donnyholly

[donnyholly]

thezevking​:

📹

Their silly transatlantic accent impressions brought to mind nights spent in Zev’s room: he, Donny, and usually Rory in a blanket fort, eating popcorn and watching old movies on Zev’s VHS player. He always called them up when he got his hands on a new one. You’ve never seen Sunset Boulevard? Vertigo? Rope? Get the hell over here! We’ve got popcorn, we’ve got hot cocoa, we’ve got chocolate covered pretzels. He wished they were there now, where matching socks didn’t matter, where he didn’t have to tuck in his shirt and wear an ugly tie, where he didn’t have to pretend. “Ah, that must be it. The H.A.H-es get trained from birth to match their socks! I’m 13 years behind you all, be kind while I catch up.”

He was joking, but it did often feel that way. He felt like a newborn horse, fresh to the world but still expected to walk on wobbly legs. He didn’t want to fit in, it didn’t feel right. The starched shirts and polos chafed his skin and the fake smiles he was obliged to give people cracked his face. If he was a stronger man, maybe he would have continued his rebellions, maybe he would have kept putting his feet up on the coffee table, maybe he would have run away from home. But without Jillian, what did he have? Without his friends, still home in Cherry, where would he go? He used to fantasize about Los Angeles, or New York. But without the Hargrove bank account, how would he go to college? And without film school, what would he be doing? So, he stayed. Stayed in the Hargrove home, stayed in Cherry, stayed at his internship. One day, he’d be free. One day, he’d make it to LA and make movies. Until then, his friends were his saviors, his refuge.

“I think if we stick together, our combined power to be sort of overlooked combines to complete invisibility,” he remarked, gesturing around to the room of people who now seemed to have no interest in the two young men standing off to the side. They were sore thumbs on their own, obvious in how much they didn’t belong. Together? They fit together, fading into the background. “If we sneak over together, we can probably get away without another Everest distraction.”

.

Although it was definitely a plight for Zev, Donny would be lying if he said he wasn’t glad Zev had been forced into the H.A.H. Up until Zev had ‘joined,’ Donny had felt like the one little fish in a huge pond. He was always the salmon, trying to swim upstream. He was always trying to fight the current -- because what other choice did he have? Then Zev came along and, finally, there were two little fish; finally, someone else was trying to swim upstream; finally, someone else was battling against the current. It wasn’t so lonely -- and it wasn’t so... demeaning -- with Zev. He didn’t feel inferior. He didn’t feel lesser. All he felt was different than. Because Zev wasn’t inferior, and Zev wasn’t lesser -- Zev was just different than the others. And in a way that Donny related to. “Here’s the trick: throw out all of your socks and replace them with a hoard of black ones. You never have to worry about mismatching!” He hiked his pants up, just enough to reveal his socks, which were, indeed, black. “Just find a way out of golfing and you’re all set.” It was only in slight jest. Yes, Donny had more socks than just repetitive black... but they made up the majority of his wardrobe and the majority of his fancy event outfits. It was no wonder they always said ‘[x] is the new black’ -- black really did go with basically everything! Now they just had to hope there wouldn’t be another all white party. Donny responded with a short, teasing salute. Then, as if on a genuine mission, he held a finger up to his mouth -- a ‘hush’ -- and gestured towards the nearest cheese plate. A motion to it with his forearm, crouching down to avoid Mr. Everest’s stare, sneaking over to it. Look both ways! Totally unnoticed, he slipped his hands underneath the cheese tray and carried it atop his palm, as if he were a caterer... just in case he was stopped -- you know, he was very deep in his role now.  “Mission complete.”

[donnyholly]

noahrussell​:

🖋

Donny Holly. Of all the people in their friend group, it was kind of hard not to find the most kinship in him. Sure Noah was the furthest thing from bursting with funds and didn’t live in a big fancy house, and had literally no hand in the H.A.H who seemed to have their hands in just about everything that went on around town. But they were both the youngest brother, both seemed to be the type to live their life on the sidelines, and well.. there was just something about him that made him easy to like. It didn’t happen often for him and he appreciated it. 

“Nice to see you too. The place looks immaculate as per usual.” He teased as though Donny would have had anything to do with it. Noah could only assume that they probably paid people to make it look the way it did. “I was just thinking, it can’t possibly be Christmas yet without a speech from the infamous David Holly. I’m kinda surprised he didn’t have your brother up there with him singing and dancing.” He added before taking another sip from his drink. “I mean you know me, parties aren’t really my thing but everyone seems to be having a nice time so I’d take that as a win.” 

.

Immaculate... Donny couldn’t help but grin at the descriptor, though whether it was because he agreed without a hint of irony or because it was the perfect word to use for how pretentious the set-up was, he wasn’t sure. “Can you believe my dad did it all by himself?” he asked, tone matching the teasing one Noah had offered him. To think! David Holly spending time decorating? To think! The decorations coming from familial love? To think! David actually paying the folks who had put the decorations up a fair wage... “Oh, shoot -- that was supposed to be a surprise.” David and Danny and their mom, all up there, singing... eh, some Christmas jingle or another! It played into the faux heartfelt speech! “Don’t tell anyone, but they’re going to debut it next year.” A dance routine, too. Everyone in-sync. If they put him on piano duty...  Breaking character, Donny nodded his head. He and Noah? There were definitely times that they might as well be two peas in a pod! “The crowd’s alright. I mean, you and Rory and Zev are all here, so that’s a big improvement from most of these ‘gatherings.’”

[donnyholly]

roryjackson​:

☼

Rory had been going to the Holly Christmas party for years now, but she still hasn’t figured out how to act like she’s supposed to be there. Everything was so extravagant, meticulously designed, and nothing like the decorations at the Jackson house. This was far closer to the castles in the cheesy movies that played on tv this time of year than either of the houses she’d grown up in. But just when she was starting to squirm, self consciousness creeping up, she heard Donny’s voice calling her name. 

“Hey!” She grinned at him as he approached, feeling anxiety’s grip around her lungs with his arrival. “I’m good. Maybe a teeny bit bored, but that’s fixed now. How hard do you think it’d be to steal Zev and Noah and make a grand escape up to your room?”

.

A teeny bit bored? Man, believe it or not, Donny could relate to that. He’d been trained well -- he could throw on a convincing smile in a moment’s notice, no matter how fake -- but... wow, his lips sure would get tired if he were as popular a Holly as Danny. A faint fake smile? Yeah, that had to be plastered on all night, lest an H.A.H member see one of David’s sons looking bored, but a full one? Thank god he was the son who was, like... kept in the basement. A real smile only greeted a select few, Rory included. “Well, being the younger Holly comes with some perks.” Chief among them? “As long as I just pop my head out every - ” - look down at the watch - “ - ten minutes or so, we could definitely get away with it.”

[donnyholly]

thezevking​:

📹

“Oh god, I would not trust any health advice from anyone here, truly,” he laughed at the idea of one of his coworkers wives trying to get him to buy some sort of health tea. The worst part was it probably wasn’t far off. There was at least one woman constantly trying to get Jillian to join her working for Amway. Thank god Jillian’s already a girlboss.

“Are my socks matching tonight?” He asked, mostly to himself, realizing he hadn’t actually checked. “Dude, don’t scare me,” he hiked his pant legs up slightly to expose… matching socks! “Oh, thank god. I was literally about to ask to trade socks with you. I’m assuming your socks are matching. If you need someone to make sure your socks are always matching, I’ll be your guy. Well, that is, if I remember to make sure my socks are matching.”

“A whole cheese plate? Mr. Holly, you spoil me!” Zev brought his hand to his chest in faux shock at Donny’s generosity. “Getting away from all these people, eating a whole cheese plate, and maybe getting a couple of flutes of champagne in will be enough of a spiritual experience for me. We can do some yoga if that’ll help.” Yoga? Drunk and full of cheese? Okay, Zev, if you’re sure.

.

“I don’t know, man. I think Mr. Everest probably has some really great tips for staying in shape! He’s had so many spiritual awakenings.” Now, to his credit: even if it had been with many, many, many guides -- and even if it had been with the biggest ego in the world -- the man had summited one scary mountain. Nonetheless, comfortable with the bit around Zev -- enough to actually say more than a few words, but not ramble on and on and on -- Donny had no plans of letting up until it really tired out.  That familiar fondness crept into Donny’s eyes as Zev hiked his pants up, a brief moment of light panic setting in. What could Donny say? At his most heterosexual, he would say Zev was endearing! Putting a hand to his chest in feigned insult, he replied with that same transatlantic accent, “Why, us Hollys have been trained to match our socks from birth! I should hope you don’t think us barbarians.” Then, nodding his head and tone returning back to normal, he hushed his tone and continued, “I’ll start bringing a spare pair of matching socks to these things -- just in case.” “A whole cheese plate.” If you give a mouse a cheese plate... A genuine smile brought back to his features, he continued, “Worst comes to worst, one of us has to take one for the team and get wrapped up in conversation.” But that was the good thing about being second sons, right? They were also second choices. They could skirt by unnoticed, play into their own invisibility. “I definitely think it’ll be just as spiritual as Mr. Everest’s experience becoming one with the mountain.”

[donnyholly]

thezevking​:

📹

“Oh, he said something about feeling the spirit of the island beneath his feet or whatever. Honestly, I kinda stopped listening,” Zev let out a chuckle. “At a certain point, all these dumb stories start blending together into one big mystical bag of nonsense, y’know?” Mt. Everest, Hawaii, the woman who gave him the business card for the absolutely divine spa experience she had? All one and the same, really. 

“I think ‘grudges’ are on their family crest,” he joked. “It’s like a skill they have to learn, or something. They get trained in it. Elaine’s pretty good at it too, don’t let her fool you. I wore mismatched socks out to dinner with her once thinking no one would see and for like, 2 weeks straight she literally told me to check my socks every time we went out. She can be… a handful, sometimes. Hush, hush, though. If she knew I was complaining, I’d be in the doghouse for sure.” The casual heterosexuality he tried to pick up from rom-coms didn’t flow off his tongue quite as smoothly as the stars of all Jillian’s favorite films, but at least he was trying.

“Y’know, usually I’d take any excuse to get out of here, but we’re a little far from Mt. Everest and I’m not exactly into environmental terrorism. I would be down to try and sneak some drinks, maybe a plate of snacks, and find somewhere for us both to hide from anymore potentially exhausting conversations. I mean, who’s really gonna miss us, right?” 

.

Further proof that Zev had always been the one saving grace of the gatherings? He had someone to laugh about it with. He did not have to suppress a laugh over Mr. Everest Hawaii’s description of his exploits. Any other H.A.H. child or member? It would be greatly stifled... even though he knew that almost all of them were thinking the same thing. They all had to save face, right? Not around Zev. He could be an open book with the other guy! They could laugh about the shenanigans with each other and not worry about getting caught -- a benefit of being the younger ones. “I’m a little surprised none of them have dipped into essential oils yet. -- Granted, they might get them confused with actual oil and go invade a country so they can go drill for some relaxation, you know?” He could see it now: board member wants lavender oil, sends underpaid workers to go drill for it in Iran.  Elaine and Zev -- he forgot about that every now and again. When they were swept up in conversation, when it was just the two of them in that crowded room, he simply forgot. But, drawn back into reality, that didn’t mean he couldn’t respect. Although there was a hint of disappointment every time he remembered -- every time he was reminded -- it was for the best. And even if it weren’t? They still deserved the respect any other couple would get. They still deserved to make their own decisions and not lose friends -- who were too nervous to even say anything -- over it. It was a funny tidbit, though, prompting another laugh -- albeit, slightly more subdued. “Your socks are matching tonight, right? I won’t tell her if they’re not.”  “Gee, and I was hoping we’d get our very own spiritual awakenings tonight!” Of course, the heart and soul of the mountain was in the very same room as them! They could just ask him for a spiritual awakening and they would definitely get one. “There are a couple of ‘off-limits’ rooms around here. But, as an esteemed Holly, I can grant access,” he replied, tone overly formal. Total joke that he’d be the first or second or even third Holly to ask permission to enter XYZ room with, but... hey, it was his house, too! “We can probably steal a whole cheese plate without anyone noticing.”

[donnyholly]

damndannyholly​:

who: @donnyholly​ what: Brotherly civility

It felt impossible. Being everything that David Holly wanted him to be, and the kind of person he wanted to be all at the same time. How the hell was he supposed to do it? Maintain his air of confidence and authority, while wanting to turn a new leaf. Wanting to make some sort of amends with his brother. To show the rest of their friend group that he was more than just some sickly spoiled rich boy. Which partially meant proving to himself that there was more to him than just all that. But what better time to attempt to spread some holiday cheer than the holidays? At least that’s what he was telling himself as he caught sight of his brother across the hall. Unable to stop himself from thinking that he looked just the slightest bit pathetic in comparison considering they were supposed to be putting on a show. Envied the way that he’d probably get away with it too. Without David picking apart absolutely every minute of his night and how he’d spent it. But those kind of thoughts weren’t helpful. In fact that they were exactly the kind he was trying to avoid as he approached his brother, stealing two flutes of champagne off a tray before shoving one into the younger Holly’s hand. “If you’re as miserable now as you look figured you could use one of these.” He offered, in a way that was a halfwitted attempt at not being a total asshole. Taking a long sip as his eyes scanned the room like a hawk, looking out for anyone who might make a comment. “David whipped out the cigars which means we’re in for a long fucking night.” 

.

Miserable? Really? Sure, he’d felt it to a certain degree, but he’d been offering everyone fake smiles and nods. He’d been letting them chat if they needed to boast about their latest accomplishment. He’d been playing the role of the second Holly -- the obscure one that only the biggest Holly fans knew -- well... But, he would have to admit -- if even just to himself -- that Danny was the one having to really play it up. The one having to act like he wasn’t just having a good time, but having the best time of his entire life! Because these damn gatherings were in their blood and god knew they’d follow Danny like the plague. Yes, at least Donny would have the option to escape them one day. Taking the flute of champagne from his brother, he swirled it around -- a habit from every wine glass that had been thrust into them before he was even a legal adult, much less legally allowed to drink. “Thanks,” he offered, that same smile and nod that everyone else had received. He shook his head, ever so slightly, in expected-but-disappointing amusement. “The Cuban ones, I’m guessing?” If they were the Cuban ones? It would be more than just a long fucking night.

[donnyholly]

[donnyholly]

who: open ! what: donny thinks ur gonna tell him about mount everest where: the holly holiday party!

As all H.A.H parties tended to do, the party had begun without a hitch. Amongst all the accommodations -- the drinks, the food, the decor -- what really shined? David’s speech. It was perfectly inauthentic, but Donny had to keep those thoughts to himself! He may have been the second-choice son, treated as more of an inconvenience, but he still had to save face.  Faux smile, his eyes scanned the crowd. As he began tapping on his flute of sparkling grape juice champagne, a shadow cast upon him. Alright. Time to strike up conversation.  “Oh! It’s so nice to see you here-” - and he dropped the tone, eyes reaching the face of one of his and/or his brother’s friends. They weren’t exactly unaware of the distaste Donny had for the charade his family -- and almost all other H.A.H members -- put up. “-Sorry about that. There’s been a lot of...” - a vague gesture towards the crowd. He was sure they could finish the sentence for themselves.

[donnyholly]

thezevking​:

📹

Zev hated these events. It was bad enough living with the Hargroves, working at the H.A.H office twice a week, and being Elaine’s ‘boyfriend’ and de facto date to galas and fancy dinners. Add holiday parties on top of it all? When was a guy supposed to live his own life? Thank god for Donny Holly. He was often the only thing that made any of this bearable. When they were young and Zev was being plunged headfirst into this world, he’d wrongfully assumed that Donny was just like the rest of them. Stuck up, annoying, self-centered. Now, he can’t imagine ever applying any of those words to his friend. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The boys saw each other at almost the exact same time, Donny looking over the shoulder of a man he was trapped in conversation with and Zev scanning the area for anyone familiar. When they locked eyes, Zev grinned, half out of genuine happiness to see his friend and half in a teasing good luck getting out of that conversation, buddy. 

“Him?” He asked, craning his neck to see exactly who Donny had been talking to “Oh, god, yeah. Mt. Everest this time? Last time, he was telling me about hiking up an inactive volcano in Hawaii or something. I wanted to tell him it’s not as fun if the volcano is inactive but you know how he is. If you manage a single word in it’s a miracle.” Turning his attention back towards his friend, Zev offered him a fully genuine smile this time. “I don’t know, man. Last year I dropped an hors d'oeuvre on one of the Archer cousins’ dresses and she flipped out. It was honestly pretty funny and I truly don’t think she’s forgiven me yet. Until I permanently ruin someone else’s impression of me, this year won’t be complete.”

.

Zev was the one shining light Donny had at all of the H.A.H events -- dare Donny say that he made them... fun? There were definitely people who had made them tolerable in the past, but Zev went beyond that. He always went beyond. Even if he hadn’t been born into the wealth of the Hargroves, even if he was not the biological son of the great Harvard Hargrove II (treated more like a second-cousin from what Donny had observed), he -- much like Donny -- had been forced into a suit and tie, forced to play the part of the good secondary son. It was a role neither of them fully belonged in, but what would protesting do? Donny had grown up as that son, grown up in that role; Zev may have simply been assigned it, but what had he learned since? “Mt. Everest, yep.” Donny could believe it with the amount of guides he said he had had (and, to his credit, how often he seemed to train), but no pictures? Nothing to show off? That wasn’t very rich-person of him! (But the humble bragging totally was.) “Apparently he even had a spiritual awakening! Something about hypothermia and the clouds...” By that point, Donny had completely tuned out. Hearing about an accomplishment? Cool! Hearing the person whose accomplishment it was drone on and on in the most pretentious manner without letting the other party get a word in edgewise? ...Not cool. “Of course... Did he see his reflection in the inactive lava or something? See his mirror self staring back?” “I don’t know if I’ve ever met an Archer who doesn’t hold onto grudges. Don’t get me wrong, Elaine is nice!” -- though they weren’t particularly close. “The others, though...” A different story. “Actually, maybe we should target Mr. Everest! Then you’ll be free from his conversation shackles.”

[donnyholly]

bro you better shut the fuck up before i look at you one day and feel warm and realize i’ve fallen in love with you bro. im serious quit it dude

[donnyholly]

who: @thezevking​ what: donny tries to get to zev but gets interrupted by a rich prick first :-\ where: holly holiday party :-\

Even if he was not one of the Hollys that everyone was looking for ( no, in order of importance, that would be his father, shortly followed by his mother, shortly followed by Danny... with Donny there at the way way way way way end ! ), Donny would be damned if he hadn’t had his best stiff smile on. Nod and wave to everyone, answer any questions, talk when prompted to talk. Yada yada yada. The usual drill when there were guests to schmooze with in the Holly household! A man ( he wants to say... maybe one of the Archers ? ) stops by for a brief second, gets Donny nodding and smiling and pretending to follow along with some half-hearted hums and ‘uh-huh, yeah!’ - See, the great thing about being amongst such a rich crowd ? He knew from experience that rich folks liked talking about themselves way more than anything else ! ‘Yes sir, your charity work was amazing. You definitely outdid Mr. So-And-So!’ -- and they were happy ! But, god... once they got on the topic of themself... there was no getting back ! Thus, great reprieve came when Donny spotted Zev just over the man’s shoulder. A quick apology, a quick ‘we’ll have to circle back to this!’ (because it was just sooooo interesting), a big ol’ smile and a firm handshake later... Donny managed to break from the one-sided conversation, marching towards Zev, head downward as if the man would pop up again at any moment and spring to attack !  SAFE. “Have you, uh... ever gotten trapped in a conversation with him?” he asked with a slight chuckle, nodding towards the man who had moved onto his new victim like a damn shark. “I’m a little disappointed that he doesn’t have pictures of himself summiting Mt. Everest in his wallet. It’s like, you know, if you’re gonna talk about it that much, you should definitely be showing us some pictures, right? Of him and his hoard of guides who he was really the one guiding since the mountain just spoke to him! A total spiritual experience! He was Mt. Everest!” And he was rambling... though, to be fair, everything he had just spouted ? They had almost been said verbatim by the man ! Nonetheless...  A beat, he shook his head with what could be a sheepish grin. What a silly goose! “So...” a moment to catch his breath... “is this year holding up to last year?”

[donnyholly]

who: @roryjackson​ what: salmon upstream where: the holly home :-\

He would smile. He would nod. He would talk when he needed to. He would be a great pretender. He would be the perfect side character. He would be the bonus -- that character you unlock who, in the end, is rather useless, but it’s nice to be able to say you unlocked them! And he would be left alone, all parties flocking to his mother and David and Danny and leaving him where he was most comfortable at H.A.H-funded events: looking on.  With a flute of champagne in hand ( actually, it wasn’t champagne -- it just passed for it... really, it was sparkling grape juice ), he swirled it absentmindedly ( oh, Donny, that’s what you do with wine! you swirl wine! not champagne! and certainly not grape juice! ). His eyes scanned the room, fake smile still plastered on for those who caught sight of The Other Holly... But that fake smile turned into a real one when his eyes landed upon Rory. Squeezing between partygoers with polite ‘pardon me’s and ‘I’m so sorry’s along the way, a quick trip across the room felt like a lifetime! But it was worth it with her -- one of his first genuine friends. One of the first friends he had made all by himself. “Rory, hey!” Very cool. He had not just swum upstream like a salmon to visit. “It’s nice to see you! How are you doing?”

[donnyholly]

harvardiii​:

@donnyholly​

Harvey had been to the Holly house countless times over the course of his lifetime, but something about it never really got any easier. There was this itch beneath his skin, and a tingle in his nerves: he always had to be on guard, just in case Danny - or god forbid, Harvard II - was lurking around the corner. At the very least, he knew that he could count on moments with Donny Holly to be less intense. He knew that the kid’s eyes - less than a year younger, but still wholly kid in Harvey’s mind - was always looking out too. He could trust that kind of weariness. 

“You having a good night so far?” Harvey came prepared: his own spiked eggnog, and a glass for Donny too. He wasn’t sure if the youngest Holly was spending the night drinking like the rest of them - why somone wouldn’t, Harvey isnt sure. But it never hurt to offer, right?  “I gotta tell you - your Dad’s speech, really kicked it out of the park this year. I’m shocked there wasn’t, like, a sparkly little tear streaming down his cheek by the end. Would have been Oscar worthy.”

“Guess that just means we have something to look forward to for next year though, right?” 

There were few H.A.H. members who Donny had ever felt were anything but shams. The charm they offered to townsfolk, the promises they made, the way they talked about their children... Donny had borne witness to it behind the scenes. He had seen the way David’s eyes were alight around Danny -- for better or for worse; he had seen the cold indifference in the man’s eyes when he looked at Donny, himself. It was all a charade.  Perhaps they did bring in new business opportunities every now and again, but what was that worth in the long run? ( Asks the rich boy. ) Now, Harvard Hargrove III may have had many bones to pick with Danny -- something mutual, all thanks to the sins of their fathers -- but Donny was a clean slate. And he planned on keeping it that way. Hell, sometimes Harvey was more of the All-American big brother trope to him than Danny was... Sometimes Donny thought he was closer to Harvey than Danny. Sad, right? Sad, sad, sad. Sad, what success could do to a family. Sad, what success could do to a kid.  But that is all to say -- Harvey’s appearance was like a brief moment spent in the sun. The big brother he never had, right? Ha. “Oh, I’m certain he rehearsed it in the mirror several times. Did you hear his cadence? He outdid himself!” Now that was another great thing about Harvey. They both knew their fathers were great pretenders. They didn’t have to pretend to respect them around each other!

“Oh, of course! He’ll be pulling out all the stops -- probably pull Danny and me up there, shake our shoulders and talk about how proud he is of how the town has formed us so well... all that.”

[donnyholly]

noahrussell​:

who: @donnyholly​​ what: introverts united

It didn’t seem to matter how far out of his shell he’d come since high school. Parties were just never going to be his thing. There were too many people, the music always seemed just a little too loud, and he always seemed to lose the people he came with within minutes. Not that he wouldn’t eventually find them throughout the course of the night, but it wasn’t like he wanted to hover either. So instead he’d taken to the backyard almost immediately upon arrival. Finding his way through a crowd until he’d found an area of the party that was just a little less populated and finally made a point of taking a seat, drink already in hand. He had to physically fight the urge to pull out his notebook like he once might have when they were all kids, but he was trying to do better about the eye contact thing and connecting with others as they moved about the backyard. So instead to keep his hands busy he took a long pull from his drink, only pausing when a familiar face showed itself in the crowd. “Shit.. Hey Donny over here!” He called out to him waving him over as he scooted over a tad to make room. “I was wondering when you might make an appearance tonight.” 

.

Holly-thrown gatherings always felt so... inauthentic. Not that Donny would expect anything less from his parents -- they had written the book on facades. And that book read well for most folks! Most folks didn’t see through David’s speech! Hell, maybe even David didn’t... But they didn’t throw it because everyone was family, they threw it to schmooze.  For that, Donny found himself beginning each night on the sidelines. He was not so much working up the courage to interact ( even if he preferred alone time, he was perfectly comfortable talking to others in the right setting ), rather working to let go of the chuckle that was the Holly family. That was the H.A.H.  But a familiar voice rang out ( and not familiar in the way that Harvard Hargrove II might be ) and he snapped to attention, slight smile forming when he saw who it was. Oh, saving grace! With a friendly wave, he made his way through the sparse crowd and over to Noah. “Noah! It’s nice to see you, man.” Taking a seat beside him, he shrugged his shoulders. A hint of a joke, he replied, “My dad has to have his moment to shine and all.” His dad’s everyday life! And as if Donny, of all sons, was capable of snuffing it. “So, have you been enjoying it?”

[donnyholly]

SUCCESSION Season 2 Episode 10

[donnyholly]

fun fact: the deciding factor of federico cesari as the fc was that he was the only one in my final picks who didn’t look completely like wonderbread. and that’s only because he’s italian. and that’s only because i’m wired to marry an italian mafioso. 

QUICK STATS !

FULL NAME: Donald Jacob Holly

NICKNAMES: Donny, Don, Little D, Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck

DOB: March 10th, 1967

ZODIAC BIG THREE: Pisces sun, Capricorn moon, Cancer rising (?)

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis man & he/him

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Home of sexual (here to support the actor’s sexuality!)

EDUCATION: High-school diploma

ENNEAGRAM: 6w7 (?)

MBTI: INFJ

TEMPERAMENT: Phlegmatic

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good

JOB: N/A

MAJOR: Hospitality

BACKSTORY !

so a backstory backstory will come when T and i get the chance to discuss their family/dynamic more in-depth, but this is what i wrote in the intro i sent to em! i’ll update/elaborate on things when we get to talk more !

The word ‘need’ never existed in Donny Holly’s life. A human needs food? He has food. A human needs shelter? He has shelter. A human needs companionship? He had companionship, however screwed it could be at times. But the word ‘want’ was ever-present. A human wants love? He wanted love. A human wants warmth? He wanted warmth. A human wants to be treated with respect? He wanted to be treated with respect.

Everything Donny wanted, his brother seemed to get by the simple virtue of being the twin synonymous with the Holly name. Ten months made all the difference, and Donny felt that sting throughout his childhood. Every scowl David shot to his brother, every sneer, every snide remark… As a kid, he wished he could be the one hearing those. He wished he could be the one who had attention.

Instead, he was stuck in a shadow. Even his brother’s friends were his friends. And it should not have been met with bitterness, this much he knew, but having… five friends to his brother’s fourteen, some of whom blurred the lines and were present as, first and foremost, Danny’s friend…

It took years of careful observation. It took years of overhearing meetings, of reading between the lines, of actually listening. It took years of looking past his own second place medal to realize that, perhaps, it was for the better.

Danny may have made Donny’s life a living Hell in high-school, but Donny couldn’t bring himself to harbor any hatred towards the other. No Cain and Abel. Feeling a kinship with him was far, far away. Feeling like he was actually his brother was far, far away. Feeling like he was what he was supposed to be was far, far away.

But he could recognize pain when he saw it. The weight that was placed upon Danny’s shoulders, the stone that he lugged around, the chain around his neck… Donny would never know that. He would never know the scowls and sneers and snide remarks of their parents. He would know cruel indifference. Which was worse? Far too subjective. But, at the very least, Donny had no expectations to live up to.

Sheer proximity forced him into ‘the Gang.’ Even when Danny was at his worst – both towards Donny and those in his social circle – they were blended in with the crew that Lux Lewis glued together. And how did Lux feel about him? ‘Meh,’ probably. How did the majority of ‘the Gang’ feel about him? Well… he’s Danny’s little brother, right? But how did the majority of ‘the Gang’ feel about Danny? …To the majority of the crew, Donny could, at the very least, be ‘The Good Holly.’

A part of him wanted to make excuses for Danny’s behavior… but, as he marched towards college, he realized: yes, things can suck for Danny, but he’s still in charge of his own actions. It changed the game… as did recognizing how hard it must have been… as did feeling inferior…

There was nothing to do but accept that he would never understand Danny… and that, maybe, just maybe, that was alright. All that mattered was that he could be his own person. That he could distinguish himself apart from his brother. That he did not look at himself in the mirror and think ‘the other Holly.’ So much of his life had been spent that way, how much time did he have left?

Free to choose his major in college – free to not sign up for something that would help H.A.H. – of all possibilities, his knee-jerk reaction was ‘Hospitality.’ He could create inviting experiences for those who were in need of one, right?

Whether or not it will stick is anyone’s guess. No college student knows what they want to do, much less an eighteen-year-old college student. But it seemed logical, in a way. Something that was useful, but didn’t just rely on H.A.H. Something that relied on both the brain and the heart. Something that relied on ensuring goodness.

It isn’t the perfect ending, Donny knows that. And maybe he’ll never have the perfect ending. Maybe he’ll never be able to wrap his life up in a bow, happy and perfect and him. Maybe he’ll always be the second choice, just an extension of the other Holly twin. Maybe he’ll always want to make excuses for the other twin, or maybe he’ll always feel a chill. Maybe he would be okay.

HEADCANONS !

Does this all the time.

Same with this.

Really loves the Redwoods. For obvious reasons, it’s not like he can spend all his time there, but they’re so lovely and peaceful... Would love to work there when he’s old enough !

Entered ‘Hospitality’ as a knee-jerk reaction. In a way, he can see himself managing things like hotels. In another way, he wants another thing that separated himself from Danny. In another way, it’s a foreign concept.

Fluent in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and ASL. Learning Greek, Russian, Mandarin, and Swahili. 

Comfortable with his sexuality, but only when he’s holding the cards close to his chest. He’s accepted who he is on that front, but he isn’t quite ready to share it with the whole world. 

Off of that... would watch any movie recommended to him by Zev.

Should be as Italian as his FC because he can cook some mean Italian dishes! Same for other dishes... he’s a very skilled cook... but as someone who is convinced she will marry a mafia man one day, the only thing that’s important here is his Italian food.

Absolute malewife.

More to come !

WANTED CONNECTIONS !

Ideas to come when it’s not 3:43AM !

[donnyholly]

“I promise, money won’t fix all your problems.”