Juniper Cahalan

Juniper Cahalan is a character in Thirlcrest Academy portrayed by LookHowCooooool. She is currently an Astronomy Club HR.
==Appearance==
 
Junie stands at an awkward height of 5’5, slightly taller than most girls her age, which makes her appear even lankier than she already is. She is white, with almost no tan to her skin tone and has a thin face splattered with chocolate freckles. At 115 lbs, her build is skinny, with bony elbows and knobby knees that seem to protrude awkwardly and limbs that seem a bit too long for her frame, giving her a gangly appearance. In addition to that, Junie's posture is slightly hunched, a subconscious effort to make herself seem smaller and less noticeable. She has a deviated septum from the amount of times her nose has been re-broken without allowing it to heal, causing her nose to look crooked. 
Her hair is shoulder-length and brown, and is rarely worn up due to it still being too short to do much with. She has dark brown eyes and thick glasses which appear to have been taped down the middle several times. She rarely wears any make-up, and when she does it is normally at the urging of her friend, Martha. She prefers to wear slightly oversized uniform sweaters. Her sneakers are well-worn, with scuffed soles and frayed laces. She enjoys her way of dress, even though it is not particularly flattering.
==Characteristics ==
Despite her sardonic wit and curmudgeonly personality, Junie is very compassionate and cares deeply about all living things, though, certain students at Thirlcrest are becoming an exception to that. She can be hot-headed and easily annoyed, but she is loyal to a fault. Junie uses a lot of placeholder words like “um” and “like” in her speech, and presents herself to have everything figured out because she wants to appear as a reliable person to people around her. She is caring and hard-working despite her temper and she wants to be a doctor because she cares deeply about people and their well-being. It’s just that people happen to get on her nerves a whole lot, and she doesn't take anything lying down.
Junie is a difficult person to know, particularly because of her abrasive personality. She lacks diplomacy and tact, which causes her to alienate people with whom she otherwise shares a kinship. Though not a wicked girl, it takes a special approach to get to know her. Junie is sarcastic, straightforward, and a bit prone to pessimism. But at her core, she is solid gold.
Junie is a person of principle. Whatever the situation, her top desire is to do what she feels is best and will go to lengthy means to connect with others and convey her beliefs. Junie is not prone to hiding her feelings or opinions and has no qualms about challenging others when she questions their decisions. She cares deeply for others and tends to let her feelings dictate her actions over logic.
Junie has a firm grounding in reality and sensibility. Instead of looking at the new potential of a situation, she tends to look to the past and the odds, relating situations to colorful metaphors in the process. Junie dislikes the unknowns that she must face on a daily basis. She prefers to do her duties in a manner that is in keeping with what she already knows and is quick to point out the ridiculousness of many of the techniques and plans that others favor employing.
She is more in the moment than future-oriented. She does what needs to be done with less thought toward how it will affect the future when she feels that lives are on the line. She is willing to take risks in this mindset. Junie is brave and skilled, but not exactly tactical. She tends to act on her feelings over any plan or analysis that she has sat down and thought through. For Junie, stopping to logically work through something is too much time and energy to waste. Thus, she may fail to properly think through her actions before doing them.
==Strengths & Interests ==
=== Academics ===
Junie excells, and has always excelled, in her studies -- particularily in subjects that require critical thinking and problem solving. Her love for reading and science fiction fueled her academic pursuits, making her a standout student. Despite her struggles with social interactions and the bullying she continues to face, Junie remains focused on her education, using it as a means to escape and hopefully create a better future for herself.
=== Building & Repairing ===
Junie is good with her hands, often found fixing broken items or helping construct new gadgets. Whether it's repairing a torn book cover, assembling a model, or tinkering with electronics, her mechanical aptitude is evident.
=== True Crime ===
Junie has a deep fascination with true crime, particularly the concept of the "perfect crime" where perpetrators evade justice. She is captivated by the cunning and strategies employed by criminals, finding parallels in her own life at Thirlcrest, where bullies often get away with tormenting her and her friends. This interest drives her to study criminal psychology and tactics, hoping to understand and possibly outwit those who exploit the system. 
=== Star Trek ===
Junie is a passionate and knowledgeable Star Trek fan who knows practically everything there is to know about the franchise. Her love for the franchise goes beyond mere fandom; she deeply appreciates its themes of exploration, ethics, and the potential for a better future. Junie can engage in detailed discussions about Star Trek lore, characters, and episodes. 
==Character Background==
Junie was born on June 15th, 1993 and raised in Mission City, Minnesota. She grew up in a modest, run-down house in a financially struggling neighborhood. Her parents' constant financial strain created an environment of tension and conflict. Both parents held down multiple low-paying jobs, which barely covered the basics and often led to heated arguments over money. They believed staying together was best for Junie and her siblings, but their constant fighting only made the children more miserable.
Her mother, once a loving and vibrant woman, became increasingly withdrawn and frustrated with her declining relationship with her husband and their financial situation. She would often lash out during arguments. Her father, though he tried his best, became emotionally unavailable, frequently resorting to alcohol to cope with the pressure. The household was perpetually on edge, with the parents' arguments often escalating to loud shouting matches. 
Despite the chaos at home, Junie showed an early aptitude for academics, especially reading. Her love for reading became her refuge, allowing her to escape from her home life. She spent almost every day after school at the local library, and she has a special love for Science Fiction. Despite her best efforts, she was often a target for bullies, which only deepened her sense of isolation – both at home, and at school. However, the school environment, although socially challenging, was still preferable to being at home. 
Junie’s isolation and the constant turmoil at home began to shape her into a more rebellious and delinquent individual. She frequently skipped school in an attempt to escape the bullying, got into fights, and started to hang out with a rougher crowd, who she thought could protect her. While her grades never slipped, she often found herself in trouble with teachers and the school administration.
After yet another heated argument between her parents over their financial struggles, Junie decided to try and take matters into her own hands. Desperate to ease the tension at home and hoping that some extra money might bring a semblance of peace, she hatched a plan. Junie decided to hack into the local grocery store's system to create fake coupons.
Her plan was simple: generate high-value discount coupons to help her family save money on groceries. She believed this would alleviate some of the financial strain and reduce the constant fighting. Junie spent hours meticulously crafting the fake coupons, careful not to arouse suspicion. The next morning, she slipped the printed coupons into her mother's purse, hoping they would go unnoticed during the shopping trip.
However, her plan quickly backfired. The grocery store's security system flagged the coupons, and the police were quickly involved. When confronted by the authorities, Junie's parents were confused and angry. Junie, caught in her own web of deceit, tried to explain her actions but the mix of emotions, combined with her stutter, made her explanation incoherent.
The grocery store and authorities decided not to press charges on the condition that Junie would attend Thirlcrest Academy the following school year as she started highschool. Her parents, already overwhelmed by their own issues, along with the new tuition they would have to pay, offered little support and hastily agreed to the store’s terms. They were more focused on deflecting blame and avoiding further trouble.
==At Thirlcrest==
=== Beginnings and Foundations ===
Upon Junie's arrival at Thirlcrest, she was content to keep her head down and continue as she had at her old school -- that is, unnoticed. Here, that did not work as well. Despite being initally non-clique affiliated, or a "nonnie", Junie was the target of relentless beatings for reasons she could not yet understand. Two bullies in particular seemed to especially have it out for her, and were able to find her wherever she hid. She started refusing to go anywhere without security camera surveillance or a staff member present, but she could only live like that for so long. Eventually, Junie joined the Astronomy Club as a desperate attempt to stop the relentless beatings from the Bruisers. While she was aware of the Astronomy Club's reputation, she hoped that by associating herself with the Astronomy Club someone would have her side. It worked, but at the cost of the further deterioration of her social status. While the frequency of the beatings increased with her admission to the Astronomy Club, they were also interrupted more frequently by other members of the Astronomy Club than they had been previously. Additionally, being in the Astronomy Club allowed her access to gadgets and weapons she wouldn’t have had previously, which allowed her to defend herself more effectively.
==Combat-Style==
"He was a very poor fighter. Lots of very big guys are. Either their sheer size is so intimidating it stops fights from ever starting in the first place, or else it lets them win every one directly after their first punch lands. Either way, they don’t get much practice. They don't develop much finesse. And they get out of shape. Weights machines and treadmills are no substitute for the kind of urgent, anxious, breathless tight-throat high-speed high-adrenaline fitness you need to fight on the street -- or here, at Thirlcrest."
-- Junie, talking to one of the new Astronomy Club shadows.
Junie is a pacifist at her core, and in an ideal world, she would love to never fight anyone -- ever. Unfortunately, that isn't the way the cookie crumbles at Thirlcrest. The longer she has stayed a Thirlcrest, the less reluctant she seems to be to fight. Even so, more often than not, she will try to talk her, and others', way out of a fight, or she will try to break the fight up once it starts. In scenarios where she does fight, she uses a combination of Astronomy Club gadgets and her fists to try and make a large enough opening for her to run away. She was taught to fight by a hangaround named Vivi Alvarez, and she adopted much of the same fighting style. Additionally, she often aims bits of snark and dry mockery at her bullies despite the danger that she is in. She purposefully does this because she knows that people make more mistakes when they're angry.
While Junie can, in theory, talk about how to fight and win, in practice, that doesn't exactly happen -- as hard as she tries not to be, she's still a small, skinny girl with an acute asthmatic condition who can count the amount of fights she's properly won on two hands.
==Relationships==
===Roman Grimes ===
Roommate | Distant
===Martha Spengler===
Friend | Complicated
===Caroline Giovanna Melara===
Friend | Trusted
===Asahi Hirota===
Close Friend | Trusted
Junie met Asahi at his recruitment into the Astronomy Club, and while initially prickly to the older student, she quickly found him to be a gentle giant and warmed up to him as the two became fast friends. 
==Trivia==
- When Junie was a young child, she was known to fall sick easily due to her weak physique and health. Most of the sicknesses she had were colds, which she had gotten either during winter or during downpours.
- Junie's favorite foods are cabbage rolls and chicken alfredo.
- Junie's dominant hand is left.
Category:Characters