Character Name Here, or get a banner from 1001fonts.com
"Character quote here."
_______________________________________________ First Middle Last
Pronouns | Age | Ethnicity | Height (In Inches) | Weight (Pounds/LB) _______________________________________________ Single word that defines your character. _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Quote about Skills here." ___________________________________
[REMOVE THIS. A list of everything your character is good at... just, uh, keep it realistic. If I see one judo black belt with survival skills training, cooking, and rifle training, I'm gonna slap a bitch. REMOVE THIS.]
[Skill name here] β«» (Brief (or lengthy) explanation of skill/talent here)
Appearance βββββββββββββ "Quote about appearance here."
Essentially how your character looks. Be detailed here. Go over skin color, build, height, hair (including color, style, etc), scars, and other body alterations (Piercings, tattoos, etc). Along with describing clothing style but that's optional.
Psychology ββββββββ "Quote about personality here."
MAIN GOAL β«» (What does your character hope to accomplish in life?)
PHILOSOPHY β«» (What is your character's outlook on life?)
SECRETS β«» (What is your character hiding?)
SEXUALITY β«» (Your character's sexual preference?)
FEARS β«» (What does your character fear?)
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«» (What effect did Eleanor Black have on your character's life? It can be ANYTHING.)
FLAWS β«» (What holds your character back?)
Backstory βββββββββββββ "Quote about backstory here."
Pretty standard affair. I'm not going to expect a super long essay here, just the basics and whatever.
Paranormal-Abilities βββββββββββββ "Quote about abstraction here."
---VV CUT THIS -- I WILL PM YOU YOUR ABSTRACTION -- CUT THIS VV---
TYPE β«» (Put Adept, Apparition, Aberration (Afflicted/Agent/Adjoined/Abscised/Abominable), Blind or One-Eyed-Open)
ABSTRACTION β«» (Put the name of the Abstraction here, with a one-sentence description of what the Abstraction does. If Adept put what color their light is, their affinity, and what their channeler is.)
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION β«» (Go in-depth with how the ability functions normally. Explain everything I need to know.)
LIMITS β«» (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
WEAKNESSES β«» (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
---VV CUT THIS -- I WILL PM YOU YOUR ABSTRACTION -- CUT THIS VV---
Other βββββββββββββ "Extra Quote here."
Anyyyything else?
[hider=Character name here][CENTER][h1]Character Name Here, or get a banner from 1001fonts.com/[/h1][/CENTER] [i]"Character quote here."[/i] [table][row][/row][row][cell] [center][img]no anime[/img] [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [sub]First Middle Last
Pronouns [b]|[/b] Age [b]|[/b] Ethnicity [b]|[/b] Height (In Inches) [b]|[/b] Weight (Pounds/LB) [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] Single word that defines your character. [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] Skills & Talents[/sub] [i]"Quote about Skills here."[/i] [sup]___________________________________[/sup][/center][hider=] [sub][REMOVE THIS. A list of everything your character is good at... just, uh, keep it realistic. If I see one judo black belt with survival skills training, cooking, and rifle training, I'm gonna slap a bitch. REMOVE THIS.]
[b][Skill name here] β«»[/b] (Brief (or lengthy) explanation of skill/talent here)[/sub][/hider]
[/cell][cell][sub][b] Appearance[/b][/sub] [sub][sup]βββββββββββββ[/sup][/sub] [i]"Quote about appearance here."[/i]
[indent]Essentially how your character looks. Be detailed here. Go over skin color, build, height, hair (including color, style, etc), scars, and other body alterations (Piercings, tattoos, etc). Along with describing clothing style but that's optional.[/indent]
[/cell][/row][/table][sub][b] Psychology[/b][/sub] [sub][sup]ββββββββ[/sup][/sub] [i]"Quote about personality here."[/i]
[INDENT][b]MAIN GOAL β«»[/b] (What does your character hope to accomplish in life?)
[b]PHILOSOPHY β«»[/b] (What is your character's outlook on life?)
[b]SECRETS β«»[/b] (What is your character hiding?)
[b]SEXUALITY β«»[/b] (Your character's sexual preference?)
[b]FEARS β«»[/b] (What does your character fear?)
[b]WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«»[/b] (What effect did Eleanor Black have on your character's life? It can be ANYTHING.)
[b]FLAWS β«»[/b] (What holds your character back?) [/INDENT]
[sub][b] Backstory[/b][/sub] [sub][sup]βββββββββββββ[/sup][/sub] [i]"Quote about backstory here."[/i]
[indent]Pretty standard affair. I'm not going to expect a super long essay here, just the basics and whatever.[/indent]
[sub][b] Paranormal-Abilities[/b][/sub] [sub][sup]βββββββββββββ[/sup][/sub] [i]"Quote about abstraction here."[/i]
---VV CUT THIS -- I WILL PM YOU YOUR ABSTRACTION -- CUT THIS VV---
[indent][b]TYPE β«»[/b] (Put Adept, Apparition, Aberration (Afflicted/Agent/Adjoined/Abscised/Abominable), Blind or One-Eyed-Open)
[b]ABSTRACTION β«»[/b] (Put the name of the Abstraction here, with a one-sentence description of what the Abstraction does. If Adept put what color their light is, their affinity and what their channeler is.)
[b]ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION β«»[/b] (Go in-depth with how the ability functions normally. Explain everything I need to know.)
[b]LIMITS β«»[/b] (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
[b]WEAKNESSES β«»[/b] (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU) [/INDENT]
---VV CUT THIS -- I WILL PM YOU YOUR ABSTRACTION -- CUT THIS VV---
[hider=*Character Name Here*'s Relationships][table][row][cell][h1][Name of character in question here][/h1][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]Picture of character here, try not to go too damn big[/img]
[sup][i]"Quote about character here."[/i][/sup] [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup][/center] [color=2e2c2c]...................................................................[/color][/cell][cell]Write description of Character Relations here.[/cell][/row][/table][/hider]
Hello, friend, its been awhile. We have a lot of catching up to do.
[row][cell][h1][b]Character name here[/b][/h1][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [img]NO ANIME, and try not to use an oversized ass photo please[/img]
[b]Age | Name | Pronouns [/b][hr//][i]"Optional quote here."[/i][/center] [/cell][cell] [b]Description:[/b] [indent]A concise summary of their appearance, and role in the story. Personality is optional.[/indent]
35 | Natalie Texas Parts | She/Her "This is a good deal I got here... all I have to do is stop old man George from beating on his wife every now and then and I get a paycheck... you seriously think I'm going to let you get in the way of that?"
Description:
The sheriff of Quintin got her position from the Black Family and remains in their pocket. She lets their antics slide as long as her pockets remain fat. Sheriff Parts is incredibly uncouth, and unprofessional, and has a nonchalant attitude toward her job and life in general. She rather goof off than do her job but if you do something to piss her off sheβs a lot more effective than she lets on (even to the Blacks). Sheriff Parts is a skinny Caucasian woman whoβs athletically fit and has brown hair standing at five-four.
Paranormal Ability:
Natalie is Blind.
Sybil.Harkness
34 | Sybil Angela Harkness | She/Her "I love this town and I'm trying to help it... but Mary-Louise is a tumor on it."
Description:
The story of Sybil Harkness is a story you probably heard a thousand times before: a girl grew up in a small town and ventured out to the big city for school. Except she didnβt really care for city life as it was too hectic for her; so after Sybil graduated medical school after so long, she returned to Quintin and acted as the townβs doctor after the last one retired. Sybil is a tall African-American woman at 5β9 and is lanky due to working out and canβt see without her glasses - she keeps a peculiar ring on at all times. Sheβs a close friend of the Black Family and maintains a great relationship with them ad sheβs the only doctor in town. However, her relationship with the Black Family has been strained and Sybil avoids the Black Family like the plague. Itβs been rumored thereβs an affair between her and Marcus Black.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown
The various sights and faces around Quintin... keep your eye on them because they have theirs on you.
The Black Family
MaryLouise.Black
62 | Mary-Louise Black | She/Her "Quintin is mine."
Description:
The matriarch of the Black family and the one woman that has the town of Quintin under her thumb. Sheβs a rare sight out in Quintin as she usually sends out her lackeys (even her children) to do her dirty work rather than appear in person. Her office is the Black Familyβs manor and all she has to do is to make a phone call to get something done. The woman is supremely aloof and usually gives one-word answers rather than long drawn-out speeches. Sheβs an older woman with white hair and usually keeps a glass of whiskey or rum in hand that she takes sips out of. Sheβs in very good shape for her age and stands at six foot even. Mary-Louise has something to do with the supernatural happenings going on around Quintin but doesnβt expect her to open her mouth about it. She would rather keep her mouth closed than ever speak.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown.If you want to live, you have to stay away from her.
Marcus.L.K.Black
64 | Marcus Luther-Kane Black | He/Him "My love for Mary-Louise is greater than anything in the world... but perhaps she has gone too far. Perhaps we both have.."
Description:
Marrying into the Black Family, Marcus is originally a childhood friend of Mary-Louise who fell in love with each other and got married. Former psychologist, now he co-heads the Black Family's mining operation. However, things arenβt perfect as he feels like Mary-Louise only married him so she can continue the Black bloodline and not out of genuine love. Which makes him a bit bitter and angry and usually drowns his sorrows or spends time at the strip club. Marcus helps Mary with running the family businessβ¦ but now he very rarely leaves the Black Manor unless heβs going to the strip club. Marcus is a very tall older man who stands at six-four and is very thin and lanky with abnormally big hands and feet. Good luck finding him out of a suit, however.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown.
Callum.Black
41 | Callum Zaid Black | He/Him "I have upmost faith in mother."
Description:
Mary-Louise's first son, and the next in line to take over the family business... Callum sees himself as the most responsible and intelligent of the Black siblings as Mary-Louise made him in her image. Callum sees himself as being above his siblings' petty drama, instead focuses on the bigger picture, and is closer to his mother than even his father. That being said, he has a pretty good picture of what is going on in Quintin and is the one that has to rally his siblings to get them to fix it. Unfortunately, even he thinks that his mother has gone too far and is getting tired of his role as the "leader" while his siblings get to live it up. Callum is the tallest of the Black Family at six-six which helps with the little gut that he has from his sedentary lifestyle. Most notably, Callum has a handlebar mustache with slicked-back brown hair.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown
Augustus.Black
38 | Augustus Ashton Black | He/Him "I'm glad my siblings are still a bunch of brats... same shit, different day."
Description:
The rebellious scion of the Black family, second son of Mary-Louise Black and the twin-brother to Maryland Black (Mary-Louise Black Jr). Augustus was always unhappy with the family dynamic... with Mary-Louise breathing down his neck, his family's constant bickering, and living under his brother Callum's shadow. He had no interest in living his life under Mary-Louise's design like his other siblings, so once he turned eighteen he grabbed everything he could and cut and run.
He ended up in New Orleans for a good chunk of his life but aligned himself with the mafia that ran the show there. While he was arrogant as hell, he swallowed it as he preferred being an underling to a fatcat mob boss than his mother... up until Augustus went too far and got a hit put out on him. He knew that Quintin was the one place nobody wanted to go to, even for his ass, and returned back home to his mother's warm arms... covered in tattoos and scars. Augustus is around six-three, and very muscular and chiseled from years of running drugs, beating up mooks, and the gym. He has tattoos all over his body, up to his neck and you can see him smoking a cigarette of some sort or drinking vodka at all times. He usually dresses classy though with his hair slicked back like his older brother.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown
Maryland.Black
38 | Mary-Louise Black Jr Likes to be called Maryland | She/Her "Listen to me... make me feel special. Or else."
Description:
Mary-Louise Black's first daughter and the twin sister to Augustus, Mary-Louise Jr never liked that she was named after her mother and has adopted the nickname Maryland. Unlike the boys of the family who were put to work, Maryland was spoiled with the full extent of the Black Family's fortune and influence. She used to become a nightmare to the town of Quintin as she bullied and harassed to her heart's content as if any of the citizens of Quintin so much as lifted a finger against her... it would not have ended well for them. However, once she got old enough, she was married off to some famous actor out in California and didn't so much as think of Quintin - even having twins with the guy. However, things fell apart and she got divorced and took back the Black name, and returned to Quintin with her two kids... living off her child support and continuing to harass the town of Quintin. Maryland is a spoiled, arrogant, childish woman that cannot bear to have things go anyway but her own. Much like the other Black siblings, Maryland is very tall at six-one and a bit chubby due to the weight of pregnancy.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown.
Justine.Black
31 | Justine Vivian Black | She/Her "How come that Stick-Up-The-Ass Callum gets to have all the power while I help."
Description:
Born from an affair that Mary-Louise had decades ago (with a man that she doesn't remember), Justine is her second and last daughter and the youngest of the Black siblings. Justine was never meant to be a part of Mary-Louise's design (as it only included five children), but she loved Justine nonetheless and spoiled her with love and everything she wanted much like Maryland. Yet, unlike Maryland Black, Justine wasn't satisfied bullying the townfolks and just getting everything handed to her... she wanted control of the family business as she saw herself as a more fitting heir than her brother Callum. Thus, she decided to go out of her way to prove that she was the more fitting heir by working her ass off in college... only for her older brother to get handed the family business anyway and herself to be relegated to the head of an office building. Either way, she's plotting her way into Callum's position. Justine is the shortest of the Black siblings (but still tall) at five-ten and is very slender due to her metabolism and working out.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown.
Genesis.Black
17 | Genesis Bailey Black | She/Her "There's things out there that we shouldn't be afraid of... we should embrace it."
Description:
Ironically her mother, a twin, gave birth to twins, she is the twin sister to her brother Cody and the one that came out first - thus making her the oldest. She and her brother love each other to death and are damn near inseparable from each other - Genesis claims to be the wiser and more mature of the two, however. Usually, a rare sight in Quintin as they spend their time in a fancy boarding school out in Oregon but during the summer they spend their time in Quintin. Much like their mother, Genesis is a brat, but a more reasonable and more mature person than her mother, ironically enough. She is more for pleasant conversation and learning new things (though she has an interest in the macabre), possibly from spending so little time actually with the Black Family. She has an interest in the Macabre which has people peg her as weird. However, Genesis is in on the Black Family's secrets and wants to learn more about magic - but her mother, and Mary-Louise, won't let her. Genesis is tall at six even as she is nearing the end of puberty; this is as tall as she'll get... which is still insanely tall.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown.
Cody.Black
17 | Cody Sterling Black | He/Him "Why can't we just be a normal family."
Description:
Ironically her mother, a twin, gave birth to twins, and due to spending time away from the Black Family lacks a lot of their traits. He is the younger twin and the more demure one that's unused to being uncomfortable and working hard - he would rather watch TV or read a book or something. He would rather spend time with his sister and learn than hang around. Cody wishes to build his own life, away from the Black Family and especially his grandmother, Mary Louise and definitely doesn't want anything to do with magic. Even though he's reaching the end of puberty, he's still very tall at six-three.
Paranormal Ability:
Cody is Blind.
The illustrious Black Family that more or less ruled Quintin with an iron fist for years. They're small but ruthless and have connections and abilities that make it unwise to trifle with them. They play a key part in all of the chaos that is going on around Quintin, but their hand is presently a mystery. They consist of the Matriarch, Mary-Louise, her husband, Marcus Luther-Kane Black, their five children and three grandchildren... though, one of them has gone missing.
Outsiders
Jennifer.Caspin
27 | Jennifer Marrisa Caspin | She/Her "... You all, uh, know should know why I gathered you all... yeah, you all... here today."
Description:
The nerdy-looking and mousey woman who is the de facto leader of the quest to discover who is Eleanor Black. Very nervous and shy, tends to mess up words a lot, and stutters when she's talking in person but Jennifer is just doing her best. Jennifer is a prominent member of an all-female esports team known as the βPhoenixesβ - in which her version of Eleanor Black was the star player and Jenβs friend. However one day Eleanor up and disappeared and someone else took her place and Jennifer knew something was up. This was why she gathered everyone to Quintin in hopes of getting to the bottom of this, unaware that things are so much deeper than originally thought. Jennifer is a relatively skinny girl due to working out (standing at 5β6), blonde-haired and blue-eyed.Don't believe everything she says.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown
Odessa.Maxwell
Unknown | Odessa Kayla Maxwell | She/Her "Life is a wheel... and I just want to make sure it keeps going."
Description:
The very bizarre and strange outsider to Quintinβ¦ but knows a lot more about whatβs going on than what she lets on. Odessa is very mysterious, and whatβs even more mysterious is her behavior - to say the least Odessa is very strange. She keeps a catty smile on her face as she rambles about something so most people write her off as just a loon. However behind those smiles and giggles: Odessa is a very cunning woman and what makes her especially dangerous is the fact that it's next to impossible to decipher her motives and just which side she stands on. She claims to be investigating the town of Quintin and doesnβt want the cast to get in her way. Odessa is a very short dark-skinned woman that barely reaches five feet even and usually wears a robe of some kind. Usually, Odessa is somewhere giving away flowers.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown.
Magnolia.Rose
32 | Magnolia Flowers Rose (Just call her Maggy) | She/Her "Out here in Quintin: you either get killed by a monster or you become the monster."
Description:
An escaped convict on the run as she's committed a lot of crimes and due to a freak accident she managed to escape while being transported to jail. She ended up in Quintin as it was the one place that nobody wants to go to, even to look for a death row prisoner. Settling into the town, Maggy has been forced to sell herself in order to have a roof over her head and food in her stomach. Maggy is a tall woman standing at five-eleven and has a very skinny build, she's a bit on the rough side but usually wears makeup when she wants to be presentable. The most notable thing about Maggy is her hoarse voice from years of smoking.
Paranormal Ability:
Unknown.
Strangers to all of this madness... can they be fully trusted?
She/Her | 29 | German-Ethiopian | 5'4 | 130 _______________________________________________ Pride _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I didn't work my ass off for nothing.... and I just set myself up for that one, didn't I?" ___________________________________
Athletic β«» From the moment Jasmine started walking, she started training. Sheβs a talented and natural-born athlete, and her mindset has improved. Sheβs in shape and knows a lot about football. She has transferable skills to the present as sheβs fast, has sharp reflexes, and is vital for her size.
Trilingual β«» Jasmine speaks three languages that she picked up over her lifetime: English, German, and Amharic (a bit of Oromo).
Academic β«» In her obsessive pursuit to beat Eleanor Black, Jasmine hit the books. Sheβs very knowledgeable about a variety of subjects. She is not an expert, but trust, try and correct her.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "If you make a butt joke, I swear to God."
Jasmine is a very pronounced woman in terms of appearance; some of it is because of her prominent facial features because of her Ethiopian heritage. She has that distinct Ethiopian facial shape. That means that Jasmine here is African-American to her very bone. Afro-textured hair, brown skin, thick lips, and, of course, the African facial shape. She has a slightly nerdy vibe about her because she is utterly blind without her glasses and hates the fact that she has to wear them.
However, the girl is much more in line with urban girls. It's the way she dresses and acts, after all. Jasmine has the aura of a model, mostly because she loves to pose and take pictures of herself. She's a girl that loves to be in tip-top shape instead of being a slob. Because of this, the girl's body is pretty well-toned from exercise and the biz. She has strong legs from years of football in her youth, but the rest of her body is toned due to bodybuilding.
All of this means that Jasmine is a tad muscular. She does have a bit of body fat, and all it does is make the girl curvier. I'll go into that later. The girl isn't painfully tall at five-three, but her build more than makes up for it. She has a pear body shape instead of the famed hourglass - but she makes it work. With her lower body being the broader part of Jasmine, her breasts aren't anything to write home about at 34B, but her hips and behind are wide.
Her perfectly round behind is the butt of many jokes. Jasmine walks with a swagger and sways her hips left and right. She gives off the aura of a vain female with all the looks she gives people that tell them she's the queen bee. Though, she certainly has a playful side. It shows when she smiles - and that's only when she's around the people she trusts.
Psychology ββββββββ "I told myself I wouldn't let another like Eleanor best me... and look around you."
MAIN GOAL β«» Jasmineβs goal is to climb higher and higher in life using any means necessary. She sees someone doing better than her, and she has no options to top them. She needs to best all of her rivals before she goes crazy. Her goal is to overcome her inferiority complex, but unfortunately, she thinks it's by getting even better.
PHILOSOPHY β«» Jasmine wholeheartedly believes that everyone has a purpose; regardless of if youβre fulfilling it or not. Everyone has to be great somehow, and to be great, you must work towards it and give it your all. Nobody got to where they were by being lazy, and neither will Jasmine.
SECRETS β«» Jasmine keeps her true feelings for Eleanor Black under wraps because sheβs not sure how to process them. She denies it for now.
SEXUALITY β«» Jasmine says that sheβs straight but is genuinely unsure. She finds herself attracted to men and womenβ¦ but sheβs not exactly the type of person who wants a relationship. She sees it as a distraction from her goals - in fact, sheβs never gone on a date, never been in a relationship, and never had sex. Her standards are way too high for most people, anyway. However, this causes her to act out a little because sheβs very sexually repressed.
FEARS β«» Jasmine fears the certainty that she will never be good enough and that, for all of her training, someone else will be better. What goes deeper than that is the fear that itβll all be pointless in the end. That, at the end of her story, is not success but failure, and it's all a waste.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU β«» Eleanor Black was Jasmineβs arch-rival. Eleanor was better than Jasmine in every aspect, and Jasmine hated it. However, there was a hidden admiration for Eleanor that developed into romantic feelings. Jasmine, deep down, loves her, but she doesnβt know anything about love.
FLAWS β«» Jasmineβ¦ lots of toxic ideals embedded into her when she was just a wee lad. She believes that she canβt slack even for a second and cannot take it slow, or else sheβll fall apart. She was ignoring everything about her mental health or problems in favor of chasing success at all costs. Jasmine has been on the brink of falling apart for a while now and keeps pushing. Thus, Jasmineβs social skills are not the best, as she can only see from her perspective. So, sheβs very stubborn.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "So all my life, I've been obsessing over someone that didn't exist, except the wrong person? Ay, this is starting to hurt my head."
Nyala was born in Germany to parents who were significant architects who made plenty of trips around the world for business and pleasure. That made the money flow in for the young Nyala and gave her everything she ever wanted. She was always a ball of energy... like she was a limitless supply of it, which caused her to act out without any natural outlet. It would be years before anyone even considered putting Jasmine in a sport. Which ended up being football (or Soccer, you American-centric swine), and it ended up being Nyalaβs passion.
Her parents were so happy that she came home with a trophy or a medal (and so was she!)β¦ but so disappointed when she came short. Her father took her on a trip and told her if she was going to get anywhere in the world, she would have to push herself to be the best. After all, he worked his ass off to get to Germany, worked his ass off to get a degree, and worked his ass off to keep Nyala happy. So Nyala was not going to be a slacker, whether it was sports or academics.
In high school, she was the star player in the girlβs football teamβ¦ for a few months before she came; Eleanor Black. She joined the team and ended up being better than Nyala. Not just at football but everything: she was a better student than her, more popular at school, and just excelled. It forced Nyala to push herself further and further to be better than her at something. Only to just come up short.
It was a trying time for Nyala, but she couldnβt help but have someβ¦ admiration for Eleanor. Even if she wondered if some of it was affection - the girl didnβt know how to process such emotions. She turned down every romantic gesture all because she didnβt have time to entertain everyone (and there were a lot). Even though Nyala wasnβt sure if she wanted to punch Eleanor Black in the face or kiss her, Eleanor showed her respect and kindness. Things that Nyala could not say she showed other people.
Nyalaβs dream was to join the womenβs football team in Germany, and her father pulled a few strings, and a scout looked her way. With hard work and dedication, Nyala managed to get on the womenβs football team. This was amazing, but Nyala soon realized that while she was the top dog in high school, she was a little fish in a big pond out here. And this team was cutthroat.
Still, she was talented, skilled, whatever you call, and that got her byβ¦ and Eleanor Black came along and joined the team. She was what Jasmine wanted to be: the star player instead of beingβ¦ just there. As the years went by, Eleanor became a local hero, known minimally worldwide - And Nyala couldnβt take it. She worked so hard just to get bested by one person.
Eleanor Black took them to the world championship against Columbia, and Nyala had to watch it all. When Nyala was out on the field, she did something hasty - in a stroke of finally getting her power back, Nyala tripped Eleanor right as she would get the winning score. Nyala laughed in her face⦠as she was pelted with trash and kicked off the field. Thanks to Nyala, Germany lost, and she was urged to resign from the team. Nyala gracefully took her exit and retreated into the shadows, unsure what to do with her life.
In a spur of what could only be impulsiveness, Nyala decided to start fresh in America - changing her name to something a bit more localβ¦ She liked the sound of Jasmine. She took the long flight to Clearwater, Florida, which was a culture shock for Jasmine. She attended school supported by her parents, but school wasnβt for her. She had that drive, and while disgraced, she made sure to use that in the gym.
Making sure that she maintained that body, Jasmine spent countless hours at the gym and, as a hobby, built up a social media presence⦠and maybe thought that she could use her little bit of fame to become a fitness influencer. Except she wanted to be known for doing more than posing and taking pictures of her ass, she wanted to show that she put in the work.
But the butt shots got the likes.
It took her years, but she finally found her place away from Eleanor Blackβ¦ and realized that even if she got away from Eleanor Black, sheβd never βget awayβ from Eleanor Black. It was like she represented all the heights that Jasmine would never reach. Jasmine lived with the fear that Eleanor Black was around the cornerβ¦ and she still wanted her in that way.
One night, Jasmine got drunk off wine and decided to stalk Eleanor Black on social mediaβ¦. And I couldnβt find her, maybe figuring she had just deleted it. She looked up to seeβ¦ nothing, which was odd because she was Germanyβs darling. Whatever. The more Jasmine dug through, the quirkier it seemed until she found out that the person she tripped was a different person altogether!
This was odd because she hated (secretly loved) Eleanor Black with all her heart! But Jasmine wasnβt crazy - she recalled events to the letter. It wasn't even Eleanor Black who Jasmine tripped, but a different broad altogether. She found the others who knew about her and agreed to meet in Quintinβ¦
Paranormal-Abilities βββββββββββββ "... And now you're telling me that magic is a thing."
Jasmine is Blind.
Other βββββββββββββ "Kun beeksisa guyyaa tokkoof tokko tokkoodhaa?"
Jasmine's based on a student I went to college with who roughly has the same backstory... with a lot of broad strokes. Also, Ethiopians don't do the last name thing, so Jasmine's father's name is used as her surname.
"Look, papi... what do the white people say? "If life hands you lemons, make lemonade"? If a problem comes your way, you better fuckin' solve it quick."
_______________________________________________ Carmen Brianna Santos-Romano Or just "Lily"
First Aid β«» Lilyβs parents were both first responders and taught her everything they knew about First Aid. Lily canβt pull a miracle, but she can save someone from dying and carries around a fully equipped First-Aid kit.
Art β«» As stress relief, Lily got into art; sheβs incredibly talented at drawing from references and even without. She doesnβt draw nowadays to draw.
Tattoo-Artistry β«» A hidden talent of Lilyβs, sheβs uniquely skilled at drawing tattoos on people and has yet to make a mistake (even tired).
Cooking β«» Lily grew up cooking dinner for her little sisters every day.
Spanish β«» Due to her upbringing in the Spanish communities of New York, speaking Spanish comes to her as good as speaking English would.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "And my hair is real."
Lily is somebody who sticks out just a little bit. It was by her own devices, as she has some intense body modifications. To go from top to bottom, Lily has thick dreadlocks that she dyes a blue color. Her dreads range from back to shoulder length - she has to get them retwisted constantly because her hair grows fast. She has cyan, blue, and tan rubber bands tied into them for style purposes.
Lily has a nose ring, her earlobes stretched (with silver earrings), and the middle of her upper lip pierced - and since I have nowhere else to note this, yes, her nipples are pierced. Lily is heavily tattooed, but sheβs basic and has flowers tattooed on her. Her right arm is a fully colored rose garden with green vines and red roses that go from her chest to her hand. Her left forearm is a tattoo of her home city, New York, with a skyline and various landmarks wrapping around her arm. It stops at her bicep. Her legs are a floral wreath with multiple flowers and vibrant colors, and she has the night sky tattooed on her back. Youβre unlikely to see that tattoo, however.
In terms of vibe, Lily is a very low-key person. She looks just a bit trashy, usually wearing sweatpants, tattered jeans, and a t-shirt of her choice. Only bust out the dresses and skirts on special occasions. She has the vibe that someone doesnβt give a damn and just rolls her way out of bed and walks to the function. Otherwise, Lily is composed and keeps a neutral expression - but when sheβs around friends, she has an iconic and catty smile.
As for Lilyβs appearance, sheβs a full-blooded Puerto Rican, and thereβs no doubt about it. Sheβs from the Bronx, so she speaks with a Bronx Puerto Rican accent. Lily is somewhat short at five-two and is of average build - skinny under baggy clothes, but she has a bit of baby fat she canβt get rid of. She has a little flappy stomach from the most minimal amount of exercise. Lily has a couple of scars but nothing major, just some childhood scars from some boo-boos.
Psychology ββββββββ "This is my life, Papi; nothing can change the past, so that nothing can change me."
MAIN GOAL β«» Lily isnβt entirely sureβ¦ sheβs not the type of gal to have some grand goal. She wants to get the chaotic mess that is her life together, but when she starts to get a grasp, something else happens. You can probably say sheβs trying to eliminate that mountainous credit card debt and fix things between herself and her sisters.
PHILOSOPHY β«» Everything happens for a reason. Thereβs no point in crying about everything going wrong when it serves some purpose. Lily believes everything that has gone wrong in her life happened because a higher power has a plan for her, whether preparing her for the next challenge or as a good sign that the good times are coming soon.
SECRETS β«» Lily isnβt going to talk to anyone about what happened with her ex-boyfriend. Mostly because she feels crazy, and it is somewhat crazy now that she thinks about itβthe more reason to keep it to herself.
SEXUALITY β«» Straight, but the last thing on Lilyβs mind is doing anything romantic. Sheβs thoroughly turned off from the prospect until she does some healing.
FEARS β«» Spiders and Reptiles. it all stems from a cruel prank her cousin played on her involving his pet snake and tarantulaβ¦ sheβll freak out if she sees something serpentine or spider-like.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU β«» Eleanor Black was a prison friend to Lily who protected her and showed her the ropes when she was in Rosies. Lily vowed to be there and give Eleanor a place to stay when she exited Prison. Lily was surprised a different person took Eleanorβs place.
FLAWS β«» Lilyβs had a very long and hard lifeβ¦ and she refuses to get help. Sheβs the type to bottle all her emotions and problems up and keep pushing forward. However, Lily is reaching the point where sheβs about to explode. Lily hates to see things go wrong and people get hurt (especially due to her own decisions), which is why she always tries to take charge and lead but has a hard time not being the one in charge. Lily lived a lifetime of putting others first and isnβt sure how to put herself first.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "My family hates me, my boyfriend tried to kill me, and now I'm starting to remember things differently."
Lily started as the eldest of three sisters (Yara and Clarita Santos-Romano) in New York, New York! Her parents married shortly after Lily was born, and life in NY was simple. Her parents worked their asses (Her father being NYPD and an armed guard on the side and her mother being a nurse) off so they could have a house, and while they were struggling here and there, Lily was given all the love they could provide. Maybe they couldnβt get her every toy, but they sure as hell did what they could. The issue was that Lily was older than her sisters by five years, and when her siblings were old enough to be left alone. Her parents both picked up a lot more hours, andβ¦ Lily was pretty much the second parent.
Now, Lily loved her sisters with all of her heart, but after school, she had to make sure they got home, ate, and got their homework done while taking care of herself. It was stressful, and all Lily could do was live for the weekend and dread the weekday. Other than that, Lilyβs early life was uneventful; she partied, tried drugs, made friends, and got in trouble (sometimes the NYPD brought her back home). She didnβt do anything crazy because she was raised to be responsible while her siblings were wilder.
Her safe space was artβ¦ Lily was a creative and artistic soul. She put her vents and frustrations into different art pieces thrown into the garbage. She couldnβt risk anyone seeing how she really felt.
The significant change in her life was the revelation that her father was cheating with a fellow police officer, and her parents were getting a divorce. It was challenging and stressful for Lily because her father stepped back from childcare. Lily had to step up, whether she wanted to or not. The sweet release came when she finally graduated and went to college to become a doctor.
For once in her life, Lily had freedom. Now, this isnβt a story of the repressed child going wild in college but of expanding to new horizons. Lilyβs dream was to become a doctor, and she had fun in collegeβ¦ until she realized that being an adult wasnβt all fun and games, and the stress of college started bearing down on her. Her release was shopping - to make a long story short, Lily developed a shopping addiction and opened several credit cards.
When she couldnβt open any more credit cards, she did something a little bit shady (and by her admission, shitty): she opened some credit cards in her little sister's name. Because she had a lot of free reign in her youth, Lily could snoop around and find her little sister's social security cards. She thought they wouldnβt find out, and she felt she was owed something because she threw away so much of her youth helping take care of her little sisters.
As a side hustle to keep her from being flat broke 24/7, she took up a side hustle or two. They worked part-time at the local cafe, but that didnβt cut it for her. One thing that Lily didnβt drop was art, and she had a growing interest in tattoos. Not just getting themβ¦ she knew how much bread the various tattoo artists around NY were making, so she decided to experiment. Using the credit cards she put in her sister's name, she bought a tattoo gun. She started petite with some tattoos on herself and her friends as a practice, but then realized she was a natural. She made some money putting cheap tattoos on people and quit that stupid barista gig.
It was the final year of college, and Lily knew her hard work was about to pay offβ¦ then she got a phone call from her mother telling her to be honest about what she did. Lily confessed, and promised that she would pay them off when she became a doctor. Of course, this didnβt happen. The cops came looking for Lily, and she was arrested in front of the whole campus in one of the worst moments of Lilyβs life. Why?
At the urging of their new stepfather, Clarita and Yara pressed charges against Lily. Neither of them wanted to do it, but they were pressured into it by him. So, that meant Lily had to spend a bit of time in jail before she got convicted of identity theft. The judge ordered her to serve two years in Prison, and Lily became familiar with Rikers Islandβs female unit: Rosies.
Rikers was not fun, and Lily spent her time regretting throwing her life away to show off for some bitches that didnβt even realize she was gone. She was beaten, bullied, and more by the more vicious inmates, but then she came: Eleanor Black. She was a woman who was making a bid for illegally possessing a firearm and assault and was around the same age as Lily. Eleanor liked Lily, and the two got alongβ¦ being Lilyβs only friend in Prison.
You see, Eleanor was in Prison for a while before Lily even got there and would be there for a while after. She knew the ropes and had respect due to being a lousy motherfucker that she passed down to Lily. Lily was able to make it through Rosies thanks to her and started a small business of giving people tattoos in jail (and accidentally causing an outbreak of HIV - oops!). She promised to be there for Eleanor when she got out of Prison.
Two years passed, and Lily was let out of Prison and stayed with an aunt in Brooklyn. Her sisters had forgiven her, and Liliy had no ill will towards them - except she wanted nothing to do with her mother or stepfather. It was Lilyβs fault, but she couldnβt help but feel some way about it all.
Going back to college wasnβt going to work, and those credit cards stacked up a lot of interest and other fees while she was away. She was scraping by to get back on her feet, and her only idea was to become a tattoo artist. She did everything she could to spread the word and get her license, and eventually, she managed to get a little bit ahead of the curb. She became part of a tattoo shop, and life went well. She maintained constant contact with Eleanor Black through letters, and Lily reaffirmed her promise to her friend behind bars. Every month, Lily wrote a letter to Eleanor and got one back.
Things changed when she was introduced to Rafael Cruz, a friend of a fellow tattoo artist in her shop. To make a long story short, the two fell in love after hours of hanging out, texting, and other lovey-dopey things. They became boyfriend and girlfriend and moved in together a year later. Rafael wanted to move back to his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Texas was a hike away from New Yorkβ¦ but Lily loved Rafael, and she thought that maybe New York was a bit too cold. So, a few months later, Lily was in San Antonio, away from her family and friends. It was one hell of a culture shock, and she had to get used to being called a βYankee.β She found herself in a new tattoo shop, and life was good.
However, a few months later, Rafael changedβ¦ he started being a lot more controlling and abusive - he was acting all loko! Lily tried to endure it and figure out how to fix him, but it became increasingly apparent that this was the βrealβ Rafael. She had no choice but to grab everything she could fit in her car and stay with a friend. Blocking Rafael on everything she thought was okay while she got herself back on her feet and tried to find a way back to New Yorkβ¦
β¦ Then, one night, things got weird. Lilyβs friend called her to the front door in the middle of the night. When she got to the front door, Rafael was there, holding an old toy he told her about. Then she was frozen in place; she couldnβt move - it was not shocking, but it felt like there was some outside force keeping her in place. Then he gestured for her to come forwardβ¦ and she moved towards him, unable to stop himself. Rafael caressed her face, and she felt chills down her spine as he kissed her against her will. Thatβs when he pulled out a knife andβ¦ dropped the toy. The second he dropped his toy, Lily could move on her free will again. She quickly ran out of the room and entered her friend's room.
Locking the door behind her, Lily rummaged through her friend's things until she found her friendβs pistol. Rafael opened the door, but Lily had already squeezed the trigger twice. Rafael was shot in the arm and abdomen and collapsedβ¦ as he fell, she noticed a pink light around the toy that faded moments later. The police and the EMTs were on the scene soon after and took Rafael to the hospital. Lily didnβt know what happened to him, but she ghosted after that and lived in her car until she found a new roommate and an apartment in a different part of San Antonio. She figured sheβd stay in SA for nowβ¦ she didnβt want to move again, bad memories or not.
Life resumed as usual until it was time for the big day: Eleanor Blackβs release from Prison! She saved money just for this occasion! She flew to New York and waited outside Rosies for Eleanorβ¦ only for a different woman to come out. The woman hugged Lily, but Lily damn near had a panic attack - Lily didnβt know this woman, but she knew Lily. She told her that she did everything that Eleanor did - but she wasnβt Eleanor! Lily just went with it and returned to San Antonio and did research. Every letter to Eleanor had a different name, and no matter how deep Lily searched, she couldnβt find anything on Eleanor Black. Did she just get names mixed up, or was she finally crazy?
After searching online, she discovered that others knew of Eleanor Black but⦠different versions of her. Things were weird, but Lily needed closure. They agreed to meet in Quintin, Louisiana, and Lily packed her things and drove there.
"Please, I can handle anything. I'm definitely not making all of this up on the go."
_______________________________________________ Neko Kari Carbella
She/Her | 35 | Italian American | 5β7β | 140 lbs _______________________________________________ Overwhelmed _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Work-life balance?" ___________________________________
["Mom Shit"] β«» Neko is a single mother first and foremost. She is a self-proclaimed master of the three Cβs: cooking crappy off-brand macaroni and cheese until itβs only slightly burnt, cleaning up enough of the shit cramping her small apartment so that thereβs technically living space, and crying with the shower on so that the kid doesnβt hear. Random boo-boo? No problem. Torn skirt? Easy enough. Another stupid ass musical ruining her Friday night plans? Sure, her FWB would totally love to see kids stumble through the Music Man. Okay, so maybe she isnβt admittedly the best at mom shit, but she tries. She really tries. [Singer-Songwriter] β«» Nekoβs second biggest passion is chasing the ever fleeting dream of becoming a professional musician. Sheβs honestly pretty good, with a strong voice, even stronger piano skills, and passable enough with an acoustic guitar that she can hold her own at a weekend coffee house show. The reality of having bills to pay and a child to take care of made her have to put the career on the backburner for more regular work, but she still gets the occasional paying gig. [Serving] β«» Neko wants to punch whichever one of her friends lied to her and said being a server was easy, but she canβt deny that the high stress of the job aligns itself perfectly with her typical energy and that the tips keeps her afloat. Plus, it has helped her perfect the ability to keep a fake smile plastered on her face, to tolerate assholes who really should never be let out of their homes, and to get used to disappointment every time she opens the bill booklet. [Thrifting] β«» Frugality is an artform.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "Just keep your head up and smile."
Neko Carbella is composed almost entirely out of nervous laughter, wringing hands, and forced smiles. For someone who is at her happiest when performing for others, offstage she seems to have an almost uncontrollable gravitational pull towards the back of crowds or lonely corners. However, she always tries her best to appear warm and welcoming whenever she interacts with another person, but can never quite hide the stress she has shallowly buried beneath the surface.
Neko has a long, narrow face that sheβd define as horselike, dark brown eyes that sheβd refer to as boring, and a large, toothy smile that she would say is embarrassingly big. Her long brown hair is straight and defaults to two simple styles: up in a ponytail for work or down and constantly being brushed out of her face. Her work requires her to constantly be on her feet and hustling back and forth so she stays in a decent shape, but a poor diet that largely consists of three to four cigarettes a day, oversized cups of iced coffee, and the occasional guilty snack from her favorite cupcake place prevents her from actually being healthy.
Her style is thrift store chic coupled with DIY sensibilities, ranging from mom jeans with a tie-dyed Mickey Mouse shirt and white sneakers to a patterned dress combined with an oversized tweed jacket and combat boots. Despite her best efforts her appearance often looks rushed, as if she just pulled the clothes out of the drying machine and did her makeup in a car mirror, but while her clothes are clearly old never are they dirty.
Psychology ββββββββ "Ha ha, what? Everythingβs fine. Iβm fine.β
MAIN GOAL β«» Nekoβs goal is to raise her daughter well and give her a good life. Sheβs critically failed to realize that to give someone something that first she must possess it herself.
PHILOSOPHY β«» Life is chaotic and the only thing she can be certain of is entropy. Nobody actually knows what it is that theyβre doing. As children they play dress up and make believe, as adults they still do the sameβthey just refuse to admit that they're pretending. Neko is playing her part too, but she isnβt afraid to admit her ignorance. Neko will do what she feels is right, try not to be controlling of others, and oppose just about any authority figure who say they know what theyβre doing.
SECRETS β«» Neko claims she was disowned by her parents and always told her daughter that they were dead, but in reality Neko was the one who cut off contact with her parents. She continues to refuse to speak to them to this day, despite her parents making a number of attempts to reconnect.
SEXUALITY β«» Neko is straight.
FEARS β«» Her biggest fear is that something bad has happened to her daughter. Nekoβs second biggest fear is that she has lost her mind. Her third biggest fear is failure, something that is frustratingly familiar in her life.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«» She was Nora, Nekoβs seventeen-year-old daughter, born Eleanor Francis Black.
FLAWS β«» Neko is a disorganized, nervous wreck. She lives her life in a persistent state of emergency,going from one crisis to another without ever taking a break or considering that the source of most of her problems might be from overextending herself. She calls herself an improviser. Anyone a little less scattered would call her impulsive.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "At some point it stops being about you."
Neko does not fondly look back on her childhood. She was born in Trenton, New Jersey to a down-on-his-luck father, a contractor who was more often between jobs than working one, and hairstylist mother who was never afraid to voice her disappointment and only ever took the cigarette out of her mouth to gulp down her boxed wine. They grew up poor, a fact her mother constantly reminded their family about. It was almost never just the four of them in the house. There was always some distant family member, or friend of the family, or friend of a friend, or sometimes a grabbag of all the different flavors staying in the house with them. Her home was chaotic, uncomfortably cramped, and downright scary when her mom kicked off a shouting match that resulted in something breaking, someone being thrown out, and some neighbor calling the cops.
Her older sister Fran seemed to have a sixth sense for where the energy in the house was shifting. When they were younger sheβd just put headphones over Nekoβs ears and play her something from her extensive collection of CDs. When Fran got old enough sheβd steal their momβs keys and sneak the two of them out the back, driving out to the shore during the day or just hanging out in the parking lot of a McDonaldβs at night. It was during one of these escapes with Fran that Neko ended up meeting the people with whom sheβd eventually start a band.
Neko told Fran sheβd be fine when her sister went off to college; what she didnβt tell Fran was her plan to essentially become transient. She lived on the couches and the floors of bandmates and friends she made in her townβs crappy little music scene, going home only for clothes and to hear her mother yell at her. She dropped out of school so she could work a part-time job in the morning while leaving her evenings free for practice. She found a venue, she booked the gig, she drew up posters and stapled them on telephone poles around town. Her drummer, her bassist, and her guitarist took until the day of the show to tell her that they were outβplaying in a basement was cool, but an actual audience was too much. She performed anyway, her raw emotion making enough of an impact that the owners didnβt pull the plug on the failed show until after her third song. She cried in the alleyway after, and thatβs where Anthony Black offered her a cigarette and said he liked her show. Love at first sight. They started dating.
Then Neko became pregnant at seventeen. At first Anthony seemed supportive, having Neko move in with him after finding out her situation, floating the idea of marriage, and defending Neko when her parents inevitably found out. They eloped when she turned eighteen, Anthonyβs brother and Nekoβs sister serving as the witnesses, and two months later Neko gave birth to Eleanor Francis Black. Neko took to calling her Nora. Nora was perfect, but things between Anthony and Neko soon were not. It felt to Neko that the moment Anthony saw their daughter something switched inside of him. He became cold and distant, often disappearing for days without contact.
When Nora turned two, Anthony told Neko he was tired of playing house and divorced her. Lawyer fees, custody rights, and child support were established, with Neko getting Nora a majority of the time and Anthony, or really Anthonyβs mother who wanted to continue seeing her grandchild, getting Nora for summer breaks and the occasional holiday and weekend. Neko was gutted but had to keep strong for Nora. Thankfully, Fran gave her the power to do so. Fran, whoβd just finished college and was working for a business in Newark, told Neko she was moving in with her. It wasnβt an offer.
The following few years were a tornado. Neko raised her daughter and worked her ass off. It became clear early on that Nora was an exceptionally bright and creative child, but there was something kind ofβ¦off? Often there were times with Nora when Neko felt like she was talking with an adult, and then a moment later it would feel like a child took back over and started talking about something ridiculous, like going to see βSwamp Grandmaβ in βSwamptownβ. Honestly, the Grandma talk always creeped Neko out. Neko made sure that Nora didnβt see Nekoβs mother, and Anthonyβs mom was a New Yorker through and through. Neko wrote it off as a kid being an asshole, as even the best of kids often could be.
Eventually Neko got her own place to allow Fran room to grow her own family with her then-serious boyfriend and now-husband. With the help of some grants Neko was able to enroll Nora in a private school system. Neko worked multiple jobs, made side money by playing small shows or busking on the weekend, and essentially dedicated every aspect of her life to her daughter. So when a teenage Nora started being annoyed by the ever looming presence of her mother it hurt. For a time things were tense between the two, arguing more often than they talked when her daughter wasnβt outright avoiding her. Neko grew terrified that sheβd push her daughter away just like her mother had with her so she relented, accepting the fact that just because her daughter was the most important thing in the world to her it did not mean that she would be the most important thing in the world to her daughter.
Eventually, the pain would subside into something else: relief. Her daughter was nearly an adult now. Was this not how things were supposed to go? Neko had raised her as well as she could. For the first time in her life, Neko felt like she was no longer overwhelmed, no longer drowning, not realizing that was only because the ocean had pulled back so it could slam her with a massive tidal wave and rip her kicking and screaming out to sea. It knocked Neko flat when Nora threw her a surprise party. Neko opened the door, clicked on the lights, and was greeted by a smiling teenage stranger surrounded by Nekoβs close friends and family. βHappy Birthday, Mom!β shouted the stranger.
At first Neko took it as a bizarre prank started by some kind of social media trend. She played along for a bit but things began to escalate as nobody backed off on the bit. In fact, they all acted like they were confused when Neko began asking about when Nora was showing up. The awkwardness and tension came to a boiling point as Neko began getting visibly upset and confrontational with the stranger everyone else was pretending to be her daughter. The joke had gone too farβhell, theyβd even put up fake photos around the house. Everything exploded when Fran pulled Neko into another room and asked her why the hell she was trying to creep out her daughter βAbbyβ, pushing Neko over the edge and rendering her a babbling, panicked madwoman.
Fran seeked out mental help for a sister that she thought had gone delusional. Neko was diagnosed with a rare psychiatric disorder where a person believes someone close to them has been replaced by an impostor called Capgras delusion, typically caused by either a brain injury or schizophrenia. Tests were done, therapy was held, medication was given. Neko knew she wasnβt crazy, but couldnβt bring herself to believe in some large spread conspiracy to completely gaslight her, so she went along with the psychiatric doctor's suggestions.
Once it became apparent that Neko wouldnβt harm herself or her daughter Abby she was prescribed antipsychotics and released. Fran, prompted by the doctorβs recommendation, offered to let Abby stay at her place while Neko got back on her feet. Neko agreed, still secretly refusing to believe that Abby was her daughter Nora but worried that expressing it would institutionalize her. Certainly itβd be deemed problematic if theyβd caught her scouring the internet for records of her real daughterβbut nowhere near as deeply disturbing as it was to Neko when she found something that shouldnβt be possible. Other people were looking for her daughter, or rather they were looking for a woman with the same name. It chilled her, but not as much as when someone posted about a place called Quintin, LouisianaβSwamptown.
βSwamp Grandma lives in Swamptown!β proudly echoed a childβs voice in the back of Nekoβs head. There was a moment of hesitation, a creeping fear that Neko was feeding a delusion, and then a tough decision. If Neko was wrong, this would likely hurt her daughter but she would still be okayβFran would protect her like she had Neko. But if Neko was right, something horrible had happened to Nora, something unnatural, and she could still be alive but be in danger. Neko couldnβt accept a reality where she didnβt try to save her daughterβor atleast find out what had happened to her. Neko joined the thread and shared her story: βI know this sounds crazy, but I am the mother of Eleanor Blackβ¦β
A short while later, Neko made her way down to Louisiana.
Paranormal Abilities βββββββββββββ "How can I handle this?"
She burnt sage before to βcleanseβ a new apartment. Does that count?
Other βββββββββββββ "I feel like Iβm drowning."
With help from the others, Neko was unable to find any records that show there to be a familial connection between her ex-husband Anthony Black and the Black family down in Louisiana. Given how a hard copy of Noraβs birth certificate was either replaced or perfectly altered to read another name, Neko has accepted the reality that a lack of a record does not necessarily prove anything.
_______________________________________________ Nori Jaye *REDACTED*
They/Them/She/Her | 28 | White | 5'5"| 125 lbs) _______________________________________________ Intense. _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I know a thing or two about a thing or two." ___________________________________
[Animal Friend] β«» Ever since Nori escaped from their abusive family they have always had a friend in her, and others, pets. Whether it is a cat, dog, bird, or something else Nori has always been an animalβs favorite human.
[Career Student] β«» Nori has been a career student ever since they graduated high school at the age of 16. There has not been a subject that they have fallen in love with, and as such they have accumulated numerous associate degrees and nothing more. Nori is very good at researching and has a wealth of knowledge at their disposal.
[Wicked Pot] β«» Nori is really good at making a good cup of coffee.
[Trust Fund Kid] β«» As she was de-facto adopted by her grandparents, and she was the only one to care for them in their waning years, she became the sole beneficiary of their bank, and retirement accounts. While it wasnβt a lot, it is still enough for Nori to continue with their schooling while she supplements it with income from working.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "I donβt know how many pink shirts I own and at this point I am too afraid to count."
Nori is never ignored in a crowd. When she is seen she always comes across as *intense*.
To say that they are another faceless body in a sea of people would be a colossal error. Nori is neither short nor tall, standing at a height of 5β5β and carries a small frame on an almost fragile looking body. She has no curves to speak of, despite being on hormones for a decade her genetics never had it in them. The hormones, and the blockers before them, helped shape their waist at least and that is the part of their body that they feel the most confident having exposed.
When one looks upon her, they often look away without gaining any useful information about who Nori is, however her eyes betray her rough upbringing. To most it looks like Nori is able to see through them, both physically and emotionally. People often find it very difficult to match her gaze. They are a very dark brown color that is close to black, though in direct sunlight their tones become clearer. The longer one is in Noriβs orbit the more lifelike her gaze becomes. They develop a bit more warmth, and the sharpness dulls.
Their hair is never without color. It has been so long that even Nori sometimes forgets what color it is naturally (it is a light brunette color). They go to a local salon every two weeks to reapply the color and get their roots touched up once a month. Nori knows that they are putting their stylistsβ kid through college with how much they spend, and they prefer to not dwell on the cost of the services. For the past decade Nori has been in their bubblegum era and their hair is three-toned, pink-blue-purple, and pastel.
Nori is also found covered in color. Their fits always follow the same basic pattern. Colorful shirt that matches one of the three colors of their hair, black bottom pieces, and accessories.
Nori has taken a fancy to the cyber singlism tattoo style and her body is covered in various pieces within that style, most notably on her chest, stomach, hips and thighs. Nori also loves watercolor tattoos. They a piece in this stye most notably on their right arm, running from just below their elbow to the top of their palm. In terms of body modifications Nori has a few. Most noticeable is their ears. Mirrored across both, Nori sports an industrial, a helix, and two piercings on the lobes themselves.
Psychology ββββββββ "I canβt let just anyone get close to me, not again. Not after her."
MAIN GOAL β«» Noriβs main goal in life is one of self-improvement. For themselves that is simply doing one step better today than they were yesterday. For those in her circle, her goal is to constantly and consistently uplift those around her. Nori has a driven desire to see her friends, her chosen families, succeed and she will do everything in her power to do so.
PHILOSOPHY β«» Nori believes that oneβs purpose is defined by the person. They do not believe in fate, they do not believe in a guiding force, and she does not believe that we walk a predetermined path. Instead, every action is a choice.
SECRETS β«»
Nori lives life stealth. No one knows who they were when they were born, and Nori does not share their secrets with most.
SEXUALITY β«»
Nori is Bisexual.
FEARS β«»
Nori fears her family. Every last one knew what her parents were doing, where they sent her, and they approved of every last horror that they experienced. As such, Nori is afraid that her family will finally track her down again. As well, they are afraid that her secrets will be outed.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«»
Eleanor Black was the first friend that Nori had as themself. Eleanor was the first face she would see in the morning, as the two would be the first souls on campus for those early classes. She was the first friend Nori had who knew her secrets and accepted her for who they were. Eleanor truly was the first person to become apart of Noriβs chosen family and for that she will forever hold a place in her heart.
FLAWS β«»
Nori is incredibly awkward around strangers. Like incredibly awkward. While she has a desire to meet new people, she still finds it very difficult to completely let down her walls and she often gets in her own way. They will often find themselves in bouts of prolonged eye contact with a piercing stare.
Nori is chronically ill. She has a rare genetic disorder that is currently treated by medication she has to take every three months however it is not 100% and she will often experience flare ups if she experiences physical trauma, whether minor or major. She does carry some rescue medication with her but she rarely needs to administer them.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "I donβt think I will ever remember my childhood in full, nor do I think I want to."
There was never a young Nori Jaye. In the beginning, there was only *REDACTED*, born to two people who should have never been together, nor have any kids. Her parents were hyper-religious, and they made every effort to bring their child into their flock. The few memories she has of her childhood revolve around going to, and coming back from, church and religious events.
The other memories she can remember clearly was when she first began to question her existence, and who she truly was. They knew from an early age that things felt wrong. The toys they gave *REDACTED* were not the toys that Nori wanted, the clothes they put *REDACTED* in always made her look like a boy and that made her feel wrong, and every expectation for the future was for one that Nori did not want to live in.
Eventually Nori would turn to God for help. She would stay awake, late into the night, praying for God to make their body and mind whole. When God was silent, she changed her prayer. Asking instead for God to take away the thoughts and feelings she was thinking. When God was silent, she changed her approach and went to her parents to get their help.
They did not help. Nori does not remember what happened afterwards, however she does know her parents would talk about how that camp should have cured them of these wicked desires. They would attempt to fix the issues themselves, and attempted to fix it they did numerous times. The rest of her childhood, and the entirety of her teenage years, was lived with a mission: hide away who they were and get away. She had support in both regards from her motherβs parents. They were the lone bright spot in a sea of hate. They allowed Nori to explore who they were in a safe spot, and had promised that if Nori ever needed it, she had a home far away.
Nori poured every ounce of her strength into her schooling. She excelled in every area of her studies, and she graduated two years early at 16. After her graduation, back at home, her parents finally made their move to get Nori out of their house for good and told her that she had 24 hours to get out and find their own way in the world. Nori knew they could not kick her out, but she knew that this was her chance to leave without any fuss. She contacted her grandmother, who flew out that day and took her to what would become her home for the next four years.
Within a year of moving in with her grandparents Nori would finally get the diagnosis for the illness that plagued her. A rare hereditary disorder that did not have any hereditary link, meaning she developed the mutation all her own.
Noriβs eighteenth year was one of change, and excitement. She had been on blockers for two years already, but she had finally started hormone therapy. As such, Nori was undergoing rapid and obvious changes that made their queerness very visible and that made Nori afraid. It was at a coffee shop, one week after her birthday, that she met Eleanor Black. Eleanor was a fellow student, and they shared an early morning class together at the University. They were always the first ones outside the classroom door, arriving earlier than even the professor. It was here the duo became fast friends. They talked about their rough childhoods, they talked about Nori and their transition, and they talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. Eventually, the two would make it a habit to meet up after classes to study together and more.
Over the next year Eleanor Black was the best friend Nori could ever ask for. Eleanor saw Nori at every step of their transition, helped Nori navigate their queerness, and broke the shell that Nori built around her.
Eventually Eleanor finished her degree and found a job across the country, and the parting of the two friends was bittersweet. Both made promises to visit, and both ensured the other that this was not the end of their friendship.
As the year dragged on, her grandfatherβs health began to decline, and he eventually passed away. Not long after, their grandmother would do so as well. They left Nori most of their money. It wasnβt enough to set them up for life, but it was enough to help them for a long time. It took Nori a while to recover from their demise. With the support of Eleanor from across the country Nori was able to move on and move forward.
Eventually Eleanor decided to fly back and spend a week with Nori as she mourned the loss further and Nori was ecstatic to have her best friend back. She got to the airport two hours earlier than needed and waited with a fun sign. She did not see Eleanor, but instead was rushed and hugged by a stranger who said she was her best friend. Nori played along, because the more they talked the more the experiences lined up. As the week ended, her friend returned home and Nori was left with a question that loomed larger than any other. The contact in her phone for Eleanor was under a different name, each photo they had together was different, and nothing made sense. Who was this Eleanor Black? And why did her memory of her not match reality?
Until she did more research and found others just like her who had experienced this same situation.
Nori wanted to know more.
Paranormal-Abilities βββββββββββββ "Quote about abstraction here."
"How about we don't do that"
_______________________________________________ Jordan Thomas Fuchs
He/Him | 24 | German-American | 6'3" | 180 _______________________________________________ Sociable _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I am not deluded, I doubt I could have ever gone pro.. in any sport. They are fun though." ___________________________________
[Friend of many] β«» Jordan has a way to become everyone's friends. Growing up it was his goal to turn bullies into buddies, and he far exceeded it. No matter who he meets he can quickly find a way to become a friend.
[Social Butterfly] β«» Jordan excels in groups of strangers. He quickly makes it a point to learn everyone's name, story, and will tailor his personality to make the strongest first impression. In these groups Jordan can often be the loudest, most commanding presence.
[College Graduate] β«» Jordan graduated with a degree in International Business Management. He does not work in that sector but he finished the degree just for the sake of his family.
[Amateur Athlete] β«» Ever since he was young Jordan has always loved the thrill of contact sports. He played football, and American football, and recently has begun to dabble in Gaelic Football. His biggest asset is his speed, both straight line and in his cuts.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "I may be simple but I am comfortable"
Despite his height it is hard to pick out Jordan in a crowd. His fashion is typically utilitarian underneath an odd assortment of sweaters and jackets. Jordan has never really felt the need to dress up more than what is needed, and that is not something that has bothered him. Jordan has brown eyes that mesh well with his slightly tan completion and dark hair. He keeps his beard long, but it is well groomed and healthy. His skin is completely free of blemishes, thanks in no small part to his familiesβ genetics and his skin care routine. Jordan will often wear a few different frames for his glasses, normally one that has a circle for one side and a square for the other. On the surface Jordan is a clean cut, and moderately attractive man.
Under the surface Jordanβs personal taste shows more. His muscular body is covered with tattoos. While there is no rhyme or reason to them, as he often visits local shops and purchases small tattoos from their flash, he does love them all equally. He has plans to get more done.
Jordan is also very muscular, which is often hidden under his clothing. Ever since he was young, he has been in the gym, whether training for sports or training to keep sad thoughts away. While he is not the strongest person on any given team, nor in a given location, his strength is function not form.
Psychology ββββββββ "Why should I develop my own when I can simply borrow yours."
MAIN GOAL β«»
Jordan's main goal in life is to always put his best foot forward and eventually start a family of his own. As well, he knows that he has yet to find his true calling. He knows that once he finds what it is it will help him reach his final goals.
PHILOSOPHY β«»
One's worth is not determined by their wealth, and one's strength is not based on their muscles.
Jordan does not believe there is one way to be successful. Whether you make a million dollars and are happy, or live in a van down by the river and are happy, it does not matter. As long as you are happy, and you take care of yourself, you are successful enough. As well, Jordan does not believe you need raw strength to be a strong person. The strongest people he has met were those who have overcome the most and not the ones who can put the most weights on a bar.
SECRETS β«»
Jordan cheated his way through university. He had no intent on even going to university however his hand was forced by his parents'. As such he had no drive of his own to actually graduate, and instead allowed his parents' to waste their money on this endeavor. Cheating was almost harder than actually studying but Jordan committed to it and graduated as a result.
SEXUALITY β«»
Jordan is somewhere on the bi spectrum. He prefers women 9 times out of 10 but that 1 time is enough that he considers himself not straight.
FEARS β«»
Jordan is afraid that he is destined to end up alone. Even now, he watches as friend after friend gets engaged or has a kid meanwhile he has been finding it harder and harder to connect with new romantic partners. He has always had a desire to raise a family and raise them well
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«»
Eleanor is Jordan's former partner. They dated for two whole years and broke up a year ago.
FLAWS β«»
Jordan often drinks an unhealthy amount of caffeine. People have voiced their concerns numerous times.
He also suffers from a martyr complex. He has a fear of death, however that fear wanes when it pertains to the misguided notion that his death could save someone else. He often thinks that a good death saving another, no matter who, would be a good enough reward.
Jordan does not have a true personality. He instead borrows elements of those around him. This has allowed him to befriend most, however it has made it impossible for him to develop the close attachments he truly craves.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "It was almost too perfect."
Conventional. The former star athlete had a very conventional family and conventional childhood.
Jordan grew up in New England to an upper middle-class family. His father worked for a major financial firm and his mother stayed at home. He had three siblings, one brother and two sisters, each a year apart from the next. His family paid their dues to get the four of them into the best schools they could. Early on Jordan began showing his natural athletic gifts and he was placed into sports early on. As he grew, so to did his skills in these sports. By the time he reached high school he was considered a very talented athlete with a lot of prospects ahead of him.
His parents pushed him to excel even more so than he already was. His father wanted to live that life vicariously, and he would force Jordan to forgo all personal wants to achieve it. He would wake up early, train, go to school, train after school, go home for homework, and then bed. This would repeat. Day in, day out. It was unrelenting. Even though he was getting burned out he pushed through it and kept at the grind. By the time he finished high school he had won a few state championships and had gotten some interest in some collegiate play.
He would end up competing at the college level for a short time, but he was never talented nor fast enough to compete fully. No matter how much he trained there was just a divide that was too far too cross. Eventually, after a few injuries slowed him further, he was off the team and the next phase of his life began.
It was at this time Jordan met Eleanor Black. She was a classmate of his and the two sat next to each other. She was always early, and he was always late. She was cute, more so than anyone else that Jordan had met up to this point and she tried to catch him up on topics he was late for. Eventually they swapped numbers, and met up for drinks, and drinks turned into a two-year relationship with more ups than downs. They would break up not long after that second anniversary as they were at two different points in life and in expectations for what would come next.
While the breakup was mutual, it still hurt Jordan and he would end up falling into a prolonged depressive episode. The two remained in contact with each other and eventually they agreed to meet up for food and to catch up. Only.. it wasnβt Eleanor that showed up. It was Allison. She did not look like the person he wanted to build a family with, she did not sound like his former lover, however she talked like she knew every fine detail about their time together. Whatβs more, she reminisced about some vacations they took together and showed him a photo that had come up in her memories and it was not Eleanor in the photo with him. Sure enough, as Jordan looked back at the photos each one had Allison. Each one had her name. His phone contact read Allison. His friends all remember how sweet Allison was and had no idea he dated someone named Eleanor.
Jordan has tried to put this whole ordeal behind him but no matter what he does, he can not shake the thought that something colossally fucked up happened and he cannot explain what. He has graduated, he has worked odd jobs, and he had made it a goal to just *forget* that she had even existed until, one night, when browsing the internet, Jordan would stumble on a post that would bring light to the chaos.
Others had experiences with this Eleanor. Each one is different, but at the same time not unique. In an instant all those thoughts returned and they reignited his desire to get to the bottom of what had happened, and who this Eleanor black truly was.
Paranormal-Abilities βββββββββββββ "Quote about abstraction here."
Other βββββββββββββ "OH, an ultimate frisby league! Do I have the time? Does it matter? Yes, I must join."
Anyyyything else?
"There, there, you're okay."
_______________________________________________ Olivia Anne Marie Weiss
She/Her | 19 | German-American | 5'3" | 120 _______________________________________________ Stout. _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "If there is a pattern I will find it." ___________________________________
[Out of the box] β«» Olivia has always had a knack for coming up with creative solutions to complex, and sometimes impossible problems. As long as she can see the start, and the destination, she can figure out the middle steps.
[Performance of a lifetime] β«» Olivia has been involved in theater her entire life. While her early plays left much to be desired, she quickly developed a passion for the craft. As well, she is a talented singer and has been working to get even better.
[A shoulder to cry on] β«» Olivia has always counted empathy as one of her strengths. When her friends or family need an ear to vent, or a shoulder to cry on, Olivia is always ready, able, and willing to help.
[Seamstress] β«» Olivia has had to sew, patch, and do it again ever since she first joined her first theater production. As such, as long as she has the supplies she can fix and mend any damage her favorite clothes suffer. As well, Olivia has also developed a knack for knitting. She has made scarves, gloves, and hats for friends and has been working on completing a knitted blanket.
[Photo and video editing] β«» Olivia has developed a solid skill set when it comes to editing her media. From her headshots, to videos posted to TikTok, and even clips of her performances Olivia has made it a mission to sell herself as high as possible and that starts with the quality of her own content.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "I mean it has a few patches but my grandma bought it for me ten years ago, I can't throw it out yet."
Olivia stands at a rather short height of 5β3β. She is a tiny character that moves through her life with grace in her step. Olivia is confident and she carries her posture as such. Her head is always held high, her steps carry with it the weight of her expectations, and her smile is ever present on her face. Her typical outfits are often simple, with most being items gifted to her by her extended family or things she has found thrifting. A lot of her clothes have been sewn and patched up more than once, and her favorite pieces have been under the needle too many times to count.
Olivia has dark hair that she carries long, going well past her shoulders, with the bangs draped over the front of her face. Oliviaβs eyes are a light blue that shine even brighter due to the paleness of her skin. Her eyes carry the same warmth that emanates from her smiles. Olivia, outside of a production, is often seen dressed in plain. She swears by the basics and will rarely dress up unless on a date or for an important event or meeting.
There are no tattoos nor any other body modification on her body. She thinks they are often pretty, and some even look like something she could wear; however she has never pulled the trigger on any yet. She did make a promise to her friend Eleanor that when she returned from her trip they would go and get matching tattoos.
Psychology ββββββββ "Listen, talk all you want I am here for you, you won't push me away."
MAIN GOAL β«»
Olivia's main goal in life is to become an actress. She has the talent, she has the drive, she will soon have the degree to back that up.
PHILOSOPHY β«»
Hard work equals success. While talent always plays a part in how far you go, having a solid work ethic and a good foundation of basic skills will take you far enough by itself.
SECRETS β«»
While she will always be a shoulder to cry on, but that does not mean she does it for free. Olivia will write down what was said in confidence, and keeps this journal hidden. She will often use this journal to supplement a character she is playing, adding little emotional facets from another's life. If someone were to discover this journal, it would paint her giving nature in a new light.
SEXUALITY β«»
Straight. While she finds women beautiful she has never really had any romantic nor sexual attraction to them.
FEARS β«»
Olivia is afraid that she is not as talented as she needs to be. She has had to work incredibly hard, much harder than she ever thought she could, and even still it feels like she might be on the outside looking in. Olivia is also afraid that she is forgettable.
Olivia is also terrified of what life will be if she does not make her dream a reality. So much of her life, her energy, has been invested in anticipation of the payoff of becoming a household name. If she fails, then all of this work would be for not and she does not know where that will lead her.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«»
Eleanor Black was Olivia's best friend for the entirety of high school. They did everything together, from band to the theater and every activity from there. They helped each other through relationships, rough times, and deaths in the families. While they ended up going to different schools after graduation, they have still kept in contact.
FLAWS β«»
Olivia is a naΓ―ve person who is often easily deceived by others. As such, she will often misplace her trust in others and this has, and will continue to, bite her in the ass.
Olivia is also easily obsessed, whether in an individual, an idea, or a role. This will lead to a hyper-fixation that can be nearly impossible to break out of. Once on the other side, she will often lament over the problems that arose during her obsession.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "There were lights, cameras, but not a lot of action."
Olivia Weiss is the sole child in her family to a middle-class family. Her father worked in some financial building somewhere downtown that drained life from his face, and her mother was a teacher at the elementary school that drained life from her soul. They were both loving parents despite their jobs, and Olivia was never left wanting while growing up. She had begun to show a knack for performance, as she was enrolled in a pre-school dance academy and was quickly declared the *star* of the program. Looking back, Olivia realized that everyone was told they were the star of the program. Regardless, Olivia took her newfound fame to heart and began to seek out new avenues for performance.
When she was in elementary school, she began to play the trombone and joined the choir program. She enjoyed playing music, however she never truly felt like it called to her. Still, with a push from her parents, she continued with both programs and developed a decent skill in both areas. When she hit middle school, she joined the theater program which helped her develop the foundational skills needed later on. By the time she reached High School she had grown quite comfortable and had high expectations for each avenue of self-expression, and even higher expectations for the drama club.
It was on the first day of Freshman year she would meet her future best friend, Eleanor Black. They were seated next to each other in their homeroom class and hit it off right away. Eleanor had recently moved to the district so she was excited to have a new friend, and Olivia could never have enough. The pair became inseparable before long. Even after the pair graduated High School, they kept close even though they are on opposite sides of the country. Olivia went to, and is still attending, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, meanwhile Eleanor is in college in California. The two have spent the past year far apart, but they keep connected through facetime.
It was on one of these calls where Eleanor lookedβ¦ different. Olivia thought at first that Eleanor was playing a prank and had one of her friends pretend to be her on their call. While the two had never had a prank relationship, Olivia assumed that this was another TikTok trend that had yet to cross her FYP. She even played along when βEleanorβ corrected her name, and said she was βDannyβ. The call was smooth, and eventually Olivia had to drop, and she signed off with her normal goodbye.
The next day she went to message Eleanor and saw that her contact was different. The name, the photo, and the profile attached to it were for that Danny person. Curious, she went into the photos, and she began a multi-hour lookback on her life told through a strangerβs lens. Every single shared memory had Olivia, but it did not have Eleanor. Danny was as present in Oliviaβs life as Eleanor was.
Olivia did not take well to this revelation. Even now she has fifty missed calls, and over a hundred texts from this 'Danny' person, and her parents have been asking what happened as well. They keep trying to pry for more information yet how do you tell your family that your friend is an imposter? A completely different person?
It wasn't until Olivia saw others online looking for this so called Eleanor Black that she felt a break from the mania. She decided that her sanity demanded answers, and if her friend was out there she had to be the one to find her.
Paranormal-Abilities βββββββββββββ "If you take those videos frame by frame you can see how they fake those ghost videos."
Other βββββββββββββ "Extra Quote here."
βLook, I wonβt let anyone tell me what I canβt do.β
_______________________________________________ Charlotte βCharlieβ Martin _______________________________________________ She/They | 22 | Afro-British | 5β6β | 189lb _______________________________________________ Tireless _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I ainβt naturally gifted, but hard work is a talent, right?β ___________________________________
Hard Worker β«» Charlieβs strongest talent. Sheβs not naturally good at much but she works herself to the bone at anything she focuses on. She focuses all her energy into whatever it is and rarely gives up.
Keeping Calm β«» As a nursing associate, training to be a full nurse, Charlie has dealt with her fair share of stress and emergencies. She can keep calm and focused in most situations.
First Aid β«» Charlie is trained in first aid, something she did as a teenager thatβs handy for her job.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "Try working twelve hour shifts without getting dark bags under your eyes."
Charlie would describe herself as average if asked. Sheβs downplaying her looks, but itβs difficult not to when she grew up with an objectively stunning mum. She stands just a bit taller than average, with a pear shaped body where most of her weight goes towards her hips and thighs. Sheβs fit thanks to a demanding job which has her on her feet most of the day, and healthier eating cause vegetables are just cheaper.
Overall Charlie takes more after her dad than her mum, inheriting his coily hair and dark brown eyes. Her hair falls to her shoulders and she likes to style it in various ways - buns, half up half down, braids and protective hairstyles that she learned from her grandmother (but hasnβt had time to do in a while). When sheβs not feeling like putting in the effort sheβll normally just pull it back into a simple ponytail or bun, especially for work. Her hair frames a soft, heart shaped face. She has thick, slightly darker lips and a wide, relatively undefined nose. Her dark eyes are always brimming with energy even though she has dark bags under them more often than not from lack of sleep. Her warm brown skin doesnβt have many marks, just a few scars here and there, and she only has the most basic of lobe piercings.
Style wise, Charlie wears a variety of clothes. She isnβt afraid to show off some skin, often found in crop tops with skinny jeans or leggings. She wears a mixture of colours - sometimes more low key with just black and denim, sometimes brighter colours. She especially likes reds, yellows and oranges and owns a lot of patterned tops in those colours. She normally has at least a light coating of makeup on, putting in more effort with eyeliner and brighter lip colours when she has the time.
Psychology ββββββββ "Yeah, I worked night shift last night, should I be tired? But thereβs so much to do, how can I just sleep?"
MAIN GOAL β«» Charlieβs main goal is to become a qualified nurse. Her secondary goal is to make enough to support herself and her dad so he can work lessβ¦ but thatβs much more far fetched.
PHILOSOPHY β«» Charlie believes in hard work and not giving up - with enough effort you can get where you want to be, even if you donβt have the natural talent. Even if you have to push yourself past your limit you should to reach your goals.
SECRETS β«» Her resentment towards her mum for leaving, and for her dad for being too stubborn to compromise. Sheβs resentful that her mum barely made an effort to see her, but sheβs repressed the feeling so much she hardly even accepts it. She also struggles with inferiority towards her mum and her talents, something sheβd never tell anyone. She also has a newly discovered fear of flying.
SEXUALITY β«» Pan. Charlie figured out her attraction isnβt really affected by gender in late highschool, and has gotten with various people. She hasnβt had a serious relationship, though.
FEARS β«» Abandonment. Though she pretended everything was fine, Charlie felt abandoned by her mum at a young age. She clings onto the infrequent relationship they have left and fears it happening in other relationships.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«» Eleanor Black is Charlieβs mother. She is very much a hands off parent, and not the custodial one of Charlie . They saw each other about four times a year from when Charlie turned 5. Nonetheless, Charlie is very attached to her.
FLAWS β«» Charlie has a bad habit of completely ignoring her own needs in favour of others. Mostly just because she doesnβt pay attention to herself, and sheβs gotten a bit used to it. She just sometimes kinda forgets to look after herself too. She is almost too hard working and just doesnβt know when to give herself a break. Her seemingly constant energy and socialness can often be annoying, especially to introverts. She can be a lot. Also she tends to cover up her negative feelings, completely disregarding them and forcing herself to be positive about it all. She can also be pretty stubborn and headstrong.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "Thought I had a pretty standard life till my mum fucking disappeared."
Charlieβs story starts with her parents - Eleanor Black and Andre Martin. They were opposites in many ways, with Eleanor being a loud, energetic artist and Andre a hard working nurse who liked to keep to himself. They met by chance when Eleanor ended up in the hospital where Andre worked in Newcastle. Their connection sparked instantly and they started dating a few weeks after Eleanor was discharged.
Just over half a year later Eleanor found out she was pregnant. After fighting, crying and making up they decided to keep the baby and to marry - it seemed the best idea for their future, unborn child. That was how Charlie came into the world. At first life was happy, if not perfect. It was difficult for the newlyweds to support themselves and a new baby off just a nurseβs salary and what Eleanor made from selling art. But they made it work.
It didnβt last. Charlie was only four when her parents started fighting every week, and five when they started the process of a divorce. Her mother didnβt want to be tied down to one place. Sheβd been in an artistic slump since Charlie was born and she needed to see the world to help with that. Andre stubbornly refused to move - Charlie was still young, and theyβd built a life here. They were both too different. They didnβt get anywhere so they divorced.
Eleanor moved out of their small home, staying in Newcastle for only a month before jetting away. Andre had full custody of Charlie at Eleanorβs request, though Eleanor had visiting rights. Young as she was, Charlie couldnβt understand why her mum was abandoning her. It didnβt take long for the happy memories of the three of them to seem like nothing more than a dream.
From then on Charlie saw her mum maybe four times a year at most, because Eleanor very quickly became an incredibly successful and prolific artist. She started school without her there to see her off. Her dad tried his hardest to take her from and to school, to fill in the shoes of two parents at once but it was difficult when his job had such long, awkwardly timed hours. There were weeks when she hardly saw him either, staying with her grandmother (his mother) who thankfully lived in the area. From then on she was self-sufficient because she saw how much her dad struggled. She resented, even hated, her mum for not being there.
The rest of Charlieβs childhood itself was relatively normal aside from the divorce, in her eyes. She went to school, got average grades and made a few alright friends. As she got older she pushed the resentment she had towards her mum deep down, somewhere she wouldnβt touch, and kept moving forward with her life. She just couldnβt hate her. Young as she was Charlie was very attached to her mum, and any anger she had about the situation was directed at her dad - the one always there.
Eleanor was there for some of Charlieβs important moments - when her exam grades came out, comforting Charlie over her first breakup, when she finished highschool. She just wasnβt there for all of them. But that was fine. Charlie had her dad after all.
She looked forward to whenever her mum would visit, listening to her amazing tales about the places sheβd visited and looking at her paintings in awe. Spending time with Eleanor was always fun, a breath of fresh air from the monotony of her life with a somewhat boring dad (that she loved much more than her mum). She had so much to talk about, telling Charlie about a world she hadnβt seen because they couldnβt afford to travel. Sometimes Eleanor would even talk about her hometown, a swamp filled place so different from the grey streets of Newcastle. Charlie would ask about her family too, but Eleanor would always sidestep the question. It wasnβt a pleasant place to visit, she said, but maybe Iβll take you one day.
Of course she didnβt, because Eleanor only spent a week at a time with Charlie before jetting off. Charlie continued through life and finished highschool. She applied for nursing courses at University, wanting to follow in her dadβs footsteps. He took her to all the university open days, helped with the forms and applications. When Charlie didnβt get into any because her grades werenβt good enough he comforted her. Eleanor just told her it wasnβt meant to be over the phone. She just didnβt have the talent.
Charlie didnβt believe that. She didnβt have the natural talent for what she wanted to do like Eleanor had, but she had the work ethic - her dad had taught her that, and the energy sheβd inherited from Eleanor allowed her to push herself to work harder than ever. So she found an alternative route, getting a job as a nursing associate at the same hospital Andre worked at. It was hard, but rewarding. Charlie loved working with people.
At this point Charlie hadnβt seen Eleanor since she was in highschool - sheβd almost given up on seeing her again, assuming her mum was just too busy with her burgeoning fame. When she got a text that Eleanor was visiting the UK in a month, and would be staying a few weeks, she was over the moon. She rushed to get a bit of time off work, helping Eleanor find a place to stay and planning what they could do. It had been almost two years since sheβd last seen herβ¦ she couldnβt wait to hear all of Eleanorβs stories, to hug her and tell all her own. She hoped Eleanor was proud of her.
When Charlie opened the door expecting her mum she found a stranger. She must have the wrong, Charlie thought, before the stranger greeted her as if they knew each other. The stranger didnβt even ask before walking right into her home, as if sheβd been there plenty of times before. Charlie followed awkwardly, not sure whether to kick the woman out or call the police. But she found her dad talking to her amicably - Sophia was her name. A friend of his, then? But Charlie had never heard of or seen this woman and it wasnβt like Andre could just sneak someone into their house. Then he said something that completely confused her.
βCharlie, why donβt you get your mum a cup of tea?β
What the fuck. Charlie was certain she was hallucinating, it must be from overworking and not sleeping. Her dad was here treating this Sophia - this stranger - as someone he knew well, and as her mum. Charlie had never seen this person before. She spent the next week feeling as if she wasnβt there, relieved when Sophia left. But with her leaving Charlie was left with a feeling of emptiness and disconcertment. Where was her real mum, Eleanor Black? How come her dad thought Sophia was her mum, and Sophia was somehow texting from Eleanorβs phone.
In a fit of what felt like madness Charlie dug through her dads files for her birth certificate. It had two names on it - Andre Martin, and Sophia Blake. Then she turned to the internet, because her mum was a well known artist. But every single painting sheβd done, every gallery and article about her, was attributed to Sophia. There wasnβt a sign of Eleanor Black anywhere. It was as if sheβd just vanished and only Charlie remembered her. Sheβd never felt so unsettled. She tried talking to her dad, but all she got in return was concern that she wasnβt looking after herself.
Even her dad, the man who had both loved and hated Eleanor, didnβt remember her.
Charlie tried to put it to the back of her mind for a couple of months, working as if nothing had happened and pretending everything was ok. But it was always at the back of her mind, a niggling fear and horrible feeling that her entire life had been a lie. It just didnβt make sense. She checked online semi-regularly just in case something new came up - and it did. A whole forum of people looking for her mumβ¦ Well, looking for someone called Eleanor Black. Everyoneβs stories were wildly different. It was as if Eleanor had been so many different peopleβ¦ Charlie couldnβt quite believe it. Must be a prank. But she kept reading because there were similarities. The fact that Eleanor Black was from Quintin, Louisiana for one. Her mum had told her about that town, the place she was born, but had never given any details.
If people were going to Quintin to find out what had happened, then she had to as well.
She scraped together her savings, took long term leave from work and got on the next plane that got her as close to Quintin as possible.
Paranormal-Abilities βββββββββββββ "Nah, youβre gonna have to show me proof of that. Magic ainβt real."
Charlie is blind.
Other βββββββββββββ "I've always wanted to go to America, but I thought it would be with my mum, not like... this."
This was Charlieβs first time leaving the country, before the farthest sheβd gone was London once. It was also her first time on a plane. She didnβt like the experience.
"Honestly - get out of my goddamn face. Ain't got nothin' to say to you."
_______________________________________________ Zeltzin Sandoval She/Her | 27 | Hispanic (Mexican) | 5'8" (69.6in) | 142lbs _______________________________________________ Stubborn _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "You learn some things, growin' up like I did." ___________________________________
[Persuasive] β«» Even after her accident, Zeltzin is a very.. persuasive person. She can usually manage to get her way, whether it be through deception, intimidation, or just raw muscle. [Coordinated] β«» Zeltzin is very coordinated, both physically and mentally. She is fast and accurate with her movements, especially when it comes to handling tools, gear, vehicles, etc. and is a strong and fast thinker, giving her an edge in high-speed situations. Of course, her leg limits her somewhat. [Adrenaline-fiend] β«» Zeltzin is.. well, she has a history of pushing herself past her limits. She always knows when to stop - but doesn't always care. She can push much further than others once she's hopped up on the high of the moment - or if she just doesn't care anymore. This obviously has some less-than-ideal long-term effects, but don't tell her that.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "..nah, it doesn't fuckin' hurt at all."
If one were to try and describe Zeltzin's appearance in one term, "simplistically beautiful" wouldn't be far from the truth. While nothing about her particularly stands out from the norm, with her features combined she is admittedly quite attractive - even if her personality doesn't exactly match.
Zeltzin possesses a narrowly-heart-shaped face that, while naturally expressive, is usually relegated to some form of surly countenance. Said face is framed loosely by chest-length, thick brown hair that contrasts somewhat with her lighter, yet smoothly-tanned, skin. The darker composition of her features continues finally with her eyes, which are a simple, dark brown - which, next to her thickish, expressive brows, appear somehow piercing, despite their relative lack of animation.
Her Hispanic genes don't just stop at her face, of course. Apart from being a bit taller than average at 5'8", Zeltzin is still a relatively petite figure, aside from the curvaceousness of her lower half. This "daintiness", however, is far from who she really is. Closer inspection reveals her to have a particularly toned physique, with definite focus on her biceps and abdominals.
One would rarely be able to notice such features withal, due to the unrevealing nature of her wardrobe. Leather jackets, long-sleeved Ts, jeans, pants, jean jackets, boots, and things of the like are common for her. She cares little for others opinions on her apparel, and wears what she wears usually to suit a certain function, or to fit her own tastes.
All-in-all, Zeltzin is devoid of any truly glaring features, except one -- a noticeable limp which is often accompanied by abated grimaces - something that oddly polarizes her status as an otherwise healthy young woman.
MAIN GOAL β«» Zeltzin doesn't really.. have a main goal in life, really. For most of it she just.. goes with what she's been given. She makes a living where she can and never really thinks too far past that point. But, if she had to think about it.. she really wouldn't have it another way - living life one foot in front of the other is probably what suits her best.
PHILOSOPHY β«» What happens, happens. There's not much point in dwelling over things that have ailed you. Shrugging it off, shoving past it, or just ignoring your problems may not be the "healthiest" or whatever, but it works, for the mostpart.
SECRETS β«» Zeltzin has semi-recently developed a dependency for pain medication.
SEXUALITY β«» Bisexual
FEARS β«» Zeltzin's greatest fear is being left alone to cope with her pain.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«» Eleanor and Zeltzin had a deeply loving romantic relationship before Ms. Black's sudden disappearance. Before then, Eleanor was the only shoulder that Zeltzin could lean on after a brutal motorcycle accident left her leg ravaged. Eleanor was the only thing that drove her to get back in the saddle again, and for that, among other things, Zeltzin is forever indebted to her. After Eleanor's disappearance, though, Zeltzin has grown more and more bad-tempered and testy.
FLAWS β«» Zeltzin not only has a pretty short fuse and an unapproachable disposition, but is also a rather poor cooperator. She has her own reasons to look for Eleanor, and couldn't give less fucks about anybody else's. Additionally, she has a nasty addiction to painkillers, due to a piece of shrapnel imbedded in her leg having caused nerve-damage.
Zeltzin's upbringing was nothing if not a bit.. rough. It could've been worse - but it could've been much better - at least in some folk's eyes.
Being raised in a not-so-well-off area of town by a struggling single mother, she did not enjoy as many luxuries as others did, nor did she get to experience much of any sort of family dynamic. Her mother was always working to support them, leaving Zeltzin to her own devices. Growing up, she had decent grades and less-than-decent friends, with little desire to really change anything about her circumstances. She was just "content", if you could call it that. Ganging up with the "wrong" crowds didn't seem too bad to her - what wasn't there to like about booze, cash, and freedom from the expectations of bosses or whatever?
In fact, Zeltzin enjoyed the freedom of such a lifestyle so much that she had begun making moves towards becoming a career criminal, of sorts. She was making connections - connections that valued her ability to swindle, muscle, or otherwise acquire certain goods from certain crowds.
At least, that was true until she faced a brutal motorcycle accident that sent her directly into emergency care.
It took months upon months for her to recover. Considering the depth and severity of her injuries, which mostly encompassed her right leg, right arm, and torso, Zeltzin's doctors had a tough run of returning her to her former functionality. For the most part, she recuperated very well. However, the depth of damage to her right leg was quite severe - a few pieces of shrapnel having caused nerve-damage - and some of said shrapnel being inoperable due to its precarious location.
This left Zeltzin utterly defeated. She was physically broken and, though she wouldn't admit it, terrified of even thinking about riding again. And she would have been financially fucked, too, if she didn't have the connections she did to cover the sizable medical fees.
But.. fate did not have only destruction in mind for her.
Due to the long-term nature of her wound and the atrophy her leg went through as she healed, if Zeltzin wanted to ever walk or run again, physical therapy was a necessity. And that was how, through the contrite hand of fate, she met the love of her life - Eleanor Black.
Eleanor Black was her physical therapist, and eventually, a reason to carry on for Zeltzin. While it was rocky at first, they eventually began to fall for each other, and grew to be more than just therapist-patient.
Over a year later, the two moved in together. And Eleanor somehow got Zeltzin to get back in the saddle of a motorbike again. After a few years, Zeltzin had moved on to more clean enterprises - eventually earning a living through racing semi-professionally instead of the suspicious tracks she had been into before. Life was turning up for her.
And then.. Eleanor vanished.
Without a trace, the love of her life was gone. Zeltzin was worried. Confused. Angry. Eleanor never returned, and Zeltzin was heartbroken. Life had taken everything from her again. And this time there was nobody there to help her get through it.
After Eleanor's disappearance, Zeltzin's demeanor soured considerably. Her chill, carefree, adventurous bearing rotted away into something more.. cross with the world. Now, people only describe her as "surly", "crabby", or "asshole".
But, she still holds.. something close to her heart. As evident by her discovery of an online medium through which there were a bunch of strangers trying to find her Eleanor. If she weren't looking for it, she never could've found such a thing.
So, it seemed there was only one option.. she was going to Quintin, Louisiana. She wasn't going to let a bunch of strangers go on a manhunt for Eleanor without her. And.. part of her thought that maybe, just maybe, they could find something. Anything.
And not once did it cross her mind that she might not know Eleanor was well as she thought.
_______________________________________________ Eugene Kurt Watson
He/Him | 31 | Caucasian | 6β0 | 142lbs _______________________________________________ Deceit _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I learned this one at bible camp." ___________________________________
Lockpicking β«» A talent, naturally, kept hidden but Gene is a savant when it comes to picking the locks of doors, cars, even a safe on one or two occasions. He does naturally require some kind of tool, especially the more complex a lock it is, but he has yet to encounter one he couldnβt make sing.
Engineering β«» His apprenticeship of choice, heβs not a specialist and his expertise tends towards factory machine maintenance but Gene is comfortable with a toolkit and can work his way around stubborn cars or a faulty toaster if needs be.
Urban Survivalist β«» With his upbringing below the poverty line and his choice of work later in life, Gene is something of an expert in making it through the days on the streets. Shoplifting dinner, pickpocketing bus fare and keeping a low profile during it all. Mama would be proud.
Slickster β«» A master at spinning elaborate webs of deceit, designed to separate some poor fool from their money. Gene is charming and deceptively good at reading people. Even those who can tell the superficiality in his words have often found themselves still wanting to believe them.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "Nothinβ special about me, friend."
Gene Watson is both unremarkable enough to not stick in your memory and unique enough as to not seem like heβs trying too hard to blend in. He always appears laid back and affable but with some strange guard surrounding it, like speaking to a coworker you donβt know all that well. Thereβs always some level of performance to his mannerisms. He may not monologue or flair dramatically all that often, but he clearly enjoys listening to himself.
In keeping with his relaxed demeanour, Gene sports a long and messy head of black hair, more on the "mop top" side than the mullet side. Along with a scraggly beard that, coupled with his lithe figure and unkempt style, straddles the line between charmingly roguish and "rat-like". The only failing in his air of civility are his eyes, half-closed and dull grey yet always alert - either in focus or in preparation to flee as the situation may warrant. While his frame is very lean, bordering on gangly, his job under the hot Texas sun has given him an athletic, if not well-defined, body. The only giveaway of anything close to a hard life are the occasional faint bits of scarring on his hands and face.
Gene's dress sense is more than a little conspicuous from the point of view of the average person but generally right at home within Texas. Black stetson hat to combat the sun combined with generally loose-fitting clothing to keep as cool as can be in the dry air. He avoids darker colours for the same reasons and tends towards an overshirt over a graphic tee that also serves to hide his build. Ensemble completed by light coloured chinos and dark brown cowboy boots. A climate fitting wardrobe and a deceptively good one to obscure yourself with.
Psychology ββββββββ "Hey, bud, can you keep a secret? Thereβs this Nigerian princeβ¦"
MAIN GOAL β«» To emancipate himself from the exceedingly soul crushing existence that is working full time for minimum wage and with zero hope of progression. Heβd escaped it once only to be forced back in by necessity. More unrealistically, heβd also enjoy not looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life and keeping his head down.
PHILOSOPHY β«» People are, broadly speaking, snakes with varying levels of depths theyβre willing to sink to in order to survive. If someone gets upset at you ripping them off, itβs really only because you did it to them first before they could do it to you. Gene doesnβt go out of his way to be an asshole and isnβt quite at the level of a sociopath but his experiences in life have taught him that greed exists in every person, the only way to not end up as a statistic or a sad story is simply to weaponize your own immorality better than others.
SECRETS β«» Eugene Watson of Ward County, Texas is an alias. In truth, he is Floyd Dillinger from Macon, Georgia. A wanted con-man, stick up artist and criminal, living hidden in plain sight after changing his appearance and erasing his identity.
SEXUALITY β«» Gene is heterosexual but has only had one romantic relationship with a genuine emotional connection.
FEARS β«» Seemingly fears the βregularness of lifeβ and, to a lesser extent, living with the things heβs done that have ultimately brought him right back where he started. More saliently heβs also terrified at being caught and arrested.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«» Partner-in-crime, best friend, lover. Eleanor rescued Floyd from a life of petty existence and the duo cut a swathe of scams and robberies across the deep south.
FLAWS β«» Floyd Dillinger began as - and deep down still is - an earnest and not-all-that-bad guy whose brain naturally leans towards dishonest solutions for the multitude of problems he faces. But time has hardened him into a man who wears the skin of an extravagant slickster like a shield. He is prone to taking the low road and thinking the worst of people and situations because itβs never steered him wrong. His need for importance or screwing over established power structures is borderline pathological even when trying hard (though not hard enough) to move beyond his chequered past. He is prone to cowardice, self-loathing and introspection, which is then covered up by showmanship, manipulation and deceit.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "Iβm boring, friend. You wouldn't wanna hear about me."
Eugene Watson was born in Ward County, Texas. He studied communications at Texas State University. He works as a gas station attendant at Chevron. He has a cell phone number, a passport, driverβs licence and social security number. He spends his days at work and his evenings and weekends at home by himself.
Eugene Watson does not exist.
Floyd Dillinger was born in Macon, Georgia. The third son of a struggling working class family. His mother a cleaner and his father slaving in a dead end factory job. As a small boy, Floyd would accompany them on their shifts - due to not being able to afford a babysitter - and routinely saw bosses, customers and co-workers alike take advantage of his parentβs good yet naive and weak natures. In spite of his protests, they routinely tried to instil the same values into him, about working hard and treating people with respect even when it wasnβt earned. By the time he regularly attended elementary school, Floyd had already begun stealing money from the worksites for himself.
Determined to not follow the same path as his family, Floyd started hustling other kids well into his teens. Falling in with a bad crowd who alleviated their boredom via theft and random acts of vandalism. When things started getting serious, it wasnβt long until the police were involved. Facing the very real threat of a juvenile detention centre snapped some sense into Floyd, coupled with how hard his family fought for his side even when he really hadnβt deserved it. Out of a desire to change things and more than a degree of sympathy for his family, Floyd knuckled down his last few years of high school and managed to secure an apprenticeship after graduating.
It wasnβt too bad, initially. There was a sense of purpose that Floyd hadnβt anticipated and he felt more than a little happy at how proud his family were of the man heβd become. The issues began arising a year in when his apprenticeship ended. He wouldnβt be kept on. Despite jumping through the hoops and dotting his iβs all he got was a handshake and a βmaybe next quarter, son.β He found himself working a minimum wage factory job just like his father in short order. His family were supportive but it fell on deaf ears, heβd ended up as the very kind of person he was terrified of becoming.
Then, one day, she showed up. A woman claiming to be an inspector of some importance with all the paperwork to back it up. She took a tour of the factory while the boss kissed up to her at every turn. It made Floyd sick. That was, until lunch. When the factory floor was mostly empty and he happened to see a certain inspector of some importance pocket the wallets from every coat in the office before nonchalantly leaving the office then right out the front door. He was pretty sure she winked at him from the corner of his eye. Cutting his shift short, Floyd followed her. A confrontation ensued, demands for an explanation, threats, mistrust. Until Floyd started criticising her approach, pointing out with the speed she went at she couldβve taken everything during the morning break and been out the factory much faster among other flaws in her scheme. She smiled, then she held out her hand, shutting him up.
Her name was Eleanor Black.
Floyd put in his notice a day later and left town not long after. Barely giving his family a goodbye before he hopped in a car with Eleanor and the two drove off with no destination in mind save for their shared distaste of modern life and desire for thrill.
Together, the duo cut a path of debauchery throughout the south. They started small, bars and restaurants where they'd concoct elaborate stories to trick people out of the contents of their wallets. Wasn't long before they added full on thefts and B&E's to their repertoire, along with the rare hold-up of service stations or corner stores when they needed to quickly refill the coffers. The police reports shot up wherever they went, and soon enough their fame started catching up to them.
Their standards of living shot down as they'd routinely camp out far from towns so as not to get recognised but they didn't care. It wasn't about the money or the things it afforded, Floyd felt alive. More than a statistic or a number on a badge or a troublemaker or a criminal. He felt like he existed, he and this wonderful woman who may have stoked his worst impulses but understood him in a way no one else did.
There was one time, beneath the stars on a humid night in Florida. They were both drunk out of their minds - courtesy of the "generosity" from their latest mark. Eleanor, who guarded her own past with humour or coy deflection, began telling Floyd about herself. Where she lived, what it was like, why she left. "Swamptown USA" Floyd had laughed. "If you still don't want to tell me, don't worry about it." He said, then turned and fell into a heavy alcohol-assisted slumber.
The following morning they went into town for one last scam for the road before splitting state for somewhere else. Eleanor was distant, quiet. She got like that sometimes before an act, focus maybe. They stepped into the store, pieces kept securely in their pockets. No one ever got hurt, they were smart about it, preform with enough force and people will fold however you want them. Floyd hadn't even fired his gun once throughout their career.
"Empty the register!" He yelled with a click as the clerk found himself eye-to-eye with a nine millimetre. Behind Floyd, Ellie worked crowd control just like they always did. The clerk hesitated, as they always did, but a more forceful repeat of the request by Floyd made him co-operate. Their bag halfway full, a bell and a crash rung behind Floyd. He whipped his head around to see someone charging out the store, screaming for help, he turned further to find the store empty. No customers, no Eleanor. When he turned back, the clerk had hidden under the counter and pressed an alarm. Floyd could already hear sirens.
What followed was a blur. The pure survival instinct of a wild animal beset upon by hunters. Flashes of red and blue, running from alley to alley, hiding beneath cars and debris. Spending the night in a drain with the rest of society's shit. In the early hours after stealing new clothes from a washing line and keeping a thirty metre berth from any passer-by, Floyd made it to a payphone. He punched in the number Eleanor had made him memorise. It went through to a hardware store in South Carolina. Phrases were exchanged and all Floyd was left with with was a two day timezone to lay low and vague directions on where to go to be picked up at dawn of day three. By some divine miracle for a guy that really didn't deserve it, Floyd made it. Shuffled into the back of a hardware van and tucked amongst tools and furniture, being told his new name, history, likes and dislikes as he was whisked from car to car towards his new life.
The first few months were hell. Gripped in paranoia and constantly second guessing every decision, lest it blow his cover. He'd long since grown out his neatly-cut dirty blonde hair into a long dyed black mane along with his clean shaven jaw giving way to a scraggly Jesus beard. But it never felt enough. It wasn't until the support from his "disappearers" stopped when his money dried up and he was forced to begin providing for himself did he regain some semblance of normality. Working quietly in a shitty job in some nowhere town. Only this time he didnβt have Eleanor or his family to fall back on.
Then, one day, he saw a news story that ran about one half of a notorious stick-up duo being arrested in Chicago. Partner and lover of the notorious βPretty Boyβ Floyd Dillinger, Elizabeth Burrows. It stopped Gene cold. She was differentβ¦ radically different actually. Sheβd gone so above and beyond the changing of the identity thing that she was like a completely different person. Horrified for her and panicked for his own safety, Floyd took three different buses to the furthest away library and logged in to their computers (then enabled private browsing as if that made any difference). Searching Elizabeth Burrows turned out several results for all kinds of cons committed by the two of them. But searching Eleanor Black turned up very little of anything. Had she really trusted him so little as to not even tell him her real name? Every clip he watched of Elizabeth seemed wrong in a vaguely familiar way, like she was a memory of Eleanor instead of the woman herself. It filled him with dread as he frantically looked through everything pertaining to both names.
She was going to fold on him, tell the world where he was and how to get him, she wasnβt the real Eleanor, it was some kind of sting to get at him, it had to be! Then he stumbled across a forum on page twenty-seven of the Eleanor Black search. People describing the woman he knew, details about her life that they couldnβt possibly have known. Lives sheβd led that she couldnβt possibly have done so. Confused, scared and against his better judgement, Gene joined the forum under a pseudonym and joined the conversation.
βSwamptown U.S.Aβ. Thatβs where they were going.
Maybe they were all just a bunch of nuts, maybe Gene really had lost his mind, maybe Eleanor really never cared about him and that truly was her being held by the state. Or maybe she was in Louisiana, calling for him with a con only he would know.
Whatever it was, Gene left with a renewed sense of purpose. Texas had long since gotten old anywayβ¦
Paranormal-Abilities βββββββββββββ "Magic? Sure, feller, anβ I got a bridge to sell ya."
Other than a magically loose set of morals, Gene is blind.
Other βββββββββββββ "Believe me, ain't no honour among thieves... 'cept for you an' I, of course."
As part of his "hiding in plain sight" disguise, Gene tends to use foundation make-up to hide some of his more obvious scarring, eliminating the public pool from his already narrow list of possible activities.
A lot of the Gene Watson character is based on westerns that Floyd seen growing up, therefore his performance can occasionally veer into hammy or overplaying it at times.
"Just because I don't do it anymore doesn't mean I can't do it."
___________________________________
Office Politics β«» Harmony always had a knack for spotting the unspoken alliances, the fallings out, and just where to push to get an advnatage. She's still got it, even if she doesn't work in an office any more.
Law β«» Harmony was actually an excellent criminal defence lawyer before she became addicted to illicit substances. She may no longer be licensed to practice, but that doesn't make her understanding of it any lesser.
Appearance
βββββββββββββ
"Not exactly my best."
Harmony has that slightly gangly look of a teen just grown into her height, except she's looked that way for the last decade and a half. She has the kind of figure that could easily be called graceful, except she has precisely zero ounces of grace in her entire body. The fact that she stands taller than most women doesn't help, and her height only seems to enhance the awkwardness with which she holds herself, and the slenderness of her body.
Not that you would notice anything about Harmony's body, as first you would have to notice Harmony herself. Harmony may be unusually tall for a woman, but like many tall women, she does everything she can to reduce the attention she receives, poor posture and a bowed head are the name of the game when it comes to Harmony, and not because she spends too much time glued to instagram, although that hasn't helped.
As for the rest? Harmony usually looks pale, almost sickly, and the cause of that are the many scars on her arms. Some small and neat, others larger and more ragged, as things got harder. Strangely, despite all of the other indications of her long-term drug use, Harmony has surprisingly clear skin.
As is the tendancy of those trying to hide who they are, harmony trends towards baggy clothing, t-shirts, combats, sweatpants, they all find a place somewhere in her wardrobe. She has a taste for fashion, and anyone that shares it would be able to tell that there has been some attempt to co-ordinate an outfit, but it wars with her shame and guilt.
Psychology
ββββββββ
"Used to be a bitch, still kind of a bitch but I'm trying harder now."
MAIN GOAL β«» Harmony knows what her parent's expected, but she's not so sure what she expects of herself. Not now anyway. Really she's just trying to put her life back together, and all of that starts with the person that stopped it from ending.
PHILOSOPHY β«» No matter how much you want to, you can't blame others for your fucked up life. Harmony is the person behind her own mistakes, nobody else. She has to own them, and do her best to redeem herself. Her life used to be about herself, about getting ahead no matter what the cost. She has a lot of making up to do.
SECRETS β«» Most people assumed that Harmony's overdose was an accident, in fact it was a deliberate suicide attempt.
SEXUALITY β«» Harmony is bisexual.
FEARS β«» That there really is no redemption. Harmony is afraid that no matter what she does, she will really never be able to come back from the rock bottom she hit. She was given a second chance at life, and she is terrified that she won't be good enough to deserve it.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«» Eleanor Black was Harmony's neighbour, an ER doctor who arrived home to see Harmony's apartment door open and found Eleanor unconscious with an empty needle beside her.
FLAWS β«» Slow to trust. Harmony worked her way up in the cut throat world of criminal law, defending, in some cases, some of the worst examples of humanity. On top of that she's done some pretty shitty stuff herself, so she knows just how selfish people can be.
Prone to addiction. First it was alcohol, then painkillers, then even worse substances. Harmony has to keep a tight hold of her tendencies for fear of falling back into the same old patterns.
Backstory
βββββββββββββ
"Pretty sure I saw this one on Netflix..."
Harmony grew up in your average white-collar suburban american family. Two point five kids (actually three) white picket fence and a dog. Harmony's parents were hardly wealthy, but they were well-off enough to make sure that their kids got extra tutoring when they needed it and she managed to achieve highly enough that she earned a generous scholarship to Stanford Law.
She did well in Law School, hardly the top of her class, but with a solid enough record of attainment that she was taken on as a first year associate in a small law firm in LA. She proved to be better in the field than in academia, and swiftly earned a name for herself. Law firms are cut throat places and Harmony, it turned out, was excellent at the office politics game. Harmony was rapidly proving herself to be one of the best associates in the firms history when she was injured by one of her own clients.
The man snapped in the long wait for the Jury to return, attacking Harmony in the interview room. The guard managed to get in there to stop him, but by that point she had already endured a fractured skull and severe internal damage.
Though Harmony survived, she was prescribed powerful painkillers, and before long, developed a dependency on them. She managed with that addiction for a while, but it wasn't long before her work started going down hill, eventually someone senior realised what was happening and Harmony was fired to protect the firm.
It wasn't such a great step down from there to more powerful drugs to bury the pain of her failure. Things got worse, and struggling to find work, Harmony found her funds taking a rapid dip. Promising her parents that there would be a turn around, she borrowed money. She borrowed money from her siblings. Yet all of it disappeared into the black hole of her habit.
Realising how far she had fallen, Harmony made a decision to take herself out of her family's life, and the lives of those around her. Deciding to go out on a high, she blew the last of her money on the best heroin she could afford, and planned her death.
She woke up in a hospital bed with her neighbour, Eleanor Black asleep in the chair beside her. They had been neighbours, but beyond the occasional pleasantries had hardly said a word to each other. Yet Eleanor had saved her life. She'd done something totally selfless. Eleanor helped Harmony get home, sponsored her to an addicts support group, everything a best friend might do. Harmony couldn't believe how generous her otherwise anonymous neighbour had been.
Then one day she was simply gone. The new resident in the apartment claimed to have lived there for years, none of the group she attended every week remembered her. She had just ceased to exist. Driven to the edge of distraction by the apparent fact that she had somehow imagined the person who had saved her life, she started questioning everything about her new lease on life.
Then in her search for answers she found that she wasn't the only person who had met Eleanor Black...
Paranormal-Abilities
βββββββββββββ
"Quote about abstraction here."
Other
βββββββββββββ
"Guess I'm the designated driver now..."
As a recovering addict, Harmony no longer partakes in any alcohol or drugs of any kind, legal or not. She is worried that it might just be the first step back onto the slippey slope.
She/Her | 27 | Black American | 5'7 | 160lb _______________________________________________ Anarchist _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "There's not a job I haven't worked in the capitalist machine, unfortunately." ___________________________________
Singing and screamo β«» She started off singing in her church choir when she was a child, voice of an angel they said. When she found the "devil's" music, she hasn't turned her back on screaming in every song she and her band has written.
Sales pitching β«» She had to work to earn the money to make it to California with her band. That includes selling furniture, cars, and knives to the average home owner. Once she got good, there's nothing she couldn't sell you.
Improvising β«» She's quick on her feet with coming up with solutions to problems that don't have easy answers.
Appearance βββββββββββββ "The scariest bitch you've ever seen."
Ophrenia is 5'7 and 160lbs. The right side of her head was shaved and the left side is permed to make it easier to straighten. Her hair is black and her eyes are a very pale blue. She's been told they're piercing and scary to look at when you first meet her. She has a certain way of smiling when she wants people to feel uncomfortable. It's a grin that makes you feel like she knows all your secrets. Her breasts are average, her hips are wide, she has three piercing in each ear: Industrial piercings, tragus piercings, and normal lobe piercings with medium sizes hoops. All her piercings are silver. She has a hoop nose ring in her right nostril. She's never seen without her favorite black leather jacket. Pray painted on the back across the shoulders is ANARCHY and under it is her name, the names of her band members, and Eleanor Black. The jacket has spiked studs on the arms and flat ones on the collar. Her voice is naturally husky. People thought it was from all the screamo, but she's always sounded that way.
Psychology ββββββββ "Authority is the enemy."
MAIN GOAL β«» She wants to make government change with her band, Trauma. She hopes to inspire their fans to want changes in the government that will benefit everyone and not just the majority.
PHILOSOPHY β«» Real change comes from hard work and perseverance.
SECRETS β«» She doesn't really have secrets. More that there are people she'll never tell certain things that she can say to her friends.
SEXUALITY β«» Asexual with an aesthetic preference for thick thighs.
FEARS β«» She fears that nothing she works hard for will ever work out.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«» Eleanor Black put up Ophrenia and her band when they first came to California. She was the first friend they made there. Someone who saw their vision and activism with their music.
FLAWS β«» She's quite blunt and persistent. She doesn't like hearing the word 'No' and will do whatever it takes to get you on her side. She says what she believes people need to hear, whether they ask her for her opinion or not. She's been told by several friends they hate when she does that, and try as she might to curb her tongue, it only works depending on how much she gives a shit about your feelings.
Ophrenia was a lot of things in her twenty and seven years. She used to sing solo in her church's choir as a kid. She joined Girl Scouts when she was ten, got bored and quit. Did drama club all through middle school, then joined a neighborhood rock band in high school. She took an interest in screamo, and she's been fucking up her voice ever since. Not really. She takes good care of her voice. She can't cripple her own career by fucking around and finding out.
The idea of college wasn't her thing. She saw beyond the bullshit of the American education system, and decided to work different jobs to pay for studio time with her band. She worked in sells for furniture, knives, and used cars, but by far retail and fast food were the worst jobs she's ever had. She worked in an Amazon warehouse for a year, before she quit that to move to California once she and her band had the funds. No matter what job she did, she did good work when she was there. It was during her long hours of busting her ass, that she started to hate capitalism more and more. She got into anarchism as a philosophy and believes that through evolutionary practices, the country would be better off for it. It became the main focus of her band's lyrics, but they never advocate for violence.
Life on the west coast wasn't easy. Way too expensive from the middle class community her band came from. They met Eleanor Black eight months in, when they were on the brink of being evicted from their shitty two bedroom apartment. The land lord had sold the apartment building to some corporate real estate business, and the business decided to kick them out when so they could renovate and turn the complex into condos. Eleanor had been to a few of their shows and caught up with them after a set one night. She and Ophrenia got to talking all night and at the end of it, she offered to move them into a town house she owned. The rent would be the utility bills, since the mortgage was already paid off. Ophrenia couldn't believe their blessing. Eleanor had been a friend ever since.
She helped them with their protest campaigns. Getting them a bigger social media followings, and organizing events for fundraisers so they could do more work to combat capitalisms. Once they were able to float on their own, Eleanor left California for her hometown. Ophrenia thought they would keep in contact, but it's like she disappeared off the face of the earth and her bandmates didn't remember her at all. She couldn't have imagined her, because the friend she knew and the one they knew were two different people. She had to get to the bottom of it and it all started with an internet search and forum that led her to bumfucknowhere Louisana.
Paranormal-Abilities βββββββββββββ "What in the hocus pocus bullshit is this?"
Ophrenia doesn't have powers.
Other βββββββββββββ "There's one thing I'm not good at."
She tried to learn how to play the guitar, but it never worked out for her. Her fingers aren't coordinated enough.
Casework β«» Nearly 20 years on the the MPD has given Clay a good set of instincts. He has an idea of the kind of questions to ask, and the buttons to push. Along with the fine intricacies of policework, he has the training and experience that any reasonably seasoned law enforcement officer would have.
An endomorphic man approaching his mid-life years, Clay is at the point where age is starting to show. His skin is fairly weathered by the Tennessee sun, and he has calluses along his feet from walking a collective hundreds of miles on the job. He's no athlete, but he has the tone in his legs and sinew on his arms to show he's not just some desk jockey.
A short layer of coarse, dark beard clings to his jawline - a similarly cropped layer of coarse, dark hair keeps the sun off the back of his head. Along his forearm up to the elbow is a scar from a field injury; the consequence of carelessly vaulting through a broken window.
Psychology ββββββββ "Most of it's pissing in the sea."
MAIN GOAL β«» Tie up loose ends and figure things out from there.
PHILOSOPHY β«» Clay's view to the world is to maintain a level of control, above all else. If you asked him during a forthcoming moment, he might reflect in crude terms that human nature would inevitably kick in whether or not you tried to stop it, and that energy was best directed towards steering it down the path of least resistance.
SECRETS β«» Aside from what is probably going to end up as a career ending disgrace, Clay has a loose end to tie up.
SEXUALITY β«» On-hold, on account of one dead marriage.
FEARS β«» Losing control of his life; dying in prison is a fairly shitty way to go. Years of work amounting to nothing.
WHO IS ELEANOR BLACK TO YOU? β«» An ex-colleague, drinking buddy, and a loose end.
FLAWS β«» Arrogance, greed, these are a couple of the things that have laid Clay low. In his own worldview, what he's done are acceptable evils. He's not really a bad guy, it's not like he hurt anyone who didn't have it coming. In the MPD, he had a mindset that so long as he dealt with the real filth, took care of the kids and the broken birds out there, he was doing it right.
Backstory βββββββββββββ "Nearly twenny years, down the fucking drain."
Clay's early life is nothing special to talk about; growing up around Memphis, his situation was far from perfect, money wasn't always on the table and his old man took a lot of it out on the kids. He got out early, spent some time living with a loose relative who's boyfriend was in the Memphis PD. Far from a saint, the guy was a complex character, but he took a liking to Clay and eventually encouraged him to join his line of work.
Clay went through the grind; training and signing on, and found he had a knack for the job. With few years or so on the beat and a couple of prior failed attempts, he made the exam for Detective and signed on as an Investigator with MPD. He started with generally honest intentions - but over time this slipped, some in part to the nature of the job, and some in part to personality. What started off with some good will eventually shifted towards what he viewed as a pragmatic approach, with some acceptable losses here, rough edges there, and skimming a little off the top every once in a while. Did it matter if he twisted someone's arm to get to the truth of a situation?
When he was hauling a stack of cash from some dope fiend's apartment, would anyone ]really miss a few thousands pocked off a stack of a quarter million dollars? Salary wasn't anything fancy after all, and it wasn't like anyone would really miss it. In the MPD, Clay found a couple of like minded officers - some who encouraged him, and some he did a little encouraging himself. Good guys, really, they just had realistic expectations of the world and how to handle it. Eleanor Black was one of them, a transfer in from some backwater sheriff's department out by the swamps. As it happened, Eleanor was another good guy, someone who Clay came to trust - as far as a badge could, anyhow.
But it fell apart. Clay went through a messy divorce, and part of that meant the financial difficulties anyone could expect. Skimming a few thousand off the top just wasn't going to cut it this time, and he got greedy. In a case where he made a multi-million dollar bust, a large M out of that fell into his and Black's care. It wasn't as clean as he wanted it to be, and he had a loose end which had to be tied up, and in the aftermath things came crashing down. Someone had sold him out; or at least said enough to cast doubt on his conduct. Clay found himself suspended. He hadn't been charged... yet, and when he considered his escape options - Black was gone, along with his retirement fund. Word was she'd resigned and gone back to her hometown, somewhere in the armpit of the South.
His career circling the toilet, his retirement options gone and a key witness against him possibly out there with his money, he took a vacation - a road trip to Louisiana. Better to get ahead of things while he could.