An Inferno

dante gordon

[devilondante]

What Would You Do To Get Ahead?

basics

name: dante gordon

age: 27

birthday: august 13th

gender: cis man

sexuality: straight

star sign: leo

place of birth: lincoln county, oregon

occupation:  barely an influencer

languages: english

appearance

faceclaim: jonathan daviss

height: 6"

build: wiry

eye color: dark brown

hair color: black

piercings: ears

short history

in 2014 dante was throwing the end of year party to end all of end of year parties. if only someone wouldn't of died it would of been remembered in history.

makes friends wherever he goes but that doesn't mean he thinks of them as friends. will do anything to get ahead even in spite of people

nobody could truly consider him an enemy but he sure as hell couldn't be trusted with a secret.

studied public relations but he dabbled as an influencer even though that never truly got off the ground.

father's a priest at the local church. mom's a first grade teacher. nobody could say he wasn't raised right but somewhere along the way his parent's morals rubbed away.

[abstractguilt]

closed starter: @devilondante !!

there weren't many people from her old school that mary connected with, as she thought their morals and values were nothing but sinful in nature. mary-anne never felt the temptation to align herself with them, seek out their friendship, because she didn't want their impurity to rub off on on her; soil her veil of holiness. dante, however, was an exception . . . solely because of her deep rooted appreciation and adoration for his father — a priest at the church. any man who served the lord was one that immediately earned mary's approval, or at least her willingness to try and befriend them. whilst she knew dante wasn't the most . . . pure of beings, if her plan to save her class from st. mary's from eternal damnation were to start anywhere, it would be with him. ❛ dante !! ❜ mary called out upon seeing the other on the sidewalk, sandals slapping against the backs of her feet as she adjusted her tote back on her shoulder, soaring down the sidewalk towards him. catching her breath, mary jogged until she had caught up with him, a bright smile draped across her lips. ❛ — heavens above , you walk fast. i haven't seen you since the alumni event. how are you holdin' up with, ya know, everything ?? ❜ 

[devilondante]

"i got long legs." shaking one leg at the time for emphasis, because that was exactly the normal reaction anyone had to someone saying they walked fast. "i should of joined track really but i had bigger better things to do." he really didn't stop once she'd caught up instead he just slowed his pace to try and match hers. it'd been a while since he'd truly seen anyone after the event, unable to escape the clutches of his family. now? with the light of day hitting his face he couldn't bare to return back to the stuffy house that had seen him grow. brushes his fingers against the light post as they walked, watching the clouds move across the sky nothing could ruin that. well, almost nothing. "ugh don't remind me about that event! ruined my chances and now i'm stuck here once more."

[zahra-burch]

"you know, they only bring out the tiny plates as a way to keep us from taking a human-sized portion of these things," zahra observes, gaze shifting to dante as he approaches the refreshments table. "the drinks are watered down, but the peach one is tasty." should she probably have mentioned his speech, reminisced about some of his anecdotes about the drama and arts society? maybe, but that wasn't quite where zahra's mind jumped to in that moment.

[devilondante]

Small plates asides the portions where pretty small but he was no stranger to tiny plates and smaller portions. Growing up dinners of the like where plenty in his household, small portions for polite conversations and nothing else. Devouring a full plate of food once everyone had left, but that had made him sleek enough at buffet tables. "What they don't know is I'll be eating a full meal tonight one way or another," he answered, grabbing some of the food onto the small plate. "Wait peach drink? I'm so down for that are you a foodie?"

[zeppclin]

          what  mask  was  zeppelin  wearing  today  ?            (       oh  right  ,     )          the  mask  of  a  guy  pathetically  running  around  like  a  chicken  with  it's  head  cut  off  trying  to  please  people  he  hardly  knew  . . .  that  didn't  mean  he  wasn't  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘  screaming  on  the  inside  .  this  being  one  of  those  moments  as  he  tried  to  take  a  step  away  from  everything  .  taking  what  felt  like  the  deepest  breath  of  his  entire  life  .  he  was  pretty  sure  he  felt  his  lungs  get  sucked  up  into  his  throat  . . .  nevertheless  ,  he  turned  to  see  dante  standing  not  too  far  away  .  the  gears  in  his  head  started  moving  ,  not  wanting  the  other  to  see  him  seemingly  so  on  𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄  .  he  put  on  a  smile  and  walked  over  to  the  other  .  how  could  he  not  be  friendly  ?  talk  to  one  of  the  few  that  made  their  beautiful  speeches  .             ❛      that  speech  was  really  great  .  maybe  even  one  of  my  favorites  of  the  night  .      ❜            did  zeppelin  have  any  clue  what  he  was  talking  about  ?  probably  not  . . .   the  male  wasn't  known  for  having  a  clue  most  of  the  time  but  that  was  all  besides  the  point  .           ❛      i  don't  know  how  you  do  it  ?  getting  up  on  a  stage  like  that  and  speaking  in  front  of  everyone  .     ❜

[devilondante]

public speaking was a part of his childhood, having to memorize stuff to recite during his father's services. which was why whenever someone spoke about having stage fright he felt confused. to him it was like breathing, easy and incredibly needed, after all the attention it brought was something he craved. sometimes he wished he had someone to share this part of himself and maybe once upon a time he did. "oh? are you not much for doing speeches?" taking a sip of the drink he grabbed before talking once more, lips twisting at the taste. "really? ugh that's so good to hear! i worked on it for days."

[kaiwildcr]

                ❛      sounds  like  you  gotta  do  something  about  that  .     ❜        kai  commented  ,  speaking  of  the  other  saying  his  life  wasn't  as  interesting  ,            (       yet  .      )           kai  was  the  type  of  person  that  could  hardly  go  a  few  seconds  without  going  𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐄  if  things  weren't  constantly  moving  .  he  needed  things  at  a  high  velocity  at  all  times  or  something  felt  wrong  .  maybe  that  had  something  to  do  with  him  disliking  being  alone  with  his  own  thoughts  too  long  .  he  had  to  continue  to  go  ,  to  move  ,  to  stir  things  up  and  blow  to  bits  in  order  to  keep  himself  preoccupied  .  that  being  said  ,  kai  was  also  𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐘  focusing  the  attention  back  on  the  other  male  .  the  brunette  not  exactly  the  type  that  allowed  himself  to  be  read  .  a  closed  off  nature  about  him  .  kai  ,  a  mountain  of  contradictions  at  times  .

as  they  got  closer  to  the  doors  ,  kai  reached  out  and  pulled  it  open  before  holding  it  there  and  looking  at  the  other  .  head  shaking  for  a  moment  as  he  pressed  his  lips  together  and  shrugged  his  shoulders  .         ❛      what's  the  point  ?  seems  like  a  waste  of  time  to  me  .     ❜         he  retorted  to  being  fake  .  although  ,  kai  truly  believed  that  .  someone  that  was  truly  just  the  way  they  were  but  everyone  had  their  own  masks  .  everyone  had  their  own  secrets  .

[devilondante]

dante shrugged his shoulders in response after all it was easier to remain boring but fun enough to hang around. striving to gain the attention of others without the need to dive deep into his life, the skeletons were always in the closet. smiling brightly, something he never had to mask, ready to enter the world of the unknown once more. time to learn them all one final time just for fun. "please," he laughed, "some people like being boring."

leaning behind him to hold onto the door behind himself, gently pushing the other from the back. "face the music man before you become it," he brushed a hand across his clothes once more, "nothing's a waste ever. just a little advice? the more you show your distaste for being here the more people will wonder why you actually showed up."

[cherrycursed]

god  ,  she  thought  ,  were  people  really  sad  enough  to  steam  a  high  school  reunion  or  weird  intro  to  new  horizons  night  ?   she  decided  not  to  ask  .  as  she  looks  at  the  camera  ,  she  glances  around  ,  "  you  better  make  sure  that  helena  or  malcolm  don't  see  that  else  you  might  be  floating  in  the  school  pool  tomorrow  morning  ,  "  as  if  that  was  a  well  made  joke  all  things  considered  .  she  wouldn't  put  it  past  helena  though  ...  she  really  did  take  things  to  extremes  when  it  came  to  getting  things  in  order  . 

[devilondante]

leaning down to turn off the video completely, sliding it into his pocket. "that's if i'm ever found with this town's track record." he'd only been streaming for his speech after not wanting his followers to see anything else he could be working on. any little bit of content was good content if he worked it right, something that had he'd been lacking lately. "if they find me floating later tonight just make sure to not look suspicious."

[isabclsantos]

Isabel twirls the straw in her drink around, her eyes focusing on the liquor as she walks around the room. The little lock in only making her feel claustrophobic and suddenly aware of how many people are in this damn room. She notices Dante, her head tilting to the side slightly. "Why do you look nervous, D? Didn't you already do the whole speech thing? I think it was good." Did she really listen? No, not really but does he need to know that?

@devilondante

[devilondante]

"Nervous? I'm just coming down from an adrenaline rush but I could be the farthest thing away from nervous," he laughed, nodding. There was something so exciting about having people's attention on you, the rush hitting everywhere. What more was there to life than the excitement of knowing people where listening to you? "Although it did feel like I had a lot banking on that speech." Which he did but that wasn't for anyone else to know.

[smalltownpsychic]

River had seen the snack and drink table as he found his seat earlier, noting that whoever planned this event clearly had intentions for everyone in attendance to mingle afterwards. He wasn't really in the mood to mingle, not just yet, but he was in the mood to drink. Looking over the selection, the man let out an irritated breath when he noted the lack of alcoholic options. "I get we're at a fucking school but everyone here is well over twenty one. You think they'd have more to offer than juice and lemonade." He muttered to the person who had come up beside him. Turning so he could actually note who it was, River saw it was Dante. Huh... he couldn't actually remember the last time the two spoke.

[devilondante]

Grabbing a small plate put a couple of the finger sandwiches on it, plopping it into his mouth with a hum. Finally getting to eat after a long day of traveling and spending time tweaking the last of the speech. "Aren't we doing this so that people decide to send their children here? I don't think serving alcohol would help with that," he answered confused. After all what parent would like sending their kid to a place that allowed alcohol inside of it. "Why do you want to drink, though?"

[cherrycursed]

it  was  safe  to  say  that  cherry  wasn't  doing  any  speeches  .  she  attributed  this  to  the  fact  she'd  have  to  be  psychotic  to  do  one  rather  than  her  lack  of  achievements  in  life  .  she  was  starting  to  become  really  convinced  something  must  have  been  in  the  st  marys  water  that  made  people  lose  their  minds  .  she  was  staking  claim  to  the  drinks  area  ,  hiding  there  but  couldn't  resist  when  she  saw  dante  .  "  nice  speech  .  did  you  manage  to  get  your  tiktok  livestream  going  for  that  one  ?  great  content  .  " 

[devilondante]

"what do you take me for? an opportunist?" slyly grabbing one of the cameras he'd been using to record the speech, hidden behind one of the drinks. a sly smirk tapping his shirt suit jacket's pocket where his phone had been hiddden, livestreaming everything. "unsure if the connection held up but honestly do you think i'd miss out? never." at first he'd thought to just record it all but ended up choosing to stream it as well, knowing he'd get some gifts from it.

[kaiwildcr]

            glancing  over  at  the  other  ,  kai  definitely  didn't  see  the  same  thing  when  he  looked  at  that  building  and  what  he  knew  to  be  inside  .  people  of  his  past  ,  his  parents  who  he  hadn't  spoken  in  the  last  ten  years  . . .  strangers  . . .  some  that  weren't  so  much  strangers  but  memories  of  a  past  he  wasn't  trying  to  remember  .  he  saw  blackmail  . . .  someone  having  a  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋  over  him  ,  something  he  didn't  much  appreciate  .  as  out  of  control  as  kai  loved  to  be  ,  he  didn't  like  when  others  were  the  ones  puppeteering  him  . . .  kai  looked  at  that  building  and  saw  anything  𝐁𝐔𝐓  possibilities  .  looking  at  that  building  and  wanting  nothing  other  than  it  to  be  burnt  down  to  the  ground  ,  forever  out  of  his  life  .  then  again  ,  it  wasn't  really  the  building  he  had  such  distain  for  ,  was  it  ?  it  wasn't  the  building  he  didn't  want  any  ties  to  anymore  .  it  wasn't  lincoln  city  . . .  it  was  everything  in  between  .

      turning  to  face  the  other  ,  the  look  on  kai's  face  held  the  look  of  exactly  what  he  was  feeling  in  that  moment  .  he  𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓  trying  to  wear  any  mask  ,  trying  to  pretend  he  couldn't  wait  to  get  inside  to  visit  with  all  the  people  he  knew  back  in  high  school  .            ❛      nothing  good  ,      ❜            kai  answered  ,  shoulders  coming  up  and  then  down  again  before  he  shoved  his  hands  into  his  jacket  pockets  and  began  to  continue  to  walk  towards  those  front  doors  .            ❛      who  knows  ,  maybe  we'll  have  a  little  show  watching  everyone  put  on  their  best  fake  ass  bullshit  acts  ?  free  cable  .      ❜

[devilondante]

"everyone has their story," something the drama and arts society had taught him early on. forced to dive deep into his own story for inspiration in between monologues and screenplays. it wasn't up to him to ask the story of the other, much less in a situation like this. he wondered though if something behind that story could give him an in, or an advantage. "mine isn't as interesting. is yours?"

oh this school had offered plenty of shows in his time, doubting it had changed. always enjoying the excitement it offered wanting to be a part of the center of it all. after all he was meant for the big leagues people just hadn't seen it yet. this event? this was his chance to gain the connections he needed to get there. "aren't we one of them? putting on a fake act for others to see."

[devilondante]

Open ~ @classcursestarters

Dante had polished that speech front to back practicing it countless of hours in front of the mirror. Every word of it carefully picked to shine him and the school in the best of light, but leave a little intrigue behind it. He wanted to be approached, to be asked questions about it without having to actively ask others himself. Sure he'd go mingle with the big fish of the the bowl, but right now? Right now he needed something to drink because that had taken everything and a little bit more out of him.

[kaiwildcr]

            ❛      wouldn't  wanna  miss  out  on  seeing  everyone's  smiling  faces  ,  right  ?     ❜         kai's  words  weren't  all  that  convincing  but  despite  his  display  of  distain  before  . . .  he  𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓  about  to  sit  there  and  confess  all  the  horrible  feelings  he  was  having  about  this  whole  thing  .  about  how  badly  he  didn't  want  to  step  inside  that  building  . . .  about  how  he  knew  they  had  to  all  be  fucked  . . .  how  could  they  not  with  everything  going  on  ?  it  was  a  fucking  disaster  .  that  being  said  ,  the  other  was  right  .  it  was  better  not  to  be  late  ,  better  to  get  it  over  with  .  ironic  ,  how  kai  was  usually  the  first  to  jump  into  disaster  but  somehow  this  had  him  wanting  to  run  in  the  opposite  direction  .

pressing  his  lips  together  ,  he  gave  the  other  a  small  nod  as  he  turned  around  and  started  to  walk  .  kai  taking  that  moment  while  he  was  looking  away  to  take  a  breath  .  trying  to  collect  himself  before  shaking  his  head  and  moving  forward  .           (      better  to  get  it  over  with  ,     )         words  that  kept  running  through  his  head  .  as  they  moved  forward  ,  into  what  kai  knew  was  going  to  be  anything  but  good  .  kai  glanced  over  at  the  other  .        ❛     what's  got  you  so  gung - ho  to  get  in  there  ?     ❜         kai  questioned  ,  𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘  taking  over  .  most  didn't  want  anything  to  do  with  this  event  but  dante  seemed  a  little  intrigued  by  it  all  .

[devilondante]

dante looked forward towards the steps leading up to the building, "possibilities." parents, possible students and old professors all of them held connections to get ahead. if he rubbed the right shoulders, spoke into the correct ears the possibilities could be endless for someone like him. he had a half assed influencer career that would never take off but maybe here it might. the gossip, the dares and everything in between was content.

maybe his father raised him with the morals of the church but something had gone skewed as he grew up. lending a helping hand here and there only if it benefited him but never if it put him out. "i look into that room and i look at those people? all i see is endless possibilities. you? what do you see?"

[catalinaxx]

LOCATION: refreshment table FOR: @classcursestarters / open

Her speech had gone perfectly, as she knew it would, despite the amount of liquor she had consumed beforehand. She was practically a functioning alcoholic at this point, after all. Standing now, a looser smile on her lips, teetering a little too closely to the version of herself she reserved for underground parties, Cat turned to meet the eyes she felt bore into the back of her head, a gesture to the food before her. "So much to choose from, isn't there?"

[devilondante]

after yawning at probably the eightieth speech of the night he needed a nice pick me up to be alert. maybe a little snack to go along with the drink on his hand as a nice little contrast. tilting his head up slightly with an agreeing sound, "was trying to decide between something salty or something sweet. nice speech up there."

[malcolmiswright]

open thread. // @classcursestarters

god, that was weird. malcolm can't get over the fact that he was somehow made to do that speech. he also can't get over the fact that someone, somehow, slipped a clip of himself and helena into a wilder home video. what the hell was that? the video was innocent enough, but he's paranoid now. does someone know something? he knows of only one person other than helena herself, and it's got him a bit on edge. that on top of seeing chris' parents and kai of all fucking people... well, he's in need of a drink in his hand to accompany his bloodshot eyes.

he sighs to himself, trying to subtly release a puff of smoke from his lips before he crosses over to the refreshment table. "please tell me someone spiked the punch in true st. mary's - i mean, new horizons - fashion. i'm clearly dying for that old 2014 feel to life," the words drip from his tongue, coated in sarcasm. always making the jokes.

[devilondante]

""something about death and 2014," dante snorted, shaking his head. back to the dares and weird games that had made those years fun and exciting. there was something about about the thought of it making him uncomfortable, if not slightly intrigued. what more could happen in this reunion of sorts(after all he was seeing old faces he thought he'd never see again) and how could he use it to his advantage?

"you did pretty good on the speech front. very here i am and there i was, one day you too might be me." taking a sip of his own drink he stared up at the screen thoughtfully. "freaky that someone has videos of you. makes you wonder who else do they have some of?"

[kaiwildcr]

          kai  didn't  know  dante  all  that  well  .  of  course  ,  he  was  the  one  that  threw  the  end  of  the  year  party  but  even  then  .  kai  didn't  actually  know  the  guy  ,  you  didn't  exactly  have  to  know  the  organizer  of  a  party  to  go  .  have  enough  booze  and  kai  would  be  there  ,          (      especially  in  high  school  .     )        that  being  said  ,  he  didn't  really  see  dante  much  until  after  chris'  disappearance  and  even  then  it  was  in  passing  .  kai's  mother  trying  to  suck  up  to  the  males  father  in  order  to  get  brownie  points  and  sympathy  .  that  being  said  ,  kai  didn't  really  care  .  he  had  left  ten  years  ago  and  never  turned  back  until  this  very  moment  .  it  wasn't  like  he  was  hanging  onto  any  relationships  from  the  past  .  especially  none  that  hadn't  really  meant  much  to  him  then  .  that  being  said  ,  it  was  kai  and  being  on  the  scale  of  things  he  cared  about  was  far  and  slim  .  not  that  any  of  that  mattered  ,  this  was  just  a  random  conversation  with  a  random  familiar  face  .  kai's  𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍  for  being  in  lincoln  city  over  powering  any  other  ideas  that  could've  possibly  been  going  through  his  mind  .  sadly  enough  . . .  he  was  usually  𝐃𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆  for  any  moment  to  stir  the  pot  or  flip  things  on  its  head  .          ❛     things  aren't  really  going  my  way  ,  we  can  say  .     ❜         kai  retorted  ,  eyes  glancing  over  at  the  other  male  .         ❛     but  it's  a  little  too  late  now  ,  don't  you  think  ?  i'm  sure  they're  about  to  start  their  boring  ass  speeches  in  there  .  even  though  it's  all  a  waste  of  fucking  time  .     ❜        kai  spoke  ,  letting  his  annoyance  with  the  whole  thing  take  over  before  turning  to  face  the  other  .         ❛     might  as  well  just  go  in  there  and  make  things  interesting  .  make  the  time  worth  it  .     ❜

[devilondante]

"it's a wonder you even came." there was something unusaul about the other being him with such a disdain for the occasion. why had he even come if he didn't want to be here? had something happened in between the now and then that had caused it, or did something force him here? knowledge was power but right now he had more important things to focus. the sound of excited murmurs and loud chatter reached him, eyes looking back towards the building. "so it's started, better not be late. the faster this is done the quicker you leave again."

to dante this was a second chance of sorts so he begun the trek forward, looking back to see if he was being followed.

[kaiwildcr]

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 , @devilondante .

              ❛     fuck  this  ,     ❜        kai  mumbled  under  his  breath  .  the  last  thing  he  wanted  to  do  was  go  into  that  building  .  the  alumni  event  𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆  over  the  all  .  only  a  few  hours  before  the  cascade  of  events  .  to  kai  it  all  felt  like  a  waste  of  time  .         (      or  that  what  he  had  told  himself  .     )        usually  great  at  coming  to  terms  with  𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆  .  when  it  came  to  his  family  ,  that  wasn't  the  case  .  he  wanted  nothing  to  do  with  anything  of  the  past  .  people  trying  to  talk  to  him  about  said  it  all  ,  it  all  felt  like  a  load  of  bullshit  .        ⏤       hearing  someone  walking  by  ,  kai  raised  his  head  and  glanced  over  .        ❛     ever  just  feel  like  bailing  ?     ❜

[devilondante]

everything was falling down like chess pieces, finally an event that would benefit him. the halls of his old school held his future in it's grasp one more time. this time he would be taking advantage of everything it would offer him if he had to step inside it once more. tilting his head towards the source of the voice that disrupted his thoughts, a smile on his face. "plenty of times especially when things don't go my way, but what's bothering you?" a curious expression on his face, after all knowledge was important. "what is making you want to run away."