captainjamesjoneshook

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@jere-me--oh-my

Yeah, it had been a big adjustment not having his other leg present, hadn't it? Even for something like drumming. Most people thought it was all in the wrists when, really, there was a lot more going on with a drum kit than they could fathom. Especially these days with the amount of pedals that could be installed– but that was to his advantage, actually. Without his left foot, his right had to pick up the slack when it was needed while also dealing with its duties. But it had been learning that ever since he'd woken up in the hospital bed, staring down at the empty space on the mattress.

He set his bag down beside the stool and tended to making sure the kit was to his liking– he wasn't a fussy sort, just needed everything to be within his range of motion and dialed properly. Then he had his sticks out, testing everyone out.

Each hit of the sticks against the tom's were distinct. Clean. There was no muddiness to be found as they struck the surfaces, a trait he was both aware of and yet did unconsciously.

Once that was all done he sat back, waiting...waiting...

Finally, Johnson took the lead. James followed Jeremy's eyes as they flickered around at the others. And when no one jumped to reply, James figured, well, it was on the drummer to keep the time, wasn't it?

"Yeah! Let's go," he called out in enthusiastic agreement, and began playing a beat to light the fire under the other musician's asses.

Drumroll Please || JimJams

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@pall0r-mortis

James blinked, face scrunching into confused disbelief as he turned his head slowly to look over at the driver.

A museum. This bitch was taking the day to drive the long trek out to London for a museum? And it wasn't even one of the tourists traps? Well...hadn't seen that one coming by a long shot.

Then again, he had no idea what was being put on display. It could have been some weird shit that fit Sid's general persona. Not all museums were prim and proper, displaying pieces of art and history that created an air of respect. Some of them were funny, gimmicks even. Maybe that's what Sid was looking forward to for whatever reason.

It didn't even occur to him that Sid was clarifying that the place was more cozy for James' benefit– he just thought he was trying to really drive it home to James that he wasn't like other girls. He didn't want to go romp around the royal family's neck of the woods, or go see the Crowned Jewels, or whatever was actually in the British Museum and not just what he'd seen in Night At the Museum:Secret of the Tomb.

The latter part of the plan did make James get a bit tense.

He drank, sure. He'd gotten well and truly pissed more than his fair share. What else was he going to do in a small town like Swynlake, eh? But that was around his mates, around people he trusted to spend time around with his defenses down, where his father and Mr. Smee had been but a few minutes away at any given moment.

Here? With Sid? In a city of strangers? James loved bad ideas but, believe it or not, he wasn't a complete idiot.

"That's alright. You've got yourself a DD," he told him, unwilling to make a big to-do about wanting to not drink, either. "I've no idea how much they up charge in the city so– hope you've saved up for this occasion."

Technically Not Kidnapping. Probably || Shook

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@madmagicmim

James had not been expecting such a prompting. He had been working on an ice breaker of his own as he had prepared the food, but it was totally gone now that he was busy trying to come up with something to tell her.

There was...so much that had happened. So many things over the years when he had caught himself thinking of her, be it something as obvious as a scarf that matched the shade of purple of her skin when it would glow under a full moon's light or something as far reaching as a joke that would pop into his head that he knew no one but her would dare to laugh at– or even better, roll her eyes at and berate him for saying aloud. Moments where he wished she had been there or moments he was grateful she wasn't around to witness.

And yet, as he sat there trying to think, his mind was nothing but a blank slate.

He hummed, one of his hands rubbing subconsciously back and forth across his arm. Suddenly he paused, both in sound and with the motion, and looked down. "Oh! Here!"

James held up a finger and then quickly unwrapped the strap from around the cloth he had bound from the heels of his hand to his elbow, there for tactical, anti-friction wound reasons. He pushed the sleeve of his robe back and held up the back of his forearm to her, showing a scar there.

"I got this from an old woman who thought I was her grandson," he explained. "Apparently he'd taken off into the night with her savings and her cat. I'd been sleeping on her land. She found me and...woke me up. I cleared myself and wound up sticking around to help her for a bit. She was nice, you know, when she wasn't trying to kill me."

He chuckled at the memory, shaking his head and putting his arm back down to rest on a knee. Then he nodded toward her. "Your turn."

Those Exits Are Not Made Equal || Maim (Trope Extravaganza)

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@marie-a-bonfamille

James had no earthly clue as to who this Mrs. de Ville was and tried to take a quick gander around the stage to try to see if he could guess. With only scary to go on, he figured it was just a matter of time until she showed herself.

"You sure that's what this lot needs? A firm hand?" he asked, as he was also thinking about Simba Lyons and how he'd usually been the one running this joint. Now, James wasn't as familiar with the guy as Bonfamille was, but he'd been in Swynlake all his life– he knew Lyons, or Bonfamille-Lyons rather, just by proxy. Or osmosis. He'd been nice. Warm. Fuzzy. James imagined he directed with those traits, making everyone feel welcome and comfortable like he'd tried to with people living in Swynlake.

"Seems like a bit of a hard turn from what usually goes on around here," James said, knowing full well he'd reached for the spoon to stir the pot. "What about the stage manager?"

I can’t do it alone || Open

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@madmagicmim

Yeah, nope, James was not going to be swindled into continuing to sit there and be made fun of. She had ruined a perfectly nice little moment they'd been having. After bonding in a dream that had ended in a right tragedy, too.

And she'd said he was the one acting weird? Pft. Deflecting much?

"Nah, that's alright. I can't be putting on too much weight. My physical therapists and doctors have been on my ass about my diet," he said, a tinge of his usual sarcasm touching his tone and rhythm of words. "Thanks for the cheat day. Appreciate you."

Once he'd downed the remainder of his scoop he kept his spoon in his mouth, letting it rest between his teeth and cheek to keep it from tumbling out while he gathered his crutches back up and maneuvered himself to his foot. James reached down to get the empty cup between two fingers to throw away on his way out.

"See you, Ambrosius," he said. "Hopefully just in the flesh, for a few months at least, eh?"

Comparing Notes || Maim

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@jere-me--oh-my

Ever since James had agreed to help Jeremy out, he had regretted it. There had been plenty of times leading up to it that he had contemplated backing out. But then he would think about how fucked up of a move that was and stop himself. For as guilty as he felt about dedicating time away from learning about hunting and from getting his body up to par to be able to walk again, he would feel even more guilty about letting down a friend.

Hopefully his father would understand that sentiment– wherever he had ended up.

It had also scared him how easy it was to be distracted by the music. He'd gone over it and rehearsed a lot leading up to the studio session, and he would get lost in it. Hours would suddenly be bled away before he even realized it, in comparison to other things he did in life that seemed to drag on and hold the clock's minute hand to hold still at gun point.

James nodded his thanks to Jeremy as he held the door open, making his way past the bassist (where he did pause to offer a fist for the other to bump and introduce himself briefly,) to get to the kit where the stool was waiting for him. He dropped into it and shook his head at Jeremy, raising a hand in polite dismissal, "Nah, you're good, mate. Do what you gotta do."

Drumroll Please || JimJams

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@madmagicmim

James would have been fine with whichever she suggested. He couldn't see in the dark, no, but he wasn't against the idea of traveling in the night. It was how he had been getting around recently after having come to understand and starting to embrace something inside of him. He had known it was there, had felt it for some time, but had never thought it was anything more than his general nature. Or something that needed to be shared with anyone else.

Let alone someone he had only just recently realized he had misinterpreted for quite sometime and was trying to get back into the good graces of! So, while he was comfortable traveling at night, he wasn't going to tell Mim that since it would lead into the question of why– of which the answer would probably tip the scales of her opinion of him back into the negative.

He sighed in sympathy of Ally, nodding. "Yeah, me either."

Forging ahead, he stuck closer by her side than he had in the entirety of their journey. He wasn't directly next to her rubbing elbows or anything, but he hadn't taken off to stay ten paces ahead or fallen behind to stay ten paces behind like he had been. He fell into step with her as they passed through the trees, only breaking this to follow after her over the stones that stuck up out of the flowing creek they crossed and filled their water up with.

Those Exits Are Not Made Equal || Maim (Trope Extravaganza)

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@pall0r-mortis

When the little mouse-like gizmo ran up the sleeve of his jacket James' eyes tracked its movements. Not so much out of fear or paranoia that he was about to get bit, or electrocuted, or whatever it was it was capable of, but from a place of curiosity and fascination. For as much as his father and Mr. Smee had put an emphasis on how magic and those who wielded it were dangerous, James had not taken this lesson entirely to heart.

It was hard to, given the nature of what he was, of what he had known his mother must have been, and from growing up in Swynlake. A place where magic was not always used for evil and dark things. Where it was used by kids to shoot pretty lights into the air or when it was baked into a cookie to help someone feel better about their broken heart or when it was threaded into the fabric of a pretty dress someone wore to a party. Or when a mechanical mouse was running across his arm and settling there.

He turned his head to get a better look, smiling down at Cy for a moment before it soured a touch at Sid's scolding. "Oi, leave him alone. I'm not people." James looked back to the mouse, "You're fine where you are, mate. Don't listen to him."

Again, he shifted to get comfortable in his seat, careful to not jostle his seat buddy too much with it. He turned his attention to stare out the window as the greenery passed them by. James let out a little whistle upon hearing that they were well on their way. No turning back now, then, it seemed.

"Time sure does fly when you're having fun," he quoted, all sarcasm since this obviously hadn't been something out of a coming of age film road-trip montage scene. "You going to let me in on what it is we're doing yet? Or you still keeping that close to the chest?"

Technically Not Kidnapping. Probably || Shook

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@ariel-the-undiscovered

James went still for comical effect when the only thing he did move was his eyes, which ticked to the side to look toward the direction of the little hall that led down to his room and then back to her.

"Uh, no not really. My room's pretty hovel chic these days," he said, relaxing back into casual motions once more. He continued to swipe off frosting from the cupcake and licking it from his finger tip.

"What's it called these days? Girl rotting in my bed or whatever? That'll be me," James shrugged. "So, take a good look. This is probably the last you'll be seeing of me for another half a decade– or more, since you'll be off being a regular Charles Dickens. Or, er, J.R.R Tolkien! Fantasy, I remember."

Revisiting Memories {Ariel & James}

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@madmagicmim

James fixed her with an expression as if he'd just taken a shot of the strong shit people bought simply to ruin a perfectly good drink. A lot of disgust with plenty of room to show that he felt she had well and truly disrespected him as well– the audacity to say with absolute conviction that something was the truth when she hadn't even heard it out of the guy's mouth?

Christ, she'd been in Swynlake for how many years? He had thought her hardened London skin would have made her impervious to become one of the ninnies who walked around town thinking they knew everything about everyone just because they heard someone say something about them. And about a friend!

Well, he had thought they were friends anyway. Now she'd just rubbed him the wrong way with all this shit.

He shook his head, blinking wide, to put his face back to its usual place as James returned his attention back to what was left of his ice cream.

"No, you're right. Not even worth a good prank," he said. Honestly, with the way that guy operated, James wasn't sure he would even understand that he was being clowned on. "Anyway– anything else on the agenda or am I free to fuck off?"

Comparing Notes || Maim

[captainjamesjoneshook]

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@jere-me--oh-my

James breathed in deeply in order to fuel the sigh he needed to let out upon hearing how annoyingly kind Johnson was being about this.

It would have been very easy to bristle and be mean to get him to back off. He had seen his dad do it plenty of times, seen him bite at people until they retreated and never bothered him again about certain subjects– or about anything, ever.

He didn't want to do that to Jeremy, though, who was just about the nicest person in Swynlake. But what was better? Scaring him off now? Or having to watch him be disappointed later when James was floundering on the recording and wasting time?

James regarded the other boy for a moment, contemplating this dilemma. And then it occurred to him that Jeremy probably wasn't going to be in town for that much longer. The semester was almost up and, as far as James knew, staying in Swynlake did not a music career make. If anything, this could be the last time he got to do anything with his friend. That was worth the inevitable humiliation, wasn't it?

"Alright. Alright!" he caved, holding his hands up before leaning on an elbow and pointing at Johnson sharply. "But you better not sugar coat anything, got it? No compliment sandwiches or gentle parenting techniques or whatever, if I'm shit just say it. Deal?"

Drumroll Please || JimJams

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@pall0r-mortis

James frowned, about to open his mouth, one hand coming out from where it was tucked under an arm to ask what the fuck the casual mechanical mouse was doing in the car then if that was the case? But Sid kept talking, and while he had the desire to steam roll over him to make his point– Sid wound up saying something that seemed a bit more important than James arguing with him. Only by a lil smidge though.

It was enough for James to relax back into his seat again and listen.

And what an interesting listen it was. James didn't know that he quite believed that Sid was actually a closet optimist– but the rest made sense. Also gave a bit more insight into why he was the way he was, it coming back around to his dad. Admittedly, that did have James putting down the metaphorical pitchfork and shoving the metaphorical torch into a bucket of water to put out the flame. What? So he had daddy issues! You would, too, if you'd watched yours die with nothing but bad dreams about red water and an empty arm prosthetic to remember him bye.

Sid's father was cursed and, presumably, it was slowly killing him. Had he gotten that right? He couldn't be too sure about anything that came out of the guy's mouth but didn't want to ask. While Sid had brought it up, again, it didn't seem like the sort of topic of conversation to press upon. Or maybe that was just because James didn't want to talk about it, either. Didn't want to find out that maybe they shared something in common, didn't want to get caught having to talk about his own dad and his feelings and being, ugh, vulnerable with the person who would probably just use it as an excuse to drive a knife through him at the first sign of his soft spots.

He allowed the silence, too, thankful for it. James usually avoided it, filling it with music if he couldn't find conversation, but not because he didn't enjoy it– he fucking loved silence. But being a medium, it was hard to come by in the pure sense. Thankfully none had seemed to plague this car or had followed him in. James let out a slow breath through his nose, soaking it in while he could.

Technically Not Kidnapping. Probably || Shook

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@exsqueak-me

James had to admit– not the reaction he had been expecting. His brows furrowed briefly, trying to figure out where it was that he had gone wrong here. Because, yeah, he was getting the impression that he had done something.

Seville was a lot of things, but James had never observed him to be...indifferent. It seemed like he had a reaction to everything, even something small. If this was his response then woof, right?

He wasn't normally one to care about the opinion's of others, and he still wasn't, but this was more than that. The entire mood had changed. The gravity had been turned up, making everything feel heavy all of a sudden in a grave juxtaposition to the earlier lightness. It made him wonder if he had somehow offended Seville, and had done so to the point where he wasn't even going to offer a gasp or throw something at his head or– something. Anything! Getting absolutely nothing told James that he had really fucked it.

"Um. Right. Yeah, okay," he said, turning his head, brain caught in the whiplash of whatever had just happened. His expression wrinkled to telegraph this open confusion. At first he thought about asking since arguing was how he usually moved through life, even opened his mouth and pulled in the air necessary to start– but he stopped himself. Because, hey, at the end of the day it was Seville's decision for who was standing at the dance next to him.

If he didn't want James for his date, he didn't want James.

"Okay," he nodded, accepting the dismissal for what it was. "Thank you for the opportunity. I hope you find what you're looking for."

With that, James painstakingly had to maneuver himself back up on the lawnmower (which took a lot longer than the dismount) and started it up. He raised his hand and smiled Seville's way in farewell before turning the rig around.

"Give 'em hell, lads," he told the line of audtioners with a two finger salute, and drove off.

That Don't Impress Me Much || Audition-Open!

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@marie-a-bonfamille

James glanced in the direction that caught her attention, watching, too, as people were getting guided to resituate themselves to accommodate for more people. It was a wonder to him how many people it took to get things like this off the ground– there was always more than one would ever think initially. Audio, lights, back stage, front of house, and that was just from the venue. The production itself? Well, just look around.

He laughed at her analogy, eyes still on the people shuffling to the direction they were being pointed in. It wasn't hard to imagine a bunch of felines there instead, moving tentatively and like they were all thinking that they knew better than what they were being told and were just waiting to be left alone to correct it the way they saw fit.

"Yeah, yeah, I can see that," he nodded, looking back to Bonfamille then. "How long you think that'll take this year? Give or take?"

I can’t do it alone || Open

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@exsqueak-me

"Yeeeep," he said, mostly to himself and the studio audience. "Walked right into that one."

Alright. No prep. No plan. No nothing. He was winging it– but then, that was when some of his best work came out.

He doubted it would this time around, though, seeing as he was still learning to walk let alone dance. But he guessed he'd gotten lucky he had picked more of a ballad than he had something that would really require turning it out in that regard. On the other hand, that meant he was going to have to do more since he couldn't get by just by shaking his ass.

In the end, he turned the thinking part of his brain off and let the action portion have the controls. The one thing he did have going for him? The confidence to own up to looking like an idiot in Main Street Park simply because it was asked of him.

The intro he merely nodded along to the piano, waiting for Ms. J. Blige's vocals to come in to start moving his mouth along. He continued to rock in his seat with the music, hands moving to point to this proverbial You she was singing about or touch his chest when she sang about herself. The first chorus was played pretty straight forward since, just overly emotional expressions and flowy arm movements, in James' opinion, a performance had to build up to something.

And up he went, on the second verse he lifted himself to sit on the back of the seat so he was a bit higher up, looking around to gather the attention of others in the park that had turned to see what was going on, not just their little audience, as the lyrics Now you’re looking at a leader, Now you’re staring at a queen passed by. Then he slid back down into the seat, expressions getting a bit more stank face than the previous over the top soulful gazes into the trees he was giving earlier.

He reached forward to turn the lawnmower back on, the engine roaring to life and overtaking the music coming from the phone. So James starting singing aloud, as he looked up to smile Seville's way and laid his foot down on the gas when the chorus hit once more. The ride giving a bit of a stutter start before taking off.

The lawnmower made its way around the line of other potential dates, James pointing at each of them as he went by, swaying in the seat and singing. He rounded the end of the line, shaking his head to the many no, no, oh no's and came up the other side with the next verse. Once he got back to the front he killed the lawnmower, quick to pick up one of his crutches, miming like he was loading it like a shot gun, and aimed at the guy at the front of the line in time for, I’m gonna be the best me, I’m sorry if it kills you, where he took the shot at the competition in tempo with the drum beat there and looked up with a oopsie shrug and expression.

Using his crutches, he got down from the mower to stand on the ground, the last chorus bringing him a few steps forward until he was a few paces away from where Seville's setup was. James leaned hard on the crutches, the cushions firmly pressed into his armpits, so he could take his hands off to rise with the crescendo of the last doubting myself anymore, and then snap along with the ones on the track until it was over, swaying a little the whole time.

Then he simply stood there, awaiting his judgement.

That Don't Impress Me Much || Audition-Open!

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@exsqueak-me

Foodie. Alright. Good to know. (Even though James really didn't understand that term– wasn't everyone a foodie? Since it was required to, you know, live and all?) He'd tuck that information away for later, should it become relevant.

Again, it was another hard hitting question. At least, within the context of this hypothetical world where James could somehow become a drag queen.

"Oh, easy. Doubt. Mary J. Blige," he said without having to give that one much of a thought. Only to suck in through his teeth a second later, eyes squinting, "Then again I think I could really cut it up to YMCA."

That Don't Impress Me Much || Audition-Open!