TDP Characters | Scarlett Barnhill

This DIssonant Princess

Gemma

Spelling

LIkes:

Pink and Black
Stuffed Animals
Cello

disLIkes:

Her Mom
Church
Injustice

A hot mess and a half, Gemma Spelling loves music and has a questionable relationship with sobriety. She's fiery and quick to anger, but she's also creative and intensely empathetic when it comes to her friends and family. She's competitive, and she's great at funneling rage into artistic projects. This is going to take her far. Have a mental health crisis, fall in love, and land in Hollywood -- she has it all. She's been through a lot to get here, and she's not ready to give up yet.

Lysander

Brooks

LIkes:

Shakespeare
Records
70s Aesthetic

disLIkes:

Gender
Mental Illness
Foster System

With a bipolar diagnosis and an exquisite mullet, Lysander is a theater kid. They meet Gemma in the psych ward, but it's not the last place they see each other. Lysander has been through a dozen foster homes prior to our story, but this time around, they may have found a permanent home in Cindy Cutler, their new foster mom. They hope to become an author someday. Falling for Gemma was an unexpected turn of events.

Matt

Spelling

LIkes:

Prayer
Model Trains
His Children

disLIkes:

His Ex-Wife
Feeling Helpless
Family Estrangement

Upon divorcing Gemma's mother, Amanda, Matt Spelling has been in the midst of a crisis of faith, and in it, trades drinking for model trains and revisiting the dreams and regrets of his youth. He is still at odds with many members of his family, but he's committed to changing. He has joined a support group for Christian parents who want to support their queer kids, and that's not nothin'. Matt has a surprise artistic streak that manifests primarily in custom trains. He's on the path to self-discovery.

Garrett

Cutler

LIkes:

Captain America
His Husband
Drawing/Painting

disLIkes:

His Parents
Vaping
Eating Struggles

With his primary occupation being Captain America for events, mostly hospital events, Garrett is looking forward to a new future. He worries a lot about his siblings, especially Gemma, and he's trying to reconcile his father now with the father he had growing up. He and his sister share the same ED diagnosis. He's also known for helping give kids crash courses in drawing and painting, typically while still dressed in his famous Cap suit.

Evergreen

Cutler

LIkes:

Goofing Off
Being An Adult
Arts & Crafts

disLIkes:

Being An Adult
Capitalism
No Tattoo Money

Bouncing between odd jobs and being a house husband, Evergreen is a man of many talents. He's happily taken up cooking as another one of his hobbies. Welcoming Lysander as a younger sibling came without question, and sparked an interesting thought: Do I want to be someone's dad? Maybe!

Adrian

Valencia

LIkes:

Sanrio
Sports Anime
Theater

disLIkes:

Anxiety
Their Truck
Boys

Best friend to Gemma since they were in Kindergarten, Adrian is a gentle soul. They are the bug rescuing type, and end up sometimes as the designated Parent Friend. Their manga collection is truly impressive. Their local library and the school library are their safe havens. That said, they're not above being petty if the situation calls for it. A daydreamer, they have vague plans to go to college for a major they haven't decided, as long as it gets them out of Goodtown.

Kite

Beauregard

LIkes:

Dance/Tiktok
Their Mom
Ranching

disLIkes:

Bills
American Healthcare
Death

Their father lost to cancer and their mother struggling with chronic illness, Kite copes with learning viral dances and performing on their own terms. Losing their family's ranch to the bank devastated them, and they'll do anything to get it back. Between caring for their mother and working 50-60 hour weeks at the Steam Car Diner, they may be destined for burnout. Music feels like the only thing that helps.

Jamie

Valentine

LIkes:

Ballet/Dance
Cowboy Hats
Chili

disLIkes:

Feelings
His Hometown
Being Questioned

A smalltown Texan heartthrob, Jamie Valentine is the queer daydream collision of ballet dancer and football player. Until recently, Jamie was almost entirely closeted. He has a history of being unlucky in love, but he's so genial that you'd never guess. Being out is a blessing and the most difficult thing he's done. After being queer, the second most important part of his identity is being a country guy. He likes his glitter as much as he likes his worn-out cowboy boots.

Gary

Winkel

LIkes:

Singing/Performing
Tropical Print Shirts
Caring for Things, People and Animals

disLIkes:

Bland Food
Death
Queer Baiting

Being a queer man in the 1980s was no picnic, and Gary has seen it all. He lost his partner Tim Rodell in the AIDs epidemic. While Gary's parents largely disowned him, they forgot some paperwork. Upon their death, he inherited the family ranch in his hometown. He renamed it Rodell Ranch. Gary has been the angel on Jamie's shoulder since Jamie was a teenager, always looking out for him. He likes feeding people.

Annie

Spelling

LIkes:

Motorcycles
Her Wife
Knives

disLIkes:

The Dentist
Following Rules
Cheap Beer

The estranged sister to Matt and aunt to Gemma, Grayson, and Garrett, Annie came out as a lesbian and was disowned by her parents over twenty years ago. She moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start, and now owns a shop that does custom motorcycle builds. She has a wife, Thora, and a corgi, Felony. She has never met a food she won't try. She's read a lot of books about family and intergenerational trauma.

Grayson

Spelling

LIkes:

Video Games
His Girlfriend
Coding

disLIkes:

His Mom
Pastor Brett Haskins
Laundry

Having moved out of his hometown, Grayson has settled in Golden, CO, where he attends School of Mines. He makes money doing coding and website development, occasionally streaming video games with his girlfriend, Bea. Grayson spends a lot of his time worrying about his fractured family. He's grappling with an official depression diagnosis, and has yet to settle on a therapist he likes.

Bea(triz)

Melendez

LIkes:

Salt & Vinegar Chips
Video Games
Platform Boots

disLIkes:

Grayson's Mom
Pastor Brett Haskins
Being Ignored

A professional video game streamer, Bea Melendez is the goth girl Mom Friend of the century. She has an almost compulsive need to look out for others, perhaps to her own detriment. She likes fishnets and black lipstick as much as she does DND and LOTR. Though she sometimes misses her old home in Los Angeles, the state of Colorado has grown on her. She still hates snow.

Cindy

Cutler

LIkes:

Dachshunds
Tarot/Astrology
Collecting Wayward Youth

disLIkes:

Fluorescent Light
Injustice
Old Men in Charge

Mother to Evergreen and foster mom to Lysander, Cindy has found purpose in giving a home to those who need it. Her son may be a grownup (according to legend), but there are many other babies who need places to rest their heads. She will, of course, want to know your birthday, location of your birth, and time of birth. No reason. Just curious.

Melinda

Hill

LIkes:

Cats
Gardening
Her Children

disLIkes:

Prejudice
Invasive Species
Designer Clothes

Mother to five children, Melinda has been a widow for ten years. When her daughter Eva came out as trans to her, she left her church and founded a support group for Christian parents who love and support their LGBTQIA+ kids. One day, Matt Spelling wandered in, and she liked him immediately. She has seldom dated, but Melinda has very much changed her tune.