november guest

rumor chastain. 19. he came from the sunset, he came from the sea, he came from my sorrow, and can love only me

[daylightdreamt]

peakedpen‌:

penelope realized, very belatedly, that there was one person she had yet to check on that she really should’ve already. she tried not to blame herself for being so much of a fuck up but really, truly, she couldn’t escape from it and it wasn’t going to go away. if anything, having her one pillar of smart thinking suddenly being gone was making her more stupid. still, he came to mind almost the second she stepped into her house, immediately going to melanie’s room to search for any kind of clues that might tell her whereabouts. she didn’t know if she was smart enough to find them, but regardless her snooping had dug up some rewards; melanie’s christmas present stash. penelope snatched hers first, shaking the pristinely wrapped box and wondering if she should open it or wait until christmas. maybe melanie would be back by then? she thought about aurelia’s arrest, about the shovel, and then promptly pushed the thought out of her head. she’d just put it under the tree; regardless of the reason melanie wasn’t present. then she dug out one for their mother, their step-dad, darcy (melanie was too nice because penelope doubted darcy had gotten her anything), and then… 

rumor. she held the box in her hands, biting at her lip, staring down at melanie’s perfect cursive, punctuated with a heart tacked on at the end. if melanie truly wasn’t coming back… she stood, wandering into her room and grabbing the small present she’d gotten for rumor as well, stuffing them carefully into her big purse before wandering out the door again, her mom watching her curiously as she went. they’d hardly spoken to each other, both too stressed and anxious to voice their thoughts aloud, so maybe it was for the best that penelope was leaving. she made her way to rumor’s, knocking on his door and shifting anxiously as she waited for a reply. when he opened the door her mouth opened, and then closed, at a loss for words. “hey, uhm.” it came out breathy and hesitant. “can i come in?” 

@daylightdreamt​

rumor’s relationship with his sister was very different than most siblings, the two of them being far closer than most. they were close in the way they were all the other had, in the way that they were the only person the other really knew. they weren’t granted the luxury of being able to have stupid sibling fights and running to their parents about it. they had to share all they had, fend for scraps and try their best to take care of each other. too tired from school and work to even find something to fight over after a long day. seeing melanie with penelope was a bit of a shock to him. he knew most siblings weren’t as close as him and his sister, he wasn’t clueless, but seeing them was his first glance at a more regular relationship. loving someone and being family but also fighting and sometimes going too far. he knew how important siblings can be, and as much as he loved melanie as a person he could see what it was like to be penelope. to live in a shadow, to fight with your sibling, to be hurt. as melanie’s boyfriend he was always on her side, but he still found himself going to penelope’s side to keep her company when he came over and all the attention was solely on melanie. he cared about penelope, he understood penelope.

it was horrible of him not to reach out to her, to be so selfish and in his own head about it all that he forgot to take into account the feelings of others. he knew others would be hurting like he did, yet the usually kind and considerate boy wallowed in his loneliness and all consideration flew out of his mind. she was her sister, that’s infinitely more important and meaningful than being a boyfriend. the worst part is he didn’t even think about it, not until she showed up knocking at his door like a punch to the gut. “hey...of course. always.” he opened the door fully, moving so she could come in, quickly trying to clean up a few things. “sorry i haven’t been around or reached out. haven’t been able to think properly with everything going on.”

[daylightdreamt]

brickyellow‌:

so much for avoiding emotional people. as much as austin was dreading dealing with anyone’s grief, they cared about rumor a lot more than their own awkward feelings. it was strange, no matter their own close relationship with melanie and family history with the girl, their time with rumor never was about her. sure, they could be angry about their relationship and what that meant for dick, but why bother? rumor was cool on his own, and austin enjoyed dragging he and wolfie out most nights. they were their boring boys, and as much as austin claimed not to give too much of a shit about them, they’d drop anything for either of the two. that was what brought them to rumor chastain’s place after the alleged death of his girlfriend, armed with a box of pizza and ready to distract. it wasn’t that rumor gave them a key, but rather, that they had a free afternoon and there was a nearby home depot “honey, i’m home!” they called in a deep voice as they entered “after we destroy this pizza, you wanna go drop some cryptic notes in mailboxes with me?”

being at covington was rumor’s first encounter with the real world, with being stuck with other people all the time with no chance to run away, and the connections he made were always unexpected. when he pictured the type of people he’d be friends with they were exactly like him, but reality had different plans for him. almost everyone he had gotten close with were the kind of people he never thought he’d have things in common with, much less a connection, and yet they were the ones he felt the closest to. austin was the perfect example of that, lively and wild, juxtaposing his more quiet nature. and of course there were things with melanie, her relationship with other people always seeming to loom over his head as he made bonds with others, but despite how loyal he tended to be he wouldn’t let things like that get in the way of his friendships. it was better this way too, had he only stuck by her he wouldn’t have anyone like austin here to help him cope. “cryptic notes? do you think that’s the best idea right now, with everyone on edge?” usually with an idea like that he’d do it after a lot of convincing, but now wasn’t the time.

[daylightdreamt]

voidgriff‌:

*: ･ﾟ∙ * ⁕ closed  starter  for  @daylightdreamt

 part  of  griffin  had  convinced  herself  that  she  was  over  taking  care  of  people  who  were  immensely  damaged  from  the  news  of  melanie’s  death.  although  taking  care  of  others  is  what  she  did,  she  could  hardly  handle  the  news  herself.  she  was  beyond  confused  and  …  upset.  her  emotions  tugged  back  and  forth  between  anger  to  a  classic  type  of  grieving  where  she’d  wipe  away  a  tear  every  time  she  saw  something  that  even  reminded  her  of  melanie  in  the  slightest.  seriously,  a  tear  was  wiped  right  as  she  laid  eyes  on  rumor.  fuck.  griffin  couldn’t  even  imagine  what  he  was  going  through  and  even  though  she’d  previously  lamented  to  herself  that  she  wouldn’t  take  care  of  another  person  she  found  herself  approaching  him  with  a  deep  breath  to  flip  on  her  caring  mask. “hey,  rumor.  you  want  to  get  coffee  or  something?”  no  how  are  you?  or  oh  i’m  so  sorry,  she  was  sure  he’d  heard  enough  of  it.  the  best  thing  griffin  could  think  of  was  to  somehow  take  his  mind  off  the  situation.

part of rumor wished he had never even come to covington, instead stayed in that trailer with his sister in his tiny little comfort zone. all his life he wanted something grand to happen, those big moments that happened to the characters in his favorite books or the tragedies that pushed his favorite authors to write their best stuff. now that it had happened he was realizing the art wasn’t worth the pain, it wasn’t worth the unknowing, it wasn’t worth someones life being lost. and what would he write, pretty lies he didn’t mean about how in love they were? he couldn’t admit otherwise now, it was cruel, it was undignified. better to leave things with a pretty facade, even as the truth burned inside of him. it was eating him alive, so did his hope that somehow none of this was real. it was too much all at once, she couldn’t really be dead, could she? griffin approaching him was a mixed bag of emotions for rumor. he had always liked her company in their brief stints of talking through melanie, but that was the thing she reminded him of melanie. it hurt, but he couldn’t take that out on griffin’s kindness. he would not be a slave to his emotions, even if he always had been before. “coffee? oh, yeah, sure. probably need some anyway.” he gave a quick, quaint smile, hardly there, more so only to be polite. he really didn’t need anymore coffee, he had been living off only that these past few days, but he’d never say no to more.

[daylightdreamt]

unsccnangcl‌:

location: outside the on-campus apartments

date: one oh-seven, december twentieth

with: open

everything felt real, now. worse. those obituaries posted all over the campus had been the rudest possible awakening, and that bad feeling ella had had from the very beginning was only confirmed. perhaps it wasn’t official, but that thought filled her up to her throat. melanie was dead, melanie was dead, melanie was-. it was a paralyzing thought, and ella had barely been able to leave her bed since she left her apartment to get breakfast from the dining hall. now, she felt spurred into action. doing nothing only made her feel worthless, useless; she’d feel better if she did something. the question was: what? 

she wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck, trying to think of what she could do. maybe she could… talk to people, but that was a terrifying concept in and of itself. it was never something ella had been particularly good at. she zipped her coat up as she left the building, cold air nipping at her collarbone. almost as soon as she looked up, she caught sight of another person, one of the other twenty-three. she shot them an uneasy, forced smile, and thought, well, here goes nothing. “hey,” she said as soon as she was close enough to be heard, cheeks quickly going pink and ignoring the signs that surrounded them. “hey, um… are you… are you doing okay?” 

rumor was someone who usually kept himself in good condition, even when his few clothes were thrifted with holes in them he tried to look his best. he wanted to always be presentable, like the caricature of some old classic romance novel. ideally he would be in something more like a jane austen classic, but his life was starting to align with the more gothic romance, feeling like the tragic hero rather than the happy lead. he felt like maxim dewinter, hiding the secrets of their relationship to play the role he was given, slowly decaying and falling apart inside as he did so.

now he looked like a mess, going out in his pajamas, his hair barely brushed, bags under his eyes representative of the lack of sleep he’s been getting these past few days. his mind has been going a mile a minute, rapidly writing all his thoughts late at night as he drank his coffee with rum. nothing made sense, and all he wanted was for things to make sense. the news kept getting worse but none of it made sense. all he wanted to do was stay inside, wallow until everything was done then try to heal, but he had to come out eventually. doing so he should’ve expected to have to talk to someone, usually he was never opposed to that, but now all he wanted was some quiet. “hi...hey...” he looked down at his hands, ashamed to be out like this. “no, i’m not...but i’m here. how are you?”

[daylightdreamt]

TASK NO.1 ↣ THE INTERROGATION

featuring: @cagcdbirds @of-apples @brickyellow @flightsrsk @glcwsticck

rumor didn’t know what he was feeling, someone usually so in touch with his emotions now confused and at a loss of words for his muddled mind. it felt like a bad trip, when he smoked too much weed and his body tingled and all he wanted was to sleep so it would be over. but he wasn’t high, and this wasn’t something he could just sleep off. he had to live with this, this overwhelming feeling of loss that made him want to throw up. 

that wasn’t even one of the worst parts, the worst part was the not knowing, the lack of answers on what was exactly happening. this was starting to be a trend in his life, and he hated it. he hated not knowing things, he hated not having answers, and he hated not knowing how to cope because he didn’t even really know what was wrong. 

the second worst part was that he had to do this. he had to be poked and prodded with their questions that he didn’t have the answer to. he wished he knew more, he wished he could help rather than sit and wallow in his inadequacy. he should’ve been by her side the entire night, he should’ve done more to make sure she was safe, he should be doing something to find her right now. 

the third worst part is that he knows he’s a suspect, he knows no matter what he does part of him will look guilty. he was the boyfriend, it’s always the boyfriend. would other people think that when they saw him? would they point to him and say i always thought there was something off about those two? 

he was probably over thinking it all, he had a tendency to do so, especially in a police station.

can you tell me, to the best of your memory, what happened on the night of december 13, 2019?

it was like being a kid again, bright lights pounding on him and the urge to run away, wanting to cry and ask for verity to hold him like when he was a kid. he felt nauseous, his mind a scrambled mess, the words not fully processing in his head as he looked around his surroundings and wondered how did i get here?

it was only when they asked the question again he heard, his soul coming back to his body and reality fully hitting him. stop acting so guilty, you know you’ve done nothing wrong. he chanted that to himself in his head, staring down at his hands as he did so, they’re clean, they’re clean. finally, he was ready.

 “december 13th? well the party, of course, obviously, sorry.” he shook his head, trying to get a grip. he was usually so articulate, police made him nervous. “i’ve never really been much of a party guy, i never really went to parties until i came here so i don’t really know how to act. i usually just stick to the walls or latch onto one of my friends. once i started dating melanie i’d stick by her, it was easy to do that, but that night i guess i...didn’t.” it sounded so bad, he didn’t mean for it to, he’s only telling the truth. “i was there for her, but it was a lot going on and i wasn’t really in the mood for it all so i just wandered around, trying to find some quiet. i hung out with some friends for a bit, austin and maverick braxton can tell you i was there, i talked with them for a bit, but i mainly was on my own. the covington estate has always interested me, i’ve never been anywhere like there, and every time i’m there i find something new about it that interests me. i was upstairs on my own for awhile. oh, i also hung out with coda lin for a bit, just talking about nothing really.”

did you see anything unusual that night? was anyone acting out of the ordinary?

“anything unusual?” he repeated, taking some time to try and think, straining himself to get out of his own head and think about the important things. “like i said i was on my own most of the night, and i don’t know too many people here to say if anyone was acting out of the ordinary. it was a party too, people were under the influence, causes a lot of people to not necessarily be ordinary.” 

he thought that was his definite answer, but the more he thought about that night, playing it over and over in his head those little things jumped out. “well actually there’s some things that seemed a little...weird, but i’m sure it’s nothing. when i was wandering around i may have meddled a little bit, and i probably shouldn’t have. you see upstairs there was this violin but i noticed it was missing a string, and well i wanted to help. i took it down and looked for my friend wolfgang, he knows a lot about this stuff and i knew he’d want to help me fix it, but when i asked he just brushed me off. i can’t blame him for that, it was my fault. we were at a party, he probably wanted to have fun not help me with some random violin.”

part of him felt guilty telling them these things, throwing people under the bus that he could only hope were innocent, but who would he be if he didn’t tell them these things? “there was another thing too, happened a little before the thing with wolfgang. i was talking to coda about plants, flowers, stuff like that. i’ve always been interested in them, and we were talking about the hemlock plant. i was telling coda about how i have a lot of respect for the toxicology program here, and that even though i’m not apart of it i try to keep up with it when i can. we were talking about how toxic the hemlock plant, and around that same time i see maisie walking around with it. i have no idea what for or if she knew how toxic it was, but once she heard that she immediately ran outside.”

can you tell me more about your relationship with melanie?

this question was a punch to his gut. he knew it was coming, but hearing it hurt nonetheless. he had a responsibility to be there for her, that was their relationship and the worst part was part of their relationship was a lie.

“she’s my girlfriend, and my friend. date someone you’re friends with, you know?” his hands were fidgeting, how does he answer this? “we’re happy together, she’s one of the best people i know, and one of the best relationships i’ve ever been in. we’re really good together, we’re really happy.” he insisted and insisted and insisted. was it obvious he wasn’t all that happy?

do you have any reason to believe that someone would want to hurt melanie?

rumor shook his head immediately, this question one of the easiest for him to answer, even if the evidence seemed otherwise. “no, no way. melanie can be a bit abrasive at times, and no one is liked by everyone, but if someone were than melanie was pretty close. she was kind to everyone, she’s the type of person who even if you don’t know her you can go to her for help and she’ll be there for you. i know her and some people here didn’t have the best relationships, and honestly i don’t know all the details, but from what i do know it never seemed like enough for someone to hurt her. she is...an amazing person, i can’t picture anyone ever wanting to hurt her.”

do you have any questions about how the case will proceed?

he knew he’d have questions later, but for now his mind was broken. it was too soon for him to really think, and he felt too trapped in this room and his fear. “i just ask that you keep me updated, and that if you need anything come to me. i want to help in any way i can, please.”

[daylightdreamt]

@brickyellow​

rumor had always been a pretty independent person, or so he thought. he’d gone so much of his life without really needing connections, friends never coming easy as he always moved, and he was always most comfortable on his own with his thoughts. he was never really alone either, his sister always by his side as a comforting source, a constant reminder that there was somewhere there for him. being without her he realized he wasn’t as independent as he thought, and with everything going on being alone with his thoughts was a nightmare. his worry for melanie and his guilt over his feelings eating him alive, he was itching for a good distraction and austin often proved to be a good one. he texted them asking them over, hoping some company could stop him from losing his mind.

[samaraweaving]

Yeah. Yeah. I’m good.

[hauntingfm]

@daylightdreamt

[aliciavikander]

[flightsrsk]

@daylightdreamt !

[daylightdreamt]

hello everyone, i’m karina and i’m so hyped to be here and bring my baby rumor to life !! i can’t wait to get to know all of you and your lovely muses and see how everything goes down here !! like this if you want to plot and i’ll hit u up !! mwah

if you want his annoyingly long full ass bio you can read it here !!

also his pinterest board is here !!

backstory: 

rumor chastain was an accident in his family - but that doesn’t mean he was unwanted. his parents, delilah and benjamin, were more than happy to have another child after their daughter verity (who was around ten when rumor was born).

the chastain family lived on a farm in the countryside, far from the nearest town and no neighbors in sight. just the four of them and their lovely house, along with all the animals rumor affectionately named and cared for. being the baby of the family his parents ensured he took that role, never giving him any big responsibilities on the farm and rather letting him roam about as he pleased. he was a happy child, and he loved his life. he did his chores early in the morning so he could run out and see the sunrise, spend the rest of his day running up and down the hills picking flowers and finding figures in the clouds. he’d stay out there until the sunset, counting every new star in the sky until there were too many, and only coming home once his mother called him down for dinner. 

when he was old enough for school he was homeschooled along his sister verity, who taught him his abcs and how to read while teaching herself geometry. they were isolated in their country home, but rumor didn’t mind, he had everything he needed. his family was his best friends, and their property seemed like the whole wide world to him. he loved that farm more than anything, he couldn’t imagine a life better than the one he lived now. 

nothing good can last forever, and the worst part is that rumor doesn’t even know why. he just remembers waking up in the middle of the night to his sister shaking him awaking, rushing her words as she picked him up and took him to the cop car waiting for them in their front yard. she held him close as they drove into town and to the police station, and continued to hold him as he cried in her arms asking why they were there and what was wrong. they were there until sunrise when his aunt finally made it, taking verity and rumor with the news they’d be living with her now and that they’d never see that farm again

going from his quaint life in the country to a town, even a small one, was shocking to rumor. his usual routine now interrupted by an actual school, no more running around rather he was expected to sit in a desk all day with very few reprieves. at home he was always confident, outgoing, always had something to say. here he was terrified to speak, never being around other kids or knowing how to act around them. he sat in the back with his head down, dutifully taking notes on his own. it wasn’t until lunch when one student gave him a chance that the boy he always was came out. all the students crowded around him to meet the new kid, and he was so excited to talk to all of them. tell them about himself, the farm, the stories he made up and games he’d play. his happiness was quickly crushed as he was responded to with laughter. to his peers he was a freak, a weirdo with an equally weird name. that was the first time rumor chastain learned to change himself, hide certain parts to fit in. it was only a matter of time before hiding simply became erasing those parts of himself, unable to get back that full shine he once had.

his sister had dropped out of high school and gotten multiple jobs instead, saving her money in the short time they lived with their aunt. the minute she got enough money she bought them a little trailer barely able to fit the two of them and they left. it wasn’t because of anything their aunt did, they love her dearly and thank her for everything she did to help them, but they just weren’t meant for a life like that. rumor wasn’t at least, because as much as he loved to learn he hated the constraint of the classroom. he knew how smart he was, too smart for the pace most classes took. verity and rumor were always on the road, always moving, his sister finding odd jobs wherever she could. most of the time he was self taught, only going to actual schools when they stayed in one place longer than most. even then he barely went, preferring to be on his own and go at his own pace.

once he was old enough to get a job he did, wanting to do anything to help his sister out after everything she had done and given up for him. it was the least he could do, and he only hoped that one day he could do more. he graduated high school early and took some time off to keep working and be with his sister. he wanted more than anything to go to college but he was scared of leaving, crippled by the drastic change he went through as a child (and learned not to ask about) that left him terrified of any other form of change. he eventually had to get over that and leave for college, going to covington a dream for him, even if he did cry every night the first week he was there. everything was perfect there. his peers made him feel welcomed, his classes challenged him, and he even had the perfect girlfriend. it finally felt like his life was getting back on track.

personality & headcanons:

the thing two most important things i didn’t mention about rumor above are 1. his love for poetry and desire to be a poet and 2. how much of a hopeless romantic he is

rumor always loved literature but poetry owned his heart. ever since he was a kid and his mother would read him poets to go to sleep he tried to write some of his own, developing his own style over the years and finding a passion for it. he’d often visit bookstores and read whole collections of poetry while there, knowing he couldn’t afford to buy them so he memorized them instead. because of this he’s that guy who quotes poetry randomly.

rumor loves love. his entire life has been looking for love, creating this idealized version of his soulmate in his mind. love is truly the driving factor in his life, and he’d do anything for those he loves (romantically and platonically) almost to a fault or dangerous point. when it comes to romantic love he is the type to go all in, full romeo and juliet kind of guy. he wants a love to overwhelm and take over his entire life, but he puts too much pressure on this idealized love that is virtually impossible to obtain.

despite all he has gone through and how he isn’t nearly as happy and bright as he was as a child, he still tries to hold onto that happiness and optimism he once had. he sometimes struggles to do so, but he tries his hardest to keep his dreams alive and keep a smile on his face.

one of his biggest vices is that he smokes cigarettes. he’s minorly addicted and picked it up when he was around 15, and it’s become a kind of nervous tick for him to immediately start smoking once anything makes him anxious. despite this he doesn’t really drink, that’s reserved for when he’s especially sad and wants to get drunk on his own. he isn’t a big party guy but when he does go out and doesn’t want to stay sober then he’ll smoke some weed.

he’s just really sweet okay, he’s not the biggest social butterfly but he is social enough to have friends and he’s legit nice to everyone. it’s hard to find a mean bone in his body. at parties he’s a bit of a wallflower though since he legit never went to a single party until he got to covington and baby doesn’t know how to act.

rumor dresses like a writer guy like he’s the type always in autumn clothes and colors, sweaters and turtlenecks, etc.

melanie:

melanie, melanie, melanie...let’s make this quick. melanie and rumor were the picture perfect couple. they knew just how to be pda enough for everyone to know how cute they were without going over the top and grossing everyone out. they matched each other intellectually, and the best part was that melanie was the girl rumor had always dreamed about. she was the girl of his dreams, the ideal partner all his poems were about and yet...he never fell in love with her. he never did and he doesn’t think he ever could and he doesn’t know why. she was perfect, they were perfect, but there just wasn’t that thing that made it different. they didn’t have that passion, that moxie that every great couple had. he wanted a love that he couldn’t stand to live without, and he just didn’t have that with melanie. he never had the guts to break up with her, and now he didn’t need to.

wc’s: 

listen i’m shit with pre wc so here’s some basics

roommates !! ones who get along or don’t either way is fun

friends !! likely ones, unlikely ones, bad influences, ex friends, etc

lil stoner group cuz like he ain’t a full stoner but sometimes he needs that good good shit and needs his lil stoner friends he can call up and smoke up with

[selinakylc]

He was the kind of person who craved intimacy like a war craves a battle cry. What a shame he flinched at every touch.

there are things to unlearn, N. (via andrcmedas)

[orwell]

[herosuggestion]

One of the most heroic things you can do is refuse to be cruel in a world that makes it so difficult to be kind.

[randomlyrj]

[eriicmatthews]

[rpmusings-galore]

              a broken past and no hope for the future

      burden heavier than their shoulders should bear

   scars across their skin in a map of all they’ve endured

                 their heart should be hardened…

                       so, why, then, do they still  c a r e … ?

                            ——- care so deeply their heart  a c h e s … ?

[randomlyrj]

[qvotable]

There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you, and there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.

Lemony Snicket