#grant andersen

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IC

NAME: Grant Matthew Andersen NICKNAMES: N/A AGE: 35 OCCUPATION: Visual Arts Professor at Crystal Beach University EDUCATION: BFA from the School of Visual Arts

"Even if your heart is broken and attacking you, you’re still not better off without it."

FAMILY: Sarah Andersen (mother, deceased), John Andersen (father), Anna McKay (ex-wife), May Andersen (daughter, 3) HISTORY: The Andersens were solid upper-middle class Boston natives. There was love there but expectations too, and Grant never had trouble meeting most of them. He was good in school, good in sports (baseball and boxing his preferred activities, outside of drawing), and never had trouble making friends or keeping them. He was responsible and well-mannered with a low tolerance for bullies and an occasional streak of mischief.

Nobody meets their soulmate when they’re fifteen years old, but no one could convince him of that. When his car stalled and Jamie Lane stopped to help, it seemed like fate. Grant was good with people and bad with romance. As soon as he realized he found someone attractive, he got tongue-tied and awkward. Somehow, the message got through, and he barely left her side after that. He’d never been in love like that, before or since. Grant planned to go to college; Jamie wasn’t sure, but they were going to figure it out together.

It was his first lesson in the fact that life didn’t care at all about his plans. His mother was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before graduation, and he wasn’t able to defer his enrollment to the School of Visual Arts. She wouldn’t hear of him not going, so he split his time between New York and Boston. Jamie’s family had just relocated to Chicago, with Jamie planning to join him later in New York, when her father died suddenly that same fall, leaving Jamie home to look after her mother and sister. Months after that, Grant lost his mother as well. It was inevitable that they would crack under the pressure, two nineteen-year-old kids who were bad at communication and dealing with issues that would crush most adults.

It wasn’t until Jamie joined the Air Force that he realized it was really over though. (It had been over for months; he just couldn’t admit it.) There was no chance of patching things up with an ocean between them. It took him over two years to start dating again and a few more before he proposed to his college girlfriend, Anna. He didn’t tell her about Jamie, at least not specifically, but she knew when they first started dating that there was someone he was holding on to. She only mentioned it once, years later, when they were both drinking and fighting. She told him to stop comparing her to the person in his head, the one he couldn’t let go of, because she couldn’t compete with a ghost. Neither of them ever touched the subject again.

They stayed in New York City while they both started their careers, his as an illustrator and hers as a lawyer. They put off starting a family for a few years while Anna opened her own law firm. He didn't realize that she had other reasons for wanting to wait, and when the pregnancy came, it was a surprise to both of them. Grant wanted kids. It turned out Anna didn't. She left shortly after May was born and moved to London with his ex-best friend. She sent him divorce papers, he sent back custody ones, and their life together was over just that fast.

New York didn't feel like home anymore. His career was difficult to maintain outside the city, and it didn't have the kind of stability he wanted. He found a teaching job at a university in California and moved within the year, his father relocating a year later to be closer. May became the center of Grant's world. He loved being a dad, and while that first year was hard, looking back he wouldn’t change it. It wasn't how he'd planned it, and single parenthood certainly had its rough patches, but there were more happy days than sad ones with his favorite tiny human.

OOC

VERSE: Crystal Beach STORY: Original Character CHARACTER: Original Character FACE CLAIM: Chris Evans

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[ 🌺 ] what is your muse’s relationship with their parents? are there specific things they like/dislike about them?

Grant grew up reasonably close with both his parents. He got a love for baseball and boxing from his father and a love for art from his mother. They expected him to do well and encouraged him to pursue what he loved, but he doesn’t share their interest in putting on a good show for the rest of the world. In hindsight, he can see that there are things about him they just don’t understand: his relationship with James, the divorce with Anna, his refusal to move back to Boston after they separated. Since more than half of those are purely about how it looks to the rest of the world, he’s not willing to compromise on them. (He also knows, having been a parent himself now, that he wouldn’t put any such conditions on his love for his kids.) He wouldn’t call the relationship strained, but they mainly only see each other on holidays or the occasional visit.

[ 👨‍🎤 ] would your muse define themselves as rebellious or by-the-book? what are they, actually?

Nah, he played most of his life by the book and never saw the point in rebellion for its own sake. He does have a tendency to just quietly do things his own way though, whatever other people have to say about it.

[ 🏳️‍🌈 ] how does your muse’s sexuality and gender identity impact their life? do you have any specific headcanons about it?

He didn’t have any major realizations about being bisexual. It was just a vague feeling that solidified once he reached dating age, and he’s been pretty comfortable with it ever since. If other people aren’t as comfortable with it, those probably aren’t people he needs in his life.

[ 🧜‍♂️ ] is there anyone that isn’t part of your muse’s blood family that they consider family? what is their relationship with that person or those people like?

He considers his partner, James, to be family, and it’s possible someday they will be, although they haven’t discussed it this early in their relationship. There’s no one he’s closer to or cares about more though, and James is the only person he trusts with everything.

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[ 👨‍🏫 ] how much does your muse care about image? how would they react if something personal got leaked about them?

Grant cares about his professional image to an extent, but he’s not the kind of person who’s very different at home than he is in the world. He doesn’t spread his personal life far and wide, but he could probably brush it off if something got leaked. There isn’t much he feels like he needs to hide; it’s just a matter of whether it’s everyone else’s business or not. (It’s usually not.)

[ 🔇 ] is your muse a pushover, or do they tend to stand up for themselves?

He can be assertive if he needs to, but he’s willing to let most things go, especially if it seems to matter more to other people than it does to him. He’d rather be taken advantage of than be unkind because he’s the one who has to live with himself if he’s not. He’d be quicker to come to someone else’s defense before his own.

[ 🪀 ] what was your muse’s childhood like? how did their upbringing affect them?

For the most part, his childhood was happy and secure. His parents had expectations for him, but Grant usually didn’t have trouble meeting those. They’re still on good terms, but he mostly only sees them on holidays or the occasional visit.

[ 🐺 ] does your muse have trouble relying on others? why or why not?

103% yes. He was always the kind of person to keep it to himself when he was struggling, and it only got worse as he got older. The last couple years of his marriage were together but alone, and he got used to relying on himself for everything. He recognizes that it’s not a healthy way to live though, and he’s working on it before it can ruin another relationship.

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[ 🤪 ] what is your muse’s sense of humour like? are they known for being joking, or serious?

He’s gotten more serious with age, but there’s still a sense of humor in there that comes out with the right company. It’s a little self-deprecating, a little teasing, and occasionally a little dirty (with the right person). Being able to laugh and be silly with his partner was one of the reasons he fell for James, before and now.

[ 🩰 ] is there a type of fashion your muse prefers, or do they not pay attention to their appearance at all?

He’s fully capable of dressing professionally for work and knows what looks decent on him, but at home it’s mostly jeans and t-shirts (and stealing James’s snuggly sweaters). He has a number of tattoos he designed himself, most of them easily hidden by clothing, including the blonde, smiling fairy he drew for his daughter over his heart.

[ 🧀 ] is there something your muse can’t live down, no matter how hard they try? what is it? if not, is there something your muse has said or done that embarrasses them?

He’s pretty much to the point in his life where all epic past mistakes have been squared away, and there’s not much left that embarrasses him. Occasionally James can get a blush out of him, but he happens to be very charming when he puts his mind to it.

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[ 🧀 ] is there something your muse can’t live down, no matter how hard they try? what is it? if not, is there something your muse has said or done that embarrasses them?

He’s pretty much to the point in his life where all epic past mistakes have been squared away, and there’s not much left that embarrasses him. Occasionally James can get a blush out of him, but he happens to be very charming when he puts his mind to it.

[ 👶 ] is your muse good with kids, or do they prefer to avoid them?

Grant loves kids and adored being a dad, and he can usually be around them without too much emotional fallout now. Much as a part of him would love another chance at family life, he would have to think long and hard about wanting to be a parent again.

[ 😈 ] does your muse like to prank others? do they do so often?

Not really his style, and there’s certainly no one now that he has that kind of relationship with. There’s a playful side there, but it’s way overbalanced by sincerity. He’s more likely to plot out a sweet gesture than a prank.

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IC

NAME: Grant Matthew Andersen NICKNAMES: N/A AGE: 35 OCCUPATION: Graphic Illustrator EDUCATION: BFA from the School of Visual Arts

"We met at the wrong time. That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway. Maybe one day, years from now, we’ll meet in a coffee shop in a far away city somewhere and we could give it another shot."

FAMILY: Sarah and John Andersen (parents), Anna McKay (ex-wife), May Andersen (daughter, deceased) HISTORY: The Andersens were solid upper-middle class Boston natives. There was love there but expectations too, and Grant never had trouble meeting most of them. He was good in school, good in sports (baseball and boxing his preferred activities, outside of drawing), and never had trouble making friends or keeping them. He was responsible and well-mannered with a low tolerance for bullies and an occasional streak of mischief.

Nobody meets their soulmate when they’re fifteen years old, but no one could convince him of that. When his car stalled and James Lane stopped to help, it seemed like fate. Grant was good with people and bad with romance. As soon as he realized he found someone attractive, he got tongue-tied and awkward. Somehow, the message got through (or maybe James was just much better at flirting than he was), and he barely left his side after that. He’d never been in love like that, before or since. Grant planned to go to college; James wasn’t sure, but they were going to figure it out together.

It was his first lesson in the fact that life didn’t care at all about his plans. His mother was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before graduation, and he wasn’t able to defer his enrollment to the School of Visual Arts. She wouldn’t hear of him not going, so he split his time between New York and Boston. She later went into remission and has been ever since. James’s family had just relocated to Chicago, with James planning to join him later in New York, when his father died suddenly that same fall, leaving James home to look after his mother and sister. It was inevitable that they would crack under the pressure, two nineteen-year-old kids who were bad at communication and dealing with issues that would crush most adults.

It wasn’t until James enlisted in the army that he realized it was really over though. (It had been over for months; he just couldn’t admit it.) There was no chance of patching things up with an ocean between them. He was devastated, but Grant was the last person to let on when he was hurting. From the outside, it probably looked like everything was fine. Still, it took him over two years to start dating again and a few more before he proposed to his college girlfriend, Anna. He didn’t tell her about James, at least not specifically, but she knew when they first started dating that there was someone he was holding on to. She only mentioned it once, years later, when they were both drinking and fighting. She told him to stop comparing her to the person in his head, the one he couldn’t let go of, because she couldn’t compete with a ghost. Neither of them ever touched the subject again.

They stayed in New York City while they both started their careers, his as an illustrator and hers as a lawyer. They put off starting a family for a few years while Anna opened her own law firm. When May was born, she became the center of his world. He loved being a dad, and they planned to have more kids after things had settled more with Anna’s firm, which was finally gaining recognition with a few high-profile clients. May had just turned two when she was diagnosed with leukemia, and she died later that same year.

Their marriage died with her, but Grant was slow to realize it. Maybe he’d always had trouble recognizing the end when he saw it. This was a pain he couldn’t hide, and neither of them knew how to deal with it. They both started drinking, and Anna worked longer and longer hours. He couldn’t bring himself to pick up a pen again, so he quit drawing and helped out at the firm. The drinking eased over two years, but the rift between them stayed. They had friends over for a dinner party when he realized she was having an affair with their best friend, who had helped her start her law firm. It was nothing dramatic, just an observed moment in the kitchen when she smiled at Daniel. It had been years since she smiled at him like that. He probably should have felt betrayed, but his primary emotion was relief. Neither of them had to pretend anymore.

They took apart their life together with the same quiet efficiency with which they’d built it up. He was happy for them; he wanted Anna to be happy, but he wasn’t self-punishing enough to stay and watch. Staying in New York seemed out of the question, going back to Boston equally so, so Grant decided to keep moving south and relocated to D.C. where there weren’t any memories. It was close enough to commute when he had to once he started drawing again, and he spent the last couple years settling into an old job and a new city. He’d been alone by himself and he’d been alone with another person, and he knew which one he preferred. Somewhere in every story he illustrates, there’s a tiny blonde fairy watching and laughing from the sidelines.

OOC

VERSE: Welcome to New York STORY: Original Character CHARACTER: Original Character FACE CLAIM: Chris Evans

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🌺👨‍🎤🏳️‍🌈🧜‍♂️

[ 🌺 ] what is your muse’s relationship with their parents? are there specific things they like/dislike about them?

Grant grew up reasonably close with both his parents. He got a love for baseball and boxing from his father and a love for art from his mother. They expected him to do well and encouraged him to pursue what he loved, but he doesn't share their interest in putting on a good show for the rest of the world. In hindsight, he can see that there are things about him they just don't understand: his relationship with James, the divorce with Anna, his refusal to move back to Boston after they separated. Since more than half of those are purely about how it looks to the rest of the world, he's not willing to compromise on them. (He also knows, having been a parent himself now, that he wouldn't put any such conditions on his love for his kids.) He wouldn't call the relationship strained, but they mainly only see each other on holidays or the occasional visit.

[ 👨‍🎤 ] would your muse define themselves as rebellious or by-the-book? what are they, actually?

Nah, he played most of his life by the book and never saw the point in rebellion for its own sake. He does have a tendency to just quietly do things his own way though, whatever other people have to say about it.

[ 🏳️‍🌈 ] how does your muse’s sexuality and gender identity impact their life? do you have any specific headcanons about it?

He didn't have any major realizations about being bisexual. It was just a vague feeling that solidified once he reached dating age, and he's been pretty comfortable with it ever since. If other people aren't as comfortable with it, those probably aren't people he needs in his life.

[ 🧜‍♂️ ] is there anyone that isn’t part of your muse’s blood family that they consider family? what is their relationship with that person or those people like?

He considers his partner, James, to be family, and it's possible someday they will be, although they haven't discussed it this early in their relationship. There's no one he's closer to or cares about more though, and James is the only person he trusts with everything.

[onstraypapers]

👨‍🏫🔇🪀🐺

[ 👨‍🏫 ] how much does your muse care about image? how would they react if something personal got leaked about them?

Grant cares about his professional image to an extent, but he's not the kind of person who's very different at home than he is in the world. He doesn't spread his personal life far and wide, but he could probably brush it off if something got leaked. There isn't much he feels like he needs to hide; it's just a matter of whether it's everyone else's business or not. (It's usually not.)

[ 🔇 ] is your muse a pushover, or do they tend to stand up for themselves?

He can be assertive if he needs to, but he's willing to let most things go, especially if it seems to matter more to other people than it does to him. He'd rather be taken advantage of than be unkind because he's the one who has to live with himself if he's not. He'd be quicker to come to someone else's defense before his own.

[ 🪀 ] what was your muse’s childhood like? how did their upbringing affect them?

For the most part, his childhood was happy and secure. His parents had expectations for him, but Grant usually didn't have trouble meeting those. They're still on good terms, but he mostly only sees them on holidays or the occasional visit.

[ 🐺 ] does your muse have trouble relying on others? why or why not?

103% yes. He was always the kind of person to keep it to himself when he was struggling, and it only got worse as he got older. The last couple years of his marriage were together but alone, and he got used to relying on himself for everything. He recognizes that it's not a healthy way to live though, and he's working on it before it can ruin another relationship.