hi friends! guess who's finally doing her 𝑜𝓃𝑒-𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒸𝑒𝓁𝑒𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃?
spoiler alert: it's me
so i'm a writer--we all know that. that's kind of my thing. however, because of all the wips i currently have, i worried a writing event would be too overwhelming. given that, i'm doing something a little different.
thanks to the lovely @angelicarlert & her brilliant mind, i'll be doing an editing event to celebrate my one-year mark (which was october 1st, but we're going to ignore that) where you can request banners, moodboards, etc.
this event will be running from Monday, November 17th through Monday, November 24th. all submissions sent during that time period (that follow the rules) will be completed, even if i don't post them until after the final submission date has passed. any requests submitted after that date will not be done.
rules & examples of what you can request below the cut 🖤
rules:
~drop into my ask box to submit your request.
~you may submit more than one request. however, please keep it to one request per ask.
~when submitting requests, please provide as many details as possible.for example, if you are requesting a banner for your oc, tell me some things about them, such as their favorite color(s), hobbies, interests, their general vibe, etc. if you are requesting a moodboard for a fic, tell me about the fic (the vibe, details of the story, any character pairing(s) you'd like featured, etc). you get the gist of it. the more details i have to work with, the better.
~no explicit nudity will be featured, but spicy/suggestive is fine.
~anon requests will NOT be allowed for this event. this is for a couple of reasons. one, for age verification for any requests containing spicy/potentially spicy content (such as a spicy moodboard of daryl x reader, for example). i need to be able to check that your blog says you are over 18 before i would be comfortable creating that (age/age range (like "late 20s" or "30s", for example, must be present on your blog). two, for banners for ocs or fics, to ensure that you are the owner of said oc/fic (unless you are doing it as a surprise for someone else, which would need to be stated).
~if you have any pictures you'd like me to use (like an oc faceclaim or a pic of them you drew), you can submit that with your request as well.
please read ALL RULES before submitting your request! 🖤
examples of what you can request (yes most of these have my old username on them & we're going to ignore that):
all edits above were created by me. ocs featured in the oc banners (lydia vector, bria thompson, estrala gallagher, eli vector, jay vector, and preston vector) all belong to me. pic of bria in her banner was drawn by @millermouth.
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i have another baby angel to introduce to the blog!
i was trying to help someone come up with a face claim for an oc, and i suggested anna kendrick. they didn't end up going with her, but then i got the idea of using anna as a face claim for an oc & i couldn't get her out of my head. thus, essie was born. she's paired with murphy macmanus, and I will likely write their initial meeting at some point.
tw for pregnancy out of wedlock, family estrangement, allusion to religious deconversion, brief mention of EDs (in relation to her work & a parent struggling with one)
❤︎ Nicknames: Essie (she pretty much exclusively goes by this), Ess (Murphy and Connor), Essie Lou, Essie Lou Who, Cupid (Murphy), Loey (Sloane), Dorothy
❤︎ Her birthday is February 14th, 1969.
❤︎ She’s 5 foot 2 with light brown hair and light blue-green eyes.
❤︎ She grew up in Topeka, Kansas (hence the nickname “Dorothy”) before moving to Massachusetts for school.
❤︎ She speaks English and Japanese.
❤︎ Her first name is a variation of the Spanish name Estrella, meaning ‘star.’ Her mom wanted to change the spelling a bit, and thus, ‘Estrala’ was born.
❤︎ She has an older brother named Rowan, who is 4 years older than her, and a younger sister named Sloane, who is 3 years younger than her.
❤︎ Her ancestry is 75% Irish (dad is 100% Irish) and 25% Scottish (mom is half Irish, half Scottish).
❤︎ She’s an absolute sweetie pie (‘a literal angel,’ as Sloane calls her), but she has ‘the worst case of RBF the world has ever seen’ (also words from Sloane).
❤︎ She attended Harvard University and completed her R.D. program there.
❤︎ She works as a dietitian, her primary client base being those struggling with or recovering from eating disorders.
❤︎ Her “what made you want to become a dietitian?” story is a very personal one for her. She watched her mom struggle with an ED, and her dietitian was one of the key components to her recovery. She wants to help people the way that dietitian helped her mom.
❤︎ She has a golden doodle named Lila that she adopted after completing her schooling.
❤︎ She has Lila’s paw-print tattooed on the inside of her right wrist.
❤︎ She has celiac disease (an autoimmune disorder in which the person is unable to digest gluten) and is severely allergic to shellfish.
❤︎ Her favorite color is pink.
❤︎ She resides in Boston with Sloane and Sloane's son, Jackson.
❤︎ She’s a girly girl through and through. Sparkles, sequins, getting her nails and hair done, she loves it all.
❤︎ Her best friend, Leah, moved to Australia after high school, and they have been long-distance besties ever since.
❤︎ She has an estranged relationship with her faith. She was raised Roman Catholic, but after her sister got pregnant out of wedlock, she was turned off by the way her family treated Sloane and how they weaponized their faith to hurt her.
❤︎ Due to their behavior, she doesn’t speak to either of her parents.
❤︎ She hopes to one day repair her relationship with her faith.
❤︎ She loves Japanese culture and studied abroad there for a semester in university.
❤︎ She can play violin and was classically trained from a young age. She competed when she was younger, and still plays as an adult, but she stopped competing after high school.
❤︎ Her favorite food is sushi (no fish obviously).
❤︎ She doesn’t have her driver’s license because of an accident she got in when she had her learner’s permit. She takes either the bus or her bike everywhere.
❤︎ As a result of the accident, she has burn scars on her thighs. They’re her biggest insecurity, but she’s grateful that she’s at least able to cover them with clothes.
❤︎ Diet Coke is her kryptonite. Gift her a 2-liter, and she might fall in love with you.
❤︎ Her favorite flower is cherry blossoms, both for the color and the smell.
❤︎ Her style consists of flowy skirts and dresses when she’s out and baggy sweatpants when she’s at home. She finds jeans. leggings, and tights to be uncomfortable, as the fitted material irritates her scars.
❤︎ Her favorite animal is koalas.
❤︎ She has a raging hatred for alcohol after growing up in a family of alcoholics (primarily through her extended family) and watching it destroy the lives of the people she loved.
❤︎ She has an affinity for The Grinch (hence the nickname Essie Lou Who).
♡ Author's Note: Template by @sa1nt-bambi-ocs. Trigger warning for discussion of car accidents, severe burns, scars, religious trauma, family estrangement, teen pregnancy, brief mention of termination of a pregnancy, allusion to religious deconversion, and brief mention of EDs (in relation to her work & a parent struggling with one)
♡ appearance
♡ Face Claim: 2010s Anna Kendrick
♡ Hair Color: Light brown
♡ Eye Color: Light blue-green
♡ Skin Tone: Light with cool undertones
♡ Face Shape: Diamond
♡ Scar(s): Burn scars on her thighs from a car accident
♡ Birthmark(s): Freckles all over her body (very little on her face)
♡ Tattoo(s): Her dog Lila's pawprint on the inside of her right wrist
♡ Piercings: Two sets of earlobe piercings
♡ Accessories: Is always wearing earrings in both sets of piercings (usually two sets of small diamond studs or other pairs of studs, such as pearls or pink gems) & a cross necklace that she wears daily (despite losing touch with her faith years ago). She also carries a rosary buried in the bottom of her bag in hopes that "everything will somehow click for her one day."
♡ Aesthetic/Fashion: When she's out and about, you'll find her in flowy dresses or skirts, such as this or this. When she's at home, she's almost always in matching sweatsets like this. She finds jeans, leggings, and tights to be uncomfortable as the fitted material irritates her scars. Color-wise, you can catch her in florals, pink, or neutrals.
♡ Height: 5'2"
♡ Body Type: Petite, small frame, "curves in all the right places," as some would say (though she hates that description)
♡ personality
♡ General Personality: Soft-spoken, kind-hearted, introverted
♡ Best Personality Trait(s): Friendly, empathetic, funny, loyal, responsible
♡ Worst Personality Trait(s): Poor communicator when it comes to her feelings, closed-off, tends to socially isolate. Not a personality trait, per se, but she has raging RBF despite her being "an absolute sweetie pie" (her sister's words)
♡ Good Habit(s): Balanced diet, meticulous with personal hygiene, works out regularly, strict sleep schedule
♡ Bad Habit(s): A little messy, distancing herself when someone gets too close (romantically), can be a bit of an impulsive spender
♡ Trigger(s): Alcohol, discussion of her parents
♡ Likes: The Grinch, sushi, sparkles, getting her hair & nails done, the color pink, her dog, koalas, cherry blossoms, Diet Coke, reading
♡ Dislikes: Alcohol, her burn scars, having to take the bus or her bike everywhere when her sister can't drive, bigotry, people who are willfully ignorant, her parents
♡ Goals: Help as many clients as possible with ED treatment, fall in love, get married, become a mother, get back in touch with her faith, eventually overcome her fear of driving & get her license, be the best sister to her siblings/auntie to her nephew
♡ Fears: Never falling in love, never getting over her trauma around driving
♡ Talents: Playing the violin, cooking, baking, crafting creative mocktails, knitting
♡ Weaknesses: Never learned how to drive, her food allergies (celiac disease & shellfish allergy)
♡ family and relationships
♡ Mother: Isobel Gallagher (maiden name Campbell, alive)
♡ Father: Finley Gallagher (alive)
♡ Other Family: Jackson Gallagher (nephew, alive)
♡ Siblings: Rowan Gallagher (4 years older, alive), Sloane Gallagher (3 years younger, alive)
♡ Children: None (yet)
♡ Lover: Murphy MacManus
♡ Pets: Lila (golden doodle)
♡ backstory
Estrala Louise Gallagher came into the world kicking and screaming on February 14th, 1969. She was born in Topeka, Kansas to her parents Isobel & Finley Gallagher, and would end up being the middle child of their three kids (Rowan, four years older, and Sloane, three years younger). She had an "alright" relationship with her parents growing up (they were civil with each other & there was never any major fights in the home, but they were strict, and she wasn't close with them by any means) and grew very close with both of her siblings, the three of them often relying on each other more than they did on their own parents. At five years old, she was put in violin lessons and fell in love with it, continuing lessons through school and receiving an expensive violin as a graduation gift. She developed a fascination with Japanese culture after befriending an exchange student in high school, eventually learning Japanese & studying abroad for a semester in her sophomore year of college.
Alcoholism runs deep in the Gallagher family. Aunts, uncles, and grandparents on both sides struggled with addiction, and Essie watched it destroy her cousins, her parents, and her loved one’s spouses. Since around 9 or 10 years old, she’s had a deep hatred for alcohol (hates the smell of it, won’t be around it, doesn’t allow it in her home, etc.), and an accident she suffered later on as a teenager further cemented that hatred.
She met her best friend, Leah, in their sixth grade science class. Leah was the new girl at school, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed but not the type to take shit from anyone/sit around while others were being bullied. There were a couple of girls in their class who'd been giving Essie a hard time about how quiet she was (something that didn't bother her, as she would usually just reply with "Yeah. And?"), and after one day of having to listen to it just a little too much, Leah said something, telling them to "mind their business or she'd give them something worth talking about." After Essie shared that "nobody talks to them like that," the girls began chatting (though it was mostly Leah carrying the conversations ) and eventually formed a rock-solid friendship that carried on through high school. After high school, Leah moved to Queensland, Australia for university and a research opportunity in her field of study (zoology), but regardless of distance, the pair remained inseparable. They regularly talked on the phone and would see each other once a year when Leah came home for the holidays (twice a year if Essie traveled to her).
When Essie was 15 and practicing with her learner's permit, she was involved in an accident. Her father was in the passenger seat, directing her down various downtown roads and guiding her through crowded intersections. As she was about to take a right at an intersection, a drunk driver blew through the red light, striking their car at 20 miles over the speed limit. As a result, both she and her father suffered from broken bones and concussions, and Essie received severe burns to her thighs/lap, which left major scarring. Her burn scars are her biggest insecurity, but she's at least grateful she can cover them with clothes. Due to the accident, she didn't continue her driver's ed program and never received her license. When she's unable to get a ride, she'll take her bicycle or the city bus.
About a month before the accident, she’d started talking to Peter, a boy from church who attended school in the next town over. They talked on the phone, sent letters to each other, and their families occasionally got coffee together after church. A week before the accident, he officially asked her out, and they planned their first date for a couple of weeks later. However, after the accident, Peter distanced himself, originally under the guise of wanting to give her space to heal. But as it always does, the truth came out, this one in the form of Rowan overhearing Peter telling some friends he couldn’t be with someone “who looked like that” and who was so “disfigured.” Essie was heartbroken, and that trauma, along with her scars, prevented her from pursuing dating anyone going forward, believing she was too “gross” for anybody to love her. Now, when someone is clearly romantically interested, she pulls away before they learn too much. “I can’t go through that type of heartbreak again,” she’d told her sister many times.
Essie graduated top of her class with honors in June of 1986 and a full-ride scholarship to her local community college. Though her goal was to eventually get into an Ivy League school and live on the East Coast, she took the scholarship, completing all of her gen ed (general education) credits and any prerequisite courses while applying to her dream schools. From the time she was a teenager, Essie knew she wanted to go on to become a dietitian with a primary focus on aiding those recovering from EDs. During her younger years, her mother struggled with various EDs, and part of her treatment involved meeting regularly with a dietitian. Essie saw how much this dietitian helped her mother, and she wanted to do the same. After completing two years at her community college, Essie got into Harvard, graduating with honors after completion of her dietetics program.
During her sophomore year of college, Sloane, who was 17 at the time, got pregnant by her high school boyfriend. Her parents, being devout Catholics, were deeply ashamed of their daughter becoming pregnant out of wedlock but also refused to allow her to terminate the pregnancy, and Sloane's boyfriend broke up with her soon after finding out, saying he was "too young to be a dad" and "didn't want that kind of responsibility". Tensions rose between Sloane and their parents, with them calling her all sorts of degrading names & never failing to remind her of how ashamed they were, weaponizing their faith to hurt their daughter in ways no parent ever should. Both Essie and Rowan defended her relentlessly, asking how they could be so cruel to their own daughter. Rowan (who'd been moved out of the house for some time) and Essie took turns taking Sloane to her doctor's appointments & helping her in any way they possibly could, and when Sloane graduated high school, Essie suggested they move together to Boston. Rowan helped them in their cross-country drive (as Sloane was a month from her due date & couldn't fly), and Sloane eventually gave birth to her son, Jackson. As a result of these events, neither she nor either of her siblings has a relationship with their parents anymore. Their parents also don't know where either Essie or Sloane has moved to, as Essie never revealed what school she got into, and they don't care to know.
She first meets Murphy when she goes with Sloane to church one Sunday morning. She'd been wanting to get back in touch with her faith for some time, so she joined Sloane and Jackson for church with plans to go out for brunch after. Both Murphy and Connor knew Sloane from regularly seeing her at Mass & had heard of Essie through both Sloane & Jackson's discussions of her. Upon seeing her for the first time, Murphy is awestruck, and he manages to have a short conversation with her (with a little encouragement from his brother, of course).
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essie, isobel, finley, jackson, jackson, rowan, sloane, sloane's unnamed high school boyfriend, leah & peter all belong to me.
