Welcome to Gaia! ::

(Before I get into it, I will note the following: Sailor Aberdonia of Papyrus has been rehomed from Sweenys_Revenge to me; his civilian self, Mahogany Shapour, is staying with Sweeny. Permission for this rehoming has been sought and granted!)

Name: Khazran Khalid

Nickname: Khaz

Gender/Pronoun: He/him, they/them, may eventually periodically respond to she/her

Age: 16

Birthday: September 6th, 2008

Sign: Virgo

Gemstone: Lapis lazuli

Blood Type: O

Fav. Food: Most fruits and veggies. A properly steamed bit of broccoli is a thing of surprising sweetness.

Hated Food: Greasy foods. The grease never leaves your fingers, and is rarely worth the calories.

School/Occupation: Azure Valley Academy

Hobbies: What does your character do outside of school/work during their civilian life? This should be an activity that they do on a regular basis, and should be something they could reasonably do in the setting and within their financial means. At least two hobbies are required, but up to five are welcome. Each hobby should be described with at least two sentences. Hobbies should be something that can encourage roleplay or be used to inspire roleplay, however players are allowed to have solitary hobbies as well.

Keen Eye for the Well-Done Eye
It all began with a Christmas present intended for his cousin that she wasn't really all that interested in. That, and the regular games of dress-up with his mother. His cousin got a makeup kit, noticed that Khaz thought it was really pretty, and she decided to let him play around with it. The magic of transforming his cousin stayed with him, even as he started getting better at doing it, whether practicing on himself, or on one of his female family members. For him, it's creative, it's relaxing, it's almost meditative, and it's something special he can do for those he loves to make them feel like the prettiest princes/princesses in this world or any other. He loves the transformative magic of it all. As he grew older, he also got frustrated with how little was available that looked great on his cousin, and what was out there might be really expensive. Toward that end, he's started experimenting in making his own cosmetics, in addition to applying them. Due to the potential risks involved, his mother has stipulated that he can only apply commercially made cosmetics to his little sister until he's dead certain he's got the mixtures correct and safe to use. On the positive and uplifting side, sometimes his aunt, who's a professional pianist specializing in jazz, has sometimes gone onstage wearing makeup he applied himself, enthusiastically showing off what her nephew can do.

Perfumery
Khaz discovered aromatherapy in middle school, and started asking questions about making perfumes that would make the women in his life feel special: his mother, his sister, his mother's sister, and his cousin on his mother's side. Each of them have different preferred scents, and he tries to create new mixes for them around Christmas: his sister loves jasmine, his mother loves roses, his aunt likes more spicy scents, and his cousin prefers bright, citrusy notes. Khaz personally likes a wide range of scents, but finds himself drawn to more earthy tones, like patchouli, though he doesn't use his own as often. He keeps a tabbed notebook of all the perfumes they've liked since he started trying his hand at it. To up his game, he's started to pay more active attention in chemistry class, and take bonus electives in chemistry, which is his new favorite subject in school. To a lesser extent, he's also taking more electives in botany, too, but it's harder to pass that one off to his father's side of the family as "wanting to be a chemist instead of a business man."

Crafting
Aside from playing dress up with his mother, one of his favorite ways of spending time with his mother since he was little has been craft projects, starting off with craft kits for children. He's mostly outgrown the need for kits, but a supply run to the local crafting store can still provide him with some entertainment. Some of the things he carries around are of his own making: a very simply decorated leather wallet; his makeup bag, with applique rhinestones and pockets for all of his supplies; his sequined swim bag, as he'd rather not have the pool water dissolve the glue, but still wants that little extra sparkle. Since he started learning about aromatherapy in middle school, he's been dabbling with learning perfume-making, which has boosted an interest in chemistry, since chemistry seems to parallel and even helpfully intersect with the perfumery. What he's starting to look into is making his own cosmetics, to get the colors and effects he really wants, without having to pay an arm and a leg to get the combination just right, and to ensure he can always have a supply for his cousin's very dark complexion (she's got a very dark African skin tone). He could probably afford to buy the good stuff, but given how unwilling he is for large amounts of expensive cosmetics to appear on his family's credit card bill in a way that could reveal his more "effeminate" hobbies to his father, crafting is clearly the better alternative. His mother has indicated that, until he's got the mixtures of perfumes and cosmetics safe and correct, Khaz is not to use his little sister as a test subject, as that would not be safe; he's currently got his mother, his aunt, and his cousin serving as his test dummies.

Swimming
Khaz enjoys swimming. Maybe not as much as cosmetics or perfumes or crafting projects, but enough to have gone out for the swim team, and helped his cousin do the same. While it's not the manliest of activities, he's aware that this is something that his father supports pretty wholeheartedly--his father pestered his mother into learning how to use a camera so she could film Khaz's swim meets and send the videos to Khaz's father, who is stupid proud of his boy. It'd be a little embarrassing if it weren't so surprising for Khaz, as he doesn't get a lot of visible validation from his father. That said, it not only keeps him fit, it's fun for him, and, as his father invested in a swimming pool for Khaz, it's yet another way for Khaz and his younger sister and his cousin to all hang out together. Khaz and his cousin have been teaching his little sister how to swim, taking it slow and patient. Now that he's old enough to consider summer jobs, he's strongly considering going for lifeguard in the summertime.

Virtues: These are positive aspects about your character's personality that affect them on a daily basis, and are things your character could be praised and admired for. These traits shouldn’t be too specific or only manifest in specific situations (such as ‘likes animals’), shouldn’t be overpowered (such as ‘Perfect’), and shouldn’t be based on their physical appearance (such as ‘pretty’). Virtues are things that are directly related to how your character behaves. Traits should be balanced, so all profiles need an equal number of Virtues and Flaws and should not contradict each other.

Make the Whole World Shine
Khaz likes to make the people around him shine with smiles. Whether this is a particularly thoughtful gift for a birthday, a hug and a quip when down in the dumps, or making them feel special with a bit of makeup magic, it doesn't matter, Khaz likes the smiles he gets in return. As he says, "one smile begets another, and sometimes all it takes is a little thoughtfulness", and this is a personal creed he endeavors to live, even when it sometimes puts him in conflict with his own desires, because making the world around him that little bit happier is that worth it to him. He also ascribes to the corollary, "someone's bad day is enough to ruin someone else's day", and tries not to make his own frustrations someone else's problem, just because he's having a bad day and is pissy about it. He would also like to help the people around him look their best, but has started accepting that sometimes, people just aren't interested, and pushing them conflicts with his desire to see the world smile. A smiling world where everyone looks pretty is the Dream, but if that's not attainable, at least getting smiles out there is still a worthy goal.

A Patient and Steady Hand
Makeup takes time and a steady hand. To a greater or lesser extent, when it comes to crafting, the same is true. Khaz has learned the benefits of patience and working through things methodically, step-by-step, modifying the process and the formula only as he deems right. This slow and patient attitude has extended to how he interacts with his little sister, taking a primary role in teaching her how to swim, as well as in his approach to chemistry classes. If he knows that rushing things is a bad move, or is unsure of changing the order of operations, Khaz would prefer to take the long, slow, and sure approach, even if it drives other people, like his aunt, who's more of a spontaneous person, crazy. He'll mix it up once he's more sure that doing so won't mess things up to heck and back, but until then, sure and steady is the name of the game. His aunt jokes that his spirit animal is the tortoise, and he jokes back that if his is the tortoise, hers is absolutely the hare.

Creative
As implied with his love of crafts and cosmetics, Khaz is a creative person. Crafting and cosmetics are the most visible outlet, as he might otherwise be the sort of person to doodle in the margins of his notebook. But not during class. He does not have that level of distractibility in class. Outside is a different story. If he can't do things the way he ideally wants to do them, he'll try to look for an alternative method. One example is his swim bag; while rhinestones are more sparkly than sequins, the best method for attaching rhinestones is with some form of glue, and glue doesn't necessarily play nice with water. So he added sequins instead, securing his desired glitz with water-resistant threads. One day, he'd like to create his own line of cosmetics, he just doesn't have the courage to admit it to anyone aside from his mother and sister. He'd love to one day experiment with cosmetics that won't be washed away while swimming, but he's aware that that may be too big a pipe dream. He's also reasonably good at improvising solutions due to that creativity--just because people are used to things being attached to the ground, doesn't mean they can't be rooted to a wall--or a ceiling. As long as it works, he's willing to kludge it together, or throw things at the wall and see what sticks. It's easier to plan ahead for unorthodox situations, but a truly skilled crafter/artist can fly by the seat of their pants, in Khaz's opinion!

Flaws: These are negative aspects about your character's personality that affect them on a daily basis, and are things your character could be disliked or criticized. These traits shouldn’t be too specific or only manifest in specific situations (such as ‘hates kids’), shouldn’t be based on fears (such as ‘afraid of the dark’), and shouldn’t be based on anything that manifests physically (such as ‘clumsy’). Phobias and illnesses (physical or mental) are not viable flaws. Flaws are things that are directly related to how your character behaves. Traits should be balanced, so all profiles need an equal number of Virtues and Flaws and should not contradict each other.

A Lively Marketplace Outside, A Lonely Citadel Inside
Khaz is a very sociable and caring person, he loves helping people be their best selves...but this isn't always true for himself. He will happily help friends get themselves ready to admit their feelings to their crush...but that doesn't mean he'll let down his own defenses very readily to try experiencing that level of closeness with another person, or rather, he's not ready to risk getting rejected by someone he's into. This is mostly down to insecurities about living in the closet and not living up to the person he thinks his father wants him to be. He has friends, particularly his cousin, and he dearly loves his family, he'll be open about some things with them, but there's a lot of things he hasn't felt ready to tell anyone other than his cousin about due to an anxiety that he'll be judged negatively for being who he really is, more so with friends than with his female relatives. It's not that he hates who he is on the outside; he rather likes that person, and wishes that the best parts of his outer and inner selves could just fuse seamlessly and fearlessly into one entity, which he doesn't see happening for a few years yet. That said, it's also about keeping the bullies from smelling blood in the water. A side effect of not opening all the way up to other people is that, combined with his hobbies, he can come across as a little superficial, like he's just wearing a mask; it can be easier to believe that he's a catty, judgy person when he's really not.

Mulish
Khaz may not put himself out there as much as one might expect from such an outwardly social person, but if there's something he really wants (or really doesn't want), he will slam on the breaks and start coming up with reasons to do things more in line with his comfort zone. This can be as simple as trying to persuade friends to not drag him to that shiny new burger joint (ewww), or refusing to go somewhere until he feels he's ready. This isn't to say that there's no persuading him to go to that shiny new burger joint, it's just that it'll take someone pointing out that they also serve salads, or that he can just get a drink. Negotiation and discussion from a reasonable perspective generally works...as long as you've got a good counterargument. But Khaz still won't be a happy camper, and may quietly sulk or otherwise express unhappiness every step of the way. So you may persuade him to go with to that shiny new burger joint on the promise of salads, but that doesn't mean he'll be enthusiastic about it. Unless...

People-Pleaser in the Closet
...You make it about how amazingly perfect their burgers are, and this may be your only chance to go, given schedules and allowances etc. Khaz may be a stubborn a**, but he still cares very much about making others happy. And if he knows going to that shiny new burger joint that turns out to have very unhealthy salads is going to make others happy, he'll suck it up and make like he's enjoying the expedition, too. Even if he hates every minute of it. Because the idea of making those he cares about/respects unhappy can be very distressing to him. Worse, if he thinks admitting things about his true self will cause a rift between himself and someone else, he'll try to hide the truth. This is particularly true as regards his relationship with his father. Asking to go to Azure Valley Academy, which would land him slightly closer to his goal than something like Romano's (potentially his father's choice), or Meadowview High (his actual first choice for the chance to fully express his dreams), took a great deal of courage, and the encouragement of his mother. His father isn't actually very disappointed in Khaz, and would probably be proud of Khaz as long as Khaz is happy, healthy, and successful (though probably weirded out in the extreme by the cosmetics, the gender identity, and the risk of getting an unexpected son-in-law attached to his baby boy), but the idea that his father would reject him does cause enough anxiety that Khaz is passing off his interest in cosmetics and perfumes as an interest in the less outwardly effeminate chemistry.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Large and bright, seafoam green (see his senshi)

Hair: Black, usually styled up in a faded pompadour, classy, but not in the way, and able to fit under the swim cap with a bit of light styling afterward

Face: More rectangular face, with neatly trimmed black facial hair (see his senshi)

Skin Tone: On the lighter side of olive (see his senshi)

Body Type: Long-limbed, slim, but muscular, as might be expected of a swimmer

Clothes: Casual, but elegant, usually in natural fibers (linen is the best fabric in the history of ever when it comes to summer, wool is a gift in winter). Shirts tend to be button-down affairs, almost never buttoned all the way up, with 3/4 length sleeves (or cuffs rolled neatly up to mid forearm); just as likely to wear designer jeans as fairly casual slacks, sometimes worn to about floor length; any time he can get away with sandals or flip-flops, he'll spring for sandals or flip-flops, albeit usually delicately beaded and embroidered. Any coats and scarves will be worn with a bit of a drape-y vibe to them. He's by no means a sloppy dresser, just casual and breezy, like he just walked off a fancy Caribbean beach. Colors are more often keyed to the seasons, but usually in more muted or earthy tones. It's not that he doesn't like the stronger jewel or neon tones, it's just that he doesn't prefer to wear them in his fabric choices.

Family

Mother
Thuraya (36) is Khaz's mother, the primary parent present in the household on a daily basis, and a loving mother to her children and the family cat. She loves her husband dearly, too, but is aware that his anxieties about not getting looked down on by his elder brothers pushes him to not be the best father to their children. Since he's not the best dad he can be, she endeavors to be the best mom she can be, keeping a weather eye out for her children's needs, doing her best to support them. Unlike her husband, Thuraya was born and raised in the US, the elder of two daughters (no brothers), and tends to be more liberal-minded. While the Khalid family is noticeably more...traditional...as Muslim families go, her husband knows full well the woman he married was getting her degree in library studies and education, and was only putting any permutation of her career on hold for him. They worked out a compromise between his family's expectations and her desires to stay active and be able to have enough resources to care for their children if something happened to his income, where it's fine for her to be a part-time librarian and substitute teacher at the elementary school, it just has to stay part-time, and she has to dress modestly. Upon realizing Khaz didn't really associate with either gender, and was starting to moon over people regardless of gender, she started to work on getting herself educated on what Khaz's needs would be going forward, and thought it was absolutely adorable when Khaz wanted to play dress up with Mommy when he was little. Yasmeen has not interrupted the mother-son bonding experience; rather, her presence has added more laughter and fun to the games and crafting sessions that Thuraya and Khaz already had going.

Little Sister
Yasmeen is Khaz's 8-year-old little sister, and the little princess of the family. Not spoiled by any metric, but well-beloved, with a mother and older brother who both want her to know that just because Daddy isn't around a lot, and can be a little standoffish and strict, doesn't mean she isn't worthy of love. Yasmeen loves cute, pretty, and fluffy things, and loves doing craft projects. Hanging out with Yasmeen and making nice things for her has been Khaz's excuse to be his true self for the past few years, as he's come to accept his own hobbies as part of who he is. This bond has shaped him, helped keep him more steady than he might otherwise be, and helped him stay positive. Even when having a bratty moment, she's usually pretty quick to apologize, once she realizes that what she did wasn't okay.

Father
Faruq (38 ) is Khaz and Yasmeen's mostly absentee father, as business keeps him away from home most of the time. Unlike Thuraya, Faruq grew up in Lebanon, to a somewhat conservative family, as the youngest of three sons, and often overlooked, unless they wanted him to do something that would make his older brothers look good. He met Thuraya while studying abroad for university, fell in love, and married her, despite the objections of his family. Not wanting to subject his wife and any children to undue pressures from his side of the family, he chose to join his older brothers in the family business, but buy a house for himself and his wife in her hometown. Unfortunately, quite possibly out of a bit of entitlement and bitterness at the actions of their baby brother, they keep Faruq pretty busy on business trips out of town, and have been a bit judgmental of Thuraya and the children. Sure, he heads the branch office for their business in Destiny City, but their tendency to send him far afield has been hard on everyone. Faruq loves his children and wife very dearly, but familial stress has sometimes caused him to appear cold, distant, and strict with his children, something he deeply regrets. He also tries to bring them home nice things every time he can make it home, from stuffed animals to cultural knickknacks to the family cat. Thuraya understands why he's doing what he's doing, but there's only so much that she's been able to do so far to soften the effects of his absences on their children and their marriage. Despite his side of the family being devout Sunni Muslims, he's found it difficult to act as expected, and has grown more religiously tolerant than expected, something that might surprise his children to know, as Thuraya has not been raising a pair of super devout Muslim children, and Faruq's brothers have made no bones about their own levels of devotion.

Cat
Neith, the family cat, is an Arabian Mau, black, with striking peridot-green eyes. She was brought home a couple years ago as a kitten, a gift from Faruq to the children. A quiet presence in the Khalid family home, she's pretty sensitive to Khaz and Yasmeen, and always seems to be there when they need her most. They love her very, very much, and she seems to return the affection. A lot of her toys have been made by Thuraya, with Yasmeen helping out where she can, and Yasmeen plays with Neith a lot, so she has some sense of what Neith likes the most.

Aunt
Shams Lyons (38 ) is Thuraya's older sister, and a professional pianist, specializing in jazz. She loves cats, spicy food, her husband (Tyriq Jamar Lyons), her daughter (Keisha Lyons), her sister, her niece and nephew, and cats. Very family-oriented, but very earthy and kind. Shams suspects that Khaz is living in the closet as regards gender, sexuality, or both, and tries to leave the door open for Khaz whenever he's having a stressful time. She also loves a light bit of gardening, and has been helping Khaz with his botany classes whenever he's had difficulty. A visit to Aunt Shams is likely to result in homemade tea, a shoulder to cry on, and a request to help with yard work. Khaz isn't crazy about the yard work, but it seems a small price to pay for tea and sympathy with his aunt.

Uncle
Tyriq Jamar Lyons (40) is Shams' husband, and a kindly, hardworking figure who runs a stained glass shop in town, who met Shams while she was at an event in New Orleans, his hometown. With help, he made Shams a sunroom in which to keep her more delicate plants in the winter, and play her piano in a sunny spot all year long. He absolutely adores his wife and daughter, loves his wife's piano, loves jazz and cooking (especially jambalaya), and is just as happy to let his sister-in-law and her kids hang out, though, in many regards, he's pretty busy with his work. Knowing how Shams and Keisha feel about cats, he brought home a pair of Van kittens around the same time Faruq brought home Neith. Because of how busy he is, while he's been more present for Shams and Keisha than Faruq has been for Thuraya and the kids, he hasn't bonded as much with Thuraya and her kids, though he tries to set a place for them for a big family dinner once a week. When Faruq is home, he sets a place for Faruq, too, and is sometimes the shoulder Faruq cries into when he feels crushed between his desires to be a good husband and father, and the deep-seated anxieties his family has instilled in him. Tyriq is probably the most vocal in gently reminding his niece and nephew to give Faruq a chance to try to be a better parent.

Cousin
Keisha Lyons (16) is Khaz's shy and quiet older cousin, and, sometimes, his absolute best friend, given how closely they were raised together. Also the only one who knows for sure what Khaz's dreams are, and what his gender/orientation are; in return, he's the person she perhaps feels most comfortable expressing herself around, happy to be an excuse to go to a craft store, happy to be the one to mess with him in the pool. While she doesn't do cosmetics or perfume, she loves swimming and crafting, too, albeit preferring mosaics. The Lyons can't afford a pool the same way the Khalids can, but Keisha's always welcome at the Khalids to swim with her cousins, and this opportunity has allowed her to make the swim team at her own high school. She's also big on cooking and piano and cats. While she doesn't have the courage to go out in public with Khaz's more dramatic makeups for her, she'll still happily be his test dummy, as long as he's her taste-tester in the kitchen. In some ways, he envies her a little, as Keisha isn't as limited in what she wants to be when she grows up, but the fact that Keisha's as supportive of Khaz's dreams as she is makes up for that. She's joked that, whenever she gets up the guts to go to a school dance, he has to do her makeup for her, and the same for Yasmeen, when she's old enough, and that he really has to do their makeup at all the special points in their lives. He's told her she has to go do something that gets her famous, so she can shamelessly show off his products and his workmanship. She swears that, one of these summers, she's going to get her aunt and uncle to drain the pool so she can go in with Tyriq and retile the pool in fancy mosaics.