t o a d .

send me 🎼 for a song that represents our muses relationship !

Marcus: [literally a picture of a cloud]

Marcus: What does this look like to you

Isaac: Popeye the Sailor Man

━━━━ “Let’s name this one Angus,” Joakim said, accepting the teddy bear and chuckling. Another addition to his growing collection of teddy bears from Isaac. Oh, yes, he’s got a cabinet-full of it—it puts Build a Bear to shame. “Cute,” he added, pressing a lingering kiss on Isaac’s cheek (kiss on the lips? So overrated here in the twilight zone). “Thanks, love.” And of course, he had to add, “We both know I’m not romantic, stop being a smartypants, alright.” Affectionately, Joakim says these things affectionately. Also, because they’re punishing sticking to one another at this point. “Anyway, I made reservations for us. It’s that cute café, about two blocks. We can walk, as usual.” Driving is also overrated, oh please. “So how’s work? Did anyone give you hell today?” Joakim asked, casual.

“ like the short guy who plays guitar and wears a hat ? ” he asked, then proceeded to nod his head to the bear and say, “ i mean, he is pretty short. ” after accepting the kiss ( yes, it was ‘accepting’ now ), he replied, “ oh, but you’re a romantic to your core ! why, i’m shocked you haven’t been deemed the 20th century william shakespeare ! ” oh, it was all in good fun ! all of this ribbing – it was all out of love ! “ isn’t it insane that valentine’s day is such a spectacle you need to make reservations for a cafe ? imagine how far in advance we’d have to book if we wanted to go to, say, that fancy restaurant down the block ? ” you know ! that fancy restaurant down the block ? the fanciest one in beaver creek ? that one ! “ the usual – don’t have any jobs right now, so it was mainly just teaching kids paradiddles for the umpteenth time – single strokes if i was lucky. spent some time at ikea after that. ” wasn’t it great that beaver creek had an ikea ? “ any of your kids retain anything ? ”

twilight zone starter; @stfuisaac​

━━━━ Now when it comes to Valentine’s Day, Joakim has no game at least how it is here in the twilight zone. He tries, of course, and how he’s with Isaac after all these years (and still not living together? Better believe it), it’s the question for the ages. Surprisingly, this time, he was able to come up with a romantic gesture. This better work, Joakim tells himself as he sees Isaac. Grinning, he drapes an arm around Isaac’s shoulders, “Hi, happy Valentine’s Day,” Joakim said, red envelope in his other hand, giving it to Isaac.

even on valentine’s day, isaac just kept thinking that he was such a dumbass for staying with joakim – i mean, isaac had a two bedroom apartment and no one in the other bedroom, and how long had it been ? was he really going to be that guy ? the one who stayed with his boyfriend just so he wasn’t alone ? ...given that he was about to meet said boyfriend for valentine’s day plans hinted at a ‘yes, it seems,’ but that didn’t mean it would last forever ! and it also didn’t mean his valentine’s day present to joakim would be good !

smirking when he felt joakim drape his arm around him ( the damn fool ), he took the envelope and replied, “ red ? very festive of you. ” to free up one hand so he would be able to open it, he handed joakim his gift, not wrapped because he was no fool ! he’d gone minimalist – stuffed bear with a shirt that said ‘i love you beary much!’ – it was his way of really sticking it to the man ! 

once the trade-off had been completed, isaac opened the envelope with great care ( apply some white-out and you could reuse any envelope – the recipient would only sometimes notice ! ). as he expected, there was a card – what else was joakim going to put inside an envelope ? a letter that said ‘dear isaac, i am dumb, i will move in. love, joakim.’ ? ah ! but within the card ! “ you named a star after me ? wait, what are the – ” seeing the numbers that came directly after 1S44C (said numbers being 0912), it took... a second to compute. “ oh – oh ! my birthday, oh, right. ah, whoever said you weren’t a romantic ? ” he asked rhetorically, leaving a light peck on joakim’s cheek.

“everyone keeps telling me my wedding day will be the greatest day of my life but no one’s talking about how nice the engagement can be. what’s so wrong with not wanting to rush it?” madison asked, glancing down at the ring nestled perfectly on her finger. she was excited to get married, she didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, it was just nice to bask in the engagement glow for awhile. when things happened, they would happen. “plus, it’s going to be very hard to beat the day i won that giant teddy bear at the beaver creek fair when i was twelve as the greatest day of my life.” she added with a laugh.

twilight zone open starter;  @manorstart​

“ well... people like state changes, ” he replied. setting a finger down, he continued with great emphasis, “ when you think about it, most things people celebrate – involving the individual – are state changes. birthdays, wedding days –– anything that’ll last a day and take you from one thing to another. forget romanticizing engagement and married life, forget people saying ‘oh, you’ll love your 30s’ after you turn 30 – it’s all about the day of the change. ” isaac had no clue he was so passionate about this topic until he was already off on a tangent about it... so, upon this realization, he backed himself up. “ really happy for you, though. it’s about time. ”

INTRODUCING… ISAAC BAROT, now with 30% less obvious type a tendencies !

born and raised in beaver creek, colorado isaac has now spent twenty-seven long, beautiful years in the village. spending the majority of his days working as a sound engineer and drum instructor, he lives a blissful life, and never wishes to leave.

————————————————————

“what gives you that idea?” she laughs, shaking her head. something about the whole situation, the way he spoke and the overall feel of the place felt off. way off. “i mean, i understand some of them but.. some are just bizarre. lock doors and windows at a certain time? i’ve never heard that in any place.” and so far, she’d stayed in all sorts of places. being on the run wasn’t easy, but now was not the time.

“ i’m just super intuitive – total in-between-the-lines kind of guy, ” he joked, leaning against the wall, preparing himself for a conversation. he’d met literally no other guests – it was about time. “ certain time is weird, yeah, but i think the whole ‘lock them’ should be one of those given rules. like, don’t most places – like, hotels and such – have doors literally just lock behind you ? the review incentive is extremely weird, though. ”

━━━━ “Yeah, the angle of competitiveness back then was you’re either flashy or thrash,” Joakim mused, “loosely on the ‘thrash’ aspect, of course. You’re either the best or you’re sub-par just like everyone else. But that’s why music back then is timeless.” Musicians giving it their all day in and night out? That’s what Joakim was all about. “Sure. Go full indie, too. Use your phone as your main camera, you just need a charger and back up. You’re your own film crew, you’ll be saving money also!” He encouraged, somehow amused with the idea of a biopic about the band. Maybe it can be like that Bohemian Rhapsody film instead? An actual film rather than a mockumentary. “You need to quit on insisting the romantic angle of my killing of you, Isaac,” Joakim remarked, chuckling; “What’s that one film that has that tag line? Nothing is more intimate than murder?” He couldn’t remember. “I get to be Ingrid cus I’m also Swedish. Also, you just wait, and no sooner this mansion will start messing with you—consider this my warning.”  He stood up, unplugging the cable from his guitar (wires are never out of style), unplugged his amp, and started packing his instrument. “Wow, I mean, will you let me officially ask you out first before labeling our walk as non-romantic?” Joakim retorted, amused while working on the latches on his case, and finally locking it. He’d ask Isaac to carry the amp for him, but he likes the work out. Guitar case in one hand and heavy amp on the other? An actual workout (his personal sound engineer never failed to remind him of this fact).

Motioning for them to get going, they make their way out of the indoor pool. “You got to meet some of the guests yet?” Joakim asked Isaac as they headed upstairs. A thought came to mind and he decided to voice it out. “I think we can probably ask Dorothy or Toni to move us to a different room if you’re cool with it?” He offered. He kind of dragged Isaac to find him here and made Isaac room with him, sleep on the bed that once belonged to their late friend. It was the least he can do—if possible, and Toni, the non-corporeal manager, will allow it. “Let me just put my stuff inside.” Guitar case and amp back in the room, Joakim went back to Isaac.

“I think we can put your kit in the game room,” he suggested as they make their way to the patio, “but utilize a countermeasure.” If the band did rent out the entire manor, they would have had every room to themselves. “After you,” Joakim said as they near the patio doors.

“ i think most revered drummers back them – revered by the masses, i mean – were some combination. everyone knows keith moon and that guy was flashy and, by the standards of the day, thrashy. bonham... if his ‘moby dick’ solos weren’t known well, he’d just be ‘thrashy,’ ” he replied, mentally tacking on that he couldn’t think of another drummer who met their height in the 1970s who was as well-known by the general public as bonham and moon ( emphasis on the 1970s – people knew ringo, people knew peart, people knew alex van halen, etc. ). “ you see, and that’s why i’ll defend nick mason until the day i fucking die – he wasn’t flashy, he wasn’t thrashy, but he played what the floyd needed him to play – he was fucking integral and no one else could’ve done that for them. ” again, same went for ringo, but they were talking 70s, not 60s. “ man, what if i full-on blair witch’d it ? night vision, shaky cameras – the whole damn lot ! i’d undoubtedly win best drama of the year. ” no biopic was anything but a drama ! “ that’s why i’m fucking insisting on this romantic angle, man – ‘nothing is more intimate than murder,’ it said it itself. ” waving his hand, he replied, “ alright, fine – blonde and swedish. but if that makes the manor charles boyer, i get to be joseph cotten. ” he dreamed of being as tall as joseph cotten who, to get meta, was still an inch smaller than fluke. good thing he’d never meet fluke, to continue getting so meta. “ well i’ve been waiting for you to pick up on my cues ! have you not heard me playing ‘mr. sandman’ by the chordettes ? ” ...he had been playing it ( via spotify, of course – he didn’t play a melodic instrument ! ), but... he just liked the song.

following joakim’s cue, he waved his hand in that sort-of motion that has no good descriptor. “ i mean, dorothy checked me in and i ran into this woman who had some questions about the rules here, but that’s pretty much been it. ” he wasn’t quite sure how he was supposed to meet them. he’d spent the ‘burial’ full of concern, then it seemed like everyone immediately went back to their regularly scheduled ‘sparsely scatter throughout the manor’ program. “ yeah, new room would be more than ideal. ” sleeping in the bed of a dead man, much less a dead friend... was unnerving, to say the least.

stepping out, he replied, “ listen man, we can put it wherever as long as no one’s gonna fuck with it. i’ve worked too damn hard to make it perfect just for some curious kid to walk by and change the angle. ” even by two degrees... he would notice. 

━━━━ Joakim frowned and frowned. “Let’s not go there,” he commented, meaning the comment about Bonham and Baker being enemies—it’s a touchy subject, even for him (especially since he’s Bonham all the way). “Fine, you get Moon. I like Moon. He’s your optional drummer. That’s it, no more bargaining.” They can spend the entire day talking about the 70’s, if anything, they would have belonged in that era. He laughed about the Titanic comment, saying, “Leo might be bankable, let’s go with Leo.” And laughing some more before adding, “Double bass is cool and it’s your sound, man, so stop grousing. Jeez. Bring Joey Jordison in here and you’d rip him to shreds—although he kind of looked cool hanging upside down but that’s overrated these days.” Shrugging, he decided that they’ll need an actual plan for Isaac’s kit because it’d be a complete shame and waste to have everything tucked inside a van??? Or was it an SUV? Did Joakim even ask which vehicle Isaac brought?

“Yeah, well. I might have to reschedule that. Maybe during an eclipse instead,” Joakim joked, eyeing his amp once more and lo and behold, it was back to lowest. Double huh. Isaac’s stick twirling didn’t go unnoticed and it was distracting for a moment (a good distraction honestly). “I was sort of able to touch the stick also?” He admitted, baffled. “Although now that I’m thinking about it, it was leaning against the wall and my hand might have gone through.” He finally loosened his fingers around the neck of his guitar, stretching his fingers upon realizing he’s been gripping it ever since. “Actually I took a picture. You need to see—where’s my phone…?” He turned to the side, looking for the device. Not on the nearby table, not on the amp, nowhere near Isaac.

Looking over to the other chaise lounges, Joakim saw his mobile phone near the glass doors. Yeah, that’s bizarre because he never went there. Deciding to ignore this particular revelation, he got up and quickly swiped it from the floor. “Okay it’s—dead.” It was 90% charged earlier, he was sure of it. “Anyway,” Joakim said, looking at Isaac, “fancy that walk now? I will not commit homicide. Not yet.”

“ hey, i’ll give you this – baker started it. but, like, to be fair, it was a prompted question and being constantly compared ? it’d get fucking tired. ” isaac was well-aware that joakim was, and would always be, team bonham. he was also well-aware that baker and bonham had marginally different styles – hell yes it’d get tired, he couldn’t blame either one. “ i’ll take it – moon’s fucking impossible to replicate, but i’ll take that showmanship, ” he commented, mentally noting that even moon couldn’t replicate moon. “ alright – when the sharp objects biopic is being casted in the future, time traveling back to bring young leo to the present shouldn’t be too hard. kate winslet hasn’t changed too much, and she’ll probably just appear for, like, a few minutes while young leo is playing with his friends before the fame – fuck, should i direct this ? ” his vision was clear... other than who he would cast as ribs, ronnie, selene, and marcus. giving a single nod, he replied, “ joey jordison looked fucking awesome upside down, but i’m going polyrhythms, he’s going blasting. a drum battle between us would be really weird. ” okay... so he could risk his set being played and bring it into the area with the great acoustics – he could just disassemble it when finished, even if it’d be an extreme nuisance... but people could still steal one of the drums – it’d be weird, but it could happen. it was a gigantic manor, yet he couldn’t find a private place to put them ?

“ even more romantic – total eclipse of the heart, man, ” he said, ignoring the more obvious reference between the two. “ it would honestly be romantic during any weather if it was at night – really poetic – so you’ll have to kill me during the day. ” how disappointing... he would love to die a beautiful, poetic, romantic death. maybe he could romeo and juliet it first ? he just had to find his romeo or juliet first. “ man, this place is legit trying to gaslight you. why do you get to be ingrid bergman ? ” i mean... did he want to be gaslighted by a place ? no... did he want to be ingrid bergman ? sure. 

he wanted to make a joke about how it wasn’t the only one, but... people were literally dead, it wasn’t some movie, so he threw the joke to the side. “ but it’s daylight, man – it’d be the perfect time if you don’t want it to be romantic, ” he replied, gesturing to the door anyway. 

━━━━ Joakim listened, nodding and closing his eyes dramatically. “Let’s just stick to Bonham and Baker, your limit is two,” he responded, pointing a finger. “Also you’re prettier than Rose and I’m no Jack, nice try. Maybe Golden God is not yet taken?” He joked, looking to the direction of the large windows once more. “That might be an issue and we can’t have that.” Anyone else laying a finger on their gear? Criminal. It’s not allowed, ever. Unless with consent (and some sweet talking was involved, but a rarity). “Best to not use the Ouija unless you have substantial questions, good man.” He added, giving Isaac a light clap on the back. “Oh, that’d be the game room. There’s a DDR arcade edition, and it’s the bees knees, man.” That was probably his favorite aside from the pinball machine.

He started the riff for Glory Box, casually playing and tilting his head. “Me?” Joakim asked, arching an eyebrow as he deliberately extends the riff, whistling softly. “I’m not a barbarian—I’ll wait til the next full moon and then I’ll ask if you fancy a stroll.” He stated, cheeky. “Aw, shucks, now my nefarious plan’s ruined.” Which meant it was a yes from Isaac. Cool. Nothing like a creepy walk to the cliffs and discovering equally creepy… stuff when they follow the bottom-trail.

“Anyway here’s a strange story for you,” Joakim began, pressing his palm over the strings and looking at Isaac. “I went to the basement last Sunday—don’t ask me why—and I found a hockey stick.” He paused, his left hand squeezing a little too tight on the upper neck of his guitar. “It was the same stick I used during college. It had my number and initials on it. I swear from the way I taped it down to the curve of the blade where I’d torch it… I… took a walk cus I thought I was losing it. And when I went back to see if it’s still there—it was gone.” Joakim didn’t mention that he took a picture of the stick, and he made a comparison because he had an old image of his actual stick. “It was just, it was so uncanny. This mansion has a habit of mindfucking me.”

“ bonham and baker were fucking enemies – you need to let me have at least one more to balance it out, ” he replied, tone pleading as if this was... actually serious. nodding his head to the side, he said, “ i don’t know, i think kate winslet could play me in a biopic. you’re prettier than young leo, sure, but who the hell else could play you ? ” if young leo had had long hair... he would’ve been the perfect candidate. “ yeah – and i can’t exactly tote an entire six piece set – two being fucking bass drums because apparently i can’t settle for just getting a double pedal – plus a shit-ton of cymbals around the manor. moving a guitar and amp around might be easy enough, but i’m gonna need a nice, permanent place to set up... which fucking sucks because this place sounds amazing, ” he finished, tapping the tile with the stick’s head just to further prove his and joakim’s point. his setup was one of the least ideal for toting around – he simply thanked god he hadn’t tried to emulate peart. and that he brought a cajon, but those still weren’t half as fun. “ fuck, you mean i can’t ask why joakim wants to push me off the cliffs ? ” oh, the irony he was unaware of ! “ she did say high-tech, i’d expect nothing less. ”

as joakim began his riff, feeling rather jealous of his ability to play it in the first place. isaac began lightly tapping on the wall for every high-hat, accenting for every snare, full-on hitting for every bass. “ you’re such a romantic, joakim ! no prettier time to die than the night of a full moon. ” you know... at least isaac would be able to bring his sticks with him on the cliffs. could joakim bring an amp ? no ! could he still bring a guitar ? ...sure, but it would be a huge nuisance. 

isaac ceased his tapping as the other introduced his story, leaning in ( although that was not to say he ceased his twirling – he still needed something to do with his hands and what better to do than show off something that... really takes even longer than the drums to master ? ). well, now he was tempted to ask why... but he was better than that.  “ alright... so the hockey stick you haven’t used since you were – what, twenty-two ? – just appeared ? ” had he never met joakim before, he would’ve been skeptical, but through joakim’s experiences and through his general trust in him, he believed it. “ this place is fucking weird, man. ”

━━━━ “I was showboating, it’s all me. All guitar,” Joakim deadpanned, sitting up to adjust the volume on his amp. Lowest. “You weren’t needed although your presence could add a bit of money shot—your right side profile? Could have been Bonham.” Rambling kind of help, shaking the thoughts away and what he saw. It was a hallucination or an apparition, some sort of jog down memory lane. “You feel like assembling your kit here?” He offered, pointing at the empty space next to the large glass doors overlooking the small pond.

Shifting mildly, Joakim frowned, noticing that volume on his amp adjusted to the standard volume (10, that is). Huh. “You haven’t had any paranormal encounters yet, have you?” He asked, curious. “What’s she saying?” Pointing at the headphones and nodding. Has Isaac encountered any glitches? Crossed lines during the audio tour? Or was it a unique experience to every guest?

“Isaac, when you’re done with the audio tour? Let me know,” Joakim offered, idly checking the pick ups on his guitar. “I’ll give you a firsthand tour of the cliffs.” While it’s still daylight, he thought to himself. “You don’t mind sightseeing, yeah?”

“ i don’t know, man – the way i work my shakers could totally steal your thunder, ” he smiled, glancing around for a place to sit so he didn’t have to keep leaning against the wall like joe cool ( although he wouldn’t mind such a comparison – joakim would make a great woodstock ). “ you know the way to a man’s heart, joakim. tell me i have the power of bonham, the sound of baker, the timing of phillips, the showmanship of moon, and you can have me. ” he splayed his body, both as an offering and as an accidental homage to titanic. looking around the area, it seemed spacious enough – the acoustics had proven... strangely excellent. “ you don’t think anyone would try to play them ? can’t have that, man. ”

“ not yet, no. had that weird dream – that was it, though. haven’t fucked around with the ouija, yet. ” even though there were apparently plenty of peaceful ghosts, he had no plans of accidentally fucking up and bringing out something malicious. “ uh... ” tuning back in, he replied, “ something about high-tech gaming ? ”

he pointed a stick as joakim and turned his entire body to face him this time. “ you gonna push me off ? i guess if you’re stuck here, there’s no better time to commit first-degree homicide – police can’t really drag you out kicking and screaming. ” that was his answer. 

@manorstart​

last option, last resort. nikita had always been told to go with her gut. but right now it was conflicted. there was something inescapably eerie about this place.. yet as much as it put her off, it drew her in twice as hard. an alluring brick box with never ending hallways. “oh, you! are these rule things for real? like, does anyone follow them?”

to think that he knew about the murders and the ghosts and the dead friends and still decided he’d stay there – still decided he’d wait until his time was up then allow himself to get stuck... damn, if that didn’t prove just how much he hated his life as a lyft driver and session drummer, stuck doing the exact same beat... then what did ? drawn out of this pity party he was throwing for himself by a voice, he turned to the source after coming to the realization that he seemed to be the only person within earshot. “ just got here ? ” it was, more or less, rhetorical. “ i’ve got no clue – just got here, myself. doubt it, though – don’t think most people plan on going to sleep at 11:00pm nowadays. ”

◤ @stfuisaac​ ◢

━━━━ How he always end up in the indoor pool was beyond him, although Joakim has long established his affinity for water. He managed to wade through the burial and party like a pro (this is a white lie), made it through the weekend and even got something positive despite the circumstances. Only, that one positive was probably oversleeping or exploring, Joakim has no clue at the moment. This is kind of terrible on his part, but he’s not the host… alright, yeah, this is terrible. But he went and grabbed his electric guitar and his amp, decided he was going to just… kill time here, on a chaise lounge by the poor. His guitar ready, and a small coin between his fingers, he plucked on the intro—soft notes, building up. He’s playing by ear, doing his own take (a habit, but a damn good one) and singing softly to himself.

“Arrive at seven the place feels good,” he takes a breath, “no time to call you today. Encores til eleven then Chinese food… back to the hotel again…” He goes for a few taps here while bending, his eyes sweeping towards the pool, noticing the ripples. Joakim ceased the singing then, although he continued playing. Somehow, a figure starts to—is that a head…? Like the top of it, inky and long strands and… and…

A presence, someone definitely human made him look away from the pool. “Hi—did you,” Joakim began seeing Isaac and blinking, turning to look at the pool. And—nothing. Cool, cool, cool.

“What’s up?” Yeah, that’s the lamest query in the galaxy at the moment. “You’ve been sleeping okay?”

the weekend had been... weird, to say the least. there was the party – i mean funeral, then there was sleeping in the bed of a dead man ( whose friend he once was, but we won’t get too into that because then it’ll get too meta )... he was sure peter, his 70-year-old frequent lyft rider ( by coincidence, although peter did call him one time to ask what conditioner he used because he wanted to surprise his wife with a soft wig ), would have some words of advice for such a strange situation... probably something along the lines of ‘leave while you still can,’ but, if that was peter’s advice, for the first time since he’d driven him, he would ignore it. 

upon the realization that he’d taken absolutely no time to explore his surroundings, completely distracted by the oddity of it all, he had finally decided to make use of the audio tour. sticks twirling in hand, purely to give his hands something to do while following the disembodied voice’s directions, he was greeted by a much more familiar sound – much more familiar than this disembodied woman – when she told him to enter the area with the indoor pool.

he moved one of the headphones off of his ear, hearing just enough to identify the song joakim was playing before the other acknowledged his presence. “ ‘always somewhere’ ? man, should’ve told me that was on the setlist – could’ve been almost hitting people in the face with my egg shakers instead, ” he ribbed. ...he still didn’t know where he was supposed to put his kit...

upon the realization that he... didn’t know how to pause the audio tour, he took both headphones off and let them rest on his shoulders. he’d retrace his steps another time. he leaned against one of the walls, like a cool person, and considered replying that sleeping in the bed of a dead friend was a bit jarring... but settled, instead, on, “ all thing’s considered ? ” you know, the murders and ghosts. “ i’ve slept pretty well. ‘ was trying to take the audio tour, she’s already way ahead of me, though, ” he continued, lifting one side of the headphones... and, yes, he had no clue where she was.