Profile
Name: Bernice Taylor
Age: 26 (dob: November 27th, 1992)
Origin: Eden (East Alabama)
Arcana: The Lovers
Spread: ?
Background
Bernice Taylor has lived in her medium-sized Alabama hometown her entire life, never having ventured out of the greater southeast. Her older brother taught her his wild behavior and reckless abandon as they played together, while looking after her younger brother helped to cultivate concern with others’ well being. But a middle child is still a middle child, and without the agency of being oldest or the attention of being youngest, she became prone to anger and passive-aggressive behavior as an outlet for the frustrations that filled those gaps.
Despite her adolescent years being largely uneventful, her social life remained turbulent thanks to her surly temperament. She did have friends, though the group's like-mindedness created a sort of feedback loop in which bad behaviors fed more bad behaviors. She took it upon herself to attempt "helping" them improve themselves, but even though she had the best intentions, her abrasive and domineering presence made her effectively more tyrant than friend and did more to feed the fires than to tame them.
In college, she met and grew close to a young man whose charms drew her in like a moth to a flame. He had his issues, but she was determined to do something about it, and she spent a good while in a relationship with him before they both dropped out and got married. For another two years after that, Bernice continued her fool's errand exhausting herself trying to turn coal into diamond, but she started to suspect that her efforts were misplaced and that her intentions were more self-centered than she initially thought… that perhaps it was a trial for her own satisfaction more so than a desire to do good. After a particularly significant event that left the two of them at odds with each other, she threw in the towel and divorced him, setting them both free. It wasn’t without its regrets, but she avoids talking about that. It’s in the past, after all!
Fast forward a few years and she’s been more or less living her best life, content to be on her own, steadily traveling the path toward improving the self rather than forcing change on others. What better way to help people than to, you know, be a nice person to be around? It's not even that hard! ... For the most part.
But get this-- she gets this weird text message one day. Totally strange. Super suspect. But hey-- she’s never been to New York before! It could be fun!
Personality
+ optimistic, ardent, conscientious +
= committed, sincere, boisterous =
- self-sacrificial, foolhardy, smothering -
She’s keen to stay on the optimistic side, but she’s also got enough sense to know when to buckle down and get serious. Usually, such a situation entails another person’s welfare being at stake-- unless they’re on her shit list, in which case she has better things to do.
She often takes on a big sister or motherly role towards people. Support itself comes in several flavors, and she tries to be proficient in as many as possible. One, emotional support; need counsel? Someone to confide in? Maybe just a shoulder to cry on? She’s your gal, and secrets stay safe with her. Two, practical; need life advice? Need help putting a shelf together? Also your gal. Three, physical; are you in danger? Got some bullies that won’t leave you alone? She’ll fight for you. Basically, it’s all hard work and dedication from Bernice, and if you don’t believe in yourself… well, she’s going to try to change your mind!
However, where there is light, there is dark. Perhaps her optimism is self-preservation, perhaps it’s a facade-- either way, there’s definitely something… not artificial, but cultivated about it. Purposeful. Perhaps, without that internal sun, there’s something in the darkness that makes her hesitate. When there’s no one to shine on, she’s more subdued and can be ill-tempered; sometimes, unfortunately, this temper bleeds over through her best efforts. In some cases, her can-do will-help attitude has been overbearing and unwelcome in her persistence, and sometimes she just fails to see taking a bullet for someone else (be it figuratively or literally) as a foolish decision.
Strengths & Weaknesses
+ Physically fit. Strong & sturdy.
+ Confident! Self-assured.
+ Definitely a people person. Intuitive.
- Reckless w/ her own safety, will get hurt to help someone else.
- Can be stubborn.
- Prone to losing focus when angry and making it a ‘personal’ altercation.
Combat
Tends to take to the offensive fairly quickly, but she's not afraid to act as a meat shield to protect someone else. She's a tank, I guess!
Notes
~ 6' tall
~ Trained in kickboxing!
~ Plays the guitar
~ Hates hospitals. They make her feel trapped and vulnerable, even when just visiting.
