Not A Gilmore

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Task -- Under Arrest

The first time Rory was arrested was in 2013. He was seventeen years old and was at a house party at some kid's house. The party was wild and Rory was cross faded on multiple things. At some point, the cops were called to break the party up. Rory has no idea what happened that night. He woke up in a jail cell, covered in his own blood, nose broken. His grandma bailed him out, and any drug and underage drinking charges were swept under the table.

He was arrested the second time during his second senior year in 2015. He was nineteen years old, and deep in his addiction. It was late at night and he'd been over at a friend's house studying. He'd popped a combination of pills to keep him awake on the drive home, but he'd taken too much and went into incoming traffic, crashing into another car. He was processed for a DWI and some other related charges. Somehow his grandmother pulled some strings and he only had to serve probation and it didn't affect his college admissions or his spot on the baseball team.

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Task: Halloween Memories

Best Halloween Memory

Rory doesn't necessarily have just one specific favorite Halloween memory. Halloweens when he was little just feel magical and make him happy to think about. He loved when their parents would trust Erica to take him house-to-house by herself. It felt like it was just the two of them versus the world. Plus, he loved sitting on the floor with his big sister and dividing their candy hauls between them.

Worst Halloween Memory

To be totally fair, Rory doesn't really remember the year after his parents were married. He spent the year self-medicating using a combination of booze and pills. It all culminated on Halloween during his first senior year. He doesn't know what happened that night. One minute he was dancing and drinking, and the next minute he woke up in the hospital. It wound up being his first overdose.

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Spirit Week Task 4

Rory’s Summer So Far…

Lizard time. Rory doesn’t necessarily like the heat, but he also knows he’s a person who needs to be outside to feel like a human. He tries to spend at least 15 minutes outside every day and soak in the sun. He calls this lizard time.

Work. Even though Gran still doesn’t understand how he makes a living, he needs to write his silly songs and film his dumb videos to survive. This summer he’s started writing his own serious music again and not just silly songs. He hasn’t decided what he’s gonna do with his non-silly music.

Boating. Finding out that there were rivers and lakes in Vegas was the best thing for Rory’s mental health. He loves water and thought he wouldn’t have that in the desert. Whenever he can, he’s been out in the water.

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Task 1

Favorite Foods

Ramen. It doesn’t matter if it’s the cheap kind you make on the stovetop or the super expensive shit. He just loves ramen. To be fair, he’s a soup person in general — he loves soup, but a soup that’s a whole damn meal? Yes, please!

Latkes. Okay, anything fried potato-related is amazing, but latkes? There’s something about them thay he loves, especially his grandma’s latkes. He doesn’t know what it is about them, but they taste different than the ones in restaurants. She claims it’s because she makes them with love, but he knows she has to be adding something to the batter.

Dumplings. If you haven’t noticed, Rory has a preference for asian food. Dumplings are fun because they’re kind of like eating mini soups. He loves the messiness of them, and the juiciness.

Least Favorite Foods

Bananas. This is for a couple of reasons, and is a newer dislike. After his overdose, he was on a bland diet, which meant he had a lot of bananas. It also meant he threw up a lot of bananas. Now the texture and the smell set him off.

Black licorice. He’s never liked the taste of black licorice. It makes him gag. Add that to the fact that it reminds him of a couple of different alcohols, and he’s avoiding it at all costs.

Peppermint. Nope. Just nope. From a young age he thought it was “too spicy”, which considering he actually likes spicy foods is weird. He’s pretty sure he has an allergy or an intolerance for peppermint. It just never agreed with his mouth.

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Muse Week Task 3

Rory’s Cherry Red Spring Aesthetic — or as he calls it: touring season

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Muse Week Task 1

Lavender Scent or Rose Scent? Iced Tea or Lemonade? April or May? Sunshine or Rain? Sunrise or Sunset? Birds or Butterflies? Blueberries or Strawberries? Jellybeans or Gummies? Cherry Blossoms or Marigolds? Chocolate or Candies? Creme Egg or Reeses Egg? Picnic or BBQ? Bike Ride or Hiking? Blackberries or Raspberries? Sunflowers or Daisies?

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Task 3

Rory’s safe place has been and always will be music. Whether he’s writing, performing, or listening, music has always taken him away and kept him safe when his thoughts were anything but. As long as he has music, he knows he’ll be alright. When he was younger he would have said that the music room was his safe space, and a couple of years ago, he would have said the recording studio. Now that he lives in New Orleans, he’d have to say that the place where he feels most connected to music is The Cat. Or rather the Spotted Cat Music Club. There is always live music playing and he always knows that if it’s between two and two, they’ll be open. There’s something special about a dive bar with live music. He can’t explain it, but he knows that when he’s there: nothing can touch him but the music.

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Task 1: Junk Drawer

Rory doesn’t have a junk drawer so much as an Empty His Pockets drawer. He’s learned over the years that it he doesn’t empty his pockets, he will end up with stained clothes.

1 & 2: So, one time in an interview, Rory mentioned that he kept breaking guitar picks, and now, even after complaining about it, his fans think it’s hilarious to keep giving him guitar picks. The worst part about it though? Even though he dumps them in the drawer, he still winds up needing them…

He also is notorious for breaking guitar strings. Yeah, yeah, he’s rough on his babies. It’s whatever. But his fans noticed? So now they also gift him with guitar stings. And you know what? He fucking uses those, too!

3 & 4: Rory’s hair has always been somewhat long, and he hates when it gets in his face. He recently cut his shoulder-length hair, which means he still is finding hair ties everywhere. Since his hair is too short for an elastic but long enough that it sticks to his face, he’s started using bandannas to keep his hair back. And yes, he keeps losing them.

5: Okay, listen. He used to go on a lot of dates, and you know what? You shouldn’t actually keep condoms in your wallet. At least not for a long time. So after bad dates, into the drawer his unused condoms went.

6: For the most part, Rory vapes over smoking, but he still smokes — even if he’s supposed to be quitting. He tends to know where his own lighters are, but any lighters he accidentally stole after a night out go into the drawer.

7. There’s something that no one tells you when you travel a lot: you wind up bringing home coins from countries you’re not going back to any time soon. Rory couldn’t even tell you where half the foreign coins are from.

8. Okay, yes… Rory has a chapstick problem. Some of them are half-melted or have pocket fuzz stuck to them. It’s an addiction, but he hates dry lips.

9. Okay… do you even live in New Orleans if you’re not finding something random from a parade in your house, do you even live there? Hell, maybe the parade beads came with the house. Okay, someone probably gave them to him, but still.

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Rory currently works for Briar Rose Bakery as a baker. It wasn't the first job he imagined for himself, or even the fifth job. To be honest, it was just the first place that hired him, and he really only wanted to work there because he had a thing for the owner. Don't get him wrong, he likes working at the bakery, but it's not exactly where he pictures himself in five years. It's just something he does during the day for money, but his real passion is definitely music. The problem with music is that he just doesn't know what to do with it. He plays gigs most nights, and that's probably where he feels the most alive. He loves writing songs, and there's nothing like performing in front of a crowd, but he doesn't know how to turn that into a career. The idea of posting videos on social media sounds awful. He just likes the creating and performing part of music, not everything else that goes with it.

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Task the Third

THE EASY QUESTIONS: 

01. What is something your character can’t help but to spend money on?

Rory will be the first person to admit that he spends way too much money on instruments and equipment. It’s not all on just pretty guitars, okay? Strings, wax, oil, and picks add up after awhile.

02. What is your favorite day of the week? Why?

He will never admit it, but Fridays are his favorite day of the week and not for the reason you probably thing. On Fridays he makes challah pretty much his whole shift. There’s something soothing about braiding bread. Plus, it reminds him a lot of his childhood and Friday afternoons spent with his mom and sister.

03. How would you describe your character in five words?

Rory is musical and talented. He’s constantly learning new instruments just because he can. While he’s intelligent with music, he’s kind of oblivious to social cues. People could probably call him a himbo.

04. What is the weirdest thing your character ever googled?

It’s more like: what’s a normal thing Rory has googled. He googles whatever comes to mind, almost to a fault. The most embarrassing was probably when he googled are ducks considered fish?

05. If your character was a pizza topping, what would they be? 

He would probably be cheese because he’s everyone’s type.  Okay… maybe not everyone’s type, but he gets around, and gets eaten. Do you regret asking this yet?

06. If your character was a ghost, who would they haunt? Why? 

Easy! His niece, Aurora, who’s a couple of months older than him would be the only person he’d be haunting. She’s probably his favorite person in the world. Plus, they made a pact when they were kids. Whoever dies first has to haunt the other.

THE HARD QUESTIONS:  

07. What is your characters greatest accomplishment? Why? 

This is going to sound odd, but not going to law school. Everyone in his family is a lawyer and there was a lot of pressure on him to follow suit. Choosing to go to a school for music and going against his family was one of the scariest things he’s ever done.

08. If your character could relive one day in their lives, which would it be and why?

This actually is a really hard question. It would probably be the day of his final music exam at NYU. The energy that day was like nothing he every felt before and he’s convinced that he entered another plane of existence as he played.

09.  How does your character recharge after when they are feeling drained?

It depends on the type of day. If customers were driving him up the wall, you can find him swimming laps. If he’s just having an overall shirt day and needs to disconnect, you’ll find him playing the keyboard until he feels like a person again.

10. If you could change one personality trait, what would it be and why? What would you change it to?

He would definitely like to be less self-destructive. He can be his own worst enemy sometimes, and gets in his own way. He probably would like to be more thoughtful.

11. Name one person that defined your character. 

It would probably be his piano teacher, Mrs. Milton. He used to hate her and how hard she pushed him, but as he got older, he realized that she saw potential in him. He used to call her once a month until she died.

12. What is your characters biggest fear? Why? 

He’s a Jewish kid who has experienced antisemitism. His biggest fear is dying at the hand of some racist fuck. With today’s climate, it’s a pretty realistic fear.

CREATE YOUR OWN: 

13. What types of books does your character like to read?

There’s a wide range of books he likes to read, but his favorite are probably mysteries. He likes the classics, and is a sucker for Agatha Christie. Mostly he likes the super awful and cheesy ones just because they’re a fun read.

14. What were your character’s parents like growing up?

Having older parents is a unique experience, and kind of weird to explain. He was the only kid in the 3rd grade with a parent in the middle of menopause. People also tended to assume his sister was his mother.

15. What is your character’s favorite thing to bake?

He really likes making bread. It doesn’t matter the type, though he does like the more complicated types. There’s just something soothing about working the dough to your will. Plus, decorating cookies sucks.

16. What is your character’s relationship like with their siblings?

It’s complicated. His siblings were a little younger than he is now when he was born. They already had adult lives. It was less like he had siblings, and more like he was an only child with extra parents who popped in when their schedules allowed.

17. Where is one place your character wants to visit?

Right now he really wants to go to San Francisco. He would hate living there (the hills scare the shit out of him), but that’s where Aurora lives. Living on the opposite side of the country from the person who essentially is his twin sucks.

 BEFORE YOUR SUBMIT --  

18. Does your current layout reflect your current character? Are the photos of your current playby? 

They sure are!

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Writer’s Week #2: Drabble

Another night and another fucking date. He didn’t know why he even bothered. It didn’t matter where he met them: it just never went well. If it was someone he met at the bakery, they just wanted a quick fuck from someone who was good with his hands. If it was someone his family set him up with, they were typically religious and wanted to get married so they could make Jewish babies. The dating apps were iffy at best. A lot of girls he went out with were put off by the fact that he had a female roommate and that his closest friends were female. They either thought he was sleeping with them or that he was gay. Gay, instant marriage, or hook ups — the dating pool was brutal.

Tonight started as most terrible dates did: he had a gig at a dive bar and they were going to have a drink after. His other issue with dating was his work hours. Usually he started at four in the morning and was off by noon. He usually slept all afternoon, and played gigs at bars until it was time to head to the bakery. Vampire hours only appealed to a select group of ladies, and it he was growing tired of the type of women he pulled. They’d met on an app, and she seemed okay - goth but hot. Then his set ended. He’d barely made it off the stage and she was trying to BOTTLE HIS SWEAT. 

Instead of booking it, he’d decided to give her a chance. So she bottled his sweat… Honestly with all the goth chicks he’d been dating lately, sweat collection wasn’t the weirdest thing someone had done to him lately. Collecting sweat was better than the one who he was still pretty sure had been trying to sacrifice him. How bad could it get?

Apparently the answer was: pretty fucking bad. The last thing he remembered was taking the shot she ordered them, and then it was five am and he was waking up naked in the Everglades “Another fucking swamp witch. What am I? Fucking catnip to brujas?” Thankfully he was on a sleeping porch and not in the actual water. He groaned as he found his pants and dug out his phone: five missed calls from Boss Lady. Fuck. He quickly texted her that he was going to be there in an hour and located what he could find of his clothes without waking his date.

It was closer to seven by the time he made it to the bakery. He was hoping that the dough he proofed the day before would have been enough and Rowan would already be up front, but of course she was in the kitchen waiting for him. “Are you okay?” Her arms were crossed and there was a smirk on her face. Oh fuck her. She fucking knew he had a date.

“Why do you ask?” He deadpanned as he rooted around his locker for something that didn't smell like booze, sage, and swamp. There had to be a spare Briar Rose shirt in here… VICTORY! He pulled his current shirt off, used it to wipe his neck and pits and then pulled his work shirt on. When Rowan still hadn’t said anything, he spun around and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

She smirked. “You’re wearing two different shoes.”

Fuck.

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Home Sweet Home

Okay, Rory will be the first to admit that he’s a little spoiled by his parents. After all, they’re in their 70s, so when he told them that he and Rowan wanted to buy a place in Miami but it was so expensive, they immediately offered to help. And by help… they paid for it, but they said it was no different than paying for his older siblings schooling and their weddings, so it evened out in the grand scheme of things.

[1] He’s a little obsessed with the backyard. He loves that they have a pool since he was on the swim team back in high school, but the outdoor kitchen and the lounge area are his favorite. Most nights you can find him out there with his acoustic.

[2] While most of the house is light and bright, he needed the bedroom to be as dark as possible. Rory is such a bed person. He could spend all day in bed, and yes… he’s the one who picked all the pillows. He just wants a bed nest.

[3] He works at his partner’s bakery — OF COURSE — he’s obsessed with their kitchen, but you know who designed it? His fucking Jewish mother. Watching her and Rowan plan it out was his favorite part of the remodel his parents insisted on.

[4] He’s an avid reader, and you can definitely tell which books are his. They’re the old as hell sci-fi books he stole from his dad’s Peoria library when they moved to Florida.

[5] Most of the time you can find him in his music room. He has a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Theory from NYU. While he claims the guitar is his favorite instrument, he’s almost always on his keyboard - even though he misses having a real piano - stupid Florida humidity.

[6] The movie room was definitely more for Rowan than for him, but fuck… he loves that room. He could just become one with that fucking couch.