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A A L I Y A H XS H A N K S
☽ "She wears strength and darkness equally well,
the girl has always been half goddess, half hell." ☾
Bad Things || Meiko /|\ Control || Halsey /|\ Blackbird || Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Fᴀᴄᴇ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ✦ Aja Naomi King
Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #C8A2C8
Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #785278
☽ "She wears strength and darkness equally well,
the girl has always been half goddess, half hell." ☾
Bad Things || Meiko /|\ Control || Halsey /|\ Blackbird || Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Fᴀᴄᴇ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ✦ Aja Naomi King
Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #C8A2C8
Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #785278
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X
X
✦Fᴜʟʟ Nᴀᴍᴇ✦
Aaliyah Siobhan Shanks-Moreau
✧Nɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇ✧
Leah or Ally {Most common; preferred} || Ally Cat {Common; only by siblings; hated} || Miss Moreau {Absolutely hates}
✦Bɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ & Zᴏᴅɪᴀᴄ✦
November 6th & ♏
✧Aɢᴇ✧
26
✦Gᴇɴᴅᴇʀ✦
Female
✧Sᴇxᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ & Mᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs✧
Heterosexual & Engaged
X
✦Fᴜʟʟ Nᴀᴍᴇ✦
Aaliyah Siobhan Shanks-Moreau
✧Nɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇ✧
Leah or Ally {Most common; preferred} || Ally Cat {Common; only by siblings; hated} || Miss Moreau {Absolutely hates}
✦Bɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ & Zᴏᴅɪᴀᴄ✦
November 6th & ♏
✧Aɢᴇ✧
26
✦Gᴇɴᴅᴇʀ✦
Female
✧Sᴇxᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ & Mᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs✧
Heterosexual & Engaged
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✧Hᴀɪʀ✧
Her hair is black, the color of ravens, and has always been thick. During middle school and up until she was finished with college, Aaliyah kept the most expensive weave in her hair, giving the illusion of straightened hair that fell to the middle of her back. However, she has no resorted to wearing her own hair out more, which holds a sweet yet nutty and minty scent, and her hair falls typically in soft waves to about medium length.
✦Eʏᴇs✦
Brown with near golden flecks in them.
✧Sᴋɪɴ✧
While Aaliyah can never say that she's never had one blemish or an acne issue, what she can say is that she had a good number of solutions for it, which lends to her now clear, smooth milk-chocolate complexion.
✦Hᴇɪɢʜᴛ & Wᴇɪɢʜᴛ✦
5'4 || 125 lbs
✧Eᴛʜɴɪᴄɪᴛʏ✧
Her father's family is of South African and Swiss descent. The research Leah has done for her birth mother's history leads to Yoruba descent as well, but for all intents purposes, she identifies as African-American.
✦In Depth✦
With her dark skin, dark eyes, and dark hair, it's safe to assume that Aaliyah wouldn't be considered your standard epitome of beauty. At the same time, that is kind of what makes her so damn attractive because her darkness makes her stand out in a society that still chooses to shame her at times. It's not unheard of for people to send her admiring and scathing stares alike when Aaliyah walks by, but with the debonair charm and un-bothered poised quality to her straight posture and fierce stride, it would be hard for anyone to think she heard or felt the silent opinions. Besides, she's heard enough people acknowledge her loveliness to actually find herself unappealing. Her skin, after one bad year of acne, has remained blemish-free and smooth to the touch, her eyes have golden flecks in them that swirl with the dark chocolate of her orbs, her lips are full, and she has a bit of a delicate frame that can be hidden once she slides a pair of her red bottoms of Balenciagas. She may not be the curviest little thing on the block, but her slim hourglass figure is more than what some people can claim to own and she always seems to accentuate it whether she's sliding in a Jovani gown or a Herve Leger dress. Simply put, despite not being (and sometimes, feeling) like the woman everyone wants, there's really no not desiring Aaliyah. Not with the way she carries herself.
Her hair is black, the color of ravens, and has always been thick. During middle school and up until she was finished with college, Aaliyah kept the most expensive weave in her hair, giving the illusion of straightened hair that fell to the middle of her back. However, she has no resorted to wearing her own hair out more, which holds a sweet yet nutty and minty scent, and her hair falls typically in soft waves to about medium length.
✦Eʏᴇs✦
Brown with near golden flecks in them.
✧Sᴋɪɴ✧
While Aaliyah can never say that she's never had one blemish or an acne issue, what she can say is that she had a good number of solutions for it, which lends to her now clear, smooth milk-chocolate complexion.
✦Hᴇɪɢʜᴛ & Wᴇɪɢʜᴛ✦
5'4 || 125 lbs
✧Eᴛʜɴɪᴄɪᴛʏ✧
Her father's family is of South African and Swiss descent. The research Leah has done for her birth mother's history leads to Yoruba descent as well, but for all intents purposes, she identifies as African-American.
✦In Depth✦
With her dark skin, dark eyes, and dark hair, it's safe to assume that Aaliyah wouldn't be considered your standard epitome of beauty. At the same time, that is kind of what makes her so damn attractive because her darkness makes her stand out in a society that still chooses to shame her at times. It's not unheard of for people to send her admiring and scathing stares alike when Aaliyah walks by, but with the debonair charm and un-bothered poised quality to her straight posture and fierce stride, it would be hard for anyone to think she heard or felt the silent opinions. Besides, she's heard enough people acknowledge her loveliness to actually find herself unappealing. Her skin, after one bad year of acne, has remained blemish-free and smooth to the touch, her eyes have golden flecks in them that swirl with the dark chocolate of her orbs, her lips are full, and she has a bit of a delicate frame that can be hidden once she slides a pair of her red bottoms of Balenciagas. She may not be the curviest little thing on the block, but her slim hourglass figure is more than what some people can claim to own and she always seems to accentuate it whether she's sliding in a Jovani gown or a Herve Leger dress. Simply put, despite not being (and sometimes, feeling) like the woman everyone wants, there's really no not desiring Aaliyah. Not with the way she carries herself.
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XXXNeurotic ✦ Debonair ✧ Vindictive ✦ Callous ✧ Possessive
╚══════════════════════════╝
One look at Aaliyah and it seems as though she has it all figured out from her Gemini 14 salon styled hair and down to her Naomi Yasuda styled nails. And, from that outside perspective and maybe in the eyes of those around her, she actually does have everything toegther. After all, she's a neurotic control freak - an insecure one at that, but that's not what matters. The point is that Aaliyah thrives on appearances - on perfection - and she wouldn't have it any other way. Which is why she has perfected her social skills, resulting in a well-formulated and precise rhetoric coupled with an icy charm and an easy-going smile. So what if her nickname back in Rosey was the Ice Queen and how that has carried over to New York? So what if it seems like she could care less about the plethora of haters and admirers whispering behind her back? The point is that she seems a certain way and that's fine with her. After all, she is in control of the image she has put out there, in control of your opinion of her, and that is all that matters.
Unlike a few of her more emotionally-driven companions and even her sister, Aaliyah has maintained a cool, calm and collected disposition for practically her entire life. She is rarely - if ever - impulsive and all of her actions seem well-planned, and always tend to serve some higher plan even if they happen to have been created at the drop of a hat. She lives by the mentality that as long as she does not give away her emotions, then no one can use said emotions to their own advantage. But make no mistake - she will use yours and she will do so remorselessly and ruthlessly. Call it her being a cold-hearted bitch or whatever you like, but if there's one thing Aaliyah is, it is exact and so are the punishments she dishes out. She has always been a firm believer in "an eye for an eye" and while she might seethe because you said something sneaky in public or even have somehow managed to get the upper hand on her, best believe that the seething is not the end of the situation. Again, control freak here and nothing is over unless Aaliyah herself as ended it. She will be the first to tell you that she is too classy to ever start a fight, but she will damn well finish it and you may not like the results. After all, who would if their social reputation, relationships and possible careers are on the line? Definitely not the person who happened to only slightly angered the daughter of the most powerful woman on Wall Street. Aaliyah is her mother's child, after all, and just like Deborah, she can be downright cutthroat, even towards the ones she loves.
However, just like her mother, there are a few other aspects to her character that are very much similar. For instance, Aaliyah does have the capacity to show mercy and even kindness; a lot of the socialites and rich elites will have you know that she is a very sweet, poised young woman in public. What her family and closest friends will tell you is that she is uncomfortable with emotional situations. They aren't things she can control and more so, she has an innate fear of making a dire mistake. Which is why she seems to be a fan of tough love and blunt honesty towards her friends, despite understanding that at times, a hug is the simplest, and most profound gesture she can offer. And that is simply because she, herself is not used to it. Unlike her siblings, Aaliyah spent most of her childhood away from her family at boarding school and her visits home were less frequent. She learned to guard herself and keep up a wall, even with the ones she loves, simply because she's not used to having to depend on someone else emotionally. Which also has lent to a bout of insecurities that she refuses to acknowledge. Aaliyah spent those years away from home having to learn how not to seem affected by the racism and bigotry hurled her way for earning scores akin to rich kids who looked nothing like herself, learned to find something beautiful within herself when she still doesn't even think she is that attractive sometimes, and kept others at a distance. Because of these fears of inadequacies, a possessiveness towards her loved ones has formed and as much as she tries to deny her jealousy with vehemence or tamper down on these emotional flares, her possessiveness does exist. Especially in lieu of her fiance's infidelities. To some degree, Aaliyah has acknowledged that perfection doesn't actually exist; that doesn't stop her from striving to achieve it, and it's hard to do when she feels like she's simply lacking something - that she's not providing the ones she loves with whatever they need and have to go to someone else for. As alluded to previously, all of this very well stems from her failed relationship with her mother and a loneliness a younger Aaliyah learned to pretend didn't exist. It just sucks that it's close to three decades and she still doesn't know how to change it, even when she pushes those who love her the most away.
XXXNeurotic ✦ Debonair ✧ Vindictive ✦ Callous ✧ Possessive
╚══════════════════════════╝
One look at Aaliyah and it seems as though she has it all figured out from her Gemini 14 salon styled hair and down to her Naomi Yasuda styled nails. And, from that outside perspective and maybe in the eyes of those around her, she actually does have everything toegther. After all, she's a neurotic control freak - an insecure one at that, but that's not what matters. The point is that Aaliyah thrives on appearances - on perfection - and she wouldn't have it any other way. Which is why she has perfected her social skills, resulting in a well-formulated and precise rhetoric coupled with an icy charm and an easy-going smile. So what if her nickname back in Rosey was the Ice Queen and how that has carried over to New York? So what if it seems like she could care less about the plethora of haters and admirers whispering behind her back? The point is that she seems a certain way and that's fine with her. After all, she is in control of the image she has put out there, in control of your opinion of her, and that is all that matters.
Unlike a few of her more emotionally-driven companions and even her sister, Aaliyah has maintained a cool, calm and collected disposition for practically her entire life. She is rarely - if ever - impulsive and all of her actions seem well-planned, and always tend to serve some higher plan even if they happen to have been created at the drop of a hat. She lives by the mentality that as long as she does not give away her emotions, then no one can use said emotions to their own advantage. But make no mistake - she will use yours and she will do so remorselessly and ruthlessly. Call it her being a cold-hearted bitch or whatever you like, but if there's one thing Aaliyah is, it is exact and so are the punishments she dishes out. She has always been a firm believer in "an eye for an eye" and while she might seethe because you said something sneaky in public or even have somehow managed to get the upper hand on her, best believe that the seething is not the end of the situation. Again, control freak here and nothing is over unless Aaliyah herself as ended it. She will be the first to tell you that she is too classy to ever start a fight, but she will damn well finish it and you may not like the results. After all, who would if their social reputation, relationships and possible careers are on the line? Definitely not the person who happened to only slightly angered the daughter of the most powerful woman on Wall Street. Aaliyah is her mother's child, after all, and just like Deborah, she can be downright cutthroat, even towards the ones she loves.
However, just like her mother, there are a few other aspects to her character that are very much similar. For instance, Aaliyah does have the capacity to show mercy and even kindness; a lot of the socialites and rich elites will have you know that she is a very sweet, poised young woman in public. What her family and closest friends will tell you is that she is uncomfortable with emotional situations. They aren't things she can control and more so, she has an innate fear of making a dire mistake. Which is why she seems to be a fan of tough love and blunt honesty towards her friends, despite understanding that at times, a hug is the simplest, and most profound gesture she can offer. And that is simply because she, herself is not used to it. Unlike her siblings, Aaliyah spent most of her childhood away from her family at boarding school and her visits home were less frequent. She learned to guard herself and keep up a wall, even with the ones she loves, simply because she's not used to having to depend on someone else emotionally. Which also has lent to a bout of insecurities that she refuses to acknowledge. Aaliyah spent those years away from home having to learn how not to seem affected by the racism and bigotry hurled her way for earning scores akin to rich kids who looked nothing like herself, learned to find something beautiful within herself when she still doesn't even think she is that attractive sometimes, and kept others at a distance. Because of these fears of inadequacies, a possessiveness towards her loved ones has formed and as much as she tries to deny her jealousy with vehemence or tamper down on these emotional flares, her possessiveness does exist. Especially in lieu of her fiance's infidelities. To some degree, Aaliyah has acknowledged that perfection doesn't actually exist; that doesn't stop her from striving to achieve it, and it's hard to do when she feels like she's simply lacking something - that she's not providing the ones she loves with whatever they need and have to go to someone else for. As alluded to previously, all of this very well stems from her failed relationship with her mother and a loneliness a younger Aaliyah learned to pretend didn't exist. It just sucks that it's close to three decades and she still doesn't know how to change it, even when she pushes those who love her the most away.
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✦Lɪᴋᴇs✦
✧ Coming out on top ✧ ↣ Whether it means besting you in court, in the middle of a tennis match or even coming out on top in the bedroom, what needs to be recognized is that Leah likes winning - no, loves it!
✧ Desserts ✧ ↣ Aaliyah loves pie, cake, cobblers and don't even get her started on a good slice of cheesecake and a glass of wine. Her pearly whites would have you fooled, but this girl has a serious sweet tooth and if you ever want her to do you a favor, get her pecan pie. It's not too expensive, but it can get her a lot more pliant than flattery.
✧ Art ✧ ↣ It was a surprise, particularly, to Aaliyah that she could fall in love with producing art just as much as she loved observing it. It goes into her love for history, which is why you might find that she's dropped checks for the sake of art restoration...why she's even done a few restoration pieces of her own.
✧ Traveling ✧ ↣ Anyone who had the amount of money she and her family had at their disposal would love traveling. Aaliyah is usually going somewhere out of the US every month - and not just for simple pleasures either. Unless, of course, you're her fiancée who knows all about her request to get it on at the top of the Eiffel Tower that one time...
✧ History ✧ ↣ Call it a "black" thing, as her mother would say. Another colored person trying to know where they came from under the guise of liking a subject no one likes - except that isn't the case. Leah had always been fascinated by history, by the cultures predating that of her own. She was the one in school who could tell you dates if you knew details, and vice versa. It's helped her in law.
✧Dɪsʟɪᴋᴇs✧
◆ Losing ✦ ↣ She doesn't lose, simple as that. Hates the idea of it, more than anything. Losing means she wasn't good enough and it also means Debby's disappointment. Her own disappointment. And Aaliyah just cannot deal.
✦ Not being in control ✦ ↣ The question really is - when would she ever be out of control? This is the woman who knows she doesn't handle her liquor as well as others and adamantly refuses the harder stuff lest it looks bad on her in public settings. An Aaliyah out of control or feeling as such is an Aaliyah she abstains from being. Especially around the crowd she sticks with.
✦ Gossip columns ✦ ↣ Pesky little imbeciles, if you asked her. Fuckers, when she's pissed and feels no need to worry about impropriety. As much as Aaliyah loves reading about other people's drama and contributing, it still bugs her that there's someone out there she actually can't put a leash on.
✦ Uninteresting cases ✦ ↣ Every lawyer wants a few peaceful cases, the ones that don't take a gazillion years and a shit ton of coffee. And so does Aaliyah - and maybe it's because she spent so long trying to remain poised and sophisticated, but she loves more complicated cases. The ones that get her blood pumping, keeps her interested - so long as the outcome is always the one she desires. Doesn't really know what that says about her.
✦ Her Property Being Disturbed ✦ ↣ When one thinks of property, they think of homes, paintings, vases, etc. Not people - which is how Aaliyah thinks. Her friends, family, lovers - hers. And she hates when others touch them - think that they can steal them. Because then Leah thinks they can too and she would be damned if she wasn't enough for the people she gave so much to.
✧ Coming out on top ✧ ↣ Whether it means besting you in court, in the middle of a tennis match or even coming out on top in the bedroom, what needs to be recognized is that Leah likes winning - no, loves it!
✧ Desserts ✧ ↣ Aaliyah loves pie, cake, cobblers and don't even get her started on a good slice of cheesecake and a glass of wine. Her pearly whites would have you fooled, but this girl has a serious sweet tooth and if you ever want her to do you a favor, get her pecan pie. It's not too expensive, but it can get her a lot more pliant than flattery.
✧ Art ✧ ↣ It was a surprise, particularly, to Aaliyah that she could fall in love with producing art just as much as she loved observing it. It goes into her love for history, which is why you might find that she's dropped checks for the sake of art restoration...why she's even done a few restoration pieces of her own.
✧ Traveling ✧ ↣ Anyone who had the amount of money she and her family had at their disposal would love traveling. Aaliyah is usually going somewhere out of the US every month - and not just for simple pleasures either. Unless, of course, you're her fiancée who knows all about her request to get it on at the top of the Eiffel Tower that one time...
✧ History ✧ ↣ Call it a "black" thing, as her mother would say. Another colored person trying to know where they came from under the guise of liking a subject no one likes - except that isn't the case. Leah had always been fascinated by history, by the cultures predating that of her own. She was the one in school who could tell you dates if you knew details, and vice versa. It's helped her in law.
✧Dɪsʟɪᴋᴇs✧
◆ Losing ✦ ↣ She doesn't lose, simple as that. Hates the idea of it, more than anything. Losing means she wasn't good enough and it also means Debby's disappointment. Her own disappointment. And Aaliyah just cannot deal.
✦ Not being in control ✦ ↣ The question really is - when would she ever be out of control? This is the woman who knows she doesn't handle her liquor as well as others and adamantly refuses the harder stuff lest it looks bad on her in public settings. An Aaliyah out of control or feeling as such is an Aaliyah she abstains from being. Especially around the crowd she sticks with.
✦ Gossip columns ✦ ↣ Pesky little imbeciles, if you asked her. Fuckers, when she's pissed and feels no need to worry about impropriety. As much as Aaliyah loves reading about other people's drama and contributing, it still bugs her that there's someone out there she actually can't put a leash on.
✦ Uninteresting cases ✦ ↣ Every lawyer wants a few peaceful cases, the ones that don't take a gazillion years and a shit ton of coffee. And so does Aaliyah - and maybe it's because she spent so long trying to remain poised and sophisticated, but she loves more complicated cases. The ones that get her blood pumping, keeps her interested - so long as the outcome is always the one she desires. Doesn't really know what that says about her.
✦ Her Property Being Disturbed ✦ ↣ When one thinks of property, they think of homes, paintings, vases, etc. Not people - which is how Aaliyah thinks. Her friends, family, lovers - hers. And she hates when others touch them - think that they can steal them. Because then Leah thinks they can too and she would be damned if she wasn't enough for the people she gave so much to.
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X
X
X
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✧Tᴀʟᴇɴᴛs✧
✦ Getting what she wants ✦ ↣ There has not been a single thing that Aaliyah has wanted that she cannot have and it's not because she thinks she is entitled to everything, and that everyone should just give them to her. But because she can and will work for them, given the conquest. Leah is a verbally facile young woman with the silver tongue to ease your cold, dead Granny into giving her her decrepit soul, and the fire to ward off businessmen who think they can just get away with shit when it comes to her. No is not a word that should be in your vocabulary when it comes to her, not unless you want an enemy.
✦Baking ✦ ↣ Is it hard to believe? Sure, she has had gourmet chefs on deck for years, but this is the girl who gets random pecan pie or peach cobbler cravings. She was bound to pick up a few things, particularly from her mother's mother.
✦ Painting ✦ ↣ Actual dream job before Aaliyah made the official choice career wise that could win her mother's approval? An art restorer at the MET. She was always really good with history, as stayed before, and her appreciation of it stemmed from the art and various past cultures' dependence on it in telling their stories. Leah puts effort into every brush stroke for a painting she recreates, though not many people see it or the art studio in her lavish home.
✦ Spotting & Telling Lies ✦ ↣ Aaliyah's a lawyer. She has to deal with clients trying to omit the truth all of the time. It's not to say that a well-developed rhetoric don't send her for a curve ball. At the same time, she's always been the one you can't just give a lame excuse to. She didn't fall for that crap when she was in school and she's only gotten sharper. At the same time, after learning to figure out everyone else's tells, she has strengthened and hidden her own, resulting in the ability to tell lies or develop stories that not many people can see through lest they know her well enough.
✦Fʟᴀᴡs✦
✧ Vindictive ✧ ↣ It's not that Aaliyah does not govern herself accordingly. You might call it fake, but it's only her being classy enough to not act like she wants to claw your eyes out once she feels as though you have done her wrong. But best believe - she has not forgotten. Some grudges are simply rewarded with petty sneers or even her refusal to acknowledge your existence. Others require more creativity and if there's one thing she does not lack, it's creativity. She also lacks remorse at times, but that's a completely different story.
✧ Pride ✧ ↣ Again, this is the woman who won't truly let loose in public, even with her closest of friends. Aaliyah, even with her fiancee, hates being a vulnerable person, or at least showing said vulnerabilities. It's a learned nature from her mother - at least, the one who raised her - where she has to remain strong and firm, regardless of the feelings that lay dormant.
✧ Insecure ✧ ↣ Of course, her pride would never permit her to admit such a thing, but can anyone blame her? She's spent two decades trying to gain some kind of acknowledgement from the woman she has admired and loved her entire life. She had to literally work and out-bitch a good number of people to get to the position that she is in simply because of the color of her skin. Even her fiancee doesn't see her as good enough. Being considered the queen of New York doesn't mean a thing to her when she feels like she has to exude far more confidence than Leah actually possesses.
✧ Manipulative ✧ ↣ She is a bit ruthless in this sense. Aaliyah learns just the right thing to do and say to get what she wants, even if her machinations aren't always fair or her intentions aren't exactly pure either.
✧Secrets✧
✦ Adopted ✦ ↣ High school was spent with her being absolutely sure of herself and where she wanted to be. Well, maybe not in total absolutes, but she had been fine. So what if her mom was a bit icier with her than her other siblings? Deborah was icy towards everyone and Aaliyah surmised that her treatment was in lieu of her being the eldest. Not because she was the child of her father's past infidelity. It's shaken her to her very core and forces her to push herself harder than she did in high school.
✦ Murder ✦ ↣ This was literally the worst accident in her life and she is still reeling from it. It took three years for her to graduate college and in those three years, she located her birth mother and came to her with questions - the main one being, why was she given up? Somehow, the events that followed their confrontation led to her birth mother's death and that's been weighing heavily on Leah's mind since last month.
✦ Might Have Stronger Feelings For *The Womanizer* ✦ ↣ When this thing started, she never meant for it to last long. Hell, it was only supposed to be that one night, just a way to get back at her then boyfriend for his infidelity. Then it happened again, and again - and it was supposed to only be sex, damnit! She barely even likes him, just likes that he can keep up with her.
✦ Nightmares & Panic Attacks ✦ ↣ Her ears still ring from when the gun went off and sometimes at night, it feels like she's Lady MacBeth trying to wash the blood stains on her hands that aren't there. There have been a good number of nights where Aaliyah can't sleep the entire time, sometimes being drawn to her private art studio to waste the night away there instead of in the recesses of her mind where she sees her dead mother's body twitching on the floor. And it's not that Beau's frequent use of drugs like when she finds residue or just sees him high helps since it leads Aaliyah to having to go gather herself in the bathroom. Or drink. Drinking helps, but it also doesn't.
✦ Getting what she wants ✦ ↣ There has not been a single thing that Aaliyah has wanted that she cannot have and it's not because she thinks she is entitled to everything, and that everyone should just give them to her. But because she can and will work for them, given the conquest. Leah is a verbally facile young woman with the silver tongue to ease your cold, dead Granny into giving her her decrepit soul, and the fire to ward off businessmen who think they can just get away with shit when it comes to her. No is not a word that should be in your vocabulary when it comes to her, not unless you want an enemy.
✦Baking ✦ ↣ Is it hard to believe? Sure, she has had gourmet chefs on deck for years, but this is the girl who gets random pecan pie or peach cobbler cravings. She was bound to pick up a few things, particularly from her mother's mother.
✦ Painting ✦ ↣ Actual dream job before Aaliyah made the official choice career wise that could win her mother's approval? An art restorer at the MET. She was always really good with history, as stayed before, and her appreciation of it stemmed from the art and various past cultures' dependence on it in telling their stories. Leah puts effort into every brush stroke for a painting she recreates, though not many people see it or the art studio in her lavish home.
✦ Spotting & Telling Lies ✦ ↣ Aaliyah's a lawyer. She has to deal with clients trying to omit the truth all of the time. It's not to say that a well-developed rhetoric don't send her for a curve ball. At the same time, she's always been the one you can't just give a lame excuse to. She didn't fall for that crap when she was in school and she's only gotten sharper. At the same time, after learning to figure out everyone else's tells, she has strengthened and hidden her own, resulting in the ability to tell lies or develop stories that not many people can see through lest they know her well enough.
✦Fʟᴀᴡs✦
✧ Vindictive ✧ ↣ It's not that Aaliyah does not govern herself accordingly. You might call it fake, but it's only her being classy enough to not act like she wants to claw your eyes out once she feels as though you have done her wrong. But best believe - she has not forgotten. Some grudges are simply rewarded with petty sneers or even her refusal to acknowledge your existence. Others require more creativity and if there's one thing she does not lack, it's creativity. She also lacks remorse at times, but that's a completely different story.
✧ Pride ✧ ↣ Again, this is the woman who won't truly let loose in public, even with her closest of friends. Aaliyah, even with her fiancee, hates being a vulnerable person, or at least showing said vulnerabilities. It's a learned nature from her mother - at least, the one who raised her - where she has to remain strong and firm, regardless of the feelings that lay dormant.
✧ Insecure ✧ ↣ Of course, her pride would never permit her to admit such a thing, but can anyone blame her? She's spent two decades trying to gain some kind of acknowledgement from the woman she has admired and loved her entire life. She had to literally work and out-bitch a good number of people to get to the position that she is in simply because of the color of her skin. Even her fiancee doesn't see her as good enough. Being considered the queen of New York doesn't mean a thing to her when she feels like she has to exude far more confidence than Leah actually possesses.
✧ Manipulative ✧ ↣ She is a bit ruthless in this sense. Aaliyah learns just the right thing to do and say to get what she wants, even if her machinations aren't always fair or her intentions aren't exactly pure either.
✧Secrets✧
✦ Adopted ✦ ↣ High school was spent with her being absolutely sure of herself and where she wanted to be. Well, maybe not in total absolutes, but she had been fine. So what if her mom was a bit icier with her than her other siblings? Deborah was icy towards everyone and Aaliyah surmised that her treatment was in lieu of her being the eldest. Not because she was the child of her father's past infidelity. It's shaken her to her very core and forces her to push herself harder than she did in high school.
✦ Murder ✦ ↣ This was literally the worst accident in her life and she is still reeling from it. It took three years for her to graduate college and in those three years, she located her birth mother and came to her with questions - the main one being, why was she given up? Somehow, the events that followed their confrontation led to her birth mother's death and that's been weighing heavily on Leah's mind since last month.
✦ Might Have Stronger Feelings For *The Womanizer* ✦ ↣ When this thing started, she never meant for it to last long. Hell, it was only supposed to be that one night, just a way to get back at her then boyfriend for his infidelity. Then it happened again, and again - and it was supposed to only be sex, damnit! She barely even likes him, just likes that he can keep up with her.
✦ Nightmares & Panic Attacks ✦ ↣ Her ears still ring from when the gun went off and sometimes at night, it feels like she's Lady MacBeth trying to wash the blood stains on her hands that aren't there. There have been a good number of nights where Aaliyah can't sleep the entire time, sometimes being drawn to her private art studio to waste the night away there instead of in the recesses of her mind where she sees her dead mother's body twitching on the floor. And it's not that Beau's frequent use of drugs like when she finds residue or just sees him high helps since it leads Aaliyah to having to go gather herself in the bathroom. Or drink. Drinking helps, but it also doesn't.
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✧Dʀᴇᴀᴍs✧
✦ Start a law firm of her own ✦ ↣ EXPLANATION
✦ANSWER ✦ ↣ EXPLANATION
✦ ANSWER ✦ ↣ EXPLANATION
✦ ANSWER ✦ ↣ EXPLANATION
✦Fᴇᴀʀs✦
✧ Motherhood ✧ ↣ Yes, the control freak is terrified of something she actually can control, but can you blame her. If Leah pretty much is a darker, carbon copy of Debby at times - and she has spent her entire life hating that aspect of her mother - how is she going to be when it comes time to start a family with Beau? What if she's just like Debby in that department and she continues this cycle with her own child?
✧ Being confronted with what happened with Antonia ✧ ↣ Despite how much she hates him, Leah feels bad for causing Antonia's ex-boyfriend to go to jail for her death when it was Aaliyah's fault for not knowing how to use a gun or at least have it drop to the floor. She fears that it could ruin her if it ever got out, and not just with her career, but with her family and friends as well.
✧ Not being good enough ✧ ↣ Debby's small smile during both of Aaliyah's graduations and her nod of approval at her other accomplishments were never enough to make Leah feel like she's done anything good. It was like she had learned to read a word, good for her. And she fears that that is her life. Hell, she fears that will be her life with Beau, and Juliet and even Chad. That they'll all find a better her and then she'll be alone, and she knows what loneliness felt like - feels like. She couldn't live like that, even though she doesn't help herself with pushing people away.
✧ Asphyxiation or not being able to breathe ✧ ↣ It takes about three minutes to suffocate someone, but those three minutes will feel like a lifetime of struggling to the person's whose breathing has been restricted. And for the girl who seriously forgets to breathe in the middle of her panic attacks, something like that is terrifying. Especially for a control freak like Aaliyah. She's also forcing herself to think about painting, to memorize the way her brushstrokes feel or even counting backwards, but it is absolutely nerve-wracking to think that she might not have the control to tamper down on her own breathing and simply die, unable to help herself.
✦ Start a law firm of her own ✦ ↣ EXPLANATION
✦ANSWER ✦ ↣ EXPLANATION
✦ ANSWER ✦ ↣ EXPLANATION
✦ ANSWER ✦ ↣ EXPLANATION
✦Fᴇᴀʀs✦
✧ Motherhood ✧ ↣ Yes, the control freak is terrified of something she actually can control, but can you blame her. If Leah pretty much is a darker, carbon copy of Debby at times - and she has spent her entire life hating that aspect of her mother - how is she going to be when it comes time to start a family with Beau? What if she's just like Debby in that department and she continues this cycle with her own child?
✧ Being confronted with what happened with Antonia ✧ ↣ Despite how much she hates him, Leah feels bad for causing Antonia's ex-boyfriend to go to jail for her death when it was Aaliyah's fault for not knowing how to use a gun or at least have it drop to the floor. She fears that it could ruin her if it ever got out, and not just with her career, but with her family and friends as well.
✧ Not being good enough ✧ ↣ Debby's small smile during both of Aaliyah's graduations and her nod of approval at her other accomplishments were never enough to make Leah feel like she's done anything good. It was like she had learned to read a word, good for her. And she fears that that is her life. Hell, she fears that will be her life with Beau, and Juliet and even Chad. That they'll all find a better her and then she'll be alone, and she knows what loneliness felt like - feels like. She couldn't live like that, even though she doesn't help herself with pushing people away.
✧ Asphyxiation or not being able to breathe ✧ ↣ It takes about three minutes to suffocate someone, but those three minutes will feel like a lifetime of struggling to the person's whose breathing has been restricted. And for the girl who seriously forgets to breathe in the middle of her panic attacks, something like that is terrifying. Especially for a control freak like Aaliyah. She's also forcing herself to think about painting, to memorize the way her brushstrokes feel or even counting backwards, but it is absolutely nerve-wracking to think that she might not have the control to tamper down on her own breathing and simply die, unable to help herself.
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X
✧ Antonia Love ✧ ↣ Biological Mother ↣ Deceased
X
✦ Christoff Moreau-Rupert ✦ ↣ Biological Father ↣ Living
X
✧ Deborah 'Debby' Shanks ✧ ↣ Legal Guardian/Step-mother ↣ Living
X
✦ Shailene Shanks ✦ ↣ Half-Sister ↣ Living
X
✧ Marcel Shanks ✧ ↣ Half-Brother ↣ Living
✦Hɪsᴛᴏʀʏ✦
As much as she wishes to change such facts, Aaliyah is not the product of two self-made billionaires, but from the affair of a very rich and spoiled man who thought he could get away with anything and a woman who was reckless enough to think she had nothing to lose. Apparently, she didn't realize who she was dealing with, in terms of her lover's chillingly vindictive wife. You see, Antonia and Christoff had known one another for years, back during their college years when he studied in America after his international boarding school education. They had always been attracted to one another and were bound to address said mutual attraction. However, their timing was off since he was technically married to Deborah Shanks. Deborah was from a well-to-do black bourgeoisie of the Upper East Side. Her family made millions, but not the billions his father's Swiss-based luxury goods outfit, Compagnie Financiere Richemont - which also owned brands such as Cartier , Van Cleef & Arpels, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Montblanc - made. Their families had met when the two were kis and obviously, Chris showed he had a type: strong black women who didn't take shit. He somehow left the latter part of that out because his wife played no games when she discovered his affair and that Antonia was pregnant while battling a cocaine addiction. By that time, Deborah was starting to solidify her place as the leading woman - no, person - on Wall Street with a net worth exceeding one trillion dollars by the time Aaliyah turned ten.
Out of spite, when Antonia went into early labor due to an attempted overdose after Debby basically ended her career with the Ruperts and her husband, Debby took the baby, making Christoff secretly get Antonia to sign over custody and the like. It wasn't hard to convince people that Debby gave birth to her. She had thought she was pregnant nearly six months before, but because of the stress of her husband's infidelity, having to maintain their public images and the fact that she was a black woman on Wall Street dealing with setbacks and bigotry, she suffered a miscarriage and lost her twins. She was sick and stayed home most of the time; it was feasible. And no one questioned a woman whose stare was colder than the crushed ice in their margaritas. As far as Aaliyah was concerned, up until she was seven and the twins were born, she had a relatively great childhood. There was a time where Debby was a lot more affectionate, so Aaliyah never faulted her much when it stopped. She chalked it up to the fact that even though Debby was notably softer towards the children she birthed, it was because she just wasn't affectionate since physical displays and consistent praise wasn't the woman's style. She believed fervently in tough love. And if it hurt, Aaliyah learned to wipe her eyes and suck it up...at least until she was alone. Besides, she wasn't home as often as the other two children because unlike them, she was sought out for and accepted to one of the best private boarding schools in the world and her father's alma mater, Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland. Any interactions with her family was during the holidays and when she had to attend events in New York for appearance's sake.
...editing...
It was after her three year education at the University of San Diego that Aaliyah's quest to find her birth mother came to an end. After all, Antonia had not gone far. New York wasn't that big and Brooklyn had always been an option for her. Perhaps not as luxurious as the apartments she stayed at in her earlier years, but people change and Aaliyah wanted to meet her. Only...to discover the woman was suffering from addiction to cocaine. Unbeknownst to the rest of her family and all of her friends save for one, Aaliyah grudgingly helped her through rehab and fixed up the woman's apartment, with more questions than answers. The two were rather tense through the years, what with Leah going to law school at Columbia, falling in love, and starting her career while Antonia had relapse after relapse. It was exhausting and she honestly had developed far more patience during this stint than through any other situation in her entire life. Except one night - about two months ago - when they were surprisingly getting along, Antonia's ex-boyfriend and supplier came in asking for money. She had turned to him during her relapses and owed money since sex couldn't pay for the amount of smuggling and such he had to do in order to provide her with the goods. Antonia had a gun ready for protection, but Aaliyah managed to pry it off of the woman just before he attacked them both. She had met the man before and he had sworn her violence before, but Aaliyah reminded him that she had the power and influence to send his ass to jail and have him turned into somebody's little bitch if he wanted to try her. Of course, all big talk considering the fact that he was massive and well, she is kinda tiny. It was a bit of a struggle, considering his size, but Aaliyah had never let the weapon go and then the shot rang out. Suffice to say, Antonia was the victim and it was one of the few times in her life, Aaliyah had a momentary breakdown as any person in her position is wont to do. The death was covered up what with said boyfriend being forced to take the fall since Aaliyah has friends in high places, but the entire situation still leaves her wracked with guilt and self-hatred. Debby still looks at her as if she's both hiding something and slightly disappointed in her, her fiancee is a fucking cheater and seriously seems to need the same rehab which is giving her crazy whiplash, and she's probably not truly as happy in her career as she would like...
...and as far as Aaliyah is concerned, her life could not be any more perfect. She has a loving - and she sometimes, really needs to stress the loving part when his infidelities come to bite her in the ass - fiancee whom she cannot wait to marry, loyal best friends, a budding yet already promising career, a glorious wedding to plan, and she even has managed to snag the $60 million penthouse at the Baccarat. So what, what she does behind closed doors with someone who isn't her fiancee? He's done the same. And sure, she loves art and history and cultures, but it isn't like they aren't a part of her life. They just can't be the focal point. Everything is as it should be - perfect. If only she could really convince herself of said perfection. If only these nightmares and indescribable anxieties could go away...
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✧Tʜᴇᴍᴇ Sᴏɴɢ✧
I see the way that you look when you hear his name
I see his picture up in your frame
And you refuse to admit you still miss him but it's okay
You're a tower of strength when you're breaking down
But through the wall I can feel your cry
And when it's quiet you're screaming inside
And I break as I hear you
Loud as a bomb
Wanting a shoulder to cry on
I hear you
Tumbling fast
Here and now, you're afraid
Don't you worry
I'll teach you to fly before you fall away
It's in the moments when you're left all on your own
And it hits you from out of nowhere
You try to hide it sometimes unsuccessfully
With a smile that fades quickly
Your resistance to sadness is futile but
You're a fighter, can't stand defeat
You're a magician at hiding the hurt from you
But I see and I hear you
Loud as a bomb
Wanting a shoulder to cry on
I hear you
Tumbling fast
Here and now, you're afraid
Don't be scared
Don't be scared
Cause I hear you
Loud as a bomb
Wanting a shoulder to cry on, I hear you
Tumbling fast
Here and now, you're afraid
Don't you worry
I'll teach you to fly before you fall
Ⓒⓞⓟⓨⓡⓘⓖⓗⓣ
Character Sheet By : The Toxic Cereus
Inspired By : AmeliaIsGhostly
Filled Out By : Your Username Here
Character Sheet By : The Toxic Cereus
Inspired By : AmeliaIsGhostly
Filled Out By : Your Username Here
