when he left new york for the summer with the intent to never come back, he actually stopped to contemplate going to the midwest to be with rumor. sure, he loved being around rocky and his family, but rumor was his best friend. and then liam had remembered that rumor lived on a farm, and he remembered he hated farm life and would rather live in a supply closet. but this was ten times better than writing letters, and liam was thrilled to see his best friend. sure, he was incredibly guilty over the fact that he was hiding the biggest part of his life from probably one of the most important people to him, but that was his own fault. rumor was truly one of the best things that had happened to him, though liam would never admit it.
liam wrapped his arms around rumor, laughing when the younger male didn’t let go right away. he was the most affectionate guy he knew, so it didn’t surprise him. “how’ve you been, buddy? got any more poetry for me to scribble my notes on?” sure, he knew what had been going on in rumor’s life, for the most part, due to their letters. but it’d been about a week since he’d left for california and he hadn’t gotten any updates since.
rumor knew he’d had to settle down one day, if anything that was all he wanted, a place to settle down and call home. despite being everywhere at least once he still didn’t know where to go, nowhere feeling home like his childhood did, but that was a luxury he could never go back to despite never truly allowing himself to grow past that. he crippled himself in it, held onto what he could never have and ideas of grandeur, not realizing just how unhealthy and heartbreaking that would be when it all came crashing down. still, he’d ignore that for his optimism, which in itself was another crutch for him as he blinded himself from the reality of the world far too may times.
“i’m always working on something, but i’m not sure if i have anything to show you just yet.” he was feeling at a loss of words to write, craving inspiration past his dreams and wanting something more rooted in reality. he couldn’t keep writing of a dream world, aching to write about something in front of him. “what about you, everything good?”
“maybe you’re onto something, there’s gotta be one dweeb in training.” darcy said, her words laced with a light tone so he would know she was only joking. she only called her favorite people dweebs though he wouldn’t know that yet. “i’ll have to check my stash for some, i might be out of gold stars but i’m sure i’ll think of something to give ya if it comes to that.” she nodded along to the introduction of the lottery, another great one. “i think i read that three times in the first couple weeks it was out.” shirley was one of the greats, there wasn’t much she wrote that darcy hadn’t devoured. “compared to some of us here, you’d be pretty high up there.”
“are you calling me a dweeb? ouch.” he put his hand to his heart, and this was something that usually would have truly offended him and left him to curl back up in himself, but she spoke with such ease he somehow was able to be eased as well. “do you have a sticker stash?” he questioned, knowing the risk of him sounding completely naive or possibly stupid (which he was not). “me too, i know i shouldn’t reread when there are so many other stories out there to read for the first time but i just can’t help it.” he could go on and on when it came to books, using it as a crutch for himself. “i still don’t know about that.”
Rory huffed, wiping the gravel away that stuck to her bloody knees. Upon seeing Rumor, she smiled, a genuine smile that she so rarely used. “That’s okay.” She brushed him off, but appreciative of his offer. “If you have a band-aid though, that would be great.” Rory nodded, taking the fallen items from him and thanking him. “You can help me to the cabin, though.” She suggested, knowing she would probably drop her things for a second time.
he gave a wide smile back, glad to see she was okay, handing over her items and sifting through his own belongings for anything to help. “you know, i just might.” going through his own bag he found the little first aid kit he always carried with him for emergencies, opening it up and taking out a band-aid. “here you go.” his smile was childlike, innocent as he handed it over. “of course, want me to hold anything for you?” he offered with open arms.
“as if. but if you do somehow manage it, i’ll give you a gold star.” it seemed beyond possible to get some of these kids around a campfire to listen to transcendentalism but more power to him. “have i read any shirley jackson? is footloose the only movie my mom has talked about since february?” clearly, both answers were yes. “i was obsessed with the haunting of hill house for a bit but hangsaman was fuckin’ dope.” horror was by far her favorite genre, any kind of horror. she liked the gory stuff but sometimes you had to dive into the haunts or the psychological shit. “helping kids? what a saint you are.” she teased. darcy knew some people were here to actually help them and teach them stuff, she could admit she was here for a more selfish reason.
“there’s got to be some kid out there like me who would love it, that’s just statistics. and i wouldn’t mind a gold star.” it was hard for him to find ease in talking to someone he wasn’t close with, but once that bridge was made it was hard to stop him. he could go on for hours, always find something to talk about and never stop until the other did or his anxiety caught up to him. “the haunting of hill house ending? perfection, and then the lottery’s a classic. he liked when a story went past just its genre, that despite the genre it was confined to it still had some overarching message that would make it accessible to anyone. “i’m not sure how saint like it is, but thanks.”
liam had been looking for the one and only rumor chastain since arriving at the camp. there was something about the certainty that he would see his best friend that was just reassuring. after the years they’d spent writing to each other, there was still something huge that liam hadn’t gotten the chance to tell rumor. each time it was on the tip of his tongue, he chickened out and started talking about the last film he’d watched. setting a deck of cards back on the table in the director’s cabin, he’d been just about to leave for a smoke when he saw the familiar brunette walk through the doors.
“oh word, rumor.” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around the younger male in a hug. there were few people liam would show such outward, physical affection towards, and rumor was one of them. “c’mere, i missed you.” he grinned, practically picking up the smaller guy with the enthusiasm of the hug.
rumor never had many friends, often afraid to fully open up to anyone despite his desire to, wanting desperately to be seen yet also terrified of doing so and being rejected for that. yet despite that he was able to make one friend, one good friend in liam. they were so different in so many ways and yet so similar, and liam had become one of rumors greatest comforts in life. he was his best friend, writing letters as rumor and his sister moved around constantly with updates on his life and whatever poems he was writing, always looking forward to liam’s responses and hear about his life that rumor couldn’t help but envy some aspects of. still, the most exciting part of coming to camp was seeing liam again, being able to see and hug his best friend and not just wait for a letter to arrive.
seeing him rumor couldn’t help the wide smile on his face, immediately meeting him back in his hug, squeezing tight and filled with love and affection. “i missed you too.” he mumbled back, laughing as liam returned the affection ten fold. “finally, it was getting lonely roaming around here on my own.”
“because most people think of emerson or thoreau when they come to summer camp. i wouldn’t show the kids that if i were you unless you want to be the butt of the joke.” it wasn’t that darcy hadn’t read either herself before she just knew how ruthless campers could be to a nerdy counselor. and he seemed to fit the bill. “night of the claw.” she answered, lifting the book to show him the cover. “the latest by ramsey campbell…i think, i don’t really keep up with releases if i’m being honest.” darcy shrugged with a little smirk. he seemed like the type to have a time table of releases. “not particularly. i’m here more as a nostalgia thing not for my love of kids. you?”
“who knows, i might get some into it, have a campfire reading for them all.” he knew that was far from happening, knowing he didn’t have the confidence to do so and she was right in the fact that him trying would just be a joke to most. “night of the claw.” he repeated after her, looking at the book as she lifted it up. “never been much of a horror guy myself, but i can respect the classics. have you read any shirley jackson?” he preferred tales more rooted in real life, often straying away from horror or fantasy, but he also knew all books held an importance so he’d given some a chance. “both. nostalgia and just like helping kids.”
sitting in the infirmary, rumor reorganized everything he had already organized in silence, unsure what else to do with his time. he usually spent his time holed up here anyway, though his excuse was being on the job and waiting for campers to come in when needed. there were no campers here though, so no real reason for him to stay in here. he didn’t know what else to do, wishing he could just go out and have fun with everyone but he was far too shy for that. only when another first aid came in did he have to be confronted with that, not that he fully minded, always needing that push to interact. “hey! uh, i mean hi. how are you?” he struggled with his words despite the fact that he was usually so articulate.
Rory, despite her best attempts, was extremely unorganised, and packing was no exception. Especially with the amount of books she carried around, the bag in her arms was desperately threatening to spill over, too full to get the zip closed. Rory stumbled to the cabins, the large bag winning against her smaller frame, blocking her sight as she walked towards the cabin shakily. Rory cursed the gravel beneath her feet as she skidded across the rocks, falling to her knees and spilling the contents of her bag on the ground. “Fuck.” She cursed, gathering up her spilled books and clothes.
rumor always found a comfort in rory, someone he hoped he could call a friend and they’d call him the same back. even when he was close with someone he was never sure how close, used to putting people higher up in importance for him than they ever did with him, and he was always scared to feel that rejection in a friendship with someone he thought he was close with. still, seeing rory he got a little excited, and watching them tumble over he rushed over to help. he gathered her books and clothes alongside her, handing it over. “here. you okay, need to go to the infirmary? not on duty but i can make an exception right now.”
looking up from her latest horror novel, darcy met rumor’s gaze and shrugged. “hey,” she said with a nod in his direction as a greeting. darcy knew him, but never really got to know him over past summers. “still trying to recover from the drive up here, i always forget how long it is.” she would get up way earlier than she ever wanted to for the drive to camp reverie and by the end of the summer, she’d forget how much she hated doing it but it was worth it. “you?” she asked, marking her page in the novel before putting it down. “i know i’m supposed to say that i can’t wait to see their little faces but…i also don’t like lying.”
he nodded his head at her statement, though he couldn’t fully agree with her sentiment. his entire life was on the road, constantly moving, time now felt lost on the road neither too short or long. it all melded together, along with the years spent on it, and at this point even with his watch always on his wrist he wondered how much of time was even real. “i’m good. it’s nice coming here, being a part with nature. i always bring emerson or thoreau with me when i’m here, it just seems fitting.” seeing her set a book of her own down made him far more comfortable, that being a topic he could actually talk about. “what are you reading?” he nodded his head in the direction of her novel as he spoke. “you don’t like kids?”
despite his many years being a camper and now working here, rumor still found it hard to fully find his place in the camp. it wasn’t for a lack of trying, though some could say so, but he couldn’t help the fact that he had been so socially stunted in his years. he wanted to make friends, be outgoing and courageous. it was people with those traits that were always the main characters in his favorite books, it was always the people that put themselves out there that had the experiences to write. he wanted that, he just didn’t know how. darcy had always seemed the opposite in the years he had seen her around camp, always a part of the group and having friends of her own. rumor had never be a jealous or envious person, rather sorrowful in the fact that he lacked the confidence she oozed. he had always been told to fake it till you make it if you wanted something though, and while he wasn’t sure if he believed in the idea of “faking” something, he’d have to try anyway. “hey, uh, hi. how are you? excited for the campers to come in?”
[ JOSHUA BASSETT. CIS MALE. HE/HIM. ] [ RUMOR CHASTAIN ] is a [ NINETEEN ] year old [ FIRST AID ] at camp reviere. [ HE ] makes me think of [ READING A BOOK IN A FIELD OF WHEAT, A LONE HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY IN FLAMES, AND SMOKING ALONE IN YOUR CAR ].their favorite horror movie is [ THE WICKER MAN ] and they remind me of [ BEN MEARS ]. [ filene. 19. pst. she/her. ]
yes it’s me again with another character, this is my bb rumor aka probably my favorite muse of all time so i had to bring him and i’ll save you from reading my whole mess about myself and plotting again (find that on sookies intro or else) so here’s my bb rumor !! ALSO SORRY IF THIS IS A MESS I KINDA RUSHED IT
full bio is linked here
his pinterest is here
trigger warnings: mentions of death/disappearance, bullying, and brief mention of alcohol and drugs
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.
over the summers they’d go back to visit their aunt and spend their summers at camp reverie, it was his sisters summer job and with her working there they’d allow rumor to be a camper. while he usually kept to himself due to his shyness he loved being there, it was the only time he really felt like a kid even if most of the other kids scared him. when he got old enough he applied to work there as well, this being his first year being at camp not as a camper but as an employee.
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’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. he’s a bit of a wallflower though since he legit has never really had a friend outside of his sister and has never gone to a party or anything like that so this is all new to him.
wc’s:
some people he’s possibly known from camp in the past years hes gone, whether it’s good or bad connections !!
someone to corrupt him (though for him that’s so tame), he’s never been to a party or been in a setting like this with the opportunity to get black out drunk or smoke with other people around his age so i’d love someone who kinda guides him through that
through that i’d love him to kinda get corrupted and become a lil stoner and have a lil stoner crew
