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APPLICATION
Dec. 11th, 2018 02:53 pm
GENERAL
Name: Pansy Tipton
Nickname(s): As a kid she didn't like her name and would write Tansy Pipton on her school papers instead. But now she's all about that Pansy life.
Gender/Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Birthdate/Age: June 18 (Gemini) -- 17 years old
Grade: Senior
Sexuality: Busy
Major Arcana: The Moon
Minor Arcana: Swords
Concept: Competitive older sister. Let's place bets on who dies first.
APPEARANCE
| Height: | 5’ 9” | Hair Color: | Black |
| Build: | Lean, mean, fighting machine | Eye Color: | Dark Brown |
There’s stylish and there’s fashionable. And Pansy is stylish. She believes taste is a skill, so from a young age she set out to be good at it. Here at Finchwood, the aesthetic needle she's trying to thread is: "I'm an adult, treat me like one... but I'm also cool and fun, waddup?" Interesting pieces. Intentionality. Stripes. Multiple hairdos. Accessories when they're called for. Even when the look is casual (e.g. t-shirt or sweats), it should feel cool. She rarely talks about her look or what she's doing -- looking cool is cool... talking about looking cool is uncool.
PB: Yara Shahidi (x,x)
PERSONALITY
Likes: basketball, the Chicago Bulls, mascots, movies set in Chicago (hello, Home Alone!), making bets, turning things into competitions, winning, banter, coffee, things that are handmade, fireplaces, live music, John Grisham novels, Midwesterners, pictures of your dog
Dislikes: excuses, complaining, laziness, movies filmed in Chicago that don't take place in Chicago (hello, The Dark Knight!), the rain, waste, framed art that isn't level, decaf coffee, when people say they don't like cities, cheating, stupidity, chocolate boxes where there's only like one of each type (wtf), watching other people play video games, pictures of your kid
Judge Pansy by her name at your own risk.
Although, she wouldn’t mind it. She loves being underestimated. Wronged. Slighted. And then getting to show you up.
Pansy loves competition. She’s quick to say, “Let’s make a bet,” or ask, “Can we turn this into a game?” Friendly competition makes things interesting and gives the day-to-day moments stakes and intrigue. Chicken wings at lunch? Let’s see who can eat more. Holiday party to attend? Let’s create a bingo sheet to spice it up. On some occasions, her competitive fire can burn a little bright and hurt others. I’m sorry. (Pansy is less sorry… or at least less quick to say it.)
She’ll compete against herself too. Part of this is a drive to be the best (or, at least the best version of herself). And part of this is a fear of being bored or boring. ”You’re boring” is hands down the most cutting thing you can say to someone, don’t @ me.
That fear aside, Pansy is very independent and self-assured. She likes herself and carries herself with confidence. She’s direct and unafraid, but not loud. She’ll tease and be sarcastic, but not mean. If she’s tough on you, it’s because she thinks someone needs to say something and she’s not afraid to be the one. She’ll happily let you know how she’s feeling about your bullshit. (Hint: Enough with the bullshit.)
Pansy is social and likes having her groups. The Senior Swords, fellow basketball players, musicians, kids in her classes, etc. She values each of these connections and is loyal to and protective of the people closest to her. As the oldest sibling, she’s had to be more of an adult for much of her upbringing, so she appreciates getting to just exist with her peers. She likes these experiences that are very “high school” and she’ll indulge the drama of her friends’ lives. She likes her own life with less drama though. She likes being in control. And short of that, she likes appearing she has things in control (although with her closest friends she’s honest about the state of her life).
Pansy dated Jude last year. She liked the relationship and him. Partly because of who he is, and partly because she’s competitive and it made her feel good to get cold boy to like her. But when she was named Squad Leader she had to reshuffle her priorities, and as a consequence, that meant ending things with Jude. No more dating. And while she can say with confidence that this is the Right Decision, it doesn’t mean that it’s the Easy Decision. She’s seventeen and likes romantic attention. She’d like to be dating, sure, but she’ll settle for hook-ups that aren’t too time-consuming.
Squad Leader Pansy is different than Regular Old Pansy, and the shift can be a little jarring. Privately, Pansy believes they’re going to die here at Finchwood. And as a consequence, she feels especially responsible for the people in her charge. This manifests in two main ways...
1. Make sure everyone in her squad lives as long as possible. Everyone needs to do their job to the best of their ability. It is her responsibility to make sure they are prepared and put in the best positions to succeed. She’s tough on them, but it’s because she expects a lot. She can be blunt or harsh, but it’s because she cares.
2. Make sure everyone in her squad enjoys their life. Since time is fleeting, she wants her kids to be happy. Go to that dance! Have that kiss! Be in that play! (Just go to bed on time, be ready to train tomorrow, and no hooking up with anyone in the squad.) She’ll go out of her way to help fix their problems or improve their lives. And she doesn’t want credit for being nice or caring. She’ll handle these things privately or with little fanfare.
Now, how many chicken wings do you think you can eat?
SKILLS
★★★★★ BASKETBALL:
She taught herself to be ambidextrous, so she dribbles and scores just as easily with her left and her right. She’s models her playing style after Skylar Diggins.
★★★★☆ CARDS:
Card games were an after-dinner staple at her home growing up. Her favorites are Cribbage, Euchre, and Rummy. But she’ll play whatever. No cheating, though. And no card tricks. She’s not about that.
★★★★☆ JAZZ DRUMS:
There’s an instrument you get to hit? And a version of it that is Classy? Sign Pansy up! She made her younger siblings form a small family band one summer and earned a few hundred dollars busking.
★★★★☆ EATING MESSY FOODS WITHOUT MAKING A MESS:
No meal should require more than one napkin, folks. It’s not hard. Don’t overthink it. Just be smart.
★★★★☆ SPEED READING:
When you’ve got four younger siblings to look after, you’ve got to find ways to speed up all your other responsibilities. Reading included. Pansy even likes that style of reading where a computer screen flashes one word at a time and you somehow don’t have a seizure.
★★★☆☆ TWIRLING HER PEN/PENCIL:
She’s good enough at this to justify doing it all the time, but she’s certainly no savant. Pansy often has something in her hands. It helps her focus.
HISTORY
Family:
Dave Tipton | Dad | 52: Film locations scout. It’s his job to secure locations for film productions in Chicago. It means really knowing the city and making connections with business owners throughout it. It’s a social and ever-changing job that suits his energy.
Heather Tipton | Mom | 45: Actress. Perhaps better known by her maiden and stage name, Heather Young. She was in a handful movies as a kid, hit a dry spell, and then started getting work on the Chicago based TV shows (Fire, PD, Med) as an adult. Two years ago she got cast as a regular in a Hawaii-based procedural.
Irene Tipton | Younger Sister | 13: Founded her middle school’s Quidditch team, held a meritocratic tryout, and didn’t make the squad.
Oliver Tipton | Younger Brother | 11: Entrepreneurial. Had an ASMR YouTube channel until their parents found out and shut it down.
Colin Tipton | Younger Brother | 9: Can recite the entirety of "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" from memory. And does.
Melissa Tipton | Younger Sister | 8: Went to MUJI once, bought a lot of stuff, and now tells people that everything she owns is from Japan.
Hometown: Chicago, IL
It’s that classic story.
After running into each other on three film sets, Dave and Heather decide to go out. He suggests a Cubs game. She counters with a trip to the zoo. They end up seeing an improv comedy show. Being in “the industry,” they’re familiar with the volatile nature of their work and how that unpredictability can undermine relationships. So, they don’t put pressure or expectations on what they have, and what-do-you-know, they end up married.
Pansy is their first born. She grows up traveling the city with her dad, exploring its every nook and cranny. She visits film sets with her mom and she learns to love being around the action. The other actors and crew members take to her, and they show her all the little games plays and friendly bets they make during camera and light setups to keep themselves engaged and entertained. Cards. Basketball. Wagers. She drinks it all up.
A few years later comes Irene. Then Oliver. And then Colin and Melissa. With her parents’ unconventional schedules, Pansy finds herself taking care of her younger siblings. It happens gradually and without any resentment on Pansy’s part. She spent plenty of time around adults when she was small -- it feels like an honor to now be trusted with adult responsibilities so young. Sometimes she’s their helper. Assisting with homework and chores and personal problems. And sometimes they’re her lackeys. “Let’s go! We’re a band and we’re performing at the subway.” Or, “We’re a basketball team and we’re going to the park. Come on!”
She feels a little cheated out of being a kid herself, but it’s made her closer to her parents. They have real dialogue. Mature conversation. When her mom gets offered a role on a show in Hawaii, she won’t accept it until Pansy gives her approval. It will mean Heather leaving Chicago for a long stretch. But it will also mean more money, and the opportunity to send all the kids to boarding school, something Dave and Heather did when they were young. Pansy signs off, and she and her siblings look at boarding school.
Finchwood represents a lot of new for Pansy. Small town instead of city. New England instead of Midwest. Peers instead of younger siblings. Oh, and Shadows and Personas. That final bit is a lot to digest, obviously. But Pansy has never been one to shy away from responsibility or a challenge, so she throws herself into training. These Shadows decided to fuck with the wrong person (and Persona).
In the meantime, she enjoys getting to be a teenager. Hang out with her classmates and friends. Learn. Debate. Date. But when she is named Squad Leader, it’s in many ways a return to her old life. Now she’s responsible for others. Having to look out for them, prepare them, train them. She’s determined to strike a balance and not sacrifice all the wonderful new friendships and experiences from her first year. But as they learn more and more about what they’re up against, dread is starting to set in: how long can they actually last here?
COMBAT
Persona: Caliel
Element: Thunder
ACADEMICS
Core Classes: English*, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies*, Training
Elective Classes: Art, Music, Philosophy, Leadership
Clubs: Athletics, Gaming
General Performance: Pansy likes school. She’s always liked school. Structure, camaraderie, opportunities to perform and get feedback. What’s not to like? Math and science are fine, but Pansy gravitates towards the humanities, since they allow for more
OOC
Player: Ben, Benjo, Banjo, etc.
Email: see player contact page
CDJ: the rarely used benbanjo
Other Contact: dropbox
Time Zone: PST
Battle Stats
Date: 2018-12-21 11:06 pm (UTC)Squad: 9
Squad Position: Leader
Primary Weapon: Mabele (a hybrid knife-axe)
Combat Style: Pansy is a leader who is in the action. On the front lines. She deftly wields her weapon, parrying attacks and seamlessly transitioning them into strikes of her own. She fights like she plays basketball: in constant motion. She’s strong and unafraid. And she expects nothing less from those around her.
She will protect her other squad members when need be, but she knows that isn’t a winning strategy on its own. Everyone needs to contribute and hold their own. Everyone has a role to perform and a reason they’re here. She has no problem delegating responsibility and giving orders. But she does have a problem with them not being executed properly. The stakes are too high for people to be fucking up. Do your job or sit on the bench (metaphorically speaking).
Attribute: Strength
Persona Name: Caliel
Persona Appearance: Caliel appears as a giant horned buffalo, covered in a red paint-like substance that constantly drips off its body. Despite its size, Caliel can easily launch its large frame to great heights and then come crashing down. Caliel is constantly agitated, either pacing around and behind Pansy, or sprinting in one direction before turning around and rushing back. Its eyes always darting around, looking for whatever has pissed it off. It’ll spear its foes with its horns, leaving behind a wound and streaks of the red substance that coats its body. Caliel has little regard for its surroundings. It has an abnormally long tail that it will whip around. And it enjoys rearing back on its hind legs, letting out a thunderous roar, and then landing back on all fours, stomping on the ground. Caliel is not one for subtlety.
Affinity: Thunder
Weakness: Lightning
Ailment Susceptibility: Despair