A Bit of Inspiration

Catie here! From haikus to story excerpts, enjoy my collection of words in all forms coming directly from my thoughts.

[forloveofpetrichor]

READ THIS

I’ve relocated here !!! Since this is technically my main blog, when I follow people or send messages, my forloveofpetrichor url shows. I don’t want to get rid of the stuff on this blog, but catie-withac is my side blog that I treat as my main blog. Im hella active on it and everything, so head over there if you want to check me out! Thanks! 

[forloveofpetrichor]

ATTENTION PEOPLE WHO STILL FOLLOW THIS BLOG

Thanks for still following me, I guess, though I’m sure it’s just that you haven’t noticed that I don’t post anything or are too lazy to unfollow. Anyway, it’s pretty much abandoned. However, it is my main tumblr blog and losing all my likes and refollowing everybody sounds horrifying. SO, I am now a personal blog on a side blog called Catie-withac in case anybody cares. That’s Catie-withac. I repeat, Catie-withac. Thanks!

[forloveofpetrichor]

Hey there stranger. Saw what you left in my ask and yes I do like Larry and yes I am jelly of that rootbeer float. Damn now I want one.

It wasn't even a root beer float, it was root beer float FLAVORED ice cream. And it was awesome. Also, you should follow my side blog because I don't use the main one, I just keep it around because I would die if I lost all my likes and had to follow everybody again. It's catie-withac so it would be difficult for you to forget that that's me. But you're not the one with that problem anyway.

[forloveofpetrichor]

ATTENTION PEOPLE WHO STILL FOLLOW THIS BLOG

Thanks for still following me, I guess, though I'm sure it's just that you haven't noticed that I don't post anything or are too lazy to unfollow. Anyway, it's pretty much abandoned. However, it is my main tumblr blog and losing all my likes and refollowing everybody sounds horrifying. SO, I am now a personal blog on a side blog called Catie-withac in case anybody cares. That's Catie-withac. I repeat, Catie-withac. Thanks!

[catie-withac]

just realized that I reblogged some stuff meant for this blog to my writing blog and if anybody still follows that they must be really confused oops

[forloveofpetrichor]

this is that blog

[forloveofpetrichor]

having read so many similar fanfictions that I literally cannot tell if ive read one before until about halfway through the first chapter or even later like thats pretty frustrating man

[forloveofpetrichor]

so my catholic school announced the new pope over the intercom but they didn't say what this happy news was right away and just said there's white smoke! and my brain went OH MY GOD WHERE before I realized

[forloveofpetrichor]

The Photograph

This is a photograph of who I could’ve been. It’s simple and not much seems to be going on, but there’s more if you just look closer. I obviously didn't know it was being taken, or perhaps I didn't care. I am in the middle of a laughing fit; my face is red from the hysterics. You are beside me, finding much amusement from my current state. You’re smirking, yet your mouth is slightly open, as if you are about to say something. Your eyes seem to be on the camera, but there is something about the shine in them that suggests you are truly looking in the corner of your vision. You are aware of the coming photo and are trying to alert me, but I am so out of it that I don’t realize your attempts. You have a hand on my upper arm, like you're nudging me, and I suppose that’s exactly what you’re doing. I am hunched over from laughter, with one hand running through my loose hair, and any endeavor to get my attention will prove unsuccessful. My other hand is on your knee, as if I am trying to steady myself. You’re the fortress, the unmoving rock, and I trust you to keep me standing.

Except we’re not standing. We’re sitting cross-legged on a faded green couch against a wall of red brick. There’s a black floor lamp to my left and a movie poster behind you. It looks like a basement, though not one that I am familiar with. Your hair is pulled back into a messy bun and there are bumps in the front, but we are obviously not dressed for our looks at the moment. I’m in dark blue jeans and you’re in grey sweatpants. Our t-shirts are just for casual wearing, in fact I recognize mine, and your feet are bare while mine are in light blue socks, the bottom of which are splotched with dirt. The circumstances of this photograph are not entirely unknown, though certainly they are mostly unidentified. I don’t know who’s taking the picture. Could it be someone we are already close friends with, or who we have seen around but never come to know? Or they are completely new, perhaps the owner of the basement. I don’t know why we are gathered there. For a movie marathon? A spontaneous sleepover? Maybe even for a studying session? And what exactly am I laughing at? Did you make a sarcastic comment, did someone else? Was an actual joke told or am I just finding amusement in something even unknown to you?

These are things that I will never be acquainted with, because those people in the photograph are both strangers and close friends at the same time. There was a point in my life, and in yours as well, where I could’ve known them, could’ve been one of them. But that point has passed. I took a different road and was forced to leave you behind. I have met different people and have had different experiences which have come to mold and change me into who I am today. Had I not gone down this path, I would know exactly how the photograph had come to be taken. Maybe you know of this basement, you might even know it well, but you are sitting on that faded green couch with someone else. You are wearing that smirk because of someone else, which is okay. This was my choice. I left you, and I know it was the right thing to do, yet I am still compelled to think of the world where I had not done so. It certainly wouldn’t have been inherently wrong, just different, and I think I would’ve been happy either way. I would regret not leaving just as I now regret leaving.

Still, I am comforted by the knowledge that the photograph exists. I am holding it in my hands and I know that things happen for a reason. I cannot discern how the photograph came into my possession; I only know that it did. But I suppose that’s how life works. There are certain aspects of it that I can want very much to understand, and I can and will try to do so, but there is no telling if I will ever be able to. Truthfully, I am both frustrated and content with this fact, and I have no idea how that is possible.

[forloveofpetrichor]

Public service announcement for my few lovely followers

I renamed all of the posts surrounding my four new OCs Do What You Do, which is my official title for their story. I just wanted to make it known when the post was about them so I could write anything else I wanted without any confusion. Okay? Okay.

[forloveofpetrichor]

GUYS GUYS

What if I made this into some kind of personal blog too, like WHAT IF. Can I do that? I think I'll do that. We'll see. I'm into so many fandoms it's almost a crime not to.

[forloveofpetrichor]

Do What You Do 7/?

"Would you stop making that noise?" Eli looked up at her, slowly placing the spoon he had been tapping back on the counter. "Sorry, I just get anxious when I'm waiting," he confessed. "It's perfectly okay," Ruby told him matter-of-factly, "but it's also perfectly annoying." He nodded absentmindedly, knowing she hadn't meant it as an insult at all, and took a gulp of his green apple smoothie. Ruby toyed with her straw from where she sat at the opposite side of the booth, glancing around the small shop impatiently. "What do you think is keeping him?" she asked urgently. "Oliver? Knowing him, he probably just lost track of time," Eli answered simply before furrowing his eyebrows and leaning slightly forward, "What about Arwen? Do you think she's just running late?" "Oh, yeah," she reassured him, "She most likely just had to get to a certain spot in whatever book she was reading or movie slash tv show she was watching, which put her behind schedule. You know." "Well, not really, but I guess I kind of understand," he replied. Ruby laughed, much to his confusion. "I'm sorry, it's just that sometimes your blunt honesty astounds me," she explained, still thoroughly enthused, "You're really very blatant." He blinked. "Okay, is that a bad thing?" "No, I don't think so," she replied thoughtfully, "It's just amusing, is all." "Alright then," He latched onto the smoothie straw and continued drinking, trying to come up with something to say and getting a brain-freeze in the process. Eli truly didn't know what to make of Ruby. He often felt uncomfortable around her if Arwen or Oliver wasn't also present. He hoped this feeling would fade in time, but it hasn't happened quite yet so he was stuck with it for now. If it was any consolation, he was sure that Ruby felt awkward around him too. The look she was giving him was rather disconcerting, like she was contemplating something. "So, can I ask you an important question?" she inquired finally. He stared at her for a moment, rubbing the plastic straw between his fingers. "Can I hear the question first?" he asked warily. "I don't see why not," she replied, "Why do the teachers all kind of hate Oliver?" "What?" he spat immediately. Eli wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it surely wasn't that. "God, you look just like a deer in headlights," Ruby commented, "Is it, like, something really bad or... something?" He opened his mouth, wondering if he should spill it or not, but closed it a second later. "I really think he should be the one to tell you." She bit her lip and stared down at her hands folded on the table, looking conflicted. "But they all treat him like crap, like no wonder he feels the need to be sassy with them, he's got to defend himself somehow," she continued, obviously upset, "The first time I saw Oliver, Mr. Narrison just started talking to him, with no warning at all, about how surprised he was that Ollie didn't flunk last year and how worthless the artistic abilities he 'supposedly' had were. He's not the only teacher I've seen do that kind of stuff. Obviously whatever is making them do this is some kind of known event." "Kittiwake's a small town, Ruby," Eli began delicately, "Everybody here seems to take things personally and everybody knows everybody's business. It's just, there are some things no one talks about yet everyone takes into account. It's a pretty stupid system, and I'm not going to be the person who tells the new girl all the juicy gossip even if you are my friend. Okay? Just ask Oliver about it." She rolled her eyes. "You know perfectly well he won't tell me." "That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask him first before coming to me about it," he answered logically. "Eli," she begged, "please," He breathed in and out, his thoughts going back and forth. On the one hand, any good best friend would never tell the darkest part of his past. Yet, on the other hand, this was Ruby. They had known her all of four months but she had somehow weeded her way deeply into their lives, bringing Arwen along with her. He had never seen Oliver happier, to be honest, since they had started officially dating... What was it now? A week and a half ago? It was during that thunderstorm. Frankly, it seemed like they had been girlfriend and boyfriend for much longer. They sure acted that way. But it still didn't mean Eli should tell her. Though there was that one thought nagging his mind, the one that said that it was a miracle she didn't know already and it was only a matter of time before she did learn it, and it would be from someone who cared a lot less about Oliver. In the end, it was this undeniable fact that led Eli to swallow his guilt and confess. "No one's sure why he did it- not Oliver! Oliver's never done anything... it was his father."

[fictorium]

Writing Meme!

Pick any passage of 500 words or less from any fanfic I’ve written, and stick that selection in my ask/fan mail. I will then give you the equivalent of a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what’s going on in the character’s heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you’d expect to find on a DVD commentary track.

[forloveofpetrichor]

Man, I would love anybody who did this, though I'm not sure if I have anything super long. You could probably just put the title of the post in my ask. I'm mostly doing this because I haven't posted anything in a while. So, please?

[forloveofpetrichor]

Write a book please. I will be the first person to buy it no doubt. Love your writing!!

Whoa, oh my god, thank you! It's funny, I actually have a trilogy storyline and another series storyline sort of being outlined that I'd really love to have published someday, so it's wonderful to know I already have support. I cannot thank you enough!

[forloveofpetrichor]

Do What You Do 6/?

He pulled open the door to reveal a brightly smiling girl. "Ruby? What're you doing here?" Oliver asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as a boom of thunder sounded around them. "I wanna take you somewhere," she replied excitedly, protected from the rain by a small porch roof. He tapped his fingers against the doorway, eyeing her strangely. "You do see the thunderstorm going on around you, right?" he questioned. She made a 'psh' noise and raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to let that hold you back?" Ruby tempted. Oliver laughed, shaking his head slightly. "What did you have in mind?" he asked. "That," she began, raising a finger, "is a surprise." "Okay, no," he immediately responded, "No, no surprises from you, Ruby." "Oh, come on! Please?" she begged, "I mean, why not? It's not like you're doing anything else." "Actually, I have a lasagna in the oven," he countered, "I really don't want to let it burn to a crisp." "Your mom can take it out." "Nah, she won't be home 'til nine o'clock. I'm that lasagna's last hope." "Oh..." She looked disappointed here, which caused just a smidge of guilt to grow in his chest. Oliver rubbed the nape of his neck absentmindedly, glanced up at the sky after a flash of light and returned his gaze to Ruby. She was looking down at her shoes, one hand fidgeting with the strap of the tote bag on her shoulder, as she seemed to contemplate her next course of action. He was about to at least invite her inside when she finally looked back up at him, blue eyes bright with new enthusiasm. "How about I show you the surprise right here?" she asked, a wide grin on her face. "Now you've really got me curious about what the heck it is," he informed simply. "I'm going to take that as a 'yes,' so could you please turn around for me?" she requested, almost mockingly polite. "Whoa, whoa, why?" he asked, holding up both hands in defense. "I'm going to blindfold you," she stated, as if it wasn't a big deal at all. "Uh, I'm not so su-" "No, come on," Ruby said, like an impatient nurse at a pediatric center, grabbing his shoulders and forcibly turning him around. So he acquiesced with a sigh, shutting his eyes and sinking his hands into the pockets of his jeans. After a moment, he felt a silky fabric over his skin. "Is this- is this a fancy scarf?" "Yeah, so?" He smiled to himself, reveling in the knowledge that someone like Ruby exists, a girl who shamelessly shows up at his door wanting to show him something that she feels deserves the surprise that comes with being blindfolded beforehand. He felt the tug of the scarf being tied around his head and let her take his hand, guiding him towards where he thought the door was. He reached his hand out blindly and managed to grab the knob, gently pulling it shut before allowing Ruby to pull him along again. Oliver jumped as a loud boom of thunder sounded and held tighter onto Ruby with both hands without even thinking about it. "Don't worry, Ollie, I've gotcha," she soothed, an edge of amusement in her tone nonetheless. "I'm never gonna live that down," he stated with a groan, yet never loosening his grip. It was here that they stepped off the front porch, though for Oliver it was more of a stumble, and entered the rain. "Oh, Ruby!" he cried as he quickly became drenched. "Embrace it," she told him happily as she continued to drag him across the front lawn. Wet grass stuck to his bare feet as the downpour soaked his blindfold and made it slip ever so slightly down his face, his long nose the only thing besides his ears keeping it up. A hand was pushed against his chest, making him fumble to a stop. "Okay," she said, "now lay down." "What? No." "Oliver," "No." "Oliver," "No!" "Do you trust me?" "Don't go all Aladdin on me," "Come on, I know you trust me. You've already gone this far, if you go back now you would've gotten all wet for nothing." He was silent for a minute, though the sound of crashing raindrops was loud enough to fill the space. He hated that she had a point. "Alright, fine," Oliver said, holding onto her arm to steady himself as he sat on the soaked ground. He let go of her then, though he could feel her prescence sit down beside him. "Now you've got to actually lay down," Ruby instructed, "You know, like, back on the ground." "Yeah, I know," he replied, his reluctance finding a way into his voice, though he did what she asked all the same. "Perfect," she stated. A moment later, the scarf was tugged upwards and he opened his eyes at the same time. There was a flash of bright color as the fabric disappeared from his vision before he took in the full view before him. It was like everything was a mixture of blues and whites and grays. A flurry of transparent flecks fell around him, like liquid crystals crashing to a marble floor. Specks of light rushed through the drops and it was like each one encased a small world. A flash of lightning appeared in the upper left corner of his view, invading the drops and creating an explosion of color that he had no idea existed in a thunderstorm. Suddenly the boom of thunder was more like an epic soundtrack to a summer blockbuster than an unexpected terror. "So what do you think?" Ruby asked hopefully. "I think you would have to be pretty crazy to discover this even existed," he replied, not tearing his gaze away from the sky. "I moved here from Oregon, Oliver," she informed him, "Rain was an every day occurrence, but I loved it. I had to find a way to appreciate it anew all the time. The real hard part was finding a place far enough away from a tree that I wouldn't die by lightning." Oliver was laughing. He had started doing so halfway through her short story and couldn't seem to stop. She didn't question why, she was Ruby after all and therefore understood the need to laugh uncontrollably for unknown amounts of time, but instead laid down beside him. She wrapped her arms around his left one and leaned the side of her face against his side. "Hey, Ruby," he began softly once his laughter died down. "Yeah?" "Would you like to stay for dinner?" "Mmm," she seemed to contemplate this for a moment, "Will your lasagna be burned to a crisp?" "I can't promise anything at this point," Oliver admitted. "Then I will," she said happily. "Even if it's more burnt than the summit of Mount Doom?" "Of course," she laughed, "I've always wanted to taste the fires of Mordor." He laughed again, this time somehow harder than the last. He had never been like this with anybody but Eli. Oliver was drenched and lying in the soaking wet grass while a thunderstorm went on around him, but he was having the time of his life. Never would he look at rain again and not think of Ruby. This he was sure of.

[forloveofpetrichor]

Do What You Do 5/?

"Eli?" he said into the darkness as he lay flat on his back, hands resting on his stomach. His friend made a noise from the sleeping bag next to him, presumably to show he was listening. Oliver swallowed nervously. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" he asked hopelessly. There was a ruffling sound and a quiet sigh as Eli began to speak. "I don't know what you're talking about, man," he replied, "Ruby wants to hang out with you pretty much all the time, and you obviously like her. If the only thing standing in the way of your fairytale happiness is her parents' approval, than you've gotta get over it." He moaned in frustration and placed his hands over his eyes, rubbing them tiredly. "You are absolutely no help," Oliver stated. "What, because I'm repeating the same advice you've heard from everybody ever?" he answered, "Maybe that's because it's true, you idiot." He sighed, removing his hands and focusing his gaze on the sole light in the room, a tiny green glow coming from a laptop charger. There was always something about the immense darkness of night that made everything that happened in it more meaningful. It was like all that existed in that moment were their voices, their thoughts, their emotions. Oliver always imagined that was why the only time he and Eli ever talked about real things was during sleepovers. Once it had become early morning and they had both admitted their exhaustion, when the lights had gone out and they were waiting for sleep to claim them, a certain understanding was made known without any words or recognition of any kind. So Oliver knew Eli was giving him the absolute truth. He just didn't know what to do with it. "Oliver?" the sound of his name cut through his thoughts and he realized that he had been silent for a while. "I hear you," he answered quietly. "You know, everybody thinks I'm the socially awkward one, the shy one, but sometimes I think that that's you, man," Eli told him thoughtfully, "Have you ever thought that you don't act like yourself? Because I've known you since the 5th grade and every once in a while when we're at school or SuperSmoothie or whatever you do something that's like the guy I talk to at the end of sleepovers. 'Cause let me tell you, those are two different people." Oliver closed his eyes, found no change in his vision, and opened them again. "I don't know what to make of that, Eli. I mean, I believe you, but I don't know what to do about it." "I didn't think you would." Neither of them spoke for a couple minutes. "Have you ever thought about becoming a therapist, Eli?" "You just ruined this whole moment," he replied, mockingly stern, "We were having a moment, man, couldn't you feel it? A moment." Oliver laughed and Eli quickly joined him, the sound of it filling the seemingly empty void. Yet in the distance he could see the little green light reminding him that this was only a dark room at night, and all illusions are only that. An illusion.

[forloveofpetrichor]

Do What You Do 4/?

It was definitely sweater weather outside. But Arwen wasn't going out there. She hated the snow, the cold, the silence that surrounded it. That's why she had settled into a heap of blankets upon the couch with a mug of hot chocolate held closely to her chest. Her dad wouldn't be home until late that night so she had decided to use the alone time to get reacquainted with Lord of the Rings. But just as Pippin bumped a chain down the well, an unwelcomed phone call interrupted her bliss. Groaning unhappily, she paused the movie before reaching behind her and groping the table for the phone. Finally grabbing it, Arwen glanced at the caller ID and knew she couldn't pass it up. "Hello," she answered, taking a sip of hot chocolate. "Arwen!" an excited voice replied, "You've gotta get your butt over here." "Ruby," she began patiently, "It's Saturday and it's snowing and I'm home alone, so I'm enjoying some much needed LotR time. Don't interrupt me." "I understand you have your needs, but believe me when I say this is one of them," Ruby continued, thoroughly enthused. Arwen furrowed her eyebrows, unsure as to what she could be referring to. "I don't think I want to know," she finally decided. "Oh, yes, you do," her friend insisted slyly, "I'm at SuperSmoothie with Oliver-," "Ooo," Arwen joked. "Shut up, this isn't about me," she said determinedly, "I'm with Oliver, and Eli joined us a couple minutes ago. From the looks of things, it seems your boy was anticipating you being here with me." "My boy?" she repeated in disbelief. "Ever since the Gatsby incident you've totally been checking out Eli, and don't even try to say you haven't." "Stop calling it the Gatsby incident." "This is a perfect opportunity for you, Arwen, and I swear if you don't show up in the next twenty minutes I will drag Eli over to your house," Ruby stated matter-of-factly, "Now, I've gotta go because I've been in the bathroom for far too long, but remember what I said." Arwen hesitated, her gaze lingering on the still image of her beloved fellowship. But then she though of the infamous 'Gatsby incident'. She had never thought much of Eli Bodette, and indeed she had never even known his last name before his best friend Oliver became such a prominent person in Ruby's life. Not that Ruby had been in Arwen's life very long either, but that wasn't the point. The short exchanges she had shared with Eli before were nice, albeit forgetful. But then came the Gatsby incident. She was shocked, to say the least, at his honesty and strange warmth. The fact that he had read the book was enough to make her smile. So she had told Ruby about the conversation, keeping casual about the whole thing, but apparently Arwen wasn't very good at aloof because her friend had seen right through it. And maybe her persistence was at times annoying, but it had good intentions and found true footing. Which is why Arwen was about to give a positive reply when she noticed that Ruby had already hung up. She smiled wryly. Typical. Taking a final swig from her mug, she threw the blankets off her lap and dashed to her bedroom. It was sweater weather, after all, and Arwen knew that it wouldn't be beyond Ruby to persuade Eli to give up his coat for her.

[forloveofpetrichor]

So now that we're mutually following each other that means were like engaged yeh? (I jest, I just wanted to tell you I think you're an amazing writer and I'm a HUGE fan and I love your URL.)

Oh my god, sure! Let's be friends, because I have none here yet even though I've been around awhile because I'm socially awkward even on the internet. Anyway, I've been meaning to check out your blog since you started following me and then I did and GOD I love you. I mean, you're a fan? I HAVE A FAN? Now I'm just extremely happy and I can't stop flailing my hands. *breathes deeply* You're a wonderful person and your URL makes me laugh even though I don't know what it means. I just... I'm happy. Thank you.