Post by The Exodus on Aug 14, 2012 18:31:32 GMT -6
Character: Gabriel Fontaine
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Occupation: (former) Children’s Illustrator/Author/Toy Designer, Chef
Personality: Gabriel would have been the wild child in any normal family. However, because his whole family is a bit eccentric, Gabriel has never seen himself as “odd”. Instead, he would use the words “creative”, “free-spirited”, and “curious” instead of “impermanent”, “impulsive”, and “impractical”. The last three words are some of his ex-wife’s choice insults towards him. A more hotheaded man would take offense, but Gabriel doesn’t. What he does take offense at is that the courts allowed his ex-wife to have primary custody of their daughter. Gabriel is a family man, even though he isn’t looking to settle down again. He loves his twin sister (Gwendoline) and his daughter (Sophie). And while his daughter has inherited his artist’s heart, only Gwendoline shares Gabriel’s love for food, crazy hats, and really bad horror movies. Any woman seeking to become Gabriel’s “leading lady” will know him to be a dreamer and a romantic, but she will face tough competition for his attention,
History: Gabriel would like it to be known that he is the oldest, no matter what Gwendoline says. Born thirteen minutes before his twin, Gabriel Laurence Fontaine is the only son of Georges and Genevieve Fontaine. Georges was a director and Genevieve worked as an actress. They’d met on a set of a movie while he’d been a camera man with dreams and she’d been playing a bit part. From that day on, Genevieve and Georges were a creative team and that approach to their work carried over to how they raised their children. When they were old enough to put their own clothes on, Gabriel and Gwendoline were encouraged to pick out their own outfits—from the closet, the store, or any other place they decided they could get clothes from. When they were old enough to cook for themselves, Gabriel and Gwendoline were given free reign of the kitchen. When they were eight, their parents decided the children were old enough to be left to their own devices while they worked on sets—sometimes halfway around the world. The kids’ grandmother would stay with them to make sure they didn’t burn down the house, but Gabriel and Gwendoline were allowed to do anything else they wanted. Once, the Fontaines were in LA for a month. When they came home, the living room had been repainted burnt orange with an Aztec motif. Another time, while the Fontaines were in London, they received an angry letter from the children’s school: Gabriel had shown up to picture day in one of Gwendoline’s dresses and Gwendoline showed up in Gabriel’s tuxedo. Both refused to change. Neither was ever in “serious” trouble; many of the things they did were only to get a laugh from each other. With their parents gone so often, Gabriel and Gwendoline were closer to each other than they were to anyone else in their family. Because they were just too “weird” for the other kids at school, they had to be each other’s best friends. It is no surprise, then, that when Gabriel fell in love with cooking, so did Gwendoline. (Or was it the other way around? Impossible to tell, since each claims to have discovered the joy of cooking first).
At ten years old, the twins were left alone by their grandmother one night. Her childhood best friend was in the hospital, so she stocked the refrigerator and told Gabriel and Gwendoline that they were on their own. They took this as a challenge and two days later, when their grandmother returned, the refrigerator was empty and on the table, was a four course meal that looked like it was falling apart at the seams. Somehow, they’d managed to roast a chicken without getting salmonella poisoning (and just barely avoiding a charred mess), prepare vegetables with a too-salty remoulade, and make the best potatoes au gratin anyone has ever tasted. This marked the beginning of an era.
Gabriel studied at the Cordon Bleu Culinary school alongside his sister, however, during his second year, Gabriel decided traditional schooling wasn’t for him. He left Paris to gain experience elsewhere. However, he spent the next year and a half traversing the continent, working as a busboy, waiter, and occasionally chef in no-name restaurants for only a few weeks or months at a time. While in Italy, Gabriel met Cristina Rossi. He worked in her father’s ristorante and it was love at first bite. Cristina tried Gabriel’s spin on her father’s “famous” penne alla vodka and shortly after, the pair embarked on a clandestine affair. Gabriel asked for Cristina’s hand in marriage and he was granted her father’s blessing. Cristina joined him on his whirlwind tour of Europe, which now felt like a year -long honeymoon. Five months into their adventures, Cristina discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth to the couple’s only daughter, Sophie. When Sophie was born, Cristina wanted to settle down. Gabriel resisted, but caved on the condition that the family live in his native Paris. His wife agreed, much to her own family’s chagrin. At Cristina’s insistence, Gabriel searched for a more permanent job, but there were none to be found. He spent his days job hunting with little Sophie at his side. Gabriel flitted from temporary job to temporary job within the City of Lights, while his wife took a position as a health inspector.
Years went by and Sophie grew into a creative and curious little girl. Gabriel’s inability to settle into a permanent position prompted an ultimatum: get a job or she would take their daughter back to Italy. Gabriel knew this was a mostly empty threat. Cristina had a career, friends, and a life in Paris. She would not leave those behind. But he realized just how problematic his unemployment was. Gabriel took a job as a line cook in a small café in the Latin Quarter. The café catered primarily to students and professors, which left Gabriel free during much of the school day. He often brought his daughter along, since an au pair would have been beyond the family’s means and Cristina was at work, sometimes for twelve or fourteen hours a day. During his breaks, Gabriel would entertain his daughter by drawing kooky creatures on napkins and inviting her to tell stories about them. They eventually became characters with names and histories crafted by father and daughter. For Christmas, Gabriel learned how to sew just so his daughter could have plush versions of the creatures to play with. Between shifts, they would play with the dolls or Gabriel would craft new ones for Sophie to play with.
These moments became even more precious when Gabriel and Cristina split. She’d been offered a job as chief health inspector in Marseilles and she took it. However, she did not take their daughter with her. Instead, Cristina agreed to pay child support as long as Gabriel continued working. Otherwise, she said, she would take Sophie to join her in Marseilles and leave Gabriel behind for good.
Gabriel took longer shifts at the restaurant. Often, that meant Sophie went to work with him. She spent mornings there, afternoons in classes, and evenings again at the café. When she wasn’t doing homework, Sophie would play with the dolls Gabriel had created for her. While other children fawned over dolls, cars, and “normal” toys, Sophie had a menagerie of monsters. During breaks between shifts, Gabriel would draw cartoons of Sophie’s toys on napkins, depicting stories she told him or stories he invented to amuse her.
And then one day, Gabriel forgot to clean up his sketches.
It was a Sunday morning and what started out as an absolutely empty café became a mob of hungry guests. Gabriel scarcely had time to throw on his apron before rushing into the kitchen to get back to work, leaving Sophie alone at a table with the napkin-drawing creatures. She played under the table and was unnoticed by the hostess, who sat a successful children’s book publisher, down at the table. Partway through the meal, the publisher noticed a napkin with a bright green, one eyed and winged creature smiling up at her.
Within six months, Gabriel had a book deal. Within a year, he had a three book contract and quit his job as a line cook. And after five years, he was a best-selling children’s author. His “Mini-Monstres” brought in the money the Fontaines desperately needed and for a while, the family knew peace. However, Gabriel was ill at ease. He missed his days as a cook and he felt the pressure from his wife (who now no longer saw reason to pay child support) and his agent to crank out more stories. Meanwhile, Sophie was growing up. She was twelve years old and Gabriel’s “Mini-Monstres” no longer held her interest. He retreated from the writing world after publishing nine books, taking two tours in major cities, and he tried again to reconnect with his daughter.
However, Cristina filed for divorce officially and under the stipulations she’d already outlined, Gabriel could not keep Sophie unless he had a job. Sophie moved to Marseilles with Cristina and Gabriel went on yet another quest for a job. This time, he found it in his sister’s restaurant. Gwendoline worked as a pastry chef at L’Tour d’Argent and the restaurant was in desperate need for someone to put on a toque and dress rabbits, pigeons, and other carnivorous delicacies. Gabriel applied for the job and he suspects his sister has something to do with his hiring. In any case, he’s happy to be working again. The only thing Gabriel loves more than creating is Sophie and he hopes that this job will be a way to have both in his life.
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Occupation: (former) Children’s Illustrator/Author/Toy Designer, Chef
Personality: Gabriel would have been the wild child in any normal family. However, because his whole family is a bit eccentric, Gabriel has never seen himself as “odd”. Instead, he would use the words “creative”, “free-spirited”, and “curious” instead of “impermanent”, “impulsive”, and “impractical”. The last three words are some of his ex-wife’s choice insults towards him. A more hotheaded man would take offense, but Gabriel doesn’t. What he does take offense at is that the courts allowed his ex-wife to have primary custody of their daughter. Gabriel is a family man, even though he isn’t looking to settle down again. He loves his twin sister (Gwendoline) and his daughter (Sophie). And while his daughter has inherited his artist’s heart, only Gwendoline shares Gabriel’s love for food, crazy hats, and really bad horror movies. Any woman seeking to become Gabriel’s “leading lady” will know him to be a dreamer and a romantic, but she will face tough competition for his attention,
History: Gabriel would like it to be known that he is the oldest, no matter what Gwendoline says. Born thirteen minutes before his twin, Gabriel Laurence Fontaine is the only son of Georges and Genevieve Fontaine. Georges was a director and Genevieve worked as an actress. They’d met on a set of a movie while he’d been a camera man with dreams and she’d been playing a bit part. From that day on, Genevieve and Georges were a creative team and that approach to their work carried over to how they raised their children. When they were old enough to put their own clothes on, Gabriel and Gwendoline were encouraged to pick out their own outfits—from the closet, the store, or any other place they decided they could get clothes from. When they were old enough to cook for themselves, Gabriel and Gwendoline were given free reign of the kitchen. When they were eight, their parents decided the children were old enough to be left to their own devices while they worked on sets—sometimes halfway around the world. The kids’ grandmother would stay with them to make sure they didn’t burn down the house, but Gabriel and Gwendoline were allowed to do anything else they wanted. Once, the Fontaines were in LA for a month. When they came home, the living room had been repainted burnt orange with an Aztec motif. Another time, while the Fontaines were in London, they received an angry letter from the children’s school: Gabriel had shown up to picture day in one of Gwendoline’s dresses and Gwendoline showed up in Gabriel’s tuxedo. Both refused to change. Neither was ever in “serious” trouble; many of the things they did were only to get a laugh from each other. With their parents gone so often, Gabriel and Gwendoline were closer to each other than they were to anyone else in their family. Because they were just too “weird” for the other kids at school, they had to be each other’s best friends. It is no surprise, then, that when Gabriel fell in love with cooking, so did Gwendoline. (Or was it the other way around? Impossible to tell, since each claims to have discovered the joy of cooking first).
At ten years old, the twins were left alone by their grandmother one night. Her childhood best friend was in the hospital, so she stocked the refrigerator and told Gabriel and Gwendoline that they were on their own. They took this as a challenge and two days later, when their grandmother returned, the refrigerator was empty and on the table, was a four course meal that looked like it was falling apart at the seams. Somehow, they’d managed to roast a chicken without getting salmonella poisoning (and just barely avoiding a charred mess), prepare vegetables with a too-salty remoulade, and make the best potatoes au gratin anyone has ever tasted. This marked the beginning of an era.
Gabriel studied at the Cordon Bleu Culinary school alongside his sister, however, during his second year, Gabriel decided traditional schooling wasn’t for him. He left Paris to gain experience elsewhere. However, he spent the next year and a half traversing the continent, working as a busboy, waiter, and occasionally chef in no-name restaurants for only a few weeks or months at a time. While in Italy, Gabriel met Cristina Rossi. He worked in her father’s ristorante and it was love at first bite. Cristina tried Gabriel’s spin on her father’s “famous” penne alla vodka and shortly after, the pair embarked on a clandestine affair. Gabriel asked for Cristina’s hand in marriage and he was granted her father’s blessing. Cristina joined him on his whirlwind tour of Europe, which now felt like a year -long honeymoon. Five months into their adventures, Cristina discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth to the couple’s only daughter, Sophie. When Sophie was born, Cristina wanted to settle down. Gabriel resisted, but caved on the condition that the family live in his native Paris. His wife agreed, much to her own family’s chagrin. At Cristina’s insistence, Gabriel searched for a more permanent job, but there were none to be found. He spent his days job hunting with little Sophie at his side. Gabriel flitted from temporary job to temporary job within the City of Lights, while his wife took a position as a health inspector.
Years went by and Sophie grew into a creative and curious little girl. Gabriel’s inability to settle into a permanent position prompted an ultimatum: get a job or she would take their daughter back to Italy. Gabriel knew this was a mostly empty threat. Cristina had a career, friends, and a life in Paris. She would not leave those behind. But he realized just how problematic his unemployment was. Gabriel took a job as a line cook in a small café in the Latin Quarter. The café catered primarily to students and professors, which left Gabriel free during much of the school day. He often brought his daughter along, since an au pair would have been beyond the family’s means and Cristina was at work, sometimes for twelve or fourteen hours a day. During his breaks, Gabriel would entertain his daughter by drawing kooky creatures on napkins and inviting her to tell stories about them. They eventually became characters with names and histories crafted by father and daughter. For Christmas, Gabriel learned how to sew just so his daughter could have plush versions of the creatures to play with. Between shifts, they would play with the dolls or Gabriel would craft new ones for Sophie to play with.
These moments became even more precious when Gabriel and Cristina split. She’d been offered a job as chief health inspector in Marseilles and she took it. However, she did not take their daughter with her. Instead, Cristina agreed to pay child support as long as Gabriel continued working. Otherwise, she said, she would take Sophie to join her in Marseilles and leave Gabriel behind for good.
Gabriel took longer shifts at the restaurant. Often, that meant Sophie went to work with him. She spent mornings there, afternoons in classes, and evenings again at the café. When she wasn’t doing homework, Sophie would play with the dolls Gabriel had created for her. While other children fawned over dolls, cars, and “normal” toys, Sophie had a menagerie of monsters. During breaks between shifts, Gabriel would draw cartoons of Sophie’s toys on napkins, depicting stories she told him or stories he invented to amuse her.
And then one day, Gabriel forgot to clean up his sketches.
It was a Sunday morning and what started out as an absolutely empty café became a mob of hungry guests. Gabriel scarcely had time to throw on his apron before rushing into the kitchen to get back to work, leaving Sophie alone at a table with the napkin-drawing creatures. She played under the table and was unnoticed by the hostess, who sat a successful children’s book publisher, down at the table. Partway through the meal, the publisher noticed a napkin with a bright green, one eyed and winged creature smiling up at her.
Within six months, Gabriel had a book deal. Within a year, he had a three book contract and quit his job as a line cook. And after five years, he was a best-selling children’s author. His “Mini-Monstres” brought in the money the Fontaines desperately needed and for a while, the family knew peace. However, Gabriel was ill at ease. He missed his days as a cook and he felt the pressure from his wife (who now no longer saw reason to pay child support) and his agent to crank out more stories. Meanwhile, Sophie was growing up. She was twelve years old and Gabriel’s “Mini-Monstres” no longer held her interest. He retreated from the writing world after publishing nine books, taking two tours in major cities, and he tried again to reconnect with his daughter.
However, Cristina filed for divorce officially and under the stipulations she’d already outlined, Gabriel could not keep Sophie unless he had a job. Sophie moved to Marseilles with Cristina and Gabriel went on yet another quest for a job. This time, he found it in his sister’s restaurant. Gwendoline worked as a pastry chef at L’Tour d’Argent and the restaurant was in desperate need for someone to put on a toque and dress rabbits, pigeons, and other carnivorous delicacies. Gabriel applied for the job and he suspects his sister has something to do with his hiring. In any case, he’s happy to be working again. The only thing Gabriel loves more than creating is Sophie and he hopes that this job will be a way to have both in his life.
