young blood., gray | 15 | mage

grayson “gray” mercer GRAYSON MERCER is a wealthy fifteen year old with no idea what he wants. He’s generally a little spastic, awfully hot tempered, and thankfully considerate and optimistic despite. His glaring naiveté often paints him as little more than a dumb blonde jock, but he’s sharp as a tack underneath all that. Unfortunately for Gray, he seems to be a pawn or participant in a lot of the goings on. Something that might prove to be to his detriment, or his gain. Overall, he just wants to figure out what it is he desires out of life, and he doesn’t wand anyone or anything to stand in his way. It might look like he’s making friends with all the wrong people, but sometimes you’ve got to take a walk on the wild side to expand those horizons. Will this attempt at rebellion stand any chance against Jackson’s looming schemes?FAMILY. The Mercer legacy is woven into the fabric of Hart’s history, a story fettered with scandal and magic. When it comes to Grayson, the youngest descendent of the line, there is more than meets the eye. Grayson is a Mage by blood, one who who will become particularly adept at manipulating the elements. At the moment, this is a secret- even to Gray. He was raised believing he was merely a typical blue-blood American. But as he nears maturity, something inside him is growing, and it’s much more dangerous than burgeoning hormones. The boy is shakily coming into his own... Though he’s learning that sometimes he’ll have to sacrifice the world he knows for the life he wants. Slowly but surely, he has been preparing to make a stand in small ways. His biggest problem is his brother Jackson- the shining star of St. Valentine’s and the apple of his parents’ eye. Competing with a sibling like that is no cake walk, and Grayson isn’t sure he gives a damn anymore. But he may need his brother’s help when the magic inside of him awakens. Does Jackson know more than he’s letting on, and just what secrets are hidden in the ancient Mercer estate? Plots: Gesture Without Motion, the Lambert Family Gala. FRIENDS.It might come as a surprise that the formerly straight laced kid has suddenly taken a shine to a bad boy like Alfonso. Then again, who doesn’t like a little danger and excitement in their life? How will his parents react when they find out exactly what he’s been up to? Will this blossoming friendship crumble beneath the weight of expectation, or will Gray show some spine for the first time? Recently he has also made friends with the likes of room-mate Declan Blackwell, a boy whose curiosity for the strange definitely matches his own. Do the many mysteries of St. Valentine’s remain hidden from them, or will the boys find themselves in deeper trouble than they bargained for? One thing is for sure, Grayson will need a lot of friends if he ever hopes to make it out of high school alive. Plots: In need of a room-mate, best friend, friends. Also, a tutor required for special needs student (dyslexia) All nerds or professors who need extra cash apply. Sign up now!ENEMIES.For a well known, mild mannered, gifted athlete with hard earned grades, Grayson wouldn’t have made many enemies in his first year of school. He could probably be a bit much for people to tolerate for long, but he’s typically kept to himself the past semester. As time goes on, when he becomes more daring, and gets involved in more plots... he’s sure to make plenty of them. After all, with so many political, social, and magical forces at work in the town of Hart, you’ve got to pick a side sooner or later. Either that, or go your own way, and he’d be sure to make even more enemies if he decides to go down that path. Once Grayson discovers his powers, what won’t he want to do with them?Plots: It would be fun to have some athletic rivals, people to hate on/be hated by, love/hate relationships. Sign up now!LOVERS.At fifteen, Gray doesn’t have a whole lot of romantic experience. In fact, he’s still trying to keep the little detail that he is very attracted to men on the down low. Much like his brother fears, this teen is worried what the public eye would do if news got out. That sentiment definitely isn’t going to last for long, because with each passing day, he cares less and less what others think. Mostly, he craves company of someone who can understand him and wants to know about these romantic thrills everyone is always going on about. He’s a hopeless romantic, but he still doesn’t get what all the fuss is about. What’s the big deal?Plots: He could use a romantic interest, dead end, unrequited love, or an actual boyfriend. Sign up now!15. SOPHOMORE . SINGLE . MAGE.

Ahem. I think we've established that Levi and Gray are on friendly terms even if they don't associate much on their own - they share activities and social ties and Levi would try to make a good impression on the young sophomore. Also since Levi is openly out of the closet, Gray might feel comfortable enough to come to him and trust him... with questions and such. Levi may not be smart or altogether experienced, but he is kind and compassionate, and I think Gray could trust that Levi would keep his secrets safe - it wouldn't be the first of its kind that he carries for the Mercer family.

Lenore would foster Gray if he would let her, but since he is so secretive about his artistic aspects I think she wouldn't even know about it to begin with. She may notice he has a fondness, but so do many people for many reasons, not least of which just because music is an easy class.

I don't know if they would be able to tell that they each practice magic but beyond that I think these two could be friends. Dylan can be goofy and a little naive too and they are in the same classes I bet. Grayson may be too snobby to hang out with him but he does have interesting stories about Wales and so on to tell.

LEVI & GRAYSONExactly, I think they’d have a lot of great stolen moments of interaction that really show just how well these character’s lives are woven together. Grayson is not immediately trusting, but he would definitely reach out to someone if he thought they could help. He’s so lost about certain things that I think he’d take any help he could get. Levi’s a bit older, so he is in Grayson’s eyes closer to an adult figure and more knowledgable than a friend his own age. So he’d be likely to talk to the safest non-friend alternative (Levi) about “What If’s” concerning his sexuality. Especially since Jackson is even deeper into the closet than Gray is, so he isn’t going to be any help.

LENORE & GRAYSONI think even if they’re unspoken, his talents would show themselves to someone with an eye for the arts. He could use an adult to encourage him in that direction, especially since I plan to involve his artistic passions as part of his search for self-identity. He will grow to accept them in a few very tangible ways, but it’s not going to be a journey he gets through on his own. Maybe she could set him up with private lessons from Spencer?

DYLAN & GRAYSONThey would be great together, Grayson needs an actual friend. Though he is well known because of his family, I’m not sure how many genuine friends he has. He would be attracted to the exotic qualities that Dylan has, because he is interested in foreign culture and the like. Gray is very sheltered, and he has not experienced life outside of the American ways. Or even much outside of the lifestyle of the extremely wealthy, so something fresh and new would be welcome. He is not snobbish at all so much as very oblivious, so he could do with a more grounded friend. Also, the bit about magic could be very interesting to explore. Grayson is just beginning to get the sense that there may be something “special” about him and Hart, and if Dylan is in the know maybe he could introduce him to the idea and help Grayson discover links to his family’s past? There are a lot of secrets for him to uncover and I don’t think he understands enough to get anywhere on his own. I think it would be fun if they experimented with magic together! I was actually talking to Lou about having Declan Blackwell and Gray plan a sleepover on or around Halloween icly, where they might play Ouija or something and get into some supernatural trouble. But if Dylan and Grayson had a magical club for two going on the side, that would be fun.

Dylan needs an actual friend too so this would be great. I just read the plot thread with their roommates too so maybe occasionally when Grayson gets annoyed with Bobbie and Declan in his room he can come stay in Dylan's room? That could be one way to bring up the subject of magic as well since Dylan has a nice collection of old books about magic and some of them are spell books too that he tries to pass off as fiction when someone finds one. Do you want to have Grayson explore with Dylan for the plot? It would be funny if Grayson and Dylan ran into Declan and Bobbie in the middle of the night.

DYLAN & GRAYSONThat sounds perfect! Gray probably doesn't mind Bobbie as a person, so much as he assumes he and Declan dating. Or else are better friends than he is with either, and he wouldn't want to be the third wheel. He's also pretty spoiled with a huge room to himself at home, so sharing his space in the first place is awkward enough for him. I think he'd still be adjusting, even after spending last year there, since he likely goes home on weekends and such. I love the idea of him stumbling onto Dylan's tomes, maybe there can be some back and forth between the two of them with that. With Grayson wanting to believe it's real, but thinking it possibly can't be, and maybe Dylan trying to make out if he could trust Gray with the secret? Exploring in the plot would be fun too! When should we hop in there?

Gray and JC(bio)

They probably barely know each other prior to the Gala. Their dads are close coworkers, though, so they've probably been at some parties together. I'm pretty sure JC can't stand Jackson, though he probably doesn't make a big deal of it, but probably likes Gray well enough. (Perhaps even more than he otherwise would, just to get Jackson's goat.)

You'd mentioned something about Gray being grateful to JC for doing first aid on Ash, if Ash survives; maybe kick off a thread on that basis? I think they'd get along pretty well once they got to know each other. Perhaps JC tags along with his dad to a re-election campaign fundraiser at Mr.Mercer's, and JC and Gray sneak off to do something more fun or get themselves into trouble, perhaps involving some other folks?

I'm also thinking of a post-Gala thread with some subset of JC, Brandon, Jackson, Garrett, Bastien, Grayson, and Asher (or the urn containing Asher's Ashes) doing the "did that really just happen?" thing... made complicated by the mindwiping and general air of secrecy. Interested?

Gray and Dr.Tomkins(bio)

I got nothing.

Gray and Mitch(bio)

Maybe a random encounter somewhere off-campus? Mitch is generally looking for off-the-books work; maybe he ends up offering Gray his services as a tutor or editing term papers or something along those lines? They could also hook up, if Gray's into that; Mitch is easy, and it would give Mitch and Jackson a potential plot hook as well.

Gray and Jackson

Yay, brotherly love! No, not that way.

We should chat about their relationship at some point. I see Jax as genuinely caring about his brother -- probably the only person in the world Jax genuinely cares about -- but it probably comes across as overbearing, controlling, and not thinking Gray can take care of himself. Which, admittedly, Jax mostly doesn't. That seems to set up a relationship where they fight endlessly about stupid shit but Jax has Gray's back when it matters; up to you what Gray's take on it is.

I have no idea why the Mercers raised their older son as a mage and their younger son in complete ignorance of magic; maybe it's some kind of experiment? Anyway, Jax has followed Dad's orders and shut up about magic around Gray thus far, but it's hard to keep secrets from a little brother even if you're as secretive as Jax; feel free to have noticed clues. It wouldn't take much for Jax to decide this is stupid and start training Gray in secret, if you wanted to go there at some point.

Actually -- are you interested in a post-Gala, pre-mindwipe thread between the Mercer Brothers... say, shortly after they head home with Dad? I figure they can say all kinds of stuff they wouldn't otherwise say in the midst of shock and grief and what-the-fuck, and then the next day they're wiped and forget it all or think it was an acid-induced hallucination or something and go on with their normal lives. It'd be poignant and shit.

I've been assuming that Jax and Gray are mutually closeted thus far, though now that Jax is fucking Gray's roommate that might change at any moment. Gray walking in on the two of them might be funny.

Oh, and Jax sez "Mitch, keep your goddamned creepy-old-man hands off my baby brother or you will regret it every single moment of your potentially endless life."

TOBY&GRAY

So Toby and Jackson do not get along at all, because James Mckee and Toby are best friends. I don't think Toby'd let that affect how he interacts with Gray though. Toby's best subject is english, and he'd be willing to help tutor Gray. Toby insist he was doing it just to help out and get volunteer service hours, but he actually loves reading. Toby'd try to act like a big brother to Gray, just make sure he's okay and doing well. He'd be concerned when Gray began straying down a rebellious path, but Toby knows what it's like to live in a pressure family. He'd just want Gray to be safe, and wouldn't spare Gray a lecture.

I think it'd be interesting for someway for Gray and Toby to get close, or on a friendly level, because of how much Toby hates Jackson. If you wanted to Gray could possibly have a crush on the football star? I'm really open to anything you have in mind :)

TOBY&TRISTAN

Tristan is a senior english teacher. He is fairly anti-social, blunt. But he's always willing to help out students. He may not be the nicest of people (since because of his anna boy powers he can not lie without before in pain, so he can't sugar coat things). If you can come up with something better let me know :)

Would you still be of the mind to have these two be friends? If so I would adore a thread. I don't know if the Lambert player would allow for it but I would love for Gray to meet Dylan on the beach in their thread. I think having him there might help us to pursue the idea of Dylan beginning to share his interest in magic with them and maybe further the idea of a sort of troupe of curious boys investigating it all. Jonas Lambert seems keen to do so, so I was thinking of bringing them together as valuable. If not then I would still enjoy the chance to post with you. Dylan's old books could be the topic of discussion or discovery, if you like?

Gray joining JC and Dylan on the beach is fine with me. Gray and JC were chatting over breakfast about the Gala earlier that same day, so it would segue nicely.

TOBY, TRISTAN, JACKSON Having talked to you both privately, I believe we already have some wicked in the works. Kekeke.

THE SCOOBIESYes! Absolutely! I think that this fits his continuity perfectly. His meeting with Jonas will leave him reeling, and not completely sure what to believe. But meeting with J.C. later on at the beach- with Dylan there to show them both a bit of magic- could finally convince Grayson of the truth about himself and everyone else. After that, he would definitely want to pursue magic separately from his family, so Dylan training him in clandestine would be excellent. And well, he may be stumbling onto some other secrets in the school too. So these three forming own sort of circle would be awesome. I also think Declan and Gael would fit well with them all, since they’ve all sort of adventured together already. I’m going to be posting in the JC/Gray thread shortly, and following that, post him on the beach.

I'm so happy you joined. It's lovely to have some plots going. Thank you.