River Perez

Daniela Perez (Grandmother)

Jared Stevens - Ex-boyfriend

Georgie O'Malley - Fling

#### Pre-Pirate:

River grew up in Costa Rica, in the small seaside village of Cahuita, as the child to Desmon and Ava Perez. The family didn’t have much, so they mostly farmed their own small patch of land, and made do with what they did have. One of River’s fondest memories from childhood though, was watching the sun go down over the beach from their bedroom window.

When they were five, they met Chris and his family, who had come and settled from Spain. River instantly befriended Chris, and the two of them became thick as thieves. Despite this close friendship though, River never quite let slip the extent of their “relationship” with their father. That was never something they wanted to share with anyone.

They had always felt different, but it wasn’t until their teenage years hit that River really realised what felt different. Their gender realisation came first, after a meeting with a travelling musician who happened to be passing through the town. River felt drawn to this person, and after several conversations, they discovered that this person was in fact a trans woman. Knowing that there was someone out there who had the same feelings as they did made them feel infinitely better, and helped put more perspective on where they actually fell on the gender spectrum. Suddenly their affinity for pretty clothes and their mother’s skirts made a lot more sense when they realised that they weren’t entirely male.

From there, their sexuality just fell into place. Their first crush was Chris’ older sister, but they also felt weak at the knees from watching the fishermen coming across the beach with soaking wet shirts that clung to their skin.

When they were fifteen, love struck in the form of a handsome Spanish pirate coming into port. He was fit, he was adorable, he was twenty-four, and River fell head over heels for him. Many nights were spent tumbling on the beach together, and long walks around the town. They loved him, and he loved them back, so when River had the idea to join his crew, it just made sense. Stay in their tiny town, in a shitty family situation? Or travel the seas with their handsome beau? Duh.

Chris wasn’t about to let them go haring off on their own though, so the two of them left Costa Rica on board The Morbid Eel (as captained by Jimmy Lester).

#### Pirate Years

The next three years passed, and River rose up the ranks on board fairly quickly. Their fellow pirates didn’t give a damn that they wore skirts on the ship or that they wore makeup - as long as they did their work competently, that was all that mattered, even to the captain who was drunk off his ass more often than not.

The drink was what eventually killed him though, as he took a drunken walk off the end of a pier in Italy. River seized the moment, and took over as captain from that moment on. Anyone who had an issue with that was booted off the ship at the next port, but much to River’s relief, most of the crew stuck around, more than willing to follow River’s caring and hardworking ass across the oceans. Their mere eighteen years didn’t mean shit, after they had proved time and time again that they could be trusted with the important stuff.

A few months after they became captain, the crew docked in Boston for a few days, and everyone disembarked for a few days of debauchery and alcohol. As River walked into the old inn, their eyes fell upon a pirate across the room. The new captain of the Retribution, people whispered around them, newly appointed after a mutiny against the previous captain. River’s interest was piqued, but they opted to study the handsome captain for a little while longer, to gauge him better before they approached.

Not something that lasted long, once Kijek turned a glare onto them for no apparent reason. One thing led to another, resulting in River winning an arm-wrestling competition and Kijek tipping his ale over their head before storming off.

That was just the beginning of their eight-year rivalry, over which the bad blood between their crews deepened, and grew.

## Basic Design:

**Full Name**: River Nyx Perez

**Nicknames**: Riv, Kyrpä, narttu,

**Pronouns**: They/Them

**Orientation**: Pansexual/Panromantic

**Birthday**: August 27th

* Pirate: 26
* Modern: 21

**Height**: 6"8

**Body** **Type**: Long and lanky

**Hair**: Waist-length, black hair usually tied into braids.

**Skin Colour:** Olive-toned

**Eyes**: Hazel

**Tattoos and Piercings**:

* Garter on the Thigh - Modern
* Mermaid on the Small of their Back - Modern
* Hand Flipping the Bird in Non-Binary Colours on their Forearm - Modern
* Fearless Tattoo - Modern
* Born to make history Tattoo - Modern
* Rainbow Feather Tattoo - Modern
* Skull Flowers on their Neck - Modern
* Rose Bouquet on their Upper Chest - Modern
* 3 helix piercings on each ear — Modern
* Studs in each ear - sometimes hoops — Modern
* Nose piercing - Modern

**Occupation**:

* Pirate: Captain of the Morbid Eel
* Modern: Server at Fusion/Bartender at Faultline/Cafe-Bar Owner

**Siblings**: None.

**MBT**: ENFP

**Likes**: Plundering the high seas, gallo pinto, and sex.

**Dislikes**: The gender binary, weak beer, and people disrespecting them.

**Strengths**: They're a damn good captain, and they take care of their crew. They're also incredibly proud of both their heritage, and their personal identity and won't take any crap from anyone.

**Weaknesses**: River's a sucker for a handsome face, and that has gotten them into trouble before.

**Past Partners/Crushes:**

* Nícolas Mendoza (ex-boyfriend - Modern/Pirate)
* Calliope De La Rosa (crush - Modern)
* Georgie O’Malley (fling - Modern/Pirate)
* Jared Stevens (first serious boyfriend - Modern)

## Trivia

* They prefer having just a light dusting of stubble across their cheeks, but when they're at sea, they generally don't shave, so they end up with full beard, to be shaved off the second they reach land.
* Like Sebastian, River's a big baby, but only in their case it's about the cold. Whenever they're forced to venture north, out come the woolly jumpers and thick socks.
* To River, their crew is their chosen family, especially since their blood family doesn't really give a damn.
* They first met Chris when they were little kids together in Costa Rica, and Chris was the first one River came out to as genderqueer and also liking men as well as women.
* River's first sexual experience was when they were 16, and it was with a charming Spanish boatswain called Nícolas. That experience deepened into something more, and Nícolas was the one to inspire River to finally escape from their parents, and that's when River became a pirate (along with Chris, because everyone needs their best friend with them)
* There's a small mole on their left hip, that when kissed, drives them crazy in bed.
* River's attracted to both men and women, but with a slight preference for men.
* River's hair is naturally very wild and thick, which is why they generally keep it in the braids to keep it manageable, but occasionally they will leave their hair out, in its natural afro style, usually when they know they can stay at home all day and chill out alone.
* Go to karaoke song -  'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' purely because they have the whole glam rock thing going on, even though they're tone deaf and end up butchering the song.
* First app in the morning - iMessage, just because more often than not, Seb's sent them a cute good morning text, and it always gives River a happy mood to start the day with.
* Most listened-to Spotify Playlist - 'Songs to Drive Your Boyfriend Nuts' - cutesy pop songs mostly taken from Alexa's music, to be blasted in the car whenever they feel like annoying Seb.
* One Handed fighter with maxed Speech skills, Thieves Guild.
* River adopts all the cats, and then surprises Sebastian with a Finnish Lapphund dog for his birthday one year.
* Touching all around. They are absolutely one of the most affectionate and touchy-feely people you'll ever meet in your life. The more touch-averse people (Inari and Oriel, namely) eventually get used to accepting random hugs from River and maybe even secretly like it a little.
* Sprawled out over whoever they happen to be sharing a sleeping area with. Usually it's Seb, but occasionally it's Chris whenever they're in the car together on a long journey.
* River's favourite drink (cliche or not) would be either a Sex on The Beach, or a strawberry daiquiri. They have a sweet tooth, and whether or not it makes them a gay cliche for ordering the girly drinks, they don't give a fuck.
* They're more inclined to spritz a bit of perfume onto their wrists when going out, but when the mood takes them, they'll wear that particular brand of aftershave/cologne that they know Sebastian loves. When they wear that, he's a lot more touchy-feely (if that's even possible), and it's amazing.
* Way back when they were like 19/20, before Georgie decided she was definitely more into women, River and Georgie slept together. Now they're just friends.
* They're a total rock femme, and the Runaways were a critical part of them developing their personal style.
* River's shit scared of bees and wasps — basically if it flies and buzzes and stings, they're off like a shot in the opposite direction.
* Any time they get into a battle, River's focused on their own shit until someone dares even cut Sebastian with a blade. Just the slightest cut, and River's like a whirlwind of retaliation. If you dare hurt the committed partner, you will die. Bloody and painfully.
* River had three helix piercings in each ear, as well as basic studs (or the occasional hoops) and they occasionally wear their nose piercing, but when they were a teenager they had gauges in their ears.
* They're a fan of both solo toys and partner ones — their favourite toy being the suction dildo they coaxed Seb into getting cloned off his dick.