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Hestia/Xiaofan Jones; First character, Gryffindor fifth year
Topic Started: Oct 20 2009, 12:56 AM (412 Views)
Fireworks
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About You
What should we call you? Fireworks. Or Master.
What is your gender? (ignore this and we’ll assume you’re female) –Ignores-
How can we get in touch with you? Not the face! (Since anyone can see the posts, I’d prefer not putting my email here. Sorry for any inconvenience.)
How did you know we were here?From Nemesis and a yaoi fanfic. (If you don’t know what yaoi is, 1) It’s Japanese and 2) Don’t Google it without SafeSearch.)
Did you read all of the rules?No, I read the admin’s mind. :P Of course I read the rules.
Show us a sample post, from any game. A recent one would be nice. Doesn’t have to be the character you’re applying for. I apologize in advance for this sucking, I wrote this a year ago for a Code Geass rp that I never got around to posting on…
Quote:
 
Alcione’s farewell to her friends was lengthy, affectionate, and superficial. Her practiced smile infected her voice as she called to the other high-class Brittanians, gathered at the harbor as a boat emblazoned with the Bancroft family crest and Brittanian flag carried her from her home island to the airport. Waving her sunhat above her head and gripping the salt-specked rail, Alcione gestured goodbyes to friends and family until their faces were featureless, pale masks. She checked that her bags were properly loaded before stepping up to the highest deck to relax for fifteen minutes until the boat docked at the airport. The clouds were patches of nebulous gray that passed by quickly, blurring into an almost hypnotic sky with unfocused eyes. Alcione stared at it until the boat slowed to a halt and an airplane silhouette blocked her view of the sun. The transfer to a high speed jet was made quickly, and sitting in a first-class seat, Alcione glanced at the other nobles traveling with her and wished she knew what they were thinking.
An abnormally rough landing woke Alcione when she arrived in Area 11. The clouds were thick, and Alcione cursed the heavy, humid air as she glanced in the tinted window of the car sent to take her to Ashford Academy. The drive was long, so Alcione amused herself by observing the scenery of her new home. It was an interesting sight: towering, the gleaming Brittanian city loomed over the skyline; the crushed, once-great Eleven ghetto beside it. Alcione traced the silhouette of the ruins with a fingertip, her hand blocking the glare of the setting sun. Small movements could be seen in the shadows, and Alcione assumed it was the homeless, starving people who were the victims of the emperor’s tyranny. Alcione imagined the lonely, scarred faces, relentless scratches rubbed with dirt and ash, crouched helplessly under the skeleton of an old building, and wondered how long it would take for these people to rebel against Brittanian rule.

How many characters do you currently have on this board? OVER 9,000!!!! Nihil 0.
Anything else you want to tell us before we begin? HARRYXDRACO JAMESXSIRIUSXREMUS I<3gayguyswithemohair!
About Your Character
Basics

Full name:Hestia/Xiaofan Jones
Nicknames: Xifeng (from her friends in Hong Kong), that half-white street kid (the police in Hong Kong), Miss Hestia (The nuns)
Ancestry:Half Asian, half European. No known specifics.
Gender: Female
Age:15
Birthday:Unknown, but celebrated April 2.
Sorted into: Gryffindor
Who do you follow? The voice inside my head. ^_^
Wand: 16 inches, almond, bat saliva
Personal
Sexuality:Bisexual, because everyone’s fair game in the Hong Kong ghetto.
Likes:
-Black Coffee. None of that sugary creamy garbage. Real men drink it BLACK. (Even if I’m a girl…)
-As odd as it is, being called a bitch. I am one, and a badass one at that.
-Being in control. I’m a manipulative control freak and I like getting what I want.
-That face guys make when you walk up to them randomly and get right in their face and ask “Are you gay?” and they make that “Holy crap she knows I’m a closet case” expression. XD
-Hugs. The only comfort my little team of comrades got was snuggling, so it’s comforting and relaxing to me. But there aren’t any people I trust enough to let hug me at the moment.
-Little kids. NO NOT THAT WAY. It’s just that they’re helpless and innocent, and I want them to have happy, safe childhoods. Maybe I’m subconsciously trying to make up for my own fucked up early days, though.
-Go, a Japanese strategy board game. I learned how to play from this homeless Irish-Japanese guy in his late seventies who did nothing for the last 20 years of his life but play Go on the roadside. He was an epic master at it, too. And even though he was filthy, like all the hobos, he polished his Go set every day. His philosophy was that he was only going to live as long as it took him to die, so why not do the thing he loves most? It was really sad when he finally died, but we buried him with his game.
-Handcuffs. Don’t ask.
-Books and tea, relaxing afternoons in the library. Makes you think I didn’t grow up running from beatings from the police and stealing food.
-Baroque music, opera, and Latin. Again, out of sync with my childhood.
-Singing. I have a naturally nice voice, and the nuns did NOT teach me. I sang for my friends when we were lonely or bored, as long as we knew we were safe from bad people.
-Leather jackets. They pwn.
Dislikes:
-Noisy people. They make noise. Grr.
-Crowds. They make me feel awkward and out of place, plus… I get lost a lot.
-Rules. Hong Kong slums make kids resilient and disrespectful, but it’s all the authoritative figures’ fault. They don’t have any tolerance for the children thrown out on the streets and treated us like criminals just for being victims of poverty. And then the nuns’ rules and their damned idealism and ignorance of the world they dragged me out of. I don’t follow anyone’s rules except my own, and I have loads of fun breaking everyone else’s.
-Hypocrites, idealists, religious fanatics, ignorant people, optimistic people, arrogant people, vain people, sheltered people, superficial people. People in general tend to suck.
-Purebloods. They’re arrogant and overconfident, not to mention they persecute others for their birth. They’ve been sheltered all their lives and don’t know anything about the struggles other people have had to face. They have all the money, power, and opportunity they could ever want, except they’re still greedy.
-Sugary things. Who the hell would want a dozen sugar cubes stuffed down their throat in a single bite of dessert? Everyone, apparently.
-Cold weather! Winter, late autumn. Too cold. Not fun.
-Weak, dependent people. Just stand up and deal with it yourself.
-Sports. Running. Athletic activity. Kill me.
-When people bother me when I’m winding down. Seriously, I hardly get any time when I can just be myself and do whatever. Don’t get in the way.
-Uneven light. Like when it’s dusky outside, but your lamp is countered by the smidge of light coming in trough your window and thus does nothing. And red lights, like in Outback Steakhouse. Those drive me insane.
Strengths: Strengths? Not a whole lot. I’m independent. Um… I’m actually pretty good with a handgun. One of my older friends taught me how to use it when I was like, seven, because the police and big gangs started getting really violent around then. I’m also a stoic emotional fortress, and I’m a great liar. If you could hear my thoughts during a normal day, you’d be thinking “How the hell does she make that face while thinking that?!?” But this kind of emotional control is necessary for preventing loss of sanity in the Hong Kong ghetto.
I’m a Chinese Zodiac Dog, according to an old friend, because even though we don’t know my exact birth year, I’m loyal and generous to my friends, but only to my friends, and I have a tendency to be selfish around other people. I don’t give up easily; that’s probably my greatest strength. Whether it’s turning a guy gay or finding the bastard who shot one of my acquaintances, my perseverance will prevail.
Weaknesses: First: cold hands on my neck. It sounds weird, and it doesn’t have any connection to anything, but it’s NOT COOL. I freak out a bit and will spill just about anything just to get someone to GET YOUR COLD DAMN HANDS OF MY NECK. I also have a weakness for cute things and a number of obsessions. Like cat ears and gay boys.
I have very little self-confidence. I mean, my personality’s a bit extroverted, but when I’m alone and the day is done, I question my sufficiency in life and wonder if I should just avoid people altogether, do I deserve to be around the people I like, etc.
Goals: I want to go back to Hong Kong someday. To visit the graves of the friends I’ve lost and see who’s still there. I’d also like to rule the world someday.
On a brighter (and more colorful) note, I want to turn all the guys I know gay, or at least bisexual. Half as a psychological experiment, half as entertainment.
Fears: Being left alone. It’s a fear of every street kid, especially since sometimes we had to leave people behind because they couldn’t keep up for one reason or another. Another fear is someone actually finding out about my fears and weaknesses. And actually, I have a strange habit of running away from things I like. It developed while I was living with those damned nuns. I was probably afraid of being rejected by people, so I abandoned many of the acquaintances I liked and was left with a couple satisfactory memories, but no lasting fiends.
Tics, Quirks & Habits: I squeal really high and loud when I’m excited. When I’m sitting at a desk, I fold my hands in front of my face like Sasuke. I also fidget a lot when I get bored and daydream during classes and lectures. I plan to wear different color contact lenses in each eye every day for the first week of school. Just to mess with people. Oh, and I stalk people sometimes. For the hell of it, or out of curiosity. I’m prone to mood swings. Sometimes I bow to people when I thank them or something. It’s actually a habit from being a street kid, dealing with people in our weird area with unusual politeness. Respect for your elders and all that. And I wash my hands all the time, just because I can’t stand having stuff on my hands, especially grease and oil.
Pet Peeves: I hate eraser shavings and lint on black things. Good thing I’ll be using quills when I transfer to Hogwarts. And when people don’t turn out the light when they leave a room. And learning things I don’t want to learn. And discrimination against anything. And cold things.
Favorite sounds and smells:Yaoi. Eheheheh… don’t ask. My own voice, being cryptic and changing the subject a lot while talking to someone just to irritate and alienate them. The sound of a guy hitting on another guy. As for smells, black coffee, pau (steamed Chinese roast pork buns. They’re amazing.) tea, and blood actually smells pretty good. I’m a bit of a sadist, actually.
Have you ever met a boggart? What does it look like? Yeah, but I didn’t know what it was at the time. We ran into one in the street one day (actually, it was in a box labeled “DO NOT OPEN.” We were smart kids.) It was me, a little kid at the time, all hurt and crying my eyes out ‘cuz I was alone. It hasn’t changed since then, but it’s more like my inner self now. Not that it’s any of your business.
Can you cast Patronus? What does it look like? What memory do you use? I can, sometimes, when I’m focused and trying really hard. It’s a vulture, but I like to think of it as a red-headed vulture because they’re endangered. I use my memory of my older friends naming me and everyone celebrating with noodles we stole from some street vendor.
What is the worst memory Dementors bring forward? Various scenes from my childhood. Mostly my friends being beaten by the police just for being street kids, those same friends dying a few days later or having to leave them behind. Getting into fights with other kids was also pretty unpleasant, and we lost some useful people.
If you were to find the Mirror of Erised, what would you see?I’m really not sure. What I want most depends on my mood, surroundings, and the last thing I ate. No kidding! My desires are oriented in the present.
Tell me a couple secrets about yourself: I keep that handgun I was given as a kid on my person a lot. I’ve had it repaired multiple times, so it doesn’t suck anymore. It’s a reminder of my childhood, and it’s actually comforting to have it on hand. My daily personality, outgoing, bizarre, nosy, and in your face (literally, sometimes) is mostly a façade. When it comes to intimacy, I have a thing for bondage. Brussels sprouts trigger my gag reflex every time.
Personality: This is difficult… I’m really judgmental, and I don’t trust people easily. Violence is a habit I’m prone to; it can’t be helped. But I won’t pull out my gun on you unless you really piss me off. I’m pessimistic with a bleak outlook on humans. It’s hard for me to open up to people. I usually only become friends with people who have had hardships in their lives as bad as mine, but they can’t be whiny and self-pitying. I take pride in my past and all my experiences, so I hate it when people feel sorry for me. I can make friends with average people if they’re interesting, but I’ll never tell friends about my inner self unless, again, they’ve suffered themselves. I can be anything from obnoxious to bitter to explosive, but I’m really dishonest about my feelings. I always break rules, though, and I love going against mainstream anything. Challenges are always fun, and I like arguing/debating, as well as insulting people. My competitiveness has led to a plethora of unpleasant consequences, but I haven’t learned my lesson yet, it seems. I mentioned I was a bit of a sadist earlier? Yeah, I’m pretty sadistic. I enjoy making people I don’t like cry, and causing trouble for people I’m fond of to see them at their most vulnerable (unless they really don’t need it). I’m also really blunt. You should expect to hear a direct “You know, I really hate you” or a “that’s pathetic” coming from me with a totally straight face, even if I’m listening to someone’s sob story. I swear a lot, too, but it’s not surprising, considering the language I was immersed in growing up. I’m not shy about things I don’t like. I can be really maternal if someone I care about is hurt, though. Followed by revenge and cake.
Deep down, I think I’m a complete coward. I’m confident on the outside, but I feel like it’s often just an act. If I hadn’t been forced to be strong by my childhood, I’d probably be a whiny, timid, constantly self-doubting little wimp. And it would show. I do love being nosy, though, and starting fights, and attracting attention like that. I’m instinctively selfish. But I’m loyal, dedicated, and headstrong, even if I am picky about the people who deserve it from me.
Looks
Distinguishing Features: My hair, brown naturally, is cut straight across at my chin on the left, and is also dyed blue-teal(but the color’s fading, and dye doesn’t work well on dark hair anyway, so it’s pretty vague. It’ll be gone in a week.). It’s my natural color on the right, and back-length, but I usually keep that half in a ponytail or something. I have some scars on my back from the damned Hong Kong Bastard Police Force and an oriental-style Celtic knotty thing tattoo on my left back and shoulder (hair’s cut short on the left to show it off).
Not-so-distinguishing features: When I’m psyched up, pissed off, or some combination of the two, I walk really fast, staring straight ahead with my hands balled up in fists at my sides. Often followed by yelling of some sort. As I mentioned earlier, I’m a good singer, but I have serious stage fright, so you’ll probably never hear me sing. And I have funny-shaped nails. I dunno, they’re just not normal. It’s really annoying. I can put my middle finger all the way around my ring finger to meet my little finger, and then get my ring finger between my pointer finger and thumb, on the back of my hand.
Appearance: I have a mixed complexion between some kind of Asian heritage and Caucasian. My eyes are brown, but I think they’re nice even if they’re boring. I like leather jackets a lot, especially ones with chains and random buckles. I usually wear goth boots with long laces (to tie people up with ^.*). I also really like wearing jeans and cheap clothes that are easy to move in because that’s what was necessary growing up. Hand-me-downs are nice, too. Though they usually came from corpses in Hong Kong. Gloves are fun to wear, and I have a pair for every occasion.
Place of Birth: The Hong Kong ghetto, bitches!
Immediate family: Unknown
Extended family: Unknown
Other important people: All my friends, whose names I’ve forgotten, and I guess the nuns who took me in, irritating as they were, and that bastard patron, Ceres Jones, off whose money I am currently mooching.
Pets:None, unless you count my seaweed aquarium. Which is more like a midnight snack, actually. With soy sauce.
History: Finally, you get the explanation for all this.
I was born in Hong Kong… I think. My earliest memories consist of the slums at Hong Kong’s lowest point, filled with thieves, murderers, drug dealers, and unfortunate people. Kids like me didn’t have a lot to turn to for survival; a lot of them were prostitutes or addicts before puberty. I had a bit of chivalry, though, and wouldn’t let myself be controlled by other people like that. I grew up in various kiddie gangs stealing for food and sleeping wherever we wouldn’t get shot or kidnapped. I ran into a group of wizarding kids, though, and fit in just fine. They taught me everything they knew. I left them eventually and joined a more average, slightly more violent gang with kids ranging from five to nineteen. They named me when I was around seven, Xiaofan, meaning “little mortal.” I was the cute little kid in the group who no one expected to live very long. Even if they weren’t wizards, it was a homey group, like a family. Unfortunately, I don’t remember anyone’s name, mostly because I usually didn’t know anyone for more than 6 months before they died, left, disappeared, or got left behind. And we did have to leave a lot of people on their own because they couldn’t keep up, thus jeopardizing everyone else’s safety. As such, there were plenty of taboos we had to avoid for our own good. In a nutshell, sex with the opposite gender, because getting pregnant was a death sentence in many ways. Overpopulation was a problem, so police would kill any pregnant girls in the slums; disease and birth problems; and of course, you’d be abandoned by your teammates. We couldn’t deal with dragging some slut around and providing for her AND a helpless baby. It was pretty much ignored, though. An alternative solution was same-sex relationships, even though one of the guys always ended up… sore. Second, drugs, the most broken rule; no one will pay for your addiction, no matter who they are, so just avoid drugs for your own good. Our lives suck just as much as yours so don’t give us that excuse. Lastly, (this was the only rule we people adhered to) killing a friend was a surefire way to run into some angry comrades with firearms. If a friend was killed by another friend, it was a completely different story from someone dying in a gang fight. If you want to kill someone, ally with the enemy. No problems then.
I learned how to fire a gun the same year I was named, and given a handgun to defend myself. I didn’t need it, with my untamed magic and all, but it was a comfort and I got pretty damn good with it. Murderers and hunters don’t need guns, though, just brains and morals. Or, more easily, a cell and handcuffs. Later, in a different gang, I got my second name, which I tend to use as a surname, Xifeng, “western phoenix,” a reference to my half-European ancestry. So I’m Xiaofan Xifeng if you’re close enough for me to let you know. When I was twelve, however, some rich old witch decided she wanted to sponsor a charity case, so she commissioned a bunch of nuns to find a magical little target on the streets of Hong Kong. I went with them willingly at the time, since I had an infected gunshot wound in my shoulder, the same one with the tattoo, and was all alone again. They took me to their place in England to teach me civilized basics. I was a fast learner, actually. We spoke mixed English and Cantonese dialect Chinese in the ghetto, but I mastered grammar and punctuation in a year, the English language in two, and learned basic Latin along the way. I don’t like speaking Chinese, actually, because I’d probably sound like an uneducated street kid. I can’t even write Chinese. The nuns also gave me full access to their library and stores of tea, which I enjoyed immensely, but tried to get me to respect their religious cult and worship their god. I couldn’t get them to understand that after all the things I’d seen, I wouldn’t put my trust in something without substance, which hadn’t helped relieve anyone’s suffering back then. And that middle-aged egotistical, idealistic bitch, Ceres Jones, my benefactor, stole my name. Legally, I have her last name and the given name Hestia. I dislike this for many reasons, the first being that Hestia was the servant of the gods of Greek myth. That’s an unfortunate, unacceptable connotation. Also, why the hell should I have her last name? It’s boring and average and not mine. Xiaofan Xifeng is a symbol of my pride as a person. So bleh. But I won’t let you know that unless I trust you and enjoy being around you. Otherwise, Hestia is fine, but don’t call me Jones. Ever.
After living between the nuns and Madame Jones, they’ve either decided that personal tutors are no longer sufficient for my magical education or just gotten sick of me. I’m enrolling in Hogwarts mid- October. All hell breaks loose.
Misc
Anything else you want to share? I think Xiaofan/Hestia is too emo in this. She’s less depressing, but it’s told from her inner perspective about serious things. And I couldn’t fit everything I wanted to in, so I’ll develop her character a lot more through the actual roleplay. And it is okay that she’s joining in the middle of the year, right? It’s just a convenient plot device for getting to know everyone and the situations.

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Spider
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Sirius B, Barty C Jr., Cuthbert B, Poppy P, Alphard B, Bellatrix B, Minerva MG
Fireworks, we're going to have to decline your character, and here's why: She reeks of Sue. In fact, she reeks of self-insert Sue. I know nothing about you (except that you are a Harry/Draco fan, and WOOT for some MPP love!), but I would hazard some guesses--you're a huge fan of anime/manga, you've read Shonen Jump, especially Hikaru no Go and Naruto, you're a big fan of unnatural colors of hair/eyes/etc., you love the goth/emo look, and not only are you obsessed with yaoi (or, as we call it in non-Asian fandoms, slash), but you are also obsessed with Asia in general.

And your character failed every Mary-Sue litmus test I put her through, even giving her the benefit of the doubt in all the relationship questions (answering 'no' simply because I just don't know).

And Mary-Sues just aren't cool.

Jormy and I have discussed Hestia, and these are our most serious concerns, in no particular order.
1) Her name is Hestia Jones. That is almost all we know about her. Hestia Jones is a pink-cheeked, black-haired witch who waved at Harry and volunteered to come fetch him in OotP, and in Deathly Hallows, stood up for Harry when she came to escort the Dursleys away. You are changing her name to Xiaofan Xifeng. Yes, you explain the Hestia part, but your character is Xiaofan Xifeng with the nickname Hestia Jones, not named Hestia Jones.
2) Xiaofan's personality and history screams Slytherin, yet she's been sorted into Gryffindor. Even though she's a coward at heart. Even though she is street-smart--ie cunning and ambitious and Slytherin.
3) This is 1975. Bellbottoms are in. Goth? Emo? Different colored contact lenses (and how ridiculously EXPENSIVE that will be)? Xiaofan comes across an awful lot like a kid of 2009, not 1975.
4) In the UK, they do not have the right to bear arms. Guns are outlawed except in certain cases, which include farmers, gamekeepers, and hunters (and aristocrats who have too much money to be stopped from buying as many guns as they want) - pretty much anyone in the rural sector, really. Just as a point of totally-irrelevant interest, coming from someone who lives in a rural area which actually DOES have guns everywhere.
Not handguns, though.
5) Transferring from another country, in a year not her first, in a year already in-progress, is just not-done. The girl should have been snapped up by the school responsible for Hong Kong, like Tom Riddle was. Actually... pretty much her whole history is rather angst-full and over-the-top and highly unlikely for Hogwarts.

You seem very articulate and excited about this game, so we would like to see you join, but Xiaofan is simply not appropriate for Mayhem and Magic. I would suggest you at least read this essay before trying again. You could also look at the other characters accepted to this board, and you're more than welcome to get in touch with Jormy or myself if you have any questions. Our contact information is all in our profiles.
Edited by Spider, Oct 20 2009, 10:07 PM.
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