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Post by ben casey on Aug 30, 2010 13:40:16 GMT -8
ben casey Hello! This Ron Weasley look-alike here is Ben and he happens to be in need of a few plots. He's nineteen years old and a student not at the Academie D'ouvard but at the University of Sheffield back in his native England. His course (French and Business Management) has a strong study abroad element however so he'll be attending classes at the Academie for the foreseeable future. Originally he hails from Ormskirk, a fairly large town just outside Liverpool, but aside from that there's not really much to set him apart from his French peers. His background is pretty ordinary really. He grew up in a three-bedroom semi with his parents and his older brother and sister and although they never had a lot of money he had a very happy childhood on the whole. Despite his parents divorcing when he was ten he's still very close with all his family, especially his brother Sam, and misses them a lot now he's living across the channel.
Now, although Ben is often quite nervous when meeting people for the first time, he's actually quite warm and outgoing. When given the chance to relax a bit he strikes up friendships fairly easily because he's extremely laid-back and has an off-beat, self-deprecating sense of humour. He likes to make people laugh and feel included as part of a group. But although he often comes off as the typical overconfident class clown in reality his jokes are primarily a way of dealing with his insecurity. Being the youngest in his family he's always felt kind of inadequate compared to his siblings and filling the comic relief niche among his friends is kind of how he deals with that. His light-hearted attitude can make him seem a bit a bit blasé sometimes but when he does get serious (which admittedly isn't very often) it's clear he cares deeply about maintaining his friendships and is very loyal.
On the other side of the coin I don't imagine he would have too many enemies. Partly because he hasn't really been here long enough to piss anyone off that much but mostly because he's just not really the type to get into fights and things like that. He's got a better handle on his emotions than most guys but at the same time isn't really very good at expressing anger so unless it involves something which is a big deal to him he'll tend to shy away from confrontations. He'd much rather get it out of his system by going for a run or blocking a goal. However he does hold grudges and once he's made up his mind about someone it's really quite difficult to get him to change his mind. He takes criticism very personally and finds it hard to forgive something he perceives as a slight. I think a lot of people would also be irritated by his lack of responsibility. He's certainly not the best when it comes to routine tasks, time schedules, remembering details and such, which is probably why he chose to stay away from studying anything too technical.
When it comes to love and relationships he likes to talk big. Not locker-room details or anything, he's not that bad, but like a lot of teenage boys he kind of inadvertently makes himself out to be more experienced with the opposite sex than he actually is. Truth is that he's only ever had two girlfriends and despite the influence of his older brother, who's a regular Don Juan, he finds it incredibly hard to go up and talk to someone he really likes. It's the whole self-esteem issue again – he's convinced they'll just tell him to take a hike. Then if they don't he just gets really awkward and embarrassed and bright red ears don't exactly make a brilliant first impression. But if you can put up with all of that then then go for it – he won't mind! Be warned that his dislike of conflict and inability to deal with criticism can create problems however. But on the up-side he's not really one for one-night-stands and such and usually proves very loyal and dedicated.
Phew – sorry for the novel! Basically any plots you can think up involving an easy-going, slightly nerdy goof would be most welcome.
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Post by julianna sellenger on Sept 2, 2010 5:47:38 GMT -8
Hello!! Katja here. I have a few kiddos to offer you, if you are interested. (And forgive me for copying and pasting; I'm short on time currently.)
First up is Neil Balcombe. He's nineteen and attending university at the Académie. He's a responsible, fairly single-minded fellow. While he used to be a bit of a troublemaker and daredevil, he now tends to be quite cautious. The reason for this is his thirteen-month old daughter, Peyton, who he took sole care of when her mother (after giving birth upon his insistence when she wished to have an abortion) walked out on them both. He's just a bit jaded from this, and occasionally acts more like an old man than a teenager, but he tends to be a fun-loving fellow. He loves to laugh and is generally happy, so long as Peyton is safe and also happy.
Next would be Lucas Murray. He is eighteen and in his final year of secondary. His family moved to France not long ago after he was signed as a model. With twelve children, the youngest of which is only four now, it was too difficult for his mother to travel back and forth with him, and his parents didn't want him going off alone. So, they packed up the family and moved. As it was, they were all in need of a change anyway after the death of Lucas's twin. His oldest siblings stayed in America, where he grew up, but the rest of them moved. Luc, overall, is rather broody and errs toward the side of ridiculous responsibility. In addition to being very studious and rather introverted, prone to have his nose in a book at any given moment, he takes the well-being and happiness of his family to be his responsibility. He would bend over backwards, so to speak, in order to make them happy once more. As it is, he is barely able to hold them together. He is not very expressive with his emotions, tending to remain withdrawn. He can be irritable at times, and will occasionally express this, but is an overall pleasant fellow, simply quiet and very reserved.
Julianna Sellenger... oh dear... where to even begin... She is the most broken of my characters, without doubt. I hesitate to plot her with anyone because of how broken and difficult she is. She was born and raised in France. Her mother died during childbirth, leaving her with a guilt she bore even as a child. She felt somehow responsible for her father's moments of sadness, though he was a generally happy, fun-loving man. She learned early on to do what she could to please him (and others), finding that this pleased her as well as them. She was also very invested in art from the moment she was old enough to hold onto a crayon or any other tool. After her father died when she was ten, she and her older brother, Jared, moved to Paris to live with their aunt and uncle. Julianna became even more reserved and helpful, also throwing herself into her art with renewed fervour. Her cousin sexually abused her for a few years rather regularly, until Jared was shipped off to the academy and she insisted on going with him. At this point, Raymond only bothered her on trips home, which she made sure were infrequent. When she was fifteen (yes, it does go on... because I am an awful person) her brother died in the Paris earthquake. After this, she gave up her art and completely withdrew herself from everyone around her. Especially after Raymond sought her out and ended up physically hurting her, she determined that she was simply not worth anyone's time and fell into a pattern of pushing her closest friends away. So... Juli is just slightly unplottable because she is so withdrawn. But, if you have any ideas, just let me know.
Alexia Kingston is twenty-one and attending university. She was very responsible as a child, having been forced to take care of her mother during this time. Her father was never very present in her life, but disappeared altogether when she was five. Her mother was incredibly irresponsible, preferring to follow her whims rather than take care of her daughter or hold a steady job. Alexia, in some ways, became the adult figure at an early age. After meeting her best friend when she was thirteen, she began to open up more, learn to have fun and such. When she was sixteen, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She spent the next two years in and out of hospitals, convinced that she was going to die. Of course, she didn't, and ended up deciding that life was too short to waste it away being cautious. She came up with a "bucket list", and makes a point of taking one item off the list every day. (She adds items as well.) She moved from England to France for uni after a trip there with her best friend. Now, she remains quite adventurous and spontaneous. She loves to have fun and smile. However, she tries to keep herself distant from others, at least emotionally, in case she should come out of remission. Her greatest fear is leaving someone she loves in pain.
Last but not least is Ewan. He is twenty-five and works as a butcher in St. Michel. He moved there recently after falling in love with the town on a business trip for his father. His wife died only about a year ago, leaving him a very young widow. He has always been a quiet, inquisitive fellow, but can be very fun at times as well. Alternately, he is also a bit cynical and jaded, depending on his mood. He became extremely reserved after Camilla's death, as he spent the second half of his life (with his father, after moving from his mother's house in a nearby town on his own choice and their approval) in a rather small town. He couldn't stand the pressure of everyone watching him and pitying him. Now, however, he is coming more out of his shell once more, being that inquisitive, kind-hearted fellow he always has been.
I think that's the basic idea. Feel free to look over their plot threads and/or apps for more info.
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Post by ben casey on Oct 13, 2010 14:36:52 GMT -8
Hey Katja! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I'm terrible at keeping up to date with these things. It would be lovely to work something out with your characters though, if you're still up for it. They sound like an interesting bunch!
Hmm, despite these two being the same age and everything I can't really imagine them as much more than casual acquaintances. Unless he was specifically exposed to Neil's more fun-loving side Ben would probably think he was much too serious for his own good and find it quite hard to relate to him. Mostly because of their difference in maturity levels - he has a lot of growing up left to do and without knowing about Neil's daughter he wouldn't really get his sense of responsibility. Mind you if they ever got talking for whatever reason he'd most likely decide Neil was a good guy!
[Will update later with the rest! Thanks very much for replying.]
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Post by callum lamontagne on Oct 14, 2010 9:25:18 GMT -8
Oh, hello there! I'm obviously really quick in responding to this! I'm Birthe (though you know that!), and I have two boys to offer you!
First off, there's Caden Baynham, my little ball of indifferent cynicism. He's quite lazy, quite jaded and quite rude, and when I read that Ben takes criticism very personally, I got to thinking that Caden might offend him with some of his comments. He extends criticism very easily, usually without having any strong opinions behind it - he just criticizes because it comes naturally to him, and he's better at focusing on negatives than positives - and without having any hope or desire that it'll change. So they might not have the most fruitful relationship, since Caden would no doubt offend him, and with Ben having a tendency to shy away from confrontations, that might not result in much? You tell me, though! In the meantime, I'll move onto...
CALLUM! Callum Lamontagne, my other upper schooling kid. He's 24 and has a very calm, stoic demenour about him most of the time, until he suddenly becomes an explosion of energy and tomfoolery. He's adventurous and curious about just about anything, and is very much a people-person. His interests are a cross between physics/engineering and philosophy, though he'll rarely indulge in long, serious conversations - he much prefers the absurd when it comes to outward expression, and keeps the big thinking to himself, most of the time. Annnd I think he'd really like Ben. In fact, I think he'd try to act as He'd like his easy-goingness, and then he'd like him even more if he discovered his insecurities. I also think he'd want to help him out on the romantic scene, and try to act as a wingman, whether Ben wanted him to or not =P
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Post by ben casey on Oct 15, 2010 8:31:55 GMT -8
Why hello there Birthe and cheers for responding! You're still quicker than me that's for sure. :p
Caden sounds absolutely awesome - I love cynical, sarcastic characters! I think you're right in saying that he and Ben probably wouldn't get along too well though. He bounces back fairly quickly when criticised since he's not one to wallow in self-pity but if Caden did say something to offend him he'd probably remember it for a long while. He wouldn't go out of his way to chew him out or anything but he'd definitely try to avoid him in future and possibly even glare at him from time to time. :o Being at opposite ends of the optimism/pessism spectrum probably wouldn't help either. I can see a kind of situation where Ben is still stewing about something that happened weeks ago and Caden is like 'who are you again?'.
As for Callum Ben would think he's the bee's knees! He'd totally appreciate his absurd method of communication and I can see them having really involved conversations about the most random things. Plus since Callum's lived in NYC and Ben loves learning about other countries he'd be dying to ask him lots of questions about America. He's also very welcome to act as Ben's wingman on the romantic scene since the poor boy definitely needs some help in that area. Whether he'd appreciate said help or not is a different question though. :p He wouldn't mind too much really though since he'd probably think of Callum as an extra older brother type of figure and simply trust that he knows best. So, would you be interested in threading them perhaps? I think it could be quite fun!
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Post by callum lamontagne on Oct 15, 2010 17:28:02 GMT -8
Hahaha, that's situation with Ben stewing and Caden being all "who are you again?" made me laugh really hard, and I can completely picture that! I also picture Caden reaching the conclusion that he must be "particularly offensive to gingers" because of Ben's occasional glaring XD Yeah, he's odd like that! =P
But yeah, Callum and Ben! Yayyy! I like the idea of Callum being an older brother type figure with wingman duties (self-assumed, of course) to Ben! Callum's left most of his younger siblings (he has seven younger siblings, in all, as well as a twin) in the US, so he needs someone to be big-brotherly to! (Though his younger brother, Francis, might tell you that Callum's big-brotherliness isn't such a good thing.) Annd Callum would be more than happy to share tales of the sorta-motherland! And I would be up for threading them! Did you have any thread-ideas in mind?
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Post by aristamoreau on Nov 7, 2010 21:48:20 GMT -8
haaaai laura. (: nice to meet you. my name's jen. can I just say that ben is abso-friggin'-lutely cute?? LOL.
benrista, [/font][/i] well, I was thinking... Arista is a great laugher at all jokes, and here I see that Ben loves to make people laugh! I believe she would absolutely adore him as a friend, him making her laugh every three seconds. XD and I can see these two really getting along and becoming good mates. [/center][/blockquote]
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