TUGS OC: William (M. Conner) - Alive
(TW//: mentions of alcohol use and death)
Tugboat/Humanized
Birthday: February 2nd 19XX
Sexuality: Homosexual (Gay)
Age: 28 (the age when he died)
Gender & Pronouns: Male He/Him
Height: 5’3
Vessel: Tugboat
Type: River Tug
Number: (Has no known number)
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William M. Conner, a small river tug of sturdy 1919s construction, was an Irish tugboat who came to Bigg City Port seeking a better life. Painted a dark, muted teal and lacking any visible registration number, he looked unremarkable—which was exactly what his owners wanted. In those years, the harsh realities of the Prohibition Era and anti-Irish sentiment meant William couldn't secure an honest job.
The only way he could survive was to work for a ruthless gang of bootleggers upriver. Officially, in the daytime he was a simple harbor utility tug, shuffling lumber and empty barges, but his true, terrifying job was smuggling illegal liquor into the city under the cover of night.
His existence was defined by paranoia and profound isolation, a fear compounded by his own secret life as a gay man in a highly judgmental time. He actively pushed away anyone, terrified that his shameful secrets would destroy them too.
William hated his job and his cruel owners, who explicitly threatened to sink and scrap him themselves if he were ever caught. His only form of escape from the perpetual anxiety was to secretly siphon and drink some of the contraband he carried, trapping him in a cycle of self-destruction and misery.
His one small pleasure was anchoring silently during the day to watch the honest tugs on the main port channel. He dreamed of being one of them, free to whistle, to socialize, and to perform a legitimate duty. This silent spectatorship was a daily, painful reminder of the normal life that was perpetually out of reach.
