[u][/u][hider=Ritz] [hr][hr] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/88fbcfafccf6543476ea23f8c0e6aa45/tumblr_pgpdlzutJw1qjiv8lo1_1280.png[/img] [center] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/75918c609273dea95998cca922b743c5/tumblr_pgpd8gwUye1qjiv8lo3_540.gif[/img] [color=f6989d]"I'm just a boy with big dreams and around 99 problems but nothing can stop me from fighting the sun!"[/color] [/center] [hr] [color=f6989d]Moritz (明淑 Myeong-Suk) Gang // [b]Ritz[/b] // Lucifer's Skinniest Concubine // Love of your life[/color] [b]Age:[/b] [color=f6989d]21[/color] // [b]Gender:[/b][color=f6989d] Male[/color] [b]Occupation:[/b] [color=f6989d]Waits tables for Pink Barrel[/color] (@Rebecca's Hole) // [color=f6989d]Taking up B.A. in Visual & Performing Arts[/color] (@SVU) [b]Sexual/Romantic Orientation:[/b] [i][color=f6989d]HOMO[/color]sexual[/i] [b]Time of occupancy in Redwoods: [/b][color=f6989d]4 Months in[/color] [hr] [center] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/a793dbb686f5b2f38ca154a0ce4fab60/tumblr_pgpd8gwUye1qjiv8lo2_400.gif[/img] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/5762dffc4f9effd9704c704e2b66d933/tumblr_pgpd8gwUye1qjiv8lo1_400.gif[/img] [/center] [hr] [b][color=f6989d]Appearance:[/color][/b] Ritz has facial features sculpted by god himself, cheekbones reaching for the heavens with a jawline sharper than a razor blade and deep-brown eyes that pierce through even the densest souls. His exceptionally smooth light-brown skin free of blemish shows that he puts effort in maintaining his looks because he believes that even though people rarely admit it; appearances play a huge part on impressions. Ritz stands at about 5 feet and 9 inches which is something he wishes he could still improve on. Even though he's well aware that at his age a growth spurt isn't happening anytime soon, thus he hacks it with thick insoles so plot twist, he will appear about 5'11 inches tall. While being fairly skinny, Ritz actually eats a heap ton and always has the munchies, his body has a fast metabolism so his weight has never been a concern but his eating habit can get pretty intense. The young man has a few muscles here and there, he can carry his weight and also has surprisingly great stamina. Although he's naturally a lighter haired brunette he's come to embrace a darker dye for his hair, as it gives him a more striking appeal standing among the bright-haired people of the west. He usually styles his crown in a fashionable "it looks like I slept on this" side part that actually takes a bit of time to make up. And though Ritz likes looking handsome, he's big on socializing and attending to people so he also knows that pretty things can be quite hard to approach that's why there is an inviting smile plastered on his face by default. You'd also probably catch him making faces that either brightens up a room or completely destroys it. He likes dressing up in street casual wear, either in layers or over-sized shirts and hoodies. He loves bringing out the dress coats when he needs to be formal and he enjoys occasionally getting up in colorful patterned button-downs. Ritz would honestly wear anything: dresses? mascot costumes? body paint? a single leaf of paper? nothing is out of the question... unless it's something disrespectful, well okay so maybe not just anything. He has a small surgical scar just an inch above his right ear bruised by a wood shrapnel from an incident in high school. [hr] [center] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/ea59847e7a437f9968241e2fc20355fc/tumblr_pgpd8gwUye1qjiv8lo5_1280.jpg[/img] [hr] [b][color=f6989d]Personality:[/color][/b] [color=f6989d]// Artistic // Personable // Dependable // Self-Sufficient // Impulsive // Headstrong // "Crafty" // Adventurous // [/color][/center] Because of his family's background, Ritz has always tried to be a person his family could rely on and the practice has completely bled into his life. Ritz is heavy on attempting to succeed in something, until proven impossible, by then he'd get crafty and find a way to at least break even. One thing he has come to build up even back in his childhood was self-sufficiency; meaning being independent and able to stand his own ground which sometimes may seem like over-confidence and naivety to some people but his repertoire speaks for itself. [color=f6989d]"Intrusively Enthusiastic" [/color]are the two words that fit together to describe Ritz perfectly. He likes doting on people, it doesn't matter their age, he'll act like a long lost mother to people in need and sometimes it can get a little out of hand. Maybe it's his perpetual need to be validated by everyone or maybe it's just a habit he can't quite get rid of, even if he'd been told off many times. He loves being adored and in turn is also very vocal when it comes to supporting people, for him it's a tool to help drown out the nagging feeling of being alone and allows him to bring smile to people's faces even if it may be unwarranted. Do you need a pipe fixed? call Ritz! need help on your paperwork? definitely hit up Ritz.[i] Want someone to read you a bedtime story in full performance and high throttle? Ritz is your guy. Just needing for a perpetual presence lurking at your peripheral? you know the drill, ring Ritz up![/i] The guy just loves attention and feeling needed, it's almost a curse. So then, is he a Yes man? uhm absolutely and it gets him in trouble sometimes thanks to his impulsiveness but don't worry he always finds ways to spin things around for the better... well, of course it doesn't work everytime. The pull and thrill of unplanned things may actually be Ritz' one downfall and it's something he desperately tries to repress. Call it luck but the big reason Ritz hasn't gotten into big terribly horrible accidents yet is because of his younger sister and his ex boyfriend, they've always been the two paranoid people in his life who would steer his big driven ass to safety but they're pretty far away now so Ritz might be in trouble. Truth be told, Ritz actually depend heavily on the synergy of the people in his life even if he doesn't want to admit it. Another big part of Ritz' personality is his investment in the arts, especially with media that are heavy on storytelling. His creative instinct comes naturally and though he can't quite paint like the greats, he does his best with learning the technicalities to produce distinctive work. However his main focus and definitely his life's biggest passion is building lore; giving life and form to stories no matter the intention and method. To Ritz, life fulfillment is to continuously bring out the magic of a tale in every piece of art he makes, be it an illustration, a photograph, a dish, a film, a poem, a song, a dance routine or a whole stage production. [b][color=f6989d]Habits:[/color][/b] -He's always carrying some kind of snack, be it a candy, rice cake, Bert's bakes or something homemade that he has pre-packed. -Ritz has a habit of bluffing for fun. -Is very into myths and paranormal stories, he especially loves the ones that circulate around Silvervale and is actually planning on making an investigative web show based on them. -Hates being idle and always makes sure he's at least making progress with something productive, a big multi-tasker. But he exclusively reserves weekend nights to just chill out, unless something gravely needs to get done. He's been big into DIYs and Crafting lately. Do note that he will drop everything if someone calls him for help. -Likes confined spaces, he actually set up a cute little fort in his room that he uses as a workstation. He also really oddly enjoys situations where people are cramped in small spaces. -Makes faces to break awkward silences or to just fuck around and catch someone off guard with a laugh, he also does this shrill scream/shrieking sound out of the blue to achieve the same effect. -Does a weird thing of ending every conversation with "Do you need help with anything (/else)?" -When he suddenly thinks up of an idea for a story, he makes a voice memo on his phone no matter where he is or whatever he was doing beforehand. So sometimes he'd stop mid-conversation to record an idea. [hr][hr] [b][color=f6989d]Background:[/color][/b] Ritz was born out of wedlock between [i]Eleanor (Youngsik) Gang and Kyunghee Jeong[/i], the former was born and raised in LA while the latter originated from Gangnam, South Korea. Eleanor was a mechanic and worked as a seafarer, and chanced upon Kyunghee and her affluent family during their course on Asian shore. [hider=Parent's Background] Their relationship was a slow burn because of the man's work, it started off with dedicated courtship which was momentarily hindered by Kyunghee's family unwilling to give away their daughter due to prior arrangements. During this time, Ritz was conceived and as Kyunghee was unable to persuade her family, she decided to run off with Eleanor to L.A. where they eventually started a life together under his family's blessing and support. Eleanor continued working and Kyunghee found a job as a pre-school teacher, they were living a stable life enough to bring in another child to the family. [/hider] Ritz grew into a healthy bright toddler despite initially exhibiting a very quite demeanor. A year and a half after Ritz was born, Gwendolyn came into the picture and now with two kids, their family grew more intimate. Even though Eleanor wasn't around for the first 6 years of Ritz' life, they kept a very close relationship through correspondence via calls and mails. Eleanor and Kyunghee was very invested in keeping their family's close ties, no matter what the cost. Ritz and Gwen lived blissfully and grew up as very loving children even if they were quite sheltered under their parent's care. The kids never really experienced much of the customs from their Korean heritage because of their mother's disdain for it. Though they did get to experience some food and stories from their paternal grandparents, until they passed that is. Ritz initially used his initials for his english name, MG when he started going to school. Eleanor inherited his parent's house from which they stuck around, come 8 years into Ritz' life, his mother showed symptoms of an onset Degenerative disease. Kyunghee was diagnosed with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1, a degenerative disease that affects the locomotive of those with the illness joined with cognitive impairments. [hider=The battle with Ataxia] It was a fatal blow to their peaceful life, at his mid 40s, Eleanor had to retire early to take care of his wife and kids hands on. For the first two years since being diagnosed, Kyunghee could still function to help around the house but her memory started to degrade and she started having episodes of muscular tensing. She started receiving treatment and physical therapy for this, for the latter half of those two years, the local hospital was good enough for her. But then more symptoms kicked in and it became much harder for Kyunghee to move around, her body was starting to deteriorate slowly and painfully. As recommended by Kyunghee's physician, the family looked to Minneapolis for better facilities. She got care under a more focused treatment, which ultimately also cost them a fortune, they tried to get help from government healthcare but it wasn't enough. They had to sell their former house and moved into a smaller apartment in Minneapolis, it was a hard move for the kids, especially since they'd have to enroll in a new school and having no prior experience outside their sheltered life, it was a struggle for both Gang kids moving into a new environment. Although they had enough money to go by, Eleanor had to work short contractual jobs in order to sustain Kyunghee's treatment. During their 3 year stay in Minneapolis, her battle with the illness proved not much of an improvement, as her condition started getting worse. Gwen and Ritz started to come out of their shell, learning to adapt into their new environment at a public school. Their parents of course tried their best to make the next two years in Minneapolis as smooth as possible, ups and downs were inevitable. This was around the time Ritz found his passion in illustrating and photography, fueled with inspiration from his city and the inevitable escapism forming in his head. Ritz turned into a street wise kid, helping his father with household chores while growing into a splendid artist, winning awards at inter-school competitions with his paintings. The local newspaper also took a shine to his photographs sent in by his school and learning of his mother's condition, gave him a feature in their columns. They also helped him out with some cash by buying his photographs under the guise of using them for the paper. At the age of 12, Ritz was building quite a name for himself even if it was under such tragic circumstances. The emotional turmoil eventually came into the scene once Kyunghee became partially paralyzed, going from crutches to a wheelchair. The kids were inconsolable for the first few weeks, fearing the state their mother was in, it took a lot from Eleanor's strength and resolve to see his family this way. With Kyunghee as she was, there was no light of any improvement so Eleanor decided to move his family out into a more sustainable place with more affordable facilities once Ritz has graduated middle school. They were referred to a non-profit facility in Louisiana, but the city the facility was in was too much of a financial cost to live in so they decided to move to the city right next to it, a quaint yet wonderful strange city named Silvervale. [/hider] At the age of 13, Ritz was matured enough to support his father's actions, her younger sister on the other hand was a harder sell. Of course they both were afraid of moving into another city and reintroducing themselves to a new environment but it was for the better. Ritz consoled his sister with promises of better days, and the prospect of new adventures. The kids are learning at an early age that home isn't just the physical comfort of a space. They rented a 2 Bedroom apartment at a very cheap price at Redwood, owned by a funny french baker named Bert. Kyunghee stayed at the facility and eventually came into a more stable condition, albeit still not much different but with the comfort of being used to her symptoms. Gwen continued middle school at the city where Kyunghee was staying in, it was a better arrangement as they get to visit her on the way home to Silvervale. Eleanor continued working contractual jobs while Ritz had to stop school for a year and decided to work as an errand boy for Bert's bakery, this was also when he started learning how to cook while he also continued to pursue his passion for the arts. He attended a local youth music workshop at the university every weekend, learning various instruments almost every month though not exactly mastering them. He had a certain hunger for learning artistic skills that he just needs to keep on feeding. At one point he also joined the community choir and then the marching band, he never really stayed put though. With the permission of Bert, Ritz also opened a small booth at the bakery selling hand made crafts and postcards that captured the strange landmarks of Silvervale. Eleanor was so happy to see his son thriving, he also built a friendly relationship with Bert and his then wife, Marissa. His kids never really needed a sitter but that's what he considered the couple. A year in Silvervale went by gracefully and the Gang family had a wonderful time, they even made friends and have come to learn tales about the city. But then came another turn in their family's story when the facility taking care of Kyunghee closed down due to lack of funds, she was referred to another place at the rurals of Portland where a different approach to the treatment was being used. At this point, Eleanor knew there wasn't much hope for Kyunghee to improve her condition, it broke his heart but she loved her to the point of seeing everything through. It was a harder move this time around as they've grown quite a liking to the charming city, even Ritz thought maybe he could just stay behind but they were a family that stuck together and this move isn't any different than the ones before. Come Gwen's elementary graduation, they head out after with the promise of visiting or maybe even coming back one day. The rurals of Portland was a new landscape for them, they've always lived in the city, seeing great pastures and farms after farms was refreshing. It was idyllic, and Kyunghee confessed if she were to leave soon, she'd like it to happen here. The couple decided this was the last move they're going to make, this is where they settle down no matter how Kyunghee's condition changes. They got a nice house right by the outskirts of town, right next to a farm and they had enough plot to actually start making a small farm of their own. The town square wasn't that far ahead and the school was just a 15 minute walk away. The facility for Kyunghee was pretty close, so this time she could actually stay at their new home, provided they get her a caretaker so she can be closely watched. Ritz and Gwen started high school together, it was a nice prospect coming into a new environment together. It was a lot harder this time though as high school kids can be very cruel and they experienced their first bouts with bullying and discrimination. Gwen and Ritz were easy targets, being new to the town and not really knowing a lot of people, plus it wasn't exactly the most progressive place. Of course, this only gave Ritz more reason to persevere, he's exactly the type of person to thrive under pressure and had that "I'll show them all" mentality written on his forehead. Ritz came into a huge habit of doting on his family, cooking food, making sure their rooms are clean, doing the laundry and being an all around pleasant kid. It was both the pressure of under taking Kyunghee's maternal role and his constant need of approval from everyone, it didn't really bother him, he actually felt fulfillment from it. Academically, Gwen did much better than his older brother though she became somewhat of a recluse from the crowd. Ritz though getting above par with academics could never compete with her sister in this regard but where his sister faltered, he succeeded. Eleanor continued working contractual jobs, sometimes being designated outside of town for a few weeks. He depended heavily on his kid's being independent at such a young age, it's not like any of them had a choice about it so they made do, even strengthening their understanding and love for each other. Ritz turned into somewhat of a hypersocial enigma, eventually getting into the student body, joining the drama club and the track team. This was when MG picked up the name Moritz, from one of his favorite characters in theatre. In school, they acted like normal teenagers and sometimes gets into a little bit of trouble. At home, the two were very different people, becoming young mature individuals who helped out in the house and cares for their sick mom. There was only one place where the two felt most at ease and able to really let themselves loose, it wasn't actually a place, it was when they're with one person: Clarke. Clarke was their next door neigbor, the kid from the farm, he was a frail and quiet kid that grew a liking to the Gang kids. When Clarke, Ritz and Gwen are together, they're just teenagers having a laugh and putting on random stage plays with farm animals as an audience. For some reason, it was easy being with Clarke because there were no pretensions of any sort. 2 years into their stay and Kyunghee became fully paralyzed, a few months after and she started contracting heart attacks and then one fatal episode eventually got her. Of course weren't ready to say goodbye but they knew it was coming, still it didn't feel any better even if they've been preparing for it. It was a a quick but solemn funeral, they didn't really have many relatives and they've only made a few friends in town. The grieving was slow and went creeping on the house, it was strange, death does that. Eleanor was sorry for his kids and mad at the world for having given them such a tough time, he started drinking. Ritz became quite, reclusive even while Gwen was inconsolable, crying every night to sleep but Clarke was there through all of it, his family also became good friends with theirs so they at least had the company. Their house became eerily quiet, they barely talked like they used to and they just exchanged glances like they were avoiding to talk about their loss. It stayed that way for months, but Eleanor decided it was up to him to put a stop to the grieving, he owes it to his kids at least. He put his foot down and talked it out with the two, Ritz still remembers it as the longest night of his life, they were crying into each other, remembering memories of Kyunghee fondly this time. That was the time Ritz learned that talking it out really did wonders for people, it was also the same time he decided to come out about his sexuality, everything came out that night. The three of them promised that no matter what happens they'll stay a family, even if the two kids will move out one day. They decided to live fully to honor Kyunghee from then on. Eleanor had saved enough money to start up a mechanic station, he opened up their garage, bought his own equipment and became the town's unofficially designated mechanic. He was good at fixing things, so his business did well, at this point also gaining more friends in town. Gwen and Clarke started learning how to properly socialize with people under Ritz' guidance, they were thriving again and things started looking up. Inevitably Clarke and Ritz started dating before they even realized they were, they were an odd couple but it worked; Clarke grounded Ritz whenever he flew too close to the sun and Ritz taught Clarke how to believe in himself. High School was tricky but the Gang kids were craftier so it went by as smooth as butter. Since coveting production roles in high school, Ritz has come to realize that performing and producing might actually be his forte while Gwen decided that she'd like to be an agriculturist having grown an interest in the field. Both graduated with honors, Gwen wanted to take a gap year while Ritz was too eager to start university right ahead. Ritz decided to apply for a scholarship at Silvervale University which he's grown an intense liking to for their reputation with the arts, and he did promise to go back so it was two birds with one stone. He got in with a grant, although it was harder for him to let go of his dad and Gwen than they were of him, always the worrywart for his family. It was around this time that Clarke and Ritz started growing out of their relationship too, it just happened out of nowhere and completely took Ritz by surprise, they broke up a day before Ritz moved out. [i]Silvervale sounded perfect to Ritz, thankfully it's still the strange funny town it's always been. Ritz dreams of eventually making it big either on stage or the big screen someday, and hopes to really get a dig into the bones of the performing and visual arts; it's the whole reason he's taking his degree. Now living in Redwood for four months and coming to terms with work and uni, Ritz keeps on thriving. Though plenty has actually changed in Silvervale and his insatiable thirst/lowkey impulsiveness for adventure is growling. [/i] [hr] [center] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/010f52b54f4cbd8893126fe1d1b8bd78/tumblr_pgpd8gwUye1qjiv8lo4_400.gif[/img][/center] [hr] [b][color=f6989d]Extra:[/color][/b] [hider=NPCs] [b][color=f6989d]FAMILY:[/color][/b] [url=http://www.koogle.tv/static/media/uploads/news/8-20_choi_min_soo.jpg]Eleanor (Youngsik) Gang (60)[/url] Ritz has a great relationship with his dad, they're each other's biggest supporters. Since that one night their family turned grieving for Kyunghee, Eleanor and Ritz has promised to always have each other's backs no matter what, since then they've never shied away from being open with one another. Eleanor can get a bit negligent of himself and Ritz always worries for him, despite his son wanting him to retire, he keeps working at his shop, Ritz believes he got his persistence and headstrong attitude from Eleanor. [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5f/cf/a9/5fcfa93124c38559315c409cc64fed5d.jpg]Gwendolyn (Gyuri) Gang (19 turning 20)[/url] Gwen and Ritz were inseparable as kids even if they were complete polar opposites. Gwen was the calmer, more regressive sibling while Ritz was the aggressive and personable one. They had this symbiotic relationship that allowed the both of them to grow into well-adjusted individuals as they helped each other out by learning from each other's success and failures. Gwen always plays up that Ritz inherited the maternal instinct between the two of them, which is actually very true to begin with. She does lowkey worry about her brother when he's alone and separated from her and their dad, she knows him the best out of anyone and though he doesn't admit it is afraid of being left out. [url=https://kdramakisses.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/are-you-human-too-kim-sung-ryung-3.jpg]Kyunghee Jeong (deceased, died at 52)[/url] Ritz loved his mother, and as Eleanor was quite absent for the first 6 years of his life, Kyunghee was full on the one who helped Ritz develop his early senses. Even in her first years of battling Ataxia, she always put her kids first and tried her best to let them have as normal of a childhood as they could. She loved telling stories to Ritz, of days when she used to travel the world and her grand childhood. She was a frustrated writer and was probably Ritz' introduction for his love of storytelling, he hopes to one day make her proud by making it big or at least leaving some impression in the media industry. [b][color=f6989d]OTHERS:[/color][/b] [url=https://www.pride.com/sites/www.pride.com/files/2016/09/13/01_andy-mientus.jpg]Clarke Gabriel Griffith (20)[/url] Ritz' bestfriend turned first ex-boyfriend turned "what even are we anymore actually?". Because of his deep ties with the Gang family, his breakup with Ritz is a bit of a complication, he still hangs around with Gwen and Eleanor because they're actually really good friends. Because of their conflicting interest and aspirations, the ex couple decided to break up and try out other things, they still aren't sure of what to make of each other at the moment. Ritz' still lowkey actually feels affection for the guy. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Relations] [list] [hr] [*][color=007DFF][b]Character[/b][/color] "Love of my life, fire of my loins or what a lovely ol pal." [*][color=ace1af][b]Character[/b][/color] [*][color=cadetblue][b]Character[/b][/color] [hr] [*][color=cd8235][b]Character[/b][/color] [hr] [/list] [/hider]