#the summer camp job i did last year that i didn't have a fun time in the second session

[averagelonelypotato]

i have no idea why my french teacher kept on saying I look sad today in class, I was just tired 🧍🏽‍♀️

[howlingday]

Ironwood: ...Let me tell you a little secret, Rose. Every adult you've ever known was a kid at some point in their life. You think we don't remember summer vacation? Riding bikes down by the crick? Catching tadpoles and pollywogs in jars? Camping out under the summer stars?

Ruby: !

Ironwood: Well, you're wrong! Some days I'll sit in my office, looking at you kids in the courtyard and thinking, "They don't know how good they've got it. In just a few years, they'll all be grown up, like me, and all those good times they had will just be memories for them, too."

Ironwood: So go ahead! Put that whoopie cushion in my chair! Pour fake vomit on my carpet! Make fun of my flat, metal keister! But don't you EVER say I never care about summer vacation! Because those memories are the last part of childhood I've got left.

Ruby: ...

--------------------------------------------------

Ironwood: Actually, Rose, I should be thanking you.

Ruby: Huh?

Ironwood: You did me a big favor dragging me into this mess. I didn't take this job as a teacher to get promoted or to get a pension plan or so I could get to the golf course by three-forty-five. I... I did it so I could help you kids. I forgot that...

Ironwood: (Looks at happier memory) ...'til today.

Ruby: (Knock at the window)

Yang: C'mon, Rubes!

Jaune: The lake's waitin' for us!

Ruby: I'll be there in a sec!

Ironwood: Heh, it's a beautiful summer day and your friends are waiting for you. Go have some summer fun... Rubes.

Ruby: Sure thing... Jimmy.

Ironwood: (Smiles)

Ruby: (Jumps out window)

Ironwood: Oh, and don't forget! Come September, you're mine! I haven't forgotten about that metal keister comment of yours!

Ruby: Yeah, well, September is still a long ways away!

[helloalycia]

𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 [𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑] — 𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐍𝐀𝐌-𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐘

one / two / three / five / masterlist / wattpad

summary: as you try to avoid witnessing Clayton making moves on your girlfriend, you start to hang out with the help some more, only making Alycia jealous in return.

warning/s: none.

author's note: super delayed (my bad), but here’s the final part! hope you guys liked this one :)

Alycia's parents were treating her to lunch today, so I busied myself with icing the cupcakes Millie let me help her bake yesterday, and also the little 2-tier cake I'd baked for Alycia as a surprise.

It was fun, I wouldn't lie, even though I was terrible at baking and icing and anything creative in that aspect. But Millie was great company and it was a nice enough distraction from the utter boredom I otherwise would have felt with Alycia being gone. 

"So, how did you and Alycia meet?" Millie was asking as we dyed our icing.

"It was actually at a job, working over the summer at one of her parents' camps," I answered. "Though, back then, I definitely didn't know she was the daughter to millionaires."

"Would that have changed anything if you did?" she asked with an amused smile.

I shrugged, weighing it up as I'd never really thought about it. "I'm not entirely sure... I think if I knew before speaking to her, I may have avoided her. But that would have been based on a preconceived idea that she's stuck up and spoilt, y'know? Obviously, I spoke to her because she was my buddy at the time and we got along from there. And by the time she told me about her parents, well... she's lucky she's cute."

Millie laughed at my joke. "That's adorable. You guys make a lovely couple. And you're right about getting to know Alycia. I've worked here for a year or so, mostly for her parents, but the few times she's visited and we've interacted, she's been kind."

I smiled, knowing that sounded like Alycia. Nothing like her parents, thank God.

"So, how did you end up being a private chef?" I asked curiously.

We passed time as we decorated, talking about how she went to culinary school, what she did when she wasn't baking and her love for it all. It was refreshing, especially because I'd never met anyone who did this for a living. And after she helped me not make a fool of icing the cakes, but also assisted me in decorating Alycia's, a waiter entered the kitchen to let us know of Alycia's return.

"That's your cue," Millie encouraged, before nodding to the cake in the box on the counter. "Knock 'em dead."

A little excited, I smiled gratefully before grabbing the cake and heading to the front door with hopes of finding Alycia. They were still outside, I noticed, when I glanced out the window, and then I realised they weren't alone. Her parents, her and fucking Clayton of all people were getting out the car, chatting and smiling. Had he gone to lunch with them? What the fuck? I literally stayed behind so Alycia could have some bonding time with her parents, not him.

Frustrated, I stepped away from the window and realised my anger had gotten the better of me because I'd unintentionally squeezed the box in my hand and, consequently, the cake.

"Fuck," I mumbled, before backing away from the door and returning to the kitchen.

"How did she– wait, what happened?" Millie started, but stopped herself when I tossed the cake box on the counter.

"Fucking Clayton and his fucking lack of boundaries," I muttered with irritation, before leaning my head in my hands on the counter to contain myself.

"Oh, Y/N..."

I'd never discussed anything of my feelings towards Clayton to Millie, but it was pretty evident how I was feeling right now. I thought I was over it, especially after Alycia's reassurances last night, but clearly I wasn't.

"It doesn't matter," I said with a heavy sigh. "It was stupid anyway. Just throw it out. It's basically bird food now anyway."

No doubt giving me a disapproving look, Millie grabbed the box and said, "Don't be silly."

I glanced up when I heard her shuffling about, only to see her taking the cake out the box and cutting a decent enough slice that wasn't destroyed by my inability to contain my anger.

"Go," she ordered, pushing the plate towards me. "Give this to your girlfriend."

I narrowed my eyes at the cake. "She's too busy with Clayton."

Millie gave me a knowing look. "It's her dad, not her, now go." I just about rolled my eyes when she added, "Don't be a child, Y/N."

Grumbling to myself, I straightened up and grabbed the plate. But not before glancing at her and saying, "You're getting too comfortable with me."

She cracked a smile, resisting the urge to laugh, before wafting me away with her hand. I groaned inwardly before returning to the front of the house, where Alycia, her parents and Clayton were just entering the atrium. As soon as Alycia spotted me, her face lit up and she ran to me, almost making me drop the plate as she hugged me. Admittedly, it made me forget why I was annoyed in the first place and I immediately returned the hug.

"Ooh, what's that?" she asked distractedly, eyeing up the cake slice. "My surprise, perhaps?"

Unable to stop my smile, I was about to reply, but was instantly cut off by her father.

"Oh, that can't be Millie's handiwork, surely," he said with a loud laugh. "What on earth is that decoration?" Glancing at Clayton, he added, "This is why you have to be picky with the help."

Clayton laughed at his joke whilst I tried very hard not to throw the plate at his head.

"Dad!" Alycia scolded with a look. "That's not nice!"

Her dad played dumb, then looked to Clayton for approval, which only boiled my blood more.

"Y/N, what is it?" Alycia asked, expression softening when she looked back to me.

"Nothing," I managed to say without flipping out irrationally. "Just leftovers from a practice batch Millie made." Swallowing hard, I took a step back. "In fact, I should probably throw it out. It's not that nice anyway."

Alycia frowned, about to speak, but bloody Clayton of all people spoke up.

"Alycia, your dad and I are going to get a drink, would you like to join us?"

Seconds away from smashing this plate on his head, I rolled my eyes and turned to leave instead. Storming back to the kitchen a second time, I made a beeline for the bin.

"Seriously?" Millie asked with playful disbelief. "You still haven't–?"

"It was a stupid idea," I snapped, setting the empty plate before her, before leaving to get some fresh air.

—

Not even half an hour passed when Alycia found me returning to the house after a well-needed sulk around the property.

"Y/N!" she called once she spotted me by the outdoor dining area. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"I haven't been very far," I said nonchalantly.

She frowned guiltily, eyes flickering between mine. "I didn't know Clayton would be there. My parents took me out and he was already sat there at the table."

"He always seems to be present, don't you think?"

She sighed. "I know."

I lifted an eyebrow questioningly. "Seriously? Why not doing something about it, Alycia?"

She raised her eyebrows too. "Don't you think I'm trying?"

I tried not to scoff as I crossed my arms. "Well, not hard enough."

Definitely surprised by my attitude, she gave me a look. "Y/N."

I looked down at my shoes, knowing my anger would return if we discussed this any longer. "Forget it. See you at dinner."

"Y/N," she started as I began to walk away.

"Or maybe we'll see Clayton, who knows?" I said sarcastically, before rolling my eyes as I left, ignoring her calls.

It wasn't her fault, I knew that, but she wasn't exactly telling her father to back off, at least not well enough. I was uncomfortable and her parents were doing a pretty great job at making me want to leave. So, why couldn't we?

—

Dinner time that same evening was awkward as hell and I was counting down the seconds before I could leave to go up to our room. Her parents were chatting, talking about the business and Alycia, and I was staying quiet because I seriously couldn't be bothered. The only relieving thing was that they hadn't invited Clayton.

At one point, the dessert was brought out – the cupcakes that Millie let me help her make, though she did ninety-nine percent of it – and her dad felt the need to comment.

"Ah, see? This is Millie's handiwork," he said with a smile as the waiter placed some cupcakes before us all. "None of that rubbish from earlier."

I bit my tongue as I distracted myself with my cup of tea. Alycia glanced over at me, wanting to say something, but as usual, she didn't.

When the meal was over, Alycia and I headed straight upstairs for bed. I never usually went to sleep so soon after eating, but I didn't want to stay awake and have to talk things out with Alycia, not when I was still so upset at the situation. So, after getting ready for bed, I jumped right in and laid down, turning my back to Alycia who was still unchanged from her day clothes.

"Y/N?" she called gently. "Can we talk?"

I closed my eyes, frowning to myself. "I'm tired."

I heard her sigh from behind me, and though a small part of me felt bad for treating her like this, the rest knew that it wasn't fair how I was being treated this whole trip. The sooner we left, the better. But for now...

"Okay," she muttered. "Goodnight, I guess."

I didn't say anything, but the door closed and I assumed she'd gone into the ensuite to get ready for bed, too.

—

I'd hoped going to sleep would put me in a better mood, but when I woke up the next day, I was only reminded of how shitty everything had been and my mood still remained.

There were only two days left before Alycia and I could go home, but for now I had to suck it up. I still wasn't in the mood to talk to Alycia, so I avoided her the best I could, which I soon discovered was ideal because none other than fucking Clayton was back at the house again. Apparently it wasn't for Alycia, based on what the staff chatter had to say, but rather for a business meeting with her dad. Either way, it was an excuse for him to be around and I would have rather stayed away.

Deciding that Millie was the only other person here that I knew and felt comfortable enough to be around, I went to bother her as she worked in the kitchens. Plus, I owed her an apology after my outburst yesterday.

When I found her, she was preparing some ingredients for something and almost didn't notice my presence until I stopped by a stool at the counter.

"Hey," I said with a small smile.

When she saw me, she returned my smile with a relieved one. "Y/N, hey. How are you doing? You seemed really upset yesterday."

I leaned in the palm of my hand nervously. "Yeah, look, I'm sorry for snapping at you. It wasn't very nice, especially not after you tried to help me with the whole situation."

"It's okay," she assured. "I can see how annoying it must be to find out Clayton is always around. I'm guessing that's why you're here now."

I sighed, trying not to get worked up at the mere mention of him. "Yeah. I hope that's okay. I just can't stand being around him. And Alycia isn't helping the situation, so we're kind of not talking."

At this, Millie gave me a disapproving look. "You can't just not speak to her. You know this is an awkward spot for her. It's her parents, not her."

"I understand that, but how about me? I'm at my girlfriend's house to hang out with her family and instead of that, they're trying to show her off to another guy right in front of me. Why do I have to be okay with that?"

Millie sighed, shrugging as she worked. "You're right. It's shitty. But you need to communicate this to Alycia, not avoid her."

I put my head in my hands and groaned quietly. "Can I avoid her a little longer? I'm not in the mood."

Chuckling quietly, Millie nodded. "I suppose so. Maybe I can teach you how to make fresh pastry."

Glad she was letting me stay, I smiled for real and jumped off the stool. "Thanks, Millie."

It was probably a terrible sign that I enjoyed spending more time with a pastry chef than I did my girlfriend's family, but I didn't care. If they couldn't bother to make half the effort with me that I was making with them, then I couldn't change that. Besides, there were only two more days left. I could surely survive that.

After spending the morning with Millie, chatting away mindlessly and watching as she worked because it was better than watching TV for hours on end, it was soon lunchtime. We were supposed to be having an outdoor afternoon tea for lunch, with some baked goods that Millie and a few of the other chefs had prepared in advance. I was stood outside with Millie after she set the table, the two of us talking by the doors, when Alycia found me.

Millie and I's conversation ceased as soon as Alycia stopped by us, glancing at me with a tense jaw.

"Alycia," I greeted, still mildly irritated.

"Can I speak to you, please?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Before glancing at Millie and adding, "In private?"

I looked at her with disbelief, but before I could say anything, Millie nodded awkwardly.

"I should get back to work," was all she said, before returning to the kitchen.

When she was gone, I looked back to Alycia. "That was a little rude, don't you think?"

Alycia's green eyes stared holes into mine. "What are you doing?"

I was confused. "What?"

She crossed her arms with annoyance as she asked, "Do you like her?"

Absolutely baffled now, I raised my eyebrows and stared at her. "What? Are you joking right now?"

She clenched her jaw, unimpressed. "All you keep doing is avoiding me and hanging out with her instead. What gives?"

The audacity of her to make such assumptions was laughable, to the point where I had to stop myself from doing so.

"Wow," I said with both irritation and impatience. "You're kidding me, right?" Judging from her know-it-all expression and the patronising glare she was giving me, I knew she wasn't. I continued, "Maybe if you stopped appeasing your dad's wishes this whole trip and hanging out with Clayton all the time, you'd see that I'm bored! Millie is the only bloody person I can hang out with here!"

Alycia scoffed frantically, shaking her head and looking away. "That's hardly fair."

I widened my eyes as I gave her a questioning look. "Isn't it?! What's not fair is that I'm here to bond with my girlfriend's parents and, instead of doing the same, they're trying to set you up with a new man whilst I'm literally right here!"

"That's not what's happening–!"

It was my turn to scoff as I cut her off. "Sure it's not. Because he just so happens to be around all the time, doesn't he?" Giving her an angry glare, I said, "He drools over you, Alycia. And do you think I like watching him check you out? Because I bloody don't!"

She opened her mouth to speak, but just on cue, someone approached us and interrupted, and it was damn Clayton.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but Alycia–"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" I shouted at him, before losing my patience and shoving past him to return indoors. I didn't have to deal with this – it wasn't fair!

Storming up to our room, I shut the door and tried very hard to contain my frustration, but it was too late, I was already fuming. It wasn't fair! I didn't deserve to be treated like this! And I wasn't going to stand for it anymore. Being here was only making me miserable, so I had to leave. Alycia could stay the rest of the trip with her parents, but they didn't want me here and I didn't want to be here.

Pulling out my suitcase, I grabbed as much as I could from the wardrobe and threw it in, deciding to pack everything up. Clayton and Alycia's parents could live happily together, but I didn't care to see it.

I was midway through packing when the door suddenly opened and Alycia appeared.

"Y/N, we need to talk," she said sternly. "Not argue."

"I'm not interested," I said dismissively, throwing another shirt in.

She must have realised what I was doing, finally paying attention, as she lost her irritation and looked to me sadly. "You're leaving?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "No, I just thought the suitcase was a looking a little empty. What do you think?"

"Y/N!"

I ignored her and continued to pack, moving to grab some toiletries from the dressing table.

"Please, let's just talk this through," she tried again. "I don't want to fight."

"Neither do I, but I can't be here anymore," I said, throwing my toiletries in my bag. "We can talk it through at home. You should stay the rest of the week."

"We're literally talking right now," she pointed out, making me roll my eyes. "C'mon, just sit. Please."

I met her eyes with a hardened stare. "Not in the mood."

She frowned and then her jaw clenched and I saw her impatience shining through. "Y/N."

I was stubborn, but so was she, and I refused to let her get her way this time.

Returning to my packing, I planned to ignore her presence until I finished, and even when she rounded the bed to approach me, I blanked her out. A little too much, in fact, as I didn't realise she'd pulled out some handcuffs from her back pocket and snapped them onto my wrist, connected to hers.

"Alycia!" I scolded. "Unlock it right now."

She pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Nope."

I bit back my irritation. "Maybe when you were a kid this sort of behaviour was cute, but it's not now, so let me go."

"Talk to me then," she insisted. "I don't like how things ended before and I don't like seeing you upset."

"Well, I'm not in the mood to speak to you right now and I just want to leave," I retorted. "So, respect that."

Her gaze softened. "Please."

I outstretched my free hand. "Key. Now."

Just when I thought I'd have to wrestle it from her, she sighed and gave in. "Fine."

As she patted down her pockets, I pushed my hair from my eyes and groaned inwardly. "Where the hell d'you even get handcuffs anyway?"

"Toy set from when I was a kid," she mumbled, before I watched her pat her pockets some more. Judging from the worried look she had, I couldn't imagine the news being good.

"Alycia, give me the key," I repeated, growing nervous, and she tensed her jaw with annoyance. "This isn't funny."

"D'you see me laughing?" she snapped, before checking her back pockets and coming up with nothing.

I tried to pull my wrist from the metal cuffs, but it pulled her wrist too, making her yelp, and that's when I realised she really wasn't joking.

"Alycia, are you insane?!" I shouted, already stressing because of what this meant.

"Just shush!" she ordered, though the guilt was seeping through. "Panicking doesn't help!"

I gasped sarcastically. "Sorry if we're bloody handcuffed together and I'm panicking! Because in case you didn't realise, darling, we're handcuffed together!"

"I know!" she shouted right back, before giving up with her futile searching. In a quieter voice, she said, "I've lost it. I must have missed my pocket when I put it in."

I groaned loudly, attempting to sit on the bed, but she of course came with me and I had to remain standing.

"Look, let's just go back downstairs and retrace my steps," she said hopefully. "It'll show. And if not, there's gotta be some tools somewhere."

I stayed quiet, not wanting to snap at her even more when I was already pissed off and she was the last person I wanted to be handcuffed to right now. Instead, I let her lead me downstairs and around the living room and old playroom, with hopes of finding the key on the floor somewhere. But we searched everywhere and there was nothing. Not wanting to give up, Alycia assured me we might be able to find some tools in the shed outside. But of course, it was just our luck when there was nothing there either.

"No offence, but you're terrible at this," I told her bitterly, before flagging down the pool boy who was nearby. "Hey, mate, are you alright to give us a hand? Alycia over here has handcuffed us together and we need something to unlock it with."

The pool boy, more of a man in all fairness, glanced at our handcuffed wrists. "Have you tried the key?"

I closed my eyes, containing my constant frustration that didn't seem to leave me today. Thankfully, Alycia responded so I wouldn't have to.

"We lost the key. We were thinking something like a screwdriver or a hammer. Anything else, really."

"Hmm...," he thought to himself. "I'm not sure about the wrist part, but I can definitely separate you by chopping the chain with a butcher's knife."

How hadn't I thought of that? It was genius!

"Yes!"

"No!"

I blinked, looking to Alycia. "I'm sorry?"

"Y/N, are you insane?" Alycia asked with disbelief. "That's so dangerous! What if he missed?!"

I opened my mouth, stunned. "Are you– are you kidding me right now, Alycia? Insane? You bloody handcuffed us together! The only insane one here is you!"

Taking that as his cue to leave, the pool boy turned on his heel and left Alycia and I to bicker.

"How dare you!" she exclaimed, not even attempting to disguise her annoyance anymore. "Sorry if I had to take extreme measures to talk to my girlfriend!"

"I said I would talk about it back home!" I reminded her, before yanking our wrists towards me. "Now c'mon! I don't want to be handcuffed to you any longer!"

"I said no!" she said, yanking me back as I attempted to walk away.

Frowning, I pulled her towards me. "We're using the knife, dammit!"

"I said no!" she repeated firmly, yanking me back towards her.

"Alycia!"

"No!"

"We're going to the–!"

"You're not listening–!"

"Alycia–!"

And before either of us knew it, she'd yanked me too hard, enough for me to go tumbling right into her and knocking us both into the pool. The cold water shocked the anger right out of me and I immediately tried to resurface, gasping for air. I made sure Alycia was okay beside me, momentarily stunned, and when she was pushing her wet hair from her eyes, the realisation settled in and my anger returned.

"I can't believe you just did that!" I shouted.

"Me? You're the one who fell into me!"

Swallowing hard, I began to swim to the stairs. Thankfully, she got the hint, and we both returned to our room dripping wet.

"We'll go to the garage in town first thing in the morning when it opens," she suddenly said when we were stood there making a mess on the carpet. "They'll have tools."

I resisted the urge to glare at her. This was probably the biggest fight we'd ever had and, right now, I hated her.

"I'm showering," I said without giving her much choice. "Come on."

Yanking her into the ensuite, I shut the door and grabbed a towel, mumbling to myself, "I'd have a bath but I can't because tweedledum is handcuffed to me..."

"I'm not stopping you," she said defensively. "Go for it."

I glanced at her, trying to see if she was joking, but when she wasn't, I thought what the heck? I deserved a nice, relaxing bubble bath. Though preferably one that didn't include her. Unfortunately, I couldn't manage that, but I could still have the bath, so I filled it up as I undressed and forced her to sit on the edge of the tub, look at the door and be quiet. Being Alycia, however, she couldn't manage that, and she was nonstop talking about how she didn't like Clayton or what her dad was up to or anything about this week so far. And I'd finally had enough.

"Alycia!" I snapped, opening my eyes. "The whole point of this is for me to relax. Be quiet, please."

She sighed, but thankfully listened, and I closed my eyes again, trying to forget that she was attached at the wrist and sat on the edge of my supposed-to-be relaxing bubble bath. Just when I thought I was doing better, she suddenly moved, making me open my eyes, and then I saw her jump into the bath with me, sitting opposite me and with her clothes still on.

Widening my eyes, I looked to her. "Alycia!"

"I'm sorry," she said with a pained voice, ignoring my shock and her current situation. "I know I need to do more. This week hasn't been fair on you. But my dad doesn't listen and I don't know what else to say. I don't mean to appear ignorant. I care about you, Y/N, so fucking much."

The sincerity in her voice was convincing enough, but I was still staring at the fact that she was soaking wet and fully clothed in the bath with me.

"Say something," she pleaded.

"You're wearing clothes?" I said with disbelief.

She rolled her eyes. "Forget that. Just talk to me. Please."

Despite the stupidity of everything, it was the distraction I needed to finally tell her how I was feeling. I hesitated, not planning to do it whilst sat naked before her in a bubble bath, but she clearly wasn't going to leave, so it was now or never.

"I've tried to be respectful, but your parents don't like me, Alycia," I started, meeting her eyes. "I can't stay here any longer whilst they do what they're doing. I just want to go home. This whole week has been a train wreck."

She sighed dragging her hand down her face. "I know."

I sighed too, looking down with embarrassment. "I know you don't like Clayton. But seeing him with you doesn't feel good. It's not that I don't trust you, but I can't help it if I feel jealous sometimes. Especially when I'm here because of you. I don't know. It just sucks."

She rested her cuffed hand on mine, rubbing her thumb gently. "I feel the same with you and Millie. And it wasn't fair of me to accuse you of anything. I was just pissed because you already hated me and she was making you smile and I got stupidly jealous."

I frowned, meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry to make you feel like that. I don't hate you, Alycia. I've just been upset. I'm not usually the jealous type and it got ugly."

"You're not," she agreed. "Neither am I. I guess this whole trip has just pulled us apart, huh?"

I hummed in agreement, leaning on the side of the tub with my elbow. I didn't know where to go with this. Her dad wasn't listening and that couldn't be changed. So, now what?

"I love you," she said, earning my attention. "I want to make things right. And that starts with you being comfortable. So, we'll leave tomorrow."

"It's your family, we can't just leave."

She lifted a brow. "Wanna bet?"

I gave her a knowing look. "Alycia. No. Look, I'll go. You stay. I'll see you back home in a few days."

"I'm not staying without you, and you don't want to stay, so we go together," she insisted, moving closer to me, unbothered by the fact that she was chest deep in water. "Besides, I don't really want to stay either. Not when my girlfriend is being shit on time and time again."

That was all I'd wanted to hear, selfishly enough.

"You're sure?" I asked. "I'll stay if you really want me to. And I won't sulk."

She cracked a smile. "I'm sure, love. We've been here long enough."

I nodded, relieved. "Thank you, Alycia."

"Thank you," she corrected. "For being so patient."

I gave her a small smile, before nodding to her clothes. "Take them off, idiot. You've already made a mess from jumping in here."

She laughed, pulling off her clothes whilst still in the water, only making a further mess of water on the floor. I rolled my eyes but gladly pulled her towards me, struggling at first but managing to keep her between my legs and hold her tight.

"Sorry, I was jealous," I mumbled into her shoulder.

She kissed my cheek and leaned back. "Me, too. And I'm sorry I couldn't try the cake you made me. It looked really nice."

I sighed. "No, it didn't."

She began to smile, her body moving slightly as she held in a laugh. "Yeah, no, it didn't."

I squeezed her playfully, making her laugh properly, and refused to let go.

[orlissa]

Have you always known you want to be a literary translator?

Lol, no.

I think I've told this story here before, but here it goes, like, from the very beginning.

Ever since I can remember, I've always had a knack for storytelling - I actually had a short story published when I was 11 -, and got into fanfic at 12. Back then, it was only in Hungarian, and at the point like 99% of Hungarian fanfics were Harry Potter. It was like other fandoms didn't exist.

But a year or two later I got into a fandom (X-Men: Evolution) that very little Hungarian following (well, I remember there being a few fics, but really just a few and not the best), so I found myself having to venture to English sites - and what happened is that my "good for school" English got... pretty good. By the time I was 15, I was reading novels in English and trying my hand in writing fics in English (I was shameless, too. I lived in a dorm during my high school years, and I remember I was the only member of an English club there, so I got the teacher holding the club to devote it to editing my fics. Something I would definitely not have the guts to do today). In the next few years, I pretty much transitioned to English fandom places.

Then the summer I turned 17 - that was the age of Twilight, and everything was about vampires - I found a book series that spoke to me: it had vampires and a touch of Wicca, and the main character, at least it was prominently displayed in the blurb, was struggling with Math and paralell parking. My weakest subject was Math and I was struggling to get my license at the time - this book spoke to me. Looking back, the series wasn't... great, but at the time it really hooked me. I read the first four books of the series that summer.

As it happened, when I was reading the first book, it's Hungarian edition was already in the works, coming out in that September. And the publisher had a really good marketing manager at the time, who saw to it that the series had an online forum for the fans. I found this forum maybe a week after it launched, and being my shy and and not at all attention seeking self (*sarcasm*) I pretty soon became a central figure there - so much so that the aforementioned marketing manager soon sought me out and offered me an admin position there.

(It was such a great community, too. We did launch parties, and almost had a camp, which then was thwarted the last minute by the weather. I still have friends from there.)

Anyway, so the forum flourished, books in the series were steadily coming out in Hungarian, and we were having fun. Christmas came, and me being me, I wrote a little fic for my friends on the forum, as a gift (I guess I ended up translating it to English, and I think it's still on my old ff.net account). And the forum being an official one run by the publisher, my little fic got to the marketing manager, who sent it to the owner of the company and the translator of the series. And the translator loved it - like it was just fluffy piece, and apparently he said that it was "better than the original" (which is not a big deal, because, yeah, looking back the series wasn't really quality). I took the praise blushing.

A few months went by and the publication process for the fourth book in the series went underway - only they couldn't contact the person who did the editing of the previous books (later it turned out that they died, but no-one knew thaty yet). And they needed an editor ASAP.

That's when the translator, already a veteran in the business, said that hey, they could try me out. So they offered me a job - I was 17, still in high school, and I had an Adult Job, with actual Adult People. I was fucking proud of myself.

And then we did... 4 or 5 books like that. He translated, I edited. Then when I was nearing my high school graduation and we were heading towards the next book, the translator said that he didn't feel like translating this series anymore, but he would be okay with me translating and him editing. And, well, that's what happened. Like, literally I had my high school leaving exams one week, and was working on the translation the next.

He ended up recommending me to some other publishers as well (I work for neither today, either because they've gone defunct or because I wasn't satisfied with the way I was being treated), and then I was just... there. I had references, and I had connections, and I had a job I could do whenever and wherever I wanted while working on my degree. It definitely beat fast food.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job most of the time, and I think I'm good at it (i just heard it back last week that some bloggers were praising my work at some event), but it was never planned and me being where I am today is absolutely due to some events that were mostly out of my hands.

[friendshipgun]

😈

💖-specifically, when did you start writing, what kind of things did you write, what inspired you, how has your writing journey looked?

and uh i fuckin forget the emoji but character headcanon(s) for mia winters and/or jesse evilwest (and his twin??)

hope these are fun to answer!

Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

i think maybe you asked this one the last time i reblogged this ask meme but there has also been Fic Progression so i also understand lol. but no, not really. a lot of the time i don't even clock something that might read like that until i get comments about it. i am however mean to Karl and Ethan on purpose and so there is probably splash damage from that lol.

(and i'm gonna have to readmore the rest bc it gets long, apologies) What made you start writing?

i don't know when exactly i started, just that i remember putting little books of "stories" together in elementary school. i wrote what i think technically counts as LOTR fanfic and MLP oc fic lmao. but what i mostly wrote was original fiction. a cousin i was close to as a kid was also big into writing and we ended up attending a summer camp for the arts together in middle school, so i was writing mostly poetry there, but prose too. i also started writing fic with another friend in middle/high school (stuff like pokemon crack fic lmao), but i was still mostly writing original fiction. in high school in particular i got BIG into writing poetry (idk if anyone else knows about allpoetry.com but i sure was spending a heck of a lot of time there), was editor of the high school literary magazine, etc etc. basically i was never not writing. i was also posting way more fic in high school, writing primarily angst at that point and largely for Final Fantasy.

then i went to college and stopped writing for a few years barring academic papers. started taking writing seminars the last few semesters i was there which got me writing again. again mostly original fiction. a lot of supernatural stuff, not really poetry anymore though, which is kind of a shame bc of how much i had liked it. started writing fic again too, a lot of Naruto stuff that i never posted anywhere. then my dad of all people got me into Supernatural and i wrote a bunch of fic for that that i also never posted anywhere. then i went to grad school and the "not writing anything except academic papers" thing started up again rip. really didn't pick it up again as a regular practice until after my dad died a few years back. wrote a bunch of stuff about grief that was uhhhhhhhhh pretty clearly me trying to process shit.

and then it was covid and i lost my job and i was watching playthroughs of re7 and re8 almost concurrently going "but what if you put Heisenberg in the swamp WHAT THEN." as for what inspires me, i guess just about everything? like the number of stories i wrote set in Japan after i'd studied abroad there...is a lot. and with fic it's just like "i just think it would be neat if character i like was in a Situation." when i was writing poetry a lot of it was teenage angst bc i was in high school but i'd also write about cities or people or fantasy epics. anyway this is already really long but yeah basically if i think about it for long enough that it becomes "I Just Think They're Neat" territory i'll want to write something about it.

Mia Winters Headcanon:

she doesn't trust easily and has for a long time kept things about herself secret, or lied outright, as a way to protect herself. she'd been doing this long before she met Ethan and then after...it was habit. and it was easy to keep things about her work secret because it did feel like she was protecting him. and it wasn't like it was going to be forever, she was planning on getting out. she was working on it. she hadn't even thought of something like that--a normal life--until she'd met Ethan, and then it had seemed like...like something attainable. there wouldn't be the need for secrets then, when it was just the two of them. (or so she told herself: it's like pulling off her skin, being that exposed, having nothing between herself and someone else. being seen. completely seen.) anyway this got away from me a bit lmao. but basically i like to try to reconcile her going back to lying post-re7 as a defensive move to protect herself, especially when the BSAA knows everything about her past. i don't think she was intentionally trying to hurt Ethan or anything, just that after Dulvey she'd feel ever more the need to have those secrets as a buffer, combined with a deep, deep fear that Ethan would hate her if he knew. (this is how i am personally smoothing down Mr. Capcom's writing decisions.) Jesse Evil West Headcanon: he has had a crush on Edgar since he was a kid and is outright tormented by it. i imagine him taking issue with how his dad treated Edgar. or feeling jealous of Edgar's loyalty to his dad. just let's give Jesse more issues regarding his dad lmao. the little joke he makes in the game about Edgar kissing him is a ""joke"" but like he is internally yelling UNLESS?????? as vehemently as he can.

thinking also about post-game events, how Bloom was joking around with Edgar and Jesse can absolutely get jealous about that too, like just he's a mess and i don't know if it's better (worse) if he has actually confessed to Edgar and was shot down or has just never confessed to Edgar for fear of getting shot down.

and if you want to bring in Jesse's twin (who is also named Jessie i guess we can just give him an extra vowel) i think it's very funny if both of them alternately fight over and tag team Edgar. co-op, as it were.

[pbandjesse]

Hello thank you for your patience! Are you picking up a day camper or overnight? Do you know the age or gender of your child? Also do you know where you're going?! I had to say that about 130 times in the last hour.

Pick up is so silly. I don't know how many people come and they just have no idea where they're going or anything about the person they're getting except their name. But everyone got picked up and I was able to leave only a little bit later than I had hoped. I really like doing the bears honestly I think it's fun. I just am so beat this summer. I tried my best to not burn myself out but the schedule was really rough. Today was a good day though. And that brings us to the end of another week of camp with only one week left.

I still didn't feel great this morning though. I did not take the new medication. Falling asleep was a little harder. And then I got woken up at 1:00 when James went to use the bathroom and then I knocked my tablet to the ground and they turn the light off while I was trying to find it because they didn't realize what was happening and I got very worked up. And then I was convinced my tablet was broken. And I was just not having a good time. And then when my alarm went off at 7:00 I was just sick I felt so tired. And I decided that I would sleep another hour. I always go in early anyway so it's not like it really matters. But that extra hour really was important.

When I did finally wake up I felt more like a person. I still didn't feel great but I thought that if I went and got food it would fix me. So I got dressed and I felt pretty cute. And I grabbed my backpack and I was out the door a little after 8:00.

I went to McDonald's and I got two hash browns to have for breakfast and I saved my sandwich for lunch. I would have a pretty solid drive into work. I listen to music. I tried to listen to a podcast but I just could not. I need to find something new to listen to I think. But it was still a nice ride and I got to camp right after pickup was over around 9:00. And went right up to arts and crafts after saying hello to a couple people on my drive-in.

I didn't have a lot to do. I knew I wanted to get more of my cleaning and organizing done today so after I took a brief walk and went down to the office to say good morning I would go up and get things ready. I had stopped to talk to Heather and let her know that I had so much trash and to please ask her daughter, Sophie, to come and grab the bags from me because that is her job this year. And then I talked to CJ for a bit. I told her I was feeling better but not perfect. And she seemed to be doing a little bit better today too. We had a nice big hug and then I went back up to work on my organization.

And I did get a good amount done this morning. I knew that woodlands would be late because they always are. But they were actually more on time than normal. I was cleaning when they showed up and they did a really good job all things considered. They made some really nice pieces and apparently they had a very dramatic night. They had their prank on the barber shop and accidentally shattered one of the windows. Boys are crazy.

I had pioneers next and it was a very small group. Just six little boys and they were very sweet. Everyone seemed to enjoy the art today and I enjoyed working with them. And while they were working on that I was working on sorting string. Because our yarn box has been destroyed. Everything is a big tangled mess. I had three CIT girls come up to help me and that was really fun. Two of the girls were sorting the string and one was playing with a string and trying to make her own knitting needles out of sticks. And she actually was able to cast on so that was pretty cool. She kept apologizing for something and I was like you didn't do anything and apparently it's like a thing. I know the people are like that and they just say sorry all the time even if they didn't do anything wrong It's like a tick. But I kept telling her you have nothing to apologize for you are totally fine.

during lunch I ate my sandwich and then I got right back into organizing. I was making great progress and I started labeling things. And I was super happy with that. Just finding new spots for everything. CJ and Sophie after getting the trash brought me two three drawer organizers and I was very excited to get those settled. And while I was there organizing who would show up but Lindsay! Lindsay from nature! I was so happy to see her she looked great. And we caught up for a little while and she told me about her job troubles and how alexie's giving her a reference somewhere and we just caught up and I told her about the wedding and me and James's plan to try to buy a house and have a child and all that kind of craziness. Be in a grown up! But it was just really nice to see her face because I've always really enjoyed her. And I told her that I would tell James that she says hello.

After she left I went right back in to organizing. I had an idea of how I was going to put all of the drawing utensils in the three drawer but then one of my things didn't fit and it had to change my plan but I came up with something better that I think will work better at the long run. And then I started sorting my markers into cups so that they could all be color organized. And it was just very productive. And that felt very nice.

When the group finally came I was happy to see them because their day camp one and they're very cute. Kenny put an acorn in my shirt pocket. He's so sweet and his language skills have really developed a lot this summer. He was speaking in sentences at the beginning but he talks way more now and it's just really nice to see him growing up. He's going to be five this month! That's so crazy

All the kids though today were really sweet. After my half hour break where I continue to just clean. Stockade came and they mostly wanted to do bracelets and a few of them did clay. And worked on organizing my string and putting away construction paper. I had a few different boxes. One that has fancy paper, then one for scraps, and then one for full sheets. I also moved some furniture around and opened up the space a little bit mostly in preparation for the tables to come inside. I'm very pleased that when I came to be a different space and I think that's really good.

The boys though were pretty interested in their bracelets and their place sculptures and they were too a really good. Manny told me some stuff about how things are going and I talked to Aaron about his plan to try to do homestead next year. I offered my help with lesson planning and he seemed to actually grateful which was really nice. Then we talked about movies and how I really loved Barbie because I'm really interested in the gendering of toys and that's what I would love to do a PhD program on Sunday. And then we talked about Oppenheimer and how I love rockets and Jack Parsons and I love all of that world war II storytelling. I don't really care about war but I care about the people behind it and I think I will really like the movie I just don't know what I will have time to watch a 4-hour movie. Not that I don't watch 4 hour things all the time but it's different watching it in my house while I'm doing other stuff. So we'll see if I see it in theaters or not.

then after the boys left I had my last group. And last group can sometimes be rough but they did a very good job even if they were complaining that there weren't very good things for their mosaics anymore. It wasn't even true because they ended up making very pretty pieces but there was no big stuff. Which is always an issue and I tried to space it out throughout the week but it is so hard. I was left with two small boxes of mosaic materials that I packed up and put on my shelf. And maybe next year I will be able to get more stuff we'll see.

Once they left I was really able to look over my whole building and see all the hard work and cleaning and organizing and everything that I did. All the labels make me just so incredibly happy and once I finish putting this week's project away I went through and made a poster for next week and I talked to Annabelle about getting the to make the project work the way I want to. And then Celia came up to bring me some materials that she had borrow. And she was like hey nobody's down in the field. this week was carnival. And there's a bounce house. And it's not being supervised right now. So we very quickly ran down and as we were getting there CJ Annabelle and Lindsay were also running down and so we were all in the bounce house together screaming and trying to go up and down the slide but it was too squishy and it was really difficult. But we were laughing and being very silly and it was a lot of fun. But then I was very light-headed because that was a lot of exertion that I am not used to. And it was hard to get out of bounce house. But once we were free of the bounce house I went back up to the art building and I had a snack. And was able to collect myself again. I finished up setting all my materials out for next week and chatted with Annabelle for a few minutes. I got in my car to drive down to the bears.

I stopped till Chris that he has to go look at how nice I made it look and then I texted Heather the same thing. Heather said that I did an amazing job. And then I was just waiting for parents. And everyone was really nice. I did have to hold them down there for like 10 minutes because I had been sending people up thinking that everything was ready but the kids were not ready to be picked up yet and we're not at their cabins with their medications and so with a whole thing. But I was able to make everyone feel like everything was okay and just be like a very calm presence and nobody was angry. I thanked everyone for their patients as they came through and little chats. I even had a nice moment with a parent who had the same sunglasses on his face. And around 6:15 I was curious if we were done and if I could go home. But they asked me to wait for an extra 10 minutes just in case. And as I was getting in the car ready to leave another parent pull through. And I directed them where they were supposed to go and then I was off.

I don't mind leaving this late because there is no traffic. But I am tired. And James hopefully got my text message about warming me up dumplings. If not I will take a shower first. I hope that you all have a very nice night. Tomorrow I am driving to New Jersey. To go to Jess's house for the very first time. I am so excited. I am so proud of her and I'm so excited to see the cute little house she got. And I just hope that we have the best time unpacking and making it a beautiful space for her. Or just continuing the trend organizing spaces.

Be well everyone. I hope that you are taking care of yourselves and each other. I love you all.

[camp-counselor-life]

Im in college and last year was my first year as a counselor, I had a really fun time but as this summer gets closer I still havent applied and down know why im so unsure about going again. I just didnt make many friends with the other counselors and feel kinda like weighted down by the idea of going again. How have you kept the motivation to work with camp so long ?

Ok, so, I've been thinking about this for the last hour while I go about my life, and I think that working at camp is honestly less about "fun" and more about what you're getting out of it overall.

Like, if asked I say that camp is a fun experience, which it is, but that's not necessarily what I was getting out of it that mattered to me. I didn't make a ton of friends either, mostly because I'm an awkward and unsocial person, but the friendships I did made supported me a lot and that was a big factor in coming back. Just having the one friend was enough. But I'll tell you all my reasons:

In 2014, I came back because I had been diagnosed with a mental illness and needed to be home, but also didn't have a whole lot of other job prospects where my parents live for like internships. I had enjoyed my first summer and that was enough. I also had a close friend who was going back and I had liked the experience overall.

In 2015, I switched camps, and came back because I was having second thoughts about med school and the only thing I really wanted/could think of that I could do to do was have a camp experience again.

In 2016 I came back because I had such a rewarding experience in 2015 with my CITs that I changed my whole career trajectory to spend more summers at camp. That was my director summer, and I almost quit several times, but I stuck around because this was my career goal and I wanted the experience. Plus I'm not a quitter.

In 2017 and 2018, I came back because I wanted the mentorship and experience as an assistant camp director, but also because my time at camp felt unfinished. I could have done a dozen different things, but camp called to me, and so I went back.

I've spoken about benefits of working at camp before, but some ideas of things that might speak to you include mentorship, communication practice, youth work experience, and spending time outdoors or being active. For me, being active and having a varied work schedule were key in managing my mental health. I also really enjoy kids and believe in the Girl Scout mission.

Fun can be enough, but it's ok if it isn't. Best of luck in your decision!

[travelingtwentysomething]

🎼Trauma Dump🎶

🫖 Settle in, the kettle's on, tea is piping hot, so while we wait for it to come down from scalding, it's story time. ☕

My mom was married at 17 to her high school sweetheart, they tried to have kids for 5 years, didn't happen, he divorced her at 22. She found and met my dad a couple years later and ended up pregnant with him after a few months. My dad proposed and he got a job and my mom had my older brother and she became sahm like she had always planned to, had me a year and a half later, and two and a half years later my lil brother came along. She's got 3 kids in diapers and a tumultuous relationship with my dad but they make it work even though their priorities are more to do drugs, party, and hang at the bar, and raising a family is only "fun" when there's a kids party they can appropriate for the adults, or a vacation they can drive us off to (cheap shit, beaches, camping, friends/family's houses, tagging along on work trips with my dad that get extended by a day or two to site see- dad was blue collar but in the medical field so hard work/good money/traveled too much). My parents were alcoholics who took their kids to the bar to sit at a table behind them and color and eat chips and salsa for hours, partied too hard with the adults at the kids birthday parties, and did coke way too often. Then my mom got addicted to meth. That changed shit up, scared my dad. She was already bipolar, their relationship was already full of crazy highs and lows, he had even forced her to have a hysterectomy at some point when I was about 7 because she "was evil on her periods". So we moved. And not even 3 years later, my mom ran 1000 miles away from her 10, 13, and 15 year old kids, to be with another man in Chicago who promised her he'd take care of her and her (imaginary to him, so that promise meant -if they visit-) 3 kids. Because she couldn't imagine taking care of herself after almost 16 years married to my dad and maybe having a seasonal job at a department store once in a blue moon and a few summers working as concert security with her friends at a small concert venue, she had no money, no prospects, and an addiction to everything you could be addicted to nearly. Sex, pain pills from breaking her back a couple years prior, weed, meth, alcohol, shopping. And the man she ran to ended up being an alcoholic deadbeat who lived off his trust fund waiting to hit the jackpot when his parents died. So she ran to his neighbor's and married that divorced dad of 3 instead who needed a trad-wife to clean and cook for him and occasionally take care of his teenage kids once in a blue weekend. 15 years later she's still stuck with him in an abusive relationship, and he's been threatening divorce for at least 7 years. But she's miserable in comfort at least, and she's been clean off meth (nothing else tho) for at least as long as she's been married to the guy.

She tried to teach me that you always need a man to take care of you. I watched the fruits of that lesson play out for her over my lifetime. You DO NOT NEED A MAN TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, that's nice (unless it's not) while it lasts, but then when it's over you're more than likely going from one abusive (verbally, emotional/mentally, physically, financially, etc.) relationship into another because you have no leverage and no choices and NEED someone to "take care of you (and/or your kids)". NO. What you need is to LEARN TO BE INDEPENDENT AND ALWAYS HAVE A WAY OR A WILL TO STAND ON YOUR OWN AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Whether you're with someone who "wants to take care of you" or not, shit happens, things change, people who have power over another person tend to take that too far. Control is a heady drug too. And if you have independence, leverage, your own income and identity, no one can exert control over you that you do not let them. But you may just end up in a relationship where things will be more balanced, more equitable because both of you are independent and capable and willing to work together to build a life for yourselves.

Found this on pinterest had to put it here

Tradwives need to realize the seriousness of the shit they are getting themselves into.

The society isn't all that kind to women.

[copingmechanism1899]

Sept 4, 2023

I am... really bad at this journaling thing.

Anyways, this came about because today was the first day of classes for me, and the last friend at home flies back to school tomorrow.

~~~

I've been at school basically all my life. I've probably typed it before, but I did summer school going into freshman year of highschool, and kept doing that until it became CLEP testing and literally nothing (because of physical injury).

2 summers ago was the first summer I didn't have summer school. I thought it was going to be my one summer to fuck around (and maybe get a job) before I got serious. Make it the summer that would appear in a horror movie where a group of people have no responsibilities and just... go somewhere to get k*lled do something.

But that didn't happen because I got injured and couldn't walk.

So I wasted away, doing CLEP tests and being generally bored. I can barely remember what I did. I know I spent time with family, and I'm sure I did something fun, but there's nothing that really comes to mind when I give it a thought.

This summer is not much better. I know I mentioned going out of state to visit family, and that was fun. But what else did I do? What was the most exciting part of my summer? I'm being asked this in every meeting, class, gathering... and I don't know how to answer without it being... weird.

"Summer was fun! I found out that I have idiopathic hypersomnia, and I could be medicated, but I can't because I'm in a different state." (yeah, I did a sleep study, more on that later.)

Or perhaps "Oh yeah, this summer I spent three months in what felt like school with a bunch of people who are also mentally unwell. Thankfully only a few of them annoyed me, the rest were all unmemorable."

Yikes.

For a fleeting moment at the end of the last school year, I thought, "Damn, I didn't make it last year, but maybe this year I'll at least go do something for myself." (More than like, reading or drawing, or something that can be done when/wherever.) I thought that maybe this summer I'd actually get the balls to check out something like Omegamart or even just go camping with friends. I don't know, I just really wanted some time to do... nothing.

And I know that sounds bad. I don't want to be a NEET or a freeter, but I just needed time so stop. I ended the last semester in tears, finishing packing mere hours before it had to go into storage. I couldn't even remember what I brought home. I wasn't sure that I wanted to go back.

But I got home, and not even a full week after classes ended, I was in PHP. I don't even think I managed to unpack before I started. But my mom wanted me to try, so I agreed. I don't think I understood how much time this was going to take up.

Three months. Approximately 90 days. I heard that number a few times but it didn't hit me how much that was until it was over. I don't know what I was thinking, but I guess I thought I would still have some time to myself this summer.

But with a 4 year old sibling, and everybody home all day, I think (not including driving, which doesn't count because I shouldn't zone out then), there was less than 24 waking hours where I was alone. And not just alone in a room, but actually alone enough to relax and let go.

Now I'm in a dorm room (without roommates, thank every god), and while I'm technically alone, I have school. I already have 3+ assignments, and I'm in the mindset that I can't relax until a break.

But even then I'm not sure I can. Because our productions made us work over the summer. And I had to do things as class rep over the summer as well. Even though there was no summer school this year, there was still CLEP, and PDSM and responsibilities that I had to complete.

So I guess in a way, it's nice because if I never stopped school, then I don't have to worry about going back because I never left in the first place.

~~~

But back to the convo from tonight. I was thinking about how school grants me this structure, and so did PHP/IOP. And now I'm thinking about how messed up I'm going to be once I stop going to school. The "real world" without a consistent schedule is going to have me in ruins.

We typed about how we hope our jobs will give us structure, but I said "if productions are any indication... I will be searching for a 9 to 5 [...] because working with these people are shit, and I'm terrified that the rest of the world will be this way too".

And of course, being the friend that they are, they said: "no way [...] how i see it is there’s 8 billion people, not all of them are going to be annoying [school name] students"

And that's true. There are only 13.5k students here right now... But seem to be the luckiest person in that I always seem to find the worst ones.

Because it's not just the people at this school. It's been everyone in my whole life. So now, every time I meet a half-decent person, I'm afraid that it's simply first impressions and they're going to fuck me over. It was in freshman year here, highschool, middle school, and I can think all the way back to elementary instances of people being borderline cruel to me. And while I know I'm no saint, I'd like to think. I didn't deserve what they did to me.

My friend typed back a paragraph with the line "okay, i don’t know what exact advice to offer so plz take it with a grain of salt, except to trust that it does get better".

And I like them, I really do. And I'm genuinely happy that they've built such an amazing community after their shitty freshman year.

But I don't know if I can trust it.

I don't want to sound all negative and "woe is me" and shit, so this is not me complaining (or maybe it is, but this is my journal so fuck it, I can do what I want).

I want to trust that there are better people out there, and there clearly are, because I have you the 3 people I still talk to from high school, and like, 2/3 people here. But just looking at the past and (bringing up something I was told in therapy:) playing the tape forward, I feel like I've been through this before, and I already know how it's going to end.

I want to be hopeful, and I want to be able to work on things I like with people I like (or at least that I can work well with). But I'm just so scared. I literally don't think I could ever say the right words to describe how terrified I am of the future and the unknowns that come with it.

I don't know if I have the skills to interact with people who stress me out in a way that doesn't end with me having another breakdown. I don't know if I have the capacity to interact with strangers who have thoughts about me that I don't know about.

It's not a question of my effort or work ethic or desire (because I don't really have that last one anyways). It's a terrible feeling that no matter what I do, I'm going to run into people that will make life harder for me.

I don't know that I want to do theatre design, or design at all for that matter. I keep saying things when people ask me, or I'll say I'm interested in music videos or film design. I'll lie and say I'm having fun during the process, and I'll tell my family that I want to finish here.

But I just want the diploma. I want the proof, and the validation that I got through it. I want that "key" to open doors that supposedly are locked without a degree. But I'm a theatre major, so it's actually useless. This industry is "all about who you know", and I only know the worst people.

If it were up to me, I think I'd like to disappear. I'd like to stop existing. Not die necessarily, but I'd like to not have to think about the future, or the now, or the anything. I don't want to stop where I am, because then I'll probably miss my family and the few friends I have (and I'd like to think they'd miss me), but if everything stopped existing- if I didn't exist- everything would be so much better. So I guess not so much disappear, but rather not have appeared in the first place. I didn't choose to be born, and if given the choice, I don't think I would have.

~~~

Oh, I did go to the ren faire. It was... "fun", I think I like following my friends around when they seem excited for things. But it was more tiring and I don't think I like just walking around, surrounded by temptations to waste money. But some of the shows were entertaining. And my friends here also want to go so... I guess I'll follow them around soon. I think going once is enough. I don't think I'd ever be compelled to go on my own volition.

Well, it's 12:25a now, I think even if I did have more to type, I'm too tired and my head hurts too much for me to continue.

Oh shit, tired. The sleep study. Next time.

Goodnight.

[spei-sidus]

The Binoculars

Rating: Mature

No Archive Warnings

I didn't know if I could post this kind of content so I didn't at the time. I'm doing it now.

Written for UsaMamo Week 2023, Day 4

A day at the beach leads Mamoru to ask Usagi out.

“YAY it’s Summer Break and we get to PAR-TAY!” Usagi cheered.

“Time to hit the waves!” Ami said.

“And meet some guys!” Makoto said. 

“Lots of guys,” Minako said, drooling.

“You girls,” Luna moaned.

“Speaking of guys,” Minako said slyly, "I invited Motoki-kun.”

“You didn’t!” Makoto said, blushing.

“It’s your time to shine, Mako-chan!” Usagi cheered. There was a time when she crushed on Motoki, but she was now firmly in the Tuxedo Kamen camp. She’s known Tuxedo Kamen since she became a Senshi four years ago. Meanwhile, Motoki and Reika broke up six months ago because she wanted to solely focus on her career. Makoto had been crushing on Motoki for as long as Usagi on Tuxedo Kamen. 

“He didn’t want to be the only guy there, so I invited Mamoru-san, too,” Minako added. 

“Of course you did,” Usagi said with a groan. Mamoru was a third year student at Keio University which just went on Summer Break. He and Motoki, being only two years apart, were good friends. 

“Be nice, Usagi-chan,” Rei warned. “I want to actually enjoy this trip. It’ll be our last before we part ways.”

“Not completely,” Usagi whined. They still had to fight the Dark Kingdom and gather nijizuishou. None of them could go too far from Tokyo, where the enemy centered its attacks.

“No, not completely. But we will be on our own paths otherwise,” Makoto said sadly. All of the girls except Usagi were attending University in Tokyo, but each of them got into different schools. 

Usagi didn’t try to go to college because she knew Sailor Moon would be needed at every battle, and so had to be available at all times to fight. What was the point of a career when you had to keep deserting your job all the time? 

Rei laid out the beach blanket while Makoto pitched the umbrella. Minako brought out some binoculars and began scanning the beach for “hot guys”. Usagi ran after Ami to dive into the ocean.

“Cold! Cold! Cold!” Usagi yelled after she resurfaced. 

Ami giggled. “Here, this’ll help you acclimate,” she said before she made a large splash.

Usagi spluttered. “How dare you splash me! That’s unforgivable! In the name of the moon, I declare Splash War on you!” She retaliated, but Ami, being the Senshi of Water, was able to dodge and redirect the flow seamlessly. Once again, Usagi was left spluttering. Ami laughed as she swam away. “Hey! No fair! Aaaaaami-chaaaaaaan!” Usagi wasn’t going to let Ami get away. She started swimming, coughing her way through the waves. Ami took pity on the Senshi of the Moon and turned about, treading water. Usagi similarly began treading water, and then it was a fest of splashing, round and round, amidst peals of laughter. 

“It looks like they’re having fun out there,” Rei said with a smile. At least Ami didn’t bring a book this time!

“Look at this cutie,” Minako nudged the miko, leading Rei to look.

“Hey, girls!” 

“Motoki-kun! Mamoru-san!” Makoto greeted. She nudged the voyeurs next to her. 

“Oh, hiiii Motoki-kun, Mamoru-san,” Rei said, blushing a little at having been caught staring at guys.

Minako had no qualms. “Hello!” she said with a megawatt smile before getting her binoculars back from Rei.

“What are they doing?” Motoki stage-whispered to Makoto as he and Mamoru settled in.

“Boy watching,” Makoto stage-whispered back, blushing.

“Only because I was waiting for you two to show up,” Rei said smoothly, staring daggers at Makoto, and then at Minako. 

“You only live once!” Minako said, correctly for a change.

“So how are you both?”

“I’ve still been managing the arcade. My parents have let me take over full-time. There’s a lot on the business side I need to learn.”

“I’m glad it’s Summer Break. I’ve been studying nonstop.”

“You haven’t been to the arcade the last couple of weeks.”

“Finals,” Mamoru said with a grimace. “I couldn’t spare the time.” 

“Not even for coffee?”

“If it were just coffee…”

“Ah. No time to fight.”

“Right.” He was very moody because of it. He missed his arguments with the blonde. That was in large part why he agreed to Motoki’s invitation. “Where is Odango, anyway?”

The girls pointed over to the ocean where Usagi and Ami were still having their Splash War. The girls were circling each other and laughing. Mamoru smiled. He loved Odango for her bubbly personality, which was clearly on display now. 

“I win!” Ami shouted as she swam back to shore.

“Hold it right there!” Usagi shouted.

Mamoru froze. Usagi had sounded an awful lot like Sailor Moon just then. But of course that’s just silly. Odango Atama, Sailor Moon? Odango was far too sweet and innocent to be the heroine that faced youma on a regular basis. Then the two girls were out of the water - and there was nothing sweet and innocent about that body of hers. Usagi was clad in a pink bikini which left nothing to the imagination. Wide eyes took in her perfect breasts, toned stomach, perfectly flared hips, and long, slender legs. Her wet hair and skin glistened in the sun. How had he never noticed before that Odango was downright gorgeous?

Usagi’s breath caught as she drew near the group. Mamoru was sitting on the blanket facing her, shirtless, revealing well sculpted muscles and bulging arm muscles. Eyes burning blue went down her body and back up again. He was checking her out, too! “Hi,” she croaked. She cleared her throat. “Hi, baka,” she said.

“Hi, Odango,” he said.

“Wanna play volleyball?” Minako asked suddenly.

“Sure!” Makoto and Motoki both said.

“No, no,” Usagi said, waving them off. “You know me.”

“That you’re the biggest klutz of all Tokyo? We definitely know.”

“Is there one day - just one day - where you aren’t mean to me?” The others had retreated at this point. 

“The truth isn’t mean.”

“Yes it can! It’s how you say it that makes the difference.”

“I don’t think there’s a kind way to say you’re a klutz, Odango. You also walked right into that one - pun intended.”

“Ooooh,” she groused before picking up Minako’s binoculars, determined to ignore him.

“Now what’re you doing?” he asked irritably. “Watching for hot guys?”

Actually, she’d been scouting for good food places for later, but she’d never admit it. “So what if I am?”

“I’m not going to sit here and watch you ogle other guys, Odango.”

“Can you please stop with the nickname? My name is Usagi! U-sa-gi!”

“You’ll always be Odango to me.” Then he growled, “Put. The. Binoculars. Down.”

“Okay, baka, geez. I didn’t think you cared.” She did as he demanded, shifting back to look at him fully.

“I’m not having a fight with you when you aren’t looking at me.”

Looking? Usagi had to shut her eyes for self-preservation. He was still sitting there, looking gorgeously sexy, and shirtless… “I’m not looking at you,” she said with a half-groan.

He stared intently at her eyes shut noting how the lashes were long and lightly curled, all framed by her heart-shaped bangs, which still glistened. He heard her groan and decided to edge closer. “Well, I’m looking at you,” he murmured.

“Only to find fault, I’m sure,” she said, her eyes still closed.

“Far from it, Usagi.”

Her eyes shot wide open. His eyes were dark and intense as they regarded her, desire in their depths. He wanted her! 

Her eyes were wide, confused, but he also found desire in their depths. She wanted him - and was likely too nervous to do anything about it. He understood. They were Odango Atama and Mamoru-baka. Could they suddenly turn from being worst enemies to being lovers?

“You’ve been missing, you baka.”

Well, that was said churlishly! “I didn’t know you cared,” he said tauntingly, throwing her earlier words back at her.

She grimaced, then said quietly. “Well, yeah. Who else am I gonna yell at?”

“We could do something other than yell,” he said seductively. “Maybe scream?”

“Umm,” she incoherently choked out, images coming unbidden from just that one word. “Can you please put on a shirt?”

“No,” he chuckled.

“Why not?” she whined.

“Because you’re still clad in that skimpy outfit, which would be unfair.”

“Unfair?”

“Yes, Odango. You drive me to distraction.”

“But - but we’re worst enemies!”

“So? I want you, and I know you want me.”

“I’m not going to - to do that. We aren’t even dating!”

“I’m asking you out, Odango.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Well, I can’t!”

“Why not?” he growled.

Tuxedo Kamen. She wouldn’t do that to him. Ever. “I like someone else,” she said weakly. 

“He obviously doesn’t like you back, or you’d be with him.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Then forget him. Give me a chance,” he pleaded.

Forget Tuxedo Kamen?! Could she? “You can’t make me forget Tuxedo Kamen,” she murmured, and then her eyes went wide. Oh no.

“Tuxedo Kamen?” He was stunned for a minute. “You like a superhero? Someone you haven’t even met?! And that’s why you won’t go out with me?!”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.” He shook his head at her, but his eyes were gleaming. What was he so giddy about? “What are you thinking about?” she asked warily.

“I refuse to be in competition with a guy who’s never going to know who you are,” he said confidently, because he knew he was going to keep it that way.

Usagi frowned. Tuxedo Kamen certainly knew Sailor Moon, but he didn’t know Tsukino Usagi. Nor would the others ever let her reveal her identity to the hero. Perhaps she could fool around a little? Mamoru and she did have explosive chemistry together, if their fights were any indication! She took a deep breath and said, “Fine. I agree - but only to a few dates!”

“I’d say we’ve done a lot of ‘dating’. We’ve met for coffee and shakes for years. We’ve had drawn out ‘discussions’ with one another. I think we’re ready for…other things - I mean, if you are.”

The gauntlet was thrown, and Usagi was quick to snatch it up. “Of course, I’m ready,” she said hotly, “and - hey! What are you doing!” she screeched as she was tossed over his shoulder. 

“They have a nice resort over there,” he said. “I’m checking us in…so that we can get on with the screaming.”

Motoki and the other girls had paused their game to gape as the blonde yelled in protest for him to put her down while Mamoru walked away. 

Minako sighed. “At least one of us got a hot guy today.”

The End

[killjoy-prince]

Thank you for the tag!! And sorry this is late ;;

- Were you named after anyone?

I was named after a breakout character from a 90s TV show that my mom's friend liked watching, and my mom would watch with her. It wasn't the first choice, but the name I was supposed to get ended up not happening bc my grandma had a dog with the same name, and mom didn't want me named after a dog

- When was the last time you cried?

Uhhhh its been a while if i can't remember. Maybe earlier this year?

- Do you have kids?

No, they're not for me. Too much responsibility for me to handle.

- What sports have you played/ do you play?

I used to play baseball and softball. Baseball at a day camp I went to for several summers and softball in middle school. I did dabble a bit in basketball, but it wasn't for me. I don't play anything anymore tho.

- Do you use sarcasm?

Me? Use sarcasm? Never! (Jk, yes, I do. Sometimes, it comes off so dry people don't realize it's sarcasm)

- First thing you noticed about people?

I don't know. I usually avoid people, so I'm not paying attention until they've made themselves known to me.

- What's your eye color?

Brown, like milk chocolate brown.

- Scary movies or happy endings?

My jumpy ass gets easily startled even when i see the scares coming, so while I do like scary movies, Imma pick happy endings

- Any Talents?

Does being good at remembering birthdays count? Nothing else is coming to mind atm

- What are your hobbies?

Drawing, writing, playing video games, cosplaying, reading manga and fanfiction, and listening to the same one song on repeat

- Do you have any pets?

I have a cat named Prince (i did not name him. it's a coincidence he shares my online name) He's a Maine Coon mix and he's so cute!! I wanna squish his little face and give him tons of forehead kisses whenever i see him :3

- How tall are you?

I am 5'8 or 173cm

- Favorite subject in school?

Art

- Dream job?

Illustrator

This was fun to do!! Thank you again

Tagging (no pressure if you don't want to do it): @vltima @valentyn-the-mad @duraraross and anyone else that wants to do it!!

omg ty for the tag @intheoldtherebefore <33

here are my answers!

were you named after anyone?

i don’t think so…i believe my name was chosen just cuz my parents liked it lol. i hate my middle name, but i love my first name, cameron

when was the last time you cried?

i actually don’t remember. i don’t cry that often and actively try to avoid it, but it’ll come flooding out soon enough

do you have kids?

oh fuck no. too young + they’re too scary, time and money and energy consuming, and pregnancy and birth scare the shit out of me

what sports have you played / do you play? 

theater is my sport, but in the past i played socccer, softball, and volleyball !

do you use sarcasm?

nahhh, never. jk all the time <33

first thing you notice about people?

i honestly don’t like read into people that much until i’m away from them, but i always get a general vibe from their style immediately

what is your eye color?

blue/green, almost kinda grey. sometimes people say blue, sometimes green, sometimes grey

scary movies or happy endings?

scary movies <33 i love tragic/unhappy/bittersweet/question endings, i prefer them over happy ones for sure

any talents?

i’ve been told i have an impressive vocal range for an alto, i’m fucking goated at stardew valley fishing and playing the electric guitar , i have a really high reading comprehension (according to tests idk), forgetting things literally everywhere, and i’d say good at cooking

what are your hobbies?

writing, sometimes drawing (not very good), reading fanfiction, ignoring my problems, taking walks downtown/in the forest, make bead bracelets, reviewing movies, musical theater, and probably daydreaming

do you have any pets?

atm i have a dog, olive, and my parents are considering adopting cats for all of us from the local shelter. i’m naming mine mr whiskers no doubt

how tall are you?

freakishly tall for my age and being afab, i’m like 5’10

favorite subject in school?

theater/art class!

dream job?

forsenic pathologist/diagnostician !! or an actor. or an author. or all three!!

this was fun!! <33

no pressure tags: @nycbirdenby @killjoy-prince @crazycriter

[lowkeycasanova]

summer camp

plot: Vinnie and Y/N are camp counselors

thanks to @vhackerrs and @takecareluv for helping me out with this one!

masterlist

------------------------------------------------------------

A summer camp with a bunch of little kids was the last place that anyone would find a tattooed college student. Vinnie's mom, Maria, had suggested it to him. And he laughed at the idea. But she told him that the pay was good and he'd have the nights and weekends to himself. He honestly couldn't think of anywhere else to work. Plus, it was the first place that hired him.

"Who's that?" your friend Amelie asked as she pointed into the distance. You turned to see a guy with shaggy brown hair that you've never seen before.

You shrugged. "Not sure."

All the counselors knew each other and you and Amelie have been working here for the past three years. So you would recognize a newbie.

Because Vinnie was new, he didn't know anyone and felt left out. The only person he talked to regularly was Amber, the director, despite literally sharing a room with a guy his age named Jesse. He also wasn't counting the twelve year old girls who had a crush on him. Asking where he went to school, what he did for fun, and what his social medias were.

One afternoon as Vinnie was doing a basketball activity with the kids, he was getting frustrated. He was constantly telling them to stop doing things and play by the rules. Near the end, he was kinda just letting them do their own thing because he didn't know the best way to correct them. Amber watched from afar and could tell that Vinnie was having trouble being an authoritative figure. So she had gone to you and asked if you could please take him under your wing. He didn't have a solid history of dealing with children and she knew you could help.

**

One early morning, Vinnie was by himself, setting up the area for relay races when you walked over.

"Need some help?"

Vinnie set the last flag down that marked the finish line. "Nah, I just finished. You're Y/N, right?" He wiped his forehead as it was humid outside and he was starting to sweat a little and would much rather be in bed rather than thinking ants were on him every thirty seconds.

"Yep, how's it going?"

Vinnie shrugged. "It's...going. I'm not really good at this stuff though."

"Did you have a job before this?" you asked.

"Yeah, I worked as an electrician with my dad."

Since he was finished doing what he was instructed to do, he started to walk back towards the main cabin and, to his surprise, you followed suit.

"An electrician? Really?"

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head. "You sound shocked."

"No no no, I just didn't expect to hear that."

Vinnie stifled a laugh. "What did you expect?

"Not an electrician, that's for sure." you bumped his arm. "Is this your first time working with kids?"

He nodded, the sound of damp grass underneath your shoes.

"Can I give you some advice?"

"Please, because I feel like I'm not doing well."

"Well, first and foremost, you have to be patient with them. They are kids at the end of the day and have short attention spans and can get rowdy, but don't let yourself get stressed out. Keep it entertaining, be creative and enthusiastic. I believe it helps keep them motivated. Oh and also, try not to criticize them a lot." you explained.

"Oh yeah, I try not to do that because I'd feel really bad." Vinnie replied.

"But do show authority when needed." you pointed out. "But other than that, there's not much else left to say. The kids are great and they really like you."

His eyes flickered from the ground to you. "What?" he asked like he couldn't believe it.

You nodded. "Grace says that she likes when she's in your group and Michael said that he likes that drawings on your arm. Did they hurt by the way?"

"Um, I have a tree on the side of my ribcage, and that hurt like hell. So did the one near my v-line. And the spider on my chest."

"What do they look like?" you asked but then immediately regretted it because of how it sounded.

"Oh you wanna see 'em?" he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"I mean...not like that but if you wanna show me-"

"Alright." He cut you off and started to lift up them hem of his shirt but you stopped him, laughing. Vinnie's lips twitched into a smile.

"No! Just finish your explanation." You said. But you were actually curious to see them as you had only seen the ones that were visible on his arms.

"Well other than that," Vinnie examined his arms. "not too painful. Looking back, it's not as bad as I thought.”

"What was your first one?" you inquired.

He pointed to his left arm to the two hands. "The Creation of Adam. I was freshly eighteen and just moved out when I got it."

As you two walk, you grab a hold to his arm to look at it and ran your thumb across it. He's surprised by your sudden touch but he doesn't pull away. He finds it comforting and he's not sure why.

Then, as you two are walking closer tot he cabin, your friend Amelie comes out and sees you with Vinnie.

"Hey, we were looking for y'all. Staff meeting is about to start."

Vinnie barely payed attention during the meeting. His mind kept wandering to his conversation with you.

**

A few hours later, Vinnie was in the grassy area, playing football with the kids. He said "fuck it" to the actual rules and they all just ran around together.

"Touchdown!!" Vinnie shouted with a big smile and threw the ball on the ground as he reached the 'end zone'.

"Not fair, you cheated." Grace laughed.

"Girl, ain't nobody cheated. You're just slow." Vinnie replied and poked her stomach.

She poked him back with turned into a game of tag between them. He pretends to be tired and catch his breath and their game attracted some of the other kids and they came at Vinnie in all directions and started to jump on him, pulling him down.

"You guys are too strong for me!" Vinnie said as they began to topple over him.

You admired the scene in front of you as you watched from the sidelines. Vinnie was a natural and they loved him.

The days went by quickly and Vinnie developed quite a few friends that made this whole experience so much better.

Jesse was his closest guy friend as they did share a room. They both liked gaming and anime so that was something that they could share.

Peter was by far the most hilarious and it was always a good time when he was around.

Maya and Jason actually go to the same school as Vinnie and they made it a point to hang out one day.

Brandon was someone that Vinnie was the least closest to. They never talked much, and when they did, Vinnie initiated conversation and was always nice, but for some reason Brandon didn't reciprocate, even though he was very talkative with everyone else.

The most significant relationship that Vinnie had with anyone was with you. You two spent a lot of time together. You showing him the ropes in certain situations and always having his back when needed. When the both of you with with your own group of kids, you'd tease each other from a distance.

**

That Friday, you had walked into the laundry room with a bucket full of towels to fold and found Vinnie doing the same, nearly running into him.

"Oof, sorry." You muttered and step aside, setting your basket on the counter. Vinnie came next to you, looking you up and down and you caught his eye.

"What?" you questioned and became a little annoyed when he started chuckling.

"Nothing." he said firmly. "I just didn't know it was twin day."

You were a little slow and it wasn't until Vinnie tugged on your sleeve when you understood.

Every counselor gets a variety of t-shirts to wear in different colors, and you could wear whichever color you wanted. But not only were you and Vinnie wearing the same color shirt, but also sported matching white shorts and shoes.

"Oh god." you groaned which made Vinnie laugh again.

You two folded the towels in comfortable silence. You watched his precise movements, taking such a simple job seriously.

You had been meaning to ask him something all week but didn't know how to bring it up in conversation. Now that it was nearing the end of the shift, you knew you needed ask now before it was way too late.

"Are you going to the lodge tonight?"

"Hmm?" he replied, having to take a second to process.

"Maya's family's lodge. She's having that get together thing tonight."

"Oh yeah, she did invite me to that and Jesse mentioned it too. But...uh, I don't know." He mumbled. Vinnie tended to keep to himself and watch tv or play video games.

Maya's family owned this resort style lodge nestled in the perfect location within the trees a few miles away. She frequently invited everyone over and it was always a good time.

"You should come." you urged. "We never see each other outside of work. It'll be fun."

You then started to feel nervous like he might turn you down, even though you weren't the one who technically invited him.

"Are you going?" he asked.

The question caught you off guard since you had already expected him to say no at this point.

"Yeah, told Peter I'd be there."

"Well if he's going, then I might go too." He teased and you just chuckled in response.

As you folded your last towel, you used that as an excuse to be done.

"Well looks like I'm finished. Hope to see you around this weekend."

“Oh yeah, see you Y/N.”

After Vinnie's conversation with you, it didn't take much convincing to get him to go. He even went to the extent of trying to pick the best outfit, settling on a plain gray tank top (that exposed way more of his tattoos than the short sleeve he was supposed to wear for work), blue jeans, and some white and blue Nikes. He walked out the house with his hair still wet from the shower.

Upon arriving, he let himself inside since the door was unlocked. He followed the sound of talking and laughter until he reached the living room/kitchen where everyone was. And he could tell he caught them by surprise.

“Vinnie!”

“What’s up Vinnie?”

“Hi Vinnie!”

They all greeted.

He actually came, you thought.

You smiled at him and waved. He came over to you first and gave you a hug as you were the closest to him. He waved to everyone else and gave Peter and Jesse those bro hugs that guys always do. The sight warmed your heart, seeing how he’s become so comfortable around everyone.

“You could’ve knocked you know.” Maya told him and playfully punched his arm.

“Knocking is overrated.” He joked. “Nice place you got here.”

He admired his surroundings. It was mostly wood, so a good use of brown. Lots of glass windows, trees around the house, and even a lake nearby with a boardwalk leading to it that you could see out the living room window.

“It’s my parents’, so I can’t take all the credit, but thanks.”

Everyone then headed over to the huge couch in the living room. Maya picked up the remote to the smart tv and started flipping through her streaming services to find something to watch.

Vinnie glanced over at you as if to say, “you coming?”. You were still at the kitchen island trying to get your drink together. You gave him a look back that said, “in a second.”

You finally walked over and saw that the space next to Vinnie was empty. With confident strides, you headed over just for Bianca to sit there instead. You couldn’t be mad, it’s not like it was a saved seat, but still. He looked over his shoulder and gave you an apologetic look.

No big deal, you just sat next to Maya, a few feet across from them. You didn’t know Bianca all that well. You didn’t see much of her at work due to the fact that she usually worked with the older kids, but you two were friendly when you saw each other.

You overhear her tell Vinnie that she’s glad he’s here and from that point on, it’s like you can’t even pay attention to what everyone else is saying because you’re so focused on the two of them.

Bianca asks Vinnie is he works out, feeling his bicep in the process. Like no shit he does.

It bothered you that she was being so flirty. If you had to guess, you would’ve thought that Vinnie didn’t really talk to her, but they obviously hung out a lot or something in order for her to be that comfortable.

You kept zoning in and out. Peter mention something about watching American Horror Story and then somehow the conversation was about ghosts, with everyone sharing anything supernatural that occurred in their life.

Perking up for the first time in a few minutes, you shared a story about when you were a kid and you heard someone calling your name in your house. Although you and your mom were the only people home and she said it wasn’t her.

Making eye contact with Vinnie, you finally got his attention, as he started listening when you began talking. His eyes were wide upon hearing your story but you shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

Bianca quickly wanted the attention back on her and she tapped Vinnie on his shoulder to get him to look at her. Slumping in your seat, you frowned as she frilled her pin straight hair over her shoulder.

She seemed to be only making conversation with Vinnie and if you were honest, it was a little rude that she didn’t make an effort to talk to anyone else. You slumped in your seat and folded your arms over your chest.

Their whole engagement made you bitter. Bitter enough to admit to yourself that yes, you had a crush on Vinnie. One bigger than you’d like to admit. Seeing them talk and flirt together made you realize that you don’t want to see him with another girl.

What you didn't know, was that Vinnie wasn't flirting back with her. He genuinely thought she was just being nice. He also kept glancing over at you to make sure that you were doing okay, after seeing the grimace on your face.

Doing your best to try to ignore them, you grabbed the remote to the tv and tried to find some music to play. Everyone was throwing song names and artists at you. You turned to Vinnie see if he had any input, but Bianca was taking a selfie with him.

A few moments later, she asked Vinnie if he wanted to go check out the lake, maybe even go for a swim.

Vinnie looked past her, out the window, to see small waves from the lake being illuminated by the moonlight. "But I don't have a swimsuit." he told her.

"Neither do I." she answered and raised her eyebrows suggestively.

He just looked at her, dead serious. "So I guess we can't go then. Not to mention that it's nighttime, prime bug time." He laid further back into the couch to get comfortable and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Bianca looked at him with confusion until she got up from her spot. "Suit yourself then." she mumbled and walked off.

Jesse had eyed the whole interaction.

"What?" Vinnie questioned when they made eye contact. Jesse sighed in disbelief, then started laughing.

That got the attention of everyone else.

"What's so funny?" a girl named Gabby asked. "I wanna laugh too."

Jesse looked around to make sure that Bianca was out of earshot before he recapped what had just happened.

“Ain’t no way you didn’t pick up on that.”

“So embarrassing for her.”

“She definitely wanted to go skinny dipping with you.”

This was your last straw.

You shot up out of your seat, fuming but tried your best to hide it. “I’m gonna go get another drink.” You told everyone but walked off before they could answer. You make your way to the kitchen, trying to calm yourself down.

Vinnie’s worried gaze instinctively follows you and all of a sudden he can’t hear the people around him. He gets up as well a few seconds later. “Yeah, imma get one too.” He tells them.

Gripping the refrigerator door with your hand, you don’t even know what you’re looking for. Thought after thought running through your mind. Shutting the door, Vinnie’s tall frame leans against the counter and the sight of him startled you for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his voice careful.

You folded your arms over your chest. “Why do you care?”

“Because you seem upset. I’m concerned.”

Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you said, “Because…I thought we…” then you paused. “You know what, never mind.”

You turn to walk away but he grabs your arm to stop you.

“Seriously? You were the one who wanted to hang out outside of work but I haven’t spoke to you since I got here.”

“Hmm, I wonder why that is.” You stated and looked at him directly in the eye.

He then avoided your gaze and sighed. You glanced at the others and tried to make it look like you were doing something they wouldn’t wonder what was going on.

“Look,” he started. “I wasn’t flirting with her. And if I’m honest, I didn’t even know she was flirting with me until Jesse said something. I’ve been bad at picking up stuff like that. And maybe you’re bad at picking up hints too because if you haven’t noticed…I’m kinda crazy about you.”

The way that he was looking at you with so much care made you realize that all of the thoughts about ignoring him for the reminder of your time was ridiculous. Whether you liked it or not, he had you wrapped around his finger.

“I actually thought I was reaching the signs wrong. I thought that you and Bianca had something going on.”

Vinnie shrugged. “Maybe she thinks that, but no. In fact, I was disappointed when you couldn’t sit next to me.”

“Well if it’s any consolation…I like you too.”

You hated being so cheesy.

Now that it was all explained, it made sense. He inched closer and opened his arms for you to walk into, which you did. You liked how warm he was.

“I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.” He mumbled into your hair.

“Don’t worry about it.” You responded.

He pulled away and gave you a soft kiss on your cheek. He then pulled out two drinks from the cooler and passed on to you.

“Cheers.” He smiled and clinked his glass with yours.

You two made your way back to your friends, hoping they didn’t see any of that because you really didn’t need an earful from them. They were still having a good time, the laughter and music blended together. The boys setting up a table for beer pong. You sat down on the couch while Vinnie took his spot next to you.

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Hidden Oracle: Chapter 20 (SPOILERS)

"Of course, the previous Oracle had been a withered corpse, so perhaps the bar was low." Yeah, that's... that's a pretty low bar. Is the Oracle a job you can really bring excitement and vigor to? Most of the time it's just going about your day and making sure you're prepared to be possessed at any moment, right? Sometimes getting prophetic visions (in Rachel's case, prophetic paintings) and the occasional prophecy poem?

"Miss Dare looked thinner and older . . . She was not the same person." Wow, I guess the capture of Delphi not only affects the Oracle spirit but also its host vessel? That, and she just came from the Clarion Ladies' Academy, which cannot be a fun experience.

"stale crackers from the Oracle's larder." LARDER (n.): a room or large cupboard for storing food

"[Millard and Herbert] arrived at my house badly wounded. They... they didn't make it." What killed the satyrs??? Did the Beast send someone or something after them to try to keep Rachel from getting to camp? Omg imagine being Rachel: the Oracle suddenly stops working, all prophecies stop working even after Gaea is gone, then in the middle of your miserable boarding school year, two satyrs arrive at your home bleeding to death and you come to camp hoping for answers only to find the god that's supposed to help you fix the prophecies has been turned human. Bad year. Anyway, neither of them were the satyr that was teaching the music class or announcing the death race, right? No, I looked it up. That was Woodrow.

"That is the building you described last summer . . . where you parleyed with the Romans." "how did the Romans take over such prime Manhattan real estate on such short notice?" WAIT THAT'S RIGHT. I always thought we were just supposed to suspend our disbelief on stuff like that, like how and where the Romans got enough cars to take them and all their stuff across the country or whoever Octavian bought those HOUSE-SIZED onager catapults from. I just assumed they had connections with demigods who made it out in the mortal world.

"The mother company is something called Triumvirate Holdings." That sounds very Roman. "a ruling council of three . . . in ancient Rome." "three shadowy figures stood talking together--men in business suits" Is this serious? Is the Big Bad of this series going to be a corporation? Is Apollo's task going to be to... Is Apollo going to have to take down capitalism? Is the Big Bad capitalism? LMAO prophecy and capitalism: the two themes of TOA (jkjkjk)

"Adult demigods? I can't imagine they would be Greek, but perhaps Roman?" PFFFT HAHAHA Yes, because CHB doesn't prepare their kids for life in the outside world; they just assume they won't live 'til twenty and if they do, they won't last out there for long! :D

"the weapons were paid for by Triumvirate Holdings." Oh, so they paid for it, but they still bought them from somewhere. WHO??? Who sells ancient Roman siege weapons? "Luke Castellan mentioned he had backers in the mortal world . . . enough money to buy a cruise ship, helicopters, weapons . . . mortal mercenaries." OH AND LUKE! This goes far back! And lol, yeah, cruise ship with mortals included. This goes deep...

"What if this company is the root cause of... well, everything?" What are they, the Illuminati? Did they cause the Great Stirring or at least profit off of it?

"Rachel sat up straight. 'Excuse me? Oracles plural?'" Lol Rachel, you should be familiar with the gods and their infidelity by now. Jkjk but it's funny to see her jealous of him having other Oracles even though Delphi is obviously his favorite.

So, a triumvirate is a leading group of three -- a trio. And it's implied that Triumvirate Holdings is run by three ancient Romans. But the Roman emperors quiz I took on the Read Riordan website had four possible results! (The words "YOU GOT CALIGULA!" will forever haunt me.) Let's just see how this goes, then.

[noveratus]

The Quarry: Review/Rewrite

Spoilers for the game!!!

Just finished watching a playthrough of the Quarry and I gotta say, I kinda really like this game. It's not the type of game that takes itself too serious and can be quite scary in certain parts, but in the case of the Quarry what really makes or breaks the game are the characters. They are all your normal stereotypes characters you find in horror games/movies but with an added level of complexity to them, which makes them very interesting. You understand them, why they do what they do even if you disagree and you really wanna keep them alive. I think this game does this a lot better than Until Dawn, and while it doesn't have a narrative and plot as strong as that game, the whole point of these medias is to try to keep the characters alive, and you definitely want to do that here way more. I remember playing until dawn specifically so I could kill the three characters I disliked and that was it. Here I don't really dislike anyone- well, with one exception: Ryan.

It's kind of interesting how Ryan is kind of set up to be the main protagonist here, but is the least interesting character of them all. I will talk more about him later though.

To me, the biggest weakness in this story comes from the narrative/plot. It starts out strong with the kids being stuck in the summer camp with werewolves, but then it gets a little too confusing and weird by trying to put too much at once. You didn't really need the Hatchet family to be bigger than Chris, his children and Travis. You didn't need to add the family and the convoluted thread points regarding the land. I also feel bad that the main point regarding this is Silas and yet you only get to learn about him in the last 30 minutes of the game. The ending was also really bad, I know they wanted the banter between the two hosts to be endearing, but it was just annoying. I would have preferred just a picture of the newspaper instead.

All and all fun game. Not amazing, but I think it did a good job with whatcit tried to do. 7/10

The Rewrite

Now that the review is over, we can het to the rewrite. Just a heads up, I have not seen all the endings so far, only the main, true ending. This will be a rewrite of that.

The only thing I would change with Laura and Max is that, in this version, they get to the camp a lot sooner. Travis does not run into them. Laura has a brief encounter with the hag before they find the area where Chris is being kept. From there, game goes as normal with Travis eventually running into them, drugging Laura and shooting Max

We start off the same, last day of summer, the instructors are getting ready to leave, but Jacob wants one last night with Emma so he sabotages the car.

They sit around the fire, but before they start playing truth or dare, they ask Ryan to tell them a scary story and so starts. Around 50 years ago, a woman moved into Hackett's Quarry with her circus and her son, a child born half human half wolf. The locals believed that the woman was a witch and so they burned her alive with her troop, but in doing so permitted the boy to run free. Legend said that he was still alive and looking for the remaining members of the family that burned them down to kill them. No one believes him until he reveals that should know, because his family is one of them.

See, in this version, Ryan's parents are rich and are the ones who actually own the camp. He has come there every year and Chris is practically an uncle to him as well as a father figure since his father died in a car accident a long time ago- or so he was told. People laugh it off and truth or dare starts.

Game continues as normal with Nick getting bitten by one of the werewolves. The werewolves here are closer to your normal media, big fluffy men wolves. Like wolves, these wolves hunt in packs with the leaders being the strongest ones. The other wolves must obey the leader wolf and this wolf is the only one with some understanding of what he is doing. The only way for you to become the alpha is by defeating the current alpha in human form.

The pack starts hunting down the human, but interestingly enough they don't seem too interested in killing them. Just biting. Here is the part where your characters can get bitten. Since the wolves aren't out there to murder you yet, the game is a lot more forgiving.

As the wolves stalk the kids, they also seem to be looking for something- or someone-

This is also around the time that Travis, Laura and Max arrive at camp. Laura is there to kill Chris, the wolf who infected Max and who the Alpha of the werewolves is looking to force him join his pack. He isn't aware of Max yet, but if they run into him they will force him to join as well.

Travis runs into Jacob and Emma and arms them to go hunting for Silas, revealing them about how the curse started. Not only was Ryan's story true, but the White Wolf returns to camp every five years or so and occasionally infects more people. One year, he returned two early and infected a child that was here at the time, the son of Chris, Caleb. Instead of becoming a mindless beast, however, the curse affected Caleb differently (possibly due to his age, he was the same age Silas was when his mother died.) Caleb was not only able to control his transformation, but also control the wolves in his lineage to do his every bidding. Caleb then went on to infect his sister and his father and then more people before he made a whole pack for himself. Caleb managed to escape with his sister, but not with his father, so now he does his best to keep Silas safe so the curse doesn't end while looking for Chris and Travis so that their family may be completed once more.

Meanwhile, Laura tells Ryan, Dylan, Nick Abigail and Keitlin a very different story of how she had been kept prisoner in the police station with Max for the past two months.

Now we have two groups: one trying to hunt down Silas and one looking for Chris with Caleb's wolves tracking down both of them. Travis group is attacked constantly while things are quiet with Laura's group up until they find Chris. This was all Caleb's plan, however as he instead frees Chris and forces him to join his pack. He threatens to do the same to the humans, but Laura is unwilling to go do down without a fight, and so Laura shoots some of the wolves including his sister. Now, Caleb, may or may not be able to speak, but I do think it would be cool if he did.

I would be interested in creating a parallel between Silas and Caleb since they are the only two wolves capable of controlling their transformations, both had terrible things happen to them while children and both value family. The difference is that Silas was a quiet boy who never wanted to hurt people, he just did it when he felt threatened and then was misunderstood for being a dangerous animal. Meanwhile, Caleb comes from a not so great household where all he ever wanted was to get power and upon getting this power he made it his life goal to use it to create a family: even by force.

This is the part in the game where mercy gets thrown out of the window. Any characters infected by the curse are forced to join Caleb as he pretty much takes control over the player- including Nick who was still human up until this point. Any characters will get brutal deaths from now on if you mess up. All the wolves try to devour the humans, getting Laura bitten in the process and the group ends up splitting up with Keitlin and Dylan on one side, Laura and Ryan on the other and Abigail by herself. And so the hunt begins.

Dylan's group find themselves in the junkyard where they are forced to fight some of the wolves, including Chris. Laura and Ryan are followed by the main pack led by Caleb and a single wolf goes after abigail, Nick. Depending on who is turned the distribution may change. It is also heavily implied the hikers are the other wolves, now enslaved by Caleb. I will say his Original group was composed of 12 werewolves, himself, his sister and 10 more. After she dies, that numbed goes down to 11, then as he recruits his father and Nick, 13. The more people were bitten, the more difficult the game becomes. If no one is infected, each group has 3 wolves on them. The scary things about these monsters isn't so much their individual abilities, but how they swarm you and attack in groups. They are surprisingly intelligent hunters (no blood logic here) and will almost always attack in groups.

Dylan and Keitlin manage to kill their wolves, including Chris himself, curing Max in the process. Abigail traps Nick where Chris was being held without harming him and then both groups leave to the lodge, having survived their encounters.

Now Laura and Travis' group reunite and I think it would be cool for the witch to have been playing tricks in Travis' groups so you play through these illusions. Maybe there is even a chance you shoot each other. When you meet, the illusion fades and you quickly find yourselves following a wolf track bigger than the ones before. This is where Silas is, in his old cage, possibly cuddling an old skeleton. In front of him, a group of six werewolves awaits them led by Caleb. Travis ans Caleb look at each other, Travis tries pleading with him to let him end this, but Caleb refuses. He won't let his new family go. He tries to force Laura to join with their connection, but she is able to resist for now and so the fight breaks out. This is by far the longest fight in the game and the hardest. You jump from character to character trying to keep them alive. You can choose to kill the wolves here or spare them, but the latter is considerably harder. Eventually, Travis allows Caleb to bite him to make him think he has won, only for Laura to be standing there with the shotgun ready. She shoots Caleb's brains off, ending the fight and all the werewolves are released.

All but one.

Silas appeared to be unbothered by the fight, just silently whimpering on his spot. Here you get to make one last choice: let him live or put him out of his misery. If you let him live, he will keep infecting people, if not, he is reunited with his mother and they are both allowed to move on.

The game ends with the characters saying goodbye, but not for long, after all the police will want to hear from them. Yeah, it was a tough night, but they survived it and, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

[xoluvx]

betty; p.parker

» pairing: peter parker x reader » song: betty » word count: 1.9K

There was a flutter in Peter's heart as he watched you from behind his locker. He was pretending to dig for something, but his head peeked from behind the door watching you enter the school. The glow of senior year oozed off you and the never-ending giggles of your friends wrapped around you like a safety blanket. Your bag hung on one of your arms as the other linked with an arm of one of your friends.

Peter's heart thumped as you approached his locker. Usually, you would come up to him, peck his cheek, tell him how much you missed him, and celebrate the fact you were finally seniors in high school. But that wasn't the case. You walked right past him as if he were invisible.

He followed you down the hall with his eyes, the chatter among your friends grew softer as you disappeared in the crowd of freshmen rushing to find their classrooms. His eyes were on you when you briefly turned your head finding his eyes. Embarrassed, you turned quickly. But his eyes were still on you until he lost you in the crowd.

Shutting his locker, Peter sighed.

"Hey," Ned's voice rang in the hallway as he hurried to Peter.

Peter greeted Ned, as they walked side by side towards their first period. "Are you going to her party?" Ned asked glancing at Peter. He knew it was a sensitive topic, one he hadn't disclosed all the details about yet.

"She hates me," Peter responded shrugging his shoulders digging his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"What happened with Gwen anyway?" Ned asked bluntly. He was tired of being left in the dark, of tiptoeing around the issue and tired of his best friend ditching him for most of the summer.

Peter turned to look at Ned with a blank look, flashbacks of summer invading his mind.

"Do you need a ride?" The voice startled Peter. He'd heard the car coming, but he hadn't turned to see who was approaching him. When the car stopped next to him, he recognized the girl. She had been in one of his classes, but they'd never spoken before.

"Oh no, thank you." Peter shook his head politely. He was carrying his skateboard, a wheel was busted so he was left to walk the rest of the way home.

"It's not a problem, I have nowhere to be." She added smiling at him, lifting her sunglasses, Peter made eye contact. Her eyes were friendly, lips curling into an inviting smile. "I don't bite," she added unlocking her car.

Peter gulped but approached her car. If he walked, it would take him another half hour. Why not?

"Peter, right?" she said. It was then Peter realized she was chewing gum, she blew a bubble take popped as she brought her sunglasses down. Peter nodded.

"Gwen. We had English together," she mentioned driving down the road. "Why are you out here all alone?" she asked casually keeping her eyes on the road.

Peter shifted in his seat, his skateboard awkwardly between his legs. "I was at my friend Ned's house," He said looking at her briefly. "But my skateboard broke-" he continued talking looking down at the skateboard with the missing wheel.

"You know how to fix it?" she asked.

"I think I have to get it fixed," he confessed. Or maybe Ned could help, but that would require transportation that he didn't have.

"I can take you," she offered and Peter's eyes widen a bit. He was confused by her generosity. He barely knew this girl.

"I have to get home. My aunt is waiting for me." It was true. Aunt May didn't play when it came to dinner. Even though the sun was still out, he had to be home for dinner in less than an hour.

"Tomorrow," she shrugged nonchalantly glancing at Peter as they stopped at a red light. Peter's eyes scanned her face, her round features, and her long lashes. The gum expanded once again in a small bubble.

"Sure. Okay," Peter smiled as he gave her directions towards his house.

Peter should've known then. He should've known how things would end, but he was too gullible and he missed you too much. You'd taken the camp counselor job and though you would only be gone for five weeks, they felt like the longest five weeks. Gwen was filling that void.

Gwen's company made the days slightly more bearable. It was innocent. It started that way at least.

"I saw them at the arcade together," Inez's voice was becoming staticky. Your thoughts fogged as you heard what she was saying. "I wanted to call as soon as I saw, but you were at camp." She frowned, it was ingenuine though. Like she was living for the hurt expression on your face.

She went in for a hug, but you moved out of her way leaving the mall. You weren't going to entertain this. Is that why Peter wasn't there like he said he would? At your doorstep waiting for you to come back from camp?

You could feel the tears forming as you approached your car. Fumbling with the door you finally pulled it open sliding into the driver's seat slamming the door, gripping the steering wheel as you let the tears flow. Your chest felt tight.

This had to be the worst welcome home ever.

"Hey," Ned waved and you turned in his direction. He was waving at you with a friendly smile. Peter was next to him looking like a lost puppy. You faked a smile and waved, ignoring Peter, before you got pulled away by your friends to your table in the cafeteria.

"Are you going to talk to him?" one of your friends, Alice, asked drinking from her juice box. Another cut in and it was all too much for you to process. They knew as much as Inez had told you, and they knew you hadn't spoken to Peter since you left for camp.

"I think you should talk to him," Abigail added with a concerned expression.

"No, don't. He's not worth it. Remember how he didn't even come and rescue you when Jack refused to take no for an answer at the dance?" Rebecca retaliated.

You remembered clearly. You'd just started dating. Peter was still shy. It wasn't a big deal. You weren't even expecting Peter to come to the dance and you wouldn't have known that he was there unless Inez made it a point to tell you later that night as you walked towards the parking lot.

"We've already gone over that, it wasn't a big deal." You reasoned still on Peter's side. Because that was the thing, even if Peter had betrayed your trust, you felt like you'd always be on team Peter.

Glancing at his table, you saw him talking with Ned and you wished you could just go up there and forget everything ever happened press reset, and start senior year how you'd been planning with Peter.

"What if he shows up at your party?" Rebecca asked and you snapped back to your table. Shrugging you poked at your veggies before pushing your tray away. You weren't hungry.

The week went by in a flash, but each day felt longer than the previous. You wrapped your cardigan tightly around your body as you got out of bed. It was Saturday, in a few hours crowds of people would be in your backyard celebrating the start of the last year of high school.

But you were too caught up on Peter.

The sound of a text notification caught your attention.

Can we talk? - Ned

That was weird. Ned wasn't usually one to text you. Peter was always there as the middle man. You were curious.

What's up? You typed waiting for his text in anticipation. Your phone rang and you caught your breath. You were expecting him to continue texting.

"Hello?" you asked cautiously.

"Don't hang up, please. I need to talk to you. You need to hear me out, please-" it was Peter. His voice filled your body with warmth until you remembered.

"Peter," your voice cracked. What could you say to him? Nothing, you were about to hang up when you heard his voice again.

"Don't hang up. I was stupid. I missed you and Gwen was there, and I know that's not an excuse for what I did but I never stopped thinking of you-" he was out of breath speaking quickly.

You felt your heart tighten, the familiar feeling of tears forming in your eyes took over.

"I'm sorry, Peter." You hung up. You couldn't deal with this. Not when Abigail and Rebecca were on their way. Wiping the tears, you discarded the cardigan on your bed. The one he'd bought for you last Christmas.

-

"Are you having fun?" Abigail asked squeezing your hand lightly. She was speaking over the loud music, her nose close to your ear. Nodding, you feigned a smile before looking into the crowd. No Peter.

"I'll be back," you motioned towards your house letting her know you needed to grab something.

But in reality, you needed some space. You'd been looking forward to this day. Towards your last year of high school, but plans changed. Sighing you sat on your porch. You could still hear the music and though the party was in your backyard, you needed a breath of air that wasn't congested by teens.

Swinging on the porch swing, you leaned your head back looking at the silent street. That's when you saw a figure. One hand deep in the pockets of his jeans, a skateboard in the other. It was Peter.

"Hi," his voice echoed drowning out the music. Your heart skipped a beat and you straightened up on the porch swing. You planted your hands on either side of you grounding you.

"What are you doing here?" you asked carefully getting off the swing.

"Just listen to me please," he said climbing up the three steps of your porch. "I messed up, I know I did." He looked at you with sad eyes placing his skateboard down. "It meant nothing to me. Gwen was a distraction. One that ruined the best thing that's happened to me," he was sincere with his words. His tone was gentle as he stepped forward.

"I thought becoming an Avenger was the best thing that happened to you," you joked folding your arms. That got a small chuckle out of Peter.

"That's a close second," he joked back, this time it was your turn to laugh softly. You were falling back into your comfortable state. One where only you and Peter existed.

"I can't ask you to forget what happened-" he was stepping closer. "-but please forgive me, I will do anything." He reached for your hands, your fingers intertwining easily.

"Anything?" you asked, your voice cracking.

Peter squeezed your hands nodding.

"Kiss me," you whispered pulling Peter closer with your hands still tangled together. A goofy smile spread across Peter's face and he happily closed the gap between your bodies.

He let go of your hands so he could cup your face. Yours instantly wrapped around his torso.

"I missed you," he whispered against your lips, your noses touching.

Smiling you kissed him again. The fabric of his soft lightweight sweater felt right under your fingertips. You could smell his fabric softener and shampoo.

It felt like home.

folklore masterlist

[forestwater87]

Okay, for all of you who don't feel like watching Miles RP as David

Here are some of my favorite quotes. Context may be added if I feel like it. Reactions are my goblin brain screaming. All of these came from a discord so if they don't make sense . . . see goblin brain comment.

(That link should start directly at the point where he becomes David; if it doesn't, skip to 1:40:33)

In roughly chronological order:

David: "Teachers are sort of like camp counselors during the rest of the year."

The thing is David is absolutely up his own ass enough to think this.

David: "Trail mix is expensive!"

^ said to show he understands why not everyone can donate to the charity for teachers. Very adorable, am crying.

David's "ooooh" seeing one dude was extremely non-heterosexual. Fucking bicon. Him losing his mind that one of the arenas is called "Survey camp"

David: "A person's hitting me -- I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry this is just pretend!"

This is just canonically how David plays video games. Either this or he's unwilling to commit violence at all, but I'll defer to Miles.

David: "That's very goat of you!"

Spencer: "Is David popular amongst his campers?"

David: "I like to think so! There's only 3 staff members, so I'm definitely in everyone's top 3."

"That also means you're in the bottom 3."

David: "Well, I choose not to think of it that way."

(I have to keep adding reacts so you can tell when one quote ends and another begins. Judge not lest ye be judged)

I think the other person in the stream is named Spencer. Friend of Miles. I know literally nothing else about him and am not even confident on those facts.

Every time he says something so non-David in his David voice I die: "I have a lot of grenades!"

David: "Oh my goodness, would you look at this beautiful scenery! Can we hike that mountain?"

This is so goddamn cute. I am dying. Miles looked at his fans and said "they will eat tonight" and I am so relieved.

David: "Not to be a couple of Greedy Garys, but I say we get this [care package] and then I'll drop another one!"

The fact that Miles is grinning like a lunatic the entire time is very good. (Also if this is formatted badly then I'm sorry but not all that sorry. I'm doing my best and David would be proud of me.)

David: "Didja getim? Didja getim? didja getim? How 'bout now?"

Spencer: "I didn't get 'em."

David: "Well, you tried your best and that's all that matters."

He calls healing "a little health kiss." I'm not sure why but it's very important to me.

David: [while jumping to murder someone] "Hi! Scuse me!"

(i just need something to separate the quotes okay)

David: "Well you know what gang, we did our best. You don't always win the 3-legged race. You did a wonderful job!"

Then there's a bit where they talk about Spencer's time at summer camp:

David: "ooooh hand-holding's pretty serious!"

David is too pure.

David: [dreamily] "Did you fall in love, Spencer? A summer love?" [puts hands up to his face]

Then there's the fact that David/Miles gets to pick where they play each round, and he keeps insisting on going to the one called "Survey Camp" every single time because it has the word "camp" in it.

David: "Now, I don't like to disagree, but . . . I was thinking we could go . . . to Survey Camp!"

Spencer reminds him that technically since David's the one with the power to choose, his opinion is the only one that matters:

David: "Everyone's opinion matters. And my opinion is we're going to camp."

David just steamrolling over Spencer's interests is very good. There are these little selfish nuggets sprinkled in among the wholesomeness that really capture the full David experience.

David: "Well, he's climbing up . . . he's coming my direction . . . oh, he looks scary . . ."

Spencer: "Is he coming towards me?"

David: "Oooh, I don't know. I'm dead!"

The positivity is relentless. I think Miles said on twitter afterwards that this whole thing was exhausting and I can see why. Being David is no picnic . . .

David: "I have a question: do we have to shoot each other in this game?"

And then a few seconds later:

David: "I'm just wondering if maybe there's a way we can, you know, help others. Talk through our issues."

And a few seconds after that:

David: "I was asking if they wanted to be friends in the game!"

I believe that moved killed him, too. Precious.

Also we're interrupting the real Miles!David content to share something my friend suggested to me while I was watching this and giving her quotes; she said that maybe David just calls everything camp to make life more fun, and then sent me this imaginary exchange that actually killed me all the way to death:

David: Gwen Santos would you go to marriage camp with me

Gwen: I'm going to have to change this story when I tell everyone

It made me laugh quite a bit.

Anyway, back to the video!

Spencer: "How do you sign up for [Camp Campbell]?"

David: "Well, um, you can fax, uh, an application to CameronCCampbell@hotmail.realwebsite.noreallyrealwebsite.com. And . . . you can know that myself and Gwen and Quartermaster and sometimes Mr. Campbell will do our best to make sure they get what they need! Which more than anything is love and support. And friendship."

Spencer: "How many dollars does this camp cost?"

David: "You know . . . it is, um . . ."

And then the conversation switches subjects and David breathes a sigh of relief.

Very shortly after this he changed his character from a woman (she was wearing a yellow shirt, which he liked because the campers wear yellow shirts) to "a Forward Scout with a positive attitude!"

"I like his style."

Spencer: "Does everybody abuse David verbally?"

David: "You know, sometimes people have harsh words. Mostly Max, and Neil, and Gwen, and Quartermaster, and Nurf."

Spencer: "Did you just list almost everyone?"

David: "Mmm . . . I'd say maybe a third."

Poor David. Somebody please protect him.

Spencer: "Yeah, I think people abuse David. I get that vibe. Or at least, I feel it in my heart. Like I wanna put ants in your bunk or something."

David: "Well, I think that says more about maybe some of the hurt you're carrying with you. And sometimes when people don't know how to process that, they act out. Do you want some trail mix?"

David just said his favorite part of trail mix is the raisins which is so cute. "They have a little bit of salt on them, which isn't typical for a raisin."

And he keeps telling chatters to watch their language.

David: "Who is my favorite camper? Aww, you know I couldn't pick a favorite! . . . But I know who has the most potential, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

I KNEW IT!!!!!

I've been saying for years that David doesn't have a favorite and gravitates towards the ones he thinks need him the most AND I FINALLY GOT ONE RIGHT!

David: "Well you know, Gwen swears and that's okay."

shipping intensifies

David: [gasp] "The moss is growing on the north side of the rock!"

Every time he nerds out about weird shit in the game I gain 3 seconds to my life.

Spencer: "Did you get teabagged?"

David: "What's that?"

Spencer: "It's where somebody places their most intimate bits on you for . . . friendship."

David: [softly] "Oh, I don't know about that."

Also David confirms that the whole show has been a single summer, so please see the "vindication" gif above.

David: "I know a lot of fun camp songs."

Spencer: "Sing 3."

David: [starts singing] "Bum-bum-bumblebee, bumblebee tuna, I love bumblebee, bumblebee tuna . . ."

Spencer: "Okay, please stop. I immediately regret this decision."

David: "Max said the same thing! One of my campers. And, uh, and my co-counselor, Gwen."

He's literally made of sunshine. I would die for this fictional man.

Spencer: "Are people at camp against their will? I feel like they are."

David: "No! . . . They don't always like it immediately, but it grows on them."

Spencer: "It sounds like they're there against their will."

David: "Well I just think that's a negative way of looking at it."

FWIW Spencer makes an excellent foil to David. Not as aggressive as Max or as dour as Gwen, but he brings a very . . . like, straight-man energy to the conversation. Like how a normal person would react to David IRL. I'd enjoy seeing these two interact more.

Spencer: "It's like your overpositivity is wanting me to balance it out with negativity."

David: "You know, I feel like that dynamic's pretty popular with me."

eeeeeeee <3

And the last one that I personally found noteworthy:

David: "One day we'll be able to afford safety equipment. Until then, we'll just have to deal with Quartermaster's Ropes Course. And a lot of pillows."

There's point near the last 20 minutes where either it got kinda boring or I just got too tired to keep track. But if there are any quotes you think I missed, please share them! This was a really lovely bit of content to feed our starving maw, and I appreciate Miles very very very much for taking one for the team.