Nickname: Mel, Mentos
Age: 24
Birthday: April 27th
Sign: Taurus
Gemstone: Diamond
Blood Type: AB+
Fav. Food: Mel doesn't really have a 'liked' food, and must often be reminded/nagged into remembering to eat it. She does enjoy vodka and cigarettes, however.
Hated Food: Quinoa.
School: Graduate Student at HITS [Architecture]
Hobbies:
Painting - Mel spends her life studying her surroundings. The micro-expressions of those who speak to her, the way they form their words, their postures and gestures. She doesn't hear them, so she watches them until she understands. This has lead to a study of those close to her, and Mel paints them. Almost exclusively in oil paint, on canvasses throughout her studio, she paints only portraits.
Drinking - Really. One can call it less of a hobby, and more of a habit, but Mel is often not without a drink by choice. While not an alcoholic, the young woman definitely engages in quite a bit of alcohol abuse, and will likely find herself worsening if something in her life doesn't change. She is a highly operational drinker, and often uses her buzz to numb whatever emotions she may be suppressing. She enjoys liquor, and will go out purely to try something new that she doesn't yet have. This wasn't addressed when she was a teen, living back home in Amsterdam, and now that she has her own loft, it is a habit that's depth is predominantly hidden from others.
Reading She knows what you're thinking. How boring. And it is. Mel doesn't read fiction. The stacks of books in her loft range from history to art theory, to design, and her recollection and comprehension of the materials hints at a mind that is often not applied to its full potential.
Searching Adventures - If Mel gets it in her mind that she needs to see something, whether it's the way light hits the bridge across town at sundown, or an arch of the building she passed on the bus, the girl will go and find it, whether you come with her or not. She feels compelled to find these objects, the perfect stapler, a chair that is exactly this tall, and, if not in her studio or class, is probably tracking down one of them.
Music - The one truly 'outgoing' activity that Mel partakes in are ASL translations of music. She enjoys cranking the volume until the floor vibrates and she can feel the song, and participates both online and in person with members of her community to create physical art. An example would be the talented Kelly McGreer's "Grenade" by Bruno Mars.
Virtues:
Perceptive -- Mel may not use her mouth for much beyond smoking and drinking [if she has the choice], but she knows how to watch people. Humanity, she's found, has a finite set of motivations that guide their actions and responses. People are creatures of habit, and Mel has a gift for recognizing patterns. This is particularly good for the sole child of wealthy parents that expect you to sober up, throw on a dress, and mingle with the upper echelon of society. More commonly, it helps her make the best out of her daily encounters... When she chooses to.
Tolerant -- She can take a lot of s**t. A lot of s**t. Your emotional baggage, your insults, your cheerfulness or bad attitude. Mel doesn't care if you're a slut, or a b***h, or pretentious snob, or if you're a really nice person. If you insist on being around her, then you're bound to be tolerated, no matter who you are or what you do.
Focused Perfectionist -- Give Mel a task. If it's interesting, catches her eye, then you can expect she'll tackle it with an almost intimidating intensity. Of course, once it's in her hands, the perfectionist won't stop until it satisfies her. "Good Enough" isn't a part of her vocabulary.
Flaws:
Obsessive -- That painting. She has to finish it. The project that she needs to spend the next 43 consecutive hours working on. Mel will forego responsibilities, promises, her own health for whatever currently has her fascination. This has broken up many a relationship, and is something her closest relatives and 'friends' have learned is a part of her base nature. It ain't changin' any time soon.
Indifferent -- Unfortunately [or not], if you don't fall into the short list of things that Mel cares about, then she simply doesn't. This isn't to say that she hates you, but the girl really doesn't care about your score on the last exam, your new job, or the death of your favorite grandma.
Self-Destructive -- Mel puts up with a lot. Even things that she shouldn't. The girl's criteria for friends are, namely, those who want to be friends with her, whether that's good for her or not. You can beat on her emotionally and physically, and she's not likely to do a thing about it.
***It should be noted that Mel is a deaf character. As a young child, Mel contracted bacterial meningitis. The antibiotics used to treat her illness saved her life, but left her deaf, as they have to many other children. Meningitis is one of the leading causes of post-natal hearing loss, but it is far better than the alternative [that is to say, death]. Oddly enough, dark-eyed people [who possess higher melanin contents] have been found to be far less likely to become deafened by meningitis than light-eyed people. [2 out of 32 subjects had dark eyes].
Mel does not have a cochlear implant, nor any sort of hearing aid, though she is speaking [and has attended years of speech therapy], and can read/interpret most speech. Mel communicates most comfortably in ASL or LSF/NGT, however, those not in the deaf community can expect her to speak to them in heavily accented English, due to both being foreign and being unable to hear herself speak. She lives independently, and does not view herself as disabled. Some of her hobbies reflect that she is deaf, and if you have any questions about interacting with Mel, please ask!***
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Eyes: A very pale, very cold blue. Generally weary looking and apathetic.
Hair: "Black Cherry" or "Chocolate Cherry" - A rich, almost black, chocolate brown shade, despite reddish highlights. Straight, and cut rather short. Worn slightly tousled and in her face, unless she's cleaned up/completely sober, in which case it's slicked back [maybe slicked back in powered form?].
Face: Mel's face is usually somewhat impassive. At most, her brows furrow slightly, and there's a slight expression of displeasure or concern. High cheekbones, slightly angular, Mel has a pretty face, but it's usually marked by darkened circles under the eyes.
Skintone: Slightly tan / a shade or so darker than the standard template base.
Other: Mel has quite a number of tattoos all over her body, the most visible of which will be bands on her upper arms. [NSFW Ref] or this chibi for upper arms.
Clothes: Mel has two styles: expensive, fitted masculine, or loose, layered studio wear. When she locks herself into her lair for days on end, she usually wears loose tank tops, clothes that were one really nice, but have since been butchered and ruined by art projects and frustration. Uh... Blazer-type s**t with tees, leather jackets, fitted button-ups, badass leather shoes/boots [short/lace up boots, please].
Have some flava links, yo.
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