Permissions and Application for Altered States

Feb 23, 2014 19:41

Permissions

I'm pretty laid back about what people do, but generally, anything more than a hug or anything that would hurt Mercy would be great to get a heads-up about. Email me at Maisfeeka @ AOL.com or contact me on my Plurk at Maisfeeka.

Mercy's power is that of a fire elemental, though it will take her a bit to figure that out.

She can also turn into a coyote, but she's in complete control of that.

Player Information

Name/Alias: Mai
Personal Journal: http://maisfeeka.dreamwidth.org/ or http://maisfeeka.livejournal.com/
Email: Maisfeeka@AOL.com

You can also find me on Plurk as Maisfeeka.

*I am 18+ years old.*

Do you have other characters in game? If not, how did you hear about us? No. When I discovered that Poly was ending, I asked around about other games and Lauren recommended this one.

May we post and/or link your application for others to see as an example in the future? Yes

Character Information

Character Name: Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson
Canon: Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
Canon Point: The end of the first book, Moon Called.
Character Journal: http://coyote-walking.dreamwidth.org/



Appearance: Write up a one or two paragraph describing your character at a glance. Additionally please provide one to four links to photos, art, or some other media representation of your character. (Art or a played by must be obtained for characters solely found in the written medium) Note: You must have at least one default icon that is an avatar of your muse to begin posting in game.

Mercy is about 5'6" tall with long straight black hair, which she usually wears braided out of the way. Her eyes are black and her skin looks tanned due to her Native American background. However, she doesn't look pure-blooded as she has her mother's Anglo features which look a little odd with her coloring. She's not beautiful, but she does 'clean up well'. She's slim and well-muscled from her job and the running and karate she does. She has a tattoo of a coyote pawprint just below her navel and a celtic armband on each of her upper arms. She also has some buckshot scars on her butt if anyone cares to look.

Irene Bedard ( http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0065942/ ) is my PB for Mercy.

https://www.google.com/#q=irene+bedard+icons

https://www.google.com/search?q=irene+bedard+gallery&sa=X&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=5bPtUoCPN6HmsAS4ioHIAQ&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1041&bih=615

Age: Character: Mercy is about 32 years old right now.

History: Provide a link (Wikipedia, fan pages, or a personal write up) to detail your character's history. History should be at least three paragraphs long in whatever format is provided. If the character is an original character, this section will need to be more detailed to make up for lack of source material for the mods and other players to reference.

Mercedes 'Mercy' Athena Thompson is the daughter of an unwed teenage mother and a Blackfoot Indian who used to do the rodeo circuit. Her father was killed in a car accident before he ever knew Mercy's mom was pregnant. As it turns out, he was also what is known as a Walker - a person who can shift shape in a way not tied to the phase of the moon. Mercy's mother knew nothing about this until Mercy began shifting into a coyote pup in her crib when she was still a baby.

Her very young mother wasn't prepared to handle this, but being a determined woman, managed to track down an uncle who was a werewolf. On his recommendation, she sent Mercy off to live in Montana under the protection of Bran, the Marrock or the leader of all the werewolves in the country, and his pack (also called the Marrock after their leader). Her foster parents died when she was fourteen. Her foster mother, Evelyn, died in an attempt to become a werewolf and her werewolf foster father, Bryan, killed himself a couple of months later. She successfully petitioned Bran to remain living by herself and did so for the rest of the time she remained in Aspen Creek, Montana. She was not particularly well-liked by a number of the pack members because she was a coyote. The female werewolves particularly hated her because she would be able to have children where they could not. Their violent change every month made it impossible for them to carry a child to term. Mercy was able to control her shifting and her effortless shifts didn't cause the same stress on her body. In addition, real wolves hate coyotes and in nature will often kill them if they wander into a wolves territory. The werewolves mirrored this attitude and at least a few attempts were made on her life.

Mercy stayed with the pack in Aspen, Colorado until she was 16. She fell in love with an older werewolf named Samuel, the Marrock's son, who had been her solace when her foster parents died and her supporter against the more nasty werewolves. When Bran, the Marrock, caught them kissing in the woods he told Mercy to pack her things, telling her she needed to leave and return to live with her mother. Mercy's mother had maintained a relationship with her, visiting at least once a year for little vacations with Mercy, but Mercy had never lived with her or visited her home. Samuel convinced her that she should run off together and get married, not that Mercy required much convincing. Unfortunately, Bran had expected this response and stopped Mercy by explaining that Samuel was not in love with her and only wanted her because she would be able to bear him children.

After that a heart-broken Mercy ended up on her mother's doorstep after all. There she was stunned to discovered a stepfather and two half-sisters, none of whom had any idea she even existed. Although she was welcomed with open arms, it was an uncomfortable situation. As she says, they loved each other, but she was a hard person to lie to.

Mercy didn't shift for almost two and a half years while living with them as she made an attempt to be the perfect daughter and not lose another home. She stayed there until going away to college. There she began coming to terms with who and what she was, getting a coyote pawprint tattoo just below her navel to remind her of that. She graduated with a degree in history and tried to get a teaching position. However, she found that schools were more interested in whether she'd be willing to take over coaching a team as opposed to whether she could teach. She worked for a while at a fast food place, then got a job as an auto mechanic working with a member of the fae named Zee. At that time only some of the fae had come out to the public. Zee was one of those who had not. When he was forced to come out a few years later, Zee had to give up his business due to huge anti-fae sentiment and he sold it to Mercy.

Despite her attempts to stay away from werewolves, she found herself nominally at least under the protection of Adam, the alpha of the local werewolf pack in the Tri-City area. Her house is an old single-wide trailer which is basically in back of the alpha's house - though she's quick to point out that she was there first and he could have chosen to build his house elsewhere. She enjoys antagonizing him by leaving an old 'parts car' in the back yard, knowing it offends his sense of order, whenever he tries ordering her around. Still, she manages to live in a slightly uneasy accord with the members of the local werewolf pack - who also weren't terribly thrilled with having a coyote associated with them.

The circumstances of the first book have an unknown werewolf turning up at her garage, which sets off a large series of events. She ends uo saving the life of Adam, the alpha of the Tri-City area, reconnecting with Bran and Samuel when she brings Adam for them to be healed, getting involved with the local vampire seethe,and helping to rescue the Alpha's daughter. It ends with Samuel moving into her trailer in a quiet effort to win her back, and her beginning to date Adam - who, as it turns out, has declared her his mate to assure that the pack will protect her. She believes that is a political move, but it turns out to be much more.

There is a great deal more information here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Called and here http://hurog.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=a10c05eebd7f0cb611f1d4af415d1bad&topic=34.0

Personality: In a minimum of three paragraphs (or more) detail your characters personality, behaviors, motivations, and goals. What makes them tick? Just who are they?

Mercy is a very strong-willed and independent woman, about 31 years of age currently. However, she's always felt like an outsider - both as a coyote growing up with werewolves as well as someone who needs to hide what she is from the world at large. To this day she still wonders if her foster father would have killed himself if she'd been a werewolf instead of just a coyote. Although she'd probably never admit it, part of her feels that she's never been able to quite measure up to the werewolves and another part of her is angry that she still lets it bother her. However, she's aware that her unique perspective has served her well and allowed her to observe, learn about, and make friends with other supernatural beings such as vampires, witches, and the fae as well as get along well with normal humans. That doesn't always make her feel any better.

She's been independent from a young age - living on her own from age 14 to 16 - and known for either finding trouble or having it find her. Still, for the past ten years she has lived a quiet life and worked very hard to stay out of any supernatural issues - despite the Alpha in her backyard. Living within a werewolf pack taught her to know when to be submissive - or at least appear that way - and when to assert herself. As she puts it, she knows when to drop her eyes and say the right thing, but then she always finds a way to get her own back. In her youth she often did this through harmless pranks - such as stealing all the shoelaces of a werewolf who made a leash of his to bring her back to Bran when she was misbehaving.

Mercy also has learned how to play the game of appearing to be submissive while actually doing as she chooses - a very fine line to walk. There are also certainly times when she's misjudged things and, as her foster father used to say, it's good that she learned the knack of dealing with infuriated werewolves since she certainly has the knack for infuriating them. She is aware that sometimes backing down from a dominant being is too dangerous to do and has stood up to some amazingly scary characters no matter how frightened she might be inside. Afterwards she'll break down and worry about whether she did the right thing or not. At one point in a later book she can't shake the feeling that she's responsible for a friend being nearly killed by a demon because she prayed every night that he'd find and catch the demon.

She's smart, well-educated and curious, with a dry sense of humor. She finds life in a werewolf pack to be claustrophobic and violent and is very glad to only be on the outskirts of the local pack. When she's stressed she bakes and cleans. As a result she's usually scrupulously neat in her garage (except in the shed where all the extra parts are) and every area of her house (except her bedroom, which often results in a struggle to find clean clothes to wear) and has a freezer stuffed with brownies and cookies. She attends church each Sunday and always wears a necklace with a lamb on it - her version of a religious symbol. She had a bad experience with a cross when she was first attending church and finds them very off-putting, thus the use of the lamb (Christ being the lamb of God). She insists that she is not grumpy or whiny about paperwork and other things she doesn't like, but her various assistants at the garage definitely disagree with that. At times her temper gets the better of her and she says things she shouldn't - often to people that she knows better than to antagonize. Which she usually realizes just as the words come out of her mouth.

She runs daily and studies a form of karate that her sensei refers to as 'reach out and break someone'. She can't fight full out or people would realize she's faster than human, but she enjoys the discipline of the karate despite the control she must exercise to appear merely human. When she has the time she likes to drive out to mostly deserted areas and go running and hunting in her coyote form. On at least one occasion this has gotten her shot by coyote hating farmers - thus the buckshot scars on her butt.

Mercy can also be very gentle and kind-hearted; taking in a stray werewolf, watching out for the Alpha's teen daughter; helping a battered woman. Not surprisingly this sort of thing also gets her into a great deal of trouble from time to time as does her unwillingness to follow directions.

More than anything she wants to belong somewhere, to have a real family, but she's sort of resigned herself to never finding that at this point. Being the daughter of an unwed mother has made her leery of sleeping with someone unless she really cares about them. While she had a few relationships in college, her inability to share her secret always resulted in them ending and at the time of the first book hadn't so much as been on a date in over ten years. She's smart enough to know that lying to someone about what you are is a bad way to start a serious relationship and can't really find a way around that. So, for the time being, it's just her and her cat, Medea.

Powers/Special Abilities: Anything about your character that's different, magical, supernatural, or gifted?

Mercy is able to shift into a coyote at will. Because she's only about 32 pounds in her coyote form she's able to shift while still clothed, though she then needs to struggle free of her clothes. She's not tied to the phase of the moon and doesn't need to change, though she doesn't feel quite herself if she goes too long without it. She's faster than the average human and has to be careful when she runs or fights that she doesn't give herself away as not quite human. In her coyote shape she's faster than a werewolf and has enhanced smell and hearing that carries over somewhat into her human shape. She can tell someone's emotions from their scent and can also tell whether they're lying from their scent. She is also stronger than the average human, though not as strong as a werewolf. Silver doesn't harm her, but she also doesn't have the accelerated healing that werewolves have.

She has some immunity to magic, though the more likely the magic is to hurt her, the less likely her that her immunity will work. It's hinted at that 'walkers' were somehow dangerous to vampires, which is why the vamps worked hard to eliminate all of them. As far as Mercy or anyone else knows, she's the only one left.

She is also able to see and talk to ghosts and has some limited ability to influence them.

River Power: What change has the river gifted (or cursed) your character with? Refer to the mutations page or send us a question if you're unsure of what you'd like to do!

I'm thinking making her a fire elemental might be fun.

Reason for Character Choice: Everyone has a reason to play their favorite characters, what's yours? What about your chosen muse calls to you? Why are you choosing to play them here?

I loved the character of Mercy the moment I started reading the first book. She's a strong, tough female character who also cries, doubts herself, and jumps in where maybe she shouldn't just because it's the right thing to do. I'd love to be more like her!

Additional Information: Anything else we should know? I don't think so.

Writing Samples

First-Person Transmission Sample: This network sample should be written directly from the characters point-of-view. This may address and individual or group. You may use a previously created sample or a log excerpt from another game. (Minimum of five lines). In game your muse can choose to post via video, voice, or text as they like and the same applies for the application! Whatever suits your character or would be the way of communication is acceptable.

I know I said I wanted to get away for a while - out of all the messed up politics of the pack, to get some space from Samuel and Adam to see what it was I wanted, but this is ridiculous.

I miss my garage. I want to get my hands deep into the innards of a transmission, lose myself and my problems tracking down an impossible fault, swear when I drop a screw and it bounces totally out of reach.

I miss my trailer and thinking up new things to do to the parts car out back to aggravate Adam, all while I'm pretending to be the good little obedient coyote.

And I miss my cat, damnit. Why couldn't at least Medea have come with me?

At this point I'd even be glad to have Ben show up, arrogant misogynist that he is.

To hell with it. I'm going off to the woods for a good run.

If anyone's looking for me I'll be the coyote wearing the bright purple collar with pink flowers on it.

Third-Person Log Sample: Post a sample of your writing, of the character you are applying for. This should be a strong piece of writing and solidly edited. Show us your best! You may use a previously created sample or a log excerpt from another game.(Minimum 300 words).

Mercy cursed as the screw slipped out of her greasy hands and went skittering across the floor. "Wouldn't you know," she said, propping the part in place with one knee as she wriggled out from under the car enough to reach the wayward part. "It's always the most inconvenient one." She quickly put it back into place and finished up the task before sliding the rest of the way out from under the car and pulling the cloth out of her back pocket to wipe her hands on.

Her head came up as she caught a whiff of something. Adam. She sighed and stood up before slowly turning around. "Tell me you bought a Volkswagen and you've brought it in for me to give it a once-over," she said hopefully, knowing that wasn't the case. She met his eyes boldly. He might be the Alpha, but she wasn't pack, as so many of the werewolves had been quick to point out.

He leaned against the wall of the garage, watching her idly.

One of those conversations. Great. "Whatever it was, I didn't do it," she said, hands on hips. "You told me not to leave the garage today until you got things straightened out and I didn't. I was right here all day."

"Funny how you always seem to manage to follow the letter of the law while gleefully ignoring the spirit of it," Adam said dryly.

Well, he had a point there. She might have to toe the line when he pushed, but it didn't mean she couldn't find ways to get around his orders. Or ways to make sure she made his over developed sense of order crazy. Like taking off one of the tires on the parts car in the backyard so every time he looked out his bedroom window it would annoy him.

"I would have assumed you knew I included Gabriel in that direction."

She gave him her best innocent look. "You never said anything about Gabriel."

It wasn't a lie. Barely. One of those grey areas that a lowly coyote learned to manipulate if she didn't want to get steamrollered. Adam could easily have pushed the issue, but today he seemed more amused than annoyed by her maneuverings.

"Be careful, Mercy," he said with more tolerance than she probably deserved just now. "One of these days it will all catch up with you. Here."

He tossed something glittery at her and she picked it out of the air, her hand going to her throat as she realized what it was. "My lamb necklace. You found it."

She'd felt less safe without it, especially knowing now that it could protect her from a vampire as well as a cross would, and she quickly slipped it back around her neck.

"Where'd you find it?"

He simply arched a brow at her and headed out of the garage. "No one leaves the garage till I tell you it's all clear, Mercy. No one."

Didn't even hang around for her response, that arrogant so-and-so. Still... she couldn't quite help watching him go. He was a handsome devil and that kiss the other night... She let her mind go to that happy place - just for a minute before she let herself be annoyed with him again.

Which, of course, would be the exact moment he chose to turn around and arch another amused brow, leaving her blushing and hurrying to busy herself with something else

Werewolves. Bah.

application, altered states

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