Conner Vandenburg

River

Con, by close friends; Soft Boy, by Jamie Makrodimopoulos

17

male

he/him

panromantic asexual

protagonist

5'6"

114lbs (50kg)

Lean, lanky, thin to the point that it looks unhealthy

White

Porcelain with pink undertones, blushes easily, tans but burns if in the sun for too long. Naturally smooth, but there are acne scars on his face and shoulders.

Auburn. He dyed it blue once for a dare and dyed it back once the color started to bleed out.

Soft, styled in a side part with considerable length on the top and an undercut on the sides. He runs his fingers through it constantly and frequently, which gives it its volume and fluffiness. He keeps a small lock of hair about chin length and leaves it in a small braid.

Champagne brown around the outside turning to green around the pupils.

His eyes are downturned to give him a perpetual look of slight sympathy. Long eyelashes. Smile lines. Thin mouth, with oddly red lips and dimples when he smiles. Straight teeth due to three years of braces, however not quite white because of all the tea he drinks. Medium, refined nose. Faceclaim

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Acne scars on his face and back. Scars of old cuts and scrapes from his childhood on his knees and ankles.

Loose shirts, crystal pendants, baggy jeans with patched-up holes. Sandals/flip-flops or chunky white sneakers covered in stickers. Oversized sweaters in the winter. Wears kandi bracelets/anklets and a black ring on his right middle finger.

True neutral / He steers clear of moral tests and doesn't take sides.

Conner is very calm and a great listener, and really good at keeping secrets and giving advice. He has a very soothing aura and has sort of the ability to calm down everyone around him. He has a very stereotypical "hippie" mentality of "just chill, everything will be fine" and tends to be the most relaxed in the group. He's kind of like an old cat, in that people go to him to help relax and he's just kind of...there, not really worrying about anything. He's still a super happy person, just in a very placid way.

Conner has a terrible sitting posture. If possible, he just kicks his feet up on the table. When sitting in a chair on his phone/computer or reading a book, you can watch as he slowly but surely sinks down to the point where his head is practically on the seat of the chair. He runs his hands through his hair almost constantly and twirls his little side-braid with his finger when in deep thought. He also sings/hums to himself, or talks to himself in French, when he's alone or with Faith.

Record stores, climbing trees, watercolors, geodes/crystals

Parties/loud places, stuffy dinner parties, EDM, dark colors

Conner is very intuitive and observant. He's eerily good at noticing what's around his physical space, to the point where he's mentally memorized some spaces (including his entire apartment) and can navigate them with his eyes closed. He remains remarkably calm in stressful situations.

Horrible in arguments or disagreements, refusing to take a side even when it's necessary. He can't fight to save his life, or anyone else's.

Peace

Avoids conflict even when it's due or necessary, to the point where he's afraid of it and is really bad in debate/arguments/conflicts.

Conflict, war

Conner hates violence-oriented people. It's one of the only things that gets him angry. He believes that every problem can be solved in a way that doesn't involve violence or fighting.

Conner procrastinates horribly with almost everything: chores, schoolwork, etc. to the point where his friends are constantly reminding him to get on things and sometimes some of them, such as Jonas McLoughlin, just sigh exasperatedly and do it themselves.

Playing the cello and guitar, singing, giving advice

Gardening, walking in the woods, watercolors, playing guitar or cello, watching Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting

Conner has asthma and is allergic to dogs. He also suffers from chronic acne.

Conner's voice is very calm, modulated, and smooth. He rarely yells, so if he ever does you know something has gone very, very wrong. His singing voice is quite soft and soothing to listen to, and he has a surprisingly high range. (Think along the lines of Conan Gray)

voice claim

Hufflepuff

Conner is extremely laid-back, open to social groups of any size and flavor. He is neither an introvert nor an extrovert, preferring solitude just as often as company, and though he isn’t ever as talkative or commandeers the conversation as much as people like Faith Yankovic or Felicity Rosenthal, he still enjoys conversation and is an interesting person to talk with.

Single at the start of the story; taken (dating Jamie Makrodimopoulos) by the end of it

Loosely follows the principles of Taoism, focusing on living a simple and balanced life in harmony with nature.

Conner doesn't like to get involved in politics because he thinks it's too stressful. However, the one thing he is passionate about is protecting the environment and preventing climate change. He volunteers for community service to clean up parks/nature reserves and does his best to get others to do the same.

English is his native language (with a Canadian accent); he speaks Canadian French (Quebecois) with his mother, who is from Québec, and learned American Sign Language as a hobby. He's fluent in all three.

Junior high school student

Teal

Ramen

Cats of any kind. His social media feeds are primarily made up of posts about cats or cat pictures.

A fairly large rose quartz crystal, about the size of a closed fist. He's had it for as long as he can remember.

favorite song: "Can I Call You Tonight?" by Dayglow

Spotify playlist

Indie Kid (the subgenre of indie with brighter colours and a more feel-good vibe)

24 October 2001

Scorpio

Terrebonne, Québec, Canada

Canada (Québec and Prince Edward Island)

Born in Canada, moved to California at the age of 11, where he met Faith and they became best friends immediately. His parents are huge naturalist/eco-friendly almost-hippies so he was raised to care a lot about the environment.

Michelle and James Vandenburg, two extreme stereotypical hippies. His mother is a painter and his father works in publishing.

An older brother named Avery who's 20 years old and goes to the California State University in Sacramento.

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Two Egyptian Mau cats named Meadow and Fern

"Love yourself or I'll do it for you, dude."

Conner has known Faith Yankovic since she moved to the US (about 7 years) so they’re as close as siblings. Faith will often stay the night at Conner's house for days at a time. People often mistake them for a couple, because they publicly exchange terms of endearment, hug, or say things like “I love you”. After reading about queerplatonic partners on the internet, Conner asks Faith to be his.

Interested in seeing a 3D design render of Conner's bedroom? Click here