nina dobrev + she/her + female – have you seen cj montgomery around los angeles? the thirty year old is usually jamming to radio reject by magnolia park. word around the city is that they’re independent, yet, they can also be pessimistic, but you didn’t hear that from me. they’re currently a/an courier/waitress/occasional stripper and are typically seen walking the streets of los angeles with her old, tattered sneakers. when i think of them, i think of random colors in her hair, never expecting anything good to happen, and growing up too soon. let’s hope the city treats them good! ( cally / 31 / she/her / cst / none )
So this is my girl with a troubled past CJ! Read more about her!
Full Name: Cordelia Jane Montgomery
Nicknames: CJ, Cordy
Age: 30
Birthdate: December 29th, 1992
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Courier/Waitress/occasional stripper
Parents: Neil Montgomery (currently in prison) & Linda Montgomery (current location unknown)
Siblings: 3 younger (WCs!)
Children: None
Relationship Status: Single
Sexuality: Bisexual
Height: 5' 7"
Hair Color: Dark brown (often with additional colors)
Eye Color: Brown
Piercings: Lower and upper lobe in each ear, industrial in right ear, helix, orbital, and tragus in left ear, nose, both nipples, belly button
Tattoos: A scattering of stars on her back, a dragon on her left hip bone, a middle finger on her ass, a dead rose on her left lower arm, a snake in the shape of a heart on her right thigh, a pawprint on her right wrist, moon phases on the back of her neck
Residence: A rundown apartment building in a terrible neighborhood in LA
Character Inspo: Max Black (2 Broke Girls), Fiona Gallagher (Shameless), Joey Potter (Dawson's Creek), Maya Hart (Girl Meets World), Shawn Hunter (Boy Meets World), Feyre Archeron (A Court of Thorns and Roses), Lysandra (Throne of Glass), Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill), Callie Adams-Foster (The Fosters)
(TW for Toxic Relationships, Sex work, Drug mentions, Alcohol mentions, Parentification, and Sexual Assault)
CJ was pretty much born with a reputation thanks to her parents. They were both known for trouble and had quite the tumultuous, toxic relationship, not getting married until after CJ was born. Neil's family was constantly in trouble with the law and he was no different. He probably spent more time in prison than CJ ever actually saw him. And her mother was a piece of work as well, being a prostitute and con artist, but not to support her kids. More for her own drugs and drinking habits.
She always came from the wrong part of town, the older, more beat up, poorer part of Los Angeles. You know, that part of the neighborhood people say to avoid, especially at night. They moved around from shitty housing to shitty apartments, mostly to avoid parole officers and people looking to get their money back. And as she grew up in that area, CJ found her own trouble at times. It quickly led to rumors about her, everything from the things her dad did to get put in prison (mostly true), the things her mom did around town (definitely true), and even questioning if her dad was really her dad (possibly true). And for some reason, everyone seemed to think she was just like her mother, who she looked a lot alike.
(TW: Sexual Assault)
She didn't realize people were drawing those conclusions until eighth grade, when she went on her first date and the boy tried to feel her up. She slapped him and told him no and he said she should probably be used to it considering what a whore her mom was. The next day, everyone had heard the rumor that she had slept with a boy on the first date, even though she had only had her first kiss.
From there, the rumors grew. CJ was known as the slut all through high school, the homewrecker and easiest girl in town. What those people didn't know is that she had only slept with a few people, that most of the guys who claimed they fucked her she had never spoken to. Some guys even tried to force themselves on her, thinking they were entitled to it. Those people also didn't know that the reason she skipped school so often was because her mom was on a bender and she had to take care of her sick siblings, or work extra shifts wherever she could get hired to pay the bills her mom forgot about.
Yes, as her father was in jail and her mother usually disappeared, it was up to her to raise her three siblings and try to keep the lights on and food on the table. She was the one who made sure they got to school, even if that meant she was late. That they got their homework done when hers hardly ever did. All her dreams were pushed to the side for her siblings, who she loved most in the world. She even ended up dropping out senior year because she needed to be able to work full time.
She quickly took any work she can, except prostitution. It reminded her too much of her mother. CJ was a waitress, a babysitter, a gardener, a delivery person... basically anything that would pay the bills. Not all of it was legal, but at least she got cash and could make sure they weren't kicked out. The first time she stripped was the month before Christmas. Her siblings knew better than to ask for a bunch of stuff, but she knew what they really wanted. And she told herself that for once, they were going to get a damn good Christmas. So she let go of her past and became a dancer, taking her clothes off for more money than she usually made. She didn't tell her siblings, not wanting them to think of her like their mom or be ashamed. But they did have a good Christmas that year. It wasn't something she wanted to keep doing, especially with the expectations of some customers of wanting more than just a dance, but she occasionally would do it when money was low.
It all paid off though, since her siblings got to live out their dreams to the best of her ability. They got to graduate and go on to do what they wanted. She told them not to worry about her or the others, to just get out of there the minute they could. Even if she felt stuck in her life, she didn't think they needed to be. They had a chance to escape. CJ had given up on her dreams of escape, of any sort of better life. She felt like this was just what she deserved now, that she didn't get happiness. But she would fight like hell for her siblings to have that. If she had gotten the chance, CJ would have loved to have actually gone to college, to become a veterinarian like she always dreamed of, but that's not the case.
Now that her siblings are all grown up, CJ has their shitty apartment that really isn't livable at all (hell, the entire building should be condemned) all to herself. She still has lots of debts to try and make up for, but she's getting by. She got a slightly fancier job as a courier, making bank taking those expensive contracts and papers around Hollywood for big shots. It means she has to strip less, but doesn't fully make up for everything, hence still waitressing.
When she gets the chance, she has her own fun. She is always dying her hair different colors or having her friends give her tattoos. She makes friends with the right people, the same ones who work shitty jobs like her. And often, they'll help her out by telling her if they need extra hands at a catering event or letting her in to the cool parties in Hollywood. They let her in the side doors or no cover charge and she has their backs too. Might as well take advantage of free food and drinks whenever she can.
Personality wise, CJ grew up way too quickly, giving her a very jaded and pessimistic view of the world and especially people. She doesn't trust people easily but those she does, she will fight for. She is very used to people knowing her reputation, so she assumes they do even before they open their mouths. Granted, she has learned that not all people believe the rumors, but it is still hard for her to shake. She has a lot of resentment for her parents and people who aren't thankful for the privileges they have, like not having to worry about money or family that cares about you. She has a habit of downplaying her struggles, not letting the people that care know how bad she has it.
She has had very few actual relationships because of the rumors, afraid that people only want her because of what they can get out of her. So she has sworn off of romance and dating entirely, instead preferring to read about it and have one night stands to scratch that itch. She came out as bisexual when she was twenty-one. Frankly, she is terrified of having kids, worried about screwing them up like her parents did to her. She feels like she isn't loving or good enough to be a mom. She doesn't seem to see that she was a mom to her siblings and they thought she did a damn good job at it.
