#haematite

What are their defining features? — Above-average height, perpetually nervous expression, lace-up piercing strung and tied with red thread through his earlobe and cartilage.

Does their name have a meaning? — Tierney means "lord, master", and Luther typically means "lute player".

What family do they have? —  Both of his parents are still alive and in contact with him, but he's an only child and doesn't know any of his extended family/distant relatives particularly well.

Do they have a good relationship with their family? — Tierney loves his parents, more or less, but his relationship with them is a bit strained. They're still in regular contact (too often for his liking) and don't have any outright issues with him, but he still feels a certain level of tension when interacting with them for any reason.

If not, why not? — His parents have always pushed him to succeed in life... a little too hard. Tierney's youth was spent under pressure. It was never with cruel intentions, but the constant reminders that he had to do and be this and that, and always do the "right" thing for his life got to him, and the anxiety of growing up like that still sticks with him. As much as he loves his parents, it's hard to talk to them when he knows he'll never quite be good enough in their eyes.

Where do they live? — In a perfectly normal apartment in a fairly nice part of town. There's nothing remarkable about his home on its own, but Rience has lived with him for the past two years. They think of it as "living together" in the romantic way, but the reality is that neither of them is willing to be on their own anymore.

Is it a safe place? — More or less. He sometimes worries about potential issues with Rience's clients, but the apartment is in a safe enough area that there's rationally nothing to be concerned about.

Are they poor, middle-class, or wealthy? — Upper-middle class, but mostly because of his parents. Tierney grew up decently well-off. By now, he's perfectly capable of supporting himself at a near-equal level— but his parents were a large part of why he was able to get such a good start in life, and Tierney is all too aware of that.

Do they look up to anyone? — He looked up to Arielle, Rience's older sister, more than anyone else. She was incredibly capable and strong in his eyes, and he always wished that he'd be able to have as much confidence, level-headedness, and willpower as she did.

Who is their best friend? — His best friend is Rience, mainly because he's not particularly close to anyone else. Tierney has always been a bit awkward, so he's stuck close to a select few people in his life.

Do they have any enemies? — Not particularly. Tierney is unassuming enough that it's hard to develop a grudge against him.

Who is the person they hate most in the world? — There's no single person Tierney can say that he hates. He dislikes those who hurt and cause trouble for others, but he could never pick one person who he truly despises. It's not that easy for him to see his own feelings.

Do they have any love/hate relationships? — In a way, Rience. Even though he loves Rience enough for their relationship to continue, there's a part of Tierney that half-wishes Arielle was still there instead. It's not Rience's fault, but his existence makes everything complicated in ways Tierney doesn't like to think about.

Have they ever fallen in love? — Tierney thought he was in love with Arielle. Even though they were together for relatively selfish reasons, he always has been the type to get attached easily. Now that she's gone, he's not sure if he loves Rience the same way, or if Rience is just filling the void that his sister left behind. Neither of them wants to look too closely at why they're together, but they both know that Tierney loved Arielle in a different way than he loves Rience.

Who is the person they love the most in the world? — At this point, it's Rience. Tierney tends to love by taking care of people— he has the resources to do it, after all. And since Rience has been the person closest to him since Arielle died, he's come to fill that sort of role.

Does that person love them back? — Tierney isn't sure. Rience loves him enough to stick around, but it's hard to tell if that's because of genuine feelings, or if they're just filling each other's empty spaces. Rience gets a place to live and someone to look after him, so maybe that's the true reason he's stayed for so long?

Have they ever hurt or lost anyone? — Arielle's death is the only real loss Tierney has experienced. He'd never been that attached to anyone before, and he's still not coping well in the aftermath.

Are they a good shoulder to cry on? — Kind of. Tierney is empathetic enough and has a desire to please the people around him, but he's so nervous that coming to him with your problems is likely to only stress you out more. He's not good at calming anyone down, even himself.

Are they well-liked? — Not particularly. While he gets through life without making enemies, Tierney is more of the type to blend into the background and barely be remembered than the type to make friends or earn people's admiration. No one dislikes him, but when he's so overlooked, does that really count as being "well-liked"?

How do they handle being complimented? — A polite thanks, followed by slowly devolving into an anxious, bashful mess.

Are they an affectionate person? — In his own way, yes. Tierney isn't great at showing affection through "normal" means, but if you count his unique, subtle form of showing he cares, he's really very affectionate. He's prone to looking after people and placing their happiness above his own; doting on someone in small ways that make their life easier is how his affectionate side manifests.

Are they very driven? — Not really. For the most part, he's content to take the easy, simple way through life and let complicated, intimidating things pass him by, even when those things are "better".

Are they very political? — He's not interested in politics outside of those related to his job. They're usually too far above him to matter.

What kind of state is the world that they live in? — Tierney's world is a slow-paced, empty one full of routine and simple things. He's been pressured into a lot of his choices, but continues to plod along, doing his best, in the hopes that things will work out okay, somehow. It's a world where he places the big decisions in others' hands.

Does the character worry about their place in society? — He has no reason to. Being on the better-off end of society, Tierney has never had much of anything to worry about. He's content with being a mindless piece of a bigger machine so long as his life is fairly comfortable, so he's accepted his place in society without complaint. It's easier that way than if he fought for anything greater.

If they could change one thing, what would it be? — That Arielle would have lived. There are a lot of reasons behind that choice, some of them kept more secret than others, but Tierney really does wish that she could still be a presence in his life.

Do they like themselves? — What is there to like? Tierney sees himself as an empty person without a lot of substance— and while he's content with that, for the most part, it does leave him feeling too hollow to really know or love himself. He's whoever the people around him want him to be, regardless of what his real feelings are.

Are they a good person? — Tierney is a good person in the sense that he does what's "right". He doesn't actually have solid morals or a strong sense of justice. He's just doing what he's supposed to.

Are they very forgiving? — Outwardly, yes. Tierney will usually let wrongdoings go (a little too easily), but deep inside, he doesn't forget what people have done to hurt him. He holds grudges more than he thinks he does; he just never voices them out loud.

Do they believe in destiny? — Probably. It would make sense if everyone's fates were decided ahead of time, with nothing anyone could do to change them... it would make life easier, wouldn't it?

Are they trustworthy? — If Tierney gives his word about something, he's all but guaranteed to follow through. It's more out of a sense of obligation than any actual moral attachment to being trustworthy, but since he doesn't want anyone to be upset with him, he's good at keeping his promises. He doesn't want the trouble of breaking them.

Are they a good liar? — If his nerves don't get the better of him, yes. Tierney is good at just not saying things more than he is at telling actual untruths, though. It's easy enough to withhold information, but outright lying leaves him terrified of being found out.

How do they react to criticism? — He internalizes it at the same time that it doesn't affect him much. Tierney's opinion of himself is already low enough that criticism doesn't really hurt his feelings, but he also takes people's complaints about his behavior seriously. He'll be down on himself about whatever mistake he made for a while, but it's better to listen to that sort of thing and improve himself, right?

What is their moral alignment? — Well-intentioned, but follows the rules above all else. More than anything, he doesn't want trouble for himself, so he does what others say... and the reality is that he doesn't have strong feelings about most moral subjects, anyway.

Can they fight? — While he's big enough to do some damage if he wanted to, he has no idea how to fight. Violence is scary!

Would they ever purposefully hurt someone? — Tierney would never think he could willingly harm another person... but the reality is that if sufficiently backed into a corner, he's capable of more than he knows.

Have they ever been seriously injured? — No. His sheltered upbringing and overly cautious personality have prevented that.

Do they know first-aid? — To some degree, yes. He's no expert, but basic first-aid is enough of a necessary skill that he wound up picking up over the course of his life more or less by accident. It's a good thing to know, though, so he tries to keep the memories fresh.

Do they have any other survival skills? — Not really. Thanks to getting by in life mostly on autopilot, he's never had to learn any.

Are they a fast learner? — Yes. Book smarts come more easily to him than things that require deep consideration, but Tierney picks up most skills fairly quickly. He enjoys learning new things, too.

How intelligent are they? — Above average on most fronts, but not exactly aware of it. He thinks he got through school mostly through determination and a fear of failure, but the reality is that he's smarter than he thinks he is, especially when it comes to academics.

What is their school system like? — His parents insisted that he go to law school, so Tierney did that without making a fuss. He did well in school and graduated with excellent grades, but he has no strong feelings about what he learned. If anything, knowing the law inside and out has just increased his general anxiety levels.

What is their job? — Tierney works as a secretary in his city's criminal justice system. He mostly handles paperwork and other assorted, menial tasks, and he's grateful that he doesn't have to do anything more complicated or important. It might be kind of a waste of his schooling, but an easy job like this is more his speed than anything where people would actually be relying on him.

Do they enjoy their job? — It gives him a paycheck and is easy enough to deal with; what more could he ask for? Tierney likes his work well enough because it's simple, but he doesn't have any personal attachment to the work he's doing.

. . .

Bless

Twenty-nine years old. Tsundere boy. Done with everyone else’s shit. He tries to act like he’s above it all, but is actually just as fucked up and weird as everyone else. Kind of a creep actually. Probably lowkey a pervert. Thinks he’s better than those around him, but his ego can come crashing down hard. 

Finch

Eighteen years old. Little shit. Cryptid incarnate. A legal adult now and very happy about this. A terror to everyone around him, but acts his worst whenever he’s around Bless. The pest that everyone wants to hit with a flyswatter. No one knows where the fuck he came from and he’s not talking. 

Aurora

Thirteen years old. Tiny baby girl. Small and sweet, but super aggressive and intense. Won’t hesitate to fight people twice her size now that she’s a vampire. The precious little sister to her big brother... who will fuck up anyone who lays a hand on her. She uses this to her advantage. 

Oberon

(His hair is supposed to be a slightly lighter gray than Aurora’s.)

Twenty-seven years old. Aurora’s overprotective big brother. A scary and mysterious guy who no one knows much of anything about. Probably a criminal. Definitely knows how to hide a body. Sexy voice. Doesn't show his face to anyone but his little sister. 

Kalon

Twenty-one years old. Awful, awful boy. Likes fucking with people for the fun of it. Gets along well with Oberon. Acts tough and is kind of a dick, but might have a softer side than he wants people to know about. Pretty chill overall. Aurora’s babysitter when Oberon isn’t around. 

Tierney

Twenty-nine years old. The walking manifestation of an anxiety attack. The only sane one of all of them and perpetually horrified by the lunatics he's forced to be around. Might be something of a masochist, but he’s not telling. A pessimistic guy who sees the worst in everything. 

Sumire

Eighteen years old. In her last year of high school. Seems cute and friendly, but is actually all kinds of scary. Cheerful and ditzy, but prone to violence. Just wants everyone around her to be happy. Big titty, big heart. Her eyes look dead for a very good reason. Probably traumatized. 

Henry

Fifteen years old. The other absolute baby. Seems to be one of the sane ones, but not really. Probably has stabbed someone before. Cute, but has his breaking points. Super shy, stutters a lot. Please give him a hug before he cries. Has a crush on Aurora. 

Oleander

Sixteen years old. Bratty little shit who thinks he’s tough. Sharp mouth to anyone he doesn't respect... which is basically everyone. Bad attitude and worse behavior. Actually kind of a coward. Very smart, but lacks common sense. Hates anyone who thinks they’re better than him. 

Rowena