( anna diop / 37 / she/theyย ) โ (ย juliet vazquezย ) has been spotted in ravenswood. theyโre said to originally be from ( los angeles, california ) and used to work as a ( paramedicย ). theyโve been in the compound for ( two monthsย ), working as a (ย nurseย ) to earn their keep and since then, others have seen their ( passive ) but seemingly ( benevolentย ) nature.ย
basics.
full name: juliet aminita mbaye vazquez. nicknames: jul, julie ( by carlos ). age: thirty seven ( october 12th ). gender and pronouns: nonbinary, she/they. sexuality: pansexual. nationality: american. occupation: childcare worker ( before ), teacher ( now ). languages spoken: english, french, partial spanish. hometown: carpinteria, california. family: ibrahim mbaye ( father, deceased ), diana mbaye ( mother, deceased ), eleanor mbaye ( sister, unknown ), naomi mbaye ( sister, unknown ), carlos vazquez ( husband, deceased ).
*death tw
before.
you were born a giver. your mother swore you never cried, refusing to be an inconvenience to anyone from the moment you inhaled your first breath. being the youngest of three, it was expected that you'd be the spoilt one, but you slunk away from all the attention the moment you were old enough to comprehend why. your joy had always been found in bringing happiness to others.
hardships were far from rare. you were barely even a child when your father passed away; small hands forced to hold the rest of the family together as they threatened to fall apart. your own grief was buried deep within-- you didn't have time as you kept the others afloat. this unhealthy way of coping followed you for the rest of your life.ย โย i'm fine โย was a lie that always rolled easily off the tongue of someone with such a contagious smile.
you always knew what you wanted to be. with a squeamish mother, you were the one your sisters ran to when anything went wrong. with elegant composure, you always knew the exact words and remedies to deescalate even the most urgent of emergencies. there really wasn't anything typical that you hadn't seen or dealt with, from cuts and bruises to broken bones and stitches. with an eagerness to help as quickly as possible, you elected against the extra college years and instead found yourself along the ems path. you were better suited for the van, anyway; your comforting presence more useful out in the world than confined in an operating room.
he was patient. you were slow to fall in love with the man you'd eventually marry, but he never rushed you into any sort of commitment. he was poised, though when he showed you the fractures and faults within, you promised to glue them back together. as you finally allowed yourself to be swept off your feet, he swept you away to the city of angels. it was difficult leaving your family-- if only 90 miles away-- but even a passing glance at the vazquez dynamic was enough to show you how crucial it was for you two to stay close.
the outbreak.
you didn't know that visit to your hometown would be the last. as your mother got sick, you grasped onto your sisters hands like you had before-- an unwavering vow that you would all be okay. at the time, you felt your soul shatter when she died. of course, you wouldn't let anyone see your pain and it was easier to hide behind the fact that the world was melting into chaos. in retrospect, however, you're almost glad your mother contracted severe pneumonia when the virus was still relatively unknown. she was spared the horrific nightmares that now haunt you every time you close your eyes. you try to comfort yourself by picturing her blissfully ignorant smile; her spirit finding your father's in the next life.
a bleeding heart in a glass cage, you never belonged in an apocalypse. when panic overwhelmed the city and your father-in-law approached you with the plan to flee, you promised yourself you would not slow them down. they were your family; your salvation. and just as you had done when you were young, you knew you had to hold them together. they kept you physically safe as you did your best to protect them emotionally.ย carlos taught you how to defend yourself and how to push down the lump that formed in your throat every time you held a gun. you were aware you were far from a formidable opponent, but you refused to be nothing more than a fragile first aid kit to be toted up north.
you saw your husband's face as he was forced to confront the loss of yet another parent-- the look in his eyes that you subconsciously pretended not to notice as everything changed. as the months crept by, you found yourself making endless excuses for him. times had evolved so so had he. you constantly ignored the pit in your stomach as you watched him turn into a man you no longer recognized; he slipped through your ironclad grip as you begged and pleaded for him to stay.
stunned silence crashed over you like a wave threatening to drown you when your worst fear unfolded before your eyes. you knew you didn't blame nico; you refused to add to the guilt written so plainly across his features. but he was your husband. he was far from perfect but you loved him with every fiber of your being. for the first time in your life, you let yourself break down. nico all but carried you further; upholding his promise to protect you.
ravenswood.
you slowly pulled yourself back to your feet-- if not entirely for the sake of the nico, when word of a settlement caught your attention like a blinding beacon in the darkness. you knew the reality of you and nico's survival was dicey, at best, on your own. so, ignoring the small voice in the back of your mind that wondered if the town was really too good to be true, you welcomed the humanity.ย
with the promised safety of a community, you felt yourself longing for the friendship you and nico had once shared; a friendship not jaded by the guilt and ache of carlosโ absence. he wasย family, and honestly, probably the only family you'd ever see again. so with tear-stained cheeks and cautious eyes, you tried to latch onto him harder than you had anyone before... you could not lose him as well. the silence between you two grew deafening, however, as you realized things could never be the same; your desperate attempt to keep him close proved fruitless yet again as he pulled away from you, as well. you were an innocent bystander, forced to watch history repeat itself-- solidifying the tiny terror building up inside of you that told you you were cursed to lose anyone who got too close to you.
out of habit and genuine fear, you will always keep an eye on nico-- even if itโs unwanted and from afar. your smile, though not nearly as bright as it once was, has graced your face once again; the same smile you learned as a child to be a disarming mask for you to hide your pain behind.
