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[stcaterinamanco]

(  LAUREN COHAN  )     ⸻     new  york  is  home  to  many  people,     including     CATERINA MANCO,     the  forty one  year  old  museum curator,     some  people  say  that  she   reminds  them  of   worn mosaics, the fading scent of incense, and cracked marble  but  that  just  could  be  because  they  are  INTELLIGENT   &  AWKWARD.     cat   originally  hails  from  tuscany,    but  now  lives  in  brooklyn.  

ciao everyone! i'm coco, this here is cat, and this is her intro! just as a warning, cat's background involves intense religious trauma so if that triggers you, please be mindful and only read if you think you're in the right headspace!

cat had a pretty average upbringing in tuscany, and is an only child. their family are very devout catholics, and it was growing up in that environment that cat developed an intense fear of demons and falling prey to demonic possession. as a result, she started to read about demons to learn their weaknesses and how best to avoid being possessed.

unfortunately this was misinterpreted by the people around them as them falling prey to demons. it was also around this time that they started to show symptoms of bipolar disorder, which was again misinterpreted.

due to these misunderstandings, her family contacted their priest who in turn contacted the vatican in an attempt to perform an exorcism.

the whole event was extremely traumatic for cat, as she was tied to a bed at several points and her cries for help were ignored. it wasn't until a second priest arrived that the process was called off and cat was put in the hospital.

the ordeal was a nationwide media sensation and cat was the source of discussion all over italy, which they were mostly shielded from while they recovered.

after all of this cat returned home but her relationship with her family was irrevocably altered, however she became very close with the second priest who saved her. through him she developed an interest in medieval italy, as that was an interest of his.

after high school she went on to study medieval history with a focus on italy, and would further specialize in the occult beliefs and practices of the time, and would go on to write her thesis and dissertation on it.

after getting her phd, she relocated to new york to work at a museum as a curator for their medieval europe department

extras:

cat no longer practices catholicism

when the priest who saved cat died she attended his funeral and was distraught

she rarely speaks to her family

she is known as an expert on the occult in medieval italy. a little niche, but she likes it. she's even been published

she takes medication for her bipolar disorder and had to receive therapy for the ptsd she developed following the multiple attempted exorcisms

wcs:

relatives of the second priest, i think it would be interesting to see cat interact with them as she does consider that priest to be family

any italian immigrants, especially if they would be familiar with cat's case

fellow museum workers, especially other medievalists, but anyone with a niche as obscure as hers (like say the culinary practices of 1930s korea) would be great

if anyone wants to do anything with cat please message me!