Post by grayson clarke harris on Dec 18, 2013 11:19:33 GMT -5
GRAYSON CLARKE HARRIS
FULL NAME: Grayson Clarke Harris.
NICKNAMES: Gray.
AGE: twenty-two.
SEXUALITY: straight.
STATUS: single
GROUP: student
GRADE: sophomore.
MAJOR: Marine Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies.
JOB OCCUPATION: Hard Rock bar staff.
HAIR: Dirty blonde, on the longer side and usually really messy and unkempt. He runs his fingers through it that much during the day that it’s pretty much horrific by the time he gets home. It probably spends more time in his eyes than it should, but he’ll only tie it back whenever it’s absolutely necessary and someone suggests it first.
EYES: blue.
SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: Any that he has are all from minor accidents or silly dares gone wrong. None have a great story behind them, but they do show that he’s lived..
TATTOOS: He has a butterfly tattooed on his chest for his sister, an anchor on his right bicep for his grandfather who was a sailor, “Bob Dylan” on his ass (he was drunk, there were bets made…), “Love, Forever and Always, 1989” and a rose on his right forearm for his best friend, and then there’s a ball and chain tattooed on his left bicep with 11-12 underneath for the night he was carted off to jail after a bar brawl. Finally, right before he left for New York, he had “Take nothing but pictures – leave nothing but footsteps…” tattooed across the top of his back, which is a common notice everywhere back home and something he strongly believes in. His tattoos might seem “pointless”, but he gets them done to remind him of crossroads in his life and eye opening moments that changed his view on things.
PIERCINGS: Left Ear the once
PLAY-BY: Jamie Campbell Bower!
LIKES: surfing, tramping, tourists, bars, reggae, soft rock music, animals, swimming, sea kayaking, discovering new bands, climbing, environmental/animal conservation programmes, playing guitar, night life, sleeping in late, diving, rugby union, festival of the lights, going home, beach bonfires, skateboarding, sand dunes, recycling, tribal history and art, sunsets and sunrises, deep conversations, tattoos, acting, big headphones, Ray-Bans, beer, hats, fantasy art, beach carnivals, music festivals, Christmas in the sun, landscape photography, snow, trying new things, sharks, rock diving, birds, hanging with friends, scarves, coffee, fire escapes (they’re good for thinking).
DISLIKES: Being mistaken for an Australian, being told to cut his hair, lectures from his parents, whaling, hurting people, Skype acting up, bad internet connections, littering, disregard for the environment, smoker’s cough (he has it), hangovers, bad weather, angry cab drivers, people who can’t take a joke, early morning classes, baby oil, high school levels of drama, stepping on things he’s left on the floor, tidying up, losing his lighter, when people can’t understand his accent/words, losing his glasses, being serious, feeling bored, giving presentations, driving in New York, being yelled at, wearing too many layers, feeling stressed.
FEARS: His parents being right about everything, tsunamis, dying alone.
SECRETS: He’s purposely screwed up past relationships because he was scared of falling too hard and fast for the girls he was involved with. He’s trying to move beyond that, but it’s not something coming easily to him.
PERSONALITY: Gray is fun-loving. It’s the first thing anyone can say they notice about this joker. He’s always game for a laugh and there’s nothing that he’ll say no to. He hates having to be serious, and even if it’s only for a short period of time it still annoys him, though some people might see him as immature. This Kiwi is adventurous and energetic and it takes a lot for him to be the one to turn around and tell someone else that enough is enough. He’s got quite the carefree nature about him and he tries not to let the weight of the world press down on his shoulders, and he doesn’t think other people should either. Despite this lax attitude to pretty much everything, Grayson is pretty passionate about the environment and preserving it for the future. He’s an eco-friendly kind of guy who will happily try and show his friends that it’s the better way to live, not sitting back if one of them drops their trash on the sidewalk. Gray is an outdoorsy kind of bloke who doesn’t do well to be camped up in his apartment or a lecture hall for hours on end; he’s just too used to running down beaches or swimming in the ocean whenever it took his fancy. He’s curious and daring and a guy who isn’t afraid to break a few rules, only to try and charm his way out of punishment later! He is quite the flirt when he wants to be and he won’t pass on an opportunity to speak to a beautiful girl. Commitment is where his flaws show through. He’s scared of getting hurt or rejected by someone he really cares about, so he often goes out of his way to mess up a good thing, freaking out when things get too close to perfect for his liking. He’s got confidence, just not where it matters. His laid back approach to life doesn’t always go over well with others and he’s so used to being friendly and helpful that confrontations and arguments are the things he tries to walk away from before they can begin. He’s a peaceful guy with a good heart, though it’s not always in the right place.
MOTHER: Zara Louise Harris, 49..
FATHER: Paulson Mitchell Harris, 51.
SIBLINGS: Carly Rebecca Harris, 24
OTHERS: James Leonard Harris, deceased, maternal grandfather.
Scarlet June Bailey, 21, ex-girlfriend.
Sky Logan Davies, deceased, best friend since infanthood..
PETS: Tuhuroa, African spurred tortoise.!
HOMETOWN: Motueka, New Zealand (South Island)
HISTORY: Paulson and Zara met when Zara was working her first job with the financial law firm. Paulson worked with one of the bigger companies in the city in a lower paying job back then, but he had a promising future ahead of him and by the time the wedding was done, Carly was in the world and Grayson came kicking and screaming through, that promising future was a secure one. Due to the hectic lifestyles of their parents, Carly and Grayson spent most of their childhood being looked after by their grandfather, James, who was a retired sailor but who still spent his early mornings helping unload the fishing hall for the markets. Grayson was still only a little boy when he first went out on a boat with the fisherman, but it’s a memory he’s fond of and there were plenty more mornings like that as he grew older.
James definitely had a powerful influence over his grandson. He didn’t see the world in the same light that Paulson and Zara did and he didn’t understand why they both felt the need to have such financial security when they sacrificed so much free time to obtain it. Gray might have only been a little boy with big, curious eyes, but he was soon falling quickly for the beliefs of the freedom and the life that James spoke about. Carly started school two years ahead of him, so Gray would often be pleading with James to go to the beach, to the harbours, to the ocean…he was in love with it. As such, he listened to all the tales of the ocean life that his grandfather had experienced and spent hours asking questions and learning about the fish and the marine animals. There was so much out there and at his young, bright age, there was still so much to learn and James was more than happy to teach him it.
Gray started school and began to make friends, quickly becoming partner in crime with Sky Logan Davies. He was a clever boy, but he mind just never settled. He was energetic and always more interested in what he could do after school with his grandfather than whatever the teacher was teaching them to multiple by that day of the week. It was the opposite of his sister, as Carly was very academic and studied hard throughout her life. He made passable grades and seemed to have a more passionate love for biology and geography. Still, his parents wished that he’d put more effort it, rather than running off with Sky and spending the weekend with James and the local fishermen.
As he grew up, Gray quickly began developing hobbies of his own; no one could live in Motueka without sampling the life there! He was active, learning to surf, spending his weekends on the beach or on some of the tramping routes around the town. Sky was usually always by his side and the pair were still getting up to mischief at school and breaking the rules to get their kicks. He wasn’t a bad boy, but he did like a bit of rebellion and couldn’t stand the mundane seriousness of school. It was the gateway to his future, but Gray just wanted to live for now. His teenage years were adventures with friends, trying new things, discovering music and really just having a good time. He didn’t care about planning for the future or worrying about the things he couldn’t change
His parents were forever lecturing him, scolding him and comparing him to Carly. They said that if he didn’t spend more time with his textbooks studying then they would stop his allowance. When his parents refused to give him money for his adventures, Gray swung himself a job at one of the tourist hotspots in the town. He knew the local area better than most and the sixteen year old was a friendly guy who could easily point a lost wanderer in the right direction to save them from getting ripped off. He only worked the gift desk in the music bar, but it was enough for him to spend a few evenings a week listening to good music and meeting new people. It was here where he first spoke to Scarlet. She went to the same high school that he did, but was in the year below. She had come for one of the teenage music nights and Gray had helped her get some grape soda out of her jacket. It was the first time he really felt something with a girl rather than just checking them out.
Soon enough, with a little support from Sky and some old “courting” advice from James, Gray and Scarlet were official. They went on dates, kissed, walked along the beach and they were happy. However, for carefree Gray things felt like they were getting pretty serious a little too fast for him to deal with. Sky called him out on it, telling him to take a break from the relationship and just go back to what they used to do; hang out, surf, walk, make music. Gray didn’t want to hurt her though and things got very messy very quickly. He began ignoring her calls which he blamed on leaving his phone somewhere, or he’d miss a date and blame work or his parents…eventually it got so out of hand and one night at a beach party for the end of the school term, he kissed another girl and Scarlet found out. Gray had really liked her, but he lacked the courage to just talk to her and with a slap he knew he deserved, it was over.
Any relationship that followed seemed to go down the same path. He was the kind who could fall quick, but who was scared to fall at all. He was seventeen when James was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was heart-breaking for the whole family, but for Gray this man had been his childhood and the reason he loved what he did so much. He felt lost, but the old man called him one night, telling him to meet him by the shore the next morning, just like they used to. Gray hated early mornings, but he did it and they walked down to the harbour, watched the unloading of the sunrise haul and got breakfast out by the water. James talked to him about everything, telling that Paulson and Zara did have a point about his future. James told Gray that he knew that he had dreams, ambitions and goals he wanted to achieve and if he had learnt anything from the older man it was that anything was possible. He wanted to see his grandson live up to the silly dreams the little boy had once spoken about while jumping waves. James passed not much later that month and Gray was distraught, but wanted to make his grandfather proud.
He put some more work in at school where he believed it mattered. His grades had never slipped to failing, but they had never been as high as the perfect daughter’s either. He pulled them up enough to make it to college, but there was still so much more to accomplish with his life. Sky was still a huge part of his life and the pair were still the troublesome duo when they were together. Gray needed it; as much work as he did put into school, he needed to counter it with double the fun! They got their first tattoos together, drank their first legal beers together and went on their first “adult” vacation together. His parents still disapproved of many of his antics, voicing how they wished he would be more like Carly and choose to study a “safe” subject like business, law or medicine; something with a promising position at the end of it. Gray wouldn’t do something that didn’t make him happy, though, and if he didn’t have a five year plan because it would only lead to disappointment. He wanted to live for himself, make a difference to the world and stick by his beliefs.
His parents only frowned more when he deferred his place at university to go travelling around New Zealand with Sky on a gap year adventure. They spent the year getting into trouble, having fun and doing the things they had always spoke about doing; swimming with sharks, diving in certain rivers, climbing specific mountains and meeting new people. It was a year well spent in Gray’s opinion and he came back with a bag full of photographs and souvenirs from all the places they had managed to see.
Gray was nineteen when he went to university in Nelson, NZ, while Sky extended his gap year to travel back to the northern island of the country and spend more time there. He had been debating his future throughout the year Gray had been with him and hadn’t found all the answers yet. The two met up and exchanged stories for Christmas and the Festival of the Lights, but neither would’ve suspected it to be their last adventure. Gray was deep into his studies for his Marine Biology finals when he got the call from Sky’s older brother; Sky had been caving with some friends, just like he had done with Gray in the past, when a collapse had happened. They had managed to get Sky to hospital, but there was nothing they could do for him and he had died. Gray returned to Motueka for the funeral and reconsidered his own life. He had joked about doing so many things with Sky, but now they were just memories and old stories to share around a beach bonfire.
One of those dreams was to see New York. Gray couldn’t shake it from his mind and spoke to the school administrative office who informed him that there was a possibility of him moving his schooling to the city, so long as he had the funding. His dad, finally relenting to his son’s wishes after years of rejection, succumbed and wrote the necessary cheque on the promise that Gray would finish school and behave. Gray moved out to New York with help from his reluctant sister who thought he was brave, but chasing foolish dreams. He didn’t expect her to understand, but Sky had been his brother and this was what they had vowed to do that last Christmas together and Gray would honour it in the same way he honoured his grandfather’s wishes.
YOUR ALIAS: KIM.
RULE WORDS: kidnappedbykim.
WHERE YOU FOUND US: In the night sky.
SAMPLE:Pssh!
