Post by sammy on Jun 6, 2007 12:03:56 GMT -5
[/u][/center]Player
Alias: Lille
Gender: Princess
Contact: whilexyouxsleep (AIM)
Location/Time Zone: Central Standard Time, USA
Character
[/u][/center]Name: Samuel Edward Evans
Gender: Male
Age: 22
City: Corus
Status: Commoner, Playwright
Personality
Samuel Evans is a sweetheart, through and through. His soft sense of responsibility and concern mirror his inner desire for peace and calm. He is not one to be dragged into chaos or commotion -- you would much sooner find him in a library or in the corner of a bar enjoying the sound of the rain falling outside the window.
Writing is a safe haven of sorts for Sam. Though he was never properly educated, his quiet and attentive nature earned him more knowledge and wisdom than any school might have taught him. Sam much prefers the company of his quill and ink to the company his brother keeps. Though he isn't entirely antisocial, neither is he one to pick the ladies over the notebook.
Sam is hardly the first to agree to tread on thin ground; if his relationship is not stable with whomever makes such a request, the answer is likely a no. He would rather think through the possible consequences than step in blindly. However, if a close friend or lover were to ask the same thing, he would accept without thinking twice about the potential outcomes.
He rarely steps into uncertain situations - the exception being when his hope outweighs his fear. His brother was always more daring than he was growing up; Sam inherited the quiet, wise nature his mother seemed to have before her husband passed. His personality makes him a very likeable person and he manages to gain respect almost everywhere he goes.
It might seem odd that someone so seemingly reserved and calm would move from the security of his family and venture into a new environment. His strong desire to make a life of his own was overpowering when compared to the life he lived in Port Caynn. The urge to have something to call his own and take pride in was a strong tug for the young merchant's son. Sam, though not fond of the spotlight, does like to have personal satisfaction in certain areas of his life -- his career and a life of his own were two of the first steps.
-Personality Flaw: Unlike his older brother, Sam has a tendency to withhold his feelings and emotions in a situation that makes him uncomfortable. He isn't much for defending himself, even if he would stand up for a friend in the blink of an eye.
Sam also has a tendency to judge himself on much harsher levels than he would any other human being. He lays blame on himself and has a difficult time retracting any personal guilt. This can sometimes give him low self-esteem, particularly with the opposite sex, and make him wary in the more social areas of his life.
Despite his quiet and reserved nature, Sam has a passion for revenge. It keeps him on his feet around shady strangers or those he knows he cannot trust. Although years have passed since Kathryn was murdered, he remains convinced if he ever discovers who committed the crime, they will not see a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Revenge is one thing that runs through the man's bones and would willingly take on anything in his path.
Appearance
With soft cheekbones and large, bold brown eyes, Sam immediately projects the appearance of a child. It is a blessing and a curse depending on the situation. His eyes have an intangible way of expressing concern and his overall appearance is one of a gentle and caring person.
His nose is a touch too large for the rest of him; his nostrils are much wider than anyone else in his family. Although he vaguely resembles his father, Sam fell with a more classic and personable appearance than either of his parents. His lips are much larger with soft curves and the tiniest of wrinkles around the edges of his mouth - more from stress than aging or any other ailment.
Three moles occupy his face - one to the right of his lips, one on the curve of his chin and the other on the left side of his face beneath his eye and to the side of his nose.
-Appearance Flaw:Sam was thrown into the merchant business before his body was physically ready to lift and move heavy boxes and carts. He had a well-built physique, but his arm muscles were never up to par with his older brother. When he started helping his brother with their deceased father's business, Sam managed to pull a muscle in his back. He never saw a healer about the disrupted muscle; instead of having it fixed, he merely conformed to its presence. Sam is incapable of lifting anything over 150 pounds without irritating that old injury.
History
Samuel Edward Evans was the second and final son of Jasper and Cadence Evans. He was born four years after his brother, Julian Nathaniel, and would turn out to be the black sheep of the family.
Raised primarily by his mother, Sam was never close to his father in the way Julian was. Although he respected and loved his father, Sam was always doubed the 'momma's boy' when he was a toddler. He was the child you would find clinging to his mother's skirts in the streets or playing in close proximity when his mother made dinner in the kitchen. It was a rare occasion to find him straying too far from the security he felt around Cadence.
When two-year old Sam made the transition from crib to bed, he was distraught. From that moment on, it was noticable he had a difficult time dealing with changes. Rather than live with a daring and more spontaneous nature like Julian, Sam appeared to be the ideal opposite. Patterns kept him happy, both growing up and moving forward in his life. He wakes up at the same time every morning, eats his meals within the same ten minute stretch each day (most of the time, that is), sits down to write his plays just between breakfast and lunch, and spends his sparetime occupying the same, familiar places. As a child, he would grow withdrawn and practically mute when a schedule was changed. Though Sam did not become completely anti-social, he always felt unsure of himself and out of his boundaries when a transition occured that he hadn't prepared himself for.
Julian was in constant praise with his parents. To them, he was the golden child Mithros blessed them with from day one. Although he had a rambunctious spirit, his loyalty to his family was matched by no one. Samuel, on the other hand, was considered more of a black sheep as he grew up. Though his dedication to his family hardly wavered, he didn't want to follow in the footsteps of his father. While his brother was eager to learn the business, Sam's eyes were on everything else. He loved his parents, though he had more adoration for his mother than his father, but he wanted to establish a life of his own.
This would often lead to clashing between the two brothers. Julian, being the oldest, would do everything in his power to persuade Sam to accept the fact he would help with the family business. Arguing often ensued between the boys, and from time to time it would end with some degree of physical disruption. Often times, Sam would get a nice knock in the jaw or have a black eye for the next few days after a fight with his older brother. Of course, he too managed to throw a few good punches in every once in awhile.
Sam cared about his brother, despite their differences. Though it was rare to see them spending any "brotherly" time together, you could firmly ground your assumptions the two had a certain amount of faith in the other. They might not be best friends, but they respected each other's space most of the time - even if it just meant keeping out of the other's hair.
One afternoon when Sam was seven-years old, Cadence took him along to see his father and brother out at the docks. At the time, Julian was eleven-years old and already knee-deep in the technicalities of the merchant atmosphere. A group of dolphins in the water distracted Sam long enough for him to lose sight of his mother; when he turned around and didn't see her, he panicked. In a streak of fear, he dashed in the direction he thought was the shore, but managed to slip and fall off the dock and into the water below. Sam, in a blind panic, passed out almost as soon as he hit the water's surface. Julian, being the only one who saw his brother fall, ran out to the dock and jumped down in the water to get his younger brother. Although Julian saved his little brother's life, he never holds it against his sibling in fights or arguments. In fact, the matter has only been brought up twice since the incident. Since then, the fear of water has been bred into Sam's bones and refuses to leave.
Children whose families could afford to spend a little here and there were often enrolled in a local school in Port Caynn. The teachers were not necessarily paid well and the education was far from anything taught at the University. However, it was the treasure of Sam's life between the ages of eight and thirteen.
Right off the bat, a love and appreciation of writing and reading was notable in the younger Evans boy. He had always been the quiet one who rarely spoke up unless he was defending a friend or family member. You would often see him watching the cloaked stranger on the dock or the woman soothing a crying babe in a blanket. Julian was the one to speak out and throw the questions "Is he a thief?" or "What is wrong with that child?" Thus, it was a surprise when Sam began coming home and chatting quite amiably about the letters he had learned or what new words he could spell. By the time his twelfth birthday rolled around, he was reading books and writing short stories.
His new interest and talent came in handy for one purpose in the Evans family: bookkeeping. Jasper absolutely despised the work and Cadence, though efficient, knew she would eventually need to train someone to help with the paperwork of the business. With her youngest son having such enthusiasm and talent with a quill, she began slowly teaching him what was required of a bookkeeper. Sam hated it. After a child turns thirteen, they usually leave school and spend the rest of their lives working - whether it be with a parent, relative, friend or businessman of choice. It was customary and Sam was pulled out of school as was Julian four years prior.
Unfortunately, when the training for being a bookkeeper kicked in, Sam dug in his heels. For once in his life, he argued. He didn't want to be a bookkeeper - he wanted to be "a writer" or a novelist. Poppycock, his mother would say, shaking her head and thrusting the quill back in her son's fourteen-year old hand. Right around that time, Sam and Julian began to violently butt heads whenever they were around each other. When Sam argued or complained about the idea of bookkeeping, Julian snapped at him to behave his elders and do what his family told him to do. To Julian, his parents' word was law. There was no 'if', 'and' or 'but' about it. They say jump, you say how high. Sam, on the other hand, held the sturdy belief he had his own head and his parents did not always know best.
Before long, the quiet younger child began to have spats with his parents. Although he lived primarily with his mother, Sam seemed to bicker more with his father. It didn't take long for the bond between them to grow severed; by the time Sam was seventeen, an argument broke out once in the morning and again at night. It was like clockwork.
Romance was a primary source of relief in Sam's life from the time he was sixteen until he was eighteen. Growing up around fellow merchant families, Sam was exposed to several children, both male and female. One young lady in particular struck his fancy from an early age, though he never spoke up to confess his quiet adoration. She was a slender girl with blond hair, surprisingly light skin for a commoner and bright blue eyes. Kathryn was her name, and for what felt like eternity, Sam watched with a smile and a polite nod whenever she spoke to him.
She, too, found a spark of interest in the boy just a year her senior. Her personality, though, was the extreme opposite of Sam. Rather than sitting in a corner and observing from afar, Kathryn was the center of attention. She was outgoing and personable with a loving smile and a gleam in her dancing eyes. It didn't take her long to realize Sam had a crush on her. Luckily for him, she spoke up one evening and snagged his hand that day. The two were practically inseparable from that moment on.
Sam probably would have married that girl if an accident hadn't occured just four months after her seventeenth birthday. When two days passed without anyone hearing from the spunky blonde, Sam grew anxious and frightened. He set off searching the port town and spent hours tracing alleys and dark corners. Just three blocks short of her family's home, Sam found her body lying in an alley between a commercial market and a residential townhouse. In the dark it was difficult to tell what was the problem - but she wasn't breathing. With tears burning his eyes, Sam carried her back to her family's house. Once they were exposed to light, it was easy to see the stab wounds in her chest and stomach. She had been attacked.
Broken-hearted and more torn up than ever before, Sam spent an evening on the docks just watching the water. He had centered his life around Kathryn and suddenly she was gone. Around sunrise, he stood up and walked home in silence.
After her death, Sam began standing up for his friends more than ever. He grew protective and wary of strangers who approached those he knew and loved. Revenge stirred in his blood, making him forever desirous of one day finding the person who took his lover from him. It was also a factor in his eventual decision to leave the town and move to Corus.
Two years of silence passed. Sam, simply for the sake of not wanting to socialize, accepted the fact he was taking over bookkeeping. He still argued and fought with his father, with almost more power than before, and continued debating rigidly with his older brother. The two began to feel further and further apart on an emotional degree until they practically weren't brothers anymore. Julian cared about the family business and was relentlessly dedicated to helping provide for his aging parents. Although Sam was helpful, his head was always somewhere else.
Jasper's death struck a strange toll with Sam. A cold mix of emotions stirred around in his head, making his thoughts plummet and collide with the remorse and guilt he continued to feel over Kathryn's death. If he had been there, he could have saved her. He repeated that phrase to himself over and over again until it drove him practically insane. Mixed with the knowledge of his father dying and the sudden workload being shoved in his lap, Sam felt as though his seams were going to burst at any minute.
He carried out his duty to his family for an entire year. In a way, it was nice being able to move and think about things that didn't surround Kathryn and the absence of his father. Guilt was shoved to the back of his mind and he concentrated on one thing he knew well -- labor. It was nothing new in his family - he had been helping, though in minor ways, with the business since he could carry the smallest packages.
Julian picked up on the controlling nature of his younger brother very quickly. He did everything he could to keep from lashing out at Sam's short temper or lack of genuine concern about how a task was carried out. Julian loved his brother despite the fights and liked to watch his back, though he would never admit it openly. It burned a hole in his heart when Sam was constantly giving him the cold shoulder or not considering Julian, too, was feeling like he was falling apart underneath the huge burden suddenly thrust on his shoulders. Once again, the relationship was tested and eventually cracked under pressure.
After a year of continual tug-of-war with his brother, Sam gave up. He was, despite the lack of term, emotionally broken and needed a change of pace. With a combination of bookkeeping skills and physical labour, the twenty-one year old knew he could survive on his own with a little stretching.
Obviously with the hard and forced relationship barely holding the two brothers together, the news was a slap in the face for Julian. With deep frowns and raised voices, the two siblings completely let go of restrictions and fought their final battle, so to speak. Sam didn't know how to break the news to his mother, but he couldn't leave without some explanation. The older woman, instead of being furious, was heartbroken, but that didn't keep her youngest son from taking his things and leaving Port Caynn.
The decision to move to Corus was a simple one. It was home of the Palace and University, as well as the center of bustle and activity for Tortallan grounds. Rumour had it there were plenty of bookstores, writing centers and even a theatre troupe willing to perform privately-written scripts and plays if they fancied such a proposal. For someone like Sam, it was the perfect getaway.
Settling in a nearby tavern for the first three nights, Sam scouted for work in all the wrong places. This is to say, of course, he did find work but not the type he desired. He spent the first five months of his existance in Corus working at the bar serving drinks and taking cackling insults from cranky customers and employees alike. In the evening, he would retire to the room provided for him and stay up till the wee hours of the night working on a script to get his foot in the door with the local theatre troupe.
It wasn't until the fifth month that he finally wrote the conclusion of his first two-act play. Binding it carefully over the next week, Sam managed to find the 'ring leader' of the troupe and hand over his script. Sadly, the script was never used. On the bright side, however, it was easy to see the talent and potential flowing from Sam Evans. The troupe requested he write another play, this time a four-person performance. In a bustle of excitement, Sam finished the script in a single month. It was ready for review a week later and accepted only hours after the first reading.
Settling into a new life was difficult for the twenty-one year old man, but time healed any fear or apprehension he had in his bones. He befriended members of the theatre troupe as well as tavern frequenters and other writers in the city. Although he is not overflowing with friendships and established relationships, Sam has enough acquaintances to make him comfortable with his new life.
Being a playwright is hardly stable enough to make a living, even for a single man; Sam acquired a position at a bookstore in the city quarters not long after securing his first payment from the troupe. Marianne Toilles, a common woman reaching into her early fifties, ran the store and was looking for an assistant. When the soft-spoken and tender-hearted Sam began to frequent the store, she offered him a position. Over the time period Sam worked at the store, he began to learn more and more about the older woman -- she was a widow with two children, though one passed away from a bout of fever three years prior. The only other child she had was a daughter who moved to Port Caynn with her husband a year earlier. Marianne had been alone and running a business on her own ever since.
Marianne grew attached to Sam over time; perhaps she simply missed the companionship of her children, or maybe Sam was just the comfort zone she desired. Either way, her maternal instincts proved useful for both parties. She offered the young man living quarters above the bookstore. After some minor “No, it is alright” and “I can never accept that without a form of payment”, Marianne agreed to let Sam pay her a percentage of his wages each month.
Sam has been living above the bookstore ever since. The troupe is working on rehearsing for the second play written by the Evans man. His pay is not as good as it was in Port Caynn, but he is enjoying the freedom of his life. Although he doesn’t admit it, Sam has tinges of sadness for his brother and mother from time to time. Nevertheless, he has not spoken to them since he moved to Corus.
Family
Jasper Tyrone Evans :: Father :: Deceased
Cadence Amaretta Evans :: Mother :: 51
Julian Nathaniel Evans :: Brother :: 26[/blockquote]