# LOVESH0TS . the colors of the sun setting on the horizon while your feet dig in the warmth of the sand; an overly sweet ice cream in the middle of your morning; the pieces of a broken family you learned to put back together with love and love only; creativity oozing from every pore, shaping you since the dawn of your childhood; & the irrevence that comes naturally from someone who has never known no for an answer. ⸺ written exclusively for palmviewfm by awkan [ thirty3 . she & her . gmt - 3 ].
𝓲. martina zhong : twenty-seven . non binary + they & them . industrial designer @ cove architects . irreverent lesbian.
𝓲𝓲. demian leidholdt : thirty-one . demi man + he & they . street artist @ mango bay art district . chaotic bisexual.
a connection to nature as strong as concrete mixed with iron, nailed to your heart that beats wildly at the smell of petrichor; a carefree soul that builds autonomy by the sweat of your brow, hand by hand with the creativeness simmering inside you; & a nagging need to learn anything and everything that’s within reach, knowledge a desperate thing you want to achieve.
❝ i am lionhearted, an easy laugh, natural mischief. you have no idea the effort it took me to become this free. ❞
✩ ONE › BASICS .
name. demian raín leidholdt. nicknames. none :(. age. thirty-one. birthdate. january 17th. hometown. hamilton, canada. gender. demi man. pronouns. he & they. sexual & romantic orientation. bisexual. occupation. street artist @ mango bay art district. time in palmview. two months. neighborhood. mango bay. positive traits. adaptable, creative, quick-witted. neutral traits. deeply empathetic, sincere, facetious. negative traits. anxious, careless, diffident.
✩ TWO › STORY .
canada always felt too small. you know it’s ironic, maybe even ungrateful, but that’s the way you felt. you know it wasn’t the physical space, but those around you — being the middle child always felt too pressing, too constricted for a soul that always searched for freedom.
your childhood wasn’t a bad one, it was normal. surrounded by others like you, in a household that never lacked love nor money, the first years of your existence were … nice. but you were always looking for more than nice; from the beginning, you always aimed for exhilarating, demanding, extraordinary. and sadly, you never found it between the colorful walls of your house, among your peers, in the asphalt of the streets that after a while looked too much of the same.
you left the moment you turned eighteen. not that you couldn’t before, but you knew you would’ve broken your parents' hearts if you did. so you waited, because despite how unhappy everything made you, despite how constricted you felt in a house always so full of people, you loved them.
you made the world yours after leaving. every place you visited felt like the home you always wanted; every person you met became a part of the family you created. you became an artist in the process, using the talent you have nurtured since your youth. you learned from those you admired, from those you thought had the talent you wanted for you. you became an artist and colored the streets of every town and every city you visited, leaving behind a trail of lines and stories in the form of murals that would rarely disappear over time.
you traveled endlessly, worked as much, until you made it to a town that looked like the perfect place to rest. its weather was far from perfect, too humid for your liking, too hot some days. but it was colorful and close to the beach, close enough to nature to fill your heart with joy. so you stayed.
it’s been two months since then, it's not the longest you’ve been in a place, but something is different here … people in palmview grove have carved a place in your heart without you noticing. this place has put shackles around your ankles that, for the first time, don’t feel constricted. on the contrary, they feel soft, like cotton against your skin.
✩ THREE › HEADCANONS .
i. demian was born into a middle-class canadian family. he’s the third of five children, which makes him the middle child, and it’s syndrome shows.
ii. they’re a carefree man, really enjoys their connection to nature and animals, doesn’t like to be tied to anything and anyone, and that’s the main reason they made it to palmview — it was away from home, away from expectations and exigencies. palmview is a place where he can be himself, free, untroubled, quiet.
iii. he has a border collie named lynch ( after david lynch ) that goes with him everywhere, but especially to work. he’s sort of an assistant dog to everyone around the district.
iv. their body is covered in tattoos, mostly black patchwork they have curated very consciously. after years of being tattooed by others, they started learning the craft, and these days, all the new tattoos they get are inked on their skin by themself.
v. he’s an avid swimmer, plays the guitar rather well, and started learning how to dj a year ago — he loves to learn, loves to acquire new abilities, and is always in search of new knowledge to achieve.
vi. A HIMBO !!! pure of heart, dumb of ass, bi of sexual <3.
vii. deeply empathetic, loves listening to people, cares profoundly about them. if you need a shoulder to cry on, trust they will that person. they also give sick advice, so don’t hesitate to come to them for it.
viii. super connected to his indigenous roots, despite leaving canada a while ago, his heart is still tied to the land there, to his people. he’s extremely proud of his heritage and talks in the same way about it.
WHERE: craft station @ the event.
WITH: @lovesh0ts .
“you any good at this shit?” he has no idea what's happening — it's like a free-for-all, considering the fact that he lost the plot halfway through whatever this was supposed to do. sage is sitting with his elbows on his knees, slouched over in defeat about it. it just feels a bit silly about it. he looks over at martina, investigating their .. thing. “y'wanna ditch this and go to the bar? or food truck, maybe, if you're not drinkin'.” he is – clearly.
to say they are invested in what they’re doing would be an understatement; the craft station is right up martina’s alley, and they’ve been building a small wooden house for their niece for a while now. they can sense sage’s frustration, though, and they can’t help but huff out a laugh at his hunched posture and his defeated expression. they inspect their handiwork, smile at it fondly, and carefully glue the last tiny piece in place—they can totally finish this up at home. “ pft, of course i’m drinking, ” the reply arrives with a roll of their eyes, although the gesture is full of fondness. “ who do you think you’re talking to ? ” martina stands up in a second, putting the small house inside their bag. they tumble some of the things that are on the table in the process; they pay them no mind. “ i’ve been dying for a good moscow mule since i arrived, but i thought it was too early and wanted to have something in my tummy first, but i’m ready now, so … let’s go ! ”
who: liberty + martina ( @lovesh0ts )
where: down by the bonfire !
it's to no one's surprise that libby beelined it to the s'mores station once she and her friends arrived at the party. she would be lying if it weren’t one of the things she had anticipated the most out of the day's activities. after carefully weaving through the crowd of children that were lured in by the promise of sweet, gooey deliciousness, liberty finally finds herself at the front of the line to get a skewer. she carefully stakes her marshmallow before making her way over to the bonfire. "so," she starts, turning to the person next to her, “are you a soft roast or a marshmallow-must-catch-flame-and-be-perfectly-charred kind of guy?”
martina was on their fifth or sixth s’more of the afternoon by the time liberty stopped by their side, freshly arrived, the staked marshmallow in her hand completely untouched. they looked at it and then at its owner, their lips pursed in amusement. “ definitely a marshmallow-must-catch-flame-and-be-perfectly-charred kinda guy, yes, ” martina replied without a trace of doubt in their words, their head moving approvingly and everything. “ although i like to peel it off and eat the burnt thing before putting the rest between my crackers. ” they clarified their process, something that was highly important to them, s’mores being one of their favorite treats, and their preparation a sacred ritual. “ what about you ? are you a real one or a coward ? ”
"god, could they be any more obnoxious?" natalia huffed, her eyes fixed on the group of college guys (frat boys, or maybe tech bros, she could only assume) over her sunglasses. when one of them tried to look her way, she only scoffed, letting her head fall back as she turned her attention back to martina. "i thought there'd at least be people worth looking at here.
a snort vibrates from martina’s throat, and their eyes roll, amused, behind the darkness of their sunglasses. they hadn’t been paying attention to whatever natalia was looking at, but there was something they could disagree on. “ that’s because you’re looking at the wrong people, ” they state, nonchalantly, as their gaze drifts in the opposite direction where a group of giggling girls seem to be having the day of their lives. “ women never disappoint. ” that isn’t completely true, of course, martina has a string of stories where their heart has been broken to prove the opposite, but you’ll catch them dead before admitting girls can be as terrible as boys. “ and if you ask me, i think they’re always worth looking at. ” martina smiles to themself, waves to one of the girls who looks their way and giggles, and then turns to natalia. “ how is it, by the way ? to live in the hell of liking men ? ”
savannah now was on drink number two? no, drink number three and feeling wonderful. stumbling around, trying to decide what her next side quest for the evening was going to be, the girl didn't even realize she'd ran into someone else. "oh shit, i am so so so sorry," she exclaimed, the contents of her cup flying onto the other.
of all the things that could happen to them at this party, martina never imagined it would be savannah spilling a drink on their shirt to be one of them. she even considered the option of fighting someone with their bare fists if it came to it, but never this. to say they were pissed to no end was an understatement, and it could be seen on their face, reddened by more than the sun, clear as day. “ what the fuck, savannah ?! ” they exclaimed when they felt the cold liquid hit their skin through the fabric that thank god was black. “ are you, aside from being annoying, also fucking stupid ? why don’t you watch where you’re fucking walking ? ”
"Have you checked out any of the crafts yet?" Laken asked the person beside her, curious of what she might find in it the area. "I have to admit, I'm not the most creative person, but I feel like it could be fun, especially if I can make something for my niece."
a hum tumbles from martina’s lips, accompanied by a nod; they are slightly distracted by the area in front of them, by the gathered items that promise to be the perfect means to building something amazing. this is absolutely martina’s comfort zone, and they don’t miss a second on letting laken know, “ yes, i have ! i’ve been eyeing the resources for a while, and i think we have enough to make some good stuff, definitely something good for your niece … and mine, ” they clasp their hands together and approach the station, humming again, considering their options. “ do you have something in mind ? i was thinking about a little wooden house for mine, but i can totally go for a bracelet if you don’t wanna invest too much time here. ”
" okay ! " she said, clapping her hands together excitingly. " i am so going to the sundae ice cream bar. please, tell me you're coming with me ! " it was no secret that hadley was already having some fun at the beach party. one thing about her ? was she had simply always loved being down by the beach. " maybe afterwards we can go listen to the music ? or watch one of the movies. i don't remember what they're playing right now, but we should sooo go check it out ! "
“ dude ” martina starts, their shoulders sagging, their eyes closing tiredly. “ i’ve been at that station twice already, and don’t get me wrong, they’re delicious, ” that’s why they’ve been there twice so far, “ but if i have another ice cream i’m gonna puke, for real, ” and yeah, that’s not hadley’s fault, of course, but if there’s a window to complain, god knows martina zhong is going to use it. they look at hadley then, and sigh, defeated—she looks so excited about it that something moves inside marti, something they loathe, but that ultimately makes them relent. “ if you really wanna go, i can go with you. and then we can go do the … other things you proposed, i guess. ” they try to play the nonchalant, the cool, disinterested fella with a shrug, looking around before looking at hadley once more. “ it’s been ages since i’ve had the time to watch a movie, so that’d be nice. what are they showing again ? ”
as soon as the bell chimes to the bakery, it caught hadley's attention. her main focus at the moment was to start fixing things up around here. getting one of the cupcake and cookies displays fixed was the first thing on her agenda to do. freshly baked pies, eclars, and cheesecakes were all being baked. the smell evident throughout the entirety of the bakery. glancing over to martina's direction when they had approached the counter. " woah.. okay, wait. are you saying that my éclairs aren't fresh — ? " hadley paused, giving a martina a look with a playful roll of her eyes. " i always bake my desserts fresh, i'll have you know.." within the tone of voice, hadley could sense that martina was only kidding. " oh my — wait. " a gasp left hadley, rethinking about it. " you didn't actually think it was stale last time, did you ? or are you messing with me because you think it's funny ? " now the thought was in her head about sellling desserts that weren't nearly as good as when they were first made. “ how many more do you need ? a dozen ? “ she asked. ” and this time.. they'll be fresh from the oven. ”
the smile on their face was mischievous, making the green of their eyes sparkle when they noticed hadley had finally caught up to their joke. it had been funny to see her struggle at first, to see her believe something had truly been wrong with her baked goods, which, in all honesty, was an insane thing to think, considering they were not only delicious all the time, but absolutely excellent, too. martina leaned on the counter, relaxed, their elbows carefully placed on its edge. “ of course i don’t actually think it, hadley, please, ” their eyes rolled to the back of her head, a gesture that intended to be annoyed but came up more endeared than anything else. “ you know i can complain about a lot of things about you, but never about what you bake. otherwise, i wouldn’t be here all the fucking time. ” they straightened then, moved to be right in front of the display case, and studied the sweets exhibited there. the glass compartment was still being filled, but what was already there was enough to make martina’s mouth water. “ damn, those brownies look insane. are they fresh ? ” they asked, annoyingly, their smirk back on their face.
“I was wondering if you wanted to check out some of my newer designs?” Waverly said as she held up her sketch book. “I’m going to try to get started on them this summer.”
martina's eyes brightened at the question, and they nodded eagerly. “ of couse, i would love to, ” they replied, extending their hands to take the sketchbook. “ what will i be seeing here ? ”
where: right outside the heights tavern bar.
with: anyone !
“ OH MY GOD ! ” marlowe exclaims rather loudly, picking up a stray cat that has wandered into her guitar case. the feline doesn't fight the sudden grab, soft purrs vibrate out of its chest as marlo wraps its soft, furry body into a gentle embrace. “ i feel like i totally know this cat from somewhere. “ big doe eyes gaze insentively upon the feline's face for a moment, a beat, and another, then she audibly gasps. ” oh ! this is my mother ! " lips pull into a wide smile, eyes shift expectantly at the other person.
martina has always had a liking to wander palmview streets, they enjoy the views, the kids playing around, the different, thriving businesses, and the people they feel are theirs. they like to breathe in the fresh air coming from the shore, walk at a leisured pace, and find things that amaze them. this time is no different. as they walk down the street, a rather loud exclamation draws their attention, and they smile at the sight of a young woman with a cat in her arms. however, what they hear next makes them frown. “ y-your mom ? ” confusion taints their features, and they tilt their head as they near the girl with the guitar case. “ what do you mean it’s your mom ? is she like a witch who can turn into a cat or what ? ” martina huffs a laugh, letting the other know they’re obviously joking.
