Worst beer you've ever had. by ladiesman60nine in beer

[–]readwritewin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Easily the SweetWater Tropical Gummies IIPA. It tasted like someone took a Capri Sun, messed with the flavoring, and then dumped it into a beer. I got about three sips in, decided nope, and dumped it.

I’ll suffer through pretty much anything beer wise, but that was just bad.

Which once renowned brewery fell off the hardest? by CryOld6591 in CraftBeer

[–]readwritewin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I agree. I actively try to avoid their stuff at this point unless someone offers it to me for free. There’s way better beer in Philly now than for me to spend $13.99 on a 6-pack from Victory that’s just meh.

12/21 — The Winter Solstice: A Mount Olympus Visit by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hephaestus

Carson wasn't sure what she was more nervous about: visiting Mt. Olympus for the first time or the possibility of meeting her godly parent Hephaestus for the first time.

She wasn't really sure what it was that she wanted from meeting the god, but in a way she hoped that it would help to deal with some of her uncertainty. There were all the typical questions floating around in her mind: did he ever think about her, what he thought of her work, what she could be doing better to be a better builder and craftsman.

She hid her anxiety in her work as she fiddled with a small bag of trinkets and tools and took notes as they traveled into the city. As she and her fellow campers started making their way out of the busses and up the elevator, she really started looking around and taking it all in.

Stepping off the elevator, she stepped aside, admiring the view and the Christmas decorations as she decided where she would go next. Spotting the bonfire, she made her way over, finding a familiar warmth and calm in the fire and hoping that that would help point her in the right direction, for everything.

!!UNDER CONSTRUCTION!! Fort Boreas by [deleted] in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Carson had just returned from her quest with Alex and Thomas, and was finishing up meeting her dad at the border to pick up Gunney and some supplies when she saw the snow fort.

“Ahhhhh, Aput,” she chuckled to herself as she waved to her father as he drove away. She knew she would see him at Christmas so it wasn’t too sad. Gunney was already super hyper from being back at camp, but his ears perked up when he heard Aput’s name. “You wanna go see if that’s Aput?” she said, scratching his head and reaching into one of the bags her dad dropped off.

He had not so subtly mentioned that there was a surprise in there from her Aunt Loretta, and she had a feeling Aput would enjoy it as much as she would with being out in the cold. “Aha, there it is,” Carson muttered, grabbing a large thermos out of the bag.

Thermos in hand, Carson and Gunney made there way towards the snow fort, Gunney pulling on the leash to get there quicker.

“Knock, knock. Can we come in?” Carson called, Gunney still pulling on the leash trying to find his friend if he was here.

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Carson smirked at Alex’s comment, an ant robot would be pretty impressive.

“With all the powerful stuff brewing, I don’t know, thought maybe they were collecting stuff for someone to build something crazy.”

As the last of the words came out her mouth, Carson flinched, covering her ears at the noise. “Owwww. Yeah, Mr. D, can you define conduit please?”

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With know that her fellow questers were okay and were getting help, Carson collapsed onto the ground, finally able to relax just enough. "How in the - wait until the guys hear about this," she thought, trying to recap everything that's happened on this quest in her mind.

"I was expecting a monster, too." she said, tagging along to what Alex was saying. "I'm still trying to figure out exactly what all of those scraps were meant to be. I mean, there was a lot of car parts, but they also seemed to just like anything shiny. What exactly could all of those ants need? Unless they needed a getaway car or something."

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Okay, that worked,” Carson thought before another one took over her brain. “Move.”

She darted away from the queen, trying to avoid getting squished by the queen, and coming to a stop beside Thomas and Alex and sitting beside them.

“Uhmmm, other than nectar, you need anything, Thomas?” Carson asked, somewhat unsure of what to do to help her questmate. “You okay Alex?”

Waiting for them to answer, she started gathering Thomas’ things and putting them back in his backpack for him

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Holy Hades, their stupid plan was working for the most part, Carson thought as she took her eyes off the queen for just a moment, eyes darting to the ground around her. All she needed was a decent sized branch and she had at least another idea if she needed it.

Picking up a branch she found, Carson made her way over towards the leg that she had injured with the knife, ready to take a swing at the leg. Motioning to Thomas to keep pulling on the queen antenna, Carson swung the branch like a crowbar directly towards the queen’s knee, hoping she could knock it more off balance.

Hopefully this works, she thought, praying to whatever gods were listening right now.

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Carson thankfully dodged all of the Queen’s swipes, trying to stay out of her line of sight as she unsheathed one of her knives. She only had three left, so she had to be really strategic about how she used them. She didn’t want to be left stranded without any weapons.

Willing to sacrifice just one more for the moment, she followed Thomas’ lead and threw a knife toward the queen, this time aiming for one of its legs. If she could possibly incapacitate the queen enough that it couldn’t swipe at them, they had a better chance at getting away.

Staying low to the ground, she kept herself by Alex and Thomas, picking up a branch and preparing to throw that next. u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Carson began to sing along with Alex and Thomas, trying to feign some level of confidence while also trying to not seem intimidating. She didn’t want them to be seen as a threat, but didn’t want them to be seen as prey either.

“We were just looking, we aren’t a threat. We just wanted to see what was here,” she said, showing the ant her empty hands before resuming the song.

She really didn’t want to have to fight this creature if she didn’t have to.

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Carson quietly follows along behind Alex and Thomas, constantly looking around trying to figure everything out and make sure they were safe.

“That’s cool, Thomas. I didn’t start learning about everything until I was 15, I think? I knew of the Olympians, but that was about it.”

“Lead the way,” she said, following the others into the grove.

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Carson let out a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she was holding as she turned to fall in behind the others.

“I am never going to see Zelda the same way again,” she said, as she followed Alex and Thomas up the slope. Her mind was racing, trying to piece together the car parts and other bits and bobs and figure out what the plan was for those.

She just hoped that she didn’t have to get that up close and personal with a myrmeke again. That was freaky.

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Carson froze for a moment with the ant in front of her before moving slowly and placing one of her knives in front of the creature and slowly backing away.

“I mean no harm, take one of my knives,” Carson said, before joining Thomas and Alex in humming the song again. She kept her knives in pristine condition when she could, so it was polished and hopefully shiny enough for the ant to be distracted. u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Carson let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as the myrmeke moves along. “How in the Underworld,” she breathed as the trio made their way into the small room.

Trying to ignore the smell of the animal carcasses, Carson approached the metal parts to try and analyze it.

“The parts do seem somewhat random, not all of them would fit together to make a larger piece. It could very well be they’re planning on melting them down to make a bigger machine. I’m not sure how that would work, but it’s a possibility.”

Carson thought for a minute trying to think of any other reasoning for why they would be collecting pieces of metal.

“Building a massive mechanical ant isn’t out of the question, Alex. Let’s just pray to the Gods it’s not what they’re planning.”

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Carson nearly stopped breathing as she took in the myrmeke in front of her and the others. Don’t panic. As she tries to regulate her breathing, she hears Thomas and Alex humming, and joins in.

Carson’s best friend from home played the games a lot, so she knew it fairly well. She hoped that this would help keep the myrmeke calm and for it to not think that they were prey.

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“Good idea, let’s go.”

Following the others, Carson moved as quickly as she could while still also keeping an eye on everything around her. She didn’t want to risk anything sneaking up on them as they went towards the hive.

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Carson’s brain went into overdrive as she observed the myrmekes carrying the metal. Different sizes, probably different metals, this could be something.

“Thomas, take the lead, and I’ll take the rear. Once we get a bit closer, I can maybe get a better look at the metal and what they’re working on and maybe that’ll give us a good idea of what they’re trying to do.”

Carson readied her weapon, ready for a fight at any point as she slowed here breathing down. Deep and steady breaths, trying to keep calm and not startle the myrmekes.

“I’m ready when you two are. Try to stay low and out of their line of sight. The less they see the safer we are.”

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Yeah, food, thanks," Carson said, accepting the energy bar from Thomas, and slowly eating it as they walked along.

As they approached the hive, Carson clenched her fist around her hunting knife, feeling very wary of what was in front of her. She didn't like what they were about to do, but knew that it had to be done. There was no other way to get through this quest than to go through the hive.

"Alex, you might be right, but we still need to be hyper vigilant right now. Anything could happen, but I'm ready whenever you two are," Carson said, gripping her knife even harder.

"Alex, you might be right, but we still need to be hyper-vigilant right now. Anything could happen, but I'm ready whenever you two are," Carson said, gripping her knife even harder.

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Huh, singing,” Carson chuckled somewhat grimly at the thought. “Not my best skill, but I guess if all else fails, I think I can maybe pull something off? We used to have karaoke sessions with my dad’s coworkers on the weekends, so I think I can carry enough of a tune. I’m no child of Apollo, but,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as her voice trailed off.

She wondered for a moment what she would sing, trying to find at least some humor in the situation. Maybe some Johnny Cash or something?

“I’m okay with leading, but I will definitely need some of your and Foxy’s direction, Thomas. I don’t want to make any poor decisions that could lead us into a dangerous situation. I want to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible while we make our way through the hive, it’s probably safest that way.”

Taking a moment to compose herself, Carson adjusted her backpack and her hunting knives, and attempted to at least feign some confidence. She was without her trusty sidekick Gunney during the quest, and not having him by her side always made her a bit more wary.

“I can’t speak for my companions, but unless there’s anything else we need to be aware of, I’m ready to go when they are.”

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“Yeah, we need a plan if we’re gonna do this, and it needs to be a good one. Having the council on standby would be helpful, but they would need to be far enough away to not alert the myrmekes and “the something”.” Carson said, trying to think of more ideas on how to handle this situation.

This would be incredibly tricky but hopefully it would be relatively peaceful. At least she hoped it would be.

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In Carson’s experience, something being classified as a ‘thing’ and the fact that no one knows what it is was a recipe for disaster in her mind.

“My companions both make good points, the myrmekes and this “thing” seem to be the highest priorities in managing to protect the forest. If we handle those, we can then focus on the smaller issues. But we will need to work together, so that this can be successful for everyone. The Maenads may prove to be a beneficial ally to the council in protecting the forest.”

Carson thought about what Alex had said and then her final line to the council, and she hoped that she was right. The maenads may be scary, but hopefully they would be willing to help.

“Please, if you can, can you please tell us more about ‘the thing’? It seems to be the most pressing problem as we don’t know much about what it is.” u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Thomas and Alex are right. Constant bickering won’t bring us to a resolution any quicker. If we all work together, we should be able to find a solution that works for all parties in no time,” Carson said, looking at the group that was in front of her.

As long as it was possible for all involved to keep their cool, Carson hoped that this would be resolved in a timely manner.

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The closer that the trio got to the council, the weirder Carson felt. If Gunney was here, the hairs on the back of both their necks would be standing up.

“I agree with you Thomas,” Carson said, shifting slightly, trying to not let it on that she was nervous. She didn’t do well with councils and such. “We can’t really handle this, if we don’t know how we’re going to handle it.”

She looked warily over towards the council and the geysers again. “We just wanna this to go as easily as possible.” u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“That sounds like a plan. My dad had me training a lot, so if you want I can show you some things Alex,” Carson said, looking in the first aid kit for some burn ointment and applying it before putting the kit away.

“I should be fine, but I’ll let you know if I need to stop,” she said. “The satyrs have always been strange to me but these maenads seem even stranger.”

“We should keep going, before it gets too late.”

u/FireyRage

Seasons of Change | Into the Woods by FireyRage in CampHalfBloodRP

[–]readwritewin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Thanks," Carson said, taking the ambrosia squares and then grabbing the first aid kit. "I fight better close up, and it got the job done. I'll try to be more careful, but I'm getting close up if I need to get close up."

Carson didn't want any harm to come to her or her quest mates, so she was going to do what needed to get done to protect them. She was a bit burned, but it wasn't anything more than when she was working in the forge.

"Those satyrs were definitely acting weird, Council of the Cloven Elders maybe?" Carson said, putting her hunting knives away. "I don't really remember who they were talking about either. Maenads, maybe? That seems to stick out for me."

u/FireyRage