[hider=Nina Valentine][center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5kODQ5M2IuVG1sdVlTQk5ZWEpwWlhSMFlTQldZV3hsYm5ScGJtVSwuMAAA/otto.medium.png[/img]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/51IVEzE.png?1[/img]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/fltOdst.jpg[/img]

[b][i]Poetry Adjunct Professor at Shine City Academy
Previously a high school English Teacher in Middletown, Delaware, United States[/i][/b]

[color=tomato]●[/color] [b]♀[/b] [color=tomato]●[/color] 29 [color=tomato]●[/color] 5'5" [color=tomato]●[/color] 114 lbs [color=tomato]●[/color] 

♫ [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjtxczOLejY][color=tomato][b]I am leaving, this is starting to feel like
It's right before my eyes
And I can taste it, it's my sweet beginning[/b][/color][/url] ♫
[sup][color=gray]- What You Know, Two Doors Cinema Club[/color][/sup]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/7RBI5xR.png?1[/img]
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| [color=tomato][b]Appearance[/b][/color] |
[indent]Nina has soft, gentle features for the most part, especially her skin that she lotions after a refreshing morning shower. A couple times a week she treats herself to a scented, therapeutic bath, which causes her to smell like Sweet Peas often. Her wavy, chestnut brown hair flows passed her mid back section when down. The only time it is completely free from hair ties or clips is when she's home alone. Hair can be troublesome, but she isn't one to cut it often. Her complexion is fair, due to her Italian descent and lack of ability to tan (Nina just burns). Her most prominent feature is her glacier blue eyes that contrast with her warm and loving demeanor. Make up can do wonders as it covers her dark circles from her numerous restless nights. Although she has a small figure, she does have "fluff" in all the right places.

Her style is conventional and simple. She was never raised poor, nor has she lived a luxurious life either. Her favorite types of clothing are summer dresses and sun hats, but people can find her wearing jeans, a tank, and a sweater/hoodie if she's doing errands, or business casual for work with some color to brighten her students' days. At home, she doesn't wear much... Maybe like a big t-shirt or yoga shorts and her sports bra. Being single and having a condo to herself means her house, her rules. She gets hot easily and doesn't always want to jack up the central AC since she's frugal (as hell). In addition, she has no piercings or tattoos. Not because she is against them, she just never thought to ask her parents. Also, needles are dreadful. 

Nina's steps are soundless, her posture is straight, and her aura emits grace and elegance. A woman, whose fortunate enough to have taken singing and harp lessons when she was young, would like to think she was gifted with a silvery, melodious voice that doesn't annoy many people. Even with it being higher in octave, her voice is pleasant to the ears like a calm, summer breeze while you lay on a beach and gaze at the deep azure sea under the starry night. Her father would say if she wanted to, she could pursue a career in opera. "[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncvnA8p4lww]Think of Me[/url]" from [i]The Phantom of the Opera[/i] is a song she's taken the time to master. However, she doesn't flex her singing muscles often since her passion is writing. Poetry to be exact (high chance she's a little bit rusty when it comes to singing). She's never considered taking up songwriting before as a hobby.
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| [color=tomato][b]Personality[/b][/color] |
[indent]Passion. That is the best word that can describe Nina. Whether it is in her intentional pursuit to inspire people to do better for themselves or in her everyday actions like saying 'how are you' to a coworker, she is an incomprehensibly passionate woman. Her allure is in everything that she is. When you first meet her, you instantly get hit by a personable, social butterfly that is full of vibrant positiveness (perhaps a little dorky and energetic for some people). When you start peeling her layers like a onion, you see that she has firm beliefs and opinions, full of thoughts that she doesn't necessarily understand, can be a natural flirt whether she is aware of it or not, and her heart aches for many things, like she carries the world on her shoulders. Her underlining sadness can be caught when she thinks she is alone, her smile drops to a blank expression, her blue orbs become detached from her surroundings, and she gets lost in her own personal battle: the battle of moving on and fitting into a new community of people. Nina knows she's capable and she won't hold back on opportunities that can change her life but... she's scared. How can she make another person love her? She was with Danny for most of her life and now she's alone. As much as she is insecure about her love life and doubts she'll find love again, she knows she'll be fine. 

Single isn't bad, it's just lonely. The loneliness is the worst part of not having a special someone and the fact that she did have someone yet had to let him go for her own health was what made her realize she didn't like being lonely. Over the years, she realized the main reason why she married Daniel was because of how afraid she was of being alone. She settled. 

Nina's a lot stronger than she thinks, a lot smarter than she realizes, and far more radiant than she has ever let herself believe. Her tendency to quote poets like Emily Dickinson or W.B. Yeats, or from excerpts of books or Broadways/musicals/movie shows how invested she is in her interests. While she grows as a creative mind but most importantly, a person, Nina knows she'll keep preserving. Life is strange but one thing shouldn't chain her down from living.  

Music has made her cry more often because of how much it reminds her of all her wasted years. How she settled with him, with her job, and with her life. Most of her poems nowadays portray her desperation of finding happiness and fighting her negative thoughts. Her words on paper show the woman behind the smile, who wants to be there for her loved ones and students, who loves far more than she should, far more than some people deserve. Hate isn't something she can do easily, but when it comes to [i]him[/i], how could she forgive him?[/indent]

| [color=tomato][b]Likes[/b][/color] |
[indent][list][*] Reading books and Current Issues articles (especially when it comes to issues like sex trafficking and animal abuse). She doesn't have a particular book genre but if she were to choose... perhaps, era-based satire like Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. 
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[list][*] Stand-up comedy, slam poetry, and Broadway (when words rely on a performance). Granted, she loves words in general, especially when they are lyrical. Poetry is music to her ears. 
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[list][*] Gardens and recreational parks. She's a nature girl by heart. Camping was one of her favorite past times with her family. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a green thumb.
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[list][*] Conversationalists. She loves learning new things from other people and giving them food for thought, but in her own creative perspective. 
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[list][*] Her wedding band and engagement ring she doesn't have the courage to sell (yet?). She keeps her rings in a midnight blue velvet engagement box on her vanity. Daniel Harden was her ex, but we don't talk about him. 
[indent]"[color=tomato]You married an Icarus, he has flown to close to the sun.[/color]" [sup][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CFOuGqBSEE]Burn[/url] from Hamilton, an American Musical[/sup][/indent]  
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[list][*] Teaching and inspiring. The creativity and talents of her students. The greatest joy of her job is seeing her students excited about coming to class and sharing their work. She believes everyone is capable of whatever they set their mind onto.
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[list][*] Renaissance fairs and the Medieval Times (guilty pleasures, shuuuush). She may be a little geek who wouldn't mind dressing up and getting into character. Maybe one day, if she ever has a child, she can take him/her to the fair! Her little knight or princess. Sadly, no matter how much her and her ex tried, having a child wasn't part of their story. There was no sadness in their attempt (like miscarriages), she just never got pregnant. Her maternal clock is ticking, which makes her nervous. 
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[list][*] Gardenia Lilies, the color white, hot chocolate with marshmallows, cooking (and grilling), a clean and fresh smelling house, the rain, listening to jazz or classical music during a nice, long bubble bath with a glass of Pinot Grigio. She's a light weight, so that's probably as far as her drinking goes that night.  
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| [color=tomato][b]Dislikes[/b][/color] |
[indent][list][*] Her ex's love letters she has yet to burn. He was her high school sweetheart, her first love, her first time, her husband. She wants to erase everything... she wants to move on, she needs to move on, but it isn't that easy. 
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[list][*] Prejudice and bigotry. She understands there are many controversial topics in the world, everyone has a right to their own opinions. Nina would be understanding but if you're downright belittling others because of your narrow-mindedness, then she will step in and show you what a strong, opinionated woman can make you feel. 
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[list][*] Her insecurities and her tendency to hide them behind a smile. She's only given one man a chance with her, which means she isn't that experienced in the realm of love. She's lived through prose and stanzas. If she could rewrite her story to see if there was someone better than Danny, would she? Probably not. He helped her realize how much she loved storytelling, in many different art forms. She can't regret a man that once made her happy beyond belief. Life can be cruel, but it can always be worse. We just have to pick ourselves up from our falls. Some falls are harder than others, but we can do it. She can do it...
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[list][*] Running and lifting heavy things. She is not athletic even if she is tiny. Honestly, Nina is just good at monitoring her weight. Without a doubt, she's an artist (never a cheerleader). She does like dancing even if she's basic and it takes her months to learn some moves in music videos! Dancing may be the only type of exercise she can do. Zumba![/list]
[list][*] Loneliness. She tries to get home late so she can sleep, wake up, work, repeat. She's considering getting a pet to fill her void.
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[list][*] Unnecessary violence. She's a lover, not a fighter. She can defend herself with her words, but... If she was in a sticky situation, she may be S.O.L. because she isn't one to strike someone and if she does, she's weak. She does believe in disciplining a child if they get out of hand, but that doesn't change the fact her punches tickle. [/list]
[list][*] Uncomfortable furniture. She bruises easily due to her anemia but most importantly she prefers clouds over bricks. [/list]
[list][*] Cursing. More for herself than others. She rarely curses and if she does she's extremely embarrassed. Oh and she doesn't like people underestimating her or thinking she doesn't have enough courage to do something. If you challenge her to do something, you might be surprised. Coming to Shine City was a risk, you better believe she is filled with more bold and daring actions. 
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| [color=tomato][b]Party Trick[/b][/color] |
[indent]She can talk with liquid in her mouth, but she'll look a little like a chipmunk and she doesn't think it's very lady like. A more appropriate party trick would be... She taught herself some Michael Jackson dance moves (she's no pro, but she thinks she looks cool - others would say she's adorable instead). Though, it's silly. She's silly.[/indent]

| [color=tomato][b]Biography[/b][/color] |
[indent][indent][hider=About Nina]There are only two areas Nina has known prior to coming to Shine City, Japan. Delaware and New York. Delaware was and always has been her home, while New York was the occasional vacation spot her father and her ex husband would treat her to see magnificent performances (one out of affection, the other to get her out of his hair). Her childhood was simple and nothing out of the ordinary for a suburban girl. The only thing that was missing out of her life was her mother, who passed away before she could remember her face. With three brothers, Nina being the youngest and was (over) protected by all of them. Her father was a man of the military, a marine to be exact, who was stationed at a recruiting facility. He took note of her music talents and tried to assist her in blossoming as a songstress and a harpist, like her mother. Nina was a mirror image of his wife and he didn't want to lose that. He didn't realize that he and his high expectations made her gain insecurities a lot earlier than most kids. She would bring home awards, only to feel like it was not enough. She was never enough. 

Her brothers were exceedingly smart compared to her. Science and math made her head spin. Nina tried to understand the formulas, she even had them tutor her but she just couldn't get these concepts wrapped around her mind. Her father sometimes forgot she wasn't her mother. There was always this constant image that haunted her to be someone that was long gone. Angelo became a doctor, Marco followed dad's steps but decided to join the Airforce, instead of the Marines, and work as a plane engineer, and then there was Nero, who became a Systems Engineer for Apple in California. Most of her brothers found a reason to leave Delaware, besides Angelo, who stood home because he found his reason in Delaware, his wife, who too pursued a medical career. Luckily his profession was needed everywhere. 

When Nina was alone and felt the wild thoughts coursing through her mind, she picked up a pencil and wrote, many journals hold her poems and short stories (that is currently kept in a box in her closet). Her 8th grade teacher noticed her talents as a emotionally invested writer and during a parent conference the older woman told her father about writing competitions and open mic nights at this nearby cafe. He didn't take it as badly as Nina thought he would. Actually, he wanted to read her work. 

High school was a transition. Her father started giving her more freedom, more opportunities to live her young life and build long lasting friendships, but ultimately, to make her creative mind flourish. She had to learn to balance school, her passion for writing and music, and socializing with the many teens that surrounded her on a daily basis. That was not an easy feat and to this day she struggles with balancing all things life has to offer. It doesn't help that the only things teenagers seemed to talk about were petty topics, drama, and [i]love[/i]. At first, Nina thought she was better than her peers, who desperately wanted to get in a relationship. She didn't realize that most of the books she read at the time, most of her writing, showed she wanted it just as bad. Or well, she wanted a companion to fill the void of loneliness. Being surrounded by three brothers and a dad, Nina was better at socializing with boys than girls. However, she did get a girl friend that taught her a thing or two of being a female teen, like what guys cared to notice (cue insecurities about Nina's appearance). That friend wasn't the best influence to her, but if it wasn't for that friend, she wouldn't have met Danny. Danny was the first guy to approach her and ask her on a date. He even went out of his way to get her father's blessing. She couldn't believe how kind and how romantic he was. An enigma compared to his peers. She fell for him, she fell for him hard.

Nina accepted the fact that he wanted to become a businessman (a sell out). He had admirable ambition. She was drawn to his mind, drawn to his thoughts, drawn to his desire to become more than he was. Her infatuation covered the fact that he was selfish and wanted her to change her future for him. As long as she loved him, he could succeed. Nina decided to go to a local college and pursue a career in teaching because as much as she could pursue a career in writing or music, it wasn't stable. With Danny's spending habits, they needed something stable. College made her love teaching. Something about a teacher's job made her feel far more important than she could ever ask for. She could change a child's life by saying, "Yes you can." When she was 23, her father helped her get a job at Middletown High in the Appoquinimink School District. Although she was a nervous wreck, she always is during big transitions of her life, she loved it. She loved teaching. And then Danny proposed.

Of course, she accepted and her father gave them his blessings. Their wedding was larger than she would have wanted but Danny had many "friends" he believed should be there. If Nina had control of her own wedding, she would have preferred it to be small and intimate one. The one thing she'll remember from that day was her father crying and telling her how proud he was of her. Sadly, her father passed away a week after peacefully in his sleep. He joined her mom, so that wasn't so bad, right? 

Once she was married to Danny, things changed. He became a man she didn't recognize. A man that was money and power hungry. He kept climbing, he kept striving for more, never satisfied with the life they had. She wanted a family, he wanted to be his own boss. Six years. She was married to him for six years, but with him for 13, ever since she was 16. What has become of her life? When the only thing you look forward to is going to work and hearing your students greet you the moment they see your smiling face. The arguments with Danny to prioritize and stop pushing her aside like she was just an accessory to his legacy escalated. He was paranoid and his insecurities were not something she could handle. She wasn't this trophy wife that he seemed to keep molding her to be. Her dreams and passions mattered. The icing to the cake was when he royally messed up and everything he worked for crumbled to the ground. Throughout these six years, her brothers would visit and try to convince her to leave him but she always found an excuse to stay. Not anymore. 

Breaking things off and not looking back, she skimmed through her father's phone book and saw that he had a close connection residing in Japan. Taking a risk, she called the stranger and shed light to him of her story. He said there was an opening in the Literature and English department at Shine City Academy... Nina took this opportunity to get far away from Danny and for a new beginning. Shine City would be her new beginning.[/hider][/indent][/indent]

| [color=tomato][b]Other Themes[/b][/color] |
[indent][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc-nyGo0aC8]Tears ft. Louisa Johnson, Clean Bandit[/url]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvWfHIo5-kU]For Good, Wicked the Musical[/url][/indent][/hider]