* ╱ 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓷 !

stevie chen was born november 12, 1997 in seattle, washington. she was not a wanted child — her parents were both barely 21, entering their senior year of college at UW. a baby was the last thing on their minds. and yet, laura and eric loved stevie deeply as soon as she arrived. they got married a year later, after laura graduated ( eric, try as he might, could not finish his business degree, and ended up dropping out with just a few credits remaining. )

yes, she was named after stevie nicks. and yes, her younger brother, born two years later, was named bowie after ziggy stardust himself. as it turned out, laura and eric weren’t entirely compatible — the sweet elementary school teacher and the grown-up frat boy, who would have guessed? — but the one thing they could agree on was music. 

their inevitable divorce, when stevie was 6, was amicable, and laura got full custody of both kids. eric had begun continued to drink heavily after college, and it was agreed laura could take better care of their kids. 

stevie grew up a bit of a rebellious child, with a lot of energy and nowhere to put it. it didn’t help that as bowie entered school, he was picked on, and little stevie fought fiercely to protect her brother. she got into trouble frequently at school, and laura was not having it, asking her to please think before she acted.

what stevie wanted, more than anything, was to be like her mom — sweet and kind and loving and talented. but try as she might, she had no talent for instruments, and her voice was tuneful but not beautiful. though laura never pushed her into music and performing, stevie could tell she was disappointed, and that hurt even more than when she was mad. 

even so, they were a tight-knit little family, them against the world, and stevie relied heavily on her mom. through her, she developed a love for music, particularly riot grrrl bands of the 90s — laura’s favorite.

however, their family was ripped apart when stevie was 13. on her way home from work, laura was involved in a car accident that put her in a coma. stevie and bowie spent weeks by her bedside until, having been informed that she was unlikely to recover, the family made the difficult decision to take her off life support. 

all the energy stevie had spent trying to be more like her mom, thoughtful and kind and generous? that evaporated with laura’s death. all she was left with was grief, and unending rage. 

stevie and bowie were sent to live with their father, having no other relatives in america who were willing to take on two grieving pre-teens. unfortunately, he intended to do little to take care of his children, leaving stevie to be the primary caregiver for her brother and her father. 

high school was difficult, as stevie worked two jobs to keep the lights on — one at a record store, the other moonlighting in audio engineering at concert events. the basement scene in seattle welcomed her in even with all her fire, and for the first time in a long time she managed to make some friends, including a few future members of thieves. plus, it meant she didn’t have to spend as much time at home. as it turned out, she wasn’t a musician, but she sort of had a knack for sound.  

she went off to college at berklee for two years on scholarship, but dropped out when she couldn’t make the money work anymore. it remains one of the biggest regrets in her life. ultimately, though, it led her back to thieves, and she’s been working with them ever since.

personality-wise, stevie is honestly a bit of a bitch — she’s very blunt, short-tempered, and can be straight up mean to people she doesn’t know. not to be cliche, but it’s a wall that guards away the damage inside and makes sure that her fears or being hurt or abandoned again will never be realized. 

if you do manage to get to know her, she is fiercely loyal and funny, and a truly caring person. she’s weirdly charming despite her negative qualities?? people do seem very drawn to her for some reason.