Private to Upper Academy

walkswithindreams@gmail.com — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 04:15:33 GMT

Overall, a good game for everyone. :)

walkswithindreams@gmail.com — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:22:24 GMT

PLAYER INFORMATION

Name: Polly
Age: 21
AIM: walks with dream
E-mail: walkswithindreams@gmail.com
Timezone: Eastern Standard
Experience: Been RPing off and on since I was about 16, mostly on LJ. Have played in a few games there, too.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Full Name: Gaël René Shaw
Nickname(s): Shaw, Sir Giddy, Chouette (only to his mother)
Hometown: Chelsea, Maine
Age and birthday: 18, August 20, 1992
House and Year: Sonnier, 12th
Electives & Schedule: Electives: Flying, Spell Theory, Wandless Magic II, Ritual Magic II. Schedule: here.
Wand: Hawthorn, 12”, Phoenix feather core.
Boggart: His brother, injured and dying
Patronus: Horse: Horses symbolize strength, the ability to work alone or in groups, speed, stamina, endurance, faithfulness, friendship, cooperation, travel, overcoming obstacles, loyalty, independence, cautiousness, unconditional support, selflessness, freedom, power, balance, compassion and sharing.
Animagus Form: None
Religious Affiliation: None
Extracurricular activities: Quodpot: Quaterback, Captain (if that’s okay); Muggle Sports; Dueling Club; Charms Club; Brew Masters; International Society; Sonnier Prefect (if that’s okay).

Family/Relationships
Parents: Patrick Shaw [Father – Wizard], Amarente Eytinge-Shaw [Mother – Witch]
Siblings: Léon Shaw [younger, identical twin]
Extended Family: William Shaw [Paternal grandfather – Muggle], Amie Shaw [Paternal grandmother – Muggle], Jeremy Shaw [Paternal uncle – Muggle], Ellen Shaw [Jeremy’s wife – Muggle], Bruce and George Shaw [Cousins – Muggles], Henri Eytinge [Maternal grandfather – Wizard], Seline Eytinge [Maternal grandmother – Witch], Andre Eytinge [Maternal uncle – Deceased – Wizard]
Familiar: Orange tabby, Bennet.
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Significant Others: Presently, none, though he is open to the possibility. Past, who knows?

Appearance
PB: Sondre Lerche
Detailed Description: Gaël looks just like his twin, except happier and a little more toned. He’s five feet, nine inches and almost always seems to be filled with energy. Naturally pale, Gaël doesn’t tan much, though upon closer inspection his skin might have a slightly darker hue to it than Léon’s because he spends much of his time outside, whether for sports or just because he enjoys being outdoors. His eyes are a bright, clear blue, and his hair is dirty blond, tending toward the shaggy, falls-in-his-eyes style.

As for clothes, Gaël wears whatever’s comfortable. He likes well fitting clothing, but he never looks too sharply dressed, preferring the casual over the pressed look that his Grand- mère and Grand- père prefer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his tie is almost always crooked and always loose, and his shirt is always ruffled and mostly untucked while in uniform.

Personality
Likes: popular music (though not particularly rap), Quidditch, sweet things, mellower shades of the colors blue and green, Quodpot, laughing, being active, being in a relationship with someone, having fun and relaxing, how the wind feels on his face, being outside, good weather, when it’s warm (like summer...), dancing
Dislikes: not sharing a room with Léon, Potions, feeling out of place, being alone, wearing a tie, sitting still, caramel, coffee, the idea of his brother having sex before him for some reason, when people don’t like him
Quirks: Because he has so much energy, his leg bounces when he’s sitting in class for too long and his mind is wandering and he taps his fingers on his leg. He has a tendency to chew on his pens when he’s deep in thought, or daydreaming. Has full-blown conversations with Léon without either one saying a word.
Secrets:
+ He is a virgin. He’s had girlfriends in the past, and he’s fooled around a bit, but he’s yet to go all the way. It’s not something he’s ashamed of, it’s just not something he broadcasts.

+ He’s allergic to chocolate. Again, not something he’s ashamed of; he just doesn’t see the point in telling people. He still accepts any chocolate given to him graciously and with a smile and a sincere thank you, then he’ll just give it to someone who could actually eat it.

+ He doesn’t feel like he belongs in his own family. His father’s family isn’t all too accepting when it comes to things that they’re not used to and are different, and his mother’s family cares too much about blood status and purity, so Gaël isn’t exactly sure where this puts him. It’s part of why he strives so hard to be popylar, so he can feel like he belongs.

What’s in your characters pockets? His phone, mints, whatever he’s shoved in there throughout the day, wallet, and wand
Strengths: responsible, ability to think on his feet, French, confidence, compassion, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, fairly light footed and quick
Weaknesses: impulsive, Léon, impatient when inactive for too long, his family, suffers occasionally from over-confidence, Astronomy
Strongest subject in school: Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms
Weakest subject in school: Astronomy (Potions could fit in this category, not because he doesn’t understand it, but because he’s too impatient for it)
One thing he/she can't live without: His twin, Léon

Detailed personality: Where Léon is reserved and rather anti-social, Gaël actively enjoys the company of others, meeting new people and making new friends. He’s never anything but friendly and open, never a sour expression or feeling directed at anyone (unless they’re harassing Léon in anyway). The twins are basically each others opposites, Gaël being the Yang to Léon’s Yin, though it’s not to say that the twins have nothing in common.

When it comes to those who mean something to him, Gaël is extremely loyal and protective. It stems from his fear of losing anyone, particularly his brother. He does his best to be responsible and look out for those he cares about. However, and slightly contradictory, Gaël is also a bit impulsive and sometimes reckless when it comes to himself.

Over all, Gaël is the quintessential Golden Boy. He’s well rounded, personable, and a generally happy person all around.

Personal History:
Gaël Shaw is one half of a set of twins born to Patrick and Amarente Shaw in Hartfield, East Sussex, England, in August of 1992. The loving pair made wonderful, adoring parents to the two boys, leaving them wanting for nothing. It was a perfect little family. For the most part.

Amarente was a stay at home mom, and she’d take the boys with her wherever she went, be it London, to spend time with Patrick’s parents, or to France occasionally, visiting her own parents who spoiled the boys rotten, though they somehow managed to remain sweet and innocent. An idyllic life and family it would seem to be, but you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

The Shaws, while not as polished as the Eytinges, were amiable enough, but their disapproval was easy to read, and Amarente often felt uncomfortable during their visits. Of course, she still went and was polite and grateful. They were, after all, her sons’ grandparents. She wouldn’t have have them miss out on having some kind of relationship with their family. And so she endured the thinly veiled distaste and resentment. And her own family wasn’t easy either. While the Eytinge’s loved their grandchildren, they often expressed their disappointment and anger at her choice in partners. And what was more is that Amarente’s brother Andre joined in the arguments. Together, the three of them criticized and needled and otherwise harangued the poor woman during her every visit, which needless to say became fewer and farther between. Amarente didn’t want her children growing up in that kind of toxic environment, even if they were too young to understand. (Truth be told, Gaël had - even then - felt uncomfortable around his family after a certain age, though it was dismissed as him clearly being shy around adults.)

So the Shaws began avoiding their families when the children were just four, almost five. They became experts in avoiding their parents, but things were about to get even easier. As the ‘rumors’ of Voldemort’s return quickly spread around England courtesy of Harry Potter (whom the Ministry insisted was lying), people were becoming increasingly uneasy, especially when Muggles and Wizards alike started to disappear...

As an Auror, Patrick ran the risk of having to enter the war, not that that was any big deal. He was, after all, an Auror and a highly skilled duelist, and he’d been around for the first war though he hadn’t had too much pressure put on his shoulders being fresh out of school. Now, however, he had his wife and sons to think about.

And so the little family packed their things and went across the Atlantic to a little town in Maine called Chelsea. Life was decidedly different there, and not quite so easy. Patrick struggled to find a job, and Amarente had found that their neighbors were far nosier than she’d anticipated. So, of course, she set about making them just like every other family in the area.

Patrick came home from job hunting one day to his wife happily telling him that she’d found a way for them to blend in: buying an autohome (or RV, to the local Muggles) and enrolling the boys in daycare. Everyone was doing it.

And so began a rather monotonous time in the twins’ young lives. Their mother would drive them to daycare, which was always an adventure in itself, and their father eventually found himself a job at the American Ministry of Magic. And while the twins were at daycare, Amarente began to teach herself how to cook, much to the chagrin of the family at large.

Of course, it was during this time that the boys met Janis Parke, a vivacious little girl who helped the twins feel more comfortable than they had in a long time. Between how their families had been and now being thrust into a new life and having to interact with people they didn’t know, who could tell on some level that they were different... Well, needless to say that Janis was their lifesaver. She helped bring them out of their shells and gave them someone they could be themselves around.

However, this isn’t to say that things were perfect. No, boys will still be boys and spending time with the eccentric and girly Janis wasn’t going to change that. As boys are want to do, the twins would still fight as brothers do. And one day, while playing with Janis, the twins came up with a way to see who was best once and for all. Needless to say it was a disaster: Léon fell out of a tree and injured himself badly, something for which Gaël has always blamed himself and strives to rectify in some way.

The next year was sort of a strained one for Gaël, he still played with Léon and Janis, but he found himself taking more of a step back and observing, worried. He took to trying to act more and more like a brother who was older by years rather than a few minutes. He stopped picking on Léon, and channeled any inclination to fight into sports, happily finding that it was even more fun and that he was good at them.

Before he knew it, the boys were going Crescent City’s Institute of Magic. While there, Gaël - for lack of a better term - “blossomed”. His new found confidence from sports helped him ease into life at school, giving him something to talk about with the boys, and with the girls... Well, it was still early for that and Gaël was still shy around them somewhat. Nevertheless, he eagerly and happily took to school like a fish to water. And when he and Léon were sorted into Sonnier in their 9th grade year, he was looking forward to the future.

While he maintained his old friendships and cultivated new ones, Gaël couldn’t help noticing how his brother was pulling further into himself, even - he felt - from Gaël himself. It was baffling to Gaël, and it caused many an argument between the twins. Things were more than a little strained between them, and it confused and hurt him that his little brother seemed to not be trusting him.

Things remained strained over the next few years. It was the pink elephant in the room, the three thousand pound gorilla, this withdrawal. The twins were still closer with each other than they were with anyone else, but anyone who knew them well could see that something wasn’t entirely right, at least not in Gaël’s opinion.

Now that they’re in their 12th year at CCI, the situation is finally reaching a boiling point for Gaël: Either his brother is going to talk to him on his own, or he’ll get an answer out of Léon himself.