turn up the jams!

Say you don't know me or recognize my face, say you don't care who goes to that kind of place. Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight, too many runaways eating up the night ... We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll!

[walksman]

changed my url to walksman for the 80s walkman aesthetics xD thanks for listening to my ted talk ! 

[walksman]

@coldaches​ ➤ NICOLAS TALBOT.

‘ So ... with the whole GETTING MARRIED thing, you know, you’re kind of obligated to buy me a bike. Like, a really nice one. And a car for when I’m older. Big enough for everyone. And our bikes. And Mango! ------ Can we get a dog, too? There are pleeeeenty down at the shelter that need a good home. ’ Eyebrows quirked and a sweet smile spread across her face, trying to make her eyes look as puppydog-like and childishly innocent as possible.

[walksman]

kisch, pauline.

❝ NOTHING!  ❞ gasping melts into a higher-pitched tone and while the brunette remains cool, her answer’s spoken way too quickly. she fears giving off the impression that she’s hiding something —- she’s not, at least not to her knowledge. by now, lou holstad could’ve told anyone. so maybe it’s her luck he keeps his circle small. warm tones wide open, her gaze is daring and it’s not exactly inviting the other to QUESTION her statement.  ❝ whatever, say what you want. ❞ her reply appears less enthusiastic than before, mind occupied by one hazy night and a sloppy kiss that she’d rather forget. but the girl’s nosy and can’t help it:  ❝ why? did he say anything? ❞ 

Eyebrows raise and he opens his mouth to speak, but at the sudden increase in pitch & the question blurted out as she finished speaking, he thought for a moment, not wanting to somehow trigger more nervousness in the other --- he had enough of that for both of them. ‘ N-nothing! ’ He spoke quickly, maybe too quickly, and he backtracks hurriedly. ‘ R-r-really. Nothing. That’s ... that’s why I, uh, asked. ’

[walksman]

talbot, nicolas.

@empirestwo ( elliot moore )

     ❝ been trying some new brands lately. it’s not quite the good scotch i usually have, but a corona does the job. want one? it’s still better than what kids these days chug down. ever heard of a california root beer?  ❞

‘ Not a HUGE drinker, but I’m never one to turn down a good offer --- I can’t afford all the fancy boozing anyway, might as well make the most of your lack of brand loyalty, eh? Especially since I need a reprieve from the BUD LIGHT that lingered on some of the girls on Saturday mornings during the on season and their graffiti artist classmates down at the station Friday nights. What’ve you got for me? ’

[walksman]

kinney, steven.

       ❝ don’t you think that’s a little dramatic, sienna ? especially considering the fact that oscar’s here maybe once a month. ❞

‘ Dramatic would be if I smothered you in your sleep. Look at this as fair warning! ---- I’ll make sure he respects your grave once he goes outside, though. It’s the least I could do as I galavant through the cemetery with him. It’d get me to start going on runs. ’

[walksman]

talbot, robert.

        ❝ i’m fully aware. ❞ he states, fingers drumming on the counter. he can’t see her from where he stands, but he doesn’t want to scare her by following her around the store ; since it’s possible he’s just overreacting. he cranes his neck slightly, sighing when he realizes that there’s no way he can keep a constant eye on her. hopefully she doesn’t take anything too valuable. ❝ ah, can’t say i recognize the name. it’s too bad — be good to have someone else down there to connect with. ❞ 

The nails are pushed into her bag, the typical rush she got off of stealing flowing through her. She was careful, however, not to get too confident. Keep it cool, keep it steady. She ducked into the next aisle, scanning the shelves for other tools she might need, setting her sights on a hammer. Careful to remain out of Robert’s peripheral, she slides the hammer into her bag as well, and then popping into the front of the store to offer him a smile. ‘ You got some nice stuff. Stanley is a good brand. ’

[walksman]

larsen, cyril.

       ❝ theodore. ❞ his frustration, irritation, is growing — his son’s resistance grating on his last nerve, patience wearing thin. he really was turning into his father. he takes a deep breath, calming himself — steadying his words. ❝ she deserves an apology. ❞ it’s not a question — he knows that teddy’s response would be an angry variation of the word yes. it’s a plain statement, one in acknowledgement of his past mistakes. he looks at his son, an expression of pure confusion on his face. ❝ keep your money, teddy. i don’t need it. ❞ the response is both a matter of saying he can easily afford a plane ticket — but also that he isn’t planning to leave.

‘ She ... she d-deserves it, ’ THAT they agreed on, at least. That his mother deserved miles better than Cyril had given her, and deserved for him to be miles away. But Teddy, as much as he wished he could, had never been the most valiant defender. He was weak, he was shy, he could never seem to say or do the right thing. But fuck all if he wasn’t going to try. ‘ But  ... --- but you d-don’t deserve t-to see her. ’ His mother was miles better than the man in front of him, and he wanted him to see that. He wanted him to know that Teddy saw it too. 

[walksman]

holstad, lou.

       “ They’re called pac-dots. ” He corrects, consider it part of the job description for a self-professed EXPERT. “ I’ve got the high score. You’ll see it. At the top. If you play. ” His prideful beam diffuses the awkwardness, even if it is at the cost of looking a tad arrogant. “ Uh-huh. The Atari 2600. You should come over, we can PLAY. ”

‘ I ... don’t, uh, really ... do stuff out--outside of my house much? ’ His statement is posed as a question, one that doesn’t have an answer and is rooted in his own nervousness. He nods though, as Lou continues, pushing his thick framed glasses up his nose. ‘ I--I’d like that! C-c-coming over and playing. On the Atari, I mean. Not -- not l-like a playdate. That’s f-f-for kids. D-do you have ... uh, Space Invaders? ’

[walksman]

newberry, basil.

@empirestwo​ ;; ophelia

       basil sat at the foot of their bed in the middle of the dorm room and stared out of the window.   “   i’ve been waiting for it to snow for SO LONG, but every time the forecasters say it will, it never does.   ”   a sigh and a pause as they look at her.   “   what do you want for christmas   ?   ”

If her parents knew where she was, they would kill her. Mr. & Mrs. Sinclaire’s uber religious mindset had always been a point of annoyance for Ophelia, but perhaps the most sensitive one was their disapproval of any of their children being around those of the opposite sex alone. Boys only want one thing, Ophelia. Time around men will trigger sinful desires; you have to wait for the one God wants you to be with. And thus, most of her time spent with her best friend began with her sneaking out of her window or promising that she was indeed hanging around with female friends that didn’t exist. ‘ Meteorologists are bull, stupid. Weather changes too fast, man-made stuff screws it up, you can’t really get it that precise. ’ A sigh escaped her, and she hopped up from her position on the floor, squeezing between them and the wall to peek outside. ‘ A million dollars. An eighth gen Thunderbird. My own mansion that I’d maybe let you visit. That’s pending. ’

[walksman]

espina, caesar.

@empirestwo ;; pippa

        he wasn’t expecting pippa to be inside the house when he came back from work.   “   what’s with all the bags   ?   you’re not moving in,  are you   ?   ”

‘ I’m back home, ’ Words were razor sharp and twinged with annoyance, leading to a rolling of brown eyes as she pushed another box towards the center of foyer --- any place in the house would have been big enough to store what she took with her, and she was LAZY. ‘ Didn’t expect you to notice I left. ’ The jab is hardly subtle, and she doesn’t attempt to disguise it as such. It’s rooted in hurt, but that’s something she does cover --- aren’t fathers supposed to be worried about their daughters? Aren’t they supposed to welcome them home with open arms? She could hardly remember the last time she’d been locked in the embrace of one of her parents. Her father wasn’t an affectionate man ( not that he was ever home to dole it out ) and her mother floated by with the jingle of bracelets and a kiss smelling of coffee hovering just over the flesh of her cheek. ----- They weren’t supposed to ask what was with the bags. 

[walksman]

weathers, jesse.

      jesse had seriously considered not coming home at all tonight. what was the point if he would be getting a lecture from his parents either way   ?   it wasn’t like he didn’t have an EXCUSE   (   he had to study for his calculus midterm   )   but that also didn’t mean that they would believe him.  of course,  the verb studying was to be used extremely lightly when it came to doing such with his friends.  it was less studying,  and more raiding brad’s dad’s alcohol cabinet.

      he was a little LOT past buzzed when victor dropped him off at his driveway.  he had been hoping to sneak into the house unheard,  but evidently,  that would not be possible. abruptly, he stopped just short of the steps leading up to the front door.   “   sorry.   ”   his eyes are averted,  staring down at his dirty sneakers.   “   i lost track of time,  studying for calc.   ”   before the incident with tommy,  he knew his dad wouldn’t be that opposed to him drinking,  but he didn’t want to test it at this moment.  the goal at the moment was to deny,  deny,  deny,  and leave to pass out in his room.

      “   uh,  i-i can’t.  big project due tomorrow.  haven’t started.   ”   he didn’t feel good about saying no to helping out,  but on the contrary,  he really didn’t physically feel good at the moment.

He could smell the alcohol radiating off his son. He was not unfamiliar with the teenage habits of sneaking into your parents’ house half past tipsy, but seeing Jesse like this formed a knot in his stomach. He would have dismissed it as teenage antics the year prior, but as they were closing in on winter and the likelihood of finding his youngest diminished, there was NO EXCUSE for having your guard down. No excuse for endangering yourself. ‘ And what class is that for? ’ He asked, not bothering for a visage of curiosity and instead giving his best attempt at a stern look. He’d always been lenient, always given leeway to his kids, trusting in them to make smart choices ---- at least, in Jesse. He was more protective of his other children, the young ones, not yet men. And how well had that turned out for him? 

[walksman]

mullin, declan.

       declan could only nod in agreement of her statement.   “   yup,  yes,  absolutely,  one-hundred percent.  can you believe we invented world peace   ?   ”   he took a swig of his drink and put the glass down before succumbing to a bout of laughter.   “   shit. we - we really gotta get our shit together.  what the hell am i doing here,  kitty.  what are we doing here   ?   we could actually be out there and   —   i don’t know   —   actually be doing something for world peace. am i being impractical? i feel like i’m being impractical.   ”

‘ Fuck yes, you’re being impractical. I do ... so much. So much, Declan! I volunteer and shit, I recycle, I make donations to the fucking ... everything! ‘N everything is still dying. We’re still dying! ’ She took another long swig of her drink, pausing only to look at what was left in the bottle before downing it. ‘ It fucking blows, man. We can’t do shit. But, ’ A disappointed glance at her empty beer bottle. ‘ We gotta try. Otherwise, we’re just as useless as everyone else, ’

[walksman]

mcclain, spooky.

       there were too many names, too many personalities, too many bridges burned. he remembers meeting mikaela down in florida and introducing himself as sean. it wasn’t his favorite name,  but whatever name he had was never more important that his safety,  and his mother had made sure that he remembered that. his fatal flaw   —   holding grudges   —   made sure that he remembered every betrayal. the worst of which was from none other than mikaela   (   shiloh, whatever   !   ).  it cost him nearly everything,  his mother,  a heft sum of money,  and anything good that had ever happened.  he had no interest in getting anywhere close to the her.

       “   if you don’t have anything good to say, then i don’t want to hear it at all.   ”

         he gathered dirty plates from a nearby table in an attempt to distract himself and have an excuse to get away from her.  there was nothing that made him want to hear anything she was about to say,  but he did have some sort of manners.

She heaved a sigh; Shiloh was always quick to ANNOY. She drummed up any sympathy she had ( VERY little, she’d been bred to be selfish ) and followed him las he collected the plates, making sure she stayed within  d i s t a n c e  close enough to keep their conversation quiet. ‘ I always have good things to say, ’ she quipped, even though it absolutely wasn’t the time. ‘ Let me at least offer you some kind of explanation, man. It won’t be half-assed or untrue or ... anything like that. ’ She sounded more whiny than sympathetic, and she supposed her tone held true: she wanted the guilt off her shoulders more than to give him closure, and she had no intention of letting years of emotions she’d neglected catch up with her in order to be gentle with her words. ‘ You can’t avoid me forever, ’ she pointed out, a seamless lie that was spur of the moment rather than rehearsed. ‘ Because I’ve got no intentions of leaving unless I need to. ’

[walksman]

phillips, molly.

molly was slightly embarrassed at how eager she became to see the baby chicks, remembering how excited she was to raise them in her own preschool class. everything was far easier when she was too young to comprehend familial tension or understand why mommy & daddy didn’t love each other the way her friend’s parents did. “ you guys are raising chicks? i used to love that when i was little –– though i can proudly say we came up with names a little more creative. though we didn’t really know who bob dylan was … truth be told, i still don’t. ”

‘ I remember that! God, I think I was just as excited as you just hearing about them --- especially since we had Blonde on Blonde on an 8-track. I always wanted to listen to the Beach Boys, but ... I could only reach your favorite Mr. Dylan until my growth spurt. ’ She moved towards the entrance of the school, opening the door to offer the first position in to Molly. ‘ There’s seriously something unnerving about referring to a chick as a cat, though. It’s really messing with their animal knowledge too. At least they think they’re hilarious. ’

[walksman]

fullum, vince.

“ as have i, bud, and have dealt with one too many ‘ i don’t know’s ’ and shrugged shoulders to believe half the jackasses in this town don’t commit crime just for the hell of it. i’ve heard of bored eating, but bored offenses has got to be a new low. ”

‘ Lying isn’t a criminal offense, but those who commit them seem to have a fondness for the act. No one egging a house or mugging an old woman wants to talk to a cop about why they did it ---- plenty of them are just dumb teenagers doing things to be cool. Then you’ve got the motivation right there: being the best of their “jackass” friends. ’

[walksman]

blake, marion.

       ❛  you could’ve told me.  ❜   eyes are fixed on the road, but her words aim to her right. there is at least thirty minutes left into the drive to hartford, marion’s always been good for her word. she said she’d help, and she has.  ❛  i understand why you didn’t. i do.  but  — you’re in college.  you don’t have to do it alone.            look i know,  i’ve been away. for a LONG time. but i’m not a stranger. okay? i care about all of you, we were like family. that’s not going to evaporate just because we moved away or you guys hit the hard times.  ❜  @empirestwo

‘ I don’t do it alone. My mom’s still AROUND, you know. She does a lot for us, ’ Her words aren’t vicious, but they are defensive. Life’s been hard on her --- but her the least out of the triad she calls her family. ‘ We didn’t hit any hard times either, ’ Unlike before, she looks at Marion now, fiddling with the backpack sitting on her lap. She feels like she’s twelve years old and being driven to school --- but she’s an adult, she’s going to work, and she needs to act like it. ‘ Hard times’ve always been around. If anything, you should talk to her. She’s the single mom, ’ Another tug on the backpack’s strap, this one tinting her fingers red with irritation from the rough fabric. ‘ I’M fine. That’s why I try to help. ’

[walksman]

kennedy, isaac.

   starter for ophelia sinclaire ;  @empirestwo

“ i wasn’t HAPPY, per say, just … less pissed off. ”

‘ Yeah, right. I could see the serotonin at work in your head --- increasing faster than bunnies make babies, some kind of ... Back to the Future one point twenty one gigawatts speed. The whole consistently angry thing is so passé. Very 1981. ’