Kennison, Jamison Lee [done]

[jamison]

Character Name: Jamison Lee Kennison
Nickname(s): Jami, J-Lee, Jay, JK
Gender: Female
Age: Nineteen
Sexuality: Straight
Weight: 116
Height: 5'4
Appearence:

SCARS: Outside of the nicks from typical childhood play, Jami only has a few notable scars. On her right knee, she has the scars from knee surgery the summer after her freshman year of high school. On her left palm is a faint scar from when she learned why one shouldn’t touch a hot electric stovetop. The third notable scar is on her forehead, just below her hairline is the memory of falling out of a tree when she was twelve.

TATTOOS: Carpe Diem in peach ink on the inside of her right wrist, a shooting star on her hip, and a cluster of tiny stars on the back of her neck.

Jami has always been a bit on the vertically challenged side, but don‘t think she finds that to be a disadvantage in any way- unless she‘s trying to get the peanut butter jar down from the top shelf. She likes to joke about how this has propelled her towards her love of shopping, especially for shoes. Being short gives her the advantage of wearing the cutest stilettos without worrying about towering over everyone else, especially her dates. Her legs are a tad short of her height, meaning she has to walk a little faster to keep up with the strides of everyone else. Her feet are a little bigger than the average girl as petite as she is; her father will tease her by calling them her skis. But don’t expect this to get her down. Jami rocks the shortness with the best of them.

Style-wise, she’s pretty laid back. Yes, she loves shopping and yes, when she can afford them, she enjoys designer items. But she’s more than happy to mix a designer piece with an outfit she put together from Target. J likes to think that she dresses according to her mood, that however she’s feeling will dictate what she’ll wear on any given day. One day, you can find her in jeans, t-shirt, and Vans; the next, she’ll be dolled up in a Marc Jacobs dress and heels. Her hair is usually kept an a medium to long length, leaving enough for her or her friends to play with.

Personality:

Pop Culture Aficionado---
There is all sorts of useless information stuck in Jami’s head. She has seen enough movies, watched enough television, and read enough books and magazines to be able to randomly quote them. She will also throw out random names and comparisons in every day conversation.

Outgoing---
It has never been a problem for her to walk up to anyone and start a conversation, even if it’s only to ask where they got a great jacket or a cute pair of shoes.

Loyal---
For those that Jami cares about, she’ll do absolutely anything for them. Call her at 4AM and she’ll come running without a second thought, whether it be for a ride home when you’re drunk, a shoulder to cry on when your heart has been broken, or bailing you out of jail when you had a bit too much fun.

Trusting---
Some may see it as a downfall, but Jami doesn’t care. She trusts a little too easy in most cases, unless you give her a reason not to. She wants to believe the best in people. However, she can hold a grudge like it’s her job. She tries not to, but sometimes it just happens. “Life’s too short to bear any ill will.”

Impulsive---
Carpe diem. Life is short, live every moment. Life isn’t about the number of breaths you take, but the number of moments that takes your breath away. Whatever fortune cookie saying you choose, she lives by it. Jami wants to live and experience everything she can, even if it means acting as soon as the thought creeps into her mind. And don’t think you can ever have her penned down. Just when you think she’ll zig left, she’ll zag right.

Charitable---
Jami likes to put others before herself. She likes to volunteer and help out through the community. Last Thanksgiving was spent with a ladle in her hand for the homeless; Christmas Eve was spent helping to hand out toys donated for children at a local domestic abuse shelter. She has been a tutor for kids from elementary age through high school, manned a suicide hotline, and worked with an organization that builds accessible houses for soldiers wounded overseas and their families. The next thing she wants to do one day is join the Peace Corps.

Honest---
Is honesty really the best policy? Jami isn’t afraid to say what she’s thinking, no matter how blunt it may be. Sounds good, right? Maybe, except for the fact that she doesn’t stop to think about how her words will affect other people before she says them. Not to mention, she still hasn’t gotten the nerve to tell her parents that she hasn’t been in school for almost two years.

Very Liberal---
Yes, she voted for Obama. Once you get to know her, that may not be any surprise. She is very firm in her beliefs and has even taken a stand in participating in a protest or two in her time. What’s the point of having an opinion if you’re not going to do what it takes to make it heard? She has protested against the death penalty in Texas, against the war in Iraq in Washington DC, and for the legalization of gay marriage in California. She’s the girl that can be counted on to let all of the lab rats and rabbits out of their cages, which she has. In fact, one of the bunnies that she saved now has a home with her. She also tries to do her part in helping the environment by walking or riding a bike when she can (though she drives a hybrid), using environmentally friendly cleaners, using florescent light bulbs, recycling, composting, using a rain barrel for watering her gardens, and using reusable shopping bags. Just call her a modern day hippie.

Intelligent, with a splash of common sense---
If you are going to take a stance on a subject, you had better explore all sides of the issue. CNN and MSNBC are, hands down, her sources for news, but she still keeps an eye on the right wing nut jobs at Fox News. Though she doesn’t advertise it and brag, Jami had attended a private middle school and high school. She is well-read, intelligent, bright, and has a genius level IQ. She is that balance of intelligence and common sense that is so rare these days among her age demographic. She may have found that college isn’t her thing for this point in time, but don’t let that fool you. Don’t underestimate her. It was just because there were so many things she wanted to do in her life and she knows that the educational system will always be there.

Crafty---
Give a list of random ingredients and she can bake you the best cake or dinner you’ve ever had. Leave her some markers, paper plates, and toothpicks, and she can entertain herself for hours. She may not be an artist, but she loves to draw, paint, write poetry, etc. She has a nice collection of sidewalk chalk, coloring books, and a big 150 pack of Crayola crayons.

History:

The 1960s were a decade of social revolution, the British invasion, casual sex, and recreational drug use. Mao Zedong led the cultural revolution in China, construction began on the Berlin Wall, key American figures fell at the hands of assassins, and Vietnam War protests popped up at college campuses all over the US. It was at one of these protest that a young communications major first laid eyes on a pre-law student. She was one of those trying to make their voice heard, while he was simply a student trying to get through on his way to class. James Kennison had no time to deal with the protestors. As the son of a military man, he knew better than to oppose what the US was doing overseas. Yet, when the young liberal Allison Gilman got up the nerve to approach him in the dining hall, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. For a while, they were a happy couple, attached at the hip, but it was as if the Fates had something else in store for them.

The draft was something many people were against, including Allie. When Jamie’s number was called, she begged him to use his deferment opportunity with school. He was a college student so he could get out of it. But James wouldn’t hear any of it. He wanted to make his father proud and to do that, he needed to do his duty to his country. Hoping to make a point and get him to change his mind, Allison broke up with him the day before he was to be deployed, hoping it would make him remember what he could lose. But it didn’t. Instead, he went overseas, torn between two feelings- wanting to prove his worth to her by showing her what she was giving up and knowing that when he came home, she wouldn’t be there. Luckily, the war ended sooner than to be expected and he was back on American soil after serving just over a year. It wasn’t hard to track her down, seeing as how she was still attending Loyola University, but he hadn’t expected to see her walking across campus while holding hands with another man. To make a long story short, it took some work on his part, but James made Allison realize what she missed with him and that he was really the only man who would truly hold her heart and the rest, as they say, is history.

There’s something about graduating from college that makes a young adult realize it’s time to grow up. While Allie never lost her ideals, she wasn’t as outspoken about them. The girl that was the first person to organize a proper protest was using her organizational skills in a new career. James’ military experience made him a prime candidate for the local police force, but he hated it. It reminded him too much of the time he’d lost his now wife. Instead, with his wife’s support, he went back to college, but instead of being on a path bound for law school, he took a little detour. It was a time when male nurses were few and far in between, but he loved it. James realized his one occupational love was being able to help people.

Let’s fast forward this story to the early 1990s. After a few failed attempts for pregnancy and one miscarriage, the Kennisons were finally blessed with a baby girl. They had gone back and forth about what they should name her, but settled on a combination of their names- Jamison, with her father’s own nickname, Jami, for short. From a young age, they already knew she’d be the kind of girl to know what she wanted. A lot of persistence led her to learning to read before her second birthday. By five, she could list at least twenty countries she wanted to travel to when she grew up. That was also about the time she discovered a love of the works of Truman Capote. She wanted to be like the detectives in In Cold Blood, but have the grace and free spirit of Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Like parents always do with their children, James and Allison thought Jami was one of the smartest kids of her age, so once she was headed to middle school, they put her in a private school, where she could focus on bettering herself intellectually. If she kept on the path she was on, she could be easily accepted to any top college of her choice.

And a top school is where she went. Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri offered her a top pre-law curriculum and the jumping off point to her future. She knew that if she did well in getting her bachelor’s degree, she would be a shoo in for their law school. From there, she could go on to being a top public defender, specializing in capital litigation. If only she could sit still long enough. Her desire to go out and see the world had developed even more during high school and, though she was in college, was no closer to being quelled. After talking with her freshman counselor, the eighteen year old withdrew from college without telling her parents, taking the tuition refund to hit the road. While her parents were thinking she was sitting in class, studying hard, and passing her finals, Jami was really moving from coast-to-coast, seeing what the US had to offer before heading south through Central American and across South America. Somehow through it all, she ended up in Central, California, where she lives and works while trying to figure out what’s next for her life and gets the courage to tell her parents that the weekly stipends they send her really goes for rent and their tuition checks have funded her past and future travels.

One day, she'll go back to school. But Jami feels that the institution of higher education will always be there. For now, she's all about living each day to its fullest and flying by a whim.

Sample Rp:

Sitting in the Monroe Ledger office, where she was more often than not found, Daylena stared at the computer screen in front of her. She knew she should be working on a new article. And she would be, if only she could come up with a damn subject. For the first time, as a freshman on staff, she has the chance to do anything she wants, whatever topic she wanted to write about. And what did she come up with? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. It was as if the brunette’s brain had decided to wipe itself blank. So what was she doing to pass the time? Reading the archive of the Scene & Heard website from its first issue to the current. Was it trashy? Yes, but she was enjoying it. Lenny might have considered herself a serious journalist, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have interests that leaned more in a gossip journalism kind of way.

Her right hand was clutching the computer mouse. Her left elbow was propped up on the desk, her chin cradled against her palm. Her blue eyes practically unblinking as she couldn’t look away from the screen. She had come to the most recent issue and thought it all sounded the same, like it was the same people in every issue. ”Coming up on tonight’s headline news at 10- the disappearance of campus party girl, Holly Stone,” she muttered sarcastically under her breath. ”Yes, Where in the World is Holly Stone?” she added, taking a few seconds to laugh at her own joke. Oh, how she missed that Carmen Sandiego show. But that wasn’t the point. Then again, there wasn’t any point. The nation’s potential future first daughter was either pictured and/or mentioned in practically every issue. So what if she was found on the steps of the Sigma Pi house in one of her states, or that she’d suddenly decided to pull an Emily Dickenson? Wasn’t that to be expected from someone like her? Yes, Lenny liked Holly, found her brilliant regardless, but seriously… you’d think enough would be enough. People grew tired of hearing about Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan at some point, didn’t they?

Giving up, she clicked off the screen, threw her empty coffee cup into the trash, and slung her bag over her shoulder. She was getting hungry and she wasn’t getting anywhere with her work. Pizza was now the only thing on her mind. Pizza loaded down with everything. Her mouth was practically watering at the prospect, so the only thing she could think to do was leave her sad attempt at an article, Holly Stone, and all of the gossip behind- for now, at least. But even as she shut the door to the office behind her, she couldn’t help but wonder just what was wrong with Holly. Maybe she should pay her a little visit, not as a journalist but as a friend. Did whatever happened the night before being on the Sigma Pi steps have anything to do with it? What about the freak out during the Bar Crawl? Was there some sort of link between them or were they merely coincidental isolated events?

Daylena stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide and her mouth in a surprised ‘o’. It was as if a light bulb had flickered on inside of her head. Where it was leading, she wasn’t sure, but she was going to go with it. That was how some of the best ideas became reality, wasn’t it? Suddenly, Lenny knew what her topic was going to be and she needed to get on it before time ran out. She had a few extra articles banked for times like these, so for the next few issues, she could just pull from that. Hopefully, that would give her the time she needed. But even with those little extra helpers, she couldn’t do this alone. And she knew just the person to call. Turning on her heels, Lenny ran back to the Ledger office, pushing her way roughly in. Thank God everyone else had left hours ago, or else there would have been someone around to see her stumble and almost fall over her own feet. Hurrying towards the computer she’d just left, she flicked the screen back on and reopened the browser page to the last site she’d been on.

With the last three issues printed out and clutched in her hands, she quickly left the Ledger office again, pulling out her cell phone in the process. ”Damn it,” she muttered when she got Ruby’s voicemail message. She had wanted the girl to answer. ”Ruby Blue, it’s Lenny. Meet me down at Pizzaz as soon as possible. It’s extremely important, like weapons-of-mass-destruction-important.” Without another word, she hung up, praying that the other girl would be able to understand what she’d just excitedly managed to say all in one breath. With a grin on her face, she shoved the papers into her bag and used all of her will power not to run down to the restaurant.

Apparently, luck was still running high on her side. Her favorite table in the back corner was open and ready for the taking, although it wasn’t for a quiet place to read this time around. No, she just needed a place where they wouldn’t be overheard, should Ruby actually meet her down here. The waitress had approached the moment she sat down and after ordering a large pizza with everything on it and a Coke to drink, Lenny settled into wait. She tried reading, but she was too excited for even that to hold her attention. Staring at the door for the upteenth time, she sighed with relief when she saw Ruby finally come in. Waving her over, she still couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face. ”Oh my god, what took you so long? I thought I was going to burst!” From her bag, she pulled out the pages of the last three Scene & Heard issues that she had printed off in the Ledger office and pushed them across the table towards Ruby. ”What… or should I say who… do these all have in common?” she asked, wanting to build up the suspense for the idea she had, though she was sure Ruby would have some rant or another about those pictured in front of her. Yes, they tended to amuse Lenny at any other time, but there was a major investigation at stake!

Celeb:

Rachel Bilson

Out Of Character:

I'm Sydney and I'm 21+ years old (let's just say I'm old enough to legally buy the booze in the US). I am in the CST time zone, which is GMT -6, I think. I've been RP'ing for about two years and to get a hold of me, I have aim and msn. There are a few other sites I'm on, all IF, including one that I've been on for over a year and am now a staffer.

[( nikkie )]

wow! this was great! the history really made me like her already. i like how she's just a regular girl but there's still something that captures a persons attention. there's honestly nothing bad i can say about this app. accepted a million times over!

p.s. sorry for the wait (;