Halfway Character Sketches
Okay, so a few years back I had this dream. Really weird dream that involved Sarah Michelle Gellar and Tom Welling, though not in traditional Vampire Hunter/Son of Krypton roles. Anyways what was interesting about the dream really had nothing to do with them, it was just a really cool premise (I thought). Luckily, I managed to remember this one when I woke up, and wrote down what I could. Now when I was more awake and looked at it, I realized that a lot of it made absolutely no sense. So I extracted what I could and in the end was left with a premise I still really liked, and some great characters. Everything else . . . So anyways, I had mentioned before that I was going to put up character sketches for that one story of mine. Here they are, lj-cut for your convenience.
Feedback (including telling me honestly that this premise isn't as good as I think it is) would be much appreciated.
"Halfway"
Premise:
Six people of varying age living together in an old Victorian. The problem is they're all living there as inpatients, thus the title. Now Jack, Sophie, Nick, Miles, Anya, and Finn all live at the St. Gabriel Institute Children's Halfway House. There they live under the watchful eye of the two house coordinators Matt and Sarah (Matt's name was originally Tom, Sarah's is unchanged if anyone's wondering who was who in the dream). The other problem is that the children's psychosis are all seemingly related, each in turn bearing some connection to paranormal happenings. Into this mix comes Lil, a non-patient who's just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Only it seems dying's not so simple these days.
Characters:
Jack-
Age: 15 or 16
Race: White
Hair: Black
Build: Skinny
Jack's an easy going kid with a generally laid back outlook on life. He's been diagnosed with schizophrenia connecting to his claim that he hears voices. He's one of the oldest of the group, and the closest it comes to having a leader. Jack appears the most "normal" of any of them and since the voices are the only presenting symptom he could probably hide his ailment if he so chose. However Jack has a bigger problem with people who thinks he has an ailment, so he's short on patience for people who treat him like he's nuts.
Sophie-
Age: 16 or 17
Race: Not sure yet, she keeps switching in my head.
Hair: ?
Build: Athletic
Sophie's the eldest of the group, but she doesn't act like it. Sophie's the party child who likes to live it moment to moment. She was diagnosed with psychotic tendencies and anger management issues. In truth Sophie's known for being fiercely protective, but she's always been very kind to those she knows. Sophie's voice and manner make her seem abrupt or even rude to some, but in her eyes it's a disservice to tell someone anything less than the whole truth. Sophie's known by her accessories, a pair of bracelets that closely resemble broken leather hospital restraints.
Anya-
Age: 15 or 16
Race: European descent, possibly Roma.
Hair: Brown
Build: Slight
When Anya speaks her voice is soft, her tone timid, but her words are well thought out. According to her records, Anya was committed for her own safety, the masochistic impulses she'd been diagnosed with having proven to be too difficult to control. Those who know her say she's on the quiet side, but is quite thoughtful and even joyful as long as she trusts you enough to open up to you.
Miles-
Age: ?
Race: Looks white?
Hair: Brown
Build: Difficult to say, slim?
Miles is a man of few words. So few in fact that no one's heard him speak. Something of a Zombie like companion, Miles is nonetheless always there when in danger or delight. His face rarely shows much expression, but people usually never get so far as an expression. Rather, Miles turns heads by his interesting choice of apparel. Wherever he goes it seems, Miles always wears a straight jacket. No one's sure why except Matt and Sarah perhaps, and they say about as much concerning his attire as he does.
Nick-
Age: 14 or 15
Race: Mixed, White/African-American
Hair: Coffee brown
Build: Athletic
Nick plays the role of prankster and does it gladly. Self-trained in everything from magic tricks to picking locks. Nick also always appears as the quintessential gambler, always wearing shades whether in or out of doors. Nick is also in some ways the most sympathetic to others with a similar affliction. Always happy to make people laugh, Nick is a good friend even in the hardest of times.
Finn-
Age: Between 9 and 11
Race: White
Hair: Dirty blond
Build: Kid-like?
Finn is the youngest of the group, a child amidst a high school audience. Finn was diagnosed with a pathological tendency to lie and delusions, all in concerns to his "imaginary friends" Other than that though Finn's pretty much the normal kid one might expect.
Feedback (including telling me honestly that this premise isn't as good as I think it is) would be much appreciated.
"Halfway"
Premise:
Six people of varying age living together in an old Victorian. The problem is they're all living there as inpatients, thus the title. Now Jack, Sophie, Nick, Miles, Anya, and Finn all live at the St. Gabriel Institute Children's Halfway House. There they live under the watchful eye of the two house coordinators Matt and Sarah (Matt's name was originally Tom, Sarah's is unchanged if anyone's wondering who was who in the dream). The other problem is that the children's psychosis are all seemingly related, each in turn bearing some connection to paranormal happenings. Into this mix comes Lil, a non-patient who's just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Only it seems dying's not so simple these days.
Characters:
Jack-
Age: 15 or 16
Race: White
Hair: Black
Build: Skinny
Jack's an easy going kid with a generally laid back outlook on life. He's been diagnosed with schizophrenia connecting to his claim that he hears voices. He's one of the oldest of the group, and the closest it comes to having a leader. Jack appears the most "normal" of any of them and since the voices are the only presenting symptom he could probably hide his ailment if he so chose. However Jack has a bigger problem with people who thinks he has an ailment, so he's short on patience for people who treat him like he's nuts.
Sophie-
Age: 16 or 17
Race: Not sure yet, she keeps switching in my head.
Hair: ?
Build: Athletic
Sophie's the eldest of the group, but she doesn't act like it. Sophie's the party child who likes to live it moment to moment. She was diagnosed with psychotic tendencies and anger management issues. In truth Sophie's known for being fiercely protective, but she's always been very kind to those she knows. Sophie's voice and manner make her seem abrupt or even rude to some, but in her eyes it's a disservice to tell someone anything less than the whole truth. Sophie's known by her accessories, a pair of bracelets that closely resemble broken leather hospital restraints.
Anya-
Age: 15 or 16
Race: European descent, possibly Roma.
Hair: Brown
Build: Slight
When Anya speaks her voice is soft, her tone timid, but her words are well thought out. According to her records, Anya was committed for her own safety, the masochistic impulses she'd been diagnosed with having proven to be too difficult to control. Those who know her say she's on the quiet side, but is quite thoughtful and even joyful as long as she trusts you enough to open up to you.
Miles-
Age: ?
Race: Looks white?
Hair: Brown
Build: Difficult to say, slim?
Miles is a man of few words. So few in fact that no one's heard him speak. Something of a Zombie like companion, Miles is nonetheless always there when in danger or delight. His face rarely shows much expression, but people usually never get so far as an expression. Rather, Miles turns heads by his interesting choice of apparel. Wherever he goes it seems, Miles always wears a straight jacket. No one's sure why except Matt and Sarah perhaps, and they say about as much concerning his attire as he does.
Nick-
Age: 14 or 15
Race: Mixed, White/African-American
Hair: Coffee brown
Build: Athletic
Nick plays the role of prankster and does it gladly. Self-trained in everything from magic tricks to picking locks. Nick also always appears as the quintessential gambler, always wearing shades whether in or out of doors. Nick is also in some ways the most sympathetic to others with a similar affliction. Always happy to make people laugh, Nick is a good friend even in the hardest of times.
Finn-
Age: Between 9 and 11
Race: White
Hair: Dirty blond
Build: Kid-like?
Finn is the youngest of the group, a child amidst a high school audience. Finn was diagnosed with a pathological tendency to lie and delusions, all in concerns to his "imaginary friends" Other than that though Finn's pretty much the normal kid one might expect.