Naya Jennings, from Manhattan's Social Elite, a roleplay on RPG

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░◤◥

N A Y A
J E N N I N G S

☽ “When you settle for anything short of the best life God wants to offer you, then you have been tempted to remain safe and the accountability for not changing your life becomes your prison of regret.” ☾

Here || Alessia Cara /|\ Naked || Ella Mai

Fᴀᴄᴇ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ✦ Corie Rayvon
Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #C35817
Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #730800

◣◢

✦Fᴜʟʟ Nᴀᴍᴇ✦
"Ignoring everything that Auntie Gigi keeps saying, adding on Arnault when he technically is only my uncle simply because it could be beneficial socially is too weird for me and I know some pretty weird people."
Naomi Simone Jennings

✧Nɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇ✧
Naya - Most common; she prefers this to people calling her by her first name. She associates her first name to her being in trouble
Nomi - Common, but only in her family; something her "aunt" started and now Naya can't shake once she's with her family
Tutor Girl - Grudgingly accepted; a mockery of what she does at school for classmates, mostly sneered

✦Bɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ & Sᴛᴀʀ Sɪɢɴ✦
"Somebody would've had to fight me if I had to deal with fourth of July jokes if I wound up being born on that day like I was supposed to. Luckily, my ass wasn't ready to get out of the womb yet."
July 10th & Cancer

✧Aɢᴇ✧
16

✦Eᴛʜɴɪᴄɪᴛʏ✦
"For some reason, people really don't believe me when I tell them that I'm part Hawaiian until I show a picture of my great-great-grandmother. Like, not all of us who are Black in the United States are connected solely to some European colonizer and some unknown African country."
50% African American of Unknown African Descent || 25% English || 25% Hawaiian

✧Sᴇxᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ & Mᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs✧
"Contrary to the popular belief of a good number of my peers, not all of us virgins are, well, virgins because we're boring or because we're saving it for marriage. I know for a fact that I, for one, don't wanna give up the goods to someone who doesn't care. Call me a romantic, I don't care, but my first time needs to mean something and I better mean something to you. I'm not a notch on a bed post."
Heterosexual & Single

✦Rᴏʟᴇ✦
The Bookworm

✧Hᴇɪɢʜᴛ & Wᴇɪɢʜᴛ✧
"Let my Grams tell it and I got no meat on my bones. According to her, my cousin Leo shouldn't be able to still pick me up."
5'2 & 110 lbs

✦Lᴏᴏᴋs✦
Naya would be the first to tell people that she could never be chalked up to no great beauty or someone she believed could turn heads, but it would a bold-faced lie (and she would tell it, if she was in that sort of mood) to say that she wasn't very pretty. Because she is. While diminutive in stature, which is a point of contention at times for her, Naya is naturally slim with nicely proportioned curves that she claims aren't much to look at, but are far more notable than she gives herself credit for. She does admit that she has pretty nice legs for someone with her height. Naya's hair and skin are the two things she cares for most and it's most notable in their appearance. She has never needed much or any makeup to get by, and with her skincare regime on lock, she walks away with clear, supple skin of a light brown complexion. Her hair is naturally curly and most notably worn as such, a deep brown with subtle shades of gold interspersed here and there from the blonde phase she went through in middle school. In this state, Naya's hair - whose density is something she both abhors and adores - is a nice medium length, not too far past her collarbones but longer than shoulder length, but upon the off chance that she straightens, the perpetually soft locks fall just below her breasts, just barely grazing waist length. Combine those two favorite features of hers with almond shaped hazel eyes that appear more golden than either green or brown under most lights and rather full lips, and Naya's looks aren't something to talk down. It doesn't mean Naya won't try to anyway.

✧Sᴛʏʟᴇ✧
The most notable thing about Naya's wardrobe is that it is feminine. Even when she is wearing a pair of joggers and a matching hoodie with sneakers, at the end of the day, there won't be any denying that she is "girly" at heart. She isn't the type to get extremely excited about dressing up, though if the occasion called for it, she would. Naya is simple, even with her uniform. After all, as she would say, it wasn't made for everyone to look cute; it was made for uniformity. As long as it serves its purpose - aside from a slight customization because she's simple, but she's not sad with it - she doesn't need to make a fashion statement. She has too many peers willing to do so to add to that brand of thinking. It doesn't mean that she doesn't like looking and feeling cute; she's just not about to wear the flashiest things in her closet.

╔══════════════════════════╗
Tenacious ✦ Reserved ✧ Witty ✦ Sensitive ✧ Intelligent
Intuitive ✦ Altruistic ✧ Pessimistic ✦ Insecure ✧ Spontaneous
╚══════════════════════════╝
At a glance, it would be easy to label Naomi as a good girl. That’s kind of what she is. Not the type to bring much attention to herself, it is rare to attach Naya to negative feelings or judgments because she spends a majority of her time playing at unassuming and, to her chagrin, people-pleasing. While quiet, she has a kind heart and can be friendly, welcoming. A big part of this could be associated with the fact that Naya is rather shy on her own and is very much an introvert at heart. On the other hand, she also just doesn’t believe in putting on a show and pretending to be something that she is not. Naya has always been the notably home-bodied individual and the do-gooder. She doesn’t need to party every night until such a lifestyle is boring in her twenties. She doesn’t find getting into trouble at every turn and questioning every authority figure that moves entertaining nor worthy of the time she would spend participating in such actions. For those who don’t know her then, it would be easy to assume she’s just a stick-in-the-mud or a goody-two-shoes, but the truth of the matter is that those things just aren’t who Naya is and she doesn’t feel inclined to do them if she doesn’t want to.

At least, in that regard, one can note a bit of fire in her. After all, her occasional playful wit in her rebuttals to friends is only a glimmer of what’s beneath. Although Naya does not often give way to rebellious antics nor does she always say what’s on her mind, make no mistake that she can be both passionate and peaceful. She is a tidal force of perplexing emotion, and can be stubborn, compliant, furious, and docile, all in the same hour. At the end of the day, a lot of Naya’s personality comes from her environment. In a household where she’s always been looked to as the one who puts everyone else first and herself last, who doesn’t get to cause trouble or truly explore a mischievous side of herself, and who is always supposed to be the dependable one, Naya is never really as free as her seeming unbothered vibes will have one to think.. While it is great for her friends and loved ones that she is loyal, cares deeply for their well-beings, and wants to make people happy, Naya has yet to accept that all of that has come at a price. It means that she isn’t as much of a priority for herself as she should be. Where Naya would feel frustration or annoyance, she doesn’t always speak out on it or say what she feels until it boils over at random, more worried about their opinion of her than what would take a burden off her shoulders. Where Naya’s future should be hers to decide, it is heavily influenced by her family as - without much concern for her and what she might want - she is burdened with being their hope and pride in a better future.

Her inner fire does come out, though - just not always for her own defense. Naya has been likened to the mom friend, which means that if there is anybody who is going to benefit from Naya finally going off on a person, it’ll be those she cares for. She is protective of her loved ones and close friends, and will not hesitate to stand up for them and go toe-to-toe with someone she probably shouldn’t if she had to. Naya may not like confrontation and will shrink from attention on a regular, but best believe that she will forget about all of that in a heartbeat if she feels someone she cares about is being wronged. She doesn’t always think highly of herself and she can be rather sensitive to critique or negativity, but she tends to not unload all of her feelings on more than one person. She can be the person you go to for advice or just to vent to, but Naya doesn’t always see her problems and her tears as things she should burden others with. At least until she starts getting frustrated with being consistently seen as the innocent, meek little thing that her friends (and a lot of other people) see her as. Then Naya begins to act out, occasionally appearing erratic or a lot more spontaneous than people would give her credit for. With that, she’d randomly decide to go out for the night and drink when she normally would not, or simply snap, not recognizing that the only reason that she’s acting out is due to how much she continues to hold back - not just from everyone else, but from herself as well.

✦Lɪᴋᴇs✦
Old school R&B ✦ Reading ✧ Amusement Parks ✦ Fruity alcoholic drinks ✧ Cooking ✦ Romance and rom-coms ✧ Brioche French Toast ✦ Shea Shea Bakery products, especially the pecan pie scented body products ✧ Binge-watching her favorite shows such as Scandal, HTGAWM, GOT, Black-Ish, Supernatural, One Tree Hill, & The Good Doctor ✦ Going to the beach or anywhere where there is water that she can get in to ✧ Helping others ✦ Ella Mai, Kehlani, Sam Smith, SZA, Emelie Sande, Ruth B, Tinashe, & H. E. R ✧ Dirty Dancing, the original film ✦ Chai tea

✧Dɪsʟɪᴋᴇs✧
People messing with others ✦ Cheaters, liars, and players ✧ Getting drunk, since she has a pretty weak alcohol tolerance in comparison to the rest of her blood relatives ✦ Feeling like she's wearing too much makeup ✧ The pressure her family puts on her ✦ When shows or films have remakes ✧ Being called a 'prude' or being treated like she's just so damn innocent ✦ Confrontations ✧ Black coffee ✦ When she babbles ✧ Rejection and feeling unwanted ✦ Onions ✧ Her glasses

✦Qᴜɪʀᴋs: Oᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴇs: Hᴀbɪᴛs✦
Always smells like pecan pie, courtesy of her Shea Shea bakery products. ✦ Babbles when she's nervous. ✧ Naya never fails to crave chicken tenders and french fries. ✦ Absolutely hates when people pace and is prone to getting annoyed when they do so in her presence. Can't really explain why it irks her so much. ✧ Wears contacts on a regular, but does in fact own and need to wear glasses. ✦ Always keeps at least three scrunchies on her left wrist.

✧Tᴀʟᴇɴᴛs✧
Teaching: Because Naya has a pretty good practice with patience, combine that with the fact that most subjects aren't that difficult for her as long as she's able to read the material after a professor has lectured on it, Naya is pretty darn good at educating someone else on a subject. She doesn't get annoyed very often if she sees that a person is trying and she's excellent at discovering other ways to tackle the problem so that if one way is confusing, she has another formula to better use. Most of her teachers have no problem with volunteering her services in any subject, but she's notably astute at tutoring in mathematics, science, and history. ✦ Cooking: She's really good at and it's a notable passion, one that comes rather naturally. ✧ Advice: Despite probably not getting into as much as a good number of her friends and peers, Naya is someone virtually anyone can come to for advice of any kind, mostly because she tries to be unbiased. ✦ Can read a book in a day.

✦Fʟᴀᴡs✦
Can be too hard on herself and doesn't believe in herself as much as she believes in other people. ✦ Gives people way too many chances until they've hurt someone she cares about, not necessarily when they hurt her. ✧ Tendency to act out when she feels as though too many people are patronizing her or acting like she's some delicate little flower. ✦ Has a bad temper and while slow to anger, will explode on anyone who happens to be present. ✧ Cannot swim. One of her cousins threw her in the deep end when she was six at the beach, and while Naya does love being in water, she still fears not being able to feel the ground beneath her feet at will.

✧Sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs✧
One of the biggest secrets that Naomi herself does not know is that her favorite aunt, Grace, is not her aunt at all. Grace is her mother and their family has kept it from her all of her life. Not even her cousins her age or the younger ones know.

✦Fᴇᴀʀs✦
Disappointing her family ✦ Deep water & drowning ✧ Not being good enough to whoever she gives her heart to ✦ Living an unhappy life

✧Dʀᴇᴀᴍs✧
The family goal is for Naya to take over the family bakery and restaurant, and turn it into a more lavish catering company. Her grandfather had never been able to do it and considering the fact that Naya is the main grandchild who cooks and bakes on his level, it always seemed natural that she would go into business and possibly cooking school in order to achieve this family goal. Then they could start a chain and all that other stuff, and it's just always everyone trusting Naya to do what's good for everyone else. In reality, though, as much as she loves to cook and adored the idea when she was younger, it is not her dream. If you leave it up to her, Naya would gladly do some financing and accounts for the family if they decided to do it because one of her cousins is interested in the very path her grandfather has laid out for her, but she more-so wants to go into biochemistry and become a clinical biochemist, or even biomedical engineering. She's always been service-oriented and helping others, and she feels like she could really make a difference in that field, as nerdy as it is.

✦Hᴏᴍᴇ✦
8 East 62nd Street Manhattan, NY

✧Hɪsᴛᴏʀʏ✧
All family secrecy aside, Naomi had a pretty normal, but most of all, secure childhood. The only issue - one that Naya herself still doesn't know - was the fact that sixteen years ago, Grace - the youngest of five Jennings children - had an affair with one of her former professors. He was a well-respected man and Grace, being the most rebellious of her siblings, had been tempted. They had been messing around for close to two years despite her mother's continued advisement that she shouldn't. The affair ended when Grace found out that she was pregnant. With her lover no longer being amendable to the idea of finally leaving his wife and Grace herself not being able to sit with the idea of getting abortion, she had determined that she would give her child up for adoption. It became so much of a thing of contention within her family - of course, once again Grace would run from her problems instead of being an adult - that her parents and her twin brother, Christian, offered to care for the child instead of her having to just give her away. It didn't sit well with anyone to have a baby with their blood just in the system somewhere. So, once Naomi was born, Christian allowed Grace to name her and then he became the baby's father, concocting this story that one of the girls he had messed with (because he had a history) gave him the options of either giving the child away or taking her, and he took her. And Grace became Gigi, the notably highly favored aunt who always came bearing gifts and stealing Naya away for a day.

Other than that, in terms of having a loving household, Naya had that. Because Christian - much his older sister and older brother, Diane and Keith respectively - was in the army, when he would be away, Naya was never alone because they lived in the same home as her grandparents. She cooked meals with her grandfather, read and did crossword puzzles with her grandmother, and routinely babysat her younger cousins as Naya is the third oldest of ten grand-kids. Naya would say that she favored Long Island greatly in comparison to the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, but she liked the visits with Gigi whenever she came home or decided that she was going to kidnap Naya. It wasn't until her seventh grade year when things changed. Christian, while on leave, was in a fatal car accident with a childhood friend and Naya was without a guardian. Add that to the fact that, as another family secret, her grandmother started getting sick, and Grace was asked to step up. Naya had always been bright and they had started applying for her to go to private schools, and one of the most interesting acceptances had been to Constance. Grace was working in art and was doing very well for herself, so when Naya needed to be somewhere where she wouldn't have to travel too far to get to school, she began living with Grace. It worked out seeing how Naya was the one who cooked better and kept the place up, and Grace made sure to be there when needed. It's still a bit of an adjustment, especially since Grace was married this summer past, but Naya at least finally feels challenged and the two have each other. Naya is a part of the National Honor Society, a frequent recommended tutor, and she has one of the highest grade point averages in her class. She just misses her real home from time to time while simultaneously wishing those in her real home would stop acting like she's the only grandchild destined for something.