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flvcr · 4 years

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— ( harry styles, twenty-five, cismale, he/him ) did you see ETIENNE FLUOR walking down main street earlier? you know who i’m talking about, they’re a POTTER / HOCKEY PLAYER. everybody in town says that they’re IDEALISTIC & INTUITIVE, but have a tendency to be UNPREDICTABLE & DESTRUCTIVE too. ETIENNE has been in town for THREE years. c'mon, they’re always requesting RUNNIN’ WITH THE DEVIL BY VAN HALEN at karaoke nights. well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon! @westmerestarters

hiya! i am kt &+ underneath the read more is a LOT of info about my bb, etienne. ** insert clown emoji but make ‘em yee-haw ** if you’d like to plot you can reach me on here or at space cowboy#8536 on discord !! <33 v excited to interact with y’all and your bbs !!

𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖘

name: etienne ‘ marcel ‘ fluor.

nicknames: goes by marcel, only allowing very few people to call him etienne.

gender / pronouns : cismale / he, him.

age: twenty-five.

birthday: june 27th.

zodiac: cancer !!

orientation: pansexual / panromantic.

occupation: hockey player ( currently injured ) // potter ( for fun ) !!

languages spoken: french, english & italian.

𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

- PINTEREST - featuring his wardrobe, his home, his aesthetic, some character inspo and olive, his german shepard pup !!

- SPOTIFY PLAYLIST - what he is currently listening to !!

personality type: INFJ-T / THE ADVOCATE

moral alignment: chaotic good

style-wise: etienne is v stylish, but isn’t overly flashy by any means. he’s intuitive in the sense of what works and what doesn’t. willing to explore the latest wardrobe craze, but also just likes what he likes and likely won’t venture out unless pressed by another to do so. post coming soon for his wardrobe !!! they say that the cancer man’s clothing is selected to reflect “ sophistication over flash “ but kdgjn i’ll let ya’ll be the judge of that. he’s v much harry inspired clothing wardrobe, but also tones it down with some casual looks, especially when it comes to getting his hands dirty in creative aspects !! but can be a bit on the flashier side as well, especially w/ hockey press and what not !!

𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉

etienne ‘ marcel ’ fluor was born in montpellier, france to two lovely parents, theodore and estelle fluor ( both born in england themselves ) . he is the youngest of his siblings, having one older brother and an older sister, all of them being roughly two years apart. at the age of eight, his family relocated to montreal, canada as a result of a promotion his mother received, which at such a young age, etienne had no qualms with, despite his siblings’ uneasiness. upon moving to a new country at a young age, etienne truly found himself via escaping into various books and movies. often attempting to write his own and would force encourage his siblings to act his skits/plays out for his parents enjoyment. he continues to be very close with his parents and siblings - recently he taught his parents how to use facetime, so catch him face timing his family on sunday nights.

growing up, etienne also enjoyed playing all types of sports ( his parents signing him up hoping that he’d make friends as a result, which he did ). when it came down to it, athletic abilities-wise, there truly wasn’t anything that he wasn’t ‘ good ’ at, and that’s simply because he’s always been such a competitive individual / as well as a perfectionist. that competitive/perfectionist energy caused him to go home and practice a skill or trick for hours in order to be able to come back the next day and whoop everyone’s asses. overall, he’s very athletic, found alternating between various sports offered not only at school, but as well as through local clubs. ultimately, his love and appreciation for hockey swayed him and soon enough it became his sole focus. due to his perfectionist tendencies, etienne is very dedicated to his craft, he will spend hours practicing specific tricks and skills in order to be the best at what he does, which transcends past hockey and into, really, every aspect of his life.

throughout highschool ; etienne was a v dedicated student. although he’s a bit reckless and loved to goof off, he was always acing classes and applying himself. he genuinely cares for others, you could’ve seen his ass volunteering at a soup kitchen with his mom on sundays and what not, as well as take part in various clubs and sports ! just SOFT and sporty things. during this time, he joined the ontario hockey league and from there was eventually scouted out and recruited to the pittsburgh penguins as a defenseman at the age of eighteen - forgoing his parents desire for him to attend a university. although he enjoyed his time with pittsburgh, he was excited when the idea of being traded came up - eager to explore a new city and immerse himself in a new area.

trigger warning - injury, dislocation ( just in case !!!! ) however, he really didn’t enjoy new york ( hehe ), so he relocated to westmere soon after his initial arrival to nyc - finding a lot of comfort in living in a less populated area. he would commute during the hockey season to nyc, which to him wasn’t very far away, so this is where he’s been residing for the last three years !! however, in the last couple of weeks while training for the upcoming season my lil bb injured himself - not to get into tooooo much detail, i’ll just leave it at shoulder dislocation / joint separation due to a hard hit !! basically he’s out for this upcoming season, already having surgery completed, he’s currently healing for the next couple of months, allowing himself to fully experience that westmere fall !!!

overall, etienne can come off as a bit reserved, and distant whether that be a result of his untrusting nature of others, or simply unfamiliarity. it takes a bit of time before he feels comfortable to share his true opinion / commentary / only doing so when he feels secure to do so. he’s not necessarily unfriendly, just a bit distant / lost in his thoughts. which varies, as with most ppl ofc, upon person to person and his level of comfortability among them. despite his often lack of conversation, he abhors an uncomfortable silence to settle and will fill it with nonsense to simply avoid the feeling altogether. so, if you ever want to catch him rambling, just making him uncomfortable dkjfngdf. he definitely approaches most things with a bit of ‘ tough love ‘ . he doesn’t mind getting into a quarrel or two if he knows its worth the outcome he’s envisioned. etienne will tell others when they are fucking up, and if they are throwing a punch as a result - catch him leaning into it, which explains his bout of reckless antics. he can come off as a know it all, when it comes to advice giving, but more so because he thinks he’s really good at analyzing others and situations they are in, not necessarily because he’s lived through them himself, he’s just rather intuitive and able to empathize quite easily with others despite his verbal admittance of it. when it comes down to this binches reckless bits, he just feels so intensely that he ends up numbing himself in the aftermath of it all ( especially bc he’s definitely not sharing those feelings with the people around him ), therefore he’s willing to put himself into harms way in order to get a bit of that - happiness / pain, it doesn’t matter to him as long as he no longer feels overwhelmed by numbness. so, if ya see him with some scrapes and stitches ~ mind ya business. but he’ll likely try to drag somebody else into it, and make it seem like it was their idea. but if he is truly comfortable with somebody, he walks a fine line of won’t stop talking, especially if it’s an interest of his, and comfortable silence.

_________________________

𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖞 & 𝖍𝖆𝖇𝖎𝖙𝖘

he is a CANCER, therefore in this essay i will..... kidding but here’s some fun cancer info i saw that applies to my bb !! at first he appears to be wistful, sarcastic ( maybe a lil crabby ) , shy, distant and mysterious. this personality remains if he isn’t completely comfortable around somebody. but overall, that’s just his facade, his ‘smokescreen’ of sorts to scare off the world from his outwards persona. underneath that layer ( makes me think of shrek metaphor with onions // don’t mind me ), BUT he’s gentle, kind and affectionate ( if you manage to make it to that level * bell dings * ) !!! overall, etienne is a sensitive soul, a bit emotional although he’d rather d*e than show that to others. likely will internalize anything that can hurt his feelings / a low blow and will do something chaotic as a result later on bc of it. very polite, and a little worldly, he is truly the epitome of old-school gentlemanly manners. chivalry coming as a second nature to him !!

that was getting ramble-y, so continuing HERE. but when it comes to romance, as per the cancer man, the concept of love is a mystery, one that etienne is trying to attain. however, his shyness and innate distrust of others make it difficult for him to allow himself to fall in love. his guard is always up when it comes to his emotions, and it’ll take a bit of prodding before he’s willing to speak up on what’s desired from him. he’s v picky when it comes to finding the “ partner of his dreams “ - but he’s def willing to throw himself into the romance of the situation, i.e. buying flowers, riding white horses, and slaying metaphorical dragons. the traditional side means that he will shower his partner with thoughtful gifts, wine and dine them in the best restaurants, and try to grant their every wish. he will take the garbage out, fix that wobbly shelf, navigate on road trips, and kill more so trap and release bugs for his partner, and most important of all he will do it all without being asked. his loyalty and keen attention to the needs and wants of his potential partner. so basically, more so willing to showcase through actions than speak on it. it’s the little things, right ??!?!?! he def cherishes not just the act of being in a relationship, but what it means to become one with another person in mind, body, and soul.

prides himself on being able to make a mean cup of coffee, likely the worst person to watch a movie with bc he knows exactly how it’s going to end after only watching five minutes of it, he has a godawful sense of direction, will walk in circles for fifteen minutes before even raising a question about it/noticing ( but he refuses to acknowledge it. )

his house, car, workspace, junk drawer, closet….you name it - it’s organized, practically sparkling. often times arranged by color, and / or style. nothing is ever out of place, and if it is - there’s trouble brewing. but, more than anything, if he’s visiting somebody’s place and it’s messy, he will spend a solid thirty minutes picking everything up before doing whatever it is that was intended.

likes : reading, flowers, handwritten notes/letters, deep cleaning, baking, working on his pottery, watching the history channel and true crime docs and playing / watching hockey !!

dislikes : artichoke, clutter, sandals ( fkjgh ), unrealistic plotlines in movies &+ burnt coffee.

habits : likely has a severe caffeine addiction, although he’s now normalized having six cups of coffee throughout his day. he’s an early riser, no matter how little the amount of sleep he’s received, he’s always the first to rise - for his early morning runs !!

strengths: creative, insightful, inspiring, convincing, determined and passionate, decisive, altruistic, intuitive !!

weaknesses: sensitive, extremely private, perfectionist, low-key always needs to have a cause / purpose, can burn out easily !!

overall : etienne truly strives to be kind, and genuinely wants for everyone to get along. treat people with kindness and the like. he has the best of intentions, but often times that can get a bit muddled with the way he goes about things due to his bit of chaotic energy / as well as his often points of getting lost in his thoughts. he won’t realize he’s been quiet for the last three hours unless it’s mentioned to him. he will do anything to lighten a dark mood, and will sacrifice / throw himself under the bus if its needed. however, he also is the type to cause the dark mood depending on the day. wahoo! his more reckless antics increase when he’s feeling a bit emotional !! but he’ll likely try and convince somebody to propose the idea so it’s not on him.

𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖒 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖈𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖓𝖘

he lives with sebastian !! with his commuting to nyc for the hockey season, he wanted somebody to be able to take care of his house / garden and what not, and thus, seb arrived.

he’s v into making ceramics, cups / bowls / vases / etc !! what began as a fun hobby to distract himself in the offseason became something that he truly enjoys. ( laughing about that scene in ghost BUT DKJFNG OKAY ) although he’s pretty low-key about it, you can catch him at the farmers market selling his creations !! some pictures of his work can be found on his pinterest board !!

he is a vegetarian ! he has been since his freshman year of high school and has no plans on eating seafood/meat ever again.

he loves fancy wine ~ he’s cultured.

he can play the drums !!

he collects vintage matchbooks and the stickers off of various fruits ( he puts them in a little notebook - can be found on his bookshelf ).

saves handwritten notes and letters from pals.

he loves to garden !!!! he has a specified rose shearing hat.

HE WANTS TO JOIN A BOOKCLUB PLEASE !!!!!!!! or at least have some casual moments of silence with another reading. plz and tysm.

to make things a bit simple, he has all of harry’s tattoos !! might add more along the way !! stay tuned, folks !!

𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘

i am so up for anything!! please accept this ramble of ideas thrown below. if you have any other ideas, lmk !!!! <3333 :’-) down to start from scratch and PLOT PLOT PLOT !

( 2 / 2 ) - BFFZ : the z for an added emphasis dkfjgnd. somebody who likely has a key to etienne’s house, they can enjoy one anothers company as well as the bouts of comfortable silence. you know how best friends are but kdjfngd still !! whether they are likeminded or polar opposites that just flow ~~ down for anything !! even a trio of sorts ?!

( 1 / 1 ) - RIDE OR DIE / CHAOTIC COMPANION : it would be wrong to say one is the more likely the bad influence over the other, although etienne may just be. these two find themselves bounding into, well hell, ( i guess??? ) together. playing on one anothers impulsiveness and if one ends up in the back of a police car, the other is handcuffed to them. and yet despite the length of their potential injuries, they find themselves thinking of something crazier to subject them to the next time around.

( 1 / 1 ) - GUARDIAN ANGEL / GOOD INFLUENCE : with etienne being a bit chaotic in nature, he needs somebody that is likely going to steer him clear from all the ideas that’ll bring him to the brink of disaster. he’s impulsive and in that desperate attempt to feel again, he’s very likely to bring a bit of mayhem upon himself. so while they may be worrying and attempting to talk his ideas down, he’s trying to get them to go along with his plan. it may be rare that he actually takes their advice, but when he does it seems to be for the best.

( 1 / 1 ) - PARTY FRIEND : these two know how to have a good time together. despite the amount of alcohol they are throwing back and the shenanigans they find themselves in as a result, this is a time where they also find themselves confiding in one another. if you look at their camera rolls, it’s likely they have tons of embarrassing and unflattering videos and pics of one another, in between their sob-worthy confessionals and venting/rants. these two trust one another, and although they love getting wreckT together, they find themselves discussing very raw and personal details. likely the only person etienne confides in, simply bc he’s completely plastered.

( 1 / 1 ) - SIBLING-LIKE RELATIONSHIP : these two have a love/hate relationship, very sibling like filled with pranks, competition, teasing and playful banter. however, when it comes down to it they have so much love and respect for one another. they know that no matter what happens they will always have one anothers back and be supportive of the other. truly a pure content filled relationship.

okay quick mention, ENEMY PLOTS ?!?!?!?!?!? i would live for one. i can’t imagine etienne being hardcore nasty, but i’d like to see whatever version comes out for this. so let’s get it djfngjakdfg maybe they just hold different viewpoints on the world and what not and clash, anything really !!! v open !!

( 1 / 1 ) - MENTOR - etienne needs a bit of structured or unstructured guidance, all depending on what their deemed mentor is wanting to impart on him, a bit of wisdom or slight chaos. kdjfgn he’ll take anything !!

RANDOM LITTLE IDEAS : maybe they’ve heard of one another in town, but haven’t quite met yet! or maybe they see each other around all the time, but have yet to introduce themselves to one another but low-key maybe in some online forum for the town together ?! who knows some fun things kdjnfg i AM OPEN !

ooh maybe a slowburn of sorts ?! something spicy to wreck HIS and my life with. dkfjgn we can base this off of chemistry !!! :’-)

#( & ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ . )#westmereintro

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vadacole · 4 years

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( ic: sydney sweeney, twenty-five, cis female, she/her ) did you see VADA COLE walking down main street earlier? you know who i’m talking about, they’re a BARTENDER. everybody in town says that they’re OUTGOING & INDEPENDENT, but have a tendency to be NAIVE & SARCASTIC too. VADA has been in town for TEN years. c'mon, they’re always requesting I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY by WHITNEY HOUSTON at karaoke nights. well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon!

it’s s, back with my vada bean!

tw: cancer, death

full name: vada lenore cole

nickname: cole

gender: cisfemale

pronouns: she/her

age: 25 years old

dob: July 19th 1995

birthplace: austin, tx

relationship status: single

sexuality: bisexual

zodiac: cancer

occupation: bartender

vada lenore cole was born to kayla and jamie cole on the hottest day of the summer that year in texas. she was raised on a small farm outside the city, always running around barefoot with her dog, sadie. the open fields were her playground.

her father traveled a lot and that meant leaving vada and her mother alone in the old and scary farm house. the two girls always found ways to have fun together, different arts and crafts, lots of dancing and late nights in the kitchen. she picked up her favorite habits from her mother, cook and eat the feelings out, dance whenever you hear music and sleeping in never hurt anyone.

when her father was around he wasn’t very attentive, he would have his moments when he cared how vada was doing and others when he acted as though she wasn’t even there. at a young age she always looked for ways to gain his attention and affection. as she got older things actually started to look up. they started doing more things together and bonded over a new found love of football.

just two days shy of vada’s fifteenth birthday her father walked down the stairs with his bags, he was leaving them and he left quietly out the door. two weeks to the day that her world came crashing down her mother was moving them to westmere to live with her grandparents. shortly after they arrived vada’s mother found out that she had breast cancer, she later passed away before vada’s graduation.

she went to community college and got an associates degree, instead of continuing on and leaving her grandparents she decided to become a bartender. she loves her job, she’s been there for four years now and has made some really great relationships with regulars and she knows the coolest stories, up for debate which ones are factual.

she’s a sweetheart, always worrying about someone else because then she doesn’t have to worry about herself. sometimes she so eager to trust someone that it ends up biting her in the ass in the end.

MAJOR DADDY ISSUES!

vada falls in love very easily, she’s a hopeless romantic and truly believes someday her prince will take her far away and they’ll live happily ever after. in the meantime though she flirts with anyone who flirts back.

she’s been searching for her father online and recently found out that he had another family the entire time she was growing up and that’s why he was always gone. her entire childhood was a lie and she wants to confront him.

connections

bestie - her number one, they go way back frenemy - keep friends close and enemies closer? crush - idk just something fun and fluffy !! exes - bring ALL of them to me (: friend she has HELLA sexual tension with !!!! - they gonna act on it or nah? roommate favorite regular at work!

blah okay i’m done with shit intros.

#westmereintro #whoop there it is!

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ofmonroe · 4 years

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( rudy pankow, twenty - two, cis male, he / him ) did you see ROZ MONROE walking down main street earlier? you know who i’m talking about, they’re an INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AT WESTMERE WEEKLY. everybody in town says that they’re QUICK - WITTED & UNINHIBITED, but have a tendency to be FLIPPANT & DISTRAIT too. MONROE has been in town for ONE AND A QUARTER years. c'mon, they’re always requesting HELLO, I LOVE YOU BY THE DOORS at karaoke nights. well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon! ( ooc: sam, 23, she / her, est )

helloooo everyone ! i’m sam and i’m super excited to introduce my muse, so let’s just jump right in ! @westmerestarters

STATS

FULL NAME: roswell norman monroe. NICKNAMES: most people just call him monroe and that’s how he introduces himself. a few people who are very close to him might call him roz, but absolutely no one calls him the full roswell. GENDER + PRONOUNS: cis male + he / him DOB + AGE: october 13th, 1997 + twenty - two ZODIAC: libra HOMETOWN: blairstown, new jersey OCCUPATION: investigative journalist FUN FACTS: drives a green volkswagen bus and has a black cat named tillie.

HISTORY

tws: death, neglect, mention of drugs

roswell norman “roz” monroe was born and raised in blairstown, new jersey. his mother was a doctor of astrophysics and professor at princeton university when she met his father, a professor of journalism at the university. the two got married and had their first child shortly afterward. their youngest would not come along until ten years after their eldest. he was a surprise, but a welcome one, a happy one.

it was a typical, comfortable suburban upbringing. roz ( who eventually would almost exclusively go by the mononymous monroe, so that’s how i’ll refer to him for the rest of the intro ) and his brother attended a prestigious private school where both of them were consistently on the honor roll while their parents were flourishing in their teaching careers. monroe began taking piano lessons before his feet could even reach the pedals. the interest in music sparked by his mother, who always seemed to humming a doors or beatles or hendrix tune. he quit after her death.

from the age of ten onwards, he lost members of his immediate family until there was no one left. first it was his mother and brother. his father reacted by throwing himself into research that was once a side project, often locking himself in his home office for days on end. spells of unexplained absences and the topics of his research being proof of ufos and extraterrestrials didn’t look good for princeton, and resulted in monroe’s father losing his job at the university. his reputation destroyed, the once - brilliant investigative journalist and ivy league professor became a laughingstock in academia and in journalism.

monroe’s maternal grandmother moved into their house and basically took on the responsibility of raising her grandson. ( his father was still obsessed with his work and unfazed by the loss of his successful career, still locking himself in his office for literal days on end. ) lauren brought radiance to the home, pulling back the curtains and filling the corridors with his mother’s music again.

he began high school with no friends and no plans for the future. he kept to himself at first, but eventually joined the stoner clique and after graduation, he attended the reuters institute at oxford university in the uk to study journalism ( in honor of his father and older brother, who had also planned to go into the field ). he completed his first degree program in june 2019 and planned to continue with his schooling in october, but in the interim his father died and he put his plans on hold. since his grandmother had moved out once he left for college, his childhood home was now empty and it became monroe’s responsibility to clean it out. he salvaged as much of his father’s work as he could not a lot, put most of things that he couldn’t bear to throw away into a storage unit and tossed all of the rest.

his childhood home was put up for sale and he left his hometown for good in his van ( a green ‘67 volkswagen bus aka kelso’s van in that 70s show ). he had no particular destination in mind, but when he wound up in westmere he was quite charmed and decided to stick around for a bit. he waved around his shiny new degree to get himself a job at westmere weekly, where he often rolls in whenever he likes & has probably rolled in completely stoned more than once ngl and tries to get his articles about the latest ufo sightings in new england a spot in the paper.

he actually lives in his van because a ) it’s cheap and b ) he likes it. he’s usually parked near the docks because he likes the view of the water.

PERSONALITY

before meeting him, most people probably think that all of the rambling about aliens and monsters is just an act for attention or something, but then meeting him in person tends to clear up that misconception very quickly.

chain smoker & stoner. he’s lazy, reckless, & irresponsible and he definitely gets a little fun out of allowing people to think that’s all there is to him until he decides to casually remind everyone of his oxford degree.

encyclopedic knowledge of classic rock. his mother’s records were one of the few things from his childhood home that he took with him. it’s easy to tell if he’s in his van because if he is, then the classic rock station is definitely playing.

vegetarian, environmentalist & probably working on transitioning to full vegan. the kind of person who scolds his friends for littering and stops what he’s doing to pick up random bits of trash in the street because he absolutely cannot bear to leave it there. blood makes him squeamish and it turns his stomach to see any living thing in pain.

he literally shows up to work most days in tie dye shirts with the sleeves cut off and big dirty combat boots.

basically he likes to just barely skate by on his smarts and his fancy degree.

well - meaning and easygoing but not the most open or reliable person. he has a lot of friends, not not a lot of close friends. he’s the kind of person who someone might realize they’ve told their entire life story to, but on the flipside he hasn’t even told them his birthday or his middle name or his first name.

so kinda obvious but he never, ever talks about his family besides maybe his grandmother and the occasional brief mention of his dad.

he’s forgetful and kinda self - absorbed. he’ll agree to do a favor for someone and then get caught up in researching or listening to music or blogging so he just totally flakes. he’s definitely known for zoning out quite often too.

jersey devils hockey fan … poor guy

WANTED CONNECTIONS

cousins ( would probably be from the east coast, but otherwise anything goes for this. )

friends ( close, forner, drifted apart, etc )

stoner buddies

people who can’t stand him ( probably either because he’s a lazy stoner or bc he won’t shut up about fuckin ufos )

party friends who can only stand each other when they’re both drunk

someone he has a crush on / someone who has a crush on him

exes, hookups, fwb / ewb, all of that stuff !

these are just a few base ideas so please don’t feel limited by this connections list because i’m always open to brainstorming !

#westmereintro #death tw #neglect tw #drug mention tw #tl ; dr stoner vegetarian friend thinks The Truth Is Out There

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lorrainefm · 4 years

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( bethany joy lenz, thirty-seven, cisfemale, she/her ) did you see LORRAINE DUNAWAY walking down main street earlier? you know who i’m talking about, they’re an EDITOR AT THE WESTMERE WEEKLY. everybody in town says that they’re COMPASSIONATE and MOTHERLY, but have a tendency to be APPREHENSIVE and RESERVED too. LORRAINE has been in town for TWENTY years. c'mon, they’re always requesting I WANT YOU TO WANT ME by CHEAP TRICK at karaoke nights. well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon!

a southern belle

lorraine is the middle child of five children born just outside of houston texas. her mama was a radio show host, and her daddy a journalist. they like to say they knew they were meant to be when both of them were working on the same story, even though they’d known each other for years.

lorraine’s older siblings are tucker and joan, and her younger siblings are scarlett and evan. they used to be a close and tight knit family growing up, lorraine can’t remember a time when her and her siblings really fought.

a close extended family too, lorraine always knew that if she needed anything she could call on any member of her family and they would come running. and she would do the same for any of them.

empathetic and compassionate to high levels, as a child lorraine could always sense people’s emotions. she always knew who was having a bad day in the house, explaining that she got “a feeling” even if she hadn’t seen them all day.

lorraine was intrigued by both of her parents work--the one kid who could manage to sit down and listen to even the most mundane pieces of business her parents had to deal with.

growing up, lorraine took after her father. she saw him keep a notebook and pen on him at all times and that’s what she did. at first it was filled with all the words she could spell and as time went on, lorraine was writing down her observations of the days and the people around her.

lorraine is the kind of person who does little things to make sure that the people she cares about have a good day. as a child, lorraine would make small care packages for her friends when they were sad. they often included fresh baked cookies and a little note saying how much she loved them.

she used to coat desks with candy and flowers on valentines day, having made notes of which of her classmates were allergic to what.

some might call her notes and observations “obsessive” but it was something she liked doing. she never showed them to anyone, but people knew she would write things down.

lorraine had been in every school production since elementary school. her love for writing turned into a love of reading and that wound up cultivating her love of acting. though she didn’t think she could do it full time--or that she’d want to--lorraine was happy to take part in the school productions.

thanks to her father, william, lorraine’s favorite type of story is a mystery. she read all the classics as a child, having william read to her when it was bedtime--though her favorite would always be adventure mysteries.

lorraine was interested in writing her own stories and kept other notebook sets to write those in--but she never showed those to anybody either, since she was always embarrassed and they were “never ready”.

her northern escape

when she got pregnant, though her family accepted her she was worried about how everything would go when the news broke. her own boyfriend at the time had a bad reaction to her winding up pregnant, so lorraine knew she was going to be on her own.

thankfully, she could finish high school and didn’t have to tell anybody else that she was pregnant. it was then that lorraine decided to move away. she wanted to go somewhere where nobody knew who she was.

the town of westmere had always been a conversation in her house--merelake mysteries is her dad’s favorite book series and every one of her siblings and her had read them all too.

with money borrowed from her parents, lorraine managed to buy her own house in everwood down by the boat docks--her dad’s favorite part of this is that it’s only a six and a half minute walk to the rw wallace house and museum ( and yes, he did in fact count ).

at first her family would often visit her, and her mother took time off to come and stay with lorraine before the baby was due and for another two months afterward.

lorraine’s oldest, her son eliott, was born on august 29th, 2000. she sent a card to her ex boyfriend after eliott was born, but never heard anything back and assumed that he wanted nothing to do with her or the baby even after months to think about it.

lorraine’s first job in town was working at the rw wallace museum. she knew enough about it to be an expert tour guide and was a happy camper with the flexible hours they offered her.

after time, around the time eliott started pre-school, lorraine decided to find a full time job. she worked as a fact checker at the westmere weekly for a while before being promoted to a staff writer and then, eventually, an editor.

at the beginning of her career at the westmere weekly, lorraine was single and happy. she didn’t expect to fall in love and wasn’t looking for anything.

you know how they say when you fall in love it’s when you least expect it? it’s when you stop looking that you find it? well, that’s what happened with lorraine. she met a guy working at another newspaper and she fell in love with him. it felt like it was the story her parents had always told her about how they met.

she took it slow, since eliott was still so young--he was five when they started dating. but, with lorraine’s luck things wound up going faster.

soon after they began dating, lorraine fell pregnant with her second child, a daughter named sydney born on april 13th, 2006.

for a while, her and her boyfriend managed to stay together. marriage wasn’t a question yet since they hadn’t been together too long, but he did spend most of his time in town with lorraine and their baby, even becoming a father figure to eliott.

after nearly three years of dating, lorraine got married. he quit his job at the newspaper he worked at a couple of towns over and started working for the westmere weekly alongside lorraine.

they were happy, and lorraine eventually got pregnant with their second daughter, penelope, born on october 31st, 2013.

lorraine was happy, she always wanted a big family. and it seemed like she was finally getting everything she’d ever wanted. working in a place where she could write, and sometimes taking weekend shifts at the wallace house & museum on the weekends because she still loved that place, she was happy.

just two short months after her husband filed for divorce--which, if you’ll ask lorraine, she never saw coming--lorraine gave birth to a set of twins named audrey and adrian on may 16th, 2015.

recently i’ve been ...

lorraine has been kind of apprehensive about falling in love after her divorce--she really thought that would be the end of it, that she would be married to him forever.

instead of focusing on the negatives, lorraine put all her effort into the kids and her work. it was around this time, the year and a half post her divorce, where lorraine finally got promoted to being an editor for the paper.

she still writes for the paper, too, but she’s been focusing lately on writing a story of her own. lorraine never thought about what she might do with her own personal stories, but it’s been on her mind lately and she’s been working on a secret novel project.

her kids are still her world, and she’s the sole parent--when her ex divorced her he moved away and didn’t fight her on custody for the kids.

personality & factoids

lorraine can quote anything she’d read, seen, or heard after only one time.

she keeps journals, and has a whole bunch of old ones from her childhood scattered around too--a lot of them are stashed at her childhood home with her parents.

lorraine loves her family more than anything and likes to do meals with the kids as often as she can--all of them, if eliott and sydney are around and not too busy.

always always always has a pen on her and a pad or notebook. doesn’t keep notes on her phone because she prefers to handwrite them out so she remembers it more later on.

loves to take care of everybody, but would just love someday for somebody to take care of her ( and for that person to stick around ).

her “secret shame” is that she loves cheesy romance novels--not the smutty ones, but the soft and true love ones they make into hallmark movies.

#westmereintro

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livsalinger · 4 years

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Hi friends! It's B again bein super late to the party to post something on Olivia. It took me forever to write Cooper's intro lmao. Anyway this is an actual ray of sunshine, Olivia Salinger (nee' Watson). You'll want to have her as a best friend.

( jenna coleman, thirty-four, cisfemale, she&her ) did you see OLIVIA SALINGER walking down main street earlier? you know who i’m talking about, they’re a 7TH GRADE MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER. everybody in town says that they’re CLASSY & KINDHEARTED, but have a tendency to be LONELY & EMOTIONAL too. OLIVIA has been in town for EIGHT years. c'mon, they’re always requesting DON’T WORRY BABY BY THE BEACH BOYS at karaoke nights. well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon!

Full Name: Olivia Christine Salinger (nee' Watson)

Date Of Birth: December 11th 1986

Current Age: thirty-four years young

Places Lived: London, England & Wilmington, North Carolina

Current Residence: Westmere, Connecticut

Occupation: 7th Grade English Teacher

--Olivia Christine Salinger (nee' Watson ) was welcomed into this World on a cold December night. The 11th to be exact back in 1986. To Caroline and Graham who were the happy couple and couldn't of been more excited to welcome their first baby and start their little family. They resided in England and to them Olivia was the most perfect thing theyve ever done. Graham was an English professor while Caroline was a Pediatric Surgeon.

--For the first 5 years of Olivia's life, she was a happy child who loved the beach that she lived on in England. Enjoying time with her parents as they both decided to take some time off to raise her and it was one of the best decisions aside from having Olivia that Grhama and Caroline ever made. By the time Olivia was 7 years old, the couple welcomed their second child into the World (WANTED CONNECTION) and they couldn't have been happier when they found out it was another girl and Olivia was excited to be a big sister.

--After Graham and Caroline welcomed their second child into the World, another girl, they decided it was finally time to move to the states and the two settled in Wilmington, North Carolina still raising their two beautiful daughters on the beach. Living in North Carolina for a couple of years, happy as can be it was a huge surpise when they found out they were pregnant with their third. However it wasn't a surprise when it was another little girl. The couple couldn't of been more in love, but after this third they were done.

--Olivia once again couldn't of been happier to have another little sister to take care of and look after. There was an age gap but that didn't matter to Olivia. Growing up she was super close to her two sisters. Took care of them and looked after them like they were her own. Olivia couldn't wait to become a mother. She excelled in school while getting straight A's. English was her favorite subject and Olivia enjoyed reading while she kept books pilled all over her bedroom floor and all over the hosue. Keeping a journal was a hobby she picked up one day in high school. Olivia was popular, she was a cheerleader and dancer. Though she got along with everyone and was the Valedictorian and graduated with honors.

-- Getting accepted into Harvard University Olivia excelled there as well and was also pretty well known. She was super involved with her college and majored in English while minoring in Interior Design. It wasn't until her senior year where she met and fell in love with (WANTED CONNECTION & NAME UP TO PLAYER) the love of her life who later on became her boyfriend of 4 years. After 4 years of dating they got engaged and one year later they were married. A year after that, she got pregnant with identical twins and she was so beyond the moon that they were both girls, deciding to name her Emma & Grace. 4 years later, Olivia welcomed her third and final child and decided to name her Sophie who's now 6 months.

--She and her husband used to live in New Haven with the girls where Olivia taught 7th grade English but got a job transfer and found Westmere, they fell in love with the little town and decided it was a great home to raise their daughters. Olivia still enjoys reading, and writing in a journal while drinking tea and visits her parents & siblings every chance she can get.

#westmereintro #SORRY OLIVIA'S INTRO TOOK ME F****** AGES #PLEASE LOVE HER! SHES A RAY OF SUNSHINE AND COULD BE A BEST FRIEND

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aerajecng · 4 years

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( sophia bush, thirty-five, cis female, she/her ) did you see ALEXIS HARDING walking down main street earlier? you know who i’m talking about, they’re a BARTENDER. everybody in town says that they’re OUTGOING & AUDACIOUS, but have a tendency to be DOGMATIC & OBSTINATE too. ALEXIS has been in town for TEN years. c'mon, they’re always requesting QUEEN OF THE DANCE FLOOR at karaoke nights. well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon! ( n , 22, she/her, est )

@westmerestarters

hello!! my name is n and i bring to you alexis who i have been playing on and off for about 3-4 years now?

Name: Alexis Victoria Harding Nickname(s): Alex, Lexi, Lex, Vic, Harding Age: 35 Birthday: March 28th, 1985 Zodiac: Aries Birthplace/Hometown: Manhattan, New York Current Location: Westmere, Connecticut Orientation: Bisexual/Biromantic Hair Color: Dark Brown Eye Color: Hazel Height: 5′4″

BACKGROUND

Alexis Harding was born on March 28th, 1985 in the Upper East Side of New York to a wealthy, known elite family

She was raised with a golden spoon in her mouth and being the only daughter of her family, she was raised a princess

However, even though she got everything she wanted, Alexis’ personality was always that of a firecracker

She always wanted to have fun and laugh at all times and she’s still like that now

Even though she wasn’t the oldest of her family, Alexis was always the one who was most involved with the family business and her parent’s clients always loved when she would be around for business deals, which made her parents choose her to be the heir of the business

This caused a lot of tension between her and her three other brothers, practically causing them to hate her for the clear favoritism

Ever since she was 20 years old, she was around to help with parents’ business by simply making an appearance and using her charm to get people to trust their business

Alexis always enjoyed making connections with people but she hated the environment that she was in. She disagreed with how the wealthy felt that power came with their money

Even though Alexis grew up in a highly wealthy family, she despised the everything that came with it and was sick and tired of the elite scene that she was stuck in

Announcing to her parents when she was 25 that she didn’t want to inherit the family business caused a huge fallout between her and her parents, and it was clear to her that if she wasn’t going to be helping them make their money then she might as well have not even been their daughter

It was disappointing, heartbreaking even but she felt it was the perfect excuse to just up and leave her family completely, which is exactly what she did

One of her good friends suggesting that she go and check out Westmere, sharing the stories that came from the books and it sounded interesting enough to peak Alexis’ interest, and that’s how she ended up in Westmere

It was different switch from the busy city to the quiet town of Westmere, but something about the smaller, tight knit community made Alexis fall in love with the place and she hadn’t thought of leaving it ever since arriving ten years ago

PERSONALITY

Positive traits: outgoing, audacious, humorous, goofy

Negative traits: dogmatic, obstinate, blunt, sarcastic

WANTED CONNECTIONS

First friend in Westmere: this is the person who Alexis met upon arrival and she has been friends ever since, which means they would be friends for ten years

College friend from back home: This is the friend that told her about Westmere, they could have been here before Alexis or after Alexis, however they must be from NYC

Friends: Alexis is outgoing which means she probably has a few friends around town, open to anything with these!

Ex: An ex, this is up for negotiation (ofc it depends on the personality of the other muse/when they came/etc

Current fling/FWB

I’m really down for anything, so like this post (so I can message you) or message me and I’m down for brainstorming! I’m also down to do a thread and basing it off of pure chem!

#westmereintro #i did not proof read this #it might have 50 typos pls bare w me

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conelly · 4 years

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( luke hemmings, twenty-two, cismale, he/him ) did you see BYRON CONELLY walking down main street earlier? you know who i’m talking about, they’re a DECKHAND. everybody in town says that they’re SANGUINE & NONJUDGEMENTAL, but have a tendency to be IMPRESSIONABLE & VOLATILE too. BYRON has been in town for ONE AND A BIT years. c'mon, they’re always requesting SWEET CAROLINE by NEIL DIAMOND at karaoke nights. well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon! ( ooc: sunny, 22, she/her, est )

hi thanks for tuning in, SUNNY here to tell you all a lil bit about westmere’s very own new nd improved favorite loser below. sorry for this summary being all over the place, it’s kinda how my brain works heh which is kinda perfect bc byron will for SURE be all over the place too ( u can rly tell at a certain point i was like ok i give up + i’m posting mf ). let me know if u have any questions about ‘em and most importantly, lmk if you would like to plot a lil connect or sumn 😙

@westmerestarters

FAMBAM + BACKGROUND

born 14 years after the elder conelly ( wanted brother connect !!! ) entered this word to two parents who didn’t seem to read the job description, it was clear that byron wasn’t planned. and down the line, he’d soon realize through the tumultuous household he was brought up in - perhaps never even wanted.

byron’s parents had one constant - and that was fighting. over anything, all the time. there just wasn’t any love between the two and they stayed together for whatever meaningless reasons until byron hit middle school. ( there might’ve been a super short lull in toxicity once byron was born, but it had to be short as his first memories are nothing shy of toxic. ) it was a messy separation ( they never paid the full legal fees for a full divorce ) - his father moving to the coast of nj & his mother moving to a smaller apartment nearby her own mother ( which, due to the negative relationship among his mother + grandmother, also called for more tension ). he’d often be dropped off @ his grandmother’s house for baby-sitting or when he was ‘ becoming too much to handle. ’ eventually his grandmother moved into his cousin’s house ( MONROE ) and although grateful he made a practically new brother, similar tendencies of feeling unwanted occurred when byron noticed their grandmother praising and coddling and favoriting monroe just a bit more.

( his mother was a struggling addict ( and had been her whole life ), but the loneliness, newfound pressures and whatever excuse she was able to name caused her drinking to spiral worse than byron remembered ( even at his young age ) before. )

( his father was rarely in his life, but when he was, he was THE coolest. always played good cop in any situation regarding his mother, despite choosing not to have an active role in byron’s life. byron looked up to him like no other. when he WAS around, he taught byron how to surf, skateboard, play sports, they’d play video games, they’d eat junk food - honestly anything that byron wanted to do. his dad was an adrenaline junkie and created the stepping stones for byron to be one too. he was a marine biologist & pretty successful at that. passionate, intelligent, but seemingly finding his newfound life a lot better than his previous - which is why he never wanted byron to stay too long, the boy reminded him of her, of the past. )

( his older brother moved out of the house when byron was just a lil kid, they’re not very close and don’t have much in common ... or so it seems. he lives in nyc and they only talk here and there on holidays. he was never a huge part of his life, but it does bum him out to think what could’ve been / could be. )

TO GET THE GIST

due to never receiving the attention he craved from his family members, he made up for it tenfold in school. he was always talking to everyone, loud, boisterous, gregarious, life of the party; he wanted people to like him and they did. he become a total people pleaser, molding himself to make sure everyone was content and stayed around. impressionable, adaptable. he felt less this way towards adults and had a bit of a rebellious phase, hanging with the wrong crowd & getting into things he probably wouldn’t do otherwise. old habits die hard and he still tries his best to make everyone crack a smile, to remember him - since he believes he won’t be remembered for much else.

after he just barely skated by in high school ( his grades were never as good as his cousin’s and never lived up to his father’s expectations ), byron felt a bit lost. a lot of people had plans, were heading off to college - but already under the assumption he couldn’t reach any expectation in that realm ( a lil self fulfilling prophecy am i right pals ), he stayed in town - caring for his mother who hardly had anything together, his uncle who got sick very quickly & passed, spending time with his grandmother, while he himself fell into a rut. most of his days meant he drove out towards his dad’s place ( dad hardly there now, out and about with his new family ), surfing, smoking, and grabbing some cash doing odd jobs any way he could. he lost any purpose he once had ( but yall would never know it bc who wants to be in someone’s life who’s a buzzkill ? all smiles, baby, all smiles. )

IN WESTMERE

when his cousin offered the opportunity to travel cross-country in his van, byron had nothing to lose. always adventurous in spirit, he immediately said yes - deciding to ignore that ‘obligation,’ that feeling to make sure they were a-ok that he felt towards his parents. he needed an out and this was it.

after landing in the small connecticut town for the night, the two fell for it - especially since when they got there along the water, it was a summer night + everything landed into place. they decided to stay there a bit longer ... and that eventually turned into more than a year. still antsy to keep traveling and to move around, byron has been ready to head out ... but stays for a few reasons - and them all being people ( bc lbh the surf is not even on point here ok )

his current job is a deckhand ( on a bunch of boats, ppl prob hired him as word of mouth got around that he knew what he was doing ). prob got that knowledge from being by his dad’s on the water when younger ( he’s ... obsessed with the water ) ! and also he’s just a quick learner ok ( ps: if your charrie has a boat pls let’s make somethin happen )

TO KNOW [ headcanons + more ]

his fav karaoke song is sweet caroline bc he knows everyone will be able to sing nd party along. he does it for the ppl, ppl.

he never saw too many baby / kid pics of himself which was kind of a bummer bc he really only remembers negative times - somehow they overpowered ( i bet lil byron was cute as fuck too fml )

he’s super into drugs, hallucinogenics, honestly you name it. it started off w/ him being impressionable, then bored, and now he just enjoys it. despite his mother’s addiction running through his blood, he still continues to do his thang.

longboards around town so watch your toes

uses 🤙🤙 all the time and not ironically

has an existential crisis on the daily about purpose but keeps that to himself most times

WANTED CONNECTIONS

someone pls give me a sugar mama idc how we plot it out they don’t have to hook up they can idk idc i just want someone giving him money or expensive things it can be so much fun ok ,, pool boy ? idk sign me up

pls if your muse has a boat, let him be the deckhand ok it will also be so fun and potentially angsty if he fucks something up

a fling 100% - even multiple ? idc listen he is currently sharing a tiny VAN with his COUSIN he needs a place - like an actual bed - to crash on at night

can he save someone who was potentially drowning pls??? he used to be a lifeguard, it can be a cool/fun thread to write out

omg off of that can he teach someone how to swim

look if anyone is into marine bio, can they somehow know byron’s father ?? i feel like that could make room for a cool plot

also i have an older brother connect on the w/c’s page lmk lmk

give me a good influence that will somehow have him open up + tell him that it’s weird to be so sunshiny all the time. maybe someone who witnesses him at his worst + stays, ya know ??

a bad influence plot where y/c takes this impressionable young lad and puts him through the ringer tbh ( srrsly he’d do a lot for ppl, so ask him to do something illegal for them it’ll be fun )

party pals, smoking pals, on the water 24/7 pals,

co-worker, other ppl that work on the water ( fishermen?? more deckhands?? captains??)

gimmie someone he accidentally bumped into while longboarding ( he’s a large human it might’ve done damage ok )

i want and need enemies ok i know he’s chill as fuck and wants everyone to like him but there’s always a way to find enemies >:o. anything angsty for REAL.

unrequited thing? where he led someone on?? i’m sure he does this constantly

don’t ruin the friendship thing omg plsssss always so fun

look i’m open for it ALL. every plot u have in mind so lay it on me

#westmereintro #TW ADDICTION #nd ... i think that's it

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opheliaoblonskya · 4 years

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hello hello hello everyone! i’m coco, this is my baby ophelia, and we’re both extremely happy to be part of the group!!! this is ophelia’s official intro post so feel free to check under the cut for more info on them! @westmerestarters

MAJOR TW FOR DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE

agender, goes by they/them pronouns, first discovered non binary identities a few years ago and went from “huh, that’s neat” to “it me” within a few months lmao

their father was originally from the soviet union, grew up poor, immigrated to the states, and made it big as a writer. poetry, essays, plays, short stories, and even full on novels, anton oblonsky was a literary darling, and married cleo harris, a celebrity stylist, rather young. after barely two years of marriage, ophelia was born. they were to be anton’s only child.

while both of ophelia’s parents doted on them, they were the apple of their father’s eye in particular. he spoiled ophelia rotten, showering them with things he could’ve never dreamed of having as a child, but now with his lucrative writing career at his side, he was able to fully provide for his family, so much so that cleo was able to quit her job.

naturally, ophelia adored their father for how much he spoiled and openly adored them, and never feared hearing the word ‘no’ from anton. cleo often had to step in to be the disciplinarian in the family, which created some tension between her and her overly indulged child, but for the most part, the oblonsky family home was a happy one.

this would fall apart when ophelia was only five.

understandably, cleo was growing tired of having to be the ‘bad guy parent’, and had grown to resent how easy going and frivolous anton was. this of course caused arguments, and whenever ophelia stepped in and it was clear that they had heard it, anton would try to remedy the situation by showering them with more gifts, which in turn lead to more arguments. it was like a cycle, and cleo was determined to put an end to it. she filed for divorce.

during the proceedings, the two agreed on shared custody of ophelia. they would spend one week with anton, and the other with cleo. of course, ophelia much preferred being with their father, who’s spoiling had gone into maximum overdrive as a way to make up for the divorce. cleo was nowhere near as indulgent, and the young ophelia grew to resent their mother, blaming her for the falling apart of the family and their father’s misery.

just months after ophelia’s sixth birthday, which had of course been a truly lavish affair, the divorce was finalized. by then ophelia was getting therapy, to help cope with the change, and despite the therapist’s best efforts, ophelia still laid the blame squarely at their mother’s feet. but the worst was still yet to come.

when ophelia was seven, during the week they were with anton, he woke them up, told them they had the day off school because he had called in, and that they were going to do whatever ophelia wanted. of course, they were utterly ecstatic, and the day was spent devouring ice cream and candy of all kinds, watching cartoons, and playing games. it truly was the best day of ophelia’s life.

but it would quickly become the worst.

anton told ophelia to play outside for a bit, while he cleaned up. still bouncing off the walls from the massive amount of sugar consumption, ophelia happily ran around in the yard, playing on the brand new play set that anton had bought just for that day. they were so preoccupied, that they almost didn’t hear the loud bang that came from inside.

they tried to get inside, but all of the doors were locked, and no matter how loudly they yelled, they were getting no response from anton. confused, and getting a little scared, ophelia went to the neighbor’s, and asked them for help. the neighbor’s called, but when they got response they called the police instead.

the rest of the day is a blur, perhaps an attempt of ophelia’s mind to shield them from it all. but one thing they remember clear as day is the body of their father, lying in a pool of his own blood, in the middle of the living room. they had managed to sneak past the police, wanting to see what was happening. and of course, they got their wish.

the death was ruled a suicide, thanks to the presence of a long letter that anton had left behind in his study. cleo was contacted immediately and rushed to her child’s side, weeping profusely. the last year of her marriage to anton had been tense, but she never doubted for a second that he was a good man who loved her and ophelia. and now he was gone.

ophelia was different after that. now in their mother’s care, they had become quiet, withdrawn, and despite how tense and strained their relationship with their mother had been before, they were now terrified of being separated from cleo. they got another therapist, one that specialized in helping grieving children, but it was very slow going. at the reading of the will, it had been revealed that anton had left everything, his wealth, his properties, even the rights to his numerous literary works, which at the time of his death was just shy of a hundred, to ophelia. it turned out that he had made the change the day before his death, and that half of his fortune, which included ongoing royalties, would be used for ophelia’s education and other parts of their care, a type of posthumous child support, while the rest would be put in a trust fund.

of the things that had been left to ophelia, what caught their attention the most, was their father’s journals. he would spend hours scribbling away in them, and no one, not even his precious ophelia, had been permitted to read them. they desperately wanted to do so now, but cleo got to them first, and had them placed in a safety deposit box, away from ophelia. this resulted in a screaming match, a tearful ophelia demanding to have what remained of their father’s essence, and cleo insisting that they were too young to see what was in those books, and that when they were older they could read them, but not now.

as time wore on, ophelia remained ever devoted to their father and his memory, lashing out at anyone who would dare besmirch his name and/or work. when cleo remarried, to anton’s lawyer no less, ophelia reacted very negatively, threatening to sabotage the wedding if they were made to go. they were made to go, but were under heavy surveillance by the bridesmaids (ophelia had been made the maid of honor, which made their stomach roil), and aside from having a generally negative attitude, did no harm to the event.

when ophelia’s first half sibling was born, they were determined to remain indifferent, if not totally icy and aloof, towards the child. it wasnt until after they had laid eyes on the newborn, that they felt their heart soften. in a hospital bathroom, ophelia cried for the first time since their father’s funeral. they were 12 years old.

with extensive therapy and family counselling, ophelia found themself able to let go of their previous animosity towards their mother. they began to see and understand why cleo was so frustrated with anton, and wrote an immense letter of apology to their mother. they were also fiercely protective of their half siblings, and thoroughly adored them.

but of course, there was still a hole that had been left behind by anton’s death. and part of the way they chose to cope was by consuming all of their father’s work. they would pour over his writing, studying it all endlessly. if there was an english assignment of some sort, then you can be sure that ophelia would write about something their father wrote. it wasn’t long before they too started to dream of becoming a writer.

after ophelia graduated, they were finally permitted to read the journals that their father wrote in and kept. after talking extensively with ophelia’s therapists, cleo finally opened that old safety deposit box, and gave ophelia everything they had dreamed of. they devoted every waking moment to reading those journals, desperate to further understand their father. and one of the first steps they took was going to russia.

they had of course heard many stories from their father about russia, and most of anton’s work was either set in russia, featured russian characters, or at least had russia in the background in some way. but of course the russia he had been most familiar with was the one of the soviet era, and even after a number of trips back, the shadow of the soviet union still clung to him and his work, and ophelia was determined to see modern day russia for themself.

they followed their father’s steps, hunting down every place mentioned or alluded to in his writings, trying to understand and feel what their father understood and felt about the place. it also inspired them to start journaling, chronicling their time in russia and the steps they were taking to understand the man their father was.

while in russia, they came up to the part in the journals where anton started to talk about his divorce and depression. he waxed lyrical about the intense, deep, gut wrenching misery that plagued him, and how the only way he could keep it at bay was by caring for ophelia. but as they started to grow up, he started to panic and worry more and more. his own father took his life when he was very young, and his mother never remarried. how was he supposed to know how to be a father from that point on? he had tried to give ophelia everything she could ever want, materially and emotionally, but there was still a part of him that felt that it would never be enough, because he had never seen what he was supposed to do next. the anxiety strangled him to the point where sometimes he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

his last entry was on the day before he died. “if nothing else, ophelia will know how much i love her.”

ophelia spent a week indoors, grieving their father all over again, and finally seeing why their mother had been so adamant in keeping these journals away from them. no child would be equipped to deal with everything that had been written in those notebooks, least of all one that had been as vulnerable as ophelia had been at the time.

when they returned home, they hugged their mother and cried.

another thing they did after they returned was go to college. despite his literary success, ophelia’s father never went to college, with his formal education stopping when he was 14 so that he could work and support his ailing mother. he would go on to teach himself, but the world of academia always gripped his imagination, and ophelia was determined to do what their father couldnt.

double majoring in english lit and russian lit, minoring in journalism, and applying with their mother’s new married name to avoid any awkwardness, ophelia dedicated themself to studying and writing, wanting to create the ‘perfect debut novel’. during this time they remained secretive about their father’s identity, particularly after they started to study his work in class. they would go on to get a masters in all of their subjects, and get a job at the new york times.

while in new york, ophelia was contacted by an established, and well-respected broadway producer and director, who wanted to adapt one of their father’s plays for broadway, but needed ophelia’s permission to do so. intrigued, ophelia agreed, provided that they be involved every step of the way. they were going to make sure that their father’s work was going to be well represented.

after countless long days going from the office to broadway then home, ophelia saw their father’s first ever play, which also happened to be the one that was the least adapted and staged for whatever reason, on broadway. it was set in a town called westmere, a place that ophelia’s father had mentioned in his journals, but that they had never gotten around to visiting. but after opening night, they knew that would change. once the play had it’s full run, ophelia resigned from their job, packed up, and went to westmere, to see what it was about the town that had so entranced their father.

and there you have it! didnt expect to write that much but oh well dfjignfdifjnfdij feel free to dm if you want to plot something!!!

#westmereintro

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