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 Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:43 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:44 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:45 pm
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 Hero alias: Jack
Real name: Graeme Withers (pronounced 'gram')
Which area is the character based/from: Upper Sewit
Personality: ESFP - The Performer / I will now explain his personality to tidbits of this song.
I'M AWESOME (NO YOU'RE NOT DUDE, DON'T LIE) Graeme has something of an ego problem. It's not that he is lacking in self-esteem; it is, in fact, the very opposite. He values those of great talent and notable skill very highly, especially since he considers himself a child prodigy. What's even worse is that he can't get through the idea that he isn't the only young person that has stumbled on powers somewhat accidentally, and, even worse than that, Graeme believes that he's the only rookie sponsored by a museum.
I'M AWESOME (I WILL RUN AWAY FROM A BRAWL) His preservation of ego does give him a motive and drive, though he is cowardly when he feels his life is threatened. When it comes to the flight of fight response, if given a choice, cowardly Graeme will run to the edge of the world. He has never lived a life of danger, despite moving around often, and has rarely gotten sick or seen an injury close-up. Sure, he's seen troupe accidents and fights break out all over Upper Sewit, but his lack of experience in battle makes for a finicky boy. The Knaves will kick him into gear, though, and seeing how much they commandeer his speech in battle shows how submissive he can be to those of higher power.
I'M AWESOME (I CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY 8-BALLS) Graeme is not greedy, but he is very miserly. This is a bit of his personality that developed during his time in Crantel, and though it's true that he was relatively poor in Cran, the same couldn't be said after he was sponsored by the Cooper Museum. Before that, in Upper Sewit, Graeme had (and still has) no shame when it comes to getting things his way, at any cost possible.
I'M AWESOME (JUST ASKED MY MOM IF I COULD BORROW TEN BUCKS) Similarly, Graeme isn't above borrowing, and will likely pull any card to have a little more of whatever in his pocket, literally and metaphorically. When he has friends, he will ask them for favors. That isn't to say that he throws them away so easily; he believes in loyalty and his friendships are valued around both talent and honesty.
I'M AWESOME (PLEASE DON'T BLAME IT ON ME) Finicky though Graeme can be, he often keeps to himself when blaming others, if only to preserve his outward charm. In lieu of that, however, Graeme doesn't take it quite well when people accuse him wrongly of things, and like in battle, will try to escape his situation with a plethora of excuses and escapades. He will gladly ignore a person if they continue to cause him trouble, and can go so far as to abandon someone if they make his life any harder. He is used to moving on in his life, and finding new friends, and that is just what he will do.
I'M AWESOME (I'M CORNER THAN ETHANOL, CHEESIER THAN PROVOLONE) To those that stick around with Graeme, though, he is dramatic. Though he might not spoil his friends in monetary or physical rewards, he will spoil them rotten inside and out with a slew of comments and delightful displays of friendship. Raised by actors for all his life, he has a flair for the poetic and romantic, which rears its head when his friends need emotional support. When making friends or finding allies, Graeme is sociable and charming (as much as a young boy can be), and can bend his outward personality to fit the mold of the crowd.
I'M AWESOME (I SPENT AGES EIGHT TO TEN LIVING IN A MOTOR HOME) In many aspects, Graeme is optimistic, but that doesn't get rid of his dramatic side. When something bad happens, he skews, twists, and exaggerates the scenario in his mind for the worst. When he feels down, he feels incredibly down, but seemingly only for short bursts until he jumps right back up. At the same time, there are some lifelong happenings that Graeme will often look for sympathy for, often seeing himself as the ultimate victim because he often had to move, was nearly strangled, and lived in disparate poverty by himself for two years. It's not to say that his life wasn't a difficult one-- but he does complain about the same things so frequently when in small company that it can get a bit jarring.
I'M AWESOME (WITH THE EGO THE SIZE OF TIM DUNCAN) Though, making full circle, how does a complaining, frugal, cowardice young boy be so egotistical? Morally, Graeme saw no issue in how he lives, often reasoning that it's a part of how he, Graeme Withers, is. It was only during his last confrontation with Professor Cooper that Graeme was told he was quite insufferable, in many ways, for his innate selfishness masked by his extrinsic charm. Graeme, especially upon going to Sidekick Academy, will be hyper aware of everything he does, and while his self-esteem is still nowhere near fickle, realizing his flaws has made him somewhat of a cautious, quieter boy. That does not mean Graeme will be allusive, but he he will, in many ways, be paranoid and watch his back when he can, often trying to correct or dismiss his actions when alone.
I'M AWESOME All in all, though, Graeme does believe that life will always turn up for the best. His plans for the future are grandeur at best and the things he wants to achieve are numerous. Despite his dreams, Graeme does have the tendency to slack, mostly because he is so confident in his ability to finish things quickly, and will often procure mediocre results as a consequence. Sidekick Academy will be a turning point and, if the Academy is truly best for him, it will make him the busybody he used to be at Upper Sewit.
Looks department: Graeme is of lanky build, and has groomed blond hair. His dark red eyes are, unfortunately, natural, making his vision rather sensitive to sunlight. As a result, he wears a plethora of lidded hats, however ridiculous they might look. Sunglasses make him feel rather uncomfortable, so he'd rather not wear them, and takes care of his eyes as much as possible in order to avoid glasses.
Clothing style varies. He rarely wears the Sewitan clothes he brought with him from back home, save for the few vests and collared shirts he collected in more futuristic areas. Frequent visits to flea markets have resulted in a plethora of colored collared shirts, sweatervests, and other too-large shirts that look like embarrassing dresses. Pants are usually baggy, but never sag. Dress shoes are courtesy of Hayden, who is trying to fix his horrible fashion choice as much as possible. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:46 pm
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YOUNG GRAEME
Upper Sewit had always been a marvelous place to find strange people and even stranger contraptions, and to the average traveler, the Wither family was the same as every other one in the marketplace. The only thing vaguely unusual about the Withers were their strictly traditionalist trouper's life, where Graeme, youngest of the vehement troupe family, lived in what would be considered a mobile home in any other continent. The Withers caravan, though extravagantly decorated on the outside, was no more than dirt and shambles on the inside as the Troupe d'Strange moved from area to area. Even with such taciturn living conditions, Graeme's parents were proud Thespians, an oddball couple who delighted in the macabre tragedies of Upper Sewit and the whimsical nature of ancient Tasean comedies, yet Graeme refused to share their enthusiasm no matter how many times they begged. Having spent most of his life as a young one in the back of a trailer made Graeme lust for another life, an impossible life of a Withers that had money to its name and a large mansion on a patch of rolling hills. It was in his later years, when Graeme was a ripe age of 7, that he gave up his illustrious fantasies and made do with halfheartedly memorizing lines of plays recited by his parents and troupe guardians, barely scraping the barrel for work ethic while he groaned and complained about the few petty jobs he was given as a technician backstage. His parents often raved about his unsung enthusiasm for theater craft, though, as Graeme excelled in what few minor roles he was given in during shows, but the young Withers merely had a knack for it, and nothing more. They were also quite desperate to get little Graeme eager about their family's tradition, but his ambivalence grew as strongly in him as stubbornness did in every Withers.
Bittersweet family relations aside, Graeme did get along with the many stray actors and actresses that followed his folks around in their travels around the continent, which was healthy enough behavior for a boy who hardly had time to make any other friends. The workers of Troupe d'Strange were his only objects of permanence; through the troupe's many back alley professors and engineers, Graeme learned a good many things about hundreds of subjects, from things as mundane as mathematics to crafts as complex as magical machinery. Graeme was a quick learner, always able to learn the principles of things within a matter of days, but was never one to retain any information that didn't happen to capture his interest. Attention-wise, he was a horrible student, and frustrated many people when he showed sparks of what would be called the intuition of a genius. If he applied himself, many thought, he would be able to get out of the troupe business within a matter of years, but the child simply proved to be too droll and uninspired to do much at all.
Thus, even those who he considered a permanent part of his life came and went by their own volition, as many did lose their patience with the stubborn Graeme Withers. When Graeme was 11, there was but one professor that stuck by his side the moment he entered the troupe-- Professor Cooper, a seasoned Crantian man old enough to be Graeme's grandfather, and who might as well have been one. He was put in charge of the troupe's stage lighting after his magnificent display of his strange but alluring Sewitan equipment, which Cooper called “good friends of his." Powerful machinery and mastery of technololgy aside, Cooper shared many qualities with Graeme that the Withers' parents disapproved of, such as his negligent nature and knack for tattling and teasing. It was a fast friendship, and everyday Graeme would come to admire Cooper's strange gadgets and charming personality with unbid fascination.
Graeme marveled at how strangely magical everything seemed to look when Cooper's strange contraptions lit the various stages of Upper Sewit-- for the first time in his life, Graeme took to a keen interest in all things theater, if only for a chance to recite under those magical lights himself. Even the most stagnant acting was lit with such vibrancy, and the audience shivered to their core when fairies seemed to come alive and paintings outstretched their canvases. The watery shores of fair sailors ripped tides that threatened to wash the front audience ashore, and the actors themselves became true queens, kings, fools, and pirates. Graeme would constantly ask the mysterious Cooper why the devices worked that way, and Cooper would merely answer in simple and frustrating riddles, which the boy never was able to solve.
After theater work was put aside, Graeme and Cooper played many card games on many empty stages, offhandedly remarking at the successes and failures of the play that night, or how awfully droll or marvelous or much more fanciful one act was over another. Cooper would always remark that Graeme was a living modern child stuck in the rusted bogs of Upper Sewit, and Graeme fancied to agree with the man, and often asked Cooper about the many tales in his life in sparkling Crantel. Cooper never told him the specifics, but eventually entrusted Graeme in keeping his oldest deck of cards-- one that came from Crantel and never left Cooper's side. Graeme learned to cherish it, and Cooper learned to assimilate into the radically different setting of Upper Sewit compared to Crantel through Graeme's enthusiatic help.
The professor did come to care for Graeme and began to tell him about the taciturn adventures of Crantel and its bedazzled superheroes, and how living in the continent was like the modern equivalent of being in a play itself. The more he told Graeme of these stores, the more Cooper urged Graeme to do something greater with his life, disillusioning him to move away from his parents and the troupe to find a new life in the modern world, and disenchanting the world of Upper Sewit as one for old men and shallow magicians in the process. The more Cooper stayed with the troupe, the stranger the man got, and his brash decisions and angry demeanor lost him all trust within the Troupe d'Strange.
He was edgy from the start, though, constantly looking out for his own back and cautiously traveling with the group-- Graeme's parents warned their child to stay away, but Graeme was hardly the obedient one, and frequently visited the old man anyways, who seemed to calm at the sight of his old deck of cards.
THE END OF TROUPE d'STRANGE
It eventually came to the point where Professor Cooper urged Graeme's parents to send Graeme away and out of Upper Sewit, where Graeme could start a newer, more promising life, but the young Withers parents denied such a big request without a moment's worth of thought-- they had barely known Cooper by that point, and Graeme was but a mere 13 years old. Cooper resumed his days with flaunt anger, destroying several parts of the Troupe's props and costumes. Offset by irritation, it was only when Cooper threatened and beat an actor that he was denied further stay with Troupe d'Strange, and was requested to leave. Worse yet, the actors at that point had begun to lose their grip on reality after Cooper's arrival to the troupe, and the now-deranged troupe actors cursed the Withers family for their hard life.
The end of Troupe d'Strange seemed near when Cooper and troupe members started to leave en masse, but Graeme Withers was not one to give up so easily. Though his parents seemed defeated of all purpose, Graeme struggled to keep the troupe in tact, though they all left ultimately anyway. For Graeme, there was a certain element of fear in seeing the troupe members leave-- what would happen if the Troupe was truly no longer? What would become of his ruddy yet comfortable home, the caravan, how would he be fed? Graeme's fears were truly selfish at first, as any boy's were, and it was only during his final and feeble conflict with Cooper that Graeme came to remember his now disparate and small family. To Cooper, however, the fight as little more than an overpowered tug-o-war, where Graeme was the gnome and he, the giant. The professor had packed his things long before his planned departure, and was more than ready to leave, but the boy he had made allies with for the past two years was his final (and annoying) adversary. In his irritation, Cooper denoted Graeme for his exasperating arrogance, his boyish ignorance, his foolish impatience-- yet the boy let on.
It was then that Cooper asked for his deck of cards. A strange request, yet Graeme relented, and Cooper feverishly reached for the boy. Graeme ran through the fetid sewers of Upper Sewit, dodging the man to the best of his ability. Despite his quick pace, Cooper was simply smarter, faster, and stronger. The professor strangled Graeme in a stuffy seaport, where their forms were hidden by the shadows of arriving ships, which stood above them like towers.
Graeme managed to struggle and rollick around the port to gather as much public attention as he could, and the surrounding sailors and passing Sewitans managed to pry the shouting, now shrieking Professor Cooper away from the young boy. Graeme pulled out the old deck of cards, his old and stubborn arrogance taking the best of him, and he showed it off to the maddened elder as a prideful prince would his crown.
It was then that Cooper, the once magnificent Crantian, could bare no longer, and the professor managed to crawl free of those few that were still chaining him away from the young boy. In his fright, the young Withers panicked, and did that any confused and furious Withers would do in his situation-- he threw the deck of cards to sea.
Graeme heard strange laughter, which seemed to reverberate in his head and create thunderous echoes of shrill voices. The boy fainted within seconds, and all was blank until he returned to the broken Withers caravan. Only two thespians were left at the pitiable sight, his parents, and the Troupe d'Strange and its legacy was left in tatters. His mother and father looked at him in sheer horror, however, and when Graeme wobbled near them for a tight hug as he'd asked for as a frightened young child, he noticed the strange textures and different colors of his garments-- gold, black, and red.
Only weeks later, and without much thought, and upon the his parent's fervent request, Graeme was taken away from sight and mind to Crantel, the only bit of advice the Withers took finally to heart from Cooper during his short stay with Troupe d'Strange. It was, perhaps, more out of naïve fear than trust that they sent Graeme to the modern continent, as the young boy had always desired. What was there to pursue in Upper Sewit anymore, now that the Withers' future was no longer? Graeme had little idea of what to do, but with a pocket full of money and a few prized possessions, he set sail for the modern world of Crantel.
When the ship rolled into the horizon of Upper Sewitan ports to take him away, however, Graeme did remember one thing from his final deluge with Cooper: something had dragged him back to his parents, and he was very sure it was his own body.
♥ ♦ ♣ ♠
CRANTEL
"Cran. What a place, Graeme-- people who can fly, they fly in armies, I tell you. The newspapers always had something on the headlines like: Superheroes save the city once again!, could you believe I was one of them?" He chuckled. "And there was an Academy there, that I know you'd really like-- Sidekick Academy. Simply beautiful. The very jewel of Crantel.
"I would take you there, myself, if I could."
Graeme, at first, experienced a severe case of culture shock. Despite everything Cooper had told him offhand, the boy was neigh prepared for the vastly modern world of inner Crantel, let alone the seaport suburbs that lined the shores when he reached the content. It even took a few hours to get on the train itself, as the Sewitan money he had didn't fare well with the train registrars, and trying to use the bank system was tedious at best.
He was no mainland Sewitan, but he was glad that Upper Sewit had money to its name in the first place, but being in Crantel made him realize how much his family had underestimated his living expenses. Graeme no longer had a caravan, let alone a car or enough money for bus fares after a few short days. Searching around the giant Cran cities by foot was a mouse trap, and Graeme was searching haplessly through its death maze-- food was scarce, and asking people around if they knew who Professor Cooper was, or how to get into Sidekick Academy, seemed impossible.
Yet, it went on for weeks. The young boy's budget ran low, and he hopped from homeless shelter to homeless shelter-- a fairly new device for him, as the poor were rarely taken care of in ancient Upper Sewit-- and watched his pocket, though at that point he realized any means of shipping himself back to Upper Sewit was futile, unless he could somehow acquire a job. It was a hard life, but a new and bold one, and Graeme wasn't the kind of boy that avoided asking questions to complete strangers. Within the first two months, he'd successfully chased down superheroes flying above the horizons of Crantel, and asked such obnoxious questions that he seemed to be a miniature news press. Information about Sidekick Academy slowly trickled in, but there was still no news about Professor Cooper, which was a severe disappointment.
Of course, 'Professor Cooper' was not a unique name at all, especially when Graeme realized how much he'd overstated Professor Cooper's level of fame. Name aside, Graeme was able to discover the miracles of the Public Library sooner than later, and with a bit of assistance from the front desk was able to procure fascinating results from the Internet. There were archives of superheroes (and, more interestingly, supervillains), and within a matter of seconds he found information on the renowned Phillip F. Cooper, otherwise known as Architect, who was renowned for his magical artifacts. What was more surprising was the museum dedicated to him, which was about a day's travel away.
The Museum was disappointingly small.
It was about the size of approximately half the library Graeme went into to find the damnable place, yet entrance into the Museum required a ridiculous entrance fee. The boy paid for it anyways, and inside was a vast collection of strange artifacts, though none as mundane as Professor Cooper's playing cards. Graeme resigned to wondering if he'd gotten the right "Professor Cooper" in the first place, especially upon noticing that the only other visitor of the museum was a disgruntled looking woman. When Graeme stayed for hours inside of the museum to make his entrance fee well worth its price, he exchanged bouts of inelegant glares with the only other visitor, only to realize she had a name tag.
Before further disappointment ensued (how embarrassing was it, that the only other person he'd met there was an employee?), Graeme did notice something peculiar about her name. Engraved in gold was the name "HAYDEN COOPER," which led to a string of conversation in which she (however disgruntled she may be) introduced herself as Professor Cooper's sole daughter.
Graeme, wordy though he was, explained the fate of her father as vividly as possible. This earned little more than an unamused frown, but to Graeme's surprise, Hayden did believe him. At the end of his museum visit, Graeme was fortunate enough to be able to stay at Hayden's place, where he learned a sweeping variety of facts.
Hayden Cooper, sole daughter of Phillip Faulkner Cooper, was in fact not really a worker at the museum. She merely visited frequently, and for free, due to her affiliation with the museum. The museum in mind was also close to closing, as Hayden denied its ownership after her father's abrupt departure 10 years ago-- she had other business to attend to, namely her suit tailoring business.
The news was depressing enough, but she also did mention her previous stay at Sidekick Academy, where she stayed for only a year before leaving. Hayden had little interest in superpowers, it seemed, let alone becoming her father's legacy. At the end of their discussion, Graeme felt desperate and sickly enough of this pessimistic news that he was close to leaving, until Hayden pried further about his affiliation with her father. With heaps of effort and an insatiable amount of convincing from Graeme's part, he was able to summon a meager Knave, Clubs, who explained Cooper's playing card device a bit further.
Though Hayden did remain uninterested, the tailor did offer Graeme two incredibly generous choices: another (free) visit to the museum, and extended stay in her residence, provided he clean up after himself. Graeme agreed, and the next day resulted in another summoning of the Knaves to the museum curators, who offered him something he could not refuse: a full ride to Sidekick Academy, given that he report after every term his progress. The curators' reasoning was simple enough-- never before had they seen an artifact by Architect that fully latched onto a human being, and further research was necessary.
Graeme happily obliged, but added one heaping condition to his attendance. He asked Hayden to be able to stay another two years at her residence, as the Withers family had provided for Cooper. Reluctantly, Hayden agreed to the contract, and Graeme lived another two years in inner Crantel. He learned, vaguely, the ins and outs of the continent, and more or less became a lackey to Hayden's tailoring business in the process, as finding a job as a 14 year old was near impossible.
Within the last few months of departing to Sidekick Academy, he was debriefed by the Cooper museum. By that point, he had talked to the Knaves with more enthusiasm than he had the first few months of acquiring his incidental powers. If the museum were to survive past Graeme's attendance at the Academy, his progress had to be swift and nothing short of miraculous. He was the unwitting legacy of Phillip F. Cooper, the blossoming hero after Architect.
Pride was at stake, and Graeme had no idea what he was getting into. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:47 pm
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Powers/abilities: Limited control over four fairy souls. Graeme has the ability to switch between four Knave Spirits, strange pixie folk that possess Jack and alter his physical attributes and strengths when taking form. While Graeme still retains most of his personality when the Knave Spirits are under control, there is still a part of him that acts differently according to whichever suit is currently in the lead (more of that is explained in the post below). As Graeme hones his abilities, the Knaves' influence over his mind and body increase, and that influence becomes more and more apparent as he starts to look identical to the Knaves in his separate forms. By the end, it will seem like his body is storing five souls rather than having one soul that's puppeteering four.
Age upon entering academy: 15 (born in Autumn)
How did your character get their powers: Graeme breaks an ancient artifact that now uses his body as a vessel.
Motivation for entering the academy: Graeme initially had many reasons to learn about his acquired powers. Because he has little memory of how the Knave Spirits contracted him, and his only real experience of them is having them talk to him through his own voice, Graeme is a bit scared of what he has transformed into or why. Despite that, the Sewitan quickly forgot why he was pursuing the Academy while living for two years in Crantel. It was only after he was booted out of the place he was staying at that his interests were rekindled, though entering the Academy has been an expensive and treacherous journey for Graeme.
There are also a plethora of other reasons why he wants to go to the Academy, and it's not only that he can get in for 'free,' assuming that his wits will find a way to trigger the Knave Spirits to their fullest potential once he's there. His parents sent him to Sidekick Academy because it was the only secure place they knew, especially after the devastation of their home. Graeme does not want to disappoint his parents, and, most of all, does not want to return to the life he left behind-- the nomadic, fugitive life of a troupe actor.
The last of his reasons, though, are the least earned. Graeme has little idea of what Sidekick Academy is like, and after four years of hearing about it, he's more cocksure of his abilities than ever. Graeme thinks that he will learn the ins and outs of his (to him) 'mysterious' ability quicker than anyone else there, because of his preconceived notions that he will be the only one from Upper Sewit. Though a part of him is shamed of his antiquated heritage, especially after living in Crantel, he thinks that being a Upper Sewitan gives him an edge on cleverness and fastidiousness, if only because of all of the labyrinthine alleyways and sea ports he had to navigate when he was but a young child. He thinks that Sidekick Academy will allow him to boast his independence like never before, and to show off his genius and wit, and this belief has allowed him to survive through the two harsh years of living relatively alone in Crantel.
Strengths: Graeme is a quick learner. If anything, he learns the fundamentals of as subject rather quickly, especially considering his age, and if he really tries at it understands it well enough to cram for a test. Like his power and namesake, Graeme fancies himself a jack of all trades, especially after learning so many random subjects from his life with the troupers, and living with them in an ever-changing caravan across Upper Sewit has also made him flexible with any environment. The boy is comfortable pretty much anywhere, can eat pretty much anything, can sleep peacefully in the loudest of crowds, and can mold is personality well enough to make decent acquaintances with those who he wants as allies. Furthermore, perhaps moreso because of the Knaves, Graeme is nimble, and his otherwise undergrown and boyish form allows him to be quick when the time calls for it.
If there is one thing Graeme can do in battle, it's escaping. He runs quickly and, when forced, can think rather openly about a situation to find multiple routes of escape in an environment. Were he trapped in the midst of battle, however, Graeme would sooner than later save his head over pride. Fortunately for Graeme, that's where the Knaves' strengths kick in-- if Graeme feels especially weakwilled or inclined, they can speak or act in small bursts in his stead without being summoned, which often allows the arrogant boy to find just enough courage to survive the impossible. Were it not for his Knaves, Sidekick Academy might experience more of Graeme Withers' fickle nature.
Weaknesses: Being a jack of all trades comes with many downsides. For one thing, Graeme is arrogant because of supposed knowledge of many fields, yet he has found no particular mastery in anything at all. He is a decent actor, but could never really be taken seriously in Cran theater, but his troupe's (previous) repertoire in Upper Sewit has given him quite a heady self esteem. Other than that, he has no real talent in anything, and is rarely anything above average in a number of fields. Cramming with an excellent memory is one thing, and really studying something is not.
Graeme, furthermore, is of weak body otherwise. He is healthy and fit enough, especially with his nomadic lifestyle, but the boy is faced with the demise of a Withers' genes. He has pale skin and a delicate set of red eyes that, if suscepted to too much sunlight, could be blinded at moment's chance. He is speedy as to make up for his fragility, as pain isn't something he's accustomed to and one well-placed hit with a blunt stick might just as well make him faint. Even worse for Graeme is that, though he can think decently on his feet, he is a poor strategist and makes brash decisions. This, unfortunately, does not allow him to use his gained powers well at all, and at times his actions in battle will earn him scathing remarks from the Knaves, who then will jab at Graeme's mental weakness to temporarily control him as many times as possible.
The more the Knaves try to speak in his stead, however, the more Graeme loses his capacity to speak and think for himself, one of the few assets he has to his favor. The more the Knaves speak, the less charm he can muster, and it seems that the Spirits are going to be the main contribution to his folly at the Academy.
Jack has control over four fairy souls at the beginning of his training. In reality, the stronger he gets, the less control he has over these four souls, and the more they are able to puppeteer his body. Graeme doesn't know this yet, however, and neither to the fairies, to a certain extent.
♥ ♦ ♣ ♠
When Jack has not called upon any fairy souls, he carries around but four Jack cards, one for each suit, in his arsenal. The cards that he originally had are now ruined by the sea-- the four cards he carries merely serve as visual cues. Since the fairies are able to see through his line of vision, if he looks at a card long enough, he is able to call the fairies into action. As a part of his hero outfit though, when summoned, Jack has a full deck of cards that are completely useless other than for games, and look rather ancient.
Unfortunately, at the Rookie level, he is only able to call on Clubs and Diamonds. Hearts and Spades, though they are still able to communicate through voice, require so much command over Graeme's body that he can't use them unless he subjects more of his will to their control.
ROOKIE
Jack has limited power over the "weakest" suits in battle, Clubs and Diamonds. Minimal communication with all four, and only through his voice.
SIDEKICK
Jack has access to all four suits in battle, but no access to Glamour. Fairies can now control a limited amount of body movements.
HERO
Jack has limited access over Glamour, and for only minutes at a time. Fairies can now possess his voice and body fairly well.
SUPERHERO
Fairies now have full control over Jack's body. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:48 pm
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Cooper was a superhero named Architect, and his sole ability was being able to store magical creatures inside of runic constructs. His lighting equipment captured numerous minor magical beasts, mainly fairies to provide its magical lighting and cast glamour (Archaic magical spells that enchant others) on the audience. The Knave Spirits were perhaps one of his earlier capturings, so he prides them quite a lot, though the Knaves' control over his body made him rather uncomfortable. As a result, they were rarely used in battle, and their skills were never honed. It is due to Architect's little training of them that they remain Knaves, and though they once had a chance to become Kings or even Aces, they are now eternally Jacks.
In reality, the band of Knave Spirits are technically a quadruplet of hobgoblins, fairies of the Seelie Court who have the ability to shapeshift. Unfortunately for them, their shapeshifting skills began to deteriorate the longer they stayed in Architect's playing cards. When they broke free after three or so decades, when Graeme 'broke' their artifact by throwing it into the sea, their shapeshifting abilities forced them to take shape of the four card suits. They just barely remember their previous life as hobgoblins, let alone their involvement in the Seelie Court.
Depending on the suit Jack calls upon, each Knave have different attack powers and affinities to specific types of glamour. Despite their abilities as members of the Seelie Court, and Jack's flexible arrangement of skills, it will take an incredibly intense level of strategy to use the Knaves effectively. Unfortunately for Graeme, he is especially strategically impaired, further hindering his mastery over the Knaves' already weak abilities.
♥ ♦ ♣ ♠
DEFAULT
None of the suits are called, but Graeme sure as hell has a sweet outfit. He
can better communicate with the Spirits when he summons this form, but he
has no weapon let alone any special glamour.
♣
THE KNAVE OF CLUBS
Clubs, enduring and hardworking, was the very first to reveal his form and
drag Graeme's body back to the Troupe d'Strange caravans. Second oldest of
his brothers, reserved Clubs is amongst the quietest, and never quite mixed
with Hearts' raw personality. Graeme rarely calls upon Clubs without some
degree of despiration, as Clubs' tendency for patience and slowness rarely
mixed with the eager young Withers, who sides with Diamonds and Spades
most often. Despite his reservations, Clubs is the proudest of his fairy culture,
and silently embraces his membership of the Seelie Court. He is also the
most enduring and stubborn suit, rarely giving up in battle even if Graeme has
been ragged dry.
WHAT THE HELL DO THEY DO?
MELEE ~ Morning Star
GLAMOUR ~ Self Healing
Though self healing allows Graeme to last longer in battle, the morning star is
heavy and relies heavily on close contact. Because of this, the lunging
morning star requires a degree of self sacrifice and an incredible amount of
timing-- even more than is required of Hearts' arrows.
♦
THE KNAVE OF DIAMONDS
Quite the greedy one, Diamonds most emphasized with Graeme during his
harsh first year in Crantel. Lavish and extravagant, Diamonds is as pretty as a
peacock, and does everything he can to brag about his assets and heritage.
There is not much to say about Diamonds in battle-- he more often than not
allows Graeme to take control of his body during fights, and otherwise singly
interjects during conversation. Diamonds is a shady fighter, reflecting on his
personality, and evades and finds way to escape battle most often, valuing life
over pride.
WHAT THE HELL DO THEY DO?
MELEE ~ Throwing Daggers
GLAMOUR ~ Self Quickening
Evading! Diamonds, whose physical wealth is most important, has dozens of
daggers to his name. His immense speed allows him to dodge quicker than
all of the other Knaves, and due to Graeme's own quickness and flexibility,
Diamonds is most frequently called upon.
♥
THE KNAVE OF HEARTS
Hearts is a true romantic, and is the youngest of his brothers. His Archaic
and suit counterpart all represent the freeness of love, emotion, and
spirituality. Passionate though he is, he is especially prone to emphasizing
Graeme's dramaticism, and is easily hurt emotionally. He is of weak will and
displays a certain amount of cowardice, much to the aggravation of Spades.
Still, Hearts is the most cooperative and flexible of them all, and offers
emotional guidance to others and even Graeme when needed.
WHAT THE HELL DO THEY DO?
MELEE ~ Heart-Tipped Arrows
GLAMOUR ~ Self Disguising
Disguising himself allows Hearts to subject others to more emotional
influence in battle than anything else, if Graeme knows who and how to
disguise himself. This Knave's abilities rely on steady timing and accuracy,
just the things emotional moments require.
♠
THE KNAVE OF SPADES
Headstrong Spades is rowdy, haughty, and impulsive. This fairy is obsessed
with the politics of all that is around him, and his wit for battle rarely extends
over sheer luck. Easy to anger and even easier to tempt, war-touched
Spades is the oldest and most arrogant of the bunch, tempting Graeme into
releasing the rawest of negative emotions. Despite his anger, Spades still
holds his head up high and is the epitome of arrogance, oft calling himself the
strongest of his four brothers and of all the Academy. He challenges any and
all who question his strength, though it often ends in Graeme's harsh defeat.
WHAT THE HELL DO THEY DO?
MELEE ~ Pike
GLAMOUR ~ Self Strengthening
A swift and long-ranged weapon, Spades' abilities allow for quick jabbing and
intense battle. Though strengthening heavily effects the impact of Spades'
attacks, the long range pike requires adequate control over his weapon.
Because Spades is the brashest of them all, the amount of control needed to
use the pike is difficult to acquire for Graeme. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:49 pm
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There was once a CHILD who endowed nature with human Life, and two DISCIPLES under his name, identical but only by face, which crafted Life by other means. They followed this CHILD through lands of GREEN, seeing to it that the Life he Gave was both Guarded and Kept with the realms of Upper Sewit. But as the CHILD continued to toy with God's LIFE, the older he became, until he was but an old man, his Disciples still YOUTHFUL.
When the CHILD, no longer young, died, the two DISCIPLES continued to spread his Creations, burying not his LIFE but preserving It. But the two were not alike in MIND, their Hands so keen to draw what the Other could not. And so, these two DISCIPLES, identical but only by face, SEPARATED, and created the SEELIE and UNSEELIE COURTS.
But, despite the Courts, the DISCIPLES, identical no longer by face, could not fulfill their function without the Other, and so Life ESCAPED, taking the Courts for their own. Embarrassed by their arrogance, the Disciples' students now serve Eternally to now guard and keep the Life a CHILD once gave, purely to nature, to preserve his Charity. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:50 pm
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Semper Withers
father, 34
A brazen young fellow, with his head in the clouds and a merry inclination for song. He is not a father figure to Graeme, which has stunted him in a way, but acts more like a friend or a playful foe. He has a colorful wit and remarkable acting skills. Improvisation is his favorite.
Agricole Withers
mother, 33
Somewhat nervous, and a quiet, reserved kind of woman, she has a soft voice and a pretty face. Her passivity made it so that she doesn't interact with loud Graeme so often, but offers stability. Despite her introverted personality, the roles she plays speak otherwise-- she is powerful, fierce, and a woman of great strength on the stage.
Professor Phillip F. Cooper
mentor, ?
Formerly the stage technician for Troupe d'Strange. He is wise, and like Graeme, knows a little about a great many things. Smart, peachy, if not a little bit sarcastic, the old man was also formally the superhero Architect from Crantel.
Hayden Cooper
'roommate,' 37
A tired old suit tailor who has a humble shop front in Cran. She dropped out of Sidekick Academy after less than a year, and did not play up to her father's antics after he left the home when she was 10. It's hinted that she has other siblings and family members, but Graeme has never seen them. Shares the same kind of humor as Professor Cooper, with a taste more of bitterness.
The Cooper Museum
sponsor
Worn-down, but never downtrodden, the Cooper Museum has been around since Architact found it. Houses many of his Seelie-touched treasures, and used to mystify Cran, though not so much anymore. Is sponsoring Graeme as a project in a pathetic attempt to revive interest in the museum. The current owner and head curator is Dr. Dublin Fern. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:52 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:53 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:55 pm
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 SigmundIt roams wherever Graeme goes. Especially prone to showing himself during times of questionable crisis. There are no Freud jokes involved here, because everyone hates Freud, and Sigmund is ******** awesome.  ValenciaThe one fairy that Graeme was able to find (attract?) in Cran. She lives in Hayden's home. The Knaves are infatuated by her, but they are certain that she is hiding her true, even lovelier form, and all the more scandalous is that they can't tell if she is Seelie or Unseelie.  BoggartThe Knaves promptly convinced Graeme into stealing it from Hayden. And then he took it to Sidekick Academy, because he didn't want Hayden to find out. Diamonds named it 'Boggart' because he thought it was miserable looking. Let the embarrassment begin. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:56 pm
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