Rebels & Mutineers is set in modern day New Orleans, Louisiana. R&M is fueled by player's plots and group input.
Supernatural people have always had their place in society, hidden in plain sight or locked away for their own protection. New Orleans, a haven for the strange and mysterious and a magnet for the supernatural.
Established: Oct. 27th, 2018 Recently Updated Posts && Recently Updated Threads
05.11.19
As the community reels from the untimely death of Lucia Lovelle, life has to move on. Primrose readies for the annual Prom celebration! Keep your eye out for a event board and have fun!
02.27.19
It's not too late to vote for February's OTM winners! The winners for January, keep an eye out on your messages for your winner's graphics for your signature. Already voted? Make sure you check out the Mardi Gras event board! Party up, have a good time, and enjoy!
Post by Elijah Noel Cartwright on Feb 17, 2019 1:18:57 GMT
Leaving Monroeville was, shockingly, not something that Eli looked forward to. He liked to get out for a bit, of course, but the whole thing was a sick taste of what he'd never have. It was a guise of freedom that he couldn't help but feel bitter over. Even so, he found himself unable to refuse the opportunity to leave the building when it was granted to him.
He was paired with Holden, a man he'd seen around but hadn't gotten to know much. The chaperone didn't matter much to him-- he planned on going where he wanted to go regardless of the other man's wishes-- but it certainly made for an awkward outing if he got assigned to a douchebag. He had a positive impression of the man and he was hoping, for his sake, that it was correct.
He grabbed his wallet, knowing that his foster parents would have added money to his card since the last time he'd gone out. He threw on a black hoodie and took in a breath, preparing himself mentally for exhaustion. It took a lot out of him, going out and communicating with people he didn't know in stores. In Monroeville, he had grown accustomed to reading Benji's lips, and Sophie's, and Lili's. He'd become familiar with how their mouths shaped when pronouncing certain sounds. Going out and talking to new people? Sometimes it was fine, and sometimes it was like they were speaking a foreign language. At this point in his life, that's really what English was to him. It was his first language, but it was foreign.
Entering the room where the trip's participants were meeting up, Eli stood against a wall, making no effort to speak to anyone until he caught sight of Holden. He then approached the man, nodding a greeting and crossing his arms. "I'm with you, right?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.
Holden had been working as a volunteer with Monroeville for a few months now and this was the first time he was trusted with an outing with a patient. He knew that it was a big responsibility, and while they usually only allowed the ability blockers to handle such a task, but things had been a little hectic at Monroeville and he was always willing to help out when needed. He knew Elijah from around the halls, and he never seemed to be much trouble. Plus, he was sure that there was another reason why he was picked to go with him.
He walked down the halls, finishing up the last bit of his breakfast. It was going to be a long day, but he was excited to spend more time with Elijah. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and Elijah was also pretty cute. That was just a bonus that he would be able to throughly enjoy while they were out. He took the last bite of his muffin, wiping the crumbs from his shirt and face. Had to make a somewhat decent impression. Not like anything was going to come from it.
First rule of being a volunteer somewhere, don't sleep with the people you're helping with.
Especially when it seemed like he was one of the only people who would be able to partner with Elijah in an effective manner. Holden greeted the director who was organizing the event, and double checked that he would still be with Elijah. He crossed into the room where all of the patients were waiting for their escorts to leave the hospital. It didn't take long to spot Elijah, the dark mass of attitude that was difficult to deny the appeal of. Elijah was so sure of himself, and Holden had to appreciate that. He was sure that he would end up spending the day in some dark dungeon with whips and chains and stuff, but he was sure that he would end up somewhere he could get a bit for one of his horses at whatever place they ended up.
When Elijah approached, he grinned at Elijah and pulled his hands from his pockets, "Yeah, two of us seemed to be paired up. I'm Holden." He held his hand out for a shake, since they didn't know each other all that well.
Post by Elijah Noel Cartwright on Feb 24, 2019 2:50:41 GMT
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Eli was actually pretty glad when the guy confirmed that he was with him. Suddenly, he felt like maybe he'd enjoy the day.
Yeah, two of us seemed to be paired up. I'm Holden."Holden?" he repeated because he'd seen the name in text but he'd never said it aloud. He wanted to make sure he was pronouncing it correctly... not that Holden could easily correct him if he wasn't. Luckily enough, the name sounded like it was spelled. He took the guy's hand, grinning slightly. Why was he so happy to meet someone? He rarely enjoyed meeting people.
"Eli," he introduced himself, figuring the guy had seen his name as Elijah. He kept his eyes on Holden's lips intently. Learning a new set of lips sucked but he was determined to make this work for the day. Otherwise, things would just get awkward. Speaking of which... he fucking hated having this conversation but sometimes he felt like the other person needed to be aware of it for their communication to be productive. And so he sighed, brushing his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what they tell you, but I can't hear. So... I need you to face me when you talk."
They were escorted out to a bus and Eli sat next to the window, sliding over to make room for Holden.
"If you don't want to walk around a lot, we can just wait by the bus," he offered. He hated that he needed an escort, mostly because he felt like a burden dragging someone around for the day. Normally he wouldn't care what someone else thought-- it was their job to follow him-- but he liked Holden so he did feel a little bad.
"You're kind of new, right? I don't remember seeing you on other trips." Not... not that he'd been paying attention.
He had heard from some of the higher ups when he started volunteering that Elijah was hard of hearing and nearly completely deaf. He knew why he had been paired with Elijah, not that he was complaining too much about it. He thought that Elijah was cute as hell and he was trying to keep his distance mostly cause of it. This was unavoidable and he was going to try to make the best out of the situation. Assuming he would be able to keep his hands to himself.
He nodded when Elijah confirmed his name, sure that Elijah would be able to handle something as easy as Holden. His mom had a thing for Catcher in the Rye, and wanted to name him after the main character. Growing up he had gone through so many nicknames because so many people just didn't seem to fit him as a Holden. Friends tried to call him H or Hold or even Giroux, but he always went back to Holden. It was his name and he liked it enough.
Eli. He worked as an Eli. It fit in with his dark clothes, his careless attitude, his everything that made him so appealing. Holden listened to what he said about not knowing what they told him, and one of the most basic respects someone can give while speaking with a person who can't hear. "I mean, you gotta be able to see my lips to read them, right?" He thought for a moment and raised his hands up a little higher, /besides, I'm pretty comfortable signing if you're more comfortable just signing with me./
Most people were surprised when he was able to sign, as if he was just some cowboy hick who had nothing much going on. It was one of the things that he loved to spring on people. He was well read, he was proficient in ASL, Romanian, and cajun dialect of French. Mostly, that he was gay. Holden slid next to him, trying to keep from getting too close to him. Just cause he had a crush didn't mean that it as okay to throw himself all over Eli.
/Walking around is cool, but I'm good with whatever. I'm here to go where you want/ He signed, making sure that he was going to sign the right things. He was a little rusty, so there was a pretty decent chance he was going to get some wrong words in there. Even higher chance that those incorrect words would be pure filth since his last instructor was his ex-boyfriend.
/Pretty new, been volunteering with Phalanx for a while now. Went there too. How long have you been in Monroeville?/
Post by Elijah Noel Cartwright on Feb 25, 2019 21:10:22 GMT
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Seeing Holden sign was the last thing he had expected. He had barely seen the language since he'd been taken away from his foster parents. The lack of it had been isolating, so much so that it had been driving Eli insane, slowly pushing him to his limits. He was tired of putting in so much effort to understand people. He was tired of falling behind in conversations and pretending he knew what was going on.
He couldn't remember a single time in his life when he was as excited as he was at that moment.
He grinned, his eyes widening at the sight of it. /I didn't know you could... why did you learn?/ he asked, excitement overwhelming him.
/Do I need to go slower? Sorry. How well do you know it? I can speak, too, if that makes things easier for you./ He was willing to do pretty much anything to facilitate things. This was incredible.
I'm here to go where you want. He grinned, nodding. /Cool. Thanks,/ he signed, appreciating the guy's patience. /I wanted to go into Hot Topic-- someone told me there was one over there?/ he asked, hoping he was remembering correctly because he was kind of looking forward to it.
He nodded when Holden confirmed that he was a little new. /Phalanx always sounded like fun to me. I've never been,/ he admitted. /Wow, it feels like forever. Like seven years, I think,/ he pointed out, shaking his head. /Could we not talk about Monroeville?/ He wanted to pretend, for four seconds, that he didn't have to return to the prison at the end of the day.
Learning how to sign was a lot of fun for Holden, but partly because learning it involved lazy afternoons with his ex-boyfriend while they would sign together in-between long kisses and gentle touches. It hurt to think about Robyn sometimes, he wanted to pretend that he was over the loss of his boyfriend, but it was difficult. Holden really loved him and Robyn just couldn't share that relationship. He had a lot going on and Holden wanted to be there to help him, but nothing seemed to help. They broke up on decent enough terms, but it still hurt.
Seeing Elijah's eye light up when he signed made him smile. He didn't see many therapists or orderlies sign around Monroeville, making Holden wonder what Eli did to help communication with the people who were supposed to be helping him.
"/My ex had meniere's disease/" he said while signing, knowing that the disease was weird and he didn't always remember how to sign it. /I'm not very fast, but I can understand more than I can sign. I really hope I can help/
/If you wanna speak that's fine, but this way we can talk about people without them knowing./ He teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes when he signed it. He knew that Elijah would appreciate being able to talk shit about people, just something about him let Holden know that.
The ride was quick, and Holden was happy to spend it making Elijah's eyes as bright as they were. He was practically buzzing in the seat and Holden felt amazing knowing that he was the one who was able to help him be there. /Hot Topic? Yeah, I think it's over there./ Definitely not where he would shop for himself, but he was happy to go with Elijah.
/Yeah it was, mostly, I mean I have a big family and some of my siblings ended up there with me. It was a big change coming from the farm./ He admitted, looking at the arch way of the store and walked in to the screaming band music that clashed nearly comically with his well worn jeans, boots, white t-shirt and open red flannel shirt. He ran his hand over his hair, looking around at the jewelry that looked like there was no way it could fit in any hole that he could picture, and the bright sparkling corner that seemed misplaced.
Post by Elijah Noel Cartwright on Mar 8, 2019 16:44:40 GMT
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Meniere's Disease explained it. Eli could always get a good idea of how often someone signed based on the way their hands moved. Holden's hands moved so smoothly-- he deserved more credit than he was giving himself.
/Seriously, this is the easiest time I've had understanding someone since I got brought here./ He was beaming. He was surprised that someone at Monroeville had even bothered to place him with someone who signed. It was the first time he felt like staff there gave a single fuck about him.
/You actually sign really well. I mean, a lot of people are much slower,/ he assured... though he wouldn't have even cared if Holden was slow. /If you need me to slow down, just tell me./
He grinned when Holden assured that there was little necessity to speak. Being able to talk about people behind their backs... while doing it quite literally in front of them... that was a perk. There were other benefits to signing as well, though.
Many people enjoyed speaking, almost too much. For Eli, speaking was exhausting. He had to remember the correct shape for his lips and tongue and he had to exaggerate the sounds he was making so that they were clear to his audience. Speaking clearly enough to be understood when you can't hear how you sound-- it wasn't easy.
/When I first lost my hearing, my foster parents started signing everything. They told me not to speak to them unless I absolutely needed to... because I was learning the signs faster than they were. Me speaking to them would have been cheating./ It had been frustrating at first but in the long run, it helped all of them. He grinned at the memory.
/You raised animals?/ he asked curiously when Holden mentioned a farm. He liked animals. One thing he missed most about home was hanging out with his dogs and cats. /What is your ability?/
Talking about himself wasn't something he did often, but something about Holden's request put him at ease. /I have two brothers and a sister,/ he began. /What made you want to work here?/ he asked. He'd just requested no Monroeville... but this was more about Holden, and he was curious.
He knew that he was shaky with his signing, and he was trying really hard. He stayed up the night before this little outing making sure that he practiced some of the words that he thought would come up the most and the phrases that he thought would impress Eli with knowing.
/I can't believe they haven't brought someone in to be able to communicate with you more. Like you're supposed to get therapy in there, how does that work?/ They agreed no Monroeville talk, but he was actually getting angry on Elijah's behalf. He was supposed to get counseling in there so he would be able to get out one day. If Holden didn't know any better, he would think that the hospital was set up so he would never be able to leave or something.
/So long as I'm not signing drop your pants or kiss me or something, I'm good./ After all, he did learn from his ex-boyfriend who wasn't always his ex. Robyn taught him all of the bedroom talk before he learned anything else. Apparently he enjoyed being able to sign nasty things to each other in public with the assumption that no one could understand them.
/Plus, I don't know how much experience you got with accents, but I got a thick one. Probably would be a pain for you to read my lips/ Yes he was aware of the innuendo of his statement, and yes he was mortified, thank you for checking in.
Holden grinned at the story and liked seeing that under the eyeliner and the black clothes that there was so much more to Elijah. He was cute too, which helped but also made it so much more complicated. /Foster parents? You didn't live with your bio family?/
Holden nodded when he was asked about his family and his ability, /Yeah, big horse farm in the country./ He glanced around the store, checking to see if people were following their conversation or signing themselves, /Shifter, most of my family is. We're all bears. What about you?/
Two brothers and a sister, it sounded nice. He couldn't imagine not having all of his brothers around when he was growing up. When he came out and turned to his big brother for support, he wouldn't have been able to do it without Luka. /Mostly just wanting to give back to the community, and I think that people get tossed there when they don't always need it. Just want to help./ True. But a lie. He was forced to as a term of an accidental assault when he hurt Robyn while they were fooling around. He had a lot of strength from his shifting ability and he broke some of Robyn's bones. They broke up and Holden was sentenced to volunteer hours with Monroeville.
Post by Elijah Noel Cartwright on Mar 9, 2019 4:32:14 GMT
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Holden could rest assured Eli had plenty of anger for himself on the matter. It was almost refreshing, though, for someone to realize that Eli wasn’t getting the support that he needed. He shrugged when Holden asked him how therapy worked. /Some days, I’m really good at reading lips, and I get like half of what’s being said,/ he pointed out. /And some days, I suck at it and I sit there staring until they let me leave./ So, essentially, the answer to the question How does that work? It doesn’t.
He actually laughed aloud when Holden mentioned some signs that they probably wouldn’t be using for quite a bit. /You sign those perfectly-- noted,/ he joked. God, he wanted to know more about the guy’s ex-- he wanted to know what gender he was. He wanted to know how they’d broken up but he knew he didn’t know the guy well enough for that. He needed to wait if he didn’t want to chase him away.
The mention of his accent brought a grin to Eli’s face. /Really? I suck at reading accents… where is yours from?/ he asked, finding the man more interesting the more he shared. /I’m kind of used to the French one but that’s pretty much it./
He shook his head when Holden asked if he lived with his bio family. He had, but that had been hell. /I mean, I did, but not before I ended up here,/ he explained. He missed his foster parents every day. He rarely even thought of the other two.
He walked around a bit, though careful to keep his eyes on Holden when he was signing. Their signing had caught a little bit of attention, something that Eli had been accustomed to while living at home. /Have you ridden a horse?/ he asked, grinning.
/Bears,/ he repeated, basically in awe. /I’ve never really gotten to know a shifter before. I think it’s incredible,/ he admitted. /I just control sound,/ he pointed out, scoffing. /Real useful,/ he joked, pointing to his ear.
He nodded as Holden explained that he wanted to help people. /Well… getting assigned to you was probably the single most helpful thing Monroeville has done, so, consider yourself accomplished./ He grinned, going over to eyeliner and hair dyes and sifting through colors.
/It’s dumb,/ he admitted, figuring that a lot of people gave him shit for wanting makeup. I mean, why care about what you look like when you’re trapped in a hospital? /I just feel like… my appearance is the one thing I have control over./ He couldn’t choose where he lived, or where he went in his free time, or what he ate. But he could choose how he presented himself, and he chose to be expressive.
