KYLE DOBBS. 32. CIS MALE. HE/HIM is here! They’ve lived in Cascade for 3 MONTHS and currently reside in OLD CASCADE (CHINATOWN). KYLE is a TATTOO ARTIST AT 707 INK and frequently hears that they look a lot like COLSON BAKER. Funny, huh? If ever caught by Letterboxd, they’d say AFTER HOURS (1985) is in their Top 4 and the theme song to their life’s soundtrack would be MR. RAGER by KID CUDI. /
backstory
Born in Michigan, living the first three years of his life in Los Angeles and then raised in San Antonio, Texas, wandering feels like it's in Kyle's blood. He's never felt happy staying in one place for too long.
An identical twin, he lived in the shadow of his louder, more outgoing brother Tyson for as long as he can remember. It's not something he felt much about, except occasional annoyance.
Their dad died of acute alcohol intoxication when they were 8, the first of a long string of traumas. He was a somewhat-famous frontman for a long defunct hair metal band called Whipplash, so the headlines were all the more egregious: Hard Partying Frontman Meets Early Grave, splashed all over TMZ.
High school life: a delinquent, but frequently scoring top grades and baffling teachers. Never had to study. Every subject came easy to him, too easy. Except gym, he hated that shit. Dyed his hair dark from 16-18 to differentiate from his basketball playing, meathead jock brother.
Jumped the chance to leave Texas as soon as he could and became a longtime Chicago resident. Chicago welcomed him with open arms, with opportunity, with a pace of life more like what he wanted and less what he was trying to run from his whole life.
A UChicago dropout, he took all manner of odd jobs before chancing by a tattoo apprenticeship. It was a shop apprenticeship first, meaning he was sweeping everybody's trash, cleaning out bins, and doing all the shitty work, but eventually he transitioned to learning with an artist. A decade has passed and he's still doing this.
He's in Cascade for a reason, but it's not one he'll readily open up about. Guilt drove him out of Chicago here, and for now, here he will remain.
headcanons
His twin brother Tyson is famous, both in the skateboarding world and elsewhere — (think heyday Tony Hawk cropping up in movies, mingling with celebrities). Sometimes he gets mistaken for Tyson. He takes photos with them and does not correct people.
Substance issues: all of them. He takes off days at a time for withdrawals sometimes, refuses to come to work if he's not sober or in bad withdrawals. Cancelled bookings happen frequently.
Lives in a studio apartment in Chinatown. It's a cozy arrangement of disarray.
Might take a week off bookings to do hallucinogenics to Pink Floyd vinyls and rot in his bedroom. Fuck it.
He knows his drug use doesn't make him any more of a poet, but he often writes while high. Lots of notebooks full of scribbles next to his sketchbooks in his apartment. He doesn't let anybody read them.
Had a vivid DMT trip once that mentally lasted 10 years; he was the fifth member of the Gorillaz in it and also the founder of a cult. He'll tell anybody who listens.
Has 12 and 14 year old half siblings, but he doesn't see them often.
Used to be a dealer in high school.
Is absolutely covered in tattoos, a notable favorite being one sleeve almost entirely consisting of Zdzisław Beksiński paintings. His mom's family is part Polish so he feels a connection there.
Collects vinyl, is not pretentious about it. Music taste is just about everything, his Donna Summer vinyls hang next to Insane Clown Posse and Tim Dog.
Envies one singular thing of his twin brother: his ability to surf well.
Four and a half suicide attempts but who's counting? Not Kyle.
Will share the shirt off his back with you and his drugs too. Has been fucked over for this habit more than once but it won't stop him from doing it. Catch him ranting about how human life is all about connection.
Smoked with King Von once. He still brags about it.
Has a 773 tattoo.
Is a cereal savant, passionate about discontinued cereals of his childhood but also those that came long before he was born. Sir Grapefellow and Baron von Redberry? Kyle remembers.
favorites
movie: vanilla sky, killer joe, belladonna of sadness
tv show: twin peaks, severance, golden girls
music: 90s hip hop, 90s trip hop, 90s California punk (you get the idea)
video game: mouthwashing, still wakes the deep, layers of fear
author: cormac mccarthy, angela carter, john updike, bukowski, burroughs, don delillo, etc etc.
book: blood meridian, gravity’s rainbow, house of leaves, i have no mouth and i must scream
possible connections/plots
past/current hookup. (f or mtf) - Certified manwhore, so this is a frequent occurrence. extra points if it was an awkward or ghosting situation from either end.
plug. - Always needed. someone with experience and good product, he's been burned too many times.
night club cryptid. Who’s that sitting in a corner on a packed night at Communion? Does he look sober? No. Is he enjoying himself? Also no, but maybe talking to your character will turn that around.
motel stories. Prior to settling permanently in Cascade, Kyle stayed at the Stardust Motel for nearly a month. Maybe he crossed paths with your character here.
are you tyson?. As mentioned above, his brother is a world famous skateboarder. from time to time he gets mistaken for him, your character could have a case of mistaken identity.
other. I’m open to anything! just IM me :)
CONTENT WARNING/NOTE: I cannot understate how much drugs rule Kyle's day to day life. If our characters have lengthy threads, it will come up at some point, as he is actively using. If this is not something you're comfortable writing opposite, then no hard feelings!
