OOC
GAME: St Louis, MO
DESCRIPTION: PB community.
DATE: October 2006
PB: Brandon Boyd
JOURNAL: chrisharper
IC
name: christopher gwyn harper
date of birth: 21 march, 1982
age: twenty-four
zodiac: aries
family: father (deceased), mother, twin brother, younger sister
occupation: barista @ Bean's
education: high school diploma. bachelor's degree in fine arts, photography.
Christopher "Kit" Harper grew up the eldest of three siblings, under the watchful eye of both parents in the town of Aurora, Missouri. But when he's only a few minutes older than his brother, is the difference really that important? Yes, Christopher and his twin brother have always lived side-by-side, butting heads and competing for attention. Their mother and father travelled extensively as a result of their high-paced business work, and both boys ended up playing surrogate parent to their younger sister.
Suburban life didn't bring much friction with it, but their parents' lives definitely did. The father had an incessant drinking problem, which he tried to throw for years; he wasn't abusive, but the habit drained the family's energy and strained the marriage to its utmost - not to mention his liver. Their mother wrestled with a general anxiety disorder, which had her fretting over her boys and her work and getting fatigued easily.
High school showed the twins competing endlessly, always vying for attention and trying to outdo the other. Academics, sports, music - Christopher strove against his brother in everything, attempting to come out on top. The two boys even had the same taste in girls, something which ended up in mental bloodshed half of the time. Soon enough, people around the family simply learnt to keep the boys apart, without treading on each others' territory. Both boys experience a minor inferiority complex regarding the other; they'll be desperate to prove their superiority, while at the same time fearing that other people will like the brother more.
After high school, Christopher worked aimlessly at a bookstore in his hometown for a few years, not certain what he wanted to do. But when his brother packed up and moved for university, and Christopher's long-time girlfriend dumped him, complaining of Kit's "lack of ambition" - that was the breaking point. His competitive drive kicked back in, and Christopher himself moved to a much larger city, St. Louis, to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography. Not only was St. Louis a gateway to a much larger environment compared to his hometown, but he already had a cousin there to make the transition easier.
He's been here for a few years now, currently holding down a job at Bean's and continuing photography on the side. Photography is his main passion, but his hobbies include being a movie fanatic, a diverse range of music, soccer, and lazily playing his guitar and singing. Christopher inherited the love of the guitar from his father, and has been playing it ever since he was little, and has a decent voice; he has very little desire to improve himself and pursue this professionally, however. He currently lives in the Merchandise Mart Apartments, and keeps a golden retriever for company.
Their father died last Christmas, finally caving in to his ailing liver. Ever since, Christopher has avoided visiting his hometown, at the same time as his brother contemplates joining him in St. Louis.
Christopher has a commitment problem, and can be unreliable, inconsistent, and even just plain untrustworthy at times. He is addicted to human beings and communication, and has problems with being left alone. He's also an entertaining and protective friend once you earn his trust - albeit a rather edgy and snarky friend, at that. Yes, he can have a bit of an attitude problem.
storylines.
the twin brother. Christopher is incredibly competitive with his brother, and will constantly try to outdo him. Despite how harsh they can be to each other, Christopher's twin is also the one person who knows the most about him, good sides and bad. Kit fiercely loves his twin, and would do anything for him - if only he asked.
the younger sister. While he'll do anything to trip up his brother, he'll also do anything to protect his sister, even going to unrealistic lengths to shield her from the "real" world.
the cousin. [info]nessia. She was part of the inspiration that moved him here to the city. They're only a year apart, and Chris is extremely fond of his cousin - in a way, it's easier to be close to her and treat her like a friend, as opposed to his siblings.
the ex-girlfriend. A girl that he managed to wrestle from his brother - a triumph of sorts. Christopher was together with her for years throughout high school and afterwards, but she ultimately dumped him due to his aimlessness and lack of ambition. Her affections kept waffling between both brothers, which also kept Christopher constantly paranoid during their relationship.
the friend with benefits. [info]karrieann. After any sort of rejection or night of loneliness or breakup - anything that'll leave Christopher devastated and drunk - he'll most often wind up in her bed. He's not finicky and sex isn't a big deal. What's so bad about it, if it makes both of them feel better?
the partner-in-crime. [info]seda. Her eccentricity drew his attention at the coffee shop, and ever since befriending each other, they've been best pals. They joke around, they play pranks on each other, they randomly pop by each other's workplace. They have a convenient setup involving "suffering" through each other's hobbies, though it's really not such a big deal. He has fun with her, plain and simple.
the drinking buddy. [info]plcarter. The guy pal, and Christopher's closest thing to a rabble-rousing best friend. They can be terrifyingly alike at times. Whether it's blurting out his life secrets or just hitting the bars, chances it's with this friend.
the interest. [info]jordannamarie. His friend's little sister. Kit's known her for a while, and though they're not that close yet, he's intrigued. His day automatically brightens whenever she stops by the coffee shop.
the budding friend. [info]jaden_ashby. An umpteen-million visits to the coffee shop means that they end up crossing paths rather often. After the umpteen-million-and-seventh, you'd figure it's about natural that they'd start talking. And hey, what do you know? Mr Caffeine Addict is a cool guy.
the best female friend. [info]kallieanderson. A mutual love of photography brought them together, and they dated briefly before realizing that that was, well, a pretty stupid thing to do. They match perfectly as good friends instead, and though Christopher has his reservations with confiding in people, she's the one with the biggest chance of getting sober confessions out of him.
her friend. [info]jhartman. That's not to say that Christopher doesn't know her. He doesn't trust easily, but he certainly does befriend people easily - he's heard conflicting stories about this girl, but ultimately, he's on pretty good terms with her. He ought to, considering the hours he spends at their apartment.
the sidekick. [info]christicopeland. Christopher's got a bit of a big brother issue. When this lost little Aussie showed up in St. Louis and stumbled across his path, he ended up befriending her and taking her under his wing; showing her the city, the sights… anything that'll help her get settled, he'll do it. Despite her being a year older than him, he still feels a wary sort of protective affection for her.
the duckling. [info]emeilia. She's studying photography at the university, just like he did. Chris bumped into her when she was a freshman, and took it upon himself to give her some tips for college: how to survive, what professors to take, the best places to go for shots. He gets frazzled whenever her determination in the subject lags, considering she really is a talented photographer. For her own sake, Chris would like to see her do well in university.
