Tristan Ramiro Mendez

[tristan]

Character Name: Tristan Ramiro Mendez
Nickname(s): The Ram, Trista (I wouldn't dare)
Gender: Male
Age: Twenty
Subgroup: Legend
Sexuality: Straight
Grade: Sophomore
College: Central
Other: None
Major: Mathematics
Weight: 205 pounds
Height: 5'9
Appearance:

Some have called him “dreamy.” Others have preferred “athletic”, and then there is the occasional “dick head.” No, as interesting as that might make him, Tristan actually doesn’t have a dick for a head, but the other two descriptions aren’t off base. He is very in shape, as all real athletes are. Tristan hits the gym but more often, he gets his fit body from the training he does with his rugby team and by playing the actual game itself. Although adequately pegged as muscular and built, Tristan isn’t the incredible hulk. He plays the position of Hook in rugby for a reason, and that’s because he’s fast, he can score, and the extra weight which he doesn’t have can’t get in the way. He comes in at a decent height at five feet and nine inches, but it’s nothing to brag about. Tristan’s weight fluctuates a little during the off-season, but he weighs around two-hundred and five pounds, give or take a few. Most of that isn’t fat and he’s a lean kind of guy, eating healthier than what you would expect from a high-metabolism college student. Spicy food is his definite weakness, to which he will often indulge himself. He is very into fitness, and specifically obsessed with protein shakes and other such items that look incredibly gross to the normal eye. They aren’t really a taste someone can learn to get used to, but he deals with them.

Both of Tristan’s parents are Latino. His father is Mexican-American born and his mother was born in Mexico before coming to the United States when she was six. Although his heritage is heavily Mexican, being “Hispanic” might not immediately come to people’s minds when they first look at him. In fact, most people cannot tell what his ethnicity is without hearing his last name. Tristan has an olive, tanned tone and it takes no difficulty for him to tan further when he spends time in the sun. He has very dark brown eyes and thick, curved eyebrows. Michael’s hair is a light black, so light that it could be mistaken for a very dark brown. It’s always cut and he has never worn it long, nor is he about to. Although it’s sometimes left a little shaggy on top, his hair never reaches down to his ears. A short, easy feel is always best to Tristan.

His facial structure is hard to define because its square, but rounded at the jaw. The face is narrow and long, and his smile is small and tight. He looks pretty friendly if you can get him to bear his teeth but Tristan prefers a simple, closed lipped smirk. He is the most comfortable in loose clothes and wears a lot of sweatshirts and sweatpants. When he wears something other than sweats and gym gear, it’s a simple plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans. For a guy like him, clothing was never meant to be a priority, and as long as he isn’t wearing geeky suspenders or pants that hang off of his butt, it doesn’t matter what he wears. He does likes glasses though, even when contacts are available. Contacts are worn most of the time but when he’s studying he likes the black brimmed glasses that make him look smart. They do make him look smart, right? And not that he’s a girl, but if he had to tell you something he doesn’t like about his physical appearance, it would be that he thinks his ears stick out. Don’t worry Tristan, they most certainly do.

Personality:

If Tristan wants something done he’s going to do it, whether it is convenient or not. Certain things cannot wait, and in Tristan’s way of thinking, nothing can ever wait. He is a very hurried person unless it comes down to his job or homework, two things in life which have an extremely low priority. Given these qualities, it can’t be much of a surprise to anyone that what Tristan needs is more patience. Tristan can’t understand why it could take someone so much time to get one simple task done, and when it does, his temper flares. He plays sports, he likes leadership positions. From the first impression these conversation starters make it clear how driven his personality is. He wants to win, after all. Losing never got anyone anywhere except for the winning team, and Tristan does everything he can to make sure he is on that, short of cheating. A win is not a win if you cheat, not to mention someone, without fail, always finds out. He knows, because he took steroids in high school a couple times and was almost expelled because of it, but a cover-up by his rugby coach saved his future college career. He doesn’t like lazy people. The type of people who come home from work or school, grab a soda out of the fridge, and watch re-runs for four hours. If you’re having a bad day he’ll cut you a break, but if this is a habit don’t expect Tristan to bond with you. That being said, he does have two modes: Go go go, and crash. Because he’s pushing himself to do as much as he can in a day, when it finally catches up to Tristan he crashes, and he crashes bad. The moment that comes he could fall asleep just about anywhere, be it a bed, the grass, a stairwell or the locker room. The world is his dream land. The guy wishes he was invincible, but of course he’s not, and everyone knows this.

Now that we’ve got one (because there’s always more) obnoxious part of his personality out of the way, let’s focus on something a little more positive. Social. Tristan is social. Which, given your stance on the world, could be a good or a bad thing. Tristan likes to have friends and he sticks pretty close to the ones that he has. It doesn’t mean a punch or two hasn’t been thrown before, but then that’s just the way guys are isn’t it. He enjoys a party almost as much as the ravers, but it doesn’t control him. Because he is so driven, Tristan spends a lot more time at practice than doing anything fun. Tristan is also not mean to everyone, regardless of what he may seem. Sticking with the status quo yeah, he’s picked on a nerdy kid or two, but who he really has the conflict with are the emo kind of kids - the type of kids who are always depressed about one thing or another and seem to get their only enjoyment out of depressing anyone else that they can. That really pisses Tristan off, thanks. Tristan is good to his friends, completely loyal to a T. This is one bro that you can count on no matter what you’ve done. He’s not so bad as a conversationalist but he isn’t a theorist, either. Meaning, that if you’re expecting a really deep, philosophical conversation with a person and you chose him, you’ve barked up the wrong tree. It’s not that Tristan wouldn’t like to be that way he really would, but it just will never be. He can, however, say things that will appeal to the masses, and that essentially is what has made him popular among his peers. He probably thinks and feels a lot of things that don’t fit his stereotype, but he usually don’t say them out loud. Yeah, Tristan’s pretty much a conformist, which is a crying shame because he has some original ideas on occasion. He was raised to keep the original, and therefore socially unacceptable, ideas to himself whenever they arose.

Tristan does okay in school. There are some subjects that completely fail him, such as English and science, but he’s a regular whiz in mathematics and has a knack for history. Although he isn’t boastful about it, he succeeds because he has put years of effort into it. There’s a stereotype about jocks that they are all dumb, but most of the time it’s an untruth. They might not be the sharpest crayons when it comes to regular common sense (and neither is Tristan), but there are a lot of regulations put on jocks relating to grades when they’re in school. You fail a class and you might be saying hello to the bench, you know what I’m saying? So, he’s a half A’s, half C’s kind of student. For the extra help he needs Tristan gets and pays a tutor. And usually, he’s a pretty nice guy to his tutors.

Relationships are a good concept. In high school he was much more focused on group dating and casual dates, but college is a new step in life and, as he takes things one day at a time, never more and never less, serious dating is a new step. It’s just nice to look up into the stands and see your girl wearing your number on her back and blowing you a kiss. It’s nice to actually know that girl, more than just the color of her hair or her favorite shoes. Then Tristan knows she’s there because she cares, she knows him, and she’s the kind of support he needs. It’s too bad you have to go through a lot of the bad ones like toilet paper before there’s a woman who sticks. I’ll admit it, Tristan is a bit picky about the women he dates. They have to be attractive and he’s never gone for the introvert before. Still, he grows sick and tired fast of girls who giggle all the time and act as dumb as they humanly can. Yes, he might be expecting too much but he knows they’re out there. Tristan could fall in love with the right girl if he met her. He could give up the game for her, although it’s doubtful that would need to be done, right? Not one to scoff at love or romance, he’s not a bad boyfriend to have if you can handle some alone time. He’s often not around because he’s just so busy. Tristan enjoys making a girl feel special, and feeling special in return. Play your cards just right, Tristan could be your teddy bear. If a girl is looking for romance, attention when the guy is around, and a protective shadow then Tristan might be for them. On the other hand, Tristan is prone to angrily lashing out, jealousy, and just plain not being around. Things can get a little bit…intense. But, be advised, he may also treat you like crap. If the relationship the two of you have is, for lack of a better word, bitchy, superficial and Tristan just plain doesn’t like your personality, then romance is kept to a minimum. Let’s do it and get it over with.

A mistake he can often make is looking at a situation in black and white. It either is or it isn’t. When things in his life become too complicated and it’s clear that a black and white approach just isn’t possible, Tristan can become depressed and withdrawn. Not the emo kind of depressed, but more in the “I’m suddenly vulnerable” way. It’s hard for him to show his vulnerabilities, insecurities, and weaknesses, but when he does, not only does he trust you, but it can be, well, kind of cute. If he feels like he needs to stick up for someone else he will. Tristan is very big on protecting, which is strange considering he flips the role and plays the bully sometimes. If he likes you he’ll look out for you, if he doesn’t….I’m sorry. Tristan likes people who can make him laugh, who can counter his personality and show him how to lighten up. Those really friendly people? Tristan is great with them. It helps him to take it easy. They rub off on Tristan and make him the kind of person people want to be around. He can get fairly serious about circumstances and hone in on them, having a very difficult time letting them go. A good something to note about Tristan is that if you tease him about how serious he’s being, he’ll change his attitude. Being teased is like a slap of reality to the face for him, and if he realizes other people are getting annoyed by him for it, it is quickly modified. When he is really excited he can definitely get worked up, hollering and throwing his hands in the air, doing a back flip here and there. Tristan has a lot of energy and when it’s unleashed, it’s like a slingshot. Being put into sports as a young child was the best idea they ever had. He has to do something with all his energy and that was exactly what needed to be done. He’s fun because he can get a little wild, a symbol of his youth. And he’s not very tolerant of people who aren’t tolerant of him. Or his energy. Or his muscles.

Tolerance, as you come to learn, doesn’t run in the family.

Tristan has a bizarre habit of playing with common items. At the lunch table he’ll fiddle around with the straw and blow air into it. After getting a nice, cold drink, he flips the bottle cap back and forth between his hands. Even when he is mobile, Tristan is moving some part of his body and fidgeting is a daily routine. And what is this business with his left hand? Look closely and you will see that Tristan writes and eats with his left hand, but still considers his right hand “dominate.” It’s his throwing and catching hand; his stronger hand. The right hand is what he uses for everything except writing and eating, and despite how hard his mother tried to break him of that habit when he was a little kid, the quirk lives on. Be advised – never give Tristan a pet. They die on him. We do realize all pets eventually die, but Tristan’s pets have an unusually short life span. The only animal he is comfortable with are dogs, who have seemed to outlive any other species he’s encountered. First there was his hamster. Tristan went on vacation and forgot that Larry needed to eat in the next month. Then there were the fish, his two snakes, the cat…you get the picture. The cat may or may not have been an accident. He won’t admit it even if you see the fear on his face, but Tristan is terrified of cats. One minute he could be stroking their fur, and out of nowhere they go for scratching off his face. They’re simply unpredictable.

Unpredictable is a little much for Tristan to handle.

History:

To fully understand Tristan, you have to learn the background about Tristan’s father, Tristan Senior, to comprehend the deep-rooted obsession with sports. Tristan Mendez lived, breathed, and dreamed about football. From the moment his madre allowed her baby to be out of her sight, Tristan’s padre was taking him to football games. It was the all-American past time. He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Mexican-American parents. By the time that Tristan was six years old, he already understood the rules of the game better than most of the adult spectators. His padre took the game very seriously, and it was a bonding time shared between the two of them. Tristan could throw a football in a way that would awe the crowd. He began playing on a juniors’ team when he was eight, and Tristan continually pushed himself to the edge, challenging how much his body could do. Tristan did love football, but he loved football because his padre loved football. Other than the games or the talk of trades in the NFL at the dinner table, Tristan’s padre was rarely around. The older and bigger he grew, the less he saw him. He was just too busy with the factory he was running to spend time with his family, and it put a strain on both Tristan and his madre. One evening when Tristan was twelve, he sat at the top of the staircase listening to his parents’ argue. This was rather unusual, because the woman of the house was quiet, understanding, and patient. Whatever their argument was about, it reached a boiling point. He remembered his madre’s cries when her husband hit her across the face, the sound of his shoes as he marched across the floor, and the slamming of the front door. Violence in his house was just another pastime. Tristan had been smacked so many times counting seemed futile. After his padre was gone, Tristan worked harder than ever at his goal of achieving football fame. He thought that if he did something that could make his padre proud, he’d come home again. He worked and sculpted himself into his padre’s image, but despite his hard work and tendency to take it to extremes, becoming a star player wasn’t in his future. During a high school game Tristan tore his ACL, and that ended his career. A junior on the football team and his football days were already over. Tristan graduated, his madre by his side in support, but he never saw the man who took him to football games again. There was still an obsession in him to impress his padre, and when he had his own son, the need to bring up a man worthy of such admiration led him to raising his son much in the same way his padre raised him.

And the cycle goes on.

Tristan named his son after him, Tristan Jr. The story starts for the Tristan we know. He was an athletic kid from the start. This encouraged his father to push him into sports, but more specifically, football. Tristan took to it immediately, and his mother, finding it an adequate use of his energy, supported it. He and his father are similar in many aspects, but different in a few vital ways. Tristan is driven like his father, and he pushes himself to achieve excellence. Tristan is also more rebellious than his father. The older he got, the more he got interested in things other than just football. He liked video games for example, when a few of his friends got a Nintendo. Tristan got one for his next birthday due to his mother’s kindness, but when it was discovered that he was spending an irresponsible amount of time with it, his dad threw the game system away. It was the first dad his dad had ever become angry enough to hit him. He regretted it immediately, but the more often this occurred, the less he felt bad about it. What a boy needs to become a man was tough love. He’d received it, and he’d turned out alright. Tristan has one older sister and one younger, both of whom were and are obsessed with all things girly. There were times when his father would come home from work and shake his head, Tristan held hostage in a chair while his older sisters put bows and makeup on him. Despite their rough start, he’s very close to them now, and they’ve formed a bond with one another. Tristan was interested in playing with other kids in the neighborhood a lot more than his father had ever been. He was concerned about how seriously his son was taking football, forgetting that Tristan was merely a ten year old boy with too much energy to handle. While Tristan’s dad is fluent in Spanish, he’s always been too obsessed with his son learning the game and Tristan never became fluent in the language, even though his sisters are both aces at it. He definitely had it the most rough in their family, and this causes Tristan to be more than a little bitter about it.

Tristan hit puberty. Tristan stopped wanting to do what his dad told him. Tristan started thinking, at least partially, for himself. While he couldn’t veer completely from the path of football, he did have a best friend who had recently joined a new rugby team. He’d never heard of rugby before. Tristan snuck out to a couple of the practices and made the team. He quit football. He got a girlfriend. He smoked . He drank. Tristan got a tattoo. Worst of all, he actually did his homework. Eventually. These are relatively typical things for a pre-teen/teenager to engage in, but to his dad, who had always minded his own father, it was almost betrayal. What relationship they had was nearly gone. He’d liked football but was never a fanatic about it like his dad was, but rugby. Rugby was a real man’s sport. It was only too easy to see himself in a future with rugby. Throughout these years, Tristan maintained a close relationship with his mother – he was and remains a mama’s boy. Try as he might, Tristan wasn’t the best on the team. There were others who had been playing a lot longer and had more natural talent. Every time he failed, every time he came up just short of anything, he could see his dad’s face. The shame, the disappointment. When he was sixteen a match was coming up at the high school between a local rival. Tristan’s father was evidently not that dismayed that his son had chosen rugby because he planned on coming to the game. He wanted to shine. He wanted to play. Tristan cheated, he took steroids. He became quicker and stronger, but at a price. When he had a victory it didn’t feel like one. They won the game and much of it was due to Tristan’s effort. He became a star. Because he was no longer with his girlfriend, he took the opportunity to date around a lot. He was a jock and hot shit and he knew it, and people who got in his way got knocked down more than a few pegs on the social ladder. Then his big screw-up came. He was taking too much too fast. He started to shake. Tristan’s coach found the pills in his locker. While by some miracle his coach didn’t turn him in, Tristan’s father found out about it. The whole school started talking, even though it wasn’t proven.

Tristan’s dad did the only thing he thought a shamed father could do – they moved. During Tristan’s senior year, they picked up and moved to Central, California. It was a whole new world and Tristan wasn’t on top anymore. Eventually he moved himself up and was playing on a city rugby team, but none of it felt the same. Tristan’s dad took him away from the good life and he resented him for it. His senior year at Central High was fine, he guessed, but it wasn’t the kind of place he was used too. At least it was still hot, a weather condition that he was liable to be unable to live without, but the social atmosphere and the culture was a hell of a lot different. But, being the kind of conformer that he was, Tristan managed to blend in. He graduated and by luck, received a small scholarship to play rugby at the local college. Against his parents’ wishes that he play at a large University and go to his dad’s almer mater, he accepted and began his education in the fall. To say Tristan has daddy issues would be a bit of an understatement, and the kind of trouble that the two of them have is evident in the man that he is today. While he is at least a little more respectful to women and knows how to fit in, Tristan still has far too much aggression for his own good. He has more than his fair share of secrets that he keeps from his dad, and for good reason. The life that he had growing up, although not perfect, was much better than so many. He had many opportunities laid before him, a family who was fortunately not poor by any means, and siblings Tristan could stand by. Still, he wants a different life for himself. He wants a life with a picket fence and a family inside the home that was just as normal as it looked out. Already becoming sick of rugby, Tristan’s beginning to focus a little more on school, but as of yet, he doesn’t have the guts to stand up for himself and go after his real dreams.

Sample Rp:

See Rain Merryweather

Celeb:

Michael Trevino

Out Of Character:

Name is Kiki! I'm old enough and I've had 7 + years of experience. Pm is the fastest way to contact me but you can also e-mail if you would like. I am on a Harry Potter rp and I am an admin on a Fairy tale rp as well. Holy hell I'm sorry this app is so long - I can't control myself.

[( tahlia )]

Great job again Kiki. Well detailed and really well structured. Just watch the sizes of your paragraphs. As for Tristan, I love how he's so competetive and athletic, but he still excels in some areas of school. I can't wait to see him in action. Just go post your claims and you're ready to go.