[ half a crown; ]

Larkin Maddox. 18, Seismokinesis. "Conscious of being able to be anything, man then decides to be nothing."

[goodishmusic]

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[collintevians]

Collin had grown accustomed to how the people of Portland spoke. It was different than he had expected, it was the New York that his father used to do so well– it had a sound all its own. He could also argue that it had a special taste, but Avery would have to be around for him to prove his point. “I can’t imagine people becoming sneakier, mate.” His body almost shivered at the thought. Since moving to the states, he had gotten into the habit of observing people. There were a few things that he had already pieced together about Larkin– of course, there was no real way for him to know if the things he’d guessed were correct or not. The first and probably most important thing that he realized was that the other most likely played an instrument, you wouldn’t come into a music store without some general interest in the art. Next, he looked to be around Collin’s age which was refreshing because the town seemed filled with old people. “It is, yeah.” His brow arched up at the questions. “Not just starting, restarting. I had a band back home and I want to get back into making music, you know? I just decided to start looking for members. Why? You interested?” He nods. “Yeah, you can keep the flyer.”

[larkinmaddox-blog]

"Oh, yeah. I can definitely understand that,” Larkin nodded, listening to Collin speak about restarting the band that he left behind. “Welcome to the city, though. Where’s back home for you?” He asked, flipping the flier over in his hand, only to see that there was nothing on the back. He let his hand drop back down to his side and his attention shifted back to Collin. “—Thanks, man. I might be interested, yeah,” Larkin responded, offering the other a friendly smile as he began to fold the flyer so that if could fit in the pocket of his jeans. He was never one to easily brag about himself; being rather humble. But Larkin was no stranger to the concept of ‘fake it until you make it’. Even though he’d never been in a band before, there was still a part of him that loved music and how it felt to be the one creating it. “...I’m self-taught on the bass, mostly. I mean, I’ve messed around on the drums too, but the bass is probably my favorite. I’m pretty good too, if I do say so myself.”

[oliverwhitby-deactivated2015072]

[collintevians]

He has thought about buying a music shop in Portland that could act as a possible recording studio and it would give him something to do during the day. It would be a nice way of keeping himself busy, but right now he was in the midst of putting up flyers so people could see that his band was looking for members. Collin had managed to find a good picture of himself while performing and then had Avery look at it until she thought it looked cool. His eyes scanned the shop and he stepped inside the  shop and inhaled the fresh scent of brand new instruments. All of his equipment had finally been added to his bedroom, but he had been looking to buy a new guitar for a while. Soft hums escaped him and he pulled out his phone to go over a text message that he’d received from the current apple of his eye and quietly crafted a text message and sent it off before shifting screen and looking at the information that he had  on the small place. It had been around since the thirties– one of the first music places in the city. People called it a historical place and rumor had it that it would soon be sold. He was more than sure that it wouldn’t be hard to buy– old places usually went for a lot, but the gain was worth way more than what was given up. He walked towards the souvenirs with his eyes glued to his phone and found himself stumbling backwards a few inches. Collin dropped a couple of papers and sighed, shoving his phone into his pocket and crouching down to pick up the flyers. “No problem, mate.” His words came out in his full accent– since moving to Portland, he had slowly become more comfortable with how his voice sounded as compared to Americans. It was strange, but being he was accepting it slowly. “Eyes on our heads would be pretty cool, yeah. Not sure how attractive that would be though. You wouldn’t be able to get away with much either– people would always be watching.” Collin nods at his question and motion towards the flyer by Larkin’s feet. “I’m fine, thanks. You mind passing me that flyer?”

[larkinmaddox-blog]

It wasn’t too often that Larkin heard an accent like Collin’s around Portland. He’d been exposed to quite a few different variations, but his own reluctantly never strayed from its humble American one. Maybe it was because he grew up as a military brat and got used to being dragged around from place to place by his parents in uniform. He learned that home was where the Army took you. He was thankful he had gotten the chance to stay in Oregon for as long as he had, even if one of the main reasons he was there was because of safety concerns for mutant-kind. “Yeah, you’re probably right. It’d look really messed up, that’s for sure,” Larkin responded, still talking about eyeballs. “Maybe we’d all just learn to be sneakier though,” He shrugged his shoulders and dropped his eyes when Collin motioned downwards. He noticed the flyer by his sneakers and bent down to swipe it up, not noticing it before. Flipping the flyer around so that it was rightly presented, he began to examine what he was presented with. His eyes brightened a bit, ideas in his head beginning to take flight. “—Is this your band?” Larkin looked back to the other guy as he spoke. He was positive the person on the poster was indeed the stranger who stood before him now. “Are you just startin’ up? How long have you been lookin’ for someone to join?” He asked. “...Mind if I actually hang onto this flyer?”

[goodishmusic]

Visit Original Link

[larkinmaddox-blog]

hard to explain | the strokes

[larkinmaddox-blog]

Larkin closed his eyes and sighed lightly to himself as he browsed the various items that were in the display case near the front of the store he was currently inside. He usually wasn’t one to shop around with much enthusiasm but, when it came to the guitar center in town that sold everything one could imagine relating to music and instruments, he had a much different view on the matter. If Larkin had to shop, it might as well be for something he liked and, if he was going, he was going alone. He had already retrieved the item he had came there for— a new strap for his Bass, to replace the current one that was begging for retirement. Larkin had discovered that, with his powers, he had the limited ability to alter sound. He wasn’t very skilled with it at first. He found it was easiest to work with his Bass, and he practiced by changing the speed of the vibrations. He’d started maybe over a year or so ago, but to a growing boy, they were important years. Larkin had started to scan the smaller souvenir-ish type items. There were stickers with names of bands he’d listened to and then some he had never even heard of. He saw a row of beanies and wondered if the one atop of his head needed updating as well. It’d be nice to get a new one, he thought. It was already the beginning of fall but he still wanted to feel prepared for the colder weather upon them. He was so distracted that when he went to take a few steps backward to get a better view, he didn’t notice the person nearby and scuffed against the other. He quickly turned around, trying to pass over a hospitable smile toward the stranger. “Sorry, dude,” Larkin apologized. “Totally my fault. Wasn’t watching where the hell I was going. Kind of wish the human race developed eyes on the back of their heads, y’know?” He said, in an attempt at a joke and his hand went up to scratch the back of his head. He laughed listlessly at himself. “—You, uh, all good though, man?” He asked.

[ofvigilantism]

Elain was thankful that the two of them had a total of five years between them because it made being friends a lot easier. There was never time for her to be the overbearing sister or time for him to live in her shadow. They were two different people and she was thankful for that– the last thing she would ever want was for him to be anything like she was. It wasn’t that Elain didn’t think she was a good role model, except she totally didn’t think that she was a good role model. One of her greatest struggles in school was making friends– he seemed to be just the opposite. As far as she knew, people liked Larkin which made her incredibly happy. She laughed a little. “Don’t worry, you keep up the grades and I’ll supply the first person shooters. Mom and dad won’t even have to know.” A sense of comedy was something that they both shared, which was mostly because of their mom. When America wasn’t in the middle of constant wars, she would be home to tell some of the funniest jokes. She glanced over at him and shrugged her shoulders at the thought– Elaine always made it clear that regardless of where Larkin went, she would always help him out. The car she drove could literally break the sound barrier if she pushed it hard enough and she had no problem making a day trip to another part of the country. “Regardless of where you go, I plan on supporting you. No need to worry about that.” The doors locked once Larkin had what he needed and she mentally activated a drone that she had around the house and had it go to grab the food that was currently resting on their doorstep. He was right, she supposed– things had worked out for her. If she was nothing else, the woman was ambitious. When their was something that she wanted, all that she needed to do was go out and get it. Planning was okay, but she preferred just going with the flow of things and see where that got her. “I appreciate that,” she says with a smile. “Where ever you go, I know that they will be lucky to have you. You’re a smart kid.” Quiet buzzing comes from the other room as the droid flies into the room and the food was placed down on the table, the smell of Thai taking over the air around them. Elain was thankful for the technology and how far she could make it go, she moved into their kitchen moving to grab plates from the kitchen. “You ready to eat?” She asked as she stepped back into the dining room. “–or do you have homework?

[larkinmaddox-blog]

For the most part, Larkin got along with people fairly well and didn’t mind making conversation. When he was a toddler and had just learned to speak, he had been a little chatter box who loved to hear the sound of his own voice. He’d talk and talk and talk, until he’d finally tire himself out, mumbling nonsense as he drifted off to sleep. With all of the moving that the Maddox family did while Larkin was growing up, he bounced around schools and quickly found a use for his silly childhood skill and quickly caught onto how to make new friends every time they relocated. He had a small-sized group of peers carved out at his current school now that he considered his ‘friends’. Larkin did see the value in quality alone time though and he very often enjoyed it willingly; but usually not before he had his school work completed. Larkin grinned when Elain promised him video games as long as he kept his grades up. He’d definitely be holding her to that. Larkin had his priorities straight despite what some others might think. At first glance, Larkin isn’t too spectacular in his dark clothes, with his long and shaggy hair, and his headphones practically fused to his ears most days. He could see why some adults chose to prejudge him as a slacker-type. “Thanks, sis, really," Larkin replied, not quite expecting the compliment to his intelligence. He nodded as he followed her into the kitchen. Even though they were blood siblings, the two of them thought through things in different ways and with different perspectives. Elain’s support and approval were given often, but Larkin still highly respected his sister’s opinion. His eyes brightened when he heard the low-buzz of the drone with their take-out in tow, the familiar smell gracing him not long after. “—Yeah, I’m so ready to eat,” He replied, stopping his massage on his own shoulder. “Food trumps homework, always,” He explained. Seeing Elain begin to fetch the plates, Larkin assumed his role and fetched the utensils they needed. He also made sure to grab two cans of soda that they had in their fridge. Walking back into the dining room, he placed it all down on the table and began opening up the large paper bag that contained the food that they had ordered. He pulled out the first carton and opened it to get a look at what dish was inside and was pleased with what he saw. “Okay, so, this one’s mine,” He said and then reached back into the bag to pull out the other carton of food. He placed it where Elain normally sat. “So, that one must be yours,” He pulled out the napkins that were at the bottom of the paper bag and placed them on the table. Larkin sat down in his seat and almost immediately started to dig in. After a few bites, he cracked open his drink and glanced over at Elain. “...It’s your turn,” He pointed out, jovially, and took a few gulps of his soda. “Spill it. How was your day?”

[larkinmaddox-blog]

CHARACTER AESTHETIC — [ LARKIN MADDOX #001 ]

[ofvigilantism]

“Gym class was pretty tough.” Elain didn’t have any real problems in gym– she enjoyed staying in shape and the class let her do that. She did however, have to tone it down turning competitive games. People often wondered how a young girl managed to get everyone out in  game of dodge ball. It wasn’t hard to create formulas in her mind on where the ball would go if she threw it a certain way. If there was one thing she could say about completing high school was that it let her get out of Portland for a few months and travel. She had always wanted to see MIT and having the chance to see what the world’s smartest minds were creating was pretty cool. They offered her a contract and that was part of the reason that she built the car. Elain threw him a look when he said that she’d miss him. “Me?” She asked with a half grin on her face. “You’ve got it backwards, who would buy you video games and Thai food?” The thing is, regardless of if she said it or not, she wasn’t exactly sure what she would do without him around. It had always been the two of them, the dynamic duo, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to let that go just yet. Not that she didn’t want him to fly, but she didn’t know if she wanted him to fly without her. “How did I know?” She takes a few minutes to think as she drives into the garage. “I don’t think I did? I’ve known since forever that I didn’t want to go to college, but the whole me traveling for a few months was split second. There was gas in the car and I could just– I could just drive.” The car turns itself off as she steps out. “I ended with the research contract and have a better idea of what I want to do now, but honestly? You have your life way more together than I did.”

[larkinmaddox-blog]

Hearing Elain’s comment about his affinity for video games and Thai food, Larkin’s expression turned into a half grin too; very much like his sister’s. It was obvious that the two were siblings, especially apparent when they were smiling next to one another. Those were always Larkin’s favorite pictures from his past too. The ones when they were together, arms hooked around each other, and smiling with big grins. Even though they were close as siblings, they each had lives that the other weren’t in. Larkin had his life at school and Elain had hers at work. They overlapped occasionally, usually regarding car rides. He had to admit that he was glad that the he never attended the same school at the same time as Elain; their age gap preventing it from happening. It gave them just enough space to form as individuals, free of the all-seeing eyes of a big sister and the often pesky ones of a little brother. They got the chance to develop their own set of quirks to bring home. “—Hey, I’m sure mom and dad would help me out some. Y’know, as long as I don’t tell them that all their money is goin’ towards first person shooters and fast food runs,” He responded, his grin still there. In Larkin’s case, his quirks were often used to lovingly annoy his sister. “...It’d be nowhere near as much help as I’d get from you though, if I decided to go to a school that was closer,” He commented, mostly thinking out-loud. They pulled into the garage and the car soon settled into it’s off mode. Larkin listened to her before stepping out, always appreciating Elain’s advice. He closed the door and took a few steps toward the entrance into their house through the garage, before remembering that his backpack still sat in the backseat. He turned on his heels and opened the back door of Elain’s car and grabbed it out by one of the straps. He heaved it over his shoulder and continued on to the other door. “If you say so,” He replied, unlocking it with his set of keys and entering into their home. “It all worked out for you though, but I don’t think I’m the improvising type. I like planning and researching too much,” He added, in a joking manner even though what he said was completely the truth. His stomach growled before he sat his bag down on the floor. Larkin moved his hand up to his shoulder and began to massage it, his hand beginning to vibrate upon his command as he started to rub the tense muscle. “—When I finally come to a decision, I’ll be sure to tell you first.”

[ofvigilantism]

College. Elain was certain at a young age that college wasn’t for her. It seemed like a waste of time for someone who wanted to spend their time building and creating new things. Four years spent in a school that was centered around the way that humans learned. She learned at a young age that because of her power, there were some difference between her mind and that of an average person. Mutants had different minds than humans, some differences here and there that controlled their powers. Her mind was different even from a normal mutant. The brain had the ability to think at the same speed as a computer when it was properly utilized– her mind was an actual machine. It came from connecting to so many machines and searching through piles of data in her free time. Elain had accepted the whole slowly becoming a machine thing and as long as she could maintain the part of herself that was flesh and blood, it wouldn’t cause any problems. It helped the thing that she cared most about in this world was an annoying kid who liked video and buying things with her debit card. “When was the last time you actually had a challenge in school?” She asked while glancing over at him. There was no point in looking at the road, she could drive the car with a thought. “You thought about if you want to go to a different state, yet? I know some of your preferred schools are out of state.”

[larkinmaddox-blog]

Larkin chuckled at his sister’s question, not phased by her adverting her eyes from the road. “Gym class, maybe,” He answered, even though the question was most likely rhetorical. He had managed a passing grade when he’d taken the required class but, rather than running laps or doing push-ups, Larkin was much more content when he was reading about the adventures happening in Middle-Earth  or shooting zombies with his vast choice of 3D machine guns. But no matter how many simulated war games he played on his X-box, Larkin knew that enlisting in the Army wasn’t the life for him. No matter how much he imagined that it would make his parents proud. They’d just have to be proud of him graduating high-school, like they were with Elain. He was glad that his sister had taken the time to travel after high-school for, in some ways, it opened up doors to possibilities for Larkin’s future. He looked away from Elain and leaned back on the headrest behind him. “I don’t know yet...” He answered, with a sigh. “I’ve been looking all over. California’s got some campuses that I really like, but I don’t want to just make a decision out of impulse and have it suck and screw myself over, you know?” He expressed, glancing back over at her. “But, California’s not too far away, so that’s good. If I went ‘cross the country or somethin’, you’d miss me too much,” He let out another chuckle before moving his hand up to his mouth to begin chewing on the skin around his thumbnail. "—How did you know what you wanted to do after high school?”

[justagirlnamedkayla]

[larkinmaddox-blog]

elainmaddox:

Once Larkin had gathered his things, she slid out of the seat and stood up next to him. Elain took a few minutes to stretch up and listen to her brother talk about things like school and homework. No longer being in school was a true blessing and with Larkin’s graduation day quickly approaching, she hoped that he could enjoy the time that he left. “I’m always interested in hearing about the life and times of my baby brother. I’ll remind you, don’t worry.” She heads out of the coffee shop, pushing open the doors and glancing around for her car. The sleek black vehicle always stuck out because it always seemed brand new in comparison to everything around it. Elain had built the car by hand and thanks to her gifts it was more than easy to keep it up to date. “There I am,” she says as she walks over and presses a hand up to the door of her car. All doors unlocked and she slipped inside a little before her brother. “So,” she says as he enters. “How was school?”

Larkin exited the coffee shop too, tagging along behind Elain. Even though he was taller and probably had a better view of the parking lot, he didn’t bother searching and only looked over in the car’s direction when he heard Elain point it out. He followed her over to the sleek, all-black, automobile-- if it even could be classified as such a thing. Larkin liked to think of it more as a drive-able computer, with the way it responded to his sister’s subtle commands. Hearing all of the the doors unlock, Larkin tossed his backpack into the backseat and closed the door promptly before sliding into the car through the passenger’s side. He had always admired his sister’s abilities, but he wouldn’t trade his for anything. His gifts might not have been as well-practiced as her’s were, but they were still his own and a life without them was something he didn’t like to think about. Especially when most national headlines were about rumors of testing on mutants to find some sort of cure. “It was all right,” He sighed, settling into his seat, relieved to be free of his heavy book bag. “Classes aren’t going to really be much of a challenge this year,” He replied nonchalantly, a piece of him wishing that his mother or father would be the ones to ask about how his school day went instead of his sister. “But I’m glad that I didn’t take any blow-offs. College’s like when you have an full schedule during your senior year, and I want to keep my options open,” He explained. “--Some College Reps are actually coming to visit campus in a few weeks. So, maybe I’ll be adding a few more schools to my list.” Larkin looked over at Elain with raised eyebrows, talking about his list of colleges that he was thinking about attending but hadn’t made a choice on yet.

[larkinmaddox-blog]

Larkin Maddox — [ MOODBOARD #001 ]

[larkinmaddox-blog]

elainmaddox

“You ate two of them by yourself.” she says with a slight laugh at the memory as her phone lit up, a text being sent with all the restaurant with their full order. It could have been because of her power, but Elain had developed a photographic memory over the years. She didn’t talk about it much or even give it much thought, but a lot of things were easier because of it. Once the text was sent, the phone locked itself and she shifted her gaze back onto her brother. “We’ll have Thai food at our door in thirty minutes, which is more than enough time to get home.” She slides her phone back into her pocket. “You can tell me about your day in the car, yeah?”

Larkin smiled slightly as he listened to Elain, reminiscing at the memory that she had brought up. He was trying to downplay his delight that he’d soon be reunited with one of his favorite take-out meals. It was his go-to and surely Elain was catching on-- if not already caught. “Radical,” He spouted, nodding his head at the time that they would have to wait. He reached out his hands to pick his headphones and music player back up and slid out of the seat. “--Yeah, I can tell you about my day,” He said, adjusting the straps of his backpack that were still on his shoulders; too lazy to have taken it off when he sat down. “I don’t know how exciting The Life and Times of Larkin Maddox is, but, yeah,” He agreed. “As long as I can throw my bag in the back of the car, I’m sick of lugging it around. Especially with all the homework that I still have to do. Just don’t let me forget it’s there,” He was never one to let a task set idly by. If it needed to be done, Larkin usually got it done. He knew that he wouldn’t let his assignments set for too long, but getting it off his mind for for even a little bit wouldn’t hurt. “...Lead the way?” He asked. “I don’t know where you parked today.”

[larkinmaddox-blog]

elainmaddox:

He wasn’t wrong. She had been picking up a few extra shifts at the office in order to save up money for a special graduation gift. Of course, that was something that he couldn’t know and so the lie had been she was working because some of the staff had been laid off. “I guess so,” she commented as he slid in beside her. Elain looked up at her brother and shifted to ruffle his hair now that she could do so without standing on her toes. When he mentioned Thai, her eyes fell on her phone and it lit up without her touching it. She mentally swiped through and pulled up the bet place she could find with a drive through. “Same place as last time? Their kai yang was great– then again so was their Nam phrik pla chi.”

Larkin pulled his head away a bit as Elain ruffled up his hair; his expression crinkling into an affectionate smile as he raised a hand to swat hers away. When Elain’s attention turned back to her phone, Larkin watched as the device seemed to work on its own but he knew his talented sister was the cause. “Yeah, that place is fine,” He responded, finally removing the headphones from around his neck and wrapping the cord around his music player. He set it all on the table when he was done and looked back over at Elain. “--As long as we get some sticky rice with whatever we get,” He insisted. “And that, uh, sweet chili dipping sauce because I love that.”

[violentwavesofemotion-deactivat]

Uncompromising, he wished to be; and clear, like the desert light.

Margaret Atwood, from Good Bones & Simple Murders (via violentwavesofemotion)

[larkinmaddox-blog]

elainmaddox:

She pulled out her phone to check her bank account and she could almost smile because her last check had been deposited. It wasn’t a huge surprise to either of them that their parents probably wouldn’t be home– being a soldier and working within the confounds of the military made things hard. However, they managed with a few Skype calls a few weeks at a time. Her job paid really well and so she could take care of the two of them while they were away. Elain only hoped they would come home to see Larkin walk across the stage. “I put in a couple hours of overtime and my paycheck is huge.” She shifted over in her seat to give him room to sit. “What do you want? I’m famished and need something good.”

Larkin watched as Elain pulled out her phone. He figured that she had worked overtime; it wasn’t unusual for a Maddox to go the extra mile or exceed expectations. Larkin particularly liked proving impressions wrong. He paused his music that was still playing through the headphones that were around his neck. “Looks like the whole family’s in over-time,” Larkin commented, tossing over a lazy smile as he noticed her scoot over. He took a seat and began thinking of his options, his thumbnail immediately going up to his mouth for him to chew on. “--I’m starvin’ too,” He said around his thumb, agreeing with Elain. “...What about Thai food?” He asked, even though he’d probably suggested the same thing the last few times the two of them ate out together.