Biography

[santalamuerte]

Short Bio:

Olivia Alyssa Moore, born to an etymologist father and a fashion designer mother in Kansas City, started off life like any child would. Her definition of ‘normal’ consisted of spending hours reading books from the library, watching her father work, and spending time outdoors studying fauna and animals (much to her mother’s chagrin). Expected to be a proper young girl, Olivia bucked the trend set by her mother and exhibited a blooming science-driven identity, akin to dear old Dad.

The pressure to be perfect tapered off when her younger brother was born 7 years later, allowing Olivia to embrace desires without being judged by parts of her family. All the way up to high school, she worked independently and diligently, scoring near the top of her class. The way she would view the world changed in her junior year, upon meeting the wealthy, tomboyish (and mathematically smart) Cordelia. She was not fully human, half monster, and the secret made Olivia realize how little she knew about people and the world.

Her second revelation would take place through Cordelia, meeting a family friend by the name of Edwin, who was the lead autopsy technician for the main police branch in Kansas City. Challenging Olivia to put her scientific mind to something of value, she would choose to pursue the knowledge of how things meet their end: a combination of pathology, forensic, and mortuary science. Taking on The University of Kansas in her mid-20’s, she would acquire two bachelor's degrees with honors.

Life could not get any better post-graduation: she was working in her designated field of forensic science with Edwin as a surrogate teacher and engaged to Cordelia.

At the start of a new year, Kansas City suffering one of the coldest January months on record, things would take a dire turn. While out of town in Florida with her fiancé, Edwin would take a strange indigent case in the medical examiner’s office, a homeless man who was bleeding unusual fluids for his orifices. The subsequent autopsy would put him under fire with a multimedia company hellbent on silencing his findings, and by proxy, putting Olivia directly into the crosshairs.

Returning home from vacation, Olivia meets with a mentally distraught Edwin and tries to talk him out of an apparent suicide attempt. The reverse ends up happening, Edwin dying after falling off a bridge, and she is accused of his murder. Multiple parties were the real reason Edwin died, having set up Olivia, while looking to hide their involvement in the death.

Through Cordelia’s contacts, Olivia is spared jail time and charges on her record, but her entire career and licensures are blacklisted, causing her to lose her identity and way. She quickly isolates herself from family and friends, taking on a replacement role as an acting funeral director and embalmer with a questionable funeral home.

What Olivia doesn’t know is that the company who murdered her mentor is now watching and controlling her environment through her employer and is also responsible for her blacklisting. And it’s only a matter of time before the truth reveals itself, through self-reflection or a recently hired serial killer at her funeral establishment who is eager to push everything into chaos.


-Information after this point is purely extra, read as you like, fellow RP'er-



Personality:

Olivia is a no-nonsense woman, stoic and calm in nature, as evident by how carefully she speaks / chooses words. Her STEM-driven mind often leads her to analyze first with facts and logic, putting emotional connections on the back foot. Interactions with people outside of work are usually insignificant unless they catch her interest (intelligence is a plus) and she has a soft spot for ensuring the safety/growth of children/elderly/sick. She is very prickly to deal with, often talking down to people who show a lack of intelligence (think ignorant college/high school students, fellow employees, flirtatious bosses).

On the reverse side of the coin, Olivia is very smart and often willing to share her knowledge of the sciences as needed. She’ll even volunteer to work extra to assist with forensic / funeral-oriented tasks, should the case call for it. With a sharp eye for details, she has a knack for pinning down problems and finding a solution. Empathy does exist in her vocabulary, but she can also be rather cold when delivering facts (a trait that she realizes can upset people rather easily).

In compliment to her no-nonsense persona, Olivia is 90% of the time seen wearing high-end suits and ties (suspenders over belts). She always wears a 1950’s Hamilton Ventura watch on her wrist, a graduation gift from the family. In her off-hours, while still in public, the attire is swapped out for casual button-down shirts, turtlenecks, and slacks. This showcases how important appearance is to her, knowing most people judge by that alone.

Olivia is a certified alcoholic. Her first exposure to liquor was through Cordelia’s father, at 18, when he offered her a glass of Sauvignon. The rest is a dangerous history. She drank on the weekends in college, often conning others in drinking contests just to get access to free / good booze and can hold her liquor extremely well. As an adult this habit persisted, if she meets someone annoying in a bar, she’ll try to con them out of a few drinks. She’s even been known to take a shot in between funeral arrangements if she feels the family will be tough to deal with. An alternative to her booze addiction is tea, which she enjoys greatly, if brewed properly.

While she hides it from the normal population, Olivia has borderline suicidal ideologies: she is fine with death and the world ending, her own mortality included. However, she cannot commit to killing herself based on a mantra Edwin instilled in her: ‘do not act as death, instead be an envoy to its will’. It doesn’t stop her self-destructive behaviors (excessive drinking, eating).


World:

Olivia’s world draws heavy inspiration from series such as Twin Peaks, Gravity Falls, Final Destination movies, etc. where the paranormal is there, but just out of reach to most. Most paranormal entities try to blend in with society, but some are bold enough to take on higher roles (such as mayors, governors, etc.) Cordelia’s family originates from the Pacific Ocean and are a band of sirens, shark-people, who gained their wealth back in the 1600’s as seafaring pirates / conquerors (who now live in the Midwest as a form of concealment).


Olivia does not actively seek out the unusual, instead researching how science and social economics have affected non-humans. She has been known to discreetly have funeral services for these entities in exchange for books and knowledge of their cultures. If a weird situation comes into her lap, depending on the risk/reward, she’ll get involved accordingly.

Additional Tidbits:

Olivia’s birthday is August 24th with a Virgo zodiac sign.

Though she was a 1990’s kid, Olivia has no interest in that era and thinks nostalgia is an illness. Cordelia was often forcing her into hobbies that she really had no interest in, even more so when Olivia would beat her lover at her own game.

She has a knack for picking up strategy-based games after reading the rules and playing a few rounds. Thinks gambling is the worst thing any person can do with their money. Does secretly have a Pokémon card collection because she ‘likes the art’ but is holding onto some part of Cordelia through it.

Olivia will not admit her enjoyment for weird, cute oddities. She has a taxidermy Sphinx cat in her home library from a client, along with replica human skulls, formalin-stored hearts, etc.

Most of her paychecks (after bills) are spent on books, alcohol, tea, and food. She is obsessed with the quality of her meals and often eats only once a day to savor it. Having a hyperactive metabolism, said meal is often triple in size. Please do not offer to buy her dinner, your wallet will weep afterwards.