MISFIT - joining, open

[KIPP]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]all kiki has ever known is survival. they grew up with busy parents, good parents, but parents who were trying their hardest to just barely scrape by in the new world. their parents tried, but they were absent and tired. kiki had to step up for them self and just figure it out. they felt like they were a burden, so they relieved their parents. they were... fourteen, maybe fifteen at the time; in all reality, kipp isn't sure when they were born, they know it was about a year after everything went dark. they think they're nineteen now, at least they say they are, and they're still in search of a place to belong.

he'd felt useless and guilty for putting his parents in that position. he left for them, relieve at least some stress. he still thinks of them, he hopes they're doing well.

but, in his travels, he's heard whispers of the badlands going through some changes. new leadership, new endeavors... with the prospect of the growth of the group, kiki decides it's a good opportunity to find a new family, one he chooses and can actually finally help. he just wants to feel needed and important for once in his fucking life.

the mountains split, revealing a patch of trees before the city. they can hear the ocean crashing on the beach even though they aren't able to see it quite yet. they look up and down the streets, some having brush creeping in on the buildings. they can't hear anything specific, maybe some movement in some of the buildings, but nothing they can quite make out.

" [color=#ffa64d]hey, " they call out, gripping their old drawstring backpack string with their right hand, " [color=#ffa64d]anyone here? "

[julien.]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 400px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— julien knew what it felt like to only care about survival. make it to the next day, one day at a time.  it was a monotonous and tedious routine, consisting of constantly feeling tired and the ever-present feeling that life wasn’t quite what everyone always cracked it up to be. it was tough, having to step in and be a parent-figure when julien barely had any idea what a parent was supposed to look like, let alone how he could possibly fill shoes he was never supposed to fill at such an early age. with this new start at life, julien hoped the fresh start would leave room for him to have more of that freedom and wonder he’d always envisioned.

so far, he had yet to decide exactly how he felt. leaning against a building, hands in his pockets, he stared ahead towards the distant shoreline. guess that was the irony and karma of it all; people always wanted what they didn’t have, huh?

“hey. anyone here?” someone calling out made him turn his head to one side. he pushed himself off of the wall and headed towards the distant voice, eventually coming across them.

“as empty and abandoned as this place looks, you’d be surprised how many people live here.” hands in his pockets, he looked at the newcomer. “the name's julien. what brings you here?”

[TEDDY.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 1.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #262626"]All Teddy had ever known was survival. In a life where his family could barely make ends meet, Teddy had to resort to the most desperate of measures to ensure that he could live a life worth living. It started with mingling among those who found life in an apocalypse more manageable with their privilege and easy ways of living. Being affluent afforded people more than material goods; it gave people the sense of safety that scoundrels like Teddy Knope would never experience.

Until he made a name for himself.

He was trapped in the fallacy that this success would grant him a life which was worth living when, unbeknownst to him, this life was nothing more than a lie. But, as long as he no longer had to scrape by in this life of his, then Teddy would be more than content.

❝ Hey, anyone here? ❞ Finding himself in the home of a Badlander whose easy eyes set upon Teddy with such adoration - he’d gravitate towards those who worshipped his influence in these parts, anything to feel validated. But, there was a voice that he did not recognise. After pardoning himself, Teddy stepped out from the home, brows arched with curiosity. It looked like Jules had already beaten Teddy to it. Teddy stood back, gaze shifting across the newcomer’s face as he waited for an answer.

[KIPP]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]kiki feels a little relief when it’s someone who looks like them that is first to greet them. there’s a comfort there that has them feeling more like this could be their new home. offering a close-lipped smile and dropping an arm to their side, “ surprised how many people live here, “ huh. their eyes shift to the man who appears outside as well. they raise a hand in a small version of a wave. “ [color=#ffa64d]heard things about this place, i need a new home. i think this would be the best fit for me, " they answer, feeling a need to over explain and justify their reasonings; maybe some remaining trauma from growing up entirely in a crumbled world.


“ [color=#ffa64d]i’m kipp, i prefer kiki, though. “ he doesn’t know exactly what else they could want to stay there. but, he pauses at the next part; he’s ran into some bad reactions when speaking about his gender identity, so there’s a lot of apprehension there. his eyes divert away from the two, but he tries to play it cool and make it look like he’s just taking in the scenery. “ [color=#ffa64d]don’t know how yous deal with pronouns, but i use he ‘n they, " he adds with a little shrug of his shoulders. he’s also nervous they’ll treat him like a kid, he knows he looks young; nevermind that he actually is, but he doesn’t need any ‘protection’ from the happenings in the badlands. he’s willing to do basically anything to prove himself valuable.