Basics
Name: Maxime Dubois
Nickname(s): Max, Maxie
Ultimate Talent: Ultimate Mortician
Country of Origin: France
Age: 25
Height: 6’3” / 190cm
Gender: Cis Man
Pronouns: he/him
Likes: Romantic goth aesthetic, horror novels and short stories, flowers
Dislikes: Disrespect of the dead, neon colors, hot weather
Personlity
Ever since childhood, Maxime has been a very anxious and shy individual with a tendency towards pessimism. He is prone to intense depression, though does have manic episodes as well, though those are less intense. Maxime has a lot of trouble expressing his wants, needs, and feelings, and can’t mask or lie well at all. While he has the ability to be expressive with his face and body language, he often has to think about it and make a conscious effort as he’s doing it for most of his emotions - besides a worried or sad expression. Maxime struggles to articulate his feelings with words as well, and isn’t particularly talkative with most people. When he finds the courage to try and speak up, he often anxiously rambles and stumbles over his words. While he has always been very introverted, he still has a strong desire to make friends.
From a young age, Maxime has always had a strong fixation on the macabre, and would talk about those kinds of topics frequently when spoken to. Because of his interests and gloomy personality, he was always seen as very peculiar and didn’t fit in at all. Being regularly othered and ridiculed by others only further fueled his depressive episodes as he grew up. By the time he had been enrolled in Hope’s Peak, he had completely given up trying to make friends at school, though did still fantasize and hope. During his time there, however, he managed to become close friends with a few members of his class, and some other positive connections with others in his class and the school. While he did remain introverted, anxious, and depressed after graduating, his newfound relationships and overall positive experience at the school really helped his mental health, and led him to seeking treatment for his issues.
Background
Maxime comes from an upper middle class family of funeral directors. He is an only child, and grew up very close with his parents, often coming with them to work and observing them as they did their jobs. His parents are on the eccentric side and allowed him to help with various funeral preparations when he was a bit older. This surprisingly worked out, as he actually enjoyed the process of it all and playing assistant. Maxime’s interest and fascination with the macabre was sparked by his parent’s work, and his involvement in it.
His upbringing in the world of morticians paired with his dark interests made him come off as very strange to his peers. Paired with his inability to lie or mask much, these things made Maxime a large target for bullying and being isolated by others. For a long time he would try very hard to fit in by being kind and gentle, but was rejected time and time again. Eventually, he gave up trying and became very resigned to his fate. While part of him still held onto hope for some kind of connection or direction in life besides his family and the funeral home, he didn’t actively try to change things anymore.
When Maxime’s parents decided he was old enough to start taking the lead in a few jobs, he began preparing bodies and directing funerals on his own. Maxime quickly became adept at the job, and took on more and more work. Eventually, he was so dejected with his peers that he completely threw himself into this work at his parent's business as a positive outlet. Maxime gained it even more notoriety and fame in the industry. This led to him being scouted as an Ultimate by Hope’s Peak, and ultimately studying abroad for his high school career there.
After graduating, Maxime’s parents gifted him the business much to his joy, and would help in preparations rather than the other way around. Sadiq, who Maxime entered a relationship with during their time at Hope’s Peak, moved to France and they began living together. On top of all this, Maxime also started going to therapy, taking some medications, and learning various ways to cope with his mental illness. In the aftermath of the Tragedy, Maxime’s mental health took a nosedive once again, though not as severely, as he had more tangible hope to hang onto in his life. He joined his country’s branch of the future foundation, and aided Sadiq in his disability activism outside of that.