TACHIBANA, mortimer

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Those who knew Mortimer in school would remember a single notable thing about him: He was absolutely convinced that he was a robot. It was complicated, impossible to explain, and nobody quite understood what he meant by it. But he knew how he felt, what he wanted to feel at least. In the end, of course he knew it wasn't true.

Very few people knew this about Mort initially, and those who did were actually fairly understanding. He was always a bit of an oddball, and nothing he could have done would really surprise them. It slipped his last year of Ilvermorny, and teasing, of course, became an everyday thing. There was never a point in time, however, where Mort ever actually cared about his peers or their opinion of him. And by then, he knew better. One would think that it would be better to shed his delusions, but it actually made things that much harder.

Mort's parents divorced when he was seven years old, and in his child mind, it had gone rather well. It wasn't until much later, when he was grown up and understood things better, that he caught on to what really had happened. Adela, his stern but loving mother, and Maxwell, his bubbly but strict father, were young loves. Much too young, in fact. And while they both knew what they wanted-- a small, tight knit family-- they didn't quite see eye to eye what this meant. They both kept secrets from each other, both vital to the survival of their family, and they held on to them just a little too long. Adela was a witch, Horned Serpent alumni, and Max... He pretty quickly took in his old college roommate once Adela left. He and Kare were always rather close, but Adela never realized just how close they were.

Adela long severed her connection with her family, having left California for New York as soon as she graduated. Maxwell, on the other hand, was born from a very strict family, one that expected him to conform to every standard they set. He was a doctor, a husband, a father. He dressed the way they wanted and raised Mort the way they wanted, much to Adela's contempt. She didn't receive the custody that she wanted, only seeing him on the weekends. "How can you raise a child, you're just one woman?" If it weren't for Max's family, it probably would have been more evenly balanced. Even though he wasn't meeting their expectations, they prided themselves over him, over Mort, over Kare.

Truthfully, Mort liked living with his mother a bit more. She didn't ask him to do much, and she did all these fancy magic tricks that he had never seen the likes of. Max chalked it up for an active imagination, which brought Kare's interest out. Mort's second dad was kind and gentle, and he showed Mort the world of science fiction, his first ever love. From a young age, Mort would write his own fantasies out, filling notebooks with adventures of robots and aliens (and when he got older, the girls and boys that he liked). Adela never loved another man again, and instead decided to love her son and her friends and her well paying office job at MACUSA. While she uttered bitter things about Maxwell, she was still well loved by the Tachibana family enough to be invited to their Christmas parties. More importantly, she was happy, and that was important to Mort.

When it was revealed that Mort was a wizard, however... All eyes fell on Adela. She patiently reminded Max that they both had their secrets, and she had been more than reasonable with his. "Reasonable? Adela, you threw our wedding picture at me and called me a f--"

There came a point in Mort's life where he felt very stifled by Maxwell. Mort always knew he meant well, but things built up between the two of them. They didn't have conversations, they had arguments through calm, gritted teeth. Any form of hysterics would make Maxwell leave the room, say he wasn't sure where he went wrong, and he always blamed Adela. Mort wasn't allowed to have emotions, he wasn't allowed to speak excitedly or passionately or to muse over ideas. There was once a time that Mort had a love for books and learning, and it dulled to a smudge by his sixteenth birthday. He did not care about school, he did not care about listening to other people at all. He was jaded, distant, but he got his schoolwork done and he didn't cross his father's barrier of comfort. But even though he met each standard effortlessly, he still couldn't manage to remember to empty the god damn dishwasher.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly when Mort decided he was a robot. He had always been fascinated with them, and they were always a focal point in his stories. But what mattered was that it helped him cope. His father was fairly passive, leaning on him heavier and heavier over time, and it was the weight of it all that drove Mort to escapism. He felt like he couldn't talk to people, that he had no one to vent to. Both sides of his family were nuts in their own way. He did, however, find solace in video games and movies and technology, as well as the magical world. He knew it didn't make much sense, but anyone who would tell him otherwise would receive a rather harsh cold shoulder.

With newfound instability, Mort began to shape himself. No longer stale and repressed, he became a bundle of spontaneity and creativeness. He painted pictures, he published stories. The music he listened to fill the quiet became something he enjoyed beyond words, and he constantly had his radio or cd player on him at all times. He said weird things, napped all day in the sun (solar powered, duh), and made a point to never eat in front of other people, though he absolutely loved snacking. With this, came ineffable irresponsibility. He no longer even tried to remember things. His fights with his father became heated and loud.

While still an apathetic teenager, he let loose any restraint he had on himself. This resulted in a lot of horny feelings, and he actually got a little better at schoolwork and video games and art, and his clothes became colorful and mishmashed.

He became much more stable once he moved out of his dads' house. Having graduated with absolutely no sense of what a Horned Serpent even was anymore (and convinced he never really belonged to begin with), he didn't quite know what he wanted to do with his life. He had no ambition, no interest in the "adult world", but over the years he took on a few jobs to test his capabilities. He found that he worked surprisingly well with people, because he could bullshit pleasantries and smiles and not give a shit when they verbally abused him.

At age twenty-three, he received his job at MACUSA's visitor's desk, where wizards often yell at him over things he has nothing to do with, but he does his job well and he likes the coffee and the interoffice drama that he sees in the break room. And more often than not, he develops wondrous crushes on coworkers because they showed him a little bit of friendliness, such as saying "good morning" after he greets them. Even at his age, Mort still writes fanfiction about the people he likes, and lord knows how much he's written about MACUSA staff. He gives off an approachable vibe due to his job, which has let him meet plenty of friends, but he's still as quiet and weird as ever, just minus the robot bit.

Mort lives in Tremont, which he chose because it's the greatest, affordable distance he could find from Greenpoint, because he absolutely did not want to live near his dad. Though, of course, he visits on occasion, particularly on holidays due his grandparents. He doesn't speak much to his dad anymore, as Mort's job apparently isn't real to him. He has a two bedroom apartment with his no-maj roommate that Mort can never remember the name of, but he pays rent and often enough isn't home when Mort is, so he doesn't complain. The guy feeds himself and watches Tangled on repeat on his absurdly big tv, and Mort can probably sing along to it perfectly at this point. But Mort being Mort, he doesn't really care about that.

And that's essentially Mort's philosophy: Who cares? He sure doesn't. Except when he does, which is when anyone he remotely respects or admires speaks to him, then his insides turn to mush. Otherwise, totally smooth sailing.

LIKES |
Robots, duh :: scifi :: using magic for absolutely anything, the lazier the better :: eating :: sleeping-- he sleeps A LOT :: mysterious boys :: bad boys :: flippy hair :: romance novels, though he likes all genres in their own way :: romance movies :: "love at first sight" stories, especially :: big ears on animals, particularly cats-- he has a oriental shorthair mix, after all, named Marceline :: blue lipstick :: wearing things the color pink, though he couldn't say it's his favorite color :: faux gems, especially the glittery kind :: being left alone :: when someone seems genuinely interested in him :: fluffy blankets :: big yawns :: neon things :: wet streets :: the city :: roaming the city alone, but also with a good friend or lover :: all kinds of music, but especially techno, I mean duh :: weird wizard candies :: burgers :: cereal :: video games, but doesn't play them as much now that he's an adult with a job and magic and junk :: not much else, to be honest.

DISLIKES |
It's best to note that "dislike" is in the most passive form of the word.

People seeing him eat :: also he hates eating fast, he's the slowest eater in the world :: having his photo taken :: having to, like, move :: when someone can't take a hint :: when people say to "calm down", like, in general, to anyone; Mort doesn't think it's ever necessary to dictate people's feelings :: tags in clothing :: most common interests, like sports or fashion or cars... what do people even like? It's all boring :: raisins :: most fruit unless it's artificially flavored junk :: too much responsibility :: talking to his grandparents :: seeing his mom at work :: his work voice... who is he? Mort doesn't trust him :: babies :: when people hover over his shoulder :: anyone who recognizes him from school, just please don't :: being alone with people he thinks are cute, like sure he likes looking at them, but oh man he cannot talk to them :: um, tbh, he has a huge issue becoming intimate with girls, not that he dislikes them (he LOVES 'em), but boy does he hate how uncomfortable he gets. It takes some getting used to. He has way more experience with dudes, though. :: also, uh, everything else, p much.