Zodiac Houses (LOOKING FOR 10 MORE PLAYERS)

[Aislo]

Ooh. Now I'm the only house in Bulgaria. Muhahaha. >:D

 

[firejay1]

Bulgaria is because the ancient nomadic people called the Bulgars (European Huns) took the Chinese zodiac with them, and I figured it wouldn't be shocking if one family part of that ethnic group settled down into some part of the old Bulgarian empire, but then moved to Bulgaria, the namesake of their ancient people.

 

[Chapatrap]

Will everything begin from leaving our home countries for Beijing or will we already be there?

 

[Aislo]

I'd imagine it's up to the individual person, as long as you end up there.

 

[firejay1]

Nope. We'll be starting at Beijing, though you can do a flashback of leaving, because I figured it'd be best to start at a point when all the characters have someone IC to interact with. Whether we'll start in a council, when they arrive, or when they leave to begin, I haven't decided yet.

 

[firejay1]

Also, please remember guys, the character you're playing is a representative of your House, which means they have been chosen for some reason to represent the whole House. It can be a venerated elder in their fifties, a prodigy 12-year old, or some random person they chose because they thought it'd be a useless, throwaway conference, but they should be chosen for some reason or another.

 

[Dreams_of_Dusk]

So why is Cat based in Vietnam?

 

[firejay1]

Heh. Because in the Vietnamese zodiac, the fourth animal is the cat instead of the rabbit. XD Same with the Water Buffalo vs the ox, tbh.

In Thailand, the snake is the naga, but as that's a deity and not even a mythical animal, I'm keeping it as snake.

 

[Dreams_of_Dusk]

So how do I go about finding an image Vietnamese girl on the interwebs? Does just googling it work?

 

[firejay1]

Yep! Googling it is fine, looking up specific Vietnamese figures or actors is also fine. Worst come to worst, I'd accept just a description, too!

 

[Dreams_of_Dusk]

I don't even know what a Vietnamese person looks like DX

 

[Justin]

Here are some, don't know what you're looking for but just giving help^^

 

[firejay1]

If you put "nguyen" into google images you'll also get a good representation of what general vietnamese people look like. The ones I've met tend to have dark skin and look like other East Asians, though with perhaps rounder eyes and stronger features.

 

[Aislo]

What is the time frame? Is there a modern feel to it, a little older? Futuristic? A mix of all the above? Some stream punk? How is the technology? Weaponry? Etc? What is the world like in this rp? Any kind of wars going on? Or is it super peaceful? Or somewhere in between? Etc etc etc...

 

[Chapatrap]

Is the "Notes on History" question supposed to be the history of the House or the history of your character? My app is practically finished at this point, I just need to go over a few things.

 

[firejay1]

XDXDXD. So many questions. It's definitely gonna be straight up modern with a little fantasy thrown in. The setting is going to be pretty much the real world as it is right now. While some wars are going on in the Middle East, etc etc, for the purposes of this RP, most everything is generally peaceful. You can assume that it's set in this year, so if you see any chances to put in political notes you want to mention, you can, but I was never intending for that to be a big part of the RP. The only political problem of real note I think would be the separation of North Korea and South Korea, as I may or may not have either a house, or a clue hidden in North Korea, but I'm still playing around with that detail. Weaponry and technology is pretty much what you would find today, with the amount of weaponry and technology each house has quite up to you guys, but they will be going to (/infiltrating/destroying) historically significant places, where some less modern weaponry and slightly more magical technology may be involved. Magic is largely unknown to most people, and when you see it in the RP, it will probably be infused in objects like a stone lion, or ancient writings or potions, etc.

History of your character! I'm almost done with the intro and some last minute notes for you guys, and that will explain a few things about the houses, etc.

 

[Aislo]

That's kind of what I figured you were going for. Just wanted to make sure!!!

 

[Chapatrap]

Application is done. I can change anything that doesn't fit in with the RP.

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House:
House of the Snake
Phaya Naga

Name:
Somchai Jainukul

Age:
28

Gender:
Male

Personality:
Somchai Jainukul has not always been the respected member of the Phaya Naga he is today. Once, he cared for little but partying and gangs, to the disappointment of his father. He didn't pay heed to his family, his House or his powers. He experimented with drugs, drank a lot of alcohol and participated in gang activities in the streets of Bangkok. But with age, a trip to prison and a lot of patience from his father, he kicked his drug habits, got a good job and became left his old life behind in order to better integrate with his family. Somchai has also come to accept his sway over snakes and is currently being groomed as the next-in-line to head the Jainukul family. Somchai regrets his past wrongdoings and tries to make it up to his family in any way he can. However, they take advantage of his grovelling apologies by constantly shaming him and he has become a bit of lackey to his father and grandfather.

Somchai, despite staying within the confines of respect and kindness around his family, is a different man altogether around others. He is quick to anger and shares little of the wisdom commonly associated with his House. Somchai has no patience for people he deems weaker or less intelligent than himself and is extremely defensive on matters concerning his House. He takes the most common aspects of his house - independence to the point of isolation, the vow of secrecy, weariness of authority - and, almost as a way to apologise to his House, follows these qualities zealously. Although his father and grandfather have advised him on which houses to trust and which to not, he is still treats them with suspicion and is going to Beijing with the rather negative belief that the other houses are trying to assert authority over the Phaya Naga.

The Jainukul family are one of the few families in the House that are taking the threat of this "Zodiac killer" seriously and along with a minority of other families, conspired to send Somchai to Beijing without knowledge of the entire house (not that they'd care too much). A majority of families believe the person targeting Zodiac houses is either not real or that the Houses loose structure will protect them. Somchai is of the opinion that the person taking the powers from the Houses is not as important as his family thinks they are but he is eager to please his father and family in any way possible.

History:
Somchai Jainukul was born an only child in Bangkok, Thailand to a well-off, Thai Chinese family who are members of the House of the Snake or as it's more commonly called in Thailand,Phaya Naga. As a youngster, he was inducted into the House by his father and grandfather, who are both skilled in talking and influencing snakes. As with most children within the House of the Snake, he was brought up to be respectful of his elders but to be aware of those around him and act as he sees fit. The House of the Snake has no official authority and is more of a collection of families who follow similar customs and rules. As such, he didn't meet many other members of the House growing up, which led to him feeling like an outcast growing up in mostly-normal Bangkok. As a teenager, he began to rebel against his family and house and fell into a bad crowd. He dropped out of school at a young age and got involved in gangs. He brought great shame to his family and the Jainukul's briefly considered cutting him out of the picture altogether. But Somchai's father still saw hope for his sons life.

His father, although extremely disappointed, tried to stay on good terms with his only son and actively encouraged him to take part in the family. But Somchai seemed more concerned with drugs and hanging with his esses then talking to snakes. This continued well into Somchai's early twenties, until a jarring trip to prison for a year changed his mindset completely. Upon leaving prison, he vowed to go clean and begged his families forgiveness for all his years wasted on the streets. He gave up drugs, cut off contact with his old friends and got a job in his fathers business. He even began showing interest in the House again, although with not as much vigour as his parents did.

As time went on and Somchai continued grovelling for his families forgiveness, his father began to groom him to take over the family business and inducting him into the world of the House. He met members of other families within his house and began following in his fathers footsteps. When it was discovered members of the Asian Zodiac Houses were disappearing, Somchai immediately waved it off as coincidental but the rest of Jainukuls took a different view. Along with a minority of other families, they took the threat seriously and began investigating it.

With the invitation to Beijing from the Four Pillars, Somchai was nominated by a small group of Phaya Naga families to act as an ambassador for the entire house. This was a controversial decision, as a majority of the House of Snakes still refuses to recognise that there is a problem and denied the invitation altogether. The families that were concerned listened to the advice of the Jainukuls and Somchai, secretly quite unhappy with the decision yet eager for his fathers praise, agreed to go.

Notes on House:
The House of the Snake, often referred to as the Phaya Naga by its members, is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand and has been present in modern-day Thailand for over a thousand years. However, to call the Phaya Naga a house like others across Asia would be a stretch. Rather than a strict hierarchy or set of laws placed on its members, the House of the Snake is actually a large group of loosely affiliated families from across Thailand. The families within the Phaya Naga stay wary of each other and only interact with each other in times of distress. No form of authority exists in the House of Snake but the families share ideals and traits that bind them together.

A vow of secrecy is actively encouraged by many families in the Phaya Naga, who believe its key to their continued survival in Thai society. In the past, non-House members of society took a hard approach to the Snakes and attempted to wipe out the "cult". Their attempts were quite successful, which led to the old Central Council breaking down and the families fading into obscurity. As such, most Snakes are unaware of other members within the house outside of their own families. Some families take an extreme vow of secrecy and never meet other members of the House, believing to do so would compromise their safety but most families have some kind of limited contact with other. Many Snake families treat each other with suspicion due to this vow of secrecy and the rare meetings between families are stiff, tense affairs that some families boycott altogether. This vow of secrecy means that in the case of a massacre against the House, it would be extremely hard to extract information as to the whereabouts of other members and it's a popular idea among the house.

Due to the vow of secrecy and the lack of central authority, many families enjoy a rich sense of independence not found in other houses. You can find Phaya Naga in all layers of Thai society, from the lowliest rice farmers to the richest landowners to the worst of criminals. Its even rumoured that advisors to the King of Thailand himself are members of the House of Snake. The Phaya Naga are against attempts to form any kind of authority in the House, as has happened several times in the past, for they have come to distrust authority. Although, it's been known that several families in close vicinity will co-operate together on issues facing them, especially in urban areas.

The House of the Snake are not taking the threats or invitations very seriously. Despite several prominent members of the House going missing, many refuse to recognise there is a problem and believe the threats made against their house are hollow. Only a minority of families are taking the culprit seriously.

Views of the Other Houses:
The House of the Snake takes an apathetic or weary view of the other houses in Asia. It is generally accepted that other houses are just myths or that they died out long ago. Opinions differ between families and there is no common consensus on the existence of other Houses. Some members don't even believe that other Houses exist and the House of the Snake is the only house on Earth.

Somchai is naturally skeptical of the existence of other houses, believing them just to be myths or fairytales. However, Somchai's grandfather, who is well-versed in the stories of old, tells of the Snakes view of other animals and suggests Somchai follow the advice of the stories.

Spoiler

House of Rat - "The Rats are not to be trusted. Treat them like prey and they will treat you with respect. Treat them with respect and they will treat you like prey".

House of Water Buffalo - "The Water Buffalo is the Snakes closest neighbour yet we know little of their customs. Be wary with the Buffalo but know that the Buffalo is larger than the Snake."

House of Tiger - "The Tiger is as vicious as the Snake yet the Tiger holds itself with a grace that the Snake does not. Respect the Tigers claws and it will respect the Snakes venom.

House of Rabbit - "The Rabbit holds itself as a higher being than the Snake and the Snake does not respect arrogance. The Rabbit can act before the Snake but its purity is its downfall".

House of Dragon - "The Dragon is the Snakes closest relative. But the Dragon is larger than the Snake and often will not see the Snake until it's too late. If you must act against the Dragon, do so quietly and quickly, for it the Dragons breath is more dangerous than the Snakes venom."

House of Horse - "The Horse is a powerful, untamed force. It is unpredictable and the Snake must be watchful for its hooves, for the Horse can act without thinking".

House of Sheep - "The Sheep is easily influenced and weak but the Snake has little interest in the Sheep, unless it seeks to harm the Snake. Treat the Sheep well but be careful of its shepherd."

House of Monkey - "The Monkey can seem harmless but be watchful when it shows its teeth, for it is far more intelligent than the Snake."

House of Rooster - "The Rooster holds itself high and can be loud about its own opinion. The Snake should not try to influence the Rooster, for it will refuse to hold its tongue when the sun rises."

House of Dog - "The Dog travels far to meet with its pack. The Snake should treat the Dog with courtesy but be aware of who it's master is".

House of Pig - "The Pig is fattened with luck but will believe the lies whispered by the Snakes enemies faster than anyone else. The Pig is easily distracted by mud and this is its greatest weakness".

House of Cat - "The Cat is a respected animal by the Snake, for it is fast with its claws and ruthless in its ways. The Cat is easy to trust but act with the Cat with care, for it holds it own needs above the Snakes".

Appearance:
Picture

Somchai is a thin man, standing at five foot 8 inches and standing at a modest eleven stone. As a teenager and young man, he wore clothing that emulated Mexican esses and covered his body in Spanish tattoos, which he now hides with embarrassment. Now that he is older, he tries to dress with a bit more class and has grown his hair out. Despite having grown out of his partying/Thai esse phase, he still likes to think of himself as a dangerous man, albeit a well-dressed one. He is a relatively handsome young man but he has a fiery personality, which has put off most women and has led to his bachelor lifestyle. He is of Thai Chinese descent and is often said to look more Chinese than Thai. However, he speaks poor Mandarin and is only fluent in Thai.

 

[firejay1]

I love how he nicknamed the guy the zodiac killer! Though he hasn't killed anyone. Hahah. I also think it's cool how you decided to structure the Snake House, and that you used the proper language to refer to it. XDXD luvin it. The only thing I have any problem with is saying that the snakes have not been hit as hard, as each of the houses should have about the same number of missing members. The other thing is that there have been no Inter-House Summits or House Wars or anything like that. As far as the families have existed, there has actually been no record of them even coming into contact with each other (or at least, that's how I've been planning it), so it is a bit odd that they should be so paranoid. I probably should've mentioned that before, though, and that's no fault of yours for not knowing.

Please note that you will have to repost your CS once I have the OOC and S/U up.

 

[Chapatrap]

Are the houses aware of each other but have never made contact or do they just think other house don't exist? If so, would our characters be going into this conference blind or will they be aware of stereotypes of different houses? Is it okay to say that the rest of the House of Snakes refuses to recognise there is any problem, despite all these members disappearing?

Doing some editing now. :)