Snails in the Snow
It’s the third anniversary of a catastrophic asteroid colliding with Earth, resulting in a total loss of life. All that remains of humanity is the population of the colony planet Indora-14a, which traveled into space over 250 years ago.Jude’s high-tech prosthetic leg is broken and the part they need won’t arrive until after his planetary research company departs for a 6 month trip, leaving him behind. Salem just so happens to be the one to deliver him the bad news.Snails in the Snow is an oc story I’ve been rehashing since I was 14. It focuses on the fateful meeting of Salem and Jude and the tumultuous relationship that follows as their lives intertwine in the city of Ceres over the course of a year.Characters (click for info)
Salem
Jude
Yukio
Ye-Jin
Seline
Salem
Salem Holland
he / him . 24 . March 3 . 5’10”A novice prosthetic engineer being aimlessly led on the leash of life. Salem tries not to get in the way of others and desperately tries to ignore his own loneliness. After an inconveniently timed prosthetic malfunction, he finds himself working closely with Jude, much to his dismay.He has a strong desire to connect with Jude despite his hostility, even if he doesn’t fully understand why.Likes: his cat, vintage items, the ocean
Dislikes: being alone, confrontation, himselfCharacter Comments
Jude: “Salem only smiles with one side of his mouth, he messes with his hair when he’s stressed and he’s always clicking a pen or tapping his foot. I can’t stand him.”Yukio: “Salem’s a smart kid, dedicated, empathetic—I’d say almost to a fault. I do wish those feelings extended to himself sometimes.”Ye-Jin: “The quiet guy from the prosthetic lab? He didn’t say much, I think Jude might’ve scared him off a bit. What was his name?”
Jude
Jude Barboza-Wiley
he / they . 25 . December 29 . 6’0”A hot-tempered botanist who works for a planetary exploration group. Due to the nature of his job, he’s never in one place for long. He’s currently stuck in Ceres for 6 months after a malfunction with his prosthetic leg.His past is heavily guarded and he shows little interest in others. He seems to have it out for Salem and is previously acquainted with Yukio.Likes: nature, biking, bass guitar
Dislikes: cold weather, bugs, himselfCharacter Comments
Salem: “He’s constantly complaining, almost like he enjoys it—and his eyes are empty, even when he’s passionately berating you...it's kind of sad.”Yukio: “Jude is someone who’s had a lot of bad happen to him in a short period of time. He’s a nice kid, truthfully, I think getting stuck here was his breaking point.”Ye-Jin: “Jude is my best friend in the universe, he’s funny and sweet and really loves his work; thank god we met when we did. I feel sorry that life hasn’t been kinder to him.”
Yukio
Yukio Maeda
he / him . 37 . February 15 . 5’7”An amiable neurosurgeon and father of two young kids; Salem’s closest friend at work. He knows a different, less bitter version of Jude from the past. Often he finds himself acting as a mediator for the two to settle their frequent arguments.He very much wants to be a stay at home father.Character Comments
Salem: “Yukio’s been really kind to me over the past few years I’ve worked here. I feel bad for relying on him so often, but he always insists he doesn’t mind.”Jude: “He’s far too chipper in the mornings, Yukio drinks coffee like water. I owe him a lot though, so I can tolerate the high-volume mania and lack of personal boundaries.”Ye-Jin: “I adore Dr. Maeda! I still like to tease him about when we first met. He’s grown so much from the trembling new resident who was nervous even just to change my IV bag.”
Ye-jin
Ye-jin Hwang
she / her . 25 . October 10 . 5’9”An outgoing entomologist and former figure skater. Jude’s best friend and colleague. She’s currently on the work trip Jude was supposed to go on. Due to the distance of space travel, they don’t have many opportunities to stay in contact with each other right now.She met Yukio at the same time Jude did, about 5 years ago.Character Comments
Jude: “I think if we became friends when I was younger, maybe my life wouldn’t have ended up like this. Not to say I’m ungrateful for her friendship now.”Yukio: “Ms. Hwang is a lovely girl, every time we cross paths she’s always eager to let me scroll through and gush over any new photos of my kids.”Salem: “Jude’s friend, I think? She spent the whole morning trying to calm him down when he first came in. I’ve met her once before but I don’t think she remembered me.”
Seline
Seline
6Salem’s cat. They’ve been together since she was just a kitten. He loves her more than anything.Likes: sitting on top of the heater
Dislikes: Jude