Rupert Giles likes smashing things (_quiscustodiet) wrote, @ 2010-05-28 18:25:00 |
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out of character OOC INFORMATION.name. Christie age. 25 (26 Friday! ♥!) contact info. AIM: necessarypapers; e-mail: theflutterofherwings (at) gmail (dot) com timezone. CST (GMT-6) in character name. Rupert Abraham Giles age. Born April 22, 19641, Cusp of Taurus2 personality. If one were to describe Rupert Giles in one word, it would undoubtedly be "British." Superficially, Giles is entirely a product of his island. He favors tweed, classical music, and books over denim and television. He takes his tea with sugar and lemon. Mr. Giles is quite set in his ways, and can be a luddite when it comes to technology or popular culture, particularly when it comes to computers. He is a serious, educated man with a large vocabulary, appreciation for irony, and a dry, subtle wit. He could very easily play the straight man in a comedy duo. Giles has no doubt about his intellectual superiority. He has a genius level intellect which has been sharpened through education at premiere British public schools and Universities as well as his watcher training in tandem with a genius level intellect. This can give the Briton an air of smugness and he is more than willing to engage a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent. He'd do the same with a sword. He is introverted, perhaps more comfortable with tomes and antiquities than in a crowd, but not shy. He is somewhat uncomfortable with expressing or receiving emotion, and can tend to be disapproving, if not a scold. However when the cards are down, Giles is loyal, duty-bound, and ready to protect those for whom he cares. Giles is straight-laced, perhaps too much so, upon careful observation. He compensates for the sins of his past by a compulsive devotion to goodness and his duty. He feels great guilt over his misspent youth but has rationalized the outcome as a coping mechanism. Still, his past does cause him to exercise a great deal of restraint over his own behavior to resist further temptation. Giles has a rebellious streak deep within him as well as a natural aggression which he struggles to keeps sequestered. Giles, like the slayer, is a man whose destiny was thrust upon him while still a child. It took Rupert nearly 10 years and the influence of an outsider to rebel against it. Having been informed of his duty at the age of 10, he moved beyond initial disappointment to acceptance. Filial duty drove Rupert to study history and languages in school rather than other subjects which may have been more in line with his interests. Dropping out of Oxford was a decisive moment for Rupert, signifying an attempt on his part to become his own man, a willingness to question what he knew, and an act of defiance. While he views the mid 80s as proof of his weakness, it is from this period that he draws some of his greatest strengths. Through seeing the consequences of hedonism and irresponsibility, Giles fully understands his duty and the mission of the Watcher's Council. Because of this, he obeys his directives, though he can create the distance necessary to question orders and think for himself. Giles proved, to the world and himself, that he was bold enough to act on his own and intelligent enough to question authority. Though foolish, he proved himself brave--a fact which differentiates himfrom other watchers who have not rebelled or who did so as children3 That his hands are already dirtied, so to speak, there is a certain willingness to delve further into the abyss. What remains as the one moral absolute for Giles is the line between Life and Death, despite years of experience with "grey area" surrounding the living and the dead. Giles understands that there is good and evil, however, is willing to recognize that absolute good or evil are abstract concepts. He works on the somewhat neutral philosophy of supporting the Greater Good and is not afraid to allow the ends to justify the means. He would rather he be the one to sink to such depths rather than his ward or others. Rupert Giles is not above coercion, blackmail, violence as an end, or acquiring knowledge from underworld sources. He would like to believe himself above murder; the truth is, he's uncertain. He has glimpsed the darkness of the soul, revelled in the dark arts, and fell the pull of demonic and manmade possession. It could be said that Giles has a personal insight into what they fight and they fight it. He is cognizant of how he is perceived as a Watcher, and prefers to lead by example. This darkness in his past causes Giles to internally live a double life, though he presents the brave, goodly face. Giles is not willing to rule out tactics that could keep his slayer alive or the world safe because of man's law or perceived morality. However, he does not want others falling down this path. This willingness to dirty his own hands while not condoning it in his charge might be seen as hypocrisy. It may, in fact, be so, but it is also evidence of a paternal, protective streak in Giles. He is intrinsically protective of those close to him, and in a broader sense of those innocent to the existence of vampires, demons, and supernatural evil. His father's speech on responsibility and sacrifice took over ten years to sink in, but Giles could give it himself now. As much as he is not close to his father, a part of him is turning into the aging Watcher. Giles is a firm believer that knowledge of evil necessitates a choice: to rage against or submit to it. There is little, if any, room for indecision. He strongly believes in the fight against demons, the undead, and evil and has come to understand that as a watcher, it is his duty to do more than watch. Before being assigned to a Slayer, Giles did, on occasion, fight vampires on his own. He has staked seven on his own or with his mentor. Giles is a fighter who is armed with knowledge and refined via training. He fights to protect those who are the unknowing public and while he understands the symbolism of the Slayer, he dislikes the fact that a young girl must assume that role. Giles is a serial monogamist. He never married though he has had a handful of long term relationships with varying degrees of success. Since returning to Oxford, Giles threw himself into his career; more, the difficulty of maintaining a normal relationship with another who is unaware of the 'things that go bump in the night' often has proven more stress than anything else. Though he is less certain of his footing in regards to romance, he is an adoring lover. However, he can be inattentive. His work as a watcher, and notably its research, have a tendency to keep him busy, but more, to keep him distracted. Giles can tend to be singularly focused when it comes to his work. He has no problem with commitment, but any lover would have to be understanding that his duties as watcher would always be equally--if not more--important than their relationship. Its cosmic importance only makes the situation worse4. Giles not much of a pet person, and sometimes wishes he were. He deeply feels the loneliness of hitting middle age on his own, but will not let that deter him from the. Lacking a family or children of his own, Giles does yearn for that familial bond and on some level is hoping for that with his slayer. Throughout his life, Giles has had some of his most meaningful relationships with men, however, with the exception of Ethan Rayne5, none of these have taken on a sexual aspect in the proper sense of the word. Even in that case, Giles sees his liaisons with Rayne as less about love and more a struggle of wills. Rupert Giles is attracted to women and does not think to consider himself anything but heterosexual. His romantic history is with women and he has predominantly been a serial monogamist, after sowing his wild oats during the mid 1980s. Though a confirmed bachelor, Giles exhibits very few traits of the typical bachelor. His condominium is fairly meticulously kept, lacking a television altogether. Instead, the walls are lined with books and the tables with artefacts. His laundry room even has bookshelves. Though Giles is somewhat of an automotive aficionado, he drives a 1973 Citroen, perhaps hesitant to buy something flashier lest he awaken some part of his dormant past. More, he would hate to see it destroyed by demons. Giles is, in some ways, a typical bachelor. He tends to cook simple meals, and eats out with surprising regularity. He is a little more fond of a good curry than he is willing to admit. He plays guitar and, though it might surprise students, is an avid fan of late 70s and early to mid-80s rock music. He has a phonograph--of course--he even has a CD player, showing that the Watcher can keep up with technology if he so choses. He just tends not to; books have been good enough for centuries, why stop now? He perhaps does have some maturing to do with a slayer of his own. history. Rupert Abraham Giles was born in Hampshire, England on 22 April 1964 as the only child of Jonathan and Anne Giles. He was born into a family of moderate wealth with historical ties to the Watcher's Council. In the 20th century, his father, and his paternal grandmother were both watchers of some repute. Rupert was named after his paternal grandfather, a baker, and Abraham Van Helsing, the protagonist in Bram Stoker's Dracula. As a child, he attended a local day school, and received private tutellage in French, German, Greek, and mythology after school and over summers. He was told stories from folklore at bedtime. Giles assumed his classmates were receiving the same; his classmates likely assumed he read too many comic books. He was 10 when his father explained that he was destined to become a watcher. Until then, Giles had not exactly understood what it was his father did, and was not thrilled to learn that he would be doing the same. While he might have come to the profession on his own in time, he balked to have it thrust upon him. Giles was a boy who saw limitless possibilities for himself. He wanted to rebel against his father's words, but ultimately did not. The next fall, he attended Rugby School6, one of Britain's elite public schools, as a boarding student. Giles dormed in Michell House and partook in fencing and lacrosse as extracurricular activities, though he dropped the latter during his fourth form. He excelled at fencing, placing nationally in his fifth form. Giles' private lessons in languages and now more overt mystical lore continued over summers. He was very successful at Rugby. He was appoint Sixth in his sixth form and graduated with distinction. He performed admirably on his A levels, receiving five: Ancient History (A*), Classical Greek (A), History (A*), Latin (A), and Philosophy, Ethics, and Theology (B).7 Giles stayed on for a seventh form as a day student It was in his house that Giles met Ethan Rayne, a Mancunian pastor's son. The two became close friends; Ethan seemed the only one interested in wild tales. They seemed to feed off one another's knowledges to the point that Giles began stealing books from home at breaks. It was not uncommon for Giles and Ethan to find some secluded corner. Rumors began to spread about their relationship as they showed extraordinary closeness, even for a boys' school. By the end of their lower sixth, the rumors held some truth. Whether it began through hormones and youthful folly or a mutual respect, Ethan and Giles had an on-and-off affair through their A-levels. After his A-levels, Giles did a semester long seventh form as a day student to prepare for his Oxford entrance exam. During this time, he stayed with Andrew Travers, a colleague and friend of his father's. He was easily admitted in December for the class entering for Fall of 1983. He remained in Rugby for the spring and summer of 1983, studying the occult with Travers. With less supervision and restriction than school, it was during this period that Giles and Ethan, who had likewise stayed for a seventh form began to explore witchcraft on their own. Giles was able to keep his explorations from Andrew Travers, with the Watcher's busy schedule, but the same could not be said for his son, Quentin. In early summer, Quentin, who had just finished his own watcher training walked in on Ethan and Giles poring over a book of demon symbols. Giles, in an attempt to keep Quentin quiet, gave the older boy a black eye. It was a lucky shot and a poorly planned move. Neither move particularly impressed his host. Giles didn't see Ethan again until he arrived at Oxford. He enrolled in St. John's College8 and studied in the Ancient History program. Though Giles could have likely acquired a position at Oxford on his own abilities, his placement was no coincident. His tutor, Anthony Purcell, was affiliated with the Watchers' Council. While Giles did study a normal course in History, there were deviations in his course plan. What the Council had not been able to prevent was Rayne's Co-admission to the college. Both boys were more careful this time around. However, as members of the same Eating Club, they had ample opportunities to meet and actually begin practicing magic. Ethan may have had more of an innate talent for the art, but Giles had the theoretical background, and access to more information in some cases. Giles' initial reasons were altruistic: he wanted to be better able to fight the darkness in the world. He never questioned Ethan's motives, but having known him so long, Giles trusted his friend. They made some progress that first year, but a major break came when they met a more experience witch who lived in town. The witch was a young woman, six years older, named Deidre Page. Deidre helped the budding warlocks develop their skills, but what was more interesting was the effect Deidre had on their dynamic. Both boys were still inexperienced with women. However, the three formed a triad of sorts though Giles and Ethan now found themselves as often in competition as collaboration. The group dynamic propelled them forward as fluid alliances of "two against one" became the means of decision making. As Giles' second year of University wore on, the trio began using actual spells. Their first were glamers and pleasure trances. They were beginning to spend an increasing amount of time in these extracurricular activities, and Giles did find that his studies were suffering for it. However, he felt a freedom he had never before allowed himself. Late in the spring of his second year, he found and later translated a tome in the private library which chronicled Eyghon the Sleepwalker. Giles and Ethan did not return to Oxford for the fall of 1985, instead moving to London with Deidre where they fell in with a group of Deidre's acquaintances in the Tower Hamlets borough of London. Giles, Rupert, and Deidre may not have been the most accomplished mages, but with Ethan's acumen, Deidre's experience, and Giles' knowledge, they were undeniably strong. The found most of Deidre's friends lacking magically and struck out on their own again. The trio also discovered, perhaps too late, the difficulty of supporting the lifestyle to which they had become accustomed without parental or social support in the expensive city. THey took to financing their lifestyle through glamers and charlatanism. With seemingly limitless finances, they began a downward spiral of thrill-seeking --sex, drugs, rock and roll, the old cliches. Giles acquired the name "Ripper" during this period, though its origins were far more benign than one might think. Deidre gave him the name one night when they were drinking due to her inability to say the name "Rupert." It stuck, and perhaps reflected his violent streak. When it was apparent that magic was neither thrilling nor nor profitable enough, they turned to petty crime. Giles can't explain precisely how it happened, but it was a ground on which he found himself on even footing to the two more magically gifted young adults. They began utilizing magic to provide for their lifestyle. Deidre found quite the skill at breaking into things, either magically or manually. Giles rather enjoyed joyriding, busting parking meters. Giles liked the feel of smashing things. Their flippant use of magic caught the attention of three warlocks new to the London club scene: Thomas Sutcliffe, Randall Hardgrave, and Phillip Henry. They were able to convince the group to join with them. As a result, Giles, Deidre, and Ethan temporarily toned down their lives as petty thugs to refocus on the magic that had brought them to London. One evening, Randall found amongst Giles' things the book on Eyghon--lifted from Oxford. Thomas' eye was able to provide a new insight to the text. From there, it did not take the group long to to figure out the remainder of the passage. In November, they acquired matching tattoos of Eyghon's symbol. The first time they summoned him was New Years Eve, 1987. They had a plan that was foolproof, or so they thought: five would summon and control the demon while the sixth would fall asleep and allow Eyghon to possess him (or her). Giles was hesitant, but the first time he was possessed, all of that was overridden. Eyghon was like a drug; he was better and worse than any drug. It was an all-consuming rush that they lived for, summoning him at least once a week. Giles enjoyed butterfly knives for violent confrontations during this time. He seldom lashed out at people, but when he did, they usually left with scars. The influence of Eyghon changed rules and morals. In April of 1987, after four months of playing with fire, they were burnt badly. A candle toppled during a summoning, breaking the grounder's concentration. Eyghon, who had been possessing Randall, took control, lashing out at the group. They were able to escape, though barely, by severing a tendon in Randall's calf. They hid in an abandoned warehouse, using the time they had to plan an exorcism though their possessed friend was at large in London. What they did not realise was that the demon they had toyed with for months was linked to them by their marks and the connections he had forged during his possessions. He was hunting them. Randall found them before they were ready. Giles, perhaps weakest magically, and Thomas, strongest offensively, attempted to distract the demon through weapons or magic while Phillip, Ethan, and Deidre set up the impromptu exorcism. In the end, the exorcism failed and the demon had injured the two holding it at bay. Ultimately, they had to kill Randall. Giles smashed his head in with a baseball bat. Thomas was knocked unconscious during the fight. They dug up a fresh grave and buried Randall on top of the coffin, unsure what else to do. That night, an era ended. Thomas and Phillip separated from Deidre, Ethan, and Giles. Deidre didn't stay with Ethan and Rupert long after that. Though the two remaining men had a long history, by early May, the chasm started with Deirdre's arrival was nearly uncrossable. Giles was understandably upset by what had happened. Ethan, usually the more hot-headed of the two was disturbingly collected. It was two weeks when he wanted to try summoning Eyghon again. The two parted ways in May, with Ethan going his way and Giles returning to face the music in Hampshire. His father was understandably less than pleased. However, given the investment had already been put in his son, he directed him to the Devon coven for rehabilitation. Near the end of his stay with the witches, Phillip turned up at the coven. Giles was glad to see that at least one of his comrades was likewise seeking help. That was the last he saw of any of them Giles was readmitted to Oxford conditionally in the Fall of of 1987, though kept on academic probation until he graduated in 1989. He also subject to disciplinary action from the Watchers' Council. Both were largely unnecessary as Giles did not put so much as a toe out of line for the remainder of his studies. He had worked essentially all rebellion out of his system in the torrid year and a half. After graduation, he moved to Hampshire and lived at his family's estate. He began his watcher training with the new year of 1990. Watcher training was a five year long intensive course in linguistics, demonology, magic, mythic lore, and artefacts coupled with combat training. He wrote his thesis on Thesulac demons. He began field training with Archibald "Archie" Lasseter in mid 1995. Archie was an aging hippie of sorts who worked as a curator for the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum. He was currently lacking a potential, but more than willing to take on a Watcher trainee. He was laidback to Giles' straight-laced demeanor, but the men did share an appreciation for late 70s rock as well as a devotion to their cause. Archie helped Giles land a position as assistant Librarian in the Archives of the Department of Prehistory and Europe in the British Museum. During this time, Giles worked on a Masters degree in History with University College London. His thesis there focused on the development of the vampire myth in Europe. By 2007, he had worked his way up to Head Librarian9. While this previously did not conflict with his duties as watcher, Giles has most recently been assigned to the current Slayer, Miss Buffy Summers, replacing her previous watcher, Merrick Jamison-Smythe. It was, mildly put, a small scandal when Giles quit his position at the British Museum to take up the position of head librarian at a public high school in Virginia. He suspects the archivists are still wondering what exactly he stole that necessitated leaving academia and the country for a job paying easily a quarter of what he made. Giles moved to Mystic Falls, Virginia at the beginning of the month and has been working to establish himself. He has acquired a two floor condominium and a used car. He has spent the past month reorganizing the library in preparation for school beginning and the Slayer's arrival. Even being fairly fresh to the states, Giles is experiencing significant cultural shock. powers/skills. Giles has very little in terms of supernatural abilities. He is armed with experience and knowledge rather than magic or super strength. He has a superior knowledge of demonology, mystical artifacts, and the dark arts acquired from private tutelage, his Watcher training, and 'practical experience' during his youth. He is incredibly intelligent and well versed in history, philosophy, and other areas of study due to his advanced education at elite British schools. He is fluent in French, Latin, German, Greek, Sumerian, and passable at Arabic, Japanese and Gaelic and familiar with many more. He has access to one of the largest collections of books on demonology and the occult on the east coast with his personal collection--some of which is on loan from the Watchers' Council or unwittingly the British Museum--and that of the local university. He has indirect access to even more resources in Britain if has both the time and the ability to wade through the appropriate amounts of red tape. When knowledge is not enough, Giles also knows quite a bit about violence. Giles is an expert fencer, and trained with hand-to-hand combat. He has at least passing familiarity with several martial arts schools, though he has always been more of a brawler. Giles is trained in most melee weapons as well as proficient marksman. He favors swords, small knives, crossbows, or bludgeoning weapons, but can teach and utilize others. Giles has experience in sorcery, though has only moderate natural affinity for it. He can assist in spells but does not do well as the primary caster. Still his years of training and early interest in the Arts make him a font of knowledge. His theoretical knowledge is a bountiful resource for anyone hoping to pursue magic; however, he also does not lightly share those secrets. The tattoo on his bicep of the Mark of Eyghon gives him a psychic link to the demon and his comrades. He can experience vague visions or disturbing dreams from time to time though not with any degree of regularity. He can also play the guitar. Chicks dig that. journal. _quiscustodiet writing samples. Journal entry from find_horcruxes, a harry potter game circa 2010. Lucius Malfoy being a jerk privately and charming with his wife. Narrative scene From Suzakus_seventh (@lj) circa 2007; A Fushigi Yuugi reincarnation based WWII game. This is a narrative post of my character making battle plans and receiving news of his men. Battle scene From the same game, different character (mine's Magdalena). Big awesome magic fight ♥ Plotty scene From Anno__domini (@lj) circa 2006. A heavenly war reincarnation/avatar game (I was apparently in a reincarnation kick for a while there). Reincarnated Dante Alighieri takes a return trip to hell and forgets his spf 500. I have more recent stuff, I've been playing Harry Potter games for the past year, before that Fushigi Yuugi and Utena games, on live and greatestjournal. I have experience here on my CDJ. But this will be my first Whedonverse game, with the exception of the Buffy Card game. but...that's not an RP. Anyway! I'm superpsyched! ♥. Regarding the first person entries, I don't have terribly many of those, but they can vary so much with character voice. I see Giles being pretty proper in his diction and fairly formal in his writing. Also, if the game's using e-mails and text messages in the journal, that could potentially be hilarious. I've already tracked down a T9 predictor to mess up any text Giles attempts to send ♥! Though I don't see him really using that dreadfully much. Also. Having read the Buffy player's application, we'll have to do a bit of talk about the status of their relationship or lack thereof. But I can do that Notes 1 Giles is canonly born circa 1954. Buffy's taking place around the late 90s. After some deliberation, I decided to push his birthdate up just to 1974 to keep his age consistant, That does change his Ripper days to the mid 80s rather than the mid 70s, so I can see him getting a bit more into the Neo-Prog versus Prog rock Scene. This still means he can sing the Who or Freebird or whatever in coffeeshops for kicks, but it does make it unlikely that he could have claimed to be a founding member of Pink Floyd, but I'm replacing this detail with "a founding member of the Police", though they formed in 1977 when Giles would have been 13. However, Pink Floyd formed in 1965, when Giles would have (canonically) been about 11 or so. So... it's probably more a matter of the he went with a band popular during his ripper days and banked on the fact that the girls he was picking up wouldn't know one way or another. That scamp! 2. On the Taurus/Aries Cusp: Individuals born on the cusp of Aries (the first Sign of the Zodiac) and Taurus (the second Sign of the Zodiac) are ruled by both Mars and Venus. [...] The Aries/Taurus cusp combination, also known as the Cusp of Power. Here, the fire element of Aries and the earth element of Taurus can be both constructive and destructive. The constructive side of this blend displays a harnessing of energy to support and promote domestic existence. The Taurus aspect of this cusp has the expectation of creating something for posterity...the creation of children, the establishment of relationships and business are all equally important in the life of this particular mixture...and chivalry reigns supreme. The "down" side of this cusp demonstrates itself in burnout. --Actually the whole thing's pretty Gilesy. 3. 4. He would have been a seriously intense grocer. 5. About Halfway down the writer references Jane Espensen making a comment about Giles and Ethan having some sort of sexual relationship because “Come on, they both went to public school!” 6. Rugby School--in 1975 (if we go with Giles' new age), Rugby was a boy's school with girl's permitted in the sixth form 7. A levels subjects and Information--I'll admit the British examination system makes my head rather spin. However, five or six appears to be the maximum allowable (and feasible). I figured Giles is very intelligent and could manage as much, particularly having outside exposure to languages. I figure, with as many as he seems to know, he would have had to start early with at least a handful so have exposed him to French, German, Greek, and Latin to give him a basis in European Languages to build upon. Further, Oxford appears to accept students to their History department with an A*AA- or AAA score (on three A levels), one of which including History, Ancient History suggested 8. I selected St. John's as it seemed to have an old connection to the Church, its own libraries, elite societies, and offered History, Ancient History, Philosophy and Theology, and classics, all of which I thought would be good for the sort of things Giles (and Ethan) would study! 9. Willow says that she heard he was "curator of some British Museum, maybe THE British Museum!" that I'd run with that. However, not being "Dr. Giles" I figured curator was perhaps a bit high ranking, especially considering his age. I also figured that he would need a Masters degree to progress any further than assistant head or so. He could have done it part time, and working in a museum will often count as a graduate assistanceship, so everyone wins! |