Post by susannah murphy on Jun 29, 2009 23:24:39 GMT -5
her eyes all full of sky, so lovely in the light,
they tell such pretty lies.
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NICKNAMES: None
AGE AND DATE OF BIRTH: 17 years old, born on March 12th, 1992
RACE: Caucasian (French)
CLASS: Middle Class
YEAR: Junior
MAJOR: Violin[/ul]
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HAIR COLOR: Her crowning glory is thick, chocolate brown curls, spilling to her mid-back in a massive clump. Natural highlights of gold and red are threaded wildly through each lock, making her mane of hair seem to be alive in the right lighting. Fairly modest, she can never bring herself to style her mass of hair, and instead does her best to tame it with gel and little tampering.
FACIAL FEATURES: Striking face, all dramatic cheekbones and startling eyes. Pixie nose, straight and narrow, hovers over a wide, full mouth that stretches into a beautiful smile. Her teeth are white and straight, with a little help from braces and great genetics. Straight eyebrows, dark bits of punctuation, frame round, even-set eyes fringed in heavy black lashes. Round, strong chin snugly fits into the overall picture of her heart-shaped face, blending in flawlessly.
PHYSIQUE: In time, Susannah will grow to be slender and sleek, but at the moment her body is a tangled mess of angles and sharp lines, softness and curves. Small by society’s standards, at only 5’3”, Susannah weighs a healthy 135lbs and though she is sensitive about being ‘chubby’ she does her best to accept what the textbooks tell her: she’s perfectly healthy, and the too-skinny girls she passes in the halls are not. Flat-chest, another sensitive area, is paired with swimmer’s hips, femininely narrow shoulders, sinewy arms, muscular legs, small, dainty feet and square palms that twist into long fingers with chewed up nails. Her skin is that translucent, flowing pale that comes from years of avoiding full sunlight, but still manages a healthy glow.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: There’s a slight imperfection in her right cheek, the smallest of bumps with no real term. She has a slightly chubby face, flush with unshed baby fat.
PLAYED BY: Emmy Rossum[/ul]
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DESCRIBE YOURSELF: Quiet, Bookish, Talented, Stubborn, Faint-Hearted
WHAT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CAN YOU PLAY: Violin, Piano, Flute (Mediocre), Vocals
WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?: Aunt Susan
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES?: Acting, Reading, Walking, Collecting Bottles, Singing
WHO ARE YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?: The Classics, Danny Elfman, and surprisingly (or not surprisingly) The Beatles.
THINGS YOU DISLIKE THE MOST: The Violin, Violence, Fate, Fried Food, Disorder, Cell Phones, Cling Wrap, Cooking, Soap Operas
THINGS YOU LIKE THE MOST: Acting/Drama, Reading, Aunt Susan, Coffee, Control, Finding New Bottles, Pez, Cats, Having a Photographic Memory, Swimming
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR FUTURE OCCUPATION?: Concert Violinist
WHAT ARE YOUR INNER MOST SECRETS: Wants to be a Broadway Actress
WHAT ARE YOUR FLAWS: Vulnerable, spineless, cowardly, clumsy.
WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST IN YOUR FRIENDS?: Honesty, strength, and virtue.
WHAT ARE SOME AREAS YOU EXCELL IN?: The Violin, Swimming, Drama, Painting, Keeping calm
WHAT ARE YOU WEAKNESSES?: Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies, Sensitive, Blood makes her faint, Acting - though Susannah adores it, she is not the best and she knows it, Kindness
WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS: Success, happiness, a career on Broadway, a family of her own, to be like her Aunt Susan without the phobias
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO [WORDS YOU LIVE BY OR THAT MEAN A LOT TO YOU]?: Just pretend it isn't happening.
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PARENTS: Augustine Murphy, 50 years old, Father
Vivienne Murphy, 47 years old, Mother
SIBLINGS: None
OTHER: Susan Gregory, 43 years old, Aunt (Vivienne's sister)
Jake Gregory, 16 years old, Cousin
OVERALL HISTORY: Susannah began as an early wedding gift, a pink plus sign in September that grew to a daughter in March. Vivienne and Augustine were both thrilled with the idea of becoming parents after two separate, unhappy childhoods, and both dived into parenting. For a time, the prospect of becoming a mother even distracted Vivienne from her love-hate relationship with a battered violin she'd owned for eight years. But soon Susannah was there, crying, and demanding, an infant in need of constant care. It was a weary time for the Murphy family, but at last, they crested the hill with potty training at two, and felt the worst was past them.
Vivienne again picked up her violin, but instead of lonely, failed practices she now made up silly songs for her darling child, delighting in the bright smiles and affectionate clapping the child gave her. It was a rewarding time. The well of Susannah's memories begins at four, a wide-eyed child trying to understand why her mother cries, frustrated and angry with her lack of talent. She does not understand why it hurts her mother, or causes her father such pain. At four she picked up the cause of Vivienne's grief, and flawlessly played No.6, A Summer Evening. It was the beginning of Susannah's new life as a child prodigy. Soon, sunny afternoons outside listening to her mother play were gone. Susannah had to practice, had to buy dresses for concerts, had to meet old men who smelled like cigar smoke and women with long strings of pearls who smiled and spoke with big words she did not know.
"The best and brightest are in America Vivienne," This from her current tutor, a twitchy man called Mr. Jones. "You simply must relocate to further her career. If you move now, she'll be able to learn English before school even begins - and I'm sure she'll fit right in." And without much more consideration, Vivienne called her sister, the terminally nervous Susan, and arranged the move to America. Here, Susannah’s life as the unusual ‘new student’ began. A year in Chicago, two in New York, six months in L.A., Seattle, Denver… travel was Susannah’s life. During this time she discovered her love of collecting old fashioned bottles, and began understanding her mother’s unhappiness. It pushed Susannah to excel, knowing her mother never would.
When Beaumont accepted her, Vivienne threw a big party, celebrating her daughter’s triumph. Even now, as Susannah navigates through the waters of her junior year, her mother gushes with never ending pride in regards to Susannah’s musical career. Acting Vivienne accepts with a demure smile, though she knows Susannah belongs center stage, violin in hand. Overall, Susannah’s life has been very simple. The death of her uncle two years ago only meant her Aunt Susan and Jake taking up residence in the Murphy home – and by that time, they’d nearly lived there full time as it was. But as senior year draws nearer, Susannah can’t help but feel she hasn’t lived at all, and that upon graduation she’s going to forever kill her chances at having a life of her own.[/ul]
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GENDER: Female
AGE: 20 years old
PASSWORD: BSM!
ROLEPLAY SAMPLE: ”You’re such a tease Tessa.” It was Sunday afternoon, just like any other. LB’s Lounge was packed with the 3 o’clock rush, men in business suits ordering a quick bite to eat, single mothers trying to wrangle their children, and, of course, the crowd of teenagers in the back, laughing and joking – often, this group contained the more popular students at school, or in the very least, the underlings that ran with that crowd, hoping to someday be included in the elite. Bustling as it was, the pale girl in the corner, bathed in the buttery glow of sunshine spilling in through the high windows, was hardly noticed; she just wasn’t the noticeable sort. Her face was too round, almost cut in half by a wide mouth, and the way she hunched over her book made it easy to ignore her presence. She cowered as though it were a lifeline, a safety net that would keep anyone from ever seeing her or making eye contact. Its how Susannah always sat during the busy afternoon’s when the retro diner wasn’t virtually empty of customers.
“You know what they say – if you’ve got it, flaunt it.” This from Tessa Wyatt, the blonde, vivacious girl who transferred in last Spring from Connecticut. Her father owned a yacht, drank a lot, and was some hotshot lawyer. Her mother no one really talked about, but there were rumors, gliding through the halls during lunch, sliding into whispered conversations between class, that mentioned stripping and Las Vegas. From what Susannah had seen of her, Tessa was a shallow, unhappy girl who used her body to gain acceptance. In another world, as another Susannah – perhaps a buoyant, perky version like Anne of Green Gables – Tessa could have been her friend. But as it stood, Tessa was popular, and Susannah was a prodigy, spending most of her time buried in the music room at school, playing passionately. No one understood the undercurrent of her passion was a seething fury; contempt for her own gifts that she never quite understood. “Doesn’t mean you can’t leave something to the imagination, Tes.”
Not that it mattered, really. Even if her violin somehow sprouted wings and a snout, coming to life like some hellish creature, swooping down and destroying her family – perhaps even eating the cat – Susannah would save for another violin, and play on. It was a queer sense of loyalty, staying true to her gifts, that was born after seeing her mother struggle for years with that d**ned instrument. A four year old Susannah had picked it up, hoping to make her smile, and had played so beautifully that tears sprang to Vivienne’s eyes instead. The memory helped her remember that so many ardently wished for her ability to make the violin sing, to make it weep, dance, joke, and play. They prayed to make the violin sing, and Susannah did her best to live up to their prayers. ”What’s THAT supposed to mean?” Though sometimes, it could be so hard. It meant staying up late, practicing, practicing, practicing. It meant sacrificing friends. “It means, everybody knows what’s under that halter top and inside those skintight jeans, sweetheart. Lets face it – you’ve been tapped more times than a keg at a frat party.” Freetime. “I can’t believe you! Just because I’m cute, doesn’t make me a sleeper.” A life.
The conversation taking place had very little bearing in the brunette’s life, but she couldn’t help but overhear now that Tessa’s voice had risen. Normally such things were background noise – static that never filtered through Susannah’s thoughts. But the high school crowd had called attention to itself, and brown eyes were pulled upward to the call, watching the scene in relative silence. “The sleeping around part does.” A slow, steady blink was Susannah’s only response. Ryan – who today seemed to be purposefully angering Tessa (an act that Susannah felt was similar to poking a tiger with a stick) – seemed to be amused by the attention, grinning arrogantly. “Whatever, like you’re any better.” Closing her book, Susannah watched the scene unfold with mild interest. It was human nature to watch, to turn from one person to the other, mind blank to thought.
“Didn’t claim to be my dear, just stating the obvious.” Tessa’s arms were crossed, almost violently, across her chest. Susannah could very easily imagine the girl possessing a giant, striped tail – could almost see it lashing furiously as Ryan continued to prod her. “Which is?” By now the noise in the diner had fallen to a low murmur, everyone eyeing the fighting pair warily, as if expecting Tessa to attack at any moment. She had a coiled dangerousness about her, a ferocity that Susannah had never had, but admired like she might a finely carved statue, or a rare painting. “You don’t have to expose the whole show to get attention.” The blow was obvious, and quite stunning. Tessa’s face clearly showed her shock, her outrage, at what Ryan implied. Susannah couldn’t even begin to wonder what Tessa might say next. “And I suppose there are girls, pretty girls, that don’t?”
Ryan paused, the silence a heavy, cavernous thing. Nearby a mother shushed her son, gawking at the teenagers as if they were the whole world. At that moment, they might have been. As is so often the case, the crowd was nearly spellbound by the outburst; like sharks in the water, everyone was tense, anticipating blood with a nervous, jittery glee. It was the violence that all men and women come to expect, yet it was one thing Susannah did not understand. Even the thought of bloodshed had goosebumps marching up her arms. The idea that Tessa might actually, physically attack Ryan was enough to break the spell the unfolding drama had on Susannah. Quietly pushing her book into the denim tote at her side, she didn’t manage to push her chair back before Ryan spoke, freezing her in place. “She doesn’t.” A glance upward revealed one bronzed finger, pointing directly at her. Susannah could have died. Suddenly all eyes were on her, all seeming confused by the statement. Susannah, pretty?
“That little mouse? Oh please. Look at her! Stringy hair, that god-awful bleached skin, and totally flat chested,” Trying to swallow, the room had suddenly become very small. There didn’t seem to be enough air, and Susannah felt her chest constricting. Tessa was sneering at her, maliciously now, and Susannah didn’t have a moment to even react before the next scathing words were out of the blonde’s mouth. “Not to mention, she needs to shed some pounds if she ever wants to get somewhere in this world.” And that did it. No one spoke, no one moved. Susannah could feel everyone in the room collectively gasp, assuming that little Susannah would defend herself, rashly going against a popular, pretty teenager and in the end, being put in her place with a vengeance. She could see the scene clearly, as if she’d written it… but this was not a play, and Susannah was not bold, not angry. She was a timid mouse, whose hurt pride could be buried in books and her violin. Scooting out of her chair, Susannah left, bleeding on the inside.
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