Achille Descoteaux

***Full Name:*** Rochildis Achille Descoteaux

***Birthdate:*** July 8th, 1995

***Age:*** 14

***Grade:*** Seventh

**Gender:** Male

***Height:*** 5’7

***Weight:*** 123 pounds

***Hair Color:*** Black

***Eye Color:*** Pale green

***Species:*** Human

***Alias:*** Achille (preferred name)

Playboy (by Everly Reign)

Précieux (by grandparents, French word for “precious”)

Skater Boy (by Dobrev Reign)

Killer Achille (by Lila)

Achille the Stud (by Lila)

Punk (by Ian Reign and Mina Anderson)

***Family Members:*** Fantine Descoteaux (mother, deceased)

Unnamed father

Gisèle Descoteaux (maternal grandmother)

Raoul Descoteaux (maternal grandfather)

***Occupation:*** student at Ghoulsby Middle School

Skateboarder

Ghost hunter

***Residence:*** Ghoulsby, Massachusetts

Paris, France (formerly)

***Abilities:*** Psychic

Clairvoyant

Mind Tapping

***Status:*** Alive

***Quote***:

**“You actually have a ghost friend? All the ones I meet just steal my underwear and move stuff around to freak my grandma out.”** *-Achille to Dobrev in Ch. 2*

**Rochildis Achille Descoteaux** (known as **Achille**) is the second main protagonist of the novel *DOBREV,* a skateboarder and experienced clairvoyant who attends Ghoulsby Middle School. Achille lives with his French-American grandparents in Ghoulsby, Massachusetts and begins helping Dobrev Reign practice his supernatural abilities at the beginning of the novel.

### Early Life

Rochildis Achille Descoteaux was born in Paris, France to Fantine Descoteaux and an unnamed father. Achille’s mother was a prostitute and his father was one of her clients who later became her boyfriend for a short period of time. He was not very involved in Achille’s life and has not spoken or come in contact with his son since Achille was seven. Fantine and Achille lived in severe poverty for the first several years of his life, moving from place to place as Fantine continued to work as a prostitute in the lower neighborhood of Paris. She did not have enough funds saved for Achille to attend school when he was first eligible, putting him a year behind by the time he was able to attend, thanks to money given to him by his grandparents, reluctantly accepted by Fantine.

Shortly after Achille turned seven, Fantine, severely depressed and in debt to many creditors, succumb to her sorrow and hung herself while her young son was at school. Achille was the one who discovered his mother’s body. Since his father was already out of the picture while also in trouble with the law, Achille’s grandparents were given custody of him, and after finishing his first year of school in Paris, he moved to Ghoulsby, Massachusetts to be raised by Raoul and Gisèle. Achille’s psychic abilities were triggered during Fantine’s funeral when he saw her ghost standing by the coffin; the day of the funeral was also the last time Achille was in contact with his father. Since then he has lived in Ghoulsby and spends summers in Paris with his grandparents.

### Appearance

Achille is often described as being a handsome, punk rock young man with strikingly similar characteristics to his late mother Fantine. He has messy, “just rolled out of bed” coal black hair, intense pale green eyes, a thin face and a perfect smile with double incisors. He stands at about 5’7 at the beginning of the school year, weighs 123 pounds, usually wears punk clothing including black skinny jeans, Converse sneakers, cool jackets, X-Games t-shirts and his mother’s ring. He also has a Paranormal Investigator patch sewn into his jean jacket, a charm bracelet and a protective amulet given to him by Alessandro.

Dobrev Reign describes him as being “totally gorgeous” and once stated that if he didn’t have so many scars and bruises from skateboarding he would make an attractive French model. Achille has been known to break the gender wall at school events by wearing outfits typically worn on women, such as the two Halloween dances at their middle school where he attended as the main character from *The Ring* movie series and Wednesday Addams, respectfully. Dobrev says everything looks good on Achille, including women’s clothing, and notes that his “beanpole” frame isn’t as frail as it looks. His attractive features make him a very popular topic of conversation and interest with the middle school girls at Ghoulsby.

### **Personality**

Achille is stereotypically seen as a cool, intimidating punk teenage boy due to his "emo" appearance, but after Dobrev Reign gets to know him better his personality is revealed to be more on the mild side. He is surprisingly polite and extremely thoughtful, able to perceive people’s emotions even without the help of his psychic abilities; he can immediately tell when someone (most often Dobrev) is uncomfortable or upset. Achille can be talkative at times but is also comfortable with silence; he tells Dobrev that he never gets embarrassed, which is true with the exception of when Dobrev discovers his real name. His classmates see him as a tough, frightening skateboarder who doesn’t care about getting in trouble or what people think of him, which is proven to be false—Achille is a hard worker at school and even participates in academic competitions, often placing second behind another classmate.

He is laid-back, fearless, patient, funny and has a habit of answering people’s thoughts versus their words. Dobrev Reign says Achille is the coolest person he has ever met and is everything he wants to be: free to do whatever he wants without worrying about what people think of him, confident enough to commit his entire being to something without worrying about failure and kind enough to stand up for others even when the odds are against him. His speech patterns are typical of a "skater boy," such as when he says "gnarly, cool beans" and "you dig?" to Dobrev; Achille also has a habit of saying "Don't let the ghosts haunt" when parting with his friend.

Due to the unfortunate circumstances of Achille’s early life, he occasionally shows signs of vulnerability and overwhelming sorrow, as noted by several ghosts who are able to feel the guilt and agony deep inside him over the suicide of his mother Fantine Descoteaux. Since Achille was the first person to find his mother after she hung herself, he has many hidden emotional scars from the traumatic event that often trigger his quieter, more reserved side. When Achille falls into one of his depressive moods, Dobrev notes that he is very quiet, fakes most of his smiles and prefers to stay in his room and listen to music. His grandparents were worried about Fantine’s suicide triggering a destructive, violent side to their grandson, but aside from his choice of clothing style, love of video games and ear piercings Achille has proven to grow up relatively adjusted.

### Relationships

#### Relationship with Dobrev Reign

**Mina Anderson**

Before meeting Achille, Mina was extremely suspicious of his intentions with Dobrev and, as a result, was very stern and cold when they were introduced. Achille was intimidated by Mina, even more so when he was able to experience how she died; despite being standoffish to Achille, Wilhelmina eventually warmed up to him, though she always maintained her distance and never admitted to liking Achille. When Dobrev became closer friends with the older boy, Mina always made sure to keep a close eye on them in case Achille tried taking advantage of her friend. After seeing how much Dobrev cared for Achille, she began seeing him in a different light, although Mina did do her own research to find out if Achille was being sincere in his friendship. Once Wilhelmina understood Achille's character in further depth, she began trusting him to be alone with Dobrev and didn't seem bothered by their romantic feelings towards one another.

A large part of why Mina finally left the spirit world was because of her confidence in Achille's loyalty to Dobrev, showing that she truly did trust the teen to take her place as Dobrev's best friend.

**Romantic Interests**

**Lila**

Similar to other spirits in Ghoulsby, Lila first appears to be crushing on Achille, though Dobrev immediately notes that her intentions are much more sultry than his or the other ghosts and middle school girls. Achille met Lila about a year before the start of the novel, and admits to Alessandro and Dobrev that he almost let her get too close to him; presumably, Achille offered to be friends with Lila before realizing she wanted much more than friendship. He tried to cut her off, but Lila stuck around Ghoulsby just so she could remain close to him, and even appeared in the teen's nightmares from time to time, in hopes this would cause Achille to give her attention.

When Lila sees Achille spending more and more time with Dobrev Reign, she becomes jealous and lashes out in revenge, going so far as to punch Achille and manipulate Bunnie Eskell into stealing his deceased mother's ring. Lila didn't seem to realize (or care) that this only worsened Achille's opinion of her, seeing their relationship as a game she was in versus Dobrev. Though Achille never showed any signs of attraction towards Lila, she continued to pursue him, most likely so she could use his energy as her own, and eventually seduce the teen.

After Achille reveals that he isn't interested in Lila because he doesn't like girls, Lila is completely taken aback. At first, she has trouble believing Achille, attempting to convince him even after the fact, but once Achille makes it perfectly clear that he already has somebody he likes, Lila seems to realize she wasted her time trying to seduce him and finally disappears.

**Bunnie Eskell**

Bunnie is one of the many ghosts in Ghoulsby who has a crush on Achille. The pair met around the same time Achille met Lila, and while they don't know each other very well, they seem to be on somewhat friendly terms. Achille politely acknowledges Bunnie when they meet in the graveyard on Halloween night, not noticing her blushing darkly upon seeing his feminine costume. Bunnie always greets him before anyone else, hinting at her innocently romantic intentions.

Although Bunnie has a (unrequited) crush on Achille, she is manipulated by Lila into helping her haunt and torment the teenager to weaken his spirit. Bunnie admits what she did to Dobrev near the end of the novel, and worries that Achille may never want to speak with her again if he finds out she helped Lila. Bunnie also tells Dobrev she could never talk as easily to Achille as he does, but thankfully does not appear as jealous as Lila is over their bond. It is unknown if Achille himself was aware of her romantic feelings, or if Bunnie overheard Achille tell Lila he isn't into girls.

Author Gwendolyn Grimaldi has stated in a headcanon that Bunnie is now the #1 "Dochille" shipper in Ghoulsby, defending their relationship from ghosts and humans, and making sure their dates are not ruined by anyone, showing that she has moved on from her crush on Achille and instead offers her friendship.

**Others**

**Everly Reign**

Having similar personalities and a shared love for fashion, Everly and Achille get along very well. While at first Everly is worried that Achille might be out to humiliate her cousin, she warms up to the student quicker than her father; even though Everly brought up a painful topic when Achille first came over for dinner, he bears no ill will towards her and seems to find her entertaining. Everly often notes how handsome Achille is and compares him to actor Asa Butterfield, whom she insists is Dobrev's type.

In headcanons by author Gwendolyn Grimaldi, Everly is said to call and email Achille while she is at college so they can discuss fashion design.

**Ian Reign**

Achille and Dobrev’s uncle did not start out on the right foot; Ian believed Achille to be an older teen just out to manipulate Dobrev and eventually publicly humiliate the boy by outing him. Ian forces Achille to leave their home and even places a temporary ban on him; he and his wife also read the texts he sent to Dobrev to ensure he isn't preying on their nephew. Once it becomes clear how attached Dobrev is to Achille, Ian loosens the restriction and allows Dobrev to spend time with Achille on his birthday.

Originally unimpressed by Achille's skater boy character, he eventually learns that Achille is mature and kind to Dobrev, though he still interrogates the teen when he comes over for dinner. Achille is still slightly intimidated by Ian, and even wonders if he should be monitoring Dobrev's uncle when he portions the food out, just in case it has been poisoned. After a few months of coming to the Reign house to watch movies and read with Dobrev, Ian seems to be more comfortable having Achille around and isn't constantly chaperoning them.

**Elena Reign**

Elena appears to like Achille much more than her husband, being the first to officially invite Achille into their home for dinner. She remarks that Achille is polite and charming, to which Ian retorts that he's probably just flirting with her. Elena is comfortable leaving Achille and Dobrev to their own devices and doesn't see the need to monitor them, as she trusts both the boys to not get into too much trouble.

### Family

**Fantine Descoteaux**

Achille’s relationship with his mother was strained since Achille’s birth. Fantine was already in a poor state of mind, and her depression seemed to worsen after the birth of her son and the break up with her on again, off again boyfriend. Although Achille was a happy child, Fantine was unable to support him both emotionally and financially; Achille only began attending school when his grandparents found out their daughter didn't have enough money to enroll their grandson. As Achille got older, Fantine's mental health only worsened, eventually causing her to commit suicide by hanging when her son was only seven. Since Achille was the one who discovered her body after returning home from school, this had a serious impact on his own emotional wellbeing, and soon triggered his clairvoyant abilities.

As a teen, Achille still thinks about his mother often, and even wears a ring she used to own on his right pointer finger. He feels enormous guilt over her death, unfairly blaming himself for her suicide; whenever December arrives (the month Fantine killed herself), Achille becomes quiet and despondent, thinking obsessively about his deceased mother. When Bunnie and Lila trick Achille into thinking his mother is standing in the middle of the road on a winter night, Achille is so shocked he swerves the car, crashing it into a tree and down a hill, although this is later revealed to be a false premonition. Achille also becomes agitated when Bunnie steals his mother's ring and hides it in the Ghoulsby Forest.

**Raoul Descoteaux**

Achille and his grandfather have a positive relationship, and are most often seen joking and teasing each other. Raoul cares greatly about his grandson, is always concerned about his minor skating injuries and lack of close friends. In return, Achille loves his grandfather deeply, offering to do work around the house so his grandparents can "enjoy their retirement." Raoul has many affectionate nicknames for Achille and enjoys taking him to shows and their yearly vacation to Paris. When Achille thought his grandfather was seriously injured during their car crash (later determined to just be a false precognitive vision), he called desperately for Raoul and became very panicked.

**Gisèle Descoteaux**

Gisèle cares for her grandson deeply, having been raising him since Achille was seven. She is constantly asking questions about his social life and well-being to make sure he isn't hiding his true feelings. Gisèle enjoys cooking Achille's favorite foods for him, as well as for his friend Dobrev, whom she finds precious. Achille was horrified when he thought his grandmother had died after he accidentally caused the car to crash (which turned out to just be a false precognition caused by Lila), and cautiously warned his grandparents to not trust a ghost that looked like their daughter. Gisèle doesn't seem to mind Achille's punk style and occasional genderbent outfits, though she does worry about him being socially isolated. Achille once told Dobrev she ordered him to get rid of an Ouija board he had, but his grandfather let him keep it.

### Trivia

-Achille’s real name was revealed on his passport as being Rochildis (pronounced *Roh-sheel-dee* in French) Achille Descoteaux. After he moved in with his grandparents, he begged them to let him go by his middle name, Achille, instead of Rochildis, a name he despises and does his best to hide from everyone.

~He frequently carries around his Magic 8 Ball, which he refers to for many of his life choices, both critical and casual, much to Dobrev’s worry

~According to a headcanon, Achille shaves his legs every week; he claims he does so because wearing skinny jeans is more comfortable that way

~His favorite movie genre is horror, and his favorite horror movie villain is Michael Myers

~Achille is comfortable wearing women’s clothing, as seen by his past Halloween costumes including the girl from *The Ring* series and Wednesday Addams. This hints that Achille does not have an issue with sexual identity or titles, also pointing towards the idea of him possibly being binary or gender fluid.

~He loves Hello Kitty and has many shirts and pajamas of the character

~He wears his mother’s ring on his right pointer finger and has a habit of playing with it as he talks

~Achille is left handed, but can also use his right hand for certain things

~His favorite food is the French meal beef bourgion.

~Achille used to play lacrosse, but quit to put his focus on a more fun sport: skateboarding

~He is an avid video gamer and plays games such as *Hotline Miami*, *MXGP*, *Mother Russia Bleeds*, *Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Grand Theft Auto* and *Mario Carts*

~Gisèle Descoteaux, Achille’s grandmother, says her grandson is notorious for sleeping in until noon on the weekends

~Achille’s psychic and clairvoyant abilities were triggered by the suicide of his mother, Fantine, who hung herself when her son was seven years old. He was the first one to find her body after arriving home from school, and later saw her apparition while at the funeral.

~His favorite song is the *Halloween* theme song for the character Michael Meyers

~Despite Achille’s “bad boy” reputation, he is the second smartest student in his class and always makes the highest honor roll

~ Since Achille’s mother could not afford to send him to school right away, Achille is always a year older than his current classmates, having started a year after he should have

-The name *Rochildis* is from French origin and means "pretty rock," while the name *Achille* (from Greek's *achos*) means "pain."

-His favorite TV show is *Ghost Adventures*, which premiered one year before the start of the novel