denial.

with the lights out, it's less dangerous. here we are now, entertain us. i feel stupid & contagious!

[crmsns]

skater before avril made it cool, you're angry & quick to act on impulse, and you're the one who answered the call to say that jerry was fine because like hell are you letting corporate america take your home. hope your lie doesn't bite you in the ass.

okayyy season 2 plot call / intro redo yay <3 gonna do s2 updates first, then the og intro to follow. 

renewed for season 2...

belieb it or not i decided to actually give christian plots this season. rip to the vibes era she’ll be missed <3 i think christian has been entering a littile gambling phase at the mean eyed cat, soooo that’s something we can work with. also jamie & christian are turning the store into a drug front :P i think depresso side out, reckless side in? he’s honestly probably bored, he doesn’t feel very passionate about anything at the moment, soooo he’s just gonna do stupid shit for fun ‘cause that’s what you do when you’re bored in a small town.

in general, he’s still just your dirtbag co-worker who lies a lot. here for a good time, not a long time, a little nicer to hv employees than the general public, but still testy. he’s a little 🤨 about jennifer owning the store now, but like what is he gonna do about it...he’s kinda back to minding his own business when it comes to that.

wanted connections

disclaimer: obviously i’m sooooo lame at plots bc i’m a viber so if u think of smth u don’t see here that u DO! wanna do lmk i’m soooo open to anything <3

someone he borrows money from when he’s in a tight spot

new roomie!

someone who is like no don’t gamble ur so sexy

someone he’s been spending a lot of time with at the mean eyed cat, they could be entering a bestie era or like not idk

christian gives your muse piano lessons

christian gives your muse skateboarding lessons or they just do it together

family friends from when christian was in his rich parents era

family enemies from when christian was in his rich parents era

maybe a little k*ssing or smth? idk i punished him s1 so maybe he can have a little k*ss again but also it wld be funny if there was any unrequited love or smth but i’m shy so just lmk if ur interested :p we can figure out some feelings but they also don’t have to be forever cause i breakups or w/e are fun for the dramas

original intro

full bio. pinterest.

( evan mock, cis man, he/him, muse d ) oh snap! is that CHRISTIAN TIBAYAN? they work over at high volume where some of the other employees have labeled them as THE CRIMSON. that’s probably because they can be a bit ( creative. ) but also pretty ( short-tempered. ) they’re TWENTY FIVE and they’ve been living in woodstock for TWENTY FIVE YEARS. it must be their shift because i totally hear RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE blasting from the record store. ( aesthetics: half-smoked cigarettes left forgotten in the ashtray, a worn leather jacket that fits like a second skin, words mumbled under the soundtrack of the bar, and eyes like the mona lisa )

history.

born and raised in woodstock, il. to a long line of politicians, doctors, lawyers, etc. his mom is a state senator, and his dad is a lawyer, and he knew from a young age he would never fit their mold.

music was all he had for a while; he hated music when he was a kid and his parents forced him to take piano lessons, but high volume completely changed his perception of it.

he came home after his first year of college to an internship his parents’ set up at the mayor’s office. needless to say, he was less than thrilled, but maybe not as livid as his parents were when he never showed up to the interview and got a job at high volume instead. that summer christian walked out on his family and dropped out of college.

it’s funny how he felt like music was all he had for so long, and now high volume and his friends there are really all he has, so he’ll be damned before he stops the act that jerry and the store are fine.

s2 edit: lolllll rip to that but still he does love the store and his few friends very much <3

personality.

christian spent most of his life trying to live up to his parents’ expectations of a perfect child rather than being himself. now that he runs his life, he is selfish and impulsive.

he’s also hot-headed after years of feeling like nothing he did could ever be enough and like he had to defend himself or no one else would.

however, he had to keep up appearances from a young age, so he knows how to figure out what people want from him and wear that persona like a glove. sometimes he just lies, sorry.

[draumas]

EVAN MOCK 2022, ph. Kai Neville for EPØKHE  

[martytsui]

[ 📞 ] ‘ you’re important. don’t forget that, langga. ’ ( lil treat w the nickname <3 )

hey, there's something i need to talk to you about. 

everything going on with high volume, everything with jerry, then james, then finding out her mother’s been keeping in touch with someone that left them both, her father’s wedding... it all carefully built a house of cards around marty. fragile, held on by nothing but the fear of letting it all come out and it just being something marty would never be able to reel back in. it’s just all around marty, just waiting to be blown over by something that finally makes it all crumble on top of her. and it would not feel like playing cards were falling, no — it would all be like a wave violently crashing onto the shore instead. 

i’m going to leave town.

marty doesn’t know if that’s what has happened now, as she stands there looking at christian, unable to understand exactly what she’s feeling. everything else that comes after, it doesn’t feel like the wave she expects, sweeping her away. instead, it’s just something that makes christian’s words, his explanation feel like an empty echo. it’s like christian is standing at the top of a well, while marty’s floating on dark water, just looking up and waiting to grow tired of trying to stay afloat. 

christian tells her all about how he feels — he doesn’t fit in, never has, how it all feels like it’s being lost to him, the store, his friends... and marty gets it, even if it doesn’t make the pain of knowing he’s leaving any less overwhelming. 

why are you leaving? marty wants to ask, going as far as parting their lips.  why would he stay? their thoughts quickly refute. all marty does is cross her arms over her chest, nodding along. 

and when he asks her to come with, when he tells her he wants her there with him, marty almost says yes. it comes as a shock — the invitation, how christian’s eyes tell her he actually means it when he says he wants her there with him, how she almost says yes. how she almost lets herself be selfish enough to leave everything and everyone behind, go with the only brother she ever really had and relish in the fact that she knows he would always stick by her side.  

unfortunately, leaving right now feels wrong to them and the answer that leaves them can be summed up to one word: no.  

you’re important. don’t forget that, langga. it’s the nickname that triggers that one blink that causes tears to fall down her cheeks.

marty doesn’t believe those words, not really. and it’s not christian’s fault that they don’t, marty knows that much. she would never even dare think christian would do something just to pain them, without any care for how it would make them feel. he’s not leaving to hurt them, he’s not leaving because of them — he’s leaving for himself and, somewhere among the hurt, marty tells herself there’s no reason to be sad. marty just wants the best for christian, even if it means they’ll have to deal with an empty apartment, on top of other things they can barely handle to begin with.

marty wants to ask him to stay, she really does. for a heartbeat, they just look at him and almost, almost give him an excuse to stay, a reason to stick around. they don’t say anything, though, they can’t ( whether it’s because of the lump in their throat or her subconscious reminding her of old beliefs, marty doesn’t know ). instead, she just hugs christian tightly. as tightly as she has ever hugged anyone and she just lets herself hold him for as long as she can and stops herself from doing something she knows would only delay the inevitable and make a goodbye harder than it already is. 

because, after all, who is she to do that, to selfishly ask christian to stay when he doesn’t want to, when he feels like leaving is the best thing for him? if christian feels like he has to leave, then all marty can do is accept it and deal with his absence whenever she allows herself to feel it. 

when marty finally pulls away from the hug, she feels just how wet her cheeks had gotten, how many tears had actually rolled down and hit christian’s shoulder. marty sniffles, clears her throat, tries to push out the numbness that threatens to just swallow her whole, at least until christian leaves. she doesn’t want the last time she sees him, talks to him, to be dulled down by any overwhelming feeling that’s creeping up on her. 

“you better call me whenever you can or i’ll drag you back myself if i have to, y’hear me?”

marty refuses to say the word goodbye. she won’t. she can’t. not even as she watches christian leave and close the door one last time.

[crmsns]

chaseraynor​:

Chase is only half asleep when the loud sound of boots on tile wakes him up. He rubs his eyes, sitting up straight. “Yeah?” It’s interesting enough for him to move and sit closer to see what it is. He doubts it’s anything good, but hey, if it’s money he’s going to want it, too. “Did you get it?”

after a minute, christian pulled his hand out from the couch, his fist closed around his treasure. “it’s a roll of film,” he said, holding it out for chase to see. “wonder what’s on it. think it could be jerry’s?” he popped the lid off to peer into the canister, but obviously that revealed nothing. 

[crmsns]

nisafm​:

         nisa doesn’t have to look up from her task of painting her nails to know it’s christian that’s joined her in the break room, the sound of his boots a dead giveaway. she lets out a disgruntled noise as he shifts, his adjusting jostles the couch and makes her hand slip, half her ring finger’s cuticle bright red. she abandons the task when he speaks. “and if i put a pea under your mattress, would you be able to sleep, princess?” she moves closer to him as he digs in the cushions, careful not to touch anything. “is it anything good?”

“huh?” christian asked. if at some point he’d known the princess and the pea, he couldn’t recall it now. not when he was much too busy rummaging through the couch anyway. “whoa, i do not want to know who had this back here and what they were doing on the couch.” christian’s eyes widened when he pulled a playboy cover from underneath the cushions. he passed it over to nisa, only then noticing her botched nail job. “trying a new look?”

[cutyrteeth]

Place: New York 🇺🇸 Face: Dominic Fike & Evan Mock | ig post

[crmsns]

location: high volume break room

@volumeupdates​​ 

christian popped wordlessly into the break room, but not silently. his boots clomped against the scuffed tile, and the couch gave a low flomp as he threw himself on it, then rustled as christian wriggled around trying to get comfortable. “there’s something in here,” he finally said, bravely stuffing a hand in the cushions to see what it was.

[oofkemal]

@volumeupdates​

in kems lil hospital room <3​

“ do you want the rest of my pudding ? it’s not as good as yesterday’s. ” he frowns, mouth half-full, lazily prodding the pot’s contents with his little spoon. he has no idea how it could have changed from yesterday to now but he’s disappointed. 

[crmsns]

it was a few days after hoedown. at first, christian couldn’t bring himself to visit again. after the adrenaline rush died, he didn’t know how to fell or what to say. but eventually he couldn’t stay away. he hoped the words would come when he saw kem, but instead they sat in uncomfortable silence until kem spoke up. “uh. sure,” christian reached for the cup, just for the sake of it. it was cold and tasteless. through the mouthful, he managed a stiff, “how are you?”

[crmsns]

martytsui​:

🎸

there are times where marty wishes she could just… keep everything behind a cold facade, to be able to show less since feeling less is a tried and failed concept. this is one of those times — standing out on the deck, looking at chris and knowing he knows.

it’s the nickname he has for her that finally melts it all away. marty sighs in defeat, head shaking with a humourless huff escaping them. “that’s a loaded question to ask at a party on a boat.” marty crosses their arms, trying to make their words playful but failing. “i don’t know about happy or unhappy but… i’m something. just can’t figure out what, i guess.”

marty deflected. christian shrugged. he wouldn’t push, but he paused to let them go on -- only if they wanted. then, slowly, they opened up. christian was quiet for a moment, chewing on the right words to say. as usual, he couldn’t find them. instead, he offered an on-the-nose, “is it about your dad?”

[crmsns]

shapiros​:

– THERE’S A LAUGHTER MIXED WITH A SIGH AT CHRISTIAN’S DRAMATICS. “ you’re worse than me sometimes, i think, ” she says with a fleeting, scrutinizing glance as she wonders what the hell about him appeals to jamie ( as someone that’s at least made out with just about everyone jamie’s ever dated, she thought she understood his type, but maybe not. ) “ it’s like, common knowledge. do you live under a rock ? ” she asks, repeating the steps for him with new enthusiasm. would never say it, but she’s having fun. eyes light up as she glances over at him : “ hey !you’re getting it, that wasn’t as bad ! ” she bumps his hip with hers, to be annoying at the risk of ruining the moment : “ you should show jamie these moves next time you’re in the bedroom. ” 

“not possible,” christian bickered lamely. blair would always bring the kid in the schoolyard out of him. and just like kids on the playground, he didn’t have anything better to do than shoot the shit with her despite his protests. christian surprised even himself with how easily he fell into blair’s rhythm. they moved side to side, and a grin crawled onto christian’s face in spite of himself. he was having so much fun, all he could do was roll his eyes at blair’s comment about jamie. “of course he opened his big mouth and told you. you two are one and the same,” christian drawled out.

[crmsns]

sloanefm​:

          when they reach the bar, she manages to catch the eye of a bartender with relative ease. “just a beer. and whatever this guy’s having.” she jerks her head in christian’s direction, folding her arms over the top of the counter. sloane turns to face him. “you don’t—” she pauses, furrowing her brows. “oh, my mistake, must’ve been some other deadbeat skater.” it’s a lazy cover, but one he can still hide behind if he wishes.

christian placed his order, then nodded a short thank you when the bartender slid the glass over. he turned to sloane then, really taking her in for the first time since she started at the store…then he placed her. he always looked familiar, but he just figured it was the small town thing. “christ,” he ducked away, suddenly embarrassed.

christian didn’t remember everything he told her, but from what little he could recall, and from her comment, he knew it was nothing he normally would have told a co-worker. “you can just forget all that.” he tried with a shake of his hand. 

[crmsns]

stonerisms​:

“ WOAH, WAIT UP. ”   eric doesn’t know what he’s following christian into, the basement at the bottom of the stairs far too dark, but he barrels after him anyway, gripping the railing tightly so he doesn’t fall and bust his ass. he blindly gropes the wall for a few seconds before remembering he has a lighter in his pocket.   “ wait, i got it. ”   it feels like a great idea to take it out and light it up, but in reality, it does little to give lighting.   “ damnit. where are you ? ”

christian perked up, turning hopefully toward eric’s shadowy outline in the dark basement. he waited. the lighter’s dim glow flickered in front of him. he kept waiting. “you thought that would work?” christian scoffed. but his head was pounding, and he didn’t have a better idea. so he reached in his pocket and flicked on his own lighter, using the small beam to move toward eric. “i can’t see shit. i don’t think anyone’s down here though, i don’t hear anything.” he went silent, listening again.

[queenhelenas]

[martytsui]

@crmsns

[jessielynn09]

Been listening to them so much lately

[crmsns]

mvxsinc​:

     IT’S  NOT  LIKE  THE  FUZZY  FEELING  IN  HER  CHEST  is  all  unknown  to  her,  but  it’s  never  hit  maxine  quite  like  this.  she  looks  at  christian  and  she’s  pretty  sure  she’d  be  happy  looking  at  him  for  a  long,  long  time.  she  has  to  avert  her  gaze  before  it  gets  weird,  she  knows,  but  she  can’t.

     «  well,  you’re  pretty  special  too,  christian  tibayan,  »  she  adds,  cheeks  growing  a  rosy  red  at  his  words.  «  i’m  glad  you  asked  me  to  join  you.  i’m  having  a  really  good  time.  »  she  moves  closer  to  him,  their  arms  now  pressing  against  one  another.

“aw, shut up, you don’t mean that,” christian scoffed at max’s compliment. her eyes felt heavy on him, in a way. what could she possibly see that made her look at him like that — like he was more than some no good townie watching his days swirl down the drain? when max looked at him like that, christian almost believed he was special.

he couldn’t look away from her either. only when he felt her brush against him did his gaze move away, skimming down her arm to their hands. there were only a couple inches between them. he reached his pinky out to nudge against hers. “yeah, me too. you’re pretty all right, sinclair.”

[crmsns]

jcmiesingh​:

he could tell christian was persuaded from the second he gave jamie a tiny smile in response to the backwards flattery. come to think of it, that was probably the first time jamie had ever made him smile, at least in a non-malicious way, since they’d stopped being friends. better not make a habit of it.

“well, i didn’t think you’d do it for the pleasure of my company,” jamie conceded, revealing a slight grin in return. his eyes met christian’s for a moment and he could feel the flush in his cheeks rising ever so slightly before the eye contact quickly broke. not fucking now. he cleared his throat. “i’ll take care of bringing in customers. you manage the inventory and fixing the books. marty will be down to help too, we can trust her as an extra set of hands. that sound good?”

“yeah, trust me, nothing about hanging around you is pleasurable to me,” christian shot back, as a reflex, but the way their eyes caught sent a wave of heat through his chest. he was just glad jamie looked away before he had to. “inventory, books, yeah, i can take care of that.” they talked for a few more minutes, and christian only grew more confident they could handle this new project together. but as soon as jamie was out the door, christian made quick work to shut it tight behind him, and without a second glance. it was still just business.

END

[crmsns]

tripfm​:

     ❝ UH, NO ? ❞ TRIP SNORTS, INCREDULOUS and more than a little offended at christian’s obvious disgust. ❝ me doing a striptease in your living room is far from a bad thing, dude. you know how many people would pay top dollar for this— ? ❞ he gestures to his chest. ❝ this is a blessing. ❞ he can already see christian’s on the brink of chucking something at him, but rather than grant his friend the mercy he craves by leaving, trip laughs and steps even closer, moving around him to get started on his own breakfast.

     after a moment, he changes the subject, ❝ but hey, since i’ve got you, i did want to talk to you about something. you remember new year’s ? ❞ trip does— vividly, and yeah, maybe he’s looking to collect on certain debts. it has been months after all.

“i don’t know a single person who’d pay to see you shirtless that shouldn’t be behind bars,” christian scoffed. he didn’t hide his unamused look when trip invited himself to breakfast in his kitchen. “orange juice’s mine,” he said pointedly before shoveling another heaping spoon of cereal in his own mouth.

when he spoke again, his mouth was full and a few stray crumbs sprayed over the table. “yeah, what about it?” christian’s tone would have been cautious, but his speech just came out garbled. you know. ‘cause of the cereal.