veejihad - Tumblr blog

[veejihad]

vee liked to sit in the community garden to read. unlike other times when their hands were busy watering, planting, and harvesting, they were relaxed after smoking a blunt. vee was sat on the bench reading a super lame book so far called chariots of the gods. it was the first book to theorize that ancient earth has been visited by aliens, which sure - they fuck with the idea - but the way it was being argued was driving them mad. for the most part, some white dude was discrediting ancient civilization and cultures as if egyptians couldn’t have been advanced enough to build the pyramids. they were hardly halfway through and was already about to consider tossing it altogether. trash. 

obviously the community garden is kinda their space as it is; someone’s gotta upkeep the flowers and foliage and if it weren’t for them, they weren’t sure what would be the state of these plants. besides that, the garden was where they could plant all the herbs they could ever realistically work with here in zone 10b. when they first moved in they tried to make it work on their balcony so they didn’t have to socialize out here, but that was a fail from the start. thankfully, vee’s less of a recluse now because they’re in the garden all the time. they tend to be the person people ask for facts and information about the plants growing ( and have been known to teach a community class or two ). unsurprisingly, here was another tenant asking. vee hardly glanced at zion and the flower between their fingers before looking back at their book to answer.  “ eschscholzia californica, colloquially known as the california poppy. sooo of course you’ll see them everywhere. they’re perennial. ”

Open starter @spectrumstart

LOCATION: The community garden in the late afternoon. 

ZIon was a collector of pretty things. Any repurposed jar or can in their possession always held some sort of treasure in it. An old marinara jar filled with thrifted rings too small for their fingers, a coffee can full of run over and mangled coins, a shoebox full of stickers and patches from artists from coast to coast. Even the books Zion owned weren’t exempt from hiding away his riches. 

Today, Zion was on a quest for flowers with an old Webster’s English to Spanish dictionary in hand. For the life of them Zion couldn’t remember the name of the caramel haired girl who’d laid on his belly and told them all about pressing, and drying, and preserving flowers in between drags off a joint many moons ago but she held a soft spot in Zion’s heart and was  one of the phone numbers from pretty people they collected in their phone. She was in the back of Zion’s mind as they sat in the garden casually plucking blooms to sandwich between translations. They weren’t the only person in the garden and as Zion plucked the more he realised he didn’t even know half the names of the flowers before him. Someone else did, right? People had to keep florists in business after all. 

“Hey, do you happen to know what these are? I see them all over town,” Zion asked as they cradled a bright orange California Poppy between their fingers. 

[veejihad]

there are times, when vee is smacked ( like now ), where they get a little restless. but not restless enough to the point of wanting to socialize with others — because as much as their neighbors are near and dear to their heart, they can also be much. it was for this reason that vee liked to default and re-spawn at the game room, where they’ve typically timed it right enough so they were the only person chilling in there, maybe throwing some darts or sharpening their pool skills alone. that’s usually been the case, until now it seems. vee walked into the game room to see owen, one of the newer tenants this past year. they couldn’t recall striking much conversation with him simply because they haven’t gotten around to properly greeting him aside from their standard welcome to spectrum house would you like some herbal tea blends for free? spiel they give to all the new tenants. all they knew about him off-handedly from the sunday night dinners or through catching sight of him throughout the complex was that he was deaf. vee vaguely remembers in high school they were paired up with a deaf classmate for an assignment and tried to learn some ASL basics. those basics certainly weren’t coming to the forefront of their mind now when they were more focused on the delightful buzz starting to spread at the base of their scalp. hi, i’m vee, they tried to sign to be polite, in case owen doesn’t remember them. the keyword here was try as they ended up signing v-s-s instead.  “ fuck. i’m sure i butchered that. sorry. i meant to say i’m vee. ”

Open | @spectrumstart​ In the Game Room

Owen had been meaning to check out the game room since he had moved in. But things with learning a new city and starting as a nurse at the hospital, life had been hectic, and there hadn’t been much free time for him lately. Thankfully, after what felt like a life time, he had a day off. Finally. There was still so much he wanted to see, wanted to check out, both around the apartment and the city. Figuring why not start off around the complex and then maybe make his way around the neighborhood and city later. 

So he made his way down to the basement, entering the game room, a grin making its way onto his face as he looked around. If here was one thing he was a sucker for, it was a good game of air hockey- however, no one else seemed to be down here. As he walked around, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was even a place anyone ever came to since it was so far down in the apartment. As he was checking out a few more of the games, wondering if maybe it would be better to come back at a later time, it was movement from the door that caught his attention. He turned towards it, grinning at the person who had just entered.

[veejihad]

ofamin​:

          upon vee’s approach, avi goes through the five stages of grief in a span of a minute, where the last stage ( acceptance ) is really just them considering packing their bags & moving from spectrum altogether. the standing ovation & spotlight being two of the only things avi’s missing to pull off a dramatic stunt like that. but they digress. arm splaying wide when vee comes from behind ( as though to say, by all means ), their brow arching high as they watch their neighbor try their luck at their own mailbox. the struggle that follows allotting avi the room to mock,  ❛ ah ha, indeed. ❜  hiding their initial surprise ( because they honestly thought vee’s mailbox would open ) by sighing theatrically, avi’s head tilting curiously in vee’s direction.  ❛ do you hear that ?? ❜  they wait, sticking an ear out as if actually listening in on something.  ❛ that’s the sound of my pride patting your dignity on the back. ❜

vee internally groaned, although they deserved it only slightly for their comment. if there’s anything avi was, they were consistent — at being a little prick. vee pursed their lips together and slightly turned to face them. “ my dignity is intact as long as i’m here keeping my cool and not screaming at inanimate objects... unlike some people, ” they jeered, before turning back to the offending mailbox. they’ve had this issue before ( who hasn’t ? ) and in experience, a combination of speed and patience does the trick. vee slid the key into the hole gentler this time and flicked their wrist until - click. “ and there we have it ! how’s yours holding up, pal ?? “   

[veejihad]

lyrakennedy​:

lyra let out a soft giggle as she shut the door behind the other . “ well , i’m so glad you think of me so highly . i wouldn’t want you to think any other way . ” the two of them walked a few feet into the apartment and lyra leaned against the counter . “ active spirit ? well , i am not sure how logical it could be . you know i don’t truly believe in things until i see them . ” lyra usually wasn’t someone who believed in the unknown , but she was a woman of science and if someone had good proof , she would try her best to see it . “ ah .. ” she sighed , motioning around the area . “ have to go up to travis . ” travis air force base was her home base as she had transitioned to the reserves . “ duty calls , ya know ? ”

“ of course. i knew you would say that, which is why i asked,” vee remarked breezily. “ thoughts on haunted dolls ? annabelle type of shit. ” it was part of their master plan to loop lyra into this, after all. for someone like her who thinks seeing is believing, there’s no doubt she’d want to try to see for herself. “ gotcha, ” vee nodded in semi-understanding. “props to you being on the move. seems too stressful for me but i’m sure a tough cookie like you can handle most, if not anything. how long are you out ? ”  

[veejihad]

*holds hands with the disembodied skeleton hand that keeps scuttling around after me while i explore the haunted house*

[veejihad]

how many jobs would you say you have?

" who is this ? the IRS ? i dabble in many things so i’m not sure how to answer. at the end of the day i'm a business owner so i guess one. "

[veejihad]

what are you likely to take away from a painful experience ? are you one to be haunted by adversity, or to use what you've gone through to become stronger ?

" the latter, without question. we all carry shit with us but i don't like being bogged down like that. it's easier for me to make peace with an experience and move forward but i know that’s not the case with everyone. "

[veejihad]

who's the hottest person at spectrum house?

“ do i have to pick just one ? impossible. if you're queer you're sexy i don't make the rules. ”

[veejihad]

do you ever regret not being an ivy-league kid like your siblings?

" me attending an ivy league school ?? not my flavor. i'm happy for their successes but i always knew it wasn't gonna happen for me. no regrets. "

[veejihad]

you've been out of the house for a while now. what feelings come up when you think about your parents, now that it's been a bit of time?

" i simply do not think of them. aria and leila know where i am unfortunately, so they could contact me if they wanted to but they haven’t. why would i waste energy mulling over it when i’m much happier now at spectrum ? i feel pity though, to answer your question. ”

[veejihad]

ever the light sleeper, vee was roused from their nap by the sound of footsteps, a voice, and a bang. they cracked an eye open to see a grumpy aimée, as their head swam to recall what the older woman was saying. “ my day ? ” the better part of their day was spent brewing a new sleepytime tea formula, while the later half was spent in the lounge springing their concoction onto any willing test subjects. it seems the tea may have worked too well because now here they were on the chaise, alone save for one ranting art professor. “ yeah it’s been a good one, actually. no complaints. ” unlike yours, clearly, is what they didn’t voice aloud. post-slumber vee isn’t always the best vee by a mile. 

“ mercury retrograde ? ” vee clarified. “ well, mercury rules communication and includes traveling, like cars so that’s not uncommon...” they stopped themselves, realizing this explanation was likely the last thing aimée wanted to hear right now.  “ anyway, mercury can’t burst tires. sorry that happened. “ vee sat up a bit straighter to look at her disheveled state. and because they can’t help themselves, added: “ but mercury retrograde does ask us to pause, reflect, exercise patience, shit like that. so. do what you will what that info. ” 

Open starter location & time: lounge at Spectrum House, late evening

On the days she works at the academy, Aimée usually arrives home around 5pm. She never gets caught in traffic and she even has time to shop groceries for the evening meal. Tonight, however, the Spectrum House lounge finds Aimée shuffling in at half past 8pm, breathing heavily and entirely done with everything in the world. She has had the shittiest day ever. She notices the lights are on, and even though it’s not that late, she wasn’t expecting anyone to hang around this room at dinner time.

“Tell me you had a nice day because I swear mine was awful,” she announces with grando and balances her heavy bag on top of the table in a loud bang. “Heard a student rant about some retrograded mercury bullshit, they said it explained why nothing went well for my zodiac sign right now or whatever.” A sigh escapes her lips as she starts unbuttoning her coat. “Don’t know how Mercury can burst tyres, damn bitch better not try again.” That last sentence is mostly muttered to herself, there’s hair falling all over herself and it looks like she just ran a marathon. Obviously, she didn’t. She would never put her body through such folly.

[veejihad]

vee is a simple person. it doesn’t take very much to keep them happy but at the same time, they never thought they would get to this point. while their apothecary and services aren’t the most stable source of income, it’s enough to keep a roof over their head, pay the bills, and then some. when the roof over their head happens to be spectrum house, well, what more could they ask for ?  this has been happening a lot more lately. these gushy sentimental feelings about their family that vee doesn’t entirely know what to do with each time they hang with a friend in the building — and it was no different after a nice conversation earlier with their psueds. 

between tame impala playing on blast, the paintbrush in their hand swirling what will be an abstract mothman on a 5″x7″ canvas, and half a pot brownie taking effect, vee was having a good fucking time. suddenly, they were brought out of their trance by the sound of persistent knocking, followed by someone yelling their name. jacob ?? vee croaked a “ coming ! ”  as they set the paintbrush down and walked toward the door. a dazed grin blossomed on their face once they caught sight of jacob in front of them, not fully registering the depth of what they said next: “ broo your eyes !! you’re high as shit aren’t you ? ”  

closed starter // @veejihad​

Halfway between his and Vee’s apartment, it feels like Jacob’s body is shutting down. Every noise he hears is muffled and the room slowly starts tilting to one side. And that’s when he knows something is up. His heart races, anxiety coursing through him as the last remaining section of his logical mind tries to figure out what the fuck is happening. He recounts his day. He went to visit Vee to drop off some pastries. They sat and talked for a bit. Jacob decided to grab a brownie from the stack on their kitchen counter. He–

Wait. The brownies. The brownies

Jacob turns around and marches back towards Vee’s door, trying hard not to stumble even though their apartment is literally just a couple of doors down (why is the room tilted?). When he sees the #18, he starts knocking on the door. “Vee.” He waits for a couple minutes (or was it just a couple of seconds?) before he continues knocking, his voice growing just slightly more anxious, his knocks more insistent. “Hello? Vee? Are you in there? Vee!” ​

[veejihad]

lyrakennedy​:

after a long day at work the last thing lyra wanted to be doing was packing her overnight bag for her weekend trip , but alas here she was . but it’s not like she would have any other time ,  because the second her shift ended tomorrow she was hoping right on a plane . the girl let out a sigh , tossing a t-shirt into the bag when she heard a knock . ugh , good a distraction . it wasn’t like she needed to put much care into what she packed . she’d just be in uniform the whole time . a smile appeared on her face when she heard the voice of her dear friend . after taking a few steps she pulled the door open wide and smiled . “ oh hello there vee , you’ve saved me from boredom . what do i owe the pleasure ? ” she moved backwards and motioned for them to come in . 

not one to show their cards right away, vee grinned and clicked their phone locked. if there’s one thing they appreciated about lyra, it had to be the easy flow of conversation between them and lyra’s strong opinions. “ we may have hashed through this before but remind me: what does a smart, knowledgable, well-researched woman like yourself think of active spirits ? haunted things, to be specific. ” vee let themselves into lyra’s apartment, noting all the tell-tale signs of pre-travel mode lyra ( which they suppose is her default mode at this rate. ) “ jetting off again ? where to this time ?? ” 

[veejihad]

drbobbywright​:

at the same time that bobby heard vee’s voice reply to his question, he caught a whiff of a signature green smell that reminded him of his youth. back in the ‘90s, he was eager to smoke some of the stuff, but he was older now. he knew better, or at least, he should have. however, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the reminder. “ alright, elsa. you and your little ice powers are gonna be sorry when you come home coughing and wheezing !! oh, and i hope you’re not driving. you don’t need to be operating a motor vehicle all stoney-bologna ! “ he warned. “ where are you going, anyways ?? “

“ puh-lease, i would personally call coming home coughing and wheezing a successful night. ” vee’s next round of laughter came out like a squawk. “ me ? driving around the city ?? no problemo señorito. i’ll be good - promise ! ”  they spun on their heel so that they could see and hear bobby more clearly, back to the wall of the lounge. whatever semblance of a plan that was forming in their head can wait for a moment. now bobby was just being way too amusing to dismiss, but then again it’s not like they have much of a choice. admittedly their interactions with bobby lately have been tinged by the barely-there thundering cloud hovering over his head. he was pulling quite the valiant effort to conceal it too, which vee had to respect, but any time they can spend with the older man is a good time. after all, they owe bobby that much, if not more, for all he’s done for them. “ oh y’know, i’ll be here and there and everywhere... no i’m fucking with you. i dunno, was thinking of vibing out at dolores. it’s a nice day. any recs, boss ? ”

[veejihad]

LOCATION: apt #8 | vee & lyra ( @lyrakennedy​ )

vee was laying in bed scrolling their way down some internet wormhole when it hit them. ‘ it ’ meaning a bad idea in the form of a questionable internet purchase. before they could get too overzealous with this thought alone, vee gathered their train of thought along with a pair of shoes. if vee was gonna go through with a bad idea, they have the decency at least to loop someone else into their nefarious plans. they took the stairwell down, thumbing between the tiktok and ebay app and arrived outside the doorstep of apartment #8.  “ if lyra is home, vee is looking for an enabler ! ” they sung and knocked at the door. all the while, vee stood with their phone aglow and opened to the search results for active spirit.

[veejihad]

STARTER CALL ! like this post for a closed starter. ( also feel free to like this post if we haven’t plotted yet and i’ll bother u )