Maggie Luchak

Resident Full Name: Maggie Luchak
Resident Date of Birth: 08/24/1996
Resident Age: 15
Resident Gender: Female
Current Address: 2400 Astral Drive
City/Town: West Hollywood
County/State: California
Country: U.S.A.

Resident Hair Colour: Brown
Resident Eye Colour: Blue-Grey
Resident Height: 5 foot 4 inches
Resident Weight: 117 pounds
Distinguishing Marks: She once had a large mole on her neck, but it has been removed leaving only a faint scar.

Representative: Thank you for meeting with me today. We will now begin the recorded interview. I will ask you a series of standard questions. Please try to answer them to the best of your ability. So, firstly, how are you feeling today?

Resident: I'm just fine... well, It's better than being stuck in my room. This is a nice couch. I like this shade of blue.

Patient Observation: Maggie sits exceptionally straight and makes a conscious effort to smile constantly and make eye contact, a lasting result of her life-long training. It should be noted that when observed through the one way mirror her demeanour was much different: nervous, fidgeting, constantly adjusting her clothing and toying with her hair.

Representative: And what circumstances have led you to apply for residency at the Highgrove Home for Children?

Resident: Mother and father say I can't come home yet. They say I need to be properly looked at. They won't just let me go home, so I guess Highgrove's where I need to go. At least then I won't be stuck sitting idle in a hospital. I'm terribly behind and out of practice. If I don't get back out there soon.. well, let's just say there are plenty of other girls that are hungry for the titles I have. If I'm not there to stand my ground... Well, that can't happen. I need to be given a clean bill of health as soon as possible, obviously. I hope you can help me achieve that.

Patient Observation: Miss Luchak does display some unease at not being able to keep up with her activities. She drummed her fingers on the couch cushions and presses her hands into them briefly before folding her hands in the lap once more.

Representative: Do you have any medical conditions we should be aware of? If so, please explain.

Resident: I have trouble with my legs sometimes, they get sore sometimes when I dance or run. The doctor says I'm showing the first signs of shin splits so it's important that I take care of myself. Which I do, very well. Every night I do my exercises and ice my legs before bed. And I always wear leg warmers when I'm active.

Representative: Have you ever been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness? If yes, have you ever been hospitalised or sent to a special care facility for these illnesses?

Resident: Yes, that's why I am at the hospital now. The doctors say that I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The doctor says it has more to do with my training and my family and how it affects my behaviour, but well, not to be disrespectful, but I think that sounds a bit ridiculous. My parents are strict but everything they do is to help me and my siblings achieve things. To suggest that they've... damaged me is rude. I guess I tend to be particular about things before a performance, I have a number of personal superstitions I abide by, they calm my nerves. My hair has to be perfect, my costume, my nails and hair. That's all normal stuff though, judges will deduct points if they are off. But there's other stuff, like how I'll have a milk bath the night before a pageant or how I start to panic if I can't find my lucky coin or how I can't stand it when people whistle. I've reacted... negatively to such things in the past. And yes, I am, exceptionally perfectionistic.

Do you think you can give me a second opinion? I'd very much like to be back with my family as quickly as possible.

I mean to say that, yes, I do believe I am meant to be on stage or in front of a camera. It's was I've always been built and trained for. To suggest that I need a back up plan is what's damaging. A back-up plans means you're filling to assume you'll fail. With no back-up, failure isn't an option. It's not “try your best” or “do or die”, It's just “Do”. More people should live their lives this way, honestly.

But yes, I am currently hospitalized. I was embarrassing myself and I panicked. I ran and I fell down the stairs by accident, breaking my arm. It was foolish and childish, but not a reason to keep me here. Broken arm or not, I could still be working, auditioning even. I could hide most of the cast under a flowy sleeve. This is an unforgivable waste of time.

Representative: How does your current state of mind affect your day to day life? Are there any incidences of note which you feel are a direct result of your state of mind, such as suicide attempts, arrests, hospitalisations, et cetera?

Resident: My current state of mind is a bit unusual for me. I'm normally very cheerful outside of the time I've spent in this hospital. I try to be a positive person, but in this building I'm under a lot of stress. No one enjoys being told their way of life is wrong or unhealthy. It's very hurtful. However when I'm at home and on-track–as I hope to be once more in the near future– I am very determined and inspired. And yes, I suppose I live my life with a certain strictness that my parents taught me, but that's all part of being a champion. You need to sacrifice a lot to be the best, I'm happy to do that. I am a dancer and a star, that's what I was born to be. I just... I can't be anything less than that...

Representative: have you ever harmed yourself, others, or animals? If yes, please explain.

Resident: I've told them, falling down the stairs was an accident. Mrs Faline was dropping me as a student, she just wants to get me in trouble to justify her decision to herself.

And then there's a instance in which my doctor and I disagree. My standards for my body not what she'd consider healthy. She says I show bulimic tendencies, but if I don't maintain my weight properly I could endanger my future. To me, it's all a normal part of my life and training, a necessity. It's not like I'm wasting away or anything, far from it. It's a very delicate balance. Anything outside of 115lbs is really... unacceptable. They haven't let me weight myself in days.

Patient Observation: Miss Luchak's responses are becoming more passionate and emotional at this point. She is visibly upset and no longer smiling.

Representative: We understand you are having trouble at your current place of residence. Could you please describe the problems you are having, and the results or repercussions that have come about because of them?

Resident: The doctor's hate me, or at least they don't understand me at all. They watch me 24/7 and they lock my door at night. What if there was a fire?

Patient Observation: The patient seems to stop herself. She pauses, clears her throat and composes herself. Smiling again.

But anyways before the hospital... I'm a very active young woman, much like my siblings. We're all very gifted in our own ways and we're all in training for something, or in the case of the eldest two already champions. Annichka is a Opera singer in Europe and Roman is a weight lifter. He's going to the world championships again this year. I've always been very pretty so my mother started me in beauty pageants when I was only 6 months old. Then I started in dance lessons when I was five years old. I've always been a been a consistent performer in both these arenas so when I was ten my parents decided I could take on the added responsibility of acting lessons. Dance is my ultimate passion but I've been successful in acting as well. I've been in a number of commercials and a few small bit parts. The most exciting was being a dead body on CSI, I got to wear all this gory make-up and film all the dramatic flashback scenes. Now if you ask me, none of that sounds like a problem.

The doctor says I put too much pressure on myself. That I need to explore other options and interests. But that's false, I love dancing, I love performing and I'm the best performer I know. If anything I should be working harder. And I would be if I weren't stuck here.

Representative: What five words would you use to best describe yourself?

Resident: Dancer, Singer, Actress, Triple Threat.

Representative: Do you have many friends? Could you describe your relationships and where you met these friends?

Resident: My instructors are the people I'm closest to outside of my family. They really care about me and push me to be the best. With the recent exception of my Latin Ballroom instructor Mrs Faline. She's the best in the business, but apparently she doesn't think I have it in me anymore. I'll be proving her wrong as soon as I'm home and practiced up again.

I've always been homeschool and all my other lessons are private so I don't know too many people. I do admit, I have trouble making friends. It's very difficult for me to talk to new people in an informal way, I much prefer an interview like this one.

Representative: How would you describe your relationship with your biological family? Did you spend much time with them? Do you have any siblings?

Resident: My little sister Myla is probably by very best friend. She's a great swimmer and used to do pageants with me. Mom made her stop though, she really liked them but she just never pulled the big titles. I am the fifth of eight children. From oldest to youngest it's Annichka, Roman, Ivan, Lyuba, myself, Myla, Peter, and Basil.

For each of us, our parents picked a 'calling' of sorts. We all have something different for the most part, Mother and Father does like any of us wasting time in areas where we aren't gifted. In fact, that's why my mother decided to devote her life to being a mother in the first place. When my father met her she had only just fallen out of a European music industry. She'd been recording with a girl group in Kviv when she was a teenager, but they never made it big. She said that she wasn't prepared well enough and that if her parents had helped her like she helped us she would have been a superstar.

Anyways, Annichka sings opera as I said, and Roman with his weightlifting. Ivan is a gymnast, Lyuba plays piano, Myla is a swimmer, Peter is very gifted in mathematics and Basil plays tennis. Our parents push us quite a bit but obviously it helps. Annichka and Roman are already famous and Ivan is in line to go to the world championship.

My Mother homeschool all of us. We all study in the afternoon over lunch, and between practices. We work very hard because our parents want the best from us and for us. They didn't move our entire family to America for us to be lazy and not accomplish what we're destined for. We immigrated here to have the best chance at our futures.

Representative: Are you sexually active? If yes, are you aware of any sexual preferences regarding gender or situation?

Patient Observation: Miss Luchak turns very red at this question and giggles in an uncomfortable, defensive manner. She plays with her hair and avoids eye contact.

Resident: I've had crushes on boys before, but I really don't have time to date and stuff. Isn't that a bit personal?

Representative: Where did you grow up, and what was it like there? How do you feel about where you grew up?

Resident: I grew up in West Hollywood. My family moved there about a year before I was born. They came from Lviv, Ukraine. They loved it there-it's a very lovely, artistic sort of city-but they wanted a better foundation with more opportunities for us. With Annichka and Lyuba both in artistic fields they thought being near Hollywood would be ideal. Then I was born, their perfect star in training, my mother likes to say, she said I was born for Hollywood and Stardom. I was sort of named after my mother, her name is Magdalena, but she thought it would be better if I was Maggie as it's more American. My father career really took off in California. He's a celebrity cosmetic dentist now, he works on some really famous smiles.

We had a big house with lots of room for each of us. Peter and Lyuba would always be working at home, Peter could do his math in the office and Lyuba practiced on the Grand Piano in the entry way. The rest of us all had to go to other studios though, so Mother would all drive us around during the day. We were all so busy, still are. I think that's why I dislike this hospital so much. I don't like not being busy. I feel like I'm wasting so much time. It's really not acceptable.

Representative: How is school? What are your grades like, and do you enjoy it? Do you participate in any after-school activities?

Resident: My mother home-schools me. She home-schools all of us. The Doctor here told me she does it wrong, but I think she just streamlines things nicely. She caters our education to each of us individual, which I always though was a good thing. She teaches me about world history and politics. Mostly she assigns reading and writing, for instance I read the newspaper daily. Mother says it's important for me to know what's going on in the world since I'll be in the public eye.

Representative: What do you hope to find at the Highgrove Home, and how do you feel about potentially becoming a resident there?

Resident: I hope that I could have a little more freedom then I do here at the hospital, they barely even let me leave my room. I'd just like to be able to start dancing again, not being able to do so... it makes me feel heavy and bogged down. Like I'm turning into a giant sloth, quite literally, without the advantage of being kind of adorable and looking all smiley. And I suppose it would be nice to meet some new people, I do feel so lonely sometimes. The only people I know my age tend to be other dancers and things, so... it's not good to be too friendly with the competition.

And to go to classes like a regular kid. I think having those experiences would really be good for my film career.

Representative: Lastly, how do you feel about what you have done so far with you life, looking back on it. If you have done unacceptable things, how do you now feel about those?

Resident: More than anything I can't believe I embarrassed my family this way. I mean here I was carted off to the hospital, child psychologists has come to talk to me. It's all very shameful and public. They're saints for putting up with this kind of behaviour from me, really. They taught me so much better. It's no wonder they want to send me off for a while, the public eye needs a little time to forget before I truly get my big break. This could all be a bit damaging.


Is there anything your character isn't telling us? Do you have more information to add about your character that they would not tell the representative about? Please explain below:

Maggie has had some significant training in how to speak publicly for her pageants and auditions. So as always, getting a straight forward story from Maggie about herself doesn't quite work the way it should. Maggie is the child of the worst stage parents known to mind. They are entirely controlling, emotionally abusive, and unloving. Maggie is a skill set more than a person in their eyes and they see her as something of a crown jewel in their family. She has next to no formal education and does very little outside of training and competing. However, obviously she doesn't really see any of this as a problem, she's never seen another way of life and considers it all entirely normal, or in some cases, much better than normal. She both lives in fear of her parents and with the constant need to please them. Maggie's world view is entirely skewed, she really doesn't feel that anything other than her and her family's idea of perfection is acceptable. She cannot see herself or her life in anything other than a context of stardom. She obsessively weights herself or/and inspects her body and face for imperfections. She, if allowed, will spend and entire day in a dance studio scrutinizing her every muscle, forgetting to eat, sleep or socialize. Similarly, she will watch tapes of her performances over and over again, taking meticulous notes on her acting, dancing and singing. As she mentioned she has rituals: some born from random sources and personal patterns and others derived from the superstitions in her family's home country.

The incident that caused Maggie to be hospitalized was a month ago and soon after visiting by a psychiatrist. Upon receiving the news that her Latin Ballroom dance instructor Mrs Faline was dropping her, Maggie was devastated. Maggie had an outburst in the studio and ran out of the second story classroom. She claims she fell down the stairs but in fact, very obviously with her instructor, her mother and a couple students as witnesses, threw herself down. When her parents and instructor were questioned they admitted they saw it and that it was far from the first time Maggie reacted this badly to changes in her strict schedule. Generally she reacts by panicking, running away and occasionally lashing out if she can't escape. These frantic episodes are generally followed by a depression, she'll cry on and off for a time until she does something she's entirely pleased with.

Her parents worked very long and very hard to hide their daughter's true nature, but people in the pageant circuit have been talking about it for years. With this very public freak-out in front of her very prominent instructor and other high calibre dancers, they realize there's no more hiding it and would prefer to ship her off then allow her to tarnish the family image.

Character Playby: Michelle Trachtenberg
Player Nickname: Kels
Chatango Username: KelseyLynn
Preferred Chore Assignment Group: Kitchen Chores

But don't fret! Just follow the steps given to you below and edit your application appropriately. When you're done, please reply to this thread to let us know that the application has been edited, and we will review it again.

• Almost there! Maggie needs a few tweaks before she's ready to jump into the fray. At the moment she's not severe enough to be at Highgrove and her diagnosis doesn't match her behavior. Schizoptypal Disorder wouldn't only affect her when she's trying to make conversation with her peers. It would cripple her ability to function around people, this includes judges at pageants and casting directors. She'd appear cold and aloof, behave in an eccentric or peculiar manner, have paranoid ideas, be socially withdrawn, and she may even experience hallucinations. These are just a few from the diagnostic criteria list off the wikipedia page. Give it a read and see if there's a way to work it in. Remember, they take the worst of the worst so whatever she's got needs to be in high gear.
  
  
• Highgrove isn't your typical home. They take in the children that foster families and state homes are not capable of handling. Because of this most of the children attending the facility have been in the system long enough to prove themselves a danger to themselves and others. Because Maggie isn't a British National she has the other option which is to be sent there by her parents, legal guardian, or licensed psychiatrist. It will need to be explained why she's being sent abroad rather than somewhere closer to home and she will still need to be severe enough for Highgrove.
  
  
• Maggie's hospitalization and the events leave me a little confused. First, how do they know the fall was not an accident? Were there witnesses? It says they found no history of self harm so I feel like they'd be more likely to believe her if she said it was an accident. Second, hospitals don't keep someone with a broken arm longer than it takes to x-ray and put a cast on. Maggie would have been released the same day most likely. If she was in for psychiatric observation please make sure that's clearly said. I'm not entirely sure what prompted the investigation into her family. Them calling her an embarrassment might not be grounds for child services to intervene since taking children away is a big deal.
  

upon chatting with Nebbs, we've converted her from gas to electric Stereotypical to OCD... so perhaps this one's the winning combination! Made Mom a little crazier (or at least explained the obsession), made sure there were plenty of witnesses to the stair incident and incidents previous... and added the delightful detail of her parents wanting her to GTFO their land mass.

hope this works better...

Resident Full Name: Maggie Luchak
Resident Age: 15
Resident Gender: Female
Known Diagnoses: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Dormitory Number: 3
Bunk Number: 02 Top
Assigned Chores Group: Stables Chores
Assigned Therapist: Dr. Sybil Penhurst

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