the bare bones } HoC application
Aug. 22nd, 2012 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sineoccasuPlayer name: Qi
Characters played: Eileen (A♣), Cadogan (10♦), Evan (4♣), Chives (5♠)
Character Name: Frederick Stewart-Jarrett
Age: 32
Suit/Rank: 6♦
History:Frederick Stewart-Jarrett was born to a pair of low-ranking Spades, recently arrived from British Columbia. The oldest of three, he was the first of the first generation of his family to be born in the Deck. His parents were more than pleased to have him, completely contented to bring him up in the new home they’d found and equally overjoyed when his younger brothers followed in quick succession.
Being approached by the Cruz was not a particular honour, but certainly seemed to be a secure sort of life to set their eldest son into, particularly when others of their rank murmured that it wasn’t an opportunity to pass up. If Shing was interested in the boy, there would certainly be good things in his future. So, age 13, Frederick was sent to look after Andrea Cruz and begin paving his way with the illustrious family.
He and Andrea were close in age, and it didn’t take long for them to form a fairly close friendship. Much though he was able to remain deferential and ‘appropriate’ in front of the rest of her family, there were plenty of opportunities to simply be themselves together. He was always honest with her, enjoyed asking for her opinion and genuinely listened to her when she needed an ear. For three years, it was an ideal set up. Every day was spent working in the service of a dear friend, and it was hardly any hardship to slip away and spend time with his brothers.
Things went sour at age 16, when he was just getting ready for his first official challenge—and along came the most awkward and painful Valentine’s Day of his life, when an attempt to offer Andrea a gift was vastly misinterpreted. His friendship with Andrea was clearly shaken deeply, and his connection with the family instantly severed. What stung even more deeply was being shoved from his own family as the Cruz began setting pressure to his parents to get rid of him. It was a long, painful conversation with his father, to finally be told he wasn’t welcome in his own family’s home for fear of his safety within the Spades. Lost, confused, stripped of everything he genuinely knew and understood, too mortified to ask for help from the cousins he had in the Clubs, Frederick finally stumbled his way into the court of Diamonds and petitioned to switch to the red suit.
The first few months were absolutely miserable. From his tight family unit and close friendship with Andrea, he suddenly found himself adrift among unfamiliar faces. More time than he likes to admit to was spent simply sulking and licking his wounded pride. It was shocking to be so alone. It wasn’t until his seventeenth birthday that he decided he’d had enough. He couldn’t go back to his life, his home, his place in the Spades. That didn’t mean he couldn’t make something of himself.
A few days after his seventeenth birthday, Frederick challenged a Four in a battle of tongue-twisters in their three mutual languages: English, French and Mandarin Chinese. The audacity of it meant his victory came with no counter-challenge, and gave the faintest ripple back in the Spades. He didn’t care if very many people paid attention or particularly noticed him—it was satisfying enough to know that his own family had heard and was proud, and that the Cruz family had heard and were disdainful. It was an important step toward his own independence, toward fully turning his life around.
Age twenty saw him challenging to Five in a battle of oration, spoken verse in declamation. Age twenty-five came with the challenge to Six, this time in Monopoly with a counter-challenge in Battleship, both of which he won definitively. It felt good to be advancing in a sharp suit well-matched toward advancement in the Spades. Twenty-seven saw him challenging to Seven, stepping out of his comfort zone and barely winning in a marathon—but the counter-challenge in Muay Thai was definitively lost, and he stayed at Six. Ten years ago, he would have lash out, been hurt and angry and shamed. But having truly accepted his past, his break, his movement into his own life, he simply smiled and congratulated the Seven. The time to keep advancing would come. He would be ready.
Personality: Frederick was not really meant to be a Spade. True, there was something ambitious and sharp within him, something just a little cold and vindictive about his desire to climb the ladder and spite the Cruz family. But beyond that, he didn’t fit particularly well into the Suit. Being distant and vicious were a second-hand trait, something he borrowed to fit in with the Suit he’d been born into and that didn’t entirely fade away when he switched to the Diamonds.
At the heart of things, Frederick is a fairly bright and cheerful person. He enjoys other people and close friendships. His emotions aren’t particularly well-hidden most of the time—he’s bright and sparkling or he’s dull and gloomy, and very rarely does he moderate himself in the middle. He’s a very loyal friend and a generally contented person, with little façade between himself and the rest of the world.
There’s little to no artifice to Frederick. What you see is very much what you get. Not everyone appreciates it about him, but he’s long since stopped trying to please other people. He pleases himself, and that’s quite enough for him.
Appearance: For either a Spade or a Diamond, Frederick is a bit sloppy in his appearance. He dresses himself comfortably rather than overly fashionably, and tends to look a little out of sorts in a suit. He keeps his hair long and shaggy, and is almost always swearing sneakers rather than ‘proper’ shoes.
Although he’s not entirely cognizant of it, his often downright messy appearance is a last vestige of rebellion against his past. Much though he’s moved on from being openly angry and entirely spiteful, his sloppiness is an open act of defiance against the family that required such immaculate perfection of him in his childhood. He tends to stand slouched over, hands in his pockets, only straightening to his full (if not overly impressive) height in moments which reckon back to his childhood as a well-polished Spade.
Since losing his Muay Thai counter-challenge, he’s spent more time focused on physical training, which is starting to show in his physique. The faint hook in his nose, of which he is fairly self-conscious, also comes from that loss.
Character PB: Hu Ge
Writing sample: There’s very little in the world Frederick hates more than he hates chess, but when an Eight he someday intended to challenge asks him to play? He sucks his distaste straight up and plays.
This does not, unfortunately, make the game less mind-numbingly boring. The black and white pieces, beautifully carved from clearly expensive wood and cherished by some Diamond family or other across the centuries, hold absolutely no splendor beyond what he knew was expected. The slow-moving, long-range strategy drags on into what felt like infinity.
He’s only human. It only takes a few moves for his poker face to fizzle and finally drop into absolutely nothing. His jaw hangs slightly open. His eyes fall slightly closed. His entire body slumps, chin supported heavily on his right hand while his left moves his pieces with seeming abandon across the board.
The Eight seems more amused than annoyed, chastens him softly about moderation and the importance of learning to properly play the game. Frederick’s moan is barely stifled—because really, if it’s not chess, it’s poker or checkers or even Go Fish. Everything is a game here. Everything is the face and the underneath, the show and not tell. It’s exhausting, being constantly bombarded with metaphors and expected to nod earnestly in understanding and acceptance.
He’ll never get ahead if he doesn’t learn, the Eight warns in the same bland tone, shifting a rook along the back row. The briefest pause, and then Frederick lifts his knight forward three, over two. “Maybe. We’ll see. Checkmate.”
Why this Suit? After being punted from the Spades, Frederick needed a complete change of scene. The Clubs were out of the question because of family, and the Hearts were a little too extreme of a shift. He settled in with the Diamonds, and stays there because he’s made his foothold in climbing the ladder. He also considers them comparably challenging as a Suit to the Spades, which makes him feel more confident that the Cruz family can’t not be impressed with his success among them.
How did you hear about us? I don’t even remember. :|
Characters played: Eileen (A♣), Cadogan (10♦), Evan (4♣), Chives (5♠)
Character Name: Frederick Stewart-Jarrett
Age: 32
Suit/Rank: 6♦
History:Frederick Stewart-Jarrett was born to a pair of low-ranking Spades, recently arrived from British Columbia. The oldest of three, he was the first of the first generation of his family to be born in the Deck. His parents were more than pleased to have him, completely contented to bring him up in the new home they’d found and equally overjoyed when his younger brothers followed in quick succession.
Being approached by the Cruz was not a particular honour, but certainly seemed to be a secure sort of life to set their eldest son into, particularly when others of their rank murmured that it wasn’t an opportunity to pass up. If Shing was interested in the boy, there would certainly be good things in his future. So, age 13, Frederick was sent to look after Andrea Cruz and begin paving his way with the illustrious family.
He and Andrea were close in age, and it didn’t take long for them to form a fairly close friendship. Much though he was able to remain deferential and ‘appropriate’ in front of the rest of her family, there were plenty of opportunities to simply be themselves together. He was always honest with her, enjoyed asking for her opinion and genuinely listened to her when she needed an ear. For three years, it was an ideal set up. Every day was spent working in the service of a dear friend, and it was hardly any hardship to slip away and spend time with his brothers.
Things went sour at age 16, when he was just getting ready for his first official challenge—and along came the most awkward and painful Valentine’s Day of his life, when an attempt to offer Andrea a gift was vastly misinterpreted. His friendship with Andrea was clearly shaken deeply, and his connection with the family instantly severed. What stung even more deeply was being shoved from his own family as the Cruz began setting pressure to his parents to get rid of him. It was a long, painful conversation with his father, to finally be told he wasn’t welcome in his own family’s home for fear of his safety within the Spades. Lost, confused, stripped of everything he genuinely knew and understood, too mortified to ask for help from the cousins he had in the Clubs, Frederick finally stumbled his way into the court of Diamonds and petitioned to switch to the red suit.
The first few months were absolutely miserable. From his tight family unit and close friendship with Andrea, he suddenly found himself adrift among unfamiliar faces. More time than he likes to admit to was spent simply sulking and licking his wounded pride. It was shocking to be so alone. It wasn’t until his seventeenth birthday that he decided he’d had enough. He couldn’t go back to his life, his home, his place in the Spades. That didn’t mean he couldn’t make something of himself.
A few days after his seventeenth birthday, Frederick challenged a Four in a battle of tongue-twisters in their three mutual languages: English, French and Mandarin Chinese. The audacity of it meant his victory came with no counter-challenge, and gave the faintest ripple back in the Spades. He didn’t care if very many people paid attention or particularly noticed him—it was satisfying enough to know that his own family had heard and was proud, and that the Cruz family had heard and were disdainful. It was an important step toward his own independence, toward fully turning his life around.
Age twenty saw him challenging to Five in a battle of oration, spoken verse in declamation. Age twenty-five came with the challenge to Six, this time in Monopoly with a counter-challenge in Battleship, both of which he won definitively. It felt good to be advancing in a sharp suit well-matched toward advancement in the Spades. Twenty-seven saw him challenging to Seven, stepping out of his comfort zone and barely winning in a marathon—but the counter-challenge in Muay Thai was definitively lost, and he stayed at Six. Ten years ago, he would have lash out, been hurt and angry and shamed. But having truly accepted his past, his break, his movement into his own life, he simply smiled and congratulated the Seven. The time to keep advancing would come. He would be ready.
Personality: Frederick was not really meant to be a Spade. True, there was something ambitious and sharp within him, something just a little cold and vindictive about his desire to climb the ladder and spite the Cruz family. But beyond that, he didn’t fit particularly well into the Suit. Being distant and vicious were a second-hand trait, something he borrowed to fit in with the Suit he’d been born into and that didn’t entirely fade away when he switched to the Diamonds.
At the heart of things, Frederick is a fairly bright and cheerful person. He enjoys other people and close friendships. His emotions aren’t particularly well-hidden most of the time—he’s bright and sparkling or he’s dull and gloomy, and very rarely does he moderate himself in the middle. He’s a very loyal friend and a generally contented person, with little façade between himself and the rest of the world.
There’s little to no artifice to Frederick. What you see is very much what you get. Not everyone appreciates it about him, but he’s long since stopped trying to please other people. He pleases himself, and that’s quite enough for him.
Appearance: For either a Spade or a Diamond, Frederick is a bit sloppy in his appearance. He dresses himself comfortably rather than overly fashionably, and tends to look a little out of sorts in a suit. He keeps his hair long and shaggy, and is almost always swearing sneakers rather than ‘proper’ shoes.
Although he’s not entirely cognizant of it, his often downright messy appearance is a last vestige of rebellion against his past. Much though he’s moved on from being openly angry and entirely spiteful, his sloppiness is an open act of defiance against the family that required such immaculate perfection of him in his childhood. He tends to stand slouched over, hands in his pockets, only straightening to his full (if not overly impressive) height in moments which reckon back to his childhood as a well-polished Spade.
Since losing his Muay Thai counter-challenge, he’s spent more time focused on physical training, which is starting to show in his physique. The faint hook in his nose, of which he is fairly self-conscious, also comes from that loss.
Character PB: Hu Ge
Writing sample: There’s very little in the world Frederick hates more than he hates chess, but when an Eight he someday intended to challenge asks him to play? He sucks his distaste straight up and plays.
This does not, unfortunately, make the game less mind-numbingly boring. The black and white pieces, beautifully carved from clearly expensive wood and cherished by some Diamond family or other across the centuries, hold absolutely no splendor beyond what he knew was expected. The slow-moving, long-range strategy drags on into what felt like infinity.
He’s only human. It only takes a few moves for his poker face to fizzle and finally drop into absolutely nothing. His jaw hangs slightly open. His eyes fall slightly closed. His entire body slumps, chin supported heavily on his right hand while his left moves his pieces with seeming abandon across the board.
The Eight seems more amused than annoyed, chastens him softly about moderation and the importance of learning to properly play the game. Frederick’s moan is barely stifled—because really, if it’s not chess, it’s poker or checkers or even Go Fish. Everything is a game here. Everything is the face and the underneath, the show and not tell. It’s exhausting, being constantly bombarded with metaphors and expected to nod earnestly in understanding and acceptance.
He’ll never get ahead if he doesn’t learn, the Eight warns in the same bland tone, shifting a rook along the back row. The briefest pause, and then Frederick lifts his knight forward three, over two. “Maybe. We’ll see. Checkmate.”
Why this Suit? After being punted from the Spades, Frederick needed a complete change of scene. The Clubs were out of the question because of family, and the Hearts were a little too extreme of a shift. He settled in with the Diamonds, and stays there because he’s made his foothold in climbing the ladder. He also considers them comparably challenging as a Suit to the Spades, which makes him feel more confident that the Cruz family can’t not be impressed with his success among them.
How did you hear about us? I don’t even remember. :|
