Ryley Summers

**Ryley Violet-Rae Summers** (born January 19th, 1996), is the main protagonist in *Blank Earth* and *Neurotic Atrophy*.

In *Blank Earth*, Ryley is introduced as a

## Biography

### Early Life

Ryley Summers was raised in the suburbs of San Francisco, California. Ryley had a rather happy childhood until her father, having struggled at work, developed a severe gambling addiction in an attempt to keep the family afloat, which served only to run the family into the ground, especially as the financial crisis worsened. The family were evicted from their home, losing many of their belongings and forced to move into lower-income housing in Bayview-Hunters Point around the time Ryley started first grade. It was also at this time that her father began drinking heavily and would occasionally abuse her and her mother physically, a behavior that would only worsen over the years.

As time went on, her father began holding illegal poker tournaments in the family's basement for hours on end, during which he finally earned the family a steady income, not by winning said tournaments, but by bribing the various players who came through to have sex with his daughter. Ryley had no say in the matter as she was forced to sleep with dozens of older men or receive a hefty beating from her father. This cycle of abuse continued for a further six years, heavily damaging Ryley both physically and mentally; she soon became indifferent and apathetic to being used as an object and became detached completely from any feelings of joy or happiness.

At the start of high school, Ryley ended up bullied and harassed due to her tough and shelled-off exterior. She began getting into fights at school due to her emotional irritability after years of relentless bullying from her schoolmates. As her reputation for trouble grew, she met Kayla Martin and her gang of scandalous misfits, where she developed a love for punk rock music, getting her first tattoo, sneaking out at night and engaging in public vandalism, theft, and violence, all of which made her feel invigorated and empowered for the first time in years. Yet, she still suffered abuse at the hands of her father and his friends, which she continued to remain silent about, even to her new friends.

Late one night, while walking home alone after sneaking out she was confronted by a larger older man who managed to easily overpowered and pin down the physically anemic Ryley and attempted to rape her. Initially resigned to the assault, Ryley noticed a large shard of broken glass in a nearby garbage bin and used it to deter her attacker, stabbing him deep in the abdomen and leaving him bleeding out in the alley. Panicked by the traumatic series of events, Ryley quickly rushed over to Kayla's house, knocking on her window and sneaking in, Ryley opened up about what had happened, as well as confessing her abusive history. Kayla comforted her and allowed her to stay the night.

Over the coming months, Ryley and her friends would form a riot grrrl band entitled *The Diesel Dykes* and practice biweekly at their drummer Talia Widelski's garage as an excuse to get Ryley out of her abusive house as much as possible. Ryley became fully engaged in punk rock and lesbian subculture and ideologies, this infatuation led to multiple suspensions at her school for inappropriate doodles, drinking on school property and handing out show flyers which promoted the controversial band and it's oft-misandrist and offending song titles and lyrics (in particular, *Ruptured Cunt* -- an abrasive song which spoke openly about Ryley's history with sexual assault).

Ryley also became romantically involved with Kayla, although the two were rarely physical due to Ryley's discomfort with being touched by others (let alone being sexually active). While the relationship was a secret at first, they soon became more open and would occasionally hold hands at school and engage in makeout sessions on stage at shows in order to shock and offend critics, homophobes and others who had harassed them in their daily life. Ryley also made secret plans with Kayla to abandon their lives in the Bay Area and head north by hopping trains until they reached Olympia, Washington and used what little funds they made from shows to save up, Ryley kept this money in a glass jar under her bed.

### The Melancholy of Separation

A few months after her seventeenth birthday, As she fled distraughtly, she was followed by Kayla who attempted to comfort her. It was then that the two shared their first private and therefore "real" kiss. Ryley pushed forwards, confessing that she wanted to take advantage of the moment and have sex while intoxicated so that her father's abuse to "steal this from her", but the momentum was short-lived as Kayla halted Ryley. Seeking validation in this moment of vulnerability, Kayla confessed discomfort, opening up as being a closeted transgender male instead of gay as he had previously thought, in the hopes that Ryley would accept him now as 'Kevin' and still love him regardless. Unfortunately, the truth couldn't have been much the opposite, as Ryley drunkenly struggled to understand what Kevin had been telling her, and once she did, was overcome by a strong feeling of betrayal from the person she had loved and trusted most. Ryley, hurt and conflicted, shoved Kevin off and fled home, whereupon arrival, she was immediately confronted and shown hostility by her father, as the police had shortly before, shown up at the house due to the bar altercation earlier that night with the intent of pressing charges. Panicked and distressed, Ryley once again reacted in self-defense and attacked her father, knocking him to the floor, she began harshly thrashing him in retaliation before quickly rushing to her room to collect a bag of clothes and the money she had collected, all the while her mother pleaded for her to stay and reconsider, Ryley, without hesitation brushed off her mother's plea with little else but cold spite for her compliance in having sat by and allowed her own daughter to be raped and beaten for ten years, and with a final breath, Ryley left her home forever.

Sneaking on board a freight train heading northbound, Ryley had decided to continue with her and Kevin's former goal of starting a new life in Olympia, and it was on this trip that Ryley would cross paths with Alex Peterson, who had also been traveling along the west coast after a rather harsh breakup with her boyfriend and was using the experience to soul-search for a nostalgiac memoir she had been writing. Ryley and Alex connected deeply on that late-night train ride and upon learning that Ryley had no other place to go and was essentially homeless, Alex kindly invited her to take up residence with her and her two roommates in Seattle, where Ryley was warmly welcomed with open arms, over the course of the year, Ryley began to view the household as home, and it's inhabitants as being a sort of lively and mismatched family she could have only dreamt of prior.

A few months after Ryley's following birthday, she and Alex would become romantically involved. Unfortunately, as time went on, Ryley found herself returning to the type of petty daredevil and miscreant behavior she had engaged in, including vandalism, arson, destruction of private property, and public intoxication.

### Blank Earth

In April of 2015, Ryley was caught stealing several items from a local gas station variety store but luckily managed to escape from the enraged store owner who had pursued her on foot with a shotgun. The stolen items in question were obtained to celebrate her and Alex's first anniversary as a couple.

However, over the next few days, a series of unfortunate incidents and rising tension would arise between various members of the household, including Ryley who had become distraught due to the reappearance of Alex's ex-boyfriend, Jacob, and her suddenly apprehensive and avoidant behavior. This led to a particularly explosive argument between the two, as Ryley had accused Alex of cheating on her with Jacob, this, however, was far from the truth as the two had just buried the hatchet on their relationship and Jacob had found a new partner and his frequent visits were his attempts to avoid relapsing. Alex herself had been struggling with self-harm and depression after having flirted with Kim Min-Ji, a mutual friend, several weeks earlier, and had struggled to admit to these actions to the typically explosive and quick-to-anger Ryley. Ryley attempted to apologize to Alex, but to no avail, Alex quickly turned the tables on Ryley's behavior and her unreliability as a partner, exclaiming that her actions had consequences, particularly on those close to her, such as their close friend Jay who had struggled with coming out in fear of damaging his relationship with the typical misandrist Ryley, especially considering her reaction to Jacob's mere presence. Ryley was immediately stunned by this, reminded of Kevin, receded into a desperate apology, but Alexis continued, arguing that she couldn't continue to use her history of assault and abuse as an excuse for her to treat others as equally inhuman, and in a burst of emotion, Ryley lashed out at Alex, accidentally harming her, shook by her automatically violent response towards someone she loved, immediately broke down, repeatedly muttering that she didn't want to be like her father, Ryley instinctively fled from the house in response and immediately visited Karmin, who was sympathetic towards Ryley and allowed her to stay at the garage as long as she needed, as Garcia had been away.

A few days later, Ryley finally received a call from Alex, who informed her that both their roommates Dawn and Jay had been hospitalized, Dawn had suffered a severe brain hemorrhage and Jay had gotten into an accident after driving intoxicated and colliding with another vehicle. Feeling a strong sense of guilt and debt to both parties, Ryley arrived at the hospital, she was greeted by Dawn's younger sister Hayley Anderson, who passed on the news that Dawn had been declared clinically braindead, and her family had decided to pull her life support, emotionally drained, Ryley, stopped by to visit Jay, who had been awake and mobile, but had now been confined to a wheelchair due to severe spinal trauma and would remain so for the rest of his life, Ryley, appalled by the news, attempted to soften the blow by apologizing for her behavior, and affirming that no matter what gender Jay had been, they would always be friends. As Ryley left the hospital, she attempted to place a call to the house, but received no answer, and headed back to the garage, intent on returning home and rekindling her relationship with Alex in light of the tragedy that had affected everyone.

Arriving at the garage, however, Ryley encountered Garcia once again, who had returned to the garage ahead of schedule. Garcia corned Ryley and informed her that he had decided to stay in town after learning that his uncle's gas station had been robbed earlier in the week by an individual who had been wearing an outfit very similar to Ryley, who had stolen from the store the day before. Ryley stuttered, attempting to dodge the accusations, but was unable before Garcia began assaulting her, beating her down with a wrench. panicked Ryley attacked back before gaining the upper hand and she began pummeling him with a crowbar, continuing until her nerves had calmed, she collapsed, covered in blood before acknowledging what she had done.

### Nihilist Apathy

Ryley was soon after taken into police custody and admitted to her actions, Ryley was charged and later sentenced with second-degree murder, alongside receiving several charges for several other prior unconvicted felonies. Alex was present for the court hearings and the two conversed one final time before Ryley was transported to the Washington State Women's Correctional Facility.

As it would turn out, this would be a change for the better, as Ryley now had access to mental health services that she previously had no access to, and was able to open up about her past trauma and learn to correctly process her emotions and learn healthier methods of coping with her trauma. On top of this, the correctional facility offered a strong sense of structure and management to Ryley's chaotic life, and she was able to keep up a persistent growth and optimism through several general help groups in the prison which dealt with childhood abuse, rape survivors, substance abuse and anger management.

Over the course of her sentence, Ryley made several close friends who had lived through similar upbringings and circumstances to her own, one of these friends, Ryley's bunkmate Lily Rainier, would become romantically involved with Ryley, and would even become engaged within the walls of the facility, promising to become legally married after their respective sentences were complete.

## Personality

Ryley is a brash, energetic and short-tempered tomboy. As a result of her anarcha-feminist punk rock lifestyle, Ryley is almost constantly 'sticking it to the man' and getting into trouble, as she prefers an adrenaline-rushed lifestyle of cheap beer, vandalism, fistfights and petty theft and is notable for her increasingly misandrist views.

However, beneath her rough exterior, Ryley is extremely insecure about herself and has a hard time letting people in, often struggling with jealousy and envy as a result of her low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. Much of this behaviour stems from the severe abuse that she suffered almost daily throughout her childhood and into her mid-teens.

## Physical Appearance

At the start of Blank Earth, Ryley has long, greasy blonde hair which she shaves off very early into the story, leaving her scalp almost-bare, she also sports a black eye and band-aid over her nose for her mischief. Ryley has dozens of notable scars and burns along her arms, stomach and back and a Black Flag tattoo on her right bicep, as well as the initials "ACAB" poorly tattooed on her right knuckles.

In terms of attire, Ryley is generally seen wearing a light blue denim vest with various assorted pins and two notable patches: an LGBT rainbow flag on the front left shoulder and a large hand-painted patch on the back of an anarcha-feminist venus symbol with a raised fist in the center.

## Appearances

* Nihilist Apathy
	+ Neurotic Atrophy
	+ The Melancholy of Separation
* Blank Earth
* Nihilist Apathy
	+ Neurotic Atrophy
* Snow In Summer (mentioned)

## Killed Victims

This list shows the victims Ryley has killed:

* Garcia Espinosa

## Relationships

*For a more in-depth look at Ryley's relationships, read here: Ryley Summers/Relationships*

* Alice Summers - Mother

Romantic* Alex Peterson - Ex-Girlfriend
* Kevin Martin - Ex-Boyfriend
* Karmina Espinosa - Former Love Interest
* Lily Rainier - Fiancée

Friends* Jay Sanders - Friend
* Ami Richards † - Friend
* Dawn Anderson † - Friend
* Kim Min-Ji - Friend
* Emily Kaufman - Roommate
* Talia Widelski - Former Bandmate
* Guilherme Espinosa
* Los Sureños Locos 13
	+ Garcia Espinosa † - Victim
* Seattle Police Department

## Gallery

*For more images of Ryley, visit Ryley Summers/Gallery.*
**Neurotic Atrophy**
(2003)**The Melancholy of Separation**
(2013)**Blank Earth**
(2015)**Neurotic Atrophy**
(2017)
## Trivia

* Several main influences for the character of Ryley Summers include Susan Watts, Randy Dean, Debra, Tricia Miller, Corky, Rebecca Buck, Ellie Phimister, and Imperator Furiosa.