DANNY
NOGENT
Sweet, kind and something of a good-natured push-over, Danny Nogent has never thought of himself as special by any means and if anyone were to suggest as much, he would probably laugh uncomfortably and then proceed to shake his head. Born the only child to Deidre Nogent, Danny considers his beginnings basic at best and has never written himself off as anyone remarkable. He came into the world right on time, healthy as can be with dark, matted hair and that was all right, standard, even though his conception wasn't ideal. Deidre was a teenage mother, one of many girls who can attest to being lied to and then forgotten by a boyfriend who claimed to love her, but her parents didn't throw her out of the house and she wasn't forced to live with an abusive, uncaring husband. Convincing her boyfriend to marry her was a task that would have been about as easy as turning water into fresh Heineken and so, instead, Danny was raised by his mother and his grandparents while Deidre finished first high school and then college.
His grandparents home, for the majority of his young life, was the most comfortable environment he could be in. He played checkers with his grandpa (who out-strategized him everytime) on the back-porch in late summer and, year-round, did what little things his chubby little hands could get into in the backyard. He planted herbs with her, tended the vegetable garden, and even did his best helping prepare dinner by shucking corn, shelling peas or peeling potatos under his grandmother's careful eye. His grandma became one of his best friends when he was young and Danny appreciated being spoiled by her.
By the time Danny was four years old he'd been placed into a good pre-school and his mother, who was by then on the fast track to pursuing an art history degree, had met a man. To Danny, Gregory Adlam was the coolest adult he'd ever known. He'd never met his father, leaving him without a particular attachment to his biological dad, but he wished that Gregory could be his dad. He not only dated his mother but he also took Danny on trips when his mom worked late or his grandparents were out of town. They went to the beach together, they went to the zoo and Danny genuinely enjoyed himself. He didn't mind his mother's marrying Gregory by the time he, Danny, was six and proudly carried the ring to the smiling couple. Things felt right and good.
After putting her life in order by finishing school and starting on her art, Deidre decided it was time to move out of the apartment that she and Greg had rented and to move somewhere fresh and new, where they could really begin a home-life. Danny was seven when his family moved to Virginia Beach and, initially, he hated it. The weather was all wrong, the kids in his elementary class took to calling him Danny Noggin and Hefty Bags (sometimes varying it up with Mr. Hefts) and, most of all, he missed the cool comforts of his grandparents house. Whether he liked it or not, they stayed.
It was here that Deidre began making a full-time career for herself in the art world, selling and donating paintings to local businesses and even opening a savvy arts and crafts store to support her living. Her work got into touch with the bare elements of nature and reflected the earthy, real person she was. Gregory, unhappy with successes that didn't roll in so easily for his works of fiction and dissatisfied with not being the breadwinner in the family, began to stray from their marriage. The divorce was a little messy, with plenty of name-calling thrown between both parties, but all three came out of it in one piece and the once happy couple were able to decide, civilly, that Gregory would still be allowed to visit with Deidre's son. He moved into a "hip" bachelor's pad two cities over and Danny was able to (and still does) visit him over the weekends.
Danny kept his father figure and, although his childhood was somewhat marred by the ugliness of a severe break-up, he grew up as what most would frame as "well-adjusted". He was a happy kid, eventually involved in Little League and touch football and made the transition into high school near flawlessly. He'd lost his baby fat and thus the endearing childhood nickname Hefty Bags but he was still unable to eliminate some of his peers deep appreciation for calling him Noggin. Getting boosted into the smart kid classes allowed the nickname to stick fast and, eventually, he wound up officially as the Guy to partner up with in science courses and the resource most utilized when it came to developing or correcting a paper. Aside from honors courses, Danny signed up for art classes his first year in school and discovered a deep-rooted love for photography. It was soon clear to him that he was happiest when he was behind the lens of a camera.
Real uncertainty struck for the first time late in his freshman year when Danny began to question his own sexuality and when a phone-call came notifying the family that Danny's Oma -- his grandmother -- had developed breast cancer. His grandmother's first nugget of advice to him after the diagnosis was that everything happens for a reason and that, if God wanted it to happen, he would make her better. Danny took those words to heart and, although they were meant to reassure him and to keep him from worrying, Danny was crushed when his Oma passed away in late December. God hadn't wanted her to get better, it seemed, and he blamed that on how much more attention he seemed to pay to other boys.
Danny, afraid that his seeming attraction to the same-sex may have in some way been the reason for his grandmother's death, wanted to know for sure if there was something wrong with him, if he even actually liked boys or not. He called a hotline that he saw advertised in a phonebook and, late at night, forged a friendship with one of the hotline operators who insisted that his Oma's death was not, in any way, his fault and that there were plenty of boys and girls who felt as conflicted as he did. It was this man's advice that prompted him to join the GSA at his school. Though Danny still grapples with his own sexuality, the club's helped him in accepting who he is. All that in mind though, he's still as awkward as they come in terms of talking with guys and pursuing romantic interests. Danny is better at ease, in fact, snapping photographs, talking in a low-pressure environment with his friends or reflecting in his English class on romanticism as shown through William Blake's poetry.
A recent high school graduate, Danny is hoping to come to better terms with himself through this move to Revere.
■ Born Sept. 23rd, 1991 but always gets confused as to whether he's a Libra or a Virgo.
■ Wants to be a photojournalist.
■ Brown-eyed and dark-haired, he stands around 5'6" and seems to get most of his looks from his father.
■ Allergic to avocado but sometimes can't resist having a little bit of guacamole with his nachos. It's a definite weakness.
■ Mostly enjoys listening to indie rock and mellower music, he doesn't like MTV much but has been known to turn up some of the ridiculous popular music that comes on the radio.
■ Has been known to tell cheesy knock-knock jokes in order to get his close friends into a better mood. Though the jokes aren't usually -- ever, really -- the best, it seems to help on occasion.
■ Realized that he was gay his freshman year in high school but has yet to come out to his family.
■ Is a virgin and actually not very experienced in terms of sexual relationships. Danny's a firm believer in having feelings for someone before he kisses them and so he's actually only kissed two people in his lifetime -- his date to a middle school dance and a boy he had a crush on this past summer.
■ Carries a camera with him in his free time, took pictures for both yearbook and the newspaper in high school. Looking to work free-lance at his university.
■ Not much of a fan of watching baseball but goes to games with his former stepfather just to spend time with him. He also tried out for the team upon first entering high school. He didn't make it but he has captured some fantastic photographs of the team for the yearbook.
■ Reads and writes poetry regularly. Though he'd never share his own work with anyone he wasn't close to, he's been known to recite poems off the top of his head.
■ Recently graduated the top of his class in Virginia Beach. Slotted to attend Boston University in the Fall.
■ Juggles separate jobs. Unofficially tutors other students in writing during the school year, holds a part-time job at Victoria's Secret, runs errands for ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) dylanthomas and is spending his summer Sundays cleaning pools with Boston Pool Guys, Inc.
■ His mother has put him back in touch with his real father. Danny's unsure what to think of the man but he's decided his half-brother is a cool guy.
■ Shares ownership of a blue pitbull, Dumas, with valdez
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