#he (along with another salad belonging to alex) ended up coming up to explore the surface but in cantha :p

[glowingplant]

my fishy salad is so cute, i love him ;-; i've gotta level him so he can actually use his staff

[the-everqueen]

a long long time ago, i promised @stellerssong camping fic. here it finally is, with much love: 4k of wolf shenanigans and me dragging the founders. this is titled “werewolf gimmick” in my docs, but has very little to do with the tmg song - mostly i just found the dichotomy hilarious.

Thanks to general panic over midterms in the class he TAs, John gets home late that evening. Alex doesn’t jump to greet him like usual: he’s on the couch, eyes glued to his laptop screen, claws tapping at the keys. John toes off his shoes and sets down his backpack. “Have you moved at all since I left?”

“Mm?” Alex flicks an ear. “Oh. Yeah, we’re out of bologna.”

“And cheese.” John rummages around in the fridge for the salmon he’d set to marinate that morning. He has brussel sprouts he could roast, but that takes so long. Maybe he’ll make a salad instead. “Hey, Alex, would you eat kale?”

“Depends. Is there bacon in it?”

So, no. John takes out the greens anyway; he can have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The salmon just needs a quick sear, and he boils some minute rice. Fast, simple, nutritious: the kind of dinner he learned to make in his undergrad and thought he’d never have to cook again. Back before the — before Alex was a werewolf, John might have asked him to make quesadillas or breakfast for dinner, the two meals he could be guaranteed to not burn. But last week Alex tried to cook pancakes as a surprise and ended up eating a dozen raw eggs in the process. John found him licking the remains of the last one off the counter.

Alex is now exempt from kitchen-related chores.

John hands him a plate, sans kale. There are some battles even he won’t fight. “How’s the article coming?”

“Got another round of edits.” Alex snaps up a bite of salmon, not bothering with utensils. “I might be able to finish it tonight. Already started on the next project — the editor said she’s looking for a piece for December.”

“You’ve been working really hard.”

Alex snorts. “Yeah, well. Gotta make up for those full moons.”

“That’s one day a month.”

He nibbles at the rice, swallows down another piece of salmon. John waits for further argument, but Alex stares into space, thinking about his edits or maybe the neighbor’s cat. Ever since he got that piece published in Fast Company, he’s been writing non-stop, aiming for something bigger or more permanent. John is glad he’s recovered his sense of purpose — Alex, listless on the couch, eyes dull as he watches Cesar Millan videos, should be an aberration, not the norm. But then John is starting to think Alex is going too far in the other direction: working every second he’s awake, like he has to be productive or else he isn’t worth anything. He has bags under his eyes that aren’t just patches of dark fur growing on his face.

Last semester was — well, there isn’t a word to summarize it. Alex getting bitten, Alex dropping out of school, Alex changing in so many ways, obvious and subtle, all of them uncanny valley familiar. He deserves a break, a real one, a chance to not worry about looking human and just be able to relax.

A vacation.

John takes their plates to the sink. Alex has licked his dish clean and returned to his article, ears perked at attention. His laptop is perched on the arm of the couch, his hips twisted to the side to accommodate his tail, which thumps in time to whatever’s going on inside his brain. John grabs his own computer and shoots a quick message to Harrison: you have a tent, yeah? could i borrow it?

***

“We’re going camping,” John announces over breakfast.

Alex wrinkles his nose. “Like, today? Don’t you have class?”

“No, not today. This weekend.”

“This weekend.”

“Yeah.”

“Full moon.”

“Yes?” Alex is giving him a blank look, and John presses on. “You finished your edits, and you won’t have thumbs. I booked the campsite, Harrison is loaning me his tent. I just thought —  you’ve been working so hard, and you deserve a break, and we haven’t done anything special since, well. You know.”

“Since the bite.”

“Yeah.”

Alex picks at the cleft in his lip. At this point in the cycle he doesn’t have much that could be called eyebrows, since his face is mostly dark fur, but the tawny spots on his brow ridges draw together in something like confusion. “So you thought camping?”

“I can’t exactly take a wolf to the spa. Besides, you could use a change of scenery.”

Alex shrugs. “You’ve seen one tree, you’ve seen them all.”

“That’s not even remotely true.”

“Which one of us is the naturalist here?”

“I’m going to vet school, Alex.”

“Yeah you are.” His mouth falls into what’s probably intended to be a salacious grin but instead looks very canine, his long tongue hanging over his teeth.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m dating a future doctor!”

John rolls his eyes. Swallowing down the last of his tea, he wraps his arms around Alex and buries his face in the fur poking above the collar of his hoodie. “I heard he even makes house calls,” he murmurs.

“Now who has the bad lines?” Alex asks. But he shivers as John presses a kiss to the side of his face, and his tail thwacks against John’s leg. “I’ve never been camping.”

“You never — oh.” He knows bits and pieces about Alex’s childhood, collected from hints dropped like breadcrumbs, but he feels stupid that this is the first time he’s realizing Alex probably didn’t have annual family vacations as a kid. “Well, I can do the setup and teardown myself, so that’s not a problem. Maybe you can catch dinner?”

“Oh yeah, cause I do that all the time.”

“You caught that squirrel.”

Alex shoots a doleful glance at the faded stain on the living room carpet. Two months later, and John still hasn’t managed to scrub out the evidence of Alex’s anniversary present. Who would have thought squirrel guts would be the Achilles’ heel to every cleaning product on the market?

One ear perks and the other tilts down in an expression John has come to understand as extreme skepticism. Alex says, “Let’s hope your surprise turns out better than mine did.”

***

Alex might be dubious about the concept of vacation, but that doesn’t keep him from howling along to Lorde as they drive down the interstate. Not quite in tune, though he makes up for it with enthusiasm. According to his phone, it’s a five-hour drive to the camp, and since Alex can’t pass the time with an extended rant, John has Pandora and a half dozen chew toys to keep him occupied. Alex “sings” along to the techno-pop, prods John into telling him about the latest gossip in the animal husbandry department, and manages to wrestle the squeaker out of his stuffed turtle — all in the span of an hour. Hour two, a Prius rides next to them for a couple miles, a grinning pit bull in the backseat, and Alex goes wild, barking and clawing at the door. When the car pulls ahead, he grumbles.

John takes pity on him and rolls down the window.

Alex sticks his head outside, face breaking into a canine grin. His tongue lolls and flaps in the breeze, and he laughs, an incongruous human sound.

“Having fun there?” John asks.

His tail thumps on the center console.

***

It’s afternoon when they get to the campground, their arrival delayed by a quick lunch stop. Alex has thumbs enough to open the door, but his hips have given up on being bipedal and he clambers out of the car on all fours, still wearing his Columbia hoodie. John hauls out his backpack, the tent, and the cooler. “Ready?”

Alex paws at the cooler and whines.

“It’s fine, I got it.” John hefts the gear for emphasis. “See? Marta used to make me carry her shit on vacations. Dad always sided with her, too, said I had to be a gentleman. Like she didn’t scare half the boys at school with her left hook.”

Alex snickers.

Workout benefits of being the packhorse aside, John is glad their campsite isn’t far from the parking area. He dumps their gear in the center of the cleared ground and rolls his shoulders, looking around. The weather forecast predicted a warm weekend, but cold nights in the mountains, meaning the fire pit should be useful for more than just roasting marshmallows. Through the trees, their neighbor’s tent is visible — must be a family, he can hear kids shrieking and laughing. Alex’s ears swivel in the direction of the sound.

“You can explore, if you want. I gotta set up the tent.”

He cocks his head.

“You won’t get lost, you can — I dunno — smell your way back? Just don’t go too far. Also maybe take off the hoodie.”

Alex wriggles out of his sweatshirt, with some help from John. Shakes out his fur. It’s not quite full moon, but close enough that Alex passes for some sort of wolf-dog hybrid. Only John would recognize that his thumbs haven’t yet receded into dewclaws, or what the awkward slope of his shoulders means.

Alex scratches at his belly with his hind foot.

“Oh, wait —” John digs around in his backpack until he finds the leather collar. The tags jangle as he fastens it around Alex’s neck, and his boyfriend makes a disgruntled sound. “There. Looks like you belong to someone.”

A warning growl.

“Well, you’re mine, aren’t you? Don’t want you getting picked up by some cute park ranger.”

Alex swipes a lick across John’s cheek and goes bounding into the trees.

Turns out pitching a tent is not like riding a bike — it’s been years since John went camping, and he had at least one other person to help him. He wrestles with one stubborn corner, grateful that Alex isn’t here to watch and laugh at him. By the time he rolls out the sleeping bags and stashes their gear, he’s sweating and the sun has crawled closer to the horizon.

Childish screams alternate with a familiar bark. John wanders over to their neighbor’s campsite and finds Alex playing with two little kids, sisters if their matching shirts and corkscrew curls are any indication. The younger one toddles after Alex, her arms outstretched, and he lopes just out of reach, reverses to dodge the older girl. His tail wags.

“Nice dog, is he yours?”

John turns to the couple sitting in fold-out chairs, watching the kids. “Yeah. I’m John, we’re —” he gestures back at the trees “— right next door.”

“Mattie,” the woman says, holding out her hand. “This is my husband, Thom.”

The man gives John a considering look. “What brings you out here?”

“Well, uh, it’s spring break.”

“You’re a student?”

“Grad student. Vet school.”

Thom nods. “So you like the outdoors.”

“Yeah. And Alex needs a lot of exercise.” John glances at his boyfriend, who’s getting belly rubs from the girls.

“I didn’t think wolf-hybrids were a thing in California,” Mattie says, not accusing, just curious.

“He’s not — we don’t know what breed he is? Got him at the local shelter.”

“Well-trained,” Thom observes.

“Ha. Well. You should see what he did to the couch. But he likes kids.”

“I’ve heard larger breeds tend to be really social.” Mattie adjusts her sunglasses. “We were thinking of getting a pet, since the girls have been asking. But I’m not sure how much time I can afford to train a dog when I can’t even get this one here to make the bed.” She swats playfully at her husband. “I swear, he gets up at six in the morning just to get out of fixing the sheets.”

“I’m checking the temperature!”

“You’re a philosophy professor.”

“Global warming is a real issue that affects us all.”

She rolls her eyes. “See? No help.”

“Pet ownership is a serious commitment,” John says, relieved to have the conversation move away from the subject of his boyfriend. “You wouldn’t believe how many animals we get at the shelter because someone didn’t realize their cute little puppy would grow into a bigger dog.”

From there the talk revolves around hypoallergenic dogs and finding a reputable breeder. At some point Alex wanders over, panting. He rubs his face on John’s leg, and John pets the tawny spot between his eyes. “Hey, ba — boy.”

Alex snorts.

Thom gives them a funny look.

John blushes and opens his mouth to — explain? deny that he’s dating his dog? — but the girls choose that moment to interrupt, the younger climbing into Mattie’s lap and burying her face in her stomach.

“Oh dear, someone needs a nap.” Mattie pats her back soothingly. “Thom, you want to get her blankie out?”

That’s their cue to leave. John pats Alex’s side. “We should go. Those hot dogs I brought won’t cook themselves.”

“Sure,” Thom says. “We’ll see you around.”

At least Alex holds in his (suspiciously human sounding) laughter until after they get to their tent.

***

“Alex, no — drop it!”

John grabs for him and Alex dodges, running to the other end of the campsite, the bag of marshmallows dangling from his teeth. He drops it, not for John, but to paw at the hole cut into one corner, trying to make it wider. Sugar smell, want want want. He bites at the opening and manages to snag one marshmallow before John snatches the bag from him.

“These are for s’mores,” he says, exasperated.

Alex grumbles. What’s the difference? They’re going to be eaten regardless, and Alex can’t have chocolate. Graham crackers are bland and not made for people whose canines evolved to better tear apart flesh and bones.

“We’re gonna toast them.” Oh, of course, that human fascination with cooking food. John continues, “Besides, you can’t be hungry, you ate an entire package of hot dogs.”

Like that’s ever stopped Alex from going through the trash. He whines, giving his best pout.

“Nope. That’s not working.”

He gets down on his belly and rolls over.

“You can wait the literal two minutes it’ll take to brown these.”

Fine. He slinks over to where he abandoned his book and lays down with a huff.

Three minutes later, he’s licking gooey marshmallow off John’s lips.

***

John has a hike planned the next morning. Nothing too long — Alex might have better stamina than him, but he hates exercise as much as he did when he was human, fetch and the occasional game of “chase me around the living room” being the exceptions. But it’s cool and green out, and Alex preens at the attention from other hikers, and when they reach the end of the trail there’s a waterfall.

Alex jumps onto a flat rock and tilts his face toward the spray. His whiskers twitch, eyelashes fluttering and collecting little droplets. John sits down next to him, shrugging off the backpack. “Having fun there?”

He wags his tail. Then his expression turns considering. John has just enough time to register his boyfriend tensing before Alex leaps into the water with a terrific splash.

Since the bite, Alex hasn’t been a big fan of baths, but he likes water — at least, more than he seemed to as a human. He paddles around for ten or so minutes before he climbs back onto the rock and shakes out his fur. John grimaces at the drops that spatter his face and shirt. Their tent is going to smell like wet dog tonight.

As if reading his mind, Alex flops into his lap, rubbing his muzzle on John’s cargo shorts. He looks up, fur sticking out in wet spikes. John bursts out laughing.

“I brought peanut butter bars,” he says. “Eliza gave me her recipe. I might’ve left them in the oven too long, though.”

Alex snuffles at the backpack, tail frisking.

“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

***

The thing about the outdoors is, it gets dark sooner than in the cities. Not that Alex really cares about the dark: his night vision is good enough he could read by the full moon light (theoretically, if his eyesight wasn’t fucked for small type and the Roman alphabet), and he usually goes to bed around midnight even when he’s not working on a project. But John is human, and worn out from their day of hiking and swimming and playing tug-of-war with his shirt; once the fire dies down and the stars come out, he crawls into his sleeping bag and promptly falls asleep.

Alex turns in a circle, settles down on his blanket. Waits. John’s breathing is deep and even. Soothing, in the general mate is content, mate is safe sense, but it’s not getting Alex any closer to rest. He crosses his paws, flicks an ear. Outside the tent crickets chirp, an owl hoots. Something rustles through the underbrush.

That gets his attention. He lifts his nose, scents the air. Musk smell, animal smell. His mouth waters. A twig snaps in the distance. His ears perk and swivel. Big animal, close, sniff it out, run it down.

He glances at John. Mate is sleeping, mate won’t notice if Alex goes out for a quick hunt. He’ll be back soon, maybe bring a share of the kill with him.

Alex creeps out of the tent on silent paw pads.

***

The first thing John registers is that there’s something warm and wet on his face.

He forces his eyes open. There’s a dark blur in his vision; it takes a second for him to focus and realize it’s Alex’s muzzle. Alex noses at him again and whines. John sits up, blinking hard. “Babe? What’s wrong?”

Alex prances in place. The fur on his face is matted and slick, the rest of his coat disheveled. Where has he been? “Are you hurt? What happened?”

He grunts and bounds out of the tent. John follows in his t-shirt and boxers.

Outside, Alex has picked up a large, misshapen stick. No, not a stick — he lopes toward John with the thing in his mouth, and it’s not a stick, it’s a leg, it’s a fucking deer leg, the hoof still intact, and Alex shoves it at him.

John stumbles back with a yell. “What the FUCK?”

Alex pauses, his tail curling between his legs in confusion. He whines around the mouthful of animal carcass; he hasn’t dropped the leg, and his teeth glint in the moonlight.

“What the — where did you even find that?” Alex huffs, and John feels his stomach swoop. “You killed a deer? What the fuck, Alex? How —”

“HEY, what’s going on?”

A bright beam of light cuts across the campsite. John raises a hand to his eyes.

“Excuse me,” the woman says. She’s wearing a khaki uniform and a green jacket with RANGER in bold letters on the side. She aims her flashlight at them, and Alex cringes, moving closer to John. “Would you like to explain what happened?”

“Uh…” John brushes a stray curl out of his eyes. His hand comes away dark, and he realizes the wetness on his face is blood. Shit, he must look like a mess. What is a park ranger doing out here this late? Did the neighbors hear them and call someone? Or maybe she’s on patrol? John didn’t think park rangers did night patrols.

“Sir.”

“Sorry, ma’am.” John gives her the most charming smile he can muster. “My, um. My dog — I guess he found some dead animal. Just, startled me, is all.”

“This is your dog?” The ranger frowns.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She shoots him a Look. “You know wolfdogs are illegal in the state of California.”

“He’s licensed. And — uh, I got him at a shelter? I think he’s a shepherd mix.”

“Uh-huh.” She turns her light on Alex. He drops the deer leg and licks his lips, folding his ears down submissively. He looks at her with wide, sincere eyes. Her face softens.

John interrupts, “Yeah, so. Are we good here?”

“You said he found it?” The ranger glances dubiously at the leg on the ground, mostly intact and smeared with fresh blood. Alex inches closer and butts his head against her thigh with a whine. “Hey, boy,” she says, holding out her fingers for him to sniff. “Well, out-of-season hunting results in a fine. But, since you weren’t hunting… I suppose I can let you off with a warning. Just this once.”

John sighs, relieved.

“But make sure you keep…”

“Alex. His name’s Alex.”

“... Right. Keep Alex from wandering beyond the campsite without supervision. There’s bears and wolves around here, you know.”

Alex coughs. John glares at him.

“Oh, and make sure to get rid of that.” She points at the deer leg with her boot. Grimaces. “You don’t want to attract scavengers.”

“Sure thing.”

“If you want, I could…”

Alex grabs his prize by the ankle, tenses like a puppy ready to dash off with its newest toy.

“I think we can handle it,” John says.

“Then you boys have a good night.” She waggles her fingers at Alex. He frisks his tail.

John waits until he hears her driving off to address Alex. “Did you really have to do the whole puppy eyes thing?”

He snorts.

“Yeah, thanks for getting us out of a fine. You wanna get rid of that thing?”

Alex slaps his paws on the ground.

“No, no, I don’t want to play with it.”

He runs a few feet, dragging the leg with him. John sighs. Moves to rub his face, remembers the blood, thinks better of it. “Fine. Just… bury it, at least? Don’t bring it in the tent.”

Alex trots off to the other side of the campsite and settles down, gripping the leg between his paws so he can better gnaw on the protruding bone. John climbs back into the tent, puts the pillow over his head to muffle the sounds of his boyfriend eating a deer’s leg. At least he’s enjoying himself.

***

One perk of dating a werewolf is that John never wakes up cold.

Sometime during the night, Alex wormed into his unzipped sleeping bag and laid down next to him. His face is buried in John’s chest, and he makes little grunts and whuffs as he sleeps, ears flicking. John rubs the velvet fur of one ear between his fingers — it’s damp but not tacky with dried blood. Alex must’ve washed off after he finished his snack. John feels a warm flush of affection, despite the unsexy smell of wet dog. He presses a kiss to his head.

Alex stirs and squints at him.

“I was thinking we could go for another long hike,” John whispers, “but maybe we’ll just sleep in? I can cook sausage for breakfast.”

Alex closes his eyes and snuggles closer.

***

“Y’all leaving?”

John shoves his sleeping bag into the backpack. “Yeah, I have to TA a class tomorrow and I still need to finish grading their midterms.” Also Alex is starting to get his thumbs back and twisted the lid off the tea thermos this morning, but it’s not like John can mention that.

Thom laughs. “Just give ‘em all a B-minus.”

“Well, it’s a lab-based class, so it’s kind of important they can do the math.”

He waves a hand. “Grades are just an artificial metric for determining whether students grasp the basic concepts.”

Yeah, and John doesn’t think Ethan realizes he solved question thirteen with the formula for quadratic equations, which has nothing to do with the test. At least Ethan is a double-major; maybe he’s better at bassoon performance.

“Are you teaching this semester?” he asks.

“Nah, on sabbatical. Supposed to be finishing a book on Voltaire, but…” He makes a vague gesture. “My best work is more last-minute. Besides, I want the girls growing up in the outdoors, you know? Our lives are so industrialized these days. Is your dog reading a book?”

John glances over his shoulder. Alex snaps his copy of Gibbons shut with a guilty look.

“Oh. Um. He must’ve… gotten it out of my stuff.”

“Huh.” Thom stares at him for a moment, then shrugs. “Well, the girls will miss him. He’s a good dog. Seems real clever.”

“He is,” John says, a bit too enthusiastically. “Erm. I have some stuff for s’mores left over, if you and Mattie want a treat for the girls? I can’t eat it all myself.”

“Sure.” Thom accepts the half-full bag of marshmallows as well as the uneaten graham crackers and chocolate bars. “I’ll tell them you said bye. Gotta extend the nap for as long as possible — I can’t believe Mattie got them to lie down in the first place, their schedules have been out the window this vacation. You should swing by the philosophy department sometime. Bring the dog, I’m sure he’d have more to say on Foucault than my upperclassmen.”

“I’m… certain he would.”

Alex barks in agreement. John tries to imagine a class discussion on French philosophers being led by an opinionated werewolf.

“There you go, open-invite. Where’s the place you work? The girls are gonna want a dog after this weekend, might as well go local.”

John gives him the name of the shelter.

“You boys have a safe drive.”

***

Hour three of the ride back, John makes Alex drive, claiming he’s too tired to focus on the road. Alex thinks that’s a weak excuse for poor night vision, but since John organized the trip and loaded their gear into the car, he supposes he can do this thing. Even if he doesn’t particularly like driving anymore: his new chase impulse means he’s tense behind the wheel, ears swiveling every time a car zooms past. His paw pads don’t get much traction on the gas pedal, either, so he cruises just above the speed limit.

A compact car pulls alongside him. The driver taps on their horn — probably wants to flip him off, the asshole, he’s trying his best here, it’s not his fault he can’t wear shoes —

He sneaks a glance. The woman behind the wheel gapes, slack-jawed.

John mumbles, sinks down so his face is buried in his sweater. Alex returns his focus to the road. Warm, pleasant feeling inside him: he and his boyfriend had a romantic weekend, and it wasn’t even new moon.

He drives them home.

[blaineandsamevanderson]

Title: Stretch right up and touch the sky Chapter 4

Author: @blaineandsamevanderson

Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow/Arrow/The Flash/Supergirl

Ship: Iris/Eddie, will have many more to come

Rating: G

Summary: Camp STAR is one of the North East’s most popular science camps.  Every year, young minds arrive to learn and explore.  Unfortunately, a few weeks before the camp was to open for the season, a large explosion in one of the labs and the ensuing fire made the camp uninhabitable.  Not wanting his campers to miss out on their summer, Owner Harrison Wells called up Joe West, Owner of Camp Superflarrow, who he knew was looking to expand the science discovery program at his own camp.

Author’s notes: There are a few random counselor names thrown in to fill out the lists.  They will not be of importance.

**

**

“Gimme a boost, boys!”

In a practiced motion, Barry grabbed one of Iris’s hands while Eddie took the other and they lifted her up onto a tall stump by the camp gates.  From there, all the counselors and CIT’s would be able to see her as she made a brief announcement.  After today, such announcements would be done by the head counselors, but as they had just arrived, Joe was letting Iris hand out cabin assignments this year.

“I know some of you have summered with us before,” she was saying and a cheer rose up from most of the returning campers.  Iris grinned back at them before continuing, “This season, we’ve got a lot of new faces joining us and we’ve also got lots of new programs and guest speakers available for all campers.  Dad and Dr. Wells will fill everyone in at the Welcome ceremony, but for now, I’m sure you all want to know where to store your gear.”

Cabin assignment time.

“First up, we have the Penobscot Cabins, which house our younger boys.  Cabin 1, Barry Allen and Eddie Thawne.”

Barry tossed an amused grin over at Eddie, who held out his hand for a fist bump.  “Joe wants you to keep an eye on me, right?” the blond joked, but Barry winced a little at the comment.  Eddie’s eyes widened.  “Oh God, that’s actually it!”

With a shrug, Barry admitted, “He may have muttered something about making sure you stay in the cabin at night….”

Eddie groaned as Iris continued to read off names.

“…Leonard Snart & Jefferson Jackson…Oliver Queen & Winn Schott…Mon-El Daxam & Tommy Merlyn…Bruce Wayne & Steve Trevor….”

After that, she moved on to assigning counselors to the Sequoia (Boys Middle Age) Cabins. “James Olsen & Ray Palmer to Cabin 1…Wally West & Nate Haywood…Cisco Ramon & Curtis Holt…John Diggle &Roy Harper…Rory Regan & Rene Ramirez…..”

Kennebagos (Older Boys) were next.  Clark Kent & Julian Albert, Mick Rory & Hartley Rathaway, Carter Hall & Rip Hunter were paired to watch over cabins while Lex Luthor was given a cabin of his own with fewer boys to manage.

“All of you, make sure to keep your boys out of the girl’s cabins, you hear me?”  Iris teased.  “Our younger girls are in the Acadia Cabins.  Cabin 1 is me, Iris West, & Caitlin Snow.  We’re gonna have fun!”

Barry tracked her wave to a pretty auburn haired girl of about their age.  The summer sun painted her curls in colors that reminded him of fall and Barry blinked before refocusing on the cabin assignments.  Not that he’d remember all of them, but it was good to be able to match unknown faces to names.  “…Sara Lance & Lisa Snart…Kara Danvers & Felicity Smoak…Diana Prince & Eve Teschmacher…Cindy Taylor & Lyra Strayd….”

Next came the Baxter (Middle Girls).  “Lyla Michaels & Jesse Wells…Lucy Lane & Amaya Jiwe…Megan Morse & Thea Queen…Cassandra Savage & Linda Park…Nyssa Al Ghul & Evelyn Sharp…Dinah Drake & Isabel Rochev….”

Finally, she reached the Kennebeck cabins, where the Older girls bunked.  “…Lena Luthor & Laurel Lance…Alex Danvers & Maggie Sawyer…Lois Lane & Kendra Saunders…Patty Spivot & Leslie Willis…Cindy Reynolds & Siobhan Smythe…Helena Bertinelli & Elena Vasquez….” Iris read off, then nodded to the crowd.  “See you all at the campfire in an hour.”

As Eddie helped her down off of the stump, Barry raised his voice to call out, “Wally, help any new Sequoia counselors find their way!  Rip, you got the Kennebagos!”  A happy wave from Wally and an annoyed eye roll from Rip said that they’d heard him.  “Lyla, take the Baxter?  Thanks! Laurel, Kennebecks?”

The two girls started leading their newbies as Iris called, “Acadia & Long Creek this way, Penobscots with Barry.”

Everyone gathered up their gear and began trooping off into the camp, splitting into smaller groups as they headed for their cabins.  As they made their way through the campground, Barry began pointing things out and rattling off bits of information.  Most of the boys in his group had been to camp before and were only listening with half an ear, but some of the newbies peered at the tennis courts, soccer fields and climbing towers with interest.

Once they reached their small cluster of cabins, each with a plaque bearing the name Penobscot and a number, they paired off, hauling their things into their bunks. The cabins were spacious log buildings with large windows that could be opened to allow airflow through the screens. Bunk beds filled the main room and there was a storage room to keep clothes and belongings in beside the small counselor’s room.  At the other end of the cabin was the shower and bathroom, all newly renovated and each cabin had a small, attached porch.

“You okay if I take bottom bunk?” Eddie asked as he and Barry entered the room they’d be sleeping in for the summer.

“Sure,” Barry agreed amiably as he opened the windows, letting the cross draft flow through the room.  He’d already brought most of his things over earlier, but he had a bag with bedding that he dug his sheets out of.

As they began to make their beds, Eddie said, “You were kidding about spying on me for your dad, right…Barry?”

He wasn’t planning on narcing on them, but it was fun to tease Eddie with the idea.  Maybe if he played his cards right, he could get Eddie to take care of the particularly messy criers in exchange for keeping quiet….

“This is more like what I though camp would be like when Alex first started talking about going,” Kara enthused, grinning at Felicity as they entered their cabin.  “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved STAR, but I didn’t expect dorms and stuff like that.  Movie camps look like this!”

The dorms at STAR had been large and spacious, each room holding 2 campers, single beds, dressers, desks, chairs and closets.  Each room had a ¾ bath attached, air conditioning, a kitchenette and a tv.  It seemed more like a pre-college experience than a camp, and a pretty spiffy college at that.

Superflarrow was far more camp like, with cabins and many more outdoor activities.  Their cabin was neat and clean, rows of bunks taking up the main room, a large, shiny bathroom taking up one end of the building. The counselor’s room was at the other end and they had their own separate bath.

That was nice.

The bunk beds might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they didn’t bother Kara.

“Do you mind if I take the bottom bunk?” Felicity asked a little sheepishly. “I’m not the biggest fan of heights.”

“Not a problem,” Kara assured the other girl.  Felicity was another transfer from STAR, so she was happy not to be rooming with a total stranger.  Not that she wasn’t eager to meet new people, but what if she didn’t get along with her roommate?  Alex seemed okay with bunking with Maggie, whom they had met on the bus, but she was glad for a familiar face.  “What did you pick for your specialty?”

Each counselor had an area of focus that they would direct activities in.  The cabin pairings were probably assigned so at least one counselor from each cabin would be with their campers at any given time if the other had to go off and lead a sport or class.

“The Camp Radio Station,” Felicity told her with a smile.  “I know not as many campers will take an interest in that, but me and Cisco will be able to have fun with it, doing daily announcements and improving the camp’s audio systems.  I mean, did you see the old school, mega-phone looking speakers nestled in the trees?”

Kara nodded.  “I thought they blended in pretty well, considering someone went to the trouble of painting them green.”  

“I’ll give them points for that,” Felicity agreed, then asked, “Which program are you working in?”

“Voice,” Kara told her.  “Alex says I put the Kara in Kara-eoke.”

Felicity let out a giggle.  “That’s an awful joke.  I love it.”

Yeah, this rooming situation was going to work out just fine!

TBC......

1.      Waterski - The Ski Dock is home base to our fleet of 4 Mastercraft Pro Star Ski Boats. Campers love our ski program:  Waterskiing, wakeboarding, skurfing, slalom, trick and even barefoot with our experienced staff.

2.      Swimming - Crystal clear Echo Lake is home to our American Red Cross swim program. A hard-sand bottom and expansive dock system provides a natural area for swim lessons, snorkeling and a full recreational aquatics program.

3.      Small Crafts - Our fleet of more than 50 sailboats, windsurfers, canoes and kayaks eagerly awaits water-enthusiasts. From Hobie 16s to Vanguard 420s, Sunfish and more….our small crafts staff of 18 keeps close watch on our campers and our fleet.

4.     Camp Owner House - The home of camp owner Joe West.

5.      Dining Hall - One of Superflarrow’s original buildings, our Dining Hall sits at the base of camp, overlooking Echo Lake. Campers enjoy great camp dining in a beautiful atmosphere. Our chefs are proud of their homemade entrees, fresh fruit and salad bars and desserts.

6.      Discovery - Rabbits, frogs, snakes, turtles and other small animals await you at Discovery, located in an original camp building on the shore of the lake. Make your own ice cream, identify birds and plants and learn about different ecosystems on our 150 acres.

7.      Cove - The Cove is a camp gathering area where campers and counselors convene each morning and evening for announcements, birthday songs, intercamp scores and in-camp news-of-the-day. It’s a great place for our camp family to unite after breakfast and dinner. We sing songs and recognize the accomplishments and strides all campers are making.

8.      Archery - Ready…aim…fire!  Our archers learn the skills of the bow & arrow at our Archery range overlooking Echo Lake.

9.      S’Mores Site - A great camp-out area in the woods on Laurel’s grounds. The perfect place to learn about camping… just steps from your own cabin.

10.   All Camp Campfire - Weekly campfires are a wonderful Superflarrow tradition. Whether as a campus or as one camp family, we tell stories, sing songs and enjoy campfire folklore…a camp tradition since our founding in 1949. Superflarrow Family… you’re pretty good company!

11.    Acadia Girls - Our campus for girls having completed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade.

12.  Science Buildings – Each lab is focused on a particular scientific focus.

13.  Metalsmithing/Woodworking - A growing and ever-popular camp program. Metalsmithing includes the design and crafting of bracelets, belt buckles, earrings, key chains and more in our Metals Studio. Real silver and copper come to life through campers’ creativity.

14.   Ceramics/Arts and Crafts/Studio Arts - A popular camp activity. Join our talented team of potters at Ceramics to learn to throw, build, paint, glaze and fire your clay projects.  Our new Arts and Crafts center is a hot-bed of all things related to sculptures, molds, weaves, tie-dyes, balsa wood airplanes, friendship bracelets, wax-resist paintings, paper-mache masks and much more. Join us down at the Crafts Center.  Painting, drawing and pastels await you in our beautiful Studio Art facility at the top of camp. Come here to illustrate, draw, paint, use charcoal, and try your hand at Comic Book Illustration.

15.   The Grove - A beautiful spot near the Dining Hall for outdoor lunches and birthday celebrations. Our Acadia and Apache campers eat lunch at a cabin-specific table in this area. It is also a place where siblings can eat together and visit at lunch.

16.   Health Center - Our modern, fully-equipped Health Center staffed by a Nurse Practitioner and EMT.

17.   Moosetracks - Each night after evening activity and before bedtime, campers meet at Moosetracks for a quick “Nite-Bite."  Fresh fruit is available each evening…or a snack like milk and cookies.

18.   Kennebeck Girls - Our campus for girls having completed the 7th, 8th and 9th grade.

19.   Penobscot Boys - Our campus for boys having completed  the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade.

20.  Kennebago Boys - Our campus for boys having completed the 7th, 8th and 9th grade.

21.   Sequoia Boys - Our campus for boys having completed the 5th and 6th grade.

22.  Basketball Courts - Camp Superflarrow has 30 glass basketball goals, spread out over 5 regulation courts, 2 of which are lit.

23.  Baxter Girls - Our campus for girls having completed the 5th and 6th grade.

24.  Gaga - Campers love our two turf Gaga complexes with mini-stadium seating.

25.  Basketball Courts - Camp Superflarrow has 30 glass basketball goals, spread out over 5 regulation courts, 2 of which are lit.

26.  Gaga - Campers love our two turf Gaga complexes with mini-stadium seating.

27. Hockey - Our full-size, lighted arena for Street and Roller Hockey. Also home to the famous Sequoia Hockey League. Professional cages, penalty boxes, lights…we have it all for the hockey enthusiast.

28.  Equestrian Center - The Superflarrow Equestrian Center is home to our 22 camp horses, 2 barns, instructional rings, paddocks and 3-acre pasture.  A program well-equipped for the beginner to advanced rider.

29.  Soccer - Another signature Superflarrow sports program. Our two regulation fields are lit and home to soccer players of all abilities. Everyone who wants to play, plays soccer at Superflarrow… in age, gender and skill appropriate groups.

30.  Climbing Towers - Our Climbing Center features two Climbing Towers, connected by a wire bridge more than 50 feet in the air. Our bouldering pavilion is perfect for beginners, intermediate and expert climbers.

31.   Tennis - A signature program at Superflarrow.  15 all-weather courts and an electronic wall and backboard complement our program.

32.  Tennis - A signature program at Superflarrow.  15 all-weather courts and an electronic wall and backboard complement our program.

33.  Handball – A regulation Handball court nestled between the tennis courts for use by all campers

34.  Theatre – Superflarrow Theatre hums with activity. Campers may participate on stage in one of our musical productions (Grease, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie, Oliver, Willy Wonka, High School Musical… to name a few over the past few years) or work backstage. Lighting board operators, sound engineers, costuming, stage make-up, stage managers…we have it all in our professional theatre.

35.  Chef Camp - The Chef Camp facility is home to our extensive culinary arts program. Superflarrow is known for one of the most comprehensive cooking programs of any camp in the northeast.

36. Dance & Fitness Center - Our brand new Fitness center features all current equipment for a complete workout. Fitness is one of Superflarrow’s most popular programs. The Fitness Center boasts a Cardio and Strength Studio, tailored for campers from 2nd through 10th grades. Specialty Fitness programs for campers include, running, weight training, Superflarrow Abs, yoga, triathlon and the Camp SuperflarrowFit Trail. Our General Fitness and Junior Fitness programs provide an introduction to the "world” of health and fitness for all ages.  Our brand new Dance Center with moveable walls feature two separate mirrored studios and hardwood flooring. Campers love practicing their hip-hop, jazz, ballet, modern and tap routines.

37.  Fieldhouse - Ten glass basketball goals, a full court basketball court, professional indoor volleyball court and automatic bleacher seating for 500 make the Superflarrow Fieldhouse the place-to-be. It is the perfect rainy day activity center and all-weather building for hoops, volleyball, ga-ga and group games. It is also home to our big-screen movie center. The Fieldhouse also hosts many of our traditional all-camp events including College Days Closing Ceremony, Dance and Talent Shows & The Quest…to name a few.

38. Gymnastics - Our beautiful Gymnastics Building sits toward the top of camp. A full springboard floor and modern equipment make our 4000 square foot facility inviting for all levels, from beginner to advanced.

39. Library - A quiet area for camp meetings.

40. Camp Office - Behind the scenes, where our wonderful office administrators & staff make it all happen.

41.   Log Cabin - Our authentic Log Cabin is where our teenagers (Bec and Bago campers) enjoy snacks and a little recreational time (ping pong, foosball, pop-a-shot) at the end of a busy day. For you former campers, it’s like a “Canteen.” A supervised place for our teens to hang out at night.

42. Tennis - A signature program at Superflarrow.  15 all-weather courts and an electronic wall and backboard complement our program.

43. Tennis - A signature program at Superflarrow.  15 all-weather courts and an electronic wall and backboard complement our program.

44. Basketball Courts - Camp Superflarrow has 30 glass basketball goals, spread out over 5 regulation courts, 2 of which are lit.

45.  Basketball Courts - Camp Superflarrow has 30 glass basketball goals, spread out over 5 regulation courts, 2 of which are lit.

46. Soccer - Another signature Superflarrow sports program. Our two regulation fields are lit and home to soccer players of all abilities. Everyone who wants to play, plays soccer at Superflarrow… in age, gender and skill appropriate groups.

47.  Volleyball - A regulation lighted beach volleyball court is a favorite camp spot.

48. Baseball - Our regulation Little League Fields are busy with baseball and softball players all day. Batting cages and clinics complement our program. Under our head of baseball, our instructional staff of 5 exposes every camper to baseball (boys) or softball (girls). An exciting intercamp program awaits those desiring a competitive element to the game.

49. Lacrosse & Football - Our full size lacrosse and football fields are busy with action all day long. Great lax and flag football instruction, games, Sports Night Football under the lights and intercamps highlight these active programs.

50.  Camp Entrance - Welcome to Camp Laurel! Enjoy your tour around our facilities, and call us with any questions.

51.   Ropes Course – Multi-Level ropes courses and towers for adventure seakers of all skill levels.

52.  Camp Owner House - The summer home of camp owner Harrison Wells.

[foolsiwillshowthemall]

Farm Report: The beautiful novelist

Wednesday the 17th of spring.  It's another beautiful spring day.  The strawberries and cauliflowers I just planted are growing nicely.

The farm won't take much attention from me today, so after watering the cauliflowers I'll be off to spend time with my friends and do things around town.

I check with the Fortune Teller to see what today will be like.  The Spirits are determined to make today suck.  Well, screw you, spirits.  Today, I will make my own luck.

I'll start with a lovely lunchtime picnic with Leah.  She set the whole thing up, some lovely food she's cooked and a bottle of my winter crystal fruit wine.  Just the two of us spending the afternoon by the river.

Aww, sweetie.  You already are real artist.  And I may have given you driftwood and other materials, encouraged you, and kept you going with salads and wine I made myself, but the artistic talent is all yours.  You did this.

Cuddling and kissing with my woodsy artist girlfriend.  Nothing could ruin this moment...

DAMMIT, SPIRITS!  You're determined to ruin my day, aren't you?

It's Leah's ex, who just can't let things go, and has shown up to try and get Leah back - or at least ruin Leah's new life in the process.

Now that Leah is successful, and starting to make it for herself, Kel wants her back.  Not willing to let Leah be.  I'm not sure if Kel genuinely has come to respect Leah's artistic aspirations and wants her back, or is just being controlling and hates seeing Leah independent and successful.

It doesn't matter, because Leah isn't having it.  Good for you, Leah.  Stand up for yourself.

Kel isn't being reasonable, and I'm pissed at our picnic being ruined.

 Theoretically I should take the high road and talk this over ... but I'm a farmer of action.  I'm going to just punch her in the face.

Leah is actually a bit shocked at this violence.  Though really, there was no ending this scene without violence.  If I had tried using reason, it would have just ended with Leah punching her in the face instead.

We go off to seek a bit more privacy and resume our picnic, but the mood has been soured.  You win this one, spirits.

After that scene, I stop at Clint to drop off my pickaxe for upgrade.  I should really have done this earlier, but I was broke and needed it for the end-of-winter mining push.  The next step after this will be upgrading everything to gold, but that may take a while for me to get around to.

As I'm leaving Clint's, I try a bit of fishing in the river.  The spirits aren't done with me today, giving me a useless can of cola instead of a nice fish.

Well, maybe it's not so useless after all.  I don't know just what rubbing this on a sore back will accomplish, but I may as well put my useless catch to some use.  Unfortunately, it's already getting late in the day, and I don't manage to get to Elliott before he's gone home for the night.

Heading up into the mountain area instead to do a bit more late-night foraging, I hear the thrumming of a motor.  Sebastian has his motorcycle out, and is just about to head out for a ride.

He invites me to come along.  I'm nervous.  The spirits have been messing with me all day.  What if this ends with us both dead in a horrible crash?  Sebastian notices my fear, and promises to protect me.  It's adorable, and enough to get me to hop on the motorcycle behind him.

Off we go, riding through the night.  It's quite exhilarating.

He brings up to a stop at a cliff, where we can see the lights of Zuzu City off in the distance.  Zuzu city, where I once lived, when I worked in a cubicle for JojaMart, before it was all to much and I had to leave for Stardew Valley.  It's been over a year since I saw those lights, or thought about that place.

I don't answer him, lost in my own thoughts and reminiscence.

Strange and sad.  That place once was my home, and while I miss it sometimes, I wouldn't trade it for a moment for the life I've made now.  The simple, pleasant life on my farm, raising crops and taking care of animals.  The community I've come to know and been accepted by.  The many friends I've made here.  Abigail, Penny, Leah, Shane, everyone who I have come to love and be loved by.  I dab at my eyes, wiping away the tears that come unbidden.

Thank you for showing this to me, Sebastian.  Thank you for reminding me of how far I've come, and how much things have changed in the last year for me.

Yeah.  Stardew Valley will do that to you.  It's a magical place.

The spirits don't dare ruin this moment.  I think they know that if they tried, I would find some way to murder them.

Thursday the 18th.  Sebastian has reminded me of where I came from, where I belong, and how far I've come.  I go about searching for the chickens in the tall grass with a happy song in my heart.  I didn't even bother consulting the spirits this morning, I know that today will be a good day no matter what they think.

I manage to track down Elliott in the general store.

"Hey there, handsome.  I got your can of cola.  Just ... you aren't planning to drink this, are you?  I fished it out of the river."

He takes the can and smiles.  "A beautiful specimen of river cola it is!  No, I merely wanted it to press against my sore back.  The round edges and coldness are quite soothing to the muscles."

Oh, don't think of yourself like that, Elliott.  You're awfully good-looking.  That counts for something.

Heh.  Don't worry about it, you beautiful disaster of a man.

I really am starting to warm to him.

Today, I am taking a trip to the Secret Woods, and this time I'm bringing my sword.  There's a lot of good forage in there, and once I've cleared out the slimes I'll be able to explore it at my leisure.

There are a plenitude of salmon berry bushes, and many large stumps to chop up for hardwood.  Once the slimes are gone, this place is quite beautiful, and not just because I still well recall the night that Emily and I spent here.

I take a moment to fish in the little pond, and manage to catch the elusive Woodskip.  It's a fish that can be found nowhere else, and is needed for one of the community center bundles.

The next morning, I find a letter from Elliott in my mailbox.  He's finally finished that novel, and is reading it this afternoon at the museum.  Of course I'll be there, I wouldn't miss this.

The Traveling Wagon merchant is still trying hard to sell those tulips, but I spot a far more important item among their wares:  a Duck Feather!  These are hard to get, I'd normally need to build an expanded coop, get ducks, and then raise their happiness up enough to get them to drop feathers instead of eggs.  Why happy ducks shed their feathers instead of laying eggs I'll never know.

I try to get to the museum nice and early, but it seems like the entire town beat me here.  I hadn't realized that there was this much interest in Elliott's novel.  If this were winter I'd put it down to there not being much else to do, but this is the busy spring season.

Elliott wastes little time.  After introducing himself, he launches into his work, a romance novel called 'Camellia Station'.

He's only reading the first chapter, of course.  It's entertaining enough, and I'll probably pick up a signed copy from him to read if I ever have a spare moment.  Maybe next winter when things are slow.

After finishing the reading, he thanks me for giving him the idea for the novel, and mentions that he's dedicated the book to me. That's really quite sweet.  I'm touched, and tell him to meet me back at his place, as I've picked up a special gift for him.

Here you go, Elliott.  One "I'm proud of you" relationship bouquet. What, did you think I was going to give him the duck feather?  While that is one of his most favorite gifts, I need it for the community center.  I can get more of his other favorite gifts, but I might not come across another duck feather for a while.

That's ten.  Only Sam and Alex are left, but I really don't think I can stomach giving either of them bouquets.