Arden Rose Walker (older teen)

[mericlecure]

::The Basics::

|| Name: Arden Rose Walker || Game: Eidolon City || Age & Sex: 18, Female || Career: Socialite/Student || Character Type: Dreamer || Played By: Kate Braatvedt || Scenes: Tag, Main Profile || Wanted Storylines

::Appearance::
Arden attracts attention. Even if she’s dressed conservatively, she constantly has a vibrant presence that’s as good as giving the girl her own personal spotlight. Usually, though, the girl isn’t dressed 100% conservatively. If the colors are drab and common-place then the cut is unique, or if the cut is traditional then the pattern is something bright and eye-catching. She loves trying new things, and this is reflected in her eclectic, ever-changing style.

She’s a pretty girl, but not in any conventional manner. She stands a good bit taller than most girls and women and her physicality has a definite ‘boyish-ness’ to it, from her frame to her features, that comes through beneath dresses and make-up. That and a wavy mop of hair that can’t seem to decide its color (dark brown, darker blonde, or deep red) are the only two constants to her appearance. She has a passion for life, and that comes through quickly upon meeting her.



::Personality::
Arden Rose Walker is passionate, vibrant, and annoying. She’s a girl who can’t blend into the background to save her life, and she has all the tact of a freight train barreling through a mountain. She’s impulsive, social, and a bit sensitive to slights and criticism and not getting her way. But a tiff or feud with Arden is short-lived on her part. She doesn’t hold grudges and forgives and forgets with ease. She’s usually moved on well before anyone thinks to say ‘sorry’, and tends to forget that others don’t always do the same.

Even in her best moments, Arden is a bit self-absorbed. She actually is self-aware of that fact, but it’s of little help when she gets caught up in the moment talking (well, monologuing) to someone. She’s a perfect conversationalist for those not wanting the focus on them or those more prone to listening than trying to get a word in edge-wise. Unfortunately when neither is the case, talking to her can be aggravating. The friends that stick around soon learn to simply interject or be blunt about telling her to shut her trap for a second. Any offense Arden feels at being interrupted dissipates once she starts listening, and those that go that path learn that she is perfectly capable of equal back-and-forth with an assertive conversationalist.

She’s extremely social by nature and can be overbearingly friendly. She has a habit of being just as casually friendly with guys as she is with girls, and it constantly comes back to inconvenience her. She loves to joke around and her actions and banter are easy to mistake for flirtation or a sign of something more serious than she feels. She also doesn’t always discourage flirtation when she should, tending more to laugh when she should give a stern look. It’s earned her a reputation as a frivolous flirt -- something that the Echo loves to run away with. She’s constantly landing herself into awkward male-situations, and Arden mixing with the jealous type is always a tumultuous affair.

She pays little heed to who society says she should or shouldn’t associate with, and it’s a fact that repeatedly gets her some kind of trouble -- either in disapproval from the family, or somebody getting the wrong idea, or the media running away with it, or just an uncomfortable situation that two seconds of forethought could have spared. Thankfully -- or not, depending on who you ask -- her temperament is well-suited for trouble. She doesn’t run away nor abandon her goals just because things get tough. Even if it’s unlikely to end well, she won’t sacrifice who she is to satisfy someone else’s rules. It’s probably because, deep down, Arden’s optimistic that things will work out at the finish line.



::History::
Arden’s biological father wasn’t willing to play ball with the mafia, and he paid dearly for it. His business was burned down, his oldest son killed, and his youngest -- a 3-year-old daughter who had just celebrated her birthday -- was taken by the masked men sent by the DiGiovanni. Unbeknownst to her biological family, the child was given to the Walkers. Birth certificates were drawn up to attribute her lineage to a Walker couple that had been killed in a car accident, and the girl was fostered in the lap of luxury by her ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles’.

Arden soon proved to be a very social, very talkative, and fearless child... and that’s remained intact into the present day. She bonded closely to her new family -- soon forgetting she had another to begin with -- and they adored her. She was almost always joyful, learned things quickly, and was just as quick to come to the aid of her cousins as she was to get them into trouble. She could be careless and self-absorbed, having had every whim catered to since her adoption, but she was never mean. Beneath that was a genuine desire to help both those she cared about and the world around her. It was a desire that didn’t mesh with Walker’s private agenda, but was absolutely wonderful for their public one. It was decided that it was best for all that Arden remain ignorant of the family’s less-reputable activities, and by age 7 she was set up to live permanently with an aunt that -- though completely aware of the family’s dirty secrets -- primarily handled the social side of things.

Since then, Arden’s lived a blessed life. Her parents may have died before she could remember them, but -- growing up with the love and support of her extended family -- she doesn’t feel like anything in her life is lacking because of it. Her family may not always approve of her decisions, but she loves them; at the end of the day, after all her wandering about wherever chance takes her, she has always returned home.



::Special Abilities & Skills::
She's good with entertaining people, and inspiring others to get on board with her in her revolving door of causes, adventures, and schemes.



::Personal Weaknesses::
Impulsive -- thinking up an idea and acting on said idea are often simultaneous occurrences with Arden. She isn't one for schedules, and knowing where she is one minute is no guarantee where she’ll be the next. She’s spontaneous, and a day that started with shopping at Elysium Avenue could easily encompass rides at the Boardwalk, a movie at the Apollo, and eating dim-sum in Chinatown by sunset. (Should a teenager Walker be in Chinatown at sunsent? Problably not.) Her quickness to action is useful in that she gets moving when others just talk; but she doesn’t look before she leaps, and is prone to jumping all-in on an action before getting all the facts. She drops in and invites people to things last-minute, and often forgets that not everyone is as fluid with plans as she is.

Restless -- If awake, Arden has to do something, and she can dabble in more projects in a week than most people take on in a year. Aside from being extremely social, the girl’s primary hobby seems to be collecting hobbies. “Not much” almost never comes out of her mouth when you ask her what she’s been up to, because the girl has probably picked up three new interests since you saw her yesterday. She picks things up extremely quickly but rarely becomes an expert on anything because her interest moves on just as fast. It does, however, make her excellent source of eclectic trivia.

Idealist -- Arden is an idealist. When she can get off yammering about her latest interest or what she saw at the park yesterday, it’s evident that she’s passionate about people. Whether it’s her born nature or simply a lifestyle lacking in hardship, her default position about people is positive overall. She tends to give people the benefit of the doubt, a sort of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ mentality, judging them based on what she witnesses instead of what’s been said. However, when something does offend her sense of Right and Wrong, she re-acts quickly against it instead of idly sitting by. She’s got a bit of a ‘champion’ personality, often taking up the mantle for causes; they could be as general as throwing herself into organizing something for the homeless or more personal as standing up for a friend or family. She doesn’t really adhere to some strict credo about it all, and takes things on a one-by-one basis, but some things that her family does definitely go against what she believes. The only reason she isn’t conflicted about it is because they actively shut her out of the loop. She knows the Walkers are socially affiliated with the DiGiovannis, but she has no idea how connected the two familes are.

Sheltered -- she grew up in the upper crust, with a supportive family, and never wanted for anything. It makes it harder for her to relate to those outside of the high society bubble, and vice versa; which is particularly cumbersome because Arden likes venturing out of the bubble.

Notoreity -- Arden’s face and name have often appeared in the Echo’s society and women’s pages, so she’s easily recognizable to those who keep up with that sort of thing. The paper gives the impression of her being frivolous, flirty, and bold; but it also regards her as a fashionable young “It” girl worth following. It’s not proper cookie-cutter image, but it isn’t an unworkable one either; and Arden always seems willing to smile or wink at the cameras instead of hiding from them. But when she messes up? It ends up in print.

Her name -- for someone who would love nothing more than to have the freedom to go wherever and talk to whomever, having the Walker last name is as much a hindrance as it is a gift. Not only does it also alter how some people behave around her, it also means that more tabs are kept on her than she could possibly realize. Arden may think that she has freedom, but it’s only the freedom that her family lets her have.



::Personal Strengths::
Genuine, Strong-willed, Vivacious. Arden doesn’t behave in any manner that she doesn’t truly feel. She doesn’t shrink away from who she is nor apologize for it, and is an incredibly bright spot against a city of people often worn down or cynical. She loves her friends and family fiercely, and has a true joie de vivre that can endear her to people despite her short-comings.



::Family & Connections::
Jem - a cousin that she views as a brother and a best friend; he's also someone she's constantly roped into abetting her since they were kids.

Emily - another cousin Arden's close to, and a frequent target of Arden's unannounced visits.

Arienne -- as far as Arden is concerned, her and Arienne are great buds. She has no idea that she annoys Arienne something awful, and even less of an inkling at the girl’s true personality and goals.

Jessie ('JJ') - school friend. JJ's assertive enough to keep Arden's conversations on a two-sided footing. But Arden's impulsiveness mixed with JJ's curiosity may not always make for the most well-behaved combo.

Ramona - as a Bartelucci, Ramona and Arden's families travel in the same social circles.

Abby Hagel (adoptable) - Arden's sort of 'Party-Partner-in-Crime' and vice versa, and when together they can egg on each other's bad habits in the name of Fun. Due to some similar 'Larger than Life' traits, the girls likely have as many falling-outs as they do falling-back-in-agains. Arden also knows Abby's sister Shoshannah, but just as an acquaintance.

Possible Connections - Remaining members from the biological family that she has no idea exist. Other Walkers and those affiliated with the DiGiovanni. High school students.




::Other Information::
Handwriting: Mumsies (12 years); Dawning of a New Day (Current)
**Arden Walker is an older re-imagining of Arden Elwaine



::Awards::