2017: Mass Exodus (Accepting! GBLTQA Friendly)

Started by Bloodied Porcelain, June 11, 2014, 12:46:36 PM

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icecradle

oh yes that's kind of what appeals ;)

WIP History
History: Taylor's parents, Reg Birch and Beckie Barber both grew up in New Brook although because they are ten years apart, it wasn't until Beckie had graduated high school that the pair met properly. Beckie was looking for a summer job before heading off to college and took a position in the Birch's hardware store. Reg was already taking on much of the handling of the store as his father's health deteriorated, and was impressed by the straightfoward girl that seemed just as comfortable advising customers on tools as she was dressing up to the nines and going out dancing with friends. She'd been accepted on a partial scholarship for an Engineering major, mainly because she was one of very few females to apply. However things at home weren't simple, money was problematic, and as the summer stretched on it seemed more and more unlikely that she'd be able to afford college that year. Reg offered her a fulltime position at the store for the year so that she could earn and save. Beckie never did end up going to college. Before long a romance blossomed between the two and Beckie settled for working at the store and later raising her family.

Taylor was the youngest of three boys. His childhood was fairly average, growing up between the shop and his grandparents' houses. The hardware store was a way of life for the family and although Taylor never held any passion for it, he naturally picked things up as he went along. But he never took to the rough and tumble that his older brothers enjoyed. Nor did he show much interest in sports. If left to his own devices, he'd have prefered dolls and dressing up games to trucks and war play, but he never was left to his own devices. Despite the fact that his mother pushed gender boundaries, and shone in a typically male outlet, Taylor parents, and indeed the wider community, asserted that certain toys and hobbies just weren't suitable for boys, and Taylor, wanting to please, went along with that.

Puberty was unkind to the boy. Where his peers started bulking out and shooting up, Taylor remained short and weedy. Unable to really relate to the boys he was expected to befriend, and steering clear of befriending girls to please his parents, Taylor ended up spending much of the time alone. He wasn't a genius by any means, but he gradually gained a reputation as a nerd, purely because staying in the library was easier than failing at football and books were kinder companions than those in his classes.

His first crush did not come as a surprise and was rather a crushing confirmation of something that he'd already always known but resisted. Being gay simply wasn't an option and so Taylor tried as hard as he could to avoid the stereotype that he'd already been turning into. Suddenly his clothes became more masculine, he signed up for a baseball team and began trying desperately to fit in.

It was too little too late. Now, not only was he a nerd and a fag, he was also a fake and a suck-up. Nastier members of his peergroup took to humiliating Taylor at every opportunity and it seemed the harder he tried to fit in, the more they sought to hurt and degrade him. His brothers found the whole thing hilarious. They'd always found Taylor's presence in their lives an embarrassment, so they made no move to protect him, even joining in from time to time in the relentless bullying. Taylor's parents were either oblivious, or just acted like they were. Taylor often thought that his father believed that Taylor 'deserved' this treatment or that it would somehow toughen him up and make a man out of him.

The only light at the end of the tunnel was the possibility of college. Beckie encouraged that dream, always having felt that she'd missed out by not going, and the pair had saved a college fund for all three of their children. Both of Taylor's brothers got sports scholarships, and business at the store was good, so there was money left in the pot. It would be tough, but Taylor couldn't wait to leave New Brook behind and find like-minded souls somewhere where he could be himself. Whatever that was. Sometimes he wasn't sure he even knew anymore as he tried so hard to be someone else.

Having just finished his Senior year and recently celebrated his 18th birthday, Taylor is working in the hardware store to earn as much as possible over the summer and looking forward to a fresh start in the Fall.
AA // OO // Requests

Bloodied Porcelain

Awww I just want to hug him up. :( So sad!

If it's any consolation for him, Roxy (my girl) is just graduating this year herself and has no issues with any sexuality, so he's always got a potential friend in her (and by association, Roy the crazy pot dealer).
I want no ordinary lover. I want a storm. I want sleepless nights and endless conversations at four a.m. I want passion, I want madness.
I want someone who's able to make my whole body shiver from a distance and also pull me close to make sense of all my bones.

~ Bizarre, Beautiful, And Breathtaking ~
~ O/O ~ Seeking ~ A/A ~ Mirrors and Masks ~ Poetry ~
She walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like wings.

Chrystal

Having an openly gay character myself, I would think Pepper would be glad to have Taylor as a friend.

If he was after spiritual comfort we have a very liberal and non-condemnatory Baptist minister too... Although I wouldn't recommend Taylor developing a crush on Marty, as he would be in for quite a shock! ;)

(Actually, that's a possible plot device, for how Marty gets "outed").

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

icecradle

Yay connections =D

Potential friend in Roxy is cool. She seems a little wild and intimidating for Tay, but they could bond over something.

Taylor might have actively avoided Pepper if she's openly gay, trying to disassociate, but I can see him getting over that once he realises he won't be going to college and needs all the friends he can get. x.x

and Marty is such an interesting character! I enjoyed reading her sheet. I had been thinking of having Tay dabble privately with cross-dressing... I suspect he's so caught up in his own issues that he'd be oblivious to Marty's truth and having someone in a position of authority that doesn't instantly put him down would probably encourage some kind of bond.

AA // OO // Requests

Bloodied Porcelain

Roxy probably would have made some guys picking on him look like fools. She's certainly smart enough to talk circles around people. She also could have taken him to Roy's after he got beat up once, so he could be patched up and be somewhere safe from further abuse. I can see Roxy being very protective of him. She might have even laid someone out for him a couple times. The more I think about it, the more I kind of see her naturally wanting to protect and care for him like she does the stray cats she and Roy take care of. It's in her nature to be soft hearted, though she never does it out of pity, just a genuine sense that someone has to do something, and why not her? Plus Roy has a track record of taking care of kids who are runaways or abused so it makes sense he'd open up his home to a kid who gets bullied relentlessly.
I want no ordinary lover. I want a storm. I want sleepless nights and endless conversations at four a.m. I want passion, I want madness.
I want someone who's able to make my whole body shiver from a distance and also pull me close to make sense of all my bones.

~ Bizarre, Beautiful, And Breathtaking ~
~ O/O ~ Seeking ~ A/A ~ Mirrors and Masks ~ Poetry ~
She walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like wings.

icecradle

AA // OO // Requests

Bloodied Porcelain

Question of course... is when they got to be friends. Could have been when they were little, could have been when he hit puberty and things started to go bad, could have been in the last two years (which would allow us to play it out in the History thread). Up to you, as I can see young Roxy going so far as to drag her badass big brother Lorenzo in to it and get him to beat up some bullies if they were little and just standing up to them on her own didn't do any good. If we went older though (16+ we could play out the scene that proved to be the catalyst).
I want no ordinary lover. I want a storm. I want sleepless nights and endless conversations at four a.m. I want passion, I want madness.
I want someone who's able to make my whole body shiver from a distance and also pull me close to make sense of all my bones.

~ Bizarre, Beautiful, And Breathtaking ~
~ O/O ~ Seeking ~ A/A ~ Mirrors and Masks ~ Poetry ~
She walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like wings.

Ciosa

Yeah, Roy's trailer is really a refuge for anyone, even if the town scuttlebutt only says he takes in sexy teenage girls.  He can stay as long as he needs to, and as long as he isn't openly condescending (or make fun of Roy's delusions) than he's always welcome.

I can see Roy happily teaching him a thing or two about baseball, too.  Not that Roy's an expert, and I can picture a half dozen four legged outfielders who love to retrieve the baseballs.  "Lieutenant Easterbrook, that is NOT a chew toy!"  *wipes off dog drool*  "Well, I can pretty much guarantee this next one is a spitball."

icecradle

Would she come to his defense if they weren't yet friends, but she knew him from class? Would be interesting to make the scene you suggested the start of a friendship and play it in the history thread.

Hehe well he'd probably not stay-stay, but he certainly wouldn't want to go home with his face beat up, just to get interrogations and accusations from his parents, so could see him seeking refuge there from time to time.
AA // OO // Requests

Bloodied Porcelain

#384
She definitely would! *nodnod* She's the type that if she sees something like that happening, she'd step in, and she's a little hell cat when you get her going. If talking circles around them and making them look like idiots didn't help, she'd pick up a stick, baseball bat, anything really and start swinging. >.> And then she'd gather him up and walk him to Roy's house without expecting or wanting a thank you, just griping in her cute little drawl about assholes.
I want no ordinary lover. I want a storm. I want sleepless nights and endless conversations at four a.m. I want passion, I want madness.
I want someone who's able to make my whole body shiver from a distance and also pull me close to make sense of all my bones.

~ Bizarre, Beautiful, And Breathtaking ~
~ O/O ~ Seeking ~ A/A ~ Mirrors and Masks ~ Poetry ~
She walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like wings.

Chrystal

Pepper is such an openly cheerful person, she active;ly flirts with everyone, and would actually be quite happy flirting with Taylor, would even go so far as to be seen openly kissing him - as far as Pepper is concerned, if Taylor is gay, he is no competition and no threat, and is not going to try and rape her like some of the guys in town have.

If he's hanging out at Crazy Uncle Roy's it's going to be a bit difficult to totally avoid Pepper as she lives directly opposite!

Marty isn't exactly big on authority figures, and has a lot of dificulty being one, so she is always astonished when people look up to her!




Oh... BP, I need to ask something. I will PM you.

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

icecradle

wip sheet

~BASICS~

Character's Name: Taylor Birch
Nickname: Tay, 'Bitch' (as an insult, playing on his surname and the assumption that he's homosexual)
Character's Birthdate and Age: May 12th, age 18
Place of Birth: New Brook, Louisiana
Current Residence: Two-bed apartment above his parents' hardware store in the town center. During the summer, he has to share the room with his brothers, so he has very little private space.

Occupation: Student
Education: just graduated highschool, accepted into college for the following term.
Hobbies: Reading, especially fantasy and non-fiction; bit of a fascination with history, especially social history; fashion and sewing (repressed currently but he's still naturally drawn to any opportunity). Plays baseball (more as an attempt to 'rectify' his image than an actual enjoyment, and he's pretty average at it).

~APPEARANCE~

Hair: Chestnut brown, kept short, slightly longer on the top. He lets it get to the length where it's dangling in his face and he can hide behind it before his dad makes some comment about being a hippy or a nancy, and he promptly gets it cut.
Eyes: Light brown and slightly narrower than the average caucasian shape. Framed by heavy, dark lashes.
Height: 5'6
Physical Description: He has a slight build with a rather efemminate appearance. Baseball and running away has helped hone the muscles in his arms and legs, but he still remains on the weaker side of average. Low self esteem means that he walks with a bit of a stoop, head down, as if trying to melt into the ground beneath him. He generally appears pensieve, distracted or just plain sad. When he's happy and relaxed, though, Taylor's whole face lights up with his smile and his eyes can take on an almost michievous glint.
His features are generally small and delicate, his movements a little awkward and uncomfortable. He tries to avoid anything in his appearance that would be too girly, generally copying whatever the other guys his age are wearing and trying to mimic their mannerisms, but it never looks natural.
Distinguishing Features: He has no tattoos or piercings. A few large freckles break his pale complexion, especially over his shoulders and thighs, with a particularly large freckle on his inner right hip. He has a few small scars, nothing too obvious, although one through his left eyebrow and one just below the left side of his mouth are noticable, especially in the summer when his skin tans a little.
Character Model: Francisco Lachowski


~IN DEPTH~

Personality:
Friendly/Agreeable - Taylor is naturally friendly and accepting. He dislikes confrontation, so tends to be overly agreeable, choosing not to disagree outloud for fear of a negative reaction. He wants to please, make others happy and mostly he wants to be liked.
Loyal - Once Taylor makes a connection with someone, he is intensely loyal and dedicated. He'd defend his family at all costs, even though his brothers especially haven't made life easy for him, still he is loyal to them.
Hardworking/Dedicated - He puts effort into things, even those he doesn't have a passion for. The most obvious example of this is baseball. He holds no love of the game and was terrible when he started playing, but through hard work and regular training, he's managed to get himself to a half-decent level. His schoolwork was always completed on time to a good standard and he's happy to help his parents in the store when they need him.
Quiet - Taylor won't speak up unless he's called on. He's happy to blend into the background and go unnoticed and finds solace in peace and quiet.
Insecure - He feels incredibly uncomfortable being himself, to the point where he denies himself any hobbies or likes that are 'inappropriate'. He is constantly afraid of rejection and being hurt. Constant bullying have left his self-esteem practically non-existent and he feels that he's a disappointment and an embarrassment to his family. If someone came up to him offering some kind of cure to make him 'normal', he'd leap at the chance.
Sensitive - Taylor is not at all thick-skinned and takes everything to heart. Every little insult stays with him and it's not uncommon for him to give in to tears. On the positive side, this means that he's sympathetic and empathetic towards others and able to appreciate things that others possibly take for granted… but he sees his sensitivity as a feminine trait that he shouldn't have and puts himself down for it.
Submissive - He is naturally submissive. Happier obeying and letting others make decisions for him. Partly because it's easier and (he thinks) safer, and partly because his natural instinct is to just go along with others. It's because the authorities in his life have educated him that homosexuality is wrong and unnatural that he believes he is an abomination, an embarrassment and so he desperately tries to hide that part of himself, rejecting anything that might suggest that he's gay.



History: Taylor's parents, Reg Birch and Beckie Barber both grew up in New Brook although because they are ten years apart, it wasn't until Beckie had graduated high school that the pair met properly. Beckie was looking for a summer job before heading off to college and took a position in the Birch's hardware store. Reg was already taking on much of the handling of the store as his father's health deteriorated, and was impressed by the straightfoward girl that seemed just as comfortable advising customers on tools as she was dressing up to the nines and going out dancing with friends. She'd been accepted on a partial scholarship for an Engineering major, mainly because she was one of very few females to apply. However things at home weren't simple, money was problematic, and as the summer stretched on it seemed more and more unlikely that she'd be able to afford college that year. Reg offered her a fulltime position at the store for the year so that she could earn and save. Beckie never did end up going to college. Before long a romance blossomed between the two and Beckie settled for working at the store and later raising her family.

Taylor was the youngest of three boys. His childhood was fairly average, growing up between the shop and his grandparents' houses. The hardware store was a way of life for the family and although Taylor never held any passion for it, he naturally picked things up as he went along. But he never took to the rough and tumble that his older brothers enjoyed. Nor did he show much interest in sports. If left to his own devices, he'd have prefered dolls and dressing up games to trucks and war play, but he never was left to his own devices. Despite the fact that his mother pushed gender boundaries, and shone in a typically male outlet, Taylor parents, and indeed the wider community, asserted that certain toys and hobbies just weren't suitable for boys, and Taylor, wanting to please, went along with that.

Puberty was unkind to the boy. Where his peers started bulking out and shooting up, Taylor remained short and weedy. Unable to really relate to the boys he was expected to befriend, and steering clear of befriending girls to please his parents, Taylor ended up spending much of the time alone. He wasn't a genius by any means, but he gradually gained a reputation as a nerd, purely because staying in the library was easier than failing at football and books were kinder companions than those in his classes.

His first crush did not come as a surprise and was rather a crushing confirmation of something that he'd already always known but resisted. Being gay simply wasn't an option and so Taylor tried as hard as he could to avoid the stereotype that he'd already been turning into. Suddenly his clothes became more masculine, he signed up for a baseball team and began trying desperately to fit in.

It was too little too late. Now, not only was he a nerd and a fag, he was also a fake and a suck-up. Nastier members of his peergroup took to humiliating Taylor at every opportunity and it seemed the harder he tried to fit in, the more they sought to hurt and degrade him. His brothers found the whole thing hilarious. They'd always found Taylor's presence in their lives an embarrassment, so they made no move to protect him, even joining in from time to time in the relentless bullying. Taylor's parents were either oblivious, or just acted like they were. Taylor often thought that his father believed that Taylor 'deserved' this treatment or that it would somehow toughen him up and make a man out of him.

The only light at the end of the tunnel was the possibility of college. Beckie encouraged that dream, always having felt that she'd missed out by not going, and the pair had saved a college fund for all three of their children. Both of Taylor's brothers got sports scholarships, and business at the store was good, so there was money left in the pot. It would be tough, but Taylor couldn't wait to leave New Brook behind and find like-minded souls somewhere where he could be himself. Whatever that was. Sometimes he wasn't sure he even knew anymore as he tried so hard to be someone else.

Having just finished his Senior year and recently celebrated his 18th birthday, Taylor is working in the hardware store to earn as much as possible over the summer and looking forward to a fresh start in the Fall.


Family:

Reg BirchNPC
Father - age 54, Hardware store owner
Reg is a nice enough guy, but Taylor can't help but feel he's an embarrassment to his father. He tries desperately to please him, wanting to make him proud, but the relationship that they have is completely built on lies. Taylor is never himself around his father.

Rebecca 'Beckie' Birch nee BarberNPC
Mother - age 44, Part-time store employee, has been secretly thinking of persuing engineering again now that her children are flying the nest.
Taylor is slightly more comfortable around his mother. At times she seems sympathetic to his plight, and Taylor has tried broaching the topic with her, pointing out that she herself does not follow gender norms. She claims it's different for girls and tends to back up her husband out of habit.

Dean 'Duke' BirchNPC
Older Brother - 21, College with a football scholarship
Taylor sees Duke as the typical jock - everything he wishes he was and can never be. Duke has always teased Taylor, occasionally lashing out violently to keep Tay 'in his place'. In recent years, Taylor avoids Duke as much as possible.

Andrew 'Drew' BirchNPC
Older Brother - 20, College with a football scholarship
Only a year younger than Duke, Drew is always fighting for attention, trying to live up to his brother's reputation. In some ways, he's even more likely to pick on Taylor to justify his own status, distance himself from his brother and boost his own reputation. Again, Taylor avoids him wherever possible.

Tony BirchNPC
Grandfather (paternal), age 79 - retired hardware store owner. Has suffered two strokes and has deteriorated health, mainly bed-bound and finds it difficult to communicate or do anything for himself.
Taylor always liked his paternal grandfather and used to spend a lot of time visiting as a child. But Tony's health has never been good and Taylor hasn't had a chance to get to know the man really because of that.


Cyndie BirchNPC
Grandmother (paternal), age 76 - her husband's fulltime caregiver and a part-time volunteer.
Taylor has a good relationship with his grandmother although, again, she doesn't really know the real Taylor.

Andrew BarberNPC
Maternal grandfather - deceased (cancer)
Beckie's father passed away from cancer shortly before Drew was born so Taylor never knew him.

Sarah BarberNPC
Maternal grandmother - 68, relocated to Florida
Beckie's mother moved away from the area soon after her husband's death. Taylor doesn't see her very often and they aren't in regular communication.

parents siblings?


Connections:

potentially Roxy? Roy?

Pepper?

Marty?



Likes: Books, especially fantasy and history; Time alone; fashion, especially high fashion; being liked and feeling appreciated
Dislikes: Bullies; Being gay; confrontation; sports, or more so the almost religious aura that surrounds them, the games and the fans.
Fears & Phobias: public humiliation, physical harm, rejection
Worst Memory(ies): Being publicly humiliated in class/beaten (details?)
Best Memory(ies): Spending the day with his grandparents before his grandad got so sick, baking cakes and sitting in the garden with a jug of cold lemonade and fresh cream sponge cake; receiving his acceptance letter for college and knowing he'll be able to get out of New Brook and have a fresh start.
Favorite Animal(s): uhm.. dogs?
O/O's: Taylor's Ons: romance, a stronger and protective partner, feeling needed and wanted. Taylor's Offs: girls, anything rough. Things like dirty talk tend to embarrass him more than turn him on. Ice's Ons: NC, powerplay. NOTE: I am happy to torture Taylor with a NC scenario, heterosexual pairing or rough sex. He'll hate it, but meh I'm a little sadistic when it comes to my characters.

well BP and Ciosa, if you guys are happy for me to do so, I'll vaguely mention the incident in his history and under connections?

Chrystal, I'll add Pepper in too, but say that so far Tay has been polite but tried to keep his distance, if that's ok? I quite like the idea of him constantly running into her and trying to politely squirm away...
AA // OO // Requests

Madriv

All ya'll So. Damn. Nice!  Feels like I'm playing the only PC who'd give this boy a hard time.

Looks great, Ice. 

icecradle

Quote from: Madmartigan on June 29, 2014, 01:05:12 PM
All ya'll So. Damn. Nice!  Feels like I'm playing the only PC who'd give this boy a hard time.

Looks great, Ice.

<< I want him to have a hard time XDD
so yay for that hehehe
AA // OO // Requests

Madriv


Chrystal

Gotta love them Right Wing Christians *grins*


Ice, that is fine by me.

I've stopped adding connections to Pepper's list because it was getting so long!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Josietta


      ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍💖                    ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍💖
                                 O.Os   / A.As / Ideas 
                           Warning:  Finicky Muse Ahead!


Madriv


Josietta

Quote from: Madmartigan on June 29, 2014, 01:33:12 PM
Protestants.  *eyeroll*

::)

She says she'll pray for the Priest and his wandering eyes too ;P

      ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍💖                    ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍💖
                                 O.Os   / A.As / Ideas 
                           Warning:  Finicky Muse Ahead!


icecradle

AA // OO // Requests

Madriv

Confess to me, I'll oversee your penance personally, then get down on your knees and receive... forgiveness.

Josietta

Kitty totally read that as receive penis. :P 

Oversee penis... receive it... give it.. take it.. yeah. all that.

      ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍💖                    ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍💖
                                 O.Os   / A.As / Ideas 
                           Warning:  Finicky Muse Ahead!



Bloodied Porcelain

Quote from: icecradle on June 29, 2014, 01:02:53 PM
wip sheet

~BASICS~

Character's Name: Taylor Birch
Nickname: Tay, 'Bitch' (as an insult, playing on his surname and the assumption that he's homosexual)
Character's Birthdate and Age: May 12th, age 18
Place of Birth: New Brook, Louisiana
Current Residence: Two-bed apartment above his parents' hardware store in the town center. During the summer, he has to share the room with his brothers, so he has very little private space.

Occupation: Student
Education: just graduated highschool, accepted into college for the following term.
Hobbies: Reading, especially fantasy and non-fiction; bit of a fascination with history, especially social history; fashion and sewing (repressed currently but he's still naturally drawn to any opportunity). Plays baseball (more as an attempt to 'rectify' his image than an actual enjoyment, and he's pretty average at it).

~APPEARANCE~

Hair: Chestnut brown, kept short, slightly longer on the top. He lets it get to the length where it's dangling in his face and he can hide behind it before his dad makes some comment about being a hippy or a nancy, and he promptly gets it cut.
Eyes: Light brown and slightly narrower than the average caucasian shape. Framed by heavy, dark lashes.
Height: 5'6
Physical Description: He has a slight build with a rather efemminate appearance. Baseball and running away has helped hone the muscles in his arms and legs, but he still remains on the weaker side of average. Low self esteem means that he walks with a bit of a stoop, head down, as if trying to melt into the ground beneath him. He generally appears pensieve, distracted or just plain sad. When he's happy and relaxed, though, Taylor's whole face lights up with his smile and his eyes can take on an almost michievous glint.
His features are generally small and delicate, his movements a little awkward and uncomfortable. He tries to avoid anything in his appearance that would be too girly, generally copying whatever the other guys his age are wearing and trying to mimic their mannerisms, but it never looks natural.
Distinguishing Features: He has no tattoos or piercings. A few large freckles break his pale complexion, especially over his shoulders and thighs, with a particularly large freckle on his inner right hip. He has a few small scars, nothing too obvious, although one through his left eyebrow and one just below the left side of his mouth are noticable, especially in the summer when his skin tans a little.
Character Model: Francisco Lachowski


~IN DEPTH~

Personality:
Friendly/Agreeable - Taylor is naturally friendly and accepting. He dislikes confrontation, so tends to be overly agreeable, choosing not to disagree outloud for fear of a negative reaction. He wants to please, make others happy and mostly he wants to be liked.
Loyal - Once Taylor makes a connection with someone, he is intensely loyal and dedicated. He'd defend his family at all costs, even though his brothers especially haven't made life easy for him, still he is loyal to them.
Hardworking/Dedicated - He puts effort into things, even those he doesn't have a passion for. The most obvious example of this is baseball. He holds no love of the game and was terrible when he started playing, but through hard work and regular training, he's managed to get himself to a half-decent level. His schoolwork was always completed on time to a good standard and he's happy to help his parents in the store when they need him.
Quiet - Taylor won't speak up unless he's called on. He's happy to blend into the background and go unnoticed and finds solace in peace and quiet.
Insecure - He feels incredibly uncomfortable being himself, to the point where he denies himself any hobbies or likes that are 'inappropriate'. He is constantly afraid of rejection and being hurt. Constant bullying have left his self-esteem practically non-existent and he feels that he's a disappointment and an embarrassment to his family. If someone came up to him offering some kind of cure to make him 'normal', he'd leap at the chance.
Sensitive - Taylor is not at all thick-skinned and takes everything to heart. Every little insult stays with him and it's not uncommon for him to give in to tears. On the positive side, this means that he's sympathetic and empathetic towards others and able to appreciate things that others possibly take for granted… but he sees his sensitivity as a feminine trait that he shouldn't have and puts himself down for it.
Submissive - He is naturally submissive. Happier obeying and letting others make decisions for him. Partly because it's easier and (he thinks) safer, and partly because his natural instinct is to just go along with others. It's because the authorities in his life have educated him that homosexuality is wrong and unnatural that he believes he is an abomination, an embarrassment and so he desperately tries to hide that part of himself, rejecting anything that might suggest that he's gay.



History: Taylor's parents, Reg Birch and Beckie Barber both grew up in New Brook although because they are ten years apart, it wasn't until Beckie had graduated high school that the pair met properly. Beckie was looking for a summer job before heading off to college and took a position in the Birch's hardware store. Reg was already taking on much of the handling of the store as his father's health deteriorated, and was impressed by the straightfoward girl that seemed just as comfortable advising customers on tools as she was dressing up to the nines and going out dancing with friends. She'd been accepted on a partial scholarship for an Engineering major, mainly because she was one of very few females to apply. However things at home weren't simple, money was problematic, and as the summer stretched on it seemed more and more unlikely that she'd be able to afford college that year. Reg offered her a fulltime position at the store for the year so that she could earn and save. Beckie never did end up going to college. Before long a romance blossomed between the two and Beckie settled for working at the store and later raising her family.

Taylor was the youngest of three boys. His childhood was fairly average, growing up between the shop and his grandparents' houses. The hardware store was a way of life for the family and although Taylor never held any passion for it, he naturally picked things up as he went along. But he never took to the rough and tumble that his older brothers enjoyed. Nor did he show much interest in sports. If left to his own devices, he'd have prefered dolls and dressing up games to trucks and war play, but he never was left to his own devices. Despite the fact that his mother pushed gender boundaries, and shone in a typically male outlet, Taylor parents, and indeed the wider community, asserted that certain toys and hobbies just weren't suitable for boys, and Taylor, wanting to please, went along with that.

Puberty was unkind to the boy. Where his peers started bulking out and shooting up, Taylor remained short and weedy. Unable to really relate to the boys he was expected to befriend, and steering clear of befriending girls to please his parents, Taylor ended up spending much of the time alone. He wasn't a genius by any means, but he gradually gained a reputation as a nerd, purely because staying in the library was easier than failing at football and books were kinder companions than those in his classes.

His first crush did not come as a surprise and was rather a crushing confirmation of something that he'd already always known but resisted. Being gay simply wasn't an option and so Taylor tried as hard as he could to avoid the stereotype that he'd already been turning into. Suddenly his clothes became more masculine, he signed up for a baseball team and began trying desperately to fit in.

It was too little too late. Now, not only was he a nerd and a fag, he was also a fake and a suck-up. Nastier members of his peergroup took to humiliating Taylor at every opportunity and it seemed the harder he tried to fit in, the more they sought to hurt and degrade him. His brothers found the whole thing hilarious. They'd always found Taylor's presence in their lives an embarrassment, so they made no move to protect him, even joining in from time to time in the relentless bullying. Taylor's parents were either oblivious, or just acted like they were. Taylor often thought that his father believed that Taylor 'deserved' this treatment or that it would somehow toughen him up and make a man out of him.

The only light at the end of the tunnel was the possibility of college. Beckie encouraged that dream, always having felt that she'd missed out by not going, and the pair had saved a college fund for all three of their children. Both of Taylor's brothers got sports scholarships, and business at the store was good, so there was money left in the pot. It would be tough, but Taylor couldn't wait to leave New Brook behind and find like-minded souls somewhere where he could be himself. Whatever that was. Sometimes he wasn't sure he even knew anymore as he tried so hard to be someone else.

Having just finished his Senior year and recently celebrated his 18th birthday, Taylor is working in the hardware store to earn as much as possible over the summer and looking forward to a fresh start in the Fall.


Family:

Reg BirchNPC
Father - age 54, Hardware store owner
Reg is a nice enough guy, but Taylor can't help but feel he's an embarrassment to his father. He tries desperately to please him, wanting to make him proud, but the relationship that they have is completely built on lies. Taylor is never himself around his father.

Rebecca 'Beckie' Birch nee BarberNPC
Mother - age 44, Part-time store employee, has been secretly thinking of persuing engineering again now that her children are flying the nest.
Taylor is slightly more comfortable around his mother. At times she seems sympathetic to his plight, and Taylor has tried broaching the topic with her, pointing out that she herself does not follow gender norms. She claims it's different for girls and tends to back up her husband out of habit.

Dean 'Duke' BirchNPC
Older Brother - 21, College with a football scholarship
Taylor sees Duke as the typical jock - everything he wishes he was and can never be. Duke has always teased Taylor, occasionally lashing out violently to keep Tay 'in his place'. In recent years, Taylor avoids Duke as much as possible.

Andrew 'Drew' BirchNPC
Older Brother - 20, College with a football scholarship
Only a year younger than Duke, Drew is always fighting for attention, trying to live up to his brother's reputation. In some ways, he's even more likely to pick on Taylor to justify his own status, distance himself from his brother and boost his own reputation. Again, Taylor avoids him wherever possible.

Tony BirchNPC
Grandfather (paternal), age 79 - retired hardware store owner. Has suffered two strokes and has deteriorated health, mainly bed-bound and finds it difficult to communicate or do anything for himself.
Taylor always liked his paternal grandfather and used to spend a lot of time visiting as a child. But Tony's health has never been good and Taylor hasn't had a chance to get to know the man really because of that.


Cyndie BirchNPC
Grandmother (paternal), age 76 - her husband's fulltime caregiver and a part-time volunteer.
Taylor has a good relationship with his grandmother although, again, she doesn't really know the real Taylor.

Andrew BarberNPC
Maternal grandfather - deceased (cancer)
Beckie's father passed away from cancer shortly before Drew was born so Taylor never knew him.

Sarah BarberNPC
Maternal grandmother - 68, relocated to Florida
Beckie's mother moved away from the area soon after her husband's death. Taylor doesn't see her very often and they aren't in regular communication.

parents siblings?


Connections:

potentially Roxy? Roy?

Pepper?

Marty?



Likes: Books, especially fantasy and history; Time alone; fashion, especially high fashion; being liked and feeling appreciated
Dislikes: Bullies; Being gay; confrontation; sports, or more so the almost religious aura that surrounds them, the games and the fans.
Fears & Phobias: public humiliation, physical harm, rejection
Worst Memory(ies): Being publicly humiliated in class/beaten (details?)
Best Memory(ies): Spending the day with his grandparents before his grandad got so sick, baking cakes and sitting in the garden with a jug of cold lemonade and fresh cream sponge cake; receiving his acceptance letter for college and knowing he'll be able to get out of New Brook and have a fresh start.
Favorite Animal(s): uhm.. dogs?
O/O's: Taylor's Ons: romance, a stronger and protective partner, feeling needed and wanted. Taylor's Offs: girls, anything rough. Things like dirty talk tend to embarrass him more than turn him on. Ice's Ons: NC, powerplay. NOTE: I am happy to torture Taylor with a NC scenario, heterosexual pairing or rough sex. He'll hate it, but meh I'm a little sadistic when it comes to my characters.

well BP and Ciosa, if you guys are happy for me to do so, I'll vaguely mention the incident in his history and under connections?

Chrystal, I'll add Pepper in too, but say that so far Tay has been polite but tried to keep his distance, if that's ok? I quite like the idea of him constantly running into her and trying to politely squirm away...

Definitely put Roxy and Roy in as connections *nodnod*
I want no ordinary lover. I want a storm. I want sleepless nights and endless conversations at four a.m. I want passion, I want madness.
I want someone who's able to make my whole body shiver from a distance and also pull me close to make sense of all my bones.

~ Bizarre, Beautiful, And Breathtaking ~
~ O/O ~ Seeking ~ A/A ~ Mirrors and Masks ~ Poetry ~
She walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like wings.

Josietta


      ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍💖                    ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍💖
                                 O.Os   / A.As / Ideas 
                           Warning:  Finicky Muse Ahead!