◜ . can i breathe? ┊joining . ◞

[merged stuff.]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; text-align: justify; width: 435px; font-size: 8pt; color: #808080; line-height: 120%; font-family: arial; text-transform: lowercase; letter-spacing: 1.5px;"]—-  & why did peaches think this was a good idea? she barely even survived in the girl gang, going off on her own wasn't her brightest idea. she missed angel so much though, she had been one of the only girls she actually was fully comfortable around. she had helped her with so much, so what kind of friend would peaches be to sit around when angel was missing? she at least had to try, even if she wasn't made for doing something like... this. the badlands.. even the name gave peaches the heebie jeebies. she was hoping angel was here, she didn't know what she would do if she wasn't.

though anxiety rushed through her, peaches' posture was pristine. she took steps towards the coastal town, the wind blowing her platinum hair. even with one glance, you could tell she wasn't meant to be here. the young girl radiated innocence and grace, looking as if she never worked a day in her life (and if it weren't for the turn of events, she probably wouldn't have). once she decided she was close enough, she simply stopped and waited with her hands neatly folded in front of her, resting against her plaid skirt.

[OLLIE.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.2;"]tw mention of drugs and torture in second paragraph

angel never understood why her mother wanted to shelter her, keep her stowed away from the misfortunate that was their world. after all, angel had accepted their reality long ago. just because the situation was shitty, didn't mean she had to force it alone, she'd thought. in fact, she still thought that way, but now she could understand why her mother had been so tenuous about letting her daughter— her outspoken and beautiful daughter— tag her along in places as simple as the black market. because she had someone she felt the same about.

angel at least was familiar of how fucked up the world was before she'd dabbled in her rebellion. peaches, on the other hand, lived a privileged life— big houses, gated communities, unfamiliar with the calamity that was now their world. angel could only imagine, parents were at least aware, but they did their best to shelter their children from such a thing for a reason, so they don't do exactly what peaches had done. go out and find a girl group whose only way of getting off was doing drugs, crashing in old motels, torturing men, and even each other. peaches' belief system wasn't that. she deserved much better, and yet she insisted she'd stay. what did she have to prove? angel wasn't quite sure, but leading into the months of getting to know peaches' she'd became comfortable with her soft presence. kind of like a blanket felt, or how a cloud looked. that was peaches as a person.

angel doubted the other was aware of her fate, hoped that she didn't have much trouble moving on.  the last thing she'd expect was for her to go looking for her. admittedly, she didn't even think that peaches could last a day without the girls' as her backup but boy, was she wrong. around this time, she's not worried much about her appearance. makeup doesn't cake her face, it is instead applied lightly. no lipstick , per usual , but a light application of chapstick. in her exterior, she's the ghost of who peaches knew. perhaps interior as well, as her loyalty doesn't lie with peaches, but another group that has more men than women it seems, that held more bodies than the ten they'd had.

[color=#990000]"peaches. . ." she had an unmistakable presence , one that cannot go unnoticed. she harbors the aesthetic of the other girls. her face, so pretty. the only thing that separates them is the border. she peers behind her for a moment, fearful. but she looks as if she's alone.  [b]"what the hell are you doing here? away from the others?" shouldn't she be happy? relieved? well , yeah. she is. both. peaches had been one of her closest friends, and even closer supporters of leadership. but this meant that she'd traveled alone. why would she do that?

[CATALYST]

The sheltered portion of their life had been relatively short, ending when they ran away from home, leaving their mother's sphere of protection and entering the Young Rogues' approximation of it. From nine and on they saw the worst that even the youngest of humanity had to offer, and as they got older they not only got to witness even more of the worst, but they started becoming no different than the monsters they lived with.

Now they were a parent. They had a little baby girl that loved the ocean and playing peek-a-boo with Gavril. They wanted to protect her, obviously, but they weren't sure that they wanted to whitewash the gruesome reality that they lived in. They didn't want Mo to be unprepared for the gritty, harsh world she lived in - and yet, when there had been bodies on the ground, fools that had attacked Gavril, they took care to make sure she didn't see. She'd know the horrors of the apocalypse when she was ready, they supposed, but for now she was still a baby.

There was a girl on the outskirts, a little ways past the border but clearly waiting patiently. Angel beat them on the approach, but what, was Cat supposed to run? They think the fuck not. Running meant exertion, and that was not happening. They got within range in time to hear her addressing her with familiarity. Hmm, it was always interesting when someone familiar to one of the Badlanders showed up. "You two know each - guess so." They rolled their eyes, not too terribly concerned, unlike most times when "friends" of "friends" showed up. "So who are you, why are you here, that sort of shit."

//they're cut off by smth in Finny's next post

[spoiler=IF YOU DONT KNOW NOW YOU KNOW && INFO && 05/05/19]GENERAL  welcome to the end of eras, ice has melted back to life
⇥ Given name is Scott Mathew Darrow ⇥ Goes only by Catalyst or Cat
⇥ Assigned male at birth ⇥ Agender ⇥ They/Them pronouns only
⇥ Twenty-one ⇥ Born 11/27/17 ⇥ Sagittarius ⇥ Real time aging
⇥ Boss (leader) of the Badlands ⇥ Ex prisoner of the Badlands
⇥ Ex cultist (Mourningstar) ⇥ Ex member of the Young Rogues

RECENT EVENTS  done my time and served my sentence
⇥ 04/20/39 ⇥ Released Northstar from Badlands occupation
⇥ 04/16/39 ⇥ Was saved by Sheogorath
⇥ 04/15/39 ⇥ Took the Badlands brand

APPEARANCE  dress me up and watch me die
⇥ Catalyst is 6'2" tall; they possess a lean and muscular body, one that has a variety of old scars adorning it. One of the easiest to notice is one that stretches down their right cheek. While not a scar, one very notable marking on their chest is the "BL" brand. They have two piercings, one in their tongue and the other in the cartilage of their left ear. They typically dress in dark colors (favoring jackets with some sort of writing on the back), and their hair is black. They're not all dark, however, as they have pale blue eyes that peer out from beneath medium-sized eyebrows.

PERSONALITY  if it feels good, tastes good, it must be mine
⇥ Catalyst is ambitious, with the cunning and ruthlessness to reach their goals by any means necessary. They can be brutal when they feel it is needed, however when it's not they won't bother. They tend to be rather aloof and apathetic to most things and people, with some very rare exceptions. Provided those around them don't cross a few specific lines, they're content to leave them be, though they've been known to take an interest in some people, which seldom has a positive end for whoever their interest is in. They can be manipulative, and will often encourage people to make bad decisions. Those that stick by them will be rewarded, but those that do not will be cast out, as they've been outcast for their entire life and have learned to appreciate loyalty wherever they can find it. Even during the most stressful of situations, they usually keep a firm grip on their temper and keep their calm, though when they do snap and lose their temper, it is uncontrollable. They're remarkably observant, often able to deign much from subtle clues in what people say, how they say it and how they act.

RELATIONS  dynasty decapitated, you just might see a ghost tonight
⇥ Molly Darrow x Austin Darrow ⇥ No siblings
⇥ Adopted parent of Molly Valentina Darrow-Lupei (Mo)
⇥ Pansexual/Panromantic ⇥ Very much taken ⇥ One Crush
⇥ Not looking but it happened ⇥ Rarely forms romantic attachment
⇥ Holds most people at arms length and doesn't get close

INTERACTION  i'm taking back the c r o w n
⇥ Hard physically ⇥ Hard mentally ⇥ Doesn't let their guard down
⇥ Is most comfortable with close ranged-weapons ⇥ Dislikes guns
⇥ Brass knuckles ⇥ A variety of knives ⇥ Carries a handgun
⇥ Will kill/capture/maim in certain circumstances
⇥ Will leave things be in others ⇥ Will start & finish fights
⇥ No kill/capture/maim without permission
⇥ Peaceful powerplay allowed but they may react negatively
⇥ Dislikes almost any sort of touch unless they initiate or agree to it
[/spoiler]

[MICHAEL.]

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[div style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13.5px; text-align: justify; padding: 4px; color: #000000; opacity: .75"]"speech" 'thought' text ||[abbr=thoughts of violence, blood, murder, mentions of alcohol, religion, injury, broken bones, blood]Hover for TWs[/abbr]

The soldier was out and about now, he was able to walk around (though with a bit of a limp still). It was amazing that his injury had not been worse, but he was about healed now. The dark haired man looked from Cat, to Angel, to the younger woman on the boarder. It was clear that Angel knew who this young woman was, but he was about as in the dark as Cat was here.

And while he was still a bit skeptical of Angel, he was fond of the young woman, in as much as he could care for anyone. Mike had a bad rep with maintaining friendships or relationships with people, and so, it was easy for him to avoid labeling anything, or becoming overly attached to anyone. He wasn't the greatest at communication, never had been, but Angel seemed to bring out his better side, if he even had one.

He looked towards Cat, and squinted slightly before crossing his arms over his chest, and waiting for the young woman to reply to Cat's question... or maybe Angel explaining who this person was.

[merged stuff.]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; text-align: justify; width: 435px; font-size: 8pt; color: #808080; line-height: 120%; font-family: arial; text-transform: lowercase; letter-spacing: 1.5px;"]—-  & peaches' eyes quickly caught onto angel, a smile growing across her features, blue eyes lighting up. ❝ angel! ❞ the younger girl said happily, she close the space between them with a skip in her step. she threw her arms around angel in a tight hug, not paying much attention to the other person who was now by them. peaches loved hugs, she always had. ❝ i missed you so much! ❞ after a few moments, peaches gave angel another quick squeeze before she took a step back and let go of her, the smile still spread across her face. ❝ i got worried when you disappeared, i decided to look for you. ❞ she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear.  ❝ you don't need to worry, i came alone and made sure no one was following me. ❞ peaches was quick to add.

finally, she turned to look at the person only to notice that there was now another man standing by them as well. the anxious feeling soon came back as she began to feel intimidated by the other two. peaches subconsciously stepped a bit closer to angel, clearing her throat. ❝ my name is peaches, ❞ she introduced herself softly. ❝ i - uh - was looking to maybe join? if you will let me. ❞ peaches didn't really know how this whole thing worked, when she found the girl gang it was a thing that just kind of happened, she was new to actually joining a group.

[OLLIE.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.2;"]cat arrives , then michael. it's no surprise, as any other time one or the other would welcome a newcomer , but angel can't help but feel annoyed , awkward even. although she'd loved peaches , almost like a sister she could go as far to say , peaches was– like a lot of things were– a commemoration of her past. by revisiting this part of herself she'd risk having to tell peaches the truth. one that included getting her ass kicked in the place that she and kim used to make love and ultimately , have her throat slit , being half buried in a shallow grave kim and her henchmen were too impatient to finish.

peaches she wasn't supposed to go on an extravagant quest to find her , wasn't supposed to find her , and she sure as hell wasn't supposed to join.

her response to peaches looks rather pathetic. as the other pulls her into a hug, for a heartbeat angel falls completely rigid as if it were a stranger rather than a close friend of a few months. eventually she does so , but the energy isn't returned in comparison to peaches , who is bursting at the seams in her on excitement. angel tries to smile , but it obviously doesn't reach her eyes. it's as awkward as she feels , as she stands there , watching peaches rejoice rather obliviously. angel isn't surprised , as quite often she's like this , but around angel she's learning to be more aware. being around kim must have slightly recanted that , but as long as she's with the gang it's not as if it matters. most of them , at least those on kim's side , are too shallow to notice.

peaches is conditioned to fear men , that they were out to get her. angel herself followed the ideology , without 100% believing in the torture. michael stood there , strong and intimidating– and he sure as hell could be– along with cat who isn't a man though it was easy to misgender them at first glance. peaches wouldn't be able to tell the difference. angel turns to them , almost defeatedly , wondering how she might address the situation as peaches introduces herself. that's until the other raises the question in joining and almost immediately she shakes her head , gaze returning to peaches , disbelieving smile quirking the side of her mouth.

[color=#990000]"no absolutely not." the badlands would eat her alive. angel could try to protect her , but with the responsibilities and the population of the badlands , there was only so much she could do. cat may have had trust in their men , but angel was still learning to put her trust even into michael. she doesn't know what their soldiers would do with a pretty and naivè girls such as peaches. "you're going back to the girls no wait–" she'd mentioned it plenty times before, a recycled idea that she'd mentioned ever since she'd learned of peaches' origin. "go home , peaches. you are good to get away from kim but please , don't come back here. you have parents who love you , can provide for you. i can't give that to you here." harsh ? maybe. but she hopes that it'd be peaches' wakeup call. angel liked to imagine the things she did for those she cared about , was for a definite reason. sure she was a bitch , but to those she cared about , it was with every inch of her being.

[MICHAEL.]

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[div style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13.5px; text-align: justify; padding: 4px; color: #000000; opacity: .75"]"speech" 'thought' text ||[abbr=thoughts of violence, blood, murder, mentions of alcohol, religion, injury, broken bones, blood]Hover for TWs[/abbr]

Micheal's rigid form deflated slightly as Peaches began to speak, his eyes softening and his posture becoming much more open and much less intimidating almost immediately. The dark haired man frowned slightly, his brows furrowed as he watched the interaction and conversation between Angel and Peaches. His face was kind as he took a half step forward, not wanting to scare, or worry either parties in front of him.

He swallowed before he spoke, not sure if he trusted his voice at the moment. "Look, lass. You do seem like a good person, and this ain't really a place where good people stay... good. Angel's right, but, I'm not going to tell you what to do or what you should do. It 'aint my decision to make." Mike shrugged, turning his head to look towards Cat, he was also not in the position to accept or turn away the girl, but he didn't want her to feel... unwanted.

"I'm Mike by t' way." The man added, offering her a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly as he introduced himself, refraining from offering his hand for her to shake, or moving any farther forwards.

[CATALYST]

Cat silently observed the interaction for a few minutes, Peaches' request to join and Angel's immediate refusal. Mike, for whatever reason, backing Angel up but acknowledging that it wasn't his place to make the call. Even if he was self aware, both were pushing all kinds of buttons. "Both of you shut up." They rolled their eyes.

"You don't get to decide who gets accepted and who doesn't. Only I can do that. You wanna give me a valid reason why she can't stay, maybe I'll listen to you, otherwise Peaches can join." It didn't sound like there'd be a good reason, aside from what... she was soft? Gabe was soft. He did alright.

//my muse? idk her

[spoiler=IF YOU DONT KNOW NOW YOU KNOW && INFO && 05/05/19]GENERAL  welcome to the end of eras, ice has melted back to life
⇥ Given name is Scott Mathew Darrow ⇥ Goes only by Catalyst or Cat
⇥ Assigned male at birth ⇥ Agender ⇥ They/Them pronouns only
⇥ Twenty-one ⇥ Born 11/27/17 ⇥ Sagittarius ⇥ Real time aging
⇥ Boss (leader) of the Badlands ⇥ Ex prisoner of the Badlands
⇥ Ex cultist (Mourningstar) ⇥ Ex member of the Young Rogues

RECENT EVENTS  done my time and served my sentence
⇥ 04/20/39 ⇥ Released Northstar from Badlands occupation
⇥ 04/16/39 ⇥ Was saved by Sheogorath
⇥ 04/15/39 ⇥ Took the Badlands brand

APPEARANCE  dress me up and watch me die
⇥ Catalyst is 6'2" tall; they possess a lean and muscular body, one that has a variety of old scars adorning it. One of the easiest to notice is one that stretches down their right cheek. While not a scar, one very notable marking on their chest is the "BL" brand. They have two piercings, one in their tongue and the other in the cartilage of their left ear. They typically dress in dark colors (favoring jackets with some sort of writing on the back), and their hair is black. They're not all dark, however, as they have pale blue eyes that peer out from beneath medium-sized eyebrows.

PERSONALITY  if it feels good, tastes good, it must be mine
⇥ Catalyst is ambitious, with the cunning and ruthlessness to reach their goals by any means necessary. They can be brutal when they feel it is needed, however when it's not they won't bother. They tend to be rather aloof and apathetic to most things and people, with some very rare exceptions. Provided those around them don't cross a few specific lines, they're content to leave them be, though they've been known to take an interest in some people, which seldom has a positive end for whoever their interest is in. They can be manipulative, and will often encourage people to make bad decisions. Those that stick by them will be rewarded, but those that do not will be cast out, as they've been outcast for their entire life and have learned to appreciate loyalty wherever they can find it. Even during the most stressful of situations, they usually keep a firm grip on their temper and keep their calm, though when they do snap and lose their temper, it is uncontrollable. They're remarkably observant, often able to deign much from subtle clues in what people say, how they say it and how they act.

RELATIONS  dynasty decapitated, you just might see a ghost tonight
⇥ Molly Darrow x Austin Darrow ⇥ No siblings
⇥ Adopted parent of Molly Valentina Darrow-Lupei (Mo)
⇥ Pansexual/Panromantic ⇥ Very much taken ⇥ One Crush
⇥ Not looking but it happened ⇥ Rarely forms romantic attachment
⇥ Holds most people at arms length and doesn't get close

INTERACTION  i'm taking back the c r o w n
⇥ Hard physically ⇥ Hard mentally ⇥ Doesn't let their guard down
⇥ Is most comfortable with close ranged-weapons ⇥ Dislikes guns
⇥ Brass knuckles ⇥ A variety of knives ⇥ Carries a handgun
⇥ Will kill/capture/maim in certain circumstances
⇥ Will leave things be in others ⇥ Will start & finish fights
⇥ No kill/capture/maim without permission
⇥ Peaceful powerplay allowed but they may react negatively
⇥ Dislikes almost any sort of touch unless they initiate or agree to it
[/spoiler]