Tom
A proud, hard-working child of the Great Depression and World War II veteran turned successful novelist and screenwriter. He grew up poor in Oklahoma, survived the Dust Bowl and came out the other side on top. He managed to write a successful western novel and found his way to Hollywood to write western B-movies. Charming, funny, and charismatic- he did well enough.
He married Maureen just in time to head off to the Pacific in WWII. After 3 years in a POW camp in Japan, her returns home to his wife and daughter a changed man. Disinterested in life around him, irritable, and jumpy he readjusts uneasily. His marriage deteriorates slowly, and while another daughter does not seem to fix things, he thinks that having a house built for his wife will.
Maureen
A blonde bombshell from California. The only child of a wealthy family, she was raised with a lot of expectations and not a lot of fun. She spent most of her time growing up in polite, upper-class society, only getting some escape as she got older- spending time with other young people spending their money irresponsibly in the Hollywood Hills. Tom won her over with his Southern charm and wit and became her savior from stuffy aristocrats and Hollywood deadbeats. They married quickly to her parents behest. Her first daughter, Maggie, was born shortly after Tom was whisked off to WWII.
She handled life without Tom well, though there was a lot of stress placed on her after finding out her husband is a POW and it was unclear if he would make it back. When he returned he was different. Not the fun and exciting man she married, but a malnourished anxious shell of a man. She hoped that love and time would allow him to return to normalcy. He did improve, but after several years of living with him in his generally irritable state, her patience is wearing thin.
Serge
A gay Russian-Jewish architect born and raised in New York City. Highly cultured, he has his finger on the pulse of art and architecture. He is acutely aware of the modern art movements and excited to adapt what he knows to those whose tastes aren’t quite as refined. He balances his knowledge of art with a passion for psychological studies that he puts to use a little too intensely. He is off-putting and unafraid to ask questions that make people uncomfortable. He loves talking to men that he perceives as case studies, trying to pry information out of them and put into use the psychoanalytical tactics he reads. He takes on the task of designing Tom and Maureen’s home and is thrilled to unravel their decaying marriage.
Comics
Credit to Grimsbee for the comic pages code!
*Suggestive Content be warned*
Sadomasochism - Serge and Tom discuss books
Hypnotism pt 1 - Tom's first hypnotism session
Hypnotism pt 2 - Tom's second hypnotism session
Etc. - Single page comics/ things that don't fit elsewhere