arthur white (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} whiteartemis) wrote,@ 2008-08-15 05:59:00 |
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starlightingARTHUR WHITE
NICKNAME: Art - or Ears.
BIRTHDAY&AGE: October 11, 1976 / 31
ZODIAC&BLOODTYPE: Libra, Dragon, Fire / AB+
HOMETOWN: Boston, MA
RESIDENCE: Oakwood, Staten Island, New York
EDUCATION: Master of Education, Teachers College of Columbia University
OCCUPATION: Math teacher at New York High School / Tutor
APPEARANCE
Perhaps the best way to describe Art's appearance is "distinctive". He's not traditionally handsome, nor is he ugly - rather, he has the type of face that is easily given to caricature, with a large nose and big ears that tend to draw attention away from any other feature. If you asked Art, he'd say his best feature was his eyes - blue, old, and expressive, with a distinctive browline that lends itself to being furrowed. He determines his worst feature to be a prominent mole on the right side of his face. Art is understatedly expressive - his expressions seem to center mostly around his eyes, rather than covering the whole face, but it is still quite easy to tell what he might be feeling at any given moment. He has a distinct, toothy grin that he's a bit embarrassed of, and so Art doesn't smile quite as often as he should, and when he does it's typically tight-lipped. Again, if you're wondering how he's feeling, it's best to look at the eyes.
Art has an average body type, standing at 5'11", with a rather broad shoulder line. He's reasonably fit, partially due to a pescatarian diet and daily morning jogs, but isn't the type to be overly fussy about exercise. He is surprisingly fast and lithe, but not especially strong physically, and doesn't really desire to throw the punches. Art carries himself with a prideful, almost cocky demeanor that is more likely to be off-putting than welcoming; he gives off an aura that quite distinctly says he probably knows better than you.
As far as Art is concerned, following fashion trends and 'preening' is something that girls do, and he doesn't understand it at all, preferring a look that is more comfortable and easy to maintain. He tends to keep his dark hair shorn quite short, more resembling dark brown peach fuzz than hair that you can run your hands through; similarly, he tends toward clean-shaven, but has been known to let it go for a few days on occasion when there are more important things to concern himself with. He's far more concerned with comfort than style in clothing, preferring a simple sweater (generally in earth tones), a simple jacket (usually black), and plain slacks or jeans. In the summer he'll probably substitute the sweater and jacket for a t-shirt, but don't expect to see him in anything fitted or branded with logos. For a dressy occasion he'll substitute the sweater for a button-down shirt - and that's about all the variety you're going to get out of him.
PERSONALITY
The first impression that one would get is that of a prideful, aloof man who gives off a distinct air of having better things to do with his time than whatever he's currently engaged in. That impression wouldn't be entirely incorrect, either - Art has known for a majority of his life that he's got advantages in perception and intellect over most people, and has a generally high opinion of himself. He's not egotistical to the point of thinking he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if you were to tell him he was pretty fantastic, he'd make no bones about agreeing with you. His aloofness is largely a manifestation of this knowledge and pride, rather than a lack of wanting to associate with people - but it hasn't really helped his social graces. Art never really learned how to lie artfully, or dodge the truth to make someone feel better. He's rather blunt, has a sarcastic sense of humor, and won't beat about the bush if he disagrees with something you're saying or doing. Art's opinions are strongly formed, and he knows how to word them assertively - which makes him a good leader, but a terrible follower.
However, of course, there is more to people than one layer. Art is a bit like a candy bar - hard on the outside, and soft and a bit gooey on the inside. Although he does a good job of being frank and brusque, this is less out of a desire to be so than not knowing how to put things any other way. He never intends to hurt people by stating his opinion or giving them advice - and, in fact, his sheer honesty makes him the person you'll want to go to if you want the full truth. Although he is not afraid of criticizing others, Art himself doesn't take criticism or rejection particularly well, and when he finds he's made a blunder, he's likely to have to fish around awkwardly for a bit before figuring out how to right the wrong. Once you have earned his friendship and trust, Art channels his stubbornness into an intense loyalty. Similar to not being afraid to voice his opinions, Art is very quick to defend or aid his friends - sometimes even recklessly. He is incredibly dependable in this respect. It takes a lot to fall out of his good graces once you are in them - and once you are, you're likely to find a softer and more emotional man than Art initially lets on.
Additionally, he enjoys cheesecake and tea far more than any one person probably should, and has a bad habit of knocking things over.
HISTORY
For the first thirty years of his life, Arthur White was more or less just like anyone else. Born to Edward and Marion White in 1976, the second of three children and the only son, Arthur was set up for a comfortable, typical life in the Massachusetts suburbs. Edward was an administrator for the public school district, and his wife Marion a nurse. Their marriage was happy and although they were by no means rich, they were easily able to provide enough for the family.
As a child, Arthur was rather quiet and almost uncannily astute, a trait which somewhat marvelled his parents. He had a knack for making very dry, clear-cut remarks and observations regarding life, and seemed to have formed strong opinions within the first few years of his life. Arthur enjoyed playing pretend games in the backyard with his two sisters, and was usually the conductor of said games, which were generally set in a kingdom on the moon and involved making his elder sister Alice into a queen and his younger sister Maria into a princess. Arthur himself acted as overseer and advisor rather than a prince or a warrior - again something that his parents found amusing in an eccentric sort of way. Edward and Marion were convinced that they had on their hands a gifted and imaginative child.
While the gifted part was probably true, "imaginative" may have been a bit of an exaggeration. In fact, Arthur came up with this ficitional world on the moon through a series of particularly vivid dreams, which he didn't think much of. They were nice dreams, but they tended to get sad toward the end, and end in a fuzz, leaving Arthur unsure of what had happened to the people in his head. As he grew up, the dreams dissipated, and while he always remembered the games with his sisters fondly, in the way that most people remember youth, he never really gave them much thought.
Arthur was enrolled in exclusive schools for the gifted in elementary and middle school. He was neither the most popular nor the most unpopular student, but tended to drift in between social groups, playing with whoever was available and had the most interesting ideas that day at recess. He was a bit of an awkward child in appearance, with ears and a nose that seemed far too large for a young child, and which sometimes incited teasing. At first Arthur took it rather hard, but over time he realized that the people who were making fun of his appearance were only doing so because he let them by being hurt. By the time he was in the fifth grade, Arthur - commonly called Art by his friends and family - returned their remarks with a cold stare, if with anything.
Although Art had done very well at the school for gifted children, there was no available similar high school without paying outrageous tuition fees, and so Art was enrolled in a public high school. No longer in direct competition with other similarly bright children, Art developed a cocky attitude toward others who struggled with material, realizing for perhaps the first time in his life that he was a good deal more intelligent than they were. This didn't exactly endear him to such students, but he found an easy home with other students with similar dispositions, ones who could forgive Art's immense pride in himself, for it seemed like he could never fail. Of course, the "nerdy" group wasn't exactly a group free of social stigma and teasing - but this really just served to make them more tight-knit, readily defending one another. Art emerged as the easy leader of the group, with a sharp, sarcastic tongue against those who would put his friends down, and a big laugh and ready ear for said friends.
When it came time to think of college, going into teaching was an easy choie for Art for reasons that he couldn't quite place. In fact, when he was asked by a guidance counselor why he wished to go into teaching, Art didn't really have an answer. He wasn't really fond of kids or intently interested in one particular subject. He didn't even know if he might be any good at it. It just felt like the right thing to do. Art's impeccable grades ensured him admission into the university of his choice - Columbia, in New York. Art was eager for something new, and New York seemed like the right place to do it - again, for reasons he wasn't really sure of. He just felt drawn to the city, as though for whatever reason it was where he was meant to be.
In college, Art decided to pursue a specialization in mathematics, intrigued by the meticulousness and difficulty factor involved. He did well enough in classes to sign up as a tutor for a bit of money on the side - although he'd gotten a full ride, allowing for comfortable dorm living, it never hurt to have a little extra cash. Art found that he really enjoyed mentoring people one-on-one, guiding them through their difficulties, showing them what he would have called the secret that would unlock understanding. One classmate that he was helping out seemed to especially click with him, and they began dating. However, Art has never had a relationship up into this point - he'd always been a bit aloof socially, and he wasn't the type to stop girls dead in their tracks. So, at least at first, it was a bit of an awkward courtship, with Art not knowing the difference between shameless and subtle flirtation, or how to treat a lady outside of tutoring her or being her friend. The two separated at the end of their respective college careers. While Art was sad about it, for whatever reason he had never really entertained thoughts of being with her forever - he had a vague itch that out there, somewhere, was someone else, and he'd know if that was it.
After graduating, Art took a job at a local high school, teaching Algebra and Calculus to the students there. He wasn't really as good of a teacher for 30 students as he had been for one or five, and his aura of pride and confidence didn't make him the world's most relatable teacher either. However, he did well enough, and in his spare time coached the Chess Club. He has since become a "senior" member of the department, something that he finds incredibly funny.
On his 30th birthday, as he was heading home from the bar he'd celebrated at with some friends and coworkers, Art noticed a small, black cat curled up on the step of his front porch, almost as though it had fallen asleep while waiting. Although he was loath to admit it, the single life was making Art a bit lonely, and so after checking for any tags he gently lifted up the cat and took her inside, naming her Phoebe, after the Roman Titan - Roman mythology, especially concerning the moon, having always been an interest of Art's.
That night, when he slept, Art had a dream of the moon kingdom for the first time in almost twenty-five years. The images were still somewhat blurry, but all of the characters and events were the same as he had dreamed them in his childhood. Somewhat offset by the sudden reoccurance of his childhood dream, Art began keeping a dream journal, jotting down what few facts and images he could remember properly. Over the next month, he had practically recorded a story in note form - the story of a happy kingdom beset by tragedy, the princess committing suicide after her lover, royalty of the earth, had been killed in battle. Curious as to what the meaning of this could be, Art pored over all of the books about the mythos of the moon that he owned, trying to find some sort of clue as to what might have jogged his mind in this unexpected direction. He called up his sisters and asked what they remembered about the childhood games, citing a colleague's study on child psychology as the reason.
But everything came up blank, and the dreams evolved - new characters, new locales, but somehow Art knew that the essence of the thing was the same, that this was the same story. Although he could never remember the names of the characters in his dreams of the moon kingdom, one name stuck out in these new dreams - Minako. It wasn't a name Art had ever heard before, in reference to the moon or anything else.
Meanwhile, Art began tutoring a young female student named _____ in math. There was something familiar about her, and Art took a bit of a shine to her - acting not only as a tutor, but a big brother and confidant to the young girl. In his dreams, the character of Minako started to change from the girl with long blonde hair that she had been, taking on the face of the student Art was tutoring. The first night that this happened, Art woke up in a cold sweat, and was unable to return to sleep.
There was something important about these dreams, he knew it. Moving out into the living room, Art took a look at his cat Phoebe, who was perched atop his laptop, which was sitting closed on his desk next to the books he had been studying. Upon opening the laptop, figuring he would do some late-night surfing to put him back to sleep, the flash of white light from the screen in the dark stirred something in Art's head - a memory of another blinding white light, years prior, and a voice - a voice wishing for him to be reborn.
Now, a mere year later, fully understanding the dreams he had been haunted by since childhood, Art has realized that the girl he is tutoring is not an ordinary girl - and it is his responsibility, among other things, to help her reach the same awakening that he experienced. Something is coming - and it's going to take much more than one man and one girl to prevent it.
ARTEMIS
Artemis originally hails from the planet Mau, home of a species of intelligent, talking cats. Not much is known of his time on Mau, which was destroyed in Sailor Galaxia's galactic conquest. He was likely an advisor to Sailor Mau, the Sailor of his home planet - however, Mau was killed by the future Sailor Tin Nyanko. Artemis and Luna escaped or otherwise left, and went to assist Queen Serenity in the Silver Millenium Kingdom, where they served as her advisors. When the Kingdom was ruined, Serenity used her powers to send Artemis into the Earth's future, to awaken the new Sailor Senshi and advise them in their battles.
In Tokyo, Artemis primarily served as advisor to Minako Aino, also knows as Sailor V or Sailor Venus. He was helping Minako, training her as Sailor V, long before Usagi was awakened as Sailor Moon, and the two formed a close bond, much like an older brother/younger sister relationship. He also guided Luna through he discoveries with the Sailor V game, using his more intact memories to help Luna and reveal her true mission. Throughout his time in Tokyo, Artemis stayed with Minako, posing as her pet, and remained an advisor and confidant. He also lent his knowledge and loyalty to the rest of the Senshi - and to Luna, whom he formed an attraction to. He had no problem attempting to flirt with Luna, who was much less eager to acknowledge a connection.
However, things were brought to a head when Diana appeared, claiming to be Luna and Artemis' daughter from the future. Needless to say, they were both surprised by the announcement, and Luna initially accused Artemis of having an affair with another cat on the basis that Diana could talk. Although Artemis wasn't quite sure what to think at first, he became quite fond of Diana, and attempted to be as good a father as he could.
Artemis has been reincarnated by Usagi directly twice - once after having been killed by Sailor Lethe while Usagi was off to challenge Galaxia, and once after the battle with Chaos, when Usagi sent his star seed into the future to be reincarnated, along with the other Senshi, shitennou, and other allies. True to form, Artemis has now awakened prior to the new Senshi, ready to resume his role as guardian and advisor - this time as a human, rather than a cat.
