Full Name: Gregori Andrew Rushenko
Birthdate: 18th October 1976
Occupation: Owner of Chocolaterie Rushenko on Vine Square
Apartment Number: 10190
PB: Steve Bacic
Bio:

Gregori was born in Portland, Oregon one dark and stormy night, which prompted his father to suggest his name. His mother was in the Peace Corps and went to Russia to assist with some problems there, returning six months later with her husband, Nicolai Rushenko. Gregori arrived about eight months later, prompting some speculation, but his mother was a very strong minded woman and it is now popular belief that he was merely a little premature... at birth that is! He grew up in Portland, attending schools there and falling in love with cooking thanks to his father's appreciation of his mother's cooking, and a crush on the cooking teacher in junior high. He made her chocolates and fell in love all over again, with chocolate this time! He attended the Culinary Institute of America where he came top of his year, closely followed by Emily Brandon, they had an on off flirt but no further romance. After graduation, they just disappeared from each other's lives, and got on with their careers. Gregori got a break into TV production by joining a TV cooking show as a prep cook, and from there went on to produce shows himself. In the current economic climate however he is 'downsizing' his lifestyle and moving to the City where he has leased a shop and is going back to his favourite passion - chocolate.

Gregori handmakes chocolate sculptures as table centrepieces, creates chocolates for the discerning client, in many different flavours and styles, and of course, he does Easter Eggs, Christmas decorations, and gift baskets where you can actually eat the basket too! From coffee creams to fondant surprises, turkish delight, rum and raisin truffles, if you can combine it with chocolate, Gregori can make it for you. Including a delightful line in chocolate liqueurs, alcoholic chocolate in both single sweets and bars, and variously flavoured mixes for chocolate fondues and fountains.

Eating Chocolate? Drinking Chocolate? Thinking Chocolate? Think Chocolaterie Rushenko on Vine Square!

Gregori remains single, although his playboy 'lifestyle of the rich and famous' is vastly overrated and he prefers an evening in with a bowl of chocolate to night clubbing or bar hopping. He can, however, drink alcohol like it was water and still walk home. His father was slow to learn English, so Gregori is bilingual in Russian and English, and still speaks with a russian accent which he often accentuates with the ladies, and it goes well with his smouldering dark looks.

Full Name: Cleo Angelina Maria Gonzalez
Birthdate: 4th September 1990
Occupation: Student at Rutherford College - Business Studies
Apartment Number: 229
PB: Masiela Lusha
Bio:

Perhaps fittingly she was indeed "born in the wagon of a travelling show", but Cleo doesn't remember much about that. Her mother died giving birth to Cleo, and her sister Estrella raised her from then on with a little help from a woman Cleo only vaguely remembers as "Tia Carla". Then came Olly, and schools in the USA and Switzerland, but always Olly was there even when Estrella, who Cleo learned to call Jazz, was absent. in Switzerland, where Jazz was so seldom around, Cleo really began to blossom, although Olly was a bit dour and definitely no fun at all to begin with, she frequently teased him into doing crazy things... like skiing, ice skating, tobogganing, climbing, horse riding, teaching her to ride a bike, then drive. He also insisted she learn to dance, ballroom, latin, ballet and tap, took gymnastics classes, and learned basic self-defence, along with the schools advanced educational programme.

Cleo can play guitar (very badly), piano (surprisingly not that badly), and of course she can speak Spanish, French, German, Italian and English, all mostly fluently. She decided when school was over in Switzerland, that instead of studying at a European Baccalaureate University, she wanted to be with Jazz in America, and wheedled and whined, and moved herself without permission, until Jazz said yes. Persistence is another one of Cleo's traits that people tend to overlook, but she wants them to, putting on an airy headed social butterfly persona that hides a determined young woman full of ambition and drive. She likes pink, lime green, silver, glitter, fashion and celebrity glamour and gossip, appears to have not a single serious thought, and flits about very much like she owns the world. One day she might! She's currently studying Business Management and Economics at Rutherford, with a view to making some serious money in the not too distant future. She's been dependant for far too long in her opinion, and also works part time at the Chocolaterie Rushenko on Vine Square, as well as assisting in language classes at Rutherford as a teaching aide.

Her musical tastes are varied, from classical spanish guitar, right through to modern rap and hip hop styles, although she does seem to have a lingering fascination with traditional jazz and latin music (how surprising)... Olly is probably to blame for the jazz, he played it a lot when she was growing up. She enjoys reading news papers (where nobody can see her do it - because hello, business pages do NOT fit with her image!) and sneakily does the odd sudoku there, or on her phone, but she also sews her own clothes to adapt them to her style, cooks to a high standard (unlike her sister who would probably starve if she moved out), and understands the art of conversation and flirting as if they were instincts everyone should have. She drives a pink Barbie Beetle which Jazz and Olly bought for her birthday and adores it utterly, even down to secretly taking lessons in basic car maintenance. Well, you never do know do you?

*** Disclaimer: This journal has been set up for the express purpose of playing Morningstar Manor. It is not intended to bear any resemblance to any person living or dead. I am simply borrowing the face of Masiela Lusha, I promise not to injure her or anything. ***

Full Name: Melissa Jane Franklin
Date of Birth: 24th April 1979
Occupation: Morningstar Maid
Apartment Number: Lobby C
PB: Jayma Mays
Bio:

Melissa Jane had been a happy child, the daughter of Phoebe and Ralph Franklin, with an older brother, Stephen. Their San Diego home was always filled with laughter and happiness for as long as Melissa could remember. When Stephen went to college he met John Anderson, and Melissa fell hopelessly for the well-built, and attractive blonde. However, after she graduated High School, and married John, he didn't want her going to college, and after the deaths of her parents a few months later he systematically set about breaking her, while using her inheritance money for his own ends. After the loss of her baby through a miscarriage, caused by John pushing her down the stairs, Melissa became convinced he would kill her, and ran away from her husband in the early summer of 2007. She headed south initially, selling his expensive car for cash, and buying a second hand car using her middle name of Jane and her maiden name of Franklin (which she has used ever since). She crossed into Mexico and sold that car, took a bus to a neighbouring town, bought a battered Station Wagon, and then drove East and North, back into the States. Sleeping mostly in the car, working the odd day here and there as a waitress, or chambermaid for a motel, she arrived in the City in late September of that year. Living on the run she still managed to get a job at the Manor as a maid, with some considerations for her need to remain invisible from her husband, who had been consistently abusive, both physically and mentally for all the several years of their marriage.

After the breakdown of the Tenant Elevators, she couldn't stay very well hidden as the tenants were using the staff elevators, and having taken on a couple of apartments as well as the general area cleaning she met a number of the tenants, and made some actual friends. She still has bad moments, when she can't look at anything but the floor, still shudders when she hears the name Melissa, and is rather nervous around large blonde men or big groups of people, but in general Jane is beginning to recover from everything she's been through. Initially she was assisted most by Sam Quaid and Shila Zalack, and once her divorce was through she also made friends with Jazz Gonzalez, her sister Cleo, and a few other people too. Gradually she is coming out of her shell and developing a little more self-confidence, doing new things, and having fun!

Currently Jane is studying Interior Design at Rutherford as evening classes, and working as assistant manager in the daycare centre at the Manor. She enjoys baking cakes and cookies, much to the children's delight, and has developed a slowly growing relationship with Memphis Raines (who epitomises BIG and MALE, but for some reason isn't scary). She enjoys cooking for him and Travis, and has learned to relax around them and their teasing.

*** Disclaimer***
Jayma Mays is a very lovely and independant lady all of her ownself. I just, borrowed her face to play Morningstar Manor, and I promise not to damage it.

Full Name: Spencer John Michaels
Birthdate: Sept 9th 1982
Occupation: Store Manager at Michaels Bros Dept Store
Apartment Number: 8150
PB: Leonardo di Caprio
Bio:

Spencer is the Store Manager at the Michaels Brothers store in the City which opened in September of 2007. He got the apartment (#8150) at the Manor in February of that year, because his uncle Richard put his name down, knowing that Spencer was going to be the Store Manager, and as Richard pointed out, he needed to live somewhere while building the store, and it is the most prestigious address in the City. Richard said it was good to get into the Manor, despite all the rumours about the building and 'strangely lucky tenants'. Spencer doesn't believe much in luck, preferring to make his own, but at 6'1", and being a blue-eyed blonde, he doesn't normally need to work that hard at being lucky, at least with women.

He's hoping this job with the family firm, which he is fairly confident his family are still sure he will fail at, will be his chance to show them all that really he can do it. He'd been after a Store Manager's position for a while, having worked his way up from shelf-stacking in High School, through checkouts, and department supervisors in college, without making much in the way of effort. Then again, he never worked that hard in high school, or college, and still graduated with honours. He's had a string of casual affairs, nothing ever serious, he's too aware that there is a lot of money behind him, and just suspicious enough to believe it could all be about that, not him. An impression his father has always been quick to reinforce. His mother however was keen on him marrying to provide her with yet more grandchildren (his brother John already gave her three), and interfered mercilessly when he admitted he was dating someone.

Luckily Roxy stood up to all of that and married him anyway, moving into his apartment, which they now share with two cats, Indigo and Duchess, both Russian Blue pedigree, Duchess being Indigo's daughter from his last stud job Indigo is now retired (and neutered). Spencer works out regularly, swims, runs, and is mostly vegetarian, although he does like the occasional meat dinner.

====

Michaels Bros Floor Plan:

The store takes up a whole block, so yes, it's big.

Sub Level Two: Customer and Staff Parking

Sub Level One: Loading Bay and Delivery Van Garage, Collection Point, Customer Parking.

Ground floor: Grocery, Coffee shop, and the books/CD/DVD/magazine section.

1st floor: Ladies wear, including lingerie, some fashion concessions, shoes, everything she might wear. Fitting Rooms with coffee and sofas, Jewellery Department, oh, and the customer services department.

2nd floor: Mens wear, kind of as the first floor, anything he might wear, it's here. Menswear concessions, and a Travel Agency concession.

3rd floor: Children's wear, toys, a crèche facility, baby department (includes baby furnishings, clothes, equipment etc.)

4th floor: Furniture, housewares, fabrics, and a Feng Shui consultant. Plus, Sporting goods like sports equipment (clothes will be in the relevant wear departments)

5th floor: Electronics and white goods. There are plenty of those now, including gaming consoles, projector TV's, stereo's, if it plugs in, or needs charging? It's here. Including telecommunications and computing equipment.

6th floor: Toiletries, mens and women's, perfumerie, cosmetics, includes a hairdressing concession, and a beauty parlour.

7th floor: The rooftop spa and restaurant. The spa includes treatment rooms for a wide variety of treatments, steam rooms, saunas, and has a plunge pool. Open air rooftop terrace seating is accessed through the dining area. These are part of the in-store restaurant, which cooks to order healthy food, as well as offering a full range of snacks and 'quick meals' for all appetites.

*** Disclaimer: This journal has been set up for the express purpose of playing Morningstar Manor. It is not intended to bear any resemblance to any person living or dead. I am simply borrowing the face of Leonardo Di Caprio, I promise not to damage it. ***

Full Name: Icene Callan
Date of Birth: Jan 8th 1974
Occupation: CSI with City PD, Ballistics Expert
Apartment Number: 584
PB: Emily Proctor
Bio:

Icene is a 5'8" green eyed blonde, with a curvy but slim figure. Customarily she wears black, and her hair is tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of her way. Working as the Supervisor for the Day shift at the City's CSI Labs Icene works closely with the police and fire services, as well as the City Morgues. She's a ballistics specialist, having gained two degrees, one in Physics, and the second in Forensic Science.

Icene's mother had a breakdown after the birth of her second child, Icene's brother Masai. Icene was five at the time, and wound up taking on more and more of the household responsibilities as she and Masai grew up. Icene became cold and emotionless during that time, suppressing and blocking her emotions, which led to her nicknames at school being "Icey" and, by the time she reached college "The Ice Queen". However, Icene's mother began to recover when Icene was about fourteen, although by then the damage was done, Icene no longer felt anything emotional, she was constantly either studying, or working on the house, or looking after Masai. Her childhood was over. She became proficient with a gun, learned self-defence, and worked hard at her studies to get herself through college. She couldn't have done it without scholarships as her family are not that wealthy after her mother's protracted illness. She struggled to develop friendships though, and failed miserably at dating and having any kind of sexual relationship, which only added to her "Ice Queen" status.

After qualifying from college, Icene joined the NOPD's CSI department, advancing through the ranks rapidly, including a secondment to the FBI for a case in neighbouring Georgia. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the house she had been buying, and using insurance money Icene decided to move to the City. Two years later she was promoted to her current job as Shift Supervisor (Days) and decided to get a better quality apartment. Despite the rumours, Icene moved into the Manor in May of 2007, since when she's made several startling discoveries. Firstly, she can feel, having fallen for and subsequently moved in with, one Adam McClaren, the breaching of her emotional walls has also released her Cryokinetic ability. Following this discovery, and some emotional fallout, Icene overused the ability to express her emotions, and temporarily burned herself out. These days she has much better control, and rarely exhibits her strange ability unless it's truly necessary.

*** DISCLAIMER - This journal has been created for the express purpose of playing Morningstar Manor RPG. Emily Proctor is gorgeous, but she's not me, and I promise not to hurt her.***

Full Name: Emma Rebecca Brooks
Birthdate: 14th July 1990
Occupation: Student at Rutherford College
Apartment Number: 113
PB: Vanessa Lengies
Bio:

Emma is a very mature for her age young woman, having lost her mother to cancer in Sept 2005, then found her father (who'd hung himself in their hallway) just a couple of months later. Understandably troubled by these two catastrophic events, she didn't do well in the UK's social care system, winding up at Oakdale in the summer of 2006, having run out of options to go anywhere else. A couple of months later, acting on the recommendation of the Home's Manager, Ang arrived and whisked Emma off to the City in the September of 2006.

Initially uncomfortable, Emma soon settled in, finding her feet at Andover High. Her grades improved, and she made a few friends, including a ghost, and even learned to dance. She now considers Ang and Alec as her parents, although she refuses to call them Mum and Dad. Since arriving in the US, she's passed her driving test and been bought a car, and has started dating.She graduated Andover a year early and was accepted to Rutherford on their Arts Programme, a dedicated programme with additional credit classes as standard.

Emma considers herself short at only 5'2", has dark brown shoulder length hair, and brown eyes. Her Italian heritage shows through in her habit of gesturing as she talks, although she does not speak Italian. She is the owner of Lily, and the 'caretaker' for Mr Cat. Her hobbies are centred around art, and she draws and sketches at every opportunity, as well as experimenting with photography.

Emma likes most modern music, TV and films, she is not into baseball however! She does swim, play volleyball, and loves racing round the gardens with Lily when she gets a break from studying and housework. She also has a part time job in the Gallery 290 working for Charlie Shaw and the collective (she is so going to start calling them the Borg!).

*** Disclaimer ***
Emma Brooks, is a character created for the Morningstar Manor RPG. She is played By Vanessa Lengies, and icons are credited where needed.

Full Name: Anghara Reyes (nee Llewelyn)
Birthdate: 8th June 1970
Occupation: Psychotherapeutic counselling, children's specialist.
Apartment Number: 8160
PB: Marcia Cross
Bio:

Anghara was born in 1970, in a little town outside of London, England; a quiet, nondescript commuter dormitory type town, of which there are so many. Ang's parents died in a car crash when she was just fourteen, her mother was pregnant at the time, with a brother for Ang who never lived. Various relationships and one serious break up sent her across the pond in her then employ of a major shipping multinational, but she has since left that job and struck out on her own as a licensed and soon to be practising psychotherapeutic counsellor. She has always been interested in children, so specialised in helping them with their issues, although she can also take on adult clients..

She resides in apartment 8160 of Morningstar Manor with her husband Alec Reyes, their son Gavin Sanderson Reyes, and is currently expecting their second child. Ang became the legal guardian of Emma Brooks (apt 113) in September of 2006, bringing her from Oakdale, one of the children's homes she set up in the UK to the City. From having no family of her own since her parents died, Ang is now blissfully happy having Alec and Emma in her life, as well as the two dogs, Alec's Faith and Emma's Lily, not to mention Emma's 'Mr Cat' (also known as Palug). Quite often her name is shortened to Ang, but she will never answer to "Angie" or any other variants.

Anghara's hobbies include reading, cross-stitching, cooking, and since she met Alec, Baseball. Of course she supports the New York Yankees, how could she not when Alec is such a big fan! Ang's favourite clothes were her corsets, but since Gavin and not going back to work, those have been mostly relegated to the closet. These corsets are a hangover from her days when BDSM was a guiding factor in her life, Ang having chosen the submissive path. Since getting together with Alec though, that part of her life, including her bisexuality, has become less and less of a need and more of a memory, although she still has her moments. These days she lives in comfier clothes too, jeans, leggings, skirts, tee-shirts and smarter tops, but she still loves to dress up when the chance arises!

Musically Ang likes almost everything from classical to heavy metal, via Jazz and easy listening, ballads and pop. She's never quite got on with punk or rap though. Normally if Ang hears a song she likes, she'll download it, as she doesn't have any particular artists she's a big fan of. She does have a sense of humour, and can be a wicked tease, but she tends to do that only with people she's very comfortable with.

Her favourite food is Italian, and she cooks a lot of pasta, although she also adores Chinese, and English Roast Dinners. If you ever dine at her table, do not expect to walk (or waddle) away anything less than utterly stuffed!

NB: Anghara Reyes (nee Llewellyn) is a character created expressly for the purpose of role playing in Morningstar Manor. She is not real, although I am, and although she is loosely (oh how very loosely) based on me, and what I want to be, neither of us is really Marcia Cross..... Sorry boys and girls :)