Checkmate [Recruitment Thread - Come hither Creative Mind!]

[Lady Sakura]

Oh I understand, my bad.

I'll be more careful. Will ask if my concept works before picking my fairytale. 😅

[TheBlackThrone]

Also, just to ask, do you guys want me to make a discord for this? For collaborative reasons. You do not have to download the app if you do not want to. You can access it through your browser very easily. The app is more convenient though.

[Kadigan]

I would say probably no on me. Never used it..not even really sure what it is. I fear change. And Foxy's tail.

[TheBlackThrone]

Jack Spriggins

Name: Jack Spriggins
Alias: Blackjack or The Giant Slayer
Nickname: Jack or Sprig, and that's it. He doesn't like being called Jackie or Spriggy (or whatever other names you can form from his last name).
Fairy Tale Inspiration: Jack and the Beanstalk or "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean"
Age: He appears to be in his late 20s to early 30s
Gender: Male
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185 lbs
Hair Color: Dark Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Visual Description: One, Two, and Three, and Four (NSFW) (FC: Andrew Stetson

Written Description: Jack, when he is off-duty, is often pretty grizzly. He doesn’t tame his stubble, his hair is unkempt and splaying in several directions, and he just looks rough. Not many know about his backstory and how he used to be a millionaire, but the man looks like someone who has fallen off the beanstalk and struck rock-bottom. His eyes are one of his most handsome traits. Against his dark exterior, they stand out like blue drops of water. As a fry cook at McGruff’s, he is often dressed low key as any member of Checkmate would ever see him. A white tank with grease stains, blue jeans, and an old pair of sneakers. He cooks with a damn cigarette in his mouth so if your food gets a bit of ashes in it, he might apologize but won’t give much of a fuck. He has a tattoo of a Jack of Spades on his back between his shoulder blades.

On a job, Jack looks like a completely different person. His hair is slicked back with wax, face clean-shaven, and he wears a very professional suit. Black jacket, white undershirt, with a red or black tie. He will dress up to do the dirtiest of jobs. Beneath that suit is an athletic body, cut with muscles conditioned from him using his Giant Slayer, fighting and chasing down his enemies. Despite seeming like a bum off-duty, Jack does keep in shape for he never knows who Checkmate may send him after.

Job: Muscle
Calling Card: Jack of Spades
Cover Job: He works as a fry cook at a diner called, McGruff's. Billy McGruff owns the cafe.

Personality: Jack, “once upon a time” might have given a damn once. He went from being a poor boy to a rich man after he robbed a giant of a gold-laying goose and a self-playing harp. He enjoyed the money the goose and the harp brought him. In New Fantasia, he was a rock star with little musical effort—thanks to the harp. It wasn’t until the giant’s brother descended upon New Fantasia to get vengeance that Jack watched his entire luxurious life fall apart. Since then, Jack didn’t try to get his life back. The slump he currently resides in he feels he deserves since he was not only a thief but a murderer. Jack works as a fry cook even though he has the potential to work a better-paying job. What money he had left from his rich life, he donated to charity and he kept only what he needed to live comfortably as well as to maintain his fancy suits and weaponry. Jack has become an angry and pathetic man.

There isn’t a foe too big—at least not for Jack. He is known as the Giant Slayer for a reason. While he barely survived the second confrontation, he still bears the title. Some even say he held back out of guilt. Jack doesn’t like talking about it. His relationship with his checkmates is a little rough. He works with them—that’s it. He goes to work to work and then goes the fuck home. He lives in a crummy apartment, smokes and drinks himself to sleep just to wake up and do it all over again. His life sounds pretty lame, but hey, you don’t gotta live it okay?

Likes: Cigarettes, Booze, Nice Suits, Nice guns, Blueberry Pancakes, and Being Left the Fuck Alone!
Dislikes: Annoying people, Indecisive people, enemies who don’t know how to die, people who get in his way, being out of cigarettes, and being broke.
Talents: Jack is a fry cook, whether he’s good at cooking or not is entirely subjective. He would have said he was a guitarist once if the instrument hadn’t played itself, but eh. He can sing at least but just doesn’t anymore.

Brief Background: Jack was a poor boy living with his widowed mother. He lived in a cottage on a farm and milk from their only dairy cow was their only source of income. When the cow stopped producing milk, Jack’s mother sent him to the market to try and sell her. Instead of sell her, Jack traded her for magical beans. When he returned home without money, his mother angrily threw the beans out the window and sent him to bed without dinner. During the night, the beans grew into a giant beanstalk, and in the morning, Jack curiously climbed it. He was taken to a land high in the sky—a land of giants. In Giantland was a castle, and Jack broke into the castle to begin raiding the place. While in the castle, he was nearly discovered by a giant. When the giant returned to sleep, Jack stole only a bag of gold and made his escape down the beanstalk. He climbed the beanstalk two more times stealing a goose that laid golden eggs and a harp that played itself. The harp woke the giant and the giant chased Jack out of the castle and down the beanstalk. Jack was quick for he reached the bottom before the giant and called to his mother to bring him an axe. Jack quickly cut the beanstalk down, and in result, the giant fell to his death. Thus, it was then that Jack and his mother lived happily ever after—not.

The true story was that Jack was a bad boy. He was beaten after being duped into trading the cow for magic beans and then sent to bed with no dinner. On his first venture to the giant’s castle, he learned that the giant was actually the king of Giantland. His queen was the first to discover him, but after persuading her to let him go, she allowed him to escape with some gold for she had felt sorry for him. However, she hadn’t expected him to return and rob them twice. After murdering not only her husband but the King of Giantland, with the beanstalk no longer bridging the gap between the two planes, Jack thought he had completely escaped his sins.

Using the goose’s gold, Jack bought a comfortable and luxurious life for him and his mother. He used the harp to play his way to fame in a rock band called Jack and The Killers. Over the years, he had forgotten all about the beanstalk. A plant that wasn’t uprooted would grow back and that was what the beanstalk had done. While Jack was cementing his fame in New Fantasia, the beanstalk connected Giantland to the Fable Realm once more and down descended the giant king’s brother in a false vengeance. The giant’s name was King Thormar. He marched with three of his elite guards to New Fantasia to the arena where Jack was holding a concert and crashed it. It was a massacre. Many were killed and injured. King Thormar thanked Jack for having killed his brother for he had been plotting to kill him and take his wife for himself. Jack had only made his life easier. Because of that unintentional deed, King Thormar spared Jack’s life, but he didn’t allow him to keep the stolen harp or the goose. Jack’s luxury apartment was destroyed by the giants and his mother killed in the destruction.

Checkmate, at the time, had been investigating the mysterious beanstalk’s appearance and waited for King Thormar and his men to return to their kingdom before they destroyed the bridge permanently. The giants’ appearance was traced to Jack. They captured him and took him to their secret headquarters for questioning. Jack told them the whole story, and finding his skills useful they wanted to hire him. Jack was going through some rough times, but they weren’t exactly giving him much of a choice. They wanted him to be a breacher, but Jack, feeling secretly ashamed of his past refused. Checkmate then offered him a job as a Muscle. It took great strength to cut down an entire beanstalk. With not many offers left, Jack joined Checkmate as a Muscle and has since carried out a variety of dirty jobs.

Jack felt he didn’t have much of a life anymore after the giant incident. If it wasn’t for Checkmate, he wouldn’t have a reason to go on living. Everything was his fault, and if only he had done what his mother had originally asked, then the disasters would have never happened.

Ons: Jack is turned on by women who are strong, confident, clever, and unafraid. A woman who knows what she wants and knows how to get it will probably win with him but she better not expect a relationship out of it. Jack doesn’t want any more obligations in his life. He isn’t opposed to one-night-stands, and he’s not into MMF. He’s more into MF or FF+M. He likes sex because just like his smokes and booze, it allows him to forget the world around him and helps him sleep at night. Other kinks: biting, scratching, giving spanks, giving and receiving gropes, dirty-smart aleck talk.
Offs: Jack is turned off by needy people. He doesn’t like people who make sexual demands of him when he’s not in the mood. He also doesn’t like women who think they own him. See O/Os for OFFs.
Primary Weapon: Giant Slayer – the axe that Jack used to chop down the beanstalk. The axe is very sturdy and didn’t seem to break against Jack’s strength. It still retains its sharp edge and has since become an item of legend.
Secondary Weapon: Widowmaker – cliché name but it’s a pistol similar to the SIG Sauer. There is nothing special about the pistol itself.
Magic: Inhuman Strength – being a farm boy and living off of organic and farm-raised products his whole life may have contributed to Jack’s unusual strength. He was able to steal a Giantland goose, harp (the harp was magical and just shrank down to the wielder’s size), and chop down a gigantic beanstalk before a giant could reach the bottom. Jack with his Giant Slayer axe can cleave a being with average durability in two. He can also go toe-to-toe with a giant, hurt the giant, and survive the bout to talk about it.
Extra: Jack has an English accent. His story is British in origin and therefore, I also made him British. While he is being portrayed by an Italian-inspired character from the Mafia game series, Jack's description should mostly be visualized through my writing. He works for Billy McGruff who comes from the story, "The Billy Goats Gruff." He is the older brother billy goat who defeated the troll on the bridge. The diner is open to employ any other characters who may be interested.

[mai]

I'd join a discord if you made one, but since it doesn't look like it would have everyone it might be best to keep discussion to an OOC thread?

[TheBlackThrone]

There will be an OOC thread and a Discord. The discord is to make collaborations easier. Any GM announcements or plot stuff I'd ever say would not only be in discord but the OOC.

It also makes my life easier as a GM. Players will ask a lot of questions and so it gives them a place where they can do so openly and anyone can answer their questions rather than it just being the GM. If it is a GM-question, then I can answer it when I get around to it. It keeps the PM traffic down.

Finally, lol it brings writers closer to their fellow writers so that plotting is so much easier and it promotes the longevity of the game (through the endless plotting and ease of doing so).

[Kadigan]

Made a minor change on my profile..visa viiiiii weapons and a little extra.

[Amarlo]

beckons with golden cat paw You know you're coming in here this time!

Nggg... How'd you know I was tempted to try playing a cat girl collector or cleaner? Dx

[Rel Mayer]

I have a concept of a cleaner, but I’m not sure what sort of fairy tale to tie in with it. Thinking something similar to chemist styled character, but going to have to brainstorm the concept a bit more!

This setting looks like a lot of fun. Very interested.

[Aiden]

I am presenting my concept for the Boss.



Salvatore "Papa Bear" Orso

He is Papa Bear from the Goldilocks, he used the "To hard, to soft, just right" mentality when it comes to ruling the city. To his enemies, he is a brutal terror, to his friends he can be soft (but dont push your luck) and with the city...he is just right, just what they need.

Is spotted playing golf with the Mayor, working on keeping crime down or at the very least, he is the gatekeeper to the other criminals. Hence he is the perfect boss, he is the scales of justice in an unfair world.

[TheBlackThrone]

I am presenting my concept for the Boss.



Salvatore "Papa Bear" Orso

He is Papa Bear from the Goldilocks, he used the "To hard, to soft, just right" mentality when it comes to ruling the city. To his enemies, he is a brutal terror, to his friends he can be soft (but dont push your luck) and with the city...he is just right, just what they need.

Is spotted playing golf with the Mayor, working on keeping crime down or at the very least, he is the gatekeeper to the other criminals. Hence he is the perfect boss, he is the scales of justice in an unfair world.

Sounds good. :-)

[Foxy DeVille]

Goldilocks approves...  ;)

[TheBlackThrone]

I put up a poll, and I encourage participants in this game to honestly vote. You only get one vote so use it wisely. You will not be able to see the results until it expires.

Also, I am going to start building threads. Some players are interested in cat characters. The Cheshire Cat is reserved right now (depends on what that player chooses in the end whether it will be picked or not) but other cats would be Puss in Boots or The Three Little Kittens. You can also look at other fairy tales from other countries. I am sure more cat fairy tales exist.

[Untamed Skies]

I'm very interested in this game ^^


Hopefully I'll be able to get a concept up quickly, at the moment the role I'm leaning towards is a collector.

[Codexa]

*Peeks*

Awesome Concept!!

I'll be keeping an eye on this. :)

[Lady Sakura]

*Peeks*

Awesome Concept!!

I'll be keeping an eye on this. :)

*Pounces*

I'm very interested in this game ^^


Hopefully I'll be able to get a concept up quickly, at the moment the role I'm leaning towards is a collector.

Yay!

[TheBlackThrone]

So I'm going to be designing a thread for general play about New Fantasia (the city), but I wanted you guys' opinion on what Checkmate should be. I have in my mind to make it like how The Continental was in John Wick, where its cover was a hotel. But I am open to ideas on it, especially from the Boss since it's more than likely going to be an establishment that he owns.

[Aiden]

I love the John Wick series and the idea of Checkmate being like the Continental being like that sounds great.

It would make sense from a crime standpoint, if you want the benefits of being part of Checkmate, you need to play by the rules. With that said, I almost prefer if few people even know who Papa Bear is or if he even exists.

Maybe have him under a different name like Winston Wolfe or something.

With that said, I will work up a sheet soon.

(most of this is just random out loud thinking)

[Chasseybaby]

will try and get a sheet up soon sorry for the delay 😊

[Lady Sakura]

I've never seen John wick.... So I have no idea what any of that means lol

[mai]

I'm in the same boat as Sakura, can someone give us a quick rundown of the concept so that we know what's up?

[Aiden]

Long story short, in the city, is a building that is "neutral ground" to the criminal underground. It is run by a head and his committee, they offer services to the criminal underground using a global currency. They are gold coins, these coins have a set cost.

Example - 1 night stay in the hotel with inclusive services, 1 gold coin.
body clean up/removal - 1 gold coin
custom tailored suit - 1 gold coin
etc etc

No killing is permitted within the grounds and rules will be followed and enforced!

[Foxy DeVille]

Instead of just a hotel it could also be a casino with a chess theme. Perhaps with a strip club where Goldie works.

[TheBlackThrone]

A Caesar's Palace set up.   :-)

[Lady Sakura]

I can get behind that Aiden thanks for explaining it. 💖

I should have my girl up soon too. I'm falling in love with her the more I get to know her. I can't wait to play her!