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NAME. cruz reyez.
NAME MEANING. "cross." "kings." (he purposefully stylized his surname with a misplaced letter, because he likes the spelling better that way, with his first name).
AGE. twenty-four.
GENDER. male.
SEXUALITY. bisexual.
APPEARANCE. zavala408_sun.
INSTRUMENT. drums.
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PERSONALITY. cruz, in the band as well as in high school, has often been stylized as a sort of bad boy. he's been known for having a big mouth, sharing his opinion even when no one's asked for it. he tends to swear frequently (and use violent exaggerations), as well, although not always in a negative way. he swears out of anger or out of excitement, prone to both emotions. he can have quite a hot temper, often taking things people say in the wrong way as a result, known for being overly defensive and overly protective. he can be very oppositional, hating authority and being told what to do. he's feisty, overall, and he's clever too. cruz has a sharp wit as seen in his clever comments and both former school and street smarts. he's loyal, a warm person who loves in a fierce way. he never shied away from telling someone how much they meant to him, and often greeted his friends with at least a side-hug. he's fiercely protective of them. half the reason he shows his temper so much is because he cares about them so much, and if anybody messes with them, cruz will ensure that stops right away. he's warm-hearted, at his core, a caring person who is very intuitive in some senses, able to spot when someone is upset and able to be a good problem-solver (oftentimes taking things into his own hands). he can be highly leadership-oriented, a good public speaker and one to always speak his mind when it comes to upholding his personal values. he's a brilliant listener though, even better than he is as a speaker (which is middling). he always gives people his undivided attention, often making them feel heard and giving them quality advice. he was called the dad friend often in his youth. he himself is almost always honest, and he doesn't break his values when it comes to needing to disagree with someone, whether his opinion be unwanted or controversial. he certainly has a tendency to self-sabotage, paired with a remarkable talent for denying that is what he's doing. he's a sweet man who holds family dear, always having respected and looked up to his father. he's a hard worker, never shying away from a difficult task, having been working at his father's shop since he was a kid (which he thinks he wants to reopen— or perhaps he's still thinking of moving back home). he is very good at dad jokes, having been raised by only his dad and that sense of humor having rubbed off on him.
BACKSTORY.
having immigrated from tijuana, mexico when he was about nine years old, cruz was the middle child of three. his mother stayed behind, along with his two sisters, and it was only angel and his father in the united states, sending money back home. it was very important for him to visit his family by crossing the border every other weekend. cruz initially struggled in school as he couldn't speak the language very well, his father only speaking spanish, but slowly, he began to perform well— and with time, cruz became one of the better students in class, quick at math and with a sharp and witty mind that equipped him well with reading skills. he was a sharp kid, translating for his father at parent-teacher conferences and at the car shop (as when cruz turned ten, his father opened his own car repair shop). he didn't have much time or care for school, however, he ended up frequently not turning in assignments and not participating in extracurricular activities, as a result of having so much work to do at such a young age. at a young age, he learned to repair cars from his father, with whom he was extremely close. when he started freshman year of high school, he worked at the shop alongside him, after school, handling adult responsibilities and indeed, behaving in a much more mature way than his other classmates. he watched more mature movies, swore frequently, and even from a young age, started to act out, smoking at school (which teachers were horrified by) and developing a bit of a truancy problem. he began to develop a problem with fighting, being incredibly defensive of himself, his father, and the few friends he'd developed. he'd gotten suspended quite a few times for getting himself into fights, whether in defense of himself or others, or for revenge. he was held back his freshman year in high school because he stopped caring about his grades. he had to work, after all. it was different for him than for other kids his age. it was in his second round of freshman year that he started to get into some real problems. cruz's father was deported, and by now, he was on his own and surfing on a friend's couch. the mechanic shop went under, and cruz kind of felt his whole life crumble beneath him. he landed in juvie for a few weeks at a time for problems involving destruction of property, fighting, graffiti, and even minor possession charges (he used to deal). but cruz was a smart kid, yet prevented from entering the more advanced classes due to his attendance and his record. he had some pretty bad anger issues, some of which was expanded to protect his friends. he has definitely beaten up some nasty exes before). he was defensive of them and funny, often serving as an older brother figure wisened to the world, giving oftentimes pretty terrible advice. he cared for his friends as though they were his family and made sure they knew that (as a rather intense person, definitely in an intense manner). however, he struggled with taking criticism and always would deflect when people brought up his bad behavior. he used to just laugh and say he was just built like that, or that he wasn't made for school. he certainly wasn't the sort of friend anyone's parents would approve of their having. he found the drums when he needed to. during a stint in juvie, they had him doing drums as music therapy. that shit worked better than anything else he'd ever done, and he found himself taking to it. he played the drums more and more, even if he had to use the school ones to do it. and then he found his way to the band when he really needed to.
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LIKES. chick-fil-a. spontaneous piercings. fans that speak spanish. energy drinks. black coffee. spicy food. his family. pick up basketball. lifting. sleeping. noise. jewelry. watching soccer. visiting his family. skateboarding. tequila. being financially savvy. saving money.
DISLIKES. starbucks. jail. wannabe tough guys. lame crowds. swimming (he isn't a very good swimmer). stanley cups. consumerism. cold weather. going without seeing his family for a while. their manager. authority figures. anyone messing with any member of the band.
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OTHER.
— cruz has several younger sisters and they look up to him a lot and are always delighted whenever he can visit.
— cruz can't hear the best due to some damage from how loud he played the drums and refused to wear any ear protection for so long.
— the drums are still very therapeutic for cruz, as is the gym.
— cruz is probably literally incapable of getting along with their manager for ten seconds.
— cruz almost exclusively swears in spanish.
— cruz texts like a grandpa, because he doesn't really get all this technology.
— cruz can fix basically any car.
— he has an old vintage car he revamped himself and he also has a motorcycle and he uses both alternatively. you really have to harass him to wear a helmet on the motorcycle.
— cruz never burns and only tans.
— cruz has claustrophobia, largely from juvie, and hates small and enclosed spaces.
— cruz is 6'2 and is substantially taller than his father and the rest of his family. he beat up a lot of people who made suggestions about the mailman.
— cruz has broken his jaw before and his wrist multiple times. he has drummed through the broken wrist.
— cruz pierced his own tongue.
MUSICAL INSPIRATION.
— seven nation army
— ride
— mary on a cross
— 505
— take me out
— smells like teen spirit
— oh ana
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