Post by Ludwig Beilschmidt on Aug 22, 2011 19:03:45 GMT -5
IC
Character Name: Ludwig Beilschmidt
Nationality: German
Gender:Male
Birthday: 8th June
Age:22
Education: Ludwig studied Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration at the Braunschweig University of Technology. After graduating, he did six months of compulsory military service.
Occupation: Ludwig has been working in the research and development division of Siemens’ headquarters in Berlin since finishing his military service. Although he’s been with the company for less than a year, he has quickly become an invaluable addition to the R&D team in Berlin, and is well on his way to a promotion.
Family:
Alfons Belischmidt – Father
Ilsa Beilschmidt – Mother
Maria/Julchen Beilschmidt – Older sister (If that’s cool with you?)
Hometown: Berlin
Starting Town: New York
Brief History: Ludwig was born and raised in Berlin, Germany’s thriving capital city. From the moment of his arrival he was the centre of attention for his parents (most of the time) and showered with love and affection by not only them, but practically everyone who met him. Who couldn’t love him? He was a little ‘Engelchen’- chubby and pink with lovely blond hair and bright blue eyes, and so well behaved! He rarely cried and always kept quiet when grown ups were talking. Well, he kept quiet most of the time really- he hardly ever cried or even laughed, and he took a lot longer than his older sister had to say his first words. Frankly, with Maria around, any noise he did make was drowned out by her or their parents shouting and scolding her.
All through their childhood, Ludwig had a difficult relationship with his sister- he loved her because she played with him and made him laugh; she was his best friend. But she was always in trouble with his parents and, although he did not feel as close to them as he did to his sister, he felt a duty to respect his parents and obey them. Siding with Maria in an argument made Ludwig feel incredibly guilty about disobeying his parents who did so much for him, but not taking Maria’s side in an argument could upset her terribly and it hurt him even more than his parents’ disappointment.
Eventually Ludwig decided the best solution was to stay out of the fray altogether- he’d play alone or read a book when his parents fought his sister and he tried to tune out the din outside his bedroom door (To this day Ludwig can block any noise, hardly without thinking about it).
The fights always confused him- why did Maria break that? Why did she steal this? Why did she do that at school? Why did they think shouting and being loud and saying mean things would make everything better? It was around this time that Ludwig took interest in maths and science in school. No questions there- an equation would always have a solution, and it would always make sense if you worked through it logically. It was a relief to find somewhere with infallible rules, where if things got too complicated you could punch numbers into a calculator and it would give you the solution. So while Maria became Julchen and got into evermore trouble, Ludwig absorbed himself in schoolwork. He wasn’t a complete bookworm, and spent a great deal of time playing sports at school, especially football. He also joined the school’s swimming and water polo teams, and at sixteen he trained to be a volunteer lifeguard at the local sports centre. He spent as much time away from home as he could, usually at school, in the library, at the pool or playing sports, wishing to escape the drama of his family. He spent time with Julchen outside their home when and where he could, and seeing as neither of them had many friends, they became closer as friends rather than as siblings. Ludwig was very sad when Julchen left for the States, almost feeling as if she was abandoning him for her own self-centred desires. But he couldn’t help but feel happy for her when he saw her work as a photographer and read her enthusiastic letters home. He never failed to reply.
Ludwig first truly felt comfortable at Braunschweig University- he was surrounded by others who sought logic, people who shared his passions and interests, people who were just as happy reading up on Bertrand Russell and Isambard Kingdom Brunel as they were drinking each other under the table at the pub. It was liberating.
Ludwig did not enjoy his military service. He’d chosen it over civil service because he had an undeniable passion for military history and the technology of weaponry, but the people doing military service with him put him off the army for life. While most were friendly and easy-going on the surface, many had xenophobic and nationalistic streaks that didn’t sit well with Ludwig. He felt national guilt very keenly, and was all too aware of any trace racism and chauvinism in others and himself. His time in the army made him an even greater supporter of liberalism and a pacifist for life.
Now Ludwig has transferred from the Berlin headquarters of Siemens to the offices in New York to be closer to his sister and to get out of his deathly boring rut.
Personality: Ludwig is a stern, hardworking and straight-laced sort of character. He is very well read and doesn’t mind showing off his intelligence, but over the years he has tried to become less arrogant and less of a show off. He is shy around women and keeps his relationships with men cool and professional where possible. Romance does not feature in his life as such. He is private and usually keeps his thoughts to himself, though he is happy to exert control over others in a group or team- in these situations, he can be loud, aggressive, waspish and quickly unpopular with others.
Appearance: Ludwig is a tall, strapping young man, a little over 6 foot. His hair is the same blond it was when he was little, and he meticulously scrapes it back every morning with a comb and some hair gel. His eyes are a striking, steely blue and he has a habit of staring quite intensely. His glare has been known to make small children cry. His face is very angular and sculpted, and while his skin is almost as pale as his sister’s, it blushes deep red rather easily. Thanks to all the sport he does, he is reasonably muscular, but as he is usually wearing shapeless suits, he is often mistaken for being overweight. He has perfectly straight posture all the time- you’ll only see him slouch if he’s been awake for more than 24 hours or consumed at least six beers.
Likes:
• Beer
• Football
• Swimming
• Hiking
• Depressing books and films
• Pretzels
• Italian art
• Turkish food
• Paprika flavour
• Technology
• Modern design
• His sister’s photos
• Being alone
• Logic
• Reading about scientists and mathematicians
• Dogs
• Fiddling with machines
Dislikes:
• Disorganisation
• Romantic books and films
• The NPD
• Having nothing to do
• Lateness
• Uncertainty
• Untidiness
Fashion Style: Ludwig is always neat. He cannot stand to be sloppy- even his casual t-shirts and jeans are perpetually clean and properly ironed. He owns one tailor-made, Italian suit which his parents paid to have made for him as a token of congratulations for getting his job at Siemens. He wore it once to a meeting in Berlin, then had it dry-cleaned and pressed and hung it up in his wardrobe, untouched for months. It is one of his favourite possessions, and while he would like to wear it and show it off all the time, the idea of damaging or staining it fills him with terror. He has a reasonable salary, but not enough to spend on tailored suits. Most of his work clothes are off the rack suits, big enough to accommodate his considerable pectoral girth, but far too wide for his comparatively smaller waist. He doesn’t really have ‘going-out’ clothes because he doesn’t go out all that much.
Goals: More than anything, Ludwig wants to invent something. Something he can be remembered for and something that can help people.
Secret: He has never been kissed.
Other: Ludwig’s a massive dork, in case that wasn’t explicit.
RP Sample:
Set just before his arrival in New York.
It was that time of year again in Berlin- the time when every other day felt like the start of Noah’s floods. It was a thick, sullen rain, falling fast and steady. No wind pushing it this way or that, just water falling though a vacuum. It had been like this for two weeks now and Ludwig was walking home through it. Not that he minded- not in the least. Summer in Berlin was sweltering and oppressive, and after a mild autumn the city needed a good wash of that dust and dirt and grease that came with the summer.
Ludwig tightened his grip on the handle of his briefcase and quickened his pace as he turned the corner into his street, his umbrella doing the best it could to shield him from the November showers. He fumbled in his raincoat pocket for his keys, fingers slipping wetly over the coins and shrapnel that shared quarters with them. He fished them out as he approached the entrance to his apartment block, hurriedly letting himself into the foyer- a faded relic of Weimar grandeur, now scarred and pale.
Ludwig’s apartment looked like very other apartment in the building- pokey, recently refurbished, parquet floor, plain plaster walls. Being on the third floor meant that he didn’t get much of a view from his side of the building, but the rent was cheaper than the higher floors and didn’t involve such a trek getting up and down stairs. It wasn’t perfect, but it was suitable for Ludwig. Besides, he wouldn’t be there much longer- his bosses, though disappointed, had finally agreed to let him transfer to the offices in New York. The idea of moving to the United States was slightly frightening, though Ludwig wouldn’t admit it, and it would be difficult to say goodbye to the city he knew and grew up in, but he was looking forward to the change of pace, to the new opportunities it would present.
Sat down at his kitchen table in his pyjamas, a towel over his shoulders to keep his shower-wet hair from dripping on them, he shuffled through the letters he’d found on his doormat. Bills, adverts, bills, letters from the bank, more bills. The handwritten envelope with the colourful postage stamps was saved until last, like a treat. He knew who it was from, long before he’d opened it- the same, scrawled handwriting used to write his address gave it away. Julchen could easily phone him or write him e-mails, but for some reason she always chose to contact him via snail-mail. But he wouldn’t have it any other way- after all these years apart, she still put the effort in to put pen to paper and pay to send it all the way across the Atlantic, waiting weeks to hear anything back from him. It was all worthwhile.
After he’d finished reading it, he pinned it up on the notice board in his kitchen so that he wouldn’t forget to write a reply. It could wait until tomorrow. It was Friday night, after all, and he wanted to have some fun! He pulled out the drawer under his kitchen table and carefully took out the phone he had dismantled the previous weekend, laying it out in front of him, piece by piece, along with his small toolkit and the phone’s instruction manual. Tonight’s challenge was putting the phone back together again before his pizza finished in the oven.
Yes, this was Ludwig’s idea of ‘fun’.
OOC
Name: My name’s Katy, but everyone calls me… Katy.
Age: 18. 9th December.
Contact Info: iluvkyokun@googlemail.com (Shut up, I came up with it when I was 12)
Website: 123etcetera.tumblr.com
Other: I’ve only RPed Prussia before, but I have a love of all things German, so I’ll do my best with Ludwig!
You were always as far as Mongolia
As close as my clothes
Your presence pervading but it still never shows
As close as the answer I never quite know
Or can’t quite remember
Character Name: Ludwig Beilschmidt
Nationality: German
Gender:Male
Birthday: 8th June
Age:22
Education: Ludwig studied Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration at the Braunschweig University of Technology. After graduating, he did six months of compulsory military service.
Occupation: Ludwig has been working in the research and development division of Siemens’ headquarters in Berlin since finishing his military service. Although he’s been with the company for less than a year, he has quickly become an invaluable addition to the R&D team in Berlin, and is well on his way to a promotion.
Family:
Alfons Belischmidt – Father
Ilsa Beilschmidt – Mother
Maria/Julchen Beilschmidt – Older sister (If that’s cool with you?)
Hometown: Berlin
Starting Town: New York
Brief History: Ludwig was born and raised in Berlin, Germany’s thriving capital city. From the moment of his arrival he was the centre of attention for his parents (most of the time) and showered with love and affection by not only them, but practically everyone who met him. Who couldn’t love him? He was a little ‘Engelchen’- chubby and pink with lovely blond hair and bright blue eyes, and so well behaved! He rarely cried and always kept quiet when grown ups were talking. Well, he kept quiet most of the time really- he hardly ever cried or even laughed, and he took a lot longer than his older sister had to say his first words. Frankly, with Maria around, any noise he did make was drowned out by her or their parents shouting and scolding her.
All through their childhood, Ludwig had a difficult relationship with his sister- he loved her because she played with him and made him laugh; she was his best friend. But she was always in trouble with his parents and, although he did not feel as close to them as he did to his sister, he felt a duty to respect his parents and obey them. Siding with Maria in an argument made Ludwig feel incredibly guilty about disobeying his parents who did so much for him, but not taking Maria’s side in an argument could upset her terribly and it hurt him even more than his parents’ disappointment.
Eventually Ludwig decided the best solution was to stay out of the fray altogether- he’d play alone or read a book when his parents fought his sister and he tried to tune out the din outside his bedroom door (To this day Ludwig can block any noise, hardly without thinking about it).
The fights always confused him- why did Maria break that? Why did she steal this? Why did she do that at school? Why did they think shouting and being loud and saying mean things would make everything better? It was around this time that Ludwig took interest in maths and science in school. No questions there- an equation would always have a solution, and it would always make sense if you worked through it logically. It was a relief to find somewhere with infallible rules, where if things got too complicated you could punch numbers into a calculator and it would give you the solution. So while Maria became Julchen and got into evermore trouble, Ludwig absorbed himself in schoolwork. He wasn’t a complete bookworm, and spent a great deal of time playing sports at school, especially football. He also joined the school’s swimming and water polo teams, and at sixteen he trained to be a volunteer lifeguard at the local sports centre. He spent as much time away from home as he could, usually at school, in the library, at the pool or playing sports, wishing to escape the drama of his family. He spent time with Julchen outside their home when and where he could, and seeing as neither of them had many friends, they became closer as friends rather than as siblings. Ludwig was very sad when Julchen left for the States, almost feeling as if she was abandoning him for her own self-centred desires. But he couldn’t help but feel happy for her when he saw her work as a photographer and read her enthusiastic letters home. He never failed to reply.
Ludwig first truly felt comfortable at Braunschweig University- he was surrounded by others who sought logic, people who shared his passions and interests, people who were just as happy reading up on Bertrand Russell and Isambard Kingdom Brunel as they were drinking each other under the table at the pub. It was liberating.
Ludwig did not enjoy his military service. He’d chosen it over civil service because he had an undeniable passion for military history and the technology of weaponry, but the people doing military service with him put him off the army for life. While most were friendly and easy-going on the surface, many had xenophobic and nationalistic streaks that didn’t sit well with Ludwig. He felt national guilt very keenly, and was all too aware of any trace racism and chauvinism in others and himself. His time in the army made him an even greater supporter of liberalism and a pacifist for life.
Now Ludwig has transferred from the Berlin headquarters of Siemens to the offices in New York to be closer to his sister and to get out of his deathly boring rut.
Personality: Ludwig is a stern, hardworking and straight-laced sort of character. He is very well read and doesn’t mind showing off his intelligence, but over the years he has tried to become less arrogant and less of a show off. He is shy around women and keeps his relationships with men cool and professional where possible. Romance does not feature in his life as such. He is private and usually keeps his thoughts to himself, though he is happy to exert control over others in a group or team- in these situations, he can be loud, aggressive, waspish and quickly unpopular with others.
Appearance: Ludwig is a tall, strapping young man, a little over 6 foot. His hair is the same blond it was when he was little, and he meticulously scrapes it back every morning with a comb and some hair gel. His eyes are a striking, steely blue and he has a habit of staring quite intensely. His glare has been known to make small children cry. His face is very angular and sculpted, and while his skin is almost as pale as his sister’s, it blushes deep red rather easily. Thanks to all the sport he does, he is reasonably muscular, but as he is usually wearing shapeless suits, he is often mistaken for being overweight. He has perfectly straight posture all the time- you’ll only see him slouch if he’s been awake for more than 24 hours or consumed at least six beers.
Likes:
• Beer
• Football
• Swimming
• Hiking
• Depressing books and films
• Pretzels
• Italian art
• Turkish food
• Paprika flavour
• Technology
• Modern design
• His sister’s photos
• Being alone
• Logic
• Reading about scientists and mathematicians
• Dogs
• Fiddling with machines
Dislikes:
• Disorganisation
• Romantic books and films
• The NPD
• Having nothing to do
• Lateness
• Uncertainty
• Untidiness
Fashion Style: Ludwig is always neat. He cannot stand to be sloppy- even his casual t-shirts and jeans are perpetually clean and properly ironed. He owns one tailor-made, Italian suit which his parents paid to have made for him as a token of congratulations for getting his job at Siemens. He wore it once to a meeting in Berlin, then had it dry-cleaned and pressed and hung it up in his wardrobe, untouched for months. It is one of his favourite possessions, and while he would like to wear it and show it off all the time, the idea of damaging or staining it fills him with terror. He has a reasonable salary, but not enough to spend on tailored suits. Most of his work clothes are off the rack suits, big enough to accommodate his considerable pectoral girth, but far too wide for his comparatively smaller waist. He doesn’t really have ‘going-out’ clothes because he doesn’t go out all that much.
Goals: More than anything, Ludwig wants to invent something. Something he can be remembered for and something that can help people.
Secret: He has never been kissed.
Other: Ludwig’s a massive dork, in case that wasn’t explicit.
RP Sample:
Set just before his arrival in New York.
It was that time of year again in Berlin- the time when every other day felt like the start of Noah’s floods. It was a thick, sullen rain, falling fast and steady. No wind pushing it this way or that, just water falling though a vacuum. It had been like this for two weeks now and Ludwig was walking home through it. Not that he minded- not in the least. Summer in Berlin was sweltering and oppressive, and after a mild autumn the city needed a good wash of that dust and dirt and grease that came with the summer.
Ludwig tightened his grip on the handle of his briefcase and quickened his pace as he turned the corner into his street, his umbrella doing the best it could to shield him from the November showers. He fumbled in his raincoat pocket for his keys, fingers slipping wetly over the coins and shrapnel that shared quarters with them. He fished them out as he approached the entrance to his apartment block, hurriedly letting himself into the foyer- a faded relic of Weimar grandeur, now scarred and pale.
Ludwig’s apartment looked like very other apartment in the building- pokey, recently refurbished, parquet floor, plain plaster walls. Being on the third floor meant that he didn’t get much of a view from his side of the building, but the rent was cheaper than the higher floors and didn’t involve such a trek getting up and down stairs. It wasn’t perfect, but it was suitable for Ludwig. Besides, he wouldn’t be there much longer- his bosses, though disappointed, had finally agreed to let him transfer to the offices in New York. The idea of moving to the United States was slightly frightening, though Ludwig wouldn’t admit it, and it would be difficult to say goodbye to the city he knew and grew up in, but he was looking forward to the change of pace, to the new opportunities it would present.
Sat down at his kitchen table in his pyjamas, a towel over his shoulders to keep his shower-wet hair from dripping on them, he shuffled through the letters he’d found on his doormat. Bills, adverts, bills, letters from the bank, more bills. The handwritten envelope with the colourful postage stamps was saved until last, like a treat. He knew who it was from, long before he’d opened it- the same, scrawled handwriting used to write his address gave it away. Julchen could easily phone him or write him e-mails, but for some reason she always chose to contact him via snail-mail. But he wouldn’t have it any other way- after all these years apart, she still put the effort in to put pen to paper and pay to send it all the way across the Atlantic, waiting weeks to hear anything back from him. It was all worthwhile.
After he’d finished reading it, he pinned it up on the notice board in his kitchen so that he wouldn’t forget to write a reply. It could wait until tomorrow. It was Friday night, after all, and he wanted to have some fun! He pulled out the drawer under his kitchen table and carefully took out the phone he had dismantled the previous weekend, laying it out in front of him, piece by piece, along with his small toolkit and the phone’s instruction manual. Tonight’s challenge was putting the phone back together again before his pizza finished in the oven.
Yes, this was Ludwig’s idea of ‘fun’.
OOC
Name: My name’s Katy, but everyone calls me… Katy.
Age: 18. 9th December.
Contact Info: iluvkyokun@googlemail.com (Shut up, I came up with it when I was 12)
Website: 123etcetera.tumblr.com
Other: I’ve only RPed Prussia before, but I have a love of all things German, so I’ll do my best with Ludwig!
You were always as far as Mongolia
As close as my clothes
Your presence pervading but it still never shows
As close as the answer I never quite know
Or can’t quite remember