Realistic or Modern Love of God - Victorian Cult RP - CS

[laceanddoodles]

Love of God is an rp set in a medium sized town, 1847, that will center around a small fundamentalist cult. More importantly, it will center around and deal with themes of family, and reconciling your identity with your beliefs and the expectations of authority figures, notably, religious authorities. If all that sounds interesting to you, then awesome! Here's the interest check, you'll find available roles there. All are welcome!


Without further ado, here's the CS

Spoiler

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Position in The Group: (2nd child, Pastor Kipling's wife, congregant, etc.)
Sexuality: (This rp is lgbt+ friendly, but most queer characters will most likely be deep in the closet)
Personality:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Strengths:
Weaknesses: (At least as many weaknesses as strengths, thank you.)
Fears:
Goals:
Secrets:
Background: (If you're in the Kipling family, this is rather straightforward. Just talk a bit about your relationship with Pastor Kipling, and whatever else you'd like to say. Non-Kiplings, have fun.)
Looks: (Written description and/or a picture. Can be anime, but I'd prefer a real person, or a drawing that was either done by yourself or that you have permission from the artist to use)

 

[laceanddoodles]

Name: Penitence Prayer Kipling

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Position in The Group: The fourth child of Pastor Kipling, and the eldest still living at home.

Sexuality: Closeted lesbian

Personality: Quiet and passive. Submissive. She's a true introvert and quite secretive, but when you get her engaged, she's quite talkative and laughs easily. She has a dry sense of humor and is quick on her feet. She's honestly quite ambitious, and she's a quick study. That being said, she likes to keep people happy, and often lets her sense of self fall by the wayside.

Likes: Reading, gardening, singing, her family, embroidery and sewing, keeping busy

Dislikes: Boredom, laundry, being made to sit still for too long

Strengths: She is clever and fast on her feet. Good at spontaneity. A good singer.

Weaknesses: Too naive, too timid. Not willing to stand up for herself. Overly trusting. Not at all educated, she can barely read. Indecisive.

Fears: Hell, demons, monsters, witches, her father, her father finding out about her sexuality, her father finding out about her secret ambitions, her father finding her journals, something happening to the little ones

Goals: Maybe to gain a bit of freedom? Maybe? To make her family happy. To be good in the eyes of God.

Secrets: She wants a fashionable dress like the worldly ladies wear. There's a young lady in The Group who is very pretty and she has... thoughts about.

Background: Penitence, or Penny, has thus far had a very good relationship with her father. He first recruited her to sing in his services when she was nine or ten, after noticing her humming around the house while taking care of the little ones. She watched her two elder sisters get married off, and her elder brother leave. At nineteen, she's a little surprised that she hasn't been married off, yet, but she's heard that her father might have a match in mind for her. She doesn't plan to protest or rebel, but if she had it her way, she'd rather be an old maid, and maybe get a little house somewhere with that girl--

Looks:

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Name: Sabriel Clarity Kipling
Age: 14
Gender: Male??
Position in The Group: Sixth Child
Sexuality: Bi, kind of
Personality: Quiet and asocial, Sabriel tends to keep to himself. He's very anxious and paranoid, and has a blatantly tenuous grip on reality. He's kind, but tends to avoid most human interaction outside of meetings. He's also very prone to self-directed violence.
Likes: Complete and utter silence, all of God's creatures, the way the moon reflects off of the lake
Dislikes: The voice of the Devil, when strangers touch his shoulders, being sick
Strengths: An odd connection with animals, he's smart
Weaknesses: Extreme paranoia, physical weakness, severe mental illness, an inability to say no
Fears: Demons, devils, Hell, the scorn of the Lord, the scorn of his father, the dark, the crawling feeling he gets under his skin
Goals: Freedom from his mortal shackles and the praise of God
Secrets: Sometimes he wears his sisters' dresses when they aren't around. Also him and someone did something and it was bad, don't tell anybody.
Background:

Papa is kind to me, because I hear angel voices.

Sabriel was the sixth child of the Kipling family, and very soft-spoken in his word. But it was clear from early on that he wasn't like other boys. He had a sickness, which his family considered a gift.

As early as age six, Sabriel showed symptoms of what we today would call schizophrenia. Along with trademark paranoia, he kept hearing strange voices. Oftentimes they told him to do bad things, but not always. His "talent" was revered by his family, who believed he was hearing the voices of heaven and hell. This made him a favorite among his siblings. Unfortunately, he's been having trouble approaching or obtaining a woman, which might be a problem in the long run.

Looks: WIP

 

[Bhmbdk]

Name: Bethuel Nahor Kipling
Age: 13 years old
Gender: Male
Position in The Group: Seventh child of Markus Kipling
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Personality: Bethuel, as the seventh child of the great Markus Kipling, has always taken to the background when it came to the religious organization that his father lead. A quieter boy, he can usually be seen tending to his one prized possession, an old and broken pocket-watch given to him by his father. He is timid, easy to manipulate and lie to, and has an unhealthy obsession with death.
Likes: Praying, his family, his pocket-watch, Sunday dinners, and the forest.
Dislikes: Animals, being looked at funny, unbelievers, sinners, saws (For a reason he doesn't know).
Strengths: Physically strong, intelligent, had a good memory, loyal to his family over God (both weakness and strength),
Weaknesses: The small of sawdust makes him dizzy, easy to manipulate, cowardly, has a lisp, has only one eye resulting in a lack of three sentimental vision, inability to read or write.
Fears: Sawmills and saws (Once again (For a reason he doesn't know), hell, demons, the devil, losing his watch, death.
Goals: never dying, fixing his pocket-watch, working closely with his father.
Secrets: Bethuel is secretly afraid of death and seeks to live forever, a fact which many including his religious group would consider a mistrust of God.
Background: When Bethuel was only seven years, he aimlessly wondered into one of the group's sawmills only to be struck in the head with a saw by accident by one of the men working there. Some men wanted to rush him to the nearest town because of their lack of medical knowledge, but Pastor Kipling refused, stating that whatever happened to the boy now was god's will. After a few weeks of near death, Bethuel's eyes finally opened, a thing some people called a true miracle. Not everything was good however. The boy was left with a large scar ranging from his left eye down over his nose and all the way to the right side of his top lisp, leaving him blind in that eye, and with a permanent lisp. Upon waking up, the only thing next to the child was an old broken pocket-watch, a gift from his father. His mother was busy with their other eleven children, and so he was all alone with the watch. Bethuel woke up with no memory of the incident, although he now carries the scar, and a fear of sawmills and anything to do with them. His father keeps him away from the spotlight, because of his jarring appearance.
Looks: Bethuel is a tall boy for his age, easily topping most of his peers with his size and strength. He has dirty blonde hair, which the group keeps neatly cut and tidy. He has a matching right green eye, which becomes almost yellow in the sunlight. His other eye is covered with an eye-patch, although underneath it there is no eye at all. From the eye-patch a scar can be seen going down towards the right side of his face, disfiguring his lip, but just missing his nose. He has slightly tanned skin due to a lot of time being spent in the forest, and looks quite a bit older than his age, perhaps about fifteen of sixteen years old.

 

[Hopper]

✝ Constance Purity Kipling ✝ ​

Age: 11
Gender: Female
Position in The Group: Eighth Child
Sexuality: Heterosexual

Personality: Constance is a mild mannered, naive child who admires her Mother and her older siblings and wishes to be just like them. Constance possess the traditional feminine graces that would be expected of her, with a keen interest in sewing, embroidery, singing and cooking. Like many girls her age, Constance is enthralled by stories of romance although hers is of the more religious variety and because of her upbringing she dreams of the perfect husband and the chance to be a dutiful wife - due to her young age and relatively sheltered upbringing she is naive about what exactly her future entails and has a positive outlook in regards to it. Hopelessly blind to what it is she is missing out on and the fact that her future is practically planned out for her. She is talkative to those within the group and seems to be a very pious child, she believes in what her Father tells her to the point of happily reporting on her siblings in the hopes that she is saving them from sin - she'll feel guilty about it when they are hurt but ultimately tells herself it is for the greater good. Although like everybody else she herself has her own secrets and desires. Due to her upbringing she knows how to lie and be secretive although she tends to rationalise anything she hides to herself for fear of being consumed with guilt and confessing but she is not a very skilled liar and instead hides behind her manners and prayer. Whilst she never questions anything she is curious about the world around her and likes to explore the woods and collect objects she's found.

Background: Constance was born into the world after a long and hard labour, for a part of it the congregation had been certain her Mother would die or that the babes inside her would as blood stained the bed and yet no children emerged - they had prayed all night and finally as the sun began to rise into the sky Constance and her brother emerged into the world. They were a small and sickly pair and Constance remained as such for weeks afterwards, there was concern a harsh winter could kill her due to her small size but by some miracle, something Constance would be told was the grace of god when she was older, she survived. And as she got older she got healthier, growing into a bright eyed - rosy cheeked little girl. She was raised in her large family and loved each of them, the congregation felt like one large family and Constance always had someone to talk to. It was only when she got older she started to question why half the town didn't talk to them and why she couldn't talk to them, it was then explained to her how the world worked. Sinners vs Saints, the good vs evil and Constance was determined to stay on the side of the righteous. She cares deeply for her family and feels conflicted about her eldest brother as missing him and speaking of him goes against the Commandments but he was always kind to her, indulged her when she wanted to hear stories and he taught her how to read. She adores her remaining siblings though.

She never questioned how her world worked, never questioned the word of her Father or the beliefs she was raised in - why would she have? She was perfectly happy, her siblings were with her and they were doing their duty to each other and to God. It was only when her brother, Thaddeus, left them all that she let doubt enter her mind because he had been so loyal and godly and true and yet he still left them. She blamed and hated him, blamed and hated the sinful witch that had taken him from them, blamed every dirty sinner in their town. Constance couldn't understand why someone would throw away everything they had, leave the path of the good and leave their family behind. After Thaddeus left she clung to her beliefs to try and protect herself from the doubt clawing away at her as the knowledge of her brother and the knowledge of what he did whispered doubts into her mind, she clung to the knowledge that someday she would be a good and dutiful wife and marry a good boy from a good family and have children with him. That she would be going to Heaven. She sticks to that and practices her sewing and manners and recites all the hymns and pieces of scripture that she can remember. She wants that for herself - the fact that her brother did nothing but love someone should be obvious to her but all Constance sees is that he was weak and left them and left her and their Father was right that anyone can fall into temptation and sin.

In regards to her friendship with the baker's boy she confessed that sin to her Father and was locked up for three days because of it, although she secretly kept the wooden dove he gave her in her little collection, it was the only time she was punished severely and Constance does not want to go through it again.

Likes:
- Birds
- Collecting herbs
- Collecting things she finds
- Pretty things
- Singing
- Sewing/Embroidery
- Honey

Dislikes:
- Getting into trouble.
- Small confined spaces.
- Dirty jobs.
- Outsiders.
- Messing up her sewing.
- When people ignore The Groups preaching.
- Fish

Strengths:
She is a skilled little seamstress and loves sewing, she has a good voice and loves to sign hymns and she is quite observant. Constance also has quite a good memory and is able to recite most hymns without fault.
Weaknesses:
Constance isn't strong-willed, she is a naive little girl who follows her families teachings and believes that they are doing the right thing. She's afraid of their Father and tries to do whatever it is he says, obsessively trying to obey the commandments laid out for them whilst hiding her own secrets. She has been known to confess her siblings sins in an attempt to cover for herself. Hypocritical due to the fact she hates her brother for associating with outsiders when she was doing the same thing. She can't read beyond her name and the alphabet, her brother taught her the little she can do.

Fears:
- Going to Hell
- Being cast out of the group
- Demons
- The Dark
- Her Father punishing her for keeping her brother's book.
- Losing another one of her siblings.

Goals:
- Make her Father and her family proud.
- Marry someone when she is of age, she hopes it will be someone good and kind and holy.

Secrets:
- She has a collection of items she's found; a pink ribbon, some feathers, acorns, a silver brooch, a small wooden dove the baker's boy carved - he gave her it before she ended their friendship, a tattered leaflet announcing a travelling play arriving in the next town over with illustrations and a scrappy moth-bitten book she found in her eldest brother's room after he was shunned - she's fairly certain that it's not a book that would be allowed.
- Her brother had been teaching her to read and she wishes he still was.
- She wishes she could wear the pretty dresses the other girls wear.
- she told her Father and Uncle about Thaddeus

​

 

[Sega]

Name: Cornelius Kipling

Age: 36

Gender: male

Position in The Group: Pastor Kipling's younger brother

Sexuality: closeted gay; has to keep his sexuality a secret

Personality:
Cornelius is a troubled individual. He's smart, quick-witted, yet he has to stay quiet and choose his words carefully. Every converstation is like a game of chess for him - what to say? How to behave? How not to be suspicious? He always has this uncertain, secretive smile on his face, as he calculates behind his eyes what to reveal and how to play his cards. In such a community, like The Group, one wrong word, one accusation could mean the end. So he tries to keep himself safe.

Even though he's married, he knows he's not what he presents himself to be. He knows what he's done, what he's thought, and all other sins of flesh he's comitted. He knows he is not true to his wife and who he imagines in her place. It was always unusual how they did not have children - of course all blame fell on poor woman, but it's not like Cornelius gave her many chances to conceive either, aside from forcing himself to do it every so occasionally to keep her from telling his brother and raising suspicions.

However, his sexuality is not the biggest secret that Cornelius keeps.
Even bigger one is - he doesn't know if he Believes.

Sure, Cornelius grew up as a child of God. But he never imagined it like this. He imagined high ceilings of Vatican, bishops walking around, studying sacred texts and praying in His glory, children singing hymns in light-shun churches, and statues of Mother Mary surrounding him. Frankly, he does not remember when he got pulled in The Group with his brother. Family always comes first, he thought. Rome was far away, education was expensive, and it was an unreachable dream for young Cornelius, and it was only natural he'd follow his brother anyway.

He believed. Oh, Cornelius truly believed. He prayed and prayed to God, both to give him a new chance and to wash his sinful lust for men away, but God never responded. And soon, after years, doubt snuck into Cornelius' heart and started biting on it. His hope vanished.
Weak prayers, full of begging for him to be wrong, started weakening even more, until cynicism replaced them, and he started pitying his brothers and sisters and started feeling so alone, despite living in such a big community. Cornelius is a lonely man, and the only person he can truly talk to is himself.

As a Higher up, he has quite a good deal of control over The Group. If his brother is not around, he's willing to listen to his brothers and sisters of the flock, and, opposite to his brother, he is much softer in his judgement and advice.

Likes: wine (managed to somehow sneak in a few bottles), hymns, music, silent summer evenings, newspapers which... obviously aren't allowed
Dislikes: dungeons, darkness, crows, fancy fashion
Strengths: very good with finances and money. Counts like a champ. Quite eloquent, especially taking in the count of The Group and how studying is not allowed. Intelligent, empathetic, diplomatic, tries to keep peace in The Group and resolve issues before his brother finds out
Weaknesses: indecisive, weak, prone to closing in himself, full of doubt, hypocritical, fearful
Fears: being found out, being punished, physical and psychological torture
Goals: to leave The Group for good eventually and pursue academical career
Secrets:
- being homosexual. He has to keep up this charade before his wife too.
- Cornelius holds a huge stash of forbidden books in his basement. He gets them through various smuggling means. Being a Higher up, he isn't as monitored as the rest.
- being a non-believer... or so he wishes.

Background: it's pretty covered in personality, because it's so tightly tied to who Cornelius is!

 

[Misty Gray]

Grace Liberty Kipling
​

Age: 43

Gender: Female

Position in The Group: Pastor Kipling's Wife

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Personality: Grace presents herself as the perfect Pastors wife and a woman who lives only by The Group's teachings. Graceful, ladylike and politely spoken, she comes across as gentle and submissive. To her husband and children, she especially maintains the facade, knowing to show any doubt would result in yet more harsh punishments for herself and could also lead to her children getting into trouble. She is greatly protective of her children, which is the main reason she forces herself to be the perfect wife and the reason she has stayed with her abusive husband for as long as she has.

Secretly, Grace longs for some freedom and the chance to explore her own aspirations. She is more intelligent than she can ever let anyone know and often imagines what it would be like to see more of the world. Over the last few years, she had been plagued with doubts about God and has been deeply upset trying to keep such sinful thoughts out of her mind. Though she believes in God, she questions if He truly could be so harsh and cruel. Though it is her own doubts that tear her apart, she deep down blames Markus for making her question her faith. At her worst, she is disgusted with herself for letting the man punish their children.

Likes: Music, baking, animals, nature, sunrise, springtime, laughter and children.

Dislikes: Gender inequality and locking away her own aspirations. Lack of free will and decision making. Having to submit to her husband. Sickness and pregnancy.

Strengths: Patient, gifted pianist, cooking, crafting, dressmaking, sensitive, nursing/first aid.

Weaknesses: Her children, melancholy, being female, kind-hearted men, inability to always stop her face giving away her inner feelings.

Fears:
- Becoming pregnant again. She loves her children, but fears the pain of giving birth and the lack of choice in the matter
- Her husband and being punished if she refuses him.
- Losing her faith in God and being unable to lock away her doubts.

Goals:
- To see all of her children become adults.
- To try get her husband to show more leniency on the family. Give their children some freedom to be themselves.

Secrets:
- She doesn't love her husband despite always presenting herself as a doting and dutiful wife. Her fondness for him deteriorated over the years.
- Is attracted to other (kinder) men, but scolds herself for having such thoughts!
- She misses her eldest son, Thaddeus. Despite not speaking of him and acting as if he no longer exists, she longs for his return.
- Envy. She envies those outside of The Group and longs to know how it feels to have some choice over one's own life.
- She is smarter than she is permitted to be, but keeps any knowledge she isn't permitted to have to herself.

Background:
Grace was the last child born into a strict Christian household, with two older brothers coming two and four years before her. Though their parents were strict and strong in their religious beliefs, there was still some freedom. As long as in the presence of her brothers, Grace had always been permitted to socialise and spend time with the others in the town. The children most enjoyed the times they would stay at their grandparents' house, where their grandfather would secretly treat Grace the same way as her brothers. The old man was intelligent and he loved passing on his knowledge to his grandchildren, teaching all three of them how to read and write, even if Grace did have to play it down in front of others. She would say the happiest years of her life had been before her grandparents passed away when she was thirteen.

From her teenage years, things became more isolated for Grace. Her eldest brother got married and her other found less reason to spend time with her. She spent much of her time in the shadow of her mother, aunts and female cousins, learning to cook and sew. At first, she found it all to be a chore and far removed from the wide world her grandfather had told her stories of. She was soon forced to accept his stories as nothing more than tall tales from an aged old man. She grew to accept her place in society and to push aside the kinds of aspirations that were deemed beyond a woman's station.

When she first met Markus, she found him to be highly charming and in no time she fell in love with him. Things seemed to move faster than Grace had hoped, with her parents especially impressed by the man and pushing her into marriage at the earliest opportunity. Her eldest brother, Michael, had been the only one to show disapproval for the marriage, but Grace shot him down and reassured him she was happy with Markus. After the wedding, Michael grew apart from Grace and the rest of the family, as well as rejecting the strict religious beliefs completely. It wasn't long into her marriage to Markus that the cracks began to show and Grace realised he wasn't quite the man she'd fallen in love with. He was abusive and controlling, far removed from the charming man she'd first met. In a way, she regretted pushing Michael away. Still, she'd long since learned her role in society and convinced herself it was the way things were meant to be. She learned through severe punishments that refusing her husband was the wrong thing to do. Once her first child was born, any fight for control left Grace and she began to accept her life.

For years, Grace committed herself to Markus and The Group, following the rules and teachings. The more children she had, the more she followed and encouraged God's (Markus') words. Both the abuse and the need to protect her children practically beat Grace into submission. She learned to keep any thoughts, 'banned' knowledge and aspirations to herself. She had to keep up the act of being the perfect Pastor's wife and a woman obedient to only him and God. Only when alone could she relax but even then she was prone to chastising herself for thinking sinful thoughts.

When Thaddeus left, Grace had no choice but to condemn her eldest son. Showing any sadness would result in punishment for herself but might also cloud her other children's beliefs. Deep down, Grace felt like a part of her heart had been torn away and being unable to show sadness for losing her son made it all harder. Despite the secret upset she feels for him leaving, there is also a part of her that feels envious and a part of her that feels happy that he followed his heart.

 

[Hopper]

✝ Thaddeus Bartholomew Kipling ✝​

Age: 21
Gender: Male
Position in The Group: Third Child, Eldest Son - Disgraced from The Group and now considered an Outsider.
Sexuality: Bisexual

Personality: As a child Thaddeus was a charming and obedient boy, sweet talking congregation members and walking around with a confidence that befitted the son of Father Kipling although he also had a curious and adventurous nature - something he learned to keep under wraps after one too many questions got him in trouble and facing his Father's temper. He grew older and therefore became more reserved and controlled, desperate to avoid his Father's temper and punishments although he did try to look out for his siblings and didn't report on them when they did something wrong. Although he would tell them that they were doing something wrong as he couldn't risk them sinning in front of his Father and getting him in trouble for not reporting on them. He went from a bundle of energy and constant movement to a straight backed, tight lipped son who was almost a shadow of the previously rambunctious happy child he was. He was still confident and charming but it was more controlled and artificial, he spread the word of The Group to the town and strictly followed his Father's rules but secretly he yearned for more, wanted to see more of the world than his sleepy town and talk to more people than the members of their Congregation.

Now he's quite a bright person to be around, sporadic and cheerful with a hint of a dark sarcastic humour when he feels comfortable enough to let it rip - since he left his family he's grown into his own person and come out of his shell although some of that confidence is manufactured in order to seem more confident and comfortable than he actually is. However, he still has his flaws, a temper that he struggles to keep in check means he can often lose it quite quickly and for the wrong reasons - something he thinks he has gotten from his Father and something he works to keep under control.

kind I hot headed I confident I charismatic I stubborn I restless I resentful​

Background:
Sometimes Thaddeus wondered just how his Father knew all he knew, why it was them who had been picked out of all the others in the town to be the servants of God and why it was that they had to be so different from the others - he had questions but he knew he'd dare not ask them, both out of fear of his Father's anger and out of fear of his Mother's disappointment. So he had to find another way to learn more about the world, he couldn't read and asking questions of any of his family was a surefire way to end up locked away for three days and so he started to plot, started to try to learn more about the world around him. He'd walk slower through the towns, especially when passing the local Inn, to listen to what people were saying instead of simply pretending he couldn't hear them when they spoke - even if he'd still pretend he wasn't listening and he grew curious. The men would tell tales of other countries and of the happenings of different towns and Thaddeus started to yearn to see it for himself rather than stay in their little town forever. But he kept those desires to himself, too scared the idea of wanting to see more of the world would be too close to wanting to leave the Group for everybody's comfort.

But even still the desire remained and Thaddeus plotted a way to find out more about the world. When he was younger his Father had taught him how to read, he could read his name, the alphabet and if he had long enough he could get through simple texts - this was not enough for Thaddeus however and so he took to sneaking off into the woods, under the guise of collecting firewood or ingredients for cooking, to practice in secret away from the watchful eyes of his family. He knew that if his Father found out he would likely punish him, even if Thaddeus didn't fully understand what exactly it was he would be punished for, so he kept it secret. Hiding books in a tree hollow he found and sneaking out to practice reading them, sounding and spelling out words in an attempt to learn more but without the knowledge of what all the words meant the practice was futile. He took to looking for newspapers that hadn't been used as kindling and instead discarded on the ground to try and learn about what was happening in the world but it was no good and after a month he was already starting to give up. Patience was not one of his virtues.

It was there in the woods that he met Ada, the local school teacher's daughter, he'd seen her before in town and he was fairly certain he and his siblings had called out to her family and labelled them sinners. At first he'd ignored her as she came upon him, ignored what she was saying and focused on his books - as if speaking to her other than to call her a sinner and tell her the word of God was a step too far despite what he was already doing and it wasn't too long before she grew bored and left. But then she kept happening upon him and after a week he found himself talking back to her, how could he not? Even if, at first, it was only to tell her she was wrong about whatever comments she made about what he was reading or about his family. She'd rebuke him and correct him and somewhere along the lines she started to get through to him, vocalise doubts he had until they reached a reluctant understanding - he doubted but didn't want to talk more about that and provided he didn't try to spread the word to her she'd let him leave it at that. The two started to talk properly and even became friends as time passed and before long she was helping him with his reading, she said her Father had taught her to read and write so she could help keep track of recipes and do sums when they traded in nearby towns, and then they'd simply just meet in the woods to wander about and talk or skip stones on one of the streams. It was then the real doubts started to fester as before then it had been simple enough to push them away but now there was someone outside of the Group to talk to and he liked her, he looked forwards to spending time with her and felt sad when he had to leave, she wasn't how he had imagined someone outside of The Group would be and it felt freeing to be able to just talk to someone without being scared of saying the wrong thing and being punished for it.

As he grew older their friendship blossomed into something else, something Thaddeus knew was definitely against the rules but he thought he was falling for her. Truthfully they both knew it could never be but they were young and hopeful, Ada was careful not to get pregnant - citing things she had learnt from her older sisters and things that Thaddeus really didn't want to know about in order to prevent it but even still he was afraid. This went beyond any minor sins he could commit, he was breaking at least four of the commandments at once and he knew his Father considered it a sin to prevent pregnancy. He had heard him preach many times about how each life was a miracle and was gods will, as far as his Father would be concerned he was trying to defy Gods will. After the first time Thaddeus Bartholomew Kipling had thought, for a terrible terrifying moment, that a lightning bolt would come down crashing from the heavens and strike him and Ada down where they stood - strike them down and send them to hell for the dirty, blasphemous, wicked sin they had committed but he lay there next to her and waited but nothing came. Nothing changed, the birds continued to chirp, the wind continued to blow and the world moved on and he felt the same, he couldn't hear the Devil whispering in his ear or feel God watching him. Instead he felt good and had a spring in his step when he returned home that day.

They continued to meet and against his better judgement Thaddeus started to wonder if it could last, could continue - if he could keep the secret forever but that was the wishful thinking of a young boy in love and like all good things, it came to an end.


His Father found out, how exactly Thaddeus didn't know and the pair clashed in a battle of wills - Thaddeus allowing years of resentment and fear and anger to explode on that fateful day as he and his Father argued. He can't remember what exactly it was either of them said but he could remember being thrown against a wall and told that if he wanted to see that girl - if he wanted to do anything other than beg for his Father's and God's forgiveness then he could get out of the house and never return. And so the heir to tbe Kipling clan, boy assumed to take after his Father's beliefs whole heartedly had left and left the only place he had ever known behind him.

And so Thaddeus, at the age of nineteen, walked out of his home and the only place he had ever known forever. He found work as a labourer in another town, helping out a farmer who needed a second pair of hands on his farm and then helping a fisherman on his boat. He found himself wandering and bouncing from place to place for two years before he started to want to return home to the place he loved and the people he loved and so at the age of twenty one he returned to his home-town to a sea of familiar faces who refused to acknowledge his existence, a childhood sweetheart who was now married and a town of people who were wary of him at best.

Likes:
- Working with his hands.
- Gardening.
- Carving wooden figures.
- Horses.
- Music.
- Beer.
- Nature.
- Wood working.
- Talking to people.

Dislikes:
- His Father.
- Winter.
- Being separated from his siblings.
- The Group.
- Confinement.
- Fire.
- Isolation.

Strengths: Independent, practical, good at working with his hands, good liar, charming and able to think for himself and do whatever he likes.
Weaknesses: Isolated as he doesn't have a family unit around him, his need to be around people means when he his alone he tends to grow quite restless and anxious, his temper.

Fears:
- That he's the one in the wrong and he will end up in hell, that he could be taking people down there with him.
- Losing the few people he has in his life.
- His Father, still.
- His Mother and siblings hating him forever.
- Also scared of heights.

Goals:
- Learn how to live in his town despite his Father's presence.
- Find a way to reconnect with his siblings and his Mother.
- Forge a life for himself.

 

[laceanddoodles]

Name: Markus Adam Kipling
Age: 58
Gender: Male
Position in The Group: The Pastor, shepherd, father of The Group. The founder
Sexuality: ...Straaaaaaiight?? Kinda? It feels wrong to give him an actual sexuality, his sexuality is “abuser.”
Personality: Markus has to be in control of everything at all times. He can’t stand being contradicted and he needs to be the center of all things. He believes himself to be sent from God to save mankind before the end-times, and he believes that sacred duty places him above everyone else. He’s a very organized man that believes everything has its proper, God-given place, including people. He has an almighty temper, and tolerates no dissent, no nonsense. He never gives thought to what anyone else might want, his will is God’s will, and God’s will be done. He has no interest in the little lives of ordinary folk, they will either obey or be made to.
Likes: Control, peace and quiet, getting his way, power, ...using that power for his own pleasure and gain.
Dislikes: People with opinions, being upstaged, being challenged or questioned
Strengths: He is a charismatic leader, a brilliant public speaker, and an intimidating, commanding, presence.
Weaknesses: Lack of empathy, hugely overinflated ego, doesn’t listen to people, sadistic and cruel, fanatical
Fears: Losing his power and being unseated
Goals: Expand The Group, have millions upon millions of members with him at the center of it all.
Secrets: He uses his power to sleep with young, sometimes underaged, girls in The Group, threatening to expel them or their families if they say anything.
Background: He had a “revelation from God” and founded The Group about two years before he met and married his wife, Grace. She was still very young, and he got her pregnant within a year. Over the past twenty something years, he’s expanded The Group from about five followers to half the town or so. As he went, he received more “revelations,” and made more rules and choices, often more for his gain than anything else, and making it harder and harder for members to break away and leave. His cruelty has only gotten worse with time, and he says that since God will show no mercy on judgement day, sinful members deserve no mercy, now. Suffer the pain of penitence now, or then.
Looks: WIP

( Misty Gray hope this is okay, in terms of backstory. I left it pretty open ended for you to work with.)

 

[LittleCal]

Name: Uraiah Job Huddleson
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Position in The Group: Congregant
Sexuality: Less straight than he’d admit to even himself
Personality: Uriah is a bit on the quiet side- a hard worker, a model congregant, and one who knows all too well to keep his head down. He's the type to carefully consider his words before he speaks, and he's got a reputation for smoothing over conflicts when they come up in the Group. A low-level anxiety clouds his actions almost constantly, but on the rare moments when he's free to relax, he's poetic and even charming. It's a constant struggle to keep the sins of envy and wrath from rising up, though, and he's deeply afraid of them overtaking him altogether.
Likes: Music, the smell of freshly baked bread, sweets (on the rare occasions he’s allowed them), whittling
Dislikes: Arguments, his father’s overbearing nature, dogs, the taste of liquorice,
Strengths: Diligent, a peacemaker, meditative, a romantic
Weaknesses: Prone to jealousy, insecure, lashes out when afraid, prone to overthinking and questioning
Fears: Falling ill, having the hymns he writes deemed immoral, losing his temper
Goals: Marrying someone who loves him as he loves God, independence from his father’s household

Secrets:

• Uriah loves music, and in times of idle thought, he’ll try and write hymns of his own. The Pastor would surely understand if his songs are songs of praise, but he still fears retribution if creating his own works is too great an act of pride.
• He has his own copy of the Bible, to better study the Psalms.
• He has eaten rabbit meat.
• Sometimes, his mind strays to memories of Thaddeus Kipling. He dares not even put words to the thoughts those memories stir within him.

Background:
Uriah is alive through the grace of God, or so his parents say. After an extremely difficult pregnancy that nearly killed his mother and left her barren all the same, Uriah’s parents joined the group to show thanks for the act of providence that kept both him and his mother alive. Indeed, his father was keen to remind them both of the Lord that saved both their bodies and souls- with open palms and a stern voice for Uriah, with clenched fists and booming shouts for Mrs. Huddleson.

Indeed, it was his mother’s lack of faith that ultimately did her in. When he was 14, she became ill and began to waste away, and byUriah’s 15th birthday, she had been buried. Uriah’s father became a different man after that- quieter, more reserved, and a bit gentler. As a show of mourning, he cut a braid of hair from his wife’s head and set it in a plain wooden pendant. It’s not entirely clear why he’s stopped wearing that pendant as of late, but Uriah was happy to take it off his father’s hands all the same. There never seemed to be much love between his father and his mother, after all, and though it became harder for Uriah to remember his mother with every passing day, he still feels a nostalgic fondness for her.

Though Uriah was long enraptured by the hymns sung during the Group’s regular meetings, it wasn’t until he was tapped to be an pianist during their services that he truly found his love for music. With the blessing of Pastor Kipling, he learned to read music; later on, he began to try and write some of his own behind closed doors. Writing songs of his own may well be an act of hubris, but surely it’s one that could be forgiven, isn’t it? Through careful, subtle saving, he bought a copy of the Bible, so that he can study the words of the Psalms without needing to ask Pastor Kipling every time he wanted to read them over again. It’s been… a bit of a rough read, to put it mildly. There are entire pages he knows to skip reading, just so he doesn’t have to acknowledge the way those verses butt up against the Pastor’s teachings.

The Pastor approached Mr. Huddleson when Uriah was still very young about a possible betrothal, so for as long as he can remember, Uriah has known he was meant to be married to Penitence. They’ve historically been very close, and as he’s grown up alongside her, the thought has become more and more exciting to him. After all, Penny is the closest thing he has to a sister, and she is quite beautiful. There’s been rumors that the Pastor might be arranging for a wedding soon, too- and ever mindful of what a loveless marriage can look like down the line, Uriah has made it his personal mission to win Penny’s heart before he takes her hand.

Looks: Cropped, blond hair that he tries desperately to smooth down against his head (on rare occasions, he’s successful) and brown eyes ringed with dark circles. He dresses in a predictably plain way, and has a scruff of fuzz along his chin that has utterly failed to become a full beard. He’s not particularly tall, and he’s not particularly muscular- in fact, he’s downright angular under his oversized coats and trousers- and tends to keep his motions subdued, as if trying to take up as little space as possible.

 

[MothSav]

Tribulation ‘Tibway’ Kipling
Age: 7
Gender: Female
Position in The Group: Youngest Kipling child
Sexuality: Too young, not sure

Personality: Tibway is an eternal optimist. She's a big smiler and finds goofy thoughts to giggle at in inopportune moments. She loves to play and has a large imagination. If Tibway could live outdoors, she'd take it up in a heartbeat. She's a cheerful leader and likes gathering up the other children for games or bouts of imagination.

Likes: Insects, cards, music, playing pretend. She likes nonsense stories and silly rhymes. She adores her family and siblings.
Dislikes: Getting left behind, letting left out of whatever the older kids are doing. Being stuck indoors. Papa’s preaching. The tiny worms that get into their oatmeal sack.
Strengths: Tibway is excellent at keeping a secret. She turns a blind eye to a lot of what goes on and is a steady silent observer. She is wickedly clever, but not smart.
Weaknesses: Naive. She is too optimistic and will always try to find the good in anyone, including her father. Tibway is overly playful and struggles to get serious about things. She gets worried when their schedule or plans are out of sync.
Fears: The dark, thunderstorms, her father’s temper. That story about the four guys on horses who ruined everything when the world was wicked.
Goals: To sit up in a bar and drink out of the pretty bottles– and slap her cards down with a whoop when she’s won something. She doesn’t know how it all works yet, but maybe by the time she’s old enough to fit in, she will.
Secrets: She sometimes sneaks away to play with kids who aren’t part of the religion. She’s been learning how to play cards.

“My name is Tribulation, but I never got around to saying it right when I first started talking. I just started sayin’ Tibway. Everyone else thought I musta been on the right track, so they started calling me Tibway, too. I don’t got any middle names; they must’ve ran out by the time I was born.
Tribulation is an awful big word when you’re just small. Since I’ve only spent about seven years away from Jesus, I’m still learnin’ all the words people say. Tribulation means something bad is gonna happen, and that you should pray about it. Sometimes you just put your hands together like your catchin’ tadpoles and send little tadpole prayers up to Jesus to say sorry for all the bad stuff you’ve been doin’.
My family is good people. Papa says we’re doing the Lord’s work, and the Lord musta told him to yell a whole lot about it. Mama’s job is to have all the babies. My job? I think it’s to curtsey a lot and tell people ‘bout Jesus, but I dunno yet.
I’m just the smallest in my family. I got all these big brothers and sisters, and they’re all figuring stuff out, too. They’re mostly nice, or learnin’ to be. You have to practice everything, even being nice. I think I’m mostly nice, but sometimes I play with one of the kids that aren’t part of us and I gotta get a whuppin’ so I know what sin feels like. That’s me gettin’ taught. One day I’ll have to teach my kids, too, but I think maybe I’ll just tell them to play with everyone so nobody gets sad and left out. And I won’t do any whuppin’s, either.”

 

[deadboydoodling]

* Gentleness Faith Kipling *

9 || Biologically - Female, Mentally - Male || Unknown Sexuality
The 10th Child


- ​

* Personality *
Gentleness couldn't be any more unlike her namesake if she tried. She grew up being a very clumsy child, never being able to get into sewing as easily as her sisters. She would always prick her fingers, and when it came to doing the dishes, she had a tendency to break them. Although she can be submissive when she needs to be, Gentleness has a tendency to be outspoken and loud. She finds regular housework boring and is far more entertained by the outdoors. She is rather handy and she has always had an interest in watching things being constructed. She is fiercely protective over her siblings and doesn't like seeing any of them hurt. She loves her family, even though she doesn't really like the lifestyle she's living. Although she doesn't know much about it at her age, she is actually mentally male and will want to change his gender when he becomes of age.

* Likes *
+ Outsides
+ Nature
+ Carved items
+ Pants
+ Having her hair short
+ Horses
+ Dogs
+ Playing with the boys

* Dislikes *
- Dresses
- Sewing
- Being indoors
- Cats
- Doing the dishes
- The boring lifestyle


Strengths: She is strong, and can usually endure any punishments without many tears. She is very creative and enjoys making art in the mud. Very independent, strong, and a great liar.
Weaknesses: She is not very submissive, and does not play well with other girls around her age. She is a pathological liar. She is very clumsy. She is prone to jealousy.

* Fears *
x Being locked inside
x Having to grow up and become just like her mother
x Making father really angry
x Feeling icky when being called a "she" forever.

* Goals *
^ Getting her hair cut
^ Getting rid of dresses and being able to wear "boy clothing"
^ No longer having to do indoor work and being able to join the boys in their outdoor labor

* Secrets *
~ She stole a pair of pants from one of her brother's and at night, she likes to put them on and sneak outside when she can.
~ She stole a pair of scissors from Constance and she fantasizes about having enough courage to just chop off all her hair.


* Background *
"My Papa says that we live the way we do because it's God's Way. I know he's right, and so do my siblings, and Mama, but sometimes I don't like it very much. I once snuck out at night to play in the woods, and when Papa caught me, he said that I was making God upset and that I needed to be punished so he could forgive me for my sins. I don't like when God is upset very much. Mama is always telling me to behave and to try to be a bit more like my older sisters, but I don't wanna. I want to be like my older brothers, and I wanna be like Papa."

"I know our Lord loves us, but I wish he let us play outside more. I was told that if he let us play too much outside, we'd become like Thaddeus. I don't know what he did but Papa said he really upset God. I don't wanna upset God... but... I also don't wanna become a lady like Mama is always telling me to behave like!"

 

[.V1LLAINISM._]

W I P

N A M E :

Trinity "Trin" Temperance Kipling

A G E :

22

G E N D E R :

Female, although, absolutely loathes both the biological and political double standards that come with being so. After all, since when is it fair to force one gender into appeasing the other? What kind of bullsh-

P O S I T I O N :

Second Kipling child

S E X U A L I T Y :

Is open to experimentation. However, Trin will most likely combust if she's thrust in front of yet another dim-witted, God fearing, blubbering fool like the man she had married.

P E R S O N A L I T Y :

Strong-willed & brave, Trin proudly considers herself to be the most troublesome Kipling child, apart from Thaddeus of course (whom she idolizes greatly). You see, the young woman is very sure on where she stands in her supposed "faith" and upon her father’s very regular preaches... Thus, Trin usually finds entertainment in challenging said ideals rather subtly, after all, she hadn’t gotten her scars for nothing. Though, she’s careful when she needs to be and often finds herself scolding her younger siblings when she notices any copycats. After all, she may be able to handle the wrath of father, but they are far too young to be able to. Speaking of siblings, Trin is highly protective of those little rascals, ironically feeling the need to guard them more from their esteemed father than any deeply antagonized outsider. Which is where majority of the resentment stems from. Although sharp-tongued and passionate, Trin is more than a short-tempered & bold non-male. Kind & down to earth, the redhead is quite awful at mediating her softer persona into actual, tangible actions, at least, into things that others can comprehend.

L I K E S :

• Truth
• Realism
• Exploration
• Imagination
• Normalcy
• Equality
• Expression
• Escapism
• Banter
• Freedom
• Sweets
• Writing- Though severely uneducated, Trin is an avid storyteller. Though she doesn’t consider it a talent, but is proud of the stories she weaves nevertheless. She hasn’t told anyone about her authoring endeavors

D I S L I K E S

• Her father
• institutionalized religion
• Arrogance
• Cowards
• Ignorance
• Inequality
• Those who are weak-willed
• Crying
• Submission
• Many of the congregants
• Chores
• Her husband

S T R E N G T H S

• Courageous
• Independent
• Humorous
• Protective
• Candid
• Creative
• Perceptive
• Intelligent

W E A K N E S S

• Blunt
• Stubborn
• Impulsive
• Disrespectful
• Melodramatic
• Reckless
• Dishonest
• Foul mouthed

F E A R S :

Although she would never admit, Trin is very afraid. Afraid that she may never escape from the grasps of her family, but more so, her father. Afraid that she will be one of the first to fall into a vicious cycle of worship, to become the woman the dreadful old man wants her to be. But in the end, she's afraid that their faith will come to own her, that she will only be recognized by her religion and nothing more.

G O A L S :

To make her own way in the world, to be her own person without any inhibitions. But more so, Trinity wants to take the world by storm, to be the first of the Kipling children to divulge into cultures and ideologies that are far more accepting and freeing than that of their own. And goddamn, if what it takes is a fight, then fight she will.

S E C R E T S :

It's no secret that Trin isn't exactly happy within the Kipling home. But what the others do not know, or rather, what she refuses to unveil to anybody- even to her siblings or mother (for fear of being reported) is that Trinity Kipling has been vying for a way out, an escape. Having conjured up at least a thousand different strategies, Trin keeps a smartly hidden journal within the floor boards of her bedroom, containing wild scribbles, incoherent thoughts that all lead to the front door. Although, she has yet to stir up an idea in which she can involve her more vulnerable family members. Thereby bringing the daunting decision between her or them?

B A C K G R O U N D :

As a child, Trin was an impressionable and curious little thing- much like her younger siblings. In fact, she’d once thought the world of her father and at a time, even considered herself to be a daddy’s girl. My how the times have changed. Hell, if she hadn’t gone recruiting that one afternoon, she might’ve become as brainwashed as the rest of ‘em. It had been a particularly chill evening but the towns’ people still strolled about happily, practically sinning with every step. Some read unholy books while others played unholy music and yet, they continued, blind to it all. The young Trin had witnessed with this with a horrified gaze, although, wondered why they were so happy all the same. After all, a sin is nothing to be proud of, or so she thought. For there seemed to be one thing the sinners had that she hadn’t, and that was, freedom. From then on she began to look at everything differently, if God hadn’t punished them for their sins, then are they really sins? She would often wonder this aloud, and in turn, would often be scolded- or worse, punished. But if you ask her, all those punishments did well to further push dear Trinity Kipling away rather than have her submit to the good lord.

L O O K S :

Spoiler: U w U

 

[LittleCal]

Name: Ada Felicity Pierce
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Position in The Group: Congregant, recent convert
Sexuality: Bisexual
Personality: Ada is cheerful, talkative, a bit stubborn, and all too willing to learn new things. In short, it’s clear she hasn’t been a member of the Group very long. She knows a little bit about an awful lot and loves to teach others, and she's quick to offer advice or lend a hand when people are suffering. Though she's become a bit less hot-headed in the four months she's been part of the Group, Ada is still quick to anger and equally quick to speak. It may yet take some time before she properly learns to hold her tongue- for now, she'll often voice questions better left unasked or let secrets slip without realizing just how critical it is to keep them quiet. That said, she's realizing that the leniency her husband and the Pastor have shown her thus far is running out all too fast.
Likes: Walking in the woods, astronomy, gardening, embroidery, listening to hymns
Dislikes: Being watched, seeing others argue, bland food, actually having to sing the hymns
Strengths: Clever, affable, selfless, eager to fit in, well-versed in healing and medicinal plants
Weaknesses: Loose-lipped, skeptical, often overbearing, has a quick temper, harbors worldly desires and ideals, carrying a guilty conscience
Fears: Being outed as the harlot she knows she is, caving into her desire to return to the world, angering her husband
Goals: Live up to the Group’s ideals, use her knowledge to strengthen the Group (as opposed to abandoning her knowledge altogether)

Secrets:

• When she was married, she was not a virgin. It seems now that it might not be as safe a secret as she’d hoped.
• Her sisters passed down the folk remedies they knew, and she sought out more information on her own as well. None of these healing methods would be allowed (as it’s meddling in God’s plan for a person’s life or death), but the knowledge of what plants can be used as contraceptives and abortifacients would bring down the gravest punishments.
• While she does aim to please her husband and make him happy, she’s genuinely not sure if she loves him. Certainly, she doesn’t want to lose him, and she’d miss him if he died… But at the same time, she knows in her heart of hearts that she’d have eyes for someone new before she went from full mourning dress to half.

Background:
For the first six years of her life, Ada was the youngest of four daughters. As the child of a schoolteacher, she knew how to read and write as soon as she could sit still long enough for her mother to teach her; as the child of a merchant, she was begrudgingly allowed to continue her education when it began to seem like no heir to his business was forthcoming. Ada was a quick study and a voracious reader, and even after her little brother was born and her father refused to spend any more money on her lessons, her mother made sure that her little prodigy had new lessons to challenge her every now and again.

With her father focusing all his attention on his new successor, it became harder and harder for Ada to focus on her reading at home. She found refuge in the nearby woods, where she and her sisters explored and practiced looking for herbs before her sisters’ eyes were turned towards marriage. As it happened, she wasn’t the only person who went out there to study- a boy, one she recognized from when the Kipling family came into town, came out there too. He seemed standoffish at first, but eventually, she prodded a few answers out of him, then a proper conversation. From there, she began to help him with his reading, working through Bible verses and old newspaper articles while trying to snuff out the feelings that came back stronger every time they met. Eventually, they confessed to one another, and it wasn’t long before their relationship turned physical. Since Ada was careful to slip out without getting followed and used every trick she knew to keep from getting pregnant, she was positive this affair could go on forever.

At any rate, she was positive up until he disappeared.

By this point, Ada was old enough for marriage, and in an attempt to gain a better foothold in the marketplace, her father married her off to a competitor’s son, Matthew Price. Ada barely knew Matthew before her wedding day, but she still went along with it easily enough- after all, he seemed kind, and he had more than enough money to keep her comfortable. However, about a year and a half after they were wed, Matthew announced his decision to leave behind his father’s business and devote his life to God instead. It was a choice that shocked everyone, most of all Ada. Still, she followed his lead- if she didn’t like it, she’d surely be able to talk sense into him, and the past few months had been rather nice in a backwards sort of way. Then an old flame showed back up, now disgraced from his family and looking for some remnant of his past...

Looks: Long, brown hair that flows into loose curls, with dark brown eyes to match. Already has the first hints of crow’s feet forming in the corners of her eyes. She keeps to simple dresses, usually a pale yellow or green, but embroiders the inner layers of them just to keep her skills sharp. Ada’s on the short side, barely taller than Sabriel, but she carries herself with a straight spine, a confident smile, and all the pride of a woman who doesn’t understand how little she’s worth.

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Name: Anschel Balsam
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Position in The Group: "What group?"
Sexuality: Gay
Personality: Anschel is relatively good-natured. He can be crass and is rarely ever serious, but ultimately has a lovely personality that most people would want in a man. He's got a big heart, but tends to go into situations unprepared, thinking he's ready for anything. But everyone loves him, at least, those that don't mind his various quirks. He's a diligent worker, but easily swayed through sympathy. Lying to him is easy.
Likes: Sun, bread, kissing boys in secret, dancing, birds
Dislikes: Rain, biking late at night, fish, cold hands, rude folks
Strengths: Optimism, passion, courage, enthusiasm, sociability
Weaknesses: Naivety, aggression, easily manipulated, low willpower at times
Fears: Being persecuted further for his religion, being exposed as a homosexual.
Goals: At this point he's just trying to get by.
Secrets: He has big gay. Also he's a Jew, but it's not really a secret if you know him.
Background: Anschel was born in Poland within the Pale of Settlement. Jews under the Russian rule lived in horrific poverty, and his family was no exception. Eventually, when he was about seven, his parents smuggled him into Germany. From there, they left with countless other Ashkenazi Jews to go to America. Since then he's been living in this town, mostly doing odd jobs and working as a delivery boy. He also bakes as a hobby, but doesn't make it very known to others. He's not particularly rich, not anywhere near it, but he's content with his place in the world.
Looks: WIP

 

[laceanddoodles]

Name: Abraham James MacDermot

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Position in The Group: Congregant, recent convert, unofficially in charge of recruitment

Sexuality: Uhhh... celibate???

Personality: Extroverted and outspoken, Abe loves being around people and getting attention. He’s well read, and deeply religious. Lots of energy, always smiling. Eternal optimist who believes everything is part of God’s plan and will turn out for the best. He’s very polite and gentle with people, but he has a nasty, violent, controlling side that really only comes out when he’s given authority over someone, especially if that someone is a woman.

Likes: Reading the Bible, small children, talking to people, attention, making friends, making coverts, going on walks and picnics.

Dislikes: “Weak” versions of Christianity, sitting still, being quiet, Satan, sin

Strengths: Charismatic, well educated, personable, persuasive

Weaknesses: He fully buys in to Kipling’s teachings, not the best listener— tends to be more busy thinking of what he’s going to say next than actually absorbing what the other person is saying. Over zealous. A bit of an egomaniac.

Fears: Hell, being forgotten, never finding God

Goals: Bring as many people into God’s Light as physically possible!

Secrets: Something happened with his uncle when he was younger that brings him great shame and great guilt, and makes him think he’s already a sinner who has to pay penance.

Background: Born to an upper middle class family, Abe was well educated at local Catholic schools, and planned to go to Seminary and become a priest. However, he struggled with faith more and more after an encounter with his uncle when he was twelve that left him shaken and traumatized. Abe was taken by the dramatic, black and white views of Heaven and Hell, Good and Evil, of the early Puritans, and wished for such visceral, totalitarian, religion, to be accessible to him. And then, when he was 21, about to enter the Seminary, he found what he was looking for in The Group. He was a fast convert, and quick to become a true believer, one of Kipling’s most loyal servants.

Looks: To Come