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#i realize most of his cc is kind of alpha-ish so... i fully understand if he needs to be made more maxis 😭
mattodore · 1 year
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coming into who he is later in life than most, julian is no stranger to being asked, "don't you feel like you've already wasted too much time? aren't you worried you won't be able to get what you want?" it's a no-brainer for julian that he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to, but he always gives a measured response to these kinds of questions. he asks, "does the garden snail give up halfway to the leaves? does the giraffe retreat if the tree is too tall? i'm doin' this because it's the only way i can live. i'm doin' this to be me."
julian for @rainymoodlet's kiss me in komorebi bachelor challenge 💕
name: julian lee vance
age: 37 (adult, born may 30th)
traits: ambitious, goofball, neat (+ cheerful and worldly)
aspiration: master chef, julian wants to master and try all kinds of dishes from around the world
height: 5'9" but insists he's gonna grow more if he keeps eating right
background info:
julian went through most of his young adult life doing what he thought was expected from him, so coming into his 30s found him unhappy and lifeless. he needed a change bad. he started simple: every day he was gonna set aside some time from his grueling work as a lawyer to make himself a proper meal—after all, he really needed to lay off the take-out. from there, julian found himself with a real sense of passion for something and he knew it was a source of joy for him that he needed to pursue.
julian married his high school sweetheart, jeannie, straight out of school, but the relationship ended in divorce soon after he turned 21. the long distance between their out-of-state colleges was a natural stressor, but julian realizing he was gay after encountering another man like him at a party blew the whole thing wide open. jeannie freaked out on him and they didn't speak for over a decade. later, when they were both in their early 30s, jeannie messaged him on social bunny to tell him she'd recently come out as a lesbian, and said, "ain't that funny, jules? it's like we were searching for our community the whole time." they've been close ever since.
julian heard the news about daniel taylor coming out and starring in his own show from a friend of a friend. he'd never heard of a dating reality show for men like him before, so he found himself curious and started watching clips from your dad's garage online. six hours into a deep dive on daniel taylor later, he found himself flustered and feeling a little bit silly for crushing on a guy he'd never meet. a week went by and then—drunk on the same wine he was using to make beef bourguignon—he sent a messy, poorly formatted, rambling submission into kiss me in komorebi talking about how much he wants to meet daniel. a little hungover the next morning, he sent a little prayer out thanking every higher power out there that he hadn't sent any selfies or actual identifying information about himself in the application and no one would ever know it was him.
jeannie was the one who sent julian's new and improved application into kiss me in komorebi for him! after he told her about his new crush and the embarrassing application he sent in while wine drunk, she seriously started drafting an application for him then and there. "it'll be good for you," she told him. "And anyway, you're tryin' to be more adventurous, aren't you? isn't this an adventure?" she hit the submit button while sitting beside him, laughing and patting his back while he hid his face.
fun facts:
julian actually loves reality shows! he's just not one for dating shows because he always feels bad for the people who just wanted to find love but got sent packing. his favorite reality shows are the ones where he gets to see people working on their passion craft. cooking, special effects makeup, tattoos, fashion, drag, and recently woodworking... he loves all of it.
julian is big on adventure (a new trait of his!) and is always willing to try new things out at least twice, because everything and everyone deserves a second chance.
anthony bourdain was his biggest inspiration in throwing his law degree to the wind and changing his entire career in his 30s.
middle eastern cuisine is julian's favorite type of food.
his favorite thing to eat is shakshuka, one of the first meals he had at jeannie's house after they reconciled.
the scar on julian's jaw is from a cooking accident when he was just starting out. sometimes you just get a little too overzealous while trying to cut into an egg plant. julian's distaste for egg plants now is basically just a fear response.
julian loves how food brings people together. to him, food is a conversation between cultures, between languages. it's a connection to everyone who came before him and everyone after.
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