#hope you enjoy your kayaking trip

[justablah56]

I have the canonically assigned hot by basira song stuck in my head again

[zahroreadsthings]

Peter Lukas as the captain of the demeter might be the thing that kills me

[that-gay-computer]

AHHHH WHAT THE FUCK

[strawburry01]

She Blinded Me With Science

Summary: You and your college bestie Ford go hunt for the Mothman

AN: 2.6k words, there's some flirty friendship moments

Part 2

Hope you enjoy :)

“Forddddd!” you shouted as you slammed at his unfortunately closed dormitory door, “open up Pines I know you’re in there you haven’t left all day!” you continued as you kept knocking louder.

“For god's sake how do you know that?” his muffled voice came through the door.

“Your desk light has been on all night and all day you dork, I know you’re neurotic about turning that light off!” you huffed as you finally stopped knocking. You heard some shuffling of books and chair legs on the ground as Ford eventually opened the door a crack. For supposedly having the nicest dorms in the east coast, you and Ford were both guilty of turning your respective rooms into chaotic mixes of museum, library, archive, and photo studio, in your case. You could see the precarious stacks of textbooks and notebooks behind Ford’s bespeckled face. He looks like he didn’t sleep last night, evidenced by his glasses at a slant and his brown hair mussed up around his forehead.

“Can I…come in?” you asked as you attempted to poke your head in closer, which caused Ford to nearly shut the door in your face. The two of you had met in your first week of university, both sitting in the back of the Physics 101 class, noticing halfway through the class that you were both muttering the correct answers under your breath. Since that class, you had both been the closest of both study partners, and friends. With you being the charming talker, and Ford being the logical brains, you had both moved up the ranks in Backupsmore University. On a drunken night at the end of the first year you’d both revealed to each other that this was never your first choice. For Ford, his project to get taken in by West Tech was sabotaged, keeping him on the east coast. For you, your family couldn’t afford anything else. With 3 younger siblings you knew that your needs were met, but you also had to compromise on a lot of things- for the rest of the family. Ford kept a lot of his own family secretive, only mentioning in the middle of a spring break trip to Canada that he had an identical twin brother which nearly caused you to flip the kayak you were both in. But you were never one to push Ford too far out of his comfort zone. You recognized he was a private person, but also an incredibly bright and witty person. Someone you really liked hanging out with and spending time around. 

“No!” Ford said, “I mean uhm…what do you want?” he corrected himself, still keeping the door only open a sliver. You raised your eyebrow and leaned against the doorway yourself. He was hiding something, and poorly.

“Is there a girl in there Ford?” you whispered with a smirk, knowing there’s no shot in hell it would be the case. His face turned red as he shut the door and unchained the locks before swinging it open fully. You knew he rarely ever hung out with other people, aside from his Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons gaming group and fellow student Fiddleford. 

“No, no females in here, just a damn letter,” he sighed as he ran his hand through his hair as he turned, “it’s the grant letter,” he said as he pointed to it on his desk. You stepped in and sure enough, his desk was somehow cleared, most of the mess being moved to his bed now, with a white envelope addressed to him. 

Stanford Pines, Room 313, Backupsmore University.

“Well shit have you opened it?” you asked, standing besides him as you both stared at the envelope. He applied for a large grant for research months ago, and after tedious interview after interview, this could be it.

“No, I can’t bring myself to. It’s Schrodinger's envelope. Until I open it I could’ve won it or not. I can’t do it. I can’t face the certainty of opening it- either one,” he sighed as he pinched his glasses on his nose, going through the same logic he’d been grappling with for the past hours.

You slowly nodded. He wound himself up like this often. Paralyzed with choice. You personally were the type to make a choice and force it to be the right one- somehow make it correct or at least work out for you. Ford on the other hand needed to know that it was going to be the right one from the beginning. Once again, the logical one.

What had worked before though was you distracting him. Getting him out of his head. Or at least his room.

“Want to check out Point Pleasant? Been reports of some unusual behavior from there recently,” you mused, breaking the silence. You could practically hear the gears in his head turning. “My camcorder’s all charged, I just need your car,” you grinned at him. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he sighed.

“Okay, okay, fine,” he said as he took one last look at the envelope before grabbing his coat and keys. You silently pumped your fist as you fished your camcorder out of your bag. It was covered in random stickers you’d gotten over the years of owning it, from fruit stickers, to band stickers.

There was another thing that brought you and Ford together. An affinity for the unexplained and weird. It had always piqued your interest since you were a child living in the forest, seeing things that practical textbook science couldn’t explain and going headfirst into the unknown. Ford grew to share your passion for this after getting his skepticism proved wrong after tagging along for a few of your drives out to cryptid and weirdness hotspots. Bigfoots, ghosts, aliens, fairies, you’d hear a rumor and you’d grab your camcorder to go check it out yourself. Ford himself realized that he’d been viewed as something different in his own life having six fingers on each hand. The way that you got so excited and enamored with weirdness though made him feel less self conscious about his own quirks. You thrived on the unexplainable, and it eventually began to rub off on him. He could explain most equations and experiments, but he loved the challenge of not knowing how to explain something, which he seemed to always find when he followed you. 

You slid into the familiar passenger seat of Ford’s red 1960 Popular 100E, which was a little car that suited his personality well. He began the engine as you instinctively began flicking through radio channels trying to find some good music. 

The sun was starting to set which was turning the sky a pinkish yellow hue. You turned your camcorder to the sky and started filming.

“Tonight I come to you with a breaking case joined again by my dearest companion Ford Pines,” you begin as you dramatically squirm in your seat to zoom in on Ford’s face who blushes and laughs, but doesn’t take his eyes off the road. He prided himself on his safe driving, which often bored you. “Let’s take a step back my friends into a time before humans, a time before these roads meant anything, a time of empty forest and beautiful lands untouched by buildings,” you continued as you turned back to the sunset, “imagine soaring above this beautiful area one day and then BAM!” you shouted, twisting back to Ford trying to catch him off guard. No luck though. “A billboard! A damn city has popped up in your turf! Where you were just chilling one day. Unbelievable,” you sighed as you turned back to the now darkening sky. “That my friends is the story of today’s search, the elusive and illustrious Mothman,” you said, which caused Ford to scoff,

“You’re kidding me Y/N, Mothman?”. You stopped your recording and put your camcorder back down. 

“You’ve already started driving, it's too late to turn back now,” you hummed as you went back to clicking through channels, “just trust me Ford I’ve never let you down,”. 

The two of you kept driving into the night, discussing recent classes and homework, and you trying to fill Ford in on recent gossip. The car rolled into Point Pleasant around 1:32 am, which is where you sat up again and turned on your screen. Slowly directing Ford down an overgrown path outside of town. Stopped by a closed gate warning to turn back you grinned maniacally as you jumped out the car practically before Ford could stop it. You climbed over the gate with Ford trailing behind you, muttering about tetanus and safety. 

“We start here, on an abandoned road,” you said as you panned around the forest “where this Mothman has been reported to be seen earlier this week,” you continued, “once again with my trusty partner Ford,” you added zooming in and out on Ford who was crouched down looking at the mud.

“Seems fresh,” he said as he pointed to a large claw prints on the ground, with what looked like a walking pattern of a human. Ford pulled out his notebook, which was a precariously put together collection of notes and drawings he started once he started going out on these adventures with you. You had your camcorder, and he had his notebook. It was a spiral notebook you’d gotten for him after getting tired of seeing him lose his sketches he’d done earlier on napkins, although the amount of wear and tear it got was already causing the spiral part of it to get stuck in some spots.

You zoomed in on the footprints and kept your camcorder down as you followed them farther and farther until you felt a strong gust of wind. You slowly brought your camcorder up to a tree in front of you, where a pair of glowing red eyes looked back down at you.

“Whoah,” you said softly as you marveled at the size of the creature in the tree as your saw the 7 foot feathered? furry? thing sitting in the branch, staring back down at you. You kept your camcorder and eyes on the creature, bewildered as you felt two familiar hands on your hips slowly pulling you back.

“Y/N we gotta go,” Ford whispered in your ear as he kept trying to scoot you back.

“Ford wait-” you protested as you tried to shoo him, which only tightened his hold and urgency.

“Y/N this thing does not play friendly,” he urged again, grabbing your head and forcing it to the pile of deer and other forest animal skeletons nearby that you had missed before. To seal the deal the two of you both heard the creak of the branch and flapping of wings as the Mothman jumped off the perch. 

Very quickly you grabbed Ford’s hand as the two of you began hauling ass back to his car, knowing it would supply a little bit of safety from the claws of the creature. Above there was a screech similar to a bird as you both dove into the car with you flopping on top of Ford as he started to fumble for his keys and scooting to the drivers seat. 

“A show folks! We have a show!” you shouted to the camcorder as you tried to get a view of the Mothman through the window, “we’ve discovered that our Mothman friend is NOT a vegetarian I fear!”. Ford frantically started the car and began reversing back the way the two of you had come. 

There was a loud thump onto the top of the car as you both looked at each other. It was on top of the car. Shit.

Ford continued trying to reverse down the overgrown trail as you resorted to honking the horn for him to try and get the Mothman off the top of the car. The car jolted as the Mothman jumped off the car, letting the both of you take a breath as you rejoined the paved road. 

“Damn that was crazy!” you said as Ford turned the car back into the road. He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by both of your screams as the behemoth of the Mothman slammed down onto the hood of the car, metal screeching beneath the claws as it gripped on. 

“YOU SPOKE TOO SOON!” Ford shouted as he attempted to honk the horn, which only seemed to peeve the creature off more as it attempted to hit the windshield. You fumbled with your camcorder once again trying to film this scene as Ford continued to let out a string of curses. 

“Try and throw him off!” you shouted as you grabbed the side of the wheel and yanked it right, very grateful nobody else was on the road. The Mothman certainly wasn’t expecting it as it lost its balance careening off the side before Ford narrowly dodged it to not run it over. He pressed the accelerator all the way down as he tried to put as much distance between the car and the temporarily stunned Mothman.

You were out of breath as you laid your head back onto the seat, taking in the avoided danger. Grateful it wasn’t any worse. The tinny of the radio was the only noise in the car as the two of you stared at the mangled hood of the car.

“Ford I’m-”

“I got the grant,” he said before you could apologize, “I got the full 100 thousand dollars,”. You punched his shoulder excitedly.

“STANFORD PINES!” you shouted as you continued to hit his arm which made him grin and look over at you, “HELL YEAH YOU DID!”. You were overjoyed for your friend. He was the hardest working student and person you knew and truly deserved the cash to make his dreams happen. “I can’t believe you opened it! You had me going! Why didn’t you tell me?” you asked as you settled back down. He shrugged,

“I don’t know- I couldn’t think of how to tell you. I opened it at midnight last night and I’ve been trying to think of how to since then-” he said, “You’ve done so much to help me get it and- I just needed to do it justice,” he sighed. 

You gripped his arm again and gently shook it,

“I’m so fucking happy for you Ford this is going to change everything!” you smiled, “what are you going to do with it all?” you asked.

He let out a sigh, “I want to do this. Full time,” he said, “There’s a place, in Oregon, over in the Pacific Northwest- there’s something supernatural happening there based on my research and I there’s some land available already,” he continued, “I want to make a lab, a honest research lab, to do this sort of cryptid, oddities, weirdness hunting full time,”. 

The car was silent as he sat with himself.

“Damn that was the first time I’ve really said it out loud,” he laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I think that sounds great Ford,” you nodded with a smile as you continued to gently rub his arm to make him feel a little better.

“But I need you there,” he said, confidently, “You got me hooked on this stuff, and you have a real knack for it. It’s only right if you come with,”. 

“I would be honored, Ford are you kidding me!?” you said excitedly as you squeezed his hand quickly on the wheel.

“It’s going to be really messy, and I don’t know how I’m going to move everything, but I need you to be there with me to make this work,” he said with a firm nod.

“And I’ll be there,” you nodded back as you sat back into your seat, looking back out at the dark road. You couldn’t help but feel giddy at the future Ford had just invited you to.

[stormblessed95]

Watching Are You Sure?! EP 1

A reminder of how I do these reaction posts as I watch things. I just write my reactions and thoughts down literally as a happen. Think more of a bullet point format. I'll include links when I can to videos, thanks to the people who twt who upload clips. And at the end, I'll do a better wrap up of all my opinions. I hope everyone enjoyed the show so far!!

The episode starts with Jimin showing up right before JKs GMA performance and interview, July 14th 2023.

Them meeting up and talking about how he has his performance in NY on GMA later. Jimin saying that he hadn't seen him in a while, their schedules kept them SO BUSY 😭😭 this trip was so good for them. And the way he caressed JKs throat and told him to rest his voice and take care of it since it had been hurting. 🥺 So many soft touches too as soon as they were able to see each other again. And we didn't even get to see their actual reunion.

JK packing up his hotel room and talking about how he never traveled so freely before. They are so sweet and so busy and I'm so glad they were able to carve out even just a few weekends for time to themselves. And the way when the staff was talking to them about plans and who would drive etc, JK said he would drive and was just sitting there talking about traffic while they were holding hands interlocked resting in Jimins lap 😭 that's so??!!

Then fighting over the AC in the car in efforts to take care of the other is so cute. Jimin wanting to make sure JKs throat stayed okay, JK not wanting Jimin to get sick. They baby the heck out of each other. And Jimin watching his GMA performance on his phone 🥰 JKs cute smile while Jimin was jamming out to his music 🥺

"JungJi" new ship name alert?! Lmao!

JK ordering for the table 💜

The absolute bickering over who is a bad driver/bad at parking. The get out. Lmao the way they absolutely irritate each other on purpose is amazing and soooo best friends/might as well be married behavior 😂🤣

When they went shopping together and JK said they should buy the same shorts together 😍🥰 matchy matchy always!!

And an ARMY recognized them and saying hello and they were so cutely excited about it. "We've still got it." 😍🥺🥰

JK ordering for them again at the brewery 🥰 and I love that they went to an LGBTQ friendly brewery for one of their first hang out spots. Some ARMYs went and talked to the people working and said they everyone said Jikook were super polite, no one had recognized them and they kept to themselves a bit and just had some phones/go pros for recording.

The way that they also started talking about how this was their trip before military service. And how JK started bonking Jimin over the head with his camera when he mentioned it. Jimin was giggling but you KNOW that they was emotional from it too. This was when they were thinking there was still a chance they would be separated for 2 years. I know they were anxious to get to cherish this time spent together. I know it meant SO much to them both and probably so much to JK that Jimin traveled all this way and made it happen.

The way that JKs kayak tipped over immediately and Jimin just was cackling as he continued to paddle away and the staff were fishing JK out of the lake 🤣🤣🤣 just for JK to furiously row up on him and be like "you have your phone?? Tip over!!" 🤣🤣 They are so funny and cute! And Jimin taking a photo of his baby 💜 the way Jimin spent the whole time on the water just laughing and smiling fondly at everything JK would do. It's so freaking sweet. They just really had so much fun together being silly and goofy.

Not Jimin giving JK the "you come here often?" Pick up line and the immediate roleplay they both get into 😅🤣😂 they really can't go too long without at least a little bit of flirting lol

We know there was a getaway cabin with a 2 bed option but Jikook picked the one with just one bed. Lmfao good for them. Hey BH, we know you have no issues with filming the members while they sleep, even while they share the bed. How come we got zero footage of Jikook sharing the bed? 😂😂

Jimin being like "JK, you are a good cook 🥺" and Jungkook just immediately getting to work on cooking them dinner 🥺💜 although when Jimin asked for a taste, why did JK feed him from his FINGER?! Lmfao and what the hell was the noise he made when Jimin licked his finger 😂🤣 half moan, half laugh? I don't even know lmao

And the way he ran to go feed Jimin a piece of the chicken because he was proud of how his cooking was turning out. Sooo cute. Jimin accidentally dropped a piece of chicken and acted like he committed a great offence 😭😂 the way they spilt dinner duties though was so cutely domestic.

JK speaking directly to the camera to speak to the viewers. Man has done too many hours long live streams. Lmao he is too used to just chatting with ARMYs 🤣😂 that was adorable and Jimin thought so too. And the way Jimin goes "I miss V" and JK immediately is like "let's call him!" Anything to make Jimin smile! But they clearly cut so much of that convo, BH, give me my members loving each other istg I miss them too much. And don't even get me started on the yoonminkook conversation. I genuinely almost teared up. I miss BTS so much 😭 their laughter is healing

Jimin getting a stomach bug 😭😭 my poor baby. And the screen just going black while Jikook cuddle?? The give us minimal Audio and a black screen and then they cut away entirely and we KNOW they are cuddling. Lmfao TF BH!! We know they cuddle, where is my fanservice?! And JK turned over at some point and elbowed Jimin in the nose. You KNOW they were all up in each other's business on that bed for that to happen 😂😂😂

And my poor Jimmie... He feels so bad 😭😭 JK is taking such sweet care of him though.

JK outside stacking rocks while Jimin rests is giving me Yumi vibes. Lmfao I love him (and her!) SO MUCH! The way he prayed after too for a good trip with Jimin. The rock tower is also (correct me here if needed) a way to pray for someone's health and well-being. My poor sick Jiminie. Yumi also used the rock towers as ways to pray and communicate with her Gods.

Wrap up thoughts?

Not much I haven't already said honestly. Lol but just more emphasis on how special this trip is, both to Jikook themselves and for us to have it shared with us. This IS comfort TV. They bring each other such peace and happiness. They both banter and tease and have such fun. They both baby the heck out of the other. JK taking care of a sick Jimin was soooo nice seeing. The way Jimin wasn't feeling good, but rallied in order to have a good time for their weekend away.

It's also interesting that so much of this is honestly filmed from GoPro. They have some staff and crew there, but from what I've seen it's a smaller number than normally goes to film these shows and they are left alone with just installed cameras fairly often. That's extra nice for them. 💜

I am and forever will be salty about all the cuts. The Tae face time was cut short, the cuddling was cut, so much was cut. Which duh, I get why. But I still want more 😂 looking forward to the behinds to see if we get anything more. That black screen cut from them cuddling though was 👀👀😂😂

JK was such a good leader and took charge so much so far this trip. It was cool to see, Jimin ALSO thought so! The way he was speak for both of them, drove them around, ordered food and drinks for them, gave dinner prep instructions. Gave Jimin his medicine.... I'm not saying it's hyung behavior.... But... Lol also I did notice that there was a pretty even split of address between him calling Jimin hyung, or just by his name. Along with all the little random bits of flirting sprinkled through the episode lol so cute..

Hope you guys enjoyed it!! And thanks for reading all my random thoughts! Onto episode 2!

[seren1tyhaze]

of grocery lists and spilled (oat) milk

PAIRING: mark lee x afab reader

WORD COUNT: 3.2K

SUMMARY: sure, keeping your grocery list in Mark Lee's dms may seem like next level delusional but it can't do any harm, right?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: for my lovely @strwbrysunday who inspired this and for being there always for every step of my delusional writing process <3 In case I don’t pull something together in time, we can count this as a VERY early bday tribute to Markly

WARNINGS: fluff, romantic meet cute, light swearing, rekindling romance, childhood friends to lovers

PLAYLIST: Broken Melodies and Like We Just Met by NCT Dream

Life is but a dream, we got history

--

Your alarm is blaring in your ear as your cat licks the tip of your nose, jolting you awake to see hot sun streaming in your bedroom window. How bright the room is has you scrambling for your phone, desperately hoping you hadn’t overslept (again).

Your phone screen confirms the worst as you whip back the covers and slide into fluffy slippers next to your bed, knocking a cup over as you reach for your cat’s food in the kitchen and spilling some of it in the process. She happily purrs against your bare legs before starting to eat slowly out of the small tray and you realize you’re going to have to drink the shitty office coffee since you’re both out of espresso pods and oat milk.

You quickly shower and are out the door in record time, thanking yourself that you hadn’t unpacked your work bag when you had gotten home late the night before. Work has been brutal lately, giving you barely any time in the evenings to yourself and you’ve never been one to wake up early in the morning. You know you have to go to the store today so you plan to try to sneak out a bit early to get your essentials.

Once you’re settled in the train car for your twenty seven minute ride, you work through a couple emails to get a head start on work before turning to your grocery list.

You glance to your side to see if anyone is looking over your shoulder at your phone, knowing the unconventional location of said list would seem questionable to a passerby.

Even you can admit that your delusional habit you had started ages ago was a little strange, but it felt comforting at this point and wasn’t hurting anyone. You opened up your Instagram DMs and tapped into the extremely one sided conversation with a charming, smiley rapper with 11.5M followers who did not know you existed.

Yes, you kept your grocery lists (and other important info you needed to find quickly) in Mark Lee’s DMs. 

It had started as a joke a few years ago when you had finally admitted to your closest friend in the city that you and Mark had gone to summer camp together when you were kids. It had only been for a couple years but you remembered it like it was yesterday. The early morning kayak trips, knocking bare knees around a late night campfire, and how he used to sing you to sleep accompanied by the soft strumming of his guitar from the steps of your cabin. 

You had followed his career ever since, listening to new songs as they were released, watching him on variety shows, and flipping through magazines whenever you saw his stunning face and bold style gracing the covers. You enjoyed seeing the short poems he would post on his stories or read out loud on the rare live he would do after shows.

Your friend had encouraged you to slide into his DMs at the time, purely motivated by her desire to meet his dancer best friend that he was sometimes spotted with at the most exclusive clubs. You had tapped open the message conversation with him and in typing quickly, accidentally pasted your short grocery list into the chat. She had laughed at you and you sent the message anyways, knowing that there was no way he would reply or ever even see it in his message requests.

You had a solid amount of followers for someone who didn’t work in the entertainment industry due to the app you had helped develop rising in popularity in the past few months. You sometimes helped out with filming vlog content for the website or TikToks but mostly kept to yourself and didn’t really have any interest in being internet famous.

Since you had first put your grocery list in Mark’s DMs, you had used the space to put little notes to yourself, including a drunken ramble one night about how 16 Personalities has royally fucked up everyone’s perception of MBTI.

Today, you opened up the message to add in your latest essentials, putting oat milk in all caps since the last few times you went you somehow managed to forget it. You needed food for the week, chicken and veggies, some other basics like mascara and tampons and remembered running low on cat treats.

Sliding your phone back into the front pocket of your bag, you let your eyes flutter shut for the rest of the ride to work, finally feeling the adrenaline of waking up late wear off.

Many hours later you are angrily typing on your computer, finishing up some code review for the development team, eyes flicking repeatedly to the clock in the bottom of your screen.

“I’m sorry you had to stay late, you should head out soon before it starts raining harder,” your coworker messages you, leaning from behind their monitor across the open office space, offering you a small smile.

You send off a couple frustrated emojis before typing up your feedback for the team in an email, feet already sliding into your rain boots you kept under your desk for gloomy days like today.

Checking your watch, you realize you are barely going to make it to the grocery store if you don’t leave now. The only benefit will be that it should be pretty empty this late at night. After a short train ride, you’re pushing a cart through the empty aisles, grabbing what you need and humming lightly to yourself. There are a few fellow late night shoppers milling about alongside the workers stocking the shelves for the next morning.

You grab the last item on your list just as a series of yawns hit you, making your way to the self-checkout area. You are about to scan your first item when you glance down at your cart, noticing you’ve managed to forget the oat milk again.

“Fucking…” you murmur under your breath, dropping your pack of tampons back into the cart and spinning on your heel, heading towards the back of the store to quickly grab the milk.

You’re almost back to your cart when you hit a wet spot on the floor, slipping in a dramatic, banana peel comedy sketch moment, falling hard on your back, managing to catch the back of your head with your hand before it collides with the linoleum floor.

The oat milk cartons in your hands crash to the floor, one of them starting to leak out in a milky puddle next to you.

Suddenly a masked face appears over you, white cloth covering most of his features, dark eyes holding a confused look. You are breathing heavily and blink a couple times to clear your vision.

“Yo…are you okay?” comes a loud and worried voice, holding a hand out in an offer of help.

You feel a little light headed but accept the hand anyways, allowing yourself to sit up and meet the eyes of the young man now crouching next to you on the wet floor.

“Uh yeah…yeah…the floor was we-” your speech is cut off suddenly as he pulls down his mask, shaking dark hair from his eyes and making eye contact with you again.

Kneeling in a puddle of rainwater and oat milk was none other than the man whose DMs you had monopolized for the past few years and the name you had moaned late at night with your hand shoved under your covers. It was the face you had studied countless times in high resolution photos from the airport posted on Twitter, a face that you had memorized down to the prominent mole on his cheek and the curves of his shining white teeth. Mark Lee had just watched you bite it on the floor of the grocery store right before closing.

You can barely keep eye contact with Mark as you stand up, looking down to see damp pants and your shirt rumpled. Embarrassed, you thank him under your breath, reaching down to pick up the milk cartons and tossing them in a nearby trash can. You quickly begin scanning the items from your cart with shaky hands, placing them in your tote bag, hoping to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Did you remember the cat treats?” he asks quietly, pushing the black hood off his head and stepping closer to you, handing you a carton of strawberries from your basket.

You lift up your gaze to meet his, mouth falling open at his question. His eyes are big and kind and he has a shy but warm expression on his face, plump pink lips settling into a pout as he finishes his question.

“You…read those messages? I’m uh…Mark…Lee…Mark Lee. I’m so sorry…” you ramble, brain scrambled and swimming with all other reasons why he could have asked that, praying that he somehow hadn’t been reading your messages all these years.

“How could I not when the cute girl from summer camp kept me informed on every little detail of her life,” he replied, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, smiling bashfully as his fingertips made contact with your now flushed cheek.

“I’m so sorry, Mark, I didn’t think there was any way you would remember me and it just kind of became a habit,” you stuttered out, scanning your last item and reaching for your wallet. You were acutely aware of how close he had gotten and silently hoped your makeup still looked good and that your hair had stayed lightly curled from yesterday’s styling. Every inch of your skin felt like it was on fire and you knew how red your neck had to be getting.

“I got it, but don’t forget the oat milk,” he offers as he scans a carton of the same brand from his own cart before swiping his card on the reader to pay for your groceries. You are once again stunned but tip your head down in a silent thanks.

“But for real, thank you for recommending this brand, it’s the best!” he laughs, scratching the back of his head awkwardly and grabbing your bags for you.

“I can’t believe you remember me,” you say quietly, a grin settling across your face as the two of you walk out of the store. His hand is brushing up against the back of yours as he keeps close to your side, popping open an umbrella to shield you from the light rain that hasn’t quite cleared yet.

“I’ve thought about you a lot over the years, but also know our lives took us in different directions. But I always hoped you were supporting me from a distance,” he replies candidly, tapping into his phone before handing it to you with an open contact card screen.

“Now, can you please give me your number so I can call you and we can go on a real date that doesn’t involve you laying a puddle of milk?”

“Hey, maybe that’s my idea of a perfect first date!” you laugh out, quickly adding yourself as a contact in his phone before handing it back to him. Your heart is pounding as your fingers brush against his, unable to believe that this is happening. You half expect to sit up in your bed any moment, thinking that all the videos you studied about lucid dreaming must have finally paid off.

He chuckles, closing the umbrella as the rain comes to a stop at the most picture perfect moment. The air smelled fresh in the post storm haze, fog settling lightly around you amongst flickering streetlights and the hum of city sounds. He reaches back to pull his hood up, covering dark and piecey short hair, hanging perfectly at the sides of his forehead. Whenever he turns his head, you catch a glimpse of an intricate pattern buzzed into the shorter sides, exposing flashes of his scalp in contrast to his dark hair. 

Your eyes trail down his face and take in his full frame for the first moment since you first encountered him in the store. He’s broader than you had imagined, your height difference the same as when you had known him as a kid, but his arms look strong and tight jeans leaving little to the imagination. His face is bare but immaculate, brows perfectly coiffed and lips plump and moisturized.

He clears his throat lightly at you ogling him and you meet his sparkling eyes again as he sits your bags gently on the ground next to him, placing a tentative hand on your lower back.

“Yes?” you ask teasingly, batting your eyelashes a little for good measure, suddenly feeling confidence bloom within you. He sighs before speaking again and you feel the tension and nervousness between the two of you start to melt away.

“Ever since you sent me those videos on Halloween, I’ve been having to stop myself from sliding into your DMs like some sleazy asshole,” he mutters, voice suddenly lower and strained as his pinky finger brushes up against yours, linking with it and swinging lightly.

You knit your eyebrows together in confusion, trying to think back to what videos he could be talking about. Hazy memories of your drunken night out to multiple bars and house parties start flooding in as you begin to remember what you wore that night. 

Golden fabric and black strappy laces from below your navel up to your neck flash in your mind and you suddenly remember your cheetah costume that was less than safe for work. Those heels went straight in the trash when you got home because while they made your legs look amazing, they gave you the worst blisters of your entire life.

“...I did not send you videos that night,” you start cautiously, placing a hand on his chest to ground yourself. You are trying to force the memories forward but all you can think of is the countless shots you took with your friend and some sloppy make out sessions on the dance floor.

He chuckles, nodding silently and letting his forehead fall towards yours, pressing against yours tenderly. It did bring you comfort but also made your heart skip a beat.

“I am…mortified,” you sigh, blinking up at him from the awkward angle.

“Don’t be, you looked fucking hot,” he breathes out, warm breath minty and fanning out across your lips.

His lips are on yours seconds later, hand sliding down towards your ass and pulling you closer into him. He breaks away from you, inches from your lips, checking your face for any sign of discomfort, only to find lust laden, hooded eyes blinking rapidly.

You surge forward to capture his lips again, bringing your hand up to his neck and digging your nails into the skin there. His tongue presses against your lips eagerly and you give him access instantly, a soft whine buzzing against his mouth. You lose all concept of time and space, forgetting you are standing on the empty downtown streets in front of the market, in the arms of one of the most famous musicians in the world.

You break away first, having to calm your breathing pattern and releasing the material you were gripping on his chest.

He chuckles and slides his hand up your back, massaging your shoulder lightly through your raincoat. He’s so much more gentle and tender than you could have ever imagined and you struggle to maintain eye contact with him.

“I can’t believe all I had to do was buy a carton of oat milk to finally kiss my first crush after all these years,” he laughs out, leaning in to gently nuzzle at your hair.

--

“Do you need me to add anything to our grocery list? You know, it’s almost been two years since we started it, I think,” Mark laughed out a little loudly, despite being close to your ear in Taeyong’s crowded apartment.

“Wait, I thought you two just moved in together recently?” Jaemin cackles, taking a long sip of beer. You didn’t realize he was eavesdropping on your conversation, assuming he had been too focused on Jeno’s karaoke performance happening in the center of the room.

You dip your head down, embarrassed by the fact that Mark’s closest friends still didn’t know the full details of your reunion and start of your relationship. You had sworn him to secrecy, telling him he could fill them in on the past camp days and make up some story about how the two of you had met at an art gallery opening.

“Oh Jaem, haven’t you heard of our adorable meet cute?” Mark asks mischievously, nudging your knee with his and dragging his lips over your ear. His eyes tell you everything, just as they always had, just like when you first met.

“Oh do tell,” he gushed, letting his chin drop into his hand with his elbow propped up on his crossed legs. He tapped his cheek with his fingers, wiggling his eyebrows at the two of you.

While you refused to let Mark share the story of years of grocery lists and your fall at the market check out, you did let him share how he asked you to move in with him a few months prior.

On a normal Friday morning you had pulled open the fridge, reaching in without looking, and feeling your hand brush against an unfamiliar piece of paper on the oat milk. 

A watermelon shaped post-it note (that had seemingly been “borrowed” from your desk) was taped to the front of the carton with hurried handwriting in a statement that made your heart flutter.

I hate this distance and I hate singing broken melodies. Move in with me &lt;3

The carton almost slips from your fingers but you manage to catch it and pour some with a shaky hand into your waiting tumbler.

Pulling your phone from your jeans pocket, you lean your back against the counter, petting your cat’s head as she emerges from her favorite spot behind the toaster oven. 

Opening Instagram, you tap into your conversation, adding a to do list in the same format you usually used for your grocery lists.

To Do List: Help my new roommate pick out more comfortable pillows for the bed -.-

Typing bubbles appear almost immediately, and a string of sappy emojis and voice notes start flooding in from Mark.

It’s still surreal to see replies from the message thread that had been one-sided for so long. You still message in Instagram from time to time, finding comfort in the space, despite spending hours on the phone each day and being in almost constant contact via other messaging apps.

A knock at your door pulls your attention and you have to dab your eyes with the back of your hand where tears have pricked up. A couple large boxes are waiting outside your door and you drag them inside before snapping a picture to send to Mark. You had planned a camping trip for later in the summer, looking forward to reliving those muggy summer nights spent chasing fireflies, spending your days reading in a hammock and falling even deeper in love with the boy who first made you feel special all those years ago.

[nitw]

hello bestie after 3ish years of watching u blog abt it i finally decided to start tma. enjoy this compilation. i blame you /lhj

🎶 KEEP THOTTING IT UP IN HEAVEN KING HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR KAYAKING TRIP 🎶

[bugsinthebayou]

does he deserve a canonically assigned hot by basira parody...

kian stone the character of all time. absolutely iconic. no one did it like him

[hongcherry]

Hii, can u write a Hongjoong x reader fic, best friends 2 lovers, when they're camping together ? Please 😁 I luv your works sm!

🏕 Paring: Hongjoong x Reader (gn)

🏕 Rating/Genres/AUs: PG-15; Fluff; Best friends to lovers

🏕 Warnings: None?

🏕 Word Count: 1.2k

🏕 Author's Note: Ahhh thank you soo much for this ask! My first Hongjoong ask 💕 I need more Hongjoong on this blog! Thank you for the support ^-^

ateez masterlist | main masterlist

Hongjoong’s tired.

He’s tired of fending off mosquitos. He’s tired of feeling sweat run down his back. He’s tired of the uncomfortable cot he has to sleep on.

He’s tired of being outside.

He just wants to go home.

Luckily, all he must do is endure one more day. One more day of mosquitos, sweat, restless sleeping, and wilderness.

He can do it.

Maybe.

“You want to do what?” he asks, body filling with a mix of dread and defeat.

You finish applying the last of your sunscreen before handing him the item.

“I want us to go paddle boating!” you repeat.

Hongjoong blinks at you, sunscreen forgotten.

“Aren’t those the ones you have to pedal to move?” he questions. Even though he knows he’s right, he hopes you answer differently.

“Yup!”

His shoulders sag.

“How about kayaking instead?” he suggests. It’s something he can sit down and only have to move his arms every so often. His legs are already aching at the thought of pedaling for hours.

“We did that two days ago,” you huff and grab the sunscreen. You squirt some on your fingertips then smear it across his face.

He swats your hands away and begins rubbing it in—though, not without sending you a (harmless) glare.

You shrug and explain, “You weren’t doing it, and we’re losing daylight. Hurry, Joong!”

Hongjoong had always thought he knew when to say no, but if that were true, he wouldn’t be seated in a generic blue boat with an already-wet butt.

“How do we steer this?” you question beside him.

He glances around, then points to the steering handle that’s in between you.

You grab it and tug, feeling something shift before you start going in a new direction.

“We’re doing so good, Joongie!” you exclaim with a smile.

Hongjoong’s eyes cast down briefly at your lips before averting his gaze. Despite his aching legs, he’s happy to see you smile so freely.

He admits to himself the view is beautiful, peaceful even, and he tries to focus on that instead of the pain.

Thankfully, the boating only lasts for an hour, with a few breaks here and there, and then you’re both taking showers. 

Hongjoong arrives at the campsite before you, so he rests his sore legs while he can in his hammock.

He doesn’t realize he fell asleep until he’s being prodded with something.

His eyes peel open reluctantly. He gets a glimpse of you pulling away and figures you just poked him awake.

“I really wore you out, hm?” you giggle.

You’re standing near him, smiling down at him with a hand on your hip.

Hongjoong grins lazily and sits up; his legs are on either side of the hammock. The sun behind you casts a soft outer glow around your body. He thinks you look stunning and wishes he had his camera to remember this moment.

“You did,” he hums, voice low and slightly gravelly from exhaustion.

You bite your lip and look away for a moment. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat,” he shrugs.

“Then let’s eat before it gets dark,” you instruct.

Hongjoong nods, and you step away to gather the ingredients.

You and Hongjoong prepare dinner with minimal conversation. For some, the silence may be uncomfortable, but with you, Hongjoong’s at ease. He enjoys the simple sounds of chopping food, birds chirping, and sizzling meat.

When you’re both done eating and seated around the fireplace, Hongjoong’s mind wanders.

The dancing flames in front of you both and the soft crackling of the fire provide a peaceful atmosphere that he gets lost in.

Had anyone else asked to go on a five-day camping trip, he would’ve refused profusely. Had anyone else asked to go kayaking, play sand volleyball, or go paddle boating, he would’ve declined and sat on the sidelines. But because it was you who had asked, he had said yes.

He finds he says yes to you more than anyone.

“Joong,” your voice lulls him out of his thoughts.

“Hm?” He looks at you.

“Try this,” you offer and present him a s’more. The marshmallow is burnt to perfection and the chocolate is quickly melting.

Hongjoong opens his mouth, letting you bring the treat to his lips. The bite he takes causes the dessert to ooze into your hand and you pull away to lick at it.

He chews slowly as he watches you.

“How is it?” you ask, licking the corner of your mouth.

“Good,” he replies while chewing.

“Something wrong?” you question and take a bite of the s’more you made.

Hongjoong fidgets in his camp chair, debating on telling you what he’s been hiding. You eye him as you eat, though don’t say anything as you wait.

When you finally nudge him with your leg, he sighs and rests his elbows on his knees—eyes focused on the flames.

“I think I like you,” he confesses.

You don’t say anything for a few seconds, and it causes Hongjoong’s heart to thump rapidly in his chest.

“You think?” you ask, but there’s a hint of playfulness to your voice that informs him you’re not mad.

He glances back at you.

You’ve finished the s’more and are cleaning your hands with a wipe. There’s not an ounce of surprise on your face, which he finds a little odd.

“No! I know I like you,” he quickly corrects. “I like you.”

You smile and lean on your knees as well.

“Prove it.”

“W-what?” he asks, eyes growing.

“Prove you like me.”

“I’m here, no?”

You smirk and lean closer.

“That’s true,” you pause, “but I want something more.”

“More?” he repeats, trying not to glance at your lips that are so near.

“More, Hongjoong.”

He sits still as he tries to understand what you’re wanting. It’s not until you inch closer that he gets it and quickly leans in the rest of the way.

You smile instantly when his lips touch yours, a hand coming up to card through his hair.

Hongjoong carefully slides off his chair to kneel between your legs—lips still on yours and hands resting on your hips.

The kiss goes on for a while longer before you’re both pulling apart with smiles adorning your faces.

“I like you, too, Joongie,” you say.

“I get the feeling you knew I liked you for a while,” Hongjoong comments.

You give him a guilty smile and straighten your posture.

“Maybe,” you reply.

“For how long?”

“A while,” you trail off.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he frowns.

You push his hair off his face to see him clearly.

“Because I needed a camping buddy,” you tease before pressing a quick kiss to his exposed forehead.

He groans and rests his head against your tummy. You laugh, ruffling his hair.

“I’m getting you back somehow,” he mumbles.

“Hm, okay,” you reply, then gently ease his face away from your body. “But for now, we should get some sleep. We have to wake up early to pack tomorrow.”

Hongjoong exhales a deep breath at the idea of taking down the tent. It was a pain to put up—at least for him—so the thought of taking it down sounds just as troublesome. He’s tempted to tell you to leave it and buy another one for next time… If there’s a next time.

“One more kiss?” he asks.

You grin and nod, lowering your face to his.

Hongjoong’s not sure if the craving for more comes from his fondness for you or the taste of the s’more from earlier. Regardless, he pulls away before he deepens the kiss any more.

“Does this mean you’ll be mine?” he wonders.

“Ask me,” you reply.

He smiles and takes hold of one of your hands.

“Yn, will you be mine?”

“Yes.”

A/N: I haven't been camping in a while! I miss it 🥲 Has anyone else gone camping? Did you like it?

taglist: @nina-at-any-time, @jexizia, @ssaboala

©️mimikookie // DO NOT REPOST OR MODIFY Please consider reblogging if you liked this work to show your support. Feedback/commentary is always welcomed.

[therainbowtea]

Day 5 of @tmaappreciationweek: Memes/Inside Jokes!

"Keep thottin’ it up in heaven, king, hope you enjoy your kayaking trip,"

Who would of thought that this was coming? Gotta love me some kayaking buddies!

Prompt list

[alpineshift]

OMG MYL!!!! The camping fic I’m?!

I have a lot of thoughts and I will be dropping them all right here so enjoy my ramblings.

The outdoorsy-ness of all the scenes, I am in love like Jack is in love with that clear, light pollution free, night sky.

But Nico had wanted to try camping together. Mister Nature himself, so eager and so keen on the idea of sleeping in a tent and renting out kayaks and going stargazing on a picnic blanket in the woods, had gazed at Jack with so much hope in those big sparkly princess eyes of his. And Jack had folded faster than a stack of cards, never in the habit of saying no to his boyfriend.

Yess yes YES! Because I know how we always say Nico can’t say no to Jack and his puppy eyes but also, the other way around it’s 100% true.

“It’s so big,” Jack settles on. “And like, really fuckin’ quiet, Hisch. If I scream, do you think anyone will hear?”

“Our neighbours down the road probably will,” Nico says, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe don’t let them think I’m murdering you or something, yeah?”

“No promises,” Jack jokes, and hops out of the car.

Loooove this

“Then our tent is going to be lopsided and your eye is going to start twitching because it’s not symmetrical.”

YES. Jack-who has all of his 25 pair of identical white Nike Air Forces perfectly lined up beside each other on the shoe rack-Hughes.

“I’m justifiably annoyed at this shit design. I could set this whole thing up no problem if it were better.”

“I believe you,” Nico says, reassuringly

This is sooo nicojack to me like Jack being annoyed and trying to sort of still defend his honour and Nico just indulging him like of course he could, it’s not him it’s totally just the tent. He isn’t incapable.

And because he’s Nico—he’s smart and perfect and competent in every way, they end up putting the tarp up and over the tent in a matter of minutes.

Sweet, prefect Nico 🥹

Nico ruffles his hair, utilizing the unhelpful extra three inches he has on Jack to be a menace. (He does drop a kiss on Jack’s forehead though, so he’s an adorable menace instead.)

HEIGHT DIFFERENCE

True to form and his Hischier genetics (Jack has watched all three siblings pass out on the couch during a summertime nap hour with almost terrifying synchrony), Nico doesn’t even react.

I support this Nico headcanon sooo hard!!! He’s grumpy in the mornings and a deep sleeper and yes he occasionally snores.

“We’re not playing a game, babe. I have to fucking pee and it’s dark outside and it’s freaky as hell. Come with me.”

Nico squints at him. “Go find a bush then…?”

Jack sputters. “I am not just peeing in the bushes like a goddamn animal, Hisch.”

Yesss we talked about this part, love it!

Nico pouts at him, full sad-eyes and wobbly lower lip. If he were a puppy, his tail and ears would be drooping.

SAD COW EYES NICO YES

Also the way he offers for Jack to pick what they’re going to do that day to make amends and Jack knowing it’s a big deal because he knows Nico was so excited to go onto that trail. THEM.

“I can make it,” Jack says at once, because if there’s one thing he hates more than cardio it’s the notion that he can’t do it.

10000%!!! No notes on that

Thank you for gracing the world with this beautiful Nicojack camping trip fic as an extension of that ask answer you already wrote so perfectly. I looove it and I know I will be rereading this so many times. Bestest gift 🥹

this is how I am!!! after your message!!! I am melting aaaaa you are too too sweet 🥹🥹🥹 the brainstorming sesh was so much fun for me, I hope I managed to capture a nice camping experience overall hehe.

everyone needs a Nico in their life to camp with, imo. jack's just luckier than the rest of us lololol

these two have been so married lately I think it's making me feel extra sappy writing them. just so fond of each other!!

thank you so much for reading!! and this incredible feedback, I'm v lucky I got to chat so much with you about fics. I'm going to be the one going back to re-read your msg ehe 🩵🩵🩵

[mcuamerica]

Hey Katie i hope your doing well. If you need some inspiration love,

Could you maybe do this of course only if your comfortable with it.

Chris x reader

Reader hasn’t ever had a good family relationship so when she get accustomed to what the Evans family, so she still sometimes has moments where she gets overwhelmed with all of the family love and it’s hard to explain to Chris and them that it’s never really been like that and it’s just comfort because Chris makes it his mission to make her feel comfortable even when it gets a bit overwhelming so he has a box of safe comfort stuff at his ma’s for when it happens and it saves her from a massive panic/ anxiety attack even though it still kinda happens but not as bad as it could’ve been :)

If this all makes sense :)

Pairing: Chris Evans x BestFriend!Reader

A/N: This is paired with another request from you as well. Hope you enjoy and thanks for waiting!

Warnings: Mentions of past trauma, slight anxiety/panic attack

Other request: could I just request a comfort fic with Chris they basically go on a day out kayaking and they have fun and everything but on the way home reader becomes really distant and spaced out but didn’t tell Chris why she’s feeling like this but it’s because of an accident a couple of years ago, so he just comforts her though a panic attack from this and it’s just fluff. And just chris being the best bestfriend he can be 💖💖

You were in a twin kayak with Chris, behind him as you both kayaked around the small lake. Scott and his boyfriend were ahead of you two, laughing at something one of them said. 

“You doing alright back there, (Y/N)?” He asked and you hummed. 

“Yeah, it’s peaceful out today. I’m really loving it.” You said as you leaned slightly to the side, eyes widening when the kayak tipped towards the water more than you expected. You had a small flashback back to when you were in a boat a few years ago and it capsized. You were able to get out but it didn’t mean that you were over that experience. 

You took a small breath and smiled when Chris looked back at you. “You okay?” He asked and you nodded silently. 

“Maybe we can head back? We’ve been out here for a while.” You said and gripped the paddle tighter in your hands. He nodded and called out to Scott and Steve, getting their attention so they would know to head back in. 

The next few hours you spent with Chris and his family at Lisa’s house. Ever since earlier you were a little shaken up, and the constant love and attention from the Evans family was not comforting. You weren’t used to all the affection, so you tried to stay away from everyone and calm yourself down. 

Once everyone started to ask about the trip to the lake today, you got a little overwhelmed so you excused yourself, retreating up to what used to be Chris’s bedroom. 

Chris then excused himself and followed you upstairs, seeing that you were cuddled up with one of the blankets Lisa had in the room. “Hey, (Y/N), everything okay? You’ve been quiet ever since the lake.” He said. 

You tried to give a small shrug, but your shoulders shook as you tried to calm yourself. “I-I’m just really anxious right now. I needed space.” You said and held your knees closer to your chest. 

“Oh.. Oh, were they being too much again?” He asked and rose his eyebrows. 

You nodded slowly and then buried your head in your knees. 

“Aww… (Y/N), I’m sorry. Here, I got you something.” He said and turned to the closet, pulling out a basket with a cute stuffed animal, some snacks, water bottles, and a few other things that could calm you down. 

He sat down next to you and waited for you to look up, coaching you down from the rapid breathing. He then gave you the stuffed animal and a water bottle and let you look through the other things. “Did you get these things just for me?” You asked him to which he nodded in response. 

“Thank you, Chris. This is really sweet.” You said and leaned over, hugging him tightly. 

“Anything for my best friend.” He said as he hugged you back, kissing your head as you stayed in the embrace.

[bisexual-horror-fan]

Tentatively Tending To Trauma. Poly!Camping Boys X FEM! AFAB! Reader. Chapter One: "Best Summer Ever?"

Oh my God! So! I know! Already?! First chapter of the new baby, the new long fic! Tentatively Tending To Trauma! This is going to be not only the first but THE poly!Camping Boys long fic, seriously, watch out! This is going to be the building of a triad from the ground up. All my other polyam fics have an established relationship that the reader comes into, but this one is the first to have everyone coming into this fresh and new. This will have fun, fluff, angst, hurt, comfort and yes, cuz it is me, smut. Buckle up and lets get into it! The best summer ever!

—

Rating. SFW. Length. 4K. Eventual Sam Wescott/Buddy Swanson X FEM! AFAB! Reader. She/Her Pronouns. Warnings: Movie Spoilers. Set After Stage Fright AND You Might Be The Killer. Nothing Heavy This Chapter. Road Trip. Setting The Table. Camping Fun Incoming. Light Drinking. Some Teasing. Buddy Already Ripping On Theater Kids. Shout Out To Steve The Kayak King. 

—

A lot of people say that New Years is the best time for a fresh start, one year ends, another begins and the slate is wiped clean. You used to be one of those people who thought that too but after one too many rocky January’s you cannot abide by that any longer. The first half of this year had been complete bullshit and you were over it, so, so over it. Why does January first have to be the one time of year things can change and start over? Why can’t you tie it to something else? March to the beat of your own drum?

You needed a change, desperately and you can’t wait till another Christmas has come and gone. You think why can’t the change of seasons signify great change in your own life? Summer was around the corner and why not use this to try and course correct your year? To fix everything wrong thus far and launch the remainder of the current three hundred and sixty five days into a better place? 

This is what you need. After some heavy examination you think back to when the best times in your life were, tried and true things you could cling to, what could be reintroduced into your life to help you heal? One thing stands head and shoulders above the rest. Summer camp.

You have had a lot of shitty and outright bad things in your life but summer camp? Getting away from it all, being around people who you didn’t see in the typical day to day, outdoors in the fresh air, ample physical activity, you think it might be just right. You had some of the best times of your life at camp but now you were an adult, why not give back? You could do your best to give kids like you once were a good summer, revisit some of your old good times and forage new ones. A new setting to sink into this change was perfect. You go on the hunt, hoping not every summer camp in the area has been filled up.

All the positions at the closest ones had been snapped up, lots of returning people, so no slots free for you but you didn’t give up so easily, you ended up finding a want ad for a camp hours and hours away from your town and that was even better honestly. 

A full break away to forget your troubles and put your time and energy into healing. You applied, breezed through the phone interview process and so you quit your current job and packed your car and headed off for just shy of three months of working at Camp Clear Vista in Louisiana. You arrived right when you were supposed to but still were one of the first people to get here, you got out of your car, the last stop was over an hour ago and your legs needed a good stretch.

You are reaching high above your head, trying to relieve the tenseness of your back muscles, enjoying the sun on your face and the fresh air when you hear the call of, “Hey!”

Your eyes peek back open and you look over to see a tall guy coming towards you, he was in olive green cargo pants, a blue t-shirt and a flannel thrown over top, hand raised in a wave and a smile on his face that made his nose scrunch in a rather endearing fashion. Your arms come down and you turn to face him, a wave back with a reply of, “Hello!”

He was soon right in front of you, his hand out, “I’m Sam Wescott, I run the camp.” There was a shift in expression, a slight cock of the head with a nervous laugh, “Well, I’m sure you know that-”

You take his hand and shake it, “Yeah we spoke on the phone, I’m-” And you gave him your name. You got a better look at him up close like this and realised the blue shirt was a Camp Clear Vista shirt, a small yellow design on the upper right part of his chest proclaiming the name, curved in a half circle underneath a classic looking illustration of a cartoonish flap tent. The shirt screamed nostalgia in a way that is an undeniable comfort. He had a firm handshake, strong hands and honestly, he was pretty cute.

His smile brightened considerably and he said, “Oh yes! I was impressed by your references. I am so excited you were able to come, our usual guy who handles the kayaks couldn’t come back this year.”

You raised a brow at that, particularly at the slight sadness at the mention of whoever this other guy was who was unable to return here. Also kayaks? You deal in canoes but you think maybe he misspoke so you brush it off and say, “Oh sorry he couldn’t but his loss is my gain I guess!”

You let go of his hand and he responded, “Yeah I tried calling but couldn’t reach him, I think he just took a different camp offer this year but no point in dwelling on all that. I hope you enjoy your summer here.”

Taking a quick look around, trees and lush greenery and some of the outskirts of the camp, you already felt lighter. “I think I am going to have a fantastic time.” 

He looked pleased as punch to hear that. “Amazing! Well everyone else is still arriving but once they are here I am gonna take some time to show you around the boathouse and walk you through what’s expected, alright?”

“Sounds good.” You responded honestly with a nod and he gave you a low thumbs up as another car started coming into the parking lot, “Awesome, I’ll see you soon.” 

You watch him jog off towards the car that just arrived to go greet whoever else. 

Later on you were turning in your phone at Sam’s prompting, connecting with nature and all that and he was handing over own camp counselor shirt. You take it with one hand and a smile while giving him your phone with the other. “No fighting about the phone thing? I think I like you already.”

“Hey the whole point is to get away from it all anyway, right?” You ask and he says, “Yes! Exactly! Thank you.” 

You really liked how he said things, this excitable energy that you think is infectious is permeating his body language and the words themselves and you find yourself wishing to match him. Before breaking away to let the next person in line go you say, “And just so you know I think I like you already too.”

He seemed pleased by that too and you left him to continue collecting phones and passing out shirts. You end up talking to a few other people, learning no one else has seemed to work here at this camp before, but most have camp counselling experience. 

Everyone is going to be assigned to a cabin and put in charge of a group of kids. The kids in question will be staying at camp in a rotation of about a month at a time, so you will have around three batches by the time summer is done. You were talking to two other girls, Mia who was going to be doing arts and crafts and Laurie who was into woodworking, both seemed just as hyped up for the summer as you were. 

You get lost in the conversation of where you are from, and what you are most looking forward to and soon Sam comes up to you, a tap on the shoulder, “Are you good for us to go check out the boathouse?”

“Yes! Absolutely.” You agree, a quick wave and goodbye to the girls and follow his lead. This is your first chance to really see the camp, he points out different parts and landmarks, “So there is the pool, the changing rooms, the main bathrooms with the showers are past that and over there, is where the kitchen and mess hall is.” 

“Oh yeah I had meant to ask about that, what is the food situation?” You asked and he said, “Meals are provided naturally, we have this guy who is going to be taking on the lead cook role with other people subbing in to be assistants as needed, Jason the lifeguard is kinda acting as a secondary cook whenever he isn’t needed and when he IS busy other people can give a hand.”

Before you could respond he tacks on, “Only if they want to of course! If you are up for it, some people are no good in the kitchen I know and can totally opt out and step up in other ways.”

“I don’t have that much serious cooking experience but if push comes to shove I can as you put it, step up.” You say honestly and he says, “Really? Thank you! This guy is supposed to be really good, he has years of experience being lead cook at a different camp so I am sure he can help guide you with whatever he needs when he needs it.”

Sounded fine to you honestly. You liked that the work was going to be shared evenly, you were going to learn some new things and gain some new skills this summer it seemed. You tell him it sounded good and that put you more at ease and then he said, “Once I walk you through this you can do whatever you want with the rest of the day, it’s already getting later in the afternoon and I like to use the first day to let people settle in.”

He tells you that you’ll get your cabin assignment shortly, can move your stuff in and then soon it’ll be dinner time, after dark there is going to be a campfire, drinks, stories and whatnot, a team building thing for everyone to get to know each other and it sounded like a fun time. 

You’d arrived at the boathouse quickly, he pulls out his keys and unlocks the door, he then takes a duplicate key out and presses it into your palm, “This is the secondary key, I’m the only other person who has a copy, it’s for safety reasons, you know for-”

“The kids.” You finish with a nod and he says, “Right.” 

He walked you around, there was a lot of equipment, a good set up, the boats outside on the racks looked a little worse for wear, you’d need to do some work on them to get them, no pun intended, ship shape and told him as such. You would need to do some cleaning, general prep, minor repairs and maintenance, nothing you couldn’t handle or didn’t have experience in. You have three days after today before the kids arrive to get it ready, more than enough time honestly. You told him you could handle it confidently and if you wrapped up early enough you could help out other places.

“Really?! That’s great, I knew I made the right choice picking you.” He did seem rather happy and you asked, “Yeah, so the old guy couldn’t come back?”

“Oh yeah, sadly no he couldn’t. I couldn’t get a hold of him. I’m gonna miss him this year honestly.” He said earnestly and you asked, “Oh really? Was he really good at this job?”

“He was! He was so good we all called him Steve The Kayak King. He knew his shit, was amazing with the kids. But more than that we are good friends, kinda best summer camp friends. It will feel a little strange without him is all.” 

”Awe I’m sorry to hear.” You were and you offered up, “I am sure we will still have a good summer and a lot of fun.” 

He brightened slightly, a nod and he said, “Oh totally we will.” 

“But I am glad this worked out. A bunch of places near my hometown were already full up.”

“Oh really? You live far away?” He asked and you said, “A few hours. I drove about four and a half, five hours to get here.” 

“That far?” A small drop of his jaw, “You came that far to work here?” 

You shrug and say, “What can I say? I have a feeling it is an opportunity I would regret passing up.” He seemed not only impressed by that but touched too. “I can only hope that the experience lives up to expectation.”

You had a funny feeling that it will. 

“I hate to run again but I am so busy making sure everyone knows what they need to do and is all set up, so I gotta go.” You tell him, “I totally understand, go on.” 

You wave him off and off he goes at a light jog once more. You watch him go, your mind lingering on your conversation about Steve, the supposed Kayak King. There was something about it, how he spoke, the emotion in his eyes, Sam reads as genuine, hardworking, honest and sweet. You’ve decided right there, you totally did like him.

You make sure the boathouse is locked and you decide you need to get your stuff out of the car. It is almost three hours later, your car is unpacked, you've made it to your assigned cabin, number three, and claimed your bed, proceeding to unpack most of your belongings. 

In the groove of folding and organising your clothes in the trunk that is at the end of your bed you are pulled out of it by a knock at the door alerting you it’s time for dinner. Your cabin isn’t that far from the mess hall but the walk is a welcome one, you enjoy the warm evening air and soon are seated with a tray laden with food at a table full of your fellow counselors. Before you can settle into seating there were three sharp claps that quiet the conversation. 

There was a call to pay attention and your eyes are drawn up to the front of the mess hall, there stands Sam Wescott but he is not alone, with a warm smile and a gesture to the person standing with him is paired with a thank you for making the dinner you are about to enjoy with everyone else. That is the first time you lay eyes on Camp Clear Vista’s new cook, clad in jeans with his hands tucked in the pockets, and his own camp branded t-shirt, over six feet tall, blue eyes and a mop of brown hair. He has a smile that only reads as mildly uncomfortable because of how many people were looking at him, but overall relatively at ease, you learn his name is Buddy Swanson. He gives a hello with a casual wave after Sam introduces him.

“It looks great, thank you so much for making this.” Sam said sincerely with a hand on Buddy’s shoulder, he shrugs and says, “No problem man, s’ my job.” 

“Still. Thank you, now uh, let’s all dig in, yeah?” And with that you all do so. Sam sits at a different table and you once again find yourself talking to everyone at your table. Mia and Laurie are near you, as well as Raymond, who was another life guard and Martin who was going to be a coach and general and activities coordinator. You were next to Martin who was telling you about how he was excited and had plans for an expedited baseball season between cabins as well as some full sports filled days that sounded like they could be a really great time. 

The conversation and food was really good. Once it is all done, you are led outside to where the main fire pit is, getting into what Sam told you would happen earlier, drinks, stories and more.

You flit about, talk to some people and after your first drink and the initial round of stories are done you are between talking, a break in conversations and you notice something, Buddy is here and he is sitting more by himself. You glance around and see Sam is busy, you figure, why not. You get up and come over, drink in hand and you say, “Hey, Buddy, right?” 

He looks up and says, “That’s me.” You tell him, “Great dinner.” 

A slight upward quirk of his lips, “Thanks.” You hold out your hand and give him your name. He took your hand, gave it a quick shake and said, “So did I look that lonely?”

You laughed, not expecting the quick joke and said, “I have to admit you did look kinda forlorn.” 

“Ouch.” He said before he brought his cup up and took a sip, you gestured next to him, “Mind if I sit?” 

“Yeah sure, you gonna be nicer to me?” You take the spot to the left of him and teased, “Maybe.” 

“Only maybe?” He asked and you shrugged before asking, “So why are you over here alone and not-” A gesture of your hand still cradling your drink, “-over with the herd, getting to know people, making merry?”

“Honestly?” He asked, a sideways glance to you and you affirm, “Honestly.”

“Parties aren’t really my thing, but Sam insisted I come along, said it would be good for me to get to know who I’d be working with for the next three months.” He took another drink, as did you, “I think he is right, part of this is to make new friends and connections. You against that?”

“I don’t connect with people easily.” 

Your eyebrows raise and you say, “Why is that?”

His response comes quickly, “Lots of reasons.” You feel a smile creeping up on your face, “Aren’t you mysterious?” 

“It’s a great trick to get people to have better opinions of me without them actually having to get to know me.” He felt a smile slipping onto his face too. “Really?”

“Yeah people usually say it as a good or a neutral thing. Isn’t he mysterious?” He said the last three words with a wave of the hand not clutching his drink, the flare and emphasis making you laugh as well as driving his point home. “Doesn’t it make people want to get to know you?”

“Not as often as you’d think.”

“Fair enough. So! How far away are you coming from?” You asked before saying, “I’m about five hours away.”

“Oh I got you beat.” He said confidently, “Yeah? How far?” 

“Canada far.” He said easily and it was time for your jaw to drop, “Shut up? Another country?”

“Well I didn’t come from there just for this. Been kinda on the road for a while, job hopping since my last summer camp job.” He said more quietly and you asked, “What was your last camp job?”

He looked like he was thinking over how to respond and you asked, “What? You don’t remember or something?”

“No, no I do I just…” He takes a drink, a hearty one, finishes his cup, a harsh inhale and a shake of his head and as if gaining some bravery from that he divulges “It was a theatre camp.”

A loud laugh and asked, “Holy shit, was it that traumatic?”

“You have no idea.” He sighed and you said, “Why’s that? You don’t like theatre?”

“God no! I hate it!” He exclaimed, his head tipping back, eyes up to the starry sky and you finished your own drink, “How about we get another beer and you can tell me all about why it sucks?”

That is just what ended up happening. You and he broke off, refreshed icy cans in hand, you wander the camp ground and he proceeds to vent about his distaste for all things theatrical, which was funny considering the theartics and drama he threw into the act of expounding his displeasure. He was the lead cook for years at his last camp and told you about the bullshit and stress he had to face, how annoying and picky the theatre kids were and even further about the times he was forcibly dragged into their activities and made to see the camp's shows. 

“A musical reimagining of the vagina monologues?” You asked, aghast and he groaned, one of his hands running through his curls, “A musical fucking reimagining of the vagina monologues. Have you ever been forced to sit through an annoying pitchy theatre kid belting out to the back row about the first time she genuinely moaned in a gas station on a road trip after not being able to pee for hours?! It is awful. Totally fucking traumatizing.” 

“I’d lose my dinner.” You told him and he laughed, “I almost did!” 

You were surprised by how fast you were clicking with him, the conversation was flowing well and you decided that yeah, you really liked him, just like you had decided earlier that you really liked Sam. The conversation calmed from its original topic, you telling him, “I’ve never worked at a camp before formally, I’ve been to a lot of summer camps though and I thought it’d be nice to give back, you know?”

He liked that. “Makes sense. And what are you going to do here?” He asked and you told him, “Canoes. I am in charge of the canoes.” 

“Never been in one honestly. You’ll have to take me for a ride sometime.” 

You think you will take him up on that. “I’d love to.”

The walk had taken you almost around the whole camp, between your drive and all the excitement you were tired and told Buddy as such, “Let me make sure you get back to your cabin okay.”

He walks you back and on the way you tell him, “I think you’re pretty cool Buddy. I’m looking forward to working together.” 

“I am too, I’m starting to think taking this job was the right call, I’m excited for a good experience working at a camp.” He said with a sigh and you said, “I am sure the kids here will be significantly less annoying than your average theatre kid.”

“I am sure there will be a lot less complaining about food with cheese in it as well as random breaking into song and I’ll happily take that.” Buddy said clinking his can against yours and you say, “Cheers, I’ll drink to that.” 

You and he both finish the last dregs of your drinks as you come upon your cabin. “This is me.”

“Number three, eh? I’ll keep that in mind.” He says and you respond, “Sure, swing by anytime.”

He nods starts to step away telling you, “Have a good night.”

You tell him, “You too and hey. Buddy?”

“Yeah?” He stopped, a look over his shoulder to you, “I'm glad I am your first friend at camp but don’t let me be your only one. Okay?”

He looks a bit surprised by what you said but tells you, brows furrowed slightly with a small nod and a confused smile, “Sure. Okay.”

“Promise?” You asked with a grin and he laughed, smile broadens and his eyes while still slightly confused are warm, lighter, “Okay, okay, fuck, I promise I won’t be antisocial this summer.” 

“Good! Apologise to Sam for me turning in early.” You ask and he says with a wave “Can do. Night.”

“Night.” You call and then retreat into your cabin. Buddy walked off, heading back towards where the main campfire was and thinking about how strange it was that you got under his skin so quickly, he was already making promises to you? It was strange but also, nice, a good change of pace. He hasn’t gotten even remotely close to another person in around a year, it is probably time he did. He couldn't be alone forever, it wasn’t feasible or realistic. 

Everyone needs a friend. 

You were getting ready for bed, feeling tired but happy, you had one thought in your head when you were drifting off to sleep, a small but hopeful one of, “Could this be my new best summer ever?” 

[a-mag-a-day]

I fell behind for a while, but I managed to catch up in time for the finale!

Happy elias gets arrested and punched in the gut day everyone.

The Archivist's dream absolutely fascinates me:

-I had forgotten that Georgie shows up in it, which is strange because she doesn't feel fear and thus can't be seen by the eye.

-And in contrast, Jude Perry is mentioned as being "beyond his reach the moment she knew he was there" which I would guess meant she made some sort of protection for herself against the eye/archivist.

-Daisy's scene is there, but she herself isn't, having been buried far beneath where The Ceaseless Watcher can find her.

-and the last one that confuses me. Martin Isn't there. He gave a statement directly to Jon, he was one of the earlier ones to do so in fact, but he isn't here either in person nor in scene. Not even as one of the "places he can no longer watch" which are Melanie and Basira's places. Perhaps he's forged such a connection with Beholding by reading so many statements that it wouldn't show his

Anyway, RIP Timothy "Joe Spooky" Stoker, hope you enjoy your kayaking trip.

I think Martin doesn't show up at all because from the beginning Jon never dreamt about his statement since he gave it when he was already an assistant

The others had a time between giving their statement and becoming institute workers where he could dream about them so their dream exists even without them. Sasha's dream isn't there either and I'm assuming we're she alive it wouldn't be, just like Martin's

[emeritus-fuckers]

Hello! I hope everything is going great for you guys! It’s 3am and I can’t sleep, so can I have a matchup please? Either ghoul or papa is ok.

I’m 28, bi but male leaning, and a little shorter than average. I’m a zookeeper, artist, musician, witch, and avid napper. I love to go hiking, kayaking, and on road trips with friends. Board game nights are a must, and made better with alcohol.

I’m cold and shy around new people and it takes me a while to warm up and get their vibes. But once I’m comfortable I’m sassy, sarcastic and protective. If I don’t pick on you, I don’t like you, type of thing. I’m laid back and don’t mind PDA within reason.

Thank you so much! ❤️

Your match is...Young Nihil

He’s dubious about board game night until you mention alcohol. Then he's suddenly very enthusiastic. But as the night goes on he finds himself actually enjoying the board games too!

Every board game you play he’ll try and turn it into a stripping game. He thinks he’s won if the game is swept off to the side and he has you on the table instead. So be warned.

He’s outwardly flirty and sociable around people, which gives you time to warm up to the new people. However you know this is more of a front Nihil puts on, yes he is sociable ans very flirty but he does have more too him. He’s only his true self around people he really trusts, like you.

He’s all up for your sass and sarcasm. He enjoys it, he’ll give it back.

He’d never been kayaking before, but after falling in a few times (which wrecked his paints) he started to really love it. He also enjoys hiking but more because he gets to spend time with you.

He loves playing music with you, he is particularly happy if you let him play the saxophone.

If you are having a nap he'll flop down next to you and cuddle you. Then he'll end up falling asleep.

He always naps because he stays up far too late most of the time.

It took you a while to really get to know him, his first impression was the flirty jokey side. After asking what job you did he dicided to tell you he'd once been a zookeeper but been fired. You asked why and a small smile danced on his lips as he said "Well, there was a sign saying please don't feed the animals. So I didn't and I got the sack." He then breaks out into a massive grin and starts chuckling "get it?"

Not his best joke but you couldn't help yourself you smiled. He then started asking about your art, he really liked it. You found yourselves hanging out a lot more, talking more, it just grew from there.

~

This post is a part of Match-up Event. The Event ended on July 15th.

Written by Nyx

[shellswritesstuff]

chocobro squishmallow headcanons please... I beg

WHAT AN AMAZING ASK... THANK YOU

[I'll put the picture, followed by the lil blurb that comes on the tag. Big thankies squishmallow wiki jsjsj-]

Noct

This is Benedict 😭

"Benedict grew up in a small family as an only child, and enjoys his privacy and quiet time. You can usually find Benedict kayaking or fishing alone, but if you ask him, he will welcome your company any time! Grab your floaties and jump in!"

Prompto

Greeeegory... 🤭

Meet Gregory, the go-to photographer for all things nature. Gregory takes amazing photos from all over the world, he just got back from a trip in the Mallow Mountains! He loves sharing the amazing things he sees with other 'mallows. Where should he go on his next photo-adventure?

Ignis

AMALIEEEE- 🥰

Meet Amalie. She loves slithering through the jungle with her iced coffee before she starts her day. Amalie is a vegetarian chef and works hard to keep her menu tasty and intresting, her latest menu features jackfruit with a variety of beans. Do you want to try the nacho cheese?

Gladio

Owns this lil dude in every size. Kaitlyn!!! 😭

Meet Kaitlyn. This loyal and loving lemur is your new best friend and workout buddy! Kaitlyn loves going for runs, swimming in lakes, and hiking. Her latest hobby is mud running! She may get dirty, but she always has her precious pink glow!

BONUS

Cindy

DEFINITELY HAS HAL WITH HER IN THE GARAGE!!

Say hi to Hal! Hal is a mechanic in training, and loves to learn all about cars and trucks! Hal’s practicing so that he can build a custom car one day and go on a road trip! He wants to see the ocean, eat new foods, and maybe even make friends along the way.

Dino

Badabing, badaboom. You can't tell me Dino hasn't made this lil guy a freaking necklace.. Omar!

Omar loves crystals, gems and jewelry and has an eye for finding the beauty in everything he does. He hopes to be a jeweler one day!