theheadlessgroom

[theheadlessgroom]

'The Phantom of the Opera' 1925. Mary Philbin as Christine Daae. Promotional Photos.

[theheadlessgroom]

"Y'know...I've been dead for centuries, and I've never gotten used to that," Randall commented with a soft chuckle. "Haven't had a heartbeat in several hundred years, and yet...being around Emily, even after all this time of being married, she still manages to make my heart race."

Out of curiosity, he once asked Dorian if he ever felt his own pulse begin to pound around Elizabeth, and he'd freely admitted that it did (even if he didn't understand it anymore than his best friend did), so it wasn't just Randall, and it certainly wasn't just Nola.

But there was something sort of sweet about it, wasn't there? Even in death, the ones they loved made them feel alive...perhaps some would call him a hopeless romantic for this very poetic perspective, but he didn't mind that. He quite like that idea-for himself, for Dorian, and most certainly for Nola.

@nola-schuyler

"Love isn't always at first sight," Randall smiled with a little shrug. "Sometimes it takes a little time: From what I know, my pa's parents, my grandparents, knew each other for a long time, saw each other regularly around their town, and were always friendly with one another, but it took a long time before they fell in love and started courting."

Sometimes it took a little nudge in the right direction, it seemed: From what he knew, his grandfather was tired of the butchery business and had been on a walk when he stopped to pet some of his grandmother's family's cows looping around the field. She had been out to feed them, they got to talking, and the rest was history-perhaps it'd been the same for Nola and Sally, with dance being just the thing to bring them together.

[theheadlessgroom]

Mistake I made that I don't recommend.

[theheadlessgroom]

Raymond Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) national portrait by Dorothy Wilding

[theheadlessgroom]

For the sensory ask, 12 and 17 please!

*cough* and 25 *cough*

Thank you!

12. Randall could best be described as "touch-starved": Although his parents were, naturally, very hands-on with him when he was growing up, hugging and kissing him regularly, among other expressions, and June was naturally affectionate with her boy even as he grew, that all changed following June's passing, and Randall was all alone, with no other family or friends to speak of, barely tolerated by his coworkers and customers. Once Emily came into his life, she more than made up for that, with the two proving to be a very physically affectionate couple, always holding hands, hugging, kissing, and otherwise touching at nearly all times, with this not changing once they moved into Gracey Manor, where Randall could also be found hugging and horsing around with Dorian, just as they did as boys. Needless to say, Randall's absence from the Mansion landed him right back at square one, and he deeply missed Emily's touch once he returned home and found her gone.

Fortunately, with Emily home again, Randall hasn't had to go without his beloved bride's affection a single day since her return: They can oftentimes be found holding hands or walking arm-in-arm around the graveyard, dancing romantically in the ballroom, or just either cuddled up in the library, taking turns reading passages from their favorite horror novels to one another.

17. Randall has a rough, somewhat gravelly voice; not terrifically deep (he's freely admitted he doesn't have as impressive a baritone as, say, the Ghost Host), but not high-pitched either. He tends to speak softly (being nowhere near as boisterous as his best friend, Dorian) and have a very casual way of speaking, with a tendency to drop his g's ("what're ya doin'?", for instance) and a penchant for referring to youngsters as "lad" or "lass" (his elders he respectfully tries to address by name or as "sir" or "ma'am"). He never quite picked up a strong Southern accent, but when he's getting angry, his Irish brogue tends to make itself known.

25. As has been mentioned before, Randall's throat scar is extremely sensitive to the touch: Not entirely painful, just...sensitive, and as such, the only person allowed to touch it is Emily, who will sometimes dabble it with kisses when they're intimate, with Randall finding it oddly pleasurable when she does. Similarly, Randall is the only one allowed to touch Emily's throat bruises, which are just as sensitive, and will also kiss them in the privacy of their bedroom, as she too finds it strangely pleasurable.

[theheadlessgroom]

Joan Crawford in Our Blushing Brides (1930)

[theheadlessgroom]

"Randall since Emily is finally home now are you going to tell her about when the Manor is taken over by the Nightmare gang...also about that big snake being in the attic with you two".

"Well, she was already aware of our friends from Halloween Town coming, as she spent many a holiday in their company during my absence," Randall chuckled softly. "The, uh, snake is going to be something new, however, but I have no doubt we'll all be able to get along, just as long as our house guest doesn't eat my hatboxes!"

[theheadlessgroom]

Mary Philbin and Lon Chaney - The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

[theheadlessgroom]

Linda Friesen 'The Moon Maiden' Haute Couture Gown

[theheadlessgroom]

"Well...are they good feelings, would you say?" Randall ventured to ask with a little smile: It may not be serious, it may just be a little crush, but he still wanted to talk to her about it, if she was so willing to discuss it with him, to tell her of his own experiences as a young man:

"It can be hard to describe sometimes," he admitted, thinking back fondly to his mortal days, when his crush on Emily was beginning to take hold. "And it can sometimes feel...strange, what with the butterflies and the way you start to burn up, the way your heart races when you think about them, or even just how much you think about them, like they're the only thing on your mind...

...but in my experience, it's far from an...unpleasant feeling, and I hope it's the same for you, Nola."

@nola-schuyler

"Love isn't always at first sight," Randall smiled with a little shrug. "Sometimes it takes a little time: From what I know, my pa's parents, my grandparents, knew each other for a long time, saw each other regularly around their town, and were always friendly with one another, but it took a long time before they fell in love and started courting."

Sometimes it took a little nudge in the right direction, it seemed: From what he knew, his grandfather was tired of the butchery business and had been on a walk when he stopped to pet some of his grandmother's family's cows looping around the field. She had been out to feed them, they got to talking, and the rest was history-perhaps it'd been the same for Nola and Sally, with dance being just the thing to bring them together.

[theheadlessgroom]

VALDRIN SAHITI Couture 2025 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways

[theheadlessgroom]

Sensory Headcanons Ask Game

Send me a character and a number and I'll tell you:

Their most visually striking feature

The colours they wear / look best in

Their favourite kind of view

Do they prefer bright lighting, dim lighting, or darkness?

Do they prefer wide open spaces or enclosed spaces?

Some of their favourite flavours or foods

What they smell like

Their favourite scents

A scent that makes them nostalgic

A texture they hate

A texture they love

Their feelings on physical touch

Their ideal climate and weather

Their favourite type of music

A sound they can't stand

A sound that makes them sad

What their voice sounds like

The sounds they make when experiencing intense emotion

Something that viscerally disgusts them

Something that makes their skin tingle

How aware are they of their surroundings?

Are they good at sensing the thoughts and emotions of others? How do they experience them?

Do they have foresight? How do they experience it?

Do they have any sense-related fears or phobias?

Surprise NSFW sensory headcanon

[theheadlessgroom]

VALDRIN SAHITI Couture 2025 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways

[theheadlessgroom]

look! the moonlight shows us for what we really are. we are not among the living, and so we cannot die — but neither are we dead.

[theheadlessgroom]

@nola-schuyler

"Love isn't always at first sight," Randall smiled with a little shrug. "Sometimes it takes a little time: From what I know, my pa's parents, my grandparents, knew each other for a long time, saw each other regularly around their town, and were always friendly with one another, but it took a long time before they fell in love and started courting."

Sometimes it took a little nudge in the right direction, it seemed: From what he knew, his grandfather was tired of the butchery business and had been on a walk when he stopped to pet some of his grandmother's family's cows looping around the field. She had been out to feed them, they got to talking, and the rest was history-perhaps it'd been the same for Nola and Sally, with dance being just the thing to bring them together.

[theheadlessgroom]

[theheadlessgroom]

"Oh, yes," Randall chuckled, thinking back on his own experience with some amusement, a warm smile on his thin, skeletal lips. "I used to just...drift off whenever I would think about Emily. Didn't matter what time it was or what I was supposed to be doing, she would just...pop into my head, and I'd be deaf to the world!"

He'd have to try not to do this at work, of course, lest Minnie deafen him with her barking in his ear about doing this, that, and the other thing, but even so...even with his best efforts not to get distracted, he couldn't help but smile and drift away at the thought of the woman he loved.

"I felt warm too, when I first met her," he explained. "I hadn't thought much of it at first, but every time I saw her after that first day, I'd start burning up. I thought I was running a fever at first, but no, I...I was just smitten. So I would say everything you're experiencing, it's very normal!"

@nola-schuyler

"Oh!"

Well, that wasn't the response he'd been expecting, but Randall's smile didn't at all waver as he instead gave Nola's hand another squeeze, another small gesture of comfort, to assure her that she could tell him anything and everything. She needn't fear anything from him...which was a touch ironic, given what he did for a living, but still...

"Well...who's the lucky lady then?" he chose to ask with a little chuckle, as he leaned over to grab the nearest thing she could sit on (in this case, an old footstool) and invite her to take a seat beside him, as he wondered who this mystery sweetheart was that had so caught Nola's eye.