Post by Geraldine Cliff on Aug 9, 2016 17:31:28 GMT -8
GERALDINE-CLIFF
<<Played by Stern>>
Full Name>> Geraldine Cliff
Nicknames>> Gerri
Age>> May 14, 2002; 14
Staff or Student>> Student
House>> Green
Gender>> Female
Sexuality>> Heterosexual
Face Claim>> Reed Kessler
Personality>>
Geraldine’s one of those people that loves to learn, about almost anything and everything. She has to put lots of effort into studying to learn, though. Unlike some of her classmates, who seem to just get things right off of the bat, Gerri has to spend time outside of class practicing, and sometimes making sure things click. However, once she understands something, she can use it to build off of, and it stays with her for quite some time, not just the next test.
While she enjoys lots of subjects, from biology and genetics to writing, her absolute favorite thing to learn about is languages. She has a knack for them, and would already be considered a polyglot by her mastery of six languages (English, German, Russian, Hebrew, Spanish, and Hindi), although she is conversational in a handful of others, and is always adding more as she can manage it.
Apart from her studious nature, Gerri is a very honest person. She tries to be honest at all times. That’s hard, though, at the point when she gets asked about her family situation. She doesn’t like talking about that, because she just feels that too much of it should stay private. Sometimes she would rather just make up a normal family life, to ward off the questions that came with refusing to answer, although she rarely does.
When she’s in a new place, or just feeling overwhelmed, Gerri can come across as cool and slightly aloof. However, once she’s more comfortable again, she warms up quickly, and in one on one situations she’s happy to try and make friends, or at least connections.
Likes>>
*Learning languages
*The color pink
*Horses/animals in general
*Spending time with her dad
*Genetics
Dislikes>>
*Being asked about her family, both because she doesn't like to tell the truth, but hates lying too. She'd rather just avoid the issue.
*Liars
*Long skirts and dresses - She has a tendency to trip over the hem.
*Ants
*Scary movies (of any sort)
Fears>>
*Wasps/Bees
*Zombies - To the point where a zombie movie can cause nightmares where she'll scratch at her arms trying to get away.
Hopes>>
*That her mother will get better.
*To get a pet one day.
Secrets>>
*She doesn't really tell people how many languages she knows. (Although she doesn't keep it a total secret.)
*She tried running away from home once when her mom was blacked out drunk, but she never told anyone exactly why she ran away.
Appearance>>
Geraldine is pretty nondescript appearance-wise. Her brown hair is pretty long, straight with just a little bit of a wave to it naturally, although she usually messes with it in one way or another (curling, braiding, buns) instead of leaving it down as it comes. Her brown eyes peer out of a tanned, but clear face. She stands at five foot five inches, tipping the scales at 121 pounds.
Style-wise, Gerri prefers button up shirts and jeans or shorts as her clothes of choice. Occasionally in the summer dresses join that line-up, although she prefers shorter skirts on her dresses – She has a tendency to trip over the longer ones! Her shoes she keeps simple, with comfortable boat shoes or loafers. Gerri is the kind of person who won’t leave the house without makeup, although she keeps it light, with a neutral or slightly pastel palette and a gentle touch.
Markings>> Ears pierced once through the lobe.
Medical History>> Nothing major.
Criminal History>> Ran away one night but was returned pretty quickly after the police found her walking on the side of the road. No criminal record, she was just returned home and told not to worry her mother.
Full History>>
Geraldine was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. Her father (Danny) was a material engineer who worked in the Athabasca oil sands of Canada, while her mother (Ashley) was a nurse/home caretaker. The two had gotten married more for convenience and an off-on relationship than any real romance, but it seemed to work for them. One time, while her father was on leave from work and back at home, their birth control ended up failing. So, Mr. Cliff ended up reducing his time on at work, going to a two week on, one week off schedule instead of the more grueling schedule he’d used to clear out the last of his student debt.
Things worked out well for the family until Gerri was about twelve. She didn’t see much of her father while he was working, but since some of her friends were army brats, she realized how lucky she was to see him so regularly, rather than between six-month absences. However, during that year when Gerri was twelve, things changed. Her mother found someone whom she actually loved, rather than just tolerated. That in itself may have ended in a mutually civil divorce, had it not come out that she was pregnant before she decided to tell her husband.
While her mother ended the pregnancy (testing showed Down Syndrome, which she and her new lover didn’t want to deal with), the divorce still went through, with Gerri’s mother retaining most of the custody, except for one weekend a month. Her father went back to working 24 days with 4 days off, the most that he could work, since he had no other reason to stay close.
After the abortion, Ashley’s new boyfriend ended up leaving her, and the woman fell into alcoholism. The family limped along for about a year, before a stray comment that Gerri made during her weekend with her father made him realize how bad things actually were. He made things move quickly, getting the house looked into and eventually winning full custody of Gerri. He couldn’t take care of her all of the time, with his work, but wanted the best for her. So he started looking into respectable boarding schools, with Gerri’s input. However, without her knowledge, he also applied to BRRA for her, reasoning that the horse books and décor of her room meant that she must like the creatures, right? As it happened, BRRA was the school that first offered her a spot, and barely two weeks before she moved in, he sprung the information on her that she would be attending not only a boarding school, but a riding boarding school. “Here’s a helmet, they say you’ll need it. Have fun!”
