Realistic or Modern The Cartography Club

[Anne Boolean]

Diana Miller​

"Alrighty! We're all set!" The pink-haired girl said. Her eyes, a brilliant sky blue thanks to power the of colored contacts, drifted over to the large grandfather clock in the hallway. "And just in time, too!" She gave a grin, turning to look at her friend. "Ohhh! I'm so excited!" she squealed giddily. "It's been soooo long since we've all been together like this! And a lot of people have brought in newcomers too!"

Diana considered herself one of the luckier ones in Lorraine's group. She had thick skin, some muscle from all that softball practice, and even if her parents weren't exactly supportive, they weren't necessarily unaccepting either. Their idea of care and nurturing was leaving their credit card for Diana to use if she needed something, but she didn't mind. Some of her needs included her pink hair, the cute new top she was wearing for the occasion, and of course the boxes of pizza and bottles of soda for everyone to enjoy during their meeting today.

And that was exactly why today would be so important. It would something for those who aren't as fortunate to look forward to. It would be a time when they could simple be themselves without having to fear. It would be a place where they were safe. Lorraine may have been gone, but her kindness left its mark, and Diana was happy to be able to help carry on her vision.

"I hope we got enough food," she said to Liya as she walked into the living room. They had moved in some of the love seats, couches and recliners in from the other rooms in order to provide a seat for everyone. In the middle was a coffee table with 5 boxes of pizza and 3 large bottles of soda, along with plates and cups for everyone. "And I hope it doesn't turn out that everyone went vegan or something over summer break... only one of those has no cheese..." Either way, those problems were fairly minor compared to what they had overcome in order to make this meeting happen.

"Oh, and I know we all have like, a summer's worth to catch up on, but if we get bored..." she picked up a large, rolled up piece of drawing paper and some markers. "... I've got a fun idea!"

Interactions: Liya ( gxxberkit )

 

[t e t z e l]

Pulling up to a house that was a pretty decent size compared to his home, Ash grinned and looked toward his passenger sitting next to him in his front seat. “Pretty nice spot for a meeting place, huh?” He hummed as Charlotte glanced at the house and back at him. “Do most clubs meet at someone's house?” She asked hesitantly. The meeting, though explained to her in a laid back sort of way, felt somewhat formal in the setting of someone's own home. She had hardly had time to adjust to public school and now she found herself at the house of a stranger. “Nah, but don’t worry too much Lottie. Make new friends, you can’t rely on me solely as your social life y’know? Just be polite and don’t be scared. They can smell it.” Ash teased slightly and opened his door. Charlotte was quick to follow as the pair made their way to the front door, with Charlotte bringing along some store bought cookies to contribute to the meeting. It felt weird not to bring anything considering they were at someone's house as guests. Ash had insisted she didn’t need to but she wanted to.

Ash knocked on the door and waited all of two seconds before calling out. “Diana, we’re here! Bright and early with a new member! She’s a cheerleader if you’re interested.” He announced playfully, much to Charlotte’s slight dismay and embarrassment. “Ash! At least give them a chance to open the door!” She yelled at him quietly, hoping only the knock was heard and not his babbling.

 

[redroseknight]

It was strange to Briallen that the meeting was taking place at someone's house, but it wasn't like the raven haired teen had a great deal of experience to run off of. Maybe that was just the way things were done around here? Certainly made just as much sense as hanging out at the school, and it wasn't like her parents really questioned where their mild-mannered daughter was off to. Her father was busy working late that night, and her mother was likely just as busy since she was settling into her new job. It would have been just Briallen at the new, vacant house, and that was no way to spend an evening if she could avoid it. So she had readily jumped at the chance to go to this cartography club meeting. Cartography. Briallen wasn't exactly the best student around, so the idea of going to something so intellectual was a bit strange. Still! It couldn't be that hard to fit in, right?

Her modest blue four-door sedan pulled along the street where it wouldn't be in the way, and she exited the vehicle to give her long legs a bit of stretch. She was still getting used to driving the more compact vehicle, and it took ages of adjusting the seat if her mother borrowed it to do an errand. Dressed quite simply in a pair of snug fitting jeans and a black t-shirt she had picked up when her father was stationed in Hawaii, she figured that this was a laid-back affair. How stuffy could a high-school club be, after all?

Her blue eyes fixated on two figures in front of her as she made her way up the drive-way. The young woman didn't seem quite as relaxed as the young man with her, and that made Briallen a little more at ease. Whew! She wasn't the only one! And then she immediately felt ashamed of herself. Why should she feel relieved that someone else was feeling uncomfortable. That wasn't nice! Well, it was going to be even more awkward quickly if she just stood around behind the pair even if that was all Briallen kind of wanted to do at that moment. Would it be possible to make her tall frame blend in with the side of the building or something?

Swallowing her insecurities, Briallen's lips formed her usual congenial grin.

"And here I thought I was going to be too early! My father's the kind of guy who says that if you're five minutes early then you're late, so its a hard habit to break," she laughed.

 

[gxxberkit]

With a deep stretch and a yawn, the dark-skinned girl gently beamed at the preparations she and her friend had made before the meeting. They both had done a lot of furniture moving, and the house seemed to look much different than it did when Aaliyah first arrived. Picking up a clipboard and pen from a nearby table, she turned to her excited friend with a nod. “Me too! I can’t wait to meet everyone,” it replied, her voice filled with equal excitement. She clicked the toe of her platforms on the ground before quickly following Diana into another room.

Liya had one goal; to carry on Lorraine’s legacy. Since they had gotten the Cartography Club up and accepted by the school, she was already two steps closer to that aspiration. Even better, the first and definitely not last meeting was about to begin. She and her vice-president of the Cartography Club, Diana, had spent so much time overcoming the setbacks that came naturally in their community just to form the club and round up so many members. Sparkles formed in the girl’s eyes as she thought back on it.

But now’s not the time for reminiscing.

She chewed lightly on the pen as the two entered the living room, listening to Diana’s worries. She glanced down at the clipboard. “We’re fine! We have so much food. I bet we’ll even have a lot left over. I hope, anyway. I’d like to be able to send people home with food…” Liya gave a slight giggle to what she thought was a joke, looking back up at Diana. “Oh, I’m sure they didn’t all decide to go vegan. That’d be such a weird coincidence.”

When Diana held up the paper, Liya tilted her head at it with slight confusion, before the smile returned on her face. “That already looks like a good idea! I wonder if we’ll have time for it.. Whatever it is! I bet it’ll be—”

Her thought was interrupted by a knock on the door, and some muffled speech it couldn’t really make out. It placed the clipboard on another table before speed-walking towards the door. Once her hand was on the door handle, she took a deep breath, and then opened it.

“Ah! Hello! Welcome! Yes!” It beamed at the visitors with an awkward giggle. A short, nervous-looking girl, and a taller, chiller guy. Hold on. She recognizes the guy! "Ash! And.. Ash's friend! Hello!" She tilted her head to look past the two and waved to the person behind them. "Hello to you, too!" It shuffled out of the doorway, gesturing to the living room. “Come in, come in, all of you! Everything’s already set up! Welcome! Again…”

 

[bambino]

akane

If there was one thing Akane hated, it was walking. If there was one thing he hated more, it was bothering someone else for a ride. So rather than swallow his pride, he bit back any grumbling about the journey and just got on with it. Think of it as your daily cardio, some voice in his head said, before he rolled his eyes at himself—the captain had really gotten into his head.

His mind wandered as he walked, as it often did. With his eyes trained on the pavement below his feet, he thought over the text conversation he had with Derrion earlier. It was… strange, for him at least, to have admitted to actually thinking of someone in a friendly way. As he thought it over, he found his face flushing from more than the blazing sun—he shook his head as if actively shaking off the thought, and bit at the inside of his cheek. Stupid thoughts about a stupid person weren’t something he should even give the time of day.

Hands stuffed into his shorts pockets, Akane finally arrived at Di’s. It had been a while since the whole group had hung out, and he just knew that their guerrilla tactics would get some new members—his brow furrowed at that, especially as he walked up the driveway and found two newbies at the door.

Akane didn’t pay them any mind. He gave Ash a grunt of a hello and continued to chew at the inside of his cheek, waiting as patiently as he could for the door to open. He was just anxious to get out of the heat. Finally, the door opened, and without listening to Liya he rushed inside. Ah, sweet sweet air conditioning.

♡coded by uxie♡

harriet

Harriet was a horrible driver.

This wasn’t something she would ever admit; In fact, she was very confident in her skills on the back of her vespa. But clearly—to anyone but her, at least—confidence wasn’t getting her very far.

As she swerved just out of range of causing another car crash, she found herself grinning. The idea of a cartography club had already piqued her interest, but after being added to the groupchat and learning what it was really about, she was even more excited. She was finally going to meet other people like her! The idea had her driving even faster, when she was already well above the speed limit, before she realized the address was quickly approaching.

Harriet swerved into the driveway and came to a skidding stop. She took off her helmet, shaking her hair free—it came down in less of a romantic reveal and more of a mess of frizz, but she didn’t mind. She was still grinning as she approached the door, just as the others were let in.

"Hey!"

she said brightly, gripping the strap of her bag. She couldn’t deny she was nervous, but her excitement far outweighed that.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Toivoajarakkaus]

♢Andrew "Ark" Markson♢

​

"Thanks for the ride Grandma, and the snacks too." A hand softened with age ruffled Andrew's tangled locks with a proud grin, reaching into his perch in the passenger seat. The last few minutes had spent in comfortable silence as they made their way to this Cartography Club meeting. His parents had sent some intrigued looks his way when he first mentioned it. Map drawing wasn't exactly their kid's go too. But their growing concern was quickly quieted at the excuse of the available nerd/geek club being aggressively micro-agressive. Otherwise the pair were content to see their child making friends in their new home. Ark's grandma however, the wise old geezer, wasn't so easily fooled and yet still offered her beat-up subaru as transport. She now leaned against the steering wheel. Chuckling in her smoke-roughed voice as another car swerved into their destination's driveway like a bat out of hell.

"Now I set you off with my good chocolate-chip cookies, some snicker-doodles, your peanut criss-crosses, and I expect you to come home with empty zip-locks mister. I'd have nothing less. Call yer ma when you're ready to pack it up." Before Ark could take his leave, his grandma brought him into an embrace that smelt like caramelized sugar with a trail of smoke. Hands that look fragile as twigs holding as strong as an ironwood tree tangled his hoodie. "Me, your ma, and pa will never abandon you kiddo. Our doors and hearts will always be open and never conditional. And that offer extends to any of your pals in there too." The woman making a show of flexing her biceps in increasingly exaggerated ways. Her grandson giving a quiet snort at the sight. "I've got a couple rides on the Harley still left in me."

"Love ya Kiddo!" was the affirmation tossed from the car, as Andrew's grandma finally pulled away. The previous pit in their stomach lessened. Good old grandma noticing not only the club's true nature, but her grand-kid's own frazzled nerves. It had been a while since they had been able to make friends since leaving their home state. Let alone in a far more hostile environment such as Springdale. The entire reason they were here in the first place. 'Here's to better days.' They followed the growing crowd in, bee-lining for the food table with purpose as they placed the previously mentioned cookies on the table.

" It wasn't mentioned in the gc if we had to bring food, but my grandma couldn't resist sending some sweets. Only rule about these is they got to be empty when I go home. Grandma' orders."

 

[BriiAngelic]

• Devan Milford || Junior Jackass
• Sunny Ryba || Junior Loner

• 
  
  
  
  Tags:
  Derrion ( nessie_sc ) Sunny (Me)
  

  ~ Dev's place -> Derrion's place ~
  Cook's Theme || Devan's CS File
  
  A weekend meet for their first meeting huh? Devan was pretty surprised they even managed to officially create the club again…. Though was a covert ops situation really official? It didn’t feel that different from before, except perhaps they would have some new blood. Dev was never really one to decide that a familiar struggle was something a lasting friendship could be built upon but she actually didn’t mind all of the dorks.
  
  Now if only she could get Sunny on board…. And work up the energy to get out of bed.
  
  The prickly bastard was still their same usual self not wanting to really bond. Yet despite that, they’d been the first to sign up to the club. She could have almost suspected that the fucker actually enjoyed their company. Well, she knew they must have, she smiled into her phone reading off the texts from last night. Sun was already packing away games like no tomorrow in their bag from last night and Di let them know that there would be food so that left her with precious little to supply.
  
  

  Spoiler: Dev and Diana Texts

  

  
  And HOLY SHIT IT WAS NOON?
  
  She pushed herself out of bed with a groan. She saw some new unread messages from Sun and started to read before she heard a shout at her doorway.
  
  “Tilly!”
  
  “Mmm ‘oming”
  
  Fuck Nora probably came to see why she had slept in so late. She opened her door to see her elder sister fully dressed in her work uniform with her foot tapping on the ground. The complete opposite of her dressed in her oversized pajama shirt and bedhead.
  
  “Your little boytoy is downstairs. Hurry up before Dad glares him out of existence.”
  
  “Fuck you Ra. You know Sun has a name. ‘Sides he’ll wait.”
  
  There was no use correcting her of course, hadn’t stopped her before and wouldn’t stop her now. Instead, she closed the door right back on her as she gathered up her clothes to go shower. If there was one thing she hated was skipping her morning shower. After around ten minutes in she heard a bang on the door.
  
  “DEVVVV”
  
  “DON’T RUSH ME SUN.”
  
  “DID YOU JUST WAKE UP”
  
  She didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, she continued to enjoy her shower as she heard the grumbling of Sunny as he went down the stairs. Once she was done she tossed her dirty clothes and towel into the hamper in the hallway as she headed down the stairs. She pulled out her phone reading the messages that Sunny had sent her.
  
  

  Spoiler: Sunny's Texts that I am too lazy to code but had originally planned to

  “Hey are we taking my car or yours”
  “You invited the new kid right?”
  “Do you even know where he lives?”
  “Are we picking him up?”
  “Oh damn guess you’re still asleep heard”
  “Di did say that she’d already planned food right”
  “I think i may have packed an excessive amount of shit in my bag”
  “Dev?”
  “DEV”
  “YOU BETTER BE AWAKE ALREADY YOU FUCKER”
  “YOUR PHONES NOT DEAD ITS SHOWING AS DELIVERED”
  “DEV THE SHITS NOT EVEN SHOWING AS READ”
  “DEVVVVVVVVV”
  “Im coming over better get ready”
  “HEY BITCH WAKE UP”
  “Im SENDING NORA”
  “Nora hates me, but she loves to annoy you more than she dislikes me so this is an accomplishment.”

  
  Whoops. She took a moment to text Derrion with a quick one-word text. Before skipping down the stairs two at a time to find Sun slumped into the couch having a silent conversation with her father. She heard the notification of a text and found Derrion was rather quick with the response. Good good. She answered quickly as she snagged the keys from the wall.
  
  

  Spoiler: Dev and Derrion Texts

  

  
  “YOU’RE LATE WHEN YOU’RE THE ONE WHO-”
  
  “Yeah, yeah I know Sun! -Bye dad love you.”
  
  She ran out the door with Sun on her heels before her dad could ask too many questions. She quickly jabbed the address into the gps and laughed seeing how close it was to the school. Oh, they’d be fine. She strapped into the car turning it on to heat up.
  
  “Relax Sun it’s not until two. ‘Sides apparently Derrion is right along the way to Di’s house.”
  
  “Well, maybe I’d relax if you ever answered your phone.”
  
  They flung their bag in the backseat before slumping into the passenger seat and quickly buckling in. Dev quickly started their drive looking at the clock 1:10pm. Well, at least it wasn’t too cold out. With a frown, they started to change the music station being unable to really decide on a station.
  
  “Why does all of your music suck?”
  
  “You’re literally on radio just plug in the Bluetooth. ‘Sides quit being a baby we’re almost there.”
  
  She drove faster than every road's recommended speed limit. She only slowed once the GPS stated they were arriving at the destination. She let out a smile as she drove up and honked the horn aiming to scare either Sunny or Derrion.
  
  “Hey, you coming new blood?”
  
  “FOR FUCKS SAKE. Dev why the hell would you honk when he’s already outside?”
  
  Clearly, it scared Sunny.
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  Tags:
  Derrion ( nessie_sc ) Devan (Me)
  

  ~ Sunny's place -> Dev's place -> Derrion's place ~
  Kyupita's Theme || Sunny's CS File
  
  Sunny had been packing from the night before only half sure they knew what was necessary for the meet. Speaking to Lia assured some of their fears but they couldn’t help but worry still. It was easier when it had just been Dev dragging them along to hangouts but now that the club was back in full swing they felt the same need to do something. A ball of nervous energy they managed to not only get ready for the day, but also repack their entire bag after having second thoughts, clean their room from top to bottom, continue to text Dev who wasn’t answering still.
  
  They made their way down the stairs. The smell of breakfast permeated the room. Oh right, Mom and Pop were both off today. They took a seat swinging their bag onto their chair in the dining room. They didn’t know whether to bring up any of the revival of the club to them. Their parents had been mostly supportive of them in the past… but the club couldn’t afford to be well known from what Lia said yesterday.
  
  

  Spoiler: Lia and Sunny Posts

  

  
  “Food’s up Benny!”
  
  With a sigh, they took their seat and began picking at the bacon. At least it wasn’t oatmeal again.
  
  “Thanks Ma”
  
  “Why the long face? Something troubling you?”
  
  You, they wanted to say. But that would only wind up with another argument on the horizon. They heard the footsteps fall behind them as their dad came into view in a button-up and slacks.
  
  “Morn’ Son/un”
  
  They perked up a bit as their dad came and took his seat beside them. Wait it was Saturday right? They gestured with a raised eyebrow at their dad a tilt of their head.
  
  “Called in, but I should have next Friday off as a trade-off. We can make a weekend of it. You leaving too Sunny?”
  
  They merely nodded without giving too much extra information as they fired off more texts to Dev. Once they finished their breakfast they looked at the clock. 10am… still pretty early. They didn’t know how far the new kid was… nor did they have his number. They sincerely hoped Dev would have the time planned out but knowing Dev that was a long shot at best and a plan for failure at worst.
  
  Well, nothing for it but to text Jamie for a bit. At least that would pass some time.
  
  

  Spoiler: Sunny and Jamie Texts

  

  
  After a period of time shitting around with Jamie, they heard the alarm go off on their phone. Eleven thirty and Dev still hadn’t even read it. Time for drastic measures. They kicked off the sofa and grabbed their bag. Luckily Dev didn’t live far at all, and she was fucking driving for making them wait.
  
  After dealing with the usual sizing up from Dev’s fam they wound up sitting down oh their usual recliner waiting for news from Nora. As Dev’s sis came back down the second time she called out to them before leaving the house.
  
  “She’s entirely asleep.”
  
  It was enough to throw them into annoyance as they tossed their bag before storming up the stairs.
  
  “DEVVVV”
  
  They yelled out to her as they banged on her bathroom door. The rest of the family was downstairs so no chance of accidentally annoying Desiree.
  
  “DON’T RUSH ME SUN.”
  
  Her answer only pissed them off worse. They’d gotten up early and for what? To wait again on their longtime lazy friend.
  
  “DID YOU JUST WAKE UP”
  
  They waited outside the door for a bit before they realized Dev had no intention of giving an answer and leaving back down the stairs and slumping into their chair once more.
  
  “So you two made plans?”
  
  Fuck they forgot about Dev’s dad. He was glaring at them again. He didn’t know what was worse when the man was telling him off for getting to close to his daughter or when it seemed almost encouraging him to go for it as she got wilder at school. Life was so much easier when they were kids and they didn’t notice it.
  
  “Yeah, Dev wants to invite the new kid out to get him acclimated to the town.”
  
  A long silence.
  
  “Devan didn’t eat so be sure to get yourselves some lunch.”
  
  With that, her father handed over some cash to them.
  
  “Thanks?”
  
  Luckily Dev’s arrival down the stairs helped to cut some of the awkwardness. He quickly grabbed his bag as he shouted to Dev.
  
  “YOU’RE LATE WHEN YOU’RE THE ONE WHO-”
  
  “Yeah, yeah I know Sun! -Bye dad love you.”
  
  They were out before Dev’s dad could continue any form of conversation they had going. Well, at least they were off now.
  
  

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

The car ride was mostly quiet.

Granted, that's how most of the trips the Kaedos family took were, but it was for the best, anyway. The car already made enough noise that Arii's loud brain tried to buzz over that conversation was a little difficult, anyway. And besides, Vihaan was driving, so Ariiasqthylinh was far too busy keeping an eye on the speedometer. Vihaan liked to drive fast—which was bad, because at some point they were riding behind a car going equally fast, and even though they were barely five miles-an-hour above the recommended speed limit (police rarely ticketed that on highways, as far as they'd been informed), Arii still had less faith in their tande's driving than Jet's.

To be fair, going slightly slower than the speed-limit generally wasn't the best idea, either, but they'd take it over that One time when they barely scraped by without a collision from some asshole trying to merge into their lane. Either way, Arii had decided (unjustly) that both of their fathers were horrible drivers, and that thought did not help their wheedling at trying to get them to learn to drive. They were perfectly fine biking.

Arii blinked out of their internal musing at the feeling of the car slowing, blinking a few times to remind themself of how to see with their contact in. They were graced with the sight of a residential neighborhood rolling by their backseat window, cookie-cutter houses passing by in what they registered as different blends of beige dotted with the odd green or red.

Vihaan's car rolled to a stop in front of a house that made one of Ariiasqthylinh's brows perk, the modern design and size of it prompting them to clutch the glass containers of curry and—stir-fry? yes, that was stir-fry—closer to their chest. They took care not to lose the ingredient notes ("for people with allergies."), but the clink of the dishes must have drawn Jet's attention. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw his head turn.

Instead of speaking immediately, he tapped the top of the glass dish. Ariiasq turned to look at him—a clear sign that they were up to listen. Though... they did take note of how exhausted he looked. Jet rarely had dark-circles, but even under the makeup still present from work (though slightly smeared), they could tell he wasn't sleeping too well. It might just be another "Arii-thing", though. They didn't think anyone would look directly under his eyes in the span of time it took for their dads to get back home and for Jet to pass out, somewhere. Otherwise, he looked as immaculate as he always did.

They decided not to worry about it.

"Sure you're gonna be alright here for a couple of hours?" After spending so much time at school the day before, Jet's slight accent was like the hearing equivalent of getting wrapped in a blanket. It helped that his speech was quiet... unlike school.

Arii hummed, taking a moment to breathe in slowly. When there was no immediate discomfort—no chest tightening, or weird heart-beat things, they offered him a little smile. "Yeah—" they were a little hoarse. They barely spoke at all the day before. "I think I'll be okay. I have my phone—I'll call."

Platinum pipped up from the driver's seat as he set the car to idle, twisting himself around the side of the chair. "And?"

"If they start getting drunk and/or pulling guns, I hide behind someone's house in their garden—in a bush if possible—and call the police then you." The long-since memorized speech fell from their lips easily, even over Jet's exasperated "Vi!"

With a soft, affectionate huff, Jet reached back to ruffle their hair. "That won't happen. Go have fun."

As the car in front of them honked, Arii slipped out of the car, nearly dropping the stir-fry dish from the very abrupt, very loud noise. They screwed up their face.

Vihaan, thankfully, didn't honk back, though it might have been because he busied himself with rolling down the window and all-but shouting "We love you, kiddo!" out of it.

Maybe a few years ago they'd have flushed redder than their hair-tie, but that was then, and instead, they opted to half turn and wave, grinning lopsidedly. With that, the car pulled out, presumably headed back to the family's new house.

Ariiasq, though, was far more interested in the house in front of them, now. The sidewalk loaded with people waiting to be let in, though none of them formed any kind of line, seemingly bunching at the doorstep, instead. They... didn't really want to do that, so they just... awkwardly stood where they'd been dropped off, at least a few yards off from the main crowd at the door.

They took a breath, trying to ignore the slowly building heat along their back. They needed to focus on being calm. Yes. Calm is good.

 

[Direct Timing]

It was always awkward being the new kid, no matter who you were, or where you were from, but Jeremy had seemed to have settled into school with little noticeable impact. He had tried out for the track team, and of course made it. That was his thing. He was a fast runner and he had lots of stamina. More than enough to spare for running and whatever else that came about. Jeremy had been thinking about joining one of the many clubs just for the social aspect of school life and hoping to make new friends. He was undecided on which one until some anonymous student had put a flyer in his locker for the Cartography Club. There was a single title in rainbow colors, “Let’s make maps together!”

It was certainly vague, and why had they chosen to use the rainbow colors in the title? Was there something more going on here than map making? He had looked at the address. When Jeremy had gotten home that day he googled the address and saw that this was one of the homes on his paper route and he knew right where it was.

That Saturday he got dressed. He put on his red t-shirt and khaki shorts. Jeremy folded the flyer and put it in his back pocket. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to bring a notebook and pen for drawing maps but what the heck. He put his notebook and pens in his backpack and headed towards the front door.

“Where you going honey?” Jiang asked her son.

“Just going to a map making club. Some kids from school will be there I guess.” Jeremy answered her.

“Oh, like the world map?” Jiang asked.

“I dunno, maybe it’s like for D&D or something.” Jeremy replied.

“Dee and Dee?”

“Yes mom, dungeons and dragons.” Jeremy was trying not to roll his eyes.

“Oh, so is that at school?” She asked expecting Jeremy to say ‘yes’.

“No, it’s at one of the students house I guess.” Jeremy opened the door.

Jiang tensed slightly. “One of the students house? Well, do you know this student?”

“No mom, it will be fine. This house is on my paper route so it’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”

“Maybe I should take you?” Jiang said reaching for her car keys.

“Mom, no. Please don’t embarrass me.” Jeremy said turning around to face his mom.

Jiang was already holding her car keys and walking towards her son. “Honey, we don’t know what this club is about or whose over seeing it or anything.”

“I’m taking my bike and my cell phone. Here.” Jeremy texted his mom the address. “There. If you haven’t heard from by night fall then call the police. Otherwise I’ll be fine.”

“But Jeremy…” His mom protested.

“Goodbye mom.” Jeremy said closing the front door behind him.

About 15 minutes later Jeremy skidded to a stop on the street in front of the house that was having the club meeting. He saw a few kids going in and others perhaps standing on the porch. He got off his bike and rolled it up near the front porch and laid it down. He smiled at the kids on the front porch and then went inside. Jeremy could see that by the decorations and the diverseness of kids that this appeared to be more than just a mapping class. He reached into his back pocket and took out the flyer and unfolded it.

“Hey, I’m here to draw maps or something?” he said to anyone that might be listening.

 

[_clown_]

It was only earlier that same Friday that the delinquent had overheard two students talking about a school club. Ordinarily he would've turned his music up and continued painting raccoons across the school's walls, however something about the discussion snagged his interest. What was it they called it again, calligraphy? Curtainogramy? Cartography? Little more did Ratt know about the meaning of the word than he did the actual purpose of the club, or why he was interested in tagging along in a meeting.

Ratt wasn't invited, per say, but he took it upon himself to decide that he would have been if the opportunity had come up. He took the chance, while running from a teacher promptly after finishing the tail of his masterpiece, to rip a flyer off of the school's bulletin board. Hidden behind layers of papers forbidding the usage of cigarettes on campus or beckoning students to try out for a play, there laid the flier for the Cartography Club. That was all Ratt needed to decide he'd tag along and see what this was all about.

No more did he prepare for the meeting of his peers than he would've for anything else, whether it be casual or formal. With no parents to question his safety Ratt merely kissed Pansy and Pixie gently on the head before he began his walk (or saunter, if you must be specific) to the location of the first meeting.

The address was far from his own, consequently challenging Ratt to a long walk to the aisles of houses built for trust fund babies whose families who happened to win the lottery of life - as far as he was concerned. His own income could hardly afford him the rent of an apartment leaning treacherously on a cheap foundation, not to mention the mold and the discriminatory landlord. Although those living conditions were still better than what he faced with his parents, and Ratt had found himself living comfortably near a twenty-four hour convenience store and an abandoned building - ideal for graffiti.

However long the walk didn't matter when Ratt had the comfort of loud music to entertain him. This music wasn't played through headphones, of course, but directly out of his back pocket to warn everyone of his oncoming presence. Nevertheless, in due time Ratt had finally arrived. Unlike anyone who was meeting people for the first time, Ratt wasn't anxious nor hesitant. The bold individual strided directly inside, prefacing his entrance with no further introduction. Such an action would've been considered breaking and entering if this turned out to be the wrong house. At the very least, he had the decency to turn his music off.

Following the soft sound of murmuring voices, Ratt entered into the spacious living room full of unfamiliar faces and a table cluttered with food. Polite students placed down what food they'd brought, urging to Ratt's memory that the respectable thing to do was bring some sort of offering. It wasn't mentioned on the flyer at all, but he'd only bothered to look over the rainbow writing and take note of the address during his little chase. Luckily, Ratt did bring along with him something of a snack, and so to the table of pizza, homemade treats and carefully presented dishes of many types… Ratt dropped a half eaten bag of frozen French fries. Whether they were eaten while frozen was an entirely different subject. Following his charitable addition to the snacks, the green haired boy immediately made himself comfortable on the couch which he assumed cost more than most of his belongings.

 

[nessie_sc]

Derrion "Der" Helms

​

Derrion groaned as he rolled over glaring at his phone which was flashing and screeching "LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR" on his nightstand. Reaching over he taps the screen a couple times until it silences. Sitting up and rubbing his face, he brings the phone closer to check his notifications and the time. 5:30 A.M. Thankfully, the notifications were nothing too serious. He sighs dropping back onto his pillow with his phone on his chest, sleep still heavy on his mind. Derrion closes his eyes again slightly drifting back asleep.

***UNTIL***​

SLAM! His room door swings open, hitting the wall. "GOOD MORNING STARSHINE! THE EARTH SAYS HELLO!" Derrion squeezed his eyes closed tighter, knowing Ji was just being her normal extra annoying self. "I know you're up you ass!" Derrion kept his eyes shut. "DER!" Still shut. Before he could react, Ji launched herself onto the bed. "I KNOW YOU HEARD MY GOOD MORNING!" Ji shook Derrion until he couldn't help but smile. "Yo I don't know why you still say that lame line." Ji used to be completely obsessed with Johnny Depp, so she would randomly quote lines from his movies (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was her favorite). Ji got off the bed, tossing her hair and laughing. The faint smell of alcohol and juice wafted in the air. Der smiled at her, stretching. "How was work?" Ji sighed, "Man work was work. Got some numbers though." Ji winked at him as Der faked a gag. She pushed him playfully. "You ready to go?" He looked Ji up and down. "Man you're not ready!" Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday Derrion would go to the gym and workout, and Ji comes along on Saturdays since she gets off early in the morning. She walked to the hallway, picking up and showing him her gym bag. "I'm covered. Now hurry up! I'm gonna be in the car."

Ji walked out, and Derrion got out the bed. He threw on a pair of shorts, a shirt, and his socks before grabbing his phone and wallet. After quickly brushing his teeth and grabbing his headphones, water bottle, and a couple granola bars he ran out the apartment.

***Several hours later, Derrion is playing his switch while Ji sleeps in her room.***​

Der felt a vibration in his pocket as he played Animal Crossing. After saving and closing the game, he pulls out his phone. It's a text from Devan asking his address. After a few seconds of confusion, realization hit him like a brick. THE MEETING! Der had completely forgotten about the meetup with the Cartography Club today. He quickly texted the address, then plugged his phone up. He sprinted into the bathroom, thankful that he'd already showered. Der washed his face, brushed his teeth, and ran back out. Snatching his phone up, he saw Dev had responded. He shot back a response before running to his room and snatching off the grey shorts he was wearing in exchange for a pair of nicer basketball shorts, a Nike tank, and some socks. At his dresser, he picked up a pair of silver studs and put them in. Walking back to the living room, he slipped on a pair of sneakers. Looking around the apartment, he eyed the supply of granola bars on the counter in the kitchen. It's common courtesy to bring snacks, right? He messaged Dev alerting her that he was bringing food just in case it would take up additional space. Satisfied with what she text back, Der grabbed the bag and a couple family sized bags of chips (Lays and Doritos) that Ji didn't need to eat anyways since she was "on a diet". Grabbing one of his extra backpacks, he put in the food, his switch, and his chargers. He zipped up the bag while walking to the dry erase board on the fridge to scrawl out a quick message for Ji. Gone to club meeting. Good luck at work! Der grabbed his wallet and headphones before stopping in the bathroom to take a last look at himself. Flashing a quick smile at his reflection, he walked out the door, locking it behind him.

Descending the stairs, Der scanned the parking lot for any unfamiliar cars. Not seeing any, he leaned up against the wall of the stairwell to wait. Before long, a car drove up honking the horn. Der smiled, as Dev called out "Hey, you coming new blood?" He jogged up, hearing the person in the passenger seat say something at Dev that sounded a little upset. Derrion slid into the backseat, putting his backpack in his lap. "What's good you two? Thanks for coming to get me. " Der put on the seatbelt, settled in for the drive while internally he was super excited.

 

[Toivoajarakkaus]

♢Andrew "Ark" Markson♢
Interaction: Jeremy ( Direct Timing )
​

Having accomplished the Grandma side-quest for now and, despite there possible still available sitting, Andrew just finds a spot to sit criss-cross-applesauce on the ground. People-watching as other kids began to file into the house. For an underground group there was certainly many faces. Everyone was still way too tall (What the heck was everyone eating???????). And attractive. Definitely attractive. They would have 100% pegged most of these folxs as popular kids with their looks. Though of all the current guests, none had yet topped the entrance of a tall, green-haired person. They just waltz right in, dumped a open bag of frozen fries on the snack table, and just plops themselves in a seat. Where did they get the fries? Were they eating them on the way here? Was it as good as they made the half-eaten bag look? The temptation was growing. And it wasn't like was dangerous. Most frozen foods were precooked. Ark may have pursued this forbidden knowledge if it wasn't for the person whom asked “Hey, I’m here to draw maps or something?”. They supposed not everyone picked up on the subtle not-so-subtle hints of what the Cartography club actually was.

"I think we end up doing less of map drawing, more gushing about celebrity crushes and lost opportunities... But I'm not one for ruining surprises, so all shall be revealed in time." Having set the bag that once contained their grandparent's confections on their lap, it left Ark's hands open for spooky finger waggling and gentle 'wwoooo'ing. He soon dropped it to rest his head on the backpack instead with a huff. "Though to be entirely honest it will be a bit judging by the number of members in the group chat. So pull yourself into a chair, maybe plan a better introduction then me. Name's Ark. Like Marble Hornet's Ark. Not the boat. I answer to anything other then She/her. Yours?" Tilting their head on top of backpack to give the confused person their attention through slanted lenses.

 

[Nightshade98]

Blair & Rowan​

The approach of what those familiar would know to be Blair's vehicle is heard before it can be seen. The sounds of oppressive, angry music blasting from the speakers combined with the engine spluttering of a vehicle truly just not wanting to work are audible a little before it comes into view. As it does round the corner, onlookers are treated to the sight of a car that, despite best efforts to present it nicely, is just inherently kind of ugly. An old and rusted thing in an unpleasant shade of beige-ish off white. The driver maneuvers the vehicle into the driveway with a level of caution derived from a healthy distrust of the aging automobile and manages to stop just barely short of hitting Harriet's moped. The handbrake engages with a "thunk" audible from outside the vehicle and the music stops with the engine.

The passenger is the first to leave the vehicle. They take a few steps away from the vehicle and stop abruptly, staring at the small crowd gathered at the door. They stand fairly tall although they hunch a little, loosing a couple inches. Their facial features land just on the masculine side of androgyny and nervous eyes dart about from behind thick rimmed glasses. A simple grey hoodie hangs off of their skinny frame. Rowan stands there for a good few seconds just eyeing the group, seeming a little reluctant to actually approach.

Rowan is brought out of their anxious spiral as the car's driver roughly pushes past them. The taller girl pauses to flash them a cold stare, both frustrated by them and also, subtly checking that they're alright, as she didn't expect her light push to affect them quite as much as it did. She glances towards the small crowd of people before briefly placing a reassuring hand on Rowan's shoulder for a moment. With that Blair turns away again to make her way over to the house, leaving Rowan to their own musings. She cuts quite an imposing figure as she approaches the group clustered around the doorway, standing over 6 foot with heels and clad head to toe in black and fishnets with long black hair and dark makeup. She gives a quick glance over each of the newcomers, her gaze lingering a second on Harriet before she weaves her way through the group of newcomers and enters the hallway.

Blair pauses infront of Liya, turning to her to speak breifly. Her voice is quiet and monotone. "Thanks for hosting this. We need this again. I brought the kid. I figured they would have talked themself out of coming if left to their own devices. So I took the decision out of their hands. It's was on the way for me anyway." That last part was a lie. Rowan's apartment would have been in the opposite direction to Diana's place for Blair. Liya would know this but she'd also know that Blair would vehemently deny this in order to protect what she sees as her image. The idea that she'd go out of her way for someone like Rowan just doesn't fit. She stares Liya down for a second, purple contact clad eyes seeming to challenge her to disagree. After a moment she seems satisfied however and gives her a slight nod. "I'll see you inside." And with that Blair strides off further into the building.


Tags: gxxberkit bambino and like everyone else gathered at the front door I guess

 

[bambino]

akane

Akane didn't like to sit when others were standing; It made him feel even smaller than usual, and he really didn't need that. So he stood around the table with his arms crossed, trying to subtly cool off, while also staring down the newbies. Akane knew that he wasn't supposed to be so... hostile towards any members of the club. He had been told this in no uncertain terms before. But, considering the fact that they had already been betrayed once, he thought it made sense to be cautious.

And nothing made alarm bells blare in his head quite like the 6'3'' ratman--Akane could think of no better word to describe him--who sauntered into the room only to drop a bag of frozen french fries and then make himself at home on the couch. Akane's arms uncrossed, and he stared at the other incredulously. The conversation in the background was resolutely ignored as he stepped around the table and came to stand right in front of him where he sat on the couch, glaring down at the other.

"The fuck do you think you're doing?"

he asked, and it was almost a genuine question--what exactly was going through this idiot's head, stepping in without so much as a hello and offering freezer food before plopping himself down on the couch? His head tilted to look slightly in Diana's direction.

"Hey, do you know this asshole?"

he asked, eyes quickly shooting back to where the other was seated--as if looking away for a second would let him scurry away like a rat.

"Cause I can kick him out if he wasn't invited,"

he added. Akane was halfway to making threats, but he figured that would be a little too far to go, at least, in front of everyone else.

_clown_

♡coded by uxie♡

harriet

Harriet bounced into the house, looking around in quiet awe. Growing up the country meant Harriet wasn't exactly used to what she would call posh living, and this was her first glimpse into a world she had never experienced before. It made her even more excited to actually meet the people inside in person, if one of them lived like this. Still, she was a little stuck looking for a familiar face, until she spotted her very own beacon of light--well, more of a beacon of darkness, if you wanted to get technical.

"Blairbear!"

she called out, clutching her bag just as tightly as she stepped closer to the other.

"Wow, you're tall in person! I mean, not bad tall though--I think it's really cool! I wish I was as tall as you- Oh!"

Suddenly Harriet began to scrounge through her bag, before pulling out a big handful of bracelets.

"I made those friendship bracelets!"

she said proudly, and she began to search through the handful until she found a certain one, green and pink.

"I know that you'd probably prefer something darker, but these colors made me think of you,"

she said a bit sheepishly.

"You don't have to wear it or anything, but I'd like you to have it."

She held it out to Blair, a wide smile on her face as she pushed the bracelet into the other's hand.

Nightshade98

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[BriiAngelic]

• Devan Milford || Junior Jackass

• 
  
  
  
  Tags:
  Derrion ( nessie_sc ) Sunny (Me)
  

  ~ Derrion's place -> On The Road ~
  Rain On Me || Devan's CS File
  
  She gave a smirk as their guest came on down. Sunny may not have enjoyed her method of collection but it seemed like Derrion was either used to it or generally okay with louder noise. She almost laughed as she saw him buckle up properly.
  
  “You can get comfortable dude, push Sunny’s shit around or whatever.”
  
  With a quick swipe of her phone from Sunny’s hands, she tossed it back to Derrion.
  
  “Hey-”
  
  “Here take over the music since Sun apparently hates my playlist today anyways.”
  
  She could see their annoyance at having the cell liberated from them but she knew better. They were more upset at the unpredictability of the new meetings than anything else. The song Sunny had selected, Rain On Me, was coming to a close anyway. She could see they crossed their hands over their chest from the corner of her eyes as she turned her attention back to the road. She threw the car back in drive as she started off without any real care.
  
  “If you didn’t sort your shit so terribly then maybe I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
  
  Their grumbling didn’t deter her in the slightest as she raised the volume slightly enjoying the vibes.
  
  “Anyways New Kid… Jerry? Derry? I dunno Dev never mentioned your name. You ever been to a gay club meet before?”
  
  She could have laughed at their deadpan delivery. Sun was definitely going to dig themselves into a hole with the newbies.
  
  “Yes I have. Don’t mind Sun, th-he’s better with nicknames. Buttttt anyways have you?”
  
  

 

[Direct Timing]

​

Jeremy happened to notice a short kid staring him down for a moment. Jeremy learned in juvi that you stare those down who are staring you down and he had seen this look before. This kid was sizing up everyone to see who he could bully around. Jeremy’s eyes did not waiver at the challenge. He stared right back ready for anything. He thought about taking off his back pack but decided that not moving would be more imitating. Jeremy dropped the flyer to the floor and took a step forward. Suddenly their lock was broken by the loud interruption of a tall guy coming in and throwing down a bag of frozen french fries on the table? What the- Jeremy laughed to himself. The tall kid plopped down in one of the chairs and then the short kid started to have words with him. About this time he heard someone talking to him from his side. Jeremy turned his attention to him.

“’All shall be revealed in time’? Sounds cryptic.” Jeremy said taking off his back pack and sitting in a chair next to Ark. He rested his back pack between his legs on the floor. “Cool Ark, my name is Jeremy and uh, I go by he/him. Marble Hornet...where do I know that from...OH you mean the slenderman videos? That was creepy but cool!” He said looking at Ark. Jeremy was glad someone was talking to him. He didn’t want to be that one kid standing alone in the corner with no one to talk to. "I wonder if some aspect of the slenderman story is true, Ark?" Jeremy scratched his left arm.

bambino Toivoajarakkaus

 

[Toivoajarakkaus]

♢Andrew "Ark" Markson♢
Interaction: Jeremy ( Direct Timing )
​

"The law of a chaotic entity demands I cause confusion in some manner, but since someone stole my thunder that's the best I got." Vaguely gesturing towards the green-haired person whom was in the process of being chewed out by what seemed to be the club's natural, protective grump. There would definitely been some head butting in the future to be had if 'Grumpy' couldn't reign in his "stick-in-the-mud" schtick. For now, they would behave. The shear amount of people was enough to warrant some restraint on normal trouble making tendencies. And speaking of people, the confused newbie now known as Jeremy found a chair to perch on near them. Ark shuffling slightly from their place on the floor to properly face them. Nodding when the boy picked up the reference. With the reducing number people who remembered what Marble Hornets was, it was getting pretty close to maybe considering another nickname... Would they get away with just Arc?

"Parts of the story are true. As a whole, the creation of our sharply dressed tree man is no more real then the picture that he was edited into. However, the failure of technology, the fear of the unknown, the need to conquer said unknown, and the consequences of such pursuits are true.-" Ark emphasing with the count of fingers. "-One does not investigate the loud noise in the basement when home alone. One does not place bodies in clearly cursed ancient burial grounds. One when pursued by a murderous enity should not split up so they can go fuck. And everyone knows to fear the low battery notification.-" They drop counting to cross their arms ontop of their bag. Still looking up at Jeremy from a tilted angle, with a small adjustment to their frames. "-But then again... There were some kids that truly believed hard enough that Slendy existed and murdered their friend to become like him... It's kinda fucked they made a movie about that particular part. The question then becomes less of 'What's real about it' and more of 'What are people willing to do to make it real?' "

 

[Anne Boolean]

Diana Miller​

Diana giggled along with Liya's idea. "Yeah, we definitely should! I know I'll probably be tired of pizza after having it two or three times in a row, so." Giving it away for the other members to take home would certainly be less wasteful.

"Yeah..." she admitted. It certainly would be a strange coincidence, and yet, it didn't seem completely ridiculous for her to worry about the possibility. Perhaps she was just nervous about this meeting and the club in general. She and Liya had put so much work into it, so Diana just wanted everything to go well.

Liya's approval of her idea was giving her some much needed reassurance, but when she heard the knock on the door, the anxiety came back. It was mixed with excitement though, as she moved along with her friend to let in their first arrivals. To her surprise, it was a girl she hadn't seen before. Still, she put on a warm smile and followed along with Liya's greetings. "Hi! Thanks for coming! We're so happy to have you!" she said, motioning for her to enter alongside her friend.

Diana's friendly demeanor was unphased as Akane rushed past them into the house. "Aki! How was your summer?" she asked, as if she hadn't spent a good chunk of it with him.

The next arrival didn't come in a car or on foot, but a scooter. Di's smile faded a little as the person driving it made a hard turn and stopped short in the driving, but since no one was hurt, it didn't seem like anything to worry about. The pink-haired girl let out a small giggle upon seeing the blonde's hair frizz up when she removed her helmet. "Hey!" she responded to the girl with her own word. "That's a pretty cool ride!" Despite their wealth, Diana's parents still hadn't gotten her a car. She wouldn't have even learned how to drive had it not been from one of her friends.

The next guest had been dropped off by someone, and their driver gave them some words of affection as goodbye from the car window. She found herself touched by it, wondering how her life might have been different if her parents were like that. As the newcomer stepped into the house, she watched him place a few zip lock bags full of cookies on the snack table. "Oh, no, you didn't need to," she responded to his statement about the food, "but thank you! I'm sure everyone will love those!" Only now was Diana realizing that she had neglected to buy desserts of any kind.

There were more words of affection that came from outside the front door. Diana's sky blue eyes fell on a car that dropped off a short-haired person, although unlike the others, they didn't approach the house. The pink-haired girl rose an eyebrow, stepping forward. "Hey!" she called out. "Are you here for Cartography Club?" The person's actions were suspicious, but their appearance didn't seem like that of someone who would take issue with what their club truly was, so Diana felt no need to panic just yet.

Following that individual, another person arrived, this time on a bicycle. The seventeen-year-old let out a chuckle at his words. "Well, you may be a little disappointed then," she said, but figured it was meant to be a joke. Seeing that he was holding a flyer, Diana assumed this one was scouted out by Liya. "C'mon in! There's pizza, soda, snacks... and some other people brought some stuff too!"

The next guest was announced by the loud music that seemed to emanate from him. The green hair and ragged appearance of the guy was something Diana had seen around school a few times, but he had never been someone she interacted with. Part of her was nervous about having him here for this meeting, wondering if he was the unfriendly type who would just harass everyone upon learning the truth about this club, but another part was trying to stay open-minded, remembering that counterculture was prominent in the LGBT community. Plus she probably didn't look too far off from him with her own pink hair. "Hi!" she greeted as he walked in. Her confusion and unsureness about him only rose when he dropped off a bag of frozen French fries on the snack table. "Um... do you want me to put those in the oven or microwave them...?"

Loud music was an indicator of yet another guest's arrival. This time though, it was coming from a car, one which added to the symphony it's own grunts and groans. As Di expected, after the careful parking, the one to step out was Blair. There was another person who stepped out as well, though: Rowan. "Hi Blair!" she greeted, having to look up at the already-tall woman as she towered over her while wearing heels. "Good to see you!" She then turned to Rowan. "And you too, Rowan! How was your summer?"

A familiar voice called to Diana from inside. Her smile faded a bit when she heard the speaker, Akane, refer to someone with a curse word. "Aki! C'mon! Don't call him that!" she gently chastised. Inside though, she felt some of the same concern as the other. "I don't know him, but there may be a lot of new people! We couldn't get absolutely everyone we reached out to in the group chat." She figured introductions were in order, but after looking at the number of people gathered, thought maybe they could all do those together.

She approached Liya. "I think we have a good amount of people now. I think we can get started." With that, she made her way to the living room. Some of the members had began talking with each other, while others were waiting patiently to see how things would unfold. Either way, Diana called out with a raised voice, "Hi, everyone!" to get the club's attention. "Thank you all for coming! We're hoping for this to be the first of many regular, fun meetings! I see some new faces, so in typical new meeting fashion, why don't we all go around introducing ourselves? Let's go with name, pronouns, grade, and... in the spirit of 'cartography', tell us something cool you did over the summer! I'll start! I'm Diana, or Di for short! I'm a Junior, and I use she/her. Something cool I did over the summer was... help Liya get this club up and running again!" It was a pretty uncreative answer, but it was what she was most proud of.

Interactions: Liya ( gxxberkit ), Briallen ( redroseknight ), Akane, Harriet ( bambino ), Ark (@ Toivoajarakkaus ), Arii ( ScatheAriiasqDrayceon ), Jeremy ( Direct Timing ), Ratt ( _clown_ ), Blair, Rowan ( Nightshade98 )

 

[_clown_]

Perhaps still too engrossed in his own thoughts, the tall student completely ignored the welcoming girl who was delighted to greet him at the door. After getting so comfortable, he would've been plenty satisfied to sit around in silent observation until the meeting began - but it seemed someone had other plans.

The boy who approached him with irritation made quite an impressive first impact. He had a disposition of a wet kitten, angry and yet not intimidating in the slightest. Small as well, especially so compared to the boy he was threatening. Ratt's brow raised at the irked individual's harsh and brave words. He would be lying if he said he wasn't rather amused by the daring boy. Once one got to know Ratt he had a demeanor akin to a bumbling idiot. Conversely, his appearance was intimidating - particularly his size. Aside from his height, which no one would miss on a passing glance, Ratt unquestionably appeared as if he could throw a painful punch. That made the stranger's advancement all the more surprising. On the other hand, he'd actually come to the meeting with no intentions to fight… for once.


"Careful, wouldn't want you to blow a fuse, short-stuff. You have fliers on every block of the town. You're not exactly an underground association." Ratt snapped, a prideful smirk which would soon become all too familiar to those who knew him spread quickly across his features. Before the fight could be further instigated, however, the same sweet girl from earlier played referee. That wasn't, of course, without Ratt's aching need to add one last drop of venom.


"Yeah, Aki, don't call me that." His hand flew to his chest as if he was hurt by the words, even allowing out a dramatic gasp to play it up even further. In his years of experience, Ratt had come to learn how to irk people. In this case it seemed his presence was enough to do the job, but utilizing playful names was always an efficient way to work his way under someone's skin. The pink haired girl with no ill-intent dropped gold right into Ratt's bruised hands and she hadn't even realized it. It was shortly thereafter, though, that attention was brought to the same girl as she enthusiastically greeted the club. The biggest of the students gave the aggravated boy one last look, a particularly smug one, before turning his attention to the girl who'd just introduced herself as Diana.


Narrowed eyes glanced around the room at the rest of his club mates, observing everyone in the brief moment of calm. A few stuck out like sore thumbs, particularly the daunting girl challenging Ratt's own height with her heels, or the individual seated on the floor who had shortly been making conversation with a clueless looking boy. "Diana" requested they do a little introduction, comparable to what was done on the first day of class. Half of the students looked familiar with this rundown, while the other half looked completely new to the situation. It was safe to assume those were the fresh members, including himself. The few seconds of silence following Diana's introduction was enough time, unfortunately, for Ratt to decide to brazenly start them off with his own. Who better to kick off these newbie introductions than the far too bold, far too large, and definitely far too obnoxious, french fry fiend sitting directly on the couch?


"Ratt." He introduced before anyone else could get a word in. He growled out the first letter as if he was introducing a metal band to the stage. No name was more fitting than the one that was self-assigned. "I don't really care what you call me. He, she, rodent. That. I'm a junior." In all honesty, he should've been a senior. In fact, he would've been if not for the fact that he absolutely couldn't understand algebra. "And, uh… I probably caught like five raccoons. So that's pretty fuckin' rad."

Interactions: Akane ( bambino )

 

[Nightshade98]

Blair & Rowan

Rowan waits there awkwardly as Blair strides past them, continuing to eye the assembled group nervously. After a moment they catch the eye of the other person standing apart from the group, staring for a second before giving an awkward smile and a little wave. They just about build up the courage to go and welcome the newcomer as Diana shouts a greeting to them. Rowan visibly relaxes a little as they are saved from a potentially disasterously awkward conversation and mumbles back a response. "Oh, ya know. It was fine..." With that they take another look back at Ariiasq, giving a slight nod before they quickly shuffle into the building.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Blair stops with a start as she hears the begrudging nickname that but one person uses for her. She turns to greet Harriet with an uncharacteristic smile, a slight flush visible in her pale cheeks. "Uh, hey, Harriet." She speaks with her usual monotone but almost seems to lack a certain self-confidence she usually had in abundance. "Oh? Yeah. I get that a- Yeah? Right. Thanks, I- Well, that's not really- Hmm?" She tries to respond to the other girls babbling, although finding it difficult to keep up. She can't help but grin though, something about Harriet breaking past her tough outer shell and endearing the other girl to her where otherwise she may have found it annoying. She raises an eyebrow questioningly as Harriet suddenly exclaims and begins rummaging in her bag, unable to repress a slight chuckle as the sight. Her smile widens slightly as the other girl pulls out a whole load of friendship bracelets and offers one to her. Green and pink. Not really her colours but it's a gift. "That's... incredibly sweet of you. Thank you." Without any more fanfare she takes the bracelet and slips it onto her wrist. She then hears Diana welcoming everyone at the doorway and gestures Harriet further into the building. "We should uh..." She leaves the statement hanging as she gently graps the other girl's wrist and leads her into the living room.

Entering the living room, Blair releases Harriet and takes a moment to survey the other people already sitting down. She gives Akane a nod of greeting and largely ignores the newcomers to the group until she spots Ratt. She eyes him for a moment, seemingly sizing him up before he also gets a nod of respect. With that she strides over to one of the larger couches and sits down, crossing her legs. She leaves it up to Harriet to sit where she pleases.
​

Rowan enters the living room after a moment, similarly eyeing everyone there but in a far more nervous way. They give Akane a quick wave and the others get a wary look. Their gaze lingers on Ratt for a long pause before they snap out of it and scurry over to one of the loveseats and sink down into it, almost seeming to try and hide themself in the fabric. Their anxious gaze keeps finding it's way back to Ratt.

They both turn their attention to Diana as she returns, paying attention to what she says, along with the weird punky guy's response. Blair rolls her eyes at his introduction before standing up and clearing her throat. "Right. Let's get it over with. Hello. I'm Blair. She/Her. Senior. Yes, I am a witch. Over the summer... I got my license. So if any of you want to brave the deathtrap that is an affordable car in this town then let me know." With that she sits back down, seemingly sattisfied. Rowan for their part seems happy simply to bury down further into the loveseat and hope that people don't notice them.

Interactions: Ariiasqthylinh ( ScatheAriiasqDrayceon ), Diana ( Anne Boolean ), Harriet, Akane( bambino ), Ratt ( _clown_ ), basically the whole squad in the living room

 

[bambino]

akane

Akane's brow furrowed further at the guy's teasing words--and that stupid smirk that went along with them. His hand clenched into a fist, jaw set, as he glared down at the other, about ready to start throwing punches if it hadn't been for Diana's next words. His tongue licked over his teeth as he tried to calm himself down.

Then ratman said that stupid nickname--the one only Di called him--and Akane's eyes blew wide, with something less than anger. Not that he wasn't still angry--that shocked expression left his face almost as quickly as it had settled there, and he turned away from the other to glare at anyone else instead.

"Guy's got a fuckin deathwish,"

he muttered, voice soft, but loud enough that he felt like he got the final word.

Hands shoved back into his shorts pockets, Akane's tired eyes went over each person in the room. All the newbies looked shitty, but that had been how he felt about all the clubgoers when he first joined, so he decided to give them the benefit of the doubt as much as he physically could. He offered slight nods of acknowledgement to those he recognized as they entered the room. With a heavy sigh he began his introduction.

"Akane,"

he started,

"he/him, junior. I didn't do anything this summer."

Maybe he had hung out with friends, played video games, and spent way too much time in the closet of his bedroom--not figuratively--but he figured that was all a little lame to share with the others. After his introduction he took to cracking his knuckles individually--but not in a nervous way, because Akane didn't get nervous. He would pick intimidation tactic over nervous habit any day.

_clown_ + basically everyone in the room

♡coded by uxie♡

harriet

Harriet's smile went even wider as Blair pulled the bracelet onto her wrist. She probably had more to say, but then Blair was pulling her along, and Harriet found all capacity for words leaving her body as she focused on the feeling of Blair's hand on her wrist. Face slightly flushed, she still didn't look away from Blair as the other went to sit and then introduced herself. She finally tore her eyes away to look around when she was done, watching the short boy give his own intro before clearing her throat and deciding to give it a try.

"Hey!"

she started again,

"I'm Harriet, I use she/her, and I'm a senior! This summer I... Went on a lot of walks! It's nice to meet you all--oh, and I have something for you guys!"

She then began to traverse the room, putting friendship bracelets in everyone's hands. There were still a few left over when she finished--some people probably weren't here yet, and she had made a few extra just in case--so she shoved them into her bag before looking back around the room.

Quickly, her eyes settled on Blair's couch, and she decided to sit down beside her, shuffling into the seat and plopping down on the plush cushions. She turned to give Blair a small smile before looking back out at the group.

Nightshade98 + the room squad

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

People started trailing into the building, diminishing the crowd at the front.

Arii shifted their weight slightly, getting a better grip on what they had decided were overly-heavy dishes of food, wiling themself to take a step forward. They did not, in fact, manage to move forward, and had just enough time to see someone nod on the edge of their peripheral before someone shouted.

They would have liked to say they didn't jump, and while Arii was a liar, lies didn't make a great first impression. They did, in fact, jump, a tremor running up from their heels to their spine and nearly making them drop the stir-fry (again). A startled hiss escaped from between their teeth as they stabilized the glass containers.

They needed to put these down, somewhere.

Ariiasq turned their eyes to the person that had yelled(?) at them, opening and closing their mouth a few times. They eventually managed words, but they were... scattered, to say the least. "I—mn—yes? But... crowd." They vaguely gestured to where the Doorway Crowd used to be before finally managing to step forward. Their movements were sudden and jerky, much like a bird in that they kept starting and stopping.

But they made it to the door... eventually.

By then, several people their brain wouldn't let them process had passed by—being labeled "Music" (Ratt), "Hoodie" (Rowan), and "Purple" (Blair) respectively. By the time they'd managed their way into the house, they were the last one, and looked quite like a cautious wild animal. There were too many people.

With a thin-lipped hum, they stalked in, immediately making a bee-line for what seemed to be the food table as conversation passed right over their head. Their brain was far too busy making sure the ingredient list for the curry and stir-fry were both in their correct places to notice the better part of the introductions, and by the time they'd placed everything down, they'd missed quite a bit of the conversation.

They did, however, managed to catch "Harriet—she/her—senior—something I did over the summer".

Okay.

Okay, they could... work with that, they supposed. They had introductions pretty down pat after the icebreakers at school.

Arii followed the sound into the living-room, one hand stuffed into their jacket pocket while the other played with the gold-black they/them pin hanging from their jacket string. They figured they'd be fine with introductions.

But first, as "Harriet", presumably, started handing out bracelets, Arii mentally identified everyone they could see. There was the one that had yelled at them and also told them what the club was... they decided she was a little scary. A darker-skinned person Arii decided looked slightly nicer, Music (Ratt) was flopped over one of the couches, and their eyes kinda glazed over that one. A shorter guy(?) who looked like he was about to pop a gasket was off to the side popping joints, Purple (Blair) was sitting on another couch, where Harriet was returning, and there was someone else—the one who they saw waving at them melting into the loveseat. A thicker... someone who Arii opts to call "Blue", for the moment is off on yet another chair along with yet another person (really, there were both too many chairs and too many people) with stormy-blue-tipped hair. There was another, but Arii's brain refused to call them anything but "Very Normal-Looking-Person" (Briallen), so that was that person's name for the foreseeable future.

In the silence that followed the handout of what seemed to be bracelets, they spoke. "I'm—uh. Ariiasqthylinh Au Kaedos—" just their first name was a mouthful—"you can call me what you want. I don't... really care all that much. I'm a Sophomore They/them. And I didn't do much this summer. We were too busy moving."

Their voice was quiet, a little mutter-y and low, but they seemed to find a rhythm after their name. They still sounded... flat, though. Maybe a little apathetic. Their expression was blank, also.

Just passed their jacket, the observational could probably spot the pattern of their "no gender; only goose" shirt.

Mentions and/or interactions: Liya (@ gxxberkit ), Briallen (@ redroseknight ), Akane, Harriet (@ bambino ), Ark (@ Toivoajarakkaus ), Diana (@

Anne Boolean ), Jeremy (@ Direct Timing ), Ratt (@ _clown_ ), Blair, Rowan (@ Nightshade98 )​

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

Jamie Vega / Kate Bellamy
Tags: @heckin everybody I guess​

Kate Bellamy rarely ever had much to fear for her life in a relatively quiet town such as Springdale. Ignoring all the obvious sore points, she liked to think she blended neatly into the background of a mellow life. Now, she prayed to whatever higher power out there that her recent boyfriend would not crash the car head-on as he sped through the street. Whereas Jamie Vega pressed further on the gas pedal with his shining grin plastered on, she huddled in the passenger seat trying not to focus on the objects flying by way faster than even her car-loving father would go.

The couple lurched forward, saved by their seatbelts as Jamie brought the car to a complete halt before a red light. Kate fought the urge to vomit, hunching over with gritted teeth. Meekly, she spoke, "I still think if you explained how the store was in the middle of repairing a leak, everyone would have understood..."

Light seemed to flash in Jamie's smile. "I'm a man of my word! I mean, imagine their disappointment if I turned up in the end, empty handed! Not a good first impression, eh?" There was no denying they were late, though. With how small Springdale was, it was common for Jamie to be misjudge things like schedules. But with one glance at his unnerved girlfriend, he bit his lip. "But, well, we're already close to the house, anyway. We can afford to go a bit slower."

Kate perked up, checking back at the tray of six cups of boba tea. According to Jamie, one was for a Sunny, Derrion, Harriet, two for themselves and one extra for whoever. All of them were names she was totally unfamiliar with; not that it was anything out of the ordinary for Kate. Jamie seemed to know a lot more people than she even knew that he knew. These ones were different, however. As Jamie began a gentler drive, she couldn't help but smile. "I was really surprised you joined the Cartography Club—especially when you explained the whole 'secret queer group' stuff."

He smirked. "Honestly, I was afraid you'd be weirded out by it."

"Really...?" It was a surprise to Kate, hearing that. Sure, her parents weren't the most tolerant, but she needed more than three good reasons to hate anything. Maybe it was her resting poker face? She was aware that she naturally looked as though she glared at everything... Maybe Jamie noticed how she noticed how he acted...? "Well, I... I thought it looked like you were hiding something from me, so I... worried a little bit, I guess..." Her cheeks flushed a warm red, facing away from him as to avoid whatever gaze he held. "And, I never would have thought you were open to this sort of thing..."

"What was that?"

Kate whipped her head to him; the supposed listener kept his eyes intent on the road. Her cheeks puffed into a pout. "Nothing," she said with a hmph.

Eventually, the couple made it to the club's meeting point with a screeching halt. Di's house was more... luxurious than either of them expected. The cars parked outside affirmed just how late they were. While Kate's heart beat faster and anxiety burned into her mind at the very idea of meeting these new, peculiar people, Jamie seemed more than eager to get to it. Even with how nervous she felt, Kate smiled warmly in his presence, meeting his eyes while he leaned against the car.

Six cups. Two for us, and the rest for... who? Jamie sighed; how was he supposed to remember usernames? He brought his phone out to look at the group chat.

Incidentally, already setting her stone-faced glare by default, Kate took her mind off the approaching meeting by taking four of the cups in her arms. It was a useless skill she had of carrying several objects. It only required plenty of focus and the occasional readjusting—of the latter, she knew she needed plenty of as she lifted them by the cap rims.

"PAH!" Jamie curled into a ball of cackling and his girlfriend flinched at the noise. The sound of clattering plastic flew on deaf ears. "Somehow they started talking about 'booba,' like—!" Jamie paled once he looked at her.

Kate, biting her lip, stood in the middle of five of the six spilled cups of boba tea, splattering together to create one big pool.

...​

"Yo!" Jamie, beaming as always, poked his head through the entrance. Just looking at the gathering... they were very late. "Hope we're not late or anything!" he remarked, stepping further in. Following directly behind him, Kate gripped the back of his shirt, keeping her gaze downward. She maintained a stoic poker face, forcing down any apprehensions she had about meeting these new people.

"We brought some boba tea, but..." Jamie chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his head. Kate tensed up a little. "I kind of spilled it all outside trying to carry them over at once, so whoops!" At the same time, Kate spared a look around the room—though it may have come across more as a stone-faced glare than anything else. She bit her lip while Jamie laughed at his 'own mistake.' "So what's been banging?"

 

[redroseknight]

Briallen McAllister​

Briallen was more than a little overwhelmed as she was ushered into the large house, but she put aside her anxiety to brandish a brilliant smile. It was fine. She was fine. There was absolutely no reason that the young woman needed to be concerned. After all, this was a group dedicated to map-making of all things. What was the harm that could ever be caused by that? Oh, sure, there was the whole argument about whether Amerigo Vespucci was truly the one to discover America. Briallen had learned enough of history thus far to understand that it was taught by those who were the victors, and she gave a grain of salt to either side in such an argument. Not that she was the most gifted of students, that was for certain. The dark haired woman actually had a bit of difficulty when it came to reading things. It all became a little jumbled in her mind when she attempted to sort it all out, but she wasn't about to admit such failing to her parents that were already distressed enough with her father trying to become a civilian rather than a soldier.

She witnessed quite a few things that would have otherwise struck her as concerning, but the young woman really clung to her attempt to make a good impression on this group of young people. There was such diversity being exhibited here! She appreciated the sweet and mild-mannered Harriot and found herself being completely taken aback by the brusque nature of Ratt. Never would she have ever conceived of behaving in a manner such as Ratt's, and yet...she found herself a bit envious. Would her family have accepted her if she had done so rather than appearing as the daughter that they had expected of her? As much as she adored her parents....she suspected that the answer would have been a firm no.

"It is quite the pleasure to meet each and every one of you since I'm rather new to this area. My family and I just moved here from the Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It has been an adjustment, but no more than moving anywhere else has been thus far. My name is Briallen McAllister, and I go by she/her pronouns if you would please. As for something fun I did this summer...err...well, I did train with the U.S. Olympics Volleyball camp for two weeks. Let's just hope that it helps our team since I'm far better at spiking than I am at bumping or setting," she laughed with that easy grin that the tall, dark haired woman was known for. So what if she was just meeting most of these people; she was going to be able to make a positive impression even if it killed her!

 

[Direct Timing]

Jeremy thought that the girl with pink hair was nice the way she welcomed him in. He had smiled to her and said ‘Cool,’ before sitting down to speak with Ark. It was sort of concerning to Jeremy the way Ark spoke. He seemed intelligent in a “I’m nice, but I’m different,” kind of way. There was something there he couldn’t quite pin down at the moment. He wasn’t like any of the other kids he had ever met, not even in juvi and he was having a hard time reading Ark. Jeremy looked towards the unkempt kid that Ark was motioning to. What’s his story? Jeremy wondered. He turned his attention back to the person sitting next to him. As he listened to Ark he pondered what he was being told. Jeremy had not analyzed slenderman in that way, or any other thing if horror, and the only response he could come up without sounding like an idiot was: “Good point, Ark. It seems people will do anything and perhaps that’s the real tragedy of slenderman.” Jeremy was actually impressed with his answer and mentally patted himself on the back. Maybe he would be able to hold his own in a conversation with Ark. Maybe.

Jeremy watched as other kids arrived at the meeting. A very tall and obvious lesbian goth girl entered the room and Jeremy purposely looked away so as to avoid eye contact with her. He had been in a fight with a very large lesbian once when he was 14 because she had picked on him and a friend of his and Jeremy had enough of it. Behind her followed what appeared to be a boy who was almost as tall as the goth lesbian. Jeremy assumed they might be brother and sister but wasn’t entirely sure. Jeremy watched them as they went and sat down in the loveseat. They seemed shy and Jeremy gave them a smile in hopes of making the shy kid feel better.

Jeremy held out his hand as Harriet gave him a friendship bracelet. “Thanks,” Jeremy said looking at it. He put it on and wondered who here would be his new friends. The bracelet was a bright orange which was a stark contrast to his natural brown skin. Jeremy played with it for a moment and realized he actually liked this color which surprised him because he tended to like more muted colors.

He perked up as the pink haired girl spoke. She introduced herself and then wanted everyone to introduce themselves. Oh great… Jeremy tried to quickly come with something he did over the summer besides spend part of it in juvi. He didn’t want everyone to know he was convicted of a crime. His step-dad was a lawyer and didn’t even lend a hand. But of course he wouldn’t have because the crime had been against one of his step-dad’s gay hating republican friends who lived down the street.

Jeremy listened as each of the kids began introducing themselves. He made sure to smile at them and nod at them letting them know that he acknowledged them and he wanted them to feel welcome even though this wasn’t his club per se but he knew what it was like to not feel welcome or to even be seen by others.

When there was a split second of silence Jeremy stood up. “Hey, I’m Jeremy and I’m a freshman this year. Uhm, I go by he/him.” He looked at Kaedos and Briallen but was addressing the entire room. “I also moved to Springdale this summer, with my mom.” Jeremy said and looked at the friendship bracelet around his wrist. He unconsciously twisted it around in a complete circle thinking of what to say next. “Oh, uhm, I work for the Springdale Daily newspaper throwing papers in the early morning hours. And I’m on the track team.” Jeremy said and looked around the room hoping for some small smile of approval. He wasn’t trying to sound like he was some great achiever. He just wanted the other kids to think he was interesting. He sat back down and realized his mouth was going dry. He desperately needed a drink of pop or water but decided to wait until the formalities were over with. He didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to himself.



Anne Boolean Toivoajarakkaus bambino ScatheAriiasqDrayceon redroseknight