#although now the thought of val playing volleyball

[estamos-destinadas]

This gifset reminded me of how much Val gives me strong high school jock vibes sometimes -- I’m pretty sure someone here mentioned the same thing, but I forgot who it was -- because of these scenes (excuse the quality):

The way Val leans towards Juls in all three makes me think of a popular jock flirting and being all soft with the quiet girl they have the biggest crush on. (That plain white shirt with the choker? It screams pretty boy girl that every girl everyone fancies.)

So, High School AU idea:

Val is that girl who plays all the sports. After all, the Carvajal mansion has all those sports facilities. (I imagine that she and Guille often played together growing up, and sometimes Sergio gets invited.) That, along with the fact that she’s very rich and very pretty, makes her super popular among both boys and girls in school.

Meanwhile, Juls is the quiet artsy student. She’s a new transfer, and she tries her best not to stand out. Perhaps she’s on a scholarship and she doesn’t want to get into any trouble. However, I prefer to think that Lupé works at the school so Juls studies there as part of a staff benefits program.

Juls notices Val on the very day she starts at her new school. It’s difficult to miss her; she has dozens of admirers following her, and everywhere she goes people always go out of their way to say ‘hi’ to her. But also, Val is really nice, and she always has a ready smile for everyone. Juls’ admiration crush grows when she goes to one of Val’s games for the first time.

So Juls admires Val from afar, believing that Val -- a very popular girl a year older than her -- doesn’t even know she exists.

She couldn’t be further from the truth.

The thing is, despite the fact that Juls is a quiet student, anyone with eyes can’t miss how cute she is. You know how in high school when there are new transfers (or first years) and stupid boys always talk about who the pretty ones are? It’s like that, and Val’s group of male friends -- Sergio among them -- definitely talk about Juls the first couple of weeks after she started at the school.

So Val listens to her friends talk about the cute new girl is and even though she doesn’t say it out loud, she most definitely agrees with them. Not only that, she’s seen Juls around drawing in a notebook or making crafts, and her interest goes deeper than any of her friends’. There are moments where Val is surrounded by her admirers but whenever Juls is nearby she just keeps sneaking glances at her.

Juls doesn’t approach Val; she thinks that the most popular girl in school will never give her the time of day beyond a quick ‘hi’ and a smile. She’s not extremely shy, but come on, it would take an extraordinary level of boldness for a new girl who’s at the school because of staff benefits to approach a popular older girl whose family probably donated a huge amount of money to the school.

Val doesn’t approach Juls either. She’s always surrounded by other people, and it’s not that she doesn’t want to be seen with Juls, but, if she ever manages to introduce herself to Juls, she doesn’t want people to witness and gossip about it. She’s been there with people gossiping about her relationship with Lucho, her ex-boyfriend. Besides, she saw Sergio try to talk to Juls -- with a gaggle of other boys behind him -- and Juls looked like a trapped animal. Val doesn’t ever want to make her feel that way.

It takes some time, maybe several weeks or even months, but they finally get to interact.

So...

I imagine they’re both good in class so there will be no tutoring of one by the other. But maybe, on top of Val playing a lot of sports, she also writes for the school paper. They need a new illustrator so their editor-in-chief posts a bulletin about it. Juls tries out for and gets accepted to the position. At their next club meeting, Val and Juls finally get introduced. Juls is totally amazed because she didn’t know that Val can write too. She gets all shy with Val, but it’s okay because Val becomes all awkward and clumsy. So that first meeting is just them being shy and awkward with each other, while the other students stare at them in half-fascination and half-amusement because wow, they are so gay for each other. They get over the shy and awkward phase eventually, but they never stop being gay for each other.

- or -

They meet properly at the school waiting shed, after school on a rainy day. Juls was finishing an assignment and instead of going home immediately, she decides to wait the rain out before taking the bus. Val just got done with sports practice. Her driver is maybe five minutes away waiting for her text asking to be picked up, but when she sees Juls in the shed all by herself, she finally introduces herself. They hit it off immediately, finding each other more and more interesting with each passing minute. They talk for over an hour, even after the rain has stopped. They only notice the time when Juls gets a text from Lupé asking where she is. Val offers to give Juls a ride home, and Juls readily accepts, wanting to keep talking to Val for even half an hour longer. Juls also realises that Val could have left whenever she wanted, she didn’t need to wait the rain out with Juls but she did, and that makes her feel all kinds of things. The next day, they seek each other out -- maybe tentatively on Juls’ part -- and they decide to get lunch together. They keep seeking each other out from that point forward.

- or -

Val’s team lost a game because she missed a last shot/goal/point and she’s crying by herself in an empty classroom. Juls passes by and all the things that stopped her from talking to Val before are thrown out the window because she can’t stand seeing Val cry. So she approaches her and, like in the series, Val says she wants to be alone. Juls makes to leave immediately but when Val looks up she sees that it’s Juls so she asks her to stay. Juls cheers her up and makes her forget about the losing game. The day after, Val makes the extra effort to shake off her hangers-on so she can ask Juls to lunch (outside of school) as a way to thank her for the previous night. Juls accepts, of course, and they become inseparable after that.

- or -

Same as the last one, Val’s team lost because of a shot she wasn’t able to make. (In this scenario, the game is specifically basketball.) Frustrated with herself, she stays in court practicing until well after school hours. Like the last one, Juls passes by. She doesn’t approach Val, but she does stand rooted to the spot, mesmerised, as she watches her make shot after shot. Eventually, Val notices her watching; Juls apologises for intruding and starts to leave. Val tells Juls that she doesn’t have to go on her account. Juls, feeling that pull towards Val, takes that as invitation to approach and they finally introduce themselves properly to each other. Juls says something about the lost game that makes Val laugh and not feel so bad about it. She also says that she only really started understanding the sport after seeing Val’s games, and Val realises that Juls has actually been to all her games. Val is super charmed; she smiles like an idiot and doesn’t speak for minutes. Not that Juls is any better, with Val standing in front of her all sweaty. Eventually, after minutes and minutes of them just staring and smiling at each other, Val asks Juls if she wants to go grab dinner together, adding that whispered and breathy ‘porfa’ for good measure. Juls can’t say no, not that she ever wants to. After that, Juls starts sitting closer to the court when she watches Val’s games, her cheers louder. And sometimes, she would wear one of Val’s old jerseys with the bold printed ‘CARVAJAL’ on the back when she’s working on a big art project. That, along with the fact that they are always together when they’re not in class, leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind as to what they are to each other.

--and so...

They become high school sweethearts, but of course, their story goes beyond that.

[melonoverlord]

My sweet buttered biscuit for the ABCs

A: Aptitude

1. what are your oc’s natural abilities, things they’ve been doing since young?

He’s been a violin and cooking prodigy all his life, and was the first two skills he was taught. Cooking was sort of something he did on his own with the other slaves, specifically Cael who also loved baking and worked more in the kitchen, but playing music was specifically what he was raised and made to do.

2. what activities have they participated in?

Composing, playing music, baking, cooking, a little bit of flying, and the greatest activity of parenting.

3. what abilities do they have that they’ve worked for?

Physical prowess. Since he was a slave, he never was taught to fight and so physically grew up weak and small, so when he met Luna, the two of them sparred and worked out with each other to keep their strength, but he was really taught to fight when they met Oberon. He’s still not the best, but he can definitely hold his own in a match of hand to hand combat. Plus he’s got them baker arms so he’s got some muscles.

4. what things are they bad at?

He’s still learning how to say no to people, especially his friends. He doesn’t like any of them sad but he also knows that he has to be the responsible adult and take care of them all.

5. what is their most impressive talent?

It’s a tie between baking and music. He has been a cooking and violin prodigy since he was 5.

B: Basics

1. what is their hair color?

Black with a little bit of purple in the middle.

2. what is their eye color?

Black

3. how tall are they?

5′8

4. how old are they?

28

5. how much do they weigh?

173 lbs

C: Comfort

1. how do they sit in a chair?

Up straight with knees and toes pointed forward. He is still conditioned to sit like a slave, pretty and silent.

2. in what position do they sleep?

He usually sleeps curled inward since when he was little, he and Cael would face each other curled while Evie lay in the middle of the sibling sleep pile. Now with Ciri, he just holds her all night.

3. what is their ideal comfort day?

Never having to get out of his pjs while he snuggles with his wife and children all day watching movies.

4. what is their major comfort food? why?

Not a lot of people know because he doesn’t eat it a lot, but burgers always make him happy. He really is the barbecue dad but like, objectively better.

5. who is the best at comforting them when down?

Luna or Ciri. His two best girls.

D: Decoration

1. how would they decorate a house if they had one under their name?

Tam would have a comfortable but functional home with a lot of pictures of his family and friends, couches for lounging, and of course, the biggest kitchen space with every frivolous kitchen thing possible.

2. how would they decorate their child’s room?

Tam is pretty good about letting his kids dress themselves and decorate their room to how they like, but he is very concerned about safety. He does give a lot of toys to the kids that match their likes and aesthetics, but he is the type of dad who will put a barrier between the child and the edge of the bed so they don’t accidentally roll off in the middle of the night.

3. how do they decorate their own room?

His room is immaculately clean and doesn’t have much things in it except his violin stand, a night light, pictures of him and Luna, him and Ciri, and family pictures. He probably has the cleanest room of anyone in the ship. Now that it’s pretty much become both his and Ciri’s room, it looks more lived in.

4. what type of clothes and accessories do they wear?

He’s a dapper boi who usually wears button ups, sweater vests, slacks, and dress shoes.

5. do they like makeup/nail/beauty trends?

He likes makeup as a concept but since he was forced to wear it as a slave, he loathes anything that makes him more cosmetic than just having really nice skin and a rockin dad bod.

E: External Personality

1. does the way they do things portray their internal personality?

Yeah, he basically is a walking anxiety attack with dad instincts. The only thing that may be hard for people to believe is that when he’s with people he’s completely comfortable with, he is the snark king and will roast you with love.

2. do they do things that conform to the norm?

He conforms to the norm on the ship, which is just everyone doing their part to help win the war, but he broke away from the norm as a child when he left his siblings to run away with Luna.

3. do they follow trends or do their own thing?

He doesn’t like being a leader very much, but either right behind or on par with a leader, which is why he gets along with Luna so well.

4. are they up-to-date on the internet fads?

Only through Val because she shares almost every meme she finds with him.

5. do they portray their personality intentionally or let people figure it outon their own?

He doesn’t have enough confidence to lead anyone on, so he really is the objectively best anxious boy. What you see is what you get.

F: Fun

1. what do they do for fun?

Compose music, watch movies with the kids and Ciri, or spar with Luna.

2. what is their ideal party?

Chilling on the sofa altogether watching a movie or having a family game night.

3. who would they have the most fun with?

Luna or Ciri.

4. can they have fun while conforming to rules?

Yeah, there isn’t a lot of rules on the ship and Tam is not very rambunctious, so he is not like some of the other problem children and will turn a couch over and hotbox in the rec room.

5. do they go out a lot?

Since he is very well known as a revolutionary, he tends to stay on the ship pretty often, but even on planets, he doesn’t really like going to the nightlife scenes.

G: Gorgeous

1. what is their most attractive external feature?

This man is really out here sporting baker arms that could lift you to give you a smooch.

2. what is the most attractive part of their personality?

He is the type of guy where you look at him and you jump straight to husband material no matter your sexuality.

3. what benefits come with being their friend?

You will always have a personal theme song guy and someone to make all your favorite comfort foods. He is also just an objectively good hugger.

4. what parts of them do they like and dislike?

He likes his protectiveness and his paternal instincts, but he really wishes he wasn’t as anxious to get what he wants.

5. what parts of others do they envy?

He really wishes he could act with reckless abandon.

H: Heat

1. do they rather a hot or cold room?

He doesn’t like too hot of a room, but he likes sleeping with just one blanket, so if it’s cool but not cold, he enjoys that.

2. do they prefer summer or winter?

Although he likes wearing long sleeves, winter reminds him of the Caritain parties which is when he was requested most, so he has a very uncomfortable relationship with winter.

3. do they like the snow?

He thinks its pretty, but it reminds him of Caritain, so he still gets a little uncomfortable around it.

4. do they have a favorite summer activity?

Beach volleyball, actually. The ship converts the pool area to a volleyball court.

5. do they have a favorite winter activity?

Making hot chocolate and lighting candlenights tree with the kids.

I: In-the-closet

1. what is their sexuality?

Bi Bi Miss American Pie

2. have they ever questioned their sexuality?

Sexuality was always fluid on Caritain, but he figured that he would never fall in love because he only grew up with either his siblings or older slaves.

3. have they ever questioned their gender?

No, especially because of his trauma with the beauty industry, he doesn’t like many things feminine for himself.

4. would/was their family be okay with them being LGBT?

He doesn’t know what his parents would ever say, but he’s pretty sure that Cael and Evangeline would be okay with him because nearly everyone on Caritain has had affairs with multiple genders.

5. how long would/did it take for them to come out?

He officially came out to Luna when he was sixteen, after they met Gabriel for the first time and he was smitten as fuck.

J: Joy

1. what makes them happy?

Playing the violin and baking

2. who makes them happy?

His best friends Luna and Nivviah, his wonderful wife Ciri, and his twenty children.

3. are there any songs that bring them joy?

Beauty and the Beast

4. are they happy often?

Happiness is actually his second most felt emotion, behind crippling anxiety. It’s not extremely often, but he is one of the happiest adults on the ship.

5. what brings them the most joy in the world?

Playing music, baking, and Ciri.

K: Kill

1. have they ever thought about suicide?

No, mostly because he feels too guilty about leaving the people who depend on him behind.

2. have they ever thought about homicide?

He’s a former slave, his wife was going to be a sex slave, and several of his children were either used as experiments, slaves, or forced to fight in a televised death match, so yes, he’s thought about homicide a lot.

3. if they could kill anyone without punishment, would they? who?

If he could kill his former owners and Ciri’s would-be owner, he would without second thought.

4. who would miss them if they died?

Everyone on the Freedom Vessel because Tam is an absolute angel.

5. who would be happy they died, anyone?

Genesians because they’re cunts.

L: Lemons

1. what is their favorite fruit?

Peaches, like his beautiful ass.

2. what is their least favorite fruit?

He just can’t get into apples for some reason.

3. are there any foods they hate?

 Anything made by Kraft, apples, and imitation crab meat.

4. do they have any food intolerances?

You know how Daphne from Scooby Doo is allergic to imitation animal skin because she’s that bitch? Tam’s allergic to processed foods. He cannot eat anything imitation or fake. Which is sad because the kids just want to eat box mac n cheese and candy.

5. what is their favorite food?

Chocolate lava cake.

M: Maternal

1. would they want a daughter or a son?

Bold of you to assume that Tam would stop at just one child. Also incredibly bold of you to assume that Ciri would stop at seven children.

2. how many children do they want?

He was good with four, but really the question is how many children does Ciri want?

3. would they be a good parent?

He is the best dad in the galaxy, ex-fucking-cuse you sir. He loves all of his fourteen children with all his heart and nothing will ever change that.

4. what would they name a son? what would they name a daughter?

For a daughter, he’d first probably name them after his favorite non-wife (so Luna, Valerie, or Nivviah), but since he’s marrying Ciri and he knew how much both she and Psyche loved Alma, would also take Alma as a name. And of course, Evangeline and Cael would be his first choices as his fallen siblings he left behind.

5. would they adopt?

It’s how he got every single one of his children, so yes.

N: Never Have I Ever

1. what would they never do?

Hurt his wife or children in any capacity (except in Mario Kart, because he can and will destroy you)

2. what have they never done that they want to do?

It’s not really possible at the moment, and he won’t bring it up to anyone because he knows its impossible, but he actually really wants a biological child with Ciri.

3. is there anything they absolutely can’t believe people do?

Enjoy processed and fake foods.

4. what is the most embarrassing thing they’ve done?

That one time he got drunk and started telling everyone how much he loved them.

5. have they done anything they thought they’d never do?

When he was a child, he’d never thought he’d be one of the leading figures of the revolution alongside someone he’d never thought he’d be best friends with.

O: Optimism

1. are they optimistic or pessimistic?

He lies more on the pessimistic side of the spectrum. He firsthand has experienced the worst of Genesis and doesn’t think anything can change them.

2. are they openly optimistic, throwing it on others?

He’s fairly more pessimistic but he doesn’t say it that often. With his friends, he’ll be more optimistic to give them hope, but Tam in particular doesn’t think that things will get better anytime soon.

3. are they good at giving advice?

He’s very contemplative, so he tends to give good advice, and he’s done it for about fifteen years.

4. is there anyone in their life that throws optimism on them?

His kids throw optimism on him a lot, but for the most part, the optimism from the og revolutionaries came from Nivviah and Gabriel.

5. were they always optimistic?

He’s been pessimistic since he was a child as a slave.

P: Personality

1. what is their best personality trait?

He cares with all his being, and will do anything he can to make sure you know you’re loved and adored.

2. what is their worst personality trait?

As stated plenty of times, this boy is so anxious he is barely functioning 40% of the time.

3. what of their personality do others love?

Luna adores Tam’s devotion to family and his fatherly nature, and his ability to forgive, Val loves his carefulness and dedication to learning about a person on an intimate level, and Ciri loves everything about him.

4. what of their personality do others envy?

Luna envies his ability to get to close to people so quickly and Val envies his ability to be a good parent despite his fears.

5. do they hate anything about their personality/about other’s personalities?

He hates his own anxiety and self doubt, but also doesn’t like when anyone is too arrogant.

Q: Questions

1. do they ask for help?

Yes, but he also thinks its important to do things for yourself. This in more so of the case of waiting for someone to rescue you. If you have the opportunity to be free, you need to take it.

2. do they ask questions in class?

He only had schooling under Oberon when they first met him, but he tends to ask a lot of questions at once by writing all of his thoughts down and formulating them into questions.

3. do they answer questions that make them a little uncomfortable?

Not typically, but it depends on the type of questions because Tam’s always uncomfortable. If its about the present, he’s fine, but he hates answering things about his past.

4. do they ask weird questions?

Only to Luna because she’s still the only person who’s used to when he gets weird. (He did once in fact ask if pigeons have feelings when he was really sick)

5. are they curious?

When it comes to experimenting with recipes or compositions, he’s very curious, but when it comes to adventuring, he doesn’t like going off the beaten path very much.

R: Rules

1. do they follow rules?

As a revolutionary, he kind of has to break rules, but when he was little, he followed all of the rules to keep himself or his siblings from getting hurt.

2. would they be a strict or laid-back parent?

He’s a less extreme version of Marlin from Finding Nemo who is so afraid of every small thing that can kill his children. He is laid back in the sense that he’ll let the kids do things that make them happy, but if there is a chance they could get hurt, he will be ultra dad and baby proof the ship.

3. have they ever been consequenced for breaking a rule?

Oh absolutely. It’s why he has so many scars on his body.

4. have they broken any rules they now regret breaking?

All the explicit rules he’s broken have been for the better because it caused him to be free, but he does regret breaking his personal rule of family before all else.

5. do they find any rules they/others follow absolutely ridiculous?

He understands that slaves live in fear of their masters, but he also finds it ridiculous that they don’t take their chance at freedom 

S: Streets

1. are they street-smart?

A little? He mostly lived on the street the first year and a half after Luna rescued him from Caritain while they lived in the Factory District of Spanathos. So he knew how to steal and barter.

2. would they give money to someone on the streets?

Absolutely. He knows what it’s like to have no money.

3. have they ever gotten in a fight on the streets?

He had to defend himself, Nivviah, and Gabriel against a gang on Helios.

4. has anything happened to them on the streets?

When he was on Helios, he and Nivviah got jumped by a gang sent by the Helian Parliament. It was the same instance when Gabriel got captured.

5. are they cautious when out?

He is always overly cautious at every moment of his waking day, even while he sleeps.

T: Truth

1. are they honest?

For the most part. He never actively lies, but he doesn’t like sharing much about his past.

2. can they tell if someone is lying?

He is pretty good about people trying to deceive him, but he likes giving people the benefit of the doubt, especially when they’re his loved ones. He has a +5 to insight.

3. is it obvious when they’re lying?

A little, since he gets red when he lies.

4. have they lied about anything they regret lying about?

Not particularly, he’s really only lied for other people.

5. have they told truths that have been spread against their will?

No, people are usually very good around his secrets because they like him and respect his wishes.

U: Underdog

1. have they been bullied?

He grew up as a slave, so yes.

2. have they bullied anyone?

Tam has never bullied anyone in his life, even after Castor dropped and shattered his souffle bowl.

3. have they been physically attacked by a bully?

Judging by the multitude of scars on his body, he’s been attacked a lot.

4. have they ever been doubted?

He was doubted by almost everyone he ever met before going on the Freedom Vessel, possibly except for Luna.

5. have they surprised people with being good at something?

He surprised almost everyone he’s met, and everyone in 

V: Vomit

1. do they vomit often?

He only vomits when he’s extremely nervous, which to be fair is pretty often, but he’s good at keeping it down until he’s alone, at which point he goes straight for the toilet. 

2. do they get lots of stomach aches?

Yes. Just yes. He lives the true anxiety life.

3. are they good at comforting someone ill?

He has always been the dad friend who rubs his friends’ back when they’re drunk and throwing up (mostly Luna and Val).

4. what do they like as far as comfort goes?

He likes people rubbing his back or massaging his scalp.

5. do they burp, cough, or hiccup most when nauseous? when vomiting?

He usually coughs, but when actively vomiting, he tries to keep anything from happening so he can curb it.

W: Water

1. do they drink enough water?

As the cook and a father, he has to be an advocate for good health, so he drinks water to keep himself healthy.

2. have they learned to swim?

Luna taught him to swim when they got on the Freedom Vessel.

3. do they like to swim?

He doesn’t do it a lot, but he finds it enjoyable with other people who like it. He finds it calming to swim with Luna.

4. can they dive?

Yes, but it’s not very pretty. He prefers slowly walking into the water rather than diving in. 

5. can they swim without holding their nose?

Yes.

X: Xylophone

1. what is their favorite genre of music?

Violins and classical music for days.

2. do they have a favorite song?

Hallelujah will always be a special one for him, but since meeting Ciri, his favorite song has slowly become All of Me by EGOT winner John Legend.

3. do they have a favorite band/artist/singer?

Contrary to popular relief, Alicia Keys. He really is out here drinking his respect women juice.

4. can they sing well?

Oh absolutely. He has the voice of an angel and is objectively the best singer on the ship. He and Flor could make a band.

5. can they rap?

He has rapped exactly once, and it was when he was very drunk on his 21st birthday while Luna, who was also very drunk, filmed. It was an experience and the video is still on Luna’s communicator.

Y: You

1. how old were you when you created them?

19

2. what inspired you to create them?

Ciri needed a boo that was as soft as her.

3. were they different when they were first created?

A little bit? He has a lot more backstory than when he was first created, but for the most part he’s been the same good biscuit boy as always.

4. do you enjoy writing them more than other characters?

He’s super sweet and is less sarcastic and sassy than the others are, so I like getting to play a sof boy.

5. what’s your favorite thing about them?

He’s been through so much and still wants to help people and be a good person.

Z: Zebra

1. what’s their favorite animal?

Prairie dogs. Don’t ask him why, he just finds them adorable.

2. do they like animals?

Not particularly. He grew up surrounded around abused animals and had to take care of them, so now connects animals to how he grew up as a slave.

3. cats or dogs?

Cats. He can’t handle loud sudden noises, so would not be able to handle any kind of dog bark.

4. what’s their dream pet?

Anything small that doesn’t make loud noises. He’d be fine with a fish honestly. He’d rather have a lot of children than a lot of pets.

5. do they have any pets at the moment?

Nope but he has six wonderful children, maybe nine in the future.