⥽ getting shit - faced and up to precarious places they definitely shouldn’t be was probably the college experience. cj doesn’t think she even knows ripley’s last name ( what a surprise it would be when she found out that W A S her last name; followed by insistent pestering for her first name ) yet this… relationship, or mutual understanding — whatever it was, meant the world to cj. they could just lay it all down, whatever IT was, and not fear about being judged or chewed out for it. it was a nice break from all the s h i t they had to endure here. the platinum blonde smiles sweetly at her company, a soft chuckle leaving her lips at her words. ❝ i mean, i feel pathetic AT LEAST six times in a day, and then re - think every decision and thing i’ve ever said. ❞ a soft sigh leaves cj’s lips, reality crushing her a little to hard as she deflates. god, the beach sounds like such a dreamy place to be right now. but no, ripley is right; it’s not WORTH the risk of drinking and driving. though at her statement, cj has decided to already answer. petite frame turns to the other, leaning into her body and reaching out for the bottle of jack daniels to take a sip for themselves. ❝ i am tiny. i’m only five feet tall, huh ?? but c’mon, don’t be a pussy. i’d l o v e to be held by you. ❞ the words are said with a giggle, plump lips still wet with the whiskey as she GHOSTS them along ripley’s throat; ending with a W E T and sloppy kiss to her cheek to try and coax a laugh out of her. ❝ you’re so w a r m. ❞ cj all but purrs, an arm around ripley’s waist as she stretches across her like a cat. a cuddly and affectionate drunk was all she was.
“ WE HAVE the same brain or some shit man , i can’t fucking believe how much i feel every single thing leaving your mouth right now , ” ripley gasps in near - shock , dark hues widening as somehow , cj always manages to hit the nail on the head . in her defense , she’s shit - faced enough to agree with just about anything the blonde says , but arguably , that shouldn’t discredit the heft which cj’s words carry . almost as quickly as she’s offered the idea , she’s forgotten it , instead transfixed on the words leaving cj’s mouth ( with equal attention payed to the lips they leave . ) “ i’m like a whole head taller than you . you’re a chin rest . ” she lets out a laugh more akin to a shriek as she realizes the difference in stature between the two of them , as if it’s somehow the first time she’s noticed . a lazy smile takes to her features , cheeks reddened with the equal nip of the late night chill and buzzed glow . “ you couldn’t fucking handle these snuggles in your WILDEST dreams , ” she bellows , too loudly , and too enthusiastically , but she’s clearly trying to poke jests at the companion she has before her . “ you absolutely wish , scaletta ! ” sloppy movements welcome the other into her lap , eyes clamping shut to allow her skin the sensation of cj’s kisses . she’s unable to tell if the stench of jack is on cj’s breath or her own , and isn’t quite sure which would be worse at this point , but with the femme curled into her lap , ripley snakes an arm behind the other’s back to cradle her , fingers stroking softly on the hip at which they land . her tone drops into a softer mumble , still in the haze of her own inebriation , but eyes so sincere and locked onto the blonde in her lap , one could swear she’s not actually STRUGGLING to sit up straight . “ i don’t think you’re pathetic , for the record . ” her nose buries into the shell of the other’s ear , lips brushing lightly against the blonde’s earlobe with warm baited breath as she slows to pick the perfect words , biting her lip pensively as if to avoid a misstep . “ i think you’re ... perfection . ”
santiago is completely drenched in water from the rain that suddenly decided to downpour on him , and the cherry on top of the cake is that he’s lost , so he thinks. his feet know the exact route he’s taking , for he’s been there one too many times. this is a dumb idea , but he doesn’t know that , he’s not even in his right state of mind to think about what’s right and wrong right now and frankly he doesn’t even care. desperate hands knock frantically at the dorm room , he wipes the beads of rain off of his face as he awaits the door to be opened. will she even open it and give him the time of day ? he’s already here and he can deal with the consequences another time , but for now he just wants her and to be in her presence for some comfort and calmness in his life even if he wouldn’t remember this in the morning. puppy dog eyes flash up at the girl as soon as she opens the door and he wants to engulf her in his arms but he refrains momentarily. ‘ can i come in ? ’ he asks , hint of desperation in his tone are extremely apparent.
RIPLEY SHOULD know better . it’s the phrase she thinks every time the male is involved , each time she lets him snake his way back into her life , each time she reaches out to him after telling him to never talk to her again — she knows she shouldn’t , she should know better . but here he is , standing before her when she knows she should turn him away , the beads of water dripping down his face reminding her of the thin gleam of sweat they’d both inevitably get when dancing together at parties , faded off their asses and in their own little world . she crosses her arms over her chest — granted , he’s seen her in LESS , but she feels exposed in the oversized sweatshirt and old athletic shorts she’s worn to bed . she hates how out of control his presence makes her feel , the knowledge that she can turn him away twice and always give in on the third time , that he knows her rules will always somehow bend for him . “ oh my god , santi , you idiot , ” she finally groans , grateful her roommate is out for the night as so to not bother her . part of her figures that whatever reason he has for being caught out in the rain , he probably DESERVES it ; and yet , she can’t bring herself to leave him out and soaked through when he looks so damn soft . ( she can’t recall this look in his eyes , but she sure as hell won’t ever forget it . ) she reaches out with a groan of exasperation , taking a fist - full of his soaked shirt in her grip and yanking him inside the room . she’s half - asleep and she knows nothing about this can be good , and the phrase rings through her head again , as it always does when she’s about to let herself spiral into santiago’s atmosphere once more : she should know better . she squints at him , trying to let her eyes adjust to the new figure in the dark , eyeing his soaked clothing as her tone drips with a hostility and annoyance masking her concern . “ it is so FUCKING late right now , what stupid - ass excuse could you possibly have ? ”
CLOSED starter for @ripleyfm
⤹ location: holloway auditorium
⥽ amelie p a c e s the stage, arms crossed over her chest as she keeps looking to the double doors; expecting the cello - ist to come through at ANY second. well, she hoped she would. amelie was N O T one for tardiness, making sure she was always at least fifteen ( sometimes even twenty ) to any function. finally hearing the double doors open, amelie spins around to see the girl coming in. ❝ you’re late. ❞ the ballerina deadpans, an icy glare staring the other girl down. so much for first impressions, huh ??
“ I’M AWARE . ”
there’s no attempt to offer an explanation , no excuse at her lips — ripley figures someone who opens with such AGGRESSION without a second thought likely isn’t interested in whatever ripley is about to say unless it’s a groveling apology ( and good luck to whoever expects such a thing from the bull headed cellist . ) “ i’m usually not , i swear , ” she lies through gritted teeth , wanting something , anything , to get this girl off whatever high horse she’s mounted . it’s fifteen minutes , not an hour , ripley rationalizes to herself , wheeling her instrument case to her seat and fishing for her sheet music . “ i’m tallulah , ” she offers as some kind of middle ground — though she feels the attitude of this girl hasn’t warranted the HONOR of getting to call her by the same name her friends do . it’s small , and it’s stupid , but it’s something to give her some sense of getting back at the other ( even if she won’t admit the other’s well - earned right to be pissed . ) “ do you usually skip the whole formalities thing ? or should i just call you dancer number two ? ”
kaia’s legs entangled within ripley’s much lengthier legs as the pair giggled in kaia’s bed passing the moet & chandon champagne bottle that kaia’s parents gifted her as per tradition of the start of a new school year, “sometimes i think about how i survived without you,” the moment turned a bit more serious as her own giggles subsided as she nuzzled herself closer to her girl friend. taking a sip from the bottle, she continued, “you quite literally are the best thing that’s happened to me since…you know.” she alluded to the death of her boyfriend from age 14 to 18. it wasn’t a subject she liked to discuss much because it was the one subject that could make her cry at any given moment, but with ripley she always allowed some sort of vulnerability to float between the two. “sorry, i know that made the energy in the room so much more blue and heavy than it was a moment ago, i just needed to let you know how i appreciate you.” she took another pull from the bottle before passing it to her pal. “sometimes i’m bad at letting people know they’re appreciated.” kaia candidly admitted in the dimly lit room that mostly was lit with fairy lights accompanied by two candles flickering both named ‘vampire blood’ (a mix of strawberries, transylvanian plums, and midnight jasmine) in the true spirit of fall approaching. there was an undying sense of comfort when kaia was in the mere presence of ripley, it was unexplainable but she didnt even bother trying to explain it to outsiders who merely thought the pair were nothing more than best gal pals, often attached at one another’s hips. you see, the pair were never more than friends in a sense of emotional ties or feelings, but the pair sometimes found themselves having sleepovers. “you also really opened me up as a person, y’know?” her eyes locked with ripley’s as she went on with her semi-drunk rambling, “it’s like, i was sort of missing that freedom and excitement before i met you and let you into my little bubble i’ve created to keep a lot of people at arm’s length distance. i think i’m totally platonically, but also sexually, in love with you.” she finally errupted into more giggles lightening the energy surrounding them once again.
THERE’S VERY few people who ask ripley to elaborate on her relationship with kaia , which to an extent , she’s grateful for . there’s really no easy way to put to words all the intricacies of what the two share , especially with no succinct label to sum up moments like these . “ where did all this come from ? ” she questions softly following the other’s outburst , though the smile on her face indicates it’s not unwelcome . “ i like blue , ” she offers as a quick response , wanting to ensure kaia’s not made self conscious about her rambles . “ it’ll be my new favorite color of the week , for you , ” she assures her , hues fixed gently on the other with a warmth FEW others know . “ i think you’re amazing at telling people what they need to hear . it’s like you always know . you’re so in tune with people . i wish i knew how to fucking do that , ” she responds , and it’s true . ripley’s been the odd one out since she can remember , the loose canon in a lineup of perfectly composed siblings . she wonders if maybe that’s the root of her emotional limitations , her inability to let others know what she thinks and what she wants emotionally out of fear of being an inconvenience . perhaps after all those years of being treated like a nuisance , a part of her , however subconsciously , took it as truth . she runs her fingers along the length of the other’s arm , trailing gently against her skin as a motion of comfort . “ open you up , dude , gross you weirdo , ” she teases , wrinkling her nose at the other playfully . “ i’m kidding . you’re so special to everyone you meet , and i’m glad i get to be SOMEONE to you . ” ripley feels the haziness of her buzz warm her skin , but regardless of how inebriated she may be , something about such level of intimacy will always frighten her , especially with the premise of such emotional intensity . she doesn’t know much about kaia’s ex , if ripley should even call him that , but knows the other has faced her fair share of adversity getting to this point . she admires that in kaia , her unwillingness to let the past influence her future , something ripley feels sting like a slap of the cowardice she’s forced to face within herself . she’s overthinking again , she always is , and feels herself grow self conscious about her inability to meet kaia’s vulnerability , instead sitting up in the bed and untangling herself from the other . “ oh c’mon , emily dickens , you’re off the shits . i’m cutting you off before you start saying you want to have my babies , ” she jokes , though it’s obvious she’s trying to keep calm within herself for kaia’s sake . she’s not weirded out by the other’s monologue , she knows where she and kaia stand , but that doesn’t make her any less INSECURE about her own inability to be so in tune with her feelings . “ i should’ve known you couldn’t handle that fourth glass . ”
THE START of the fall semester, and her subsequent return to the united states from bergen, maiken found herself within a newfound closeness to ripley. the two weren’t exactly INSEPARABLE, but with the way she seemed to avoid the same people that maiken attempted to — well, it made the two spending time with each other rather ideal. she was explaining the workings of eu citizenship to the blonde, who seemed awfully confused with the workings — or, rather, how nice it must’ve seemed in comparison, which confused maiken in return. though, it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise; americans were taught to think of their country as the center of the universe, weren’t they? “ you’re telling me you’ve never heard of that before? i mean, sure, there are drawbacks, but… for the most part that’s pretty much it. getting married to an eu citizen is your best bet. ”
SHE’S ALMOST embarrassed at the circumstances it took to bond with the computer science major , maiken’s presence being the silver lining in an absolute shitstorm . the two clicked perhaps beyond 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 of their expectations , not that ripley would be complaining any time soon . “ i mean i’ve heard of it , i just figured it only applied to birth citizens or something . it feels like the world’s coolest loophole , like someone’s gonna fuckin’ bust me for EXPLOITING it or something . ” she laughs at the premise of an eu marriage , head tossing back as if to emphasize her point . “ god , my mom’s finally gonna get her damn wish ! me 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 settling down and not ending up part of a sister wives nudist cult like she’s convinced i’d end up with . ” and as exaggerated as it sounds , it’s true : the ripley matriarch had spent many a lecture haranguing the youngest child’s antics and how undesirable they’d make her to any ‘ decent suitor ’ in her eyes . “ thanks for inadvertently volunteering yourself . i can tell by all those pics you post of home that you’re just WAITING for me to fall in love with norway’s charms and come begging you to let me be the new mrs . maiken duale . ” she shoots a wide beam at her friend , holding up her left hand and wiggling her ring finger as if to emphasize her expectations . there’s a pause before her lips purse , thinking over the logistics of her travels that become more 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 with every passing conversation . “ not to be an ignorant american , but how prevalent is the english there ? i’ll do my best to master norwegian but if my stupid portuguese lessons are any hint , you may not want to leave my side for 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 of our sakes , ” she warns , before giving maiken a quick wiggle of her brow . “ now that i think about it ? that’s a win win . i take it back . you’re STUCK being my tour guide wife .”
jason’s gotten plenty of practice of hiding behind a smile these past couple years — that’d been part of the beauty being here in maine. no one really knew him BEFORE ; there was no one to play some convoluted game of spot the difference between pre-crash and post-crash jason. there’s still this nagging feeling that this isn’t quite right to turn that on ripley, but he he does it all the same, because he’s been FINE for three years now and really what’s one more reason to add that ?? ( it’s a morbid RELIEF to be upset over something so mundane as a fragmented friendship in a way — he wishes he didn’t have the thought as soon as it crosses his mind ; his therapist is sure going to have a hay day with that one ). his gaze drops to where he’s been idly turning her id card over and over and over between his fingers, a nervous habit of sorts that comes to a halt as he holds it out to her. “ you dropped this — ” he says. a simple statement that gives nothing away, except the fact that he’d cared enough to return it to her. his hands find their way to his pockets for a moment, head tilting slightly as he mirrors her RELAXED demeanor. “ would’ve been kinda difficult to get food without it if you were planning on using campus cash. ” the quip comes easy, even with whatever awkward tension lingers between them — oh, jason notices it for sure, he’s just trying very hard to pretend it doesn’t phase him.
-
SHE BITES her tongue ; in a sense , she always has — it’s hypocritical for ripley to tout herself as such a free - spirit when her thoughts are so often censored when they mattered most . she’s not ignorant to the 𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐲 of her own shortcomings , but what is there left for her to ask of jason ? he had made himself clear ; or at least , hadn’t proclaimed anything to the contrary . in ripley’s world , she’s alone in her sentiments , misread signals that a part of her wants to blame him for more than anything , and yet knows wholly that’s not FAIR to him in the slightest . “ campus cash ? no way , ” her nose wrinkles as if to feign offense at the mere suggestion . her tone is even , bordering serious , but with a clear playfulness that she falls into perhaps too 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 as the familiar male’s quip works to soften her resolve . “ the salad bar lady and i have a thing on the side , good ole barter system y’know ? i haven’t payed for my own food in years , ” she teases , eyebrows waggling in his direction . a tight - lipped smile precedes a soft breath , as if for ripley to center herself before reaching out to take the card in her own hand and offer him a nod of gratitude . “ once again , jason to the rescue . THANKS , ” she tells him , warm hues peering at him through lashes . she’s not exactly sure what she wants from this conversation , whether she should dismiss herself gracefully or attempt some kind of heartfelt connection , but she’s perhaps to mentally fried from the stress of navigating the awkward situation to choose ; instead , she 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 for simple niceties as she shifts her weight mindlessly from foot to foot . “ are you heading this direction ? or just trying to wrack up your good karma for the day ? ”
･ﾟ☀ good morning to everyone except those who hate on legend of korra ! skskskks i’m teddy , i’m a lil ole baby swinging back into the rpc heart emojis a - blazing ! this is my lil sunflower chaos seeker known as ripley , a newer muse for me but i’m really excited to flesh her out here with some extra spooky elements . i have a god awful sense of humor and too much enthusiasm for angst so tbh ? come get y’all PLOTTIN JUICE to distract me from thirsting over avatar kyoshi ! disc / ord is @𝐤𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 !#6439 since i’ll be mobile for the afternoon !
* TYPICAL COPING mechanisms from healthy adults don’t tend to include such vast levels of emotional repression , but part of why ripley and cj’s arrangement works so well is their mutual understanding that bottled feelings are much more successfully tucked away when 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 allowed to air out in drunken ramblings . though the two don’t claim to be anything remotely close to definable , their ability to get fucked up and let off even a tiny bit of emotional steam is something ripley is admittedly VERY grateful for . “ on average , how many times a day is considered an acceptable amount to feel fucking pathetic ? ” a snort leaves the blonde’s pursed lips , head thrown back as she lets out a groan , hair pulled into a messy bun with tendrils falling alongside cherubic features . “ i hate being a downer but man what the literal 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 , ” she breathes . her grasp on the neck of the jack daniels bottle tightens ever so slightly . “ if i was not vehemently opposed to drinking and driving i would say we should go to the beach and enjoy the spray but — ” she pauses in her rambles to peer over at the demigirl sitting with her on the rooftop of the decker house , where they admittedly shouldn’t even BE , but provides a welcome cover of privacy . “ you’re tiny and it gets cold at night , and i’m not sure how much you’d 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 want me and my whiskey breath trying to hold you close for warmth . ”
* RIPLEY , AS with - the - wind as she tries to frame herself to be , spends an ungodly amount of time overthinking the world around her . she wonders if perhaps one such example would be the unseeming friendship she had struck up with her former tutor . not to say that lyra didn’t send her all the indications of equally valuing their friendship , in her own lyra way . something about the cerebral qualities of the brunette seemed to COMFORT ripley in a way she had never expected to grow so attached to ; in her own definitions of the world around her , she thought of their friendship as the perfect embodiment of the head and the heart . it’s because of this overthinking that she doesn’t realize the completely preventable chasm she’s putting between that is just that , 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 , and grows a pit in her stomach at the prospect of approaching the other female and hearing something she’s not ready for . she could drop the flashdrive off at any time she knows the other would be in class , but the recent chaos on campus leads her to feel an unyielding need to make sure her friend is at least ALRIGHT , even with the tension mounting between them . “ hi , here’s your juul back , ” she jokes as the door to lyra’s dorm opens following ripley’s knock . she holds out the silver usb stick that the two had shared between them for 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 last minute essay printings and group editing sessions before . “ i know i should’ve texted to make sure you weren’t busy , but i found it in my backpack and figured i should make sure it gets back to you in case you have anything of value on it . ”
* RIPLEY’S LIFE seemed to be a sequence of less than ideal circumstances , she noticed , but what she treasured within her own self was her ability to 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞 the shit and focus on redirecting that energy . though her method usually ended up with less than ideal CONSEQUENCES , one such consequence of avoiding one of her best friends was the fact that it forced ripley to reach out beyond her usual circle — landing her straight in the lap of one international student she’s grown particularly fond of . she’d hate for maiken to get the impression she’s a second choice , but takes gratitude in the fact that despite the SHIT going on in her own overly - complicated circle , she can find solace in fleshing out this new friendship with the female . “ so you’re telling me 𝐨𝐧𝐞 passport is good enough to get me hassle - free through every major tourist city in the continent ? ” she asks , a repeat of an earlier concept maiken was explaining to ripley that the blonde just couldn’t seem to wrap her head around as the two shared a delivery dinner in her dorm . “ and the whole fucking thing’s BARELY the size of texas ? ”
he’s still not sure where things went wrong and now it’s too late to ask ( or maybe it hasn’t been enough time to ask yet ). they hadn’t been dating ; that’d been the whole quietly whispered purpose of the ‘ fake ’ prefix attached to the relationship status — a perfect arrangement between two friends who had no interest in love and were tired of their friends and family suggesting otherwise. and it’s not like jason had exactly assumed that they’d be ‘ fake dating ’ forever, but he’d also assumed that he’d still keep a friend at the end of it — to not be left with that in the end felt almost like it had been an actual break up anyway. he doesn’t know if he loved her — well he did, as a friend at least ; that much was clear from how he felt when things started to fragment — and maybe that makes it harder to know exactly what he owes her now even without knowing the reasoning for her pulling away. it takes a bit more internal wrestling than he’d like when he spots her ID on the floor. it’s likely someone else will spot it and return it to her, and jason can avoid this whole situation — but he would know he didn’t and what if no one else did find it ?? fuck. he scoops up the id from the asphalt and jogs after her. “ rip !! — hey rip. ”
* IN THEORY , it was the perfect arrangement , jason and ripley . two people so scared of the vulnerability behind falling in love , they refused to let themselves even 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 it , and in turn , managed to substitute their friendship for many of the situations that would otherwise work best with a relationship . jason SHOULD have been the easiest person in the world for ripley to come to , to maintain such an arrangement , and to keep these so rightfully feared emotions at a distance — which is why it only stings when she realizes her inability to have done even that . she wouldn’t claim that she 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 jason ( even in her own failings to keep her feelings out of it , she knew she wasn’t that far in ) but perhaps what haunts her is the fact that she COULD love jason , someone in her eyes so fundamentally good , in retrospect , her undoing at his hands almost seemed inevitable . “ oh jesus , hey , ” she breathes lowly ; running into him being among the 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 things on her mind during her stroll to the student commons for a quick bite . it’s not to say ripley’s been intentionally avoiding jason — in all fairness , her own ruining of their friendship forced ENOUGH space between them . “ fancy seeing you here , i figured you’d be — ” she catches herself before she can namedrop their mutual friend , the one at the heart of so much of ripley’s recent 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡, knowing the tone she’s likely to take up at lyra’s mentioning might betray ripley’s ever - relaxed demeanor . “ whatcha got there , bub ? ” she pivots quickly , eyebrows arching as a sun - kissed chin tilts curiously to motion to what jason has perched between his fingers .
･ﾟ☀ good morning to everyone except those who hate on legend of korra ! skskskks i’m teddy , i’m a lil ole baby swinging back into the rpc heart emojis a - blazing ! this is my lil sunflower chaos seeker known as ripley , a newer muse for me but i’m really excited to flesh her out here with some extra spooky elements . i have a god awful sense of humor and too much enthusiasm for angst so tbh ? come get y’all PLOTTIN JUICE to distract me from thirsting over avatar kyoshi ! disc / ord is @𝐤𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 !#6439 since i’ll be mobile for the afternoon !
* [ bruna marquezine + cis female + she / her ] —— have you met tallulah ripley ? they are a twenty-two year old senior currently studying biology & music theory. they live on decker house, and word around campus is that this leo is vibrant + gregarious, as well as hedonistic + philophobic. i wonder if they’ll make it out alive. trailing sand in on the hardwood with bare feet , running late to meetings ( and asking forgiveness with a mere flash of a grin ) , tucking a greta van fleet album among the family collection of concierto classics .
EDIT : wanted and current connections can be found here !
youngest of four , born into an old money surname , her mother , an international student from sao paolo , brazil , and american father meet as competing pianists at holloway , falling in love , marrying , and beginning the next generation of the ripley virtuosos soon after graduation . her childhood is privileged and uneventful , strict and stifling as early as she can remember , tallulah causing trouble enough as if to make up for her perfectly behaved siblings .
her father becomes one of the most prolific modern composers of his time , and splits his efforts between composition and teaching music theory at julliard as his wife continues performances as a famed pianist . though her siblings branch out into other instruments , tallulah is the only one stubborn enough to weather the callouses on her fingers , figuring if she’s going to be forced to play an instrument of any type , it’ll at least be something she likes . thus , the only stringed instrument in the ripley household becomes hers as she takes on the cello by storm .
practicing cello is perhaps the only thing lu truly commits herself to — charming and sociable as she may be , her selectiveness with her efforts makes her sluggish with schoolwork as if to give her family a hard time . her siblings , all honor scholars and first chairs at their respective instruments , pick on her for her unmotivated wild child ways at the encouragement of her mother . the only person who takes the time to sit with tallulah and keep her on track is her ever - tired ( but endlessly generous ) father .
her world is turned upside down her freshman year when her father’s occasional stumble turns into a more regular struggle to keep his balance , an ultimate diagnosis of a degenerative disease rattling their family as they know it . tallulah , wild and only tamed by the kindness of one man , starts acting out in an effort to ignore the world around her . the rift between herself and her family only multiplies when she discovers her mother having an affair as her father’s health continues to decline .
he passes away on a vacation he and tallulah take to the ripley summer beach house , something they had done to have some quiet time together away from the judgement of her siblings . having to be the one to break the news to the family , she feels herself shut down and lose whatever desire she had left to live the perfect life her mother and siblings tried to force on her .
she starts going almost exclusively by her surname , making it into holloway more as a favor to her family’s generous donations to the music program than on grades . she’s barely hanging on by her involvement in the university’s symphonic orchestra , where she’s a first chair cellist that shows up late to every damn rehearsal and somehow can cold sightread well enough to piss everyone off ksksksk .
given this , she’s only minoring in music theory to stay in the orchestra , and partially to feel close to her dad . though her dream is to write music scores for films , she’s majoring in biology to have a respectable backup plan . if she can’t do music forever , she’ll disappear onto a beach somewhere in costa rica and be a marine biologist and never be heard from again lmao
PERSONALITY : ripley is happiest shotgunning a white claw before piling into the squad car and calling aux immediately ! loves her friends and sees her circle as found family that she would do anything for .
she’s laid back and observant , one of the quieter in the group as she tries to suss you out but is the first to approach a newbie and act as if you’ve been friends for ages . she makes an active effort to not judge others on the basis of first impressions and tends to be rather open minded when meeting others , which makes her a sort of universal friend - to - all ; given this , when wronged , she’s a stubborn little shit and though she wont let them live rent free in that headspace , she’ll go full send to making sure they’re aware they don’t exist to her !
she hates petty drama and tends to skirt most responsibility by sweet - talking her way out of things , giving the impression that she can be lazy or unmotivated . this is true to some extent , such as with her grades or her timeliness , but those who strike the right balance will see a side of ripley that is laser focused , whether its drunken ramblings about the brilliance of the chord progressions on fleetwood mac’s rumors or an astute observation about the emotion behind a certain cello movement . though she prefers to skip the hard thinking and just enjoy the moment , ripley’s admittedly a clever girl , simply needing the right push to unlock her truest potential .
she’s incredibly relaxed ( sometimes a bit too much for the preference of some ) and tends to try and avoid over - complicating issues in order to not have to face them . especially considering the infidelity of her mother , ripley is a staunch believer that relationships are a waste of time and is the annoying bitch who argues that being in love is a scam made up by the simps to feel valid !
acts as if she isn’t FULL of feelings and emotions 24/7 n listens to emo 70’s power ballads when the person she likes doesnt confess their love for her under the moonlight like they were supposed to in her fantasy ……. smh . she’s too busy trying to be ~cool and effortless~ that she sometimes sabotages the things that would bring her the most happiness , then blaming herself in a vicious cycle that just leaves her trying to distract herself w crazy antics to avoid focusing on her feelings .
RANDOM BLURBS : hates men n regrets all attraction to them . thinks all women r too good for her . convinced she will be a useless bisexual forced 2 be forever alone
plays guitar as a mental break from cello and loves it . i’m still deciding a vc for her
knows the beaches in maine are cold af but wants to go every weekend anyways
drives the most impractical soft shell jeep which sucks in the east coast wind and snow and yet it is somehow exactly an embodiment of Her Brand tm
like 5′9 tall and hates wearing real people shoes she said berks or nOTHIN
wishes she could go vegan but is so bad at keeping track of her meals she’d forget instantly and down a 20 pack of chicken nugget
too mellow & apathetic to be a chaotic neutral but too adventurous to be a true neutral so she lives somewhere in that lawless grey space skskskks
acts REAL california for someone who grew up exclusively on the east coast .... hm ..... 🤔
grew up disconnected from brazilian culture due to her mom's whitewashing and she resents it greatly . can understand scattered portuguese but took spanish in high school so that's as close to the language as she'll get . wants to take lessons online tho !
inspos r lila from umbrella academy , wynonna earp , beverly marsh from it , michelle manlon from derry girls , korra from lok , adora from she ra and the pop , and that ugly yellow overtone used in outer banks 💖 skskskks
