Post by Joris van der Haven on Aug 22, 2012 18:41:45 GMT -5
Joris van der Haven
FULL NAME Joris van der Haven
NICKNAMES Jor, Jos, Ned, bunny-boy, whatever you want to throw at him.
GENDER Male
AGE 17
GRADE Twelve
ETHNICITY Dutch
SPECIALTY Hand to hand: ‘brass’ knuckles. (They are actually made of titanium) one blunt and one with two spikes used for piercing, pinning and disarming.
Range: handguns. Why be artfully elaborate when you can be quick and efficient.
Non-combat: predominantly forgery & fraud (in many ways, including cheating masterfully at gambling) Break and enter, vault-cracking.
YOUR CHARACTER'S LIKES
• Almost anything water/sea related: Swimming, diving, the sound of thunder and rain, sailing/boating. Sailing is a favourite, and he admires and envies Mia for having an admiral for a father.
• Steef.
• Two handed swords. It’s only a hobby, and he takes it moderately serious. It is not a primary skill for his future job since parading around the city with a massive sword is hardly inconspicuous or practical, but ever since laying eyes on the original 7 feet+ two hander of a local historic hero as a boy, he really wanted to be able to swing such an impressive piece of metal himself. His practice has become infrequent, but he still enjoys it.
• Reading Stefan’s comics while saying he doesn’t like them. Playing console games with him, in spite of nearly always losing, because Stefan is the only person who can beat him while still being ok with that.
• Working out. Keeps his mind off of things. Swimming especially.
• Rabbits. You do not know this.
• Botany and herbalism.
• Alcohol. Not fond of wine but likes beer and the stronger stuff.
• Hydraulic engineering. Because mega-structures keeping half a nation from possible flooding is kind of impressive.
YOUR CHARACTER'S DISLIKES
• He’s not all that fond of Arthur…for several reasons. Also. The man can’t swim. Ridiculous.
• Being out of smokes.
• Being told what to do/being put under command to someone he deems unworthy/of lesser skill than himself.
• Not being taken serious. While Joris does not excel at taking others all that serious himself, he finds this not an adequate reason to not listen to what he says.
• He really dislikes Mia often being the better sailor though he admires her skill. He tries to learn from her whenever an opportunity arises rather than envy her, but it cuts a little deeper than he wants to admit.
• Sweets, just salty licorice please. The saltier the better.
• Being indoors for too long.
FEARS
• His skills or insight being insufficient and making him look like a fool/being betrayed/left behind.
• Fear of heights. It’s not enough to make him panic right off, but if he can avoid it, he will.
• Something happening to Stefan. The thought simply terrifies him.
• Losing the game for the sake of losing. Because that’s what this all is. An intricate, complex, ruthless and meaningless game extending until one drops off of the face of the earth either slipping away quietly or going out with a bang.
• Having to keep playing the game. Because for all his hard work and serious approach to the academy, he considered his life and any dreams he had along with it, forfeit the day he had to sign up and while giving up is not an option, in truth he is already tired of it.
• Dry and hot territory. Heat is not all that welcomed, while certainly not having the sunburn sensitive pale complexion as some of his fellow students (since he’s used to sailing and being outdoors he has a wholesome tan) what he hates is the lack of water and it can make him feel unsettled and anxious. Doing a mission in the desert would be the manifestation of one of his worst nightmares.
• Being rendered helpless.
QUIRKS/ODDITIES
• Smoking. It’s his sole bad habit. According to himself.
• Being almost obsessively clean and neat. Very organized.
• Can obsess over details a bit too much.
• He has a scar on his forehead. And refuses to tell how he got it.
• He has a key-chain with Nijntje (Miffy)…of all the things Stefan could have gotten him…
• He has a tattoo symbolizing water (details yet to be decided)
• Joris often is in a (usually mild) state of hypervigilance due to what the students are subjected to and how serious he takes it. This sometimes (though it is rare) results in a 1000-yard stare, or anxiety bordering on neurosis, and he typically needs to shower or swim to be able to relax again. Water is almost like a religion to him. He practically reveres it and it can ease and calm him, even overriding fears when (abundantly) present.
• He often showers twice a day or even more.
OVERALL PERSONALITY
Joris can be a rather controlling and possessive individual. While not necessarily pushing others about all day he dislikes not being the master of his environment or situation except for when he chooses to be at risk himself, for while he’s generally all for efficiency, focus and stability, he has a penchant for gambling, in the broadest sense of the word.
He’s confident in his abilities and skills and has a keen mind for analysis. While the feeling of being helpless is rather alien to him, it is something he never wants to experience.
He’s not a natural team player, rather a soloist who makes a point of being as little dependent on others as possible, hence he tries to be proficient in many skills, because specialties, while greatly desired, fall short if one fails at basic tasks. Though he knows that getting through the missions is often all about teamwork, he just doesn’t want to have to rely on someone and then be let down or betrayed. If you want to do it right, do it yourself.
While he may have an outward devil-may-care attitude to things (or people) and a practiced expression of near indifference and sometimes impassiveness, he actually takes the academy training very serious.
Where it comes to people, he’s naturally curious, but not easily engrossed or invested and he can be awkward in conversation and not so keenly adhere to social rituals. This isn’t to say he’s not a conversationalist at all, just that he’s generally a bit inept at true small talk. Conversations posing as small talk however, he finds most intriguing.
He also puts a lot of emphasis on personal grooming and orderliness. Thus, he might wear (formal) clothes with certain nonchalance or carelessness, like loose ties or half buttoned dress shirts, but there will be no spots or other blemishes to be found as he seems to have a mysterious power to keep the fabric clean and unwrinkled.
His motivation comes not so much from a wish to win this rather intriguing but tiresome game they started as soon as they enrolled and that will end when they die or are discharged out of the service, but rather that he really, really hates losing. He can sometimes mask a loss as if taking it in stride, but it always affects him.
Affairs of state? He feels as if a puppet on strings. Though hardly a saint to begin with, he feels bitter for having this choice made for him without being permitted to decide for himself. Then again, due to Stefan’s enrollment, there was little choice to begin with, for ultimately, he wants to keep Stef safe, for as long as possible, even if he knows there comes a time when separation will be a fact, and they may find themselves on either side of the fence possibly pitted against each other. A thought he has difficulty facing.
He has a great love for aquatics and swimming and sailing are things he will never tire of. The water, in a way, is his safety zone, regardless of the fact that she can be both an ally and an enemy, as he well knows.
Other things of note:
-He’s about as tall as Ivan, but while athletic and well-toned, he’s not as strong or as solidly built. He has a more slender body structure.
-Bisexual. Generally fairly easy with physicality, but not with anything else.
Light bounced off the smooth white tiles in moving, wavy patterns that fled and dissipated briefly as little clouds slowly rolled over the swimming pool, casting patches of smooth shadow over the glitter of the water. Joris took a deep breath and closed his eyes, positioning. Droplets coated his lashes and glided languidly over his cheekbones, catching the blaze of an unassuming afternoon sun as they trailed and fell from his chin, back into the unity below them.
The tall youngster reopened his eyes, and jumped, toes gripping the springboard a few meters above the water. All was light and clear as he launched himself forward, adjusting his spine and long legs in the brief flight and cleaving through the cool surface of the water a moment later with minimal resistance. It was a feeling without equal; this quick, yet calm descend into this muted, watery domain. A little vacuum of frozen thoughts and seconds, right up until the speed of the dive was inevitably lost and he adjusted into an ascending line back towards the surface. He ended in a slow freestyle, strokes large and easy, the push off on the turn without force. He had already trained hard and acidity had since long kicked in, turning his complaining muscles sore. Even so the burn of exertion was a welcome one and the exhaustion almost yearned for.
Coming to the end of the lane, he hoisted himself up, excess water crashing to the floor, and made for the showers, wishing he could replace the pungent smell of chlorine with the brine of the sea, as its salty scent would cling to his hair and stick to his skin, even when rigorously washed. It was a scent he treasured, and the only one permitted to stay.
He nearly surrendered to the warm spray of the shower but was just in time to keep the fatigue from sinking in. He would sleep easier tonight. Once passed that darkening hallway.
The tall youngster reopened his eyes, and jumped, toes gripping the springboard a few meters above the water. All was light and clear as he launched himself forward, adjusting his spine and long legs in the brief flight and cleaving through the cool surface of the water a moment later with minimal resistance. It was a feeling without equal; this quick, yet calm descend into this muted, watery domain. A little vacuum of frozen thoughts and seconds, right up until the speed of the dive was inevitably lost and he adjusted into an ascending line back towards the surface. He ended in a slow freestyle, strokes large and easy, the push off on the turn without force. He had already trained hard and acidity had since long kicked in, turning his complaining muscles sore. Even so the burn of exertion was a welcome one and the exhaustion almost yearned for.
Coming to the end of the lane, he hoisted himself up, excess water crashing to the floor, and made for the showers, wishing he could replace the pungent smell of chlorine with the brine of the sea, as its salty scent would cling to his hair and stick to his skin, even when rigorously washed. It was a scent he treasured, and the only one permitted to stay.
He nearly surrendered to the warm spray of the shower but was just in time to keep the fatigue from sinking in. He would sleep easier tonight. Once passed that darkening hallway.
YOUR NAME OR ALIAS Dia
WHERE CAN WE CONTACT YOU? PM please, thanks ^_^
WHERE DID YOU FIND US? Scouring through a lot of Heta rp sites and their advertisement boards. Don’t remember from where I jumped on here.
