imani eberle; the man behind the barrel.
full name: imani justin eberle. nicknames: man, i, mani, will respond to just about anything. birthday: april 03, 30 years old. hometown: coronado. traits: friendly, loyal, responsible, meticulous. gender & pronouns: cis man & he/him. orientation: bisexual. zodiac: aries. occupation: cameraman for du bois motion pictures, assistant to the du bois family. character parallels: duncan idaho (dune), brienne of tarth (game of thrones), dick grayson (batman), alliance: du bois. aesthetics: a 35mm camera pointed out at the sea, a fire-singed teddy bear, father's gold chain draped around your neck, loyalty to the death, an owed debt never to be fully repaid, the shadows creeping in around you (are you the shadow?)
twenty years ago, there was a boy on the docks. he was the docks. spoke like he was born with two feet in the water, moved around them as if he knew every crate and tie-off like the back of his hand.
the boy carried a camera everywhere he went. and where he went was always, always, back to the docks. morning, midday, or night, the little director was always climbing up ropes to get better vantage points, always chattering away with anyone who would speak to him, and always with his lens pointed to the sea.
twenty years ago, the boy was no older than ten. he had a smile brighter than his future, but who needed a future when the docks would always be here, as they always were before.
twenty years ago, while the little boy was on the docks, there was a fire.
much was lost. favorite blanket. stuffed fish from when he was born. father.
little survived. baby brother. mother. and the name du bois.
they ensured he wasn’t left alone, that he didn’t have to find his own way in the world from before his eleventh birthday. he has no idea how they did it, all he knows is that they did. he owes them everything for that. he’ll never be able to repay them.
that doesn't mean he hasn't tried. he's available to them whenever necessary, for whatever they could dream of, from a grocery run to a murder. he has a steady hand, no fear to pull the trigger. no one would ever expect him, the boy who's always smiling turned the man with a kind thing to say about all of his neighbors.
his mother, his brother, and everyone with the name du bois are the only ones with full access to him every minute of every day, no matter where he is, even if he's asleep.
you need something done? clean, dirty, muddled, sharp, you've found the man to do it.
