Jason Conifer Simple
Sept 12, 2011 19:27:11 GMT -5
Post by Jason Simple on Sept 12, 2011 19:27:11 GMT -5
[/font][/blockquote]Tell us who you are...
Name: Jason Conifer SimpleAKA: Jace, Magneto
Age: Twenty-Four
Orientation: Heterosexual.
Affiliation: Teacher, P.E. Teacher.
Gift: Magnetism.
Jace sticks to metal. Either it goes to him or he goes to it. He can also reverse polarization to make metal go away from him.
Play-By: Liam HemsworthMay I ask your story...?
[/i]First video: How be ye?
"Hey," we hear a rough, quiet male voice coming from the video. There is a finger tapping the camera lens. "Is this thing on?" He moves his finger away to reveal a smiling face with dark blonde, curly-wavy hair and deep blue eyes. His face is what would be counted as "attractive" although he looks a little awkward in his own skin, and he appears to about 5'10" in height, wiry at this time, like he hasn't quite grown into his being. He sits in a beaten old office chair, the kind with wheels and rotating action, in a room that is nearly deadly neat but for a pile of dirty clothing and a stack of comic books, novels, movies, and CDs. There are no posters or pictures or marks on the wall. His bed is made like a maid has done it, although the sheets look old, wrinkled and unwashed.
"Well," He says, looking at the camera like somebody's looking at him right then. "I guess we'll start with the basics. My name's Jason Conifer Simple--you can just call me Jace, everybody else does. Two things, right here: if you're going to look for me on Facebook, don't bother. Even if I had a Facebook account anymore, it wouldn't be under my real name. The second thing is that if you just asked why my middle name is Conifer, like a tree, then you're welcome to stay here. If you just asked why my middle name is a tree and not my first name, then please stop watching this instant, because I do not need my mom's hippie friends watching my video journal." His face is completely serious, his eyes level and not showing a hint of humor. The video glitches, and for a moment we see nothing but that shot, although he's continued talking. When it clears, we see him seated, leaning back in his ragged office chair and clicking a pen lazily.
"I'm either a Leo, Scorpio, or Virgo, one of the ones ending in an 'O' sound. We're not entirely sure which month I was born, since the hospital's still out on whether it's all right to give us my birth certificate. My mom lost mine in those first few years of my cute little life, and she doesn't have the best memory in the world. Me and Leon think she may have partied a little too hard in her twenties, if you know what I mean. She can hardly remember the glasses she wears on her face half the time or more." A fond chuckle here. "And yet she remembers the weird things like my favorite food, and that I was born in New York. Like, The City, baby." He makes a motion like he's accepting applause, a little waving of the hands and nodding of his head.
"And yet," He says after a pause, settling so that he's leaning his head on one hand, his elbow rested on the desk. "We somehow ended up in Salt Lake City by the time I was three. Mom met a cop named Leon, and, skipping the boring details of courtship and fairytale ending, I have had a stepdad since I was six. Of course I was not made ring bearer. No, I was Petal Boy." He looks directly at the viewer, grimacing blankly. "The entire family is made up of me, mom--Miz Sandra Morales--and Leon Morales. Leon's cool, if a little overprotective and in-my-biz, and I really appreciate someone keeping my mom sane and out of trouble." He grins into space, like there's some joke out there that he just heard for the hundredth time, but it's still amusing to him. "And if you're wondering, I've got the last name Simple because that's what I've always been, and mom didn't want to change that, or something. You'd have to ask her about that."
"Oh, shoot." He says, snapping to attention. "This was supposed to be an introductory vid. Um. So. I know a crap ton of Martial Art forms, I play guitar, I prefer dogs to cats, I'm sort of... Socially awkward sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. I mean, I can act all full of myself, and super confident, but I'm an explosion of excitement waiting to happen." He makes a motion with his hands to emphasize this, like an explosion radiating out from his head.
The video ends on him leaning back in his chair again.
Second video: As to Qs.
We see Jace again, his hair just slightly more mussed now, maybe a little longer. His room is cleaner than before, but the CD stack is still in its spot, and is taller than the time before. At first he's concentrating on the computer screen, then he looks up and smiles at the camera. "Got it working." He says triumphantly. "I'm sure I'll get it down by the next video, but for now let's get on with this one." He leans back in the chair, which now has silver duct tape wrapped around part of it, and lifts up a handful of lined note-cards. "These are questions from last... month's video. To be answered in this month's video. Try to curb your enthusiasm."
He squares his shoulders. "Okay. First question. 'Why are you such a mama's boy?'" He pauses, then looks directly into the camera, his face serious, his eyebrows raised. "I'm"--air quotes here--"'Such a Mama's Boy' because I freaking love my mother. If it weren't for her, who the hell knows where I would be? Either nonexistent, on the streets, or killed by now. Respect your mother, because I bet the same goes for you." He relaxes some, looking to the next note-card. "Next question."
"'How many fighting styles do you know, and how long have you been taking any of them?'" He looks at the camera again, his eyebrow raised. "You apparently saw me at the dojo. Anyway, I know five. I know, a lot for a kid sitting in this chair, but Leon makes sure mom and I are taken care of. The styles I know are Tahtib, which is Egyptian stick-fighting, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Capoeira, American Karate, and Tae-Kwon-Do. Look those up on wikipedia, because I don't have the patience to explain them, and at the moment I'm not a master in any of them, but I'm getting close in TKD. I've been taking that since just after mom and Leon got married. The others have been added since."
He looks through the rest of the cards, then throws them all away behind him. "All the rest of these are boring or too personal or just plain stalker-y. So that's where we're ending this one."
The video ends.
Third video: This is freaky?
The boy is older here. It's been half a year since the last video, strangely enough, and he's filled out, just a bit. He looks stressed, and his blonde waves are in desperate need of a good trimming. And brushing. He runs his hands through his hair, then looks at the camera. "So, I think I've gone crazy. For one thing, I'm pretty sure there's a fork stuck to my back right now. Literally. I'll show you in a second, but first I've gotta tell you what's up and how the hell this happened."
"So I'm not a morning person. So when I wake up this morning, it's pretty much like every morning, and I'm half-asleep and just going around on auto-pilot. I get dressed, pour my cereal, and go to get the milk. And my forearm sticks to the refrigerator for a second. I thought, I must be still dreaming, and I kept going. But then I was checking my cell phone, taking a shortcut through the gym like the other half of the student population at school, and I got bumped, and it went through a door that then shut. I followed it without looking at the door to see what it was, idiot that I am, and I picked it up. Then when I went to leave I, like, feel something pulling at me, it's insane, and I just get pulled back, into a locker. On top of my claustrophobia acting up and making it hard to breathe like it does, my arms and legs are stuck to the walls of the locker. And it sucks, because then the bell rings right as I call for help the one time I can manage, and that means nobody's gonna stop to help the kid in a locker. Plus, the gym'll be empty soon, because fourth period is the one on Thursdays when there's no gym. Lucky me.
"And then, after a while, about three minutes after I've given up, the bell rings that means that I've finally got someone coming to save me. And what do you know, a bunch of girls start coming in, which means this: I look like a total freaking perv hiding in a locker in the girl's locker room. And what's worse? after they've been changing, and I swear I wasn't looking, my cell phone, which stuck to my arm when I got yanked in, decides to drop right then, so the girl closest opens the locker door and freaking screams. And of course right then my arms and legs get unstuck and I fall out, and I have to run with my eyes closed because there are girls throwing things at me. And thank god that it was the closest locker to the door, because otherwise, I wouldn't have made it to the gym. But then, I made it to the gym. Who wants to be a dude running out of the girl's locker room into the middle of gym, with guys already out in the room? Not me, I can tell you that." He has been standing this whole time, and now he collapses into the chair. "Ow."
He pulls a spork from his back, holding it out and examining it with a bored expression. "My school has metal sporks. I'd like to know where they got them, but I never asked."
"Anyway," He sets down the spork. "I've got unexplained detention tomorrow and all Saturday. I think that mom's gonna freak, and demand she be told what's happening, but nobody really knows. I should sign off." He reaches towards the computer.
The video ends.
Fourth video: Maybe it'll work?
He's about the same as he was in the last video. He's gotten the much-needed haircut, probably from his mother, and he's grinning widely. He's in a new room, but it looks exactly as clean and unlived-in as his old room.
"Okay." He says, seeming a little irritated. "I tried to tell you guys all this awesome stuff that's been happening, but the internet won't let me post any of these videos. Let's see if this one works." He takes a breath, a grin spreading across his face. "I'm not crazy. I think that's all I can tell you, though. That and I can say that I'm at an awesome new boarding school, and not the kind you get sent to for lighting someone on fire. I've been here about two weeks, and all that's really happened is that my computer's busted, so I had to get a new one. I was told by the repair guy that sometimes if you put a particularly strong refrigerator magnet in the wrong spot, you can mess with the gears and circuits enough to do serious damage." He laughs. "I guess it could happen again, I dunno."
He glances in the direction of his door, and says, "That's gonna be my roommate. I should go."
The video ends.
Fifth video: What hell is like, I'm sure.
It's been a long time since his last video-- a year. He's filled out nicely, his broad shoulders and muscular build keeping him from looking as wiry and lanky as before. He's now at his full height, 5'11", and his shirt clings nicely to his form. He's standing, and he now pulls up a chair and collapses into it. He looks tired, and he runs his hands over his face. "Hey guys." He sighs, finally looking at the camera. "So, I need to ask you for something. Pray for my mom, okay? I don't care if you're not religious--I'm not either. Just... think positive thoughts, pray, meditate, whatever." He takes a breath, and looks away, resting his head on his hand.
Ever since my mom got together with Leon, she's been trying to have another kid. Every few years, she gets pregnant, and everybody's happy and stuff, right? Well, the doctors say that mom's got something... wrong. Every time she tries to have a kid, she miscarries within the first few months. And then... every time, it just breaks her a little more, and this time I can't be there to help her through, and even though she's got Leon there, I can't help but think that it would be so much easier for her if I was there." He's very close to crying, and he hurries to finish before tears can fall, his voice much rougher than usual.
"So, pray. You know what I mean." He hesitates. "Please."
With a tear falling down his face, the video ends.
Sixth video: I've just seen a face!
It's been another half a year. There's a song playing, and Jace appears on the screen, playing it on his guitar, a wide grin on his face.
I've just seen a face,
I can't forget the time or place
Where we just met
She's just the girl for me
And I want all the world to see
We've met, mmm-mmm-mmm-m'mmm-mmm
Had it been another day
I might have looked the other way
And I'd have never been aware
But as it is I'll dream of her
Tonight, di-di-di-di'n'di
Falling, yes I am falling,
And she keeps calling
Me back again.
He stops playing with a flourish, and he bows, then sets the guitar down. "I know," He says. "I suck at singing." Which is true, as he had gone badly off-key in several places, although the guitar work was decent. "But I had to say that. We're just friends, but she's awesome." He goes to end the video, but pauses.
"And thanks for the prayers, guys. Mom's doing good."
The video ends on his smile.
Twelfth Video: Graduation!!!
It's been a year or so, maybe a little longer, since the last video, and he's been keeping up with major events in his life so far. He's 18 now, has a smile, and a graduation cap in his hand.
"So, guess who made the grade and passed everything? Oh, wait, this is one of those things made painfully obvious by the item in my hand--BAM!" He holds up the cream-colored cap and grins past the obstruction, which is taking up most of the screen. Then he puts it down, his face becoming a bit more serious. "I think the saddest part about all of this is that mom can't go on planes, and Leon couldn't get off enough time to drive, so... Nobody was there to be cheering or videotaping. Except, of course, my girlfriend Andi. Well, I guess girlfriend's not the right word, but it's the word that exists in the English language for what we are status-wise at this point in time." His face brightens again. "And all that's gonna change for the better. I'm gong to ask her--well, she might find this and watch it before tonight, so I can't say just yet, but I'll be sure to tell you how this all goes." He grins widely, then reaches over to the cumputer to shut off the camera. "Just thought I'd update y'all. Gonna go now. I've got a date with my girl." The wide grin he had was not the last image this time, instead him standing and stepping away from the desk with the cap still there, headed to grab something from his nightstand, and placed the small black object in his pocket.
Thirteenth video: So this is what the author meant by "sharp sting of rejection
He's leaning back in the chair in his little dorm room, a packed and closed suitcase on the bed behind him, staring blankly at the camera. He keeps opening his mouth to speak, then shutting it as if he'd thought better of what he's about to say. Finally, something comes out of his mouth. "So I asked my girl to marry me last night, on our date. To move into an apartment with me, get married, and raise a proper family together at some point. You know, all the things people generally want out of life." He shifts, the chair rights itself with a muted thud as he stops leaning back and leans towards the camera. "You know what happened when I told her that she's the one damn person I'll ever love? She said no. I made her keep the ring, though. It's like my heart. It was meant to belong to her whether she wanted it or not."
He sighs, looking down. "At least one good thing came out of my complete torment and heartbreak. Today I have to go back... home, I guess. Mom needs me to be there for a bit, and I got accepted into college there, so I'll be taking some basic courses and hanging around home for the next year or two. Maybe more. Anyway, I won't be here for Andi to remind me of my horrible failure, but the things I'll be doing back home require a lot of time, so I'll likely not update this again. So I guess... I'll see you guys when I have time."
He waves, and then reaches over to shut off the camera.
From: jasonsimplekom@yahoo.com
To: jennyjameson@stgertrude.edu
Subject: Got a second?
September 15th, 2011 at 4:55 PM:
Jen,
Remember how you said you owe me one? I was thinking I'd call in that favor.
I need a job, and you need a gym teacher. Don't deny it, I know you do. Coach Lassimer totally just quit and everyone's talking about it. And you know I've got experience with this stuff, and I've been teaching martial arts and self-defense classes to kids in Salt Lake City. So, what do you say, Jenjam?
--Jace
From: jennyjameson@stgertrude.edu
To: jasonsimplekom@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Got a second?
September 15th, 2011 at 5:07 PM:
Jason,
Don't call me Jenjam. If you're going to work for me I expect you to call me Jennifer or Miss Jameson.
How soon can you start?
---
Jennifer Jameson, Acting Headmistress of Saint Gertrude Academy
From: jasonsimplekom@yahoo.com
To: jennyjameson@stgertrude.edu
Subject: Re: Got a second?
September 15th, 2011 at 5:19 PM:
Well, I'm actually just getting off the plane. So barring today I can start whenever you'd like. I'll be at the main office on Saturday to pick up all the paperwork.
--Jace[/size][/blockquote]
[/blockquote][/blockquote]
And the Puppetmaster is...
Name: Ysa
Experience: Mmm. Life?
How you got here: I snapped my fingers and appeared.
Are you ready? Is "duh" an appropriate answer?
Skills. Show them.
Ysa points to Reece.
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