#cod2022

Is bi. I don’t make the rules. Is very, VERY much bisexual. 

Because of his upbringing though, it’s likely he wasn’t given the freedom or acceptance to explore his sexuality but going to the military helped him overcome the internalized shame in himself and he slowly opened up a bit more to the idea. He’s also pan or demi-romantic. 

Simon Riley is build like a weapon but the core of his steel is forged with love. The altruistic love he has for people clashes with the violent upbringing and terrible traumatic disposition he has acquired from it, therefore since he views himself as a dangerous near inhumane thing, he decided that he would do whatever he could to defend people. Basically the trope of ‘monster is hated by people in the past and believes he deserves it and can’t see himself as other than an abomination but wants to protect humanity just in the tiny sliver of hope that there is something worth defending’. 

Simon Riley is a jokester from childhood. Humor was his escape from awkward silences, from rejection by peers, from his family’s hurt...he joked to cope, to make friends, to connect through humor, to give himself and others some joy and maybe revel in the love that joy brought. He wanted to be the reason people smiled, because it made him feel worthy. 

He is a provider at heart. Not the toxic kind, NEVER that Manosphere nonsense; he believes that those who are able to provide should provide, and from seeing how his family and he suffered from having the most absentee and abusive patriarchal provider he swore he would not only provide for himself but also provide for others. The world is his oyster and he made it his duty to protect and provide for the vulnerable because he knows the pain of not having that and wishes it on NO ONE. He has brought soup to sick friends before, and offered candy and food too. Provider that makes you want to get married immediately. 

He loves flowers. He absolutely appreciates them. The flowers on the street make him the happiest, as they represent growth in hardship and resilience. He smiles at flowers that grow in concrete. When he’s happy and feeling it enough, he’ll take a small flower and put it on his pocket or a buttonhole on a shirt, wherever he can. They also deeply remind him of his mother and her unwavering goodness, even to those that didn’t deserve it. He also treads softly on grass, even when he’s over 235 pounds of muscle. His favourite flower is a sunflower. 

Sleeps heavier than the world on Atlas’ shoulders before the incident; loves his sleep. As a child he didn’t get much sleep so now his adult body is making up for lost time and waking up without loud sounds and horrible gestures makes him so happy. 

He read romance books back in the day (as a teen and early into his career). Very guilty pleasure, he just really loved the vicarious feeling of meeting someone and nurturing a relationship with them. Loved the ones where one of them has kids and the love interest is active and attentive to the kids too. The stories help him heal in multiple ways but he also uses them as an instruction booklet. (Yes he read Twilight and he cringes to Hell whenever its mentioned). 

Has a diary. Rarely opens it up or uses it, but it has notes of what he hears in passing that make him laugh, make him think, some jokes he practises in his book (the amount of scribbles in the margins is astronomical), and a few entries from the first few times he tried to journal from a therapist/counsellor’s advice but it never really went through. Has a few affirmations in them. He also has some drawings in them, and in a hidden section, photographs of his mother and brother. His earliest tattoo designs and ideas were on it too. He also has in it, written the names of all those he truly cares about and keeps a list of friends and enemies. 

Soft guitar music, maybe some country? But mostly just soft and mellow music that calms the mind but touches the soul. Older generation artists, coming from his mother’s and brother’s tastes, honestly. He only likes a few pop artists, but has been spotted by Price humming a song or two that the other guys (read: Gaz and Soap) sing around the base for whatever and then cursing himself for getting ‘infected’ by those songs. If you tell him to listen to a song and ask his opinion the next day you’ll be surprised to find out he’s actually listened to it. 

His favourite weather is a soft rain, or those sunny days where there’s a lot of clouds dotting the sky and infrequent sunlight. Perfect sleeping weather. And rain of course is common for his home country so he does like it, and can’t do too well with excessive heat (the man wears all black in the desert like why). 

He loves affection but of course, has to act nonchalant about it and doesn’t know how to ask for it. Again, because of his past, affection is something rare and if he asks for it it was likely to go wrong, with only his mother giving him some affection and his brother having rare moments of brotherly affirmation and physical touch. He sees the camaraderie of other soldiers and sometimes, when he’s alone and in his own head, he’s envious of them and the ways they can casually dispense and request affection without fear of it being rejected, wishing that he could have something like that. 

Is a good listener, and appreciates it himself when others listen to him and keep track of things he says, even the little ones. He says what he means (unless he’s in a heightened, agitated state of emotion) and to have people speak earnestly, and even kindly about him never leave his mind. He also lives for doing a good thing as he is a bit of a perfectionist with himself, so hearing some sincere praise from others strokes his ego so much oh my god you don’t even know-

He is a shit driver. Well, technically he passed all his classes but by the sheer power of intimidation as he did do the basic stuff right. He can drive well enough but usually it involves high speed and borderline road rage. Price was relieved when Gaz told him he could drive. Simon Riley only gets the keys if no one else is there. The only worse driver is Soap because he wants to stop and see every dog that walks by and pet it and had to swerve a few times. Plus Soap is a passenger princess (you all know he is. You all do.)