Grendel

Player Name: TF
Contact: teeff
Invited by: Current player
Other Characters: Varian (Tangled)

Character Name: Grendel
Canon: Fables: The Wolf Among Us. As this is a choice-based game, I'll be following the "canonical" choices made in the comics which were made to run parallel to the game. This means Gren is down an arm!
Canon History: here you go.

Canon Personality: TW for alcoholism, violence, cops being cops, fantasy racism/class divide and murder. So much murder.

On first meeting, Gren comes off as a very angry creature. He's abrasive, snarky, and can rise into a blinding rage over seemingly very inconsequential things. This is, of course, very true. In the old days, he slaughtered thousands of Nords because their happiness and loud music got on his nerves. He is the sort of guy who will act first, and think later, and his actions are almost always violent. But he's learned the hard way that violence is the best way to get attention. He also tends to resort to alcohol to deal with his issues, and can often be found in the Trip Trap Bar, drinking away his problems with the Fables he truly cares about.

Gren is one of the unfortunate Fables who survived exile to New York in poverty. Some managed to flee the Homelands with their fortunes intact, and as such got to live a plush lifestyle, and as their money pays for the upkeep of the community, no small amount of preference went to their needs, above those who had nothing. The divide between the haves and have-nots is visible and gaping, and it's something that really gets under Gren's skin. When his friend goes missing, he and her sister go through all the correct channels to report her; suffering paperwork and constant shuffling out of the way. The deputy mayor considers people like Gren to be time wasters, and it's only when Snow White, a member of the higher-up community gets caught up in all the trouble, that the law comes to Gren and Holly asking questions; infuriating Gren to the point where he attacks the Sheriff, Bigby.

It's even harder for inhuman Fables like himself, who have to pay money for glamours, to give them a human appearance so as not to alert the Mundies of their existence. This is becoming increasingly more difficult, as the price of glamours goes up, while their potency goes down. His glassy white eye is a prime example of the inadequate glamours he and other inhuman Fables have to rely on. If they can't afford their glamours, they are sent upstate, to the Farm, essentially a prison in the wide open spaces. The sense of inadequacy, the complete lack of equality, despite the opposite being promised them as they fled the Homelands is something that's put a real chip on Gren's shoulder. He's grown tired of going through the proper channels, finding it so much easier to resort to the violence he relied on during his Beowulf days. At least he can get some sort of satisfaction to all his frustrations that way.

Despite all that badly kept under control rage, Gren really desires to be left alone, in peace and quiet. He hates the noise of the city but has to work there so he can afford his glamour. It seems his hatred of loud noises is one of those things carried with him from the Homelands. Those who treat him with respect, and give him this space and silence, earn a dangerously fierce loyalty. Gren is willing to fight for those he cares about, no matter what harm comes to himself. He gets himself beaten to a pulp by Bigby in an attempt to stop one of his friends from being apprehended for a crime he didn't commit. For all his gruff nature, Gren truly loves those who get close to him. He really grieves over the loss of Lily, and it's clear he only has a very small number of Fables as friends. They're all certainly on the lower end of town, as he is. Prostitutes, bar regulars, the strays and the downtrodden are part of his social circle, those who understand the life of a Fable struggling to get by.

Even with his great loyalty, Gren does not handle betrayal well. If you cross him, you'd best be ready to face all his wrath. Woody, the very same Fable he fought so hard to protect, was turned on when Gren discovered he'd been paying the deceased Lily for sex. Angry at the betrayal, angry that Holly had to learn this by going through Lily's things, he turns on Woody. They have a brief scuffle, and as Woody leaves, it's clear that Gren's friendship with him has dissolved completely, Gren telling him he wants "there to be a big black hole where your fat, dumb, fucking ass used to be". Once you've crossed that line, the chances of getting back in his good graces are slim to none.

Gren's also a lot of talk and not a lot of action. If he can't outright brawl his way out of a problem, he's quick to back down. Jack comments on how he and Holly are always talking about rising up a posse to take on the Woodlands, to right the wrongs they have suffered and maybe even take over themselves, but it's all just that; talk, they never actually act on their plans. When he's not clouded by rage, Gren knows which fights he can and can't win. And he knows he wouldn't stand a chance against all the Woodlands. This doesn't mean he's not passionate, of course. Even with all his talk, he throws his whole self into things; be it his rage, or his desire for equality, or how completely and utterly he cares for his loved ones. There are no half-measures with Gren, you get everything or nothing at all.

AU Name: Gren FIND A GOOD NORDIC LAST NAME HERE
AU Birthday: (Canon or headcanon birthdays are fine. This is so we can track it for the birthday skeleton)

AU History:

WRITE THIS NICER

- Born in Norway, left for America with his single mother when he was six, looking for a better life.
- Grew up in a shitty apartment in the Bronx. Got an accent.
- HE STILL LOVES HIS MAMA though she's way less murdery as a human
- Gets into a bar fight in his early 20s while protecting his friend. This fight ends up with him losing his arm. The guy who attacked him and his friend turned out to be a retired cop. The corrupt justice system meant the cop got away with a slap on the wrist and left Gren with a deep distrust and disgust with cops, the justice system and the government in general.
- Ends up going to a few protests, especially in the poorer areas of the Bronx where those most in need are ignored. Gets into a few fights trying to protect people.
- His mother gets worried and pleads with him to do something constructive that won't lose him MORE limbs. He eventually agrees and goes into teacher training.
- He starts teaching English Lit to inner-city kids in run-down schools with little-to-no funding. It's hard work but he loves it and enjoys using fiction to help children understand the world better and expand their critical thinking skills. Lots of anti-government books, naturally, because fuck 'em.
- As much as he loves the difference he's making in New York, he wants to give his mother the better life she already dreamed of.
- He gets a job at Kaisou High School as the English Lit teacher there and moves himself and his mother into a little townhouse in the city.
- He's been there for about two years. His mother loves it and bakes lots of Nowgwian treats while carrying a tiny hint of malice about her that can only come from living in both the frigid Norwegian wilderness and the poorest parts of the Bronx.

AU Personality Differences: He's less likely to immediately leap to violence. He still has a LARGE anti-government, ACAB stance, but he focuses it in a much less destructive way. He teaches his kids to be free-thinking, especially with his book essays. He also does a lot with local charities, helping the disadvantaged with what little he has.