Post by Gwen Robinson on Jul 1, 2017 20:51:10 GMT -8
GWEN ELISE ROBINSON
<Played by Stern>
Full Name>> Gwen Elise Robinson
Nicknames>> Gwen
Date of Birth>> 2/24/80
Staff or Student>> Staff- Red Willow Barn Manager
House>> Brown Ribbon Apartments
Gender>> Female
Sexuality>> Heterosexual
Face Claim>> Annabelle Wallis
Personality>> Gwen is very forward, and she isn't above correcting anyone if they are doing something wrong, no matter who it is. She knows what's best for her animals, and the animals under her care, and sees it as her job to make sure that nobody messes up (too badly), even if it means she gets labeled as being 'harsh' at times. She's very protective of her son, although she does her best not to be too much of a helicopter parent (she fails regularly). In general, she likes talking to people and learning about them, and is relatively at ease around large groups, although her favorite way to relax is a nice cup of tea and an evening alone watching an old Western movie.
Likes>>
Western Movies
Donkeys (other equids are okay too)
Birdwatching
Rain
Watching the sunrise/sunset
Dislikes>>
Snow or anything too cold
Most insects (especially mosquitoes)
Dentists
People breeding dwarf animals
The smell of mowed grass
Fears>>
Losing Ben (especially in a car crash)
Wasps
Hopes>>
To change her last name to Ayers.
To plant her own hummingbird garden.
To own another Great Dane (but she doesn't have the time at the moment).
Secrets>>
She acts as though she was married to Michael, Ben's dad - However, they were never actually wed. Michael's family supports her and Ben due to believing she is their son's widow. She doesn't know if that support would continue if the truth came out.
Appearance>> Gwen's relatively average in appearance. She stands at 5'5" tall and 136 pounds. Her hair is originally brown, but she dyes it blonde regularly, although she's considering returning to her original color at some point. Her eyes are light blue and expressive, showing her emotions easily. She is most often seen in jeans and a nice top, boots on her feet. Her hair is tied back or braided normally, although she occasionally fancies it up - As long as it's out of her face! Her relationship with the Ayers does have its perks - Her wardrobe is of the highest quality, despite its simplicity.
Markings>> Minor scars, nothing of note.
Medical History>> Car crash at 23, broken arm.
Full History>>Gwen was born and raised in a medium-sized town in Oregon. Her family wasn't very well off, but they made ends meet and had a little bit left over. That little bit was never enough for horse-riding lessons, though, the one thing that Gwen craved to try. One day, however, she decided that it was worth a shot, and approached a local barn owner with a proposition: She would muck stalls and do whatever else needed doing every day after school, for an hour of riding or horse-related lessons each week. The owner was happy to agree, seeing a willing worker. As he started to see talent, too, he got his wife to teach the young girl more, putting her onto some of the unleased barn horses to learn more disciplines, although she shone in show jumping. The horses kept her going through high school, although she had to leave them behind when she moved to the nearest university to study biology.
However, the money ran out after two years, and her grades weren't quite good enough to warrant really keeping at it. So Gwen put her schooling on hold and found a job as a waitress. She and Michael Ayers met each other formally when Gwen was 20. They had known of each other, had even attended the same high school, but Michael was a year older and they had moved in different circles. He recognized her as the horsey girl from high school, and asked if she still rode. She admitted that she'd given it up upon moving, but not by choice.
The next week, she was called and offered an interview with a premier training facility two cities over. Michael had arranged it all, without asking, as an opportunity for Gwen. She went, although she was upset at her life being meddled with, and was offered a position as a groom, with a promise of moving up as she earned it. She took the opportunity, leaving her studies behind for good.
As expected, she learned quickly. Unexpectedly, Michael started hanging around, and even got her to forgive him for meddling. They started dating, and that eventually turned more serious, turning to talks of living together and marriage and all that good stuff.
Michael proposed to her on the day they went to pick up her first Great Dane puppy. She'd been excited about this dog for a long time, having been in love with the breed for ages, and a recent promotion to barn manager made it financially possible. He had contacted the breeder a few days before they drove down to pick him up. When they arrived, the pup had a ring tied around his neck with a ribbon. As you could expect, Gwen said yes.
After a year of wedding planning, Gwen threw her hands up and declared that it was far too much work, and they realized that they would both rather elope - So they did. On the day that she and Michael were planning to elope, they left a note for each family and hurried off. However, due to a clerical error, the minister was not actually available on the day. Upon their return the next day, the families had put together a large reception, and Gwen and Michael decided to wait to tell their families the truth - But that time never came.
On the way home after the wedding 'reception', the car they were in was hit by a drunk guest who was also driving home. Mike was killed in the accident, while Gwen escaped relatively unscathed, save for a broken arm and a broken heart. Michael's father pulled her aside in the hospital and told her that, as their son's widow, she had the full support of his family, and that they would do everything in their power to make her life as grand as it would have been with their son.
Imagine Gwen's surprise a month later when she got another set of news, in the form of a positive pregnancy test. She'd moved into a room at the Ayers' house (estate, really), and had continued working at the training facility, although she was on reduced work until her arm healed. She kept herself busy with everything she could do, though, and the news of her pregnancy was a mixture of blessing, that she could keep a bit of Michael with her, and a curse, that it would keep her from her true job even longer.
However, the facility managers and owners understood, and gave Gwen two years of flexible work - She could come in if she felt up to it, without the stress if it didn't work out. Gwen never questioned it aloud, but she didn't doubt there was some form of compensation coming from the Ayers to allow the arrangement to continue.
In those two years, Gwen gave birth to her son, Ben, and gave him Michael's last name, although she had never taken it herself. True to their word, the boy's paternal grandparents made sure that they wanted for nothing, and supported Gwen as she got back to work, first watching Ben or hiring babysitters, and then making sure that the boy was welcome to come along.
And so they made a life for themselves. Gwen proved herself capable, and rose slowly from a mere groom to the manager of the facility, the whole time keeping one small secret about her 'marriage' from the world. For twelve years, they made it work, until Ben was a freshman in high school. The transition to high school had been hard for him, with the others constantly making snide comments about his family situation. Finally, Gwen had had enough. She started looking around for somewhere else that they could go, and stumbled across Blue Ridge. Not wanting to let her son go so far without her, the fact that they needed a barn manager was a stroke of luck. She brought it up to the Ayers family and received their blessing to go for it.
She sent in her application and resume, and made Ben fill out his own application, and before too long, they had both received affirmative answers.
