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ysabetwordsmithHere are the character notes for "People of Every Ethnic Persuasion" Part 2 Big Truck's Family.
Big Truck (Ben Williamson) -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short wavy brown hair with a faint scruff of mustache. He is tall but chunky. His heritage is American. He speaks English and Spanish. Ben's birthday is April 20, 1997 and his sun sign is Taurus. He is 19 years old in 2016.
Ben grew up in Stockton, California. He met Josie de Belle at San Francisco Swim Camp in the summer of 2011. They became friends, then started going to school events together. For summer of 2012, they attended a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp with watersports and other wilderness activities. That fall they started dating romantically on and off.
In summer of 2013, Ben attended a 2-month-long session at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults to learn life skills. After that, he started working at a used car lot washing the vehicles. Josie had her own activities that summer, so they didn't see each other much, and both hated it. So in fall of 2013, they went steady and started making out, though not yet having sex.
For summer of 2014, they attended a 1-month-long session in teen relationship skills at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults. After that, they started having sex. Ben also had a summer job scouting attractions around San Joaquin County for a travel agency. He began seriously saving money for later education, although he wasn't enthusiastic about college and was considering more practical options.
By fall of 2014, Ben and Josie were a serious couple, sexually active, using birth control pills. But when a water rescue left Josie with nasty scrapes, she needed antibiotics. That interfered with her birth control and caused an unplanned pregnancy. After a day or so of mutual panic, they decided that it's not such a big deal after all since they already planned to get married and make a family together. This just started it sooner.
So Ben and Josie quit high school, got a GED, and enrolled in adult-level classes on marriage skills and parenting. They applied for jobs, got married, and filed for early adulthood. Josie worked at the local swimming pool as an assistant and started lifeguard training. Ben started training as a commercial driver, working with a mentor at Haul Away Joe's, a shipping company that carried cargo between San Francisco and Santa Cruz on the coast through Stockton and Sacramento to Carson City or Hawthorne in Nevada. He began with local deliveries, then county, then intrastate.
Their daughter Posy was born on May 25, 2015. Josie was 16 and Ben was 18. In summer of 2015, Ben found a small 2-bedroom apartment in an old building that was still decent. He and Josie moved in together. On Monday, November 2, 2015, tule fog caused a big pileup near Stockton. Ben teleported himself, his mentor, the truck, and all its cargo to safety at Haul Away Joe's parking lot. Subsequently Ben gained a teleport mentor and began training his new skills. On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 the owner of Haul Away Joe's offered Ben a retention bonus as incentive to keep working there, inviting him to choose one from their best and newest trucks. Ben accepted and took the cape name Big Truck. He was learning to work as a cargo teleporter, and he found it easier to jump with a load in a truck than outside.
In spring of 2016, Ben started riding along with his mentor to Carson City and Hawthorne in Nevada. The first weekend of April 2016, the family went camping. Josie and Ben were delighted to find themselves pregnant again, with the new baby due on December 22, 2016. Then on Saturday May 28, 2016 at 4:00 PM, the Big One hit. Ben and Josie lost most of their belongings when their apartment building collapsed. He crammed as many survivors as he could into his truck and teleported them to an emergency station in Carson City, Nevada. On Thursday, June 2, 2016, Big Truck teleported 100 people in the trailer (including his parents and several members of Haul Away Joe's) and 12 pregnant women in the sleeper of his semitruck to Rutledge, Vermont. His family settled at Family Business Rest.
As a hobby, Ben enjoys watching and playing sports, although he isn't particularly good at it. He also likes wilderness activities, especially with his family. His limited education makes some people look down on him, particularly because he is a teen father, but he loves his family and wouldn't trade it for anything. This way he's free to keep his current work, which he also enjoys.
Origin: Ben was in training to become a commercial driver, hauling local loads with a mentor, when a tule fog caused a massive pileup. Just as they were about to crash into the pile of cars, Ben teleported them to safety -- truck and all.
Uniform: He prefers practical menswear, typically in shades of gray, white, and blue. That way he doesn't have to worry about anything matching, because it all does. He also likes T-shirts with fatherhood or trucking themes.
Qualities: Good (+2) Driver, Good (+2) Responsible, Good (+2) Stamina, Good (+2) Teen Father, Good (+2) Visual-Spatial Intelligence
Poor (-2) Limited Education
Powers: Expert (+4) Teleportation
His range is national, able to reach anywhere in the continental United States with one trip. His mass limit is currently around 80,000 pounds (40 tons) and his teleport mentor believes that could increase over time. Big Truck can make 11 fully-loaded trips per day comfortably, plus another 4 if he uses Hero Points to push his endurance. He can make considerably more trips with a lighter load and/or shorter distance. However, his emanata make the ride feel exactly like rattling around in a big truck, complete with shifting gears as he ramps up and then back down again. He is also one of the few teleporters with a perceptible travel time, about one minute per trip. With more mass, the ride gets somewhat smoother, so he prefers not to travel too lightly. The ride is tolerable around 25,000 pounds and better at 35,000 pounds, so he likes to teleport with his semitruck and its trailer. He can jump alone with no trouble, though; the minor instability comes from extending his travel field to carry cargo and/or passengers. Big Truck works primarily as a cargo teleporter moving semitrucks or cargo containers loaded with durable goods such as grain or steel. He has the advantage of a commercial driver's license, so he can jump to a safe location and then drive a short distance to the final destination. He tries to avoid fragile cargo like fruit or glassware.
Like many teleporters, Big Truck has a high-burn appetite. Even when not working, he needs about twice the usual food, about 4,000 calories per day. Working at average level, he needs at least 8,000 calories. At his maximum comfortable level, he needs 12,000 calories. If he pushes his limits, each additional trip costs at least 2,000 calories and often more. Even eating as much as he can, at that rate he tends to burn fat, and can lose weight if he can't keep up with the energy demand.
Motivation: To provide for his family.
Local-America does not automatically make someone an adult if they become a parent and/or get married. Terramagne-America acknowledges that these are adult experiences that often require adult freedoms to perform successfully, so they offer teen parents and newlyweds the option of legal majority through emancipation (which severs family ties) or early adulthood (which promotes to majority while maintaining family ties). Josie and Ben chose early adulthood. Their case was greatly helped because once the pregnancy was discovered, they both quit high school, got their GED, got a job, and enrolled in adult-level classes on marriage skills and parenting.
Semi-trucks can weigh between 10,000 and 25,000 pounds on their own. They’re a lot heavier than they look–especially if you’ve ever seen one topple over due to high winds.
When attached to an empty trailer, a semi-truck can weigh up to 35,000 pounds. This is referred to as its unladen weight.
And a fully loaded semi-truck or big rig truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds - the maximum allowed by U.S. regulations. This is called its laden weight.
Posy's birthday is May 25, 2015.
Josie's birthday is February 19, 1999.
Ben's birthday is April 20, 1997.
Taurus and Pisces
Summer 2011
Josie has finished 6th grade. She is 12 in summer.
Ben has finished 8th grade of junior high. He is 14 in summer.
They meet at a 2-month-long session at San Francisco Swim Camp that features a variety of watersports and beach activities. Josie and Ben become friends.
School year Fall 2011-Spring 2012:
Josie is in 7th grade of junior high. She is 12 in fall and turns 13 in spring.
Ben is a freshman in high school. He is 14 in fall and turns 15 in spring.
They start attending school events together as friends.
Summer 2012:
Josie has finished 7th grade of junior high. She is 13 in summer.
Ben has finished freshman year of high school. He is 15 in summer.
They attend a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp that includes watersports and other wilderness activities. Josie and Ben pair up as much as possible, growing closer together.
School year Fall 2012-Spring 2013:
Josie is in 8th grade of junior high. She is 13 in fall and turns 14 in spring.
Ben is a sophomore in high school. He is 15 in fall and turns 16 in spring.
They date on and off, often attending dances romantically.
Summer 2013:
Josie has finished 8th grade of junior high. She is 14 in summer. She attends a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp for skilled teen swimmers that introduces water rescue and wilderness first aid. After that, she starts working at the local swimming pool in the information booth.
Ben has finished sophomore year of high school He is 16 in summer. With his shiny new driver's license and local voter cards in hand, he attends a 2-month-long session at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults to learn life skills. After that, he starts working at a used car lot washing the vehicles.
Despite enjoying their own activities, they are frustrated by the separation and miss each other deeply. Thus Josie and Ben realize they want to stick together.
School year Fall 2013-Spring 2014:
Josie is a freshman in high school. She is 14 in fall and turns 15 in spring.
Ben is a junior in high school. He is 16 in fall and turns 17 in spring.
Josie and Ben go steady. They start making out but haven't had sex yet. They discover that their relationship works best when Ben provides an anchor in family traditions and favorite activities, while Josie provides creativity and new ideas to try together.
Summer 2014:
Josie has finished freshman year of high school. She is 15 in summer.
Ben has finished junior year of high school. He is 17 in summer.
They attend a 1-month-long session in teen relationship skills at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults. Josie and Ben are excited by the lessons but frustrated by the careful chaperone system. As soon as they get home, they celebrate Josie's new birth control pills by having lots of sex. They also have summer jobs again. Josie serves as an assistant for kiddie swim classes at the local swimming pool. Ben scouts attractions around the county for a travel agency. They begin seriously saving money for later education, although neither of them is enthusiastic about college and they are considering more practical options.
Age at Sexual Debut
School year Fall 2014-Spring 2015:
Josie is a sophomore in high school.
Ben is a senior in high school.
Josie and Ben are a serious couple, sexually active, using birth control pills. But when a water rescue leaves Josie with nasty scrapes, she needs antibiotics, which interfere with her birth control and cause an unplanned pregnancy. After a day or so of mutual panic, they decide that it's not such a big deal after all since they already planned to get married and make a family together. This just starts it sooner. So they quit high school, get a GED, apply for jobs, get married, and file for early adulthood. Josie goes back to the swimming pool as an assistant and starts lifeguard training. Ben starts training as a commercial driver, working with a mentor at Haul Away Joe's, a shipping company that carries cargo between San Francisco and Santa Cruz on the coast through Stockton and Sacramento to Carson City or Hawthorne in Nevada. He begins with local deliveries, then county, then intrastate.
Monday, September 1, 2014 -- Posy is conceived. Josie is 15. Ben is 17.
May 25, 2015 -- Posy is born. Josie is 16. Ben is 18.
Summer 2015:
Ben finds a small 2-bedroom apartment in an old building that is still decent. They move in together.
Fall 2015:
Monday, November 2, 2015 -- Tule fog causes a big pileup near Stockton. Ben teleports himself, his mentor, the truck, and all its cargo to safety at Haul Away Joe's parking lot. Subsequently Ben gains a teleport mentor and begins training his new skills.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 -- The owner of Haul Away Joe's offers Ben a retention bonus as incentive to keep working there, and invites him to choose one from their best and newest trucks. Ben accepts and takes the cape name Big Truck. He is learning to work as a cargo teleporter, and he finds it easier to jump with a load in a truck than outside.
Spring 2016:
Ben rides along with his mentor to Carson City and Hawthorne in Nevada.
Saturday May 28, 2016 at 4:00 PM -- the Big One hits. Ben and Josie lose most of their belongings when their apartment building collapses.
Thursday, June 2, 2016 -- Big Truck teleports 100 people in the trailer and 12 pregnant women in the sleeper of his semitruck to Rutledge, Vermont. Ben's family settles at Family Business Rest. Gideon offers Josie a job as lifeguard. Rutledge will be building a teleport hub nearby.
June 2016 -- Posy is 1 year old. Josie is 17. Ben is 19.
Josephine "Josie" de Belle Williamson -- She has fair skin with freckles, blue eyes, and straight blonde hair past her shoulders. Her heritage is American. She speaks English and French. Josie's birthday is February 19, 1999 and her sun sign is Pisces. She is 17 years old in 2016.
Josie de Belle grew up in Stockton, California. She met Ben Williamson at San Francisco Swim Camp in the summer of 2011. They became friends, then started going to school events together. For summer of 2012, they attended a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp with watersports and other wilderness activities. That fall they started dating romantically on and off.
In summer of 2013, Josie attended a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp for skilled teen swimmers that introduced water rescue and wilderness first aid. After that, she started working at the local swimming pool in the information booth. Ben had his own activities that summer, so they didn't see each other much, and both hated it. So in fall of 2013, they went steady and started making out, though not yet having sex.
For summer of 2014, they attended a 1-month-long session in teen relationship skills at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults. After that, they started having sex. Josie served as an assistant for kiddie swim classes at the local swimming pool. She began seriously saving money for later education, although she wasn't enthusiastic about college and considered more practical options.
By fall of 2014, Ben and Josie were a serious couple, sexually active, using birth control pills. But when a water rescue left Josie with nasty scrapes, she needed antibiotics. That interfered with her birth control and caused an unplanned pregnancy. After a day or so of mutual panic, they decided that it's not such a big deal after all since they already planned to get married and make a family together. This just started it sooner.
So Ben and Josie quit high school, got a GED, and enrolled in adult-level classes on marriage skills and parenting. They applied for jobs, got married, and filed for early adulthood. Josie worked at the local swimming pool as an assistant and started lifeguard training. Her mother disowned her and moved away in a huff, but her grandmother helped as best she could. Ben started training as a commercial driver, working with a mentor at Haul Away Joe's. At least his parents were more supportive of him standing up for his new family.
Their daughter Posy was born on May 25, 2015. Josie was 16 and Ben was 18. In summer of 2015, Josie started working as a lifeguard while her grandmother watched the baby. Her plan was to keep taking classes in first aid and wilderness skills, so she could work her way up either through health care or park service paths. Ben found a small 2-bedroom apartment in an old building that was still decent. He and Josie moved in together. On Monday, November 2, 2015, tule fog caused a big pileup near Stockton. Ben teleported himself, his mentor, the truck, and all its cargo to safety at Haul Away Joe's parking lot. Subsequently Ben gained a teleport mentor and began training his new skills. His boss at Haul Away Joe's gave him a truck as a retention bonus.
The first weekend of April 2016, the family went camping. Josie and Ben were delighted to find themselves pregnant again, with the new baby due on December 22, 2016. Then on Saturday May 28, 2016 at 4:00 PM, the Big One hit. Ben and Josie lost most of their belongings when their apartment building collapsed. He crammed as many survivors as he could into his truck and teleported them to an emergency station in Carson City, Nevada. Josie learned that her grandmother died in the earthquake. On Thursday, June 2, 2016, Big Truck teleported 100 people in the trailer (including his parents and several members of Haul Away Joe's) and 12 pregnant women in the sleeper of his semitruck to Rutledge, Vermont. The family settled at Family Business Rest. There Josie promply found a job as a lifeguard for the hotel pool.
As a hobby, she enjoys beach and nature crafts. She also likes wilderness activities, especially with her family. Josie tends to worry about everyone and everything, though. She favors practical women's wear with feminine details. Her base colors are sand and white, accented with shades of green and pink. She also likes T-shirts with beach or mother themes. Her accessories go with everything.
Qualities: Good (+2) Athletic, Good (+2) Creative, Good (+2) Emotional Intelligence, Good (+2) Lifeguard, Good (+2) Teen Mother
Poor (-2) Worrywart
Local-America does not automatically make someone an adult if they become a parent and/or get married. Terramagne-America acknowledges that these are adult experiences that often require adult freedoms to perform successfully, so they offer teen parents and newlyweds the option of legal majority through emancipation (which severs family ties) or early adulthood (which promotes to majority while maintaining family ties). Josie and Ben chose early adulthood. Their case was greatly helped because once the pregnancy was discovered, they both quit high school, got their GED, got a job, and enrolled in adult-level classes on marriage skills and parenting.
Proserpine "Posy" Williamson -- She has fair skin, blue eyes, and wisps of strawberry blonde hair. Her heritage is American. She is learning English and French. She was born on May 25, 2015 and her sun sign is Gemini with moon in Virgo. She is 1 year old in June 2016. Posy is the daughter of Big Truck (Ben Williamson, 19) and Josephine "Josie" Williamson (17). After the Big One destroyed their apartment building in Stockton, California they moved to a suite at Family Business Rest in Rutledge, Vermont.
Posy is happy and curious most of the time. She loves Water Baby swim classes and does quite well in them. She can be indecisive, though, which makes it hard to predict what she'll do in a given situation. Posy wears baby play clothes. Her base colors are khaki and white accented with peach and turquoise.
Qualities: Good (+2) Water Baby
Poor (-2) Indecisive
Mack Kenworth -- He has ruddy skin, brown eyes, and short ash-brown hair. His heritage is American; he speaks English. He is 45 years old in 2016.
Mack lived in Stockton, California. There he worked at Haul Away Joe's shipping company. He supervised truckers and often recruited and trained new ones, including Big Truck (Ben Williamson). When the Big One hit, Mack was with Big Truck, who evacuated the survivors from his collapsed apartment building to an emergency station in Hawthorne, Nevada. Later, Big Truck teleported a bunch of people, including Mack, east to Rutledge, Vermont. There they restarted the shipping business, since California would remain largely impassible for months or years.
As a hobby, Mack enjoys watching and playing a variety of sports, especially football. He likes practical menswear, mostly in shades of gray and blue, occasionally accented with red. He is good at learning, but does it best by doing things with his hands or listening to someone else, not by reading.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Trucker, Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Mentor, Good (+2) Sports Fan, Good (+2) Stamina
Poor (-2) Book Learning
Big Truck (Ben Williamson) -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short wavy brown hair with a faint scruff of mustache. He is tall but chunky. His heritage is American. He speaks English and Spanish. Ben's birthday is April 20, 1997 and his sun sign is Taurus. He is 19 years old in 2016.
Ben grew up in Stockton, California. He met Josie de Belle at San Francisco Swim Camp in the summer of 2011. They became friends, then started going to school events together. For summer of 2012, they attended a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp with watersports and other wilderness activities. That fall they started dating romantically on and off.
In summer of 2013, Ben attended a 2-month-long session at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults to learn life skills. After that, he started working at a used car lot washing the vehicles. Josie had her own activities that summer, so they didn't see each other much, and both hated it. So in fall of 2013, they went steady and started making out, though not yet having sex.
For summer of 2014, they attended a 1-month-long session in teen relationship skills at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults. After that, they started having sex. Ben also had a summer job scouting attractions around San Joaquin County for a travel agency. He began seriously saving money for later education, although he wasn't enthusiastic about college and was considering more practical options.
By fall of 2014, Ben and Josie were a serious couple, sexually active, using birth control pills. But when a water rescue left Josie with nasty scrapes, she needed antibiotics. That interfered with her birth control and caused an unplanned pregnancy. After a day or so of mutual panic, they decided that it's not such a big deal after all since they already planned to get married and make a family together. This just started it sooner.
So Ben and Josie quit high school, got a GED, and enrolled in adult-level classes on marriage skills and parenting. They applied for jobs, got married, and filed for early adulthood. Josie worked at the local swimming pool as an assistant and started lifeguard training. Ben started training as a commercial driver, working with a mentor at Haul Away Joe's, a shipping company that carried cargo between San Francisco and Santa Cruz on the coast through Stockton and Sacramento to Carson City or Hawthorne in Nevada. He began with local deliveries, then county, then intrastate.
Their daughter Posy was born on May 25, 2015. Josie was 16 and Ben was 18. In summer of 2015, Ben found a small 2-bedroom apartment in an old building that was still decent. He and Josie moved in together. On Monday, November 2, 2015, tule fog caused a big pileup near Stockton. Ben teleported himself, his mentor, the truck, and all its cargo to safety at Haul Away Joe's parking lot. Subsequently Ben gained a teleport mentor and began training his new skills. On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 the owner of Haul Away Joe's offered Ben a retention bonus as incentive to keep working there, inviting him to choose one from their best and newest trucks. Ben accepted and took the cape name Big Truck. He was learning to work as a cargo teleporter, and he found it easier to jump with a load in a truck than outside.
In spring of 2016, Ben started riding along with his mentor to Carson City and Hawthorne in Nevada. The first weekend of April 2016, the family went camping. Josie and Ben were delighted to find themselves pregnant again, with the new baby due on December 22, 2016. Then on Saturday May 28, 2016 at 4:00 PM, the Big One hit. Ben and Josie lost most of their belongings when their apartment building collapsed. He crammed as many survivors as he could into his truck and teleported them to an emergency station in Carson City, Nevada. On Thursday, June 2, 2016, Big Truck teleported 100 people in the trailer (including his parents and several members of Haul Away Joe's) and 12 pregnant women in the sleeper of his semitruck to Rutledge, Vermont. His family settled at Family Business Rest.
As a hobby, Ben enjoys watching and playing sports, although he isn't particularly good at it. He also likes wilderness activities, especially with his family. His limited education makes some people look down on him, particularly because he is a teen father, but he loves his family and wouldn't trade it for anything. This way he's free to keep his current work, which he also enjoys.
Origin: Ben was in training to become a commercial driver, hauling local loads with a mentor, when a tule fog caused a massive pileup. Just as they were about to crash into the pile of cars, Ben teleported them to safety -- truck and all.
Uniform: He prefers practical menswear, typically in shades of gray, white, and blue. That way he doesn't have to worry about anything matching, because it all does. He also likes T-shirts with fatherhood or trucking themes.
Qualities: Good (+2) Driver, Good (+2) Responsible, Good (+2) Stamina, Good (+2) Teen Father, Good (+2) Visual-Spatial Intelligence
Poor (-2) Limited Education
Powers: Expert (+4) Teleportation
His range is national, able to reach anywhere in the continental United States with one trip. His mass limit is currently around 80,000 pounds (40 tons) and his teleport mentor believes that could increase over time. Big Truck can make 11 fully-loaded trips per day comfortably, plus another 4 if he uses Hero Points to push his endurance. He can make considerably more trips with a lighter load and/or shorter distance. However, his emanata make the ride feel exactly like rattling around in a big truck, complete with shifting gears as he ramps up and then back down again. He is also one of the few teleporters with a perceptible travel time, about one minute per trip. With more mass, the ride gets somewhat smoother, so he prefers not to travel too lightly. The ride is tolerable around 25,000 pounds and better at 35,000 pounds, so he likes to teleport with his semitruck and its trailer. He can jump alone with no trouble, though; the minor instability comes from extending his travel field to carry cargo and/or passengers. Big Truck works primarily as a cargo teleporter moving semitrucks or cargo containers loaded with durable goods such as grain or steel. He has the advantage of a commercial driver's license, so he can jump to a safe location and then drive a short distance to the final destination. He tries to avoid fragile cargo like fruit or glassware.
Like many teleporters, Big Truck has a high-burn appetite. Even when not working, he needs about twice the usual food, about 4,000 calories per day. Working at average level, he needs at least 8,000 calories. At his maximum comfortable level, he needs 12,000 calories. If he pushes his limits, each additional trip costs at least 2,000 calories and often more. Even eating as much as he can, at that rate he tends to burn fat, and can lose weight if he can't keep up with the energy demand.
Motivation: To provide for his family.
Local-America does not automatically make someone an adult if they become a parent and/or get married. Terramagne-America acknowledges that these are adult experiences that often require adult freedoms to perform successfully, so they offer teen parents and newlyweds the option of legal majority through emancipation (which severs family ties) or early adulthood (which promotes to majority while maintaining family ties). Josie and Ben chose early adulthood. Their case was greatly helped because once the pregnancy was discovered, they both quit high school, got their GED, got a job, and enrolled in adult-level classes on marriage skills and parenting.
Semi-trucks can weigh between 10,000 and 25,000 pounds on their own. They’re a lot heavier than they look–especially if you’ve ever seen one topple over due to high winds.
When attached to an empty trailer, a semi-truck can weigh up to 35,000 pounds. This is referred to as its unladen weight.
And a fully loaded semi-truck or big rig truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds - the maximum allowed by U.S. regulations. This is called its laden weight.
Posy's birthday is May 25, 2015.
Josie's birthday is February 19, 1999.
Ben's birthday is April 20, 1997.
Taurus and Pisces
Summer 2011
Josie has finished 6th grade. She is 12 in summer.
Ben has finished 8th grade of junior high. He is 14 in summer.
They meet at a 2-month-long session at San Francisco Swim Camp that features a variety of watersports and beach activities. Josie and Ben become friends.
School year Fall 2011-Spring 2012:
Josie is in 7th grade of junior high. She is 12 in fall and turns 13 in spring.
Ben is a freshman in high school. He is 14 in fall and turns 15 in spring.
They start attending school events together as friends.
Summer 2012:
Josie has finished 7th grade of junior high. She is 13 in summer.
Ben has finished freshman year of high school. He is 15 in summer.
They attend a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp that includes watersports and other wilderness activities. Josie and Ben pair up as much as possible, growing closer together.
School year Fall 2012-Spring 2013:
Josie is in 8th grade of junior high. She is 13 in fall and turns 14 in spring.
Ben is a sophomore in high school. He is 15 in fall and turns 16 in spring.
They date on and off, often attending dances romantically.
Summer 2013:
Josie has finished 8th grade of junior high. She is 14 in summer. She attends a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp for skilled teen swimmers that introduces water rescue and wilderness first aid. After that, she starts working at the local swimming pool in the information booth.
Ben has finished sophomore year of high school He is 16 in summer. With his shiny new driver's license and local voter cards in hand, he attends a 2-month-long session at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults to learn life skills. After that, he starts working at a used car lot washing the vehicles.
Despite enjoying their own activities, they are frustrated by the separation and miss each other deeply. Thus Josie and Ben realize they want to stick together.
School year Fall 2013-Spring 2014:
Josie is a freshman in high school. She is 14 in fall and turns 15 in spring.
Ben is a junior in high school. He is 16 in fall and turns 17 in spring.
Josie and Ben go steady. They start making out but haven't had sex yet. They discover that their relationship works best when Ben provides an anchor in family traditions and favorite activities, while Josie provides creativity and new ideas to try together.
Summer 2014:
Josie has finished freshman year of high school. She is 15 in summer.
Ben has finished junior year of high school. He is 17 in summer.
They attend a 1-month-long session in teen relationship skills at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults. Josie and Ben are excited by the lessons but frustrated by the careful chaperone system. As soon as they get home, they celebrate Josie's new birth control pills by having lots of sex. They also have summer jobs again. Josie serves as an assistant for kiddie swim classes at the local swimming pool. Ben scouts attractions around the county for a travel agency. They begin seriously saving money for later education, although neither of them is enthusiastic about college and they are considering more practical options.
Age at Sexual Debut
School year Fall 2014-Spring 2015:
Josie is a sophomore in high school.
Ben is a senior in high school.
Josie and Ben are a serious couple, sexually active, using birth control pills. But when a water rescue leaves Josie with nasty scrapes, she needs antibiotics, which interfere with her birth control and cause an unplanned pregnancy. After a day or so of mutual panic, they decide that it's not such a big deal after all since they already planned to get married and make a family together. This just starts it sooner. So they quit high school, get a GED, apply for jobs, get married, and file for early adulthood. Josie goes back to the swimming pool as an assistant and starts lifeguard training. Ben starts training as a commercial driver, working with a mentor at Haul Away Joe's, a shipping company that carries cargo between San Francisco and Santa Cruz on the coast through Stockton and Sacramento to Carson City or Hawthorne in Nevada. He begins with local deliveries, then county, then intrastate.
Monday, September 1, 2014 -- Posy is conceived. Josie is 15. Ben is 17.
May 25, 2015 -- Posy is born. Josie is 16. Ben is 18.
Summer 2015:
Ben finds a small 2-bedroom apartment in an old building that is still decent. They move in together.
Fall 2015:
Monday, November 2, 2015 -- Tule fog causes a big pileup near Stockton. Ben teleports himself, his mentor, the truck, and all its cargo to safety at Haul Away Joe's parking lot. Subsequently Ben gains a teleport mentor and begins training his new skills.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 -- The owner of Haul Away Joe's offers Ben a retention bonus as incentive to keep working there, and invites him to choose one from their best and newest trucks. Ben accepts and takes the cape name Big Truck. He is learning to work as a cargo teleporter, and he finds it easier to jump with a load in a truck than outside.
Spring 2016:
Ben rides along with his mentor to Carson City and Hawthorne in Nevada.
Saturday May 28, 2016 at 4:00 PM -- the Big One hits. Ben and Josie lose most of their belongings when their apartment building collapses.
Thursday, June 2, 2016 -- Big Truck teleports 100 people in the trailer and 12 pregnant women in the sleeper of his semitruck to Rutledge, Vermont. Ben's family settles at Family Business Rest. Gideon offers Josie a job as lifeguard. Rutledge will be building a teleport hub nearby.
June 2016 -- Posy is 1 year old. Josie is 17. Ben is 19.
Josephine "Josie" de Belle Williamson -- She has fair skin with freckles, blue eyes, and straight blonde hair past her shoulders. Her heritage is American. She speaks English and French. Josie's birthday is February 19, 1999 and her sun sign is Pisces. She is 17 years old in 2016.
Josie de Belle grew up in Stockton, California. She met Ben Williamson at San Francisco Swim Camp in the summer of 2011. They became friends, then started going to school events together. For summer of 2012, they attended a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp with watersports and other wilderness activities. That fall they started dating romantically on and off.
In summer of 2013, Josie attended a 2-month-long session at Muir Woods Wilderness Camp for skilled teen swimmers that introduced water rescue and wilderness first aid. After that, she started working at the local swimming pool in the information booth. Ben had his own activities that summer, so they didn't see each other much, and both hated it. So in fall of 2013, they went steady and started making out, though not yet having sex.
For summer of 2014, they attended a 1-month-long session in teen relationship skills at Pendleton Camp for Pending Adults. After that, they started having sex. Josie served as an assistant for kiddie swim classes at the local swimming pool. She began seriously saving money for later education, although she wasn't enthusiastic about college and considered more practical options.
By fall of 2014, Ben and Josie were a serious couple, sexually active, using birth control pills. But when a water rescue left Josie with nasty scrapes, she needed antibiotics. That interfered with her birth control and caused an unplanned pregnancy. After a day or so of mutual panic, they decided that it's not such a big deal after all since they already planned to get married and make a family together. This just started it sooner.
So Ben and Josie quit high school, got a GED, and enrolled in adult-level classes on marriage skills and parenting. They applied for jobs, got married, and filed for early adulthood. Josie worked at the local swimming pool as an assistant and started lifeguard training. Her mother disowned her and moved away in a huff, but her grandmother helped as best she could. Ben started training as a commercial driver, working with a mentor at Haul Away Joe's. At least his parents were more supportive of him standing up for his new family.
Their daughter Posy was born on May 25, 2015. Josie was 16 and Ben was 18. In summer of 2015, Josie started working as a lifeguard while her grandmother watched the baby. Her plan was to keep taking classes in first aid and wilderness skills, so she could work her way up either through health care or park service paths. Ben found a small 2-bedroom apartment in an old building that was still decent. He and Josie moved in together. On Monday, November 2, 2015, tule fog caused a big pileup near Stockton. Ben teleported himself, his mentor, the truck, and all its cargo to safety at Haul Away Joe's parking lot. Subsequently Ben gained a teleport mentor and began training his new skills. His boss at Haul Away Joe's gave him a truck as a retention bonus.
The first weekend of April 2016, the family went camping. Josie and Ben were delighted to find themselves pregnant again, with the new baby due on December 22, 2016. Then on Saturday May 28, 2016 at 4:00 PM, the Big One hit. Ben and Josie lost most of their belongings when their apartment building collapsed. He crammed as many survivors as he could into his truck and teleported them to an emergency station in Carson City, Nevada. Josie learned that her grandmother died in the earthquake. On Thursday, June 2, 2016, Big Truck teleported 100 people in the trailer (including his parents and several members of Haul Away Joe's) and 12 pregnant women in the sleeper of his semitruck to Rutledge, Vermont. The family settled at Family Business Rest. There Josie promply found a job as a lifeguard for the hotel pool.
As a hobby, she enjoys beach and nature crafts. She also likes wilderness activities, especially with her family. Josie tends to worry about everyone and everything, though. She favors practical women's wear with feminine details. Her base colors are sand and white, accented with shades of green and pink. She also likes T-shirts with beach or mother themes. Her accessories go with everything.
Qualities: Good (+2) Athletic, Good (+2) Creative, Good (+2) Emotional Intelligence, Good (+2) Lifeguard, Good (+2) Teen Mother
Poor (-2) Worrywart
Local-America does not automatically make someone an adult if they become a parent and/or get married. Terramagne-America acknowledges that these are adult experiences that often require adult freedoms to perform successfully, so they offer teen parents and newlyweds the option of legal majority through emancipation (which severs family ties) or early adulthood (which promotes to majority while maintaining family ties). Josie and Ben chose early adulthood. Their case was greatly helped because once the pregnancy was discovered, they both quit high school, got their GED, got a job, and enrolled in adult-level classes on marriage skills and parenting.
Proserpine "Posy" Williamson -- She has fair skin, blue eyes, and wisps of strawberry blonde hair. Her heritage is American. She is learning English and French. She was born on May 25, 2015 and her sun sign is Gemini with moon in Virgo. She is 1 year old in June 2016. Posy is the daughter of Big Truck (Ben Williamson, 19) and Josephine "Josie" Williamson (17). After the Big One destroyed their apartment building in Stockton, California they moved to a suite at Family Business Rest in Rutledge, Vermont.
Posy is happy and curious most of the time. She loves Water Baby swim classes and does quite well in them. She can be indecisive, though, which makes it hard to predict what she'll do in a given situation. Posy wears baby play clothes. Her base colors are khaki and white accented with peach and turquoise.
Qualities: Good (+2) Water Baby
Poor (-2) Indecisive
Mack Kenworth -- He has ruddy skin, brown eyes, and short ash-brown hair. His heritage is American; he speaks English. He is 45 years old in 2016.
Mack lived in Stockton, California. There he worked at Haul Away Joe's shipping company. He supervised truckers and often recruited and trained new ones, including Big Truck (Ben Williamson). When the Big One hit, Mack was with Big Truck, who evacuated the survivors from his collapsed apartment building to an emergency station in Hawthorne, Nevada. Later, Big Truck teleported a bunch of people, including Mack, east to Rutledge, Vermont. There they restarted the shipping business, since California would remain largely impassible for months or years.
As a hobby, Mack enjoys watching and playing a variety of sports, especially football. He likes practical menswear, mostly in shades of gray and blue, occasionally accented with red. He is good at learning, but does it best by doing things with his hands or listening to someone else, not by reading.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Trucker, Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Mentor, Good (+2) Sports Fan, Good (+2) Stamina
Poor (-2) Book Learning
