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cameron j. stebbins ([info]stebbins) wrote,
@ 2008-01-10 13:32:00


Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
BIOGRAPHY.



NAME: Cameron Jacob Stebbins
AGE: 17; born 1 May, 1979 (will turn 18 at the end of his 13th year)
HOUSE/YEAR: Hufflepuff/13
SOCIAL STATUS: Cameron was born to a middle-class family near Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. The Stebbins have just enough money to pay for a Hogwarts education without scholarship (thanks to money inherited from Elaine's parents to pay for the educations of their only grandchildren), but not enough to still live with any sort of wild extravagance. Cameron (please call him Cam) has never needed anything - from food, to shelter (except for the one time that a fire destroyed their kitchen), to clothing and a few select toys - but certainly he has wanted, as most children do. His parents, always frugal, taught him how to save up for whatever he wanted and now, Cameron has a rather comfortable savings account, considering his age. Cameron's mother, Elaine, did not attend Hogwarts and is a nurse, specialising in Paediatrics at the Queen's Medical Centre. His father, Frank, also attended Hogwarts (though on scholarship; his younger brother also attended Hogwarts, much to the delight of their parents) during his youth. Currently, Frank works as an accountant and for the Maths department at the West Bridgford School. Cameron's older brother did not attend Hogwarts; he opted to attend school closer to home. Because of his background, Cameron fits in moderately well with everyone... except for the Hogwarts "Elite". He's a bit judgmental of the incredibly wealthy at the school and does his best to stay away from them as much as possible. They make him slightly uncomfortable, partially because he wishes he fit in better.

APPEARANCE: Blonde hair, usually kept shaggy - but not long enough that it gets in his eyes. Blue eyes. Cameron tops off at 5'10" (177.5 cm) tall, and the last time he weighed himself, he was roughly 185 lbs (about 13 stone), making him slightly stocky. He hasn't always been: during his early teen years, he was lanky and thin, awkward and full of knobby knees and elbows, like many young teenagers. Cameron grew up playing football - or attempting to play - with his older brother Lawrence and his friends. It was one of his only productive forms of entertainment, even though he wasn't very good. Cameron took up tennis when he started at Hogwarts, not coordinated or good enough to make the football or rugby teams, though he wasn't exactly coordinated enough for tennis, either. Over the years, he's filled out (partially in response to finally stopping his growth spurts and to bulking up by running, playing tennis and eating plates of food at home) and he's no longer short and tiny. It helps that he's not among the tallest boys. He's a good-looking young man, and if asked what his favourite physical feature of himself was, he would say either his smile or his eyes.

Cameron dresses like the average 17 year old boy: the classic jeans or dark trousers, t-shirts (many band shirts), jumpers, hooded sweatshirts. He's casual, not caring much about his looks or being overly dressed up unless he absolutely has to (for a band concert, for example). He never sets foot in high-end retail stores or high-end department stores; he also never sets foot into thrift shops. Cameron is careful to make sure he doesn't look poor or terribly outdated, while also being conscious that he not dress up much at all. He doesn't like sticking out. He's usually found, when not in his school uniform (or tennis clothes), with drumsticks in his pocket.

PERSONALITY: Growing up, Cameron was wild and hard to control. He won't admit it, but he was wild in order to get attention. Though he only has his older brother, he's so much younger that the two boys were never very close. His parents were so busy trying to support their family that he was often cast aside and left to fend for himself at an early age, which instilled a sense of independence in him. He was spoiled by both of his living grandparents (as many children are), and he grew up knowing how to get what he wanted. That was how he ended up at Hogwarts: Cameron knew that his father had attended (though on scholarship), knew how prestigious it was, and knew immediately that it would set him apart from his siblings. At ten years old, he wanted nothing more than to be unique. He has idolised his brother from a young age, often following Leopold everywhere and getting into trouble as a result, but because he sees his brother as nearly a god, Cameron aspired to prove himself and make himself seem special, too. As he's grown up, Cameron has calmed down and settled down. He doesn't like drawing as much attention to himself anymore and doesn't like getting into trouble either. He's found other ways to assert himself - on the tennis courts, behind the drumset, through his schoolwork - and doesn't need to be reckless and wild. It didn't help that puberty hit and turned him into a hormonal, awkward teenager, unsure of himself and uncomfortable with his body.

Cameron is an easy-going young man; it takes a lot to rile him up, and he prefers it that way (unless, of course, someone has wronged him, a friend, or has picked on him when he's already having a bad day - then, there's no telling what he might do). His father has a nasty temper, and while Cameron did inherit that (as did his brother, though Cam takes much longer to get angry than either his father or his brother), he tries very hard to stay calm. He hates his temper and hates how it makes him explode. Instead, he releases his stress on the tennis courts and mostly through music. Unfortunately, this means he never really gets over anything that happens and can hold a grudge. He's a quiet boy on the outside, but to friends, he can be boisterous and entertaining, despite claims that he does not have a sense of humour. He's extremely loyal, but mainly to friends he's had since he was three years old. It takes a lot to gain his trust, for no good reason as far as he can tell. He's never been terribly wronged by anyone, he's never been terribly hurt. He's just hard to get to know. Cameron appears to be a serious fellow, and he is... just not as serious as he comes across. He just tends to spend more time thinking than he does talking to other people. Honestly, though, if you get to know him, he's a goofball. He's just decided that being ridiculous and crazy and wild and reckless might not be such a good thing. He is practical, mostly patient, stubborn, silently compassionate and empathetic (though he doesn't know how to express it and tends to be awkward when he tries). Once he has a mind-set or specific goal, it is difficult to change his mind or discourage him. He is very determined to make something of himself.

The young man is hard-working to a fault: between his schoolwork, tennis practice, the jazz band, and whatever other extracurricular activities (from volleyball when he feels like it, to the Film Society, that Cameron feels like getting involved in (he's very easily distracted and flighty when it comes to interests, finding that if it's not football or music, a wide variety of subjects and activities catch his interest at all times), it's a wonder that he manages to get anything done at all, but Cameron is very organised and stays ahead on his schoolwork as much as possible. He does manage to get everything done, often sacrificing sleep so he won't disappoint his parents. He's afraid that his parents will think that they've wasted their money on an elite education for their youngest. He can be selfish, preferring to take care of himself and his own grades before helping others. If he was a striker on the football team, he would definitely be a ball-hog.

Cameron does not understand girls. He's shy, which is a bit strange because he is a fairly good-looking fellow on his best days; he just doesn't know how to handle the attention. Cameron tends to treat girls like "one of the guys" and is completely oblivious to any sort of crushes. It takes a strong-willed and determined girl to get him to open up. He doesn't think he's that interesting.

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS:
LIKES:
- Music: Yes, most teenagers would say they "like" music, but for Cameron, liking music goes beyond simply enjoying the latest album from the Cure, Oasis (he does not like them), Blur, Suede, or even (God forbid) U2, or thinking that London Calling by the Clash is the best album in the entire history of the world. Since he was rubbish at both football and rugby, playing music has given him a position at Hogwarts that, while it doesn't make him the Popular Jock, does give him some sort of status and does make his family proud. Cameron learned how to play the drums at a young age... by starting on pots and pans at the age of three in the kitchen. After seeing his older brother's friend's brother playing a drum set, Cameron demanded to learn, too, and as usual, he got what he wanted. While Cameron is no prodigy, he is talented. If someone was to ask him what type of music is his favourite, he would first look at them as though they were crazy: how in the world would anyone be able to pick just one? And then he would say that he likes British rock and jazz (he sites Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa as two influences).
- Star Wars: Who doesn't like Star Wars? Well, thanks to his older brother's influence, Cameron has seen each of the three Star Wars films a total of 21, 15 and 30 times, respectively (so far). He knows far too much about the movies and wisely avoids talking about it, because one, he rambles on and on about the films and the Star Wars universe, and two, he knows it's bloody annoying (he's been told many times). Because of this obsession, Cameron joined the Film Society in hopes that he would meet other fanatics like himself. He's growing out of the obsession, but he'll defend the films against any criticism.
- His dog, Luke: Named after the one and only Luke Skywalker. Cameron and his family bought the dog when Cameron was eight and a half, and after a few tantrums and whinging for days straight, his parents relented and allowed Cameron to name the dog. At the time, he spent hours pretending that he was Luke Skywalker. [Luke as a puppy]
- Tennis: Okay, so Cameron hasn't always been good at tennis, but he's passionate. After testing it out during his first year at Hogwarts, Cameron's passion for sports transfered from football to tennis, and ever since, he's been working towards being seen as a good player. During his sixth year, he was the fourth seed on the Hufflepuff team... at least, on the men's side. He swears he's gotten even better.
- His brother, Leopold: Cam absolutely idolises his older brother.
- Alcohol: Surprising? Maybe to those who don't know him, or to those he's intentionally kept his drinking from (his parents, Bridgette). Cameron grew up with an older brother and between Leopold, and their older cousin Joshua, Cameron got an early start. He always wanted to fit in with the older crowd, so drinking was one way to do so. He's rarely out of control, though. Parties are a place to socialise... or at least feel as though he's socialising, even if he's standing in the corner with a drink in hand, observing.
Other likes: snowball fights, the sound of the ocean, coffee, a good ale, the Count of Monte Cristo, snogging Miss Fawcett (even though they got caught the one and only time...), Nottingham Forest F.C., T.S. Eliot, 1984, Robin Hood

DISLIKES:
- Chocolate: No, Cameron can't explain why he dislikes chocolate (though it may have something to do with eating nearly an entire chocolate cake on his own - as a dare given by his brother - and then getting sick, but Cameron would claim he hated it before, too, which yes, he knows does not make much sense at all), but he does. Loathes it. He hasn't eaten chocolate in so long that now, he's not sure if he honestly dislikes it or if he says he does just because it confuses everyone and pisses people off. Everyone likes chocolate.
- Airplanes: Cameron has only ridden a plane once in his life, and that was to visit Rome with his family on holiday when he was ten. He quickly discovered that he gets claustrophobic on airplanes. And he really hates turbulence. He's freaked out by the physics of airplanes: though he's researched the mechanics and though he knows that crashes are rare, he can't reason wanting to hurtle through the air at hundreds of miles per hour in a giant metal cylinder weighing several tons. There are plenty of places to visit that are accessible by car or train, thank you very much.
- Socks: Cameron mostly just doesn't like the way socks feel around his ankles. They are itchy and tight. If he could get away with wearing sandals year-round, he would.
- Horses: He got bucked from a horse when he was eight years old. His father wanted him to learn how to play polo and was trying to teach his son how to ride one of his own father's horses (Cameron's paternal grandparents own a small farm and own two horses for manual labour purposes); Cameron has hated horses ever since. They're too smart, too big, too powerful. He doesn't like not feeling in control.
- His brother: Yes, he dislikes his brother as well. Mostly, he dislikes how he'll never, ever, be as successful, as attractive, as charming, as interesting, as funny, as athletic, as intelligent... so on... as his brother. At least, in his eyes. In reality, his brother isn't as great as Cameron thinks - and Cam knows this, and hates his brother more for making him so irrational.
- Homework: ... because it gets in the way of tennis practice and jazz band practice (or do those get in the way of doing his homework?).
Other dislikes include: Oasis, vodka, gossip, bad poetry, Star Trek, good poetry, Geoffrey Chaucer, most Shakespeare.

INSIDE SCOOP:
- Cameron has never had a girlfriend. [AT LEAST NOT BEFORE HIS 13th YEAR!] ... This isn't news. The thing is that despite never having had a girlfriend, he's snogged a few girls (nothing to write home about, really), and over the latest summer holidays, while visiting his relatives in Ireland, he got drunk with his older cousin and wound up in bed with his cousin's girlfriend. ... Oops? No no, they didn't have sex. Actually, Cameron can't really remember what happened, but he's assuming that if they had shagged, he would have known about it. Neither of them mentioned it to anyone, and she went on to continue dating Cameron's cousin.
- That he's attending Hogwarts in large part because, after his maternal grandparents died within months of each other, their large estate was sold, split up among Cameron's mother and two siblings, and then it was discovered that his grandparents had specific instructions for the use of their money: it was all to go to the education of their five grandchildren (the money that had been set aside for Madeline was split between Cameron and his brother). They had set up bank accounts for each grandchild, and with the profits from selling the estate and nearly everything in it that no one wanted, there was enough for Cameron's parents to pay for a Hogwarts education without being too strapped for cash. His closest friends might know, but no one else does.
- He has big feet. And you know what they say about blokes with big feet...
- He doesn't like horses (see above). It embarrasses him, so he doesn't tell anyone. He just avoids all horses at all times.
- He sings - but only when drunk.
- Secretly? Cameron has a stash of Jane Austen novels in his trunk.
- Sometimes he wishes that his brother had died instead.
- "Often makes up in the middle of the night sweaty and moaning. Next day, eyes all things made of gold warily" ... because he has a very powerful fantasy of girls dressed as Princess Leia... in the gold bikini.

HISTORY
Elaine Doran and Frank Stebbins met at a wedding for one of Frank's cousins when Elaine was 23 and Frank was 24. Elaine was dating another one of Frank's cousins and attended as his date. Though the pretty young woman was attached to his cousin, Frank set his sights on her immediately. He didn't make a move that night, other than simply striking up a conversation while his cousin went to get them drinks at the reception (which then turned into a dance or two, with his cousin's permission). Afterwards, they stayed in touch, and only after Elaine broke up with Frank's cousin (who had been cheating on her) did Frank ask her out. The two enjoyed a three year relationship before getting engaged, and were married six months after that, when Elaine was 28 and Frank was 29. Their first child, Leopold, was born two years later, and Cameron followed after four more years. Between the births of their sons, Elaine and Frank had a daughter, but Madeline Stebbins passed away when Cameron was two years old. The only images that Cameron has of his sister are from photographs and even then, he is not sure how many of the memories are real, authentic memories, or memories of stories that his relatives told. His parents don't talk about it much. For years, all Cameron knew was that her death had been sudden, he didn't know what. Later, he found out that she had died as a result of an automobile accident in April: a reckless, young driver hit her as she crossed the street in front of her house, chasing a neighbour's dog that had gotten loose. The pavement was wet following a recent rainfall - and though angry, Cameron's parents did not want to take away the future of yet another child by asking for a severe punishment. The fact that the young man's actions had killed a child would haunt him enough. Her death led Cameron's parents to sell their house in Carlton, a suburb of Nottingham, and move into a house in Nottingham City Centre.

Growing up, Cameron could never decide whether he felt as though he actually had a brother or whether he felt like an only child. His brother, Leo, is six years older than Cameron, which meant that when Leo wasn't pointedly ignoring him, he was actively protecting him from bullies. Cameron grew up idolising his brother. He followed Leopold nearly everywhere, often getting in trouble (and getting injured) because he was trying to act older than his age. Once Leopold became a teenager, he stopped tolerating his much younger brother's antics and the way that Cameron tagged along. In reality, though Cameron hasn't seen it, Leo has always doted upon and adored his brother, in his own special big brother sort of way. Because they lost their sister, Leo always felt the need to be more careful with Cameron, but eventually, even that became difficult. In response, Cameron would act out, throwing tantrums and being generally surly when he wasn't getting his way. When he was, he would rarely sit still. He was always an attentive student in primary school, though.

His brother introduced him to a variety of interests: football (namely, Nottingham Forest F.C. - their favourite team), Star Wars, jazz and percussion. After watching his older brother and his friends, Cameron attempted to play football as well, but he was never very good. He was too clumsy and too easily distracted, and his lack of skill made his attention wane even more than usual. When he was ten, his older brother's friend created a band and Cameron watched in awe. Specifically, he watched the drummer, fascinated. Subsequently, Cameron demanded a drum set and lessons, which his parents reluctantly paid for. Anything to give him a release, to keep him occupied, and he was happy, to boot.

He never really knew his maternal grandparents; they lived in Ireland, and he didn't see them often. He has a few fond memories of them: of the smell of his grandfather's pipe, the warmth of his grandmother's hugs, how his grandfather would tell him stories of his military service (though when Cameron looks back, he tends to think that he only remembers other people telling stories). His grandfather passed away when Cameron was nine years old, of lung cancer; his grandmother died a few months after that. Following their deaths, it was discovered that they had set up trusts for each of their grandchildren, for whatever the child so wished, unless they were under the age of eighteen at the time of their grandparents' deaths... in which case, the money was to be used for their education. Cameron knew that his father had attended Hogwarts College. His father had many stories, but had never insisted that either of his sons follow in his footsteps, knowing well that it would be a struggle for either to attend. Leo was already settled in school, so his portion went to his future university tuition. Cameron, on the other hand, immediately recognised it as an opportunity to impress his father. Even at a young age, he was a determined person. His parents weren't sure that pursuing an education at Hogwarts was a good idea, but Cameron applied himself to his studies and got accepted. He pulled a guilt trip on his parents to convince them to let him go: he said that his grandparents would have wanted him to have the best education possible. His paternal grandparents, both still living, supported his efforts whole-heartedly and in the end, Cameron's parents relented. If it would make their son happy, so be it.

Cameron arrived at Hogwarts with wide-eyes, excited for a change and excited for the chance to stand out. He was placed into Hufflepuff and immediately found that he fit in well. Other members of his house became his closest friends immediately, the ones who knew him best and could bring him out of his shell. Over the years, the other members of the jazz band and the tennis team also got to see the side of him that he kept hidden. They, too, became his friends, through common interests and mutual respect for music and, well, through spending a majority of their time together. It was a funny thing: the previously wild boy became more reserved around all of the unfamiliar faces. He was intimidated by the older students, by the wealthier ones, by the smarter ones, by the athletes... by everyone, really. Forced to pick up a sport, Cameron turned to tennis, originally thinking that it would be easy. He found that it wasn't easy at all... and that he liked it. No, loved it. Early on, he wasn't very good at that either; his big feet and pencil-thin legs with knobby knees made him slow on the court, until he hit growth spurts and puberty. Cameron also began haunting the Wagner School of Music, practicing on his own time and gaining enough notoriety that he was able to join the jazz band during his third year. He was a quick learner on the drums.

Puberty-- it changes all teenagers, but it had a dramatic effect on Cameron. Suddenly, he was taller and gaining weight, which meant he wasn't a scrawny kid anymore. He got more attention from girls, which he didn't know what to do with. One would have thought that growing into his body would have made him more outgoing and confident; in reality, Cameron became more quiet and reserved. His wild ways were mostly over, and why? It would have drawn attention to him when he wasn't comfortable with himself anymore. Cameron fell into music, tennis and his courses hard in response. Cameron has grown to love Hogwarts and the opportunities that the education will given him, despite having no idea what he wants to do afterwards. When choosing courses, Cameron stuck to the basics at first, and later branched out to topics he was already good at: mainly psychology, music, history. Cameron figures he'll sort it all out in university. He tries not to spend much time dwelling on it.

FAMILY
Frank Stebbins - father; Elaine Stebbins (nee Doran) - mother; Leopold Stebbins [age 23?] - brother; Madeleine Stebbins [deceased]
Joshua Doran - cousin

RELATIONSHIPS
Sexual Orienation: Heterosexual
Significant Other: OCTAVIA FINALLY?
Crush: See above
Best Friends: Apollo Oldridge, Octavia Fancourt
Friends: Matthew Bates, Geoffrey Hooper, Malcolm Summerby, Bridgette Dunstan, Jack Sloper, Eloise Midgen, all other 13th year Hufflepuffs, etc etc, TBA.
Acquaintances: all remaining Hufflepuffs, Melinda Bobbin, Anthony Goldstein, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, etc etc?
Enemies:

EXTRACURRICULARS
Tennis (year-round)
Music (year-round): jazz band & wind orchestra (desperate to play in The Wagner Musical Ensemble again)
occasionally dabbles in photography and ceramics when the mood strikes
Societies: Film, Music, History

A-LEVEL COURSES
MUSIC: T/TH 9AM-11:15AM
PSYCHOLOGY: M/W 2PM-4:15PM
HISTORY: F 8AM-12:30PM

OOC
player: Laura; [info]onethingreal; livejournal
PB: Mike Vogel
disclaimer: sooooo not J.K. Rowling; Stebbins & HP universe belong to her, am just doing this for entertainment purposes, no profit will be made, etc etc.




CONTINUED FROM drumsunlimited@gj


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