you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed LIAN TANG walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who SHE / THEY is ? they kind of look like JESSIE MEI LI and i could be wrong but i think that they might be TWENTY6 years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last THREE YEARS. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of PHOEBE BUFFAY from FRIENDS. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at RETRO ROOTS as an SALES ASSOCIATE. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the POLLYANNA of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty DISMISSIVE at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty CHEERFUL to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that TWO BEDROOM apartment beside me over in CORAL COVE. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!
STATISTICS !
name: lian tang. nicknames: li, lily. gender & pronouns: demi - woman + she / they. sexual orientation: queer. spoken languages: english, some mandarin. birthday: june 24th, 1998. address: # 4B coral cove.
BIOGRAPHY !
this bio contains triggers such as toxic relationships and mentions of sexual assault
lian moved with her parents from china at age fourteen. they were supposed to settle down closer to their family in san diego, but somehow ended up philadelphia. it was uncomfortable at first, new language, new culture and new people staring at the girl who was stuttering through her sentences. but, they adapted. and she found a group of friends eventually, one of them a boy with a wide smile and big hands she liked to hold when no one was looking. sure, he was a bit older, but he was kind and that was all that mattered.
their first kiss happened when she was just shy of fifteen, heart pounding in her chest and hands holding onto him as if they were meant to be there. his kiss was bruising, maybe a bit more than she expected, but as always, he was nice. her parents, naive in the way parents who didn’t really knew their children are, were delighted at the fact that their only daughter was in love. he was charming, funny, intelligent, everything they could want for a son-in-law. so much so that they didn’t mind that lian spent more and more time with him, a few hours away in seneca. before lian knew, all their things were at his place, her sixteenth birthday fast approaching.
his words grew harder. it took her a while to notice, but a comment here and a harsh word there somehow became a regular thing in her daily life. for someone that had been met with nothing but kindness, this was a confusing thing to deal with. his hands started to wander. and every day that went by, lian felt more unease. she tried to express her feelings to her parents, but ... 'he is so nice'. always so nice. it fell on deaf ears and lian stopped calling after a while. they woke up the weekend after her sixteenth birthday ( spent with her boyfriend and his friends ), body aching and head pounding, mouth feeling like ash. her memories of the night before wiped out without a single trace. on the couch in the living room was her intelligent, charming, nice boyfriend who pulled her in for a kiss with a cheerful 'thanks for last night, babe, we all loved it.' and a few moments later lian threw up in the bathroom. her life after that was a daze, days just passing by in a thick fog. stuck in an apartment that brought her nothing but unease, with a man that suddenly was a stranger.
salvation came years later in the form of a ROOMMATE WANTED posted on a forum and a smiling face that somehow felt like sunshine when she saw it. she left without a word, didn’t bring anything except the teddy bear given to her by her parents ages ago and a thought of things maybe working out after all. healing came slowly, but while hesitantly reaching out and building connections with people around her it became easier and easier to smile again.
CONNECTIONS !
𝖎. found family ( 0 / 3 ). 𝖎𝖎. tba. 𝖎𝖎𝖎. tba. 𝖎𝖛. tba. 𝖛. tba. 𝖛𝖎. tba.
most days her husband was a very put together. then there were days like these where he barely remembered to put shoes on. sigrid was standing at the information desk in the lobby , about to text søren to let him know that his dinner was waiting for him. just as she was about to hit send a familiar , smooth voice behind her. "you're such an idiot ," sigrid replied with a loud eyeroll , even as a soft smile spread across her face. she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss , not wanting to give too much pda at his place of work. "forgot something today ?" she asked teasingly and raised his bag with the leftovers he'd saved for today. she handed it over and , in a moment of want , reached out and took his hand. she hadn't seen him since this morning , when she left for work. "will it be a late night tonight ?"
「 ✱ 」 STATUS ﹕ open . 「 ✱ 」 LOCATION ﹕ seaglass hospital . 「 ✱ 」 WITH ﹕ søren & utp ( @palmviewstarters )
doctor holmström had been working at seaglass hospital for close to a decade, and there were still days that surprised him. those days he preferred spending evenings with his wife — or with their daughter when she was home for an evening — but every few weeks he was scheduled for the emergency department, and it was one of those nights where the hours would stretch into the early morning and he would likely return covered in questionable bodily fluids. it was when he was walking back to check on the junior doctors that he paused, backed up, and turned to the figure waiting in the lobby, straightening his name badge and approaching … “have you been seen yet, or are you waiting for anyone ? do you want to come through to the consulting room and i can check you over ? ”
the young man looked like he had lost a fight with a paint bucket. and truth be told , sigrid wasn't totally sure he hadn't. still , she smiled back at him , too deep in the process to think much of it. "that's very kind of you ," she allowed , trying not to turn away from the compliment but instead taking it for what it was. "i truly am rusty though. i spend more time teaching about art than actually making it myself." the question gave her pause and she smiled softly at the shapes that made up her childhood on the canvas. "it's what i remember from my childhood home ," she replied softly. "my family home was close to the ocean and my parents would take me sometimes." she motioned to the grassy fields, the ocea seen in the distance. "this was one of my favourite places growing up." sigrid couldn't help but let out a laugh as the young man sheepishly asked for advice on the mess created on his shirt. "i'm sorry , the only thing i've ever found works is gently dabbing on the stain with soapy water and before throwing it in the wash. you might have to make a mad dash home."
Charlie had been wandering past the painting station with a bottle of water in one hand and paint smudged on the edge of his shirt; not from actual artistry, but from trying to help a kid open a stuck tube of acrylics, leading to what could only be described as a disaster. He'd just given up on scrubbing the shirt against itself with the water, scrunching his nose as he'd definitely made it worse, when he'd caught sight of the woman speaking and paused, something about the calm focus in her expression catching his attention.
He stepped a bit closer, eyes scanning the half-finished landscape. “That’s beautiful,” he said, flashing her a warm, easy smile. “Rusty’s just code for still got it.” He crouched slightly beside her canvas, hands resting on his knees. His hand had been placed much gentler over the left one, positioning his fingers precicely to avoid the long scar, years of practice making it second nature. A beat passed, then his eyes flicked from the brush in her hand to the painting itself. “What inspired this one? Or is that a secret artist thing I’m not allowed to ask?” There was a teasing sound to his voice, light and curious with the genuine interest of someone who had a newfound appreciation for both art and the artist’s quiet passion. "Also, can you please tell me how I can get this out of my shirt? It's my favorite and I'm not tryin' to toss this one just yet."
"she moved out recently ," she stated , as if that explained everything. "i just want to celebrate her achievements. she works so hard. she deserves it." a small smile played on her face and she nodded , pleased , as the young man rattles off a few titles. "she doesn't have dirt femme yet. i'll take that one."
“ for you daughter ? ” milo echoes back , recalling how his parents always brought home albums for him to spin from a young age onward . “ you're a good mom , ” well — maybe he was quick to assume , but that was beyond the point . “ we do have tove lo . we just go in a reissue of queen of the clouds but it looks like we also have … dirt femme & blue lips ? do any of those sound about right ? ”
you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed AGNES TORREZ walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who THEY are ? they kind of look like LIZETH SELENE and i could be wrong but i think that they might be TWENTY4 years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last TWELVE YEARS and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of CALLIE ADAMS from THE FOSTERS. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at THE LOST BOYS INK as a TATTOO ARTIST. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the LONER of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty RUDE at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty ARTISTIC to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that ONE BEDROOM apartment beside me over in MANGO BAY LOFTS. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!
STATISTICS !
name: agnes torrez. nicknames: auggie ( close friends ), brujo/bruja ( coworkers ), tintebrujx ( instagram handle ). gender & pronouns: non - binary + they / them. sexual orientation: lesbian. spoken languages: english and spanish ( mexican ). birthday: april 5th, 2000. address: # 1B mango bay lofts.
BIOGRAPHY !
this bio contains triggers such as homophobia
there was never anything special that happened in agnes' childhood. not a moment in particular that stood out. they were a healthy , happy baby with two doting, somewhat overbearing, parents. they were fed, they were clothed. they were loved. everything appeared as normal as can be. it wasn't until agnes started mentioning every cute girl they saw that their parents distaste and disgust started to seep through their picture perfect facade, leaving agnes speechless.
after that it was as if a wall had been built between them. so, with that, agnes started hiding. they hid their feelings, interests and everything they had come to realise wouldn't be met with acceptance from their parents. to keep up appearances they kept up their grades and put girlish bows in their hair even though that made their skin crawl. when they were thirteen they kissed a girl for the first time, as well as won their first art competition. they weren't mutually exclusive, but both felt significant. at sixteen they had finally had enough and packed as much as they could before moving in with one of their closest friends. it didn't matter that the love and care shown between the family made their heart ache. anything was better than what they left behind.
they kept drawing, feeling more and more emboldened with each stroke on the page. on a whim they sent their portfolio to the only tattoo studio in the city, as a joke until it suddenly became real. it was boring work at first, sweeping floors and refilling supplies. jobs fitting for a teenager who didn't know what to do with their life. eventually they were learning the basics and painting their body with artworks their parents would shudder at. now, eight years later, they're putting their own art on other people, building a strong clientele base. they see their parents around palmview sometimes, but it's only met with a frosty silence. agnes tries not to let it get to them, choosing instead to hold their head high and surround themself with the people that matter.
CONNECTIONS !
𝖎. tba. 𝖎𝖎. tba. 𝖎𝖎𝖎. tba. 𝖎𝖛. tba. 𝖛. tba. 𝖛𝖎. tba.
it had been very enjoyable to see the canvases turn from blank pages into beautiful artworks. sigrid had been living in palmview for a decade , but this was the first time she saw such bustling activity around a bunch of painting supplies. the young girl next to her seemed so intensely focused on the creation in front of her that sigrid almost felt bad for interrupting her. "i thought the same thing ," she replied , nodding sweetly. "they definitely need to be at more events. it's perfect for someone who just wants to sit down and relax for a little while." receiving compliments always made sigrid shake her head and wave them off like it wasa nothing. "oh , you're too kind. i mostly teach about the history , but i've painted a few things in my days." curiously she peered over at her neighbour's canvas. "how about you ? another artist ?"
the painting station had been much more her thing. when she found out that they'd be having one at the bonfire event? bella couldn't wait. creativity and figuring out what to paint usually only came to her when she had some actual inspiration. she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do but she figured that she would try her best and see where it took her. entirely focused on the canvas infront of her when she heard the voice from the side of her is when she had looked up. " isn't it? don't think i know very many events that have painting stations. " she strugged and dipped her brush into one of the paints she was using. " either that or i haven't been to many events that this town has. it's definitely getting somewhere, i'd say! i didn't know you were quite the artist yourself. "
sigrid hadn't planned on going inside the record store , but seeing the advertisements in the windows made her venture inside , aiming to find a gift for signe. her daughter had moved out recently and adjusting had been hard for all of them. still , sigrid was proud of her daughter for wanting to try to stand on her own two feet. it was quiet inside except for the music playing. as sigrid aimed for the pop section she was stopped in her tracks by the boy working there. "oh , i— i was looking for a gift for my daughter." it was always hard to start a conversation with someone new. "do you have anything with tove lo ?"
location: mango bay record store ! status: open , uncapped ! @palmviewstarters
after two weeks closed & radio silence , mango bay record store was opening its doors yet again . tanked reviews , a complete overhaul of staff , & milo was back to square one with things . at this point , liquidation might've been the better choice , but milo's stubbornness made it hard to say goodbye . after all , he made a commitment to be here at least for the foreseeable future . fleeing his problems yet again wouldn't work . would it ? a chime of bells from the front doors signaled the first customer of the day , sending milo into high alert . “ hey , welcome in . if you're here for the gossip , there is none . however , we do have the highly coveted record store day wicked vinyl — if that's more your flavor . "
there was a mix of emotions swelling inside sigrid as the young man , charlie , mentioned signe's name. no one could ever be emotionally prepared for their own child to grow up and find a person to create a life with. truthfully , sigrid didn't know if she'd ever wished for it. not because she didn't want signe to be happy , quite the opposite , but because there was no way for sigrid and søren to be 100% sure that the person she chose would be a good one. such was the pain of parenthood. "charlie ," she repeated slowly , tasting the letters as they left her mouth. the cheeky comment about the mother - daughter similarities was amusing , but sigrid tried to keep her smile at bay , at least for now. "she's a very smart girl. very attentive." it was clear as day , the way charlie spoke about her daughter , that this was not some fling that was to pass in a few weeks. he had the same , terrifyingly loving , look in his eyes as søren had had , all those years ago. "you've been spending a lot of time together ?"
"Definitely the latter," Charlie chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wasn’t exactly raised around art.. unless you count football posters and grafitti, which I do consider art, but I’ve got more time now. And a pretty brilliant teacher."
He stood a little straighter as she offered her hand, reaching out to shake it. "Charlie Hughes. It’s lovely to meet you, Sigrid. And.. yeah, I see the resemblance now. That’s mad." A softer smile settled on his face as he added, "Your daughter’s the teacher I was talkin’ about. She’s got a great eye for art, patient too. I’ve learned a lot from her already, and she tells me where she got it from."
who: lian & @dcwnfalls where: sunrise café
lian slid in to her seat with practiced ease , "so ," she started , as if they were in the middle of a conversation and she was merely moving it forward. "do you think that i could convince you to go out with me this weekend ?" kaya batted their eyes in an exaggerated display of affection. she took a sip of tea , smiling happily as chamomile and lavender spread across her tongue. "i know you probably have a lot of work to get through , but i personally think we deserve an evening without worries and a lot of dancing."