{this is for a group rp im doing but i love him so here he is}

full name: 

Montgomery Alan Reed 

nickname(s): 

prefers to be called Monte 

age: 

24 

gender: 

cisgender male 

nationality: 

Italian 

languages: 

first language- Italian; second language- French; third language- English

financial situation: 

on the edge of low class (lower mid-class)

education/occupation: 

has his education through that of middle school (never got his high school education) and is currently working as one of the gardeners at the Ambroise estate, slowly getting a higher and higher gardening role 

height: 

6 ft 1/2 inches

face claim: 

Tom Webb

further appearance details:

Montgomery has been a gardener now for years and from all the hard, hands-on work he does- whether lifting and carrying bags of fertilizer, planting flowers, or pulling weeds- he has gained quite the muscles, having a fairly toned body. He's not the strongest, but it would be pretty insulting to call him weak as it takes only one look to see that he isn't. Monte is pretty much a gentle giant, standing at 6 ft, and with the amount of muscle he has, it might intimidate some when the gardener might be just one of the gentlest people working for the Ambroise. He doesn't have any freckles but does have some stubble occasionally if he doesn't shave well enough as well as various small birthmarks, most of them only slightly darker than his natural skin tone and appearing as patches here and there either on his back or legs, about 4 total. He generally has pretty healthy skin although sometimes he does get quite sunburned from working in the gardens all day- this has resulted in some sunspots along his arms and the back of his neck and a sharp tan line. And don't even get me started with the amount of dirt that gets on him after a workday- dirt under his nails, on his knees, his face. He takes a lot of showers, especially after work...

personality: 

Monte is the epitome of introverted. A naturally shy man, he isn't much of a talker and is much more observant of his surroundings. He'd prefer to wait for someone to talk to him, rather than start a conversation in that case- partly because he's hesitant towards others' judging his incorrect English. On that note, he isn't very confident in himself on most levels except for gardening as it's something he knows he's good at, enjoys, and is proud of. If he were to gradually grow comfortable with someone, however, it'd be easily found that he's quite benevolent and- unfortunately- a bit of a pushover. Monte has a tough time saying no to things and this could ultimately get him into something he didn't want to be a part of. Although in addition to his benevolence, Monte can be- if unintentionally- quite the charmer because of it. Since he understands how his poor English could potentially make people hesitant towards him, he has used charm to get people to like him and enjoy his company- whether, through small, kind gestures, or gentle compliments, he's a bit of a romantic if the intention is unintended. Being on his own maybe more than that of another teen/young adult has also made it so Monte is actually quite independent. Don't be fooled by his quiet demeanor- Montgomery is really a smart and kind man who has more brains than he gives himself credit for and if given the opportunity can end up shining.

brief backstory: 

Raised by his mother in Italy for the majority of his life, it was a large change when he had to come to France, only 13 at the time they left their home, and 17 by the time they arrived in France. Having never been taught French, and very little English, Monte, and his mother struggled for a while to get financially stable. Once Monte began learning some English, he was finally able to not only help his mother learn it too but get a job and take care of his home and her. Since he was younger, Monte enjoyed gardening and had learned to garden from his mother- so he knew that he could do that in France. After lots of perseverance, Monte eventually made it to work for the Ambroise family as a gardener at their estate and remains working there as (while the pay isn't great) they pay the most compared to other gardening jobs. 

in-depth background:

Born in Italy during the early 1930s, Montgomery's mother, Miriam, and father, Arthur, had a hard time initially not just raising him but surviving Mussolini's dictatorship as well as the country's Great Depression. While the Depression in Italy wasn't as bad as in other countries, the effect was still felt hard on the family and caused some arguments between Arthur and Miriam from early on in their relationship. While Monte doesn't remember much of his father, he does have one picture of him in his room and his father's old pipe that his mom gave to him when he turned 15.

Later, around 1940, when WWII really began, things in the Reed family took a turn for the worse when Arthur had to be sent off to war. He ended up being lost in battle, presumed dead which ultimately led to Miriam's decision to leave Italy along with the fact that as a widow, she had very little said in the dictatorship without a husband who would've had all their possessions in their name. The embarrassment of being a widow in their community was too hard for Miriam to bear along with the frustration of the dictatorship. Monte was only 10 when his father died in the war.

So, in 1943 when Monte was only 13, the two left for a better life. Traveling from state to state and trying to find a stable home and job was very taxing along with the fact Monte and Miriam had no citizenship anywhere, not to mention WWII was still in full swing. But, in 1947 around Monte's 17th birthday, the two finally found solace in France. Having traveled now for about 5 years and not having the time nor money to learn other languages, Miriam and Monte's knowledge of French and English were limited not to mention they had yet to gain citizenship to France. 

Eventually, they got it and while Miriam picked up some jobs immediately, Monte had to convince his mother to help her pay the bills. She had wanted him to go to school and get an education but Montgomery had seen how much his mother worked on her own and refused to go so long as she was suffering back at home. So, he took up some jobs himself as well. It wasn't until he was 19 though that he found his perfect job- a gardener at the Ambroise family's home. It was something he not only enjoyed but also required very little English and communication from his end. Montgomery has stayed working for the Ambroise family ever since then and is generally liked by everyone he works with even though he is a much more quiet figure.

Montgomery's relationship with his father was closely knit even if he didn't see him often. The man usually was at work whenever Monte was home from school but the best memories of his father were the times he'd have a day off of work and the two of them would hang out together. Some of Montgomery's favorite memories were with his father, planting various foods with him to eat later. Monte's relationship with his mother grew ever closer after his father's passing and he says he owes a lot of who he is to her bravery and strength. He looks up to his mother a lot but he fears that she might be disappointed in him or disown him if she found out the fact he had an attraction to men. Monte isn't out to his mother- to anyone really officially. After all, while he and his mother are close, she's a very religious woman, being Catholic, and Montgomery wouldn't know what her reaction much less what he would do if she found out he was homosexual. It's probably one of his biggest fears- coming out/being outed. He has mixed feelings about his attraction towards men and is still working on understanding that there is nothing wrong with the fact he isn't attracted to women.

important relationships: 

~ The Ambroise Family because he works for them

~ Amie Dang and Monte have gradually become friends after Monte's arrival a few years back. While she intimidated him at first with how emotionless her demeanor was, he gradually grew accustomed to it with the help of her occasionally showing a tad bit of kindness towards him and the two have been best friends ever since. Whenever they're on a break, they're probably going to be seen together- whether it's eating lunch outside or Monte venting to Amie, these two are practically attached at the hip and Montgomary actually looks up to Mimi quite a bit.

[MAINLY TBD] 

likes (+) and dislikes (-): 

+ gardening
+ listening to music on the radio, especially classical music or songs in Italian
+ his mother
+ his mother's cooking
+ making people smile
+ when he meets someone who can also speak Italian
+ patient people
+ the Italian phrase "ciao bello" which means "goodbye (or hello) beautiful" (doesn't realize this might be taken in a flirtatious way- just finds the phrase cute)
+/- does and doesn't like talking about his father
- when someone judges him for his accent/poor English/French or for speaking Italian
- someone judging him based on his financial situation
- hearing rumors about him being gay although he's only ever heard one or two, nothing consistent
- when his mother gets sick
- bringing up his past/why he immigrated from Italy

opinions on: 

sexism- monte was taught to respect women for a lot of his life but to also recognize when a woman wasn't being treated fairly- partly due to his mother being a large advocate for women's rights and him growing up with her as a single mother, having to combat much sexism which monte ultimately saw/noticed. however, he has a hard time standing up against it, mostly from language barriers and low self-esteem. (monte says respec wamen)

homophobia- big no for him- although he (for obvious reasons due to the time period) isn't out to literally anyone, he still won't stand for homophobia... makes his skin crawl and very upsetting for him. he loves women but not in that sort of way

racism- due to being gay, monte can understand better the unfairness of homophobia since he's experienced some discrimination against himself as well in the past- he doesn't stand for it and dislikes how racist/homophobic the Ambroise family can be but they're the people supplying him with money so he's afraid to speak out about it

the Ambroise family and the Garcia family- sees both as very rich... too rich. although he has a bias towards the Ambroise family to some degree, considering they're his bosses... but he can get fed up with both for varying reasons and believes that its very stupid that they're rivals simply because of money, disliking a lot of the power-hungry aspects to both families. plus, he's more focused just trying to take care of his mother rather than worrying too much about their drama. 

sex drinking drugs- he's never tried drugs before although his mother occasionally smokes and so he's curious at least to try that; he's drank a handful of times but is a light drinker as well as uncomfortable drinking around people; hasn't ever had s3x either (considering he wants to have it with someone he cares about) so he doesn't have many strong opinions on any of these topics. 

theme song: 

https://youtu.be/0aUav1lx3rA

https://youtu.be/jeo3an2M_Lo

https://youtu.be/kFzViYkZAz4

https://youtu.be/NJLs-4J5ZYk

https://youtu.be/B25PAgrFQ-k

https://youtu.be/wGF7PswOENQ

Extras:

-- Monte is gradually learning more English and French from borrowing library books and reading in his free time. However, it's a bit hard for him to get library books again because of his language barrier so he usually has to go directly to the library to read and learn- if he even has the time considering how tired he is at the end of the day.