Post by Bertram Shuisky on Jan 12, 2014 12:08:34 GMT -5
Bertram Shuisky
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There will be an ojisan here, when the time is right.
"In the forest of gods, what use are men?
NICKNAMES: Occasionally called Bert or Bertie by childhood friends, but doesn't like it. //
AGE: 58 //
DATE OF BIRTH: August 12th //
GENDER: Male //
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral //
OCCUPATION: Photojournalist; Contracted to the Gardening, Cuisine, Couture magazine 'Silver Lining' //
HEIGHT: 1.76 metres/5'6 feet //
WEIGHT:74 k/164 pounds //
EYE COLOR: Brown //
HAIR COLOR: Brown, graying; he cuts it himself, and it shows. The front is always trimmed too high, and the back stops just around his shoulders. He also possesses a full beard. //
PIERCINGS: None. //
TATTOOS: None. //
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Skin discoloration around the hip from mild burns as a child; a tendency to chew tea leaves as a poor substitute tobacco. Both have left his teeth and gums rather mottled... //
- Melancholic
- The first thing people notice about Bertram is that he seems to blend into things, speaking his mind only when he well and truly feels it. This attitude makes him seem far more reserved then he is, and leads some to assume that he is a dour, introspective, and tragic individual. This is not entirely wrong - however...
- Gallows Humor
- Those that work with Bertram multiple times find that he has a deep and bitter sense of humor that pervades all asects of his life. If he gets to know someone, he has no problem joking with them about the perceived bleakness of the world, the inevitable doom of humanity, and the high price of cigarettes. He enjoys life - but quietly, without a need to state the obvious.
- Eye for Nature
- It wasn't just a chance that Bertram found his way into photography; he has a love for the grand spectacles that only the natural world can provide, and is patient enough to wait hours for the right shot. Though he doesn't like staging situations, this patience helps make up for it, and has kept him employable even in these tough times.
- Volatile
- On the rare occasions when he is moved to passion, Bertram is highly emotive - the most joyous person in the crowd at a meeting of old friends, the one crying the most hearty tears at the funeral of one lost. Perhaps because he prefers to be in the sidelines, these moments are all the more natural - and like the scenes he loves to frame in film, a spectacle, with all that implies.
- Prankster
- At his core, Bertram just wants to enjoy life, and feels that everyone else should do the same. If he can cause someone to laugh... Or laugh at someone else's expense... He'll do it in a heartbeat, and try to do it so subtly that they won't realize what happened. Life is a joke, so why take anything seriously at all?
LIKES: Prompt payment, tobacco, strong tea and coffee. The natural world; beautiful scenery. The idea of rapid and constant change. The smell of citrus. Visceral things. //
DISLIKES: Humorless people. The reality of stasis. Utility bills. Stumbling over a language (usually Italian). Acting quickly. //
STRENGTHS: The natural world is brutal, and that is one of many parts of it that Bertram admires. Although he isn't a trained fighter, and age and his slight paunch have long since dulled the days when he picked fights with others, he fights to win - and relishes any moment of a combat, even when the odds are unfavorable. After all, a new and exciting experience should be savored.
Though he is neither the most clever or charismatic person around, Bertram is patient - and doesn't mind losing, or hold schemes or pranks (no matter how cruel) against people... Usually. Possessed of this patience and a live and let live attitude, what he might not be able to survive in terms of combat, he might very well survive by avoiding getting into in the first place.
And if all else fails, Bertram is a good person to talk to, and feels that most situations can be defused by quietly offering to listen to a possible opponent. Sometimes, all it takes is a few moments of unloading to turn a possible enemy into a drinking buddy, and then both parties have won, right?//
WEAKNESSES: Bertram is in bad shape. He smokes too much, doesn't drink as much as he used to, but still to excess when nostalgic, and eats only occasionally - tending to gorge when he does. He isn't obese, but has a barrel gut where he used to be somewhat top-heavy and athletic. Not only is this a problem in fights or when needing to make a hasty retreat, he has several long-term health complications that only serve to compound his sometimes dismal view of things.
Patience isn't always an advantage, and loathing any kind of hasty decision making (except his own on the rare occasions it 'feels right') means that he can be snappish and abrasive to those that move quickly, even if their decision is unquestionably the best at the moment... Or even the same as he had or would come to himself. Despite the fact he doesn't take combat, jokes, or mistakes seriously, Bertram tends to hang and chew over the bones of perceived slights to a ridiculous degree.
He's not too well off fiscally, and it hasn't really sunken in how bad things are going to get if he doesn't get more regular work, or find a more high-paying gig then 'Silver Lining'. He freelances on the side, but it isn't quite enough - and the more worries he has, the worse his other problems and general dispossession get... Something that both an opponent and some of the fouler entities in the world could use to their advantage. //
MY GOALS: Bertram's goals were first simply to support his family, and then just to survive. Recently, he has had a shift in worldview, and believes that humanity is essentially self-destructive. Bertram wants to expose that tendency, mock and eviscerate it with his photos, while restoring what he feels are the rightful, freer, and more beautiful virtues of the world. Heavily inspired by a meeting with a self-professed Cultist of Gaea, he believes that in doing so the world will grow more beautiful - and stronger. //
MY HISTORY: Bertram was born to a moderately large family. He prefers not to talk about them, but still regularly sends money and greetings to his parents, both of whom are alive (and in better health then their son) and still married. His younger brother died when he was growing up, leaving his two sisters (one younger, one older) and two older brothers. Being one of the youngest of the family in a structured and very old-world household meant that he became used to doing manual labor, blending into the shadows of his older siblings achievements.
His mother insisted their heritage was proud, and Bertram grew up believing that they were in some way related to some long-defunct line of royalty; but if that was ever true, he could never find any proof, and the realities of life in the academia soon assured him that there was nothing special about his family - or anyone else's. He was a lackluster student, but earnestly contributed to the efforts of his family - especially his youngest sister.
At some point, people started noticing that he spent a lot of his free time in quiet and secluded places, and his father suggested jokingly that he should learn to paint. Painting failed, and left Bertram feeling desolate; but his siblings saved up and managed to get him his first camera, which despite being old and worn out, Bertram holds on to this day. His photos became famous among a certain kind of jetsetter crowd that liked to visit far-off locales without actually visiting them. Where some photographers would capture the economic or human realities of an area, Bertram captured the natural realities - the beautiful, the tragic, and the violent.
His career peaked at his early 40's, and allowed him to support his family - or would, if they no longer needed his support. A restructuring in the world had occurred, and while the rest of the Shuisky clan had managed to adapt, it was perhaps this moment that started Bertram's decline. As the world grew more interconnected and the scenes of his photos grew less exotic (and his patrons less easily pleased), Bertram began to dwell more and more on what he saw as the pointlessness of his work.
Moving to Italy at 55, he found himself in love with the country, though it did little to stave off his depression. As his work declined, he found himself one in the ever-growing crowd of people who seemed to spend too much time at cafes and bookstores, trying to find a niche that no longer existed.
It was only a year ago that he caught a spiritual second wind, with the meeting of an ancient woman standing in the shadow of the ancient streets, tattooed and shouting at any who would listen through toothless lips. Of the old gods, of the cruelty of the world, and of the truth of Gaea. Bertram was entranced - and listened for hours, and the two then spoke of many things.
Not long after, Bertram secured a new contract with 'Silver Lining', surprising an old contact with the edgy design of his new photos, showcasing the 'beautiful cruelty' of the natural world, and chastising environmental chauvinism of humanity. It seemed, or rather seems, that there is nowhere to go from here, but up -
LIVING FAMILY:
Olga, Mother
Gunther, Father
Franz, Eldest Sibling
Franciska, Second-Eldest
Hermann, Third-Eldest
Elise, Youngest
Snap Shot: Despite being generally slow to react, when it comes to photography, Bertram has a sixth-sense for getting a shot at just the right time. While highly situational at best, never underestimate the power of a well-timed landscape. Never overestimate it, either.//
PLAYER'S NAME: T. //
FACE CLAIM: Hoenheim, FMA. Thank you kindly for the idea, Shou!//
OTHER CHARACTERS: None! //
MISC. INFORMATION: I'd be fine with either having Bertram be a kind of recurring NPC, a potential Master, or a character that dies off to fuel delicious drama. Naturally, I still wouldn't mind getting in some roleplay first, and the old golden rule of 'please don't Nrvnqsr my character without asking kindly first'! Feel free to let me know what you think, and I'll be glad to revise. The old prophet is a reference to the Cult of Gaia/Gaea/etc from something else entirely, but has no secret wisdom, no magic power, or anything. //
