Molly Bay

Molly "Dollface Molly" Bay is a member of Canton's Crew. She doesn't have any special rank for when they're at sea, but on land she can fool just about any landlubber. Her young looks are a blessing and a curse. Her talents are deception, pick pocketing, and being baby.

Dollface Molly is portrayed by TikTok user, petalquartzdove.

Appearance
Molly has short, golden brown hair swept to the side and brown eyes behind circle glasses. When she isn't pretending to be innocent, she wears a sparkly scarf as a bandanna. She wears a fluffy, billowy lace shirt with a black vest. On her feet, there is only one boot while the other is bare.

Personality
Though she may look sweet, her personality is rarely so. She tends to be sarcastic and doesn't show her feelings often. She attempts to seem like she has one of the two brain cells in the entire ship, but it's rarely the case. Sassy, hotheaded, but somewhere in there is a good heart. It comes out for the crew, who she cares about more than anything.

Backstory
Molly Bay was born in a bustling harbor town to a single mother. Unseen by her mother at first, it soon became clear that something was wrong when she didn't walk the time children usually do. She would be pained if she attempted. Her mother didn't have much money, but she spent it for a doctor to tell her "wait until she's bigger". By the age of 6, the doctor came again and admitted there was no fixing it. Upon the doctor suggesting she pay to get the problematic foot amputated, he was run out of the house by the moneyless mother. The words that echoed in Molly's head, watching all this, was- "My daughter isn't broken!"

The feeling of something wrong with her was something that followed her. She had major mobility issues, which made her life hard to live. She had to have support in order to keep standing. She took a fall at 8 years old and this time, someone was there to pick her up. Someone who quickly became her best friend. They didn't just help her get around, they helped her feel worthy. It tore her apart when they disappeared. Without that friend, she got in quite a bit more trouble. Her mother made her go out and do errands she could easily do herself. This continued even after she took a really bad fall and twisted her good foot on the way down. It was a painful time in her life, but the pain didn't end there.

Kids her age had picked on her for her entire life, but it intensified around 12 years old. The children had learned new, hateful and ableist words to throw her way. Normally, when she was bullied she would curl up in a ball until the children left, or use whatever she can to make her escape. But one time, the words filled her head, and her heart. Her head got fuzzy. The next thing she knew, she was punching the lights out of one of the people taunting her. The others ran away in fear. She found a solution to her problem. She punched her problems away more and more, getting better at fighting and taking hits. She didn't notice her mother stewing in vitriol and venom.

At 13, she found something that would change her life for the better. Found, stole, whatever. Her cane. Branches were rare to come by due to the urban location and they'd often snap under pressure. This could help her turn her life around. She thought things were going to get better now. It became apparent at 14 she had more than one disability. While those her age grew and developed, she stayed looking like a child. She was easy to pick out of a crowd and easier to discriminate against. Well, to the ones who hadn't gotten punched yet. But her mother snapped at her, yelling that she wasn't the true Molly. That the real Molly had been stolen by the fairies, and the one in front of her was a changeling. Molly tried to calm her mother down, but she was quickly running out of time as her mother advanced. As the mother opened the door, Molly tried one last time to change her mind. "I can't survive out there by myself! Please!" only to be met with a humorless chuckle and a, "That's tough." She gets shoved out of her house, the door slamming. Now what?

It took time for Molly to adjust to life on the city streets, but she managed with time. She couldn't trust anyone, she always watched her back, she learned how to steal from passersby. The other street urchins gave her pieces of help for her to get by. But her biggest lesson didn't come from the friendly ones, it was from one that had tried to take her cane. She gripped it in a tug of war, yelling that she needed it. Eventually she yanked it from the man's arms and clocked him on the head with the handle. He fell and twitched as he tried to get up. In panic, fear, and an emotion she couldn't name, she fell to her knees and finished the job, bashing his head until the moving stopped. Her biggest help could also be her best weapon.

At 18, after spending almost half her life on her own, she looked for closure. She went home and confronted her mother. She held her cane out to the woman, glaring. The mother scoffed, "What? Ya gonna bludgeon ye own mother?" Molly grit her teeth, spitting, "And here I thought I wasn't your daughter!!" She gave a dry laugh in response, "For once... you're right." From a hidden part of her housecoat, she withdrew a knife. Molly swung back to avoid a swing at her gut, hitting her on the hand to disarm her, then bringing the handle up against her chin. The woman fell. Molly felt nothing but anger for her in that moment, and she finished the job. It was only after that she realized what she'd done. She broke down in tears, taking the woman's head scarf and cradling it close. She would keep it. She had to remember. But for now... she would set this home full of hate ablaze.

Being searched for by the guards, she ran to the docks. She looked for a ship she could board, and saw the S.S. Carol had the gangway out, climbing aboard and hiding in the storage. When she was discovered, she told the one who found her the reason she was there. She wasn't a thief, she just needed to get away from the guards. That was her first step into piracy, and she never looked back. Well, she did sometimes...

Catriona
Molly had been taken aback by how warm and welcoming the selkie was. It took a long time to get used to, but eventually she sank into that familiarity like a warm hug. She was brought to tears when Cat came to everyone offering to be 'Ship Mom', though she quickly wiped her face and thanked her. She would protect her.

Aileen
A fellow sassmaster, a worthy friend! She became close to Aileen quickly. They had so many shared interests! Judging people, being badass, stealing... they're one hell of a duo. You don't want to mess with either of these fierce ladies.

Celene
Molly first met her hearing her sing. She couldn't help but go to the siren trapped on board. Empathy stirred in her normally cold heart, feeling bad for her. She would visit Celene often then. Molly couldn't deny the way her heart would skip a beat seeing the siren. She would bring her things to try to make her stay on the ship more comfortable, though she was sad knowing Celene wanted to go home. She'll enjoy Celene's presence while she's here, and when she leaves, she'll miss her. But that's okay. She won't tell her...

Canton
Even though Molly teases Canton at times, she is genuinely thankful for his hospitality. She knows without him, she would be in jail or worse. So she'll always fight for him, always help him, always follow him. It isn't just that he let her stowaway, she respects him and think he has potential to be a great captain, problems and all.

Isla
Molly doesn't directly talk to Isla most of the time, but seeing her happy (especially with Canton) is always a highlight. Her positive energy is contagious, and it's something she was used to. She only realized it was gone when she was told the news that Isla was gone. But she refuses to give up. They all have each other, and she would join in.

Jay
Jay is Molly's friend, the type that Molly playfully teases. She didn't actually read your secret, I promise.

Audra
Good cook, intimidating as fuck. Someone she wants on her side no matter what the issue is.