Russell Gallien

OOC Info
Username/Nickname: Russell
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Character Info
Canon/Original: Original
First Name(s): Russell St. John
Surname: Gallien
Nicknames: Doctor
Age: 31
Sex: Male
Place of Birth: London, England on November 9th (Irish/French/Creole)
Occupation: Surgeon
Family: His father Patrick O’Doherty (now Hollingberry), Dianna Hollingberry (maiden name Gallien), Mary Bramson (maiden name Hollingberry)
Description: Russell is a somewhat tall man, standing at a height of about five feet nine. He is often seen dressed in regular civilian clothing, favouring darker colours such as deep browns and maroons. Although, his clothing evidently reflects his middle class and educated background, his garments tend to be a little tattered due to wear and a very small wardrobe. As a result of distant Creole heritage, Russell’s skin is slightly darker and more tanned than the usual Englishman and his light reddish-brown hair is dense with unruly curls that are styled back. His icy blue eyes, on the other hand, were inherited from his father. Due to slight near-sightedness he is sometimes seen wearing rounded glasses at the brim of his nose.

Russell is a man of simplicity, he believes in fewer possessions and only brings with him the absolute necessary. He is kind-hearted and usually very easy-going with most. However, he does have a terrible temper that causes him to hold grudges for the longest of times. He is a little bossy and has very little patience towards men who do not listen to his requests. He is obsessed with classical music, natural history (botany, zoology, and entomology), gardening, and literary works by romanticists and as a result, warms up to those who have a similar interest to him very quickly. Russell is rather introverted and prefers to keep to his books and studies but occasionally, he does enjoy the company of others. He is not fond of drunkards and because of this he does not drink a lot of alcohol.

He was raised under the Catholic faith and despite being a man of science he is a God-fearing man and often prays before he goes to bed. He is also an adamant supporter of William Wilberforce and when he can, he follows his parliamentary campaign against the slave trade.

In secret Russell is a homosexual; however, he has neither been in any relationship, nor does he plan to, despite expectations from both his younger sister and father to marry and start a family. Rather he concentrates on his interests in medicine and science.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths:

• As he studied the Classics, he knows Latin and quite a bit of Ancient Greek. Also as he lived in Jamaica for some time, he knows conversational French and can read a little bit of it.
  
• Having grown up in a wealthy family, he had learned to play the piano and the violin and as a result, he brought his violin with him.
  
• He isn’t the most talented swimmer, but he does know how to swim and enjoys doing so.
  
• Again he isn’t the most talented, but Russell does enjoy playing a lot of chess.

Weaknesses:

• He suffers from constant bouts of seasickness.
  
• Admittedly, he knows very little about the workings of the Royal Navy and ships. Although he knows his mathematics, he is also isn’t very experienced with navigation.
  
• Although he understands the basic principle, he has no experience or in-depth knowledge of swordsmanship or weaponry.
  
• During his time as a doctor, he had acquired a slight addiction to opium. He is also very addicted to anything with cocoa in it.

Background:

Russell was raised in a middle class family. His father was originally a wealthy Irishman by the name of Patrick O’Doherty who immigrated to England and adopted the English name Hollingberry, while his mother Dianne Gallien was a wealthy French woman with Creole heritage who his father had met while completing some business in Jamaica. Around the age of seven, his mother passed away after giving birth to Russell’s younger sister Mary, whom Russell was rather close to. It was only well into Russell’s early adolescences that his father sought the company of other women.

Coming from a somewhat well-off family, his father able to afford to have their eldest son Russell attend school where he studied the Classics. Eventually, Russell went to attend university in Cambridge, where he furthered his studies in both Latin and Greek as well as being educated in medical procedures. It was there, he was introduced to Natural History, gaining a specific interest in botany and insects.

He finally became a doctor and was included in the Medical Register. After completing his education, he travelled to Jamaica where he stayed with his mother’s parents due to disagreements with his father. He worked as a physician under the name of Russell Gallien. During his time there, he spent a lot of his free time in studying the local flora and fauna as well as fulfilling his duties in the presence of many surgeons as they performed surgeries during this time.

It was only after the death of his grandparents and the lack of funds to support him that caused Russell to return to England around three years after the start of the Napoleonic Wars. However, his father, having re-married, was unwilling to give him any money to start work in London. Out of desperation, he had taken up a job as surgeon, thanks to the generosity of the captain, for a sixth-rate ship called the HMS Cratus for the next three years before he was quite recently transferred to the HMS Terpsichore.

Anything Else:


Writing Sample/Past Roleplay:

He could hear the rain rattling against the side of the ship as his nimble fingers moved diligently to stitch the man’s wound closed. His sleeves were rolled back and blood stained the white cloth of his garments. With the back of his hand, he wiped the sweat that had collected on his forehead and occasionally, he drew it over towards his nose to prevent his glasses from slipping off. The man he was treating winced every moment the needle pierced his skin which caused Russell’s attentive gaze to slightly detract from his work and glance up at the seaman. “Stay still, Mr. Williams, you don’t want me to make any mistakes, do you?” Russell’s expression was very earnest with a hint of irritation as he spoke. The man grunted a “yes, doctor” before his blue eyes fell back onto the open wound. Only a little blood was still coming out now and but it was still enough so that every so often, Russell needed to grab a damp cloth to clean away the mess in order to gain a better view before he could continue.

(Just wrote up something short )

Code Phrase: Staff edit

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