Chapter Text
Symmetry.
The one thing Death The Kid cares about more than anything.
The need for symmetry consumes him. It alters the way he goes about his life. Every action, every stylistic decision, the way his bedroom is decorated, the way his entire house is decorated, the things he enjoys, all the way down to the lengths of his fingernails and the plucking of his sisters' eyebrows.
He wishes somebody would at least try to understand how he sees things. Whishes they would try to understand why he can't just 'let it go'. Wishes they would try to understand why he fusses over small things, unimportant to the average person. Wishes they would try to understand why he hates his hair so much. Three stripes on the left, none on the right. Asymmetrical garbage. He wishes hair dye stuck in his hair. No matter how much he dyes it, no matter what he uses, no matter how well he takes care of his hair to maintain the color, it fades. Without fail, every time, it fades.
It fades, and the white lines in his hair are unaffected. As if they haven't been tainted by the dyes. He supposes it has something to do with being a grim reaper. He finds it quite annoying. The one thing about being a grim reaper that actually affects his life, at the moment at least, is the everlasting presence of asymmetrical white stripes.
Three stripes on the left, none on the right.
In the center of Death City, Nevada, stands the most diverse university in the country. Not only in ethnicities, but in academics as well. Run by the grim reaper himself, the DWMA prides itself on having a wide variety of programs for its students to partake in. Each subject can be broken down to fit almost anyone's dream major or minor. Students come from around the world to study here from all different backgrounds. The school provides many different programs and opportunities for financial aid, that its the ideal school for many, even the low-income.
Included in the school is a special program called New Opportunities for those who were never given the opportunity for an education, to have the chance to get one at their own pace. DWMA students may do paid tutoring for these students to help both their income and the program. On-campus living is available for all students, even those in the New Opportunities program. New Opportunities housing is all expenses paid for, just like the program, and located right outside the New Opportunities building.
Lord Death believes everybody should be able to get an education and study what they wish without breaking the bank. That's why he founded the DWMA.
A safe space for learning, growth, friendship, and found family.
Broadway.
Blackstar's heart lives on Broadway.
And Blackstar is going to be a star.
Day and night, he dreams of being up on that stage, all eyes on him, as he sings his heart out. He wants people to recognize him in the streets. He wants to leave a legacy. He can't stand the idea of being forgotten. He wants to be seen.
But more than anything, he wants to be inspiring. He wants to be the reason people pursue acting. He wants to be the face every theatre nerd thinks of when they do a project on their idol. He wants to inspire people the same way he was inspired when he was young.
When Blackstar was young, his family got caught in a gang war. Orphaned, he was taken in by Sid, a kind man who was unfortunate enough to get caught in the middle of a gang war. When the coast was clear for Sid to make a run for it, before the winning gang saw him, he found a baby. The baby had branding on his shoulder, signifying he was from the losing gang. Without a second thought, he took the baby and made his way home as fast as he could. He raised Blackstar like his own, but was very open about his past when questioned.
Blackstar grew up in a good home, Sid was always juggling multiple jobs to sustain the two of them and to get himself through his teaching degree. Blackstar often found his entertainment in musicals plays. Falling in love with them from a young age. Sid took Blackstar to as many shows as he could. There was one show in particular, Blackstar was maybe 7, the lead of this musical was a young man, no older than 25, and he sang beautifully. As he and Sid left the theatre, he told Sid he wanted to be just like the lead actor.
From then on, Blackstar did as much as he could in the theatre scene, which was local plays and musicals, and he thrived up on the stage. And while it fueled his already massive ego, it was the one thing that never went to his head.
Then Sid applied to the DWMA, and soon, he and Blackstar lived in Death City. There, Blackstar had many more opportunities to pursue his passion. And he did so to the fullest.
He just wishes somebody would see past his massive ego and see that he was so much more than a loud theatre kid.