#also when people write Nico with a slight Italian accent

[mothmx]

Artists who remember tiny details about characters I’m kissing u on the forehead

[emo-batboy]

i'd like the chart thanks!

Also, there's another person who wants to rp Leo, can they?

Okay a few people are asking for the chart so here’s the current chart!! (I took out some characters that are still not as fleshed out. That includes Nathan, Ria, Nina, Ashley, Zoe, Ray, Maggie, and the hater and Metropolis characters, but they’re all filler characters rn)

A Wild Battinson Character Lore Continuity

- Felicity

- Oldest of the bunch, right between Millennial and Gen Z

- Works at an office, besties with everyone there. Corporate girlie (does use the term girlboss)

- Like if a Gothamite/Bruce Wayne fan was swiftie-coded?

- She has a pet pitbull, you know that kind of white girl

- Tatum

- Goth U, Comp Sci major

- Keeps everyone he knows online at arms length so we don’t know much, has a small close knit friend group irl but he’s also mutuals with everybody on twitter because he’s that kinda guy yk?

- But they’re slowly convincing him. He’s getting there

- Marzia

- Oh god poor Marzia

- Italian, born in Northern Italy, English is her second language but you wouldn’t be able to tell if it weren’t for her slight accent

- Biggest Bruce Wayne stan, will go feral, but only gets replies from him at the worst moments possible

- *snorts like cocaine* “Please don’t do cocaine” is my personal favorite

- Goth U, she gives art major vibes but tacked on a double major in psychology last minute so now she’s staying a fifth year

- Reads smut, writes smut, part of the poetry club, def on booktok, you know the type

- Alejandro

- Runs an ice cream stand in the park on the weekends when it’s warm enough

- Bi, Dating Leo (pfp is them holding hands because he’s a whipped son of a bitch)

- He’s like if that normal-looking kind of athletic guy who always wore sweatshirts and basketball shorts to class just suddenly mentioned he had a boyfriend one day.

- He’s straight-coded but more specifically “the straight guy that gay guys have crushes on against their better judgement”-coded

- Knew the whole time he was bi but never REALLY liked a guy until Leo 🥺. whenever he looks at Leo, he’s got those madly in love eyes

- Thinks Batman is hot and suffers constant torment from Leo (who has a crush on Bruce) because of it

- Ale just wants to be bench pressed is that too much to ask? But It’s his fault he’s a twunk dating a twink so—

- Goth U, Really interested in tech stuff but he’s actually a sports medicine major. He wants to be a physical therapist for athletes

- Cannot hold his liquor

- Smile Watch

- Who knows

- It’s a mystery

- Lela

- Goth Girl

- BFF’s with Nico (goth girl, e-boy solidarity)

- Also good friends with Natalie, they lined up all their gen Ed’s together

- Chill in a Morticia Addams kinda way. She is Morticia Addams actually

- Mom owns a convenience store, she helps out after classes a lot

- Studied for the MCAT, did pretty well, she wants to be a doctor (probably neurosurgeon but it depends on what internship she gets)

- Currently completing the undergrad to grad program at Goth University with a masters in public health

- Natalie

- Former intern, now ASSISTANT at Wayne Press

- Got the job because she impressed Bruce with her good reporting skills, now works mostly on organizing press releases and maintaining Bruce’s public image

- Great at her job because she knows social media and Bruce Wayne Stans the best (she is one obv)

- (Babysits Bruce when Alfred is busy, how did this happen, why is this her job now? She’s tired of his shit lol)

- Still technically working part-time because she hasn’t gotten her degree yet, but she’s set to work full time after she graduates Goth U in May

- Sometimes while sitting at her desk she just gets that perspective shift where she’s like “how did I get here” Bruce Wayne Stans’ dreams do come true

- Caleb 🤡

- Literally 18/19 but aging faster than humanly possible with the stress he’s under

- Used to work at Bat Burger, left because the babysitting gig required more time

- Lives with his aunt who’s already retired (used to live alone, she never had kids or a husband so she’s loaded) He’s staying cuz his parents are super busy and travel for work :) and guess what crime-filled alley their window overlooks? I’ll give you one guess

- Babysits Tim, used to be a less serious gig but his parents have been out of town a lot lately (just vacationing without their child 🙄) and thankfully Caleb lives right across from their swanky apartment so he’s practically a nanny now (read: older sibling/third parent)

- Took a ton of childcare courses for this job and now he’s kind of interested in working at a daycare maybe? If Tim doesn’t kill him in his sleep first

- Recently graduated Goth High, now takes online classes at Goth Community College while deciding what to do with his life

- Jarod

- Recently graduated Goth High, now taking a gap year before starting GothU in the fall. Him and Caleb were always in the same classes so they’re super close (they’re the youngest)

- Future Comp Sci/English major (he wants to be a video game writer)

- Has a younger sister, and technically the oldest child but spiritually he’s the middle child.

- His parents and Priyanka’s parents are close friends so he kind of grew up seeing Priyanka as an older sister. That’s why they’re Like That.

- Literally so fed up with Priyanka, it’s not even funny (yes it is) but the second you’re rude to Priyanka, he will deck you, watch yourself

- Katie (Sweater Thief)

- ER Nurse at Gotham General Hospital, mostly does night shifts

- Gives chronically online energy when she’s online, but everyone in real life wouldn’t suspect a thing because she’s so good at having her life together (the code switch will give you whiplash)

- Surprisingly older than most of the others despite being Like That.

- Literally graduated with a 4.2 GPA how tf?

- BFF’s with Leo then became BFF’s with Ale too after they started dating (she is slowly corrupting Ale and I think that’s beautiful)

- Creator of the Babygirl Bruce Wayne Agenda and PROUD

- Priyanka

- Works at coffee shop owned by her mom called Caffe Mood. She plans to run it one day. Currently a barista

- Goth U, business major (accounting)

- Bilingual, knows Hindi

- LESBIAN QUEEN

- Despite being gay, She is allowed to think Bruce Wayne is hot, that is her Right

- Mad fucking crush on Georgia, calls her Georgie. Intends to never tell a soul. Will fail miserably

- Dead fucking set on the idea that Batman’s a vampire

- But she thinks everyone’s a vampire so—

- Her parents and Jarod’s parents are close friends so she kind of grew up seeing Jarod as a younger brother. That’s why they’re Like That

- Jarod is constantly on her nerves, wtf Jarod (but be mean to him and she’ll kill you)

- Leo

- Works at bookstore called Gotham City Bookstore

- Gay, Dating Alejandro

- Twink (derogatory)

- Swears his gaydar is the most accurate there is (always wrong)

- Made being gay his entire personality because he had an identity crisis in middle school and proceeded to have a massive crush on some straight guy all of high school (that guy was Ale, Leo’s gaydar is so off)

- BFF’s with Katie despite being a few years younger. They were in a high school production of Sweeney Todd together and the rest was history

- Calls every single celebrity gay as a joke, Ale reigns him in if he’s getting too out of hand

- Used to have a mad celebrity crush on Bruce, still kinda (definitely) does

- Attends GothU, undecided for a while but ultimately settled on mathematics because it’s ironically his best subject

- One of those mf’s that needs to be held back at all costs, god help Ale

- Rose 🌹

- Works a tailoring job full time

- Good friends with Felicity, she’s like the black cat to Felicity’s golden retriever

- 70% super nice and chill, 30% wild card party girl

- Gets drinks with friends a lot, tweets when drunk but no one can tell the difference. It’s amazing

- Does not seem horny, is horny. But like normal about it? If that’s a thing

- Nico

- Kinda plays the straight man of the group if the straight man was emo

- BFF’s with Lela (e-boy, goth girl solidarity)

- KING of twitter roasts. He makes memes to end lives.

- Pansexual, single, and probably writing bad poetry in his diary about it but don’t tell anyone

- Goth U, actually dunno the major. Probs public health with Lela but doesn’t want to be a doctor. More like research parallel to social sciences

- Has a 8/9yo sister named Madelaine whom he would die for despite not expecting to be an older brother so late in the game (what were his parents thinking)

- Has tea parties with her and all that jazz. She steals his eyeliner and chain accessories all the time, also she’s friends with Dick and Barbie (yes, Barbara Gordon) so sometimes he watches over their play dates

- He’s a “tough emo boy” so he totally doesn’t laugh at Madelaine’s puns. He’s a bitch ass liar

- Kellyanne

- GothU, marine biology. Transferred from GCCC with an associates degree to save money but now she’s got a full ride cuz of the WE higher education fund

- More recent Bruce Stan

- Pretty poor upbringing, that’s how she met Bruce Wayne. He bought her whole family groceries one night after her card declined at the convenience store trying to buy dinner

- Now she’s in it for the long haul :)

- Lia

- GothU, fashion merchandising

- A GIRL’S GIRL

- Older sister also attends Goth U, but she’s in med school

- More recent Bruce Wayne stan, still not particularly in with the culture and jokes but getting there

- Friends with Georgia and Elizabeth irl. Elizabeth was in the same sorority before graduating first. Got to know Georgia after Lia found her dog with Bruce at the park outside GothU. They party together now

- Elizabeth

- Graduated GothU last May and worked an internship at LexCorp, immediately regretted it but snagged a job at WE (thank god)

- Now works as a research assistant at Wayne Tech in the R&D department for commercial products

- Didn’t really get the whole Bruce Wayne Stan thing until Bruce Wayne personally wished her a happy birthday?? The man is so sweet?

- Absolutely loves her job but still screams at rubber ducks over faulty code in her little cubicle, but that’s the industry she chose so it’s a give and take

- Met Natalie through Stan twitter and now they DM each other about working at Wayne Enterprises

- Doesn’t post much on twitter but follows the main Bruce Stan accounts, irl friends with Lia and Georgia

- Georgia

- Has a dog named Bean

- GothU, majoring in like three languages, polyglot (including Hindi 😏)

- Works at a retail home decor kinda store (home goods?)

- So lesbian-coded, but does not know it yet. Priyanka is her gay awakening. She is now a regular at Caffe Mood (She thinks she just likes the coffee (yeah right))

- Works at Goth U’s admissions department over the summer too

- Once got drunk and locked herself onto a roof by accident, ended up hanging out with Batman (he offered to break into her apartment for her but she said “nah”)

- Jane

- Works at Wayne Enterprises

- Runs bring your kid to work day (idk what her actual job is but she’s an Essential Worker, okay?)

- Very sweet, 10/10, looks on the bright side but never in a toxic positivity way

- Super social too, became work friends with Bruce because she’s nice but not draining to his social battery? They have lunch on occasion

- Watched the Graysons die with Bruce, call that trauma bonding

- Watched her toxic ex’s car burn to a crisp after a joker spree and took a selfie with it (she can have a little revenge, as a treat)

[seattlesea]

Percy Jackson Characters + Voices

Percy: -Has a heavy New Yorker accent -Uses a lot of New York/Manhattan slang and skater slang as well (if that’s even a thing) -Has quite a deep voice but gets voice cracks pretty often -Has a rough, gravelly, smoky, and vigorous voice -Talks pretty slow, like water calmly splashing on rocks  -But talks really slow when he’s bored or tired, people will stop listening before he even finishes one sentence cause he takes forever to speak  -Sometimes has a really deep, bored, and calm voice that’s actually quite pleasant to listen to when you’re tired, exhausted, or trying to relax -His voice gets deeper when he’s upset and shaky when he’s really scared -Half the time he’s talking slowly and taking his sweet time and the other half the time he’s talking at a mile a minute -Sometimes he sounds like the deepest parts of the ocean and melted chocolate and other times sounds like the surface of a calm ocean on a peaceful summer day -At night he sounds so sleepy and dreamy but in the mornings and throughout the rest of the day he sounds so bright and merry and chirpy it’s hard to believe those two voices are coming from the same person -But when he’s yelling he’s pretty intimidating, he sounds wild and fierce

Annabeth: -Has a slight Virginian accent she tries hard to get rid of -Her voice is kind of high and she hates it  -Has a light, clear, silvery, and firm voice -Sometimes sounds completely toneless and blunt when talking to people she doesn’t know and can sound cold as ice when talking to an enemy -She has a really nice and pleasant reading voice (and a nice, pleasant voice in general) -People love listening to her when she’s talking about something she’s interested in (especially architecture) cause she sounds so eager and happy and excited and it’s so nice to hear from her -Sounds loud and scary when she’s yelling -Can sound really tight at times -She giggles more than laughs, and her laugh is so quiet, barely noticeable -Pronounces every word perfectly and carefully, she pronounces every syllable at a time -Sounds like what writing in cursive looks like -She uses really long and sophisticated words a lot of people don’t know the meaning of. She’s pretty much a walking dictionary -Her voice gets lower when she’s sad and it’s heartbreaking -Overall she has a really soothing, simple, and steady voice  -She uses perfect grammar at all times and rarely stutters -Sometimes will sound like cotton and a soft breeze and other times will sound like ice and blizzards depending on her mood and who she’s talking to

Jason: -Pure American boy accent -Has a very steady and level voice and when he’s talking to people he doesn’t really know he sounds serious and monotonous  -But his voice is so soft and gentle when talking to his family and friends it’s like getting a verbal bear hug  -Has a slight lisp from his lip scar -Just like Annabeth, likes to pronounce things perfectly and on point -Sounds like what still water and glass look like -Is naturally really loud. He has to be reminded to lower his voice on a daily basis -Often unintentionally sounds toneless like someone reading an audiobook -He has the deepest voice out of all the males and sounds deeper when he’s upset or exhausted -Uses really obscure and complicated words and barely anyone but Reyna and Annabeth can understand him -Sounds really commanding and assertive when he’s yelling and giving orders

Piper: -Sounds like a typical California girl -Talks kind of slow and ties her words together when she’s tired -Has voice that’s not too deep or too high, kind of in the middle -Has a really pleasant, attractive, smooth, sultry, emotional, and soft voice  -But because of that she also sounds really honeyed and new people often don’t trust her when speaking to her for the first time -Uses casual, short, and simple words. No slang, nicknames, etc. Just the basic everyday words -Her charmspeak takes on the best qualities of the listener. Percy hears hints of Annabeth, Jason hears hints of Thalia and Reyna, Hazel hears a bit of her mother, etc.  -When she’s yelling she sounds frantic, almost hysterical  -And she gets a slight rasp when she’s been yelling too much  -Sounds like what honey looks like and what a birdsong sounds like -Has a soft and quiet laugh

Frank: -He used to have a Chinese accent, then a Canadian one -Uses a lot of Canadian slang most people don’t understand -Mutters in Mandarin a lot -Has a soft, soothing, silky, mellow, kind of deep, and overall really cute voice -He mirrors people often. If he’s been listening to Percy a lot, he’ll sound deeper and rougher. If he’s been listening to Annabeth a lot, he’ll sound higher and clearer, etc.  -Same thing goes for his laugh. It changes every few days or so -Has a loud and adorable contagious laugh. It sounds like happiness -Sounds like sunshine and sugar -Uses simple words everyone can understand -Also uses really good grammar -Talks at a pretty steady pace most of the time, even when he’s tired or mad -When he’s yelling he sounds really forceful  -Gets voice cracks when he’s angry or scared but doesn’t really mind

Hazel: -Beautiful voice, it sounds like heaven -Has a slight New Orleans and old-fashioned accent that makes it clear she isn’t from this century -Uses a lot of older slang and words that aren’t relevant today but no one bothers to correct her cause it’s so cute -Has a soft, soothing, flowing, kind of high, spirited, lively, pleasant, smooth, and passionate voice -Is the easiest person to listen to, her voice is so warm and calming -Sounds like writing in cursive and italics at the same time -Talks nice and kind of slow -Sounds like what the cool side of a pillow feels like, honey, and the reflection of jewels from the sun (pun intended) -Has a scary and assertive voice when she’s yelling -Everyone loves making her laugh cause it’s so sweet and delightful -Has a higher than average voice, mostly cause of her young age and cause she hasn’t really hit puberty yet -Overall has a really lovely voice -Uses a bunch of really cute pet names like ‘Sugar’, ‘Doll’, ‘Cutie’, ‘Love’, ‘Honey’, etc.

Leo: -Used to have a really heavy Hispanic accent that faded as he grew, but it gets clearer the more he raises his voice -His voice is higher than average  -Has a light, smooth, passionate, kind of husky, and gravelly voice that’s pretty attractive if you’re not into deep voices -Gets voice cracks and a deeper voice when he’s angry. When his voice is almost or just as deep as Jason’s, you know you f’d up -Sounds really low when he’s tired -Uses a bunch of mechanic and engineer terms that no one knows the meaning of -Mutters and hums to himself while he’s working -Uses really long and complicated words -Talks kind of choppily and will often pause mid-sentence -Sounds completely unhinged when he’s yelling, wild and terrifying -Mutters in Spanish a lot and often switches from English to Spanish then back again and Reyna is the only one who can understand him -Talks really, really fast, quite loudly, and talks a lot

Reyna: -If ‘butch’ was a word used to describe someone’s voice it’d be hers -Has a slight Puerto Rican accent that gets clearer when she yells -Also has hints of an unidentifiable islander accent that only Jason, Percy, and Annabeth know are from Circe’s Island -But also lived in California for 4+ years so has hints of a Californian accent as well so her accent is all over the place but it fits weirdly perfectly -Has a super deep voice, deeper than Percy’s and on par or deeper than Jason’s. Sometimes she sounds genderless  -Has a strong, fruity, smooth, steady, level, attractive, firm, commanding, and pleasant voice  -Can sound so soft and sweet that her voice sounds like fragile glass when she’s comforting someone and it’s so calming and warm -She’s learned to sound the same when she’s upset or angry after bottling her emotions for so long but whenever she lets go her voice gets low and shaky and sad and it’s heartbreaking -Whenever she yells it’s absolutely terrifying cause it’s loud and booming and strong and fierce and assertive and forceful and commanding and dominant and everyone listens to her right away without thinking -She uses perfect grammar and always has planned-out wording, but even when she’s using impromptu speech she never stutters or uses ‘uh’ or ‘um’ cause she’s so used to doing or coming up with things on the spot, especially in the heat of battle -She has a loud and slightly choppy but really cute laugh -Uses really weird and confusing curses no one knows she got from the pirates -In general curses a lot when she’s not on duty, especially during battle, more than Leo and Annabeth but not as much as Percy and Thalia -Also since she lived in California for 4+ years she definitely says ‘hella’ a lot and it’s her favorite word -Sounds like what melted marshmallows and coffee look like -Talks and mutters in Spanish and Latin a lot, sometimes mixes the two 

Nico: -Has a ranging accent from a bunch of different places after being surrounded by people of multiple cultures at the Lotus Casino for so long -But his most distinct accent is his Italian one and he can’t pronounce some of his ‘i’s, pronouncing them like ‘e’ instead, and he pronounces Will’s name like ‘Wheel’ cause of it and he hates it but Will loves it -He sounds scratchy, shaky, and sad when he’s upset and it’s so agonizing to hear him like that -Overall he usually has a dark, grim, melancholy, thick, small, soft, and slightly raspy voice -He talks really fast when he’s excited and he sounds so eager and enthusiastic it’s adorable, everyone loves it, especially Percy cause Nico sounds so much like the upbeat, energetic, cheerful kid who played Mythomagic years ago -Has a light, soft, and giggly laugh that everyone loves to hear from him -But his yelling voice is frightening cause he sounds like the depths of Tartarus are screaming through his body and since he rarely raises his voice, all his pain and anger are shown through his voice at the same time -Gets voice cracks when he’s really angry or sad -Sounds like steel and what mint tastes like -Uses phrases from the 19th century and still uses terms and codes from World War II

Thalia: -Used to have a regular American accent but after travelling the world with the Hunters for over two years started picking up a ranging accent from various places, similar to Nico -Is naturally super loud just like Jason (like brother-like sister) and isn’t allowed to talk while the Hunters are stalking prey cause she alerts the monsters within a second if she speaks -Has a very brash, raucous, thunderous (pun intended), booming, smoky, sultry, silvery, stentorian, ringing, and slightly husky voice -Naturally sounds really sarcastic even if she’s not being so, and everyone she speaks to for the first time thinks she’s being rude when that’s just how she talks -Has a loud and booming laugh similar to Jason’s -Uses a lot of modern slang -Curses the most out of everyone and way too much, there’s at least two curse words in every sentence -And after hanging around Reyna so much she’s started saying ‘hella’ a lot, too -Gets a rasp when she’s been talking for a lot cause her voice is so loud it’s honestly a wonder why her vocal chords haven’t been destroyed yet -People often think she’s partially deaf -Sounds like thunder and lightning (literally and figuratively) -Roars more than yells, and it’s really scary and intimidating

Calypso: -Has a thick islander accent and kept trying to mimic different people’s accents until finding out that’s considered offensive  -Often sounds sad, harsh, lost, and/or lonely cause all the time she spent alone on Ogygia -Has a voice that isn’t too high or too deep, but perfectly in the middle -Has a clear, honeyed, mystical, smoky, sultry, soft, and slightly fruity voice and can sometimes sound plummy -Uses slang and phrases from a hundred different centuries and no one can understand what she’s saying -Sounds grating and ringing when she’s yelling -Gets voice cracks when she’s upset -But overall has an almost otherworldly voice that makes her sound celestial and almost alien -Has a soft, clear, and giggly laugh that’s sometimes super quiet and other times louder than a speaker at full volume -Uses lengthy and sophisticated words and loves using British slang -Has hints of a British accent as well -Uses really good grammar  -Sounds like fluffy clouds and warm sand

Rachel: -Typical American accent  -Has a super relaxing and soothing voice that can calm down anyone without her even trying and she’s a great comforter because of it -Has a clear, silvery, thick, fruity, smoky, and steady voice that isn’t too high or too deep, also in the middle -Curses and mutters quite often -Uses a lot of modern and artist slang most demigods don’t understand -Learned curse words from a bunch of different languages  -Has a nice, pleasant, easy-to-listen-to voice everyone loves to hear -She and Annabeth reading books together sounds like heaven -Is actually a really great singer and she, Thalia, and Reyna can harmonize weirdly well -Gets a slight rasp when she’s tired -Never raises her voice, ever, even when she’s angry or annoyed -Her pace is all over the place. Sometimes she talks super slowly, other times steadily, and other times faster than a car on the highway, but generally she drags some of her words and sounds so peaceful people love talking to her -Tries her hardest not to show any emotion when she’s upset, scared, or angry but usually fails and sounds shaky and brittle, almost like she’s going to cry, even if she’s not even close to crying -Sounds as beautiful as her paintings -And sounds like the scent of citrus and vanilla

(inspiration from lililibird-deactivated20162017)

sorry I’m spamming lmao

[fangirl-overload13]

Write my love and draw my heart

Based on this post

 Ch.1

Will Solace has always been well liked by everyone who knows him and he has a way of getting along with pretty much everyone, he’s kind, caring, and athletic, so it went without saying that he was very popular.

Nico di Angelo is the dark and lonely artist type that most people stay clear of because they are a little scared by his dark clothes and quiet personality but most of all his drawings that are always done in red and black ink on stark white paper making the images more dramatic and horrifying.

No one would have ever expected these two to ever have anything in common or to even get along, so imagine the surprise when these two pair up for a class project and get closer than anyone could have guessed.

 Senior year had been going pretty well so far, Will was captain of the basketball team, his grades were going well, he had plenty of friends and he thought that he could handle anything that came his way, that was at least until his AP English teacher assigned a project that required partner work and he got paired up with Nico di Angelo, his secret crush. The project was a writing assignment that could include any accompaniment such as artwork, dioramas, video trailers, or dramatic reproductions (read: short plays). Will had some confidence in his writing abilities but he knew that with Nico working with him then they were sure to get an amazing grade if Nico’s artwork was involved.

…

Will had admired Nico and his artwork for years now, it had all started in freshmen year when Will had been taking a breather after first trying out for the basketball team and had decided to catch his breath over on the bleachers. He had been about to head to the locker room to shower and change before heading home when he thought he heard the sound of music playing faintly somewhere nearby. He stood and looked around and as he got closer to the edge of the bleachers the sound became clearer and when he found the source his heart skipped a beat. Sitting beside and a little behind the bleachers in a small alcove was a boy about his age dressed from head to toe in black with headphones around his neck, the music playing loud enough that Will could hear it from where he stood, the boy seemed too absorbed in what he was working on to notice Will. Will was curious about what he seemed to intent on so he moved closer to get a better look, as he got closer he saw that it was a sketchbook that the boy was holding, and he had his supplies sitting next to him Will noted as he saw a pencil, eraser, and black pen that went with the red one that he was currently using on whatever it was he was working on.

Will loved art and was really interesting what it might be that this boy was drawing with only these two colors so he decided to announce his presence. “Um hey there… what are you working on?” Will felt bad when he saw the boy jump when he heard Will speak to him “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you like that, I heard your music and saw you drawing something so I was curious.” The boy looked up at him and Will couldn’t believe that he had never noticed this boy before, his eyes looked a little sunken in and had faint dark circles under them like he had lost sleep recently but those same eyes drew Will in even more, they were on the larger side and were so dark he couldn’t tell were iris ended and pupil began, they were like twin pools of shadows that he felt like he could get lost in…

Will snapped himself out of his oddly poetic thoughts when he realized that he was staring and likely making the other uncomfortable as a result. “Sorry I guess I should probably introduce myself or stop bothering you and mind my own business…” he trailed off when he received no response from the other “Sorry I’ll just go and leave you alone now.” He could feel his face burn from his embarrassment as he turned away to head over to the showers like he had planned on doing before.

“It’s okay; you can look at it if you want…” Will stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the other boy speak to him, what really caught his attention was the faint accent that he couldn’t place. Will turned back to see that the boy had set down his pen and was just holding the sketchbook in his lap, he seemed kind of shy though so Will tried his best not to act too excited about getting permission or that the boy had spoken to him so he calmly walked over to where the other sat and took the sketchbook when the boy passed it to him. He looked at the page that it had been open to; he assumed that it was the one that he had just been working on. Will was totally mesmerized by what he saw, the bold outlines, the shark angles, the bright red ink mixed with the black ink and white paper gave the image the illusion of leaving the page. Will was blown away by the level of skill he was seeing and though he wasn’t quite sure what it was that he was looking at exactly he still knew that this was incredible talent.

“Wow you are amazing; I’ve never seen anything so cool. What is this?” he smiled as he looked at the artist sitting in front of him. Apparently this talented artist wasn’t used to receiving such praise because his face turned as red as the ink on the page “A demon...” he said it hesitantly as though he was sure that Will would criticize him for his choice of subject, but Will just looked closer at the drawing and now that he knew what he was supposed to be looking at he was even more blown away by it “Whoa seriously?!” Will smiled even brighter at the boy sitting in front of him, now looking at Will as if he was some kind of strange creature “what?” clearly he was confused by Wills response.

“This is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before. It would look so cool in a horror movie or in a video game or something! Do you always draw things like this?” now the other boy was completely speechless and could only nod in answer to Wills question. “Really can I see?” Will was excited to see more of these drawings and the amazing work like this. When the other nodded again Will flipped to another page and saw a drawing of a skull with what seemed to be a single red rose and black thorns encircling the two, again Will couldn’t believe the awesome artistic skill shown on a single page. Will sat down next to the other boy and showed him the page that he was looking at “This is so cool, does it have some sort of meaning behind it?”

But then he remembered being told that an artist’s sketchbook could be the same as a diary or journal and therefore should be treated as such “Oh sorry, I guess that’s probably personal. But really you have so much talent! Oh and by the way my name is Will, nice to meet you.” He held out the sketchbook to hand back to its owner. “Nico.” Well now he had a name to go with the face. But before Will could say anything more the coach blew his whistle and signaled that tryouts were over and that it was time to head home for the day “Well I guess it’s time to go, I’ll see you around Nico.” Will said as he stood up and headed over to head to the showers. He hoped that he’d get the chance to talk with Nico again sometime.

…

Over the next few years following their first encounter Will and Nico had sat together and talked from time to time, Nico liked to sit in that same spot and draw whenever he found the time, he claimed that it was secluded enough that people other than Will that is, wouldn’t bother him there. It also meant that when Will finished with practice he’d have a bit of time to talk to Nico and see more of his artwork. You might be able to call it a friendship but they didn’t talk much other during these times or spend time together any other time. Will blamed it on the fact that he was always busy with something or always taking to someone and couldn’t get close to Nico, but his heart soared when in his final year he walked into his AP English class and saw that Nico was in his class. He hoped ever since for a chance to spend more time with Nico and get to know him better.

When their teacher announced this writing assignment Will saw it as a gift from above. “And the best story and accompaniment will be displayed in the upcoming school wide showcase so I want all of you to put your best effort into this with that in mind.” Well that was unexpected but Will wasn’t worried, as long as he could convince Nico to draw some illustrations to go with the story that they come up with then they were sure to do well.

…

The bell rang and the class let out for lunch. Will quickly packed up his things and headed out to meet Nico by his locker, it was close to the gym which Will had learned one day after leaving practice and finding Nico standing at his locker grabbing a pencil case before heading back to where he had left his sketchbook at his usual spot.

Will was glad to see that Nico was still by his locker when he finally made his way over to him “Hey Nico!” Will called cheerfully, causing a few curious passersby turn and look at the two of them, as far as anyone else knew these two were as different as night and day so seeing them talking to one another was an odd sight. Nico turned when he heard Will call out to him “Oh hey Will, is this about the English assignment?” even after four years Will still loved hearing that slight accent when Nico spoke, it had taken some time but Will had eventually learned that it was Italian, though what with Nico’s last name it was no surprize. “Huh? Oh yeah!” Will chided himself for getting distracted again but he always got distracted when talking to Nico.

“So I was thinking that we could come up with the story together and you could add some drawings to go along with it, I’m sure that whatever we come up with your drawings would be incredible!” but Nico didn’t seem as sure about it as Will did. “You’re the only one who would think that Will.” Nico said as he grabbed his bag from his locker, it was only lunch but Nico looked like he was getting ready to leave school for the day. “But it’s the truth, your art is so amazing I’m sure it could really help bring our story to life better than anything else could.” Will tried his best to sound convincing.

Nico still didn’t seem willing to go along with it though “I don’t know Will, but could we talk about this some other time? I have somewhere to go this afternoon so I won’t be here after lunch, good luck in your game later.” Will was a bit surprized by that last part but then again Nico’s favorite spot was in the gym so it should come as no surprize that he knew that Will had a game today after school… “Huh? Oh right thanks.” But before Nico could walk away an idea came to Will and he pulled out a pen and reached out for Nico’s hand stopping him as he was about to leave and Will wrote his cell number on Nico’s arm “There, this way you can text me later after you’ve had some time to think things over, no rush though. Just brainstorm some ideas for our story if you want.” he gave Nico a bright cheerful smile before turning and heading to his own locker.

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