player info

Username: Solaris
Contact: PMs are just fine.
Rules and Conditions: Yes forever!

character application info

basic info

Name: Cherise Thompson
Age: 38
Canon: OC
History: Cherise DuVallon grew up during the days where the Demon Eater, Jaxon, held the countryside in a fearful grip. She's the oldest of two children, the other her younger brother by ten years. Magical potency hasn't been particularly strong for the DuVallons, but cleverness has always marked the family. She attended the Magician's Academy as most children did, from age 5 to 18. At first she was held in wary regard by her peers, for she was prim and proper and polite. No one really knew what to think of her. But as time went on, she was well-liked by her classmates, and she treated everyone fairly. Cherise never lost her temper, nor did she display particularly strong emotions. Her homeroom teacher also taught Divinations. While Cherise feigned little interest in the class and avoided it because it might make her seem 'foofy', she very much admired the instructor and spent eight hours a week working as a student assistant. It wasn't long before she had to confess that the subject of divinations was interesting. If she hadn't been slated with a full schedule already, she would have opted to take it for a grade.

During her fourth year, she met Cam Thompson and Wolcott Dunn, who had been best friends since they were beginners in the Academy. Cam had been itching to work up the nerve to speak with her, and on a windy day, he got his chance when a sudden gust snatched her hat off her head and sent it within a pen of mischievous bad-tempered gnolls that had been gathered for the Defensive Combat class. He dragged Wolcott after him to 'save' the hat, and emerged bruised, but victorious. Cherise found them instantly endearing, and never did mention the fact that a summoning spell to retrieve the hat would have worked just as nicely without enduring any beatings. Wolcott never told either.

All of them had their reasons for wanting to become Spellcatchers, the magical equivalent of police officers and enforcers. Cam was the classic hero, and had always wanted to save the day. He wasn't too bright, but he possessed a good heart, and had a strong passion for justice. Wolcott was brainy, a natural detective, and his talents were well-suited for such a job. He was eager to follow in the footsteps of his family and ancestors, all well-regarded members of the Spellcatcher history. Cherise felt she owed it to her mother, who lost a younger brother to a thief who threw a deadly curse at him when he was only 19. After the three students graduated, Cam worked up the courage to ask Cherise to marry him. It came as a bit of a shock since they'd never officially dated, but she was very fond of him, and he of her, so she agreed. Wolcott wholeheartedly supported the union, and at age 20, she was married to her high school sweetheart. The trio began as trainees shortly thereafter, and were often matched together as a team since they worked so beautifully with one another. Unfortunately, Cherise's marriage scarcely lasted two years.

Cam liked to smoke. Cherise hated the smell. She always insisted that he smoke outdoors on the porch, and he would sheepishly oblige with a tender smile. While taking his nightly cigarette, he noticed a green flash across the street in the window of a well-known old witch. It wasn't long before he spotted four Devourers exiting the house, hooded and masked, and they seemed to be heading in his direction. Not wanting to involve and endanger Cherise, he decided to meet them on his own, and immediately set off to challenge them before they could reach the house they shared. As a trainee, he was no match for the four Devourers. He was stripped of his magic, tortured, and killed. But he never cried out, not once, because he didn't want Cherise to come after him and fall into the Devourers' hands. His body was found twisted in an unnatural position, hanging from a street lamp with his wand rammed down his throat.

Cherise was horribly shaken by the loss of her husband. Wolcott, too, was deeply affected. She took a six-month leave of absence, while Wolcott opted to work through his emotions by continuing his duties. When Cherise returned, the change in her demeanor was subtle, but sure. Very few recognized the blow to her confidence, save for her direct superior Adelaide Stark and her friend Wolcott. Her usual tactics experienced a sharp decline in offense while spiking upward in defense, particularly for the sake of others. Nonetheless, she was determined to mend from her emotional scars, and wants nothing more than to find her husband's killers and make them rot in prison for their heinous crimes. Eighteen years later, she's seen more than her fair share of criminals ranging from petty thieves to deranged murderers, and crime only seems to be rising the longer Jaxon remains in power. She's come close a few times to tracking down Cam's killers, but has yet to identify them. Little does she know that Father Brady O'Keefe, the kindly priest she's been starting to get romantically involved with, was not only one of the murderers, but the one who orchestrated the witch's assassination in the first place...

personality

Strengths: If Cam was the brawn and Wolcott was the brains, Cherise was the heart of the group. She's inherently charming, even-tempered, and pleasant. She conducts herself as a proper lady should, never leaving her apartment without making sure her appearance is completely and utterly pristine. Her hair is combed, teeth brushed, make-up modestly applied, and not a single wrinkle in her clothes. She's had to work hard to run in heels, but it was necessary so she wouldn't ever be caught in slovenly sneakers.

Her best magical skill is that of disguise. She can craft elaborate spells to alter her appearance and voice, using a mix of her own talents and practical make-up and clothing with a weave of imaginative veils. She's an accomplished actress when she sets her mind to it, and gifted at imitating the body movement and vocal cadence of others.

Cherise is very protective of her teammates as well as children and teenagers. She's brave, willing to stand up to any threat against society, even if it means laying down her life to do it. As elegant and pristine as she is, Cherise is a mother bear in a fight, tenacious and fierce. Her defensive techniques improve significantly when there's a third party she's fighting to protect.

Though she comes from a family that's moderately well off, Cherise is very practical and prudent with her finances. She's not above a good bargain, so long as the quality and aesthetics are pleasing. She isn't the sort who flashes a lot of jewelry or strives to draw attention to herself. She's tasteful, modest, and down to earth.

Not given to fits of passion, Cherise is able to maintain her composure in most situations. It's an absolutely necessary skill in her field of work, and she knows how to show steel and resolve in times of duress. She doesn't have very many buttons to push, and even if someone did manage to get under her skin, her anger would manifest as frosty disdain instead of screams or tears. She's in complete control of her emotions, able to practice level-headed logic with a knack for strategy and creativity.

Flaws: Though Cherise is a whiz at illusionary magic, these spells do have a weakness: water. Her elaborate disguises can be spoiled by running water, however -- rain, sprinklers, crossing a stream, etc. As such, she has to be cautious of the weather and her environment when attempting infiltration and subterfuge.

Thanks to her mother's overbearing influence, Cherise might take her physical appearance a little too seriously. While she isn't vain, she does place more importance in how she looks and appears rather than catering to her own preferences. In private she'll happily don pajamas and sweats, but she would be completely mortified if anyone were to ever catch her in anything less than a pressed business suit and skirt. A rogue mage once managed to hex her with a stink curse that lasted for a week, and she refused to leave her apartment. When she did (because she was quickly running out of frozen dinners to eat), it was under several magic veils to disguise her appearance. It was the most embarrassing experience she'd ever had.

One of Cherise's biggest failings is her inability to completely trust in the competency of others. She'd rather do things herself rather than delegate, and she's unable to strategize with others if it means putting people in her commander in a situation where they might be in danger. She'd rather face the criminals herself and keep everyone else far out of harm's way. Cam's death had a powerful impact on her, resulting in this overprotective behavior to the degree where even her own spell strengths were altered from a balance between offense and defense to almost purely defense. She's absolutely desperate to protect everyone, even to the point where she holds back their own growth and potential, and this can be a strategic weakness.

The fact that she's obliviously dating her husband's murderer indicates she's not very good at placing her trust in the right people. Wolcott is more discerning and perceptive than she is, while Cherise has a tendency to take things at face value. (How could she, she's a cop!) This is why they work better as a team, as Cherise has more faith in people, and Wolcott questions everything. They balanced each other out beautifully. But without him here, there's a good chance she could get suckered by someone particularly clever and manipulative.

Miscellaneous: Cherise has little patience or tolerance for people who break the law, even if it's not for evil purposes. She's butted heads more than a few times with a particularly charming spellthief who seems to delight in snatching famous artifacts just to prove he can, flirting with Cherise as he consistently eludes capture. She's had to work with him a few times, and that was always rough for her, even if the end results made it worthwhile.

She's meticulous and methodical, the type of person who chooses a cookie not based on what she likes best, but on which package has the best price per ounce. More than once she's walked home with an economy-sized bag of animal crackers that went stale because she couldn't possibly eat all of them on her own.

Her wit can be fairly sharp and a little on the dry side. She'd never admit it, but she does enjoy bantering with that thief up above and exchanging wry quips with each other. She gets along best with extroverts. She isn't shy, not by a long shot, but she's always held a special fascination with social butterflies and those who are considered to be a 'people person.' She's attracted to compassion, bravery, and an easygoing nature.

Though she might look like she's got it together, Cherise isn't much of a homemaker. She stocks up on frozen dinners and sandwich ingredients, and will even buy a bag of celery to hide her shameful purchases beneath it just to give the appearance that she's a healthy and conscientous eater. She isn't. If not for the spells and charms her mother taught her, her apartment would be a complete wreck.

game plans

Starting Faction: Warlord
Goals: Is it weird that I just want to cover all the bases and try all the possibilities in each faction? Because that's kind of what I want in apping Cherise to start out as a slave. I would like her to be rescued, and possibly learn to trust in the strength of others to protect themselves so she doesn't cling so tightly. A fresh start at life and romance is the key goal I'm shooting for, and whatever happens after that, I'm willing to give it a shot!