the gauntlet discussion

Post finished characters here to be approved by a moderator. Templates are yours to pageant your creativity, as long as the following information is present in a clear way. It is encouraged for character templates to be on the brief side (meaning one post per character as opposed to multiple parts), just as an incentive to develop most of the character through RP.

Name:
Age: [characters participating in the gauntlet should be aged 18-25]
Gender:
Element: [if known]

Appearance:
eye color-
hair color-
height-
distinguishing features- [basically any additional identifying information]
Faceclaim:

Bio: [history and personality traits]
Reason for Entering Gauntlet: [just curious, this can be optional]

Other:

CHARIZE BYION × fem. // 20 / water // bisexual

━━━━ indyamarie pelton // brown // silver // 5 ft 11

bio .
Byions have taken part in the Gauntlet for years, and they would continue to do it. At least, that was what they thought before the latest generation arrived. All women, there was no apparent hope of continuing the long standing tradition. Charize's father had run, as well as all his male siblings. It was safe to say he was disappointed when he found that none of his children would be able to run the Gauntlet. But then the news of girls being allowed to run was perhaps the greatest news they could have received. Charize thought it would be in her best interest to run in place of her older sister, who was not as able-bodied as was needed to run. In fact, she felt was her job to do so, just as it had been to take care of her. It was only right to do so; family is important and they need to stick together.

Charize had long since been noted as the dutiful child, the one that obeyed at all times. She's, essentially, a dream child. It'd be uncommon to see her without her parents or running an errand for them. She believes in morals above many things, and always seems to have a lecture on her tongue for others. Most would see Charize as a kill-joy in this sense, but she really means well. You just have to ignore that judgemental look on her face.
reason .
Charize is, primarily, entering the Gauntlet because it's tradition. It's not so much the legacy of it all that concerns her, but the idea of participation is enough to satisfy her family.

Name: Pierceton David VanKent [Pierce]
Age: 21
Gender: male
Element: unknown [though it does say Fire on his application to Ainsley... which might be a slight embellishment aka alternative fact]

Appearance:


eye color- dark brown
hair color- black
height- 6'3''
distinguishing features- his constant scowl?
Faceclaim: carson ludwick

Bio: Since birth, Pierce's destiny was decided for him. His parents never wasted time being the nurturing and loving type, and it has been more of a drill instructor to scum of the earth relationship from the very beginning. His parents might as well have tried to teach him how to walk blindfolded in a forest, that might have served their purposes just as well -- maybe they should have raised him in that forest. They set their expectations of him from the very beginning, and he's lived and breathed every day of his life trying to satisfy those standards, but has never quite come up to par.

As much as Pierce tries to act like it, he is anything but perfect. His mental health is about as stable as a sandcastle on a wavy shore, and his temperament is even less consistent. But what else could you expect from a kid raised under such unimaginable pressure? Pierce learnt very quickly that he was more of a shell of a person than the real thing, since his parents always stressed that the most important thing about him was his physical toughness. It hardly mattered what his personality was like, the VanKent supergene would get him through his training, as long as he was diligent in his body maintenance. Or at least that's what his Dad told him.

Though he is the epitome of arrogance, Pierceton could not be more terrified of what will happen to him if he loses the Gauntlet. Or lets anyone outperform him at the Academy, especially if it was a girl. His Dad would be especially angry if it was a girl. A guy like Pierce would do anything to win. His parents have made it very clear to him that if he loses the race, it better be in death -- and if it isn't, it might as well be, because he is not welcome back into the house as anything less than an anointed Guardian. The VanKent name would suffer no such embarrassment.

So, even though he is constantly riddled with anxiety, Pierce has learnt to put on an award winning show. Sometimes he can even convince himself he's going to win, since he's been trying to make everyone else believe it his entire life. He is very offensive in his personality (because offense is the best defense, says VanKent Sr), and most often comes across to people as a complete and utter douchebag.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: The men in his family for the past five generations have become Guardians, if he messes up that little family tree? There will be hell to pay.

Other: For the last five generations of his family tree, the men in his family have had a connection to fire. So naturally, that's what Pierce was expected to have. Except, well, he never got a knack for it. He most certainly told his Dad he did though, who wrote it on his applications. Pierce is banking on having an affinity for fire, because almost everyone he knows back home believes it to be a fact. The truth? He doesn't have a clue if he has even been chosen by an element. With his luck? He's probably going to be the only person in the Academy without an element at all.

☾ ✩ 23 | ʙʀᴏᴡɴ ᴇʏᴇs | ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴀɪʀ | ɢᴀʏ | 5'9 | ⒻⓘⓇⒺ | ʜᴀʀʀʏ sʜᴜᴍ ᴊʀ. ✩ ☽

✩ I never knew my parents, and that's all well and good because they probably wouldn't have liked me very much. Standing up for people, and myself, and all-- such a shame, isn't it? Having a personality that isn't fake. Aw man they would have been so disappointed.
✩ I mean if you really want to know so much about me, you could just ask. I might tell you and the next guy a different story, but you can still ask ... [asking commences] All right great~! Thank you for your interest, I guess I'll start at the beginning. Once Upon a Time When I was young I always knew I was special My parents died in a tragic accident, I never knew them Okay I'm bored: writing isn't my strong-suit. Do you really have to know anything about me?? Ugh fine--
✩ My affinity to fire was always strong, I knew that I would enter the Gauntlet the first time my brothers, sisters, and I heard about the race(s) at bedtime.
✩ Yes, I am a dick man. I hope you don't have a problem with that, since I only flirt with people who are worth it (you may hear otherwise, but it's true i swear).
✩ I'm mostly in this thing for the Guardians. I don't care so much about living or dying, but I definitely am not keen on losing. What's the point of living if I can never really use my powers? They're there, I can feel them, like a second skin-- a better one. I'm confident in myself -- especially my ass and my sass -- but breaking the rules seems sort of drastic don't you think? How devastatingly cliche.
✩ The cool thing about being an orphan is that you get to choose your own name. Dae sounded cool when I was two, so it stuck. Jheon came when I was older; I love how fake it sounds.

✩ ＤＡＥ １００％ ✩

Name: Amancio Klassan
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Element: Fire

Appearance:

eye color~ Dark brown
hair color- Dark brown with a few brunette and auburn highlights
height~ 6’1”
distinguishing features~ A few silvery scars scattered across his body from his childhood, mostly concentrated around his hands and collarbone. There was that one time he got a little to close to a fire, and that burn mark on his right forearm never fully healed. But now he sees it as the first sign of his element.
Faceclaim: luca pantini

Bio: Let’s see, what do you need to know about Amancio? Good luck getting him to tell you, because he won’t. Amancio may have been a more warm and inviting person in his childhood, but that was before. Since his parents identified his element, his survival tactic has been to be as quiet and observational as possible. The ones at the center of attention have to deflect and can’t do much offense because everyone will attack them. But, if he is on the outside looking in, he can more carefully watch and plan each of their demises by looking for weaknesses. Would he rather be friendly and happy? If we were in a world that didn’t involve fighting to get the prize of being anointed, of course! But that’s not how this lot turned out, so tough.

He developed this shell mostly due to his parents. His parents are a bit…. extreme. They are the reason the majority of his scars exist, and the rest are him trying to get away from his house and find some peace, only to, you know, run into a tree or fall into a brook full of stones. Some would say he was experimenting to find his element, others would say he was running away. It doesn’t matter which one it was, it was in the past and that’s over now. Plain and simple.

Regardless of what someone might think about his past, or how he got here, Amancio won’t elaborate for them. If there is one thing he dislikes, it is talking about himself. Unless it is absolutely necessary, he will not talk about anything that relates to him outside of a competitor. Talking about his element and how to get better in the competition are always welcome, but nothing beyond that. This has lead Amancio to be a bit narrow-minded, in regards to himself and his own self-worth, as well as how he regards others. He understands that, like fire, people have different tones and flickers, but regardless of that knowledge, he’s pretty quick to judge and slow to forgive.

The only other thing you should know? Watch your back. He knows how to survive, and is not above stepping on your to get what he wants.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: Mostly to get away from his family. When he wins and becomes a Guardian, he won’t have to deal with them.

∞Name: Nora Raquel Greene
↳Nickname: Well there are a few creative ones....but they all come with a story that you're not privy to hear.
∞Age: 19
∞Gender: Female
∞Element: Water

∞Appearance:
    
    
    
∞Hair Color- Blonde
∞Eye Color- Blue
∞Height- 5'4"
∞Distinctive Markings- She did have a belly button piercing for awhile there....who knows maybe she still has it.
∞Faceclaim: Josefine Petterson

∞History:
Nora's dad is someone big and important- his name cannot be disclosed at this time- but he's big enough that every month he sends her mama a check. Hush money to keep quiet about their little affair and the fact that he has an illegitimate. But that's never been enough for Nora, she's always wanted more. She's wanted to know her dad, to at least talk to the man that gave her half of who she is. After all, she knows everything there is to know about her mom. So there are still so many questions! Does she not like broccoli because he doesn't? Or is it just a Nora thing? Does he like crappy music the way she does? Does he dip his fries in a milkshake the way she does?

See? She has a lot of questions, and she's got it into her head that if she manages to make something of herself then he'll be proud of her. Proud enough to claim her as his and actually want to get to know her. Instead of just sending the hush money and sweeping her under the rug. So here she is, at the Academy, more than a little eager to prove herself, especially since this is the first year they're letting girls in through those big ass fancy doors of theirs. And isn't it just her lucky day that she gets to go on this big adventure with her best friend, cassie?

Growing up though, Nora has always lived by one rule: "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always." So she's nice to people. Sure she's sarcastic, and she'll make her sarcastic comments ("We should drink? Why do I have to drink, you're the one that's going to have sex with him") and she's always been one to stand up for the empowerment of women ("It's interesting that you- a self proclaimed feminist- is going around calling others slutty"), but underneath her snark she's never said a real mean word to someone. And she tries her damn hardest to never do it, because she knows that people have their own problems and the last thing she wants is to unintentionally add to those problems. And yes, she's kind, but she's also honest, so if you're acting like a bitch she will tell you, because no one wants to deal with that attitude of yours.

↳Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
↳ Well you see, Nora here has it in her head that the only way to get her Dad's attention, to earn his affection and love is by winning the Gauntlet. That will make him proud of her. That will make him own up to her. Right? Right. At least, that's what she's here for, if she loses? Well.....maybe she'll figure out another way to deal with her daddy issues.

∞Other:
↳ Nora has her affinity for water, how can she tell? Well mostly because of the smallest little thing- she can always tell when the first snow of the year is going to fall. Sure, she can tell when it's going to snow at other times, but the first snow that's the important one (to her anyway) and she can always just sense it.

∞Name: Jamison Archibald Augustus
↳Nickname: James....Jamie. Either work. Jamison? No please no.
∞Age: 20
∞Gender: Male
∞Element: Fire

∞Appearance:
    
    
    
∞Hair Color- Black
∞Eye Color- Brown
∞Height- 6'0"
∞Distinctive Markings- None as of Yet
∞Faceclaim: Tyler Posey

∞History:
So Jamie here grew up with a golden spoon in his mouth. His dad is a Guardian, lucky Jamie. No really, he's been really fucking lucky. Since you know his family is living it up with all that wealth and never having to want for nothing and that "well you should have thought about needing food before you decided to become peasants" mentality. Hmmm, yeah he's probably a little insensitive, and he's definitely not a fan of this whole 'girls are welcome to the school now' method that's being put into place. Because what the fuck? Now he has a whole new group of people to compete against, and it was fucking bad enough that he had so many competitors before but now all these girls are everywhere and they're always PMS'ing and that gives them that super rage which might just help them win.

So yeah, he's definitely not happy about this whole thing. Because it's been made pretty clear to Jamie that he either wins....or he's going to get disowned and end up one of those poor people without food. So yes, Jamie is determined to win....or you know, start sleeping with the person who's going to win. Hey, he'd make a great trophy husband. He can cook! and he's good with the medical sick shit....and he's easy on the eyes. So yeah, he's got plans. Either way...he's determined to leave this place without falling on his ass in the poor person gutter.

↳Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
↳ Not wanting to be poor. Seriously. Poor is just like having a giant pimple, most people are too polite to comment on it but everyone is grossed out by it.

∞Other:
↳ Yes he has an affinity for fire, not that it's ever done him much good. The most he can tell is when someone is sick because of a fever.....but ayyeeee he can take care of you when you're sick ;) that's right "What's this shirt made out of? Husband material ;)"

Name: Daniel Oliver Moss
Nickname: Dan. Daniel is way too posh
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Element: Earth

Appearance:

eye color~ Light Blue
hair color- A healthy mix of blond and brown highlights that are always slightly swept to the side
height~ 6’1”
distinguishing features~ Dan has a few deep scars from accidents in the woods from childhood, and a tatoo of Jimmy and Charlie's names right above his right hip.
Faceclaim: Rex Woodbury

History
The Moss family is extremely well connected and wealthy. Their lineage goes back generations, at least one in every generation is a Guardian. Blah blah blah, family honor and tradition, can’t let the family down, you get it. Cool. Daniel highly doubts he’ll win, or even come close. But he’s only one of ten sons in his generation of the family, so he won’t be too upset if he doesn’t get it. It could even be a blessing, in a way.

Dan grew up outdoors. The perks of being a Moss allowed his parents to hire a personal tutor and nanny, and as long as he and his brothers finished his lessons for the day, he could do what he wanted. So, naturally, he finished them as quickly as possible and then was out the door to explore the nature of his family’s massive estate. So he spent his afternoons with his brothers and they played in the woods, the river, the grass, that one section of dried dirt and sand that none of them ever really knew what to call. They would wrestle, play tag, fight with play swords, climb and jump of branches, swim across the river, you name it, they did it.

As they grew older, Dan and his brothers started to feel the pressure from their family about the competition. Dan saw his oldest brother Jimmy figure out his element and go through the Gauntlet, and he died in the process. He was 18. Dan was twelve at the time, and it hit him hard. He was the youngest of the four, and he didn’t know what to do. Dan doesn’t remember what happened that year following, except that everything changed. The happiness and joy that filled the estate when he was little was gone. There was no more running and screaming around the house. It was silent. He and his two other brothers still escaped to the woods to run around, but it wasn’t just about play anymore. It was about training and taking risks. How far they could push before they really hurt themselves. For Dan specifically, he tried to make everything about humor after that, and it’s become his defense mechanism. Life is so short, he might as well enjoy it.

He’s seen his brothers and cousins go through the Gauntlet, and with each one there has been more pressure. Last cycle his brother Charlie, who was 21at the time, died. Dan's brother Marion was competing and had to bring home their brother’s body to bury next to Jimmy's. It was a rough summer. He’s not the youngest, there are two other cousins younger than him, who have yet to compete, and his family fully expects one of the four remaining to make it. His parents told him that they had high expectations for him and that it “all rests on him”.

Secretly, Dan’s parents don’t think he’ll win, they just hope he and Marion make it out alive. Another death would destroy them.

Personality:
Dan likes to compete. As the youngest of four boys, he knows how to fight his way to the top, even if size and age are against him. He likes being physical, and if he has free time, you’ll probably find him running, jumping, lifting or playing a game. Due to his physical capabilities, and everything he’s experienced and did as a child, Dan is a risk taker. Go for a 12 hour overnight hike with no food or water? Done. Swim across a river in the dead of winter? You’re on. Run through the forest blindfolded in a fight to the death? Why the heck not.

As a defense mechanism, Dan’s initial reaction to anything is humor. He likes to make everyone laugh and have a good time if they’re into that. Life sucks, so he might as well find the humor in it. None of it is meant to be offensive, only pointing out the funny aspects of life. If someone gets offended because he made a quip about them, that’s their fault. He’s not going to apologize for living his life. After all, in this world, no one knows which one will be their last.

Sure, he won’t make many friends here, but airing on the side of caution is always better than burning every bridge within seconds. Allies could just keep him alive. As far as friends go, he and his brother are close, and Mars is the only one who understands what he’s gone through and being the only two left has made them everything to each other. Dan and Mars are only trying to survive so they can go home.

His element is Earth, as is his brothers’, which came as a surprise to absolutely no one, given how much time they had loved to spend outside as kids. Like the earth, Dan is pretty steady, and nothing really phases him, except his brothers. Jimmy and Charlie are a bit of a touchy subject. To this day, Dan and Mars don’t really know how to react to other people talking about their brothers, and so they steer clear of that subject.

Reason for Entering the Gauntlet
Tradition? To save face among their family's rich and powerful friends? Dan's not really sure. It was expected, and so he did. And he'll do his darndest best to survive.

Family:
Father ~ Viktor Moss
Mother~ Devorah Moss
Brothers ~
James “Jimmy” Moss [Deceased]
Marion “Mars” Moss (24)
Charles “Charlie” Moss [Deceased]

∞Name: Zachariah Adam Beckett
↳Nickname: Zac is preferred.
∞Age: 20
∞Gender: Male
∞Element: Air

∞Appearance:
  
  
∞Hair Color- Light Brown
∞Eye Color- Hazel
∞Height- 5'11"
∞Distinctive Markings- N/A
∞Faceclaim: Paddy Mitchell

∞History:
So Zac doesn't really care about much of anything. Sure, he's charming, and he has good looks and he's brought more than a few people back to his bed - often kicking them out the next morning because they thought he was signing up for something more than a quick fuck. Yeah, see growing up Zac's family was always so eager to have a Guarding in the midst of everything, so he and his cousins grew up practicing for the gauntlet. Every family event was filled with challenges and races, all in the hopes that like his Uncle they might become a Guardian. Really though, Zac has five other cousins all younger than him who want to do this thing, and like they really want it. Zac? He's just kind of doing his thing.

That's what he's always done in life. He's just kind of done it. He's never really gone out of his way for anything.....really, he's never had to work too hard to be charming, and when he chases after a girl it's refreshing yeah, but it's not like he's super thrilled by it. Really, nothing seems to excite him. He's actually entering this Gauntlet because of it's dangerous reputation, he's hoping that maybe he'll feel something for once. Fear? Anger? It doesn't matter, he just wants to finally know what he wants in life. To finally feel for something, other than complete and total boredom with everything.

↳Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
↳ Because it's what his family has expected of him. So he's going to the academy and he's going to do the Gauntlet....and maybe he'll have a chance to win. Who knows. Probably not though, not that he really cares either way.

∞Other:
↳ So Zac isn't sure what his affinity is. He put Air because he figured it's the one people can test him on the least...but hey he wouldn't mind no matter what his little element turned out to be. Maybe it is air. Who knows.

══════════════════ EBIZA GRAY ═════════════════

──── reece king · male · 19 · earth · 6 ft 2 · brown · black ─────

EBIZA is a lot more than he seems. Most would think that he doesn't take things seriously enough, but really he does. Maybe a little too seriously. Like the fact that he's supposed to carry on the family lineage. Even if his family is shit, it doesn't mean he completely hates them. It also doesn't mean that he's going to give into the fact that he'd rather gawk at the brothers of the girls that hung around him than the actual girls themselves. It's not his fault that he's attracted to the same sex, but that wouldn't matter to his family if they knew. All they care is that the line continues. So, of course, he would never tell them. Considering what the family as a whole does for a living, being disgraced doesn't put him at any advantage.

Because of this, Ebiza as learned to take care of himself. There's always a chance that any member of his immediate family could be caught and if he's able to care for himself, there's less to worry about. He's developed an efficiency at working that both astonishes his parents and siblings, and repulses them. They know the distancing he's trying to do, and they don't really like it. In fact, they were his greatest opposition in even entering to run the Gauntlet. But even without them heckling him — he's sure that's the only reason he actually went through with his decision — he had his own doubts. Ebiza has always had doubt about his own abilities, and he'd be lying if he said he still didn't have them. He's his greatest critic and always will be. Even before he could understand that he wasn't like the rest of his family. Even before he realized he might have been a little too gay for his family's liking.

Name: Cassandra Quin Harris [Cass, aka Sassy Cassie]
Age: 19
Gender: female
Element: fire

Appearance:

eye color- bluish green
hair color- blonde
height- 5'5''
distinguishing features-
Faceclaim: amanda steele

Bio: Where everyone else at Ainsley might have some kind of Guardian in their family, or at least in their bloodline, and they are just trying to do everything they possibly can to win the Gauntlet to carry on that legacy... the Harris family is the exact opposite. Living in generational poverty, no one in the history of Cassie's family tree has ever been a Guardian. But it hasn't been for a lack of trying, since a number of her cousins, siblings, and other family members have lost the Gauntlet. Not a lot of them have died from it, which Cass always thought to be lucky. But everyone else believed the losses to be quite shameful.

To be honest, the entire idea of the Gauntlet has always really just pissed Cassie off. Why should magic only be given to a select group of people who probably killed to get it? Forget being chosen -- no Guardian has been chosen, they have just survived trekking across a shitty terrain blindfolded to cross an imaginary line. Cassandra has always wanted nothing more than to be connected to her magic, she can almost sense it sometimes. But she knows it has been forbidden, and has never become desperate enough to explore any kind of ability she might think she has the potential to contain. It's sad to think that more people have died in her family from attempting magic than losing in the Gauntlet -- some people think their family is cursed. Cass most certainly does.

It was a surprise to Cass that she was even accepted into Ainsley, but she couldn't be more pleased. Not for her own sake of course -- but for Nora's. Her best friend, no less. Where Nora has always been kind to others, it's safe to say that Cassie has a mean streak. She is sort of pissed off with the hand she has been dealt in life, and unlike everyone else in Estalia who thinks the Gauntlet is their ticket into freedom, Cass just sees it as another way to get shafted into shame. She's bitter about her very existence, and she has no problem showing it to people. They're all idiots, thinking they actually have a shot. She wants to run the race, but only because Nora is -- she would never leave her friend to do it alone, she couldn't imagine what would happen if she did.

Cassandra is happy to be at Ainsley, if only because it will mean getting out of her shed of a house. She could see the way her mom looked at her when she was saying goodbye. She acted like it was the last time she would ever see Cassie, and it only fueled her bitterness. Her own mom expected her to die, yet not once to she try to convince her not to run the race. What kind of Gauntlet is this?

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: Cass wants to get the hell out of her house, and protect Nora. She is under no impression that she is going to win, she is setting out with the goal not to let her and her friend die. She doesn't want to end up like her father.

Other: Cass knew she had an affinity for fire when she was quite young -- in stressful times in her life, she would just close her eyes, and feel a wave of heat across her skin. Sometimes she could almost smell the smoke of a wood-burning fireplace, or even hear the crackle of the sparks shooting off the wood. Where some people might imagine fire to be chaotic and raging, Cassie has always found it to be quite peaceful.

Name: Cleo Spynn
Age: 22
Gender: Non-binary Trans Person (Any Pronouns)
Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Ace-Spectrum, Panromantic
Element: Air
Potential Self-Discovery:
One time, a boy threw her into a rushing river, hoping she'd drown, but she was able to hold her breath the entire time.

Appearance:

Eye Color- Green
Hair Color- Brown
Height- 5' 6"
Distinguishing Features- Androgynous Dress, Short Hair
Faceclaim: [Unkown]

Bio:
Family: Cleo's mother and father are both alive and doing well. Her gender and sexuality are known to both his parents, and they are doing the best they can with that knowledge. They aren't non-supportive, but they're not knowledgeable about what supports and needs Cleo has so they don't do everything right. Cleo is an only child.

Personality:
Pretty friendly for the most part. Will sacrifice any food she has for a friend who says they haven't eaten yet that day. Because of zir selflessness, ze's not really taken too seriously as a competitor, which is definitely an advantage for her -- their desire to win is just as strong.

Cleo is super chill with any pronouns being used for them. Mix it up, stick with one, it's all good. He has less of an attachment to she/her pronouns because it reminds him of when people thought he was a woman. If they're used, he's still pretty okay with it.

She's a poet and tends to speak in lyric more often than most folks, which gives her a bit of a sing-song quality in how she speaks.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
Safety. The power and prestige that comes with being a Guardian is highly protective for Cleo as a trans and queer person.

Other:
She wears a small dark leather bracelet with a tiny metal hammer on it. No one knows where they got it from.

《 24 | ʙʟᴏɴᴅᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ | ʙʀᴏᴡɴ ᴇʏᴇs | 6'0" | ᴀɪʀ | sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ | ɢɪᴏᴠᴀɴɴɪ ʙᴏɴᴀᴍʏ 》

Ⓞ- When my brother and I were babies, my Dad competed in the Gauntlet. With little money, and two very needy babies, it was his only shot at a better life for us, and our mother. He came back alive, but he didn't come back a winner. I don't know what happened exactly, twenty-four years and my Dad hasn't disclosed that information, but I do know that Mom and Dad stopped being in love. They had a huge falling out -- again, over who the fuck knows -- and split. Dad took me, and my Mom took my brother. We saw each other sometimes, our parents making an effort to keep us from hating one another; we spent young birthdays together, munching on small, affordable cakes, and making little forts out of packed snow during the winter holidays. While I seem to remember having a fine enough time, it was always ruined by Dad and Mom getting into it over something. I was too young to really remember most of their arguments, and when I got older I would either duck out and find somewhere to hide until it was over, or I'd try to intervene. The latter never got me very far, and only seemed to make things worse. The older my brother and I got the harder it was for our parents to keep it together, so one year they just stopped-- we stopped with them. I haven't seen Micah (aka Kit) in years, and I sure as hell didn't know he was applying for the Gauntlet this year. I remember Dad saying something about us being alike, that no wonder we applied at the same age, but I don't buy it. I've been away from him for too long; it must just be a wacky coincidence.

Ⓞ- My Dad and I were always on the verge of hitting the ditches, and it only got worse. Dad came down with something stupid, like the flu or some other common illness that I don't know the name of, but without anything to worthwhile to offer, getting medicine was out of the question. He seemed to be fighting it off, but his body had been week since the divorce. For years his health was declining, everything just... didn't work right. I'm not a physician, I have no idea what was happening. I just know that he had a hard time getting up in the morning, and his words were few and far between. He was distant, out of it, but when he did focus-- well. He's my Dad. I know he loves me and all. So, I stuck around until I was twenty, and then he nodded me into 'the real world'. I have my own place, meager and tiny, and I have a job working with a local blacksmith. I've got friends, I'm pretty good with a weapon, and I visit my Dad all the time. I basically still live there I'm so close by, but I think he wanted me out of the house more for his sake than mine.

Ⓞ- Oh, yeah! Almost forgot, I've got a girlfriend, too. Er, I usually wouldn't tell you this, Dad wouldn't be too proud so he definitely doesn't know, but I'm not the most faithful guy in the lineup. I honestly kind of forget that she's around ... I should really make a note to break up with her or something.

Ⓞ- I do not like to lose. I'm here to make my Dad proud, to make myself worth it for everything that he went through-- after all, I'm half of the reason he entered into the race at all. If it weren't for the two of us, Mom and Dad probably would've been content to live as they were. But I'm also here for myself. I know I can do this. I know I have powers in me somewhere, and I'm almost sure that they come from the sky. I feel it when the wind sighs; full and peaceful, but wild and fun. I feel it when the sky breaks open, free of its heavy burdens... I need to know. I need to feel... They say the race is all or nothing. I wish I had run it years ago, when I was eighteen in fact, but my confidence was still growing then. I needed those years. So, I'm here now. Ready to rumble. Come at me.

Ⓞ- My brother and I are identical twins. I except that we'll be mixed up often. Just remember that I, Mitchell, am the cool one.

Bio: Abigail grew up in a family that worked hard for their comfortable life, but wanted for nothing. Abi appreciates the simple things in life but also has a taste for the elaborate, though she works for what she wants. She is incredibly feisty and speaks her mind when she feels it necessary to be spoken, even if she offends people. She can have a bit of a temper but holds no grudges, and she can be fiercely loyal even when it may not be in her best interest.
She has three older brothers and a younger sister, and she is incredibly protective. Her father ran in the Gauntlet when he was 21, and he had severely injured his leg and has walked with a cane and a limp ever since. Her older twin brothers ran when they were 18 and she was 15. Peter, the oldest, perished and his twin lost his sight due to head trauma. The third brother doesn't even want to attempt it, but Abi is determined to participate and win more for the ones who lost than for herself.
Other: Despite her determination to win, Abi is terrified of the dark/not being able to see her surroundings, so running while blindfolded is going to prove to be incredibly interesting.

Bio: Xander is the type of guy who definitely prefers the company of trees and daisies than the company of people. He has the ability to just blend into his surroundings and disappear, and he prefers it that way. He absolutely hates confrontation and will do anything to avoid it at all costs, even if it means being marked a coward by others. But Xander likes to talk things over than solve things with violence, which has always gotten him into a bit of trouble over the years.
His father died when he was still a baby, and his mother just mentally checked out. So growing up Xander had to learn how to be his own family and to be happy on his own. Being an only child with a mother who likes to spend her days locked in her room, Xander frequently takes long strolls outside and has constant conversations with little woodland creatures or the blooming flowers in spring. Even in the midst of winter, he prefers being outside, barefoot, daydreaming his dreams. He wants to win the Gauntlet not for any possible fame or honor, but just so that his mother will have a reason to finally come out of her room and really notice him.
Other: Xander is actually a really positive and funny guy, but because he stays away from society as much as he can nobody actually knows this side of him.

═════════════════ REIZA SALCEDO ════════════════

─── bianca leonor · female · 22 · air · 5 ft 2 · brown · blonde ───

REIZA is well, different. Different in the way that she seems like a person of deep spiritual belief. And she is. So much so that she believes things are out of her control and fate will have the final say. Which would explain why she's been so complacent all her life. Things happened around her, and whether they were good or bad, she was indifferent. She took everything in stride like it was nothing at all. Even when her father died and her brother ran off. Even when she was left with her mother who was simply concerned with the child she had left. It wasn't that she didn't care; she just thought that a higher force would work things out in due time. It was a perplexing reaction for those that hadn't fully understood her typical behavior.

Meeting Reiza is an unnerving thing. She seems as though she knows everything there is, and finds it unimpressive. Each person's specialty is seen as trivial to her and that tends to rub people the wrong way. But does she care? Not really. It's this same thinking that is why she's here, entering the Gauntlet. Her mother couldn't stand the idea of her being so complacent with life, so she made her enter. What better way to get someone going than through force and a competition that implied greatness?

Name: Karaline Ada Reath
Nickname: Kara
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Element: Water

Appearance:

eye color-Green
hair color- Red
height- 5'6
distinguishing features- A jagged scar from right under her belly button to the side of her hip.
Faceclaim: Sophie Turner

Bio: Being poor is never easy, but it's a little easier to live with when you're nice enough to look at. As the majority of the other people, who aren't the Guardians, Karoline grew up in poverty. Fortunately, she was a little better off than most of her neighbors (not by much though). Unfortunately, she was better off by using her appearance to her advantage. It's never too hard to get some extra food or clothes when flashing a pretty smile at a man who always had an extra coin or two. That eventually grew to a partnership of sorts, dating in exchange for cash. In other words, she became a sugar baby. Not the most honest means of getting cash but she grew up getting told that her face might be able to land her a wealthy husband. Nothing more than a trophy wife, while her brothers were told they would be much more if they ran the Gauntlet.

Kara grew up with three older brothers; Christian, Leeland, and Nathaniel. Each one believed that the only way to help their family was to run the Gauntlet, and each one did. Not a single brother won any race and that appeared to be that. As each brother returned, they found odd jobs to get some money for the family. And Kara? Well she continued to charm her way to money and that appeared to be that. After all, women had no place running the Gauntlet.

Until they did. And Kara was tired of seeing the looks on her brothers faces when they would come home, tired of seeing the look on her father's face since he lost the ability to walk when he ran the Gauntlet, and tired of being told that she could only be a wife and a mother. She knew she could be so much more if she was just given the chance. She was a lot more witty than most of the boys in her town, and her sarcastic comments were nothing less than beautiful. The thing about Kara? She could be so brilliant and passionate about what she does but her stubbornness could get her into trouble.

It was that stubbornness that got her the scar from underneath her belly button, running diagonally, to her hip. And it was the same stubbornness that caused her to move forward with attending attending Ainsley, even if it meant being a disappointment to her family. Because how could she ever win the Gauntlet for them when her brothers had all failed?

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: Kara wants to prove that she's more than a pretty face. Her father and her brothers all lost the Gauntlet, despite some amateur training they came up with. She was there every step of the way with them, and she refused to be overlooked any longer just because she had a pair of breasts.

Other: Karaline has an affinity for water, but of course, that was overlooked in favor of her brothers, and she almost brushed it off. Whomever was wining and dining her then had wanted to go out on a boat ride. Kara had the strangest feeling that it wasn't the night for it. The tides crushed the boats that were out in the water. Turns out, she could tell when the water is going to be harsh or peaceful and everything in-between , a mood ring for water basically. A fisherman's dream.

∞Name: Alice Lilian Bell
↳Nickname:Allie works
∞Age: 18
∞Gender: Female
∞Element: Earth

∞Appearance:
    
    
    
∞Hair Color- Blonde
∞Eye Color- Blue
∞Height- 5'8"
∞Distinctive Markings- That ponytail she has her hair in like 90% of the time
∞Faceclaim: Lili Reinhart

∞History:
Alice wasn't raised in the lap of luxury, but her family didn't struggle for food or anything either. They just sort of existed, living on the best way that they could. Of course, this didn't stop them from wanting more - or rather her parents from wanting more. They wanted to live a better life, to live the lives they couldn't when her father ran the gauntlet and failed to win so many years ago. It's obvious that he resents himself for losing that race, that he hates himself for not being able to win that race and give his wife the life she so desperately craves. It's the look that inspired her older brother to run the race, when he turned eighteen.

And when Cole came home with a broken leg, his father was proud. Proud that his son had tried...at least for a few days, before that look came back, worse than ever before. Even more disappointed now that his eldest son had failed in the race as well. There was no sympathy from her father for the fact that Cole eternally limped, that his leg would never heal properly and would always cause him pain. No, her father simply turned his attention to his next son, pushing Jacob to train harder and longer. So Jacob trained....and he trained....and then his girl got pregnant, and he trained harder, determined to win. He beat another contestant so badly during the race that the boy lost his sight. And Jacob finished the race just a little too late.....

More disappointment in her father's eyes, but not for Jacob's actions, he encouraged that, but for the fact that their family would never have success. Or so he thought. Until last year when news spread of how a girl won....and his attention turned to Alice. Waking her up in the middle of the night, forcing her to run and fight her brothers while blindfolded. Jacob was the worst....he'd hit the hardest. And then making her apply to the academy as soon as she was old enough. And it doesn't matter that Alice doesn't want to run the gauntlet...because this is what her family wants. And she's their last chance at a better life....so here she is.


↳Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
↳ On her application she wrote that she wanted to win for her family, to give them a better life and to prove that anyone can win the gauntlet. In reality? She's just hoping that she doesn't end up hurting someone, she doesn't want to be like her brother or her father...to get so focused on the Gauntlet that it's all she'll ever think about.

∞Other:
↳ Alice is strongly connected to the element of Earth, she's never felt more at home than she does with her feet on the ground and the scent of trees and dirt in her nose. It just calms her, and she can always sense what a plant needs, whether it's sunlight or water she just has a feeling of when a plant is doing well and thriving....or when it's sick and needs nurturing.

──────────────── HARTLEY MARSEN

────── 18 • male • air × tyler young ──
× brown hair • brown eyes • 5’8” ─────

why he entered : partially on a dare, partially because he actually thinks he has a chance. also if he can get certified as blind before the race then he can make snarky comments about blindfolding blind people

×•× HARTLEY is a ragdoll cat in human form. He says the strangest things, never wears his glasses, and gets drunk off laughter before falling over. Some people have theorised that he walks around at night with his glasses on and memorises the routes to everything, but anyone who knows him well will instantly refute this — Hartley's memory is awful. More to the point, if you've ever seen him trying to get somewhere, he will almost certainly have one hand trailing along the wall. People have asked him why he doesn't wear his glasses, and his response is usually “Glasses? Oh right, yeah, those things... pssh I know where I'm going.” Even though he's almost legally blind.

But aside from his somewhat insane tendencies (oh yeah, when he puts his glasses on around people he talks to a lot he goes ‘so that's what you look like’ and they just facepalm), Hartley is mostly like a lot of the other guys here — in it for a dare, probably going to fail. He'd just like to clarify something: it has no correlation with his family life whatsoever.

His father never hit him — just every variation of hit. His mother stood by and did nothing, when she was actually there. People wonder why he's so absurdist — it was his way of coping with it. And every time someone asks about his life before he came here, he lies.

вяүsтση "sεтн" εscσт

Age: Nineteen
Gender: Masculinity - if proof is needed, he's more than happy to oblige to this request. Rest assured, there will be no question about it once he's done.
Element: Air. He didn't know until about a year ago, when he was arguing with his brother - until he wasn't, because Ryker was too busy choking on the sudden lack of accessible air. Oops? Just further proof little brother knows best. His parents guessed it to be a temperament thing and, because Seth is normally pretty in control of what he's feeling, he's hardly worried about it. Its under control.

Appearance:

eye color- The Escot family is full of brown-eyed beauts and Seth's gaze is no exception. Of course, his is a little more calculating, a little more easy to play.
hair color- His hair is pretty dark and curly and he's no stranger to long nails raking through it in an expression of sexual frustration he sure as fuck doesn't mind.
height- If nothing else, his height is somewhat of an advantage. 6 foot and a lot of that is leg span, meaning long distances aren't too much of a struggle.
distinguishing features- Freckles. The asshat has a whole hell of a lot of freckles and they sort of add to the innocent look he has going for him. At least before that smirk of his is added to the mix
Faceclaim: Bob Morley

Bio: Seth comes from a pretty large family, which is probably a blessing in disguise as, otherwise, the boy would have even less to prioritize. As it is, he has two older brothers and a younger sister and both parents are still very much so in the picture. They've been relatively piss poor for as long as he could remember and that's helped establish a 'to hell and back' mentality for one another. It makes sense then, that his loyalty is pretty limited in terms of who it encompasses: his family and himself are pretty much his only concern. The youngest brother in the Escot family used to be seen by his community as a whole as the innocent Escot, the one who had yet to be marred by the struggles of poverty. Of course, that switch was quickly flipped, though most can't pinpoint the exact period this happened.

Seth, though? Oh, he knows. He knows the exact day he changed, the day his edges got sharper and those smiles that were once so full of innocence turned into the dangerous smirks they are today.

He was seventeen and it was smack in the middle of summer, and the heat wave was enough to make the family desperate. Elena, his little sister, was fifteen at the time and she was the only one who didn't have too much pride to beg the neighbor for something, anything, to spare from his farm. Seth will never be quite sure what it was that convinced him to go check on her, -maybe just a natural overprotective big brother tendency- but he found her pinned down under the neighbor, his hands up her shirt. Greg Roberts, that nice neighborhood gentleman? Because Seth is so good at covering his tracks, that piece of shit was never seen again.

They say once you've killed, it's all too easy to do it again and Seth Escot is a living testimony of this. He's always been willing to do whatever it takes to take care of his family and himself, but since figuring out how to dismember a fellow human being? Well, he's become a lot more . . . Determined. And even less is enough to stop him. Manipulation is his specialty and he's mastered the art of deceptive smiles. In other words? Don't trust the bitch.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: His family, if his history hasn't made that clear enough. There's no limit on the things he's willing to do for those who share his DNA. Though he's set on making sure no one ever knows that because, after all, the dead tell no tales, right?

Other:

Name: Nathan Enzo Delacroix
Nickname: His brothers have called him every name in the book, so whatever floats your boat. Nate, Enzo, Nate-Z. he doesn’t care.
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Element: Air

Appearance:

eye color~ A very boring brown.
hair color- Again, a very boring, boring brown.
height~ 6’1”
distinguishing features~ Does a chip on his shoulder count?
Faceclaim: Micheal Ronda

Personality:
Nate has a pretty clear head on his shoulders. He’s used to mediating conflict-you can’t live with four brothers and not get used to dealing with conflict-and he’s also used to fighting for the spotlight and resources. He can sweet-talk his way into and out of a great deal, which comes in very handy. He can be a bit moody and grouchy, but that’s typically a manifestation of his parents’ pressure. His story is similar to the majority of students at the Academy, and there’s nothing particular that he feels makes him stand out from the rest. Which is a terrifying thought.

So… he’s a bit insecure. But would you blame him? His younger sister, who has always been better than him at everything, has entered the Gauntlet for the pleasure of watching their parents eat it when she wins. And if she does, he’s as good as dead. Probably worse. His only hope is to compete against her and try to be better. Anything to undercut her, if only to survive. Which sucks, because she deserves to win 100 times more than he does. However, his only chance of survival is to work as hard as he can to win, and to undercut her in the process to stay in good standing with their parents.


History:
Nate did not want this. You could call him a reluctant participant. His two older brothers died undergoing this trial, and after seeing two of your best friends die in the name of potential glory, who would want to do this? But he knew he didn’t really have a choice, and so his best chance is to fight to win, if only for survival. Nate was the third brother of six children, or five, depending on if you asked his parents. Ever since he can remember, Nate has been training for this task. His parents focused all of their time and energy on him and his brothers so that they would be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared for this grueling task. They were strict with their rules, but only for the boys’ benefits, and all five of the boys knew that.

Up until six years ago, Nate was ready for the task. He and all his male peers would watch every round as the winners fought their way to the top. And then his own brothers competed, and in the span of two cycles, Nate found himself the oldest of the remaining children. Suddenly, instead of all the family’s hopes and dreams placed on his oldest brother, Nate was a bearing that burden, something he wasn’t used to. He had been the middle, average of the five of them for so many years, and suddenly he was expected to be even better than both his brothers, and it was expected that he would win this cycle.

But…. This time it’s different. Lyca, his younger sister by one year, entered herself and got into the Academy. And she’s much better than him. By far. Growing up, Nate had taken pity on her, and showed her his lessons when they had time alone together. He would slip her food from his plate when his parents deliberately underfed her, and sometimes he would “forget” to put some of his toys or weapons away so that she could sneak them away. She was always better than any of them anyway, and Nate didn’t like the way his parents blatantly disregarded her. His brothers pretended not to notice, but Nate and Lyca were always the closest of the six of them. Until now.

Nate knows that he has to compete and win the Gauntlet. There is no question. Especially now that Lyca is in the competition. Nate thought that his parents were going to kill her themselves when she told them she had been accepted and she was competing. There was a lot of yelling, and he got a long talking to about the “family honor’ and “you must protect our reputation”. Under no circumstance is Lyca to win. His parents have made it blatantly clear that he had better come back a Guardian, or dead.

Reason for Entering The Gauntlet:
Same as everyone else up in this joint: Mommy and Daddy issues

Other:
He’s always known when the right time to shoot an arrow is, or how long a spear will fly, and where it will land. He’s been able to gauge how long it would take to run from one area to another. Maybe it’s Earth, maybe it’s Air, he’s not totally sure.

Name: Lyca Elizabeth Delacroix
Age: 23
Gender: female
Element: air.
Lyca always seems to look like she has wind blowing through her hair, even on the most stale day of the year, she'll still appear windswept. She has always known she has had an affinity for air because she can always tell which direction it is coming from, which is probably why she has never gotten lost on one of her many adventures.

Appearance:

eye color- green af
hair color- brunette
height- 5'7''
distinguishing features- Her inability to control her facial expressions might as well be a feature -- she has an eyebrow quirk thing that she does, and it's completely involuntary. She does it when she's annoyed with someone, and it's one of her tells when someone is starting to get to her.
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Faceclaim: Alycia Debnam-Carey

Bio: In a family with three older brothers, and two younger ones, Lyca figured it out pretty quick that she was the disposable one in the family. Estalia is the epitome of a patriarchal society, so women are overlooked, and in that respect Lyca has grown up without too many rules. At first she thought it was great, her parent's were always only drilling her brothers, only planning down to the T their futures, only imposing curfews on them. And then she started to realize it's because her parents cared, therefore the lack of discipline they offered her was their lack of affection. It was a long and hard realization for Lyca that her parents couldn't care less about what she turned out to be.

That realization happened over a large span of her childhood. Her parents had an in-home nanny of sorts that took care of Lyca while they focused on the boys, and Lyca in the beginning thought it was for all of the children, not just her. It wasn't. So she kept trying to impress her parents, she kept trying to show them they she could do what the boys could do, and she could do it better. She didn't need the tutors that some of her brothers did, or the extra coddling and confidence boosts. She was self-reliant, everything they wanted their sons to be. That last for a few years, and after a while, her parents finally got sick of it. They were tired of Lyca outperforming her brothers, because it was only messing with their training. It wasn't helpful for Lyca to compete with them anymore because she wasn't motivating them like she had been in the beginning, it was just lowering their confidence that a girl was beating them. When she turned 14, they made it clear she should learn a real trade. One that she could use in life, because the Academy wasn't for girls.

There was only one time her parents ever truly parented Lyca, and that was when they found out about Jo. She was locked in her room for over a week with nothing but sandwiches brought in by her caregiver twice a day. After that they made it clear she could have any future she wanted, as long as it was with a guy that would support her -- and they swore after that day that if she chose Jo or anyone like her, they would cut her off without hesitation.

Lyca did not go through the rebellions 'I'm going to act out so you notice me' phase, because she knew it wouldn't work... the phase she went through was more of a 'Well, I guess it's time to cut my losses' type of deal. She was done striving to be the golden child -- but it's not like she pinwheeled down a dark and depressing self-sabotaging history... she got over it. If they weren't going to care about her, she wasn't going to care about them. She turned her self-reliant personality and charisma into friendships, and she invested in people that she knew genuinely cared about her. Of course without having discipline, she became kind of wild and reckless. To her, in a way, the Gauntlet is another one of her crazy adventures. She is under the impression that she is invincible -- that Gauntlet can't touch her. She couldn't be more wrong.

She can act like she isn't looking for anyone's approval, and that she's just living her life the way she wants to live it, but that would not be entirely true. Lyca has been scorned in a brutal way, and to act like it has had no affect on her ability to trust and care for others would be a joke. She is most certainly the kind of person that would rather have a lot of so-so friends than a few really close friends. She is incredibly secretive, and does not really like sharing pieces of her history with people. She doesn't like people to get super attatched to her, even if that is a exactly what she invites them to do with her extraverted personality. Lyca is incredibly flirtatious, and she just has that air about her that seems to invite people in. The real question is whether or not she really cares for anyone in return -- if she acts the same sweet way with everyone, how can you tell who is special to her? You can't, and that's exactly the point.

Family: Mom, Dad, 2 Deceased older brothers, Nate, and two younger brothers.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: Lyca was constantly told as a child that she would't really amount to anything, even though she believed herself to have that very capability. When the Academy opened to women, she finally thought her parents would invest in her like they did her brothers, and she came to them with that desire. Pretty safe to say they shut her down -- hard. Just because the Ainsley thought women could win the Gauntlet, didn't mean her parents did. So they'd rather keep throwing their sons into the death pit, knowing they weren't ready and didn't have a shot.

That's why Lyca's going to run the Gauntlet, and she's going to win. She doesn't need their permission.

Other: Lyca likes knives. She's always had a knack for throwing them.

σρнεℓια ωαvεяℓү яүcση

Age: Twenty
Gender: Female
Element: Earth, which is pretty evident in just about everything she does. It's intertwined in her DNA, in the way she's centered and finds peace when her feet are simply moving across the ground. It's a complex thing she doesn't really try to explain because most of the time, she doesn't understand it either.

Appearance:

eye color- A light blue hue that somehow runs the gamut in terms of all the emotions. The girl is expressive, and her eyes are no exception.
hair color- Bright red that's been the bane of her existence since birth.
height- 5'4"
distinguishing features- The hair is pretty striking, but her optimistic attitude tends to get a lot more attention then the red curls. Her laugh is like a feature itself in how undeniable it is, as much a part of her as the birthmark on her shoulder or the blue eyes.
Faceclaim: Eleanor Tomlinson

Bio: As the daughter of the town doctor, it must be in Ophelia's nature to want to help people. Either that or coincidence has a funny way of working out, as the girl grew up wandering town with bandaids in her pack back and down alleys looking for injured strays to take home. And, to make her an even weirder child, she was that kid who talked to plants, hoping her voice might coax flowers back to life. In other words, the girl is no stranger to receiving odd looks. And it turns out her medical expertise is not limited in its scope, and that desire to help anything living has not diminished any even as she's gotten older. Of course, it wasn't all roses and helping stray kittens. Kids can be mean to those who are different and talking to plants wasn't something her peers took too kindly to.

Meaning at one point, going down to the town square only ended in being the target to a pack of laughing preteens who could run pretty fast. The upside to this, of course? It was during this time that Ophelia realized she could run faster, with little to no effort on her part. The older kids noticed this too, of course, that they had little to no chance of ever actually catching up to her - but even when the teasing and bullying stopped, the running? It became sort of a coping mechanism for Ophelia. She became accustom to every dip and curve in the ground around her property, her feet having no trouble moving across the ground at a speed that would leave any observer breathless. Not that there's any observers to speak of - she keeps her running to herself. Or she did. Can't very well do that now, can she? When she runs, it's like the world temporarily stops and there's nothing - just the earth beneath her feet and problems that suddenly seem so far away.

It should come as no surprise then, that when it was announced the academy would be open to everyone after the previous Gauntlet was won by a female? Suddenly, her options didn't seem so limited anymore. Because while it's true, as a person, Ophelia enjoys helping others, she's realized that isn't all she wants to be. Who knows if the academy holds her future, but it's a chance she's willing to take - much to the frustration of her parents, who would be content for her to live her life in the confines they've built for her.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: She's not really sure who this is about proving something to, -maybe she just needs to prove to herself- but Ophelia really wants to see what she's capable of. Her future has always seemed so mapped out for her, without her consent, and it seemed to mostly consist of helping her mother, providing medical services. And who knows, maybe that's what would be best for her. But maybe . . . Just maybe, there's this whole other realm that would have never been possible previously.

Other: Ophelia may be good at running . . . But anything else? The girl is literally helpless. I mean give her a sword at your own risk and she's more of a danger to herself with knives, quite capable of loosing a finger. She'll likely be taken down in twenty seconds flat in any kind of hand to hand combat scenario. The only other thing she has on her side aside form speed is agility and a decent amount of flexibility, though she's not really sure how far that'll get her here.

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▲ ₂₄ | Bʟᴏɴᴅᴇ Hᴀɪʀ | Bʀᴏᴡɴ Eʏᴇs | ₆·₀ | Aɪʀ | Sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ | Gɪᴏᴠᴀɴɴɪ Bᴏɴᴀᴍʏ ▼

↪ When my brother and I were useless babies, as in soon out of the womb, dad got the bright idea of competing in the Gauntlet. Apparently he wanted to give his family a better life, but if you ask me it was a stupid idea. Unfortunately, dad did not come back as a Guardian and over time, mom and dad got into it and decided to split. Dad got my brother, and mom got me. I still don't know what happened, nor do I care much either. Anyways, I still saw Mitchell on holidays and our birthdays and even though they would start off nice enough, they always ended with dad dragging Mitchell to their house, and mom doing the same with me. Every year always seemed to be worse than the one before, until the little visits came to a stop. If you were to ask me now, I wouldn't be able to tell you what Mitchell has been doing for the past several years.

↪ Mom and I lived decently well, she got a job at a bakery and we never had a shortage of bread. Honestly, I think I can go the rest of my life without eating another loaf of bread. Mom's still in good health, but I've caused a few grey hairs with my smart mouth growing up. At least she could never say that having me as a son was ever boring. Anyways, I ended up moving out somewhere in-between my nineteenth and twentieth birthday. Not a particularly big place but it's nice enough to live in and have one or two people over and I managed to get a job at the local armory. I'm pretty okay with a weapon but try to take me on hand to hand, and I'll hand your ass to you. I figured that if I kept running causing trouble, I should at least be able to fight back. That should have been enough to keep mom from worrying about me but she does, so I visit her often to keep her from getting more grey hairs. I figured that's the least I could do.

↪ Currently, I have no girlfriend. The only woman in my life at the moment is my mom and I don't need any other. Okay, that's a lie. I've slept with my fair share of women but I haven't really met one that's kept my attention for more than a night.

↪ The reason I want to compete in the Gauntlet? Living decently isn't living well, and I think Mom deserves to live in comfort after supporting me all these years. And, I want to show her that there is a winner in the family, that where dad failed, I would succeed. For her. I know I could do this, I hate losing, and I'll give it everything I got. Besides, I at least know what element calls to me. I had my suspicions when I was told that I was as agile as the wind but when I started to realize that I never got lost because I somehow knew what way the wind blew, it was confirmed to me that I had an affiliation to air. Yeah I know, real original way of finding out. Bite me.

↪ Did I mention I have an identical twin brother? No? Doesn't matter, he's not very important. Just keep in mind that I'm the memorable one. Me, Micah.

ＢＯＮＮＩＥ ＣＯＯＫ

♡ 19 | ʙʀᴜɴᴇᴛᴛᴇ | ʙʟᴜᴇ ᴇʏᴇs | 5'6" | ᴇʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ˀˀ | sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ | ɴᴀᴛᴀʟɪᴀ ᴅʏᴇʀ ♡

♡ I, Bonnie Cook, have no idea what I'm doing. I'm great with words, and when they called me in for an interview it went awesome. It's too bad that I'm better at talking than I am at doing. See, my family didn't do a lot of training. We aren't poor, we aren't rich, and we were never crazy trying to win the Gauntlet because none of us could. Mom's dad ran when he was young, but he didn't win. Dad's dad suffered from some severe blood disorder or something (I never met him, and Dad only talks about the good days), so he never ran. My Dad never ran because he and Mom had my brother when they were young, and he didn't want to risk death if it meant not seeing his son grow up. When Theo was born the whole family oohed and aaahed; he was gonna do great things, they said, great, great, Gauntlet-winning things. Except that he couldn't. He suffered from some sort of something that made his muscles go all weak and limp, and his legs took the brunt of it. He couldn't run even if he wanted to. So the family moved on. When we talked about the Gauntlet, it was all wishful thinking and playful imagination-- Mom once said that if she had been able to enter she would have kicked butt, and Dad agreed that that was probably true. Of course, a women won the last race, and me, being the only eligible soul in the family, was swept up in it all. If we're being honest, I don't really want to be here, and I'm terrified of dying, but ... if I win? I don't know, I just want that win. Not for myself, really, but for my family. Maybe then Theo won't feel like he failed our parents somehow, maybe Dad will stop regretting that he didn't run, and maybe Mom can live a little through me (I'll be sending regular letters, of course).

♡ I have no idea what my element is. I don't think our family was ever very strongly connected to their powers, and I'm no different. There's some sort of pull in me, but I can never tell where he's coming from. It doesn't manifest itself obviously, and it's ... incredibly frustrating. If Ainsley can't bring it out of me, I am so dead.

♡ I guess I'm obligated to tell you this (thanks, Mal), but a few years ago I had a huuuuge crush on this guy?? He had no idea I existed, but I have grown up to be a pining mess. Ugh. Anyway, he ran in the last Gauntlet. And surprise, surprise, Mr. Perfect totally won. He's a guardian now, so I never see him, but the feelings never went away. It's so stupid, please don't make me keep talking about it! (view spoiler)[classic "he doesn't know but we're married" kinda deal (hide spoiler)]

───────────── ÁNGEL CASTELLANO

─── 24 • male • water × diego barrueco
× brown hair • black eyes • 5’11” ─────

why he entered : because his parents expect him to, and he's never done anything they didn't tell him to do.

×•× ÁNGEL lives to please, mostly because he's rarely bothered to find the motivation to do something independent with his life. It's so much easier if he just does what his parents tell him to, even though he ended up entering a running race of all things. He probably ought to begin questioning the wisdom of his decisions, but that takes more energy than he can be bothered putting in. Besides, if he does badly enough maybe they'll kick him out anyway...

Okay, so maybe deep down he actually does care, but it's yet to actually be discovered. Maybe, by some miracle or curse he'll end up running, or maybe he'll get kicked out and go back to his dull, dreary life. But Guardians are old-fashioned and stupid —who the hell uses a blindfolded race to decide their next member?

See? This is why he just goes with what people tell him to do, because otherwise he ends up hating all the options. It's easier not to care

яσωαη ∂αяια кιηgs

Age: Twenty-one
Gender: Female
Element: Just like all of her family before her, Rowan's affinity is for water. It brings her a sense of peace and, if you know anything about this girl, you'll know that sensation is one she is otherwise unfamiliar with.

Appearance:

eye color- Watercolor blue
hair color- Ash blonde
height-5'6"
distinguishing features- none no one would ever have any reason to know about.
Faceclaim: Katheryn Winnick

Bio: Rowan is the daughter of a hell of a lot of expectation, all riding on the fact that she be something she's not. The Kings name is not made up of all past winners of the Gauntlet, but they do own some pretty prominent names, a family made up of old money. It was her father's goal to retain that same fame in winning the Gauntlet. When he didn't win, that hope was passed down to his child, one he had every belief would be a boy. You can imagine the surprise when tiny blonde female Rowan was born then. And the backup plan of merely having another child was left in tatters after miscarriage.

So, Rowan's father decided he'd work with what he was given, and began training Rowan. She still remembers the first time he tossed a sword at her feet, the steel clunking oh so heavily in her tiny hand. Of time, that weight began to feel natural in her hand, moving like an extension of her own arm. Sprints that once left her winded began to feel like a stroll - though that's not to say she's done. Oh, far from it. Even as she was accepted into the Academy, the work is definitely not over, and her father has had it drilled in her head all the mistakes she makes. All the things she does wrong: the way her hand to hand combat could be a little stronger, her stamina when running a little more hearty, the shitty way she works under pressure.

Rowan is definitely a byproduct of how she was raised - there's nothing about her that doesn't scream determination. She's a perfectionist - her father's awful habit of nitpicking at something until it bleeds has become her curse to bear as well. Her focus on the end goal is so time-consuming that she rarely remembers it's okay to stop and smile -mostly because she's been trained for so long that it really isn't- and her laugh is a rare thing indeed. Of course, her unlikely friendship with that Beckett boy has made her a work in progress.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: Her male bloodline is scattered with winners of the Gauntlet and before she was born, her father had every expectation that his son would grow up to be the next winner. Of course, when Rowan was born and her mother was unable to have another child, her father turned his attention on her, knowing he'd have to work her harder than any son since she wouldn't have the Academy to help guide her. Countless hours of training later, his obsession has become hers.

Other: She's every bit as determined as any man here at the Academy, if not more so than some, and she has no problem proving her motivation to win. Considering her own father doubted her capabilities because of her genetic makeup, Rowan is hardly fazed by the less than warm welcoming from her male counterparts.

ℓιηcσℓη "ℓιηc" кηαғε

Age: Twenty-five, aka he's one of the few hopeful dinosaurs still lurking around. Having applied for the Academy every year, he's really not sure why they accepted him on his last leg - but here he is.
Gender: Is this really a question right now? What the fuck do you think? The junk between his legs isn't just for shits and giggles.
Element: Fire and his temper pretty much reflects that of his element - like flames kept contained and in control, so to is his rage, a low simmer easy to keep in check. But much like flames licking away at any evidence of a house, property, crops - his temper is pretty capable of the very same thing.

Appearance:

eye color- Dark like his soul? and normally pretty closed off - if you were hoping to read all of his secrets, I can tell you, the way to those are certainly not in held in his eyes.
hair color- Just like his eyes, his hair is extremely dark and deep, but he's prepared for that graying shit to hit soon. Doesn't stress invite that fuckery even sooner too? Though if that was the case, he has a feeling he'd literally have not a single hair left on his head anymore.
height- At 5'9" and broad shouldered, Linc is positively stocky, more "attacking rhino" then anything else. It does help him build up speed a lot quicker when it comes to sprinting, though.
distinguishing features- The ink normally gets a few second glances, which typically earns a 'the third look is going to cost you' type of dry smile. The black flames span from his wrist, up his arm, across his shoulder, and into the side of his neck. Don't bother asking him why he got it: that's a story that will never get told.
Faceclaim: D.J. Cotrona

Bio: Lincoln never has been expected or even imagined to amount to much, if anything at all. His parents hooked up young, which was how he came into being, and rushed to marry before little Linc was born. It was a marriage that never should have been and even though it's last 'til today, his parents are two people who really have no business being together. They're miserable and they have been miserable ever since they started raising their one and only little boy, and surely the struggle of a lack of finances didn't help. When you then think about how his parents are, and the situation he grew up in confined to two beings who wants nothing to do with one another, it really isn't that far of a stretch that he turned out the way he did. Parents too busy fighting and going at each other's throats, they didn't notice when Lincoln began fucking around: both in the literal sense and with a little vice in the form of alcohol.

And, as you can imagine, when he finally did get a girl pregnant? He was hardly willing to propose - forced marriages, as his parents can attest to, are never a good idea. Honestly, its no surprise that this happened, only surprising that it wasn't until he was twenty-three to knock a girl up with his screwed DNA. And needless to say, the girl's family absolutely hates him. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. He gets it, he's a drunk little piece of shit with nothing to offer to the world - but his baby girl. Screw it all to hell if she didn't make him want to change his ways. Didn't make him want to give her the world on a silver little platter, even if she's too tiny to know what to do with it. She is the reason he is trying to become a better man, one less harsh, not as quick to anger, and independent of the booze. He wants to be able to give her everything and as it is right now? Well, he doesn't really have anything to his name. Which is why his little girl is staying with her mom something he has been very vocal in his plan to change. But he's hoping that, in winning the Gauntlet? That all will change.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: That is the only thing simple about Linc: her name is Alessia, she's the only thing on this earth that could manage to make his eyes look innocent, and she has him in the palm of her tiny little hand. Completely and utterly. So yeah, if it takes winning the Gauntlet and becoming a goddamn Guardian to shape him up into something resembling decent, so be it. That saying, that fathers will sacrifice anything for their little girl? It's fucking true.

Other: He's essentially the residential alcoholic grandpa, only minus the access to the beer now that he's in the Academy. Which means he's even grumpier then he normally is without the alcohol in his veins to keep him going through the day. His snark is a byproduct of his wish to be drunk 25/7.

∞Name: William Henry Holland
↳Nickname: Will
∞Age: 22
∞Gender: Male
∞Element: Air

∞Appearance:
    
    
    
∞Hair Color- Black
∞Eye Color- Blue
∞Height- 6'2"
∞Distinctive Markings- A lot of scars on his chest, back, arms, a couple of tattoos too.
∞Faceclaim: Matthew Daddario

∞History:
Monsters aren't just born. Which is true with Will, shortly after he was born his father began his new line of work, a traveling businessman selling his wares wherever he could. Which meant most the time Will was left home alone with his mother. At first things were fine, but as the years passed she became more and more convinced his father was having affairs. That he was away for so long because he no longer loved her. Her paranoia was quick to turn to aggression towards her son, blaming him for the fact that she was no longer as beautiful as she once had been.

So she began to treat him horribly. Locking him away so she could invite men home and pretend that her son didn't exist. When she was forced to deal with him it was the side of her hand that most often showed him affection, leaving bright red marks along his face. And when her hand no longer worked the iron poker from the fire was a great substitute for torturing the thing she blamed all her troubles upon. So really it's no surprise that Will is the twisted version of a human being that he is today.

And it's no surprise that his mama ended up having that tragic accident in her bath...poor woman. Slipped and broke her neck on the edge of the tub. What a shame.

Of course, Will doesn't just want to be a traveling salesman like his dad. Oh no, he wants more in life. So much more. So he sold most of his family's belongings and paid for a tutor to train him, and now he's going to the academy because he sure as hell isn't going back to that dirt hovel a loser. And he'll do whatever he has to in order to win.


↳Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
↳ Who seriously doesn't want to be a Guardian? Isn't everyone pining to get that status? (view spoiler)[ Shortly after his mother died, William spent his freedom liberally and he knocked up a girl. Now he doesn't care for the girl, her voice annoys him to no end, but his four year old son? He'd do anything for that boy. And he's determined to give him everything life has to offer. (hide spoiler)]

∞Other:

∞Name: Juliet Cherise Donovan
∞Age: 19
∞Gender: Female
∞Element: Fire

∞Appearance:
    
    
    
∞Hair Color- Brown
∞Eye Color- Green
∞Height- 5'4"
∞Distinctive Markings- N/A
∞Faceclaim: Danielle Campbell

∞History:
The Donovan family is by no means well off. Neither are they struggling for food poor though, they hang on the fringes. With her dad as a doctor they've never had to struggle too much in life, but neither has Juliet spent her life being raised to be a lady or a Guardian in any way. As a child Juliet spent her days begging her older brother Matthew to play hide and seek with her, or tell her the stories again about the princess and her impossibly long hair, or the boy with the magic beans who fought with giants in the sky. Yes, she spent most of her childhood with her head full of fairytales.

But as she got older the dynamics of things changed. Matthew had to go help her dad with the patients and she stayed at home with her mother helping to cook and clean and manage the little money they had on food and whatever else they might need. The Donovan's have never been a family pining after glory in the gauntlet, they were content with what they had; Juliet certainly was. And she thought Matthew was too.

Until last year when he'd announced he had applied to Ainsley and would be attending with the intent to run in the Gauntlet. Of course, Juliet had a good suspicion why. A girl. He wanted to impress that girl that he had been holding such a burning torch for. He refused to listen to reason, fighting with her even as she begged him not to go. And last year? He died in the first month at the academy. A training accident.

How could such things happen at an Academy? Where there were supposed to be rules?

Juliet was horrified, heart-broken, and enraged. So she took that sorrow and pushed it all away, and she's been focusing on her anger ever since. Determined to train, sparring with the boys in town by picking fights with them, and now by applying to the academy. Now that she's here? Well she's determined to finish the Gauntlet. She doesn't care if she wins. But she's determined to make it through the year and make it through the Gauntlet; no distractions.

↳Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
↳ To finish what Matthew started.

∞Other:

ＩＶＹ ＳＯＵＮＧ

❀ 20 | ᴅᴀʀᴋ ʙʀᴏᴡɴ ʜᴀɪʀ | ʙʀᴏᴡɴ ᴇʏᴇs | 5'3" | ʙɪ | ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ | ʟɪ ᴍɪɴ-ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ❀

❀ My family lives pretty comfortably. We're privileged, for sure, and take a lot of things for granted, but Pops always said that we should: that it was a good thing. After all, he didn't win the Gauntlet just to see his son and his family not have fun with all the benefits that it extended. So, yeah, my grandpa was a guardian. From what my Dad told me, Pops did a lot of cool element-y stuff with him when he was a kid; he can use some of his powers, born of water like his father's, because his Dad taught him how to control it, but if he hadn't taken his father for granted he would've entered the Gauntlet for himself and learned to be just as powerful. Live and learn, I guess, Dad. We've had a lot of 'formal' training in the past, but most of it came from my Dad, who grew up in luxury. He had access to all the crazy trainers, all the books in the world, so on and so on. We don't live in a mansion or anything, just a spacious house with a nice portion of land. Through our rowdy, training adventures, we beat up most of the backyard... much to Mom's dismay.

❀ We, in case I didn't mention, are myself -- Ivy heeere -- and my two brothers (Han & Taz). Han, my older brother, missed out on Ainsley until he was twenty-four; he was only gone for about five months before he came back with one eye taped up in bandages. He's half blind now, but his spirits weren't tapered. He told us about eh Academy all the time (Dad listens in, too, wistful), and I'm sure my eyes are as starry when I hear about it as my younger brothers. Me being a girl didn't stop me from joining in on the fun, even if I knew I couldn't become a Guardian in the future. At least Taz still had a shot, that was good enough for me. Until it wasn't, because I couldn't finally get in. Everyone knows the story already, it probably starting to sound really familiar. The only difference here is that I wasn't forced to apply, I have nothing to prove either. My parents practically threw me a party when I was accepted into the academy. I'm here for the thrill of it all.

❀ My crazy best friend Isabelle (Sydney) is here too! I can't believe this girl actually signed up for this. Okay, little flash back-- we met years ago. I was out and about that day, doing who knows what, when I came across a young girl getting the shit beat out of here by these mean-ass bullies. Let's just say that I put a stop to it; me and Izzy have been best friends ever since. I expect to be pulling a lot of weight to keep her in one piece this year. I may sound bitter, but I swear to god if you lay one single hand on her I will end you. Don't let the fact that I have boobs fool you into thinking that I'm not capable of choking the life out of you.

═════════════════ SORIN CHOI ══════════════════

──── kim songyi · female · 21 · fire · 5 ft 9 · brown · brown ────

LET'S be real here: Sorin isn't a nice girl. Never was, never has been. She sees basically everyone as beneath her and if you so much as look her way without permission, you're gonna find yourself in the hospital. It's something that's been impressed on her since childhood, originally intended for the boys of the family. Their father had thought that if they were hardened enough, they'd be sure victors. It seemed that it had worked more on Sorin than anyone else. Her elder sister, not so much. Sorin's ruthlessness was not the same as hers and for whatever reason, she was the nice one. And Sorin ruined her in a way she would never be able to forgive herself for. But at least she can take her anger out on — you would not believe how violently ill she feels just thinking his name — Linc, the asshole that knocked her sister up and ruined her life. He doesn't even have the decency to at least sober up for her niece.

Sorin has always been aggressive, which made her sister Jinri cave into her demands. She pushes and pushes until she gets what she wants, regardless of what happens. Just like how her sister ended up wasted and headed home with someone, only to end up pregnant. And no, it's not like Sorin doesn't realize her part in it all; she knows it well enough, thanks. It doesn't mean she's not allowed to blame someone else. In fact, she's about as determined to make Linc's life miserable as she is to win the race. Winning means a lot of things, one of which would be that she could redeem herself a little bit and take care of Jinri and Alessia, her adorable niece. She could also further ruin Linc's life by taking that Guardian spot from him. Wouldn't that be the icing on the cake?

{ 20 | Ѕιlvεг Hλιг | Ɓlυε Σψεs | 5'4 | Fιгε | Cσυгτπεψ Dιςκεгsσπ }

➳ Distinguishing Features ➳ Artemis has a tattoo of a wave on the side of her breast for Matthew who had an affinity towards water. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

➳ Bio ➳ The Lennox's are just another wealthy family who has had a Guardian in every generation. Artemis was born an only child and although that meant she wouldn't be a Guardian, she was still trained as if she would be running the Gauntlet. Because no Lennox, lady or not, would be weak.

Artemis lived a very comfortable life, she hasn't wanted for anything nor has she missed out. Her parents were wrapped around her finger and for a long time, it was a happy life. Around the time she was eighteen, her mom got sick. It was nothing too serious but the town doctor came on by and he brought with him a seriously annoying assistant, his son; Matthew Donovan. She could still remember the first time he laid eyes on her, with his longing eyes and hopeless smile, he had looked like an idiot. He had gone right up to her and introduced himself, but with his poor status and unwanted looks, she took one look at his hand, turned up her nose, and forgot all about him.

That is, until the next time he was at her house with his father, checking up on her mom again and he was once again giving her the same look whenever she was in the same room. As it would turn out, Matthew and his father would be around often her mom's health took a turn for the worse. They weren't quite sure what was wrong with her mom, she had her good days and she had her off days, but no matter, Matthew was persistent. Slowly and surely, the boy with the puppy dog look on his face grew on her.

She isn't completely sure when they crossed the line from friends to lovers, all she really knows is that it was probably the biggest mistake of her life. Artemis had always known that they could not truly be together but they still spent a good year and a half sneaking around and stealing kisses. In public, she acted like Matthew was just another person she couldn't give two shits about and it hurts not being able to be with the person you fell in love with.

Cheesy, she knows, but the cliche doesn't end there. After some time, they had grown tired of sneaking around and were taking bigger risks with each other. It was only a matter of time until they were caught. Before that could happen, Matt told her that he was going to run the Gauntlet, for them, so he could be with her. And like an idiot, Artemis let him go.

She didn't think anything could happen to him at the academy. It hadn't really occurred to her but right after the first month passed that he had left, the news spread quickly around the town. Matthew Donovan, had died in a training accident. Artemis had never felt so empty then she did at the moment. She couldn't even grieve for him properly because why would a Lennox care for some boy? She doesn't even know what they did with his body. She didn't get to say goodbye. Artemis had truly loved him and now all that she was left with was a broken heart and the broken promise of a boy who said he would come back.

➳ Reason for Entering the Gauntlet ➳ Artemis is here for Matt. She should have never let him run, she should have told her family that he was the one she wants to be with. She never wants to be that person again, someone who was a coward. Ultimately, however, Artemis has a good chance of winning, her family is made up of winners and she's trained her whole life, she just isn't sure if she came to win or if she came to die.

➳ Other ➳ Artemis is always wearing a simple gold necklace. She has dozens of more expensive jewelry, but it was the first thing Matthew had given her and she wanted to keep it and him close to her. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

════════════════ ANDRAKAS LARS ════════════════

──── samuel larsen · male · 23 · fire · 6 ft 7 · black · brown ────

NOT once has Kas taken anything seriously in his life. Not a relationship, not an event, not a conversation, not even a group project or presentation; not a single damn thing. Not even his family. Every word out of his parents' mouths is considered a joke, and don't even get him started on his sisters. The tricky part about all this, though, is that he's got the kind of face that looks like he gives a shit. It's just the default setting of his features, and most people tend to be pissed when they realize this. But, they understand it's not entirely his fault his face looks like that. You can't help some things. And some people would say that they do enjoy having someone so laidback around. Kas as a knack for mellowing people out, despite how much stress he can also cause them with how little he takes seriously. Being able to calm oneself, find that inner serenity and not be bothered; a skill easily desired by anyone out there.

It's not common, but sometimes Kas tries. He'll try to work something out, put effort in. And sometimes, he can get things to work for a while. Until it becomes too hard for him and gives up altogether. He's got a habit of half-assing anything that might call for more effort than he really wants to put in. Like the Gauntlet. He thought it would be cool to partake in, even if he didn't win. His family saw it as him finally giving a damn about something. Wait until they hear how good and well he's been getting his ass handed to him.

════════════════ E'MAI LUKIS ══════════════════

── kentaro sakaguchi · male · 22 · unk. · 5 ft 6 · black · brown ──

ENIGMA is not the word to use for E'mai. He's not mysterious, He doesn't change for people. It's really, very simple: everything he says is a lie. Well, most of it anyways. But he's good about his lies, about the things he tells you. There's always a grain of truth to them. You just have to figure out what it is. But, the smallest things about him could be a fabrication and no one would ever know if they don't pay attention. Like the smile he always seems to wear. He might come off as a cheerful bloke, oh, but he could be plotting all the ways to take you down and you would never know. It's the question of the century how he turned out this way, considering how muc love and praie he was sowered in. Oh, wait, that migt just be it. All those expectations, all that spoiling; didn't tey know it would turn teir kid rotten?

But he's not just rotten. He's practically shameless. E'mai will do whatever it takes to win. Not in the ruthless, violent sense because his dainty fingers could never truly harm another person. We're talking down on his knees, ear to the door. He'd trade in secrets if he had to and usually ends up doing so. So think twice before you make him your friend. Look at a little more closely at that smile of his.

Name: Kaneki Lee Cudrow [KC]
Age: 20
Gender: male
Element: earth

Appearance:

eye color- gray
hair color- light brown/dirty blonde
height- 5'11"
distinguishing features-
Faceclaim: tim borrmann

Bio: Kaneki never really had a rough life, like so many other students at the academy, his was always floating in the middle... never struggled because he didn't have enough, but never really had enough for anything extra either. But unlike a lot of other people, that was always something Kaneki was OK with. Believe it or not, he was happy. He had a great girl, his family liked her, he was actually starting to think he wanted to propose. Saved up enough money working at his family farm to buy her the ring and everything, it was kind of spectacular. He loved Althea, truly.

And then, you know, shit just had to happen because according to the universe, not any one person is allowed to be too happy. Kaneki was running an errand for the farm (if you must know, he was going to pick up a new pig to breed with their current pig), and on the way to the neighboring farm there was some kind of freak accident and the pick-up truck just exploded. He has absolutely no memory of it, so he couldn't tell you exactly what or how it happened. Kaneki was just lucky that a few people were going down the same road and pulled him out of the way of more damage, because he definitely could have died.

But hey, he might as well have died. Or that's how he feels about it sometimes. He just gets a little pissy and annoyed when he loses his hearing -- which became a side effect the town doctor couldn't diagnose after the explosion. Kaneki will start to hear a ringing in his ears, and then it's like someone put the whole world on mute. It first happened to him when he woke up from the explosion, and it has been happening pretty regularly since. It seems to happen when he's stressed out, which is basically all of the time... but the longest he has been without hearing was about two days, and then it came back.

Waking up for the first time after the crash had been absolutely terrifying for him, and even worse when one considers he couldn't hear anyone telling him what was happening, or that he had lost almost a year+ of his memory. After he got his hearing back, he learnt that he was basically reset an entire year, if not more, he couldn't tell you. Sometimes he gets little flashbacks or thinks he is on the verge of something, and then all of the sudden he isn't.

His accident was about three months ago, and he is still recovering from memory loss, but all of the physical damage is pretty much restored. Kaneki is just hoping he doesn't get hit in the head too heard, because that could probably do him dirty.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: Kaneki wants a cure for his hearing loss -- he would rather die than live in a world without sound, dramatic, but it's true. He tried to learn sign language, he was just truly awful at it. When he loses hearing, it's like he is instantly terrified, because he's so helpless. That isn't something he wants to feel for the rest of his life, especially if one of these times his hearing just doesn't come back. Kaneki wants to learn to master his element, in hopes that he can survive without hearing if need be -- or find a cure, through money or magic.

Other:
His almost-finance (if she would have said yes) -- Althea Darcy

The girl he had a crush on before choosing to date Althea, and you know, the girl he currently has a crush on because his memory basically reset him right in the middle of that cesspool of feelings, none other than -- Juliet Donovan

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♥ 20 | ʙʀᴜɴᴇᴛᴛᴇ | ʙʀᴏᴡɴ ᴇʏᴇs | sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ | 5'6" | ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ | ᴄᴀɪᴛʟɪɴ sᴛᴀsᴇʏ ♥

♥ Most women will tell you that they're here to prove themselves, or that they were their families last resort, I, on the other hand, am vain, and selfish. My most prevalent reason for entering the competition, and Ainsley, for that matter, is my boyfriend. Or... the man that used to be my boyfriend. I know, I know what it sounds like! I'm not a crazy stalker, or anything. In fact, we never really broke up. Not... traditionally. See, we'd been dating for a little less than a year when the accident happened. My exboyfriend, Kaneki, went through a lot of suffering, but one of the cruelest of injuries was to his memory. He forgot me. His brain just ... reset to before what happened between us happened. There was some initial push-back, from me that is, but he was in ruins, and both of our families convinced me to let him heal with space. I don't know why I went along with it, but it seemed logical at the time that he needed that distance; I guess I thought it would all be okay. Instead, his parents handed me the short straw and said -- sorry, he's moving on. Moving on, apparently, meant entering to run the Gauntlet. I can guess that what he's going through has brought him fear, which has acted as an emotional propeller of sorts, but ... it's crazy. This is insane. The Gauntlet? No. No, I can't lose him that way. He has to know. I have to make him remember somehow. I don't know how, but I have, too. And I'm not the strongest person in the world, but I'm going to guard his back even if he doesn't believe a word I'm saying.

♥ I'm an only child to parents who never wanted more than me anyway. They say that I bring enough sunshine into the house as it is. I'm a miracle, they say. Which might be true, my mother miscarried several times before having me-- meek and frail at birth. It's fine. I love my parents, and I love that they love me; I never really yearned for siblings, only had brief thoughts and wonderings about what it might've been like. They never last very long.

♥ My father was made to enter the Gauntlet under strict house rules, and had been mildly trained throughout his years. His mother and father were separated when he was 15, and he lived with his father, who passed away two months into his stay at the academy. That being said, he dropped out and came home before someone jabbed him in the back while he was sleeping. He did not care for the academy, but never saw what supposed terrors the real-deal would bring. He's not happy about me leaving, but he has amended that sometimes kids just had to do things for themselves-- a rebellious parenting style that he no doubt developed against the wishes of his still-living mother... Grandmother is quite frightening.

ARKULA LYONS ] ═══════════════════════════════
────────────── 19 · femme · earth · black · brown · 5 ft. 5

KNOW YOURSELF. It's a simple policy that Arkula likes to keep, and keeps well. She knows her strengths as well as she knows er weaknesses and limitations. And that, right there, is the game changer. Just by knowing these things, she can improve herself. She can become a better version of herself or find another way to obtain her goals. Because there's always another way. Even with the Gauntlet. Arkula has a pretty solid idea of the fact that she may not win. It's not a matter of body type — everyone knows that by now — just plain old capabilities. She's more brain than brawn. It doesn't mean she can't find a way. She's aware that everyone has their reasons, and that some people have been training their whole lives. And that's just it. The most formal training she could have had was playing hide and see in the dark with her cousins. Before any of this, she wasn't particularly into running let alone doing it blindfolded. But she's here for a reason, so she's here to stay.

And this very simple reason is connections, networking. Her parents have always taught her the value of knowing people, of seeing what they can offer. It's not to say that she sees people as pawns, but more as potential allies. In the sense of reciprocity, she's going for something generalized. She could do good for someone else now and be repaid in full later on. Or it could never happen and she'd just have done a good deed. That feeling alone should be enough, and someone could be watching and see it as a good thing. There's always an opportunity to get a leg up in the world, to surpass the expectations of others. And that's what Arkula is aiming for. Not a guardian spot, not some security that she already had, but opportunity.

So what, her parents are already well off. They're not in the way tat she wants. See, Ula thinks big and what her parents have isn't big enough. With knowing Guardians — or even marrying one; that works just as well — comes a lot more opportunity. See that keyword again? And sometimes you have to know ow to move people in your favor. Arkula can be quite good at that. Sometimes, scary good. She could have you backed into a proverbial or maybe literal corner with how well she works. Because remember: the key is networking and opportunity.

LUCRETIA PAYNE ] ═══════════════════════════════
───────────── 18 · femme · unknown · black · brown · 5 ft. 6

SHE'S SCARED. Well, Lucretia is usually scared of everything ( spiders, thunderstorms, large animals, large people, bees, etc ), but this time around she's a little more fearful than usual. Who wouldn't be, with someting this big? The Gauntlet running wasn't meant for her. It should be er brother and he would rather be running it. It's not like she's even built for physical activity like this. She can appreciate the outdoors, but from the inside. What's the use of actually being outside if she's no good at anyting. She's much too busy being scared of wat's indoors to deal with what's going on outside.

Lucretia isn't used to being alone, or rather, without someone guarding her at all times. Her parents were good like that, having someone watch her every step. Because Lord knows se can hardly watch them herself. Her mind is usually filled with fantasies of her actually being brave and knowing that she would never be that way in reality. Her parents were concerned about her, much like parents are supposed to. But it wasn't just for her, it was also for their reputation. See, they have a history of intellect and athleticism, and her supposedly having neither was beginning to be a problem. So they shipped her off to Ainsley to see if she could potentially show at least one of the two coveted family traits.

But they probably should have taken into account the fact that her fear was stronger than anything else. Because now she's a) alone, b) doing physical work that she has only ever imagined doing, and c) she's terrified of people she doesn't know. It's gonna be rough from here on out and there is certainly no one around willing to help her.

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〘 18 | ʙʟᴏɴᴅᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ | ʙʟᴜᴇ ᴇʏᴇs | ᴀsᴇxᴜᴀʟ | 5'4" | ꜰɪʀᴇ | ᴊᴀᴄᴋ ɢʟᴇᴇsᴏɴ 〙

✶ The word "spoiled" has been used to describe me more times than I could ever be bothered to count. I heard it from mom and dad, both. Waiters, helping hands, you name it-- spoiled, spoiled, spoiled. News flash, I don't fucking give a damn. I'm a piece of shit, and I know it; I like it, in fact. If father hadn't disowned my pompous ass than I'd still be spoiled, but no. Apparently, dabbling in magic, even if you're the son of a bloody fucking Guardian, is illegal and not worth whatever shame and wrath it might bring upon him. As if he cared. He just doesn't want me to have the kind of power he does. What a piece of shit liar. If he thinks this will stop me than I'd like to see his stupid face when I win. I'm going to be a Guardian, too, father, just sit back and watch me. I'll bet every record you ever set if I have to-- every single fucking one.

✶ Ugh *sneers* I very quickly came to find out that I am not the only son whose taken to the academy this year. Just my goddamn luck. Jax (Sara) is here, too. Jax is my father's bastard; lives out in the middle of fucking nowhere, feeding hay to horses and shoveling shit out from under their asses. Lives with his mom, who could've wrangled so much more out of my father than she bothered to-- I mean, a farm? she asked for a farm? gross. I've never met her, but Jax had a swell time at our house years ago. Showed up on our family doorstep one day, crashed a very boring dinner, and let loose that he was father's son. Mother was none to happy (did she really not think father had slept with other women, was this really any surprise?) and I sat awkwardly in the dining hall beside this stranger with nothing to say but "are you an asshole, too?" They made him leave. I followed him after he did, but didn't find out much ... only that people actually liked him. (view spoiler)[*mal voice* Jorrel would love to know his brother, but he'll never admit it (hide spoiler)]

✶ I'm running for money, and power. Why the fuck else would I be here if I already had both? I know what money feels like, I want it back. And I've seen what power can do, I want it for myself. I wasn't born into this world to be thrown out by my father like a piece of garbage. No. I'll kill to get what I want. In cold blood, if need be.

✶ His greatest power is the power of complaint.

MARIE VALDEZ ] ════════════════════════════════
─────────── 21 · femme · fire · dyed purple · brown · 5 ft. 5

MARIA IS on the top of the list of people that do not want to be at Ainsley. She might as well be the only one with how little motivation she has to stay or partake in any of this. Her intentions had been to go about her life without having to deal with anything like the Guardians. They were just glorified athletes, in her mind. If the test to be part of their great group was a damn blindfolded race, they couldn't have been that great. She has a basic understanding of how difficult it is, but couldn't they have figured something else out? It was nothing for someone to memorize a course and run it with their eyes closed/covered if they had it committed to memory. She views this as a way for people to really just show off. Not that she minds that last part; she just doesn't want to be part of it.

Her slightly investigative tendencies don't really help her much. If ever there was a more talkative peanut gallery. Which, isn't likely since she always has something to say about someone. And no hesitation to say it to their face. It can be a bit of a problem, though she does enjoy watching drama unfold. Just not concerning her because who ever likes that? And to top that off, she isn't exactly the biggest fan of anyone here. Everyone got one issue or another and as far as she's concerned, she wants none of it. None. She wouldn't have to deal with it if her parents hadn't forced her to, though. Thanks, mom and mom.

The only upside of all this is the fact that people at Ainsley are kinda, sorta really good-looking. This, she has no problems with. She could watch them train and workout for days. But, again, she's stuck partaking in said training and working out and she's decidedly not a fan of it.

Name: Ashlyn Tinsley
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Element: She doesn't know. (im thinking earth or air though)

Appearance:
http://7-themes.com/data_images/out/6...
eye color- Light Green
hair color-Dark Brown
height- 5 Feet 6 Inches
distinguishing features - Freckles all across her face
Faceclaim: idk

Bio:
My great great grandpa competed in the guantlet, and due to his failure no one else tried to compete in it, until now. I grew up being taught that the guantlet is something to fear, something to hate, but I never did. My parents told me to never think about it, but I always did, it inspired me. I pushed myself to the limit each day, wanting to get ready for the day I would go to the academy. See I didn't grow up in the best of places, in a run down house, just outside the city limits, leaving me plenty of time to go for runs, and train my strength in my very own back yard. Having my own personal training grounds had its ups and downs, for one I got to train whenever I wanted, with what ever I wanted, but that brought about some incorrect form, that was later corrected, since most of my family wanted nothing to do with it if it lead me down the same path as my ancestor.
My strengths are speed and endurance for sure, since I spent plenty of time running and training, whenever I could, which was alot since my parents kept me homeschooled. I am a thinker, I think before acting since strict parents create sneaky kids. I could never do things by myself when I constantly had the watchful eye of my parents on me, as if they could stop me from fullining what I'm meant to do. I had to become creative in my doings, sneaking around to avoid my parents, and even sneaking out of the house to do my training. The only person who encouraged and helped me train was my grandpa, he never made it to the academy, but he wanted to compete.
I got accepted to the academy a few months ago, and I'm still thankful to for the opportunity to train with the best of the groups. Though I may be behind on some of the training, I catch on quickly, and have a knack for learning, so I should catch up quickly. As for which element I think I have talent in, I don't know, but whichever one comes to me, I will accept it and be willing to make it work.
Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
To prove to myself and my family that we once had a shot of winning, but it just wasn't the right time for my great great grandpa. But I'm ready to face the challenges thrown at me, ready to embrace what will come.

((if you have any suggestions or ideas to improve her please let me know, because this is my first character))

נαx αмα∂ευs кαяηυs

Age: Twenty-two
Gender: Male
Element: Earth, which he found out when he was twelve during the harvesting season. It was a particularly rough year and the crops were few and sparse between. He sat on the field for awhile, attempting to brainstorm quick, get-money-fast schemes -it had seemed smart to his preteen self- before the heat got to be too much and he went back inside. The next morning when he went to go feed the chickens? The crops were in full bloom. He was never able to do it again though, much to his mother's disappointment.

Appearance:

eye color- Bright blue
hair color- Dirty blonde that was the source of many problems as a kid. He was no stranger to the mean questions and comments comparing him to an unwashed pig. Because he grew up on a farm and his hair was 'dirty.' Those were some original children in his town, that's for sure.
height- 6'2". Yeah, he's a bit of a giraffe, has been ever seen he was an awkward, lanky little kid. Having grown up on the farm though, that lank has turned into muscle. Turns out, hay? That shit's heavy when lifting tons of it at a time.
Faceclaim: Alexander Ludwig

Bio: Jax was never meant to be anymore than a distraction fuck between a rich Guardian and a woman far below him in social class. But it should really be no surprise that protection is hardly the first order of business in any meaningless affair, so when his mother realized she was pregnant? Well, what else was there to do but go back to the man who got her pregnant in the first place and demand some sort of safety net for keeping her mouth shut? After all, Kathy Karnus did not come from money whatsoever and being pregnant and barely twenty-two didn't leave her with very many options. So no, she was not above asking for money from the father of her child and even going as far to demand a house - he was a Guardian, after all. Money was no issue.

That house she demanded was a farmhouse and Jax grew up quickly learning how to help his mother with the farm's upkeep. Nor did he mind one bit: maybe that's why he's always had a soft spot for animals, but without growing up on that farm, Jax wouldn't know how to ride a horse, or gain the love of a chicken. You know, super critical, life-or-death things. And he was always curious about why his family size was a little different than all the other kids at school - his mom was eventually worn down from all the questions that she told him. His dad, it would appear, was Guardian Erocke, the rich man who had a family of his own. The man who apparently had no interest in his oldest son, which he found out the hard way when he visited his dad only to be kicked out an hour later. On the bright side, he did get to see his brother? One he didn't even know existed until he was asking, "Are you an asshole too?"

Jax decided then that he didn't really want to know his dad - but his brother Jorrel? Those big brother instincts are alive and well, that's for sure.

As for the Gauntlet? Well, Jax isn't completely sure what he's doing here, but his mom thought it would be a good idea. After all, it's not like they couldn't use the money. And to be honest? He's pretty sure there's at least a little bit of a pride thing for his mother - after all, wouldn't it be a great way to stick it to the Guardian who decided she wasn't good enough for him were to be blown away when his bastard son won the Gauntlet? That's not to say there's any part of Jax that has that same desire to stick it to his dad, though. The man doesn't want him, he's accepted that. He just wants to make his mom happy, even if that means dying in some race he has no shot at winning. It's not really like Jax has the heart for the Gauntlet anyways - this is the guy who's a champ at holding bunnies the proper way, not an archery god. I mean hell, he's not even particularly fast. His kind nature is going to be the reason he's eaten alive at the Academy.

Reason for Entering Gauntlet: To please his mama and attempt to not die, even though that's as likely as hell actually freezing over.

Other:

Name: Audrey Brook
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Element: Air

Appearance:





eye color- Brown
hair color- Brown
height- 5 foot 6 inches
distinguishing features-
Faceclaim: Young Kelsey Calemine

Bio:
Audrey grew up, spending most of her free time with Tomas Parker, her best friend. She helped Tomas's raise his younger sister, because lets face it, girls gotta have girls to look up to. Audrey helped Tomas train in a bit of hand to hand combat, becoming his 'partner in crime' in a sense. Growing up with only brothers in her family, and hanging out with Tomas alot, she became very competitive, always challenging the boys and pushing herself to the limit. She can hold her ground against any guy, not always winning, but always leaving a good impression, letting them know she is a force to be reckoned with.
Audrey puts up with the all perks and downsides of Tomas, after all he is her best friend. She is always eager to help Tomas with a task, and has developed a bit of liking towards him, but never has told him because she doesn't want him to take it the wrong way, or send herself into a guilt trip. She has been known to play pranks on people, so those who know her tend to be wary, and not upset her, or giver her a reason to get back at them.
Reason for Entering Gauntlet:
Tomas came, he definitely needs someone to keep an eye on him, plus I always had an interest in this.

Bio: Lucy doesn't necessarily have parents who neglect her or force her to live up to certain expectations. She lives life the way she feels she's supposed to, and her family supports her in any way they can. The only thing tragic about her life was when she lost her little sister in an accident when Lucy was eight and her sister was six. The two of them were playing in the field outside their small home when a group of horsemen came out of nowhere. They didn't see the little girls until it was too late, and while Lucy got knocked lightly in the head with a hoof, resulting in her scar, her little sister didn't fair so well. She ended up passing away, and ever since then Lucy has been a bit of a ditz. She always tends to misplace things or forget about important things, and she constantly likes to spontaneously twirl around and dance as if nobody's watching. She's perfectly content with being strange, even though she's fully aware that others tend to stay away from her because of it.
Reason: There's really no other reason for entering other than she thought it sounded like fun.
Other: She's terrified of horses.

═══════════════ DARNELL ORGEL ═════════════════

──── rome flynn · male · 20 · water · 6 ft 1 · black · brown ────

DARNELL has and always will be an athlete. A lot of what that entails is, well, being motivated and determined. And sometimes that can be shown off in all the wrong ways. His life revolved around sports and now it's the Gauntlet's turn to be the center of his universe. He's pretty one-track minded, so of course most everything else can fall to the way side. This usually ruins relationships, but that would require him to have some to ruin. His parents are the reason he's like this, not that he'd ever realize. They're the sports parents, the would-be champions that didn't quite cut it. So they strove to make sure their son surpasses them, and the Gauntlet was a good place to start. They also managed to instill in him a near perpetual enthusiasm for being insanely healthy and generally happy. It's nice to have a one-track mind, until you've got some baggage to deal with. By staying focused on his goals he can keep himself happy and move on.

Cute is one word to describe his smile. It's most often used by his mother and grandmother, and older female relatives. Some unrelated girls would use other words, but let's not get into that. He doesn't exactly have time to deal with that these days. One thing that he certainly doesn't have time for his laughing, because once he starts, it's damn near impossible to get him to stop. It's the kind of laugh that results in slurry words and him looking like he's drunk. Not to mention it's about an octave higher than he usually sounds ( a nice, deep baritone phew ). And while some people would be embarrassed to hear their own laugh if it were something that ridiculous, Darnell's confidence just doesn't allow for it. He can be confident, too, because of everything he has done before the Gauntlet. There might be some things that could affect his confidence, but the hustle never stops, so why should he be glum? That's a waste of time.

═══════════════ EMERSON LIM ══════════════════

───── lee soo hyuk · male · 23 · air · 5 ft 7 · black · gray ──────

DON'T be fooled by Emerson's seemingly well put-together appearance. Even without a hair out of place, suit pressed and fresh, he can hardly be considered capable of caring for himself. He can certainly give off that facade, though, which was really the only reason his parents even graced the idea of him running the Gauntlet. A pretty little rich kid like him, the kind that didn't receive formal training until a few months ago, would not have made it. And who knows if he'll make it now. It's not that he's clumsy, but that he just can't take care of himself. He didn't even come up with the idea to start planning his training; that would be his trusted nanny Yuna. Because she always has the bright ideas and higher expectations of his personal growth than his parents do.

Sure, theoretically, Emerson would go on to be the face of a wealthy trading company. He could easily direct anyone to do anything because of his power, but he doesn't know how to use it right. He never has. Emerson, instead, uses it much the way a child would: on fun new toys and impulses. Much like a child, he says whatever comes to mind. And he never had to deal with that because who in their right mind would slap the child of Miranda and Jun Lim? Not anyone, if they valued the comfortable status of their lives. So, he went unchecked. And he sometimes still goes unchecked. Lucky for him, he was the sort of child that didn't have many friends, and in turn, was quite shy. This has carried over to his adult years, and thus has mostly saved him from ridicule, but around here he's gonna need to talk to someone. And lord only knows what'll come out of his mouth.

═══════════════ JEFFERSON BEAU ═════════════════

──── jason ralph · male · 25 · water · 5 ft 11 · brown · brown ───

BEAU will tell you to call him Beau because Jefferson sounds old like him. He's well-aware of the fact that he's pushing the age range of the Gauntlet, but he also knows that he's not alone in doing so. He just might behave a little older. Like an actual adult. The way he acts and seems to know so much kinda sells that. Random trivia king, hello. And trust me, he can give off the old dude feel, but he's really just an old soul. The kind elderly person that's actually kinda savage when you give them a chance; that's what he's like. Okay, not really, but he's been told that. He's also been told he has a really bad habit of gesticulating while talking. For whatever reason, his hands have to move in time with his words. He just doesn't feel right leaving them at his sides or on his lap. They're either following his words or touching someone, and most people tend to be irritated by the latter so flailing hands it is.

In addition to flapping or roaming hands, Beau tends to have zero filters. His brain spits out the direct translation of his emotions regardless of the setting or comfort of others around him. It just does the thing and he has to live with the consequences. No big deal; he's been doing it for twenty-four years and he's been just fine. It doesn't help, though, when he's trying to be everyone's friend. He likes being on good terms with people, likes being there to talk to them. He surrounds himself with people because he's just a people person. Extrovert, through and through. Making friends at Ainsley might be a bit of a challenge, though.

══════════════ JERICHO CLEMENTE ═══════════════

─ brandon perea · male · 22 · unknown · 5 ft 10 · black · brown ─

HAVE you ever loved someone so much that you scared people around you? Scared them to think that they could be left behind with how much you loved this single person, how willing you were to be their everything? That was how Jericho was once. But he's not that way anymore. Or, that's what he likes to tell himself. People have forgotten about that version of him, and while they wouldn't openly admit it, they miss it. He misses it. Fuck, he misses her. The girl he loved so much he was damn near ready to propose right after graduation. But, like all good things, it had to come to an end. Jericho wouldn't say it wasn't entirely his fault. Their parents had agreed that they were taking things too fast and so they were forced to split. But he was never forced to drink, and that's really where the problem started. Some would say that Jericho has a bit of a drinking problem, just a bit. It's this same problem that lead him to get a girl pregnant — he was too drunk to tell that it wasn't her; they looked so much alike. But the smell was off. She didn't smell like vanilla and lazy laughs or cherries and breathy kisses — and now he's dealing with it. By drinking some more. Oh, and enrolling himself in Ainsley.

He's thinking maybe he can make up for his mistakes by a life in service. By taking care of his unborn kid. He's trying to be an adult, a responsible person. Jericho is really trying. He's not sure if everyone sees it that way. He finds himself calling out his own mistakes. A good for step, but not when you think everything you do is a mistake. Stepped too close to someone? Mistake. Cough a little too loudly? Mistake. Don't get the milk? Mistake. Mistake, mistake, mistake. Jericho has pretty much come to believe that his entire life is a series of mistakes. Not her, of course; she could never have been a mistake. But this belief leaves him apologizing for every little thing, which is infuriating for some people. And he apologizes for pissing them off.

NIV BULMO ] ══════════════════════════════════
─────────────── 18 · femme · air · black · brown · 5 ft. 9

A PRINCESS. People have been known to call Niv that, but not unkindly. She's like the archetype for how most would perceive an actual princess. While much of her kindness can be seen as unusual ( little things like holding the door, saying "bless you" when someone sneezes, offering a stranger tissue when they cry; stuff that used to be the norm but just isn't anymore ), but it's simply how she was told she should be when she was growing up. Not a bad thing, in her opinion, and this sets her apart from a good number of students at the academy. She doesn't find it good or really profitable to be horrible to people and tends to be very polite. However, it doesn't mean she's not without her limits. There are certainly people that can upset her, but you'd never know it. Not with the way she remains composed and polite. She says her niceties and excuses herself and no one would be the wiser. Niv's used to hiding her reactions; it's not the way a properly lady would react, being so open with her emotions. It's unsightly. Or so she was taught.

Ever the optimist, Niv finds it difficult to really find fault in losing. She's the glass half-full girl, the one that takes her losses in stride. It's not easy to remain so positive in a downright negative environment, but she does it somehow. Maybe it has to do with the fact that she's very good at reading people. Like, scary good. You can be a lot more positive when you know that you're not the only person freaking out. It's comforting to know that she isn't the only person enrolled at Ainsley at the direction of her parents. She is neither embarrassed or ashamed. She might not have chosen this particular path for her life, but what can she do about it? If it's what her parents thought was best for her, then so be it.

There's a part of Niv that most people don't see, and it's how selfish she can. She can be downright possessive in wanting what she wants, but she's always been able to keep herself in check. Those harmless thoughts of saying one thing, the thing that could get her what she really wants, are always present. Keeping them at bay has merely become another facet of her life that she deals with. She smiles, speaks softly and politely, and tries not to be as selfish as she wants to be. Every now and then, she indulges herself. It's really harmless stuff, the kind of things she could let loose if she was anyone else. But she isn't; she's Niv, the princess archetype extraordinaire, and it's not in her best interest to let anyone know just how selfish she is.