-Unknown
Dorothy Isabella Knight
Nicknames:
Dori
Age:
17
Gender:
Female
Birth Date:
October 27th
Sign:
Scorpio
Sexuality:
Heterosexual
Ethnicity:
50% African-American (father) / 30% English (mother), 10% German (mother), 10% Irish (mother)
Major:
Undecided
Dori's upbringing wasn't traditional and certainly wasn't the white-picket-fence dream, but she made it out alive and that's all that counts now. Her parents were teenagers when they conceived her and neither were responsible or wealthy enough to care for her at that age. Her mother was too far along in the pregnancy to get an abortion when she actually discovered that she was pregnant, so after giving birth to her, she was promptly put up for adoption. A young couple who believed that they couldn't have any children adopted her when she was a few weeks old and she remained in their care for two years. When the woman suddenly became pregnant, as bad as it was, they no longer wanted Dori. She was half-black which wasn't acceptable in their tight knit, upscale community and although she was still young, she was exhibiting signs of mental delays. As if she was a malfunctioning toy, the couple returned her to the agency she had been adopted from and claimed that they wouldn't be able to provide sufficient care for a child with disabilities. It turned out that she wasn't mentally disabled but was just a developing at a slower rate than her peers. By the time she was four, she had finally learned to walk and was beginning to speak and at age six, she had caught up with other children her age.
Despite being a healthy child, she was never adopted again and spent the next sixteen years in three different foster homes. She was treated well in all of them so unlike many kids in the system, she can't complain about poor treatment in that respect. The three families that took her in were all decent people who did think that they were making a difference in her life by taking her in. Despite their kindness, Dori always recognized that they weren't really her family. If they weren't getting government checks to support her, would they still want her in their home? None of them ever went to the extent of adopting her and making her a permanent member of their family, and once she grew old enough to understand that, it spoke volumes to her.
She was always an average student in school, so it took a lot of work for her to get scores that would qualify for her to get into Fulton. Luckily, being a foster child allowed her to get a lot of scholarships and government aid that would cover all of her tuition and room and board costs. If it hadn't been for that, there would be no way that she would be attending the school, or any, probably. As of now, she's still receiving government benefits from Kansas but when she ages out next month, she's essentially going to have no "home" to return to when she's not at school. Although her current foster parents are good people, with three other children to support, they won't have the finances to house and raise Dori without the checks they've been getting for her from the state.
Looking people up and down: It's an act most often associated with bitchy girls trying to intimidate another, or show that they clearly disapprove of someone's look. Dori doesn't mean it in this way. She's just kind of a visual learner and finds people's appearances to be an important part of who they are.
Drinking water: She's almost always carrying a bottle of water with her. There's no real reason behind it, but besides alcohol in social settings, it's all she drinks. She's not a fan of coffee, juices or sodas.
Praying: All three of her foster placements happened to be conservative Christian families, so praying every night has become a habit for her.
Judges people: She hates it when people do it to her, but she can't help judging people sometimes. In her defense, it's always just kept in her head as a caution to her when dealing with certain people. She gives people fair chances and hopes that they prove her wrong, but when she suspects someone to be a bitch, her instincts are usually right anyway.
Good personality traits:
Ambitious || Sincere || Team player || Realistic
Bad personality traits:
Impatient || Proud || Spiteful || Unapologetic
Personality:
Just like most people, the way that Dori acts depends on who she's interacting with. Most people meet the fiery, spunky and shamelessly honest side of her. She speaks her mind and is sincere in everything she says, regardless of whether it's good or bad. She doesn't actively try to bring people down but if you ask for her opinion, she's going to give it to you. She's never seen the need to refrain herself or censor her thoughts to comfort other people's ignorance or naivety and definitely is far from being prim and proper. She absolutely hates being called "ghetto", which is something she frequently got growing up simply because of her skin color, but she's much more informal than she is formal. When it comes to this, she's unapologetic though. If her dialect, sense of humor or way of interacting with people offends someone, she sees it as being their problem, not hers.
Her childhood definitely shaped who she is today, too. Dorothy was never given anything without having to work for it, so she knows the importance of hard work, dedication and motivation. She's usually flexible and a team player when it comes to compromising with other people, as long as they're willing to make leeway too. Although she can become defensive when she feels insulted and she definitely has her own first opinions on people, she generally is friendly and easy to get along with. She's realistic and even though she has fantasies in the back of her mind of what she'd love to happen, she knows that she isn't going to win the lottery, no one is going to adopt her, and she'll probably never find her birth parents. It's disappointing but Dori finds it important to keep her head out of the clouds and in reality. There's no point in wasting time dreaming when she can use that energy to improve her own life.
Greatest joys in life:
Feeling wanted: Everyone wants to feel wanted. It's an obvious joy, probably, but for someone who's grown up knowing that they're only worth the check the government sends with them, having people actually appreciate her presence means a lot to her. More than it does to most, probably.
Chocolate: It's her guilty pleasure and a surefire way to her heart.
Money: Money might not make you happy, but Dori is convinced that her life would be a lot less stressful if her wallet was fatter than it is.
Sex: Don't confuse this with her being easy, because she isn't. She just really enjoys the passion and energy associated with sex and if she has the right connection with someone, she's totally down for a fun night with minimal strings attached come morning.
Greatest fears:
Aging out of foster care: She knew it was going to happen eventually, but there was a little part of her that always hoped that some rich family would come along and adopt her. Apparently she watched "Annie" too many times. Even though there are supposedly resources available for kids like her who age out of the system, she knows that it's going to be a much more difficult start for her in life than her peers.
Life philosophy:
"There comes a point when you either embrace who and what you are, or condemn yourself to be miserable all your days. Other people will try to make you miserable; donβt help them by doing the job yourself."
β Laurell K. Hamilton
β€Ice cream
β€Warm weather
β€Amusement parks
β€Italian food
β€Good finds at thrift shops
β€Flying ~ her flight to Fulton was her first time
β€Romance
βSnow
βDogs
βBeer
βRacism
βSnobs
β"Mean girl" types
βBad hair days
Honestly, Dori is hesitant about joining Greek life. She knows that she doesn't have enough money to participate in all of the lavish events they seem to partake in and is scared of being rejected because of that. However, her desire for close relationships is coming before her pride and she's promised herself that she's going to at least try rushing. If no one wants her or if it seems to expensive, she simply won't pledge to a house. It'll certainly be a bummer, but at least she won't completely embarrass herself by joining one and having to drop out. She doesn't know much about the houses, especially the fraternities since she obviously isn't looking to join one of those. From what she's heard of the sorority houses, the Alpha house seems the least likely option for her. Apparently it's a bunch of rich girls who think that having unlimited access to Daddy's credit card makes them higher than everyone else. She doesn't find herself to be extremely smart so she's unsure if the Theta's will want her, and even though she loves a good party, she's scared that she isn't wild enough for the Zeta house. So, as of now, she really has no idea on what she's doing and which house to focus on.
Plans for after college:
The only thing that she's certain of is that she wants to adopt kids at some point in her life. She knows that she desperately needs to find a steady job as soon as she graduates since unlike many kids, she doesn't have Mom and Dad's house to crash at until she's ready to enter the workforce. However, she's scared of just settling on some boring major and career and realizing in twenty years that she's not happy with her life.
She's on the low side of the healthy BMI category, weighing approximately 130 pounds and standing at 5'10. She appreciates her height and figure which is more than many girls her age can say about themselves.
Hair Colour: Remember to find a face claim who has gifs with the same hair colour.
She currently wears her hair in its natural brown hue, but did test out honey highlights last year.
Eye Colour:
Brown
Distinguishing Marks:
She has the normal ear piercings, but nothing more exciting than that. She desperately wants a tattoo but between being underage and broke, hasn't had a chance to go through with it yet. It's definitely on her to-do list for when she turns eighteen, though.
Style:
Dori definitely values her appearance and is obsessed with fashion, even if she won't admit it. Coming from a humble background means that if she wants to afford brand name clothes, she's going to have to find it at a thrift store. She's completely fine with doing that but since most of her designer items are usually from past seasons, she would never strike up a fashion-related conversation with someone who she knows can afford her weight in gold. She likes putting together unique outfits but also knows that she isn't as designer savvy as some of the people she's sure to meet, now that she's leaving her small town life.