There was nothing in the world that biscuits and gravy couldnât fix. Jacki firmly believed that - when she was growing up, her mama would make the biscuits from scratch while her papa worked on the gravy. James and Jonathan, her younger brothers, would dance around the living room with her to whatever record her parents had put on for âfamily cooking time.â Yes, Jacki was convinced that there was nothing in the world that biscuits and gravy couldnât fix, including another day filled with nothing but paper pushing, coffee runs for the bosses, and being blatantly ignored. Again.
It was times like this that Jacki thanked whatever type of god was up there for Honeyâs Diner. Their biscuits and gravy had saved her many a night since returning to Graingerville, and even though she sat alone in a booth, she was grateful to have a little time with her own thoughts. The bell right above the door chimed just as the waiter skated over to bring her biscuits and gravy to the table, placing the hot plate right next to her open notebook and textbook. She said a quick thank you as she kept taking notes, only stopping when someone cleared their throat right next to her table. She looked up, wondering who had interrupted her late night yummy-study session.
The word is unleashed from Hayley in a twisted scream, slamming her fist against the trunk of the nearest tree. It had been an hour since she first spotted the gang of Graingervilleâs resident hooligans - a group of local teens who now believed themselves to be high class criminals - attempting to rob the local liquor store (or, Hayleyâs second home - this was a personal affront). With no time to call back up, sheâd chased them full pelt, taking a detour through the woods. However, not even she could keep up with a group of six, especially when they all dispersed in different directions. âFuck! Shit! Crap!â She punches the trunk with every syllable. Sheâd never used to be this angry, but there was something about the adrenaline of the chase and the blood dripping from her knuckles that causes her pulse to race, the disgusting feeling of a shifting in her skin. As if she could just reach inside and drag that beast out from within her, really show those kids a lesson then-
Crack. The sound of a stick snapping just behind her snaps her out of her tirade, causing her to suck in a sudden breath when she realises just what sheâd been thinking. Her eyes quickly move from her bloody knuckles to the stranger, shaking her head as she tried to come back to herself. âSorry - didnât mean to scare you there. Just stupid kids getting under my skin. Best be careful around the woods right now, thereâs a group of wannabe thieves on the loose.â
It was another day of pushing papers in the police station, and Jacki was incredibly close to losing her mind. Sheâd already counted the ceiling tiles ( eighty-seven in the main office area ), reorganized another officerâs desk ( Monahan, that slob ), and snuck out her most recent textbook on supernatural occurrences for some light reading. Then, almost if by magic, a call came in about a group of hooligans attempting to rob a liquor store and a police officer who looked like she needed backup. Without pausing to see if anyone else would volunteer to help, Jacki grabbed her things and headed off towards the coordinates of the officerâs car.
When Jacki finally arrived on the scene, she was surprised to find herself in the woods. Flashlight in hand, she began to explore the woods as silently as she could ( hear them before they hear you ). Luckily, that was easily done with the swearing she heard escape Hayley Carterâs lips from nearby. Jacki suppressed a groan - Hayley was sure to send her right back to the offices if she found her out here. She made the choice to start heading back to her vehicle, but her journey was interrupted by the twig cracking underneath her feet.Â
Hayley turned, and Jacki knew she was done for. âI heard. A call came in, said you might need some backup.â She replied as confidently as she could muster in the moment. A glint of concern laced her eyes. âYou okay?â
hiya everyone! Iâm dev ( use any pronouns, mine are up in the air rn ), and this is my social justice baby jacki! please hmu for plotting - Iâd love to really develop something with each of you! bio below!
trigger warnings for racism, sexism, and police brutality.
â CHARACTER BASICS
Skeleton Title: The Cavalier
Faceclaim: Laura Harrier
Jacqueline âJackiâ Reynolds | Twenty-Two | Cis-Female | She/Her | May 18th
â CHARACTER BACKGROUND
The Gist:Â
Jacqueline is the oldest daughter of Susan and Barry Reynolds. Born in 1969, just two years after the Supreme Court Case Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial marriage across the United States, Jacqueline was one of the first interracial children in her small Idaho hometown.Â
A couple years and two younger brothers later, the Reynolds family decided to move to Graingerville to be closer to a big city. It was clear from a very young age that Jacqueline was smarter than her years - she exceeded in school from day one, and always preferred reading to the rowdy games at recess.Â
Although she was incredibly intelligent for her age, Jacki always had trouble fitting in. The other black kids thought she wasnât black enough because of her white mother; the white kids took one look at her rich dark skin and knew she wasnât one of them. While she managed to find her own group of friends who didnât care much either way in terms of her race, the underlying discrimination and confusion based on being from a mixed family stuck with her for a long time.
When Jacki entered middle school, her father started telling her stories of his own adolescence - while Jacki worried about math quizzes and essays, Barry was fighting for his rights every single day. He became a lawyer because of it, and after hearing about the Civil Rights Movement directly from him and her other relatives, Jacki decided she wanted to be a lawyer too.
As Jacki got older, her peers began partying more often, rebelling against their parents to make a statement, to be reckless and bold with no apologies. Jacki tried that phase for a minute (but quickly ended when she realized she cared more about what her parents thought of her than her friends from school). Instead of completely locking herself away from the other teenagers in Graingerville, she chose a more proactive route: everyone at her high school knew if they needed a designated driver, Jacki would be there to lend a helping hand.Â
By the end of her sophomore year in high school, Jacki had a perfectly laid-out plan of how to get into either Harvard, Yale, or Stanford majoring in Political Science. Her parents were undoubtedly impressed, and worked to help her achieve her big dreams of getting into top notch schools.Â
Needless to say, her plan worked. After graduating as valedictorian from her high school, Jacki was off to Yale majoring in Political Science with a minor in American History. Yale pushed Jacki to her absolute limits in the best way - she worked harder than ever, made lifelong friends, and even had her first boyfriend (his name was Liam, and they dated for one semester before she dumped him during finals week because he was distracting her).Â
Although Jacki entered college with the hopes of becoming a lawyer, the more she learned about the Civil Rights Movement and the treatment of black people in American history, the more she wanted to immediately help those in need. She had been eyeing the possibility of Law School for a while, but it wasnât until she moved back home to Graingerville post-college graduation that she changed her career path slightly.
The Big Freakout Event of 1990 threw her family for a loop. Her younger brothers were just about to start their sophomore and senior years of high school, her mother had just been promoted at the hospital, and her father had just won a huge case against the unjust arrest of two young black men. But when people with psionic powers and lizard deers terrorize the streets out of the blue, the world sort of pauses for a while.Â
When the dust had settled from the craziness of the BFE, Jacki found herself wanting to help more directly. Being a lawyer helps those accused of a crime - she wanted to help protect the people of Portland from...whatever the crazy shit out there was. She was still torn between being a lawyer or moving to a different career choice when another event influenced her decision.
In March of 1991, Rodney King was horrendously beaten by police officers in Los Angeles. It was unjust, it was unfair, and it was entirely based on race. The trial for the police officers in question was scheduled for the following year, as these sorts of things take time, but it was that one event (and reading about other racist events prior to the Rodney King beating), that led Jacki to join the Portland Police Department.
She was the top of her class at the Police Academy (sheâs always had a penchant for rules and regulations), and with marks like that, she was absolutely sure sheâd start making tidal waves once she was officially on the force.
Unfortunately, they had her saving cats from trees, dealing with parking tickets, and lost elderly people roaming the streets.Â
The Emerging Threats Unit looks better and better by the day. Jackiâs dreamed of helping people since she was little - why wonât the higher ups let her just do it? Sheâs starting to get sick of pushing papers around while she could be making the world a better place. Luckily, that Yale degree is coming in handy - sheâs doing her best to study up on the supernatural stuff going on around town, and sheâs determined to be the expert on all things crazy in this place if it kills her.
Jacqueline Reynolds has no supernatural powers unless you count her unnerving organization skills or her endless knowledge on the historical racism in America thus far (both of which cause her major exhaustion and/or frustration, which I would deem a consequence for her power).
â âSTAY WEIRD PORTLANDâ
One wall of her apartment bedroom looks like a conspiracy theory wall. Sheâs incredibly organized, yes, but her obsession with being the expert on all things supernatural in Portland has caused her to look a little bit like a nutcase. However, the conspiracy theory wall is prettier than other conspiracy theory walls in TV shows and movies because hers comes with color coordinated strings, index cards, and pens. Sometimes when sheâs feeling frisky, she even manages to color coordinate the thumbtacks.Â
While Jacki is a picture perfect student, she has no clue what it means to be good at maintaining a romantic relationship. Absolutely no idea what sheâs doing. Flirting often goes right over her head. She can give you historical dates and supernatural factoids up the wazoo, but hit her with a one-liner and she just sort of stares...and then walks away.
â ASPECTS & SKILLS
Straight A Student: Jacki never earned less than an A- in her entire academic career (a fact that her parents remind her younger brothers of every single day). She excels in history and English, and performs well in math and sciences. Although art has never really been her thing, her ability to give it a try has always earned her at least an A- in class.
Strong, Smart, Underestimated Woman: Itâs 1991. Sheâs a Yale graduate, incredibly intelligent, resilient as hell, and determined to serve justice and protect those around her. She is fierce by any definition of the word, but that doesnât mean everyone sings her praises. Some men find her strength frightening. Some others find her intelligence to be overbearing, or too âknow-it-allâ for their liking. Sheâs underestimated, and often given the dirty work rather than the work she joined the police force for, and she knows it.
I Have to Do Whatâs Right: Even though Jacki loves rules, regulations, and the like, sometimes the rules are wrong. Thatâs why she started training with The Fighter. Thatâs why sheâs studying up on supernatural occurrences. And thatâs why sheâs more than willing to protect people who arenât in the wrong. I mean come on, itâs not anybodyâs fault that some of these people have powers - just because people fear them for being different doesnât excuse any harm that comes their way, and Jacki has made it her mission to protect people with powers as long as they donât maliciously hurt others.
Great: Will
Good: Notice, Academics
Fair: Â Â Investigate, Shoot, Lore
Aver: Â Athletics, Stealth, Drive, Fight
â AESTHETIC
A brand new pack of index cards. Happy family photos on the wall. Clean laundry. The same haircut every time. Highlighted textbooks. Annotated novels. Reading the newspaper thoroughly. Fresh scented candles. Conspiracy theory strings. Too much coffee. Waking up to sunlight peeking through the window. Horrible headaches. Extra poster boards for future rallies and marches. Sleeping alone. Speaking quickly for efficiencyâs sake. Gin and tonics. Being overwhelmed by large social situations. Studying without being assigned to. Forgetting to sleep. Forgetting to eat. Forgetting to take a moment to just breathe. Justice. Family dinners on Thursdays. Bending the law for things that are right. Ironed clothes. A color-coded planner. Wearing a retainer every night to bed like youâre supposed to. Bob Dylan CDs. Perfectly polished badges. Quiet breakfasts. Practical clothes.
â SEASON 2, EPISODE 1
If anyone else were to see what Jackiâs apartment looked like, theyâd think it was just as clean as ever. But by her standards? Her room was a mess. Textbooks on the history of time and space stacked high on her desk; questionably sourced papers on the existence of supernatural creatures in our universe highlighted, annotated, and in their own folders; four mugs of coffee, all of them empty and lined up on top of her dresser. She would get to the bottom of this case. If her boss didnât want her on anything more important than parking tickets, sheâd work the Emergency Threat Unit cases on her own time. Sure, Jacki was losing sleep by the minute, but it would be worth it when crisis inevitably hit Portland again and she was the best resource they had. Plus, now she had a friend to help her improve her combat skills! Sheâd be prepared for anything, with a twelve-step solution to the next Big Freakout Event to hit her town. Just like her dad always told her: âIf you canât be the boss, be better than them.â
Please feel free to message me for any plots! I have a wimpy ass plotting page here, so feel free to look at that for inspiration!
Her mother told her she could grow up to be anything she wanted be, so she grew up to become the strongest of the strong, the strangest of the strange, the wildest of the wild, the wolf leading wolves.
Nikita Gill, For The Red Riding Hood Who Was The Wolf (via frostborn)
andulkaphoto
romaincrisis
discoholicmusic
2087
jbbartram-illu
gummygunk
