#swynlake

[castawaymydoubt]

Chance encounter | Open

“How hard can it be to find a teacher in battle magic?” He frowned, slowly heading back to the university. Running a hand through his hair, Riku contemplated what to do and not hurt his mother’s feelings. Also, could he just pull his phone out and do a search? How the hell did these things work? Again, he was hit with how different this place was from the Islands…course things had been simpler for him before he awakened.

the young man had been so wrapped up in his thoughts he missed the person walking towards him, in a chance or accident he collided with the other. Stumbling, he righted himself to look up confused. “Sorry, I guess I missed you there.”

[simba-bonfamille-lyons]

soooo -- i was going to post this playlist when i closed simba, and have been sitting on it for like many many months, adding to it slowly and curating it. but, i realized, it actually fits the task. at least, i think so, because this playlist is my little love letter to swynlake. or, simba's swynlake--which has been a character in his story from the very beginning. she has been, at times, a cruel mistress, but also a guiding light for simba, something for him to orient his compass to.

though, it is a character in all our stories. we all very much love this little magical town. so, this is dedicated to everyone and to swynlake, the arguably, most important character in the RP.

see below for analysis on all the songs bc i have meditated deeply on all of them.

Here I Am - Bryan Adams

Here I am, this is me / I come into this world so wild and free / Here I am, so young and strong / Right here in the place where I belong

Felt right to start this with Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, which is a movie all about home. Protecting it, caring for it, etc. It is a meditation on colonization, environmental conservation, nature, exploitation, and rebellion. Which feels very fitting, as those are the stories many of us take on in the undertones of our characters. And something that Swynlake deals with on a semi-regular basis. Especially since this is Swynlake from Simba's perspective, it also speaks to having been born right here in Swynlake, which is not a thing many people can claim. <3

Gold - The Lone Bellow

It's in my blood, it's in the water / It's calling me still / I could leave, I know I oughta / But there's gold in them hills

There is so many songs about small towns: loving small towns, hating small towns, wanting to leave small towns, returning to small towns...I can think of like five right off the top of my head. (Fast Car, anyone?) But I love this song because it talks about the tug-of-war that one feels to their hometown. Which is something Simba feels. He knows he'll always settle in Swynlake, but he wants to have a life outside of it. The line that really sold me on this song is in the title--so it's kind of the whole concept of the song: "there's gold in them hills." Maybe this is just a simple small town to some, but to others, it is so, so special and it calls to you. <3

BIGGER - Beyonce

Forgiveness is key because we're fightin' something way bigger / You'll never lose, we are winners / I'll be the roots, you be the tree / Pass on the fruit that was given to me / Legacy, ah, we're part of something way bigger

It also felt very appropriate to include a song from Beyonce's Lion King concept album. (Which is nothing but straight bangers and you should listen to it.) But, since Simba's story (and the Lion King) is heavily tied up in Swynlake, I thought this would be a good song to include. Since it is all about legacies and being bigger than yourself. Which is something all of our characters are in Swynlake. Everyone is the main character! Swynlake helps them shine. <3

An Act of Kindness - Bastille

Kindness / Is what you showed to me / It holds me 'till I ache / Overflow and start to break / Oh I, got a feeling this will shake me down / Oh, I'm kind of hoping this will turn me round / And now it follows me every day

This is moving in to phase two of the playlist, which is how Swynlake treats its residents. This song, of course, is about all the little acts of kindness that can turn things around for someone. Very Jean Valjean in the beginning of Les Mis vibes. Lots of people come to Swynlake seeking some sort of salvation or shelter and they are met with the (mostly) wonderful citizens of Swynlake who become their friends and family and help them grow. <3

Heaven Go Easy on Me - The Head and the Heart

It's damn good to have met you / I hope that you stay / We're well on our way

I think this one says very similar things to the last song. It is about going through life and the people you meet, and the things that life throws at you. (In this metaphor, Swynlake is heaven, and you are asking her to go easy on you lmao.)

Pay No Rent - Delta Rae

When my time comes, think of the living / Be good to your neighbor, and ask for forgiveness / I won't be there to share in the struggle / Can't get much deeper with axes and shovels / And if I don't see ya, know that I loved ya / I won't pay no rent / For the land that I'm under / I won't feel any pain / I won't know any hunger

This song is one of those ones that I feel deep down in my soul and it just makes me want to WEEP. It is about dying, of course, but also the things you leave behind and how peaceful things are. The first time I heard it, it also reminded me of this Arabic proverb that I love: "Come live in my heart and pay no rent." Which, even though Delta Rae is a Christian band...I wonder if there is a similar saying/they got inspiration from it anyway. IDK -- I just love this idea of Swynlake taking care of you, even after you've passed on...

Watch Over Us - The Lone Bellow

I don't need no crown / I don't need no glory / You've had your life / But that ain't my story / Sometimes I'm up / Sometimes I'm down / Sometimes I'm almost / Leveled to the ground / But my baby's sleeping / Sleeping in peace / So watch over us

...Which leads perfectly into my next song. I have always loved this song because it has a very...ancestor vibe. (Even though The Lone Bellow is also a Christian band. (Listen, sometimes the Christian folk music just be hitting and I like to appropriate it.) It is a little bit of a sadder song (the back half definitely are more sad because I am thinking about Simba leaving this place that he loves so much...)

Take Off Your Shoes - Delta Rae

Did you ever wonder / What's underneath / Ghosts in every floorboard / That'll touch your feet / When we lose the past / The future's nothing new / When you come to my house / Take off your shoes

This song is actually the first one that I put on the playlist, because it just immediately said "Swynlake" to me when it first came out. (Yeah, I originally added it in Dec of 2022, I told you, I've had this playlist for a long ass time. It's been making me weep all this time.) Anyway, I wanted to add a song that was kind of ooky-spooky, because a playlist about Swynlake wouldn't be complete without a little bit of foreboding, because as loving as Swynlake is, we all know she is also a cruel mistress.

Like a River Runs - Bleachers

When I fall asleep I can see your face / What I lost in you I will not replace / And I could run away, I could let them down / But I will remember your light

This is another one of those kind of more ooky-spooky Swynlake songs. Or, at least, that's how it feels to me. I think this song speaks to the amount of tragic backstories ™️that are in Swynlake. Everyone who is haunted ~~ by their pasts but comes to Swynlake to finally outrun those ghosts. <3

Laughter Lines - Bastille

I'll see you in the future when we're older / And we are full of stories to be told. / Cross my heart and hope to die, / I'll see you with your laughter lines.

I think this song is in nice conversation with the last song. It is also the song I thought about deleting several times, because I feel like it is the most "predictable" to be on this list. BUT -- I just couldn't because it feels overdone and predictable for a reason. This song makes me want to stab myself in the heart!!!! This is the beginning of the end "act" of the playlist: which is Simba talking about how Swynlake will always be where he comes back to. He is leaving, yes, but not forever. <3

Home - Dotan

The sound of the wind is whispering in your head / Can you feel it coming back? / Through the warmth, through the cold, keep running till we're there / We're coming home now, we're coming home now

Another song that kind of borders onto "ooky-spooky" vibes. It is almost haunting in its chorus. It is another song, of course, of returning home. Back to the place that you have left but which is still tangled up inside of you and you can't let it go.

Everywhere, Everything - Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams

Drive slowly, I know every route in this county / Maybe that ain't such a bad thing / I'll tell you where not to speed / It's been a long year and all of our book's pages dog-eared / We write out the ends on our palms, dear / Then forget to read

We didn't know that the sun was collapsing / 'Til the seas rose and the buildings came crashing / We cried, "Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh" /Everywhere, everything / I wanna love you 'til we're food for the worms to eat / 'Til our fingers decompose / Keep my hand in yours

The first time I heard this song, it made me cry. Maybe I was feeling particularly homesick that day but again: this song speaks to that young person in you who has a place that you spent most of your childhood. Where you know all the streets and all the haunts. And now that you're older, you appreciate that place for what it made of you and you want to show it to the people you love. <3

I Will Always Return - Bryan Adams

I've seen every sunset / And with all that I've learned / It's to you I will always, always return...

And I'm a crying disaster. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[amelia-o-gabble]

ROGUE WEREWOLF ATTACKS LOCAL!

by Amelia Gabble

[tw assault, gun mention]

@biceps--to-spare @chiefhugo-slade

On the 19th of August, Swynlake had its first werewolf attack since late 2020. The local boy that was attacked four years ago unfortunately succumbed to his wounds on Christmas Eve that year. 

Luckily for the victim of this recent attack, he was admitted to Swynlake General with only scrapes and bruises. Gaston D’Avenant, 35, owner of The Hunted Deer, was walking through Enchantra when a “large, dark coloured werewolf” attacked him. Swynlake’s gamekeeper, Hugo Slade, 32, recounts that the wolf “had Gaston pinned to the ground and fighting for his life. [Slade] fired a warning shot into the sky. It was the only thing to break the beast's concentration.”

When asked for their thoughts on the encounter, both parties responded with precautionary sentiments. D’Avenant emphatically states, “I’ve been walking in these woods since I was a child--during the day and at dusk. It has never been an issue before. But now, no one can feel safe. I am an experienced woodsman and I was taken off guard. Imagine if I had been a tourist or a woman!" Adding, “If Chief here hadn't come along, I could've been turned or killed!"

Gamekeeper Slade informed the Squire that he would be getting Mayor Acheron’s office to set up more warnings about the dangers of Enchantra on the trailheads for tourists and locals alike. He warns trailgoers, “This was an unprovoked attack,” and “This is not an isolated incident… werewolves are motive driven.” Slade did not elaborate on if a motive for the unprovoked attack was identified or being looked into by Swynlake Sheriff’s Dept. at this time. 

Despite Swynlake’s history of a pro-Magick approach, incidents like this create strife amongst the community and the Magicks involved. While we have many out werewolves in our community, the actions of the few are often blamed on the many. "This is proof most werewolves cannot control themselves or live in polite society. They are a danger to our town and livelihoods that depend on tourism," victim D’Avenant believes. 

The only werewolf believed to be tied to the attack at this time is a large, dark coloured wolf. If you have any information about this individual, please contact the Swynlake Sheriff’s Dept. as soon as possible. Gamekeeper Slade reminds all that more information about outdoor safety and respecting Enchantra’s inhabitants is available on town halls’ website.

[ianthedisastrous]

[Ian's Birthday Insta Story part one]

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

[scampcomehome]

Can't Stop the Music || Scan

Dates: March 7th, March 16th, & April 17th Trigger Warnings: Missing Home/Family Summary: A series of events leading up through different points in the Swynlake Cinema construction project: 🎸 March 7th: Scott climbs through the ruins of the Swynlake Cinema to retrieve Lucky's lost guitar & gift it to his friend 🎥 March 16th: Nye gives Scott & Lucky good news about the old projectors 🍸 April 17th: Scott & Lucky discuss the upstairs renovations & Scott has an idea of what to fill the otherwise empty space with. Read Here! @bad-moon--rising

[bad-moon--rising]

Distant Shores || Lucky & Mr. Godfrey

Synopsis: Dated February 26th. Lucky has a talk with Mr. Godfrey about his curse, his doubts, and how to start rebuilding not only the cinema but the life he wants.

CW: None really aside from heavy conversation about sad topics.

Read Here

[toby-determined]

The Legacy of Cafe Acosta

by Annie G. Tremaine and Toby Determined for the Swynlake Squire

Like most restaurants, Cafe Acosta is a place where one can not feel alone, even if you were to be seated as a party of only one. A pan need only be heated and the entire space fills with the scent of olive oil. The ease at which happiness is produced from the simple beginnings of the slicing of an onion is transferred into each and every plate that comes from behind the kitchen doors and set in front of someone. It is a restaurant where it does not feel like those sitting out on the floor are merely customers, and where satisfaction is not a concept, but a fellow traveler with you on your way out the door. 

Yet in this place where loyalty stretches out from the staff to all those that enter, the amount of people that step inside remains few and far between. Those that do have cited that they are constant returners, having been hooked from one visit. 

“We’ve been coming here every Friday for ages now,” said 68-year-old Susan Littleton. “Me and my Martin don’t get out often now, but it’s nice coming here. Feels like we’re off to a friend’s house rather than a restaurant. Just a friend who can cook!” 

Cafe Acosta was opened in 1990 by William and Tanya Acosta. They had been married for all of 4 months before their grand opening and while some may swear by the rule that one should never mix business with personal relationships, William and Tanya seemed to beat these odds. With their menu of Mediterranean cuisine they pair were able to bring in a new name and fresh food to the streets of NTO. 

Years later, after the restaurant had grown out of its infancy and into a stable business, though still fussy and chaotic as any good toddler is, the Acosta couple decided to take on the new challenge of a child. 

Maria Acosta was born in the spring of 1993. She would grow up with as much time spent in her parent’s restaurant as she would at their home. It was a place that saw many of her firsts. Her first steps were taken here, her first words spoken within its walls, and it was the place where she had first met Divian Amin the summer before their first year in Primary School together. The restaurant became a harbor for their relationship as well, as they would meet there to work on homework together and form a lasting friendship. It was where the pair would both get jobs throughout their Secondary School careers. And it was where they had decided that their friendship had grown into something more, and started a relationship that echoed the strong foundations of warmth and comfort that the setting it had been growing in had provided. 

Though, as life tends to bring, bad news struck. William was diagnosed with liver cancer that progressed faster than originally predicted. 

With the loss of her partner Tanya wanted to sell the restaurant. After William had gotten sick, the business had fallen by the wayside and the family’s finances had been ravaged by the care that William had needed. But Maria, who was not as prepared as she would have liked to have been for the task, did not. Instead she took over from her mother but it was an steep incline of an uphill battle Maria was going to be facing. With the the patrons having dwindled to the lack of attention the restaurant had been given as well as many other details falling through the cracks, Maria had been left with little to help fix what she was desperate to keep alive. 

Loss, as we all know, is something that can never be gotten over. We absorb them and in turn they shape us into different, often more tender, beings. Maria Acosta had lost her father and did not want to lose another piece of him in the restaurant where she had grown up. Instead she took it upon herself to work harder than ever to keep it, but sometimes that isn’t enough. And sometimes, in one’s desperate attempts to stay afloat, mistakes are made. 

The Centre for Social Justice estimated that 1.1 million people across England have took loans from illegal lenders in 2022. In the years since, that number has likely only increased. These unaccredited lenders prey on vulnerable individuals and businesses who find themselves with no other options, increasing interest arbitrarily and sometimes even engaging in threats and intimidation when payments are not made on time. 

While there have been no formal charges brought against Lucas & Sons Holdings, the eponymous Robert Lucas can be seen coming and going from Cafe Acosta frequently, leaving a trail of intimidation in his wake. 

“We always know it’s going to be bad news when he arrives,” explained a Cafe Acosta employee who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. “My understanding is that Maria had to borrow some money from him a few years back when we thought the restaurant was gonna go out of business. I’m grateful that she was willing to do anything to keep this place running. But now it’s an even bigger mess. It’s not her fault. I just hate that people would take advantage of her like that.”

Indeed, upon investigation, Lucas & Sons Holdings is not registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Yet, when our team infiltrated Lucas & Sons and expressed interest in a loan, Mr. Lucas made an effort to ensnare one of our intrepid reporters. Worse, Mr. Lucas actually complained about the state of affairs with the Acostas!

Or, rather, with Divian Amin.

In recent months, the situation deteriorated to the point that Ms. Acosta fled Wiltshire, assuming the restaurant would be closed without her there. But Mr. Amin has now taken over the restaurant as well as the situation with Mr. Lucas, doing his best to keep the place afloat in hopes that Maria would one day return.

Indeed, everyone seems to hold out that hope. Ms. Acosta’s presence seems to haunt the restaurant, in the family photos on the wall and the careful blend of seasonings in the grilled chicken that she helped perfect herself. While diners feel uncertain about the future of Cafe Acosta, they still return night after night, determined to enjoy the delicious Mediterranean cuisine while they still can.

“Nothing’s ever certain in this life,” Susan Littlefield reflected. “This place could be here one day and gone the next. I really hope people can come together to save this place. But if they can’t, I’ll just try to treat each Friday like it’s the last one.”

Iris Welby, age ten, agrees.

“I really hope we can keep coming here for a long time,” she chimes in over a plate of hummus and pita chips. “This is my favorite food. It’s so good. You can taste that there’s, like, love in it.”

[copper-russell]

Merry Christmas Carr!

Part 1 of 4 @stellabfly

It’s me, your Secret Santa! And for Christmas this year I have re-imagined your muses as characters in Stardew Valley! Not all of the pets and gifts and locations here are totally accurate but hey I'm sure CA would expand the game to accomodate <3 anyway, without further ado...

STELLA

Birthday: Winter 14 Address: 3 Willow Lane Family: Moon (mother) Pet: Dog Marriage: Yes Loved gifts: Cupcake, Cherry

Biography: Having only recently moved to the Valley, Stella is just about finding her feet in town, and is starting to look for new adventures. There's lots to see and explore, especially when you're trying to get out from your mom's feet, and Stella is up for all of it. Friendly and outgoing, you think Stella is a perfect place to start when looking for new friends, but could your relationship be something more?

[vvinter-queen]

NAME: Elsa Idunadottir GODLY PARENT: Hypnos AFFILIATION: Camp Counselor  SPECIES: Demigod ABILITIES: Can induce sleep and hypnosis, retrieve and alter memories, and dream walk while sleeping

TW: Death, decapitation, gore (very brief tho)

The first dream Elsa ever visited was her sister’s.

She’d heard Anna’s cries even through the haze of sleep, piercing and sharp and incredibly loud for a toddler. It had hardly taken more than a thought for her to slip into her sister’s dreams and change the shapeless, terrifying forms of her nightmares into soft toys and plush snowfields perfect for playing. Anna quieted before their mother could make it to the nursery and slept peacefully through the night.

Elsa had been nine years old.

The first memory Elsa ever saw was the maid's.

Gerta had flown into the kitchen, crying and flustered, while Elsa was studying at the kitchen table. She had collapsed into her brother’s arms and Elsa had joined Kai in his efforts to comfort her, stroking the soft skin of her arm. When she had asked “What happened?”, the memory had risen up under her touch, playing out in front of her mind like a movie reel. She’d dropped a tray and Agnarr (never ‘Father’, Elsa had learned that lesson young and she had learned it well) had yelled at her to the point of distress. Elsa smoothed the edges of the memory until they weren’t as sharp and hummed to calm Gerta’s hiccupping cries.

Elsa had been twelve years old.

The first monster Elsa ever saw was a harpy.

She’d been out playing in the snow with Anna on one of the few occasions Agnarr was too distracted to keep them separated, the two of them skating together on the frozen fjord. Elsa had seen the woman first and had called out to her, warning her of the thin ice, when she had attacked the two sisters with a screech. The illusion blew away like smoke and Elsa had scrambled to try and get her little sister to safety. She was eventually able to decapitate the monster with her skate after forcing her into unconsciousness, but not before Anna had been thrown into a tree at the edge of the lake by the monster. Elsa had run back home with Anna, tiny and cold and unconscious in her arms, sobbing the whole way and crying for their mom.

Elsa had been fourteen years old.

She was sent to Swynlake by Agnarr shortly after. The smell of fish off the fjord couldn’t hide her anymore, and the longer she stayed in Arendelle, the more of a danger she was to her sister. She went willingly, accepting her banishment and leaving with the satyr that came to help her make her way to camp. When the night had fallen on her first day in camp, Hypnos claimed her as his own and suddenly Elsa had a whole cabin of new half-siblings. She fell into the familiar roll easily, missing her mortal sister the whole time. 

She went on her first quest when she was sixteen years old.

She made the decision to stay at camp as a counselor, watching over the youngest campers, when she was eighteen years old.

She saw Anna again when she was nineteen years old.

Elsa was thirty now, well-settled at camp and happy with the way her life has turned out. She’s excited to see some of her old campers return and reunite with friends from her own time as a camper. And maybe get some help with a certain obtuse cyclops she’s been pursuing…

[stellabfly]

NAME: Stella Butterfly AGE: 25 PRONOUNS: She/Her GODLY PARENT: Apollo AFFILIATION: head Arts and Crafts counselor SPECIES: demigod ABILITIES: Photokinesis, archery adept, slight healing ability

BIOGRAPHY:

Stella grew up knowing she was a demigod, like her mother before her. She was always told about the gods, about the monsters that lurked and hunted the children of the gods. Her mother trained her from a young age in ways to defend herself and keep herself safe in the world. She knew one day she would attend Camp Swynlake and train with others like her, in order to protect herself and those around her.  She was nine when she first went to camp, which was early for most in her position, but when her mother became the Alumni Chair for her House, that’s when Stella started attending. And she loved the camp. She loved sparring with the other campers, she loved playing in the fields. To her, the training was fun, it was something she was pretty good at too. She was adept with a bow and arrow, and as she grew up, she developed photokinesis. She found how to manipulate the light to make small illusions from colorful lights like fireworks to small moving pictures.  She was eleven when the war began. And when the battles came, Stella was all too enthusiastic to help fight for the camp. There was a moment in the battle for Swynlake that she was up against an enemy far stronger than her. She got cut down in the battle, scarring her face and taking her out of the fight. Until the battle was over and in the aftermath, she spent time behind the lines, assisting with minor healing.  Between her time graduating from camp and now, Stella has gone back during the summers (sometimes staying longer) to run arts and crafts. She loves helping the next generation of demigods feel at home in this place that she loved growing up. 

Some headcanons:

She changed her last name to butterfly when she first came to camp because she was embarrassed that her mom was an alumni. 

She has scars on her cheeks from the battle for Swynlake. 

Has some enhanced musical abilities from her godly parent, but wouldn’t call it a power or anything like that. She feels like almost all her half siblings have some of that, too. 

Is definitely a little ray of sunshine that tries to brighten everyone’s day. 

[amelia-o-gabble]

MASKED BANDIT APPREHENDED!

----

Amelia Gabble

----

A swath of minor break ins in the Southern Isles have been cause for concern for residents and the local Sheriff’s Department since February of this year. Since late winter, low value jewelry and some household items have been stolen, leaving the owners befuddled and scared. While nothing too valuable had been taken, the invasion alone was startling for resident, Gilda Longshaw, “He didn’t take my grandmother’s jewels, but it felt like while it was all going on I had to keep Mr. Tumnus locked up to keep him safe!.” 

Evidence of the thieves had only left investigators stumped. The burglaries were done in the quiet of the night and left minimal damage to homes and other high value possessions. Luckily for the residents of Swynlake’s Southern Isles, Sheriff Harrington and Deputy Keaton have apprehended the perpetrator! It was none other than the infamous Raccoon King. As the Raccoon King is a native Magick to Enchantra, his sentencing was handed over to the Great Prince. Though we have been assured that his reign is over in our little kingdom. 

@prince--thomas @trackedbymaximus

[menodoramoon]

NAME: Menodora Perhonen, or Moon!! GODLY PARENT: Iris AGE: Forty-five AFFILIATION: Staff (Alumni Chair, Iris Cabin; part-time Arena Attendant), Blue Team SPECIES: Demigod ABILITIES: Photokinesis, Mild Chromokinesis BIOGRAPHY:

&& ----- It's hard to be a demi-god. And it can be trickier still to be a demi-god who has had an affair with a god. ----- &&

Menodora was from a decently noble family. The family dynamic was a bit unbalanced though, as it were. She was raised by her stepmother, mostly, as she was the daughter of her father and the Goddess Iris.

Her father didn't stay around, her mother was busy being a goddess of messages and rainbows and some amount of light. So for a long time, it was just Menodora and her (step)mother. She learned the classics, sword-fighting, and a good deal of physics to understand light. Why? She didn't know, but it must be important.

About the time she was ten was when she noticed her vision had been flickering. She was seeing light how she shouldn't and questioned her sanity. By twelve, she was at Camp Swynlake, excelling at Pegasi riding and some good sword and shield training. Even learning how to manipulate light and some degree of color... She loved it all and devoted herself to camp, becoming a year-rounder and doing her best to make the Iris cabin as 'home' as she could for all her siblings, making them welcome gifts and baking them treats. She was Head Counselor from 1995-1997, before 'graduating' out and trying her hand at the real world.

The real world was less pretty, admittedly, to Menodora. She tried to go back home, but everything in the political world in her stepmother's family was so much of a wreck. And far more strict than life in the Iris cabin felt like. The Iris Cabin felt carefree. The real world felt heavy.

It was in what Menodora considers a moment of weakness that she fell into bed with a man from an art exhibit. She'd gone to relieve stress and ended up in bed with a golden haired stranger. A God, it turned out...

Apollo...

That night ended with Menodora as a single mother, raising Stella. Oh, how cycles repeat.... She trained Star as best as she could, following a lot of steps her own mother had taken. When Star was nine years old, Menodora had been offered the Alumni Chair of the Iris Cabin. And so... The real world became a bit of a blip and Menodora and Stella moved to Camp Swynlake.

Stella lived in her father's cabin, a fact that haunted Moon -- ha, funny -- while she looked from afar. But it seemed like Star was having fun! So who was Moon to protest anything?

Well, she could Protest the war, couldn't she? And the fact that her ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD was fighting in it?

Her loyalty to camp, but specifically her care for her daughter, led Menodora to fighting for on the side of the Gods during the Second Titan War. After the victory, Menodora tried to keep her head up and focus on the positives. She welcomed each returning and recurring camper with open arms and welcome baskets and homemade granola and cookies and blankets. She also acts as an arena attendant at times, specifically with swords and shields.

Headcanons & Plotting Ideas:

She doesn't always see eye to eye with her relatives, but she does her best and it really is what matters.

Menodora might be a bit of a granola mom <3, a Care-n, a Sweet Kathleen of the PTA

She's a single mother with a twenty-five year old daughter!!

If you're a friend of Stella's, she may have adopted you. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

Avoids stepping foot in the Apollo Cabin. That--- mmmm, recipe for disaster.

[majkemaniiia]

NAME: Majke de Spell, or Magica!! GODLY PARENT: Hermes AGE: Forty-five AFFILIATION: Camp Staff SPECIES: Demigod ABILITIES: Control over subtle wards, control over locks, and mild charmspeak BIOGRAPHY:

Magica always knew she was different from the rest of her family, but not in the ways one might expect. Her half-brother was a son of Athena, who forwent camp and decided to strike out on his own for 'nobler' ambitions. Magica, for all her bookishness and cleverness, thought she would be much the same.

Only, when the time came for her to choose to go to camp... her family revealed to her that she wasn't exactly who she thought she was. She was a child of Hermes, the god of travelers. It was a long-forgotten, long-forgiven one night stand that led to her conception. An accident, though not a regret.

Still, Magica couldn't stand feeling that she had been lied to all her life and became a year-rounder at camp, known for being one of the more ruthless Hermes children. She made a few enemies in her camp years that have since been forgiven in their older age.

After 'graduating' camp, Magica traveled a bit, encountering other demigods more than she expected.

Despite not 'having a maternal bone in her body,' she did feel that these children deserved more. And so... she came back and applied to be Activities Director at Camp Swynlake.

She focused on efficiency, more than care with the campers. Over time, though, she did warm to them. Even found them enjoyable to spend time with.

Though she originally was somewhat ashamed of her Hermes lineage, she decided to embrace it. Travelling really was the thing that made her feel the most free, and why not embrace the part of her that enabled that?

When the Second Titan War came, she fought on the side the Gods. She had been tempted by a pretty word or two from Kronos's speeches, but it didn't overrule her care for the camp.

Now, year-round once again at the camp, she denies that she has a soft heart. She pretends to be unaffected by the returning and graduating campers... only she does miss them. And is so glad when they return.

It's why she's secretly poured so much into the Alumni Weekend. But don't tell her you know she cares. She'll deny that too.

[zerohallows]

NAME: Zero Hallows

GODLY PARENT (IF APPLICABLE): Hypnos

AFFILIATION: Returning alumni (2011- 2019, left a year, returned in 2021)

SPECIES: Demigod

ABILITIES: Hypnokinesis

BIOGRAPHY:

(CW: Mention of war, trauma)

Zero didn't need a satyr to tell him that he wasn't the same as most people; he'd had his entire life to solidify that fact in other ways; his unconditionally upbringing, his transition, his family unit. Zero never saw his life as typical, but it was entirely his own. And it wasn't a bad life at all; traveling, watching his father on stage, his mom's thriving photography career, his dad always busy writing some scientific paper or another about the local flora wherever they happened to end for a few weeks.

It was, in fact, a great life. It was the life he was content to live until he started his own, some day.

Always someday. Zero had never been in a hurry.

Life was though, for him. Because he wasn't ready when a stranger showed up at the campfire one night after a weekend festival, he didn't know how to process what was being said to him in the firelight glow alone while his parents busied themselves with turning in for the night.

The night, the stars, the evening glow; they stood vigil as Zero learned just how different he was.

And what it meant for his family.

Sleep found the Hallows that evening with Zero saying goodnight just a little longer than usual, hugging his mom just a little tighter before he settled in and watched the lights dim out in the little traveling camper that was home. But it didn't find Zero, because he knew he couldn't let something else find him later and risk his family.

He left his parents to dream, with a note and a promise he'd come back when he could.

Camp wasn't bad, it wasn't the open road and new places, but it was new people, new experiences, and yet another parent to add to his list of them. That one so woefully absent all his life; he had two perfectly good fathers already and they hadn't abandoned him.

But he had abandoned them.

Despite his ire towards his godly father Zero learned, he studied, he came to understand the power of memories, the somber healing touch of sleep, and he became something different. Mostly he became quiet, steady, watchful over the younger siblings he found himself with at camp, wary of those who held the glint of terrible memories in their eyes.

It wasn't until the war that he truly understood the horror of those memories and how they could ruin a person. He didn't fight, he wasn't going to fight; he didn't believe it was a fight his role would make any difference in. So he stayed at camp and he watched people return with wild eyes and pain eating them alive. He turned his attention to learning how to reach for memories and soothe them, how to wear down the sharp edges.

He devoted his time to giving those broken souls a hint of peace, knowing he couldn't heal the horrors inside them but he could make just a little less saturated, the memories a little less vivid. It was never enough but as he exhausted himself with the effort it felt like something.

He turned to his talent as an artist to weaving those memories into images on paper, to allow people to face them on their own terms, to drain some of the terrible power they held over their minds.

Heroes were made for war, he was made for the aftermath. Madness didn't frighten him, not anymore.

When he turned eighteen he stayed a bit longer, it was hard to walk away when every day newcomers came in with their nightmares and painful memories, but he couldn't stay forever. He still had a promise to keep.

So he left, he found his family and they welcomed him. His mother knew, of course, his fathers missed him; in some ways it was all okay. In others it couldn't be the same, he knew that. He wasn't the same. They went back to their travels and Zero sought a quiet spot, he turned to drawing and he illustrated beautiful, haunting images of memories half forgotten.

It wasn't long before he had a life for himself, a small one but he didn't want much else. Then he realized something was urging him back, so back he went. He didn't leave again, now and then he'll step out briefly with some whim in mind but home is like a candle leading him back time and time again.

[veevacious-a]

NAME: Vala, or Vee! GODLY PARENT: N/A; a descendant of other naiads of Potamoi (River Gods) AGE: Immortal, consciously existing for about twenty-five? AFFILIATION: A Resident Naiad of Atlantis, sometimes a volunteer lifeguard of the lake. SPECIES: Naiad ABILITIES: Standard Naiad Abilities -- breathing underwater, becoming 'one with the waves,' etc.; humanoid form, also a hybrid form BIOGRAPHY:

The very beginnings of being a ripple are lost in Vala's memory. She was born somewhere, somehow… a drop of rain on the surface of Atlantis, or maybe they were swept as mist off the currents… whatever it is, they've settled in Camp Swynlake as one of the many Naiad souls in Lake Atlantis.

They've helped children of the gods throughout the years, guarding the water and saving possible victims of Atlantis's temperamental moods. Before that, maybe they did the same. But Atlantis is most of what they remember. Ages going by, and Vee remains mostly the same. Not the most beautiful of naiads, they are reminded often, by catty sisters and aunts and relatives. They do not glisten in the morning light like some of their sisters, but they shine close to shore in the view of humans.

Should they not want to be admired by gods and more worthy people?

Not all Naiads think this way, but these are the Naiads that Vala had become friends with first, and her loyalty was a fault at times.

It wasn't until the Second Titan War that Vee really felt they could break away from these notions. Then, they swam to shore and tried to aid and help hurt campers and alumni. They felt small, but with purpose. It was in this time that they also gained some respect from their peers and became more -- how they felt -- themselves.

After Kronos's defeat, Vala played and talked more among the demi-gods at camp, making friends and even aiding or playing as the campers raced canoes. They threw water towards the sky, refreshing the campers on hot days.

Vee loves camp and especially the summer when most of the campers return. And now, with the alumni weekend, they are especially thrilled to see long lost friends and reunite.

[flameofpassion]

Namaste and play// Open

Lumière Albert Charmant, a charismatic and flirtatious Frenchman in his late 20s, had always reveled in the art of socializing. His playful wit and magnetic presence made him the center of attention at every gathering in his hometown of Beaumont-sur-mer, winning admirers effortlessly. Something that didn't always work outside of the bubble of his French hometown. Now, not even inside that bubble. Especially after his infamous breakup from his ex- Eloise Laurent and subsequent cut-off from his own family's fortune. Beneath his charming exterior, Lumière felt a growing restlessness, a yearning for a deeper connections... well his brain liked to tell him that from time to time. But in actual reality, he just wanted to figure out how to stop from making literal fire spread from his hands every time he got... er... excited (for better words). He began to realize that his vibrant energy and passionate nature needed a new outlet, one that would allow him to explore his true inner self.

One sunny afternoon, while strolling around the picturesque exterior of Swynlake, Lumière noticed a group of people practicing yoga on the lush green grass. Intrigued by the serene expressions on their faces and the harmonious movements of their bodies all in synch, he felt a flame of inspiration. This could be the perfect way to blend his physical vitality with a quest for inner peace and maybe put an end this stupid curse from Eloise... who said ex-'s didn't leave presents... not that he didn't deserve it.

The idea of outdoor yoga, surrounded by the calming presence of nature, resonated deeply with him.

Determined to embark on this new journey, Lumière walked over to the group of people for his first yoga session, he felt both excitement and nervousness. With each pose, he began to feel a sense of release, his mind quieting and his body finding a new rhythm. The tranquil ambiance of the British park, the feel of the grass beneath him, and the gentle guidance of the instructor all contributed to a profound sense of connection. He leaned over to the person next to him and genuinely asked "I didn't know the downward dog was a yoga position, isn't it more so from that Kama Sutra book?"