Wing City Café Character Thread

[Renssaerene]

This RP Character Thread is being used as a teaching tool for the current RPA Mentor-Lead Classes, and should only be posted in by (1) Mentors participating in the Roleplay, and (2) Users who have signed up for the classes, via the Announcement Thread.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Genre: Realistic, Modern

Character Skeleton:

Code: Select all

[center][size=130]Name[/size][/center]
[b]Appearance:[/b] [i]Character description goes here.[/i] [right][img]Real%Photo%Here[/img][/right]
[b]Age:[/b] (Preferably sixteen or older.)
[b]Occupation:[/b] (Anything you so choose, excluding Cafe employees.)

[b]Time in Cafe:[/b] (Anywhere from a few months, to several years.)

[b]Personality:[/b]: [i](Describe the characters personality, should be at least three sentences.)[/i]

[b]History:[/b] [i](Describe the characters history, or backstory, should be at least four sentences.)[/i]

[Optimalist]

Gabriel "Gab" Azimuth

Appearance: Tall-ish. Maybe 5'9" (175cm), he looks at least 5'10. Could be the shoes. Always light and casual. Always agile. He lugs around this giant gym bag with wondrous things coming out of it. He says he always takes his gym stuff so he can just go anytime when he finds time.

Age: He says he's 42. His countenance, vocabulary and demeanor make him seem like a mid-20s millenial. The more you talk to him, the more mature he seems to be. Until he starts laughing at you again, and becomes a foolish 17 year old kid in the lockers.

Occupation: Entrepreneur, which really means he's a spy or some other conspirator.

Time in Cafe: 7 months, he's here 3-4 sometimes 5 times a week right after workouts

Personality:: He's a curious guy, always asking these silly to strange questions. A very good listener, he gets you talking about the really important things. He has very little opinion though, the few insights he's shared were quite mundane and trite.

History: Gab, Gabby or Gabriel is really a technomad. He has 2 flourishing blogs on tropical aquarium fish & underwater photography, and heads an international civic organization against pet ownership. He has Mediterranean origins but grew up somewhere in South East Asia. He finally settled in this big town/small city in the middle of nowhere because of three things. 1. There's Internet everywhere. 2. The airport is 15 minutes away, 10 on a good day. And, 3. Nobody knows him here. Like everyone else, he has secrets from the past he'd rather not talk about. Yet. His Facebook profile is a mere 2 years old with 67 friends most of whom he has known for less than a year. He doesn't seem to have a girlfriend or does not seem to be interested in dating at all. Sometimes he jokes around about being gay, but he has never been seen in the only gay district. He lives in a big 2-bedroom apartment. He has no pets, no fish either. The only camera he has is the one attached to his tablet.

His secret: He's a recovering alcoholic. He stopped all associations with AA in the last city he supposedly settled down in. He says AA makes him want to drink again and drink more. Now, coffee is his only substitute. In his mind, he has stopped running away and just stopped at the nearest safe place he could find, Wing City. A place where he hopes to thrive and flourish.

[Renssaerene]

Mandelino 'Manny' Louis

Appearance: Mandelino is a tall man, rather lanky. He has salt and pepper hair, and a quirky handlebar mustache. His face is worn with his years apparent, due to recent events, his generally happy demeanor has turned to one of defeat. He walks with a slight hunch about his shoulders, and often looks tired. His skin is smooth, save for the wrinkles that creep across his face. He has many dark spots covering his hands, most he says are from the sun shining on them too long.
Age: Sixty-Two
Occupation: Wing City Cafe Store Owner

Time in Cafe: Twenty years

Personality:: Manny is a kindered spirit. He loves giving advice, and never outwardly judges anyone. He is generally ahppy, but as of latem he has had a more somber outlook. He stays quiet, unless he is spoken to, where as he had been a very happy and talkative man. He puts his friends and family in front of himself in most cases, but one of his vices is taking long drives without saying where he is going. He also enjoy smoking, although he tries to keep that one out of sight.

History: Manny was born in a small area in Terra. He and his parents lived on a farm just outside of Wing City for most of his childhood. He enjoyed spending time in the sun, and out in the fields. His father died at the age of forty, when he was fourteen years old. Since then, he has always worked hard to take care of his family, and his siblings. When he was twenty, his mother passed away from a long time illness. He and his belle were left to take care of his younger brother, Jose, and their sister Mary.

At the age of twenty-two, he and his belle were married. They bought a little storefront in Wing City, and it became the Wing City Cafe. His own wife died a few years ago, and he now lives on his own. The store is his life, and his customers are his family.

[Kurokiku]

Valerie "Val" Masters

Appearance: Generally, the first thing people notice about Val is her hair. Even well into middle age, it still retains the coppery sort of color it had in her youth- though the days of loose, wild curls are long behind her and she knows it, keeping it within a sensible bob most of the time. She's not very tall, really, but you probably won't think her short until she asks for you help reaching something. It's just not that notable.

Her face- rather unremarkable for the most part- has the sort of relaxed expression best associated with those who feel content with their lot, or at least resigned to it. Laugh lines and frown ones alike continue the tread about her mouth and brown eyes, deepening with each passing year as such things are wont to do, and her always-fair complexion seems a little more spotty than it used to be. Still, her age does tend to surprise people; the fitness enthusiast in her won't let her get out of shape, and her generally trim silhouette keeps her from looking quite all of her nearly fifty years.

Val has the clipped, businesslike walk of a career waitress, and she doesn't waste much time flailing her limbs about as those kids seem to do. She almost always stands with her hip cocked to one side, as though there should be a pen and pad in her hands even when there isn't. None of her mannerisms are terribly extraordinary; she learned to train that kind of thing out of herself when she became a waitress. Generally, she knows how to be unobtrusive and inoffensive- that's what earns the tips, after all.

Age: 48

Occupation: Mother, waitress, barista, sometimes unpaid therapist. Frequency in about that order, too.

Time in Cafe: 15 years

Personality:: Once upon a time, Val was a pretty young woman with an ambition to be somebody, all the optimism in the world, a little too much energy and overflowing friendliness. Time has tempered her into something of a realist; motherhood has given her a no-nonsense attitude. Still, she's a friendly sort, ready with a smile on all but the worst days. She's talkative if she knows you, polite if she doesn't. On occasion, her attitude gives way to a sarcastic comment or two, but that'll only happen if she knows the other party won't be offended. Customer service comes first; she can be a comedian on her own time.

Valerie has been a fixture at the Wing City Cafe for a number of years, and her uncanny ability to remember names and faces has led to several of her customers becoming fixtures as well. You just can't beat the kind of place where the staff knows your name, and remembers that you hate mayonnaise. Over time, she's accumulated a store of knowledge about her regulars, and though she'll listen to any piece of gossip tossed her way, she prefers not to share what she knows. People's business is their business; she's not going to make it yours.

Beneath the at-work exterior, there's a slightly melancholy woman who dreamed too big and crash-landed in the aftermath. Even so, Val tries to find meaning in her work and her family, and at the very least she's put both her kids through college, no mean feat with the cost of tuition these days. She likes to think that counts for something, anyway.

History: She's the small town girl who moved to the city. Everyone knows the story: the cute, perky actress-to-be shows up in the shiny metropolis, gets a temp job waitressing someplace, auditions for the starring role, fails a few times but eventually proves herself through tenacity and talent. Eventually falls in love with charming something-or-another? Well, the problem is it doesn't always work out like that. Sometimes, no amount of talent or tenacity gets you anywhere. Sometimes, you might not even have the ability. Sometimes the waitress job is pretty permanent, the guy you meet is fine for a while, but two kids and a few too many bills later, he's gone. Sometimes, your parents never forgive you for leaving to follow your dreams.

In short: sometimes, you're like Valerie. It's not so bad, though, not really. Because every once in a while, what you got isn't the same as what you wanted, and you learn to be content anyway anyway. Val raised both her children, Derek and Rachel, on her own, and the fact that both of them have far outshone her in the success department is something she wears with pride. She truly enjoys her job most of the time, and though it's never perfect, it's enough. things could always be worse, she's a firm believer in that.

[CortexiphanGirl]

Whitney Moore

Appearance: The first, and most likely only, thing you’ll notice about Whitney is her brilliant red hair, which is usually braided straight down her back with a few hanging wisps framing her face. Your first judgments may lead you to believe that she is a bottle red. However, after noticing how perfectly it brings out the natural blush of her cheeks and gives life to her light grey eyes, you may reclaim your first conclusion. Other than her red hair, she mostly just blends in. A fact she rather enjoys. Whitney has a default contemplative expression, though many have mistaken it for confusion resulting in more than one conversation starting with, “Are you lost?”

Whitney’s 5’7” medium-athletic build is neither intimidating nor eye-catching. She wears clothes that hang with a slight looseness from her frame. Her average outfit consists of: dark blue jeans that almost need to be rolled up at the bottom, running shoes, and an oversized zip-up jacket. On her left hand’s middle finger is a ring. It has an opal gem with silver filigree leaves binding the stone securely, with branches twisting carefully around her finger. Normally, this is the only piece of jewelry she’d be seen wearing.

Age: 23

Occupation: Student (Senior in college majoring in Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation)/ CSI Intern

Time in Cafe: Ever since she found the café, four years ago, when she was a freshman looking for places to escape from her party-animal roommate, Allison. She always tries to sit at the 3rd table from the door.

Personality:: Shy. Quiet. Odd. Those are the words many acquaintances would use to describe her. Although, Whitney would prefer the use of “guarded” as opposed to “shy” & “observant” as opposed to “quiet”. Whitney is very goal oriented, but lacks the social butterfly aspect of a go-getter. She isn’t unapproachable by any means. She has “friends” from her classes, and is cordial with her professors, but she rarely lets people into her private life.

She does not respond well to yelling, arguments, aggressive and/or persistent people or loud noises. Often displaying common characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder such as avoidance, hypersensitivity, anxiety, headaches and nightmares.


History: Whitney grew up in a small town with an overbearing mother and a nonexistent father (resulting in her not caring for any "stable-male role-model" in her life.) Instead of inhaling all of the parental pressure and bursting into rebellion, she turned against herself and became her own worst critic. Now she has moved into the city for school and hasn’t visited home in nearly four years. She goes to class, does her readings and homework, and gets good grades.

Many people have different reasons for pursuing degrees in Criminal Justice... To catch bad guys, to make the world safe, to bring criminals to justice, or even to help kids (who remind them a little too much of themselves) turn their lives around. Whitney keeps her answer vague and comforting; something along the lines of, “valiant goals” and “being a part of something bigger”. Which sounds great, except that it’s a complete lie.

[Kabnit]

Geoff Montgomery

Appearance: Geoff is a somewhat short and stocky man. Standing at 5'7" and weighing in at roughly 150 lbs, most people usually look down to him. He is rarely caught without his white cap, as his blond hair is balding due to age, and possibly stress. He likes to joke that the rest of his hair moved down to his face, forming his blond goatee.

The first thing most people notice about Geoff are his grey eyes, which along with his balding scalp, usually show signs of worry, which may or may not be accurate depending on the situation.
Age: Thirty-Seven
Occupation: Carpenter

Time in Cafe: Geoff used to stop by the cafe a while ago, but now is more frequent in his visits. Roughly three months ago.

Personality:: Despite his somewhat nervous appearance, Geoff is a rather kind individual, and isn't very assertive. His self-esteem is rather low for someone of his stature for reasons unknown. Childhood trauma, perhaps? He is also good at giving advice, but is fearful of what people will think of it.

History: Geoff grew up in the big apple, New York City, in the 70s. After high school, he left New York for school, and rarely calls his, in his own words "unsupportive" parents. Now living in Wing City, he hopes to succeed in what his parents assured him he'd fail in: Life.

[NewKidOnTheBlock]

Maude "The Kid" Silverstein

Appearance: Big, tall, n' tough as nails. This guy is seemingly packing muscles on his muscles, and the slash marks and tattoos that cover him don't exactly make him look like a teddy bear. In fact, it only portrays the story of his wretched past life: A skeleton holding a gun and dagger on his upper right arm; the symbol of the Boneheads. A Chinese dragon running the small of his back, over his left shoulder, onto the upper part of his arm; a past lover, a past family. Two knife scars running the path across his neck; two houses, same attempt at his life. He is additionally bald--whether because of age or of a personal choice, no one knows; they've never thought to ask. What hair he does have is black, which shows only in his eyebrows. Contrasting all of this is his eyes and smile; his eyes a soft blue that can melt the rock of his face, and a gap between his two front teeth that gives him a childish smile. [img]Maude%20doesn't%20like%20pictures.[/img]
Age: 39
Occupation: Gun-for-hire/assassin

Time in Cafe: Maude tries to stop in as often to the cafe as possible, but he is always there first thing on Saturday morning for a coffee, black with lots sugar. And a muffin. This has been happening since he first discovered the place a few years back.

Personality:: Maude, despite being a hired killer, is actually quite friendly. He is somewhat silent at times, but loves a good chat or laugh. Some have even described him as "childish", but he doesn't mind. Additionally, he is very intelligent--but in a different way than most would imagine. He is mentally insane, and can see and hear a "ghost" that "helps" him wherever he goes.

To put it best would be to say that he's one of the greatest guys to know--unless you're on the other side of the gun.

History: Born without a last name, Maude was the son of a knocked-up druggie, who died during labor. He was then placed into an orphanage, where his troubles began; no matter what home he was sent to, the monsters of society would dwell. From age one to twelve, he was beaten, tortured, starved, molested, left for dead, and abused in every which way possible at a total of seven homes. After a forgotten twelfth birthday, Maude finally decided to leave the system, opting to take his chances on the streets. This quickly lead into a life of crime.

For years, this path continued and evolved, but it did not make itself into a true leading for Maude until he was sixteen. During this stage of adolescence, Maude witnessed his gang leader murder a five-year-old girl. What Maude saw, besides evil and injustice, was her body fall...and yet stand before his very eyes. Believing that the image was the spirit of the girl, he revenged her by killing the leader. Finding the job messy, but satisfactory, Maude trained himself into his new-chosen line of work.

Maude moved into Wing City a little over five years ago, after a band of assassins from a former employer found where he lived in his last residence. After a bloody battle, Maude decided to play it safe and gain a new home, finding a suitable condo in Wing City.

[manged]

Grace Okafor

Appearance: Grace hardly ever blends in. She has long legs that carry her at a solid 6 feet. Her rich, deep skin glows a warm copper directly under the sun, and her broad smile gleams two rows of bright, white teeth. Though her eyes initially appear dark and dull ,there are barely noticeable glimmering gold flecks that capture the faintest of light; and surrounding those eyes are premature crow's feet that wrinkle as she laughs. In a sea of girls with lengthy, flowing hair, Grace wears a short cropped hair cut. After years of playing soccer in her come country of Nigeria and volleyball for her alma mater, Grace has developed a very toned build which is normally ornamented with tightly fitted athletic tees and slim fitting jeans. When the event permits it, Grace isn't shy about flaunting her height and donning the occasional stiletto heel.
Age: 27
Occupation: Radio Host/DJ
Time in Cafe: 2 years

Personality:: One must have a certain personality for radio. When a person is cruising down the highway in their car, aimlessly scanning through endless variety of stations, that split second must be able to captivate the listener. Apparently, Grace has it, or she wouldn’t have one of the most popular radio talk shows in Wing City. Grace is opinionated and wise beyond her years. Her delivery is blunt, as well as a bit “sassy”, which can often be misinterpreted as plain ol’ “bitchy.” She doesn’t roll her neck or wag her finger in an argument, but will instead refute it head on with logic and facts. The other side of Grace is very extroverted and friendly. A smile is almost always plastered on her face; she walks with square shoulders and a confident stride. She realizes how far she has come from her very humble beginnings and strives to achieve bigger things. Those who are insecure will find Grace intimidating; those who love sharing company with fun people can consider her a great pal.

History: Grace was born and raised in the large West African city of Lagos, Nigeria along with four siblings to her lower class parents. From a young age, Grace was deemed the favorite child. She excelled both academically and athletically. Her parents loved to brag about their pride and joy; how young Grace would one day become a doctor or an engineer.
Her uncle who lived in the US, invited Grace to attend university in America. Grace could not have been happier. After a semester of being known as “the tall African girl”, Grace was easily making friends and staying active on campus.
The pinnacle of her college experience was joining the volleyball team. Not only was she able to travel from city to city in tournaments, but it was how she met Jen. Jen and Grace took an immediate liking to each other and were inseparable by the end of the first season. Grace had developed feelings for Jen… familiar feelings she was told to repress by the religious preaching of her family’s church. Jen made it obvious that the feelings were mutual and the two began dating for what grew into a 5 year relationship.
When Grace wasn’t in class or on the volleyball court, she would dilly-dally in the school’s radio studio. She started off running errands as a pseudo-intern and had her own late night show in no time. Much to the surprise of both Grace and the show’s producer, it was mighty successful. She owed it to her unique outlook on life and quirky, Nigerian accent.
Right after graduating college, Grace booked a co-hosting gig for a local radio show, where she entertains thousands on a daily basis. Though she is openly lesbian in her everyday life and while broadcasting, she has yet to tell her relatives back in Africa about that aspect of her life.

[Alasund]

Ishura Konaha

Appearance: Not particularly tall, but not that short either, Konaha has a slim and trim figure. He puts most to shame with his fitness, although his body build doesn't actually show this. Rather, the muscles don't show as much, and he is stronger than he looks at first glance, a wiry build hides a lot.

Always serene, Konoha hails from Japanese origin, and his jet black hair and exquisitely narrowed features are a testament to the truth of his parents bloodlines. He honestly doesn't look his age, and most people wouldn't guess he was anything past thirty at first glance. But the age is there. The years he has experienced, and his meditations, have made him rather a serene figure, always able to keep calm when dangerous or surprising things happen. Recently, due to the slow denegration and inevitability of the Cafe's demise, he seems slightly sad, as much as one could tell from his lack of expression.
Age: 35
Occupation: Chef and Cook of the Cafe

Time in Cafe: Nine Years.

Personality:: When thinking about Konaha's personality, the first thing that comes to mind is the words which embody calm. Serenity. But of course, no one word can ever truly describe anyone. He is a rock in a storm, always ready with a small smile, which is the biggest smile you will will get from him, and a few words of comfort in troubled times.

He is also respectful in a large way, referring to Manny as 'Mandalino-Sama'. Always deferring in favour of his employer or co-workers. Largely unobtrusive, he hates to interrupt something or get in the way, and prefers to stand to the side in a large gathering. He is also one that dislikes conflict, the one place where he will intervene, often trying to calm everyone down, and if necessary diffuse a fight. Which, incidently, is a lot easier for him than most. Having trained at martial arts he can fight off anything less than a gun or another martial arts expert.

Most of all, though, we return to calmness. It taints everything, a calm consideration, and will do his best to help others achieve the same state. Even he can get angry though, and despite being extremely rare. Though he will usually seek out a secluded place so that his anger won't destroy anything. He unfortunantly doesn't understand the english language too well, as it his second language, and can sometimes misunderstand what is being said to him.

History: A young kid born in Japan, he was one of the more enthusiastic lads at a younger age, often finding himself volunteering for everything that needed people, whether it was cleaning the school or sport teams. He didn't excel at anything much originally, and was an average student, not excellent but certainly not bad.

It was during martial arts training that his skills first showed, his mind took to such fighting and meditation of the arts so quickly. This training was the start of his learned calmness and meditations. And although he became skilled enough to live as a martial artist, he chose not to.

He became something of a oddity. Most people dream of doing something they'll be remembered for, something that will get them famous. He had the oppertunity, but chose not to. He believes himself not someone who deserves fame, and instead of his promising Martial Arts career, he chose instead to become a cook. It was something, though a master at, was proficient enough. And through experience has learnt many tricks of the trade. It is also something he enjoys doing. It is now his trade, to be something much less than he could have been, but he is happy.

He never met a woman he liked romantically, and so still is a bachelor. He moved to Wing City when he was searching for work at the age of 26, and has worked at the Cafe for all of those nine years, content as always.