Shoulders straight; the perfect knot; not a single hair out of place; ‘tuck your shirt in, Arturo, you look like a slob…’ — he can still remember the dulcet tones of his mother’s whispered voice reminding him, no, telling him that he would never be good enough in little words and large actions. Paired with his father’s tough, heavy, but not abusive hands, it was the perfect concoction to turn a meek, shy little boy into a WILDFIRE.
Born in Eindhoven to parents in their mid-forties, a surprise but not an unwanted pregnancy, Arturo came kicking and screaming in the middle of December into a family that was a bad fit for the journey his soul had come to Earth to venture.
For a large portion of his life, it seemed that God or The Universe had been trying to right its wrongs — A move from The Netherlands to Florida at six gave him the freedom that he craved. He fell in with the right crowd despite it being the ‘wrong’ crowd to his parents, and placed all of his extra energy into sports and school. He excelled, showed promise, even impressed his mother.
But it’s said that wildfires burn out eventually. Or sometimes, at least in Arturo’s case, they grow larger and consume everything around them instead.
Puberty came with aggression, heightened emotions, an overload of hormones and an epiphany that somehow manifested in rebellion, back talk, and fighting. If a teenager ever had selective hearing, his was ten times worse. His mother’s chastise became the fire under his ass and his father’s authoritarianism fueled it. They couldn’t look at him without a ‘what’ nor could they discipline him.
Strangely enough, the solution to their son’s behavioural issues was simple — on a regular Tuesday night, after another fight had broken out between him and his parents, perhaps over broken curfew or a correction from his mother, he can’t remember now, he’d blurted it out, almost in tears.
He’d screamed about his fears, held his mother accountable for her scrutiny, begged his father to stand up for him and accidentally let slip that he was gay in the midst of it all. Emily’s face had gone pale but his father had simply laughed, relieved that out of everything, all of their problems had solutions; that one didn’t need to be fixed at all.
It wasn’t Emily’s non-support that hurt the most going forward — it was her pointed nose, the sudden lack of interest in his social life and the way she would pull away from hugs too soon that slowly carved holes in his nervous system. It further proved to him that he wasn’t good enough, cemented in him the belief that he was crooked or off-kilter, out of place in spaces that he should’ve fit into.
And then? He became an adult.
Brick-by-brick, he built his life from the ground up, no longer in the shadow of his mother’s expectations. Arturo went to college, followed it up with an internship at one of the biggest agencies in the state and ended with one of his own, settling in Palmview Grove where he's been since then.
PERSONALITY
Arturo seems untouchable from the outside — he walks with purpose, dresses well, smells nice and has a small group of close friends who he's incredibly protective of. Despite being known locally by name and profession, he keeps his private life locked up tight and doesn't flaunt his wealth; a modest apartment, a car he rarely uses, the cheapest watch he could find that functioned in the way he wanted.
Rarely do new people get invited into his inner circle but he's not necessarily unfriendly or difficult to talk to. He's merely protective of his time and energy. But if you get invited into his circle, prepare to have a warm, protective and supportive friend.
Sarcastic by nature, he embodies everything a Sagittarius is said to be — curious, adventurous, playful, direct, incredibly impatient, overly independent.
He can easily make any setback into a gain and no longer sweats the small stuff for his own sanity.
He's covered in tattoos; one sleeve that stretches up to his neck (left side), a piece on his right hand, and something on his ankle that he got as a dare from one of his friends.
King Hubert is his leashed-walked, high-quality fed, spoiled orange mainecoon. Probably more popular than him, owns the house, and breaks a light over his kitchen island at least once a week. Artie would have it no other way.
❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { MAREN CALLOWAY } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { SHE} is/are ? they kind of look like { RAIN SPENCER } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { 25 } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { HER WHOLE LIFE }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { MOLLY GUNN } from { UPTOWN GIRLS }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { TIPSY SHORES DANCE HALL} as a { BARTENDER}. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { ETERNAL ROMANTIC } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { SELF-INDULGENT } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { AUTHENTIC } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { APARTMENT } beside me over in { MANGO BAY }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!
Full Name: Maren Rose Calloway
Age: 25
DOB: October 3rd, 1999
Gender Identity & Sexuality: cis-female, straight
Family: Juliana Zhong (Mother); Two Siblings
Facts:
- Maren tends to view the world in a very idealistic and romantic way. She loves pretty things, clothes, art, music, men. The world is basically her playground.
- She didn't go to college and has no desire to grow up and be a "real adult", but deep down it's really because she has no idea what she's good at or what she wants to do with her life.
- Maren struggles with commitment issues in her romantic relationships. She tends to end things when they start to get too serious. She fears that eventually they will figure out that she isn't enough for them, so she leaves them before they can leave her.
- Her relationship issues and her fear of not being enough come from her birth parents putting her up for adoption as a baby, and her dad cheating on her mom with her secretary. She wants to believe that a love like the movies is real and possible, but she's too afraid to let herself find out for sure.
- Despite her anger towards her father, and her unresolved trauma of her birth parents not wanting her, Maren had a very happy childhood. She wouldn't trade it or her family for anything, and she knows how lucky and privileged she is.
- Her favorite hobbies include drinking and dancing with her friends, meeting new people, reading up on the latest fashion trends, and doodling in her notebook. She has an eye for fashion and likes doodling designs, and could probably do something with that if she applied herself, but again, she struggles with feeling good enough in all aspects of her life.
- She really does enjoying bartending at the Tipsy Shores Dance Hall. She's a people person, and loves to chat and get to know new people.
Some connections i'd love to see for Maren are best friends, fwb, exes, former hook-ups, mentor, crush
[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { ROWAN TALBOT } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { HE } is/are ? they kind of look like { BEN HARDY } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { 30 } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { TWO YEARS }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { WILLIAM THACKER } from { NOTTING HILL }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { THE BOOK NOOK } as an { OWNER }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { PRECOCIOUS } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can be pretty { BLUNDERING } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { EARNEST } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { APARTMENT } beside me over in { SEAGLASS HEIGHTS }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!
hi friends ! i am lemon. below is a lil bit about rowan. i will have his bio page up soon, but here's a brief insight into who he is now. know that i am very excited to write (even though it's been a hot second since i've rped tbh) and just a warning that i live in australia so my timezone is horrendous lmao. but without further ado, here's rowan !
also here are some links to other pages with further details if you want to learn more !!
bio (wip, will work on it in the coming days)
connections ( only 9 atm but am hoping to expand this in the future ! am completely keen to plot also hehe )
STATISTICS
NAME: rowan talbot
AGE: thirty
GENDER: cismale
PRONOUNS: he/him
SEXUALITY: pansexual
OCCUPATION: owner of the book nook in seaglass heights
when constructing rowan, i found myself torn between ben wyatt from parks and rec and william thacker from notting hill as his counterpart. rowan is in many ways an amalgam, though favouring will mostly for the fact that anything to do with law and politics causes at the very least, a headache in this day and age. but those are his roots !!
rowan is a soft spoken, soft hearted man whose strength is his ability to care for others. though ironically, it is also his undoing. he cares far too much about the opinions of others and fitting in :(
he is a little socially awkward and horrendously self deprecating, but wears it ever so graciously. the British accent i am sure helps in that regard. he also has no understanding of his Corporeal Self and the fact that people could perceive him attractive. it doesn’t help that he dresses the part of a middle aged man lmao
speaking of which, socially at least, he never takes things too seriously. he's always laughing, making jokes, trying his best to fit in and have a good time. however, anything revolving around work - time stops and all his attentions will fall to that. he is fastidious in that regard.
lowkey falls in love too hard and too fast. that's how he ended up in palmview at the end of the day. he spends so much time seeking validation from those around him, he forgets that he is his own person and is just as deserving of the things he wants in life. but what does he want ?? rowan doesn’t know !
he has a rescue greyhound ! i wanted to go for a horse but it wouldn't fit in his apartment.
an absolute lightweight and would take a milkshake over a beer, tbh
he is absolutely a dork and though he knows this, he somewhat conceals it for the most part. though it shouldn’t at all be surprising from the accounting major with a bookstore that hosts board game events lol
rowan knows how to catastrophise and be anxious and worry at all hours. if his heart rate isn’t elevated, something is wrong. he is a great friend to have in that respect but he can also go a little too far … think doling out sanitiser wipes in a book bag he always has on him, constantly fretting about a cataclysmic weather event, or double and triple checking to make sure he’s actually locked the doors he thought he locked
TIMELINE
rowan was born a middle child to his wealthy parents in cambridgeshire, england
he has one elder brother who was and remains to be nothing but a bully, and his younger sibling [ possible wanted connection ! ] had every bit of vivaciousness and life that rowan lacked. his father was strict beyond words and had always desired to mould his children in his image (that of a stoic, wealthy and powerful man). rowan was always close and very similar to his mother, which seemed to be a failing to everyone else but the two of them. rowan never desired to change.
doing well academically was all rowan knew growing up - though to be sure, rowan grew up incredibly privileged. despite knowing he had the manners, reverence and self-awareness to understand his upbringing certainly wasn't the norm, he had always felt so isolated in its' opulence in that he had no one to share it with. he craved friendships his youthful shyness had prevented. perhaps his younger sibling was close with him, but he had no best friends, or lovers that he bonded with that were at all close in age.
despite being invisible for the most part, rowan was determined to make his parents proud with his endeavours later in life. rowan did not have the exuberance for law nor the stomach for medicine. so naturally, he went on to pursue accounting (for which he had an affinity for), minoring in business management. like many in his family, he graduated from cambridge with his masters and was all but handed a position at one of the top accounting firms in london upon his graduation.
enter his ex partner [ possible wanted connection ! ] this person was nothing at all like rowan, and the two find themselves swept up in a whirlwind romance. after having spent a couple years in corporate, rowan naively follows this person who he is engaged to at this point to palmview in florida. either due to that person being from this place or simply wanting to relocate there, rowan did not question what the love of his life (at the time) wanted. his family were not at all thrilled with this development.
as whirlwind a romance as it was, it certainly was not meant to be. a break up before the wedding (or maybe after!) is finalised as the two part ways, and rowan has to come to grips with the fact that he threw away his life in london for this person and start from scratch. but there's a romanticism for him, an allure. no one in florida knows what his name means, and he doesn't have to fit the mould his family expected of him. still, he spoke none of these developments to his family as he started to forge his new life.
as it would happen, a sweet older gentleman - the previous owner of the book nook - was selling the business. given the savings he accumulated back in london and the relevant qualifications, and the reality of having such a wealthy family behind him to instil faith upon investment, rowan was able to purchase the rights to the book nook and let it become his new purpose.
it has been two years since the purchase went through and rowan has gone on to fortify the foundations of a thriving business ... and little else. especially since his apartment sits right above the business. though he shouldn't be, he is still a stranger to palmview and a lot of the beauties within. he has built his business, and now it's time for him to build his life.
thank you so much for reading - and i cannot wait to write with you. <3
alba fortier; she/her. twenty-six. " the siren. "
professional surfer. ⟟ sunny shores
navigation. pinterest. connections.
basic information.
name: alba fortier · nicknames: al · birthday: june 30 · zodiac: cancer · age: 26 · birthplace: napa valley, california · religion: raised catholic (non-practicing) · education: local private school, skipped college · relationship status: single · family: father passed when she was young; her mother later remarried, bringing stepfather + step-siblings into the picture (the lockharts)
counterpart: serena van der woodsen from gossip girl
growing up with every convenience at your fingertips usually molds you into a particular kind of person, perfect and polished. not alba.
she grew up with the fortier name, and every indulgence that came with it. spoiled in ways you'd expect, though she never let it define her, preferring salt on her skin over silk, chasing waves instead of expectations. maybe that’s why attention has always had a way of following her, whether she wanted it or not.
about alba.
fortier. the name belonged to the wine long before it belonged to her, but it was the only thing left after her father’s death. for a while it was just alba and her mother, until her mom remarried a man who had left his own family behind by choice.
in school, legacy holds more weight than grades, which works out fine for alba, since she was rarely where she was supposed to be. drifting where she pleased, she split her time between the water and boys her mother would never approve of.
surfing starts as a way to ditch third period, but it immediately feels right. it provides the independence, the adrenaline she craves, and nothing else comes close. by her teens she’s competing, by her twenties she’s raking in sponsorships.
she first comes to palmview for a surf festival (yes, those exist) and falls in love with it instantly. alba's never been loud about money, but she’s never denied the comfort it brings, so it's not surprising that the next day she’s signing papers on a stilted villa on the sand (who cares if it’s not insured).
her family isn’t far behind, buying le coeur not long after to keep her close. she spends a lot of time there now, wandering into tastings straight from the water, still barefoot, stealing a glass like it’s hers to take. nobody ever stops her though, instead they just laugh, and lean in closer.
likes.
sunrise surf, wine she didn’t pay for, getting away with everything, boys in linen shirts, being photographed mid-wave, thunderstorms, mango popsicles
dislikes.
family obligations, commitment, alarms, losing a heat, small talk at galas, routine, cold water, anyone touching her surfboard without permission
tldr.
alba fortier grew up with a last name everyone knew and no boundaries to hold her back. surfing started as a way to skip class and turned into a career. she came to palmview for a surf festival and never left. these days she’s as likely to be barefoot at le coeur as she is on the water.
❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed BOONE MCKENNA walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who HE is ? they kind of look like AARON TAYLOR JOHNSON and i could be wrong but i think that they might be THIRTY SEVEN years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last SIXTEEN YEARS, ON AND OFF. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of MARK SLOAN from GREY'S ANATOMY. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working FREELANCE as a WRANGLER. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the RENEGADE of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty GAMOPHOBIC at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty BEWITCHING to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that TWO BEDROOM apartment beside me over in OCEAN'S LANDING 420. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you! psd credit.
trigger warnings: parental neglect tw, death tw, toxic relationship tw, deadbeat dad alert.
★ statistics.
full name: william boone mckenna. nickname(s): boone. age: thirty seven. date of birth: 25th november. star sign: sagittarius. sexual orientation: heterosexual. romantic orientation: heteroromantic. hometown: belleview, florida. occupation: wrangler. ethnicity: white. nationality: american. inspo: mark sloan (grey's anatomy), balthier (final fantasy xii), oliver queen (dc).
★ personality.
a complicated mess of contradictions, boone is a loud mouth wrapped up in infinite charm. he has no qualms about stepping into a fight to protect a stranger, yet at the same time has no issue starting the fight himself. he detests any sort of social injustice, always willing to fight for the little guy, yet seems personally wrapped up in old-fashioned ideals of what it means to be a man, not willing to let himself cry or be vulnerable, even though he has no judgement towards those that do. he talks straight, telling you how it is, yet at the same time he's manipulating every facet of the conversation. at work, he's slick and sharp, never taking his eye off the ball, not even for a moment. he's one of the best in the business, respected for his craft, and called in by people all over the states who need a wrangler who knows best… and yet off the clock he's a rambunctious, impulsive thrill-seeker who can't say no, driven almost entirely by instinct.
these kind of contradictions cross over into his personal life, where he loves deeply and passionately, but seems entirely incapable of showing it. he'd put his life on the line for his loved ones, his daughter especially, yet he can't commit to being in her life for more than a few months at a time. he's the most loyal friend you could ever have, the one who will answer the call at 3am and be there in five minutes, but there's an equal chance he won't be around to answer the call in the first place. boone brings a fire to every room he walks into, a spark to every conversation he takes part in, and a pull that feels equal parts magnetic and dangerous.
★ biography.
i. belleview is a place where the summer sweat persists into winter and the buzz of flies has become a persistent background hum. william boone mckenna was born in november, though the humidity didn't take much notice of the creeping winter season, and his first cries on earth were muffled by the high humidity and lingering cigarette smoke that clung to his father's clothes.
ii. it didn't take long until that nicotine-laced smell and his first name were the only things he had left to remember his father by. boone was six when he watched his mother move a chair from the kitchen to face the front door, just in case. he remembers asking her to draw with him, pleading ‘look at what i made, mama!’ only for it to fall on deaf ears. she was waiting for a man who would never come home, someone relegated to memory, she just didn't want to accept it yet.
iii. boone's entire childhood was filled with a revolving door of ‘father figures’. in his mother's defense she did, truly, love them all, and each one was introduced as his new ‘daddy’. boone clued in early on, perhaps around the fourth or fifth, that this was going to be a pattern for his mother, who would never recover from the broken heart his father has left her to deal with, so he detached himself from the situation. stopped believing the false promises and fresh start ideology, and instead became nonchalant towards each new face. until hank.
iv. hank was a cowboy, but somehow much cooler than the ones an eight year old boone had seen on television. the first time he'd asked if boone wanted to go on a ride, he'd shrugged him off, thinking hank would be gone in two weeks and it'd just be another promised experience he never got to have… but then boone's birthday came, and hank was still there. not only was he there, he'd bought boone his very own set of shiny new hot wheels. thanksgiving and christmas felt like a celebration for the first time in a long time, an in the first week of january boone finally agreed to go on that ride, and it changed his life forever.
v. he became enamoured with horses and the outdoors. not only did he enjoy spending the time with hank, he felt a freedom he'd never felt before. the sun on his skin, the dirt under his fingernails, the sound of crickets in the parched grass. it felt like he'd found a meaning, a purpose... and a father figure.
vi. boone was only fifteen when hank died. he'd collapsed on the ranch one morning, having always gotten there earlier than everyone else, and he wasn't found until hours later… and that was it. he was gone. he never walked back through their front door, never guffawed that awful laugh of his at the television, never sneaked boone another sip of his beer at the dinner table when his mom's back was turned. boone's mom moved a chair to face the front door again, but she never sat in it. she didn't get out of bed much after that, really.
vii. he coped the only way he knew how. he spent as much time as he could outside, away from the house. he fell asleep under the stars wherever he could and was awoken with the sound of a shotgun many a time, he showed up to work four hours early and left two hours late, he slipped into bars and diners and discovered that, with enough charm and the right smile, he could convince anyone to let him stay anywhere. and that was better than being at home. he never officially left, just never went home again.
viii. at twenty one, he began wandering every now and again into palmview grove, where he eventually met sadie kalinski. at first glance, boone was completely and utterly enamoured with sadie, and told her just as much. he promised her the earth and everything in it, put rings made of flowers and grass on her fingers and described under the stars the life they would lead together. much like his mother all those years before, boone genuinely believed he loved sadie. he genuinely believed all of this and more would happen.
ix. but sadie was strong, she was on a journey that boone hadn't realised he was incapable of accompanying her on. as the days went by, she grew taller and he found himself resentful, ashamed, perhaps even scared, but those emotions only came out as distance and days long disappearances. he wasn't ready for the life sadie was leading but he didn't want to lose her, so they fell into a toxic routine of him promising to be better and never following through. even the arrival of daisy mae, their beautiful daughter, wasn't enough for boone to change. and so sadie kicked him to the curb for good, like a good parent should.
x. he's spent the six years since daisy mae's birth drifting in and out of palmview, scattering more promises he can't keep but never directly to his daughter, thanks to sadie's strict boundaries. lately though, he can't seem to sleep at night. can't shake the guilt from his shoulders or the weariness from his bones, even after a night at the bar or when sharing the bed of a stranger. his latest job has brought him right to sadie and daisy mae's door step, a bit more permanently this time – and he can't help but feel like this is his last chance to get it right.
★ extras.
i. boone's latest wrangling job is for some big hollywood movie he didn't care to ask the name of, he just knows there's horses, lizards, and a couple of dogs involved, and that's more than enough for him. he's taken on all sorts of jobs since he was sixteen – working on ranches, movie sets, reptile removal, etcetera. he's a jack of all trades, in that regard, and is highly respected in the industry. his heart always lies with ranches and horses, however.
ii. boone's taken part in a couple of rodeo competitions in his time and walked away with a fair few trophies, though it's strangely not something he openly brags about. he's not ashamed, but in a strange way that part of his life feels oddly intimate when it's nothing to do with work. he'll talk to you for hours about the ins and outs of equine care, ranching, rodeo, and the like, but his own achievements are kept quiet. in truth, it's because part of him never got to share them with hank, and he doesn't think anyone else deserves to hear it.
iii. he's a high school drop out, having left home when he was around 16/17, who never made an effort to get his ged. it's part of his stubborness, now, that he doesn't have one, and is entirely unwilling to even give the process a try. after all, he's made it this far.
likes: horses (obviously), high budget action movies, camping out under the stars, light beer, country music that isn't about america, dive bars, collecting matchbooks, energy drinks, boxing, going with the flow.
dislikes: smoking, being kept indoors, black tie events, the ocean, texting, talking about his family, flying, small spaces, christmas.
★ counterpart inspired plots.
i. his derek – his best friend, his confidant, his oldest pal… and, on ocassion, his favourite enemy. these two have known each other for years and it shows, having recovered from blistering fights and always somehow reuniting stronger than ever. you could say this is boone's most successful relationship, and derek is acutely aware of that. he's much more put together than boone, possibly even with a family of his own, and he knows his best friend is capable of being a decent guy… he just has to want it.
ii. his jackson – boone is a terrible father, that much is true, but when he doesn't have the pressure of that title, he's not a terrible mentor. a younger person in the same industry or something adjacent who's come to look at boone as someone he'd like to emulate, at least work-wise. over time, jackson is going to realise boone may be good at what he does, but he's got a lot of shit going on, and maybe jackson could teach him just as much as boone can teach them. a mutual respect working relationship that'll mature into a proper friendship over time.
★ other wanted plots.
tba sorry i'm sleepy rn, but literally anything!!!
Education: High school degree - certified with the NSCA
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Black
Height: 5'5"
Tattoos: a sunburst tattoo on her left shoulder
Scars/Birthmarks: none
Birth date: april 16th
Place of birth: Boston, MA
[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { MIRI NANDA } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { SHE/HER } is/are ? they kind of look like { MEGAN SURI } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { 26 } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { 26 years }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { KARLACH CLIFFGATE } from { BALDUR'S GATE 3 }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { SHOREFIT GYM } as a { PERSONAL TRAINER }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { THE SPIRITED } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { RECKLESS } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { LOYAL } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { 1 BEDROM } apartment beside me over in { MANGO BAY }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you! { BRI. 32. SHE/HER. EST. } - priya sandhu's cousin connection
[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { ASTORIA THORNE } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { SHE} is? they kind of look like { SOPHIE THATCHER } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { 26 } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { 3 YEARS }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { ASTARION } from { BALDUR’S GATE 3 }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { SATIN ROSE LOUNGE } as a { MANAGER }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { MANNEQUIN } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { SECRETIVE } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { CHARMING } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { 2 BEDROOMS } apartment beside me over in { PACIFIC DRIVE }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!
astoria timurova thorne ✦ she/her ✦ 26 ✦ bisexual
faceclaim: sophie thatcher
birthplace: manchester, england
date of birth: august 13 1998
occupation: manager @ satin rose lounge
location: pacific drive, 2-room apartment
duration in palmview: 3 years
based on: astarion (baldur’s gate 3)
also inspired by: rosaria (genshin impact), arlecchino (genshin impact)
label: the mannequin
zodiac: leo sun, scorpio moon, capricorn rising
mbti: infj
temperament: melancholic-choleric
moral alignment: neutral good, uhhhh - may lean a bit towards chaotic good at times
Appearance:
✦tousled platinum-blonde hair — usually loose or tucked behind one ear, always perfectly imperfect. ( don't let the gifs deceive you if she has black hair in one and blonde in another!! lmao )
✦her features are angular and expressive — mischievous one moment, tired the next.
Usual Style:
✦ silk shirts half-unbuttoned, long coats ( if the day isn't boiling hot ), delicate silver jewelry, short heel boots. color palette: dark red, gray, black, gold, silver, white.
BACKSTORY:
trigger warnings: !! parental neglect, missing people, emotional manipulation, death, false accusations, survivor's guilt, implied murder, rich people being creepy.
tldr:
- born in manchester to a russian father and american mother.
- she kinda.. was there as a child. hey !! she had a roof, food, clothes, and stuff right? so it could've been worse.
- it did. her mom simply vanished when she was 8, and she never knew why or how.
- it got even worse!!! her dad remarried to an even wealthier woman and so the parties and elite connections began.
- astoria was molded to smile, to listen. and she soon enough learned that people gave her anything she could ask for if she said what they wanted to hear.
- one particular person from the circle, an "artist" they would call themselves, found an interest in her and so appointed her as "the ultimate muse."
- no one cared. not even her father, being too busy with work, women, and the overall idea that astoria would server as a bridge and connection for said "artist." in the end, connections were power.
- she learned to perform. to lie. to be charming and desirable without being touched. but it was lonely. was this really who she was?
- at least, she wasn't all alone. there was another girl, who had grown in the same circle. knew what it was like. was someone else's "muse." and so, one day they carefully planned how to escape to never come back.
- she was 19, when the night came, they had already planned it all out. had collected enough money and belongings to still let them live a life with enough wealth, and found a contact to help them erase their tracks.
- after another party where she just played arm candy, and bidding goodnight to "the artist." the plan was set into motion .. however her friend never arrived.
- astoria waited, and waited. but time was running out. she had to make a choice, look for her friend and risk losing the window, or leaving without her. and a choice she made.
- having dropped the last link to her father, astoria thorne traveled through cities to escape. and to finally make a life for herself. but the guilt of leaving her one friend ate her away.
- little did she know, the next day after she left manchester. two people were found missing, and another one dead. two girls had vanished like a lot of people did, and "the artist" was found dead.
- the death was ruled an accident. but whispers were shared, who was the last one to see them alive? who was always by their side? all the answers led to astoria timurova.
- but ahem... it wasn't her who did anything, she's blissfully unaware that people think it was her, and astoria timurova? idk her.
- eventually, she found herself at palmview grove. and you know? she can actually see herself long enough. proof of that is she's been here for 3 years now.
- started as a bartender at the Satin Rose Lounge, she became a manager within the year. no one remembers hiring her. no one really knows if she's the owner or not. she lets people think what they want.
- behind the seeming control she found again, she's still looking. for the girl she left behind. for a version of herself that doesn't need to pretend.
- little does she know, she's also been looked for. oh well that's a problem for future her lmao
✦ personality + headcanons:
!! in a nutshell, she's flirtatious, uses humor and performance to hide herself and how tired she might be ( her traumas, her jokes !! ), enjoys watching people squirm , only a bit. she doesn't mean harm though. unless you touch one of the dancers, do not touch her girls !!
!! she’s witty, self-aware, and hard to pin down sometimes. she rarely says exactly what she means, but always means what she says.
!! underneath all those theatrics, there's someone desperately tired of pretending — someone who wants to believe in softness again, but only knows how to survive with a persona.
!! If she ever lets someone in, truly — it’ll be on her terms. and it’ll probably be the most dangerous thing she’s ever done. not like she ranaway, right?
+ wakes up late, and looks like she had the best night of sleep ever. she didn't. and if you look closely it will be very easy to see the dark circles under concealer but don't look too close okay?
+ rarely seen smoking, even if the cigarette smoke lingers deep under her perfume. btw she wears billie eilish no 2.
+ keeps a notebook behind the bar with no names. only initials and drink orders.
+ speaks in very butched russian when very drunk. she doesn't know what you're talking about when asked.
+ never corrects people if they think she owns satin rose - let them think whatever they want.
+ changes the music depending on her mood.
+ still carries a bracelet from her friend.
+ don't call her any kind of nickname, you're gonna make her regress 32464 years.
+ randomly mumbles tunes she didn't know she remembered. doesn't address it. probably some of her mother's lullabies.
+ VERY protective. and will actually help someone out. but don't mention it. she doesn't know what you're talking about either.
+ kinda of a workaholic. you will see her more at work tbh than at her own apartment.
🔗 POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS / PLOTHOOKS
1. The Golden Regular
A regular customer — older or younger — who she tolerates more than others, could even say she likes them. Maybe they flirt. Maybe regular overshares. Maybe sometimes they ask too many questions she doesn't want to answer. Either way, they’ve earned a rightful seat.
2. The Former Performer
Someone who used to dance or sing at Satin Rose. Left on good terms… or under duress. There’s tension. There’s memory. There’s unfinished business. Dun dun. !!
3. The Unwanted Attachment
Someone who insists they’re her friend. Tries too hard. Follows her around. She finds them annoying… until they do something that earns her silent, permanent loyalty.
4. A Ghost From The Past
Someone who doesn't necessarily know her from before (but it could be if you want to), but someone who makes her remember someone from her past. Whether it's something good or bad.
5. The Bartender / Bouncer
They work under her supervision. The "muscle" that kicks badly behaved patrons out. At first, they were nothing more than another shift to cover. But now… They share slow nights, late smokes, and soft laughter. She never tells them the truth, but they might be the first person she doesn’t want to lie to. She may have let them a bit too close.
6. The Suspicious Local
They’ve heard whispers. The way she never talks about her life before Palmview. The fact no one remembers hiring her. They're watching her. And she knows it.
Anyway, if you read all the way through here ily. My name is Gaby, and I love angst and ic drama. I might be super slow at replying in general, dms and... replies. But I promise I am always so down to plot and write !!!
