MARKL GONZALEZ

markl gonzalez . for @aptshq

[marklgz]

✽  . ˚   &.  「   OSCAR  ISAAC.  FORTY-FOUR.  AGENDER.  THEY/THEM.  」markl  gonzalez  occupies  level  ten:  #1006.  you'll  know  the  leo  is  home  if  you  hear  don’t  let’s  start  by  they  might  be  giants  blasting  through  their  speakers.  the  astrophysicist  has  been  living  in  wisteria  for  four  years.  since  then  they've  built  a  reputation  for  being  curious  and  argumentative  ,  typical  for  the  cynic.

&.     statistics

full  name  :  markl  paolo  gonzalez  rivera

nickname/s  :  n/a

age  :  forty-four

date  of  birth  :  twelfth  of  august  ,  nineteen  seventy-eight

place  of  birth  :  los  angeles  ,  california

gender  :  none

pronouns  :  they  /  them

orientation  :  gay

&.     biography

born  and  raised  in  los  angeles  ,  markl  has  always  been  a  very  scientifically  -  minded  person  .  they  excelled  in  maths  and  physics  in  school  ,  and  were  enraptured  by  the  idea  of  going  to  space  from  the  time  their  class  had  a  field  trip  to  jpl  in  fifth  grade  .

their  family  was  never  particularly  wealthy  ,  being  central  american  immigrants  ,  so  to  get  to  college  and  university  ,  markl  had  to  secure  a  scholarship  .  this  meant  hours  upon  hours  of  study  every  day  ,  along  with  long  shifts  volunteering  at  a  local  soup  kitchen  .

it  paid  off  in  the  end  ,  with  markl  securing  a  full  scholarship  for  a  bachelor  of  science  majoring  in  astrophysics  at  ucla  (  safer  to  go  to  a  local  uni  ,  rather  than  gamble  on  getting  a  housing  scholarship  as  well  )  .

after  completing  undergraduate  ,  nasa  were  quick  to  snatch  up  the  talented  young  astrophysicist  who  was  consistently  top  of  their  class  in  everything  .  markl  worked  at  jpl  while  writing  their  phd  thesis  ,  the  lab’s  facilities  very  useful  for  their  writing  .

these  days  ,  markl  is  one  of  the  top  astrophysicists  in  the  world  ,  having  fulfilled  both  of  their  childhood  dreams  —  working  for  nasa  and  being  able  to  support  their  parents  financially  .  if  only  their  parents  weren’t  so  invested  in  getting  grandchildren  ...  markl  is  not  cut  out  for  single  parenthood  or  romance  .

[greg-cofre]

[OPEN STARTER] || location: Wisteria Elevator

Greg stood off to the side of the elevator, courteous to any new passengers who might have boarded on the way down from the ninth floor. One hand in his pant pocket, the other held his white doctor coat; balled up only exposing the end tail. He was on his way in to work, but only for a brief visit. It was technically his day off, but he couldn't help but wander on-site to check on one of the animals that remained on watch in its habitat after having given birth.

A 'ding' broke his thoughts, warning him of someone about to step inside. He took a side-step further to the corner, looking down at his feet for a quick moment and catching the tail end of his white coat dangle near his knees. Or - what should have been a white coat tail. Instead, it was dyed a dark red. A splatter of dried blood crusting over a large amount of real-estate on the fabric. His eyes grew wide, looking from the blood-stained coat to the elevator passenger who had a clear view of it as the doors opened.

"I can explain" Greg said rushed, with wide eyes, bringing the hand out of his pocket to innocently wave.

[marklgz]

markl  rarely  gets  in  the  elevator  with  someone  already  there  —  the  perks  of  living  on  the  top  floor  —  but  they  were  visiting  a  friend  on  one  of  the  lower  floors  before  heading  out  for  the  day  —  which  is  how  they  find  themself  in  this  situation,  watching  the  awkward  guy  wave  while  a  blood-stained  coat  dangled  out  of  his  grasp.  “  uh–  yeah,  i  sure  hope  so.  ”  not  that  they  particularly  care  why,  what  he  does  with  his  time  is  the  guy’s  own  business  —  they  just  don’t  want  to  get  murdered  or  anything.  markl  steps  into  the  elevator.  “  alright,  start  explaining.  ”

[extinctinstinct]

jongho truly couldn’t imagine being someone who would think such a thing without hesitation. he was fortunate to be raised with schooling that made sure there was no mistaking things like this, no reverting back to issues solved centuries ago, regardless of what type. “ maybe it was fake, ” xe teased, “ i guess we’ll never know. ” jongho sipped the last of his coffee and then shook his head. “ the fact there are so many videos of earth as a sphere is plenty of evidence to me, but i suppose if you don’t trust nasa… ” he shrugged. “ i’m not trusting of the government or its institutions, but the science-based ones seem a bit easier to trust. ”

[marklgz]

“  jongho.  buddy.  please.  don’t  do  this  to  me,  ”  markl  says,  burying  their  head  in  their  hands.  “  please.  ”  they’re  so  fucking  tired,  they  don’t  have  the  energy  for  this.  at  least  xe’s  definitely  teasing  —  markl  still  needs  better  friends,  but  they  don’t  need  to  worry  about  dealing  with  idiots.  “  hey,  me  neither.  working  for  the  government  makes  you  realise  just  how  many  things  in  this  country  are  barely  functioning  ...  also  they  keep  trying  to  cut  our  funding,  irrespective  of  who’s  in  charge.  ”  it’s  like  they  don’t  understand  just  how  much  nasa  actually  does  for  the  world.  which  wouldn’t  surprise  markl  in  the  least  —  politicians  are  so  stupid.  “  it’s  just  so  dumb.  ”

[marklgz]

*  DILA.

“from all the lies i heard this is nothing next to it. not even close. i mean … it’s a way to have your parents stop setting you up with someone. and about your parents not wanting you to get lonely? you have the best neighbours ever so there is no chance for you to ever get lonely,” she told markl with an assuring nod and a smile. “true that. i got a few new cases and they’re pretty big ones so i’m preparing all the paperworks for it. i’m sparing you a lot of headache, trust me. i truly love my job, but sometimes it can be so hectic..” the brunette softly let out of a sigh. “how are you doing though?”

they  shrug.  “  i  do,  but  my  parents  know  how  much  time  i  used  to  spend  holed  up  in  my  room  reading,  and  they’re  not  entirely  wrong  to  assume  that  i  still  do  that,  ”  markl  replies.  the  difference  is  that  now  they  have  friends  who  can  coax  them  out  with  the  promise  of  good  company  —  school-aged  markl  was  not  good  at  making  friends.  “  well,  i  wish  you  the  best  of  luck  —  may  your  big  preparations  be  less  of  a  headache  than  all  the  work  i  did  for  artemis,  because  that  was  hectic.  ”  but  getting  to  participate  in  sending  people  to  the  moon,  something  they  dreamed  about  doing  as  a  kid  before  they  realised  how  fucking  terrifying  that  would  be,  that’s  worth  all  the  paperwork  in  the  world.  “  disaster  dates  aside,  i’m  pretty  good,  ”  they  say.  “  sifting  through  data  at  work,  same  as  always.  working  on  a  new  paper,  which  i’ll  spare  you  the  details  of  —  it’s  basically  a  fluff  piece  to  convince  the  government  to  give  us  more  funding.  ”

[marklgz]

What is the smallest, morally questionable choice they’ve made? / What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?

what is the smallest morally questionable choice they've made ?

they lied to a homeless person about not having cash because they didn't want to miss the bus. like, there were extenuating circumstances, but they still feel like absolute shit whenever they remember that instance.

what's a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often ?

markl is generally pretty competent, a side effect of having to contribute to the household from a young age, but the one thing that continues to escape them is driving — they're a terrible driver and almost always get a lift or catch public transport if they can.

[marklgz]

*  RHYS.

closed @marklgz​​ where : the last book store 

                they’ve been making plans to visit the last books store for weeks now, but each time it’s cancelled thanks to rhys and his unexpected changing schedules. a little too much than for an average person, and though he never complains about his work, there are times, like this, that sometimes it does become just a bit bothersome. the day had arrived where he’s finally able to follow through the plans he’s made with his friend, markl. they had been rather patient and understanding of his position, and he’s really grateful for that. the pair of friends arrive just a bit ago, with each already browsing through various shelfs of books. it’s one thing the doctor enjoys with them, like rhys, markl as a curious and open mind on most things. “find anything that catches your fancy yet?” rhys heads over with two books in his hand as he eyes the same shelf his companion is.

it’s  frustratingly  rare  for  markl  and  rhys’  schedules  to  align  —  experts  in  their  fields,  always  busy  —  though  markl’s  schedule  is  much  more  regular.  but  at  long,  long  last,  here  they  are  —  standing  amongst  the  shelves  of  the  last  bookstore.  “  not  really,  ”  they  reply,  scanning  over  the  titles  on  the  shelf.  “  found  a  couple  of  sci-fi  books,  but  i’m  so  picky  about  those  it’s  rarely  worth  it  to  buy  them.  ”  they  pull  a  book  from  the  shelf  and  skim  its  blurb,  shrugging.  “  ministry  for  the  future  is  supposed  to  be  good,  or  so  i’ve  heard.  this  one  sounds  interesting  too.  ”  they  show  the  cover  —  silverview  by  john  le  carre,  not  an  author  markl’s  read  much  of,  but  they  know  their  dad’s  fond  of  his  books.

[marklgz]

What’s a hobby they used to have that they miss?

markl had a variety of hobbies as a kid — soccer and reading being the ones that lasted the longest. soccer, they dropped in college, reading they stopped due to the sheer number of academic articles they had to read. they have picked reading back up, and watch soccer on tv, but they do miss the experience of kicking a ball around with their friends in the park of an afternoon.

[marklgz]

*  CLARISSA.

      “honestly-”  clarissa  started,  most  likely  knowing  that  they  didn’t  want  to  hear  about  what  she  had  to  say.  “it  must  kind  of  be  nice  for  your  mother  to  want  to  impose  a  relationship  on  you.  mine,  i  feel  gave  her  all  to  inserting  herself  and  ruining  them.”  while  her  relationship  breakdown  wasn’t  her  mother’s  doing,  the  woman  still  felt  like  she  was  a catalyst.  “oh,  please!  i’ve  nearly  mastered  the  art  of  toast.  i’m  well  aware  of  how  ridiculous  i  sound  but  i’m  burning  pizza  so  i  thought,  best  start  small.”  she  had  never  been  fully  independent  and  was  struggling  with  it.  “so  if  you  know  how  to  cook ,  please  make  yourself  at  home.”  she  nodded,  hoping  that  the  other  would  accept.  “oh,  well,  it’s  housewives,  isn’t  it?  if  someone’s  not  screaming,  accusing  or  throwing  wine  then  andy  cohen  won’t  get  paid.”  she  was  glad  that  lisa  r*nna  hadn’t  been  confirmed  for  the  next  season.  “it’s  fine.  this  is,  um,  quite  the  adjustment.”

“  damn,  ”  they  say,  both  an  expression  of  their  lack  of  experience  with  shitty  parents  and  in  surprise  at  her  managing  to  burn  pizza.  “  your  oven  doesn’t  have  a  timer  or  an  auto-off  ?  ”  essential,  in  their  opinion,  especially  for  people  with  not  enough  time  on  their  hands.  “  slow-cooked  stuff  is  good,  hard  to  burn  unless  you  forget  it  for  half  a  day  or  more;  and  a  rice  cooker’s  always  useful.  ”  for  the  first  few  years  after  they  moved  out,  markl  ate  a  lot  of  rice,  casseroles  and  curries.  when  she  says  housewives  the  realisation  clicks  in  their  mind  —  to  be  fair,  they  don’t  watch  reality  tv,  and  they  live  in  a  building  with  plenty  of  eccentric  people.  “  i’m  impressed  you  can  endure  all  that,  i  think  i’d  last  all  of  five  seconds  with  those  sorts  of  people.  ”

[marklgz]

*  ARABELLA.

               her  head  cocks  back  slightly  ;  her  chin  coming  together  with  her  neck  as  she  gave  a  bewildered  almost  ‘  how  dare  ‘  look  .  “  i  DID bet  on  soccer  ,  but  FIFA  is  FIN-EEE-TOE  , over , DONE  so  now  i  gotta  move  on  to  the  next  big  thing  which  is  football  season  and  the  super  bowl  is  comin’  up  .  let  me  have  this  .  “  she  protested  ,  pouting  a  bit  as  she  crossed  her  arms  over  her  chest  .  bella  …  resident  drama  queen  .  “  so  i  already  know  i’m  not  gonna  ask  you  about  the  lakers  when  basketball  season  rolls  around  then  .  “  

they  shake  their  head  in  mock  disappointment.  “  you  really  think  soccer  is  a  one  and  done  kind  of  thing  ?  it’s  the  biggest  sport  in  the  world,  there’s  always  a  big  competition  going.  like  the  premier  league,  or  liga  mx.  ”  to  be  fair,  markl  doesn’t  particularly  care  for  the  premier  league  either,  but  it’s  fun  to  point  and  laugh  at  brits  tripping  over  their  own  feet.  and  it’s  definitely  bigger  internationally  than  the  superbowl.  “  basketball  ...  almost  as  boring  as  football,  ”  they  say.  “  i  dunno,  maybe  it’s  more  interesting  if  you  know  the  rules,  but  i  can’t  be  bothered  to  learn  them.  ”

[marklgz]

*  ASTRID.

         “  it  was  worth  a  shot  to  suggest  ,  ”  astrid  shrugs  ,  chuckling  lightly  .  they  nod  at  markl’s  words  .  they  sometimes  forget  that  not  everyone  has  a  terrible  relationship  with  their  parents  .  astrid’s  parents  never  seemed  to  want  the  best  for  their  children  .  just  what  made  their  family  look  good  .  “  you  present  a  fair  point  .  i’m  just  very  much  used  to  saying  it’s  just  work  ,  but  it’s  not  everyday  one  gets  to  pioneer  some  new  technique  for  surgery  .  speaking  of  ,  is  there  anything  new  and  exciting  in  the  world  of  astrophysics  ?  do  we  have  a  new  perspective  on  the  universe  ?  ”

“  nothing  particularly  groundbreaking,  ”  markl  replies  with  a  shrug.  “  but  that’s  the  nature  of  the  beast  in  a  field  so  heavily  limited  by  lightspeed.  ”  they  used  to  find  it  disappointing,  that  they’re  unlikely  to  discover  any  significant  new  planets  or  anything  like  that  in  their  lifetime,  but  it’s  a  fact  they’ve  come  to  terms  with.  can’t  exactly  do  anything  about  the  time  delay  between  earth  and  the  rest  of  the  universe,  after  all.  “  but  the  artemis  missions  are  definitely  something  new  and  exciting  —  especially  for  those  of  us  who  missed  out  on  getting  to  watch  the  apollo  ones.  ”

[extinctinstinct]

jongho couldn’t help the scoff that came from his lips or the chuckle that followed. xe was only grateful, yet again, that there was no need for him to go through all of the trials of dating. of course, his parents had taken time to come around on who he chose and lined up girls for them to date like xe was on the bachelor, but none of that had mattered, especially not now. “ a flat earther ? ” jongho asked in amused disbelief. “ are you sure he wasn’t fucking with you ? i can only assume that people who say that are joking. i refuse to believe it isn’t a joke. ” xe sipped his beverage again. “ like a little internet joke. you know ? i mean, surely no one actually thinks that’s true. ”

[marklgz]

“  i  wish  he  was  just  fucking  with  me,  but  no.  this  dude  adamantly  believed  the  moon  landing  was  faked,  kept  going  on  about  how  since  i  work  for  nasa  i  must  be  in  on  the  conspiracy  and  lying  to  him.  ”  it  was  intensely  frustrating,  but  markl  has  learned  over  the  years  not  to  waste  time  arguing  with  people  who  insist  on  being  stupid.  they’d  just  sat  back  and  enjoyed  their  drink  while  he  kept  talking.  “  although  his  face  when  i  asked  why  the  government  would  keep  funding  nasa  for  the  sake  of  one  kinda  pointless  lie  was  quite  funny.  ”

[marklgz]

*  ARABELLA.

*  LOCATION  —   wisteria  community  garden  !

with  her  phone  to  her  nose  ,  bella  stared  at  last  night’s  football  score  .  her  lips  curling  into  a  pout  as  she  turned  her  phone  to  the  nearest  person  .  “  can  you  believe  this  ?!   forty-niners  lost  last  night  AGAIN  and  you  know  i  had  money  on  this  game  .  if  the  night  security  guard  comes  looking  for  me  ,  you  haven’t  seen  me  .  capeesh  ??  i  been  talkin’  mad  shit  ALL  WEEK  .  hell  i’ll  even  get  you  something  .  what  do  you  like  ??  coffee  ,  tea  …  scones  ??  devil’s  lettuce  ??  name  it  and  you  got  it  .  “  she   paused  for  a  moment  .  

markl  shakes  their  head,  fighting  back  a  laugh.  “  don’t  know  what  you  expected,  betting  on  the  forty-niners.  ”  they  know  absolutely  jack-shit  about  american  football,  but  this  is  too  golden  an  opportunity  for  teasing  to  pass  up.  “  it’s  karma  for  being  into  american  football,  ”  they  say  with  a  laugh.  “  should’ve  bet  on  the  soccer.  ”  not  that  they’d  ever  do  such  a  thing  —  betting  in  general  is  unappealing,  when  what  makes  sports  interesting  is  the  potential  for  random  changes  of  fortune.

[marklgz]

*  DILA.

as soon as they sit next to her, dila tilts up her head from the book that she had just gotten. “oh no, i can’t ever imagine that. but hey - why don’t you just pretend you’re dating someone and they happen to live overseas so they won’t ever have to meet them until you actually meet someone?” the brunette giggles as she felt like she had came up with the best plan anyone could ever think of. “me? oh … eh, just .. same boring me … working, working and working.”

“  that  would  be  a  good  plan,  except  that  i  can’t  lie  for  shit  and  i’d  feel  bad  doing  that  to  my  parents,  ”  markl  says.  “  they  just  don’t  want  me  to  get  lonely.  ”  even  though  if  they  really  wanted  them  not  to  be  lonely,  they’d  just  move  in  with  them  —  but  markl  gets  it,  it’s  embarrassing  for  your  child  to  have  to  provide  for  you.  “  you’re  a  lawyer,  right  ?  surely  it’s  not  all  boring  ?  ”

[marklgz]

*  SANGHO.

                   “ you’re     fucking     kidding     me     right? ”     it     comes     out     more     excited     than     it     should ,     tone     all     too     delighted     to     hear     how     their     friend     is     navigating     the     dating     scene     he’s     left     so     many     years     ago .     “ oh     no     there’s     a     story     here ,     we     aren’t     moving     past     that     so     quickly .     how     long     has     she     been     setting     you     up?     how     long     have     you     been     letting     her? ”     cue     a     quick     sip     of     his     coffee     and     him     leaning     forward ,     eager     to     hear     more .     

“  there  really  isn’t,  ”  markl  retorts  with  a  roll  of  their  eyes,  sighing  at  sangho’s  enthusiasm.  they  appreciate  his  energy  and  interest,  it’s  nice  to  have  someone  who  wants  to  listen  —  but  they  really  don’t  want  to  think  about  it  at  this  point  in  time.  “  she’s  been  trying  to  find  me  a  partner  for  years.  and  i  haven’t  said  no  yet  because  i’m  not  stupid  and  i  want  to  continue  getting  fed  when  i  go  over  to  her  place.  and  she  means  well,  she  does.  i’m  just  shit  at  romance.  ”

[marklgz]

*  LIA.

“you look like you may need this more than me,” manicured nails pushed a small plate in the others direction, a half of a chocolate croissant sitting warmly on top of the white porcelain. “chocolate,” a stole piece of baked goods plopping on top of her tongue, “it will always help.” there was a small laugh before she shook her head, back leaning into the seat of their shared coffee table. “come on,” it was a smile wine, “it was really that bad?” 

“  you  don’t  need  to  sacrifice  your  food  on  my  account,  ”  markl  says,  “  i  can  get  my  own.  ”  all  the  while,  their  coffee  sits  on  the  table  almost  untouched  —  ordered  mostly  to  have  a  warm  drink  in  their  hands  as  they  talk,  and  for  its  aroma.  “  and  —  it  wasn’t  that  bad,  they  were  at  least  tolerable  and  in  the  same  boat  as  me,  but  —  the  sheer  number  of  dates  she  keeps  trying  to  send  me  on,  it  gets  exhausting  after  a  while.  ”

[marklgz]

*  JONATHAN.

Jonathan can’t help but chuckle at the other’s obvious misery. “It was really that bad? I’m intrigued. Pardon me for being nosy, but I absolutely have to know when and why it started going wrong.” He edged his laptop away in favor of his coffee he hadn’t even touched in almost an hour.

“Me? Oh, you know, just trying not to lose my mind fighting the justice system while simultaneously being a pawn in it. Fun stuff,” he swirled the coffee cup in his hands and took a sip. As expected, it was room temperature, but Jonathan didn’t mind so long as it was caffeinated. “Can’t say my love life has been as interesting as yours, if existent at all.”

“  oh,  trust  me,  my  love  life  is  just  as  nonexistent  as  yours,  ”  markl  says  with  a  snort.  “  every  blind  date  is  the  same  :  i’m  not  their  type,  they’re  not  my  type.  awkward  conversation  ensues  until  we’re  sure  neither  of  our  mothers  are  going  to  get  on  our  case  about  not  trying  hard  enough.  ”  if  the  people  she  set  them  up  with  weren’t  so  fucking  annoying,  they  might  have  a  group  chat  for  people  who  are  suffering  through  their  nosy  parents  wanting  the  best  for  them.  “  can’t  say  i  understand  your  pain,  having  never  really  been  involved  in  the  justice  system,  but  i  can  imagine  it’s  vaguely  similar  to  the  struggle  of  getting  funding  for  our  projects  at  work.  ”

[marklgz]

*  CLARISSA.

     clarissa’s  eyes  darted  towards  the  other  as  they  seemed  to  muse  out  loud .  “ really  that  bad,  huh  ?  ”  the  woman  let  out  a  slight  chuckle.  her  mother  had  never  done  anything  like  that ,  instead  deterred  her  from  dating  but  it  wasn’t  as  if  it  had  stopped  her.  “ oh,  there’s  always  something.  just  about  settled  in  but  coming  to  realise  i’m  shit  at  cooking  and  have  an  event  later  on  tonight  to  attend.  i’m  just  hoping  that  no  one  causes  a  scene,  but  that’s  doubtful.”  it  was  reality  television ,  after  all  !  

markl  shrugs.  “  could  be  worse.  just  frustrating,  mostly.  ”  they  take  a  sip  of  their  coffee  and  blink,  trying  to  clear  the  fuzz  from  their  eyes  —  it’s  been  a  long  day.  “  if  you  want  help  with  cooking,  just  come  knock  on  my  door,  ”  markl  offers.  they  learned  to  cook  at  a  young  age,  needing  to  help  around  the  house  since  both  their  parents  had  full-time  jobs,  and  the  idea  of  not  being  able  to  cook  is  slightly  bemusing  to  them.  “  why  would  people  cause  a  scene  ?  ”  they  ask,  “  actually,  never  mind  —  i  forgot  not  everyone  is  as  easily  distracted  by  conversations  about  science  as  my  social  circles  are.  ”