What's in a Name?

Tolkien Patterson

Tolkien Patterson- African American ancestry; Tolkien Patterson is an optimistic, friendly, adventurous, and insightful young man who along with Craig Turner is one of Lilah Lovey's two best friends. He is very imaginative, sometimes to the point of seeming detached from reality, yet at other times he is hyper-aware, even breaking the fourth wall according to his peers. Such statements usually go over everyone's heads, which causes others to perceive him as unintelligent, although he is relatively indifferent to the negative opinions others have of him. As time goes on, he becomes more respected by kids and adults alike, sometimes even impressing Lilah and Craig. Tolkien can sometimes act bossy and takes things personally when certain things are intended as a joke, although he has a way of defending others and standing up to bullies. He is an avid reader and aspiring author, reading books that are well above a high school reading level, such as Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. He does not like being filmed on camera and can be reckless on occasion, as he doesn't always consider other people's feelings and forgets to think before she acts. He is seen as a good and loyal person however and claims that in exchange for doing people's homework, such as writing their reports on books for school, he accepts candy as payment. Tolkien enjoys being playful and can generally be found in a positive mood, often bringing a positive energy to his environment with light humor. His friends tend to describe him as an "unfazed everyman" when it comes to the weirdness in his surroundings, as he claims to detest conflict and drama and what he considers "petty confrontations" with people. 

Although he is not generally a hot-tempered or argumentative person, he will stand up for himself to calm the situation and maintain his inner peace. Having been a victim of bullying as an elementary and middle school student, he is very adamant at defending those who are ridiculed or mocked by others and demonstrating empathy for those who are looked down upon. Tolkien's dream is to move to California with his girlfriend Raquelle and attend university at USC one day in order to eventually produce his own feature film. He was raised in a working-class environment, which caused changes for his family including selling their second car and moving into an older house that was more affordable for them. He tends to bond with his family over cheddar rice cakes, with his favorite brand being Quaker Oats and decided that he would cook for his school's talent show, although his brother claimed that wasn't a "real" talent. He seems to be have a caring father who looks after everyone, whether it be making dinner or simply telling bad jokes, and enjoys exercising with him in his spare time. Tolkien has been seen watching the news on TV and follows the stock market, although he also has a mantra to make sure he puts his shoes and coat in the right area. He is not too concerned with the origins of his ancestors as slaves, claiming that he can't change the past but can only influence or control what he has now. His family is Methodist and tries to attend church every other Sunday, and his household has a tradition of participating in the Messiah Sing-along every Christmas. He enjoys his deliveries for the local cafe as well due to his interaction with the people, especially the much older Ms. Torres, whom he spends time playing ping pong with.

Considered daring to a fault, Tolkien is brave and always eager to join in on any adventure, along with being fiercely loyal and protective of his close friends. He has many eclectic interests, being fascinated by concepts encompassing the metaphysical and surreal, such as astrology and soul and aura colors, as well as ancient philosophy and personality theory. He challenges Craig's views once he points out his implicit biases when he makes a cold offhand joke about his Mexican classmate riding his "teeny, tiny bicicleta", helping him reconsider his statement. He is also the photographer for the yearbook staff and enjoys observing the members of his school and documenting the experiences of each of his classmates. Tolkien is also a lover of music, mixing beats as a hobby with his uncle when he was younger, and enjoys listening to The Weeknd and Justin Bieber. He is sociable around crowds, as even when he struggled to fit in after moving to Harlem, he would often start conversations with those he came across on the street. While many of his acts are selfless, he is partly driven by low self-confidence in his own abilities, feeling smaller than he is. This is as much to his credit as it is to his detriment, as he will often put himself in grave, life-threatening danger, in his quest to protect  those he cares about. Tolkien tends to worry about a lot about things, although he does not usually voice his concerns, worries, or discomfort to others. He is initially nervous when visiting Lilah's townhouse, as the bedrooms are very pristine like hotel rooms and the house is so clean, unlike his own house that has toys on the floor and his little brother's art on the walls, as well as different rules. His anxieties build up and come to a head at Lilah's swimming competition, as he panics and runs away, getting lost in the woods in the process. 

He is able to remember how to stay safe however and wait for rescue, but still has unpleasant thoughts about not being found until he is. Tolkien doesn't care for coconut, but is incredibly close to his grandmother Mimi, finding pleasure in eating the soul food she makes for the family and enjoying her roasted chicken and fried okra. He enjoys gardening in his "Gran M's" backyard, despite the many bugs, and together, they have baked bread, played board games, crafted and learned how to produce homemade gak. She finds a way for the three hearts on her necklace to mean their whole family, one for those no longer there, one for those in the present with them, and one for future people they haven't met yet. She was born in the spring, but claims that she does not know the exact day of her birth as it was not recorded by her parents, although she picks April 9th due to the celebrations at the end of the Civil War. Tolkien enjoys making Tik Tok videos with Craig in his free time, which has earned him significant popularity and approval among his peers. Despite never having previously touched the instrument, he is shown to be highly skilled with the bass guitar, which he plays at his church. He may be among the most well-behaved students at his school, as he has yet to swear, lie, cheat, break a law, or engage in any other form of bad behavior. He has also been shown on some occasions to be discreet, being careful in his words and actions in order to avoid offending anyone. Tolkien is African American and has dark brown skin, short, black hair, and dark brown eyes, and he stands at a height of 5 ft. 11. He wears a light purple Armani Exchange shirt with a yellow letter "T" and a pair of dark blue jeans, although he has also been shown to enjoy wearing hoodies in his down time. 

He has demonstrated a level of insecurity in his skin color, as seen when he tries photoshopping himself at one point to lighten his skin. As an adult, his he had his hair grown and is seen with a full beard, appearing to be slightly more muscular and staying fit and trim by going on jogs throughout the neighborhood. Tolkien admits to feeling embarrassed by his first name, which his father picked out for him due to his love for Lord of the Rings and the fact that his mother refused to name him J. R. R. He attends school at Emerson College in Boston once his application to USC is rejected and switches his major to marketing during his second year. He goes on to work as an account executive for T Mobile, where he remains at the start of his career, although he later runs his own sneaker company. He marries a girl named Tracy whom he meets and dates steadily throughout his time in college after he and Raquelle break up their junior year of high school. Tolkien remains tied closely to each member of his family, even when his brother sometimes bothers him or gets into his things, and his friends say that he has strong family pride. He loves poetry and is very good at writing, demonstrating a love of Shakespeare, and doesn't like backing down from his beliefs, as he tries to speak from the heart. When he first arrives in Boston, he fears being alone in the city due to being unused to the environment but slowly becomes braver and more confident in moving around, in part with his future wife's guidance. He later helps children learn simple reading and writing and uses his technology skills to start a nonprofit that donates laptop computers to African countries who have no access to education. INFP 9w8