Hello Camp Half-Blood! Welcome to the second Non-Staff Camper of the Month Interview! My name is Celeste Grayson, and I'm giving you the inside look at the camper in this month's shining spotlight!





Celeste: "Hello Stella! Congratulations on being picked as our Camper of the Month! Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

Stella: "Well first, my name is Stella Song, and I don't have a middle name. I'm sixteen, I'm in my fourth year, I'm a daughter of Iris, and I'm in Nature, obviously. I like to read, write, listen to music, draw, and paint, as long as I'm not painting what I'm drawing...it just doesn't work out. My favorite classes are Astronomy and Myths and Legends (but I like all the classes!), and I have six pets and a succulent, not entirely sure if that counts. I'm currently in eleventh grade at a mortal high school where I had to read Jane Austen for practically the entire year last year in English and learned that it's not as fun as it seems...anyway. Fun facts about me include that I'm really good at procrastinating, if I'm trying to talk my way out of trouble I'll likely appear random and slightly crazy, and if I ran a teleportation service...well, let's just say that I'd probably have zero stars. You've been warned. I love glitter as long as it's environmental-safe, and I think MBTI is really, really interesting...which I probably should not have mentioned if I wanted to keep that to myself. Oh well."

Celeste: "Ooh, Astronomy and Myths and Legends are two fantastic classes! As for procrastinating...well let's just say I can relate to you there ahaha! What was your first reaction to receiving camper of the month?"

Stella: "Hmm...well, I did that thing where first I kind of stared, and then my eyes grew wide, and then a slow smile spread across my face as my eyes turned a kind of...dark peachy slightly salmony color? A mix of happiness and excitement, basically. Purple for happiness and yellow for excitement. Then I was grinning and in a good mood for the rest of the day, so basically I was smiling for the rest of the day, and also I was inspired to write poetry...that I sadly can’t share because I, uh...forgot how it goes. Heh. But all poetry aside, I was really happy and honored to be chosen."

 

Celeste: "Poetry!? That's something I've never been quite great at myself. That's really neat! You said you're a fourth year, so I'd imagine you must have lots of friends at camp, hmm?"

Stella: "I guess that kind of depends on how much 'a lot' is? Though I've definitely made some really awesome friends for life. We've made so many memories - some weird, some normal, some kind of intense, and I think a big part of friends are the memories we share. Like, without those shared memories, I'd probably have about zero friends. And camp is more than just friends, we're all like a huge, messy, slightly insane, chaotic family that you can't find anywhere else. That's what I like about Camp Half-Blood. There's a sense of belonging, where you can start to feel at home just by inhaling the scent of the strawberries or peaches, or climbing trees in the woods, or eating at your cluster's table in the Dining Pavilion. Then again, we're technically all related already...but that is a bombshell I'd rather not get myself into. Bottom line is, we're family, we're friends, and we're unity. We're kind of like, um...rainbow glitter! Shiny, awesome, colorful, unique, annoying when it gets everywhere, but amazing anyway and forever!"

Celeste: "I completely agree, making memories is a big part of friendship! Since you've been around camp for a while, I have to ask. What is you and your friend's go-to place to hangout at camp?"

Stella: "Um...I'm not really sure, there are so many places! Most of the time I don't really plan hangouts with friends, I just happen to bump into them, which I think is nicer and more exciting in a way. Kind of like when hearing your favorite song play on the radio is more exciting than playing it yourself, I guess? It's like a nice surprise. Anyway, I probably spend most of my time in the Peach Orchard, or the Strawberry Fields, or the woods, or sometimes the Fireworks Beach. I like the outdoorsy nature-y places. Usually when I'm there, I'm drawing, or listening to music, or reading, or sometimes writing, or taking a walk with my pets. And there's always the Iris cabin, of course. My favorite place...well, it's constantly changing, but right now it's the area between the cabins. You know, that wide open space with grass and stuff. It doesn't seem like much, but whenever I step into it, I get the vibe of all of the cabins together. It's weird, I know, but that's the best I can explain it. Also, the view of the night sky is amazing from there, especially on a clear night."

Celeste: "Ah yes, there's nothing quite like watching the sun set over Fireworks Beach! Alrighty I have one more request of you! Give me your loudest and proudest Nature cheer!"

Stella: "Okay, here goes. I'm normally not a very loud person, but that doesn't mean I have any less pride! Leafies, you guys are all absolutely amazing and I love being a part of our incredible cluster and all of you! OLEAFY!"

 

Celeste: "I love it! Lot's of leafy pride and spirit!! Thank you for interviewing with me today Stella!"
 

 

The following is entirely OOG.
 

Celeste: "Why do you love World of Olympians?"

Stella: "Well, there's a bunch of reasons. There's so many awesome things about World of Olympians. When I first joined, it was mainly because I was a bookworm bored from the pandemic who didn't find enough satisfaction in simply daydreaming myself at Camp Half-Blood. And while it took me some time to get the hang of terms such as 'RPG format' and 'state your sources', and even more time for me to actually use the chat regularly aside from welcoming people, the reason why I stayed is because the people of World of Olympians are awesome. I didn't need to be in the chat to know that at first. I could topic with someone, and my character could be friends with them, and the person behind my character - me - could be friends with the person behind their character - them. And World of Olympians would not be the same without all of the amazing people on here who help the site not only build and grow, but help the site be the site. If that makes sense. It's different than a kind of app where you build a character and the story is built out in front of you. There's interaction here, and you can feel it. Like Thor said in Thor Ragnarok, "Asgard is a people, not a place." It may not be word for word. But anyway, this is the same. "World of Olympians is a people, not a place."

I've made so many friends here and people I trust and people I yell at in the chat. We can be ourselves here, and we don't have to worry about our appearances or voices or shyness or anything else. Sometimes anonymity can be refreshing in a world where you're immediately judged just by being looked at. Sometimes I imagine the chat as a group of people having a conversation in real life, and I know I'd never jump into it as much as I do if it were an IRL conversation. Here I can vent about my annoying siblings, or school, or anything, because I know that we all have each other's backs. Here I can jump into a conversation in the chat without worrying about being an introvert or that it might be rude or weird or that I'll be excluded. Here I can laugh and smile and let go of any stress and anxiety I might have, and if I am stressed or anxious, I know people on here that I can talk to about it.

World of Olympians has become a part of my life, something I log onto each day and a tab I keep open all the time. Sometimes I don’t know what my life was like before World of Olympians, because it’s become something I do so regularly. I’ve made so many memories here, memories I can look back on and smile. We’re all a crazy, chaotic family (like glitter!), and World of Olympians a kind, loving community where we don’t need to pretend to be someone else in order to feel like we’re good enough, and once someone has joined and has become welcomed in the chat, they have a place here forever. World of Olympians is like home, and I wouldn’t leave it for a billion years."