#cusaintro

TW: Postpartum Depression, adoption trauma, stabbing

Odessa Logan had always been the black sheep of the Logan family, and for no good reason. There was something different about her, something her family couldn’t put their fingers on, but pushed them away nonetheless. So it was no shock when she turned up pregnant at seventeen, and when they found out the father was from the wrong side of the tracks. They sent her away, covered it all up, and for a short while motherhood agreed with her. 

And then she came back to Cherry, something that became her biggest regret. She wasn’t sure what it was about the town, but there seemed to be a dark cloud that followed her around- threatening to form into a tornado that would suck her right up into the darkness. She began to slip away from herself, and when she reached out to her sister, Glenda, for help- she thought she was receiving it, thought she finally had the kind of sister she’d always wanted. But Glenda only made things worse, only pushed her closer to the edge. There were days lost and sleepless nights, and the whisper that Sabrina would be better off with Glenda and her new husband, Lou. That they’d take care of her, give her a good life, things Odessa surely would never be able to provide if she couldn’t even get herself out of bed, right? Her sister waited for her to reach her lowest point and tricked her into signing the adoption papers, and before she knew it she was being kicked out onto the street without her daughter. 

So she rekindled things with Sabrina’s father and disappeared off to San Francisco, visits to her hometown few and far between. Trying to forget about it as much as Glenda was trying to erase her completely.

Sabrina’s existence wouldn’t allow that, not when she was always so much like her mother- in both looks and spirit. Maybe there was a time when things were good in the Logan household, back before Sabrina could remember, but once the twins were born everything changed. Suddenly, Glenda was making Sabrina her golden child and Sabrina was stretching herself thin to give her siblings everything their mother wouldn’t. Being the favorite wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, it was unbearable pressure and being forced to break up with West and isolation from Libby and Luca. She always felt like her siblings had a secret club she wasn’t invited to, no matter how close she wanted to feel to them. It hurt all that much worse when Luca ran off without so much as a goodbye, like a piece of her had gone with him.

It was Lou who’d accidentally led her to the adoption papers during the summer before her senior year of high school, a careless exchange that ended with Sabrina in possession of the combination to their safe. She’d gone in there to swipe a few bucks and had stumbled upon the documents, though she hadn’t been able to believe the truth until she heard it from Glenda herself. She tried to fill Sabrina’s head with all kinds of conflicting lies about her birth mother, so many that Sabrina still has no real idea of what kind of person she comes from. Then came the nights of screaming matches between mother and daughter, slamming doors, and smudged black eyeliner. Gone was the Sabrina that Glenda had created and in her place stood someone more lost than ever. 

She’d kept spiraling all the way through her Freshman year of college. It led her into the arms of then-mayor Bertram Montez, an affair that had done nothing but destroy her confidence more than it already had been. It had taken her being fucking stabbed for things to come back into perspective, for her to end things with Bertram and start to put herself back together. 

BASICS

FULL NAME: barbara bambi benson.

NICKNAME(S): bambi, bee, barbie ( estelle looking at you )

AGE: eighteen.

DATE OF BIRTH: tbd but she’s a gemini.

HOMETOWN: cherry, usa.

SEXUALITY: bisexual.

PRONOUNS: she/her.

OCCUPATION: skate rental clerk @ starlight skating.

LIVING ARRANGEMENT: technically living in the trailer park with estelle, but finds any and every excuse to be out of the house. hook ups, sleep overs, you name it.

MAJOR: dance @ ccu.

SKELETON: the wannabe.

FAMILY

ESTELLE MADDOX BENSON, mother: estelle never wanted a child. at least, not while she was still in her prime. not out of wedlock. not to the likes of isaac maddox. she had a set plan in her life and the pregnancy stopped all of it in its tracks. the one saving grace was finding out that she was having a girl. from that ultrasound appointment on, estelle was spending money they didn't have on frilly pink things for their baby girl. the smallest size available of course. when baby came, none of it fit. from the way she reacted, you'd think it was a personal attack! of course, baby fat was the worst thing in world to her. once the scene she was making came to an end, she blamed her disinterest on a mix of the epidural and just plain tiredness while isaac named her after his late sister. estelle didn’t have the maternal instinct until bambi’s life started to pick up where she left off. as if it wasn’t hard enough trying to impress her peers, she was also trying to climb the social ladder for her mother’s love and affection. she likes to act more like a peer than a mother whenever she interacts with someone bambi knows. of course, different to the way she degrades or simply ignores her daughter when they're alone.

ISAAC BENSON, father: though isaac would agree that a baby was never part of the plan when he was living his Summer Fling Fantasy, he did what estelle couldn't. step up to the plate and become a parent. he and bambi were always close. in fact, he was the one to start calling her bambi when she was younger. he saw the flaws in his wife and no matter how much he tried to fake it for reputation's sake, he just couldn't. he never understood the way other people's opinions swayed estelle so much. when she was starting to push it on their daughter, he wanted to pack them up and move. except bambi had just started to be pulled to the "in" crowd! he gave bambi the choice, and she picked cherry. she picked being a big fish in a small pond. yeah, moving away would be a fresh start, but it'd be a fresh start of the same shit. another trailer park in a different town. she picked popularity. honestly, she expected it to be a big bluff. that he'd sigh and slot back into the role he's been playing for years, but he left.

PERSONALITY / QUIRKS ?

ZODIAC: gemini sun. your moods change quickly and often -- you are very restless and constantly in motion. known for your versatility and adaptability. you love the external, kaleidoscopic aspects of life, but you tend to avoid (and even fear) deep, close emotional involvements. your vivaciousness enlivens any social gathering. pisces moon. you put your closest relationships on a pedestal & see the world through rose-colored glasses which sometimes leads people taking advantage. you tend to feel deeply, without an anchor, & can easily be engulfed in emotions. cancer rising. instinctive & irrational, you’re often unable to give a simple explanation for your actions. emotions and personal loyalties color your thoughts & opinions. when insecure or threatened, you become overly sensitive to criticism, withdrawn & moody. you have a strong need for security in the sense that you are being loved, nourished & protected. you have to feel like you belong.

LIKES: mini skirts, fruity & floral perfumes, the colour pink, rollerskating, cheerleading, being popular, lip gloss, window shopping at the mall, gossiping.

DISLIKES: being ignored, bugs, the trailer park, dirt, spiders, having to let people in to see the real her, people leaving, people thinking estelle is "cool" when they meet her because she's totally sake (ironic, huh?).

HOBBIES: gossiping, cheerleading, trying too hard.

HABITS: twirls her hair when she thinks, still writes in her diary, dots all her 'i's with hearts, blows bubbles with her gum, picks at her nail polish when she's nervous and obsessively repaints them afterwards.

SKILLS: cheerleading/dancing, being two faced, changing to be what someone wants from her, can paint but will never show you, rollerskating.

FLAWS: compares herself to others, keeps people at arm's length, switches sides when it suits her, changes to be what someone wants from her, takes not being liked to heart.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

FACECLAIM: syndey sweeney.

HEIGHT: she’s always been quite petite. around 5’3 and a slim build.

HAIR: always parted in the middle. has a lil wave to it but never uses the right products for them. curls every day. foils always fresh because blondes have more fun!

MAKE UP: full face of makeup every single day. like her outfits, it's all a costume. bambi is trying to pass this charade of being flawless and she thinks her makeup is a big part of it. likes fun colours, likes sparkles. she sticks to trends, always wanting to be the newest, hottest thing!

FASHION SENSE: if something is popular, there’s absolutely no doubt that bambi will be doing whatever she can to get it. sticking with the trends is her sure fire way to never be caught dead in something that would be considered unfashionable. even if it was something she personally liked. every single day was like a costume party, always playing a part. however, it made bambi happier than she’s even been. she’s sacrificed more for less. having some of her favourite outfits deemed ugly was far from the worst thing in her life.

EXPRESSION: a pro at faking smiles and has spent years practicing her 'judgmental' glance. often thrown her way when she was younger.

HEADCANONS / ROUGH BIO / WHATEVER'S LEFT ?

it was difficult growing up in the benson family, with a mother who seemed more like a brick wall than a nurturing parent. no matter how close she was with her father, there would always be a hole in her heart with a very obvious cause. that was the start of her wannabe ways. jumping through hoops before she even knew how to walk to please someone that was almost certainly a lost cause.

bambi has been a pushover since the day she was born. her parents were always on the brink of a fight, it felt like even a simple request for a specific dinner would start a fight about money, effort, or even just arguing for the sake of it. she was taught to swallow down her wants and desires in order to have a peaceful home environment. though, they never really got there. if they weren’t fighting about that, they were fighting about something else. 

but that was family and they were meant to mean everything to you. accepting the mistreatment in her childhood made it so much easier to play into the fantasy of being friends with lux, zahra & elaine. even if she was treated like nothing more than a sentient doll desperately clawing her way from social pariah status. it was pretty much the truth anyways.

however, pushover doesn’t exactly mean selflessness. bambi did whatever it took to rise through the ranks and would absolutely do whatever she has to in order to keep it. she doesn’t have a very strong sense of loyalty. from no choosing her dad, to constantly picking sides in the petty fights between zahra and elaine; bambi is not afraid to make the moves to benefit herself. even if it ends up hurting someone. nowadays, it’s not like any of them are her real friends anyways.

to say she’s not put together is understatement of the century. miss girl is insecure and desperate. she seeks external validation because she has exactly none internal. bambi frequently relies on others for her self worth, even though there’s also the nagging insecurity in the back of her mind that anyone that likes her now likes nothing more than the mask superglued to her face. however, it’s easier to silence that voice than have to consider finding her own sense of self rather than just copying who and what is popular. they didn’t like that when she was in elementary and middle school, so why would they now?

she’s easy to manipulate. people often taking advantage of her. even when she’s aware of what’s happening, bambi allows it because it’s usually the people above her doing so. she wants to keep them coming back, regardless of if she has to sacrifice her dignity.

BASICS

FULL NAME: freyja castro freese.

NICKNAME(S): frey, freese, someone give her more pls.

AGE: twenty.

DATE OF BIRTH: tbd but she’s an aquarius.

HOMETOWN: cherry, usa.

SEXUALITY: heterosexual.

PRONOUNS: she/her.

OCCUPATION: server @ the pit.

LIVING ARRANGEMENT: lives at home with ford. the pool house has been made into her room, but she spends most of her time inside with her dad when she doesn’t have people over.

MAJOR: psychology @ ccu.

SKELETON: the confidant.

FAMILY

ELENA CASTRO, mother: the stories ford has told freyja about elena paint her mother as a caring soul. intelligent, fair. one of those people that just radiate warmth and kindness. it feels like a big almost in her life. she was almost like her mother. almost that kind of warm. the loss of her mother is the biggest void in freyja's life, though she'd never admit it. she loves ford, and even leo, but no amount of father figures in her life can replicate that maternal role. she has this scene that often plays when she lets her mind wander too far. it's this stupid domestic moment where they argue about wearing a dress to some dull party being hosted by the hollys. it's the kind of thing freyja swears she'd never want, but she can't deny the ache in her heart as she watches what could've been.

MATEO CASTRO, father: being ford's brother in law, he's got a lot more bro-ish stories about him. he's loud and impulsive, he always had the best intentions. it's weird to say she thinks she takes after either of them because she was so young when she lost them, but if it's one of them, she would swear it's mateo.

ANA CASTRO FREESE, aunt: with her brother being the most prominent figure in ford's storytelling, you'd think ana would be mentioned quite often too. that couldn't be further from the truth. when freyja was younger, when she thought the only grief in the situation was hers, it would infuriate her. stories that had obviously been edited to gloss over the mention of her. with age and a few arguments, freyja gained perspective about how ford felt too. how he was also grieving the loss of his friend, his brother-in-law, his wife. like the age-old quote, maybe if he loved her less, he'd be able to talk about it more.

FORD FREESE, uncle dad: ford and freyja freese, the pair that went together so naturally that people never second-guessed. it was meant to be a temporary thing. he was only caring for her until he could get in contact with elena or mateo's parents, send freyja out of cherry. let her have a good life. one separate from the twenty-three-year-old widowed police officer. that wasn't the home for a child. the job that kept getting pushed lower and lower down the to-do list until ford had no choice but to admit to himself that he was never going to do that. he and ana were the godparents, after all. he changed her last name to freese legally and if there was one thing cherry locals could agree on, it's that she was ford's little girl since the day he took her in. in the first few years, there was some transitional awkwardness, but never anything freyja could pick up on. by the time she was old enough, people had settled into the idea. the tourists that flew in and out never given some long-winded explanation, just that ford was freyja's father. he knew one day he’d have to sit her down and tell her everything, but he didn’t feel the need to rush into it. a conversation he didn’t want to have, that she was too young to fully comprehend for years.  she was ten years old when it finally came up. it went about as well as you could imagine from a child and a man that’s never had to navigate something like this before. freyja snuck out her bedroom window after dinner that night. a bag packed with a random assortment of items that definitely wouldn’t have helped her if she was actually running away further than mackenzie walsh’s window. her best friend with a similar mosaic of a family. though freyja would argue to ford that mac had always known and that made it different, but it helped warm her up to the idea. helped calm her down. in the end, it only made them stronger. since he started telling freyja stories, he's never stopped. she never stopped calling him dad. ford freese may not have been her father, but he would always be her dad. as far as freyja was concerned, that's all anyone else had to know. freyja introduces ford to new friends as her father. mac and casey being two of the few that know the truth.

PERSONALITY / QUIRKS ?

ZODIAC: aquarius sun. represented by the water bearer, the mystical healer who bestows water, or life, upon the land. undoubtedly the most innovative, progressive, rebellious, and humanitarian sign. though there is a surface level aloof or coldness, aquarius also have an often overlooked sensitive side that requires appreciation, support, and love. moon and rising tbd.

LIKES: stormy weather/thunder, the sound of leaves crunching under your feet in fall, dogs, horror movies, spicy food, jumping in puddles after it rains.

DISLIKES: the sound of people chewing, waking up early, sappy movies, being lied to, hugs (usually...), sand.

HOBBIES: playing the drums, candle making, playing therapist.

HABITS: smoking, bouncing her leg when she sits, picking at nail polish / hangnails, tapping / "drumming" on everything in sight.

SKILLS: telling when people are upset, satisfying gift wrapper, archery, getting people to open up to her, lying.

FLAWS: pushy when she cares, hypocritical about talking about her own feelings, jumps to conclusions often, stresses her dad out too much, doesn't always know when to bite her tongue.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

FACECLAIM: jenna ortega.

HEIGHT: a whole 5’1, but she has small dog syndrome. luckily, casey is always there to finish the fights she starts. though she’s got a pretty mean bitch slap & she’s not afraid to use it.

HAIR: you’ve never seen someone put less effort into their hair. she keeps on top of washing her hair and that’s a miracle. she never heat styles it (but she has the bangs that sit v nicely bc i said so. we can use our imagination here) she keeps her hair natural, long and dark brown. there is a slight wave to her hair, which only adds to the Messy, Grungey, Textured Look™️ that she swears she isn’t going for. it’s typically left loose, until she gets annoyed with it and throws it up in some half assed messy ponytail or bun.

MAKE UP: freyja is NOT a foundation wearer. natural freckles and dark circles under her eyes out on display. the one thing she does with her makeup, is her eyes. grunge is starting to pick up in the 80s, so my grunge!freyja headcanon lives on. dark eye shadows, black liner smudged around her eyes. she doesn’t often wear lipstick and would die before wearing lip gloss. the best you will get is a tinted lip balm. think clinique black honey.

FASHION SENSE: being fashion forward and “on trend” has never and will never be a top priority for freyja. many reasons thrown around; she can’t afford it, too cool for trends, or perhaps starting new ones. none more accurate than the fact she just doesn’t care. veeeery grunge of her. she’s an oversized sweater kinda girl and will smack people with sweater paws. will throw a fit if you call them sweater paws.

EXPRESSION: you’d think someone that is meant to be so approachable would work on her resting bitch face, yet here we are. she has learned how to not roll her eyes every time she actually wants to. some people melt her aloof exterior and get a much more smiley freyja.

HEADCANONS / ROUGH BIO

freyja was two years old when she lost her parents. any memories she has of them are just stories ford has told her. the lullaby her mother used to sing her, the words so familiar, but never in her voice. it's a strange feeling to know so much about someone and yet so little.

when she was younger, freyja was a bright student without having to try. gifted, that was the word she heard teachers throwing at ford when they spoke. what do you get when you mix a good student and the sheriff's daughter? not someone very popular, that's for sure. looking back on it, freyja wished she didn't care so much, but as a little kid? you just want friends.

mackenzie walsh was freyja's first real friend. the soft spot she has for him even all these years later in undeniable. she took up drumming, she joined a band. a band that is stupidly creeping into her heart in a way that's more than just entertaining his dreams until they find a better drummer.

the first person freyja helped had been an accident. wrong place at the wrong time to stumble across a girl crying her eyes out. she thought it had gone terribly, but before she knew it, she was being slid notes in class to meet them in the old toilet block because she’d helped a friend of a friend. word travels quickly in cherry.

it didn't take long for freyja to put two and two together that people liked this version more than the quiet girl in the back of the class. she swears she'd never change herself for others, which is only kind of a lie. the good grades didn't come so easily to her as the years went on. burn out, the new word being thrown around. helping people, however, that was almost second nature now. it was the natural shift. it just so happened to be the one that earned her a few more friends. she's still human!

she is the epitome of ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. though it’s often hard to look past the dark makeup and the perpetually unamused stare, freyja is one of the most caring people in cherry. she just has a funny way of showing it. 

she never asked to become synonymous with the term bathroom stall therapist, but it was too late to change any of it now. especially because she’s warmed up to the title now. though she won’t admit it, freyja likes feeling needed. she’s convinced her ability to lend an ear and be a shoulder to cry on is the main reason that the gang tolerates hanging out with the sheriff’s daughter. 

even with ford’s presence looming, she's always been a bit of a wild card. skipping class to counsel cherry’s youths. picking fights to defend the ones she cares about. going to parties. even if it lands her in hot water, freyja often acts according to her own timetable. something that has driven ford crazy while trying to raise a teenage girl by himself. 

TW: Homophobia, gender discrimination, disordered eating, body image 

Upbringing:

January 3rd, 1965 was the perfect day... until it wasn’t. Augustus and Delia Archer were excitedly expecting their firstborn, the son that would carry on the Archer name and take over the family business one day. So what a surprise it was when six pound, seven ounce Elaine came into the world kicking and screaming and definitely not a boy. Rumor has it the first thing Augustus said when he came into the room was “why is he wearing pink?” followed by very specific threats of lawsuits hurled toward the doctor who’d read the ultrasounds wrong. That was the first time Elaine disappointed her parents, and certainly not the last. 

Augustus took little interest in her until the age of five, when it became apparent to him that Delia would never be able to give him the son he wanted. It was then that the idea dawned on him- if he couldn’t continue the Archer bloodline he would do the next best thing... bind the Archers and the Hargroves by marriage. Elaine doesn’t really remember beginning to date Harvey, and perhaps there never really was a start. It felt as though he’d taken her hand in hers as children and had never let go.

But nothing was ever good enough for her parents, nothing could make her fit into the separate images they had for her. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t kill herself trying. She would do anything for her parent’s approval. She would spend nights pouring over the textbooks her father pulled for her, trying and failing to prepare for the tests he handmade and set out next to her breakfast plate. The effort didn’t matter to him if she wasn’t succeeding, and he said as much whenever he lectured her about it in front of the board before sending her off to fetch coffee or put in a lunch order. So then she would starve herself to fit into the dresses Delia picked out, if only for the feeling of her mother’s fingers smoothing her hair and the smile of approval on her lips

It all caused her to lash out, to put those around her down to feel some kind of control. As long as they were scared of her they couldn’t see the hurt in her eyes, as long as she was above them all they couldn’t see the cracks on the surface. 

Love Life

Elaine didn’t believe in love. At least, she didn’t believe in the world-stopping fire work starting kind she saw in the movies and heard singers whine about on the radio. She loved Harvey, of course. She would do anything to make him happy- but the spark? 

Casey Russell had a gravitational pull on her she never knew was possible, suddenly she understood butterflies in stomachs and falling asleep on the phone just to hear the other person breathing on the other end of the line. There was something there, even if it still didn’t feel quite right. 

And of course, things had come crashing down around her. Of course she’d left Harvey broken and Casey running and her father’s voice booming through the house in disgust.

Though it wasn’t until Lux when she discovered what love was really like, when she finally discovered the part of herself that had been buried under all of those expectations. There were soft hands pulling her closer at night and whispered promises and finally feeling beautiful... finally feeling like enough. 

Full name: Daniel Thomas Holly Nicknames: Danny, D Money, HAH Prince, Holiday Age: 20 Sign: Aries City of birth: Cherry The current place for living: Cherry Siblings: Donny Holly Pets: tbd. Birthday: April 4th, 1966 Major: Business Job: college student / junior board member at HAH

BACKGROUND

TW: Cult activity, child abandonment, mentioned homophobia 

Laura Walsh has been “searching for herself” for as long as anyone can remember. One week she was killing herself for a spot on the cheerleading squad and the next she was under the bleachers with the burnouts. It was enough to give anyone whiplash, especially her older brother. Leo Walsh had always been her best friend and protector, but as the older they grew the less he understood her. He’d found his niche early, figured out exactly who he was before the clock struck twelve on his tenth birthday- and poor little Laura had always trailed close behind trying and failing to make something stick. So when something finally did... he just wished he could have been happy for her. 

It all started with a boy, the way things always did when it came to Laura. A shiny new boyfriend who was into all the sorts of things pastors warned about on the nightly news. Leo had rolled his eyes at his parents’ concerns at first, blown off the notion that their new interests could be anything darker than they were on the surface. Laura was happier than he’d seen her in years and this guy had stuck around longer than a month- it was a win in his book until it wasn’t. 

At sixteen Laura and David disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving only a half-finished note and a phone number on a torn piece of newspaper behind for Leo. He called and called and searched and searched to no avail, not until two years later when the couple showed up on Laura and Leo’s parents’ doorstep eight months pregnant. By then, the Walsh family had become social outcasts in the eyes of Cherry’s residents- a lack of savings, dwindling business at Mackenzie Sr.’s pharmacy and a hope that their daughter would return to them the only thing keeping them in town. The family’s presence was met with whispers wherever they went, of their daughter and the cult she’d ran off with and their son and who he chose to go to bed with at night. 

They’d slammed the door in her face, the way they’d done to Leo a year before when they’d discovered his sexuality. So of course she’d found her way to her brother’s new apartment, and of course he’d welcomed Laura and David in with open arms and excitement for the new baby.

David didn’t hang around long enough to witness the birth of his son, and Laura followed behind just three days after returning from the hospital. Baby Mackenzie was left in Leo’s spare bedroom and Laura was gone without a trace, without even a note this time.

Giving Mackenzie up had never even crossed twenty-two year old Leo’s mind, and from then on the boy was raised as his own. Laura stopped in every now and then, when the guilt ate her up at night or she needed to borrow a couple bucks or a roof over her head. There were always presents for birthdays that had passed months before and promises that she couldn’t keep. And then she settled down, a few towns over with a banker husband and two beautiful children- finally finding her niche in playing the part of a shiny housewife. It was then that the visits dwindled and stopped, her first born fading into the background of the picture.

Laura and David have given nothing to Mackenzie but his looks and a deep fear of abandonment, one that keeps him clinging to people like Lux Lewis far longer than he should. It’s what sent his little feet flying towards Leo’s bedroom in the middle of the night growing up, what shocks him awake now with his hands reaching out- “are you still there?

Mackenzie wouldn’t trade his upbringing for the world. He grew up smothered in love by aspiring rockstars, who would prop him up on their shoulders at concerts and taught him how to play instruments and gel his hair.  

And still, he can’t help but flinch at the looks thrown his way by locals who remember his mother, whispered rumors that his real father was a cult leader or that his conception was the work of the devil. There were rejected playdates when parents found out who he was and crying over an uneaten birthday cake for a party no one showed up to and the insistence that something deep inside of him was somehow wrong from the day he was born. 

Maybe that’s the reason he stuck himself so close to the gang when Lux invited him in, and why he still feels like he owes them everything.

EXTRAS: 

Mac is a HUGE Star Wars nerd

Guitar is his main instrument, but he knows how to play piano, drums, and bass as well 

Full name: Luca Alexander Logan Nicknames: Luke, Lucas, The Lost Logan Age: 19 Sign: The same as Libby City of birth: Cherry The current place for living: Cherry Siblings: Liberty Logan, Sabrina Logan Pets: no Birthday: The same as Libby Major: Art Major Job: Street Musician

BACKGROUND

- All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love love. Where is all the love? Luca Logan was the prodigal son who grew up with a humor like the three Stooges and a childhood like baptism. And before Luca knew anything about talking he could hum. He could hum along to his music box. Could tap along to the radio. And because of this was raised as a member of Glenda Logan’s church choir. Was put through the wringer of voice lessons, was taught to play the guitar in the 3rd grade, and was expected to play at every family function. Which sounds a lot more miserable than it was. At least it was something he sort of enjoyed. Sure he wasn’t crazy about the content but it seemed better than the hellish control the woman seemed to have over his sisters.

- His sisters who Luca found himself wanting to be fiercely protective of. Who he’d reach his neck out for at any turn or opportunity even against warning from Lou Logan himself of the hellfire he could be asking to be brought upon himself as a result. Which meant that at the ripe age of 12, he decided to take a turn for the worst. No longer was he going to follow in Glenda’s rule. He was tired of playing the same boring hymns. He was tired of having the perfect hair, of wearing the perfect clothes. It all started with a call from the principal. Glenda arriving on campus to find that Luca had traded shirts with one Mackenzie Walsh and was found jamming to Nirvana with the other boy as loudly as they possibly could, disrupting just about every classroom around them. To say she’d been less than pleased would have been an understatement, even going as far as to toss Mac’s shirt in their fireplace to show Luca how serious she was about the offense he’d committed. But it didn’t stop there. Luca’s rebellion only intensified.

- He’d been found bringing random strangers into the confession boxes on a number of occasions to commit salacious acts, graffitiing the church doors, and getting in more and more trouble at school. Each time warranting yet another call to Glenda, and you guessed it. More hellfire. Or at least as much as he’d grown to expect. He’d almost begun to think of it as a sort of game until he realized that every time he was getting himself into trouble, it was Sabrina who was redirecting the remainder of their mothers rage to further allow her to push her own agenda. The realization like a punch to the gut. That he may have been simultaneously causing her more hell in his efforts to keep her and Libby safe. Which is why he hatched a plan. A plan to escape. To get he and his sisters out of there for good.

QUICK STATS !

FULL NAME: Alina Alessia Aldi Alice Audrey Alder NICKNAMES: Al, Ali DOB: September 17th, 1965 ZODIAC BIG THREE: Virgo sun, Pisces moon, Libra rising GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis woman & she/her SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Home of sexual EDUCATION: High-school diploma ; one year of college ENNEAGRAM: 2w3 MBTI: ENFJ TEMPERAMENT: Sanguine-Melancholic MORAL ALIGNMENT: True Neutral JOB: History Museum Receptionist ( ex-MILF Kamilla... omg ) MAJOR: Philosophy

BACKSTORY !

triggers: brief mention of homophobia, idk televangelist mom sucks but i do not believe i wrote anything trigger-worthy, DRUGS. EVEN MORE SO THAN LAST TIME., very briefly implied sex work, implied OD

UPDATE: give me a sec to figure out how her aunt came into the picture when she was also in Sicily... give me a sec... but everything still remains!

Annabelle Alder has always preceded herself. With numbers to rival Tammy Faye Bakker’s, you don’t have to care about televangelism to have heard of her anyway. And what an honor it is! That the Georgia-based televangelist would choose Cherry to broadcast! Oh, California was a much better place for it, yes yes... But L.A. is so fast-paced!

-- Of course, she was not actually Georgia-based. Coming from Italy to leave a relationship that will be briefly described below -- and to start her career! -- she legally changed her name and Alice’s name to something more... American. 

ANYWAY, much like every good televangelist, Alessandra Aldi’s scandals were prompted only by her words... save for how her child, Alice, came to be. She would tell reporters that her father succumbed to a long, difficult illness; she would tell those in her social circle that he left the two high and dry. She would tell no one -- yes, it would take great sleuthing -- the truth: Alice had been the result of a short-lived toxic relationship that she left. No marriage!

'Not knowing’ would become a constant in Alice’s life -- and that would lead to several poor decisions. The lies Annabelle Alder spouted did nothing to help the health of the household. What separated truth from fiction? At a point, Alice didn’t know if even Anne knew. She would bring it home, these rantings and ravings, and the confusion and stress would grow. Two women in a household ruled by one thing they would always share: not knowing.

Alice, however, managed to entertain many a friendship. To compare herself in those days to what she became, she was all but a Mary Sue! Sociable, smart, loyal... if a bit clingy to some of them (see: Lux Lewis... basically her very own Needy Lesnicki) -- she was a good kid. She followed her mother’s teachings, as blurred as they were with what she would say at home (God loves everyone, God hates everyone; put your trust in God, put your fear in God), and came to develop that open-minded Tammy Faye spin. 

She and Lux had always been close, but they managed to grow closer... or, perhaps, close -- in a different way. For nearly two years, they would rendezvous -- use the darkness to cloak a different type of love. 

For her standing’s sake, Alice accepted the term that Lux would continue to date boys... though there always seemed to be a feel for air quotes surrounding the word ‘date.’ Anyway, y’all know this story.

Things ended only when Lux could no longer take discount Tammy Faye’s rantings and ravings. And maybe Alice’s simping was a factor too, but mainly discount Tammy Faye. They broke it off... but with a smile.

-- A fake smile, apparently. The Wonderland Ball saw Alice being bullied like Pennywise in It: Chapter Two. Lux’s side crew of friends going after everything from her simping to her sexuality (because these are NPCs in a backstory that takes place in the ‘80s...) to her mother’s career to her accent -- so on and so forth. Everything that could be touched on was touched on!

It was all enough to prompt Alice to distance herself. From her mother, from Lux, and, inadvertently, from the Gang... Not enough for her to say she didn’t consider the Gang her friends anymore, but enough for her to seek out a new social circle. People who really didn’t give a fuck. The slackers! The metal heads! Not her normal speed, but they were nice...

Her mother had not noticed the change in their... closeness up until Alice’s grades slipped... from an A+ in math to an A! Omg! Less than perfect, ring the alarms!

And what poor timing, too! It was just as the rumor that Lux was a lesbian was pinned on her, just as her social ousting was beginning, that they had their very first larger-than-life confrontation.

Absolute nonsense from both parties. Perfectly pointed from discount Tammy Faye, and... alright insults from Alice ( see, it was pretty much her first time being a bitch, so... ). It was so perfectly ridiculous that two things Tammy Faye Anne hurled at her were enough to drive her to her aunt: first, some homophobic bullshit. then, a comparison to her father -- her origin story!

Her aunt, Angela Alder ( known by all of her past rockstar affairs as “Indigo” -- save for Mick Jagger, so she would say... claim that he and Keith Richards wrote ‘Angie’ about her ), had settled in Cherry so few years ago after her life of wandering was over with. Partly to continue her life in California, partly to totally oppose her sister’s energy. And she was happy to take Alice in! At first! But we’ll get to that!

After this, Alice figured... ‘fuck it! hey, slackers, I’ll join your world!’ It seemed slow at first, but the taste of freedom? Before she knew it, she was properly in the ‘80s! She had snorted her first line of cocaine! Wow, how had she not already tried that? Absolutely insane! So fun!

Despite the latter half of the school year being rather tumultuous -- socially, familial, and now health -- she still managed to graduate with high marks. Most of it was certainly credit to the former half bleeding over, but...

Now that she was on her way to CCU, why spend time preparing for it? It had been easy as fuck to get into -- why waste that summer? Her aunt offered her a part-time summer job at the Cineplex, so of course she agreed! There were so many reasons she needed that! Like, first and foremost, she needed money. Second, she got to be a nepo baby! Third, it would certainly help her fuel her habit... but we’ll get to that.

Before we get to that, July of ‘84 marked the true beginning of her descent. A night with some guy (no, not like that), there was a fatal mix-up. What she snorted was, decidedly, not cocaine.

*’Carmen’ MV vc*: How does meth change our brains?

It was intense. It was euphoric. It was long. And it drove her to take advantage of her aunt’s generosity, stealing from the register. At first, she received a slap on the hand -- she’s a nepo baby! Second strike came with a demotion that didn’t place her near the cash register... but of course she still found a way. Third strike, she was a goner.

Alright... well, the high is long as fuck -- sleep barely exists! Money can be made at night if you know the right places! Or if you walk far enough! Just head over to Grape...

Suffice it to say, Alice did not make many wise decisions that summer.

Did she still technically go to college? Yes. Was she still technically present in class? ...Sometimes. Was it completely out of character for there to be days she skipped over? Absolutely! 

Soon, she was speed-balling. Soon, she was being forced into reality by her aunt -- if she would not take recovery seriously, she had to face the consequences and... leave. Soon, she was getting even further out of touch with the Gang. Soon, she would go to her mother’s for no reason but to spar. A few literal blows later...

Maybe she really was like whoever her father was. She sure was toxic enough!

Relationships were dying out quickly. There were ebbs and flows -- days she tried to ‘be clean’ (the concept of developing meth mouth really helped...), days she gave up. And no near-death experience was doing much to deter her. After all, what was there to lose? She hated it. Oh, she hated it. She hated what she had become. But she had gotten herself into that toxic relationship and, unlike her mother, she could not just leave.

Well... you know how the story goes? Someone almost dies, finds Christ, and turns their life around? The same thing happened... the only difference being that she did not find Christ, she heard: “you are your own God.” and would later learn that such a concept was all but the thesis statement of Satanism. It was not a religion based around drinking a virgin’s blood and sacrificing a baby, as her mother had shared with the world. It wasn’t a religion at all.

But something about that message -- something about the emphasis on how a person should celebrate themself -- caused Alice to brave recovery, first steps led by Angie. 

The summer was spent tumultuously, to say the very least. Recovery was a bitch, and going back was so damn easy! But... she found a band-aid solution. She still craved the sweet release of death, but a little less! 

Although still awful, a combination of lower dose addy and oxy? ...At least it isn’t meth and heroin?

Anyway, the job that had opened up at the museum ( with past-MILF Kamilla who May does still simp for ) was about the only one she found that: 1) looked even remotely interesting, and 2) ...accepted her. 

Rolling the boulder up that hill, her presence... if nothing else, exists. During torture sessions by the LDB, she wouldn’t be completely out of it! Wow! But improvements are to be made... The eagle must soar again!

And is May nice enough to do that or is she gonna fuck things up again? As my favorite show, ‘Hollywoo Stars and Celebs: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things? Let’s Find Out!’ would say: Let’s find out!

TL ; DR!

DRUGS TW. IMPLIED OD TW. Alice’s mom is a discount Italian Tammy Faye who fr moved to America and changed their names for no reason other than making them more American. Preceding her career, she was in a relationship with some toxic dude who got her knocked up and she ran off. Lies to everyone and says Alice’s father died/left them. Alice must be perfect. Alice gets in her relationship with Lux, homophobic Tammy Faye’s rantings and ravings drive Lux away. Alice deflates, a la Pennywise, at the Wonderland Dance when Lux’s friends are absolute bitches to her. Distances herself from Lux and mom, but not the Gang yet. Hangs out with some slacker metalheads. Rumor getting pinned on her that ousts her from the social world turns her completely to the slackers and she says ‘cocaine cocaine cocaine!’ Big Earth-shattering fight w mom, leaves and lives with aunt who was a groupie. Accidentally tries meth one night and gets hooked. Starts speed-balling it with heroin. Steals from her aunt’s cash register. Her aunt eventually has enough of her not taking recovery into consideration and Alice is audi. Alexa play ‘Carmen’ by Lana Del Rey. Somehow passes school. Friendships are dying and she hates herself but the drugs... Has close calls. Does nothing. Has one close call and she managed to find Satanism through it (see: the philosophy). Satanic Panic + mom had her under the assumption that Satanists sacrificed babies, but nah, it’s just ‘be your own god.’ Goes through recovery which is a bitch. Doesn’t fully work though. Off heroin + meth, but her band-aid solution is oxy + addy. Speedball Lite™. Trying to function now. Trying to rebuild shit. The end!

HEADCANONS !

Possesses dual citizenship in the United States and Italy. And, on that note? Fluent in Italian (namely Sicilian) and English.

( DRUGS TW ) ...Please don’t ask me how she didn’t get Meth Mouth after almost a year when some people get it after like a month... it just scares me... I’m too obsessed with keeping my teeth clean... Suspension of disbelief? Dentures? You choose! She did have that slight aging side effect, but it’s been. going down, to say the last. ( Lmao we can say there was some hair loss though -- no full bald spots or anything, but you get it! Same with skin -- nothing drastic, but you get it! Mainly because there’s this thing called an FC- ) ( END DRUGS TW ) Yes, the only full one being portrayed by her FC is the premature aging.

Danzig is her favorite band, but, in a few years, she’ll be saying that the man himself can fuck right off. 

Also a Billy Idol bitch. Also a Pantera bitch. You know, just the vibes.

TOOOOOOTTTTALLLLLLL PINK FLOYD BITCH!!! hates that Roger left the band he was the last great mind!

The Final Cut was released only two years ago in this timeline omg do you know how exciting that is for me, another Pink Floyd bitch who has seen Roger twice in concert?

I mean, very few people say they’re a Satanist, and even fewer people said it during the Satanic Panic since all it took was an accusation to get you imprisoned for decades, but ‘close’ friends... they might not know know, but they know. That was the reason she selected Philosophy as her major, after all!

Grades during her Freshman year at CCU sucked -- something that has never happened before! But what else would you expect? That said, she is trying to get back into the habit of being a decent student... but that’s easier said than done, especially in her. state.

( DRUGS TW ) It was pretty hard to hide her hardcore speed-balling -- even if she didn’t have meth mouth, there was the jonesing! -- but it’s more of an open secret that she’s switched to... soft speed-balling. Two steps backwards, one step forward.( END DRUGS TW )

( MENTAL ILLNESS MENTION TW ) Oh, btw, her family totally runs rampant with mental illness. There’s definitely a reason Annabelle has no clue what the fuck she’s talking about half the time. Then there’s the father she doesn’t know, but was definitely an addict with some violent tendencies. Angie is the sanest one, and she was a groupie! ( MENTAL ILLNESS MENTION TW )

After abusing such highly addictive drugs for as long as she did, there have been some long-term psychological effects. I mean, brain damage is a legit thing! But I added this here at 4:00am so I’ll expand tomorrow.

If Lana Del Rey existed in the ‘80s? She’d love that bitch. Methamphetamines... pink flamingo... blue ‘50s queen... blue oyster cove... So true of her!

Living arrangement is being sorted out, as was her previous living arrangement when she was briefly not allowed to live under Angie’s roof in the hopes of a wakeup call ( that just backfired ). In any case? Using taking care of a cactus to hold herself accountable for something.

Has a light Italian lilt from spending early years of her childhood in Sicily + living under her Sicilian mother’s roof for so long. Of course, discount Tammy Faye was good at putting on an American accent during broadcasts, but it got exhausting at home.

Oh lmao I put this as part of the questions/answers we sent to Em and I think it’s so funny: January definitely had a rumor that she was sleeping with the Nightstalker.

Alice will probably never know her father, but his FC? ...Danny Devito. 

There are three different links in the following sentence: This was Alice.

More to come as I navigate this brave new world...!

NEW CONNECTION IDEAS !

ACCOUNTABILITY BUDDY ! She’s not sober -- not even close -- but she’s functioning. And functioning means getting back to the responsibilities she once had... such as being a decent student and getting to work on time. This person is that to her... a tutor, more or less, as her brain gets its cells back -- and someone who reminds her to set a damn alarm and to actually get out of bed when she hears the damn alarm and- (And, I mean, this is also completely legit considering brain damage is involved...)

ABSOLUTE THROES ! Kinda left a lot of stuff for the Gang out when I started going into her worsening addiction for a reason -- to plot what was happening with everyone at that point. Anyway, would love for someone to have seen her in the absolute throes and been like ‘damn this is getting more fucked up than 1998/9 -- oh, what’s ‘99?’

AND SHE. FUCKED. GREG ! MAY WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CONNECTION ! ( sex work tw ) Anyone who has a parent or parental figure who’s... sleazy, to say the least? Who might go to Grape every now and again? Who might solicit the services of an 18-19 (?) y/o looking for a way to get money for her next fix? (Despite her sexuality, she would not have turned a man down.) ...Alice isn’t proud of it!