what is it like, to be liked?

⸻     BASICS.

full name: leonardo andrés valencia estrada. nicknames: leo, leon. age/date of birth: 34 / may 15th. zodiac sign: taurus. gender identity: cis man ( he / him ). hometown: san jose, ca. current location: bear creek, co. time in town: twenty years, since 2006. sexual orientation: bisexual, fem lean. religion: raised catholic, non-practicing. occupation: personal trainer @ the local gym.

⸻     PERSONALITY.

labels: the anti-romantic, the disingenuous, the handyman. positive traits: assertive, dutiful, insouciant. negative traits: brazen, cynical, obsessive. hobbies: horseback riding, jogging, collecting vinyls. languages spoken: english, spanish. instruments played: drums. favorite color: dark green, indigo blue.

⸻     BIOGRAPHY.

tw: mentions of terminal illness, no specifics provided.

moved to bear creek with his mom and older brother at the age of 14 after a messy divorce between his parents. lost contact with his younger sibling soon after.

married his high school sweetheart at the age of 21. intended on going to med school but she became ill and leon dropped out to take care of her — her funeral happened the week before their third wedding anniversary. has remained single since then, other than the occasional lover he takes in an attempt to chase away the loneliness that wraps itself around his throat. still wears his wedding ring, though it's no secret to the locals and those who have been around bear creek for long enough that the ring is nothing but a sentimental thing at this point.

a hopeless romantic deep down, but he denies it. incapable of doing casual, but equally incapable of settling down because he feels like he's cheating on his late wife's memory or something. 2 + 2 = fish?

⸻     CONNECTIONS.

relationship status:  single ( widower ). current partners(s):  none. past relationships / flings: orla valencia, former wife — passed away due to health complications around 10 years ago. family:  parents ( deceased ) . siblings ( younger sibling, estranged.  older brother, deceased ). roommates:  none.  

⸻     ESTABLISHED 

tba.

⸻     WANTED  

platonic connections: one (1) childhood best friend.  jogging / gym buddies, a group of 2 - 3 friends, his favorite customer.  positive influence, tinder date turned friend, unlikely friends.

antagonistic connections:  his least favorite gym regular.  a date gone wrong.  a scorned former lover.

⸻     BASICS.

full name: evangeline gia huang. nicknames: eve, evie, gigi ( by her mothers and sisters only ). age / date of birth: 33 / september 23rd. zodiac sign: libra. gender identity: demi woman ( she / they ). height: 5'6 / 168 cm. faceclaim: natasha liu bordizzo. hometown: bear creek, co. current location: bear creek, co. time in town: their whole life. orientation: bisexual, biromantic. religion: agnostic, spiritual. occupation: employee @ recycled roots.

⸻     PERSONALITY.

labels: the adventurer, the choleric, the melodramatic. positive traits: candid, meticulous, steadfast. negative traits: boisterous, opinionated, resentful. hobbies: horseback riding, hiking, gardening, knitting. languages spoken: english, spanish, conversational italian. instruments played: bass guitar, kalimba, ocarina. favorite color: orange, purple, teal.

⸻     BIOGRAPHY.

tw: mentions of parental death, grief, depression.

evangeline is a daddy's girl from the moment she is born. two peas in a pod, twin smiles and sparks in their eye when they pretend not to know who ate the last of vivienne's snacks.

the call comes unexpectedly, but really, who expects to ever hear that someone they love has passed away? evangeline is old enough to understand that her father is never coming back, but she is not old enough to understand what the fracture inside her means, what the hollow feeling in her chest is. one moment, she's at her best friend's house, laughing and playing in the pool, and the next, she is hollow and angry and sad — all these years later, and she still feels the loss of her father like a bruise.

they're a good kid, mostly — if you ignore the constant detention the years following the death of their father, the stuffy silence, the moody eye rolls and the overall attitude that comes from a teenager who holds a grudge they refuse to acknowledge.

evangeline goes from being an only child to being a younger sister to being a middle child in the span of a few years, and while she was initially apprehensive — in that small, insecure way kids can be when they don't have words for the way they feel. how can she be sure her mother won't forget her, too? how can she be sure she won't be a blip in her mother's life, the way her father seemed to be? for so long, evangeline carries these feelings, bites her tongue, wishes she didn't hold a grudge because she loves that vivienne is happy, loves that she can see the way her eyes light up with life and love — it doesn't take her long to realize that this is the family she wants: two moms and two sisters who brush her hair back with loving hands and tease and prod and draw laughs from her even when life seems just a little too bleak.

college finds her with a degree she hates and a diagnosis she refuses to accept, at least for a few years. antidepressants become the norm, and in an attempt to find something to take the edge of misery from her, evangeline turns to the wilderness, the seemingly endless spread of green that her hometown has to offer. she hikes, she takes on photography, she forces her sisters and her mothers to go camping, she falls in love with the world around her. the plants, the animals, the little things she overlooked for so long.

⸻     CONNECTIONS.

relationship status:  single. current partners(s):  none. past relationships / flings: tba. family:  father ( deceased ). mothers ( camila huang-ramos, stepmom + vivienne huang-ramos, bio mom ). siblings ( rosaline huang-ramos & jasmine huang-ramos ). roommates:  none ( looking for one, if interested! ).

⸻     ESTABLISHED 

tba.

⸻     WANTED  

platonic connections: one (1) childhood best friend, former classmates, someone she ( unknowingly? ) bullied back in school, detention regulars. hiking / gym buddies, a group of 2 - 3 friends who they spend most of their time with, book club, their favorite customer. roommate. positive influence, tinder date turned friend, unlikely friends.

romantic / sexual connections: one night stand, a situationship / flirtationship ( it's not going anywhere and they both know it, but flirting is still fun ). fwb / friendship with no actual boundaries. a ( one - sided? ) crush.

antagonistic connections:  a messy breakup, an on-and-off fling, a rival ( academic, romantic, one - sided ), someone she fights over their favorite sight - seeing spot, someone they just can't stand for no reason, despite having friends in common. a tinder date gone wrong.

the first love:  her first ( and probably only ) serious relationship. evangeline has never been good at letting people in, but this person broke down their walls when they least expected it, and it was perfect until it wasn't — evangeline is afraid that their loved ones will disappear when they least expect it, so they became jealous and possessive. they broke things off before it spiraled out of control, and while evangeline is grateful for it, they can't help but to resent them.