Characters 3 (NEW)
6/22/20
"Part three is here!
For those unaware, these are characters for a story I’m writing called Locals Only!. It’s set in the small Indiana town of Povey, in the year 1955. The story follows a group of locals who wish to purge their beloved home of the organized crime that threatens their safety, as missing persons reports and property damage cases have spiked dramatically in recent years. In doing so, they accidentally uncover a scheme much more dire than a couple of greasy teenagers who steal and destroy property. As it turns out, there's something in the forest by the lake that’s causing all those disappearances, and it becomes a race to stop whatever it is before anything worse can happen.
The characters on paper and the character descriptions below are respective, and in order.
*I may edit these biographies in the future if I don’t like them or if there are typos
Richard Dunhurst
For being the eponymous owner of Povey’s premier eatery, Richard is seldom seen around town. If asked, few townsfolk would be able to give an accurate relation of the man, or his current goingson; the most that might be divulged would be seemingly distant memories of buying alcohol from him during prohibition years ago in the diner’s basement. He of course makes appearances when evaluating his employees and occasionally checking to be sure that the trains run on time, but he is otherwise largely absent. This is because behind the façade of a simple proprietor of a country diner, he is secretly knee-deep in the murky brine of organized crime. Specifically, he smuggles stolen goods and counterfeits from Vonneville to Conrad, two major industrial cities which Povey lies between. He is the sole link between the regions, and instrumental in illegal trade, using his hired goons to keep people quiet while his more trusted ‘business partners’ transport the swag. Personality-wise, he has a sharp wit and is stolid, nearly expressionless some may say. He is never late, and has very high expectations of anyone he associates with. This leads to arguments with his goons, The Royals, whom he feels don’t take their job seriously enough. While being an aloof professional, his high standards don’t just come from his own personal moral code. As is with most jobs, he has bosses as well, men infinitely more powerful then he, who will not be dissatisfied. So much as the tiniest mistake from a few unscrupulous hooligans would create an upward ripple throughout the elite ranks of the gangster world, one for which Richard, directly responsible for said hooligans, would certainly pay.
Lynnette Dunhurst
In Lynn’s eyes, she’s lived her best possible life. She’s an accomplished mother, having successfully reared six children, and now being in a stage of life where she can simply lay back, and do the things she enjoys. Lynn’s pastimes include sewing, painting, and most importantly, cooking. She has a special affinity for the culinary arts, and still has a need to put her skills to use. Once her fifth child had come of age and left home, she was only left with two people to cook for; her youngest daughter Shubie, and her husband Richard. Figuring this wasn’t nearly enough, she found employment at her husband’s luncheonette as the main cook. There she can be happy feeding more mouths than she could ever have dreamed of, and getting to meet all manner of lovely people. It’s hard to find someone who has a problem with Lynn; most anyone who knows her would confirm what a joy the bubbly chef is to be around. She is exceptionally amiable, genial, and outgoing. Though, that doesn’t mean she is without faults of course. Years of being pampered by her wealthy husband has left her soft and docile. She is rather oblivious to even the most obvious things, and naïve to the point of ridiculousness. Foolishly unjaded and guileless, she is unable to put together that her own husband who she has known for thirty years is a crime lord. Even if all the evidence was presented in front of her, her genuine and trusting nature would lead to her ultimate refusal in accepting the truth, and going about as normal.
Rosanna Lee Pirkins
Despite being twenty-three years old and married, Rosa Lee pictures herself as very much still with it. She listens to all the popular music, and knows all the dances and voguish fashion trends. She is a waitress at Richard’s, and can be seen (or heard, rather) doing more singing than waiting, in that high pitched, warbly voice of hers. She inserts her own records into the jukebox, and discards the ones she deems unchic and obsolescent. She makes it perfectly clear though that her decisions to modernize the diner are not discourteous in nature, rather she is only trying to help. Rosa Lee is very altruistic like that. She’s willing and wanting to help anyone she can, no matter how big or small the task. She gives advice of varying use to her coworkers Annie and Susan, and is always the first to get her opinion in on their daily struggles. As well-intentioned as she may be, she more often than not comes off as overbearing. None of her friends, or husband for that matter, have the heart to tell her though. They just appreciate what it is that she’s trying to do. These maternal actions are rooted in her increasing fear of infertility, as her efforts to have a child have so far proven unsuccessful. These insecurities she withholds from everyone but her husband, Clark, a military physician. Their relationship is a close one, and they love each other dearly, having been smitten with each other since early high school. As previously mentioned, her fears of loneliness most definitely manifest themselves in the form of her loquaciousness and desire to help and be around others. Ironically though, she can also be very judgmental and caviling towards people she deems undesirable, and will go as far as to advise others to stay away from them if they seem unsavory enough.
Susanna Meilleur
On the surface, Susan is a cheerful, happy-go-lucky young lady. She is a waitress at Richard’s, and new in town. As she is new, she’s eager to make friends, and new connections. Too eager, some would say, as she can sometimes be very pushy and even obnoxious. Especially to those who aren’t as keen on meeting new people, such as her neighbor, Jesse (ironically the person most adverse to the idea whom Susan attempts to cozy up to). Rosa Lee tries her best to guide her, though Susan isn’t always receptive. Underneath her cheery exterior however, Susan is a psychological timebomb, only thinly veiling her emotional hypersensitivity. If any small thing were to set her off, she would try her best to hide her perturbance, and then weep quietly later in private. She perseveres though, as her drive to establish her new life and finding a new lover, while hiding from a tragic past is great. The only one who knows of her previous misfortunes is her best friend, Rosa Lee, who generously helped her through those trying times. Her life up until a year ago is in fact, one of the only things she isn’t wishing to talk on and on about. Anything else is fair game for the chatterbox. Ask her one question about her personal life and opinions, and she’ll be jumping from what her favorite color is, to why she loves gardening.
Franklin Greenwell
Frank is the ever-proud father of Gabe Greenwell. A family man and father of seven, he supports his wife and kids through his job as a serviceman at Moore’s Garage. There he displays his decent knowledge of cars and mechanics, though it is evident that that is about the extent of his intellect. It’s good that he does though, as he does a majority of the work at the garage, with help from the odd trainee every once in a while. He never complains though, that while he’s doing the tough work of replacing car parts largely by himself, Jesse sits behind the front counter reading magazines and his boss sits in his office tinkering. He’s content with his life, and likes things how they are. In fact, Frank really lucked out as he puts it, scoring a loving wife from a relatively wealthy family, and working a job he loves with his childhood friend, Jackson Moore; why complain? He’s a simple man living a simple life, and wouldn’t want it any other way. He attends his son’s every football and baseball game, and cheers wildly even when they lose. Thankfully Gabe has good friends to set him straight, since Frank lets him get away with murder.
Jackson Moore
From a young age, Jackson has always described himself as ‘mechanically inclined’. He likes to take things apart, learn how they work, and then put them back together again but with a couple of pieces backwards or upside down. He never lets anything go to waste, and if it breaks he will try his damnedest to jerry-rig it back together again. Nearly everything he owns is like this; broken window pane? Just tape some cardboard in its place. Hole in your boot? Literally why would you throw it out there is practically nothing wrong with it. (He is also very frugal). He’s a bit of a hoarder as well, and piles old mechanical parts, clothes, and newspapers in any space that’ll fit storage. If he can save money and learn how something works at the same time, he’s all for it. The most recent example of this is his collecting of burnt out lightbulbs, in hopes that he can somehow replace the filament. If he can find the time, that is. He doesn’t finish any projects he starts, opting instead to drink with his pal Frank, and occasionally service cars at the garage that he owns. As a matter of fact, if not for Frank (and Jesse to a lesser extent), he probably wouldn’t be in business today. He shows up to work like everyone else, sure, but because he’s the boss, he gets to sit in his office all day and disassemble toasters.
Jesse Sanders
Jesse is a chain-smoking, alcoholic shut-in who lives by himself and works as a serviceman/gas jockey/clerk at Moore’s Garage (truly a jack of all trades). He hates the world and most everyone in it, and just wants to be left alone. No matter how abundantly clear this wish is made however, it seems that someone will always disrespect it. His coworkers, the weird group of teenagers that seem to follow him around everywhere, and especially his new neighbor Susan. Everywhere he turns, Jesse runs into someone wanting to have a conversation, or ask some question he doesn’t have the answer to, or offer a baked pastry as a sign of neighborly friendliness. When he isn’t pumping gas, or selling overpriced car fresheners, he’s punishing his liver, while watching Gun Smoke in his underwear on the couch. He prefers mostly solitary excursions, like watching television as previously mentioned, fishing, or working on his truck. Jesse isn’t completely alone, fortunately, as he’s still in contact with the one friend he had in high school who didn’t ditch him for being a loser, Avery Gilhooly; they mostly just get drunk together. Avery runs a club of conspiracy theorists, and Jesse let’s them use the barn on his property for meetings. Jesse rarely attends them, and if he does it’s even rarer that he’s sober. He doesn’t mind them coming around, since they pay him in beers.
Avery Gilhooly
Avery is the proprietor of Povey’s resident scrapyard, and lives by himself in a bunker on the property, buried in junk. He’s a collector of firearms, canned food, and trash of course. Avery considers himself a ‘Free Thinker’ and only associates with those he deems free from the influence of The Man. Avery runs a clandestine coterie of these like-minded individuals, where they meet every Tuesday night to discuss the current goingson in town, and how they would fix things. Avery is ex-Air Force, after serving two years before being dishonorably discharged (though the reason why varies depending on who you ask). He doesn’t much care for details anyway, as he’s pushed all menial and trivial thoughts from his mind, to make room for the much bigger picture. Unless it’s about the absurd amount of foreign weapons and tactical gear he acquired during his short time overseas, which he could talk about for hours on end. Avery also considers himself a TRUE detective, and embarks on his own investigative endeavors. His current working theory: the staggering rise in disappearances in the local area is the result of a psycho in the woods kidnapping individuals and sacrificing them to a cult that worships a giant snake.
More to come!"
"Part three is here!
For those unaware, these are characters for a story I’m writing called Locals Only!. It’s set in the small Indiana town of Povey, in the year 1955. The story follows a group of locals who wish to purge their beloved home of the organized crime that threatens their safety, as missing persons reports and property damage cases have spiked dramatically in recent years. In doing so, they accidentally uncover a scheme much more dire than a couple of greasy teenagers who steal and destroy property. As it turns out, there's something in the forest by the lake that’s causing all those disappearances, and it becomes a race to stop whatever it is before anything worse can happen.
The characters on paper and the character descriptions below are respective, and in order.
*I may edit these biographies in the future if I don’t like them or if there are typos
Richard Dunhurst
For being the eponymous owner of Povey’s premier eatery, Richard is seldom seen around town. If asked, few townsfolk would be able to give an accurate relation of the man, or his current goingson; the most that might be divulged would be seemingly distant memories of buying alcohol from him during prohibition years ago in the diner’s basement. He of course makes appearances when evaluating his employees and occasionally checking to be sure that the trains run on time, but he is otherwise largely absent. This is because behind the façade of a simple proprietor of a country diner, he is secretly knee-deep in the murky brine of organized crime. Specifically, he smuggles stolen goods and counterfeits from Vonneville to Conrad, two major industrial cities which Povey lies between. He is the sole link between the regions, and instrumental in illegal trade, using his hired goons to keep people quiet while his more trusted ‘business partners’ transport the swag. Personality-wise, he has a sharp wit and is stolid, nearly expressionless some may say. He is never late, and has very high expectations of anyone he associates with. This leads to arguments with his goons, The Royals, whom he feels don’t take their job seriously enough. While being an aloof professional, his high standards don’t just come from his own personal moral code. As is with most jobs, he has bosses as well, men infinitely more powerful then he, who will not be dissatisfied. So much as the tiniest mistake from a few unscrupulous hooligans would create an upward ripple throughout the elite ranks of the gangster world, one for which Richard, directly responsible for said hooligans, would certainly pay.
Lynnette Dunhurst
In Lynn’s eyes, she’s lived her best possible life. She’s an accomplished mother, having successfully reared six children, and now being in a stage of life where she can simply lay back, and do the things she enjoys. Lynn’s pastimes include sewing, painting, and most importantly, cooking. She has a special affinity for the culinary arts, and still has a need to put her skills to use. Once her fifth child had come of age and left home, she was only left with two people to cook for; her youngest daughter Shubie, and her husband Richard. Figuring this wasn’t nearly enough, she found employment at her husband’s luncheonette as the main cook. There she can be happy feeding more mouths than she could ever have dreamed of, and getting to meet all manner of lovely people. It’s hard to find someone who has a problem with Lynn; most anyone who knows her would confirm what a joy the bubbly chef is to be around. She is exceptionally amiable, genial, and outgoing. Though, that doesn’t mean she is without faults of course. Years of being pampered by her wealthy husband has left her soft and docile. She is rather oblivious to even the most obvious things, and naïve to the point of ridiculousness. Foolishly unjaded and guileless, she is unable to put together that her own husband who she has known for thirty years is a crime lord. Even if all the evidence was presented in front of her, her genuine and trusting nature would lead to her ultimate refusal in accepting the truth, and going about as normal.
Rosanna Lee Pirkins
Despite being twenty-three years old and married, Rosa Lee pictures herself as very much still with it. She listens to all the popular music, and knows all the dances and voguish fashion trends. She is a waitress at Richard’s, and can be seen (or heard, rather) doing more singing than waiting, in that high pitched, warbly voice of hers. She inserts her own records into the jukebox, and discards the ones she deems unchic and obsolescent. She makes it perfectly clear though that her decisions to modernize the diner are not discourteous in nature, rather she is only trying to help. Rosa Lee is very altruistic like that. She’s willing and wanting to help anyone she can, no matter how big or small the task. She gives advice of varying use to her coworkers Annie and Susan, and is always the first to get her opinion in on their daily struggles. As well-intentioned as she may be, she more often than not comes off as overbearing. None of her friends, or husband for that matter, have the heart to tell her though. They just appreciate what it is that she’s trying to do. These maternal actions are rooted in her increasing fear of infertility, as her efforts to have a child have so far proven unsuccessful. These insecurities she withholds from everyone but her husband, Clark, a military physician. Their relationship is a close one, and they love each other dearly, having been smitten with each other since early high school. As previously mentioned, her fears of loneliness most definitely manifest themselves in the form of her loquaciousness and desire to help and be around others. Ironically though, she can also be very judgmental and caviling towards people she deems undesirable, and will go as far as to advise others to stay away from them if they seem unsavory enough.
Susanna Meilleur
On the surface, Susan is a cheerful, happy-go-lucky young lady. She is a waitress at Richard’s, and new in town. As she is new, she’s eager to make friends, and new connections. Too eager, some would say, as she can sometimes be very pushy and even obnoxious. Especially to those who aren’t as keen on meeting new people, such as her neighbor, Jesse (ironically the person most adverse to the idea whom Susan attempts to cozy up to). Rosa Lee tries her best to guide her, though Susan isn’t always receptive. Underneath her cheery exterior however, Susan is a psychological timebomb, only thinly veiling her emotional hypersensitivity. If any small thing were to set her off, she would try her best to hide her perturbance, and then weep quietly later in private. She perseveres though, as her drive to establish her new life and finding a new lover, while hiding from a tragic past is great. The only one who knows of her previous misfortunes is her best friend, Rosa Lee, who generously helped her through those trying times. Her life up until a year ago is in fact, one of the only things she isn’t wishing to talk on and on about. Anything else is fair game for the chatterbox. Ask her one question about her personal life and opinions, and she’ll be jumping from what her favorite color is, to why she loves gardening.
Franklin Greenwell
Frank is the ever-proud father of Gabe Greenwell. A family man and father of seven, he supports his wife and kids through his job as a serviceman at Moore’s Garage. There he displays his decent knowledge of cars and mechanics, though it is evident that that is about the extent of his intellect. It’s good that he does though, as he does a majority of the work at the garage, with help from the odd trainee every once in a while. He never complains though, that while he’s doing the tough work of replacing car parts largely by himself, Jesse sits behind the front counter reading magazines and his boss sits in his office tinkering. He’s content with his life, and likes things how they are. In fact, Frank really lucked out as he puts it, scoring a loving wife from a relatively wealthy family, and working a job he loves with his childhood friend, Jackson Moore; why complain? He’s a simple man living a simple life, and wouldn’t want it any other way. He attends his son’s every football and baseball game, and cheers wildly even when they lose. Thankfully Gabe has good friends to set him straight, since Frank lets him get away with murder.
Jackson Moore
From a young age, Jackson has always described himself as ‘mechanically inclined’. He likes to take things apart, learn how they work, and then put them back together again but with a couple of pieces backwards or upside down. He never lets anything go to waste, and if it breaks he will try his damnedest to jerry-rig it back together again. Nearly everything he owns is like this; broken window pane? Just tape some cardboard in its place. Hole in your boot? Literally why would you throw it out there is practically nothing wrong with it. (He is also very frugal). He’s a bit of a hoarder as well, and piles old mechanical parts, clothes, and newspapers in any space that’ll fit storage. If he can save money and learn how something works at the same time, he’s all for it. The most recent example of this is his collecting of burnt out lightbulbs, in hopes that he can somehow replace the filament. If he can find the time, that is. He doesn’t finish any projects he starts, opting instead to drink with his pal Frank, and occasionally service cars at the garage that he owns. As a matter of fact, if not for Frank (and Jesse to a lesser extent), he probably wouldn’t be in business today. He shows up to work like everyone else, sure, but because he’s the boss, he gets to sit in his office all day and disassemble toasters.
Jesse Sanders
Jesse is a chain-smoking, alcoholic shut-in who lives by himself and works as a serviceman/gas jockey/clerk at Moore’s Garage (truly a jack of all trades). He hates the world and most everyone in it, and just wants to be left alone. No matter how abundantly clear this wish is made however, it seems that someone will always disrespect it. His coworkers, the weird group of teenagers that seem to follow him around everywhere, and especially his new neighbor Susan. Everywhere he turns, Jesse runs into someone wanting to have a conversation, or ask some question he doesn’t have the answer to, or offer a baked pastry as a sign of neighborly friendliness. When he isn’t pumping gas, or selling overpriced car fresheners, he’s punishing his liver, while watching Gun Smoke in his underwear on the couch. He prefers mostly solitary excursions, like watching television as previously mentioned, fishing, or working on his truck. Jesse isn’t completely alone, fortunately, as he’s still in contact with the one friend he had in high school who didn’t ditch him for being a loser, Avery Gilhooly; they mostly just get drunk together. Avery runs a club of conspiracy theorists, and Jesse let’s them use the barn on his property for meetings. Jesse rarely attends them, and if he does it’s even rarer that he’s sober. He doesn’t mind them coming around, since they pay him in beers.
Avery Gilhooly
Avery is the proprietor of Povey’s resident scrapyard, and lives by himself in a bunker on the property, buried in junk. He’s a collector of firearms, canned food, and trash of course. Avery considers himself a ‘Free Thinker’ and only associates with those he deems free from the influence of The Man. Avery runs a clandestine coterie of these like-minded individuals, where they meet every Tuesday night to discuss the current goingson in town, and how they would fix things. Avery is ex-Air Force, after serving two years before being dishonorably discharged (though the reason why varies depending on who you ask). He doesn’t much care for details anyway, as he’s pushed all menial and trivial thoughts from his mind, to make room for the much bigger picture. Unless it’s about the absurd amount of foreign weapons and tactical gear he acquired during his short time overseas, which he could talk about for hours on end. Avery also considers himself a TRUE detective, and embarks on his own investigative endeavors. His current working theory: the staggering rise in disappearances in the local area is the result of a psycho in the woods kidnapping individuals and sacrificing them to a cult that worships a giant snake.
More to come!"
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