Survival Of The Fittest

Aloha! Here's my V8 cast, now about 85% concrete! Their core personalities are there, and the only thing truly subject to change is their hobbies/extracurriculars. A fourth concept might come out of the aether at some point (esp if someone wants to plan something), but don't count on it.

EDIT: Oh, look at that! A fourth concept! She's still in the planning stages, but she's fleshed out enough that I can throw her onto here.

Anthony Rafael Halili (you can call him Raf but he INSISTS on writing his full first name on everything) is the elder of two children born to an upper-middle class Filipino-American family. He's straight-A student who's involved in a slew of extracurricular activities, including Model UN and playing basketball. Between him and his sister, Raf is very obviously the favorite child, and he's been riding that high his entire life. He has a competitive streak and a mild superiority complex, with a tendency to make snap judgements about other people. He likes to think that he can still get along with people he dislikes, but is belied by his passive-aggressiveness. He picked on other kids a lot back in elementary/middle school, but now he's mature enough to keep all his nasty comments to himself (and his friends). Raf likes to be playfully mean with his friends, and is usually unaware he's taken it too far unless someone else tells him. He's fluent in English and Filipino, and discovered a knack for picking more up in middle school French class. He's also been teaching himself Japanese, partially because he wanted to challenge himself by learning the writing systems and partially because he likes anime. He absolutely hates being associated with weeaboos though. Raf is also, unfortunately, a hypebeast, and is big on collecting sneakers. Plans on going to the Philippines for college. Proobably a neoliberal.

Looking For...

• Basketball/Model UN teammates
• Other assorted people he'd be friendly with, most likely kids who are also taking upper-level classes
• People he's rubbed the wrong way and/or picked on the past
• (Ex-)Girlfriend(s)???

[+] Relationships

• Chloé Delacroix (midnight_twelve) - ex-girlfriend
• Adelaide Halili (Emprexx Plush) - cousin, Platoonmate
• Dom del Rosario (Fenris) - Platoonmate - "Sucks to see him like this..."
• Matthew Bell (Applesintime) - friend - "おはようマシュー！"
• Lúcio Oliveira (VoltTurtle) -friend - "BODY IMPROVEMENT BAYBEEEE "
• Ara Canlas (LeslieFranc) - Platoonmate - "Man, we used to fucking go at each other."
• Bethany Lyon (Dr Adjective) - friend
• Darryl Smith Jr. (Deamon) - friend
• Brook Peterson (Super Weegee) - friend - "Cool guy, weird fucking hobbies."
• Jimmy Benway (Emprexx Plush) - friend
• Cedar Dalisay (Cicada) - Platoonmate - " When you spend enough time with someone, you're bound to like them at least a little bit."
• Fred Hobbes (midnight_twelve) - basketball teammate
• Matt Bittlesgate (Kotorikun) - friendly
• Ash Graves (Cicada) - (purported) friend - "She's cool as hell, man."
• Ren Vu (Zetsu) - Platoonmate
• Clara Moore (Emprexx Plush) - friendly - "Ew ew ew a fucking Pr*testant..."
• Donovan Lauer (Dog231) - basketball teammate, friendly rival - "And who could forget dear rat boy?"
• Teddie Boyd (Slam) - acquaintance - "Fucked up that Johnny's only got one ball."
• Spuds Bullock (Slam) - unfriendly acquaintance - "I don't know what her fucking problem is."
• Hayleigh Lupo (Emprexx Plush) - unfriendly acquaintance
• Natasha White (VoltTurtle) - dislikes - "Something something 'only good in theory.'"
• Althea Drummond (Kotorikun) - dislikes - "What the actual fuck?"
• Katelyn Graves (VoltTurtle) - dislikes - "How the hell is she still like this?"
• Abhishek Panicker (Dogs231) - Model UN teammate, generally unpleasant - ":)"
• Ren (Yonagoda) - bullied in middle school - "Who?"

Jordan Toribio is the youngest child of a Mexican-American family. They’re that kid who you see in class everyday but you’ve never heard speak. They were picked on for being a sensitive crybaby in elementary/middle school and has spent all of high school trying to draw as little attention to themself as possible. They ended up spending a lot of time online, and ended up with a close-knit group of online friends they actually feel comfortable enough to be outgoing and chatty around. They also have a boyfriend (that lives five states away). Jordan’s been a furry since they were 13, and developing a fursona helped boost their self-esteem a lot. They’re a proficient artist and makes some money on the side through online commissions. DMAB but has been exploring their gender identity recently. Jordan by he/they pronouns but isn't out about it IRL cause why would you go through the hassle of coming out to people you've never spoken to and probably never will after you graduate? Democratic socialist.

Looking For...

• Honestly? Not much
• Jordan isn't very sociable, so I doubt they'd have any *close* friends
• You could know them? Or possibly picked on them back in middle school or something

[+] Relationships

• Cedar Dalisay (Cicada) - friend - "I should get around to commissioning her sometime."
• Lúcio Oliveira (VoltTurtle) -friendly - "He's nice..."
• Chloé Delacroix (midnight_twelve) - likes from afar
• Teddie Boyd (Slam) - acquaintance
• Brook Peterson (Super Weegee) - past bully - "Oh, not that guy."
• Bethany Lyon (Dr Adjective) - past bully

Kiana Coleman is the only child of an ex-Catholic African-American couple. She grew up going to Catholic schools, but a crisis of faith on her parents' part caused them to put her into public school and eliminate religion from their life entirely around 5th grade. This, combined with the shock of adjusting to the environment of public school, made middle school a reeeally tough time for her. Thankfully, though, Kiana made it out in one piece. She came into high school with very lofty expectations staged by Disney Channel Original Movies, and while it's treated her well so far, it's far from what she wanted to get out of it. As of late she's adopted a "fake it till you make it" attitude, putting on an air of confidence and social charisma that's drastically different from her usual withdrawn demeanor. She’s been in the drama club since she was a freshman, but she’s never gotten the skills/courage to be anything more than part of the ensemble. Probably-definitely active on TikTok, filming countless monologues in front of her bathroom mirror. She's also an amateur photographer, though she's only ever worked with her phone camera before. Might be on yearbook? Kiana isn't religious anymore, but she's definitely spiritual—she developed an interest in the occult in high school, and it's filled that Catholic-shaped hole in her heart well enough. Despite all this, though, she still can't shake her intense fear of death. Politically progressive, though she could very easily be pushed further left.

Looking For...

• Other drama/yearbook kids
• Other kids who are into the occult
• More popular/outgoing/sporty girls she can orbit (and maybe crush on?)

[+] Relationships

• Ara Canlas (LeslieFranc) - drama club friend
• Ash Graves (Cicada) - friendly crush - "She's nice!"
• Evie McKwon (Dr Adjective) - friendly acquaintane
• Spuds Bullock (Slam) - friendly acquaintance - ""
• Chloé Delacroix (midnight_twelve) - friendly acquaintance
• Adelaide Halili (Emprexx Plush) - friend
• Gwen Rodriguez (Fenris) - friend - "She's sooo pretty..."
• Natasha White (VoltTurtle) -friend - "Natasha's super nice! And she makes some points, too."
• Betty (Yonagoda) - orbiting friend
• Alec Lewis (LeslieFranc) - friendly
• Salem Fox (Cicada) - friendly - "I like us better as TikTok mutuals."
• Lúcio Oliveira (VoltTurtle) -friendly
• Teddie Boyd (Slam) - friendly acquaintance - "He's always been easy to talk to!"
• Matt Bittlesgate (Kotorikun) - follows on tiktok - "Those ducks are adooorable!"
• Matthew Bell (Applesintime) - acquaintance
• Dom del Rosario (Fenris) - acquaintance
• Eunice St. Claire (LeslieFranc) - acquaintance - "I'm...not entirely sure why she follows me."
• Clara Moore (Emprexx Plush) - dislike - "(:"

Mariel Rivera is a young girl of mixed Vietnamese and Puerto Rican descent. She was an active, outdoorsy child, and aspired to be a professional athlete (in part because she was named after a gold medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics). She was a competitive swimmer in her youth, but she couldn't keep up with her competitors, and she dropped it sometime in middle school. Outside of this, she was an average student without any other notable skills or passions, and she came into high school unsure of what to do in life. This is when JEM's JROTC program piqued her interest (possibly bc of a relative's military service), and she decided to join. Mariel excels in the program, and is still debating on whether or not she'll enlist or go onto an ROTC program in college. While not popular, Mariel is well-liked due to her cheery, laid-back personality. She was something of a class clown growing up, and likes to think she's still pretty funny. Mariel also enjoys paintball, caring for her pet snake, and extolling the musical genius of 100 gecs.

Looking For...

• JROTC/cross country kids!
• People who would vibe with her sense of humor
• People who think she's a liiittle obnoxious

[+] Relationships

• Hayleigh Lupo (Emprexx Plush) - friend
• Maddie Taylor (midnight_twelve) - friend - "I Need Help Immediately is an acquired taste."
• Alice (Zetsu) - cross country teammate
• Alec Lewis (LeslieFranc) - friendly
• Brook Peterson (Super Weegee) - cross country teammate - "I'm not one to trash talk teammates."
• Eunice St. Claire (LeslieFranc) - acquaintance - "Eunice from swim team! I'd never forget a name like that."
• Bethany Lyon (Dr Adjective) - acquaintance

Raf:

Donovan enjoys basketball despite being fairly short, so it's conceivable that the two of them may have played together, and they've both got competitiveness to them. Maybe they'd either get along or dislike each other.

Abhishek is someone who would likely participate in Model UN, though their relationship is most likely a negative one due to Abhi's generally abrasive behavior and tendency to strawman people.

Anthony: Put Ren down as a former bullying victim.

Kiana: Betty is a popular girl that she can orbit who’s also associated with other popular girls (; but that’s kind of it I think

Dogs231 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 2:53 am Raf:

Donovan enjoys basketball despite being fairly short, so it's conceivable that the two of them may have played together, and they've both got competitiveness to them. Maybe they'd either get along or dislike each other.

Abhishek is someone who would likely participate in Model UN, though their relationship is most likely a negative one due to Abhi's generally abrasive behavior and tendency to strawman people.

I can see Donovan and Raf kind of getting along, with like a friendly rivalry that Raf sometimes veers into casual antagonism. Ultimately though Raf's thoughts on him can probably be summed up like this.

Also Raf and Abhishek would beef on SIGHT. I honestly forget exactly where Abhi falls politically but I've just now decided that Raf's a neoliberal type so they'd definitely get each other regardless. Raf thinks he can tolerate Abhi whenever they do club stuff but his disdain reeally shows.

Yonagoda wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 4:27 am Anthony: Put Ren down as a former bullying victim.

Kiana: Betty is a popular girl that she can orbit who’s also associated with other popular girls (; but that’s kind of it I think

These both seem good! Raf probably doesn't Think about Ren all that much nowadays though. And I didn't write this down, but one of Kiana's potential hobbies is diy fashion/jewelry (like tie-dye and screenprinting and that sort of thing) so if she needs someone to help Kiana's her gal

Also Raf and Abhishek would beef on SIGHT. I honestly forget exactly where Abhi falls politically but I've just now decided that Raf's a neoliberal type so they'd definitely get each other regardless. Raf thinks he can tolerate Abhi whenever they do club stuff but his disdain reeally shows.

Abhi falls on the left end on the political spectrum, though it's difficult for people to actually place him due to his tendency to wrap his beliefs in multiple layers of ironic horribleness. He's very much not a fan of neoliberals, though.

Overall, I think them disliking each other really works. Abhi probably thinks it's funny to make Raf annoyed.

For Anthony, I imagine him and Matthew might be friends? Seeing as he's trying to learn Japanese and Matthew is fluent in it, perhaps from time to time they talk in Japanese to each other to help him practice?

I can't really think of anything for Jordan.

Kiana and Matthew probably know each other offhandedly with her put-on social charisma, but I'd imagine they're not too close? Just general acquaintances.

Applesintime wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 2:24 pm For Anthony, I imagine him and Matthew might be friends? Seeing as he's trying to learn Japanese and Matthew is fluent in it, perhaps from time to time they talk in Japanese to each other to help him practice?

I can't really think of anything for Jordan.

Kiana and Matthew probably know each other offhandedly with her put-on social charisma, but I'd imagine they're not too close? Just general acquaintances.

Oh Raf would love a conversational partner! I can see him and Matthew going waay back too—they probably fell into the same sporty crowd in elementary/middle school and were also the kind to bully other kids together. Their only point of contention would proobably be political, since Raf is center-left but doesn't particularly detest Republicans.

I can also see the extent of Kiana and Matthew's relationship just being that Kiana started going to parties at his house. Maaybe Matthew flirted with her once, but she got kind of uncomfortable with it and nothing's happened beyond that.

Teddie would probably know Raf through being the mascot at basketball games, but I’m not sure if the two would get along. Teddie can be pretty full-on at times and that might rub Raf’s judgemental ways the wrong way.

Teddie shares Jordan’s interest in art, and both swing the way of the gay, but I think if they did know each other it would be by chance.

I can imagine Teddie being friends with Kiana just because she seems like a cool and interesting gal, but their interests don’t really line up so up to you on whether they’d have crossed paths.


Spuds is probably in the same high-level class as Raf and is also an athlete, but his smug attitude would probably piss her off rather than endear her.

If Spuds did interact with Jordan it’d probably be to tell him to have more confidence in himself, but I don’t think she’d go out of her way to boost his outgoingness.

Again Spuds interests don’t really line up with Kiana’s, but she’d probably be chill with her since she seems easy to get along with.

Slam wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:54 pm Teddie would probably know Raf through being the mascot at basketball games, but I’m not sure if the two would get along. Teddie can be pretty full-on at times and that might rub Raf’s judgemental ways the wrong way.

Teddie shares Jordan’s interest in art, and both swing the way of the gay, but I think if they did know each other it would be by chance.

I can imagine Teddie being friends with Tiana just because she seems like a cool and interesting gal, but their interests don’t really line up so up to you on whether they’d have crossed paths.


Spuds is probably in the same high-level class as Raf and is also an athlete, but his smug attitude would probably piss her off rather than endear her.

If Spuds did interact with Jordan it’d probably be to tell him to have more confidence in himself, but I don’t think she’d go out of her way to boost his outgoingness.

Again Spuds interests don’t really line up with Kiana’s, but she’d probably be chill with her since she seems easy to get along with.

You hit the nail on the head with Raf and Teddie there! He'd think he's kiiind of annoying, and does a poor job of hiding it whenever they talk. Aside from the whole mascot thing, Raf knows him as the One-Ball Wonder or whatever mean nickname arose from the shower incident. Same with Teddie and Jordan—I don't think I wrote it down here but Jordan's also an aspiring animator, plans on going to a local college for it. They miight know each other, cause I'm still debating on whether or not to make Jordan more sociable or not. Honestly I think he'd vibe with Kiana the most, and she probably likes him because he's just so easy to talk to compared to almost everyone else at school. But yeah, I doubt they'd talk much outside of class or whenever they happen to meet each other.

Spuds would be one of the few people Raf wouldn't have anything bad to say about—though she def has reason to hate him. I dunno if she's one to hold people to their pasts cause Raf was kiind of a bully back in middle school, but he's settled down now, but I can still see there being bad blood. While Spuds and Jordan probably wouldn't interact, I can see her and Kiana getting along well. Kiana miight also have an unrequited crush on her too? We'll see.

more like boston Pee party

[+] responses to your ideas here

Raf’s on the basketball team, so he definitely knows Ash from the department. I feel like they’d possibly have a rough history, sine they both seemed to have very combative personalities. Nowadays though Raf probabbly thinks she’s cool, esp bc of all the things she’s done for the athletics.

Okay, so this one seems interesting to me. Ash does know how to read the room and back off when there's another dominant personality that it might be troublesome to deal with, which is what Raf sounds like. She probably does not like him much. He actively made Kitty's life harder, and while Ash was very far away from being the best older sister she still is fundamentally defensive of the littler Graves and will still remember Raf's actions to this day. Ash can probably tolerate his egotism, especially if Raf isn't the captain of the basketball team (thus she doesn't have to directly coordinate with him specifically) and on the surface she can take a few meanspirited jokes in good faith. But she probably shit talks his passive-aggressive BS behind his back to anyone who's sympathetic. Even and especially on his own team (and body improvement club maybe), because I figure at some point some of the other basketball kids might also not be too fond of him.

Also, Raf is a member of the Platoon so we need to talk about Cedar. She probably also does not like him the most since she's very sensitive to the plight of the bullied and probably didn't look too kindly on him back in their younger years. He on his part probably finds she's kind of a target with her weebishness and her left-leaning politics, but she's also a respectable academic achiever. Maybe since they've share a common friend group for a while he might feel more comfortable being a bit more of an asshole @ her specifically in his version of good 'clean' fun. She probably has some sympathy for him because she tries to see the good in everyone, etc, but of the people in the Platoon he's probably one of the few closer to 'I tolerate him' than 'I actually like him'.

Kiana and Salem have probably ran into each other at parties before! If they’ve flirted before she probably got a little overwhelmed/uncomfortable and things didn’t go anywhere beyond that. She’d think he’s nice otherwise, and I think they’d be friendly with each other.

Checks out to me, yeah. He'll follow her TikTok and chat post-flirt without trying that stunt again.

I could also offer Ash as a possible 'admire the cool well-put together athlete' girl. I put Ash in yearbook as someone doing admin-y work and helping to fundraise, so they'd be around each other often enough. Ash might vaguely recall how Kiana used to be more withdrawn and respect that she's seemingly blossomed as of late. And Ash is known to be bi and to have had girlfriends before Salem, so possible crush target as well.

Also, I do think Cedar and Jordan might have connected through with them both being perpetually online artists. Twitter algo managing to recommend them to each other through unconsciously connecting them geographically or such. She'd be the sort to get it if he preferred to keep their correspondence fully online and not push him to make their friendship exist in meatspace. Probably checks on him regularly, helps give him things to do in school with her regular messaging, meming, project ideas, so on. She's not a furry artist by trade but I figure if they're connected she probably made a fursona on his behalf at some point.

I'll (try to) remember to return when Mariel's ready for relationship plotting!

Cicada wrote: ↑Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:38 pm more like boston Pee party

[+] responses to your ideas here

Raf’s on the basketball team, so he definitely knows Ash from the department. I feel like they’d possibly have a rough history, sine they both seemed to have very combative personalities. Nowadays though Raf probabbly thinks she’s cool, esp bc of all the things she’s done for the athletics.

Okay, so this one seems interesting to me. Ash does know how to read the room and back off when there's another dominant personality that it might be troublesome to deal with, which is what Raf sounds like. She probably does not like him much. He actively made Kitty's life harder, and while Ash was very far away from being the best older sister she still is fundamentally defensive of the littler Graves and will still remember Raf's actions to this day. Ash can probably tolerate his egotism, especially if Raf isn't the captain of the basketball team (thus she doesn't have to directly coordinate with him specifically) and on the surface she can take a few meanspirited jokes in good faith. But she probably shit talks his passive-aggressive BS behind his back to anyone who's sympathetic. Even and especially on his own team (and body improvement club maybe), because I figure at some point some of the other basketball kids might also not be too fond of him.

Also, Raf is a member of the Platoon so we need to talk about Cedar. She probably also does not like him the most since she's very sensitive to the plight of the bullied and probably didn't look too kindly on him back in their younger years. He on his part probably finds she's kind of a target with her weebishness and her left-leaning politics, but she's also a respectable academic achiever. Maybe since they've share a common friend group for a while he might feel more comfortable being a bit more of an asshole @ her specifically in his version of good 'clean' fun. She probably has some sympathy for him because she tries to see the good in everyone, etc, but of the people in the Platoon he's probably one of the few closer to 'I tolerate him' than 'I actually like him'.

Kiana and Salem have probably ran into each other at parties before! If they’ve flirted before she probably got a little overwhelmed/uncomfortable and things didn’t go anywhere beyond that. She’d think he’s nice otherwise, and I think they’d be friendly with each other.

Checks out to me, yeah. He'll follow her TikTok and chat post-flirt without trying that stunt again.

I could also offer Ash as a possible 'admire the cool well-put together athlete' girl. I put Ash in yearbook as someone doing admin-y work and helping to fundraise, so they'd be around each other often enough. Ash might vaguely recall how Kiana used to be more withdrawn and respect that she's seemingly blossomed as of late. And Ash is known to be bi and to have had girlfriends before Salem, so possible crush target as well.

Also, I do think Cedar and Jordan might have connected through with them both being perpetually online artists. Twitter algo managing to recommend them to each other through unconsciously connecting them geographically or such. She'd be the sort to get it if he preferred to keep their correspondence fully online and not push him to make their friendship exist in meatspace. Probably checks on him regularly, helps give him things to do in school with her regular messaging, meming, project ideas, so on. She's not a furry artist by trade but I figure if they're connected she probably made a fursona on his behalf at some point.

I'll (try to) remember to return when Mariel's ready for relationship plotting!

AYOOOOO!!!!

I like the idea of Raf's relationship with Ash being somewhat one-sided—he tootally thinks they're cool.

As kids Raf probably didn't think much of Cedar cause she was quiet, but since they were probably forced to spend a lot of time together (if we're going w/ her adoptive dad being college friends w/ Raf's parents I'm sure that Raf and his sister were one of the first kids she was introduced to in the States) he's grown fond of her. Even nowadays Raf probably overlooks Cedar since she tends to be the quieter members of the Platoon, but he still likes her.

Kiana would've definitely been intimidated by Ash at first, but they'd gel surprisingly well in yearbook. The amount of cute girls in Kiana's orbit grows...

Jordan's kiind of a stretch since they carefully keep their furry stuff under wraps especially since they've been drawing some more risque stuff but I can def imagine them maintaining a more 'normal' art account to follow cool folks from school! Jordan would be friendly and totally fine with exclusively texting, but they wouldn't consider themselves particularly close to Cedar.

Anthony: Since Raf is friends with Matthew and Lucio, Brook's going to be on good terms with him, provided if Raf agrees/tolerates Brook's views on certain things. While they can get competitive with each other, I can see it being friendly in general.

Jordan: "Wait, who?"

Brook's definitely the type to pick on them for being a crybaby back in middle school. Nowadays, though? I think that he completely forgot about it. While it would be an acquaintance at best from Brook's perspective, I can see Jordan disliking/hating Brook for making fun of them.

Kiana: Outside of them maybe disliking each other due to a difference in politics/views, I don't think that Brook and Kiana would know each other all that much. Unless you have an idea, perhaps?

Mariel: Cherry? Laid-back? Cross country? Sense of humor? I can see Brook being on good terms with her, although he could find her slightly annoying on occasion. There could be some tension since they (could) have different definitions of funny, what with Brook making fun of people and all.

Raf
Ara: Alright, being in the Pinoy Platoon, both of them probably had to learn to tolerate each other. Ara probably really disliked him in the first few months or years they met, because she has been bullied before and doesn't take so-called friendly insults well, and she wouldn't have hidden it. I suppose in a group setting with the right atmosphere they could sometimes be civil and get along well enough, maybe sometimes Ara could even tease and joke around with him. But if Raf gets too comfortable and gets too mean again, Ara would retaliate viciously with no hesitation nor mercy. It'd probably be a fragile and tentative friendship(???) filled with tension and passive-aggressiveness, and anything better than that would have to be achieved by Raf having to be the one putting more effort there.

Kiana
Eunice: Watches her TikToks with her usual judgy attitude, and I imagine that's about it.
Alec: Alec also has a small photography hobby, so maybe he and Kiana could chat sometimes about that? He's a nice friendly dude who's planned to be easy to like, and he might be drawn to her confident and charismatic persona and so thought she was pretty cool.
Ara: Ara is also in the drama club, so she and Kiana should be familiar, probably even friendly. She's outgoing and sporty herself, so they probably hang out. Maybe a crush?

Mariel
Eunice: Okay, I was planning for Eunice a sport she used to partake in, so I was thinking they were in the same swim team around late elementary or early middle school? Maybe they weren't friends, but they could've had some more friendly interactions back then before Eunice also dropped the swimming thing and picked up an attitude. They probably don't talk much now in high school, but Eunice would remember her and probably resent that Mariel found something else to be passionate about unlike her. Definitely finds her obnoxious.
Alec: Alec's pretty chill, and could find her funny, so I imagine them to be pretty friendly with each other.

Super Weegee wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:19 am Anthony: Since Raf is friends with Matthew and Lucio, Brook's going to be on good terms with him, provided if Raf agrees/tolerates Brook's views on certain things. While they can get competitive with each other, I can see it being friendly in general.

Jordan: "Wait, who?"

Brook's definitely the type to pick on them for being a crybaby back in middle school. Nowadays, though? I think that he completely forgot about it. While it would be an acquaintance at best from Brook's perspective, I can see Jordan disliking/hating Brook for making fun of them.

Kiana: Outside of them maybe disliking each other due to a difference in politics/views, I don't think that Brook and Kiana would know each other all that much. Unless you have an idea, perhaps?

Mariel: Cherry? Laid-back? Cross country? Sense of humor? I can see Brook being on good terms with her, although he could find her slightly annoying on occasion. There could be some tension since they (could) have different definitions of funny, what with Brook making fun of people and all.

While Raf himself tends to lean center-left, he doesn't have an innate dislike of Republicans, so I can see him and Brook getting along. A side note, though, he'd think his whole SOTF fascination is weird as hell. Like he can't imagine why people would willingly watch that footage. Not that he'd say any of this to his face, at least.

Jordan's not the type to hold grudges suuuper hard but they'd def still have bad associations with Brook, and go out of their way to avoid them. And Yeah, I don't think Kiana and Brook would have any particular reason to know each other.

I'm unsure about Mariel, largely because I don't know exactly where she lands politically. I do know that she's an LGBT ally (if not queer herself, still undecided) and that she hates Canon, so there's a point of contention there. I don't think she'd treat him any differently, though, because hey, she's in JROTC so she's used to running in a primarily right-leaning crowd and probably is one of those people who want to reach across the aisle, so to speak. She also wouldn't be cool with the bullying thing, but Mariel isn't the confrontational type, so for all intents and purposes they get along. Probably something about team unity.

LeslieFranc wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:42 am Raf
Ara: Alright, being in the Pinoy Platoon, both of them probably had to learn to tolerate each other. Ara probably really disliked him in the first few months or years they met, because she has been bullied before and doesn't take so-called friendly insults well, and she wouldn't have hidden it. I suppose in a group setting with the right atmosphere they could sometimes be civil and get along well enough, maybe sometimes Ara could even tease and joke around with him. But if Raf gets too comfortable and gets too mean again, Ara would retaliate viciously with no hesitation nor mercy. It'd probably be a fragile and tentative friendship(???) filled with tension and passive-aggressiveness, and anything better than that would have to be achieved by Raf having to be the one putting more effort there.

Kiana
Eunice: Watches her TikToks with her usual judgy attitude, and I imagine that's about it.
Alec: Alec also has a small photography hobby, so maybe he and Kiana could chat sometimes about that? He's a nice friendly dude who's planned to be easy to like, and he might be drawn to her confident and charismatic persona and so thought she was pretty cool.
Ara: Ara is also in the drama club, so she and Kiana should be familiar, probably even friendly. She's outgoing and sporty herself, so they probably hang out. Maybe a crush?

Mariel
Eunice: Okay, I was planning for Eunice a sport she used to partake in, so I was thinking they were in the same swim team around late elementary or early middle school? Maybe they weren't friends, but they could've had some more friendly interactions back then before Eunice also dropped the swimming thing and picked up an attitude. They probably don't talk much now in high school, but Eunice would remember her and probably resent that Mariel found something else to be passionate about unlike her. Definitely finds her obnoxious.
Alec: Alec's pretty chill, and could find her funny, so I imagine them to be pretty friendly with each other.

And I think Raf could put in the effort—I'm prolly gonna try to rework him a bit so everyone in the Platoon doesn't hate him, lmao. In the process of mellowing out in high school, he's probably learned to be nicer to the other Platoon members, or at least knowing which ones can or can't take his usual brand of ribbing. Ara moved to the states like right before this, so I imagine that they were at each other's throats for like a year. Raf for his part probably genuinely likes her, though I don't blame Ara if she holds stuff against him.

Kiana would LOVE Alec, thinks he's a total sweetheart. Her persona's probably only going to come out in like pregame, so it'd be a more recent friendship. Kiana and Ara probably go back further, and definitely bonded in drama club. I can see them being close friends! And Kiana having a crush, too.

I hope this doesn't come off as mean but Mariel probably mostly remembers Eunice for her name, like who names their kid that in 2004? Outside of that she probably doesn't think much of her besides "Oh, swim club girl! She was cool." Alec and Mariel probably get along better, though I don't know if they'd be particularly close. I feel like they'd be almost friends at best?

Raf + Ren: They would know of Raf and probably interact with him quite a bit through pinoy squad. They have very little in common so things are probably awkward between them, though I doubt they'd be outright enemies. Being playfully mean to Ren would probably be pretty oof for them because their feelings are easily hurt, but they're not likely to say so outright, so they probably feel some kinda undercurrent of resentment towards him? They're also weeblite but not particularly vocal about it, so dunno if he'd refuse to associate with them because of that.

Mariel + Alice: I think I'm probably gonna put Alice into cross-country, so they can know each other through that. Alice appreciates a joker. She's not much for being humorous herself, really, so she'd be hard to play off of, but she likes the quality in others. Might let Mariel know this explicitly, or might just give off a vibe of "I Appreciate You," dunno which one I'd go for yet.