Francis Bonnefoy -- FRANCE (WIP)

Name: Francis Bonnefoy
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Quarter: Northwest
Job: Chef
God(s): Vessina
Gift: An interesting form of synesthesia. To Francis, scents and flavors resonate with something that's not quite a color, not quite a smell, and not quite a sound, but combining ingredients in such a way that produces something beautiful lands him a meal that is nothing short of exquisite. This gift also gives his creations a small degree of medicinal properties as something of a side effect.

Personality:
If one had to sum up Francis in a single word, 'affectionate' would probably suit him best. He loves little more than being around people and socializing, and will often grow fond and attached to people he likes very quickly. When it comes to most people younger than himself, he likes to try and take on the role of an older brother, offering up (surprisingly good) advice (which he rarely follows himself) when the opportunity presents itself. Besides that, he's a huge flirt, and will rarely pass up the chace to chat-up a pretty lady, or even a cute boy.

Perhaps surprisingly, given anyone who knows the man would never guess, Francis will occasionally suffer from boutts of pretty heavy depression. He goes to great lengths to make sure no one finds out, though, worried that his 'older brother' image would be ruined for anyone younger than himself, and anyone older would no doubt tease him mercilessly over it. He does have a certain affinity towards the melodramatic, however, and that typically help keep anyone from taking him too seriously when he's fretting over something.

Oh yeah he also sleeps around a lot.

Appearance:
Everything about Francis is deliberately showy. The man knows he's good looking, and sees no need to not let everyone know he knows. He always dresses nicely, even his casual clothes have a flashy sort of air to them. He keeps his blond hair in a cut that brushes just to his shoulders, claiming it looks more attractive that way (though it isn't uncommon for him to be mistaken for a fairly tall girl from behind because of it). Occasionally he'll tie it back to keep it out of the way.

Strengths:
- Cooking. (Duh. :U)
- Social.
- Fashion, probably due in part to a certain older sister putting him in her old clothes when he was a kid...
- Manipulative, to a degree. He's good at getting people to do what he wants.
- Survivalist. He'll do pretty much anything to save his own ass.

Weaknesses:
- Over-dramatic.
- Vain.
- Narssacistic.
- Needy.
- Cowardly.

Likes:
- Good food.
- Wine.
- Coffee - the stronger, the better.
- Being complimented.
- Roses.
- Beautiful things.
- Flirting.
- Picking on one Arthur Kirkland.

Dislikes:
- Poorly prepared food.
- Being talked about behind his back.
- Not having company.
- Being alone.
- Having his flaws pointed out to him.

Quirks:
- Outside of his resaurant, there's an out-door seating area, surrounded by gardens that Francis himself has grown and maintains. While there are a few plants he grows that are useful for cooking, the gardens are dominated by flowers, mostly roses, just because he likes them so damn much.
- Likes sleeping with others. Not.... not just in the sexytime sense (though he does enjoy that as well), but he likes simply having another person in bed when he's sleeping.
- Klepto. Only to a minor degree, but he simply can't help himself when he sees something beautiful.

Phobias:
- Being completely alone, abandonment. For this reason, he's flightly and doesn't commit very well when it comes to long term relationships.
- Large fires.

History:
Francis grew up in one of the farming oriented areas of the Southeastern quarter of the island, though you'd probably not expect it knowing the man as he currently is. While a lot of his time was spent helping the family earn enough money to keep living, most of his free time was spent being doted on by his older sister or affectionately (or so he'd claim) pestering that one kid with the eyebrows who lived at the Citadel. While money was often tight for the family, the Bonnefoys were very close-knit, and did whatever it took to support each other.

Around the time that Francis was a teenager, just beginning to make use of his gift, a fire broke out in the town the boy and his family lived in, which was presumed to be the result of arson, but no proof was found either way. Along with their house, the fire claimed the life of Francis' sister, and effectively broke the family apart. For a while, they moved in with some family friends until they could get back on their feet, and once things were becoming steady again, the (still fairly young) Francis decided to take off on his own to ease the financial burden a little more.

It was mostly through multiple strokes of good fortune that Francis managed to get anywhere, but his talents in cooking led him to live in the Northwestern quarter of the island. After apprenticing under several other chefs, it became clear that his talents were far better than they'd expected, and he eventually collected enough funds to open his own restaurant. Living where he does means that his opporunities to visit with his family are incredibly limited, but he will make the trip when the chance presents itself. Despite offering many times, his remaining family refuses to relocate and live with him, prefering a much less lavish lifestyle that Francis has taken to. He'll still send money over to them on a regular basis, though.

RP Sample: (Show us what you've got! Does not need to be in this setting, but does have to be a sample of the character you're applying for)

Out Of Character
Name: Mel
Age: 22
Contact: ZomgZeruel/PangolinMelly on AIM, mellysandshrew[at]yahoo[dot]com for e-mail
Anything else?: I like big butts and I can not lie.