Name: Valentina “Val” Cortez
Spiritual Race: one of the Chosen
Age: Seventeen (junior in high school)
Gender: Female (cis-gender, presents androgynously)
Appearance:The Cheat Sheet- mesomorphic (muscular) body type -- height is 5’2” (157.5 cm), weight is 125 lbs (56.7 kg)
- sun-kissed skin that is adorned with a wide variety of scars from childhood mishaps; no tattoos; small nose piercing that is a diamond on the side of the nose and silver eyebrow piercing
- ebony ringlet curls most often kept back in a clean ponytail or bun, though sometimes also worn in braids
- coal-black in color, almond-shaped, set back neither deep nor shallow
- often seen wearing cargo pants or loose-fitting jeans (and cargo shorts on hot days), V-neck or crew neck T-shirts in solid colors, and beat-up skateboarding sneakers (sometimes also seen wearing a baseball cap outside on sunny days)
The Written DescriptionValentina Cortez prefers function over fashion, which one could deduce before even meeting her. Her toned frame is kept up by working in her parents’ bakery on weekdays after school and all day on Saturdays, and her habit of tying her hair up in a ponytail, bun, or braid (an added bonus being the fact that this showed off her expressive coal-black eyes) was born out of necessity working there. Despite her somewhat short stature, she keeps up with her brothers, though she still has scars from years-forgotten fights with them and falls from trees and such. Due to being the youngest, she never really acquired a taste for femininity, so she often wears more masculine clothes, such as cargo pants, loose jeans, and cargo shorts and plain shirts with modest necklines. Val, as such, received and still receives protest from her parents and grandmother. In an act of teenage rebellion, she got both her nose and eyebrow pierced by a trusted friend. Though she is satisfied with the results, she wishes that she hadn’t rushed into the decision so much, because she got in even more trouble for it.
Personality:The Good- determined
- passionate
- sound moral compass
The Bad- often makes rash decisions
- wary of authority figures
- sometimes overly sensitive
- overly emotional
- easily angered (though also quick to forgive and to expect forgiveness)
Background: Ethnically Mexican, Val had a traditional Roman Catholic upbringing from which she rebelled fairly early on, citing the intolerance demonstrated by many of those around her. Nevertheless, her family accepted her decision surprisingly well. She lives with her three older brothers (Francisco “Frankie” Cortez, 22; Pedro Cortez, 20; Ricardo “Ricky” Cortez, 19), who also work at the bakery, her parents (Maria Cortez, 37; Manuel Cortez, 40), and her maternal grandmother (Margarita Cortez, 54). She is very close to her brothers, notably Ricky, because they were her primary caretakers during childhood, despite them only having been a few years older than Val herself. All of her family was born in a border town of Tijuana, Mexico, but they moved out to Texas when Val was six years old. Nevertheless, they have retained their Mexican culture, speaking primarily Spanish at home and partaking in their traditional activities. At some point during middle school, Val noticed some attractions she had to other girls, though it wasn’t until her freshman year of high school that she came out of the closet to more people than just Ricky and some close friends. Frankie and Pedro accepted her with open arms immediately, which was important during the time during which her parents and grandmother had to adjust to the knowledge. By the end of her sophomore year, she found herself feeling more at home with her family, and the air was much less charged between them. Now she finds a comfortable rhythm and predictability in her life, though that will soon be changed.
Abilities: No information.