#hmbintro

[valerieayoade]

NAME: VALERIE AYOADE

AGE: 27

OCCUPATION: FULL-TIME STREAMER 

NEIGHBORHOOD: SOUTH COAST

GENDER & PRONOUNS: CISFEMALE, SHE/HER

about -

Valerie was born in Houston, Texas to a Russian mother and a Nigerian father, both immigrants. Being the family's first generation American was very important to Valerie, and despite her family never outright put any pressure on her, it was always obvious their hopes and expectations for their daughter were high. She speaks English, Russian, and French; and is learning Hausa, her father's language.

Valerie never thought of herself as smart, but she had always been good at picking things up quickly, which got her good grades in school, but no subject ever really stuck with her. But because she was good at many things, her highly hopeful parents enrolled her in private International school, where she took part in the orchestra and in the girls' volleyball team. And while she was always busy, in her spare time she found herself playing videogames with her little brother. Perhaps the only time she had genuine fun doing something.

Being the eldest daughter, having a college education felt very important to her, even if it didn't mean that much to her family. She was the one pressuring herself to be better and do better, and with this mentality she landed herself a spot in CompSci at USC.

College was a completely different experience, though. Picking things up was a bit more challenging, and in the process she ended up needing tutoring in a couple of her classes. The shame! But in the process she met the guy who would later become her boyfriend, whom she'd remain dating to this day.

During her junior year in college, a new venture opened up to Valerie: an e-sports club for a popular first person shooter game. She went in blind, and ended up being the only girl in the entire club. But they kept her around, because Val was GOOD. It wasn't too long before the team got picked up for professional competitions, which then led to Valerie getting signed by a reputable organization and going pro. In her career in the female category, Valerie's team won two championships back-to-back.

After she graduated with her Bachelor's Degree, Val continued to play professionally for a couple organizations, before she decided it was time to move on from the game she started out with and into the newest, more popular first person shooter, with a bigger audience and higher stakes. It wasn't hard for her to find a team at all, and before she knew it, she was playing a silly videogame in front of thousands of people, in person and online, cheering for her and her team.

In the meantime, Val began to grow her own audience. She herself was surprised when she saw over fifteen thousand people watching her off-season streams, cheering for her and giving her money out of their own accord.

Her success in this e-sport wasn't as apparent as the last one, as this game was newer and way more competitive, but her team still won two out of the three championships they went to, before Val decided to "retire" a year ago, to pursue a full-time career in streaming.

After retiring, she and her boyfriend decided they'd had enough of LA, and decided to move to his hometown. Val was more than excited at the prospect, ready to start her life with her love, away from the craziness of the e-sports industry, and working her own hours.

Now that they've settled in and she's found a new successful routine, Val has decided she's going back to school for her Master's, a while after her boyfriend got his own. It felt like a good idea to further her career and finally put her degree to use, on something that she genuinely loved: gaming.

traits -

positive: hard-working, passionate, honest

negative: easily bored, anxious, bossy

headcanons -

in college, val started playing the then-popular fps game cs:go, and ended up going pro and playing for a legit org for a few seasons, before switching games to valorant, the newer fps with a way bigger budget for e-sports.

her screen name has always been "valeriya," and has been sitting in the top 500 players in valorant since retiring. she has an alternate account to play with her low-level boyfriend sam, and the name of that account is simply "i miss him"

serial hobby hopper, but the two hobbies that have stuck are crocheting and baking. she's dipping her toes into knitting, and been getting a lot into fashion for no real reason.

[zehra-ozdemir]

~ Zehra Özdemir ~

Age: 31 Birthday: March 3rd, 1992 Zodiac: Pisces Gender/Pronouns: Cis Female & She/Her Sexuality: Heterosexual Relationship status: Single Hometown: Half Moon Bay, California Occupation: Owner of Cove Boutique Current residence: South Coast Positive traits: Loyal, friendly, outgoing Negative traits: Blunt, hot-headed, stubborn Face claim: Demet Özdemir

tw: mention of drugs and alcohol

Zehra Özdemir came into the world smiling and was curious as can be. Ever since she could talk, she was asking questions about the world and life and how everything worked. She grew up in a fun loving family  

Zehra wasn’t an only child, she had an older brother who got everything that he wanted. Did she care? Sometimes, but she was determined to live her life how she wanted to; while still following her parents rules, of course. Her father couldn’t stop talking about San Francisco, California so when her mom and him immigrated to the U.S, their first stop was San Francisco. 

They lived there up until Zehra was two years old and then found Half Moon Bay, just a 45 minute drive outside of San Francisco and have been living there ever since. With her father working as an high end lawyer and her mother a top real estate agent, they grew up in Ocean Colony and were residents at the Colony Club. 

Everyone knew the Özdemir’s were well off, but their family never acted like it. Her parents taught her and her brother to be kind, humble and treat everyone with care and that’s how she was going to live her life. Being a happy kid, Zehra didn’t have any trouble making friends and both her and her brother were competitive when it came to sports and schooling.

At an early age, Zehra found herself interested in writing, journaling moreof. She journaled about her life, and what she noticed and eventually carried her journal everywhere she went. In high school, she kept her head down in the books as she wanted to get into a great university while her brother was the popular jock. He kept his head in the books as well so everyone loved him. He was smart, kind and athletic and Zehra was the nerdy one.

When her brother went off to college, she was excited to have more time to herself and while she did have more fun, she continued to study hard. She graduated a year later and went off to study at University of California, Berkley, staying close to home. 

While at Berkley, she studied her ass off but also made sure to have a lot of fun. She drank, tried some drugs and slept around all while keeping her appearance and attitude innocent for her parents, not wanting to disappoint the family. She dated a few guys, nothing serious as she wanted to focus on herself and her goals.

Zehra always had an eye for fashion so after she graduated from Berkley, she traveled over to New York City and lived there for five years, studying fashion and what it took to always look chic. Zehra always had great style and felt confident by wearing designer clothing. 

As wealthy as this all seemed to be, Zehra was missing the simplicity of her home. Moving back to Half Moon Bay wasn’t easy as she was going to miss New York, but she missed her family and couldn’t wait to be home. Once arriving home, she quickly opened up her own boutique, calling it Cove Boutique and it became popular. 

She got her own house in South Coast and while visiting her parents often, she made sure to keep living her life the way she wanted to. Now at 31 years old, Zehra has been back home for 4 years and is living each day to the most. She still journals everyday and even though she has never had a long, serious relationship, she is ready to settle down and have a family of her own.

[willaspencer]

NAME: Willa Spencer

NICKNAME: Will

PRONOUNS/GENDER: Cis female, she/her

BIRTHDAY: April 30th, 1992

BIRTH PLACE: Half Moon Bay

SEXUALITY: Pansexual

RESIDENCE: Westside

OCCUPATION:  Bartender at The Tipsy Whale

FAMILY: Poppy Spencer (3 years old, daughter)

TW DRUG ADDICTION.

¤ Once upon a time, Willa's life was very different from what it is now. She grew up in a middle-class, respectable family, and had very ambitious dreams for herself. She was around five years old the first time she told her parents she wanted to be a doctor. From that point on, she did everything in her power to make that happen for herself.

¤ All through elementary school and high school, Willa was known as the goody-two-shoes who was in too many clubs and too many extracurriculars. People thought she was a bore, basically, but she had a goal in mind and never strayed from it.

¤ She got into university easily and even managed to snag a scholarship for herself. Quickly, though, it became obvious that whatever she had been doing so far wasn't going to cut it there. While she had always been the smartest in the room wherever she went so far, she was suddenly surrounded by other overachievers like herself and that's when things started spiraling out of control.

¤ It was her roommate at the time that first introduced her to Adderall, selling it as an innocent way to stay focused and stay awake (two things that were becoming harder and harder to do for Willa). One pill turned into two and two turned into five and the next thing she knew the drug had taken over her life. She wasn't taking it for her studies anymore, she was taking it for the high.

¤ Willa started neglecting everything else in her life and, around the same time, met Silas on campus. He quickly became just as addictive as the drugs were, the two of them getting caught up in a very toxic relationship.

¤ A year deep in her addiction, she was kicked out of school for failing too many classes and, eventually, she was cut off by her family who had tried everything they could think of to help her. She got a job at The Tipsy Whale to sustain her addiction and a shitty apartment, but her dream of becoming a doctor? It pretty much died right there and then.

¤ To make matters worse, she kept seeing Silas and, being the irresponsible mess that she was, ended up pregnant. The pregnancy was enough to make her quit drugs cold turkey. No matter the state of her life, she wanted her baby to be healthy and she thought that maybe this could be a new beginning.

¤ Things are never that simple. Silas wasn't around much thanks to his pretentious family and raising a newborn while working a shitty job wasn't easy. One thing led to another and she was back to using. This time, however, she's much more strategic about it. She never goes too far and never lets other people see her looking out of sorts. Her worst nightmare is losing her kid.

¤ To feed her expensive habit, Willa has started blackmailing Silas, who still comes around every once in a while despite the NDA she signed and his grandparent's disapproval. He either provides the pills for her or she spills his secrets. ¤ Every morning, Willa wakes up and tells herself that today is the last day and that she's going to quit, but she can't quite bring herself to follow through with that. She's a good mother and Poppy, her three-year-old, is well-cared for, but she's a shell of her former self and she hated herself for it.

[estradaed]

{ EDUARDO ESTRADA | 45 YEARS OLD | CIS MALE - HE/HIM | BOARD MEMBER OF ESTRADA SECURITY/OWNER OF HMB FARMER'S MARKET | OCEAN COLONY }

Eduardo Estrada was born into the rather small Estrada family in Guatemala City in 1978 to rather loud fanfare. As the only child of his aging mother and father, the family and its friends celebrated that the heir to the Estrada namesake was male. Considering the civil war that raged through the entirety of the 80s, Eduardo’s father chose to relocate the family north, eventually settling in Anaheim County, California where the older Estrada’s brother had already made his home.

The Estrada Brothers used the last of their money from their father (a famed politician who had recently passed) to start a small business helping with security installations and occasionally being bouncers in the front of local liquor stores. Considering the two had extensive experience in street fighting when they were in their 20’s, the business picked up rather quickly and soon Eduardo’s father and uncle were hiring others to help pick up the slack the two couldn’t handle on their own. With that, Estrada Security was created, and Eduardo was accidentally staring down the barrel of a family business to enter when he was old enough.

With the weight of the family name on the young boy’s shoulders Eduardo was enrolled in the best schools possible, even having a live-in Nanny to help educate him before regimented schooling age. He spent the days of his childhood at school and then the evenings helping his mother around the home they all shared together considering the men of the home left each evening to earn as much money as possible. The business thrived and Eduardo did as well, but he felt himself wanting more. He didn’t like the idea of just working for the family, he wanted to make his own name and the more he moved into his high school years the more he realised what he actually enjoyed doing. Eduardo wanted to help others find the success that his family had and, with his father and uncle’s business-savvy minds helping teach him how to run a business, Ed found himself passing those lessons on to his peers. Or really anyone who would listen.

Once he graduated, Eduardo skipped college in favour of joining Eduardo Security. He had assumed since he’d spent half of his teens leaning the book keeping and business dealings that once he was ready to join the business, he would be somewhere in the office space to start with, but his father had other thoughts. The older man insisted on Eduardo working his way up from a starting position as a bouncer. As much as this frustrated him, Eduardo understood the lessons his father was trying to instil in him. It wasn’t until his father’s passing that Eduardo was given a spot on the board of directors. He was 26 and looking to give a leg up to those he’d met on each step up the family’s corporate ladder. His uncle understood the vision he was trying to create for the business and ensured that Ed was left in charge of finances, allowing him to allocate some funds to ‘start up’ companies if he say value in them.

It was through work that Eduardo met Joaquinn Ignacio and as soon as he was able to help finance the dream his friend had in opening his own club. The two became rather fast friends and Eduardo was proud to see J’s business flourish. He admired the man’s insistence on making sure the women he employed were well looked after, something he had seen first hand during his bouncer days wasn’t always the case. His friendship with J morphed into more of a brotherly relationship and within a year of the younger man relocating to HMB, Eduardo found himself looking for real estate there too. During the few months looking for a house of his own, it became quite apparent that the two were more than happy to stay housemates and Eduardo has lived with his makeshift brother for 5 years now.

[jackson-darby]

Full name: Jackson Michael Darby Gender: cismale Pronouns: he/him Birthday: August 8, 1995 Marital status:married single Moral alignment: chaotic neutral

stuff and things

(tw drugs, prostitution)

Jack was the product of an affair, his father never destined to be part of his life. Instead, he became a payoff to be kept quiet. And while he was too young at the time to understand, it still left an impact on him. He wears it like a chip on his shoulder, taking off at the first sign of longevity so that he’ll never have to watch another person leave him.

His mother worked as an escort during his childhood, which made for an interesting upbringing. He was largely left to his own devices, left alone most nights to fend for himself, eating Spaghetti-o’s straight out of the can because he was too young to work a microwave. 

When he was twelve years old, his mother was sent to county jail for prostitution, and since he had no other family to speak of, Jack was placed into foster care. It was a nice home with a nice family, and Jack probably should have been appreciative. In hindsight, he was, he supposed. But he wasn’t used to structure or people trying to tell him what to do so he became something of a Problem Child for them. Even still, the family put up with him for two years: the six months of his mother’s sentence and another year and a half while she made a home for them that CPS deemed “safe”.

He was fourteen when he returned and it was like coming home to a polished turd. From the outside, it looked better. They had an actual house rather than a rundown apartment. But on the inside, it was all very much the same. Jack fell back into old patterns, only this time he was rougher around the edges and just a little bit more experienced in the ways of drugs and alcohol

Once upon a time, Jack had been a gifted kid. He was smart and creative, but life had made him restless and directionless, so that talent was wasted. Instead, he fell a little deeper into the sort of life everyone expected of him. He befriended the older kids, he partied, and at fourteen, he lost his virginity to a woman much older than he was. 

Life continued like that throughout his high school years. He carved a place for himself among the rowdier crowds and finally the freedom offered to him by his mother’s absence felt like freedom rather than neglect

When he was eighteen, he met a girl who rivaled him in his impulsiveness. They hit it off immediately, and on some drunken bender, the two got married. It hadn’t been a decision made with forethought, or even love, it was simply fun. 

And it was good for a while. But like all things that stayed past their usual expiration date, Jack began to get antsy. There were real feelings between them, maybe even realer than he’d cared to acknowledge, but that just meant that it was going to go bad eventually. So, it was better to just hurry it along, right?

Jack did what he always did, and he self-destructed. He cheated. And he wasn’t very secretive about it. She left and he moved on, assuring himself it was for the best

He did learn his lesson, though. No one ever got as close as she did and that was how Jack preferred it: untethered and unattached. He’d be the one doing the leaving from now on.

[isabelladesoto]

THE ENCHANTER - Isabella Sofia De Soto

pinterest. playlist. musings.(TBD)

CHARACTER INSPO: Yennefer (The Witcher.) Cassandra (Promising Young Woman.) Alina Starkov (The Grisha series), Nancy Wheeler (Stranger things.) & Fallon Carrington (Dynasty.)

TRIGGER WARNINGS: bad parenting, bribery, blackmail, missing persons, mental health issues unspecified, injury

FULL NAME: Isabella Sofia De Soto

NICKNAMES: Isa, Bella, Belle

AGE: 35

BIRTHDATE: November 7th, 1987, at 4 a.m

ZODIAC: Scorpio sun, Pieces moon, Libra rising

HOMETOWN: Half Moon Bay, California

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Half Moon Bay, California 

NEIGHBORHOOD: Montara

OCCUPATION: Theatre actress/heiress

MBTI: ISFP - T

ENNEAGRAM:  8w7- the non-conformist

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral

TEMPERAMENT: Sanguine

+ visionary, determined, passionate, intuitive, enchanting, ambitious, dreamy

- sensitive, secretive, rebellious, moody, restless, impulsive/unpredictable, stubborn, skeptical

ABOUT

Born to the influential De Soto family, Isabella was always in the public eye and was no stranger to expectations. However, from an early age, it was clear she was not the child to be molded in the family's image. 

She was to be a prima-ballerina, which her parents picked for her- but for Isabella, the goal turned into a hobby she eventually only touched in brief moments. 

Isabella often had to be reminded of her "place," the role she was meant to play, and how her actions negatively impacted the family. She was doing her best, constantly watering herself down to be the daughter her parents wanted, but it was never enough. She was never her twin sister or her older brother - the golden De Soto's while she lost herself to their shadows. 

Isabella was a secret keeper, her brothers, her twins - even her mothers. The skeletons overflowed from her closet, more than half not her own- but Isabella clung to them, for it was the only way she knew how to keep the people she loved safe. 

She kept herself safe by retreating into her made-up worlds, and as she got older, the retreat turned into sneaking out to find the pieces of herself lost out to the world somewhere. 

She got better at playing her part, if only because she had carved out a niche for herself in the rest of the world. By the time she was eighteen, she knew the life she wanted was nothing like the one planned for her. 

Instead, she put away college plans and took up countless hobbies and interests she could profit from. In between it all, she fell in love. For the first time, Isabella had a name for it- knew it and clung to it- she felt seen, and between her and Clay, they curated a group of like-minded people to call found family. They chased away loneliness and injustices with little stunts that made them feel alive.

Sadly, life and consequences caught up to them. After a night of recklessness, Clay and Isabella are arrested, thus beginning the start of the end.  

Isabella didn't know it then or expect how this night would change her entire life or break her heart. However, after things quietly went much better than she had thought, she suspected the De Soto's threw around some weight. She did not expect Clay to fall collateral damage to that and, to this day, has no idea that her parents threatened him with real consequences if he didn't stay away. 

Isabella struggled but, through community service, found a love for theatre. Once she was done with it and found it more challenging than she could face staying in the small town, she left for the east coast, where she threw herself into the hopes of making it on Broadway. 

She made it- her career blossomed, and so did the problems. She didn't think she'd find parts of her in a place she had never really been, but it was a slow rebuild of her heart. Her passion really takes shape on stage. 

It was a dream come true, and after spending years keeping a man at arm's length, Isabella let him in, agreed to marry him, and was on the way to a June wedding. 

However, the wheel of fate always spins back, and a series of unfortunate events began to pile up. The first was a brutal incident of obsession when a fan broke into her dressing room, resulting in a struggle that left her with a scar on her knee and PTSD that disrupted her career. 

A few weeks later, her twin sister was suspected of missing. Weeks turned to months, she still could not face a stage, and her sister had still not returned. Unable to face her demons in the city, Isabella left a letter to her should-be husband and returned home to Half Moon Bay to throw herself into the search for her sister. Half in desperation and half in need of resolution. 

QUICK FACTS

She bakes when she is stressed. There is plenty of muffins and cakes in her house right now. 

Isabella has a small crescent-shaped scar on her palm that mirrors one her twin had when they promised to never abandon one another.

While she has not attended a formal college, she collects books on topics she is interested in, such as languages and history. 

Isabella loves to sing and often sings to herself throughout the day.

Growing up, Isabella felt very alone and collected a group of like-minded people who lived a secret life where they went on adventure thrill-seeking trips. This turned into minor vigilante shenanigans. They would use their collective skill set to unearth some unsavory people's secrets and other "robin hood" esque stunts.

FAMILY

Mataeo De Soto -father: He is a proud and driven man who has taught Naomi her self-worth. Xavier has never allowed her a second of doubt where her worth where he is concerned. This can sometimes translate into believing he knows best and attempting to control her life passively. 

Sofia De Soto  - mother: Close despite frequent arguments. Naomi feels unseen by her parents. Especially her mother. They swing from high and low, and when she is particularly down, she often seeks out the comfort of her mother.

Serena De Soto- Twin sister, they were very close growing up, but their lives split in recent years, and there were some issues between them. Since she's gone missing, Naomi has returned home to be with her family. She has begun snooping around the secretive life of her sister. 

Alejandro De Soto: Oldest of three and often most responsible of the De Soto siblings. He thinks Naomi is frivolous and vain; she believes he is dull and lacks a sense of adventure. He has struggled with addiction since they were young (Naomi has frequently covered and tried to get him to seek help). Despite this, she still has his back. 

TIMELINE

Jan 1987 - Birth 

August 1992 - Begins school. 

1989 - now - dancing

2005 - graduated high school 

June 2005 - Meets Clay

July 2005 - October 2011 - Clay 

October 2011 - arrested. 

January 2012 - Begins community service at 25 years old. 

October 2012 - Finishes her community service but continues for a few months at the local theatre.

February 2013 - Moves to NYC to try her hand on Broadway

2013 - December 2022 - In NYC on Broadway 

Fall 2017 - Meets Jesse but keeps it casual for a long time until she realizes she has feelings for him.

2019 - Finally gives Jesse a chance, and it's not long before they're engaged to be married, living a picturesque life she could have never imagined

May 2022 - Dressing room break-in 

June 2022 - Sisters' disappearance 

December 2022 - Returns permanently to HMB

[ivysatc]

IVY SATO. twenty-seven. aquarium photographer & waitress.

half moon bay / aesthetic / playlist

name: ivy miyoko sato.

age: twenty-seven

dob: december 29th, 1995

occupation: photographer at aquarium of the bay, waitress at sea n sips

neighborhood: westside

gender: cis female

preferred pronouns: she & her

sexuality: heterosexual heteroromantic 

zodiac sign: capricorn

myers briggs: infp

hogwarts house: ravenclaw

BIOGRAPHY

ivy's life was the result of many bad decisions on the part of her parents. her father, only present until she turned ten had left after her little brother, casper, was born and her mother a chronic alcoholic was barely sober long enough to even acknowledge her children's existence.

because of this even as a child ivy was a caretaker, she had to grow up in a hurry in order to take care of her brother.

her mother's issues got her ostracized at school, she was well known around town for her drunken rampages and on more than one occasion ivy had to take her home from a bar or bail her out of jail.

naturally she gravitated towards a rougher crowd, the only ones who didn't judge her for her family situation as they all lived equally difficult ones.

but ivy was never the leader, always the follower, so whatever trouble they got into, she always tagged along just behind. her lack of confidence made her always malleable to whatever anyone else wanted to do.

the only responsible adult in her life was her ailing grandmother, an eclectic and sharp woman. when things got really bad at home with whatever new boyfriend their mother had ivy and casper would spend the night in her small apartment.

she gave ivy a love of books, science and creativity. she taught her to play shogi and cook; ivy had never loved anyone more. it was warmth and love like she'd never felt.

when ivy was sixteen her life imploded. her grandmother, already in her eighties was diagnosed with cancer and passed shortly thereafter. her mom was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. ivy and her brother were put into the foster care system and split up.

she ran away from the girl's home she'd been living in planning to just couch-surf until she turned eighteen. she dropped out of high school and started working, determined to save up enough to petition for legal custody of her brother.

when she was awarded custody at 18 her life revolved entirely around casper. she was determined to give him a good life, to see him graduate and possibly even go to college.

she picked up two jobs, starting working twelve hours a day and dedicated all her time to make sure she could provide for her brother

she only spent quiet moments by herself reflecting on her life, missing her grandmother and lost in books.

slowly she grew more accustomed to life in town, got a little bit more confident as she became older but she still couldn’t help but wonder what her life would have been like had so much not gone wrong.

[lalekaplanbrody]

THE MYSTIC - Lale Kaplan-Brody

pinterest. playlist (tbd).

CHARACTER INSPO: Amy Dunne (gone girl), Bonnie Bennet (the vampire diaries), Love Quinn (you), Nina Sayers (the black swan), Sophia Beckett (bridgerton series) & Grace De Lomas (ready or not)

TRIGGER WARNINGS: parental death, parental abandonment, infidelity, teen pregnancy, toxic relationships (familial)

FULL NAME: Lale Alara Kaplan-Brody

Name pronunciation: La-lay,

NICKNAMES: La, Lala

AGE: 31

BIRTHDATE: April 28th, 1991 @ 10am 

ZODIAC: Taurus sun, Scorpio moon, Cancer rising

HOMETOWN: Half Moon Bay, California

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Half Moon Bay, California 

NEIGHBORHOOD: TBD

OCCUPATION: Songwriter/writer

MBTI: INFJ-T

ENNEAGRAM: 6w7 the confidant

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral

TEMPERAMENT:  Melancholic

+ passionate, dependable, insightful, persistent, intuitive, magnetic, sensual, altruistic

- obstinate, secretive, jealous, unable to let go, compulsive, obsessive, forgives/doesn't forget

ABOUT

Lale Kaplan's parents were a young couple who had a ton of early issues but seemed to figure it out. However, there was always the undercurrent that something wasn't quite alright.

The Kaplan's did their best despite their issues and filled their children's lives with wonder and love. Despite their issues, Lale and her older sister never wanted for anything where their parents were concerned.

Lale grew up very determined and with a strong desire to be everything her parents claimed she was. She did tumbling, cheerleading, and ballet and pushed herself in everything she did. Lale was adaptable. She could seamlessly fit into any group taking on traits of those around her. This meant it was often difficult to get to know Lale on a deep level, and sometimes she thought she preferred it this way.

The closest person in Lale's life outside of her sister was her mother. She admired her spirit and every whimsical bit of Azra. However, when Lale was a child, her mother left one day and never returned. She knew by then Azra was unhappy in her life but to actually leave was a terrible shock.

None was more shocked than her father, whose health declined, and eventually, the man passed, leaving the Kaplan siblings without a parent. This opened the door for Miray, her aunt, to move in and step in as a legal guardian.

Miray was only a guardian in the legal term. In reality life never recovered and was a uniquely terrible experience where through her grief and anger, Miray was never able to be what the kids deserved. Miray was irresponsible, and the relationship between her and the children was strained and untrusting.

After getting pregnant at 16, her boyfriend and Lale stole a ton of money (money that was technically left by her father) and got it to her sistet, who was struggling more and had been talking about running away. Lale believed the money would get him a head start and some safety net.

Life quickly spiraled after having her son. From her sister's constant woes ( a fact Lale always blamed herself for), a wedding to the father of her child, and the following affairs, injuries, and more, Lale has felt like she's been swept through life the last several years.

In between it all, Lale has obtained her doctorate in music and carved out private passions for herself. She never imagined she'd return to Half Moon Bay but the opportunity for Bennet's career and to take over her childhood home felt too good to pass up. For better or worse, she and her family are back.

QUICK FACTS

Lale was raised Muslim and still holds a lot of traditions of her faith but is largely non-practicing

TIMELINE -

April 28th, 1991 @ 10 am - Birth

1993 - Begins cheer/tumbling at 2

August 1996 - Starts school at five years old

1996 - Starts figure skating

1998 - Competetive cheer begins at 7 

2003 - They begin homeschooling due to marital issues and family issues

2003 - 2005 - Stops cheering and focuses on figure skating as an escape from her home life.

2006 - Her mom abandons them followed by her father's death shortly after due to a decline in health/Takutsubo.

2006 - Begins cheering in high school to attempt to distract from her home life.

2007 late summer/fall - 16 years old start tutoring with Ben (future husband/baby daddy) to help her catch up on school. Prior to this, they had a very quippy back-and-forth without her thinking too highly of him. This changes quickly.

2007 late fall/early winter - She steals money from their guardian to give to her sister so she can run away and start a new life

March 2008 - Finds out she's pregnant at 16

Dec 2008 - Gives birth at 17 to her and Bennet's son

2009 - Graduated high school

2009 - June/July has a low-key ceremony and marries Bennet at 17 

2009 - 2014 - Supports Ben's education/football career (even thru the affair in 2012)

2010 - Starts her college degree studying Music with a minor in Classics

2011 - now - Her sister is in and out of trouble. She's often bailing her out whenever she can, but her life is often full of trouble, and she blames herself

2014 - Graduates with her bachelor's. Her son is now five.

2016 - 2019 - Is a teaching assistant at Stanford in the music department

2018 - Finishes her DMA in Music and starts to write professionally and compose

2020 - Gets her first big check for an original musical score for a multi-million-dollar movie

2020 - Starts to write books of poetry/short stories for their son when he is older. It turns into a love letter to all the people she loves - the list is short

2021 - Publishes some of the love letters/poems under a fake name and tells no one 

2022 - Her mother resurfaces after all those years, and it's quite ugly 

2023 - Is over the moon, eager to move back to Half Moon Bay after the run-in with her mom, finds her childhood home is close to repossession due to their guardians mishandling of the home

FAMILY

Azra Kaplan - Estranged mother

Berkan Kaplan - deceased father

TBD Kaplan - older sister

Miray Kaplan - aunt/guardian (complicated terrible relationship)

Berkan James Jordan Brody - 14-year-old son Born 12/14/2008

Bennet Brody - husband -married June 2009

[bennettjrbrody]

HISTORY | HEADCANONS | CONNECTIONS | SOUNDTRACK

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．.・゜゜・　　・゜

﹆ basics;

Full Name:  Bennett James Ryan Brody

Nickname/Preferred Name: Ben, BJ, Badger, Bro

Age: thirty two

Birthday:  September 30, 1990

Zodiac: Libra sun, Aquarius moon, Taurus rising

Sexual Orientation:  Most likely heterosexual

Relationship Status:  Married to Lale Kaplan-Brody (2009)

Children: Berkan James Jordan Brody (b. 2008); new baby due 11/2023

Religion: Does hedonism count?

Neighborhood: Ocean Colony

Occupation: Civil Engineer, The Morris Group

﹆ background;

Place of Birth: Half Moon Bay, CA

Hometown:  Half Moon Bay, CA

Education: B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford (2014) 

﹆ physical;

Faceclaim: Sam Claflin

Eye Color:  Brown

Hair Color: Green

Height:  1.8 m (5'11")

Weight:  81kg (180 lbs)

Tattoos, Birthmarks, Scars, etc: tbd; various R knee scars from 3 surgeries (2011-12.)

﹆ relatives;

Father:  Dr. Ryan Daniel Brody (b. 1965, m. 1989)

Father’s Status: Alive

Father’s Occupation: vascular surgeon

Mother:  Johanna Bennett Brody (b. 1965, m. 1989)

Mother’s Status: Alive

Mother’s Occupation: clinical psychologist

Siblings:  Tana Alice Elizabeth Brody (b. 1994)

﹆ connections;

full listing

Tana Brody, sister; @tanabrody

Lale Kaplan-Brody, wife (m. 2009) ; @lalekaplanbrody

Lena Kaplan, friend & sister-in-law; @lenakaplan

Evie Morris, friend, emotional/physical affair; @evangelinemorris

Drew Hayes, neighbor; @drewhayes

Devon Aiello, friend, affair #1; @devonaiello

﹆ personality;

Positive Traits: intelligent, charming, discreet, accepting

Negative Traits: deceitful, guarded, reckless, moody

﹆ personality assessments;

Zodiac: Libra☀ | Aquarius ☾ | Taurus ↑

MBTI: INTP-T

Enneagram: Core Type 4 (The Individualist)

Love Language: physical touch

Harry Potter house: gryffindor

﹆ Timelines;

History/Biographical

Dash Chronology

﹆ Headcanons;

Full page here

One of the foundations of his relationship with Lale was redirecting money from the trust supporting her and her sister into her sister's hands so her sister could leave.

His original major in college was statistics after a 'mathematics of sports' class sold him on it. His loose plan was to apply for an MBA program after his professional football career had ended. The end came sooner than he thought and he never applied anyway.

Has minimal sensation in the lower part of his right leg following his college knee injury and, sometimes, if he's tired or he's had too much to drink, he stumbles as he walks.

Due to his physical limitations, most of his exercise is 'gentle', including swimming, yoga, pilates, and light weights. Gone are his days of surfing, hiking, running, and dead-lifting (and sometimes he misses them.)

He drinks whiskey if he's sad and tequila if he's feeling amorous.

Calls his wife La or Lala, and his son Bear.

In spite of his father's football-playing history, Bear is very into baseball, thus breaking Ben's heart a little.

Since moving back to Half Moon Bay, Ben and Lale have been homeschooling their son both because they can and it works better for their family, and also because he plays baseball competitively.

Lale taught him how to cook and, while he generally keeps it simple, he doesn't hate it and isn't terrible at it.

He is a voracious and speedy reader of basically any genre. He averages about 100 books per year.

Is more likely to come up with some random science experiment or project for himself and Bear than to suggest they, say, watch a movie

﹆ Biography |  tw: teen pregnancy, infidelity, injury mention

Ben was born in Half Moon Bay, CA to Ryan and Johanna Brody, an old-money couple who were still both in medical and graduate school when he was born, respectively. The good news was they could afford a nanny so at least someone paid attention to him; the bad news was they relied on the nanny exclusively to do so and he never really bonded with them very well.

His sister was born four years later and met the same basic fate, with the exception that they stopped bothering with nannies when his sister was twelve. Ben had already historically been her entire support system, but when the last nanny left to have her own children, he got his drivers license exclusively so he could support Tana with her own lessons and interests.

Throughout all this, Ben pushed at limits and pushed them hard, getting away with all sorts of bad behavior because he was charming and his family was rich. When he hit high school, he was a competent football quarterback who kept their high school team afloat; it just enabled his ability to do whatever he wanted -- have sex, drink, dabble in drugs -- and get away with it. He was also a strong student in math and hard sciences in particular, so his grades never suffered consequences when he acted out. This fueled his father's lifelong expectation that Ben would follow in his footsteps as a surgeon, the school performance being the only part of Ben his father ever paid any mind.

By the time he was 17, Ben was dating a sweet girl named Lale. By the time they'd been together six months, in spite of being smart and using protection, she was pregnant. It was a devastating and confusing time as she decided to keep their baby and what few goals he had rearranged themselves.

During football camp, knowing what was coming down the pipe soon enough and how much he wanted to get the fuck out of dodge, Ben switched football positions from quarterback to safety, in order to make himself more marketable for colleges, working hard and distancing himself a little from his teammates with his introversion and singular focus.

Their son, Berkan, was born in December of his senior year. Ben spent most of his time in the winter and spring interviewing with colleges and arranging distance-based campus tours while caring for their infant as his girlfriend struggled to catch up and finish school. He was determined to be more open and hands-on than his own father from the start, but he couldn't say he immediately fell in love or anything. It was all really hard and he was pretty isolated, and he wouldn't do it over again for anything, honestly.

Accepted a football scholarship to Stanford with early-signing during the winter of senior year.

He and Lale married in a simple ceremony just before it was time for him to start football camp in Palo Alto, and moved to the city as a family of three. This decision was largely made based on financial support from his father and the strings that were very much attached to the money.

He suffered a devastating knee injury during the fall of his junior year, requiring multiple surgeries and much rehab before he could walk. Not only was it career ending, it took him about a year to recover to the point he could function. It was absolutely a physical, mental, and emotional rock bottom for him.

In the midst of all of it, he had a sexual encounter with the football coach's daughter, @devonaiello, that did help restore some of his physical confidence, but did not keep his marriage on stable ground at all. In addition, when he didn't redirect to a medical career, his father threatened to cut off the support they'd been receiving from the Brodys until they were ready to stand on their own; Ryan also suggested he would hold Ben accountable to repay the years worth of expenses that had already been covered unless Ben did something to keep his shit together.

He then proceeded to have sex with @evangelinemorris after her grandmother's funeral when they were both emotional. In the intervening years, he hasn't talked to anyone except Evie about this because he's pretty sure he's allergic to the amount of change and upheaval the information would cause.

Spent several years working in San Francisco, supporting his wife as much as he could while she finished a post-grad degree, and ignoring his relationship with his parents as much as humanly possible.

Is back in Half Moon Bay due to issues surrounding Lale's childhood home and the Brodys taking over the property.

Has accepted/is just starting a job at The Morris Group, working with Evie. Is genuinely excited to be around her more and also really nervous about how he's going to fuck things up.

[colettewhip]

Name: Colette Long

Age: 35

Face Claim: Melissa O'Neil

Occupation: Paramedic

Neighborhood: Westside

Gender & Preferred Pronouns: She/her

Biography: 

Born on the east coast to a former NY District Attorney mother and State Judge Father

Her parents had high expectations for her to follow in their footsteps, enrolling her private schools, and pushing her academics 

Had a passion for helping people since a young age, finding herself drawn to the medical field

Traded a possible ride to Columbia for a small community college and paramedic training

Parents weren’t supportive of the decision, Colette still barely talks to them to this day

Worked as a paramedic in NYC for several years before needing a change of pace from high stress of city living

Moved to Half Moon at 26 and never looked back, adjusting to her new lifestyle better than she expected

Is still known as that one paramedic that dented the ambulance on her first day

Has recently decided to start nursing school while working as a paramedic to better help her community beyond the back of an ambulance

Has recently tried to reconnect with her parents, with very strained results

Personality: Empathetic, Resourceful, Overly Self-Reliant, Impatient, Determined

Fun Facts: Loves vintage cars, and recently restored a 1967 Mustang; Has an extensive jazz record collection

PLAYLIST || PINTEREST

[jackscndarby]

Full name: Jackson Michael Darby Gender: cismale Pronouns: he/him Birthday: August 8, 1995 Marital status: married single Moral alignment: chaotic neutral

stuff and things

(tw drugs, prostitution)

Jack was the product of an affair, his father never destined to be part of his life. Instead, he became a payoff to be kept quiet. And while he was too young at the time to understand, it still left an impact on him. He wears it like a chip on his shoulder, taking off at the first sign of longevity so that he’ll never have to watch another person leave him.

His mother worked as an escort during his childhood, which made for an interesting upbringing. He was largely left to his own devices, left alone most nights to fend for himself, eating Spaghetti-o’s straight out of the can because he was too young to work a microwave. 

When he was twelve years old, his mother was sent to county jail for prostitution, and since he had no other family to speak of, Jack was placed into foster care. It was a nice home with a nice family, and Jack probably should have been appreciative. In hindsight, he was, he supposed. But he wasn’t used to structure or people trying to tell him what to do so he became something of a Problem Child for them. Even still, the family put up with him for two years: the six months of his mother’s sentence and another year and a half while she made a home for them that CPS deemed “safe”.

He was fourteen when he returned and it was like coming home to a polished turd. From the outside, it looked better. They had an actual house rather than a rundown apartment. But on the inside, it was all very much the same. Jack fell back into old patterns, only this time he was rougher around the edges and just a little bit more experienced in the ways of drugs and alcohol

Once upon a time, Jack had been a gifted kid. He was smart and creative, but life had made him restless and directionless, so that talent was wasted. Instead, he fell a little deeper into the sort of life everyone expected of him. He befriended the older kids, he partied, and at fourteen, he lost his virginity to a woman much older than he was. 

Life continued like that throughout his high school years. He carved a place for himself among the rowdier crowds and finally the freedom offered to him by his mother’s absence felt like freedom rather than neglect

When he was eighteen, he met a girl who rivaled him in his impulsiveness. They hit it off immediately, and on some drunken bender, the two got married. It hadn’t been a decision made with forethought, or even love, it was simply fun. 

And it was good for a while. But like all things that stayed past their usual expiration date, Jack began to get antsy. There were real feelings between them, maybe even realer than he’d cared to acknowledge, but that just meant that it was going to go bad eventually. So, it was better to just hurry it along, right?

Jack did what he always did, and he self-destructed. He cheated. And he wasn’t very secretive about it. She left and he moved on, assuring himself it was for the best

He did learn his lesson, though. No one ever got as close as she did and that was how Jack preferred it: untethered and unattached. He’d be the one doing the leaving from now on.

[opaldasilva]

Full name: Opal Estelle da Silva Gender: cisfemale Pronouns: she/her Birthday: May 30, 1993 Sexual orientation: bisexual Marital status: single, but also probably engaged to satan Moral alignment: chaotic neutral

(things like her age, personality, and even looks may change with whoever she's pursuing at the moment)

IMPORTANT STUFF (TW: PARENTAL DEATH, CANCER)

opal was born sofia estelle da silva to a very young mother and an absent father. without family to fall back on, the duo suffered financially. this led to many odd jobs that barely made ends meet.

but crime pays, baby!

a little petty theft here, a pickpocket there, some light manipulation and at least they went to sleep with full bellies

and like mother, like daughter, little 6 year old opal began to dip her toes in the shallow end of the crime pool. because honestly, she’d just blink those big, innocent brown eyes and they’d just assume she didn’t know any better

eventually, opal’s mom got an actual job– though they refused to give her full time which meant she got zero benefits– but opal didn’t feel it necessary to stop. she was good at it. and they still needed the money.

together, they managed to buy a house. it was the first real, solid thing they owned and it finally felt like they were getting somewhere

when opal's mom started seeing someone she was serious about for the first time in as long as opal could remember, she was happy for her. but then he kept making excuses as to why he couldn't come to dinner, why he had to cancel dates, and when it came out that he was the ceo of the company her mother was working for— and married at that— the bad feelings set in

then opal’s mom got sick

without health insurance, treatments went unsought and bills went unpaid and when opal’s mom eventually passed, the state came for those unpaid bills in the form of her estate.

left with absolutely nothing, opal moved (ran) away from miami, got a job as a cocktail waitress at a strip club in orlando, and called herself ruby.

and because gross old rich men are idiots, it was almost too easy when a patron took a liking to her, thinking himself clever as he gifted her a ruby. when she left town and pawned the gem, she’d hatched a new plan

that plan sorta came to a screeching halt when she tried to steal from the wrong dude. but instead of turning her in, he offered her a proposition. he could help her create fake identities with documents that were all but government issued. for a price. cocky as she was in her ability to pay it off, it turned out to not really be the case

the next place she lived, she was pearl and she found another sucker to fall into the same trap. and on it went: saffron, jade, diamond. it was too easy. and opal loved it.

it was at some point in colorado where fate finally dealt her a hand she could play with. pure coincidence had the son of her mom’s old boss (that asshole that would fuck her but wouldn’t give her fulltime and health benefits? yeah, him) and so opal ran the con of her life. she made him fall in love, relished in every second of it, and then took him for everything she could as she slipped away into the night. her only regret? not being there to see his face when he realized what she’d done. (at least, that’s what she likes to tell herself)

she made her way to california, chasing a tip that might lead her to the dude who essentially owns her at this point to cut herself free once and for all

she’s kinda evil and she kinda likes it

but she’s fun

come play with her

[iisraelsouza]

NAME. israel souza GENDER. cis male. PRONOUNS. he/him. AGE. twenty eight. BIRTHDATE. august 11th. OCCUPATION. personal trainer. NEIGHBORHOOD. montara. FACECLAIM. rafael silva.

Israel had always been one to throw himself directly into danger, mostly just for the thrill of it, but sometimes even to selflessly aid others. This made his family, quite a big one at that, nervous about what he would choose to do with his life when he was older. All evidence pointed to something dangerous and, in time, they were proven right.

Over the years, he threw out the interest in being a football player, a firefighter, a secret agent (after seeing the James Bond films as a child), and a pilot, but the most consistent was always a professional wrestler. After his older brother made the mistake of bringing him to a wrestling show, that was it, he was hooked. It fueled an interest in fitness during his early teenage years.

It was around that time that Israel became very aware of his sexuality, but never went through a coming out process with his family or friends. He was lucky that way, knowing it wouldn’t be a problem for them to accept him and the only battle for him would be to accept himself. That was easily done after his first kiss with a boy.

He was the baby of the family, with four older siblings and two loving parents. He always had someone to cover for him, make an excuse for him, help out with whatever he needed, and more than one person always watching out for him. Family was always incredibly important to him and, if you ask him, it’s their fault that he wound up with a bit of a selfish side. How do you not grow a little entitled with everything’s always handed to you?

In his late teens, Israel became very serious about training to become a professional wrestler. He dropped extracurriculars and let some relationships slip through the cracks because of his commitment. He just kept telling himself it would be worth it when he achieved his dreams. Nobody could tell him otherwise.

He was given such a big headache about college from his parents that Israel actually considered it. He knew there was not a major in the universities they were pleading him to consider to become a wrestler, but caved and majored in exercise science. He figured that, if the unthinkable happened, he would at least be able to become a personal trainer or something… but he didn’t want to think about a reality where that happened. 

Just after college, Israel joined a professional wrestling training school where he showed promising potential and met a man who would take him on as a mentor. With his help, Israel gained the attention of a major wrestling organization, after various matches on the indie circuit, and trained with them until they found a place for him in their shows. 

A few years later, Israel was on his way to becoming a household name in the wrestling scene. He found the roar of the crowd exhilarating and lived for the rush he felt each time he hit the mat, but found a special sense of accomplishment in the phone calls he would receive from his parents after a show or the times they would visit or he would come home. 

He was on top of his game, holding a championship for a prolonged amount of time, when he was injured. Injury is not uncommon for a wrestler, but a neck injury — particularly his — was very serious even for wrestlers. That’s when he was forced into a reality he hoped he would never have to face, a life without wrestling, without purpose.

Moving to Half Moon Bay, just forty five minutes from most of his family, was out of necessity. He needed to be somewhere fresh as he started his new journey, close to his family but far enough that he had space to figure stuff out on his own. For now, that’s led to him taking a job at Davies’ Locker, as a personal trainer.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

[evangelinemorris]

Name: Evangeline “Evie” Georgina Morris

Age: 30 

Birthday: April 17th, 1992 (Aries sun, Scorpio moon, Aries rising)

Gender/pronouns: Cis female, she/her/hers

Occupation: Architect with the Morris Group/structural engineer

Neighborhood: South Coast

Hometown: Half Moon Bay

Relationship status: single

Pets: A blue merle dachshund named Marlo

TW: depression, car accident, cheating

Born Evangeline Georgina Morris one April night in San Francisco to a nurse named Eleanor Morris and her married lover. Said married lover left them the day Evie was born after promising he would leave his wife for them. Born and raised in Half Moon Bay. Eleanor suffered from intense postpartum depression and began leaving Evie with her parents more and more until she stopped coming around altogether. She gave birth to a baby boy named Peter when Evie was thirteen and eventually Eleanor lost custody of him to her sister. 

School was a big deal in the Morris household and Evie graduated high school a year early. She was accepted early admission to Stanford University, her grandparents' alma mater. Architecture was always a big part of her life, something she shared in common with her grandfather. She also became a structural engineer, like her grandmother. While attending a semester abroad for grad school in London, her grandparents were involved in a drunk driving accident. Her grandmother died and her grandfather still suffers the effects. Evie sits outside the house of the man who killed her grandmother on the anniversary of the accident. He got off with a slap on the wrist because his father was a judge.

Despite the accusations of nepotism, Evie works at her grandfather's architecture firm and is being groomed to take it over in the case of his retirement. She has met her father, they do not get along and do not like each other. Her dream is to design a building featured in the San Francisco skyline. Currently, she works largely with restoration projects. She was ever so much her mother's daughter and had an affair with a married man who was also a co-worker. 

[ayseldurmaz]

Name: Aysel Roxelana Durmaz(pronounced: eye-sull)

Age: 29

Gender: cis female

Hometown: Erzincan, Turkey

Neighborhood: Tunitas Creek

Occupation: Head horse trainer at Durmaz Acres

Relationship status: engaged (technically)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Pets: A black Anglo-Arabian mare named Foxfire, a black blanket Appaloosa gelding named Sarge, a golden dun Akhal-Teke gelding named Emir, and a bay Thoroughbred mare named Dilara.

Spoken languages: Turkish, English

Aysel Roxelana Durmaz was born to Leyla Bulut and Ceyhun Durmaz on one chilly November night in Erzincan, Turkey. Her family business was breeding and training racehorses.

Aysel fell in love with jumping at the age of seven and dressage at the age of nine despite her family's specialty in racing. While she loved to help exercise the racehorses, there was something incredibly freeing about making a difficult jump. Her family may be in the horse world, but her love for the animals developed entirely.

She excelled in jumping and dressage. Ribbons flowed in, along with offers for schools. With her family's connections, she could secure a top trainer that could take her all the way to the Turkish equestrian team bound for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Aysel proved she was skilled on the team, winning a couple of gold medals and a few silver medals.

Sabotage by a competitor changed Aysel's life completely when she took a jump on the eventing course and crashed her horse into the water.

Her leg, knee, and hip were severely injured and doctors told her she would never walk normally again.

Leyla and Ceyhun did their best to find a rehab best suited for Aysel's needs and after months of hard work and every ounce of stubbornness she possessed, she walked out of the program.

Aysel moved to Half Moon Bay with money left over from her winnings in London. Her parents agreed to foot the rest of the bill as long as she agreed to extend their business to the United States. Their other stipulation was if she married the son of a family friend.

[steviekepler]

full name: stevie kepler gender: cisfemale pronouns: she/her birthday: december 15 zodiac: sagittarius sexual orientation: bisexual marital status: single occupation: musician & cashier at vinyl solutions records length of time in town: left at 21, returned at 29 neighborhood: westend

A B O U T

(tw: drugs, cancer, death of a child)

stevie grew up on the outskirts of the city limits in a trailer park called the blue laguna. her father was a musician and her mother was a waitress, though they had their own side hustle which involved various ways of relieving people of their money. no one trusted them around a purse or pocket, and for good reason. they certainly weren't winning any resident-of-the-year awards

stevie and her father connected through music. she was a natural with a guitar and absolutely enamored with her father

that's probably why she took it so hard when he split when she was only eight years old. her mother took it hard, too, turning to drugs and alcohol to fill the void left behind.

they had always struggled financially, but there was definitely a noticeable shift when two incomes became one. but stevie had only ever known struggle, so it was perfectly normal to her that she knew how to administer narcan before the age of ten

school was rough, stevie often finding herself lumped in with "the wrong crowd" by default. it didn't seem to matter that she was smart and studious and kind; she would always be destined to pay for the mistakes of her parents

a lack of parental guidance meant that she experimented with alcohol and drugs and sex earlier than most people, but still it seemed that, somehow, she maintained an air of innocence about her

she met connery when she was sixteen and there were so many reasons why it shouldn't have worked (not the least of which being his parents willing it not to) but it did. they fell in love— the real, passionate, head-over-heels kind— and that was that on that

stevie wound up pregnant at 17 and while that was definitely scary (especially for stevie who started to panic that she might be turning into her parents) but she and connery found themselves excited to start a family

little sam was born with neuroblastoma— unbeknownst to stevie and connery for the first year and a half of his life. his diagnosis came as a shock when the only symptom had been stomach pain and despite having unlimited resources and the best doctors thanks to the van tillburg's vast wealth, they lost him shortly after his third birthday

stevie couldn't cope with the loss and while she stuck it out for a few weeks, eventually she found herself tossing clothes into a bag and stealing away into the night without a word. she had been drowning in grief and she just couldn't stay. so she took the coward's way out, knowing to look into connery's eyes was to go back on the decision she'd made. the one she knew she needed to see through

so stevie made her way to LA. she'd grown up without, knew how to hustle for money to make it from day to day and it was the struggle that gave her purpose for the first few months after leaving home. she played her music for change until she eventually found steady gigs at several local bars

it was at one of these gigs that stevie was discovered. an exec from a small, indie label liked what she heard and stevie was signed two weeks later

she found mild success. she made enough money to buy her mother a house that wasn't on wheels, and had enough disposable income to make regular donations to children's cancer research. nothing ever filled the hole sam left behind, but eventually, the days got a little easier

going on tour with phoebe bridgers, though? that was probably the most genuine excitement she'd felt in years. and it was nice to feel again

just as she started to believe that maybe she was finally getting somewhere, her mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. it was like waking up from a dream only to find herself once again in a nightmare. she had known from the moment her mother told her that she'd be returning to half moon bay, but she agonized over the decision for days. how did one return to the place she'd abandoned? how did she exist in a city of ghosts?

she was about to find out

W A N T E D C O N N E C T I O N S

childhood friends — at least one ride-or-die type friend that stevie remained in contact with after she left. another that possibly feels a little betrayed by the fact that she left without a word. gimme the tension and awkwardness.

exes — would have been before she was sixteen, so nothing too spicy here unfortunately.

neighbors — stevie lives in the westend and just moved in with her mom. maybe there's some tension there because her mother has never been much of a good neighbor and stevie's gotta mend those fences

????? just love her pls????