Once known as “the girl with the nice voice on the block”, Ivy has seemingly hit the jackpot when we meet her in September 1893: reprising her role as “Willie Grow” from the smash hit A Trip to Chinatown, the culmination of several years spent playing trousers roles for dozens of New York productions. Behind the curtain, however, Ivy paints a reality far bleaker than the Great White Way would suggest. The gig doesn’t pay much; thus, Ivy has found herself living with her friend Mathilda and Mathilda’s son Rudi, as they endure the nation’s worst economic crisis in sixty years. Her erratic schedule has made it hard for Ivy to see Helen, her childhood friend (never mind Jesse, who occupies the murky space between a friend and a lover). In her spare time, Ivy can be found reading up on the latest news and politics in the local newspaper.

Wiser than her twenty-three years would suggest, Ivy is the most worldly and gritty of the main narrators in her world—having inherited her faith and outlook on life from her father, a former patrolman for Manhattan’s notorious Sixth Ward. Her rocky relationship with her step-father, ward boss Lou McGarvey, is another major factor in how she handles herself. More than anything else, Ivy desires to find a way to free her family (and herself) from his suffocating grasp—a task that will lead to life-changing consequences for everyone she knows and loves. 

Ivy is one of the “First Four”, a nickname for the first four original characters I created. I can trace her all the way back to 2009, as a red-haired version of Buttercup from the PowerPuff Girls.

In 2011, Ivy was thrown into the story-world which became The 1890s Story, as a main narrator. Here, she gained her signature black newsboy cap and tomboy personality; and, really, she’s remained remarkably consistent in her name, appearance, and personality ever since. She’s always been the most unconventional amongst her peers: having been a “professional streetfighter” between 2013 – 2017, before transitioning into the world of the late 19^th-century theatre over the past few years. Over the past three years, her interpolation of her faith with her outlook on life have been inspired by my own journey in this area.   

Far and away, Ivy is my hands-down favorite character from all the worlds I’ve created. She has led me down many fascinating rabbit holes into obscure 19^th-century history, in my quest to historically justify everything from her hairstyle to her boxing skills. Her experience as an outcast because of her ambitions, her manner of address, and her appearance further round out her narrative vibrancy—indeed, she’s a heck of a lot of fun to write in first-person. Ivy is very aware of how unconventional she is for her time, and not ashamed to admit it. 

Ivy has one heck of a trick up her sleeve for the reader. I cannot state directly what it is, as doing so will spoil her story’s conclusion—but, in a word, her trick is inspired by my fascination with the fine line between the uncanny and the supernatural in fiction. This trick (and, more importantly, the potential Ivy has in recasting her story in a different light depending on how you interpret it) is what keeps me coming back to this world when I tire of research. She is the conductor of this story; its every twist and turn dictated by her hand. 

Ivy’s doll was created by my aunt for Christmas 2014. Her current outfit was sewn by me in late 2023/early 2024 (the newsboy cap, however, is original from 2014). Her bowtie alternates between green and blue, depending on my mood.

Songs whose lyrics and/or melody call to mind scenes involving Ivy; character development and beliefs; or general moods and themes from over the years. Specific to Ivy are songs whose vocalists sound most like how I hear her in my head.

Alice

Esther

Helen

Jesse

Lou

Mathilda

Rudi