𝒄𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒔

heart or death. affiliated with redcreekfm.

[autmors]

COR AUT MORS: (your choice is between) the 𝐻𝐸𝐴𝑅𝑇 (moral values, duty, loyalty) or 𝑫𝑬𝑨𝑻𝑯 (to no longer matter).

AKIHIKO TANAKA — THE GRIM REAPER ( funeral director ) ... about. visage. pinterest. threads. PHAI SUPPASIT BOONRUANG — THE GUILT-RIDDEN ( doctor ) ... about. visage. pinterest. threads.

[mifffyz]

setting: red creek grocery

the hand barely touches the item before scott zooms past in a blur, careless and grinning, as he snatches it out from their grasp. "nuh uh, no can do." spoken in an easy drawl, too casual to argue with. he doesn't even break stride -- just tosses the item up, once, then catches it behind his back. "this isn't for sale," he lies. the item, which was the last one remaining, is tucked under his arm as he lifts his shoulders into a lazy shrug. "you'll just have to come back tomorrow."

[autmors]

it's been a long shift at the hospital, and phai hopes to find something quick to eat before heading back home. the whole tension that has spread through the town is still palpable, and with the exhaustion, he isn't in the best of moods. his hand reaches for his favorite ( and the last one remaining ) pack of ramen when it's snatched from his grasp, and his lips part in surprise. "... really?" he cannot help but sound exasperated, fighting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "what if i buy you something else here? unless it's caviar or something. we can exchange."

[oftrinkets]

it's  almost  time  ,  caleb  states  to  wonder  .  well  ,  within  the  chambers  of  his  own  mind  rather  than  boldly  aloud  .  he  doesn't  mean  to  startle  any  further  ,  if  he  did  at  all  .  it's  near  time  for  clouds  of  cold  to  emit  from  nostrils  and  spoken  words  ,  and  there  is  something  deeply  melancholic  about  that  fact  at  hand  .  something  that  has  caleb  stop  in  his  tracks  instantly  ,  the  ground  ready  to  give  beneath  his  following  steps  .  it's  almost  winter  and  that  meant  time  went  by  ,  without  asking  permission  .  .  .  without  a  second  thought  of  empathy  towards  the  ones  left  behind  by  it  .  breath  drawn  ,  previously  held  in  order  as  to  not  disturb  the  other  ,  now  pushes  freely  past  slightly  parted  lips  .  ignores  the  first  inquiry  in  it's  entirety  -  albeit  a  tad  blunt  ,  it  mostly  comes  across  as  natural  how  caleb  blinks  up  at  the  nightsky  instead  .  a  picture  painted  many  times  before  .  “  there  is  something  so  severly  profound  in  seeking  condolence  in  a  place  like  this  ,  don't  you  think  ?  ”  without  a  trace  of  apprehension  ,  alike  stating  the  way  dawn  turns  into  dusk  eventually  .  “  tell  me  ,  why  do  you  think  some  do  it  ?  "  caleb  doesn't  spare  akihiko  a  genuine  glance  ,  couldn't  bear  to  .  not  now  ,  not  like  this  . 

[autmors]

there's a stutter of a breath, a minuscule gap in which neither oxygen nor nicotine reaches wary lungs- almost imperceptible to someone far away. is he still far away? dark brown eyes watching the fog of a breath- untouchable, fleeting, curling and disappearing into thin air. the grounding existence of a pack of cigarettes, clenched in their grasp, buried in the pocket of their dead father's coat. the seconds that stretch on and on — giving the hope that maybe, this is better than the alternative. being stuck in time, in perpetuity, without facing the mistakes of a younger self, as the elder who still feels like a teenager when facing him. then, the silence is broken, and akihiko finds it much easier to don a mask now when they aren't stripped bare in silence. "profound?" they huff, dangerously close to a scoff. the burning cigarette continues to be an anchor, another long, deep breath of distraction. caleb still does not look at them. akihiko can tell- because they cannot possibly look away. "i think they are afraid. and they know where they will end up— so they take a visit in advance. to figure out how it might feel six feet under- face their sins —" too close, too close to the sun, akihiko might look away if caleb met their eyes. "you know the rest better than i do." they never listened to a word of mass to begin with, their attention always elswhere. "this place is just earth and bones- it's their fear that gives it meaning."

[tragicrequiem]

she stepped into their peripheral like someone half – summoned, half - drifting — coat too thin for the cold. her eyes hazed over the graves, and then finally … them. “ smoke, i guess, ” she muttered, monotone and entirely apathetic. “ it’s whatever. ” she crouched beside the nearest headstone — one that wasn’t hers, not her mother’s — and pressed her gloved thumb into the rim of thawing soil like she was grounding herself. when she looked up again, there was a strange stillness to her, like she’d been listening to something that wasn’t there. “ and no, ” she added, slightly piqued by their continual interrogation. “ didn’t come because of what happened. ” and you’ve said too much already.

[autmors]

the flat comment is more than enough for akihiko to light up a second cigarette. the butt of the previous one is thrown to the ground, his heel pushes against it into the soil. do they remember to clean around here? sometimes. not always. either way, it will return back to earth, as it always does. as it always will be. like every single one of them. the flick of a lighter again, a long deep breath, they lean against one of the tombstones. it's an older one, one that no one visits but akihiko every once in a while. they cannot help but see themselves in that image. they watch the new visitor as they smoke, trying to remember if they have ever seen her here or near this grave — they cannot remember. a shrug at her words, their theory proven wrong. " 'suppose it's as good a time as any." followed by another long drag of their cigarette. "more people die this time of the year." makes it the most frequent time for death anniversaries. "regardless of which year."

[autmors]

THE GUILT-RIDDEN: sleepless nights spent hunched over thick books, the sharp smell of antiseptic, eyes burning from being open for too long, stale drip coffee as fuel....

FULL   NAME:   phai suppasit boonruang.   NICKNAME:   phai.   FACECLAIM:   poom   phuripan sapsangawat.   PAST:   born in red creek, left for college, returned 1 yr ago.   AGE: twenty - nine. BDAY:   august  24th.   GENDER: demi - man, he / them. SEXUALITY:   panromantic   pansexual.   MORAL   ALIGNMENT:   lawful   good.   OCCUPATION:   doctor ( physician ).   WHERE:   red creek hospital.  POSITIVE:   empathetic,   kind,   hard-working.   NEGATIVE:  self-critical,   overthinking,   pedantic.

BIOGRAPHY

phai is born in red creek to a single mother. as he grows up, it's always him and her mother against the world. once he comes to an age to understand concepts of death and life, he learns that his father has passed away in a car accident during the later stages of his mother's pregnancy, and she was not welcomed by her own family due to eloping in the first place. when he is old enough, he also understands why his mother struggles with the hours she works at the supermarket, how she needs to take more breaks than usual, why he sees her try to hide tears at night. her chronic illness is what makes him want to become a doctor at a young age, and when he tells her mother this, she runs a hand through his hair and tells him he can be anything he wants to be. it's one thing for a kid to wish to become a doctor, and another to realize how much money it takes to actually become one. for someone like boonruangs, the only way to pay the college bills and med school tuitions is a scholarship — which is not easy to get. however, having put his mind into it, phai works through every night and day- every second he is not going to school, he studies. in his teens, more than half of his life is spent in the library- and when he finally gets the acceptance letter with a scholarship attached, he hugs his mother and takes the first bus to his new home. they keep in touch- but with how much he also needs to study at school and work outside of school, doing part-time jobs, it's hard to come back and visit. he still does whenever he can spare some cash and has some breaks in between, greeting old friends, spending time with his mother. he first gets his degree in biology, then manages to get into med school. it's even harder than bachelor's, both studying and picking up part-time jobs, yet as determined as ever, phai makes it work-███ ██ ███ ███ ██ █████ ██████ ███ ██████████ ████ ██ ███ ████ █████ ██ ███████ ██ ██████ ███ ██ ███ ████ █ ████████ █████ █████ █████ ███ ████ ██ ██████ ███ ███ ██ █ █████████ ████ █████ ███ ████ █████ ███ ████ ███████ ███ ████ ███████ █ ████ ████ ████ ███████ ███ ████ ████████ ████ ███████████ ██████ ███ ██ ██ after finishing his residency and becoming an official doctor, he returns back to red creek. with his mother's health needing more care than it used to, he moves in with her, and starts working at red creek hospital as a physician. it's what he always dreamed of doing — so when he has some sleepless nights and his hands shake when no one else can see, he chalks it up to exhaustion. it's part of this profession, after all.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

- old friends from red creek! phai left for college but frequently visited and if they were close friends, he could have visited their state as well - old enemies/bullies from red creek? - people he met in college. i left where it was quite vague, so it could be the case that they studied together (same or dif. majors) - patients from the hospital he helped (either during his residency in a different state, or in the past year he has been here) - coworkers? could be fun! - i'm drawing a blank for more but anything & everything! lets brainstorm!

[shenzhiheng]

pathetic wet men collection (43/?)

[autmors]

LOCATION: red creek cemetery, graveyards FROM: AKIHIKO TANAKA TO: OPEN STARTER [ 2 / 3 ]

a cloud of smoke, the crunch of soil underneath a pair of feet. akihiko has a black wool coat wrapped around them as they leave the main building of the cemetery, heading towards the grounds. the weather is cold enough that their breath fogs up where they part, and they search their pockets for a pack of cigarettes. shaking one off, they put it between their lips, followed by a flick of lighter, a long, deep breath of relief. as if they were not breathing before, and now oxygen can finally reach their lungs. it takes them a few minutes of quiet smoking to hear a pair of steps, and they ponder for a minute more whether they will remain far away. it doesn't seem to be the case, and they watch the other near the section where they are. it's likely they are visiting a grave here, as is ninety-five percent of the time, no one else comes to the cemetery otherwise. and while they would take a bet that people prefer being alone here, they still ask— wanting to smoke a bit more. could they do it elsewhere? sure. but this is their favorite section with the best view of the forest and the town. "do you have to be alone or can i continue smoking here?" it's blunt, although they don't try to be, that's how it usually comes out. a beat later, "did you come because of what happened?" death reminds people of death. you hear of someone dying, and you remember someone close to you who died. it's as easy as that - at least, for someone in akihiko's line of work.

[clandestone]

open starter with: charlotte setting: lakeside grill, 6:30pm, 2 days after halloween

Her finger trailed along the edge of the wine glass as she stared off into the distance, too exhausted to do anything more than stare, breathe, and occasionally lift the glass. It was quiet at the grill, which was no great surprise, given the events of the previous days. With good reason, it seemed a significant part of the town had sequestered themselves in their homes, but Charlotte, who had pushed off a grocery trip until the day after Halloween, found herself with mostly bare cabinets, and no energy to cook. Instead of home-cooked, tonight it would be to-go orders eaten out of plastic containers on their living room couch. She’d just raised her glass to her lips when she heard the barstool beside her creak, and though every neuron fired at once, telling her to run, she found herself calmly looking over at her new neighbor at the bar, a welcoming smile on her lips. “It’s nice to see someone else in here. I was starting to feel like an asshole, making all these people work when there’s some criminal on the loose. At least if they get us in here, it’ll be a somewhat classy affair.” Oops- too casual, she thought, kicking herself. Few people wanted casual small talk during tragedy, and even fewer wanted jokes at tragedy’s expense. “I just mean we’re probably safe in here,” she said again, her easy-breezy facade somewhat cracked, but still inappropriately cheery. “Can't stay cooped up forever, anyway." 

[autmors]

it's an understatement to say that the events of the last couple of days have been simply tragic, it's much worse than that — though akihiko looks as composed as usual at the wake of such tragedy. there is little that can phase them now, at least nowadays, and only hearing about what happened hasn't managed to do that just yet. compared to how they are faring, it's easy to feel the tension that resonates through the town; the quiet streets, the rushed steps if any residents have to go somewhere. and of course, the funeral ceremony that they are preparing. all of it together feels bizarre enough that they seek a familiar place to eat in, rather than cooking back at their small apartment flat. unsurprisingly, it's nearly vacant, and they walk up to the bar, pull up one of the chairs to sit near the other customer. it's only a bit of a surprise to hear themself being addressed, and they turn in the stool to face her as she speaks. "well- it's open, so them being here and working here should be comparably terrible. they didn't open shop because of us." their words quite blunt, though without much intonation, followed by a shrug. the latter parts of her words, however, the possibility of the criminal getting them here makes them let out a huff of laugh, lips curling into a smirk. "i'd say getting murdered here is worse than just getting murdered." a shitty copy of a fancy restaurant in the middle of nowhere? no thanks.

[mifffyz]

setting: outside your character's front door, a few days after halloween

bridget stands on the step with a smile stretched across her face -- bright, though a touch uncertain. it isn't doubt, she believes every word she carries. but she wonders if this is the right time to share it, when heather's passing split through the town. the townfolk rarely took well to this kind of thing on a good day. still, her parents insisted that made now as good a time as any to spread the good word. as the door opens, she braces herself, holding out a folded pamphlet with both hands. "hi! i'm with the redemption chapel, and i was wondering if you had a minute to talk about jesus christ, our lord and saviour?"

[autmors]

thank god for blackout curtains, one of the few good investments that akihiko has made in their life. not that there are many others, but it's because of the curtains that they can sleep through the sunrise and a good couple of hours ( or more ) after. when the knock on the door comes, they aren't quite as deeply asleep, and get up with a groan, haphazardly put on a tattered navy dressing gown, and make their way towards the entrance to their apartment. it takes a few seconds for them to register what the piece of paper is, aided by the other's words. "... does that ever work?" they pan, a hand going up to card through messy strands of hair, pushing it away from their face. "or do you do it because it makes you feel better?"

[autmors]

THE GRIM REAPER: the scent of wet soil after the rain, clinging to the decay and rust, the weight of lost souls, stepping on a single flower that has managed to bloom...

FULL   NAME:   akihiko tanaka.   NICKNAME:   aki.   FACECLAIM:   kento   yamazaki.   PAST:   born in red creek, returned 2 yrs ago.   AGE: thirty - two. BDAY:   june  10th.   GENDER: non binary, they / them. SEXUALITY:   panromantic   pansexual.   MORAL   ALIGNMENT:   chaotic   neutral.   OCCUPATION:   funeral director.   WHERE:   red creek cemetery.  POSITIVE:   independent,   resourceful,   perceptive.   NEGATIVE:   morose,   cynical,   reserved.

PAST

akihiko has spent their life trying to become someone else. their father a funeral director in red creek cemetery, their mother a housewife, born in a city like red creek. from the moment they were old enough to form an opinion about themselves, it felt like they were just — ordinary, dull, like something was missing. they spent their entire life running away from it. no matter how many times their father asked them to take on the family business, no matter how many friends they had back here, they did not want to accept it as a home. they left and did not turn back, hopping cities, finding odd jobs, never settling, never finding who they wanted to be. never managing to scratch that itch. this life was nowhere as fulfilling as they dreamed it would be, there was no one waiting for them with open arms, no easy way to success. their short fuse and being quick to violence did not help them make friends in big cities. they waited tables, they worked at gyms, were a bodyguard to some low-level socialite here and there. ███ ██ ███ ███ ██ █████ ██████ ███ ██████████ ████ ██ ███ ████ █████ ██ ███████ ██ ██████ ███ ██ ███ ████ █ ████████ █████ █████ █████ ███ ████ ██ ██████ ███ ███ ██ █ █████████ ████ █████ ███ ████ █████ ███ ████ ███████ ███ ████ ███████ █ ████ ████ ████ ███████ ███ ████ ████████ ████ ███████████ ██████ ███ ██ ███████████ █████ ████ ██████ ██ ███ ███ █ ██████ ███████ ███ ██████ ███ ████ ███████ █ █████ ████ ███ ██████ ███████ ███ ████████ ██ █████ ███████ ██ ████████ ██ ███ ████ ████████ ██ █ █████ ████ ██████ ████████ ██ ████ ██ █ ████ ████ ████ ███ █████ █ ███ ███ █████ ██ ███ ████ ██ █ ███ ██ ███ ██████ █ ████ ██ █ █████ ██ ██████ ████ ██ █ ████ ██ ███████ ██ ███ ████ ███████ ████ █████ ████ █████████ ████ ██████ ███ ██████ ██ ███ ████ ████ ████ ███████████ █████████ when they left their new life, half a year was spend in paranoia, of looking over their shoulder every move, never staying at a job for too long. the thrill that came with the youth of their twenties died away, leaving behind a dull feeling of dissatisfaction, the sinking reality that they were still a nobody, and worth absolutely nothing. they had cut contact with their parents for a while, but when they finally got the courage to check in, the news of their father's passing was the final blow. they returned to red creek, to a crestfallen mother, who read what swum in akihiko's eyes, and offered as much compassion as she could. she led akihiko to their father's office, and asked them to take the role of a funeral director. at least now, they had something to do, something to ebb away the paranoia. even if they were back here, in the middle of nowhere. back where they started.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

- people they left behind when they left red creek around 11-12 years ago. akihiko did not say goodbye to many people before they left, which would make the reunion quite painful if they were close. close friends, or maybe an ex? - people akihiko met when they were city hopping like crazy. could be a good connection or a bad one, depending on what they were doing then, or if they were acquaintances, close friends or maybe fwbs - people who know the tanaka family, who have lived in redcreek for many generations. they could be family acquaintances if your muse is also an old resident - people who needed funeral services. - anything and everything! always happy to brainstorm c:

[jdramasource]

ALICE IN BORDERLAND 今際の国のアリス (2020 - 2025) dir. Sato Shinsuke