Application - House of Cards

[heartinmouth]

Player name: Song
Characters played: Jubilee, Katya, Monty, Sophie
Character Name: Cooper John Elliot*
Age: 36*
Suit/Rank: Hearts/8
History:

Cooper's mother (Fiona Reid) is a third generation Spade who fled to the Clubs after her parents were killed in political maneuvering. She's a gardener (mainly vegetables). His father (Ross Elliot) came to the Clubs from Australia (Brisbane to be exact) and soon settled in as an accountant. One thing led to another, the pair fell in love, married and eventually produced three children: Riley (a daughter) Cooper and Jack. Fiona probably would have returned to the Spades eventually once David took control, but by then she had put down roots with Ross.

Growing up, Cooper excelled in sports. The Deck isn't conducive to team sports (though Coop is a huge fan of the Broncos, Lions and Reds). His father started him in boxing. Coop's size and speed (and the fact that he's a southpaw) helped him immensely. He's also a devilishly fast swimmer and an ace tennis player.

Riley left the Deck at 20 after a failed challenge. Jack was injured (and later died) in a freak training accident (he landed wrong after a judo throw and broke his neck). He was barely fifteen.

Cooper spiraled into a depression and eventually left the Deck, returning to his grandparents in Brisbane. He and his grandfather, Wil, a retired police detective, became quite close. Coop followed his grandfather's footsteps and entered a career in law enforcement. Cooper rose swiftly in the ranks, becoming a detective at 23 and assigned first to Narcotics and later to Homicide, where he achieved the rank of Detective Inspector. He lost the taste for his job when he took on the Rockhaven Strangler, a killer with no apparent MO save that he preyed on women. Cooper put the man away, but the experience took its toll. Cooper became less concerned with methods and rights and more concerned with putting away the bad guys. Criminal law is simpler on the Deck. Cooper often found his hands tied when he wanted to act. He was in very real danger of being drummed out of the force for use of "questionable" methods when he received a frantic phone call from his mother. Ross Elliot had had a heart attack and was in critical condition. Cooper was 28.

Riley still lives Outside (in Auckland) and Cooper is the proud uncle of three, two boys and a girl.

Personality: Cooper is a regular bloke. He likes to drink, he likes to fight (friendly most times) he likes sports and the outdoors. He's not too interested in fashion. He's happier doing than thinking, though he's actually quite clever. He keeps that close to his chest. No good ever came from letting people notice how smart you are. He enjoys people and is generally friendly, though he's not above slipping in the occasional sarcasm. He's a people watcher, always looking below the surface. He doesn't talk about his emotions or get emotional (at least he doesn't show them.). He has no patience for whiners of any gender, and he likes people who take care of themselves. No wilting flowers for Coop, thanks. Oh, and don't change his name to Copper. He'd have to deck you.

Cooper's an excellent chef. Rather than turn to drink when the work began to eat at him, he supplemented his early cooking lessons from Ross with cooking classes in his spare time as well as pursued his early interest in mud pies sculpture when he got an eyeful of the sheila teaching a class a the local college. He lost interest in her soon enough, but not the art. He puts both skills to good use by running the Heart kitchens and creating whimsical sculptures in his free time.

Appearance: Cooper stands 6'4" in his stocking feet, well-built and muscular (around 200 pounds of solid muscle) with sandy hair and blue eyes, usually crinkled in a smile or watching something--or someone--intently. He keeps early hours, but would prefer to sleep in, meaning he hits the snooze alarm enough that he forgoes shaving for a few days at a time. It's not unusual at all to see him with stubble or in need of a haircut. He dresses casually in jeans or chinos and button down shirts and tees when he's not at work in the kitchens.

He's attractive in an unconventional way. Perhaps his most outstanding (?) feature is his large nose. He sometimes jokes that he had to become a copper since he has a nose made for sticking into everyone else's business.

Character PB: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Writing sample: here
Why this Suit? Ross survived, but Cooper wanted to be nearer his parents and decided to give the Deck another go. He's still giving it a go after eight years. When his dad isn't lying flat on his back in hospital, he and Cooper butt heads. Besides, no grown man wants to be living in his parents' pocket. (Plus the Clubs reminded him too much of his dead brother.) So he joined the Hearts, coming in as a Two. No real reason other than he fit there better than the remaining two Suits. He's too casual for Diamonds and not bloody-minded enough for the Spades. Hearts fit him just fine (though he'll always be more Club than Heart). Besides, he has the sneaking suspicion he should probably arrest most of the Spades on general principles and the Diamonds are too caught up in appearances for his liking.
How did you hear about us? Once I had a dream, a great and wondrous dream, of a land filled with Cards laughing, loving, killing and betraying and LO! A voice cried out to me: GO FORTH AND ROLEPLAY! Or, um, I could have been here for awhile. Take your pick.

Challenges:

2-3: Battleship
3-4: Sudoku (five casual relationships, solved in 4:42 minutes)
4-5: Best Souffle, panel of 5 judges. Won with a Soufflé au Comté
5-6: 400M medley (swimming) Won in 4:13:02
6-7: Boxing (on points)
7-8: Archery (28 points out of 30)

* I disliked the way his previous surname (Thane) sounded with his first; hence a change in surname only. More importantly, I aged him by 3 years to give him 10 years police experience before he returned to the Deck.