all i wanted was some proof that you cared about others all I wanted was proof that you understand sonder how come your truth revolves around you? — 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓 for 𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒒𝒔 as penned by 𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶
𝐖𝐇𝐎: open !
𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓: althea is playing welcome party bc ofc she is
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: week one , may 29th .
the first thing thea noted was that summer camp was quieter than she had been anticipating . of course , that probably had something to do with the fact campers weren’t due until monday , and the counselors were trickling slowly . there just wasn’t as much needing to set up as she had anticipated . probably because the higher up staff had already prepared things for them , rather than just waiting for the children to arrive . counselors are people too ! it left althea feeling that kind of useless that made anxiety and guilt bubble in her chest .
of course , she had to make that everyone else’s problem when she spotted one of her fellow counselors sitting alone . ❝ i got this from the mess hall , ❞ she announced as soon as she was close enough to extend the cold water bottle . ❝ moving in is a lot of work and it’s really hot . ❞ it was summer after all . ❝ i’m thea, by the way. ❞
he had just finished staking claim on which bunk would be his, praying that if he never had to walk to the back of the rows of cabins he’d never have to relive his last memories here at camp. not that the bad far outweighed the good, but was it ever healthy to reminisce when you were trying to desperately redefine your life? perhaps he looked a little bit too lost in thought, or his face looked a little bit more pensive than reflective, because before he knew it he was being approached. “ well thank ya kindly. ” he responds as he accepts the water, giving her a a small smile while doing a once over. short, blonde, kind eyes, nice smile. she carried herself openly, at least he felt like she did, which lead him to settling his elbows on the banister rather than try to find an escape route. “ drew. ” he introduces, “ you find everything alright so far? which cabin is yours? ”
it’s been five days since he left home. katie made friends almost immediately, and of course, he was happy for her. she had trouble back home, where every move she made was scrutinized. here, he was having more trouble getting comfortable. familiar feelings were back, the comfort of every action you take being the wrong one. it was a constant uphill battle, especially when even taking his medicine in front of his bunk-mate made him irrationally nervous. however, his biggest challenge lies in front of him now. about seven children, a tangled volleyball net, and from what he could see at this moment, no other adults around.
he stepped away for five minutes. okay maybe ten, but he needed a second to stop answering questions that felt like they were directly from the ultimate friendship bff quiz right out of a teen beat magazine. clearly, he had overestimated his ability to talk to new people and underestimated how much kids actually talked. what he returns to, however, is his beloved co - counselor standing and watching their kids tug and pull on their brand new volleyball net. “ dude, what the hell? ” his hands fly up in exasperation, thumping max’s shoulder with the back of his hand as he walks towards the group of kids, trying to keep them from ripping it. “ grab that end? before someone’s foot goes through and they all go down. ”
When: Wednesday, June 1st, mid-morning
Where: Forest tree line
For: Open (1/3 spots, just to keep it fresh and sexee)
“No, you won’t get a rash because you groped it. No, it’s not dead, it’s birch.” Ramona tried her hardest not to sound too derisive, but no, the tree wasn’t looking at you, sixteen year old near-adult, and no it’s not dying because it has spots. She shooed the camper away and turned, startled to find someone in her path. “… Did you see that tree grow eyes, too?”
“oh totally.” he nodded along in agreement, sarcasm blatantly clear throughout his less than enthused tone. snorting at his own joke he shakes his head at her, “where’s your imagination ramona?” a teasing grin is spread wide across his face, “besides don’t dead trees fall over or something? isn’t that where the whole ‘if it falls and no one hears it did it really happen’ thing come from? or was that just people trying to excuse doing shitty things in private?”
maybe he was trying to go back to his happy go lucky teenage years, maybe the nostalgia bled from every square inch of the camp, maybe he was trying to avoid so obviously looking for the old pair of initials carved into an old board somewhere in the activities hall. or maybe he was just trying to not look so uncomfortable in tube socks. regardless of the objective, drew busies himself with pulling sport equipment out of the mesh bag to replace the equipment onto the carts. thank god some kind of budget went into their athletics, it was the easiest way to burn some energy and actually get the kids tired enough to not complain about going to bed. the doors swing open and he picks up his head to greet his new company. “ you ever play soccer when like thirty kids all want to play at the same time? ” he cracks a smile, “ or try to catch a football into the lake? ”
👕 » what’s in your character’s handbag / briefcase / pockets ?
oh man okay. typically in his pockets he’s got his phone, wallet, keys depending on what he’s doing you know? but that’s pretty standard. he has a bag ( nike sponsored lsu bag ) in his car usually that used to be his workout stuff / gear for practice but now holds a change of clothes for when he gets off work to go to the gym, water bottle, sneakers, resistance bands, and a towel. he also has like a laptop case thing for work where he has a padfolio, standard pens and pencils, sticky notes, gum, his work laptop & charger.
🐢 » bold brows or freckles or dimples ?
if you’re asking his preference he’s a sucker for freckles. thinks they’re cute.
fezco: what does family mean to your muse? are they close with theirs ? why or why not ?
that’s a great question and if you asked him he’d struggle with the answer before trying to relate it back to his team somehow, but i don’t think he really gets the concept of what a family should be. because you see it on screen and in movies but it was never reflected in his own life, so it both looks and feels fictional. the people with the happy families are the weird ones. he’s close with his mother, but not his father. his mom was largely the caregiver, and while she’s always had her own thing and own issues, she’s consistently been there for drew whenever he needed her the most. his dad liked him for what he could do or bring to their family.
🥑 » a keen eye for detail or take rules too seriously or actions speak louder than words ?
definitely an actions speak louder than words kinda guy and he looks for the same in the people he surrounds himself with. he’ll watch your back if you watch his, but he’s never going to be the kind of person to say that explicitly. he’s also of the mind that you can say whatever you want to say, you can say whatever you think will make someone happy but if your actions don’t reflect that equally, then it’s kind of bullshit.
🏙 » what does your character value more –– creativity or practicality ?
he’s so so unfortunately a practical person, but really admires creativity in other people. it just feels a little bit like his soul has been crushed one too many times for him to find joy in creativity, so practicality is the safer option.
lexi: is your muse a pushover, or do they tend to stand up for themselves ?
not a push over! he’ll stand up for himself to a degree but is fully aware there are some things that just aren’t worth fighting over and brushes them off if he seems them insignificant enough.
🫑 » argumentative or competitive or indecisive ?
competitive little shit. are you kidding?
🌽 » open minded or courageous or unselfish ?
he’s more open minded, because he’s not going to shut you down unless its absolutely necessary. he’s not outright courageous and to call him unselfish wouldn’t necessarily be true. just because he cares about other people doesn’t mean he’ll give the shirt off his back to just anyone.
🦋 » what would your character do if they knew they could not fail ?
a cartwheel probably. maybe a backflip.
🫐 » is your character proud of who they are ? describe an achievement or moment they are proud of .
no :-) he was though! his proudest moment might’ve been the day he signed to play for lsu ( god does he ever shut up about football? ) it WOULD’VE been going into the draft but he got a booboo.
🍾 » strive to be someone of importance or more comfortable giving than receiving or lack self confidence ?
he strives to be someone of importance, and this probably stems from the fact that this is the way he felt like his father loved him the most. in his eyes if there’s nothing special and flashy attached to his name, he’s not worth a second glance.
ali: is your muse good helping other when they need them ?
unfortunately, it depends on who you are. as a whole, he’s pretty dependable and enjoys being helpful but if you’ve struck a nerve and annoyed him he’ll laugh and tell you to figure it out on your own.
nate: what are your muse’s most negative traits ? how do these traits influence their lives ?
he’s so stupidly stubborn that it’s going to get himself killed if the self preservation doesn’t kick in fast enough. he really dislikes being wrong, and will argue until he’s blue in the face if he thinks you think he’s incorrect.
maddy: what traits do they look for in a relationship ? why do they have these standards ?
hilariously, the kind of person that’s going to make him look dumber than a sack of rocks. he looks for intelligence, really, and kindness. he likes to be mentally challenged and having those kind of conversations is fun to him, and while he knows he can be an ass, he just wants someone who can really See him and care.
ashtray: is your muse loyal ? who is someone they would never betray no matter what ?
incredibly. once you’re one of his people he would do anything for you. his best friend is one of those people that he would quite literally never betray, they met in middle school and have remained friends since then.
eslie: has your muse ever lost someone they loved ? how did they deal with it ?
i’ve been waiting for this one. his girlfriend! ten years ago! at camp! call it puppy love, but he truly did fall hard and fall fast that summer. everything was perfect right up until the day she went missing. i don’t think he ever really dealt with it until college when he started going to therapy and it came up.
rue: does your muse have regrets? what are some of their deepest ones ?
he really tries not to have regrets? but we all know that doesn’t really work out the way we plan them. he kinda regrets naming his cat meatball, he regrets not standing up for his mother to his father more, he regrets not spending more time thinking about back up career options and paying attention in class. things like that.
🦕 » what is something your character wishes they could go back into the past and redo ?
his junior year prom-posal. that was bad. actually it was Bad, with a capital B. he hand painted the poster which, maybe that was a mistake, he should’ve asked for help, but his girlfriend at the time, keeley, was a participating in powderpuff so he did it at practice, for some reason? he was a coach and thought it was just easy, but he should’ve just done it after school and not in front of everyone.
💙 » name 3 things your character is grateful for .
his cat, meatball. his football coach, for largely making him the player he was and the man he is. and this green cashmere sweater he got as a gift from one of his friends back in college, it’s his favorite to this day.
🌾 » bold and outspoken or organized and assertive or trusting and excitable ?
he comes across as pretty organized and assertive, with undertones of bold and outspoken. he wasn’t ever the life of the party and was often accused of taking things too seriously, but he’s not so uptight that he’s considered controlling by any means.
gia: what was your muse’s childhood like ? how did their upbringing affect them?
he would tell you it was a lot better than it is now, but that’s looking back on it with rose colored glasses. his childhood was filled with constant activity, bouncing from school to practice like it recharged his battery rather than drain it. his parents always encouraged him to try any sport he wanted, his dad always proud and bragging to the other dad’s, his mom flirting with the coaches. his father’s happiness was tied to his performance, so he felt like he needed to do his best to make him pay attention, to make him proud. he never quite out grew that.
🌧 » describe a time your character did something even though they were scared .
the very first time he was left home alone he was upstairs playing video games in his bedroom when he heard something knock over the trash cans outside of the house. instant panic, his parents weren’t going to be home for another three hours. so he grabbed his bat ( an old metal one ) and slowly crept down the stairs, sliding the back door open as quietly as he could. before the motion sensor lights came on. he was fully prepared to swing at some kind of intruder trying to scale the side of his house. it was his cat, meatball.
he’s undoubtably more of a heart guy, even if he tries to act like he’s not. a close second would be instinct, but his actions are largely driven by his emotions.
💎 » does your character feel they have passed up chances that they presently regret ? describe what they were .
in the grand scheme of things, he’s not someone that really passed up any chances as they came up. however, if he could go back he would have opted to not redshirt his freshman year then try for draft the year that wound up being his fourth year of eligibility.
elliot: is your muse good keeping secrets ? have they ever told someone else a secret they were not involved in ?
he’s decent at keeping secrets because he looks so disinterested in everything no one ever thinks to ask him if he actually knows anything. he’ll only tell someone a secret he’s not involved in if it would seriously hurt them to find out otherwise, like one of his buddies planning to dump their girlfriend the night of their srat formal.
🐟 » what does your character’s voice sound like ? do they tend to use simple or worldly vocabulary ?
he has a mix of like a hint of a baltimore accent but with some southern seeping through. that’s what he gets for going to louisiana for five years. smh.
🧊 » what does your character first notice about another individual ?
the first thing he notices about another individual is their posture. after years of staring people down on various different fields, you learn to read the way someone presents themselves and starts to build his first impression based around that.
🐛 » early to plans or late to plans or somehow always on - time ?
this man is somehow always on time. it’s his super power.
🪀 » starry eyes or quick tongue or charming tongue ?
he likes to think he has a charming tongue, and surprisingly more often than not actually does.
🌊 » how old does your character feel on the inside , and why ?
drew feels both like he's middle aged working a dead end job and like he's too young to have anything figured out. the main reason for this is that he had everything figured out, but four months before entering the nfl draft all his hopes and dreams were taken just beyond his reach. he's getting his footing again, but gets up every morning to walk to be the secretary for the athletic director for the university of maryland, baltimore.
maybe you’re not doing sprint ladders, four corners, or strides anymore. you’re not even benching the same weight you used to ( was the bar always such a bitch to rack by yourself? ) and you traded out dumbbells for resistance bands. but nevertheless, the headphones get put on, the music still plays, and you ignore the aching in your shoulder.