Grimoire Gaming

2k4: New Class

Kiara Kinley

Kaelen Kiara Kinley

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The Basics

Nicknames:

• Kiara, KiKi, Keeks

Age:
19

Gender:
Female

Sexuality:
Pansexual

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The Nitty Gritty

Personality:
Kiara isn’t your average Unseelie faerie and, although she feeds off of negative emotions in the usual way, she lives for celebration and revelry. Unless they are as troublesome and meddling as her, making friends has never been her strong suit. Finding lovers, however, has never been a difficult task. With a vibrant mane of cherry red waves, pale freckle-free skin, and angular facial features, Kiara is strikingly attractive and, worse yet, she knows it. Commonly Kiara uses her looks to invoke both lust and envy from others, emotions which are among her favorite flavours of sustenance. At a young 19 years, Kiki is but a child in terms of the average faerie lifespan. Although she may appear to be grown, Kiara still has a lot of internal growing up left to do. One could blame it on the inherent tendencies of the Unseelie, or a bad upbringing, but there is no arguing that Kiara is a selfish person. That is not to say that this selfishness is always obvious, much like the sweet food and drink of Faerie, there is a inexplicable temptation to get to know Kiara, to befriend her, only to find yourself unknowingly trapped in her game. Kiara has many friends among the sorority and on campus, and she even genuinely likes a number of them, but were it to come down to a choice between benefitting herself or her friends, Kiara would choose herself every time. Because of this tendency, Kiara gets along best with her own people — the fae. The elves aren’t half bad either, if only a touch pretentious for her tastes.

History:
As is the story of most inhuman students at the University of Washington, Kiara is distinctly not of this world. Kiara was raised to be proud and aloof. This pride is not without merit, as KiKi was born to a particularly powerful set of parents, her father being the grandson of the Unseelie Queen Morrígan herself, and her mother being a Seelie warrior who turned Solitary after falling for Cynbel. Kiara’s father, Cynbel, once led the Unseelie army as Commander… but that was many years ago. When he and his mate, along with a small group of other nobles from the Unseelie Court, were shunted into the human realm, Cynbel and Edana became soldiers once again. Without the full strength of their magic, the fae found themselves on the losing side of the war against the humans and the orks. Cynbel used his royal status and strength in battle in the decades following the war to earn support among the fae so that he could turn to the next best thing to war — politicking. Armed with a job in politics, Cynbel took one step further into seemingly assimilating with human society by starting a family. Unfortunately Edana, Kiara’s mother, died giving birth to her first and only child — which is not an uncommon fate for Unseelie mothers, as giving life goes against the Dark Court’s deadly nature. Cynbel was devastated by the loss of his mate and, because of this, his relationship with his daughter has been distant and cold since her birth. While Cynbel immersed himself in his work, Kiara was primarily raised by a nobel guardian named Hyumae, who used to serve as a handmaiden to the Queen. Hyumae is the closest relationship that Kiara has to a true parent, KiKi even refers to her as ‘mother’ in the native tongue of the fae. While Kiara has not felt the warm, fatherly affection that she desires from Cynbel, she has learned a lot from him. Predators are at the top of the food chain for a reason. Power is held by those with the ambition to reach for it and the strength to fight off any challengers. Ferocity and cunning are among the most valuable traits in a warrier. And most importantly, as an Unseelie Princess in line for the throne, Kiara must live and breath by the Unseelie Code.

Change is good.
Glamour is free.
Honor is a lie.
Passion before duty.

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The Extras

Familiar:
Persephone - Female bat by day, queen of the underworld by night.

Societies:
Art Society, Nature Society, Magic Society

Sports:

• Archery

Organizations:

• Pi Chi

Occupation:
KiKi’s involvement in her sorority, societies, classes, and partying IS a full-time job.

Relationship Status:
Polyamorous, but currently without a primary. She has frequent trysts with another Unseelie faerie in the sorority named Vivienne.

Years in College:
Freshman

Major:
Fine Arts — Painting Concentration

2k4: New Class

Kiara Kinley

Kaelen Kiara Kinley

---

---

The Basics

Nicknames:

• Kiara, KiKi, Keeks

Age:
19

Gender:
Female

Sexuality:
Pansexual

---

---

The Nitty Gritty

Personality:
Kiara isn’t your average Unseelie faerie and, although she feeds off of negative emotions in the usual way, she lives for celebration and revelry. Unless they are as troublesome and meddling as her, making friends has never been her strong suit. Finding lovers, however, has never been a difficult task. With a vibrant mane of cherry red waves, pale freckle-free skin, and angular facial features, Kiara is strikingly attractive and, worse yet, she knows it. Commonly Kiara uses her looks to invoke both lust and envy from others, emotions which are among her favorite flavours of sustenance. At a young 19 years, Kiki is but a child in terms of the average faerie lifespan. Although she may appear to be grown, Kiara still has a lot of internal growing up left to do. One could blame it on the inherent tendencies of the Unseelie, or a bad upbringing, but there is no arguing that Kiara is a selfish person. That is not to say that this selfishness is always obvious, much like the sweet food and drink of Faerie, there is a inexplicable temptation to get to know Kiara, to befriend her, only to find yourself unknowingly trapped in her game. Kiara has many friends among the sorority and on campus, and she even genuinely likes a number of them, but were it to come down to a choice between benefitting herself or her friends, Kiara would choose herself every time. Because of this tendency, Kiara gets along best with her own people — the fae. The elves aren’t half bad either, if only a touch pretentious for her tastes.

History:
As is the story of most inhuman students at the University of Washington, Kiara is distinctly not of this world. Kiara was raised to be proud and aloof. This pride is not without merit, as KiKi was born to a particularly powerful set of parents, her father being the grandson of the Unseelie Queen Morrígan herself, and her mother being a Seelie warrior who turned Solitary after falling for Cynbel. Kiara’s father, Cynbel, once led the Unseelie army as Commander… but that was many years ago. When he and his mate, along with a small group of other nobles from the Unseelie Court, were shunted into the human realm, Cynbel and Edana became soldiers once again. Without the full strength of their magic, the fae found themselves on the losing side of the war against the humans and the orks. Cynbel used his royal status and strength in battle in the decades following the war to earn support among the fae so that he could turn to the next best thing to war — politicking. Armed with a job in politics, Cynbel took one step further into seemingly assimilating with human society by starting a family. Unfortunately Edana, Kiara’s mother, died giving birth to her first and only child — which is not an uncommon fate for Unseelie mothers, as giving life goes against the Dark Court’s deadly nature. Cynbel was devastated by the loss of his mate and, because of this, his relationship with his daughter has been distant and cold since her birth. While Cynbel immersed himself in his work, Kiara was primarily raised by a nobel guardian named Hyumae, who used to serve as a handmaiden to the Queen. Hyumae is the closest relationship that Kiara has to a true parent, KiKi even refers to her as ‘mother’ in the native tongue of the fae. While Kiara has not felt the warm, fatherly affection that she desires from Cynbel, she has learned a lot from him. Predators are at the top of the food chain for a reason. Power is held by those with the ambition to reach for it and the strength to fight off any challengers. Ferocity and cunning are among the most valuable traits in a warrier. And most importantly, as an Unseelie Princess in line for the throne, Kiara must live and breath by the Unseelie Code.

Change is good.
Glamour is free.
Honor is a lie.
Passion before duty.

---

---

The Extras

Familiar:
Persephone - Female bat by day, queen of the underworld by night.

Societies:
Art Society, Nature Society, Magic Society

Sports:

• Archery

Organizations:

• Pi Chi

Occupation:
KiKi’s involvement in her sorority, societies, classes, and partying IS a full-time job.

Relationship Status:
Polyamorous, but currently without a primary. She has frequent trysts with another Unseelie faerie in the sorority named Vivienne.

Years in College:
Freshman

Major:
Fine Arts — Painting Concentration

2k4

Count me in.

What Are You Listening To?

CANCELLED.

---

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_{A @Smarty0114 & @Silent Observer Collab
Featuring: Katie “Please elaborate.” Callaghan, Jamie “Please don’t.” Callaghan, Noah “Please do?” Nichols & Marshall “I’d be happy to!” Radley
Setting: Wednesday morning before school, in Jamie’s car.}

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Jamie pulled up to the familiar looking residence of the Radley’s, and turned to give his sister an expectant look. Katie rolled her eyes, and groaned. “You know, maybe Noah wants to hang out with your boyfriend? Ever thought of that?” Katie complained as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She hated being in the backseat. She was a shotgun kind of gal, not some backseat floozy.

Jamie mimicked his sister, unknowingly, rolling his eyes at her protest. “Katie, it’s a seat, not the end of the world. And he’s not my boyfriend. Yet,” Jamie said as he texted Marshall a simple, ‘im here,’ before training his eyes on the front door, waiting for the object of his affections to come outside. Katie sidled into the backseat, where her and Noah shared a look, one that clearly said, “My brother is crazy and this is gonna be the most uncomfy car ride.” They had a way of doing that.

The youngest Radley (at least on this side of the country) paced back and forth in front of the living room bay window. The breakfast cereal he’d eaten tasted chalky in his mouth and it really only succeeded in making him want to barf, so he was currently trying to walk that off. Too many sugary alcoholic beverages the day before made for a mighty hangover. If he hadn't been so excited to see the boy he was waiting for, he might have just taken the day off of school entirely.

Marshall was clutching a metal thermos of tea with both hands. It wasn’t his favorite porcelain Starbucks mug, since that was still laying in shattered pieces in the school parking lot, beside his car, which was also... still in the school parking lot. Just as he began to stretch out in a yawn, his phone buzzed with a text from Jamie. That put a big smile on his face as he said goodbye to his mother with a quick kiss on the cheek.

Whoa. Marshall didn’t remember that he’d gotten a ride home in that very same car last night, so he was yet again impressed with the sleek vehicle in his driveway. It made so much more of a statement than he would expect of Jamie. It was a little bit bougie. He liked it, it made him want to learn more unknown and unexpected things about Jamie Callaghan. Marsh saw Katie move out of the front seat and into the back, which he took as a sign that he was supposed to take her place. That was a good sign, most likely.

“Thank you sooo much for picking me up.” Marshall said as soon as he slid into the front seat. “Apparently abandoning my car at school to leave with Trixie was the first of many bad decisions that I made yesterday.” He rambled with a sigh, but his eyes widened when he realized exactly what he’d just said. And to whom. “Not that everything that happened yesterday was a bad decision! That came out wrong. Forgive me, I’m hungover and my words can’t be trusted, apparently.” Marsh laughed lightly. “Good morning.”

Jamie chuckled, and grinned at Marshall, before throwing his car in reverse and pulling out of the parking lot. “Good morning to you too,” Jamie said, glancing over at Marshall for a moment before looking back at the road. In the back seat, Katie mimed a very violent case of projectile vomiting, much to Noah’s amusement.

For a moment, as Jamie’s car sped towards the school, the many inhabitants were silent. Jamie had a lot to say, and none of it he wanted to say in front of his sister. Noah, was silent by nature. Katie though, was just waiting. Finally, after a period of quiet that some may deem awkward, Katie spoke up, leaning forward so that her head poked in between Marshall and Jamie. “So, Marshall. I’m guessing you gave my brother that hickey?” Katie asked, throwing all niceties out the window in favor of tormenting her brother a bit.

Jamie’s face immediately went red, as his head spun to glare at Katie. If looks could kill, Katie would be the type of gruesome homicide victim that they talk about on Dateline. Katie, to her credit, didn’t back down. “I just want to say, that’s some good work. My mother disagrees, but I think there’s something to be said for a good hickey,” Katie said, as Noah shook his head in the backseat, doing his best to contain his own laughter. Jamie should’ve just let her take the front seat.

A hickey? Marshall pondered that. He certainly hoped he was the one that gave Jamie a hickey, if he had one, but he couldn’t remember — oh wait, no, he did remember. Marsh leaned forward to try to admire his own work, but Jamie must have covered it up. Jamie was also tomato red at the moment, which was adorable. Marsh smirked a half smile at Jamie and then directed it at his fellow thespian in the back seat. If she wanted to try to embarass her brother, Marshall could turn that back on her. “I did. And it’s your fault, too.”

Katie smirked. Marshall played along. She liked it. “My fault? Please elaborate,” she said, placing her head in her hands, and grinning over at her brother’s love interest, a picture of innocence to anyone who hadn’t heard her speak. Noah was busy keeping his laughter in, while Jamie was just trying to get to school as fast as he could.

Marshall’s eyes went back to Jamie briefly, then to Noah, and finally to Katie again. “Well, I’d be happy to, but I don’t want to make Noah too uncomfortable with the details. He seems too nice for that. Buuttt, you interrupted our good time with a phone call. Tsk-tsk. You know that I like to be the star of the show, I had to get the spotlight back somehow.” Marsh smirked again and then looked at his crush. “I’m sorry your mother noticed.” He said genuinely, though even the previous teasing he was doing was genuine, even if it didn’t sound it at face value.

Katie rolled her eyes and fell back into her seat as Jamie pulled into his usual parking spot in the school’s lot. She and Noah grabbed their things, and got out, waving to the older boys in the front. “Thanks Jay!” Katie shouted, to which Jamie responded with a middle finger, before turning to Marshall, and letting out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle.

“Sorry about her. Katie likes to try and push people’s buttons, if you haven’t noticed. And my mom didn’t really care that much. I mean, it’s not like she thinks I’m a virgin or anything,” Jamie said with a nervous chuckle. They were alone again, but this time without the presence of any drugs or alcohol. In other words, Jamie was panicking. “So, last night. I had a lot of fun,” Jamie said, smiling nervously over at Marshall, absentmindedly chewing his lip as he awaited a response.

“You don’t need to apologize, I know how Katie is, I spend a lot of time with her.” Marshall reassured him, because for the most part, the drama crew of BHHS was a pretty tight group of people. “That, and she’s your younger sister. Younger siblings are meant to be a terror, I should know, given that I am one.” He grinned at that, recalling what a menace he’d been to his older sisters in the past — and with him being her youngest, his mother usually let him get away with it too.

Marshall’s stomach filled with butterflies at the mention of Jamie’s lack of virginity being so quickly paired with a chuckle and then a mention of last night being fun. “Yeah, I did too. Clearly…” The corner of his mouth quirked up as he once again tried to spot the mark he’d left on Jamie. “We should probably talk about that. Now that I’m… not high. I promise I don’t normally get high, that was… I don’t know what that was, really.”

Jamie smirked, and, imbued with newfound confidence after Marshall’s words, grabbed one of Marshall’s hands, squeezing it tight. “So, I was thinking we could go out Friday night. On a proper date? I mean everyone from school will probably be at Captain Cuddles for the movie, but I figure we could go out to dinner somewhere,” Jamie said, looking up at Marshall, a hopeful expression on his face. His sudden burst of courage had failed him, and now his stomach was doing flips as he awaited Marshall’s response.

That was unexpected. Marshall was in the mindset that they were just going to talk about the night, but here he was getting asked on a date. A proper date, as Jamie put it, which was possibly the cutest phrase Marshall had heard anyone utter in his entire life. He even indicated that it wasn’t going to be some silly high school party-esque date, it would just be the two of them going out somewhere special. Marshall beamed a smile at him. “Of course, I would absolutely love that,” Marsh squeezed Jamie’s hand back, reassuring him that he was, in fact, very interested. Unwanted, his sister’s words from earlier played back in his mind, causing that pearly white grin to falter. “Under one condition, though.” He said in a much more serious tone.

Jamie grinned, his heart soaring as his eyes locked with Marshall’s. “Anything,” Jamie said. Lots of people throw that phrase around, “anything,” but right then, Jamie meant it in the most genuine way he could. He was lost in Marshall Radley, completely and utterly lost. He knew, as the words left his mouth, he’d lasso the moon for that boy, if that was what he asked.. “You name it, and it’s done.”

Marshall blinked wide eyes at him. For whatever reason, Jamie's response caught him off guard. It was so wholesome and affectionate. It made Marsh feel bad about what he had to say next, but at the same time, it had to be said. “No more kissing other boys in front of me. Especially not your ex.” His eyes got a little glassy as he recalled the scene that had sent him spiraling yesterday morning. Even with all the positive progress they'd made, that moment still stung, it was still burned in his mind.

Jamie leaned in close to Marshall, and in a deftly timed repeat of his actions last night, placed a hand on either side of his face. “You are the only person I want to kiss,” he said softly, before leaning in to lock lips with his dark haired drama star, another kiss on a list that would hopefully be very, very long.

The Coalition {FULL}

Austin

▲ Doctor Faze

Dr. Austin Elliot Daley

╟ 27 || Irish American || Male ╢

⋙: Ｒ Ｅ Ｐ Ｕ Ｔ Ａ Ｔ Ｉ Ｏ Ｎ

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Before the awakening of his Enhanced abilities, Austin was the type of guy that you would pass by in the streets without even noticing. His physical appearance was average at best, and he lacked any semblance of social skills or natural charisma. The only saving grace that he had was his keen intellect.

Growing up in a poverty-stricken area of Detroit, young Austin fought the status quo by diving into books and studies rather than gaining ‘street smarts’ like his troubled peers. After scoring a few points shy of a perfect score on the SAT - the wording on that question was ambiguous - Austin had his ticket out of the slums. With a score that high, he could have went anywhere, even the Ivy League’s made him offers.

Despite what most would consider the alluring temptation to leave Detroit behind and never look back, Austin stayed local. He accepted a full ride scholarship at the University of Michigan, where he has spent the better part of the past 9 years earning a bachelor’s, a master’s, and finally a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering.

Austin was 22 years old when his powers overcame him for the first time. As it turns out, even super geniuses get stressed out about their graduate-level research failures, and stress is the number one trigger for Enhanced emergence. After taking almost a year off and traveling to remote areas of the world to practice and study his newfound abilities, Austin returned to continue his education.

Eventually, Austin confided in his best friend, Serenity Lavi, and he was surprised to learn that she too was… unique. They found others like them in time, including Ren’s now-fiance, Nathaniel. Together, under Nate’s leadership, the Coalition was born.

On the surface, Austin doesn’t seem like the ideal candidate for a super hero. He isn’t overly confident, nor strong, nor dashingly handsome. The public, however, has found a certain level of charm and relatability in his awkwardness and dorky ‘boy-next-door’ looks. Inner-city kids look up to him as a role model of how you can overcome bullying and the struggles of poverty by focusing, working hard, and staying true to yourself. Doc is mostly known as the brain of the group, his doctoral research on laser technology was deemed useful for the Coalition and, as such, was funded by the government these past few years.

Between his studies, fighting crime, saving the city, and endlessly researching and tinkering with new tech in the Watchtower’s state of the art lab, most people assume that the man never sleeps. That much is true, he doesn’t really, there is far too much to be learned and done, especially now.

⋙: Ｐ Ｏ Ｗ Ｅ Ｒ Ｓ ^{＆ Ｆ Ｉ Ｇ Ｈ Ｔ Ｉ Ｎ Ｇ Ｓ Ｔ Ｙ Ｌ Ｅ}

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A B I L I T I E S
M A T T E R S T A T E M A N I P U L A T I O N

Doctor Faze has mastered control over phase changes. He is able to use his powers to change any substance, including himself, into any other state of matter. The four states of matter under his domain are solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Shifting between these states, fazing as Austin has dorkily coined it, often involves an intense burst or loss of heat in the surrounding area, depending on the direction of change. Fusion, vaporization, sublimation, and ionization all use heat. Freezing, condensing, deposition, and deionization all produce heat. The magnitude of the environmental temperature change directly correlates to the amount of matter undergoing the phase change.

• Air Solidification: The ability to manipulate pressure in the air enough to solidify it. The level of air solidity can be anywhere from loose jelly to metallic hardness, depending on how much energy is put into it. This application of Doc’s abilities serves as a good source of shielding and barrier against attacks for the Coalition.
• Constructs Creation: The ability to form solid weapons, tools, and many other objects from surrounding liquid or gas. These constructs are lifeless, but able to function as well as a naturally made version of the construct would. Sometimes technology fails you, it’s advantageous to be able to improvise mid-fight.
• Intangibility: The ability to pass through solid objects. Doc can temporarily shift a solid barrier to liquid or gaseous state in order to move his solid form through it. This is especially useful for getting into locked/secure locations, or as a quick escape from a dangerous situation.
• Non-corporeal Form: The ability to transform into a bodiless being. In his gaseous state, Doctor Faze is nearly untouchable, and invulnerable to most physical attacks. Energy based assaults, especially spark or flame, is incredibly effective against this form. It turns out that a concentrated cloud of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen gas is highly combustible, who knew?
• Partial Invisibility: The ability to render oneself almost unseen. In gaseous form, Doc is practically invisible to the naked eye. If a person is supernaturally perceptive, very familiar with his powers, or in a harshly lit environment, Austin may appear as a slight blurry patch in the air, but nothing more. In most situations, this ability functions as well as genuine invisibility.
• Flight: The ability to fly, that’s pretty self explanatory. When in gaseous form, Doctor Faze can essential fly. Gaseous human is less dense than liquid or solid human, and most gases float freely. Doc often mimics teleportation by subliming, flying in his mostly invisible gaseous state, and then depositing in a new location. Gaseous flight is much faster than traveling in solid form.
• Plasma State: The ability to shift one’s body into plasma - fully ionized gas of low density. As positive ions and electrons move in this state, electrical currents and magnetic fields are generated. Doc’s plasma state was the hardest to unleash and control, and it is the most offensive ability in his power kit. Depending on the material he passes through in plasma state, electrical damage can be dealt, fires can be started, and metal can bend. Any ability that can be done in gaseous form can also be done in plasma form.

C O M B A T
In addition to his Enhanced abilities, Doctor Faze also incorporates his hand-crafted technology into combat. Secured to each of his wrists are two high power lasers of his own design - the pride and joy of his graduate research. The extremely concentrated beam of light that they produce is so hot that it sears through flesh and bone, and can melt most metals. While these lasers and his plasma state are potentially lethal offenses, Doc hardly ever uses them. Austin is not a naturally combative person and, conveniently enough, his primarily defensive abilities reflect that. Because of his docile and altruistic nature, Doc functions mainly as a party support. Solidified air shields protect both himself and allies from projectile attacks. Construct creation is a handy skill when the squad finds themselves in a sticky situation. Gaseous form packs with it a whole torrent of non-lethal utility in combat.

For a man whose dorkiness knows no bounds, Doctor Faze often calls out his phase changes mid-battle, as if he is an anime protagonist using his ultimate move. Who said fighting crime had to be boring? When your life suddenly becomes a real world comic book, you might as well own it! As for morality, Doctor Faze fully believes that it is not necessary to kill, or even physically harm the bad guys sometimes, you just need to stop them. If violence can be avoided, he'd much prefer that route. That being said, if one of his allies’ lives were put in danger, he would not hesitate to activate his lasers and snuff out the threat… at least, he likes to think he would be heroic enough to do that.

⋙: Ａ Ｐ Ｐ Ｅ Ａ Ｒ Ａ Ｎ Ｃ Ｅ ^{＆ Ｐ Ｅ Ｒ Ｓ Ｏ Ｎ Ａ Ｌ Ｉ Ｔ Ｙ}

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L O O K S & S T Y L E
The Super Suit - minus the face that is obviously not Austin’s, and instead of the star shape on the chest, there is an atomic symbol with a ‘C’ in the center of the nucleus.

In his everyday life - the one that doesn’t involve super suits - Austin looks appropriately dweeby for a scientist that gets little to no rest at all. Somewhat unkempt, his jawline is perpetually shadowed with stubble, and his chin-length hair only sees a proper barber’s chair once every few years. Unkempt is not to say unclean, as Austin showers daily, he isn’t that kind of nerd, at least he hasn’t been since middle school. Strikingly handsome blue eyes are made less-so by the commonly sported dark circles beneath them, at least his teeth are straight and white! His clothing style borders the line between ‘geeky professional’ and ‘my-mom-still-dresses-me’, which really aren’t all that different, to be honest. That is to say, Austin is normally spotted wearing a button-down or polo shirt and khaki pants, or nerdy screen tees and jeans if he is feeling particularly lazy. When working in the lab, a classic white lab coat tops these garments most of the time.

P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S

• Erudite ~ an incredibly well-educated and intellectual individual who seeks to never stop learning or improving.
• Apprehensive ~ overly anxious and cautious in social situations for fear of how he may be perceived.
• Empathetic ~ while not the best at showing it, extremely understanding and compassionate toward friends and the feelings of others.
• Non-confrontational ~ would much rather deal with a situation calmly and diplomatically, aggression and hostility make him skittish.
• Reliable ~ a trustworthy, loyal, and supportive friend and ally.
• Pretentious ~ this really only applies when it comes to academics, in all other situations he is quite humble.
• Altruistic ~ genuinely selfless in a way that is nearly extinct these days. The majority of his salary is sent to support his family rather than be spent on himself, they need it more.
• Socially Awkward/Inept ~ the severity of this depends on who you ask, simply put, he doesn’t always pick up on social cues that seem obvious to others.
• Unremitting ~ when his mind is set on something, he cannot relax until he feels that his goal has been met, which rarely happens.

⋙: Ｆ Ａ Ｍ Ｉ Ｌ Ｙ ^{＆ Ｒ Ｅ Ｌ Ａ Ｔ Ｉ Ｏ Ｎ Ｓ Ｈ Ｉ Ｐ Ｓ}

---

L O V E D O N E S

F A M I L Y
Matthew Daley: Father. Age 54 (would be). In his lifetime, a known alcoholic and not-so-known spousal abuser. Passed away in a workplace accident at age 36.
Amelia Marshall: Mother. Age 50. A hardworking waitress and mother of three who was dealt a far more terrible hand in life than anyone deserves. The widow remarried at age 35 after falling pregnant with her youngest.
Richard Marshall: Step-father. Age 53. A chef and manager at the restaurant that Amelia worked at for over a decade. He treats Amelia well and has a good relationship with all of her children.
Jeremy Daley: Brother. Age 30. A recovering drug addict and living proof of how growing up in poverty can negatively impact you forever. His relationship with Austin has always been strained, but may improve now that he is turning his life around with a baby on the way.
Callie Marshall: Half-sister. Age 15. A rebellious young artist with a taste for loud music and bad boyfriends. She means the world to Austin and he prays that her ‘free spirit’ doesn’t result in her having a bun in the oven before graduation.

F R I E N D S
Serenity Lavi: Best Friend. Age 26. Ren and Austin met he was only seven years old. She looked so frightened and confused by the world around her that he couldn’t help but try to make her feel better. As classmates and residents of the same neighborhood, they grew up together and grew even closer as the years went on.
Benjamin ‘Benny’ McGregor: Close Friend. Age 28. Austin met Benny in undergrad. They shared similar hobbies, namely favorite video games and a major in engineering. Even though life has taken them in different directions, they try to keep in contact by playing online games at least once a month.

Y O U R L I F E S O F A R

• 1990 - Born.
• 1995 - Started Kindergarten and fell in love with learning.
• 1997 - Serenity moved into town and Austin found his first and only best friend.
• 1998 - Checked out first his comic book from the public library.
• 1999 - Dad died from a fall on a construction job, drunkenness was suspected.
• 2002 - Mom married Richard and Callie was born shortly after.
• 2004 - Older brother dropped out of school and ran away for a while.
• 2006 - Graduated high school a year early and started undergrad at University of Michigan.
• 2009 - Lost virginity in a very regrettable, drunken situation.
• 2010 - Earned bachelor’s degree in engineering, graduated summa cum laude.
• 2012 - Went into gaseous form for the first time out of stress, took almost a year off to cope.
• 2013 - Earned master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and the Coalition also formed.
• 2017 - Earned doctoral degree in mechanical engineering

⋙:Ａ Ｎ Ｙ Ｔ Ｈ Ｉ Ｎ Ｇ Ｅ Ｌ Ｓ Ｅ

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A superhero I like? Well, like any good emo kid, I really like Batman’s edginess. :P
FC: Jonathan Jackson

CANCELLED.

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_{A @Silent Observer & @Smarty0114 Collab
Featuring: Marshall “I think I might have a boyfriend” Radley & Martelle “Only put out if it’s a yes” Radley
Setting: Wednesday morning before school at the Radley residence}

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There wasn’t much that Marshall could remember about how he got home last night, which would explain why he was currently sleeping on top of his comforter, still wearing the same clothes that he had worn to the party. Day drinking from before noon onward into the night, and then polishing it off with casual drug use might have been the recipe for a good time, but it lead to a bad morning. A very bad morning. Marshall flinched when his phone started chiming his alarm at the usual time to wake up for school — when it wasn’t a late start day.

With a groan, Marsh reached out to the pillow at his right and slapped around to silence the evil device. He then rolled onto his back with his phone in hand, and groaned again. It felt like there was a whole pile of sandbags placed directly on his head, mercilessly pinning him down against the mattress. “I’m dying… dying…” Marsh said quietly to himself, his throat was desert dry but he didn’t feel like he had the strength to get up for a glass of water, so this was probably the end for Marshall Radley. Rest in peace.

Marshall was usually a rather chipper morning person, but today was an exception. He vaguely remembered that it was a late start day at school, so he didn’t feel too guilty when he rolled over and proceeded to check his phone in bed. With a yawn, he opened Snapchat, which had a surprisingly high number of notifications. The majority of them were from Kit, so he opened them first. The first snap was a normal looking selfie of Kit, and then they progressively travelled through a journey of her getting her hair cut to chin length by her mother, at least Marshall assumed it was her mother, and then she proceeded to dye it purple with a dark blue streak. A few of the videos had music, and Kit loudly singing along to said music, which made Marshall wince. Ugh, loud noises were too much, but he still replied to his friend in his usual cheerful manner.

To: KitKat
OMG!
It looks so great, sweetie!
I love it!!! 😍😍😍
Purple is my fave
also...
I’m never accepting candy from you again
I think I may not be able to leave my bed, like, ever

After sending the response, Marshall collapsed his throbbing head back against the pillow and sighed. In a moment of weakness, he wiggled his still-clothed body underneath the blankets and let his eyelids flutter closed. Just… five more minutes. That’s all he needed, five more minutes, and he’d feel as right as rain.

Unlike her brother, Marty had been up for ages. She was a morning person at heart, and during the week she liked to wake up a little early to go for a run, and make herself a decent breakfast. On this particular morning, she was coming back from her run around the neighborhood to find a package at the door, wrapped up in colorful paper, with the phrase, “Happy Birthday” littered across. Slowing her pace to a walk as she came up the driveway, Marty bent over and picked up the package, intrigued. Must be for Marsh…

Marty took the package inside, bounded up the stairs and threw Marshall’s door open. “Marshy! Someone lef—Oh. You look like shit,” Marty said, looking over at her brother as if he was in a hospital bed hooked up to a million monitors, and not just a hungover boy in uncomfortable clothes. “I take it the party went well?” she inquired, her way of asking for every detail, without seeming like she cared. Nonchalance was an art form that Marty had mastered years ago.

He had startled awake again when the door to his bedroom swung open and his sister bounded in. Without speaking, he had snuggled further into his blankets as if to say that nothing could get him to get out of this bed. Nothing in the world. At her statement, he offered a weak response. “Thanks, sis. I feel like I look like shit, too.” Marsh peeped one eye open to squint at her. Did the party go well? He hadn’t really thought much about the party. He… he couldn’t remember much about it, to be honest. Slowly, flashes of the night came into view. Dancing with Trixie… ending up in the ocean… Jamie kissing him…

“OH MY GOD!” Marshall sat straight up out of bed, causing his head to pound and swim with dizziness. Despite the uncomfortable hangover symptoms, Marsh wore a stupid grin as he hugged a light gray throw pillow close to his chest. He looked at Marty, both eyes fully open now. “I think I might have a boyfriend now, Marty!”

Marty let out a hearty laugh at that one. Wow, he really didn’t remember much. “I know, I think everyone at school has seen you two eating each other’s faces already,” Marty said, pulling her phone out and opening up Snapchat, to find a video on one of her friends stories of Marshall and Jamie going at it by the stairs, captioned, “Finally 🙄”. She brought the phone over to Marshall, and let him watch, smirking.

“WHAT?!” Marshall exclaimed with wide, but still sleepy, eyes. “Show me!” He said and held out his hand expectantly for the phone. Marshall let the video loop three times, his smile growing increasingly wide each time. So it really happened then, he could see the physical evidence right there in front of him. It wasn’t just a dream. “Who took this? I wanna save it.” Marsh retrieved his own phone and tried to find if he had that person in his own Snapchat friends list.

“Jamie’s an upgrade from good ol’ Toby, I’ll give you that one. He was a weirdo,” Marty said, recalling Marshall’s last boyfriend. “He figured the AJ stuff out right? Cause last I heard, they were the ones making out in front of the entire school,” Marty said. She didn’t mean to burst her brother’s bubble, honestly. She just didn’t want him getting hurt, and sometimes that meant making him look through a different colored lens.

His smile fell away immediately. One minute he was grinning stupidly at a phone screen, not even registering what his sister was saying, and the next he was feeling a familiar pain in his chest. Sadness. Anger. He felt both as he recalled the AJ situation that had lead to his lapse in judgement and day drinking yesterday. “Uhm… I don’t know. I hope so… I don’t know.” He stammered, looking suddenly and particularly melancholic.

Oof. This was not the lens she’d wanted. Marty winced at her brother’s sudden change in emotion, before launching into reassuring sister mode. “Look, clearly you’re the one, based on that kiss. I mean, I don’t even make out with Evan like that!” Marty said, doing her best to patch the hole she’d just blasted in her brother’s confidence. “Hey look, someone left this for you,” Marty said, handing him the present she’d found on the doorstep, a flimsy effort to change the topic.

Marshall nodded at her words, hugging the pillow tighter to his chest. Yeah, she was right. That kiss was more than just a kiss. It meant something. And they’d talked too, they had nice talks. He remembered that now. There’d be plenty of time to clear things up later today, about AJ and the kiss and what their… status was. No need to panic yet, probably. “Hmm?” Marshall was pulled from his thoughts as his attention was directed to the package. “A birthday gift, already?” He asked in confusion, which was quickly replaced with excitement. Marsh adored receiving presents.

“Who’s it from?” He asked, but before waiting for a response, he started to open it. The wrapping was nice, it almost seemed like it was professionally done. Maybe it was. Once all of the wrapping paper was torn away, he popped open the tape sealing the box shut. Nestled inside was a leatherbound photo album. Curiously, he took it out and opened to the first page.

Marshall Radley’s heart fell through the floorboards in that moment.

It was from Owen. Because his sister was right there, Marshall tried his hardest not to burst into tears. Through the pages, he traveled through the photographic journey that was his and Owen’s nearly five year long friendship thus far. Marshall stayed eerily silent as he flipped through the laminated pages, until he reached one that didn’t have any pictures, and the following ones were blank. There was a simple note stuck to the page that said “For the next 5 years” along with a pair of tickets taped beside it. The tickets were for an upcoming performance of Phantom of the Opera in San Francisco.

Marsh stood up quickly, dropping the album down on the bed as if it had just burned him. “I’m… I’ve gotta shower. I’ll come downstairs in a bit.” He said quickly, his voice cracking with emotion, before he headed into the bathroom connected to his bedroom.

Marty, somewhat confused, picked up the photo album and flipped through the pages, a look of realization dawning on her face. Now Marsh’s reaction made a bit more sense. Marty didn’t love how Marsh had handled the whole Owen thing, but after Damian’s party she hadn’t been thrilled with Owen either. Fucking with her brother was a capital crime in her world. That said, this was a damn good apology. She shut the book and put it back on Marsh’s bed, before heading out, back to her own room, knowing full well that this wasn’t something she could fix. Marshall would have to do that himself.

A great thing about showers is, the water hides your tears. Marshall was upset. He didn’t cry for a long time, but he did cry. When he really thought long and hard about it, he found what hurt the most about the whole situation. He felt guilty. He needed to fix things with Owen. He had started to realize his guilt yesterday morning when Owen gave him the box of tea, and now he was full blown swimming in a full ocean of guilt. He would make things right with Owen, today, at school.

Marshall stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed and confident in his plan for the day. He wasn’t going to wallow in this, he’d push through the hangover and the guilt and focus on the good things. Because now there were some very good things to focus on, some blue-eyed, blond-haired good things. Smiling once again, he got dressed for the day — choosing a dark purple cashmere sweater paired with a white, purple, and light gray plaid scarf and some dark wash jeans. He packed the photo album into a bag to bring to school with him and then headed downstairs to see his sister again. “How was your night?” He asked, as if the previous scene in his bedroom didn’t just occur.

Marty looked up from her laptop, where she was working away at her zine, a bowl of Lucky Charms next to her, and shrugged. “Hardly as eventful as yours. Me and Evan watched a movie at his house. Same old, same old,” Marty said, glad to see her brother seemed a bit happier than he had earlier. “Hey, where’s your car? It’s not in the driveway,” Marty asked, her eyes back on her computer.

Marsh smiled as his sister described the ‘same old, same old’ night she had. It sounded like a lovely night to him. When she inquired about the car, he looked out the front bay window for confirmation. “What?” Marsh asked rhetorically and then looked back at Marty. “Oh, yeah, I guess I kinda left it at school when I… played hooky with Trixie. Shh, don’t don’t tell mom.” He whispered and put his finger to his lips with a smirk. “Well… dang, this sucks.”

The elder Radley smiled, and shook her head. “You could always ask Jaaaaaaamie for a ride,” Marty teased. “I’d say you could ride with me and Evan, but I wouldn’t subject you to that,” Marty said, smirking as she clicked and dragged. “Plus, asking for a ride is like peak flirting. It’s how you test their loyalty y’know? Will he pick you up in your moment of need? Only put out if it’s a yes,” Marty said, laughing at her own words of wisdom.

Marshall laughed as well and rolled his eyes dramatically. “Such sagely advice, sister dearest.” Despite the apparent sarcasm in his words, he considered the advice. It wasn’t bad, it was actually really good. Marshall retrieved his phone from his pocket and hammered out a quick text to Jamie to ask for a ride. He poured a bowl of cereal for himself and sat down across from Marty. Just as he spooned a mouthful of cereal, his phone buzzed with a response. Marshall quickly snatched it up and the corners of his mouth turned up. He pulled the spoon out of his mouth and held it up triumphantly and swallowed before speaking. “Well, it’s a yes.”

CANCELLED.

@Doc Doctor

The Join Status of this RP is full, we are no longer reviewing or accepting character sheets from new writers. Ezzy is not accepted, I'm sorry you took the time to write a sheet only to get it denied, but it is usually RP etiquette to message a GM before submitting a CS to join a full RP. Upon reviewing this sheet, I'm also leaning towards the belief that this sheet wasn't even submitted seriously, and if that is the case and this was simply a troll post/meme, I hope you have better luck roleplaying elsewhere.

~GM Silent

CANCELLED.

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_{A @Silent Observer & @Smarty0114 Collab
Featuring: Marshall “I’m Wet” Radley & Jamie “That You Are” Callaghan
Setting: Flashback to the end of the Tuesday night party}

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“Okay.” Marshall’s response lingered between the boys. He was still hung up on the magic of the moment. Kissing Jamie was everything he had wanted and more. His face was flushed pink with heated desire and his fingers were still tangled in the other boy’s sandy-colored locks. Despite the blush in his cheeks, Marshall was still soaking wet, and when the seabreeze picked up in a gust, it ran through him and caused him to shiver. “I’m wet… and f-freezing.” Marsh remarked somewhat poutily and slowly took his fingers out Jamie’s hair and wrapped his arms around himself. He regretted the lack of touch as soon as he did so, but he needed to dry off and get warm soon, or he might die.

Jamie chuckled, grinning over at his...boyfriend? That was a conversation for later. “That you are,” Jamie said, grabbing one of Marshall’s hands and pulling him toward the stairs. “There’s some giant dryers up here, for people and their clothes. How’d you get so wet anyway?” Jamie asked, his hand intertwined with Marshall’s now.

“Oh yeah, Kit told me about them.” Marsh responded when Jamie mentioned the dryers. He was then distracted by Jamie taking his hand to guide him forward up the stairs. His romantic heart was sent aflutter when their fingers intertwined and he once again found his body overcome by the drug-induced electric tingles that skin-to-skin contact caused. He looked down at their clasped hands and bit at his bottom lip, content, but suddenly finding that he wanted more than that. Jamie pulled him from his momentary lustful lapse in thought with another question. “Oh… I, uhm, kind of got tackled overboard. Into the ocean.”

Jamie cocked his head to the side, one eyebrow raising in a show of confusion. “How does that even happen?” the blond asked, thoroughly unaware that his own sister had been in a similar situation that night as well. As he stood there, awaiting some sort of explanation, he looked Marshall up and down. He was soaked, head to toe, yet somehow, it felt to Jamie like he was looking at the most perfect boy in the world. Maybe it was the champagne, or the recent flood of dopamine to his brain. Whatever it was, Jamie was smitten. That was clear from one look at the boy’s face. He was supposed to be listening to a story. Instead, he was ‘miring.

“I dunno, by being tall, I guess?” The candy boy tried to explain the situation that led to him being in this state of wetness. “Honestly… I might be a lot a bit high right now, because I ate something that looked like candy but it definitely wasn’t, and when I saw the ocean it looked soooo pretty. So I was looking over the railing, and then Kit came outta nowhere, and she’s short and I’m tall so like, I totally just went over the edge when she ran into me. We both did. It was awful because there could have been jellyfish and I’m really terrif—” Marshall was rambling a little, but that halted when he noticed Jamie’s gaze. Was he just… blatantly checking him out? It was a no shame, head to toe once over. Marshall stood up a little straighter and smirked with confidence.

“You aren’t even listening!” He teased and crossed his free arm over his chest to block the view somewhat. “If you like what you see, we can continue this after I get dry.” Marshall said suggestively and then turned to head up the stairs, taking slow, careful steps meant to entice the boy trailing behind him. Marsh might be high, but he still knew what he was doing. Now that he’d finally caught Jamie’s eye, he’d do his best to make sure that he would never look away again.

Jamie laughed, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “You got me,” he said, grinning as he turned to follow Marshall. He remembered this feeling, the elation that followed an exciting new romance. The hunger, the desire to know everything about them. It was difficult, even for Jamie, a relatively mild-mannered guy, to stand there and watch Marshall just be himself. He wanted to push him up against a wall and make out with him, but he also wanted to hear about his hopes and dreams and… Jamie was head over heels. He felt like he did with AJ. God that was so long ago. Taking a deep breath, pushing this sudden realization away for the time being, he followed Marshall up the stairs, definitely trying not to check out his ass, and definitely failing. What? It’s a good ass.

Marshall knew better. You know how you can tell when someone is looking at you? They can practically burn holes into you with their gaze. Yeah, well, his ass was hot, so he could tell that his bait had been taken, and that knowledge pleased him greatly. Had he been sober, he would probably have tried to look over his shoulder and feign being coy, but instead he was focusing on not doing something foolish, like tripping up the steps. Once he reached the top, he looked around and found what he assumed could only be the fabled “people dryers”.

Marsh had never used a people dryer before, but there didn’t appear to be any special controls or anything, so he just looked over to Jamie, shrugged, and then stepped right on in. As soon as he did, the dryers kicked on and warm air rushed all around him. It felt heavenly. For a moment, Marshall just stood there and enjoyed the warmth with his eyes closed and a pleased, sleepy smile painted on his face. He then held out his arms and turned around in slow circles — he wasn't sure if that helped at all, but he did it anyway — hoping to speed the clothes drying process. All in all, it didn’t take that long before Marshall stepped back outside, with his clothes drier and his hair considerably more fluffy than it had been previously. Jamie was waiting for him, and now it was his turn to ogle his crush, and Marsh did so with just as little shame. “So, where were we? Shall we pick back up on that… maybe somewhere quieter this time?”

Jamie looked up from his phone at Marshall, who was back to looking like his usual, impossibly sexy self. Standing up and nodding excitedly, he grinned. “I would love that,” he said, having lost his infatuation with the party long ago. He wanted to be away from all these people, to have time to just… be. He’d been playing the game all day. He was ready to give it a rest, and if that meant a bit more making out, well, then that was okay too.

The chestnut-haired boy beamed at that response. That was easier than he expected and, more importantly, Jamie said that he would love it. There were so many possibilities that could happen behind closed doors, and Marsh wanted all of them. Well, maybe not all of them, not yet at least. He’d want to be sober and totally himself if they were to go all the way, but there were plenty of other options before crossing that bridge. “Excellent!” Marshall replied and took Jamie’s hand back in his own once again. He pulled them over the the nearest unoccupied room, seeing many occupied sets of names along the way, some of them were very interesting combinations, too! After signing his name on the tablet in his signature curly loops, Marshall backed in through the doorway and tugged eagerly at Jamie’s hand with a sly smile on his face.

Jamie smirked and followed Marshall in through the doorway, pulling the shorter boy in for another, much needed kiss as the door shut behind them. As their lips pressed together, the duo fell back onto the bed, causing a laugh to burst from Jamie’s mouth as he lay on top of Marshall. Despite his amusement, Jamie kept his face close to Marshall’s, his lips still locked with those of the boy beneath him, a deep, passionate kiss that sent the blond reeling. Was it even possible to have a kiss this great? Apparently it was.

Amazing, it was as if Jamie had read his mind. Marsh had stepped backwards as the fair-haired boy kissed him fiercely. He felt the back of his knees hit a soft edge before the both of them fell back onto the comfortable bed at the far end of the room. Jamie laughed into the kiss and the moment felt so real and natural and pure that Marshall’s heart soared in his chest. Everything about this felt right, especially the feeling of being pinned down by the weight of Jamie. That felt very right. Marshall gasped softly against Jamie’s lips and tilted his hips upwards with his hands at Jamie’s waist, wanting to be closer in every way possible. His fingers trailed up Jamie’s hips, his waist, his ribs, his chest. Marshall savored every curve of the other boy’s body through the thin linen fabric, thanking god in that moment for the blessing that button up shirts were. Especially this dark blue button up, that fit Jamie perfectly snug and made his blue eyes look like shimmering aquamarine gems. When Marshall had to stop for a breath, he rested his head against the bed and recalled what Jamie had said moments before he had kissed him for the first time tonight, and responded to it without any explanation of what he was talking about. “It was the same for me, you know.”

Jamie looked down at Marshall, struck by how perfectly fitting this moment was. He felt so incredibly right, as if, in the simulation of his life, he had ended up right here, every time. At Marshall’s statement, he returned from his thoughts, his head turning ever so slightly, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “Huh?” Jamie asked, his brain muddled by hormones and lust.

“The interview.” Marshall clarified as he stared up at the object of his affection. He looked even cuter when he was confused, which made Marshall smile, and then laugh quietly. He didn’t mean to be confusing, but even he was able to understand that his trains of thought were probably hard to follow in this state. Marshall would try his best to be clearer, because he wanted to tell Jamie these things… he needed to tell him. “It was the same for me when you interviewed me. That’s when I knew I wanted you too, even if it was selfish, because you and AJ hadn’t been broken up for that long. I knew those wounds might still be fresh, but I wanted you anyway, and I was trying my hardest to charm your pants off in that interview. Uhm, figuratively… mostly.” Marshall grinned demurely at that. He then reached his right hand up to run his fingers through Jamie’s hair and smiled contentedly. “I like that you’ve grown your hair out, too. It’s super hot, like, I didn’t even know I had a thing for longer hair until it was literally everything on you.” Marsh was vaguely aware that he was rambling affectionately at this point, but it was truthful rambling.

Jamie grinned as Marshall showered him with affection, his face flushing red. AJ had never been one to say stuff like that. He was passionate, but simple affection had never been his strength. Marshall though, Marshall did it right. Jamie leaned down, and kissed him, once, then again, a silent thank you. Soon, two kisses became another, and another, and soon Jamie was kissing his neck, running a hand up his shirt, feeling the muscles that Marshall had built over the years. It was going perfectly, until his phone rang. Rolling his eyes and sighing, Jamie let his head fall onto Marshall’s chest, before fishing his phone out of his pocket to see a picture of Katie, grinning in a sombrero and aviators, on his lock screen.

“Tell me it’s good Katie. Please tell me there is a very good reason for calling me right now,” Jamie said, his free hand absentmindedly running over Marshall’s chest. Marshall, being the way he was, got a little bratty over the fact that Jamie had answered his phone. Simply put, the drama king didn’t like when he wasn’t the center of attention, so he made sure that Jamie would have trouble focusing on his conversation by rolling them both over so that he was now hovering above the blond.

“So I take it the Marshall talk went well?”

Marshall smirked upon hearing his own name through the phone against Jamie’s ear. That meant that, in some form, Jamie had planned this evening out enough for his sister to know about it beforehand. This confirmation that he was wanted was enough to take the edge off of the bratiness, but Marshall still felt amped up on hormones and mischief, so leaned down to kiss Jamie’s throat as he spoke.

“I’m still waiting.”

The distracting kisses didn’t stop. Marsh kissed down Jamie’s neck and along his collar bone. When he ran out of exposed flesh to press his lips against, Marshall made more by undoing a few buttons of Jamie’s shirt.

“Oh my Christ, you’re an asshole. The boats about to dock, and I have a very drunk Noah here with me. Can you put it back in your pants so we can go?”

“Noah? Drunk? Okay, I’ll meet you by where we came in,” Jamie said, before hanging up.

Looking over at Marshall, he sighed. “So, as it seems, duty calls,” Jamie said, rolling his eyes before slowly sitting up, running a hand through his sexed up hair. “Do you need a ride? Trixie’s long gone, but I brought my car,” Jamie offered.

Marshall heard the questions, but he didn’t respond to them right away. He was distracted by the sight of Jamie being nearly shirtless before him — not only because he was nearly shirtless, but because his stomach was littered with fresh purple bruises. Touching the discolored skin softly with his fingertips, Marshall looked up to Jamie with dilated eyes that were blown wide with concern. “Oh my god, Jamie, what happened?” He pressed his palm flat against Jamie’s abdomen and asked the even harder question, “did… did Owen do this too? You didn’t go back, did you?”

Jamie looked down at his chest, the bruises having become an afterthought to the wild events of the night. He looked back up at Marshall and pulled his shirt closed, buttoning it back up. “Do you remember that story I wrote about Jeremy and Kris? The one where I broke the whole cheating thing? Well, he wasn’t too happy about it,” Jamie said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Really, it’s fine. Owen actually helped me. There were like four dudes and Owen handled them and made me look like a completely incapable gay, just like every movie made in the early 2000’s,” Jamie said, his tone of voice bordering on annoyance. He didn’t like being reminded of Owen or his black eye or his bruised chest. He didn’t like being reminded of how helpless everyone probably thought he was, all because he didn’t play football and screw girls, even though his dad had taught him to fight better than most of the assholes at Beverly Hills Hellhole. “Do you need a ride?” Jamie asked, his tone reverting to the soft, affectionate one that had been present only seconds ago.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” Marshall stammered, instantly feeling guilty at Jamie’s annoyed tone. Did he push him too far when he was on the phone? Or was it something he said? His inebriated mind swarmed with what ifs and what if nots, but at the forefront of them all, he just really didn’t want to mess this up. Marshall was having a marvelous night, and he’d never forgive himself if he just ruined it.

“I’m glad he was there to help you… that sounds more like m—” Marshall caught himself before he finished that statement. My Owen? Did he really almost say that out loud? Owen wasn’t his… his best friend, maybe… but he wasn’t even that anymore. “Uh, him. That sounds more like him.” Marsh chewed at his lip and brought his eyes to meet Jamie’s again. His face softened and he brought his hand up to Jamie’s cheek and brushed his thumb across it. “I, for one, think you are a very capable gay. My favorite capable gay.” Marshall beamed a smile at him. “And I would love a ride… we better go, before your sister accuses us of having done something disreputable to make her wait.” He said with a quick wink and stood up, holding his hand out to Jamie expectantly.

CANCELLED.

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^{Location: The Helmsley Boat Party}

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A highschool boat party, what could be better? Sure, it was on a Tuesday night, which was far from ideal… and Val had to lie to her parents to attend this event, which she really didn’t like doing either. Lying to her parents, that is, not attending events. She was only fifteen and she really didn’t have any business being at a drunk fest at sea, but everyone else was going, and that meant her crush would most definitely be there too. Not to mention, it was a party at sea, which was Valerie’s favorite place to be.

As far as Val’s parents were concerned, she was having a sleepover at her good friend Mallory’s house, since they could stay up late with tomorrow being a late start day at school and all. It was the perfect alibi, especially because Mallory’s parents were cool and would cover for her if her parents called them. Said cool parents were also the ones that drove Mallory and Val to this party, and would be driving them back to their house afterwards to make sure the girls were safe and able to make it to school the next day. The Sheffields, Mallory’s rents, were liberal folk, the kind that believed that the best way to raise their children was to let them experience the world without censorship, to live and learn from the mistakes that they might make, which was why they trusted the girls to attend this fiesta. They were good girls, they could be trusted to make at least halfway decent decisions.

Valerie’s decision making was currently lying in the bottom of one to many glasses of coke and vanilla vodka. That is to say, she probably couldn’t make a good decision to save her life at this point. Thanks to her heritage, Valerie was a lightweight, and right about now she would be rocking the so-called “asian flush” if not for her darker complexion. The amount of her intoxication could only be seen through her eyes, drunken swagger, and slurred speech.

Drunk or not, Val was still doing her best to rock the dancefloor. The DJ was spinning a fly hip hop tune that she could shake what her momma gave her to. When the beat dropped, so did she, taking her toned backside down to the floor and twerking her way back up to a standing position. Val was wearing acid washed jean shorts over a back crop top bikini, which revealed her still-secret turquoise anchor belly ring, and the tassels of her bikini top swung around as she spun on the dancefloor. Valerie had started the night off a little bit chilly, but she had since worked up a sweat, as beads of it were now trailing down her back.

The best way to cool down would be to take to the water. As much as she loved the ocean, Val recognized her own inebriation enough to decide that jumping overboard wouldn’t be wise. Instead, she wandered off the dancefloor in search of the pool. She’d heard about there being a pool. A pool on a boat, what fun!

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^{Location: The Rothstein Residence}

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The scent of rosemary and sage wafted throughout Dahlia’s bedroom. The girl sat at her writing desk along with a set of three lit cream-colored, unscented candles of different heights, as well as a carved incense tray depicting a circle of psychedelic-looking mushrooms meant to mimic faerie ring, at the center of which the source of the fragrant aroma was smoking.

On the desk before her, Dahlia was scrolling out notes on a tablet. Dahlia valued the art of handwriting, and preferred to write most of her essays, blog posts, and other assignments in this manner. The tablet translated her beautiful script handwriting into digital typeface document on her computer in real time using a wireless connection. Doll paused in her writing to reference the two open hardcover books on astrology to her left, tracing her index finger along the pages and nodding to herself as she read. She was still learning the star-based occult science, and she frequently sought out reference material to ensure that she was putting out the best and most accurate predictions that she was capable of. Dahlia Rothstein was nothing if not a respectable, studious witch.

After writing a few more lines in her project, Dahlia sat back in her office chair and studied the wall in front of her desk. On that wall, there was a screen that currently depicted last night’s starry sky. Dahlia flicked her wrist in the air and the screen switched to sky of the night before last. She pondered for a moment, contemplating the constellations, and then flicked her wrist again to go back to the previous night.

Wooden beads rattled as someone passed through her bedroom door, followed by a soft knock on the door frame. Dahlia looked up from her writing, a dark chestnut curl that had been tucked behind her right ear came loose as she did so. Upon seeing the guest in her hippie-style beaded doorway, she offered up a soft smile. “Hi papá,” she greeted loud enough to be heard over the native-inspired flute music that was playing through the sound system in her room.

Judah scanned the area, taking in the full scene, before smiling at his oddball daughter. “Going full Brujita tonight, huh?” He remarked in a teasing tone.

Dahlia responded with a shrug and a grin. “Aren’t I always? ...what’s up?”

Her father made his way over to her bed and sat down at the corner of it comfortably. “I was just coming to see if you were home. I figured you might be hanging out with Brian since he’s back, Ryan said he was throwing some big party tonight. Why aren’t you there?” Judah asked, tilting his head curiously.

“You knowww I don’t like parties, papá,” Dahlia responded, spinning her rolling chair around so that he could see the way she rolled her eyes at the statement. Alcohol wasn’t her thing, and there was sure to be a lot of drinking at the impromptu Helmsley bash. If she wanted to hang out with her fellow wealthy weirdo and childhood friend, she could do so another time, under more preferable circumstances.

“Yeah, yeah, I know… sometimes I question if you’re even my daughter.” Judah said jokingly.

Doll crossed her arms saucily and smirked. “Maybe I’m the milkman’s, wouldn’t that serve you right?”

Her father’s eyes narrowed as he considered the implication that Mia had slept with someone else to produce his beloved Brujita. Mia would never, she knew better, even if he didn’t follow his own demands for monogamy. “We never had a milkman, you’re my little girl, for better or for worse.” He stood up from his perch on Dahlia’s bed to go look over her shoulder. “Whatcha working on?”

“My first week of January’s horoscopes for the school newspaper. I have to turn them in to Trixie tomorrow afternoon.” Dahlia explained as she rolled back around to face her desk once again.

“Ahh… you sound busy. Too busy to join me for burgers and shakes at the Diner, then?” Judah asked in a tone that very much sounded like a sleazy salesman to offer up a deal that she ‘absolutely could not refuse’.

Dahlia smiled wide, because that was a pretty decent offer. The Sunshine Diner had the best non-dairy black raspberry shakes, and her father knew that they were her favorite She was also incredibly hungry after working for so long, brain power could really burn calories, so a burger sounded divine right then. “Never too busy for that, papá!”