BASICS
skeleton: sandbar
character name: theo seong
age & birthdate: 30, October 27, 1991
gender & pronouns: cisgender man & he/him
birthplace: port vale
length of time in port vale: lifetime
occupation: owner of the houseboat
fc: hwang in-yeop
HISTORY
As a child, Theo had big dreams that would hopefully take him far away from Portvale, where he spent his entire life staring at the same beach, going to the same stores, and talking to the same locals. It wasnât a terrible town to grow up in, but it was small and stifling. Everyone knew everything about each other and opportunities were limited to owning a small business or working in the tourist industry. Theo wanted more than Port Vale. He wanted to bring the used guitar he spent years saving money for around the world and perform the songs he wrote in the safety of his bedroom. He wanted to experience something new and be known as someone other than the local fishermanâs son, but that wasnât the life his dad wanted for him.
Their houseboat was almost like his fatherâs actual first born son. He poured nearly all of his savings into the fixer-upper and redid the entire boat himself, trying his best to create the perfect home for him and his son. To Theoâs father, they were living in his proudest work, and it was obvious from the way he would reverently run his fingers along the walls, constantly tinkering with every seemingly pristine piece until he was satisfied. However, to Theo, it was a suffocatingly small home that only reminded him that if he didnât take his life into his own hands then he was destined to live in Portvale forever. âThis will all be yours one day, Theo,â his father used to tell him, as if another option didnât exist.
When it came time to apply for college, Theo had his sights set on NYU. He wanted to study music and move to a big city. His dad assumed he would go somewhere local, and to humor him, Theo did apply to community college, but after his dad went to bed, he would stay up late into the night writing his college essay and perfecting his application for NYU. His father didnât find out the truth until his acceptance letter was delivered.
It was the first time Theo and his father really fought, but it was enough to break their relationship. Theo kept all that resentment and desire for something different buried for so long that it exploded out of him the moment his dad told him he couldnât go to New York. His dad always assumed he would follow the path he laid out for his son. He assumed Theo was happy in Port Vale. Theo was too afraid of disappointing him to correct himâuntil he saw his one chance to leave being taken away from him. He didnât need his fatherâs approval, he had money set aside for his college tuition and approval for financial aid, so he packed his bags, his guitar, and hopped on a bus to New York City.
At first, it felt like Theo was living his dream. New York City was the polar opposite of Port Vale, and he reveled in the fast-faced, loud, and bustling lifestyle. College gave him the opportunity to meet people from not only all over the country, but all over the world. His classes allowed him to learn more about music than he could ever teach himself. It was everything he could ever hope for, but he had lost his father in the process. They lost contact, and Theo stopped coming home for breaks after he and a group of friends decided to rent a tiny shoebox apartment together.
That idyllic picture of his future crumbled when he was forced into the real world and realized that just because he had a fancy degree and could play guitar and sing didnât mean he was going to be anything other than a broke college graduate from a tiny town. Record companies didnât even listen to his demos before tossing them aside, and the closest he ever got to fame was open mic nights at dingy bars or busking on the streets. Still, Theo stubbornly stayed put, refusing to return to Port Vale with his tail between his legs. He would rather be a failure in the city than stuck in that too small town and that too small houseboat.
PRESENT
Four years ago, Theo received the news that his father died of a heart attack, and he suddenly realized how much time he wasted being stubborn. They never repaired their relationship, and Theo would never get the chance to. His dad was just gone, and he was his only family left. The only thing he left behind was his precious houseboat. Maybe it was grief or maybe it was a reality check, but Theo finally left behind his life in New York to return to that coastal town he used to resent so much. It felt like he had to honor his father somehow, and the only way he could imagine making up for those lost years was to take over his houseboat.
His fatherâs ghost was all over their home, every piece of him ingrained in the wood and dĂ©cor, and as much as Theo felt like he should preserve it exactly as it was, he thought he could do something more with it. Instead of keeping his fatherâs legacy to himself, he could share it with the entire town, truly turning the houseboat into something special.
Theo used to bartend in New York and knew a thing or two about cocktails, and Port Vale was seriously lacking in proper nightlife, so he came up with the idea to turn his old home into a bar. Once he had a plan, Theo dedicated himself to his new creative outlet. He decided to lean into the kitschy mermaid theme that Port Vale seemed to love so much and created a place that both tourists and locals could enjoy. It wasnât the music career he always dreamed of, but it was almost better. The Houseboat felt safe. The Houseboat was home. The Houseboat was his father personified.
PERSONALITY
Theo isnât the easiest person to get along with. Heâs notoriously stubborn and reserved. He never learned to express himself outside of music, saving his feelings for his lyrics. After facing so much rejection, heâs tired and jaded, and relies on sarcasm for most conversations. He also carries a lot of guilt about his fatherâs death. Heâs trying to make up for it with The Houseboat, but nothing can erase the fact that he didnât speak to his father for years before his death. He was never a particularly cheerful child growing up in Port Vale, but now he carries an obvious sadness that makes him quiet and a little unapproachable. The only thing that seems to bring a spark to his eyes is channeling his creativity into the bar.
CONNECTIONS
OBSIDIAN: in your eyes, they are just another person like you; an unlucky type of guy, one who hit the dirt to make a name from himself in town. sometimes you forget he wasnât always here, him and his tattoo shop. like you, he faced struggles to open up business, with pushback from the locals⊠but like you, heâs found success. you admire that with him, but donât understand why your attempts to befriend him have gone awry.
BERYL: they are intense; but isnât everyone, when they first enter your bar? thatâs what you offer, a rest for the wary and conversation for the lonesome. for them, neither of those seem to do the trick. laser focus and crushing expectations are their whole thing, so you slid a drink in front of them and ask those small questions about their day, hoping to unravel the tension between their shoulders blades and the determined gaze, the set of their jaw. youâre not usually part of the community welcome wagon, but youâve been making exceptions lately, with all the new faces in town who wind up seated at your counter.
BRASS: you are very much intrigued; perhaps, even, a bit taken by them. cunning and convincing at once; you envy that. charm has only gotten you so far, and you see their air of confidence and wonder if itâll get them to where they need to be - you are pleased each time they enter your bar, and perhaps may be a bit too obvious in your attention you give them.