#rhintro

[ankeliebe]

(  FLORENCE PUGH,   CIS FEMALE,   SHE/HER     —     oh  gosh,  sorry  ANKE LIEBLEIN !  i  didn't  see  you  there !  y'know,  i  can't  believe  you're  already  26  years  old;  seems  like  just  yesterday  you  were  tripping  over  yourself,  or  was  that  yesterday ?  just  kidding,  just  kidding  !  anyway,  i  hear  that  you've  been  here  since  1964,  or  so  you  think;  congratulations  !  at  least  that  shining  COMPOSED personality  of  yours  hasn't  changed  a  bit,  especially  that  CHARMING  +  CLEVER,  but  SUSPICIOUS +  EVASIVE way  about  you.  look,  i  gotta  get  back  to  the  group,  but  i'll  see  you  around  !       

Hello hello! My name is Lou from gmt+1 and I’m beyond excited to join you! Let me tell you - my history-loving heart skipped a beat when I found this group! But anyway, under the cut you’ll find some info for my chem nerd child Anke! If you’d ever like to plot, feel free to leave a like or message me directly! 

TW: a brief mention of wwii, secret police (Stasi), psychological manipulation, steroids & mentions of doping 

Full Name: Anke Lieblein Date of birth: 5th september, 1936 Age: 26 Pronouns: cis female, she/her Date of dissapearance: 1964 Hometown: East Berlin, German Democratic Republic Occupation: graduate student Trait: composed Languages spoken: German, English and Russian

Inspired by: Ulyana Khornyuk (Chernobyl miniseries), Valery Legasov (Chernobyl miniseries), Marie Curie (history), Emmy Noether (history), Creola Katherine Johnson (history), Athena (Greek mythology), Georg Dreyman (The lives of others)

The synopsis:

Anke was not born in Berlin. Rather, she was born in a quiet village far from the city, where she spent her formative years.

She only ever knew her mother. She suspects her father was conscripted for the war effort, and never returned.

A precarious reader, she'd often get so caught up in a book she'd completely ignore her surroundings.

After the war, she moved with her mother to what was soon to become East Berlin. Her mother was the one that encouraged her to expand her knowledge base. She taught her languages, introduced her to mathematics and the natural sciences. Her mother ignited the spark in her so to speak.

Years later, Anke graduates from the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin. With a bachelor's degree in chemistry, the star of her class pursues a master's degree.

And that's where the trouble begins.

In her last year, right as she was wrapping up her experiments for her master's thesis, her athlete friend requested that she examines a vitamin pill they were handed out after practice

So she does, and lo and behold – it's not a vitamin, but a steroid.

Anke asked for more of these supposed vitamins and examined them further. Around that point, she begins noticing items being misplaced, her alarm going off at unusual hours, and the vague feeling of being watched.

She continues, and the situation escalates – soon, her previous academic papers are being denied and remain unpublished. At this point, she knows she is being monitored.

But she must search for the truth, right? She's a scientist. It's what she does.

What follows is perhaps the nail in the coffin for her – she procures a textbook from the West and completely buries herself into her investigation.

On one such occasion, when Anke stays hunched over the test tubes she quickly disposes of, she is informed that a fire had started in her building and must stay overnight in a hotel.

Knowing full well that she will most likely get arrested in the morning, Anke rents a hotel room, thinking it is her last night as a free woman.

(In a way, it was.)

Now, she devotes herself to uncovering the inner workings of The Raven House. And while she searches for truth, she keeps her own experiences – the manipulation of the Stasi – under wraps

Her treasued item is her notebook. It houses her doodles, notes, and the occassional page torn out from the western textbook. 

Read her full biography (and application) here!

[lcklustering]

𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭     —     𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤  !    hey there, i’m loey and welcome to my crib.   you’re definitely going to want to click on the image above to view it in its full splendor because t*mblr is a bitch and reduces the quality.   you’re going to be meeting the only man i’ll ever consider dating and who just wants to be back on his family farm with his family.   he’s not much for words but he’s a great listener and take care of your plants when you’re away.   if you want to get a piece of this lovely irishman, please  leave a like  and i’ll come sliding into your dms with a joke or a pun   —   whichever i find funnier at the time.

waves crashing up against boat .  fog laying low on an abandoned meadow full of wildflowers .  quiet serenity of walking through a field barefooted .  lingering smell of gun smoke in the air .  softs bahs of lambs .  high-stressed situations being calmed down by a friend's smile .     ———     oh gosh, sorry      𝐅𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐍  𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐇 !     i didn't see you there !   y'know, i can't believe you're already TWENTY-SEVEN years old; seems like just yesterday you were tripping over yourself, or was that yesterday ?   just kidding, just kidding !   anyway, i hear that you've    been here since 1916,    or so you think; congratulations !   at least that shining DECISIVE personality of yours hasn't changed a bit, especially that 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃-𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 + 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐓, but 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐄 + 𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂 way about you.  look, i gotta get back to the group, but i'll see you around !

trigger warning(s):   religious themes,  death,  death of a loved one,  pregnancy,  war,  drowning.

a humble sheep farmer.

siblings:  one older sister, three younger sisters, and two younger brothers.

met the love of his life when he was 19, imogen, and they were married when he was 21.

built a cottage on his father’s land for them and their future family.

shortly after their marriage, they were expecting their first child.

the pregnancy was really hard on imogen and the baby came early at almost 8 months.

imogen died during childbirth due to major loss of blood, but gave birth to a baby boy and named him callum - after his father.

when callum was two, he was being watched by fionn’s sister, shannon, when he traveled too far away and got lost.

they looked for him and soon found him near a river, completely drenched, and he became extremely sick.

tried to get him better but little callum passed away.

after two deaths of the people he loved the most, fionn pretty much swore off love and focused back into helping his father’s farm.

when world war 1 came around, he immediately volunteered to the british royal navy.

he was soon assigned to the hms queen mary.

on  may 21, 1916, the queen mary was in the battle of jutland.

the queen mary was shot at repeatedly and split in two, causing multiple explosions.

somehow, fionn survived the explosions but fighting the ocean would be the next challenge.

only after a few minutes, he was starting to drown due to just fighting to keep his eyes open.

he was saved by hms laurel and was 1 out of 17 crewmen to survive the sinking of queen mary.   in total, there were 1,266 crewmen who, sadly, didn't make it.

was stabilized on laurel and found out that he had broken multiple bones and had several lacerations.

laurel immediately docked at portsmouth, england and rushed the survivors they saved to the hospital.

fionn was in the hospital for about a month before moved to a newly-renovated hotel nearby to rest up more due to overcrowding.

this is when he was taken to raven house.

up above was just a very simple background outline, i’m working on writing up a more formal background and i’ll be posting fionn’s full application soon so then you can read the answers to the questions.   i do have some statistics up on the blog, which will be linked here.   you can always read that as well but it’s pretty simple.  down below are some headcanons that i have for him.

born and raised in ireland until he volunteered for the war.

has a pretty large family, consisting of 4 sisters and 2 brothers.

left-handed originally, but was forced to write right-handed making him ambidextrous.

smells of cigarette smoke, vanilla, and the faint briny sea

he doesn’t talk much but when he does, it’s a thick irish accent.

his family farm was raising sheep and the occasional cow.

he loves fishing.   even taught his younger siblings to fish.

he loves dogs, even had 3 of them back on the farm.

his hotel room is full of plants and spends most of his time at the rooftop garden.

is pansexual but not really looking for love.

has his wedding band on his dogtag.

[bonniewhit]

— BASICS !

full name : bonnie whitaker.

age :  twenty-three

year of disappearance : 1935.

date of birth : november 12th

hometown :  rural oklahoma

current location : raven house.

nationality :  american

gender :  cis female.

pronouns :  she/her.

sexual orientation : bisexual

language(s) spoken : english, scots, gujarati (ordered by fluency)

religion: southern baptist

faceclaim :  naomi scott

— STORY !

tw: respiratory illnesses,

the first of six children born to a family of oklahoma farmers, bonnie took on the traditional role of the eldest daughter: caring for her siblings and bearing much of the emotional burden of her parents.

they occupied a strong position in their small rural community, her father owning a good amount of land and having generations of goodwill built up with other families

from an early age, bonnie learned to cook, sew, clean, care for the children, the animals, and the crops. she received a basic education - enough to read and write - before focusing entirely on the skills she would need to be a good farm-wife 

while always well behaved and obedient, people often remarked that she kept her head in the clouds a little too much, spending her free time gazing dreamily out at nothing.

she was very good with animals and neighbors would frequently come by for assistance with animals ranging from livestock to pets to coyotes getting too cocky. it seemed like there wasn’t any problem she couldn’t solve: a tricky birthing, a particularly clever predator, a mite spreading through the cows

bonnie met the man she would one day plan to marry when they were both quite young. ernest was the nephew of another farmer who moved into the community after his parents died.

the courtship carried on for quite some time as bonnie’s father both found ernest to be a disappointing match and worried what he would do if bonnie married and left the farm and family.

it was about this time that other concerns began to arise, namely the crops that wouldn’t grow and the clouds of dust that began to choke the air. livestock began to die and farms became abandoned as the families could no longer afford to work it for the scraps they could harvest

bonnie’s family was one of the most stubborn, her father refusing to leave behind everything that his family had built up. her mother, who had been born to indian immigrants in california, was among those who insisted moving west was the only way to survive

finally, ernest volunteered to move out first and set up a home for them so they wouldn’t be starting from scratch. he gave his mother’s ring to bonnie as a promise and set out. in the months it took to hear from him again, the dust continued to grow worse. bonnie herself became quite sick, an affliction of the lungs she has never completely recovered from, until at last a letter arrived saying he had staked out some land in fresno

the whole family piled onto the jalopy with everything that it could hold and set out, leaving behind a farm that had belonged to the whitakers for generations

the journey was eye opening to bonnie who had only just begun recovering from her illness. even amidst the dust everything they passed on the road was a source of fascination and wonder. for a girl who had never traveled farther than the nearest town for a livestock auction, it was as if an entire world had been created and handed to her.

and so, when they finally arrived in fresno, she wasn’t so sure if she wanted to marry ernest after all. she loved him, of course. he was kind and good and loyal. but if there had been so much she had never known or seen, how could she know if she loved him for love or simply because he was the first one around? suddenly the idea of playing the role she’d trained for her whole life was terrifying rather than comforting, and she convinced her parents that they should stay in a hotel for a night, just to give her lungs a chance to recover.

the family stopped inside a hotel whose name she cannot remember for the life of her, and the next day she awoke alone in a far more luxurious setting.

although among the historically earlier guests, bonnie hasn’t been in the hotel for a particularly long time - only about six months as best she can tell. in that time she has seen a lot that she can’t explain. it is somehow a blessing and a curse: to learn more about a world she’s never seen but to be unable to go out and see it for herself

bonnie believes that she is being punished for lying to her family and hopes one day to find them in the hotel or find a way to communicate so that she can make amends. 

she has recently stopped wearing ernest’s ring on her finger although she keeps it on her person at all times

— CONNECTIONS !

all of these are open to interpretation and discussion, these are meant for jumping off points ! i will probably add as i think of ideas

fair: bonnie’s only ever planned on loving one person her entire life, even as she doubts it in secret. but something about this person makes her feel as if she’s lighting up from the inside out. 

wild blue yonder: okay listen this is just me wanting that bad boy/good girl plot, though certainly not exclusive to men. no fancy language here i just like that shit

that unwanted animal: as curious as she is, bonnie isn’t the type to jump into an investigation on her own, but she’s somehow gotten caught up in this person’s and she’s hanging on for dear life.

pruning shears: the richest person bonnie ever met in her entire life would have been desperately poor in comparison to this person. they are from an entirely separate world in a different way than everyone else and bonnie is simultaneously fascinated and confused

not yet/love run: bonnie has cared for people her entire life, and she isn’t going to let that stop now. this person needs somebody to step up for them and no matter how confusing this place can be, that is something she can understand and do

[lucrloux]

— meet LUC RIOUX !

hello ! my name is ani and i am so excited to be here ! below the cut you can find some information on my son, luc ! if you are interested in plotting please feel free to like this post or simply shoot me a message ! 

— the OVERVIEW !

( WOLFGANG NOVOGRATZ, CIS MALE, HE/HIM — oh gosh, sorry LUC RIOUX ! i didn’t see you there ! y'know, i can’t believe you’re already 26 years old; seems like just yesterday you were tripping over yourself, or was that yesterday ? just kidding, just kidding ! anyway, i hear that you’ve been here since 1955, or so you think; congratulations ! at least that shining EXTROVERTED personality of yours hasn’t changed a bit, especially that OBSERVANT + CHARMING, but IMPULSIVE + FRAUDULENT way about you. look, i gotta get back to the group, but i’ll see you around ! 

tw: ww2, alcohol, smoking.

— the BASICS ! 

full name /  luc rioux.

nickname /  lu, lucky.

age /  twenty-six (26).

year of disappearance /  1955.

date of birth /  7th april.

star sign /  aries.

hometown /  paris, france.

current location /  raven house.

nationality /  french.

gender /  cis male.

pronouns /  he/him.

sexual orientation /  bisexual/biromantic.

occupation /  art forger.

language(s) spoken /  french & english.

faceclaim /  wolfgang novogratz.

— the STORY ! 

there is meaning in all things… but are you paying attention? 

tiny fingers curled around mother’s hand, green eyes glossed over in an attempt to take in the world but it is too much– there is too much for you to see. you hear whispers of difficult times, hushed tones floating through otherwise empty halls. mother and father try to hide their worry from you. they try their best to keep the world beyond arched windows hidden, though even a simple glance outside gives way to their delicately spun tales. you see figures rushing past, always in a hurry– never stopping to look at the beauty in this world. as the months grow colder, their features fall– worry encompasses all the shadows you have yet to know. 

would you look at it? 

the world as you know it crumbled, nothing is as it was. nothing will ever be as it was before, times are changing and so are you. your heart yearns for simpler days spent chasing your sister up and down flights of stairs, dancing in the rain and watching father unfold the morning paper without scowling at the newest headlines. this world is not for you– this world is rough, it is cold, it is void of what makes us human. you are yet too young to understand the gravity of it all, but you see the pain. you see the exhaustion in people’s faces, the darkness beneath growing with each moment that passes. you watch it reach out from the corners, you watch it divide those you know and care for. you don’t understand, but you are filled with sorrow for them. you roll up your sleeves, and help where you can. 

you watch father leave for war, his head held high wearing his pride visibly on his chest. for a moment you fear you might never see him again, but mother is there to hold you, to carry your burden. you fear he might never return. and then a letter arrives, you only catch a glimpse of it before mother tears it from your grasp. you see her tears fall, and though you cannot know for sure– you know it must be about father. you pray for his safe return, but in his stead soldiers enter your home. they speak a foreign tongue, and though you do not understand– you are told to fear them. and most importantly, to keep your sister safe. 

your life has changed so drastically. you now serve the soldiers who have taken over your home, you bring them their morning coffee and scramble away as fast as you can. every part of you is filled with rage, you wish for nothing more than things to return to what they were before. you yearn to see your mother’s smile, but these days even the light in her eyes seems to have vanished. and though you are young, you must grow up fast. you must protect your family at all costs, but even so you cannot bear to bite your tongue and hold in your obvious distaste for these men. your sister tries to keep you in check, but you cannot help spitting in their cup, you cannot help calling them names, you cannot help making them feel unwanted in your home. and whilst you feel good in the moment, the punishment is always severe. though, in your eyes your little acts of rebellion are worth every moment of them. even if you tried, you could not sit quietly by. 

the tides are changing… 

the times are changing yet again, the men who occupy your home are no longer composed. you can see the terror in their eyes, and it brings you joy. they become crueler, and that fills your heart with hope– for even they know that their time would come to an end soon. there are whispers of forces liberating your country– and you hope it to be true. 

c’est la vie…

you watch as horrid flags are taken down, and your own are raised once more. the city you call home is far from glory, it is in shutt and ashes. the very foundations collapsed under the turmoil of the war. and yet, everywhere you turn you see life return to empty shells. and with such a return, so does your father. but he is a changed man. he is not the sweet and tender man you remember him to be. his gaze has hardened, blue eyes turned cold as steel. you cannot find your way home to him, for his heart is shut with the despair of what he has lived. 

you try so hard, but you are always met with disappointment. 

you have a pale memory of that time, but why? 

you are old enough to sit at the table, you are old enough for your voice to be heard. and yet, in your father’s eyes you are but a child. he pushes you aside, in his eyes you are worth nothing. and you have to wonder why is it that you are so wrong for this world? but you never learn the answer beyond never being good enough in his eyes. and so, you stop trying. instead, you follow your heart. 

though the war is over, its remnants loom over your shoulders. you cannot unsee the things that have come to pass. the graveyards filled with bodies– old and young alike. the city is a ghost town, lights flickering as you walk past. when you wake in the middle of the night, covered in a layer of sweat, all you can think of is those horrid soldiers leaning back on your living room chairs, their dirty boots placed on the table. all you can remember is your mother running through the house fulfilling their every demand and you are angry. you are angry at the world for being so disappointing. 

setting fire to our insides for fun, to distract our hearts from ever missing them… 

*tw alcohol*

for a while, you think, it would be best to feel numb. you want to forget– you want to bury the terrors you have witnessed. but you cannot seem to forget. and so you turn to the bottle, you hope that maybe the answer lies at the bottom of your glass. but there is none to be found, instead, you watch the world go blurry. and you decide, you have seen enough– as well as far too little. you want to enjoy your life. you want to dream. you want to escape into different worlds all together. 

*tw end*

art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self…

your sister urges you to follow your dreams. she urges you to showcase your talents. and for a moment you believe her. you believe in yourself. regardless of what your father might think, you enroll in art school. you study the grand artists of your time, but you will never measure up to them. and once more you are met with the word you despise the most: disappointment. though you see your professor’s lips moving, you hear your father’s voice. and once more you run– you run from responsibility. but you are not willing to give up the life you love. and so, you turn elsewhere for guidance. 

people leave pieces of their soul in their art… 

you look to the masters for guidance, you know their work– and you can paint fairly well. you may not know yourself, but you search for pieces of yourself in their art. brush on paper, you begin to duplicate their works. after the turmoil of the war, art is lost and scattered and you abuse this. you sell your work for theirs, forgeries none the less– but good ones. 

suddenly you have more money than you know what to do with. and you spend it foolishly. you spoil your mother, your sister and most importantly yourself. finally you have the means to do as you please, and so you do. you treat life as though it were a game, an illusion. you aren’t sure what is real and what is not– for you haven fallen under a spell, intoxication. but one thing remains certain: you are in for a wild ride. 

— the THE FACTS ! 

luc was born and raised in paris, france. 

his family was well off, but like many others they still struggled with the economic demise prior to ww2. 

during the war, his father participated in the battle of france, but never returned home. like many others he was taken as a prisoner of war. leaving his mother to take care of luc and his little sister. 

during the war, their home was occupied by german soldiers and they were forced to serve them. he hated this more than anything in the world, and acted out despite severe punishments. he was never one to sit by quietly. 

during this time, his mother helped smuggle people out of the country and while luc was but a child, he aided her as best he could. 

after france was liberated and his father returned home nothing would ever return to as it was in the time before. his father was a changed man from his time spent as a prisoner of war. he was cold, and distant. luc did not know how to deal with him, nor did his father know how to deal with luc. 

he went on to study art and art history at university. but, there too he was met with disappointment. his professors did not agree with his style of work and eventually luc gave up and dropped out. his father, ever the more disappointed in him threatened to cut him off. 

luc is a very proud young man, and so he essentially dared his father to cut him off. which the man then did. forcing luc to try and make ends meet himself. 

luc was used to luxuries in his home, and he was not willing to give up such a life. so he turned to the other side of the law. he began forging famous paintings that had gone missing during the war. selling his own work as those of renowned painters. with the money he lived a lavish lifestyle. 

he worked hard in this illicit career, but he partied even harder. 

the young man had been dabbling in matters on the opposite side of the law, fraudulent behaviour on the verge of being uncovered. his sister had been so kind to pass him a note at breakfast, it hadn’t been signed by name though the message was threatening: ‘ we know what you are doing, it’s only a matter of time until we can link you to the crime. ‘ alas, he sought out a space, in which he could go about his work undisturbed. 

checking in under a false name, jacques de villiers, the young man patted himself on the shoulder in the belief that this would solve all his problems. he would be able to use his hotel room to forge artwork, all evidence placed in the hands of the hotel, whereas at his home there would be none to be found when the police came knocking.

— the RAVEN HOUSE ! 

the year was 1955. 

the young man decided to check into a hotel, tucked away in the heart of paris. it was far from modest, but truth be told he wouldn’t settle for less. luc had always been drawn to the luxurious aspects of life: a glass of champagne in the morning, silken sheets hugging his body, and leaning out the window to smoke his first cigarette of the day with a perfect view of champ de mars. 

perhaps he had indulged in too many pleasures the night before, for when he pushed the door to his room open he was greeted by an entirely different interior. it was beautiful nonetheless, crystal chandeliers and ornate decorations. and yet, something was off. he caught glances of people passing by, each dressed in a manner he could not recognize to belong to his time. with a smile plastered on his lips, the young man left to discover the place he found himself in only to become aware of the fact that he now resided in the raven house. 

— the PERSONALITY ! 

his unpredictability made him a menace to society, or better said the social circles his family operated in. he was everything but poised and calm, he had a certain spark in his eyes: the desire to live life to its fullest. luc was charming at his root, equipped with honey lips and a serpent’s tongue. though he didn’t necessarily say the right thing at the right time, he had a way of getting away with it. perhaps it was his sociability, or the way he would make the person he was speaking with feel as though they were the only one in the world. that was until his attention drifted elsewhere, which it always did. ever with a drink or cigarette in hand, he was the life of the party, one debacle after the other– a sight to behold, but never to own. he came and went as he pleased, making himself at home in any environment that he deemed acceptable. in his core, he is an extrovert– though a rather chaotic one. 

— the HEADCANONS ! 

001. his most treasured item: it was a gift from father to son, the one object he owns that symbolizes his father’s acceptance. gifted to him upon his birthday, it came with the words, “now you are a man.” it was the only moment his father seemed to stand eye to eye with luc, as though they were equals. but this is not why the object means so much to him, no– he couldn’t care less about that man. he holds it dear for the words so delicately scratched onto the bottom by his sister, “l’artiste est semblable au prince des nuées “ (the artist is alike the prince of the clouds). the object is none other than a silver lighter with his initials engraved onto the center of it, always found in the comfort of his pocket. 

002. when luc first entered the raven house he was content simply enjoying every day that passed without responsibility. however, when it dawned on him that he would never be able to see his family or friends again he became obsessed with remembering their likeness. he tried his best to draw images of those close to his heart, but with each day that passed he came to realize that those memories were lost. there are a vast amount of ripped up images, or unfinished pictures scattered around his room that he furiously scribbled over in frustration. for he was only ever able to draw one person from his past life: his father. the look of disappointment ingrained in his mind for all of time to come. though, the worst part of it all was that he couldn’t manage to create a single image of his sister, who he was really close to. he felt so guilty that he could not remember the details of her features beyond the green eyes they shared– and even then he was unsure if he remembered her eyes or if he was simply drawing his own. 

003. after his mysterious disappearance, the note was discovered by his family. his story quickly became a rather large investigation, but as no trace of him was found his family grew impatient with the investigation and offered up a rather large reward for any news on their lost son. the case found the tabloids, the newspapers, and general gossip quite quickly. his story influenced the character « charles bonnet » in the movie “how to steal a million” years later.

004. when luc first entered the raven house he was only able to speak french, but one of the other guests was so kind as to teach him english. he still struggles with the pronunciation of words to this day, but he tries his best. it doesn’t exactly bother him either that his mothertongue often slips through when speaking in this foreign tongue, for he never cared much to perfect this skill-- he only wanted to be able to communicate. (this could be a possible plot ??? one of the other guests that teaches him english !!! ) 

[flattired]

(     JACOB ELORDI,   CIS  MAN,   HE / HIM     —     oh  gosh,  sorry  THOMAS  “TOMMY”  BARNETT !  i  didn't  see  you  there !  y'know,  i  can't  believe  you're  already  TWENTY FIVE  years  old;  seems  like  just  yesterday  you  were  tripping  over  yourself,  or  was  that  yesterday ?  just  kidding,  just  kidding  !  anyway,  i  hear  that  you've  been  here  since  1978,  or  so  you  think;  congratulations  !  at  least  that  shining  OBLIGING  personality  of  yours  hasn't  changed  a  bit,  especially  that  LOYAL  +  AMICABLE,  but  FOOLISH  +  RESTLESS  way  about  you.  look,  i  gotta  get  back  to  the  group,  but  i'll  see  you  around  !

        hello,  hello!  my  name  is  rion,  though  at  this  point  you  might  know  be  better  as  admin  jay  on  the  main!  i...  i  just  need  you  guys  to  know  how  absolutely  excited  i  am  that  you’re  all  here.  lilah  will  tell  you  that  basically  every  time  we  got  an  app  she  had  to  listen  to  me  say  holy  shit  again.  we  also  sent  each  other  the  paul  rudd  ‘  hey,  look  at  us  ’  video  a  lot.  it  just  really  means  the  world  to  us  that  you  guys  took  the  time  to  join  this  and  we  hope  you  enjoy  what  we  have  planned.  so  yeah!  mush  out  of  the  way,  let  me  introduce  you  to  the  sweet  but  easily  lead  astray,  tommy  barnett.

full  name :   thomas  barnett

age  upon  check  in :   twenty  five

gender  &  pronouns :   cis  man  &  he / him

trait :   obliging 

personality :   loyal,  amicable,  foolish,  restless

aesthetic :   survival  came  thanks  to  quick  hands,  the  ability  to  stay  upright  despite  the  strikes,  and  an  uncanny  ability  to  find  friends  in  high  places   (   just  like  you  were  taught   )   —   let  them  pull  you  up,  believe  that’s  what  they’re  doing,  and  repay  that  kindness  with  service.  a  well  worn  deck  of  cards  dictates  the  shape  of  your  back  pocket,  the  faces  of  queens  and  jacks  rubbed  soft  to  the  touch  by  your  left  thumb.  brother  was  a  soldier,  you  were  conscripted  to  a  different  brotherhood,  orange  prescription  bottles  standing  at  attention,  waiting  to  be  carried  off  by  you.  marked  body,  both  for  lust  and  anger.  low  expectations  allow  one  to  slip  through  life  unnoticed ;  that’s  an  asset,  not  a  concern.  just  keep  your  mouth  shut,  kid,  your  comforts  come  at  a  certain  price.

WHO  ARE  YOU ?

         tw.  parental  neglect,  toxic  relationships,  verbal  abuse,  drugs  /  drug  dealing

thomas  barnett  was  the  younger  of  two  sons  born  to  eliza  and  charles  barnett,  a  dysfunctional  couple  living  just  above  the  poverty  line.  tommy  grew  up  learning  how  to  avoid  their  often  explosive  arguments,  which  often  spilled  onto  those  around  them   (   skills  include:  knowing  which  way  you  could  walk  pass  the  kitchen  without  being  noticed,  which  window  opened  without  squeaking,  which  headphones  were  worth  saving  up  for  because  they  actually  blocked  sound  like  they  claimed   ).  thankfully,  tommy  was  not  alone  in  this,  he  had  james:  an  older  brother  who  faithfully  looked  after  him  in  ways  their  parents  never  did.  without  james,  it’s  unclear  where  tommy  would  be  now.

he  was  never  seen  as  the  smartest  child.  liked  by  teachers  when  he  was  young  for  being  kind  at  heart,  but  it  took  him  more  time  than  others  to  grasp  concepts  they  were  teaching.  he  struggled  to  pay  attention,  and  as  he  grew  older   kind   didn’t  seem  to  be  enough  anymore  when  compared  against  his  struggles  to  focus  or  retain.  he  skidded  by  in  school,  passing  by  the  skin  of  his  teeth,  his  parents  far  too  preoccupied  with  the  bills  they  couldn’t  pay  and  their  anger  with  each  other  to  notice  how  their  younger  son  was  struggling.  tommy  didn’t  care  enough  to  seek  out  help  on  his  own,  frustrated  with  the  way  academic  pursuits  made  him  feel,  and  while  james  was  doing  his  best,  there  was  only  so  much  he  could  do.

tommy  was  fifteen  when  james  was  conscripted,  and  suddenly  he  was  on  his  own.  that  buffer  between  him  and  his  parents  was  in  one  of  the  carolinas,  attending  basic,  and  tommy  was  forced  to  bare  the  brunt  of  their  anger  that  spilled  over.  they  used  him  as  a  tool  to  wound  each  other,   no  wonder  he’s  failing,  he’s  your  son,   but  tommy  was  the  one  who  ended  up  wearing  most  of  the  injuries.  yet,  it  would  not  be  the  last  time  would  become  a  weapon  for  someone  else.

he  would  find  new  excuses  to  spend  time  away  from  the  small  house  that  had  no  place  to  hide,  mostly  spending  time  at  various  friends’  houses,  but  when  a  teenage  boy  is  seeking  to  find  things  to  do  it  is  often  that  he’ll  find  himself  with  new  and  exciting  bad  habits.  he  started  smoking,  getting  into  fights  when  there  was  nothing  else  to  do,  and  eventually  helping  a  boy  named  davey  deal  drugs.

david,  davey  to  tommy    —    though  he  accepted  the  nickname  from  no  one  else,  was  the  other  constant  in  tommy’s  life  besides  james.  they  met  in  the  third  grade  and  davey  was  seemingly  everything  tommy  wasn’t.  people  thought  he  was  clever,  he  didn’t  worry  about  school,  and  as  far  as  tommy  could  tell,  davey  was  absolutely  loaded.  despite  the  differences,  they  were  fast  friends,  and  tommy  became  extremely  loyal  to  the  other  boy  over  the  years.  that’s  why,  when  davey  got  involved  in  some  things  that  were  less  than  legal,  tommy  found  himself  involved  as  well.

for  all  the  cleverness  davey  was  touted  to  have,  the  scheme  was  rather  simplistic.  maybe  that  was  the  genius  of  it  though.  davey’s  father  was  a  doctor,  a  psychiatrist  specifically,  and  apparently  it  was  easy  enough  to  pull  rx  pads  from  the  desk  within  their  home.  then  davey  would  fill  them  out  in  the  way  he  wanted  to,  forge  his  father’s  signature,  and  take  the  scripts  to  various  out  of  town  pharmacies  to  get  them  filled.  then  he,  with  the  help  of  tommy,  could  sell  them  at  a  premium.  

tommy  was  never  certain  why  davey  did  it,  but  for  tommy  it  was  about  achieving  a  bit  of  freedom,  independence.  the  deal  was  never  something  that  fits  who  he  was  at  heart,  especially  with  some  of  the  more  questionable  things  davey  did,  but  he  tried  not  to  think  about  that.  his  bartending  job  was  something  that  left  him  living  paycheck  to  paycheck,  but   this   ...   well,  it  let  him  move  out  of  his  parent’s  place,  and  it’s  the  first  time  he’s  just  had  cash  on  hand  without  having  to  think  about  it.  he  wouldn’t  like  to  admit  it,  but  there’s  also  something  about  the  excitement,  the  way  it  scratches  that  restless  itch  of  his,  that   (   in  addition  to  his  loyalty  to  davey   )   kept  him  in  the  game.

WHERE  &  WHEN  DID  YOU  CHECK  IN  ?

when  tommy  opened  the  door  to  his  room  the  next  morning  to  find  the  raven  house,  he  knew  instantly  something  had  changed.  it  wasn’t  hard  to  figure  out  considering  he  had  checked  into  a  motel  6  off  of  i - 95  the  night  before.  sure,  it  had  been  a  late  night  and  he  hadn’t  gotten  much  sleep,  but  when  you’re  expecting  to  step  out  onto  a  concrete  walkway   (   red  metal  railing  in  front  of  you,  a  half  empty  parking  lot  that  hosts  an  above  ground  pool  that  is  closed  for  the  season   )   and  are  instead  greeted  by  a  dark  hallway  and  someone  wearing  what   must   be  a  halloween  costume,  it  doesn’t  take  a  genius  to  tell  that  something  has  changed.  which  is  good,  considering  no  one  has  ever  accused  thomas  barnett  of  being  a  genius.  there  were  plenty  of  other  things  people  called  him,  and  he  tried  to  not  let  those  things  bother  him.

but  it  was  1978,  and  no  one  dressed  like  that  anymore.  at  least   ...   he  didn’t  think  anyone  did.

this  wasn’t  even  supposed  to  be  a  trip.  just  a  night  drive;  windows  down  in  his  car  and  recorded  cassettes  with  his  favorite  songs  playing  at  top  volume.  it  wasn’t  his  fault  he’d  lost  track  of  time  and  ended  up  further  from  home  than  he’d  planned.  now  he  was   ...   here,  wherever  here  was.  the  raven  house  didn’t  look  like  anything  he’d  ever  seen  before.  the  luxury  is  almost  off  putting  to  he  who  is  far  more  comfortable  in  dive  bars  and  parties  in  unfinished  basements.  it  reminded  him  of  davey’s  house,  almost,  a  place  that   (   despite  the  years  that  they  had  been  friends   )   tommy  never  felt  like  he  belonged  inside  of.

except,  this  was  even  nicer  than  that.

WHAT  WENT  WRONG  ?

        tw.  drugs  /  drug  dealing

a  flat  tire.

which  would  have  been   fine.   he  knew  how  to  change  a  flat  tire.  so  technically,  what  had  gone  wrong  was  that  he  also  got  a  flat  tire  three  months  before,  and  he’d  never  replaced  the  spare.

tommy  managed  to  pull  the  car  over,  and  upon  discovering  this  and  checking  the  time  on  the  car  radio,  he  decided  there  was  nothing  he  could  do  tonight.  a  neon  vacancy  sign  was  visible  from  where  he  was  standing,  and  he  was  sure  they  had  a  payphone  he  could  use  in  the  morning,  call  a friend  or  call  a  tow  truck.  it  would  be  fine  to  leave  the  car  here  until  then,  right?  of  course  it  would  be.

as  it  turned  out,  it  wouldn’t  really  matter.

there  was  a  bag  in  the  trunk,  something  inspired  both  by  his  occupation   (   occupation?  side  gig,  to  supplement  bartending,  to  help  out  his  friend...  it  was  just  pills   )   and  advice  from  his  older  brother.  james  had  seen  some  shit    —    or,  that’s  how  tommy  would  explain  it.  james  had  never  given  him  any  of  the  specifics,  so  he  had  none  to  pass  on.  inside  the  bag  were  the  essentials,  certainly  everything  he’d  need  for  a  one  night  stay  at  a  motel.  could  you  even  call  it  one  night  if  it  was  already  past  midnight?

WHY  WERE  YOU  BROUGHT  HERE  ?

it  might  be  easy  to  pin  tommy  as  the  extraverted  type,  but  the  truth  is  under  a  somewhat  loud  exterior,  there’s  a  kind  heart:  someone  who’s  loyal  and  easy  going  and  could  certainly  be  considered  obliging.  that’s  the  trait  that  brought  him  to  the  raven  house,  and  if  you  think  about  it  for  even  just  a  moment,  it’s  not  hard  to  see  why.  an  individual  who’s  never  a  leader,  always  the  support,  and  doesn’t  mind  it.  a  good  listener,  someone  who  will  do  anything  for  those  he  cares  for,  or  who’s  happy  just  to  play  the  music  a  little  louder  and  sing  along  with  you  if  that’s  what  you  need.  the  fights  he  used  to  get  into  were  just  something  to  do,  to  assuage  the  restles  spirit  that  needs  to  stay  occupied,  of  something  for  a  friend  wronged   (   though  this  definition  has  become  somewhat  muddled   ),  but  truthfully  he’s  good  natured  at  his  core.  he  knows  what  it  is  like  to  receive  help  when  you  need  it,  and  he’ll  return  that  favor  to  the  world  any  day.

WHICH  ITEM  IN  YOUR  POSSESSION  IS  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  ?

it’s  just  a  deck  of  cards.  it’s  just  a  deck  of  cards  except  it  was  a  birthday  present  from  james.  it’s  just  a  deck  of  cards  but  they’ve  been  worn  soft  to  the  touch  by  the  repeated  pressure  of  being  rubbed  between  his  thumb  and  fingers.  he  used  to  do  card  tricks  with  them,  but  now  he’s  worried  they’ll tear.  a  new  deck  was  picked  up  in  the  lobby  convenience  store,  but  the  old  deck  is  important,  even  if  it  is  no  longer  useful.

   ...   WAS  THERE  ANYTHING  ELSE  ?

can  be  goaded  into  almost  anything  with  the  phrase   ‘   i  dare  you.   ’

is  the  guy  who  suggests  that  everyone  play  the  black  betty  game  at  parties,  and  feels  clever  when  he  explains  it.

will  kick  your  ass  at  a  game  of  quarters

was  an  obnoxious  car  signer.  his  ability  is  average,  the  issue  lies  in  his  inability  to  truly  focus  on  driving  at  the  same  time.

now  an  obnoxious  hotel  shower  singer.  my  apologies  to  whoever  has  the  room  next  to  him.

to  compound  that,  he  tends  to  keep  strange  hours.  time  isn’t  real  here,  but  his  body  is  still  on  the  schedule  of  his  bartending  job  and  mostly  nocturnal,  if  such  a  thing  is  possible  here.

has  argued  with  the  empty  other  side  of  the  bar  over  how  a  drink  is  made.

hates  the  feeling  of  being  cooped  up  here,  more  than  he  dislikes  the  issue  of  time.  he  used  to  drive  a  lot  and  has  replaced  that  by  wandering  the  floors  of  the  hotel.

[breemacindoe]

hello  everyone,  please  meet  BREE  MACINDOE.  i  have  her  app  here,  a  stats  page  here,  and  a  pinterest  board  (  that  was  hastily  thrown  together  and  will  be  added  to  )  here  !  i’m  working  on  reading  everyone’s  intros  and  would  love  to  plot  with  y’all  so  if  you’d  like,  please  like  this  post  or  the  one  one  discord  and  i  will  come  crawling  for  the  plots  (  and  i  have  a  page  for  that  too,  here  !  )

[widow-marlee]

[zooey deschanel, cisfemale, she/her] [MARLEE RHODES] has been seen around Riverton lately. They are [FORTY] and work as a/an [NURSE]. One of their favorite activities is [SPENDING THE DAY WITH HER CHILDREN]. Some people say that they are [CARING], but others say they are [NAIVE]. How are they enjoying their stay in Riverton?

tw; death, alcohol

Marlee grew up in an average household. Her parents were middle class, she had two sisters, and she had a dog and a cat. Nothing about her life was out of the ordinary until her parents divorced when she was 13. The divorce was messy, and she hasn’t really talked to her dad much since.

It was then that Marlee vowed that her first marriage would be her one and only, and it would never end in divorce. Her family would never be broken, ever.

Marlee went to RACC and became a registered nurse. She got her first job at the hospital as a labor & delivery nurse, and she hasn’t moved since.

She met her husband when they were in high school, and they were high school sweethearts that loved each other dearly. They had two children, a cat, and a dog together, and Marlee’s complete family stayed that way.

One night after the kids were gone for college, Marlee waited for her husband to come home from work, and instead policemen showed up on her doorstep. Marlee’s husband Jake was killed in a car accident after he had been hit by a drunk driver.

She was distraught, of course. Her one true love had died, and she was left a widow before she was 40.

It’s been about 6 months since the accident, and she has slowly been getting herself back into her normal routine, her usual peppy self.

[wynhq]

[Min Yoongi, demimale, they/them] [WYNTER “WYN” CALDWELL] has been seen around Riverton lately. They are [TWENTY-SIX] and work as a/an [APP DEVELOPER ]. One of their favorite activities is [KNITTING]. Some people say that they are [CREATIVE], but others say they are [CLOSED OFF]. How are they enjoying their stay in Riverton? (Laura, 22,cst,she/they)

Mini Bio

Wynter or Wyn for short wasn't always known by that. That was the name they were given when they were adopted at 2 years old. Wyn doesn't remember life in Korea they were two when they were brought to the USA (to Riverton which they only moved away from in college but then came back too) . All they know is that their bio family died in a train crash and they were lucky that they were with a family friend for the day. Luckily, Wyn wasn't in the orphanage long before they were adopted by their dads. Their dads were the ones that renamed them Wynter.  Growing up Wyn had everything they needed. They had loving parents and lived in a high middle class home. Didn't need to worry about much but when they started school things changed. Wyn was bullied a lot for who they are. Bullied for having two dads, bullied for not being "real boy". They weren't into sports and other "boy" activities and that made them a target. A target for hate. Which in turn has made Wyn keep people at a distance.  They'd rather get to know someone fully before letting them in. They are an introvert because of bullying but it wasn't all bad. Thanks to being alone a lot during middle school and high school only really have three friends they worked hard in school. They taught themselves code. They worked hard on grades and taught themselves how to knit and cross stitch and they read a lot. They are very book smart and they got into MIT. So while being bullied did hurt them a lot and has damaged them it also made them grow. Now they work at a tech start up and help develop apps and patch code (they will hide away from the world for days to do their work). Even though they are extremely book smart they aren't so good at common sense things. Maybe cause they closed themselves off and hide away from a while but whatever it is. Common sense isn't common for them. They are the worst driver and they can't cook for the life of them. It's suspiring they've lasted 26 years. It wasn't until after high school that they felt comfortable and coming out as non-binary (demiboy). They waited until they were away from their bullies to start playing around with their gender. Now at 26 they are comfortable and being themselves more. Even on days where their dressed in clothes that are considered to be just for males they always have make up on. Somedays they wear a skirt. They are just themselves and if someone makes them feel bad about it (which does still happen even as an adult) they just try to breath and try not to fall more into themselves. With people they don't know they will be more quiet but once they know you they are silly and fun and will probably offer to do your make up.

Wanted connections

Family connections (Sister, cousin, heck even their dads)

Someone who use to bully them in high school. (maybe they still do??)

A roommate (let’s face it if Wyn lived alone they’d be dead)

An Ex ( we can decide if they ended on good terms or not) 

A childhood friend (growing up they didn’t have many friends. They stayed to themselves a lot because of bullies but this would have been the one person they could count on)

One sided crush (either on Wyn’s part or on the other persons)

Anything. I’m up for anything 

COME PLOT WITH ME

[the-one-with-wings-blog]

[Madelaine Petsch, female, She/her] [Olette "Lettie" Marie Voss] has been seen around Riverton lately. They are [Twenty Four] and work as a/an [Co-Owner of Cafe Bouquet]. One of their favorite activities is [Painting]. Some people say that they are [Positive], but others say they are [Airheaded]. How are they enjoying their stay in Riverton? (Megs ,25,est,she/her)

TW: Blood, Murder under the cut. 

Name: Olette “Lettie” Marie Voss

Age: 24

Height: 5’5”

Eye Colour: Dark Brown

Hair Colour: Red

Tattoos: None

Scars: A deep scar on her left temple, mostly obscured by her hair.

Birthday: October 1st

Star Sign: Libra

Family

Lillian Lyrica Voss: Mother, fifty, deceased. Lillian was her business partner, by all accounts the two were very close and had a very good relationship. Some might have found it odd that they were as close as they were but most would chalk it up to a very normal loving relationship.

Bernard “Bernie” Voss: Father, fifty two, deceased. Bernie was a big man with a scary look, quite unlike the softness in his wife and daughter but he was, again, by all accounts a protective, doting father. He was a business man who dealt with real estate both within and outside of town.

Past

She was born on the first of October with much fanfare, after a rough pregnancy. She was an artistic, creative child and somewhat air headed but talented in many ways. The family home was, and still is, just outside of town, set in the woods. She went to school in Riverton and would have to walk down the long road up to the street the bus rout was on. She was never especially popular in school and she wasn’t quite sure why, people just seemed to avoid her. Still, despite all that, she did manage to make a few very good, brave friends who she doted on endlessly, bringing cookies and cupcakes for to lunch, attending every recital, soccer game, tennis match, whatever it was.

As she grew up she continued to bake and to paint, she did well in school, science especially, but her passions were in the arts so she decided against going to school for chemistry, opting for fine arts instead. After she graduated with her degree, she came home and made a few discoveries that sparked a lot of fighting with her parents. She got her own apartment, a crappy one and paid her own way for a few months in it before the family reconciled. No one quite knows exactly what was said but shortly after Bernie Voss purchased a building in downtown Riverton where Lillian and Lettie set up shop. Olette made a move into a much nicer apartment and once again, things seemed golden for the Voss family.

A few short weeks ago, there was a disturbance at the household, screaming and gunfire so loud, their closest neighbour who’s property was yards away called it in and only because they had been out in the woods that night. The police found the bloody bodies of Bernard and Lillian, both of whom were pronounced dead at the scene but they also found Lettie who was unconscious but alive. She was brought to the Riverton Hospital where she lay asleep, on tubes and wires…until she woke up one night, a brand new person…sort of.

Present

Olette Marie Voss has no recollection of her past or of the people she called family or friends, all she has are questions, some she wants answers to and some she doesn’t. The police continue to persist in their investigation but she wonders if maybe what happened to her was a blessing, if this is a box that is better left unopened, let the contents poison her and the town. She wants to know more about her family, about her home, her business. She is currently accepting applicants to the Bouquet Cafe and will be doing interviews which is a task she considers to be rather daunting. She is in the process of moving out of her apartment and into the family…

Connections I’d be interested in…

Friends from her childhood: Mostly girls, brave and spunky enough to hang out with her, a sailor senshi-esque assortment of people if you will.

Distant family: Cousins and uncles and aunts that have come back to Riverton to either help or hinder her, they may know a bit about what caused the fight between her and her parents.

Romantic Interest: ??? who knows, it’s an option on the table.

Fun Facts

Olette is a very nice dresser, sometimes in a way that’s a little intimidating to others.

She loves girly things but she’s also fond of nerdier things like Harry Potter, Anime (certain films and series), and video games.

Her twitter and insta handle is #the-one-with-wings, or variations of that.

She isn’t the best driver.

She can speak fluent French and English.

She has a hard time getting bottles opened.

Traits

Ditzy, Sweet, Naive, Wise (in some ways), Talented, Considerate, Privileged, Kind, Fearful, Indecisive, Obsessive.

[punkyronie]

hello !! i am so excited to be here and to bring my smol bean. you can call me tess - i use she and they and i say i’m the pst zone but the hours i’m up sometimes you would never guess it.

(     GEORGIE FLORES,   DEMI WOMAN,   SHE/THEY     —     oh  gosh,  sorry  VERÓNICA VALERIO !  i  didn't  see  you  there !  y'know,  i  can't  believe  you're  already  TWENTY-SIX  years  old;  seems  like  just  yesterday  you  were  tripping  over  yourself,  or  was  that  yesterday ?  just  kidding,  just  kidding  !  anyway,  i  hear  that  you've  been  here  since  1985,  or  so  you  think;  congratulations  !  at  least  that  shining  COMPOSED  personality  of  yours  hasn't  changed  a  bit,  especially  that  ASPIRING  +  MODERATE,  but  ENVIOUS  +  STUBBORN  way  about  you.  look,  i  gotta  get  back  to  the  group,  but  i'll  see  you  around  !  

▼ STATISTICS.

Name: Verónica Ana Marie Valerio

Age: 26

Birthday: January 9, 1959 

Relationship status: single

Occupation: singer; nursing student

Gender & Pronouns: demi woman & she/they

Sexual Orientation: bisexual

Religion: Roman Catholic

Hometown: Chico, California

Current home: Raven House, [unknown]

Languages: English and Spanish

Family: Ana Marie and Guillermo Valerio (parents - deceased); Alejandro Valerio (oldest - living); Francisco Valerio (middle - living)

▼ BEFORE.

Having been born in the early morning on a cold January day, Verónica was what the family like to call “their miracle child”. She had two older brothers and they had been less than easy pregnancies for her mother so they were not sure if she would have been able to bring a third to term. Ana Marie was a strong woman, however, and was determined to do everything she could to make sure her baby girl arrived just on time.

The Valerio family was, at the time, new to America and California in general. They had only moved from Oaxaca just before they found out the family would be expanding again. Guillermo had worked in advertising and when the small company was looking to expand internationally, he jumped at the opportunity. In hopes of giving his family a different life and maybe better opportunity that they might not have otherwise been given.

With nearly four years between her and Francisco and another three between her and Alejandro, Verónica was never close with her brothers. Instead, she was, in their words “the annoying tag along” but she just wanted to be included in everything they did. That did not seem to stop them,  however, especially as they started to get older.

Growing up in the early 60s, Verónica felt spoiled when it came to music. The world’s favourites were all just there for her picking and while she never shied away from a certain genre, they gravitated towards the rock and punk bands - much to her parents dismay. 

They always questioned her taste in music, but they had learned their lesson from the two older boys in the family and never tried to stop her from listening to what made their daughter happy. But that didn’t mean Verónica didn’t have boundaries.

She went into nursing because it was what was expected of her. Her mother had never worked, choosing to stay home and raise Verónica and her older brothers, but Ana Marie wanted only the best for her only daughter. It was not what she envisioned for her life though. She wanted to be center stage and in front of a crowd - something her parents would have never understood.

Throughout high school, Verónica had been in the school’s choir. She loved to sing and even though it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to be singing, she never turned down the opportunity. It wasn’t until after graduating that she had been approached by one of the members of her class. They were in a band and recently lost their lead singer. He had, of course, heard Verónica sing before and thought she would be a perfect fit. Not knowing what she was getting herself into, Verónica said yes and the rest, as they say, is history. 

They weren’t sure what they were expecting, but the punk band was not exactly it. Appearance wise, Verónica stood out like a sore thumb but the rest of the band thought she was perfect. It wasn’t about the look for them - that could come later - it was the voice and boy did she have it. She meshed with them like they had been together for years. And they grew close. They were the family she chose to share a part of her life with - a part that she was not able to share with her conservative parents or brothers.

Verónica didn’t think her parents would be angry, but wasting her time in a band while she could be doing more important things were words that were engraved in her memory. They went to church every Sunday as a family, they said grace before every meal and Ana Marie and Guillermo wanted their children to have every opportunity available to them in life. Being the lead singer in a band just wasn’t one of those opportunities.

That first morning had been disorienting at first. She knew she had drank too much the night before and it was something that she would have to live with. But she had promised her parents to be back from her “sleepover” before noon and if there was going to be any hope of keeping that promise, she had to wake the rest of the band and get them on the road. They had gotten her a separate room so that she didn’t have to feel uncomfortable with the rest of them, but in hindsight, it might have been better for them to have stayed together.

Opening the doors, she expected the cream coloured walls but was met with something else entirely. And the door that was across from her own the night before was no longer there. Had she ended up at the wrong hotel? And while she moved through the corridor, the panic slowly started to fill her, Verónica took notice of the people around her.

Standing in the lobby, she saw nothing she recognized from the night before and now she stood at the front desk - not a single soul in sight. She even tried to leave, but nothing happened. 

▼ EXTRAS.

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