#lsbiorp

● OH SINNERS, LET’S GO DOWN;

Wolfgang’s mother never planned on being charmed by the mayor of Barton Hollow, much less being charmed into his bed. She was simply the daughter of Barton Hollow’s only vintner, and she met Richard by chance one day when he was doing a tasting at the winery. A few months later, Wolfgang’s mother got a positive pregnancy test and a little bit of money each month as sort of covert form of child support and an overt form of hush money. Marilyn, of course, knew about the child. She knew about them all. Wolfgang’s mother dying in childbirth was the beginning of a reckoning for the Fitzgerald family in a way. He was taught hate by his grandfather, hate for the so-called royal family of Barton Hollow. Wolfgang grew up knowing exactly who his father was and who his dear legitimate half-brother was. Wolfgang was taught to keep quiet about his paternity until the moment was right. He never had a chance to connect to a part of his family that he was merely conditioned to hate. Over the years, his grandfather’s hate continued to poison Wolfgang, who as a young boy was very much like his mother, a bright and lively optimist.

To say Wolfgang was liked much in town was a lie. Many people didn’t take the the surly boy who acted like the world owed him everything. He acted like he was the prince of the town and who caused a notable rivalry with Felix during school. It gave Wolfgang a sort of satisfaction that one day Felix would squirm when he found out he shared DNA with the lowly vintner’s grandson. In many ways, Wolfgang is even less likable than his older half-brother. After high school, Wolfgang decided that college was not for him and that he would take up the family business of making wine. He knew a good deal of the ins and outs from growing up in the winery and playing among the grapes and bottles as a child. It wasn’t a project that made a lot of money, but his beloved grandfather was passionate about it, and Wolfgang intended on keeping that passion alive. Though he has the personality of a black hole, Wolfgang can be charming and has excelled in the business aspects of the winery, bringing more money to the family and making his grandfather proud.

● DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY;

Richard died, and Wolfgang knew that it was time to go public with the good mayor being his father. The announcement didn’t come without backlash, but he was prepared for it. Now Wolfgang is searching out other Fitzgerald bastards who exist, finally locating one in the form of Nathaniel Forsythe. All Wolfgang needs to do is convince his half-brother to join him in a crusade to claim their rightful inheritance. Wolfgang is the sort of person who won’t take no for an answer and completely plans to use force to get what he wants if necessary.

●ALL OF BARTON HOLLOW KNOWS;

Wolfgang is the son of the late mayor, Richard Fitzgerald and the half-brother of Felix Fitzgerald and Nathaniel Forsythe. He’s the thorn in the side of Richard’s widow and Felix’s mother, Marilyn Fitzgerald. Lately, he can be found trying to get Gideon Miles and Samuel Proctor to take his case, but he has had no such luck in swaying them to do so.

O’ let’s go down D o w n in the r i v e r to p r a y

Chaos has hit Barton Hollow. Bodies are falling left and right, the mayor being among fallen and leaving his widow to run the town until an election is held. At least one serial killer is at large. The police have their hands full with murder investigations, yet their efforts seem to be fruitless. That’s just the start of the town’s problems as an all out preternatural war brews.

Founded in October 2015, Ain’t No Grave is a literate, supernatural and southern gothic-themed full of original characters and diverse face claims. .

● OH SINNERS, LET’S GO DOWN;

Byron Constantin is the definition of handsome but dumb. Had it not been for his rich father, he would not have gotten literally anything he’s had in life. His high school diploma and college degree in business were bought via generous donations to the schools. Byron never truly realized that he was little more than a pretty face and was the picture of vapidness. When he was fresh out of college he got a job with Andromeda Beckett as a secretary at her publishing company that she inherited from her father. It wasn’t long ‘til Andromeda was forced to fire Byron due to his incompetence. Byron has never forgotten that and took being fired as an insult to both him and his intelligence. In turn, a few years later, he asked his father to purchase a publishing company for him to be CEO of in order to spite Mrs. Beckett. However, the supposed revenge failed, and Byron had to hire someone to actually run his company, Constantin Press, for him and is simply CEO in name only. Byron isn’t able to tell anyone the first thing about the publishing business, but he will definitely pretend he’s an expert in the field. 

Barton Hollow has typically been a boring place for Byron since his parents uprooted him and moved him from Atlanta to the sleepy town when he was in high school. Thankfully, there is no shortage of beautiful people for him to attempt to woo and enough mischief to keep him somewhat entertained. Sometimes, he thinks he was destined for more than this town, but he’s far too afraid to stray from his parents who pay for virtually everything in his life. However, being an only child means that in the future that wealth will be his, which has its own sort of perks because he can often sway people to do whatever he pleases or attract any sort of person that he wants. 

● DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY;

Currently, Byron has taken up with Rosemary Beckett, his former employer’s daughter. Rosemary is certainly his type of person, beautiful and rich. He’s extremely aware she is far more cunning than he is and is more than happy to allow her to take the wheel in their relationship. One could call him her own personal boytoy. It’s like she has a sort of power over him and often after their sexual encounters he feels exhausted. Perhaps the sex really is just that good. Whatever it is, he could see himself building an empire with this intelligent and fierce woman, or well, letting her build and empire and him be there for the building of it to be more accurate. 

●ALL OF BARTON HOLLOW KNOWS;

Byron is the lover and current fling of the powerful and magnetic Rosemary Beckett. By extension of Rosemary he knows her sister Gillian Beckett, who wants nearly nothing to do with him. He has become fairly good friends with the decidedly shady Galen Reece, though he is sure that shadiness can somehow be used to his advantage. It didn’t take Byron long to make enemies with Orson Sims, but most people in town aren’t sure what the origins of that relationship are. He’s tried making friends with the likes of Divya O’Shea because of her connections and wealth, however, that’s not working out too well. 

● OH SINNERS, LET’S GO DOWN;

Not much is known about Presley’s past. She likes to keep that to herself. What’s with such a blatantly fake name, though?

● DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY;

Presley is newer to Barton Hollow but rather well-liked by most of her fellow citizens. She simply  enjoys the intimacy of the small town, but she knows something just isn’t quite right with them, especially the old money folks. She doesn’t question it, though. They’ve let her immerse herself into the hustle and bustle of their obscure chaos. All they know about her is that anything is better than whatever it was that happened to her before she moved to town–well, and that she takes a lot of pictures.

● ALL OF BARTON HOLLOW KNOWS;

Somehow, despite being so new to town, Presley knows many citizens of Barton Hollow; most like her, while some are wary of her. Whitley, Talon, and Tallulah Marchbanks have all been acquainted with Presley but are unsure of her intentions. Juniper Lee has been in negotiations with Miss Monroe about a house atop a hill that overlooks the park and much of the town. She’s become somewhat friends with Matilda Reyes during her short time in town and is well acquainted with Roxanne McKay as well.  Felix Fitzgerald is her lawyer.

● oh sinners, let’s go down;

Their parents being best friends resulted in Dale Reeves and Sarah Ives being neighbors in a middle class neighborhood just outside the main part of Barton Hollow. They were little in the height of Beatle Mania, but as they got older, they came to appreciate the band’s music and celebrity. She was a part of the high school choir, while he was in both the choir and played centerfielder for the baseball team. They loved doing what they did. They were adequate at their activities of choice, but never did either excel enough in their extracurricular lives to pursue careers past high school. Instead, they went for more practical goals: he went into information technology and worked for the school system, while she became an art teacher at the high school. That’s where they were reunited, and they began dating soon after. They married, and once they were settled, Lennon was born about a year following the death of his namesake.

Lennon was animated and honest as a child. He was always eager to help anyone who asked. His kind nature often led to his classmates labelling him as a teacher’s pet, but being the good noodle he was, he simply wanted to help. He had no ulterior motives. That is except for when one person was concerned: Hazel Pierce, the mayor’s granddaughter. He admired her from afar for years, hoping one day she’d acknowledge his existence. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen until their eighth grade year when her family name’s reputation plummeted following her grandfather’s lack of attention to the town’s well-being. The two hit it off rather quickly, and after a year of knowing each other, he bucked up the courage to ask her to be his date for the town’s annual Christmas charity event. After dating a while, Hazel discovered she was pregnant, causing Lennon’s world to spiral into utter chaos.

● down to the river to pray;

Lennon and Hazel are still married, now with a nest of three children instead of just the one from their teenage years. They’re happy as ever in their modest home down the street from his parents. While Hazel enjoys being a housewife, Lennon works as a carpenter. He’s been a little on edge lately because Finn is approaching college age, and he often forgets Isla and Iris still have a while to go before they’re college age themselves. He’s been mulling over whether he should ask Hazel about possibily of having more kids.

● all of barton hollow knows;

Hazel Reeves (nee Pierce) is Lennon’s high school sweetheart and wife of 17 years and the mother of his three children: son Finn, 17, and daughters Iris and Isla, 12. Hollis Pierce is Lennon’s sister-in-law; he was weary of her at first, believing she would be too much like her parents, but he was pleasantly surprised when he realized she wasn’t and has since warmed up to her a little. Cooper Wallace was originally Lennon’s boss, mentor even, until he graduated from high school; he helped Hazel and Lennon get on their feet when they became parents-to-be. Emery Reece is Lennon’s successor as the farm hand for Cooper, and the two are now friends.

● OH SINNERS, LET’S GO DOWN;

Born into the Pierce family, Hazel was well-accustomed to the more lavish lifestyle. She was in dance lessons at the ripe young age of three, dreaming of becoming a professional ballerina, and she spent a lot of her pre-pubescent and early adolescent years learning how to play violin. Her grades were great. She often received citizenship awards. She was, without much doubt, the daughter parents dreamed of. There was a brief period, right after Hollis was born, when a ten year old Hazel slipped into a little bit of rebellion—well, kind of because all she did was become mouthy and was caught in a lie every now and then, and then she’d apologize relentlessly. However, she grew out of that by the time she was twelve, and she loved spending time with her baby sister. In fact, she enjoyed it so much so that her dream of becoming a ballerina began to dwindle. She wanted a family.

Around Christmas of her seventh grade year, she met Lennon Reeves, a well-liked country boy who worked as Cooper Wallace’s farm-hand on the weekends and during breaks. Hazel was quite taken with him by the end of the school year. They were dating by the first anniversary of their first encounter, and they were the high school sweethearts so many dreamed of being. That is at least until the beginning of their junior year when Hazel learned she was pregnant. She kept it a secret for as long as she possibly could but had to spill the beans when the weight gain and baby bump had become noticeable. The news was met with tragic backlash: Mr. and Mrs. Pierce disowned their older daughter. Though more accepting, Lennon’s parents could not take her in, let alone her and a baby for any extended period of time. Luckily, Cooper was a kind soul and let them live in one of the renovated houses on the plantation for as long as they needed. 

● DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY;

Hazel and Lennon wed a couple months before their son, Finn, was born. She graduated from high school in the top quarter-percentile of her class despite her struggles. Two years later, Hazel was devastated when she learned, through Cooper of course, that her grandfather Ephraim had passed away, not because they were close but because she worried for her kid sister. Hazel and Lennon had twin daughters, Iris and Isla, five years after Finn was born. When her parents were murdered a few years later, she felt a twinge of sadness, but she was relieved that Hollis hadn’t been exposed to them much. The family moved off the plantation not long after, but they continued to have dinner with Cooper at least once a week. Hazel was primarily a housewife but also was a sales representative for makeup and handbags. Ever since her parents disowned her, she felt as if part of her identity had been lost, and she had bouts with depression.

● ALL OF BARTON HOLLOW KNOWS;

Hollis Pierce is Hazel’s younger sister; like most siblings, their relationship was rocky at first, but things got better after their parents were killed. Lennon Reeves is Hazel’s high school sweetheart and husband of 18 years and the father of her three children. Cooper Wallace helped Hazel and Lennon get on their feet when they became parents-to-be, and he is Finn’s godfather. 

● OH SINNERS, LET’S GO DOWN;

Samuel Proctor was always the reasonable one, the rational one who grew up in a middle class family in a town where the gap between the rich and the poor was huge. To the poor he seemed rich, to the rich he seemed poor, but he was hardworking and industrious, and people noticed that about him. Something about Samuel, even as a child, was quietly cautious, which would come in handy in his teenage years when he saved a young Gillian Beckett from drowning. He was the one on the look out, taking care of everyone which threw him into stark contrast with his reckless best friend, Gideon Miles. Little did he know he would spend most of his life looking after Gideon and trying to dissuade him from making horrible decisions. Everyone knew that together the boys were destined for greatness because one could simply not do without the other. They were a proverbial yin and yang friendship. Gideon kept Samuel wild, while Samuel kept Gideon grounded.

The two cooked up the idea in high school that they would go to law school together and open a firm together, and the two did just that. Samuel became a lawyer, one who was always by the book, doing what needed to be done, an exact opposite of Gideon, who was more of the fly by night type. They eventually opened Miles and Proctor, their law office that has done a pretty good job in Barton Hollow where there’s always someone on trial that is in need of some good defense at semi-reasonable prices. After all, a man has to eat and pay the bills.

Samuel continued to keep Gideon in check, as well as the whole the whole law firm in check due to the hiring of Felix Fitzgerald, who Samuel did not want to hire in the first place. He had a bad feeling about Felix working with them, and he worried for Gillian, but he was happy to see that Gillian was still holding her own and that Felix wasn’t a terrible lawyer. It wasn’t long ‘til Sam decided he wanted to go into local politics and realized that he should run for mayor when the time came. This caused a bit of strife in the office seeing as none of them wanted him to leave, yet they all respected his wishes. Samuel started having strangely vivid dreams of another time, one perhaps of a pre-Civil War life that seemed familiar to him. Samuel, being rational, liked to think they were just reoccurring dreams, but they only became more and more vivid. 

● DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY;

After the death of the mayor and Marilyn’s ascension to the mayoral office, Sam became even more determined to become mayor. The elections are approaching fast, and he knows that he can win this, but he wonders if Marilyn will put up a fight. He’s had to put his preliminary campaigning on hold a bit to help patch up Gideon because of his recent divorce from Rosemary. Sam never liked Rosemary and thought that the day she left Gideon would be a happy one, but instead, he was just filled with sadness for his friend. He’s promised himself never to let Rosemary break Gideon like that again.

● ALL OF BARTON HOLLOW KNOWS;

● OH SINNERS, LET’S GO DOWN;

Named for poet Ezra Pound, Ezra Graham was predestined for a love of literature and the arts, interests with which he struggled because he was dyslexic. His disorder left him bound and determined to excel in every which way he possibly could, and he succeeded in doing just that. His grades and test scores were always in the top 97 percentile, and he had his heart set on writing the next great American novel and doing what his namesake could not. He had secured countless scholarships and grants to a number of schools across the country, and he was planning on enrolling at a school in the northeast--likely in New York or Vermont--in the fall following his high school graduation. Unfortunately, much like his namesake, his creative writing was just mediocre, and his dreams were crushed. He would bounce back from his lack of creativity, though, by discovering having a knack for criticism. 

At the end of his sophomore year, he was in negotiations with a college in Florida and another in Virginia when his father died, derailing any hopes and dreams he had of writing as a career. He may have finished that last year and a half high school, but as soon as he graduated, he started working in the coal mines to help his mother pay bills. At the beginning of his senior year, Ezra was depressed and let his grades slip for that first semester. It wasn’t until he was waiting outside the guidance counselor’s office one day before the holiday break that he realized how disconnected he had become with everything in his life. That fateful day he met Matilda Reyes, the woman who would support throughout the remainder of her education and who would one day become his wife. 

● DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY;

A couple of months before the wedding, however, was what would have been an obstacle for most any other couple. Matilda met Dasha Eld and fell in love with her. Ezra didn’t know what to think of it at first, but he wasn’t the jealous sort because he knew she loved him, too. Now married and a part of a polyamorous lifestyle, Ezra continues to work in the mines. Adjusting to life as a part of a polyamorous couple has been interesting to him. The dynamic is fluid and changing, but there is a genuine connection there. Dasha has been a joy to have around and if anything they have become close friends. He’s not sure if he could fall in love with her like Matilda has, but he knows that he does love her in a platonic way and wishes to keep her around. 

●ALL OF BARTON HOLLOW KNOWS;

Matilda Reyes is Ezra’s journalist wife and muse for his own poetry; he often acts as a proofreader for her. Dasha Eld is Ezra’s wife’s partner and good friend. Caroline Linacre once was Ezra’s boss at the diner and remains a close friend and confidant to him. Ezra was childhood friends with James Farrell. He and Andrew O’Flynn are good friends, having found shared interest in books, trees, and various other strange but charming things.