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Name: Alois Scholz

Nickname: , and Schatzie

Age: 19

Birthday: November 1

Sign: Scorpio

Gemstone:  Tourmaline

Blood Type: A-

Fav. Food: Cakes, sweets, fruits, and the occasional curry-covered sausage

Hated Food: Vegetables, anything that mixes poorly with sugar (because who needs salt)

School:  Destiny City University

Hobbies: 

Reading - Alois has a penchant for reading, though he's slackened in it over recent years. Reading is a means to take his mind off reality and immerse himself in a less complicated world, one where he can simply spectate. His choice in material ranges from current newspapers to historical documents, medical articles to dark literature, and even occasional poetry. Lately he's been getting into some autobiographical drug novels. To put it simply, he'll read just about anything if he's got the time to devote to it. He partakes in this hobby if there isn't much else to do, which means he's either in the bookstore or passing time while waiting for someone. Other times he will read in public places so he can people-watch during the boring parts of certain novels.

Running - Alois was a part of his track and field team back in Germany, during the majority of his years at Gymnasium (high school). He simply enjoyed running, though he got kicked from the team for using underhanded tactics like tripping the other players. Ever since then, he takes to a morning run in the neighborhood whenever he needs to wake up a bit. Sometimes he might even forsake driving in favor of running to a destination. However, he can't keep a fast pace for long without wearing out his lungs. Since his dismissal from the track team, he's realized that he takes competition a bit too seriously, so he's perfectly content with sticking to solo runs. Who knows, sometimes an aimless jog might even take him into some interesting social venues. However, considering his smoking habit... Running's becoming more difficult than it used to be. He just doesn't have that much endurance anymore.

Piano - His family has owned an old, worn piano for as long as he could remember. Due to tradition, he began learning to play it as a small child, and grew up with lessons off and on. Sometimes he'd undergo months of not playing because the piano needed tuning and they didn't have the money to hire one. However, with the introduction of the cheap keyboard, Alois can now play as often as he wants without having to worry about falling out of tune. It's not as fun as the real deal, but the keyboard will do in a pinch. He isn't one for classical music, and he favors playing moody, contemporary pieces. If his musical talent were graded, he'd make a solid B. Alois plays during the bookstore's slow periods. He'll play whenever he's sick of looking at words in there.

Pranking - Sometimes Alois gets a wild hair, and when he does, someone's bound to notice. Being such a crafty b*****d, Alois loves playing tricks of all kinds on people. When he was a kid, they were more the innocent type that the victim could even laugh at, but now that he's almost 20, they've taken on a much more insidious nature. He'll likely volunteer in the cafeteria of a school for a while, then mix laxative in the ketchup dispenser. Sometimes he'll target single people, via sneaking around in a parking lot and pulling the spark plug off of their car and just leaving it hanging. Normally the pranks are easily fixed, like how one can simply put the spark plug back on. There's less chance of him getting found out and beaten into a stain that way.

Virtues:

Astute - That man standing uncommonly close to the trash can is probably a drug dealer. The way she crosses her legs away from her husband is a good indicator she's cheating. Three people dressed scantily have stood at that corner in the past week; it must be a hot spot for prostitution. Alois is keen to people and places around him. He'll observe and make note of things normally overlooked. Though he's not always right, he thinks he has a pretty accurate grasp of which streets to stay off and which people to avoid. It's kept him out of harm's way most of the time.

Adaptable - If something puts a hitch in his plans, Alois isn't jammed up for good. He can readjust to sudden changes in circumstances and still attempt to accomplish the task at hand. If he moves between countries (as he recently did), his life doesn't draw to a close. He can still make friends and function, or even keep relationships with old friends. All it takes is some quick thinking and changes in a routine, so all is not lost. If that fence is too high to scale, climb on the dumpster and jump it. If you don't know the answer to question 3, take a glance at the smart person's paper.

Adaptability comes with limits, though, as he can't work his way through everything. If he gets physically caught, he can't houdini his way out of a headlock. He can't really do anything about a plagiarism accusation, either.

Mindful - Alois enjoys life like he won't be around for much longer. To some, it might seem shortsighted because he doesn't make definite plans for the future, but rather responds to the events of the present. However, Alois knows from personal experience that planning for the future doesn't always go the way you want it to, so it's smarter to simply have loose plans and focus mainly on the present. He enjoys the occasional play or expensive dinner and tries to enrich his life with positive experiences. It's unclear if this behavior is due to past near-death incidents, or is simply part of his temperament. Suffice it to say, there's always the possibility of overindulging (especially when drugs or alcohol is involved). However, he'll only expose this side of himself when alone or with close friends. Everyone else gets the callous treatment.


Flaws:

Untrustworthy - He lies, cheats and steals. Word gets around after a while. Alois has a sinister reputation for being one of those people who's tough to trust, which impacts everything from his relationships to his job considerations. He's not going to do the right thing and return a girl's purse to the proper authorities, he's going to dig through it and find out who she is and how he can blackmail her for personal gain. He won't keep someone's crush a secret if there's something he can get out of it by divulging that information. He should never be your first pick to have a heart-to-heart with, considering your secrets will likely be spilled. People can safely assume he's up to no good.

Defensive - As soon as Alois thinks he hears something that might sound like it could be maybe possibly a threat, he gets defensive. Maybe you looked at him for a second too long, or you blinked strangely, or you sneezed in his direction... Whatever you did, it's a threat. He must engage his defenses. His behavior here causes him to start fights without meaning to, because of any misinterpretation of body language or tone. He'll get defensive to anyone, even his friends or family. Since he's been incarcerated before, he knows what it's like to have regret ground into him by others, and he hated that experience. He hated it enough to develop a lot of sharp quips to keep others at bay and fight off potential threats seeking to lay on the guilt. No guilt, no more.

Guarded - He's simply not friendly when he first meets someone. He wants them to think he's tough, that he's not to be crossed. He hates betrayal (hello irony), due to prior experiences, and makes up for it by denying his friendship to the majority of people he meets. By keeping just a few close friends around, there's less chance of them just walking out on him, right? After all, these people are the close ones, rather than a loose-knit group of friendly acquaintances. If they can grin and bear it through the douchebag exterior, then they'll have a chance at getting to know him without the walls up. He has a lot to regret, and he doesn't want others knowing about it lest they go seeking soft spots.


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION - Essential face and hairstyle here.

Eyes: Gold.

Hair: Black hair, short and kept pretty messy. A few strands of bangs frame his face.

Face: His face is thin and angled. He's pretty pale from working in a bookstore all day.

Clothes: Think industrial. He probably shops at Queen of Darkness or Futurstate. Oh, and he capitalizes on black turtlenecks. And leather biker jackets left hanging open.

Family -- For the most part, a calm and functional family. No major problems.

Father - Brian Scholz - Something of an entrepreneur, Brian first started the business when he was in his mid-20s. Several years later, he owns a good-sized bookstore with a solid reputation. All of his children have spent some amount of time working there before using it as a springboard to different jobs. However, Brian urges that one of his kids pick up where he leaves off someday, as he wants to keep the business in the family. As a result he pressures his remaining kids to go into language or literary studies degrees. If they refuse, he can be a bit of a manipulator.

Mother - Karin Scholz - A relatively laid-back and easygoing mother. She's pretty lax on the housekeeping, which she leaves to her two children that still live at home. Primarily she spends her time playing piano, minding the bookstore, or traveling to a client's house for piano tuning. She knows little English, so she leaves the cashier business to her husband and instead organizes shelves alphabetically. She raised the kids when they were young, but since her husband is showing signs of wanting to take the reins in parenting, she's quite happy to let him give it a shot.

Brother - Erik Scholz - The oldest of the three, Erik moved out and joined the German military as soon as he had the chance. He's always been interested in athletics, and never shared the passion for books that both his parents had. He shared a close bond with his younger brother, so when he left, Alois felt abandoned and spurned by the sudden move. He rarely keeps in touch, but the family receives a letter from him once every few months. Still, it's not enough to rekindle the kinship he once had with his brother.

Sister - Katarin Scholz - The princess of the family, Katarin (or Katze, as she likes to be called) received a great deal of fawning and attention when she was born. As the family's only girl, her mother took quite a liking to her and groomed her in both literature and piano music. Katarin found great success as a pianist, and she was beginning to catch some glances in the local music industry back in Germany. She found it to be a pleasant twist when they moved to Destiny City, though, as it gave her the opportunity to learn to sing in English and garner a wider audience. She's no star, but she's got talent and ambition to boot.

Dog - Tschambes - The family's resident German Shepherd guard dog. Bibi, as Katarin calls him, isn't much of a guard dog at all though. Tschambes is a playful dog that enjoys going on runs with Alois as well as playing fetch with branches out in the woods, but he has something of an aversion to cuddling. However, he's always happy to greet strangers that show up at the door. Who knows, they might make a damn good playmate later on. He's most attached to Alois, as he's the one who spends the time to play with him.

Relevant History -- Alois was once incarcerated for 30 days due to shoplifting, and serving that sentence was possibly the hardest thing he'd ever done. He knows what it's like to have no freedom, and that was hell. He doesn't ever want to go back, but as memory fades and impulses remain, Alois still cultivates the bad habits that got him there in the first place. When asked about it, he might respond that it was hell, but he won't give any specific details about his jail sentence. He won't tell you if he dropped the soap or not. Stop asking.

During his sentence, one of his distant friends, Sebastian, took his absence as opportunity to court his (now ex) girlfriend. Though she continued to write him the occasional letter or make a visit now and again, she began cozying up to Sebastian. He could tell something was amiss; simple questions about what she's been doing lately were met with cryptic answers, and she wouldn't tell him who she's been spending time with. However, he brushed it off as her not wanting him to get jealous. By the time he'd finished his sentence, she was out of his arms and into another's.

Basis Explanation -- As I mentioned before, I was inspired by crows to remodel Alois. Two of the traits he borrowed from their actual behaviors is his intelligence, as they're one of the most intelligent birds around, as well as his practicality, since the Corvus moneduloides can actually make and use its own tools. That's pretty practical for a bird. They're also rather devious little birds, which is largely why they're not kept as pets. I also did not opt to have him go OOH SHINY STUFF because that's pretty cliche and frankly annoying. If you'd like to read more, check here.

Crows' deviousness is also a bad rep crafted through mythology as well. They're considered the harbingers of death in some cultures, since they're carrion eaters. A greek myth goes so far as to brand crows the embodiment of revenge. In most cases, crows are often associated with bloodshed and death. Because of this, and because they fly above the scenes and pick through the aftermath, I chose for Alois to be a trickster and manipulator, though he tries not to involve himself directly, and he feeds on the destruction of friendships and other negative events. Just how a crow will eat what's helpless or dead, Alois will prey on those weak and fragile from trauma. Since he's European, I opted to focus on that region's mythology and surrounding areas rather than the more positive mythology like in the asian countries.

His challenge is also related, since "Christians thought they carried off the souls of the damned and associated this bird with the Fall of Man and Satan who blinds sinners, dulls their moral senses, and feasts on their corruption." (Cite)

Also note that a Chakram is not the same as a Wind & Fire Wheel. The latter are heavier and strictly used for melee combat, whereas the Chakram is designed to work both thrown and in melee distance.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with LP in needing a really good reason for him being blind. It restricts a lot of RP and may end up not being fun for you, or others.

Also, I'm curious... you mention him reading religious texts and wearing a rosary because he's "religious" but you don't mention anything else about it? Why is he religious? What religion? How would killing people and stealing energy and all the other stuff the Negaverse does effect him? If you're going to have that in his profile, I would love to see more about it, otherwise it's unnecessary.

Be careful about using religious symbols or objects, too. It could come off as being offensive, even if that wasn't the intention.

But it looks like there's a decent start going! Good luck!

And.... do you pronounce Alois the French or German way?

If you want a blind character, I say go for it if a GM says no, that is when you'll had to make changes. What is a challenge for some can be really fun to others, and if you can pull it off, all the more power to you!

Most of the following is just some stuff that might not have been thought about, because I know when I am throwing together a quest, some things just never come to mind that probably should be somewhat obvious to me;

I have a friend who is legally blind, and her parents are even closer to blind than she is, and they are a very religious and very musical family. The dad actually gives guitar lessons, and my friend is a piano teacher, so I'd say it's probably not too unlikely that he could learn to play music if he really wanted too. They also are very in to literature, and braille (and in their case large print) aside, they also listen to audio books - something else you might be able to consider for him.


Oooon to other stuff;

One thing I see conflicting the the the Calm virtue with the Cold flaw.
What I am getting from the Cold flaw is that he is really egotistical, seeing people as beneath him - pawns. However I am also getting, just from reading it, that that ego is fragile, hince the keeping people at arms length, and the 'hit list'. The way I see this conflicting with the Calm virtue is,...you wouldn't think a calm person wouldn't get so worked up if someone doesn't 'submit' to them, and if someone makes fun of them. See what I am saying? And I guess it also leaks in to narrow minded. Again, you wouldn't think of a calm, level-headed, person being standoffish or a poor team player.

Here is a though on other things you could maybe add, or could take place of flaws/virtues that might otherwise get nixed because of too much clashing;

Adaptable - how well does he adapt? Or does he had a REALLY hard time of it? Could possibly tie in to his practicality.
Arrogant - Would probably be able to tie both cold and overconfident up in to this one, since that is kinda really what I get from most of his flaws.
Resilient - does he come back from a defeat/embarrassment easily?
Humility? What's that? - When he bites off more than he can chew, is he willing to admit it, or would he rather just forget the entire ordeal? Does he ever consider asking for help, or is that something he would NEVER do because of his ego?


Other things to think about to maybe help flesh out his character;
How does he react to people taking pity on him, or helping him, thinking he can't do something for himself? In his cold flaw you mention people 'submitting to him as a servant.' Does this mean he is willing to let others do things for him, and therefor take advantage of their kindness?
Does he go out and try to prove to people that he is just as capable as the rest of them?

Me again!

What does he use to get around? I know you said he doesn't leave the house much, but obviously he's going to if he's getting corrupted, and then acting as a Negaverse agent.

Does he have a service animal? Or does he use a proper cane? If he does, you might want to consider turning THAT into his Nega weapon, as it might make more sense for a blind character, and also aid him in being of use!

I'm not sure a live animal weapon would fly, as cool as that would be. The first stage weapon is supposed to be pretty fail and something that can be picked up easily, like a ruler, squeaky mallet, paintbrush, etc. X3