Post by szyren on Mar 11, 2008 22:41:11 GMT -5
Character Basics
Full Name: Clarette Gravois
Nickname(s): Clare
Birthday: March 13th
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Desired Position: Dancer/ Chorus
Character Information
Appearance:
Hair so blond it’s almost white,
Skin porcelain pale, untouched by light,
Fragile beauty, dainty grace,
Dark glass eyes in a doll-like face.
ravello.deviantart.com/art/honest-69055085
(The image isn't mine, and its too big for this space, so click on the link!)
Personality: Clarette Gravois has always had the air of someone easily and often overlooked and underestimated. She shies from the lime-light. She has a sharp mind that works best behind the scenes, and she enjoys being in the know. She is intuitive. She has a restlessness that is often misinterpreted as nervousness. One of her topmost desires is to be useful, and she tries earnestly to please those who ask things of her, though this is not to say that she would do anything to make someone else happy. She has a well defined set of personal morals, though she doesn’t expect them to apply to anyone else. She is compassionate and empathetic, and cannot bear to witness cruelty, especially when it is within her power to prevent it. However, if cruelty is dealt her, she has an odd way of quietly accepting it without taking it personally. She seeks peace with herself and the world, which she finds especially while she’s dancing. She is creative and deliberate, and often takes time for herself to express herself creatively, whether it be through art or song, and is hesitant to take decisive action without considering alternatives. She has a tendency to be superstitious and idealistic, though she is reasonable. She is susceptible to ghost stories and fantasies, and almost anxious to believe in them.
History: Clarette Gravois was born to Vicomtess Celeste Laroche de Soule and Henry Gravois on March 13th in Soule. Because of her mother’s marriage to a common man, Clarette was to be denied her mother’s title. Her parents’ marriage was born of love; Celeste would have happily relinquished her title as well, had it been required. Soon after her birth, her parents left the province and ancestral home of her mother and took up residence in Gonesse, just outside of Paris, where they were privy to the upper-class Paris life, but not trapped in the hub of the city. Clarette only met her mother’s side of the family on a few occasions, but her Uncle, the Comte de Soule, always had a soft spot for his niece; and his daughter, Mirielle, who was of the same age, got on well with her cousin.
Her education and care were seen to personally by her mother who refused to let her daughter be raised by a nanny and a tutor. Because of this, Clarette developed and flourished under her mother’s wings and the bond between them was great and impenetrable. Clarette was schooled in art and music from the very first days of her education, and she displayed great talents artistically. She matured into a kind, polite, and thoughtful young lady, and though she was no doubt pampered, she was never spoiled.
Her father, a merchant, was around only rarely; his business took him away for great lengths of time. Because he was very successful, his wife and daughter never wanted for money. But, though she was blessed because she knew her mother so well, she lacked the sternness in her upbringing that a male influence would have provided, so Clarette grew idealistic and prone to get lost in her own dreams and fantasies.
However, life changed very abruptly for Clarette soon after her seventh birthday.
Her mother had become pregnant only six months earlier, but the pregnancy was complicated, and Celeste was bedridden. The baby was born two months premature, small and quiet. They named him Acel. He died three weeks after he was born. Celeste, already sick from the early childbirth, grieved for weeks after the death of her son. She was inconsolable, and refused to see anyone. Clarette was too young to comprehend the depth of her mother’s sorrow. Henry was called away on business, and though he mourned to go, he left Celeste and Clarette with a promise to be back quickly.
While he was away, Clarette’s mother seemed to shed her state of woe, and made herself constantly busy doing menial tasks around the house, talking to herself fervently and not responding to any of Clarette’s attempts to gain her attention or win some affection. While dusting, she knocked over a vase and thoughtlessly began picking up the pieces, cutting her hands on shards. A servant found her, a bloody mess, and called for a doctor who was quick to claim that Celeste had lost her mind with grief. He mandated that Celeste be locked in her room until Henry’s return, at which time they would decide what to do with her permanently.
Clarette was heartbroken to be deprived of her mother, and snuck into her mother’s room early the morning her father was to return.
A servant found Celeste wandering the hallway that morning, with no recollection of who or where she was, or of her daughter at all. Clarette was found under the bed, unconscious, hand shaped bruises forming around her neck and a small pool of blood at her head. Her mother had not recognized her, had thought she was being attacked, and had attempted to strangle Clarette who only managed to escape by sliding under the bed where her mother would not fit, hitting her head on the metal frame and falling unconscious from the trauma.
Celeste was bound to a mental house, Henry stayed at home as little as possible, horrified to be reminded of his wife, and had Clarette sent away to boarding school. At first, she made no friends at school and found solace only in drawing and being alone. She felt bereaved of her mother and could not be comforted. She would never blame Celeste for the things she did in her insanity. Her professor’s feared for her mentality, and went out of their way to accommodate seven year old Clarette, taking her to shows and operas where she fell in love with the dancing. Her area of interest shifted, she was enrolled in dancing classes in which she thrived, and for the first time since her mother’s illness, she was truly happy. She began to make friends, though was never a leader amongst them and was always easily influenced. Her relationship with her father, however, would always be strained.
At the age of 18, upon the completion of her education, her father allowed her to become employed at a small play house in Paris. Soon after her arrival, she was seen by a patroness of a certain other venue, who suggested to her that she seek employment elsewhere, where her talents wouldn’t be wasted. Clarette took the patroness’ advice, and so she found herself dancing on stage in the renowned and newly renovated Paris Opera House, living in the dormitory’s with the other dancers, monopolizing small corners during those times she desire’s solitude, keeping her ears and eyes always open for her own fantastical imaginings.
Random Info
Likes: Dancing, Singing, Drawing, Not being in the Lime-Light, Being behind the scenes, Intellectuals, Being in the know, Dark Corners, Riddles, Sunlight, Pretty Dresses, Honesty, Being useful, Nursing sick/crippled animals
Dislikes: Stupid People, Leading, Being the center of attention, Being lied to, Intentional Cruelty, The Obvious, Know-it-alls, Pedantry
Fears: Lime-Light, Not being useful, Failure
Habits: Being Vague or Sarcastic, Talking to herself, Daydreaming
Family
Parents: Henry Gravois (Father), Vicomtess Celeste Laroche de Soule (Mother – Presumed Dead)
Sibling(s): Acel Gravios (Baby Brother - Deceased)
Relative(s): Comte Frederic Laroche de Soule (Uncle), Mirielle Laroche de Soule (Cousin)
Other
Custom Title: The Smoke in the Mirror
The magic word: Inside my mind
Role Play Sample:
‘The Phantom of the Opera’, they had said, and the words plagued her as she lay in bed, listening to the sounds of the other girls sleeping. They must have been joking, Clarette tried to reason, but the thought was planted firmly in her mind. A Phantom, haunting the dark recesses of the opera house, lurking in the shadows. He was a legend, and as legend’s go, there were so many different stories about what he actually was.
They had let mention of him slip so carelessly, the girl’s she had been practicing with that afternoon. But once she heard it, she had to know more about it. Adielle said he was truly a ghost, but Jeanne had corrected her quickly, and Jeanne was so sure of herself. “Half ghost, half man,” she had said. “He can float through walls, he can fly. He lives under the opera house, in the very catacombs we walk over now. I have it on good authority that he was dead, once, but he made a deal with the devil to come back and play his music forever. They say he’s a genius.”
Clarette reached under her bed and pulled out her sketch book and a coal pencil, flipped open to a clean page, and began to sketch. Her parchment only illuminated by a shard of light coming in through the open window, she drew quick, clear lines. Her hand flew over the paper almost wistfully, pausing sometimes at great lengths while she racked the entirety of her mind for what this Opera Ghost must really be. A man slowly began to take shape on the page. One half of his face was angelic and perfect, the other was twisted and evil. His eyes were dark, she was sure, like her own, and full of his own personal mystery. He was long, elegant, and yet there was something off about him that suggested something horrible must surely lurk within his debonair exterior. His legs disappeared in the sweep of a raven cloak. She studied it once she had finished. Lit only by moonlight, he was gorgeous. Half human, half ghost. I think I could love a man like this.
Full Name: Clarette Gravois
Nickname(s): Clare
Birthday: March 13th
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Desired Position: Dancer/ Chorus
Character Information
Appearance:
Hair so blond it’s almost white,
Skin porcelain pale, untouched by light,
Fragile beauty, dainty grace,
Dark glass eyes in a doll-like face.
ravello.deviantart.com/art/honest-69055085
(The image isn't mine, and its too big for this space, so click on the link!)
Personality: Clarette Gravois has always had the air of someone easily and often overlooked and underestimated. She shies from the lime-light. She has a sharp mind that works best behind the scenes, and she enjoys being in the know. She is intuitive. She has a restlessness that is often misinterpreted as nervousness. One of her topmost desires is to be useful, and she tries earnestly to please those who ask things of her, though this is not to say that she would do anything to make someone else happy. She has a well defined set of personal morals, though she doesn’t expect them to apply to anyone else. She is compassionate and empathetic, and cannot bear to witness cruelty, especially when it is within her power to prevent it. However, if cruelty is dealt her, she has an odd way of quietly accepting it without taking it personally. She seeks peace with herself and the world, which she finds especially while she’s dancing. She is creative and deliberate, and often takes time for herself to express herself creatively, whether it be through art or song, and is hesitant to take decisive action without considering alternatives. She has a tendency to be superstitious and idealistic, though she is reasonable. She is susceptible to ghost stories and fantasies, and almost anxious to believe in them.
History: Clarette Gravois was born to Vicomtess Celeste Laroche de Soule and Henry Gravois on March 13th in Soule. Because of her mother’s marriage to a common man, Clarette was to be denied her mother’s title. Her parents’ marriage was born of love; Celeste would have happily relinquished her title as well, had it been required. Soon after her birth, her parents left the province and ancestral home of her mother and took up residence in Gonesse, just outside of Paris, where they were privy to the upper-class Paris life, but not trapped in the hub of the city. Clarette only met her mother’s side of the family on a few occasions, but her Uncle, the Comte de Soule, always had a soft spot for his niece; and his daughter, Mirielle, who was of the same age, got on well with her cousin.
Her education and care were seen to personally by her mother who refused to let her daughter be raised by a nanny and a tutor. Because of this, Clarette developed and flourished under her mother’s wings and the bond between them was great and impenetrable. Clarette was schooled in art and music from the very first days of her education, and she displayed great talents artistically. She matured into a kind, polite, and thoughtful young lady, and though she was no doubt pampered, she was never spoiled.
Her father, a merchant, was around only rarely; his business took him away for great lengths of time. Because he was very successful, his wife and daughter never wanted for money. But, though she was blessed because she knew her mother so well, she lacked the sternness in her upbringing that a male influence would have provided, so Clarette grew idealistic and prone to get lost in her own dreams and fantasies.
However, life changed very abruptly for Clarette soon after her seventh birthday.
Her mother had become pregnant only six months earlier, but the pregnancy was complicated, and Celeste was bedridden. The baby was born two months premature, small and quiet. They named him Acel. He died three weeks after he was born. Celeste, already sick from the early childbirth, grieved for weeks after the death of her son. She was inconsolable, and refused to see anyone. Clarette was too young to comprehend the depth of her mother’s sorrow. Henry was called away on business, and though he mourned to go, he left Celeste and Clarette with a promise to be back quickly.
While he was away, Clarette’s mother seemed to shed her state of woe, and made herself constantly busy doing menial tasks around the house, talking to herself fervently and not responding to any of Clarette’s attempts to gain her attention or win some affection. While dusting, she knocked over a vase and thoughtlessly began picking up the pieces, cutting her hands on shards. A servant found her, a bloody mess, and called for a doctor who was quick to claim that Celeste had lost her mind with grief. He mandated that Celeste be locked in her room until Henry’s return, at which time they would decide what to do with her permanently.
Clarette was heartbroken to be deprived of her mother, and snuck into her mother’s room early the morning her father was to return.
A servant found Celeste wandering the hallway that morning, with no recollection of who or where she was, or of her daughter at all. Clarette was found under the bed, unconscious, hand shaped bruises forming around her neck and a small pool of blood at her head. Her mother had not recognized her, had thought she was being attacked, and had attempted to strangle Clarette who only managed to escape by sliding under the bed where her mother would not fit, hitting her head on the metal frame and falling unconscious from the trauma.
Celeste was bound to a mental house, Henry stayed at home as little as possible, horrified to be reminded of his wife, and had Clarette sent away to boarding school. At first, she made no friends at school and found solace only in drawing and being alone. She felt bereaved of her mother and could not be comforted. She would never blame Celeste for the things she did in her insanity. Her professor’s feared for her mentality, and went out of their way to accommodate seven year old Clarette, taking her to shows and operas where she fell in love with the dancing. Her area of interest shifted, she was enrolled in dancing classes in which she thrived, and for the first time since her mother’s illness, she was truly happy. She began to make friends, though was never a leader amongst them and was always easily influenced. Her relationship with her father, however, would always be strained.
At the age of 18, upon the completion of her education, her father allowed her to become employed at a small play house in Paris. Soon after her arrival, she was seen by a patroness of a certain other venue, who suggested to her that she seek employment elsewhere, where her talents wouldn’t be wasted. Clarette took the patroness’ advice, and so she found herself dancing on stage in the renowned and newly renovated Paris Opera House, living in the dormitory’s with the other dancers, monopolizing small corners during those times she desire’s solitude, keeping her ears and eyes always open for her own fantastical imaginings.
Random Info
Likes: Dancing, Singing, Drawing, Not being in the Lime-Light, Being behind the scenes, Intellectuals, Being in the know, Dark Corners, Riddles, Sunlight, Pretty Dresses, Honesty, Being useful, Nursing sick/crippled animals
Dislikes: Stupid People, Leading, Being the center of attention, Being lied to, Intentional Cruelty, The Obvious, Know-it-alls, Pedantry
Fears: Lime-Light, Not being useful, Failure
Habits: Being Vague or Sarcastic, Talking to herself, Daydreaming
Family
Parents: Henry Gravois (Father), Vicomtess Celeste Laroche de Soule (Mother – Presumed Dead)
Sibling(s): Acel Gravios (Baby Brother - Deceased)
Relative(s): Comte Frederic Laroche de Soule (Uncle), Mirielle Laroche de Soule (Cousin)
Other
Custom Title: The Smoke in the Mirror
The magic word: Inside my mind
Role Play Sample:
‘The Phantom of the Opera’, they had said, and the words plagued her as she lay in bed, listening to the sounds of the other girls sleeping. They must have been joking, Clarette tried to reason, but the thought was planted firmly in her mind. A Phantom, haunting the dark recesses of the opera house, lurking in the shadows. He was a legend, and as legend’s go, there were so many different stories about what he actually was.
They had let mention of him slip so carelessly, the girl’s she had been practicing with that afternoon. But once she heard it, she had to know more about it. Adielle said he was truly a ghost, but Jeanne had corrected her quickly, and Jeanne was so sure of herself. “Half ghost, half man,” she had said. “He can float through walls, he can fly. He lives under the opera house, in the very catacombs we walk over now. I have it on good authority that he was dead, once, but he made a deal with the devil to come back and play his music forever. They say he’s a genius.”
Clarette reached under her bed and pulled out her sketch book and a coal pencil, flipped open to a clean page, and began to sketch. Her parchment only illuminated by a shard of light coming in through the open window, she drew quick, clear lines. Her hand flew over the paper almost wistfully, pausing sometimes at great lengths while she racked the entirety of her mind for what this Opera Ghost must really be. A man slowly began to take shape on the page. One half of his face was angelic and perfect, the other was twisted and evil. His eyes were dark, she was sure, like her own, and full of his own personal mystery. He was long, elegant, and yet there was something off about him that suggested something horrible must surely lurk within his debonair exterior. His legs disappeared in the sweep of a raven cloak. She studied it once she had finished. Lit only by moonlight, he was gorgeous. Half human, half ghost. I think I could love a man like this.