truthorconsequencesrp is a semi-appless literate roleplay group set in a fictional version of the small town of Truth or Consequences in New Mexico for 25+ muns and original characters. It strives to offer an inclusive and laid-back environment to write in, with a focus on character development and building IC connections. Whether your muse spent all their life here or are just passing by, this town will welcome them just the same!
MOBILE NAVIGATION HERE
MUN SLOTS 8/20 are taken
APP COUNT 0
ACCEPTANCES Rolling basis
CHARACTER NAME: Wesley Brandt
FACECLAIM: Chris Hemsworth
AGE: Thirty-eight
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Cis man, he/him
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: February 6th, 1985 // Aquarius
OCCUPATION: Real Estate Agent
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: One year
NEIGHBORHOOD: Vista la Verde
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: Glass Jaw by chokecherry
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Parental neglect, death
ABOUT:
Wesley was raised with his parents expecting everything from him, despite not giving him much back in terms of emotional support. They were strict, overbearing, and extremely critical. So it's no surprise that Wes grew up with a complex to hide his insecurities and secret need for approval.
He's hyper-sensitive to how others perceive him and internally panics if an interaction isn't going well, or he can sense that the other person doesn't like him. But of course, he hides it. Sometimes he even acts more aloof and like he doesn't care, in order to not be snubbed first.
It wasn't until his father died last year and still didn't have a good word to say to Wes that he realized he shouldn't have been living his life for his unpleasable parents this whole time. He packed his things, got in his car, and started the drive from California to who-knows-where in order to get away from everything. It was supposed to be a short trip, but he ended up staying in Truth or Consequences when he fell in love with the charm of the town and got a breath of fresh air.
He hasn't really made any contact with friends or family back in California this entire time. He's being avoidant, and he knows it, but it's easier to just pretend like he has a new life now with no old responsibilities... or a fiancé he left behind.
Currently, he just got his New Mexico real estate license and is extremely proud of it, even though there's not much real estate to go around in a town of only 6,000. He hopes to pick up another job soon, but isn't sure where to look.
CHARACTER NAME: Evelynn Gonzales
FACECLAIM: Camila Mendes
AGE: Twenty-seven
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Cis woman, she/her
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: August 17th, 1995 // Leo
OCCUPATION: Blackstone Lodge Receptionist
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: Twenty-seven years
NEIGHBORHOOD: Bath District
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: Calaveritas by Ana Tijoux
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Anxiety
ABOUT
Born and raised in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Her parents were well-off when they started their family, but not wealthy by any means or affluent. Though, all three are well known for helping out and being a part of the community. They attend town events, help fundraise, are always one to stop their car if someone get stranded, etc.
Eve tried to go to college and do the usual thing, follow the usual life path, but it just wasn’t for her. She dropped out two years in following a nervous breakdown. It was around this time she was formally diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety as well.
Returning home, her mother got her a job at the Blackstone Lodge as a maid cleaning rooms. It was actually her first job, because her family was well-off enough for her not to have to work during her teenage years. Once there, she bonded quickly with her coworkers and came to love the feeling of working for her own money instead of relying on her parents. Of course, she still lives with them to put save money for her own eventual home, but that's an aside.
Eve ended up applying as a receptionist when the opportunity came along a few years ago, and she's been one ever since.
Work is actually where she met her current girlfriend, and now the trouble is that she wants Eve to move in even though tradition and her own feelings dictate that she have a house instead of an apartment to come home to when living with another person. It's a silly detail when there's so much love between them they should be happy living even in a trailer, but Eve wants to provide the best she can, and she feels like she can't do that just yet.
CHARACTER NAME: billie bray baker.
FACECLAIM: laura harrier.
AGE: thirty-one.
GENDER/PRONOUNS: cis woman, she/her.
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: 14th february 1992 & aquarius.
OCCUPATION: mechanic at firewheel auto repair shop.
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: twenty-one years. NEIGHBORHOOD: vista la verde.
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: jaguar - victoria monét.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: pregnancy, post natal depression
ABOUT
A San Francisco native, Billie Bray was born on a cold February morning 1992, to at the time, two loving parents. It had been an unexpected, unplanned pregnancy however Georgina and Michael Baker were somewhat excited, ready to bring their first child into the world with open arms. With Michael a high school teacher and Georgina a Nurse, both were extremely busy with very little time for each other, let alone a new baby, but this was their new life now. A few weeks into Billie’s life, Georgina began suffering with postnatal depression, distancing herself from nearly everyone in her life, including Billie. The bond failed to grow between the two, which meant Michael had to step up and begin providing Billie with the basic care as well as looking after Georgina, who often suffered crisis’ leading to her frequently not leaving the house for days or weeks on end.
As Billie grew older, the bond between her and her father only got stronger and stronger as she became more and more distant with her mother. He would spend any spare time, although limited, teaching Billie everything she knows about mechanics and this is where her love for tinkering all things cars or bikes stems from. Life began taking its toll on both Georgina and Michael, tension was highly strung between them as they struggled to keep their heads above the water as well as raising Billie, who was incredibly strong-willed. At the age of nine, Billie returned home from school to find her mother had packed her bags and left, with nothing but a note left. As always, life carried on and Billie had to learn to cope without her mother, trying to navigate her young life and support her father who was nearly at breaking point.
A year later, the father and daughter duo were struggling on and unable to keep the roof over their heads in San Francisco, Michael upped and moved himself and Billie across country to Truth and Consequences, a quaint town small enough for the two of them to start over and hopefully move on from the obstacles life had thrown them. They soon settled down in Kopra, an RV being all Michael could afford and began their new lives.
Flying through school with above average grades, Billie was destined to do well and was a credit to her father, it just seemed she couldn't figure out what that destiny was. Moving on to once she had graduated college, Billie bounced around a few different jobs to help support her father before an opening for a mechanic at Firewheel Auto Repair shop became available, Billie landing herself a job there at the age of twenty-three and has been there ever since.
Relationship wise, Billie dated around like many, yet never truly settled down in worry that once again they would up and leave her like her mother. Cue two years ago, Billie had met what seemed the perfect man, they fell in love hard and fast, very quickly getting engaged which shocked everyone, but Billie was happy and being the strong, independent woman she was, finally let down her guard down. Although they say happiness doesn’t last forever and life would soon throw another obstacle at Billie. Finding out she was pregnant six months into the relationship rocked the boat massively, Jordan had expressed he specifically didn’t want children and immediately called off the engagement, leaving Billie and town without hesitation. Moving out from her father’s RV and into her own apartment in Vista la Verde, Billie soon gave birth to a baby girl and from that moment on, vowed to give her daughter everything she could.
Billie can be very stubborn and guarded, but is a true sweetie mixed in with a little spice, a true hard worker and one of the most loyal people you’ll ever meet. Billie carries on, flowing through life and hoping maybe one day she can find her true self again and maybe, just maybe be rightfully happy with her daughter by her side.
Hi everyone! This is our official announcement that we'll be opening for interactions Saturday, July 15 at 3 p.m. central. We're looking forward to seeing all your characters in action, and thank you for making T or C home.
CHARACTER NAME: nora valerio
FACECLAIM: rosa salazar
AGE: 37
GENDER/PRONOUNS: cis woman, she/her
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: july 6, 1986/ cancer
OCCUPATION: manager of perky sue
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: whole life
NEIGHBORHOOD: la vista
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: "autopilot" - allison ponthier
TRIGGER WARNINGS: parental death, car accident, divorce
ABOUT
born and raised in T or C, was the oldest of three into a family who struggled to make ends meet. Her mother was a receptionist at the Pink Pelican, and her father worked as a mechanic
She was on track to becoming the first in her family to go to college, with the plan to be a doctor. A fact her parents took pride in seeing
However, when she was seventeen, her parents were in a car accident, which resulted in the death of her mother, and left her father paralyzed and suddenly Nora was the primary caretaker of her siblings, as well as the caretaker for her father
She let college slip through her fingers, and put her effort into making sure her younger siblings were the ones to go on and get degrees
She balanced between two jobs, while also taking care of the household the best she could.
When her father passed away eight years after the accident, Nora stepped deeper into an autopilot mode to just see herself through, and make sure that payments were covered.
She married Brad Bradley when she was 32, charmed both by the lighthearted charisma he had, but also the money that the name came with in town, and she had plenty of debt that he was more than happy to help pay off. She did love him, at least she insists that she did, but even she recognizes the motives held plenty of weight
During her time married, Nora quit her jobs, and went back to school, getting her associates in business at the community college
The two divorced three years later, but remained on civil terms.
After the divorce, she went back to her job at Perky Sue, taking on a manager position
CHARACTER NAME: Dani Ramsey
FACECLAIM: Jasmin Savoy Brown
AGE: 31
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Nonbinary, they/them
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: December 18, 1992/ Sagittarius
OCCUPATION: Part-time housekeeper at the Loveroot Motel, part-time tour guide at T or C Aerospace Center
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: 31 years
NEIGHBORHOOD: Kopra
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: cool about it - boygenius
The second child of a pilot and flight attendant, Dani Ramsey was a kid who always kept their eyes to the sky. They had an endless fascination with everything to do with planes – it felt like magic. From the moment Dani was old enough, they were begging to accompany their parents on long flights instead of their parents changing their work schedules or hiring a babysitter. They wanted to see what it was like from inside.
Their parents though they would grow out of it. That what they were dealing with was a childlike sense of wonderment for taking to the skies. They didn't. Though as Dani got older, the flights they were allowed to tag along on lessened – there was a difference between a little toddler in the cockpit and an annoying preteen conducting unofficial flight surveys. Dani was a smart kid, if not singularly motivated – they did well in school when it suited them, and they brushed it off when it didn't.
They knew what they wanted to do – they wanted to be a pilot. It didn't even seem to be much of a question. That changed when they were seventeen. Flights started to take a toll – for weeks after, they were hit with such intense bouts of vertigo that they could barely get out of bed. The subsequent ear pain was enough for the Ramsey's to take Dani to the doctor, where they were diagnosed with Meniere's disease. It was early, and it was a condition that didn't typically worsen until a person was in their 40s. It meant, apart from tinnitus – something Dani had grown so used to they forgot there wasn't a constant ringing for everyone – and the occasional migraine or vertigo spell, their life would be entirely functional. What their doctor didn't say that both Dani and their parents heard was that they could be a passenger on any plane they wished, but they would never be able to fly.
They pretended it didn't get to them. They were young. They would find something new. But something new never came. Dani still took on an internship at the Aerospace Center, which turned into a part-time job. They went to the community college, but their grades were just high enough to get the degree. No more, no less. Being a tour guide didn't quite pay the bills, so they took on a job at the Loveroots Motel. It was okay, they reasoned. They were happy enough – even if every plane that passed over T or C made them draw up short, even more than a decade later.
FACECLAIM: Danny Pino
AGE: 45
GENDER/ PRONOUNS: Cis man, he/him
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: March 9, 1978/ Pisces
OCCUPATION: Motel manager at the Loveroot Motel
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: grew up there, moved back about a year ago
NEIGHBORHOOD: La Vista
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: Hang Me Up To Dry - Cold War Kids
Growing up, Ernesto learned early on that nothing in life came to him for free. While growing up in a loving and tight-knit family, there was always something to do or help with, whether it was taking care of his younger siblings or running errands for his parents while they worked over time to provide for them. Being the oldest, it was a given to him – looking back, maybe it shouldn’t have been.
It was a strange upbringing, being essentially raised at the motel his parents bought when he was still a young boy and seeing all kinds of people come and go, day in and day out. It all seemed fleeting and yet, somehow familiar.
He grew up in a home that felt safe, yet almost stifling sometimes. His parents both tried to cater to their children’s needs as much as they could but therefore, worked long hours and discussed work and money over dinner. In return, Ernesto grew up talking and behaving like a young adult, never really joining the other kids when they played around town but he’d spend his time with his nose buried in books, escaping the pressure of being the perfect son for them instead, while he waited for his mother to finish her night shift at the reception, despite her begging him to go to sleep instead.
There was never a question when it came to Ernesto taking over eventually and yet, there was also no room for him to breathe with his father’s expectations weighing him down. Ernesto figured that it wouldn’t take much for him to run the place, he’d been preparing for it all his life after all but his father couldn’t agree less. To him, it’s a privilege to be earned and so far, Ernesto hasn’t yet.
Having always been a bit of a loner, Ernesto was a late bloomer who’d stumble over his words whenever he talked to someone he liked and it wasn’t until he finally moved away to go to college to get a degree in hospitality management when the too tight bond he had with his parents seemed to finally loosen.
It was then when he learned what it meant to be Ernesto and not his father’s son, which had always been a relationship with its very own, rather exhausting dynamic.
Ernesto would often wonder whether or not his father actually liked him. He was a stern man. Seemingly unkind and always a little rough around the edges, unless he dealt with the people checking into the motel for a few nights. It was as if a switch was flipped then - a gentle smile replacing the prominent frown.
Putting some distance between himself and his parents soon turned out to be one of the best decisions he’d ever made. He finally grew into himself, discovered himself and who he was outside of the motel. Outside of the small town he called his home.
Having found who he really was during his time away, Ernesto realized that while he still wanted to take over the motel one day but he wanted to do it differently. He didn’t want it to be so all consuming to him the way it had been for his parents and yet, he’d soon learn that the reality of being an Estrada heir meant that working hard was the only way to go and that owning a business meant never actually getting to clock out, even while you slept.
Losing himself in his work upon returning to T or C, he finally had a goal to set his eyes on and finally, his parents seemed to be proud of their son, happy that the family business wouldn’t die with their bloodline.
Once back in town and with some new found confidence, Ernesto soon found himself working more hours at the motel and in a long-term relationship that’d last for the next few years.
But as time passed, the pair started to feel like they were drifting apart and with his mother falling sick and her health rapidly declining, Ernesto ended the relationship before a good thing turned into something that would be damaged beyond repair. He couldn’t seem to muster the energy to feel so many things all at once - his grief hitting him out of nowhere and hitting him hard.
After her untimely passing, Ernesto needed a break. Being confronted with his own family’s pain felt unbearable and with his father still falling into his rather frigid ways, he moved away for a second time in his life - this time, to work in a different city and a different job which didn’t sit well with his family in the slightest.
But it was then when he crossed paths with his current partner. A rather turbulent relationship that’d last for many years to come and one that’d be sealed with rings being exchanged along with a promise.
It was by no means a perfect fairytale from the start. Maybe it was never even meant to be. There were fights and breaks followed by make ups and eventually, Ernesto learned about his partner’s infidelity. Through hearing about their antics from others. Their affairs. Their flirtations. But he couldn’t help the way he felt about them and never did much to change it. He’d fallen for them and he’d fallen hard and so he swallowed each and every bitter pill, time and time again. This time though, they agreed on newly set up rules that he felt were simple and fair enough for both of them. They could hook up with whoever they wanted, as long as they told him it happened. The only limits being that they can’t act on it when he’s around or it’s with someone they both know well.
After a few years away from home, Ernesto’s father reached out to let Ernesto know that he was planning to retire eventually and Ernesto knew it was as if New Mexico was calling him back home.
The small town he grew up in would always be where he truly belonged and it wasn’t long until the pair agreed to move into a house there - a chance to mend the part of their relationship that had been chipped away at over time and a somewhat fresh start for either of them.
The new found euphoria that came with moving back isn’t meant to last long though and instead, it won’t take long until Ernesto’s life will take yet another turn.
While everything seems like it is all falling into place for the first time in forever, once again, Ernesto’s partner fell back into their old ways. Only this time, it hit too close to home - literally. Ernesto doesn’t know yet that their latest slip happened to be with no other but a close mutual friend and co-worker of his, breaking the only rule in place along with Ernesto’s trust.
Aside from that, Ernesto is struggling with his father’s ways once again, learning the hard way that while it feels like he grew into his own, it’s not that easy not to fall back into his very own old habits. He came back with the promise of working towards taking over the motel, yet it feels like that’s merely a distant dream at this point and not at all a possibility in the near future. Instead of feeling right at home, Ernesto feels torn. On a lot of things, if he’s being honest to himself.
CHARACTER NAME: wade solomon
FACECLAIM: jake weary
AGE: 31
GENDER/PRONOUNS: cis man ; he&him
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: july 28th, 1991 ; leo
OCCUPATION: part-time housekeeper at DUDE MOTEL & APARTMENTS ; part-time farm hand at MILKWEED FARM
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: six months
NEIGHBORHOOD: vista la verde
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: daytona sand by orville peck
TRIGGER WARNINGS: drugs ; suicide attempt
ABOUT
wade was supposed to be perfect. an upper-middle-class family with two beautiful and talented daughters and the parents thought that three was the magic number — wade was going to be it. his mother should've known he was going to be trouble from the second she held him in her arms and he wouldn't stop screaming his head off, though. his life was mostly planned out from even before he was born with no room for error, no place for straying. his sisters followed the map and came out on top, wade was going to be next. school, college, career, marriage, kids, happy life — a foolproof plan that his folks stuck to and which wade was supposed to follow, too. none of it worked for him though.
he had trouble at school. nothing really interested him, he always half-assed things because none of them could keep his attention for too long. science and math were too complicated, books were often too hard to read so he never took a liking to english either. art was okay and he was kind of good at it but you also had to show up to school and that was too much to ask from wade. if he showed up, he was stoned, if he decided to skip, he drove somewhere secluded to get stoned. he didn't have any friends and most of the people at school thought he was a freak so it’s not like there was a lot keeping him there.
his senior year of high school, his father ran for governor. that, of course, brought a lot of attention to the picture-perfect family that wade didn’t fit. wade’s sisters were in their junior year at yale and harvard. wade was failing pretty much everything. they were almost engaged. wade couldn’t even remember the name of the guy that kissed him for the first time because he was so drunk. they were going to become doctors or lawyers. wade had no idea what he was going to do. his parents tried to fix him. they got him private tutors, talked the principal into giving him a chance, kept telling wade that if he doesn’t clean up his act there will be consequences. they never thought to take him to see a therapist and that only happened when wade tried to kill himself on christmas day when he was 18. he told his parents that it was an accident and that he didn’t mean to hurt himself and they believed him. they put him on medication and then told him to really get it together or else.
wade always wanted to leave anyway. his hometown always felt like it was suffocating him, more than his own faulty brain ever did. so before they could do anything, he decided to leave on his own. he graduated, barely (and probably only because his parents paid for it; a waste of money, wade always says), emptied his account, packed up his car and just drove. it was week after graduation and he didn’t even say goodbye to anyone. he sent his family a postcard from boston a month later, fuck you thick in red ink on the back of it, in handwriting that didn’t even look like his own anymore. the same day he left and drove to portland, figuring that another huge city will make him feel like he belongs somewhere.
it felt liberating, to finally be on his own. while he never really had any plans for his life, he knew he always wanted to leave — leave and go places, see things. he’s spent eighteen years in a house he hated so the idea of not having a house felt good to him, felt free to him. there’s no career called a little bit of everything but that’s exactly what he did. a small job here and there, anything and everything, from working a cash register to fixing radiators. it was a surprise to see how quick wade was able to pick up a new skill, but it made sense since he was going to be paid for it. he’d sleep in his car, at some random person’s couch, a motel room, even a homeless shelter when he had to. but he was fine. he could do whatever he wanted, go wherever he wanted, spend his time and money whichever way he pleased. after having his parents do everything to control his every move, it felt good to have that.
he didn’t like staying in the same place for too long, it made him feel restless. he needed to go further, he needed to see more. portland, new york, toronto, nashville, houston, phoenix, las vegas, los angeles and every small town in between; wade would pull up a map, scribble some track on it (he still keeps it old school, none of that google maps shit) and follow. sometimes he’d stay a week, other times he’d stay for six months. vegas made him stick around for a year and a half and he almost ended up with a normal life (he had a steady job working the register at target, actually paid rent at the place he lived at and there was a guy who was getting really serious about him) but then the restlessness came back and soon enough he was on his way. it felt good to leave everything behind and it felt good to know that there were new things waiting for him again.
drugs that weren’t weed came surprisingly late for wade, considering his lifestyle. he was 25 and at some musician’s party in la when he tried cocaine first. he moved again soon after but then started running with a crowd that did drugs a lot. he graduated from weed few times a week to blow every weekend, or more. he tried other things, too, every party he went to crazier than the night before. it was the start of a dirty habit that wade can’t kick at this point.
big towns started tiring him out, especially when he realized that small towns were just as easy to navigate as the capitals. he traded chicago for rockford and then traded that for a town with a single street. he still made sure that all the places were close enough to the big ones, just so he didn’t have to drive for hours to get high, but the five-thousand-people towns suited him best. especially if he changed them like gloves.
another thing he changed often was names. wade isn’t the name his parents gave him (he’s always hated it, sounded so grown up, so stuck up, everything that wade wasn’t), solomon isn’t his family name, and by now he’s given himself at least thirty, both first and last. sometimes, he’d pick something new the second he crossed a state line, sometimes he’d go from name to name for each town he stopped by. sometimes, he’d pick something as simple as john or jack, other times he’d become anderson or xander. he can’t write for shit but he’s good at telling stories and each name has one. he picked wade on the spot when he came to T or C six months ago and someone asked for his name for the first time, the last name came later, from the bible in the motel room bedside table.
he was going to leave — this wasn’t meant to be a permanent location, just somewhere to stop by and so after a week in town, he packed up his car and went on his merry way. the very same day he crashed his car, cracked his skull and broke an arm just outside city limits. that itself kept him in town for few more weeks and once he actually settled in, he changed his mind and decided that yeah, maybe he can call this place home for a while now. it’s been six months since — he’s picked up a few jobs here and there, sleeps where he can, gets high when he has the money to spare, tries to actually have friends. in the back of his head, he’s planning another escape because the restlessness has never left and a part of him is dying for a change of scenery. surprisingly enough though, it’s become kinda hard to leave.
CHARACTER NAME: Easton Marks
FACECLAIM: Oliver Stark
AGE: 30
GENDER: Cis Male
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: October 26, 1993/ Scorpio
OCCUPATION: Server at the Nodding Onion, and male escort
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: A month
NEIGHBORHOOD: Kopra
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: Echo by Jason Walker
TRIGGER WARNINGS: sex work tw, alcoholism tw, drug use, drinking
ABOUT
When Easton Marks was born into the elite world of NYC, he was born with a life plan mapped out for him by his parents. Being the first son came with a premade outline. What his schedule would look like. What interests he would invest his time in. What colleges he was allowed to apply to. What job he'd end up taking. All he had to do was stick to the plan. For a long time that was what he did. He played the sports he was told to. Got the grades that were expected of him and went to the college that had a highly ranked finance program that would set him up nicely to take a position in his father's firm.
In college he took advantage of the freedom. It was a taste of getting to have something for himself. But it led to trouble and his parent's tightening their grip on him even more, becoming more strict and as they were paying his way, Easton didn't feel like he had much of a choice but do what they wanted. However there was a little bit of rebellion left in his spirit, finding small outlets when he could.
He continued to take more risks in her personal and professional life. It was all great at first. He was doing well enough for his parents to leave him be, while getting to find a release from trying to look the part that everyone needed him to. His perfect balance eventually crashed when some risky moves with a couple big clients caused some damage. The loss of those clients and millions of dollars cost him his job and his relationship with his father as he was cut off.
Never having to worry about money before, Easton hadn't been saving anything on his own. It had all been play money. It didn't take him long to lose his place and get his car repossessed as he couldn't afford the payments. Other firms wouldn't touch him as word got around about what had happened. What money he did have left he was going through quickly. He was left desperate and naïve to the real world now that he was kicked out of the privileged one.
Wasting his last few dollars at a bar one night, he was scouted by a woman who said she could help him get back to the world he wanted. When he asked how she'd do that, the answer seemed like a joke to him. She ran a small escort service in the city. Easton thought it was crazy but a long conversation showed him the possibilities that he'd never have working some dead-end minimum wage job. All he had to do was take a trial date or two and see how he felt before committing to anything.
There was nothing but skepticism when he entered into it, but it took him by surprise. Easton found that he didn't just like the money but the job too. It was like he got to be someone different depending on the client. Not just fulfill physical needs but emotional ones as well. Finding that he liked lightening their spirits, even if it was just for a night. He had felt isolated from a real connection that these nightly ones were just as much a saving grace to him. But the more entangled he got in the world, the more he lost himself. The persona he put on for people drowning him along with the parties and lifestyle.
Alcohol became his medicine. When the charm wore off he just needed a few drinks for the night to turn it all on. When other aids were offered by clients he took those too. Pills, lines of coke... It was just part of it all. There was never a night when he was sober and what started as an adventure was dragging him down. Suffocating in his own mind. He decided he needed to get out. Needed to find himself again. He broke his contract with his agency and left his world in the middle of the night which landed him in a new town and hopefully a new him. But as they say old habits die hard and some for Easton are near impossible.
FACECLAIM: Eduardo Franco
AGE: 25
GENDER/ PRONOUNS: cis man/ he/him
BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: January 31, 1998/ Aquarius
OCCUPATION: Laser tag attendant
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN T OR C: 25 years
NEIGHBORHOOD: Vista la Verde
SONG THAT SUITS THEM: Rascal King - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
ABOUT
Armando Duran (known exclusively as Drizz since his freshman year of high school for reasons he either won't disclose or genuinely doesn't remember, though he's been known to make something up if he has the time or energy) was almost prodigious when he was a kid. He could play an instrument that you put into his hands if he was left alone long enough.
Which was fortunate, because both his parents worked two jobs to make ends meet. They mapped out a life for Drizz long before he was old enough to realize he had no interest in following it. He liked playing drums – that was his instrument of choice. His parents allowed it, as long as his primary focus was the violin. It had been goddamn expensive, music lesson they pulled doubles for not included. He was good. Prodigious, almost. The better he got, the less he wanted it.
Lessons were a concession he made to be able to hang out with his friends after school a few days a week. Joining concert band his compromise to being able to get a job at the Family Fun Center. That, and his paycheck was enough to help his parents stop working for eighteen hours out of the day. He hoped it would cushion the blow when he told them he didn't want to go college, despite all the money they'd been funneling into his college fund.
When the time came, Drizz applied to audition at one college that felt the most like a long shot – Juilliard. It was the surprise of the century when he landed it, only eclipsed by his acceptance. He didn't want to leave New Mexico. He had no desire to spend his life as a concert violinist. He tried to say as much, but the Durans were having none of it. His bags were packed, and in the fall, he was going to New York, all his protests be damned. Drizz lasted one year. He barely attended classes, and the ones he did grace with his presence, he failed with absolutely no grace. He attended just long enough to rack up thirty grand in debt and squander what his parents had managed to put into a college fund.
The summer between his freshman and sophomore year, he told them he wouldn't be going back. He promised to pay them back for the money they'd lost (he omitted that it had barely covered his books – that felt like insult to injury). That particular move single-handedly decimated his relationship with his parents. They let him stay while he figured out his next moves, a time that clearly had an expiration date. The silence any time he walked into the room was more than enough incentive to expedite the process.He went back to his job at the Family Fun Center. It was a shit job, but it was something he didn't have to be good at. It didn't come with the weight of anyone's real expectations – and he found a really good corner for naps. He moved in with friends who happened to be coworkers at the first available opportunity. It's taken years, but the Durans have finally started to work their way toward family dinners around the holidays. Drizz worked his way back to music, occasionally drumming when someone needs a last-minute stand in at a show, but even then, he’s reticent about it. (Though if he ever sees another violin he will drive his van off into the night and never be seen again).
