b]OOC Information[/b]
Preferred Form of Address on A&A: Emma, Em by her late mother
Contact Information: Email-Wearebutamemory@aol.com, AIM-WeAreButAMemory
Other Characters on A&A: none only.
How You Found A&A: Affiliate on another site (Obsidian Rose I think)

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IC Information
Name: Emma Burke


Avatar:
N/A

Occupation:
Beggar at the moment…though hopefully more one day

Age:
23

Gender:
Female

Appearance:
. While she seems absolutely blind to the fact, Emma is actually quite the enchanting creature. Standing at a mere 5’3 on a tall day, and looking as if she couldn’t weigh more than a few pounds over a hundred, she’s a tiny thing. Years of living on the streets and work have made her a bit battered and broken down, but surprisingly, she’s still quite healthy. Strawberry blonde hair is always found in messy curls tumbling down her back, nearly to her hips and the color off sets her bright, blue eyes so strikingly that it’s been said she’s taken the color from the sky from dreaming off into for so long. Her chestnut skin is dotted with a few freckles over the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and she seems to always have a far away look in her features. Her common clothing consists of thin light blue cotton dress and a slightly stained apron that covers the front, both of them nearly thread bare and looking to have been patched numerous times. No shoes guard her feet from the cobble stones and such of the streets but she does have one prized possession. A small copper star, shaped into the likeness of the north star and hung around her neck by a blue ribbon, and while it may have been a worthless trinket to others, to Emma it was worth more than any of the jewels that adorned the high class of England.

Personality:
Emma isn’t the typical beggar, in fact one would barely call her a beggar at all. Begging for food, she’s not proud of it, but it must be done, she must live to see her name, her father’s name, raised to something grand, something that would make him proud. Emma will not beg for money however. As a child she took what she could get, but as her family left her one by one, she realized that money would not bring them back, or fill their bellies or take away their sickness. Money in the hands of an Irish beggar might as well have been money in the hands of a dog, useless. And so Emma still searches for work, determined that she will earn her pay, dead set on pulling herself out of the muck by honest work. Constantly in some nervous state of dreaming, she’s not very hospitable when it comes to the higher class, or any other human for that matter. Not that she is unkind; in fact she’s quite the opposite. It is her terrible shyness and the fear of being harmed or ridiculed that keep her from others. She will be loyal to death of those she loves, but now she has no one left to love but herself, and so she follows the rules of the street. Look at for number one.

History:
Born in Ireland to a loving family of nine, Emma was a happy child, bright and curious and always wanting to know more. Being tenant farmers however, her family could no longer afford to farm for little profit and watch their children live under English law and be ridiculed for their Irish heritage. What little money the family had bought them passage to only England where Emma’s father hoped to gain a job and so earn enough money for their passage to America. No shop owner, however, would hire Irish blood, and so it was that Emma became the starving child running through the streets, begging for food, money, or work that could aid her family while her father searched desperately for employment. Her mother, father and two younger sisters who lived in one of the many alleys in the city, scraps of wood and tin creating their home were all that remained of the Burke name, and while they had begun with little, they would have traded anything to be back in Ireland. The years between her birth and now are of little consequence, the only significant period in her life being that cold September when her family had been taken, one by one, by pneumonia, leaving Emma to fend for herself at seventeen. One can guess her life, doing her best to find work only to be left with the option of begging for food. Living her life as a public joke for those crueler members of the upper class and under the constant stare of every emotion from pity to loathing. Every bit of money she was able to acquire was easily stolen, or simply taken after she had been nearly beaten to death for trying to hold onto it. Her hopes of a better life are slowly fading as the years pass, but perhaps, God willing, this new city will be able to offer her something.

Strengths:
Emma is a hard worker, willing to almost anything to please and if one is fortunate enough to win her loyalty they will find it is a thing to be most thankful for. She has quite a way with animals and a green thumb. Both animals and plants thrive under her care.

Weaknesses:
Social status aside, Emma has only two serious weaknesses, A crippling fear of falling, and a shyness that is quite remarkable, though can be broken through if one will only offer kindness.


Avatar:
Kate Hudson

Picture:

For some reason this picture refuses to shrink down so sorry for the hugeness.

I'm a lookin' into it. :)

Alright, but hurry! I'm excited about getting this character into play.

Mkay, I have me comments! Tried to hurry. :) Oh, and welcome! Always glad to have you here. :wub:

You’ll be approached as a hooker for that. Although it’s not a problem in your case, since you are a no-money individual.

It’d be taken from her in a heartbeat by another street-person. Not to mention that she should have sold it for food by now.

Beggars beg. It’s what they do. She can’t be picking and choosing or she’ll not last a month. She’ll have to actually go up to people and ask for charity.

*cough* Please note this thread, where it says:

How did she keep the silver star then?

Mmm, I dun like the sound of that. Perhaps only two listed weaknesses, but if she has NO other weaknesses at all then it’s a bit odd, isn’t it?

Yeah. :) That’s wot I’ve to say. Also Kris might have something more when she gets back, dunno. But you’re lookin’ mostly okay so far.

The star, well it's her only like to her family, so I'd like her to keep it and it explains why she hasn't sold it or something of the sort, it's a family heirloom.

As far as the begging goes, I thought that may come across wrong, she does beg, but it's sort of a last effort of the day for her, she'd much rather try and find work or petty jobs she can use to aid in her situation. I wanted her to be aware of the fact that begging does her no good at all.

The nobility thing, I can cut it, but it really wouldn't come to anything if I didn't. I have no plans for bringing that into the story, and it was less nobility and more land owner. It wouldn't matter now anyway though because Ireland is under English rule at the time and nothing would be given to her now.

Weaknesses...I meant it as in,...um...the main ones I guess?
Of course everyone has smaller imperfectins those are just the more prevelant in her case.

And you definately pointed out everything I wasn't sure about myself with the character so good job haha

If you want an heirloom, pick something not valuable for it. I mean, you yourself said in the history: “Every bit of money she was able to acquire was easily stolen, or simply taken after she had been nearly beaten to death for trying to hold onto it.”

The same applies to valuable jewellery.

Explain? I would think it keeps food in her mouth.

Perhaps if you elaborated on her personality a little, I would know more. In fact, that’s a great idea. *nodnod* Just beef it up a little. :)

Good. I won’t approve the char until it is cut. :) *stands by rules*

Alright Alright I'll nix the star...maybe a simple metal one instead, not worth much...

working on it..

Alright, made a few adjustments, how's that?

Hello, and welcome to the board. I hear you have been very impatient while I've been away. I'm sorry, but even admins need vacations.

Ukaythen, let's get on with it:

Subjective. Please keep the adjectives as objective as possible. You can say she is "often considered to be..." or "considered by many to be..." etc, but no on is or is not enchanting to anyone and everyone.

I agree with Liz and am just reminding you: This will make people take her for a whore. If that's allright by you, then it's fine by me too, just as long as you know.

Money would fill their bellies and possibly help them if they were sick. Money would hardly be useless in the hands of anyone (even a dog!). I see that Liz already commented on the begging-thing and you tried to fix it, but... This is how I see it. A beggar who begs only for food and not for money would not live long in Victorian England - or in any society for that matter. It's not like people walk around with food on them. I sure do not feed the homeless in my city; if I have a coin, I throw it their way, but that's mostly it. A beggar is a beggar. In my opinion what you are doing is glorifying it, which is simply unrealistic. She can still be hard set on earning money as well, and want all the odd jobs that might come her way. But if she's a beggar, she begs for food and money, or she would not be alive.

I'll need much more elaboration on her personality. What you currently have tells me nothing about who she is except that she's a shy but loyal dreamer and a beggar, but too proud to really beg. I need way more than that.

Which city? You mention nothing of when they travelled to England or where they settled. You also say that Lindebo is a new city, but mention nothing about when or how she came here. Was her family already dead then? How has all this influenced her emotionally?

No. That sentence is out. I won't approve an app with anything like that in it. Everyone has a lot of more or less serious weaknesses, way more than two. We're trying to keep this realistic.