did I just see DAVID CORENSWET walking down the street? no, that was ARTHUR VANDERBILT! HE is a THIRTY TWO year old who identifies as a CIS MAN. I hear that they spend their days as a LAWYER at BEACON LAW. last I heard, they’ve been in town for HIS WHOLE LIFE and were living in JASPER HEIGHTS. some people would say that they’re INSIGHTFUL & OPINIONATED, but I wouldn’t judge a book by its cover!
FULL NAME: Arthur Callum Vanderbilt
NICKNAME(S): Art
AGE: Thirty-Two
GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis Man & He/Him
SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Bisexual & Biromantic
BIRTH PLACE: Jasper, CA
BIRTHDAY: 17 March
ZODIAC: Pisces
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: In A Relationship
HEIGHT: 6'4"
OCCUPATION: Lawyer
EDUCATION: High School, Bachelor's Degree, Law School
NEIGHBORHOOD: Jasper Heights
ARRIVAL IN TOWN: His whole life
PARENTS: Dylan Vanderbilt (Father) — Living, Jessica Vanderbilt (Mother)
SIBLINGS: TBD (Older Sister) — Living, TBD (Younger Sister) — Living
SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English
PETS: None
BIOGRAPHY !
he was born to the most basic nuclear family to ever exist. his mother was a teacher and his father worked as a banker. arthur was their middle child, with an older and younger sister. despite being his father's only son, arthur had a difficult time bonding with his father whose hobby was model trains. arthur liked being outside and feeling the dirt under his hands. he was about six when his parents put him in horseback riding lessons.
arthur mostly did alright in school, but he struggled to focus and was often in trouble with his teachers for not turning in his assignments on time. he had an english teacher his sophomore year of high school that he really liked and that’s what pushed him to do better in school. although that didn’t stop him from getting into trouble.
at seventeen he got into some pretty big legal trouble after getting into trouble for public intoxication and “defacing” a public park. it made the local news, so unfortunately his parents had to make a big deal out of it, so he was sent to his aunt’s for the summer and final school year. thankfully, the judge went easy on him since it was his first offense, but a lot of people stopped liking him because of it.
arthur went to college and struggled to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. he enjoyed his english and psychology classes the best. because of his run in with the law, he was interested in law as well, so after taking a class with one of the criminology professors that pushed him to going to law school after he finished his bachelor’s degree.
during law school, arthur met his current partner. he was immediately mesmerized by her, yet she wouldn’t give him the time of day. so he acted a bit like an idiot around her trying to get her attention. that tactic never worked, but eventually when they were studying in the library and shared some information about themselves with each other, they became friends and that friendship eventually turned romantic. after graduating, they moved back to his hometown and got jobs.
"no, no..." she shakes her head dismissively, her voice light and soft as to not dispel any encouragement. "it's not that bad. i've seen way worse." there were times she had seen toddlers in kiln and clay, making small keepsakes that their parents would cherish later down the line opposed to the chaos of keeping their child clean and polite. she loved those moments too. "it's abstract. i like it. besides, shape it a little... take your time... and it'll look spectacular once it's gone through glazing. trust me." logan tilts her head, watching carefully, but not judgmentally, as the clay spins. "this your first time?"
"Yeah, I mean it isn't something I'd willingly try on my own. I don't have many artistic skills." Ironic considering that he went by the nickname Art. But his siblings had always been way more artistic than he ever was. Art had always been better at arguing with people. Which was probably for the best considering that he really liked his job as a lawyer. Arguing was what paid him. "It looks like a blob," he shrugged. "I'm mostly trying to make it look like something that might work to hold a bunch of jewellery."
"You sound like someone's broken your heart," Beau points out, despite having vague knowledge that Art's currently seeing someone, "trouble in paradise?" He's personally indifferent to the holiday. His last real relationship had been with Gen and that was nearly two decades ago, though someone like Alex may have a different view of things.
"Mmm." No he didn't, but he wasn't going to point that out. "No trouble whatsoever." Art didn't want to talk about his relationship with Beau though. It was better to change the subject. Just because he didn't want to celebrate in public, didn't mean they were having problems. "Why are you here? This doesn't seem like your typical haunt."
"Nobody's forcing you to do anything you don't want to do. You're free to do or celebrate however you want." Javier points out, brows raised slightly. He hadn't expected to get into a debate, though he supposed he knew better than expect the expected. "There's nothing wrong with everyday romance, I'm not disagreeing with you here." He adds, a half amused chuckle escaping before he takes a sip from his drink. "It's all about the effort, regardless of the day."
"Not really. I mean to some degree, but if my fiancée wants to do something, I can't stop her." He could make suggestions, but really she was calling all the shots. It was more comfortable that way honestly. "I think the effort is the most important part of a relationship. So is knowing your partner." Not that he didn't think Claudette didn't know him, but he didn't love the forced celebration of Valentine's Day. "Exactly. The effort is the most important part."
"Yeah, that's not a bad idea. Just because it's not a holiday doesn't mean your partner wouldn't enjoy a gift or something sweet. You've clearly got the right idea." Part of Layla wondered if he thought he deserved a medal for buying flowers, but that kind of sarcasm probably wouldn't land well with a somewhat stranger. "No one ever wants to kill the Romans. What can you do? Maybe I'll get an officiant's license, do the other part of the holiday." She mused, taking a sip of her punch. It was a mix of different fruit juices and vodka, which worked for her. She wasn't usually picky about alcohol. "If I ever get a boyfriend, I want presents every week and Valentine's Day! Maybe not flowers every time, maybe like a cool rock, or like LEGOs. Ooh, or a glittery eyepatch that looks like an egg!"
"Yeah, I try. I mean I'm probably the worst since I barely know what I'm doing most of the time. I try." He did his best in his relationship, even though he was not the smartest person in the room. "The right idea and the right motivation, I hope." He did his best and that was all he could do. "I have a feeling that is not exactly true. A lot of people wanted to kill the Romans. I've heard that's pretty easy to do. There's like a fee you pay online and then you can marry people. Seems kind of fun if you ask me. Saves people from having to do the big fancy church thing." Not that he'd mind that. "I want random gifs too. Could be anything. Some new socks would be nice. The dryer keeps eating my favorite ones."
☆ﾟ*·ﾟWho's idea was this Valentine's event? Kiran wasn't entirely sure that this fit who she was in the slightest. She hadn't wanted to attend, but when her friends texted her saying she had to attend, she found herself wearing the only red shirt she had, trying to at least seem like she cared enough. The fact that this required dancing made her nervous. Kiran wasn't a dancer and never had any desire to be. Standing off to the side, she crossed her arms over her chest, scrunching up her nose. "It's not bitter, it's smart. I think it's more of a show off to everyone how happy you are?" Kiran shrugged, looking out at how happy everyone else was. "It's a stupid Hallmark holiday anyway. And dancing? that's even worse. I don't know why I agreed to this."
While Art wasn't a huge fan of Valentine's Day, he still liked participating in town events. He missed all of them in the years that he was away in college. Maybe because he wasn't into those things as a teen. He felt like he had to make up for being the menace he was before he left. Even if he was in a relationship, that didn't mean that the holiday was any less annoying to him. He wished that he hadn't shown up tonight. "Right," he nodded. "It's not that I'm not happy in my relationship. It's just I think this is the worst holiday. I shouldn't have to spend money to show my fiancée I care about her. And it shouldn't be a requirement one day of the year that I have to shower someone in gifts to show how much I do care. I'll buy her gifts when I want to buy her gifts." Art sighed and maybe he sounded ungrateful. "You don't like dancing?"
Layla was taking a much needed break, her face a little pink from dancing. She couldn't wait to take her shoes off; she'd forgotten how uncomfortable these were. She looked at her neighbor, clearly trying to stay out of the festivities. He was a bit tall, so she didn't know how successful he'd be. "Maybe, but I think you're allowed. Valentine's Day is touted as this major holidays for people in love, and when you're not... But I think we should go back to the more original meaning of the holiday. By marrying people in forbidden ceremonies and committing acts of martyrdom. Maybe kill a few Roman soldiers for the hell of it." Layla suggested with a shrug. Very few people agreed with her, but that's because they were cowards. If they were really in love, they'd be okay with sacrifice. "But I think it's nice to have a dedicated day to show love for others. Granted you could say that about any holiday. Shouldn't we keep the spirit of giving and peace inside us, even when it isn't Christmas?"
Arthur did have a stable relationship with his fiancée and wasn't unlucky in any sense of a romantic relationship, but he still didn't like the holiday. It had always felt more like corporate bullshit to him than anything else. Although he'd never let his fiancée hear that. He did try to stay positive about it for the most part. "I really is. They act like it's this huge thing, a big ordeal for couples when really I think we should focus on the smaller interactions that show love. Maybe because I bring home flowers every few weeks just because." He didn't feel like he needed to do anything big for it. "I'm fine with all that, but not the killing Romans part. I don't think my job would appreciate that all that much." Or well, anyone for that matter. "Sure, but the holiday feels so fake. Like why should we only buy our significant others flowers one day a year?"
"While it's definitely become a capitalist sort of money grab, it's nice to see everyone get together. Plus, it's not the actual holiday, so you can still spend Valentine's with your loved ones." Javier points out, shrugging slightly. "We should be celebrating the people important to us all of the time, though I suppose a little extra attention on a specific day never hurt anyone." It was akin to celebrating a birthday, he thought. "Not a fan of the holiday then, I take it?"
Arthur wasn't a huge fan of the holiday for a lot of different reasons, but he really hated how capitalist a lot of holidays felt. He wanted to spend time with his significant other and not feel "forced" because of the holiday. "Is it? A lot of it feels very forced. I've seen people only get together because of the holiday and then break up a few months or even weeks later." Okay, that one sounded a bit bitter, he thought. He'd been in that situation before. "I don't know, I find that the little things matter more to me. A chore that's usually hers or buying something that's been chilling in our Amazon cart for months. It doesn't have to have a specific day that feels forced." Art shrugged. "I think it's either too material or shows off red flags. What's stopping someone from getting flowers for their girlfriend on a random Wednesday?" He might have his life together, but Art was not great at being romantic on purpose.
open / @jasperstarters
location / valentine's day mingle
He was not thrilled at having to spend the night at the Valentine's Day Mingle event when he'd rather have spent the night at home cooking dinner for his partner and spending quality time together. However, he promised a few of his friends that he'd make an appearance before he went back home. Sometimes Arthur forgot just how much history he had with the people in this town. A lot of people remembered the days when he was a teen that caused trouble. "This might make me sound kind of bitter, but I've never understood Valentine's Day. Shouldn't you celebrate your loved ones every day?"
starter type: open (capped at 0/5)
location: kiln and clay
glancing down at the others hands as they withdrew from the clay piece in front of them, logan offered a gentle smile as she rose from her seat. "here, let me get you some water." it was another day at work, though thankfully more leisurely than usual. more quiet. logan adored being in the studio for that reason. it was calming, even among the occasional disorder of people that'd come in with their kids, or couples that requested multiple hand cast's for weddings or who knows what. she thrived in the environment. she returned next to them with a bowl of warm water and a clean towel, placing it beside them. "you'd be shocked at how many people don't realize how messy it can be."
He'd never exactly been the most creative person, but maybe making something for Valentine's Day was nicer than buying a bunch of stuff they didn't need for the house. Arthur felt like he was in over his head and he'd made a complete mess of the shirt he was wearing. Thank goodness he'd had the sense to wear something old. "Thank you," he looked at the lump in front of him. He took a moment to clean up a little because he hated leaving such a big mess in front of him. Great. In addition to making a mess, the vase he was attempting to make looked pretty terrible. "I figured it would be messy, but I didn't expect it to be this difficult. I'm terrible."
where: the jasper valentine's mingle event, by the food table
with: OPEN 0/4
"i'm not trying to yuck anyone's yum, or whatever it is the kids say these days, but this dj needs to pick the songs that are gonna get people to fun dance before they slow dance, y'know? we need some whitney houston, some beyonce, some sabrina carpenter. get people on the dance floor and then slow it down with something sexy. y'know?"
"You know, you might be right, but this is also sort of a vibe." Art didn't mind the slow songs even if it was boring that almost every song was a slow song. "It's encouraging all the cute couples to dance together. And who knows maybe we'll get to see a couple break up." He wasn't single and probably should be spending some time with his partner, but alas he needed a snack. "You should go mention your opinion to the DJ though."
