Name: Guernica Black
Nickname: Nica, but she strongly prefers her full given name.
Age: 20
Birthday: March 21
Sign: Aries
Gemstone: Diamond
Blood Type: B
Fav. Food: Seafood fondue. She'd eat it every day for every meal if she could.
Hated Food: Eggs, in any way, shape, or form. When she was a child, it was because
she knew where they came from. Nowadays, depending on how they're prepared, it's either the taste or texture that gets her.
School: Destiny City University; she is majoring in Anthropology and hating every second of it, but it is a discipline that her parents approved for its diversity and the fact that it will force her to think outside of her own ideals.
And that is a large part of why Guernica hates it. Though she is still early in the degree and will not choose a specialty until she begins to pursue her MA, she is already being faced with a myriad of other cultures, many of which contain practices and views that she finds abhorrent. She struggles with bias on some of her assignments, and this is forcing her to take a more impartial view on some topics, though the process is slow-going.
Hobbies: DINOSAURS - Guernica
loves. Dinosaurs. Most kids grow out of re-writing all their math story problems to include "three T-Rexes" and "two Triceratops" but not her. The older she's gotten, the more passionate she has become about the subject, enough so that she desperately wanted to major in Geology and eventually obtain her Ph.D in Museum Studies so that she could become a professional, practicing paleontologist. Unfortunately, her parents firmly shot that idea down, forcing her to choose what they deemed a more realistic, appropriate career choice for someone from their family. Paleontology they viewed as a childish fancy, one that would see their daughter narrowly confined to one discipline and purely academic social circles; that aside, they are the sort of people who believe that handing their children exactly what they want will only make them value it less. Therefore, she was forced to choose a broader subject for her degree, and consequently, she has to indulge her love of dinosaurs on her own time. This generally involves hanging out at the museum exhibits, tucking up in the library with books, or discussing the virtues of the
coolest things to have ever roamed the Earth with small children in either of those places.
Ballet - She teaches one class a week at her mother's school, and practices -- though not nearly as rigorously as she did as a child -- mainly as a form of exercise and keeping her body limber. Guernica holds no great love for dance, having never had a passion for it like her sister, but she made a commitment to the school and refuses to back down from her responsibility. That aside, she gets to teach three and four year-olds, which she considers a blast. By the time they're old enough to be taking ballet seriously, she generally wants nothing to do with them, and that's fine and dandy because her mother and the other full-time instructors at the school are responsible for educating the dancers as they get older.
Cello - The Black girls were expected to not only dance and succeed in academics, but either sing or play an instrument as well! A well-rounded education for a posh young lady, right? Guernica was not thrilled by the idea of learning an instrument, but considering she sounded like a cat in heat when she sang, she was told to pick an instrument or all the texts on dinosaurs would be removed from the family library. When all was said and done, she picked the cello for one reason: its size. It was only after she'd thrown her hissy that she reflected and realized she should have researched to see which she would prefer, but by then it was too late and she was already invested. She grew to love it, at least, and though her technical skill will never be great enough for her to make a living off her music, she does play in DCU's campus orchestra for non-music majors.
Uncle Mal -- Guernica tries to spend time with her mother's brother at least once a week, if not more often. A reclusive, troubled author who has a lot more on his plate than he is willing to admit, Malachi Wellington has reached the point of being unable to leave his apartment for fear of the outside world. As he is Guernica's favorite relative, she doesn't mind doing his grocery shopping and stopping in to spend the day with him; they tend to have lively discussions and she doesn't feel pressure to be anyone except herself while she spends time with him. Of course, she always feels a bit guilty when she leaves because he looks so sad and lonely, but... there's always next time!
Virtues: Passionate -- Guernica has feelings. Strong feelings. She doesn't think that neutrality actually exists - people who claim to be neutral simply haven't learned enough about the topic at hand to decide if they love it or hate it. When she undertakes something, be it a project, relationship, or cause, she does so wholeheartedly. She pours herself into her work and makes it as personal as she can, ensuring that she puts forth her absolute best effort by investing so much of herself into her actions. She can be an inspiration for others in this respect, though that would be a completely peripheral effect -- she considers her passions very personal.
This carries over into her friendships as well. Guernica may not make friends with too many people, but those she is friends with, she showers with her time and affection. She makes certain that those dear to her know exactly how dear they are, even if sometimes her attentions are largely unwanted; she'll be the first to approach someone, she'll initiate conversation, and she'll carry it if she finds it interesting enough. She pours herself into her friendships just as she does her projects and relationships.
Tenacious -- If something is worth starting, it's worth finishing. She will sink teeth into a project or idea and barrel her way through it, hopefully as quickly and effectively as possible. If something can be accomplished in three steps with the help of two other people versus six steps on her own, Guernica will recruit them and generally just not leave them alone until they have finished whatever their task might be. She hates distractions, does not tolerate quitting; failure is not an option.
Resilient -- This girl can put up with a lot of abuse, and I don't just mean physically, though she can take a punch standing if she needs to. Guernica has thick skin and a stiff upper lip, and she stands by her decisions and convictions no matter how many naysayers try to knock her down. She has very demanding parents who have always expected a great deal of her, and so she learned to toughen up and rise to the occasion early on. She is not the girl you will find crying under the stairs because she can't handle the pressure. What doesn't kill her
will only make her stronger.
Protective -- Guernica looks out for her own. You can count on her to have your back if she is your friend, generally without you even having to ask. She is not afraid to be the only person standing up for what she believes in, and on much the same token, she was never afraid to be the one person standing up against a bully for the sake of her friends. She is a pit bull in Prada, ladies and gentlemen; do not underestimate her bite when it comes to her twin or her friends, because she will leave marks.
Flaws: Proud -- Guernica's word means everything to her. This can be especially troubling because of her impulsiveness; once she's given her word on something, even if it's as childish as picking the biggest instrument she can think of, she will stand by it. She will thrust her chin out, square her shoulders, and refuse to acknowledge that she had been hasty. Of course it was what she wanted all along. Of course it was the right decision. Guernica will not admit that she regrets her choice, even if she wishes for nothing more than the opportunity to rewind time, punch herself in the face, and make a decision after careful contemplation. Her dignity is much more important to her than, oh, the general unhappiness she will suffer while she endures whatever it is that she finds so disfavorable. She was raised to have a very high opinion of herself and her family, and to go back on her word or to admit that she was wrong would be damaging to not only her family's reputation but her own, and this is something that she finds unacceptable.
Impulsive -- When faced with a decision, Guernica almost never sits back and thinks things through. Why? That wastes time! Unfortunately, it also cuts back on all those wonderful things like consideration for alternatives, proper planning, and weighing the risks inherent in the options. This is especially true if she is flustered or irritated; often, if Guernica can't get her way, all of the options that are
not what she wants seem equally unappealing, so she'll simply pick something to have made a decision and have the distasteful process behind her. As is to be expected, this often results in her being stuck with something that she doesn't want but is too proud to abandon because she already decided on it. (Hello, Anthropology major.)
In battle, this is especially troublesome because she will respond moment-to-moment rather than think things through. She doesn't consider the consequences of her actions until much later, when she is at home doctoring her wounds and scolding herself for how much
better she could have done. She is reckless with her body and her comrades' bodies in battle: it's not that she thinks they'll be able to handle themselves, necessarily, it's that she generally just
doesn't consider them because she is too focused on the moment she is in and the fact that she has an enemy right in front of her. She makes snap decisions that sometimes work for her, sometimes work fabulously, and sometimes completely blow up in her face. It's always a gamble, but as it is how she thinks when under pressure, it will be very difficult for her to change this particular habit of hers.
Resentful -- Just because she stiff upper-lips it and stands by her decisions and her word to the point of stubborn ridiculousness doesn't mean that Guernica doesn't blame other people for putting her in a position where she
had to make the kind of calls that later set her teeth on edge. Resembling her mother much more than she would like to admit, Guernica will stonily and silently seethe with her resentment, never coming outright and admitting that she feels as strongly and bitterly as she does. Still, she makes it pretty obvious in the little things that she does, the way she speaks a bit more sharply, her general body language toward the people she considers top contenders for "The Ones Who Are Ruining Her Life." It isn't seemly for a young woman from the Black family to have temper tantrums, after all; but the cold shoulder, biting remarks, and social snubs are perfectly acceptable forms of behavior. Her temper is passive-aggressive, one of the most infuriating ones to deal with; she holds grudges, won't come out and confront problems, and will instead resort to underhanded means to let you know you have screwed up and it is time for you to apologize to
her.
Intolerant -- Guernica has ideas about the world and the people living on it, and she is inclined to believe her ideas are the best. But more than that, she considers other peoples' ideas decidedly inferior, and refuses to consider their beliefs except in the context to reaffirm her own. She has been accused of being narrow-minded, and her general retort is that
at least she knows her own mind, unlike a lot of those liberal-minded hippies. Though she will not venture her opinion unasked (as well-behaved young ladies do not grandstand and preach their values) she
will openly criticize lifestyles that don't conform to her ideas if she is invited into the conversation, defending her viewpoints with the kind of bullheaded, single-minded determination that makes people want to clock her one.
This is not just a little "oh, we have a disagreement" sort of situation. She honestly and sincerely offends a lot of people, and she will not back down even when she clearly sees that -- she believes that her stances on everything from homosexuality to abortion are correct and will defend them until she is blue in the face if she has to. It is really a particularly ugly trait of hers, compounded moreso by the fact that she sees her views as perfectly legitimate and reasonable, and the opposition's as... well, the opposite. She treats every conversation on hot-button topics as a debate and an opportunity for her to change someone's mind, but remains inflexible in her opinions.
Because she does enjoy debate, she will generally hear the person out... but most times, it becomes readily apparent that she hears, but does not listen. After you've made your opening remarks, Guernica believes she knows exactly where you stand, and it will take some doing to convince her that you have anything worthwhile to say if it contradicts what she believes.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Her hair, in a nutshell.Face: Full lips, small, slightly upturned nose, and a beauty mark just above her lip on the left side.
Clothes: This or something like
this, paired with some skinny jeans and some kind of
cute shoe.
Reply
