Sean Slater

Player's Name: Leon
Are you over 16? Yes
Characters Played Here: Mack Gerhardt, Professor Elm

Character: Sean Slater
Series/Canon: EastEnders
From When? Episode of 1st Jan 2009

History: Sean @ Wikipedia

Personality: To say that Sean Slater is unstable would be an understatement.

Ever since he returned from the army by being Medically Discharged, Sean has proven to be one of the most violent people in Albert Square. Whilst generally affable and seemingly easy-going, Sean has a violent record that could put most people to shame. He’s vindictive, cunning, and rarely shows any mercy. He is adept at making sure that he cannot be implicated, and if anyone knows, they have no evidence.

In fact, one of the few times he was jailed was for a crime he never committed.

Despite this, his violence often seems like a cry for attention. There are times where he intentionally goads the “alpha males” of the square, butting heads as though he wants to be recognised and taken under their wing. It seems he wants a father figure to replace the one he lost.

The loss of his father, Brian Slater, seems to have been a likely trigger.

As a child, Sean idolised his dad, but he hated mother’s bi-polar disorder. As a result, Sean always acted out, trying his best to scare her. This was usually wanton acts of teenagery, and nothing overly violent or vindictive. He took her condition hard, not being able to cope with it. One evening, during an argument, he punched his dad. The next day, Brian fell from scaffolding on the construction site he worked due to an aneurysm and died.

Sean took this hard, now having lost the one male role model in his life, and being unable to cope with his mother After his sixteenth birthday, on Christmas Day, Sean ran away and joined the Army, leaving his sister, Stacey, to look after their mother.

Sean wasn’t heard of until his discharge, after being shot in the back in Iraq by a fellow soldier who suspected Sean of sleeping with his girlfriend. Sean followed him to Walford and showed the first instance of his unstable, psychotic behaviour. Sean kidnapped the guy, drove him to an isolated area and tortured him, threatening to kill him if he saw him again.

Despite this, he is very protective over his family, particularly Stacey, his sister. He has an almost-childlike possessiveness over things he considers his, which, coupled with his dangerous behaviour, is quite toxic for those around him.

He is shown to be quite the womaniser, holding several partners at once, cheating on them with little as much as a second’s thought. Although he manages to get the partners, he rarely seems to show indication that he loves them. The theory is that he holds too much grief and guilt to be able to love anything, even himself.

In summary, Sean has a charming, easy-going façade, that can easily shatter to a vindictive psychopathic streak should he feel the need. He’s cunning, intelligent and not someone to be taken lightly. He seems to crave attention and guidance, and, under the right influence, he could easily be pointed in the right direction, but conversely, he could be made worse.

Why do you think your character would work in this setting? Sean will likely have come to New Dodge to escape. Following the results of his canon point, he has nothing left in Walford, and will likely see this as a chance to get away, a lot like how he did with the army when his dad died.

He will try to get along with other people, and might possibly see this as a chance to get his life sorted out, but his nature might make that process rocky and difficult, but having a few people he can count on, who are stable, would do him wonders.

What will your character do for work?

Sean will likely pick construction work or security, playing to his strengths. He may pick construction in tribute to his father, but he does have skills as a bartender and a soldier, among other things.

Inventory: Two spare sets of clothes, Swiss army knife.

Samples: And now for the hard part! If you need a prompt for your samples, refer back to the Applications Page.

Third-Person Sample: He was sitting alone in his yurt, silently, staring at nothing in particular, a glass of something alcoholic in his right hand.

He’d been doing this a lot recently. Any chance he could get when not working. It wasn’t helping, and he knew it. It didn’t stop him, though. It never did.

He glances to the side, to his TC, and heaves a heavy sigh. There was a psychologist here… David, if Sean recalls correctly. He’d thought about it before; getting professional help. To stop this, to sort his head out and get himself on a better track.

It’s too late to call him now. Wait until tomorrow.

That voice in his head… The one he listens to so often…

Besides, it’s not like he can help you. You’re beyond help, mate. Everything you’ve done? He wouldn’t even want to help you.

Sean stands, and with a roar of anger and grief, pitches his glass against the wall of the yurt. It shatters, and as the liquid starts running down the wall to the floor, Sean sinks down as well, hugging his legs to his chest.

He felt worthless. He felt like no-one cared, and it felt like it was spiralling out of control… But, at the same time, he felt like no-one wanted to care, even here, where no-one knew him. But he wanted people to care. He wanted the attention, to be noticed. In any way possible…

Who would want to care about you?

Right. Who would? His eyes stray to his TC once more, and linger there for a good few minutes. Well, he wouldn’t find out just sitting here. Sean heaves himself to his feet and walks, unsteadily, to the bathroom, with the aim of cleaning himself up.

He ain’t speaking to no psychologist looking worse than he is…

First-Person Sample: Well, I never thought this would bloody happen as long as I lived.

[The stream flicks on to show a young-ish man, late twenties. He’s reclined in a chair with an easy smile on his face.]

Though I was expecting the accommodation to be more Starship Enterprise and less Wild Wild West. But, hey, what ya gonna do?

[His smile widens slightly.]

I’m Sean, and I’m gonna be one of your new builders, so if you want a cheeky extension added to your straw hut, gimme a call. I’m a dab hand with a hammer, after all. [A pause.] I’m also a bloody good bartender, so if anyone wants one of those for a few extra quid on the side, I ain’t sayin’ no. I make a mean Sex on the Beach [A smirk.] I also do children’s parties.

Pretty diverse in what I can do. You think of something, gimme a holler. I’m sure I can accommodate.