full name: nina marie (MAW ree not muh ree) tanaka
nickname: just call her nina... good luck with much else
age/birthday: 21, august 1
zodiac: leo
major(s): fashion merchandising
extracurriculars: titans gymnastics team, international student association, saint rivera startup hub
outside of school: frequent skypes with her parents/their assistants, frequent trips to the mall and the fabric store. singing in the shower
faceclaim: lisa yamada
languages: fluent in english, japanese, and french, knows bits and pieces of others from years spent traveling the globe with her parents
APPEARANCE
hair color: dark brown-black
eye color: brown
height: 5'4
piercings: earlobes
tattoos: she has a few small butterflies and a heart, all in places that can be revealed or concealed occassion dependent
eternal jewelry: little mini hoop earrings hanging from pink diamond studs (or just the studs, but her earrings are pretty consistently pink)
a softened british accent some can't be convinced she's not faking, a commitment to being the best but only on her own terms, and a penchant for being followed by mess, nina tanaka is a bloody fucking princess. well dressed. well primped. and just enough attitude to remind you she knows she's not here forever.
nina has moved around a TON internationally throughout her life, her parents being diplomats/working in foreign service at various levels. she's on her third college in 3 years, the first one being in france, the second where she was a cheerleader elsewhere in america, as she'd say, somewhere hot and pretty. honestly if she has to be in bloody pennsylvania why not someplace like carnegie mellon? why saint rivera university? come on now- she can do better than this. (late admission even via parental influence comes with consequences)
when she was like- 9-10 years old she was a kidzbop kid, and spent the better part of two years performing around the country (including some international shows) with pink streaks in her dark hair and green contacts in her eyes because thank you american entertainment industry. honestly today she is grateful (despite her continued annoyance at the racist bs) that she looks different, because she would love for absolutely no one to recognize her from that era of her life.
luckily, they didn't exactly market their full names and she's usually safe... usually. every once in a while those videos make a comeback. honestly she thanks god quite often that the kidzbop machine is still running and you'd have to scroll back a while to get to anything of her.
it's crazy to think she used to love to sing. that she used to be cute and bubbly. she feels like ... so completely turned off from that adorable little girl in the videos. don't be silly, she can turn on an act with the best... but she's far from little miss sunshine.
this is nina's first semester at saint rivera, but she won't be shocked if she leaves before year's end. it keeps her afraid to get too involved sometimes, and her admission was of course too late to be put in cheerios, coach runs a tight ship, but the gymnastics team will love and loathe her.
the last time she was on the uneven bars she snapped her wrist, and it's totally not stupid vanessa's fault she had to get surgery. this is why at her last university she was a cheerleader! she could still dance and be tossed and do jumps! she doesn't need yet another jealous girl slashing her grips or greasing the vault or whatever dirty tricks... but whatever, she's cleared to go back. for better or worse.
it's way better to be a gymnast with no real strong reason to be on the team than a singer called out for spending part of your youth playing some media company's pretty dolly.
she studies fashion merchandising now, despite starting university on the fashion design side of things, partially because of her injury and surgery (this is the real reason) and partially she'd say because of her discovered acumen for the business side (and being bossy). being a buyer wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. even if she won't be the one showing in paris, she could still get a front row seat to the shows.
βwas that the vibe he was giving off? i didnβt notice.β because he wasnβt paying attention. he'd been far more focused on the lovely view provided by the front camera on his phone. sully had never been praised for his attitude before, but, he had to admit, he kind of liked the feeling. it was nice. unusual, and made him feel a little deceptive, but... nice. "yeah, well. i'm still learning myself, you know? trying to get better at singing."
had he made improvements yet? honestly, it was hard to tell, considering the whole... tone-deaf thing. but he'd been good enough to quite literally woo the pants off mr. and mrs. perez, so that had to mean something. "what about you? you play any instruments or anything?" don't make a skin flute joke, don't make a skin flute joke. ...nailed it.
she has no idea. that's the honest truth. she was just all too aware of the racket. "good for you- practice makes perfect, right?" that's what they say. nail something a hundred times and you've got it.
"my body is my instrument i guess- if your definition extends beyond the musical. i'm an athlete, not a musician. i do gymnastics-" and that's still a very weird thing to be saying out loud again. "i was a cheerleader at my last school- probably cooler here to say since your team won nationals-"
"yeah, i would have believed olivia," oliver says, nodding as they swap drinks. "nice to meet you, nina." the mention of cheerleading catches his attention, and his smile widens a little as she congratulates him. he gives her an appreciative littel nod, taking a sip of his now-correct smoothie. "i am! thank you. we worked very hard for it." he pauses, looking at her for a second with an expression that suggests he's already made up his mind about something. "you're a cheerleader, you're new here, and you've already managed to recognize a winner when you see one... so, any chance you'll be trying out for the team next year?"
"probably where you recognize me from." she says with an easy smile. way better than any other reason... "we were at nationals too- didn't quite get there. but then five years running is hard to beat, so-" easy shrug of her shoulders. with such good stories, one couldn't accuse her of being dismissive.
"but we'll see about next year- i'm back to gymnastics- cheer was sort of a side quest for my recovery after surgery. i could be convinced though, especially if this year back in my sport doesn't go as well as people hoped." she's scared, sue her... of not being as good as she used to be, but also deeply of one of her teammates coming after her again.
"i did enjoy it a lot- much more of a team thing which is fun. plus they don't have it in all the other countries i've lived in." and she's a gymnast, so she's a great tumbler and jumper.
August's grin only widened at that, clearly far too pleased with himself. "Oh, so you have considered it," he pointed out, leaning a little closer to the rack. Progress. He watched her flip through the clothes for another moment, trying not to look nearly as entertained as he was. "Appreciate the distinction. One of me is apparently more appealing than the other." He wouldn't state which, though; she's gotta buy the calendar first!
The mention of at least one member who had beaten the odds made August straighten up. "Is it me?" He straight-up asked. Maybe he was always a little too forward, especially in recent months. No letterman jacket to protect him and be a chick magnet had left his love life... well, lackluster. "Because if it's not, you gotta let me know so I can congratulate them on being the hottest glee club member."
"it's been pushed in my face at least eight times in the past week." she laughs, rolling her eyes. "i've had no choice but to consider it."
"interesting." maybe, maybe not. but if he's going to be a silly flirt, she'll let him. she's not going to push the guy- august- she notes- away completely.
oh! okay- bold, or desperate, one could debate the line between those for ages.
"anyone else i know in there, august?" she hardly knows him, of course, but better than anyone else she supposes could be in those pages. "it's you."
"but that does not make you automatically the hottest glee club member... just the hottest one i know. and remember- that's currently a party of one babe."
he did let out an amused laugh at the fact she pointed out. okay yeah, he'd take the win. "got it." he murmured, more to himself then her, as he began to climb the stairs tot he next floor. "resident of the world?" he repeated, wondering how one could earn such a title. "how many different places you gotta live in to be one? cause if the requirement is just live in two different countries, i think i should get a button at least." when they reached the second floor, tyler pointed out the computers, printers and the more academic books. and then he started to head up to the third floor. "i mean, you're in college. even if your family decides to move, you can stay, can't you?" he couldn't imagine paying a bunch of money to go to college only to transfer the next semester.
"you know, i'm not sure what the requirement is, but welcome to the club." she extends her hand with a smile to shake. "i'm nina- who am i issuing a card to?"
"i've lived in a lot of places though- my first uni was in france. growing up we did south africa, india, the uk, belgium..." it's probably too many to list. she's not sure she could remember them all anymore. she talks as they walk, and she's glad to follow him, looking around at all he has to show her. considering the question, she smiles.
"i should- but... i don't know. things have sort of happened at both of my last schools. i wouldn't be surprised to have another incident. it's easier to just have a fresh start. clean slate where no one should be out to get you." maybe the focus is on should.
"they could be up to some really, really depraved shit in there..." that's the truth. no way to know. especially when she's so brand new. "ugh." yeah she... is glad to not have to know. "you make a very good point. i should not let my imagination wander."
"hopefully things get less crazy around here. last thing people need is more disaster."
"i dunno, i thought it was alright." had he been paying enough attention to actually make a fair judgement? no. but sully was really trying at this turning over a new leaf thing, and that meant supporting his fellow musicians... or something. even if his bitchy side was just begging to come back out and play. then again... the drummer wasn't even a part of glee club, so did it really matter if he was nice to him? especially behind his back? probably not. but, still, maybe it was better to just quit being a dick cold turkey, if he wanted to avoid slipping up when it mattered. "maybe he's just new to it. everyone starts somewhere." good lord, he sounded like mr. fucking rogers these days.
"everyone does have to start somewhere... but also some people think they're gods' gift to women because they can sort of play an instrument." it's usually the guitar, but she's equal opportunity.
"fair enough." she shrugs. "you've sure got a nicer attitude than mine." and she won't judge him for being mr. sunshine. even if she's more jaded than she'd like to be, she can't help that.
oliver looks down at his drink, confused for a second, until he sees that it's definitely not the right color. "you don't really give me oliver vibes either," he points out, a small grin on his face as he tilts his head to read the handwriting on what is apparently his smoothie. "or should i say... oliuer." as far as he's concerned, it's impressive that the woman in front of him even managed to figure out his name from whatever gibberish was scribbled on the cup. "so, hi, i'm oliver," he says, holding out nina's smoothie so they can swap. "you seem familiar. have we met before?"
"looks like some people can't spell-" she rolls her eyes, nodding towards him with a smile. "or maybe- can't see." she hopes she doesn't look like an oliver. "i suppose i'd take olivia... but no." a grin as she swaps drinks with him.
"nina, nice to meet you." but at the comment, she gives it some thought. he could be familiar, actually. "well i'm suuuuper brand new, but i was a cheerleader at my last school... so you must be a cheerio? congrats on the win."
August's head lifted from a rack of Hawaiian patterned button-ups at the mention of the sexy glee club calendar like a bloodhound catching a scent. "Where will you put it?" He asked without missing a beat, turning just enough to flash Nina a shit-eating grin that made it abundantly clear he was entertaining himself first and foremost. "Have you even seen it?" A beat. "I'm August." He pointed at himself. "Well, like actually, but also the literal month in the calendar." His smile widened with entirely too much pride.
He rested against the clothing rack, crossing one ankle over the other, hoping it wouldn't tip over on him and spoil his fun. "Think you should buy one, though. Support the arts and all that shit. We're a dying breed." Great pitch, August!
"why would i have seen it?" eyebrow raises. nina rolls her eyes though. it's clear he's just being funny with her. she'll take it. "got it... august in the calendar and real life." nina nods. "sounds fitting."
"support the arts- got it..." slow nod as she flips through the rack.
"i may have to reflect on my statement about glee club not being sexy." and then a pause. "actually no- i won't do that. but they may have at least one member who beat the odds."
even if he was annoyed by the glee club's sexy calendar, he couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at someone else expressing similar disinterest. actually, hearing someone say ew, out loud, was rather healing. "yeah, shocked they're letting them sell it during quiet hours," he answered back. he wasn't actually taking any offense to the calendar, and if dennis tried to get him to buy one he would support his friend, but the constant interruptions were just pissing him off.
at the compliment, tyler actually sits up. and he then clarifies, "you're asking me or telling me that i'm hot and unapproachable?" he thought he was pretty damn approachable, but maybe that's not the case. maybe it's also due to the fact that his dorm burnt down over the weekend. but he wasn't about to start complaining. no, he just grabbed his books and stood up. "there should be some cubbies on the top floor. and some private study rooms. i'll show you." he started to move towards the stairs and then turned back to her, "you new here?" she didn't look familiar, and asking for better study accommodations kind of implied she wasn't in the library often.
"maybe we haven't decided yet. but the hot part is just a fact." she shrugs her shoulders. beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but good looking is good looking. "thanks, i appreciate it." she smiles a real smile. at least he's still willing to help her.
"that's right. i just moved here- thanks to my parents i'm sort of a resident of the world." not a military brat, but something both similar and very different. "i'm trying to get a handle on things, but it's hard to settle in if we're just going to pack back up again."
@hcngover | sorry to this man. athletes in the campus gym?
"do you know where they keep the actual towels?" honestly she'd love to be hitting an infrared sauna right about now, but this school is not giving off that kind of vibe. "you can't trust people to adequately clean their equipment and a paper towel that may as well be a fucking tissue is not going to work for me babe"
@shcwtunes | sullivan vane happens to be in nina's general vicinity as she complains
"what kind of questionable attempt at a sad drum solo was that?" she looks disgusted as she wraps the corner past the staircase she's just walked down. "why do i even come into the music building..." honestly, some part of her misses it. it is however also a shortcut to where she's headed. "these people lack taste. and talent." eyes catch sully's though with a smile. "you know what i mean?" she assumes he must be a music person if he's in here. even though she's not and she's here.
@starstm | oliver meets nina under semi fortunate circumstances (she's being mostly nice)
"somehow i don't think your name is nina-" a well placed smile, one that asserts neither true confidence nor lack of self assurance.
"i'm pretty sure they switched our drinks-" gesturing to the smoothie in her hand that is the wrong color. not to mention the fact it says oliver in some extremely messy penmanship... she's just lucky she took a look through the clear lid before she walked out of the place.
@sm0kesh0ws | nina bothers august at the thrift store- she's not speaking to him in particular but oh well he's close by and gets to hear it as she flips through the racks for new material.
"at least this place has better music than i was hearing on campus..." eyeroll, because someone's mama's reminders over the years that her face would get stuck that way did NOT stick with her. "if one more person tries to sell me a 'sexy glee club calendar' i will not hesitate to tell them where they can put it." a pause. "how am i supposed to believe glee club is sexy?"
