House of Cards OOC

Hello, my lovelies. This is Song with her fifth character, Cooper (Coop) Thane, a returning Deck baby and new 8 of Hearts.

Coop, 33, grew up a Club. His parents are still alive and kicking. His mother, Fiona, is a 3rd Gen Spade who fled that Suit during the old regime. She probably would have returned when David took over, but by then she had met and married Ross Thane (a first generation [Australian] Club). Fiona is a gardener and Ross an accountant. They had three children. Cooper is the middle kid.

Cooper is a guy. He likes to drink, he likes to fight (friendly most times) he likes sports, the outdoors. He's not too interested in fashion. He's happier doing than thinking, though he's actually quite clever. He keeps that close to his chest and is generally friendly, though he's not above slipping in the occasional sarcasm. He's a people watcher, always looking below the surface. He doesn't talk about his emotions or get emotional (or tries not to). He has no patience for whiners or any gender, and he likes people who take care of themselves. No wilting flowers for Coop, thanks. Oh, and don't change his name to Copper. He'd have to deck you.

Growing up, Cooper excelled in sports. The Deck isn't conducive to team sports (though Coop is a huge fan of the Broncos, Lions and Reds). His father started him in boxing. Coop's size and speed (and the fact that he's a southpaw) helped him immensely. He's also a devilishly fast swimmer and an ace tennis player.

Riley, his older sister, left the Deck at 20 after a failed challenge. Jack, the baby, was injured (and later died) in a freak training accident (he landed wrong after a judo throw and broke his neck). He was barely fifteen.

Cooper spiraled into a depression and eventually left the Deck, returning to his grandparents in Brisbane. He and his grandfather, Wil, a retired detective, became quite close (love of sports and cooking). Coop followed his grandfather's footsteps and entered a career in law enforcement. Cooper rose swiftly in the ranks, becoming a detective at 23 and assigned first to Narcotics and later to Homicide. He lost the taste for his job when he took on a case where a father had systematically planned out the murder of his wife and three small children. Thoroughly burned out by death, he returned to the Deck after his mother contacted him and told him his father had had a heart attack. Cooper was 25.

His father lived, but Cooper wanted to be nearer his parents and decided to give the Deck another go. He's still giving it a go after eight years. He didn't want to live in his parents' pockets (plus the Clubs reminded him too much of his dead brother) and joined the Hearts as a Two. He chose the Hearts because he liked their Queen and King. Besides, he has the sneaking suspicion he should probably arrest most of the Spades on general principles and the Diamonds are too caught up in appearances for his liking.

Cooper's an excellent cook, supplementing his early cooking lessons from Ross with classes in his spare time. He works in the kitchens (runs them if there isn't anyone else).

So, CR? Anyone want to volunteer to have accidentally killed poor Jack? Could be from any Suit, but a Club is most likely. Any Club want to have pummelled Riley out of the Deck? Is there someone else in charge of the Heart kitchens?

Hit me!

(In case you're interested, here's a list of challenges: Battleship, Sudoku, Best Souffle, 400M medley (swimming), Boxing, Archery)

Hey everyone in this club. Hey. Hey.

This is Violet with her fifth character! :) Alexandra Castillo, more commonly called Lexa, is a Spanish-Hungarian raised in a poverty-stricken city in Brazil. Abbreviated history, go! She was part of a gang, but the police got on her trail and she ran into the Deck. And is now a Two of Clubs. Sarcastic, adamant, and pretty steadfastly loyal if you get on her good side. She's just arrived on Deck, so previous CR is improbable. But. If you can think of something, just run it by me as always.

Don't pick on the new meat, gaiz. She is a little taller and a little baller, okay. :|

ETA: Also. She's sixteen. That's important. Carry on.

Hello all. New character and player here. *waves*

It's very nice to be able to join the Deck. But before Grace does her first post, I was hoping to snag a little feedback first. Since she's literally stumbling into the Deck, what would be the best first post for her? Her initially seeing the deck? Or a week or two later and she's 'settling in'?

Asking because I'm not quite sure of the process of Outsiders being integrated into the deck, and I'd rather not commit some giant faux pas.

*tips hat*
Cheers.

Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiisa. Her details are here and she's pretty much the most adorable thing to ever live in my brain.

Long story short, this little Two of Hearts likes her pony and dancing and reading-ish. She will get all up in your stuff because she's curious but less destructive than Curious George. :D Enjoy~

-Kels with card number two (OH THE IRONY)

Hi!
This is Clara (Judith and Joshua's mun) with a new character who's actually not a Heart, but a Diamond (a four like Joshua, though). Here's Hürrem, a Turkish girl in her late twenties that found the Deck after running away from her husband and her ultra-orthodox Muslim family. Even though she worked as an interpreter and translator (she actually found the Deck thanks to an old story she had to translate to Turkish) before arriving to the Deck, now she works as the Diamond's hairdresser and makeup artist.
She's generally a friendly girl with an optimist look on life, but be careful if you mention her family or her husband...
CR, anyone?

It's Angela with her fifth card. This card brought to you by "the Hearts were the clergy".

This is Gabriel Kelly, Five of Hearts. He's been a member of the Deck for eight years, and rumor has it that he was a member of the US Navy before joining the Hearts

Currently, he works at a chapel in Town--it's not a church, but a safe space and non-denominational respite. Gabe offers confidential counseling and support to everyone. Not a shrink, not diagnosing anything; he offers himself as a sounding board. There's also a small religious library at the chapel that runs the gamut from Eastern religions to modern paganism, with everything in between.

Gabe's got a reputation for being a 'nice guy'--women his age (36) are often heard to say 'he's like a brother'. But there's also a very finely-tuned sense of morality and a temper under the surface.

Note: Gabriel's maternal grandmother was a Deck-baby who left, and who sent Gabe to her family with a letter of introduction. If there's any Deck-baby who wants a long-lost relative, tap me.

Otherwise, CR? Questions? Cookies?

...is you also get enabled.

This is Muzy with her fifth character, Jordan Novak. Yes that Jordan Novak, Hadyn's somehow completely perfect older brother. Jordan here is a Nine of Spades Hearts with ambitions to go higher. He's probably already casting his eyes over the Tens to see who needs to go down.

Basic history is this: Jordan was born into the Spades and grew up in Spade Castle until he was thirteen years old. At that point, his father Dwayne was assassinated for being one of Queen Medea's supporters and his mother, Laureline, took both of her sons and sought refuge in Heart Castle. In reality, Laureline killed Dwayne herself when he found out that Hadyn's father was actually Georgios Kattalakis, but she spread the former story around, brainwashing her sons into believing it. She trained both Jordan and Hadyn to be perfect Spades and simultaneously perfect Hearts, and Jordan plays his role to the hilt. He's currently in charge of the Heart Archives, which means that all paperwork in Heart Castle goes through him.

He likes having control over everything that way.

Aaanyway. CR times, people. Jordan was old enough when he left the Spades to have made some friends there around his age - he's twenty-five now - and he's also charming and "sweet," so he probably has some among the Hearts as well.

...into picking up another canon character. :)

This is Drea (Rachel-mun) bringing in Urania's big sister Calypso, who's 35 and been away from the Deck for seven-ish years. Her full history etc. is here, but the basics are this: Born in the same old Spades family, was taught to be the perfect Spade and was actually pretty devoted to it, getting up to Seven until Victor (yes, that Victor) killed her twin sister, Echo. Her death prompted her to leave the Deck, and she wandered about the world for a few months before ending up in Texas, where she met Galen Montrose, who later became her husband. They married and were very happy together before Galen was killed in action in Afghanistan. That was about eight months ago, and since then she's been trying to deal with some serious depression and figure out her life again.

Now she's coming back. Absence has dropped her back down to a Five. People will also likely find her a little kinder and a lot less ambitious.

Oh. And she's also coming in with three kids: 4-year old Callisto and the bb!twins Lycus and Priam.

C'mon and hit me with your best shot CR, guys. <3

Hey this is Emer with my third card!

Meet Noah, the Two of Clubs. Thirteen years ago on the 16th June just as the sun was rising Noah Damien Gray was born into the world to two loving parents. These parents were Damien, a Two of Diamonds and Jessica, a Six of Clubs and they lived together in Town. Damien had always lived in the Town whereas Jessica had lived in Club Castle for most of her life. That is until she fell in love and agreed to move in with Damien in Town. Noah grew up happy and healthy and went to the local school in Town. He had plenty of friends and his parents loved him. They would occasionally be visited by other members of the Deck, extended family who lived in the Castles. However, about five months ago Noah's father Damien decided that he was tired of being stuck as a Two. Those in Town don't care too much about rank and status but his parents had been of a high rank and he wanted to continue the legacy. So, he challenged a Three in a combat based challenge...and lost. During the challenge he was "accidentally" killed. Of course both Noah and Jessica were absolutely devistated. His mother couldn't cope with the loss of her husband and she soon became ill. All the hard work of the best doctors on the Deck...even they couldn't save her. They say she died of a broken heart. And now Noah is left without either parent and he feels so alone even though there are people around him. For a few months he stayed with a friend of his father's until recently when he was adopted by his extended family and he moved from Town to Club Castle. So, that's where he is now, grieving the loss of both his parents and trying to get used to meeting new people and unfamiliar surroundings. He had heard so much about the Castle's he had just never been near them before.

Yes, it's long....if you want to know more about Noah's personality then head here

Hello everyone!

Meet my very first card Gavin, writer of science fiction and romance novels. He's a pretty friendly guy who has been in the deck for about three years.

Anyone interested in some cr discussions? *puppy eyes*

So I just wanted to say hi before posting a half million things. I'm Tasha. I play Greylan Harker. A Two of Hearts with a love of cooking, art and knives. If you are ever hungry and don't wanna cook but want awesome food head for his home or the kitchens in the Heart castle. He'll usually feed you cheerfully while offering you insight on various rumors and happenings. He's pretty easy going.  

Depending on how he runs I might bring in his twin sister. ^^

I HAVE BROKEN MY ONE CARD RULE WITH A JOKER

THIS IS A LONG INTRO
/cuts

Hellooooo!! This is Tsunayoshi Sasaki, more commonly known as Shishi because his laughter sounds like shishishishishi and it also means death, twice, which then becomes lucky instead of unlucky. Depending on how well you know him you might have five million other nicknames for him. Tsu, Tsuna, Yoshi, Saki, etc. He's been a Joker since he was 25 and is now 32 turning 33 on Feb 9th. How he suddenly got that status no one is really quite sure as he always tells a different story when asked. Some cards might not even know that Tsuna and Shishi are the same because wow does he look different when he's not dressed up (and it's very rare to even see that) , he doesn't like showing his skin which is weird because he's got a lot of ink. He's commonly referred to as the dark joker.

( fax )


CR ERRYBADY??

Greetings, everyone. Emma here with the absolute last one ever (and I so blame keep_them_safe for this, I soooooo do), Ethan, a Seven of Spades. Born into the Deck before David took over, he's currently one of his King's little "pet projects", or something like that. Click for history and info if ya like.

He's just returned from a two-year mission working "undercover" in the Italian mafia, details of which are known between himself and his monarch. But he did manage to bring home a few new trinkets, many of which will end up replicated in the Spade armory, no doubt. >} He'll be familiar with his Suit (and no doubt many of the higher-ups in the others), but only close with Amy and David, to an extent. Anyone new to the Deck in the past two years, expect scrutiny and probably a lot of surreptitious (annnnd, probably some not-so-covert) information gathering.

Anyways, huzzah, my lovelies and so excited to be playing with you guys more! /bounce bounce ^^

You know how this goes my darlings.

Hanna here, enabled yet again (AND YOU KNOW BY WHO) with a Seven of Hearts. She is a friendly chatterbox who works in a veterinary clinic in Town as a vet nurse. She's been in the deck for four years, is 31 years old and if anyone wants any sort of CR with her drop a comment and you will get squished.

More details are in her journal profile <3

Love you all!

Marie again! I decided to make another character because I need a serious one to counter my not so serious one. So of course, I came up with an absurdly long character history and personality.

If you have no time to read the TLDR version, here's the basic rundown:

Christopher Kahl is 35 years old and from the outside and a teacher; dedicated and gifted and taught the third grade (8 to 9 year olds) in Town for the last 11 years. He and his wife Lacy came to the Deck after Christopher was encouraged to resign from his post at a prestigious private school due to discrimination.

He adapted well to the Deck and excelled in his profession, so much so, people consider it a shame he's not moving up in the world. However, Lacy did not like the political system of the deck and hated how she was treated because she had no intention of playing the 'game'. She eventually divorced Christopher three years ago to return home. While he is still a fantastic teacher and respected member of the community, Christopher is struggling with depression though most will not know about the depression. Only a few good friends might even guess at it. The depression is connected to stagnation within himself, his job, and his rank and guilt he has choosing his newer life over his old.

So, here's the deal. If your card is 20 or younger and went to public school in Town, you probably know about Mr. Kahl. You might even have been his student or you might have a sibling who had him for a teacher. Outside of being a good teacher, he's a fairly good boxer and jogs often. Quite a few of the high ranking families has asked him to be a private tutor and he's rejected all offers.

So, basically, what I'd really like are a few friends and a few former students. Anyone up for CR?

Well hello~ My name is Signs and I've been convinced to come here by the lovely Myriad, who should get an award her enabling skills. Met in class, less than two hours later I'm checking out this place's site, next morning I've submitted an application. I'm a currently a fifth-year Asian Studies student ( yes I know my major is worthless ), I love meeting new people, and the best way to contact me is via AIM at TheWaywardI. Please note: I am often invisible, so please feel free to drop a message even if it says I'm offline. If nothing else, I'll probably get it in a couple of hours.

The incredible derp you see in these icons is Jesse Pennington, a six of Hearts, recently returned to the deck after a bit of soul-searching in the "real world" for the last ten years. If your character is around the age of 27, they might have crossed paths in their early teens, but he was probably at least a little more gangly back then. He likes word-games, tongue-twisters, puns and other annoying vocabulary-related hobbies, which gives him a tendency to natter endlessly if given the chance. Don't worry--if you interrupt he'll listen with equal interest.

Jesse's probably been kicking around for a few months lately, but most of his efforts have been going into putting together a coffee shop in town. It'll be open soon, ready to display the artwork of local talent and provide glorious caffeine to all the Deck. Is there anyone who might have run into him, or is interested in having him hang some paintings? 

HI. New kid in these parts, Kels, bringing Amy Sinclair. She's a 26-year-old Six of Spades, aaaaaaand she's kinda my precious little pet. Except not so precious. Whatevs, her details are here. Castle guard, doot doot.

I'm pretty much open as far as plottery goes, and you can harass me on AIM (RosasaurusRECKZ) or email (kconekin@gmail.com), whichever is easier for you. I can be slow to tag through the week because I'm a full-time student AND work four days a week, but I still manage. 8D

In the meantime... yeah, just harass me. I don't know what else to say.

Hallo, everyone. This is Emma here (wilderhearts mun) with character number dos, Morgan Eidelstein, a Three of Clubs. Cue up the eccentric dorky college history professor...with a dark side, mwhaha. But he's very nice usually, smokes and drinks too much and will most often be found hiding behind a stack of books in the library or his study. Also? DON'T TOUCH THE SLINKY.

Anyways, history and other is located here, if the curious are...well, curious. Huzzah. He'll be just moving in and unpacking all his pack-ratted junk from eons ago stuff and getting settled and whatnot. HAPPY TO BE HOME, YAEZ! Well...kinda. But! ONWARD!

/gets off the caffeine now

This is Song with her fourth character. The poor Diamonds need more mens need their own doctor, so have Rajat Kumar. (Why so many characters?)

Rajat is a Two of Diamonds, brand spanking new to the Deck, and a bit bemused by the entire thing. He's 32, a quarter English and three-quarters Indian. He was born in Suryapur, India, but spent half his life in London from an early age and holds dual-citizenship. He attended Westminster School first as a day student and then as a boarder from the age of thirteen. he went on to Oxford, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and went on to medical school. He later did two years as a surgical resident, then switched to internal medicine.

He has a dry sense of humor and generally likes people. He's prone to bouts of depression and manic activity. He enjoys games of chance and skill, is an excellent archer, was on his university fencing team and is an accomplished horseman.

Rajat lost his wife and only child in a fire four years ago and went into a downward spiral that had him leaving everything he held dear and traveling the globe trying to find meaning in his life. That search led him to the Deck.

He doesn't know anyone in-Deck since he's new, but for anyone who has contacts outside, particularly any who know London well, there's a possibility you could have met.

Hi! I'm Marie and a brand new player, though you might have played with taser_maiden or seen her around. I've seen you guys for a while and I've been interested but I decided I might as well stop peeking and try it and flail like mad.

I come bringing Lasandra Adare to you all, a six of heart and very content at being a six of heart. Sandy (to friends) is a child of an Outsider and the former Hearts court artist. She was raised in the Outside but heard stories from her mother. She finally saw the Deck when her mother became ill and when her mother died, she had to go back with her father to the Outside. But she fell in love with the place and returned after earning an art degree. She's still culturally an outsider though she tries her best to fit in. It's been her talent (and boy is she) that's helped her so far.

I suspect she hangs out with Outsiders a touch more than those raised in the Deck, however a few people within the Deck could have known her late mother, Diana.

Hope to play and CR with you all! <3