was that PRINCESS ARIEL i saw around town today? nope, turns out it was ANNE VON DER POEL the Thirty Three-year-old SINGER & EXOTIC DANCER who has lived in town for A WEEK. i heard they have a reputation of being OPEN MIND & ENIGMATIC. let’s hope the killer doesn’t go after them next while being here in grimmvale.
— 𝙱𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙲𝚂
⸻ Name: anne lieke van der poel
⸻ Nickname(s): li , annie or stage name "milou"
⸻ Time in town: one week.
⸻ Issue(s): n / a
⸻ Age: 33 october,31th' 1993
⸻ Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: female, she / her, heterosexual.
⸻ Job position: exotic dancer @ wildflower, singer @ some local bar
⸻ Relationship status: single
⸻ Positive traits: (2) open mind
⸻ Negative traits: (2) enigmatic
⸻ Personality: INFP mediator
⸻ Height: 1,68m / 5'6" ft
⸻ Affiliation: none, civilian
⸻ Fairy Tale Inspiration: princess ariel ( the little mermaid )
**psa: all gifs with @ barbie is made by me, do not steal.
⸻ PLAYLIST:
⸻ INSPO:
— 𝙱𝙸𝙾𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝚈 + 𝙱𝚄𝙻𝙻𝙴𝚃𝚂 𝙿𝙾𝙸𝙽𝚃𝚂
TRIGGER WARNINGS: various triggers, parental death tw, violence tw, burglary tw
Anne's life began in Amsterdam, in the hush of winter. She was the youngest of 7. Her father, a devoted sportsman, laced her skates before she could even write her name, and her mother filled her nights with music and stories. Love was abundant, but short-lived.
At six, she saw her parents murdered in a burglary gone wrong. From that night forward, ice skating became her salvation. On the rink, grief blurred into movement, applause muffled the screams still echoing in her head. She grew under her grandparents’ care, with her siblings, disciplined and determined, carrying her childhood tragedy like a hidden scar.
For a while, she outran it. Medals glinted against her chest at international competitions, even the Olympics. But the higher she rose, the faster she fell. Life unraveled after her grandparents passed. Left without "family", she abandoned the rinks and degrees she had earned, chasing the faint promise of belonging with a distant uncle in America.
California gave her no welcome. Work was scarce, debts piled quickly, and Grimmvale became less of a destination and more of a harbor. Amidst the struggle, Anne found comfort in a fleeting relationship with a guy, unbeknownst to her at first, was a member of the local mafia. Their connection was fragile. Their romance ended up into something toxic, suffocating cycle where he tried to completely control and trap her.
Realizing the danger she was in, Anne gathered her remaining courage, slipped away in the dead of night, and boarded the first bus she could find. It was only after she arrived in the bitter summer of Grimmvale that she learned he had been murdered by his enemies shortly after her escape. Though his physical grip on her is gone, the paranoia remains; she is constantly looking over her shoulder, terrified that his past, or his killers, will eventually track her down.
⏤ 𝚃𝙻𝙳𝚁 + 𝚃𝚁𝙸𝚅𝙸𝙰 𝙷𝙲:
Speaks Dutch, English, and some German and Turkish
She is a good singer and has already worked in singing gigs.
Sleeps with the TV on to block out nightmares
Still owns her Olympic medals but keeps them wrapped in a shoebox under her bed, never displayed
Drinks black tea religiously, almost like ritual
Walks Grimmvale’s streets at night when insomnia takes her
Avoids mirrors when undressing, uncomfortable with the woman she’s become
Her only blood relative ( uncle ) died not too long after she arrived in the US. But she remains in contact with her old sisters.
She misses the time when she lived on the farm with her grandparents and sisters, but she was the only one adventurous enough to explore the world, while all of them were settled in the Netherlands.
She loves surfing! She knows how to surf but ain't professional at it.
Her father wished she were a boy when he was alive.
— 𝚆𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂:
Smoke Buddy: Someone she shares her joints with in quiet, off–the–clock moments. Could be a bonding ritual. ( 1 / 2 ) ⸻ taken by richard.
Unwanted Savior: A person who keeps stepping in when she insists she doesn’t need saving. ( 1 / 1 ) ⸻ taken by ryder
The Curious One: Someone fascinated by how little she reveals, determined to figure her out. ( 0 / 1? )
Rivalry Wrapped in Camaraderie: A fellow club girl who feels threatened by Anne’s mysterious air and guarded allure, but can’t deny being drawn to her. ( ? ) ⸻ taken by Aliyah and Alana.
The Ghost from Before: Someone who knew her in Amsterdam (or elsewhere in Europe) before Grimmvale. ( 0 / 1 ) ⸻
The Olympic Eye: Not many people in Grimmvale pay attention to figure skating, but all it takes is one. Maybe it’s someone who follows the Winter Games religiously or even a washed–up athlete themselves. They recognize Anne not as the mysterious dancer with guarded eyes, but as the young prodigy who once carved fire into ice. They might approach her gently, curious if she’ll admit who she used to be, or they might drop her name without hesitation, forcing her to decide whether to own her past or bury it deeper. It’s unsettling for her, having someone see the version of herself she thought she’d killed off long ago. ( 0 / 1 )
The Old Song: Before the club, before debts and secrets, Anne’s voice used to fill smoke-lit bars. She sang to make ends meet, but for some, her voice stuck like honey on the glass. Maybe someone remembers her from one of those nights, a bar owner who once hired her, a regular who used to sit in the back and listen, or even someone who stumbled into a performance and never forgot it. They bring it up casually, maybe even try to tempt her back to a mic. For Anne, it’s a sharp reminder that she wasn’t always this shadowed version of herself. Music was freedom once, but now, the thought of singing feels like peeling skin from bone. ( 0 / 1 )
The Quiet Gym Buddy: Anne keeps herself disciplined in small ways, and the gym is one of them. She doesn’t go to socialize, she goes to keep her body sharp, to let sweat burn off everything she can’t say out loud. But patterns form. Maybe there’s someone who always seems to be there when she is, someone who spots her without being asked or simply shares a nod between sets. Over time, that silence becomes its own language, not friendship exactly, but a kind of wordless camaraderie. For a woman who avoids closeness, this is almost disarming. They might notice the way she vanishes for a week at a time, or how her phone is always tucked face–down on the bench beside her, but they never press. It’s strange, maybe even comforting, to have someone exist in her orbit with no questions asked. ( 0 / 1 )
Clients ( tbd )
— 𝚃𝙰𝙺𝙴𝙽 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂:
