The Countess
08-10-2009, 10:02 PM
Username: The Countess
Character: Martha Jane Beda Hartley (prefers Mary)
Date of Birth: August 18, 1984
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Occupation: Aspiring/former dancer, lawyer, tourist
AI: Katharine Hepburn
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj254/Stage_Icons/Katharine_Hepburn.jpg
History: Martha Jane Hartley was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She was the second of three children to Susan and David Hartley. Her older brother, Thomas, died of an apparent suicide when he was 18. Mary never met him. Her younger sister, Catherine, died of an accidental drowning when Mary was three while they were vacationing to Long Beach. They were a nice couple and owned a good deal of the city’s most popular furniture store making them impossibly rich. Martha, nicknamed Mary, grew up in a large city home until she was 8. There, she was spoiled with nice dresses, toys, candy all day long, and nannies to do her bidding. Often, when she did not get her way, she would have the most awful tantrums. Because of this, she went through quite a few nannies until she was shipped off to boarding school all together. In other words, Mary was difficult from the beginning.
Her father was often away on business and her mother, being a socialite, was often attending meetings or charities. Mrs. Hartley only attempted to take Mary along once and regretted it. Mary was back home on holiday and was asked by her mother to come to the Connecticut Ladies Christmas Brunch. Mary, though only 8 years old at the time, resented her mother’s social habits and refused to attend. Her mother was persistent until she simply didn’t take no for an answer. This angered Mary so much that by the end of that fateful evening, she had made a mockery of the family with her sharp tongue and lack of manners or respect. The Hartleys moved to a different town at Mrs. Hartley’s insistence, claiming that she could never show her face to the committee again because of her arrogant daughter. Mary, of course, went unpunished as she normally did. The wealthy family settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hartley was able to keep his business connections in Hartford and Mrs. Hartley joined a new committee. Mary was immediately taken back to a boarding school where they attempted to tame her. They had no such luck.
By the time she entered her teenage years, Mary acquired a taste dancing. She demanded that she should be taken out of boarding school and into a dancing academy. At first, her parents refused saying that her education must come first. This obviously didn’t go over well with Mary. In the next year, Mary ran away 5 times, skipped classes, received infinite detentions, and so many letters back home that Mary was finally expelled. Instead of enrolling her in another boarding school, Mr. and Mrs. Hartley appeased their difficult but only daughter. They sent her to a school of the arts in London the next semester.
Mary studied dance until she was 17 years old. Instructors praised her for being very graceful and hard working, but her lack of discipline overshadowed her efforts. Mary unfortunately developed the same diva attitude that she possessed in her childhood. In addition to this, Mary didn’t get along with any other girls attending. They thought that she was just some stuck-up rich girl with two bit talent. It didn’t help Mary’s situation that she often flirted with the boys at the academy. It wasn’t long until she got into a fight with another dancer (over the other girl’s boyfriend whom Mary had been pursuing) that turned physical. Mary broke the girl’s arm and received a black eye. This proved how tough Mary truly was. The other girls soon became afraid of her and dubbed her “Bloody Mary”. When the parents and instructors found out, both students involved in the brawl were “asked to leave” the academy. Mary’s parents were devastated at what kind of woman their daughter had become and refused to give her the money to come back to America. Mary’s legacy still lives on in the academy.
Mary took up residence in a boarding house while she attended law school with the only money that her parents had sent her in 10 years. Because of her ruthless nature, she made an exceptional lawyer. In time though, Mary grew bored once more with her drab profession and dropped out of school two weeks shy of receiving her diploma. Instead of applying for yet another school, Mary decided to see the world. It had always been her dream to travel and see the sights of France, so she naturally went there first. Little did she know that her life would change in the beautiful countryside of Paris.
Mary was 25 years old when she met Antoine Malheureux, a 41-year-old painter and physician. The two met at a bookstore checkout counter. Both were purchasing an English and French edition of “Notre Dame de Paris” by Victor Hugo. They immediately fell for each other after exchanged only a few poorly translated words. Although Mary did not speak much French, nor did Antoine with English, there was a noticeable spark from the American and the Frenchman. Mary was attracted to Antoine’s love for the arts and good looks, while Antoine fell in love with her unusual beauty and fire. Over time, the two were communicating like normal, although Mary preferred to speak to him in English. Over the next year, Antoine painted numerous portraits of Mary to show their love. Many people thought that they were going to get married, even Mary’s parents, whom hadn’t talked to her in years, were glad for her. However, Antoine insisted on waiting to move away from the busybody city so their age difference wouldn’t be considered scandalous. Mary thought that she had at last found happiness. One rainy night in the city changed everything.
The two young lovers had just left an evening performance of “Tosca” at the Paris Garnier when they got into a horrific car accident. A drunk driver had collided with their small car, killing Antoine instantly. Mary suffered a concussion but survived with only a few scars.
At first, life without her Antoine was unbearable. Mary spiraled into a severe depression and it took a year of therapy to get her back in a normal state. Even so, the memory of Antoine still haunts her today and is the main reason why she hasn’t started dating again. Although back to her fiery self, Mary became especially cold with men. She decided that in honor of Antoine, she would pursue a career as a dancer once more at the very place he perished, the Paris Opera House. Her age is against her, but Mary is determined to succeed, for Antoine.
Appearance: Mary is very strangely beautiful. She has a very angular face with very prominent and high cheekbones, which some would call her most striking feature. Mary has scars from the car accident but the most noticeable one is under her chin. Wired, frizzy mousey-brown hair goes to her shoulders though Mary tries to pull it back from her face most of the time. Mary’s nose is quite small and turned but a little bit, giving her a more innocent look. Her build is fairly athletic but slender from her days as a dancer. As a child, Mary was very lanky. Her eyes are a light brown and are always warm looking, despite her current emotion. Overall, Mary is beautiful but in a unique way that attracts some men to her so.
Personality: Some words that describe Mary are: incorrigible, arrogant, judgmental, stubborn, spoiled, vain, disrespectful, and mean-spirited. But beyond all these unfavorable qualities, Mary is also fiercely independent and loyal to her companions. She’s also hard working and very talkative (perhaps a little too much). She possesses a very sarcastic and dry sense of humor that certain individuals find appealing. Mary will talk to most anyone and can always find conversation. She is still unfortunately very difficult with men and sometimes very envious with girls. It all depends on the person. In the end, she’s almost always worth talking to. Some call Mary vain because she talks about her self often, but Mary just considers herself confident in her person. Although her school record is atrocious, Mary is actually quite intelligent. Her quick wit and charm baffle most and she is not to be underestimated with intellectual fields.
Other: Mary has a very strong New English accent that is especially noticeable when she talks fast (which is often). She is a very noticeable American. She speaks French quite well now, but has no accent but her native one. Example of her accent/speaking voice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdrXmIB3Eco&feature=related
Mary claims that she has dreams of Antoine often begging her to move on and find another man. She’s spoken to her therapist on many occasions about it but her therapists insists on blocking them from her mind.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj254/Stage_Icons/portrait.jpg
Character: Martha Jane Beda Hartley (prefers Mary)
Date of Birth: August 18, 1984
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Occupation: Aspiring/former dancer, lawyer, tourist
AI: Katharine Hepburn
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj254/Stage_Icons/Katharine_Hepburn.jpg
History: Martha Jane Hartley was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She was the second of three children to Susan and David Hartley. Her older brother, Thomas, died of an apparent suicide when he was 18. Mary never met him. Her younger sister, Catherine, died of an accidental drowning when Mary was three while they were vacationing to Long Beach. They were a nice couple and owned a good deal of the city’s most popular furniture store making them impossibly rich. Martha, nicknamed Mary, grew up in a large city home until she was 8. There, she was spoiled with nice dresses, toys, candy all day long, and nannies to do her bidding. Often, when she did not get her way, she would have the most awful tantrums. Because of this, she went through quite a few nannies until she was shipped off to boarding school all together. In other words, Mary was difficult from the beginning.
Her father was often away on business and her mother, being a socialite, was often attending meetings or charities. Mrs. Hartley only attempted to take Mary along once and regretted it. Mary was back home on holiday and was asked by her mother to come to the Connecticut Ladies Christmas Brunch. Mary, though only 8 years old at the time, resented her mother’s social habits and refused to attend. Her mother was persistent until she simply didn’t take no for an answer. This angered Mary so much that by the end of that fateful evening, she had made a mockery of the family with her sharp tongue and lack of manners or respect. The Hartleys moved to a different town at Mrs. Hartley’s insistence, claiming that she could never show her face to the committee again because of her arrogant daughter. Mary, of course, went unpunished as she normally did. The wealthy family settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hartley was able to keep his business connections in Hartford and Mrs. Hartley joined a new committee. Mary was immediately taken back to a boarding school where they attempted to tame her. They had no such luck.
By the time she entered her teenage years, Mary acquired a taste dancing. She demanded that she should be taken out of boarding school and into a dancing academy. At first, her parents refused saying that her education must come first. This obviously didn’t go over well with Mary. In the next year, Mary ran away 5 times, skipped classes, received infinite detentions, and so many letters back home that Mary was finally expelled. Instead of enrolling her in another boarding school, Mr. and Mrs. Hartley appeased their difficult but only daughter. They sent her to a school of the arts in London the next semester.
Mary studied dance until she was 17 years old. Instructors praised her for being very graceful and hard working, but her lack of discipline overshadowed her efforts. Mary unfortunately developed the same diva attitude that she possessed in her childhood. In addition to this, Mary didn’t get along with any other girls attending. They thought that she was just some stuck-up rich girl with two bit talent. It didn’t help Mary’s situation that she often flirted with the boys at the academy. It wasn’t long until she got into a fight with another dancer (over the other girl’s boyfriend whom Mary had been pursuing) that turned physical. Mary broke the girl’s arm and received a black eye. This proved how tough Mary truly was. The other girls soon became afraid of her and dubbed her “Bloody Mary”. When the parents and instructors found out, both students involved in the brawl were “asked to leave” the academy. Mary’s parents were devastated at what kind of woman their daughter had become and refused to give her the money to come back to America. Mary’s legacy still lives on in the academy.
Mary took up residence in a boarding house while she attended law school with the only money that her parents had sent her in 10 years. Because of her ruthless nature, she made an exceptional lawyer. In time though, Mary grew bored once more with her drab profession and dropped out of school two weeks shy of receiving her diploma. Instead of applying for yet another school, Mary decided to see the world. It had always been her dream to travel and see the sights of France, so she naturally went there first. Little did she know that her life would change in the beautiful countryside of Paris.
Mary was 25 years old when she met Antoine Malheureux, a 41-year-old painter and physician. The two met at a bookstore checkout counter. Both were purchasing an English and French edition of “Notre Dame de Paris” by Victor Hugo. They immediately fell for each other after exchanged only a few poorly translated words. Although Mary did not speak much French, nor did Antoine with English, there was a noticeable spark from the American and the Frenchman. Mary was attracted to Antoine’s love for the arts and good looks, while Antoine fell in love with her unusual beauty and fire. Over time, the two were communicating like normal, although Mary preferred to speak to him in English. Over the next year, Antoine painted numerous portraits of Mary to show their love. Many people thought that they were going to get married, even Mary’s parents, whom hadn’t talked to her in years, were glad for her. However, Antoine insisted on waiting to move away from the busybody city so their age difference wouldn’t be considered scandalous. Mary thought that she had at last found happiness. One rainy night in the city changed everything.
The two young lovers had just left an evening performance of “Tosca” at the Paris Garnier when they got into a horrific car accident. A drunk driver had collided with their small car, killing Antoine instantly. Mary suffered a concussion but survived with only a few scars.
At first, life without her Antoine was unbearable. Mary spiraled into a severe depression and it took a year of therapy to get her back in a normal state. Even so, the memory of Antoine still haunts her today and is the main reason why she hasn’t started dating again. Although back to her fiery self, Mary became especially cold with men. She decided that in honor of Antoine, she would pursue a career as a dancer once more at the very place he perished, the Paris Opera House. Her age is against her, but Mary is determined to succeed, for Antoine.
Appearance: Mary is very strangely beautiful. She has a very angular face with very prominent and high cheekbones, which some would call her most striking feature. Mary has scars from the car accident but the most noticeable one is under her chin. Wired, frizzy mousey-brown hair goes to her shoulders though Mary tries to pull it back from her face most of the time. Mary’s nose is quite small and turned but a little bit, giving her a more innocent look. Her build is fairly athletic but slender from her days as a dancer. As a child, Mary was very lanky. Her eyes are a light brown and are always warm looking, despite her current emotion. Overall, Mary is beautiful but in a unique way that attracts some men to her so.
Personality: Some words that describe Mary are: incorrigible, arrogant, judgmental, stubborn, spoiled, vain, disrespectful, and mean-spirited. But beyond all these unfavorable qualities, Mary is also fiercely independent and loyal to her companions. She’s also hard working and very talkative (perhaps a little too much). She possesses a very sarcastic and dry sense of humor that certain individuals find appealing. Mary will talk to most anyone and can always find conversation. She is still unfortunately very difficult with men and sometimes very envious with girls. It all depends on the person. In the end, she’s almost always worth talking to. Some call Mary vain because she talks about her self often, but Mary just considers herself confident in her person. Although her school record is atrocious, Mary is actually quite intelligent. Her quick wit and charm baffle most and she is not to be underestimated with intellectual fields.
Other: Mary has a very strong New English accent that is especially noticeable when she talks fast (which is often). She is a very noticeable American. She speaks French quite well now, but has no accent but her native one. Example of her accent/speaking voice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdrXmIB3Eco&feature=related
Mary claims that she has dreams of Antoine often begging her to move on and find another man. She’s spoken to her therapist on many occasions about it but her therapists insists on blocking them from her mind.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj254/Stage_Icons/portrait.jpg