β god, i donβt even remember at this point. β heβs had plenty of fights in his lifetime β plentyΒ β but his specialty has always been wounding with words. though he certainly has the stature to be able to hold his own, rafaβs never liked getting his hands dirty; even after he stopped playing violin, there was always the lingering fear of breaking his hands beyond repair. he doesnβt need that same dexterity anymore, but the fear had never quite gone away.Β β probably not since i lived in new york. i did some pretty stupid shit back then to distract myself. β
36 β do you give out second chances too easily?
he huffs out a bitter laugh.Β β god, no. if anything, iβm the opposite. β truthfully, he finds himself to be far too generous with firstΒ chances β the notable exception being phoenix, who heβd given first and fourth and sixteenth chances, for some godforsaken reason. love ( or the illusion of it ) certainly does make you do crazy things.Β β i donβt bother with second chances anymore. iβve learned my lesson in that sense. when someone shows you who you are, believe them. β
rafa lifts a hand to his ear, gently poking a small gold hoop.Β β just the one. my mom would kill me if she knew. you know, in a theoretical universe where iβm actually alive. β
51 β favorite food?
β my momβs tamales, for sure. i think about them every damn day. β
benvolio β what comes to mind when you think of peace?
all he has to do is close his eyes. itβs been over a decade, but rafa can still see it clearly: the window seat in his parentsβ london flat, half-smushed pillows haphazardly shoved to one side. he canβt count how many afternoons heβd spent in that window seat, a mug of tea cooling beside him as he went over sheet music, his mother humming to herself as she puttered around. he pictures himself glancing up, meeting her eyes with a careless half-smile, and knows he hasnβt felt true peace since the day he left.Β
romeo β how far would you go for love?
heβs done too much for love already. rafa thinks of the ways heβs let himself be pushed around, pushed aside, pushed down; heβs become less so that someone else could become more, and done plenty of things he isnβt proud of simply because someone he thought he loved wanted him to do it. this, he knows, is not true love. but heβd fancied himself in love, and he knows just how far heβd pushed himself to get crumbs in return.Β β iβd do a lot, β he says softly, and knows that itβs true.Β β iβd do anything for someone i loved. to be loved in return. itβs the ultimate reward, isnβt it? β
wasting all that time on an idiot who couldnβt figure himself out. not dragging his parents along with him to that performance. running and running and running, never stopping to catch his breath. wasting moreΒ time on an idiot who treated him like dirt. never learning to know anyone deeper than surface level. handing over something so, soΒ important without stopping to think twice about what he was doing. all of these things gather on the tip of his tongue, but what he answers is much simpler:Β β yes. βΒ
30 β whatβs irritating you right now?
he frowns, thinking of the way daliβs brow furrows in suspicion whenever she regards him for too long. it bothers him much more than heβd like to admit, and the fact that itβs getting to him at all frustrates him even more. itβs an endless fucking cycle. β i donβt know, maybe the fact that iβm basically fucking cursed to walk this godforsaken earthΒ βtil its inevitable heat death because i got scammed one time? iβm usually pretty irritated about that one. β
tito shifts their weight from one foot to the other, trying not to be hyperaware of the fact that they canβt tell whether rafa was laughing or just exhaling. itβs not like tito thinks theyβre the funniest or most interesting person in the world β this whole seeing and talking to ghosts thing is by far the most exciting thing thatβs ever happened to them, and it has approximately nothing to do with him and everything to do with random chance. still, compared to all the cool people, both alive and dead, that rafaβs likely had the opportunity to meet throughout his life, tito feelsβ¦ small. for fuckβs sake, rafa has an accent, which means heβs at least lived in two countries β two continents β and maybe more than that. tito might think twice about asking if rafa hadnβt already clued them into the fact that personal questions are completely off the table. which is fine. if rafa doesnβt want tito to know him, they canβt say that they really blame him. absently, tito canβt help but wonder if eddie operates under the same unspoken rules with rafa β if rafaβs issue is with tito personally or just the fact that heβs alive.Β
βyou can say that again.β the reply comes a moment too late, they realize once theyβre actually saying it. their tendency to get lost in their own thoughts will come back to bite them one of these days, heβs sure.Β βthe last thing i need is to get evicted for excessive noise complaints. or worse, getting evicted because someone comes in and sees i have a haunted apartment where instruments play themselves.β they seriously doubt something like that would happen under eddieβs watchful eye, but you never know. tito canβt help but lift an intrigued eyebrow at rafaβs comment regarding keeping things to yourself, unable to tell if heβs actually alluding to something or if tito is just grasping at straws to have a reason to keep talking to him.Β βdo you have many of those things? things that are just for you to enjoy?β he canβt tell if that question crosses the line of too personal that rafa has drawn in the sand between them, so they quickly supply a follow-up. just in case.Β βi just mean the band isβ¦ theyβre nice, and all, but they arenβt the kind of thing i would want to keep to myself.β
HEβS EASING INTO THIS. he can feel it happening, like a warm blanket pulled over his skin; rafa needs the shock of the cold air again, someone yanking the covers right back off. he canβt get too comfortable. βΒ you donβt need half of LA catching wind of a ghost band operating out of your apartment, β he deadpans as he repeats himself, looking down in an attempt to hide the half-smile flickering on his face. the image of someone walking in on floating instruments is an amusing one β even he has to admit that. still, he feels himself hesitating as tito tiptoes across the line heβs drawn in the sand, knowing heβd told himself nothing too personalΒ for a reason. itβs not thatΒ bad, really, but given an inch, he expects tito to take a mile. talking about himself, opening up... theyβre all just things that will make him trust them, make him want to connect to them more, and he shouldnβt open himself up to that. he canβt. rafa fucking knows better, but heβs still fighting with himself constantly.Β
and yet, despite all of his reservations, he still answers the question honestly.Β β no, β he admits.Β β not really. not anymore. β when heβd been alive, those things had been his creative outlets β music and photography. heβd shared his talents with the world, yes, but there had been days that heβd done it just for himself. days where heβd take his camera and shoot scenes of the city instead of concerts; days where heβd play from his heart instead of sheet music. the admission makes rafa feel vulnerable, exposed; he lets out a short laugh that he knows sounds forced, looking anywhere except titoβs eyes.Β βΒ anyway,Β β he deflects poorly, catching titoβs gaze by accident and instantly regretting it. his eyes are dark and warm, far too inviting, and he stumbles over the desire to sink into them.Β β what do you keep for yourself, then? β
19 β would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
β yeah. β itβs almost too soft to be heard; his regrets are a quiet thing, tucked close to his chest where he can keep them safe. there are so many things he wishes he could change β so many people he wishes he could save β so many things he wishes heβd said. though he knows that time travel, unlike the paranormal, doesnβt actually exist, that doesnβt stop him from wishing it did.Β β iβd go back. β like always, so much more is left unsaid. heβs learned that itβs safer that way.Β
37 β is it easier to forgive or forget?
heβs never been the type to forgive orΒ forget. rafaβs long since hardened his heart, and he doesnβt take kindly to having his trust broken or betrayed. heβs hardly the type to give second chances, even in the form of forgiveness. it feels like turning his back and awaiting a knife.Β β neither, β he answers shortly.Β β i donβt do forgiveness anymore, and i donβt forget. i learned that the hard way. β
58 β favorite weather?
β iβve always liked the rain. β he glances up at the sunny los angeles sky, as if on cue.Β β when i first got here, the difference was nice β it didnβt remind me of home quite so much. but now... i miss it. thereβs nothing like a rainy london day. β
itβs a tough little corner sheβs backed herself into, dali realises, only a few too many seconds late to do anything about it. the fact sheβd have to speak to rafa alone at some point was an inevitability, she knows, but it was one sheβd imagined would arrive much, much later, and with far less direct involvement from herself - itβs not as if sheβs been trying to avoid him or anything, but he in and of himself may just be the one unknown in the world sheβs not totally confident in approaching, at least not with the same amount of trust heβs already managed to garner from august and eddie. sheβs an optimist on the whole, but her faith is nonetheless hard to win - at least, hard to win for a ghost. itβsΒ a bias she knows is unfair given the current circumstances of her own existence, but one that unshakeably exists all the same - though perhaps if sheβd had 22 more years to get used to this, he mightβve had just as much luck winning her over as someone like tito had.
rather than immediately dignify him with a response, dali waits - simply watches while he shifts on his feet and comes to his own conclusions, staring him down with the slightest hint of a glare as he moves to sit himself down beside her. βdo what you want,β she finally surrenders, dismissive, but though her gaze turns back towards the pedestrians going about their days without the faintest knowledge of their existence, her attention is still fully on him. so, he had been looking for the others - interesting. βso this wholeβ¦ thing. eternal, you reckon?β she finally asks, her tone almost interrogatory as she breaks the silence sheβd all but forced to hang between them for a few moments, βi mean, you know that for sure, or is it justβ¦ i dunno, a guess?β
RAFA ISNβT STUPIDΒ β he knows very well that dali doesnβt want him here. thing is, he doesnβt exactly want to be here, either, but heβs made his bed. itβs time to lie in it. he leans back against the bench, stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles. heβs painting a picture of relaxation that he does not feel, if only to appear nonchalant. he doesnβt like letting it show that sheβs gotten to him. dali is a puzzle that he hasnβt quite been able to crack β though the others in the band ( and the living that they towed alongside them, a package deal ) had adapted to him quite quickly, sheβs hung back. the worst part is, he gets it. rafa knows that he approaches people with the same reluctant antagonism, and now that heβs finally gotten a taste of his own medicine, heβs found that itβsΒ bitter.Β
at least sheβs not blatantly ignoring him. small mercies. rafa blows out a breath, turning his head slightly toward her as he speaks.Β β for me, yes. for you, no. at least, not at the moment. β an explanation is expected, heβs sure; it always is, and no matter how many times he gives it, rafa never feels any less reluctant about it.Β β just donβt give up your soul. you need it to cross over. β he canβt imagine dali as the type to hand her soul over on a silver platter like heβd done β but then again, he hadnβt expected it from himself, either.Β β and yeah, i know for sure. iβve seen people cross over. i donβt know if thatβs just another level to this or if itβs the end, but... itβs not here. i know that much. β
i remembered β tito knows the words arenβt meant to convey all that much or carry that much weight, but they immediately settle somewhere significant in their chest. tito can count the number of people who actively remember him on one hand. for someone who feels like they spend most of their time being forgotten, the ease and speed with which rafa tells them otherwise makes tito feel all warm and fuzzy. god, how embarrassing. at least rafa doesnβt seem to totally loathe his company. heβs not exactly the most cheerful looking person titoβs ever met β though, then again, it isnβt like being cheerful and being dead exactly go hand in hand β but they think they can spot a hint of a smile. emphasis on hint. his expression does go a little more sheepish around the edges when rafa calls him a rookie, even though they know that they didnβt come out on a walk with the goal of finding rafa and bothering him. the mere idea that it might seem that way to rafa is enough to make tito consider shutting himself in his apartment for the next two weeks. part of them wonders if they should clarify that itβs just a coincidence and they arenβt stalking him, but they think better of it. βpractice and memories,β tito repeats, committing the words to memory to report back to eddie later. βgot it.β it feels like thatβs the end of that, and tito canβt do much to stop a small frown from tugging at the corner of his mouth at the thought of having to say goodbye already. thankfully, instead of letting their conversation die out, rafa throws another log on the fire. maybe they were right about rafa not totally loathing their company, after all.Β βoh, no. no hell being given, aside from a couple late nights and broken dishes. introducing them to kerryΒ β my best friendΒ β went pretty smoothly but iβm hoping to not have to introduce them to anyone else. especially not someone who might ask more questions than kerry did.β
though what heβd said was as accurate as he could muster off the top of his head, it still surprises him to see tito taking his words to heart. he shouldnβt be surprised by now, he supposes β he hasnβt known them for long, but rafa already understands a few simple things about tito. one of the most important things: if nothing else, he does everything with his heart. itβs far too sweet for someone whoβs still alive β who still has so much to lose β and somewhere deep inside him, it ignites a protective instinct that rafa has to work hard to quash. theyβre the exact kind of person he wishes he could be; the kind of person who, despite whatever heβs been through, still manages to be kind. he doesnβt have the slightest idea what tito has gone through, but this is LA. everyone has a story. rafa has made a point of not bothering with the stories of the living, and he knows this isnβt the time to go changing his tactics. but heβs still here, isnβt he? still asking useless questions? he should know better β usually thatβs titoβs department.Β
β yeah, you donβt exactly need half of LA catching wind of a ghost band operating out of your apartment, β he agrees, letting out a soft huff that almostΒ sounds like a chuckle. he feels like heβs constantly pulling back β holding back smiles, laughter, himselfΒ β refusing to put more of himself out there than he can inevitably handle losing. tito is alive, and he is not. rafa knows heβd do well to remember that.Β β and it can be nice to keep some things to yourself. something just for you to enjoy. β
dali had never really given the thought of dying the real time of day when she was alive, much less the thought of being a ghost. sure, like every kid, sheβd passed her fair share of sleepless nights by fighting through internal debates, key topics heaven vs hell, afterlife vs nothingness - but if sheβs remembering right, ghosts had never held that much weight outside of horror movies and personification of noisy pipework in her building. maybe if she had spent more time on it, sheβs started to think, she couldβve made more of a postmortum plan for herself - because really, in theory, she could do just about anything she really wants now, go anywhere, see anything, face even less consequences than sheβd thought there were in life.
she hasnβt, though. instead, sheβs found herself not only staying in the exact same city sheβd spent her whole life in, but now, when sheβs alone, at least, pretty much the exact same block sheβs spent her whole afterlife in. the faces that pass are becoming familiar, slowly but surely, and for the most part, sheβs able to put them to memory without looking like some creep staring from a bench down the road from an apartment building - but when someoneβs able to look right back at her, rather than try to look away, her face only seems to harden. rafa isnβt just some regular passerby, after all. βjust so you know,β she begins, steely, forgoing the usual formalities of a greeting, βif youβre looking for them, the boys are out, and titoβs still working for another hour or so.β
@nvcturnesβ
for the first time in a while, rafa has something he hadnβt really realized heβd been missing: entertainment. though his encounters with this merry band of ghosts and its accompanying humans have grated on him at times, rafa canβt deny that it can be downright amusing watching them fumble through the beginnings of being ghosts. he knows it wonβt last long, so heβs on his way to make the most of it, swerving around the living folks who are completely oblivious to his ghostly form. heβs almost about to whistle to himself, in something of an uncharacteristically good mood, when he stops in his tracks at the sight and sound of someone familiar.
only a single killer conclusion ( killed conclusion? not a joke to make, he thinks ) awaits him, daliβs stony expression greeting him as warmly as a winter day. β well, β he says eloquently, all momentum lost with only a handful of words. he sticks his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels slightly, unsure of what else to do with himself. redirecting his focus at dali, rafa tilts his head slightly, deciding to make the most of it.Β β whatβs an hour compared to eternal afterlife? iβm sure i can handle a little waiting. β he moves forward, sitting on the bench a couple feet away from her.Β β that is, if you donβt mind the company. β
ANTONY: What bad habits do you need to break?
BEATRICE: What is the achievement youβre most proud of?
BENVOLIO: What comes to mind when you think of peace?
BIANCA: What do you want most in life?
CELIA: Do you want to fall in love?
CIRCE: Would you rather be loved or feared?
CLAUDIUS: What is the worst thing youβveΒ ever done?
CORDELIA: Do you consider yourself a good person?
CRESSIDA: What makes you feel trapped?
DESDEMONA: Do you believe that the truth will set you free?
EDGAR: Do you want to make your family proud?
EDMUND: Do you ever wish youβd been born someone else? If so, who?
GERTRUDE: Would you (or have you) ever cheated on aΒ significant other?
HAMLET: Do you prefer to think things through thoroughly or act on impulse?
HECATE: Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?
HELENUS: Do you believe in God?
HIPPOLYTA: What is your biggest regret?
HORATIO: Who do you love most?
JULIET: What is your favorite luxury?
LADY MACBETH: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
MACBETH: Have you ever killed anyone? Would you?
MALCOLM: What does honor mean to you?
MEDEA: Do you have any quirks?
MERCUTIO: Is there anyone you would die for?
MIRANDA: Is happiness a choice?
OBERON: Does reputation matter to you?
OPHELIA: Is there anything you regret not doing?
ORSINO: If you could have any material thing in the world, what would it be?
PARIS: If you had the chance to rule the world, would you?
PORTIA: When did you lose your innocence?
PUCK: Do you consider yourself a mischievous person?Β
ROMEO: How far would you go for love?
ROSALIND: What does your ideal day entail?
ROSALINE: Which people from your past haunt you?
SEBASTIAN: Is violence ever the answer?
TITANIA: Do you believe in magic?
TYBALT: If you could kill one person without consequences, who would it be?
VIOLA: How skilled of a liar are you?
VOLUMNIA: Describe the biggest sacrifice youβve made.
august set the record down gingerly, before it could escape his fragile grasp.Β β β iβm gonna stop you right there. youβre giving me a headache.β he had a vague recollection of britney spears, still something of a new budding and star as he remembered her. she wasnβt exactly someone his circle of friends wouldβve spent much time talking about, but apparently sheβd had some longevity in her after all. august thought little of it. then again, he was still mourning the apparent death of rock and roll.Β
seriously, where had the time gone?
his eyes scanned the aisle of sleeves. a myriad of colors, varying levels of disarray. suddenly it took the wind out of him, and he was back wrestling with his newfound ghostly-hood. so much for the cathedral being a safe haven.Β
βi really donβt know how you keep up with it all,β he said, something of a rare voicing of honesty, masquerading as a light hearted quip.Β it felt like he was living in a test he didnβt study for. he was unabashedly clueless, certainly earning himself a big fat F.Β
it wasnβt hard to tell that august was overwhelmed by all of this β and, honestly, rafa didnβt blame him. death was hard enough on its own, but coming back after fifteen years had to be even more disconcerting.Β rafa reached out to him, laying a steadying hand on his shoulder for a brief few seconds.Β β hey, β he said gently, squeezing once before letting go. comforting someone was uncharacteristic enough of him β no need to drag it out. β it gets easier. no bullshit. i know people say shit like that to make you feel better, but i mean it. youβll catch up. and iβm perfectly happy to educate you on pop queens whenever you need a refresher.Β β
despite their best efforts, it seems that titoβs attempts to distract rafa from their embarrassingΒ greeting is unsuccessful; rafa makes a point of replying with what looks like a hint of a laugh shining in his brown eyes. titoβs face feels hot.Β βum. well, i just didnβt know if you remembered,β they attempt to explain, feeling sheepish as they scuff the sole of their shoe against the sidewalk. itβs true, though. tito has no idea who rafa bumps elbows with on the regular, itβs a bit presumptuous of him to assume that heβs significant enough to take up space in his mind, not to mention it feels distinctly dangerous to allow himself to start wandering down that path. they nod solemnly at rafaβs suggestion of avoiding fragile thingsΒ β itβs a brilliant idea, but theyβre still working on that one. tito still doesnβt understandΒ what eddie needs his dishes for, but theyβre trying to be supportive. it canβt be easy to find out you died fifteen years ago, maybe heβll improve as he adjusts to being a ghost. if he adjusts to being a ghost.Β βweβve had that conversation, yeah.β they listen attentively as rafa explains the repetition of being able to re-learn how to touch thingsΒ β itβs all they really can do when they have absolutely no idea how any of it feels, besides nod along and take his word for it. the comment about how they should be taking notes startles a laugh out of tito and they make a quick show of patting down their pockets.Β βman, i left my apartment without my notebook,β he sighs, feigning distress with himself for being able to forget something so important.Β βi think i can probably manage to remember.β
IT TAKES MORE EFFORTΒ than anticipated to hold back his smile. β i remembered, β he replies, like itβs obvious. like itβs easy. to be truthful, rafa spends much of his time trying notΒ to run into other people β it saves him the time and effort of attempting to protect himself if he never interacts with anyone in the first place. but some people, people like tito, arenβt so easy to shake. they make themselves known, they pop up when rafa simply canβt avoid it, and heβs left with no choice but to remember. sometimes it feels like thatβs all heβs here for β to remember. to be a relic of dead, forgotten things. still, tito makes him feel a little more alive. their attentiveness makes him feel sharper, more in focus; the fuzziness of death feels a little farther away when heβs in his sights. itβs kind of disconcerting.Β β well, thatβs a start, β he drawls, amused. he can almost picture tito gently lecturing eddie that perhaps glass isnβt the bestΒ practice material for beginners. his smile quirks slightly higher at the quick show they put on, patting empty pockets and faux distress written across their features. itβs cute.Β β rookie mistake. β he shakes his head, a small show of his own.Β β like i said, practice is whatβll really help him. and memories. remembering the object as a solid thing and not something youβre able to pass through is the basic idea. β thereβs not much else he can do without actually watching eddie attempt to touch something, but rafa doesnβt want to let tito go just yet.Β β are they giving you hell so far? β he asks, referring to both eddie and his ghostly bandmates.Β β or are they manageable? β
all things considered, tito thinks that heβs done pretty well with this whole being haunted thing so far. besides being (rightfully) scared shitless for a few minutes when their new cd summoned three ghosts into their living room at ten at night, he thinks heβs acclimating quite nicely. still, sometimes even they need a little bit of space. it turns out that sharing your one-bedroom apartment with a band of new ghosts can be a little overwhelming. sometimes they just need to talk a walk and have some them time. of course, heβs quick to change tack the moment that they spot rafa, veering off his original course to cross paths with him instead. tito is significantly less brazen by the time that they wind up face-to-face, putting on a surprised smileΒ β as though they had no idea they would see rafa here β instead.Β βrafa, hey! itβs me,β he announces and then immediately winces at unnecessary it was. like rafa wouldnβt remember him. seriously.Β βactually, i was hoping to see you,β they follow up with, attempting to steer the conversation in a different direction to distract from the rather embarrassing opening.Β βi wanted to ask you about tips for, uh. grabbing things. eddieβs not really getting the hang of it and iβm starting to worry about my security deposit.βΒ /Β Β *Β Β @nvcturnesβΒ Β
USUALLY, rafa doesnβt like to interact with the living. there doesnβt seem to be much of a point in making that effort with someone whoβs ever-growing and ever-changing; rafa, by contrast, is stagnant, unchanging, dead. the overlap simply isnβt there. tito, however, has yet to show any indication of sharing this same line of thinking. heβs sure theyβll tire of the novelty soon, so rafa predicts that itβs only a matter of time until heβs found something newer and more alive to catch their eye. β of course itβs you, β he greets, not unkindly, amusement seeping into his features. despite his best efforts, itβs hard not to find tito adorable. their smile, the careless way his hair curls over his eyes, the earnest openness of everything he says β itβs frustratingly endearing. rafa has known them for less than a fucking week, and he needs to get a grip. β grabbing things, β he repeats slowly, then lets out a softΒ β ah β when an explanation comes moments later. β well, maybe he should stop trying to pick up breakable things, β he suggests, only half-serious, then lets out a breath.Β β i mean... honestly, practice was really what got it for me. repetition. but i think the main part of it was remembering how it felt β imagining what itβs like to pick up, say, a pencil, and thinking about the sensation of it in my hand instead of throughΒ my hand.Β β he pauses, teasing threaded through his tone. β shouldnβt you be taking notes? β
the cathedral was one of the few places august could find some sanity these days. outside of these doors, he was staring down the barrel of fifteen years worth of life he knew nothing about. in a constant state of confusion and disbelief. ( since when did hip hop surpass rock music anyhow ! ) but at cathedral, it was like he was stepping into a time machine, and placing himself exactly back where he had always been. same moldy carpet, same selection of seventies and eighties hits. in here, he didnβt have to think or wonder. he knew everything there was to know already.
he considered voicing that notion aloud, but decided against it. one, because waxing poetic about the late nineties made absolutely no sense in the ghost-body of a twenty two year old. but two, it made him profoundly sad to do so.Β
instead, august plucked a record sleeve from the bunch and flashed it to his company, grinning.
βrumours, 1977. you canβt tell me the 2000s ever spit out an album to even come close to matching this one. no way.β
IF NOTHING ELSE, the afterlife had given rafa time. plentyΒ of time. too much time, arguably, so much that heβd had to start portioning out his days to make sure he was actually able to keep track of their passing. one thing heβd allocated a lot of his time for was the simple physicality of things β spending days in stores just like this one, thumbing through records and CDs until his fingers caught on the corners more times than they passed through them. now, in moments like these, he was able to pluck things out of the stacks at will.Β
rafa sent a disdainful look down at the record in augustβs hand, flicking his gaze back up after a moment.Β βΒ seriously? oops!Β i did it again. stronger. lucky,Β β he listed off, aggressively promoting britney spearsβs 2000 album oops! i did it again. 2008βs circusΒ was quick to follow.Β β circus. womanizer. if u seek amy. britneyβs discography is iconic, and i will not stand for any kind of slander. iΒ somehow doubt that they have paris hiltonβs stars are blind here, but that song alone could carry the 2000s on its back. you reallyΒ need to enlighten yourself.Β β
good evening to bilingual short kings, soccer haters, aerosmith cover bands, owners of orange 1972 competition fender mustangs, Gaysβ’, bicons, ghosts that are in a band, band members that are not ghosts, radio assistant hopefuls, sad boys, rock fans, mechanics who will change your oil for a bag of doritos, supportive parents ( deceased ), and supportive parents ( alive ).
iβm emily & in addition to spending my days as a bio research tech, i will be ur host for the evening. iβm 22 for for 13 more days, i use she / her pronouns, iβm from the est timezone, & i am deeply sorry in advance.
u can find rafaβs full app hereΒ & his pinterest hereΒ if ur so inclinedΒ !Β trigger warning for death bc he is, as we know, dead.
THE BASICS !
skeleton. nocturne.
full name. rafael medina.
age. twenty-four.
gender / pronouns. cis man, he / him.
faceclaim. taylor zakhar perez.
THE BACKGROUNDΒ !Β
now itβs time for what you missed on glee <3
baby rafa was born to a single mom named beatriz in london & she was a dancer for the royal ballet ! p much as soon as she was cleared to dance after giving birth, she dragged him along, so he grew up watching balletΒ
he was always a lil bit of a scamp but he knew to be polite around the dancers and musicians, Especially during rehearsals
one day he wandered into the pit while they were playing and was in Awe of the first chair violinist
his name is alexei and we love him <3
five yr old rafa asked a million questions abt his violin & basically said okay magic man ur coming to my house for dinner to show me more of your crazy techniques... but lemme ask my mom first
beatriz debby ryan hair tucks and says yesΒ π
spoiler alert they get marriedΒ π₯Ί a happy familyΒ π₯Ί
rafa grows up... gets better at the violin... makes first chair in high school... has aΒ gay awakening when he sees abs in the locker room for two (2) seconds
strike one: the teen magazine that rafa stole off some girls told him his crush is βhot like burningβ and he got so stressed he threw it away. strike two: his crush kissed him in the MIDDLE OF GYM CLASS. nasty. strike three: when rafa tried to talk to him in the hallway he saidΒ βdo i know youβ. ouch
so anyway ladies theydies and gaydies never trust a man
iβm so sorry to do this to yβall but just when rafa is about to play with the royal ballet orchestra for the first time as part of an internship... his parents die before ever making it to the performance :/
rafa... does not take it well and i do not blame him
he moves to the US to get away from all the memories & buries himself in as much work as possible to distract himself from his grief
some of the only things he brought with him were alexeiβs violin & beatrizβs pointe shoes but he can barely look at themΒ π
fun fact he gets fired from his job at the times square olive garden ( also known as the ninth circle of hell ) for telling a customer to go fuck himself after ordering his 15th round of unlimited breadsticks. king shit
anyway he eventually moves from nyc to la to get even Farther away and after making some friends, he eventually stumbles upon photography !
heβs surprisingly good at it, and he especially loves combining it w his love of music when he starts photographing shows and music festivals
eventually he meets this big indie artist named phoenix,Β whose music style is, as i recently described to admin a, βabsolute hipster asshole fedora bastardβ bc this was 2013 after all
*tolerate it by taylor swift plays*
spoiler alert: we still donβt trust a man :/
rafa gets caught up in all the allure of fame and thinking heβs in love, even though phoenix is the Worst kind of self-absorbed asshole who wonβt even call him his bf
eventually heβs like hey ! this is bullshit ! and decides to break up w phoenix after a show that heβs shooting that nightΒ
except he uhhhh gets robbed at knifepoint but refuses to give up his camera and d words
but it gets WORSE bc phoenix writes a whole ALBUM about it and goes on TOUR for that album while rafaβs ashes sit in a cheap urn in a closet in his house in la
this dude is shitty iβm telling u
final edition of Rafa Gets Bamboozled: he gets SCAMMED out of his soul bc this kind-looking dude that reminds him of alexei promises to help him figure out his unfinished business but just straight up steals his soul instead
so sorry to that man... i know i did this to him but at least iβm sorry abt it
THE PERSONALITY !
GAY. big gay. yes this is a personality trait
usually Gruff and Not Fun but like... can u blame him damn
he does have a heart underneath it all but every time heβs attempted to have a connection with someone itβs ended in disasterΒ so heβs not really trying to do that anymore :/
absolutely not a fan of opening up to anyone for any reason ever. if he had ever gone to college i think he wouldβve physically fought his orientation leader for like... asking where heβs from SDGDSLKJG
sarcasm and dry wit r the name of the game babey. if u catch him making a pun the rafa u know is dead and gone ( for real this time )
in conclusion he needs to be loved
congrats u made it through the chaos ! now itβs time to plot xoxo
