Seth Tarvend

[Spinelloccio*]

Name: Seth Tarvend
Gender: Male
Age: 17
School: Detroit Central High School
Hobbies and Interests: Dance, Keyboard, and Opera

Appearance: Seth stands at an even six feet of height and weighs a healthy 179 pounds.  He has rather dark skin compared to most others in his school.  He is rather handsome, with short, "fuzzy" black hair and well-groomed sideburns, high cheekbones, a small, straight nose, a wide, bright smile, and large, expressive brown eyes.  His gait can almost be described as majestic thanks to his advanced dance training, which has also led to his toned, fit body. He doesn't dress "well", but his clothes are nearly always clean and unwrinkled. Said clothes typically consist of plain or art-graphic t-shirts in bright colors and store-brand blue jeans. He performs in an old-fashioned but still presentable solid blue suit his father used to wear with a black and silver paisley tie. He prefers black, inexpensive but supportive walking shoes for everyday wear and uses toe-cup black leather dress shoes that are a size too big for performing.

Biography: Seth Tarvend never quite fit in with other people in general, let alone those in school.  Unlike others who may fit such a phrase, Seth was personable, friendly, and occasionally even outgoing. But as far as thought processes go, Seth was not an orange among apples; he was a coconut.

Seth Tarvend was born to James and Melissa Tarvend, an accountant and a social worker, respectively.  Despite having economic difficulty thanks to Detroit's decades-long endemic of poverty and lack of high-paying work and clients, they were determined to raise Seth as well as they could if for no other reason then to show they could break the "black inner-city thug" stereotype. Both had lived in Michigan their whole lives and worked diligently, so they could afford a modest house on Detroit's east side in a rather safe neighborhood.

Unfortunately, James had a rare form of undiagnosed Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder that impairs muscle function and cognitive ability. This particular form triggered earlier than normal and ravaged the mind and brain more aggressively than usual. Two years into Seth's life, James had full dementia. Heartbroken, Melissa tried to put him into a hospital despite knowing that the family could not afford it with no health insurance, but James went into cardiac arrhythmia as she was guiding him to the car. Declared DOA, Melissa mourned the loss of her beloved husband but strengthened her resolve to ensure Seth would appreciate the fine things in life in honor of his father.

Falling behind in her mortgage without a second income (and the insurance company using an underhanded tactic to withhold most of James's life insurance money), Melissa's pleas to the bank fell on deaf ears. She moved into a two-bedroom apartment in a much riskier part of Detroit inside of Detroit Central High's district. She continued to perform her job well, and didn't care that many of her peers viewed her as an overprotective parent for Seth. She wanted to show Seth that even in a city in such turmoil as Detroit, life could be beautiful.

Seth had a natural affinity when it came to music. Even at 6 he loved watching PBS on television, especially when the orchestras and classical musicians performed. Seeing how attuned he was to it, Melissa forsook her "vacation" savings to buy Seth a keyboard and lessons. He took to it like a fish to water, practicing at least an hour each day after school and loving every second. When it came to school itself, Seth asserted himself and performed well but never excelled on a consistent basis. He also never became familiar with his classmates, though he was interactive. More often than not, even when he was having a conversation with somebody, his eyes looked as though he was lost in his own world.

Melissa encouraged Seth's artistic tendencies, carefully managing money so that even with her paycheck she could feed him well and take him to the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (which had just reformed). She worried a little that Seth was too naive and gullible in a rather rough world, seeing everything through rose-colored lenses of art, but eventually decided it was better than being cynical and miserable. When he wasn't doing his homework, something Seth always remained diligent about, he progressed from simply playing music for his mother to playing and singing at church, and finally into community outreach arts programs. During one of these programs, he met a rather old gentleman who showed the most glorious form of beauty Seth had ever seen: Opera.

The language, the lyrics, the stories, the music, the acting and design: Everything merged to create the most wondrous beauty Seth had ever witnessed. He spoke about his passion right then and there with the gentleman, a Mr. DiChiera, and insisted to learn how he could become a person performing on that huge stage. The man offered to let Seth work at the Opera House once he got into high school for a small wage so he could witness and interact with the singers and artists housed there.

When others from Detroit Central were joining gangs or stealing, having sex, or just sitting at home playing video games, Seth was enthusiastically practicing not just his singing and keyboard skills but also contemporary dance, another astonishing art the Opera House had introduced to him. Over years, this turned his wiry frame into an impressive physique. As he read, listened, watched, and enjoyed, he decided that living for beauty was the only way for him to be truly happy.  Right and wrong was determined by beauty and artistry. He knew others would not understand it, but he didn't care; all that mattered was that nobody would actively impede him, he believed it, and he believed in himself, just like his mother did. And he would show how beautiful his own art could be as well.

Surprisingly, Seth caught little flak from his peers about his activities. At first he had been branded as a "queer" or a "fag", but to Seth, sexuality was something he saw in books; he could appreciate its allure, but he only felt such passion toward beauty as an ideal. As he continued to be unfettered, many students' attitudes changed from ridicule and resentment to quiet respect. He rarely disrespected others, was always polite even when confronted, and though tough enough to keep him from being a bully target, he never interfered with affairs that did not involve him. Though he had many acquaintances, Seth had few friends outside the opera house, which suited him just fine. Most people couldn't appreciate what he could. It wasn't their fault; it's simply how they were, and while Seth didn't dislike these people, he would rather spend time with those that grasp the raw power of art and its glory.

He did become curious and ask what became of his father, and Melissa always treasured James's photo and kept it out so Seth would know what he looked like and could see him every day, smiling proudly at his son. Seth knows in the back of his mind that he has at least a 50% chance of being afflicted as well. This may fuel his drive, as he never knows if or when the disease will strike, though he usually doesn't think of it much.  He's far too busy. Melissa is not too busy, but she decided after talking to a co-worker in a similar situation and doing research in her little spare time that it's up to Seth whether he wants to be tested or not. Considering suicide risk spikes upon a positive diagnosis, and she couldn't stand being responsible were that to happen based on her ordering the test, she thinks it's for the best to leave it alone. She still secretly hopes he'll get tested before he leaves for college though.

Now he nears graduation and word from the conservatories for whom he auditioned. He is nervous, excited, and confident that he got into at least one of the schools with a scholarship to ease the burden on his mother. And if not, that's why student loans exist. Even in Detroit, beauty's glow could never be truly tarnished, and Seth was ready to show that to the world. No matter what, he would not be silenced.

Advantages: Being asexual, those looking to seduce Seth in order to manipulate him are going to have a difficult time. He's incredibly fit from his dance training, with stamina and strength to rival any track runner. Probably his greatest advantage is his complete confidence in himself. He feels that he is up to almost any necessary challenge, and creative enough to indirectly conquer those he can't tackle head-on.
Disadvantages: Seth has always been odd; though he is friendly and personable, others often feel there's a partition between him and anybody else, so it's difficult to understand how he ticks and relate to him. Though many have a respect for him due to this, others are bitter because they don't feel he even tries to understand them, which he doesn't. Also, he is so distracted by beauty in its various forms that he can lose focus on what is going on around him, in the sense that it would be entirely like him to view a beautiful sunrise and forget that he is running for his life.