Claude O'Neil Porter- The Strikeout:
Appearance:
Drawing by me :]
Aesthetic/Appearance Description: Claude is a tall and broad-shouldered young man who stands at an impressive height of 6'7" and weighs in at a respectable 263 pounds, which is perfect for a baseball player such as himself. Both pairs of limbs on his body- the arms and legs- are much longer and toned with muscle, while his torso is somewhat shorter and stocky, but nonetheless, still sculpted in muscle definition with a tiny bit of body fat.
The shape of his head is long and like a diamond, with a head of shaggy, medium-length hair that reaches halfway down his neck and is chestnut in color. It is reminiscent of the hairstyles which were popular amongst the youth in the 70's and 80's. His nose is straight and long. His eyes are an auburn brown and are downturned in shape. Meanwhile, his eyebrows are slightly furrowed inwardly, and combined with the slight frown his mouth always seems to be resting as... Claude tends to have a serious-yet-gentle expression on his relatively mature and ruggedly handsome face. A few scars are visible on said face: two on his left eyebrow, and one on his hairline.
Because he wasn't introduced to many modern trends growing up, Claude tends to dress up in clothes that were considered the norm during and throughout the 20th century; some days he could be wearing an outfit akin to what a greaser, jock, or general teen would wear during the 40's-50's-60's, other days his outfit would be similar to what the youth from the 70's-80's-90's would wear. Some examples of his outfits are as follow; a casual, striped white and blue dress shirt with rolled up sleeves that's tucked into a pair of black slacks and a pair of plain brown Oxfords (40's inspired), an outfit that consists of black leather jackets with a plain white t-shirt/denim vests with ripped sleeves and basic t-shirt that tends to have an image of a cartoon character on it/casual button-up shirts that have basic vertical stripe patterns and are usually a muted color like gray, all of which are usually combined with a pair of faded jeans and a pair of either classic Converse or coffee-brown desert boots (50's inspired), a classic varsity letterman jacket that's red and white with the number 29 on the back with another pair of jeans, this time in better condition, with the same pair of Converse (50's-60's inspired), a brown leather bomber jacket with a casual dress shirt that has plain colors and short sleeves and tucked into bell bottom jeans/gray wranglers slacks with a pair of sneakers (70's inspired), an olive green and navy blue tracksuit and a pair of white sneakers (80's inspired), an open flannel shirt with a long sleeved t-shirt that has the logo of a rock band from that era with a pair of slightly ripped jeans and a pair of leather ankle boots (90's inspired), and finally, an outfit of his that could be considered modern; a sage green bomber jacket with a loose fitting white t-shirt and basic khaki cargo pants with casual boots/running sneakers (2000-10-20's inspired?). These are just a few examples of the outfits he wears since he owns many more.
General Description: A gentle giant of a senior student, Claude is a tall, young man who is part French but is a Nevada native and is a senior at 19 years old due to the fact that he was enrolled in preschool at the age of 5; that's one year older than the average 3–4-year-olds who go to preschool. Growing up with his grandparents at an early age due to his parents dying in a plane crash on a business trip meant that he didn't grow up surrounded with many of the technologies and niceties that the other kids grew up surrounded by. Because of this, he isn't someone who is typically a rude jock, instead, he is nice and considerate of other people's feelings. The young man is also extremely patient, so it is best not to push his buttons as he has also trained in boxing since the age of 13- eight years less than the time he's spent training and practicing at baseball.
What is also a byproduct of him not having grown around that much technology when growing up is the fact that he doesn't know how to use a cellphone all that well- he quite literally got his first phone when he was 16, and only then, it took him almost two years to get used to its mechanics and such. But, regardless of that, his overall nice and friendly personality has made it easy for him to make friends around the school- whether they be his fellow teammates, kids in the schools' other sports teams, or students who aren't even in a sports team.
He also may not be the best in terms of academics since his best grade ever was a B-. Even so, Claude never gets any less than a D+, and that's only in classes like math, in which he has genuinely been trying to get better at slowly and steadily. However, he also finds it hard to keep a balance between improving his studies and taking care of his grandfather whose near deaths door and working at a warehouse to pay the bills.
All in all, Claude is who many would consider breaking the 1950's high school jock cliché; he is nice and friendly and doesn't partake nor find enjoyment in bullying those who are weaker than him, he is a popular kid within Red Rock and yet he doesn't let that get to his head, he shows and has great talent in the school baseball team, he's an average student when it comes to academics since he does strive to be better at it, he only uses his skills of boxing when he finds it necessary to use them, and he also doesn't plan on getting into any sort of relationship by using his popularity as leverage to getting one... mostly because he thinks it's inconsiderate to have someone date you simply because you're popular.
Another thing is that he is not an only child, and he actually has an older sister who's 4 years older than him. So not only did he grow up in an unconventional manner, but he grew up with an overprotective older sister. Maybe that's another factor as to why he turned into such a nice man...?
Despite all this, very rarely, when certain circumstances come into play, such as having his buttons pushed way too much or hearing a bully go too far with an insult or a physical act towards someone, a side of Claude slips out for anyone and everyone to see. During these odd situations, he no longer acts like the most friendly and nice gentle giant everyone knows him as. Instead, he becomes a confrontational man who gets up in the face of the bully/aggressor and starts to egg them on nonstop, all the while telling them that "They're too scared to do that type of shit to him." and other such things like how they suck and how they're too weak and spineless. He does this in hopes that they realize that that wouldn't fly and that sooner or later, someone might come along and mess things up for them. Should they decide to react to Claude confronting them in a violent manner then... they're in for a world of pain.
Relationships:
Friends: Plenty and more to come!
Neutral Unknown... he generally doesn't mind if people have an indifferent view on him, he's just glad they don't have a reason to hate him
Dislike: Anyone who doesn't necessarily hate him to the point of being an enemy, but neither do they hold a neutral view towards him; tends to avoid them so as to not make them hate him any more.
Enemies: These people are the ones he tends to avoid due to him knowing they hate him, but on the off chance, it'll take quite a lot to make the gentle giant hate you.
Love Interest: Being a demisexual, it'll be much harder to form a romantic relationship with him. But, since he also fears that anyone who wants to get into a relationship with him is simply in it to gain the popularity of being his girlfriend, it's damn near impossible to get to know him like that... so GOOD LUCK!!
Friends:
Lily Kemp - "Lily is a really great friend. How we met and actually became friends might seem outrageously strange to most, but I think it was a fun way start the connection that is now our friendship- plus, we still get into fist fights a lot of the time, which I'm certain is how she makes friends and how we became great friends ourselves since, not to toot my own horn, I can fight pretty well, if I do say so myself. Other than that, Lily is pretty cool and makes for an amazing friend!"
Vanessa Thibodeaux - "When we first met, I almost immediately knew we were gonna hit it off quite well... and I was right! Ever since then, we've both have had each other's backs as close friends whenever one of us needed it. Vanessa does worry me a bit, though; the little dispute she has with Joanne is something that I've witnessed firsthand and it's not very pretty. One day, Vanessa might just get her hands on that snobby girl, and I don't think I will be able to do anything to stop her. Regardless of that, I'm glad we're friends!"
Heather Klein - "Despite the fact that she preaches and advocates her questionable ideals and beliefs to me on occasion, Heather is not that bad of a person and is a great friend! We both share a fun and friendly rivalry with each other that helps keep one another on the right path to improvement."
Hope Hynes - "Running into her and having the chance to talk to her really seems like a good way for me to get in touch with the technological advancements of today; her advanced prosthetics look cool, and I just think she's a cool person in general. She is also quite a funny girl, her love for comics is fun to delve into even further with her. I wonder how Hope will react if I show her my vintage comic book collection. Hope enjoys my company, and I enjoy hers. On occasion, she and I like run into each other whenever I'm out walking my dog, Rockwell. The amount of times we've ran into each other have led my adorable Cane Corso to take a liking to her, nowadays, whenever she and I run into each other, we play catch with Rockwell and generally talk and have a great time. Hope is an excellent friend, and I enjoy her company like she enjoys mine!"
Wade Colter - "A good guy, very nice and fun to be around and talk to. However, the torment he endures from my teammate grinds my gears a bit, so I make it a point to talk with Wade and help him whenever he needs it."
James Scott - "It shocks me that there are so many people who I share some major similarities with; James is one of those people who I consider a close friend! He sure does love to talk a lot about 19th century infantry tactics, but I don't really mind since I like to learn new things about what soldiers used to come up with to help them win battles!"
Rowan Cartwright - "Chill, calm, easy-going... all of those things describe someone who I could easily be friends and enjoy hanging out with, and Rowan is a primary example of this. Her overall vibe and theme still confuse me, but I don't let it dictate our friendship since I enjoy her presence and music!"
Marino Jaivira - "Even though he is a delinquent and a bully, Marino is a great friend and a nice guy regardless of that! We're both on the baseball team, so it was a given we would become friends!"
Beau Larkfinn - "This guy right here- Beau- he is one of the nicest and friendliest people I've had the fortune of becoming friends with! I'm surprised he isn't the most popular kid in school. Also, his club seems pretty neat, might have to check it out sometime..."
Johnny Benowitz - "Just like Marino, us being on the team together meant it was only a matter of time before we became good friends! Not only that, but it was practically guaranteed to happen since he also has an old-timey vibe due to how similar he is to one of my favorite music artists; Elvis!!! His car also looks really damn cool, and although the others mostly see him as a free ride to places, I simply see him as a friend!"
Inessa Highman-Roberts - "I never understood why she gets tormented so mercilessly by most even though she's so friendly, but Inessa has made it clear she is against confronting her bullies, so I'll respect her decision. Besides, her boyfriend seems to be a tough dude, so I'm sure he can protect her. Other than that, she's a good friend of mine!"
Koa Tagaloa - "Never had it occurred to me that I would find so many people who were as calm and gentle as me, but I was proven wrong when I met Koa. This dude is very chill and friendly, and just like Wade, I occasionally spar with him to test my wrestling. Koa is also very willing to explain to me this "anime" stuff to me, so he's also pretty helpful!"
Marcy Valeria - "Her dance moves are pretty great; I'll give her that. Marcy is a pretty alright girl with a wicked temper- not like it's anything that bothers me, in all honesty. Whenever we run into each other, it's fun catching up with her and, occasionally, getting dragged along by her to witness the antics she commits. Then again, I don't really mind whenever this happens as I always have fun hanging out with her; a cool friend."
Beelzebub Smith - "Normally I wouldn't become friends or even associate myself with a person like Beel. But, whenever she's around me, she always treats me nicely and with respect, unlike others who she tends to treat decently at best from what I've seen. Maybe she's smart enough to know that trying to test me can lead to me beating the shit out of her; something I really don't want to do. All of this has led to us becoming friends, oddly enough! Despite how nice she acts, I tend to ignore the morally dubious side of her which she is known for... overall, she's a pretty great friend, and I don't mind hanging out with her more in the future!"
Travis d'Amèl - "Even with how we probably only hang out because he helped my grandfather once before, it still means a lot to me and that automatically makes him one of my greatest friends! Travis also has an interesting taste in this punk music; but hey, I'm open to hanging out with him and broadening my music variety."
Ezra Chadwick - "I absolutely admire and respect Ezra's drive and determination to prove that she is better than me when it comes to using the bat in our respective sports. Obviously, she still has a long way to go until she can make it all a reality, and I sincerely hope that she becomes happy with the outcome! Also, she probably isn't aware that I know she "secretly" comes to watch my games and cheer me on, but, I don't have it within me to confront her about it since she is an amazing friend."
Marie Tudor - "Although I'm not what she considers a loyal subject, I'm just glad she considers me a friend! Her fancy schmancy attitude isn't much that it could be considered irritating, after all, she's an overall pretty great person. I can also admire her tenacity to break through her current achievements in order to obtain even better ones."
Jason Chase - "This guy right here, Jason, is going places. Quite literally since I've had to take him to the ER on separate occasions for breaking something in his body or hurting himself in general whenever he attempts those stunts of his. Even if he considers me a nagging grandpa, I'm glad he still sees me as a friend for all the times I saved his ass!"
Lucy Wu - "Now that I think about it, Lucy might seem to be a bit scared of me. Perhaps it's because of how imposing I appear to be? If that's the case, I plan on remedying that so that she doesn't have to feel scared of me again; after all, that's what friends are for, aren't they?"
Olivier Hawk - "He's a pretty chill and cool guy. Whenever I pass by the archery range, I see him shooting the targets and almost always hitting a bullseye. To me, it's still strange that he doesn't choose to participate in any of the competitions, but at the end of the day, who am I to judge?"
Mortimer Schaub - "Mortimer might be what most consider to be strange, but I just see him another great friend. Now sure, when we first got to know each other, I've always felt like he envied me for some reason, but that quickly became a thing of the past when he realized I'm a simple happy-go-lucky kind of dude. He is also quite helpful when it comes to teaching me all these modern trends!"
Taylor Olson-Chen - "A word that could best describe Taylor would probably be "energetic". They are filled to the brim with energy, and the fact that they are one of the nicest people I've met makes it worth it being their friend! However, they can be rather flirty at times, but they stop whenever I ask them too since it can get a bit much. Other than that, Taylor is a pretty nifty fella and great friend- we also work out with each other sometimes, so that's a plus."
Skyla Monroe - "The supposed poster child and girl who is perfect at every aspect of her life, and I don't doubt that statement, but because she doesn't want to keep being that way and truly wants to change, then I'll support her all the way as her friend! Even then, it still strikes me with curiosity in knowing how far she is willing to go to no longer be the perfect kid... guess only time will tell. Regardless of that, I still plan on supporting her the whole way through!"
Maggie Wilfred - "A really, really cool and nice girl. Disregarding the fact that she doesn't have anything interesting going on- not that there is anything wrong with that, of course- Maggie can be very interesting. And although she might say it doesn't count, her exceptional skills at mountain climbing are top notch, and the little hideout she built high up within one of the trees in her backyard make for a perfect hangout spot with her. I can tell that she really does want to make herself more unique, and I intend on helping her with that along the way. During the times I've invited her to my house to hangout, my grandpa and sister have taken a fond and friendly liking to her, they do tell me she seems nice and that there might something more she feels for me... but I dunno. Maggie has also become friends with all three of my pets, oddly enough, my ball python, Jolie, likes her the most. Honestly, Maggie is one of my greatest friends, and I'm happy about that!"
Murray Miller - "Murray is a great man. His heart is in the right place, and although he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, his heart being in the right place is all that matters! Good intentions are hard to come by, with immature and spoiled kids like Edwin and Joanne in Red Rock, it's a nice change of pace that there are so many fellow gentle giants in this school! He has my back, and I have his."
Grace Wills - "I'm not sure what a rattler is, but it sounds like something endearing, to say the least. Grace is a pretty cool friend! But I can't tell if that rumor that Mercy spread about Grace and I being a thing is upsetting her, so I may have to talk to her about it sometime."
Raya Loux - "Every little aspect in a gymbro is present in Raya whenever she, Vanessa, and I meet up in the gym frequently while working out. Outside of the gym, we all still get along as good friends! We also share a mild distaste for Joanne, but Raya and I tend to lean more towards just being annoyed by her. Now, her mechanic skills are downright phenomenal; she's been the helping hand in restoring my grandpas old Chrysler C-300 he used to drive back in the day! She still repairs it whenever the need arises and is so proud of the restore job she did to it that she's nicknamed it the Magnum Opus. It is a catchy name, I'll give Raya that. All in all, Raya and I are great friends!"
Sylvie Rattray - "Have to admit, everything about Sylvie is adorable. Probably the big reason we became such close friends; well, that and the fact that we're both half-french... her on her mom's side, and me on my dad's side. Whenever we're alone, like after one of my games or after one of her cheerleading sessions/practices, we always talk in French with each other. It's a really nice way to really explore that side of ourselves. It really helps that she sees me as someone to look up to, both figuratively and literally since she is tiny! Both of us tend to joke about me being able to carry her and throw her up in the air as if she were a baseball, and it's highly possible that that very well is possible since she is both tiny and light as a feather. That stuffed animal collection of hers is something alright, as well- Sylvie probably sees me as a huge teddy bear of some sort, in a way?"
Céline Sharpe - "To put it simply, I feel bad for them. Just imagining the amount of shit she has to go through with that hag of a- no no no, I just need to calm down...woooosh I almost lost my cool there. Céline shouldn't have to go through something like that, and that's what I have to say. It pains me seeing someone like them not receiving genuine motherly love from their actual mother, and since she also seems to not be all that popular in school, I became friends with them! Sadly enough, I'm basically their first real friend, and I plan on having their back no matter what. I just hope to help whenever she needs it, because that's what I plan to do, help Céline and be the damn best friend she could ever have."
Meghan "Meggy" Roberts - "Meghan is a good friend and a great tutor as well. I admire her drive and tenacity to become an officer of the law, not many people do, so I hope she sticks with it the whole way through! Despite that, I do hope that she learns how to restrain her selflessness from time to time... it sucks seeing how it's taking a toll on her that she just won't acknowledge. All I can do is try to make her see what she's doing to herself."
Chester Breton - "Great guy, despite how indifferent and lazy he is. The fact that he actually goes to the gym and lifts weights is shocking to me, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. I have offered to and have gone out of my way to encourage him to stop being lazy and actually put some work into something, anything! The whole experience has been... it's been something, to say the least. I do think he and I are making progress, however small or insignificant it is, but it's still better than nothing!"
Abigail "Abby" Lester - "Feel bad for Abby. She deals with a lot, and I mean a lot, with none of it really showing signs of improvement for her. It's honestly disheartening to see how she actually tends to try to help others when she already has enough on her plate... including that no-good "boyfriend" of hers... so I go out of my way to help her whenever the opportunity presents itself. It's not much but it I'm glad I've managed to at least bring some change and improvement to her situation"
Most of the student body (One of the perks of being a caring and friendly guy to everyone.) - "Everyone here is pretty chill, don't really see the point in not befriending most of them."
His baseball teammates - "These guys got my back and I got theirs, simple as that!"
Neutral:
Emma Draken-Berg West - "She seems like a nice girl- or well, she seemed like a nice girl. After I accidentally bumped into Emma and she screamed at me, I've felt like she's held a mild dislike towards me."
Hayden Prescott - "This little dude always seems to get his kicks out of trying to push my patience and get me to do something in retaliation... which I will not do. Reason being that he seems like someone who is just coping with being lonely, so I can only hope and wish him the best of luck that he finds a way to become a better version of himself."
Dislike:
Emma Draken-Berg West - "She must not know whether she feels neutral about me or dislikes me, but my money is on her disliking me more than feeling neutral."
Joanne Martinez - "Whenever I'm in her presence, she always gives off the impression that she thinks less of me for some reason... but whatever, if her thinking that way of me let's her sleep at night, then I don't really give a hoot. But, she better keep that attitude and mouth of hers in check, or else she'll end up neck deep in a bunch of bad shit..."
Remi Dayfree - "Honestly, Rami can keep believing that I'm no better than Marino and talk shit and insult me whenever she wants to. I just hope things can get better between us whenever someonetells her I really am just a good guy!"
Mercedes "Mercy" Myers-Coleman - "Ever since I rejected her confession, she spread this rumor saying that I'm gay which is far from the truth. It's hurtful and immature to spread rumors about someone and someone else who had nothing to do with it since that's what she did with my tutor, Grace, as well. But anyways, she is nowhere near being my type and her singing voice is just God awful; I don't know if the day will ever come where I straight up tell her that when I confront her since I don't really want to embarass her or make everything kind of awkward between us..."
Manuel "Mañana" Hernández - "What in the fuck is an ick and why does he say that's what I make him feel? I swear, kids these days make up words just to make them up and make normal people feel old when in reality they should be the weird ones due to all that lingo they create on the spot. Manuel is like one of those Edgar's I hear so much about; all bark, not an iota of bite. Almost the same way that if he doesn't want my respect, then I won't play any games and give him a single iota of my respect."
Enemies:
Russell Otto - "That string bean is all bark and such little bite. No wonder I've beaten his ass on the countless times we've gotten into fights in the past. I just knew how much of a two-faced coward he really was the moment I saw him for the first time, and with how he's treated Abby, I'm glad I beat his ass so many times. Fortunately for me, he's started to avoid me altogether now; so maybe I ended up beating some common sense in that small brain of his..."
Love Interest:
TBA/NONE
Fun facts about him:
- Claude is part French on his father's side thanks in part to his great grandfather who was a French soldier who fought in WWI.
- His French heritage is practically unknown by a lot of people. It isn't clear that he's part French until someone hears him speak French fluently- it would then become so obvious because of the fact that he has had the slightest French accent and most just haven't noticed it.
-The latest piece of modern technology he has is his cellphone which he got at 16, and it took him two years to understand how it works and how to use it.
-Singing is actually a secret hobby Claude has, and he is very good at it.
- Most of Claude’s clothes are the same clothes his dad, grandfather, and great grandfather wore when they were younger and around his age.
- Has an older sister named Lucie who is taller than and quite overprotective of him, she rarely stays at their grandparents house since she is much more focused on her job that has her traveling around the world. But, it's not uncommon to sometimes see her visiting and staying with Claude and their grandfather for a week or two.
- He has quite a collection of foreign souvenirs and items that his sister had given to him as gifts that she bought during her travels.
- Rarely ever curses.
- Owns a pet rabbit named Lou, a pet snake named Jolie, and a pet Cane Corso named Rockwell.
- Is both demiromantic and demisexual.
- Extremely patient to the point that it's basically impossible to push him past his breaking point. Regardless, it is best not to say anything about his grandparents or anything negative and grandparent related in general- or purposefully throw a baseball at him if you're a pitcher when he's at bat- if you wish to not get the stuffing beaten out of you and end up with a "broken face".
- Really skilled and experienced boxer/fighter who utilizes a "Pressure Fighter" type of boxing style.
- Owns and drives a 1970 Ford Maverick that his grandfather used to drive when he was younger.
- Owns a Mike McGill Powell & Peralta cruiser board that he rides whenever he feels like it.
- Descends from a rich and noble French aristocratic family.
Hobbies/Interests:
Baseball, boxing, playing card games, bunnies, snakes, dogs, listening to music (of any genre and decade), working out, hiking, singing (secret hobby), taking care of his grandfather, hanging out, kaiju movies, reading, writing stories, latex masks (buying and creating them), catching up with his sister, horror movies (specifically older black and white films and slasher flicks), fighting games, skateboarding, driving around town in his car.
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