no one had really expected for o'connell's to be passed to tess, the member of the family that was unable to keep her own head above water on her own. the woman had a load of responsibility now they were gone, including the pub and her youngest children and that was overwhelming. finding herself running from her house to the establishment, theresa entered it rather windswept; hair over her face as she tucked her blouse into her skirt. "sorry, i'm late." she nodded to the other bartender that didn't seem too surprised by her late arrival but now they weren't in a position to say anything - instead of a casual worker with the sympathy job, she was now the boss. "what can i get you?" her breath was still somewhat hurried as she posed the question to the customer closest to her.
it had been quite a hard and trying day for abdul. he had back to back cases come across his desk, and hadn't been able to catch much of a break. he was just glad that the cases he had to give rulings to weren't as intense as they could have been. but he did need a good drink or two in order to relax and unwind from the day that he'd had. he sighed as he rubbed a hand against his face, patiently waiting for someone to come and take his order as he sat at the bar at o'connell's. abdul's head perked up when he heard a familiar voice, and he smiled - albeit tiredly. "hey, tess. running a bit behind today?" he asked teasingly, before sighing. "um.. just something strong. and dark, preferably. i need it after the day i've had."
florence handled the book with has little contact with her skin as she could. looking around to see if the employees were nearby, the woman caught the attention of someone passing by. “excuse me.” looking over her glasses, she held out the book towards them. “do you think this book smells... odd?” while she appreciated the cats being in the shop, it did make her get a second opinion when the book smelled strange to her in case a cat had a little accident and it had gone undetected. “i’m not pointing fingers but that one in the corner-” gesturing over to the tabby in the corner, florence widened her eyes “-is looking a little guilty.”
anissa was a bookwarm through and through - which wasn't all that hard to believe, considering the line of work that she had entered upon graduating college. she loved a good book. and that was why she always found herself at mrs. brown's books. the establishment always had good books; new, old and everything in between. and after spending the past few months on her latest novel, she needed a few books to relax and unwind. she had three books in her arms when florence grabbed her attention, her eyebrows raising. "yes, ma'am?" she asked politely, before glancing down at her book. "ah, completely understandable. while i do love this place, you can never be too sure that you're not getting a smelly novel." anissa chuckled, leaning in a bit to give the book a quick sniff. almost immediately she recoiled, shaking her head. "yeah,, i think kitty over there had a bit of an accident on this one, ma'am."
the jazz music echoed down the phone as erin reported back to her father. "yes." she responded in korean. "it's got great potential...okay...i know, i've got this. there's some spare land which is good. the harbour smells a bit but we could easily get one of the nightclubs in there with a little bit of convincing. it's too quiet here, i'm bored out of my mind already, father." the woman sighed as she looked down at the menu. "it's under control. bye." yet another sigh left erin. it had been two days and her father was already on her back. she knew what she had to do and some people being passionate about 'town spirit' or whatever they called it wasn't going to change that. "at least this wine's decent." she nodded towards the other.
the sound of jazz music playing in the background of the bar was always soothing for kojo - that was why he always made sure that genre of music was playing in his establishment. not only did it help set the classy, sophisticated vibes of the bar, it was a style of music that just about anyone could enjoy, even if it wasn't their favorite. he tended to spend most of his time at the bar, which was a given. but he spent half that time mingling with the patrons of the bar, making sure that everyone was happy and satisfied with the services they were receiving. he chuckled at erin's words, shrugging a bit. "i'm glad you think so - i only allow good wine in my establishment." he picked up his own glass, swirling the red liquid around a few times, before sipping from it. "did you want to try a different bottle? i'm sure we have something you'll find better than decent."
idris elba . cis man . he/him . / that’s abdul koroma walking in to the square - you know , the fifty-one year old judge known for being a former athlete before getting injured his freshman year of college ? having lived here for his entire life , their neighbors know them to be humble & intelligent , but their emotionally reserved & nonchalant tendencies shine through when there are no buses in the city . / @30extra
basics.
NAME: abdul koroma. PRONOUNS: he/him. AGE: fifty-one. BIRTH DATE: march 27th, 1972. BIRTH PLACE: lakeview, louisiana. HOMETOWN: lakeview, louisiana. CURRENT RESIDENCE: lakeview, louisiana. NATIONALITY: american. ETHNICITY: african descent. RELIGION: christian. OCCUPATION: judge, former attorney. LANGUAGES: (native) english SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic.
visual.
FACECLAIM: idris elba. EYE COLOR: dark brown. HAIR COLOR: dark brown. HAIRSTYLE: shaved head HEIGHT: 6 feet, 2 inch. WEIGHT: 192 pounds. TATTOOS: none. PIERCINGS: none. NOTABLE TRAITS: voice.
background.
abdul was born to first generation immigrant parents, and from a very young age, the very best was expected of him. his parents didn't settle for anything less than the honor roll when he was in school. that translated into his college life and later on when he entered law school. all his life, his parents have been a huge driving factor of support behind him. he doesn't know where he would be without them. he definitely wouldn't have a position as a judge without them pushing him to be the best he could be.
however, at the same time, they did a lot of damage to his view of himself. abdul loves his parents dearly, but they always put academics and self image above everything else. if he was stressed or having a bad day, they would always brush his feelings to the side and downplay them. they would tell him that he didn't have anything to be stressed about. it was really bad when he was in college and the depression that had been brewing for years finally came to the surface. but did his parents care? not really. they told him that he had a roof over his head and that he didn't have any bills to pay. what could he possibly be depressed about?
it took years for him to finally get himself into therapy, much to his parents' irritation. they thought that therapy wasn't necessary for him, but he thought different. that was when he was in his early forties, and now at the age of fifty-one, he finally knows how to properly regulate his emotions and thoughts. he's not necessarily an emotionally open person, but he's not as emotionally stunted as he used to be.
law wasn't abdul's first career path. he was actually a very talented football player, and had a scholarship for playing football. unfortunately for him, he ended up getting injured his freshman year and couldn't continue on with the sports career that he wanted to pursue; so he chose the second best thing - law. he became a lawyer at the age of twenty-five, and because he worked at a law firm throughout his college and law school years, he was immediately hired upon passing the bar exam.
he worked as a lawyer for twenty years until he was appointed as a judge a few months after his forty-fifth birthday. he's known as one of the more fair judges in the state; however his fairness shouldn't be taken for him being lenient. he gives people second chances (if deserved), but he's a large advocate for three strikes and you're out. he does believe that the judicial system needs some reform, and he tries to be as fair as humanly possible regarding every case that comes across his desk.
abdul tends to stick to himself for the most part. he's a friendly guy, but he's introverted and a lot of people tend to find him intimidating because of his resting bitch face and his career path, but once you get to know him, you'll find that he can be surprisingly sweet. he takes care of the people that he cares about and goes above and beyond for them.
he was married in the past to his high school sweetheart. they got married right out of high school and they both went to college, even when his (now ex) wife fell pregnant with their first child. they got divorced when they were thirty, and while they fell out of love, they're still on friendly terms with one another. (i'll be sending in a wanted connection for his first born child!)
yahya abdul mateen ii . cis man . he/him . / that’s kojo bwesi walking in to cup o’ joes - you know , the thirty-nine year old owner of the taste bar known for being orphaned at a young age ? having lived here for his entire life , their neighbors know them to be determined & hard working , but their judgmental & irritable tendencies shine through when there are no buses in the city . / @30extra
basics.
NAME: kojo bwesi. PRONOUNS: he/him. AGE: thirty-nine. BIRTH DATE: february 14th, 1984. BIRTH PLACE: lakeview, louisiana. HOMETOWN: lakeview, louisiana. CURRENT RESIDENCE: lakeview, louisiana. NATIONALITY: american. ETHNICITY: african descent. RELIGION: agnostic. OCCUPATION: owner of taste bar. LANGUAGES: (native) english SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic.
visual.
FACECLAIM: yahya abdul mateen ii. EYE COLOR: dark brown. HAIR COLOR: dark brown. HAIRSTYLE: shaved head HEIGHT: 6 feet, 3 inch. WEIGHT: 201 pounds. TATTOOS: none. PIERCINGS: none. NOTABLE TRAITS: scar over left eye.
background.
kojo was born and raised in lakeview. his mother was a school teacher and his father worked in social services. they both loved working with children, which was why they took those career paths. he grew up in a very loving household and was well looked after by his parents. he never wanted for anything, and while they weren't extremely wealthy or well off, they were financially stable enough to provide kojo with everything he needed.
he lived a very happy and normal life up until the time that he was five years old. it was the summer after his fifth birthday that his parents lost their lives in a tragic car accident. kojo was in the car at the time as well, but fortunately he survived the car wreck because he was safely secured in his car seat. he was a small child and still needed to use a booster seat at that age, which he often fussed about, but his parents always forced him into one; something that ended up saving his life. he walked away from the accident unscathed, save for a scar over his left eye.
he was placed into the foster care system, and while it was a difficult time in his life, the other townspeople who knew his parents well and respected them chipped in to take care of kojo when he was younger. making sure that he had clothes for school, that he was well fed and that he didn't miss out on normal childhood stuff. he's extremely grateful for all the people that helped raise him, and knows that he wouldn't have survived for as long as he did without them.
upon turning eighteen, he was allowed the money that his parents left behind for him, which he used to put himself through college and business school, before he opened up taste bar. taste bar is his pride and joy - his baby. he put his blood, sweat and tears into creating an environment that was classy and sophisticated. he's proud of how successful his bar has become, and he definitely brags about it from time to time.
he can be a judgmental and irritable, and while he isn't a malicious person, people wouldn't necessarily call him nice either. he's a kind person, in the sense that he would be willing to help people however he can, but he's not nice in the sense that he would go out of his way or set himself back to help other people.
vanessa morgan . cis woman . she/her . / that’s anissa saidi walking in to mrs. brown’s books - you know , the thirty-one year old author known for moving to lakeview to take care of her elderly grandfather ? having lived here for nine years , their neighbors know them to be amiable & charming , but their temperamental & jealous tendencies shine through when there are no buses in the city . / @30extra
basics.
NAME: anissa saidi. PRONOUNS: she/her. AGE: thirty-one. BIRTH DATE: june 19th, 1991. BIRTH PLACE: dar es salaam, tanzania. HOMETOWN: peachtree, georgia. CURRENT RESIDENCE: lakeview, louisiana. NATIONALITY: american. ETHNICITY: tanzanian / french. RELIGION: agnostic. OCCUPATION: author. LANGUAGES: (fluent) swahili, (fluent) english, (conversational) french SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic.
visual.
FACECLAIM: vanessa morgan. EYE COLOR: dark brown. HAIR COLOR: dark brown. HAIRSTYLE: long, wavy or straight depending on the day HEIGHT: 5 feet, 2 inch. WEIGHT: 132 pounds. TATTOOS: none. PIERCINGS: ears. NOTABLE TRAITS: n/a.
background.
anissa's birth was one for the books. her mother actually had no idea that she was pregnant until she went into labor with her - a very, very uncommon and rare occurrence. both of her parents were under the impression that her mother couldn't have children, especially because they had tried on so many occasions. they were actually on vacation in tanzania, where her mother was from, for their fifth wedding anniversary when her mother went into labor in their hotel room. three hours, an ambulance ride and lots of screaming later, anissa was placed in her mother's arms for the first time.
after they got the legalities of everything in order, anissa's parents brought her back to georgia, where they lived, and settled down in their town of peachtree. anissa lived in peachtree for the majority of her life, and she loved it there.
her parents' marriage fell apart shortly after she was born, and by the time she was two years old, they were divorced. the reasoning? her father had been cheating on her mother for several years and had another secret child behind her back - anissa's half sibling. (will be sending in a wanted connection for that!)
as she grew up, she discovered her love of literature and writing from a very young age. she would join writing competitions and win national competitions for the short stories that she wrote. she eventually went on to attend yale university (on a scholarship; her parents could not afford to send her there on their own) and got her degree in english literature.
after graduating from yale with her degree, she almost immediately moved to lakeview to take care of her grandfather after her grandmother passed away. she always had a close relationship with her grandparents, so she didn't really mind taking care of him in his old age.
unfortunately, her grandfather passed away a year ago and left behind his home to her, which she has pretty much taken over as her own.
her first published work, by some stroke of luck, hit the bestseller's list, and she's had success with her multiple book series' ever since then. she tends to write fiction and fantasy for the most part, something that reaches a wide audience of people. she takes her writing very seriously, and hopes that someday one of her series gets picked up by a network or production company and made into a movie or tv show.
she has a little bit of a temper, something that she gets from her mother. although she tries to rein it in as much as possible, but it can be out of her control sometimes. however when she cools down, she almost always usually apologizes to whoever she blew up on.
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