bite me

CHANDLER KOLINSKY ★ intro. threads.

hey look, it’s chandler kolinsky! they’re twenty-five years old, they’ve lived in shrike heights for their whole life, and they’re currently working at dick’s sporting goods. i heard they’re pretty tense, but i think they’re so accomplished at the same time. can they make it out alive? ― kiernan shipka, bisexual, female + she/her.  

COLE FOSTER ★ intro. threads.

hey look, it’s cole foster! they’re twenty-two years old, they’ve lived in shrike heights for two years, and they’re currently working at showtime and art murmur. i heard they’re pretty rambunctious, but i think they’re so sweet at the same time. can they make it out alive? ― thomas weatherall, queer, non-binary + they/he.

JANE HOWARD ★ intro. threads.

hey look, it’s jane howard! they’re twenty-four years old, they’ve lived in shrike heights for three months, and they’re currently working at stitch by stitch. i heard they’re pretty melodramatic, but i think they’re so meticulous at the same time. can they make it out alive? ― natalia dyer, bisexual, female + she/her.

MOSS OLIVA ★ intro. threads.

hey look, it’s moss oliva! they’re twenty-three years old, they’ve lived in shrike heights for their whole life, and they’re currently working at a new chapter and solstice comics. i heard they’re pretty lost, but i think they’re so hopeful at the same time. can they make it out alive? ―  ben levin, bisexual, male + he/him.

PATRICK WEBB ★ intro. threads.

hey look, it’s patrick webb! they’re twenty-six years old, they’ve lived in shrike heights for eight months, and they’re currently working at radio shack. i heard they’re pretty withdrawn, but i think they’re so cautious at the same time. can they make it out alive? ―  justice smith, bisexual, male + he/him.

POSEY BRYANT ★ intro. threads.

hey look, it’s posey bryant! they’re twenty-four years old, they’ve lived in shrike heights for their whole life, and they’re currently working at life rose on. i heard they’re pretty nosey, but i think they’re so encouraging at the same time. can they make it out alive? ― brigette lundy-paine, queer, non-binary + they/them.

               akito could feel the nervous energy coming off of jane , but he wasn’t the most concerned over it as even some of the customers that he had tattooed time and time again still got just as nervous before the process started for them . nerves were only natural , and in more scenarios than only this , they were both to be expected and not always exclusively a bad thing . akito thought that jane would be fine , honestly , but even so , he was sure to treat the situation sensitively and carefully in order to respect the aforementioned nerves . “ alright , here we go , ” akito was sure to express every step of their process clearly , for the sake of ease and reassurance . a second after they warned her , they touched the now buzzing tattoo gun to her skin , and just as they said they would , they drew a small line - part of the leaf on the design . after the line was complete , they took the gun off of her skin , and held it at a safe distance away . “ how are you doing ? how did that feel ? that wasn’t so bad , was it ? ” he asked her , in a more conversationally casual way than a bombarding way - even despite the amount of questions asked in quick succession . 

“I know, right? Kind of disappointing. You’d think in times like now people would be more helpful but no, they’re all every person for themselves. Which is such weirdo behavior.” Avery didn’t exactly consider herself the best person in the world but she was a people person. She loved to help other people and to get to know them and she couldn’t imagine herself ever being someone who said no when someone genuinely needed her help. Avery’s smile widened and she nodded in agreement. “Posey and Avery do sound pretty nice together, yeah. I agree with your mom’s taste which is not something that happens often. Me and moms have complicated relationships,” she joked. “But Posey the Animal Saint? I’m with it. I’m gonna make t-shirts of you with your arms full of rabbits,” she teased, finding herself grateful this interaction was happening at all. She nodded and started following behind Posey as they made their way up to LaPaws, her eyes going from Posey to the rabbit ever couple of seconds. “Do you have any pets of your own? We had a dog when I was younger but nothing since. My apartment is a little small right now but maybe I should get a rabbit. Baby is totally converting me right now.”

“Definitely weirdo behaviour,” Posey agrees, a much more real frown gracing their face for a second as they think of the callousness in their town. They try to immediately bounce back into more cheerful spirits - something that thankfully isn’t too difficult with company like Avery - but it is hard when Posey has been subjected to the awfulness of their current situation so directly, having been attacked, and having loved ones attacked, too. “On the bright side, not everyone’s a total weirdo,” they remind themself and Avery at the same time, pulling their lips up into a smile again. “Look at us, for example. Two shining examples of how a person should be,” they joke, but at the same time they do think that Avery is a good person, and they hope for the same themself. “Please,” they laugh loudly as they picture the t-shirt as described. “I’ve never wanted anything more, I don’t think,” they shake their head; they’re thoroughly amused, and thankfully the amusement has completely rid their mind of the direct thoughts of the cruelty of humans. “My family always has pets, I’m telling ya,” Posey answers, chucking. “My Mom is just as bad as me- worse, actually. She’s always coming home with some critters that need help. Some go to other homes once they’re ready, a few stick around for good. I think people can learn a lot from having animals in their lives.”

“Yeah, I mean I know this town like the back of my hand. It’d be super easy driving around to find houses,” Ian guessed. He’d never actually delivered anything before but he had a pretty good sense of direction and even though Shrike was developing it was still tiny in comparison to most towns. “I think that’s the biggest plus to working there. I could eat pizza for every meal and I’d be able to cut back on food costs,” Ian explained. The more he talked about working at Pizza Time the more serious he was considering dropping off a resume. Bo and him were doing fine financially living together again but they could always cut more corners and spending less on food was an easy way to make money stretch more. 

“Oh yeah?” Ian questioned. “Are you good with cars?” Ian could change his oil by himself and a flat tire if need  be but everything else he needed the assistance of a shop to get by. It was one of those skills he’d never had anyone to teach him and as much as he loved his baby and tinkering around he hadn’t taught himself more than just the basics. 

“Totally,” he nods his head and he smiles. “Kind of sounds like the perfect gig,” not for Patrick, someone who still doesn’t know which direction is North, or which way Downtown is (even despite the telling name) but for someone who has lived in Shrike Heights their whole life, someone like Ian, the idea fits. “Just wait until you reach my age,” he can’t help but chuckle as he says it; he admittedly can’t remember the exact difference between them, but Patrick would guess only a year or two. “Then you’ll realise that pizza for every me isn’t for everyone,” he laughs, and he shakes his head. “But actually, now that you’re talking about cutting costs, all that grease doesn’t sound so bad.”

               antonio shakes his head, smiling not because he’s happy, but because he wants to inspire hope - as much as he can in a situation like this, even if it’s not much at all. the fact that chandler was attacked is in antonio’s mind, the worse case scenario, the absolute worst thing that could have happened; it’s hard for antonio to feel much hope of his own right now, but he knows he has to hold onto every sliver and conjure up as much as he can for the sake of his best friend. he’s already lost so many, and so much; antonio can’t lose chandler now, too. his smile is a little more genuine when chandler tells him that the support goes both ways. “thanks chandler, yeah, i know.” he nods his head, though he foresees the support being one sided for chandlers own good in the coming future; until she’s healed and recovered more from her incident, antonio can’t imagine needing to ask her for anything - not unless he’s asking her to take better care of herself, something he can foresee being an issue with such a strong (and stubborn) person. “yeah, yeah,” he nods his head, stronger again as he continues to think about her words. “you’re right, definitely.” as much as antonio doesn’t want to have had to live through his own trauma to understand, he’s glad that this is one bright side he can take out of his experience. “and trust me when i say i understand,” he smiles again. “you should get some rest,” he suggests after a moment of staying silent, not only because it’s true, but because he doesn’t wish to leave chandler on such a negative note.

“Sure, by that logic I guess you could say Shrike is safer,” Ian agreed. They both knew just how unsafe Shrike had become but that had zero effect on whether or not it was fine to smoke weed in town. “The cops here are shit, so they don’t really bust anything. I don’t even know if I’ve even seen them give out a speeding ticket,” Ian pointed out. He’d never gotten one and he had the proclivity to drive fast when need be. “I don’t know if it’s super normalized here. Maybe you’ve just surrounded yourself with stoners,” Ian joked. There was plenty of Shrike that didn’t smoke not that Ian personally knew them but if Jane was running in a similar circle as him it definitely was a frequently used substance.

“Yeah, there’s really no one like him,” Ian agreed. That was part of why he loved Bo so much there was no one out there who even came close to the man he was and Ian had foolishly tried to find that in other people and failed. Bo really was the one and Ian was glad that he’d come to realize that while he had him and didn’t lose his chance. Ian knew Bo was a catch and he was so glad that no one had caught him before him. “I don’t know, we’ve talked about getting married so much that I don’t think that doing it casually would cut it. I mean he already knows I want to propose to him and want to marry him. That’s why it has to be extra special,” Ian explained. It felt like he’d asked Bo to marry him a dozen times already and none of them counted because it was too casual and besides he wanted to do something special. His love for Bo was special and it deserved a proper invitation to the next step. Ian laughed and nodded his head. “Don’t mention anything creative if you can help it. His art supplies are a big mess most of the time so who knows what he’ll stumble upon getting something else out,” Ian cautioned though that was a tough ask. Bo was always talking about being creative if he wasn’t actively being creative. 

Jane is glad that by mentioning safety, Ian doesn’t bring up the lack of safety in Shrike Heights, particularly the lack of safety in regards to the illusive killers that have yet to be captured. She’s well aware of the dangers that lurk out there in their small town, and she feels herself a fool for having mentioned safety at a time like this considering how quickly and easy the conversation could turn badly from there, but thankfully it doesn’t - Not worse than speaking of incompetent law enforcement, at least. Though she could speak on the reputation of the authorities that she’s come to learn so quickly here in Shrike, she decides to make no further comment, worrying that doing so would bring up the less pleasant topics of conversation that she’s glad her earlier words hadn’t brought up. “Well it wasn’t intentional,” she says with a laugh at the thought of her having surrounded herself with stoners. If only her mother could see her now! “My mother would have a fit,” she thinks aloud. 

“You should start now,” Noah said with a little smile. “While everything is fresh in your mind. And focus on it more when you have free time and all of that. I’m planning to someday publish a photography book. Every year on my birthday, probably since I was about ten or so, I take a photo of myself. I’m hoping that I’ll live long enough to compile them all into an age progression sort of thing. It’s not a big huge project, but something I think would be neat. So… I chip away at it. As for the rest of the book, I wanna take photos of everything I see, anything that impacts me in any way and just… put it all together in a way that shapes the story I’d like to tell with visuals,” he explained. Maybe it was a bit ambitious, but if it was to be his magnum opus someday, there was no need to rush it. Low and slow, like a good pot roast.

Noah smiled when Cole revealed where they worked, and when asked about Snapshot, he nodded. “I like where I work. I mean, sure, you deal with a lot of moms and stuff trying to direct family photos, but for the most part, they let me do it, cause I sell them on the fact that I have a really good eye for it. I love talking to people about camera equipment, especially people who are kinda new to the world of photography, you know? Although once I’m done with school, I might look for a second job while I try to find a ‘real’ job at a publication or something. I wanna be a photojournalist,” he explained.

When Cole talked about being a fan of music themself and not only playing, but making blues and rock music as well, Noah smiled. “That sounds fantastic! Do you ever play your music anywhere, or is it mostly a thing you do for yourself?”

While Noah’s encouragement isn’t forgotten by Cole, their focus and their attention completely shifts from themself and the idea of their own book when Noah tells them of his plan to one day publish a photography book. The idea is compelling enough on its own; Cole loves photography books, loving how they can transport people into others’ lives, letting them in on the most interesting or unique moments they wouldn’t have been able to experience otherwise. What really impresses Cole, however, is Noah’s habit of photographing himself each birthday. “That is so cool!” Cole’s grin is a big as his admiration for the other. “Aw man, please - the second you make that book a reality let me know because I’m buying one of the first copies,” he assures him. “Words can be so powerful, they can have such an impact on people, but telling stories through photographs can be so special and so impactful in their own way. I love what you’ve got planned there, I think that’d be so rad.”

“I love that, that’s awesome,” they respond. “I don’t doubt that you’d still encounter some people who’ll be a bit of trouble sometimes, but it’s awesome that you know what you’re doing enough to have people just fully trusting you for the most part,” a decision made by the customers that Cole supports, despite having never seen any of Noah’s work; if he can shine through his work as much as he does through conversation, Cole would bet he’s one of the best photographers in town. “Photojournalism is super rad, too, I think it’s awesome that you’re working towards that.”

Mi-Sook was naturally relieved to hear the poor creature hadn’t sustained any injuries in what was probably already a very stressful situation for him. “I’m glad he’s not hurt.” Seeing as though he was safe in careful hands, there was no sense in bringing up all the what ifs had no one come to his aid in the parking lot. It was less comforting though to hear that things could quickly go south if he didn’t get the proper care he needed. “Do you need something to warm him up with right now?” There was just a slight hint of panic in her otherwise soft voice as she posed the question to the other. Although she wasn’t completely living off her parents’ money these days, they did pay her rent in exchange for her to at least appear to support the mall, meaning it wouldn’t hurt her to quickly dart off and spend money on something that would warm the little guy up. Of course she wouldn’t impose either. She’d learned plenty of times that people weren’t exactly keen on anything that could be perceived as a handout.

She supposed they were right, classic were classics for a reason. “If that’s too generic though, you could always name him after your favorite non-bunny character.” She suggested, refraining from other common names for rabbits like Hopper. She was no expert on the matter. After all, Cleo wasn’t going to win an award for most creative cat name anytime soon. Not that Mi-Sook minded. She was just happy to have the companionship the small white cat provided. “Or you could pick out whatever name you like.” She wasn’t sure it mattered too much at the end of the day, as she assumed it wasn’t going to be a permanent situation and the bunny would eventually be released back into the wild. 

               with everything ready and the two of them being so close to the actual tattooing process , akito was growing to be so excited . while jane’s nerves were growing larger , akito was pumped to be able to do his work , though as he was well aware of how nervous some customers could get over the process , he was trying his hardest to appear optimistic , but not energetic or too much in any way that might only worsen the nerves . “ alright , perfect . so i’ll tell you first - the nerves and the mental side of this whole thing is the worst part . the build up is scarier than the pain . ” he wanted to do what he could to prepare jane for the reality of the process . “ but it’s not like you’ll find that it feels good , ” they chuckled . “ it’s not the worst pain you’ll have ever felt before , though , and it’s controlled . just tell me to stop , and i will immediately . i don’t mind how many breaks you need , make sure to tell me even if you’re only half sure that you want a break . ” with that out of the way , akito positioned himself properly on his stool , tattoo gun in hand , and he drew it near to jane . “ i’m gonna do a small line , and you can see what it’s like . alright ? ” 

Most mornings, Posey wakes with troublesome thoughts of the nightmares they've just woken up from. Thankfully, this morning there was a slight change of pace for them. Yesterday morning, they accidentally knocked their alarm clock off their bedside table upon waking, and while the clock continued to work, giving them hope that the rest of it would, too, consequently, they broke the alarm function on it and they didn't wake up on time this morning. So their first thought happened to be 'what on earth is happening?' as they woke to Jake in a rush, hurrying them out of bed so that they could both get to work on time.