we must reinvent love. [ ash fournier ]

[ashfournier]

VALKYRIE,
CALIFORNIA

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the ocean breathes salty, won't you carry it in?




but there ain't no sunshine in his song.[/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: ash basil fournier.
NICKNAMES: none.
GENDER: male.
AGE: seventeen.
GRADE: eleven.
ART INTEREST: music (singer, lyricist, pianist, guitarist), academics
PLAYBY: conor oberst.

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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.
HAIR COLOR: dark brown-black.
EYE COLOR: caramel hazel.
HEIGHT: 6'8”
WEIGHT: 130 lbs.
BODY TYPE: on the thinner side of 'average'.
DISTINGUISHED FEATURES: no piercings. no birthmarks. one tattoo: a tiny sailboat right above his heart.
PERSONAL STYLE: ash isn't the type to dress up in gucci and dior head to toe everyday. no, that's more of his parents' scene. he is into whatever is clean and comfortable, bonus points if the outfit matches. hoodies, blazers, band tees, casually worn oxfords, the occasional plaid flannel or polo, and jeans. that's life.
OTHER: ash is pretty laid back. instead of worrying about his wardrobe, he worries about his art, which means that the designer suits come out very rarely. however, he does wear quite a few nice blazers and occasional polos, but don't be fooled. the blazer is just for warmth and the polo comes on when he hasn't done his laundry in quite a bit.

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IN YOUR MOUTH, IN YOUR SOUL ,[/color]
CHARACTER PERSONALITY ,
the more we move ahead the more we're stuck in rewind[/color]

STRENGTHS:
++ has very good judgement.
++ knows when to speak his mind, and when to keep it to himself.
++ very loyal and protective.
++ true blue, drops-everything-when-you-need-him type of friend.
++ great musician.
++ passionate artist and lover.
++ pretty good student.
WEAKNESSES:
++ sour skittles.
++ pretty boys and clever girls.
++ brand new cds.
++ his sister.
++ cinnamon lattes.
LIKES:
++ warm things and places.
++ coffee.
++ music and art.
++ thinking in the shower.
++ writing while he is outside.
++ being in a serious relationship. he likes to spoil his girlfriends.
++ koi fish.
++ red bull and vodka.
++ bourbon.
++ skin. he has a fascination, okay?
++ orange cranberry scones.
++ ….cuddling/ snuggling.
DISLIKES:
++ stupid people (who doesn't hate them?).
++ cold coffee.
++ two-faced people.
++ waiting.
++ dirt.
++ rodents.
++ having his “manliness” and/or authority questioned.
++ people who can't accept artists. call him or his sister weird, get knocked out. simple as that.
++ damp or cold things and places.
++ american history.
++ socks.
FLAWS:
++ has a bit of a temper.
++ has a tendency to hold grudges.
++ if he doesn't like you, he is incredibly cold.
++ very overprotective of maple.
++ doesn't know how to get close to people.
++ not very open.
++ drinks every weekend. never gets drunk, though.
++ often too busy brooding to be very social.
HABITS:
++ biting his nails.
++ drinking coffee in the morning while he writes, by the window overlooking valkyrie.
++ getting very frustrated, very quickly.
++ tuning everything and everyone out to think.
++ fisting his hands in his hair when he gets upset.
++ avoiding the obvious.
SECRETS: ash is seriously struggling with his sexuality. the truth of the matter is that he knows he is bi, but he can't bring himself to admit it just yet. not even to himself. he also hasn't told anyone that he kind of has a fondness for the strip club scene. but very rarely does he ever go, partly because he is underaged and partly because he just doesn't feel the need.
BEST MEMORY: finally getting out of the hellhole called princeton, new jersey.
WORST MEMORY: back when he was little, when mrs. fournier put maple into that dumb class about 'being a lady'. she was so stressed and upset...it rubbed off on ash and they were both severely disgruntled and depressed.
OVERALL PERSONALITY:

i could change my life to better suit your mood
incredibly protective, intensely caring, and overwhelmingly heartfelt, ash is the epitome of 'brother'. he loves with all his heart and all his soul, putting every ounce of himself into the relationships that are important to him, which would primarily be his sister, maple, and whoever he is seriously dating. ash is a very loving person, and would give anything to protect and make happy the people that mean something to him. if it is anywhere near within his power, he will make it happen if it will make them happy.

in the most unsettling of times, today, i become the bull
to put it simply, ash has an anger issue. it probably started with his parents, and the way they treated ash and maple like their perfect little projects. either way, he gets mad pretty easily. the easiest way to set him off is to do any sort of harm to maple or the people he is close to. this includes talking behind their backs, too, because one of his biggest pet peeves is people who are two-faced. if he catches you talking crap about someone that you smile at in the hallways, bam. instant grudge. he doesn't let go very easily, either. it's just the way he is, don't try to change him – you'll only end up on his blacklist.

i'm not in love, this is not my heart
ohohoho, ash is a big one for denial. of course he believes in love and all that, but he is often the last person to realize that someone likes him, or admit to himself that he likes someone else. the hardest is when the someone else is a guy. so far, he hasn't been attracted to any boys, but if he ever ended up in that situation, there is no way in hell that he'd be able to say it out loud or even in his head. it's something he hasn't come to terms with. and also, he doubts himself. he knows that he's a pretty good guy and he has some great attributes, but he can't really imagine anyone really taking an intrest in him. tragic? yes. gonna change? no.

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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.
PARENTS:
phillipe rolande fournier – 57 years, well respected lawyer.
claire antoinette fournier – 38 years, celebrity psychiatrist and talk show host.
SIBLINGS: maple cinnamon fournier.
OTHER: none.
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.

ash would never forget when his mother signed maple up for etiquette night classes. some sort of snob charm school. maple absolutely hated the classes from the very first night, but their mother continued to force her to attend them up until the very day they left for california. the first night was a nightmare in itself, and ash can still remember feeling as if he'd been slapped when he saw his twin sister walk through the front door, fat tears spilling over her soft face. he hated his mother for making her go, and it was the beginning of a very rough time for the entire family. mrs. fournier took up the habit of hissing spiteful little words at the children, and this caused ash to sort of fold in on himself. the only person he talked to anymore was maple. his friends at school were wary and saddened by the sudden change, but luckily he had chosen good enough people to surround himself with that they stuck by him. his parents, on the other hand, continued to let their frustrations out on everything around them.

when it came time for ash and maple to graduate from eighth grade, their spirits heightened quite a bit. they were excited for the weeks leading up...until the night before the ceremony. that evening at dinner, right before taking a quick sip of his pricy red wine, mr. fournier announced that he and his wife would not be attending the following night's activities. ash and maple were devastated, but their parents declared that they were “far too busy with work” and that the matter was “not up for debate”. things did not get better after that. after his freshman homecoming, ash had plans to sleep over at his best friend's house. it was just the two of them, and his friend was tired and a little drunk. the boy kissed ash, sending ash into years of confusion and denial. while he was tormented, his sister was elated, having won the title of freshman homecoming queen. ash told her about the incident, but has never told anyone else, and doesn't plan to. by the end of his freshman year, ash's parents had simply stopped coming to all of his and maple's school functions and events, including their orchestra concerts. they were the school's star violinists, yet their parents could not find the time in their 'busy' schedules to come and hear their children, so, in an act of rebellion, they quit the violin. the fourniers were beyond furious, demanding that the twins take the instrument back up. but they wouldn't budge. ash had laughed inwardly when his mother declared in a hissing voice that their decision was “a waste of talent.”

as a sophomore, ash started to make more and more friends, with mostly upperclassmen. they thought he was cool and mysterious because he didn't talk much. he was invited to plenty of parties, and at his fourth or fifth, he decided that having a bit to drink wasn't a bad idea. a little turned into quite a bit, and when he got home drunk (and a tiny bit high), he found himself staring into the watery blueberry eyes of his true best friend, his sister, his twin, his only true family. she dragged him to the elevator and pulled him up into his bed. he was passed out before he could see her tears fall. with every weekend and every party after that came a promise of booze. he refrained from really getting drunk or staying out until the sun appeared for his sister's sake. ash could see it in her eyes. he could see that he was hurting her, wearing down her trust in him.

ash remembers maple's sweet sixteen well. he had preferred a smaller, more modest party for himself, but mrs. fournier wouldn't hear any talk of anything less than a ball for maple. ash was proud of his sister- she was beautiful that night. too bad he would be the one to bring her down. their mother poured the flute of champagne, holding it out to maple with a sugar sweet smile. maple had taken it. what could she do? ash had watched his sister sip at it the rest of the night, so unused to alcohol that he could see her body sway as she entered the elevator at the end of the night. he must have been drunk, because he couldn't think of any other reason for doing what he did when he saw her like that. instead of helping her to bed, like she had done for him too many times to count, he smiled and offered her a margarita. she was too gone to think clearly, and she had giggled and nodded, slurring a 'sure' and accepting. if he could take it back, he would. but now, he watches her break out the daiquiris and martinis when she gets frustrated, and he wants to shoot himself every time.

things started to return to normal by the end of their freshman year, and by the start of the summer leading into eleventh grade, the twins were finally seventeen and opening back up. as if on cue, his parents announced that he and his sister would be moving to someplace called valkyrie in california. what the hell? moving without their parents. it was a concept entirely foreign to ash, and he wasn't exactly sure if he liked it. however, when they agreed to let the twins buy an artsy loft in the not-so-extravagant part of town, he decided it was a great idea. they flew out alone, they moved in alone, they live alone. well, except for maple's puppy, noodle, to whom ash actually found himself growing accustomed. ash figures that the reason he is so comfortable in valkyrie is because he is finally away from all the drama of princeton and his parents. everybody could use a fresh, new start; ash and maple were just lucky enough to get one.

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COLLECTED MY BELONGINGS ,[/color]
ABOUT YOU AND FOR THE ADMINS ,
and i left the jail, well thanks for the time[/color]

YOUR NAME: gabs.
GENDER: female.
AGE: i'm a teeeenager, yo. does that help at all?
RP EXPERIENCE: somewhere between six and eight years, on and off.
OTHER CHARACTERS: ash's twin sister, maple fournier.
ROLEPLAY EXAMPLE:

“AND THIS YEAR'S FRESHMAN HOMECOMING queen is...” the tension in the air felt as thick as the blood rushing through ash's veins. he heard the shushed whispers around him grow quieter as the principal on stage grinned at the mob of teens in front of him. glitter and confetti drifted slowly and thinly down from the balconies on the second floor, decorating shoulders and hairdos and everything it touched. “maple fournier!” the spotlight whirled around the room before landing on maple, who looked surprised, overjoyed, beautiful. pride was welling in ash's chest faster than he could believe possible as he watched his sister climb the steps to the stage, beaming and blushing and with a skip in her already peppy step. she accepted gracefully. everyone was cheering and screaming and ash joined in, grinning broadly and watching his sister watch the crowd. she really was beautiful, and she really did deserve it. everyone at school loved her, save for the few people that found her optimism to be exhausting. ash loved how almost everyone at school adored her, yet she chose to surround herself with people that truly liked the same things as her, rather than the people that were described as 'popular'.

HE FOUND HER QUICKLY. SHE was sitting with her friends at one of the tables off to the side of the dancefloor, sipping on punch and laughing to what someone at the table was saying. ash smiled softly and tapped maple's shoulder. she spun around, a wide smile on her face, and exclaimed, “ash!” he laughed, “hey.”

[/color] maple stood quickly, sitting her cup on the table, and threw her thin arms around his neck, drawing him closer in a tight embrace. “did you see? i won! you saw, right?”[/i] ash chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close, “of course, i did. congratulations, maple. you deserve it.”[/color] maple hummed gleefully, “thanks!” ash nodded, chin grazing the back of her neck in the action, “i'm going to go back to sean's for the night. will you be alright getting home? don't go alone.” maple pulled back just enough to see her brother's face as she laughed, her bright eyes sparkling as she retorted, “i'm fine. and obviously i won't be going alone since i can't drive? jenny and anna booked a limo, so we're all going back to our place. mom and dad aren't home, anyway, so it's cool. have fun at sean's! i'll see you tomorrow.”[/b] ash pulled her back again, just for a moment, and kissed her forehead. “love you. goodnight.”[/b]

SEAN WAS ASH'S BEST FRIEND. they had met one day at a starbucks (they drank the same kind of coffee) and had hit it off. both musicians, both very passionate about piano and guitar, liked the same indie music, both singers, both coffee addicts. they were practically identical in their hobbies and likes. sean was a sophomore and had parents worse than ash's own. they were never home, and tonight was no exception. sean had arranged for a sleek black car to pick them up, and let the two of them in with a grin. “man,”[/i] sean began, “your sister is such a cutie. she still single?”[/b] ash raised an eyebrow, “yeah.”[/b] his friend bit his lip, “how do you guys not have stunning one-and-only's? dude, you are both so gorgeous.” ash blinked, “uh.”[/b] sean laughed and took off his shoes (ash did the same) before walking quickly down the entry hall to make his way to the kitchen. “you thirsty?” he called over his shoulder to ash, who replied, “dunno.”[/b] once they reached their destination, sean immediately found a bottle of dark bourbon. “the best stuff in the world,”[/i] he smirked at ash.

ASH HAD POLITELY DECLINED THE drink, but sean had shrugged and grabbed a shotglass for himself. they were now seated on sean's bedroom floor, backs against the bed. while sean threw back shot after shot, ash was quiet and tolerant, eying his best friend warily; he had never seen him drink before. never knew that he actually did it. it didn't take long for sean to get a bit drunk, either. soon, he was rambling about kids at school, “man, the last football game? that was so great. it's, like, impossible for me to play and not think about the other players. I mean, have you seen them? in those delicious spandex pants I just..” he smiled lazily, “i just wanna jump 'em. so sexy.”[/i] ash furrowed his eyebrows and laughed, “you're aware that you're talking about guys, right? what happened to girls? come on, think boobs.”[/b] sean was sober enough to hold the conversation, and replied, “ah girls are nice and all, but boys are so much hotter. how can you not notice that? and their face, ugh, their faces. chiseled jaws and perfect eyes. could you even imagine their big hands on you? on your di-”[/b] “okay!”[/b] ash was blushing at this point. “i don't get you, sean. you have gotta be the straightest person i know. now this? what's up with you, man?”[/b] he gave a nervous laugh that died on his lips when he realized the situation. he and sean were sitting so close. shoulder-to-shoulder. in sean's room. alone in the house. nervously, ash let his eyes wander to sean's face when the room fell silent – his eyes were met instantly. he watched as his friend set his glass down on the floor next to him and got up onto his knees, moving and straddling ash quietly. his eyes widened, “sean what are y-” before he could finish, sean had set his hands on either side of ash's face. it shut him up and he gulped nervously, [colr=beige]“c-come on man, no homo, right?”[/color] he didn't sound convinced, and he watched with mounting fear as sean licked his lips and leaned in.

JUST LIKE THAT, ASH was being kissed. by his best friend. by a boy. his eyes were wide open and fearful, but just as quickly as it had started, it was over. sean looked into ash's eyes, searching (when did he get so sober?) for something that ash couldn't define. he was confused, beyond confused, and now sean was leaning back in for another go. this time, it wasn't brief. it wasn't chaste, and it wasn't stationary. no, this time, sean moved his lips gently against ash's. the boy had a fleeting realization that, hey, sean had pretty nice lips, before his eyes closed and he moved his hands instinctively to sean's lower back, fingers tracing his older friend's spine. not long after, he could feel his lips being pushed apart by sean's tongue. looking back on the situation, ash still can't figure out why he went through with it, but all he can remember is that he did – he opened his mouth for his best friend and they made out for at the very least, half an hour. they had wound up on sean's bed, shirtless and panting, when sean suddenly rolled off of ash. “goodnight.” ash watched in amazement as sean pulled the covers over himself and murmured, “you know where the guest room is,” before falling promptly asleep. as it seemed to be the only option, ash got up and walked slowly to the guestroom down the hall after giving sean one last long and disbelieving look. what else could he do? he fell asleep that night thinking about the whole thing.

WHEN ASH WOKE UP THE next morning, it was to the sun drifting in the window and onto his face. he went straight to sean's room, to find him clutching his head and downing a tylenol. “oh, man,” he said after gulping down a glass of water, “this has gotta be the worst hangover i've ever had. can you draw the curtains?” hesitantly, ash moved across the room and drew the thick velvet curtains closed. when he finished, he turned his body to face sean, who was laying down again, arm slung over his eyes. ash cleared his throat. sean frowned, “what's wrong, bro?” he couldn't help it. his jaw dropped. ash sputtered for a moment before, “u-uh, well, last night? aren't you going to say anything?” sean moved his arm to look curiously at ash, “last night? what happened last night?” searching his eyes, ash could see that his confusion was genuine. sean didn't remember a single damn thing. what the hell. ash sighed, “nothing happened, man. go back to sleep or something.” “you goin' home, bro?” “yeah. see you later.” “see ya'.”[/i][/quote]






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credit: format by lainey, lyrics by modest mouse

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[Luca Giovanni]

ACCEPTED!