isawallflower | RYSLIG; ic inbox

[ Riley slowly, slowly looks up at Steve from across the campsite. She just finished unsuccessfully chewing out Mr. CandyCurse420 and now this?

Witheringly: ] Steve.

[ He can't keep a straight face to save his life, slowly but surely breaking out into the cheesiest grin you ever did see. ]

I just think it's an important PSA to spread about candy purchasing. The part about circus peanuts? One-thousand percent true.

Edited 2021-10-18 09:15 (UTC)

[ Do you see her laughing, mister? She is so not laughing. ]

No, it's a stupid chain letter prank, and whoever made it has horrible storytelling abilities.

[ She's got a point. Even his grammar skills are better than that, and he slept through English class. ]

It's funny you're calling this a chain letter when it's not even on paper. [ But she knows the term! ] You still have these things in 2020, huh?

[ She rolls her eyes. ]

Chain letter, chain mail, chain e-mail, it's all the same. Those things will unfortunately never disappear, because for some reason people find them funny.

[ Stupid internet. ]

This is when I admit I mailed along one of those "find true love" ones this one time, because, well, why not, right? If it works, I get to live happily ever after. If not, I only wasted a couple sheets of paper.

[ He performs an open-armed, full-bodied shrug. Do it, Riles. Judge him. ]

Obviously it hasn't paid off yet.

[ Here she is. Judging. ]

Of course they won't work... Ugh, let me guess, it had one of those...stupid threats, like how if you don't send it to five people or whatever you'll never find love again! [ She waves her fingers about, with a stretched but obviously fake smile. It drops off her face a moment later. ] They're just trying to get one over on you. Make you feel gullible and naïve.

No, no threat.

[ He honestly should have seen these passion levels coming. ]

Is it really about "getting one over"? I mean, it's not like they even see anybody's face when they read it. Well—I did, but I didn't create it and I was serious about the candy.

They don't have to see it. Just knowing people send it around is enough. It's like with the internet. There's always someone out there laughing at another person's well-intentioned mistakes.

[ ...Is she just bitter because of the viral video...? Well, it probably doesn't help. ]

Internet, yeah, uh... I don't really know what you mean.

[ And he truly can't imagine caring about some hypothetical person that he, in turn, can't even see laughing at something he did, but it feels like Annoyed Riley is becoming Genuinely Bothered Riley, so perhaps this is a good place to stop talking about this. ]

Forget it. I won't send it to anyone else, even as a joke, okay?

Edited 2021-10-30 01:30 (UTC)

The- like the network, it's. [ —Ah, right. ] ...I tried explaining it to you when I...the painkillers.

[ She sighs and figures she should explain a little. ]

Sorry. I just...really don't like things like this. And I'd just gotten the same one like...a few minutes ago.

I can tell.

[ He holds up his hands in surrender. ]

Like I said, I won't do it again. It's fine.

[ For a brief moment, Riley lets it sit like that. Then, very hesitantly, she asks: ]

Have...you ever heard the phrase "going viral" before?

[ The next thing he was going to do was close his laptop to further emphasize his point, but he hesitates with his hand on the collapsible screen, raising an eyebrow at her. ]

I don't think you're talking about people getting sick, so... no?

[ That would be a weird segue. ]

It's...the phrase people use when something posted online gets spread around to...an unexpected extreme.

[ She pauses for a moment, hearing some fuss from the cave behind them. Riley stands with a small sigh and raises her voice to continue explaining, as she goes to feed their giant badger king for the week. ]

It's kind of like this. Someone sends something to a friend or a random person, and they tell everyone to share it. The important thing is...the people in the picture or the video, they don't...really want any part of that, usually. Sometimes someone films a video they intend to go viral with. But...a lot of the time, it's uninvolved people, and a lot of the time, when something goes viral... It's because someone found it funny.

[ She sounds somewhat hollow as she coaxes the giant flesh-eating rodent to dine on a raccoon caught earlier in the morning. ]

That's what happened to my team. Before I was even captain. There was a stunt that went bad, and while all of us were trying to make sure the girls involved were okay... Everyone was laughing.

[ She turns with a rather forced smile. ]

In less than a week, we were all over the internet. Everyone look at the "Epic Cheerleader Fail!" Millions of people watched that video. Definitely everyone in town, teachers and classmates and just...anyone, anyone you'd see at the store or the park, and all of them...just found it funny.

Edited 2021-11-02 00:29 (UTC)

Like a tabloid, but for ordinary people.

[ Like when something involving another student cropped up on the morning news, and everyone whispered about it in homeroom. Like when someone decided to spread a rumor throughout the whole school.

Like when Will Byers went missing and the guys on the team all started taking bets on whether it was because Jonathan Byers had finally done something depraved enough to live up to everyone thinking he was a freak. ]

The teachers, too, seriously? They didn't get into hot water for being in on it?

[ Visualizing exactly how the internet works might still be a little beyond him. ]

[ Their badger friend starts devouring the raccoon and Riley wrinkles her nose and awkwardly pats it on the head before backing out. ]

Everyone knew about it, Steve. Besides, someone doing something about it would mean the school-board having to do something for once. [ She plops down next to him with a frustrated sigh. ] No one knows who first uploaded it…and no one really cares. The Tigers have always been the worst team in the state, anyway. Everyone’s used to treating us like a joke.

[ The worst team ever. It feels stupid, to try and keep that a secret. ]

[ He might not have all the keys to understanding what Facebook or Youtube or even webpages are, but he at least knows how quickly things can spread by word of mouth.

To think that in her time people can tell anyone anything instantly without having to call them up and they can include pictures and videos? Yeah, that could get pretty damn bad. ]

Even with all the bad PR, you still decided to take over?

[ It's not a criticism. He sounds thoughtful, if anything. Man— ]

It meant a lot to you. I mean, you must've really, really, really wanted to try to turn it around.

It was my dream. [ There's no joy or wistful passion there. Just defeat. ] Ever since I got into cheer, it... That's all I worked for.

[ Her talons run through the dirt in front of them, tracing out meaningless shapes and stars. ]

I heard the Tigers were already...rough around the edges, when I decided I was gonna go to Giles Corey. I knew, but... I thought, like... I was gonna show them. Show...everyone.

[ My parents sits there, unspoken. ]

But... We were always gonna just...be a joke, I guess.

[ He's at a crossroads where it feels like he should be supportive, and yet he's at a loss as to how in the world he's supposed to do that. None of the usual pleasantries fit here. He can't exactly drop in a "you tried your best," when, well...

He'd rather say something that's not just scripted, anyway. ]

Riles, can I be a little frank?

[ The only trouble is it may not be what she particularly wants to hear. ]

[ For a moment, she's silent. He said he loves her. He said, despite everything, they're still family. No matter how much it scares her, she doesn't want to— ]

...Mmhm. Yeah, okay.

Okay, actually, before I say something incredibly stupid— [ And totally upset her by making a wrong assumption. ] Did you enjoy putting in all that work? Like, was there ever a time where doing any of that made you happy?

[ His expression is tight, as he has to grit his teeth to press on with what he's saying. ]

'Cause I'm not really getting that impression, Riley.

[ That story about being inspired by Cairo when she was a kid, that was cute. This isn't. This just sounds like a girl expending every bit of energy she had on something because she felt like she had to. ]

Wh- of…course I…

[ But she frowns. And she trails off, biting down on her bottom lip and thinking. Really thinking. ]

I…was happy when I first started, and I took to it. It was like…it was the first thing that felt like mine, and…it was great, having something I could do with Cairo, but…

[ She thinks back to the summer before high school and how nervous she was. She thinks back to tryouts and swearing both of them would get in. She thinks back to that bittersweet feeling, when results went up and it was just her. ]

Not…once I got to high school.

But you kept at it, even though it sucked and you felt like dogshit?

[ She never said that, but what would it have taken for things to play out the way they did in the story she told him, logically? Her confirmation just now is all he needed to sound surer in his suddenly harsh assessment. ]

And did you have any other hobbies, do anything else at all as a pick-me-up?

[ She feels the need to defend herself. And she almost does, to say it wasn’t like that all the time. To say she still enjoyed cheerleading, being active and physical. But, well. ]

…No. I mean- I’d listen to…podcasts or music, but… Every time I did something for myself, it was ‘cause…Cai made me.

[ She hunches her shoulders, just a little. ]

I just— it was the only thing I was ever good at, Steve. The only thing I… [ The forbidden topic. Her stomach twists in knots. ] …wasn’t immediately compared to my brother about. I thought if I quit, I…

[ Her skin feels like it’s crawling. She sighs to push back a shiver. ]

I don’t know. I know it all sounds stupid.

RYSLIG; ic inbox

okay i think our other thread is far enough along for me to like start this at least -> action

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cw: abuse logic

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CHEERYCHERRY. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 019.46.820.17 * CHEERYCHERRY has joined 019.46.820.17 <CHEERYCHERRY> It's Riley! <CHEERYCHERRY> Please leave a message! <CHEERYCHERRY>** Please be someone with their priorities sorted out properly!