HISTORY —

Declan was the kid that made their parents reconsider having kids. Not the sort that was full of unbridled anger or malicious disobedience — no, he was inherently good in that he would listen to what they asked. He just often grew distracted, and even more so rarely considered consequences to silly decisions.

He started first grade a year late, taking kindergarten twice. The teacher recommended it based on his inability to learn penmanship, basic math, and staying focused. It ultimately did very little to fix his attention-span issues, or his jabber mouth that interrupted lessons on the daily.

‘Our kid talks too much and disrupts the class’ really isn’t that big of a problem in the grand scheme of things, but it didn’t mean they weren’t in and out of that front office when Declan didn’t react well to time-out for it. His crocodile tears were the real issue.

He also would say ‘hi’ to every person he could. Declan was a ‘little flirt’ (his mother’s words) from the get-go. Innocently speaking, of course, he simply would be insistent on grabbing anyone’s attention and trying to get them to laugh. Worse when he was a teen, he’d roll in around sunrise some days. He wasn’t up to no good, either, but would chat with whoever at the corner store if they were willing to listen.

The adult’s table rule during holidays didn’t apply to Declan, and it was about the only time he would abandon his siblings in favor of sitting there. Other than that, Declan was very attached to them, especially Kodi. 

There wasn’t a summer day where he wasn’t trying to drag his brother out to the sticks (or the Macon equivalent). There also was never a summer that went by without a handful of E.R. visits for stitches or broken bones, Kodi playing a part in the reckless rough house play.

( He couldn’t be fully to blame being Declan would make the poor decision to try and swing from branches that definitely couldn’t hold his weight or jump down into the river in areas too shallow, but Kodi wasn’t wholly innocent in other cases. )

High school was just about the same as kindergarten, except where Dec struggled with the alphabet and writing his name, it turned into his inability to solve for x or to figure out A.P.A. and M.L.A. formatting. The only reason he passed with Cs was because it was the requirement to try-out for the sports teams.

Dec coasted through the fall in track and field, but his heart was in baseball when the spring rolled around. He was the co-captain of the team, first string, and their best outfielder.

He was also a bit of a heart breaker in high school. Attention was just as easy to come by, and Declan never really had one single high school sweetheart. He wasn’t the sort to cheat, nor did he sleep around, but he never stayed single for long. 

Went for a liberal arts associates degree in college just to keep up with the other graduates in his class, but in the words of his parents - it was a useless waste of time. …

Probably because he never finished and used it as an excuse to go traipsing about with no real purpose, following where ‘the work led him’. ( What work? Still a mystery.) His arguments? It would be too hard to continue, some of his credits would need to be redone, who has that kinda money? Etc. Etc.

Around 20 years old, became a father to his daughter Kenzie. Mother was simply a friends with benefits, and she decided to go through with the pregnancy. Declan didn’t have much of a care either way, and they moved into a one bedroom to try and give co-parenting a shot. 

Their conflicting personalities made a relationship impossible, so that lasted maybe five months, and they opted to stay just friends while taking their turns with raising Kenzie. They would jointly spend time together for her when it came to life events (birthdays, graduations) or holidays.

He was a bit of a job hopper in his twenties. Not so much it raised a red flag, but Dec just couldn’t settle. He had a tendency to war against his practical senses and chase an idealistic goal. Whenever school was brought up (sometimes with his parents using Kodi as an example), Dec would blow them off.

Declan eventually landed an apprenticeship as a mason. It made enough to live in a low cost state.

What prompted him to jump to California was the obvious pay difference, and he knew cost of living would be more out there, but the salaries associated with his career drove him make the move.

It came at a cost - he sees Kenzie only on holidays and over the summer unless he makes the trip back out to Georgia. He does when he can, but it’s not always a promise.

Dec definitely coasted at Kodiak’s place when he first landed in California, but he ultimately set up to rent a small house on the water in Fisher’s Cove.

TRAITS.

+ patient, idealistic

+/- sociable, homebody

- guarded, fickle

HEADCANONS.

He spent a lot of his childhood in and out of hospitals. He wasn’t sick, he just had no sense of self-preservation.

Is the father to a daughter who stays with her mother in Georgia, and he settled on partial custody. 

Loves gas station taquitos, pickles and Lunchables far too much.

Also might have a scratch off addiction. ‘Can’t win if you don’t play’ is what he says. (he’s never won)

CONNECTIONS.

I am open to any and all connections. Just as per usual, I don’t settle into end games with heavy plotting and plenty of on dash interaction first. I got to see the vibe. Mid game scenarios and past romantic connections? So down for, especially anything strained. Friends, neighbors, coworkers (in construction), etc. He’s a lowkey guy so where you won’t catch him at the bar, you will find him pestering the cashier at the convenience store and hanging out outside of it. Or grabbing a six pack so he can chill out on his porch after work.

♡ @kodiakjackson - younger brother, one of his closest friends, closest confidant, definitely the reason california ever ended up on declan's radar. there are some things kodi has done that dec definitely doesn't agree with, but he will always stick by him. he also low key misses their childhood. ( no longer in game, still applicable ) ♡ @thevaleriaxortiz - neighbor on one side. amicable. ♡ @mrforesight - neighbor on the other side. silently feuding. ♡

── connection ideas.

♡

── links.

Pinterest - [ link ] Spotify - [ link ] Inspo Tag - [ link ]

── history.

- When their parents revealed they were expecting, they were met with "Are you sure about this?". Two parents who didn't even break twenty and were sharing a studio near the boardwalk didn't have a promising future. - They insisted they could pull it off, so keeping Emry was an easy choice. - Thing is, dad had some money because he owned several tanning salons, but mom was a bit of a gambler. She liked to spend money, and they both loved to live beyond their means. Everything looked great and shiny on the outside, but their home was a very small apartment closer to the more run-down areas of A.C. - E.J. didn't know better. They were just excited to have sand between their toes, and endless access to the Steele Pier amusement park. They never got to really figure out what it was their mother loved about the bright lights and fun noises of the casino. - Stroke of luck, Mom hit a huge winning and cashed out, right in 2004 as the first casino filings began that started the bankruptcies that almost sank A.C. - Their parents decided this was their chance to go set roots somewhere else. They wanted to live big, and EJ was brought along for the ride right smack in the middle of the school year. The year was spent on the road, and they never considered schooling. - They lived out of the car and motel rooms for a little over a year, and when most the money was spent, they were in the Palm Tree Inn motel of Aurora Bay. Before spending the rest of their money on another month's stay, their father had a moment of rationality and told their mother they should put the deposit down on an apartment in Ocean Crest. - They did, found jobs, and this is the first time EJ really remembers having a place they could settle in. The choice to not follow up with their schooling left EJ a year behind, and they were an eight year old in first grade. - It was fine, EJ didn't know the difference, and they meshed with their classmates easily. And when middle school rolled around, their grades and performance granted them a skip. Teachers felt they were being held back, and they skipped seventh grade to land in eighth, among similarly aged peers. Their father opened a tanning salon and they began working to save money of their own when they were fifteen. - In their junior year in high school, EJ's grandfather passed. EJ didn't know him, but he knew them, loved them, and missed them very much. Oh, and he was rich. Loan shark rich, i.e. he took advantage of those with gambling addictions and put interest heavy loans over their heads. EJ didn't know this, but they received a hefty chunk of it from him, more than either their mother or father did. - Mom and dad didn't care - EJ could use the next egg to maybe pursue college. They did graduate on track in 2014. - That of which EJ did NOT do. They instead bought a house on Aurora Bay Drive. They have plenty left, so they coast between helping at their father's tanning salon, and as a barista at Well Played just to, you know, kill the boredom. Participate in society. Meet new people.

── personality.

EJ stands out like color on a white canvas, they can think in ways that allows them to catch connections others might miss, but this also can lead them getting from point A to point B by skipping to points C and D then circling back. Their mind can bounce between ideas in ways that aren’t linear but make sense to them.

Their independence isn’t a ‘live by their own rules’ situation, but rather something created by the financial security granted to them at a young age (EJ doesn’t need to rely on their parents) and being a worldly individual from meeting so many folks around the United States. It created a quiet confidence, not the sort that has them jumping in the spotlight, but most of the choices are made with a self assuredness behind them.

None of this means EJ is any way unpredictable or chaotic. They will cheer their friends on, support them in their endeavors, and the downside is that this goes for good and bad decisions. Both the angel and devil on your shoulder, per se.

── headcanons.

almost always chewing gum. 

won't eat california pizza

has a double snakebite piercing on the left side of their mouth, but won't commit to a tattoo. it isn't the needle they are afraid up, just the permanent aspects of a tattoo.

digimon > pokemon

had a total crush on sailor jupiter, and simulatneously, tuxedo mask

sticks to somewhat boho style clothing

did temporarily work at Sunrise Winery a couple of years back, until they realized that they absolutely hate wine. does not mean they won't get wine drunk with the right person.

has probably called your ex after they ghosted you to tell them you died and they were the last person you were seen with. will wage psychological warfare against people who break their friends’ hearts.

── current connections.

♡ @thebellamyxcalvert - friends in grade school/middle school that drifted and are now weird. ♡ @alfiearmstrongs - ex-boyfriend from summer of '23, babyyy, that fizzled out without much explanation, or the pursuit of an explanation. ♡ @buddywellls - besties from childhood with permanent friend ship bracelets to show for it. ( jellyfish sting scars that wrap each other's hands that connect. ) ride or dies ever since! ♡ @vladmarkovic - accidentally sent a crush confession text to him in high school except that confession wasn't meant for him. never cleared it up either.

── connection ideas.

these are silly and mindless, so down for more serious things, too.

♡ cabana rental mix-up - sometimes in the summer, everything gets booked up, and the cabana rental placed ej and your muse together for half price each to make up for the cancellation. it was awkward at first, but a few pina coladas in and it turned into a riot. bonus if they are banned from ever renting from said cabana company again.

♡ spin-the-bottle kiss in high school - it's what the title says. cute, fluffy, could've been first kiss, could've been pretend and they lied about it behind the closet door, could've been awkward and they make fun of each other to each other's faces, or behind each other's backs. i don't care!

♡ neighborhood watch - aurora bay drive can be boring since it's so uppity, but it doesn't mean it's drama free! ej and your muse don't get involved in it, but they do like to watch things unfold, theorize lore, and chat about neighborhood going ons.

♡ messing with tourists - somehow, someway, one summer a group of tourists were convince the both of them were lifeguards, so they kept the bit. they direct tourists away from local spots, tell them the wrong street names for restaurants, and even pretend to issue 'warnings' for bad behavior on the beach. end of each summer, they tally up their shenanigans.

♡ ex-roommate - could've been friends from childhood, could've been someone who answered the add, but they are the first and last person ej let rent out a room in their home on aurora bay drive. they get along otherwise, but their living habits clash too much.

♡ general ideas - regulars at well-played, old customers of the ice cream shop, regulars from ej's dad's tanning salon right outside of town, old classmates, old crushes, will-they-won't-they from back then, high school enemies for whatever reason, good neighbors, bad neighbors, etc.

── links.

Pinterest - [ link ] Spotify - [ link ] Inspo Tag - [ link ]

Below are tattoos priced at a $150 minimum - additional charges for color and alterations as per artist discretion. These designs are a first come first serve and will not be replicated or tattooed more than once.

Disclaimer: the above art belongs to their rightful owners, I in no way claim the work used as examples.

Extra side note: these are for inspiration. Of course, whatever you all would headcanon or thread your characters getting tattooed on their bodies in your choice! 🫶🏻

disclaimer: designs belong to their respective artists, and I in no way claim them as my own original art.

DUE TO THE SHOP CLOSING, WE ARE ALSO HONORING THE USE OF SUMMER DESIGNS FROM ONE OF OUR PAST FLASH SALES AS WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN A NEW LOCATION WILL BE FOUND.