HOW TO MAKE IT; Alvaretta Louise Moss
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☼ ALVARETTA MOSS ☼ ❝ My wife’s the reason anything gets done She nudges me towards promise by degrees…Now, fill the world with music, love, and pride. ❞
—Lin-Manuel Miranda’s sonnet for the 2016 Tony AwardsTHE ☼ BASICS Full Name: Alvaretta Louise Moss
Nicknames: Pretty much everyone just calls her Ali. It’s to the point where most people think her name is actually Allison/Alyssa/Alexandra and Ali’s just too polite to correct them. Chipmunk, all manner of cute Italian terms of endearment from her wife (including but not limited to; polpetta, tesoro, cuore mio, amore…), Mrs. Ali (her students, if they want to be formal - they usually just call her Ali)
Birthday: March 12th, 1996
Zodiac: Pisces
Model: Kaya WilkinsTHE ☼ SURFACE Likes: saying “my wife”, ridiculously ugly socks, physical affection (platonic, romantic, or otherwise), polaroids, visiting museums with Kyla, going to the movies with Kyla...just spending quality time with her wife in general, collaborative board games, meeting new people/making friends, the smell of barbeque, wholesome memes, telling other people about the accomplishments of her loved ones, rainy days inside, the color yellow, discovering new music, small animals
Dislikes: casual or insidious forms of bigotry, visiting her hometown (these days, at least), being inappropriately dressed for the weather, snakes, missing deadlines, remixes that take away from a song, not being able to see the stars at night in the city, throwing out old clothing, oversleeping, pants that aren’t long enough, seeing her loved ones hurt, lying, the smell of antiseptics, most types of wine, being compared to her siblings
First Impressions: People either think she’s the sunniest person they’ve ever met, or they think there’s no way anyone can be that chipper. Ali always loves meeting new people, which means she’s even more excited than normal the first time she meets someone. However, this leads to some people thinking she’s fake.
THE ☼ CORE Strengths: Seeing the good in everything, compassionate, kind, a good listener, always willing to try something new, creative, resourceful (particularly with money)
Weaknesses: Bottles up her emotions, doesn’t acknowledge negative emotions, lets others take advantage of her, passive aggressive, lacks self-confidence, naive
Goals: To leave a net-positive impact on the world, to make Kyla as proud of her as she is of Kyla, just to make her wife happy in general, to raise a large family like the one she was raised in (and her secret dream; to make a living with her music, but it’s not like that’ll ever happen)
Personality: Ali is the kind of person who greets everyone in the building when they pass each other in the hallway. She can’t help it; it’s just how she was raised. She loves watching people’s faces light up and can’t stomach the thought of hurting anyone. Compliments others whenever possible. Incredibly outgoing; sees meeting anyone as a chance to make a new friend. Ali’s good at keeping friends. She still reaches out to people from high school and college. Never has a bad word to say about anyone and refuses to participate in gossip. Always sees the good in everyone, even if they don’t deserve it. Willing to give everyone a second chance. And a third, and a fourth, and…Okay, maybe she lets people walk all over her. But Ali would never complain, because she’s afraid of losing a friend. There are few people she dislikes, and ever fewer who know. She’s a great listener and wants to help others in any way she can. (Yes, she absolutely has a problem saying no.) Ali is well-known among her close friends for being a steady support pilar. For those wondering if being so positive all the time gets exhausting, the answer is yes. There’s only one person she trusts enough to show her vulnerability, and that’s her wife. Even then, she would rather step on a Lego than confront her wife about anything she did to upset her. Has a surprisingly self-deprecating sense of humor. People will laugh along with what she says because she does it in such a cheery voice, only to realize much later just what she said. Ali likes to say that she was raised in an iron cocoon, which is why she’s still so naive to this day. It isn’t willful ignorance. Ali’s also incredibly curious and always open to learn more. Still, she has yet to adjust to the city’s fast pace.
THE ☼ SPECIFICS Education: University of North Carolina Greensboro (Elementary Education B.A.)
Occupation: Pre-K teacher at First Steps, an experimental day school in the East Village
Habits: Lots of humming/singing/tapping out tunes/etc., currently trying to quit smoking completely by using a Juul pen (she’s about 90% successful), rides her bike everywhere, “Bless your heart”, leaves passive aggressive post-its around the apartment
Philosophy: Ali is an adherent of the Golden Rule (do unto others, etc.). Believes you can get anywhere with hard work and optimism. Strangers are just friends you haven’t met.
Accomplishments: Her marriage, her wife, their couples costumes (Halloween champions four years running, baby)
THE ☼ PAST Hometown: Cherryville, North Carolina
Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York
Bio: From the outside, Matthias and Renata Moss had the kind of life that didn’t seem to exist outside of a Norman Rockwell painting. They met on a mission trip in college and married the summer after graduation. The kids came shortly thereafter. First was Lincoln, who would go on to become a big city lawyer, followed shortly by Shiloh, whose growing family could rival that of her parents, and Micah, the all-star athlete. The twins, Zippora and Athalia, were the final surprises to round out the picture-perfect Moss family.
And then there was Alveretta. Other parents were already whispering about her before she even started school. “Something’s different about that one,” they would say. Ali was practically marked as a pariah before she even started elementary school. In their tiny, rural town, her inquisitive nature wasn’t seen as something to nurture, but a bad habit to break - particularly when she began questioning the rigid social norms she was surrounded by. Her parents also didn’t do much to foster her love of the arts, fearing it would expose her to the kinds of things they disapproved of. (Despite their best efforts, Ali found theatre anyway.)
Between the six kids and her parents’ low-wage jobs, the Mosses never had much. Except their perfect marriage, of course. It was the kind of love that was idealized in all the books and movies Ali loved. The kind of fairytale romance the neighbors gushed about. She got a firsthand look at the way her parents seemed to move like a single entity, how they could finish each other’s sentences...She wanted something like that for herself one day
The only problem? Ali didn’t really like…anyone. When other kids accused her of flirting with a boy, she went along with it because they seemed more knowledgeable. She knew what a crush was supposed to feel like, but only theoretically. Wanting to spend all of your time with someone, glowing from the inside out when they complimented you, doing anything to see them smile. The only person Ali felt that way about was Meghan Strickland, and that was only because Meg was her best friend. It was only after joining the drama department in middle school and making other close friendships that Ali realized what her feelings for Meg truly were.
At first, Ali was terrified. She knew what people in town said about “they gays” - what she heard at home. But before Ali could internalize all the hateful things they said, Meg came through for her again. She’d always been a voracious reader, and she started recommending Ali books that showed her what life was like outside the bubble of their small town. The summer before senior year, Meg surprised Ali again by confessing her feelings for her. Trying to hide a relationship from the entire world was a massive burden, but they made it work. Until college, that is.
After losing her best friend and first love in one go, Ali didn’t want another relationship for a while. That is, until she met the woman who would eventually become her wife, Kyla Veloso. What started out as a simple hookup evolved into something more. Through this relationship, she learned what it meant to be confident in her sexuality. Ali was open on campus, but it wasn’t until the end of junior year that she came out as a lesbian to her parents. To say it went poorly would be an understatement. They barely spoke between that afternoon and Ali’s graduation from the university’s education department. (A major she only followed due to her parents’ insistence that music wasn’t a sustainable career.)
Throughout it all, Kyla was by her side…until she almost wasn’t. Their courthouse wedding wasn’t the big fairytale affair Ali had always imagined, but she was marrying her college sweetheart, which was a dream in and of itself. While her parents had no part in the ceremony, they were strong-armed into the reception by the rest of the Moss siblings. While they’re no longer openly hostile towards the couple, they’re nowhere near as supportive as her siblings. Ali still wants to repair the relationship, but sometimes it feels like she’s the only one doing any work.
Around the same time as her marriage, Ali got a job offer through her student teaching placement. It was for an experimental day school in New York City, right where Kyla was going to be working. Being a teacher’s aide also gives her plenty of time to work on her music. (She has a whole ninety-seven followers on her SoundCloud profile!) Sure, New York is one of the most expensive places to live, but Ali knows a thing or two about saving money. She has the love of her life, an exciting job, and a positive outlook. Ali’s confident they’re going to make it in New York City.
THE ☼ FAMILY Matthias Moss | father, 57 | Laurence Fishburne
A pillar of the Cherryville community. Works at the high school as both a guidance counsellor and baseball coach, and is a Sunday School teacher at his church. Can come off as stoic, but it’s just his deadpan line delivery. It’s only recently that Ali’s begun to think of him as cold.Renata Moss | mother, 57 | Madeline Stowe
Manager of a clothing store at a nearby mall. Also leads prayer and organizes events for their church. Very much a team with her husband in all aspects of life. A firm believer in southern hospitality, but doesn’t hold back with the backhanded compliments.Lincoln Moss | older brother, 35 | Kendrick Sampson
The golden child of the Moss family. Very much his father’s son. A lawyer in Charlotte (and, yes, they do call him the Lincoln lawyer). Married with two kids. Sometimes still referred to as a “big city person” with a kind of disdainful air.Shiloh Robbins | older sister, 33 | Lenora Crichlow
Followed in her parents’ footsteps by marrying her college sweetheart shortly after graduation. However, she held off having kids until she and her husband had fully established their shared business. Just recently found out she’s pregnant with her first child.Micah Moss | older brother, 30 | Nate Gill
A local baseball legend, currently playing for the local minor league team. The family’s notorious bachelor, but seems to be settling down with his current girlfriend. The sibling Ali is probably closest to, who worked the hardest to bring their parents to the wedding and help them reconcile.Zippora and Athalia Moss | the twins, 19 | Martine and Gunhilde Chioko-Johansen
A surprise birth several years after Ali. They’re inseparable and are still living at home as they study at a nearby community college. Also doing a lot of work to help Ali keep in contact with their parents.THE ☼ FRIENDS Jackson Fletcher | best friend, 23 | Krow Kian
Ali’s closest friend from high school and the best man at her wedding. He was the only one who knew about Ali and Meg’s relationship during high school, as well as the only other person Ali felt comfortable discussing things like gender and sexuality with. Came out as transgender during college. Currently living in Hoboken and working for a conceptual art gallery. Occasionally makes trips into the city to visit Ali.Sunil Kumar | work friend, 26 | Suraj Sharma
The closest other teacher to Ali’s age at work. Teaches kids in the grade above her. They have a lot in common, and actually hang out together outside of work. An actual ray of human sunshine.Meghan Strickland | ex-girlfriend, 24 | Taja Feistner
Ali’s best friend growing up, and later her girlfriend. Bold, brave, and never cared what anyone thought of her. She and Ali broke up over disagreements about publicly disclosing their relationship. They didn’t really talk much after that, which made things hard when their paths crossed on campus. They’re not in contact anymore, which is why Ali hasn’t yet found out she’s working for a traveling theatre company that’s about to put on a production in the East Village.Izumi Yoshida | PTA mom, 38 | Rinko Kikuchi
Probably the coolest parent at the school. Ali often remarks that she wants to be Izumi when she grows up. Very involved with the school through the Parent-Teacher Association. Works as a graphic designer for an indie record label.Carlos Montero | mentor, 39 | Diego Luna
Ali’s supervising teacher when she was student teaching in college. Helped to set up the school where Ali now works. The good impression she left on Carlos was what led to him recommending her for a position at the school. Has a “work hard, play hard” mentality and can seem like a total goofball, but really gets down to business when the situation calls for it.also massive credits to lecoupdefoudre and ayzrules, whose posts about coding were the hugest help and inspiration in the creation of this blog!
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