Teddie Boyd

[Slam]

Name: Theodore 'Teddie' Jasper Boyd
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
School: John Endecott Memorial Academy
Hobbies and Interests: Animating, animated movies, vlogging, playing the school mascot, art club, animal appreciation alliance, film club

Appearance: Teddie stands slightly below average height at 5’7” and weighs 135 lbs, giving him a lean build. He is of Scottish descent.

Teddie has messy, slightly curly hair. It was ginger when he was younger, but has darkened to an auburn colour over time. He keeps it at medium length, but doesn’t do much to style it otherwise. He has hazel eyes under dark brown eyebrows, and a button nose. His mouth is average in size and shape, and he has a pair of dimples, a cleft chin, and a pointed jaw that gives him a heart shaped face.

Teddie’s choice of clothing varies with his mood, swapping between more casual looks and putting more effort into his ensemble. On some days, he likes to wear hoodies and jeans with comfortable sneakers, particularly a hoodie with a teddy bear breathing fire on the back. On others, he’ll opt for a more stylish appearance, including waistcoats, shirts, chinos and dress shoes. Otherwise he’ll strike a middle ground with a short sleeved shirt layered over an under-shirt, combined with smarter looking jeans, and is quick to dress down to a light shirt and shorts in warmer weather. He is also quite fond of a rose dawn colour bucket hat, and wears it often when he thinks it goes well with an outfit.

He usually opts for form fitting outfits that suit his slim build and long legs. He favours bright colours that match his upbeat disposition, such as whites, light browns and light greys, with an occasional red accent. In short, he likes to experiment with his wardrobe without putting an excessive amount of time into his choices.

Biography: Teddie was born to parents Thomas Boyd, a management consultant, and Sarah Boyd née Jonas, a paediatrician, on November 2nd 2003 in Salem. He was born seven weeks ahead of his due date and as a result had to spend the first two months of his life in a neonatal intensive care unit. He is the middle child of the family, with an older brother by three years, Thomas Jr. and a younger sister by two years, Marjorie. Both of his siblings were born without any complications.

As a consequence of his premature birth, Teddie has had to live with a compromised immune system and monorchism. Teddie was treated for undescended testicles at eight months, but his left testicle was not located and it was judged that it must have died during development. He has managed to avoid any major infections from his compromised immune system, but tends to catch a lot of colds, earaches, and stomach bugs.

As a child, Teddie often found himself experiencing middle child syndrome and having to compete for his parents attention. He was very jealous of his younger sister when she was born, and to this day still believes she receives preferential treatment. As both of his parents had demanding professions, Teddie often felt neglected at home.

Instead, he got his fill of social interaction from school and other childhood activities. Naturally extroverted and friendly, Teddie had few difficulties making friends with other kids his age thanks to his exuberance and cooperative nature. He tended to not care much about what he was doing or who he was playing with; as long as he could be involved, Teddie was happy. Although he had to be reprimanded a few times for talking too much when he should’ve been paying attention or focusing, Teddie went through elementary school without much issue.

Ever since he was a boy, Teddie has been a fan of Disney and Pixar movies. At first he enjoyed the plots and musical numbers, but as he grew older and his tastes developed his interest would focus particularly on the visuals and aesthetics of the movies. His favourite movie during his childhood was Bolt, but currently he would say his favourite is Ratatouille, due to it making him nostalgic for a warmly-remembered family holiday to France. He is interested in other animated works as well, particularly films from Laika, but Pixar remains his favourite studio due to its colourful, detailed and intelligent movies.

Teddie became a vegetarian at age eight, after developing a meat intolerance that further restricted his diet alongside his dislike of fish dishes. As someone who loved animals and animal characters, he didn’t miss being able to meat as he grew older, seeing it as a convenient ethical excuse. He has no issue with other people doing it though, as he doesn’t want to fight people over it.

As he made his way through elementary and into middle school, Teddie took part in a pair of clubs. He played soccer for four years, before losing interest around the time he entered high school, and was in an art club for all of elementary school and into middle school. He gravitated towards drawing character art and comics the most, which would later evolve into focusing on 3D animation by the time he entered high school.

In high school, Teddie continued getting by comfortably and making many friends. He joined the art club, continuing to enjoy his childhood hobby, became a member of the film club, but only attended when they showed animated movies, and enlisted in the animal appreciation alliance, thanks to a fondness for cute animals that stemmed from his favourite childhood films. He maintained a B average in his classes, as his parents were diligent in making sure the kids got their homework done, but otherwise Teddie took a relaxed approach to his studies.

Teddie has known that he is bisexual since he was fourteen, though with a preference for other men. He has regularly dated throughout his time in high school, and is an actively involved in LGBTQ+ events at school. His relationships tend to be fairly short lived, and quite often physical. More often than not, Teddie feels shallow but still emotional attraction that he is quick to act on when an opportunity presents itself. He has yet to fall deeply in love though, and hence recovers quickly from relationships ending. Otherwise, Teddie is confident in his sexuality and enjoys acting on it, embracing the flood of emotions that come with a new relationship.

He came out to his family at sixteen after much agonising over the decision, only to find out they already knew due to his lack of subtlety on social media. They are fully accepting of who he is, though they have noticed how often he seems to change partners and remind him to take suitable precautions in his relationships.

Teddie has been a part of the furry fandom since he saw the movie Zootopia at age fifteen. It complemented his passion for animating, and let him practice his character work for his art. Although he has yet to animate a furry character in 3D given the difficulty involved, he would quite like to animate his ferret fursona one day. He has also done some commission work, as well as sketching fursonas of some of his friends for free.

In junior year, Teddie took on two new hobbies. Looking for a new form of exercise to help burn off some of his high energy, he decided to try out for the position of Johnny the Boston, the school mascot, following the graduation of the previous mascot. He thought it would be fun to be involved in sports again, while also liking the idea of getting to be a centre of attention, and also thought it would be an opportunity to get to play with the school’s Boston Terrier, Diamond. He prepared well for try-outs, being coached by a friend of his father who was the mascot back in her college days, and was chosen to play the role. Although Teddie isn’t an exceptional mascot, not possessing a huge flair for performing beyond his natural exuberance, he enjoys the role greatly due to getting him involved in athletic meets and giving him a way to get to know the members of the sports teams.

The other hobby Teddie picked up was vlogging. Teddie started his vlog for two reasons: he wanted to talk about his interest in 3D animation and show off his initial efforts, and he wanted another platform beyond high school to talk about himself and have people talk back. Teddie generally makes a new video every two weeks, though his schedule can vary enormously based on current events. His following is reasonably average in size, but he is attentive in responding to messages sent to him and keeps his viewers high on his list of priorities.

Also during his junior year, he experienced an embarrassing experience that still causes him grief to this day. There was a misunderstanding with an intended romantic partner, where the partner did not reciprocate. Teddie, in a moment of insecurity, asked if the rejection was because of his single testicle, believing it to be a rumour circulating at the time. It wasn’t, but the classmate later revealed it to the rest of the school and it became public knowledge anyway.

Although Teddie was well liked enough that it didn’t cause too much ridicule, he still acquired a few nicknames from the incident that get used against him from time to time. This exacerbated the insecurity he already felt about the subject, and it remains one of his most exploitable sore spots.

The coronavirus pandemic was the most difficult period in Teddie’s life. Due to his compromised immune system Teddie had to take even stricter precautions during the time than others, spending the bulk of March 2020 through March 2021 at home and without in-person interaction with people outside the household. As someone who craved contact with other people, this caused him to fall into a depression that he is still recovering from. Not helping matters was his mother’s work in medicine. She decided to move in with her sister for the same duration Teddie was in isolation to avoid risking spreading any infections picked up in the hospital she worked at, which proved wise when she contracted the virus in April of that year. She was fortunately able to make a full recovery without issue, but it only confirmed her decision to live apart from her family during the time. Despite not having a particularly strong bond with his parents, Teddie still missed having his mother at home.

Teddie's relationships with the rest of his family also struggled in this period. While his father, Marjorie and Thomas Jr. all tried to support him through his depression, they were dealing with their own issues relating to the pandemic. Thomas Jr. in particular was frustrated with the situation interfering with his new college lifestyle, having opted to move back to the family home as a cost saving measure. The family were also having a hard time accepting that Sarah had to live away from home for the period, which was an additional stress factor in a difficult time. While they didn't blame Teddie for it, it was a hard period for all of them that lead to less direct support for Teddie than there might have been otherwise.

As a result of the extended isolation, Teddie’s grades fell due to neglecting his remote learning, his vlog went silent, and he would spend long days locked up in his room. He attempted to stay in contact with people outside the home through video chats, message boards relating to his interests, and group chats, but it just wasn't enough for him. He missed the presence other people brought that just couldn't be replicated through a monitor, and also missed the interactions associated with his active dating life, from which he had to withdraw at the time.

Concerned for their son’s well-being, but having difficulty helping him themselves, Teddie’s parents eventually set him up with a remote psychologist named Janet in August 2020, which was the first available booking they could get after they started looking in June. Janet was able to help him cope better with the situation of ongoing isolation, but it was still very difficult. One of Janet’s suggestions to Teddie’s parents was that he might benefit from an emotional support animal, since Teddie had often expressed interest in having a pet and would be able to have a companion around the clock. His parents agreed with the suggestion, and Teddie chose to get a ferret. He named his new friend Rambo, because he was rambunctious, and the two became best friends instantly. The pet proved to work very well for Teddie, and although he still felt low, his grades and attitude made a marked improvement and he began vlogging again. His followers sympathy also helped his outlook, and Rambo became a regular beloved guest on the channel.

With the containment of the pandemic and life returning to normal, Teddie is relieved but has not put the time entirely behind himself just yet. He is upset by discussions of the coronavirus and is cautious around news outlets in case of discussions on the topic. He has also become more active on Tinder, starting to engage in one-night stands when feeling overwhelmingly stressed or anxious. He has also become more prone to snapping at or insulting people when pushed compared to how he used to be, though he does usually attempt to apologise after the fact. He is still in contact with Janet, though he attends sessions less frequently than during the pandemic due to a combination of a packed schedule, and feeling defensive about his continued struggles to return to his old self.

Teddie’s ambition, as it has been since his junior year, is to turn his 3D animation passion into a career. He has made five animations of college portfolio quality in that time, with lengths varying between thirty seconds and two minutes. His favourite involves Rambo bouncing a ball on his nose, until it flies upwards off the screen, only to be replaced with an egg which breaks on Rambo’s face. He hasn’t decided on where he’d like to go to college yet, and is considering options both close to home and further afield.

His parents are not overwhelmingly supportive of his choice of career. They would prefer that he looked to study what they perceived as a more secure degree with better career prospects. However, given Teddie’s mental problems in the last year, they have decided not to make an issue of it and let him do something he enjoys instead. Teddie’s dad is confident he would be able to get Teddie an internship at his consultancy, as a fallback if animating didn’t pan out.

Otherwise, Teddie’s relationship with his parents and siblings has returned to being in a good place, if typical. The kids are used to their parents being busy and are quite independent as a result. Thomas Jr. is currently studying pre-med at Boston College, and Marjorie is a sophomore at JEM. Teddie gets along with his brother and sister well enough, but still experiences some sibling rivalry with Marjorie, and Thomas Jr. lords his eldest status over both of them. Teddie has a similar relationship with his parents, enjoying their company but often doing his own thing. Although the adjustments made for Teddie's health were difficult, they have all managed to move on from it and are making new efforts to take more family outings together.

At school, Teddie continues to maintain his B average. His best subject is naturally art, although he also does quite well in the sciences thanks to his mother’s tutoring. He has difficulty with math, but puts in extra effort towards studying it due to its relevance to 3D animation. His worst subject is English, due to a disinterest in the classics compared to the stories of modern movies.

Advantages: Teddie has a wide social circle at school, having made a continuous effort to get to know as many people as he can. He is reasonably well liked, due to his enthusiastic, confident and friendly personality, and will likely be able to call on many groups of potential allies. His time spent as the school mascot has also given him a good level of endurance, due to spending long periods moving around in a heavy costume.
Disadvantages: Teddie is still recovering from a difficult period in his mental health, and may struggle emotionally. Separation from his emotional support ferret is likely to exacerbate this. His weak immune system means that any injuries he sustains on the island are more likely to become infected, and even a light wound could become incapacitating without first aid.

[MK Kilmarnock]

Hi Slam! Teddie is looking good pending a few minor things.

'The Coronavirus pandemic' <- nitpick but coronavirus isn't capitalized.

He is upset by discussions of the Coronavirus < same here.

He has also become more active on tinder <- Tinder IS capitalized

But besides that, I wanna talk more about Teddie's isolation period during the pandemic. Did his interactions with his brother or sister have any marked change during this period of time? In the day and age of electronic communications, did he video chat/voice chat with friends or play games with them to try and keep some sort of connection? The vlogs are a good hobby, but I want to know other ways Teddie might have considered keeping those personal ties going during such a difficult period of his life. In the SotF timeline, from the start of the pandemic (which hit many schools in March of 2020), things started to return to normal in the spring of 2021. Can I get a more specific timeframe of how long Teddie was kept at home due to his compromised immune system? For example, was he kept home for the entirety of the Spring 2021 semester?

When you give those things a look and post your edits, I'll be back!

[Slam]

Edited! Capitalisations fixed and changes can be found in paragraphs 16-19 and 23. They consist of specific timelines, mentions of trying to use electronic communication but not really getting enough out of it, and more detail about the family relationships.

[MK Kilmarnock]

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