i need light in the dark , jackson rivera

[jack]

valkyrie, california ,

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something saved me. now this is who i am.
although i was blinded, my heart let me find that
truth makes a better man.[/center]


the ocean breathes salty ,[/b][/size][/color]
roleplayer ,

name: lainey
age: seventeen
gender: female
years roleplaying: on and off for fourish, hardcore for the past two <3
other characters: hayes, lyon, turners, rivera, h-castellanos', ellis, giovannis, kennedy

collected my belongings ,[/b][/size][/color]
character facts ,

full name: jackson bradley rivera
nicknames: jack
gender: male
age: twenty-one
university year: sophomore
major: sociology
minor: psychology
job: interning at a social working facility
portrayed by: austin nichols
appearance: athletic is one way to describe jack. when he use to play basketball, he was really in shape. hitting the weight room after school, after practice, he was dedicated. he wasn't interested in beefing up like a football player, but to tone up and just be a stronger guy. he still works out today, and he walks everywhere so his physique hasn't gone down the toilet, jack still keeps himself in shape. he stands at 6'2", so he is of the taller spectrum. this made for a great basketball player. jack as brown hair, and brown eyes. yes, he never lost the color of his eyes to the light blue some see in blind people. he might over time since his eyes are not in use any more, but his chocolate eyes are still the same as they were when he was born, which sometimes he can fool some people for a certain amount in time to believe that he can see. of course it doesn't last long, but he likes joking around with it.

up until he was eighteen, jackson saw everything. colors, people, and clothes... obviously. so his style before he went blind was pretty relaxed. jeans, polos, t shirts... what half the other guys in high school wear. he's still the same, he might wear some nicer shirts and some jackets these days, but he's usually the same as he was three years ago. even if he wasn't blind, he's a horrible shopper, so when he does go clothes shopping, he has to take someone with him. it's usually his mom or his sister, but he's taken friends with him. he trusts them a lot because only they can see the clothes he's wearing, and that's a lot of trust going into someone, but jack surrounds himself with good friends and people, and his friends might joke, but in the end, they're just looking out for him.

so, jackson is blind right? that has a heavy influence on what he looks like, obviously. to get around in daily life, he has a cane and a seeing eye dog. yes, he wears sunglasses too. though not all the time, he does have some scars around his eyes from the fireworks accident he likes to cover up at times. but he can go without them after he learned that other blind people wear them because their eyes are disoriented or grotesque. since jackson can't see his eyes, his mom told him his eyes aren't grotesque-looking. he first learned how to navigate using a cane, which he still uses to go to classes and work, or just because. last year, he got his german shepard seeing-eye dog named jenny, who he has found a companion through her. they are really close, and it give jackson another someone in the apartment with him to talk to and such. he uses jenny as often as he uses the cane. but jenny mostly for errands, going to the park, and other things.

in your head, in mouth ,[/b][/size][/color]
character personality ,

personality: the thing with jackson is, over the past three and a half years, he went through a roller coaster with re-finding himself. the lovable midwest basketball player went into a dark place that his friends and family feared he would never get himself out of. while he was in his dark place, he was rude. rude to family, rude to friends, rude to the medical staff. people put up with it. he was an eighteen year old who was suppose to have it all, and one stupid mistake shattered everything. he also had a big case of diva. oh, you thought beyonce and mariah we 'the' divas? well, jackson himself had his fair share of diva moments. he was a big complainer, complained about this, it was too warm in his room, the food tasted like horse shit, turn the goddamn tv off because there was no use in listening to it. he cried a lot... at night when no one was babysitting him. he was a very severely depressed young man. however, when he finally got out of it was when he started going to a meeting at the hospital where other blind people sat had group sessions. it happened and it was like a major mood swing, jack was like he was before the accident, virtually over night. he apologized to everyone for his behavior, said it wasn't like him at all. so what is jackson really like?

jack is funny. he likes making people laugh. he jokes, he likes having a good time with friends. more than ever, he has learned to make fun of himself. he'll be the first to poke fun out of his impairment. with remarks like 'i don't even need to see to know you're acting like an ass' and 'am i holding the ketchup bottle or the mustard?' and with close friends, they all can joke around about it, jackson doesn't care. he does sometimes think people can take it too far and act stupid about it. like, when one asked 'how many fingers am i holding up?' early in his rehabilitation treatment jackson stuck out his middle finger and replied, 'i don't know, but how many am i holding up?' it's funny. he'll be the first to make fun on him, but will be the first to defend the blind. how it's possible, he doesn't know.

that iowa-raised boy has some manners. those 'yes sirs' and 'yes ma'ams' aren't just for those in the south. as rich as his family is, his family sure knew how to raise a good set of kids in iowa. something that probably wouldn't have happened if the rivera were originally from california. jack's father was from iowa and even if they had a late start in brazil, he was determined to have his kids experience a normal childhood. jackson is very respectful. the line 'treat your elders with respect' is a saying he follows. he was very the 'goody boy' when he first moved to valkyrie. the guy that opened doors for ladies. he still has that mid-western charm about him, even if he has been corrupted by valkyrie's youth since he was a junior.

he'll tell you like it is. jack is so very honest. tell him something, he'll listen and give you the best advice. friends come to him because he'll listen to what you have to say. he rarely gets distracted, so he can sit and listen and you know he's very genuine about everything, so you can easily trust him. along with this, he's not judgemental at all. you know how it is. being judgemental comes from the way you look, the way your presence is felt. since jack can't see, he has little to go off of doesn't he? he sees it as, you have nothing to prove to him, since that's all every does. getting approved by certain people. nope, with jackson, it's a clean slate, someone who 'sees' you for really who you are, and not just an image some other people might see you as.

jack is blind. probably for the rest of his life. it was hard coming to terms to that, but somehow he is powering through it. everyday is a challenge to him. not knowing how his day can go sometimes is a scary thought. especially doing it with no sight. he's learned through therapy and training how to live everyday as someone who has lost their sight. it was tough at first. running into walls, nearly getting run over, it's all happened. he'd get frustrated, but over a few months, his sense of hearing really enhanced without having his sight. amazing how that happens. now, he walks like any other normal person. yeah, he might has his cane or jenny from time to time, but he's quite the capable blind person. he associates people with shades of every color. he has yet to repeat a color he's given someone. from the way they talk, to the way he believes they look like, the way their presence feels on/around him all are a factor. but he doesn't give everyone colors. no. it's those he deems worthy. family and friends being the front-runner, but there are those people that just strike him.

likes: listening to the radio, taking walks, the beach, sporting events, basketball, his dog jenny, working out, the unappreciated little things like the smell of rain, thunderstorms, hot showers in the morning, cold showers at night, christmas in iowa, making people laugh with silly jokes, sitting outside and just listening, his family
dislikes: waking up expecting to see, extremely hot and dry weather, people who don’t think to know the whole story, burning himself by the stove, feeling overwhelmed, people surprising him, when jokes about being blind go too far, people assuming he needs help all the time, the frustration of not being able to see,
flaws: can't see because he's blind, some faint scars on his face from the accident a few years ago, can be easily persuaded at times,
habits: being too stubborn, eaves drops a lot, sometimes uses his blindness as an advantage towards the ladies, high school stories - he has no problem sharing 'back when i could see...', sometimes slips up and occasionally runs into things when he thinks he's better off without jenny or his cane
strengths: his sense of hearing, good listener, non-judgmental, very honest
weaknesses: his vision, being impaired in general, alcohol

when the ocean met the sky ,[/b][/size][/color]
character history ,

originated from: born in brazil, raised in iowa
parents: marcus rivera - father - 51 - owns 'rivera energy'
ree-ann hayes-rivera - mother - 50 - housewife
siblings:
frankie rivera - brother - 27
chanel rivera - sister - 18
bianca rivera - sister - 17
demetri rivera - brother - 13
other:
jenny - german shepard - seeing eye dog
petros hayes-castellanos - cousin - 18
daphne hayes - cousin - 17
sophie hayes-castellanos - cousin - 16
diem hayes - cousin - 15
living situation: apartment in the valks
history:
marcus rivera was always an ambitious young man. his father was a business man, and his father was a business man. it was no surprise when marcus went into business as well. ree-ann hayes was care-free dreamer. she grew up with many brothers and sister and when she was twenty one she moved to brazil of all places. she soon got a secretary job, and that was where she met the love of her life. marcus was in brazil for the summer, looking over one of his father's companies. that was when he met his secretary, ree-ann, a funny greek girl that was attractive and smart. through the summer, they fell in love and when his time was up in brazil he asked his father if he could stay longer, and offered ree-ann not to go back to greece but to stay with him.

they rushed a marriage and soon, ree-ann was pregnant. she quit her job and devoted herself to be a good mother and wife. the riveras had a rather well life in brazil. it was always beautiful and raising kids was easier here than it was in the states, marcus liked to say. six years after frank was born, marcus and ree-ann had their second child, another boy, jackson. not too long after that, two more popped out. chanel, followed by bianca a year after that. marcus though was being relocated by his father back to iowa, so it was time to pack up and move to iowa. in iowa, maruc and ree-ann had their last child, demetri there.

jackson mostly grew up in iowa. that is where he had learned the most about him and how he was raised. you know those stereotypes of the midwest/iowa boys. those midwest accents they're unaware of, the strong family morals, good-mannered boys. jackson is nothing short of that. his father, marcus was raised in iowa too. jackson had always been outside doing something. he would play baseball in the street with other kids, ride bikes around town, and his favorite: shooting hoops in his driveway. sometimes really late at night. his love for basketball really was where his heart was. his parents put him on club teams and once junior high rolled around, he was one of, if not the best player on the team. by the time he hit high school, he was starting on the varsity level... as a freshman. which in his town, was a big deal. some might have not liked that, but for the most part, everyone kind of boasted to opposing teams that the kid making all the three pointers was only a freshman.

the team loves him. he was only fourteen at the time hanging around with seventeen and eighteen year olds. jack was a big jokester, he goofed off a lot too. he really made everyone laugh. the juniors and seniors would invite him to some of the parties on the weekends and the after-game parties on fridays. Jackson didn't drink at first, but he was introduced to girls... a lot of them. he wasn't the 'star' of the basketball team, but he was a big part of it, and the fact that he was a freshman said a lot of things to people. he was going to be someone someday, it was just common knowledge, so he was often told 'live a little' and 'you are only young once... enjoy it.' jackson didn't slip up too bad, he was focused on getting good grades and get noticed by scouts cause he wanted to get to the NBA. screwing off wasn't going to get him anywhere. he had fun with his boys but when it came to ball, he was serious.

everything in iowa was going great until the beginning of his junior year when marcus revealed that he bought out an electrical company in valkyrie, california. jackson was heartbroken. basketball season was going to begin! after finding out about valkyrie's team, could he even be able to start varsity? the riveras moved a few weeks before second semester began. jackson older brother, frankie was in college already. chanel moved to new york to go to an all-girls school. bianca was in junior high and little demetri was still in elementary school. they arrived the week of basketball tryouts and jackson was there. it was a weird atmosphere in the gym as this nobody from iowa was trying out. to others he was either really good, or couldn't compete. they soon realized he was really good. that put a lot of people off at first. this guy from seemingly nowhere expected to make the team? and play? jack knew there would be talk, but by the end of the first day of tryouts, riley turner introduced himself. same grade, same age. they became friends that day and that has yet to change. with riley turner as a friend, it sort of made jack's status a little more higher on the social ladder. riley was not just any jock, he was smart, popular, had a good head on his shoulder. but he wasn't a jock that planned on being a sport guy after high school. yet, he still went out for a sport every season; football, basketball, soccer. anyway, the two became pretty much inseparable and soon the other guys where warming up to him. jackson made the team, and started once again. he was the one to beat. valkyrie grew on him so much that when he started looking for college, valkyrie university was one of them. that was when he was offered a full-ride to vu for basketball his senior year at va. he accepted. and he felt he completed something in his life. he was set, ready to achieve goals that were set in place since he was seven years old. he had the time of his high school career and his senior year, valkyrie's boys basketball team won state for their division. it was the best way to end the season.

the first semester of college, jack spent preparing for his first year playing for the university. he was on a college team. it didn't get much better than that. when the winter season rolled around, he didn't start at first, but he was sent in right when the starters got too tired. he was a key player on the team. he knew when to pass, not be a ball-hog, and when to shoot. he was a good team player. but jack screwed it all up one night. it was mid-basketball season. they just won against the university's biggest rivals. riley was in town from college in los angeles, and jackson was on a non-drug high that he wanted to celebrate, so he invited some friends to go celebrate on top of a cliff. drink a little around a camp fire. it was going to be fun. one of the basketball players, timmy, brought some fireworks his uncle gave him. it was illegal and some of the party-goers were a little uneasy about it. but the beer was being passed around and all the eighteen, nineteen, and some high schooler friends were all drinking. they were giggling drunk at all the fireworks and when one didn't go off, jack decided to light it again. tim told him not to touch it, but was too drunk to get off his ass and stop him. even riley was sitting on one of the fold-out chairs and told jack not to touch it. but the drunk jack felt invincible. no one could touch him. taking some swings from his beer, he brought out his lighter and bent over to light it again. that was when the delayed firework went off in his face. he doesn't remember anything to it's entirety. his memory of the accident came in flashes. he could remember screams. his screams, how the ground was. he remembered people touching him, someone yelling to call 911. he even heard some car doors. all he felt was intense pain in his eyes and screaming 'get it off my eyes, get it off my eyes!' then everything went black.

he woke up three days later in a hospital. however he couldn't open his eyes. they were bandaged tightly around his head. that's when the doctors came in, and told him gently that he had been in an accident. the firework that went off in his face damaged his eyes to the point where it left him blind in both eyes and some burns around his eyes that would develop into scars later. jackson couldn't believe it at first. he thought he would get his sight back. he played basketball! he couldn't be blind, that messed everything he had worked for. suddenly, his future was unclear. it hit jack really hard. he refused to let anyone in the room for weeks besides family. he was in a dark place and he refused to accept the idea that he was blind and that he would never see again. he bitched at everyone. he gave himself all this pity and jack had no idea what he was going to do, how the hell was he to live if he couldn't see.

one of his doctors forced him to go to a meeting where other blind people [though at the time, jackson told everyone not to call him blind] met and talked. jackson was introduced as new and he talked for hours to the people in the room. people he couldn't see, and the same with them to him. he learned a lot that day. everyone's stories. one struck him the most though. the man who was born blind. there were how many things he didn't know what they looked like. hell, he didn't even know what people looked like. even though jack wouldn't have chosen this, since he was put into this situation, he considered himself lucky. he was able to see before. it's not like he didn't know what the world look like because he did. and it came down to whether he was going to learn from this or wallow in self-pity.

it happened over night, his transformation. he was determined to be as normal as possible. over the next several months, he pushed himself probably farther than he had ever pushed himself, even in basketball. he was a fighter and he refused to give up. he didn't want being blind to control his life. nothing controlled his life more than he himself did. it was like that, he was jackson again. a year after his accident he was nineteen and was trained [still learning] but he was living at home and was able to do things himself. he took a year off of school. he had a semester of his freshman year under his belt and he finished the remaining of that semester on his own time. the university was very generous to him and what happened to him. when he was twenty he moved out of his parent's mansion and moved into his own apartment, and got a seeing-eye dog, jenny. that year, his younger sister bianca died, which was hard on everyone. jack is really close with his family, even if they are all not close with each other. it was tough on jackson, but from what he was able to hear, the service was beautiful.

it's been three years since the accident. he's now a sophomore in college. he has his own place, a job, able to do everyday things. he believes he is lucky. things could have gone a lot worse, but they didn't. he got past it on his own and now, he is quite skilled. he still hangs with friends, goes on occasional dates, works, and goes to classes. things might be a little harder for him and he finds himself frustrated, but he moves past it once he figures it out. jack doesn't give up as easily. he doesn't let being blind slow him down.

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why don't you waste the afterlife ,[/b][/size][/color]
for admins ,

read the rules: yes
name one you like: them all, of course!
roleplay example: you all know how i roll.

credit: format by lainey, lyrics by modest mouse

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[Daphne Hayes]

woot woo! finished him!

accepted!