#charles merriman

[jinxiguess]

GONE characters in a british highschool

this is like the stupidest post ive ever made also disclaimer i know NOTHING about the american school system so i think half of them are probably in the wrong years also i didn't want to put all of them in the same year so ignore how some of their ages dont even match up😭

SAM

year 11

ALWAYS forgets ingredients for food tech

and then burns everything

and then forgets to take it home and just leaves it in the fridge at the end of the day

never remembers to put money in his school account and quinn has to buy him lunch every single day

sleeps through maths

has the most obvious crush on astrid and the entire school knows

ASTRID

year 11

made it her life goal to get head girl when she was in year 7

and got it ofc🤭

try hard in every single class

and top set in everything

always has so much stationery

goes to homework club EVERY SINGLE DAY

besties w the librarian

somehow oblivious to the fact sam likes her

QUINN

year 11

always late to every lesson no matter WHAT

somehow keeps ending up front row in school fights and gets interrogated abt them

"can i go to the toilet?" and takes like 20 laps round the school before he comes back

takes 0.5 pictures of everyone

sells overpriced sweets at lunch and makes bank

threatens to fight people after school but never does

joined the football team but nobody ever passes to him bcs he cant play to save his life

EDILIO

year 10

accidentally downloaded a virus on one of the computers and nearly got expelled

gets squashed in the lunch queue

buttons up his blazer to look smart

makes sam join clubs with him so he isnt alone (he's scared of the year 8s)

tried to feed the seagulls outside the school

hangs out in the library w roger and denies that they're dating but literally everyone knows

so bad at pe that he doesnt even bother bringing his kit anymore n just gets sent to iso

LANA

year 11

literally never in class

vapes in the toilets w diana

ALWAYS in iso

dated quinn for like a week in year 8

somehow pulls absolutely everyone

so popular but everyone is also scared of her because one time she scrapped w drake and bashed his head in

brings alcohol to EVERY party

CAINE

year 11

head boy even though he does NOT deserve it

leads the year 7s to the wrong side of the school

pe try hard (screams "WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET THE BALL" at his teammates)

year 7s all have a crush on him

acts like he caught a disease after he touches a year 8

has like 60% attendance but the teachers still love him

never goes to form

always shoving in the canteen queue🙄

gets way too competitive over kahoot

literally never been sent to iso except that one time he shoved drake off his chair in the middle of class

DIANA

year 11

rolls her skirt up and always gets in trouble for it (and refuses to roll it back down)

vapes in the toilets w lana

sprays entire bottles of perfume every time shes near the year 7s

and then makes friends w them specifically to slag them off later

stalks the teacher's socials

uses xx or 💋 after EVERY SINGLE TEXT

has a pandora bracelet and wears different charms on it everyday

somehow untouched by school air

DRAKE

year 11

"WHAT DID I EVEN DO???" every time he gets sent out of class (he was literally jumping on the tables)

starts like half the fights in the entire school

scraps outside tesco like every single day

LOBS paninis at the year 7s

steals tesco trolleys

should probably just go live in iso atp

got kicked off the football team bcs he wouldnt stop slide tackling

literally on the verge of being expelled

DEKKA

year 10

1000% done w everyone elses shit

sits in empty classrooms at lunch n pals w the teachers

way too stressed abt gcses

actually really really good at music

so quiet but somehow everyone knows who she is

used to take the bus to school but decided she didnt want to have to deal w all the year 7s and stopped

got hit in the face w a netball in pe

BRIANNA

year 9

absolutely sprints to the lunch line

gets so mad whenever someone doesnt pass the ball to her in pe

and always fighting w caine in pe

shoplifts from tesco

forgets her pe bag at least once a day n leaves it everywhere

always getting sent out for talking back

LOST the form pet hamster

nearly blew up a science classroom

TAYLOR

year 8

always talking shit about everyone

makes those tips for year 7 videos

defo has pe first on a friday😭

snitches on EVERYONE

makes tiktoks in the bathrooms

spends half the lessons making her titles cursive and pretty

makes fun of the year 7s as if she wasnt one like two months ago

JACK

year 7

GIANT backpack

and probably gets trampled in the corridors

probably wears undertale or harry potter keychains (and gets bullied abt it)

always gets hit by paninis travelling at 1000kmph

got given a top locker and cant reach it

cries when he gets in trouble

PENNY

year 8

rolls her skirt up unevenly

side eyes EVERYONE

vaped in the toilets and taylor snitched on her

REFUSES to wear her blazer

falls over in pe and everyone sighs when she gets put on their team

got put in iso for insulting all the teachers

ORC

year 10

stabs his radnor fizz w a compass and sprays it at all the year 7s

also starts like a million fights

NEVER has a pen

grabs peoples bag straps and yanks them backwards

always steals the year 7's footballs and boots them into orbit

wears black airforces instead of school shoes

and is never ever ever wearing his tie

HOWARD

year 9

keeps getting mistaken for a year 7

hangs out with older kids to look cool

and then brags about it

sells vapes behind the school at break

tries to break up orc's fights and gets flung halfway across the pitches

MASSIVE blazer (looks like a roblox character)

SANJIT

year 10

probably a theatre kid

runs to every class so he isnt late

always skips pe

that one kid who highlights EVERYTHING

somehow manages to record EVERY SINGLE FIGHT (and then sends it to everyone)

holds therapy sessions in the toilets

that one asthmatic kid who screams whenever anyone sprays anything

[willgrahamsnightmares]

im going to say it, we as a society need more Orc x Howard fic

they were the blueprint for awful and horrible gay people

[gone-series-orchid]

i also like orc and astrid's dynamic bc they challenge each other on a fundamental philosophical level

[dianaladrislovebot]

howard: hey, can you hold this ?

orc:

orc: this is your hand

howard: i know :)

[aayo-whatt]

Who was your favorite Gone character?? Along with your least?

(Its 2 am and in re-reading plague help me 😭😭)

oof okk

from book one? i lovee drake and edilio unnaturally, drake was such an asshole for no reason and i love it and edilio is literally baby, he can do anything, if he's barbie im his ken y'know? ok, not sure who i hate from book one,, maybe orc? he was kinda a dick, but i feel like he was just doing what was expected of him albert a bit? but then again he did run a maccas, and he found that cat so probably not.. i don't think i really hated anyone from the first book, just a chunk of people i either didn't think were relevant or just didn't hate or love-?

from the whole series? QUINN he is literally my child, i would die for him over and over and i wouldn't care JUST LET HIM HAVE HIS BOAT and i vaguely remember zil doing something to hunter, and we can't have that so probably zil (<- was going to say gaia, but it seemed too dry of a response-)

ohmygod- i wish that could be me brooo 😭😭😭

tysm for the ask! feel incredibly free to send as many as you'd like!! who are your favourite and least favourite characters??

[tasmainiac]

GONE Character Crime Chart

(Counting the Monster Trillogy)

Sam Temple: First degree muder, Driving Without License, Reckless Driving, Underage Drinking, Statutory Rape¹, Involuntary Manslaughter, Federal Trespassing

Astrid Ellison: First degree muder, Statutory Rape, Illegal drug use, Agrivated assault, Illegal possession of Firearm

Caine Soren: First degree murder, Statutory Rape, Canibalism, Breaking and Entering, Federal Trespassing, Torture, Homicide²

Diana Ladris: Statutory Rape, Underage Drinking, Obstructing a Law Enforcement Officer, Canibalism, Breaking and Entering

Drake Merwin (Jr): First degree muder, Agrivated assault, Driving Without License, Torture, Federal Trespassing, Breaking and Entering, Rape, Illegal possession of firearm, Multilation

Edilio Escobar: Illegal Immigration, Driving Without License, Illegal possession of firearm

Quinn Gaither: Assualt, Fishing without License, Driving Without License³, Distribution of food without permit

Lana Arwen Lazar: Underage Smoking, Illegal possession of firearm, Underage Drinking

Dekka Talent: First degree muder, Agrivated assault, Illegal possession of firearm, Underage Drinking, Involuntary Manslaughter, Federal Trespassing, Robery, Failure to report to duty⁴

Brianna Berenson: Speeding, Hunting without License, Agrivated assault, Illegal possession of firearm⁵

Computer Jack: Federal Trespassing⁶

Penny: Poisoning, Torture

Charles "Orc" Merriman: Underage Drinking, Agrivated assault, InvoluntaryManslaughter, Disturbing the peace, Driving Without License

Howard Bassem: Drug Dealing, Agrivated assault, Bootlegging, Illegal Distribution of alcohol

Zil Sperry, Lance, Hank, Turk: Hate Crime, Agrivated assault, Arson, Illegal possession of firearm

Hunter Lefkowitz: Hunting without License, Illegal distribution of food, Involuntary Manslaughter

Gaia Soren-Ladris: Canibalism, Arson, First degree muder, Involuntary Manslaughter, Agrivated assault, Torture, Homicide⁷

1: Statutory Rape is sex between two minors, which is illegal in California.

2: I am positive that his list should be longer

3: some laws I've combined like Driving Without License and boating without License

4: This list is only so long because of the stuff she did in the Monster Trillogy

5: This should probably be longer too

6: Okay, I am positive turning off an entire town's electricity is illegal, but I can't find the law so I didn't add it

7: her list is probably short because she was only in two books

[suvidrache]

Kindness In Your Heart

age in bio when interacting. minors do not interact.

Word Count: 573 | Read it on AO3 | Tag List

Warning: mentions of childhood trauma.

Orc never had a good childhood. His father was a terrible man. His mother and he were both victims of his abuse. Orc struggled while in school. He became the very thing his father was. He wasn't going to allow anyone to step all over him. He fought back. He was feared or respected. He didn't pay much mind to those who poked fun at his weight. It wasn't something that he could control. It wasn't worth the fight, either. He struggled while in school. He wouldn't let anyone know about his struggles. It would just add fuel to the fire. It would be different for those to hurt him over. He could pretend the words didn't hurt, but they did. You were smart. You didn't judge him. You treated him like a human. You helped him with his work. You helped him pass his classes, and you made him feel something. A friendship. A true friendship. Sure, he had one other friend, but he used him. Orc knew that. That's how a friendship works, or so he thought.

The FAYZ happened. Fallout Alley Youth Zone. His friend named it. Orc didn't change. He couldn't change. He still had a reputation to uphold. You both drifted apart. It didn't matter. Your lives were in danger, and there were more important things to worry about. He killed someone. He didn't mean to. It was an accident. He felt terrible for the crimes that he committed. He didn't want to be a monster. He was. He found God and prayed for forgiveness. He read the Bible and stopped drinking alcohol. He didn't want to go to hell. He wanted to be a good man. He was. You knew him well enough to say that. You were there for him, and you forgave him. Things were hard in the FAYZ. You still helped him out as much as you could.

You knew what it was like to be alone. You were judged for your appearance and intelligence. You were in higher-level classes. You knew his pain, and you didn't want him to feel the way that you did. You genuinely cared for him. You didn't want anything from him. You didn't expect anything from him. Yet, he protected you as much as he could in the FAYZ. He never forgot you, even if you didn't remember him. He couldn't forget the one who helped him out when he was at his lowest and when he needed help at risk of being held back.

The coyote attacked, and gravel replaced his wounds. He was too hideous to look out. No one could stand him, especially now, yet you didn't judge him. You still supported him and saw him as your friend. You weren't one to judge appearances, and he was, and still is, your friend.

The barrier came down, and you went back home to your family. His family never came to find him. They could care less about him. You invited him to your place to stay, and he gratefully took it. You and your family took him in and treated him with kindness and respect. It didn't matter that he wasn't related. He was cared for. He didn't know how he could ever pay you back. He didn't need to. You did it out of the kindness of your heart. Charles had a home and a place to go to. A friend who truly cared.

© SUVIDRACHE — do not copy, translate, modify, or plagiarize my work. reblogs are appreciated!

Tag List: @hpphantom

[fallout--alley--youth--zone]

Name Symbolism in Gone

Sam Temple

Samuel's story in the Bible is actually kind of interesting.* He was the first of the prophets and the last of the judges (not a king, no idea where MG got that from), promised to God before he was even born and obedient to Him until the moment he died. He appointed two kings of Israel: King Saul, who was eventually diagraced, and the humble King David**, though he died before David was actually made king.

Does this mean anything in relation to the Sam Temple we know and love? I don't know. It could be alluding to Sam's more hands-off approach in the later books, but more likely MG just picked a random name from the Hebrew Bible because Jewish(TM).

*Disclaimer: I am an atheist who was raised by an atheist who was also raised by an atheist. I know nothing about the Bible, or really any religion for that matter. My information regarding this may not be entirely accurate. Also, I may explain Bible stuff that's common knowledge to you because it's all new to me. This is not me being stupid or talking down to you. Thank you.

**Random bolding helps me focus. Ditto for all the bright colors. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.***

***footnoting my own writing is really really fun.

Caine Soren / "David Temple"

Caine's name symbolism is more obvious. Cain, humanity's first murderer, who killed his own brother with a rock. Most likely this name was chosen because it sounded cool and edgy while also alluding to his connection with Sam. I do wonder what was going through Caine's adoptive parents' heads when they named him. Eh, white people gonna white people.

Caine's last name is kind of interesting. It's of Scandinavian descent (sources differ on what specifically, most likely Norwegian or Danish) and means "stern, strict, severe". It's particularly interesting to me that this is the family name. Perhaps alluding to the Soren family's attitude toward their adopted son? I guess we'll never know.

King David (the same David who slew Goliath) was a harpist brought to King Saul by Samuel. He grew up to be a great general, and Saul grew paranoid that David was plotting to kill them. To simplify things: David defeated Saul and became King, had an affair with a married woman, killed her husband, and had a son with her (Solomon).

What significance does this have to Caine's story? None that I can see. I think that Connie gave him a good, strong name in hopes that he would grow up to be good and strong. Maybe Caine was a particularly small or weak child and so she named him after David, the boy who defeated a giant and became King. But that’s all conjecture. Again, the most likely explanation is that MG just plucked a random name from the Hebrew Bible because Jewish(TM).

Drake Merwin

Drake's name is actually really funny. Drake means "dragon" or "snake" and Merwin means either "mariner" or "friend of the sea". I choose to believe that this is a reference to his Whip Arm (because it. it looks like a snake,, perhaps even a sea serpent?). If it is, then it's hilarious and MG is a comedic genius. If it isn't, then it's a hell of a coincidence.

Diana Ladris

As far as I can tell, the name "Ladris" doesnt exist. MG made it up. It may have faintly Greek or Italian origins, which makes sense as Diana was the Roman goddess of the moon and fertility (possibly the Roman interpretation of Artemis? Idk im not a historian I just had a Percy Jackson phase). I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a reference to Diana's precociousness. At least she wasn’t named Mary! Speaking of which...

Mary Terrafino

Yeah, Mary's is pretty obvious. Mother Mary, Martyr Mary, etc. As far as I can tell Terrafino is of Italian origin, but I can't find a meaning.

Astrid Ellison

So the name Astrid itself comes from Old Norse and means "divinely beautiful". I don't know if this was on purpose but I believe Astrid's name works on three levels: first, referencing her religiosity; second, sounding similar to "asteroid" and thus alluding to her power (that MG completely forgot about after the first book :')); and third, referencing Astrid Hofferson, who just so happens to both look very similar to our Astrid Ellison (white teen girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a ferocious personality) and share a name with her.

I don't believe Ellison has any special secret meaning, but it comes from an Old Welsh name meaning "kind, benevolent" which I think is nice :)

Peter "Little Pete" Ellison

Similarly to Astrid, I'm not quite sure if the name Peter has any special meaning. The name itself means "stone", and if we follow MG's trend of using Biblical names, then it might be a reference to Saint Peter. It's a bit of a stretch, but this could be a reference to Little Pete going metaphysically toe-to-toe with the Gaiaphage from page one, possibly even before the FAYZ (Peter was the first disciple that Jesus revealed himself to). It could even be a reference to his death: martyred at the hands of a mad tyrant (Peter was crucified by Nero).

Edilio Escobar

Idk if it means anything particularly but Edilio's name is so poetic. It's Greek and means "he who is like a statue". I'm 95% sure MG just picked a random Latino-sounding name but damn he was so right with this one. Edilio: so perfect, so tragic. Like a statue.

Lana Arwen Lazar

I also really like that he has name alliteration, it makes him sound like a superhero (as he deserves!). I'm pretty sure the only other character that has that is Brianna*.

*EDIT: And Lana!

We know that Lana's first & middle names are a reference to comic book characters, but not enough people talk about her last name. In the Bible, Lazarus was brought back to life by Jesus--but considering that Lana's parents are apparently giant nerds, this is probably not a reference to the Bible but to the "Lazarus pit". In DC comics, Lazarus pit is basically a giant pit of mysterious green ooz that brings people back to life. Its side effects? White hair and green eyes.* So Lana's last name may be alluding to the Gaiaphage and the hold it has over her: it killed her and brought her back to life, but it changed her. Considering the Gaiaphage has brought people back to life before, it's not too far-fetched.

*Disclaimer: I know this because of fanfiction. It may not be entirely accurate.

Charles "Orc" Merriman

Orc's name obviously has a lot of symbolism behind it. First he's figuratively seen as a monster, then he's literally seen as a monster. Throughout the series we continuously see this dichotomy between "Orc"--the bully, brute, drunkard, rock monster--and "Charles"--the child in desperate need of help.

Pretty sure his last name was just MG having a laugh since this kid is anything but "merry".

Dekka Talent

Dekka the. The. Don't make me say it.

Brianna Berenson

Howard Bassem

Brianna means something like "good, strong, noble" which tracks. Berenson just means "son of Ber" and I can't find a meaning for that so idk.

EDIT: Brianna's name having alliteration is probably on purpose, since it makes her sound more superhero-y.

It rhymes with coward lmao

Bassem is an Arabic name meaning "smile". I'd have to check and see exactly what book his surname is mentioned in, but honestly the first thing I thought of when I saw it was The Paragraph(TM).*

*idk what it is word-for-word but it's smth like "Howard just looked up at me with that crooked smile of his and said 'I'm always behind you, big guy'".

Duck Zhang

He just wanted a pool :(

Hunter Lefkowitz

His name is Hunter and he. he hunts.

Lefkowitz may or may not mean "lion" and if it does then :(

All the other characters' names either don't have a meaning that I can see (i.e, Albert, Brittney, Quinn, etc.) or have a very obviously stated meaning (i.e, Gaia, Sanjit, etc.).

[inkskxtch]

as a charles merriman enjoyer and apologist im tired of pretending creep by radiohead isnt HIS song . especially with his feelings for astrid in mind

[goneseriesanalysis]

i'd love it if you could do an analysis of orc 🥹 

Eee yes I absolutely will be doing an Orc one. For Orc I am thinking I will probably give him his own analysis, a relationship analysis for Howard and Astrid and then maybe even one for all three of them?? I'm also debating doing an Orc and Drake comparison as I think their storylines oppose each other very nicely. I could talk about him for hours so he'll definitely be getting his fair share

[pepsinutellaandlaptops]

Charles 'Orc' Merriman & Howard Bassem

Age: 14 | 14

Level: 2 | 1

Power: Stone Regeneration | None

Position: Captain | Salesman

[jinxiguess]

do you think howard would ever confess his feelings to orc if given the chance? what do you think their friendship would be like if they both survived the fayz?

I really wish Howard had confessed to orc before he died, I feel like he most likely would have if he had had the chance especially if he thought he was going to die I would have loved to have seen something like that since his death was sort of brushed over

I feel like their friendship would probably be super awkward after the fayz, especially considering that orc sort of cleared himself up towards the end of the fayz but they would most likely stick together or at least I hope they would

[lainxyz]

could you draw orc and howard? 🥺 your art is amazing btw

beer me!

[gone-series-orchid]

okay if there is a gone tv show or movie series or whatever the costume design needs to be good istg

[dianaladrislovebot]

behold ! return of the alignment charts ! now w all new characters ! part 3

[aayo-whatt]

who's your favorite character(s) in the gone series?

ooh, i don't actually remember them all since i read it AGES ago (rereading them now though!!)

i love quinn unnaturally, his character arc was amazing, and i just love his entire personality without good reason

EDILIO he is baby and that's all that i have to say

orc's pretty cool, kinda an asshole at the start but who isn't sometimes y'know?

drake, and i have no idea why-

DIANAAAAAAAAA i love her so much omg, she's just so diana and i love that for her

i basically just love everyone in the series (except zil 😒)-

ty for the askk!!!!!!