Post by maplefournier on Mar 22, 2010 23:55:24 GMT -6
[/color]VALKYRIE,
CALIFORNIA
the ocean breathes salty, won't you carry it in?
we live on front porches and swing life away
we get by just fine here on minimum wage.
if love is a labor, i'll slave 'til the end
i won't cross these streets until you hold my hand.[/font][/center]
WHEN THE OCEAN MET THE SKY ,[/color]
CHARACTER BASICS ,
you missed when time and life shook hands and said goodbye[/color]
FULL NAME: maple cinnamon fournier.[/font]
NICKNAMES: none, but you can make her one, if you're friends with her.
GENDER: female.
AGE: seventeen.
GRADE: eleven.
ART INTEREST: music (singer, pianist, keytarist), drama, painting, photography, academics
PLAYBY: zooey deschanel.
YOUR BODY MAY BE GONE ,[/color]
CHARACTER APPEARANCE ,
i'm gonna carry you in my head, in my heart, in my soul[/color]
ETHNICITY: caucasian; beyond that, ethnicity is unknown.[/font]
HAIR COLOR: dark brown-black.
EYE COLOR: blueberry milkshake with a touch of crushed kiwi.
HEIGHT: 5'6”
WEIGHT: 114 lbs.
BODY TYPE: on the borderline of underweight, but not quite there. thin/ skinny.
DISTINGUISHED FEATURES: pierced ears. no birthmarks. one tattoo: a tiny jellyfish on the inside of her left wrist.
PERSONAL STYLE: it doesn't really matter to maple what she wears. as long as she is having fun, she's happy. usually, she can be found in summer dresses, vintage jumpers, designer frocks, or just old jeans and a tee. she loves retro accessories and pumps/ wedges, though. flip flops are also nice.
OTHER: maple may sometimes make people uncomfortable in valkyrie, because while she definitely has money, she chooses to live a more simple life. sure, she throws in designer clothes and plenty of designer accessories, but she mainly wears whatever she wants – and that often includes old vintage pieces and altered outfits from trendy thrift shops. people talk, no matter where she goes, but she just tunes them out. it's her life to live, anyway.
IN YOUR MOUTH, IN YOUR SOUL ,[/color]
CHARACTER PERSONALITY ,
the more we move ahead the more we're stuck in rewind[/color]
STRENGTHS:[/b]
++ fantastic artist and student
++ finds time to be a student, sister, friend, and owner of a gallery all at once.
++ has a talent for getting people to like her, simply because she treats them nicely. unless provoked, of course.
++ forgives easily.
++ very passionate.
WEAKNESSES:
++ if she won't accept your apology/ say yes to something/ give in, bring her some sour gummy worms and she's putty in your hands.
++ pretty faces.
++ vintage.
++ amusement parks.
LIKES:
++ the beach.
++ long walks.
++ music and art.
++ chocolate ice cream with brownie pieces.
++ animals!
++ sunny days, rainy days, cloudy days, clear days. just not in-the-middle days.
++ the wind in her hair.
++ apple martinis, strawberry daiquiris, and mango margaritas.
++ taking pictures.
++ dancing when nobody is watching.
++ meeting new people.
++ colorful things!
++ shopping sprees at second-hand shops. yeah, get over it.
++ romance novels and movies.
++ sour gummy worms.
++ twilight. that's right, she doesn't care what you think.
++ crossword puzzles.
++ public transportation.
DISLIKES:
++ the pressure that comes with having money.
++ being 'tied down', metaphorically or literally.
++ people who take advantage of her enthusiasm/ kindness.
++ concrete plans.
++ when children cry...it makes her cry.
++ whores. plain and simple.
++ girls that only date a guy for his money and gifts.
++ dead slugs. live ones are cool, though.
++ people that judge way too easily.
FLAWS:
++ she, like her brother, is very naive and therefore vulnerable.
++ oftentimes late to things because she doesn't really believe in making plans in advance.
++ gets wrapped up in her art a lot and tends to forget to socialize when she's on a role, and locks herself away when she's in an artist's slump.
++ drinks a little too much (she's a happy drunk, though).
++ sometimes has a problem saying 'no'.
++ kind of clumsy, especially when nervous or in a rush.
++ sometimes speaks out of turn.
++ opinionated.
HABITS:
++ making friends with unlikely people.
++ taking photos of people without their knowledge.
++ writing songs about people without their knowledge.
++ not looking where she's going.
++ accepting people for who they are, regardless of their history.
++ eating ice cream on the beach while she walks noodle.
++ daydreaming during lectures.
++ martinis, margaritas, and daiquiris when she's feeling stressed or uninspired.
++ walking aimlessly through town and the academy campus.
++ sometimes volunteers at the hospital or jail, playing music and visiting people.
++ sneaking noodle into school with her in a big canvas bag or something similar.
SECRETS: her twin brother, ash, is actually bi-sexual. she saw his...encounter with his best friend back in freshman year and, although he isn't positive of where he stands sexually, she knows that he is attracted to boys as well as girls. maple's biggest secret is that on the inside, she is actually pretty lonely. she has her brother, of course, but sometimes she feels like there is nobody out there that she can really connect to, especially on an artistic level.
BEST MEMORY: when she and ash bought their flat, when they moved in, and when she adopted her puppy 'noodle'. she's had plenty of happy memories, sure, but these are definitely the top.
WORST MEMORY: when her parents broke the news to maple and ash that they would be leaving their beloved, cozy princeton to move to valkyrie, california.
OVERALL PERSONALITY:QUIRKY GIRL IN AN OFFBEAT WORLD
maple has lived a soft and easy life, everything she could ever ask for has been handed to her on a silver platter. while most kids in her position would live it up like there's no tomorrow, taking limousines to school and using diamond encrusted toothbrushes, maple prefers a different route. her parents pushed prada, but maple would take prada anyday. her classmates packed into bugatis and fancy porsches, maple painted roses on the back window of her volkswagen beetle when she was 16. maple likes exploring thrift shops and middle-class malls in her free time, painting quotes on stop signs, and doing crossword puzzles at bus stops. she wants to blow your mind and she wants to enjoy her life. smack her if she ever seems like she's starting to be like everyone else.
AND THERE EXISTS A STAR ON STAGE THAT NEVER SEEMS TO CARE
[/b]her passion is her art. whether she's painting still life or reading shakespeare for the class, maple is completely immersed in what she is creating. she doesn't see art as a hobby or a habit or a talent, she sees it as a lifestyle. when she takes the stage with the mic in her hand and the crowd at her feet, the world opens up. most importantly, when she's holding one of her cameras, she is in heaven. canon, nikon, polaroid, holga, rolleiflex. a lot of the time, maple, despite her colorful and different fashion, feels she is unable to properly express herself. this changes when she creates something – she feels so incredibly complete that she really isn't concerned about finding any other hobbies or activities. she's happy where she is.
SHE'S COOL AND SHE'S CRUEL, BUT SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE'S DOIN'
[/b]maple hasn't been in town long, but she's already noticed the incredibly clique-y environment. back home, she had definitely seen cliques before, sure, but she had never found any that appealed to her. here...it seems that the case will probably be the same. maple doesn't have a problem with making friends from these groups, if they'll have her, although many people would think it impossible or foolish. the bottom line is, she's open to make friends with anyone, and hopes to have a variety of them. where's the fun in sticking to just one group, anyway? outgoing and affable enough, maple enjoys the activity of meeting and hanging with new and exciting people. although she doesn't always agree with everyone's opinions, she will never pretend to be something or someone she is not, just to fit in.
JUST A GIRL, JUST AN ORDINARY GIRL
[/b]everyone at valkyrie academy seems to her to have some sort of dynamic, tragic, exciting story. maple...doesn't. she is pretty ordinary, outside of her artsy quirks. she takes bubblebaths like many girls often do, she eats thai takeout for lunch, she likes to watch cheesy movies when she's curled up with noodle on her sofa. a lot of people see her and automatically think she has some sort of amazing history, but really, it's just her personality that holds any sort of fascination. maple isn't afraid to have fun, speak up and speak out, get into some trouble, and roll with the punches. she meditates, she lives life to the fullest, and she invites everyone around her to do the same. carpe diem, everybody.
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AND WE'LL BOTH GROW OLD ,[/color]
CHARACTER HISTORY ,
well i don't know, i don't know, i don't know, i hope so[/color]
HOMETOWN: princeton, new jersey.[/size][/font]
PARENTS:
phillipe rolande fournier – 57 years, well respected lawyer.
claire antoinette fournier – 38 years, celebrity psychiatrist and talk show host.
SIBLINGS: ash basil fournier.
OTHER: one puppy, noodle , a toy poodle/ yorkie mix.
LIVING SITUATION: shaks.
HISTORY: ash basil fournier and maple cinnamon fournier were brought into the world by two dark-haired, round-eyed, soft-chinned hippies (hence the tree-spice names). the two adults were stuck in the seventies – all smiles and flowers and finger painting with their kids. they lived in a lower class home and neighborhood, worked at the local community center and brought ash and maple to sit in their aerobics classes and ride on the janitor carts. life was simple. life was good. but all good things must come to an end, and it was soon discovered that the twins' parents were in fact, not suitable for parenthood. they were too in love with pot and full freedom to be tied down with raising children, let alone teens. the two of them knew early on that they could never provide the two infants with the life they deserved. luckily, they realized this on their own. unluckily, they felt that the best solution was to put ash and maple up for adoption. so, at the tender age of two years, the cherubs were sent to a local orphanage. they were too young to understand what was going on, and so they only cried for their mother the first couple weeks. all the staff there absolutely adored the pair of them. they didn't see how anyone in their right mind could give up two quiet and smiling children with such beautiful eyes and dispositions. many of the other children at the orphanage were loud and complaining or crying, but maple and ash were bashful and sweet, even for two year olds.
mr. and mrs. phillipe fournier were incredibly wealthy people, yet unable to have children of their own. they decided that they would join in on this parenting business and began making calls and searches to find the right children. when they found the quaint little orphanage that our twins were in, they were enchanted by the cliche white picket fence out front and the drawings on the walls of the hallways. it only took one glance at the pair of dark-haired twins, now three years old, holding hands, smiling and drawing pictures with dull crayons at the kitchen table, for the couple to know. these were the ones. the contrasting eyes that none of their neighbors would ever be able to forget or look away from. these kids would be brilliant, the talk of the town, the bees knees. immediately, the fourniers adopted maple and ash, whisking them out of the middle-class suburbs and into their high-class home in princeton, new jersey. the children adapted very well to the lavish lifestyle, as any three year old children would. elevator rides, big breakfasts, lots of dessert, their own rooms. the fourniers loved to spoil them and the twins loved to be spoiled. it was a win-win situation all around.
when the twins turned six years old, it was time for them to begin school. of course, not just any school. an exclusive private school for gifted children, with ralph lauren and calvin klein and burberry blazers to boot. maple and ash had no problem fitting right in, holding hands on the first day and eating their mini salads together at lunch. they thrived in all forms of art, especially, and did exceptionally well in academics, as well, starting violin and piano lessons just a few weeks into the school year. the lessons went extremely well, and anyone could see that these kids were born to be musicians, so when they were nine years old, the fourniers had them transferred to a private prep school with a better arts department than their previous school. maple was ecstatic to be in the new environment – surrounded by kids who loved art the way she did? it was incredible and it was something she never wanted to let go of. it was also about the time that her really began to push her and ash hard for excellence and higher achievement. she didn't understand why their parents were being so hard on them all of a sudden, but she and ash complied, putting even more effort into their studies than usual. it payed off.
when she was eleven, maple was signed up for expensive etiquette night classes. mrs. fournier said they'd “shape her into quite the young lady, since piano will only get a girl so far in life”. from the very first class, maple hated the night school. she hated putting forks in their proper place, hated getting all dressed up in uncomfortably exquisite clothes, hated having to sit still for so damn long. she began to get frustrated easily, and started showing signs of depression. she didn't paint as much, didn't hum as often, and her camera sat on her dresser for days at a time. being the good brother that he was, ash noticed right away and, unable to cheer his sister up, became more closed off to people besides maple, and also started to show signs of depression. no matter how much mr. and mrs. fournier tried to talk to the twins, or buy them things to make them happy, they weren't the same. the twins grew closer together, desperation and blood ties driving them to an even tighter bond, while the fourniers grew frustrated with the whole thing. nobody spoke for a while in the house. the butlers and maids scurried from a room as soon as a family member entered it.
things did not improve over the years. the fournier parents did not attend ash and maple's eighth grade graduation ceremony, claiming they were too busy with work, and things continued on a more rapid downward spiral from there. freshman homecoming was a night neither twin would soon forget. ash for his own personal reasons, involving his best friend, and maple for a happier reason. she was nominated freshman homecoming queen. she had so many friends and her depression was easy enough to hide around her classmates that she had fooled everyone into thinking she was the happiest, nicest, most outgoing, and perfect child in existence. regardless, she was extremely flattered. the title boosted her self esteem a tremendous amount, and she still has the little crown in her room in valkyrie. however, this was the only remarkably happy thing that occurred that year. by the end of freshman year, the fourniers had simply stopped coming to any school functions. that included ash and maple's orchestra concerts, where they were the star violinists. out of disappointment, frustration, and rebellion against mr. and mrs. fournier, the twins quit violin at the end of the year. their parents were absolutely furious. “a waste of talent,” they hissed at the two when the news was shared at the dinner table.
sometime during sophomore year, ash developed a drinking habit. one night, he stumbled home late after some party. maple was worried out of her mind; she had waited up and let him inside. he was drunk and smelled faintly of weed. he passed out before he could register her tears, and she cried herself to sleep that night. it didn't stop. ash continued to drink every weekend at home, and at every party he went to. never getting really drunk, always coming home before sunrise, but always drinking nonetheless. this affected maple like nothing had before. all the trust she had placed in her brother was wavering. of course, he was still a fantastic person, and was actually a very responsible drinker, but they were only fifteen at the time, and she worried about him, okay? he is way more brooding now that he drinks, and maple isn't sure if she likes that, or if she wants the old ash back.
the scene is the sweet sixteen party of the young fournier twins, ash and maple. it's impossible really, to go into details of the party. all that's important is that it was huge, glamorous, expensive, packed, and somewhat illegal. aside from the few straw cigarettes lit in the garden, there was alcohol. champagne, to be precise. mrs. fournier knew that most of these kids drank the stuff on a regular basis, anyway, if not harder liquor. so where was the harm? she persuaded maple into having a couple flutes of bubbly before bed, rendering the birthday girl the slightest bit drunk. drunk enough to accept ash's offer for midnight margaritas, anyway. needless to say, the booze made her feel relaxed and like her mind was opening up. hello, drinking habit.
just as soon as maple had returned to her happy self, the parents dropped the bomb. the twins were moving to california. alone. to someplace called valkyrie, and the kids shouldn't fret over losing their friends, because “the movie stars will be all the company two pretty little twins could ask for,” according to their mother. so, the summer after they turned seventeen, the twins packed up and boarded the plane. their parents waved goodbye at the gate, kissing cheeks, adjusting sunglasses, straightening collars. it was all very formal, really. maple hated it. she hated that she and her brother had to leave the place they had lived all their lives, the place her friends would continue to live. she and her brother had made a deal with their parents. they would move, but the fourniers would have to allow them to purchase a loft in the not-quite-as-extravagant part of town. they didn't want to have a mansion or estate all to themselves, the idea alone was absurd and absolutely out of the question. their parents grudgingly agreed, and they found a nice place in no time. not long after moving in, maple also took in a stray puppy, which she found out from the vet was a yorkipoo. she named him noodle.
maple is discovering that living in valkyrie really isn't as bad as she thought it would be. the weekend martinis help the acceptance, of course, but the neighborhood she lives in seems pretty friendly. so valkyrie academy should be the same. right?
COLLECTED MY BELONGINGS ,[/color]
ABOUT YOU AND FOR THE ADMINS ,
and i left the jail, well thanks for the time[/color]
YOUR NAME: gabs![/b] she called over her shoulder to the puppy who had squirmed his way out from her arms to sniff at a fence. was it previously mentioned that it was a lovely day? because these clouds simply could not be any more perfect. snap. captured on film. “noodle, darling,”[/b] maple's amusement soared as the yorkipoo's ears perked and his head tilted a bit to his right, “these pictures are going to be simply spectacular. can you imagine?” she continued to ramble as she skipped excitedly down the sidewalk. “the sky will be the most amazing electric cobalt against those cottonball clouds. after all, they looked especially cotton-y today.”[/b] of course the tiny animal had absolutely no clue as to what maple was grinning and gushing about, but he (being a puppy) ran after her giddily, tiny legs working to keep up.
GENDER: female.
AGE: teen. haha that doesn't help much.
RP EXPERIENCE: around 6-8 years, on and off.
OTHER CHARACTERS: maple's twin brother, ash fournier.
ROLEPLAY EXAMPLE:
IT WAS AN ORDINARY DAY. any ordinary day, really. she was walking noodle past the old drive-in theater, drinking a capri-sun and letting her free hair be caressed by the lazy breeze. today was definitely a fisheye day, and her holga camera hung from around her neck, waiting for its time to capture something amazing. maple sighed a happy, tropical fruit smile at the sun, shading her bright eyes with her free hand and holding the nearly empty juice pouch in the other. the cropped charcoal gray sweater fluttered gently at her waist as she wrinkled her nose in an appreciative grin. nice weather today. sucking the last bit of flavor out from the thin yellow straw, maple turned her gaze downward and scooped up noodle before continuing on her hunt for all things beautiful. and also for a trashcan. a few minutes later and her mission was nearly accomplished. she snapped a quick shot of the bee hovering above the rotten orange peel at the base of the garbage bin (she liked bees because of their stripes) before turning on her heel and walking swiftly away. ”come on up here, noodle, baby,”
AFTER AN HOUR OR SO of taking spontaneous photos around the theater and a few of passing american airlines planes, maple found herself at the beach. with ice cream. she wasn't really sure how she landed herself in this situation so often, but she often found herself here with this same flavor: chocolate fudge brownie. well, regardless of prior events, maple was satisfied with the outcome and enjoyed dragging her toes through the watery shore, enjoyed the buildup of wet sand around her ankles, enjoyed the way noodle nipped at the tiny incoming waves. she loved that feeling she got when the chilled breeze dusted her face. without thinking about it, she closed her eyes, tipping her head back to let the sun warm her cheeks and chin. a few moments passed with maple simply standing and reveling in the beauty of the surrounding nature before vivid eyes opened and she continued down the beach, licking thoughtfully at her ice cream. it was then that she spotted a little girl.
BLONDE HAIR IN PIGTAILS AND a darling pink-on-pink ruffled one piece bathing suit – with bright orange inflatable swim wings to boot. blondie couldn't have been any older than six years old, all rosy cheeks and sullen features. maple frowned, shallow creases appearing at the corners of her mouth. her steps towards the toddler were brisk and concerned and her hand instinctively reached out to briefly touch the tiny child's shoulder as soon as she was within a close enough distance. the little girl turned forest green eyes up to meet morning tide blue ones. “hey there. what's your name?” maple kneeled down in front of the little girl as she spoke, sitting on her heels and pulling noodle into her lap. there was a brief pause before, “...lexi.” maple smiled, “nice to meet you, princess lexi.” lexi blushed, her eyes darting away. “...'m not a princess.”[/i] blue eyes smiled, “oh, but you are! can't you feel that tiara on your head?” maple pointed earnestly to the empty space above the girl's head, “because i definitely see it.” lexi blinked, appearing surprised, before reaching up to touch the top of their head. her face fell, “there's nothing there.”[/i] maple laughed, “you're a silly princess, lexi. it's a special tiara. the kind made especially for special princesses, just like you! it's there, you just can't tell yet. use your imagination, princess!” she grinned, and soon it was mirrored by lexi, who declared, “you're right! now i feel it!”[/i] maple watched the little girl smile and felt almost as great as she did when she did when she developed a fantastic photograph. before she could say anything, though, lexi's face contorted in shock and discomfort. maple's eyes widened and quickly identified the source of lexi's pain: a woman with rusty blond hair pulled back into a bird's nest at the crown of her head. angry red freckles dotted her plump face and her features were screwed up into a furious scowl. “alexis, what the hell do you think you're doing? what did I tell you about talking to strangers? and you!” she turned from lexi to maple, “who the hell are you to be talkin' to my kid? screw off, you little creep!”[/b][/i] with that, she left a stunned maple behind and dragged a now crying lexi away.
SHE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING BUT stand up and stare. noodle licked at the forgotten ice cream dripping down her wrist. quickly, she snapped out of her daze and found a trashcan to dispose of the ice cream (chocolate is bad for dogs, you know) and continued on her walk. she couldn't stop thinking of little lexi, of lexi's horrible mother, and parenthood in itself. what made a good parent, if such a thing existed? maple could not even pretend that she knew the answer.
she ended the day with photographs of ducklings following a mother duck across the street in front of her loft.
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credit: format by lainey, lyrics by modest mouse
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