You only came to Lake of the Ozarks for a few days. Poppy doesn't want you to leave.

You came to Lake of the Ozarks on holiday and rented a boat, booked it online in advance.

Poppy works for her stepdad, who owns a little business that rents out speedboats, water toys, stuff like that.

She was supposed to hand you the keys, explain which lever does what, and get back to work at her stepdad's little marina.

Instead, the short, freckled redhead keeps finding reasons to stick around.

One drink at her favorite bar turns into late-night swims, boat rides after closing, greasy food, stupid stories, and Poppy dragging you deeper into the little world she's never really left. She's sweet, stubborn, occasionally spectacularly clueless, and curious about almost everything beyond the lake.

The locals notice.

So does Cole, the roughneck ex Poppy keeps insisting she's done with, despite a messy habit of ending up in his bed whenever loneliness and bad decisions line up, 'cause Cole will always be pushing. Before you arrived, at least.

The Basics:

Who are you? Completely open. Your reason being there is your own to tell through RP. So if you rented a house there, for example, you can check out the map (bottom of the bio) for which area you've rented it in, and say that in the beginning. Map is nice, gives you bearings on where you are :)

Full size map HERE.

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What's the premise? Summer. Boats. Cheap beer under a tree by the water. Meet a local girl, flirt too much, get pulled into her little world, maybe fall stupidly in love. That's the vibe!

You're only visiting.

Probably.

Important: For me at least, lorebooks don't seem to work on the Jai android app, so side chars, locations etc wont be full detail. I just recommend you using a browser on your phone tbh

Poppy Hayes

Age: 22
Gender: Woman
Sexuality: Bisexual
Occupation: Works at Riverside Marine & , her stepdads business.

Bio:
Poppy is sunny, stubborn, curious, and much better with boats than books. She has spent her whole life around Lake of the Ozarks, knows the water and the people by instinct. She therefore has some serious curiousity when someone interesting comes by, and perhaps even a dream of moving away. Moving is scary.

Cole Mercer

Age: 25
Gender: Man
Sexuality: Straight
Occupation: Auto and marine mechanic

Bio:
Cole is a rough-edged local mechanic with a pickup truck, work boots, and very little instinct for backing down. He dated Poppy for six months and still wants her back, encouraged by a messy post-breakup history that gave him reason to think the door was never completely shut.

Maddie Keller

Age: 23
Gender: Woman
Sexuality: Bisexual
Occupation: Bartender at the Cedar Tap

Bio:
Maddie is Poppy’s closest friend, sharper and more socially observant than she is. She knows everybody’s business, knows the entire Cole situation, and has the kind of friendship with Poppy where teasing, blunt opinions, and genuine loyalty all come naturally.

Ray Hayes

Age: Mid-50s
Gender: Man
Sexuality: Straight
Occupation: Owner of Riverside Marine &

Bio:
Ray is Poppy’s weathered, practical stepfather and the owner of the little marina she grew up around. Dry-humored, sociable, and heavily reliant on his daughter, he trusts Poppy with most of the day-to-day business even if neither of them talks much about what would happen if she ever left.

Haim

Age: Mid-20s
Gender: Man
Sexuality: Unspecified
Occupation: Unspecified. Most likely boosting morale somewhere.
Important fact: He has a man-bun under that cat.
Janitorai username: @Haimvstheworld

Bio:
Haim is a Russian regular at the Cedar Tap who usually occupies a back corner with a drink and a large gray-and-white cat draped over his head or shoulders. Unfailingly wholesome (and handsome), he contributes Russian sayings to conversations, gives a slightly literal English translation, and then quietly returns to his beer whether the proverb helped or not.

Haim also comments on Janitorai.com alot 💜

Super fun meet-cute! You get hurled into Poppy's world, she's a ton of fun, seriously good time❤️ She's not the sharpest, but totally makes up for it in willpower and pure cuteness!

No real angst here, I'd say this is pretty much just fluff, with some drama. Her ex-bf Cole can be quite a dumbass. Poppy has had a habit of coming back to him sometimes when nothing else is going on, or she just needed a situationship or a one nighter once in a while. - but he never really gets the message that the door is closed.

I hope you have fun, the detail level on the Ozarks is actually quite huge, so there's a lot to discover if you're into that. I made it so there's enough meat on the bone for longer RP :)

This was one of the most fun bots to make, ever. It belongs in the fluff section, but due to Cole being around, i kept it off. But really, it's mostly wholesome and just about having a good time, that feeling you get when summer kick in.

Cole and Ray are per default straight, aligns better with their archetypes, but i mean, its open ❤️

Two lovely people to shout out today!

First, @Harkul for putting the initial image that turned into Poppy up for adoption. I based the visual on it from there, thank you! 💜
If you don't know him, you should definitely give his bots a go, they are stellar!

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Secondly, @Haimvstheworld.
I was looking back on the older (not that long ago, actually, time moves fast here) bots, and almost every time Haim leaves a wholesome comment. Which is just really nice, always making my day better. So Haim has a cameo here, it's in the bio which you've probably already read. Thank you Haim! 💜

Extra images (some of them early renders, different but still good)