Paddy Maguire

[Paddy Maguire]

Patrick "Paddy" Maguire
So you wanna be a boxer
In the golden ring
Can you punch like a south-bound freight train
Tell me just one thing

character basics

NICKNAMES: Paddy
AGE: 17
BIRTHDAY: 11th August
GROUP: Human
SPECIES: Human
OCCUPATION Aspiring Boxer
GENDER: Male

PLAY-BY: Jamie Bell

appearance

Paddy has a naturally lanky look to him, which is an unfortunate physique to have when training as a boxer (most of whom would be short and stocky, with a low centre of mass so they're harder to knock over). He did not take after his father's sturdy build and instead took after his mother's more lean frame. He is, however, training every day to gain muscle, and this has begun to show a little in his arms and in his calves.

What Paddy did take after his father though was his big ears. Not too big it's comical, but big enough to be a noticeable physical trait. His nose too is slightly larger than he would have wanted it to be. A larger nose, after all, meant that it would be far more likely get broken. Often when people describe Paddy's appearance they usually say something along the lines of, "Oh it's the skinny fella with the big ears."

Despite all the physical flaws he may have, Paddy is not an unattractive guy. In fact he has a rather affable boyishness that rises him from average looking to slightly above average. Perhaps it's all due to his smile, which is slightly lopsided in nature but is full of youthful charm. Paddy is a smiler, something that is difficult to be considering his past and current present, but he is a smiler nonetheless.

personality

Paddy is what most people would call a "nice young man". He's helpful almost to a fault, such in a way that he can be a push over at times. He is always assisting his mother in chores and helping out at the Boxing Club whenever he has time. Many people have exploited his kindness and Paddy, being always eager to please, lets them. This means he is often a target for bullies, especially in the Boxing Club where he now works, not as a training boxer but just as a run-of-the-mill assistant. Of course he trains in his own time, late night at the Club when most other people have gone home.

If anything Paddy is diligent. He has a nearly unblemishable work ethic, something he had learnt from both of his parents form a young age. He knows that people like him won't be able to get anywhere in life without hard work, they hadn't been born lucky enough.

Naivety, however, might be one of Paddy's greatest flaw. He assumes that if you're a good person then good things would happen to you (another lesson taught by his parents). He ignores the little he knows about the true cruelty of life. Paddy is a "the glass is half full" sort of of guy. Unrelenting optimism can be just as bad as pessimism after a whole. This naivety is linked to his helpfulness in the way that both of these traits means that Paddy is easily taken advantage of by those who don't share his world-view (and in New York City a lot of people don't, pessimism is the new black).

family & history

Father: Emmet Maguire, Deceased
Mother: Shauna Maguire, 39

Paddy grew up in a place known colloquially as Hell's Kitchen, buried in the boroughs of Midtown Manhattan. The area's official name (the one marked on all the papers) was Clinton, although this name didn't suit the place nearly as much as its other one. He lived, and continued to live, in a dingy apartment building wedged between a sleazy, late-night cinema on one side and a railway station on the other. Not the most comfortable place to spend one's youth.

The apartment itself was ridiculously small. There were two rooms altogether; one held the cooker, sink and and a small table with some chairs, and the other contained a rickety old wardrobe and a large mattress on the floor where Paddy and both his parents slept. The wash room and toilets were shared with the rest of the tenants (all of whom were Irish immigrants, just like Paddy and his family) on that floor.

Despite the squalid living conditions Paddy grew up a reasonably healthy boy. This was mainly because of his parents, Emmet and Shauna, who made sure their son ate the right food and got enough fresh air. How they managed to do the latter whilst living in the constantly congested and smoke laden city of New York was quite a feat.

The Maguires were a happy family, but being happy was not enough to survive in the harshness of American life. Money was always a problem. Emmet was constantly working odd jobs throughout the city, leaving home early and arriving home late. However, when Paddy was eleven years old, the family stumbled on a lucky break. Whilst working at the construction site for a new New York night club, Emmet somehow managed to get into a fight with a fellow co-worker. In the fray Emmet landed a first rate punch on the guy's lower jaw, sending the man to the ground. What was lucky about this scuffle was that the owner of the night club was watching the whole scene unfold with intrigue. Moments later Emmet was offered a boxing contract.

Initially Shauna was against the idea of her husband fighting, like most loving wives she couldn't stand to see the man she loved get hurt. Paddy, however, was in awe of his father's strength and managed to persuade his mother to let his dad box. Soon, after a few months of training, Emmet was in the ring, about to partake in his first official fight.

He won the fight, and the next one, and the one after that. Paddy attended every match, standing right by the ropes and cheering his father on. It seemed that Emmet was unbeatable, they called him "Fire Fists" Maguire because of the sheer explosion of his punches. As Emmet's name ran up the rankings the money soon began to come in, enough money in fact that the Maguires started to scope out new places to live.

But then after the rise comes the steep fall. It was the big match, the final one. Emmet was pumped and raring to go, and so was Paddy. He was cheering his father on to no end, telling his old man how much he loved him and, for the first time ever, telling his pa how much he respected and admired him. Such words brought a tear to Emmet's eye and, when he got into the ring, he was on fire! A dozen jabs here, a couple right hooks there. There was no stopping Emmet's power, and his opponent didn't have a chance. The match ended in no time and Emmet was soon proclaimed the victor!

It was during the night of the victory, however, when it occurred. Whilst getting dress to go home Emmet was stabbed in the neck in the changing rooms. He died instantaneously. No one knew who the murderer was, and even if anyone did then they never would have said. There were just some things you didn't talk about in New York City...

the roleplayer

NAME: November
GENDER: female
AGE: 20
ROLEPLAY EXPERIENCE: hella long time
OTHER CHARACTERS: Mister Fletcher
HOW YOU FOUND US: in my head
ROLEPLAY SAMPLE:

N/A