setting: outside your character's front door, a few days after halloween
bridget stands on the step with a smile stretched across her face -- bright, though a touch uncertain. it isn't doubt, she believes every word she carries. but she wonders if this is the right time to share it, when heather's passing split through the town. the townfolk rarely took well to this kind of thing on a good day. still, her parents insisted that made now as good a time as any to spread the good word. as the door opens, she braces herself, holding out a folded pamphlet with both hands. "hi! i'm with the redemption chapel, and i was wondering if you had a minute to talk about jesus christ, our lord and saviour?"
She’d been sitting at the piano, plunking out the notes to one of the few songs she could still pull from memory, when she heard the knock at the door. It made her heart stop mid-beat, her veins suddenly ice cold, lungs empty. And then she thought- if someone wanted to kill her, they wouldn’t let the flimsy deadbolt on her apartment door stop them. Peeking through the eyehole, she almost audibly groaned, wishing she hadn’t been making so much noise before, so that she might pretend no one was home. Begrudgingly, she placed the sweetest, warmest smile on her face, slid the lock, and stepped to the side. “Bridget! How nice to see you. I don’t have a ton of time to chat, but why don’t you come in, have some coffee?” She didn’t want to talk about the lord and the saving of her soul, but it felt unneighborly to turn her back into the cold- especially when there was so much uncertainty in the air.
open starter with: charlotte
setting: lakeside grill, 6:30pm, 2 days after halloween
Her finger trailed along the edge of the wine glass as she stared off into the distance, too exhausted to do anything more than stare, breathe, and occasionally lift the glass. It was quiet at the grill, which was no great surprise, given the events of the previous days. With good reason, it seemed a significant part of the town had sequestered themselves in their homes, but Charlotte, who had pushed off a grocery trip until the day after Halloween, found herself with mostly bare cabinets, and no energy to cook. Instead of home-cooked, tonight it would be to-go orders eaten out of plastic containers on their living room couch. She’d just raised her glass to her lips when she heard the barstool beside her creak, and though every neuron fired at once, telling her to run, she found herself calmly looking over at her new neighbor at the bar, a welcoming smile on her lips. “It’s nice to see someone else in here. I was starting to feel like an asshole, making all these people work when there’s some criminal on the loose. At least if they get us in here, it’ll be a somewhat classy affair.” Oops- too casual, she thought, kicking herself. Few people wanted casual small talk during tragedy, and even fewer wanted jokes at tragedy’s expense. “I just mean we’re probably safe in here,” she said again, her easy-breezy facade somewhat cracked, but still inappropriately cheery. “Can't stay cooped up forever, anyway."
if casio had a coat to offer juliet, he would’ve, but the best his rick o’connell costume had to offer was a vest that provided zero warmth; casio was cold, but he’d been moving around all night and had enough to drink that he could ignore it.
“i could win you a bear, buuuuuuuut you’d have to let me name it.” he flicked one of the dog ears attached to her headband. “....which i will come up with when i win it” he couldn’t think of anything off the top of his head.
walking alongside her, casio threw an arm over her shoulder and pulled her in close. two birds with one stone. they’d both be slightly warmer than before. “you buy me a silly cup, i’ll come up with a silly name for that future bear, and…. we hijack the sound system to have a round of karaoke?”
A twinkling sort of laugh floated out of Juliet, her nose crinkling. She tilted her head from side to side, as though weighing her options in her mind, before finally nodding. “You know what? Fine. You have a deal. I get the better end of it anyway.” She turned to start walking, but stopped suddenly, giving him a half-joking, pleading look. “Just… promise it won’t be disgusting. Something palatable like…” Examples escaped her, both in terms of “normal” bear names and “disgusting” bear names. “Well, use some good judgement. I know you have it in there, deep inside somewhere.”
“You think we’ll have to hijack it? All you have to do is say the word karaoke, and half of the bar will riot if it doesn’t happen.” She shook her head, suddenly hesitating at the idea of making the Redstone staff’s life a little harder, but the drinks overtook reason, and suddenly she was deciding she could set it up herself if need be. Her ears were now somewhat crooked, and she quickly readjusted them. “What about some Spice Girls? We could get a little choreography going, and I’m somehow sure you’d know all the words to Wannabe.”
tldr : caleb & your muse find themselves at the redemption chapel , two souls meeting in dire times tragedy .
dawn befalls town , sickly glow to the clouds scattered across the horizon - there's an undeniable hesitancy in it , as well . as if the divine powers themselves unsure how to proceed from given circumstances . heather had been found , cold as the fear she held in her eyes . it had caleb wondering . . . but perhaps that wasn't the ultimate approach for someone of his profession , perhaps he was meant to believe - believe in a higher power , in a right fixing what had been wronged , to guide the herd through misery . albeit there was agony ever lingering , alike a thick coat of dust fighting to not bury everything all and beneath it . " awake so soon , child ? " , timber softly echoes through the rows of the near empty chapel . though almost too big . . . too raw for them both , it held a certain kind of comfort meant towards consolidation .
Charlotte did not know how to make sense of tragedy. She had seen so many ghosts, tucked away so many skeletons, that she thought she’d grown numb to the the knife-sharp edge of life. And then, Red Creek. It was safe, it was quiet. And then, Nathan. He held her steady, cushioned her aching bones. And then, most significant of all, Joey. The sweetest little boy, who still looked at the world like it held nothing but soft blankets and twinkling lights. She had grown too soft, too complacent, had forgotten how deep terror could seep into flesh and bone. That is how she found herself sitting quietly, face pale, skin stretched taut over her knuckles. Charlotte wanted to be alone, lost in the silence- but the part of her she’d shoved back into the furthest corner of her spirit, the part she thought she’d left for dead, reached out for the sense of comfort she was desperate to find in the chapel. Why else would she be there?
“How am I supposed to sleep? I couldn’t even leave Joey’s room last night. I’ll have to pull the crib into the bedroom, or I’ll never sleep again.” She said, not daring to raise her voice much louder than a murmur. She twirled her rings, and something between a laugh and a scoff escaped her. “Not that I was sleeping much to begin with.”
closed starter with: juliet and sebastian (@fearstreat)
setting: sebastian's, 10am
The Redstone hummed with nervous energy, patrons buzzing like wasps around a nest. Rumors ran wild, some whispered directly into a friend’s ear, some yelled across a table, and- most ghoulish of all- some tossed into casual conversation as though it were a comment on the weather. It was a powder keg, only waiting for a single thrown punch or badly timed insult before it descended into total bedlam- and throughout her life, there was one person she searched for in times of chaos. Juliet scanned the room, trying to maintain some easygoing politeness as she desperately squeezed past the others. And when her eyes finally landed on Sebastian, she faltered. There was too much happening, too much for him to worry about without adding another to his plate- so she slipped out unnoticed.
But she did not go home. Instead, she half-ran with her head down, finding her way to Sebastian’s through muscle-memory alone. The spare key had been rusting on her key ring, but it still unlocked the door as though it were her home too.
The intention had been to stay awake, at least until Sebastian came through the door, but she woke to sun streaming through the windows, covered by a blanket on his couch. She was vaguely hungover, her mouth dry and her head sore, but it was salved by the sounds of Sebastian in the kitchen. “Glad to see you home safe.” An understatement. No wall between them could be high enough that she would not fall to pieces if something happened to him. “Sorry to crash here, I just-” she hesitated, unsure how much more she needed- or wanted- to say. “Did anything happen last night? It got a little... tense before I left.”
closed starter with: charlotte and eden (@sweetsthing)
setting: near the food stalls, 9:30
Charlotte wandered through the fair, half-heartedly looking for her dearest husband- secretly hoping she would not find him. It was not from a lack of love, but more from the surplus of time she’d spent around him in the recent months. There were so few people in Red Creek, but after months spent cooped up with little more than an infant and Nathan for company (not to mention the two beers that had flooded her system), the town suddenly seemed brimming with life and possibility. Her eyes landed on Eden, who was her designated lucky target. “And what have we here?” She looked her costume up and down, lazily smiling up at her. Her voice was lighthearted and jokey as she leaned in, as though she cared if anyone would hear. “Could’ve just shown up with that face, that’d be scary enough.”
closed starter with: charlotte and ayla (@silkteared)
setting: behind the ring toss, 12:15pm
There was a twist in Charlotte’s stomach, a twinge telling her something was amiss. The feathers on her angel wings were suddenly deeply annoying, tickling the back of her neck and bare arms, sending chills down her spine. She huddled into a dark corner behind a game booth, hoping a few deep breaths and a quiet moment alone would calm her down. It was just the crowds, the noise, and more than anything: being away from little Joey. It was all easily explained away… or so she hoped. She bent over, resting her hands on her knees as she took a few long, deep breaths. And then- footsteps. “Hi, sorry, I’m just looking for an earring,” she mumbled, until she looked up. “Oh, Ayla. Hi.” Charlotte dropped the pretense, leaning back, her hair falling behind her shoulders to reveal both earrings still in place. “If you’re looking for a place to hide too, I can scooch over.”
closed starter with: juliet and cecil (@vocifer0us)
setting: the fairgrounds, 11:30pm
Juliet hadn’t been out this late in ages, always preferring to dig up some excuse that would allow her to leave before her social battery was completely drained. That was the nice part of having a cat- she always had someone to blame her early exits on. Maybe it was the drinks, or the candy, or the laughter and the lights, but there was something different that night, something sparky in the air that had wrapped Juliet in a brief sense of serenity. She moseyed down the midway in search of fries when her eyes landed on the sweet, quiet man who was a regular at the florist counter, walking in the opposite direction. “Wandering around alone? You’ve bought so many flowers this week, I was sure you’d have one of the recipients hanging on your arm tonight.” A small, easy-going smile played on her lips as she looked around him, as though a suitor would be following close at his heels.
closed starter with: juliet and eden (@sweetsthing)
setting: 9:00, outside the haunted house
There was a time that Juliet frequently sought out the adrenaline of being frightened, routinely spending Fridays in October watching scary movies on her couch. She would have jumped at the opportunity to wander through a haunted house, just to puff out her chest on the other end and brag about how she didn’t even jump when the actors popped out from behind a curtain. But as she’d grown older, her once-steely nerves had started to fray, and she found herself hesitating in front of the entrance. “Oh!” So lost in thought, she gasped when she turned to see Eden behind her. “God, sorry, I just got a little too invested in the… spookiness.” Juliet raised an eyebrow, sensing a win-win situation: she could go in and face her fears with moral support at her side, or have an excuse to walk away. “Are you feeling brave? Wanna go in with me?”
closed starter with: juliet and nicasio (@abstrxcts)
setting: 10pm, near the ring toss
For the thousandth time that night, Juliet attempted to burrow into a coat she wasn’t wearing. That was the trouble with Halloween- the noticeable lack of costumes that could reasonably incorporate a jacket. She tried to be responsible, wearing a thermal shirt under the basketball uniform and the thickest pair of knee-length socks she could find, but it only offered vague protection against the elements. There was the option of a fur coat, which would have worked seamlessly in her Air-Bud themed ensemble, but she was both too poor and too principled for a real fur coat, and not motivated enough to find a fake one. As a result, she’d imbibed more than she normally would, finding warmth in the bottom of a skull-shaped cup. “Casio,” she crooned, smiling softly as she approached. “I’d offer to win you a stuffed bear, but I’m a terrible shot.” She adjusted the headband she’d glued dog ears onto, taking the final sip left in her cup. “Walk to the Redstone with me? I'll even buy you one of these silly little cups, if it'll entice you.”
⸻ charlotte talbot, a twenty-three year old, has survived another day in red creek where they have lived for two years. the canary is known for being bubbly and calculating and is often associated with signatures in glitter pen, searching desperately for the door that opened when the last one closed, lip gloss on the rim of a martini glass. in a small town where they work as a photographer for the register, word travels fast. it’s hard to keep a secret, and it looks like the boogeyman knows that redacted.
the basics
Name: charlotte talbot (née baker)
Nicknames: lottie, char, anything but charlie
Faceclaim: rain spencer
Gender: cis-female, she/her
Sexual Orientation: bisexual, biromantic
Age: 23
Birthday: february 25, 1976
Occupation: photographer for the register
Marital Status: married to nathan talbot
Children: joseph talbot (newborn)
Pets: a great pyrenees, adopted some time after the first murder
Family: -̵ ̸-̵ ̷(̴f̶a̸t̸h̸e̸r̷)̵,̵ ̶-̴ ̸-̸ ̷(̵m̵o̸t̸h̶e̶r̵)̷,̵ ̶-̶ ̵-̵ ̸(̷s̴i̷s̴t̴e̶r̵)̸,̵ ̷-̴ ̵-̵ ̴(̷s̷i̶s̷t̶e̴r̶)̸,̸ ̶-̸ ̸-̸ ̴(̶s̵i̵s̷t̷e̵r̶)̸
Residence: a house on norwood street
Positive Traits: bubbly, witty, perceptive, deeply loyal to those closest to her, persistent
Negative Traits: calculating,distrustful, cagey, gossipy, proud, resentful
aesthetics
Inspiration: margery tyrell (game of thrones), rachel green (friends), amy march (little women), carrie bradshaw (sex in the city)
Animal: mourning dove
Tarot Card: the wheel of fortune
Zodiac: pisces
Element: air
Mineral: moonstone
Song: she’s always a woman - billy joel
Backstory
no one seemed to know what business charlotte had in red creek, but the townspeople thought it was strange, the way she kept to herself, the way she seemed able to support herself at such a young age, the way she clammed up at the slightest question about her past- especially when her story was so simple, so boring- she’d lived in los angeles for her entire life, and after an explosive falling out with her family, she decided she’d had enough of the traffic, the heat, and the noise. years before, she’d been enchanted by an article about northern michigan in national geographic, so at only twenty years old, she packed her car and drove thousands of miles away from home in search of a fresh start.
she stayed hidden away in her cramped apartment for the first few months, but she wanted to stay sane, and she needed money and friends, so she emerged from her solitude and took a job as a photographer at the register. she loved being behind the camera, capturing little snippets of the world around her, finding comfort in the permanence. even if the world changed, she’d always have the memory in a picture frame, and that could never be taken from her.
the strange looks and sideways glances slowly petered away, especially as the townspeople around her grew accustomed to her fluttery, bubbly presence, always flitting around town with her camera around her neck. she wanted their acceptance, and she slowly started to gain it- but nothing cemented her as a fixture in the community quite like her whirlwind romance and marriage to nathan talbot. suddenly, she was no longer the unexpected newcomer, but the newest member of a long-respected family, and for the first time since she moved, she felt safe and secure.
the talbots have recently welcomed a son into the world, and charlotte adores him, sometimes bringing him along in a baby carrier to snap photos for work when she can’t find a sitter. aside from the forced switch from night owl to morning person, she’s adjusting relatively well to the change, even if she won’t admit how much she misses late nights at the warehouse, or spontaneous hangouts at the lake.
Wanted Connections
the best friend- it takes an impossible amount of work for charlotte to trust and open up, and this person exceeds even nate in that regard. they were likely the maid of honor at her wedding, the de-facto aunt to her son, and the second person on her emergency contact list. charlotte is more herself with them than anyone else. it could be a cool angle if they were vaguely anti-nathan, but that’s not a total necessity, i just think it would be fun. just a good, supportive friendship! open
people to have grudges with- it’s hard to get off of charlotte’s bad side once you’ve landed there. she can hold a grudge like nobody’s business, and can be a little mean-girl-ish to those who she believes wronged her. the magnitude of their beef can range anywhere from vaguely petty to actually justified, just so long as it’s catty. open
secret ex-fling- the only way i can think to describe this is like the edits going around right now of rodrick from diary of a wimpy kid and regina george (im assuming this is a popular trend, deeply embarrassing if this is not the case). it was a lot of fun, they got along really well, but they were a troublemaker who was always on the sheriff's radar, and she was doing everything she could not to make waves, so she made sure it remained a secret. bonus points if she dropped them as soon as she realized she had a chance with nathan! open
fake parent- charlotte has no family to speak of, and soon after she arrived, this person took her under their wing. when she was secretly struggling to afford food for herself, they brought her meals. when she was mindbendingly lonely, they were there to keep her company. charlotte treasures and adores them, and tries to return the favor in any way she can. open
⸻ juliet birdsong, a thirty-three year old, has survived another day in red creek where they have lived for sixteen years. the crucible is known for being generous and indecisive and is often associated with the chill that hangs on a late-summer breeze, fruit rotting and fermenting under the tree, the ache in your chest when you wake up from a beautiful dream. in a small town where they work as a florist at the grocery store, word travels fast. it’s hard to keep a secret, and it looks like the boogeyman knows that redacted.
the basics
Name: juliet birdsong
Nicknames: julie, jet
Faceclaim: madeleine mattock
Gender: cisfemale
Sexual Orientation: bisexual, biromantic
Age: 33
Birthday: october 24 ,1966
Occupation: florist
Marital Status: single
Children: n/a
Pets: a grey tabby named moose
Family: tbd birdsong (mother), tbd birdsong (father), sebastian birdsong (twin brother)
Residence: one of the (relatively) nicer apartments on saber street
Positive Traits: generous, compassionate, gentle, open-minded, intelligent, polite
Negative Traits: indecisive, insecure, deeply anxious, non-confrontational, idealistic, occasionally volatile
aesthetics
Inspiration: chidi anagonye (the good place), jane bennett (pride and prejudice), bruce banner (mcu), peeta (hunger games), sylvia plath’s fig tree
Animal: deer
Tarot Card: the hanged man
Zodiac: scorpio
Element: earth
Mineral: moss agate
Song: alfie - dionne warwick
Backstory
the birdsong family rarely stayed still for long, always being pulled from one place to another. it didn’t allow for much stability, but juliet was never phased by it, often welcoming the excitement and unpredictability of their situation. red creek offered a new challenge for her: staying put. she pushed back at first, certain she’d turn 18, go to college, and never see red creek outside of the holidays.
but there was something about the quaintness, the quiet nights, and the familiarity. there was a life to be lived here that didn’t have the chaos and the movement, and she found she was starting to prefer it. the urge to leave and make a new life never left, but it calmed from a boil to a simmer, and a gap year after high school turned into another year, and another, and another. she worked part-time jobs around town before eventually landing in the grocery’s floral shop, where she stayed.
some might call her settled, but those close know it is more accurate to call her directionless. if you ask her, there are still so many things she wants to do- there’s just far too many paths to take, and each call her name with such intensity that she can do little more than sit and stare at the road before her.
the last few years have not been kind to juliet, and it shows in the quiet moments. her sweet smile has stayed, and her eyes remain kind, but there is a cloudiness that has fallen over her. occasionally, she’ll be found hiding behind the grocery store, smoking a guilty cigarette with trembling hands- despite having quit years ago. she’s distanced herself from the people closest to her, preferring to bury herself in books, her work, or music. isolation is a slow poison, and she’s feeling herself fall victim to it.
juliet is quite shy and reserved at first, but completely sheds that skin once she’s comfortable. she’s a talented pianist, but she has been forced to tone down her playing ever since she moved out of her ex-fiancé’s house and into an apartment with thin walls. likewise, she loves to garden, but has changed her focus to a truly excessive number of houseplants and a small herb garden on her even smaller balcony.
Wanted Connections
the broken engagement- when one moved, so did the other. when one faltered, the other was there to catch them. they fit together like they were made for each other, which is why everyone was so shocked when juliet broke off their engagement a year or two ago. she didn’t have a reason- not one that she gave, anyway- and the two have been caught in a strange back-and-forth since then. they aren’t together, but they still look out for each other, and they seem stuck at a crossroads. this would be deeply angsty, with a heavy emphasis on the YEARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i would love for them to find their way back to each other, but not without making it hurt for a while first! open
frequent flier- a heartbreaker who is constantly ordering flowers, and always for a new person. someone who she wouldn’t normally interact with, but she’s charmed by them, and they have a nice banter going between them! they probably try to get her to come out of her shell, and occasionally she indulges. 1/2 taken
the affair-haver- sort of in the same vein as above. someone who occasionally buys flowers for both their spouse and their secret lover. juliet won’t tell, and it’s probably relatively unspoken. i dont have a lot to add here, i just think it would be fun. open
strained friendship- at one point, they were incredibly close. more than likely, they met each other relatively soon after she arrived to red creek, but that’s not a necessity! they trusted each other, made each other laugh and sparkle, and supported each other in their times of need. now that juliet has started to withdraw, she’s been inconsistent and unreliable, and it has taken a toll on their friendship. open
the bad influence- juliet is a pressure cooker, and this person hangs around to help her release some steam every once in a while. she’s not particularly impulsive on her own anymore, but she does occasionally have the urge to be a little reckless, and this person is more than happy to indulge her, even if it tends to end poorly. open
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