Shadow
Akin to a Fool
N a m e :
Blake Carter
A g e :
23
G e n d e r :
Male
S e x u a l P r e f e r e n c e :
Bisexual
A p p e a r a n c e :
P e r s o n a l i t y :
Blake is a genuine, caring person with a heart of gold. He leans more towards being an introvert, but his closest friends know that he can get outside of his comfort zone and go crazy. Most of the time, however, he pretends like he is nothing more than a slightly weird, shy guy. Which is actually pretty acurate. He is usually the person at the party that gets a drink, then finds a dark corner. On a 'wild night' he might even be the DJ, if only so he isn't required to talk to people. But there is no mistaking that he loves people. He has a way of seeing everyone's faults as their strengths- even if he can't do the same for himself. But while he likes people and admires them, he has convinced himself that he can't carry on conversations well. It's true, he isn't very good at thinking up things to talk about, so something odd usually comes out instead. But he is very passionate about some things and nothing makes him happier or more relaxed than when someone else shares his passion. Of course, then he becomes a bit of a chatterbox, but nobody's perfect.
As far as his romantic side of life goes....it's not great. He is one hell of a romantic guy, easily understanding how the little things matter most, but the big things are just as important. Plus, he is the master of big romantic gestures. The problem starts with making a good first impression paired with the general expectation that he has to make the first move. As mentioned before, he finds 'superior' people hard to interact with. If they weren't scared away by his messy hair and ratty clothes, they probably would be thanks to his general greeting of 'H-h-heuloo. M-name-is----Blake. Nice-weather-isn't-it?' Not exactly a Prince Charming, sweep you off your feet kind of moment. As he got older, he was able to pull off the hot-shy-guy-that-doesn't-talk-much thing, but forming actual words when faced with an attractive human being will probably always be difficult for him.
[COLOR= rgb(39, 42, 52)]After highschool, Blake developed one problem that he is terrified of anyone discovering. For most people it wouldn't be a problem worth hiding, but he is a bit more prideful than he would like to admit. He is very touchy about the whole subject and he has learned how to be very tight-lipped about it, even when he is drunk (which is surprising, since he's a very talkative drunk). [/COLOR]
B a c k g r o u n d :
Blake's childhood is a rather complicated affair. His mother left when he was still quite young, leaving his clueless father to raise him. Apparently all those parenting books don't quite explain how to survive without the love of your life and raise a functional child at the same time. But his father was always there for him- all the big sports games in school, parent meetings, and every night after school. But it didn't take a genius to notice that something was still missing. Maybe it was the light in his father's eyes or the warmth of his hugs after a victory on the field or an aced test. Or maybe it was the motherly touch after a crushing loss on the field or the lively conversations most families have around the dinner table. Whatever was missing, it played a huge part in who Blake became.
However, life at home was bearable thanks to his awesome friends at school. Maybe his father wasn't capable of showing love very well, but Blake never felt alone in his friend group. Despite his general hesitation to open up to people, they brought out his fun; the side that went crazy and acted funny if it would make people laugh. Leaving home after college was one of the hardest things Blake had to do. But understandably, there wasn't much heartbreak on his father's part when he decided to go to college overseas.
England wasn't as bad as he had been expecting. In fact, by the end of his second month at his new college, Blake was already falling for a girl named Lucy. Somehow she had looked past his awkward introduction to see his more confident side. A long year later, they were engaged and she had a promising job offer back in the US. She flew to their new apartment before him so she could get over the jet-lag before the job started. It wasn't until he got there three days later that he heard about the crash. All 270 passengers and crew were killed when the plane's engine exploded, due to a malfunction. For a while, life seemed to stop. But I guess even a broken heart has to mend eventually.
W h e r e w e r e y o u w h e n y o u g o t t h e c a l l ?:
The Library. A lovely place of peace, quiet and learning. Mostly quiet. It was a nice retreat from everyday life, while it lasted. Blake sighed as the stern librarian frowned up at him. Despite his considerable height advantage, she managed to make him feel small and insignificant. "I'm leaving, I promise. I just got carried away with the book." He said, concealing his frustration. Sure, closing time had been five minutes ago, but surely she could understand the intrigue of a good book. "I don't care. Just hurry up." She said, crossing her arms and turning down her mouth in a deeper frown. Blake raised his hands in surrender and hurried through the aisles to the door. He flinched when she slammed the door behind him. With a small sigh, he shoved his hands down into his jeans pockets and lowered his head against the cold wind. As he headed down the narrow sidewalk, he found himself going in the direction of the park. It wasn't what most people would consider a good night for a walk, but the idea of trying to sleep right now was enough to make him brave the elements for a while. Besides, the moonlight always made the long gravel walkway look like part of an enchanted forest. After five minutes of un-interrupted walking, Blake's phone began to vibrate. With a small sigh, he pulled it out and blinked at the bright screen. He wondered for a moment what 'unknown caller' would call at this hour, but he answered it anyway.
"Is this Blake Carter? My name is Pastor Blake, you used to come to my church a while back." The voice explained.
"Pastor, of course.....may I ask why you are calling?" He asked, concern creasing his face as his mind considered the possibilities. Had something happened to his father? As horrible as Blake felt for thinking it, he wasn't sure he could bring himself to be sad if his father had died. The man would be happier in Heaven anyway.
"I'm so sorry to say this, but Aaliyah is dead. She passed away yesterday. Will you be able to attend the funeral?"
"Y-yes." What? No, there must be a mistake.
"I'll send the address and date to you soon. I'm so sorry." *click*
If a truck had materialized and hit him in the chest, it couldn't have hurt more. In slow motion he felt his knees buckle until he was kneeling on the hard gravel pathway. The phone fell onto the ground, released by numb fingers. He didn't even realize that he was crying until the tears hit his hands. He doubled over, shaking violently. Maybe it was a prank call....but the solemnity of the pastor's voice ruled that out. What then? Had he really lost another important person in his life? Impossible. He had just enough clarity of mind to grab his phone and drag himself over to the park bench. As he curled up on the hard wood he allowed the tears to fall more freely as he forced himself to accept that this was reality. No prank or dream could be so cruel. After a while he struggled to keep his eyes open, drained from the heavy emotions. He couldn't even bring himself to care that he was falling asleep on a cold park bench in the middle of the night. What did it matter anyway? Beautiful, angelic Aaliyah. Gone. More tears ran silently down his face as he drifted into a fitful sleep.
H
Blake Carter
A g e :
23
G e n d e r :
Male
S e x u a l P r e f e r e n c e :
Bisexual
A p p e a r a n c e :
P e r s o n a l i t y :
Blake is a genuine, caring person with a heart of gold. He leans more towards being an introvert, but his closest friends know that he can get outside of his comfort zone and go crazy. Most of the time, however, he pretends like he is nothing more than a slightly weird, shy guy. Which is actually pretty acurate. He is usually the person at the party that gets a drink, then finds a dark corner. On a 'wild night' he might even be the DJ, if only so he isn't required to talk to people. But there is no mistaking that he loves people. He has a way of seeing everyone's faults as their strengths- even if he can't do the same for himself. But while he likes people and admires them, he has convinced himself that he can't carry on conversations well. It's true, he isn't very good at thinking up things to talk about, so something odd usually comes out instead. But he is very passionate about some things and nothing makes him happier or more relaxed than when someone else shares his passion. Of course, then he becomes a bit of a chatterbox, but nobody's perfect.
As far as his romantic side of life goes....it's not great. He is one hell of a romantic guy, easily understanding how the little things matter most, but the big things are just as important. Plus, he is the master of big romantic gestures. The problem starts with making a good first impression paired with the general expectation that he has to make the first move. As mentioned before, he finds 'superior' people hard to interact with. If they weren't scared away by his messy hair and ratty clothes, they probably would be thanks to his general greeting of 'H-h-heuloo. M-name-is----Blake. Nice-weather-isn't-it?' Not exactly a Prince Charming, sweep you off your feet kind of moment. As he got older, he was able to pull off the hot-shy-guy-that-doesn't-talk-much thing, but forming actual words when faced with an attractive human being will probably always be difficult for him.
[COLOR= rgb(39, 42, 52)]After highschool, Blake developed one problem that he is terrified of anyone discovering. For most people it wouldn't be a problem worth hiding, but he is a bit more prideful than he would like to admit. He is very touchy about the whole subject and he has learned how to be very tight-lipped about it, even when he is drunk (which is surprising, since he's a very talkative drunk). [/COLOR]
B a c k g r o u n d :
Blake's childhood is a rather complicated affair. His mother left when he was still quite young, leaving his clueless father to raise him. Apparently all those parenting books don't quite explain how to survive without the love of your life and raise a functional child at the same time. But his father was always there for him- all the big sports games in school, parent meetings, and every night after school. But it didn't take a genius to notice that something was still missing. Maybe it was the light in his father's eyes or the warmth of his hugs after a victory on the field or an aced test. Or maybe it was the motherly touch after a crushing loss on the field or the lively conversations most families have around the dinner table. Whatever was missing, it played a huge part in who Blake became.
However, life at home was bearable thanks to his awesome friends at school. Maybe his father wasn't capable of showing love very well, but Blake never felt alone in his friend group. Despite his general hesitation to open up to people, they brought out his fun; the side that went crazy and acted funny if it would make people laugh. Leaving home after college was one of the hardest things Blake had to do. But understandably, there wasn't much heartbreak on his father's part when he decided to go to college overseas.
England wasn't as bad as he had been expecting. In fact, by the end of his second month at his new college, Blake was already falling for a girl named Lucy. Somehow she had looked past his awkward introduction to see his more confident side. A long year later, they were engaged and she had a promising job offer back in the US. She flew to their new apartment before him so she could get over the jet-lag before the job started. It wasn't until he got there three days later that he heard about the crash. All 270 passengers and crew were killed when the plane's engine exploded, due to a malfunction. For a while, life seemed to stop. But I guess even a broken heart has to mend eventually.
W h e r e w e r e y o u w h e n y o u g o t t h e c a l l ?:
The Library. A lovely place of peace, quiet and learning. Mostly quiet. It was a nice retreat from everyday life, while it lasted. Blake sighed as the stern librarian frowned up at him. Despite his considerable height advantage, she managed to make him feel small and insignificant. "I'm leaving, I promise. I just got carried away with the book." He said, concealing his frustration. Sure, closing time had been five minutes ago, but surely she could understand the intrigue of a good book. "I don't care. Just hurry up." She said, crossing her arms and turning down her mouth in a deeper frown. Blake raised his hands in surrender and hurried through the aisles to the door. He flinched when she slammed the door behind him. With a small sigh, he shoved his hands down into his jeans pockets and lowered his head against the cold wind. As he headed down the narrow sidewalk, he found himself going in the direction of the park. It wasn't what most people would consider a good night for a walk, but the idea of trying to sleep right now was enough to make him brave the elements for a while. Besides, the moonlight always made the long gravel walkway look like part of an enchanted forest. After five minutes of un-interrupted walking, Blake's phone began to vibrate. With a small sigh, he pulled it out and blinked at the bright screen. He wondered for a moment what 'unknown caller' would call at this hour, but he answered it anyway.
"Is this Blake Carter? My name is Pastor Blake, you used to come to my church a while back." The voice explained.
"Pastor, of course.....may I ask why you are calling?" He asked, concern creasing his face as his mind considered the possibilities. Had something happened to his father? As horrible as Blake felt for thinking it, he wasn't sure he could bring himself to be sad if his father had died. The man would be happier in Heaven anyway.
"I'm so sorry to say this, but Aaliyah is dead. She passed away yesterday. Will you be able to attend the funeral?"
"Y-yes." What? No, there must be a mistake.
"I'll send the address and date to you soon. I'm so sorry." *click*
If a truck had materialized and hit him in the chest, it couldn't have hurt more. In slow motion he felt his knees buckle until he was kneeling on the hard gravel pathway. The phone fell onto the ground, released by numb fingers. He didn't even realize that he was crying until the tears hit his hands. He doubled over, shaking violently. Maybe it was a prank call....but the solemnity of the pastor's voice ruled that out. What then? Had he really lost another important person in his life? Impossible. He had just enough clarity of mind to grab his phone and drag himself over to the park bench. As he curled up on the hard wood he allowed the tears to fall more freely as he forced himself to accept that this was reality. No prank or dream could be so cruel. After a while he struggled to keep his eyes open, drained from the heavy emotions. He couldn't even bring himself to care that he was falling asleep on a cold park bench in the middle of the night. What did it matter anyway? Beautiful, angelic Aaliyah. Gone. More tears ran silently down his face as he drifted into a fitful sleep.
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