#atgaintro

full name: salem odette creak

birthdate: may 11th, 1996

age: 23

height: 5’1”

biography –

As a kid, Salem hardly paid attention to her surroundings. It was as if she floated on through life with tunnel vision, staring straight ahead and not bothering to try and look up and take in her surroundings. It seemed like the easiest option for the girl, if only because life outside of tunnel vision wasn’t much better. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Salem Creak grew up in the foster care system. She was transferred from home to home until she was about ten years old, when she landed herself in a group home, allowing her to blend into the background as much as she possibly could. While the other kids around her made friends with each other as a way to cope, Salem found it easier to bury her nose in a book or a movie, not wanting to sympathize with other people about her situation.

Her life at school was fairly normal. She made decent grades just so she could slip by, avoided clubs like it was her job, and holed herself up in the library for hours on end. It wasn’t until she reached high school that one person took special interest in her. He always seemed to be around when she was, sitting at the same table as her at lunch except a few chairs down, eyes finding hers in the crowded assembly rooms, and sitting a few desks away in the same row as her in class. Salem didn’t think twice about the boy, knowing that he was a little bit older and hearing stories about his adventures, and she refused to let herself get caught up in something that she planned to leave behind as soon as she graduated. 

But after a while, he weaseled his way into her life, starting with leaving her notes in her locker, followed by snacks on her desk, and flowers in her books. The gestures confused Salem, watching as he inched closer to her at the lunch table day by day. Eventually he introduced himself; his name was Brant, and he only had eyes for her. It didn’t take her long to open up to him, finding relief in revealing the deeper parts of her mind and finding solace in another human being; Salem had spent so long believing that she’d be unloved for the entirety of her life, and he was proving otherwise. 

When she turned seventeen, Brant made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. It involved them moving away together, going to the South and making a new life where nobody could tell either of them what to do. Without hesitation, Salem packed her backpack’s worth of belongings and snuck away from the group home, knowing that nobody would care enough to go looking for her. Within days the couple travelled from Connecticut to Atlanta, Georgia with just a few dollars in their pockets and no plans whatsoever. For a while they lived on the streets, trying their best to make friends where they could in the hopes of finding a couch to live on, but after a while they both secured jobs, promising each other that they would make it through the hard times no matter what happened. 

They lived together for a year before Brant split, claiming that she was too needy and clingy and that he needed space. At eighteen years old, Salem felt like her life was over, knowing that trying to get by on her own would be nearly impossible. Finding the job at Wild Hogs was the only blessing she could really find, as they offered her enough hours and compensated in tips so she had a shot at having some sort of life. These days, Salem faces eviction notices and threats to cut her power, feeling like she’s barely keeping her head above water but not letting it get in her way. She’s managed to come out of her shell just slightly, taking on a bit of a wild and unpredictable attitude, if only so it keeps people off her trail of just how unhappy she is. If anything, Salem just wants to feel like she’s normal, even if it seems like an unreachable goal.

personality  –

positive: honest, playful, appreciative

When Lysander was born in Perth, Australia, his family was overjoyed. He was the second of two brothers, and the family was finally complete. His father owned and operated an animal sanctuary, and his mother was a professor of Hellenic studies at a local university. The family was settled in the suburbs so that neither of them had to drive far, as the sanctuary had to be further out from the city. As Sander was growing up, he was exposed to both worlds equally, having a keen interest in what his mother studied and taught, but he was far more interested in sitting with the roos and letting them climb all over him. It was serene, but it was hard work worth doing to help his dad out.

As he grew older and went to school, he began working hard so that he could get a formal education in animal handling, plus having the internship at the sanctuary didn’t hurt when looking at colleges. He was also quite popular in school, becoming a heartthrob when he’d bring dates to the sanctuary to let them get closer to the animals than anyone else usually could. His father reprimanded him several times, but that didn’t stop him. Soon enough he was off to college, still helping out with the sanctuary. After he graduated, he became head of Kangaroo conservation at the sanctuary, helping them to breed and be successful.

One day, a severe storm came through and flooded the place all of the animals called home. Some did not make it, but Lysander and his whole family, minus his brother, helped try to clean up and get the animals to safety. Soon his family realized that the land was not sustainable and needed to find new places for all of them. While his parents were unaware of this, Lysander had been looking to move to the US, and was in contact with the Atlanta Zoo regardless, working out an agreement for a position there. It was then that he admitted this to his family, and he agreed to bring the animals with him, closing the sanctuary for good. He transported all of them over the course of a few months, and he himself was last on a plane. Now, three years later, he has settled in Atlanta and takes care of the same animals he was before, just in a different place.

personality  –

+ Caring, Gentle, Optimistic

TW: military, head injury, epilepsy/seizures, ptsd, depression, drug use

Emanuel is 41 years old and from Miami, Florida. His close friends call him Manny.

Manny served in the Air Force as an F-16 fighter pilot.

He was medically discharged after a traumatic brain injury that was the result of an accident.

After he came home he was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy that was caused by his head injury. That on top of his PTSD left him feeling hopeless about what his life could really amount up to, especially since he couldn’t fly anymore.

Manny began to use alcohol to cope with the anguish he felt from losing his dream, and occasionally uses drugs if he feels they’re called for. No one would know though - he hides it well aside from the fact that his habits have eaten away at his money.

He didn’t want to settle for a desk job so he instead bought a guitar and decided to pursue music (not very successfully). He is talented and has a good voice but doesn’t take anything seriously enough to actually make a steady income from it.

Manny also does off jobs, drifting from town to town and sleeping on different couches until he is ready to move on to a new place.

TW: References to abuse/neglect, and car accident/death.

Casey’s entire world is his seven year old little girl, Abby.

After that comes his siblings (SOMEONE PLEASE COME PLAY THEM), and then the bakery. There’s not much room for much else in his world at the moment.

Casey’s biological parents were pretty awful, and he got taken away at eight years old. He went into foster care, as his aunt and uncle didn’t think they could handle their troubled nephew along with newborn Ostin.

He spent four years in foster care, and he acted out a lot. He didn’t do well in school, and he didn’t really know how to trust anyone. Even with therapy while he was in state care, it wasn’t until after his adoption when he was twelve that he truly began the healing process.

The Williams parents are hands down amazing. All of their children were adopted as older children and they worked super hard to give their kids all the help and support they needed. 

He married his high school sweetheart Isabelle just after they graduated college, and Abby was born within the year just as they had moved to TN for work. They settled into their family life there, Casey in the business field and Isabelle working as an architect. They both loved cooking and baking and always said they’d retire and open a bakery one day.

A year ago Casey and Isabelle came back to visit her family over a long weekend. Casey insisted they needed to leave rather then staying one more day as he didn’t want Abby to miss school, and the little family headed home late that night. A drunk driver hit them before they ever arrived back to their house, and Isabelle didn’t make it.

Isabelle’s family blames Casey for her death, since he was the one who insisted they head back that night. Deep down, Casey blames himself too.

He initially took time off work, but ended up deciding he couldn’t handle staying where he and Isabelle had been so happy, and he packed up his and his daughter’s lives and moved back home. He took their savings and some of Isabelle’s life insurance money to open the bakery they always dreamed about.

Casey played baseball in both high school and college, and it was something that he always loved. He’s thought about coaching a little league or softball team now, but he just hasn’t found the time yet.

Casey is very much into comic book superheros and science fiction. Marvel/DC things in all forms, along with all things Star Wars, Star Trek, and Stargate are his very favorite things. 

biography – 

Amelia Becker grew up in the heart of the desert in Phoenix, Arizona as one of the oldest of five siblings whom she adores with her whole heart. Their father abandoned them when she was young - though old enough to remember the sting of his departure - and their mother was an ambitious woman who spent the majority of Amelia’s childhood working incredibly hard to make ends meet for the family all on her own. This left some of the older siblings, herself included, with the responsibility of caring for the younger ones. Not that she minded; Amelia is fiercely protective of her siblings and would drop everything in a heartbeat to keep them - of anyone, for that matter - safe and happy.

When she wasn’t caring for her brothers and sisters, she was unapologetically exploring the desertscape of Phoenix with her friends and narrowly avoiding trouble for some of her shenanigans. The murals and the public sculptures around the city are what first incited her love for all things art. What started as just a few drawings here and there grew to become the primary way she coped with the hardships in her life. From photography to sculpture to painting to drawing, she’s tried it all once, and more than once if it made her feel good and allowed her to express herself authentically. Much like her art, she’s borderline reckless with all of her desires and interests. If she wants to do or try something - be it art mediums, people, or other activities - and it doesn’t cause anyone else harm, it’s near impossible to stop her. She encourages the same from others.

When she was about seventeen years old, her mom accepted a job in Atlanta as a legislative assistant. Amelia welcomed the move and the new experiences it gave her. It allowed her to indulge in new adventures and relationships, both romantic and friendly, but it also encouraged her to grow up a little and choose a life path. Passionate about both art and helping people conquer their demons and feel their best, she enrolled into an art therapy program at the local university. Upon graduation she jumped straight into practice, contracting with local community mental health agencies and St. Augustine Hospital to provide art therapy services to clients of all ages. It wasn’t long after that that her mother fell ill and passed away. The decline happened so quickly and it crushed Amelia, leaving her feeling lost and numb. She swallowed a lot of her own grief in favor of putting on a brave face and supporting her siblings through the loss. She has yet to process that grief, and instead continues to patch up the void she feels with more art, more work, and riskier distractions.

personality  –

++ Unashamed, Passionate, Free-spirited