notribs

[notribs]

#( musings ! ) #for anyone still following this blog.... it must be left on a high note. #A Celebration of Life.

[notribs]

blvirambrosio‌:

@manorstart​

instead of going back to her room after messing with the ouijia board, she stumbled into the kitchen in search for a glass of water. blair sat at the table staring at the cup in front of her rather than drinking it. she had wanted desperately to abide by the manor’s rules and it wasn’t like she was going around and partying and using things to be reckless, she needed it. but that need might’ve just cost her something irreplaceable. the footsteps she heard approaching weren’t any that were familiar, none that she truly cared about, and figured it was someone who was at the manor as well. blair’s eyes traveled up towards the other person in the room, her voice was soft but flat, “do you believe in ghosts?”

ribs... had to take a second to think about what had just happened. he was certain that he had never downloaded an episode of golden girls –– not to his actual computer, at least ( he stuck to streaming platforms to get his blanche devereaux fill ). although strange, and although it certainly had nothing to do with the wifi, as toni seemed to claim, he couldn’t say it was exactly... menacing. but that strangeness made the question of the girl he ran into all the more interesting. cocking his head to the side, he furrowed his eyebrows in what he would consider deep thought. “ i think so. i mean, something’s gotta happen after you die, right ? it doesn’t have to be an afterlife or anything religious, but i doubt you just immediately hit the lights-out button. ” barely any of the horror movies he watched involved ghosts, most of them leaning towards the slasher side of things... so he didn’t have much of an opinion.

#( blvirambrosio ) #( blvirambrosio -- 1 )

[notribs]

exsomniis‌:

━━ “And we’re still gonna be watching all the sequels of the sequels even Halloween because it’s a thing,” Joakim responded, not even hiding his amusement and dedication. He was a horror fiend, he also watched the B-movies. “You know what, I was thinking more of After The Love Is Gone by Earth, Wind and Fire,” he mused, running his fingers through his hair, “or Wlidflower by Skylark.” They can use an impromptu performance, perhaps soon. Give it a few days—when proper inspiration strikes. He had to laugh as Ribs’ joke, their constant jest of being a duo made it to the press. The media stirring the empty pot and assuming that the band has parted ways… thrice now, just this year.

Joakim was, however, impressed when his best friend produced a coin. “That’s—how did that happen?” He asked, genuine. “Alright, go for it. Our quest is in your hands.” He made a wild flourish with his hand, waited and widened his eyes when their fate was decided. “Right it is. I’ll take point.” Because this is an adventure, albeit a tad creepy due to the silence. Everything’s finely lit. That’s the thing, yet everything also feels a little… out of place. “You ever noticed how,” he observed (has observed, actually) stepping next to the wall and rapping his knuckles on the surface. “The acoustics,” Joakim pointed out, looking up and to the side. “Feel that?”

“ oh hell no – unless jamie lee is fucking... give me a second. ” ribs, very dead set on the sentence he had formulated in his mind, pulled out his phone’s calculator to find one crucial missing piece. if she was currently 61, then she was born in... 2019 - 61 – she was born in 1958. so then take 2099 - 1958... “ unless jamie lee is fucking 141 years old and still alive and on board for ‘halloween,’ it goes when she goes. ” of course, in ribs’s dreams, jamie lee would never go. she was immortal.

“ no – no, no, we still haven’t done ‘close to you’ by the carpenters. you know we’d make a killer karen and richard carpenter. i go karen or i go home. ” it was at that moment that ribs made an internal bet with himself: if joakim ever actually performed a song by the carpenters, he (ribs) would give him (joakim) everything he owned. it would definitely be a media riot, though – joakim ryan and david “ribs” shaffer of rock band devil’s wine perform ballad by soft rock brother/sister duo, the carpenters. oh, how their sound would change !

tilting his head to the side, ribs replied, “ you never know when you’re gonna need to pull a coin out of someone’s ear. ” after a pause, ribs took a moment to think about that statement and the logic of that magic trick... the concept of having a coin lodged in your ear is actually quite terrifying... luckily, before ribs got too deep in thought about this concept, he heard joakim address him and walked up to the nearest wall. giving it a rap... then two... beginning to pound an abstract beat against the wall, he noted, “ i’m starting to think we should start playing in old victorian mansions. fuck arenas and stadiums, these acoustics are fucking top notch. ”

#( exsomniis ) #( exsomniis -- 1 ) #AHDSFJKLN as i expressed in the discord..... it was an ABSOLUTE FEVER DREAM. idris elba dame judi dench and sir ian mckellen #all fell SO HARD!!!! hearing all of them make cat noises was SO DISARMING at least the rest of the cat isnt as upheld alsdhfkjn #FUCK #*CAST #hc that karen carpenter is secretly one of ribs's favorite drummers.

[notribs]

exsomniis‌:

━━ “They need to stop using kids, it sells. But.” Thinking about The Ring, Ring Around the Rosie and Sinister. Yeah, they’re films, fiction. Still creepy, Joakim thought to himself. “I’d settle for kids, actually, if we’re talking about that new Cats film,” he added, shuddering to himself. He made sure he’s got everything with him, then nodded. “We’ll be like Choose Your Own Adventure,” and laughed softly, shaking his head. “It’s living up to the fact that there’s no welcome party,” he joked, masking his rising suspicion because, really, who does that?

“Did you see the grand piano?” He asked, glancing at Ribs as they walk, reaching the center of the lobby and halting. “Left and you’re off to an adventure,” he said in a faux French accent, “to your right and venture to the unknown.” Tough call, and so he crossed his arms to his front, pretending to think it through.

And then, “Toss coin?” Joakim deadpanned.

“ they’re never gonna stop using kids – same goes for dolls. hell, it’s gonna be, like, 2099 and annabelle: the real origins because all of the past origin stories were the origins of all annabelles before this annabelle is gonna be hitting the box office. ” although there was a certain joking air of the comment... he was entirely serious. “ oh shit – i thought it was a furry’s dream, but turns out even they hate it. too uncanny valley. ” how did he know that ? was he a secret furry ? was that his real secret ? find out after this commercial break ! “ just watch us wind up in the basement, man. ”

“ you think we should put on an impromptu concert ? i think we could do a really good ‘the sound of silence,’ but we still gotta make our debut album, man ! ” he joked... but, damn, they probably could do a sick simon & garfunkel. 

although he usually would have picked a side, rarely one to just go with it, he pulled a coin out of his pocket and replied, “ it’s your lucky day, joaks. for the first time in my life, i actually have a quarter on me. heads, we go left. tails, we go right. ” tossing it in the air and catching it on the back of his hand, he showed it to joakin and stated, “ right we go ! ”

#( exsomniis ) #( exsomniis -- 1 ) #my friend is subscribed to a youtuber who reviews movies... and is also a furry... and the furry was like ''WE DO NOT CLAIM THIS'' #afsdouijn #did i literally do an online coin toss? #yes. yes i did.

[notribs]

mxdisonhowcll‌:

“otc…oh, like over-the-counter. yeah, that makes sense but i doubt anyone worried about this rule is because they’re hoarding dayquil.” she replied, giving him a look as though they were both in on some kind of secret. then again, madison had a tendency to look at anyone like that. even someone she just met - strangers were just friends from the future. “that was kind of weird…” it hadn’t occurred to her that it was out of place since that was basically why she was here. it was her job to make this place the next it place to be. “is it bad i totally did it already? can you take back yelp reviews?”

“ yeah, yeah – like, i don’t think they’re gonna kick you out if you’ve got, like... robitussin on you. i gotta say, i would have some respect for them if they did, though – real dedication. ” that being said, he was pretty sure everyone would get kicked out of the manor at some point if they kicked you out for that. now, ribs felt as though he needed to match the look she was giving him – the look of... secrecy. only they knew that the manor would allow advil, yes. “ you probably can, but i bet they’re pulling some big brother shit and already saw you commented. i can’t say i’ve got any plans to leave a review, though – one night in a suite isn’t worth the scam, if you ask me. ”

#( mxdisonhowcll ) #( mxdisonhowcll -- 1 ) #this is how cats got the few 5-star reviews it did #bribery.

[notribs]

exsomniis‌:

[ starter ] for ribs @notribs​;

━━ Whose idea was this again? Joakim had asked, as soon as his sneakers clad feet was off the surface of the tour bus, landing on the pavement. Crenshaw Manor—he’s never heard of it. And perhaps he should have Googled, looked it up, see what the fuss was about. Colossal and looming, he stared for good measure, wondering why the eerie establishment felt familiar and not at the same time. He had looked at his bandmates then wanted to ask them if they’ve heard of this place before. From the look of things,  they’re just about the same page as him.

Alright then, on to some R&R and inspiration.

“Why’s the basement always off-limits?” Joakim asked, at present, turning to look at Ribs and suppressing a grin. Standing up, he went for his luggage and took his small torch in one of the pockets. “Let’s go and check the indoor pool—Ribs!” He quietly called out, adding, “Might find the wine cellar, too. Come on.”

ribs had to say... he was rather jealous of his bandmates. while rory could bring her bass in and joakim could bring his guitar in ( albeit, without the amplifier ), he had to settle for practice pads and an electric kit ( at least pearl was finally releasing ones that felt... slightly more real ). yes, as he walked into the grand manor, beautiful and terrifying, those were his first thoughts. it was not until joakim began talking to him that he was brought out of his slight bout of self-pity.

“ probably some little dead boy down there, all taxidermied and shit. they give you rules like this – especially this weird yelp one – and something fishy’s going down, ” he replied, possibly sounding more confident than he’d ever before sounded. jamie lee... she’d taught him all he knew.  he was, however, a sucker for a good indoor pool. as long as he didn’t skinny dip... “ are we gonna be blind leading the blind ? ” ribs asked with a grin, beginning to walk towards... god knows what, hoping joakim knew the direction and would take the lead. “ you think it’s gonna live up to expectations ? ”

#( exsomniis ) #( exsomniis -- 1 ) #pls it's PERF! #the half-hearted paragraphs breaks = it feels like it will be too long if i do a full paragraph break but. my sanity!

[notribs]

Devil’s Wine 

→ band + sound aesthetic [ L I S T E N ]

i. a perfect circle - judith | ii. breaking benjamin - dance with the devil  | iii. velvet revolver - slither | iv. bush - machinehead | v. the red jumpsuit apparatus - false pretense  | vi. collective soul - run | vii. goo goo dolls - iris | viii. foo fighters - walking after you | ix. collective soul - the world i know

( tagging the bffs: @gabenvrr & @notribs & @roryblah )

#( devil's wine ) #cannot BELIEB i almost missed this!! #ok!! anyway!! am on for the night and will get 2 starter responses on ribs and adrian in j a few!!!!

[notribs]

mxdisonhowcll‌:

open starter // @manorstart​

lifting up her phone to reread the text, madison looked to the person standing across from her with a hesitant smile. “okay so…these rules. they aren’t being serious, right?” overall, she had no problem with them but rule number two seemed a little harsh to her. plus, where did they draw the line? “i mean, does no drugs mean no advil or tylenol? and what happens if my lights are on until 11:45p?” it was a serious question, sometimes the girl got caught up in wikipedia articles and before she knew it, it was two in the morning.

“ i mean, i’d think they’d be fine with otc drugs – or, like, most of them. ” the ones that were kept behind a glass cage that you had to show your id to an employee to to get them to unlock it ? questionable. “ nah, the one that gets me is them telling us to go ahead and leave a five-star review. i’ve been here for, what, a couple of hours ? and they’re already trying to bribe me ? there’s something weird going on here. ”

#( mxdisonhowcll ) #( mxdisonhowcll -- 1 )

[notribs]

hello !! small psa to say that ribs’s information has been HEAVILY added onto so feel free to check his real intro out here !!

#manor:talk #as i say in my intro i was listening 2 a bugzy malone song and it got me WRITING. #also!! i'll get back to all plotting messages tomorrow i am SO TIRED!! #but merry christmas eve 2 anyone who celebrates!

[notribs]

hello hello ! it is may again and i... am still 20, using she/her, and in the eastern standard timezone. i can’t say that’s changed in the amount of time between intros. anyway, i do want to say that i like this gif because i feel like it.............. is an accurate representation of ribs at........... almost all times.

‹ TREVANTE RHODES, HE/HIM, CIS MAN, BISEXUAL. › DAVID “RIBS” SHAFFER is the TWENTY-EIGHT year old from EMERYVILLE, CA. when a friend asked them what they thought of the manor they said, ❝ IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEWHERE JAMIE LEE WOULD BE LURED INTO. ❞ they claim ANY HORROR MOVIE WITH JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN IT is their favorite scary movie, and if they were to die in a horror film they would EXPLAIN TO THE KILLER THAT THERE WAS NO WAY HE MET THE CRITERIA FOR THE ‘FINAL GIRL’… JUST TO BE KILLED IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS SPEECH. their fears include HALLUCINATING, PARALYZATION and FIREWORKS, and they don’t know we know, but… HE MADE MONEY AS A DEALER WHILE HE WAS STILL WAITING FOR THE BAND TO TAKE OFF. hope they enjoy their stay. ‹ MUSE B from STRESSED OUT. ›

QUICK FACTS:

full name: david “ribs” isaiah shaffer

date of birth: december 1, 1992

*does not perfectly reflect the below Big Three zodiac chart because that’s so much math

zodiac big three: sagittarius sun, capricorn moon, pisces rising

gender & pronouns: cis man & he/him

sexual orientation: bisexual

occupation: drummer + backup songwriter + history of drug dealing

the song i listen to on repeat while i write the intro: “make or break” - bugzy malone

BACKGROUND INFO:

triggers: violence, mentions of drug dealing, very very very brief mention of self-harm (not the product of a mental illness which is why i forgot to include this until i looked at it again this morning - the product of wanting to keep a lie), very very brief mention of guns and fire in the ‘fears’ section

born to a very loving family bc i need a sunnier background hasfkljwas 

david was never EVER academically inclined. he’ll tell you it’s because he just wasn’t interested and was too involved in music and boxing, both of which will be gone over soon, but that wasn’t entirely true. he was also very busy working odd jobs days and nights as a kid and days and nights at successful businesses when he was 16+ (see: papa john’s)

his parents did own a music shop! they were clearly doing their part! but, in the digital era and the era of guitar center, they were only getting so much traction. they were also much too calm about it, at least outwardly, so david felt as though he needed to help.

but it is true that he spent a lot of time practicing music and boxing! as just mentioned, his parents owned a music store and were both very musically inclined. they taught him how to be, at the very least, INTERMEDIATE at as many instruments as possible. he can now confidently say that, if the band ever needed it, he could play the guitar, piano, bass, or saxophone. 

that being said, his instrument of choice was the drums. he began using jazz drummers, as well as various hip-hop beats, as his inspiration. his original inspirations were buddy rich, gene krupa, chico hamilton, art blakey, and the beats of grime and 90s rap.

it shows.

when he ventured into other genres, however, he began taking inspiration from nick mason, john bonham, neil peart, keith moon, ginger baker, karen carpenter, and ringo starr 

(i have a music theory + history lesson for you if you think ringo is a bad drummer ok - he was a “songwriter’s drummer,” which is much more important to being a drummer in a band than being technically skilled or being able to show off with complex patterns and, thus, overshadowing the song. that’s why the beatles continued asking ringo to play the drums on their songs, even after they broke up. john lennon never said “he’s not even the best drummer in the beatles” - a radio dj made that joke and people started taking it literally. love that.)

(also the same goes for nick mason but his drumming is rly only brought up when he’s brought up since pink floyd isn’t as talked about as the beatles)

ALSO!!! i have decided to be passionate about karen carpenter because girl won a 1975 poll that pit her against john bonham for best drummer and he got so mad and said she couldn’t last ten minutes with led zeppelin. the following is just alleged, but oh my god i hope it’s true: then she proceeded to compliment his drumming, say that she thinks it’s all very subjective, then got behind her set and played “babe i’m gonna leave you” while singing and not missing a single note. we have decided to stan forever.

he also took up boxing. as a kid, he was just practicing and taking any excess frustration out. when he turned 14, however, he found an opportunity in an underground circuit. he started fighting against other people, for real, and would be paid if he won the fight.

so: school from 8a-3p, drum practice from 3:30p-7:30p (i know), family from 8p-10p, boxing from 11p-2a.

his parents knew he boxed, but didn’t know it was as dangerous as it was. they assumed there were more safeguards in place..... but boy was bringing in a LOT of money for there to be a lot of safeguards in place. because of this, david NEVER let them see his matches.

when he was 16, he’d broken his ribs during one of the fights and refused to see a doctor over it. what did he say happened when his parents could TELL something was wrong? he said that he’d been mugged and beaten up. to support this theory, before he ‘showed’ it to them, he dug into himself with a knife to make it look like the muggers had a switchblade.

from there on out, he made everyone call him “ribs”

did his parents ever wonder where his excess income was coming from? DEFINITELY. he told them that, yes, his MINIATURE matches did bring in some money, but the rest of the money came from tips!! because people are clearly that generous!!

he also never showed them the full amount. he’d only give what was necessary, not out of selfishness, rather to keep his secret and save them from worrying about him. he put it in a savings account.

it should also be addressed that, during this time, he became friends with who would become the guitarist in his future band, joakim. he witnessed joakim fight a homophobic teenager and desperately wanted to join in... but his ribs were broken ahflskd

he continued boxing, even after being introduced to joakim’s college friend, gabe - the future singer of their band. that being said, they began jamming with each other and played in a few local circuits.

his parents were very encouraging of this and told him that he should go for this as a career opportunity. 

can you tell they were idealists?

he wanted to... but it was very impractical. by now, however, he was out of school (and he never went to college). his parents let him continue living with them since they were under the belief they were short on cash and it’d be difficult for him to find an affordable apartment under the papa john’s salary.

he decided to take his parents up on this... but, while he was waiting for his band to find success, their music store was closed down. as they both began looking desperately for new jobs, he realized that papa john’s and the fighting payment wasn’t quite enough anymore... so he started selling drugs.

he doesn’t keep his fighting a secret anymore, but he does keep his drug dealing a secret. he fears that it’ll perpetuate stereotypes.

during one of his band’s gigs, he and the others met their future bassist - the missing piece - rory. she was marginally younger than they were, but she was an extremely talented bassist and songwriter, so the lineup was finally complete and devil’s wine was formed.

when they began skyrocketing, he quit drug dealing. he also stopped the dangerous boxing, although he continues to... box safely. he began sending money back home after they really started succeeding. his mother got a teacher licensure in music and his father got the opportunity to own..... a guitar center.

if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

VERY IMPORTANT: uses a pearl custom kit, istanbul cymbals, aquarian heads, and vic firth sticks.

that was very important.

PERSONALITY INFO:

literally obsessed with jamie lee curtis. watching her movies has also made him very genre-savvy. 

would genuinely die for her.

is the epitome of bob belcher’s “oh my god.” in his band. they get off topic during practice/recording just ONCE?? queue “oh my god.” and the gif above.

isn’t necessarily ashamed of his past dealings (literally) - like, joakim knows - but is genuinely afraid of perpetuating the stereotype of the dirty black boy. he’s open about the rest of his life, but he’s convinced that if people learn he used to sell drugs, he would be setting people back. having a black drummer in a rock band that’s on the radio? he needs to keep up appearances!!

never wears shirts during concerts. has to show off his ribs and also drumming, with a bunch of lights directly on him, is an extreme exercise and guaranteed sweat machine. dresses like bugzy malone otherwise.

ahflskjd again,,, like adrian,,, look @ his chart ig alhkfjd

FEARS:

hallucinating: he hates not only the idea of losing his mind, but also the idea of having a skewed view of reality after he really... saw reality, you know? his uncle had schizophrenia and, while he rarely saw him, the thought of going through what his uncle had/has to go through terrifies him.

paralyzation: this was a constant worry of his during his boxing matches - he was terrified someone would wind up taking out a firearm and would shoot him into a state of paralysis. not to mention, all limbs are required for both drumming and boxing.... so.

fireworks: less deep than the others. the house next door to his was set on fire due to a firework display being too close. while no one died and most of the house was salvaged, the idea of losing anything he has is terrifying to him. also the sounds they make remind him of guns so?

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

ok,,, so unlike adrian,,, he lived in california,,, a state many other characters lived in. while some cities in california can be like,,,, seven hours away,,, IT’S STILL AN IMPROVEMENT, so i’ll list a few past connection ideas too!

fans

people who hate his music

people who’ve seen one of his matches

old friends

someone who was constantly in his parents’ music store

exes

fwb

ons

???? im bad at connections!!!!!! but im down for brainstorming and/or working off of urs!!!!!!

#manor:talk #will be updated when more is figured out w his subplot ofc!!

[notribs]

         i have scars on my palms and the insides of my fingers.                    there is blood in my mouth and staining my clothes.                             i have died too many times to count and come back again stronger.

                 ( are you proud of me, momma? are you proud of me, pappa? )

#( musings ! ) #this is going to look SO emo out of context #and like.... do not get me wrong it is sort of emo bc i live for that #BUT NOT THAT EMO INFORMATION WILL B GIVEN THAT'LL MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!!!