♥ [ CAMILA MENDES, FEMALE, SHE/HER ] — If you’re strolling Derry today, you might see [ SAWYER DEMPSEY ] along the way! The [ TWENTY FIVE ] year old has been in Derry for [ ONE WEEK ] and can usually be found at [ HER BLOG ], when they aren’t busy with [ DANCING or TRAVELING ]. I hear they seem to be [ LIGHT-HEARTED and SPIRITUAL ], but they are also rumored to be [ UBIQUITOUS and CARELESS ]. I’m sure they’d never admit it, but they’re terrified of [ SNOW STORMS ].
TRIGGER WARNING: death, car accident
♥ named after the famous tom sawyer, the child of two poetic tree-huggers, sawyer was destined to love the earth, from a young age. when she wasn’t frolicking through the flowers in whichever state her parents were traveling through at the time, she had her nose buried in a book, entering worlds of whimsical tales and beautiful lands.
♥ growing up on the road was odd, but it was a lifestyle sawyer fit into well. born in derry, maine, she and her family have traveled nearly every state in her lifetime, making it very hard to make friends or settle down. but, derry was the closest thing to home she knew, being as her parents had siblings there, and she had cousins.
♥ throughout her life, sawyer never wanted for much. she was content living out of a suitcase, as long as she had a pile of books to read through and a sketch book tucked away somewhere close. but more than that, she lived for the nights when her parents would park somewhere spacious, giving her legs the room they needed to stretch, so she could dance under the sun-lit sky.
♥ raised on a vegetarian diet, sawyer is the epitome of the modern day hippie. she wears comfortable clothes, she has long untamed hair, and she refuses to touch meat. her love for animals goes right along with her love for mother earth, and that much is evident by how dependent she is on her dog.
♥ sawyer bounced from school to school growing up, and when she finally graduated (a year late due to credits not transferring to florida) she set out on her own adventure, buying a truck with a big enough back end to fit a sleeping back on warm nights, and a big enough backseat to sleep in when it was chillier. She traveled light, bringing along the suitcase that held her wardrobe and a few key items her parents suggested to keep her safe, and then she and her pup were on their way to continue their trek across the united states.
♥ every so often, sawyer would make her way back to maine, to see her family and take a break when she was short on cash or needed some time in an actual bed. but, in the winter of 2017, when her entire family was supposed to get together in maine, sawyer was left in the small town waiting for her parents, who never arrived. she wasn’t able to get in contact with them, and later found out that they had been in an accident due to the snow.
♥ ever since, sawyer has refused to travel during winter, holing up in whatever town she finds herself in, when the first snowfall arrives.
[ KIERNAN SHIPKA, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER ] — If you’re strolling Derry today, you might see [ EZRA JAMES ] along the way! The [ TWENTY-ONE ] year old can usually be found at [ ALADDIN THEATER ], when they aren’t busy with [ WRITING or GHOST HUNTING ]. I hear they seem to be [ CARING and UNDERSTANDING ], but they are also rumored to be [ OVER-OBSERVANT and STUBBORN ]. I’m sure they’d never admit it, but they’re terrified of [ CAR ACCIDENTS ].
TW: car accidents, death
full name: ezra jean james
birthdate: november 10th, 1999
age: 21
height: 5’2”
bio:
Growing up, Ezra was only ever described as “odd”. The only child of young parents, she had taken to isolating herself at a fairly young age, choosing to play by herself in the corner with various things to entertain, or even sit with a good book. It wasn’t uncommon for her to stay quiet for hours at a time, but that didn’t mean she didn’t take in everything around her. She saw the way her classmates soaked up their allotted attention, saw the way her parents exchanged private, loving glances at each other. But most of all, she saw what happened around Derry, and she never wanted to ignore it.
By the time she reached high school, the young girl had taken to exploring the Derry streets by herself. Most of the time, she spent her free time at school in the library, looking up the history of the tiny town she had been born and raised in, tucking herself away so that nobody would question what she was doing. Of course, Ezra had a small handful of friends that simply poked fun at her for her weird interests, staying by idly while she spewed theories out to them and kept all of her findings in a notebook. Ezra considered herself lucky to be surrounded by people that understood her.
But the fall that she turned sixteen, Ezra’s life changed drastically. One night, when she and her parents were on their way home, she saw something scurry across the road. It was too big to be anything to naturally come out of the woods, and her parents didn’t see it until it was too late. The next thing Ezra remembered, she was waking up in the hospital, hooked up to countless machines and with doctors surrounding her. She had been the sole survivor of a car accident, lucky to even be alive in the first place with how bad the damage was.
Ezra felt as if her life had flipped around completely, soon being sent to live with her grandmother so she could finish up her schooling. Ezra’s normally happy take on most situations transformed into something far more glum. Her self-isolation became much worse, and she lost interest in most of her hobbies. While her friends thought she was a recluse before, the sudden shift in attitude had turned them away from her, no longer wanting to deal with how engrossed she was in figuring out what happened.
Now, four years later, Ezra still immerses herself in research about Derry. Anyone that knows her from her life spent in the town knows that she obsesses over figuring out what caused the accident the night her parents died. And, truth be told, Ezra is willing to stop at nothing to figure it out.
[ ALEX WOLFF, MALE, HE/HIM ] — If you’re strolling Derry today, you might see [ MITCHELL “MITCH” KAPLAN ] along the way! The [ TWENTY FOUR ] year old can usually be found at [ THE ALADDIN THEATER or DERRY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ], when they aren’t busy with [ GETTING HIGH or HORROR HUNTING IN TOWN ]. I hear they seem to be [ INTELLIGENT and FUNNY ], but they are also rumored to be [ DEPRESSED and HYSTERICAL ]. I’m sure they’d never admit it, but they’re terrified of [ SPIDERS ].
TRIGGERS: Depression, Religion, Ghosts and Spirits, Drug Use, Cheating, Therapy
✗ Mitch was born and raised in Derry, Maine, alongside his twin brother, Michael, and his older brother, Nicholas. Born three minutes after his twin, Mitch has always claimed the title as the baby of the Kaplan family.
✗ Despite being the youngest, Mitch was far from the family favorite. Growing up in a Jewish household, he didn’t find himself as certain in such a religion as his parents wanted him to be, even from a young age. Growing up, this only became more apparent. Rather than following in the footsteps his family molded for him, he chose to push religion to the side, believing instead that people should be good because they want to be decent human beings, rather than because some unknown force condemned them to be.
✗ Mitch has always loved movies. Whether it be a lazy Sunday night, or an early Monday morning, his eyes were nearly always glued to a television, finding himself particularly drawn to horror films. As he grew older, this fascination only grew stronger, though he is convinced it has nothing to do with the films that paved his adolescence. Instead, the youngest Kaplan boy is convinced that he can see spirits and things of the “other world” something that has affected him more negatively than not. He currently keeps an ongoing journal, one he had started back in elementary school, of his encounters, and uses these notes for reference in the novel he’s been working on. It’s been a long time in the works, but writing can be hard when you’re constantly getting high to cope with the things you’ve seen, right?
✗ Oddities aside, Mitch has never truly thrown himself into the idea of romance, or sought out the feeling of love. He finds himself happiest when he is alone, or with his friends, but doesn’t believe he needs a girl to complete himself. That being said, he had opened his heart once in the past, to a girl that only proved why he was better off on his own. She had cheated on him, numerous times, convincing him to take her back with each mistake until the boy’s already existent depression began to worsen. In the end, she was the one to break off the relationship, being as Mitch was too in love with her to part, despite knowing they needed to.
✗ Mitch continues to scour Derry for new mysteries, and is willing to talk to just about anyone about the things he believes in. Even his therapist, who he is convinced only uses the information to name him insane.
✗ Hunting spirits and sleeping until two in the afternoon can be a decent routine most days, but sometimes Mitch is inclined to spend the day with a bong in hand watching shitty comedy reruns, or chasing a line of coke or baggie of pills at whatever party is going on for the night, attempting to have fun and “act his age” as his therapist suggests -- though he’s certain that isn’t what the man meant.
[ ZENDAYA COLEMAN, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER] — If you’re strolling Derry today, you might see [ LEONA LANCASTER ] along the way! The [ TWENTY-TWO ] year old can usually be found at [ BARTINI as HEAD BARTENDER / OCCASIONAL DANCER ], when they aren’t busy with [ GETTING HIGH and PARTYING ]. I hear they seem to be [ LAID BACK and GENUINE ], but they are also rumored to be [ SARCASTIC and RECKLESS ]. I’m sure they’d never admit it, but they’re terrified of [ DEEP WATER ]
Full Name: Leona Alexis Lancaster
Nickname(s): Lee, Little Lion
Age: 22
Occupation: Head Bartender at Bartini Dance Club
Birthday: Sept. 13th
Zodiac: Virgo
Family
Father (adopted): Alistair Lancaster
Father (adopted): Antonio Hernandez-Lancaster
Birth Mother: Name is Unknown. She was a teenage mother, though, and possibly a drug addict herself
Sibling(s): Older (adopted) Brother
Physical Appearance
Height: 5′10′’
Weight: 114 lbs
Hair Color / Type: Dark brown / Naturally curly. She sometimes straightens it
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Piercings: Two piercings each on the right and left earlobes; once on the right and left cartilages
Wardrobe examples: X
Personality
(+) Independent, Genuine, Down to Earth, Genius, Fiercely Loyal
(-) Unrestrained, Wild, Impulsive, Reckless, Sarcastic
She’s pretty nice to almost everyone, and tries her best not to judge others for their situations, seeing as she’s not exactly perfect herself. She’s very chilled and down to earth, and is super, SUPER smart but tries her best to hide that from people, because of all the hate she got during her high school years.
Has no restrains at the moment, and is very reckless and impulsive because of that. She gets high and drunk all the time and doesn’t really care too much what everyone else thinks of it.
VERY sarcastic, but moreso in a humorous way than her just being truly nasty (she doesn’t really have a malicious bone in her body)
Her Demons
She suffers from: Drug Addiction, Alcohol Addiction, Bipolar Depression, Insomnia, and an Eating Disorder.
She’s well aware that she is a fucking mess (she uses that phrase quite a lot to describe herself), and while she cares, she has no plans of actually stopping. Mostly because she doesn’t know how and also because she loves the feelings her highs give her far too much.
She lies and says that it’s only for fun and she could and will stop, but…she’s lying through her teeth.
She suffers from bipolar depression, which contributes heavily to her substance abuse. Leona was diagnosed at a very early age, and was on a thousand different kind of meds, as the doctors tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with her. These days, she’s opted out on her medication for actual drugs, to help her cope with her insomnia and severe depressive episodes.
She has very low self esteem and she has no self worth. You could tell her that she’s the prettiest girl in the room and she wouldn’t believe you. This comes from her school years where she was bullied severely, and from her depression. She was called every horrible name under the sun and she’s come to believe them all.
She’s a literal genius, but the bullying and hazing that she suffered in high school has caused her to hate that about herself. Her mind is always busy, racing with thoughts and she finds it so hard to turn it off when she’s sober…so she gets high to help her do it for her.
Due to her mind always constantly on autopilot, she suffers from insomnia, as she finds it extremely difficult to sleep because her brain just won’t shut off.
Her drug (and alcohol) addiction is getting more and more out of control. It’s pretty obvious, just looking at her most days, that she’s not okay.
You will catch her staring blankly at the walls, unresponsive. That can be really unnerving to witness, because her eyes look dead. This is her at the peak of her high.
She’s always had an aversion to food, but it’s gotten worse as her addiction to drugs got worse. Leona was practically starving herself. She hardly ever eats anything, even when she feels hungry which is pretty rare - it’s only ever the bare minimum. Her appetite is just non-existent and oftentimes when she does pick at food, her stomach just can’t handle it and she ends up getting nauseous.
She’s always been pretty thin and frail looking, but she’s getting thinner by the day. She doesn’t notice.
BIGGEST FEAR
Thalassophobia - is the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water such as the ocean\sea, river or lake - any kind of body of water that seemed vast, dark, deep, and dangerous.
When Leona was thirteen, she had been invited by a few of the older girls that she went to school with to go sailing along the harbor. Getting the invite had been decidedly odd, since these girls had been her main tormentors for the last several years - ever since she had moved up to their grade (she’d skipped three grades). They’ve done nothing but bully and terrorize her, for seemingly no reason other than the fact that she was really smart - much smarter then them, and that seemed to offend them. Now all of a sudden they were acting all nice and as if they were her friends...it was really weird.
While she was suspicious, her dads on the other hand had been been thrilled and even encouraged her to accept the invite, hoping that it meant that she was starting to make new friends, after years of having just a few close ones from her childhood. Leona hadn’t told them about her bullies so it wasn’t like they were to know, so reluctantly, she had agreed to go.
The first two hours on the boat was fine, if not really awkward. Always perceptive, Leona could see right through their phony smiles and friendly behaviors - they were definitely up to something. It wasn’t until the sun started to go down, that their demeanor changed, like someone had just flipped their on switch. They lunged for her and started physically beating her, taking turns hitting her and kicking her and tearing at her clothes. Then the leader of the three - Lizzie - bound Leona’s hands in rope while the others held her down.
Once she was bound, Leona was hauled to her feet and then pushed overboard, where the fell into the depths of the open, ice cold waters of the Atlantic ocean. Though she was a rather strong swimmer, with her hands bound Leona was helpless and so she was quick to sink below the surface, all the while struggling to undo the bindings.
It was only thanks to Lizzie being terrible at tying knots that saved Leona’s life. It took a while, but she was able to loosen up the rope enough to slip her hands free, and she was able to make her way back up to the surface, with only just a few short seconds of breath to spare. When she re-surfaced, she saw that the harbor patrol had spotted the entire incident and had been quick to respond. Lizzie and her two accomplices - Marisa and Erin - were immediately apprehended. Upon seeing Leona floating precariously in the water, the officer was quick to throw a life preserver to her and helped pull her out and into the squad boat.
As all three girls were sixteen, they were tried in court as adults and sentenced to jail for attempted murder for several years. They would likely head to prison once they turned 18.
Due to this very traumatic incident, Leona has since been extremely terrified of deep, and dark water. Although she is adamant able never getting on another boat for the rest of her life, deep down she really wants to conquer her fear. She’d always loved going sailing on her dads’ boat and misses being on the water, but the thought of actually being on one and being surrounded by the wide, open sea just terrifies her to no end.
This incident is widely known around Derry, so the locals who’ve been in town for at least nine years would have certainly heard about it and the trial of the three older teen girls that followed. It was on the news - TV and newspaper alike.
Interests / Likes / Dislikes / Habits
She practically lives at Bartini, the local night club. She works there as head bartender, and has been there for a year, and it’s never really seemed like work to her. She thrives on the atmosphere of the place, and if it weren’t for closing times during the daylight hours, she’d likely spend all day there if she could.
Getting drunk and high constantly, practically every other day (she goes on day-long benders sometimes)
Likes going to a good party, and has a pretty good ‘partydar’ - in which she tends to find parties quite easily. She was such a good girl in high school, and now that she was an adult and living in her own place with her roommates, she felt free to do as she pleased.
Gets along with most everyone, especially those she considers her ‘inner circle’ - those that she’d ride or die for.
She’s a LOT more social now as a young adult than she ever was as a teen, and she actually enjoys being in the thick of things and having a good, strong network of friends or just friendly acquaintances all around her. Because of her job at Bartini and the fact that she spends ninety percent of her time either working down at the club, partying elsewhere in town or going on walks and bike rides around Derry at any give hour, she has a tendency to run into a lot of the locals. Because of that, a lot of people knew who she was, and she them.
Of course, she knows that the incident with her near death was also a well known and talked about event several years back so most already knew who she was to begin with. She HATED being known as the Derry girl who was nearly murdered by some of her classmates - it was a terrible stigma and tended to bring back horrible memories whenever it was brought up. She much preferred being associated with her job or as the local wanderer.
LOATHES bullies, given her past with them. She refuses to be a victim, and she will not stand to see others being one as well.
LOVES to cuddle, and is super clingy to those she considers her closest friends and family members. Her friendship comes with it’s own little warning label - Warning: Don’t be friends with Leona Lancaster if you don’t like to snuggle.
Has a beautiful singing voice, and isn’t shy about breaking out into song at random, and sometimes in rather inappropriate places.
Has a fantastic fashion sense. She absolutely loves fashion and therefore, loves shopping. The part of her paychecks that don’t go towards her bills and drug addiction, goes towards her rather expansive wardrobe.
Biography
Was actually born in Chicago, IL., to a drug addicted teenage mother (although this fact is unknown to her) who wanted nothing to do with her after she was born. She was put up for adoption almost as soon as she came into the world.
Luckily, she was adopted just a short time later (at six months old) by Alistair and Antonio Lancaster. They were a happily married gay couple from Maine who were looking to adopt a second child. They already had a son, who that they had also adopted.
Leona grew up, alongside her older brother in Derry, Maine. In her early years, she was a happy child, easily making friends with the other locals who were close to you own age. She had a few neighbors who she quickly became besties for life with. To this day, adult Leona cherished every single one of them, and thought of them as an extension of her family.
From a very early age, it was clear to everyone in her family that she was highly intellectual - like, genius level smart. Leona had e a much higher IQ than most her age, and she quickly found her classes to be a breeze - so much so, in fact, that she was inevitably forced by both her parents and the school administrators to skip several grades. She found the entire experience mortifying and traumatic, as all the kids she now had to surround herself with were much older and bigger than her. She hated it.
Of course, being the smallest and youngest in her class resulted in several painful years of humiliation and bullying. Mainly from three specific girls - Lizzie, Erin and Marisa. They were three years older than her and tormented her throughout jr and high school.
At the age of 13, her three main tormentors were arrested and locked away after nearly drowning Leona. The entire town was quick to learn about the attempt on her life and the subsequent arrest of the girls responsible, but it didn’t make her last year of high school any easier.
By the time her high school graduation came around, the then 14-year-old had been ecstatic and relieved to finally be leaving high school behind.
When her dads tried to push her into going to college right after, Leona had adamantly refused to go. She wanted to wait until she was 18 or even older, determined not to have another repeat of her high school years, where she was several years younger than everyone else.
When she finally turned 18, instead of heading to college like she said she would, Leona moved out of her dads’ house and headed to Portland, tired of being in Derry, and feeling like she needed to escape the stigma that still followed her around.
While in Portland, she became roomies with a few of young adults who were quick to introduce Leona into the life of drugs and alcohol and sex, and it hadn’t taken her long to get addicted. Not just to the substances, but to the lifestyle of partying and not giving a fuck about anything. With such an overactive and constantly running mind, she found that if she took enough drugs and drank enough alcohol, that her brain would finally be able to slow the hell down and be quieted, if only temporarily - sometimes enough to let her sleep a full eight hours, other times it was just a couple, but she'd honestly take what she could get.
She stayed in Portland for two years. At the age of 21, she attended a mixology course, and when she was finished Leona decided to move back to Derry, feeling homesick. She hadn’t seem her brother, or dads or any of her friends in the two years she’s been gone and she missed them terribly.
Instead of moving back in with her dads, though - in fear of them discovering her addiction and forcing her into rehab - she became housemates to Prissy Goldwyn, one of her childhood best friends and someone she still remained close friends with throughout their teen years. It was an easy friendship to maintain, since Prissy lived just a few houses down from hers.
Her dads may not know about her plethora of problems with alcohol or drugs, but her brother certainly did and worried for her a great deal. The two were very close and he didn’t like that she was destroying herself and wasting her potential.
- W A N T E D C O N N E C T I O N S -
Dad #1 - her adopted father. (50+, Hug Jackman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Robert Downy Jr, Idris Elba, UTP) Any ethnicity
Dad #2 - her OTHER adopted father. (45+, Oscar Isaacs, UTP) Any ethnicity, although I did picture him being of Latino descent.
Older Brother - Adopted. (28-32 - Ryan Guzman (first pick), Logan Lerman (second pick), Diego Boneta, UTP) He can be of any ethnicity, as well.
Childhood Friends (CAN BE MULTIPLE PEOPLE) - friends she’s had since she was very young. They used to play together all the time in their youth, and have either remained in touch over the years, or they’ve lost touch (since Leona ended up skipping several grades - she left 3rd grade behind to go into 6th).
Co-Workers - either someone who is also a bartender for Bartini Dance Club, or who works there as like a dancer or server or something. Leona does fill in as a dancer some times, when they’re short-staffed and need a fill-in.
Drug Dealer - she will definitely need a drug dealer around town. Whether they have a good rapport with one other, or it’s literally just a business exchange - either way will work and would be welcome.
Inner Circle - those that she considers “her people”. The ones she would do anything for, and who would do anything for her in return. She loves these individuals dearly and with her whole heart, and she is fiercely protective of them - whether they’re in need of her protection or not - but also they’re the ones she’s the most cuddly and clingy to.
✗ [ DYLAN MINNETTE, MALE, HE/HIM ] — If you’re strolling Derry today, you might see [ TANNER REED ] along the way! The [ TWENTY FIVE ] year old has been in Derry for [ THREE YEARS ] and can usually be found at [ THE ALADDIN THEATER ], when they aren’t busy with [ PLAYING VIDEO GAMES or TAKING HIS CAR TO THE SHOP ]. I hear they seem to be [ INTELLIGENT and DORKY ], but they are also rumored to be [ SHY and PESSIMISTIC ]. I’m sure they’d never admit it, but they’re terrified of [ THE DARK ] .
TRIGGER WARNING: HOMPHOBIA, HEAVY RELIGION, FOSTER CARE SYSTEM
✗ The youngest child (by three minutes) in the Reed family, Tanner was born an identical twin, aging with a built-in best friend to cause shenanigans with. Their home life was something he couldn’t quite judge, too young to have much to compare it to, before the boys found themselves in the foster-care system, a decision their parents had made willingly with false promises that they would see each other again one day.
✗ The two boys were fortunate to stay together when they were assigned a new home, and even more fortunate that they hadn’t ended up somewhere terrible. Just a house with way too many kids, each one nothing more than a bonus on their taxes each year. But, they had a roof over their heads, clean clothes, and were fed and cared for, and that seemed like enough, given the circumstances.
✗ Growing up, Tanner never really thought much of the things he liked or didn’t. It didn’t occur to the boy that not everyone was wired the same way. Of course, having a twin brother often made him question things as he grew older, however, noting that when Logan cozied up with girls at school, he couldn’t help but cringe inside. He knew he was supposed to be interested in those things too, as a teenager -- he’d seen the movies and read the books -- but every time he thought of romance, he couldn’t help but think of his male best friend at the time.
✗ That confused him, and due to the religious household the boys had found themselves in -- not overly religious, but the decor crosses on the wall were enough to scare the boy to silence -- Tanner kept this information to himself, questioning why he felt so strange in comparison, and why it felt as though a piece of himself was missing or being concealed.
✗ He was in eleventh grade when he was finally brave enough to kiss his best friend, and it didn’t go well. The other boy freaked out, calling him crude slurs and mean names. Of course, this shattered Tanner’s heart a little bit. But, he was fortunate that he’d kept the kiss a secret, ashamed that if other kids at school heard, they might believe he was gay too. It wasn’t really until that moment that Tanner had accepted that he, in fact, was interested in men, feeling his skin come alive in ways he’d never felt during the few times he’d curiously kissed a girl at a school dance or a football game.
✗ Despite accepting his sexuality, Tanner never really acted on it, afraid that everyone would treat him with the same “respect” as his no-longer-best-friend had. Instead, he kept it to himself, until after he had graduated, only trusting his brother with his secret.
✗ Without distractions like relationships or sports -- the boy was horribly uncoordinated -- Tanner had always had good grades. The kind that made it easy for him to get noticed, and he’d managed to land himself a scholarship for college in his fostered hometown. College was truly groundbreaking for Tanner, realizing that there were other boys like him, and even girls that preferred the same gender. He’d get drunk at parties and gradually he grew better at flirting with boys, and becoming more comfortable with himself.
✗ With a 3.4 GPA and a degree he would probably never put to good use (once believing he might be an English or Creative Writing teacher), Tanner emerged from college a new man. One that knew who he was, and despite the bumps along the way and the worries of religion, he finally said “fuck it all” and decided to start living the life he wanted.
✗ Now twenty-five years old, Tanner is still a virgin. Even though he is comfortable with who he is, it doesn’t make him any less awkward or dorky, and usually he’d too shy to really make a move when a cute guy is around. He’s kissed a few over the years, but it’s never escalated further than that.
✗ After graduating, Tanner found a small apartment on the edge of Derry, wanting to be able to stay close to his brother, and foster brother, now that they were older and out of the house. He’s been working at the aladdin theater ever since, and hates every second of it.
✗ Family means everything to Tanner, and after losing his parents, he vowed to take care of his brothers the best he could, so when Logan mentioned having some troubles, Tanner wasted little time in finding an apartment closer to him, as well as his job. He’s still unpacking and his bank account certainly hadn’t been prepared for a move, but at least now, he is closer to the ones he loves, and he can walk to work instead of paying for an uber, every time his car breaks down.
[ ALEX LAWTHER, MALE, HE/HIM ] — If you’re strolling Derry today, you might see [ SEBASTIAN “BASTIAN” WADE ] along the way! The [ TWENTY FIVE ] year old has been in Derry for [ THREE YEARS ] and can usually be found at [ MOVIE MANIA MOVIE RENTALS ], when they aren’t busy with [ GHOST HUNTING/EXPLORING DERRY LORE or READING ]. I hear they seem to be [ PERCEPTIVE and RESOURCEFUL ], but they are also rumored to be [ HESITANT and INDIGENT ]. I’m sure they’d never admit it, but they’re terrified of [ LOSING A LOVED ONE ].
TRIGGER WARNING: death, foster system
Growing up, Sebastian had always felt like he was different. He was a secluded kid, usually content burying his face behind whatever book he was working his way through, or curling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn to enjoy a new movie, only to go back to his room and lay with his face towards the wall so he wouldn’t have to see the horrors that dwell in the dark.
He was six the first time he truly realized that not everyone was able to see what he could, noting that his family always stared at him with confusion when he’d mention the man that wandered their living room at night, or the pale faced woman that had been in the bathroom following his shower one evening. They thought he had a wild imagination, like most children, but as Sebastian grew older, he came to realize that these things were very real. As time progressed, he began to realize that not all of these beings were harmless, noting the malicious intent some carried with them. They wanted to hurt the living, and this often made it difficult for Sebastian to sleep at night, worried about what could happen if he closed his eyes.
He was fifteen when the angry spirits killed his parents. It had began as a progression. Flickering lights and ticking clocks, slamming doors in the middle of the night and broken glasses in the kitchen by morning. Bruises and shoves. A build up. Sebastian had been at a friend’s house that night, only to wake in the morning to the news that both of his parents had passed in their sleep, from asphyxiation. He never questioned the medical analysis, certain as to what had happened after years of believing that the spirits in his home meant harm to the family.
Following his parents’ death, Sebastian found himself in the foster-care system, but unlike a lot of other children, he was fortunate to find himself in a home that, while it could not compare to his true family, was safe and kept him fed and clothed. He had siblings, which was new and grew to be something he enjoyed, and as he grew older, he adapted to his new life. Though, he never was able to shake the belief as to how his family had passed, delving himself into a world of horror and other-worldly ideas.
When he was old enough, he moved to Derry, following in one of his foster brothers’ footsteps. Finances didn’t exactly make that an easy feat though, and so Sebastian saved up as much as he could before making the move, only to find an old RV for sale. The vehicle barely ran at the time of purchase, and eventually broke down entirely. Luckily for Sebastian, he had been able to convince a friend in town to help him move it to the woods by that point, so he still had a place to call home. Of course, living in the woods can be scary, especially in a town like Derry, but it definitely made it easier for him to focus on his studies, pushing aside the idea of school or further his education, despite having decent grades considering his trauma, to dedicate himself to learning as much as he could about the undead.
Sebastian works at the movie rental store in town, where he makes just enough money to keep a meal on the table a few times each day, as well as keep his dog’s food bowl filled. He lives a very famished life, content with renting his books from the library and avoiding shopping centers, being as his RV isn’t big enough to store much. He has a full wardrobe, and a few favorite books and movies, but everything else in his home is pretty slim. He hates his job though. While he does enjoy a good movie, and it’s nice being able to watch them during his shifts, there’s so much more that he could be doing with his time.
Because of everything Sebastian has been through, he often struggles to sleep at night, especially when he is alone. And, while most women aren’t exactly keen on the idea of going into the woods with him, the ones that do are always met with a kindness. He’s a loving boy, and he shows that in every interaction he is part of, but he’s also very anxious, and has a habit of letting that seep through the cracks as well. He often hides these things during meaningless affairs, hooking up with girls that make him feel better for a night or two. He doesn’t dream of a “forever” or truly believe he deserves one, terrified that what happened to his parents could happen to somebody else if he created a life with them.
Selfish as it may be, he hates being alone, and no matter how hard he fights off the idea of being with somebody, Sebastian wants more than anything to have someone to come home to.
[ Michael Vlamis, male, he/him/his ] — If you’re strolling Derry today, you might see [River Goebel] along the way! The [ twenty seven ] year old has been in Derry for [their entire life ] and can usually be found at [ Derry High School as a history teacher], when they aren’t busy with [calling their mom or acting like a fuckboy]. I hear they seem to be [ charming and earnest ], but they are also rumored to be [sassy and overzealous ]. I’m sure they’d never admit it, but they’re terrified of [heights/falling] — [ OOC: Anna, 22, EST,she/her/hers ]
Name: River Josiah Goebel
Age: 27
Birthday: March 27
Height: 5′11″
History: River has always been a bit out of place and a bit of a walking contradiction. Growing up he never fit into one clique or another, finding that he got along with the jocks just as much as the nerds and the arts kids just as much as the rich kids. But in all of those groups he wasn’t ‘all in’. Something always set him apart from the others in some way, leaving him on the fringe of all kinds of cliques. While this may have provided some middle and high school trauma for him growing up and wishing to fit in, it ended up proving incredibly positive for him, as he found that he had no choice but to be himself and forget about fitting in anywhere else. This caused River to become very independent and confident in who he is. No one would have guessed the loudmouthed lacrosse player would also have a secret love of poetry, or that the partying frat boy in college, actually aspired to mold the future generation of the world by teaching them about the past. As he’s grown up, River has learned to love the fact that no one can quite figure him out. He likes keeping people on their toes. And while it may mean that it’s difficult for him to get people that are close to him and can stand the whirlwind that he is, it means that those that do get close are really there for the long haul and love him for who he is, and he finds that incredible valuable.
River had always been a history nerd, and by the time he graduated high school he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to spread the love of history and the lessons it could teach people to others. So he decided he wanted to become a history teacher. He left Derry briefly to go to college at Villanova University on heavy scholarships where he double majored in history and secondary education, along with garnering quite the name for himself as a frat-party star, including being president of the Sigma Chi fraternity not one year, but two. However, he took the partying a bit too far one night, being incredibly intoxicated and climbing to the roof of the frat house building. In his raging, he thought he was on top of the world, even though he was only on top of three stories. Dared by one of his brothers, he decided to jump off of the side of the building in an attempt to land on top of a car parked nearby. But they had greatly misjudged the distance between the house and the street and, instead, River went tumbling onto the front lawn. The incident left him severely injured and could have cost him not only his degree, but his life. Luckily, he managed to survive the incident with only a concussion and a handfull of broken bones and torn ligaments that all healed with time, though he still gets occasional aches and pains from the six year old injuries. It also left him with a decent bit of trauma. It took several years before he would even think of consuming any kind of alcohol or drug again, and he has grown very afraid of heights and falling, even fairly moderate heights making him uncomfortable. It didn’t take away his partying spirit, though. And while there is rarely intoxicants or stupid stunts involved these days, River still holds the reputation of the eternal frat boy, and he doesn’t mind. Those who need to know there is an incredibly gentle and intelligent soul beneath all of that already know. He figures he could be known for worse.
[ Matthew Gray Gubler, male, he/him/his ] — If you’re strolling Derry today, you might see [Oliver Goebel] along the way! The [ thirty five ] year old has been in Derry for [their entire life ] and can usually be found at [ the Derry Inquirer as photographer], when they aren’t busy with [whistling or making fun of his younger brother]. I hear they seem to be [ sarcastic and even-tempered ], but they are also rumored to be [closed off and work focused ]. I’m sure they’d never admit it, but they’re terrified of [darkness] — [ OOC: Anna, 22,, EST,she/her/hers ]
Name: Oliver Alexander Goebel
Age: 35
Birthday: March 9
Height: 6′1″
History: Oliver was an incredibly quiet kid. Too much so. The boy physically progressed at the same speed as all of his peers, but his parents became concerned when he didn’t speak when was expected. In fact, they reflected, he had barely even cried as a baby, never made babbling noises like others do. And when it came time, he didn’t speak. And then he continued not speaking. The only time they would get any kind of noise out of the boy would be at night, when everything was dark and they were in bed, he would begin a series of groaning-like noises. Weird, unworldy gurgling sounds. But only in the darkness. As soon as someone would come in and turn on the light, it would stop as if it had never been happening in the first place, and he was back to his silence. So much so, that his parents had begun to think they were imagining it all. They went to countless doctors and psychiatrists as he continued to age without speaking and the grumbling continued on, with no luck. It wasn’t until, at age five, desperate and convinced they had a mute son, they went to their last resort. A priest and, alleged, “soul healer”, who said the child was possessed by a spirit who was caging his voice. And in the darkness, it would gain power. The gargling noise they so often heard was the spirit trying to communicate to the world. Skeptical, but desperate, the Goebel’s agreed to an exorcism and, to everyone’s shock and horror, it worked. The spirit left the five year old’s body with vigor and was vanquished by the priest. At first they feared that it had been too much on the child. Oliver remained in a coma for a month until, finally, the boy awoke. Miraculously, he seemed suddenly fine. And even more miraculously, he was able to speak to his parents like a normal five year old kid, if not even a little bit advanced. He had no memories at all of the previous five years, and still doesn’t. All he knows is that he has a deep, inexplicable fear of the dark. HIs parents have yet to tell him about the incident, and resolved themselves to living a completely normal life as if it had never happened, leading to the birth of River three years later and the seemingly perfect normalcy of their life in Derry. Only his parents, that priest, and those who do enough research into the spooky goings-on of the town would ever know what happened.
Growing up from that point was fairly normal for the man. He was always a bit shy and reserved, and always terribly afraid of the dark, but other than that things moved on like any other Derry Childhood. As he grew older, Oliver developed a passion for art and journalism that lead to him picking up the habit of photography. He had developed quite the craft for it and, after high school, decided to forgo college in the hopes of making a career out of photography. After a few years working day jobs and freelancing when he could, he scored an internship with the Inquirer. Later, he ended up getting hired with them as one of their full time photographers. For Oliver, it is the best job he could possibly get in the small town. And while he sometimes dreamed of trying to move on to bigger cities and jobs that would have him capturing more action in more exotic places, he just couldn’t bring himself to leave the small town he grew up in.
