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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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TFCRP Starter Ask Meme!
rules: send any of the following symbols and i’ll draft a starter for our characters with those in mind! you can send from as many or as few categories as you’d like! feel free to add in your own ideas as well!
MOOD:
send 😄 for a happy starter
send 😡 for an angry starter
send 😂 for a funny starter
send 😢 for an upset starter
send 😥 for a worried starter
send 😜 for an excited starter
LOCATION:
send 🏃🏻 for a starter on the court
send 🐾 for a starter at Fox Tower
send 📣 for a starter at the Vixen Den
send 📚 for a starter in the library
send 🏋️ for a starter at the gym
send 🏫 for a starter somewhere on campus  (you may specify if you want!)
send 🚗 for a starter anywhere off campus (you may specify if you want!)
OTHER:
send 🍽 for a starter involving food
send 🍻 for a starter involving alcohol
send 🦊 for a starter involving animals
send 🤕 for a starter where someone is injured (mildly)
send 🏆 for a starter about exy
send ❌ for a starter not involving exy
send 👟 for our characters to practice together
send 📖 for our characters to study together
send 😶 for a wordless starter
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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Mornings for River usually entailed getting up early to go for a run, a ritual they’d adopted to help with training and often shake off whatever unwelcome dreams had surfaced the previous night. This morning, though, that didn’t happen. Instead they had found themself half-consciously rolling over and turning off their phone alarm before falling asleep again, only really waking up when the sun began to rise. They can’t really bring themself to feel all that bad about it, though. With a sleep pattern as erratic and interrupted as theirs the extra time feels like progress. 
River wouldn’t call themself a morning person; their usual state of sleep-deprivation makes sure of that, but their body is wired to Exy time even on days when they don’t have morning practices to get to, and they’re already too restless to stay in bed much longer. They get dressed for the day as quietly as possible, swallowing the pills Bee prescribed them for anxiety with tap water and a slight grimace before heading into the hallway, shoving their phone, wallet and keys into their pockets.  
They don’t get that far down the hall before they end up bearing witness to the tragedy that befalls Teddy’s phone, even if they don’t realize the extent of the damage until he holds it up.  They hiss in a breath sympathetically.  “Yikes. That’s the worst! Probably the absolute worst.”  They don’t want to just leave it at that, though, especially when they see just how rough their teammate actually looks right now.  “...It won’t fix anything, but I was going to go get food somewhere, if you want to come with me.  I’ll buy you breakfast or something.”
Oh my god, Teddy had had enough. Like, really had enough. He wanted his medication to work, he wanted to be patient and let it settle in his system, but he hadn’t slept in 48 hours and he was walking around in a sweater, shivering, when it was still very much summer. Dawn was just about breaking and he gave up on sleep completely and he kicked the blankets off himself, frustrated as he started the day in an otherwise fairly quiet Fox Tower.
“You look like shit,” Teddy said to his reflection in the bathroom mirror, taking in ruffled hair from a night spent tossing and turning and the dark circles under his eyes. He stared at his medication bottle with contempt then emptied a single pill onto his palm and swallowed it dry before he could talk himself out of it. Today will be better, he thought to himself.
Today would not be better.
Teddy was half way to the common room when a considerable weight dropped from his pocket and there was a loud ‘clack’ behind him. He knew immediately what it was. “Noooooo,” he exclaimed under his breath, turning on his heel and snatching his phone up off the ground. He’d been in this place less than a year ago when a heated discussion with his father had resulted in a smashed phone beyond repair. This wasn’t quite like that but the sight of a very cracked phone screen was…exactly not what Teddy needed this morning. “Oh my god, you bastard,” he whispered to the phone, “you literal piece of garbage.” He looked up at the sound of footsteps and held up the phone, pointing to it. “Everything is so awful.”
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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@striker-brayden
Their biggest problem is always that they have to stop moving at some point. At least, that’s what River blames it on.  Easier to pin it on down time when internal distress in it’s myriad bullshit forms comes calling. Bee is still helping them through learning that it’s okay to blame the real causes. 
It’s stupid, really, when they were doing so well today; morning conditioning had gone smoothly and they were looking forward to getting back on the court again later.  But they’d made the mistake, in the interim, of setting about unpacking the one bag they hadn’t touched. When they pull the sketchbook they’d been using last season out of their backpack, the photograph they’d gingerly taped to their wall this same time last year slips out of its place between two unused pages.  They’d put it there for protection in their hurry to pack and forgotten about it.  It’s a picture of them and Dana together, the one she’d insisted upon getting developed so they’d have at least one “family picture.”  They’d liked having it, before, but today it’s just a reminder of the conversation they wish they hadn’t had to have, how cold their own voice had sounded to them that morning.
The whole situation reminds them of their mother, her vacillation between chilly indifference and icy hatred. It was like if she just pretended her children didn’t exist, that she didn’t care what was happening to them daily in front of her eyes, she could pretend she hadn’t pledged herself to the monster that saddled her with them and left herself no way out.  Alternatively, if she had to acknowledge them she at least had an outlet for her feelings; if they were regularly reminded that two of her deepest regrets were bringing each of them into the world, it was one more burden she didn’t have to shoulder alone.  What did she care if River hated looking in the mirror because her eyes stared back at them? If they had more nightmares about her than they had about their father? If they sat here on their dorm bed worrying about becoming her, years after the last time they’d seen her? It was bad enough that’d she’d contributed to the scars written all over their body without her continuing to cast her shadow over their life.
River releases a heavy breath, setting the photo aside.  Sitting here and stewing is pointless when they could be doing literally anything else.  Afternoon practice doesn’t start for a little while yet, but they have to get out of their room, regardless.  They don’t realize how intently they’ve been storming down the hallway until they accidentally brush past someone, immediately turning to apologize and hoping it isn’t someone quick to anger, until they realize it’s Brayden.  “Shit, sorry,” they say honestly, shaking their head to try and clear it a little more.  “Don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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tidal wave // owl city
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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@gloriousnumbereight
Fox Tower is a sight for sore eyes, even after only being away for a month.  It’d been good to see their sister right up until it really hadn’t been, at least, but even when the two of them got along staying with her had always felt like they were mooching, overstaying their welcome, even during their last two years of high school when they had been contributing financially.  Whether or not River belonged here, though, was no longer in question for them, if it ever had been. Just as well, since they had just effectively alienated the only family that mattered and had no idea where they were going to end up next summer, but that line of thought wasn’t really worth following at the moment, not on move in day. It still hurt, but unless Dana was going to put her 50% toward making their relationship as siblings work, they would have to be content with fading into the rest of each other’s bad memories. 
They focus instead on getting everything into their new room and starting to unpack, which, since they don’t have much, doesn’t take very long.  It’s satisfying to start getting things into their newly claimed space, unroll their bedspread and hang up their pink, blue and white pride flag again next to the Atlanta Thunder poster they managed to acquire over the summer (maybe it was weird to start stanning a team just because a former Fox was one of them, but damn if River didn’t need the hope that someone like them could make it).
When they’re finally satisfied with how their corner of the room looks, figuring they can rearrange things later if they need to, they head out into the hallway with the intention of seeing if anyone needs help moving things, only to almost run into someone they don’t recognize.  One of the freshmen, or maybe a transfer, they can’t be sure.  “Sorry,” River says, near-collision probably isn’t the best first impression.  “I, uh, don’t think we’ve met. I’m River.”
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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@teddyryker
Truth be told, River’s summer break hadn’t actually been much of a break with how busy they’d been, even if they had done it to themself.  Which is what makes it such a relief to be here in Abby’s back yard tonight, free from their summer job and the confinement of Dana’s cramped apartment at last. Practice starts up again in just a couple of days, which makes this among the last moments of breathing room they’re going to have for the foreseeable future, but they’re actually looking forward to having their familiar routine again, and being around people who only know them as who they actually are. Hanging out with some of their old high school friends, if they could be called that, had sort of been nice, but it wasn’t the same as it was with the Foxes. Granted, they’d sort of kept to themself for the most part last season and weren’t super close to a lot of people yet, but they feel like that’s gradually starting to change.
They’re too busy focusing on not spilling their food or drink everywhere as they make their way to the patio to pay attention to who they end up sitting next to at first, and end up glad that it’s Teddy, rather than someone they don’t know or one of the grouchier foxes they do know (they aren’t really scared of anyone, not anymore, it’s just hard enough for River to converse easily without feeling like they’re pissing someone off). “Hey,” they start, smiling over at him as they settle in.  “How was your break?” 
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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TFCRP Starter Ask Meme!
rules: send any of the following symbols and i’ll draft a starter for our characters with those in mind! you can send from as many or as few categories as you’d like! feel free to add in your own ideas as well!
MOOD:
send 😄 for a happy starter
send 😡 for an angry starter
send 😂 for a funny starter
send 😢 for an upset starter
send 😥 for a worried starter
send 😜 for an excited starter
LOCATION:
send 🏃🏻 for a starter on the court
send 🐾 for a starter at Fox Tower
send 📣 for a starter at the Vixen Den
send 📚 for a starter in the library
send 🏋️ for a starter at the gym
send 🏫 for a starter somewhere on campus  (you may specify if you want!)
send 🚗 for a starter anywhere off campus (you may specify if you want!)
OTHER:
send 🍽 for a starter involving food
send 🍻 for a starter involving alcohol
send 🦊 for a starter involving animals
send 🤕 for a starter where someone is injured (mildly)
send 🏆 for a starter about exy
send ❌ for a starter not involving exy
send 👟 for our characters to practice together
send 📖 for our characters to study together
send 😶 for a wordless starter
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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watch my branches fall // self para
tw: abuse (past, mentioned)
The drive back down to South Carolina is a long one, but River actually finds themself grateful for it this time.  Twelve hours on the road, interrupted by only a few stops here and there when rest becomes necessary, gives them the time they need to stew in their rampaging emotions for a while before letting them go.  Gives them time to let the past few weeks stream out behind them like the painted lines on the highway.  They can leave them behind if they just keep moving. A vicious internal voice suggests that at heart the runaway they became almost three years ago must never have really left them, because apparently all they know how to do is run away from their problems.  Maybe it’s true, but they have to try and believe that there’s a difference between running away and setting boundaries, between avoiding the issue and forcing it. They’ve been doing one and not the other for far too long, changing that had been long overdue.
 Facing Dana the morning after their fight hadn’t been easy.  They hadn’t expected it to be.  She was their family and they cared about her, worried about her health when they watched her work herself to the bone to stay afloat and her safety when she stayed out all night, either for work or things she never told them about, because why would she?  Their relationship was a cycle of telling each other what they thought the other wanted to hear and not much else; they had both learned fear at the knees of the ones who were supposed to be teaching them how to be people, hatred from parents who were supposed to model love and support instead of violence and indifference.  Trying to exist in the same space was a compromise they’d had to teach themselves, work out across months and years of trial and error, and it was a compromise River realized they couldn’t keep up any longer.  Not if it meant waking up with fresh bruises.  If they’d wanted that, they could have stayed in Indiana.
 So they had told her that, while they still cared about her and wanted to be family, when they went back to school they wouldn’t be coming back to New York.  Not until she did something to get help for her anger problems.  
 “I don’t need a fucking shrink,” she’d said, almost immediately.  They could picture the flash of fire in her eyes, undercut with fear, vulnerability.  
 “I didn’t think I did, either.  Look, I don’t care what you do.  You don’t have to do anything, even.  But either way, we can’t keep doing this.”
 River was mostly speaking for themself, but they really couldn’t.  They were already upset about walking on eggshells around her only for things to go badly the instant they stopped.  They deserve better than cowering for the sake of other people’s problems.  The whole reason they’d run was so they wouldn’t have to be afraid.  They could put themself first, just this once, as hard as it had been to walk out of Dana’s apartment not knowing when they would see her again.  They owe themselves that much; they owe everything to that sixteen year old sitting on a duffle bag at a bus station in Indiana, freshly bruised and choking on tears. They owe it to the kid that had the courage to decide enough, I deserve better than this, enough.
A few more hours and a few more stops pass by almost in a blur, before the exit sign for Columbia comes into view, which means there’s only roughly an hour left before they’re back in Palmetto.  It’s a more comforting sight than they expected.  A reminder that, in the end, no matter how many times River thinks that this is it, the world can’t possibly keep turning, the sun always rises to prove them wrong.   There will be new Foxes when they get back, they’ll have to figure out their place on the team again, and the pressure on all of them is going to be even higher than it was last year, but all of that is sort of exciting, too.  They’ve fought like hell to get this far, after all, they’re going to give it everything they have.  
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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They can’t pretend that they know how Casey is feeling; they don’t think anything they’ve experienced would even come close.  There’d been a boy, sort of, at their first high school, but that had really only been friendship that included kissing once or twice behind the gym after practice before River had to walk back into hell for the evening, and only when they’d been sure no one would see them.  They’d been a little braver, then, the confidence exy had given them making them a little too brave.  Small rural towns weren’t the kind of place that was kind to kids like them, and any burgeoning crush they’d been capable of at 15 had quickly dried up when he’d been one of the first people to first dismiss and later avoid them after they’d misguidedly outed themself. Besides that, there hasn’t really been anything. They spent their two years in Brooklyn avoiding getting close to anyone as much as possible, not wanting to hide but also not wanting to have to justify or explain themself to anyone (if they’d had the tiniest bit of a crush on their team captain it was because anyone with eyes on that team had had a crush on Nakia), and now in college, they’ve had a million other priorities.
But Casey has turmoil written all over him, and River values his honesty and his trust, they always have.  And he’s one of their closest friends.  They aren’t sure anything they could say would help him, but they want to at least try.  They owe him that much.  
“That...sounds rough.  And complicated,” they start, sympathetically, trying to weigh exactly what it is they want to say.  “But, honestly? You kind of seem like you’re broken up over this already, and...maybe he’d do it for anyone, you know him better than I do.  But you said yourself, you’ve been there for him the whole time, you know how you feel, and people like us haven’t exactly had that many good things happen.  I think it could be worth taking a chance on.”  River shakes their head with a self-deprecating sort of laugh.  “I don’t actually know what I’m talking about though, and you don’t have to decide anything tonight. You should have fun.  This season took a lot out of everyone, you deserve it.”
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“That’s probably the best way to react. I spent the whole first half of the season thinking that I was gonna go back to Ohio State, go back to who I used to be at some point, when I should have been embracing the person that I am now. Being myself.” He smiles gently at them and spins them so that the gauzy fabric of their dress flares out before curling around their ankles. “Plus I’ll be your Joel, anyone tries to make you anything less than happy tonight I’ll break any nose that I have to.” If he can focus on making sure that River enjoys themselves he thinks he can have a good time, he won’t have to think about this whole mess with his best friend, he won’t have to think about his ex boyfriend just weeks away from being drafted, from getting everything the two of them wanted. 
He’s torn out of his train of thought when River grins at him and says that he ended up with the best looking date, and he immediately blushes a bright red. “Shut up!” He laughs and ducks his head, feels the weight of a gaze just between his shoulder blades that he ignores. He immediately looks up to meet River’s knowing eyes when it leads into a point about Joel–and specifically Joel’s feelings for Casey. “I–I mean he did that for Arlo basically. He would do it for any of his friends.” He knows he’s blushing again, that River probably sees right through him right now, and he doesn’t know what it is about tonight but he isn’t in the mood to lie. He doesn’t know if he can lie anymore at all, actually. 
“I can’t, if I let myself think it–my heart will only end up broken. I’ve been there the whole time while he went through person after person, and Juliette broke his heart so thoroughly–I can think of a thousand reasons.” 
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
Conversation
MASS TEXT
casey: this is why you are my favorite you have never once questioned the validity of my spectral roommate.
casey: YOU ARE VALID GHOST OF GENERAL BEAUREGARD!!
casey: i fell asleep during a ghost adventures marathon and he woke me up by screaming and jumping over the back of the couch so that's a very real possibility.
casey: we're breaking up i hat e him.
river: general beauregard. I love it 😂
river: if it really is a ghost doesn't the den have a cat in residence? they'll protect you. i think i read that some superstition believes cats can see them.
river: aww but you only just started! You mean you didn't expect joel carlyle to do things like that? How long have you been friends
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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colinjessup:
Colin was used to always being the new kid on the team, to bullying his way onto teams in the middle of the season, trusting his skill to pave his way. And, oftentimes, he left the same way he came: in the middle of the season, without a goodbye, never finishing anything he’d started, never seeing anything through. Coming back to the Foxes as a sophomore at the beginning of the year had been an adjustment, looking at the freshmen and realizing that he had more experience than they did, that he knew more—coming back to the Foxes as a junior, reaching the middle of the tenure with his Foxes, practically an upperclassmen, will likely be even more jarring.
Granted, he can’t say he’d really used his experience or his wisdom or what-have-you to help River out much, this year, but maybe he’d needed this year to grow into it. To realize that he could, if he wanted to. And then, to realize that maybe he does want to. 
He hefts a box in his arms, leads the way down the hall, taking a few attempts to jab the down button on the elevator with his elbow before he gets it. The look he levels at River is unabashedly curious—Colin’s never had any siblings of his own, though he spent more than a few years wishing for one, wishing for an ally against his mother when things were at their worst and he felt the most alone, and so he can’t help but feel interested when he hears about someone else’s, though he doesn’t exactly know what he wants to ask or how. “Older sister, I’m guessing? That’s cool. I’m going on Eliana’s road adventure and then I’m probably just gonna keep driving solo. Visit whoever will have me, hope my car survives.”
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It’s a strange thing to be thinking about right now, maybe, but the whole moving out process has made it more clear that the start of next season is approaching fast, and when it arrives River’s going to be older than some of their new teammates, will have have been part of this team for longer.  It isn’t an idea they’re used to, yet; any kind of seniority usually means having to try and set some kind of example, and they still feel green even with this year behind them.  It’s probably a good thing there are plenty of people in the upper years to take over the brunt of that work, such as it is.  Upperclassman status doesn’t necessarily make someone a stellar role model, but at the very least it means experience, something River still doesn’t consider themself to have very much of when it comes to anything just yet.  
Socializing is on that list, for sure, but they’re miles ahead of where they were last summer, still jumping at shadows.  They take Colin’s seemingly curious expression as tacit permission to talk a little more.  “Older, yeah.  Which means we don’t have that much in common, but she lets me crash at her place,”  they shrug.  “That road trip sounds like fun. Where are you guys going?”
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
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noahkamura:
Noah hadn’t seen New York, but he almost had, had it not been for the accident. There was a meet not far from New York City, and his scores from his final competition were definitely enough to earn him an invitation, but one never came. Instead, he received condolences from coaches and gymnasts he’d met in his short-lived career, along with physical therapy, stricter rules at home, and a hole he’d searched for years to fill, before finding that the Vixens were a nice fit. He tried not to spend much time thinking about where he would be if it all hadn’t happened, like how his summers might have been spent travelling not only the country, but the world as competitions got harder and further away; maybe he’d even be on a more high-profile team. But instead of hotel beds and a luggage overflowing with leotards, Noah sat on his bed at home, his suitcase still occupied by, among other things, his Vixen uniform. 
At least he had company, he thought. His cat stalked around the floor, debating on whether he would be happier on Noah’s bed where it was soft, on the desk where the window cast warm sunlight, or on the dresser where he had the best vantage point in the room. Trying to coax Mittens to join him, promising not only the softness of his bed but also the warmth of his lap, Noah had barely been paying attention to his phone when he asked his question. Noticing it was River, Noah was a bit surprised, a slightly embarrassed blush creeping up to his face at the thought of how awkward this must be. River seemed nice enough, Noah thought, but they were a Fox, and anyone who possessed the skills to excel at Exy tended to intimidate Noah at first glance. “Oh! Uh, kind of? I thought Casey was the last person to text in the group chat, but I guess your message was right near his, so I must’ve tapped you on accident - sorry! Um, not like I didn’t wanna - I just… don’t think we’ve really talked much.” He felt bad at the prospect of just leaving it there, of just hanging up. “But, um, how’s it going?”
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The situation is sort of awkward, that much River is sure of.  But at the very least, it’s Noah who’d called them on accident, rather than one of their more stand-offish teammates.  They’re sure it’s weird, but the nervousness in his voice makes them feel a bit better about it, too.  They know the ‘bad kids’ reputation that follows the Foxes influences the rest of Palmetto’s student body, and they wonder if it’s the same for some of the Vixens, for all their support. “It’s fine, the chat makes it way too easy to call or text the wrong person, I’ve done it before.”  While it’s true that they haven’t talked to him much, or to many of the Vixens, really, besides a few words in passing at team parties, if he isn’t going to just hang up they won’t either.  If they really are serious about branching out and talking to people more, they have to start somewhere.  Even if this isn’t exactly a conventional way to go about it.  River realizes their leg is starting to fall asleep, and they lift the cat from their lap onto the table as gently as possible, pacifying him by scratching him behind the ears when he makes grumpy noises at them.  
“I’m alright, I have the attention of a cat at the moment, which makes everything better.”  They angle the phone so that the animal in question is in view.  “He’s one of the many black and white cats who got stuck with the name Oreo, but I don’t think he cares.”  River probably shouldn’t be allowing him on the table, but they might as well be the only person home, so they aren’t actually worried about it.  Oreo decides to make himself at home directly on top of their sketchbook as they turn the phone back to themself.  “So, uh, how’ve you been? Are you home for the summer?”
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
Conversation
text --> River 🦊
arlo: Connecticut summer's were never really bad at all
arlo: SC can be hell compared to moderate, northern states 😢
arlo: i go to campus every day still. no worries: your route is still here and, i'd hazard a guess that it will STILL be here when you get back haha
arlo: why are you even thinking about running? enjoy your time away!
river: I'll say. at least it doesn't get as cold as it gets up north because NY is hell in the winter
river: i like running though! but yeah i'll survive. having some time off is kind of nice, even if i'm working.
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
Conversation
text --> River 🦊
arlo: tbh i will take rotten, polluted lungs over sticky, sweaty skin at this point
arlo: #priorities
river: I mean,,,same. i wouldn't have ever complained about summer where I used to live in indiana if i'd known about the alternative 😂
river: i already miss my running route on campus though rip
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
Conversation
MASS TEXT
casey: haunted as in ACTUAL HAUNTED.
casey: story time!!
casey: i woke up yesterday and literally it was freezing, and i walked out the door and it was like--90 degrees.
casey: i checked the thermostat and it said that it was working???? SO IT HAD NO REASON TO BE THAT COLD.
casey: i also...have a witness.
casey: joel will back me up, he was there.
river: maybe someone else just turned up the air conditioning overnight?
river: because the way i see things even spirits should know not to mess with cheerleaders. even if it's just their house
river: i guess most of them probably went home for the summer though so maybe it's feeling brave
river: maybe joel was a ghost this whole time
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
Conversation
text --> Arlo 🦊
arlo: where are you headed?
arlo: i'm jealous!
arlo: i don't always mind the heat, but sometimes it does get a little overwhelming...
river: new york city, which isn't really as cool as it sounds
river: i mean there's probably more pollution than air but at least it won't be as humid? it's got that going for it
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rivertate-blog · 7 years
Conversation
MASS TEXT
casey: I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH ALL OF YOU
casey: THE VIXEN DEN IS DEFINITELY HAUNTED
casey: like noah is a pure ray of sunshine and i think his room is like the one exempt space
casey: BUT THE REST OF IT!!!
river: haunted as in we have an actual ghost problem on our hands or as in no one's there??
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