Tamaz ’ [name_m]Tam[/name_m] ’ [name_m]Kayvan[/name_m] Heydari (25) is the drummer of [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_f]Star[/name_f] and undeniably it’s most mysterious member - both to the outside world and even his bandmates initially. This is partly deliberate and also subconscious, as Tam’s approach to group memberships was shaped by the first band he ever belonged to - Hell’s Staircase - ended in a very nasty fight during his last year of high school, when it emerged the band’s lead guitarist had started a relationship with their frontman’s ex, and it became a huge point of contention; to where [name_m]Tam[/name_m] dreaded practice, as there were always arguments breaking out, and it became a waiting game for things to splinter completely. He subsequently never belonged to any groups too seriously for several years (usually serving for recording sessions or covering someone’s absence), until meeting [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] through a mutual friend in the music scene who asked if [name_m]Tam[/name_m] could help with the fundraiser, and he just clicked with the others nicely: not feeling pressured to stay but instead genuinely being proud of what they were achieving and feeling the band was a positive environment, instead of an obligation or emotional time bomb.
Coming from a small Iranian-American family, with just one sibling, [name_m]Tam[/name_m] was sometimes just raised by his dad, as his mom had to travel home a lot to sort things out with relatives. They never really approved of Tam’s father - a good-humoured man who runs his own deli and small café, with a very affectionate and warm spirit - and sometimes he admits some resentment, as he knew his grandparents could manipulate his mother using her guilt into making her return frequently. He subsequently doesn’t speak to them much and has focused on encouraging his mom to do what makes her happy, which is why she’s running her own nail tech service (and [name_m]Tam[/name_m] will inform everyone he knows about it, breaking his usual stoic presentation, as he wants her to be successful).
In spite of being allergic to conflict - as his older sister loves to joke - [name_m]Tam[/name_m] has tried to help [name_f]Jen[/name_f] navigate things with her exes, spending a lot of time with her sibling because of this. Due to having more of how family influences can run deep - case and point his mom with her own parents - he tends to mediate more with their PR rep too; as while he wants to see [name_f]Jen[/name_f] make amends, he understands they’re under a tonne of stress themselves, and is hyper aware of how groups can be divided by unresolved tension. [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] has joked about the two becoming an item, thanks to how they’re basically the main point of stability for their loved one’s (even if Tam’s sometimes a little too sardonic for his own good), but it has made him wonder if he ever looks at his friend differently in more recent times. Pursuing anything does make him nervous as it’s Jen’s sibling, and he doesn’t want to make anything awkward, so he’s only confided in his sister and best friend (who does the band’s marketing).
[name_m]Dante[/name_m] Junyang Zhao (27) is the lead singer and frontman of [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_f]Star[/name_f]. He also happens to be Artemis’ childhood best friend. On stage, [name_m]Dante[/name_m] is charismatic, daring, and everything anyone has ever dreamed of— he’s seen too many edits of him being “sexy” online. Off stage, however, [name_m]Dante[/name_m] is a romantic at heart and is more down to earth than anything else. This isn’t to say his stage persona is fake in any way: [name_m]Dante[/name_m] just plays up certain parts of his personality. He’s also very good at making friends with people, and that’s how he brought all the members together.
[name_f]Jen[/name_f] became a member through her and [name_m]Dante[/name_m] having a guitar riff contest where her losing meant she had to do whatever he wanted— he won and asked her to join his band. [name_m]Tam[/name_m] became a member through the fundraiser and [name_m]Dante[/name_m] making puppy dog eyes at him. [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] was playing with them, but she wasn’t officially a member. They started doing things professionally when [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] sobbed into Dante’s arms, and he announced they had a permanent guitarist that night.
Dante’s parents were a lot more understanding of his love for music and allowed him to pursue it. They also view [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] as the daughter they never had (Dante’s an only child) and are willing to support [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] and the new baby if she needs. Though Dante’s parents and Artemis’ parents are friends, [name_m]Dante[/name_m] has asked his parents to try and melt the hearts of Artemis’ parents and get them to warm up to Artemis’ career to no avail.
[name_m]Dante[/name_m] is also the therapist friend in their quartet, and his current mission is to get [name_m]Tam[/name_m] to warm up to the rest of the group.
Uncensored Warning: This character isn’t very active in her daughter’s life. She’s not a bully, but she’s not necessarily likable.
Justine Monica Chalamet (20) was one of Dante’s fans and often supported the band, being an early fan. She definitely finds Dante “hot“ and “the best vocalist.” She’s met him twice: first was at a meet and greet, second was unexpectedly while simply shopping at the grocery store. She is currently in college and has a part time job selling candy. Justine also likes Tam and his mysterious lifestyle and Justine’s friends often tell her that she can crush on them all she wants, but they’re not attainable love matches. Truthfully that’s what makes Justine love them more — she can’t be bothered with a serious boyfriend right now as she’s impulsive and her last relationship ended badly. Justine has a secret and it isn’t pretty: She has a daughter she‘s hardly involved with from an ex-boyfriend, Shadow, who is the father of her daughter Luna. She personally doesn’t want to be a mother as she’s “only 20” but given Shadow’s past with his birth mother, he can’t reason with Justine’s behavior. Shadow had gone though a troubled teenage life and is okay with Justine seeing Luna, but there’s no chance of them getting back together and being friends. Justine isn’t completely out of Luna’s life, but compared to Artemis and Marcel, alongside the rest of those associated with North Star, Justine is futile as a mother. She calls Luna and gives her gifts, but Luna perceives her as a “visitor“ and not her mother, which worries Shadow. The backing vocalist and the pianist of North Star were both childhood friends of Justine and if you mentioned her, they’d both say they used to bond with her. However, they aren’t as close with her and don’t know her as well as they did during childhood, so they don’t know she’s a mostly-inactive mother.
tw: uncensored talk about addiction , censored description of withdrawal
[name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] Jingyu Wang (29) is the manager of [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_f]Star[/name_f] and Dante’s cousin on his mother’s side. [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] herself is a solo artist who has a niche following, but her career is mostly geared towards managing her cousin’s group. Sometimes she’s on stage with them, and [name_m]Dante[/name_m] loves it when [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] sings. When the band first became noticed, [name_m]Dante[/name_m] and [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] quickly told everyone that they were cousins so no weird romance rumours could stir up— [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] has enough friends in the music industry to know for a fact that rumours like those could very easily sour relationships.
Though she hasn’t mentioned it to the backing vocalist and the pianist, [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] has had negative interactions with [name_f]Justine[/name_f] in the past— she’s one of the more pushy fans and she’s had to play security guard one too many times. But because their relationship is so surface level, [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] has no idea of Justine’s status as a deadbeat. If she knew, though, [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] would have a worse opinion of the girl: Cassandra’s biological father was in and out of her life like [name_f]Justine[/name_f] was out of her daughters, and she would have rather had him absolutely in or absolutely out. She’s made this known to [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] and [name_m]Marcel[/name_m], telling the two that they were either in or out— they couldn’t have both. [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] admits the talk itself was quite hostile, but she has very intense feelings about the subject as a whole.
[name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] lives with her boyfriend of five years and their three cats: [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], [name_f]Pansy[/name_f], and [name_f]Iris[/name_f]. She and her boyfriend have a good relationship, though a point of contention is Cassandra’s nicotine addiction. She makes sure to smoke in places where it won’t affect the cats and does make sure no one can smell the cigarette smoke too much, but her boyfriend worries that it’ll bring health complications in the future. [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] knows this too, but the last time she tried quitting sent her to the E.R due debilitating dizzy spells that once caused her to collapse on the floor, causing a concussion. Quitting cold turkey was a horrible idea, but she wanted to show her boyfriend that she was dedicated to quitting. To curb her habit, she’s been using nicotine patches, and [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] knows her boyfriend will help her every step of the way.
[name_m]Clement[/name_m] [name_u]Hendrix[/name_u] [name_m]Jove[/name_m] (26) is the pianist of [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_f]Star[/name_f] and credits [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] for the band’s success. He is a childhood friend of [name_f]Justine[/name_f], being that nice 11-year-old looking out for the younger 5-year-olds and helping her get back to class when she forgot where her classroom was. [name_f]Justine[/name_f] perceived him as a “cool big bro” and also lived nearby him so he was like a neighbourhood buddy too along with the fellow kid who would end up being their backing vocalist. However after she moved away, they really didn’t contact but he still somewhat recognises her as a 20-year-old adult. They’re not super close but he always feels good when she’s around, although he’s starting to dislike her pushiness as a fan and would do what he could to get her to stop. However if he knew she had a daughter who was barely in each other’s lives, he’d burn the bridge with her. Clement’s brother was also a former juvenile delinquent like [name_u]Shadow[/name_u] and struggled to turn his life around. [name_m]Clement[/name_m] doesn’t know [name_u]Shadow[/name_u] but would madly respect him as now he’s being a genuine father to his daughter and picking up so much of Justine’s slack. Does [name_f]Justine[/name_f] even care about her own daughter? [name_m]Clement[/name_m] is a huge fan of redemption, not just for his brother but also for [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] and supports her helping curb her addiction. He believes the nicotine patches will be the best way to help her at the moment and knows not to underestimate withdrawal symptoms — many of the reasons why his brother was a juvenile delinquent was due to low-level drug crimes. [name_m]Clement[/name_m] is very vocal about his thoughts but supports Tam’s less vocal personality and finds [name_m]Tam[/name_m] a clever and intriguing person. [name_m]Clement[/name_m] is also on good terms with the backing vocalist and with Cassandra’s boyfriend, considering them both to be amazing and supportive people.
CW: substance abuse, teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquent, parental abuse
[name_u]Anne[/name_u] [name_f]Martha[/name_f] [name_m]Fredrikson[/name_m] (25) is a friend of [name_m]Clement[/name_m]- the two met while protesting rights for former juveniles, as [name_u]Anne[/name_u] was a juvenile in her youth. She was arrested for shoplifting a pack of cigarettes at 10- [name_u]Anne[/name_u] got involved with the rough kids and even had a kid at 13- that child is currently 12. [name_u]Anne[/name_u] had to give her little girl up for adoption, but it was an open adoption and their families kept in touch. [name_u]Anne[/name_u] was born in a small town in Norway, them moved to the USA at 15- her family felt that their reputation was tarnished by Anne’s “distasteful” behaviors, which would’ve been prevented if Anne’s parents would actually pay attention to her. [name_u]Anne[/name_u] hates her parents and wishes she would’ve just been emancipated from them. Like [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f]- she’s also struggled with substance abuse- cigarettes. She started smoking very young, and never knew quite when to stop but unlike [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] she has not taken steps to get better and is still a smoker though she wishes to quit soon. However, life is getting much better for [name_u]Anne[/name_u]- she has [name_m]Clement[/name_m] in her life, and she’s grateful to have a friend like him who’s 100% non judge mental and is always there for her. [name_u]Anne[/name_u] now visits her daughter every 3 months- her daughter only sees [name_u]Anne[/name_u] as a “family friend” and doesn’t know she’s actually her mother. The adoptive parents work for the same Scandinavian journalism company as [name_f]Anneli[/name_f] and know her personally despite her being from Finland and them being Norwegians, which has resulted in [name_u]Anne[/name_u] meeting [name_f]Anneli[/name_f], [name_f]Belle[/name_f], [name_u]Ren[/name_u] and all the others, and she’s delighted to have met them. She’s also in touch with Gunnar’s sister, the two met on a forum a while ago and became friends- Gunnar’s infamous sister meant no harm to him and their parents hurt her too, by pressuring her with unreasonable expectations. However she’s healing now, and so is [name_u]Anne[/name_u]. [name_u]Anne[/name_u] now works as a model- an agency noticed her unique heterochromatic eyes, which she shares with her daughter, and she’s a very successful model too.
Lumi Sanna Jorgensen (24) is Anne’s long-distance Finnish friend. She’s used to long-distance bonds, she was once the Finnish long-distance girlfriend of Seb, who resides in Iceland but are now just friends. She’s also close with Margret and has remained great friends with her and may consider moving to Iceland. She’s also long-distance friends with Gunnar and his sister but isn’t dating either of them and isn’t trying to pursue either romantically. Despite being Scandinavian, she hasn’t visited Norway in a while and doesn’t know the adoptive parents of Anne’s child but wishes them the best and adores the sweet bond Anne has with them and her child. Lumi is in the same journalism company as an editor and while she doesn’t get to travel as much as the photographers, she’s headed on a business trip to Norway and she’s excited to see it again.
Yknow I’m not sure how allowed this is but I’ve decided that my baby boy [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] deserves a happy ending soo here goesss
[name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] [name_m]Matthias[/name_m] Stefansson (23). You remember him and recognize him. There’s only one difference- he’s mentally healthy now. He’s graduated from psychology school now and is a proud University of [name_f]Iceland[/name_f] alumni. He’s living in a downtown apartment in the city of Reykjavik with his new boyfriend- that’s right, he discovered another cheating incident with [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] and decided to finally break it off, with the help of the amazing [name_u]Chai[/name_u] and [name_f]Tina[/name_f]- he’s still tried to maintain friendships with [name_f]Layla[/name_f] and [name_u]Beau[/name_u], as he really genuinely enjoys spending time with the sisters and doing video calls. His new boyfriend is an absolute sweetheart, just like him- he works at a bakery and is an amazing cook, which [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] has let him know multiple times. [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] is so happy how that he can give all of his heart to someone without fear of it being thrown away.
[name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] and his new boyfriend are also planning on adopting- a baby girl, aged two, who came from an unstable family abroad who dumped her in a box and left her at a fire station. [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] is so excited to be a father- his boyfriend is planning on proposing to him soon too. Unbeknownst to the boyfriend, Gunnar’s also planning on proposing- they have a date picked out, and they’re going to pull out the ring on the same night at the same restaurant- they don’t know it yet though. [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] has also reconnected with his sister and they’ve reconciled, both are trying to move past the toxic behaviors of their parents. Some people have told [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] he’s moving too fast and that he’s naive but he genuinely believes that this is the man, this is the one- and he’s right. His boyfriend feels terrible about the cheating incidents with [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] but knows [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] feels a lot better now- he’s even had a bit of a glow up, as he looks nicer when he’s not constantly stressed (surprisingly).
They’ve also adopted a pet- a cat. She’s a small kitten and [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] loves her to death, always taking his kitty out for “a walk” which involves a stroller (which the cat happily and voluntarily stays inside as [name_f]Iceland[/name_f] is cold and the stroller is padded with soft pillows). He pushes her around like a little baby- the two are best friends. [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] actually adopted the cat before he broke up with [name_u]Tyler[/name_u], and she bit his finger so hard that she left a permanent scar. We stan this sassy kitty cat queen. Nobody’s getting in the way of Gunnar’s future now- he’s opened up a psychology office and has even opened up a small flower stand on the side, pursuing both of his dreams with confidence and ease. He’s even met his daughter, they’ve traveled overseas to meet her and spend a week with her- she’s beautiful and they love reading her stories and holding her. [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] can’t wait to finally be a father- then his life will finally be complete.
Embla Salka Stefandóttir (24) is Gunnar’s sister. Her family favoured her over Gunnar due to the fact that she had always gotten good grades and took less time to do work and chores than he had. But being favoured was not what Embla really wanted because once she did what she wanted, her parents wouldn’t be pleased by her anymore. She felt like they only liked her for the successful hardworking side of her and not for who she actually is. Worst of all, because she was so favoured, it hurt her relationship with her brother Gunnar because he always felt underappreciated and Embla didn’t want to make him feel that way because of what their parents thought. Thanks to Anne, Embla has now made some friends, broke from her parents’ strict ways, and become a better sister with a closer relationship to Gunnar. She’s also on great terms with Lumi too and wants to visit Finland.
Embla has no hate against Tyler anymore and knows what it’s like for the Macinday siblings to have problematic parents since she and Gunnar have had them as well. Embla has already graduated college and is considering a career in management but isn’t sure what she wants yet and is currently working in a restaurant to make some money and build some job experience for her resume. Interestingly, the restaurant she’s working at is the restaurant Gunnar and his boyfriend are planning proposals at. She won’t say or do anything to interrupt the moment but she’s so supportive of Gunnar’s new boyfriend and his family and how well they’ve improved Gunnar mentally. She loves their cat and is excited to be an aunt.
Sunna " Sunny " Elizabeth Olafsdottir (25) is Embla’s best friend and main confident, who’s been giving her advise about becoming an aunt, thanks to having bonded recently with her stepniece who came for a visit from America. Family drama is no stranger to Sunny, as her sister’s partner - Drew - faced a lot of criticism from his daughter, Tilda’s’ mother when he allowed his girlfriend to move in with him and become a permanent fixture in the little girl’s life. There’s been another flare up recently when Sunny’s sister learned she’s pregnant with her and Drew’s first child together, and Embla was Sunny’s rock as she consoled her sister through angry emails, insinuating there had been an overlap in the relationships: something that devastated Sunny’s sister, as the girls’ mother struggled a lot with depression due to their grandfather walking out on her for another woman. In spite of this, Sunny strives to live up to her nickname and is an upbeat, easygoing and humorous person who’s dependable whenever you need someone to cheer you up. She’s a radio presenter who’s joked about announcing Gunnar’s upcoming engagement, but wouldn’t intrude on the couple’s moment together, and is more happy to see her best friend’s fixed the strain between them.
For all her popularity and friendliness, Sunny herself is asexual, having only began dating her partner thanks to how much of a connection they formed when he was providing tech support to the station she works at, and it was a surprise even then. She works hard to educate others on being ace and dissects stereotypes frequently on her show, which is centered around queer content: including uplifting new projects as well as providing information and advise to others who may be struggling. Sunny herself is a cat-mum who owns two rescues - Bernie and Bill - who she got in her final year of uni, and spent most of her time hiding them from her landlord; something she considers entirely worth it for all the stress it involved. Now she’s living with her partner close to Embla and frequently invites her over. The pair have been best friends since they were 7 and Sunny will always joke about how you can’t get rid of her, no matter how annoying some people find her optimistic outlook on life.
Franz Fyodor Lysenko (25) is Sunny’s partner, whose also had some family drama. His parents, who live in Belarus, are strict conservatives and Franz knew they wouldn’t accept his asexuality alongside the fact that his pronouns are he/they. They emigrated to Iceland when Franz was 3, but got into an argument with Franz when he was 18 and decided he’d rather stay there while they wanted to move back. Franz now works as a carpenter. His cousins, Christine and Roman, emigrated to the States with their parents, but their parents are still strict with them. Franz truly doesn’t believe they could maintain such a perfect image and doesn’t know how Christine holds up with it, and couldn’t be happier they’re in Iceland, which is free and peaceful. They promised not to judge Sunny’s sister or Drew for this and wishes Tilda the best. Truth is, he was always going to be there for Sunny and has no regrets.
Sunny’s sister is somewhat in his life and he’s met with Drew and tried to see him through his complicating life but knows the couple’s decisions are up to them. Recently Franz’s sister, who lived in Belarus but is also considering permanent residence in Iceland, has come to visit and she’s also befriended the Olafsdottir family. Franz credits Sunny’s sweet and happy-go-lucky personality for getting him through life and believes everyone should have a bond with a person like her.
Alfdis ’ [name_f]Alla[/name_f] ’ [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] Olafsdottir (28) is Drew’s partner and Sunny’s older sister, who’s 3 months pregnant with her first child, and excited for the next month to come, as it’ll be when a gender reveal scan can be performed. [name_f]Alla[/name_f] and [name_u]Drew[/name_u] decided this when they learned they were expecting so they can figure out a name quickly - as they like to joke about how they inspire procrastination in one another if it means enjoying time with [name_f]Tilda[/name_f] or supporting Through The Eclipse in whatever manner possible. The conflict with [name_f]Aggie[/name_f] was rough on [name_f]Alla[/name_f], who treated her like an interloper attempting to steal the maternal role in Tilda’s life from her, and even now the two don’t interact much as the stress is something [name_f]Alla[/name_f] desperately wants to avoid while pregnant.
Working as a journalist who specialises in geography and meteorology pieces, Alla’s been all over the world for her work, something she absolutely loves. Her passion for travel emerged when she took a gap year interailing in Europe before attending university, and it’s something she’s always been pursuing whenever possible. This is how she met [name_u]Drew[/name_u] - purely by coincidence when she was frequenting the same coffee shop as him while working on an article - but her warm demeanour (similar to her sister’s) made her stand out to him, and they quickly became an item after a few dates; something that surprised even [name_f]Alla[/name_f], who hadn’t imagined she’d settle down so quickly. While she doesn’t know [name_m]Franz[/name_m] that well, she’s very supportive of him as her sister’s partner, as what matters most to [name_f]Alla[/name_f] is seeing [name_u]Sunny[/name_u] radiant with joy.
Ana Sofia Alondra Rodriguez (35) is another journalist at Alla’s workplace. She specializes in rescues & family life. She know’s Alla from work & they go out for drinks when she has time. She doesn’t have time often, though, because she is a mother of nine with no husband. She travels a bunch for her missonary work & that’s how she got most of her children. She, herself, is the eldest of five & is close with at least one of her brothers as he is helping raise her children. Her mother feels she should have married before having (or adopting) children so they do not get along. Her father is her confident, though.
[name_f]Juanita[/name_f] [name_f]Paula[/name_f] [left] and [name_m]Ysidro[/name_m] [name_m]Carlos[/name_m] [right] [name_m]Rodriguez[/name_m] (34) are the younger twin siblings in the [name_m]Rodriguez[/name_m] family, with [name_f]Juanita[/name_f] being the second-born, being 23 minutes older than [name_m]Ysidro[/name_m]. [name_m]Ysidro[/name_m] is helping her raise her children, especially the youngest of the children who really love the family and want as much attention as possible. Neither [name_m]Ysidro[/name_m] nor [name_f]Juanita[/name_f] have children and are both proudly single and child-free but they love seeing the children anyway and support their sister for being able to raise them all. [name_f]Juanita[/name_f] is another journalist while [name_m]Ysidro[/name_m] is a photographer.
[name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] [name_u]Carmen[/name_u] [name_m]Rodriguez[/name_m] (22) is the youngest [name_m]Rodriguez[/name_m] sibling. She’s a happy accident baby, which her siblings never let her live down. (The [name_m]Rodriguez[/name_m] parents, though, always called her birth an example of “serendipity”.) Because there is such a significant age gap between herself and her siblings, [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] always felt like an only child— the only exception to this rule being the fourth-born and the one closest to her age. [name_m]Even[/name_m] then, the age gap is still prominent, and she’s always been alone in the [name_m]Rodriguez[/name_m] household. This doesn’t mean her relationships with her elder siblings are sour, though— it’s definitely improved now [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] is a proper adult.
[name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] is a rising senior in university, majoring in graphic design. Her true passion, though, is her small business: she makes jewellery, which exploded in popularity after she went viral on TikTok. [name_f]Serendipity[/name_f] must follow [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] because the TikTok in question was just a compilation of bloopers with jokes mixed in— nothing about her products was actually in it. As a comment put it, people “came for the humour, stayed for the jewellery”. The sudden onslaught of orders left [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] out of stock in under 24 hours, which led her to recruit her best friend as a pseudo-accountant and another friend as her social media manager to get her bearings. She’s absolutely grateful for the attention, though and thinks she might pursue this as an actual career. The graphic design degree won’t go to waste: [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] designs all her packaging and logos and always receives compliments on her aesthetics.
[name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] lives with two girls— one is a pre-law student, and the other is a musician who left college to pursue her dreams. [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] makes her musician friend jewellery from time to time, and her friend always lets people know who makes her signature accessories. Their other roommate is their ferret named [name_f]Lola[/name_f], who’s a drama queen and sometimes bothers [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] when she’s filming for her shop.
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f] [name_f]Vivianne[/name_f] McGrath (21) is the pre-law roommate of [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f], and Lola’s owner, who takes responsibility whenever she decides she wants an internet debut. The friendship between [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] and [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] started because they’re both in similar situations: the youngest of their respective families with significantly older siblings. For [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], this is because she’s the product of her father’s third marriage, which he affectionately calls ‘the charm’ because it’s lasted. Her older brother’s were products of his second marriage, which ended with an amicable divorce: quite the opposite of his first which came about due to an affair, and the revelation his ex was pregnant with another man’s child. It’s lead to fidelity being a very tense topic in the McGrath home, and Daisy’s been thankful to have her roommates to confide in about this, as it upset her a great deal when she was young and realised how affected her father’s esteem was by this incident. He and her mom have always supported her aspirations - Daisy’s undeniably been the most headstrong of the four McGrath siblings - even if it’d meant her attending university in another state, as she wanted to receive the best qualifications for when she starts pursuing her career; being fully aware of how competitive the environment is.
The confidence [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] exudes can be off-putting to some people, who see her as arrogant or even a bit argumentative (as she’s strong in expressing her opinions and beliefs), but she tries her best to channel this into those she cares about and is constantly hyping up her roommates; especially the musician, as she knows some people assume they won’t get along because of their different paths. She’s also an avid baker who loves making sweets - having been taught by her mom, who owns her own catering business - and always gives her roommates priority, especially [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] in apology for Lola’s antics running around the apartment. The other main recipients are her nieces and nephews, who consider [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] the epitome of coolness and she’s incapable of not playing imaginary games with them; being dedicated to D&D in her spare time, and is currently DMing a campaign organised within the society she’s belonged to since first year. Daisy’s best friend is a STEM student who’s chosen to live closer to campus and she suspects they have a crush on her musician friend, but isn’t pushing them on this as she doesn’t want to ruin the way they express their feelings eventually.
[name_f]Olive[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] Lundgren (22) is a med school dropout and ferret mom to [name_f]Lola[/name_f], who she’s holding in the picture. She calls [name_f]Lola[/name_f] “her baby” and if anyone says anything remotely rude to the ferret [name_f]Olive[/name_f] will go berserk. [name_f]Olive[/name_f] knows she wants children, but she doesn’t want to treat them the way her parents did- [name_f]Olive[/name_f] was an only child in a strict house where you were either a doctor, a lawyer or a failure. [name_f]Olive[/name_f] was smart, so she focused and worked hard and applied to medical school. She passed the SATs with flying colors and graduated with a 4.5 gpa. But she just didn’t feel like her heart was really in it- so she quit and cut off all contact with her mom and dad.
[name_f]Olive[/name_f] now lives with [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] and [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], who she loves dearly and considers the sisters she never had. She knows [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] likes someone and won’t stop teasing her about it, to Daisy’s own dismay. She loves it when [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] makes her jewelry. [name_f]Olive[/name_f] is now in a band, as she left college to pursue music. The band is called The Flaming Scythe, which one of the band members’ kindergartener sister came up with- they all think it’s pretty dope. They aren’t well known, but they just released their first album, Impure, and they’re pretty stoked about that.
[name_m]Benedito[/name_m] “ [name_m]Ben[/name_m] “ [name_m]Santiago[/name_m] [name_m]Rodriguez[/name_m] (23) is the backing vocalist of The Flaming Scythe. Some people believe the Andorran-born man is a [name_m]Rodriguez[/name_m] sibling but he’s actually one of the nine children, being adopted at 16 when his parents disowned him for being gay and for refusing to go to university. He relates to [name_f]Olive[/name_f] for the latter and finds being in the band comforting and makes him feel better. Outside of band, he’s also a bakery worker and enjoys baking, especially for his family, friends, and boyfriend. [name_m]Ben[/name_m] is currently dating, and planning to propose to, [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] Stefansson and they’re excited to adopt a 2-year-old girl whom they rescued, [name_m]Ben[/name_m] following in the footsteps of his mother even if he isn’t as much of a “big family” person as her. He’s also head-over-heels for their cat and even their cat loves [name_f]Lola[/name_f] the ferret. [name_m]Ben[/name_m] isn’t the only person in their 20s adopted as a teen and has adoptive siblings who are also around his age, but knows his adoptive mother has biological siblings as well, some much younger than him, whom he also bonds with. He bonds well with his aunt [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] despite seeing her more as a cousin and sometimes he hangs out with her, [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], and [name_f]Olive[/name_f].
[name_f]Elowen[/name_f] [name_f]Sara[/name_f] McVay (24) is a member of Loading Screen, The Flaming Scythe’s ‘sister band’ as it’s affectionately called - a bit more literal in this case because she’s the sister of The Flaming Scythe’s drummer. Having served as an interim lead guitarist for them, [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] was in her primary band at the time and came to know [name_m]Ben[/name_m] and [name_f]Olive[/name_f] at the request of her younger sister, who was partially the reason the former lead quit - after he attempted to claim her lyrical content as his own, and then lied when she called him out on it.
It’s a surprise the McVay sisters’ are into music: their mom’s an accountant, their dad’s a teacher, and their older brother’s an orthodontist, but there’s never been any animosity within the family about the different paths taken - which [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] is grateful for as she worried about things falling apart when it became apparent music was the one thing she wanted to do long term. She teaches on the side of performing - Loading Screen having a respectable following but nowhere near the stardom to get them fully independent from alternative incomes - and specialises in not just guitar but cello, violin and even the lute too (having a not-so-secret appreciation for renaissance fairs).
She lives with her girlfriend, sister and vocalist of Loading Screen, who’s been a friend of Elowen’s since the pair were only 6 years old. Outside of her music, she’s got a motorbike - her proudest possession anyone will tell you - and enjoys making clay jewelry, which she paints herself. [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] does have a remarkably good head for figures, in spite of not having much interest in maths, and is the primary accountant for the band who ensures no-one’s out of pocket or facing any kind of financial strife. A little ironically, she uses her mom’s old laptop for this side of things, and joking calls it her good accounting charm.
Inger Liljana Jonsdóttir (24) is Loading Screen’s vocalist and best friend of Elowen. Inger enjoys hanging out with the McVay family and loves living with Elowen’s sister alongside Elowen’s girlfriend, who she’s befriended as well. Inger doesn’t have any plans to leave her living arrangement. Inger also has a sister, a kindergarten teacher’s aide named Margret. Inger loves boating and the waters and finds it liberating, often getting her best ideas for music when she’s sailing. She loves Elowen’s motorbike and enjoys that she and Elowen have a mutual love for fast outdoorsy vehicles. Inger doesn’t like to confess this but she’s actually not that good at playing musical instruments and she laughs this off with Elowen, since Elowen is a master and Inger likes when Elowen teaches her. Inger still very much enjoys singing and has a four-octave vocal range.
