Raider Espouse/Relationships

The Crime Syndicate
Technically a mafia, Raider’s family and related are part of an intense crime syndicate that runs through Central Europe. This syndicate is heavily involved in human trafficking and encompasses some of the worst abuses of human rights. The main crime lords have amassed huge fortunes and live in splendour.

The crime syndicate is purely male-run. Misogyny is deeply-engrained, with women being the main human-trafficking victims. One branch, the one that Raider hails from, deals specifically in cannibalism and other grisly crimes.

Over generations, this was the branch that the Robber Bridegroom was a part of. For each round of the story, the branch would pick one of their young members to take on the role of the Robber Bridegroom and rear him for the story. Using brainwashing and other methods, the next Robber Bridegroom, when attending Ever After High, would be extremely careful in not revealing any of the sensitive material regarding the crime syndicate, lest it fall.

Immediate Family
Raider’s immediate family consists of his father and elder (half-)brother. He has no mother or sisters, for obvious and sensitive reasons.

There is little love in his family, a vicious cycle of abuse that has been perpetual for centuries.

Additionally, Raider’s brother, only a few months older, has always competed with Raider for attention and whatever affection they could find. Ever since they were children, Raider had always envied his brother, not only because his brother was seen as the more mature, cleverer son, but also because his brother was next in line for running “the family business", and Raider would personally rather inherit a crime circle rather than a destiny that doomed him to execution.

Sylvi Robber
Friends? Raider doesn't do friends. You don't have friends. You have allies, you have partners in crime. You have people you share confidental information with and pray to whatever higher power you know for them not to backstab you.

"Partners-in-crime" is what Raider would use to describe him and Sylvi. How he and the Master Thief became frie– companions is an absolute mystery, but their closeness is undeniable. Sylvi is the only person who Raider has confidently shared personal details with, the only person he might even trust with his life, and the only person he feels knows who he really is like.

The two pulls pranks and land into detention (and end up terrorising the detention supervisor). On weekends, he throws aside his thronework and assignments to sneak out of Ever After on roadtrips. He drives them to the outskirts of town, where they pull reckless stunts, take Polaroids of their reckless stunts and accidentally (or on purpose?) terrifies the locals.

He adores these roadtrips. Adores the thrill of doing things that were illegal and reckless and irresponsible. He adores sneaking onto roofs and just talking with Sylvi. The Deep Meaningful Conversations they have are representative of something intrinsically human for him. They're no longer two teens with a destiny to follow. Instead, they're merely human – away from the law, away from moral codes, away from judgmental eyes.

Are they friends? Under all conventional definitions, yes. Would Raider refer to the two as friends? There's a part of him that wants to, but god, this is the first proper amicable relationship Raider has ever had, and he's just so scared that a "friendship" thing would collapse on him.

"Friends"
Open! I'm thinking hacker and/or gamer buddies? Also fellow reluctant villains!

Acquaintances
Open!

Pet
Raider used to have four goldfish – named Dudley, Stephen, Brooks and the smallest, Richard Parker.

Except, at one point in time, he forgot to feed his fish for a few weeks. When he finally noticed, Richard Parker was no more.

Enemies
Due to his villainous destiny, Raider has had his fair share of fellow students who are nerved out by his mere existence. However, due to the success of his “I-don’t-want-to-be-a-villain” persona and the events post-WTW, Raider has been losing numbers of peers who fear him. Although this could be viewed as something positive for him (as less people would be suspicious of his activities), Raider carries some worry that without fear, he mightn’t be able to carry out any schemes as effectively as he would have previously.

also lmao probably his older brother