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Jan. 22nd, 2012 07:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ourquarrelwiththefoeOOC;
Name: Sam.
Personal LJ/DW: N/A.
Contact:theill-madeknight
IC;
Character Name: Matthew Williams
Country represented: Canada
Birthday: 1 July, 1990
Age: 20
Occupation: Student in English literature.
Residence: The cheapest flat he can find, for now, populated almost exclusively with second hand IKEA furniture and pervaded with the scent of instant noodles, as one would expect from a college student.
Ten True Facts About Your Character;
1) Matthew is a student first and foremost. He grew up in an environment in which a high amount of pressure was placed on both he and his peers to do well in school first, and everything else second. While he's largely grown out of the mentality that if he doesn't do well in classes, he's not doing well in life, he still very highly values his education--enough to leave his native Newfoundland in favour of Hartsbridge, a university who's said to have an excellent English literature programme.
2) That said, he can still be social when he wants to be. His brand of socialisation is very particular though--he prefers small groups to large ones, and parties that can be contained to the house more than those in clubs. In addition to that, there does come a point when he'll politely excuse himself from just about any social gathering he feels has become too clausterphobic or that he's been at for too long. Socialisation in small amounts, really.
3) He has a passing fondness for linguistics. Not as something he'd want to study in professional context or make a career out of, but just as something that fascinates him. He's bilingual, speaking both French and English fluently due to immersion programmes from the sixth grade onward, and has considered taking another language if he can manage it.
4) He stammered as a child. Not severely, even then, and something that he was trained out of by adolescence, but it can come back if he's overly excited or nervous. He does not stutter frequently, or habitually, and when he notices that he is, he'll immediately stop and calm down so as not to embarrass himself. He sees it as an annoying habit left over from childhood, something that he would very much like to be rid of. He's especially careful of it in debates--his arguments are always as level-headed and calmly delivered as is possible, so as not to humiliate himself.
5) Matthew is quiet. That doesn't mean he is meek, nor is he particularly shy. If anything, he tends to be sarcastic, with a very dry sense of humour, all the while maintaining the appearance of the quintessential Quiet Young Man. If he has an opinion on a subject--especially if it's something that matters to him--he has no qualms about stating that opinion. But he's not argumentative. He doesn't seek to create conflict, but to provoke debate. So any opinions, rebuttals, et cetera, are always carefully and politely phrased. Debating literature and politics and things of a similar nature is fun to him, but only in a casual context. He doesn't want to start trouble or any genuine arguments. Alienating people that would offer interesting discussion is the exact opposite of what he wants to do.
6) Why literature? It's a question he gets a lot, by his parents occasionally, though they're supportive, and by his peers. He knows he could have done something else, picked another major that could have been more beneficial towards a long term career. But English was always Matthew's strong point in school, even if he did decently at most things. (Excepting math.) But it was the books read in English classes that really appealed to him. He liked the way words flowed and how a careful student could pick a story down to its bare bones, and find meaning in it. If he's feeling sappy enough, he'd probably wax poetic about it.
7) He's slow to anger, but he'll hold a grudge for ages. He knows it's a poor trait, and a bad habit, and that he should really work on fixing that. But at the same time, he feels the first bit makes up for the second. If you're rude enough to keep at something long enough to make him angry, you probably deserve the grudge. Even when he's angry, he tends not to explode, though. His temper is far colder, and he's far more inclined to walk away than to say something he'd regret later, grudge or not. He can recognise, though, that just keeping pent up anger laying around is counterproductive--once he's willing to speak with someone again, he'll work it out in words first. If he says there are no hard feelings, there's a decent chance he's lying--he's certainly not going to forget a slight that quickly. Forgive for one, sure, but not forget.
8) He can be incredibly tight fisted with money. What college student isn't? Overall, he tends to eat at home, spend the weekends in his flat, and spends an awful lot of time at the library. When he does splurge, it's usually for a very good reason, on something that will pay for itself in the long term. He has an E-reader, for example, so he can get the required reading for his classes considerably cheaper. He's more likely to spend big bucks on technology than on anything else--if he's going to buy something like that, he wants it to remain in perfect working condition for as long as possible. In addition to all that, he's an avid thrifter, clips coupons when he can, and has become a master at the art of cooking Kraft dinner to perfection.
9) He is very much pleased to be here. His family life was less than stellar, and though his parents were supportive for the most part, there was also an incredibly amount of pressure to do well, and well was synonymous with "better than everyone else." His mother being a French-Canadian debutante, and his father a member of the proletariat, he was instilled with the belief at an early age that success was the only option. Alongside some minor perfectionist inclinations (why do it at all if it's not done right?), he still has a tendency--a bad habit, he considers it--to look for approval from his parents, despite wanting for the independence that attending Hartsbridge University and studying the subject of his choice has given him. He knows they don't think English literature is going to get him any sort of career, and he even agrees with them to some extent. But as of now, he intends to go to graduate school. A man can't live off of Shakespeare and Atwood and Dostoevsky alone.
10. If it weren't obvious already, Matthew is at university to study. Everything after that is a bonus. He'd like to make friends, absolutely. He feels like he's got a lot to say, and not all that much time to say it, so he'd much rather fall into the background of any existing social scene for now. He's in some terribly premature midlife crisis right now, caught between wanting to do something great and influential with his life--something he's pretty damn sure he can't achieve--and settling for a steady job and being able to regularly pay rent. He internalizes the majority of these concerns, and is procrastinating on all of it right now, in favour of dealing with his studies. His social life, parental concerns, career concerns, the lot of it, can wait until later. For now he'd settle for the occasional coffee shop meet-up or study date.
Writing Sample;
He'd been filled with something like trepedition since arriving at the airport, something he didn't quite have a word for, like climbing to the peak of a mountain or watching a sunrise, or being on the verge of something big and scary and horrifying, but being excited about it. There was probably a word for it, in some language he didn't know. English, for all he loved it dearly, could be terribly limiting in some respects.
Matthew was standing on the verge of something, though, perhaps not anything big, or groundbreaking, and nothing that would change the world, but his arrival in Hartsbridge began a new chapter of his life--away, finally, from everything that had been familiar. A small dose of culture shock, nothing left to clutch at.
But he was glad of it nonetheless, pleased to make the acquaintance of a city he'd never seen. Those first few days he devoted to wandering the town, getting the feel of it, learning the alleys and parks and where the best coffee could be bought. There would be people to meet later--for now, he was pleased enough with learning the nooks and crannies of the city.
It was within those first few days that he learned the disparities between house and home, as well. A home could be made, and make it he did. Cast-offs and a coffee pot, a cramped and dusty apartement--cheap as they come--made into a tiny haven and a place of respite. He ran errands--learned who sold groceries and where they were cheapest, learned how multicultural the city was. Which restaurants were good to go and where the most inexpensive takeout was. The diners and shops that catered to students and which would give discounts. All important knowledge, something he'd taken for granted back home. There had never been any necessity for exploration, there--he'd grown up knowing which supermarket sold the pre-made sandwiches and where the good Indian restaurants were. All without even knowing that he knew.
And perhaps it was only the very smallest, most pathetic of things, the pride that came along with being able to get to the drug store and back, and it was neither great nor grand, but it was his now, and this was a home he'd managed to find. And Matthew found that he liked it this way.
IC Survey;
1.) Introduce yourself in a few sentences!
Ah--there's not much to introduce, really. My name's Matthew Williams, I'm from Canada, and I'm here at Hartsbridge to study English literature. Other than that, I'm not sure what to say.
2.) What's your greatest dream in life?
To be able to decide on a greatest dream.
3.) What is your biggest pet peeve?
I'll admit to having very little tolerance for rude people. Everything would run so much smoother if we all just had a bit of common courtesy, you know?
4.) Why did you come to Hartsbridge?
For the rocking party scene. I'm just such a social animal.
All kidding aside, the university has a good reputation, and it was preferable to the colleges back home.
5.) Do you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist? Why?
Hmm. It's not something I think of very often. I think I would consider myself a realistic optimist. Because things can seem dismal at times, but that doesn't mean it won't get better.
6.) Do you prefer functionality or style, and why?
Functionality, definitely. I don't care if something looks nice, I just want it to work.
7.) What are two of your best qualities? Two of your worst?
Oh, wow. Uh, this is starting to sound sort of like an advert for some cheesy dating site. Ironic as it is to list as a good quality, I'm quite modest. And I help my friends out whenever they need a hand. There aren't so many of them that I'd want to alienate them by failing to lend a hand. As for worst, I hold a mean grudge. And I can be terribly selfish in certain contexts, but who isn't? Oh--and I'm not very punctual, but that's more like a bad habit.
8.) What was your childhood like? Did you get along well with any siblings you had? What about your parents?
One sibling, a brother, though it's all a bit complicated. Parents separated and we grew up in different homes--he's here at Hartsbrige, actually. We got along well enough--if I'd had a sister, we would have been the perfect nuclear family. Grew up in the suburbs, and all that fun stuff. There's not a lot to say, I think. We see each other on breaks and holidays but don't talk much outside of that.
9.) What is your happiest memory?
Graduating high school with the knowledge that I had been accepted to a university with a good English lit programme. It was sort of like job security, except education. And it meant that I was going to get to see places I wouldn't have, otherwise, so yes, that's probably among the greatest I can think of off the top of my head.
10.) Describe yourself physically.
Uh--I'm pretty tall, I guess, if I could correct my posture. And my hair's getting a little too long, to the point where I have to pull it back usually. I have glasses--really near sighted. I'm not all that interesting to look at.
Name: Sam.
Personal LJ/DW: N/A.
Contact:theill-madeknight
IC;
Character Name: Matthew Williams
Country represented: Canada
Birthday: 1 July, 1990
Age: 20
Occupation: Student in English literature.
Residence: The cheapest flat he can find, for now, populated almost exclusively with second hand IKEA furniture and pervaded with the scent of instant noodles, as one would expect from a college student.
Ten True Facts About Your Character;
1) Matthew is a student first and foremost. He grew up in an environment in which a high amount of pressure was placed on both he and his peers to do well in school first, and everything else second. While he's largely grown out of the mentality that if he doesn't do well in classes, he's not doing well in life, he still very highly values his education--enough to leave his native Newfoundland in favour of Hartsbridge, a university who's said to have an excellent English literature programme.
2) That said, he can still be social when he wants to be. His brand of socialisation is very particular though--he prefers small groups to large ones, and parties that can be contained to the house more than those in clubs. In addition to that, there does come a point when he'll politely excuse himself from just about any social gathering he feels has become too clausterphobic or that he's been at for too long. Socialisation in small amounts, really.
3) He has a passing fondness for linguistics. Not as something he'd want to study in professional context or make a career out of, but just as something that fascinates him. He's bilingual, speaking both French and English fluently due to immersion programmes from the sixth grade onward, and has considered taking another language if he can manage it.
4) He stammered as a child. Not severely, even then, and something that he was trained out of by adolescence, but it can come back if he's overly excited or nervous. He does not stutter frequently, or habitually, and when he notices that he is, he'll immediately stop and calm down so as not to embarrass himself. He sees it as an annoying habit left over from childhood, something that he would very much like to be rid of. He's especially careful of it in debates--his arguments are always as level-headed and calmly delivered as is possible, so as not to humiliate himself.
5) Matthew is quiet. That doesn't mean he is meek, nor is he particularly shy. If anything, he tends to be sarcastic, with a very dry sense of humour, all the while maintaining the appearance of the quintessential Quiet Young Man. If he has an opinion on a subject--especially if it's something that matters to him--he has no qualms about stating that opinion. But he's not argumentative. He doesn't seek to create conflict, but to provoke debate. So any opinions, rebuttals, et cetera, are always carefully and politely phrased. Debating literature and politics and things of a similar nature is fun to him, but only in a casual context. He doesn't want to start trouble or any genuine arguments. Alienating people that would offer interesting discussion is the exact opposite of what he wants to do.
6) Why literature? It's a question he gets a lot, by his parents occasionally, though they're supportive, and by his peers. He knows he could have done something else, picked another major that could have been more beneficial towards a long term career. But English was always Matthew's strong point in school, even if he did decently at most things. (Excepting math.) But it was the books read in English classes that really appealed to him. He liked the way words flowed and how a careful student could pick a story down to its bare bones, and find meaning in it. If he's feeling sappy enough, he'd probably wax poetic about it.
7) He's slow to anger, but he'll hold a grudge for ages. He knows it's a poor trait, and a bad habit, and that he should really work on fixing that. But at the same time, he feels the first bit makes up for the second. If you're rude enough to keep at something long enough to make him angry, you probably deserve the grudge. Even when he's angry, he tends not to explode, though. His temper is far colder, and he's far more inclined to walk away than to say something he'd regret later, grudge or not. He can recognise, though, that just keeping pent up anger laying around is counterproductive--once he's willing to speak with someone again, he'll work it out in words first. If he says there are no hard feelings, there's a decent chance he's lying--he's certainly not going to forget a slight that quickly. Forgive for one, sure, but not forget.
8) He can be incredibly tight fisted with money. What college student isn't? Overall, he tends to eat at home, spend the weekends in his flat, and spends an awful lot of time at the library. When he does splurge, it's usually for a very good reason, on something that will pay for itself in the long term. He has an E-reader, for example, so he can get the required reading for his classes considerably cheaper. He's more likely to spend big bucks on technology than on anything else--if he's going to buy something like that, he wants it to remain in perfect working condition for as long as possible. In addition to all that, he's an avid thrifter, clips coupons when he can, and has become a master at the art of cooking Kraft dinner to perfection.
9) He is very much pleased to be here. His family life was less than stellar, and though his parents were supportive for the most part, there was also an incredibly amount of pressure to do well, and well was synonymous with "better than everyone else." His mother being a French-Canadian debutante, and his father a member of the proletariat, he was instilled with the belief at an early age that success was the only option. Alongside some minor perfectionist inclinations (why do it at all if it's not done right?), he still has a tendency--a bad habit, he considers it--to look for approval from his parents, despite wanting for the independence that attending Hartsbridge University and studying the subject of his choice has given him. He knows they don't think English literature is going to get him any sort of career, and he even agrees with them to some extent. But as of now, he intends to go to graduate school. A man can't live off of Shakespeare and Atwood and Dostoevsky alone.
10. If it weren't obvious already, Matthew is at university to study. Everything after that is a bonus. He'd like to make friends, absolutely. He feels like he's got a lot to say, and not all that much time to say it, so he'd much rather fall into the background of any existing social scene for now. He's in some terribly premature midlife crisis right now, caught between wanting to do something great and influential with his life--something he's pretty damn sure he can't achieve--and settling for a steady job and being able to regularly pay rent. He internalizes the majority of these concerns, and is procrastinating on all of it right now, in favour of dealing with his studies. His social life, parental concerns, career concerns, the lot of it, can wait until later. For now he'd settle for the occasional coffee shop meet-up or study date.
Writing Sample;
He'd been filled with something like trepedition since arriving at the airport, something he didn't quite have a word for, like climbing to the peak of a mountain or watching a sunrise, or being on the verge of something big and scary and horrifying, but being excited about it. There was probably a word for it, in some language he didn't know. English, for all he loved it dearly, could be terribly limiting in some respects.
Matthew was standing on the verge of something, though, perhaps not anything big, or groundbreaking, and nothing that would change the world, but his arrival in Hartsbridge began a new chapter of his life--away, finally, from everything that had been familiar. A small dose of culture shock, nothing left to clutch at.
But he was glad of it nonetheless, pleased to make the acquaintance of a city he'd never seen. Those first few days he devoted to wandering the town, getting the feel of it, learning the alleys and parks and where the best coffee could be bought. There would be people to meet later--for now, he was pleased enough with learning the nooks and crannies of the city.
It was within those first few days that he learned the disparities between house and home, as well. A home could be made, and make it he did. Cast-offs and a coffee pot, a cramped and dusty apartement--cheap as they come--made into a tiny haven and a place of respite. He ran errands--learned who sold groceries and where they were cheapest, learned how multicultural the city was. Which restaurants were good to go and where the most inexpensive takeout was. The diners and shops that catered to students and which would give discounts. All important knowledge, something he'd taken for granted back home. There had never been any necessity for exploration, there--he'd grown up knowing which supermarket sold the pre-made sandwiches and where the good Indian restaurants were. All without even knowing that he knew.
And perhaps it was only the very smallest, most pathetic of things, the pride that came along with being able to get to the drug store and back, and it was neither great nor grand, but it was his now, and this was a home he'd managed to find. And Matthew found that he liked it this way.
IC Survey;
1.) Introduce yourself in a few sentences!
Ah--there's not much to introduce, really. My name's Matthew Williams, I'm from Canada, and I'm here at Hartsbridge to study English literature. Other than that, I'm not sure what to say.
2.) What's your greatest dream in life?
To be able to decide on a greatest dream.
3.) What is your biggest pet peeve?
I'll admit to having very little tolerance for rude people. Everything would run so much smoother if we all just had a bit of common courtesy, you know?
4.) Why did you come to Hartsbridge?
For the rocking party scene. I'm just such a social animal.
All kidding aside, the university has a good reputation, and it was preferable to the colleges back home.
5.) Do you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist? Why?
Hmm. It's not something I think of very often. I think I would consider myself a realistic optimist. Because things can seem dismal at times, but that doesn't mean it won't get better.
6.) Do you prefer functionality or style, and why?
Functionality, definitely. I don't care if something looks nice, I just want it to work.
7.) What are two of your best qualities? Two of your worst?
Oh, wow. Uh, this is starting to sound sort of like an advert for some cheesy dating site. Ironic as it is to list as a good quality, I'm quite modest. And I help my friends out whenever they need a hand. There aren't so many of them that I'd want to alienate them by failing to lend a hand. As for worst, I hold a mean grudge. And I can be terribly selfish in certain contexts, but who isn't? Oh--and I'm not very punctual, but that's more like a bad habit.
8.) What was your childhood like? Did you get along well with any siblings you had? What about your parents?
One sibling, a brother, though it's all a bit complicated. Parents separated and we grew up in different homes--he's here at Hartsbrige, actually. We got along well enough--if I'd had a sister, we would have been the perfect nuclear family. Grew up in the suburbs, and all that fun stuff. There's not a lot to say, I think. We see each other on breaks and holidays but don't talk much outside of that.
9.) What is your happiest memory?
Graduating high school with the knowledge that I had been accepted to a university with a good English lit programme. It was sort of like job security, except education. And it meant that I was going to get to see places I wouldn't have, otherwise, so yes, that's probably among the greatest I can think of off the top of my head.
10.) Describe yourself physically.
Uh--I'm pretty tall, I guess, if I could correct my posture. And my hair's getting a little too long, to the point where I have to pull it back usually. I have glasses--really near sighted. I'm not all that interesting to look at.
