Noah Whitley

[Laurels]

Name: Noah Whitley
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Hobbies and Interests: Stand-up comedy, watching comedy movies and TV shows, drag, makeup and costume design, hip-hop dancing, bar games (darts, billiards, and ping pong), video editing.

Appearance: Noah stands at 5’11” and weighs 138 pounds. He likes to take care of himself, so his body is slim and with a light muscular build. He has white skin that he makes sure doesn't get too tanned, and also regularly grooms his body hair. His face is round and blemish free, with Noah taking good care to ensure he doesn't break out. He has large, blue eyes, a small nose, and a small chin. Noah also wore braces during middle school, so his teeth are white and straight, something he takes pride in taking care of. His hair is a light blonde color. He tends to leave his hair longer and slightly curly on top and shorter and trimmed on the sides and back. The hair on top of his head is thick enough to run his fingers through, but not long enough to cover his eyes if wet. He also doesn’t tend to brush it a lot, preferring to go with a bedhead look.

Noah tends to dress casually when at school. He likes wearing t-shirts and jeans, particularly bright colored shirts. He likes tight clothing, so his shirts and jeans often make him look slimmer. He does also like to wear wristbands and rings, usually having a few on at all times. Both his ear lobes are pierced, and he wears studs in them. Noah does wear light makeup when he's out and about, preferring to wear light foundation and occasionally eyeliner.

On the day he was abducted, Noah was wearing a yellow leather motorcycle jacket over a black t-shirt with an image of Phyllis Diller in white on it, skinny black jeans, and black sneakers. He also had both ear studs in and a few wristbands on.

Biography: Noah James Whitley was born on January 4th to Kelly and Christian Whitley in Las Vegas, Nevada. His mom was a waitress who met his dad, a professional poker player, while at work at a casino. Kelly and Christian dated for a year and got married after Kelly got pregnant with Noah. Unfortunately, the two separated when Noah was two after a falling out exacerbated by Christian’s drinking problem. Kelly got primary custody of Noah, and moved back in with her parents, Arnold and Edie MacIntyre, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kelly began working at a local bar as a bartender and waitress, while Arnold worked as a plumber, leaving Noah in the care of his grandmother during the day and his grandparents at night. Christian would pay child support for Noah, but was absent for most of Noah's early childhood since Kelly didn't think he was stable enough to see Noah. Noah did at times wish his dad was more present, but wasn't that upset to not see him since his mom and grandparents were always around. His grandfather was his primary male influence growing up, so Noah never felt he was lacking in a male role model.

Growing up, Noah was always an eccentric child. He loved to shout, run, and be the center of attention. He also found himself liking to perform, often putting on shows for his mom and grandparents. Noah was rarely sad as a kid, always smiling and finding ways to make people laugh. His mom and grandparents made sure to give Noah plenty of attention. His grandparents wanted to ensure Noah and his mother were able to feel secure and happy following the divorce, so they did their best to ensure Noah wanted for nothing. His grandfather would take him fishing and watch movies with him, while his grandmother taught him how to sew and cook. His mom did try to be involved in his life despite her night job, and also tried to be the disciplinarian to show her parents she was serious about raising her son. Although Noah did get scolded and punished a few times, he more often tried to be on his best behavior so as to show his mom he was a good kid. Most of his early life was uneventful, allowing Noah to grow up feeling comfortable and loved by his family.

Noah was well liked in elementary school. Noah liked to be friends with everyone if he could, and was always trying to make people laugh. In his early elementary years, Noah was more concerned with playing with the other kids than focusing on his schoolwork. His grandparents did take interest in his academics, so they made sure to help Noah with his homework and that he would get good grades. Noah eventually started to pay more attention in school and consistently earned good grades through his years. This was also when he started to notice his quick-thinking abilities. Noah found that he could focus on problem solving and come up with an answer if he concentrated on the problem before him.

Noah started to get into comedy the older he got. He started watching a lot of comedy movies, eventually transitioning to stand-up specials. He liked how comedians could make people laugh and bring a happier mood to the situation, and realized it was something he wanted to do. He started writing jokes and tried to practice stand-up routines. He would try to practice jokes with his friends, and tried to work on them if they didn’t work.

Noah’s dad did return to his life before Noah finished elementary school. Christian managed become sober, find a steady job at a bank, and remarried. Things were a bit awkward at first since Noah didn't have the best impression of his dad after hearing from his mom and grandparents about his drinking problem. However, he did see that Christian was making a legitimate effort to be involved in his son's life and be more responsible as a person, so Noah eventually accepted him. Because of this, Noah was allowed to go visit his dad in Las Vegas during holidays. Kelly was more willing to let Christian be around Noah after seeing how reformed he was, although she was a lot more hesitant at first. Christian and his new wife had a daughter when Noah was nine, giving him his younger half-sister, Ella. Noah adores Ella and loves to play with her when he visits. Noah was at first a bit uneasy around his stepmother, Angie, mostly from being unsure how to act around her. He and Angie do get along now, although he tends to see her as more of an older sister than a mother because she doesn't try to mother him and prefers he acts casually around her. He and his dad also get along well, and spend their time together watching movies and enjoying various activities in Las Vegas. Because of the distance, Noah makes a conscious effort to call his dad's family once a week, usually trying to schedule a FaceTime call so he can keep up with them.

Upon entering middle school, Noah began to notice that he was attracted to men. He was a bit worried at first, as his family identifies as Catholic, although they aren't particularly devout, so he was worried that they would reject him for wanting to be open about his sexuality. He eventually came out towards the end of eighth grade after finally mustering the courage to talk to his family about it. Fortunately for him, his parents and grandparents were accepting of his sexuality, so he feels accepted at home. He did face some backlash from some of his homophobic peers, but most of his friends were accepting of his orientation, so he was able to handle coming out and finding people who could support him. Noah also learned to not get too worked up if faced with discrimination, preferring to use comedy as a way to respond to the negative reactions of his more conservative peers.

It was also in middle school that he began to study hip-hop dancing. A friend of Noah's introduced him to the dance, and Noah thought it was really cool. He liked how energetic and exciting the dancing was, so he convinced his mom to let him take classes. Noah attends weekly classes and likes to practice at home. Noah has made several friends through the class and likes to hang out with other dancers so he can learn more and have people to practice with.

Noah's social life during his middle school years was fairly similar to his elementary school years. He stayed with some of the same friends he had in elementary school, but also tried to make more friends. He also started to practice his comedy a lot more, trying to always tell jokes or come up with new ones to try on his friends. Noah did start to get into a few conflicts at school from students who were annoyed by his eccentric personality or intolerant of his sexuality. He did try to avoid violence, mostly because he doesn't want to get beat up and knows he probably can't win in a physical confrontation, and fell back on his support system of close friends to help him if he was facing trouble.

Once in high school, Noah began to get into a few new activities and interests. He developed an interest in drag performing after going to a drag club in Las Vegas and decided to try and merge that with his interest in stand-up comedy. He realized that drag carried a lot of the same skills and talents that he was interested in, and he thought it would be a good exercise in performing if he could craft a drag character and perform it well. He began to study makeup tutorial videos on YouTube and looking into creating a character through finding the right clothes and accessories. He has created a character named Erika Payne, who is molded after Beverly Hills gold diggers. He only goes out in public as Erika when he’s making videos, mostly keeping her in his bedroom. His family was a bit skeptical about the interest at first, although they eventually came around when they saw how much effort he was putting into it and after they found Erika to be a funny character. Because of his work as Erika, Noah has also found a hobby in makeup and costume design, mostly self-taught through YouTube tutorials and getting some sewing lessons from his grandmother. He has used these talents to help out with the Aurora Bay theater department, allowing him to get involved in some school productions behind the scenes. Noah doesn't find doing drag to be something to be kept secret, but also tries not to draw too much attention to it. If he is confronted about it, Noah does try to explain why he does it and why it's simply a part of who he is. He has faced some backlash for it, but he tries to not let it affect him and continues to work on the character of Erika when he can.

He also started producing a YouTube Vlog series where he tells jokes as himself and as Erika, often bringing some of his friends on depending on the episode. His series has a few thousand subscribers, but isn’t as popular as he would like it to be. Because of this, Noah is often trying to make the show better, mostly by studying video production and planning his shows a lot more by writing scripts. It's been a gradual process, with his more recent videos being a lot more tightly edited and planned out than his first few episodes. These videos have also gotten more views and subscribers, but Noah's always looking for more ways to improve the show. He's also taken to being more active on social media, making a Facebook page, a Twitter, an Instagram, and a TikTok for the show. He tries to keep these websites updated regularly and tries to interact with fans so he can build and expand his brand.

Noah also began to participate in stand-up shows a lot more often. Before, Noah’s comedy was mostly relegated to school talent shows and bits he’d do with his friends. He began to go to open mic nights at local restaurants and in Vegas. The reactions and success of each show varies, but it’s allowed Noah to work on his stage presence and how to craft a persona. He has also done some stand-up routines as Erika in order to develop the character further, although most of these shows occur when he’s in Vegas. He still makes an effort to watch a variety of comedy films and tv shows, having moved on to more adult-oriented comedy series as he got older, while also dabbling in classic comedies and foreign comedies in order to learn more kinds of humor.

During this time, Noah also began to worry a bit about his talents and performing abilities. While he enjoyed what he did, he began to worry that he wasn’t as good as he wanted to be. Being on the internet and performing in local venues made Noah have a greater understanding about the communities he was involved in and the other types of people involved, some of whom he felt were a lot funnier, smarter, and more successful than he was. This made Noah a lot more self-conscious and made him try to hide his insecurities from others, mostly by being a lot louder and cheerier around others. As a result, he became a lot more worried about bad criticism and tried to find ways to avoid showing his weaknesses as a performer.

Most of Noah’s friends in high school are people who are into the same hobbies as him, particularly comedy, performing, and hip-hop dancing. Noah’s often trying to tell jokes and make people feel happy since he feels it allows him to practice his comedy and keep school from getting too dull. He does try to hang out with his friends whenever he can, and likes to go partying at clubs with them. While Noah has made a lot of friends, he has made a few enemies and gotten on some people’s nerves. Some people find him a bit annoying and loud, and his liberal attitudes towards identity and expression can put him on the wrong side of the more conservative classmates, but Noah tries not to let them bother him. He often responds to negativity with a joke or a retort. The level of meanness with these kinds of jokes can vary at times, and most times, the more annoyed he is with a person, the more scathing he'll try to be with his humor. There are times where he does hope to antagonize people, so he will not hold back on trying to fight back. Despite this, there are times where he can get upset and fail to have a retort, so he really only tries to retort if he's sure he can have something to use. If not, he tries to avoid the situation altogether and tries to mask his frustration through humor.

It was also in high school that Noah began to think of what he’d do if the comedy route failed him. He began to spend more time at the bar his mom worked in, and he started to like the atmosphere. Noah’s currently planning to study business in college so that he could open his own bar someday. His mom became the manager of the bar she worked at when Noah entered high school, which helped bring in more money to the family. Noah started to hang around her bar more in high school and started to get into the bar games there, such as darts, billiards, and ping pong. The games were a fun thing to do whenever he was at the bar, so he always made an effort to play these and improve his skills each time he went to the bar. While he's not fantastic at any of these games, he does try to play them whenever he's at the bar and likes to challenge his friends and other bar patrons to the games.

Noah was accepted to University of Nevada, Las Vegas and attend the business school there. The university appealed to him as it lets him spend time with his dad's family and provides opportunities for stand-up and drag performing. His best subject is math, and he tries to ensure that his grades don’t slip by studying daily and turning in all homework on time. He’s got a sharp mind and can think quickly when he needs to, so he often doesn’t get too stressed when doing schoolwork. This has resulted in an A-B average throughout high school, something he is usually able to maintain. The only times Noah is worried about his grades is when he falls behind on studying or is distracted by his extracurricular activities, so he often has to put more effort in when he starts to get grades of a C or below. Like his performing, Noah can be a bit insecure about his studies from time to time, especially if it's a subject he's not able to easily adjust to or understand. This can cause him to get a bit stressed out, and takes a bit of personal reassurance for him to be able to work on his weaker subjects.

Noah still tries to spend time with his family whenever he can. He mostly only gets to visit them for alternating holidays or for weeks in the summer, so Noah's mostly hoping he gets into UNLV so he can spend more time with them, especially his younger sister. He's still on good terms with his mom and grandparents, although he is a bit sad to leave them when he goes to college. He's planning on staying in contact with them and trying to visit whenever he can.

Advantages: Noah is a happy and friendly individual, something that could help him make friends and allies. He is also in decent shape from his dance classes. He’s also good at problem solving and thinking on his feet, so he can try to avoid issues if he’s clear minded enough to think about it.
Disadvantages: Noah’s personality can be a bit strong to some people, so it could turn some away from him. Noah also can be quite insecure and worrisome if he begins to doubt his abilities, causing him to become a bit of an emotional mess. If someone annoys or infuriates him, Noah is also prone to antagonizing them back through scathing humor, something which could be fatal if he's not careful.

Original Profile: Noah Whitley
Permission: N/A

[MurderWeasel]

Hey, Laure! Noah's looking really solid, just a bit more to go.

Could we get an idea of how short Noah's hair is on the sides and back? Are we talking buzzed, or something just a bit shorter than he keeps it on the top, or somewhere in between?

What color was Noah's Phyllis Diller shirt?

What was Noah's family's economic situation during his childhood?

Is Noah still into comedy movies/TV? It's listed under his hobbies, but gets glossed over pretty quickly, with stand-up getting the lion's share of the focus. Does he have any specific type of comedy movies or shows he favors?

Does Noah have much contact with his father, stepmother, and half-sister when he's in Saint Paul, or does he mostly just interact with them during visits?

We've got these two sentences in pretty rapid succession: "He began to spend more time at the bar his mom worked in, and he started to like the atmosphere." and "Noah started to hang around her bar more in high school, liking the atmosphere of the place." I suspect one of these was maybe meant to be cut in edits!

What about bar games appeals to Noah? Just having something to occupy himself while in the bar? Or is he more engaged by the activities themselves?

This late in the year, Noah should've applied to (and maybe even been accepted by) colleges already.

Finally, one quick formatting thing: could we get the original profile link swapped over to Noah's page on the Mini wiki? It makes it easier to set up the SC pages.

Post when you've got that taken care of, and we'll give him another look. Thanks!

[Laurels]

Erika Payne's ready for Round 2

[MurderWeasel]

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