☂ been a fool.

* . ｡you make my heart SHAKE, BEND and BREAK, but i can't turn away and it's d r i v i n g me WILD.

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atlas-jespers:

Whatever words Atlas could all to mind all felt too thick on their tongue. The flirty lines of ‘you’re sweeter than honey’, came to mind, but the teasing tone didn’t match with the scratching in their throat. ‘I wish you’d called me’, maybe, but then again, Roman wasn’t to blame, was he? With numb hands and eyes tracking his movements across the room, Atlas settled for, “I missed you.” 

Atlas slid down from their throne on the washer, the blanket still draped across their shoulder, a royal cape. They reclaimed their bag of laundry, lest they think too much. This was Roman, after all, it wasn’t meant to feel so uneasy. “We should watch Grand Budapest,” Atlas offered, a peace offering to sooth an offence they weren’t sure they’d committed. “I could honestly bath in honey and lemons right now.” They gave a small laugh, and it was as it they’d broken through the strange mood that had fallen over their body, the weariness slowly seeping from their bones. Atlas cocked their head to the side, eyeing Roman from the corner of his eye – a small quirk tugging their lips upwards. “D’you have everything?” 

☂ ---- THERE were few things on this earth that could make roman stop any current task he was completing on his own volition. those few things included dogs -- any size, breed, color, what-have-you would stop roman in his tracks in favor of petting it -- and any trace of film criticism, which, vouched by anyone who’s ever held a conversation with roman, sent the boy on a tangent and turned changing the subject of the conversation into a lost cause. if roman had to write out this list of things that could catch his attention without fail, ‘atlas’ would be scribbled haphazardly at the bottom, as if he had been pondering adding their name the entire time, but only decided to write it down at the very end. so, when atlas proclaimed, seemingly out of the blue, that they had missed him, roman stopped unloading his laundry for a moment, glancing over at atlas. he smiled fondly at them, the smile lingering as his gaze moved down to the floor. “i missed you too.”

“we should,” roman agreed. “i haven’t watched that movie in forever. i haven’t watched any anderson movies recently, actually. you could almost assume i’d fallen out of love with him.” speaking was easy around atlas. as unapologetic as roman was, whenever he was speaking to people, there was a lingering wariness in the back of his mind as to whether he was talking too much -- he had a habit of doing that, apparently. with atlas, it didn’t matter. he could talk and talk and talk or not talk at all and he’d still be content to just sit there in their company. roman pulled the pair of sweatpants he had been wearing out of the laundry load, ceremoniously tugging them on and slinging his laundry bag over his shoulder. “yeah,” he said, accompanied by a curt nod as he grabbed atlas’s hand casually, heading for the door. “after grand budapest, can we watch the place beyond the pines?”

[rcmanism-blog]

                                              snap ➳ open

roman: ya boi is lookin masculine af in this lighting

[rcmanism-blog]

☂ atlas-jespers.

Perhaps Atlas had allowed too much time to pass between now and the last time they’d spent time together. Perhaps it was the flu welling up inside them, the rolling headache pulsing through their temples. Or perhaps it was just the familiarity, the proximity to Roman and his too-small tee shirt and the bright yellow boxers, but Atlas was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable urge to cry — for lack of better reaction, for lack of an alternative emotion.  

Atlas kicked the machine underneath them, the clanging echo disrupting whatever train of though had taken over. “Dryer’s done,” they mumbled. 

☂ ---- ROMAN tried not to notice the way atlas changed. it was mostly because he couldn’t put a finger on it, couldn’t pin one specific thing and place it next to another -- couldn’t manage to categorize the feeling in the air in with any other sort of feeling he’s felt before. roman decided he didn’t like it -- it felt kind of heavy, like being covered in too many blankets, even though it’s too cold without them. 

☂ ---- roman glanced over when atlas dully announced that the dryer was finished, and he stared at it for a moment, having to take a second to conclude that that meant he’d have to move and get everything out of the dryer. reluctantly, and awkwardly, as much as he hated to acknowledge it, he weaseled his way out of the blanket cocoon, unloading the dryer haphazardly into the bag he’d brought with him in silence. it was odd, and different from all the other comfortable silences they’d share, and roman wasn’t sure why. it would bug him to the end of the earth if he kept thinking about it. “i’m pretty sure i have some flu stuff at my place,” he commented, just in an attempt to fill the air. “tea, too. honey and lemon fixes everything.”

[rcmanism-blog]

☂ lcstiisms.

          LATE NIGHT walks and charlie lyon had long since made their acquaintance. it was something about those without homes { w a n d e r i n g } their way through the city, trying to find their next safe-haven of slumber —— rats scurrying around street corners, searching for something to eat ; living day to day —— the humans of the NIGHT ; with nowhere to belong, and no sense of where they’re going … their pasts forgotten & far behind them. —— the stories of these people ; these strange, LOST creatures, resonated within charlie’s own caged heart more vividly than he’d ever care to admit. yes, it was for this reason —— this curious sense of belonging amidst those that don’t belong —— that the boy walked. 

          DRUNK on the night air & intoxicated by the raw darkness of the city, the gentle hum of light from shop windows blurred into a shapeless silhouette, colour without form, as charlie seemed to waltz through the street, pace contemplative yet swift. it was at this moment that a flash of bright yellow ( ! ) caught charlie’s attention, gaze snapping to the left to inspect the burst of colour’s source. gray hues scrutinised the small frame of a familiar boy through the laundromat’s window, a smile pulling upon the very corners of the blond’s lips before filling in the rest of his features. it was charlie’s very own roommate, ROMAN.

        pulling off his faux leather jacket, charlie entered the laundromat & wordlessly approached the curly-haired boy from behind, a chuckle falling from his lips as he tied his jacket around roman’s waist once he got close enough. “ i’m honestly a little HURT. you never told me that it was no-pants, cheese stick eating day today, roman. ”

☂ ---- ROMAN didn’t scare easily. it didn’t matter what was trying to scare him -- or who, for that matter -- roman was never any fun, because he’d give an underwhelming response. but there was something about the laundromat at an ungodly hour of the night that put roman on edge. just a little bit, of course -- he wasn’t in a rush to get out of there -- but he was attentive, his eyes flickering around more frequently than they would at some other time in the morning or afternoon. so when he didn’t hear the door open, and didn’t hear any footsteps approaching him from behind, and wasn’t prepared for a pair of hands to wrap a jacket around his waist, of course the logical response would be to jump out of his skin and flail a bit. it didn’t occur to him that kidnappers and overall, generally bad people usually wouldn’t try to preserve his modesty before snatching him right out of the local laundromat, but it was somewhere between eleven p.m. and two in the morning -- could he really be blamed for his brain taking a few shortcuts?

☂ ---- when he turned around, ready to fight whoever was standing there, a wave of relief washed over him and caused him to sway, accented by a roll of his eyes. “i didn’t think you’d be one to want to join the no-pants, cheese-stick-eating party,” he retorted, his tone void of any cracks or wavers as if he hadn’t just been scared shitless. he sighed, untying the jacket from around his waist and easily sliding his arms into the sleeves, pulling it up over his shoulders without a care in the world for the exposure of his lower half. he settled into the jacket, smiling contently as he leaned his weight on the washer behind him. “then again, no-pants, cheese-stick-eating parties aren’t exclusive to laundromats. pants are optional in our apartment, you know,” he quipped, “and i’m POSITIVE we have cheese sticks in our fridge.”

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☂ nikclaim

nikolai couldn’t help but feel particularly on edge since the day began; overcome with a restless sensation that only seemed to persist as hours passed, leaving with him an inability to focus and a feeling as though his skin crawled. while not unheard of, times like this were typically fleeting for nikolai. except, now, they were beginning to appear more often than he would like. perhaps it had to do with the upcoming holidays that plagued the calendar with one right after the other. something in itself that wasn’t necessarily bad but more so the after affects of said holidays. often leading to an influx of messages left on his phone from his parents who suddenly seem to care about family at this time of year. which—nikolai was russian and russians don’t celebrate thanksgiving. so why his parents wanted to fly over year after year since he took up residency in the states was beyond his comprehension. nikolai liked to think of himself as one who didn’t dwell on the past too much but it often proved difficult not to do when his отец and Мама decided a childhood wasn’t as high a value as money was when it came to his talent. picking at the edge of his phone case in his pocket, nikolai had hoped that a trip to starbucks would help despite caffeine being the complete opposite of what he needed. confrontation wasn’t quite something he had in mind when he originally went out to take his break before heading back to rehearsals but it was hard not to do when he could feel the gaze of someone nearly burning a hole through him. opening his mouth to speak again, nikolai was quick to close it and could only stare at the blue eyed boy in front of him. he knew americans were blunt regarding thoughts and opinions but since his time as a sixteen year old in america to now, never had he quite been this taken back. not that the question was by any means rude, just more forthright than what he remembered all those years ago. “indeed i am.” nikolai replied, finding himself more aware of his accent now that attention was brought to it as he kept up his expression of indifference on his features. “and you’re american, correct ? glad that we’ve gotten the basics out of the way.” 

☂ ---- ONE THING roman prided himself in was the fact that he was incredibly observant. body language was his specialty; he could pick up on a lie before the person even realized they were lying. it was fortunate, if he was honest, because once he knew the person was telling a lie, he could let them go on with it -- at that point, for roman, it was just a story. but roman wasn’t looking for lies, and the frigid man he was interacting with certainly wasn’t lying to him, so instead, roman picked up on the way he seemed to shrink at the mention of his ethnicity. not in a shameful sort of way -- he just seemed to be more aware of its visibility. roman remained benevolent, and, as per usual, slightly clueless. “is it colder there than it is here?” he asked, regardless of whether or not the brunette was willing to answer any more questions -- the tone of his voice projected that he most definitely was not. “how hard is it to learn to read? what’s the alphabet like?” the questions came one after the other, leaving no room for thought and barely any for answers. roman had never really been one for formalities -- he was curious, and if he wanted to know something, he’d ask. “do you act, at all? would you ever want to be in a film? i make shorts, and it would be really cool to have someone with a genuine russian accent.”

[rcmanism-blog]

☂ atlas-jespers

Atlas’ stomach churned with guilt- and something else- because their absence couldn’t wholly be attributed to work. It was their choice to work more hours, take more cases. As far as distractions went, work seemed to be healthier alternative than late-night binge drinking at whatever bar would let them in after three drinks too many. It felt strange to meet Roman by serendipity. 

“You’re going to get sick, too,” Atlas protested, even as they unraveled the tight cocoon of their blanket to let in Roman, knees knocking against him. For all the emotional connection they had, there was still so much that Roman didn’t know. “I don’t think I’ll make it through the rinse cycle, Ro,” they said, matching Roman’s dramatics. Atlas gave an exaggerated sniffle that turned quickly into very real coughing. “This is the end for me,” Atlas gasped, “my last moments, spent by your side in this lovely local.” They gestured around the empty laundromat, breaking into laughter. “But yeah, I’m down for that. I sleep better on your couch anyway.” 

☂ ---- ROMAN wasn’t used to these happenstance sort of moments. they weren’t unwelcome, of course -- ESPECIALLY when they involved atlas -- but nonetheless, roman was always taken slightly aback whenever they occurred. he was never one for calculation, either, but he figured that if he was, he might have considered seeing atlas by chance to be highly unlikely. then again, with the way atlas threw themself into their work with the utmost reckless abandon, it might have been highly unlikely that he saw them by determination, all the same. regardless of the chances, roman hadn’t seen atlas in AGES, and it had become most obvious now that he could feel the heat radiating from their body.

“i don’t get sick, at, you should know that by now,” roman said in a near-scolding kind of voice. in reality, roman got sick, and he got sick often, but his pale complexion and inherent disability to feel sorry for himself, he rarely ever showed any signs of it. (often times, someone had to come along and get him to slow down and rest if he looked on the brink of death.) “at least you’d die in good company,” he teased, nudging atlas’s hip with his own. “and i know you do. it’s the throw pillows, isn’t it? i knew those were a good investment.”

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☂ an ooc post.

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☂ wclfeish

wolfe tensed ready to throw fists, then they remembered that the landloard wasn’t fond of them and if they did actually punch roman there and now it was probably going to come back and bite them on the ass. “fuck. off. roman.”

☂ ---- “WHY? who else am i going to pour my endless commentary on tarantino films to? speaking of which, have you seen django unchained? literally one of the only good modern western movies. it’s really hard to nail a western movie nowadays, especially because cowboys don’t really exist anymore...”

[rcmanism-blog]

☂ peacecara

Cara smiled widely, nodding her head. “I totally know what you mean. If I was smart at all I’d invest in another work shirt.” she laughed as he motioned to his outfit and she held up the obviously soiled shirt in her hand. “But then again why would I spend more money for a job that I don’t even love.” She watched as he tried to guess what the stain was, an amused expression crossing her features at his guess. “Thats a good guess, but no. Split pea soup. I’m just hoping it washes out.”

☂ ---- ROMAN raised his eyebrows and tilted his head slightly when the girl spoke about putting money into things that weren’t worth it. “that’s a good point,” he said, pointing at her as he did so. “don’t pour money into something you’ll only really need temporarily. although, an extra shirt couldn’t hurt, could it?” he shrugged. “ah! i was close,” he grinned, looking closer at the stain. “how long ago did you get it? i’m pretty sure if it’s not more than a day, it’ll come out easy-peasy.”

[atlas-jespers-blog]

[ ATLAS JESPERS + ROMAN THOREAU ]

“…you are too good to be good for me…”

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☂ josaltieri

josephine moved from behind the dryer and walked over to one of the washing machines, and sat her bag on top. “ clearly, ” she raised a brow, hands on her hips, smirking. “ nice underwear, by the way. you look nice in yellow. ” she turned away, giggling, and started tossing random articles of clothing into the washer. “ true. best girl group of all time, you know ? “

☂ ---- ROMAN let out a laugh when the girl made a comment on his underwear, as would anyone, he predicted. “thanks. i pride myself in the fact that i can look good in yellow,” he said with a shrug. “nice, uh -- hello kitty pants.” the compliment was mostly sincere with only traces of any sort of mockery. “honestly? you’re so right. better than destiny’s child, dare i say.”

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☂ atlas-jespers

Atlas couldn’t do much but wordlessly accept the cheese stick and prop themselves up on the nearest washing machine, burrowing into the blanket. “I didn’t mean it, Ro, your wardrobe is great.” Atlas’ own closet was a sea of black, all jackets and hiking boots with lab coats as the only other color. They didn’t intend to be bland, though CSI work left little time for anything other than CSI work. Atlas kicked the washer with the heel of their boot, the thunk echoing in the empty room. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever – which is my fault, but…” 

Their eyes watered, tiny shivers still running up their arms. Being pathetic, it seemed, was Atlas’ specialty, but they were beyond the point of caring, unable to think past the pounding headache brewing behind their temples. Atlas held up a weak thumbs-up. “I’m fucking sick as dick, but it’s been worse.”  

☂ ---- “I KNOW you didn’t mean it. jesus, atlas, have you already forgotten how deep our emotional connection is?” it was dramatic, and one-hundred-percent supposed to be ---- roman had a flair for exaggeration, to say the least. he sighed, throwing himself over the nearest washer with the back of his hand against his forehead, feigning despair. “i thought you’d never come back to me! you’re always at work,” he rolled his eyes slightly. he knew atlas's job was an unforgiving one, so he wasn't genuinely upset (it was rare that roman ever really was). he sighed, sauntering over to atlas to retrieve his cheese stick, taking a bite out of it. then, at their comment about being sick, roman moved his free hand up to press the back of it to atlas’s forehead. “god, you’re all warm and sweaty.” he walked over to the nearby trash can to throw out the wrapper, padding back over to the other and wiggling his way underneath the blanket, sidling up beside them comfortably (despite how uncomfortable it may have been for atlas). “tell you what ---- when all our laundry’s done, we can go back to mine, watch whatever shitty movie you want, eat a bunch of food that’s really bad for us, and, like, sleep forever?”

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☂ josaltieri

“ mmm. if i’m bein’ honest, anything with ‘dying girl’ in the title seems pretty heavy to me. “ 

☂ ---- “IT’S actually the furthest thing! it’s a very uplifting story. there’s some sad bits, of course, but any movie would be unrealistic without fluctuation of mood. ---- you could also go for moonrise kingdom. such a cute movie.”

[rcmanism-blog]

☂ snyridcr

sonny really had to stop leaving everything right to the last minute. now he was stuck with no clean clothes and two massive bags of laundry that he had to get sorted urgently. wearing sweatpants, flip flops and the most awful hawaiian shirt going, he headed down the street to the laundromat, trying not to sulk, but he would have to be in there for ages on his night off and he just couldn’t be bothered. so he was sulking. he pushed open the door and went inside and he definitely did not stomp his feet a little. although, open entering he noticed another presence inside and his jaw dropped a little at the sight of him. wow. “i’m not sure about the yellow if i’m honest, but kudos for trying the new look, roman.” he smiled, trying not to laugh at his own words as he headed to the washer beside roman. at least he wasn’t the only hideously dressed one. 

☂ ---- ROMAN was, to say the least, surprised to see someone dressed as oddly as himself. that never happened. even on normal days, when roman had a perfectly good set of clean clothes to wear, it was rare that he saw someone dressed in the same manner as himself. so, the fact that it was late at night and this other person happened to be sonny from down the hall (he’d dubbed him that after he’d learned his name) rendered roman a tad bit speechless. but only for a moment, of course -- roman always found something to say. “why, thank you. i think it’s a look,” roman said graciously, standing up and turning from side to side to show off his ‘outfit.’ “i like the hawaiian shirt,” he added, void of any sarcasm or mockery. “the flip-flops are a nice touch.”

[rcmanism-blog]

☂ peacecara

Cara didn’t usually do her laundry on the weekends, it was one of the busiest times of the week to do it, but she had spilled split pea soup all over her good work shirt, and if she didn’t wash it out tonight, it would never come out. Plus she had to work the next morning anyway. It was late, and she didn’t expect anyone to be there, so the look of shock was evident across her features when sitting there, was another person sitting there in bright colored boxers no less. “Run out of clean clothes?” She asked with a laugh hoping that her sudden arrival would not make him feel uncomfortable. The brunette gave a small smile as she made her way to an empty washer.

☂ ---- ROMAN looked up when someone addressed him, looking mildly surprised for a moment before he put on an amused grin. “yeah, actually. i really gotta stop leaving laundry to the last minute.” he laughed slightly, motioning to his current outfit. he glanced at the shirt the girl was holding, tilting his head in confusion. “let me guess,” he said, humming and narrowing his eyes in thought. he didn’t know of many things that would create a green stain, of all things. “kale smoothie?” he grinned hopefully. 

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☂ wclfeish

“i’m gonna punch you if don’t quit.” they mumbled almost to themself pinching the bridge of their nose. “i don’t give a flying fuck if tarantino filmed the entire trilogy on the goddamn moon i don’t want to hear about it.”

☂ ---- ROMAN blinked, expressionless for a few moments, before his lips pulled into a snide smile. “kill bill wasn’t a trilogy,” he quipped. “and it was filmed between pasadena, los angeles, and china.”

[rcmanism-blog]

☂ gwenhuh

“oh, yeah, i have some hand soap. lucky for you, i have a bunch of different scents for you to choose from. ha, there’s never an inconvenient time to get high.”

☂ ---- “OH, thank god. honestly, i don’t know how this happened. i stocked up on all the fall scents from bath & body works and somehow i went through them all before thanksgiving. ---- even, like, when you’re on the phone with your grandma? or, i don’t know -- doing a puzzle?”