ToC Staff Post ----Cert, Link to Official Uncert & Inventory Table of Contents & Rules News/Updates Selim ----Basic physical info, personality, etc. History Relationships ----Family, Friends, Lover(s), Enemies, etc. RP Log Art (Official and Non)
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3 Base Traits: Impertinent, Defensive, Thrifty Personality: Selim has been called 'rude' so many times in his life that it may as well be branded into his skin. He isn't afraid to assert himself around others, to call them out on their lies, and has received his fair share of beat downs because of it. While he isn't particularly aggressive, Selim simply shows no respect for anyone without any being shown to him first. (i.e. if a patron starts acting up because concessions weren't served Selim may point out that he could use a little less snacks)
That being said, he's a defensive young man. His skin isn't nearly so thick that the insults spat at him and his family won't burn, which has only proven to him how cruel others can be. Selim's anger is quick; he'll lash out in challenge and do his best to avoid any little form of criticism. After years of being picked on for the smallest imperfections he'll likely snap at anyone who so much as says his shirt is crooked and tell them that their walk is crooked, so whose the bigger loser here?
Finances were always an uncertain thing growing up. Traveling was expensive, regardless of how much the troupe brought in any given day, and sometimes things got tight; really tight. Selim learned early how to make the best of hand me down clothes by darning socks, re purposing old tunics and repairing boots. That being said, Selim isn't opposed to taking anything from the side of the road or an alleyway if it looks useful. Broken bench? Easy fix! Ripped quilt? A few patches and it's a new bedspread! ....Clothes hanging on a line to dry? Well, you should have been watching them!
Interesting facts
Painted Moose
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Painted Moose
Dapper Codger
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 10:37 am
History
Selim and Cyril's mother was among the first wave of Belreans to cross the great sea and explore Tendaji. She and others like her wanted to know as much about the new world as possible, so it came as little surprise to her family that once she landed...Dashia stayed for quite some time.
As a contortionist, Dashia stayed with her troupe, playing show after show for any that would come. Night after night she noticed a familiar face in the crowd; a young man with glowing eyes and the most enchanting smile she'd ever seen. She approached him after some time, and in his shyness he'd admitted to seeing repeat performances in the hopes he'd get to talk with her. However, his reserved nature prevented him from doing so, and thus he'd been content to just watch from afar.
Dashia learned that Ryss was a huntsman from Yael who had been drawn to the continent, despite early misgivings in life. He'd been scared, as were most of his kind, of the dangers travel would bring, and yet...he came, all the same. The pair hit it off quickly, and for the next few years all was well. However, all good things came to an end eventually, and theirs was when Dashia's troupe announced they would be returning to Belrea.
In the beginning Ryss had traveled with Dashia back to Valmon, and lived with her for months before his unhappiness consumed him. This world was a far cry from his own, and a huntsman simply had no place in a world of bronze and iron. The pair decided it was for the best if he returned to Yael, and with a heavy heart, Dashia said goodbye to Ryss.
At the time she hadn't known about the twins; that came several weeks later as a heartbreaking surprise. For a while she was torn between sheer dread at the idea of raising a child alone let alone two! The heart ache of knowing she would have a constant reminder of her yaeli love kept the performer awake at night, and yet...Dashia welcomed the pain. Each step of her pregnancy was a miracle, and once the boys were born it was as if the sun rose with their smiles. Dashia spoiled her babies rotten, and raised them as well as she could.
She tried several times to reach out to Ryss and tell him the news, but not a single letter returned. Several times Dashia debated going to Yael to find him, and yet, who would watch the boys? Wasn't it better to stay so that she wouldn't miss a single moment? Besides, twins were a full time job! And besides, what if he didn't want kids? What few times they'd spoken about it he'd stated that he was too young to worry about it, so gradually, her letters stopped.
Selim, for the most part, had a great childhood. While not every member of the troupe welcomed their newest additions with open arms most were ready to take up the slack Rhss' departure had created. The boys were taught the tricks of the trade (how best to welcome a crowd, how to make the most of a little coin, how to quickly pack up after performances, etc) and generally lived a charmed life at first.
Hybrids of their kind weren't exactly common in Belrea, much less the world in general, and each spot they stopped meant more questions. Why were their crystals so dark? What was wrong with their eyes? Was it ink? In their younger years the questions were easily passed over since most children could be persuaded into kindness with treats and games, but teenagers...were a different ilk. As Selim grew he took on an almost bratty air with his answers; "My crystals are dark so that I can blend into the night and steal your teeth," "Don't you know? They all color their eyes in the West". With his family at his back he gained enough confidence to fight back against any who saw fit to pick on him, and yet, that sort of attitude walled him off. While his brother seemed to be fine with the abrasive way in which he lived his life, Selim fell into fits of melancholy. Of course he would play it off, and yet...what was so wrong with being different that it drove others away?
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 10:39 am
RP Log
Prentice [WE] Bug Island - Cyril [Belrea] Adolescent Admirers - Aurick [WE] Tendaji Tricks - Cyril [WE] Greatest Fear
S2 [WE] Celestial Omens - Cyril [Adventure] Fire! - x [10pts] [Jauhar] Strange Performances - Vilasini [WE] Helping the Harvest - Cyril [Belrea] Mistakes - Aurick [Matori] A Summer's Day - Izel [Sauti] Birds of a Feather - Zerynthia
Character Name: Selim Class Promotion: Dancer [Prima] Current Location: Traveling [en route to Yael] Journal:x Growth Point Links: [WE] Celestial Omens - Cyril [Adventure] Fire! - x [10pts] [Jauhar] Strange Performances - Vilasini [WE] Helping the Harvest - Cyril [Belrea] Mistakes - Aurick [Matori] A Summer's Day - Izel [Sauti] Birds of a Feather - Zerynthia [10] The Overlook - group Growth Blurb: Selim is doing something he said he never would; searching for his father! With his twin, Cyril, the pair are venturing toward Yael to find answers surrounding their origins.
Physical Description: Same hair! Long, swooping bangs and his hair sticks. Same piercings as well and I'd like to keep his spiral gauges.
Outfit inspo with a bit of Belrean flare and a little more of a masculine twist
Body Type: Lean and nimble
Preferred Artists: Any WIPs: Sure!
Painted Moose
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Painted Moose
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 6:09 pm
Class Choice - Gypsy
Watching Dashia’s act never ceased to inspire Selim. Seeing the way his mother could manipulate the entire audience with a simple twist of her shoulder and the flick of a hip was mind boggling. The only time he smile would falter was when she shifted into an almost smirk; something so beguiling that you couldn’t help watching her. Her work was so timeless that it didn’t matter that she was growing older, and if you didn’t know any better you wouldn’t know the amount of extra time she put into staying so limber. All the late nights, the early mornings, the special ointments and creams….Selim knew it all. He saw every ounce of dedication that his mother poured into her craft and loved her all the more for it.
One morning Selim was helping her with stretches when he couldn’t help noticing the way her lower back was starting to catch. How long had she been hurting like that? Or was it the way she’d slept? Still, if it hurt she barely let on. The lightning woman simply smiled off his concern and kept up her routine, pushing through the way to deliver yet another spectacular performance that night. It was only when he was helping her to limp back to their tent that she opened up to him.
“Honestly, this was a lot easier when I was younger.” She joked, pausing to hiss as her back twisted in an uncomfortable way. Selim did his best to brace her, but in her stubbornness she insisted on doing most of the work herself. It was a quality that he hated most about her; that way that she thought she could shoulder everything by herself. Being a single mother had taught her early on to be self-sufficient, but now he and his brother were more than old enough to help out!
“...maybe you should settle down with Vesker.” Selim murmured. The night air was chilly on his sweat dampened skin, and he knew it must be worse for his barely-dressed mother. He really should have brought a cloak for her…
“What brought that on? I thought you hated him.”
“I just...if you did you wouldn’t have to push yourself like this.”
Dashia clucked her tongue and stopped walking. For a moment Selim assumed the worst and was preparing himself to call out for help when she leaned her head over onto his shoulder. Had she always been this small? Or was he just taller now? Still, when he looked over to her he couldn’t see the wrinkles starting to form around her eyes or the tired way they dropped after such a long day. All he saw was the shining green gaze looking back into his own with a fire that never seemed to die.
“Selim, even if I did decide to marry Vesker I will never settle down. I do this job because I love it; not because I have to. Do you really think I would be happy as a shop keep? Or a baker?” She laughed a little then cut herself off with a sharp hiss that nearly had her doubling over in pain. It was so abrupt that he squawked in surprise and tried his best to keep her upright. “Sometimes I just….forget that I’m getting old and it’s...really stupid.” She pouted.
He couldn’t help rolling his eyes. In all honesty his mother wasn’t even that old. She was in her prime as far as he was concerned, especially since she’d been so very young when she’d had the two of them. Anytime she groused about her age he wanted to reach over and pinch her. Hearing her talk about her passion, though, made all his observations of her seem all the more spectacular. It was so obvious in her work that she loved it with all her heart. It was the same kind of look she had when she was around the boys and that...was something he hoped to get one day.
“...Do you think there’s room for one more contortionist in the troupe?” He was too embarrassed to look her in the eye as he asked so he settled for continuing their limped walk back to the tent. Still, his cheeks burned and his heart started to race. “I just..I think it looks pretty cool, what you’re doing, and I think that...maybe I could give it a shot…”
Selim heard a sniffle and furrowed his brow before looking over to his mother. She wasn’t crying by any means, but the woman was dramatically clutching at the cloth above her chest. “You want to be like me? Really?”
“N-not like you, just doing what you do.”
Dashia’s lower lip trembled and all at once the small woman threw her arms around her neck and awkwardly, thanks to her back, clung to him. In his own panic Selim threw out a curse and tried to get her to disengage lest she hurt herself further, but she refused.
“My baby wants to be a contortionist! Oh Selim, sweetheart, you have no idea how happy this makes me! I can’t….oh my….oh that hurts so baaaaadddd.” For a moment she’d stood straight as an arrow, but quickly enough she was starting to droop. “...mommy needs a healer….NOW.”
Wrangling up the troupe’s resident medic wasn’t all that hard thanks to the rucus the two of them were making. It didn’t take long to get her settled in her own bed, and with the addition of a few ‘poultices’ she was sleeping without an ounce of pain. Sitting by her bedside made Selim think over a few things though. Knowing that his mother was happy about his career choice meant alot, but watching her in pain just let him know about the fragility of his work. If he didn’t bring in a big enough crowd then finances would be tight, if he messed up he could be really hurt, and if he failed in any of this he would be out on the street by night’s end. The work of a performer was fleeting, at best, and most parents would push him towards something steadier. And yet, she was just happy to have him interested in the craft.
Was that a good thing, or a bad omen?
Selim didn’t think he much cared. At least with a job like this he could travel as much as he wanted without wondering where his next meal would come. People were always interested in ‘freakish’ displays. Having someone as unique as he was twisting his body at impossible angles and through tiny obstacles would just make him all the more desirable. And maybe, with all that extra money, he could finally go to Yael....
And leave them behind?
Would they really mind, though? If it was something he really wanted to do?
At the very least he’d already begun his training simply by practicing in drills with his mother. It was something she’d pushed them to do as soon as they were old enough so both boys had the potential in them to be great contortionists, but he didn’t know if that was where his twin’s heart lay. Selim found peace in the rhythm. He performed best to the beat of a steady drum, and dancing had always been fun for him outside of the act itself. Ribbon dancing, climbing the circus beams, bending his body around hoops...It had always been as much fun as it was daring and maybe that was why he hadn’t ever really questioned what he was meant to do.
“....Selim? You still here, sweetie?”
“Mom, you’re supposed to be asleep,” Selim murmured. He thought for sure that she was knocked out, but that stubborn woman was clinging to consciousness.
“...Gonna have to get different...earrings...those will get caught...on hoops…” Every work seemed slower than the last, and most were interrupted by yawns. Honestly, who was she trying to kid? She was so tired her eyes were barely open….
“The gauges stay, mom.” He leaned forward and pulled the blanket further up until he was able to tuck it underneath her chin. She murmured something else before snuggling down. “Just get some rest, okay?”
“Your form is terrible,” She groused, opening one eye long enough to pierce him with it. Selim just rolled his eyes and huffed, causing his mother to pout further. “I’m serious.”
“Yeah, yeah, stop talking and sleep.”
“....make sure your brother eats something before you go to bed.”
“I will, mom.”
“Wash your piercings….sweat will make them stink...girls don’t like that...boys don’t either…”
Eventually Selim just stopped answering her and soon enough Dashia was so far gone into sleep that she’d started to snore a little. While not perfect by any stretch of the word she most certainly cared for her sons and that’s all Selim really cared about. With her help he’d be a wonder with his craft, and one day, with any luck, he might be just like her.
[1525]
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:01 pm
Prentice Growth Solo
Vesker was certainly a man’s man.
When he’d asked Selim to come with him to lunch at a local cafe he wasn’t sure what to think. At first he thought that all four of them would be there so at least he’d have a buffer, but upon finding out it was just a one-on-one sort of thing he’d almost backed out. It wasn’t until Dashia herself had made the not so subtle plea that he relented.
The man was...handsome, he supposed. Not in a traditional way, thanks to his crooked nose, but in every other way he thought he could at least see what his mother liked about him. Vesker was of lightning descent, like her, but his eyes were a dark blue that looked almost boring in comparison to theirs. The man’s laugh was booming, his smile two streets wide and he seemed almost nervous to be sitting across from Selim. So, instead of giving in, he just cracked one back joke after another until the teenager eventually put a stop to it.
“Why did you want to come here?”
For once the older man was quiet. He cleared his throat, opened his mouth and slowly closed it. At length he responded. “I thought that...since I’ve asked your mother to be my girlfriend that maybe...we could get a little closer?” It was spoken so softly that it was crazy to think that this was the same man who’d been laughing at how duruf’s wheezed not two minutes earlier.
You’re such an idiot. What does my mother see in you? You’re so pathetic that you can’t even say what you want to say without stumbling over it and I bet you-
“I know what you and your brother must think of me.” That bit caught Selim’s attention. I doubt you do, you worthless stack of dunge. “Your mom told me she hasn’t dated anyone in a long time because the last guy didn’t get along with you two so I just...Well, I…”
“Spit it out, already.”
“I want to make sure that I have your blessing first!” The words were rushed and unbearably LOUD. What was he trying to do, ask the whole cafe?! He’d certainly gained their attention.
“Lower your voice! Why are you screami-”
“PLEASE, SELIM, I’m begging you!” He reached across the table to take Selim’s hand in his, even though the teen was obviously fighting to put distance between them. “I really, really love your mom and I want to make things work with her! She’s everything I could have dreamed of and I want you to know that I would give her the stars if I could! And I would do anything for you boys, too. I know I’ll never be a dad to you, but that’s okay, you can come to me for other stuff. We can just be really, really good friends who want the best for your mom.”
Selim was ready to start screaming, he really was. Who the hell did this guy think he was?! He was causing a scene! The whole cafe was staring at them like they were some sort of sideshow and he wanted nothing more than to run away! Why should he treat this man any different than he had all the others? What made him special?!
Your mom really loves this one. She wants things to work out so bad she’s begged you and Cyril to meet her half way and you know it’s what she wants. It’s more than you. And that...got him.
In his youth he might have turned away what she wanted in favor of his own desires but now Selim was starting to think differently. He didn’t have to like this guy so long as she did and if he didn’t make her cry then...things would be okay, right?
“If you don’t let go of me right now I’ll deck you right here and now,” He hissed. When Vesker eventually released him Selim retreated into his own seat, cheeks burning from irritation and embarrassment. Cyril might not be as civil as he was going to be or even as open, but one of them had to try. “I don’t like you, and I’d be happier if you were gone, but….so long as she likes you I guess it’s okay. Just don’t make me regret it.”
Of course Vesker had a thousand overly happy, loud things to say, and Selim knew he was going to regret this. And yet, something about putting his mother above himself made him feel a little happier about it. Surely she would like this and maybe be a little surprised. He was getting older and after all she’d sacrificed for him surely he could learn to do the same.
[806] [Selim learns what it means to make 'sacrifices' for others by giving up bending his own wants for his mother. While he isn't happy that his mother is dating a bumbling idiot he isn't going to stand in the way of her happiness just because he personally dislikes the guy. He's learning that sometimes the best thing he can do for someone else is just to keep his mouth shut.]
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