#stillwater: starter

[nourfk]

When & Where: KROQ98.9 ... in the early afternoon! (Day 2)

📻 @swstarters

Nour never really considered herself to be the 'groupie' type. To even consider herself a 'fan' of someone was a far stretch. Everything seemed to change, however, when they announced that Pink Slip would be performing. Nour had stumbled upon the girl band by chance, immediately falling in love with them when she heard them on the radio. It was a wonder why she had never called herself a fan until now, considering how excited she was just to see their name on the lineup. Standing near the tent of KROQ98.9, Nour was determined to earn some merch —or, if the heavens wanted— a meet and greet! She had been waiting for the announcements for Day 2's contest for a good while now, anxiously watching the hosts replacing merch not for Pink Slip. She sighs, wondering if she'd have to wait for The Stains to finish their set before she got to hear anything about the band she's been waiting for. "Excuse me, were you here yesterday?" she asks the person nearest to her. "Do you happen to know when they're gonna announce the next contest?"

[mariposaortiz]

open | @swstarters

"Hey, you got a light?" Sneaking away for a cigarette break was always difficult mid-shift considering the Mint was always buzzing on Saturday nights and this was no exception. The weekend hotspot, especially with non-locals running to the beach for the end of summer and trying to get a taste of something fun and fresh before they went back home. Not that Mari would complain, not when the tips were good and it was looking like there would be extra after rent was paid this month to put away in the squirrel fund. There had been something of a break in the crowd, the people she'd been serving seemed content with their drinks and so Mariposa had snuck away to take her five or so minutes....except she'd forgotten that she'd opened a new pack of smokes, and her tried and trusty matchbook was definitely tucked away in the old one. "Nothing to ruin a smoke break like not bein' able to smoke, huh?"

[dell-cartwright]

Status: Open Who: Open/@swstarters Where: Ruby's Diner When: Midday

Dell had every intention of getting to the diner earlier. He really did. He just ended up a little distracted sitting with his own thoughts after he'd seen Ruby off to school. Being the kind of owner who scarcely showed up was not another nick he needed on his reputation. It was not lost on him that it coming into his ownership was heavily aided by his father and the fact that Dell was able to enter the world of the workforce leaning on his coattails. Despite the fact that he'd been financially independent from his parents from around sometime after Ruby's, his daughter, not the diner, third birthday. It was not lost on the townsfolk either.

For the most part, however, he managed to stay securely in the column of 'those not to be envied' even with the slight head start. More often, he was pitied, by those who knew his history at least. It was a feeling that he accustomed to, but not particularly fond of.

He gave a casual wave and smile as he made his way among the humanity within the restaurant towards both the customers and the employees alike. All emotion aside he tried to focus on the tasks before him as he entered the diner. Check in with staff, take inventory, balance the register, and put out any fires if need be. Metaphorical ones of course, knock wood.

[eloisemeadows]

open | @swstarters where: library This week was definitely not going as planned. Well, so much of the past three years had not been going as planned, but this week in particular was completely derailed. Eloise was still scrambling, struggling to wrap her head around it, but there was no sense to be made of any of it. Not a single bit, not a fucking drop, and she was really reaching. A trip to the library always made her feel better, ever since she was little. New books were always something to be excited about, and so while Eloise was certainly grasping at straws for the moment, at least stopping b the library would be a good thing to break up her day. She had some books to return, would undoubtedly find a new book or five to bring home and bury herself in, and really she did feel a little better already once she was wandering between the shelves. She finally eyed the title she wanted, not a new book but and old favorite, just a tiny bit out of reach. Fingertips brushed the cover, inching it out and towards her and -- disaster. More disaster, more derailments, when the book brought several others down with it with the over-crowded and too-stuffed shelf deciding to spill onto the floor. Thankfully, none had clocked her in the head on the way down, but she'd certainly managed to make a racket despite (or, well, maybe in spite of) the 'quiet please' laminated sign staring at her from the side of the shelf. There was a big sigh, hands momentarily coming up over her face before she bent to start collecting up the mess she'd made. She didn't even bother looking up when footsteps sounded, shaking her head a little. "Don't worry, I'll clean this up."

[psychedelicsunflwr]

status: open | @swstarters location: ruby's diner time: 9:30 PM

"Alright, what'll it be?" Phoenix questioned as she pulled out her pen and notepad. For her final table of the evening, it was safe to say that the woman was eager to get out of the diner and over to The Mint, where she would be attending a show for one of her favorite local bands. "For the amount of time you've spent staring at that menu, you probably have it memorized even better than I do."

[ivrykeys]

OPEN starter, outside Merill Branch Manor, just before midnight. // @swstarters.

It had started out as an act of mimicry, maybe, after seeing Benny and Phoenix and Mari do it so many times... Then, well, Nick wasn't sure when he developed a hankering for nicotine. Just that he did. It was a nice way to get a breather, every now and then. Especially now, with tensions rising in the ballroom, and everyone trying to get their guesses in before the clock struck midnight. Small towns with little to do meant shit like this was a perfect breeding ground for competitiveness. Supposedly, the prize was a date night around town for two — tickets to a movie, gift card for a free dinner, voucher for glasses of wine over at The Mint. Nick wasn't interested, and had slipped outside in the chaos.

Newly lit cigarette between his lips, he spun around when he heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. "Well?" he asked, half breathless, half startled. "Have you come to accuse me?"

[cecealonso]

who: open | @swstarters where: the mint when: week night

"you know..." cece started, moving her drink around in her hand. she had a martini and it was done to perfection, just how she loved it. "the stillwater standard is always looking for more people to join in on the action. we're in need of editors, photographers, reporters... i'd say journalists too but who needs more when i'm already doing such a fantastic job at it." celia alonso's confidence wasn't exactly wrong, but the way she worked it wasn't always pleasant. she knew that, she knew people knew, but she still didn't care. "and hey, if you're not in on the news... then you might just become the news."

[marajunecollins]

status: open / @swstarters location: the mint time: 8:30 pm

It was Friday. Mara finished her evening rounds by 7:30 pm (probably the earliest she had ever finished since she began her residency). After changing out of the day’s worn scrubs, she was just exiting the residents’ lounge when she received an invite to The Mint. She was aware that many of the hospital staff frequented that joint after hours, but Mara never let up enough to come around. Until then.

Live music spilled from the doors as soon as her fellow resident opened it. The sound of individual voices merged into white noise, competing with the volume of the tunes. It was a foreign setting for her, yet it welcomed her into its warm, loving arms. . . ’it’ mostly being the variety of liquors the bar offered. And what a wonderful lover liquor is, giving her the courage to step out of her comfort zone to encounter new experiences, and perhaps even some peace for the first time in a very long time.

[celestebardales]

open: @swstarters location: Donny's Auto when: Friday evening in August, 1973

Grease was streaked across Celeste's cheek as she dug her arm deep into the engine of the old 1957 Ford Thunderbird. Despite being nearly 16 years old the car was in pristine condition, other than the fact that the damn thing wouldn't start. She'd checked everything from the battery to the ignition to the carburetor and still couldn't get the thing running. "Piece of fucking junk," she mumbled as she pulled the fuel line off of the filter outlet and attached a tube in its place. She ran the tube through her hand as she pulled it out of the hood and into a gas can. As she straightened up, she caught sight of someone walking into the garage in her peripheral. She glanced at the clock and then gestured towards the door without looking as she ducked back under the hood of the car. "We close at five on Fridays, you'll have to come back on Monday. Unless you need something from the convenience store, then you can come back tomorrow at ten."

[bledtitanium]

[[ 📷 ༘ ⋆｡˚🌪️ THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 📷 ༘ ⋆｡˚🌪️ has issued a TORNADO WARNING for Payne County If you are anywhere in the path of the storm. Please take your precautions now. ........ ]] The sound of the warning broke through the radio, causing the blonde to turn toward her window. The feeling of PANIC WELLED up in her chest, stilling the young female to her seat. The computer screen before her flickered images of bright reds, and vibrant greens. Generalized all over the town of OKLAHOMA , the place she knew to well. It was her birth place, the place she spent all of her young life in, doing this very thing. The passion for STORM CHASING was rampant inside of her. Yet, she didn't chase anymore, she couldn't. She froze everytime she saw the funnel clouds starting to form. The wall clouds alone caused her to seize up, and her inner fight or flight kicked in. Where she used to run straight for these SONS OF BITCHES. Now, scared her into fleeing in the opposite direction. She had been tracking the CUMULUS CLOUDS and the rain sheer since eleven am that morning. And the second she noticed the accumulation and the actions of the reds and greens, she could see the debris cloud on radar. She could tell that storm was going to be setting down a funnel and soon. And she had called it into the main weather desk at THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE in FT Worth Texas. She had gotten a job as The Lead Hydrometeorological technician, but she has been titled as a Meterologist as well. She was the one at the center that was seeked out more then anyone to analyze a storm and report the path, and the severity of storms. She was that good at what she did. She felt the heaviness in her gut as she watched the events unfold on the Computer. She had to call her parents and check on them. Her home, her parents lived in STILLWATER OKLAHOMA in Payne County. Fear brushed along her body as she watched the trackers follow the EF5 toward her Family's Farm.

The storm had crossed very close to there home, and she became sick with worry as she tried to reach her parents by phone, with no answer. She knew she had to go home, she had to check on them, even if this was the worst time to return home. But, she had no choice, if she couldn't reach them, then she had to get time off and face her fears. There was no other option for her, and she knew her bosses would give it to her. Even though they'd had to see her go, due to the importance of her skills was needed very highly here.

@bloodlct Liked for a Starter from Alexis Storm Chaser Verse & it is a somewhat plotted Starter. <3 <3

[mfniccals]

Closed Starter for @pareidolah (Noodle)

"I'm not bothered by it. If I was bothered by it I would be whining and crying, and I am NOT whining," he is whining, and he's been whining for the past few hours. Murdoc holds clear that years ago thinks like incredibly negative comments would have never bothered him and that he's simply gone incredibly soft, but he's always been this sensitive. He just used to bottle it up inside better than he does now.

The first release of the Stillwater Pizza Incident (a name he has refused to elaborate on) has been praised by the hardcore punk audience of today, however a lot of old hats, particularly those on a horrible site known as Pitchfork, haven't been as kind. He's probably taking this harder since this is his first solo project since starting Gorillaz.

"Washed up hip-hop faux rocker bassist trying too hard to emulate fellow poser Midnight with an industry plant-like attitude trying too hard to be noticed by Judas Priest...First of all it's not even the same fucking genre, third of all Rob Halford would be flattered if I wanted to suck his dick for fame," he's scrolling through the review on his phone, only getting more and more agitated by each word he reads. "I think these guys have never seen real punk a day in their life..."

Venting done, he merely just gestures vaguely and wildly, unsure of what else to say.

"This is just elitist, gatekeeper trash. Am I crazy? Don't answer that."

[nourfk]

When & Where: Suds & Bubbles... evening!

🫧 @swstarters ( OPEN )

While most considered laundry to be a daunting experience, Nour found it somewhat therapeutic. That is, of course, after allowing weeks of laundry to pile up until you can no longer take it. At this point, Nour was used to the routine... albeit exhausting... it worked. She was used to going to Suds at the beginning and end of every month, eating the same snacks and reading the same magazines, and using the same washer and dryer without fail each time. It gave her some sense of false security that, even when everything went to shit, at least she had Suds. But what were you to do if someone was using your washer and dryer? Nour came to such a predicament with her trolly of dirty clothes, immediately spotting the backside of a person putting their laundry in the washer. While she was sane enough to realize those two machines wouldn't be available every time— it was even stranger when she noticed the rest were free for the taking. It was as though the universe was testing her— to see if she could remain cool and calm even if her plans weren't lining up perfectly. Nour did her best to continue what she needed to do, but not without burning glares at the back of the other person's head. She can't help but throw them looks they'll never get to see (which was the best part of it, usually) as she finished loading her washer. She then proceeds to lean against the washer as it whirls, taking a bite out of her orange�� one of the many fruits she brought to keep her busy. She knows staring at their backside won't get her anywhere, but making up stories of who they were and the audacity they must have to take her machines was entertaining enough to keep her busy.

[mariposaortiz]

open! @swstarters It was annoyingly ironic that she spent most nights cleaning up after patrons of the Mint (who did not tip well enough for the mess that could sometimes be left behind) and now here she found herself, cleaning up after grown-ass adults in her free time. Sure, she wasn't required to actually clean, but playing up the housekeeper bit had her playing pretend, and...well, that led to actually cleaing up the glasses that had been left behind on tables. Truth be told, Mari wasn't even sure if those had been left behind by party-goers or had eben left there on purpose to set the scene. Nevertheless, Mari had cleaned them away (and was grumbling to herself that she would not actually clean anymore, this was supposed to be fun) and the last glass she'd collected managed to slip from her grasp, crashing to the floor with glass shards scattering across the floor. Mari sighed to herself. One last mess, considering she made this one herself. "...I guess I'm a pretty shit housekeeper if I don't even know where to find a broom, huh?"

[ferinehuntress]

◈　 ⇢  @jynxd　 ⋯　 Random Starter

　⊰ ⸻ ⊱　Healing day by day had become a difficult journey for Caitlyn. What Jinx had done, had thoroughly tainted her mind, numbed with fear and dampened with depression. Some days, she handled it decently, other days Caitlyn fell into tears and couldn't find her way out. She didn't want a therapist, she didn't want a doctor. Nothing they said would help her, and besides most weren't fully engaged either as Piltover found little care for struggles like this that could be easily cured. The one that helped her, was Vi. She had been there, and they both dealt with the turmoil. She only recently quit her position among the enforcers, which was a struggle to show no hint of pain when her body screamed in agony.

She sat on the side of the tub, still struggling with this bathroom at times. She wouldn't even come into the shower hall unless someone was with her. They had to replace the giant mirror, it had been shattered where Jinx slammed her head into it, but she couldn't ever look at it. She would walk by that mirror, always avoiding its gaze. At least the tub was in the corner, away from that. The warm water fell from the side as Caitlyn glanced up to Vi. The bath salts dissolved into the heated water, and little petals floated among the water top that gave off a delicate fragrance. The bandages were free from her back, but she could still feel it; the scars. She's yet to look at them, the last time she did she broke down crying.

The silky blue robe peeled away from her body and she draped it over the side of the chair. The injury on her leg looked ugly, the stitches holding it together as the skin worked to close itself off day by day. Already she could see the way it would scar, and slowly slip into the warm waters. It soothed her achy muscles, and the special salts gave tender care to the healing wounds on her back. She leaned forward, her hair floating around the top of the water surface, as she glanced up. "It's warm if you want to join," Caitlyn offered, never demanding. The one time she commanded Vi left her still a little unnerved, not liking the way Vi obeyed without hesitation. So each sentence she used came with careful framing of her words. Respecting Vi's autonomy, to make her own choices. Empowering her with choice rather than expectation. She would not be like the enforcers of Stillwater. Ever.

[eloisemeadows]

open! | @swstarters birch bay travelodge. "I will be with you in just a minute!" Eloise was glad that the tourist season had ended for a variety of reasons. Mostly because she was exhausted and it was nice to have a lull (well, provided that the lodge was still consistently getting business enough to keep her in a job) where she didn't feel like she was being pulled seven places at once. She was especially glad for it in instances like this, when she had picked up a box of brouchures to refill the slots in the lobby and the whole bottom gave out and scattered the damn things everywhere. She could hear the bell at the counter, and sighed a little to herself as she scooped the brouchures into a pile to plop back into the now taped box to be sorted later. "I just need to get these up off the ground so that no one slips and I'll be right with you, I promise!"

[dragonskxn]

“So, do ya wanna explain t’me what th’ hell happened?” (Oohhh man if someone hurt her he’s gonna be PISSED)

Injury Starters

"One of Stillwater's goons, trying to intimidate me into giving up my ranch." Anna winces as she presses her fingers against the bruise on her arm, the flesh already turning a faint purple.

"Grabbed my arm a bit too hard and shook me a bit when I tried to ignore him and walk off. He's got it worse, though — I...ah...I bit him. Turned and latched onto him like a leech and wouldn't let go until he let me go."