History and Personality
Character Name: Avery Elise Hamilton
Age: 27 [March 13, 1985]
Suit/Rank: Ten of Diamonds
History: Born in Sydney, Australia, Avery is the only daughter of two hippies - a Swedish-born songwriter, Astrid, and an English teacher, Matthew. Her parents had been a little late for the 60s free love movement but embraced its tenets and principles anyway. It was a good life. Matthew taught fifth grade at one of Sydney’s more liberal private schools and Astrid performed original folk music in the coffeehouses around the city. They didn’t marry, and never planned to, but after they’d been together for several years, they were blessed. With Avery, whose first name came from the doctor who delivered her, and their happy twosome expanded easily to become three, with Astrid singing her daughter folk songs and Matthew reading her stories and telling her how she could be anything she wanted, but the most important thing was to be happy and at peace.
This idyllic life ended when Astrid saw a crime in progress one night after leaving the coffeehouse where she'd been performing. The mafia doesn't like witnesses, and in short order the Magnusson-Hamiltons found themselves packing up and going on the run across Australia with their then two year old daughter Avery across the outback. Eventually, they found the Deck, stumbling into the gardens of Heart Castle, and they took their places in that Suit. Matthew ultimately rose to Four, and became a teacher like he was in Australia, and Astrid became a nanny and then a court musician, rising to Five. Avery, they thought, would do the same, perhaps parlaying her love of cooking into a position in the kitchens.
They were partly right, at least. Avery did parlay her love of cooking into a position in the kitchens - just not for the Hearts. Instead, Avery, who'd always wanted to shine, to strive high, became a Diamond at the age of fifteen and started the process of challenging up in the other Red Suit. Rachel Caustello, who had come from the Clubs herself and had risen to be the Ace of Diamonds by the time Avery joined the Suit, took her under her wing, mentoring and training the flower child Heart into a sparkling Diamond. There was a minor blip at the age of seventeen when her first serious boyfriend, Cristian Santiago Mendez broke her heart by proposing to the woman his parents had arranged, and she fled the Deck for a year to recover. But then she was back and striving upwards again. Ultimately, she became a Ten in January of 2012 and was named Jack of Diamonds barely a month later, the culmination of all her ambitions.
And then six months later, it was over. A car accident in between the Diamond court and the outposts left Avery with anterograde amnesia, and she was forced to resign her position and fall back to Ten. And while her memory is recovering, she knows she won't be Jack again; the Suit has gone through too much upheaval this year. In truth, Avery isn't sure she wants to be the Jack any longer. There had been nothing but strife and sniping between she and Säde, the current Ace, the entire time they were Face Cards together, and Avery would rather not deal with that again. If she's a Face Card again, she doesn't plan to settle for Jack. Instead, she's watching Säde to see if the ice queen bitch falters and falls. And if that doesn't happen, then Avery will bide her time. She loves Rachel dearly, but the woman has devoted her life to the Diamonds. If, at some point, she planned to retire? Avery wouldn't mind taking that place.
Personality: Avery is a Diamond that defies Diamond stereotypes - and she does it proudly. Preferring jeans to designer wear, Avery is warm, gregarious, friendly, and most of the time doesn't give two damns about appearances. But she does when it matters. She gets frustrated when Diamonds do things that make the Suit look bad - whether it's the Face Cards taking icy Diamond manners to an undiplomatic extreme or Numbers getting into brawls - and she's highly skilled at smoothing things over.
She's something of a gossip, though that's changing now that she's spend the last six months as the subject of far more of it than she'd like. And while she's almost relentlessly cheerful as well as being an incurable flirt, there's something deep down cynical about Avery Hamilton, especially when it comes to men. She doesn't believe in serious relationships, because serious relationships are, in her opinion, doomed to failure, and it's so much easier just to not get attached. That doesn't mean you can't have fun, of course.
Appearance: Avery is 5'7 and lean at 135 pounds. She has long, tumbling blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and warm if pale skin. She favors jeans and flats with tunics and handmade jewelry over expensive silks and wools, and as an avid baker, it's not unusual that you'll see traces of flour somewhere on her face. She also speaks with a slight Australian accent, thanks to her father.
Character PB: Emilie de Ravin
Why this Suit? Avery has the innate drive and ambition of a Diamond, and the concern with wanting to appear her best, even if her best is different than most Diamonds think it should be.
Challenges:
Age 15: Enters the Diamonds at the rank of Two. Four months after entering, challenges Citra Lam (3♦) to a singing contest and is judged the winner. Citra counters in mahjong, which Avery wins with a score of +64
Age 16: Avery challenges Alexandra Varnham (4♦) to a chocolate cake bake-off and is judged the winner by the panel of royals.
Age 17: Avery breaks up with Cristian Santiago Mendez (4♦)and takes a year-long sabbatical from the Deck. When she returns, she challenges Torvald Righi (5♦) to a jujitsu match. She wins by a close margin and is countered in fencing, which she wins more decisively.
Age 18: Avery challenges Antônia Corcoran (6♦)to archery and wins with a score of 28-19. Antônia does not counter. Avery is put in charge of the Diamond kitchens.
Age 21: Avery is challenged by Charlotte Berthier for her rank of Six to five-card draw. Avery wins the challenge by bluffing Charlotte into believing she had a flush to beat Charlotte's straight.
Age 22: Avery challenges Raquel Buckley (7♦) to a bicycle race around the Deck and wins with a time of 00:23:42. Raquel is close behind her with a time of 00:24:02, but does not counter.
Age 23: Avery challenges Margaret Van Der Aart (8♦) to a fencing match, which she wins by a close margin. Margaret counters in archery, which Avery wins with a score of 26-19.
Age 25: Avery challenges Jael Winthrop (9♦) to chess and wins. Jael counters in jujitsu, which Avery wins decisively.
Age 26: Avery challenges Farraday (10♦) to fencing and wins by a close margin, but is not countered. Farraday leaves the Deck.