d e v o n
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Not today Justin
h
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$LAYYYTER
KIROKAZE
occasionally subtle
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
@theartofmadeline
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@freddiewilliams
m e e t f r e d d i e ;
FREDDIE WILLIAMS ( HE/THEY ) is a DEMI MAN, THIRTY-THREE year old ILLUSTRATOR AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER who has been living in Moorbrooke for TWO YEARS. They were born on FEBRUARY 6TH and right now, they are currently residing in MAPLE COURT. It has been said that they look suspiciously like ALFIE ENOCH and if they had to choose a song to describe themselves, they would choose VERTIGO by KHALID. ( emilia/em, 24, gmt, she/her )
CLARA.
anxiety made her hyper aware at times, creating threatening scenarios in her head that weren’t actually happening, she blamed past trauma for that unwanted defense mechanism. she could feel a pair of eyes staring at her back and she turned around, ready to tell whatever creep it was off. although her expression immediately softened when brown orbs fell onto freddie. she’d seen them around town and knew that they were harmless enough. “and the subject of your muse is the back of my head?” clara questioned with a chuckle. gaze fell down to his paper, “ah so that’s what the back of my head looks like. though i think your sketching is glorifying it a bit.” she teased.
FREDDIE.
when the woman turned around and met their gaze, freddie couldn’t help the smile that fell on his lips. he recognised her from around town. anyone could see that she was beautiful, but freddie was more interested in her aura. she seemed to vibrate good energy, a feeling they wanted to surround themselves with. however, though he had often thought of talking to her, he had never actually managed to. until now. “ hi “, freddie said, not realising that it seemed slightly odd since they were already chatting. “ well, you’ve got a nice head of hair. and the sun was bringing out some really lovely colours. of course those are difficult to depict with just a pencil. “ freddie let out a small, awkward chuckle, gazing down at his work. “ I hope I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable. “
ESTRELLA.
Estrella looked over at the other’s sketches and hummed. He wasn’t bad, actually. She couldn’t draw to save her own life but she always appreciated those who could seem to sketch something out of thin air. “That looks really amazing, like top quality.” She admitted. “I guess if anything, you can at least have something to keep yourself occupied if the lights go out when the snow gets too crazy.”
FREDDIE.
freddie gave the other a soft chuckle, looking back at their notebook. the page was covered in small sketches and an emerging coffee stain, but he was still proud of it. “ I’m glad you like it. “ he looked back up to meet her eyes, giving her a small nod of thanks. “ I really hope this doesn’t sound weird - I promise I’m not a creep - but if you’re not busy, I would love to attempt a portrait of you. “ normally freddie would have felt awkward, but when it came to his art, he realised he had much more courage than he thought. “ I’m practicing drawing faces. it’s definitely not my strongest suit, but I’ve come to find that practice is the best remedy... I just can’t seem to learn drawing from pictures. “
SOOAH.
the whole ‘mornings are for coffee and contemplation’ deal that stranger things had taught her, had been resonating a lot with her lately. ever since she’d left los angeles, mostly. and since ginny had offered to keep an eye on junho the night before, sooah was giving herself some extra minutes of freedom before picking him up from her sister’s house. she’d been doodling on the paper sleeve of her coffee cup when someone walked past her and told her the person on the table behind her had been staring at her for a while now, which made her heart stop beating for a second and prompted sooah to turn around. upon noticing it wasn’t her ex, she calmed down a little. fck… she needed to stop doing that.
“it’s um… fine. i thought you were someone else. can i see the sketch at least?”
FREDDIE.
freddie quickly picked up on the discomfort in the other person, tucking himself back in his seat to appear smaller. they knew they were quite tall, and though they weren’t broad, they could still have a large presence. “ I’m really sorry, I promise I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. “ freddie responded genuinely, a small apologetic smile lingering on his lips. he sometimes forgot how intimidating he could seem to other people. although he knew he would never hurt anyone, how was a complete stranger supposed to know that? the woman’s explanation calmed him a little. she was clearly thinking of someone else. at her question, freddie raised their eyebrows. hoping that the drawing would distract her from whoever it was that she was thinking of, freddie pushed the sketchbook towards her, still not leading too far forward. “ feel free to have a look. if you like it you can have it. “
Alfie Enoch photographed by Vincent Dolman
OPEN STARTER.
over the years, freddie had grown less and less interested in his own birthday, while his closest friends and family members had to practically fight him off on theirs. however, this year, freddie felt they deserved something nice, and so they had brought themselves to delia’s through the falling snow. sipping his coffee, he was very focused on sketching the back of the person sitting opposite from him when the person turned around to face him. “ sorry - I was just practicing some quick sketches “, he explained, lifting up his sketchbook with an apologetic smile.
QUADE.
quade knew the other didn’t work at the firm normally, but he didn’t really know who he was or what he was doing there. he figured he was a client when he refused a cigarette, not considering all the other factors in refusing a smoke from a stranger. ‘all good.’ he said in response, smoking his own and exhaling away from the other. when he changed his mind, quade didn’t question it and he handed one over. ‘i understand. i keep trying to quit but this one’s an exceptionally stressful week and i can’t help it. you’re here for a meeting? did it go well?’
FREDDIE.
freddie gave the man a chuckle, looking down at his feet before accepting the cigarette. they nodded him a thank you, a small smile visiting on his lips before he tucked the cigarette between his lips. “ oh, I bet it gets very stressful here “, freddie echoed, nodding towards the entrance of the offices. “ just an hour inside has made me crave a good weekend trip away in the woods. I assume you’re a lawyer? “ freddie dug inside of his pocket for a lighter, swiftly lighting his cigarette and taking a long inhale. the smoke circled in his lungs, a familiar soothing feeling slowly spreading into his body, flowing like honey from his fingertips to the his head and to his toes. he let the cloud of smoke release from his lips and rise up into the cold air. “ ah “, freddie exhaled, grinning at the other’s question. “ yes, I’m a graphic designer. they’re needing some posters and new business cards. quite boring but standard, and I’m happy with the pay. “ freddie shrugged, switching the cigarette from his right hand to his left to extend out a hand. “ I’m freddie williams. happy to help with any of your artistic needs. “
callum.
Callum was never one to think that the mundane was exciting. His job made things like carpool and doing the laundry seem like nothing. However, there was one fire 6 year old with fire red hair that always seemed to make everything much more exciting. Even now as he shopping for food with the little run tucked into his side as he carried her around the store answering the million questions she had was amazing to him. He put her down for a second telling her not to wander off far before reading the back of the two different brands of mac and cheese trying to figure out which would be better for the duo. “Bridigette O’brien put that candy down just cause im not looking at you doesn’t mean i can’t see you,” He told her as he put one of the boxes in the cart and walked over to where she was, “Hey watch where you’re going” He told the pouty kid as they bumped into someone. “Sorry about shes mad i made her put back the kit-kat”
freddie was desperately trying to eat vegan, but he was hopeless at cooking vegetables, and arguably way too into cheese to ever achieve his goal. still, he would often spend several minutes just staring at the vegetables in the produce aisle, trying to wrap his brain around how one could make cheese from the stuff in front of him. he was deep in thought when he felt a tiny thud against his leg, which woke him up from his daydream. freddie looked down to see a small red-headed child with an upset look on her face. “ oh, that’s no worries. “ freddie smiled at who they assumed was her dad, waving the situation off. “ I completely understand, I would probably be mad too. “ freddie chuckled towards the child, shooting her an encouraging smile. “ but I’m sure there’s a good reason for that decision. “ then, looking back at the man, freddie grinned. “ oh, man, now you’ve got me craving chocolate. and here I am trying to eat plant-based. “
who: @philcscphies - saraya where: freddie’s apartment when: around 7pm
freddie felt like he hadn’t seen saraya in ages, although in reality it couldn't have been longer than a week. the two had grown very close almost as soon as they had met - in fact, freddie was convinced that they had known each other in their past lives, and their recent encounter when they had both been high only made him believe in that more. however, freddie was slightly nervous about whether it would be weird to see her after what had happened, and scared that things would feel different between them.
the two of them had finally agreed to have some dinner and a catch-up at freddie’s. he was so excited and nervous that he had forgotten to tidy up, and so they ended up running around their apartment five minutes before saraya was supposed to arrive, juggling feeding the ferrets and shoving a few pizzas in the oven at the same time. when the doorbell rang, freddie jolted up from the lower kitchen cupboards, smacking his head on the hanging light in the middle of his kitchen. “ shit “, he muttered, rubbing his head as he jogged to the front door. he swung the door open, a cheerful smile almost covering up his pained expression. “ hi! come on in! “
QUADE.
location: around town when: anytime status: open || @moorbrookestarters·
it wasn’t often that he fell back on bad habits, but after an exhausting day like today, he needed a cigarette. quade poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and headed out of his office to the designated smoking area before lighting it. it was chilly out so he hugged his coat closer to him and exhaled slowly, trying to savour the taste and the break from work. he loved his job most of the time, he loved arguing for a living but everyone had their off days. he looked up as he heard footsteps and gave them a polite smile, ‘care to join? i’ve got extras.’
freddie had been invited to a meeting with a lawyer’s office for some new business cards and other random items that required graphic design skills, and though they weren’t a huge fan of big corporations, they were starting to run desperately low on money. these kinds of freelance projects were what allowed him to create his own kind of art on most other days of the week. the meeting had gone like they always do - which is to say that it had been boring, but at least he would be financially secure for the next couple of weeks or so. walking out of the building, freddie noticed a familiar looking man offering him a cigarette. “ oh, no. thank you. “ he put his hand up as he shook his head, recognising the man from inside of the building. he didn’t particularly like most lawyers. however, right after denying the cigarette, he figured it couldn’t hurt to know one. especially if freddie were to get future projects sponsored by this office. and, who knows, maybe he was just being close-minded and the man wasn’t a money hungry asshole just because he was a lawyer. “ actually, if you don’t mind. “ he flashed the man a smile and gave him a nod. “ I’m trying to smoke less but... you know, business meetings. “
Alfie Enoch photographed by Vincent Dolman
estrella.
Estrella really felt like she needed to wrap herself in a bubble or bubble wrap. She seemed to be getting injured everywhere she went and she was starting to be concerned for her safety. She thought she would be safe in the library. All she was going to do was read some of her own books, maybe find an interesting selection for the reading for this year and like always, she ended up running into someone there.
“I’m okay and honestly, I should be the one apologizing. I wasn’t looking where I was going and ended up getting way too lost in the books here.” She chuckled. “I was following the guide to find a book and I was reading numbers and letters more than watching for other people.”
freddie chuckled awkwardly, an apologetic smile settling on his lips. “ oh, I completely understand. I have almost bumped into multiple people doing that. I guess I never realised I could do the most damage by simply standing up. “ he tilted his head curiously, studying the woman’s face. “ I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m freddie. “ he reached his hand out towards the woman in front of her. she looked young, about the same age as their sister. he thought she looked somewhat familiar, like maybe he had seen her in a cafe before, but he couldn’t place a name to the face for the life of him. however, she seemed to carry herself with an intriguing confidence. “ I’d be more than happy to help you find that book you’re looking for “, freddie offered with a smile. “ I’ve become quite familiar with the ins and outs of this library in the past few days. “
stevie.
The local library was where Stevie found themselves at least once a week, scouting out various plays for inspiration for the theatre’s next show. It was rare that Stevie ever stopped for a breather in whatever she was doing especially when her mind was full of ideas for the next project. Often things were planned at least a year in advance, mainly so Stevie had plenty of time to prepare for whatever was coming their way. Honestly this town needed more culturing so today’s stop had been the library’s Shakespeare section. They’d already spent the morning at work, one half of her mind on the theatre and the other half semi-focused on making drinks for the cafe’s customers and now it was time to put all the plans into action. Starting with the research.
Piles of books were in their hands as they carefully stepped around the library lurkers – probably all students who were panic studying for exams. The last thing Stevie expected was for a person to step into her, which caused the books they were holding to fall to the floor. “Oh fuck,” they accidentally said a little too loudly. A hand went over her mouth as she realised how loud she was before looking around to see if anyone was glaring. “It’s FINE, seriously. Guess you’re not really a Shakespeare fan if you wanted to make me drop all of these? And here I was thinking that I would finally make Moorbrooke into Shakespeareans!”
freddie gave an awkward chuckle at the other’s lighthearted comment, their cheeks burning up from embarrassment. “ I can promise you that was not my intention “, he mumbled, only half joking as he wanted to make sure they knew he hadn’t bumped into them on purpose. he recognised the other person to be stevie, who freddie was quite sure ran the theatre group ( he had been to a few of jai’s plays and seen stevie, always looking very important and in a hurry ). they had spoken only a few times, and freddie had always thought stevie was very intense. being less so himself, he had been slightly intimidated speaking to them, and now, faced with them after having knocked the important-looking books out of her hands, freddie admittedly felt quite nervous.
" I have read very little shakespeare “, freddie admitted, quickly kneeling down to pick up her books one by one, careful not to bend any of the delicate spines. “ I definitely consider myself uncultured in that way. “ he smirked apologetically as he handed the books to stevie. “ are you thinking of doing some shakespeare at the theatre ? “ freddie asked, then realising that she may not recognise him quite as easily as he had recognised them. “ sorry, we’ve met before but you have always been very busy so I don’t know if you remember... I’m freddie. “ the end of his sentence trailed upwards, almost making it seem like they were asking a question. “ um, I’m an artist, so if you ever need help with any props, I’d be happy to at least try. though I’m sure you have a very talented art department. “
jai.
jai’s parents would often describe jai as ‘having their head in the clouds’, but to jai he was very much down to earth. he assumed they thought that of them because their thoughts weren’t always as ‘rational’ as their own. creativity and the arts were put on the back burner in the adani house, he imagined astrology and mystical teachings would further be met with criticism from them. “there are plenty of online groups for beginners getting into this stuff, you know? that’s probably where i learned most of what i know,” he admitted with a smile. “although, i’ve always wanted to be a teacher, so this could definitely be fun.” jai couldn’t help but gaze at freddie as he spoke because there was something so adorable about his excitement and sense of wonder, but it didn’t hurt that freddie was the definition of gorgeous to jai.
“well for starters, you radiate air sign energy. you’re analytical, unique, and creative. you probably also keep a small circle. i’m willing to bet you’re a libra, but you aren’t as full of yourself as they can be… wait, you’re definitely an aquarius?” jai raised an eyebrow, wondering if their assumption was true or not. he definitely had an eye for these sort of things, but he had been wrong before. he was so caught up in his thoughts that it took him a little bit to realize freddie was still touching his arm, which caused butterflies to flutter in his stomach. freddie’s touch and so gentle and kind, nurturing almost, and this caused jai to feel safe with them. their was a feeling of slight disappointment when he pulled his arm away, which jai quickly brushed off to the best of his ability. at freddie’s request to go get something to eat, jai nodded with a smile. “that would be great, actually. their hummus is probably my favorite thing ever. let’s go get some grub, he said with a sweet smile. “do you need help carrying some stuff?” he asked, hovering perhaps a little too close to freddie before realizing and backing off a little. he couldn’t help the feeling that he was drawn to freddie like a magnet.
“ I don’t do well with online groups. “ freddie admitted at the other’s suggestion. “ I find it… difficult to say what I want to say. people misunderstand me. “ with a soft chuckle, freddie picked up a book and put it in the cart next to the window, the sun behind it creeping below the horizon. “ although I suppose that’s not too different from real life. “ he look at jai with a soft smile, a slight twinge of sadness lurking just under the surface of his brown eyes. freddie had struggled with this fact for many years of his life, and was still learning to accept that not everyone would be fond of them.
freddie waved jai off with a soft smile when they offered to help with his things. “ oh, don’t worry. it’s not too much. I have a strict rule of no library books at home - I don’t want to risk my ferrets getting at them. “ he answered with a grin, setting more books down on the cart. at the other’s guess, though, he stopped what he was doing, his eyes widening. “ that’s correct ! how did you do that ? “ freddie asked eagerly, thoroughly impressed by their friend. in the back of his head, freddie wondered if jai thought the traits he had listed were good or bad. it at least must have been a good thing that jai thought he wasn’t full of himself ? they then placed the rest of the books on the cart and turned to the desk to pick up their sketchbook and pens. with a quick glance at his latest sketch, freddie shoved the rest of the items down his bag. “ wait, does this just mean that I’m predictable ? “ they asked, only half joking, as he started towards the exit of the library. it was important for freddie to be unique - it was the only way they could be certain that they were being true to themselves and not acting for the sake of others.
freddie swung the front door open, holding it out for jai to pass through first. the cold evening air let itself inside and freddie couldn’t help but wonder if jai was warm enough. with a curious look on his face, freddie examined his friend. “ okay, my turn. give me a quick run down of a few signs and I’ll guess which one you are ? “
jai.
“i can relate. moorbrooke is pretty dead around this time, especially the library,” he said with a smile directed at freddie. it wasn’t like he knew too many people in moorbroke because he kept a relatively small circle, but every once in a while he met a person who he’d let into their world. meeting freddie made it inevitable that he would become a big part of their life. he couldn’t quite explain the connection, but their similarities could’ve played a pretty big part. freddie reminded him of themself, but better – he was handsome, kind, smart, and interesting. there was also those butterflies that fluttered ever so slightly in jai’s stomach whenever he ran into them. god, it was an annoying, yet slightly addicting feeling. jai would just have to embrace it.
his hands grazed between the different book titles, finding it fascinating just how big some of them were. for something that was deemed fake by so many people, the topic had just as much research behind it as the accepted sciences. “i’ve thought about it a lot, honestly. the desire we all feel to let ourselves feel like we are made for much more, you know? since the universe is so vast it can make us feel so small.” jai shrugged their shoulders, looking up at them and smiling. it made them happy to see freddie so excited about learning something new. in jai’s mind, too many people lose their childlike curiosities into adulthood and decide to just live a bland existence with their minds closed. “i’m still learning myself, if i’m being honest. i know a lot about astrology and i’ve started reading tarots daily. i can definitely introduce you to it and we can learn even more together? it could be like, a cute little study date from time to time, yeah?” he offered with a grin, not even realizing their use of the ‘date’ word. jai couldn’t help but feel his heart rate speed up a bit at freddie’s touch, causing him to take a deep breath to relax themself. “i’m not too busy, at all. i was going to do some character research, but that can wait ‘till tomorrow, honestly. i’d rather spend time with you,” he said, brushing back some of his long hair that fell into his face.
freddie’s eyes drifted back to the books as jai ran his fingers across their covers, a lump forming in his throat at the realisation of how gentle their touch was. when the other spoke, freddie looked back up at them and instinctively cleared his throat. he couldn’t help but feel relieved that jai seemed to understand where he was coming from. it still sometimes shocked them to realise that not everyone thought them to be strange - even when he completely let go of any pretence and spoke exactly what was on his mind. it made freddie feel oddly safe to be around someone like that, like he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. like he could just be. “ that is exactly it “, freddie maintained, his eyes lighting up, happy that he wouldn’t have to compress his thoughts into something more digestible.
freddie’s heart rate sped up at the mention of the word ‘date’, though he was careful not to let the excitement show on their face. in the end, what excited him was most likely just that the two of them got along so well, nothing more than that. “ I’d love that. thank you so much, jai. I think I’m going to learn a lot from you. I especially want to hear more about astrology... most of these books just critique it. “ freddie noted, only then realising that his hand was still on the other’s arm. with a quick but soft squeeze, he let go, somewhat distracted with how cold his hand suddenly felt without direct contact to jai. freddie let out a flustered chuckle when jai stated that they would rather spend time with him, once again trying not to read into it too much. however, the setting sun cast a warm glow on jai’s face, making it hard to ignore how attractive they were, and subsequently how thrilled freddie was to spend more time with them. he then realised he must have been staring, and forced himself to look away from his friend. “ actually “, freddie started, slowly crouching closer to the desk to gather up their things. “ would you mind if we took this to nourish ? I just realised I haven’t had a bite to eat since this morning. “ they looked at jai with a nervous smile. “ my treat, of course. I just sold a painting last week, so you can have anything you want. “
kiran.
there was a soft tune that kiran was humming as he worked that day, caught up in his own little world as he enjoyed the sleepy pace of the work day. excitement had its time and place, but part of what he loved about working at the library was being able to do his own work at his own pace — while usually also lost in his own thoughts. other than the occasional friendly question from a library patron and greeting his coworkers, kiran usually managed to pass most of the day without much interaction.
that was probably why he hadn’t been paying much attention, nose stuck in skimming a book that he was supposed to be shelving when something suddenly came in contact with his leg; followed by quite an embarrassing noise falling from his mouth. as he was pulled out of his own head, he looked up to catch the other’s worried gaze. “ah, don’t worry about it,” kiran assured him immediately, flashing a soft smile as he shook out where the chair had bumped his foot. “if i had a dollar for every time i’ve run into someone because i was too busy reading…” he shook his head as he trailed off with a laugh. “yeah, i could probably afford to not work here anymore.”
he didn’t really mean to investigate further, but his eyes automatically traced over the array of books and pens on the table. “looks like you’re hard at work,” kiran noted. “what are you studying?”
it was never good to bump into anyone, but it was certainly not good to bump into an employee of the place you have been visiting for the past week or so. freddie knew that no matter what, that employee would have to keep their calm and remain nice, merely because he was a client. though what little he knew of this particular employee ( kiran, if he remembered correctly ), there were worse people to bump into. the man seemed nice, and freddie wondered why the two of them had never really chatted before. they seemed to remember that he also did graphic design as did freddie. the company of other artists always soothed him. at kiran’s comment, freddie let out a small laugh. “ well, I can certainly give you a dollar for bumping into you if that helps. “ he said, mostly as a joke but also as a genuine offer. he had always been bad at apologising.
as kiran directed his attention to freddie’s table, he felt slightly embarrassed about how many books he’d hoarded to his own little corner of the library. the coffee mug teetering on the edge of the desk worried him, and he quickly moved it while clearing his throat. “ oh, well I would call it less studying and more... looking for inspiration. “ freddie looked at the man with a friendly but shy smile. “ I had this dream and it made me think... what if myth was reality and the stars were our guides ? when you think about it, the size of a human compared to the size of a star is an earth-shatteringly strange sight. it gave me an idea for a painting... I guess I’m just chasing that same high right now. reading these stories brings me closer to that dream. “ awkwardly shifting the rest his weight to his other foot, freddie nodded towards kiran. “ I’m sure you understand, being an artist yourself “ - god, freddie really wished he wasn’t remembering this wrong - “ the feeling of getting inspired is very much unparalleled to anything else. “
