[Nathaniel Collins]

WELCOME TO LOS EUROSIA,

NATHANIEL LEE COLLINS

"Well, tell me do you think it'd be all right
If I could just crash here tonight?
You can see I'm in no shape for driving
And anyway, I've got no place to go"

BASICS

NAME: Nathaniel Lee Collins

AGE: 33
aged up: 34 (07/15/24)

BIRTHDATE: July 15th, 1990

PRONOUNS: he/him

SEXUALITY: pansexual

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: available

OCCUPATION:

Social worker/senior case manager - He works for the Los Eurosia Department of Children and Family Services as a social worker. He has made it to senior case manager, so he has his own case load plus he oversees a handful of subordinates and follows up on their cases as needed. His day to day involves driving around and conducting home visits, interviews with parents and children following reports received by the department, and occasionally removing children from their parents and placing them in foster care or group homes. He also has a lot of paperwork he has to both fill out and review.

NEIGHBORHOOD: The Heights

MEMBER GROUP: Human

THE LOOKS

HEIGHT: 6’1

WEIGHT: 190 (give or take)

HAIR COLOR: light brown

EYE COLOR: blue

FACE CLAIM: Scott Michael Foster

OVERALL APPEARANCE:

Nate is a gentle giant. He has light brown messy hair, usually kept at a medium length but sometimes he lets it grow almost chin length before cutting it. He has expressive blue eyes, a big easy smile, and he’s usually found with some light stubble or a closely cropped beard on his face. He has an athletic build, and he works out a couple times a week to keep healthy.

His usual style is laid back, business casual. Flannel shirts, t-shirts, jeans, khakis, leather or jean jackets, and sneakers make up the majority of what he wears. He cleans up nicely when necessary, and he takes pride in his appearance. When he has a reason to wear a suit or a dress shirt, he choses tailored pieces to ensure the perfect fit.

Even when he’s dressed casually, he never appears sloppy. There is thought and attention put into how he presents himself, especially at work. He doesn’t want to seem imposing or threatening, which he recognizes could occur easily due to his size, so he is careful of his mannerisms and body language.

INSIDE

LIKES:

Cooking - Nate’s sister taught him how to cook when he went to live with her. Nadia always put care into what she was making, and Nate does the same. He personally keeps a vegetarian diet (something else he picked up from his sister), but he will cook meat based dishes for people he really cares about if they want something specific.

Gardening - He grew used to helping Nadia in the community garden/small farm. He took for granted the ability to have fresh produce, mere steps away. While there isn’t much space for a proper garden in apartment living, he does keep a small herb garden on the balcony. He also keeps a few decorative potted plants around inside.

Physical affection - Hugs, a hand resting on a shoulder, leaning against (or vice versa), a high five or fist bump, or holding hands. Nate uses physical touch to express affection, whether romantic or just friendship. He is a touchy-feely kind of person.

Additional interests: He loves karaoke. He has a passion for travel and learning neat facts about the places he goes, whether it’s the history of a building or a local ghost story. He’d tell you NASCAR isn’t really his thing, but in the same breath he’ll also tell you that he roots for Denny Hamlin and can’t stand Kyle Larson. He enjoys hiking and camping.

DISLIKES:

Violence - Nate isn’t fond of confrontation in general, but he really hates violence. Hitting, restraining, or in any way physically harming another person is a no go for him. He isn’t likely to be friends with someone who gets into a lot of fights for no reason or has angry or violent outbursts on a regular basis.

Apathy - Nate cares deeply about people, animals, and the environment. He doesn’t demand that his friends and acquaintances believe the same as him, but he doesn’t like people who are just apathetic about everything. He doesn’t understand how anyone could just not care.

Organized religion - His parents were Catholics, and Nate spent his early years going to church with them every Sunday. He even attended a Catholic private school for almost all of elementary school. When he moved in with his sister, he learned that she was now practicing eclectic paganism, and believed more in nature and humanism than in the Almighty. He became interested, and did a lot of research on his own (with Nadia’s encouragement). This led Nate to really being agnostic, unable to really believe in a god or gods, but also unable to distinctly say he didn’t believe in a high power. However, what he really lost faith in during his research was modern organized religion. He thinks they are mostly a means to control people, and there is a lot of corruption and fraud happening behind the scenes. He would call himself a humanist. He believes in science and nature. He believes in doing his part to help other people for no reason other than it being the right thing to do.

Being intoxicated: Nate doesn’t tend to drink to excess because he doesn’t like the feeling of being out of control. A couple glasses of wine or a few beers is one thing, but he rarely drinks more than that. He also avoids hard drugs for the same reason.

Additional dislikes: While he likes hiking and being outdoors, Nate isn’t really sporty. He doesn’t like playing, but he’ll be enthusiastic from the sidelines. He doesn’t like being idle, there is always something he could be doing - whether that’s helping someone, working, or just making memories. He can relax, but being truly idle for too long makes him uncomfortable. He doesn’t like being alone, having never really been completely on his own before. He’s always lived with other people and is used to constantly being needed by and relying on others.

STRENGTHS:

Outgoing - Nate is not a shy person. He loves connecting with people, whether in a one on one setting or in large groups. He isn’t afraid to be the center of attention, and he’ll drag encourage others to shine alongside him.

Compassionate - He strives to put his best effort into making the world better. He feels deeply for the struggles people go through. He is an encouraging friend, and he doesn’t make snap judgements when someone messes up. He’s seen enough to know that nothing in this world is black and white, and he believes people usually have good reasons when they do something bad. He celebrates his loved ones successes, and he is there for them through failure and hard times.

Determined - When Nate sets his mind to doing something, there isn’t much that can stop him. He is never afraid to put in hard work, long hours, and dedication if he believes in what he’s doing. He isn’t easily discouraged by temporary setbacks.

WEAKNESSES:

Over compensates - While he isn’t afraid of attracting attention to himself, Nate cares deeply about what other people think of him. He puts more thought and effort into his appearance and impression than he’s willing to admit. When he feels self-conscious or uncomfortable, he’s likely to become more enthusiastic, even pushy at times, trying to drag others into his excitement.

Unhandy - He can change a tire or check the fluids in his car, but it takes time and effort that he feels are better used on other tasks, things that he’s better at. Anything complex? No. He’s not the one to fix a leaky sink or figure out what the knocking noise in the engine is. (He’ll point you to someone else who can help, though!)

Overly idealistic - He can easily get carried away when he’s talking about causes that he is passionate about. He has big opinions and beliefs, and he can be inflexible and uncompromising, even when brainstorming or when working together with someone who has differing views or opinions would be beneficial. Sometimes he loses sight of reality a bit. He gets caught up in the way he thinks it should be and forgets that he has to operate in the way that it is.

OVERALL PERSONALITY:

Nate is charismatic, friendly, and outgoing. He could be called the life of the party. He can usually be found with a huge grin and a warm hug for anyone willing to accept one. He will be your bestie, your biggest supporter and cheerleader, or your sounding board. He is compassionate, always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.

In all his enthusiasm, Nate has a tendency to overcompensate for his shortcomings. He takes great care to come across as confident and comfortable in his own skin, though those who are closest to him will notice cracks in the facade from time to time. He has a need for validation and attention. External affirmations that he’s doing good, that he has worth. Sometimes he buries his own need for validation by how intensely he cheers on those around him, supporting their ambitions and aspirations. Other times, he can be clingy or even pushy with the guise of being encouraging.

Boundaries are hard for Nate sometimes. He became accustomed to being around people who were very open and communicative. Usually he’s okay with acquaintances, remembering to be mindful of personal space, respecting their privacy, and asking permission before touching them. The closer he is to someone, the more likely he is to walk up and hug them or rub their shoulders without warning, or just generally be too close without realizing it.

Nate’s also the kind of friend who will check in frequently, whether it’s a text asking how you’re doing or just a meme that made him think of you, he’s very communicative with the people he cares about.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Astoria (Queens), NY

FAMILY:

Nathan Collins - deceased - father - human
Lydia Collins - deceased - mother - gifted with postcognition
Nadia Collins - 42yrs - sister - gifted with psychometry
Jeffrey Ayers - 44yrs - Nadia's boyfriend - human
Anthony Collins - deceased - paternal grandfather - human
Florence Collins - deceased - paternal grandmother - human
Adelia Rossi - 89yrs - maternal grandmother - gifted with clairvoyance and empathy
Lloyd Rossi - 90yrs - maternal grandfather - gifted with intuitive aptitude
Lori Russo - 68yrs - maternal aunt - gifted with empathy
Jess Russo - 37yrs - maternal cousin (Lori’s only child) - gifted with intuitive aptitude
Frankie Collins - 59yrs - paternal aunt - human

PETS:

Charlie - Almost 10 year old black schnauzer that he has shared custody of with Luck. The goodest boy. Extremely only slightly spoiled. Spends a good chunk of time with Nate, but Luck still checks on him and picks him up from time to time.

HISTORY:

Nate was born in New York and lived in the Queens neighborhood of Astoria. He has mixed emotions about his parents. He knew that they loved him, but they also had a lot of problems. His father was large, loud, and hard to ignore. His mother was no wilting flower. She stood her ground with her husband, and never hesitated to speak her mind. They argued frequently, and it wasn’t uncommon for it to turn physical between them, though they’d always make up before going to bed. Sometimes that meant staying up yelling at each other until the wee hours of the morning before they exhausted themselves and one of them backed down.

Nate relied on his older sister, Nadia, for most things that kids would rely on their parents for. She was always like a second mother to him, being nine years his senior. When she was only seventeen, she decided she couldn’t take it anymore and told their parents she was moving out. They didn’t try to stop her so she moved to Sandy Valley, Nevada with her boyfriend Jeff and his older brother.

Nadia and Jeff became involved with starting up an intentional community named Harmony Homestead. They had about eight community members in the beginning. Together, they purchased a ten acre plot of land. With connections they had and the starting members, they built a small housing complex with 12 units (each a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom with a small living area and kitchenette), a community room, a large shared kitchen, and a dining hall. They planted crops on half the property, kept a smaller garden for more varied and seasonal produce for the community to use, and put up a small store to sell crops, crafts, and whatever else they would end up producing. Not long after getting settled, they also added a small barn with a few cows, goats, and dozens of free roam chickens so they would have fresh dairy and eggs. What they couldn’t use up, they would sell at their shop.

It was clear that Nadia was happy. She loved being a part of something. She had a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. But Nathan and Lydia didn’t get it. They called it a cult and would often call her and ask her to come back, telling her Nate missed her and was acting out. Which wasn’t entirely a lie. Nate did miss his older sister. However, any acting out was simply him learning to be responsible for himself after relying on Nadia for the first eight years of his life.

When Nate was only eleven and Nadia twenty, their lives changed. Nathan and Lydia were in Manhattan for some work function of Nathan’s. From the story Nate was told, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up both getting shot. There were other rumors that Nate has heard over the years from family members, like his father being involved in the mob or something happening with his mother’s gift, but he doesn’t like to dwell on it. His parents were gone, it didn’t matter why. It wouldn’t make it better even if he knew the reason, so he just avoided asking about it.

While they were trying to figure out what to do with him, Nate bounced around with extended family members who lived in the area until Nadia stepped up and said she was going to bring him to live with her. She flew back for the funerals, and stayed long enough to pack up their family house before taking Nate back with her to Harmony.

For the first few months, Nate felt like an outsider. He was moody and didn’t want to talk to anyone. Eventually, Nadia sat him down and explained that it was okay for him to be feeling upset and confused, but what he couldn’t do was take those feelings out on the people around him. She taught Nate to have compassion and empathy for other people, and to stand up for himself and his beliefs. Once he settled in, he felt like Harmony was the best place he could have ended up. He was grateful for Nadia, and for the other residents who showed him patience, grace, and kindness. As he hit his teen years, Nadia allowed Nate to make most of his own choices, to explore who he was without much intervention. He had chores and responsibility as a resident of Harmony, but he also had a lot of freedom at a young age.

Nate thrived in public school in Sandy Valley. He made friends. He went to dances. He joined clubs. He was never one to play sports, but he went to most of the football games. He earned scholarships, and decided he wanted to go to college and study sociology. He also figured out early that gender didn’t make a difference with who he was attracted to, but he never made a big deal out of telling Nadia. He just brought around whoever he happened to be seeing, and she treated each one of them the same. Nadia’s quiet, gentle acceptance of him had a profound impact on Nate. He appreciated the fact that he knew he could talk to her about anything, but that even without verbalizing everything she seemed to understand him, to see him for exactly who he was.

Nate was in town running errands for Nadia when he met Luck Harris. One thing led to another, and Nate invited Luck back to Harmony, and explained how the intentional community worked. It seemed like Luck fit in right away. He clicked in with the routine, with the people, especially with Nadia. Nate was busier than ever starting his senior year of college, but he made time to spend with Luck, he enjoyed getting to know him, even though they were nothing serious at the time.

After just a few months, Luck told them he was moving on. Of course, Nadia and Nate supported the decision. Nadia told him he’d better call all the time, that she’d adopted him as another little brother, whether he liked it or not. Nate found himself feeling gutted, like he was losing a best friend. Instead of expressing that, however, he just wished Luck well and echoed Nadia’s sentiment to stay in touch.

Through the rest of the year, Nate and Luck did stay in touch. Nate knew he was in Los Eurosia now, and as graduation loomed closer and he was looking at job prospects, he found himself checking the listings for social workers in Los Eurosia and the surrounding cities. He was worried that Luck would think it was too much, that he was being crazy or clingy, however it seemed like his fear was misplaced. Luck got a steady apartment in Los Eurosia, and by the time Nate had to make a decision on which job offer he was going to accept everything had fallen into place and he moved to California.

As he became established in his own career, Nate encouraged Luck and was excited for him with every success and new adventure. From lineman to Sector agent, it didn’t matter what he did as long as he was happy and fulfilled with his work.

Nate steadily made friends and connections in the social advocacy and political sphere. He began thinking about going into local politics, maybe starting with the county board of commissioners or even the state level senate or house of representatives. However, he worried that his ideas would be seen as too radical by the constituents. After growing up at Harmony, he was certain he’d be labeled as a socialist or even a communist, and he wouldn’t have the backing required to be successful. Instead of putting himself through that process, he refocused on his current career, and made it to senior case manager.

As they navigated life and all its ups and downs together, Nate and Luck seemed to become stronger together. They moved a few times, they both grew in their careers and as people. They supported each other. They fell into a routine. Every so often, they took trips - the destination less important than the experience they had. Nate fell in love with traveling, something he credited to Luck. He’d never have thought to go to Greece or Argentina if it hadn't been for Luck’s enthusiasm for adventure.

They brought out the best in each other for so many years. Until suddenly, it felt like everything was falling apart. Nate’s overzealous pushing encouragement of Luck to break out of his comfort zone, once perhaps endearing and appreciated, now seemed to cause nothing by irritation and annoyance. Tension rose between them, bickering and arguing became commonplace. Before long, even that stopped. The silent treatment was almost worse than the petty fights had been. Nate felt like they were pulling apart from each other, but he didn’t know how to fix it, how to fix them.

Nate started making excuses to stay out later and later. Burying himself in work, or meeting a friend for dinner because they were having a bad day and needed to talk to someone. Any excuse was enough, as long as it prolonged facing the reality that his life with Luck seemed to be falling apart.

Their final breaking point was one of those nights. Nate went out for a drink with his coworker and bestie, Kathleen, after work. She’d been going through her own rough time with her husband - they were arguing over what religion to raise their children. She needed to vent. It had been another bad morning at home for Nate and Luck, so when she mentioned grabbing a drink Nate jumped at the chance. If he’d gone home after one drink like he planned, maybe things would be different. But he didn’t. Kathleen left after a while, talked out and a little tipsy. Nate, not usually a heavy drinker, decided staying for another round was a good idea. It wasn’t long before he was joined by a stranger who was all too happy to listen to him, to say all the right things to stroke his desire for validation. Maybe it was just too many Mai Tais. Either way, Nate made one of his biggest mistakes with someone who didn’t matter.

He couldn’t keep it from Luck. There was no lying, not hiding that he’d fucked up. His conscience wouldn’t allow it. When he told Luck, that was it. There was nothing else to say. It was the final blow that brought their already shaky relationship to an end. Luck moved out, leaving Nate in their shared apartment, surrounded by memories and facing down a sense of loneliness he hadn't felt since Nadia first moved to Nevada when he was a little kid.

THE PLAYER

NAME: Aimee

AGE: 34

TIMEZONE: EST

Rinse & Mirror
Please forgive me for how long this ended up being.

[Rinse]

[attr="class","th th-flower-1-o"] ACCEPTED

A super great app/fantastic read and another lovely character! What else to expect from you, though, amirite? I love him already. <3

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