mr. brightside

[astrolandrp]

✱ STRAIGHT FROM INTERCEPT: RO MERCER ! — as written by ri ( they / them )

NAME : rowan mercer | GOES BY : ro | GENDER & PRONOUNS : cis man ( he / him ) | D.O.B. : april 13th ( 28 ) | FACECLAIM : stephen kalyn

known to be LOYAL, COMPASSIONATE, INTELLIGENT, and AMICABLE, but also STUBBORN, BRAZEN, SELF-DOUBTING, and IMPULSIVE, they have been in intercept ALL THEIR LIFE, currently working as a CASHIER at skateland. apparently, they're a MEMBER of the VIPERS MC.

Looking For Connections.

➥ childhood friend: his rock. they've been through the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. sometimes they can come off as a married couple, but they just get each other. they click. platonic soulmates. it's that simple, even if people like to joke otherwise. ➥ 3am run ins: for whatever reason these two always end up bumping into each other at odd hours of the night. whether it's him doing some late night runs or because she's out and about. they talk, chat, and joke about one day actually meeting up at a reasonable hour.

Digging Deeper.

Rowan “Ro” Mercer never planned on becoming a biker. As a kid, he wanted to be a veterinarian because every stray dog in Intercept somehow found its way to his porch. His mom used to joke that if the town ever disappeared, the only things left would be Rowan and a yard full of mutts. His father drifted in and out of the picture, usually leaving behind broken promises and unpaid bills.

By the time Rowan was fourteen, he was working odd jobs just to keep food on the table while his mother worked double shifts at the diner. He met the Vipers through an older cousin who rode with them. They taught him how to rebuild an engine before he could legally drive, how to change a tire in the dark, and how to stand his ground when the world tried to knock him flat. More importantly, they fed him, celebrated his birthdays, and gave him people to call family. So, by eighteen, he’d earned his patch

Despite the reputation that comes with wearing Vipers colors, Rowan has never quite fit the image people expect. He’s quick to laugh, quicker to lend a hand, and somehow always ends up being the one holding someone’s crying kid, rescuing a stray animal from the side of the road, or spending his afternoon helping a neighbor fix a busted fence. Kindness has never made much sense in the world he grew up in, but it’s the one thing he’s refused to let life beat out of him

Extras.

Personality: Ro wears his heart on his sleeve, even if he’d never admit it. Warm, approachable, and endlessly loyal, he’s the kind of person who makes strangers feel like old friends within minutes. He has an easy laugh, a habit of putting everyone else before himself, and an almost instinctive need to protect the people he loves. His biggest flaw is that he gives too much of himself. He struggles to believe he’s worthy of the same care he freely offers others, often masking his self-doubt with humor or reckless action. He acts first and thinks later, trusting his gut over his head, which has landed him in more trouble than he’d like to admit.

Pets: He unofficially (officially, he’s in denial) adopted a stray cat he has named Socks.

[syreneyes]

scraped knees and bloody noses were the headline of the night. there were a few people who would laugh off the lack of severity in the injuries he often saw at astroland. surely you want something more exiting! they'd say and ellie would laugh, a lighting strike of a grin across handsome features. if bloody jeans and a dry nose were the scary things people would experience, that was fine with him. though prepared for the worst at any given time -- he'd much prefer hello kitty bandaids to hospital rides. sending the latest toddler back to their parents with a sweet and a sticker, he turned and brows lifted in surprise. laughter escaped despite himself, " don't tell me you're just here because you heard i have sheriff badge stickers. "

[romercer]

"damn, you caught me," rowan laughed, lifting his hands in surrender before shrugging a shoulder. "word gets around, y'know? heard you've got sheriff badge stickers..." he paused just long enough for a grin to spread across his face, "...and i heard you've got hello kitty bandaids." a quiet chuckle slipped out as he wandered a little closer, hands finding the pockets of his jeans. "figured i'd see if the rumors were true. you know how i feel about hello kitty." his eyes flicked around the first aid station, taking in the lull between patients before settling back on ellie. he chuckles, "i was actually just coming to check on you. see how the day's treating you. you need me to grab you a water, something to eat, anything while i'm wandering around? i'm on break."

[cosmicwanderism]

"Sshhh, Hwannie." There was a hint of desperation in his whispered words as Eunjae tried to readjust the blanket covering a very wiggly dog that he had smuggled into the park by trapping him in a stroller. Surely there was nothing suspicious to see here - children were free after all. Although perhaps not children with fluffy tails that poked out from underneath a thin blanket, both shielding the Pomeranian from the sun and the eyes of employees who might be able to kick him out. The one downside to having a stroller with him was of course that it was very difficult to get on any rides.

Tired of his bundled up prison, Hwan then took a leap of faith, Eunjae's reaction time just fast enough to catch the ball of floof before he could tumble to the ground. Wide eyes looked up as he held the Pom close to his chest. "I- I don't know how he got in there."

[romercer]

a soda sweated in one hand while he dangled it freely beside him, five minutes into his break by now. it was then that a flash of cream-colored fluff launched itself out of what he could've sworn was a perfectly ordinary stroller. his reflex was to step forward, ready to catch the little thing if it hit the ground, but the other man beat him to it. rowan let out the breath he'd been holding, his shoulders relaxing almost instantly before a grin spread across his face. his eyes flicked from the pomeranian to the stroller, then back again to whom he can only assume is the owner as they offered anexplanation.

"uh-huh," he nodded, lips twitching. "they do that sometimes. one minute you've got an empty stroller...next thing you know, boom." he gestured vaguely toward the fluffy culprit. "you're a dog dad." a soft chuckle escaped him as he reached out, offering the pomeranian the back of his hand to sniff before giving him a gentle scratch beneath the chin. "don't worry," he said, lowering his voice like he was letting him in on a secret. "i don't consider this breaking the rules. i believe we advertised children free, fluffy pups are safe in my eyes." he tried to offer a gentle, reassuring smile. "you're not thinking of putting the pup on the rides, are you? that...we might have to chat about."

[uf0parking]

who: open! where: outside the games area

since his twin had run off somewhere after the dunk tank and he hadn't tracked down any of his other peeps yet, jonah was occupying his time in the games section of astroland ( skee ball to be exact ). he was probably just going to go home and skip the fireworks after too long. to be honest, he's not sure he can get down with the noise of astroland, the extra screaming children, and loud explosions played to shitty overture music tonight. it was an overstimulation nightmare bound to happen. maybe the wolfe's den would be quiet, at least for a little while, until the show was over.

in particular jonah fashion, he was fucking around. juggling three skee balls while talking, not paying attention to who might be listening. "you know when i read children free on the flyer, i thought it meant there would be no five and unders, y'know? but here they all our," he shook his head ever so slightly, trying to keep stormy blue eyes on the balls in motion. "i swear the noise today is goin' to be the soundtrack to my fuckin' hell, that and anything by fucking will smith, am i right?" he snickered.

[romercer]

"man, if children free meant what you thought it did, this place would've never sold any tckets." the voice came with an easy laugh as rowan wandered over, a paper tray of funnel cake balanced in one hand while the other rested in the pocket of his jeans. he'd been cutting through the games section without much of a destination in mind, slowing only after catching the tail end of the guy's commentary. his attention shifted from the conversation to the three skee balls moving through the air, eyebrows lifting with quiet appreciation. "i can barely keep my own balance, let alone juggle three balls at the same time. impressive. how long have you been doing it? or did just a random skill you discovered you have?"

he leaned his shoulder against the side of the game, watching another wave of families spill through the midway. a toddler shrieked somewhere behind them, immediately answered by another across the way, and rowan winced with an amused smile. "i get it, though," he admitted. "little loud for my taste, too." he glanced toward the rides spinning against the evening sky before offering a small shrug. "i'm mostly here for the food and the fireworks. figured if i eat enough fried dough, maybe i won't notice the noise so much." his grin tugged a little wider. "it's not really working, but i'm a sucker for a funnel cake." it was seriously a weakness for him.

just then, another shriek is heard nearby. "but," ro begins, looking towards where it came for a second, "i'm one screaming kid away from saying screw this and leaving the fireworks for another time." his attention returns to jonah, "are you staying for them?"

[fterrell]

OPEN. // astroland independence day.

" jade, johnny, come on, no runnin' off, " frankie calls after his niece and nephew but he's pretty sure his voice gets lost in the noise all around them. with his entire family back in town for the 4th, frankie—despite kinda working right now—has been designated babysitter. he doesn't mind, he likes the kids, he'll take spending time with them over hanging with his brothers any day but they are testing him today.

when he catches up to them, they're queuing for the popcorn stand and already chatting up the person in front of them. " with what money are you guys paying for this, huh ? " he says and the look the twins give him is enough to make frankie take out his wallet. " one bag to share. one. you guys already had too much junk. and then we're gonna go wait for the fireworks, yeah? "

when the kids settle and start talking about stuff he knows nothing about, he turns to the person in front of them. " hope they weren't bothering you too much. they're at the age where they love lying and telling stories. " they take a step forward but the line looks like it's going to take forever. " anyway—enjoying this thing? "

[romercer]

rowan had been standing in the popcorn line for a few minutes now, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans, absentmindedly rocking back on his heels as he waited for it to inch forward. he wasn't in any particular rush, perhaps just a little bored, watching families weave through the fairgrounds and kids dart between booths with sticky fingers and faces already dusted in blue and red snow cone syrup. it wasn't long before a pair of kids wandered up beside him and, without a hint of hesitation, launched into a story that seemed to begin somewhere in the middle. rowan gave them his full attention anyway, nodding at all the right moments and asking the occasional question like the tale was the most important thing he'd heard all day.

by the time they'd gotten to the part involving an imaginary alligator and a rocket ship, he was completely invested. the sound of someone calling after them finally broke through the noise of the festival, and rowan's gaze lifted toward the familiar figure with an easy smile. "nah," he said with a quiet laugh. "they were keeping me entertained." his eyes dropped to frankie's wallet as it came out, then back to the twins before gently shaking his head. "hey, i got you guys." the words came as naturally as breathing. acts of kindness had never really been something rowan thought twice about, and buying a bag of popcorn seemed like a small enough thing if it meant taking one worry off his friend's plate.

"this thing? eh, it's not so bad. wish it wasn't so hot, you know?" the line shuffled forward just then, and as everyone took a step, before some random guy wandered past with a loud, enthusiastic, "whoohoo, astroland!" rowan instinctively turned his head after him, one eyebrow quirking upward before a soft chuckle escaped him. "well...somebody's having the time of their life." his attention drifted back to frankie just as easily as it'd left. "are you enjoyin' it?" he asked, genuine curiosity settling into his voice. "what've you guys gotten up to today?" he asked, nodding toward the kiddos. "looks like they've already managed to pack a whole week's worth of adventures into one afternoon."

[romercer]

rowan mercer l 28,  cashier at skateland, member of vipers mc. stephen kalyn fc  | intro l wanted connections l connections l pintrest l playlist l