Name: Lucien "Luc" Melaina Age: Forty-six Gender & Pronouns: Cis-male, he/him Sexuality: Gay Time in Redwood: Two years Resides in: Second floor of the library building Previous occupation: Author Community occupation: Librarian

musings // answered // mirror // wanted connections

An old soul, that’s what they called Lucien ever since he was a kid. And as if in a hurry to catch up with that old soul, the oldest Melaina son walked and talked and read earlier than all other kids his age, impressing parents and teachers and everyone who came to know the little guy who spent his days with his nose stuck in a book. They talked about how he would become a scientist, a politician, a lawyer, half-joking and half-hoping and doted on his every need.

But Luc didn’t share any of those aspirations. Luc only needed his books and his few good friends and his peace and quiet in order to be happy. He never excelled at school the way everyone expected, his mind wandering to far away worlds, or trying to keep his eyes open after having pulled an all-nighter to read just one more chapter. He didn’t get invited to many parties and he never found the appeal in sports, but even though he lived in a different bubble than the popular kids, no one dared to bully or make fun of him.

Even his college years were quiet, his degree in English Literature coming almost easily to him. He spent his hours in the library and next to the sea and in cute little coffee shops with his laptop and his books, reading and writing and daydreaming until he found himself scrolling through pages and pages of his own creation.

His first novel did well enough, especially for a debut. His second one, even better. His third one changed his world forever. Luc doesn’t know how and he doesn’t know why, but it apparently hit the right chord– there was success and money and awards and a movie deal. And there was a thrust into the spotlight that nobody could have prepared him for.

Because Hollywood was very different from the peace and quiet he had always tried to maintain. He tried to be grateful for the kind words and the selfies and the interviews, but he found himself returning home exhausted and empty and with zero energy or interest to turn or write a single page.

When the virus hit, Luc was on a promotion tour for the movie that was set to premier at the end of the year. Every day he put on a mask of excitement and answered the same questions and said the same catchphrases and ignored his true feelings. He did everything the publicists and managers told him– so when they said that this virus was nothing to worry about, he believed them.

They were in Washington, DC when the outbreak became impossible to ignore. The tour and the premiere and everything was ‘postponed until further notice’, flights were canceled, panic spread. Luc stayed in town for as long as he deemed safe, and when everything became too suffocating, he joined a group that fled to the countryside.

He felt terrified and exhausted and completely useless– he couldn’t run very fast, he couldn’t cook very well, and he definitely couldn’t fight. People came and people left and people died and somehow, probably through pure luck, he survived day after day. Months later, he found himself at Redwood, dehydrated and starving and with a broken and infected leg.

And the people of Redwood took care of him. They let him rest and gave him food and water and clean clothes and a place to stay. So he gave back what he could, even if it was just a few kind words, a good conversation and a renovated library– after all, he knew from a very young age that sometimes a few good friends and a few good books are enough to make you happy.

With the understandable shortage of new items coming into the library, he is very strict with return deadlines and demands all the books remain in the best possible condition.

His leg has good and bad days, sometimes he can barely get out of bed, others he can almost forget the pain is there. Still, he always carries his cane with him and leans into it whether by need or habit.

There’s always that one orange cat in the library- Luc calls him Gatsby, feeds him, lets him sit on his lap while he is reading, has him sleep on the foot of his bed, but is not willing to admit that the cat is his at this point.

Before the outbreak, he used to be a vegetarian, but since then he has had meat on various occasions for the sake of survival. When there are other options, he always goes for the vegetables.

He knows that it’s a weird thing to say, but he is happier during the apocalypse than he was before it, getting to enjoy the slow life of Redwood after so long in the spotlight. However, the thought of what is going on outside the walls never really leaves his head, as he knows that if the city falls, his chances of survival are next to none.

ISAAC "IKE" APATOW | COUNCIL MEMBER Age: 58 Born & Raised: North Washington State Hometown when virus was released: Brooklyn, NY Town Job: Supply Scouting & Procurement (raiding. It's raiding) Previous job: GM at a recovery step-down

~ || ~

Ike grew up with trouble, only he didn't know it; in the tiny unincorporated settlement of Ark, isolated in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, it took till he turned twenty to realize that the rest of the country didn't live that way. Not in a place with a total of eight families who intermarried and believed they were descendants of the Apostle Matthias, who lived strictly off the land, who revered the Holy Bible but were only allowed a curated collection of the Relevant Words.

Some things happened, the sorts of secret and terrible things that isolated religious cults are built on, and Ike found he didn't have the stomach for what he was intended to be to his clan and the community. He struck out from Ark -- alone and in secret, and hitched his way across the country to get as far as he could. It wasn't an easy transition. The world rushed in fast and he wasn't used to independent autonomy, and first liquor and then drugs helped with that, and the whole time, sex. The best and fastest way to make things make sense or get what he needed, except it never resolved into anything more even when he thought he could handle a relationship. He probably had kids. He didn't know how many, or where they were. A lot was lost, those years on the street or in dingy SRO housing.

But he turned it around and got gainful employment at the Good Apple halfway house in Brooklyn he passed through a few times on detox step-down, managing to make it all the way up to general manager. Still no luck on the lasting relationship front, but Ike didn't sweat it. He never lacked for companionship if he wanted it, and the folks in his charge kept him busy.

When the virus hit, the marginalized population that Ike lived and worked with saw its effects hard -- and got blamed for it, of course. He almost felt vindicated when it spread and upstanding outstanding folks kakked it too, without the sin of a needle in their arms or fucking for money. But then it kept on spreading, and people started dying in droves. And then coming back. Ike took stock of what he had in Brooklyn to stay for, and he decided, one more time, to get out.

Alone, again; only this time he didn't only have to navigate a strange and dangerous world, but he was actively having to not be killed. Ike was capable of plenty, and he knew it, but the trek out to West Virginia gave him experiences and knowledge of himself that he'd never wanted. Had buried since the days in the Ark.

Eventually, wrung-through and on his last thread of stamina, Ike fell in with a gang of scavengers calling themselves the Reavers who had a plan. Some huge farming compound headed by a bunch of suckers who didn't know what a good thing they had. It seemed plausible and Ike didn't protest ... until they got to Redwood. And they were given shelter, and he looked around him and saw one of the few lingering bastions of human community and cooperation. The Reavers launched their attack and Ike didn't stand with them. He fought on the side of Redwood.

Rebuilding wasn't a time for suspicions, especially since Ike had got good and bloodied during that battle, and he pitched in with a sense of relief. All the ugly, rank things he'd done between Mid- and Redwood, he hammered them away and kept them locked down tight. A Council member of Redwood couldn't waste time regretting the survival that brought him to this place. There was too much living to do.

[ additional info ]

~ || ~

Name: Evelyn Virginia Margaret Shepherd 

Age: Thirty

Preferred Pronouns & Gender: She/her, cis-female

Relationship Status: Married

Previous Job: None

Community Job: Lookout

Reside in: A rundown log cabin in the farmlands— currently trying to make it more livable.

How long have they been in Redwood?: Two months

PINTEREST / PLAYLIST

tldr: eve was born to a young single mother and spent her entire life raised in a doomsday cult. she has never lived a normal life, and believes that the virus is a sign to spread her doctrine and begin cleansing the earth and preparing for the true end.

Biography:

Evelyn was a miracle. Her birth was ordained by a power much greater than just her mother— a girl with a quiet disposition, hands moving up and down the beads of a wooden rosary at all hours. She gave birth to her baby girl, an unblinking infant that did not make a sound. Evelyn does not know any other circumstances of her birth, of the life her mother lead before her. She has learned that if something is not known, it is best to not question it. Information will reveal itself, those who seek too much will find punishment at the righteous hand. 

What she does know is that Diedre took her five year old daughter and her suitcase, and began a long journey. An act of blind faith, of rustic gas stations and hitchhiking, moved by something within her soul. Their direction was unclear, the beads of the rosary continued to move as days passed. They would later call it their pilgrimage, once its true purpose was revealed, the word tripping over young Evelyn’s tongue in long syllables. 

Maryland was not the intended destination of their journey, but as with all things, one must have faith. They must trust that the woman running the strawberry stand off of a non-descript highway. When the woman saw the rosary and said true faith was so rare. When Evelyn had shyly introduced herself from behind her mother’s skirt, earning an expression of shock before the woman recovered her words, inviting them to come back to her home with her. There was surely a bed for a beleaguered mother and daughter. 

It was not until years later that the true reason for their acceptance would become clear. The Eden’s Gate commune had been missing its Eve, searching for the sign of the end of days that was promised to them with each and every morning service. Their Adam, their leader, knew she had been coming, knew the importance of her arrival. While her mother was simply another mouth to feed, another set of hands to garden and clean, Evelyn was special. She was looked after. She was the symbol that the end of all things was near. The daily reminder to be alert and of sober mind so that they may pray, they may survive the coming end. 

Though there was guilt and there was shame in her role, she could not escape the fate that grew around her. Pain was a secret language between God and the faithful; Adam's wrath translated it for her. She knew true love, the commune so intertwined around her, reliant on her good nature. Leaving was never an option, waiting became the great task of her life. How could she abandon those who had raised her, even when the burden felt so great she thought she might be the first to break.

When news of the outbreak reached them finally, it was almost a relief. Here was God's answer to the end of the world. They all prayed, waiting for their ascension. But the attack on their commune had not been predicted, it had not been preached, no one knew what to do. A group of holy people, all descended upon by creatures. The newly turned destroyed everything that they had built. Eden fell, Evelyn was locked out of it. 

Though she escaped, Calamity Shepard by her side, she does not know if any other members have. She does not know what caused such a violent change in God’s will. A massacre so bloody, the only explanation must have been sin, deep and rooted. It must have festered, spread throughout people she’d thought she’d known. They had been bitten before she could cleanse them, save them, send them to heaven. They had hidden their true nature from her, and now would forever be cursed to wander.

 She would prevent such a thing from happening again, the true believers would be found and spared. Those who needed to be saved would be found and given their chance at heaven. Redwood is simply a stop along her journey, another community which must not be overlooked in her journey. God had ordained her mother to deliver her unto the world, and she would deliver souls to heaven all the same. 

Headcanons:

Her full name is Evelyn Virginia Margaret, she did not have a last name until she took Cal’s.

As she was raised in Eden’s Gate, Evelyn is particularly skilled with off-the-grid living. She is able to lend a helping hand wherever it is needed, from gardening to general medicine.

Another consequence of this is that she never had a formal education. Although she was given basic schooling, she has a distinct lack of cultural awareness.

She still keeps her mother’s rosary around her neck.

Age: 39 Gender: woman Sexuality: pansexual Birthplace: Cincinnati, OH Location pre-outbreak: Cincinnati, OH Town job: council apprentice/community planner Previous job: public defender turned city planner Personality traits: genial, compassionate, unfailingly optimistic, nerdy, even-keeled, overactive

Biography: 

Before the outbreak, Ijemma was one of the brightest movers and shakers in Cincinnati. Growing up an only child, she'd envied her many cousins their siblings and begged her parents for a little sister. "Even a little brother wouldn't be so bad." But it wasn't meant to be. Ijemma would just have to make her own family.

All along the way, she expanded her circle. Dear friends from college that she'd donate a kidney to, if asked. Colleagues in the nonprofit sector that she'd go to hell and back for. The little league girl's basketball team she coached and took out for "the good pizza" after every game.

So when the virus hit and she was smack dab in a population center, she barely made it out alive. She was in City Hall when the screams started. Turned out the higher-ups had known of the threat, but councilman Jenkins put out a gag order. The Queen City fell hard and fast.

She shamelessly rode the coattails of the man who straight up saved her life--a city hall janitor, of all people. Something about that particular fact felt like vindication. Maybe this new world would be a place that knew the value of the little guys. They made it to his family farm in Maysville, KY and they were all sweet enough to welcome her in.

But good things rarely last. An attack in the night overwhelmed the whole farmstead, so the family started east, certain they'd find answers in DC. Redwood was meant to be nothing more than a rest stop. But she saw its potential and decided to stay while the rest of the pack headed onward. All those great ideas she had working for a big city might finally come in handy building a small town.

Headcanons:

Film buff. These days, most movie nights are for the entertainment of the town's many kiddos. But she was the one who instituted it way back, and inaugurated it with an unhinged showing of Mulholland Drive. (Pickings were slim.)

Her grandfather was a tremendous presence in her life. She got along fine with her parents, but no one could compete with her Baba.

A fiend for potato chips. She's never been much of a cook, but since pre-packaged foods have started running low, she's perfected the process of making potato chips. Good, crispy potato chips. But she'll still burn toast.

Name: Clint Bennet Age: 35 Gender: Cis Male Sexuality: Bi Demi-sexual (Female leaning) Relationship Status: Single Length of Time in Redwood: 4 months Community Occupation: Outside Security Previous Occupation: Laborer, Security, wherever the money took him

Status: Online/ Offline/ Lurking

In The Drafts:

Bio and headcanons below the cut

Clint grew up in southern Louisiana out in what was considered the sticks. Having an abusive father and an absent mother, he preferred to spend his time out in the wilderness, enjoying the company of gators, raccoons, and whatever other wildlife he shared he space with over that of his family. When he was 10, his older brother of 16 ran off to escape his father’s abuse, leaving Clint to take it all on himself, it didn’t take long before his father gave him a blow to the head at 13 that resulted in his deafness. While it was a hard adjustment to make, Clint was able to adapt by learning lipreading and sign language through his school. At 15 a few DCF calls resulted in Clint being removed from his home and his father’s abuse. A double edged sword, while he was saved from the physical and psychological violence he was also removed from the only sense of normalcy he knew and was instead shifted from foster home to foster home, having no real connection to any extended family nor the families he was homed with. He tried to get away on several occasions, becoming a frequent flyer and a regular face in the town jail to wait to be picked up by the social workers and returned back to whatever foster facility they placed him in. At 18, when he was released from the foster system with with the assistance of the social workers he was able to get his own low income apartment. He was able to support himself through becoming a jack of all trades and a master of none, jumping from job to job ranging everywhere from a construction worker, to a bartender, bouncer, shipyard laborer, anything that could earn him a dollar. He continued with this life through his 20’s and picked up some destructive habits such as alcoholism and drug abuse, he could also tend to be manipulative  to those around him, finding it easier to push them away rather than live up to the perceived expectations they had on him, something that followed him from his childhood abuse.

The end of the world happened to be a wake up call for Clint, no only being forced to sober up cold turkey but also his lack of connections could be the end of him. He realized that he wouldn’t survive without the assistance of others, though his time in nature as a kid helped him hunt and survive on a basic level, he became all too aware that the slightest injury without the right supplies or support would eventually lead to his death. He spent the first year trying to survive on his own, until an injury lead him to seek help from a small community, they were kind enough to help, he tried to pay their help back staying with them for a few months, helping defend the community and providing a steady stream of game until the outbreak overtook them too. For the next few years, Clint spent his time jumping between living on his own to gaining support from communities while contributing what he could, sometimes he left on his own accord, but other times his disability was found out and he was ejected from the community, suddenly being seen as a burden and a liability. One such community introduced him to his dog, Luna, who alerts him to sounds he would otherwise not be able to hear, he received her from another member who passed away, she was one of the first that he willingly opened up to and was grateful for his inheritance of Luna. A few months after her passing he was found out again and kicked to the curb.

A half a year, Luna and Clint survived on their own again until they came across Redwood. It was larger than any other establishment he had ever seen, and it seemed much more secure. Figuring he had nothing else to lose he approached the community and turned himself in to be processed, claiming Luna was a pet rather than an asset to him and promising she wouldn’t be a burden at all on the community as he would get her food and needs himself. He was accepted in and given a job as well as the run down cabin on the outskirts that he was able to refurbish to the best of his abilities to a place he and Luna could live in.

Headcanons:

Clint can come off as very open around others but has a tendency to keep people at arms length when it comes to serious topics especially about himself

He masks a lot with sarcasm and humor, a coping mechanism he learned from his childhood. At times, especially if Clint is feeling anxious or unsure how the other will react, it’ll be hard to get a straight answer from him.

Clint is not completely deaf, he is Hard of Hearing (HoH) and can hear pitches of peoples voices and sounds past a certain decibel, if someone is talking softly, he won’t be able to detect their voice, but if he does hear someone talking he’ll normally turn his attention to them in order to read their lips

Reading lips is not an exact science and requires Clint to do a lot of guess work using context clues. Sometimes he’ll mess up or need to ask for clarification if he’s unable to fill in the blanks himself.

If someone is speaking to him, he needs to look directly at them in order to understand them.

If Clint gets drunk, he has a harder time understanding what other people are saying even if he focuses hard on their lips, usually in those situations he just gets quiet.

Luna alerts Clint to nearby sounds by pressing her nose against his leg and facing towards where the sound is coming from.

He has gotten pretty good at hiding his struggle with hearing, and unless someone figures it out or if he feels close enough to someone to open up to them about it, he’d rather keep the struggle to himself for fear of how they would react and how it would affect his place in the community.

For those that Clint cares about, he’s extremely loyal to them and protective. He would do anything for the happiness and safety of those he loves.

Though Clint isn’t super educated, not being able to achieve a high school diploma, he’s very witty, has great street smarts, and is quick on his feet, adapting quickly to changes in situations and coming up with plans to overcome challenges. Many people’s first impressions of him are that he’s aloof and messy in the head, which he doesn’t mind people thinking, but he spends a lot of time observing his surroundings and the people in it.

Age: 35 Gender: woman Sexuality: straight/demisexual Birthplace: Huntington, WV Location pre-outbreak: Toledo, OH Town job: seamstress/weaver/spinster Previous job: museum curator Personality traits: resourceful, FUNNY, nihilist (but in the "if nothing means anything, everything can mean everything" way), bookish, tactile, problem-solver

Born in West Virginia and raised in whatever library history book she had on loan at the time, Bea (short for Beatrice) made quite a lot from very little. Resourcefulness kept her fed and entertained growing up when it was only her and her mom. But she rarely wanted for much—except top-of-the-line school supplies. She was reared--with the help of Patsy, Dolly, and Tanya--by a line of "white trash" matriarchs that had all been naive enough to fall in love with drunks, but wise enough to listen when a person told them who they were. Her great grandmother raised six children alone. Her grandmother raised two girls alone. Her mother raised her alone. And so help her god, the cycle would end there.

She wasn’t ashamed of the women she came from--far from it. But the thought of living the same life they led felt like dress-up.

So she studied her ass off. Moved across the country a few different times, following the research. And after a lot of meandering, she landed in Toledo, Ohio. A museum curator. Director of Programs for the Textile Society of America. A big fish in her niche little pond.

She met a gentle, handsome man who never cared for drinking (Rafael), adopted a sweet dog (Trav), and moved into as swanky an apartment as a midsize metropolitan city could offer. Her many mothers cheered her on, even as they stopped recognizing the shape of her. But there were no hard feelings. Only the bittersweet tugging stretch of growing.

And then the world…well…

She got early warning from a well-to-do patron at work who had connections in DC. So she was able to head out of the city with Rafael and Trav before the full outbreak trapped them. They managed to hunker down with a group that put down roots in Put-In Bay. It was safe enough, but unstable. Hunting, scavenging, short-term survival. Day-to-day for nearly 2 years. But after a security breach ravaged the community, they headed south to find Bea’s mom. They made it to her hometown. They found the shell of her childhood home. And if she’d just admitted to herself that there was no one left to find, maybe Rafael wouldn’t have been bitten.

Grieving and lost in every conceivable way, Bea set out on foot, dog in-tow, to find the one nearby spot she remembered that might have survived—Redwood. Her best friend growing up had connections to Beckett Farms and they’d vacationed there on summer break a few times.

She’s been a resident for the last six months, set up in a small trailer on the farm property. It started as the textile studio she slapped together to tackle the task of clothing the community long-term. But after sleeping there more nights than not, she moved in full time. If nothing else, its nice to have nearby access to the small flock of sheep that she’s determined to make use of. And Trav makes a fine shepherd.

Name: Aaron Omari

Age: 33

Gender: Trans Man

Pronouns: He/Him

Community Job: Dog handler/Graveyard Overseer (Night Shift)

Reside in: An abandoned bungalow near the junkyard 

How long have they been in Redwood?: Newly Arrived

Faceclaim: LaKeith Stanfield 

Headcanons:

Aaron has two children he left behind in Ark, and three children in total. He doesn’t know what has happened to them, or any of his family.

He keeps a knife on himself at all times for self-defense. If Redwood had allowed it, he would have kept his gun. He’s still not quite happy with it being taken away. 

Throughout the apocalypse, he robbed quite a few people. A fact that he is not necessarily proud of, but something he considered necessary for his own survival

In his free time, he volunteered in an animal shelter, which is where his love especially for dogs originated

Even though he was in a band, he never quite enjoyed the performance aspect of it too much. He really mostly just enjoyed making music with his friends. 

His transition was almost entirely DIY.

Biography:

Aaron is a person of his own making, and everybody should remember that. 

Born to Azizi and Lela Omari as their ‘daughter’, Aaron remembers barely anything about his life before Ark. He only knows he wasn’t born there through some hazy memories of a dingy kitchen in a one-bedroom apartment and a man, who didn’t seem like he belonged there, coming to visit them. That is all he remembers before his parents joined the small, religious community Ark. With little reference to draw on what a normal life looked like, and his parents wishing to assimilate into their newfound community, Aaron grew up not knowing or even sensing that anything could be wrong with his life. 

Until it went wrong. Aaron doesn’t like to talk about what caused him to leave Ark in his early twenties, but he did. Pregnant at the time, he set out on foot to trek to the nearest town and make his way away from the community he’d called his home for the longest time. To say his life was turbulent after he left Ark would be an understatement. Giving birth along the way and practically leaving the baby at the hospital, Aaron traveled down South the West Coast until he reached one, fateful city. Los Angeles.

Life outside of Ark up until that point had been overwhelming, full of things that Aaron didn’t know or quite understand, and it was more because of convenience that he ended up staying. The big city offered the option of anonymity, a place where nobody seemed to care who Aaron had been before, and so, Aaron decided to remain in the City of Angels for a while. His life there had challenges - homelessness interrupted only by occasional stay at a women’s or homeless shelter, the dangers of living on the street, finding work, making money, his own troubles - things Aaron had to figure out mostly on his own. Finding a shred of stability was hard work, and Aaron might not have been able to done it, had he not met Nico. 

It was more of a chance meeting, with Nico working at one of the shelters Aaron was frequently staying in, and soon enough, the two became friends. Nico was exactly the jumpstart Aaron needed to gain somewhat of a stable footing in LA. Joining up with Nico’s communities by association, he soon found himself a place among the misfits of LA. Nico helped him figure out many things - his trans identity being one of them - and helped Aaron discover his love and talent for music. Soon enough, Aaron joined up with Nico’s underground indie band “Crossroads’, that was starting to pick up and in need of a new bassist. 

The band had just started their first tour across America when the apocalypse seemed to really hit. Through circumstance, the band got trapped in Columbus, forced to stay in lockdown. Things slowly seemed to deteriorate as the virus progressed. Initially allowed to stay in their hotel and then forced into quarantine camps, the band watched as the city seemed to slowly fall and descend into chaos. While they tried to stay together, soon enough they got separated from each other, and so, Aaron was once again forced to set out into the world on his own.

For the most part after, Aaron survived alone. He kept away from most survivor groups, only interacting with them when needed. Among the rubble of civilization, he was looking for a place that was safe, while also trying to find his lost bandmates. And after a long, bothersome trek, he found Redwood. And while he is not quite sure whether he can even trust this place, or whether he will stay, he decided to give it a chance. Because really, what other options does he have?

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left.

basic information

Age— 43 (sep 14 - Virgo) Originally from—  Beckley, West Virginia Previous community — ?, South Carolina Previous job— worker in a medical supply factory Community job— grave overseer Living Arrangements —RV near the solar panel yard , joined may 2042 Family — Beth (sister) , Winter (cat)

Colin Young was born the younger brother of Beth Young and youngest child of Martin and Rose Young in West Virginia. The two kids were completely different people - Beth was bright, outgoing and incredibly popular, whereas Colin was more of a social introvert. He preferred being on his own with minimal social interactions. He found that he preferred observing people, since their actions spoke louder than words. He had very few friends and to him, that was perfectly okay. But being the social loner, Colin was often ridiculed. Beth did her best to try and help him learn how to be less awkward with people and less weird while also shielding him from too much ridicule from her own peers. Eventually Beth did help him to get a little bit more out of his shell so he could blend with his own peers but Colin always felt more comfortable in quiet environments, playing guitar, listening to country music and playing video games on his computer in his room.

Upon graduating from high school, Colin moved in with his sister for a time. He didn’t have any aspirations to go to college. Instead he got a job at a local factory. The job was simple - overlook the production of medical supplies. It was simple and straightforward and didn’t call for much human interaction. Honestly, it was the perfect job for him. The work paid well enough and after a few years he was able to buy himself an RV. Beth wanted to see her brother live up to the potential that she knew he had but he was quite content with his life. But even after he moved out, the two kept in contact. He would come over for holidays and special occasions and she would check on him to make sure that he was taken care of.

Colin had been on his way to work when the news broke about the virus. He went back to his RV and drove to his sister’s place to gather supplies and get out of the city. It was a little bit of a tight living but they were better on their own instead of surrounded by people. The one time that being on their own was better than surrounded by people. For about a year they were able to survive in his RV, constantly moving and never staying in place for too long. That was until they started to get low on supplies. They traveled for a bit before happening upon a community in South Carolina. They were there for a few months but they quickly had to leave after an infected person came into town and started to turn people within the community. After that, Colin had sworn off communities. It seemed much safer to be on their own than surrounded by people.

Beth and Colin had argued over that fact. Colin thought it was more logical and practical to be on their own - less likely to be injured or turned because of people who made stupid decisions. But Beth had her own logical reasonings for communities and asked him to be open to the idea. That’s when they happened upon Redwood. Colin was not all that thrilled about sticking around and had thought about leaving Beth there and going off on his own, but Beth begged him to stay, and so he did. His outlook, though, is rather pessimistic. He saw what happened at the old community and Redwood was much bigger than the last. Something was bound to go wrong. He opted to oversee the graveyard - that way he was outside of the walls in case the worst should happen and it was away from people, for the most part. After all, the further away from people he was, the less likely the worst could happen. Headcanons:

Has a grey cat named Winter. Colin adopted Winter a few years before the apocalypse happened. Winter can be found wandering around the graveyard when Colin is on duty or galloping across the solar panel yard but wherever Colin goes, Winter is not far behind.

His left arm still causes him issues. The pain is mostly manageable but when it gets cold the pain flares up more than usual. It’s still pretty functional but he avoids using it when he can.

Colin’s sister, Beth, wants him to try to socialize more and he certainly does try but he feels more comfortable on his own. He’s borderline a hermit but would prefer to be outside.

Can play guitar and has an affinity for country music.

has alexithymia from the brain damage resulting from the factory accident

Age: 42 Gender: man Sexuality: bisexual Birthplace: Terre Haute, IN Location pre-outbreak: Nashville, TN Town job: farmer Previous job: director of marketing Personality traits: charming, attentive, secretive, methodical, philosophical

Dominic is a midwestern boy, brought up in the heartland of America by loving, if not strict parents. As an only child, he got no shortage of attention, but it did mean he had trouble interacting with his peers. He learned how to manage, over time, even if socializing never came very naturally to him. Once he got the hang of it, he became an expert at giving people exactly what they wanted so that they would give him something in return.

He went to college in California to study political science and made friends with a group of ambitious guys who wanted to take Silicon Valley by storm. He was the face of the operation and a talented salesman. He might not have known the tech side of things, but he was unmatched in his ability to spin a story. By the time the outbreak hit, he had millions in the bank and a lucrative future ahead of himself.

He was in Nashville on business when shit hit the fan. Not being very familiar with roughing it, he relied on ingratiating himself into other groups in hopes that they'd take care of him. He used this method, just skating by, until he found a settlement in Knoxville--New Origins. At first it was just a place to survive in, but over time, he realized that the folks there had real vision. They saw the outbreak for the opportunity it was--a chance for mankind to start over and make something better of themselves.

What's more, they saw his potential--with his uncanny good looks and incredible charm--to spread their metaphorical gospel. Dominic is in Redwood under slightly fictitious circumstances to scout for any folks who might make a good addition to New Origins. In the meantime, he's happy to help them with their town. Who knows, maybe the whole place has potential.

Headcanons:

Talks often about the group he came from that was destroyed, but has only ever explained what happened explicitly to the council

Loves gardening and keeping an eye on the crops but doesn't have much interest in the animals

An excellent storyteller

Tends to turn conversations toward philosophical questions

Has a tendency to mimic the accents and speech patterns of whoever he's talking to.

ZACK ASTOR

Name: Zack Astor

Age: 49

Community Job: Hunter

Reside in: Run-down bungalow near the lake

How long have they been in Redwood?: 6 months

Faceclaim: Jensen Ackles

Sexuality: Gay

Gender: Cis Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Biography: (CW homophobia)

Zack’s life should’ve been an easy one. Born as the youngest of three to one of the wealthiest families in the US, his entire life seemed to have been planned out in advance. While the title of heir to the conglomerate of Astor-owned companies went to his oldest brother, it was assumed that Zack would be put into a similarly influential position. Except that things often aren’t quite as they seem. 

Zack grew up like his brothers, surrounded by wealth and everything he could ever ask for, as well as training and learning to live up to the expectations placed on every member of the Astor family. It quickly became apparent that Zack did not have the same aptitude for business as his siblings. Where his older brothers were talented, Zack found himself struggling. While he tried his best, his parents became more and more disappointed in the lackluster results, beginning to slowly give up on their youngest child. It only made Zack fight harder for their approval.

While Zack was being treated with a laissez-faire attitude by his family, he was still not free of the conventions coming from being part of a traditional old-money family. Zack was not sure when he realized that he was gay, but he knew that his family could never find out. They did, eventually, catching Zack with his then-boyfriend. The only thing that saved Zack from being disowned was the shame of his parents, who didn’t want to admit to their son’s sexuality. Instead of being thrown out, Zack was sent off to a conversion camp, and after his return, quickly and quietly signed up for the military in order to set him straight. 

Zack’s time in the military is a blur at times, but he quickly seemed to settle into his new lifestyle. Taking to training and fighting much more than business, Zack joined up with the Marines and was quickly deployed overseas. What he saw during his tours stayed with him, leaving him, in many ways, changed. But while the issues he dealt with due to his service were numerous, Zack was determined to make his way up the military ladder, continuing to reenlist whenever his contract was up. 

Zack’s life became a mix of deployments, returning home for short periods to parents who still couldn’t quite look at him the same, only to return to service as soon as he could. When the outbreak happened, he was a high-ranking official within the military. As the outbreak worsened and the military began being overwhelmed, Zack was quickly tasked with keeping some of the outbreaks under control. While he, and many others, tried to somehow upkeep order, soon enough the military seemed to break down as well. 

While Zack tried to maintain order until the very end, he realized that the world as he knew it was gone when his unit was overrun by walkers, killing almost every single member. Zack barely escaped with his life. After the massacre of his unit, Zack quickly began forming his own survivor group he called The Wolves. The Wolves were a somewhat nomadic group, usually settling down for a few months at a time, depleting resources before moving on again. 

As with many stories like this, The Wolves quickly fell victim to a raiding group. While plenty of The Wolves were capable fighters, they were overwhelmed by the size of the attacking group, and many of the Wolves were killed, and the rest taken as prisoners, Zack among them. Zack managed to escape eventually, bloodied and beaten but alive. Soon after, he stumbled across Redwood and was taken in by them. 

Headcanons

He has a German Shepherd named Rex. Rex was part of a K9 unit working with the military to limit the outbreaks. Rex escaped the massacre that took out Zack’s unit and the two have traveled together ever since. Rex was almost killed by the enemy raiding group that took down the Wolves, but Zack managed to convince them that a former K9 could be useful, so they let him live. 

He enjoys swimming, which was one of the reasons he settled down near Becket Lake. If you go there early in the morning you can usually find him swimming a few rounds. 

Zack tried to reconnect with his family on several occasions, though their relationship never substantially improved. At some point in his military career, Zack seemed to give up on trying to prove himself to them. When the outbreak happened, he didn’t even reach out to them. They didn’t try to check up on him either. 

Zack is still hoping to find the raiders that killed his group and take his revenge on them. It’s something he’s never given up and likely never will. 

Zack has plenty of scars from his tours and can tell the story about how he got every single one of them. 

Valerie "Val" Laurent

Name: Valerie “Val” Laurent

Age: 30

Community Job: Nurse/Part-Time Bartender

Reside in: Spacious apartment near the solar panel yard

How long have they been in Redwood?: 4 months

Gender: Cis Woman

Sexuality: Bisexual

Relationship Status: Single

Faceclaim: Indya Moore

Biography: (CW Child Abuse, Addiction)

Val’s early life wasn’t a happy one. She was born as “Chloe Harper” to her parents John and Catherine Harper. Her family seemed almost perfect from the outside, with John and Catherine being high school sweethearts who married almost as soon as they graduated and seemed to be going strong ever since. Except that it most certainly wasn’t as perfect as the Harper family tried to appear to be. John, a police officer, was an alcoholic. Chloe remembers often enough coming home from school to find her father passed out on the couch, bottle in hand. Her mother, Catherine, had become bitter with her marriage and taken to having affairs, none of which she bothered to hide from her daughter. Catherine ended up leaving John and Chloe without a trace when the girl was ten. This seemed to break their fragile household - John turned from a tired drunk into a belligerent, becoming verbally abusive towards his daughter, before escalating it. 

Chloe doesn’t talk about what happened, but on one night, she knew she needed to get out. So, throwing what little belongings she could fit in her school backpack, Chloe left her home. The next few years were hard on her. She made her way to New York, changing her name from Chloe to Valerie to leave her past behind. When Val reached New York, she was broke, had no documents or a place to stay. Out of desperation, she quickly found herself taking on seedy jobs with people who had no interest in asking questions, before, finally, slipping into sex work. 

Val doesn’t like to think about that time of her life. She worked the streets to survive, because she had no way out. Quickly, in order to cope with the stress of what was happening to her, she found herself drinking, which didn’t erase what was happening to her, but took the edge off of everything. She spent years living like this, working and drinking, hardly ever sleeping in a warm bed for more than a night at a time. 

Val was sure she would have lived like this forever if a kind soul hadn’t taken pity on her. A former sex worker who had managed to leave the industry, they took Val in, to live in a communal house in Harlem. And while Val was still left with issues to battle, finally, at age 22, she found herself living in a somewhat stable home for the first time in years. Her life seemed to improve - her addiction was a constant issue, something she never quite managed to beat, but it got better with the help of her new found community. She even managed to start studying to become a registered nurse. 

By the time the outbreak happened, she had been clean for about a year. Working in a hospital as a nurse in training, she found herself faced with the outbreak as it happened. Watching people not die when they should, coming back when they shouldn’t. Watching the infected lunge at her coworkers, anybody that came to near. Watching the hospital break down entirely, patients being airlifted, staff evacuated until there was nothing left. 

Val’s commune broke apart just as quickly - people becoming infected, leaving for the countryside, few staying behind until they couldn’t handle it anymore. Val tried to cling onto the last bits of her home until she couldn’t - until raiders burned their house in Harlem down and Val was forced to flee. 

She spent the next few years on the road. Her story isn’t special - she joined up with groups, watched people die, fought for her life when she needed to. Encountering Redwood was nothing more than pure luck - stumbling across the settlement after her most recent survivor group had disbanded. Redwood seemed like a godsend to her - just that some of the issues she brought from outside never quite left her. Not as much as she thought they did. 

Headcanons:

She was treated as the baby of the commune she lived with, and despite her tough upbringing, sometimes acts a little spoiled because of it. She definitely has the habit of getting people to do what she wants by sweet-talking them (whether that actually works is a different story). 

She loves gossip, and when she’s working the bar, she spends a lot of time trying to learn about the latest, juiciest rumors and spreading them around town.

Her dream when coming to New York was to become a model. She even went to a few castings during her first few weeks but, without documents, they could not really hire her. 

Despite her sometimes (seemingly) spoiled and childish attitude, she is absolutely not squeamish when it comes to blood and gore (she can’t really afford to be, working as a nurse).

Ever since coming to Redwood, she has fallen back into her old patterns of addiction. She does her best to hide this, but she tends to sneak alcohol during her shifts.

All About Andy

• FULL NAME: Andrei William Brookes

• FACECLAIM: Michiel Huisman

• GENDER: Male

• PRONOUNS: He/Him

• AGE & BIRTHDAY:42 Feb 11th

• SEXUALITY: Heterosexual

• RELATIONSHIP STATUS:Married

• LENGTH OF TIME IN REDWOOD: Recent transplant

• OCCUPATION: Doctor / Surgeon

• PERSONALITY: Loyal,determined, introspective, thoughtful, intellectual, empathetic

Family

Parents: Jackson and Elena Brookes (both deceased)

Grandparents: Dmitru Vulpe (maternal grandfather, deceased), Sofia Vulpe (maternal grandmother, deceased), Evan Brookes (paternal grandfather, deceased), Grace Brookes (paternal grandmother, deceased)

Siblings: Cassandra Brookes, Nathan Brookes (deceased), Aleksander Brookes

Tidbits

Has a dogged determination forged through his time in the US Army and the years spent in Africa post-outbreak.

Is constantly on edge, as if expecting something to explode (literally) at any given moment. Because of this he dislikes sudden, loud noises and is extremely distrustful of strangers.

Lost a certain sense of his humanity in the years after the outbreak leading him to have to 'relearn' the small parts of his personality like preferred food and drink, the joys of reading a good book or anything that isn't directly related to survival.

Savagely loyal to his family. He doesn't talk about the lengths he had to go to in order to make it back to the US after being stuck in South Africa during the initial phases of the outbreak.

Upon returning to the US, Andy found himself the 'property' of a roving group of bandits and all-around assholes. They decided to keep him around after finding out he was a doctor.

Wishes he could be as upbeat and optimistic as his sister, Cass, but can't help but feeling everyone is simply dragging out the inevitable.

Name: Cecelia Iglesias Corisande Andres-Destrade

Age: Thirty Five

Preferred Pronouns & Gender: She/her, cis-female

Relationship Status: Single

Previous Job: Behavioral Analyst

Community Job: Medical Personnel, Therapist

Reside in: A small apartment near the library

How long have they been in Redwood?: Almost two years

TLDR: cecelia is a decorated neurologist and psychologist who had a speciality in behavioral therapy and acute lonliness. redwood is the first place she's been where she's had a chance to be herself build meaningful connections outside her family name.

Biography

Jon Destrade travelled to Barcelona only for business, he assured his wife time and time again. He traveled there for the good of his family, and nothing more. He did not travel there to see a mistress. He did not pour vast sums of money into a problem that he had caused, he did not make the mistake of signing the birth certificate of Cecilia Iglesias Corisande Andres-Destrade, giving the child legitimate claim to his estate. That would all have been fathoms below a man of his standing and intelligence. Such a scandal would have been impossible to cover. 

But, if such things had happened, the resulting daughter might have been something like this: 

She would be exceptionally bright, remarkably kindhearted, and infectiously nice. Raised by her mother and grandmother, kept in stylish clothes and private schools. Able to excel based on privilege her last name bought her, buoyed her own hard work. She would finish a bachelors degree in criminology and psychology at the University of Barcelona. She would go on to Cambridge, hoping to be closer to her father in London. She would hope proximity would finally bring them closer together, and not just open her up to a barrage of endless half-cousins and leering gossips. She would excel in her masters program, before continuing on to a PhD in behavioral psychology, and finally an MD with their neurology unit. The hope would endure that the more decoration she added to the Destrade name, the more likely it would be that her father would finally publicly accept her, that her mother could stop draining away her life waiting for the return of a man who had lost interest long ago. 

And if none of that worked, perhaps Dr. Cecelia Andres-Destrade, PhD & MD, would have to get away from it all just for a little bit. She would travel to the United States, just months before a deadly outbreak. She would be trapped in a state she knew little about, oceans away from her friends and family. Her expertise being misunderstood as clinical therapy, instead of advanced behavioral neurology, would mean that she gets lost in the shuffle of potential teams trying to find an explanation for the outbreak. She would drop completely off the radar, landing in the newly formed town of Redwood. 

And Cecelia would finally just be happy to be accepted, wish to be helpful. All her studies, which might have seemed simply for attention once, are suddenly one of the most useful skills sets to have at the end of the world. After a year, she has established herself as a benevolent figure in the community, a conflict mediator and a healer. Here in Redwood, she would finally have something the previous world could not give her, the ability to be her own person

Headcanons:

Although she has a friendly and generally even-keel demeanor, Cecelia is observant of everything and everyone. Although she is not confrontational, she often times finds ways to have conversations which confirm or deny her hypotheses.

Her one luxury she’d like to extend as long as possible is a warm mug of tea. It’s a trick that she finds always works to soothe her and others. She tries to be rational about what she trades for it, but it can be considered a weakness. 

She is non-violent, and has not aptitude for weaponry even now. She will do everything she can to avoid a a physical fight, and is not guaranteed to win against a zombie. As a result, she has spent the entire outbreak inside the town and does not venture out.

Name: Hazel Parsons Age: Forty Gender & Pronouns: Cis-female, she/her Sexuality: Biromantic Bisexual Time in Redwood: All her life (with a ten year break) Resides in: Her old family house near the lake Previous occupation: Veterinarian at Beckett Farms Community occupation: Veterinarian

musings // answered // mirror // wanted connections

Hazel Parsons didn't always love Redwood- on the contrary, she couldn't wait to get out. Brought up by a single father in a town of that size, for a while she could only see the drawbacks: the limited options, the same faces every day, the endless gossip and lack of privacy, feeling suffocating for a teenager with dreams of big city lights and all that came with them.

The only place she wholeheartedly enjoyed was Beckett Farms. Her father was a plumber and an old friend of the Beckett family, so he was always dropping by to help with some irrigation problem in the fields or the stables. With no one in the house to take care of Hazel, she always had to tag along, and it was there that she learned to love animals and nature in general. She spent endless hours there, the business becoming her second home, Jason and Oliver Beckett becoming her mentors. By the time she was eighteen she knew the place like the back of her hand and the animals almost demanded to be fed by her on the daily.

She left for college and almost forgot about Redwood. But she didn't forget about her love for animals. She went on to get a Bachelor's in Biology and with the encouraging words and financial help of the Beckett brothers, applied to Veterinary School. She went home for every holiday and her dad beamed with pride for all her achievements, mixed with the little bit of sadness of acknowledging that his little girl had spread her wings and the only direction of flying was away.

Hazel had spent a couple of years working as a vet and looking into residencies, when her father got ill. At first he insisted that he could manage on his own, but that changed rather quickly, making her move back to Redwood to be there for him. She officially got a job at Beckett Farms to have a steady income and spent her days between caring for the animals and caring for her rapidly deteriorating father. In five years he was gone, and while part of her wanted to pack her bags and cut every tie with the place, another part clung onto it- maybe leaving would feel too much like betraying what her father loved, or maybe in the meantime she had grown to love it too.

When Oliver started talking about the virus, many called him crazy, but in her eyes he could never be wrong. So she helped him brace the farm and after a while reinforce the whole city. She was terrified after the first infected attack, but she had to believe that the Becketts would protect her, like they always had. But then the Reavers came and the Becketts were gone and in the aftermath she was all alone, in a town she once called home, but was now filled with strangers appearing from all over the place, bringing with them a change she wasn't sure if she could welcome.

Hazel still refuses to leave- partly out of fear of the biters, partly out of love for what used to be her home, partly out of spite. She understands that survival comes first and that they have to work together in order to ensure that, so she still offers her services in taking care of the animals. She has friends, she has people she loves, but she can't help but see many of Redwood's new citizens as intruders, taking what feels rightfully hers.

She has a half-breed Rottweiler named Hooch that she found as a puppy on her first day back in Redwood. He is now ten and she's terrified that soon she will have to lose him too.

She has set up a makeshift veterinary clinic in what used to be the garage of her house. She has a suitcase with her needed instruments when she has to visit animals, but everyone knows that they can bring them in whenever needed.

Part of Oliver's paranoia was making sure everyone was physically fit and a good shot, in case they got attacked. It's a habit she has kept up, training almost daily.

She was stabbed during the Reavers attack, leaving her with a long scar across the abdomen- it doesn't hurt anymore, but it serves as a reminder of everything she lost.

Her mother died at childbirth, leaving her dad to bring up Hazel on his own, with the help of other Redwood natives who took pity on him. It really took a village and she will forever be thankful to all of them.

She was in love with Jason Beckett, but never found the guts to say anything. One year she came home for Christmas break and she found him engaged, so she put on her best smile and acted excited for the happy couple. She is still heartbroken that he left her behind.

Ares Melaina

Age: 40

Community Job: Raider

Reside in: In a rundown house near the outskirts of town

How long have they been in Redwood?: Newly arrived

Faceclaim: Zac Efron

Sexuality: Bisexual

Relationship Status: Single

Biography:

Look, everyone has regrets, right?

Ares wishes he could tell you where everything went wrong. But his upbringing was normal. His parents were loving, high school sweethearts, living the nuclear family, apple-pie life. Three children (with Ares being the youngest), a nice house, financially well-off, mother a housewife - what could someone want more? 

He had been a good kid. Not the smartest, but good at sports, to the point that he probably could have had a career in it - if he had continued. Ares has no idea how it happened, how he slipped. He knows it’s no one’s fault but his own, even when his parents blamed themselves. But at some point in high school, he sought out a bad crowd. The ones hanging out behind the school. At first, it was nothing. Some petty theft here, a break-in there. Making quick cash, money that he didn’t need, but that gave him a thrill when he counted it late at night on his bed. Then it got to drugs.

Small stuff, nothing even a cop would bat an eye at. Then it got worse. He dopped out of high school, spending time with his new friends. His parents kicked him out after they found his personal stash, but at that point, that felt okay too. He didn’t need his family, his family could never understand him. 

Headcanons:

Ares got into it, deeper, further, selling more and more. Until he got caught. And where he lived, they didn’t take things lightly. It was a clean case. As Ares refused to give up any information in exchange for a lighter sentence, the judge didn’t hesitate. At age 25, Ares got a 20-year sentence.

Ares doesn’t enjoy talking about his time in prison. It was a time of violence, with Ares quickly getting in on it, feeling that he needed to prove himself if he wanted to survive. He survived, getting taken in by one of the gangs, working his way up. And then things got worse. With the outbreak, prisons seemed to be of the least concern to anyone. Conditions got worse and worse, guards less and less, until there wasn’t even a chance of keeping order. It started small, but escalated - at the end of the riot, the guards were dead, prisoners were dead, with Ares’ gang barely intact.

Ares stumbled into a world of chaos, barely surviving on his own. Until he found a group of raiders. Desperate for a place to belong, he joined them. This time is the time he is the least proud of. The things he doesn’t want to talk about. He tried to keep some semblance of morality, showing mercy where he could. It was one thing to beat up a guy who was in for shanking someone, it was another to do that to a couple who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. That does not change that he did kill. Not everyone he could have, but there is blood on his hands, and that is something he can’t change.

In the end, the violence tore his new group apart. Another meaner, more ruthless group of survivors, a violent battle, that hardly left any of them alive. Ares escaped - barely. Wounded, he escaped into the wild, stumbling in the dark until he collapsed. At that moment, he believed he would die. And part of him knew that he was at fault and that he deserved it. How many had he killed? How many had he left for dead? Robbed people of everything they had, because he was told or because he thought he needed to, to survive?

He stayed there for hours, waiting for his death. When morning came, he was still alive. Ares didn’t believe in god, in fate, but he took it as a sign - that he was meant to live, to survive this, for some reason. After that, he swore he would turn his life around. Be a better person. Even if his past was the past, he would try his best to make up for it, in some way.

And that was what he did. He killed walkers, he saved others, shared his food and supplies with those who needed them. At some point, he stumbled across Redwood. Part of him feels like he doesn’t deserve a new beginning, but part of him wanted it, so he made an attempt to join the sanctuary.

Ares knows there are many things he needs to repent for. He knows his past is out there, ready to haunt him. Maybe closer than he thinks.

He had a girlfriend in highschool. He was half planning on marrying her, before falling in with the bad crowd. 

He used to go to Sunday school and was a devout Christian. He stopped believing in God in high school. 

While he is trying to repent, there are still hints of the old him inside of him, ready to come out in the worst circumstances. 

He becomes/became a raider for several reasons. He feels restless when staying in one place, he is good at it, and part of him believes he should take the riskiest job

'Save me if I become my demons'

Basic info:

Name: Avery Morris

Age: 33

Astrological sign: Aries sun, Gemini moon, Taurus rising

Current occupation: Graveyard Overseer on Night Shift 1

Pets: Black lab mix named Beretta

Education level: High school diploma

Previous occupation: Mechanic

Sexuality: bisexual/biromantic

Positive: loyal, hardworking, compassionate

Negative: closed-off, tactless, jaded

Biography:

Jesse Morris had always wanted a son and didn’t see any reason why three daughters should hold him back from it. He was a military man and ruled his home with a strict set of rules. Charlotte died from complications of postpartum preeclampsia three weeks after Avery was born. The devastating loss prevented him from ever remarrying and he threw himself into raising his three daughters: Ava, Aurora, and Avery. Though the house was often somewhat messy and Jesse didn’t have a feminine bone in his body, he did his best to raise three girls on his own. 

Being raised by a single father made all three girls hyper-independent. They were taught how to shoot any kind of weapon Jesse could teach them, including a crossbow and guns, should they ever need to defend themselves. He also taught them how to live off the land and fix things around the house instead of paying to have someone do it for them. While some may have rolled their eyes and say he taught them so he didn’t have to fix things himself, it was all done out of love.

Once Ava and Aurora turned eighteen, they left their small town of Blowing Rock, NC and never looked back. Avery stayed behind and if she was honest, she much preferred the small town life. Most people in her life growing up had left and it suited her fine. Some would call it a sense of comfort and a general fear of leaving home. 

The news of the outbreak was a horrible, sobering reality that snapped Avery out of her admittedly romanticized small town bubble. It was, quite literally, the end of the world as they knew it, REM lyrics need not apply. Jobs shifted, life was never going to be the same. Blowing Rock became overrun with infected, even despite Jesse’s paranoia and hyperawareness. While some may consider D-Day the worst day of their lives, the worst day of Avery’s life came when she had to pull the trigger on her father after he became infected. She was forced to leave behind everything she had ever known with little more than the supplies that fit in her backpack and her dog, Beretta. 

Avery had found Redwood by sheer accident. Charleston had been the destination in mind when she had joined a caravan, but much like the Oregon Trail, not many survived. The end of the world brought out the worst in people, whether it was pure greed, mob mentality, or infection. Avery barely made it to Redwood after three days on her own and being hopelessly lost. 

Connection ideas:

fellow graveyard workers

people she used to travel with

sisters: they grew up very close (placeholder names are Ava and Aurora) but they ultimately left their small town for college and never really came back except to visit Avery and Jesse

high school sweetheart: the person she would have nearly married (she'd be the girl from the song "Everywhere" by Tim McGraw or from "Georgia Rain" by Trisha Yearwood) (m/f/nb)

fwb: for the sake of human contact. they don't need much from the other (m/f/nb)