⌠ omar rudberg 24, gay, genderqueer, they/he. ⌡ wait a minute, is sora ahlstrom still in town? i thought i saw a flash of (rolled up faded jeans, a nervous laugh, and the last spoonful of lavender honey) ! last i heard they were working as a barista at tbd. when it’s the (pisces)’s birthday on 2/21 i forget that they’re forgetful and celebrate that they’re gentle. i hear the view between villages by noah kahan every time i think of them. @liminalintro
big three: pisces sun, cancer moon, aquarius rising
backstory
tw death, suicide, and grief
sora is known all around town as the luckiest unluckiest boy. or more so, that’s what they call themself to make themself feel better about the...not so great aspects of their past. their father was a fisherman, boating and fishing lived far back into sora’s family tree. when they were younger, they used to go with their father, wanting nothing more than to be with him at all times. to be brave, and strong, just like he was. both him and his brother idolized him.
until one day, after a midsummer festival, their dad said they felt a calling to the sea. that they needed to go fishing right then, despite whatever storm warnings there were for that evening. their mother could only protest so much before letting him go. sora remembers every detail of that night- it was the first time something close to him would be ripped away. the sound of the festival dying down behind them, their litle brother held close to their side as their parents argued in front of them, the slow footsteps back to the house, dragging tired feet as sora looked behind him and caught one final glimpse of their father.
it was weeks later that they found remnants of his boat, washed away to shore. sora doesn’t remember the following days, barely even remembers the following years as they took on the role of caretaker for their little brother as their mother confined herself to her room. it was when sora got home the day they turned 18 and found a note written on the kitchen table that they realized just what had happened. that someone else would be ripped away from them too. sora’s life didn’t change despite the loss. they hopped from job to job to take care of his brother, despite not being any good at any of the jobs he did (he’s notoriously clumsy), the townspeople wound tend to give him a little extra sympathy, considering everyone knows their story.
one summer day, for his little brother’s birthday, he told sora he was going with some friends to surf. that there was no reason to fear the ocean. that he would only be gone a few days, that it would just be a fun road trip with friends. sora should have known to say no, but they didn’t. they wanted their brother to be happy. the third and final person to be ripped from sora’s grasp.
now sora continues to live for themself. job hopping all around town. it’s almost a town joke now, how often sora escapes death and potentially awful accidents. bad things happen all around him, but they never touch him.
moving to the island was hard for them, obviously. leaving behind their childhood home, the only place where they still had a connection to their family, the only place memories lived, meant they had to be dragged out of centralia kicking and screaming. now they’re surrounded by ghosts, forced to face their fear of the ocean- hands of the dead grasping at their ankles the second they step foot in the waves.
personality
despite everything that has happened in their life, sora is still a seemingly happy-go-lucky person. they go along with what’s given to them, though they do have a really hard time forming attachments. nothing in their life feels permanent.
Something about Sora’s sadness made Scout ache to reach out to him. She couldn’t relate - not that she really knew what was going on, but it was something she just could sense. They let out a soft chuckle at Sora’s comment, nodding despite the fact that they couldn’t see it. “I know - honestly I was coming up here to check in with the ferryhouse, see if they needed me tomorrow for any repairs.”
he looks up at scout, feeling a sense of awe at the fact anyone could know how to fix a boat, and he barely knew how to make cold brew right. “you know how to fix boats?”
“This is much different than the river in Centralia anyway,” he murmured, a little embarrassed that he could have even said that. “I know this is off season for tourists, but you’d think the island would be a little better stocked, knowing we were all about to show up,” a dry comment, but Levi shrugged at Sora’s question. “I don’t know. I keep feeling drawn to the docks, for some reason.”
sora looked up at him, then back at the water, then back at him again. “i don’t know, do you think it’s harder to get mail and packages here? maybe that’s why?” he sighs and leans back onto the dock, looking up at the sky now. “me too. are you gonna jump in?”
remembering somewhere the abernathy’s used to vacation felt so foreign and long ago that it could be anywhere . why not florida ? but saying yes would be a decision based on her psyche and her therapist and suggested an attempt at grounding rather than maladaptive daydreaming ( if this could be called that ) . ‘ i don’t think so , ’ bowie says , grounded . the boat lurches forward with intensity , rocking their bodies slightly forward in their seats before coming to a screeching halt . people start lining up at the doors , waiting for them to open and get off of a death trap and into another . the feeling makes bowie’s heart feel like it was being squeezed in her chest . ‘ fuck . okay . moment of truth . ’
there’s a moment when the boat rock’s forward that a pang of fear strikes through sora. their hands clinging to the seat they’re sitting on, their face going pale. if bowie had said anything in that time, they wouldn’t have heard it. they watched as everyone around them started getting up, and worked on calming himself internally before standing to join them. “can you stay next to me while we walk off?” in case i fall in. if anyone would, it would be sora.
the question warrants a sheepish grin , a hand run through not - much hair . ‘ get this — ’ kimo starts , breaking news on the way : ‘ i’m real . ’ once more self - aware , kimo had lost it along the way . being home with their family for a while was beginning to rekindle that part of themself , but leaving back to the burnt crisps of what could have been the life he was building himself made it easier to leave the vulnerability behind . fake it til you make it and all that . ‘ oh , and get this ? ’ kimo starts a second time . a more genuine follow up , equally as true , already beginning to subconsciously break patterns , as is sora’s natural effect . ‘ i missed you . ’
the more kimo spoke, the more sora realized it wasn’t all just a figment of his imagination. and, just like any time they’d been together in the past, his heart rate picked up. even more so after kimo’s confession. it lit up their face, a confirmation that their friendship wasn’t only convenience, and it wasn’t only because kimo felt bad for him. “you did?” but they don’t wait much longer before leaving behind the counter to run up to hug him. “i missed you too. why did you leave? you didn’t say goodbye. why are you back?” all of these questions poured out of him while sora clung to the comfort of a hug. not that they had ever hugged before then, but it still felt familiar to him. they pulled away, looking up at kimo with bright, exciting eyes. waiting for whatever adventure he’d missed. “why didn’t you say goodbye?” he felt it was worth repeating. though this time the sentence is sullen, weighed down by the sadness of kimo’s departure.
is sora familiar or is it just one of those faces — the kind that you can’t help but feel instantly trusting of ? youthful glow passing as innocence be damned . this is why banks is not a good judge of character right off the bat . still , in this case at least , it would be good . you know , except for the part where the next ferry isn’t until morning . ‘ cool cool cool , ’ banks says with little to no concern for the missing ferry . instead , they quietly take place beside sora at the docks , racking their brain for things sora can’t see . ‘ you’re not like waiting for someone , are you ? ’ they ask , a small package in their pocket weighing idly heavy with the client they had yet to be able to get in touch with .
he knew the voice, though it was one of those passing, fleeting moments where they weren’t sure if the voice knew him too. they turn to look at them, wondering if maybe a met gaze would spark a silent agreement that they have, in fact, run into each other before. but the question throws him off guard. a reminder there wasn’t much of anyone for them to wait for, never mind anything in his life meant to be looked forward to. he shakes the thought away as he shakes his head in response. “oh...no. no i’m not. are you? overnight is kinda long to wait. unless i got the ferry schedules wrong which is...very likely.”
“Yo,” Skylar greeted as she took off the headphones she had been wearing, historically a bad idea in a town like this but she always carried two layers of protection with her. “I was just going for my nightly run and saw someone was just sitting here staring at the water aaalll by their lonesome, so I wanted to come here and say… yo.” The view could definitely be admired for its ethereal beauty but there was a sense of dread so she preferred to avoid being near the water if possible, but she had a habit of gravitating toward loners, try to make them feel less alone. Though she likely considered the possibility it was a fear of the water (an ultimate unknown) passed on through her ancestors but that was neither here or there. “You look kinda, maybe, a lil on edge, though half of it is probably my fault, so my bad, but uh… you doing alright over here?”
a smile curled up the corner of his lips, eyes lighting up a bit at the shared awkwardness of a first greeting. “yo,” he replied, accepting the gesture, mirroring the tone in her voice. “oh, no, none of it is your fault !” he’s quick to make her feel more comfortable. “sorry...no i just- i couldn’t sleep, so i came out for a walk and uh...i don’t know. got stuck here i guess?”
wandering around after dark isn’t something luna is a stranger to. she’s been doing this since she was a pre-teen, following the light of the moon and letting her feet carry her wherever they want to go. saint cordelia has always been home to her and she’s as comfortable being out after dark alone as one possibly could be in their home town. despite how creepy things can get, they never seem to effect luna the way they effect other people; or maybe that’s just her ignoring it on purpose. she’s coming up on the docks now, the woodgrain scraping against the bottom of her bare feet, shoes dangling loosely from fingertips as she approaches a silhouette at the end. sora’s voice barely makes her react apart from a dramatic eyeroll, body swaying ever-so-slightly as she comes to sit beside them. “no fucking shit?” tone is flat, shoes abandoned somewhere behind them as she shoots her companion a look. “and here i thought iw as really getting somewhere tonight. too bad. now you get to be stuck with me.”
there were very few things sora hated. people being unreasonably rude was one of them. there was little patience for it in their heart, and it wasn’t something they could ever understand. it was so much easier to be kind to people, especially in circumstances like this, when life was ripped away and changed. he didn’t recognize her when he looked up to see who it was (a look of annoyance not so hidden on his face) which only further proved that this place wasn’t somewhere sora was gonna like. they felt it bubble in their throat, red hot and blinding, as they turned to look back at the water. “why’d you come to the dock then? just to be rude, or?”
He was still trying to get his bearings, and that meant a lot of walks around the island. Alejandro rarely had a destination in mind, just trying to get himself used to the area. He usually found himself at the docks at the end of it all, only remembering how to get home from there for now. It wasn’t unusual to find someone sitting on the docks, and he had a feeling it was because Centralia was too landlocked for anyone to really get to see and appreciate the ocean. “Oh - I’m not looking for the ferry,” Alejandro laughed a little, gazing out a the waves. “I was just taking in the view.”
he nods in response, and slides over to make room for the unfamiliar, familiar voice. “did you want to sit?” they don’t wait for him to answer, instead continuing on. “isn’t it weird we can see people living their lives on the mainland, and it feels like we’re just now building ours up?”
charlie’s head wiped behind them, eyes growing wide. “sora!” they call out with a hand clasping over their mouth, laughter daring to escape once they realized they were ok. she disregarded the customer and scrambled to help them pick up the mess. “yeah i totally believe you, felt a bump when i walked in this morning.. definitely something funky goin’ on around here.” they wink before grabbing the rest of the cups around her feet. “were you day dreamin’, babe?” they ask with a teasing tone.
sora ignores that charlie is probably just trying to make him feel better, getting up onto his knees to pick up the cups from the ground. “kind of? i dunno. my head’s felt lost since...everything.” he realizes what he’d just said out loud, and quickly shifts the focus from himself. it was only then that he’d picked up the tone- he wasn’t great at that. “but i think that’s normal.” no need to be coddled. they pick up the last cup and get up off the ground. “we’re out of a lot of stuff, huh?” he wonders what he made for that last customer if the cold brew keg was tapped, but they sipped and smiled and left, so they can only assume it was...fine. “i don’t know what i’ve been making all morning.”
the town was filling up with familiar faces, causing the tight feeling in sora’s chest began to lift. but it didn’t go away entirely, a ghost of it stayed all through his shifts, all through his walks home, and all through the night. the only time they felt any peace was when they walked the streets of their new home when the street-lamps turn on. it was the only time he could see the similarities between here and there. it felt the same, the moment where everyone laid to rest. it was a stillness, an in-between, that could be replicated anywhere. and there was a sense of home to it. they continued to walk to the docks, hoping to maybe find something there, a sense of meaning to all of it, maybe? they sat at the edge, wondering if the sea would swallow him whole, or if it would have mercy on him from a distance. the sound of footsteps behind them felt misplaced, as if there was a break in a perfect moment, so they didn’t turn away from the water when they spoke. “the next ferry isn’t until morning.”
open starter / @liminalstart
cordelia’s corner coffee
‘ is this a hollister or a cafe ? ’ samson grumps , eyes scanning for a secret switch that changes the atmosphere to one the pierson could deem more appropriate . while the lights continue to mimic those of a movie theater , samson finds it hard to see the true color of flower petals in front of him . arrangements must be made , and the florist working behind the counter does not like interruptions . so his best bet ? corner coffee . eyes try to focus , but it is too late , samson gets flustered . they pick up one petal , two petal , three , until the bunch of petals are piled into his hands . samson throws them up into the air in defeat , letting out a heaving sigh . he has always been one for the dramatics .
sora’s shift had just ended. backpack thrown over his shoulder, he walked out of the back room and went to pick up his free drink to take home. he made a mental note to go buy actual food soon. he could only get by on pastries and iced teas for so long before he got scurvy or something. it was when they turned around that they heard the heavy sigh. brow immediately furrowed in worry, they sat beside the stranger, and looked at the petals in his hand. “that flower hurt my feelings today too,” they tried to joke.
open starter: @liminalstart
location: cordelia’s coffee .
“we’re out of.. pumpkin scones.. raspberry tarts.. cinnamon rolls though i could swing a half.. but gotta charge full price.. sorry.. uh.. oh yeah, croissants are available but no chocolate ones.. cold brew keg needs to be replaced… and.. our special is cookie butter sunshine brew..” the words leave their lips as she lifts her head from the script set before her. a proud smile is on her lips as eyebrows arch and her shoulder push back confidently.. though their expression drops at the sudden realization the list had gotten increasingly long.. “..we.. we have other stuff though…” they awkwardly chuckle, hand shooting up to scratching their neck.
it’s no secret sora is bad at literally everything they’ve ever tried. it was a shock they were able to not be fired from this job for as long as they have. even more so when someone as good as charlie worked with them. sora was leaving the back with an armful of cups, only to get distracted by charlie rambling off things they had to do, or were out of. it didn’t take long for him to trip on his own feet, cups scattering around him. “shit-” he mumbled under his breath, and looked up as the customer she’d been talking to had decided enough was enough and turned to go somewhere else...wherever that happened to be. “sorry...i’m...there’s a new incline on this floor i swear.”
leaving a burning city to visit hawaii — there is a bit of guilt surrounding the departure from centralia . kimo wasn’t expecting not to be able to go back . the proof was in the loss of the skate shop , something they are still unsure insurance covers considering it was a ‘known risk ’ to locate a business there in the first place . part of kimo didn’t want to venture back out , but they had grown up chasing discomfort . it was easier to lean in to this discomfort because of the comforts that kimo has found in people . ‘ sup sora ahlstrom ? ’ hands dig deep into pockets while approaching the café counter . ‘ you got any of that lavender honey for me ? ’
it was a voice he hadn’t expected to ever hear again, but just like always, it made his heart both float and drop at the same time. he turned his head from staring out of the window. he’d been trying to piece together his days there. sora wasn’t good with change. which was why when kimo disappeared, and his shop with it, he tried his best not to feel disappointed. who was he to merit a goodbye? still, there was hope kimo would be back. up until the town went up in flames. it was like a proper goodbye then, everything that had not come to fruition was not gone forever. but this was the promise that not all was lost, despite how badly sora wanted to sulk. if he was someone else he’d try to act cool. if he was someone else he’d try to say anything at all. but instead they just stood there, a look of shock on his face, trying to figure out if he was actually dreaming. “you’re real?”
Levi moved his gaze up to Sora, frowning very slightly. “I take it you’re not a strong swimmer?” Despite growing up in the same vicinity, Levi had never really gotten to know kids his own age, let alone anyone his sisters’ ages. He knew snippets of Sora’s life, but not enough to piece them all together. “It does look pretty. Way better than the landscape back home.” He shrugged a little, but decided to keep up the conversation - he was supposed to be turning a new leaf, after all. “What brings you down here?”
“i haven’t tried swimming in a while, but something tells me i’d be pretty bad at it.” the history of their family wasn’t really a secret, the sullen looks followed them around everywhere. but it was nice never having to explain himself. “uhm...i’m waiting for the ferry. i ran out of ramen,” he smiles a bit when he says that, hoping levi sees how pathetic it sounds to take a ferry for a 50 cent dinner. “you?”
there should be a part of their friendship that triggers the thought — wait aren’t you not into water ? but there are only so many worries bowie can harbor at once … like had they forgotten anything in their childhood bedroom ? basement ? garage ? — among other things . she slouches in her seat and leans her head back . ‘ i don’t really have any … hotdog expectations , ’ is all the blonde can conjure on the topic . sea sickness trumps hot dogs . otherwise , they would have compensated their feelings for at least six . ‘ have you ever been to florida ? ’
sora shakes his head at the question, leaning back on the same wall and hoping for grounding. but it was impossible, especially now. there was nothing left for them to hold on to, even from their home, all they had time to grab were some clothes, and one picture of his family. “no, never florida. or like, anywhere south, really. you?” he looks at bowie now, putting his hotdog to the side. how long would people keep talking around the shitty hand they were dealt? no one could avoid things more than sora, but it seemed to live at the pit of his stomach now.
closed for @tallahasseeandros / sora & your choice
location: the airport
sora’s house didn’t survive long, as to be expected when a run of bad luck is involved in anything. they grabbed what they could and left, using what little money they had to get a fast plane ticket out of town. maybe it was a sign to leave ghosts behind. they walk up to their gate hours early, and sit in the middle of a row of chairs. no one else is around. if they had known better they would think they had disappeared in the abyss of centralia along with their home. when a familiar face comes up, they smile. though it doesn’t reach their eyes the way it usually would. “i was starting to think i was gonna get a private jet.”
