Post by Stephanie Brenner on Jul 23, 2007 20:33:59 GMT -5
Your Character
Name: Stephanie Louise Brenner
Age: 22 Years Old.
Birthday: 23 September.
Sexual Orientation: Straight.
Physical Appearance
Height: 176cms.
Picture:
Eye color: Silver Blue
Hair color: Brown
Other: Nil.
Personal Information
Interests/Hobbies:
• Sculpture, Painting, Drawing.
• Is a big fan of the internet and keeps an online diary under an alias.
• There are stairs that lead up onto the top of the apartment building, where she keeps a gardened area, with her favorite flowers, frangipanis.
• Visits the Avondale Aged Care Complex on Sundays, where she visits her grandmother and actively participates in their programs, visiting with other elderly people and oft even cooking meals.
• Cannot live without her cell phone, it keeps her connected to the outside world.
• Is a fan of the Opera and Broadway, just as her mother was.
• Dines at a local coffee shop each day during her lunch break.
• Practices Tai Chi.
• Loves Thai food and has many Thai cookbooks which she uses often, entertaining her close girlfriends.
• Sailing has been a desire of hers for quite sometime, but she has never had the chance to try it.
• Stephanie loves to dance to the tunes of Blondie, Madonna, and other older styles of feminine music, in her bedroom after work sometimes.
• Her favorite authors include: Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
• And her obvious passion for fashion.
Persona:
Mature:
Stephanie’s life experience, although not all truths have come to light yet, have shaped her morals and values. The exit of her mother caused a great gap to open within her soul, while her father’s destruction of her womanhood caused the wound to become even more painful as she got older. But with her grandmother’s guidance, her personality began to change and she has learnt to reflect more on what is right and wrong, what is the right path to take and who should be avoided at all costs. She tends to sit back and think things through before responding or taking action,
Steph has self-control and likes to lend her advice or ear to anyone willing to give and take with her. She believes in sharing, talking things through and hearing everyone out whether your own opinion is for or against. There have been a few people in her life that have guided her down the path to being a mature person and she is quite grateful for that.
Pensive: A thinker at heart thanks to her grandmother’s ability to show her reasoning. She takes information in and processes it, searching for the right answers instead of diving in head first. Her ability to evaluate situations is something that she values. If she was asked for her hand in marriage she would have to have time to think about it. Her mother has told her many times that she never took the time of day to let her father know her feelings for him straight away; she made him work for it, once she truly fell for him. That kind of acts as a buffer for her, it ensures that she doesn’t make any rash decisions. Even the worst decisions can be made in haste and considering the past, she likes to take everything in, observe and then act.
Regular: If you were to become big brother, living off the entertainment of someone’s day to day doings, you would find that Stephanie is very habitual. Her routines and ways of living are constant, right down to the types of foods that she eats. She infrequently steps outside her circle of life, afraid of the changes and affects that other influences in life might have on her and her life. She’s very particular about keeping everything in her life in order, right down to when she does her washing.
Timid: As you will read about her past, there are certain events in her life that are the roots which explain exactly why she is the way she is. The aftereffect has left her to be someone who doesn’t always make eye contact, a small glance away to a few seconds of a mutual glance, or won’t stand her ground all the time. She tends to not speak out when she should, but makes her point in an eased fashion, enveloping the receiver with a buffer or shock absorber, if you will. She, like most people, doesn’t like to be hurt and she has been many times in her life. Therefore, she’s takes the time to think through what she’s going to say, but doesn’t go over the top and bombard them with her opinion. That is because she is afraid of what people’s reactions and opinions are going to be.
Your Character's Place in the Plot
How is your character relevant to the Plot for Avondale Heights?
Stephanie Brenner plays a significant part in Avondale Heights. Her existence in the town is eminent, as is her family and their history. She plays a sly role, like a medium so to speak. She is neither one nor the other, taking a side when necessary. Being in between generation’s means that she isn’t your ordinary, average, everyday girl, she is mature enough to respect the older generations while she is someone who is looked up to herself, by her peers.
Her grandmother plays an influential role in her life as she has raised her from the age of ten, when her mother was murdered by her father, whom is now serving a life sentence. Naturally, as a timid and fearful child, she grew up respecting that of the older citizens in the community. Regardless, she was still somewhat a rebellious child, especially toward the male gender – family friends, teachers, etc.
The ramifications of her father’s perverted actions toward her meant that she was no angel to take care of, oft skipping school and the like. It wasn’t until she was truly old enough to see the world through different eyes that she fit in well with school and her peers, while her relationship with her grandmother strengthened. Having lived in Avondale Heights since she was four has enabled her to be apart of the community, most know her, but there are still unknown faces who walk the streets and look at her as just an average person. She has never been one to worry about being “in with the in crowd” but has always been socially accepted by her peers, for the most part.
Close ties and interaction in clubs and sports have ensured that. Steph has an enemy, and maybe some unknown, in Mia Danes – a red head with a spiteful attitude, the kind of girl to just pick on someone for the sake of it. She just took an instant dislike to Steph upon being confronted about picking on another student – the one thing Steph won’t stand for, bullying. Most put it down to jealousy.
Give us an indication of what you might foresee for your Character in regards to the plot:
Stephanie’s future has some direction, she will have one wish granted and that is to get into the fashion industry. At the moment she currently works for a designer, as the receptionist. Her love life isn’t as fantastic as it should be and that ties in with her past, her father raping her, etc.
She isn’t the kind to love unconventionally; she doesn’t give it out unless she has good reason. So, there probably won’t be any Rome and Juliet scenes for her in the near future. It tells everyone how independent she is, that and she has an independent mind. If any planned plots were to come about, some sort of conflict of interest, she wouldn’t dive in without making a sound decision.
I am planning on a few revelations, most of which have to do with her grandmother getting older and more senile, as she currently lives in a home and needs full-time care, which Stephanie cannot give her. Ramblings on her Sunday afternoon visits will be a link to this and it will play on Stephanie’s mind and naturally, being an inquisitive girl, she will want to know the real truth about her grandmother’s words – Steph will investigate to the best of her abilities and if something comes of it then it will affect her and her place in the plot.
Background:
As a teenager in Avondale Heights, Louise Francine Gillian, fell madly in love with the high school ‘bad boy’. All the girls fantasized about him, though Louise had no interest. That wasn’t until he showed interest in her after one summer break and he came back looking better than ever, almost George Clooney-like. Still, Louise didn’t have any interest in him; she didn’t want to give him the time of day, he was nice to look at, physically, though he bore no attraction, he was, after all, what he was. That was until he serenaded her under her second story window, unto which she told him she would think about the possibility of a date. And things grew from there, their fond relationship grew, as did the awareness of everyone else around them at all of a sudden, Dale Gladstone, was taken.
The couple was smitten with one another and they were seen by the town as an ideal pair. They could do no wrong, both their families boasted about them at functions and parties, at gatherings amongst friends. The last thing they wanted though was to become a family so young, Louise’s’ mother, Olivia, disliked the idea of her daughter not following her dream to pursue her love of Broadway, which was where she was headed. Having been accepted to a prestigious drama school in Chicago, Louise was on her way to great things and her parents were very proud. The love that was held between Louise and Dale, though, was unbreakable and in turn their ability to be away from one another. Dale, naturally, followed his one true love and went to work. His fondness of Louise was great, and to many it seemed everlasting. Though there was a gray cloud hanging over head, not only his looming jealousy, but an extra mouth to feed. There was, however, one little detail left out from the whole situation and Stephanie’s grandmother holds the key to that, just like many other secrets within the family.
Of course, Olivia was devastated for her daughter, her father was appalled. Having children was not on the agenda and they were forced to come home to wed and raise their family in a fitting manner. Dale was not particularly keen on the idea, though went along with it for the sake of the family. It meant living within reach of their parents, which they had never wanted to in the first place. But they dealt with it, though Louise was beginning to regret the whole commitment to him, even accepting his romantic serenade was to be added to the list within time. The aforementioned jealousy that had begun to surround their relationship meant that, every time Louise went out or Dale seen her speaking with someone, he would interrogate her. At first it started out as a slap across the face, a way for him to squash her defiance and then, after a year or two, it became pure physical abuse and Stephanie was on the end of it, too. His abuse went unnoticed by all, until Stephanie turned five.
It was an autumn afternoon and a small gathering of family and friends had come around for Stephanie’s birthday. The party seemed perfect, her grandparents and friends doted on her with gifts and they ate loads of junk food, and played games until the sun became low in the sky. A sleep over had been organized for that night, at her grandparents, a chance for them to spend some time together. The adults had been consuming alcohol that evening and as the party wrapped up Stephanie was reluctant to leave her mother within the grasp of her hideous father’s hands, she knew what would be in store for her mother. Though little did she know that the soft touch of her mother’s lips against her cheek would be for the very last time? No. It was a car crash that caused the fatal outcome, so she was told, and the relentless tears poured onto grass as they buried her five days later. The true story, the reason for living with her grandmother was hidden from her. The last time she saw her father was at their house two days after the burial, when a bunch of rather strange looking men came to the house with her grandparents and it was then that they took her and her belongings back to their house.
The years rolled by, her life affected by the absence of her mother. She became a timid, averse girl in some ways. Men frightened her, they were intimidating after what her father had done to her and even with the release of her fears to a psychologist during her freshman year, and it still did not rescue her from the mental problems it caused her. She was in no way unstable, but found it impossible to open herself up to the other sex. All her friends were female; she did not possess the ability to respond to males and did not want to. And yet she always managed to find her voice when the situation called for it, she always stood up for herself, defended her beliefs, morals and values. While at the same time she was no angel, often defying that of her grandparents. She did not like to be caged by them, protected when she knew how cruel the world could be, learning at such a young age. Skipping school was the worst of it all; she wasn’t a vandal or anything extreme. Sometimes the need to be alone overruled everything else and she found peace in solitary activities.
There came a point when maturity hit her and she fell away from the person that she had been. Realizing that her grandparents were no longer young and chipper which meant that she would turn to them in their time of need and respected their wishes more than she ever had. Stephanie believed that her chance to get to know her family up closer was within reach and she spent nearly every waking moment tending to them, taking care of them. Especially her grandfather, he grew more weak and fragile due to the cancer with every given day, it was that far gone that they could not do anything for him. The death affected not only her grandmother, but Stephanie, too. She would read to him before bed, lost tales of Peter Pan and the like that his mother would read to him at night. And often he would refer to her as his ‘mummy’ as though his memory was retracing its steps to his younger days.
The death ruptured something within her grandmother and by her twentieth birthday, Stephanie had to place her within the care of a home. She graduated with ease; her direction in life did not go any further than that education-wise. Her ability to guide a pencil was noticed by a small design company within Avondale, one that sold their items to exclusive boutiques in places like Rodeo Drive. The prospect of her secretarial position was a thrill; it was a start on the road to making a name for her in the fashion industry. It was a start and something that her grandparents and her mother would have been proud of, her father was another story, she couldn’t exactly give herself a straight answer on that. To this day she still visits her every Sunday, while Sophia rambles her stories of long ago.
Sample RP:
Her eyes peeled open and the sun shot its rays directly at her, forcing her to strain to see. Her curtains had been opened deliberately; another unforeseen force had come along and paid her a visit this morning. It was a call for her to awaken, to rise, and get out of bed. Usually she was the first up and out, ready for her morning run. However, honestly, who got out of bed on a Sunday morning after a party-hard night? Her mother, that is who, any attempt to pay her back for ignoring her wishes and going out was at the top of her list. It had always been push and shove with her mother, Joey would push and she would shove her right back, and that did not necessarily mean physically. It was, in fact, verbal warfare in the Taylor house come Sunday morning, there was always something going on in Johanna’s life and typically it was something that Deborah did not want her to do. Which meant rebellion on Jo’s behalf; it had always worked that way, when she could not get what she wanted. That was not to say that she was spoiled, just defiant.
Again the reminder of the summer time was aglow through her open windows, she blinked, eyes straining to see. Planted on the end of her bed was a note, left by her mother. Her aptitude to glide in and out was incredible. It never ceased to amaze at her, the level of shrewdness, finding out the nittiest gritty details of her everyday life without Jo knowing. Even sneaking into her room was done like a fine comb running through her hair without feeling it. The cheek of her to come into her room while she was sleeping unnerved Johanna, and she abruptly sat upright and glanced around the room. Clothes were missing from the floor, her vanity table was tidied and cleaned from top to toe, the junior was surprised that her attire from the prior night of partying had been left in tact and not stripped from her body. Weary eyes, drooping at the temptation to go back to sleep, looked to the side of the bed to ensure that her bunny slippers still remained where they always were and she threw her legs over the side onto the cream carpet, soft and warm, and then slipped her feet in. A shower would be her first port of call and then to her mother. She would be next.
Being from a modestly wealthy family meant that Johanna had her own bathroom. While she was adorned with the best of the best, it did not mean that she possessed material things because she wanted them. They were just… simply there. Her parents wanted everyone to know that they were of money, the highest standards and that they simply could give their daughter anything she wanted. In addition, that even included the things she did not want. A robe hung from the back of the bathroom door, fluffy and white, which clearly had her name marked on it. Another doing of Deborah Taylor, she never stopped at anything. Johanna stripped off, absorbed the heat of the shower for a good half an hour, until their Spanish house cleaner came along, knocked on the door informing her that her mother wished for her to get out of the shower before dusk came - they were going out. Wrapping the robe around her body, the junior emerged to find an outfit placed on her bed. She wandered over and inspected the ridiculous looking sundress. Yes, it was summertime but that did not mean she had to look like some forty-something try hard with no figure whatsoever. Johanna would not wear anything that was purchased by her mother, not after the last party dress she bought her for her twelfth birthday. That was a horrid affair.
“Mom!” Johanna shouted from the top of the stairs, only to swiftly turn around at the clearing of her mother’s throat. She eyed her daughter up and down as though she were picturing her in her mind what she would look like in that hideous dress, perched on the arm of some uptight, big-eared, pompous Richie Rich man who believed the place of a women was in the home. Which Johanna was completely against, that being a different story.
“What is that… thing? On my bed?” She pointed to the open bedroom and Deborah moved with poise in and examined it. “What’s wrong with it? It’s a perfectly lovely dress.” Jo snorted and folded her arms with defiance. “You don’t honestly—wait, why am I wearing this particular dress?” A thousand and one thoughts raced through her mind, but the worst conclusion she could draw was that it was a setup. Her mother never made her wear anything more ridiculous as that at any other time than when she was trying to set her up.
Pursing her lips together in an unenthusiastic expression, she shot her a demanding glare. “We’re heading off to the beach today,” She began, stepping closer to the bed, “With a couple of friends,” Her hand trailed over the bed with delicacy, “I thought you might like to look nice.” If she had had just taken a sip of a drink, it would have snorted out her nose. She tried not to laugh. “I am not wearing that.” Deborah simply walked out of the room, “Be down stairs in five.” And with that, she closed the door behind her. There was no way she was wearing that dress. Instead, she put on a pair on yellow shorts that would displease her mother, and a floating see through top that revealed her bikini. A pair of flip-flops, her bag, and her hair tied up and she was ready to go. If she did not go along with her mother, there would be a fight. There was always a fight and today, with her hangover, she did not want to fight. The outfit was there to push her mother’s buttons, but she would just be happy with the fact that she did not protest against going. Family outings were always important, they entertained Johanna while she was young, wearing dresses that flared up and twirled around and around. That was all right until she realized that she was missing something more than just… going out with them.
They arrived at the beach at eleven-thirty-one, there were plenty of faces about as the weather was perfect for swimming activities and the like. In addition, seeing as the holidays were upon them, there were more faces then usual and young ones at that. Johanna strolled down onto the sand; it pierced her feet a little until she grew comfortable with it after taking off her thongs and placing them in her bag. Her parents followed behind with the most extravagant sunshade type structure to sit beneath. They could not just be happy with a huge beach umbrella; they had to make sure they had the best. She on the other hand was going to laze about on her towel in the sun, headphones in tact while they chatted about money and business.
First, there was other business to be taken care of – “Jo, darling.” Her mother cooed, “Come and meet our friends!” Of course, all of their friends knew of Johanna’s somewhat formidable reputation, she was not exactly the little angel Deborah and her husband tried to depict she was.
Avatar: Alexis Bledel.
Name: Stephanie Louise Brenner
Age: 22 Years Old.
Birthday: 23 September.
Sexual Orientation: Straight.
Physical Appearance
Height: 176cms.
Picture:
Eye color: Silver Blue
Hair color: Brown
Other: Nil.
Personal Information
Interests/Hobbies:
• Sculpture, Painting, Drawing.
• Is a big fan of the internet and keeps an online diary under an alias.
• There are stairs that lead up onto the top of the apartment building, where she keeps a gardened area, with her favorite flowers, frangipanis.
• Visits the Avondale Aged Care Complex on Sundays, where she visits her grandmother and actively participates in their programs, visiting with other elderly people and oft even cooking meals.
• Cannot live without her cell phone, it keeps her connected to the outside world.
• Is a fan of the Opera and Broadway, just as her mother was.
• Dines at a local coffee shop each day during her lunch break.
• Practices Tai Chi.
• Loves Thai food and has many Thai cookbooks which she uses often, entertaining her close girlfriends.
• Sailing has been a desire of hers for quite sometime, but she has never had the chance to try it.
• Stephanie loves to dance to the tunes of Blondie, Madonna, and other older styles of feminine music, in her bedroom after work sometimes.
• Her favorite authors include: Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
• And her obvious passion for fashion.
Persona:
Mature:
Stephanie’s life experience, although not all truths have come to light yet, have shaped her morals and values. The exit of her mother caused a great gap to open within her soul, while her father’s destruction of her womanhood caused the wound to become even more painful as she got older. But with her grandmother’s guidance, her personality began to change and she has learnt to reflect more on what is right and wrong, what is the right path to take and who should be avoided at all costs. She tends to sit back and think things through before responding or taking action,
Steph has self-control and likes to lend her advice or ear to anyone willing to give and take with her. She believes in sharing, talking things through and hearing everyone out whether your own opinion is for or against. There have been a few people in her life that have guided her down the path to being a mature person and she is quite grateful for that.
Pensive: A thinker at heart thanks to her grandmother’s ability to show her reasoning. She takes information in and processes it, searching for the right answers instead of diving in head first. Her ability to evaluate situations is something that she values. If she was asked for her hand in marriage she would have to have time to think about it. Her mother has told her many times that she never took the time of day to let her father know her feelings for him straight away; she made him work for it, once she truly fell for him. That kind of acts as a buffer for her, it ensures that she doesn’t make any rash decisions. Even the worst decisions can be made in haste and considering the past, she likes to take everything in, observe and then act.
Regular: If you were to become big brother, living off the entertainment of someone’s day to day doings, you would find that Stephanie is very habitual. Her routines and ways of living are constant, right down to the types of foods that she eats. She infrequently steps outside her circle of life, afraid of the changes and affects that other influences in life might have on her and her life. She’s very particular about keeping everything in her life in order, right down to when she does her washing.
Timid: As you will read about her past, there are certain events in her life that are the roots which explain exactly why she is the way she is. The aftereffect has left her to be someone who doesn’t always make eye contact, a small glance away to a few seconds of a mutual glance, or won’t stand her ground all the time. She tends to not speak out when she should, but makes her point in an eased fashion, enveloping the receiver with a buffer or shock absorber, if you will. She, like most people, doesn’t like to be hurt and she has been many times in her life. Therefore, she’s takes the time to think through what she’s going to say, but doesn’t go over the top and bombard them with her opinion. That is because she is afraid of what people’s reactions and opinions are going to be.
Your Character's Place in the Plot
How is your character relevant to the Plot for Avondale Heights?
Stephanie Brenner plays a significant part in Avondale Heights. Her existence in the town is eminent, as is her family and their history. She plays a sly role, like a medium so to speak. She is neither one nor the other, taking a side when necessary. Being in between generation’s means that she isn’t your ordinary, average, everyday girl, she is mature enough to respect the older generations while she is someone who is looked up to herself, by her peers.
Her grandmother plays an influential role in her life as she has raised her from the age of ten, when her mother was murdered by her father, whom is now serving a life sentence. Naturally, as a timid and fearful child, she grew up respecting that of the older citizens in the community. Regardless, she was still somewhat a rebellious child, especially toward the male gender – family friends, teachers, etc.
The ramifications of her father’s perverted actions toward her meant that she was no angel to take care of, oft skipping school and the like. It wasn’t until she was truly old enough to see the world through different eyes that she fit in well with school and her peers, while her relationship with her grandmother strengthened. Having lived in Avondale Heights since she was four has enabled her to be apart of the community, most know her, but there are still unknown faces who walk the streets and look at her as just an average person. She has never been one to worry about being “in with the in crowd” but has always been socially accepted by her peers, for the most part.
Close ties and interaction in clubs and sports have ensured that. Steph has an enemy, and maybe some unknown, in Mia Danes – a red head with a spiteful attitude, the kind of girl to just pick on someone for the sake of it. She just took an instant dislike to Steph upon being confronted about picking on another student – the one thing Steph won’t stand for, bullying. Most put it down to jealousy.
Give us an indication of what you might foresee for your Character in regards to the plot:
Stephanie’s future has some direction, she will have one wish granted and that is to get into the fashion industry. At the moment she currently works for a designer, as the receptionist. Her love life isn’t as fantastic as it should be and that ties in with her past, her father raping her, etc.
She isn’t the kind to love unconventionally; she doesn’t give it out unless she has good reason. So, there probably won’t be any Rome and Juliet scenes for her in the near future. It tells everyone how independent she is, that and she has an independent mind. If any planned plots were to come about, some sort of conflict of interest, she wouldn’t dive in without making a sound decision.
I am planning on a few revelations, most of which have to do with her grandmother getting older and more senile, as she currently lives in a home and needs full-time care, which Stephanie cannot give her. Ramblings on her Sunday afternoon visits will be a link to this and it will play on Stephanie’s mind and naturally, being an inquisitive girl, she will want to know the real truth about her grandmother’s words – Steph will investigate to the best of her abilities and if something comes of it then it will affect her and her place in the plot.
Background:
As a teenager in Avondale Heights, Louise Francine Gillian, fell madly in love with the high school ‘bad boy’. All the girls fantasized about him, though Louise had no interest. That wasn’t until he showed interest in her after one summer break and he came back looking better than ever, almost George Clooney-like. Still, Louise didn’t have any interest in him; she didn’t want to give him the time of day, he was nice to look at, physically, though he bore no attraction, he was, after all, what he was. That was until he serenaded her under her second story window, unto which she told him she would think about the possibility of a date. And things grew from there, their fond relationship grew, as did the awareness of everyone else around them at all of a sudden, Dale Gladstone, was taken.
The couple was smitten with one another and they were seen by the town as an ideal pair. They could do no wrong, both their families boasted about them at functions and parties, at gatherings amongst friends. The last thing they wanted though was to become a family so young, Louise’s’ mother, Olivia, disliked the idea of her daughter not following her dream to pursue her love of Broadway, which was where she was headed. Having been accepted to a prestigious drama school in Chicago, Louise was on her way to great things and her parents were very proud. The love that was held between Louise and Dale, though, was unbreakable and in turn their ability to be away from one another. Dale, naturally, followed his one true love and went to work. His fondness of Louise was great, and to many it seemed everlasting. Though there was a gray cloud hanging over head, not only his looming jealousy, but an extra mouth to feed. There was, however, one little detail left out from the whole situation and Stephanie’s grandmother holds the key to that, just like many other secrets within the family.
Of course, Olivia was devastated for her daughter, her father was appalled. Having children was not on the agenda and they were forced to come home to wed and raise their family in a fitting manner. Dale was not particularly keen on the idea, though went along with it for the sake of the family. It meant living within reach of their parents, which they had never wanted to in the first place. But they dealt with it, though Louise was beginning to regret the whole commitment to him, even accepting his romantic serenade was to be added to the list within time. The aforementioned jealousy that had begun to surround their relationship meant that, every time Louise went out or Dale seen her speaking with someone, he would interrogate her. At first it started out as a slap across the face, a way for him to squash her defiance and then, after a year or two, it became pure physical abuse and Stephanie was on the end of it, too. His abuse went unnoticed by all, until Stephanie turned five.
It was an autumn afternoon and a small gathering of family and friends had come around for Stephanie’s birthday. The party seemed perfect, her grandparents and friends doted on her with gifts and they ate loads of junk food, and played games until the sun became low in the sky. A sleep over had been organized for that night, at her grandparents, a chance for them to spend some time together. The adults had been consuming alcohol that evening and as the party wrapped up Stephanie was reluctant to leave her mother within the grasp of her hideous father’s hands, she knew what would be in store for her mother. Though little did she know that the soft touch of her mother’s lips against her cheek would be for the very last time? No. It was a car crash that caused the fatal outcome, so she was told, and the relentless tears poured onto grass as they buried her five days later. The true story, the reason for living with her grandmother was hidden from her. The last time she saw her father was at their house two days after the burial, when a bunch of rather strange looking men came to the house with her grandparents and it was then that they took her and her belongings back to their house.
The years rolled by, her life affected by the absence of her mother. She became a timid, averse girl in some ways. Men frightened her, they were intimidating after what her father had done to her and even with the release of her fears to a psychologist during her freshman year, and it still did not rescue her from the mental problems it caused her. She was in no way unstable, but found it impossible to open herself up to the other sex. All her friends were female; she did not possess the ability to respond to males and did not want to. And yet she always managed to find her voice when the situation called for it, she always stood up for herself, defended her beliefs, morals and values. While at the same time she was no angel, often defying that of her grandparents. She did not like to be caged by them, protected when she knew how cruel the world could be, learning at such a young age. Skipping school was the worst of it all; she wasn’t a vandal or anything extreme. Sometimes the need to be alone overruled everything else and she found peace in solitary activities.
There came a point when maturity hit her and she fell away from the person that she had been. Realizing that her grandparents were no longer young and chipper which meant that she would turn to them in their time of need and respected their wishes more than she ever had. Stephanie believed that her chance to get to know her family up closer was within reach and she spent nearly every waking moment tending to them, taking care of them. Especially her grandfather, he grew more weak and fragile due to the cancer with every given day, it was that far gone that they could not do anything for him. The death affected not only her grandmother, but Stephanie, too. She would read to him before bed, lost tales of Peter Pan and the like that his mother would read to him at night. And often he would refer to her as his ‘mummy’ as though his memory was retracing its steps to his younger days.
The death ruptured something within her grandmother and by her twentieth birthday, Stephanie had to place her within the care of a home. She graduated with ease; her direction in life did not go any further than that education-wise. Her ability to guide a pencil was noticed by a small design company within Avondale, one that sold their items to exclusive boutiques in places like Rodeo Drive. The prospect of her secretarial position was a thrill; it was a start on the road to making a name for her in the fashion industry. It was a start and something that her grandparents and her mother would have been proud of, her father was another story, she couldn’t exactly give herself a straight answer on that. To this day she still visits her every Sunday, while Sophia rambles her stories of long ago.
Sample RP:
Her eyes peeled open and the sun shot its rays directly at her, forcing her to strain to see. Her curtains had been opened deliberately; another unforeseen force had come along and paid her a visit this morning. It was a call for her to awaken, to rise, and get out of bed. Usually she was the first up and out, ready for her morning run. However, honestly, who got out of bed on a Sunday morning after a party-hard night? Her mother, that is who, any attempt to pay her back for ignoring her wishes and going out was at the top of her list. It had always been push and shove with her mother, Joey would push and she would shove her right back, and that did not necessarily mean physically. It was, in fact, verbal warfare in the Taylor house come Sunday morning, there was always something going on in Johanna’s life and typically it was something that Deborah did not want her to do. Which meant rebellion on Jo’s behalf; it had always worked that way, when she could not get what she wanted. That was not to say that she was spoiled, just defiant.
Again the reminder of the summer time was aglow through her open windows, she blinked, eyes straining to see. Planted on the end of her bed was a note, left by her mother. Her aptitude to glide in and out was incredible. It never ceased to amaze at her, the level of shrewdness, finding out the nittiest gritty details of her everyday life without Jo knowing. Even sneaking into her room was done like a fine comb running through her hair without feeling it. The cheek of her to come into her room while she was sleeping unnerved Johanna, and she abruptly sat upright and glanced around the room. Clothes were missing from the floor, her vanity table was tidied and cleaned from top to toe, the junior was surprised that her attire from the prior night of partying had been left in tact and not stripped from her body. Weary eyes, drooping at the temptation to go back to sleep, looked to the side of the bed to ensure that her bunny slippers still remained where they always were and she threw her legs over the side onto the cream carpet, soft and warm, and then slipped her feet in. A shower would be her first port of call and then to her mother. She would be next.
Being from a modestly wealthy family meant that Johanna had her own bathroom. While she was adorned with the best of the best, it did not mean that she possessed material things because she wanted them. They were just… simply there. Her parents wanted everyone to know that they were of money, the highest standards and that they simply could give their daughter anything she wanted. In addition, that even included the things she did not want. A robe hung from the back of the bathroom door, fluffy and white, which clearly had her name marked on it. Another doing of Deborah Taylor, she never stopped at anything. Johanna stripped off, absorbed the heat of the shower for a good half an hour, until their Spanish house cleaner came along, knocked on the door informing her that her mother wished for her to get out of the shower before dusk came - they were going out. Wrapping the robe around her body, the junior emerged to find an outfit placed on her bed. She wandered over and inspected the ridiculous looking sundress. Yes, it was summertime but that did not mean she had to look like some forty-something try hard with no figure whatsoever. Johanna would not wear anything that was purchased by her mother, not after the last party dress she bought her for her twelfth birthday. That was a horrid affair.
“Mom!” Johanna shouted from the top of the stairs, only to swiftly turn around at the clearing of her mother’s throat. She eyed her daughter up and down as though she were picturing her in her mind what she would look like in that hideous dress, perched on the arm of some uptight, big-eared, pompous Richie Rich man who believed the place of a women was in the home. Which Johanna was completely against, that being a different story.
“What is that… thing? On my bed?” She pointed to the open bedroom and Deborah moved with poise in and examined it. “What’s wrong with it? It’s a perfectly lovely dress.” Jo snorted and folded her arms with defiance. “You don’t honestly—wait, why am I wearing this particular dress?” A thousand and one thoughts raced through her mind, but the worst conclusion she could draw was that it was a setup. Her mother never made her wear anything more ridiculous as that at any other time than when she was trying to set her up.
Pursing her lips together in an unenthusiastic expression, she shot her a demanding glare. “We’re heading off to the beach today,” She began, stepping closer to the bed, “With a couple of friends,” Her hand trailed over the bed with delicacy, “I thought you might like to look nice.” If she had had just taken a sip of a drink, it would have snorted out her nose. She tried not to laugh. “I am not wearing that.” Deborah simply walked out of the room, “Be down stairs in five.” And with that, she closed the door behind her. There was no way she was wearing that dress. Instead, she put on a pair on yellow shorts that would displease her mother, and a floating see through top that revealed her bikini. A pair of flip-flops, her bag, and her hair tied up and she was ready to go. If she did not go along with her mother, there would be a fight. There was always a fight and today, with her hangover, she did not want to fight. The outfit was there to push her mother’s buttons, but she would just be happy with the fact that she did not protest against going. Family outings were always important, they entertained Johanna while she was young, wearing dresses that flared up and twirled around and around. That was all right until she realized that she was missing something more than just… going out with them.
They arrived at the beach at eleven-thirty-one, there were plenty of faces about as the weather was perfect for swimming activities and the like. In addition, seeing as the holidays were upon them, there were more faces then usual and young ones at that. Johanna strolled down onto the sand; it pierced her feet a little until she grew comfortable with it after taking off her thongs and placing them in her bag. Her parents followed behind with the most extravagant sunshade type structure to sit beneath. They could not just be happy with a huge beach umbrella; they had to make sure they had the best. She on the other hand was going to laze about on her towel in the sun, headphones in tact while they chatted about money and business.
First, there was other business to be taken care of – “Jo, darling.” Her mother cooed, “Come and meet our friends!” Of course, all of their friends knew of Johanna’s somewhat formidable reputation, she was not exactly the little angel Deborah and her husband tried to depict she was.
Avatar: Alexis Bledel.