Phoebe Tillinghast
She/Her
26 years old
Violent
55 kg
Personality
Phoebe is outspoken, opinionated, and rarely subtle about either. She has a strong internal compass and little patience for dishonesty, especially her own. While “unstable” wouldn't be a far-off label, it is one she would consider insulting. During rehab and subsequent therapy, she was formally diagnosed with ADHD.
In casual, more public settings, Phoebe presents herself as relatively mellow. She describes herself as “chill,” and for the most part, she is more than approachable and conversational. She enjoys talking to people, exchanging stories, and forming quick connections. She loves to overshare. Trust, however, comes more slowly. While she may be quick to befriend someone, she is guarded about reliance and loyalty, shaped by years of instability and loss.
Phoebe’s trauma doesn't define how she treats people in everyday life. She is not cruel, nor does she seek out volatility, but she is quick to anger when pushed. Her humor runs dry and cynical, and when she feels talked down to or deliberately misunderstood, she can come across as smug or confrontational. That said, Phoebe does /not/ start fights. She finishes them only when necessary; as conflict typically tends to come to her when she refuses to soften her language or dilute her beliefs for the comfort of others.
All in all, bluntness is her default and her expectation. She values honesty over tact and has little patience and tolerance for beating around the proverbial bush. She calls people out on their bullshit, and she expects the same treatment in return. In her mind, accountability is mutual; if she is going to be held to her words and actions, others should be willing to stand by theirs as well.
Appearance
Phoebe stands at approximately five-foot-six (5'6", roughly 168 cm) with a build that reflects neither athletic prowess nor neglect, but rather an uneven maintenance of someone who has lived in extremes. Her dark brown hair is thick, naturally curly, and perpetually unruly, often worn loose or tied back. Her skin is fair and somewhat sickly. Scattered across her arms and torso are several tattoos; some pop-culture references, others filler florals, none entirely cohesive and all acquired at different points in her life.
Phoebe’s eyes are a vivid emerald green, sharp and expressive, though altered by years of substance abuse. She has developed hypertropia; meaning her right eye drifts slightly upward, particularly when she's tired or feeling a lot of emotion. The condition is noticeable but not disfiguring, lending her gaze an off-kilter intensity that can feel disarming, or unsettling, depending on the moment. She's a little self conscious about it to be honest!
Background
Phoebe Ann Tillinghast was born in Louisville, Kentucky, into a stable, middle-class family. From an early age, she showed an unusual aptitude for engineering. Otherwise she had a rather uneventful childhood. By her early teens, she had earned a quiet reputation within her family as their “little mechanic,” repairing appliances, rewiring lamps, and assisting with car issues; always under supervision of course. She's not Mr. Fantastic, but creativity and technical skill consistently ran side by side for her. She learned piano young and gravitated toward keyboards as they became more accessible in the early 1980s. Unlike engineering, music felt emotional and unstructured; an escape from logic rather than an extension of it. By high school, she was performing locally, writing songs, and experimenting with early synth setups she often modified herself. Despite this, she remained outwardly grounded: academically capable, largely well-behaved, and mindful of her family’s expectations and reputation.
That stability fractured in her late teens. Phoebe fell in with a reckless social circle that exposed her to drugs and minor criminal activity. During this period, she was wrongfully implicated in charges related to drug possession, theft, and assault. She faced court proceedings with a public defender and endured public scrutiny, even within her family. Though ultimately found not guilty and fully expunged after a probationary period, the experience left her deeply marked, internalizing shame and guilt. Afterward, she returned home and lived quietly with her parents for nearly a year, which turned out to be utterly defined by isolation, resentment, and an escalating need to get the /fuck/ away from her family.
Determined to reinvent herself, she left Knox County for college, enrolling in an engineering program. The decision reflected both her mechanical aptitude and her lingering desire for parental validation. She performed well academically and stayed longer than she originally planned, but never fully integrated socially, forming only a few like-minded friendships. During this time, she co-founded a garage band with a few close friends from campus. Those friends helped shape the band’s sound, and one woman taught her Spanish during long study nights and rehearsals. What began as a trauma-bound friendship with her eventually evolved into an unfortunate emotional codependence, and eventually, her first romantic relationship.
The band, Fatal Flaw, began as a creative outlet but quickly became central to Phoebe’s identity. She served as vocalist, keyboardist, and de facto roadie for local tours and gigs. Eventually, she and the band dropped out of college to pursue music full-time. As their regional reputation grew, so did her drug use. What started as occasional cocaine to stay energized escalated rapidly; before shows, after shows, on the road. Cocaine gave way to heroin, ecstasy, anything to maintain a buzz. The breaking point came backstage after a show in Los Angeles, when her girlfriend overdosed on heroin. Phoebe used with her for the first time and nearly died as well. Stagehands found them just in time... for Phoebe.
In the aftermath, her parents intervened, meeting her at the hospital and urging her into rehab. They promised financial aid and made it clear they wanted her alive above all else. Crushed by grief and guilt, she agreed. Rehab was fucking /brutal/. Withdrawal was constant, survivor’s guilt was inescapable, and the absence of music stripped her of her primary coping mechanism. She turned to traditional artwork as a controlled fallback and leaned into Spanish as a means of reinvention. In LA, a fluent white girl speaking Spanish barely registered as unusual, and she tried to build a new identity around that anonymity. That fragile reconstruction collapsed after her first relapse, when her parents cut her off. Her self-worth imploded, leading to another, harder relapse and another hospital stay. She was released in February 1993 under the blunt assessment: we can’t help you if you won’t help yourself.
That left her with little: limited resources, no plan, and parents who wouldn't return her calls. Back at square one, Phoebe attempted a last controlled escape. Using the remainder of the money her parents had given her; roughly half of $2,000; she purchased what she believed was an economy-class ticket aboard the Silver Meridian, a luxury cruise she’d heard about through her sponsor, Talia, who was planning a long-needed family vacation. Phoebe begged to come along, even offering to pay for their return plane tickets from Louisville, which she did.
Turns out, the ticket was a scam. Of course. By the time she realized it, the money was gone. Desperate, spiraling, and with no alternatives, Phoebe borrowed Talia's car, offering to drive it to LV and in turn refund the plane tickets. Using what little money remained from the refund, she set off to LV with everything she owned in the back of the car.
