❀ *ﾟ cemre baysel. twenty-six. cis woman. she/her. demiromantic pansexual & pisces. ⇝ looks like aleyna ‘johanna’ serel blew in twenty-six years ago and never left. they’ve proven themselves to be resilient & romantic, but being pouty & short-sighted is their downfall. it’s only fitting that drops of jupiter by train is playing when they leave their home in gargoyle garden apartments. rumor has it that they are still looking for the lost ones in their lives, wonder if that’s why the nurse at massachusetts general hospital moved out of their place in salem, massachusetts.
— HISTORY ( tw: abuse, addiction mention )
if johanna were to describe her parents in a word, it would be incompatible. as far back as she can recall, they were the sort of pair that were fated to part in one form or another. her father, benjamin, was always fidgety and feeble, easily manipulated, easily abused. her mother lucille was overbearing, uncaring, and forever looking out for herself and her own sordid interests. their inevitable ending was all but cemented when word came of her father’s surprising infidelity, the man returning to an old flame and family johanna had been given little notice of. it was at this time she came to know of an elder sibling. the connection would never cement in the way she truly wished, however, with johanna’s mother forbidding contact after catching the pair sneaking around during school hours more than once and putting genuine fear in her father’s heart for his son’s safety.
this fear of retaliation would translate to any possible court proceedings as well, with benjamin inevitably caving to any further demands wished of him rather than put up a decent fight, partly out of understanding for his own desires towards his daughter that he dare not speak of. and in his cowardice, renders his role in his daughter’s life from that point forward essentially nonexistent.
under her mother’s sole ‘care’ johanna found herself isolated and grew mute, just as restricted now as her father likely felt as all eyes were focused only in her direction. she would struggle to shelter her abuses, struggle to maintain normalcy in the world with her mother using her only child in any manner she saw fit: assisting with procuring funds for various addictions, to air her frustrations, to push for actions most would consider questionable at best. and it wasn’t long before johanna found herself with a police record, the questionable activity catching up with her. her mother played her role well, however — taking little blame and swearing to do her part to see her daughter ‘shape up’ despite her obvious influence. in fact, breaking away from the woman’s grasp proved nearly impossible until johanna managed to secure a mentorship, strung about out of direct concern for her wellbeing from a counselor who could tell something was amiss.
that mentor, han-jae song, would prove a great aid in johanna finding her footing again, in allowing her a chance to breathe again. even in small, isolated ways.
with his influence, johanna would seek her freedom fully, crafting her escape from her mother’s claws in a fashion most wouldn’t initially consider: an unexpected marriage, authorized by her inebriated mother, in the hopes of seeking proper emancipation. before this union could come to fruition, however, she would find her wishes granted in another way — with the actual disappearance of her mother, practically overnight, and her eventually being taken in by her mentor.
there were few clues or much indication at all of what had exactly happened to the woman — her car was gone, but there was no note. that sort of thing. it wouldn’t surprise johanna if the woman simply got tired of her and sought another meal ticket, someone easier to control without fear of so many witnesses, perhaps, as there had been growing concerns at her doorstep lately. yet, there’s a part of her that wonders on this and whether out of genuine concern for the woman’s wellbeing despite her actions or otherwise, the manner of the woman’s vanishing still causes vague alarm to rise in her chest for some time.
that feeling of concern was renewed, naturally, with the sudden disappearance of her girlfriend, sonequa, two years ago now. and, frankly speaking, johanna can’t help wondering if somehow she’s the cause for both. if she’s cursed them somehow. it isn’t a matter she brings up to those around her these days ( specifically her guardians ), out of fear of worrying them, but she’s grown more cautious lately and is constantly searching for answers now.
— FACTS
a lover of nature and all it encompasses, johanna can often be found roaming freely through forests and fields of flowers
she enjoys being barefoot as well, and takes every chance she can to ditch her footwear
during her first two years of nurse school, she worked as a florist at the local shop and has many plant babies in her life now
she is a phenomenal baker, yet a terrible cook. she enjoys baking cookies and pies most, and will give away new creations whenever and wherever
a true romantic and bleeding heart, she enjoys a good fairytale and is always one to wish and do her best for others. she is everyone’s biggest cheerleader
speaking of romance, she is still loyal to her lost girlfriend sonequa, the mayor’s daughter, and often worries she may never be found
arcade games are her favorite, even if she’s often terrible at them
she chose the name johanna after han adopted her and introduces herself as this only, her change in moniker her first step in her aim to undue and atone for her past mistakes and gain a fresh start
she owns the biggest collection of stuffed animals you can imagine
johanna is a competent seamstress, a skill born of her need to sew up her own clothes growing up as her mother often refused to replace them
she’s recently taken up boxing in an effort to learn how to protect herself better, something she hasn’t directly mentioned to anyone
she owns a cavalier king charles spaniel named periwinkle and a german shepard named hobbs. hobbs is the older of the two and both are fiercely protective of her
while she does actually have a driver’s license after several failed tests, driving absolutely terrifies her so she relies on friends and cabs often to get her places
cozy sweaters, marshmallows, stargazing, horses, checkers, and the color pink are some of her big loves
— CONNECTIONS
she’s only recently moved to her new apartment within the last few months, but any fellow residents or neighbors she’s spoken with or baked for or anything are welcome
anyone in ren’s dnd group or associates of them, as they are her usual crowd of friends
people who know han or simon, people who know of her life of crime before or former associates in those crimes or those trying to lure her back, the guy she almost married to escape her mother, former therapy friends, those associated with her girlfriend sonequa and any connections that stem from her disappearance like those who interviewed her and what have you
fellow nurses / hospital staff, fellow nature lovers, those she’s tended to either in the hospital or on the street, those connected to her actual parents, former college or high school friends or sweethearts, and so on
