#partner speaks little to none of the language bc he's not around her very often but the enthusiasm is still precious!

[silvergifting]

i love having a younger sibling whose specific special interest is just. teotihuacán. am i currently sitting in bed trying to sleep? yes. is he also currently sitting on my floor telling me every detail about the layout of apartment complexes in period iii? (at least i think it was period iii lmao) also yes, so i guess sleep is for the weak and i'll worry about that later!

[nevermindirah]

Do you have any thoughts on the use of AAVE for Nile (or lack thereof) in TOG fanfiction? I've been reading some Book of Nile fic and some writers seem to write her as a Millennial™ (using words like "fave" and "woke") but never acknowledge her Blackness in her patterns of speech. I know we don't see her use as much AAVE in the films, but I would argue she's in situations where code-switching would be valued (first in a "professional" environment in the army, then around a group of non-Black strangers).

Hi anon! I have many thoughts on this and I'm honored you asked me! But I should start by saying I'm white and any thoughts Black fans and especially Black American fans have on this that they want to share would be beyond lovely. (I'm not gonna tag anybody bc that feels rude but please add onto this post if any of y'all see this and want to!)

The main reason I personally avoid AAVE for Nile in my own fics is because I'm not Black. But Nile-centric fics by Black writers tend to avoid using much of it too, at least from what I've noticed/understood, and my guess is it's largely for the reason you mention, that she's in situations that encourage code-switching.

In movie canon Nile is highly competent at tailoring her language to each situation she finds herself in. This fantastic linguistics analysis meta shows how skillfully Nile chooses her vocabulary and grammar to meet her goals with different conversation partners in different contexts. In comics canon Nile had a bunch of different civilian jobs before joining the Marines, so she would've had experience code-switching in the ways that made sense for all those different contexts as well as the Marines and her family and high school and wherever else she spent her time before we met her. And now she's spending her time with a handful of immortals none of whom are native English speakers and a fellow Black American but one with a Queen's English UK accent whose professional experience is in the CIA where high-status code-switching is often an absolute must for success or even survival.

Fics featuring Nile are charged with extrapolating from that to how it might show up in her use of language that she's coping with a traumatic separation from her family and her career and pretty much everything she's ever known and now she needs to be able to make herself understood to people who seem to care about her and each other but are super duper in crisis, three (soon to be four) of whom predate Modern English entirely and the only one who's anywhere near her contemporary she's not supposed to talk to for a century. All of these people are telling her that pretty much any contact with any mortals poses an existential threat to her and the rest of the group. How the FUCK is she supposed to cope with that, like, generally? And would it be a more effective way for her to cope if she talked to Andy Joe and Nicky using the speech patterns that she used to use with her mom and brother, to at least retain that part of her identity even if it means having to do a lot of explaining, or would it meet her needs better to prioritize Andy Joe and Nicky understanding what she means with her words over using the particular words and grammar forms she used with her family?

I've seen several fics, both Nile-centric / BoN and otherwise, explore this a little bit in how/whether Nile uses Millennial™ speak. It's often a theme in Nile texting Booker despite the exile because of the popular headcanon that he as The Tech Guy is the only other immortal who understands memes. But Nile's much-younger-than-Booker mom probably uses Boomer and/or Gen X memes and Andy has been adapting to new communication styles for forever as evidenced by her canon high level of fluency with standard-American-accented English.

Which brings us back to people avoiding AAVE because they're not Black and they don't want to make mistakes (or they're not Black and they don't want to get yelled at for making mistakes, though I think many people overestimate how much they'll get yelled at while underestimating how much these mistakes can hurt). I can imagine some Black fans hold back from using much AAVE in fic because they don't want to share in-group stuff with white people who are likely to then adopt and ruin it, as white people so often do with Black cultural stuff. Some links about this including a great Khadija Mbowe video. I'm saying this gently, anon, because you might not know: woke, an example you cited as Millennial™ speak, is AAVE, and that's gotten erased by so many white people appropriating it and using it incorrectly online.

And also there's the part where fandom is a hobby and you never know when you're reading a fic that's the very first thing someone's ever written outside of a school assignment. This cultural considerations of language shit takes a level of effort and skill that not everybody puts into every fic, or even could if they wanted to because they haven't had time to build their skills yet. It's definitely easier for non-Black fans to project our millennial feels onto Nile than to do the layers of research and self-reflection it requires to depict what Blackness might mean to Nile, and it's not surprising that often people sharing their hobby creations on the internet have gone the easier route. There's not even necessarily shame in doing what's easier. It's just frustrating and often hurtful when structural white supremacy means that 3-dimensional Black characters are rare in media and thoughtful explorations of them in fandom are seen by the majority of fans as not-easy to make and therefore Nile Freeman, the main character in The Old Guard (2020) dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood, has the least fic and meta and art made about her of our 5 main immortals.

I've been active in different fandoms off and on for twenty years and I barely managed to write 5,000 words about Sam Wilson across multiple different fics in the 7 years since I fell in love with him. There's an alchemy to which characters we connect with, and on top of that which characters we connect with in a way that causes us to create stuff about them. Something about Nile Freeman finally tipped me over the edge from a voracious reader to a voracious writer. It's not for me to judge which characters speak to other individuals to the level of creating content about them, but I do think it's important for us to notice, and then work to fight, the pattern where across this fandom as a whole Nile gets way less content, and way less depth in so much of the content that's in theory about her, than any of these other characters.

Anyway, back to language. My two long fics feature Nile with several Black friends — Copley and OCs and cameos from other media — but all of those characters except Alec Hardison from Leverage aren't American. It's very possible I'm guilty of stereotyping Black British speech patterns in I See Your Eyes Seek a Distant Shore. I watched hours and hours of Black haircare YouTube videos in the research for that fic and I modeled my OCs' speech patterns on what I heard from some of those YouTubers as well as what I've heard people like John Boyega and Idris Elba saying in interviews, but the thing about doing your best is you still might fuck up.

I'm slowly making progress on my WIP where Nile and Sam Wilson are cousins, and what ways of talking with a family member might be authentic for Nile is a major question I need to figure out. For that, I'm largely modeling my writing choices on how I hear my Black friends and colleagues talking to each other. I haven't overheard colleagues talking in an office in a long-ass time, but back when that was a thing, I remember seeing a ton of nuance in the different ways many of my Black colleagues would talk to each other. Different people have different personalities! And backgrounds! And priorities! A few jobs ago my department was about 1/3 Black and we worked closely with Obama administration staff many of whom were Black and there was SO MUCH VARIETY in how Black people talked to each other, about work and workplace-appropriate personal stuff, where I and other white coworkers could hear. There are a few work friends in particular who I have in my head when I'm trying to imagine how Sam and Nile might talk to each other. From the outside looking in, God DAMN is shit complicated, intellectually and interpersonally and spiritually, for Black people who are devoting their professional lives to public service in the United States.

One more aspect of this that I have big thoughts on but I need to take extra care in talking about is the idea of acknowledging Nile's Blackness in her patterns of speech. There's no one right way to be Black, and Nile's a fictional character created by a white dude but there are plenty of real-life Black Americans who don't use much or even any AAVE, for reasons that are complicated because of white supremacy. (Highly highly recommend this video by Shanspeare on the harms of the Oreo stereotype.)

Something that's not the same but has enough similarity that I think it's worth talking about is my personal experience with authenticity and American Jewish speech patterns. My Jewish family members don't talk like they're in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and I've known lots of people who do talk that way (or the millennial version of it), some of whom have questioned my Jewishness because I don't talk that way. That hurts me. Sometimes when another Jew tells me some shit like "I've never heard a Jew say y'all'd've," I can respond with "well now you have asshole, bless your Yankee-ass heart," because the myth of Dixie is a racist lie but I will totally call white Northerners Yankees when they're being shitty to me for being Southern, and this particular Jew fucking revels in using "bless your heart" with maximum polite aggression, especially with said Yankees. But sometimes I don't have it in me to say anything and it just quietly hurts having an important part of me disbelieved by someone who shares that important part of me. The sting isn't quite the same when non-Jews disbelieve or discount my Jewishness, but that hurts too.

Who counts as authentically Jewish is a messy in-group conversation and it doesn't really make sense to explain it all here. Who counts as authentically Jewish is a matter of legal status for immigration, citizenship, and civil rights in Israel, and it's my number 2 reason after horrific treatment of Palestinians that I'm antizionist. But outside that extremely high-stakes legal situation, it can just feel really shitty to not be recognized as One Of Us, especially by your own people.

It can also feel really shitty to be The Only One of Your Kind in a group, even if that group is an immortal chosen family who all loves each other dearly. Sometimes especially in a situation like that where you know those people love you but there are certain things they don't get about you and will never quite be able to. I'm definitely projecting at least a little bit of my "lonely Jew who will be alone again for yet another Jewish holiday" stuff onto Nile when at the end of I See Your Eyes Seek a Distant Shore she's thinking about being the only Black immortal and moving away from the community she'd built with a mostly-Black group of mortals in that fic. Maybe that tracks, or maybe that's fucked up of me.

Basically, this got very long but it's complicated, writing about experiences that aren't your own takes skill which in turn takes time and practice to build, writing about experiences not your own that our society maligns can cause a lot of harm if done badly, it can also cause a lot of harm when a large enough portion of a fandom just decides to nope out of something that's difficult and risky because then there's just not much content about a character who deserves just a shit ton of loving and nuanced content, people are individuals and two people who come from the exact same cultural context might show that influence in all kinds of different ways, identity is complicated, language is complicated, writing is hard, and empathy and humility and doing our best aren't a guarantee of avoiding harm but they do go a long way in helping people create thoughtful content about a character as awesome and powerful and kind and messy and scared and curious and WORTHY as Nile Freeman.

[hebescus]

remember this ship ask? yeah, i wanna do them all with lawlight bcs they control my brain. but it's a happy no death note au bcs it's me. oh and this shit is long plus it's 3 am rn so my words are very messy. but enjoy.

(i skip some numbers that i answered and the ones that i can't think of btw)

pre relationship :

How did they first meet?

L's investigation hq. he was a suspect of L, still, but this time he told soichiro to bring this 18 yo boy to the hq to test him, asking light to work with all of them. he ends up not guilty ofc, but L still wants to keep him…around.

What was their first impression of each other?

ah, the good old 'what the fuck dude???' from light and the 'oooh he got a big brain' from L. it's hard to get out of canon in this one.

Who felt romantic feelings first?

L. But it's more like thoughts, rather than feelings. It's just these random thoughts that pop out in his head like 'i don't mind kissing this guy, if he asks' but not like 'i want to kiss him' yknow what i mean? idk this is just something i experience a lot lmao. it develops to feelings once light falls for him and L can see that. So in terms of ideas, it's L, but in terms of feelings, it's Light.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Oh our favorite light denial yagami. Of course he's cursing himself for having feelings like this but once L calls it out he's over. 

If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

Light would laugh it off, and be like "i don't like him that way you know". L would shrugs be like "well yes that's possible, i don't think i mind". 

What would their lives be like if they had never met?

boring, lonely, empty, you name it

(more under the cut)

general :

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

hmm, they both initiated the relationship? ykwim? They both notices they had feelings for each other and just...go from there. they never have like a relationship talk, they just go with the flow until at some point they starts to get comfortable to refer the other as partners. They basically can read each other's mind, after all.

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

Yes, sort of. A tennis game! And a coffee sesh after, just like canon. They plan this to be just "let's just relax, this case has been really exhausting, take a one day break, L" but when Light got home, sayu asked "how's the date going?!" He immediately said "it's not a date, you watch too many dramas it's rotting your brain" And sachiko gave him a smile while shaking her head at this statement and when he's back to his room he immediately calls L and was like "hey does that count as a date?" and L answers with "depends, do you want it to be?" with a smirk that light can hear.

What was their first kiss like?

it was late at night, light was helping L with the case when everybody went home. they were sharing their view about this certain criminal when light notices L staring at his lips, first he ignored it but it happens again and again to a point where their face just got real close and then...kiss, somehow. idk lmao.

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

First person who can understand each other and are equals, the only ones who can tear the other's wall down, and just practically soulmates in any form that even their sun & moon signs mirroring each other's? YES. 

What’s their height difference? Age difference?

i hc L as just a little bit taller than light, but it's not like you can see it through the hunch anyway. ofc we all know the 6 years and 4 months age gap

What’s their relationship with each other’s families?

Sayu likes L, Sachiko is kinda surprise Light doesn't date a typical pretty person, but it only makes her heart fonder. L doesn't mind them, he thinks they're nice, light grew up in a good place. Soichiro? Well, he might me a bit reluctant but he loosen up slowly, his son is happier than he ever was, after all.

Who takes the lead in social situations?

Light, obviously. Because he's a charmer and if L takes control, the person they speak to would run immediately the first 2 minutes.

Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear?

it is a universal knowledge that L does this. like, come on, count the fics, you can't, there's just so many. he loves to break that perfect wall and make light feel 🥴😳. it's entertaining. But he knows when to stop. too much of that will be embarrassing in light's part, and he respects his boy's dignity.

love :

Who said “I love you” first?

Light!! The thing is it was said over the phone. He gets more and more comfortable talking with L through calls, since every now and then L travel frok countries to countries. One time he just like "yeah, safe flight. love you, bye" he expected L to say goodnight to him as a response as usual but L was silent and he realised what he just said and realised that he fucking mean it. L seems to still be able to read his mind even thousands miles away so he replies with "i love you too, goodnight". they never missed seeing each other more than that night.

What are their primary love languages?

we had a discussion for this! but as we see in canon, they're both very acts of service with a little hint of physical touch here and there. quality time is also important. words and gift aren't really needed for them.

Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

L. Only to annoy light. It's terrible that he almost cringed to himself, but it does bring a good laugh for light.

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

PDA is a not their preference, they just love being in private more. They might hold hands sometimes, butmost times they won't. Altho they always stand or sit reaaaaally glued to each other even though there are so many space. 

Who initiates kisses?

both. they want it, they got it. but light gives light kisses (ha) more, not necessarily on the lips, usually when L was really busy working, keeping his feet on the ground.

Who’s the big and little spoon?

They don't spoon a lot, they prefer not touching at all or cufdling face to face, but when they do, Light is the little spoon because being a big spoon makes his sleeping position kinda uncomfy, he feels awkward with his legs, it's just not. thankfully L thinks cuddling light this way is very calming.

What are their favorite things to do together?

Tennis and solving cases, duh. Or sometimes they play video games fighting each other. Anything competitive and/or challenging that make their brain grow 10 times bigger. But sometimes, a comfortingly peaceful and quiet dinner with hushed words thrown here and there about random things feels like the best thing ever.

Who’s more protective?

L. For identity reasons, ofc.

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Physical. They can read each other's mind, they knew it by gesture, touches, and glances. 

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE. venus by sleeping at last fits them so well, that song is in the background of multiple cozy couch smooches sessions or even when they're slow dancing (please listen to this tho song it's so good). also i think they would like persephone by the tragic thrills too, L would be like "this song reminds me of you" and Light answers with "i'm persephone?" "Yeah" "i'm a fucking badass then" "yes you are". oh and first day of my life? lover of mine? pink in the night? sweet creature? the lakes? oh god i have too much answers

What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

they don't do nicknames, really. although, L sometimes called light with some snarky tony stark styled nicknames when he feels particularly playful but annoyed at the same time.

Who remembers the little things?

They both do. Big brained assholes they are.

domestic life :

If they get married, who proposes?

It's not really a proposal, they didn't  even remember who said it first. But one sleepy night after a hard case, someone said "hey you wanna get married" and the other was like "sure, why not" "really?" "yeah, i think i'm ready, you?" "me too" "great" and then they go to sleep. at breakfast the next morning L called watari from across the room and said "wammy i need you to prepare [enter marriage stuff here], and light, you must call your family after this". poor old watari chokes on his tea.

What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

The wedding is in a secluded little place near the wammy's house, L used to go there a lot as a kid. With just light's parents, sayu, and watari. Well, not until Light caught Mello, Matt, Near, and Linda peeping from the bushes

Do they have any pets?

A chunky cat the wammy's kids feed daily but never try to keep them in, because no animals are allowed inside the orphanage. L saw it and was like "light let's bring this bitch home" she is, indeed a little bitch, but light and L loves her dearly. her fur has light brown and black colors, like both of their hairs, so she becomes their daughter, L gave him a weird ass name but i can't think about it rn.

Who kills the bugs in the house?

Light because he's the one who's actually bothers to. They ofc annoyed L but he cpuldnt care less to actually get rid of them.

Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

L. He rarely sleeps and once he did, he wakes up very fucking late and will pull light back to the bed if he's woken up by the empty space beside him.

Who’s the better cook?

Light. L is a spoiled brat. But Light can't bale for shit, that's Watari's job. Light grow up learning and helping his mom making meals for the family. He's not the best, but it's good enough to make L craves them in between his sweets.

Who likes to dance?

None of them. But they would slow dance on rare, sentimental occasions. And it's like so fucking romantic bcs all the lights are off except for a candle or a table lamp or a cabinet lamp whatever that has yellow-y dim light. And they don't speak, they just casually move against each other, but heart ready to combust like i do when i the mental image came into my head.

[ncityislove]

The Jury is Out

➳Pairing: Renjun x Reader x Jeno (ft a few other Dreamies)

➳Genre: Angsty fluff but mostly angst lol basically enemies to lovers

➳Word Count: 5K

****STORY HAS BEEN RE-EDITED

You were used to working with the guy you disposed most in the world on a day to day basis but one day all that changes when you have to work together after school for two weeks. Was it crazy to want to be friends with your enemy? Was it possible to be something...more?

Part 1/5

Second Chapter

Requested? no bc y’all stay sleeping on my mans but anyways

The air is cold and frigid, causing you to zip up your bright yellow fleece jacket. You regret not bringing your coat, which you had left in your locker because you honestly didn't think you'd need to wear one indoors but you didn't account for the chill of the breeze outside to seep through the cracks of the classroom windows.

You clamp your teeth shut in an attempt to prevent them from chattering as you jot down the notes from the PowerPoint on the board. Normally, you'd be way too invested in the lesson to even notice the temperature but you were doing a dissection tomorrow so you had to learn all about the body parts of pigs. Pigs. As if the anatomy of pigs wasn't straight forward enough.

Finally, the lesson neared its end and your anatomy teacher, Mrs. Brookes, clicks off the PowerPoint and you cram your notes into your overflowing folder.

"I've got an announcement, everyone," calls Mrs. Brookes. 

The class halts their movements to hear her speak. 

"The end of the semester is here and that means finals and all that."

The classroom groans in unison.  

"Yes, yes I know! Boo, finals. But! With finals comes the new semester and that means college applications will be due! So, if anyone wants to get a head start on teacher recommendations—"

Your eyes snap across the room to peer at a “certain someone” only to find he was already glaring at you. Huang Renjun was the top of your class—always has been and probably always will be. Unfortunately, that made you second at everything which was unbelievably insufferable. You were smart, always did your work and gave 100% to everything you did but so did he. And he was always just a little bit better—just a little bit smarter than you and it made your blood boil.

You knew your destiny was to be a judge since you were three years old. You dreamt of wearing the flowy black gown and holding that beautiful wooden gabble as the whole courtroom looked to you, knowing the power you held. You wanted to be the best judge there ever was--a fair judge who brought justice to everyone and you had the perfect plan to do it. You would attend Oxford, get your degree in law, be a lawyer for a few years, five or six maximum and go from there. The only problem with that was that Oxford chose only one student from your school every year for their full-ride scholarship and it just so happened that the student at the top of your class wanted to go there too.

To put the cherry on top, Renjun also hated your guts. He made your life a living hell and often times he’d go out of his way to do so. You can’t remember when the spiteful behavior began but it had been so long it was comfortable. Sometime in middle school he’d had his sight set on you and you haven’t had a peaceful day since.

You shake away your disgruntled thoughts, bringing your attention back to Mrs. Brookes.

"I'd be glad to help out!" Mrs. Brookes smiles. "It would be nice to start now so I won't have to write one-hundred-thirty-two letters at once."

The classroom fills with whispers before Mrs. Brookes quiets them once more. "Also, as you all know, we have a lab tomorrow so go ahead and pick your partners, quickly!"

You sigh, pressing your lips together as your eyes flicker back to Renjun who nodded his head in confirmation of what you already knew. Although the two of you couldn't stand each other, you always worked together to ensure you got the highest grade. This way, you didn't have to deal with lazy partners or someone who just didn't have the intellect to keep up with you.

By lunchtime, you’re practically starving, having skipped breakfast because you overslept. Again.

You purchase a salad, stuffing a fork full of lettuce in your mouth as you set up a small foldable table in the center of the cafeteria. You were in a numerous amount of clubs, one of them being the Red Cross Club, which was currently donating blood to hospital, and you were the first one to volunteer to man the sign-up table.

You managed to get a few sign-ups before people stopped passing by and you quickly get bored. You suck through the straw of your milk carton, unlocking your phone to see you had four unopened messages.

Sadie [11:36]: Heyyyyy girrrrrrl Sadie [11:36]: guess who's coming home? It's me lmao Sadie [11:37]: did you hear about the fire? Some dumb ass freshman burned down the ENTIRE chemistry building so they're letting us out on winter break early for remodeling Sadie [11:38]: can't wait to see you! We've got so much to catch up on about Jodie ;)

You roll your eyes shoving your phone back into your pocket. There was a point in time when you and your sister were practically joint at the hip, always together no matter what. Secret handshakes, your own made-up languages and all that, but it wasn't like that anymore. You weren't exactly sure when the rift began but you were very much aware of it now. The only person who seemed to not notice was Sadie. The last thing you wanted to do was be stuck in the same house with her for who knows how long, let alone talk about her idiot of a boyfriend, Jodie.

 A deep bellow and a loud guffaw drags you out of your thoughts as your eyes follow the source of the sound. Lee Jeno was doubled over in laughter, as were the rest of his friends, slamming his fist down on the table as everyone around him erupted into applause. You hate people who clapped when they laughed. You also hate people who obnoxiously drew attention to themselves in public but you couldn't stop your heart from swooning while watching him do those very things. There wasn't a shortage of good looking boys at your school but none of them ever had the effect that Jeno did on you. It's not that you have a crush on him—not even close. He was just so damn dreamy. You’ve had your fair share of interactions with Jeno, him being Renjun’s best friend and a member of two of the clubs you were in. He was in student council just like you but instead of being the useless treasurer, he was the Vice President (and of course Renjun was class president) and the best soccer goalie the school's had in...well, ever. It was the combination of his good looks, you think, and intelligence that was so attractive to you.

You had certain rules that you set for yourself to ensure your high school career went perfectly. Although it was kind of corny, it worked for you. You had a plan and you were going to succeed.

Rule number one: no parties. 

Rule number two: no drinking. 

And most importantly, rule number three: no dating. 

Having a boyfriend would be a huge distraction and you couldn't risk your future on some relationship that wouldn't last past graduation but sometimes you couldn't help wishing you hadn't made the rule for the sake of Jeno's existence.

You made a sour face at the group of boys, shivering when you feel a pair of eyes burning a hole in your head. You glance over two seats from Jeno to find Renjun inspecting you with an unreadable expression. You stare back for a moment before looking away, a look of displeasure evident on your face. You were quite thoroughly creeped out. Geez, were you in some kind of movie or something? You were competing against each other but you weren't arch enemies or anything like that.

When the final bell rang at the end of the day, everyone rushed off to get on the big yellow buses and go home. You rarely hardly ever rode the bus, having too many extra-curricular activities after school and just outright preferring to walk in the mornings. Mondays and Wednesdays you had mock-trial club, STEM and chess club were both on Tuesdays, and book club and Red Cross were every other Thursday before school. On top of all that, you were captain of the varsity volleyball team. A large part of you only wanted to join because you thought the uniforms were cute but you also needed a sport to put on your college application.

Today is Wednesday and you were on your way to Mr. Koffee's class for mock trial. Mr. Koffee wasn't the most interesting person in the world but you always looked forward to his club meetings the most out of all your other extra-curriculars. It was mostly because it was the closest thing to being a real lawyer you'll have for a long while.

By the time you make it to the classroom, all the seats were taken except for the one right next to Jeno so you quickly cease it, receiving cold looks from your female peers. You shrug it off, not really paying them any attention. If there was another seat you would've taken it but seeing as there were more people there today than usual  you had no choice. Renjun sat behind you typing away at his phone, ignoring your presence as usual.

Mr. Koffee strides into the room, closing the door behind him. The students shift their attention to him as he stands in front of his desk, arms folded.

"Well isn't this a surprise. Everyone decided to show up today." 

The class laughs but you could tell by his expression it wasn't meant to be a joke.

"Quiet down, everyone," he begins. "We've got some major trials next year against some big schools and I have no doubt we'll win them all but I'd still like us to be prepared. I think our performance level would greatly benefit if you were able to do a trial without me involved so I'm stepping down from my role as Chief Justice."

Your ears perk up at this. You often alternate between being the defending attorney and a juror but neither role satisfied you in the way you knew being the judge would. You struggle to hold in your giddiness as the teacher continues.

"I'll be choosing the best-fit person to play Chief Justice sometime between now and next week if anyone's interested."

"Mr. Koffee," you call out, raising your hand. " I don't think it will be too hard to decide considering I'm the obvious choice."

Jeno snickers at your words and Renjun scoffs.

"Suddenly, I think I want to be the judge." Renjun muses, his finger tapping his lips lightly. 

You withhold the urge to hit him on the back of his stupid, round head.

 "Mr. Koffee, I'd like to be judge, too!"

Your neck almost snaps at how quickly you turn your head to gawk at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

Renjun's lips twist into a lopsided smirk.  "What do you mean? I’m taking my role of chief justice, obviously."

You glower at him. "You are such a--"

"__!" Mr. Koffee scolds.

You mumble an apology but your eyes never leave Renjun's. He must really get a kick out of making your life a living hell, didn't he? He wanted to be a lawyer when he graduates so why on Earth was he volunteering, knowing damn well how badly you wanted this? He already had everything he wanted and he was probably going to get the scholarship at Oxford anyways—what more did he want? Why did he still take things away from you when you never had a chance in the first place?

"Like I said," Mr. Koffee continues. "I'll come to a decision at the end of next week. Moving on," he begins pacing across the front. "The school carnival is in two weeks and I registered the club on the list to have a booth. Are there any volunteer—"

"Me!" You and Renjun shout at the same time. You both cast glances at each other before looking back at the teacher to hear his decision. Volunteering to run the booth wasn't the best idea. You already had enough on your plate as is but you knew you would have a better chance of being chosen if you did this and so did Renjun which was why he couldn't let you do that.

"Okay, Perfect. You two will run the booth for the carnival," he announces, clasping his hands together.

You gape at him, horrified. Now, what have you gotten yourself into? You glimpse at Renjun who's expression was not too far off from yours. Jeno cracks up in his chair, his shoulders shaking in laughter, clearly enjoying this.

"Oh this is gonna be good," he giggles.

"I needed two people but I thought no one would volunteer," Mr. Koffee explains, his lips almost curving into a smile for once. "Now let's move on to our next case, shall we?"

--

The drive home is dull. You pick at your chipping nail polish as your mom blabs on and on about Sadie. Her words go through one ear and out of the other, her voice drowning into the hum of the engine and the wind flowing in through the window. Your thoughts are filled with Renjun and murdering him in cold blood. This was something you could never forgive him for.

Your mom parks the car in the garage, and you grab your bookbag as you wait for her to unlock the door. The weather only seemed to get colder and colder and it only worsened your mood. With the all your school work and club activities, you were sure the added on stress from Sadie coming home months early would be  your end. You could see it on the news now, Young Teen Found Dead With Premature Wrinkles And a Notebook Full of Plans for Murder. 

The house was warm and welcoming compared to the harsh temperatures outside. You remove your shoes and jacket and scurry up the stairs before your mom could talk your ear off some more about your sister.

You plop down on your bed, crawling under your honey yellow duvet, finding an escape from the world for a moment. Every now and then, when life just felt like it was a little too much, you’d hide under your covers like a child. You’ve been doing this a lot lately, taking refuge in the safety of your covers when Renjun had done something to ruin your day. Just three days ago, you were in this very same spot after Renjun tripped you in front of everybody during second period. It took a lot to embarrass you and because everyone saw him trip you, that didn't bother you much. It was the bruise on your elbow you got trying to break your fall that pissed you off. It was the fact that he got away with tripping you in front of so many eyes and yet, he didn’t get in trouble. He never did. He was the perfect model student. The class president could never do any wrong. 

You weren't sure how much time had passed while you were under there but you figure you ought to start on your math homework so you could finish your English paper early.

After a few hours, your parents call you down for dinner. Your dad had just got home, setting the table in his work clothes. Your parents invested themselves in a conversation of the weather which inevitably turned into a bubbly discussion about Sadie. Expecting this, you eat as quickly as possible trying to flee back to your room. Surprisingly, you're able to leave with ease, your parents too excited about Sadie's arrival to notice you leaving the table early. 

--

You're shocked awake by a heavy object thrown on top of you. Your eyes pop open, your heart thudding in your chest as you notice the familiar mop of hair splayed across your face. The high-pitched squeal only confirmed who the culprit was.

"Sadie?" you whine, groggily.

She lifts her head up, but not enough to remove her hair off of your face.

"Missed me?"

"Not really," you try to push her off which only resulted in her squeezing you tighter.

"There's that sense of humor I missed so much."

You roll your eyes. I wasn't joking, you wanted to say but you bite your tongue. 

"Why'd you wake me up? I already have to get up early enough for school."

Sadie finally sits up, her lips pursed. "Oh? But doesn't school start in like twenty minutes?"

"WHAT?!?" you glance at your alarm clock and she was right. You must've forgotten to set your alarm last night. You sigh throwing your legs over the edge of the mattress.

"If you need a ride I can drive you," Sadie offers.

You stare straight ahead at the yellow walls in front of you. Suddenly, you regret choosing such a bright and happy color for your room theme when oftentimes you felt anything but happy. It was your favorite color at the time and it still is today but you were starting to get sick of it. It felt as if your room was mocking you. Even your bedroom was happier than you.

"No thanks," you say, getting up and rushing to get dressed.

Sadie sighs but thankfully leaves you alone. When you go to the kitchen to grab your breakfast, you're surprised to see a feaast large enough to feed a vilage instead of your usual bagel and banana.

"What's all this? And where's mom?" you ask, running out of the kitchen.

Your father looks at you briefly before his eyes go back to the thick novel he was holding. "She's out running errands. We have to celebrate Sadie coming home, dear."

Sadie smiles, patting the chair next to her.

You frown. "Yeah, well, I'm already late so I'm gonna head out."

"Young lady!” your father barks, stopping you dead in your tracks. “Just where do you think you're going? Your mom wanted us all to eat together and that's what we're going to do. You'll have enough time to eat if Sadie drives you--now how does that sound Sadie?"

"That's okay with me," she chirps.

"What's the use of eating 'all together' if mom's not even here?" you exasperate, air quoting with your fingers.

"I will not allow you to waste the good food your mother worked so hard to make for the whole family, now sit down and enjoy your breakfast with your sister," he says, returning back to his book.

You sigh in resignation, taking the seat next to Sadie, who claps her hands excitedly.

You do your best to say as little as possible to Sadie, only giving her a 'yes' or 'no' when she asked a question. When you arrive at school, you hopped out of the car without saying goodbye, which you would regret all too soon because she decides to wish you good luck in the loudest voice she could muster. You pull your hood up when everyone stares at you, having recognized your sister immediately. People start to crowd around her car greeting her like she was a celebrity or something and you grit your teeth, stalking into the building. 

This was exactly why you didn't want her to drive you to school. Not only were you second best at school but at home as well. Everyone loves Sadie. She’s pretty, smart and fun and, well, she was the complete opposite of you. She never turned down the opportunity to have a good time and somehow still managed to pass her classes with ease. Even having graduated high school two years ago, she was still as popular as ever, her existence leaving a permanent imprint on the school. Even the freshman knew your sister's name.

You re-adjust your headband as you enter Mrs. Brookes' class, feeling somewhat relieved you weren't late. Your table was occupied by a large animal that looked like roadkill and on top of that, the awful chemical smell burned your nostrils. You gag as you drop your items to the ground. Renjun's book bag slams into the chair next to you causing you to jump out of your skin.

His lips slant into a smirk as he examines your appearance. "Why're your clothes all wrinkly?"

You looked down at your uniform, noticing its creased state for the first time this morning. You could just add ironing along to the list of things you forgot to do last night.

You send him a dirty look as you smooth your skirt down with your hands. You were still mad at him for yesterday and would rather cut your left leg off than to work with him today but you already told Mrs. Brookes you were partners and you knew she wouldn't let you change partners last minute.

The bell rings and Mrs. Brookes goes over the lab rules, passing out your assignment. You and Renjun put your gloves on as instructed, deciding to split the work in half, you doing the front of the paper and him the back. You made an incision at the stomach, charting the intestines on your worksheet. You look up to check on Renjun's progress to see him poking at the swine with a shaky hand, his face a ghastly pale. You almost laugh out loud. Maybe today wasn't such a bad day after all. Renjun had a weakness?

You snatch the scalpel from him, slitting the pig's neck open and he flinches. 

"Is that so hard?" you ask, handing him the blade back. 

Renjun swallows as he takes the tweezers and pauses to re-read the directions for an unnecessary amount of time. You let out an impatient sigh and Renjun finally puts the paper down and inserts the tweezers into the pig, searching for an artery with his body as far away from the animal as he could manage. When he let out a girlish yelp, you decide you’ve had enough, slamming down your scalpel.

"Give me that," you snap. 

Renjun hands you the tweezers with no hesitation, stepping a safe few steps away from the table. 

"Look, I'll do all the physical work and you just write the answers down okay?"

"O-okay," he nods, his face was now a dangerous shade of green. For a millisecond, you feel bad for him but then you remember how much of a complete jerk he is.

Renjun is mostly silent as you do all the hard work and he copies the answers onto the worksheets. You don’t tease anymore for the sake of keeping him from hurling in front of you. 

If you thought Anatomy class was weird then lunch was double weird. When you arrive at the sign-up table, there’s someone sitting in the seat next to yours--which was supposed to be empty last time you checked--and of course, it wasn't just anybody--no, that would be too easy. Haven Geller, Renjun's ex-girlfriend, of all people was sitting in the chair next to yours, dill-dallying with her hair as if she doesn’t see you standing in front of her.

You simply shake your head and sit down. "I thought I was the only one doing sign-ups today."

Haven feigns just noticing your presence. "Oh! Hey, y/n, didn't see you there."

You scowl but say nothing. This wasn't your first meeting with Haven. She was on the volleyball team with you and as you were team captain, you've had your fair share of hiccups with Haven. She wasn't a bad person per se, although you didn't know her very well, you could assume she could be honorable when needed. It was her attitude that you really had a problem with. She never followed instructions and she never went to class. It was this kind of behavior that almost got her kicked off the team several times and she always acted like she didn't care. It was mind baffling that Haven and Renjun we're together so long. You wouldn't have imagined they'd get together at all, them being polar opposites and all.

"I talked to the teacher about it and," she pauses to pop a bubble with her chewing gum, "she said I could help out. I need more volunteer hours to put on my application, you know?"

You nod your head in understanding, chomping on your celery as Renjun and Jeno approach you, lunch trays in hand. Haven straitens up in her chair, smiling at the boys.

"Hey, __. You wanna sit with us today?" Renjun asks.

Haven is just as surprised as you, if not more at the question directed towards you.

"We need to start planning out how we're gonna do the booth for the fair." he continues.

You look skeptical. Didn't he know that only people who are friends sit together at lunch? And you most certainly were not friends with Renjun.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass," you decline, taking another bite of your celery.

Jeno smiles at you and you looked away, your face heating up.

"Look, I'm sorry alright? I know I shouldn't have volunteered to be the judge and I know I shouldn't have volunteered to do the booth and I apologize. Please? Come sit at our table."

Your face is stoic as you mull over his words. Renjun never apologized for anything because he was never sorry. You were seeing a lot of firsts for Renjun today. There was a silence between all of you before Haven took the opportunity to greet Renjun.

"Hey, Junie! It's nice to see you," she chirps.

Renjun nods at her before turning back to look at you.

You looked back in forth between them, weirded out by the odd exchange. Did they get back together? You didn't keep tabs on Renjun's love life, it was more so his academics that you were more interested in but the last time you saw them together was before school ended last semester.

Jeno steps forward, drawing your attention. "Hey, so, I'm throwing a victory party at my place this Friday by the way. You should come."

Your eyes widen. "Me?"

"Her?" Renjun asks, equally exasperated.

Jeno wrapped an arm around Renjun's shoulder, jostling him a little. "What do 'ya say?"

No.

"I'll think about it," you say and you're shocked by your own response. You should've been upfront about it but you found it hard to say no to Jeno. It was against your rules after all--and besides you wouldn’t even know how to behave at a party. You had nothing to wear either. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't go.

“Isn’t a little premature to schedule a party before you’ve even won the game?” you inquire.

“Not if I know we’re gonna win it’s not.”

Renjun blinks, shaking his head. "Erm, anyway--are you gonna sit with us or not?"

"You can go," Haven says, smiling at you. "I'll hold down the fort."

You still feel unsure but Renjun was grabbing your book bag and food before you could protest her offer. "W-well okay, thanks, Haven."

"No problem!" she exclaims, grinning, although it doesn't reach her eyes.

Sitting at Renjun's table has to be one of the strangest experiences you’ve ever had. Everyone was so loud and rowdy and on top of that, they were all staring at you. You feel so out of place and Jeno, sensing your discomfort, introduces you to everyone. The ones sitting directly across you though, Haechan and Jaemin, seem to stick out the most to you.

You and Renjun exchange a few ideas for the booth, eventually agreeing on a courtroom theme.

"You guys are like two Einsteins," Jeno jokes.

"Yeah, except __ is smarter," Haechan chuckles.

"And way prettier," Jeno adds.

Your cheeks tinge a baby pink as you deny the boys' words.

"Can you guys shut up? We're a little busy here," Renjun grumbles as he scribbles messily in his notebook.

"But it's true. __’s gorgeous."

Renjun just rolls his eyes bringing the conversation back to the booth. After a few minutes of Jeno throwing endless compliments your way, Renjun looked like he was quite literally about to pop.

"Jeno--for Christ's sake! Can you not flirt with my lab partner?? We're working here!"

"Lab partner? You’re not even doing science, man,” he snickers.  “And isn't the school fair not for another two weeks?" Jeno counters with an innocent smile.

You could've sworn you saw Renjun's eye twitch as Haechan and Jaemin burst into laughter.

"Bro, how many times do we have to tell you to relax?" Jaemin snorts, reaching over the table to touch his shoulder.

"Yeah," Jeno says, propping an elbow on the table. "It's not like you're being graded on this anyways."

Renjun groans, throwing his head in his hands.

"Maybe that's true but I'd prefer to not half-ass this, considering what's at stake," you chime in, feeling the need to defend him.

Renjun peeks in between his fingers at your words.

"And what's at stake?" he asks.

"Things you wouldn't understand, Jeno."

Jaemin cackles and Haechan covers his mouth, ‘ooh’ing at your response.

"Oh yeah?" Jeno raises an eyebrow. "Try me."

"Maybe another time," you say, grabbing your bag. "I'll see you after school, Renjun."

The bell rings just as you get up and you push past the doors, not looking back.

-

After the last bell rings, you squeeze through the sea of people down to the track field. Students shove passed you, brushing your shoulder as they run to get to their buses in time. Your eyes water as the harsh wind blows against you and you stuff your freezing hands into the pockets of your padded coat. Despite the cold weather, the track team was getting ready for practice and you thank the heavens you played an indoor sport.

There’s two other people preparing their booths and you were glad you and Renjun weren't the only ones starting early. You pick out the least disgusting table and pull it up on its legs. Dust flies everywhere and you swat at the air vengefully. You look at the time on your watch. Renjun is late.

You wipe off the table with an old dirty rag and sit on it, refusing to do any more work on your own. When Renjun finally shows up, it’s fifteen minutes later and he’s carrying a black metal box and a bucket full of spray paint.

"Look who decided to show up," you place a hand on your hip.

Renjun gives you a pointed look. "I had to go get all the supplies."

"I didn't know it took so long to get a few cans of paint," you mutter, dusting off the back of your jeans.

It's not like you had all day to do this. You had homework to do! Papers to write!

"__, can you maybe not be so uptight for once? It's not like I took my time to get here, I walked as fast as I could."

"Uptight?" You repeat. "I'm not the one who was freaking out at lunch today over a school fair booth, if I remember correctly. And your friends are trash by the way."

Renjun slams the metal box on the table. "Don't talk about my friends. You don't know them and you don't know me, so mind your own damn business," he snarls.

For a moment all you see is red. Renjun is such an ass. This is the last straw. You can’t take his insults any more. After all he’s put you through, especially after yesterday’s antics, he had the nerve to talk to you like that?

"I don't know you?” you hiss.  “We've had the same classes together since junior high, idiot. I know that you carry around two packs of number two pencils for no logical reason and I know that your bookbag looks like it was a filing cabinet in its past life. Hell, I wish I didn't know you, that's for sure, because then I wouldn't be out here in the freezing cold building a stupid booth with the likes of you!"

You hadn’t intended to say those words out loud but you couldn't deny how good it felt to say it. Maybe you were a bit harsh but who cares? He's said way worse to you countless times.

Renjun stands there staring at you for a beat, his fists clenched into a tight ball before he storms off, snatching his book bag and dragging it on the ground behind him.

"Where do you think you're going?" you call after him. "What about the booth?!"

You watch with your mouth hanging open as Renjun kept walking until his figure becomes too small to see. Who knew he could be so sensitive? You assumed he would just brush off your words as he always did but it seems you struck a chord. 

You chew your bottom lip as you angrily stare at the table. No matter what Renjun could’ve said to you, you wouldn't leave him to do all the work on his own.

You curse under your breath as you grab a can of spray paint, shaking it with force. You stayed after school for a reason and you were going to do what you came to do, with or without Renjun.

[tcmpcral]

full name.  basil

pronunciation. technically BAY-zil but my dumb disney-loving brain defaults to BA-zil lmao nicknames. dumbass, dumb as ass (these are, of course, all lovingly given to him by his brothers) titles.  basil the kicker, ‘our kicking basil’ courtesy of roh height.  5′11-6″

age. 23ish

zodiac. leo languages. whatever language they speak on his planet plus a few others

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair colour.  red, white eye colour. black with yellow sclera skin tone.   body type.  very athletic and toned, but a little bit wiry tbh accent.  like majora below, he’d technically have one to an earthling’s ear, but they wouldn’t be able to place it dominant hand.  left posture. confident. has a definite swagger to his gait, and he sometimes tends to lean on one hip when he stands. other times, he simply has a very open, fearless stance scars. what scars he has are covered by fur tattoos. none most noticeable features. the fact he aint got no clothes on >:u possibly his doe eyes, which gives him a markedly more ‘innocent’-looking expression compared with his brothers

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth.  currently unnamed planet in U9 hometown.  an overpopulated city where it was easy for him and his brothers to ‘disappear’ quite often from under ‘human services’ noses birth weight / height.  he has no idea manner of birth.  just. the usual, i guess :v first words.  it was probably something like ‘bermo’ which was his babyish way of saying  ‘bergamo’ lmao siblings.  lavender, older brother, bergamo, oldest brother parents.  his father died at some point before he was born, so he has no memories of him. his mother either died or was separated from the three around the time basil was one to two years old (which means i need to edit A Thing i wrote recently rip), so his memories of her are fuzzy and nondescript parental involvement.  he was loved by his mother and treated overtly affectionately by her from the time he was born-- however, his time with her was short. from her disappearance on, he was raised by his older brothers, who did their best of course, but likely fell short in various ways

ADULT LIFE

occupation.   ??? whatever it is, it’s not fully legal current residence.  a small apartment with his brothers. thanks to a certain god’s influence, it’s a little more luxurious on the inside than one might expect based on its outward appearance close friends.  uhhh. his brothers. minca, at one point. and probably again eventually. otherwise, he has various. uh. basically casual drinking buddies, so i’m not sure he’d consider them close relationship status.  single financial status.  it’s okay. paycheck to paycheck, but. again, thanks to a certain god, he and his brothers are able to live rather comfortably driver’s license. unfortunately, yes  criminal record.  Yes vices.  impulsive, short-tempered, has a tendency to be irreverent without entirely meaning to (not that he’s not Trying to be, just that he’s not thinking about it), lacks common sense a lot 

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation.   he personally identifies as heterosexual but tbh it’s bc he’s only had one girlfriend and hasn’t really thought about his sexuality in great depth. i could honestly see him being bisexual romantic orientation.   ??? preferred emotional role.  submissive |  dominant  | switch  |  unsure preferred sexual role.  submissive | dominant | switch  |  sex repulsed libido.  h-hahaa er. High turn ons.  i don’t. know yet tbh turn offs.  anything too Out There love language.  how do i. explain it. it’s not affectionate exactly, but it would be very obvious to his partner that he likes them, bc there’d be signs like his face lighting up whenever he spotted them in a room, or the fact that he invites them to go with him everywhere, that he’d rather spend time with them than with his drinking buddies, etc. he doesn’t actually do a lot of PDA, i think, bc i tend to see him as being a little more immature than that tbh, but there’d definitely be signs of affection and. adoration there relationship tendencies.  basil, at this point in his life, just wants someone he can have fun with. he doesn’t want commitment, he doesn’t want to think about the future (unless it involves daydreaming about visiting cool places)-- all he cares about is the now, and how he can have fun in the now. as such, he’s drawn toward those with like values and desires, and would be turned off by someone who seemed intent on ‘changing him into a better man’ or something similar

MISCELLANEOUS.

character’s theme song. here we go again, renegades hobbies to pass the time.  sparring/fighting, drinking, parties, tagging along with his brothers, causing mischief mental illnesses.  avoidant behaviors but lbr mostly none physical illnesses.  none left or right brained.  right-brained fears.  failure, disappointing his brothers, losing his brothers, embarrassing himself in a way he can’t Come Back From self-confidence level.  ehh, tbh, it’s mostly high. he probably gets down on himself at times when he thinks he’s done something exceedingly stupid, but for the most part, he thinks pretty highly of himself vulnerabilities.  don’t. don’t pull his tail, that hurts. his loyalty to his brothers, the secret feelings he keeps to himself about his childhood if anyone ever figured them out tbh, his fears that he really is kind of dumb

full name.  majora pronunciation. MAH-zheruh nicknames. nurse baobei (an old one from shosa that majora absolutely hates to be called in public these days. not that he. loved it to begin with) titles.  has an officer’s rank of some kind? does that count height.  5′8ish

age. Advanced (TM) no sorry i just haven’t decided how he ages compared to humans yet :v

zodiac. capricorn n/a languages. whatever language his planet/region uses, as well as a few neighboring ones

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair colour.  olive green, white eye colour. ???? skin tone.   body type.  slender, slim, but toned. certain joints like his wrists and ankles are very thin and frail-looking, however accent.  he’d have one to an earthling’s ear, but it’d be hard to place dominant hand.  right posture. generally straight, tho sometimes a little slouchy just bc he’s tired. while he was a military nurse, he wasn’t required to complete any kind of military training, so he doesn’t have the perhaps expected ‘soldier posture’ scars. what scars he does have are easily hidden by fur. has a scar on his upper abdomen leftover from a splenectomy tattoos. none most noticeable features. his ears are huuuuge

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth.  some planet in U4 lmao hometown.  a currently unnamed city on the coast. presently lives in a mountainous region in the northern part of the country/planet he lives on birth weight / height.  ~6 pounds, ~19 inches manner of birth.  something akin to twilight sleep first words.  it was ‘pig’ bc he witnessed one of his older sisters calling another child the term as an insult siblings.  four other siblings (two older sisters, one younger sister, one younger brother is the baby. he is the third oldest of five, right smack dab in the middle). his eldest sister is deceased. he is mostly estranged from the others and only sees them occasionally throughout the year parents.  Mother: jima Father: rougu, i haven’t quite decided what it was that they did just yet but whatever it was left them rather well-off financially, enough so that they were able to allow their children to pursue whatever interests and hobbies they desired (assuming they were proper, of course). their beliefs were steeped in traditions and conventional wisdom, and these are what majora grew up with and probably still to some degree practices to this day parental involvement.  somewhat negligent once he hit a certain age and was capable of helping with younger siblings and household chores, etc. his parents never were particularly affectionate with him, tho they encouraged certain interests of his (...martial arts, mostly) while discouraging others they felt tarnished his (read: their) reputation. this was especially true as he grew into his preteen and teen years and began showing behaviors they didn’t like

ADULT LIFE

occupation.   retired; former nurse current residence.  lives in a communal apartment setup. he lives at the end of the hall, is able to claim he has the largest room of the floor, and also has a nice little balcony attached to his room as well that he shares with the newly-married couple who live in the room next to him (who i’ve named chuan and cori). he’s quite fond of his living arrangement, despite what he may occasionally say otherwise close friends.  ..........shosa. that’s it. that’s literally it relationship status.  single financial status.  he survives on retiree and disability benefits........ but altogether, it’s not bad driver’s license. doesn’t need one. both. bc the city he lives in is compact enough to be able to walk everywhere and bc. Blind lmao  criminal record.  lots of curfew and truancy violations as a teen fjfiea;g  vices.  proud, aloof, withdrawn, set in his ways, stubborn, self-sabotaging

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation.   generally identifies as homosexual romantic orientation.   homoromantic probably preferred emotional role.  submissive |  dominant  | switch  |  unsure preferred sexual role.  submissive | dominant | switch  |  sex repulsed libido.  middles toward low, even when coupled, but he’s not repulsed by any means turn ons.  ....like basil i’m. not entirely sure yet turn offs.  treating him like a doll?? does that make sense, listen he might like to dress up but don’t treat him like a mannequin. and don’t take advantage of the fact that he can’t see what he’s putting on, that should be obvious. Anything without his permission, ignoring his discomfort if it comes up, not letting him know what you’re doing before you do it gdi love language.  kinda stiff and awkward in the beginning, but he softens up soon enough. he never does get to be the type who is outwardly affectionate and forthcoming about his feelings, and particularly in public, will seem very distant and cool to his partner, but he is definitely the sort to enjoy being around a partner and seek their company quite often, whether it’s to accompany them about the town or simply to relax at home

relationship tendencies.  truthfully, romance just isn’t on his mind much these days, but he’s always gravitated toward those that he could spend time with and not necessarily worry all the time. he’s not like basil and wants only to live in the present, but he does need something or someone to ground him in the present, or he thinks himself into a nervous frenzy about the future, particularly nowadays at his age and at his level of dependence on others. he worries occasionally that he’s too much of a burden, and that his efforts to decrease his status as a burden only exacerbate it

MISCELLANEOUS.

character’s theme song. cleopatra hobbies to pass the time.  fishing, listening to music/the radio, playing music occasionally (usually when he’s been left in charge of kids and they’re being little hellions rip), going to see plays and operas (even if he can’t appreciate the sets or costumes anymore, he can still enjoy the stories and acting, he supposes) mental illnesses.  none tbh physical illnesses.  some kind of anemia (think pernicious anemia), which results in fatigue and body aches, compromised immune system left or right brained.  left-brained mostly fears.  death, losing another sense, various small fears related to his blindness and his resulting vulnerability, being helpless/a burden, convalescent homes self-confidence level.  relatively high to moderate while he keeps his independence. when he makes mistakes or otherwise flubs up bc of his blindness, it tends to crash a little vulnerabilities.  his fear of both dying and debility/helplessness, frequent refusal to accept help, obviously he. uh. can’t see, tho his other senses help him out to some degree there, 

[sonicanary]

CHARACTER SHEET.

( doing it canonically, not au’s  )

BASICS.

full name. Dinah Laurel Lance pronunciation.  Just dinah i guess ?  nickname. pretty bird, di, bc, dinah gorgina, birdie, bird lady, siu jerk jai, canary etc height. 5'4" // 1,63cm she tiny ok please let’s remind that she’s aint a fucking tree age. at least thirty I’d say in her main verse ; with ollie she’s 37 zodiac. Aries spoken languages. a dozen easily, but mainly english, mandarin, french, russian, german, spanish

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair color. black but dyes her hair constantly  eye color. blue skin tone. white, doesn’t easily tan, gets sunburns once in a while body type. hourglass, but tone body, but also not body builder at all thanks accent. not really, but she has a bit of a rusty voice  dominant hand. right posture. arms crossed against chest, hip high, confident scars. do you have two days to talk about them ? some bad & old ones around wrists, on tin her stomach from her torturer, one big in her palm because of an arrow, another arrow in her shoulder... & a lot of broken bones.  tattoos. a big no. it’s not her thing considering she hates needles idc about rebirth :) most noticeable feature. i’d say the fishnets, but i think the question was about her body, so i’d say her blonde hair - even if it’s fake lol

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth. Gotham Ciy hometown. Gotham & Star City, also Seattle ?  birth weight. she was tiny bird birth height. same manner of birth. lmao probably normal, her mother got in hospital in time, i mean no c-cut first words. Mommy. ( even though she’s a daddy girl, it’s often mommy, speaking from experience ) siblings. none  parents. both deceased, Lawrence ‘larry’ lance, & Dinah Drake.  parental involvement.  Again, dinah is a daddy’s girl, because her mother being a vigilante, didn’t give her much time. She wasn't completely absent, but she’s been very lonely & missing her mother until she was a teen. She was very afraid of seeing the news with the BC dead... so she got a lot closer of her father. When he passed out, her mother gave up on the suit, & their relationships didn’t go better. It was always fights, because both mother & daughter are very stubborn, & dinah basically was a little shit. Not a delinquent, but she was permanently angry at her mother, never wanting to look like her... 

ADULT LIFE.

occupation. reserved JL member, still on the BoP sometimes when Oracle asks her, owns a flower shop current residence. Gotham close friends. Ollie Queen, Hal Jordan, Barbara Gordon, the rest of the birds & the arrow family.  relationship status. reconciling with ollie  financial status. she’s okayish because oracle gives her a good wage.   driver’s license. ALL THE LICENSES  criminal record. broke a window shop as a teen but ran away, now she’s a perfect civilian lol   vices. sex and food 

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation. bisexual, leaning more easily towards men.  romantic orientation. ollieromantic ;  but also biromantic still with that leaning to guys & nasty cocky people. She really has bad taste.  preferred emotional role. submissive  |  dominant  | switch  |  unsure preferred sexual role. submissive  |  dominant  |  switch  |  sex repulsed libido. im sorry, but little do people know besides Ollie, that she is actually very into sex. she’s actually worse than him... hey women can have fun ok  turn on’s. ollie. nasty cocky people, roleplay, the kitchen, butts, abs & smirks, & food during sex. She just loves to do it in public, aka somewhere they can be caught.  turn off’s. one nightstands leading nowhere. bondage ( past triggers ), she doesn’t have a lot besides that, let’s not get into details. oh & sex without feelings  love language. lot of physical affection because she’s tactile person, lot of kisses, morning sex, massages... & she uses Babes a lot.  relationship tendencies. tbh dinah is the most faithful woman in the whole world. she’s currently very hurt & wary about relationships, so any new partner will have to be careful, & take it slow. she’s not going to get it with someone if she still didn’t move on yet... she would never use someone either, she’s just too pure in love 

MISCELLANEOUS.

character’s theme song. probably a led zeppelin or a nirvana song hobbies to pass the time. spend time at her flower shop, training & practicing, concerts ! & hanging out with her friends & family. she’s also big on movie & Netflix, & telenovelas but has no time to catch up.  physical illness. none left or right brained. idk lol too tired to think fears. that everything is her fault. let down people, being mistrusted. being left by her lover self confidence level. slightly higher than average, because she’s sassy.  vulnerabilities. idealistic. too sentimental. headstrong. also her lover

tagged by: @sayahdirtbag tagging: @oracleonline ; @hiredassault  ; @scngvinary  ; @cxpt  ; @natuskv  ; @willforged  ; @of2814 ;  @americanasitgets  ; @jesspider ; @lxdrlappen &  anyone who didn’t do it !!

[rebclheartsarchive]

「  TASK ONE  」

—— ❝ let’s start off easy. tell me the basics. ❞

[ name ] violeta ines alena delgado

[ date of birth ] april 28th, 1637

[ place of birth ] madrid, spain

[ age ] twenty-seven

[ religion ] catholic

[ marital status ] married to arthur gwilliam

[ occupation / title ] queen of spain

[ gender identity ] cis female

[ allegiance ] spain, but technically the entente.

[ spoken language(s) ] spanish, english, portuguese, latin, polish, dutch, italian, french, russian.

[ special skill(s) ] languages, painting, drawing, dancing, scheming.

—— ❝ what of your family ?? are they still alive ?? ❞

[ father ] antonio juan delgado, former king of spain - DECEASED

[ mother ] catalina ines delgado, queen mother - ALIVE

[ sibling(s) ] adolfo juan delgado (1 year dead, was 38) and fernando antonio delgado (10 years dead, was 27) - DECEASED six yet to be named siblings - ALIVE

[ children ] currently 8 months pregnant with her first child.

—— ❝  now let’s paint a picture of you. ❞

[ height/weight ] 5′5 / 54kg

[ built ] slim

[ hair color ] dark brown

[ eye color ] blue

[ accent ] spanish

[ voice ] silvery smooth

[ style of speech ] calculating and cold

[ scars ] a gash above her right knee from a horse riding accident, a small scar on her upper left arm where she got cut by her sparring partner.

[ abnormalities ] none.

[ clothing ] very regal. she likes new designs and bold dresses, but she mainly dresses in dark colours. basically any dress that screams ‘queen’ is what she would wear.

—— ❝ tell us, what kind of person are you ?? ❞

[ star sign ] taurus

[ alignment ] chaotic evil

[ enneagram type ] i’ll do this later

[ COLOR PERSONALITY ]  olive  #808000

Your dominant hues are red and green, so you're definately not afraid to get in and stir things up. You have no time for most people's concerns, you'd rather analyze with your head than be held back by some random "gut feeling". Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life can be bright or dark, depending on the situation. You are flexible and see things objectively.

[ WHAT PLANT(S) BEST REPRESENT YOU ]

DANDELION - Scrappy and tough, you’re a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kind of person. You don’t give up easily and you often thrive in situations that others would find discouraging. You have an instinct to serve others and see yourself as most useful in times or places of crisis, but you may over rely on your toughness and forget how sensitive you really are.

FENNEL - You’re quiet, sometimes shy, with a tendency to be reserved. You have a humble, kind nature and often find yourself taking care of others. You can be known to hold things in, and you don’t always speak up for yourself. This tendency to hold things in can lead to disturbances. (lmao no)

PEPPERMINT -  Unflappable. You are cool in the crisis, calm in the storm, collected amongst the chaos. You’re a breath of fresh air, a waft of inspiration to the down-and-out, a refreshing, inspiring, uplifting person to be around. Of course, even a cool cucumber like yourself can run into trouble. You may try to take on too much, which can leave you feeling weighed down and not quite yourself.

[ theme/character song ] sorry not sorry - demi lovato

—— ❝ do you have anything more you wish to say ?? ❞

okay so violeta was the daughter of the king and queen of spain, so she was obvs a princess for most of her life.

she was one of like nine kids (two that are dead now) and had older brothers so she honestly never thought as a kid and a girl that she could end up on the throne, but she has always wanted to be queen.

despite having such a big family, she’s not the familial type in the slightest. both her parents were hard people and raised their kids to be such as well. she doesn’t hold love for her siblings and always just saw them as competitors for the throne that violeta always thought she was the only one right for. her father encouraged it tbh bc he wanted a successor that he knew would rule in a similar way that he did.

when she was about sixteen she was held as hostage by another country (idk who yet bc i wanna plot this out) and was held there for a year. when she returned to spain, her sharp nature and lack of emotional depth only became more prominent.

to papa delgado, children were only there to provide a legacy and an heir and vi was always fine with that. she has much the same view now and because she was so similar to her father in many ways, she ended up being his favourite.

she worked closely with her father over the years and was driven by her need for power. papa delgado used to let her sit in on meetings and asked her opinion on matters of state and politics as courses of action to take.

there used to be a lot of talk in spain bc it always seemed like he would pick vi as his successor rather than the first born son, but no one was really sure until his death a little over a year ago. low and behold, in his will he had named violeta queen of spain in his place.

she knew after her coronation that she would have to marry and start providing heirs, so she searched for a man that she knew she could have power over, one that she could use to her advantage and knew would not try to take her power for himself and boom, found herself a prince and married him.

they’ve been married over a year now and she gave birth to their daughter last december

she also has a mistress bc she’s pan af and has no chill.

she is a very unemotional person tbh, very stoic. she has zero time for people’s shit and will straight up just dismiss people that are stupid in her eyes.

she has always been ruled by ambition and her need for power rather than feelings like love. being in positions of power is what makes her happy.

she’s utterly chaotic evil in every way. she does not want peace at all and is the type of character that shows why the war has gone on for so long. she loves that people are ruled by fear in their choices, likes to make other people weaker while she makes her country stronger.

she’s here to get more territory, gold, and just power in general, not to make friends or seek peace. she was gonna wait until after she had the baby to come to bern, but then she heard about the attack and all the dead kings and she was like beautiful, i’m gonna come fuck your shit up.

her country is in a very comfortable position when it comes to gold, armies, and resources and she’s just looking to expand that.

she’s a little tyrant queen just here to fuck everyone’s shit up basically.