EMMETT CLARINGTON ➝ FOURTH SIBLING
❖ FULL NAME: Emmett Alexander Clarington.
❖ PRONOUNS: He/Him.
❖ AGE: 21. (July 21st).
❖ BIRTH ORDER: Fourth. Twin to Third Clarington.
❖ GRADE: Sophomore.
❖ MAJOR: Music, specifically in Cello Performance, with a double minor in Piano and French Horn Performance.
❖ SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Demisexual.
❖ ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Panromantic.
❖ FACECLAIM: Nolan Gerard Funk,
I'LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE ME
(TW: DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, ATTEMPTED SUICIDE)
Despite the number of zero’s that reside in the bank account of his trust fund, Emmett Clarington is certainly not the type of person who you would imagine as a young man of privilege, wealth, and status. His own shortcomings are the result of an imbalance of chemicals in his brain that were of no one’s fault but arguably, his own. Emmett was born as a triplet to Evelyn Clarington via an extra-marital affair. For whatever reason, while his siblings were exploring their numerous and extraordinary talents and military prowess, Emmett never seemed to be able to leave his bed. His parents were frequently worried about him and his mental stamina, because he never was very social, active, or eager to do much. It wasn’t until Emmett attended a concert of his mother’s at age five that his true calling was born.
From there, something alive struck Emmett, and as he watched the spectacle before him, a new dream burst into his tiny mind. There, alongside his mother was a beautiful series of instruments, and Emmett wanted to do that, too. He wanted to make all of those beautiful sounds, but he didn’t know how. His infatuation festered on the violin, and he would walk around the house pretending to saw on one. His mother immediately noticed Emmett’s interest in the instrument, and had him enrolled in lessons the very next day. Emmett never got along with his father, as he always paled in comparison to Hunter and was the least athletic child– a failure of a son. His mother was the only person who understood his love and obsession with music, to the point of taking him backstage to concerts and allowing him to play for her onstage every so often. Even though Emmett’s nature was skittish, he never seemed fazed– as long as he had an instrument in front of him, his life was in check.
What was considered to be a childhood obsession and hobby quickly manifested itself into a lifelong pursuit. Music became Emmett’s one true escape from the world around him, in which he was finally free to let go of his own head and figure out what exactly it was that he was meant to do with his life. He threw himself into lessons of every kind imaginable: piano, cello, french horn, and violin. By far, his favorite became the cello. He didn’t study, he didn’t play any sports, he didn’t have any friends aside from his siblings, the daughter of his music teacher, and his instruments. He didn’t like reading and he absolutely deplored math. He struggled in school and was put in numerous programs at school to try and help him get better grades in his main subject areas. It was a lonely existence, sure, and despite how he struggled in school, Emmett became completely invisible to all, except those involved in the music program.
Emmett’s entire world came crashing down for the worse when, at the age of twelve, he was informed that his mother had died. There was no consoling Emmett– the boy had never been good with emotions to begin with, but losing Evelyn had turned his personality for the worse. Although he was only a child, he was immediately sent to an intensive therapy, and even lived with his grandparents for a year. Once he hit middle school, Emmett’s awkwardness and social isolation began to manifest themselves in signs of clinical depression, a stutter, and a generalized anxiety disorder. Emmett was quickly put into music therapy and other treatments. He takes regular medication for his problems and while he’s been doing much better for himself, he seems to always be nervous, fidgety, and unable to sit still. Despite the calm, chilled demeanor that Emmett exhibits for the world to see, his mind is a torrential downpour and his heart is never secured to anything other than music. Emmett’s panic attacks are frequent even despite the medication he’s on, and every once in a while he’ll decide to go off his medicine just to try and feel anything other than numb.
In an attempt to ignore his sheer loneliness and need to make something more of himself, Emmett found solace in serving as orchestra member and pit band player for the school musicals, marching band, and other events in high school. He played wherever he could, and when he wasn’t playing, he was practicing. There was never any reason for Emmett to make friends, as he made minimal social interaction throughout all of high school with those who were also involved in music. He had a plan, and that was that. He was going to get into Juilliard with flying colors, nail his audition, and be the first chair cellist for the New York Philharmonic. That was his dream, it was everything he’d been working for, and everybody said he was a shoo-in.
So you might imagine his surprise on the day that his rejection letter came in the mail, from not just Juilliard, but every other school he applied to. He’d been accepted into a community college nearby, and despite how his musicality was beyond compare, his school grades were simply too low to be admitted into a school of higher education. Devastated, without any hope for his future and unsure of what to do, Emmett made an attempt on his own life as a result of being rejected from these colleges, and was put into a mental rehabilitation hospital at the age of eighteen. From there, he began to heal. He went through tremendous behavioral and psychotherapy, learned how to control his thoughts and get a decent handle on his emotions. His own devastation became second to the fact that he wanted to make something better of himself, and be a person that he and his father could be proud of. Living in the shadow of his siblings had always taken a toll on him, and he no longer wished to be a burden on anyone, including himself.
Of course, the media had a field day with him, and despite how the Clarington family tried to shield him from the brunt of it, Emmett had become something of a child star, playing at all parties and events his parents paraded him to. The news that Emmett Clarington had not made it into Julliard, and was “taking some time to himself” hit all of the gossip rags, and Emmett did not have the mental stamina in order to handle it. He was exploited for his time in the hospital, considered a disgrace to his family, and the ultimate disappointment to his father. He went off the grid for a year, didn’t touch his instruments for six months, and focused mainly on himself. It was the worst and lowest period he’d ever had, but he got through it.
Emmett emerged from the rehabilitation center a year later perfectly willing to try again. He had so much more life to life, and Emmett would be damned if he didn’t at least try. After multiple rounds of auditions, a lot more rejections, and a lot of medication, Emmett finally was accepted into Pacific State alongside his siblings. Happiness is something fleeting for him, but Emmett is now well-adjusted and doing much better than he was previously. He’s excelling in all of his classes for the first time in his life, because he’s only taking things related to music. Even though he’s a poor student and still has his stutter from childhood, Emmett is finally feeling as if he can succeed, as he is nothing short of a force to be reckoned with within the music department, and right now, that’s all he can ask for.
BABY, THERE'S NO OTHER SUPERSTAR
Admittedly, Emmett isn’t much to look at. He hides himself behind a collection of loose-fitting plaid shirts and pullover sweaters. His jeans are usually worn-looking and he always has on a pair of beat-up converse when not in performance attire. Emmett wears thick, wide-rimmed glasses that he’s practically blind without. Physically, he doesn’t present himself as anything, as he’s much less physically fit than his brother. His posture is always very poor and he tends to keep his eyes on the ground when he walks.
YOU KNOW THAT I'LL BE YOUR PAPARAZZI
From a military background himself, Grayson Clarington was originally a military lawyer, though after his discharge, became a corporate lawyer to the stars. His late wife, Evelyn, before her passing, was a big name in the music industry. She could be likened to a more modern day Celine Dion, with global number one hits, tours and recognition.
