#and they’re famous so who cares’ camp

[gyudons]

During the last practice in Pittsburgh before the holiday break, Sidney Crosby brought cookies to the rink along with, of course, some banana bread – “his mom’s famous recipe,” Marcus Pettersson said with a grin. “He’s got a little addiction,” Kris Letang added.

Crosby bakes for the group periodically throughout the season, one of many thoughtful gestures the Penguins captain makes for his teammates – impressive from anyone, much less someone of his stature. During this season of giving, Pettersson and Rickard Rakell had been marveling at the captain’s generous nature that very day.

“Me and Raks were actually just joking around about how good he is with giving gifts,” Pettersson said. “I don't know if he has a thought behind it about when he retires, that he is expecting a lot of gifts back from everybody (laughs). But I don't think so. I think he’s just a great guy.”

Crosby goes above and beyond to mark occasions for the people around him, whether it’s a holiday, a career achievement, or simply a memorable experience. His capacity to do all of that, in addition to continuing to be an elite talent at age 36 and an unparalleled leader, is remarkable.

Evgeni Malkin, Crosby’s fellow franchise center and teammate for nearly two decades, said, “It’s almost like he’s the perfect player, perfect friend. Some guys win just one Stanley Cup, they think they’re like a god, you know? But Sid, never. You see everybody wants to play here, first of all, it’s because of Sid.”

Letang joked that he wasn’t going to use the word perfect, “because there’s nothing perfect,” he laughed. “But he always makes sure everybody is taken care of, and they’re having a good time. He loves to get to know people. For me, what he did for my dad last year… the banana bread stuff… it’s just a way of looking at things, you never want to leave some people behind. There’s not a specific gesture that comes to mind, because it’s such a daily thing for him.”

Tyson Barrie, was touched by something the captain did for his agent, Bayne Pettinger, who had previously worked for Team Canada. Pettinger had been sitting with Crosby at another one of those BioSteel camps, which was in Montreal. At the time, Pettinger had recently come out as gay and mentioned in passing to Crosby how he thought the Pride warmup jerseys were so cool.

“Bayner FaceTimed me a couple months later, almost in tears,” Barrie said. “The concierge at his condo called him and was like hey, there’s a big package here for you, can you come down and grab it? Turns out Sid had gotten a Pride jersey framed for Bayner. He wrote, ‘Bayner, proud of you.’ That’s the kind of guy he is. You'll never hear about any of this stuff. He's just always doing stuff under the radar. He’s just a special guy.”

merry christmas! here’s a sweet little story about canadian hockey star sidney crosby

[crazylittlejester]

me and my sister were talking and she brought up how wars probably has a lot of assumptions that the opposite and then she was like “people probably assume he sleeps around a lot, probably was young when he started especially when he has mask and wind with him, when in reality he would never sleep with anyone most likely”

i would like your opinion on this since you are the number one hw link yapper

*cracks knuckles* I have so many thoughts on this actually

Disclaimer everything you’re about to read is my opinion and my interpretation on a character. I’m not saying this is the truth, I’m not sayin’ anyone has to agree, this is just my headcanon. Also, during the war of eras, I headcanon he was 17-20, but WAS an adult for most of the war. Also who even knows the legal drinking age in hyrule, i certainly don’t. anyways:

To start off, I completely agree, I don’t think he’d ever actually sleep around with anyone. I headcanon him to be on the ace spectrum and just fairly disinterested in doing that. Like he doesn’t care if other people do, it doesn’t involve him he doesn’t care, but he doesn’t see the appeal to it

Warriors to me is incredibly intelligent, he’s playing 4D chess in his mind constantly and he’s terrifyingly brilliant. If people are spreading rumors about him that he’s some idiot pretty boy flirt, despite the fact that couldn’t be further from the truth, he’s going to lean into it and use it to his advantage. Why? Because if the general public looks at him and sees him talking to women at bars they’re going to dismiss it immediately. They’re not going to be suspicious if they see him sneak off somewhere with a guy, giggling and acting a fool, because they’re seeing what the rumors are saying, and now it’s not a rumor it’s truth to them. Now they’re not going to think twice when they see Warriors slip off somewhere to give another soldier information to pass on to another camp. They’re going to see him with women saying “Maybe we should go somewhere alone” and roll their eyes, oblivious to the fact that he’s passing important information through trusted people from camp to camp in an attempt to avoid the turncoats getting actual battle plans, or even outside times of war, just regular top secret information. That no longer looks like him sneaking off somewhere, he just gets dismissed as a guy who gets around

If they look at him and see some pretty, brainless idiot, it gives Warriors an extreme advantage. He’d abuse the rumors, he’d make them work for him. All he’d really have to do is make a few flirty remarks to people from time to time and bat his eyelashes a bit, which is just acting for him and incredibly easy to do

Plus he’s FAMOUS, there’d definitely be people like “I slept with the hero of hyrule 🫶” who are COMPLETELY lying, but Wars wouldn’t call them out publicly. He’d just let it fuel the rumors and help him keep his cover

I do also think he would flirt with people to get information out of them. Like if someone hit on him or something and he was suspicious of them, he’d probably match their energy and let them buy him drinks and sit there and wait until he could get them to mess up and tell him what he needs to know. He’d just have to be careful not to blow his cover or let it show too much how completely and utterly disinterested in the present situation he is

But he’s not ‘a flirt’ at all, not genuinely anyways. He’s just damn good at getting what he wants. He has a charming smile and he knows it, and he’s gonna use the gifts he was given

He lets people assume he sleeps around and is just some stupid pretty boy, but his ideal nighttime plans are him curling up by a window during a light rain storm either reading or writing in his journal, by himself, enjoying the quiet

(and of course the people who actually know him and know him well would not be fooled by the rumors at all, they know he’s not like that)

[avvail-whumps]

Royal Bought: Complete Masterlist

General/brief content and warnings:

🏹 Luke’s Arc: vampire whump, non-human whumper, defiant whumpee, human auctions/trafficking, pet whump, hypnosis.

🍂 Ten’s Arc: none, apart from (temporary) character death, hypnosis and vampiric turning at the beginning.

💌 Ileana’s Girls: vampire whump, lady whumper, non-human whumper, multiple lady whumpees, hypnosis, conditioning, polygamy.

Information: the numbers beside each chapter indicate the writing order they’re written in. All stories are listed in chronological order. Although the stories can overlap and some are repeated, the emoji’s indicate who the chapters belong to mainly. For example, 🏹’s appear within Ten’s first few chapters of his arc because he makes an appearance, and it’s beneficial in understanding the origins of his story. However, they are mainly Luke’s chapters and are from his point of view.

🏹 Luke’s Arc

Growing up in a distant camp away from vampire civilisation, Luke has lived a life of constant fear and the unknown. When a vampire is thrown into his path under alarming circumstances after threatening somebody he cares deeply about, Luke is carted away to the kingdom and prepared to be bought and sold at one of their famous auctions; by none other than a Royal.

Note: Don’t like lady whump? Chapters 6-11 contain a (temporary) lady whumper. If you’d like to skip them, here’s a masterpost briefly summarising these chapters.

Hunting Deer (#1)

Upon Gates (#2)

Child’s Play (#3)

Underground Cattle (#4)

Sampling (#5)

Pretty Girls (#6)

Thorns and Roses (#7)

🍂 Ten’s Arc

When the vampire Justinian finds him in the Collared Forest, Ten was oblivious to the fate that would be in store for him. When he’s tricked into drinking vampire blood and subsequently murdered, Ten finds himself waking up as a bloodsucking creature of the night. Alone in an unfamiliar world, Ten adjusts to being an immortal child and the new life ahead of him.

🏹 Hunting Deer (#1)

Enter Justinian (Bonus)

🏹 Upon Gates (#2)

🏹 Child’s Play (#3)

💌 Ileana’s Girls

The story of three strangers, who are forced into unforseen circumstances when they’re abducted and planned to be sold off to any vampire that will pay for them. But their fates become irrevocably intertwined when they catch the eye of Ileana, a beautiful vampire attracted to pretty humans. And pretty things deserve to be spoiled, don’t they?

coming :)

Asks and Answers

Questions:

Ten’s Arc and Minor Whump (Short answer: there is none)

Justinian’s Significance

Plush Bunny

Everything Tag List: @whumpatize-me-captain @whump-me-all-night-long @softvampirewhump @d-cs @suspicious-whumping-egg @sapphirechao @sparrowsage @excessive-vampires @thecyrulik

Ten’s Arc Tag list: @obsessednerd505

Note: if you ask to be added to the tag list, I will automatically add you to the ‘Everything Tag List’. If you want to opt out of certain stories, e.g you don’t enjoy lady whump and don’t want to be tagged in Ileana’s Girls, then please let me know so I can tag you accordingly.

[a-writing-otter]

WIP Wednesday on a Tuesday

Astarion weathers his lower lip between his teeth as he gazes across the fire. Karlach is sitting close to Wyll, regaling him with her side of a famous clash with the Blade of Frontiers as he, for everyone else’s benefit, corrects with the actual events.

This little… whatever of Astarion and Karlach’s isn’t so weak that it flickers at the fact she’s talking to Wyll with an arm around him, that’s just Karlach. No, his attention is far more rapt on the story she’s telling or, rather, the way she tells the story.

He sees her bare her teeth and flex her arms, her tail thrashes about and it’s the first time that Astarion considers that that too can be a weapon as deadly as her axe.

Karlach’s opinion of her time in the hells ranges from moment to moment. There’s certain consistencies he’s picked up: anything about Zariel makes her flash her teeth and her ports sputter with flame, even now that her engine’s been tuned up; taking on demons and devils tends to get her also ramped up, but for different reasons and there’s a mania he recognizes to his core and associates with a maw dripping of blood and a metallic tinge on his tongue; any talk of liberating tieflings makes her glow like an ember (and if he’s honest, his initial feelings of annoyance at her whole ‘savior’ nonsense has fizzled slightly and he maybe finds it endearing). It’s not without reason, all of it. Astarion knows she had a nightmare of a time in the hells, scraping by as she was treated as Zariel’s plaything and enforcer. All things considered, it’s a feeling that Astarion knows intimately. But whereas Astarion flourishes in his cruelty (or, well, he supposes it’s less these days), Karlach shies away from it. He’s only caught it in glimpses—her rage in battle, her fury towards Gortash, and that righteous sort of fire when it comes to the fates and struggles of her friends.

Their friends.

Astarion didn’t think there was a person alive who could hate Cazador more than he does, but, occasionally, Karlach makes him second guess that. It’s nice, admittedly, someone getting heated for his behalf. Even a few weeks ago, it’d pissed him off, a reminder that she and everyone else was too little, too late—where the hells were they when he actually needed someone? Why was it only now that literally anyone cared about him, about what he’d been through?

…but maybe he’s learning it’s not that simple. And even if it’s late, it’s not all bad.

Or something like that.

He watches Karlach throw her head back with a guffaw and he feels his dead heart twitch pathetically.

But while her warmth and her smile is effecting him rather positively these days, it’s not her joy she’s focusing on.

A couple flaggons of beer down and he sees something he recognizes—they’re talking about an attack on some demon camp in the hells and he sees it. There’s a brightness in her eyes, a shine to her teeth, and for a moment, he understands—she really was the fury of the Avernus.

He’s seen her so tame in the time he’s known her, other than the occasional bouts of anger she gives herself to in the heat of battle, but that’s a whole other matter entirely.

She’s never been like that with him, only ever kind and sweet and giving and…

Astarion drags his tongue across his lips as he watches Karlach bare her teeth at Wyll in a smile that’s a touch too bloodthirsty for her usual banter. While breathing isn’t a necessity, Astarion still feels his breath hitch slightly.

While he’s been rather formidable foe for near every person he’s cornered, it’s not a new concept that he can’t win every fight. And he knows, objectively, he might lose a fight against a number of his cohorts, but looking at her…

Karlach, Fury of Avernus, Advocatus Diaboli, could slaughter him and that concept makes his skin prickle, his throat feel dry, and something ache in his pants.

[thehotgrandparent]

Okay, the question seems stupid, but I ended up marathoning Theo Walking Dead with my cousin, in a zombie apocalypse, how do you think the characters would be? My bet is that Berry is one of the great survivors or if the virus infects Doppelgänger the biggest threat

These are my personal headcanons. Also this gets long 💀

Berry - Best survivor, but he does have to be careful because it still affects doppelgangers (though a bit differently than humans)

Ansel - There is a 50/50 chance that he’ll survive or not, we’ll see 💔

Roman - He would defo be able to live decently long in the apocalypse

Lois - She would live decently long as well. She and Roman would work together fsfs

Peachman Bros - I think they would live well as long as Robertsky doesn’t fuck up in some way by accident. Though Albertsky would be able to help make sure he doesn’t

Angus - I feel like he would get bit sooner or later because he was being a dumbass 💀

Sverchzt Twins - Selenne and Elenois are quite seriously famous and I feel like they’re kind of spoiled, so it would definitely be a change. They would get lucky, but soon one or both would likely get bit

Arnold - I feel like he and Gloria would be able to work together to live well, but they’d be super cautious about people

Gloria - As mentioned above, she and Arnold would be able to work together, but they would be incredibly cautious of people because others would likely try to steal from them

Izaack - Similarly to Angus, I feel like he would be bit after a while. He’s a yapper and a loud one at that, so there’s a good chance he’ll attract infected/zombies

Margarette - She has no haters (unless you count infected), and literally no one would try and steal from her. Margarette helps others and because of that, people tend to help her to repay her

Nacha - She would defo be able to live well as long as she has somewhere safe to be. Don’t worry about food because she can make the weirdest/tasteless food ever and make it good

Anastacha - She would likely just follow her mom around and try and help out. Defo would need someone to help her because she’s not that strong, but she sure as hell is resourceful

Mia - I feel like Mia (and her fiancé) would make a badass duo (same with a couple of others as well ngl). She would let out her inner anger from teaching onto the infected zombies

Dr. W. Afton: He, along with Mia, would make a badass duo. Though while Mia is letting her anger out, he’s just tending to the place they’re staying at

Francis: Bro can fist fight zombies because of how much the milk crates probably weigh, but he would probably get infected while looking for weapons because he would have to use his fists

Steven: He would absolutely survive the apocalypse. Bro has experience from things like camping and shit, and he has experience living in the wild. That shit would be important

Mclooy: Similarly to Steven, Mclooy would beat the shit out of zombies. Zombies who?

Alf - I don’t think he’d survive 😭 he’s elderly, I don’t think he could live with infected zombies trying to eat him, especially in the early days.

Rafttellyn - Similarly to Alf, I don’t think she would survive. She (and also Alf) just aren’t built for the apocalypse

[deadal3x]

Holding my pjo!persona out to tumblr specifically because they’re all sorts of weird and fucked up. (And I know yall eat that shit up like it’s a five course meal)

A lil list of things he’s been through/done/experienced:

tortured for a year on the princess andromeda and severely injured and assaulted

Is the victim of a groomer/pedophile

Is seen as as less than/sub human thanks to his abilities

is the child of a previous camp legend and is constantly living in her shadow trying to prove himself worthy

Gets claimed by a big 3 god and given a weapon that, technically is not his- but said god claims it is his by birthright.

Struggles with self-worth and identity as he discovers his heritage as a legacy of another god

Struggles to accept he’s loved in his relationship with two amazing men- who remind him endlessly and constantly and never get tired of saying it.

Is nearly killed several times in the worst ways possible. (Death by lethal injection, suffocation, drowning, stabbed, drowning again, there’s probably more but I lost count)

Is the biggest advocate for family and community despite everything he’s been put through. (He visits Hestia at the hearth once a damn week, he loves talking to her)

Puts his trust and faith in the camp and the demigods, rather than the gods and Olympus because they don’t know what it’s like being a demigod.

Is a serial adopter; will adopt the pathetic wet cat type demigods. Has does several times.

Loves his pets (an owl named Snickers, a dog named Diometes and two cats named Penelope and Telemachus respectively)

uses “it/its” pronouns because they feel comforting to it. (Also uses he/him and they/them pronouns)

Has lost SO MANY people he cares about.

He’s sooooo fucked up and such a strange cryptic thing.

he’s barely human anymore, but he tries and fights to regain his humanity and sense of belonging back.

PJO!sona AJ, you will always be famous to me

[kindofsortofmaybe]

maybe gustho stargazing for the prompts <3

(also hiiiiii)

HIIII ESME!!!! thank you for the prompt!!! i'll be honest, this is super sappy and self-indulgent, but... oh well. it's also unedited so read at your own risk

Constellations

“Did you know that constellations are different in the human realm?” Gus said, breaking the comfortable silence between him and Matt.

“No, I didn’t, cause I’m not a nerd,” Matt shot back, never one to pass up an opportunity to tease his friend. He leaned back onto the blanket they had laid out in the looking glass graveyard, shifting from sitting to laying down for a better view of the stars through the trees. He glanced sideways at Gus. “Tell me about them, though. So I can use your facts to impress everyone, obviously.” An absolute lie. He wanted Gus to tell him about human realm constellations because he could listen to Gus talk for hours. Gus shot Matt a crooked grin as he laid down beside him. 

“Whatever you say, Matty. For starters, their sky isn’t as purple as ours at night. It’s more like a navy blue. And it’s absolutely bright blue during the day, which is weird. And you can’t really see the stars from most places anymore, because of all the lights in their cities.”

Matt frowned. “But we have lights in our cities, and I can see the stars just fine.”

“Yeah, but their lights work different than ours. It’s a whole thing. But that’s not the point! Anyway, we went camping while we were there, and out in the woods, you can see a crazy amount of stars. Luz taught me some of the constellations.

“The famous ones are the big dipper and the little dipper, which are called that cause they both look like spoons. And they’re also both part of bigger bear constellations, I think. And a lot of their constellations have stories, like this one called Gemini. It’s also called the twins, because it’s of two brothers that were put in the sky because one died and the other one was so sad that he asked their—well, this guy who was kind of like their Titan—anyway, he asked him to make him and his brother immortal, so the Titan made them a constellation. There’s lots of interesting stories like that, and I think I want to go back sometime so I can find a book at the human library about them. I want to know every story of every star.”

Matt soaked in every word of Gus’s rambling. He had long ago stopped gazing at the stars, opting instead to gaze at the boy beside him as he spoke animatedly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware that he must look stupidly lovestruck, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. It was true, anyway. Suddenly, Gus turned to look at him, and Matt felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“You should come with me.”

“What?” 

“Back to the human realm,” Gus clarified. “You should come with me sometime. I can show you the constellations.”

“Oh,” Matt said dumbly. He could feel heat rushing to his cheeks. “Alright, loser, it’s a plan. Me and you. The human realm will never recover.” 

Gus laughed, turning his eyes back towards the sky. “Yeah. Me and you. It’s a plan.”

Matt continued to watch him, unable to look away. He couldn’t help it; Augustus was magnetic, electrifying in an addictive way, and to be honest, he was downright gorgeous. Matt couldn’t get enough of him.

But what if Gus could get enough of Matt? Matt wasn’t stupid; he knew the chances of Gus feeling the same way about him were slim. What if Gus got tired of him, or found something—or someone—better in the human realm? Was Matt worth coming back to?

Matt chewed the inside of his cheek nervously, struggling to ask what he wanted to ask. Eventually, he bit the bullet, and softly said, “Will you come back?”

“What do you mean?” Gus replied. He again met Matt’s eyes, his brow furrowed. Matt cleared his throat.

“From the human realm. I know it’s full of all your favorite nerd stuff and you have friends there now, and their constellations are probably way cooler than ours, but… When you go to the human realm, are you gonna come back?” Will you come back to me? 

“Oh.” Gus’s face softened. “Well…” He took Matt’s hand, and the older boy felt his heart beat wildly against his ribcage at the feeling of Gus’s palm pressed flush against his own. “There’s kinda this guy on the Boiling Isles… He’s annoying and rude and waaaaay dramatic, but I kinda…” Gus hesitated. “I kinda like him. So, y’know, even if I found everything I ever wanted in the human realm, I’d at least come back to see him.”

Matt didn’t know what to say. He was rendered speechless, his face bright red. Finally, he cleared his throat and looked back up at the purple sky, breaking their prolonged eye contact.

“Well, that’s super embarrassing.” His voice was too loud. “But… I bet he likes you too. And I bet he’d be glad to see you, if you did decide to visit.” Matt gave Gus’s hand a gentle squeeze. Gus squeezed back.

“Good. Cause I think I’d always come back for him.” He paused. “But I wouldn’t have to, if he came with me.”

“I think he’d go anywhere with you,” Matt said, almost too quickly. He didn’t mean to; it was just true, and the words practically fell out of his mouth. 

“I’ll hold him to that.”

[riordanness]

omg hi congrats on 800 again!!!! for ur event i have to go w i can fix him no really i can 😫 ok so the basics r i’m a cabin 4 ravenclaw infj taurus (i always start w these soz LOL) and also the ambivert final boss like genuinely i don’t lean towards introversion or extroversion and if the mbti had an a for ambivert i’d def be an anfj 🙏🏼 im a HUGE perfectionist it’s so bad actually i cannot function if something is imperfect i’ll lose my mind 😭 (i also have ocd so 🙁) when i asked one of my friends what the pros and cons of dating me are she said my perfectionism may cause problems LMAO😣😣😣 i get told im kind a lot so i like to believe thats true 🙏🏼 im super soft spoken which is a struggle cz im always having to repeat myself 🙁 (did a french speaking exam this year where i was recorded n when i say i was YELLING the entire time so that the recording device thing could pick up my voice….) im super super stubborn and persist in things until they go the way i want them to LMAO (this might be my fatal flaw) i refuse to settle for less in all aspects of life it’s either up to my standards or i’m not claiming it 😬 i LOVE LOVE LOVE reading and music those 2 r the most consistent things in my life !!!! for my type in men this may be a shocker but jason grace is an anomaly because irl + in other forms of media i tend to go for the dark haired sassy sarcastic funny guys (idk if you’ve read better than the movies but if you have wes bennett is a very good example of my type) some characters i’ve been compared to (because for some reason i get compared to a LOTTT of characters) are hermione granger, annabeth chase, rory gilmore (pre uni DUH), amy santiago, caroline?? from tvd? (idk her but my friend said i’m very similar to her so!) ummmm idk what else to include… i’m a HUGE germaphobe and get grossed out super easily LOL would rather die than go hiking or camping or anything like that soz demeter kid but not one w nature i just like flowers and gardens 🫣 i’m also super sensitive and have been told i’m emotionally intuitive!!!! i cry often about everything LOL soz if this is too long love u SOOO much 😚 also would like a pjo guy pls !!!

CYNTHIA HII (also idk why i always tag your other acc and not this one i legit always forget this url idk why 😭) anyways tyy soso much you’re actually the best fr

so. i put like way too much thought into this cause i didn’t want to just, like, stick you w jason bc that’s the easy answer yk?? BUT on that note, based on what you’ve said, i actually pair you with him?? like… if y’all were my friends irl i would ship you so bad fr.

you’re both perfectionists, tho probably in different ways yk, you bc of mental stuff and him bc he was raised by camp jupiter and literal wolves. so that would make it good for you both bc there’s nothing worse than being a perfectionist and living with someone who makes chronic messes (i can attest)

you’d both have really intuitive kindness and understanding of each other and others and that would bond you together soso well. also jason wouldn’t be a loud talker. like at all, so he’d be totally fine hearing you perfectly bc he’s used to quiet talking

neutral and very faded colour palettes for you both, light light blues and pinks and white and cream and gold everywhere (if you moved in together🤭)

jason would love to listen to you speak french btw

he does NOT strike me as a very outdoors person (in the hiking and camping and dirt way) he’d much rather sit on a porch with you and read than do any of that stuff (also he’s roman. they’re famous for their baths he would love being clean no germs here)

would totally understand your ocd and be soso nice about it like. this man would be so careful not aggravate you with unnecessarily untidy or uneven things like that.

music and book dates >>>

anyways y’all are cute i ship it so bad

[imjustabeanie]

Matchup for @ambiguouscheese

Your genshin match is...Kaeya!

Very difficult choice between Kaeya and Wriothesley cuz they both fit you so much! Your relationship would be a fun one. I choose him because he is adventurous, open minded yet he has a soft and caring side underneath his mask.

You and Kaeya met at the tavern. You’re quite the famous musician in Mondstat and can sometimes be found playing at diluc tavern. He found you having some kind of fun competition with Venti and decided to join both of you. Kaeya is someone you can get along with easily, but getting him to consider you a close friend is difficult. He has many squelettons in his closet after all. It was after many similar meetings that he started considering you a fun acquaintance and even inviting you to fun places he finds. One incident in particular is when Kaeya saw you fencing. That afternoon, he became your sparring partner and even showed you some moves. Many fond memories were made that day as he shared some parts of his childhood. His confession was rather out of the blue. He is very flirty and you didn’t believe him at first but then he confirmed it and you two became an item.

Kaeya is a rather complex lover. He doesn’t let people in, that’s why he half expected the relationship to not last. It took time for him to fully commit but once he does you’ll notice it. He’ll become more open with you, start venting about his day and people to you and just share the feelings that he normally keeps bottled up. Kaeya love language is mostly quality time and acts of service. He does enjoy some physical affection at home but in public he prefers just offering his arm or holding your hand if he feels bold.

He likes how energetic you are because you two do so much together! Heck you two go to sleep very late unless you have something important the next day. He prepares fun and surprise dates often where you go to festival, arcades or just a hike to get a wonderful view. He even camps with you and if he can he’ll take you to other regions of Teyvat to enjoy their customs. You two have busy schedules, and his is less flexible but always find time for each other. Jean understand that Kaeya is learning to fall in love so she encourages him to take some days off (she and lisa have a bet going on lol). Speaking of them, Kaeya sometimes ask them for date or gift ideas that he can’t ask you or it would ruin the surprise. It’s very cute and probably all Mondstat knows about your couple. Totally not Venti fault. Diluc was at first skeptical but in the end he was happy for his brother. He finds it nice that Kaeya is going forward and isn’t stuck in the past.

Kaeya doesn’t mind your profession at all lol. You two have your jobs and he sometimes jockingly asks you what you’d play for his funeral or your wedding. Rather dark humor but he’s just teasing you. When he saw you building things he was rather surprised to be honest. It sparkled a tradition where he finds their equivalent of legos and gift you a new one each month or so. Yes he built you lego flowers.

Your house is rather chaotic but homey. You both have a space for your alone time and he made sure that your space had a nice window and a very nice table plus library. He likes seeing you drawing and has asked you more than once to draw him like one of your Fontainian girls (men?). It’s a nice home life. Kaeya likes cooking with you despite take outs being his good to go lol. He even makes the effort to surprise you with breakfast in bed sometimes! Kaeya is a tease who enjoys messing with you. He keeps things on high shelves and gives you funny nicknames (they’re not insulting). He even steals your jackets sometimes…

It took him a few months to show you his eye and even longer to tell you his past. He expected you to run away or call him a monster but was very happy when you stuck around. He showed it by hugging you very close and refusing to let go. That’s when he knew you were his one and only.

[flanneryculp]

hello, CEO of the basic eight!!!! those characters are my little skrunklings and i’m so glad to see your ever constant posts about them, when the book is so underrated! give me some HCs about them please!! middle names, birthdays, childhood experiences, anything! but of course, only if you’d like to or have the time. love your blog!

— pinterest anon

oh man this might be my favorite ask i've ever received, thank you so much! it makes me a little sad to think about how little recognition tb8 got, but at the same time, it's nice to be in a fandom of five people who all know each other. like a book club! :) these are silly and not based in canon, and i change my mind on them all the time.

@ellington-f3int and i were talking about this--i headcanon that flora and rachel state become friends post-canon.

in my mind rachel was always the black sheep of her family, and her dressing up goth and writing terrible edgy poetry was her way of rebelling against her parents' strict conservative upbringing.

flora eventually grows a little resentful of tert/the talkshows both because of how strict they are, and because there’s a part of her that’s still loyal to her friends and isn’t fond of the satanism accusations.

while tert and mr. and mrs. state are on tv to spread an agenda and become famous, flora and rachel feel more distanced from the situation than ever. they feel weird about having this tragedy turned into a Media Sensation, and that they're participating in it. though they're initially wary of each other, they end up getting close since they’re the only ones who can understand each other.

their kinship develops into a real friendship, where flora is the #1 fan of rachel’s emo poetry and rachel will happily sit through as many guiness world record facts as flora has to offer

rachel still hates the rest of the eight, though

---

so you know how tert talks about a possibility of natasha being based on a counselor in training flan knew? i have so many thoughts about that. i think she was maybe a year or two older than flan, and they met on the summer between middle and high school. anyway, flan and natasha v. snuck out in the middle of the night to a corner store, and flan helped natasha v. dye her hair in the camp bathroom. it was stained with black hair dye forever (kind of paralleling natasha helping flan wash off adam’s blood) and it was such a keystone experience for flan that she always thought of natasha with black hair.

---

i think most of them met at different points in their lives, but were all close friends by sophomore year. before their group formed, they were all pretentious but in different ways.

a specific example i have in mind is of v____, lily, and douglas all being friends since fifth grade. they met in the orchestra classroom and bonded over a love of classical music. v____ dropped viola in middle school because of having too little time to practice, but still is a classical music buff (though not to the extent of lily and douglas). those three were the most pretentious of anyone in late elementary/early middle lmao.

kate was a big part of bringing them together, because of her knack for knowing Literally Everyone. flan and kate went to the same elementary school for years but didn’t get to know each other well until middle school, when they were in the same play together. they gossiped backstage and realized they had a lot in common.

---

flan is absolutely a child of the dare program. of course she thought it was pointless, but from the way she’s horrified at her friends smoking in the end (while not caring about absinthe) shows that something must have stuck lol.

---

jennifer rose milton always has the best stationery. a whole box of glitter pens in every color, and those fancy mechanical pencils. she’s also really good at drawing and quite passionate about it. she likes doing landscapes and drawing what she sees in front of her when she has a moment to just sit. her school papers are covered in little doodles.

---

height headcanons:

1. flora (5'0)

2. kate (5'1)

3. v____ (5'3)

4. lily (5'4)

5. (flan 5'5)

6 (natasha 5'5 but she has better posture than flan + usually wears platforms/heels)

7. gabriel 5'7

8. jennifer rose milton (5'8) (shes tall! you can’t convince me otherwise! ^^)

9. douglas 5'10

10. adam (6'0)

---

some short ones!

natasha and v____ both have huge sweet tooths and love going out for desserts together. :)

lily has insomnia and usually takes chamomile tea before bed. she’s actually become really good at making tea and has a bunch of different varieties

natasha is a big fan of hole (the band). she plays the live through this album in the car with flan often

flan and natasha have slightly different handwriting and if you look closely you can tell which one of them wrote something. but the differences are subtle--both write in messy, jagged print

flan and natasha sometimes go to the library and specifically look at the terrible ya/poetry section and spend hours reading each other the worst lines they can find and laughing til they can't breathe

gabriel is really good at first aid and healing most injuries. also if one of his friends gets sick, he’s always the first to visit them and makes sure they have what they need (homework, medicine, FOOD <3 <3 <3)

douglas gets along really well with his sister and they managed to stay in touch despite her being in college (until senior year, where he talked to her less and less. rip)

kate was always a leader, even when she was little. she was always the person who volunteered to pass out the papers in elementary school. once when she was in second grade she got into a pretty nasty fight over who would be the line leader

before she got into the guinness world records, flora used to be really into mythology

in elementary, flan used to get in trouble during group reading time because she would always read way faster than her classmates and be done while everyone else was still on page 4. this is when she started to hate school

adam is ambidextrous

in elementary school, jennifer rose milton was the girl who’d braid your hair during storytime. :)

---

there are almost certainly more i'm forgetting, but those are the ones i can think of right now! thanks again for the ask <3

[papillon82fluttersby]

Famous Five Art Nostalgia #11 – Part 1

Introductory post

Masterpost

📰👀🐍 Five Have a Wonderful Time – Le Club des Cinq en roulotte / Le Club des Cinq au château de Mauclerc

Original publication date: 1952 (UK), 1960 (France)

(Original cover art by Jeanne Hives, 1960)

I do not know why the later editions felt the need to change the original title “Le Club des Cinq en roulotte” (literally "Famous Five in a Caravan") to “Le Club des Cinq au château de Mauclerc”. The original title seems innocuous enough and does not hold possible xenophobic connotations as other titles in the series did… The new title obviously refers to the castle they’re visiting.

~~~~~~

Plot summary (adapted from Wikipedia):

George has caught a cold due to swimming in the sea in April and, as such, is unable to join Julian, Dick, and Anne on their planned caravan trip.

(George is sick and sulky 🤧)

The other children have already set up their caravans on a hill opposite Faynights Castle [le château de Mauclerc].

(Faynights Castle)

George is on the mend from her cold, so she writes a postcard to let Julian, Dick, and Anne know that they should meet her at the railway station the next day.

(George is finally able to join her cousins on holiday ☺️)

That day, the children learn that two scientists have gone missing. It’s presumed that the scientists are traitors, and have fled the country to sell secrets.

(Dick is astonished upon reading the news about the two presumed traitor scientists; George looks like she couldn’t care less and would rather just enjoy the sunshine (good for her!))

A travelling fair arrives and sets up camp directly next to the Kirrins. The children attempt to make friends with the performers, but the performers do not feel the same way. Performers include Alfredo the Fire-Eater [Alfredo, l’avaleur de feu], Bufflo the Whip Cracker [Buffalo, l'homme au fouet] and his assistant Skippy [Carmen], Mr India-rubber (Valentin, l’homme-caoutchouc], and Mr Slither, the snake-man [Tony, le dresseur de serpents].

(An unnerving encounter with Mr Sliter and his favourite snake)

(Big, imposing Alfredo flees from his diminutive but irascible wife Nita [Anita], who’s understandably annoyed at her husband for letting breakfast burn)

(A letter from home)

The tension between the children and performers finally culminates in the performers waiting until the children have gone for a walk and then hitching up their own horses to the children’s caravans to move them to another field. The field that the caravans have been moved to is owned by a farmer who orders the children off his property. Unfortunately, the Kirrins are unable to move their caravans without borrowing horses from the performers. Julian and Dick leave to speak to the performers but are unsuccessful in their attempt to borrow the horses. During this time, their old friend Jo comes to visit her uncle Alfredo and joins the Kirrin children. Jo aids Julian and Dick in convincing the fair performers to let them borrow their horses.

(An unexpected reunion with Jo, who wastes no time in thoroughly greeting her favourite Kirrin!)

(With Jo smoothing things over with the fair-folk, the children get to enjoy some private performances, like Pearl [Alexis] the acrobat who dances on a tight-rope...)

(…and Alfredo the Fire-Eater)

While Jo and the children are enjoying a picnic on the hill, Dick spots a face in the window of the castle tower. Julian also confirms that he sees a face, and vows to investigate further. The other children try to see the face in the window but do not see it.

(A startling sight!)

The children are convinced that the face in the window must belong to one of the missing scientists, but when they search the grounds the next day during a tour of the castle, they find no evidence. The steps leading up to the tower have crumbled, making it impossible to access the rooms at the top. Julian learns from the ticket lady that two men from the Society for the Preservation of Old Buildings visited the grounds yesterday. He calls the Society to confirm, and the Society tells him that nobody has been there.

The children decide to investigate the castle at nighttime and find that a chunk of the castle wall has been hollowed. The hollowed spot reveals an entrance to a secret passage in the wall that leads up to the tower itself. There the children find one of the missing scientists, Derek Terry-Kane [Marcel Dumoutier], being detained. Quickly, they realize that the other scientist, Jeffrey Pottersham [Antoine Tessier], is holding Terry-Kane captive. The children attempt a rescue which fails, and are captured themselves.

(Jo, after trying to hide, is tied up away from the others)

The fair performers soon realize that the children are missing and attempt a rescue by climbing up the tower to the window where the children first saw the face.

(Bufflo has a flair for dramatics!)

Pottersham is overpowered and is finally defeated with the help of Mr Slither’s snake, Beauty [Balthazar]. Pottersham is taken to the police, where he gives a full confession.

~~~~~~

Cover art through the ages:

(Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list; sometimes the dates are difficult to pinpoint; and I have purposefully not included editions that re-used similar cover art, with differences only in layout and font style.)

(Original cover by Jeanne Hives, Hachette, 1960 – it’s really jarring to see George in a dress. 🤨 Please note Jo playing peek-a-boo from the caravan!)

(Anne relaxes and enjoys a nice caravan ride while the others do all the work! Jean Sidobre, Hachette, 1974)

(Anne relaxes and enjoys a nice caravan ride while the others do all the work! ...Wait a minute, where have I seen this before? 🤔 *looks at the previous picture* Oh, right... 🙄 J.P. Morvan, France Loisirs, 1979)

(Another caravan ride, which is not so surprising given the book’s title – Umberto Nonna, Edito Service, 1981)

(Anne relaxes and enjoys a nice caravan ride while the others do all the work! ... Yves Beaujard often takes inspiration from (or pays homage to?) Jean Sidobre, but this is getting ridiculous… Hachette, 1988)

(Kudos to Paul Gillon for depicting so many plot elements in a single illustration: the caravan, the castle, the field glasses, and Jo – Hachette, 1992)

(I can’t get past how weird George looks with those strange eyelashes 😕 – Frédéric Rébéna, Hachette, 2007)

(And finally Auren takes us exploring the castle – Hachette, 2019)

~~~~~~

Thanks for reading!

[goldie-fairbank]

have you heard about [ GOLDIE FAIRBANK ]? [SHE/HER] lives at the qz. I think they’ve lived there for [ TWENTY THREE YEARS ]. they’re [ FOURTY TWO ] yrs old and seem very [ CREATIVE ]. i’ve also heard they can be very [ SPOILED ] as well. they’ve been assigned as a [ TEACHER ]. they often daydream about [ GUCCI SHOPPING BAGS PILED ON A MARBLE FLOOR ].

Full bio under the cut

Goldie grew up surrounded by luxury. Her parents were both movie stars who earned more than enough money to give Goldie everything she could possibly wish for. They paid for her designer clothes, a private education, and when she was old enough they opened doors for her to make it into the industry. By the time Goldie was nineteen she even had some fame in her own right although that was largely because she had started dating a well known actor, and not the overproduced pop album she had made under guidance from her agent. Her pop career never truly took off, something Goldie didn’t mind. She was perfectly content living under her parents’ shadows so long as she could always afford the latest Dior collection. Goldie adored fashion and glamour and anything creative. When her parents and agent finally accepted that Goldie wasn’t destined to be the next big pop diva they allowed her to shrink back into the shadows and pursue a degree in art history. If she wasn’t going to be a success in the entertainment industry at least she could get a world class education, her parents had told her. They didn’t care what degree she chose so long as she was studying, and out of their way. 

Fresh off a well publicised break-up with her famous boyfriend, Goldie felt free to pursue her true passions away from the watchful eye of the press. She flourished at university, finding her true creative streak. She’d never been much of an artist herself, but she appreciated the beauty of all forms of art. She attended museums most weekends (before going off to party in the evening) and her interest in fashion and particularly fashion history was piqued. She was good at pairing colours and knowing what looked good, and it felt like she was finally discovering who she was supposed to be. And then it happened. A zombie outbreak. It was like something out of a nightmare. 

Being the rich, eccentric types, her parents already had a bunker prepared for emergencies such as this and they sent a private jet to pick up Goldie and bring her back to them. Only the jet never arrived. To this day Goldie doesn’t know what happened, but after days of waiting in the airport for her parents to save her she finally had to accept that she was alone now. They weren’t coming for her. Maybe they were dead. Maybe they just didn’t think she was worthwhile keeping around. Afterall, she was just another mouth to feed with no discernible skills that would be useful in a situation like this. Fending for herself wasn’t something Goldie did well, but she at least had some sense and while the world was disintegrating her money and valuables were still worth something. If the world truly was ending she knew Gucci handbags wouldn’t be worth much for much longer and so she traded away those she could bear to part with for protection, food and water, and even a ride to Pittsburgh where there was word of a camp having been set up for survivors. 

Goldie struggled to fit in at the camp. She still clung to remnants of her old life. Despite everything that had happened she insisted on curling her hair every morning, and when she was accused of wasting electricity for such trivial matters she found new ways. She used rags to twist her hair in curls and set them overnight. She mixed drops of oil in with her lipstick just to make it last that much longer. She still took great pride in the way she looked, dressing up as if she were going to the red carpet whenever she was given an excuse to do so. She contributed very little to the survival of the camp, but Goldie truly did not see the point in her survival if she wasn’t able to experience the joy of admiring her freshly painted nails.

Finding a job for Goldie there was difficult. She had almost no practical skills. Goldie had never even had to cook for herself - even throughout university she’d had a home chef hired by her parents to ensure Goldie wouldn’t be living on a diet of take-out and cocktails. She found a good fit finally, as a teacher. Goldie was well educated in history and the arts, she even spoke some latin, and so it was decided she could provide the children of the camp with an education of the world before everything broke down.

Goldie loved her job. She preferred the company of the children of the camp more so than the adults - the children seemed to understand her. They too missed the silly little things of their lives. While Goldie longed for a new pair of black heels, the children in her classes cried about missing their favourite video games, or toys and so she did her best to provide substitutes. For a child who had complained about missing his Pokemon game she had spent her entire weekend creating her own version of Pokemon cards, drawing what creatures she could remember (but mostly making up ones of her own) and assigning them statistics to battle with. And when she couldn’t create a substitute herself she’d trade with the supply runners to get it. 

She’d always seen the value of the smugglers, and most of them knew just how much she would give for something so seemingly trivial. While they were out searching pharmacies for medicine, if they happened to pocket a tube of lipstick, they’d be well rewarded by Goldie. At first she traded some of the few valuable things she still had - an expensive watch or scented candles - but when they ran out she would trade food or water or even sex if the item were valuable enough to her. She’d get things for the children too, and fill her classroom with toys and interesting things from the outside world. She liked to think her classroom was an escape from the horror outside, and a place to discover the luxuries of the old world.

[mrlaemmle]

What are some of the scariest movie scenes ever?

The hillbilly rape scene in Deliverance is a real spine-tingler.

For those who haven’t seen this, one of the most famous scenes in cinema history, it goes like this. A group of four civilized men go on a canoe trip in the South, before the river is dammed to make a power-generating lake for the air-conditioned nightmare of Atlanta and its bland suburbs.

There is the alpha male, played by Burt Reynolds. The soft man, played by Ned Beatty. The refined man played by Ronny Cox. And Jon Voight, who has all three characteristics swirling around in his soul.

While banked on the side of the river, Ned and Jon are accosted by a couple of real bumpkins. The toothless, violent, ignorant, barbaric savage of lore. Ned is raped in the most humiliating, dehumanizing, emasculating manner. Squeal like a pig, anyone?

A look of horror, but also of disgust at Ned for so easily buckling to his attackers, passes over Jon’s face. It’s a brilliant moment in the film.

We all know the trope of affable, civilized people going into the back country and encountering primitive savagery.

It’s a tale as old as time, when exile from the community was the worst possible punishment to confer. These days, we can’t begin to imagine how horrific this sentence was. But before the internet and before world travel, being thrown into the wilds of the other, of “savages,” was a punishment worse than death.

Today we know that most rural people are fine folks. Probably more affable and generous than our neighbors in the city. But the fear lives on. We see it reflected in movies like Straw Dogs, Wrong Turn, The Hills Have Eyes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and probably hundreds more.

The thing is, if you’re someone who likes going into the backwoods, these fears are very real.

There are a lot of crazy folks out there, and when they meander out of the woods into your campsite, it can get a little weird.

I have friends who go back country skiing, way out in no man’s land. They drive down roads nobody ever goes down, the locals eyeing them suspiciously. With their expensive gear and nice FJ, these guys are a target.

Outdoorsmen and women go missing all the time. They’re murdered all the time. I know people personally who have been killed in the woods.

Not to overestimate the risk, of course. It’s not like you should be afraid to go for a hike.

But there are communities in this country, or any country, who don’t like outsiders rolling into town. Who are actually far beyond the pale of civilization. Communities who don’t like the police, settle their own differences, and know how to get away with murder. They don’t watch Netflix and they don’t know there’s a #MeToo movement. And they’re not too terribly excited that the “yuppies” are discovering the hitherto unexplored natural beauty to be found in their neck of the woods.

My father was a detective. And if there was a body found in the woods in rural New Mexico, you could forget about solving it. Nobody would talk to you. They took care of their own business. And if someone in the community killed a random outsider, nobody gave a shit. They might think it’s a bad idea, it might bring unwanted attention, but they weren’t going to turn a local into the authorities. That’s against code.

And if you don’t think these people exist, and these communities exist, you’re out of your mind.

I’ve had friends who have been camping with their wives or girlfriends way, way up in the hills, when a couple weird, and potentially violent creepers come onto their campsite. They sit and make themselves at home. They don’t leave, even after it gets real, real awkward. It gets scary. They start making crude sexual comments, tinged with violent and aggressive overtones, expecting you and your girl to laugh it up with them. Taking a little offense if you don’t seem to share their sense of humor. We’re all just having fun, right?

I’ve been deep in the woods with girlfriends, when very strange dudes come walking out of the shrubbery and just linger. Weird shit, weird comments, weird vibes. And many times I’ve reprimanded myself for not having a gun with me.

I’ve run into creepy hillbillies in the Yukon, where nobody can hear you scream, and you’re afraid to car-camp that night, staying awake listening for the snap of a twig. Friends who’ve road-tripped across the continent of Africa, who have had genuine moments of fear that the women in their party were going to be raped before they were all murdered, their bodies left to rot in the jungle.

So even though it’s silly to paint all backwoods people as violent nogoodniks, don’t kid yourself. There’s a kernel of truth to it.

If you’ve ever been far from civilization, especially with your best gal, and come across someone (or worse still, a group of someones) who seems kind of off and vaguely menacing, you know what I’m talking about.

Best wishes,

Laemmle-Vision

[leelee120000]

My Voice: “The Quarry” is a Spectacular Summer Slasher

July 12, 2022

Supermassive Games has published the newest game in their horror library. Famous for “Until Dawn” and the Dark Pictures Anthology, Supermassive Games has received both incredible praise and incredible criticism in response to their games. Their new game, titled The Quarry, is no exception to this tradition.

The Quarry is a fast-paced horror game set at a summer camp in a place called Hackett’s Quarry. You play as counselors trying to survive the night and investigate the mysterious Hackett family. As a fan of Until Dawn and a critic of the Dark Pictures Anthology, I found The Quarry to be a welcome return to form. It’s a a game that feels like a genuine spiritual successor to Until Dawn, with cheesy one-liners and all. If you’d like to play it blind, please go do so, then come back to hear my thoughts on it.

This article is a story discussion, not a comprehensive gameplay walkthrough. That being said, the game waits to reveal that the beasts are werewolves. I will not. We are working with traditional, full moon, old lycanthropy lore: werewolves. 

The prologue does a fantastic job setting up the story. I actually like the juvenile and cheesy ‘Officer Hackett is a bad guy – no, wait, he’s complex’ plot twist in the later game because few stories and games do camp right. This a game that knows it’s over the top, that it’s ridiculous, and that it has the freedom to be silly and stupid. What other modern game fulfills its genre so well? There’s a fundamental difference between being tacky on purpose and poor writing. That’s what I loved about Until Dawn and it’s what Supermassive has been missing since.

“Chapter One: Hackett’s Quarry Forever!” takes place two months after the events of the prologue. We see the last bus of campers leave, being waved off by the counselors. These are the main characters of the game and you will play as each of them. You learn about them through the game. For readability, I will list their basic information now:

Abigail – The art tutor. Abi is a caring and sensitive soul, she’s an artist who is always carrying a sketchbook. She has a crush on Nick.

Emma – The theater coach. Emma is an internet content creator. She hides her complexity behind her pretty girl persona. She is a people pleaser and perfectionist. She dated Jacob as a summer fling, and broke up with him today.

Dylan – The camp DJ / radio technician. Dylan is incredibly intelligent but uses camp as a break from academic pressure, so he can just be a typical guy. He is gay – evidenced by the fact his character has no options to flirt with the opposite sex. The player can have him fall in love with Ryan.

Jacob – The sports coach. He’s a jock who’s sweet and also a bit dimwitted. He thought his relationship with Emma wasn’t just for fun. He causes the entire night by secretly breaking the car, forcing everyone to stay instead of going home, so they can have ‘one last party together’.

Kaitlyn – The activities coordinator / nurse. Kaitlyn is a natural leader. She’s mischievous and likes to cause drama. She’s great at reading social cues and reasoning with people to get what she wants from them. The player can choose to have her fall in love with Ryan.

Nick – The cook. He’s a preppy Australian who knows he’s charming. His beast attack is unavoidable and his main purpose is to show the group they’re dealing with werewolves. Nick has a crush on Abi.

Ryan – The sailing coach / campfire storyteller. Ryan is quiet, shy, and a loner. He loves the paranormal and often listens to podcasts about it. He is the counselor who is closest to Mr. Hackett and is the only one who calls him by his first name. He also might know more than he lets on. Ryan is bisexual and can fall in love with either Kaitlyn or Dylan.

Other than giving a basic introduction to these characters and the location itself, the chapter’s main purpose is to set up the starting conflict. Jacob breaks the van and Mr. Hackett’s reacts by demanding the group just lock themselves in the main cabin for the rest of the night ‘for safety’. The group decides to party the second he leaves instead of listening to his warnings. This sets up the player for a hell of a night.

We know there are werewolves, but the counselors do not. Mr. Hackett’s reluctance in telling them is understandable. A big plot hole here is that he didn’t simply drive them to the nearby motel mentioned in the prologue. Also, why did they end camp on the day of a full moon?! That’s bad planning all around.

All in all, the plot’s quick start is appreciated. I sincerely thought we’d have at least one chapter of ‘party time’ before the werewolves joined in. That was quite the shock. I also love that instead of keeping the Hacketts to the shadows entirely, Supermassive made the creative choice of showing Bobby, and showing him saving Jacob, which gave us such important information about him.

LeAnne McPherson

[carpediem-celebrpg-promo]

✦ — CARPE DIEM - CELEBRITY RPG;

Not everyone is well liked and sometimes, no matter how hard you try to do the right things, you still end up with a bad reputation. If they’re going to think you’re bad, you might as well have some fun. Who cares what people say or think or feel about your life decisions? Carpe Diem is all about seizing the day so actually seize it, make the most of your experience here and don’t let anyone hold you back. Even if your reputation is bad, at least you’re being talked about. #famous

Wanted: Anna Camp

Ships: Up to player

Reserve for 24 hours (anon reserves must leave a name)

NO PARA SAMPLE NEEDED!

Click here to join Carpe Diem

[denimbex1986]

'Famed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s connections to the Bay Area are many: A professor at UC Berkeley, the father of the atomic bomb lived in several Berkeley residences; his brother, Frank, opened the Exploratorium; and Oppenehimer and his girlfriend, Jean Tatlock, once got drinks at the Top of the Mark.

He also was a frequent guest at a sprawling 2½-acre beachfront property in Stinson Beach owned by his close friends Haakon and Barbara Chevalier — a property where guests can stay to this day.

Haakon Chevalier, who taught French literature at UC Berkeley, became a central figure in the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission’s 1954 hearing that resulted in Oppenheimer losing his security clearance.

After Oppenheimer began developing the atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project in 1943, Chevalier, who was friends with Oppenheimer from their involvement in leftist circles at Berkeley, told the scientist that he knew of a way to pass information to the Soviets, who were allies of the United States at the time. Chevalier did not know what exactly Oppenheimer was working on.

Oppenheimer rejected Chevalier’s offer, but did not report the incident for eight months, and did not, at first, identify Chevalier. The incident and Oppenheimer’s connection to Chevalier were central in the government committee deciding to revoke Oppenheimer’s security clearance, disgracing the once-hailed scientist.

But years before, the Chevaliers frequently hosted intellectuals and famous guests at their Stinson Beach estate, including Oppenheimer, artist Salvador Dalí, gangster Al Capone and author John Steinbeck.

The sprawling getaway, known as Willow Camp, has mazes of gardens, several houses and rooms for guests, a pond, a pool, indoor and outdoor fireplaces and even a speakeasy. Current owners Steve and Lovisa Rubin, who bought the property from the Chevalier family just over a decade ago, have slowly been renovating and restoring it, taking the time to sort through the many treasures the couple have found on it. When they bought it, Steve said, the Chevaliers left everything behind.

“We find things all the time,” he said, opening a drawer underneath a bench that revealed original sheet music with annotations from its composer. “Some of them are valuable, some are not, but they’re all part of the history here.”

The shelves are filled with books, including many first editions, that once belonged to the Chevaliers and their guests, some with handwritten letters from people such as Steinbeck wedged in the pages. Another treasure simply left on the property is a Bechstein piano from around 1870, which now sits in the main room. Photos of the Chevalier family and their friends that Lovisa found and framed decorate nearly every room.

One artifact particularly interesting to guests hoping to have the Oppenheimer experience is a small wooden desk the physicist gifted to the Chevaliers and used on his visits to the estate, complete with old stains and coffee rings.

A fireplace inside the main lodge, where photos showed guests gathering and reading, is even re-created in the recent “Oppenheimer” movie in a scene set at the Chevaliers’ home. Movie scouts visited the property during their research, the Rubins said.

While the property needed extensive repairs when the Rubins bought it, they said they have been taking their time working through it, careful to preserve the relics they discovered and make sure any renovations still have a pre-World War II feeling — even if that means searching for months for a perfect, mint green toilet and sink set.

“It’s a piece of history, so you have to be careful,” Steve said. “We feel the spirit of this place, so we want to make sure everything we do, we keep it in line with what was here.”

The Rubins hope that by restoring the property and opening it to guests, they are bringing it back to some of its former glory as a gathering place for curious and creative minds.

Lovisa, who spent hours poring over the countless journals and letters she found in the house, said they reveal the complicated relationships among intellectuals and families at a difficult time in history — affairs, divorces, friendships lost and repaired — but through it all, Willow Camp was a constant.

“That seems to be a theme,” Lovisa said. “Even when things went awry, people still came back here. People gathered here at the end of the day.”'