WHISTLER WAS A cosy town, beautifully decorated for the upcoming holiday season and filled with people who ( as far as she met them, in the short period of time the woman had been there ) were all very warm and welcoming. it was a nice change from seattle, that much was certain, and as she walked down the street luna even dreamed herself to be in one of those cheesy hallmark movies. “ oh – excuse me ! i think you dropped this ! “, luciana called out as soon as she caught a glimpse of a glove, left in the snow as a person was walking away. if it weren’t theirs… well, this would be kind of awkward. { @whistlerstarter }
It was warmer than they’d thought when Ali left the apartment. So just a couple of minutes of walking in the streets, and Ali was already taking the gloves off to shove them in their pockets. Although perhaps not as securely as they’d thought. A smile lit up on their face when they turned and spotted the glove. “I didn’t even notice it fell from my pocket! My hand’s going to thank you when it actually gets cold later today.” They joked.
edward takes a deep breath, lungs heaving as he slows from a jog to a stop. this isn’t the first time he’s been in canada, but it’s certainly been a while – the cold air is already whipping at his face. he’s all lost in thought, and it’s at that moment that he ends up spilling his coffee all over himself. cursing himself under his breath, he turns to the nearest bystander, faking nonchalance with his coat pulled close around him.
“i’m … a visitor. do you know somewhere where i can clean up? i just got off the plane, in case you can’t tell.”
Ali had their phone out, checking up a text they’d just received. It wasn’t the coldest outside, but they were quite eager to slip their hands back in their pockets once they’d replied to the text. It was only then that they noticed the person right in front of them, a small frown forming on their face. “There’s a Tim Hortons right around the corner, I was just heading there.” They smiled. “I’ll get you another coffee if you want.”
The other’s words did something to at least settle some of Rowan’s nerves and she gave them a smile. “Okay, but just so you know we are absolutely going to spend most of our time on the ground,” Rowan warned, though she was entirely light hearted as she did so.
The smile spread a little bigger on their lips as Rowan spoke. “I find the ground isn’t the worst place to be sitting. Particularly if it’s some fluffy snowbank.” They added, taking a look up at the mountain. “Besides, it doesn’t look icy so at least it won’t hurt if we fall.”
Nate was lost in a sea of paperwork, occasionally reaching for his pen to scribble a note on the side or mumble something to himself as he moved a paper off to the side. Each time he did so, moments afterwards, Felicity, sitting opposite of him would do the same, squinting hard as she moved a crayon drawing off to the side. The approach of someone new had Nate glancing up, eyes widening as he tried in vain to rain the papers in. “Sorry– sorry,” he told the person, shuffling a couple of the papers. “We’re taking up all of this space. Please, take a seat.”
The warm mug was tightly held in their hands as they approached one of the few tables with still a couple of places free. It’d been a while since Ali had seen the place so crowded, but that table seemed friendly enough, as opposed to the other ones. “Don’t apologize, it’s fine.” They smiled, placing the mug on the table before sitting down. “I’m sure I’Ve taken up more place than I should in the past too, we all do it.”
Rowan eyed the skis warily, turning the poles over in her hands as she did so. “It’s not that I don’t want to, because I totally do,” she rushed to say, glancing over at the other person. “But I know I’m going to end up flat on my ass and I’m just not sure if I’m ready for that kind of embarrassment yet.”
Ali gave the other a small shake of their head as they spoke. “It’s not embarrassing, everyone’s gone through that. I doubt anyone’s ever put on skis and never fell even once.” They tried to reassure the other. “But if it means anything, anytime you fall, I’ll fall with you, so you won’t be alone.”
He’d be a little distracted as he stepped inside Tim Hortons, having not noticed the line until he practically bumped into someone who was also heading for the end of the line. “I’m so sorry.” Phil started, taking a step back with an apologetic smile. “Please, you were here first.”
“–Oh come on,” Quinn’s lips curved upwards into a mischievous grin, hands on her hips as she glanced at the other. “It’s a perfectly good idea, I promise.” Okay, probably not the best idea she’d ever had, but she was bored, and it would be entertaining to say the least.
An eyebrow raised at the other for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by a small smile. “Well, when have I been know to make good decisions?” Ali said, a small hint of a joke in their voice. “Besides, what could go wrong apart from possibly being stranded in the middle of the mountains in this weather?”
“no, oh no!” mickey cried out as her feet skid over the black ice on the ground. cold kissed her cheeks while she flailed around to try and catch her balance, but her efforts were useless. she landed on the ground with a big thud, her coffee spilled next to her. “oww…”
“Oh, my!” Ali exclaimed as they saw the other fall to the ground, rushing over. Their hands tightened around their own coffee cup, the warmth sipping through the fabric of the gloves. “Are you alright?” They asked, offering a hand for the other.
( oliver jackson-cohen, 31, cis man, he/him ) i think i just heard someone humming DUST IN THE WIND by KANSAS, must be PHILLIP POWELL walking about. Rumor has it they’re in town for the season, hoping to have a chance to check out ICE CAVE TOURS before heading home. Back home, they’re a AUTHOR, they’re hoping Whistler will be the perfect place to unwind. On their good days, I hear PHIL can be CHARMING, but on their worst of days, they can also be ANXIOUS. Still, they remind me of THE SMELL OF OLD BOOKS, LATE NIGHT COFFEES, AND HANDS SHOVED DEEPLY IN THE POCKETS OF A LONG TRENCH COAT. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for us.
TRIGGER WARNINGS UNDER THE CUT FOR: Gaslighting, Death, & Car accident
Also please note: I’m sorry he’s a little sad but it’s mostly in the past and he’s trying to move on now.
BACKSTORY
Phillip’s father was long gone by the time he was born, having left the moment he’d learned his mother was pregnant. As a result, it was only him and his mom for the first year of his life, his mother struggling to pay the bills.
But it hadn’t been much longer after his first birthday that she met a man and fell in love. The pair was married by the time Phil was 2, and already had a kid of their own a year later; a little girl named Violet.
While Phillip grew up considering Violet as if she was his own, full sister, his step father always made it a point to remind him weren’t full siblings, and his father had left. While it affected him, his sister was always there to cheer him up and change his mind from that.
While his mother now had a husband, it didn’t mean they were in a much better situation financially; both of them really only had minimum wage jobs, so money was still often an issue. Both of them had big dreams and big plans and they wanted to be on the screens, but of course, they didn’t have what it took for it.
He didn’t have many friends at school, and felt perhaps even lonelier at home, so he turned to reading quite early on. As a result, his mind was always bursting with new ideas, and he started carrying a notebook around, writing down every thought he’d have.
He didn’t tell anyone, but his mother found the notebook one day and showed it to her husband. It’s like the most brilliant idea sparked in his head, and he started acting nicer towards Phil, told him he had great ideas and potential, and he should develop more. He was barely 13 then and hearing his stepfather being so nice, he felt inclined to trying out writing.
About a year and a half later, he had a novel being published under his name, garnering quite some media attention due to him being rather young still. And it was all according to his stepfather’s plan, really. He was thriving in the attention Phillip was getting from the medias, always accompanying him for interviews and very rarely letting him speak.
Came a point when he couldn’t take it anymore. It was in the middle of an interview that he just had enough, his words coming out much harsher than he’d wanted. He didn’t do any other interviews after that, and his stepfather was back to being his old self with him. If anyone tried to talk to him about his book or the tabloids that resulted from his last interview, Phillip would just give them a cold shoulder and leave.
He always had the feeling as soon as he could, he would leave home. It wasn’t quite a healthy place for him, so after graduating, he took the first plane away from England and over to Canada. He got a scholarship to study English Literature in some college, and tried to do his best to balance out studies and a job. As a result, he took an extra year to finish college.
Shortly after graduating, Phil started working more intensely on an idea that started forming while he was in school. He was 25 when it was published. And while he’d kept very minimal interactions with his family(apart from Violet, who he still talked to regularly), his stepfather still heard of it.
Neither his stepfather nor his sister told him that they’d taken a flight over and were planning to surprise him at the launch party, so when he received a call from his mother announcing the two had gotten into a car accident just about 15 minutes away from the town he was in, he was confused. He still went to the hospital his mother said they’d be, only to learn that only his stepfather had made it through.
Phillip was devastated, and after attending the funerals, he never contacted his mother or stepfather again, never picked up their phone calls or returned their emails. He also started blaming it on his name, and that it might not have happened had his stepfather never heard from it. His name felt somewhat cursed, so he decided everything he’d publish next would be under an alias. He didn’t want the media attention and he didn’t want his stepfather to come leech off it; he just wanted to write.
Since then, Phillip’s published two more books under his alias, moving town with every new book. He’d been in Halifax just until August, when his most recent book was published, and decided to head over to Whistler next. He’s been here for a couple of months now, taking inspiration from the environment, fully planning his next book to have a wintery setting.
HEADCANONS
Phil was born on March 3rd, 1989, making him a Pisces,
He’s originally from London, but hasn’t been to England since he was 18(apart from the couple of days he went for Violet’s funeral).
Phil is 6′3.
His alias is G. N. Farrington, he mostly writes in the mystery and horror genres.
If anyone asks him what his job is, he’ll tell them he’s a copywriter.
He has abandonment issues so it’s a little harder for him to get closer to people.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
Muses: Phillip takes a lot of inspiration from his environment and the people around him, so maybe there’s a person or two he hangs around uses them as some lowkey inspiration for his main characters. They might not know about it but could find out.
New friend: He’s rather new in town, so I’d imagine this was one of the first people he met, maybe they showed him around a little?
Old friend: This could be someone he’s met in college, or someone he met after that, in one of the few other places he’s visited. He doesn’t open up often to people so they’d be quite important to him.
People who know: He doesn’t tell anyone he still writes and that G. N. Farrington is actually him, but maybe one or two people could know/find out about it.
( banita sandhu, 23, agender, they/them ) i think i just heard someone humming JUST GOT PAID by SIGALA, ELLA EYRE, MEGHAN TRAINOR, & FRENCH MONTANA, must be INDALI NEHRA walking about. Rumor has it they’ve lived here for 5 YEARS and work as BARTENDER + THE RAVEN ROOM. In their spare time, they love going to WHISTLER BLACKCOMB RESORT. I hear ALI can be COMPASSIONATE, but on their worst of days, they can also be RECKLESS. Still, they remind me of COLORFUL DRINKS, LONG WALKS IN THE SNOW, AND STARGAZING ON CHILLY NIGHTS. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for us.
BACKSTORY
The Nehras had moved to Canada shortly after getting married at 22, a few of their family members following them. And just about a year a half later, Indali was born. Due to their jobs, their parents had been moving across the country quite a lot, but the family stayed in Saskatoon for about 3 years before moving again - the longest time Ali stayed in a place, despite them not even remembering that.
They grew up across the country, never staying much long than one year in the same place. Due to that, it made Ali a quite extroverted person, who just loved to meet new people and places. But they’d also never let friendships grow too deep, knowing it would come to an end a couple of months later.
Ali never felt particularly at home anywhere; the houses they’d stay in where often rather bland, they never felt like they fully settled in one place. But they felt comfortable everywhere, and considered the whole country to be their home.
It wasn’t until they were 14 and had just moved to Whistler that Ali realized what it really meant to feel at home. The town just had that little something, and if they could, they never would’ve left. But every good thing comes to an end, and came the month of July, they were gone from the place again.
The following three years, all Ali had in mind was to go back to the town they’d fallen in love so badly with. Every other place after didn’t fell as special. They tried to bring it up with their parents, but it just felt like both of them were under the impression their child would end up living the same kind of nomadic life.
So really, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that right after turning 18, Ali announced to their parents that their planned on going back to Whistler. They took the first train they found from Edmonton to Whistler, their parents accepting to help pay the train and the hotel room until they found a job and a place; they still loved their child despite deciding to go their own, in fact, they were rather proud of them.
Ali stayed in a hotel for the first week and a half or so in Whistler, applying to a couple of places and visiting a couple of apartments. They were hired in a grocery store rather shortly, and moved into a small apartment not too long after. And for the first time, they started decorating their place, something they’d never done in any other place they’d lived in.
For the first time, Ali also begun to open up more to people, tried to develop deeper friendships with the other residents. And surely enough, a couple of months later, they’d fallen in love with another resident. Take another few months, and the two had moved together in a slightly bigger apartment. This felt so new and scary at the same time, but Ali didn’t feel as if it was a mistake.
After 2 years working at the grocery store, Ali decided it was time for a change. That job was alright, but they needed a little bit of a better salary, and a little more action. They sent applications to a few restaurants and clubs, and were over the moon when they got hired at the Raven Room. This was far from what they were used to, but they learned quickly, and wouldn’t want another job.
About a year ago, they had a small argument with their partner, which ended in a breakup. Their partner wanted to go travel, but Ali didn’t want to leave. Really, they could’ve done a long distance, but in the end, they decided to give each other the freedom of being single again. Ali hasn’t allowed themself to get close to anyone else in the same way since.
HEADCANONS
Ali was born on May 30, 1997, making them a Gemini.
Ali is 5′6.
They’re a little reckless and love a good adventure.
They're that kind of friend who will put others’ needs before their own.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
Adventure buddy: This is someone who likes to go out on reckless adventures with Ali.
Best friend: Ali’s been in town for five years now, so I imagine they’ve made at least one best friend.
Enemies: Not exactly enemies, as they don’t really got into hate so easily, but more like people they butt heads with at times.
Ex: So this might be something I send to the main, but having their ex who left a year ago and decided to come back to town?? A little spicy and i love it.
Regulars: Maybe a couple of people they see often at the Raven Room.
