the dynamo

yanika celestin thirty-five smoke & mirrors manager upper queens manager brotherhood alisha wainwright

[ofycelestin]

meet yanika

tw: trouble conceiving, gun violence, injury, blood mention, divorce mention theme song: girl like me by dove cameron character inspiration: morgan gillory from high potential, sam wilson from marvel comics, luna lovegood from harry potter, olivia benson from law & order

Introducing  YANIKA CELESTIN . Word on the street is they are a UPPER QUEENS REGION MANAGER & MANAGER OF SMOKE & MIRRORS and member of THE BROTHERHOOD for the past FOURTEEN YEARS . Though they are BRAZEN and IRASCIBLE , they can also be METICULOUS and GOOD-NATURED . In the chaos of New York City, they’re sure to fit right in.

— BASICS

full name: yanika deisha celestin nickname: yani ( reserved for close friends ), nik preferred name: yankia, nik birthday: january 28th zodiac: aquarius birthplace: orlando, florida current residence: upper queens, new york nationality: haitian, jamaican ethnicity: american occupation: manager of smoke & mirrors affiliation: the brotherhood role: region manager of upper queens

— PERSONAL

gender: female pronouns: she/her sexual orientation: pansexual romantic orientation: panromantic relationship status: single, divorced education: bachelor's in hospitality management positive traits: alluring, passionate, loyal, studious, punctual negative traits: acerbic, argumentative, stubborn, opinionated, vindictive

— FAMILY

birth father: luckner "lucky" celestin birth mother: taheisha killeman sibling(s): 1 younger brother cousin(s): 1 female cousin children: none

— BIOGRAPHY

With the way her life turned out, someone from the outside would think that Yanika had a hard lifebut that is far from true. Sure, she's made quite a few questionable choices in her life but she wouldn't change them for the world. Yanika is proud of the woman she is and as much as she would love to tell her parents about her life, there are some things she knows keeping them in the dark about is a very wise decision.

Growing up, Yanika was treated like the princess of the family. There were almost entirely boys in her family — cousins, uncles, and so on. It was like the only women in the family were married into it and after what felt like forever of trying for their first child, Lucky Celestin and Taheisha Killeman had Yanika and both sides of the family were overjoyed at the news of a girl being born into the family. From that moment on, Yanika was showered with gifts and praise and attention from everyone around her as if she was the blessing they had spent years looking for.

Despite all of the family spoiling, both of her parents made sure she wasn't spoiled rotten and raised Yanika to be grateful of the love that surrounded her and not the material things given to her. Her father wanted her to accomplish so much when she got older and made sure to set her on the path of success. She studied hard in school and was achieving so many awards and accolades for her hard work in school and her parents were beaming with joy with each positive word thrown their way.

Soon, her parents welcomed another child, Yanika's younger brother and the joy was filled to the brim for the family. Her mother had a hard time trying to conceive after she was born and had almost given up trying so when her brother was born, her parents treated him like a miracle child. Yanika was so excited to have a younger sibling and took it upon herself to make sure he was looked after and cared for when both her parents were working to provide for them. The gap between the two siblings was pretty big but the way they interacted, no one would guess there was a gap at all.

As they got older, Yanika and her brother's bond grew. She was at every one of his various sports games and he made sure to be the loudest one cheering for her when she graduated high school, proud as much as her parents to see their daughter as valedictorian. Even though they had a strong bond, Yanika is definitely like a second mom to her brother. She made sure he did his homework, got on him for the friends he had if they were bad influences, and made sure he was a gentleman to the girls he liked. With her parents now running their own Floridian resort after inheriting it from family, they were busier now than ever so Yanika took it upon herself to take charge of the house, and that included her brother.

With her high marks, Yanika easily got into the school of her dreams — Colombia University. It was very tough for her to be leaving her home in Florida to New York, far from her parents, her brother and the rest of her family but her family was nothing but supportive. They were so proud of her for getting into such an elite school to the point that her dad would wear Colombia merch and telling everyone around, even strangers, that his daughter goes to an ivy league.

She still maintained her bond with her brother but virtually as it was pretty hard to go home whenever she wanted. Once her parents became well-versed in how to use their phones, they would make sure to video call Yanika so she could be present for her family, specifically her brother's achievements. And she would do the same and with this new freedom and space in her life, Yanika explores everything that New York has to offer. From new fashion to new friends, Yanika was having the time of her life and her education didn't waver while there.

Until the night everything changed.

It was half way through her sophomore year when she found herself out with friends for the night. Someone was celebrating something, an event that she could no longer remember, when the group found themselves at a house party not far from where she lived. Yanika didn't know the people who lived there, nor the vast majority at the party, but it was the least of her worries when she hit the dance floor with her first drink of the night in hand. After the third drink, fourth just freshly poured, when the sound of gunshots rung out that made everyone in the house scatter to get out. In all the chaos and screams, Yanika lost sight of her friends, sending a text to them to meet at a safe location and get away as soon as possible before she made her way outside.

Yanika didn't know who was shooting or what they were shooting about but she knew she needed to get out of there, hoping that this night would just be over already. Walking past rows of houses to get to the meeting place with her friends when she heard rustling on the side of one of the homes. Using her phone's flashlight, Yanika got closer and saw someone lying on the ground, propped up on the side of the house and clutching their stomach. When she got closer, it could clearly be seen that there was blood, they were injured and needed help right away. Not even thinking about her own safety or who the person was, Yanika got close to them and started looking up what to do to help them; she offered to call for an ambulance, but the person was adamantly against that and Yanika could only assume it was due to being involved with the shooting.

Whatever the reason was, Yanika wasn't going to question it as she did what she could to help. She was in no way a medical professional and it wasn't helping seeing a gun laying lazily in the person's hand but after making sure there weren't any injuries that would absolutely require a hospital, Yanika used her scarf to wrap around the person and made sure they knew how lucky they were to have only been grazed. She was questioned by them as to why she helped them, properly assuming they were a part of whatever went down at the house party and Yanika said she didn't need to know why or how, she saw someone that needed help and she helped. She left without any more words being exchanged and eventually met up with her friends; they were all thakfully unharmed albeit shook up from the night's events and all went home afterwards to put everything behind them.

A few weeks later, Yanika realized she was running low on cash and while she knew she could've asked her parents for money, she didn't want them to think she was struggling or in dire need of assistance so she logically thought that getting a job would be helpful so she went looking in town for a job. Nothing to extravagant but enough that she didn't feel like she had to survive on velveeta mac and cheese for the rest of her time at school. Multiple places turned her down or just weren't hiring and she was starting to feel dejected until she happened upon Smoke & Mirrors and was met with a familiar face. The person she saved that night all those weeks ago was behind the counter and both were surprised to see the other.

Yanika was happy to see them up and walking around and the person was grateful to be doing so thanks to her help. They questioned what she was doing in the shop and she confessed she was looking for a job, she needed the money and she didn't want her family to worry. Without even looking at a resume or even having a formal interview, Yanika was hired on the stop and when she questioned why she was hired so quickly, the person used her own words back at her — they saw she needed help and they helped. From that moment on, Yanika started hanging around different friends than the ones from school and going to different types of parties; she tried to maintain her old friendships but the two groups were just very different and soon Yanika wasn't see her old friends anymore.

Just a little after her 20th birthday, Yanika was asked to come into work on her day off to be present for a work meeting. When she got there, she was escorted to the back of the shop where she was met with a group of people she hadn't met. She was told that they'd been watching her and happy with her dedication to the shop and the frequent customers that she saw day in and day out. It was revealed to her that the frequent customers weren't just customers but members of The Brotherhood and after everything she done for them, saving a member a year ago, and things she'd done whether she knew she was helping them or not, has made it clear to them that she had the heart to be with them.

She was hesitant at first, accepting something like this and now knowing what she could be getting herself into put a level of fear in her but then she thought about repaying her parents back for everything they've done for her and taking care of her brother so he wouldn't have to struggle like this. Her mind was made up and her decision was very obvious. Having accepted her offer, Yanika was thrust into a new life, though it was quite similar to what it was when she first started working at Smoke & Mirrors with the only difference now being she knew what was going on behind the close doors.

Yanika didn't let her education be for nothing, she continued to go to classes and earn her degree in hospitality management while being dedicated to The Brotherhood. As she gained experience and slowly rose through the ranks, Yanika met a man by pure chance who changed her life. This man showed Yanika parts of herself she didn't know needed to be taken care of and had shown her the kind of love that she deserved to experience in her life. After being together for a few years, Yanika became a wife just after her 28th birthday with a beautiful ring and amazing husband to match; her parents and brother loved him and things were going amazing.

Except for the fact he had no idea what Yanika did for a living. Just as much as she was keeping her family in the dark, so was he and Yanika felt like it was for his own good to keep him safe from harm. She took precautions when it came to him and di everything to keep him safe but the lies and the secrecy soon became too much. He demanded to know what she was keeping from him, what she couldn't possibly trust him with and even though she reassured him it wasn't trusting him that was the issue, he could stand not being aware of what his wife did. After almost three years married, Yanika and her husband divorced and it broke her heart not being able to fully open up to him as much as it hurt not being able to tell her parents why they divorced.

Yanika threw herself into The Brotherhood after her divorce, turning to them to comfort her after it was official and welcoming the distractions that came with her new position of Upper Queens Region Manager. She wasn't some ultra rich business woman living it up in Florida like her mom but she was proud of the work she was doing and it showed in the way she carried herself as region manager and manager of Smoke & Mirrors. She felt like she owed it to the shop to be in charge and set up roots where her journey with The Brotherhood first began.

— EXTRA FACTS

yanika has such a mom complex when it comes to caring for the other members that some of them, especially the younger ones, call her "mom", behind her back or to her face

yanika is highly intelligent, like genius level with an IQ around 160 and with her high intellectual potential, she can see patterns, connect seemingly unrelated details, and process vast amounts of information

with her genius level smarts and ability to retain information, yanika often makes use of random facts and seemingly unimportant retelling of events that actually connect with whatever point she's trying to make

despite being classified as a genius, she often lacks a little in social skills or cues, like sharing too much with people she barely knows or asking questions that aren't related to anything

she often gets distracted when something catches her eye or her thoughts are going too fast and she keeps going from one thought to the next without finishing the first thought

whenever she gets overwhelmed or too stressed out, she bakes. it's one of her many tells and it's gotten to the point where people doesn't even have to ask how she's doing; if they see her with a tray of anything, they know she's on the verge of a crash out

yanika prefers to use her words over her fists but if she has to, she can hold her own in a fight and is pretty well-versed in a few basic movements of different fighting styles

— WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

EX-HUSBAND;; she still very much cares for her ex-husband and wishes things were different but now that she's higher up than she was when they had first gotten together, she fears for his safety more

YOUNGER BROTHER;; they keep in contact often and he even visits her in new york after she told her parents she was staying there. their bond is still so strong and she raves and brags about her brother whenever he achieved something in school

FEMALE COUSIN;; they have a very tight sibling bond and she is someone that yanika looks after as if she was her sibling or even her child, fretting over her over little things and big things

BROTHERHOOD MENTOR;; this person took yanika under their wing when she first joined the brotherhood and even though she's a region manager, she still looks to them when she's ever in crisis, can't find the solution to her problem or needs someone to destress her

BROTHERHOOD MEMBER SHE SAVED;; this is the person she saved before she even joined the brotherhood and they still have a very close bond; they owe their life to yanika and they have a friendship where they cover for each other or handle things for the other

FRIEND LIKE A SIBLING TO HER;; this is someone that yanika treats like her sibling, someone that she formed a close platonic bond with over her years of being in the brotherhood and they often bicker back and forth like they really are siblings

BROTHERHOOD MEMBER LIKE A CHILD TO HER;; multiple members that she basically moms all the time; she worries over them when they don't contact her that they're okay, she scolds like they were her children and even does things like cook or clean after them the way her mom had done for her when she was younger

[astrorahi]

open to: all setting: the atlas room opening

"Fly me to the moon / Let me play among the stars Let me see what spring is like / On Jupiter and Mars"

This time, Rahi doesn't bring himself to step outside — the typical move, at events like these. As the song plays, he dreams only within these four walls; the sky a far memory which he would only reconnect with on his way back home.

"Don't look at me," he laughs. "The moon, sure." Rahi knows her well. "I mean — the Moon doesn't have seasons — like spring, or whatever — because its axis has a very slight tilt. Which changes a lot. So instead, the Moon has really extreme temperature swings, like 250F during the day and, say, minus 200F at night." A gemini, just like him. "...As for Mars, hopefully I'll find out soon."

[ofycelestin]

There was always something about slipping on a party dress, the most gorgeous heels owned, and makeup done to perfection that made a fire light up inside of Yanika. She loved getting all dolled up and strutting her stuff for all to see; she was even the type to get dressed to the nines for small errands like grocery shopping or even a dentist appointment.

Being in The Atlas Room was cause for the best of her looks and turning heads was the goal. Mission accomplished. Another thing she was used to, besides having eyes on her, was the very random though interesting tidbits and facts about space from Rahi. She almost never retained majority of the information he gave out but it was fascinating to hear about nonetheless. "Oh, Rahi, the things you know about the moon alone could win you a prize on a game show."

[ofycelestin]

status: open when: where:

Now, Yanika is by no means a violent person. She doesn't go around punching people for no reason or starting fights for the fun of it. No, she was defintely a "fight for a good reason" kind of girl. There was no need to attact any kind of attention to herself by getting into a bar fight with some random drunk.

Tonight is a different story.

She'd told the woman to leave her alone multiple times. Does it look like I want your man, right now? But this woman was convinced that Yanika was trying to move in on her man and after feeling the sudden cold splash land on the side of her face, all the self-control she had went out the window. One good punch was all it took to take her out and Yanika was looking down at the woman, "Stay down there." Without even a second look, Yanika went to the bar and flagged down the bartender for another drink, "Whiskey, neat please." She looked to the person next to her, realizing they were also a victim of the thrown drink, "And whatever they have, on me."

[quiettriage]

setting: a bar who: open

it had been one of those nights, long, heavy, the kind that settled into her bones. after a double shift, the last thing nia wanted was to go home, because home meant responsibility waiting for her in the quiet. it meant her father, and the version of herself that never truly got to rest. so she stalled. somehow she ended up in a booth tucked into the far corner, not even remembering when she slid into it, or when exhaustion finally won and she folded forward, head resting on crossed arms against the table.

a light nudge jolted her awake. nia startled hard, heart slamming against her ribs as she nearly jumped out of her seat. she turned toward the person beside her, eyes still unfocused, pulse racing.

“jesus, are you tryin’ to give me a heart attack?” she muttered, already knowing better, already cataloging the irony. she exhaled, steadying herself, then added more quietly, “what d’you need?”

[ofycelestin]

Yanika wasn't a frequent bar hopper or even just a regular at a single bar but whenever the urge not to make her drink blossoms and to pay someone else to do the work for her, then you could find her perched at the bar. What she didn't expect was to see a familiar face walk in right past her as if she wasn't even there. Does she not see me? Yanika watched as Nia made her way to a corner booth and practically melted into the seat as she leaned her head down on her folded arms. She grabbed her whiskey and slid off her barstool and made her way to the clearly tired girl. With just the slightest nudge, Yanika almost dropped her drink with the way Nia snapped her head up, "Are you trying to give me one? Goodness, could've dropped my whiskey, then there'd be a tragedy on our hands." She smiled at the girl, "What I need is for you to take care of yourself and not run yourself into the ground. Have you eaten today? And a real meal, Nia."

[ofycelestin]

tag dump !!