RHODES, april

[april rhodes]

april jenifer rhodes

if you wanted the sky
b a s i c s

• name,

april jenifer rhodes

• nicknames,

sugar, cookie

• gender,

female

• birthday,

april 3rd

• age,

thirty four

• occupation,

performer, does a bit of everything

• sexuality,

straight but is always up for anything!

• canon or original,

canon

• playby,

kristin chenoweth

i would write across the sky in letters
a p p e a r a n c e

• head,

April has a rather pretty face. Although she has signs of age (such as 'wrinkles' or more affectionately known as laughter lines, she sure likes to sing and laugh) she still retains beauty. Her blonde hair falls just past her shoulders and is almost always curled. She believes it to be one of her best features and has yet to find a single grey hair. She's nowhere near stressed enough for that. April also has blue/gray eyes that are often sparkling with happiness.

• body,

April is short, at only four foot eleven inches, yet she doesn't let that change how she views people. She isn't easily intimidated and often wears heels to make up for her diminutive height. She is also very lightweight, her weight averaging at about 94 pounds, as most of her diet consists of alcoholic beverages. As for her other features, she is quite lucky to have what a typical heterosexual male would perceive as the 'perfect body'. With all the energy she possesses, it is very easy to work out and exercise.

• style,

April doesn't have a specific, fixed style. She often wears dresses or jeans, something that looks flattering but never anything that makes her look too smart or 'fancypants'. She dresses in what makes her feel comfortable but also accents her best features. As for make up, she hardly ever leaves the house without eye makeup on and lipstick/gloss coating her lips. However, she always puts the most work into her hair, curling it every morning without fail.

that would soar a thousand feet high
p e r s o n a l i t y

• goals,

* Make it in theatre
* Give up alcohol for good
* Get into everyones pants

• fears,

* Never making anything of her life
* Giving up alcohol for good...
* Never finding true love

• first impression,

At first, April comes across as your typical fun-loving drunk. Sure, she's an alcoholic and her typical haunts are anywhere that serves ice cold gin, and without giving her the time of the day they class her as not worthy of conversation. She is often talking too loud or even shouting, and she has a bounce to her step even if she's too drunk to walk in a straight line. People think that she is not the worth the time of the day to talk to her unless you have an ulterior motive (mainly sex). But when she sings, it touches something in people. Her voice is powerful and beautiful and can change any preconceptions that people had of her. She's talented and no amount of booze will ever change that.

• overall,

April is sort of like a Victoria Sponge Cake. She has two layers to her, but deep down her heart is always sweet. Her top 'layer' - the one on the surface, shows her carefree side. She doesn't mind drinking because it's fun, and she enjoys having fun. She can let herself go because she doesn't care what people think about her, their feelings aren't going to affect her life. She sees everyone through rose-tinted spectacles and tends to love each and everyone of them, even if she struggles to show it at times. She doesn't let herself be intimidated by people either. She is a strong, independent person and she lives for her own dreams whilst still being concious of other people. She sleeps with guys because well, because it's fun. And because she can, which is one of the mantras she abides to. She lives in a world of glitter and sparkle and wine glasses and never thinks of the consequences. Her first layer isn't too complicated, in fact, it's so laid back it's horizontal. But that doesn't mean there's only one side to her. It doesn't mean that she's a simple being with no feelings.

Deep down, past all the fronts and all the booze and drugs and all the other junk she's put into her body in the past few years since leaving school, April does have a soul. She wants to be loved, but last time she loved someone it ended horribly and she's convinced herself that there's nothing more to relationships than sex and money. But she still wants someone to prove her wrong. She still wants someone to fight for her. As for her dreams, she's getting to old to accomplish them, and knowing that frightens her. She came back to Lima to live a more tame, realistic version of her ambitions but she knows it will never be the same as being on Broadway. She won't win a Tony award for playing Cosette in Les Mis at the Akron Civic Theatre. April wants other things too. A family, a friend worth living for. And she's scared to death that she'll die never having any of the things she truly wants. But the alcohol. The thing that's stopping her from doing everything she wants to do. But also the thing she's scared she won't be able to survive without. Maybe one day, if she gives it up, she'll be able to change for good.

to sir, with love
h i s t o r y

• family,

Daisy Rhodes - mother, deceased
Kevin Rhodes - father, deceased
Julia Rhodes - aunt, deceased
Two twins of which she put up for adoption

• hometown,

Lima, Ohio

• current town,

Lima, Ohio

• overall,

April Jenifer Rhodes was born on the third of April, 1976, the first and only child of Daisy and Kevin Rhodes. As an only child, she was spoilt rotten. Showered with everything she asked for, she became used to the high life. Once she turned five she began taking singing lessons, after she discovered a passion for music. Her dad used to play rock music in the car and April adored it, singing along even when she didn't know the words to it. As for her mother, she loved musicals, and would take April to shows whenever she could, sometimes on Broadway or sometimes just at the local community theatre. Watching the people performing on stage, April began to long to be one of them. She became determined, and when she joined high school she signed up for the glee club straight away. The McKinley High show choir had a lot of potential. There were many talented performers there but she was always the star. Everybody loved her, all the guys wanted to date her and all the girls wanted to be her. She was the model girl, with luscious hair, flawless looks and a powerful voice. Her parents came to all their shows, without fail.

And then, when April was going into her senior year, something devastating happened. Her parents were killed in a car crash and April refused to believe it. Her Aunt Julia moved in to take care of her but April still hoped that they'd be at the table for breakfast every morning. And they weren't. And for months she never gave up hope.

She started dating Vinnie, and they were the glee clubs power couple. He was talented and so was she, and they both had big dreams. She didn't tell anyone about her parents, it was her secret and if she told people they had died then that would mean she had to believe it. But after months and months of coming down to breakfast and eating with her aunt in silence, April had had enough. She dropped out of high school before taking her exams and completing her course, and convinced Vinnie that they didn't need qualifications to become stars. They just needed their talent. She left without saying goodbye to her Aunt, convinced she would just tell her to stay, even if she didn't want her there. She never spoke to her again, because once she returned to Lima the house had been sold.

Vinnie and April drove to New York and rented a small apartment in the Bronx. They tried out for numerous auditions but sadly neither of them made it. Distraught, they spent all their spare time in bars, drinking their sorrows away and cheating on each other, but never breaking up because they were the only grasps either of them had on reality. However, they couldn't find jobs that paid enough to cover the rent of the apartment and their alcohol addiction, and they began to get notices, threatening eviction, until the day came when they returned home to find everything gone, and a padlock on the door. It was time for them to leave New York City and find a more realistic dream. Vinnie suggested going back home, to Ohio, but April was paranoid that if she returned to Lima then it would be like admitting defeat. Everyone from school, and her Aunt, would see what a failure she was. So, settling in between their requests, Vinnie and April decided to move to Cleveland.

The rent in Cleveland was cheaper than NYC, but it was still pretty expensive in their terms. They found a one-room plus bathroom bedsit above Ralph's Bake Shop and Waffle House and continued to try and find work in theatre. It never worked out, however, and April flitted through jobs, never lasting very long anywhere before she got kicked out for turning up to work drunk or stoned or both. Every night she would come home to Vinnie and they'd curl up on their stained mattress and she'd listen to the police cars, thinking how this wasn't how it was supposed to be. Until one night she came home and found her spot on the mattress was taken, by none other than Ralph, the owner of the shop they lived above. Vinnie told her he was sorry, but that he no longer had feelings for her. That he just 'wasn't into girls' any more, but she was still welcome to stay with him. She left for a while, finding a place to stay with a guy who owned the bar she worked at. She kept her job by being his mistress, but the day she found out she was pregnant was the day she became homeless and unemployed.

Reluctantly, she returned to Vinnie, tail between her legs. She didn't want to raise a kid on the street, and he let her back. After all, he was never a mean-hearted person and he did still value her as a friend. April began to realise when she was pregnant that this world wasn't the right world to raise kids in, and decided to put her twins up for adoption. They found a good home in the suburbs, and with no dreams, no job and nowhere to turn, April finally decided that she should return home to Lima. Maybe there, she would find an old friend, or maybe find her parents (because she never really believed they were gone).

She caught the train back home and her first stop was her old home on Bontempo Road. Her Aunt Julia had left, or died, no one ever bothered to explain that one to her, but the house still held so many memories. She stayed there, even though she did regularly get kicked out for squatting. Her money came in as a performer at a club nearby, but it was nowhere near enough for her to find a place to stay and to support herself. No, instead, she funnelled it all into her addiction and a brand new purchase- a laptop. She found that with a Myspace page she could record herself singing and watch as people from all around the world appreciated her talent. It was close to what she had always wanted in some ways, but in other ways, it was a whole world apart.

One day, she got a message from Will Schuester, asking if they could meet up. She didn't recognize the name, but who was she to decline a possible love interest? He turned up at her doorstep and when he told her he used to go to school with her, it didn't quite register. Her memory of those days were rather hazy from all the drug abuse. But when he told her he wanted to help her become a star, suddenly, all her concentration was on him. She was accepted back into the Glee club as an adult student and adored being in the spotlight. She was there for a week or so, enjoying the attention, the adoration. But the night she performed with them, as wonderful as it made her feel, she realised something. She was hogging their spotlight, stopping their dreams. And she knew how it felt to have your dreams halted. So when Will suggested she should leave, she agreed. He told her she should make it, even if it was just in Branson, and with a new spring in her step, she left to make it once again.

Sadly, it didn't work. She found her addiction took priority over her dreams once again and stopped at a bar just outside of Lima, a bar that offered her a room in return for her being a barmaid and performing. It was an offer she couldn't refuse, and when she wasn't working she spent the rest of her time drinking. Until one day, an old guy walked in. He offered her a drink and she graciously accepted, and then he told her who he was. Buddy Liebowitz, an amazingly wealthy strip mall tycoon. She didn't love him, but he was rich. And this could be her chance to be rich too. He got sex and she got money. It was kind of like prostitution, but a better-paying version. After spending weeks talking, he asked if she ever wanted a business. She was dubious, but when he told her he was looking into a cabaret roller rink, a place that would be fun, a place that served alcohol and on top of that, a place for her to sing, she was there.

It was back in Lima, once again, but she never found anyone she vaguely recognised, until the day Will Schuester returned into her life. He told her that the auditorium was being kept from the club and that they had nowhere to go, so she told him to bring them to the roller rink. Seeing those kids may inspire her to chase her own dreams. And the good news kept coming, Will was looking for a sub-letter. Sure, she could stay at the roller rink, but it would be even better if she could stay somewhere with company. She stayed over for a night and she loved it, just being with someone again. Not feeling alone. But Will didn't like it as much as she did. He thought it was awkward and he had feelings for other people, whether it be Emma or Terri she never quite knew, but he did. And once again, he encouraged her to follow her dreams. It didn't work the time before, but maybe it would work this time.

She told Buddy it was over if he didn't leave his wife, hoping he'd take the news well, after all, she was a lot better looking than his old woman. But he didn't take it so good. In fact, he had a heart attack, and died. She wasn't saddened by the loss, she had become immune to such feelings and she didn't love him. But when his widow found out about April being his mistress, she was far too worried April would take the scandal to the newspapers. The woman couldn't deal with the loss of her husband and public humiliation, so she gave April 2 million dollars. April had never been so rich, and she decided for the first time, she was going to do some good. So the first thing she bought with her money (after a celebratory round of drinks), was the auditorium for New Directions. She named it the April Rhodes Civic Pavillion in her honour and told Mr Schuester she was sobering up and was going to mount the first ever all-white production of the Wiz.

Turns out every time she says things like that, they never work out. The moment she returned to New York she returned to the bars. She rented a fairly spacious apartment in Brooklyn and did a little community acting, but it was hardly an impressive play. As she watched her money beginning to drop and dwindle, she panicked. This life was too risky. This life held no stability for her and she was getting to the age where stability was what she needed. So a few months after moving there, she returned home, once again, to Lima. But this time, she bought herself a sizeable house and begun attending Alcoholic's anonymous. She still drinks, but maybe this would be the start of something new. Maybe she would find true love, a best friend, a family.

And finally, she accepted her parent's death. Every Tuesday she goes to their graves and talks to them. The first time she went, however, she found another headstone nearby. Julia Rhodes. She had died in Lima, even though previously she had lived in Florida. And for the first time in years, she felt something deep inside at the thought that her aunt had waited for her to return, and had died alone. And April didn't want to die alone.

if you wanted the moon i would try to make a start
i n t e r v i e w

• if you were stuck on an island, what are three things you'd have with you and why?

"If I was stuck on an island the only thing to drink would be saltwater and I don't fancy me some fish when I'm thirsty, so I'd have to take a good supply of liquids. Of course, they'd all have a little bit of alcohol in it but hey! Birds of paradise or whatever buggers you find on an island don't judge, right? As for the other two- well I'd probably have to bring my roller thingamabobs, my hair needs a bit of va-va-voom, you know? Don't want to look like a regular plain jane, just in case I come across a tribe of sexy cavemen. I might take my iPod nano with me too, give me something to sing along to when them tribal folk aren't doing one of their sing-song rituals. They do them, right? Right!"

• what are your feelings on other characters on this site?

"Ol' April here don't hold grudges, oh no no. I'm all about the lurve. And I lurve me some Will Schuester! Yet to sleep with him but boy, believe me, I've tried. And I will keep on trying! Guy's gotta give in at some point! You can only resist the Rhodes power for so long then BAM! Your penis is inside o'me. As for the rest of the people in this redneck hicksville cow town, I'm pretty indifferent. Let me think. Hang on...

Okay! I got somethin'. The glee kids. They're cute. They all have such great voices and they can dance. I hope they don't end up like me. I think they have such great futures in front of them and they deserve it. That Puckerman kid is kinda hot too, and the kid called Finn. I know it's wrong and stuff but being a cougar is sexy! And if I've still got the stuff then I might as well flaunt it. As for the staff at McKinley, I don't have much against them. The Pills-popper guidance counsellor or whatever her name is seems to have somethin' against me, maybe it's cause we both have a thing for Schuester but hey! I have a thing for everyone. I don't discriminate, you know, you got the package, you're good enough for me. Or maybe my hair ain't curly enough for her. Whatever. My hair is more flawless than a Barbie model!"

• what are your favorite things to do in your spare time?

"Oh, you know me. I like to try my hand at anything. I like to do a bit of sing-song, a bit of jazz-handing, you know. All that theatrical crap. It never gets me anywhere but it's fun, and fun is what I live for. Keeps my blood pressure down. Don't wanna die early now, do I? I like myself a bit of liquor too, and you can find me at bars living it up with a glass of vino in my hand! As for everything else, I like to keep myself fit. I don't want to end up like everyone else in America- fat and ugly, no no! I want to stay fit and healthy. So exercise is kind of important, whether it be going for a jog and a prance near the lake or doing a yoga or sex therapy class at the local community centre. I'm usually teachin' the sex one though, don't need qualifications to do that. Just experience, and boy do I have experience! Want me to show you?"

but i would rather you let me give my heart
o o c

• name,

Steph

• age,

Fifteen!

• gender,

Female

• time zone,

GMT

• experience,

A long time.

• other characters,

Miss Rachel Berry!

• contact info,

[e-mail] (MSN)

to sir, with love.
t h e e n d

[noah puckerman]

accepted

i love her bb :3