#i miss skateboarding and scootering

[thedarksideofmymoonhasmatches]

Man, that's sick as fuck.

[seat-safety-switch]

Just like ducks, you can't trust a push scooter. Designed originally for proletarian aims, these overgrown skateboards are an accident waiting to happen. Despite their lack of control, missing suspension, and predilection for throwing you over the handlebars into a life-altering head injury, folks put a powerful electric motor on them. And then they started to get actually kinda good.

A few months ago, I was on the highway. I looked over, briefly, and noticed that the bicycle path running parallel to the highway had someone enjoying a push scooter. I thought nothing of it, until I looked over again, and noticed that the scooter was still keeping up with me. Clocking triple digits on a multi-use municipal pathway? Now that was something I had to see for myself.

After a visit to the library to use their internet access, I found out all about them. In case you're curious, the computer at my house comes with too many court-ordered restrictions, but those restrictions don't apply to my alter-ego, Manfred P. Guy-I-Found-The-Library-Card-Of-In-The-Trunk-Of-A-1996-Grand-Am-At-The-Junkyard. I think that last name is Polish, or something. Lots of consonants. Once I had absorbed all the information I could before the chief librarian chased me out for once again smearing Lucas Red & Tacky No. 2 machine grease onto the keyboard while typing, it was off to the local classifieds to get ahold of a death scoot of my very own.

Here's a fun fact about most cars: they have a lot of accessory belts. Those accessory belts can hold a lot of horsepower before they snap, well in excess of the amount that my wheezy economy slant-six can actually make. If you were to add, say, twelve or thirty scooters' worth of batteries and motors to that belt drive, why, you'd finally have enough power to get up Old Man Hill without having to downshift. Which is good, because usually I have to turn my car off for at least fifteen minutes before it will do that.

And there's more benefit, too: after washing the blood off, the remaining parts of the scooters are still useful as scooters. I ended up selling them to a bunch of electric-vehicle degenerates who were happy to add their own Wish.com battery packs and motors to turn them back into electric scooters. Now that's how we'll save the environment: recycling.

[friendlyneighbornerd]

Monster High characters as things me and my friends have said or done:

-----------

Heath: *Chokes on whip cream while lying on the kitchen floor*

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Deuce: bro your probably Autistic

Jackson with internalized ableism: No that can't be right

Deuce:

Jackson:

Deuce: your score was fucking 196-

-----------

Abbey: *kicks a fork into Heaths face impaling him*

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Clawdeen to the tune of Steven Universes Giant Woman: All I wanna do, is get into, my fucking class, MY FUCKING CLASS! But all this stupid zoom, is sending me into, is an invalid meeting, AN INVALID MEETING!

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Frankie: *falls up/down the stairs 13 consecutive times*

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Draculara: Oh no it's the scooter boys!

Cleo: Who are the scooter boys?

Clawdeen: Around 20-30 boys in their early teens that like to station themselves around town to scout out people to harass we call them the scooter boys because scooters are their main mode of transportation

Frankie: Don't forget the two skateboarding college kids

Clawdeen: of course how could I forget their leaders

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Clawd: Aren't you scared she could kill you in your sleep

Heath gesturing towards Abbey: Yeah but she's told me that she wants to watch me struggle first

Abbey: SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH you are attracting police

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Heath: ...I think I may be pan

Deuce: Heath I have been watching you simp for everything that breathes for five years I could've told you this information

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Cleo: why are so many lesbian thirst traps showing up on my feed?

Deuce: *mumbles something incoherent*

Cleo: what?

Deuce: you said women were better than men so I may have influenced the algorithm to replace all the male thirst traps with lesbian ones for you

Cleo:

Deuce:

Cleo: Thanks

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Deuce entering Jacksons house: OH MAH GOSH I GETTA SEE MY FAVORITE PERSON!

Jackson flattered: Oh?... I'm your favorite person? That's really nice to hear-

Deuce brushing past Jackson to the lizard in the corner near tears: I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!

-----------

Holt: *blasting music into his headphones at full volume*

Heath: Hey Holt

Holt:

Heath: Hey!

Holt:

Heath: HEY!

Holt turning down the volume: Huh what?

Heath: Your my favorite cousin

Holt: Awwww!.... maybe don't tell Jackson that

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Deuce: I read Greek mythology for fun you think I give a shit bout you being pan?

Heath: no...

Deuce: Exactly now come on we're getting you a pride flag

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Cleo: So you know how your a transman and I'm a transwoman

Deuce: Ya?

Cleo: do you think it's possible to swap genitalia

Deuce:.... We've got some fucking research to do

-----------

[manymanydolls]

Since I recently redid my meet photos for all my girls, I thought it’d be fun to do a post with some fast facts about my original characters. Look under the cut to learn more about them!

Jennifer:

Favorite season is autumn

Plays with her mother’s Miss America Barbie doll

Loses track of time easily and will stay up very late working on her knitting projects or watching TV

Katherine:

Has sensory processing disorder and is especially sensitive to loud sounds

Favorite holiday is Halloween

Puts glitter stickers on everything she owns

Evelin:

Favorite musician is Rufus Wainwright

Sets up a hummingbird feeder outside her bedroom window every summer

Got into making amateur radios as a fun way of communicating with her friends during the Covid pandemic

Nancy:

Favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day

Listens to at least three Talking Heads albums a week

Wants Amanda to play drums so that they can be like Van Halen

Amanda:

Favorite book is The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Broke her wrist skateboarding when she was 11

Watched a TV program about volcanoes once and now is a little afraid of them but also fascinated by them

Rosemary:

Never sleeps with a blanket because it feels too constricting

Favorite food is a grilled cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top

Bakes lemon bars with her Mama at least once a month

Daisy:

Is afraid of ghosts

Loves foxes and has a beloved fox Squishmallow

Pours soy sauce directly on rice to make her grandparents mad (manners in Japan dictate that you dip a bite in sauce instead of pouring it over your food) (and Daisy knows it)

Ruby:

Has a scar on her ankle from a Razor scooter with a vengeance

Most treasured possession is a sunflower-print fleece blanket from her grandmother Marie

Favorite food is 4th of July hot dogs

Marguerite:

Wants to live in an old Victorian house

Has a huge collection of interesting rocks and crystals and wants to have an entire rock display wall

Once had a really intense cottagecore phase and refused to eat bread that she didn’t bake herself

[fishfingersalad]

big post of all my random rvb au ideas and some hcs, decided this was more reasonable than making like 20 different posts.

Hc the freelancers who die are like submarines that go missing, officially still out on patrol. Florida is the only freelancer that is officially gone from the program. A rumor starts that the freelancers suits are in some way connected to the us states so people think that when florida (state) blew up, so did Agent Florida's armour killing him in the process

 (I'm an ace Tucker believer) Y'know how Tucker gets charged child support for a bunch of kids post chorus? I don't think he has any kids outside of Junior. I think a bunch of people who got pregnant post temple of procreation were like shit idk the kids other parent. Uhhhh. Let's just say it was the rich famous planetary hero guy who claims to have slept with everyone. He probably doesn't even remember the people he's slept with. And then Tucker, asexual who has had sex one (1) time and realised he didnt like it very much, is stuck between revealing to the whole goddamn planet that he doesnt actually fuck, and paying a billion dollars of child support.

In an everyone lives no one dies type au I think Donut gets Maine, Locus, South, and Wash to come to his wine and cheese hour and he does their makeup and their nails.

Au where Sigma is just so fucking invested in getting Maine and Wash to date that he doesnt do anything evil. "Agent Maine, I think you will find this course I have signed you up for quite informative" Sigma this is a couples wine and pottery class "Oh look, is that Agent Washington over there? you should go say hi."

Au where Wash and Epsilon bond. It still fucks Wash up and shit, cause yknow. Epsilon issues. But Wash goes like "I am going to fucking kill the director he fucked you ai over so much" And Epsilon is so taken aback bc of Alphas view of Wash from an outside, heavily filtered perspective made him seem happy go lucky, innocent, and a bit naive.

Au where the freelancers find out that the director is Linas dad and behind her back they're all like "hey is she okay? why does he talk to her like that?" but then whenever she's around they just accuse her of nepotism. Gamma and Sigma team up to hack the leaderboard and change her name to nepotism baby.

I love South. I wish she existed more. I wish her and North and Theta could have gotten along. I wish Theta could suit jump like Omega and Alpha. I wish Theta could spend time with South. Like yeah South wouldn't like having to share an ai with her brother but like. He's their littlest brother.

Junior and Theta could autism bond. I think they'd both like comics. Also Junior teaches Theta basketball and Theta teaches Junior to skate. Skateboard kid plus scooter kid. I think Palomo would like to skateboard too. Wash and Palomo both helped teach Theta to skateboard. Wash bc he's friends w North, Palomo bc he's at the skatepark frequently. Jensen roller skates, she's... okay at it. not good. but okay. She broke her tailbone trying to impress Palomo. Andersmith would work at a youth center that the teens hang out at. Matthews works at a movie theatre, Bitters watches a movie there every week, maybe just to see Matthews.

Sarge werebear. Simmons vampire. Grif faun. Donut Light Elemental. Lopez is a ghost that got stuck in a shitty robot Sarge built. Church and the ai are ghosts, Tex is a vampire, Caboose is a werewolf (big doggy :3). Siren Tucker. Deep sea mermaid Junior (glowing octopus type stuff). Faun Kai (same as Grif). Carolina’s a Phoenix. Wash some kind of big cat thing. Florida Shapeshifter (he prefers being reptiles). The twins are demons. 479er is a harpy. York poltergeist (throws stuff at people). Wyoming's some kind of “answer my riddles three” type of imp. Ct is also a shapeshifter. Maine’s just a regular guy with a lot of weird friends. Felix and Locus are a fire elemental and a dryad respectively. Siris is a water elemental. In my au Donut’s a light elemental which makes it so fucking funny if Church pops up and says "boo" Donut just fucking decks him. and through Church being a ghost (a form of light) and Donut being a light elemental, Donut’s fist connects. South is the demon people are more likely to fear, but North is the one you really need to look out for. When South loses her temper people get frightened, when North loses his temper people die. If there's like. a group of kids exploring or something North’ll hold South back from doing anything more than scaring them. If there's a priest attempting an exorcism or someone with a cross threatening South, their organs will be found separately from their bodies. 

It's kinda funny when people make Church and Lina siblings and then Tex is just some random girl that Church likes. Like I fully understand why and the only other alternative i can think of is like. Church is the director's younger brother who was raised alongside his daughter after their parents died. and Tex is Allison's younger sister. Only way I could put together Church kinda being the director and Tex kinda being Allison but also Church and Lina being siblings without there being any relation between Tex and Church.

Florida and Ct have a coworker friends relationship i think. When they first met I think Florida said something vague and threatening to her so she pulled a knife on him. They've been sort of friends ever since.

[theformerbastard]

Where are you from? What do you remember the most from your childhood?

I grew up in Raleigh, NC. I was gonna say that not much has changed, 'cause the first thing that comes to mind is all the dope tv I grew up watchin' but that's kind of a bum out answer. I remember wheels. Roller skates/blades,scooter, bike, skateboard (never learned a single trick)...you couldn't keep me off of wheels as a kid. I bought a skateboard on the road a while back and I looked like a hog on ice tryin' to go down the sidewalk. I miss all that shit.

[solsticeswackstuff]

The Socs Headcanon sheet

:readmore:

Notes about the headcanon- I know the Socs are canonly mean to each other but my friend decided for the sake of our sanity they are mean as a means of protection for themselves. Outside of the public, they have a familial relationship. This is an AU where the socs are very close and for some reason, Dot is the kicker for the football team

Susan-

She has a notebook full of letters to herself and her mother that she writes when she is frustrated or insecure- no one has read it or attempted to

Susan in the group dynamic oldest daughter

In the car, Susan has the aux

Susan does ice skating

Pearl, Peg, and Susan met in etiquette classes

Dot met Susan at rich people's dinner parties (the best kind of bonding)

During the parties, Dot and Susan hide upstairs

Rosemary met Susan through the local kids' softball league

Susan pretends to hate all the socs girls but she loves them

Susan and Pearl bake together

Susan and Peg kill the spiders

The only recipe she remembers is lasagna because she was forced to take a cooking class and it’s the only thing she didn't burn

Can balance books on her head because of a posture exercise she used to have to do and now it has become a source of entertainment at sleepovers (the record has been nine)

Pearl-

Everyday Pearl writes letters to the rest of the socs and puts them into the socs' lockers

Pearl is the dad of the group (is Rosemary canonly her sister? I think so)

The group buys Pearl a lot of grill dad merch

In the car, Pearl sits in shotgun or drives

Pearl skates on roller skates and skateboards

Pearl and Peg are childhood friends

Pearl loves baking desserts to give to the socs sometimes with the letters

She makes birthday treats for the group as well. (She’s more sneaky with Susan’s treats because she knows how her mom is about eating)

Pearl has never forgotten a birthday

Dot and Pearl live to do stupid things to annoy Rosemary

Pearl’s favorite music artist is Atlas

Whenever Dot gets confused Pearl will pull her aside to explain

When Pearl goes missing she’s usually sleeping in the weirdest place in the most awkward position

Rosemary-

Rosemary is the wine aunt

Everyone gets piggyback rides from Rosemary

In the car, Rosemary is in the back listening to her music while just sitting there watching the chaos

Rosemary cannot ride a bike but she can surf

During softball, Rosemary and Susan started their rivalry that still exists

Rosemary met Dot at a park when they were kids and they have been very close ever since

Rosemary goes for walks that can last up to 2 hours every day

She cannot cook for the life of her

Likes scented candles for some reason. Like REALLY.

Dot and Rosemary have a weekly movie night

Has the healthiest sleep cycle of the group

Rosemary hates meeting people taller than her

Hates music that isn’t on her playlist

Rosemary is a witness to everything strange Dot and Pearl do

Dot-

Is the younger sister of the group

the kicker for the football team for some reason

She has her varsity jacket from football

In the car, she always sits in the middle

Dot curses at Peg when she thinks no one is around to mess with Peg

Somehow can ride a motorcycle

Dot helps out with costumes for the next play

She would die if she had a Baja blast

When the group goes to a gas station they lock Dot in the car so she won't waste all their money on candy

Dot hides under tables when there is a spider around

Her favorite music artist is Hobo Johnson

She gets TOO invested in movies

Dot is the Group armrest

She gets on Rosemary’s shoulders to yell at people

TREE CLIMBER KID

Scooters frequently

The reason she is on the football team is because one day she showed up to practice ATE UP

The team loves Dot not only because she scores but also because she does tons of shenanigans with them

Dot works out with the football team

Dot barging into the locker room: PULL UP YOUR PANTS THERE'S A LADY HERE

She has a changing stall that is decorated for her by Buddy and Wally

Buddy and Wally yell at Neil to be a gentleman whenever he says something pervy when Dot is around

Pre-Game dance parties sponsored by Dot’s Alcohol

Peg-

Peg is the middle child of the group

She had a lisp that only comes out when she is angry or speaking too fast

In the car, she sits in the back with Rosemary or drives

Loves chocolate ice cream an ungodly amount

Peg can drive and skate

Peg and Pearl met as kids around the same time Dot and Rosemary did

Anyone who talks bad about the socs Peg will beat them up

Peg can pick locks

Enjoys DIY and building stuff

Peg is very good at soccer

She owns a chicken named Barthanew

Star Trek enthusiast

Frequently suffers attacks and pranks from Dot

Dot and she have an ongoing prank war

Is dramatic as a thespian

The only one in the group who likes seafood

Peg frequently shotguns random things- the group will just be walking around after going to the gas station and Peg will just shotgun whatever she has

Group Headcanons

They regularly have sleepovers

During the summer they do monthly road trips

One time Dot and Pearl wanted a chocolate dessert wrap they found online at 3 am during a sleepover, but they didn't have Nutella so they used chocolate sauce. They didn’t taste good and when Dot went to wash her hands she put the sandwich in the sink and got covered in soap, they reference this event every time any of the Socs eats chocolate. (based on my experience)

Pillow fights happen every sleepover

The group goes to Ikea to pretend to be a divorcing family with Pearl and Susan as the parents (they lost Pearl briefly in Ikea before they realized she was just asleep in one of those tiny twin beds for five-year-olds)

They BLAST Hobo Johnson in car rides

They all LOVE Miss. McGee and buy her presents for dealing with them

The group takes a lot of group photos but something always goes wrong for example Dot has never looked at the camera, a bird flies through, and/or they all fall somehow

Susan’s Mom once signed them all up to be camp counselors…chaos ensued

During sleepovers, the socs girls will take photos of each other with random phrases on them

They had a slam poetry night, Peg’s was about the Mango Juul Pod

this is the wrap\/

we worked very hard on this any interaction with it is much appreciated 💛! thank you!

[pccyouthleader]

Hedgehog Hodgepodge: A Story of Espionage, Confusion, and an Evil Plan Gone Haywire

Chapter 2: A Close Call

Shadow reached Aurora’s house in less than a minute. Stepping off the path, he leaned against a tree to await her arrival. But as the minutes ticked away, he became restless. 

What’s taking her so long? he wondered.    

When she finally came into view, he noticed that she was trudging along slowly. He continued to watch as she stopped and started digging around in her bag. Aurora pulled out her communicator and started reading something as she began walking again.

Suddenly, he saw a group of kids appear on the path behind her. Riding bicycles, skateboards, and scooters, they came flying towards her at a rapid speed. Must be some of the kids headed to the Young Heroes program, Shadow thought. Surely they see her! Two of the older boys were in competition. They raced at breakneck speed, egging each other on and not watching their surroundings. As they sped closer and closer to Aurora, Shadow realized that no one was paying attention, and she was about to be plowed over if he didn’t do something. 

“AURORA!” he boomed, kicking on his air shoes and racing towards her. She stopped and looked up from her device. 

“Shadow?”

He doubled his speed and swooped her off the path right as the boys reached where she had been standing. She let out a loud “OOF!” as Shadow’s body collided with hers and propelled her off the road. The contents of her bag went everywhere, and both boys wiped out in the nearby bushes. Shadow set her down gently before rounding on the two youth.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! You could have seriously injured her! Or worse!” He continued to berate them until Aurora had gathered her senses and stood up.

“Shadow, it’s okay,” she said gently, placing her hand on his arm. She moved to where the boys had fallen, picking up a small first aid kit that had flown out of her bag. 

Shadow took in the scene, and realized that it was the boys who were injured. Serves them right, he thought coldly. One of his greatest fears was something happening to Aurora. She was carefully checking the two - a young bear and leopard from the village - when the other kids in the bunch finally caught up. 

“Wow, M-Mister!” cried a young chimpanzee. “That was awesome!” The other boys joined in with murmurs of awe and a million questions. The girls grouped together and giggled, admiring the handsome black-and-red hedgehog.

As the din of voices grew louder and louder, Aurora stood and addressed the kids. “Guys, this is Mr. Shadow. He’s a very good, um, friend of mine,” she said, blushing. The kids started their barrage of questions and comments again. Seeing that Shadow was becoming overwhelmed, she held up her hand. “We can talk about it later,” she laughed. “All of you best hurry up and get to YH before you’re late. You know how Mr. Knuckles would feel about that.” Nodding in agreement, the youth started off down the path again. 

Aurora watched until the last kid was out of sight, then she attacked him. She threw her arms around Shadow’s neck and buried her muzzle into his chest. Breathing in his scent was enough to calm her shaken nerves after nearly being pancaked on the road.

Taken off guard, he placed both hands on her face and pulled her to him, kissing her aggressively. Heat tingled through Aurora, and she kissed him back. She could feel the deep need and longing he had for her. After a few moments she pulled away, fearing that if she didn’t, there would be no stopping him from taking her completely.

“Oh, Shadow, I missed you so much,” she said, once again burying her face in his chest. He tightened his arms around her and attempted to reign in his desire.

“I missed you, too,” he mumbled, his deep voice rough after the aggressive kiss. “We’d better gather your things before one of those terrible drivers from the village runs them over.”

Aurora laughed. “You’re right,” she said, moving to pick up her bag. Shadow helped her pick up the contents that had been strewn about - the first aid kit, a bottle of medicine, and various papers. “What is all this?” he asked. She turned to him and he realized just how tired she looked. “Light, what’s going on?”

Aurora sighed. “My mom’s been sick - like really sick - for the past few days. We don’t know what it is, but she has a doctor’s appointment later today. Dad’s a nervous wreck, as you can imagine, so he’s asked me to run all her errands.”

“Errands?” Shadow asked, confused.

“Yeah, I’ve been taking work in for her and delivering files as needed,” Aurora continued. “She’s been feeling better in the evenings and has been trying to catch up. I’ve been getting up early to turn everything in before I head to YH.”

Shadow didn’t care for many people, but Amy Rose was an exception. She was kind and caring, and the only hedgehog who could have tamed his “frenemy” Sonic. Amy was usually the picture of health, and he wondered what could have gotten her down like this.

“I was headed back to the house to take her this medicine before work. Wanna come by?” Aurora took his hand and they began walking. “Wait a minute!” she said. “Where’s my communicator?” They looked around until she noticed it laying by a tree just off the road. “Oh no!” Running over, she saw that her device had been smashed against the tree when Shadow had saved her from being run over. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, seeing her sad expression. 

“It’s okay,” she said reassuringly. “It’s about time for a new one anyway.” Aurora gathered the pieces of her device and placed them in her bag. 

Taking Shadow’s hand once again, she set off for her home

[star-struck01]

Goodbye

A story about separating yourself from the only life you’ve ever known

Masterlist

The car roared to life. This was it. The second this car begins to roll out of the driveway there is no turning back. I sat there in my 1974 Volkswagen Beetle with a tumbler full of coffee and the radio turned onto a 90s rock station. I wasn't paying too much attention to what song it was playing, I was focused more on the guilt pooling in my gut. If I do this. If I leave, I will be leaving everyone and everything I know behind. I will start anew somewhere far away. Where? I do not know. This decision was a very spur of the moment decision...but was it really? I think this idea has been brewing in my mind for the past few years, like a little light bulb collecting dust in a box full of other ideas that were given up on. Sat there on a shelf in a back corner, until someone decided to do a little spring-cleaning and pulled the idea out of the box, dusted it off and placed it into the light. I don't think my parents will miss me, or rather I think they'll understand. Actually, I think I'll write them a note so they don't think I've gone missing.

I shut off the car leaving the sounds of the radio to snap into silence and my coffee to grow cold as it sits there with the lid off. I head into the cool air-conditioned house with the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. The door frame to the kitchen is covered in marks telling a story about two kids, one girl and one boy, growing up in this house. I pull a pad of paper and a pen out of the drawer and sit there. Thinking. What do you write to the people who raised you? How do you tell them that you're separating yourself from everything you loved? How do you say that you no longer love the things you know? No, I can't write that last one. They'd tear themselves apart thinking that I no longer love them. Which isn't true. I love my parents, but I can't love them right now when I'm uprooting my entire life. I have to write something though because for them not knowing is worse than them knowing. I write them a letter on how I love them both very much and that I hope that my brother doesn't follow in my cowardly footsteps. I write some nonsense on "freedom" and "becoming" and how I might end up in Seattle or Detroit, and then I write that I will contact them from wherever I end up so they don't worry themselves sick. I sign off with my name and place the note somewhere where they'll see it. If they see it. You know I might as well write one to my brother, so he can have whatever he wants from what I've left behind, and he can do whatever he wants with them. And since I'm leaving, most of my stuff is staying. Mainly things that I can buy again, the things that I cannot, are traveling on this journey with me.

I'm stalling. At this rate they'll end up home before I've even left. Before I can think more about staying I turn and speed out of the house, shutting the door I once went through as a baby, ending that chapter of my life. I hop back into the driver's seat, drink a sip of my coffee to see if it's gone freezing. It hasn't, that's good. I close the lid to the tumbler and turn the radio back on, the music crackling back into existence. Before I can even think of turning back I push my foot onto the gas, like when you were 10-years-old and standing on the edge of a diving board. Your friends shouting at you to jump in and the line behind you growing as they waited for you to move. Jump into the water? Or make the embarrassing walk back down the ladder with promises that you'll do it another day. In reality however you most likely won't for years, until you're 25 with the promise that you'll jump off that diving board one day, just not today. Today is that day when I will be jumping off that diving board. Driving down the road I once rode on my little Lightning McQueen scooter, past the church where my dad, brother and I would skateboard or longboard to pass the time. And finally past the 7eleven where I had my first kiss holding a Slurpee full of swamp water. A random combination of whatever they had that week.

This was really it. I brushed away whatever tears I had that dripped down my cheeks. Cranked the window down of my buggy, turned up the volume and realized: I really don't like coffee. I laughed wetly as I drove farther from my childhood home and out of the city. Inching my way to the border of the country. Stopping at motels, hotels, and holiday inns. Eating too much fast food and drinking caffeinated drinks. Wildlife minding their own business in the fields. They didn't care that I was there. To them, I was another vehicle. Just a little 1974 Volkswagen Beetle in the colour orange. An orange that looked red in the dark. Driving down a highway that looked too much like a woman with air-conditioned arms. Separating myself wasn't easy, and I'm going to feel the guilt that still sits pooled in my stomach for years. I pull up to the last hotel I'm staying at. One in Seattle. A small one that looked like a cabin. To the owners I was just another traveler with money. But really I'm a 25-year-old woman who uprooted herself from all she's ever known. I pulled into a parking space. I turned the radio down and grabbed my tumbler. No longer filled with coffee. The car sputtered out.

[womanofwords]

STEM Kids Shenanigans (Chapter 15)

Chapter 15: Flight

Angelo was in deep trouble. He'd slept in and had missed his alarm, meaning he was now very late for school. (Usually he was barely on time for school, but now he was going to be truly, properly late.) After grabbing a fruit bar and haphazardly putting on clothes, he raced out of the house and to school. His backpack flew towards him, catching up fast. It was always good to have a backpack you didn't have to carry.

Fifteen more minutes before I get a late mark, Angelo thought to himself. Fifteen minutes before I would get a lateness detention. This isn't looking good. He watched the clock as he got closer to the school gates. He was inside by 8:23.

Seven minutes to spare.

"Squeaking by again, Mr Riva?" Mr Oluwatola asked, as he collapsed into his seat at the back of the room, same as always. The backpack was no longer flying and was held tightly in his arms.

"I suppose," he said. Dante smirked at him.

"Lose track of time, Mr Riva?" he taunted.

"Shut up," Angelo muttered. Dante sniggered.

"I'm just playin' with you, I swear." Dante poked him in the ribs, grinning as he stifled a squeak. "Oi, Riva. We're going to be meeting up in the labs after we eat lunch. Want in?"

"Always."

"Quiet at the back of the room!" Mr Oluwatola snapped.

"Sorry, sir!" they stammered, straightening their backs as the rest of the class giggled.

"You four had better be," Mr Oluwatola muttered, as the bell rang for the first lesson of the day and the four split up.

(PAUSE)

They met up in the school laboratory to draw up plans for chaos. "So, what are we doing?" Layla asked.

"Messing with Angelo's backpack," Dante asked.

"What do you want with my backpack?" Angelo asked.

"The ability to fly makes it interesting," Layla pointed out.

"And if you can make a backpack fly, I wonder what else you can make fly," Yujin replied.

"How about a skateboard?" Angelo grinned, getting out his notebook. "Although I do wonder how large the thrusters would have to be."

"They could be retractable so nobody gets suspicious about it," Yujin suggested.

"Maybe a scooter would be better," Layla pointed out. "Easier to steer."

"At this point, just get yourself a bike," Dante groaned. "It would be easier to-"

"Easier to what?!" The shadow stretched across half of the room, although the figure casting that shadow was far smaller. Melanie Sainsbury was staring at them from the doorway, flashing a prefect's badge in their direction and smirking. Another prefect stood behind her, unsure about what she was looking at. "Answer my question!" Melanie snapped.

"What do you want now?" Dante groaned.

"I heard you making your plans, you little brats!" Melanie snapped. "I knew you were going to use your intelligence for evil! Now what have you been planning, huh?"

"Nothing! It actually got pretty off topic," Layla lied.

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yep," Angelo said. "We ended discussing whether it would be faster for someone to use a hoverboard, a scooter or a bike to get to school and how effective it would be in stopping someone like me from being late."

"A likely story!" Melanie scoffed. "I bet you're going to create a kind of flying hoverboard, aren't you? And cause wilful and gleeful chaos everywhere you go?"

"What?" Yujin spluttered.

"Mate, we're just trying to have a meeting in peace," Dante groaned.

Melanie rolled her eyes before giving another lecture. "First of all, don't call me mate. We're not mates. I would never be friends with anyone like you. And second of all, I don't believe you." Melanie paused to laugh. "What was this meeting about, pray tell? Before you got 'off topic'." She punctuated the word off-topic with air quotes.

"It was about revision for the upcoming exams," Dante said.

"Melanie, they're just having a meeting," her supervisor said. "What do you see in them?"

"Nothing but trouble," Melanie snarled. "Come on. If we walk quickly, there'll be a couple of kids eating in the stairwell that we can give detentions to." They walked away, and the four breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness she's done terrorizing us," Angelo sighed.

"My heart was pounding with fear," Yujin said.

"What did we do to deserve this?" Dante asked.

Silence took over, and then the four burst out laughing. "Honestly, Melanie just won't stop, will she?" Layla laughed.

"Not while we're in school," Yujin pointed out.

"Although it doesn't help that she is actually kinda right this time," Dante pointed out.

And they laughed together again.

(PAUSE)

Two weeks later, after plans had been made and the contraption constructed, the four went to an abandoned skate park to test it out. "This is going to be amazing," Dante said, his voice excited and rambling.

"This is the coolest kind of 'study session' ever!" Layla replied.

"I've never been so happy to take the place of a crash test dummy in my life," Angelo laughed, putting on a helmet and elbow pads.

"Angelo, you actually do know how to ride a skateboard, right?" Dante asked.

"Sure I do! I do it plenty! What do you think I spend my free time doing?" Angelo laughed.

"Being your little sister's personal butler," the others chorused.

"Other than that stuff," Angelo said. His face turned red, and Dante laughed.

"Look at you, all red. Your sister has you wrapped around her little finger," he laughed. "You made a flying robot ladybird friend just for her!"

"I can't help it, OK? She's so cute and she has these big brown eyes and I just can't say no!" Angelo groaned.

"You are hopeless," Layla groaned.

"Sweet, but hopeless," Yujin added.

"Can we just get on with it?" Dante snapped.

"Sir, yes sir," Layla, Angelo, and Yujin said in unison, and they got to work. Angelo got onto the skateboard, which was perfectly nondescript, strapped himself in and started skating.

"Ready!" Angelo yelled.

"Good. Now go!" Layla said, as Yujin filmed the entire thing for research purposes. Layla pressed the button, and Angelo flew. Hovering at first, he giggled and laughed as he turned and twirled.

"This is so cool!" Angelo laughed. "Turn it up higher!" Layla turned it up higher, and Angelo did a full front flip. Yujin laughed, and Dante cheered.

"Dude, you're awesome!" Dante whooped. Layla turned it up higher, and Angelo went faster and higher.

"I declare this experiment to be a complete success!" Angelo yelled, as the other three cheered and he did a back flip in mid air.

"Angelo, it's running out of battery. Get down," Layla yelled. Angelo sighed and descended slowly.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Angelo cheered. As the four nerds cheered and congratulated each other, nobody noticed the clicking of a camera.

(PAUSE)

"So, how was the meetup with your little friends?" Angelo's mother asked him, when Angelo came back. His helmet was in his bag, safe from prying eyes and nosy uncles.

"How was the nerd meetup, you little dork?" Santo taunted.

"SANTO!" everyone yelled.

"It was nice," Angelo said, feeling the knee pads he was still wearing and smiling. "It was great."

To read the other parts of this fic, see Masterlist.

[cultjam]

rank your ocs from skating pro to would try to skate and fall on their head to doesnt know what a skateboard is. inspired by the little cat gif

felix i love this question so much i owe you my life-

#1!! yihmi

they don't skate on their own but like, they party in florida like 24/7 there's no way that they haven't longboarded down a daytona sidewalk at 5am with a 4loko in each hand. something something gay audacity would lead em to success.

#2!! taji reza

highschooler in the 90s, legally required to like skating. she sucks though

#3!! miss emma

you'd look at her and think 'she can skate. she's so cool.' but you're WRONG! she's sitting on the board and scooting with her hands like those sit down scooters in gym class. girl who busts absolute ASS if she even tries standing on the board.

#4!! mariasole nero

she's like. allergic to operating transport. passenger princess who can't drive, can't ride a bike, and 100% would somehow cause a skateboard to catch fire. if she was in like i life or death situation in which she had to land a kickflip or die, she'd pull the trigger herself. she knows. also! she's really tall! she'd have that newborn giraffe swag.

#5!! riga martin

man can barely see anymore, putting him on a skateboard would be like cruel and unusual punishment in his eyes. you put that dude on a skate of any kind he's shaking like a white crust dog. like. even if he could still see normally he wouldn't skate. you put a board down near him he SHOOTS UP like 3ft in the air like a cat when they see a banana.

[greenvillainredemption]

We don't know, like, too much about G3 Ghoulia since she hasn't appeared much yet, but I'll try to list most everything we do know:

In the live-action movie, which is a separate continuity from the cartoon and dolls, she's kind of the "weird" girl. I don't mean that in a negative way though- I mean she's the kid that, like... When Clawdeen first meets her she acts in a spooky/dazed/ominous way as a way to, like, prank/spook her? But when Clawdeen doesn't react to it she's just like "aw man" and properly talks to her. She also sleeps in a graveyard in the school rather than in the dorms, and when the main trio is sneaking around in there she'll rise up like in an old zombie movie to make a funny comment.

Ghoulia being the smartest ghoul in school isn't really like, a thing anymore? Probably because of the thing with Frankie's brain being made up of the greatest minds in monster history. But she IS still a nerd! Or at least, it's mentioned she has fast fingers for playing videos game (see the grimtendo screech her basic doll comes with) and her skateboard has Dead Fast on the bottom (her favorite comic superhero in G1)

Speaking of her skateboard, while Ghoulia has always had the taste for things like that (see: her Scooter in G1) G3 seems to be leaning more into it, probably to make up for her no longer being the smart one, so now she's kind of more predominantly a skater girl- her skateboard allows her to go faster than her undead legs can, but she's supposedly not the best at stopping. "It's a good thing zombies don't feel pain!"

She is also part of the Casketball team, alongside Lagoona, Heath, and Deuce. Also Probably Clawdeen and Clawd in the future. This may be a reference to how she fought for zombies to have the right to play in G1.

According to Lagoona's music video, Ghoulia's her bestie. We haven't seen them interact in the show yet, but some leaked episode synopses seem to suggest this is true. In the live-action movie, though, Lagoona's only seen as Cleo's bestie, with Ghoulia just being a fun minor character that shows up on occasion.

One of the concept designs for Ghoulia's appearance in the show has her with Ramona Flowers' hairstyle in the Scott Pilgrim vs the World fillum.

Her design doesn't really feature red anymore :( which sucks cuz red was her theme color in G1 and they incorporated it into her design sooo well, like, when you look at her you don't immediately register her as wearing a lot of red, but when you look closer for it you'll notice almost every piece she's wearing is red. Meanwhile in G3 most everything she wears is black (sometimes white or gray) with the occasional pop of bright lime or hot pink, with the only actual colored piece being her weird plastic-y neon pink skirt, which I really think should've been red pants instead...

She can turn her head 360 degrees.

I feel like i'm missing something but this is all that comes to mind soooo there!

Aaaaaa that’s so fun! So she’s a bit of a daredevil now aaaa I love that??? Really cool how they tie in the old scooter thing into her new vibe. Thanks for sharing!! :D

[out-and-aboot-eh]

Day 14 - Vancouver Island to Vancouver

I might have given our campsite a bit of stick for its more shabby than chic appearance but in its defence all our stuff was still there when we woke up and no one had been murdered by bears or other guests during the night, so it couldn’t have been too bad! As we’d had our final sleep in the tents, it was time to give them a clean for the next users, now you may recall when we first got out the tent it was soaking wet, so we endeavoured to leave it a bit dryer than we found it, which I think we managed… just! After 2 weeks of nearly every type of weather going, I don’t think I’ll miss the tent life too much, but it did serve us well and kept us dry which is more than I can say for some of the other tents I’ve slept in!

After a continental breakfast, including some big muffins, we packed everything up, but with the bags in a semi-arranged order based on the drop off locations. We made our way to the ferry terminal via a gas station (where I picked up some bbq beef jerky to keep me going!) and headed back to Vancouver. When G and I first talked about visiting Canada, one option (which I vetoed pretty quickly) was to hire a camper van and travel ourselves, one reason being the big city traffic. Up to this point I think we’d have been alright, but even Megan was hating on the traffic and drivers in and around Vancouver. I had flashes of Caleb from Clarkson’s Farm driving in London as she is a self confessed countyry bumpkin who’s only been to these parts a few times! After powering through it was time for our first drop off, as we all bundled out to say farewell to Iain and Mikela, although as most of us would be in Vancouver for a couple more days, there was every chance that it was more of a TTFN. The next drop off, was a mere 3 minute walk from our hotel and everyone got out except NZ Cat, who’d booked a hotel miles away! We were not a tactile group by any means, so it was a first and last hug goodbye, but always a chance that we may regroup later on.

Now I’m not saying we looked out of place when we got to the hotel lobby, huge bags on our backs, walking boots on and looking a big ragged for all our travels, but I think the receptionist may have puked in her mouth a little bit. Our room wasn’t ready (and even if it was they’d probably be running background checks) so we dumped out stuff in storage and borrowed a couple of the hotel’s bikes. One of the perks of going somewhere that has apples on the desk and two types of fruit infused water stations… Our plan, to cycle along the Stanley Park Sea Wall route. The bikes seemed okay, my brakes were a bit squeaky and not the best, but they were free! Our next challenge was to navigate through the traffic to the start of the route, which would involve a lot of traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, whilst avoiding the crazy drivers on the road. We also didn’t have a way of attaching Google Maps to the handle bars, so we had to stop and check directions a few times as there’s no signage for such a popular attraction! Georgie led the way and there was only one small snafu where we were going downhill and long story short, I slammed the brakes to avoid going in to the back of G and went flying arse over tit! Thankfully I’ve got plenty of poutine padding and didn’t come off too badly!

It turns out that half of Vancouver had a similar idea on this sunny afternoon, as it was very busy along the cycle/footpath. There were all modes of movement along the path, including; tandems, rollerblades, scooters, skateboards, a very chunky motorised unicycle and a guy on some springy stilts! There was signage everywhere saying ‘be respectful of others, go slowly’ at least that’s what it said in English. In Canadian I presume it said, welcome to the fast and furious route, pedestrians cross anywhere without looking and ignore the direction of travel ! At the beginning of our route we saw more totem poles and popped in to the gift shop for some more magnets and stickers! From here we stopped at several beaches and little bays, whilst taking in the sites and smells of Vancouver beyond the sea wall. It was an excellent way to see what Stanley Park had to offer in the space of a few hours, but as it was the hottest day in Vancouver that year, a shower was very much needed.

We returned our bikes to the hotel and thankfully there was no truth test about potential damage for crashes. As our room was ready, we hopped in the lift and eagerly made our way to No. 316. If the lobby was anything to go by, we were in for a treat. Although after two weeks of scrabbling around in tents, needing to lock snacks away from bears and trekking to toilets (as we never went for a wild wee 👀) just staying in a room that we could stand up in and wouldn’t blow away would be luxury. However in the words of Rowan Atkinson in Love Actually, “this is much more than just a”… room! We were struck by the cool air-con upon entrance, could smell the essential oil diffuser, see a huge bed with plush pillows and a soft mattress. In a nutshell it was the heaven that had got me through the hell of camping! I’m joking of course… it was the booze. It had one unique feature that I’d never seen before in a room, a shower between the bedroom and the bathroom, should you which to purvey the user! Thankfully there was also a blind to cover it so G didn’t have to see me in uncompromising positions scrubbing every nook and cranny before heading out for some dinner. I did wonder if G would make it back out, as by the time I’d showered, she was already snuggled on the bed in a dressing gown and slippers, with glass of wine in hand!

Jen had recommended a place called Tacofino, which as the name suggests is renowned for its tacos and other Mexican food! G opted for a fish taco, which was tasty but one of the smaller portions we’ve had out here, especially compared to my beef burrito which was as full as a little egg (as Daisy would say!) rounded off with a side of tater tots and washed down with a larger/cider. Vancouver has a huge number of places to eat and drink, but one we had to try as we’re a couple of basic bitches was Dairy Queen, which most fortuitously was only a 5 minute waddle away. The Dusanjhs (friends from back home) said we had to try a ‘Blizzard’ although I was more excited by the prospect of what looked like the old McDonald’s toffee sundae! G claimed my excitement made me look like a mad man, so she covered for me by saying we’re tourists and it was our first time here, at which point the confused lady said “well then you’ve got to try a blizzard, as that’s what we’re known for!” G was supposed to get a mini one, but accidentally ordered the small instead.. and even a small is similar to a Ben & Jerry’s tub! I opted for rolo, G went for cookie dough. Despite belly aching about how much there was and bellies aching after, we still both managed to finish them before heading back to our new digs.

Georgie’s highlight of the day: Getting to the hotel room, fresh shower, dressing gown and clean sheets!

[sidewalksurgeons]

Sprint 1

Throughout the course of our teams endeavors in finding solutions to Cathedral Pl sidewalks, our findings did put us on track to narrowing in on finding proper outcomes to why this needs to be addressed and who it will benefit the most. We all found adequate information prior to the first sprint and I am happy with what my team has produced thus far, so much so that it pushes me to do some deeper digging in my own research. However, I managed to find some adequate findings while conducting my portion of the research. I managed to cross off all of my research goals throughout the first sprint through observations made on Cathedral PL. Number 1 on my research goals was if people even cared & if anyone has tried getting the sidewalks fixed? And my answer was yes there have been, Listed below is a link regarding these findings and the lawsuits of the people. 

Furthermore,  my second and third goals revolved around observation, so I took the liberty of going to Cathedral PL and observing the scene myself to understand more of what it looked like in action with people navigating the scene. I constructed a table to tally my findings along with the conditions of the observation.  The table is shown below.

Bikes

8

People walking in the street

4

Scooter

4

Cars

4

People walking on the sidewalk from Monroe Park

72

Skateboards 

2

Handicapped 

0

Rolled Ankles

3

Stray Dogs

1

I also noticed a few things throughout my findings that proved noteworthy that I took down and shared them with my group ranging from hazards and obstacles and tendencies of commuters on sidewalks.  In addition I walked the sidewalks myself and put myself in the commuters shoes and took additional notes on my own tendencies to see how Id personally navigate the sidewalk. This sprint was fun and I learned a lot about Richmond and its history, I also found interest in conducting research outside of just sitting at a computer and it was actually a good experience. Moving forward into the next sprint I’ll plan on doing more observations under different conditions as well as incorporating interviews into my body of finding with my team.

[fishfingersalad]

Rvb skating hcs, bc I miss skating but I can’t figure out how to put the brake back on my blades, and where I live is rlly hilly so I need it or else I'm trapped in the cul-de-sac.

Putting a break cause its a real long list lol

Skateboards:

Alpha Church (Can’t actually skateboard, swears he can but he's sooo wobbly) Tex (Can actually skateboard, makes fun of church) Tucker (Between Church and Tex’s levels, hes decent at it) Wash (Don’t think I need to explain this one) Niner (I’ve seen a lot of wheelchair niner hcs, shed totally do wheelchair skateboarding) Palomo (Falls over a lot, but hey he just keeps on going.) Bitters (Absolutely holds it over Palomos head that he’s better at skateboarding) Theta (canon)

Rollerskates:

Kai (Dunno if this one needs an explanation, she might like derby ngl) Donut (He seems like he’d use them as transportation, just skatin around) South (She’d do roller derby and get so competitive about it) CT (Seen some videos of people doing sweet flips and tricks w skates) Ohio (She gives me the vibe of someone who’s got cool iridescent pink roller skates) Andersmith (Picked up skating cause the younger lieutenants were into it) Matthews (He’s a bit unbalanced, but he’s determined)

Rollerblades:

Carolina (Speed, blades are faster than skates) Simmons (He is shaky as hell, but he is trying. Won’t skate anywhere that’s not flat.) Kimball (Lina taught her, they race) Dr Grey (Dunno, just vibes) Jensen (Much like Simmons but with more uneven terrain) Epsilon Church (Picked blades so he could skate w Lina, and to be different from Wash n Alpha) Omega/O’malley (I'm just picturing him chasing people around at high speeds, cackling) Eta (Wanted to try something new, and to spend time w Theta)

Iceskates:

Florida (Specifically figure skating) Felix (Honestly idk, he’s cold and sharp like an ice skate) Delta (He’d ramble about why it’s an intellectual sport, but actually just thinks its fun) Sigma (He’d be rlly pretentious about it)

Scooter:

York (Guy has no balance but still wants to be included) Iota (Cheers on Eta and Theta, does sick scooter tricks)

Other:

Grif (I think he’d have a longboard that he rides around) Sarge (Quad bike) Doc (Also a longboarder) Idaho (I think he’d prefer dirt bike racing) Iowa (Quad bike, it’s like a mongoose) Caboose (Mountain bike, no real explanation, just vibes)

Doesn’t skate (or bike or anything):

Lopez (He prefers cars, might've made an electric skateboard at some point but doesn't rlly use it) Wyoming (Can’t see him skating at all ngl) North (Cheers everyone else on and records videos) Maine (First aid) Locus (Tried to skate once and fell over. Now he just broods from the benches.) Doyle (Too nervous, prefers to just watch) Gamma (I don’t think he’d go outside much ngl)

[the-firebird69]

On a cycling helmet and I thought for sure he would use it but he said the small like a scooter because someone all the time and if you fall over into something your head will get impaled with what you fall over into that makes sense I've seen it a lot with cycling helmets it's kind of a useless design this only has a few holes and it's preventing and I've seen motorcycle events and they're kind of hidden it's a little bit more to make him that way but it's worth it I might try and do that for a cycling helmet it's really even though I got one it works a lot better and I've seen people that do much better with it and this other one is crap you hit once and it's done you can hit your head over and over and the foam is fine. But really it's a good idea and he's got the right idea you going to a bunch of brush in your head's going to get paid and protects you for real and from other stuff and shrapnel debris you're going through thinking insects and it won't get in there as much and you can put a screen in instead of fleece I miss that too you said that people want that and I saw it somewhere and they couldn't find it either but really you're heading and pale sorts of stuff, we'll see this road debris and if you wipe out with the helmet and there's a bunch of it cuz usually there is it goes into the helmet and gets in between the helmet and you and the helmet and a pushes it into your head and you get all these cuts I've seen it a lot and I do a lot of cycling it's a wonderful way of thinking logical and I see all these accidents and I know it works so I'm going to add a design but tons of people are buying the cycling helmet I said this ain't worth s*** and pick him up in the store and practically fold them in half because they're angry I said that's kind of our stuff. And they laugh because they know it's me and he said that there's a lot of helmet laws that are absent and this is great for a scooter it is too scooters go about 30 to 40 mph and it's a perfect helmet for it it looks like a scooter helmet that's what he got it for the wayside cuz you can't hear and you have to hear it a scooter. But seriously folks this sounds good for practically everything, he says the bowling ball look one it's good for hiking and climbing and working with machinery heavy machinery and construction all sorts of things you've seen people in construction with them on all the time and I know he has cuz I used to see them and it's because of fall protection they have fall protection and they have harnesses but it won't help you and if you fall and head and he says it was the Old hockey not hockey it was the because the hockey one suck too by the way it's going to change that too this one is for skateboarding to me I had this abs and it's been going mad looking for her so he knows the industry tells people will listen and it's going to be a good day so I might lean on this key to even the Olympics staying out of the CC stuff they're helping

Jon Gallagher