alexandertash-blog

[alexandertash-blog]

today kicked my actual ass !! I’ll be on to do replies tomorrow xx

#hqsooc

[alexandertash-blog]

There was still no real information about the Beaumont girl’s death. Obviously suspicious circumstances, and yet no answers. But seeing as it was still fueling the gossip mill, Alexander was semi-obligated to try to sniff out some facts to share on his radio show, if not about the actual presumed murder than at least about the girl’s family. Her father preached at a local church, which was easy enough to poke around at under the pretense of spiritual exploration, and after taking a few notes inside and rifling around on the notice board outside the chapel for anything even partially interesting, Alexander stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. Churches were not his thing. Near the back door, though, sat a young man seemingly taking his own smoke break. “It’s not what I came looking for. But thanks for not-offering,” he replied, wryly amused. Seeing the cigarette smoke was alluring enough that he reached into his vest to pull out his own pack and lighter. “Don’t worry, I won’t bother you for long.” 

Tyler sat behind the church his father preached at, against the cold brick and amongst the overgrown grass that had been missed the last few times the grounds were cut. With an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, he patted down his jacket pocket before pulling out his lighter. The lighter flicked to life and began to burn the end of the tobacco filled paper. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, bringing the cigarette to his mouth and taking in his first hit. The sound of footsteps quietly approached from around the corner and without opening his eyes, he commented to the now nearby person “I don’t have another cig, if that’s what you came looking for.” He exhaled his smoke as he spoke each word.

#with tyler

[alexandertash-blog]

witchanya‌:

               “ Well, that means I’ve lived here for nearly fifteen years longer than you. Trust me, nothing beats a good old spooky tour. Well, that is if you aren’t counting that wonderful coffee shop on Essex Street …” That was surprisngly honest. Anya had an obsession with touristic stuff ever since she understood that her hometown was basically Halloweentown. Seeing frightening middle aged tourists was just another perk in the tour. “ Oh, boo, that’s not fun. Not even the halloween ones ? You have to do it ! There’s this guy, Mark, who dresses as a vampire and comes shouting, it’s a blast ! ” 

Fifteen years longer... that certainly made her different than the college kids from out of town who clearly only guided tours to kill time and make a quick buck. “But is any of it truly spooky, is the question. I love a good ghost story as much as the next person-- but if it’s only a story, it’s really not that interesting,” Alexander told her. “To me, at least.” Ghost stories and made-up rumors were a dime a dozen, although granted, some of them seemed to have more credibility than others. “I could do without a fake vampire shouting at me, thanks. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll consider going on one of the Halloween tours later... if you can tell me one thing that you think is actually haunted about Salem.” He raised his eyebrows, pointedly curious.

#with anya

[alexandertash-blog]

“I’m out of coffee beans at home. The machine at work has been on the fritz.” Alexander turned to point towards the window, gesturing in a fairly desperate motion towards the left, down the street. “The other coffee shop is currently welcoming some sort of class reunion, meaning there are roughly fifty people in line. Considering their median speed on a standard day, it’s not a good outlook.” He brought his hands forward to press them on the diner’s counter in supplication. “Please, please tell me your coffee maker is functional,” he said in a voice that was just short of pleading. 

@xoposey

#with posey

[alexandertash-blog]

Another day, another tour guide brandishing their flyer as they accosted him on the street. Not that he was bothered much, but it did get old. Although this girl seemed significantly more chipper than the usual offerers. “You know, I’ve lived in this town two-- nearly three-- years, and have miraculously managed to miss the tour so far,” Alexander told the young woman, an amused smile crossing his face at her well-crafted sell. “It’s a point of pride, now. And even if it weren’t, I have to go into work soon, I’m afraid.” 

                        A mischieveous smile crossed Anastasia’s face when she saw the person on the streets, walking up to them with a flyer in hands. “And may I interest you in a marvelous tour? I promisse nothing but the most frightening experience of your whole life!” She said in her perfect tour guide voice, only them giving the person a slightly sarcastic smile and wink. “Besides what else can you do in this town on a friday night?”

#with anya

[alexandertash-blog]

Slowly pushing open the door of Enchanted, Alexander quietly stepped into the shop and strode up to the counter. He glanced at the nearest shelf of candles as he approached, but it was really the crystals he wanted to peruse. He pulled his phone out to check the screenshot of the few crystals he thought it might be useful to pick up-- knowing that otherwise, he’d have no idea what he was looking for. Crystals were not usually his thing. “’Scuse me, is anyone here?” he asked aloud as he idly scrolled back through his phone to find the photos, before deciding to abandon the counter and explore deeper within the shop.

@dammitdex

#with dexter

[alexandertash-blog]

The trees on the campus of the local college were just starting to shift for the season, spotted with the humble beginnings of orange and yellow, with only a few leaves having dropped to the sidewalk so far. Alexander admired them as he strode underneath their wide branches, simultaneously keeping his eyes peeled for any students wandering in his path. He spotted one person who seemed roughly college-aged and strode towards him. “Hello there,” he called out in a purposefully-friendly-but-hopefully-not-too-overzealous tone. “Could I steal a moment of your time? I swear I’m not peddling either goods or religion.” 

@gabefm

#with gabriel

[alexandertash-blog]

[i’m so bad at open starters but LIKE this post and i’ll either slide into ur dms if we haven’t chatted yet or write something really unspecific for you specifically & get you a starter later today ! or maybe tomorrow, depending on how many people smash that like button.]

#hqsooc #ooc post #hqsstart

[alexandertash-blog]

(HALE APPLEMAN. CISMALE. HE/HIM. THIRTY-ONE.) Hey, is that ALEXANDER TASH? I heard they’ve been in Salem for TWO YEARS and they’re working as a RADIO JOURNALIST. Last I spoke to ‘em they were pretty +INSIGHTFUL & PERSISTENT, but I hear they can be -PARANOID & SELF-CENTERED too. (tara, 28, she/her, est.) 

CLOUDS OF CIGARETTE SMOKE; OBSERVATIONS SCRIBBLED ON SCRAPS OF PAPER; FINGERS RUNNING THROUGH TANGLED HAIR; A VOICE ECHOING IN A COLD, DARK ROOM; A WELL-WORN DECK OF TAROT CARDS

Hey, hi, hello! I’m Tara, and I’m so excited to be a part of this group. I don’t use fancy tags or too much formatting because I’m lazy -- but, like, what my posts lack in aesthetic charm I like to think that they make up for in at least passably decent substance? Here’s hoping! 

Anyway, here’s my intro post for Alexander; some basic information can be found below the cut. 

a pre-emptive TLDR; Alexander is an outwardly friendly man who likes talking to people (and, by extension, learning information and rumors), and he hosts a radio show every night under the pseudonym Asher Wilde to provide news and entertainment for the town. However, he’s a hard nut to crack in terms of actually getting to know him because he keeps his personal life to himself, and he finds it difficult to trust others’ good intentions. He practices witchcraft independently of any coven, for a mixture of purposes.

A lengthier explanation is below, if you want to read more details! I mostly wrote it out for my own benefit, lmao.

Background:

Alexander Tash was originally from a small town in Illinois. He was the youngest of six siblings and pretty much learned to keep his head down, especially because his parents were extremely conservative and he didn’t exactly fit their idea of an ideal midwestern son. He was too talkative and curious, and he was never the picture of heterosexual masculinity, which made him an easy target for ridicule, especially from his older brothers. The sibling nearest to him in age was close to him, but other than that, Alexander doesn’t keep in contact with his family. 

He ditched town as soon as he earned a scholarship to study at a public university in Chicago. He majored in art history, but it was working a part time job at the school’s radio station that he really wound up enjoying, because he realized the power that an on-air microphone could provide. He didn’t bother changing majors at that point, but his voice became a nightly staple of the station, as well as at university events.  

His popularity at university blossomed because of this, and Alexander ended up being pulled into a large circle of friends. He was swept up in this at first - but eventually learned that they were using him (and his radio platform) to promote their own self-interests. He finally realized that didn’t really matter - he got the best scoops of info from them that he could then turn around and investigate further to broadcast the next day. 

After graduating, he worked a series of part-time jobs in downtown Chicago - a bartender, a personal shopper, a florist’s assistant - to pay the rent for his studio apartment while also doing part-time research for the art institute. It was absolutely miserable. 

Alexander moved to Salem by a stroke of luck when their radio station sent an online call out for audition tapes from would-be broadcasters. When they offered him the job, he came to Massachusetts specifically for the chance to be on air again. 

He lives in an old house that’s been converted into separate apartments, and he doesn’t have a car, so he either walks, bikes, or takes public transportation. You’ll usually find him out and about in town, except for in the evenings, when he works. 

Profession:

He runs radio channel Salem 104.3 fm. The network management that owns this particular station has four or five other channels in town as well that all work in the same office building, and Alexander talked them into letting him do pretty much whatever he wants on 104.3. 

He pre-sets a playlist of music for day and is only physically in the office from 5-10 p.m. He hosts a local news broadcast at 5 p.m. every day, followed by an informal talk show of sorts where he sometimes calls people to interview them, sometimes takes callers, and otherwise just finds interesting articles or bits of literature to read aloud during the breaks between songs.

He likes to find interesting news to report on, covering everything from local gossip to updates about town-wide news such as the murder. Whether or not the news is accurate is not really a concern of his, as long as it’s thought-provoking. He does try to provide all angles, though, and give as much information as possible, plus a healthy dose of speculation. (He wouldn’t consider himself a conspiracy theorist, but if the show fits...)

However: he didn’t want people in this town to try to manipulate him for their own interests, and he didn’t want people to censor themselves around him, either. So he disguises his voice on the radio (he speaks much more slowly and in a lower register) and broadcasts under a pseudonym (Asher Wilde), so unless someone listens very closely, they wouldn’t know that they’re the same person. Alexander doesn’t lie about his profession - if asked, he still says he works at the radio station, just in an administrative capacity instead of on air. 

Witchcraft: 

Alexander is a witch who is not part of either coven in town, though he’s heard that both of them exist, even if he doesn’t know all of the specifics. His magic style aligns more with the Witches of Requiem, to put him on the spectrum. 

He started practicing tarot in high school (because why not?) and his interest was more of a casual hobby until he realized that it was always right, as long as he knew how to understand what the cards showed him. Then it became more of an obsession. 

He’s met a few other witches to trade tricks and techniques but has never been part of a specific coven. His skills have grown, and he usually casts simple spells so he could be overlooked in public to hear better news, or spells intended to more easily allow him to gain others’ trust. He’s played around with casting protection spells on his listeners through the radio waves, but he has no idea if that works or not. 

He has a vindictive streak against people who seem to wrong him; he’s successfully hexed four people before, non-lethally, and does not feel guilty about it in the slightest (two former hook-ups, an ex-boyfriend, and one customer, all of whom deserved it, in his opinion). But he’s not in the habit of using magic to harm others, otherwise. 

He still trusts his tarot deck entirely, more-so than any human he’s ever met, and he’ll do tarot readings for people who have earned it, in his estimation. 

Personality:

Alexander doesn’t share much about his personal life. He much prefers listening to others, and will always try to spin questions back on the asker rather than reveal information about himself.

He’s made himself quite well-known in the time he’s been in Salem, and he has never lacked for company. He has acquaintances he drinks with, people he parties with, etc, but he wouldn’t consider himself to have any “friends.” 

That said, he’s also located at an odd intersection of isolation and vanity. He’s very self-centered, and he loves to be complimented, even if he doesn’t entirely trust sincerity. 

Upon first meeting, he tends to seem self-assured and friendly. He’s not afraid to jump right in to conversation,

When you get to know him a little better, you realize that he’s much less of an extrovert than he would appear to be. If it weren’t for having to find news to report on, he would be perfectly pleased to hole up in his room. But ever by himself, he overthinks everything and doesn’t know the meaning of the word “relax.” 

I can’t wait to start interacting with everyone else! I don’t use discord, but feel free to slide into my messages if you want plots, and we can work something out xoxo

#intro #hqsintro #about

[alexandertash-blog]

#about #face

[alexandertash-blog]

Witch Aesthetic:

Amethyst Divination Witch

September 21, 2019

Requested by anonymous

X

#witchcraft

[alexandertash-blog]

#now playing

[alexandertash-blog]

ACCEPTED!! Welcome to Salem, Alexander Tash. Please have your account in within the next 24 hours. We look forward to writing with you, Tara!!

Keep reading

#about

[alexandertash-blog]

#witchcraft

[alexandertash-blog]

#face

[alexandertash-blog]

Character Aesthetic  ➙ requested by anon ;; { the journalist }

journalism is just ORGANIZED gossip.    – edward eggleston

#aesthetics

[alexandertash-blog]

#about #face