Bastien / Holly Day
Aug. 6th, 2014 09:34 pmOUT of CHARACTER
Name: Wes
Other characters: Starkiller (D3), Elsa of Arendelle (D9), Bro Strider (D6)
IN CHARACTER
Name: Bastien Day / Holly Day
Fandom: Hunger Games OC
Canon point/AU: Current timeline
Journal:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
delightable
PB: Benjamin Putnam/Ben Delacreme
History: Growing up, in hindsight, was probably not as bad as Bastien felt it was for much of his life. He never came from an awful, abusive, or broken home. The biggest problem he faced was busy parents. With two busy parents who spent more time working and socializing than they did at home, Bastien never really got as much attention as he craved- and he's someone who craves a lot of attention. His parents were always the type to get heavily invested in the Games, so whenever they would come around, they would be extra busy, going to parties, sponsoring tributes and the like. Despite that, he never really went without anything he needed or wanted, so as mentioned, in hindsight he realizes he never had a bad upbringing and that a lot of it was a mental thing.
But boy did he feel a fair bit of resentment and depression during his younger years, because as an only child, he wanted more attention that what he got. As a Capitol citizen, where fashion is extreme and neon colors are the norm, it's hard to particularly stand out, even as a guy. But he tried, and eventually he was introduced to the life of drag, in his quest to find something to set him apart and gain attention from his family. What he didn't expect was that he would find a new family. Getting into the drag scene was exactly what he needed in order to find his place in the world, where he fit in and where he had people who loved and cared about him. It was his early days there that he developed his drag persona, Holly. She was everything he couldn't be- loud, cheerful, and had all of the friends.
Overall, it was the best thing to happen. It lead to attention and support from his family, and an even larger one at the clubs that he could relate to on a personal level. It also lead to him discovering his enjoyment of performing. Lip syncing and acting skits became the norm for him, and he met lots of wonderful and amazing people, and became pretty well known in the drag scene. Over time, Holly's persona sort of seeped in and he found himself happier while living as Bastien, too.
Of course, all throughout this, the Games were always a thing. As mentioned, Bastien's parents were always pro-Games and pro-Capitol, so Bastien was surrounded by it a lot. Like most people, he found that he got invested in all of it, too. His heart went out to the tributes that he found himself identifying with and growing fond of. He laughed with them, cried with them, and cheered for whichever victor happened to make it out each year. It was only after being Holly for a few years that he started thinking that maybe he could make a difference. He didn't have to live his life just watching it all unfold, he could be a part of it, in some way or another. And Holly Day seemed like the perfect person to help make people's lives better. For the longest time, she was conflicted over whether she wanted to be a stylist, or an escort. She could beat a good face and even learned to sew some really nice garments from a few of the queens, but the decision was a difficult one, because each had its own set of perks and privileges.
In the end, the allure of being an escort won out, so that was how he ended up pursuing the desire to become one, with dreams of helping them, sponsoring them, and making their lives better, even if just for a little while. It was due to her parents pulling a few strings that she finally landed herself in the position of District 10's escort; it seems her parents' schmoozing paid off, all things considered. While District 10 wasn't her first choice, she found there was something charming about it all its own- even if animals weren't really her thing. The position was a lot more difficult than she ever could have imagined, both physically as well as emotionally. As it turned out, getting to know tributes personally made it even harder- something she ought to have foreseen, but didn't. She formed attachments and found herself doing whatever she could to make their lives better for the short time she could. On the occasion she got herself a victor, she was ecstatic beyond belief.
But when the formula changed and suddenly off-world tributes became a thing, perhaps selfishly Holly was happy. While her heart went out to those plucked from their home, and she sympathized with them a great deal, it also meant the end of the suffering for the kids each year from the various districts. During her time as an escort, she grew to feel displeased with their treatment and the idea of sending child after child to die the way they have been- but of course, fear kept her from speaking out against it. In the grand scheme of things, her loyalty is with those tributes and citizens that are from her own world, from Panem, and having people take their place and die for them is much better than watching her children die permanently year after year. Despite that, she does whatever she can for the off-worlders, too, because they deserve the same kindness she showed her Panem tributes.
Presentation:
The first thing that anyone notices about Holly is that she's so sweet, sugar wouldn't melt in her mouth. While it’s true that most Capitolites tend to be a little manic, Holly takes it up a couple of notches. She's cheerful and exuberant, rarely showing anything other than happiness. When she walks into a room, everyone develops a cavity. She does it because she wants to spread cheer to other people and make them happy. In a way, Holly lives for other people in that she enjoys bettering their life and making them smile, so she puts on a chipper personality in order to try and make other people happier, because it makes her feel happy and fulfilled in turn.
From a conversation or two with her, it should become obvious that she really cares about her tributes, as well as people in general. She listens, she gets to know people if they let her, and she always tries to offer advice or help where she can. You never get the sense that she's bored, or doesn't care about what you're saying when you talk to her, and it's very much because she isn't. She has a big heart and enough love to go around for everyone.
Holly is also a bit of an actress in that she's willing to try and be whatever the moment calls for, from ditzy and smart to anything in between. She definitely isn't dumb, but she won't hesitate to dumb herself down for the sake of a joke or a cute one-liner. With a few years of experience putting on shows in the Capitol drag bars, Holly isn't new to entertaining and putting on a show is something she loves to do. From her years working in the bars and being surrounded by that type of environment, she's developed a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor that comes out every now and then, though it tends to be a bit self-depreciative and aimed at herself more than anyone else.
Out of drag, Holly- or Bastien, as he's known, is a rather different creature. Given that Holly is a persona created to be the person he can't always be himself, the two differ quite a bit, though over the years Bastien has taken bits and pieces of Holly and incorporated her into his life as well. Bastien is not nearly as loud as Holly, nor as cheerful. Where Holly takes things up to ten, Bastien is more a mellow five. He's still an extremely friendly person and fun to be around, but he doesn't go to extremes the way Holly does.
A trait the two of them share is that they are both very emotional, and not very good at hiding it, in or out of drag. To an extent, in drag she can hide it behind the façade of cheer and happiness, but if something truly upsets or bothers her, then it can be pretty crippling. She's been known to break down crying, even in front of people, without being able to stop herself. Of course she finds it embarrassing, but it's hard when you witness someone you're fond of die, or suffering in a way that you can't prevent. She grows very attached to people, so it's hard for her to handle sometimes.
Motivations: A lot of who Holly is stems from her upbringing, because for a large chunk of his childhood and teenage years, he wasn't the happiest of people due to loneliness. It took getting into drag, where he had people who loved him and paid attention to him that he really started shining. The persona of Holly was initially created to be the person that he didn't feel like he could be. Over time, living as Holly allowed him to take aspects of her and apply them to himself and become a much happier person.
There are times when he still struggles with himself, though. You'll never know it, because it isn't a side that he wants to let people in on, but he has a lot of abandonment issues. He's terrified of losing the people he loves and he's terrified of going back to the loneliness he felt so often as a kid. He's very protective of the people he's close to and selfless to a fault. You could ask the world of him and he would do whatever he could to do it, as long as it's in his power to do it.
On the subject of the Games and the Capitol, Bastien has a lot of conflicting feelings. On one hand, a lot of what the Capitol does upsets him a lot. It pains him to see people put in awful situations over and over. It's another of the motivating factors in Bastien becoming an escort, so that he could try and make people's lives better. It was harder, in the beginning before off-world tributes were a thing, because she would grow attached to them and watch them die. It's a little easier for her in a selfish sort of way nowthat they usually come back, because it means her Panem tributes don't suffer anymore. But despite that, she still cares deeply for them and tries to do whatever she can for them.
But on the other hand, he can't imagine trying to defy the Capitol. It isn't that he's particularly loyal to them, but fear is a big part of why he avoids doing anything that would upset the Capitol. There have been times where she wishes she could change things, but after seeing everything the Capitol is capable of, she wouldn't dare. The last thing she wants is to put anyone she cares about in danger, and defying the Capitol would be a surefire way of putting people in danger. All in all, Holly's loyalty is primarily with her friends and family- which puts her squarely loyal with the Capitol, because speaking out against them will end badly for those she loves.
Setting: Panem AU so N/A
SAMPLES
First Person Thread:
[Oh, well. Crap. The little namedrop comes as a complete surprise to Holly- and not a good one, at that. As someone who tries not to talk about things like this, for fear of saying the wrong thing or making herself sound like disagrees with things, it's somewhat of a slap in the face to be expected quite suddenly to express an opinion, and in front of a lot of people, too. But she won't let discomfort show.
With a small cough, she grins a grin that could light up the Capitol.]
Well, it's all very exciting, isn't it? [She sounds genuinely excited when she says this.] Of course, the boys and girls in each of the districts are lovely and unique people, y'know? But it's so exciting to meet the new tributes! [What she won't say is that she's come to feel grateful towards them- they prevent the death of more District children.] I love talking to them, it never gets old!
[All of a sudden, she's perking up a little more, like she's just thought of something juicy.] Oh, and the romance! These ones are so much more prone to romance than the district kids used to be! I just love it. It makes it all so much sadder!
[Sad is an understatement. She gets much more invested in them than she'll ever let on. Even though there's a lot she disagrees with or at least wishes she could change, true to Capitol fashion, she gets just as into the Games as anyone.]
So, yes. That's what I think. It's so much more fun this way. [Now let's change the subject.] Oh, but your hair is lovely- who did it?
Prose:
Holly's stomach slowly sinking as she's lead along by the peacekeepers. She hadn't even had time to do anything- they'd been quite insistent. "Where are we going?" she asks, but it earns her a bit of a rough nudge and she shuts up after that, fear overtaking her completely. The Capitol isn't a force she has any confidence to defy, and she isn't going to try.
Her stomach drops completely when she's pushed into the room and she finds herself in front of the Gamemakers. This is the kind of thing that nightmares are made of- only the intense, crippling fear is very real and not something dreamed up in her sleep. Holly, with a slightly shaking hand, brushes black bangs out of her eyes and stares up at them with wide eyes. "Hi, hi!" she blurts out, using every ounce of will to force her usual cheer for them. All the while, she's trying to figure out why she could possibly be here.
It doesn't take long for it to dawn on her. It had been a normal night at the club, unwinding from a long day, when all of a sudden peacekeepers had burst in and apprehended the suspects that had been on the run. Is she under suspicion for that? Is she here because they've decided to punish her for something she didn't do? Or did she do something else, without even realizing it? You can never tell with the Capitol, and she knows that. But the finding the criminals in the drag club at least seems like a logical reason.
"Um… If this is about those criminals in the- in the, uh, drag bar?" she says, her nerves getting the better of her as she stutters out her words. She's never been the best under pressure, especially when it comes to potentially getting punished for things. "Funny thing about that- I had no idea they were there!" And it's true, she had no idea, and she's trying to make it sound sincere, which is hard because she knows she sounds terrified. "I would never do something like that, you have to know that." Her record is absolutely spotless, and she's always come across pro-Capitol, so that has to help in her favor, right?
She fidgets with one of her bracelets, fist clenching a little. "But- well, I mean. While I'm here, I can show you how to beat a face like nobody's business, haha." She beams at them, and moves over to one of the training dummies. In the end, her version of beating a face isn't quite what one would expect; instead, she just draws a heavily made up face onto one of the training dummies.
God, she hopes she's managed to talk herself out of this, or at least show that she's very much not cut out for arenas. Or jail.
What is your character scored: A high 2. Maybe 3 if she's lucky.
Additional information:
Hunger Games AU and OC: Holly is a 28 year old drag queen from the Capitol and the escort for District 10. Her feelings on the Capitol fall on the conflicted end of the spectrum, but she's loyal to the Capitol through fear. There's a lot about the Capitol she enjoys, like the ability to get to know new and interesting people. So for the most part, she's… content. Content is a good word to describe her.
Name: Wes
Other characters: Starkiller (D3), Elsa of Arendelle (D9), Bro Strider (D6)
IN CHARACTER
Name: Bastien Day / Holly Day
Fandom: Hunger Games OC
Canon point/AU: Current timeline
Journal:
delightablePB: Benjamin Putnam/Ben Delacreme
History: Growing up, in hindsight, was probably not as bad as Bastien felt it was for much of his life. He never came from an awful, abusive, or broken home. The biggest problem he faced was busy parents. With two busy parents who spent more time working and socializing than they did at home, Bastien never really got as much attention as he craved- and he's someone who craves a lot of attention. His parents were always the type to get heavily invested in the Games, so whenever they would come around, they would be extra busy, going to parties, sponsoring tributes and the like. Despite that, he never really went without anything he needed or wanted, so as mentioned, in hindsight he realizes he never had a bad upbringing and that a lot of it was a mental thing.
But boy did he feel a fair bit of resentment and depression during his younger years, because as an only child, he wanted more attention that what he got. As a Capitol citizen, where fashion is extreme and neon colors are the norm, it's hard to particularly stand out, even as a guy. But he tried, and eventually he was introduced to the life of drag, in his quest to find something to set him apart and gain attention from his family. What he didn't expect was that he would find a new family. Getting into the drag scene was exactly what he needed in order to find his place in the world, where he fit in and where he had people who loved and cared about him. It was his early days there that he developed his drag persona, Holly. She was everything he couldn't be- loud, cheerful, and had all of the friends.
Overall, it was the best thing to happen. It lead to attention and support from his family, and an even larger one at the clubs that he could relate to on a personal level. It also lead to him discovering his enjoyment of performing. Lip syncing and acting skits became the norm for him, and he met lots of wonderful and amazing people, and became pretty well known in the drag scene. Over time, Holly's persona sort of seeped in and he found himself happier while living as Bastien, too.
Of course, all throughout this, the Games were always a thing. As mentioned, Bastien's parents were always pro-Games and pro-Capitol, so Bastien was surrounded by it a lot. Like most people, he found that he got invested in all of it, too. His heart went out to the tributes that he found himself identifying with and growing fond of. He laughed with them, cried with them, and cheered for whichever victor happened to make it out each year. It was only after being Holly for a few years that he started thinking that maybe he could make a difference. He didn't have to live his life just watching it all unfold, he could be a part of it, in some way or another. And Holly Day seemed like the perfect person to help make people's lives better. For the longest time, she was conflicted over whether she wanted to be a stylist, or an escort. She could beat a good face and even learned to sew some really nice garments from a few of the queens, but the decision was a difficult one, because each had its own set of perks and privileges.
In the end, the allure of being an escort won out, so that was how he ended up pursuing the desire to become one, with dreams of helping them, sponsoring them, and making their lives better, even if just for a little while. It was due to her parents pulling a few strings that she finally landed herself in the position of District 10's escort; it seems her parents' schmoozing paid off, all things considered. While District 10 wasn't her first choice, she found there was something charming about it all its own- even if animals weren't really her thing. The position was a lot more difficult than she ever could have imagined, both physically as well as emotionally. As it turned out, getting to know tributes personally made it even harder- something she ought to have foreseen, but didn't. She formed attachments and found herself doing whatever she could to make their lives better for the short time she could. On the occasion she got herself a victor, she was ecstatic beyond belief.
But when the formula changed and suddenly off-world tributes became a thing, perhaps selfishly Holly was happy. While her heart went out to those plucked from their home, and she sympathized with them a great deal, it also meant the end of the suffering for the kids each year from the various districts. During her time as an escort, she grew to feel displeased with their treatment and the idea of sending child after child to die the way they have been- but of course, fear kept her from speaking out against it. In the grand scheme of things, her loyalty is with those tributes and citizens that are from her own world, from Panem, and having people take their place and die for them is much better than watching her children die permanently year after year. Despite that, she does whatever she can for the off-worlders, too, because they deserve the same kindness she showed her Panem tributes.
Presentation:
The first thing that anyone notices about Holly is that she's so sweet, sugar wouldn't melt in her mouth. While it’s true that most Capitolites tend to be a little manic, Holly takes it up a couple of notches. She's cheerful and exuberant, rarely showing anything other than happiness. When she walks into a room, everyone develops a cavity. She does it because she wants to spread cheer to other people and make them happy. In a way, Holly lives for other people in that she enjoys bettering their life and making them smile, so she puts on a chipper personality in order to try and make other people happier, because it makes her feel happy and fulfilled in turn.
From a conversation or two with her, it should become obvious that she really cares about her tributes, as well as people in general. She listens, she gets to know people if they let her, and she always tries to offer advice or help where she can. You never get the sense that she's bored, or doesn't care about what you're saying when you talk to her, and it's very much because she isn't. She has a big heart and enough love to go around for everyone.
Holly is also a bit of an actress in that she's willing to try and be whatever the moment calls for, from ditzy and smart to anything in between. She definitely isn't dumb, but she won't hesitate to dumb herself down for the sake of a joke or a cute one-liner. With a few years of experience putting on shows in the Capitol drag bars, Holly isn't new to entertaining and putting on a show is something she loves to do. From her years working in the bars and being surrounded by that type of environment, she's developed a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor that comes out every now and then, though it tends to be a bit self-depreciative and aimed at herself more than anyone else.
Out of drag, Holly- or Bastien, as he's known, is a rather different creature. Given that Holly is a persona created to be the person he can't always be himself, the two differ quite a bit, though over the years Bastien has taken bits and pieces of Holly and incorporated her into his life as well. Bastien is not nearly as loud as Holly, nor as cheerful. Where Holly takes things up to ten, Bastien is more a mellow five. He's still an extremely friendly person and fun to be around, but he doesn't go to extremes the way Holly does.
A trait the two of them share is that they are both very emotional, and not very good at hiding it, in or out of drag. To an extent, in drag she can hide it behind the façade of cheer and happiness, but if something truly upsets or bothers her, then it can be pretty crippling. She's been known to break down crying, even in front of people, without being able to stop herself. Of course she finds it embarrassing, but it's hard when you witness someone you're fond of die, or suffering in a way that you can't prevent. She grows very attached to people, so it's hard for her to handle sometimes.
Motivations: A lot of who Holly is stems from her upbringing, because for a large chunk of his childhood and teenage years, he wasn't the happiest of people due to loneliness. It took getting into drag, where he had people who loved him and paid attention to him that he really started shining. The persona of Holly was initially created to be the person that he didn't feel like he could be. Over time, living as Holly allowed him to take aspects of her and apply them to himself and become a much happier person.
There are times when he still struggles with himself, though. You'll never know it, because it isn't a side that he wants to let people in on, but he has a lot of abandonment issues. He's terrified of losing the people he loves and he's terrified of going back to the loneliness he felt so often as a kid. He's very protective of the people he's close to and selfless to a fault. You could ask the world of him and he would do whatever he could to do it, as long as it's in his power to do it.
On the subject of the Games and the Capitol, Bastien has a lot of conflicting feelings. On one hand, a lot of what the Capitol does upsets him a lot. It pains him to see people put in awful situations over and over. It's another of the motivating factors in Bastien becoming an escort, so that he could try and make people's lives better. It was harder, in the beginning before off-world tributes were a thing, because she would grow attached to them and watch them die. It's a little easier for her in a selfish sort of way nowthat they usually come back, because it means her Panem tributes don't suffer anymore. But despite that, she still cares deeply for them and tries to do whatever she can for them.
But on the other hand, he can't imagine trying to defy the Capitol. It isn't that he's particularly loyal to them, but fear is a big part of why he avoids doing anything that would upset the Capitol. There have been times where she wishes she could change things, but after seeing everything the Capitol is capable of, she wouldn't dare. The last thing she wants is to put anyone she cares about in danger, and defying the Capitol would be a surefire way of putting people in danger. All in all, Holly's loyalty is primarily with her friends and family- which puts her squarely loyal with the Capitol, because speaking out against them will end badly for those she loves.
Setting: Panem AU so N/A
SAMPLES
First Person Thread:
[Oh, well. Crap. The little namedrop comes as a complete surprise to Holly- and not a good one, at that. As someone who tries not to talk about things like this, for fear of saying the wrong thing or making herself sound like disagrees with things, it's somewhat of a slap in the face to be expected quite suddenly to express an opinion, and in front of a lot of people, too. But she won't let discomfort show.
With a small cough, she grins a grin that could light up the Capitol.]
Well, it's all very exciting, isn't it? [She sounds genuinely excited when she says this.] Of course, the boys and girls in each of the districts are lovely and unique people, y'know? But it's so exciting to meet the new tributes! [What she won't say is that she's come to feel grateful towards them- they prevent the death of more District children.] I love talking to them, it never gets old!
[All of a sudden, she's perking up a little more, like she's just thought of something juicy.] Oh, and the romance! These ones are so much more prone to romance than the district kids used to be! I just love it. It makes it all so much sadder!
[Sad is an understatement. She gets much more invested in them than she'll ever let on. Even though there's a lot she disagrees with or at least wishes she could change, true to Capitol fashion, she gets just as into the Games as anyone.]
So, yes. That's what I think. It's so much more fun this way. [Now let's change the subject.] Oh, but your hair is lovely- who did it?
Prose:
Holly's stomach slowly sinking as she's lead along by the peacekeepers. She hadn't even had time to do anything- they'd been quite insistent. "Where are we going?" she asks, but it earns her a bit of a rough nudge and she shuts up after that, fear overtaking her completely. The Capitol isn't a force she has any confidence to defy, and she isn't going to try.
Her stomach drops completely when she's pushed into the room and she finds herself in front of the Gamemakers. This is the kind of thing that nightmares are made of- only the intense, crippling fear is very real and not something dreamed up in her sleep. Holly, with a slightly shaking hand, brushes black bangs out of her eyes and stares up at them with wide eyes. "Hi, hi!" she blurts out, using every ounce of will to force her usual cheer for them. All the while, she's trying to figure out why she could possibly be here.
It doesn't take long for it to dawn on her. It had been a normal night at the club, unwinding from a long day, when all of a sudden peacekeepers had burst in and apprehended the suspects that had been on the run. Is she under suspicion for that? Is she here because they've decided to punish her for something she didn't do? Or did she do something else, without even realizing it? You can never tell with the Capitol, and she knows that. But the finding the criminals in the drag club at least seems like a logical reason.
"Um… If this is about those criminals in the- in the, uh, drag bar?" she says, her nerves getting the better of her as she stutters out her words. She's never been the best under pressure, especially when it comes to potentially getting punished for things. "Funny thing about that- I had no idea they were there!" And it's true, she had no idea, and she's trying to make it sound sincere, which is hard because she knows she sounds terrified. "I would never do something like that, you have to know that." Her record is absolutely spotless, and she's always come across pro-Capitol, so that has to help in her favor, right?
She fidgets with one of her bracelets, fist clenching a little. "But- well, I mean. While I'm here, I can show you how to beat a face like nobody's business, haha." She beams at them, and moves over to one of the training dummies. In the end, her version of beating a face isn't quite what one would expect; instead, she just draws a heavily made up face onto one of the training dummies.
God, she hopes she's managed to talk herself out of this, or at least show that she's very much not cut out for arenas. Or jail.
What is your character scored: A high 2. Maybe 3 if she's lucky.
Additional information:
Hunger Games AU and OC: Holly is a 28 year old drag queen from the Capitol and the escort for District 10. Her feelings on the Capitol fall on the conflicted end of the spectrum, but she's loyal to the Capitol through fear. There's a lot about the Capitol she enjoys, like the ability to get to know new and interesting people. So for the most part, she's… content. Content is a good word to describe her.
