inthefear

[inthefear]

while pj doesn’t need the clarification and confirmation that is rory speaking his name, it’s a welcome addition to their conversation, and one that brings a large smile to the employee’s face. pj, a shrike heights local, has come to know so many of his fellow residents, and while it’s the truth that he’s grown fond of quite a lot of them, that doesn’t take away from the excitement he feels hearing that beloved irish accent. “how ya doin’ rory?” he asks brightly; to ever grow sick of the other feels impossible to pj. “ooh, something new?” pj, while at the end of his struggling with the pile of tapes he decides to transport in one trip rather than multiple, begins to think of all of the new release tapes they have for rent. “that’s a hard one- but not because we’re lacking choices!” if anything, pj feels as though the last year of cinema has been extremely plentiful. “any specific genre or mood you’re looking for?” he asks. 

rory had always been such a massive fan of the cinema. or rather movies in general, the one consistent in their rather inconsistent life and the anxiety ridden human appreciated the comfort movies provided. "it's just me!" as if the irish accent wasn't a dead give away, he chirped, "rory!" pj was most likely SICK of him at this point. they were a regular and usually rented out the same cycle of movies. never horror. always rom coms, dramas and musicals. they could never get tired of the musicals. "i'm feeling particularly cheeky today. want to actually watch something i HAVEN'T seen. though no rush! just wanted to see if you had anything new you recommended."

[inthefear]

"of course that's alright!" honey nods her head as enthusiastically as she can, more than happy to help avery find the sample jars of those she's most intrigued by, honey finding herself extremely eager to hear what avery thinks of the product she's helped to make. "it's a very satisfying process," honey tells her. "i find a lot of what we do here" in the commune she means "to be satisfying, because our work is very rewarding," she explains ever so briefly. while she understands that the commune is different, and that some are frightened by differences, which can lead to aggression or distasteful reactions such as the one avery's father has to the commune - not that honey knows that that is the case for her father - honey can't imagine living in a community unlike the commune. she can't imagine filling her days with tasks unlike the ones she participates in with the commune, unsure as to how one outside of the commune find the common feelings of satisfaction and fulfilment that she gets to experience here. "there's nothing better than literally getting to taste your hard work paying off," she giggles.

watching avery react to every sample she tastes is such a treat; even when honey isn't tasting the jam herself, her hard work is paying off in the form of avery's enthusiasm and praise, and it's a such a beautiful feeling. "i'm so delighted that you like them all," honey exclaims, hopping up onto her tiptoes in excitement for a brief second. "that's right," she nods at the question about people in the commune doing different jobs, but she quickly goes on to elaborate on avery's second question. "i'm not really on jam duty a whole lot, to be completely honest, i do a lot of a bit of everything," she giggles just a little at her own unconventional wording. "some of us are brilliant - masters - at one or a few specific things, some of us have talents that are very time consuming, therefore leaving less time to help with other things or work on other tasks or projects, but i'm one a big group who does whatever we can wherever we can," she can't be sure that she's making the most sense, particularly while speaking to someone who she figures comes from a very different background, but she does her best with her explanation.

"okay perfect," avery told her, clapping her hands together in anticipation. "all of that sounds delicious. you know, i can't say i've had much chili jam but i've never been afraid of some spice. let's start with that sweet chili, the apricot definitely and hmm, fig, yeah is that alright? i mean a lot of great things are collaborative efforts," she told her, setting her bag down at her side so she could grab the samples with care and not risk dropping any on her shirt. growing up, her father had always talked badly about the commune. when she was very young all she could do was believe him but the older she got the more she realized how ignorant her father had been. "i love that anyone can spend time making jam, it sounds like such a honorable process." avery eagerly accepted the samples, starting with the apricot which had been really anticipating. "oh my god, i have a feeling i'm going to say this about all of them but this is delicious. perfect for cornbread. wow. okay next up," she made her way through each of them, not surprised that she loved all of them and her reaction to each made that clear. "okay, not surprise, i'm taking all of them but that apricot and sweet chili are on another level, i could eat that on a shoe, i swear." she had to laugh at her own words because she knew how corny she sounded. "people have a few different jobs on the commune, right? do you focus mostly on jam or on other things?"

[inthefear]

"i definitely believe in your ability," she tells him with a smile. honey has heard too many nice things about ian from her sibling leaf to know that he's an extremely capable person, though even if she hadn't known a single thing about the man, and was meeting him for the very first time today, honey would encourage him all the same; even if she happened to be speaking with someone who had little to no baking skills, the only way to improve is to practice! "our strawberries aren't quite in season yet," she tells him and she shakes her head. "but that's why i find these so perfect coming into the hotter months; we can still enjoy the summer flavors before it's time to start picking our strawberries," she's not saying this to boost her jam sales, but instead because she genuinely believes in what she's saying. "they're almost ready," she adds happily. "i think i always have to choose the gooseberry and elderflower jam that we make, but it really is quite a difficult choice, to pick a favorite," she answers. "they're all so different, and perfect for different uses!"

"You're right. I'm not much of a baker but it can't be too hard. I know I have a decent cake recipe somewhere," Ian explained. It was a good idea to get all his baking desires out of the way now before his apartment got too hot for the year for him to be able to do so. Before long Ian's sweet treats would exclusively be popsicles and ice cream as a feeble attempt to keep cool in the hot Colorado summers. "Are you guys selling any fresh strawberries yet?" Ian asked. The jam stand was the first one Ian had approached at the farmer's market and hadn't yet checked out the other wares the commune was known for selling this time of year. He would've figured by now the first batch of berries had come in but he was no farmer and hadn't even seen a strawberry bush since the last time he'd been up to the commune for a visit which admittedly had been a while. Ian often saw Leaf and their van when they were in town as opposed to Ian visiting them up at their home. "Thank you," Ian said with a smile as he was presented with the fresh bread that he took a slice of. He proceeded to dip into another pot of jam with a fresh spoon which he then went on to smear on the bread before eating. As expected it was just as delicious as his first sample. "I'd have to agree with you there but then again I think your jams are always so tasty," he praised. "Do you have a favorite?" Ian asked just so he'd have another excuse to prolong his sampling.

[inthefear]

"well that's why i'm assessing you extra strictly, you see," paulie tells her. he's not the best when it comes to being funny, or pulling out a sense of humor in a context other than a questionable or morbid situation, but it comes out a little easier in the presence of avery - a fact that he tries to ignore, in order to save himself from fleeing and never seeing her again. "i've gotta keep the bureau reputable; if we started letting anyone get involved with us then our system would be thrown completely out of whack and complaints would never have the same effect ever again," he 'warned'. "if the mall had more employees, though, then there'd be even more cars in the parking lot, and if anything i think that would only encourage them to make the spaces smaller," he countered, the look on his face making it obviously that this isn't an argument, but instead playful banter - a very foreign interaction for paulie vincent to find himself in.

"i just have so many great and wildly different complaints that it's hard to know where to begin," he teases her, but while there is a lot of honesty to what he says, he also mainly does so to stall and buy himself more time to think of the three perfect complaints to give her. "first one that comes to mind is when the weather gets that sticky kind of humid; there is no reason for my hair to react the way it does to that, and absolutely no reason why nature should be able to make me feel that gross," he shakes his head in disapproval. "my second complaint definitely has to be when people litter," he begins, building momentum, this complaint coming out faster than the last. "how hard is it really to just find a trash can? they're all over this place, and i actually think it would take me more effort to throw something on the ground than it would to put it in a trash can on my way past it," again, he shakes his head. "lastly- hm," he goes back to needing to take a second to think, and this time it genuinely is because too many come to mind. "well i guess i've gotta give it to when your sock starts falling down in your shoe; you know when it starts working its way down until it slides down your heel, and ugh, it's the worst."

paulie's instinctual reaction to avery's offer to spend a day together complaining is a positive one; while it does sound slightly terrible to give in to negativity, paulie can foresee the two of them having the greatest time in doing so. only moments later, however, his typical fear of growing close enough to someone to consider them a friend starts to kick in; he's done such a good job at distancing himself in this town, such a successful effort in avoiding real connections being made, and the feeling of wanting to divert from that is understandably a scary one. he doesn't get close to others for a reason, he should definitely reject the offer - although, as he sits and thinks about it, feigning thought over his work schedule, he supposes that spending time with somebody doesn't mean that they have to get actually close. "i don't work an awful lot," he tells her, not sure if it's the best idea, but going with it anyway. "enough to survive, of course, but other than that not too much. i usually work like five nights a week, and i almost always have wednesdays off."

avery can't help but laugh along with him, mostly surprised that she was even able to make him laugh but clearly pleased with herself. but it was her turn to laugh even more as he gave her his assessment. "oh i'm sorry, i didn't realize i was sitting with the head of the bureau of complaints. if i would've known, i would've worn my best dress," she teased, finding herself unable to stop laughing. she couldn't remember the last time a new conversation had brought her this much genuine entertainment and enjoyment. "they could be, yes. perhaps subcategories within a larger category of pet peeves but that doesn't make them any less distinct. they're both inconsiderate but it also speaks to the structures of our society as a whole. poorly built parking lots. not enough staff to meet the volume of people there is to serve. if they had enough people they could have an express line and a line for people who don't know what they want. and then well retail as a whole is just built to have us all endure people's lack of in various ways." she looked at him as her smile grew. "well then tell me, oh great and wise one. what are your top three, very distinct, totally not at all related complaints? im taking notes."

"i mean persistent, stubborn, there are always good and bad sides of things. but i see your challenge and wait to be dazzled by your wisdom." her smile softened as she looked at him, sensing that it wasn't often he heard a compliment, let alone have the opportunity to accept them. she didn't comment on it, though, just made a note in her head to tell him something she liked about him every time they hung out. and she was pretty confident they would definitely hang out again. "what's your work schedule like? next time you have a full day off let me know and i'll take it off too. we can go do something worth complaining about. see who has the biggest count by the end of the day." it sounded like both a terrible and enjoyable way to spend the day and she figured with him it could be fun.

[inthefear]

growing up in the commune, honey has always been able to understand and feel a wide range of emotions and feelings; her emotional intelligence, as is the norm in the commune, is well beyond her years. coming from this background, and living through this era of the shrike killers, honey would be more than understanding of any anxiety that ocean is feeling, much like how she's been able to understand that there is a change in ocean, that he's gone through something big enough to make him less himself. no matter how good ocean has been at hiding things, honey is observant enough to worry for her beloved ocean. "it's so pretty here," honey agrees with a nod. while all of the commune are so different, their own unique people who all value individuality, they pretty much all agree on the cbd being their least favorite spot in town. "how about we go for a little walk in order to get a nice cold drink?" she suggests, the closest store that they could purchase a drink from being a small walk away. honey doesn't want to force ocean into anything he's not comfortable with, but she does hope for his sake that he can confide in her, no matter what that looks like today.

It didn't use to be like this. There was a time when Ocean didn't have to make such an effort to check in with the people he cared about; it would just be natural to spend time with them, especially the commune members and especially the members of Wozniak family. Ocean used to be such an outgoing person, but that was before Grant, and now he was so introverted and reserved, so different than the way he was before. And to make it worse, there was no way the people he cared about the most hadn't noticed. After all, they had known Ocean his entire life, so they had to have seen the change in him, and he hated that because he didn't want them to worry. Maybe that was why he spent more time off of the commune these days. Whatever the reason, he was doing just that, not just with work and school but just exploring Shrike Heights or the mall, spending time with himself because when no one he cared about was around, he didn't have to put on a front. It was like he was always wearing a mask these days, and it was starting to get uncomfortable, if it ever wasn't.

Today Ocean was out for a walk after his shift at the mall, standing on Willow Bridge and admiring both the view and the bridge itself. It really was beautiful, and it just made Ocean feel peaceful. Since he hadn't seen her coming, Ocean was surprised to hear someone call his name, looking in that direction and seeing Honey coming toward him. He was both happy to see her and suddenly a little anxious at the same time. While Ocean cared very much about Honey, he was having a bit of a difficult day, and he didn't feel like having to pretend he was fine. But that was what he was going to have to do it seemed, and Ocean slipped the mask back on. "Hey Honey!" he exclaimed, smiling at his friend, who was essentially his sister. "I was just out for a walk. It's such a nice day, and this is one of my favorite places outside the commune." It was also quiet and less frequented by members of Shrike Heights than say the Central Business District or the mall, but Ocean didn't say that. What she asked him didn't surprise him at all, having expected it actually, and Ocean briefly considered making an excuse; he didn't feel like talking right now. But that wasn't fair to Honey, so Ocean just nodded, managing to smile again. "That sounds great," he answered. "It's pretty hot outside today, so I'm down for a cold drink. But I don't mind the heat either if you'd rather just go for a walk."

[inthefear]

honey laughs. "yes, sweet," she shakes her head with amusement. "ooh," honey has to think about the answer for a moment, because while she's biased, sure, she does believe that almost all of the flavors of jam that they have to offer are extremely tasty. "that's so hard to answer!" she tells them, laughing as she does. "the gooseberry and elderflower, perhaps," she decides.

Juni nodded - she wasn't surprised, that one person didn't make all this jam on their own.. That would be a lot of work. Like way too much for her, at least, if she was in the other's shoes. "Sweet." She says, and then laughs. "I mean, like, figuratively and literally." Through her glasses, she squints, looking over the jars of jam. "What's your favorite one?"

[inthefear]

"ah, well like well not well like well, gotcha," marty nods in understanding. he appreciates that keanu doesn't mind answering his questions, or that they at least are answering his questions and helping him to expand his knowledge, regardless of how they feel about doing so. "it's expensive, though," marty argues, having guesses about keanu's finances due to everything he's seen so far, and guessing that they're very different to his own, different enough to not think about the fact that some people can't afford a top shelf lifestyle. "especially when i was younger," he says, as if he's not still young, and baby faced enough to prove it. "the best i could get was cheap," he states. "oh-" he reacts to keanu ordering him a luxury drink of his own. "are you sure?" marty has experienced kindness before, but nowhere near enough to be used to it, or to feel entitled to it. "thanks," he settles, excited to try the drink.

"They're called wells because they sit in the bar's well," Keanu explained. "That's what that space is called down below the bar that bartenders pull drinks from," Keanu went on. They only knew that fact because they'd had made more than a few friends with bartenders in the past to learn a thing or two about alcohol. "It's got nothing to do with the quality. They're also called bottom shelf for a reason," Keanu went on clearly making their disgust of the average stuff well known. "You know you can have a good time and drink good tasting alcohol. You're really missing out drinking that bottom shelf stuff," Keanu insisted as they took a sip of their much nicer tasting beverage before waving the bartender over once again. "Why don't you make another whiskey ginger for my friend over here but make it top shelf," Keanu ordered. They were feeling generous tonight and buying another overpriced drink was well within Keanu's lavish budget.

[inthefear]

paulie doesn't let people in, he doesn't allow himself to grow close to others, nor does he allow them to grow close to him - if he can help it. he doesn't see the point; almost all of the people that paulie has loved have gotten hurt, they've died, and even if he were to grow close to another who doesn't meet the same strange fate that most paulie has bonded with have, he doesn't think it very fair to welcome somebody into a life so full of pain and emotional baggage. it's the life he's grown accustomed to; while it might be sad, paulie's experiences with death have led him to believe that this is the best possible life that he can continue to live. don't let anyone get too close - something that's easier to say than do when he's constantly rostered on to work the same shifts as the same person.

leo is a cool person, as far as paulie knows. he doesn't mind the walls that they have up - having extremely high and sturdy walls himself - and none of leo's behavior has him judging them or wondering more about them - in the nicest way possible. it's not that paulie doesn't think about him, and what his past potentially could have looked like, it's only that paulie doesn't feel the need to know more, like he might with someone more obnoxious or unlike himself. for the most part, it's comfortable to be able to work in silence with leo, but on the other hand, paulie can't help but wonder why the universe - or maybe just their managers - seem to keep on putting them together. he can't remember the last time that he was stuck in quite close proximity to another person, seeing them and being near them so constantly, and that's exactly why leo's words - while surprising that he says any at all - don't come across as strange. "d'you think so?" he asks, not hating the conversation as he has nothing else to do at all. "i mean, what do you wanna know?" he wonders. he isn't shooting leo's idea down at all, but he's also not sure how much they should share, how much matters to the other if they're going to maintain their very casual work relationship.

(closed for @inthefear )

Since he had started working at Key of Reason, Leo hadn't exactly bonded with his coworkers. It wasn't that he didn't like them because he actually did - they were actually pretty knowledgable for the most part and seemed to have a healthy respect for music. But he just wasn't the type of guy to try and make friends. Even before the accident, he'd been sort of socially awkward, finding it hard to relate to others, though he usually found his people (or at least people to hang out with). Now though, Leo didn't even think there was a reason to bother. He couldn't be the kind of friend most people wanted or needed, and honestly he often wondered why Akito put up with him. Leo knew he was surly and easily annoyed and bitter much of the time, and who wanted to be friends with that? So he'd avoided befriending any of his coworkers, not wanting to subject them to that.

However, that became difficult when you worked with someone a lot, and that seemed to be the case with Paulie. It was like they were almost always on the same shift, and Leo had to admit that the guy seemed, well, pretty cool. He didn't try to be anyone he wasn't and didn't feel the need to be nice just to get people to like him, at least not from what Leo could see. Paulie was just...well, him. Tonight they were the only ones working, putting things on shelves and just generally tidying up the store. Paulie never felt the need to fill silences, Leo had noticed, and Leo usually didn't either. So once they were done with all the things they needed to do in the store, Leo pulled the book he was reading out of his bag and leaned against the counter. For a few moments, he tried to read, but Leo kept glancing up at Paulie, and dammit, he actually wanted to talk, at least a little bit. Setting his book down, Leo asked, "So...do you think we should maybe get to know each other a little more?"

[inthefear]

Nick Robinson as Eric Walker A TEACHER 1.05

[inthefear]

"alright," he nods, wondering what words are to follow after a preface like that. paulie is a sensitive person, but he's not easily offended; because of this, he's not concerned about what the other might say, but he is curious. thankfully noa doesn't make him wait on it for very long. "oh," he chuckles, thinking that her warning was slightly too much - though he knows it wouldn't have been too much for everyone. "definitely not offended," he tells her. truthfully, as paulie doesn't wish to be known well enough by anyone, it's one of the best things someone could have told him. "i wouldn't say i'm paranoid, or that i think people have anything out to get me, maybe i should even be a little more concerned," he admits. he is concerned about what's happening in town, but he feels far less fear that one might think he should. "mostly just curious. i'm loose, and just nosey."

though the girl possessed many qualities, patience was not one of her virtues. empathy was also not her strongest suit, and so the fact she had clearly brushed a sensitive nerve without ever meaning to or realising it flew over her head. as small and insignificant as a mosquito; barely noticeable were it not for the buzzing in the air. "güey, there's no polite way to say this, but i'm just gonna come out and say it, okay?" her eyebrows darted up in a slight raise. "i really don't know or care enough about you to wish things upon you, good or bad. if i had a weird look on my face, well, that's just my face. i was born with it." she reached up to tug her hair out of its pony tail only to tie it back immediately, neater. "it's not like i don't get you being paranoid, what with the town being full of literal murderers, but try to loosen up just a little. not everyone is out to get you. least of all me."

[inthefear]

"careful what you say, i'm like, super impressionable," marty warns, grinning tiredly. "spin it convincingly enough and you'll have me totally freaking out about whether or not i'm awake or asleep," he chuckles, and he laughs louder as apollo admits to seeing the imaginary person over at another table. "well hey, at least if you do make me lose my mind unsure of whether or not i'm asleep, i'll know i'm not going crazy all by myself," he jokes. "what's the best flavor you got? i know some people have hardcore preferences- like they always go for chocolate, or strawberry, or whatever, no matter where they go, but i think different places have different variations of each flavor, and that sometimes the chocolate is great one place but then the strawberry is better another, you know?" it's not unlike marty to ramble in a juvenile manner, but he's even more guilty of it in his extremely tired state. "uhhhh," he thinks about food. "would it be too much to ask for some hash browns at this time?"

"ah so for all we know this could be a dream state you're in and i'm just visiting," apollo told him with a grin before laughing at his comment about the empty table. "oh so you can see him too? whew thought it was just me," he continued and pretended to wipe at non-existent sweat on his forehead. "we absolutely do milkshakes. pretty damn good ones if you ask me. what flavor are you hoping for?" apollo washed his hands and threw the towel over his shoulde before serving marty some water. "nothing to eat?"

[inthefear]

“sounds like a wonderful plan to me!” honey smiles widely. she’s typically up bright and early each morning herself - rising with the sun, as a lot of the commune does - but she’s still no stranger to the concept of a nice, relaxing morning spent in bed, with no need to rush out anywhere in a hurry. even when the chance to sleep in doesn’t seem especially close for nick, it’s still a nice goal to work on reaching. “a morning sleep in is all the more appreciated and satisfying when you’ve been unable to have one for quite some time, anyway,” she believes. 

“absolutely right!” while honey enjoys a wide variety of different jams, strawberry is a classic, and will therefore always be a favorite. “amazing!” she immediately goes to work in finding the two selected pots out of all on her table. “i can’t vouch for it enough, i don’t think you’ll be disappointed- but if you are! just come find me next time and i’ll sort you out with something else to replace it,” she offers. “they are one of our most popular products, especially as they’ll last for longer than fresh produce that isn’t available for harvesting right now, but i don’t think that they’re the most popular,” they tell him. “i’m not entirely sure what is, but if i were to take a guess, i would have to say that our breads are the most popular at this time of year - they’re popular pretty much all year around, though.” 

Nick nodded, "I think I open at Tracks next Sunday, but there's always the following one or the one after that." Hope for more sleep one day lingered in his voice. While he wasn't against waking up early or getting scheduled for opening shifts, especially with how dangerous some of the closing shifts had proven to be, it would be nice to get some extra sleep in the morning for a change. It was safe to say most people who worked at the mall were probably in a similar predicament where they wanted the earliest shifts possible yet were running on fumes with how sleepless and restless their nights were.

Nick listened to the other, genuinely considering the suggestions. "You can't go wrong with strawberry." Classics were classics for a reason. "I'll take a strawberry and gooseberry and elderflower to try. No time like the present to time new things, right?" Maybe more now than ever with the amount of uncertainly that surrounded the future in Shrike Heights. He of course didn't comment on that matter. It was nice to have a small mental break from all the horrible events that took place throughout the town over the years. "Are the jams the most popular stuff you guys have this time of year?" He continued making conversation on a lighter topic.

[inthefear]

open starter for @shrikestart from pj dawson. takes place in showtime, shrike mall. please use beta editor!

"hello!" pj calls out his greeting almost immediately upon hearing the bell chime, indicating that someone has walked through the door of his work place. "give me one second and you'll have my full attention," he tells them, cheerfully yet apologetically, chuckling as his view of the person - presumably a customer - is entirely obstructed. he carries a tall stack of videos in his hands, a stack so high that he's using his cheek to help the ones at the top of the pile stay in place. "sorry about this," he's going above and beyond with the engagement, attentive and helpful being two words to describe him perfectly. "how can i help you? what're you after?" he asks them as he finally places the videos on the counter carefully, and only then is he able to turn around and catch sight of the other person.

[inthefear]

nick robinson, bisexual, man + he/him ― hey look, it’s philip 'pj' dawson! he’s twenty-six years old, he’s lived in shrike heights for his entire life, and he’s currently working at showtime in shrike mall. i heard he’s pretty obsessive, but i think he’s so loving at the same time. can he make it out alive?

polaroids / conversations / inspirations / starters / scrapbook

basic information -

full name: philip james dawson nicknames: pj, phil, phily, peej preferred name: pj gender: man pronouns: he/him sexual orientation: bisexual date of birth: march 2nd 1963 age: twenty-six zodiac: pisces, only really cares for the love compatibility parts of believing in zodiacs family: mother, janet dawson, father, james dawson, older brother, younger sister. occupation: working at showtime in shrike mall hometown: shrike heights, co

background -

pj was born the second of three children in shrike heights, colorado, where his family (both his mother's side and father's side) have resided for generations.

his upbringing is one that he'd consider to be perfectly average. his parents weren't well off, but they were comfortable, pj having everything he needed.

while he bickered with his siblings, and sometimes disagreed with his parents, he feels lucky to have the family that he has; despite differences, they share a lot of love, and they do get along quite well overall.

from the second his parents saw his personality begin to develop as a baby, pj has always been described as a sweetheart. he's always been sensitive, considerate, clingy and affectionate.

he always cared to be with his family, spending time with them, making what he'd later come to realize are cherished, core memories. as he grew older, his fondness extended to more than only his family.

from young, pj was always extremely friendly and social. he thrives with company and positive attention. he always wanted to be everybody's best friend, and was always around the neighbourhood trying to achieve that.

as he got older, and in particular as his family grew older alongside him and began doing more of their own things - as much as they remained a tight knit family - pj relied on his other relationships more.

as a teenager, pj went from wanting to be everybody's best friend, to wanting to be everybody's boyfriend. he experienced his first relationship early in his teens, and despite the lack of seriousness (they were only teens, after all) it ignited a spark inside of pj.

pj became obsessed with relationships, with romantic and sexual kinds of love, and he was almost always in a relationship from then on. while some people weren't too fond of his reputation, pj had good intentions, and all he ever wanted was to find the one.

he began working as a server at a diner as a teenager (so that he had enough money to take whoever his current significant other was at the time out on dates) but after one too many failed relationships with his co-workers, he found work elsewhere.

he began working at showtime in his late teens, after high school, and he vowed to never mess around with any of this co-workers. showtime helped to encourage his love for romance films and romcoms, and while it's not a big flashy career, pj is extremely happy in his position.

all pj wants to do is to find love; he thought it was hard enough before the mall was built, but now that there's the added factors such as the killers... pj is afraid that he'll never find the one.

additional information -

pj is a ball of light, a bright spark, a ray of sunshine. he's a happy-go-lucky type of person, and while he's capable of feeling every emotion adequately, he's mostly found smiling and happy.

he's very charming, and he develops crushes easily. he's more sweet than he is flirtatious, though he definitely does his fair share of flirting.

he's pretty open to pursuing most people, but he's also respectful about the chase. he tries to follow mannerisms and context clues to assess whether or not a person will be receptive or not, and if he does read a situation wrong and try to pursue someone not into it/him, as soon as they show the smallest sign of not being into it, he'll stop.

pj isn't only charming in the way of a person wanting to find a partner, he's charming in a platonic and friendly sense, too. pj wants to find love, but he's never forgotten about the importance of platonic love and friendship.

he loves films, but he hates horror movies, or anything too violent. he's a bit of a baby, a bit of a scaredy cat, a sensitive and emotional soul.

he's not afraid to be himself, or to express himself. he's as expressive as he is sensitive and loving. he expresses himself verbally, as well as through affection, gift gifting, and through his clothing and accessories.

pj is often dressed well, and accessorised even better. additionally, pj always smells nice - florally and fruity mostly.

he's a people pleaser, though he doesn't know it. he thinks that he's just friendly and helpful - both of which he is, too. it's easy to take advantage of pj's kind soul.

he's serious about love, but he's extremely fun loving and a good time. he's immature in a very fun way, and he just wants himself and his loved ones to be happy and to live a good life.

wanted connections -

possible connections are not limited to what is listed below. my discord dms are always open to those who wish to plot, you do not need permission from plot calls etc. to message me. responses may be slow sometimes, but i will always get back to you. i don't like talking in tumblr ims, and may miss those.

exes - any gender, mostly close in age (though there is room for a couple with larger age gaps in his adult life), any personality type.

hook ups - pj doesn't like hook ups, he only wants to be with people with the intent of marrying them. despite this, there's been a couple of hook up situations (ones where pj wants it to go further, into a relationship, but it doesn't happen).

crushes - either way, mutual or not. pj will likely try to act on it, but whether or not they get together depends on whatever we plot.

childhood best friends - pj has lived in shrike his whole life, and has always been friendly.

childhood neighbours - pj lived in the same house his whole life, from birth to shortly after he turned eighteen.

love interest - they don't have to be endgame, but they can be if it works!

someone cynical, who challenges his positive attitude and energy.

show time co-workers.

ex co-workers from the diner he worked at.

[inthefear]

paulie nods in understanding. “sounds like a fair assessment,” just as tj is trusting those who know more than him, paulie can only trust tj. it doesn’t really matter to paulie whether or not the movie will end up being a good one - though he would blindly bet on it being at least alright, if not good - as it’s not like paulie had anything better to do tonight, but still, it would certainly be nice for it to be a surprisingly good experience. “i don’t know,” he thinks about the question. “is it too broad to just say interesting movies? i’m not picky, i guess,” arguably because paulie doesn’t care enough to be, “but i don’t really like movies that feel like a waste of time because you already know what’s gonna happen the second it starts,” he shrugs. “oh yeah?” paulie respects tj caring about the event, even if he doesn’t himself. “so you’re super into films then?” he gathers. “sounds like a good spot,” he begins. “you better hope you don’t get a different sort of view, though, being behind a convertible,” what he means by this is that tj better hope he doesn’t have the front row ticket to a couple’s steamy date; paulie doesn’t have a lot of experience getting steamy with others, but funnily enough, some of his experience did take place in a drive in theater, so he understands the connotations behind a date to the drive in. 

TJ nods, confident in his opinion. He doesn't have anything to stand on besides the trailer and the fact that both the main actors are good as far as he knows, but it looks at least interesting and different. "I think so, yeah. People who know more than me seem to be saying so, at least, and I think it looks fun." He answers. "What kinda movies do you like?" He asks.

Unaware of Paulie's thoughts on arriving early for a good spot, TJ proudly announces he's done exactly that. "I learned from my mistakes last time, lemme tell ya. Showed up with plenty of time. Plus, I made sure to park behind a convertible, so nobody's blocking my view."

[inthefear]

while hoseok doesn’t tell paulie that he’s not a very social person, paulie would have understood it if he had. despite the fact that paulie has lived in shrike heights for about two years now, he’s barely branched out well enough to make friends. it’s intentional; friends lead to the potential of harm, connections can be dangerous, and paulie feels cursed - something he won’t ever voice aloud, due to how ridiculous the thought sounds. he’s lost too many people close to him to easily allow new people into his life, so it’s only understandable that paulie hasn’t known people involved in the attacks either, not closely, at least. “yeah,” he nods. “i’ve kind of been avoiding it, too,” he tells the other as he allows the thought of his brother pushing a killer off of the roof to sink in. he has so many questions, but none of them feel appropriate to be asking. “yeah,” he says again, sounding far more sure this time around. “that makes sense. it’s intense, to know the details,” he’s sure, without even knowing the details himself. “and it’s not easy to know what to say, what will be received well, what might strike a nerve,” it’s similar to how paulie feels now, with the questions for hoseok that he doesn’t ask. “sounds really intense,” he says again, this time apologetically, despite paulie not explicitly telling hoseok that he’s sorry for what he’s dealing with. 

Hoseok averted his eyes, fighting the urge to shrug at the response. Yes, Duckie was alive, but he was certain that it would take a long time for his brother to be close to being the same again. They both experienced trauma in their own way and sometimes it was hard to pin the other down, simply because they hadn't been siblings their whole life, but Hoseok tried his hardest to understand Duckie as much as he could. "Yeah, it was." He eventually confirmed, his teeth briefly scraping along his lip ring in a nervous gesture. "I never really knew people involved, I'm-" Not a social person? Maybe that wasn't the right way to put it. He always found it hard to explain what his deal was, really, because it wasn't so much that he preferred to be alone. It was just easier than facing potential ridicule and rejection. "I don't know a lot of... details, um... Kind of tried to avoid it, but... Duk-soo, he- he pushed one of them off the roof. And that's sort of... all I know. I'm not sure how to, you know, ask or if I want to know, I guess. If- If that makes sense."

[inthefear]

the sweetness comes with the wozniak family name; honey is proud to exhibit the core values and beliefs of her family and her commune, and kindness - or sweetness - is an especially important trait they all wish to have. to be kind is to be good, and to be good is the most one can do in an attempt of bettering the lives of themselves and the people around them. honey loves being a sweet person, true to her namesake, as she feels it’s one step closer to helping both herself and all of those who she surrounds herself with. “it’s the least i can do!” the kindness comes easily to her, as does helping ian with the sampling of the jam she sells. “i couldn’t encourage it enough!” honey grins as ian suggests potentially making a strawberry cake of his own. “it’s the perfect dessert to start thinking about as the weather gets warmer, too,” she reminds him, not just trying to sell her product - that never being her first priority - but just trying to lead her friend into making good - and delicious - choices. “of course! take it as you please,” she pushes the large wooden chopping board containing pre-sliced and portioned bread for sampling towards ian. “just be sure to not double dip,” she cautions through laughter, not expecting it to be a problem, despite giving warning. “i think this batch turned out especially tasty.”

"That's very sweet of you, Honey," Ian insisted. He didn't know what all he'd be sampling but he was glad that the offer stood. The commune produced some of the best foods in the community and Ian was certainly willing to shell out some more money for stuff that came from the commune as opposed to the lesser, cheaper stuff found at the grocery store. Ian had been accustomed to the commune's variety of fruit spreads for so long now that he couldn't go back and why he was here to stock up. "A strawberry cake? That sounds really good. Maybe I'll have to pick up some more strawberry jam to make one myself." It had been a while since he'd made any sort of special treat for him and his partner and that was long over due. Once the jar was produced he dipped the stick in the jam and gave it a sample. As predicted it was delightful. "That's really good, can I try some on some bread?" Ian requested simply because Honey had offered it up. He had a tendency to gravitate towards free samples and he'd take whatever it is they had to offer.