⇨ gmt+10

⇨ preference for 3rd pov, i don't mirror - quality over quantity

minors do not interact

⇨ does not need trigger warnings with no hard no's apart from anything to do with vomit - anything else can be discussed via pm if needed

⇨ nsfw and sfw both welcomed

birthdate: december 30, 1995. 29 years

occupation: tattoo artist, sells custom printed leather jackets online, occasionally djs in underground sets

orientation: pansexual/romantic

relationship status: single but not looking, more interested in friends with benefits

weight: 68kg

build: lean and wiry - not bulky but does have defined muscle

eye colour: deep brown, almost black under dim light

hair colour: natural blonde but usually dyed dark

hair type: thick, slightly wavy, usually tousled like he just rolled out of bed (and often has)

glasses/contacts: wears clear contacts but switches to glasses when he's at home or when he forgets

dominant hand: left handed but is ambidextrous

tattoos: a crescent moon behind his left ear, semi colon on inner left wrist, phoenix feather with fiery like smudges at the edges on his right shoulder blade, abstract constellation with ink splatter on his right ribs.

piercings: double lobe piercings on both ears, helix piercing on right ear, tongue piercing

marks/scars: faint burn scar on right forearm from a fight with a stovetop, small scars on his knuckles, small scar under his chin from a skateboarding accident, beauty marks under his eye, on his nose and on his lip

notable features: piercing eyes that seem to challenge people without him needing to say anything. a grin that is equal parts charming and infuriating. defined collarbones and hands that always seem stained with charcoal, ink or paint

clothing style: a chaotic fusion of thrifted punk, high end street wear, and old designer pieces his mother passed down. distressed black jeans. worn in boots. oversized shirts. sometimes cropped jackets. always wearing rings and usually has chipped black nail polish. smells faintly of sandalwood and coffee

allergies: mild avocado allergy (will deny it despite breaking out in hives). sensitive to synthetic fragrances - triggers migraines so he avoids perfume counters like the plague

dislikes: being compared to his father or brother, overly clean or sterile environments, pretentious foods, people who talk more than they listen, group chats, synthetic scents and colognes, empty apologies, his birthday, being called a failure, unwanted advice, his sister crying, being asked if he will ever settle down, the sound of cutlery scraping on plates, disappointing his siblings

• loyal to a fault: once you've earned his trust (a rare feat), taeho will go to hell and back with you, no questions asked. he doesn't believe in halfway loyalty

• artistically gifted: whether it's designing tattoos, sketching on napkins, or giving a piece of clothing a second life with a sewing needle, his creative instincts are raw and compelling. he doesn't just make things look good he makes them mean something. a gift he got from his mother.

• emotionally perceptive: he picks up on peoples energy fast. even if he doesn't say anything he often knows more than he lets on.

• resourceful: he grew up learning to survive with what he had. emotionally, financially, and creatively. he knows how to stretch a meal, fix a chair, or make something from nothing.

• tells it like it is: he doesn't sugarcoat.

Weaknesses:

• hot tempered: he tries to stay chill, and most days he manages. but when he snaps it can be volcanic. especially if somebody is bringing up his father or disrespecting his sister.

• emotionally closed off: he has built a wall out of barbed wire, sarcasm and trauma. he'll bleed for you before he tells you he loves you. vulnerability is too dangerous.

• self destructive: when overwhelmed he tends to isolate, spiral or throw himself into impulsive choices; getting a piercing, picking a fight, disappearing for a few days.

• trust issues: he's been let down, especially by the people who were supposed to protect him. as a result he keeps people at arms length.

• disregard for authority: he doesn't do well with being told what to do. even when it's for his own good.

• conflict avoidant to those he loves: he'll bite a strangers head off in an instant, but when it comes to his siblings? he'll swallow anger, bury hurt, and pretend he's fine until it rots.

• to give his sister a good life: he'll never say it out loud but a lot of what he does - working, creating, pulling himself together - is for seoyeon. he wants her to have stability and laughter.

• to open his own creative studio: part tattoo space, part underground gallery, part safe haven. he dreams of a space where people who feel like outsiders like he did can come in and feel seen, inked, and understood. somewhere loud music and quiet truths can coexist.

• to heal: he's been told he can be too much. too angry, too intense, too much to handle. he wants to heal without dulling his edges.

• to make beauty out of broken things: whether it's scarred skin, trashed furniture, a burned out friend, he wants to prove that even things that have been hurt can be transformed.

Fears:

• becoming his father: no matter how much he rebels, there is a quiet creeping fear: what if cruelty is inherited? what if control runs in his blood?

• losing his siblings: he's terrified of becoming estranged with them. the thought of kyungho or seoyeon walking out of his life, even if he deserved it, scares him more than any nightmare.

• being unlovable long term: people are drawn to him, sure. but can anyone actually stay with him? he fears he's too difficult to be loved in the long run, no matter how deep he feels.

• being trapped by his own bitterness: he knows he can be cynical, guarded, sharp edged. but he's scared that these traits will grow over time. that he'll become someone who can't feel joy without ruining it.

His younger brother Ryu Kyungho remained behind with his adopted sister Ryu Seoyeon; the daughter of their fathers affair. Taeho was raised by his mother in quieter corners of the city. They didn't have much but she gave him whatever she could; freedom, softness, and a space to be angry. While his upbringing was freer, it wasn't easy. His mother struggled to rebuild her life and eventually she fell ill - something Taeho witnessed and carries with him like an unhealed scar. Her passing cemented his resentment toward his father. He never returned to the Ryu household.

He has kept a small distance from his brother, letting him in his life but holding him at an arms length. To Taeho despite Kyungho trying to carve his own path he is still too close to their fathers shadow.

He wears his independence like armour, built up over years of learning that the people who are supposed to stay often dont. Raised apart from his siblings, with a mother who did her best before illness took her too soon, Taeho learned early on how to take care of himself. He keeps others at a distance. Not out of cruelty, but because closeness feels dangerous. Vulnerability is a language he understands but rarely speaks. He feels everything deeply; loss, longing, love. But has trained himself to turn these feelings inward, burying them beneath sarcasm, cigarettes and nights that blur into mornings.

He's not easy to get close to. He's moody, unpredictable, and sometimes self destructive. But he's also deeply human, full of contradictions: cynical yet romantic, cold yet compassionate, reckless but strangely gentle. People don't always understand him, and honestly, he doesn't expect them to. Taeho is okay being misunderstood. He's made peace with living on the outside of things. That's where he feels most real.