#enshrikes

[survibers]

Location & Date: Viola's House the morning of August 18th Tagging: @enshrikes

"I can confirm you still snore," Viola teased as Danny stirred next to her. One of her birthday requests had been him staying over and having a good ol fashioned sleepover with her best friend. She was trying to not have too many existential crises about turning 34 but she had still been sitting up this morning thinking about the past year and beyond. The past year had felt especially tough but she cuddled closer to Danny and patted his chest. "I'm making coffee and starting the day with some champagne. You in? My co workers already gave me a gift card to use on breakfast so I'm not cooking until the dinner."

[deepxbluexocean]

(closed for @enshrikes )

Although Ocean liked the colder weather, liked the snow and the crisp air of fall, there was just something special about the weather getting warmer. Today was a day like that. Ocean was on the commune, which was pretty typical of the last couple of days since he'd been off work and hadn't yet started classes at the university, and he was out in one of the fields looking up at the sky, thinking about a lot of different things. It had been more difficult than he had expected to try and get back to his normal life. After he'd ended things with Grant, Ocean had expected to go back to the way he was before, but he'd been shocked to realize that this might just be him now. Even with Grant gone, Ocean still felt the same way, felt sad and worthless most of the time. Grant had always made Ocean feel like an idiot, like he was stupid and not good at anything; he'd been the most critical person Ocean had ever encountered. And after awhile, Grant's view of him had wormed its way inside his head, and now Ocean couldn't shake it. And to make it even worse, Ocean knew people could tell that he was different now, especially those on the commune who had known Ocean most - if not all - of his life. And sometimes it just got too hard to pretend like he was fine; sometimes it was too difficult for them to see him like this. So Ocean was spending the afternoon alone, lying in the field and staring up at the sky, just enjoying the sunshine. It was easier to spend time with the animals. Growing up on the commune had made Ocean an avowed animal lover, and he felt so at peace in this moment with his favorite cow lying on one side and one of the commune cats on the other. Sometimes it felt like they were the only ones he could talk to, though Ocean knew that was more because of himself - Ocean had no shortage of people he could talk to. The problem was that it was difficult to talk about everything he was feeling.

As he laid there on in the field, Ocean heard someone approach from behind, and he looked upside down at the person on the edge of the field to see a familiar face. "Hey!" Ocean exclaimed, climbing to his feet and turning toward the veterinarian. Despite the fact that he'd just wanted to be alone a few moments earlier, Ocean was happy to see the vet. They had a sort of working relationship given that Ocean was always bringing animals he found to be assessed by the vet, plus he saw the man all the time on the commune when he came to take care of the animals. As he approached, Ocean asked, "What do you have going on today?"

[alma-andrada]

“You know, I think that Dick’s green suits you,” Alma teased as she finally spotted TJ in the store. She had been wandering around for a while, not entirely sure what she was looking for. “I need your help. In this case you are the only person who can help me with all of your sports knowledge. My brother’s girlfriend is like superrrr into sports and I’m at a loss. Not that it matters, she kind of sucks but he’s bringing her over again and I want to have something nice to her. She’s like into sports but also very athletic, loves working out,” she went on before he could even get a word in and then took a breath. “So...help me? Please?” @enshrikes​

[viola--lancaster]

“You know what’s wild? You look so much like this guy I know. His name is Danny. Decently handsome,” Viola started, unable to stifle her smile as she saw him standing in her driveway, “Very loud voice and laugh, always steals food off my plate and also drives a shitty ford escort.” If this had been a month ago she would have probably given him more shit, maybe even been a little angry but there was no denying how happy she was to see him. It was like the universe had conspired to bring back together all of her favorite people just when she needed them most. She was quick down the driveway and pushed at his shoulder jokingly before immediately pulling him in for the tightest hug. “You should have called more,” she mumbled, closing her eyes as he hugged her back. “But fuck am I so happy to see you.” She pulled back, her eyes teary as she rested her hands on his shoulders. “So, before you come in, you should know the place has been a bit of a mess because,” she took a breath and shook her head, “Rune was part of the last attack and they...got him good. That’s putting it lightly. He’s been resting a lot, he has some friends visiting right now but they’re all in his room so, just wanted to let you know. That’s also why he hasn’t been at work,” she told him and reached out for his hand to pull him inside. “Now, enough about me, I was fucking with you earlier, you look really good. You want something to drink?” @enshrikes​

[rebelsrebels]

@enshrikes

Eli did his best to live life without regrets - it was more fun that way, he found, then if you were worrying about things all the time. And he probably wouldn't admit it, at least not to anyone else, that he regretted how things had gone with Danny, back when they were kids. But even still, every time they ran into each other, he found himself trying to make it up, in some subtle way. So when he spots Danny, sitting at the bar at the Wastoid club, he doesn't think twice before sliding into the seat next to him. It probably helps that he's already a few drinks in.

"Danny, hey, fancy meeting you here, eh? Why don't I buy you a drink, for old time sake, or whatever."

[finaldarlings]

·:*¨°°•.✩·̩̩̥͙ ellis feat. drew

located  on  the  street  drew  lives this  is  a  closed  starter  for  @enshrikes

ellis  had  certainly  had  an  interesting  return  to  shrike  heights,  to  say  the  least. a  part  of  her  always  wondered  if  she’d  return  to  town,  considering  her  departure  had  always  felt... not  necessarily  incomplete,  but  it  hadn’t  felt  final. part  of  her  heart  would  always  remain  in  shrike  heights,  she  believed,  and  so  the  possibility  of  coming  back  had  never  been  completely  ruled  out. ellis  would  never  have  expected  to  return  under  these  circumstances,  however,  but  she  had  to  -  and  she  wouldn’t  say  that  she  was  happy  to,  as  the  last  thing  she  had  wanted  was  for  rune  and  viola  to  be  affected  by  the  killers,  but  she’d  do  it  a  million  times  over  again  if  she  had  to,  it  was  a  no  brainer.

because  her  return  had  been  so  filled  with  concern  for  rune  and  viola,  ellis  hadn’t  caught  up  with  all  of  her  old  friends  and  connections  as  of  yet. she  had  stumbled  into  reuniting  with  a  few  of  them  so  far,  but  as  her  time  was  mostly  spent  running  around  caring  for  those  who  needed  her,  nothing  else  was  really  getting  planned. she  knew  it  was  likely  that  she  would  run  into  someone  she  knew  on  the  walk  that  she  had  decided  to  take  as  she  had  the  morning  to  herself,  but  ellis  honestly  didn’t  really  think  of  the  possibility  as  she  walked  -  not  until  she  heard  a  familiar  voice,  at  least.

her  head  shot  around  curiously,  and  she  smiled  as  she  saw  drew. he  was  more  a  connection  of  her  mom’s  than  he  was  a  friend  of  her  own,  but  regardless  of  the  fact  that  she  had  only  met  him  the  few  times  she  came  back  over  the  years,  ellis  considered  him  a  friend  nonetheless. her  mother  did  always  talk  highly  of  him  on  her  weekly  phone  calls  to  ellis,  after  all,  so  it  really  did  feel  like  ellis  knew  him  better  than  she  might  have  actually. she  stopped  walking  and  she  allowed  him  to  catch  up,  her  expression  of  curiosity  turning  into  a  pleased  smiled. she  was  glad  to  see  him;  she  didn’t  know  if  he  had  encountered  the  killers  yet  or  not,  but  she  was  glad  to  see  that  he  at  least  appeared  unharmed. “good  morning,”  she  greeted  him. “it’s  good  to  see  you,”  she  told  him  honestly. “it’s  been  a  while.”

[devwright]

location; fall festival tagged; @enshrikes​ // micah

Though Devin was decidedly not an outdoorsy type of person, there was something about a fall festival that brought a surge of energy to her already energetic self. Whether it was the weather, the atmosphere, or something in between, Devin was racing around at a mile a minute the entire time the festival was going on. With a day off from her job, Devin had made it a point to get out and just enjoy herself for the festival. She’d hung out with animals, tried some of the food and drink, raced around through the corn maze, and was still feeling like there was plenty more to do with the day. 

With a bag full of some sort of candy, Devin was starting to feel the rush of sugar coming on, only amplifying the buzz she was feeling just from having a good time. Dev didn’t have a specific destination in mind at that point, she was simply wandering about to see what would grab her attention next. What finally caught her attention was one of her absolute favorite things in the world - Micah. He was on the other side of a pile of hay bales and without a second thought Devin was sprinting in his direction to vault over them. They were, however, much too high up and instead she found herself crashing into them, tumbling through with a puff of hay as some of the bales toppled over with him. 

Rolling to a stop in front of it all, Dev found herself sprawled out and looking right up at Micah with a wide grin. “Hey!” she greeted from her spot on the ground, stopping for just a moment to gather herself before she was popping right back up to her feet. “What’cha doing? Want to hang out? They have games and stuff. Not the best games, but we could bob for apples or do the ring toss or they have that balloon one where you toss the darts and I think a few others.” Her words tumbled out rapidly, the young woman barely taking a moment to breathe. 

[bitcme]

PATRICK & MICAH

Closed starter for @enshrikes​​, located at RadioShack.

Patrick is safely oblivious to what has gone on at the welcoming parade, as most residents seem to be, even the ones who attended the festive walk through the town. But as oblivious as he is to the return of the Bubblegum Twins and the Animals, Patrick is still having a terribly difficult time with just about everything. He doesn’t need another horrific event, he’s still struggling from the very first attack, the very last known attack, and mostly he’s still struggling from living through an attack of his own. Patrick’s mind is bleak and tortured, more attacks or not. 

At least he has his work to get lost in. Tinkering on all of the gadgets in RadioShack is one of the only activities that Patrick finds real motivation for. His work has become his reason for waking every morning, and for that, Patrick will be forever grateful. He’s also grateful for the people who surround him in this environment, the people like Micah. His co-worker’s company is one of few people Patrick still likes to have, and though he won’t admit it, some of Patrick’s favourite moments occur in the presence of Micah. “Shit.” He curses, making it hard to believe that this is one of the best moments he’ll have experienced this week. “I keep shocking myself on these damn wires.” He laughs to show he’s not really upset over it, more just frustrated that his tinkering isn’t going to plan. “Got any way around electric shocks?”

[lcvemeforever]

[ @enshrikes // @copperxxgalileo ]

[survibers]

who are alma's favorite people and why?

Her Dad

Part of the reason why Alma suffers so much with her father is away is because he's truly her favorite person. She feels like no one really understands her the way he does. Or at least in a way her mother never even tried to do. Even in the years her father was home. As she's gotten older, her and her father have tried to read the same books (whichever ones he can find in the prisons library) and he asks more about her daily life than anyone. But beyond that, her father is a deeply brilliant man who just had a lot of shit luck and because of it made really bad choices. She truly believes that if he was free he would be doing something amazing and definitely something to help other people. She truly admires him. Especially all the ways he holds out hope. It gives her the hope she needs to hold on.

Junior ( @urdamage )

Junior is without a doubt the brother she wished she had. It's not surprise that he's become the first friend she's ever been honest about when it comes to her father. She trusts him so wholeheartedly it kind of scares her. But he makes it easy and their friendship has been one of the most lovely experiences of her life. She adores him, would do anything for him and is deeply grateful that he's in her life. She doesn't have many people that she trusts but he's top of the list. He's taught her a lot about real friendship and she finds herself wishing that they could just wake up one day and have been in each other's lives forever. She likes to joke that her life is split between before she met Junior and after.

Xena ( @finaldarlings )

Alma has always deeply admired Xena, especially when they were in high school. She was everything that Alma wasn´t but that just made Alma like her more. When they actually became friends, Alma realized that she was right about how much she admired Xena. Their friendship has brought her a lot of joy and she's grateful that she's gotten to explore her own musical talents. She appreciates how encouraging Xena is and really cares about her well being. Sure, Alma has harbored a crush on her for forever but it's blossomed into a deeply loving friendship that Alma does not take for granted at all.

TJ ( @enshrikes )

Truly, truly!! One of her favorite cuties. Yes, she does also have a crush on TJ that's she had for a long time but he's also genuinely someone she loves to spend time with. He's such a breath of fresh air and since high school he has always been interested in bringing fun into her life. She can't remember a time he didn't make her laugh. And she appreciates that a lot. Alma feels like a lot of their life is stressful and full of hard decisions. With TJ, everything just feels easy.

[finaldarlings]

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡ celia feat. micah 

located  at  a  park  downtown. this  is  a  closed  starter  for  @enshrikes​​

it  was  easy  to  look  at  celia  and  see  a  lonely  person,  but  contrary  to  popular  belief,  celia  wasn’t  especially  lonely,  she  did  in  fact  have  friends. to  have  a  friend  was  nice,  but  even  better  than  that  was  having  a  friend  who  felt  safely  removed  from  all  of  her  life’s  complications,  and  that  was  exactly  what  she  found  in  micah. to  have  micah  was  nice. celia  didn’t  feel  like  he  was  attached  to  her  past  in  a  way  some  of  her  other  friends  were,  she  didn’t  feel  like  he  would  pass  judgement  upon  her  for  her  past  mistakes,  and  most  importantly,  celia  always  felt  like  micah  saw  and  accepted  her  for  her  current  self,  even  if  she  was  now  no  less  flawed  than  the  celia  she  had  left  behind. micah  was  an  important  friend  to  celia,  and  they  were  even  more  important  to  her  in  the  aftermath  of  the  trauma  she  had  experienced  because  of  the  killers  in  shrike  heights.

a  little  over  three  months  had  passed  since  celia  had  met  the  ghost. she  had  almost  died,  her  unconscious  body  hidden,  almost  missed,  almost  bleeding  out  fatally,  but  she  hadn’t. celia  had  survived,  and  because  she  had  survived,  part  of  her  expected  to  be  feeling  better,  part  of  her  expected  to  be  more  recovered  by  now. needless  to  say,  she  wasn’t,  and  while  that  was  the  expected  response  to  her  trauma,  it  was  beginning  to  weigh  too  heavily  upon  the  woman. those  feelings  were  the  reason  that  she  called  upon  micah  to  spend  time  with  her  that  day,  but  she  was  also  looking  forward  to  seeing  micah  for  more  reasons  than  just  because  he  was  someone  she  could  talk  to. she  waited  patiently  in  the  park  they  had  agreed  upon  that  morning,  absentmindedly  sketching  a  heart  shaped  mirrorball  in  one  of  the  trusty  sketchbooks  she  carried  around  with  her  at  all  times,  but  before  she  knew  it  she  was  turning  her  head  to  find  her  friend  approaching. she  smiled. “hey  micah.”  she  greeted,  closing  the  book. “thanks  for  coming  out  here.”  she  began,  leaving  so  much  unsaid. she  didn’t  want  to  elaborate  and  explain  that  she  was  grateful  for  him  meeting  her  away  from  the  scene  of  her  crime,  or  away  from  the  mall  that  saw  so  much  additional  crime,  so  she  left  it  at  a  simple  thanks,  hoping  that  would  suffice. “how  are  you?”

[survibers]

how does viola relax after a long day?

Viola does have trouble relaxing in general but especially because her nights are usually focused on doing school work once her day job is done. But it usually involves a beer and then a glass of red wine. Now that she has Stevie she always makes sure to take him for a walk but before she got him she would go on night walks anyway. Well, until the killings started. After she would usually just sit out in her backyard but now she feels a little safer with Stevie with her. Just a little. If she's really trying to wind down she'll smoke a joke but three puffs and she's usually good (lol).

But nothing helps here feel as good as calling Danny (@enshrikes) at the end of a long day to vent and chat about their crushes like two teenagers. If he can't come over for an evening beer and fall asleep with her on the couch (one of the few ways she actually gets to sleep on time) then she's on the phone with him until her brain feels calm enough to actually relax. #emotionalsupportbestie

[viola--lancaster]

Location: Viola’s House

Tagging: @enshrikes

“I’ll be right out but you gotta take your shoes off, I just got the carpet steamed and deep cleaned the living room.” Viola popped her head out of her room and grinned at Omar who was busy being gleefully greeted by Stevie. “I have a date on Friday so this place needs to look good and you need to help me get Rune out of the house. Me. A date? In the good lord’s year of 1988. Can you believe it? Don’t answer that, it’s rhetorical.” Viola had been eager to see Omar after hearing that he had been at the parade and with Karim busy at the mall, she had also been eager to talk someone’s ear off about her upcoming date with Florence. 

“Okay, sorry, hi, are you hungry? Thirsty? I’m sure your mom has been bombarding you with questions so come here.” She finally stopped talking and instead wrapped her arms around Omar to hug him tightly. She stayed like that for a long moment, one newly manicured hand moving to rest on the back of his head for a moment to stroke his hair in comfort. “Or are we in a let’s drink and not talk about it mood because I have enough to prepare for that too. Whatever you want.”

[viola--lancaster]

enshrikes·:

Even with the killers looming large, Danny was glad he was back. He thought he’d miss people – Viola and Nick, mostly – but it surprised him just how much. So he hadn’t wasted time driving his car down to the Lancasters.

He wasn’t sure what kind of welcome he’d receive, or if she’d just kick his ass to the curb – not that she’d blame him. Danny expected some blowback when he came back into town; he didn’t regret leaving, and he knew that it was what he needed, but it still sucked. So it was more than he could’ve ever expected to hear her voice as he climbed out of the car, to look over and see her smiling at him. It wasn’t hard for him to match it with his own, opening his arms without hesitation as she moved in for the hug. He held on tightly, relieved she was okay, and only when she shifted to look at him did he loosen his grip.

He rested his hands on her hips, his smile transforming into a smirk. “You think I’m handsome?” He teased. “I’m happy to see you too. Y'know, if you couldn’t already tell.” He leaned forward then and kissed her cheek, stepping away for a brief moment to grab the beer he’d brought with him. He wasn’t sure when he left for her place that morning if he’d need a peace offering, and he was glad to find he wouldn’t. “I come bearing gifts at least.”

His good mood stuttered when she mentioned Rune. The main thing was he was okay, but Danny felt a sharp pang of guilt when he thought about Viola having to go through that and him not being there to help her. But he was there now, and she was happy to see him, and that was what counted. “I’m glad he’s on the mend,” he offered lamely, squeezing her hand once she offered it. “I really am sorry I wasn’t around. I should’ve just…” he stopped himself, shaking his head. “Damn, Vi, haven’t even seen you for five minutes, and you’ve already got me talking more than I have in weeks. Let’s crack these open.” He laughed, letting her lead him inside.

***

“Only a little bit though, don’t let it go to your head. I knew you’d hear that part the most. Ah gifts, a man who knows he’s a trouble. Such a good guest.” She could use a drink though and was grateful she’d get to share one with him. “Hey, you’re here now, okay? Look, I’m not even mad and I can’t wait to hear about your time away. I’m just happy you’re here because I was close to losing my mind when I was by myself.” She laughed because he wasn’t even talking that much and was already feeling like he had talked too much. “What can I say? I have that affect. Yes, please. I’m in desperate need.” She pulled him into the house and led them towards the kitchen so she could grab a bottle opener. “Where are you staying? Did you move back into your old place or..? You’ve got to catch me up. I don’t see any black eyes so you haven’t gotten into a fight with anyone yet. I call that a win,” she teased, opening both of their beers. She shook her head before pulling him in for another hug, just over the moon that he was there. 

As if right on cue, Stevie came trotting out of Rune’s room to join them, sniffing at Danny’s sneakers. “Danny, meet our newest Lancaster, Stevie. Stevie, this is your Uncle Danny. Can’t you see the resemblance?” She held up her beer in a cheers and took a long sip before reaching down to scratch at Stevie’s head once he had settled next to her. “He’s been one of the best things to happen to me this year. So sweet, a bit of a pain in the ass and a really funny little guy. Great cuddler too. I mean who needs a girlfriend, you know?” She was clearly joking but Stevie had brought an immense amount of joy to her life. “So..how are you feeling being back? You kind of have crazy timing. Ellis just got back too. Guess everyone comes home eventually or maybe you all just missed me that much, huh?”