Meet the Characters
Dawn Taylor
Dawn Taylor
Dawn is unwillingly thrust into the job of paying for her family, as her husband refuses to take much responsibility. She used to work for Airtran Airlines in food service but since Airtran went out of business some years ago, she has not worked in the industry. Recently she discovered an online app that helps generate some extra income. With her husband contributing little, she has become the primary earner and been working hard to bring in the dollars for her family.
John Wu
John Wu is clumsy and a bit nervous. He has difficulty with some tasks, and has had a hard time keeping a job. Usually he is lucid. Sometimes neighbors who don’t know him call the police. But overall John Wu is a gentle soul who does no one any harm. He spends most of the day walking around aimlessly.
June Wu
June Wu is very industrious. She always takes care of her neighbors and picks up after people. She is selfless and hardworking. She is the only caregiver for her schizophrenic son who is a huge burden. She never complains. She has money to pay her mortgage from renting the illegal apartment in her house to college students Dave and Logan.
Fred Taylor
Fred is an unemployed father doing double duty as primary caregiver to his and Dawn's three awesome children. Sometimes a little paranoid from smoking pot. Sometimes aloof. Often unaware of his surroundings. Fred used to work as a programmer of bank software. He was really good at it and enjoyed the work. When he was laid off, Fred wanted to take a break from programming but then never really got started again. His wife pressured him to go back to work but his efforts backfired as he ended up insulting his friends– professionals, lawyers and other programmers. They don’t talk so much any more.
Rob and Bill
Rob and Bill are a young gay couple. Bill is very well paid because he works in a hospital as an RN. Rob comes from a wealthy family and doesn’t work. Overall, Rob and Bill are happy because they are have time, money and no real problems.
Rob can be jealous of Bill. But Bill really loves Rob and dotes on him so Rob gets over it. Bill likes talking to people, including strangers, charming them. But once a while, Bill gets frustrated because he ends up doing all the work. Not only at the hospital but also all the work at home like dishes and taking care of the dogs. Even on vacation, Bill is the one organizing and planning, figuring out where to go and what to see and what to buy, while Rob is more distracted and carefree.
Alice
Alice is an elderly spinster. Genuine but a bit frivolous. She spends a lot of time looking in the mirror at herself, inspecting and remembering. She does everything she can to take care of her looks. And it shows. Alice is especially proud of her legs, which look as good as ever. She keeps extra stockings in her purse in case there is a run. Some years ago after her husband died, Alice took on a woman to clean the house. It's the biggest house on the block but even so there isn’t much to clean. Alice really likes the company and so her cleaning woman Teresa has become a home help aid.
Teresa
Teresa is a caregiver, has cats and is single. She has a few friends but generally her work is her life. She would like to go out more and would like to be in a relationship. She thinks often of leaving Alice’s service but is attached to Alice in spite of herself. And she knows that she is the only one who could possibly put up with the old lady and has come to find some of her quirks amusing.
Tanijah
Tanijah is an entrepreneur and restaurant owner. She is going to night school for a degree in restaurants and hospitality. In the meantime she is working hard cleaning and doing other small other jobs but still doesn’t seem to be getting ahead. She has no car and has to take city buses to get around. She really loves people and will spend an hour with a stranger in a conversation. Having fun is endemic for Tanijah who is a truly joyous person. Her sister has six kids she loves. She really wants to see the kids but often just can’t seem to get time.
Dale
Dale believes in self-determination and independence. He raises dogs for money. He has a gun collection. He takes politics very seriously and is worried about the government and the national debt. Neighbors know not to step on his grass because he has been known to report this to the neighborhood organizations. Once some teenagers sat on his carefully cleaned car and he sat out on his porch every night for a month with a loaded shotgun. Now all the kids are afraid of him.
Nancy
Nancy is extremely positive and motivated. She is Catholic and has strong religious values that she cares about communicating. Nancy believes these values are shared by most Americans and is on a patriotic mission to see that they are implemented into policy and law. She is a rising star in the local Republican party, and often gets her husband Dale to help out at events.
Caleb, Madison and Brittany
The kids have unique personalities but usually do things together. Caleb enjoys showing off. Madison and Brittany are phone-obsessed. They are always on social media and doing things only to have them captured on camera and posted to tiktok. They live online and will often huddle around the one phone they share, as if it was a campfire keeping them alive. They are sometimes oblivious to anything going on around them in the real world. They admire internet memes like “planking,” or death defying dares.
Dave and Logan
Dave and Logan have different personalities but generally do things together. They are both college students who don’t take college work very seriously. Yet. They pay for college by a combination of parents’ money and personal loans which they do not believe they will ever be able to pay back so they are a bit nihilistic and fatalistic. They are also skeptical of the US and the electoral process because they believe that the US is falling apart. All money has already been made, all land taken. There isn’t a lot they can do about it, so they are vaguely resentful. They aspire to have girlfriends but sometimes are too lazy to go out.
Rajiv
Rajiv was investigating a case when he ran into Alice and Teresa on the way to the hair salon. Alice liked him so much that when she heard he was looking for an apartment, she offered him a room in her own house. Rajiv is always very polite. He is very calm and level-headed under pressure and committed to his community. Rajiv enjoys structure and likes to be home every night in time to make dinner.