hold on, wait a minute!

"don't be erratic and cut your own bangs. trust professionals that erratically cut their bangs better than you will." professionally rachel kaplan, authentically rae. 31 years old. pronouns are they/them. originally from san fran, currently living in catalina island since 2018. owner & lead hairstylist at island breeze and part-time student at lafayette community college.

[raekaplan]

starter: closed! @jasminevolkan​ location: the manor, somewhere near the entrance

Despite being in a dimly lit manor full of little black dresses and monochrome tuxes, it wasn’t hard for Rae to recognize familiar faces. When they spotted Jasmine and her high ponytail from across the room, Rae maneuvered a way to sneak up behind their friend with a toothy grin. “Isn’t it tiring,” Rae sighed, taking the neck pillow off of their neck and wrapping it around Jasmine’s playfully. “Being this gorgeous 24/7? How does one live out the days.” Faking a yawn and resting their head on the girl’s shoulder, they laughed heartily before turning to face her. “I haven’t found a single piece of candy in this manor yet and it is jarring... just one Mint.” Looking around them, Rae wanted to explore these winding halls but not without a companion. “Wanna go find some with me?” They couldn’t think of doing it with anyone better than Jasmine.

[raekaplan]

RAE KAPLAN attends Catalina’s HALLOW’S EVE | SIN: SLOTH / ACEDIA

“Indolence, sloth rejects the burden of order, choosing instead the breezy lightness of freedom. Loving self more than relation, and autonomy more than the good, in sloth one rejects the weight and density of living in an ordered creation.”

― R.J. Snell

[teddycarlson]

@raekaplan​.

location: island breeze spa & salon, lafayette square.  date and time: saturday, october 3rd. early evening. 

Very few people would mistake Teddy as being a people person. Yet here he is, anyway, lingering (or, more accurately, loitering) by the door of his newly-made friend’s workplace as he waits for their work shift to end. Hearing the chimes to sound that the last customer for the day has departed, Teddy holds the door open before it fully comes to a close, only to enter himself, the chimes now indicating his presence. 

He waves rather awkwardly to the rest of the establishment’s employees, walking past them and their curious glances before finally finding his friend in mention. “Rae,” he says simply, by way of greeting, a slight grin planted on his features, “thought I’d surprise you.”

[raekaplan]

Finally able to relax, Rae didn’t have any more hair appointments for the day and all that was left was one loyal customer who was getting a manicure from the salon’s trusty nail technician. There was always more Rae had to do before closing, but having more than one hand at the salon today was already a huge help in terms of Rae being able to leave sooner. Whether it was the full team or one staff member with Rae by the end of a shift, they always left the door open for any friends to walk in to keep them company while preparing to close.

Sitting at the front desk, Rae barely touched their food as they struck up a conversation longer than expected with the woman who just got her nails done. “We missed your beautiful face around here, too! Come back soon, okay?” The chimes somehow initiated their goodbyes at just the right time. 

“Oh, hello! I’m sorry, we were just about to close! I can schedule you in for something t-” Doing a double take as the girl sauntered out, Rae didn’t catch that it was Teddy Carlson walking through the door. “Oh gosh, Teddy! Hey you!” Shaking their head in embarrassment but hoping he’d understand, Rae laughed, setting down their fork yet again. “It is quite the surprise! How’ve you been?” Smiling warmly at their thoughtful friend, Rae couldn’t help but wonder how he was holding up when suddenly reminded of the last time they spoke.

[raekaplan]

junisantoso​:

☼

“Are you -” But the rest of that question never saw the light of day as the customer the hairdresser was talking to walked out, sending a nod her way. A little bit of guilt snuck up and deflated her mood at the sight, but she was not about to complain, especially in these dire circumstances. Muttering a small thanks to the client, Juni took a seat in the now vacant chair, relaxing at the reassuring words of the hairdresser in charge.

“I honestly can’t thank you enough,” she said, “People are so damn disgusting these days. They stuck it to a tree, can you believe it?” It was involuntarily the way her fists curled up into tiny balls, as creases etched into her forehead, “Like, my faith in humanity was already low, and this just pushed it off the edge. If I ever find who did this…” Juni simply trailed off with a shake of her head, unable to complete that sentence, because really, what could she actually do? “Anyways, I’m sorry for the rant and barge-in, you’re definitely one of the good ones. Oh, um, I have to ask, are you going to be cutting my hair to get this off?”

-

This was definitely one of the more rare emergencies Rae would encounter in their career as a hairdresser, but nonetheless they knew how to handle it— both the hair and the anxious customer. “It’s like the one incident you never thought you’d see happen outside of a movie, right?” Rae responded with a sympathetic smile, separating the hair that wasn’t twisted in the piece of gum and clipping it away from the spot. 

“Good thing is, these gum incidents are actually more common than you think!” Refraining themselves from making any faces that would spark concern from the client, Rae put on a latex glove and twisted open the jar of coconut oil. As bad as it looked, the girl made a smart choice by coming to a hair salon. “I don’t think any cutting is necessary, no.” They weren’t going to promise anything, but even if Rae had to cut the hair for some reason, she wouldn’t leave this salon without looking fabulous with a smile on her face... and no charge, either. That’s just how Rae conducted their business. 

[dslur]

life is painful but women are hot

[raekaplan]

raynandsunshine​:

Rayna’s eyebrows shot up. “Already? I’m so sorry, but I’m really glad I’m not in school anymore,” she said with a laugh. She offered them a sympathetic smile. “It was hell, and I know what hell is like. I got stuck with a flat tire in the middle of the desert in California once. I wanted to kill everything and everyone. And school was worse.” Dramatic? Maybe. But untrue? Definitely not. “Never waste the nights off. They’re few and far between,” she said in a feigned stern tone, as though imparting the kind of infinite wisdom that she wasn’t nearly capable of.

Her smile brightened again when her eyes met Rae’s in the mirror and she laughed. “Oh, same old, same old. Work, helping Harper at the restaurant, mostly when they need someone to eat food that an asshole customer sent back so it doesn’t go to waste, and we crashed a yacht party over the summer. That was fun.” Perhaps a bit petty on her part, at least for the purposes she’d had in mind when crashing said party, but it had still been fun. How often did one get to crash a rich ass yacht party with full confidence of not being thrown overboard?

-

Already snipping away at Rayna’s pesky split ends, like most hairstylists that have been in the business for as long as Rae has, it was all muscle memory at this point. Chit-chatting while they worked wasn’t a distraction for them, if anything it was technically a part of Rae’s job. “Well I’m glad you had f- wait, hold up. Crashed a yacht party?” Of course, now and again some details would go over Rae’s head as they passively listened to someone else. “Girl, what?” Bewildered, Rae shook their head and laughed, brushing out Rayna's hair to figure out where else they needed to trim.

[raekaplan]

[raekaplan]

marcoriccix​:

If there was something that Marco had gotten used to over the last couple of years, it was seeing customers who were clearly out on a date and having the worst possible time. He’d saved a few of them, too, and Rae was no exception to that. There had been a couple of occasions where he’d taken it upon himself to rescue them —- obviously in need from the look in their eyes. Today, however, he was in some need of saving himself. “Yeah, I know…” he answered her with a gentle chuckle, looking around. “It’s real nice, though.”

When they continued, he was quick to shake his head, he’d never been all that worried about who cut his hair. “I believe you,” he told them with a smile. “When I’ve been passing by here before I’ve never seen anything other than happy customers leaving that door.” That was true as well and something that gave him to confidence to step through the door today, along with already knowing Rae, of course. “Under maintenance, huh? You know what, I think I could go with that.” Another laugh. “I’ve been told it looks good by a few people, but no, not really my thing when I spend all my time in a kitchen… or near one, anyway.”

-

“It’s mostly just navigating how to style your hair at different lengths. Entirely up to you here, but we can either cut it a lot shorter or give it a healthy trim and work with what you’ve got now.” Rae had the expertise to give the chef their suggestion, but seeing it was Marco’s first time at the salon, it was important to get an idea of what Marco preferred as a new client. It wasn’t like suggesting something off a menu, it was making a cosmetic change. “They’re not wrong though, you’ve got a great head of hair.” As good as it looked, Rae understood that it was a bit harder for someone with a career like Marco’s to both maintain and enjoy having longer hair.

Using their hand for a shield and lightly spritzing Marco’s hair with water, Rae already knew what products would work best for styling just by eyeing it. “Either way, the tiniest bit of hairspray and pomade is going to your best friend for keeping hairs out of your face and food.” If Rae could help it, they didn’t want to take away softness with excessive amounts of product that would make the hair harden. “We’re going for practical, but we don’t wanna lose that lusciousness!. It’s all doable here!” The hairstylist mused, gently coming through his now dampened wavy hair. 

[raekaplan]

char-ainsley​:

Lottie had no idea what she had been thinking but making bad choices when she was bored was something she was known for. Growing up her professors hated it and usually gave her extra work to keep her from doing anything too bad. Her grandfather liked to point out that idle hands were the devil’s workshop. Maybe he was right. Maybe she should have found something else to do but oh well. It was too late now.

“You know that trend of taking Kool aid and dying your hair with it? Well…” Taking a seat, she pulled off the hat she was wearing to show her friend the damage she had done to her hair. “You know the videos make it seem so easy. If you can actually fix this without having to shave my head you’ll get the biggest tip ever plus I’ll buy you lunch,” She promised.

-

Rae knew plenty of hairdressers who were overdramatic for no reason when it came to clients that would try dyeing their own hair at home, as if they didn’t start out doing the same exact thing. “That’s not too bad. Trust me, I’ve seen much worse.”  It’s all Rae did growing up, experimenting the different ways they could express themselves through different hairstyles and colors until they learned professionally at the beauty institute. They also knew people couldn’t always spend money on getting their hair dyed from a professional, especially if it was just on a whim sparked by curiosity.

“How about I help you wash this Kool-Aid out of your hair, thirty bucks no fuss, and you don’t have to worry at all about treating me to lunch. Sound like a deal?” Rae usually politely declined being treated to things and it was a habit of keeping in mind people’s financial situations. They were more than happy with generous tips, but there were some friends and customers hellbent on doing something extra to the point where Rae couldn’t refuse. 

[raekaplan]

haveharttt·:

“Okay, interesting thought,” he replied as he typed short notes on what she said. “Valid, most of my break ups have been messy but I’ve also got issues so I’m not factoring that in here. I’ll give more context. Say for a hypothetical, you’re a stereotypical up tight individual. You plan literally everything. At any given time of the day, someone could look at a clock and know exactly what you’re doing.” Tyson paused, taking a moment to assess. “What if it’s framed in a way that you were unaware that your partner was unhappy. You were just focused on your own unhappiness that you didn’t even see the signs. I mean people are blindsided by break up all the time, now?”

-

The brownie was gone and they were disappointed in themselves. Normally they would stop halfway and put it back in the bag for later, but in their defense, it had been a while. “Yeah, it totally happens.” Rae would be lying if they said they’re paying full attention to what he had to say. They did hear most of it, however, and definitely gathered enough information to give more feedback, which he clearly wanted. 

“What if the breakup is the one thing this meticulous person didn’t plan? They didn’t expect themselves to say it where or when they did, the partner is shocked because they too can tell it was completely just... out of the blue, unplanned.” Rae’s opinion wasn’t warranted at all and they knew that, but providing alternate options might help him in the long run. At the end of the day, he should, and probably would go with what feels right to him.

[jasminevolkan]

CLOSED ► @raekaplan​​

WHERE: at the entrepreneurship gala / WHEN: throwback to november 2019

jasmine’s stomach was twisted into a knot when she parked her car alongsides all of the fancy porsches and teslas of her fellow entrepreneurs. she felt absolutely out of place and she had not actually walked inside of the place yet. she squeezed her hand bag so hard when she finally appraoched the building that her knuckles were turning white. she was greeted by employees who asked for her name. she was allowed to walk inside, but insisted on waiting in the lobby. there were more important things than hearing more successful people brag about their riches. jas was definitely not her father’s daughter, or else she would not feel this urgent need to run outside and hide in the comfort of her home, wearing her favourite bunny ears slippers and texting her best friend or facetiming them just because she missed the sound of their voice. she checked her phone out of habit, still no news.

where was rachel?

the truth was, jasmine wanted to turn down the award for which she was honoured that night. she did not seek for pity or do it out of fake humility, she truly believed she was undeserving of it. she was so new to the whole business world and, quite frankly, she never thought she would be a part of it. she admired her mother’s career and dedication to making whoever walked into her workplace happy, but she also knew the ugly side of it all too well. everything was done for the sake of vanity and power. truly, she did not belong there. jasmine made a promise, though, and she was not one to break her pinky promises.

as soon as she received the invitation, she stormed into rachel’s salon, holding the enveloppe like it was her invitation for a royal ball. she entered a spiral of thoughts: what would she wear, who would be there, why was she the chosen one, who would take care of the shop when she was gone. instead of telling her to breathe and calm down, rachel just hyped her up and gave her confidence a well-needed boost. one thing was obvious in jasmine’s mind: rachel would be her date. she did not even think of inviting her mother who, more or less, paved the way on the tacky red carpet of the event. it was clear that she wanted no one to be by her side other than her best of friends.

jasmine was frantically looking from one side to the other, trying to keep an eye on the reception hall while also making sure she did not miss their arrival on accident. how could she have missed it? she heard a familiar voice call out her name and turned around. she was greeted by one of the most beautiful sights she had ever witnessed in her life. she heard her own audible gasp, which was the only sound that came out of her mouth left ajar aside from the sudden stuttering. she had to shake her head vividly to come back to her senses and to bring her friend in a tight embrace. and she smelled absolutely heavenly too. minnie tried to blink away the confusing sensations she was experiencing at that very moment. it was hard to describe, it resembled butterflies, fireworks and birthday euphoria. all she knew was that it felt warm. it felt nice. it felt comforting. it felt like something she did not want to stop feeling. once she managed to pull away, after what seemed like an awkward amount of time spent hugging and ruining rae’s perfect hair and makeup by smudging it around, she finally spoke something lucid.

“you just got here and you’re already stealing the show, bestie!”

[raekaplan]

There were many evenings where Rae would be finished at the salon and they would head straight for Scoops just to find Jasmine working tirelessly, trying to close the ice cream shop while serving last minute customers. No matter how many times Jasmine told them not to, Rae would find a way to help wherever they could. Cleaning tables and putting up chairs was nothing compared to the extensive list of things the business owner had to worry about. She did it all so diligently and Rae couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of an award when Jas broke the news about receiving one, inviting them to be apart of such a well-deserved accolade.

When it came to Jas, Rae dropped everything. An instantaneous connection, her compassionate nature and sociable personality mirrored Rae’s. The two of them found joy in making others happy, whether it be their customers or the people they cared about. It was noticeably hard to find balance in wanting to please everyone and finding time to take care of themselves, but they were each other’s reminders. On many occasions, tonight would be no different. Rae would always be there for Jas the same way she was there for them. That’s why they were absolutely livid about this sudden downpour on the way to the business gala.

No weather app could ever accurately determine Catalina’s spontaneous tropical showers, so no, they didn’t think of an umbrella. Fifteen minutes had gone by as Rae sat impatiently in their car and waited for the rain to ease up. Surely it’d go away or come down to a light drizzle, wouldn’t it? That was their initial idea, to just wait it out and let Jasmine know they’d be a little late. With barely any phone service in the parking lot, Rae couldn’t let anymore minutes go by and in a frantic effort to get to Jasmine without destroying their look, climbed into the back seats hoping to find a jacket or something feasible in the trunk. No luck in finding anything, Rae then opted to roll down a window and shout at the nearest cars parking next to theirs. Luckily, some guy was nice enough to lend his umbrella and use his tux as one.

A bit damp, but manageable, Rae quickly freshened up before finding Jasmine. Looking equally as relieved as she did when they found each other, Rae wrapped their arms around her in a warm embrace. “I am so sorry.” Rae murmured, their teeth no longer chattering from the chilly breeze that came with the rain. Even their longest hugs felt too short. Pulling away but holding onto Jasmine’s hands, Rae looked adoringly at Jas before rolling their eyes at her compliment. “Shhh. Tonight’s all you, minty.” In Rae’s humble opinion, no one and nothing in this entire building could hold a candle to Jasmine. “You look stunning, and I am absolutely honored to be your plus one.” Beaming with pride, Rae gave Jasmine’s hands a supportive squeeze before locking arms.

[brolinjosh]

[raekaplan]

junisantoso​:

Juni wasn’t the type to yell. No. Scratch that. She was exactly the type to yell — especially when dealing with complete morons. Fresh out of her final class for the day, Juni figured it’d be nice to get some reading done at the park rather than heading straight home, and it was a nice day for it too. She could not have foreseen that a simple lean against the trunk of a tree would cause her so much distress. 

“I have an emergency,” she screamed as she burst in through the doors of the salon slightly out of breath. “End of the world type situation, like, I need help now or, I will personally end the world situation.” It was only after her outburst that she took a moment to take in her surroundings. The hairdresser mid-talk with a client, other customers waiting for their appointments, all of them starting at her like she lost her shit. Technically, she did lose her shit, was quick to realise that an explanation might clear some confusion. “Gum, people! GUM,” she whined, carefully tugging at her locks, “I have gum in my hair! It’s disgusting, someone get this out please…”

-

Right before Rae could get a response, Rae and their friend turned their attention to the frantic customer who swung open the salon door. “Oh, god. Sit right here, love. It’s all good.” Turning the chair for her to sit in, Rae couldn’t blame the girl for freaking out, it was no joke having gum stuck in your hair. Luckily, Rae knew just the trick, no scissors or hair cutting needed.

“Hey, Do you mind if I take her first?” Rae asked their friend that walked in before the distressed customer, hoping they’d understand. “It’s up to you whether you want to stay or come back in...” Turning to the clock, they estimated how long it’d take. “Let’s say a half hour?” Without hesitation, the friend agreed, offering to come back with lunch. Though Rae normally rejected being treated to food, they were more focused on turning their attention to the emergency walk-in. “We’ll get this gum out, easy-peasy.” Rae reassured, wanting to make her feel at ease while scrambling for the coconut oil.

[emmaainsley]

for: @raekaplan​ location: luau larry’s time: saturday, happy hour

“God, I needed this…” A soft laugh escaped Emma as she sat back in her seat, lifting the cocktail in her hand to her lips. It had been a while since she’d had a chance to meet up with a friend like this and just enjoy a few drinks —- between working and Riley, she was finding herself becoming swamped rather rapidly. Time seemed to be rarity these days and one that she missed quite a lot. “I feel awful saying it, but I’m missing the days where I was free every night to do whatever I wanted to.”

[raekaplan]

Though bummed that their coworker couldn’t make it on short notice, Rae still looked forward to getting together with Emma at Luau Larry’s and was glad they thought of extending the invite to her. It felt rare for Rae to catch the equally as busy Emma on a night where they were also free.

Ordering a play-it-safe plate of sweet potato fries to accompany their first drink of the night, Rae mouthed along the lyrics to Wham’s Club Tropicana while listening to Emma speak. “Hey, you don’t have to feel awful about wanting that. You need time to yourself, when you’ve got the time of course. I’m glad you came out tonight. No one else would’ve told me I had lipstick on my teeth.” Rae didn’t have a clue what it was like to be the parent of a child, but they knew it was hard for Emma to be self indulgent, being the devoted mother that she was to Riley. 

“Plus, I'm sure Riley wants to see you have fun and go out on playdates with your friends once in a while, too!” Rae chuckled, wanting Emma to unwind the same way they planned to tonight. 

[raekaplan]

marcoriccix​:

This wasn’t usually something that Marco made a habit of, but knowing there were a few important guests coming to the restaurant tonight and there was a possible threat of Michelin on the horizon again, he’d decided having his hair tidied up probably wouldn’t hurt all that much. having spoken to Rae on the few occasions they’d been into the restaurant, he’d gotten to know exactly where they worked and so that’s why he decided to head today. Having your hair done by someone you knew was always a good thing.

“That’s good to know…” He laughed, watching Rae as they disposed of the hair in the dustpan. “If you’ve got the time, I just need to be looking less shaggy by tonight.” A shrug and he took a step further into the salon, glancing around for a moment. It was the first time he’d stepped foot inside, so it was all new to him, usually he headed to a barber in Lafayette Square, but there’d been as issue recently causing him to close.

.

The last time Rae had seen Marco- no, the only times Rae would ever catch Marco was when they would eat at Ricci’s on several occasions. There were many awkward dates Rae was able to get through by striking up a conversation with Marco if he happened to walk by. Rae was always admiring him for his craft, often prodding for recipes as they broadened their culinary horizons but knowing he’d never fully give his secrets away. Today, however, Marco would be Rae’s customer. “I have to say, it is delightfully strange having you at the salon!” For once, he’d be able to see Rae’s profession in action.

Rae knew some men could get finnicky if it wasn’t another guy holding the clippers, but after years in this industry the hairdresser garnered plenty of male clients with pleased testimonies. “Our usual guy isn’t in today, but I promise you’re in good hands with me. Perhaps even better.” Hopefully lessening any reluctance Marco might’ve felt, Rae finished tidying up and leaned against the front desk. “I don’t think you could ever look shaggy, Marco. I think it’s more of an ‘under maintenance’ sort of situation, and we’ll have you ready by two o’clock!” They reassured, taking the last few sips of their coffee that wasn’t as warm as before.

[cwote]

Little steps every day add up.

[raekaplan]

raynandsunshine​:

“Are you sure?” Rayna asked, poking her head in. She offered Rae a hopeful smile. “You work too much,” she teased, even as she conceded and sat in the chair. It wasn’t like Rayna had any room to complain. She only had a few hours until she had to go home and get ready to go in for a graveyard shift. Should she be sleeping? Probably, but coffee worked just as well. And graveyard shifts at the hospital were not as insane as medical dramas would’ve had her believe. “Both? I’m here for both. I missed you, and we need to catch up, but also I need a trim. The split ends look went out of style back in med school.” She laughed a little, offering them a bright smile before she pulled her hat off, ruffling the mess of hair that she’d been hiding under it. “What’ve I missed? I feel like we haven’t caught up in forever. You said you were starting classes soon, right?”

━

Wanting to trim away her stressful split ends was all Rae needed to know. “Missed you too, little lady.” Filling an empty spray bottle with water, Rae screwed it on tight and did a few test spritz in the air before heading to the station Rayna sat at. “Yeah no, it’s been a minute! See, I too thought classes were starting soon, but the semester started last week. If my other friend who goes to LCC didn’t remind me I would’ve been a week behind.” Whenever a semester break came to its end, Rae was a bit fuzzy-brained and it took about a week in advance to fully readjust for the new semester, so not having that extra week really threw them off. “Other than that, nothing too new. I probably won’t be out as much but... Definitely took advantage of those weekday nights while I could.” They had plenty of time to talk about that. 

Reorganizing before they got started on Rayna's hair, Rae rummaged through the drawers to find a new comb for detangling and picked up sterilized pair of scissors to put aside. “How about you, sunshine?” That was Rae’s go-to nickname for her. It was fitting, seeing they needed something to differentiate their similar names.