#irvingtask002

GRACIE

gracie looks wise and all-knowing with her bright blue eyes, but she’s a dopey lil shit. she’s lucky she’s pretty. (that’s a lie because parker loves her so much, even if she does fall for the fake throwing the ball every damn time.)

ASTRO

astro is a sweetheart, loves people so much. he pretends like he’s chill but his tail gives him away every time. could sit there and be pet all day, he has nothing better to do.

DINO

dino is pretty and he knows it. probably the one who would be tiktok famous if parker had the patience to put stuff together for him. has to sleep on a fluffy bed because the floor is uncomfortable.

RUFUS

rufus is a ham, always smiling for the camera. is known to chase his tail for fifteen straight minutes without tiring of it. loves his beach walks, likes running through the water and sand and then jumping on parker and getting her dirty.

ROSA

rosa is better than you. rosa is prettier than you. these aren’t opinions, they’re facts. look at that regal bitch. she would only drink bottled water if given the option. tries grooming parker because she’s obviously a very dumb, smelly kitten.

NATASHA

natasha is a stray that parker took in and never brought to the shelther (foster fail or whatever it’s called). she’s kinda skittish and has separation anxiety from parker, so parker ends up bringing her anywhere she can.

BARNEY

barney is the cat version of gracie. he is the dopiest baby. his paws are too big for him because he’s still growing. headbutts to show affection, but does it to everyone he meets.

POPPY

poppy is parker’s oldest charge, so she gets carried everywhere (does she have arthritis or does parker just say that so she can be holding a pup at all times?) very pretty, very cranky, basically only likes parker.

MANGO

MEET THE NPC: NAME GOES HERE.

1. how old are they and what do they look like?

2. if applicable, where and when did they meet your muse?

3. what kind of a presence do they have in your muse’s life? do they have a positive or negative relationship?

4. are they revered in irving? do they have bad blood with anyone?

5. if your muse is no longer in contact with them, how did the relationship end? did your muse get closure over this?

BOBBY YANG, “BIG BOB” .

1. how old are they and what do they look like?

thirty-four. implausibly tall. the day magda first saw a sketch of slenderman she thought of him. when her aunt shelly pulled up the dirt road to abernathy creek magda remembers seeing him through a dusty back window with his head bowed to avoid getting tree leaves in his eyes, joint between his lips, dungarees dirty and half unbuckled. one side of his hair is buzzed with no apparent style intention and he has a weed leaf tattooed behind his left ear. an elephant on his thigh. a name on his ankle he often wears a plaster over. once it soaked through and fell off in the creek and, newly glossy in the sun, nine year old magda reached to give it a blunt and shameless prod. big bob never explained who the name belonged to, he only reached to thumb at the minari growing by the water bed and talk about the fact it was a "versatile little sucker”. 

2. if applicable, where and when did they meet your muse?

big bob introduced himself as such and magda raised her eyebrow in disbelief, the soul of a disgruntled pensioner in a seven yr old’s body. magda didn’t rly talk to anyone when she first arrived in her new home, verging on mute. she was angry at the move, angry that her dad hadn’t called her when she got there, angry that she didn’t know her mother’s voice to imagine it telling her everything was okay. the world made her so angry she didn’t want to acknowledge it. she sat outside in silence for a long time letting a ladybug crawl over her hand, and big bob didn’t ask anything of her, he only schlepped closer and presented her with a buttercup. she looked at it like it’d spat in her face but took it nonetheless. it was strange having an actual bed, if you could call a bare mattress that, used to sleeping on the sofa in shelly’s old trailer, and the springs nipped at her like a dog demanding treats, so she wandered outside in one of shelly’s big tie dye shirts like a nightdress, searching for the moon. big bob was standing out there already in the overgrown grass, stark naked, chin lifted to gawk at the moon himself. magda didn’t disturb him. this is when she first discovered his habit of naked sleepwalking. abernathy creek felt like a bird house overrun with all kinds of eccentric, squawking parakeets. it was a lot for a seven yr old to take in. this was a strange reality she’d never signed up for, swallowed by the commune to overheat inside it’s belly. 

3. what kind of a presence do they have in your muse’s life? do they have a positive or negative relationship?

bob’s definitely a character. three times now he’s slipped hallucinogens into magda’s tea without her knowing under the impression that this is just harmless fun and he’s actually helping her by pushing her little boat to bob along the ocean of enlightenment, once at as young as 16. every time she realises he’s like “y’just got bobbeddddd!” and magda’s like here we go ig. told her the raw earth has healing properties to explain why he’d dug up the grass just to rub his hands in the soil and lay there like a panting, overheated dog. he’s an important component to abernathy creek and oversees a lot of the agriculture there. rigged up the irrigation system himself using copper pipes that magda suspects were stolen. the beat up camper van that’s usually parked up behind abernathy and hidden under leafy branches appeared when he did, apparently, although he insists it belongs to everyone. he leads the crusades to drive it up to the mountains and take a group of abernathy creek residents shroom picking. he’s in charge of drying them for selling, too. jack of all trades, really. magda claims not to care for him (or anyone) but she still walked out onto the grass, took his hand and lead him inside whenever she found him sleepwalking at night in her teens. once a group of kids were daring each other to get closer when he was out there and magda threw a stone so hard at one of their shin’s it split it open and made them scatter. but again, magda “does not care about him”. the jury is not convinced.

4. are they revered in irving? do they have bad blood with anyone?

honestly everyone in irving probably thinks he’s a rly strange guy and i won’t fk around. he kind of is. wears many necklaces around his neck n one is just a pouch that has a prehistoric mosquito encased in a little piece of amber inside. sometimes magda wonders if he likes to play up to his reputation by putting it on a little bit. once she saw him suddenly jerking his head like a pecking chicken and saying “g’warn GET” to scare a random middle aged hiker into galloping in the opposite direction in the trees near abernathy. has a masterful knowledge of bird songs and can imitate them all impeccably. sometimes does this instead of replying with words. never cares about the holes in his shoes where his toes poke out. always seems to be turning a rusty coin between his fingers like it helps him think. he makes moonshine that will knock u off ur feet tho which is always a good time if ur lucky enough to try it. he has a very rich n warm voice like a log fire or a gooey chocolate brownie. even with all of his oddities he sounds kind. he’s very unconventional n doesn’t abide by rules of society a lot but he’s quite funny n a good time. makes engaging smalltalk if u treat him with respect. weird but admittedly a tiny bit wonderful. 

OTIS WOLFE.

1. how old are they and what do they look like?

forty-six but he looks older. the skin beneath his eyes is subtly purpled like it’s been dyed by a lick of beetroot juice. he has a very charismatic walk which doesn’t sound like it makes sense but it does to look at him. he walks everywhere buoyantly and with purpose. very high energy in his good days. lives everything in large quantities, good and bad. always used to wear a tan leather bomber jacket when magda was growing up but he forgot it w her one visit n it’s the only time she’s known him to call up two days after leaving to ask if she’d seen it. magda lied and said she hadn’t. she still has it to this day. sleeps in it on her bad days. otis has a smile so big it shines like live wires are sparking in his mouth. magda’s fingertips prickle like she’s an hour recovering from shoving a fork into a plug socket whenever she sees it. she used to think that’s what excitement felt like. that used to be true.

2. what kind of a presence do they have in your muse’s life? do they have a positive or negative relationship?

it’s very complicated. magda knows her dad isn’t a good person but she knows he isn’t a bad person either. sometimes it’s more frustrating to see things in grey because you just want something solid to take shape that u can actually put ur finger on. she finds herself perpetually stood at a fork in the road between believing in him still and deciding he’s no good. sometimes she’ll start walking in one direction only to realise it loops back on itself and she’s right back where she started. otis has given her a lot of fun “adventures”. taught her how to juggle. they stayed in a hotel on someone else’s credit card once and racked up a gargantuan tab ordering every form of room service and renting godzilla and the matrix on pay per view when she was 11. sometimes he’d use her in gimmicks where she had to lie and pretend she had a health condition so they could get a few bucks off charitable strangers on a street corner and under the veil of youth magda found playing up these roles funny because who would ever believe that? wasn’t everyone in the world so stupid except them? it was nice being part of his team. his “little wolfie”. but then a lot of things weren’t nice either. he’s left her stranded on the side of the road with nowhere to go on more than one occasion. he’s passed out in motel corridors and she’s had to lug him into a bed. he’s forgotten almost every birthday apart from one where he sent a card with five dollars inside and handwriting so squiggly she could tell he was drunk when he wrote it. he doesn’t know she likes to sing because he’s only ever listened when he’s fallen asleep. otis is all of magda’s heart and that’s why sometimes she likes to forget that it’s beating. 

3. are they revered in irving? do they have bad blood with anyone?

he’s very flighty n rarely in irving any more tbh but was more when magda was younger n his visits were a little less sporadic. probably owes a bunch of people money for some reason or another. smashed up fannie’s recently when he turned up drunk and got ahead of himself on a giddy n frenzied rampage in the name of “fun” n “just having a laugh”. magda’s aunt shelly really doesn’t get on with her brother n thinks he’s a complete deadbeat waste of space n resents him a lot for the impact he’s had on magda. magda remembers being little and peeking through a crack in shelly’s trailer door when he turned up drunk one time to collect her for a visit n shelly wouldn’t let him in. something along the lines of “you don’t give a rat’s ass about that little girl” and “she worships you, y’know that? most of the time, you don’t even remember her name”. magda crept back onto the sofa and pretended to be asleep by the time she came inside.

4. if your muse is no longer in contact with them, how did the relationship end? did your muse get closure over this?

cherry absolutely loves being a teacher more than pretty much anything else in the world, so i figured i’d take the chance to introduce you to a few notable members of her kindergarten class !! this isn’t the full list but i thought i’d pick out a few of them for fun !! 

TOMMY — smallest kid in the class. very sweet. always tries to trade the snacks in his lunch with the other kids. almost always has a pudding cup and he does not like pudding. has been caught trying to eat glue on multiple occasions. 

OLIVE — hippie parents for sure. her hair has never been cut and she’s very proud of her long hair. always wears it in pigtail braids. tries to trade snacks with tommy, but he’s not interested in the organic stuff. is very into math lessons. 

PATRICK — likes to be called pat and will get very upset if you call him by his full name. is always the first to run out of the room for recess and is a self proclaimed monkey bars expert. will not sit still during story-time. 

VERA — has a helicopter mom who thinks she can buy off all her children’s teachers. is about ten years younger than all of her other siblings. is very bad at sharing, but has a soft spot for olive and the two will often try to whisper through lessons together. 

AMIR — just learned how to tie his shoes all by himself and is very proud of it. will tie everyone’s shoes even if they don’t ask. can you please let him tie your shoes it makes him so happy. 

DIYA & SAIRA — identical twins who often wear the same outfit but in different colors. very clear that their mom enjoys dressing them up, but they have very different personalities. diya is more of a quiet kid, while saira is definitely the class clown. 

1. how old are they and what do they look like? ronny’s in his prime at forty-three years old. as a california import he’s usually rocking the look that’s pictured above ( both pics taken from the meet the team cork-board in the backroom at work ). he doesn’t put much stock into grooming, having only ever gotten haircuts from previous girlfriends. his teeth are impeccably white, and can often be found applying white strips when work is slow. chase has never seen him out of work clothes, due to the fact that the attire is the more or less the same : a solid coloured pastel button-up with a white t-shirt ( winter ) or singlet ( summer ) underneath with a pair of khakis and smart, leather shoes, which he sheds for birkenstocks when his shift is over. rumour has it that he has tiny nipples. 

2. if applicable, where and when did they meet your muse? ronny’s only a sales employee but has all the responsibility of a manager, and was the one to hire him at the mattress store. chase considers this first encounter unmemorable, and more so remembers his first day. chase was standing dumbly by the cash, when ronny walked in, pointed right at him and said boy, do i have a task for you. the task in question was completing a puzzle, face-down, the picture on the box covered with masking tape. thinking this was a work request and not a personal one, chase completed it with unwavering focus, while ronny served the customers perusing the mattresses. it took him until the end of his shift. ‘    right on. wanted to make sure it was actually possible to do face down.   ’ sliding it carefully to the edge, he flips it over to reveal a puzzle picture : it’s a photo, of him, a girl and a cockapoo captioned — layla, will you marry me ? ronny takes several moments to look down on it in awe, before separating each piece and lying it face down in the box. on monday he walks right up to chase and says, ‘   guess who’s getting hitched ?   ’

3. what kind of a presence do they have in your muse’s life? do they have a positive or negative relationship? chase honestly finds him kind of annoying, but ronny’s the person he’s closest to purely out of the routine of how much they see each other. chase only works weekends, but ronny works every weekend and more. chase visits two to three times during the week out of sheer boredom. he secretly enjoys getting roped up into ronny’s post-shift plans, which usually involves walking around until they stumble upon a house party. neither of them are that into partying, but lately, ronny’s been recording open house style tours to send to layla, who always appreciates the ten to twenty minute reprieve, as a phd student in the midst of her thesis project. chase takes it as a chance to rummage around a fridge that isn’t his. ronny has a relentless generosity that makes it hard for him not to be a positive influence on chase, and always shares his lunch with him. chase knows that he doesn’t owe him anything, but nevertheless feeling indebted he shook up about a litres worth of silicone sealant and mineral spirit, so that ronny can waterproof his shoes and the canvas tote bags that layla takes grocery shopping.

1. how old are they and what do they look like?

𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐚 '𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐚' 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐦, 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | the oldest golding sibling. mother of two dogs and an adopted son. ceo of goldingium & ajaxco. capricorn sun, virgo moon, pisces rising. insufferable genius. sugar-and-ice personality. daddy’s girl. the broken ace. the dutiful child. emotionally tongue-tied. the responsible sibling.

tilda’s the product of an unplanned pregnancy — the sole reason why the marriage between mr. golding & miss nesin was brought forward by almost two years. she’s the voice of reason and a perfect example of how the golding children should behave. named after mr. golding’s grandfather ritchie golding, she was destined for greatness. a lady in her neutral toned power suits. birkin bags & louboutin red bottoms. custom made blue light glasses. nude lips. manicured baby pink nails.

the beatrice to all the dantes out there. she’s the epitome of divinity & she knows it.

2. what kind of a presence do they have in your muse’s life? do they have a positive or negative relationship?

𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡'𝐬 ( she’s always been peach for tilda, never frederica or freddie ) relationship is complicated. being the oldest sibling, there’s a twenty-four year age gap between them. at first, tilda was like a mother — scratch that, she was freddie’s mother; still living with her parents, tilda woke up at odd hours, soothing peach when she just would not stop crying. she was also freddie’s first friend & confidant. days when she was around to keep peach busy, you could hear the sighs of relief coming from the au pairs rooms.

matilda didn’t really grow up in a strict household — mrs golding was twenty-four when she had her; all it took was an army of nannies to raise their first born. still, matilda’s always felt like a burden to her parents, in her mind, she was the final nail in the coffin. so she promised herself she would make it up for it by proving goldings she’s not a fault, but a blessing.

their relationship was irreversibly damaged once she moved out, leaving her little peachy behind. to be honest, freddie’s always been too much to handle and patience has never been matilda’s forté. tilda expected freddie to be like her, a perfect copy of the perfect daughter, the opposite sides of the same coin, but frederica wouldn’t or couldn’t rise to her level, that tilda cannot really tell. 

3. are they revered in irving? do they have bad blood with anyone?

𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, matilda’s never been to irving. freddie doubts she could point it on a map — kinda silly considering matilda’s literally a genius, but yes freddie babe, you do you. 

that being said, she has two beach houses in the area. despite never bothering to visit, she bought those for mrs golding, as she’s a big fan of irving. 

4. if your muse is no longer in contact with them, how did the relationship end? did your muse get closure over this?

𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 haven’t spoken since the day after the wedding fiasco. matilda suggested the location for freddie’s exile, hoping the life away from temptations would set her straight. after throwing a tantrum & calling matilda a mistake, mother wannabe — freddie knew how to hurt her, and she wanted to hurt her bad, matilda left the room and didn’t attend the family dinner aka frederica’s farewell party. at first, it really felt like an exile. freddie believed she was being punished for not being like tilda. or tilda was jealous of her. either way, her sister hated her, and she was sure of it. but now, it’s been over eight months since freddie moved here, and she’s beginning to see why matilda chose irving out of all the places. 

memories are tricky. sometimes they fool you. a few months ago, after not receiving a birthday call from matilda, freddie went through her famous treasure chest and came across a postcard sent by matilda, dated the same summer freddie spent in irving. it looked gross and brown-ish, like she spilled coffee on it, and perhaps she did, but she could still read some parts of it, including “if you like it that much i should come and see there myself, but now baba needs me. you take care of mom + irving sun for me, okay? kisses, tilda”. 

frederica being frederica, she didn’t call matilda, but after years of troubled sleeping schedule, that night freddie slept like peach used to. an old piece of card with smudged writing was the proof she needed; her sister only wants the best for her. 

frederica peach golding’s treasure chest

ok, her treasure chest doesn’t fit the task, but i wanted to include it lol. frederica moved around a lot, sometimes within city limits, sometimes abroad, but often times it felt like she was hopping from one planet to another, always the alien, always the new kid. 

moving was fun. she got the plan her room, mrs & mr golding let her do whatever the hell she wanted. age ten, she even got herself a secret room like hannah montana’s, because why not? but it didn’t last for long. she was rapidly losing interest in decorating room after room, treating them as a c list rock band would with motels,  throwing fits & breaking things, not really including herself. the solution was easy — emptying the box tilda gifted her, frederica began to store her favourite items from each room. if it didn’t fit her treasure box, she wouldn’t take the item with her. so far, she has her signed twilight poster, a few memorable items like her grass ring, glitter pens, the rules of her secret language ( that she’s forgotten about ), family photos, a broken ipod, a piece of brick from the demolition of her childhood room, shrek dvd & finally left leg of her favourite toy, mr lollipop buns ( he was a big, stuffed rabbit plushie and wouldn’t fit the box, so freddie thought it would be best to perform an amputation on him - mr lollipop buns lives with her third nanny, isla’s children with his one leg).