King of Suits

[Ari]

Introduction-

Theme Music-

20 Questions-

Questionnaire-

News-

[Ari]

Introduction

Alright, this is going to be the News Thread for the King of Suits. It will mostly be focused on describing people Marceau meets in his adventures, and the adventures he has on-and-off-panel. Nothing above street-level for the most part, to keep things sort of believable for someone like him, someone very devoted to the smaller things in life.

[Ari]

QUESTIONNAIRE

Introduction

Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence.

Frenchman with the mantle of a European guild of heroes.

Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume?

I am called 'Marcy' by some, most often I just go by my full first name. No street names or anything of special note.

What is your full birth name?

Marceau Suvou.

Where do you live?

Freedom City, a small apartment complex called Monkey Towers in the Fens district.

How old are you? What year were you born (if applicable)?

I am twenty-three last birthday, born 1987 in October.

Physical Traits

What is your gender? If not applicable, please explain.

Male.

How would you describe your heritage?

I'm Moroccan/Kenyan.

How tall are you?

A bit taller than six feet, by the Imperial measure.

What is your body type?

Rather thinner than is really healthy, pretty good shape though.

Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities?

Not any I am aware of.

How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy, do you walk with confidence?

I walk with very long strides, rather stiffly. Though I'm told I move gracefully enough besides that.

Describe your skin, eye, and hair color.

Dark brown, bluey-gray and black.

How do you wear your hair, if applicable? Do you have facial hair?

I keep it short, my hair would get in the way if I let it, so I don't.

Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others?

No, I would say not on both counts.

Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks?

I have four tattoos, each of a card suit, one on each shoulder and one on each outer thigh.

Do you resemble anyone famous?

Not any more than I can help.

Do you have a dominant hand?

I'm left-handed.

What kind of clothing do you wear?

I wear a suit of coveralls over top my armor(with shirts, pants and undergarments beneath that, of course), I wear light boots.

Do you wear makeup?

No.

What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way?

I have an extreme baritone, which reverberates much more than it should.

Do you have any distinctive habits, nervous tics, or mannerisms? Where did they come from, and what causes them? Do other people notice and remark on these habits? Do they annoy you or other people?

I often ramble about how much I like certain things, but I'm getting better at keeping it inside my own head.

History

Where do you come from?

Aude, France. Small southern coast department.

Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown?

I have traveled for years all over Europe.

Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country?

I feel an appropriate amount of national loyalty. I am patriotic enough to be especially happy when France does well. I have had some troubled dealings with the governing body.

How do you feel about the place you come from?

I love it, and hope to return some day.

Where is your home town? What was/is it like?

France and on the banks of the Aude river. Small place with without more than a few hundred people I think.

Growing up, were most of the people you knew similar to you, or were you somehow a minority? How did that affect you?

I was markedly different from most of the other people that live there, but I was never treated with anything other than respect and charity.

Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life?

Well, I can throw things pretty well. Born ona riverbank, I learned to skip stone before I could talk.

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?

Yes, the childhood accident that rendered me permanently impotent has left a rather deep impression on me.

Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.

Beholding the Bowman and Raven defeat a flying giant in Rheims. If they could do it, I thought, why not me?

What stupid things did you do when you were younger?

Decide to hare off and try to help people with their problems.

Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it?

I underwent most of my secondary education in Rheims. It was quite engrossing! Schoolwork was always of great interest to me, and still is.

Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not?

I have a door, and some small statues from the house of a French supervillain from the 20's I found in Romania. Selling them bit by bit, though. Soon all of it will have to go. Nice mementos, however, and they've kept me from starving most of the time.

When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision?

After seeing the Raven and Bowman manage to defeat that flying giant, without powers to rely on.

Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why?

No, it is not. I have nothing to conceal, really.

Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?

None.

Do you represent yourself as being different from who you really are? Why?

I act a bit more suave and self-assured when in costume, the mask and cape seem to insulate me slightly from the world around me, anonymity you know.

If you do have these secrets, what do you fear would happen if the truth became known? How far would you go to protect those secrets?

If someone finds out my past, they are welcome to whatever they find.

Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge?

I have had no run-ins with the law, no.

Family

What are your biological parents' names?

Kioni and Masud Suvou.

Were you raised by them? If not, please explain and describe who raised you.

I was raised by my parents, thankfully.

What was their standing in the community? What did/do they do for a living?

They were(and as far as I know still are) quite respected members. My father is a university professor of chemistry, my mother is a professional electrician.

Where are your parents now?

Still in Rheims, just south of the Chooze nuclear power plant.

Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot?

They stayed at their home in Aude until they got jobs in Rheims, where we then moved.

How did you get along with their parents? How do you get along with them now (if applicable).

I loved them, and they me. This has never changed. I have been lucky in that I've never disappointed them as deeply as I feared I might.

How do your parents view you now, or how would they?

They have concerns for my safety in this line of work, but they take comfort that I always have a day job to keep me grounded in reality.

Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them.

I have no siblings.

What was your birth order in the family?

First and only.

Where are your siblings now (if applicable)? Do they have families of their own? What do they do?

N/A

Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?

N/A

Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?

No.

Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?

No.

Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain.

I guess I'd be a black sheep, not many powers from my family. Lost mine, but still applies.

Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? If so, please explain, including how it has affected your life.

None remembered today.

Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them.

No.

If you do not have a partner or children, do you want them someday? How firm are you in your opinion on this, and what might change your mind?

I would like to learn to love someone and marry them, yes. It would be all too easy to change my mind on this, however. I've been without romantic feelings almost all my life.

What type of person would be your ideal mate?

Enthusiastic, warm, open with their thoughts, somebody with a grasp of the big picture.

Relationships

Do you have any close friends? If so, please describe them, and how you came to be close to them.

I have a confidant in a harmless crazy named Jackie Evans, she's a middle-aged New Englander, used to be one of those people who walks down the street talking to themselves.

Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend?

I have no actual friends, just acquaintances of various degrees of closeness, I wonder if that's how it's supposed to be?

If you were to go missing, who would worry about you?

Eh, the people who share my apartment, the few in the Fens who know I exist. My parents have seen me vanish too often to get too worried.

Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do?

No, my life wasn't THAT exciting.

Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you.

I have no settled arch-nemeses. Most of the people I fight haven't had the resources, power or luck to try again.

If you have enemies, how do you think they might attempt to work against you in the future?

Not applicable.

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

To me? Not very important, but I have been betrayed by someone I respected and honoured.

Where do your loyalties lie? In what order?

To the purpose God made me for, to my posse of displaced and homeless, to this city's populace, to this country's populace, to this world's populace.

Who or what do you trust the most? Why?

God. He's infallible, so all I have to do is figure out what he wants me to do in a given situation and all will be well.

Who or what do you despise? Why?

Greed. It leads to many evils that wouldn't exist without it.

What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess?

Honesty, the courage to do the moral thing above the convenient thing and a knowledge of what's going on in the world and how it came to pass. I don't think I'm an exemplar of those qualities.

What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities?

Greed, as mentioned above. An 'ends justifies the means' philosophy. Constant lying and other deceptive habits. I fear I do.

Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why?

Yes. The House of Suits in Eastern Europe. I try not to hide it, if someone asks me about my real name, I see no reason not to tell them.

Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower?

I hope I work well with others. I like being around people, so I tend to be a follower.

Are you on a super team? If so, how do you get along with your comrades? Do you trust them, or do you have secrets from them?

Not currently. I'm a member of the House of Suits mentioned above, but for now I'm considered by them to be an 'independent agent'. We got on great, trusted each other implicitly, and kept no secrets with each other. Currently working on a little something called the Vanguard, alongside some noble people.

Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that?

I attend the Church of St. Sebastian in West End Sundays. I try to help out there as much as I can, they're pretty short-staffed it seems.

Personality & Beliefs

Who are your heroes?

The Ravens, the Ace of Suits and the Saints beautified.

Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances?

No, never have and I don't think I ever shall.

Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it?

It is an incredible thing to be able to help those people oftentimes left defenseless.

Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides?

Crippling injury or possession by an evil power, but that's it.

What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?

I want to get a better hold on what is going on in the Fens, expand my contacts and make some friends.

What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?

Become a hero like the Ace, start up a branch of House of Suits in Freedom.

What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear?

Being responsible for something horrible.

Is there anything you would give you life for?

A friend, the world, I'd give my life at the drop of a hat, really.

How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or do you like to share? Is it a mark of success, or a means to an end? It is a means to an end, and thus is often mistaken for the end itself. I read recently in a magazine that many American youths my age want to 'get rich', and that that is their sole goal in life. I am utterly unlike that. I give away what money I can afford, and use the rest for essentials.

How do you generally treat others?

Like I want to be treated, for the most part.

Are you a trusting person? Has your trust ever been abused?

I am incredibly trusting, considering what I've been through. It has been abused a few times, but mostly people seem to keep their word.

Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence?

I am an extrovert. Can't imagine why anyone would want to stick around all day in stuffy rooms when the world's just outside. I have a great deal of self-confidence, but I know my limits.

How do you act around attractive, available members of your preferred sex?

With deference and grace. I don't act 'interested' or anything like that.

What are your most annoying habits?

Talking without stopping for long periods of time. When you've been alone for as long as I have, you do that to keep focus.

Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why?

I have no contempt for anyone except utopians. It's like they think the world isn't good enough for them, and only they know how it should be.

What is your favorite food? Do you prefer any particular type of food? Do you take the time to enjoy your food, or do you eat as fast as you can?

I LOVE lettuce! Leafy greens in general I could eat all day every day. No hurried eating for me. Food is delicious, and ought to be treated as such.

What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

Water. Nothing is better than it, it doesn't hurt you if you take care to carry a purifier around, and it's free nearly everywhere.

What is your favorite treat (dessert)?

Bread with dried fruit inside.

Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?

Anything touched by another animal isn't going down my throat if I can help it.

What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike?

I love the color purple, especially in flowers and ribbons. I don't hate any colors.

What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate?

Light, aimless music. I hate 'hard' music like rock or metal. Earsores.

If you have a favorite scent, what is it?

Honey, clover.

Do you have a favorite animal?

The camel, those things are incredible. Them or the Black Antelope.

What is your most treasured possession? Why?

The costume that I wear, it was given to me by the Ace in the ceremony where I joined the House of Suits.

Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?

I like roughing it. Almost used to going without.

Is there a job or a task you would absolutely refuse to do?

Prostitution, murder, kidnapping, enslaving another sapient being.

Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life?How important is it to you?

I am not 'spiritual'. I am a committed super-naturalist who believes totally in the existence of Heaven and Hell, not to mention a member of the Eastern Orthodox church, which I believe I mentioned a bit earlier. My beliefs form what I consider right and wrong, good and evil. I cannot think of any sound basis for morals beyond religious teachings.

Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?

Yes, my friends as I grew up. With them I learned how to put into practice what I was instructed in church.

If you belong to a religious organization, how often do you attend? Do you have a specific place of worship, or friends within the organization? How much do you agree with the beliefs of your organization? I am a member of the Eastern Orthodox church, and I believe their teachings utterly. I go to the Church of St. Sebastian.

Could you kill? Have you killed?

Yes, I have killed animals for food. Never any humans, though.

What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action?

"Do as ye would be done by" is I think the appropriate English saying.

Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they?

Yes. To kill for food, or for the state to kill if their laws dictate that as acceptable punishment.

How would you react to watching someone kill another person? Would your reaction be different if the killer was a friend or an enemy of yours?

I would be horrified. It would make no difference who they were the ally of, an early death by violence is always horrible.

How would you react if something important was stolen from you?

Angry, I would track down the thief and demand they return the item they stole.

How would you react to public humiliation?

I would most likely thank my humiliator for keeping me humble.

How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed? Has it happened to you?

I would be filled with grief. It has never happened to me, thank God.

What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?

Getting someone else to do evil so you don't. If it is so pressing to do something, do it yourself, and if you feel unsure as to its being a good act, don't do it.

If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours?

1. Sell everything I owned.

2. Give half of the money to my posse, and half to the the Church of St. Sebastian.

3. Go to the church and ask for forgiveness of my sins committed, and good deeds omitted.

4. Search out every hero in town I've met and thank them for their help, and apologize I wasn't more help to them.

5. Call my father and mother.

Career & Training

Do you have any special training in your hero skills? If so, where and how did you get it?

I was trained by the House of Suits to fight in general terms. I had a good idea of how to fight by then, but I needed a proper education.

Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person?

I would be unable to name any one teacher above them all, but Aloysius and I often sparred in the early days to try and figure out good tactics.

Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them?

I am very good at throwing things. Skipping stones across the Aude, throwing water bottles to knock guns out of people's hands, throwing razor-sharp cards to pin people against brick walls...

Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to?

I work as a janitor at an office building that houses a chapter of the accounting division of the Grant Conglomerate. I'm preparing to take classes in becoming an electrician like my parents would want. A useful thing to be.

What is your preferred combat style?

I like to strike from a distance at any outliers in a group, use a smoke-card, then dive into the cloud and perform a beatdown on the others.

Have you ever received any awards or honours?

I am one of the founders of the House of Suits, and second in command of that group.

What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could?

My cards seem to me to be my best bet for fighting, but I seem to be relying more and more on hand-to-hand combat and the like. I wish I had powers, they would be quite helpful. I am never as strong or enduring or fast as I need to be.

How do you act around people who are more skilled than you in areas you'd like to improve? Are you jealous, or do you try and learn?

I try to let them know I'd like to train under them. I don't get jealous easily.

Lifestyle & Hobbies

What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine?

I wake up at 6 A.M., gently remove whichever posse-member has fallen asleep on my bed on top of me, do my ablutions, eat breakfast, go to work, come home in time for lunch, sort out the fight of the day, practice my card-throwing, clean and repair my armor and cape, check my supply of chemicals, make up some supper, go out into the night on patrol, come home at 12 A.M., go to sleep. If something interrupts my routine, I often feel irritated.

Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up?

Board games, reading historical fiction and trying my hand at brewing chemicals.

What do you do for fun?

Play card and board games with my posse and co-workers. They're really good at Scrabble.

Do you have a costume? What does it look like?

It is a typical cape-and-cowl affair, the cape is black on the outside, dark red on the inside and has a high collar. The cowl is black and covers my upper face, it has black sleeves and black pants, with a red breastplate with the insignia of one or other of the card suits on it in white. I have brownish armored boots with these yellowy leg-sleeve things to keep my feet from turning into agonized masses. Quite nice I think.

How do you normally dress when not in costume?

A pair of coveralls overtop my armor, with a pair of pants and a t-shirt with undergarments under the armor.

What do you wear to bed most nights?

Undergarments.

Do you wear any special jewelry? What is it, and what does it look like?

I wear six steel rings, one on each middle-finger, one on each ring finger and one on each thumb. They have no insignia or ornament.

Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables?

A treasure chest I found in Spain, squarish and with bronze rims. Embossed on the top is a large 'E'.

What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance?

I like to take the bus for short distances, and the train for longer ones. Across the seas? I go by boat.

Miscellaneous

Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death? What provisions did you make?

I have a verbal agreement with my posse that they can have my stuff once I'm dead, providing they bury what remains they can gather in coffin on Lantern Hill.

If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?

Four tattoos, one on each shoulder and one on each outer thigh. Each is the symbol of one of the four card suits.

What would you like to be remembered for after your death?

Being a force for good in places often forgotten.

Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not?

I am a threat to hardly anyone. I have no deep-seated rage that might spill over into my efforts as a crime-fighter, and my(lack of)powers are such that I could be beaten by a random Joe with a pistol.

What do you perceive as your greatest strength?

I can survive the harshest climates with little discomfort.

What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?

I have a nasty habit of automatically assuming that everyone wants the same good things I do.

As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice... Marceau, don't think your weakness means you have less to say. Power isn't the end of life, and the strong aren't always right any more than the weak are always wrong. That said, always recall that you haven't the strength to take on every fight that comes your way, and that while surrender and losing may seem anathema to you, that's pride talking. Combat is almost never inevitable, always seek peace instead of adding to the violence in the world.

[Ari]

Theme Music

Marceau's Theme: [groove][/groove]

Battle Theme: [groove][/groove]

Exploration: [groove][/groove]

[Ari]

Record #1 of my second year of operation in Freedom City

Addressee: A.O.S, eyes only

Dated June, 2011.

Ace! So sorry it took me this long, let me tell you how things are going.

Met some great people here so far, in winter I met a guy made of semi-molten rock, a jelly-like guy, and a man who can shoot energy beams. They beat down a brawl between a gang of Viking bikers(including a guy with some sort of magic sword), this gang of random guys including a woman with some sort of energy-powers and a man who looked like an Abrams tank if tanks bench-pressed redwoods. Later in the year I cracked down on a thieving gang, which appears to have some connection to a wizard who lives in a castle that exists in another dimension, but also this one(???). Helped make some houses in Haiti to aid in the relief effort, where we were attacked by a giant of a man with insane strength and power who beat me with one punch :? . The team I had there was made up of a guy with power over kinetic energy by the look of it, a male(?) cheetah with enormous speed, a woman with high-tech stuff like you usually only see in movies, and a really strong girl who can teleport around a lot. We beat the strong guy, and the gunman who assisted him, but this large gang of Haitians this witch or something had enslaved caused a stampede, so we couldn't capture her and keep them from causing grievous harm to themselves at the same time. They got away, but we'll get them next time.

Also, I went on a little trip to the Schattenwelt in a bus, stumbled upon the realm of the Hittite deities and got an audience with Lady Equinox, that magnificent witch you're a fan of. That's about the highlights, the rest will come in the report to the Records Office.

Things have been great, I got a bunch of new friends, pay and work is still steady, and my medical bills have never been lower! I think I'm getting the hang of working on my own here!

Will write again,

K.o.S.