Profile
River Williams
Aphrah Fogg
Aphrah comes from a strict magical Puritan world underground, beneath NYC, and River is a flirty gay boy living in the Big Apple.
Statuses
- Relationship Secretly dating
- Status Smooth
- Bases Eventually all
Important Stuff to Remember
- River belongs to @PrincessMaggot
- Aphrah belongs to @hlwar
- Aphrah is taller at nearly six feet, while River is just 5'4"
- "We're off to Neverland!"
Playlist
Background / About
When Aphrah goes to "Blue Rafters" above, it's to use the Limbo Town Witch-folks' necromancy and Submissionary's Rod to raise the dead at New York's mass grave on Hart's Island. However, he and his exodus of zombies are stopped by the Justice League Dark, who take Aphrah into custody. He is allowed to go free, but because he desires to coexist peacefully and learn about Blue Rafters, the JLD introduce Aphrah to the NYC-based witch, Fayleen Winter (owned by @PrincessMaggot), who also happens to work with the dead, running a funeral home.
River works with his Aunt Fay as a desairologist, his love of cosmetology and all things magical leading him to make beautiful the cadavers in the mortuary. It is upon Aphrah's first visit where the two boys meet. At first sight, Aphrah mistook River for a woman, with his beautiful bright lips and lustrous locks. But as soon they shook hands and River said 'hello', that was it: instant crush! His heart just raced and Aphrah was taken in by such a gorgeous boy. And although women in Limbo Town don't paint their faces on principle, the glam colors and delightful glittery make-up is one of Aph's favorite things about the young man, both smitten and fascinated. River, too, thought Aphrah was a bit strange. He didn't dislike him—in fact, he thought he was kind of a cool dude—but River wasn't used to his type of speech, finding it a bit off-putting. After awhile though it became an endearing quirk.
Despite any sparks flying, Aphrah has trained to hide his true feelings and attractions, so their introduction is casual and polite. However, since River is so extroverted and people-oriented, he offers to finish the funeral home tour with Aphrah, only to finalize it with, "So, how much of New York ya seen so far?" Their City excursion shows Aph he has much to explore and learn—and River is more than happy to offer the unusual blue young man some answers and help, a guide, and even a place to crash. With unspoken reasons, the two start spending as much time together as possible whenever Aphrah visited. It's an interesting friendship they develop at the start, both so different, yet perhaps needing that ying-yang chemistry in their swiftly-changing lives. Because River is also dealing with his own family secrets, discovering his innate magic and heritage as a Mana Mystic and Guardian of the Green.
With new magical threats on the rise for both their worlds, plus everyday struggles of confidence and acceptance, River and Aphrah's friendship grows tight, and more intense as both boys deal with their personal issues. River had spent years as a partying player, living his life without a solid relationship out of his fear of commitment and getting too close—afraid of losing loved ones like he did his first real boyfriend, Richie Arcane (owned by @PrincessMaggot). Aphrah finds himself now overwhelmed with having to keep his secret of being gay in a Puritanical religion, especially when he grows closer and closer to his new Blue Rafters friend, constantly sending mixed messages and conflicted emotions in this place of modern wonders and progressive sexualities.
Milestones
As Submissionary, Aphrah is accustomed to addressing his small community of Witch-folk. However, his personal family consists only of his widowed mother and himself, and due to her strong sense of Croatoan religion and Puritan morals he has never dared come out to her. They are close after the death of his father, but the loss made his mother somewhat clingy to the old ways and Aphrah becoming the 'man of the house'. So he's quite taken with River's modern family. The hippie plant boy has been the legal guardian of his three younger sisters, triplets, since he came of age, their little family left without parents after a tragic car accident. These little "saplings" quickly endear themselves to the Witch-boy. He happens to love children because they are open minded and accepting, but Star, Juniper, and Coral Williams are even more independent and unique. The girls are often Aphrah's teachers on household customs in Blue Rafters.
Aphrah has a habit of standing back and watching River play with his sisters, smiling at the happy, carefree display. He is mindful not to overstep his bounds with the family, behaving proper, but soon enough becomes much like another big brother towards Coral and Juniper, and sort of motherly with shy Star, entrusting her to "watch over" his familiar Skorl while they stay. They become a second family to him, almost like he's leading a double life until he comes out in Limbo.
The rest of the Williams family have come to accept Aphrah in the household as well. Juniper thinks he looks super bad ass! Coral admires how responsible he is, while meek Star at first was scared of him but soon likes his company in the house. (When their mother comes back as a Star Sapphire after the events of Blackest Night, Mable even gives him the nickname "Honey-blue" and finds Aphrah to be a charming young man.)
The two had become close friends, and often even acted like a couple with how they cared for the other—yet neither had the courage to come clean about their crush right away. Aphrah for fear of his homosexuality getting back to Limbo Town, too afraid of his mother's disapproval and the Witches' rejection, plus the possible loss of his Submissionary status. River was scared of losing his best friend, since he still wasn't fully certain Aphrah was even gay. Or worse, that he might not be taken seriously because of River's notorious flirtatious nature, never one to hold down a long-lasting, stable relationship, a labeled player.
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Read the Couple Development Reference Sheet for some insight into Aphrah's perspective on his ship.
