Post by Ashley Wolfe on Jan 16, 2023 13:58:41 GMT -5
WELCOME TO LOS EUROSIA,
ASHLEY PARR WOLFE
"I know I'm a wolf and I've been known to bite
But the rest of my pack, I have left them behind
And my teeth may be sharp and I've been raised to kill
But the thought of fresh meat, it is making me ill"
But the rest of my pack, I have left them behind
And my teeth may be sharp and I've been raised to kill
But the thought of fresh meat, it is making me ill"
BASICS
NAME:
AGE: 29 years old
------> Aged up to 30 years old on 07/17/2023
------> Aged up to 31 years old on 07/17/2024
BIRTHDATE: July 17th (Cancer)
PRONOUNS: He/Him
SEXUALITY: Closet/Tentative Bisexual - Twenty-nine years might seem long enough to come to terms with one's same-sex interests but Ashley's not quite there yet. While he does have scattered attractions to men and has come far enough to recognize that for what it is, he's still only ever identified openly as heterosexual. He's only ever been with women and a same-sex relationship isn't something he'd approach with certainty. He's aware of these attractions but it's not something he's explored, made known, or would readily admit to or act upon.
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION: Works as a caretaker/orderly in a retirement home and fosters dogs
NEIGHBORHOOD: Lives in a house he built with his own hands, tucked back in the furthest recesses of West Hook
MEMBER GROUP: Gifted
POWERS: Animal Empathy & Animal Scrying
Animal Empathy - Ashley can sense the emotional state of animals and communicate with them on a very basic level. It isn't exactly telepathy; he can not control the animals, manipulate how they're feeling, or even talk to them. But he can project his own feelings and make them aware of his intent and actions, usually communicating to them that he's not intending harm and the like. If he were to focus and expand his senses, he could detect the presence of the animals around him. Somewhat inexplicably, this doesn't seem to work on humans (and by extension, shapeshifters).
Animal Scrying - Ashley can also "hitch-hike" an animal's senses to see/experience what is happening around them. He can taste, smell, see, and hear as the animal does. He can feel whatever happens to their physical body and, in some smaller way (perhaps due to his empathy ability), can also feel their emotions and instinctual drive. He can not control the animal in any way and scrying leaves his human body somewhat exposed. Through the years, however, he has learned to sort of "half" his focus in order to maintain some hazy awareness of what is happening to and around his own body while he's scrying.
THE LOOKS
HEIGHT: 6'2''
WEIGHT: ~185lbs
HAIR COLOR: Dark brown (naturally dishwater blonde, he dyes it darker; he often dyed it darker in his youth as well so that he resembled his father less)
EYE COLOR: Blue (naturally honey-brown/amber, he wears contacts)
FACE CLAIM: Ronen Rubinstein
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Standing a couple of inches over six foot, Ashley is a man fairly imposing in his physical stature; a spitting image of his father when his father was younger, though far less rigid and cold in disposition. His weight fluctuates around 185lbs and his frame is built with muscle that he keeps well-conditioned through routine exercise. While he is broad-shouldered and slightly burly, somehow his physical strength isn't usually obvious unless he's stripped down or flexing. His capacity to quite easily shove your face in the dirt and pin you down is downplayed even further by the deliberately mild manner in which Ashley holds himself. While his build alone can be intimidating by default, he has a soft way about him that often dispels any discomfort his appearance may initially elicit. However, he does have the capacity to flip a switch and become formidable and threatening if push comes to shove.
Naturally, Ashley's hair is a dirty dishwater blonde, but he keeps it dyed a darker brown. He tends to keep it cut short since his hair — much like his brother Dane's — becomes quite feathery, curly, and unmanageable when left to grow out. He typically keeps it neat and tidy with a bit of styling product but is also known to have his lazy days where he'll just throw on a hat and leave it a hidden mess (especially when his roots are growing out). He's a handsome boy with features more notably masculine than Dane's. He takes more after their father, with a strong, wider jaw and a straight nose.
He is a very casual dresser who doesn't tend to put a lot of thought into what he wears (unless it's a special occasion like a date). He is a Wayland and knows how to clean/crisp up when expected. Typically though, he's just a run-of-the-mill t-shirt guy. His wardrobe is small and doesn't vary too much. You're most likely to run into him wearing dark jeans, dark slacks, joggers, or jogger shorts. He tends to favor long sleeves, sweatshirts, and hoodies to hide the many "battle scars" he's obtained over the years but, at the same time, he isn't so afraid of them that he'll completely forsake a regular, well-fitted tee. He collects pullover hoodies from every place he's been and they're always in rotation. He's always wearing sneakers/tennis shoes unless the situation demands otherwise. Expect a decent amount of dog hair on anything he puts on; no amount of lint-rolling can hide what's going on at home. Ashley is always wearing a chunky watch and had both of his ears pierced when he was a teen.
The most notable of his scars is about the size of his hand (fingers splayed) and is arranged over his left breast. This is where he cut out his tattoo (stag) when he "died".
INSIDE
LIKES:
- The ocean, marine life, even lakes, and simply swimming. He romanticizes water a lot
- Quiet, cozy, and pretty things like flowers/flowershops and books/used bookstores
- Botany, flowers, gardening, the smell and feel of soil, etc
- Late, almost winter nights. That time of year when the air's a bit nippy and the hour when the majority of the city is asleep; when everything is calmer and breathtakingly quiet
- Baking. Hot chocolate. Warm cookies, brownies, and cakes. It always reminds him of his mama. He learned how to cook really well during his forced solitude after first leaving the Guild and enjoys that as well. But baking will always be his #1 comfort activity. (Woops, he blacked out and now there are eight batches of cookies and four cakes in his kitchen. How'd that happen?)
DISLIKES:
- Violence; raised voices, heated arguments, goading, etc. Ashley is trying super hard to be as far removed as possible from who he was as Dino Wayland. He is more than capable of fighting and brawling but he's deliberately and statedly averse to it. If you push him into that corner where he has to revert back to that person, he eventually will... but he's going to really hate you for it. He has no good associations with violence and it being forced upon him is bound to open a box of bad memories that will leave him reeling, trying to reign himself in before he loses himself to that blackness and actually hurts someone. He doesn't want to be that person and being reminded that he was is a surefire way to twist him up inside.
- Strong, black coffee. He's got to dump at least eight spoonfuls of sugar in it and add a significant amount of creamer before he'll drink it
- Though he's a tolerant individual, Ashley doesn't take well to vulgarity or excessively rude, disruptive, or mean-spirited behavior
- Winter. He likes the cold and likes bundling up in layers, yes. But though the season is pretty, it's always — in the end — just a blanket of beautiful, white death on his garden.
- Pissing contests. Listen, Dino grew up with Dane. He's had enough and will not participate.
STRENGTHS:
- An accomplished mediator; soothing and calming when he needs to be. Is accustomed to being a voice of reason to those who need it. Always seems to know how to talk someone off a ledge or mollify an escalating situation.
- He's a soft, romantic boy at heart. Possesses warm and tender capabilities. Sensitive to the needs of friends and strangers. Emotionally readable and initially disarming; expressive tone and body language that radiates a sort of benevolence.
- Doesn't shrink away when someone gets nasty. Won't turn away at the first glimpse of ugliness. Accepts people for not just the pretty parts of them but can weather the more unsightly bits of them with the same, unflinching steadiness. He won't be scared away by a bit of difficulty. Ironically, though, he doesn't expect the same in return — Ashley's always gotta be good. Be seen as gentle and benevolent. Will likely turn away from someone if they see the unsightly bits of him.
- Polite. Ashley is a well-mannered man and always has been. He's kind and courteous. Considerate and respectful, but less in an overly-refined way and more casually.
- Loyal. (Ha! Haha! Hahahahah!) No seriously, don't laugh, the Guild doesn't count. Abandoning Dane, leaving his mother without a goodbye, none of that counts. Really, if you put those blaring exceptions firmly aside, it's important for Ashley to be dependable and trustworthy. He makes a good rock and is willing to offer himself as steady earth to plant your feet in.
WEAKNESSES:
- Traumatized/PTSD. Damaged sense of self-worth. Guilt-ridden. Ashley is a man with blood on his hands and sometimes when he's forced to face that... think about it, remember it, whatever... well, it can really be a lot. His past follows him. He has nightmares and trouble sleeping. Sees the faces of the many people he's killed in the faces of friends, strangers, people he passes on the street, etc. As much as he is trying to distance himself from who he was, sometimes it's impossible. In dark, trembling moments he can push people away, shut himself out, and convince himself that he's unworthy of the life he wants for himself. Unworthy of someone's kindness, warmth, or affection.
- Anger/temper. While Ashley is definitely (by far) the most level-headed of his family, he is still a Wayland; a proclivity for boiling blood is just in their genes. While his patience and tolerance can usually outlast anyone's attempt to goad or challenge him, he isn't infallible. And, perhaps because it takes so much to finally get him to snap, when he does, it is never pretty. His anger is a scary thing once provoked; raised voices, caustic remarks, and biting steel. In the past, as Dino, one just knew better than to push him that far. Though he was far less cruel and unpredictable than Dane, smart people feared pissing Dino off more than him. Nowadays though, there is no one else that his temper scares more than him — he's bound to fall apart afterward, all broken apologies and trembling fear for the heat that lashes in his veins.
- Martyr tendencies. Ashley is always looking for someone to help. Someone to save. Perhaps it's his own way of repentance; to make his sorry life worth something in the end. To make up for all the bad he's done in the past. He can be generous and giving, almost in a way that he purposely makes detrimental to himself. He will go out of his way to offer aid, to self-sacrifice whatever he can in the hope it will tip the scales a bit further in the direction of "good". Be a burden, demand too much from him, take advantage of him — the man will practically beg it of you.
- Ashley could be accused of being... unambitious. Mostly by people who don't know or understand how blessed it is for him to be insignificant. He might come across as lazy and uninspired because... well damn, it feels good to be. Maybe he is a little bit. Maybe he leans into it a bit hard.
- Has moments where he struggles to be open, honest, and vulnerable. He can be kind of evasive.
OVERALL PERSONALITY: Despite approaching thirty years old, Ashley is a man still trying very much to figure himself out. There's the person he wants to be, the person he was, and right now he's somewhere in the middle.
The person he was — Dino Wayland — was a murderer. A reluctant murderer but a killer all the same. He was groomed to inherit the Wayland faction within the Guild, taught to be merciless and dangerous, and forced to be brutal. Growing up consisted mostly of his father trying to kill the parts of him that were soft and sniveling. To steady his trembling fingers and shape him into someone he could be proud of. In a way, Dino was shielded from the worst of the beastliness demanded of him by the steadfast presence of his brother, Dane, who would ease the burden or swing the axe when Dino proved too weak. Due also to his brother, Dino quickly grew into a man skilled at diffusing ticking bombs, mediating blow-outs, and calming brewing and/or raging storms. Softening edges and cleaning up messes.
The person he wants to be — Ashley Wolfe — is remarkably insignificant in comparison. A man who can be depended on and trusted. Unquestionably benevolent and unfailingly kind; the type of man no one could possibly believe capable of the blood on his hands. Someone harmless, perhaps even a little silly, but above all warm and safe.
Who he is now is sort of a complicated mix of the two. Ashley's doing his best. He's kind and polite. Believably benevolent and uncomplicated. But he still carries a bit of Dino with him — most namely his Wayland temper, nightmares, enormous guilt, and a sometimes tortured relationship with being soft and vulnerable. Some days are easier than others. Sometimes he can convince himself he's succeeded in being the man he's always wanted to be. But other days, when he's pressed particularly hard, forced to anger, or just goes too long without sleeping... he can (so very regretfully) be more Dino than Ash.
BACKGROUND
HOMETOWN: Riverside, CA
FAMILY: Antonio Wayland (Father/Hunter/Alive), Mona Wayland (Mother/Human/
PETS: Ashley fosters and rescues dogs so there are usually about a dozen at his home at a time. Of these though, there are five dogs that he considers to be his and who he'd only adopt out if the perfect person came about.
- Applejack (AJ/Jack) - One-eyed Australian Shepherd, 6yrs old, female. Ash's original adoptee who has traveled with him since he left the Guild. By far the most well-adjusted dog of the bunch, she's kinda like the defacto big sister of the pack.
- Darling - Three-legged pittie, 3yrs old, female. Rescued with Kodak and unable to be separated from him. Very sweet and smart.
- Kodak - Jack Russel terrier, 1yr old, male. Bonded with Darling. Nervous around strangers. Will snap/defend himself viciously if backed into a corner by someone he doesn't know. Food aggression and high-prey drive. Will chase cats. Ashley is working on it.
- Guinness - Senior dachshund with no teeth, 10yrs, male.
- Omelette - A young Bernese Mountain Dog prone to seizures, 1yr, male.
HISTORY: (CW: Violence, mentions of alcoholism, homicide, and attempted suicide)
Dino and Dane were born a little more than two years apart in a family with heavy roots in an infamous hunting syndicate, of which their father was the cold, steely spearhead. Even as kiddos, there existed little censorship for the two boys, as they were expected to grow right into their father's footsteps and it was better for them to learn the brutal way of things rather than have to unlearn the sugar-coated naivety of a coddled youth. Their mother often advocated for them to have a more normal childhood and fought with their father often on the matter, but Antonio was very adamant about taking the boys out on missions and assignments very early on.
When they were still quite young, the family's syndicate merged underneath a larger, more successful crime organization called the Guild, and their father began working under the Guild Master. Thereafter, Dino and Dane often found themselves grouped together with the powerful man's daughters, and despite being older than them, their father made it explicitly clear to his sons where their family was positioned in the hierarchy of things.
The boys grew side by side and followed in their father's shadow until they were both widely accepted as capable and dependable members, worthy of their father's reputation and surname. Dino was generally more liked than his younger brother, despite his name being pinned with various accounts of hesitance and wavering; moments of uncertainty and questioning, that had (on more than one occasion) required overcompensation from Dane himself. Dane was the more charismatic of the two, the more manipulative, and the more readily adjusted to their family's lifestyle. Though he was looser than Dino in terms of loyalty, dependability, and maintaining a professional, respectable image, Dane fulfilled what was asked of him with hardly a blink.
Dino, on the other hand, was nursing an increasing struggle with the nature of the Guild. Of the two boys, he possessed qualities that ill-equipped him for the family business — the most blaring of them, a decided moral compass. He did what he was told, but his feet were not so rooted in the bloodied foundation of the Guild. With every terrible thing done by his own hand, or done on his orders, there was a stake of uncertainty driven the tiniest bit further in his chest. He was expected to eventually "grow out of it" and steel his lacking resolve and — to aid and accelerate that transition — he and Dane were tasked with acts of ever-increasing brutality... which Dino completed as he was expected to, always hoping the next beastly endeavor would be the one to still his shaking fingers. He prayed often for desensitization.
But Dino's humanity did not desert him, which was more a curse than a blessing in his family and profession. Eventually, everything caught up to him — he spiraled into a dangerous and self-destructive spiral of alcoholism, reckless behavior, and seemed hellbent on getting himself killed on missions. After a number of failed near-misses, he decided to take matters into his own hands and was prepared to see himself out of the world. But no matter what he did — how many pills he took, how reckless he was, etc. — mercy never came. That was when a close friend of his shared with him his plans to desert and Dino joined him. They saved up money from their bounties, stole a lot of Wayland cash, and got themselves "killed" in a glorious, gory show. Cut out each other's tattoos and disappeared into non-existence. Forged records, certificates, and paper trails to reinvent themselves. Then they parted ways with the heartwrenching and well-intended hope that they'd never see each other again.
In the five years that followed, Ashley Wolfe — as Dino renamed himself — reveled in his new existence (or his non-existence, if you will). In his own blessed insignificance. He adopted a dog. Traveled. Laid low for a long while before testing the waters of a small and laughably-benign identity slowly. He worked under-the-table jobs and kept no social circles. He spent a lot of time roaming from place to place, never staying long enough to make friends or be remembered, and soaking up the sheer array of undemanding whims now at his disposal. Eventually, he ventured to forge the beginning of small — and very cautious — social circles. And after flitting between a number of jobs and moving around, California called him back home.
He settled in Los Eurosia, bought a piece of property in a developing recess of West Hook, and lived in a camper while he spent months building a house of his own. He adopted another dog and then another, becoming such a familiar face at the shelter that he was approached with the idea of fostering, which he took to with great joy. Eventually, despite having stolen enough Guild money to comfortably coast on for a couple more years, he decided he needed to have a job on paper and became a caretaker in the closest retirement home to him, where he became quickly beloved by the many elderly patients (especially the ones no one visited, whom he went to great lengths to entertain and conversate with). He's grown bold enough to start making friends and really establish himself as a person.
But there still remains the not-so-improbable possibility of being recognized and found out (and for that reason, Ashley is slightly reluctant to create any too-close relationships in which he could eventually endanger someone). And there are nightmares and a heavy conscious to remind him of all that he's done, as well.
THE PLAYER
NAME: Rinse
AGE: 28
TIMEZONE: Central (US)