[name_m]Jura[/name_m] [name_u]Santana[/name_u] Buitrago (17) is one of Avani’s close friends at school who keeps her company while she’s crafting jewlery at lunch time, usually working on their art portfolio. [name_u]An[/name_u] aspiring fine artist, [name_m]Jura[/name_m] experiments with a huge range of images and ideas with their preferred acrylic paints, attributing this to their overactive imagination and great love of graphic novels. [name_m]Jura[/name_m] first began collecting them after their dad handed down some of his old one’s to them and has contemplated working on their own, but admittedly needs to find the right author, as while reading is their favourite way to relax, they’re not the best writer themselves.
The Buitrago and [name_u]Jackson[/name_u] family’s have been long term friends due to the mother’s attending the same antenatal class, and [name_m]Jura[/name_m] suspects their younger brother has a crush on Avani’s sister, a reality they find both hilarious and very endearing. [name_m]Jura[/name_m] loves spending time with [name_f]Gigi[/name_f] and dotes upon her, wanting a dog of their own badly, but there’s an agreement such a pet will only arrive once their youngest sibling turns ten: which is now just eight months away, much to their delight.
[name_m]Joaquin[/name_m] [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] Buitrago (16) is the younger brother of [name_m]Jura[/name_m] and does indeed have a crush on Avani’s younger sister. He’s both an athlete and a scholar— excelling in volleyball and in the social sciences. A part of him wants to pursue psychology in the future, but the idea of being a volleyball player is also very alluring.
His relationship with Avani’s sister, [name_f]Athena[/name_f], is sort of strained— after an awkward incident at a school dance he’s been unable to look at her since, and their friendship kind of stagnated.
[name_m]Dacre[/name_m] " [name_u]Dace[/name_u] " [name_m]Kaleb[/name_m] Howander (16) is Joaquin’s best friend and witness to the mortifying incident when one of their classmates - who’d snuck alcohol into the event - began drunkenly chanting [name_m]Joaquin[/name_m] and [name_f]Athena[/name_f] should kiss. A very introverted person as it is, [name_u]Dace[/name_u] felt guilty he couldn’t provide more advice and assurance to his good friend, providing a listening ear and some words of encouragement; but can’t help feel they rang a bit hollow thanks to inexperience. [name_u]Dace[/name_u] is openly pansexual but hasn’t had any serious relationships due to his battles with anxiety, not knowing if he feels emotionally ready to make such a commitment, given his natural cynicism about relationships lasting through university. He has maintained a friendship with [name_f]Athena[/name_f] since the dance though, and does his best to avoid this event being mentioned thanks to how painfully embarrassing it remains for all parties and witnesses involved.
[name_u]Dace[/name_u] knows he wants to become a playwright or poet in the future, expressing himself best in writing, and has been considering studying overseas to get the feel of somewhere unanimous with creativity. He has a few friends with similar dreams and is wondering if someone would accompany him in this, but hasn’t chosen to ask yet as there’s still plenty of time.
[name_f]Athena[/name_f] [name_u]Avery[/name_u] [name_u]Jackson[/name_u] (16) is Avani’s younger sister and a mutual friend of both [name_m]Joaquin[/name_m] and [name_u]Dace[/name_u]. The incident at the dance was ridiculous and horrifying, but not for the reasons one might expect— it was then [name_f]Athena[/name_f] realised her feelings for [name_m]Joaquin[/name_m], and she’s been avoiding him ever since. [name_f]Avani[/name_f] keeps on making jokes about it, much to her chagrin.
Outside of her disastrous love life, [name_f]Athena[/name_f] wishes to be a graphic designer someday, already making some portfolio websites for her artistically inclined friends. She also likes coding, and wonders if the video game industry is something she’d like to do. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though she doesn’t share similar dreams with [name_u]Dace[/name_u], she’s been reaching out to her other friends, trying to find somebody who does.
[name_f]Doveva[/name_f] " [name_u]Dove[/name_u] " [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] Altschul (16) is one of Athena’s close friends and confident in the ongoing situation about her feelings for [name_m]Joaquin[/name_m]. Dove’s a talented editor who works for YouTubers, influencers and has her own channel dedicated to humorous, niche humour shared amongst her friend group. She’s done some coding herself but the video games she prefers are click and point mysteries, enjoying the mental process involved in trying to figure out what’s going on. [name_u]Dove[/name_u] comes from an Israeli-American family and her Jewish faith is important to her, even if she isn’t the most ardent of practitioners. Her parents own a successful restaurant paying homage to their ancestry and culture where [name_u]Dove[/name_u] works cooking in the kitchens and her older sister and brother-in-law are set to inherit once her parents retire.
Due to her editing skills, [name_u]Dove[/name_u] is also involved in amateur films some of her friends and classmates have produced, which is how she met her significant other. They’ve been together six months but are very happy, taking things easy, and Dove’s admittedly happy to get some time out the house. While she loves her family, her much younger brother tends to ask her lots of incessant questions about her projects and getting some peace is much sought-after by [name_u]Dove[/name_u]. Her sister closest in age tends to understand this the most and sometimes they’ll walk the family [name_f]Collie[/name_f] - [name_u]Wendell[/name_u] - together, so they can have some space.
[name_f]Seraphina[/name_f] " Phina " [name_u]Eden[/name_u] Altschul (15) is Dove’s younger sister. Similar to her (slightly) elder sister, she’s involved in the YouTube scene, but instead she plays video games. She’s gotten into the competitive gaming scene fairly early on, noting her fast reaction speeds and good prediction skills. Being a girl in the e-sports world is difficult, but she manages by keeping her identity very secret. All people know is that she’s 15 and goes by the handle “Edephina”, and she plans on keeping it that way.
Outside of her video games, Phina lives a fairly normal life— hanging out with friends, listening to music, and complaining about homework. Recently, Phina’s gotten a job working at an ice cream parlour with a boy she sort of likes, and she’s told [name_u]Dove[/name_u] all about it.
[name_u]Tristan[/name_u] " Trist " [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] Nowark is Phina’s colleague who she has some interest in. Belonging to the school swim team, Trist is naturally quite competitive and a bit of a perfectionist, but this is turned inward instead of affecting others. He tends to be quite quiet around new people and even when he’s opened up isn’t the most talkative, unless a topic or personality really strikes a chord in him. Trist lives with his aunt, who adopted him when he was just over a year old after his mom was killed serving in the army. This has led to him being a strong pacifist, despising war and pointless death, which his aunt has supported fully.
Due to his opinions though, Trist doesn’t have much to do with his extended family as they’re mostly military folk who consider his opinion disrespectful. His father is someone he doesn’t actually know and it does hurt him, having once opened up to Phina when they were closing up shop together and he found himself overwhemed by the stress of his shift. Trist knows he’s nursing a bit of a crush on her too but isn’t sure how to bring up his feelings, thinking she’s too upbeat to enjoy time with him.
[name_f]Arabella[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] Nowark (23) is Trist’s cousin and step-sister. As she was eight years old when Trist was adopted, she’s taken on a slightly more parental relationship with the boy, seeing as their age difference was quite large. Along with their aunt, [name_f]Susan[/name_f], she despises the military and hates that Trist had lost a parent when he was so young.
[name_f]Arabella[/name_f] is a journalist, and a famous one at that— working on high profile cases that have certainly painted a huge target on her back. Because of this, she’s made a lot of friends in the neighbourhood that she lives in, trying to make sure that she’s protected and safe. She doesn’t quite regret her occupation, but wishes she was in a safer environment.
Preed " [name_u]Pax[/name_u] " Suwan (25) is a friend of Arabella’s living in the same neighbourhood, who actually works as a PI. Pax’s line of work wasn’t propelry planned and came about after he was sent to live with his uncle, an experienced investigator with his own agency, having grown up in Thailand but his parents saw him having better opportunities elsewhere.
He taught [name_u]Pax[/name_u] everything he knew while the young man was getting to grips with high school and the move, which inspired his nephew to follow his footsteps. This proved useful after [name_u]Pax[/name_u] befriended [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] and learned about the dangers she faced thanks to her job, walking the line between giving her advice while not stepping on her toes or being patronising.
[name_u]Pax[/name_u] visits his parents whenever possible and now he’s become an uncle is considering extending the same invite to his nieces or nepews when they’re older. Culture is important to [name_u]Pax[/name_u] and he frequently cooks Thai dishes, inviting [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] over to enjoy them with her and his boyfriend, who he’s been with for almost six years!
[name_m]Alexander[/name_m] [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] Blanchet (26) is Pax’s long-term boyfriend and journalist who doubles as a CIA informant. His position regarding the CIA was not planned at all— he just simply went too far and seen some things he shouldn’t have seen. [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] doesn’t regret this, not fully, but he just wishes he wasn’t in such a dangerous position.
He knows his position has made [name_u]Pax[/name_u] distrustful of him at times, but [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] is trying his damndest to prove to his boyfriend that the information he has to hide can’t be shown to anyone. He, of all people, hates secrets— but it’s an unfortunate reality for him now.
This is also a source of conflict between him and [name_f]Arabella[/name_f]— [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] wants to get the whole, full, truth, but [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] doesn’t want anyone in his position. He’s begun to try and subtly convince her that it isn’t a good idea, but he knows he can’t divulge too much.
Outside of his work, he’s the eldest of four siblings, and he’s sort of taken the role of pseudo-father when their own father died back when [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] was sixteen.
[name_f]Katherine[/name_f] " [name_u]Kay[/name_u] " [name_u]Peyton[/name_u] Blanchet (16) is Alexander’s youngest sibling who thoroughly enjoys their position as baby of the family. This primarily comes from [name_u]Kay[/name_u] knowing they can always rely on their older siblings to discuss personal matters, especially the loss of their father which weighs on Kay’s mind a lot. The shock didn’t leave them for quite some time and they bunked off school a fair bit during this time until [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] stepped in to speak with them, spending hours walking just lost in memories, questions and the half-expectation their dad would suddenly reappear, desperately wanting him back.
They lost a lot of friends during this time, having once been a popular member of the school netball team but in the aftermath of Kay’s dad passing, people made a lot of unfair assumptions they still hold resentment towards. Now keeping a journal it helps [name_u]Kay[/name_u] connect with their thoughts and feelings more, not wanting to ask too much of their siblings in this difficult time for everyone. [name_u]Kay[/name_u] loves spending time with [name_u]Pax[/name_u] and [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] too, finding them to be fountains of intrigue and knowledge.
[name_u]Holly[/name_u] [name_u]Eden[/name_u] Ashworth (17) is one of Kay’s long-time friends who stuck around during the time [name_u]Kay[/name_u] was absent from school. Being a grade above [name_u]Kay[/name_u], [name_u]Holly[/name_u] wasn’t able to completely destroy the rumours about them, but instead focused her efforts on comforting them and making sure they were okay. Being friends since they were toddlers, [name_u]Holly[/name_u] took it upon herself to comfort [name_u]Kay[/name_u] and hopefully bring them out of their slump.
Outside of [name_u]Kay[/name_u], [name_u]Holly[/name_u] is an aspiring art student who has a focus on sculpture and ceramics. She’s made a lot of her own cutlery and is now making incense holders. At first, her mother and father weren’t overly supportive of their daughter’s newfound “hobby”— afraid that she wasn’t going to be able to find a stable occupation in the future. [name_u]Ever[/name_u] since they realised Holly’s talents weren’t going to waste, they finally approved her choice of major.
She has a younger sister and a younger brother. Her younger sister is a social media influencer, which worries [name_u]Holly[/name_u] due to the way that industry can hurt young people.
[name_f]Faye[/name_f] [name_f]Violetta[/name_f] Ashworth (15) is Holly’s sister and a rising star in the influencer world. The siblings parents aren’t entirely aware of Faye’s pursuits online and merely think she’s doing some advertising opposed to building her own brand, but being the middle child gives her anonymity she’s happy and willing to use to her advantage. Astute and savvy, Faye’s very talented at reading people which has allowed her to become very popular at school in spite of not belonging to any major clubs: as her following takes up too much time to commit to anything she’d like, such as the cheer squad or diving team. She does have quite a lot of friends involved in those fields who she jokes she lives through vicariously.
Her relationship with [name_u]Holly[/name_u] has never been particularly close due to their different interests but [name_f]Faye[/name_f] hates being told what to do, stemming from being overlooked and arguably given too much independence from a young age in this regard. Gaining a drivers license is all [name_f]Faye[/name_f] wants right now due to further freedom and she’s contemplating going into the world of modelling, having been inspired by a friend who’s in the industry already. In spite of seeming closed off and a little self-absorbed, [name_f]Faye[/name_f] does love her family, merely wanting to impress her parents who she feels haven’t ever noticed her accomplishments or achievements.
Ursula Drew Mikhailov (17) became Faye’s friend after they went to a New Year’s sleepover together in middle school (for a mutual acquaintance), and they ended up being the only two that stayed up past midnight.
Ursula’s family means everything to her. She is named after her grandmother, who goes by “Sula” and is her best friend. Her middle name Drew honors her father, Andrew, who has since remarried but is still actively involved with the family and keeps good terms with everyone. She shaved her head two years ago when her brother Drago was diagnosed with cancer, and she keeps it buzzed now to honor his memory.
She recently figured out that she is asexual, which a lot of people don’t seem to understand since she’s a model, and it can make her uncomfortable doing different shoots that seem especially objectifying. She wants to keep modeling because it’s a fun, creative challenge, but she’s getting more and more concerned about the world, and the way women are treated in it. Her newest idea is to become an advocate for victims of human trafficking, whether in or outside of the modeling industry.
[name_u]Cameron[/name_u] " [name_u]Cam[/name_u] " [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_u]Beckett[/name_u] (15) is a school friend of Faye’s and makes a lot of side appearances on her platform. After come encouragement from [name_f]Faye[/name_f], [name_u]Cam[/name_u] decided to take to YouTube and TikTok to upload small covers of her singing. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though her fame is nowhere near Faye’s, [name_u]Cam[/name_u] still enjoys her small audience.
In a way, she pities that [name_f]Faye[/name_f] doesn’t have the luxury of having a small audience— [name_u]Cam[/name_u] doesn’t think she’d be able to stand that amount of pressure, especially in a world where the internet doesn’t forget. Other than her social media, [name_u]Cam[/name_u] focuses a lot on music and the like— she wishes to be a musician full-time someday, much to the chagrin of her father.
[name_u]Axel[/name_u] [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] [name_u]Beckett[/name_u] (18) is Cam’s brother who’s always supported her desire to pursue music. On the verge of leaving for college, Axel’s torn between excitement and dread, having ended up having to opt for a uni pretty far from his hometown as it offered the best marine biology course. As a kid his less-than-flattering nickname was “Fish Boy” due to his love of sealife and swimming but he’s come to not care and his indifference ironically earned him status. His newfound sense of apathetic peace meant the popularity didn’t go to Axel’s head though, and he stayed loyal to his core friend group, people he sincerely trusts and respects given they didn’t turn against him when he was being considered “weird”.
The main source of comfort for [name_u]Axel[/name_u] is one of his greatest friends is attending the same university as him and this has helped with his fears of a new environment. He’s openly pansexual, but not really looking for a certain someone yet…even if an acquaintance he’s made at a local pottery painting business is the cutest person he’s ever seen (only a few are privy to this conclusion he’s come to though). Recently he attended a protest against water pollution and found his desire to work towards bettering the natural world only strengthened, with plans on inviting [name_u]Cam[/name_u] to one…if their parents allow it.
Jisoo " [name_f]Juno[/name_f] " [name_u]Park[/name_u] (18) has been Axel’s best friend since they were toddlers. The two have been inseparable for as long as she can remember, and she’s happy that she’s able to stay with [name_u]Axel[/name_u] for another chapter of their lives. She is majoring in biochemistry but doesn’t really know what she’s going to do outside of university— although being a forensic scientist seems tempting.
Because of their closeness, many would assume [name_f]Juno[/name_f] and [name_u]Axel[/name_u] are dating. However, [name_f]Juno[/name_f] is a closeted lesbian, and [name_u]Axel[/name_u] was the first one to know. This realisation happened a month into university, where [name_f]Juno[/name_f] fell over heels for her lab partner. She doesn’t know what to do with this information, as her parents are homophobic and she doesn’t want to lose them, especially since that her relationship with them had just improved.
[name_f]Dodie[/name_f] [name_f]Ava[/name_f] [name_m]Lancaster[/name_m] (18) is Juno’s lab partner who’s completely oblivious to how the other girl feels about her, arguably stemming from the fact she’s got a little crush of her own. [name_f]Dodie[/name_f] came out as bi just before leaving high school and found this helped further her flourishing confidence, which manifests in her upbeat, happy-go-lucky demeanor. She can make smalltalk with just about anyone but really loves talking to [name_f]Juno[/name_f], whose friendship with [name_u]Axel[/name_u] she deeply admires. They’ve hung out a few times outside of class now, with [name_f]Dodie[/name_f] introducing [name_f]Juno[/name_f] to her pet hamster, [name_f]Flavia[/name_f], who lives in her dorm.
Growing up as an army brat, [name_f]Dodie[/name_f] didn’t have a chance to establish long term friendships bar one with a girl in [name_f]Florida[/name_f]: they became pen pals and are still just as close seven years later. She’s invited her friend to visit her on campus so she can show her around…and maybe get some advice on how to deal with her feelings for [name_f]Juno[/name_f]. [name_f]Dodie[/name_f] also belongs to the Vegetarian Society - initially a bit of a joke on her behalf due to how much her dad teases her, but it’s made her consider specialising in animal biochemistry, specifically if it means preventing cruel testing on them.
