George Braxton (Remy Marc de Larue d'Agenois)

OOC Info
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Username/Nickname: DebauchedSloth
How did you find out about StC? Patrick O'Brian came to me in a dream and told me about it.  Though, seriously, I was looking for a new RP after my last site died.
Have you read our rules, and do you agree to abide by them? Yes and I will abide by them or answer to the contrary at my peril.

Character Info
Canon/Original: Original
First Name(s): Remy Marc
Surname: de Larue d'Agenois
Nicknames: George Braxton
Age: 30
Sex: Male
Place of Birth: Bordeaux, France
Occupation: Able Seaman
Family: His father's name was Rene-louise de Larue d'Agenois.  His mother died when he was just as small child.  He never knew her.  He does have an older (six years older) brother named Henri Armand.  There is quite a large age gap between the two so he was never very close to him.
Description: Remy is tall (standing at 5'11).  He has hair that was, at one time, a light brown.  The number of years that he has spent in the sun has given it a bleached, golden color.  His blue eyes stand out in his weather-beaten, tanned face.  He is built strong – taking after his father – and a lifetime of hard work has well-defined his muscles – particularly his shoulders and arms.  

While on a ship, Remy wears the typical sailors' outfit – duck trousers and a check shirt most of the time and a slightly nicer “Sunday rig” on Sundays.  He has a knit hat that he wears if the weather is cold but he doesn't care much for it.  And – like all true sailors, he is barefoot on deck.

But when he is not on a ship, he tries to dress as nicely as his money would allow.  That, however, usually just means his blue trousers, his Sunday shirt, and a blue jacket.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Strengths – Remy is a great seaman.  He has been at sea (though  mostly in smaller fishing vessels) since the age of nine.  Despite that, he does not go above and beyond very often.  For obvious reasons, he prefers not to be noticed.
-Remy is both idealistic and ambitious.  He truly does believe that France is the greatest nation in the world.  He is convinced that they will win this war because he can't see any other outcome.  But he always has a desire to be the one to win it.  More than anything, he wants Napoleon to congratulate him for bringing France some incredible bit of intelligence that single-handedly wins the war.
-Remy  has a naturally cheerful disposition.  And, as such, it takes a lot to make him angry.  But when he does get angry, he tends to hold grudges for quite some time.

Weaknesses – Remy has split loyalties.  On the one hand, he is French and wants his country to succeed.  But on the other, he has made friends on his ships.  He would give his life for them.  This conflict of interest often causes him to be indecisive.  He sometimes has a hard time knowing just where to focus his attention and this can lead to bad choices.
-Remy comes off a bit secretive.  He doesn't talk about himself.  If anyone asks him a question about his past, he usually redirects the conversation.  And, as such, he does not ask other people questions if it can be avoided because he has learned that to ask questions often invites others to do the same to him.
-While Remy is brave when it comes to fighting and facing down Mother Nature.  He is terrified when it comes to political matters.  He wants to play the part of the great spy but he has so far been to much of a coward to make the first move.  He tells himself that he is “gathering information,” but he knows that he's going to have to do something big soon.

Background: Remy’s mother having died when he was just a small child, his father never remarried.  One may assume that there was a certain degree of devotion to his late wife in that decision.  The reality was the opposite.  The brief marriage was so unhappy, that now that his wife had moved on, he was now free to enjoy his more bachelor pursuits at his leisure.  The very first thing he did, was to pack up his two children and hop on the next ship bound for Île Bourbon (later renamed La Réunion).  He had the vision of spending his days on a tropical island surrounded by free-spirited native girls.  The truth ended up far from what he had guessed.

Île Bourbon was first founded by convicts.  And while the greater portion of the population at that time possessed slightly higher morals, the luxury and the comfort were reserved for the wealthiest.  Rene-louise was not wealthy.  His dreams crashed around him from the very moment he set foot on that island.  His little savings were quickly depleted.  And he soon found himself working in the sugarcane fields just to keep his little family fed.  As soon as he was strong enough, Remy's brother joined their father.  But Remy, refused.  He hated the fields.  And he hated the back-breaking work.  Looking to help provide for his family in other areas, he quickly found jobs on the small fishing boats that plied their ways back and forth along the coast.

Remy was a natural even from a very young age.  He was never seasick (except in the worst weather).  He could climb the rigging as quick as a monkey.  And he could navigate the dangerous shoreline better than any other fisherman on Île Bourbon.

In 1800 his father came down with a fever and died soon afterward.  By this time his brother had already married a young lady and started a family.  But Remy was ready for a change.  Every rock and every tree on La Réunion reminded him of his father.  He could not stay there any longer.  Using what little he had saved up and borrowing the rest from his brother, he booked a passage back to France on the next ship stopping over.

But it was not to be.  The ship was captured by an English privateer en route.  Remy claimed that he was an English sailor who had been caught in La Réunion the last time it changed hands.  With his near perfect accent, the captain of the privateer believed him.  He was entered into the ships books as George Braxton, able seamen.  He was with that ship for several years before being drafted into the HMS Terpsichore.  

He may be an English sailor by all outward appearances but he was still French and his heart still belonged with France.  Many times he had considered deserting to return home.  And many times he had considered doing something – anything to benefit his country.  But, as of yet, he has not had the courage to make any big moves.

Anything Else: He speaks fluently French, English and Réunion Creole.  And due to moving around so much, he is capable of speaking English with little to no trace of accent.  However, when he is very angry (or very drunk) his French accent does slip out.
His avatar:
Writing Sample/Past Roleplay: (From the late Blinded Freedom RP)
That night a storm struck out of nowhere.  Henry was jostled out of his sleep by one wild buck of the ship.  For a few brief seconds, his sleep addled brain believed the ship to be flying.  Perhaps it had grown tired of the sea and decided to join the seabird he had watched circling overhead earlier in the day.  If that were the case, it was not used to its wings yet.  The ship tried again and again to clear the sea, jumping off the crest of each wave only to come plunging back into the salty depths.  The waves were against its bid for freedom.  At each attempt, they pounded into the sides with the force of a hundred great hammers.  The ship twisted and spun like a wild horse trying to throw off its riders.  A crack of thunder crashed overhead.  Those heavy sleepers, who had managed to cling to their dreams by their fingernails through the beginning of the storm, were now wide-awake, jolted out of their slumber with the ferocity of a heart attack.

Henry did not know what was worse; to huddle in a shaking group trapped in the heaving box but oblivious to the weather gods fighting out outside or to take part in that fury.

“Ellis.”  He nudged his friend.  “Want to go up on deck with me?”

Ellis shook his head.  “Not a chance.”  He was looking a little bit green.  “Probably be struck by lightning.”

“It is better than being trapped in this box.  What if we founder?”

“What?  Do you expect to be able to swim ashore?”

“Carolina is not that far off.  At least we would have a chance if we were on deck.”

“I keep telling you, we are nowhere near the Carolinas.  Swim to New Jersey if you want.”
“Are you still carrying on about that?”  

Ellis shook his head again.  “Do what you wish…just stay away from the rail.”

Henry put his hand on his shoulder as he stumbled past.  Even on clear weather days, it took a bit of skill to walk anywhere on the ship.  But with the sea heaving and tossing, the ship was anything but stable.  Henry found himself stumbling to the left and then to the right as he aimed for the ladder.  He reached its base on one particularly violent lurch that briefly tipped the ship sideways.  He gripped a rung as his feet nearly swung out from under him.  The ship righted itself and he made short work of the ladder.  It took all his force to lift the hatch.  A deluge of water poured down.

 Henry climbed up the rest of the way quickly and shut the hatch to the angry shouts below.  
He gripped a rope tightly as he took in the scene.  The rain poured sideways accompanied by a wall of wind that howled and whistled through the rigging.  The echoic sound of the waves hammering the hull was louder on deck but he was unable to distinguish the individual waves.  It was nonstop sound.

 A burst of lightning illuminated the sky.  In that brief moment, Henry could make out towering black clouds amidst a mountainous horizon.  Wave after wave, higher than anything he had ever seen before, was racing across the sea in a mad dash of confusion.  A peal of thunder rent the air and caused the deck beneath his feet to tremble.  Henry held on tighter.  

He wanted to laugh in the storm’s face.  He wanted to challenge the gods.  He wanted to come to terms with himself and arise in blue skies a new person.  But he couldn’t do any of those.  He gripped his rope so tightly the blood fled from his fingers.  His mouth was a tight grimace.  His eyes were half closed against the rain.  It took everything he had not to cry out.  The ship could not withstand something like this.

Henry could taste the energy in the air and feel it quivering through the strands of the rope beneath his fingers.  A strand of hair blew across his face.  He pushed it out of his eyes.  A wall of water broke over the railing.  He nearly lost his grip as it buffeted into him.  The next bolt of lightning revealed a bird circling overhead.  Was it the same one as earlier?  Henry wished he knew.  He could only imagine that the bird was doing only what he wished he had the courage to do, face down a giant.

(hope that's not too long! )

Accepted!