idris doesn’t really hold grudges that often, particularly not one from spanning over a decade ago, but his mother and sister’s presumed deaths really seems like a valid exception. the truth is that he doesn’t actually quite know how to handle the anger and resentment for someone like this, so he’d settled with not dealing with it all. it’s quite easy, ignoring miguel. it’s not like idris lives in district one anyway.
still, it’s rapidly approaching the tenth year since his mother and nadia’s disappearance, something idris is keenly aware of. seeing miguel hits a raw spot there -- seeing him at bar counter, silent and alone, makes idris think back to the same stoic expression he had worn when he’d confronted him about being involved with the disappearances.
but idris isn’t a bitter man. or he is, but he doesn’t know how to deal with it. so sitting in the chair next to miguel is a choice, and signs, “100 years of metropolis today. celebrating?”
date: october 4th
place: the salem home
closed to @txnman
it was a small birthday celebration (having it in the middle of the day to work around bliss’ schedule definitely precluded it from getting much bigger than immediate family), but that didn’t stop lyra from wanting it to be a nice surprise. idris’ siblings– amir and yasmine– could be heard bickering over food prep in the kitchen while lyra decorated the main area, feet bare as she stood up on a chair to hang up streamers and lights. she’d also lit candles, leaving a warm glow throughout the room.
lyra was straining to affix a lantern to the ceiling when she heard the door swing open, idris entering to the sight of her climbing onto his family’s dinner table. she laughed and shook her head, putting the lantern down and setting herself on the table’s edge.
you’re early, she signed, but happy birthday, you old fool. my mom couldn’t make it out of the apartment, but she sends her love– and baklava.
thirty-four, he thinks, the number weighing heavy on his shoulders. he feels so much older than that, especially when he sees yasmine throw her head back laughing or amir and lyra move freely around bliss. it’s not a particularly monumental birthday to be celebrating, but next year, it would have been an entire decade since he lost the big fight. he never really believed that time healed things, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
“careful!” is the first thing he signs, when he walks in and sees lyra wobbling on the dinner table, disapproving look already painted on his face. “get off my table, you animal. we eat on that.”
but he sweeps forward, dropping his rucksack by the door and moves closer to her to press a kiss to her head. “it doesn’t take long to drop some food off at mrs. greenfield’s. tell your mum she’s my favourite, i live for her baklava --- but you’re a close second with all this. though, who needs to celebrate thirty-four?”
when: october 3rd
where: fuck knows, dealer’s choice!
who: @yckai
without preamble, idris shoves a thermos into peter’s arms and then takes a step back, hands in the air so not to take it back. a greeting would’ve probably sufficed just as well, but a clumsy, unnecessarily nice gesture of affection was idris’ go-to. he grabs the pad of paper and pen he keeps in his pocket and writes, “i made too much soup yesterday. so you should definitely take some.”
he pauses, and then also forces peter to hold the pen and paper so he can do the hand gesture for soup in sign language. after taking the pen and paper back, he circles the word soup twice to emphasise his point.
when: october 5th
where: district two, the centennial celebration
who: @academiccomrade
is there much more idris salem loved more than community? with all his problems with metropolis, with district one, with the system, idris loved the people and this. he was quite content to be walking around, watching people be happy. amir hadn’t been as enthusiastic about a celebration of the city and had declined to come, but yasmine was happy enough to let idris tag along before she vanished to help out at a stall.
he’s at the petting zoo, looking at a horse with interest, when he registers a person’s presence next to him. he’d had to learn to adjust to that, the silence where someone’s footsteps should be, but the sun shining cast a shadow easily enough. he glances sideways and raises an eyebrow, signing, “i didn’t think this type of event would be your cup of tea.”
birthday: october 4th - libra sun, taurus moon, aquarius rising
location: district three
occupation: owner of bliss nightclub
fc: marwan kenzari
BACKSTORY. [ TW: FAMILIAL/PARENTAL DEATH ]
oldest of five ( amir - mutant with sonic scream, nadia - mutant with weather control, zaineb - mutant with night vision, yasmine - human )
born and raised in district three by his mother ( mutant with lightning control ) and his father ( human ) - very happy childhood !!!! VERY over-protective of his siblings
nadia was presumed human until on the day of her eighteenth birthday, when she made a really dangerous storm at night lol their mother Fixes it but she makes them go to district one the next day to report nadia’s new powers
both his mother and nadia do not come back
they’re presumed “missing” but we all kno metropolis Took Them
a year later, zaineb gets murdered
there’s an altercation between a mutant and a watcher; she was walking by and got hit by a stray bullet the watcher
the watcher gets cleared of any charges, some bullshit about collateral damage
his father dies from a broken heart a few months later
anyways there’s only him and amir and yasmine left, and idris is raging !!! he’s so fucking angry at the injustice !!!! so he decides to train for the big fight so he can win and unpick the shitty broken system from the top
at twenty-five, he enters the big fight, and he’s predicted to win !!!! bets are made and he’s supposed to WIN but he gets to the final round and his steel skin is useless compared to a mutant with persuasion powers
he loses SO fucking badly, he almost dies right there and then in the arena
in the aftermath, he loses his hearing completely, meaning he communicates solely with sign language and writing. along with broken bones and bruising, he also paralyses his left leg from the fight. over the last eight years, it has slowly begun to work again but he walks with a noticeable limp and usually a cane to help.
the two years after the big fight, he vanishes - doesn’t leave the house, learns to deal with his hearing loss and leg, tries to heal but slowly gets more and more depressed and numb, essentially hitting a Rock Bottom
the wake up call is yasmine, his youngest sister, moving to district two
he, amir and babydoll all get the idea of bliss and for the first time in two years idris feels himself coming back to life and caring about something again
he still has this anger buried deep inside but it’s mostly chipped away to weariness - he’s just Tired TM now he just wants everyone to be happy
[ FULL APP - includes a more in-depth explanation of his life and his personality, as well as ramblings about future plots, connections and a reference of the timeline of his life ]
In my culture, we know death intimately.
In Arabic, the highest expression of love is the phrase
“ya’aburnee” Translated “you bury me” -
It means “I love you so much, I’d sooner die than bury you”
It was used by mothers in our lineage who were so used to losing
their young in war; In my culture, we cannot talk about love
without speaking death’s name
