#atl intro.

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BASICS

Name: Devon Brooke 

Age & Birthday: 31 & January 5, 1992

Gender/Pronouns: cis woman / she & her 

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia

Time in Atlanta: 31 years

Neighborhood: Downtown

Association: Reapers

Occupation: EMT + Affiliate

Positive traits: Direct, Even-Keeled, Patient

Negative traits: Cynical, Mistrustful, Recalcitrant

Faceclaim:  Milena Tscharntke

ABOUT

Devon was born in Center Hill and grew up in an unstable home along with her brother, Dominic. Both her parents, Allen and Mary, were criminals with ties to The Reapers and it seemed like trouble could find them anywhere. She and Dominic were in and out of the system whenever they were locked up and, eventually, they were deemed wholly unfit to maintain custody of both of them. CPS put them in the foster care system, determining that that was better than a home with loving parents who sometimes got in trouble.

She put on a brave face whenever they moved homes, but would maintain a steady dose of cynicism and mistrust because she never thought it would last long. And she was right. They ended up being split up a few times over the years and those were the worst months for Devon. She had to learn to speak up for herself, to stay calm and bide her time. 

Once her brother aged out of the system, she hoped he could take her in, but it’s never that simple and his involvement with the Reapers disqualified him from being a real guardianship candidate. Devon continued to be shuffled around and one family refused to let Dominic talk to her, not wanting him to be a bad influence. She made their life a living hell, defiance running through her veins as she demanded to see her brother the next time he came around. The family shuffled her a week later. The only truly nice family she was with was the last one, who would invite Dominic over as well so she could spend time with her brother after months of not seeing him. 

This family encouraged her to look into jobs that didn’t require a college degree, so she knew there were options out there. Post-high school, she ended up enrolling to become an EMT, mostly because she read the basic qualifications and figured she fit. In the years since, she’s been reunited with Brooke and has lent a hand for Reaper related business here and there. She’s calm under pressure and knows he’s been involved for years so it doesn’t bother her but she can appreciate that he tries not to get her involved unless necessary. Devon likes that she can help people, especially people in their community. 

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BASICS

Name: Katherine “Kat” Anderson

Age & Birthday: 37, May 2, 1986

Gender/Pronouns: cis woman, she & her

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia

Time in Atlanta: 37 Years

Neighborhood: Center Hill

Association: Reapers

Occupation: Member & Owner of Center Hill Cuts

Positive personality traits:  devoted, realistic, reliable, resourceful, scrappy 

Negative personality traits: caustic, stubborn, uncompromising, vindictive 

Faceclaim: Emmy Rossum

ABOUT

tw: domestic abuse, verbal abuse

Kat’s mom never wanted to be a mom and she spent most of Kat's life reminding her of it. Abby Anderson had wanted to get the hell out of dodge but every time she tried to leave, Pete would find a way to drag her back. Still, she was unhappy and made sure Kat knew just how much. After all, she hadn't wanted to get stuck with an abusive piece of shit, have him show face around town, only to come home and let loose his anger. Kat remembers the first time her mom tried to leave and how her dad slashed her tires. She'd only been eight at the time but she didn't blame her. She'd have gotten out too if she could.

Instead, she found ways to be out of the house, running around Center Hill with her three cousins Dusty, Danny and DJ, who needed out of a broken home too. Mischief was never far when she was with them, chaos outside the home providing a welcome distraction from the chaos within. She’d waste hours with them and their friends, avoiding going home when she could until she was sure Pete would be passed out on the couch or her mother was holed up in the main bedroom. Kat would sneak into her room and hope he was gone in the morning and that her mom had forgotten she existed.

Her dad had had a shitty life and he, like his brother, decided to take it out on the people closest to him. Her mother had always wanted a different life, free of the things that kept her tied to Center Hill. Kat got used to shattered glass and angry back hands from her father and blunt comments about how she'd ruined her mother's life (and figure) by being born. She got used to both, but she got angry. She used to curl up with a pack of six-month old frozen peas pressed to her cheek and dream of the ways her dad could die and her mother disappear.

As she got older, Kat finally found her voice. Like a wild thing, she’d scream and throw things back at her dad, their house alight with noise and brimming with anger. She's spit venom at her mom. She resented her but she hated him. She hated Bobby. She hated the fact that their shitty lives became her and her cousins’ shitty lives. 

Eventually her dad didn't come home one day, skipping town because he owed money to the Reapers. Her mother was besides herself, blaming Kat and her recently revealed teen pregnancy by way of one Hunter Cross. She kicked Kat out before eventually skipping town herself. Kat was faced with a tough choice, knowing that one option would forever change her life. It would've been easier to terminate but Kat wanted to prove she was different than her mother and father. She'd raise her kid to be better than she was, and she'd love them harder than she'd ever been loved herself.

It didn't matter that Asher was born early, or that there were complications, Kat knew she'd do anything for him. And so she did. The rest of her life was devoted to giving him a better one than she had. For two years she had her grandmother around, helping out with him while Kat worked hard to pay medical bills, taking any job she could before settling in at Center Hill Cuts.

But nothing is ever easy and the Reapers came calling for payment on behalf of her father, having given a grace period. Eventually she worked out a deal and when the owner of Center Hill Cuts retired and left it to her, she was able to pay off her dad's debts faster.

Over the next few years, Kat kept the shop up and running in Center Hill, paying up to the Reapers and, eventually, deciding to join in. She needed support and the community they provided meant more to her during her early years raising Asher than she could admit.

Since then, the shop has become a Center Hill staple, painstakingly revitalized to be a place where people could hang, doors open and music playing into the late hours of the night. In the past few years, it’s also become a secondary cache for some Repears goods (drugs and weapons) as a front and back up in case of any raids on the clubhouse. What had started out as a shitty debt to pay has paid for itself in what she’s gained through the Reapers: a community of people who looked out for each other. And while she doesn't want Asher involved directly, she's comforted by the fact that she knows that they'll look out for him as one of their own as well.

EXTRA

Kat doesn’t have a fancy degree, but she knows how to hustle and has an abundance of  common sense, both of which have led to a successful business she’s proud to call her own. 

She hadn’t spent as much time watching her dad work but thankfully, he had one employee, an older man named Bernard, who showed her the ropes when she inherited the shop.   

There’s a cat that comes by the barber shop and sits on the stoop every day. She’s named him Stoop Cat officially but most people call him Stoop. 

When her dad left, she tossed all of his shit and claimed the trailer for herself. It became a space where her cousins could crash too since her uncle was like a dark cloud that wouldn’t let up. 

She’s remained close to her cousins and thinks of them more like weird pseudo-brothers. Hiding her spare key from Dusty, she still relents when he needs a place to crash, but only after hosing him down (if she can get to him before he sneaks in…). When Danny was in prison, she’d visit, bringing comics (even though they’re stupid) and was there to pick him up when he got out. With DJ, she gives advice when he asks (and sometimes when he doesn’t) and has been known to stop into Little Goat to lend a hand if she can. She’s also been known to chase Dusty down when he’s snagged some cash, or make fun of Danny’s mispronunciations for a week, or jokingly give DJ a bottle of Xanax with a giant bow for his birthday.

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BASICS

Name: Noreen “Nora” Jones

Age & Birthday: 30, Jan. 3rd 1993

Gender/Pronouns: cis woman & she/her

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia

Time in Atlanta: 30 years

Neighborhood: Center Hill

Association: Reapers

Occupation: Part time at Jones Auto Body, part time at JD Horse Ranch, Affiliate (driver)

Positive personality traits:   curious, incisive, determined, free-spirited

Negative personality traits:  brazen, opinionated, reactive, rebellious

Faceclaim: Phoebe Tonkin 

ABOUT

Nora Jones was born four minutes after her twin sister. Both named after respective grandmothers, it wasn’t long before it became clear that they were going to be as headstrong and determined as all the women in their family had been. Nora and Tammie roughhoused and tumbled their way through childhood, bruised elbows and scraped knees doing little to deter them from trouble. Growing up with such a close-knit family, Nora always felt like she belonged with Tammie and JJ. Where one was, the other went and they always had each other’s backs. 

When it came to interests, Nora dabbled in the same type of rough-and-tumble hobbies that Tammie did before getting pulled into sports like soccer and volleyball in school. That ever competitive Jones spirit got her ejected from games more than once, and Tammie as well, for trash talking the other team or the refs for bad calls. Having the support of her sister, even when they ventured in different directions, made their bond even stronger. They might have felt the absence of their mother keenly at times, but they could rely on each other to be there no matter what. 

As she got older, Nora worked many different jobs, never constraining herself to one thing. She kept with her sports, added in running and rock climbing on the weekends, finding that being outside made her feel invigorated. So she got a job at a local horse barn at sixteen and has been there on-and-off since. She also helped at the shop but while she loved driving cars, she didn’t necessarily love the maintenance side of them like Tammie.

Over the past few years as Tammie’s been dealing with her tumultuous relationship with Ryan, Nora supported her however she could. When their relationship was at its very worst, Nora would stay with her sister, helping her clean up messes without a word of judgment, like Tammie had been with her countless times when she’d needed her. 

If she could see her sister half as happy as JJ and Cricket were together, Nora would count it a success. When her nephews were born, she immediately jumped into auntie mode, smothering them with love before promptly handing them off to their parents the moment a diaper needed changing. 

She’d never considered children for herself, but couldn’t deny her excitement when she found out Tammie was expecting. When little Faith was born, she really did root for her sister and Ryan to work it out, even though she’s kept the secret of Tammie’s mistake with Beau for months now. 

Having been recently fired from a well-paying waitressing gig downtown, Nora’s gone back to work at the family shop too. She’d just bought a small fixer-upper shotgun house before she was fired, so she needs the money. And now with Adri out of town, she and Tammie have begun taking on more work as affiliate drivers. 

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BASICS

Name: Noah St. James

Age & Birthday: 29 & July 13, 1994 

Gender/Pronouns: Cis man & he/him

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia

Time in Atlanta: 29 years

Neighborhood: Center Hill

Association: Reapers

Occupation: Bouncer at Club Diamond, Member (Henchman) 

Positive personality traits: Adaptable, Dauntless, Deliberate, Relentless,  

Negative personality traits: Caustic, Competitive,  Inconsiderate, Self-absorbed, 

Faceclaim: Jacob Elordi 

ABOUT

Noah and his twin sister Hazel were born in Atlanta, Georgia to Mark and Willa St. James who tried to give their kids the best. His dad’s family was originally from Center Hill but they’d worked hard to move up in the world and away from that past. But their parents were killed in a car accident when they were twelve and that turned everything on its head. 

Given over to their grandmother’s care, they were okay for a while until she passed away about a year later. The doctors said she’d kept some health scares private and others said that a broken heart over the death of her son and his wife could have contributed. Either way, the St. James' twins were left to their uncle, back in Center Hill.

They’d never met him, Mark having had an estranged relationship with him, mostly due to their uncle’s involvement with the Reapers. But still he took them in when their grandmother died, at fourteen years old.

The small Center Hill home was suddenly cramped, with two young teens grieving their parents and grandmother, and an uncle who hadn’t planned on caring for more kids now that his son was more or less self-sufficient. 

Noah and Hazel had been transported to a completely different life than their parents had envisioned for them. But they had to adapt. Noah channeled his grief into anger, lashing out at anyone and anything, though never his sister. She understood that it was the only way he could really let himself feel the pain of their loss. 

He knew that their parents had wanted them to go to college but by the time people were figuring out their futures, Noah had decided his. He’d decided to join the Reapers and only put it off until he was done with high school so he wouldn’t drop out and leave Hazel. He knows she disapproves of his involvement but if he’s learned anything, it’s that life is hard and sometimes you don’t fit into any mold.

There’s a part of Noah that joined up with the Reapers because he felt like he could never live up to his father’s memory anyway, so why bother. And though there are times he wonders if he made the right choice, he thinks that there are plenty of people out there, living “respectable” lives who are miserable. And at least he’s not anymore. 

He was a member for several years before becoming a henchman two years ago. He’s quite the athlete and it’s a way to channel his own anger at life. He’s not perfect, but he’s never pretended to be.

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BASICS

Name: Evelyn “Evie/Doc” Mendez

Age & Birthday: 34, May 1, 1989

Gender/Pronouns: Cis woman & she/her

Birthplace: Atlanta 

Time in Atlanta: 34 years

Neighborhood: 

Association: Reapers

Occupation: Doctor (Surgeon) & Member

Positive personality traits: direct, focused, precise, responsible, realistic 

Negative personality traits: arrogant, impatient, no-nonsense, sarcastic 

Faceclaim: Adria Arjona 

ABOUT

Evelyn was born and raised in Center Hill with a single mom, Valentina, and an older brother. Her father wasn’t in the picture and from a young age, she saw her mother looking for love in all the wrong places. Her mother would’ve taught her that love hurts, that a backhand was the same as a hug, it just depended on the day, but Evie couldn’t see past the bruising that colored mother’s face, she couldn’t ignore the panic she felt whenever the latest boyfriend came through, yelling and shouting abuse at her mom. She never understood why her mother put up with it. She never understood why her mother didn't put her and her brother first. 

Evie grew up fast because of it. She learned to help patch her mom up because Valentina was undocumented and perpetually fearful of going to hospitals lest they find an excuse to send her home. There were times when Evie wanted to cry as she stitched up cuts and iced bruises, but she swallowed tears and fear altogether. Life was tough, but she was strong. 

When her brother joined the Reapers, Evie didn’t blame him. There was something about being empowered by the gang, of belonging and being trusted, and after years of shitty men coming in and out of their lives, his decision to become a member made sense. 

She had other plans, however, determined to do something for her mom and their community. Evie focused on her future. On forging her own path. And so she went to medical school in Atlanta, staying close to home, burning the candle at both ends to make it work. And she did. 

Becoming a doctor and finishing her surgical residency at twenty-nine, she threw herself into her work and did what she could to support her mom along with her brother. About six months into her work, though, her brother brought someone to their home in Center Hill, badly injured from a bullet wound. Going to the hospital meant questions, so he went to Evie. It’s what began a revolving door of patients and eventually led to Evie becoming a full-fledged member of the Reapers. She saw no reason not to. As a member, she could give input on supplies she needed to have at the ready to avoid siphoning supplies from the hospital and getting caught. 

Now, Evie is one of the primary medics for the Reapers when she’s not on shift. Her bedside manner might not be amazing, but there’s no doubt she’s someone you’d want helping a loved one if they were injured. She also does house calls for people in their community who might have similar concerns about going to hospitals like her mother did, or who simply can’t afford it. 

She and her brother have recently purchased a refurbished shotgun house for their mom not far off. She’d have preferred their mom move in with her but she insisted she was fine on her own still. And though Evie lives in Center Hill, she has a nicer recently renovated home there with some extra rooms if any members need a place to crash.

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BASICS

Name: Jae Baek

Age & Birthday: 28 years old & September 21, 1994

Gender/Pronouns: cis man / he & him

Birthplace: Atlanta, GA

Time in Atlanta: 28 years

Neighborhood: Downtown

Association: Government

Occupation: Staffer in Mayor’s Office (informant to the Atlanta Times)  

Positive traits: Kind, Principled, Self-Aware

Negative traits: Conflicted, Deceptive, Short-Sighted

Faceclaim:  Kang Tae-oh

ABOUT

Jae grew up in Center Hill along with his sisters for most of his life. He spent the summers at the local park and the winters at the community center, making friends with other kids but mostly trying to stay out of trouble and trying to keep his sisters out of trouble too.

When he was in school, he worked hard but was never top of his class but his parents simply encouraged him to keep working hard and it would pay off. Eventually, it did, and he went to college to get a 2-year associates degree in communications. He had applied to the Atlanta Times after graduation but didn’t quite make the cut much to his dismay. People were taking up positions who’d gone to NYU and BU and Northwestern and other schools known for their intensive journalism programs. Jae hadn’t gone for a bachelor’s because despite his parents encouragement to work hard at school, it cost a lot of money and he was itching to begin work sooner than four years.

In this time, his parents also opened up a game room in Downtown Atlanta and this only motivated Jae to get a job sooner because he knew that it wasn’t a risk-free endeavor. He wanted to provide support to the family business however he could. 

So he took a position as an assistant to a judge before becoming a staffer in the Mayor’s Office. He’s been there for several years now and though it’s been great, he was approached by a journalist from The Atlanta Times a few months back at a bar, under seemingly innocuous circumstances. He thought they were friendly and just making conversation over drinks when they brought up his work in the Mayor’s Office. They told him corruption runs deep in all governments and he just needs to open his eyes. And, if he sees anything of note, he should meet them again.

What started off as a one-time tip has become something more precarious as Jae’s become a full-fledged unnamed source for this journalist. He struggles with feelings of guilt over leaking small bits of information here and there but he tells himself it’s for the benefit of the people, which is what the Mayoral Office’s focus should be anyway. So…it’s really the same thing. Right?

He’s always had an innate sense of right and wrong and sometimes he hears things that he knows are wrong…that he knows aren’t good policies meant to help but ones intended to limit and harm. Jae understands that he walks a thin line between his work and his gradual time as an informant. He’s cautious but can’t help but feel like he’s gotten in over his head. 

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BASICS 

Name: Camille “Cam” “Cami” Diaz

Age & Birthday: 36 years old, November 27, 1986

Gender/Pronouns: cis woman / she & her

Birthplace: Atlanta, GA

Time in Atlanta: 36 years

Neighborhood: Center Hill 

Association: Reapers

Occupation: Mechanic at Jones Auto Body & Member 

Positive traits: Clever, Headstrong, Practical, Tenacious 

Negative traits: Bullheaded, Fixated, Guarded, Self-Reliant

Faceclaim:  Christian Serratos

ABOUT

Camille was born on Thanksgiving Day to Dorcas and Luis Diaz. Their family was small and close knit, the three of them a little unit that remained so until her little sister Carmen was born, completing them.

Growing up in Center Hill Camille had practical working knowledge of the way things were run. Who was in charge. Who they liked. Who they didn’t like. Never talked to the cops. Learn how to fix your own shit. She followed her mom to her job at the local tailor’s and would shadow her dad as he worked on cars at Jones Auto Body once it opened. She had a curious mind and was practical enough to know that once you were born in Center Hill, that’s where you stayed. 

Her little sister had big dreams, though. She wanted to be a writer and her head was always in the clouds. Rather than bring her down to earth, Cam always asked to hear about her latest stories, envying the way Carmen could find an escape in her own mind. 

When their parents died in the Center Hill fire of 2005 that claimed a strip of businesses and thirty lives, Camille was eighteen and her sister sixteen. They’d already been an affiliate with the Reapers, but she and her sister joined up. Her sister left her stories behind to push product and Camille leaned into her strengths. She’d been good around cars for years and began boosting them on behalf of the Reapers when she joined officially. She was able to swing at job at Jones Auto Body too, working in their chop shop. 

Over the years, she and Carmen created a steady life for themselves, self-sufficient but close to the other Reapers, knowing that without their membership, they probably would’ve been lost after their parents died. She’s gotten involved in their local drag racing ring, but her main focus is on boosting cars and getting parts they can sell off or use on their own.

Camille is the sort of person who, on a job, is all business. She is determined to get things done and get things done fast. She can relax once it’s over but in the moment, she’s always hyper-focused. 

When her niece and nephew were born three and four years ago, Camille was overjoyed for her sister. But nothing good stays that way and life took another turn for Camille seven months ago when her sister and her sister’s partner were in an accident on one of the few snowy nights Atlanta has seen.

She was left as the legal guardian for Nina and Antonio and has been trying to do her right by them since. But it’s not easy, suddenly inheriting two kids under five without her sister’s gentler, maternal instincts. Cam has begun to ask for more jobs, riskier ones even because they often provide a bigger cut.

She’s had to rely on help from friends and their community to stay sane the past few months. Even if they’ve been unlucky enough to end up with her as their guardian, Camille is determined to make sure her niece and nephew want for nothing.

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BASICS

Name: Jeremiah ‘Jeri’ 'J’ 'Jerry’ 'Jay’ Feldman

Age & Birthday: 34 years old, May 13th 1989

Gender/Pronouns: cis man he/him

Birthplace: Prescott, Arizona

Time in Atlanta: 1 month

Neighborhood: Center Hill

Association: None

Occupation: Cook at All Star Diner

Positive personality traits: Empathetic, Energetic, Enthusiastic, Magnanimous, Sociable, Venturesome

Negative personality traits: Anxious, Choleric, Erratic, Finicky, Obsessive, Unpredictable

Faceclaim: Robert Pattison

ABOUT

Kids are cruel. Jeremiah Feldman learned this early on growing up in Prescott, Arizona. His kind, caring and gentle disposition easily overshadowed the anxiety that lingered beneath the surface. But when the bullying started, it became more apparent. The brutal and cruel way kids tormented Jeremiah, alienating, emotionally manipulating and even physically hurting him caused that anxiety to rise to the surface. It slowly but surely overtook the otherwise good-natured boy. 

The hell that was school exasperated Jeremiah’s anxiety issues and slowly, a series of other mental health conditions surfaced. Jeri suffers from generalized anxiety disorder, manic depression and schizophrenia. His life became a series of doctor visits and medication trials, his parents and older sister were almost like his carers. However, it’s not the life Jerry wished for himself. He was a difficult patient, to say the least. Sometimes outright refusing help, meds or therapy. At best, he complied, at worst – it was a fight people couldn’t hope to win.

Jeremiah is an erratic and emotional roller-coaster, riding euphoric highs and then dropping to dramatic lows sometimes over the span of months or weeks, but sometimes even days. He’s never been predictable, and there were a string of occasions where he ran away from home before finally leaving for good. His episodes have caused Jeri to run head first into a whole manner of situations. When he’s up, the world is like a blank canvas laid before him – anything is possible. He’ll be ready to take on the world and everyone in it, and get his life in order. He makes brash decisions purely on emotion, and changes his mind just as fast as he makes it up. 

The one constant in his life is his older sister Shani. While they went off in separate directions over the years, Jerry always knows he can count on her when he’s in a difficult situation. She’s a lifeline he doesn’t realize he relies on until he’s found his way to her. He always turns up when he needs her most, and Shani is always ready to get him on his feet again, even if she knows it won’t be long until he’s back from desperation.

Jeremiah has lived all over the states and his indecisive behavior means his work history is as scattered as his thoughts. He’s been a trash man, a grocery store clerk, worked on farms, and as a theme park attendant. You name it. Jay’s done it all, but never for long. Just like his hobbies, which range from music, art, cross-stitching, he’s fully invested until he hates them all, barely a breath between love and apathy. 

Five years ago, he reached out to his sister for some much needed help, knowing she would show up for him. He met her at a bank, trying to stop those pesky overdraft fees for once and for all. He told himself not to take the gun, or the other one for Shani, but they were there, tucked in his jacket anyways. And Jerry would never be able to say when or how he’d decided to put them there. All he knows is one moment they’re walking through the door, and the next, J had passed his sister one of the guns and fired off his own. After robbing the bank on a half-impulsive whim, Jeri and Shani were separated once more and Jeremiah tried to lay as low as possible back on the open road, finding various towns or small cities to start afresh in.

It’s common for Jeremiah to lose long periods of time from his memory, and the time since the bank robbery has been a blur. He remembers the money being tucked away safely one moment, but gone the next. Like always, Jerry called Shani in a panic and in desperate need of his sister’s help. Like always, she told him to come to her in Atlanta and Jeri once again found himself on her doorstep ready to start all over again.