Vital Signs

[torquil montagu-scott]

This is Torquil [don't laugh] Montagu-Scott. Or the Honourable Torquil Viscount Hinchingbrooke as his registration documents state. Most of the time he goes by Torq though. Or Monty to those he plays polo with. Titles he finds to be tiresome and thus it's something he tends not to mention [nor the titles of various family members] unless absolutely necessary. He's twenty-one, about to start in his third year of a literature degree in the upper school, his attendance at the university being at the behest of his parents. Had it been left to Torq entirely he would have left school at eighteen and pursued polo professionally, alas, it was not. And so he's here.

For the most part, he's very laid back. About everything. Though he can get riled up and does on occasion, and finds it very difficult to drop a matter if it hasn't been resolved. He's an utter gentleman - can seem rather stuffy to some people I would imagine. Cigars, port and cravats are all very much the norm to him, but that's not to say he doesn't know how to loosen up and have a good time. Because he most certainly does.

As for plotting, he's going to need everything. Friends - most likely coming from a similar background to himself, though not limited to this. Close friends, not so close friends, acquaintances. Enemies - he's going to irritate people, people are going to irritate him. Loves - he's not really the sort to have random flings [though that's not to say it can't happen], but flirts, crushes...throw things at him! He's not going to be reciprocating, however. He has his Heaven. Doesn't mean that there can't be pasts though.

[also, I can usually be found on AIM at dustxxOFxxpixie if anyone wants to catch me on there!]

[julianna sellenger]

Miiiiidge! <33 And Monty! I'm excited, clearly. And so are my characters. -pokes them into action-

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... well, you know her a bit. But anyway, just to be safe... she is twenty-one also 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.

[torquil montagu-scott]

Chatting to you on AIM! <3

[noah davis]

Hey Midge! I'm Melinda. While we've never met I've only heard lovely things about you from your fan club - I bet you didn't even know you had one! But you do and I am petitioning for membership. Or attacking you with too many characters. In no particular order, here they are:

Noah Davis hails from Canada and is rather proud of this fact. That and the fact that his dad is the ambassador for France so technically he can go back whenever he wants. If you were to sum up his personality in one word 'dork' springs to mind. He maintains that he can kick your ass ... in Mario Kart (there is a reason he layers his clothing). While he is in lower-schooling, Noah tends to make friends with anyone he meets. Or to be more specific he thinks of people that way once he's met them. He loves to prank and just have fun and believes that life is too short not to enjoy. All in all he's laid back - the only time he will get angry is if someone is picking on someone who can't defend theirselves. His little sister has Down's Syndrome so he takes that sort of behaviour seriously.

[bAdèle Bouchard

[/b] will be the first to tell you that her family practically owns the town of Beaune, France. To be more specific they own a large winery and several vineyards and occupy a castle in the center of town but saying you own a town is more impressive. She is the sort to speak before thinking and it's doubtful she'll think about it afterward. She likes to live in the moment and have fun and has been known to annoy people.

Ainsley Harris has been attending the academy since lower-schooling only disappearing for a year when her mother passed away from cancer. When she returned she entered into a highly abusive relationship which, athough it ended two years ago, she still carries the scars. She is in love with her best friend but the entire situation with him has grown complicated and she no longer knows where that stands.

Emma Scott is in her final year of lower schooling and despite being bright, puts no effort into her studies. Her childhood was far from ideal starting in beauty pageants that lead to abuse at the hands of her step father and ending in a stint in foster care (ah, the American dream). She discovered fairly quickly that if she slept around she was never alone and never had to worry about being abused again. She hasn't clued in that it's merely a different form of abuse that she's now inflicting on herself. All this aside she is a musical prodigy but keeps this as quiet as possible though it's hard for her to completely turn her back on the piano.

Liam Cole is also in lower schooling and a prominent member of the swim and track teams so it's possible their paths have crossed at some point. He's a bit morose and is afraid that if he doesn't dwell on the memory of the girl he loved (who died of cancer) that he will lose her forever. Yeah, he's sunshine to be around. >_<

Kaelynn Hawthorne grew up in Uganda though her nationality is officially American. With missionary parents she has led an extremely sheltered life and is having a hard time adjusting to France. She's not really trying to, either. More than anything she wants to go back to Africa which is unlikely to happen. Her parents sent her to France after she was nearly abducted and murdered by rebels. They're trying to protect her and she doesn't see it that way. As a result she has a chip on her shoulder and takes it out on everyone else. Her bark isn't scary and she's never bitten anyone.

FINALLY I have the lovely Mr Ethan Richardson. He's an old man trapped in an upper-students body. Extremely cynical and bitter, he doesn't believe in love (not that Torq is his type). Ethan does enjoy a good drink - or three - but never to the point of intoxication. His favourite pasttime is watching others and making sardonic comments about the way they are wasting their loves. I know, he's a ball of fun..

So that's all of them. -fingers ache- Orrrr we can just chat on AIM: infinitegrace83[/blockquote]

[ben casey]

Hi Midge! I'm Laura and although I only have the one character so far I think we could come up with something quite interesting for the two of them if you like. Gingers need to stick together!

Anyway, Ben here is an amiable goof who's kind of loud and immature at times but basically quite a sweet lad. He's English as well but from a very working class kind of background so he wouldn't really know what to make of Torquil if he bumped into him around the Academie or something. At first he'd probably find him unbelievably stuffy and old-fashioned, like someone out of an Evelyn Waugh novel, but I think they might end up getting along simply because they're both so easy-going and aren't adverse to having a good time. ;) Maybe more casual acquaintances who hang out together occasionally rather than best mates though. But even so Ben wouldn't be able to resist teasing him about his name!

[torquil montagu-scott]

Torq would first of all like to point out that he's auburn, not ginger. He'd also like to state that being compared to a character from an Evelyn Waugh novel is rather a compliment, as it's his favourite author and it's an era he rather wishes he could have lived in.

But yes, I see acquaintance type friends that hang out on occasion too *nods*. It would work very well. He could do with having friends that aren't from the same background that he is, that's for sure.

[ben casey]

Ben would beg to differ but that's just him being annoying. Torq is safe in his auburn-ness as far as I'm concerned! Heh, he wouldn't have really have meant it as an insult. More like a 'wow, i can't believe people like that still exist' kind of thing. Which is still fairly patronising admittedly but there's no real malice behind it on his part, honest!

Sounds like a good arrangement. :) They should have a few drinks together sometime!