphasis, “Max!” David put his hands on his hips with a disappointed frown before he was personally introduced to Aldrin’s fist.

“Thanks for speaking up son.”

 Max blinked a couple times in surprise before a shit eating grin spread across his face. “It’s an honor sir.” He mock saluted the astronaut, feeling a strong sense of satisfaction.

…….

 The remainder of the day followed relatively similarly. He’d cause trouble to fill the languid times, get lectured and start over again. When night time rolled around, the camp gathered together to put on a stage play of sorts to give the children a chance to display everything they’d learned or were practicing at the camp.

 Meanwhile, David was trying to coax Max into performing together. His idol was counting on him to put on a good show and he would do anything to meet his expectations. When he tried asking Max about his enrollment, he dodged the bullet by drawing the counselors’ attention to the other campers. He watched each play with desperation, hoping one of the other kids would fuck things up for him, but to his dismay and horror, things were progressing smoothing.

 Gwen went off to find his paper work, while Max grabbed fists full of his hair, tugging on the roots painfully as his anxiety rose. He didn’t want to be here… he didn’t want to be here… HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE HERE! Max took deep breaths with his fists clenching and unclenching. David’s normal optimistic behavior was usually just annoying but this time it was downright driving him hysterical. David was being really insensitive, not that he was aware. Max made sure he let nothing slip about his family or interests for the entire length of the camp. He had his reasons for keeping to himself; mainly because it was easier to bury his problems then face them head on and get swallowed up in emotion.

 By the time Gwen returned, David was stretched thin with distress. His counselor was counting on him, Max was being uncooperative and he had no idea what they could present to the other families. When Gwen announced she found Max’s papers, he sighed in relief and hastily walked over. “Great, then we can do this!”

“I don’t want to do this!” Max threw his hands up into the air exasperated. What part did they not understand?

“Max, that is IT!” David stepped over towards Max with full on aggressive, finally snapping under all the stress. “I am feed up with your bad attitude! Why do you always have to bring everyone else down instead of trying just a little bit to have fun?”

 Gwen hastily interjected, holding the files up for David to see. “David…” She started but was cut off as he snagged the folders from her and held it up in front of him. “Now let us all put on a happy face, go out there and show everyone just how great you are at…” he trailed off when his eyes finally took in the documents inside the folder. They were…. practically blank. The only things written were Max’s name and age.  

“I told you, they didn’t care.” He could feel the beginnings of moisture gathering, so he tried smoldering the feeling with bitterness, but when David’s shocked expression came into view through his peripheral, the flood gates cracked a bit, brimming his eyes with tears.

“Just make something up so that we can get this over with.” He hastily brushed off the tears using his shoulder and walked away with slumped shoulders. He couldn’t stand the looks of pity the counselors were shooting him. This was exactly why he didn’t want them to know anything. Finding a spot in a shaded corner, he sat down, drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly to his body. Don’t think about it. He tried blocking it out, but it was already too late and more tears welled up in his sockets. Sniffling, he ducked his head down, trying to hide the fact that he was crying. For a moment, he was granted privacy to work through his emotions and by the time David tentatively walked over, he’d calmed down enough to stand up and dust off, acting like his breakdown never happened.

“Well lets….”

“Let’s get out of here.” David cut Max off, catching him off guard. Brow furrowing in confusion, Max looked up confused. “What?” Gwen and David shared a look before nodding their head towards the exit and started to walk out. He stared after them dumbfounded until Gwen paused to call after him.

“You coming?” Shaking off his stupor, he hurried after them confused. Wordlessly, they lead him to the Camp Campbell employee car and they all shuffled inside. Under normal circumstances, this would be very incriminating but he was so far out of his element that he just went along with it. Staring out of the window, he watched the trees blur past until they pulled off the dirt trail onto the highway leading towards town. His nerves went on high alert wanting to ask but fretting the answer until the car came to a halt. Shifting in his seat, he glanced outside to see neon lights that read Sleepy Peak Pizza Bros.

 The silence persisted as Gwen took the lead up to the store front. David followed shortly after, with Max at their heels, staring on with even more burning questions.

 While David and Max took a seat at a booth, Gwen went up to the counter to order. The pair sat across from each other and he fidgeted nervously when the two counselors shared another knowing look. Unable to take it anymore, Max broke the silence, “why are we hear? What about Campbell’s big show?”

“It’s stupid.” The uncharacteric dismissal of a camp activity, from David no less made Max reel back in his seat. “What?”

“You were right. It’s stupid. You shouldn’t have to pretend for anyone.”

“Are you… okay?” The question was full of his consternation as he placed his hands on the table in front of him.

“I’m… sorry… Max…” David rested his head on his hand, looking out the window with a pang of sadness.

“I tried to always see the good in things, and I tried to get others to see the same but…” Max gapped openly. Was this really David? “Pretending things are okay when they’re not doesn’t help anything.” Clicking his jaw shut, he swallowed thickly. “I’m sorry your parents don’t care enough Max. You have every right to be angry. But you deserve to be happy. And I hope you can find that here at camp. Even if it’s not today.”

 For the first time ever, Max felt understood. It was foreign and unusual, which left him speechless on how to respond.

 Thankfully he didn’t have to. Gwen returned with pizza in hand. “Life sucks sometimes, but at least there’s pizza.”

 He silently watched her settle down until she noticed he was only staring. “Well don’t just look at it, eat up you little shit.” The warmth in her words brought a soft smile to his face. Without having to be told twice, he filled a plate. Shortly after, the two counselors followed suit.

 The day had started out shitty, from the random arrival of the parents, to having to deal with David’s obnoxious cheeriness, watching families have what he could never and then having his emotions on edge all day, but by the end of the evening, he couldn’t be happier. He was starting to think maybe, just maybe… David wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and perhaps… he wasn’t all that bad….

“I’ll go make sure the car starts.” Gwen flipped up the car keys, snatched them out of the air and walked away, leaving David and Max alone on the sidewalk. Kicking at the ground in thought, Max looked up at David nervously.

“David…”

“Mhm…” His counselor stared back down to meet his stare, only to be greeted by a surprise hug around the legs. The small arms curled around him quickly, releasing just as quickly and hastily retreating, but that short moment brought a warmth through David’s chest. For the first time, he’d reached a chord with Max and that was something he would forever hold dear.  

“That never happened!” Max demanded, jabbing his finger David’s way with a strained tone.

“Okay Max.” David smiled down fondly. He would respect his camper’s wishes, especially if it meant he could finally start breaking through that thick ice the kid had trapped himself inside.

 Max’s eye twitched at the casual consent his counselor provided. “Seriously, I will murder you if this gets back to the gang!”

 Before he could receive any more confirmation, Gwen pulled up with the car. “Do you think everything went okay back at the camp?”

“Oh I’m sure it’s nothing Mr. Campbell couldn’t handle.” David responded confidently.

Chapter 2