color code: 468b55Alexander, 14
The Spoopy Realist.
❱❱❱❱ FULL NAME
Alexander Thrope Morrison.
❱❱❱❱ NICKNAME(S)
Xander.
❱❱❱❱ DATE OF BIRTH
December 31st, 1970.
❱❱❱❱ GENDER
Male.
❱❱❱❱ APPEARANCE
Xander is one of those kids people can look at, and immediately say he is going to be heart-breaker with age. While he retains some baby fat around his face, in his cheeks, and on his stomach, it's slowly shedding away with age, giving way to a trim and fit body. Though, Xander still looks quite healthy, an average weight for his age and 5'4 height. Messy, dirty blonde hair sits atop his head in a "puff," trimmed shorter on the sides, with the thicker top being finger-combed back to appear more tangled and curled, than the straight it actually is. Sometimes, the hair can flop over onto his forehead, getting in the very tops of his eyes, and he's often using his fingers to shove it back and out of the way. Eyebrows darker in color, they're thick, and could be considered masculine with how bold and wide they are. His eyes are a vivid green, with abnormally shaped flares of hazel spreading out from the pupils, surrounded by lighter, long eyelashes. His butt chin is a feature his mother often points out and claims is cute, that he had gotten it from his father.
One thing that stands out on Xander a lot are probably his freckles; a copious amount of dots spread across his whole face, going down his neck and dusting along his shoulders and torso, covering up a good amount of his creamy skin tone. Black, thick-rim, and rectangle glasses sit on his nose, resting on his slightly chubby cheeks and making his eyes look bigger and brighter than they really are. Xander's closet consists mainly of dark and light plaids alike, with rugged graphic tees, and baggy jeans. In colder weather, he might shove a too-big hat onto his head, or put on a dark scarf with frayed edges. Usually, his feet are covered with his Doc Marten boots, a dark red color, though sometimes he might sport tennis shoes, or even just go barefoot out into the world, if he can get away with it.
❱❱❱❱ PERSONALITY
Xander isn't very talkative; he comes off as quiet, maybe even appears shy and a bit meek at first. Until he does talk. Growing up with a mother who was nothing but a realist, someone who didn't turn away from the truth and was always honest, caused Xander to be exactly the same. When this kid speaks his opinion, or the actual truth, he's bound to rub someone wrong. Perhaps it doesn't help he can be very dry and sarcastic in his delivery, but that's something he had gotten from his father (or so his mother claims). Unintentionally, he pokes the bear, because he doesn't hold back when it comes to speaking his mind. Now this doesn't mean he gets into a lot of fights, because he really doesn't. Xander has a way of skirting around conflict, of skipping around a fight that by the time the angry person realizes they haven't punched Xander quiet, he's either joking around, even taking jabs at himself, or is gone. Xander will always speak the truth, but he also knows the truth can hurt; he'll never sugarcoat it, but he'll apologize for any hurt feelings. He doesn't like hurting people, it's something he never wants to do, but when one is so vocal about their thoughts and opinion, it's bound to happen more often than not. While he is polite, even respectful to others, he will openly show his distaste or dislike in something they do if he disagrees with it, which almost always leads to him giving his opinion, then having to avoid getting punched in the mouth.
Naturally, Xander is a different person around those he knows well and cares about, and those he isn't quite sure he can consider friends. The two people he treasures the most in the world are his mother, Heather, and his best friend since birth, Daniel (who he calls Niel). Next door neighbors to the Rothschilds all his life so far, with the mothers being somewhat friends, caused Xander to form a bond with one of their children that was his age. Heather quite enjoys having all of Rachel Rothschild's children at her house, since Heather has always wanted a big family but is unable to have that, and perhaps that's the only reason Rachel is often visiting with most of her kids in tow. Growing up alongside Daniel, taught Xander a lot of patience. Since Daniel has a tendency to run off at the mouth and not stop, Xander has a knack for sitting quietly, and just listening. It doesn't bother him. In fact, he quite enjoys listening to Daniel go on and on, always attentive towards the other boy. Much like with his mother, he has no issues showing affection to Daniel; he had gotten that open caring nature from his mother. Another Rothschild he is quite fond of is Alexis. The little girl is obsessed with horror, how can he not love her? He isn't a good influence on that front, for sure, since he heavily encourages her and sometimes seeks her out to tell her about something new in the horror world.
There's an over-protectiveness inside Xander that is only reserved for a select few. Those being his parents, Daniel, and even Alexis. Though, it's stronger with Daniel, and strongest with his mother. If anyone crosses Niel, Xander keeps his cool fairly well, just steps up and attempts to keep everything calm; unless that someone is just tearing into Daniel, and is actually being mean and ready for a fight. Then Xander may get a little mean, may deliver a low-blow that could possibly take the negative attention off of Niel and direct it at him, which is what Xander would want. He really doesn't like seeing anyone get wrongly mistreated, and might step in depending on just what is happening. But, it's always definite he'll step in if it's Daniel involved. Xander doesn't want to fight, but if it really comes down to it, he'd throw a few blows for Daniel. But before it got to that point, he'd try his best to avoid it, to keep himself level-headed enough to hop his way out of the conflict, but he can't keep doing that forever.
Xander is a mamma's boy, and he has no shame in that. So to say anything rude about his mother, is asking for a few harsh words to be thrown your way. The one person that can make Xander lose his cool is his mother, and that's only when she is brought up in a bad way. Anyone who insults his mom, is like a stab to the gut, and Xander won't hesitate to stand up for her. A fierceness comes over him when his mother is being bad-mouthed, and while he may not like it, if angry enough, Xander can have a bout of freakish strength that can knock a bigger kid down if he hits them just right. It's very rare Xander gets to that point. For one, he never really hears anything rude about his mother. More than likely because he isn't in the adult circle and they're probably the ones whispering about each other. And two, Xander tries really hard to not let himself snap like that. But it can happen. Perhaps this fierceness comes from the fact he has firsthand seen his mother go through a miscarriage, and it hurt the whole family. Heather had openly told Xander about her first two miscarriages, when she was finally able to carry him to full term. Then, when Xander was 11, she had gotten pregnant again. The excitement was there, until it wasn't anymore because Heather suffered another miscarriage. While Xander was upset, Heather had been devastated. She had tried hiding it, but Xander isn't a dumb kid, never has been, and this resulted in him comforting his mother, taking care of her the best he could at that age. That moment taught him how to be a comforting presence, how to softly speak to people, and how to even hold back just a little when it came to his opinionated mouth.
Xander can be a jealous little thing. As an only child, perhaps that caused him to be used to having his own stuff, to himself, though he does willingly share with Niel, sometimes Alexis depending on what it is. But, when it comes to his mother's attention, even Niel's, he likes to hoard those for himself. He doesn't mind when his mom pays attention to Niel, because Xander is very aware of the people, and situations, around him, and realizes Niel deserves that attention, but he sometimes get bothered when Heather is paying attention to any other kid. The same goes for Niel; when Niel is getting along with anyone that isn't him, he feels a jealousy flare up in him, but it's something he always ignores. He just pushes it aside, because he's mature enough to realize that his mom can pay attention to other kids, and Niel can have other friends, but that doesn't mean he'll mean any less to them while they're doing it. While Heather sometimes calls Xander a little adult, he's still a child, and it isn't uncommon to see him snickering at Daniel's lame jokes, or to be jumping into a puddle of water, or to bike down a hill too fast and end up with a scraped knee. In the end, Xander is a kid, and while he's more mature than most kids his age, and he's a lot more self-aware and in touch with reality, he has plenty of time ahead of him to make mistakes, to grow more, and to just be a kid.
❱❱❱❱ FAMILY
Heather Linn Morrison, 40; stay-at-home mother;
"All I can say is that I tried."Third times the charm is how the saying goes, and that's how it went for Heather. After two miscarriages, she finally went full term with Xander. Her little miracle baby, as she had called him. While after going through the experiences Heather had might have made her a clingy, overbearing type of mother, a "helicopter mom," it did the opposite. Watchful and attentive, Heather allows Xander to go out into the world, to explore and learn, rather than hovering and holding him back. As a result, it caused Xander to have a very strong and loving relationship with his mother. As another result, it caused Xander to reflect his mother in different ways; gaining her realistic and blunt outlook on life, gaining her optimism, even gaining her caring and protective nature. Xander has no problems proudly saying he is a mamma's boy, has no trouble speaking his love and affection he holds for her, be it to her or anyone else.
Harold Paul Morrison, 42; manager at the local liquor store;
"No, I'm not disappointed at all."Harold may not show it well everyday, but his wife and son are his world. A man who used to be outwardly bright and positive, now beaten down by the unfairness and sadness his wife had to endure; the helplessness haunts him, a guilt weighing heavy on his shoulders. However, positive things came out of the tragedies as well; an admiration for his wife he hadn't had before, from seeing the way she picked herself up and pushed on. Instead of weakening their relationship, it only strengthened it, making Harold feel more protective and privately affectionate towards Heather. Much like his wife, he is watchful of Xander, but unlike his wife, he doesn't give the same attention and love Heather does, resulting in Xander feeling put-out and like a disappointment to his father. It has caused tension on their relationship, Xander more reserved around his father, though he also doesn't dislike or hate the man. In fact, he is much like Harold when it comes to being overly defensive of the most treasured woman in their life; do not say anything against Heather around these two, unless you want their biting words and seething stares.
Lovecraft Campbell Morrison, 2; stay-at-home snake;
"Ssssssssss."As Xander would say, Lovecraft is his danger noodle. This poor wiggle worm, he has to put up with a lot from his child parent. At age 11, Harold had surprised Xander and Heather with the pet, exciting them both, and helping to move past another hard moment in their life. While Heather adores Lovecraft, it's Harold who takes it upon himself to get all the supplies and food for the snake when need be; Heather doesn't like pet stores. Lovecraft has already caught on that the humans in the home purposeful do not weigh down the top of his cage; Xander seems to treat finding him as a game, and so Lovecraft has found the best hiding places from the weird boy. But, Heather has really soft and gentle hands, so if it's Heather searching for him, Lovecraft often comes out and immediately goes to her. Harold is Harold, Lovecraft just sees him as the human who gets his food. Xander often calls the snake melodramatic, since Lovecraft has a tendency to try and get away from him whenever Xander manages to get ahold of him. Xander finds it funny, which is maybe why Lovecraft doesn't try so hard. It doesn't take long for Lovecraft to settle down, and he enjoys resting around Xander's neck while the boy reads, or wrapping around his arm while he's scribbling away in a notebook, or even curling up underneath Xander's desk lamp while the boy does homework or whatever else his strange little mind likes to do. Another thing his strange little mind likes to subject Lovecraft to is "noodle kisses," where Xander will hold Lovecraft to his face and receive "kisses" from the snake when his tongue darts out. A definite comfort to Xander, Lovecraft is handled plenty, making him a very relaxed and kind snake, and if Xander is home, he's almost always with him.
❱❱❱❱ RELATIONS
Daniel Benjamin Rothschild; best friend; calls him Niel.
❱❱❱❱ TALENTS
Understanding/comforting;
"I try my best, I guess."Because of what Xander was told Heather went through, and what he experienced with her when he was 11, it caused a maturity to form in Xander that makes him step back and attempt to understand things a little better, rather than jumping to a conclusion or an action. He has gained his mother's softness, his father's sensitivity, resulting in him being empathetic and quicker to caring.
Writing;
"H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelley, V.C. Andrews, Robert Bloch - I wanna write just like 'em one day!"Xander's 14, so don't expect the greatest writing in the world. Not to say he's bad, but he isn't great either. His writing needs a lot of work, though he is ahead of his peers on that front since he reads and writes so much; but there's always room for improvement and, being so young, he can only get better.
Memorization;
"Need to know any and everything on horror and gore? Then I'm your guy."Xander is very good at retaining information; however, most information he chooses to learn and retain is useless movie knowledge that might not be very handy in the long run. Though, he claims it could be, and it doesn't mean he retains all useless information. It doesn't take much for him to have something down word for word, though depending on his level of interest for it, depends on if he retains it for a long period of time or not.
Imaginative; "When isn't it fun to make things up in your head?"While Xander may be able to conjure up vivid images in his head, close his eyes and imagine a scene of almost anything unfolding, he isn't stuck with his head in the clouds. He's still down on planet Earth, though often times when writing or laying down or just while bored, he likes to get lost in his head a little, imagine his future or imagine what he'd do if he was Ash Williams from The Evil Dead or Seymour from The Little Shop of Horrors (the 1960 one).
Antiquated vocabulary;
"I get really tickled seeing how looped others can get over what I say sometimes."Xander reads really old books a lot. Not all the books he reads go way back, but a good chunk of them do, and he reads his favorites over and over. Resulting in him often quoting the books, and even using some of the outdated terms printed on the pages in his everyday speech.