a d a y d r e a m spills from my CORKED head, breaks free of my wooden NECK. left a nod over sleeping waves, like bobbing bait for bathing cod. floating flocks of candled SWANS slowly d r i f t across wax ponds. the men all played along to M A R C H I N G drums, and boy did they have fun; behind the SEA. they sang: so our matching legs are marching C L O C K S, and we're all too small to talk to GOD.
@romykelso: @romain i'll find a way, just you wait.
@romykelso: @romain kings, i'll handmake their food daily
@romain: @romykelso might as well write you into my will now! for the sake of the cats. their names are frank (big chungus), brock, shoelace, and crunchwrap supreme (crunch for short).
@romykelso: @romain bold of you to assume i would wait for something to happen to you to take in your cats
@romain: @romykelso remind me to never let you near my cats while i am living and breathing. when i'm dead? go nuts. they get a rotisserie chicken every friday and won't touch dry food.
Since the vote. The exposure…Michael’s death, Honey had been keeping to herself. She hadn’t gone to her classes since Monday, hiding out in her room more than anything, only seeing the people close enough to her to come over, but she knew she couldn’t hide away for forever, that eventually, she would have to go out, try and pick up the piece and get back to her life. Elkins don’t sit on their ass, Honey. That’s what her grandmother had said to her after her mother had passed, and its exactly what she would say now if she saw what Honey was doing to herself. So after a long pep talk, the girl finally pried herself away from the safety of her room, and showed her face, trying her best to act like her usual bubbly self. The guilt still ate at her, that she was responsible in some way for what happened to Michael, that she had ruined his life, his family’s life, but she hoped the watershed posts were vague enough no one else caught on, that maybe, just maybe, her reputation wouldn’t be so tainted. “Just cause the sign says help yourself don’t mean you can take the whole damn thing,” Honey found herself saying to the student she passed, who were helping themselves to a large tote of books the library was given away for free, smiling some, “You plan on reading all those or are you just like me who lets them get all dusty on the shelf?”
In similar manner, Cain had kept mostly to himself since the news of the professor’s death. The sickest part of his brain had a mantra, a parade of ‘you were right’ echoing throughout his mind -- forcibly pushed back by logic, by pity, by a last chance shred of dignity. He grieved for her, rather, than blame her; as difficult as it was, heartstrings slowly worn out -- not as elastic as they once were. And there was that avoidance, again, the coping mechanism he fought so hard against, back to taunt him in all his cowardliness. Distance was comfort, and knowing how their last encounter had gone -- the benefits of attempting contact with his old flame questionable at best. But, in similar manner, they had both come out of their dens, cautiously and yet, at once, feigning well-being. A faint look of surprise passed his features as Honey’s voice reached him, a pause in his actions, book still in hand. “A-ah, well...” his voice broke out, free hand going to push back the hood that concealed his profile from her view; the unmasking of a bandit, or a Scooby Doo villain, “As satisfactory as hoarding is, I’ve r-renounced my ways and now read every book I come across. I always t-took literature, uh...for granted, I s-suppose, and now I’m...fully intending on appreciating it.” as casual as he tried to sound; his nerves were clear on his tongue, fingers tapping against the book in hand.
Ripples of black lace trail behind Maple has they climb up the stairs to the top portion of the nightclub, fingers gently trailing back against the rail. Even in the loudest of places they find themself silent, stoic even as thoughts overtake them. They’re only dragged out of their inner monologue by the sound of a passerbyer’s voice, hazel hues darting towards the sound before they take a slight pause at the subtle shock of any interaction between them. She’s seen Cain around multiple times, even then they’ve spoken however it was nothing ever of depth or longitude; short statements that led to nothing. “I-, sorry, you caught me off guard. What did you say?” @cainromanov
They’re not a fan of clubs -- nightclubs in specific, but any party in any manner -- damp bodies pressed against one another and rapidly-blinking lights were enough to steer them away; but standing in solidarity was one of the few things that Cain did support -- the reason why they sit just outside the kitchen, eyes flickering up from a book ever-so-occasionally. “Ah, j-just,” he gestures towards their fit, then to his own, “Pluto, r-right?” Conversations may not have been common between the two, but just the concept of them -- alike and yet, different -- picking the same Roman deity to model their outfits after, was amusing enough for them to point out; a faint smile curving their lips. “I just t-thought it was humorous, that’s all. T-telepathic nonbinary Pluto s-solidarity, you kn-know?”
@romain: if somebody sees a large, white and grey cat somewhere by emeritus please call me. i think he escaped via the fire escape but i'm not entirely sure. responds to frank, or big chungus when it's yelled. thanks.
IN GENERAL: They unknowingly distributed tampered drugs to their clients.
TW: drug use / overdose / death
IN DETAIL: It’d been going on for a couple of months -- they’d get them from the manufacturers, then distribute them out to the dealers. A middle man, that was all. A quick buck, cheap thrill, no logic behind their doings. They had the money already -- didn’t need more, but Cain found himself falling into the cliche. Untouchable golden boy playing with fire, tempting fate, all for the fun of it. Looking back -- it’s like the beginning of his descend from his perch-like throne. This is where Cain starts. This is where Cain ends. He’d gotten a new offer, a new boss of sorts -- different drugs, higher price -- why not? Expanding the business was all part of the fun; that was why he’d gone into business, hadn’t it? For the fun? To be a Wall Street crony? Wasn’t this just part of it all -- part of the bigger picture? They never tried the drugs they were distributing -- weren’t for him, better to keep a clear mind, to be at the top of your game. It wasn’t until the first overdose that they had actually suspected much at all; even then, it was easy to dismiss. Overdoses happened, it wasn’t out of the ordinary. Unease weighing on his shoulders, but discarded; already onto the next venture. Two, three more happened over the course of a few weeks -- a pit in his stomach, growing. When one too many overdoses took a dark twist and ended in someone’s death -- that was when Cain felt the need to confront his dealer. He hadn’t been the one to alter the drugs -- but he distributed them to the dealers, who then sold them -- accomplices, the lot of them. Accomplices to murder. Confrontation was the wrong move; broken ribs later told Cain -- lesson learned. The most he could do was cut ties with the manufacturer and move on. A selfish move but the only smooth path; headlines flash behind their eyes -- SENATOR’S SON CAUGHT IN DRUG SCANDAL -- DEATHS CONFIRMED. His ribs ached at the thought. His ribs still ache at the thought.
DOES ANYONE ELSE KNOW THIS SECRET?: Only the people involved in the ordeal.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOUR CHARACTER HAS TO HIDE?: They’re hiding the fact that they’re a bastard in order to maintain their family’s reputation.
Avoidance had become commonplace for the lanky, too tall to be entirely human ( though, unfortunately -- was undoubtedly, only that; mere mortal, not an inkling of ichor or fae folk fairness to them, just tired eyes that implied it just the same ) man -- wiry, tree knobs for elbows and knees; a gaunt face and purple beneath clear ( yet, at the same time, clouded. yet, also at the same time, empty ) eyes. It was a coping mechanism, their therapist claimed; a consequence of a consequence. It was a coping mechanism, their mind echo’d -- that was why he had hidden himself away the past four days...hadn’t it been? The abroad program felt much like a consequence, a dull reminder that avoidance could not be achieved unless total isolation was met.
Avoidance was, unfortunately, against doc orders. One could not expect recovery if one holed oneself up and acted as a damsel in distress. This too, did not come without consequence; their bones creaked in protest, eyes squinting against the intensity of the sun, hands cleverly wrapped away inside pockets to hide their shakiness. Cain focused on the sound of boot soles against pavement, counting steps and cracks and confusing the amount of steps and cracks it took to reach the nearest coffee shop, head bent strategically downwards to avoid coming face to face with ghosts of a past they were not at all proud of. Leather-bound fingers wrapped themselves around the door’s handle before giving a light, lazy pull, eyes finally leaving the ground with the intent of peering into the cafe.
Instead -- Cain found himself peering into the eyes of his biggest consequence; the one who, on a good day, Cain couldn’t remember much of besides mute yelling and faint touches -- and on a bad day, found himself remembering the smallest, most intricate details of her; of them, of what they were and what they could’ve been. Wind blew in from the open door; tussling strands of woven-gold, the only reminder that reality was not still in that very moment; the only reminder that Honey Mae Elkins was, in fact, standing right before them and not a cruel ghost come to torment the remaining threads of his well being. “H-honey,” it was almost casual; their voice hoarse from a mixture of long-term damage and the effect of not speaking to much of anybody besides four, very vocal cats the past few days. He cleared his throat; the gravel remained, “--it’s...s-sure been a while, h-hasn’t it?”
( non-binary ) haven’t seen CAIN ROMANOV around in a while. the BILL SKARSGARD lookalike has been known to be (+) RIGHTEOUS & (+) AMBITIOUS, but HE/THEY can also be (-) EVASIVE & (-) UNTRUSTING. The 24 year old is a SENIOR majoring in BUSINESS. I believe they’re living in EMERITUS, but I popped by earlier and no one answered the door. ( snot goblin. 20. EST. she/they. )
surprise !! i am the snot goblin ! (aka james aka saige aka amos aka aleta) !! i very much apologize for this intro being late !! and also for possibly being pretty long.
EDIT: i forgot to mention but 1. like this if u’d like to plot w/ him !! obv !! and then 2. if discord is easier for any of u, my thing is emo stan #3644 uwu
TW: CULT LIFE, HEROIN USAGE / ADDICTION, DRUG ADDICTION / USE / ABUSE, EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION, ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ( PTSD, ANXIETY ). if i forgot anything PLEASE tell me !!
a e s t h e t i c s
dangling limbs from tree branches, yellowed book pages, opened bottles of vintage wine, oversized sweaters and deep under eyes, bleached denim, worn leather gloves, cat hair against black cloth, fields of wheat, broken windows, descending staircases, tight-lipped smiles during public appearances, golden skies, light spilling from windows, stumbling over one's own words, wire-framed beds, linens, wool scarves, making the wrong decisions; running, from others and yourself.
general information !!
full name: cain alexei romanov
nickname(s): cock and ball torture, N/A
b.o.d. - feb 19th, fuckin pisces
label(s): the fallen, the phoenix, the crestfallen, etc. etc.
height: 6′4″ jfc
hometown: rochester, ny babey !!
sexuality: bi...? bi. yes. bi.
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biography !!
cain, like all of my other children, was born into a life of privilege. his father’s a senator of new york and his mother’s a philanthropist; both pretty prominent figures. cain is the eldest of five.
he was raised in mind of keeping a good public reputation, taught to be the perfect citizen. essentially, he was a golden child who could really do no wrong. as a child, he’d always aim to please his parents in any way he could.
this included joining several clubs during school, such as model UN, debate, DECA, etc. etc. as well as a few sports (soccer, track, basketball, lacrosse -- all throughout the years, not at once). pretty sure he’s been a class president once or twice, and has been in the lead for valedictorian.
his whole thing was that he was supposed to be perfect. volunteered on the weekends at homeless shelters and food banks and like...he just did The Most. the absolute most
this pleased his parents, and he never had a problem with them. life was good. they attended church on sundays, sometimes wednesdays, always did things as a Family. like, we’re talking family dinners and christmas photoshoots and new year eve parties.
probably lived in a gated community tbh
he went into college strong, started off as a double major in political science and business, lookin’ to take after both his parents. he’d Always been fairly close to tatiana, being around the same age as her. nothing freaky ever happened among them, and i wouldn’t have really called them...friends, if that makes sense? they were confidantes, they vented to each other for whatever reasons at the time.
however this whole ~do no wrong~ bearing was a charade. in the community and his families’ eye, cain was just this precious, hardworking citizen who gave back when possible.
those who actually, genuinely knew him knew he was just a dick lmfao
arrogant, harrowing, and an outright bully who tore down others when he felt like it -- often unprovoked. he was the senator’s son and a rich one at that, and ever since middle school he was just...mean !
because of his father and his family’s general position in the community, tattlers were the ones getting in trouble rather than cain, who’d often go without punishment for his attitude.
like...was That Bitch who’d actually, genuinely look down at somebody if they had less than him. just an absolute narcissistic dickhead who only cared about like, maybe two or three people outside of his family.
his only redeeming quality was probably his protectiveness over his siblings tbh -- even if he wasn’t ... the best person, nobody was rly allowed to fuck w/ his family.
this carried into college, he probably joined one of the frats too, y’know. known for keeping his composition even when others resorted to violence, ‘cos he never liked to get physical. it would’ve been bad for press, y’know ??
sometime during college, two important things happened.
the first one is that he became a sort of...middleman? broker? he wasn’t the one creating/growing what he was selling, but he wasn’t the one dealing them. y’know, he was the middleman. took drugs and sold them to dealers to sell, for profit, for funsies. very hush-hush for the obvious reasons.
the second is that he met earl and may meyers. they were fellow volunteers at a thanksgiving food drive, and the older couple were immediately drawn to cain -- and him to them, essentially. to this day he can’t tell you what about them had been so appealing. just, the air around them was something else entirely. some would probably call it unhinged. they were kind folks, very down to earth, very religious and warmhearted. they liked his name being cain a whole lot; told him that he reminded him of their late son.
i’d say the beginning of this was late junior year for cain. the couple volunteered more and more at the same places as cain, as often as he did -- which, in retrospect was odd -- but cain hadn’t really known better. being the Good Samaritan he acted as, he kept talking to them. it became a genuine friendship. a few months into it, they had started talking about like...the sin of wealth and what it does to your soul, god choosing only a select few to be saved when he eventually cleanses the earth, etc. etc. they claimed that cain was special, one of those to be selected, they could see it in his aura, etc. etc.
it was...oddly appealing to him? like hmm..maybe i am being constrained by capitalism and disappointing god!
but like...this was mostly because of a lot of emotional manipulation for a duration of months -- and he had never once suspected anything like that to be happening. cain had always been so sure of himself, that he’d never imagined one day being manipulated, even if he was manipulative himself.
earl and may told him that they were going to leave rochester, that there were so many more who had the same ideals as them -- it was time to join them, to be saved. cain held off from this, as a senior in college by now.
after all, he had his perfect lil family and a good side-business going on, and he had a long term girlfriend who put up with his shenanigans. cain was still an absolute asshole to others but he had at least found his crowd to all be collectively awful and full of themselves, y’know?
over winter break, however, cain had a change of heart pretty suddenly.
for the third important thing had happened.
it had started off as a pretty average, normal day. christmas had gone and passed -- it was one of the days between christmas and new years eve, y’know? a period of days where time nor place is real. like walmart at midnight, or an empty 7/11 parking lot. during a seemingly normal conversation about his ancestry with his mother, she had suddenly broken down in sobs.
it was during this discussion that she revealed, to cain only -- that he was not his father’s son.
the beginning of vaughn and adelaide’s marriage had a pretty...rocky start, to say the least, and in a night of petty anger, adelaide had cheated on vaughn. this resulted in the pregnancy that wound up with cain.
the news rocked cain’s world in a very bad way, the sort of way that breaks a person. his entire life he looked up to his parents, did everything they ever asked of him, molded himself into perfection for the hope of being a sliver of a man his father was. and to learn that his father was not, actually, his father?
within the week he’d gotten into several altercations, both sober and drunk, and had landed in county jail overnight. nobody knows where cain went on new years eve, but he hadn’t skipped town until the third -- according to tatiana, who had received one last gift from him on the 2nd (her birthday).
then, he was gone. it wasn’t a missings person ordeal -- cain had made it very known that he was leaving rochester and that he had skipped town. hadn’t even broken up with his girlfriend before doing so. hell -- hadn’t even told the people he worked for.
BEGINNING OF CULT / DRUG / MOST OF THE TRIGGER WARNINGS
only earl and may knew where cain went. because he went with them to the place they had told him so much about. this was the fourth most important thing to happen to him, because it changed his life.
cain didn’t know what a cult looked like, but it felt pretty accurate to hollywood’s interpretations. they lived separate from society in rural new york -- not nearly as far away as cain would’ve liked, but thank god in the long run for that. the people wore white, linens and cotton. there was no technology, just prayer and daily chores. money meant nothing, there.
i want to keep this part relatively short, so i’ll try my hardest. cain was only in the cult for three-ish months before he escaped. the beginning was grand -- it was peaceful, it was mind-clearing. he was treated as something special, his name being some sort of ... message, a sign that he’d been a gift for the group. that he’d be, ultimately, an eventual leader for them. however -- the longer he stayed with them, the more apparent it became that he wasn’t the messager they had long waited for.
he began slipping up. they became displeased with him. punishments occurred. sometimes once a week, sometimes multiple. he remembers hundreds of hands, pulling and tugging and gripping and begging -- asking him to repent, please, repent, and submergence on more than one occasion. these were not the worst.
they were convinced that he couldn’t truly be cleansed of his sins unless he forgot his past life.
fun fact: heroin in small doses, daily, can lead to memory loss.
though it’d only been around three months of this -- it really felt longer to cain. time wasn’t a concept. there was only the ground they walked on, and god, and that was that.
drugged and weakened but still kickin’, he had gotten into a particularly violent, brutal fight with earl. this was the last straw. cain had attempted to murder his ‘brother’. this led to his next punishment.
in a particularly twisted reenactment / retelling, cain had been branded with the cult’s interpretation of the mark of cain (they were going to be accurate and place it upon his forehead, but after a lot of resistance [he bit somebody] it was, begrudgingly, placed atop his heart instead) and left for dead in the middle of nowhere.
by all means, he probably should’ve died. by miracle, though cain was no longer a believer -- he was found by a farmer.
END OF CULT / DRUG / MOST OF THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION. STILL MENTIONS OF TRAUMA / MENTAL HEALTH / RECOVERY BEYOND THIS POINT.
by early april he’d been reunited with his family. things went very fast, suddenly, for him. recovering from his forced addiction, and the trauma he’d been put in within only a small amount of months -- and his father’s reputation -- his mother’s inability to look him in the eye -- cain took matters into his own hands and, rather than return to lockwood, put in his transfer to hendrix.
because he’s a grown man who, while recovering from being in a cult, can still make his own decisions even if they’re irrational. he should’ve taken a year off, really, and recover. but he couldn’t imagine staying in his house, either, and generally ?? his mind was just a very messy place.
he went to hendrix a s a p, before his term in the summer even began. he wound up at hendrix a few weeks (like...three?) before the lockwood kids and was very dismayed to find out that oh, coincidence, there’s an abroad semester attending !!
so that’s sort of where he’s at rn.
personality !!
okay so...douchebag cain is No More. they’re retired.
to the hendrix students they’ve familiarized themself with, they’re a pretty quiet person. well-meaning, kind enough if not a little sarcastic. sort of distant, not much for parties. smokes weed and like, drinks occasionally, but not much else. definitely doesn’t do anything harder.
they’ve got four cats. that’s their entire personality. four cats. they got them all after transferring to hendrix and like ... no regrets ?
i imagine their parents still pay for their schooling ‘cos it’s not like their father Knows that cain’s not his child. if anything, vaughn just thinks that cain suffered a mental breakdown and needed a break.
anyways. they love their cats a lot. like, probably has photos of them in their wallet.
as mentioned above, their memory is pretty...fucked up right now. they don’t forget anything major, but there are days where it takes them a while to remember faces or names and sometimes they wake up and won’t know where they are.
not that they really...sleep a lot? they have night terrors, which fuck with their sleep schedule. they sleep only for a few hours each night because the nightmares are too bad.
cain suffers from severe touch aversion. skin-to-skin contact of any sort is enough to send them into a pretty bad panic attack. they wear leather gloves more often than not, because it helps without hindering them too much. they’re not the biggest fan of body contact in general, even with clothes, but it won’t send them into a panic like bare skin will. they make sure their few friends know that they don’t really like physical contact at all.
they’re dealing with PTSD, attends therapy every week. keeps an entire journal where they write b/c it helps them cope. it’s like, everything to them.
they’re...sort of like...blunt? they won’t go out of their way to be like ‘hey i joined a cult and it fucked me up pretty badly’ but they won’t lie about it either if the topic somehow comes to that. they don’t like delusions, but they don’t like drawing unnecessary attention to them either.
lockwood students being at hendrix makes them pretty anxious, just because they were looking to sort of ... rebuild themself into a better person, and like pretty much most students at lockwood knows how much of a massive tool they used to be. not to mention like, their plugs and customers they screwed over by leaving, and their ex girlfriend who they’re still probably in love with ?? but it’s just complicated now.
smokes weed to soothe them rather than just get high. is probably stoned often.
doesn’t really like cars! or swimming! or crowds. doesn’t like to feel trapped.
whenever they’re overwhelmed and needs to be away from everything, they’ve developed a habit of climbing into trees. they won’t suddenly go jump in a tree during a conversation, but more so at night or when they need to think.
probably trying to redeem themself in some sort of way. because while they want to avoid the lockwood students as much as possible, that’s not right. they want to fix the shit they’ve done and be a better person, because the whole...situation they’ve been in has opened their eyes.
uuuhh...there are days where they forget that tatiana’s dead. so that’s sad.
i wouldn’t be surprised if people from lockwood were suspicious of cain, considering they left rochester only a week or so before tatiana went missing, and just so happened to come to hendrix around the same time eva went missing ??
oh !! cain developed a stutter, and their voice is a little damaged from...screaming. a lot. in general they look a little gaunt, a little unhealthy.
they can still definitely hold a conversation, and like i said they’re pretty...lowkey. soft, sort of. generally a quiet person and while they’re not the most social, they won’t be a direct asshole or anything. likes people! just...has low energy.
goes by he/they, doesn’t really care which one as he alternates pretty frequently.
dropped the political science part of his major and like...unfortunately is very much unhappy with being a business major atm. he might just go through another four years of college in a diff major or fuck off all together.
EDIT: i forgot to mention that he’s sort of really into the investigation of the cult he was part of b/c they’re still like...out there. also fascinated by the watershed app and shit, ‘cos they fucking...hate this shit with a passion. probably willing to stick their nose into places they shouldn’t
wanted connections !!
so first and foremost, cain would’ve been known around lockwood. connections relating to that would be v much appreciated !!
mostly enemies or people they’ve wronged, tbh, ‘cos he was a massive dick.
exes they’ve dumped, hook ups, ex-friends, people he’s gotten into arguments or fights with.
his ex gf would be gr8 . if anybody would like some angst.
uuhhh i’d imagine he’d know a few of the other prominent families from rochester, especially. not to say that they would’ve all gotten along.
hendrix pals !! give me some solid friendships based on mutual respect.
people cain used to receive drugs from and people he used to send those drugs to.
ex-party pals ??
people suspicious of them b/c cain was/is a very suspicious person. people still angry at them.
let them RECONNECT and FIX FRIENDSHIPS
people he’d bully or fuck with or whatever.
wholesome shit. angst shit. slowburns, anyone ?!? enemies to friends. friends to enemies. enemies to bigger enemies.
i’m not taking hook-ups for....obvious reasons.
but sexual tension is welcomed. maybe a sexting thing ??
ppl they DON’T even know that well but hATE his dAD because FUCK POLITICIANS y’know ?!?
old pals from lockwood, if i didnt mention that.
i imagine a lot of conversations w/ lockwood kids begin like ‘this is where u fucked off to, huh?’ b/c like....they told everybody they were ditching rochester. it wasn’t a secret or a shock. but it’s still like huh. u bastard.
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