Since I'm a derp and forgot to do this before, here's Jeb's application! Since it will serve as a profile here, I haven't included the OOC stuff. I've also removed an OOC note in the name section. However, I've kept the samples I used in because they do help give more insight on him. Enjoy. ♥
Name: John Edward Brunett "Jeb" Parmalee.
Gender: Male.
Age: Sixteen.
Wing Color: Teal.
Physical Appearance:
Here is a picture of Jeb~History: Jeb was born the middle of a set of triplets, to Catherine and Ronald Parmalee, on a warm June 13th in the afternoon. Family-wise, Jeb grew up relatively normally, despite his father constantly being away due to his job as a researcher of cures for illnesses. The triplets were held in contempt by their older half brother, Devlin, almost immediately. Devlin was a child from Catherine Parmalee's former marriage, and it was as if he started taking out his anger from his father's death and his mother remarrying on the triplets the moment they were able to walk. While his twin brother Terare, and his twin sister Jebbi were also bullied and tormented by Devlin (as well as the Parmalee child who would be born later) too, Jeb seemed to be the only one who seemed to develop lasting issues from it, even after Devlin went through therapy and began to make amends with his younger half-siblings.
Although Ronald was gone a lot, Catherine stayed with the family--she owned a popular cafe in the town they lived in. It was because of this that she met her friend Maria Crawford, a young artist who often came to the cafe for inspiration. It was through Maria that Jeb was introduced to two things that would influence and shape his life. First, Maria's passion of art passed on to Jeb, who thought what she could do was amazing and wanted to learn himself. Secondly, Catherine and Maria decided that their children could have playdates together, and through those playdates, Jeb met Tori Crawford, Maria's daughter and someone who would only continue to make lasting impacts on Jeb's life from the moment they met on--Jeb was three when they met, Tori was four. Around the same time, Catherine gave birth to her and Ronald's last child--a young girl named Faith, but would later insist on being named Faye. While all three of the triplets almost immediately became fond of their little sister, Jeb would continue to dote on Faye long after the two stopped being little.
When Jeb was five, Maria Crawford passed away from an unknown illness. While this hit Jeb hard (Maria quickly became like a second mother), it unsurprisingly hit Tori harder. Even at his young age, Jeb felt like he needed to be there for his friend, so he constantly went over to keep her company and do fun things with her to keep her distracted. Neither of them really understand death completely, but Jeb understood that his friend was hurting and he needed to help her, and help her he did, because he hated seeing her cry so much. This was when Tori and Jeb began to become closer, because beforehand, the two of them as well as Terare and Jebbi were all equally close as friends, and while Terare and Jebbi did their best to keep their friend happy as well, Jeb was almost obsessed with doing so.
School life was pretty uneventful for Jeb until he hit fourth grade. Once he hit that grade, he and Terare both became targets for bullying. Tori made sure bullies stayed away from both of them as much as she could, but she couldn't always be there for them. Jeb tried his best to stand up and be brave, but it only seemed to make things worse for him, and the bullying increased to the point of being physical. Even so, Jeb didn't completely back down. He felt like he had his family and friends who were worth being strong person for, and he didn't want to grow up to be a "loser." The bullying lowered a bit after Jeb met Michiru Higurashi, who became a second best friend to him next to Tori, and who also helped Tori to make the bullies back off (both of them had weren't afraid to dish back the physical aggression bullies threatened Jeb with), and it stopped entirely when Jeb, Terare Tori, Jebbi and Michiru became friends with Alade Stevens, a new student who scared the bullies so badly that they never threatened Jeb or Terare again. When told that Jeb tried to stand up to the bullies, Alade grinned and patted Jeb on the head, telling him that he was strong in his own way. Jeb took those words to heart, beginning to idolize the other boy. However, the bullying and Devlin's criticism left a damaged self worth in Jeb that would not strongly show itself until much later.
When he was eleven, Jeb got a call from Tori, asking if she could come over. Jeb immediately said yes, even meeting her halfway because she sounded distressed. Once they were at his house, Jeb sat Tori down on his family's couch and asked her what was wrong. His friend responded that she realized that her age and the ages of her younger half sisters didn't match up. When Jeb asked her what that meant, she responded that it meant that her father cheated on her mother with the mother of her sisters. When she immediately revealed to Jeb that she felt resentful for what her father had done and hated him and her stepmother for it, Jeb's mind immediately flashed to Devlin and asked if she was going to treat her siblings differently. She shook her head, saying that would be wrong and it wasn't their fault. Jeb hugged her, and the moment she hugged him back was the moment he realized just how much he appreciated the friendship of his childhood friend... and that he had a crush on her.
A year later, Jeb was on his way to meet Faye somewhere when he found her being harassed by boys a few years older than she was. He didn't think twice about rushing to her defense, and got horribly beaten up as a result. As Faye cried, hugged Jeb tightly and apologized profusely, Jeb said he didn't regret what he had done, that he was glad he was "a man enough" to defend his little sister. Neither of them realized that in that moment, Faye's dependency on and hero-worshipping of Jeb would only grow... and Jeb, being oblivious to it and wanting all his siblings to be happy (but Faye in particular), would continue to dote on her.
At fourteen, Jeb realized he couldn't hold back his feelings for Tori (which just wouldn't leave), anymore. However, he refused to tell her because he was afraid she'd reject him, that she saw him as just a friend. After admitting his feelings to Michiru (who fancied Jebbi, herself, and refused to tell her) over lunch one day, he resolved to tell Tori the next day. However, when he went to do so, he began to back down, until Tori, in a fit of frustration, grabbed him and kissed him. After that, she told him she had been hiding feelings for him for the past year, and had been passing by where Jeb and Michiru were having lunch when Jeb admitted his feelings for Tori to Michiru, and had overheard. The two began to date.
At that time, even with the bullying that had happened in Jeb's life, he was happy. He had a girlfriend who loved him and the greatest friends and family one could ask for. He didn't have much in the word of self worth, and he felt like he didn't deserve all that he had been blessed with because he was "nothing special" and "a bit pathetic" at times, he still saw so much beauty around him, and that beauty helped him attempt to ignore his own inner demons. He wanted to make the world a better place because of the beauty he saw, and when he did, he was sure he'd find his self-worth. The next two years would pass without much incident, until the week after Jeb's sixteenth birthday...
While "the gang" was hanging out, Tori was attacked by people none of them had ever seen in town before, and they left a message: "it's only beginning, fragment." As time passed and more strange (and dangerous) events occured, including the entire town (save for anyone connected to the Parmalee triplets and/or Tori) seeming to become frozen in time, everyone began to realize that this had something to do with the town they lived in, which, despite the world not being hugely influenced by religion, taught children about an ancient religion about how God-like beings had created different things about the world. The town they lived in was named Avio, after Aviophiel, the goddess of creativity and free thought.
The Parmalee triplets decided to seek out a man named Donovan Kairos, who was told to be an "Aviophiel expert" and lived in a nearby city. He agreed to help them, and told them the myth of the Ancient Elementals, immortal beings born as an experiement of Aviophiel's. The triplets immediately recognized this as the townsfolk of Avio's explanation as to why some people were born with elemental-based abilities (while most of the world saw it as a genetic mutation--common enough to not be seen as freakish but still the target of a bit of discrimination.) Donovan told them of Aero of Wind, the Ancient Elemental who was created before any of the others, with the element Aviophiel adored the most (her self-chosen name did mean "faith of flight," after all), and how he had started a war that lasted for twenty years against power hungry humans and Aviophiel herself. He also told them that Aero lost part of himself the day the war ended, becoming a separate person, a mortal doomed to reincarnate over and over as Aero sought to destroy them, because they were a fragment of what he once was. Appreciating the information and thinking that maybe Aero of Wind was the reason Tori was being attacked, they thanked Donovan for his help. Over the next few months, Donovan became very close to the triplets and their friends.
Around this time, Alade revealed to his friends that the reason he was in Jeb's grade despite being a year older than Tori was because he had been pulled from education entirely for two years to train as a hunter of dangerous beings that would threaten any sort of life on a grand scale. He explained that it was in his blood, because his mother was a hunter before him. One night, while hunting a threat, Alade was attacked by one of the people who had attacked Tori. The attacker, a boy a couple of years younger than him, said they were half-brothers. When Alade questioned why that meant the boy had to attack him, the boy simply blamed Alade for not saving him. But when he asked what, he was knocked out, but not before catching glimpse of a man who apparently accompanied the boy--a man Alade recognized when he came to see Jeb and the others.
Donovan Kairos was that man. When confronted, Donovan simply denied any claims--that is, until he couldn't anymore, when he was questioned of too many suspcious actions he had made in the months he had been an their ally in this. Donovan simply laughed mockingly and asked them why it took them so long to figure it out, but that he wasn't too surprised--they were friends with his fragment. In that moment, there was no denying it: Donovan Kairos was Aero of Wind.
While Jebbi didn't seem too affected by this news, Terare and Jeb were both crushed by it. The two of them begged to know why he would string them along like that. Aero simply smiled, kissed them both on the cheek and told them that this was only the beginning, and in the end, he'd have what he's been fighting for the entire time and they would finally understand.
Terare hugged Jeb, wanting comfort. Trying to stay strong for both of them, Jeb hugged his brother back, unsure what any of them were going to do next...
Personality: Jeb is a kind, compassionate boy who cares very much about the people around him and does his best to help them as much as possible. He's naturally friendly and sweet, to the point of being a bit of a chivalrous gentleman at times. A curious sort of kid, he is easily impressed by new things and immediately wants to learn more. He's easily flustered, especially if people are complimenting him. Part of this is because he's just being himself and doesn't feel like he needs to be thanked for that, but another part of it is because he doesn't see himself as being all that great and that he shouldn't be thanked for it. He can sometimes be a bit shy, especially with new people, but he tries to push his shyness down and be friendly despite how awkward he feels--after all, how can he know people if he doesn't push himself to get out there?
Something Jeb really loves are sweets, but sometimes, he overdoes it with how much sugar he consumes. In a situation where it's "overdone," he becomes very hyped and giggly. Basically, he becomes more friendly without the shy side to it, because when on a sugar high, he's too hyper to really care on a conscious level. It doesn't happen as often as it did when he was a child, mostly because he's learned self control. However, if he's having a particularly shy day, he will do it purposefully because he hates being shy that much.
Jeb has a shaky sense of self-worth; he doesn't really see himself as important. Instead, he finds worth in the people he cares about. They mean the world to him, and if they're happy, then he's satisfied enough, even if he's not really happy with himself. He blames himself for not being able to fight back against bullies sufficiently enough, for not standing up to Devlin when he was still horrid to him and their other siblings. It's because of that that he really finds himself pathetic, even if he doesn't show it whatsoever. While his kindness is not an act and he truly wants to help everyone, he sometimes plays it up a bit to block out the nagging voice in his head that feeds his thoughts of dislike for himself. This self-loathing also causes him to lash out at others who attack him that without thinking at times--he knows he's pathetic, but he's trying so hard to prove that he means something and simply doesn't need to be reminded of how much of a failure he sees himself as.
However, nothing sets him off more than someone attacking the people people he cares about, or saying that the world is completely void of anything good. It sets him off so badly that he doesn't hold any punches and gets very defensive over things like that. He begins to not think about what he says before he says it at all, because the things he loves are worth defending and arguing over. He knows the way he handles such things could get him in trouble, but by the time he's in that mindset, he doesn't care. He also hates bullying. Even though he's certain bullies have their reasons for the things they do, it's something he refuses to tolerate.
As mentioned before, the people he cares about are the most important things in the world to Jeb. He puts a lot of himself and all the effort he can into his relationships with people and will bend over backwards to make sure they're happy. He worries that they'll realize how unimpressive he is and that they'll leave him, but he rarely ever vocalizes it, because he thinks it'll make him look more pathetic than he already feels. Despite being bullied in the past, Jeb trusts very, very easily, and the moment you gain his trust 100%, you also gain his loyalty, and it will be very difficult to cause that loyalty to sway.
Jeb is unable to see anything in black and white (except himself, and to an extent, the people he cares about.) While he was hurt by the bullies and older brother who tormented him, he's pretty sure they had their reasons for acting the way they did, so while he'll always be a bit wary of the individuals who tormented him, he can't hate them and he can't hold a true grudge. Even Donovan, who tricked them and betrayed them, is someone who Jeb can't bring himself to despise. He's sure Donovan is doing what he is for a reason, even if it's cruel.
Even though he hates the fact that he does it when it's negative one, Jeb expresses the emotions he doesn't hide like crazy very easily and more or less wears his heart on his sleeve. Because he trusts easily, the closer you get to him, the more true this fact becomes, to the point where he begins to drop hints about how he really feels about himself. At that point, it's very easy to get him to tell the truth about it if one catches those hints. While he can hold things back, Jeb is very bad at outright lying. The moment someone begins to inquire about things, the moment the things he tries to hide start surfacing.
Jeb is an artistic sort, which likely helped him see how beautiful the world can be. He takes his love very seriously, getting infuriated when he doesn't capture something the way he wants to. His sketchbooks tend to be filled sketches of his friends, his family and Tori--none of which he's ever really satisfied with.
Strengths: Physical: Jeb has an eye for detail, due to his artistic ways. He tends to notice things that others don't. Other than that (and his physical weaknesses), he's pretty average.
Mental: He's very set on his views of the world and isn't easily swayed to do things he doesn't think is right, if only because his ideal viewpoint of the world is one of the few things he likes about himself and if he lost that, he'd hate himself more. He's able to trust easily, and even when he's hurt by others, he tries to give them a second chance--he tries not to let how hurt he feels "blind" him. He believes everyone has good in them, even if it's hard to find and even if he's trying to dislike someone.
Jeb is also very good at focusing at the subject before him if it's really important. This focus comes from the insane amounts of time he spends on his art.
Emotional: Jeb is very loving, and does his very best to be as understanding as possible. He's almost always willing to listen to someone who has a problem. Because he has decided to devote at least some of his life to making the world and the lives of his loved ones better in any way he can, he's able to push unimportant problems aside to help when it's truly needed. It also allows him to be a support and a "pillar" for others. Even when it isn't, he's more than happy to help out.
Weaknesses: Physical: Jeb is below average when it comes to physical strength and doesn't really know much about hand to hand combat, either. It's the reason why he got beaten up so badly when defending his younger sister.
Mental: Jeb's is very bad at realizing he's being manipulated, both because he's so trusting and because he's a tad on the naive side. Even with the reveal of who Donovan Kairos is in the grand scheme of things, he will continue trusting others just as easily as he has been, because they aren't Donovan, therefore they shouldn't be judged before they can show who they really are. By the time people who mean harm do, it's already far too late--Jeb trusts them and will throw himself into denial of how bad someone he's grown to trust is if need be.
He also tends to throw himself into situations without thinking first, especially if it concerns one of the people he cares about or something he thinks very strongly about, and gets distracted sometimes when the subject before him is small and casual.
Emotional: Part of the reason Jeb snaps so easily from his "triggers" is because he locks his negative viewpoint up deep within himself--the fact that he has very little self esteem and doesn't believe he's worth anything. Because of this, he's built a fake sense of self worth based on how the people around him believe his worth is, and is a bit reliant on other people instead of as much of himself as he should be. He also gives in a little too easily if pushed a bit about his own problems, allowing what he holds within himself to come out--something that could easily be taken advantage of.
Samples
First Person: --nder what this does... hey, is this recording? Woah, this is a journal that can record things? Even if I don't know what the heck is going on, that is so cool! So, um, can anyone tell me why I woke up with no shirt on? It... it's a little embarrassing, and I feel really exposed--hey, I have wings! What the...?! People don't really wake up with wings! But I guess they also really don't wake up dressed in something different, either. Hey, I wonder...! [There's a pause, before the sound of running can be heard and a loud thud after that.] Ow... I guess they aren't meant for flying, even if they are neat. Oh, hey, there my clothes are! Now I can actually feel comfortable! Well, with how I'm dressed, at least. I still don't know where I am, and that's not good at all.
...
Where is this place? [And then, reality slowly begins to hit him.] I-If someone can hear this, does anyone know the way out of here? I really can't stay here, even though the scenery is beautiful. If I wasn't in such a rush to get back, I wouldn't mind sketching a bit of my surroundings. But I can't stay! I have to go home, I have to make sure everyone is all right! But it would also be rude not to introduce myself, if anyone can hear me. My name's Jeb, and it's nice to meet you!
Third Person: It hurt him to know that there was no way home unless it was decided he could go back, but regardless, Jeb had to admit that where he was couldn't be any more beautiful if it tried--everything seemed so serene.
It was because of the beauty he saw that when he got his sketchbook and pencils back (why were they even at a shop, anyway? Why hadn't they just shown up next to him with his clothes?) that Jeb decided he was going to draw what he saw before him. Finding a quiet (and hopefully safe) place to sketch, the boy sat, took out his pencils, flipped open his sketchbook and began to lose himself in his art.
He sketched the trees he could see, and the mountain that seemed to be so far off in this distance. He became so focused on his work that his conscious thought seemed to disappear entirely, focusing only on creating. It was only when the tip of his pencil broke with a snapping sound that Jeb came aware of his surroundings again--and what he had actually drawn.
There were definitely sketches of the trees and the mountain drawn on the paper, but among them were other things. Drawings of familiar areas from his town, doodles of his twin brother and sister as well as his younger sister, half-drawn sketches of his friends and finally--
Upon seeing the face of the girl he had grown to love so dearly over the period of almost his entire life, Jeb almost dropped the sketchbook, only managing to catch it at the last minute. Tears filled the corners of his eyes, but he blinked them away as best as he could.
He missed them all so much. He couldn't help but wonder what they were doing, if they were okay. If time really didn't pass at home once he got there, he shouldn't have to worry--but he was worrying anyway.
A weak smile spread across his lips, before he swallowed his sadness completely and looked up at the sky with a hopeful expression.
"I'll just have to do my best here until I can go home, right? And I can always make new friends while keeping the people I love in my thoughts..."
He had to. He couldn't pathetically shy away, he had to be who he was and make new friends... otherwise he was going to hate himself even more.