Character Guide
Since Moose River is a “fly on the wall” sort of story, the point of the story is to just play witness to the social dynamics of these people’s lives; to see their ups and downs and how they affect one another. With that in mind, there really isn’t a single main character that the story revolves around. Everyone in the story is not unlike the characters within your own life story; some people will take an active interest in everyone else while others will come in and out as they please. This page lists all the more interesting characters within the story, or at least the ones who pop up more often than the rest. I’ll get to some more interesting bits later on.
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Anne Amoureux (Ah-more-roo) Twenty-something resident of Moose River and the daughter of Betty Wilson. She really doesn’t do much aside from go to school, work as a parking attendant at St. Red’s Medical Center, and hanging out with her best friend Shea. Anne is sick of living in Moose River and seems to just be biding her time before figuring out what to do with herself. I think something will come along sooner or later and give her a sign…. Anne, for the most part, come off as considerably naive about people and things. Though it’s not exactly known if she’s REALLY naive, or just putting it on for some ulterior motive. People also say she’s pretty bitter, but maybe it’s only because she gets it from her mom, Betty Wilson. She also doesn’t have a boyfriend, can you believe that? She’s really not looking though… just like her mom. Anne’s was born with her dad’s last name, Amoureux, as opposed to her mother’s last name, Wilson (although she was given Wilson as her middle name, thus making Anne’s full name “Anne Wilson Amoureux”). Technically Betty was “Betty Amoureux” at the time Anne was born, but Betty changed her name back to her maiden name after divorcing her third husband. Anne decided not to change her name with Betty; part of it is because Anne was “Anne Amoureux” for her whole life and being “Anne Wilson” just didn’t feel right, but also because I guess she wanted a small part of her dad to keep with her. Fun Fact: Anyone familiar with my work will recognize Anne… she’s the Everywoman character in most of my random pictures. |
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Avery Mann Twenty-something dude from Lodi, California. Recently moved to Moose River to go to school at University of California – Moose River (UCMR). Avery met his tour guide, Anne, online through the popular community site MyPlace. A rather quiet fellow, but really into Metallica, Andrew WK, and keggers. Got an durochiPOD micro last Christmas from his parents. Might be a “Bro”, through not nearly as much as the more extreme Bros (Avery doesn’t sport a beach shell necklace, though it doesn’t mean he doesn’t own one). Currently working at Red’s Mart with his friends Emo Kim and Thaddeus Mann. Fun Fact: Anyone familiar with my work will recognize Avery… he’s the Everyman character in most of my random pictures. In fact, his name is a play off the term “everyman”. Yeah it’s not a terribly original name, but I chose it for a purpose which has since been deemed unnecessary. However I’ve used it for so long that there’s no point in changing it now. |
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Shea Marerra (pronounced She-uh, not Shay) Twenty-something resident shit disturber and Anne’s bestest best friend in the world. Probably knows more about Anne than Anne does. Shea works at the Forbidden Mountain Pet Cemetary, and also is love with Brian. Though whether or not Brian has any feelings for her is another issue that’ll unravel in due time. Shea has two big habits: she likes changing clothing and styles a lot, and she also is a heroin addict. Shea is an American Indian, specifically part of the Hekawi Tribe, and is also somewhat fluent in Dakota. Shea also loves to play online massive multiplayer role-playing games. Among the many games she plays, Skyhowl Legacy is one of her favorite. In it she’s known as xxxgothgrrl666xxx. She mostly plays with other local Moose River players- The Wiz, Kendra, Steve, Bossch, Nick and Jean Paul. Shea also plays another online game, Mystic Revolution (check the site out to see her adventures in that game). Shea’s ex-boyfriend Jeff makes some awkward reappearances. Maybe. |
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Emo Kim Twenty-something Korean emo boy. He loves to hate his life and cry a lot. Listens to Alkaline Trio and My Chemical Romance or whatever else emo boys listen to. What probably started it was that his name means “aunt” in Korean, while he is most certainly a boy. Currently employed in the Photo department at Red’s Mart, and sending more time than he should thinking about his ex-girlfriend Claire. |
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Betty Wilson Anne’s mother. Works two jobs; a hospital assistant at St. Red’s Medical Center and a waitress at Red’s Diner. Went through three husband, but still hopelessly in love with her second husband and Anne’s father, Michel, who is currently living in a commune with his boyfriend, Marshall. Betty really doesn’t get along well with Anne… although it’s to be seen if this can be amended. Currently not looking for another man (working a lot keeps her mind off the loneliness), but things could change. In fact, a boy Betty used to torment in high school, Jorge Wilkins, recently reentered into her life. In the forty years since graduation, Jorge became a billionaire and CEO of a powerful corporation. Jorge also seems to have forgotten all the bullshit Betty put him through because now he’s taken an active interest in courting her. Now I wonder where THIS will go? Betty favorite hobby is pining about her more glorious years: high school. She was class president of the student council every year, got stright A’s, was valedictorian of her senior class as well as homecoming AND Senior prom queen. Betty’s first husband, Greg Lance, was the homecoming and Senior prom king alongside Betty, as well as captain of the high school varsity football team. Betty was part of the high school elite, she even continues to have regular dinners with four of her closest high school friends. But because of her elite status, it almost seems fitting and fair to see her fail so many times since graduating high school. … Or is it fair? I dunno. Betty’s legal name is “Betty Wilson”, she changed it back to her birth name divorcing her third husband. After her first marriage, she became Betty Wilson-Lance; she appended her last name because “Betty Wilson” still had some power in her time, but she also wanted to show off that she was married to Greg Lance. Greg had some apprehension with the idea (he wanted her to be “Betty Lance”), and so that was just one more thing which lead to their eventual divorce. After marrying her second husband, Michel Amoureux, she was so enthralled by him that she decided to rename herself “Betty Amoureux”. But after having her heart so thoroughly shattered once she found out that Michel was having an affair with another gay man, she almost immediately remarried to her third husband, Jeffrey Pavlin, and renamed herself “Betty Pavlin” just as quickly, all in an effort to distance herself from the hurt than the memory of Michel brings to her. Unfortunately she immediately realized that that marriage was a mistake, and changed her name back to “Betty Wilson” right after her divorce. At this point, technically she would be “Betty Wilson Lance Amoureux Pavlin”; this idea pretty much convinced her to go back to her old name. That, and it’s also one of the last things of her former glory that she can keep in her life. |
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Navy Chang Another one of Shea’s Skyhowl Legacy gamer friends. Likes to smoke a lot of everything that can be smoked; currently she’s nursing the same heroin addiction Shea has. Hangs out with a lot of questionable and seedy people. Nth generation descendant of Chinese gold miners who first came to the area. Most of her family lives in Chinese Camp, California (naturally). Navy wants to be a lawyer, doctor or something else important just about as much as her mother, but Navy keeps dropping out of community college. She’s currently going out with a boy named Takashi, but they’re kinda on-again-off-again. I guess she just kinda keeps him around. Incidentally, Emo lost his virginity to Navy. |
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Thaddeus Guyy Some time ago Thad moved away from Moose River to go to college in Lodi. Thad recently returned to Moose River to try to make a new start on life, coincidentally on the same train Avery was on. Avery, Emo and Thad eventually hit it off really well and now work together at Red’s Mart. Despite Thad’s quick wit and instant lovability, he is somewhat reluctant to go to the many Red’s Mart parties and socialize. Thad is also a virgin, and although he would love to break his twenty-something year sexless drought, he’s really saving himself for someone special. I wonder who he has in mind? Fortunately for Thad, both Avery and Emo want to help him break out of his shell. What great friends! |
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Claire Brady Emo’s ex-girlfriend and Red’s Mart employee. Fortunately she works in the pharmacy and therefore remains largely out of Emo’s sight… all the better for Emo not to be reminded of what he doesn’t have. In spite of that, Emo still thinks about her and sees her even though she’s not there. It’s not yet known if he’s doing it consciously or unconsciously, but maybe the next entry will explain a bit more. We don’t know why they broke up yet, but Emo blames himself for being too much of a typical male. |
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Claire Brady (Esper) A version of Claire which exists within Emo’s heart, in the form of who she was when they were dating. Sometimes she acts as an evil version of Claire which does things just to spite Emo, and sometimes she acts as his best friend and ally and helps him make sense of things. |
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Brian One of Shea’s Skyhowl Legacy gamer friends. Also works at the pet cemetary with Shea. Almost 18 years old. Almost. Shea is in love with him, but I dunno what Shea sees in him. He’s really young, kinda immature, and is actually interested in someone who isn’t Shea. |
| Mog and Lars Two local wisemen who hang out at the local coffee shop, Cafémon. Into politics and explaining the Indonesian economic crisis. |
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| Brett & Jason Avery’s roommates. Nobody too important, but who knows what’s in store for them? |
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| Dan Dan is known to many of her Reds Mart coworkers (as well as their friends) to put on some of the best parties anyone’s ever been to. In fact, they’ve been so consistently good that they are pretty much each known by name; Danstock VI and Saint Dan’s Day are probably the best remembered. This is largely because her house has enough rooms so that anyone can do pretty much anything at her place. Wink wink nudge nudge. As much as she enjoys it though, she sometimes wonders if people go to her parties for her, or for the free keg of beer. |
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| Evelyn Currently very cute and desirable by men. Currently 23 years old. Currently a virgin. Currently dating Avery. Let’s see what happens with them…. |
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| Jean One of the many drug dealers the Moose River krew buys their shit from. Jean in particular deals in jopes (opium, heroin). |
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| Michel & Marshall Michel Amoureux is Anne’s father and ex-husband to Betty Wilson. Michel and Betty got a divorce after Michel came out of the closet, and now he is romantically involved with Marshall. The two currently live in an all-male commune in Oregon. I don’t think we’ll be seeing much more of them. |
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| Takashi Navy’s Japanese boyfriend. Nothing else to know, other than he helps round out the Asian characters in this story. |
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| Jorge Wilkins Old classmate of Betty’s who made it BIG. He’s the CEO and President of Durochi Systems, which is one of the nation’s largest tech and industrial giants. He was humiliated by Betty and her friends back in high school, but that all seems to be water under the bridge because he just proposed to Betty with a huge fuggin’ diamond ring. Ah, true love… |
As I mentioned, this story really doesn’t have a main character. But it’s obvious that this story focuses on some more than others. If I had to say who would be the main character(s), it would have to be Anne, Avery, Shea, Emo and Betty. That is to say, everything in the story happens to those five. If something happens somewhere but not to them or affect them in any significant way, then it’s not shown in the story; a hamburger that Emo eats is more important to the story than news about the cure for cancer. We also see a lot of Navy, but she’s more of the main supporting character if anything.
To put it more mathematically, the total number of pages that these five main characters appear in is equal to the number of pages of the entire story. If you switch out any of the main characters with a secondary character, the total number of pages that those four main characters and one secondary character are in will be less than the total number of pages in the entire story. Just look in the sidebar under “Categories” for what I mean: the number of Main Character and Moose River pages are equal, while there are less pages of all the Minor Characters combined.
Hopefully this clears some stuff up for you.