Post by donquixote on Oct 28, 2010 13:50:39 GMT -5
Hi, my name is Sarah and this is my Second character. Something you should know about me is that I am a musical freak and quite the thespian.
Canon: Cervantes’ Don Quixote
Custom Title: Don Quixote, Knight of the Woeful Countenance
PHYSICAL
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Height: 6 ft.
Body: As a young man, Alonso was reedy and thin, but his weight has fluctuated all through his life. At the present time he is quite thin again, having lost most of his weight in an unwise disregard for his health. He is still quite strong and imposing, however, and he can certainly hold his own in a brawl.
Other distinguishing features: Alonso’s hair is salt-and-pepper colored, being mostly silver but still with flecks of brown in from his youth.
Wardrobe: Alonso was once impeccably dressed as a well-off working man, but now he tends to look disheveled more often than not. To the embarrassment of those who know him, he will fashion “armor” out of miscellaneous tin or metal items. For example, he will sometimes don a brass washing basin on his head and call in the “Golden Helmet of Mambrino.” Of course, he believes he is on the cutting edge of fashion, but he is really just deluded.[/ul]
Play By: Kris Kristofferson
PERSONALITY
General personality: Alonso is really a gentle soul behind his hardened, ex-Army persona. He cares deeply, perhaps too deeply, for those around him. He is compassionate and very emotional, something that he was once able to put aside on the battlefield but now struggles to handle. He has a large imagination, something that has served him well in the past but is now his greatest vice. He can be extremely intimidating when he wants to be, because he was trained to be a leader and a warrior. He has high expectations. Sometimes they are ridiculously high. This frustrated people immensely in his younger years, but he is a stubborn person and his mind is difficult to change.
He is not nearly as sane as he used to be. Grief over his dead wife led to post-traumatic stress, which led to dissociative fugue and utter insanity. He is completely persuaded that he is a knight errant of the 15th century, and it’s impossible to change his mind. He is reckless and daring and is always looking for the next adventure. He's restless and is extremely uncomfortable when he's staying in any one place for a long time. He rarely sleeps full nights and often walks himself into exhaustion.
Quotes, frequently used expressions: “I am a knight-errant!” “Dream the impossible dream.”
Likes:
Dislikes:
Strengths: His complete dedication to law and order, his immovable compassion, and his intelligence
Weaknesses: His insanity, his stubbornness, and his left shoulder
BACKGROUND
Family:
José Mateo Quixano (father, deceased); Catarina Esperanza [Rodriguez] Quixano (mother, deceased); Ysabel Cristiana [Quixano] Therow (sister, 64, retired); Edward James Therow (brother-in-law, 66, retired); Roberto Miguel Quixano (brother, deceased); Lauren Rae [Malone] Quixano (sister-in-law); Elena Grace Quixano (niece, 18); Dulcinea [DeFelice] Quixano (wife, deceased).
Education: Traditional schooling, West Point Military Academy
Occupation: Former Army “Green Beret”
Worst past experience: He was overseas in the Gulf War when he was informed that his wife, Dulcinea, and younger brother, Roberto, had died in a car accident.
Best past experience: Marrying Dulcinea DeFelice
Image: Alonso is seen as something to be feared by people because he is very obviously crazy. There are times when he seems lucid, but then he will burst out into rants about chivalry and walk around with a wash-basin on his head, and it’s very frightening for people.
History: Alonso was born to Spanish immigrants José and Catarina Quixano in 1954. His older sister Ysabel is ten years older, and his younger brother Roberto was two years younger. They lived in a middle-class community in Westchester County known as La Mancha, and the three Quixano children grew up bilingual. He always had to correct classmates in school and say, “It’s not Kwixano. It’s Key-hano!” He was an average student and was a little bit of a troublemaker in his early days, but he never managed a police record. For the most part he has respectful and upright. He always had the dream of being a soldier, and so upon graduating from high school he entered West Point Military Academy. At first he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself, and he wound up with several demerits. But once he got into the flow of the military, he became distinctly disciplined, and he expected nothing less of those around him.
Immediately after he graduated, he was deployed to Vietnam to fight. He spent two years there in battle, and when he returned in 1975, he met Dulcinea DeFelice, a barmaid off-post who completely enchanted him. Even though a lot about Alonso had changed over the course of his deployment, Dulcinea reached through and touched his hardened heart. He became blissfully happy with her, never knowing that the wartime stress was going to begin affecting his mind. He lived with Dulcinea on Fort Dix in New Jersey. They tried having children, but it turned out that Dulcinea could not have children. It was a difficult realization, but they made it through.
They spent many years together, and it didn’t look like Alonso would ever be deployed again. But then the Gulf War came around, and Alonso was in one of the first detachments deployed. He fought hard and longed for the company of his wife, but she was a world away. Then, the day came when Alonso received the phone call that would destroy his life as he knew it. Dulcinea had driven up to New York to visit Alonso’s family. She and Alonso’s brother Roberto had been driving home in the other car from dinner when a moose stepped out in front of the car and demolished the vehicle. Neither Roberto nor Dulcinea survived. Alonso was so grieved that he made a reckless mistake during combat and wound up with shrapnel in his shoulder. He was discharged and sent home. He was about 40 years old at this time.
It was clear soon after his return that he was no longer emotionally stable. He moved in with Roberto’s widow, Lauren, and her daughter, Elena. Alonso went in and out of therapy, and for a time when he was 48, he went in for an extended stay at a clinic in Queens. There he dealt with his grief over Dulcinea and his emerging post-traumatic stress. For a while he seemed to recover, and he returned home. He began to do extensive amounts of reading, which pleased Lauren because it kept him calm.
These books he read were all about chivalry, knights, and daring quests. It reminded him of being a soldier without bringing back painful memories. Over the course of time, he got it into his head that the world lacked chivalry, and he needed to become a knight errant in order to fix this problem. He came up with a new name for himself, Don Quixote de la Mancha! He declared a pretty woman named Aldonza Lorenzo from the city to be his long-lost love, Dulcinea del Toboso, though that is not her real name and she knows nothing of him. He has projected his wife’s image on this hapless girl and does every one of his mad acts of chivalry in her name, just as the knights in his books did for their ladies.
Alonso’s obsession soon developed into a dissociative fugue, in which he does not remember his past life and instead has taken on the identity of Don Quixote de la Mancha entirely. He has run away from his home in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and now wanders around Manhattan performing acts of “chivalry” and seeking out his beloved “Dulcinea.” He is often seen with an assembly of armor made out of tin pie pans and other assorted materials, a tin-foil spear, and a gold-colored bowl on his head that he claims is the “Golden Helmet of Mambrino.” For the most part, he is regarded as a harmless fool, much like the Underwear Guitarist in Times Square, but at the times when he has attacked an “enemy” done some damage, he has had to make an escape from the police. He continues living in his fugue, having forgotten his family and his past, living entirely within the realm of Don Quixote. His sister-in-law and niece continue to search for him, but in the vast scope of New York City, it has been impossible for them to track him down.
THE SAMPLE
In Character Sample:
Alonso José Quixano
Middle Class
Middle Class
Canon: Cervantes’ Don Quixote
Custom Title: Don Quixote, Knight of the Woeful Countenance
PHYSICAL
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Height: 6 ft.
Body: As a young man, Alonso was reedy and thin, but his weight has fluctuated all through his life. At the present time he is quite thin again, having lost most of his weight in an unwise disregard for his health. He is still quite strong and imposing, however, and he can certainly hold his own in a brawl.
Other distinguishing features: Alonso’s hair is salt-and-pepper colored, being mostly silver but still with flecks of brown in from his youth.
Wardrobe: Alonso was once impeccably dressed as a well-off working man, but now he tends to look disheveled more often than not. To the embarrassment of those who know him, he will fashion “armor” out of miscellaneous tin or metal items. For example, he will sometimes don a brass washing basin on his head and call in the “Golden Helmet of Mambrino.” Of course, he believes he is on the cutting edge of fashion, but he is really just deluded.[/ul]
Play By: Kris Kristofferson
PERSONALITY
General personality: Alonso is really a gentle soul behind his hardened, ex-Army persona. He cares deeply, perhaps too deeply, for those around him. He is compassionate and very emotional, something that he was once able to put aside on the battlefield but now struggles to handle. He has a large imagination, something that has served him well in the past but is now his greatest vice. He can be extremely intimidating when he wants to be, because he was trained to be a leader and a warrior. He has high expectations. Sometimes they are ridiculously high. This frustrated people immensely in his younger years, but he is a stubborn person and his mind is difficult to change.
He is not nearly as sane as he used to be. Grief over his dead wife led to post-traumatic stress, which led to dissociative fugue and utter insanity. He is completely persuaded that he is a knight errant of the 15th century, and it’s impossible to change his mind. He is reckless and daring and is always looking for the next adventure. He's restless and is extremely uncomfortable when he's staying in any one place for a long time. He rarely sleeps full nights and often walks himself into exhaustion.
Quotes, frequently used expressions: “I am a knight-errant!” “Dream the impossible dream.”
Likes:
- Chivalry
- Reading
- Travelling
- His “quest”
- “Dulcinea” and Sancho
Dislikes:
- Disorder
- Those who persecute others
- Windmills
- Those who do not respect him
Strengths: His complete dedication to law and order, his immovable compassion, and his intelligence
Weaknesses: His insanity, his stubbornness, and his left shoulder
BACKGROUND
Family:
José Mateo Quixano (father, deceased); Catarina Esperanza [Rodriguez] Quixano (mother, deceased); Ysabel Cristiana [Quixano] Therow (sister, 64, retired); Edward James Therow (brother-in-law, 66, retired); Roberto Miguel Quixano (brother, deceased); Lauren Rae [Malone] Quixano (sister-in-law); Elena Grace Quixano (niece, 18); Dulcinea [DeFelice] Quixano (wife, deceased).
Education: Traditional schooling, West Point Military Academy
Occupation: Former Army “Green Beret”
Worst past experience: He was overseas in the Gulf War when he was informed that his wife, Dulcinea, and younger brother, Roberto, had died in a car accident.
Best past experience: Marrying Dulcinea DeFelice
Image: Alonso is seen as something to be feared by people because he is very obviously crazy. There are times when he seems lucid, but then he will burst out into rants about chivalry and walk around with a wash-basin on his head, and it’s very frightening for people.
History: Alonso was born to Spanish immigrants José and Catarina Quixano in 1954. His older sister Ysabel is ten years older, and his younger brother Roberto was two years younger. They lived in a middle-class community in Westchester County known as La Mancha, and the three Quixano children grew up bilingual. He always had to correct classmates in school and say, “It’s not Kwixano. It’s Key-hano!” He was an average student and was a little bit of a troublemaker in his early days, but he never managed a police record. For the most part he has respectful and upright. He always had the dream of being a soldier, and so upon graduating from high school he entered West Point Military Academy. At first he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself, and he wound up with several demerits. But once he got into the flow of the military, he became distinctly disciplined, and he expected nothing less of those around him.
Immediately after he graduated, he was deployed to Vietnam to fight. He spent two years there in battle, and when he returned in 1975, he met Dulcinea DeFelice, a barmaid off-post who completely enchanted him. Even though a lot about Alonso had changed over the course of his deployment, Dulcinea reached through and touched his hardened heart. He became blissfully happy with her, never knowing that the wartime stress was going to begin affecting his mind. He lived with Dulcinea on Fort Dix in New Jersey. They tried having children, but it turned out that Dulcinea could not have children. It was a difficult realization, but they made it through.
They spent many years together, and it didn’t look like Alonso would ever be deployed again. But then the Gulf War came around, and Alonso was in one of the first detachments deployed. He fought hard and longed for the company of his wife, but she was a world away. Then, the day came when Alonso received the phone call that would destroy his life as he knew it. Dulcinea had driven up to New York to visit Alonso’s family. She and Alonso’s brother Roberto had been driving home in the other car from dinner when a moose stepped out in front of the car and demolished the vehicle. Neither Roberto nor Dulcinea survived. Alonso was so grieved that he made a reckless mistake during combat and wound up with shrapnel in his shoulder. He was discharged and sent home. He was about 40 years old at this time.
It was clear soon after his return that he was no longer emotionally stable. He moved in with Roberto’s widow, Lauren, and her daughter, Elena. Alonso went in and out of therapy, and for a time when he was 48, he went in for an extended stay at a clinic in Queens. There he dealt with his grief over Dulcinea and his emerging post-traumatic stress. For a while he seemed to recover, and he returned home. He began to do extensive amounts of reading, which pleased Lauren because it kept him calm.
These books he read were all about chivalry, knights, and daring quests. It reminded him of being a soldier without bringing back painful memories. Over the course of time, he got it into his head that the world lacked chivalry, and he needed to become a knight errant in order to fix this problem. He came up with a new name for himself, Don Quixote de la Mancha! He declared a pretty woman named Aldonza Lorenzo from the city to be his long-lost love, Dulcinea del Toboso, though that is not her real name and she knows nothing of him. He has projected his wife’s image on this hapless girl and does every one of his mad acts of chivalry in her name, just as the knights in his books did for their ladies.
Alonso’s obsession soon developed into a dissociative fugue, in which he does not remember his past life and instead has taken on the identity of Don Quixote de la Mancha entirely. He has run away from his home in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and now wanders around Manhattan performing acts of “chivalry” and seeking out his beloved “Dulcinea.” He is often seen with an assembly of armor made out of tin pie pans and other assorted materials, a tin-foil spear, and a gold-colored bowl on his head that he claims is the “Golden Helmet of Mambrino.” For the most part, he is regarded as a harmless fool, much like the Underwear Guitarist in Times Square, but at the times when he has attacked an “enemy” done some damage, he has had to make an escape from the police. He continues living in his fugue, having forgotten his family and his past, living entirely within the realm of Don Quixote. His sister-in-law and niece continue to search for him, but in the vast scope of New York City, it has been impossible for them to track him down.
THE SAMPLE
In Character Sample:
"THOU EVIL BEAST!! DEPART FROM HERE!!" the crazy old man roared as he pounded down the pavement after the taxi. Every step made his shoulder twinge, but in his haze he did not even notice it. The yellow monster had just attempted to eat a poor helpless woman, but Alonso had chased it off just in time. He stopped running and stood on the pavement, panting for breath. The cars that passed by honked at him and he waved his tinfoil javelin at all of them, cursing at them. He turned back to the woman and tipped his washbasin helmet at her. "Never to fear, madam, I have rescued you!" The woman looked at him in fear and Alonso watched her as she walked quickly away. He was quite pleased with himself. Another good deed of chivalry done. Alonso wandered off the street and knelt beside a building, cleaning the imaginary blood off his javelin.[/blockquote]
Seeming emotionally overwhelmed, he removed the copper helmet from his head and regarded it reverently. "Ah, Golden Helmet of Mambrino, thou hast led me to yet another victory." He kissed it and placed it back on his head. He was completely oblivious to the crowd that had gathered to gawk at the spectacle between Alonso and the taxi. He stood up with some difficulty and started to stroll down the sidewalk, whistling an unidentifiable tune under his breath. He tipped his headgear to ladies, who all looked at him as the loon he was. Once, he jabbed a gentlemen in a suit in the back when he did not hold a door open for a woman. He received a dirty look but noticed not. The sun reflected off his helmet, his javelin, and his aluminum armor, causing an uncomfortable light to shine on those around him.
He looked up in alarm as a black and white boar with red and blue eyes roared up to him and stopped some feet away. He yelled and waved his javelin around, nearly knocking a few commuters on the head. "Relax, Good Don!" cried the police officer. "Nothing's wrong, here. Nothing will hurt you." Alonso instantly grew calm and lowered his fake weapon. "Ah, good day, lord of the city! Is all well and good?" the old kook asked with a charming grin. The officer smiled and nodded. "Good Don Quixote, I am just here to tell you that some of the ladies and gentlemen of this town are a bit alarmed by your missions." Alonso frowned in confusion. He scratched the back of his head through his long, gray, greasy hair. "Well, battles are never beautiful, sir," Alonso said. The officer shifted his weight, debating how to answer. "No, but if you could perhaps battle without so much yelling, I would not have to disturb you in your mission." Alonso grinned. "Ah, my good lord, you are a wise man. I will try not to terrify the people with my passionate rage toward indecency," he said. He waved as the officer left on his domesticated boar and proceeded to continue with his stroll down the sidewalk, whistling merrily and diligently keeping watch for other terrifying beasts that he needed to take to battle.
