Kathryn took a moment to mull over the question, tapping her fingers lightly against her chin. Music had always been a sanctuary for her, a space where she could lose herself. And one of the very reasons she'd fell in love with old school jazz and the 1920s. It was a tough choice. Her own walls above the Lost Word were lined with records from all eras. Considering the vast array of artists she admired seemed like an endless task.
"Alright, alright," she laughed, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes as she visualized her dream concert. "First up, god — why'd you have to choose something so damn hard? I guess I'd have to go with Fleetwood Mac, no doubt. Stevie Nicks' voice, it's like a spell you can't break."
And that'd been hard to pick between them and The Cure.
She paused. "And then, for some soul-stirring depth, I'd bring in the legendary Bob Dylan. His poetic lyrics they have this way of unraveling the complexities of life, you know? It's like a journey through the soul every time he sings." Leaning back, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She'd give anything to hear All Along the Watchtower. "And to top it all off, we'd need a dash of pure unbridled energy. I'd go with the Billie Holiday. Her voice makes me believe I was born in the wrong era, y'know? She's like a goddess."
With a satisfied nod, she glanced back, eyes bright. "And if we're talking venue, let's do it in an open-air amphitheater nestled in the mountains, with the stars winking down at us. Oh, and for the set list, I've actually written a draft," she joked with a wink before she shook her head. "I'm nerdy, but not that nerdy. I wish I had a list, though."
"hey, hey--i surely never said it would be an easy question--but where's the fun in that?" sj had always been a thinker--to her own deteriment at times, she often found her head up in the clouds--but not lost in the sauce. and what was better than sharing those thoughts with others. she had always loved meeting new people, and found that the best litmus test for anyone's desire to talk to her was to broach the subject of music.
the more depth the individual went into, the more likely they'd be willing to continue a conversation. if not, they'd give a simple answer and move in. in either case, sj had learned something new and, on some level, felt satisfied. though surely she couldn't have been more intrigued by the choices this woman had made.
"you're an old soul--and I like it. you think deeply and intentionally and it totally makes sense, your line up--especially dylan. what a genius that man was. i don't know what you do for work, but concert planning could be in your future--might want to tuck that away for just the right time." sj winked and nodded. "oh that venue sounds just like red rocks--i've stopped on my way here, actually--well, i mean, years ago--and it's just as you describe."
ah, now it was her turn. "well, i'd be an idiot to not also include my girl stevie--i'm sure there would be plenty retribution if i gloss over my namesake. but for the sake of being unique and letting them take center stage at your concert, i'd have to go with zach bryan--for many of the same reasons you listed bob dylan. his lyrics stir something deep within me, and i think the way they feel geuine compared to some of the other lyrics i've heard.
"i'm also a big vibes person--so I'd say someone like maybe the killers? perhaps not the best band ever, but they've got good range and an interesting oeuvre to keep people engaged. and for our finale....queen. god, who doesn't love queen? they will surely bring the house down. i don't actually think i have a venue--though maybe i should since this was my own question." sj laughed, taking another sip of her drink. "god, i must sound wild for asking a complete stranger this question at a bar, huh?"
"Ok..." he laughed lightly as she points at him, listening to her question and how she had followup points. It's something that has him smiling, expressions light as he looked over towards SJ. "Sure... um, I'd have Don Henley for one song... can you do that?" Fuck did he know, he hadn't been to a concert for years and sure, this was his dream concert, that no doubt he'd change his mind when he wasn't so tipsy. Don Henley's song being Dirty Laundry. "Cyndi Lauper." Nate was a big fan and he wasn't afraid to admit that. Though most of his music taste remained in the 70s/80s. He actually adored Whitney Houston, though that was partly his mom's doing - he wasn't drunk enough to voice that, however. To shake it up he chooses, "Chris Stapleton ends the night for me. That satisfy you?" He asks, cheekily, actually. "You? If Justin Bieber's an option for you, I might stab myself in the eye." Though he knew all the words to Baby, so what did that say about him?
sj cocked her brow as nate listed his artists of choice. "sweets, you can do whatever your heart desires. if that's don henely for only one song, that's don henley for only one song. it's your concert, we're all just attending." she winked and took another sip of her crown apple and marg mix--she hadn't come up with a good enough name for her favorite cocktail, but it never seemed to stop satisfying. "hm, i like where your head is at. important to have a good variety--you never know where the evening will take you." rapping her fingers on the table, she nodded. "satisfied, yes. curious about where cyndi came from, also yes. but perhaps that story comes later?" in a flash, her head rested on her chest and her face scrunched up. "do i really present as a belieber? oh god." sj shook her head. "i mean not that theres anything wrong with that, but...yikes. i need a new image if that's the case. no, I was thinking: Fleetwood Mac, in all their angst glory from the Rumors days. Probably main act, if I'm being honest. I'd love to see Zach Bryan as the closer--and for my opener? Hm, would you look at me sideways if I said fall out boy?"
“Dream concert, go.” SJ said simply, pointing finger guns at the person closest to her. She loved asking people this question–learning their music tastes could tell her a lot about what kinda person they were. And not even in a bad way. Over her years, she had come to learn that people were not one dimensional–the same person who adored Jay-Z could also be an avid Taylor Swift fan. She liked asking this question because people could design their dream experience, no matter what. “You can only pick three acts–but they can be anyone you want. And if you wanna share a venue or setlist or whatever, go for it. Just means your kinda a nerd for being that prepared but honestly, I respect the hell out of that.” and, for the record, she had done the same for her concert too so. takes one to know one. “So, let’s here what you got.”
Baris sat alone at a corner booth of the diner, the familiar scent of sizzling bacon and brewing coffee enveloping him in a comforting embrace. It was night time, and quiet. The perfect time because the nightmares were keeping him awake more than usual. The vinyl seat creaked slightly as he shifted, his focus alternating between the menu and the sand streaked window. A plate of eggs and toast lay half-eaten before him, the remnants of a hearty late-hour breakfast that had momentarily distracted him from his thoughts.
He wondered how many men and women from his unit went through this exact same thing. Did it happen to them every night or just momentarily. Just as he was about to take another sip of his coffee, his cell phone buzzed against the tabletop. Startled, Baris reached for the device and glanced at the screen. An unknown number texting, accompanied by the alluring promise of intrigue. Hesitating for a moment, opened it only to groan loudly.
"My house mates and squaddies are a bunch of dicks,'' He grumbled loudly, the text which had been sent was just a single photo of every item in his room turned upside down. ''Why did I ever think communal housing was a good plan,'' He whispered to himself.
late nights at the lab weren't horrible, but they definitely weren't sj's favorite. but, as a treat to herself, she often wandered to the local diner to get a bite to eat before hitting the hay for a few hours. something about burnt coffee and overcooked eggs made her feel comforted--there was a level of normalcy that her life lacked some days.
she also liked it for the kinds of people she would run into. ever the people watcher, she took great joy in learning about those around her. sometimes she found out that a person only ate runny eggs--and other times she had the fortune of watching someone make a large life decision. she didn't retain the information, usually, but it was always in her best interest to be aware of her surroundings.
"communal housing? that was...certainly a brave choice.' sj said aloud, turning slightly. she was all for a roommate--but more than one? that felt criminal. "was it like a buy get four free kind of deal?"
delicate fingers traced the rim of her glass as maia suppressed the urge to yawn for the millionth time that night. she had just wrapped a brutal twenty-four hour on call shift at work, and with a two day weekend in her horizon's she wanted to make sure she actually did something for once. maia was known to be quite the homebody and never left the comforts of her apartment other than for work purposes, but tonight she was stepping out of her usual comfort zone. as she brought the remaining contents of her glass towards her lips to finish it off, she did a small wiggle in her seat as she forced down the alcohol, raising her hand for the bartender to bring her another. as she waited for her refill to be made, her eyes averted from the bartender to the person who sat down next to her, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "also bring them whatever they want. first one is on me."
the wiggle nearly made sj giggle herself--but she kept it to herself. after all, how odd would it have been to have her burst into a giggle randomly? seemed impolite, and while sj had come a long way in what she thought about manners (she was not in the ues anymore), she still felt it would have set the wrong tone. especially, since this woman had now just offered to by her drink. "hm, well what are you having? i think i'm interested in the adventure of something new--and you might be my unofficial tour guide." she grinned.
to say zehra was nervous about making a good impression on her first day would be an understatement. she was busy making a few arrangements for the display. but, she needed to get another vase down from the top shelf. her small frame proved hard and being the overachiever she is there was no need to ask for help when she couldn't find the step stool. after all there was a perfectly good stool behind the work bench either way. so, she stood on top the stool balancing her best as she stretched to get the vase the from the top shelf. "aha!" she said as she grabbed the vase with success. only to jump at the sound of the door chime. catching herself on the shelf the vase slipped right out of her fingers and onto the ground. "no!" she gasped, quickly making her way down from on top the stool. it seemed as she had been caught. "welcome to first and vine." she said with a embarrassed smile to the other after they entered the store and into her new mess.
sj loved to break stereotypes--she felt like, apart from balancing equations & denoting pH levels, it was one of her greatest talents. as a kid from the upper east side, she always was more down to earth than her friends. in school, she was the top of her math and science classes--and now, with her job as pozolero in los santos. she broke all the rules, but she found great satisfaction in the way she always caught people off guard.
but in some ways-- she was exactly what she looked like. "hi!" sj trilled, almost floating into the flower shop. she had always loved the way flower shops smelled--though she had also always found it ironic that it was a tribute to death, but in the most beautiful way. she liked that though--it reminded her that things were more nuanced than just the black and white. even things you'd think were the objective one way weren't always that way.
eyes fell on the floor, where the now broken shards of glass lay. "Oops--I didn't realize you'd be that excited to see me. But I suppose it's only fair I help you clean up!"
name: stevie johnson
goes by: sj, doc
age: thirty-six
birthday: september 17, 1987
gender & pronouns: cis-female & she/her
label: the scholar
orientation: heterosexual & heteromanticrelationship status: single
hometown: manhattan, new york city, new york
current town: tonopah valley, nv
neighborhood: downtown
occupation: self-employed (unemployed)
academic degrees: doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences, b.s. in pharmaceutical sciences
affiliation: pozolero for los santos
biography & headcanons & plots (tw: cancer & parental death)
biography (tw: cancer & parental death) →
stevie lost her mom to brain cancer at age 6. her father never recovered from the grief and as she grew older, gave less and less of himself to her.
stevie is a stem girlie, always doing far better in the subjects where logic and reason prevailed. math and science were her besties.
she went to school for pharmacy at NYU getting her bachelors & pharmacy degree in six years.
her father had lost most of their fortune, but stevie was smart so she got a lot of scholarships. she's scrappy for a former rich kid.
when she graduated school, she went on a trip across the country to see what she had been kept from seeing as a kid--and found herself mixed up in the los santos gang by accident. apparently, if you're willing to give tasting notes on the product their selling....be prepared to put your money where your mouth is.
lucky for her, she could and quickly rose up the ranks to find herself as a valued pozolero for the organization. at first, she struggled with how antithetical it was to her plan of saving lives.
after a while though, it stopped mattering to her so much and it wasn't really like she could just...get out anyway. she didn't desire too. los santos was as much of a community as anyone else, and as the little girl that came from a broken world--she liked that she had a group of people. maybe not all of those people--but at least she belonged somewhere.
so over the years, her morales have grown grey and she's stopped being so picky about what happens. at the end of the day, the hero and the villian are decided by nothing more than what side of the street you're on.
headcanons →
stevie usually goes by sj, its simpler and easier and sometimes she gets less weird looks
big state fair girlie. huge, even.
as mentioned above, she's a total nerd. will geek out over all sorts of silly things, but some to note: some academic journals, getting a perfect category on jeopardy, random youtube videos, marvel, star wars, the lore behind video games....so decidedly not your stereotypical gang member. but then again, stereotypes aren't always right anyway.
she's not like a nerd in the "introveted, keeps to yourself" kind of way either--she loves meeting people and going out to hang. she is decently involved in her community and has even been known to volunteer at the local hospital for drug take back days.
she loves horses. full stop.
she also loves cooking. is like...creative chemistry that generally can't kill people. baking too--though she does find the specificity of it a little more like work and she doesn't love that.
plots →
neighbors
friends! local friends, new friends, old friends, friends from the past--anything!
enemies! we love angst here
romantic relations! could be exes, crushes, former flings, current flings
work associates (friendly or nah)
literally anything i suck at coming up with plots in a list way but i love to develop with folks!
dailybridgerton
pixelskylines
vaporwave
baratheonpilled
snowghoul
germansingergirl
