#fruitbaskit

[noisyspirits]

:: 👫 :: { 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙚﹢𝙅𝙤𝙮. } ::

I. ░ NICKNAMES. 

Lane calls her Go-go Dancer (sometimes just “Gogo”), Lava Lamp, Flower Child, Woodstock, Tangerine Queen, Felicity Shagwell (retired after it made her uncomfortable). Sometimes he just calls her random 70s album titles and she knows he’s talking to her. 

II. ░ RECORD SHOP GIG. 

Love that for them. Thanks, Sam!

Headcanon that the boss is some grouchy old music snob who only hired them because he liked their answers to his questions about ranking Radiohead albums and naming the top five most innovative local bands. They were both beloved regulars at the store before they got hired, and earned his respect with their purchases and ability to keep up or even say something insightful in conversations with him.

We can say Joy worked there first, if she would be too nervous to apply at her crush’s workplace. They could be the only people who work the “student shifts” (evenings/weekends). Lane and Joy’s class at Rainier brings in a lot of business, so perhaps they were hired when the boss decided to extend the shop’s hours to accommodate rich college kids’ class schedules.

They’re shit clerks. Joy will get distracted and forget to ring somebody up for one of their records at checkout, and Lane’s solution the problem is telling her to just ring up the next customer’s album twice and hope they don’t notice. Lane vapes on the job and flirts with every customer. Joy can’t be trusted with taking inventory or counting money. Neither of them are suited for time-sensitive tasks. They keep a line of willing customers waiting for half an hour because they don’t want to stop chatting with someone who already checked out. They usually can’t hear or don’t even notice when the phone is ringing, because they’re too engrossed in whatever prog song is playing.

During Lane’s depressive episodes, he spends the whole shift getting high, and he’ll ask Joy to do the customer service while he half-asses the non-verbal tasks. Joy gets called in on her days off to cover his shifts when he still can’t get out of bed by 5pm. During his manic episodes, his eyes linger on her body more than they should, he invites Tinder girls over to blow him in the shop’s bathroom (and sometimes forgets to close the door), and he gets so distracted by dancing with Joy that he forgets to lock up, and leaves the power running all night. But on a good day, he can lovingly arrange promotional displays and "If You Like ____, Try ____” lists, he’s quick to intercept customers creeping on Joy by engaging them in conversation, and he stays on top of responsibilities by insisting they work together instead of splitting up the tasks.

And you bet your ass they’re the best people to talk to about recommendations, whether it’s for local shows the store is selling tickets for, or for a field guide to a new genre they want to get into without picking only the most entry-level stuff. They’re surprisingly good salesmen, mostly because they’re so honest about what is and isn’t worth the money. People trust them, and there’s a big crowd who will come into the shop just to hang out on the tattered leather couch or make sure nobody covered up their band’s sticker on the wall. Turns out, two hot musicians that customers can build up a nearly-parasocial relationship with can bring in a lot of business. They’re too lovable and profitable to get fired.

But seriously, don’t forget to check your receipt.

III. ░ ABOUT THAT CRUSH OF HERS.

Lane doesn’t think he’s arrogant enough to expect every girl on campus to throw themselves at him, but he is used to female friends being more... receptive to his advances. He’s confused by the way Joy shoots down his offers to go to the diner with him or come back to his room. They have so much chemistry. She seems to like him. He makes her laugh. She always leans in his direction and touches her pretty elf hair when he’s talking to her. He can make her cheeks red just by putting on a song she likes, making eye contact with her from across the store, and smiling. She agrees to plans with so much cheer, so he doesn’t know why she suddenly remembers she had another commitment as soon as she realizes they would be hanging on one-on-one, or at night. He can’t figure out why she shies away when he touches her. He isn’t used to girls like her, coy and inexperienced, unprepared to close their eyes and wait for him to kiss them after he gives them attention. He’s usually surrounded by girls like Zelda and Nikki, or Max and Sabrina, or Genie and Jill. Even Molly was always brutally honest about her sexuality. What’s he supposed to do with someone as confusing as Joy? Which signals should he take from her?

So he invites her to come out to the woods on a sunny afternoon to jam, but assures her that Robin’s gonna be there, too. He invites her to get late night Applebee’s after they close up, but doesn’t order cocktails or argue with her if she wants to split the bill. When he rolls out of bed and looks out the window to see her roller skating around campus, he rubs the sleep out of his eyes, grabs his skateboard, and catches up with her so they spend the morning together; maybe go to a thrift shop or antique store to look for vintage clothes and instruments. He tries to let it go and accept that the friendship is just platonic, but then she compliments his hair or eyes, gets schoolgirl bashful, and hides her cheeks as she looks away. It makes him self-conscious. If she’s attracted to him, why is she so adamantly opposed to doing anything with him?

He values his friendship with Joy. He’s just waiting for her to value it enough to take it to the next level. 

IV. ░ THIS HC IS ARROGANT BUT HEAR ME OUT.

Lane can tell that Joy isn’t as naive as she puts on. 

Just based on the type of music she likes. The 70′s is the horniest decade for music. The 60′s had so much gritty subject matter. She knows too much about the blues for him to believe that she doesn’t really feel it on some level.

Lane’s theory is that she’s a recovering addict. He knows people who act superfluously positive when they’re trying to stay out of the hole, even if they have to force it. It’s also his only explanation for why she’s sober and doesn’t come to parties. 

[donutcryforme]

a plot that you’d like to play out && a real-world setting that you’d like to use as the setting of a plot && your favorite rp genre :o

22. a plot that you’d like to play outOk this has been in my head for months but I have been…actually physically dying to do a dark + twisted peter pan-sorta au set during the prohibition era (roaring ‘20s) that’s lightly inspired by a workshop we did at my school roughly 7 years ago. Basically Nate (peter pan-esque  – a daring young man who has made the city streets his home, with a sense of adventure and a shadow he can’t seem to shake) takes a Wendy Darling-kinda broad (probably Privileged White Girl who just wants to escape from the fancy parties and the parents who are too busy entertaining guests to raise her) to Neverland (a smokey mobster speakeasy or underground watering hole of some kind where the fellow lost boys and anyone else who’s lost themselves to the dark side tends to congregate). Captain Hook is probably a detective of some sort looking for these criminals, and the mermaids are most likely prostitutes or strippers. It’s dark and dirty and he pulls her into this world of drugsz and drinking and partying and doing Bad Stuff and it’s so new and exciting to her and he’s just a toxic black hole of Bad News Bears and it’s all I want nina blease somebody give this to me

23. a real-world setting that you’d like to use as the setting of a plot

Hmmm this one is a toughie. I like setting plots in places that I’ve lived in so I can accurately place my characters there, namely cities (ex. Boston, New York, ec) since I seem to be more attracted to big, bustlin’ plots. But as for a place I’ve never lived? I think Berlin would be super rad. I went there for a weekend on a study abroad trip and the architecture is awesome. Also: Amsterdam (I could set Nikki in the Red Light District there and it would just be litty titties). 

For a challenge, I’ve never done a plot that takes place in a desert. Or in the countryside! I think either one of those would be really fun (but I don’t know enough about the West or the South to pick something specific without a little research). I’ve also never attempted anything historical or far in the past, so maybe Victorian England? Or some place not in the United States. I feel like the majority of Tumblr RPs are set in America (minus ElementHQ) and I need ot stretch my writin’ bones a little bit. 

I’m sorry I didn’t have a good answer for this and just rambled instead afgkhajdk

tl;dr:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

24. your favorite rp genre

OH MAN! Honestly, I don’t think I”ve been in an RP that wasn’t straight fiction. ElementHQ never got into its supernatural elements, and Lukas’ BrightHaven rp never made it past its renovations, so I don’t think I’ve explored enough to really say for sure! I’m not usually drawn to fantasy, zombies, horror, or fandom (and I don’t know what other rp genres exist, but I haven’t been in those either). I’ve had the best experience in school and town rps, since every character has a reason for being there and congregating together, which makes plotting a little easier. Also, they’re kind of loose so you can do whatever plots you want, or just develop your character at your own pace. I did this one really cool rp years ago, though, that was a dystopian town rp (which was a sweet twist, since I’m a slut for dystopian literature). I haven’t seen any more like that since then, though. Sad.

tl;dr: straight fiction because I haven’t tried anything else!! (But, probably still straight fiction. I like realism and .. I’m boring.)

Roleplayer Ask Meme | (Somehow Still) Open

[noisyspirits]

:: 👫 :: { 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙚﹢𝙕𝙚𝙡𝙙𝙖. } ::

I. ░ NICKNAMES.

Zezza (his first nickname for her) Zez (after their first year together, when Zezza became her primary name for him) (this doesn’t have to be exclusively used by Lane, since he started using the nickname before they started dating, other people in his friend group might call her this too) (he probably introduced her as “Zez” to Sid and Nate) (he uses other variations, like Zezzy, Zezzo, Zizzy, Zelzsta... But Zezza is his favorite) Cherrypop (when she wears his favorite lip gloss) / Cherry Girl (when she wears red or cherry earrings) Glitterbug (when he sees some of her glitter on himself or any surface in his room the morning after a party) Angelfish (when she makes a kissy face when they’re in a group together and make eye contact) Lady Luck (when she hints at any insecurity about not being special or favored enough to be included in the Fawley casino empire, or plays a game with him) Disco Angel (when she dances with him) The Greatest Artist Who Ever Lived (when she shows her any sculpture she made, even if it is, to quote the message that made me fall in love with her, “a store-bought flamingo plushy with some lipstick smeared on the beak”) My Beautiful Natural Redhead (every time she dyes her hair red) My Showgirl or simply, My Girl.

II. ░ SKATE LESSONS.

Lane didn’t think he would skateboard past his teen years until he met Robin, who introduced him to the concept of skating ironically. He sees it less as a subcultural lifestyle and more as a tongue-in-cheek way of getting from place to place. The tricks come into play when he’s hanging out at dusk with Robin and friends, usually doing some light pregaming for a party in a parking lot between the back exit of the art building and the woods.

It was probably Zelda who asked him to show her how to skate on one of these nights. Likely asked as a joke in a giggly buzz off of hard ciders, in the early days before they started dating. But it meant a lot to Lane that she asked. She may not be able to follow along when he goes on about Derrida, but this is one way that she can fit inside his world. She fell on her ass and narrowly avoided ripping her tights that first night, but he slowly started asking her if she wanted to try again the next few times they met up, and it turned into a cute activity they did once a month or so while dating. She may not be a fast learner, but she’s enthusiastic and puts her whole heart into it. It makes him feel like he should put more of his heart into making the relationship work, too. It helps that he finds her melodramatic shouts and expressions adorable. 

This turned into Lane’s go-to way of asking her to get back together with him. Two weeks to two months after a breakup, he’ll send her a text, telling her that he’ll be in the parking lot outside the art building if she wants to pick up her lessons again. She comes every time. He falls right back in love with her every time he watches her cackle after a fall or throw up both fists triumphantly when she turns around a corner without completely eating shit.

He just wishes she would wear more practical clothes for the lessons.

III. ░ CANDID MODEL. 

Dia is his primary model and muse, but the photos he takes of her are his Art, very precise and orchestrated. He takes tons of photos with Robin, but it’s usually documenting weird situations he got them into or things Robin re-arranged when nobody was looking, rather than pictures of the man himself. He sneaks some pictures of Molly, looking cozy and elegant (and distracted) while she reads, and has photos of Nate doing tricks or just smoking cigarettes, because the guy always looks like he’s in a grungy coming-of-age film, and Lane likes to memorialize the few special weekends his friend makes it to Washington. And of course, he has his stash of Jack photos, but he hasn’t taken a photo of his brother since the day he left for basic combat training.

But Lane has more photographs of Zelda than anyone else in the world.

She’s always doing something funny, or pretty, or colorful. Whether he’s just shooting her festive outfits, or her wild, goofy dancing, or her expressive faces, or wholehearted laughter, it’s all worth capturing. Every second with her feels like a significant memory that he wants to revisit, especially if he’s not in the right headspace to appreciate it in the moment. 

These photographs are the closest thing Lane has to a helm to steer his own emotions. When he needs a little motivation to come crawling back to her, he takes a peek at his pictures before bed, and wakes up the next morning to find himself texting her to ask if she wants to meet him for skate lessons. 

IV. ░ ANYWAY HERE’S GRENADINE.

Lane wrote a song about Zelda called “Grenadine.” Or, he’s writing a song. And rewriting it. Constantly. He runs his drafts by his closest friends, but Robin is probably the only one who hears every version. He doesn’t want anyone to tell her about it until it’s done, and makes them promise to keep it a secret. The problem is, he revises it so much, it’s basically an album of entirely different songs at this point, and it may never be finished.

Sometimes it’s about a lover so sweet, she can make battery acid go down easy, and it’s easier for the narrator to deal with tribulations when she’s around. Sometimes it’s about a girl who’s too sickeningly syrupy to drink straight, and the narrator feels like she’s not the type of woman you’re supposed to be monogamous with, because you won’t actually get anything of substance out of it. Sometimes it’s about a girl who’s sugary but tart — cute but daft — and the narrator’s bar buddies all have a hard time taking him seriously when he asks for her in his cocktail instead of drinking a real man’s drink, and the narrator has to decide if he should grow up, or enjoy what he enjoys.

The chorus mostly stays the same. Somehow, in one roundabout way or another, it’s always about how The Grenadine Girl deserves better.

Robin, Nikki, Molly, Dia, Sabrina, and Sid have all heard variations of it, though he’s obviously only shows Nikki and Sabrina the flattering ones.

BONUS. ░ IS LANE IN LOVE WITH ZELDA?

How shall I put this...

...

Sometimes. 

He has more fun with Zelda than any other girl he knows. She makes him laugh without even trying. She’s so cheerful, loyal, understanding, and supportive to a fault. He thought blowjobs were overrated until he met her — an appetizer, or a consolation prize when you don’t have the time or privacy for the real deal — but I imagine Zelda’s passion to please carries over into her sex life, and she really knocks it out of the park when she gets to focus on just satisfying her partner. She changed his life and redeemed oral for him. That takes someone special.

There’s just one problem: Lane thinks he belongs with someone who understands the art, music, and literature he likes. Having deep conversations with a partner is important to him. He doesn’t know if Zelda will ever connect with him on that level. 

There’s also that nagging concern in the back of his head, asking, does he like her for her, or does he subconsciously like her because she’s rich and he wants to settle down with someone who can keep him financially secure? He wigs out and breaks up with her every time the thought crosses his mind. Is he lying to himself when he feels like he’s in love with her, or when he falls out of love with her?

He doesn’t know.

But, if it counts for anything, he did spend the majority of his clothing budget for their junior year on a western shirt because it reminded him of her, and her silly pink cowgirl boots, and her fascination with kitschy cowboys, and one of her drunken ramblings about him whisking her away on his trusty steed (robin in a horse costume, probably) and them galloping off into the sunset. He calls it his lucky shirt.

[donutcryforme]

ahoy. real quick lickity split pair o' Q's. appetizer question: is ILUSHUN leah's tag. and the main entree: when are we gonna find out what RAJA comes from!

1) yes! :) now that i’m trying to make her into a Real Boy Girl, i figured she deserved, y’know, a real name

2) RIGHT NOW!!

It’s freshman year of high school. The Matthews clan had to move yet again due to yet another landlord not renewing their lease in favor of someone who isn’t on governmental assistance, so she’s in yet another new school. 

Sarah has just hooked up with Leah in this new, run-down neighborhood, and has her new love of graffiti on the brain. She’s in Spanish class, doodling different styles in her notebook, trying to find inspiration for her style and her tag and clearly not paying attention, when she hear something that makes her look up, and looks at the whiteboard:

                                                        RAJA (n) - a crack

                                                                   A split.

The remnants of her old, normal life had fallen through the cracks in the pavement the day her dear ol’ dad left. 

Like a gash on a finger that never stopped bleeding.   

The tear in the curtains they couldn’t afford to replace. 

The rip in her brother’s old bedsheets. 

The slit in her mother’s dress that’s hitched up a little higher than it should be for a first date.

She had slipped through the cracks. She was the child of a split. 

She was a raja.

also it’s slang for the lady bits and she is a fan thank you and good night