Charisma bid that Ziv was in dashingly good terms with their exes â no messy breakups or forsaken hearts; most of their separations were mutual, understanding that one was neither right for the other nor was the actor prepared to budge from their career path in order to open their heart and home to a finite and restraining future. See, with Vern, it had been quite facile â children were already in the picture, rather than the picturesque dream that Eliana painted of having a couple of her own or adopting young. By that point in their life, they were open to the idea of taking in children, and weren't too scared off by the children's headstrong personalities.
Thus, seeing him in line, they worked up a smile. "Awful," they repeated, "The mind boggles at the thought. You don't suppose they're trying to ransom any of it?" As for the girl, they were less certain. Why cause such a ruffling of feathers, post-humous? So far, the math wasn't adding up in their head. They shifted their weight to their other leg, easing up on their prosthetic as the line was yet to move forward. "No doubt. And if there's one conspiracy theory you'd believe the most about it all, what would that be, Vern? You're the horror story guru."
Vern pulls a face at that. Feels gooseflesh start to spread across his arms and a twist in his gut. Morbid as his nine to five might be â well, five to nine more like â he often strays from such subjects off the clock. Something about turning hobbies into work and the like. Point is, he shies on reluctance to do a deep dive right now.
"Well, kind of you to dub me as a horror story guru, but I guess y'just gotta tune in later to hear my choice of believable conspiracy." And.. there it is. Always linking ways to plug the station to spread awareness. He didn't even like the position all that much, but hey â a job's a job. Plus, it's no secret that he's always had a passion for business.
There are a few establishments in Anchorage where Murphy once never would've thought she'd ever be caught dead in â Peppy's, naturally, being one of them. But she was commuting on-foot back to the Marionette after a slow shift at the gallery and spotted it just as she felt her stomach churn. Convenient. After heaving out a sigh, she pushed through the doors and soaked in the bliss that was the thick scent of grease and sweat, then made a B-line for the counter so she could order to-go. As she propped her elbow up, resting her chin on her hand, she spotted another employee materialize in her peripheral. "... So, is the pizza here really that toxic?" she chose to ask. She was never an expert at small talk, but, well. They both looked equally pleased to be there. "I've heard mixed reviews. You'd think a town like this would be less picky about their pizza. Certainly not picky about the serial killers they lure here."
Hardly anything goes unnoticed by him. Whether it be by the grapevine of gossip borne from unease or a glimpse of CCTV footage. Jie's there as usual. Always is. Standing completely stock-still as unblinking eyes try their hardest to stare holes into the newcomer. Customer, he mentally corrects himself.
The slow show of a grimace should be answer enough. Anything here can be considered toxic. From the so called pizza to the soda with a sludge-like consistency. Even the employees, himself very much included, fall into the broad term. "Better places around." Is he speaking of the pizzeria or the city as a whole? Who's to say. But it's the most he's willing to say as a broom sweeps nothing into a dustpan.
the streets of anchorage, march 9th with vern.
@hawyeein
Nadine's schedule was relentless, but she liked it that way. It kept her occupied â that and dreams of the sugar plum fairy she'd acquainted at the banquet, of course. She liked maintaining a steady pace when it came to life, worried that if she discovered too much of a gap between events that she'd slide through and disappear forever. Which is precisely why she'd hauled ass out of the station, guitar case heavy on her left shoulder as she traversed the streets so she could arrive to band practice on time. She was plenty of thing, late was not going to be one of them, not when it concerned her band. At some point, she'd felt her case make contact with a passerby, and she halted in place. "âshit, my bad," she said, spinning around on her heel, still in motion before she tilted her head curiously at the figure she'd come across. "Hey, I... Think I know you. Are you on Dread Air?"
The days have been blurring as of late. How could it not when the townâs been suspended in such a weird tension from the disappearances? Just the thought of it makes his teeth grind day and night. Gets those extra bad headache blossom for just as long too. Itâs even worse when he tries to check in on his kids. Show some sort of concern without freaking them out. Then again, he still sees them as kids. Always had a hard time seeing them as the grown adults they are, but itâs gotten better. Sort of.
A brand new packâs being tapped a few times when heâs clipped at the side. Vern lets out the barest grunt but doesnât hold a frown when he sees who it is. Doesnât recognize the face right away ( wouldnât matter even if he did ) and is given pause when heâs identified on the spot. âââs alright. In a rush, I get it, but yeah sure am. Not a lot of folks figure that out without hearinâ me first.â
where : slashback video rentals
when : march 1st
cap : 0/4
BAMBI WAS NOT VERY PLEASED WITH THE ASSIGNMENT she had been handed, mostly because until then she had been spared from any contact of the Cardinal Serpent. But it was simply foolish to think she had fully escaped their clutches, meaning her life in Anchorage was no longer simple or easy. Part of her wanted to run again, but there was more than just the broken engine in her van that now tied her to the snowy town, which only tempted her to follow that urge more. "Lemme lay something out for ya, if you wanna lend your ear for a quick sec." She picked up an 80s horror movie with a dramatic cover of a slasher villain, before lackadaisically placing it back on the wrong shelf as the bouncer hadn't taken consideration from where she picked it up from. "You ever knew someone even though you hadn't met them like, officially before? Like, just because they knew someone else y'know or you've just seen 'em a lot before? That's not weird, right? That's not a stalker thing if you just happen to know who they are. That happens to like, everyone."
Watching him is like looking at a brick wall staring at another brick wall. Rather, a wall lined with colorful plastic cases that have certainly seen better days. Funniest thing is that he wasnât even a big film guy. Jieâs seen a few of them, sure, but there lacks a drive to try out something new.
So he just stares.
Continues to do so even when someone pipes up nearby. Doesnât even break eye contact with the same three movie spines when sheâs done with the whole spiel. âDepends on the circumstance.â Is all heâs willing to offer up at the moment. Maybe he should take a chance on something new. âPick a number from one to three.â
@anchoragestarters / outside maiden alley cinema, beginning of march
The long line trailing outside the ticket booth was growing more tedious by the minute, and they'd been idly pondering if this was how Stella felt on any opening night of their screenplays. Arms crossed over their chest, they watched the late paper boy stuffing the locked display cases with a fresh batch of newspapers. "Have you heard about the uptick in graverobbing lately?" they asked the person in line with them, their fingers toying with a sucker sticking out of their mouth, "Seems like it's happening more and more since they found that girl's arm. I figure someone must've dug her up." What's left of her. Perhaps it was morbid to bring up in line for tickets for Cherry Falls while Stella had gone off to the corner store around the block ( with a high likelihood of smuggling snacks in her purse, and they'd pretend not to notice, ) but it was the elephant in the room. "Friend of a friend had a loved one dug up, too. Unless they're selling them on the black market, I can't imagine it's been a lucrative practice to steal corpses since a couple centuries ago." See, tampering with gravesites was evidently more of a shocker than missing persons. "There's got to be something else to it, right?"
Of all possible conversation topics to choose from, that wasnât something he expected in the slightest. But pivoting is his specialty. Has to be with the batshit crazy stories constantly flung his way. So he listens in full. Lets his eyebrows rise then fall then furrow in thought.
âYeah, hard not to. Awful thing ainât it?â Makes something heave deep in his bones when comparing to the graves of loved ones back at home. Whatâs returned to the earth should stay there. âItâs sick nâ twisted. Even if it is for somethinâ elseâ canât imagine what for. Not that I gotta anyhow. Plenty of conspiracies are bound to come in sooner rather than later.â
â *âŠÂ lewis tan. cis man. he/him. bisexual biromantic. â hey, isnât that jie liu ( nickname: hydra )? i think that the thirty-seven year old from yishun, singapore works as janitor at peppy's pizzeria; empty eyes for the grim fox, but outside of that people describe them as how can I imagine a face if I donât know what kind of expression I need on it, forced to partake in the broken record that is life, crushed neon green SURGE cans underfoot. i hear they are bullheaded & impulsive, but they are also known to be hardworking & thorough. consider giving them a visit at their home in seal harbor apartments and get to know why theyâre called the reconstructor.
ENTER THE RECONSTRUCTOR .
It's foggy â it's always foggy â but one thing continues to ring true. You're no stranger to the happenings of unspoken oddities. The distorted warble of two voices still visit you when the horizon goes dark.
âItâs a blessing that you werenât one of them. You're our miracle child.â
âDonât stay out past dark. Donât do that, donât go there. Why? Because itâs dangerous, itâs dangerous, itâs dangerous.â
You never really understood what they meant. Probably never will. You do understand that singe of annoyance in the pit of your stomach. Just before it twists into something.. Else.
None it matters come morning, though.
There's floors to clean. Stalls to upkeep. Opinions to keep to yourself as familiar faces come and go â some more permanent than others. It's none of your concern, you tell yourself. Not really. Not yet.
TRIVIA .
>> Record holder for at least 2 pinball machines. If he's not working, then he's going at it with pinball and a can of SURGE.
>> Doesn't remember 90% of his echoed past. Only voices every now and then. He can't make sense of them and hardly bothers to. It does stand out how.. efficient he is when it comes to tinkering and instructing others. Give him a busted thing and he'll have it diagnosed and fixed in a jiffy. Has an incredible knack for explaining / teaching concepts in very digestible bits of knowledge. Even if he may come across as short fused.
>> Vastly indifferent to the animatronics. They're freaky, sure, but so is getting a hand cramp 10 points away from breaking yet another pinball record.
>> Thinks pizza's just okay.
>> Just like a hydra's head, it doesn't matter how many times he's cut down. He'll always get back up despite it all.
>> heavily inspired by the janitor from willy's wonderland!!
theartofmadeline
romaincrisis
