⊹ (MELISSA COLLAZO, SHE/HER, CIS WOMAN, TWENTY-FIVE.)
did you see RYAN RIVERA around west ham lately? whenever i think of them, i can’t help but picture mediterranean tiles, a wall of gold picture frames, summer fruit, disco balls, butterfly bookends and mismatched fridge magnets. i’ve heard that they’ve taken up a role in this “new world” as a NEWSLETTER WRITER. people say they’re RESOURCEFUL, AMBITIOUS AND ASSERTIVE but can also come across as CYNICAL, BRUSQUE, AND STUBBORN if i had to pick an anthem for them, it’s probably BRUTAL BY OLIVIA RODRIGO. as for where they’d be staying, you could probably found them at HOUSE 4 in my opinion, they’re probably THE TRAILBLAZER. intriguing, right? don’t count on this being the last you see or hear from them…
𐔌 . ⋮ BASIC STATS .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
full name: ryan rivera.
age: twenty-five
pronouns: she/her.
gender: cisfemale.
orientation: pansexual.
hometown: west ham, connecticut.
label: the trailblazer.
positive: resourceful, ambitious & assertive.
negative: cynical, brusque & stubborn.
𐔌 . ⋮ HISTORY .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
tw: parental death, car accident, grief.
ryan grew up feeling like an afterthought in her own home; noise fading into the background of everyone's lives. – her very existence felt incidental.
she would watch the way her mother poured love and attention into her older brother, holding her to his standards and measuring her worth in his achievements.
though her mother's words often sliced through her like daggers, she could find some kind of solace in the way her father kept her from falling apart in his own quiet way. an unspoken understanding settling between them.
despite hating the way her brother seemed to excel at everything, he was still ryan's best friend. they shared secrets, inside jokes and it absolutely enraged her mother. as though ryan was a disease he would contract if he got too close.
the screaming matches began when ryan started throwing her mother's words right back at her, with no regard to how hard they would hit.
ryan was patient, yet constantly anticipating the day she could finally leave and stop shrinking herself to fit in the rivera household.
what she didn't except was to find her world crumbling overnight and no matter how hard she tried, ryan could never forget the look on her brother's face when he woke her up to break the news. the details were fuzzy but she strung the words together pretty quickly – three a.m, dad, hospital, car crash, critical condition. each one hit her in a sequence.
the grief hit in ways ryan did not expect; always seeing herself as unshakeable and yet she could not bring herself out of it.
she could only remember the relief she felt at her brother announcing he would be taking her with him to his new apartment, removing her from an increasingly toxic place with their mother.
𐔌 . ⋮ PERSONALITY & HCs .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
absolutely will not take anyone's shit anymore, she's done it plenty growing up
not afraid to speak her mind either, sometimes a little TOO honest and opinionated.
it takes her a really long time to trust people just because of how she's been burnt in the past.
very very stubborn and even if her idea is stupid and not at all practical, she will still want to see it through.
she definitely puts up an icy front but it falls apart in 2 seconds the minute she sees her brother and/or her closest friends
so basically she can be very difficult to get close to but once you're in? LOCKED IN
her dream is to be a writer but she's always deemed herself as too stupid to actually succeed at it and so she's kind of always written in secret.
had the BIGGEST fight with her brother and said some really mean things and now she's stuck in this new ham without him...
signed up to be a newsletter writer so she can get all the news before everyone else and plans on doing the bare minimum
𐔌 . ⋮ WANTED CONNECTIONS .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
childhood best friends
forced family friends
rivals / frenemies
ride or die
partner in crime
brother's best friend turned unlikely friends after the events
exes on bad terms (because her favorite thing to hold is a grudge)
“punishment ?” he repeated, slightly taken aback by her question. he may know some people around here, whether by being close to them in the past or by hearing about them, but he didn't know everyone that well. he didn't think everyone here was a bad person. at least it didn't seem that way, so why would there be a need for punishment? “i seriously hope you're wrong about that.” there was a shake of his head and a sigh, before shoving his hands in the pocket of his jeans. “at first, i've been trying to help out and do what i can, but i'm beginning to think we'll be here a lot longer than any of us want to be.”
“ i seriously hope i'm wrong about a lot of things. ” the worst of the worst theories had crossed her mind, a semi-permanent unsettling feeling making a home for itself in the pit of her stomach as though it was welcome to stay. ryan liked to think it was simply reading too much that had rewired her brain to assume the darkest worst-case scenarios. did everyone here look like they'd done something bad ? not really. “ it's hard planning for something you don't know, yeah ? i'm starting to think the same thing but i feel like if i go around saying it, they'll exile me so i don't ruin the vibes. ”
" love island unhinged? erm, more like love island: no way out of home. written and directed by the same guy who did spiderman, true story." iona joked, though the accidental groan that slipped out of her half shaped laugh clearly showed how distraught she felt about the situation. she had seen what was outside of new ham, or at least, the lack thereof, and there was no way in hell anyone could produce something as haunting as a road that literally leads to nowhere. " on the bright side, if this is a social experiment, which by the way, it totally is, the tiktok edits are gonna go crazy. " denial is a river and it sure feels better to lounge around in the water than to think of their new reality. " are you, like, okay, though? i know this is all weirder than weird al yankovic in a gorilla suit— but, we're gonna get through this, yeah?" she smiles, more sincerely this time, before gently bumping shoulders with the girl in an attempt at cheering her up.
a laugh escaped past ryan's lips, welcoming the humorous distraction softening their new reality. everything sounded somehow less damning rolling off iona's tongue. “ god, i'm so relieved i'm not the only one convinced it is. like, there's just no other explanation. and YOU'RE RIGHT, i can only imagine. someone's definitely getting the villain edit though, it's just a matter of time before we find out who. ” as much as ryan pretended not to care what other people thought of her ( to some extent, she truly didn't ), a small part of her did not want to be perceived by others for fear of being seen. it made her skin crawl just thinking about it. a bump to the shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts, warm hues shifting to focus on the blonde. there it was – the question ryan always felt like had teeth. “ how are you handling all of this ? ”
"worst case scenario?" mickey shrugs, "we're all already dead and this is hell. that's like the most basic theory of every tv show ever: LOST, ed edd and eddy, rugrats. but i dunno about you, but i feel pretty alive so pretty sure that's not the case for us." they had no idea what happened but mickey's mind was racing with some actual theories about what happened, but she would need more evidence and research before anything became clear. mickey was optimistic at the best of times, and at the worst? some would call it delusional. she looked back at ryan when she changed the subject to their freedom. she supposed she hadn't thought of that, it was just them here. "what, like a party or something?" classic teen movie antics. she really needed to stop thinking in pop culture references.
she considers the other's theory for a second, lips pressed into a line as she nods along to her words. without warning, her hands reach out to pinch mickey's arms before retreating. “ nope ! don't know about you, but that felt pretty real to me. ” she says innocently, completely oblivious as to what she's just done. “ i mean… yeah, sure, why not ? who's gonna stop us if we turn this place into a party every day ? west ham can be whatever we want it to be. ”
enzo couldn't even begin to know what was going on in this town. nothing about it was 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 or 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐋. then again, the thought of some weird love island , lord of the flies experiment going on wasn't actually a thought that had crossed his mind just yet. ❝ if that's the case, who do you think the first kicked of the island would be ? ❞ sure, the girl genuinely seemed concerned and if there was anyone that could be great to vent to, ( enzo could definitely, at the very least place for that reward. ) but to stay at least semi - sane... he felt he had to bury his head in the sand and thrown in a little joke or two. 𝐒𝐔𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐌. ❝ personally, i don't see my guy mark making it very far. great guy, pretty sure we went to high school together but i passed the guy near the cafe earlier and he's got this cheesy smell going on. who's gonna wanna couple up with the cheese guy ? ❞ dramatically raising his shoulders up and down, enzo let out a sigh. ❝ unfortunate. ❞ it could've been a weak attempt at a distraction but it was worth a shot.
she paused for a beat, eyes drifting as though she was giving it serious thought. ryan wouldn't be opposed to a process of elimination in their new world. she even thought she could thrive here so long as she had a say in who made the cut – like she was making up her own ideal world. except if it were ideal, truly ideal, enzo wouldn't be stuck in it with her. with her brother absent, she was unsure of who'd play the role of their buffer. “ you really think you'd make it longer than mark ? ” she questioned with a roll of her eyes, a hint of a challenge in her tone as she spoke. she couldn't imagine enzo in a messed up love island scenario. “ islanders choice ? you'd be packing right now. ” a blatant lie because if this were televised, ryan knew enzo would be the fan favorite – charming ( she'd heard others say it ), well-timed jokes ( again, others.. ), always deflecting at the right moment and causing as little ripples as possible. “ god, you say that like you wouldn't give up your spot for him out of pity or something. ” eyebrows arched, daring him to contradict her words. “ poor mark… shunned for smelling like gouda. if i were responsible for rations, i'd slip him a little extra soap, just saying. ”
“ wouldn't that be, like, illegal ? ” the brunette counters, wide eyes unable to pry themselves away from ryan, “ i don't know about you, but i definitely didn't sign up to be apart of any social experiments. especially not one involving being cut off from my life. like, what are my followers going to think ? what if i become another story on a fucked up true crime podcast ? ”
“ when has that ever, like, stopped anyone ? ” ryan rolls her eyes, annoyance filling her in a ‘ i wanna go home ’ kind of way. except she isn't able to, none of them are. not the home she knew, anyway. ryan was not surprised yuri ended up among the people here, they seemed to always be forced together – yet she could not deny the strange sense of comfort she felt at seeing a familiar face. “ well, do you read your terms and conditions ? you never know. i thought you'd be happy about that part… like you do know the internet's going to be flooded with this, right ? surely, we didn't just disappear and no one's looking for us, yuri. ”
hazel realized that not everyone was optimistic. or was willing to be when they had found themselves in a situation such as this one. it wasn't something easy to navigate. assuming the worst is a natural instinct. telling herself that this wouldn't have lasted for as long as it had. "it would be a horrible reality show, if that was the case. don't you think ?" the more she thought about it... there was no way that could end or work out well. "what happens now ? that's a good question. i may not be in the position of one of the mayors, but i feel like we have to start establishing some sort of order here. get things figured out properly."
“ no, it's actually kind of brilliant. i would watch it, maybe even enjoy it, if i weren't living IT. ” maybe in another world – ryan would be comfortable on her couch with a mouth full of popcorn, shit-talking all the ‘ contestants ’ and offering up her thoughts like they actually mattered. ryan nodded, tilting her head slightly as she let the words sink in. establishing some order felt like giving into the idea that they were stuck here, something ryan was having a hard time doing. “maybe we should have you as mayor. i would trust you, at least.”
mickey shrugged her shoulders at ryan's words. they all had to hope that this was just some bad dream, that they would all wake up and be back home like this never happened. but what that didn't happen? what if they were stuck here? it made her head spin. "let's just hope it's like a bad episode of the twilight zone. everything will go back to normal and there will be some netflix documentary about us. the best thing is to make sure we all stay calm and keep the chaos to a minimum."
“ and worst case scenario ? ” ryan questioned, a jolt of panic running through her at the thought. she couldn't stop her brain from defaulting there – call it preparation or pessimism. never one to live for the hope of it all but maybe it wasn't too late to change. “the longer we're stuck here, the more inevitable the latter becomes. it's just a matter of time so…” she let out a sigh, eyes shutting for a few seconds as though to drown out her thoughts. “we hope. or, you can hope and i can remain in the sweet, warm embrace of denial.” she had a feeling it would catch up to her eventually. she straightened, a mischievous glint in her eyes as a realization set in. “we've totally got free reign here, have we acknowledged that yet ? first order of business ?”
truthfully, tristan didn't know how to handle this situation. part of him wanted to bury himself underneath the comfort of his blankets in his bedroom and pretend as if this wasn't happening, but knew that wasn't going to much. especially when he agreed that everyone needed to work together, figure out what's going on, and do the best they can while surviving. they needed each other, as much as he preferred being alone recently. “if it's a social experiment, who do you think is in control ? do you think everyone gone would be in on this ?”
“oh, definitely, are you kidding ?” she scoffs, rolling her eyes at the thought of everyone gone watching and mocking them as they run around in confusion. “they're having a DAY with this. do you think this is some sort of punishment ?” she quickly scans their surroundings, as though the people left around are a lineup of deviants being forced to be on their best behavior to survive. “what did you do lately ?”
the frustation was valid. for everyone. it was odd. an odd experience. "no but you're RIGHT. because what in the world is this ?" she was still in disbelief. who could believe that they would be experiencing something as wild as this. "i'm trying to remain hopeful, optimistic, positive. all of the above. but it's hard." arms were now crossing over her chest to express the frustration she'd felt. "a chaotic version of love island? the last thing we need is a reality show of this when we live in the reality."
hopeful, optimistic, positive. – all words contradicting everything in ryan's nature. her first instinct was to assume the worst and yet in their new reality, she seemed to be holding onto the hope of this turning out to be anything but what it was already shaping up to be. only because if she let herself assume the worst, she would lose all control. “well, if this is some sick reality show, i'd heavily suggest we cut the cameras and call it before someone loses their mind.” she spoke louder as though a hidden camera was capturing her words – what a ridiculous thought. “what happens now ?”
it seemed like everyone was still in the denial stage of this new fucked up world they woke up in, which, fair. what the hell was going on? it was a lot to wrap their heads around. "if this is a fucked up love island, i really hope there's still condoms in this place. the last thing we need is a bunch of babies when we have no real doctors and shit."
“god, don't even make me THINK about it !” ryan winced, the thought of chaos ensuing was on her mind and yet, it had never occurred to her that they could be stuck long enough for babies to start coming out. “i will personally ration the condoms myself if that's what it takes to keep everyone in check. – besides, surely we'll be out of here before then.. ?”
" YOU THINK WE'RE ON LOVE ISLAND ." the words are repeated with deadpan delivery that kind of speaks for itself , wyatt's brows twitching down briefly before they arch them to add , "well if this is some kind of shit social experiment then whoever's in charge of it is getting their teeth kicked in ." a clench of their jaw as they move to crane their neck to search the crowd , a sinking feeling in their stomach as they look for a familiar face they still can't seem to find . " because you're right about one thing : this is some fucking bullshit ."
“or something like that.” this is definitely far from the show. for one, love island never felt so ominous. ryan watches as they scan the crowd for the people they long to see most, the same sinking feeling settling at the realization that they're nowhere to be found. “when the time comes, i'm not holding you back.” she hates the confusion, the looming feeling of impending chaos and worst of all, the lack of certainty. “how long, you think, before we start tearing each other apart ?”
Evan didn't mean to chuckle. If anything, it almost annoyed him that he did. He found that unprecedented situations of various kind reflected in his demeanour via a smile, a chuckle, a laugh...on occasion. And if anything he'd ever experienced had been unprecedented in its entirety; it was this. "Sure." he'd said, taking a seat across from her as a bamboo straw helped him mix up the ice in his tall cup off flavoured coffee. "This a good time to uh, pull you for a chat?" the Love Island reference did not help the upturned corners of his lips either. "Say you're right; how would you go about proving that hypothesis?"
“never a better time, don't you think ?” she chuckled, shaking her head at the ridiculous thought. if ryan let herself adapt to their new reality, she would also have to adapt to a life without her brother. – the worst part ? she wasn't sure for how long and it was that uncertainty that had her running around attempting to make sense of their new world. “well, we already know our phones don't connect to anyone outside town limits, right ?” the thirteen failed calls to her brother from this morning confirming what she feared to be true. “but if i were documenting this, i'd want my subjects to feel immersed. i'm not sure how we prove this, though. got any ideas ?”
" you and me both. " he spoke, eyebrows raised in somewhat disbelief. he was glad he wasn't the only one here who was struggling to grasp what was going on. " this might actually be worse than love island, i think i'd rather be there right now other than in whatever type of hell we're currently stuck in. "
“you and me both… i'll take anywhere else.” she echoed his own words, nodding softly. ryan couldn't allow herself to think this was anything but temporary. – how could it not be ? she was sure they were going to wake up any minute from whatever nightmare this was. she had a funny image of someone watching them from a control room, relishing in their misery. “how long do you think we're going to be here for ?”
“ no , i call absolute BULLSHIT, ” ryan shakes her head, a scoff escaping past her lips as she eyes the other. “ this is some sort of sick & twisted documented social experiment. like, fucking love island unhinged ! ”
