Triggers in bio or character: depression, compulsive hoarding
BIOGRAPHY:
Lori is the second out of four children (the first to be born in Kelowna) to Deshna and Kalyan Sridhar, previous proud owners of a small fabric factory back in India. They weren’t rich by any means but had enough to make a name out of themselves and provide for their family, especially once their firstborn son, Kian, had turned around two years old and the pair began to explore their business opportunities outside their home country. Kelowna, as it had a reputation of being a perfect location to grow and expand on ideas, became the decided destination of the family and they moved over right in time for Deshna to realize she was once again pregnant – thus Lori, then named Adya, came into the picture.
Around one year later Chadna, another girl was born into the family as the Sridhars kept growing their reputation and well being in the town; Kalyan traveling back and forth between countries to view their opportunities. The last child, Milaia, was first thought to be a third daughter but has in later years announced themselves to be agender. The Sridhars were doing good for themselves at this point, having a stable business to rely on and an older son to one day step up and carry the legacy over once the parents chose to retire – however, it was a happy tale with an abrupt ending that soon would send the parents down a dark path.
Around when Lori was thirteen years of age the parents were awoken with a phone call sharing the shattering news that their factory had burnt down the same day and there was hardly anything left to save. (A faulty, old machine turned out to be the cause.) Kalyan disappeared for close to three months trying to gather their income and looking to buy up another factory but quickly realized the cost of restarting would be too major and traveled back home with his head low. Deshna had spared no time sharing their unfortunate events with friends who, once Kalyan returned with further news, decided to band together to support the family out of a crisis. They had four children to look after and their money would only go so far – thus they started a fundraiser to keep everyone up on their feet until they could build up their business again.
The sympathy money came fast from soft-hearted people wishing to help a family in need, as well as people who suddenly heard about their previous fabric factory and wanted to put in an investment – along with an agreement they’d one day get their money back in profits. It never came to that. The overwhelming amount of money made the parents go glossy about their future, feeling as if they deserved to treat themselves to some of it and with the factory becoming a last-second thought, thinking they had time to invest later. They had so much of it anyway, right? Lori was the first out of them all to notice their parents’ sudden reckless spending habits, everything from upgrading furniture to dragging their children off on smaller holidays. The money had been a gift, yes, but it wasn’t endless.
So, about a year down the line, people began to bring up the factory once more, asking when they’d hear further news or updates – especially those that had invested in this opportunity. That was when the parents realized they were back on the brink of poverty, having spent the majority on things they really didn’t need or simply craved at the moment. This was bad, and also the moment in which Lori overheard her parents work up a scam to get themselves out of this whole they had dug for themselves. Furious about her parents’ behaviors, Lori called their local newspaper and told them about the parents reckless spending and their plans – which, of course, led to an interesting morning for everyone who had turned their pockets inside and out to help.
A mere month later, Lori found herself kicked out of the house. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her, saying it was now her fault in case her siblings starved and that she should be ashamed of herself. Thankfully, Lori was brought in by her best friend’s mother and was allowed to stay until she had passed her fifteen birthday – in which she tried to regain contact with her family, only to figure out they had left town and her behind. Not wanting to freeload any longer, Lori got herself a job as a cashier and a studio apartment as she wrapped up school. At the age of eighteen she changed her name, which had been Adya up to this point in time, to be Lori fulltime as an attempt to escape the dark cloud her parents had left behind on their family name.
Today, Lori has regained contact with her youngest sibling Milaia and owns a bookstore named The Nook. The rest want nothing to do with her and equally so believe she’s the reason their family had to flee from Kelowna and start over. Lori tries to stay on top, bubbly and cheeky as they come – however, she has also developed tendencies to hoard memories and trinkets, something that nearly borders on compulsory behaviors of having a safe space and not having the mental energy to clean out the old before she brings in the new. Although nearing on forty she doesn’t have any clear directions of where she wants to go from here, beyond keeping her shop afloat and covering up her own mistakes at home.
LORI reminds me of MINDY KALING and is written by SARA
SPELL A MUSE’S NAME IN MY ASK BOX AND I’LL TELL YOU:
G: What was their first job?
Matías used to work side by side with his mom his first couple of years after high school ended. He was still dealing with his OCD and therapy at the time and needed something mellow to keep him occupied. He kept an eye on bookings, helped serve costumers or aided during larger jobs and meet-ups.
I: In general, are they organized or messy?
This was also answered in the massive headcanon post but he’s the organized kind of OCD person, really wants to keep his stuff in place where they’re easy to locate later. Doesn’t mind a bit of a mess though.
A: Who are their exes? Do they still keep in touch?
He doesn’t have any exes, partly because he’s aromantic and partly because his teenage years were riddled with other matters to attend to. He never fully had the time to explore himself until much later – where he eventually figured he was bisexual and owned no romantic intentions with anyone.
N: Are they clumsy and/or prone to accidents?
Already replied to.
T: How quick are they to cry?
Matías is far from the stoic type of person and can definitely show himself as emotional when the times call for it, but he’s also not someone who grabs for a tissue as soon as something emotional hits him. Growing up, he often kept his feelings and problems to himself as his parents were already busy and constantly on the go. He wants to offer a different type of childhood to the children underneath his care though, especially for Lillian who has issues expressing her own emotions after her father’s passing. You feel a lot better by showing people whenever you’re happy or sad, rather than keeping it all bottled up.
SPELL A MUSE’S NAME IN MY ASK BOX AND I’LL TELL YOU:
D: What time does their day usual start?
Matías has to be an early bird and tends to be up and about around 6:30am on a weekday and, if he gets to sleep in for Xander, he sleeps until around 8am on the weekend. He prefers to have things ready to go by the time the kids wake up.
E: Are they the happiest they’ve ever been?
I sort of already replied to this in the hc sheet down below, but yes I’d say he’s in a pretty good spot in his life right now. He has nothing to complain about and things are moving in the right direction. At least for now.
V: They’ve been arrested, who is their one phone call to?
Depends on why he’s been arrested, really? If on false accounts or if he simply need some backup, he’d call Antonio since he has police connections already. If for moral support, either Silas or Miguel.
Y: What movie could they watch over and over again?
Matías isn’t much of a movie lover, but more so the type to mess movies and actors up and give you a bunch of cryptic and vague descriptions whenever he tries to talk about a movie he’s seen. However, he does appreciate movies made in stop motion and tend to give these more time of his day.
Character’s full name: Matías Felipe Belmonte
Reason or meaning of name: The meaning of the name “Matias” is: “Gift of God”. Additional information: The boy name Matias is a biblical name, a Spanish and Finnish form of Matthew, from the Greek Matthaios, found in the New Testament of the Bible, used for the Evangelist and Apostle Matthew, the author of the first Gospel.
Character’s nickname: None, thus far
Reason for nickname: --
Birth date: August 17
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:
Age: 38
How old does he/she appear: About the same, I’d say.
Height: 169 cm
Eye color: Brown
Glasses or contacts: Has to wear glasses whilst driving
Skin tone: Olive
Distinguishing marks: Has some older scars on his arms/wrist area from his teenage years of dealing with his OCD. Anxious scratching. He doesn’t really try to hide them but also doesn’t wave it around either.
Predominant features: Freckles, his chin
Hair color: Black
Type of hair: Thick and wavy, almost curly
Hairstyle: Usually has his hair styled up one way or another
Disabilities: OCD, anxiety and color blindness
Usual fashion of dress: Dapper, but in a casual sense. Wears clean and pressed shirts and dress pants. Tries not to overdo it with colors since he can’t see them.
Favorite outfit: Opposite to what he usually wears though, Matías owns a rather colorful suit that he brings out on the occasional fancy meet and greet. It’s usually for exhibits and other tidbits when he feels like it’s more necessary for him to match up with his art.
Jewelry or accessories: Wears a bracelet Pollux gave him after he moved in.
PERSONALITY:
Good personality traits: Generous, Loyal, Patient, Creative
Bad personality traits: Compulsive, Anxious, Naïve, Insecure
Mood character is most often in: He’s most often in a good mood
Sense of humor: Depends on who he’s with, but usually he’s on the humble side. He likes to poke fun at social standards, gender roles and sometimes do those type of jokes you’d expect from an older person. His jokes are often harmless and doesn’t come at the expense of others.
Character’s greatest joy in life: Art and his family
Character’s greatest fear: Not being able to fend for said family.
Why?: Being an artist is time consuming and sometimes doesn’t pay well. He’s the one that has offered his children a home and he wants them to be able to grow up in a stable environment. His OCD often play on this fear of his, especially when it comes to his own art and the level of perfection he feels he has to meet.
What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil?:
Character is most at ease when: At home in his studio, working or watching a movie with any of the kids.
Most ill at ease when: Dealing with deadlines, talking about his older brother, when his OCD act up
Enraged when: It’s really hard to make Matías enraged?? He’s usually annoyed or disappointed at best, you’d have to push it damn far for that.
Depressed or sad when: Same with this
Priorities: Getting an income and making sure the kids have a good childhood.
Life philosophy: Matías generally likes to live by the golden rule, of giving what he wants given.
If granted one wish, it would be: He’d like to get rid of his OCD. It’s not as big of a hindrance as it used to be, but still gets him in trouble sometimes.
Why?: Because it gets in the way of him enjoying his own work and steals a lot of time. It basically forces him to go through a ritual before and after he works on his art pieces and if he messes up or if someone interrupts he could end up trashing the whole art piece -- thus needing to start over. It’s expensive at that, art supplies don’t come cheap.
Character’s soft spot: I feel like that’s obvious by now.
Is this soft spot obvious to others?: Yes.
Greatest strength: His patience and generosity towards people, he’s overall a great person to lean on if you got troubles or need help with anything.
Greatest vulnerability or weakness: However, it’s also a weakness as it’s easy to take advantage of a soft soul and his brother already proved that point.
Biggest regret: Letting his brother set up business through him, thus helping him network and possibly scam others.
Minor regret: He always lowkey regets throwing away his art work, but it cannot be helped.
Biggest accomplishment: His career!
Minor accomplishment: Keeping his house tidy with five people living in it
Character’s darkest secret: Matías doesn’t really have a dark secret, unless you count his brother being in jail etc.
Does anyone else know?: It was definitely in the news at the time of his arrest so I’d say a lot of people know, at least if they’re from Kelowna.
GOALS:
Drives and motivations: Besides his family and career, Matías is highly driven towards pushing more information about color blindness and making society more accessible to those that have a harder time reading and seeing colors. He does the occasional speech and educational seminar when he has time to spare.
Immediate goals: Catch up with all his deadlines.
Long term goals: Have a stable future, watch his kids grow up, work on his OCD.
How the character plans to accomplish these goals: Hard work and dedication.
How other characters will be affected: Not much, it’s mostly a thing of his own.
FAVORITES:
Color: Matías mostly see the world in tints of red with some green mixed between and thus he tend to appreciate his narrow color spectrum as a whole.
Music: Honestly, he will play anything by Gloria Estefan and Tina Turner on repeat.
Food: Can always go for a good meat stew or an avocado toast
Literature: Perfume by Patrick Süskind, but usually tend to read magazines rather than books.
Form of entertainment: Reads, paints, sometimes tries to further some skill he’s been trying out.
Mode of transportation: Walks whenever he can, otherwise a car
HABITS:
Hobbies: Same as with his entertainment.
Plays a musical instrument?: He doesn’t play one fully, but he has definitely tried a few out of curiosity. Flute, guitar and harmonica for some.
Plays a sport?: Nope.
How he/she would spend a rainy day: Probably working in his studio or helping the kids with their homework. He also tends to do some crafting with Lillian or listens to Pollux as he rants on about astrology.
Spending habits: Stays within his budget, doesn’t buy thing he doesn’t need just for the sake of having it.
Smokes: Water pipes yes.
Drinks: On the occasion, not a huge fan.
Other drugs: Only medication.
What does he/she do too much of?: Dwell and worry about petty things.
What does he/she do too little of?: Speak up and take space.
Extremely skilled at: Painting
Extremely unskilled at: Decorating
Nervous tics: Scratching or pulling/fiddling
Usual body posture: Seems relaxed but tend to sit and stand upright, open and welcoming
Mannerisms: Calm and collected, pensive
TRAITS:
Optimist or pessimist?: Optimist
Introvert or extrovert?: Ambivert
Daredevil or cautious?: Cautious, but doesn’t stray away from trying new things
Logical or emotional?: Logical but can let emotions override depending on the situation
Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat?: Methodical and neat
Prefers working or relaxing?: Working
Confident or unsure of himself/herself?: Unsure
Animal lover?: Yes! He doesn’t have time for animals but Natalie has a pair of rats and Pollux owns a hamster he tend to help out with.
SELF-PERCEPTION:
How he/she feels about himself/herself: Matías feels neutral when it comes to himself. He doesn’t hold hold himself to a standard of importance but neither is he riddled with self-hatred. He finds that he fills the role of support for a lot of people and quite often so enjoy it.
One word the character would use to describe self: Caring
What does the character consider his/her best personality trait?: Being level headed
What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait?: Being naïve
How does the character think others perceive him/her: Matías thinks other people view him as someone who has his whole life in order, someone who is lucky to have a career that he loves and a big family to rely on. He’s a person with a warm aura and wise thoughts to share. Most end up fond of him and find him reliable.
What would the character most like to change about himself/herself: Besides the OCD etc I feel like Matías would like it if he gained some more courage and the ability to stand up to himself. He’s not really the type of person who wants to jump into conflicts or argue with people. Due to his childhood he prefers to stay low and out of the way of others.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS:
Opinion of other people in general: He enjoys the company of others, especially those that hold similar values or ways of life.
Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others?: Yes, as mentioned he doesn’t like conflicts and prefer to paint over or avoid a subject if it’s a cause of problem. He, of course, has matters he’s vocal about but generally so he keeps it on the low and on the friendly side.
Person character most hates: He cannot stand his brother any longer.
Person character goes to for advice: Miguel
Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: His adoptive children
Person character feels shy or awkward around: None, yet
Person character openly admires: His best friend Silas
Person character secretly admires: None, yet
This was, undoubtedly, one of the better weeks of the year. Matías had found himself a yearly hospital gig through Miguel (second dad and nurse at the hospital) over at the children’s ward. It was a full four days of dressing up the main wall for the holidays, each having their own section to fill up with drawings and paint to their own wishes. The mural would stay up for a couple of months before it would eventually be painted over, but it offered something warm and homely to those that had to spend the holidays stuck in an otherwise dull environment.
However, the time came in which lunch called for the children’s attention and the paint had to be allowed to dry -- thus Matías found himself going to the cafeteria for a quick snack and a cup of coffee. Art didn’t create itself on an empty stomach. The only problem came to be as he was already standing there. tray in hand, as he realized all the tables were claimed one way or another. He was on his way to seek out a spot outside in the hall, when his eyes caught sight of a table with a singular person attached to it. Maybe they’d be open to share? Placing a humble smile onto his lips, Matías approached the woman and cleared his throat to gain her attention. “Do you mind if we share? Seem a bit full today. I promise I won’t be a bother.”
SPELL A MUSE’S NAME IN MY ASK BOX AND I’LL TELL YOU…
Alternatively - put an * in my askbox and I’ll pick a muse
A: Who are their exes? Do they still keep in touch?
B: Who is the last person they shared a bed with?
C: If they had to pick one sport to play/watch which would it be?
D: What time does their day usual start?
E: Are they the happiest they’ve ever been?
F: Have they ever had a one night stand?
G: What was their first job?
H: Who texts/calls them the most?
I: In general, are they organized or messy?
J: What is their most irrational fear?
K: What’s their Youtube suggestions look like?
L: How often do they post on their social media accounts?
M: When’s the last time they talked to their mom?
N: Are they clumsy and/or prone to accidents?
O: How much have they changed in the past five years?
P: What are their thoughts on going vegan? Could they do it?
Q: Do they have a good luck charm they often have with them?
R: When’s the last time they had a birthday party?
S: How do they tell someone they’re sorry?
T: How quick are they to cry?
U: Would they rather be single or in a relationship?
V: They’ve been arrested, who is their one phone call to?
W: Would they be starstruck if they met a celebrity?
X: What’s a song that is always stuck in their head?
Y: What movie could they watch over and over again?
Z: What time does their end usually end?
When Matías had come to him with the suggestion of knitting classes, Silas certainly hadn’t been thrilled. He isn’t one to sit still for extended periods of time, let alone sit and knit little old sweaters. It seemed too idle, too- well, too boring. But Matías had just been so excited. Plus, spending time with his best friend was never truly boring. So, Silas had tagged along.
And now he’s here, only moments away from learning how to purl and stitch and all the other knitting terminology.
Silas glances over at the sound of his friend’s voice, a single eyebrow arching. “I’m all for objects with multiple potential uses, my friend, but I don’t know that that’ll be one of them,” Silas replies, amused. “Unless we are adding bells. Might make it easier for me to hear you sneaking up with your next idea.”
Matías hummed along as Silas expressed their own thoughts on the matter, soon snapping two of his fingers together in defeat. “We should have discussed this before coming here, I’m sure store have stocked up those little jingle bells this time of year. They do bring something magical with them, you know... being in a snow covered area and hearing that sound from afar, slowly coming closer with anticipation. Kind of cozy.”
Well, they could always sew it on later, couldn’t they? He was certain Lillian owned a few needles and thread, as tweaking around seemed her expertise at her current state in life. Oh, maybe he could get the other kids to join in on the scarf idea as well? It’d be the perfect layout for a family picture and they needed a new one with Xander in frame.
Shaking his head to clear his brain, Matías waved at Silas to step into the room before him. As one could have guessed, most of the people already there were women of different ages but it didn’t stop him from greeting them all with a humble nod. “I see two empty chairs over there, let’s move before they start.”
Matías couldn’t believe his own luck in terms of friends, especially when it came to Silas and his forever endearing attitude of wanting to try new things with him. Most people would undoubtedly have whined themselves back to sleep if Matías had approached them with the proposition to sign up for a knitting class in the middle of the week. Although Silas hadn’t exactly jumped with joy upon hearing his friend’s next big idea of fun, he was yet willing to try. It was definitely enough for him.
Stopping outside the main sign pointing people in the direction of the class, Matías turned to face Silas with a smirk to his lips. “You ready? I still think we should try and do matching scarfs for winter, that way we can find each other way easier in case we get lost inside a snowstorm or whatnot.” Was it a likely scenario? Hardly, but a fun one to imagine nonetheless.
Alejandro had adjusted his costume three times before leaving his house. He’d settled on Village People construction worker, complete with sleeveless flannel shirt. Just as he was about to leave, he decided it didn’t feel like him and put on a regular t-shirt, but when he finally got outside it felt too cold and so he grabbed the first jacket he could find. The end result was that, instead of looking like a funky Village People construction worker, he looked like a pretentious business exec who just came from surveying their latest building project.
Mentally chiding himself for being so indecisive, he finally made it to his destination: the Halloween celebrations. It was the first year since he moved to Kelowna that he was free on Halloween night, and he was hoping to make the most of it.
He didn’t notice the person next to him turn to him before the spoke, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned around and saw Gomez Addams. It took him a second to realise who was behind the mustache and raccoon eyes.
“Matías!” Alejandro replied, glad to see a friendly face. “Wow, your costume is amazing.” He was wishing he’d stuck with his original idea now. “What’s this candy trail? I haven’t heard of it.”
Matías hadn’t expected the person he had chosen to speak to be Alejandro of everyone you could possibly run into at a party, his face lightning up at the sight of a friend. “Muchas gracias”, came his reply, clicking the heels of his pitch black shoes together and throwing in a much needed smirk to his words. “My Morticia has run off, though, it’s getting kind of lonely by myself.” A sigh slipped between his lips, wondering if Silas was busy mingling somewhere. “Are you a construction worker? Beats having too see another zombie nurse.” Matías had found himself pleasantly surprised by the costumes this year, with people surely getting themselves out of their usual comfort zones and trying new ideas all over. Alejandro being one of them.
“It’s supposed to be a set up of tables around town which you can frequent. You get some sort of small task or quest to go through but they haven’t said much beyond that. I just know it starts somewhere outside this building and leads you through the city. It seemed new and interesting, but it has to be boring to go through it alone.”
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jacobvanloon
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kianamaiart
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kaledo-art
