APPLICATION

OOC

NAME: Joy
AGE: +18
CONTACT: kanetsugu or cauldroned@discord
CHARACTER(S): none

IC

NAME: Deuce Spade
AGE: 16
CANON: Twisted Wonderland
CANON POINT: Book 7 after Malleus puts everyone to sleep
CRAU: no
OTHER: I tend to default to the terms used in the game's English Translation for simplicity.

SUITABILITY: Deuce isn't the kind of guy to back down from a challenge, even if it's one he dislikes. He'll also want to try and earn his way home if at all possible since he has goals back there and doesn't want to abandon his Mom. He's a profoundly determined guy, so he'll do what it takes to achieve his goals, even if it includes participating in game 52.

Deuce also has a strong spirit of competition and will want to try and win the game once he gets the basic gist of it. He's not immune to the idea of enjoying wealth and luxury either.

Deuce is also arguably one of the more goody two-shoes characters in the game, being very earnest and determined in his goal of being an honor student. I think it'd be interesting to see how he'd cope with this place and if he'd become corrupted. Or maybe even just come to a more flexible understanding of what it means to be a good person.

On top of that, his canon has put him in a lot of strange situations, some of them nearly resulting in death. So while the resort will be weird for him, Deuce will probably adjust better than people from other canons might.

ABILITIES: Like most characters in Twisted Wonderland, Deuce is a Mage attending a prestigious magic school, meaning he is considered more talented than the average person. His abilities match that of a lot of stereotypical witches and wizards in other series. He can do things like fly on a broomstick, enchant objects, create alchemical potions, summon items, and cast elemental spells.

As a first-year student, Deuce isn't as strong as his upperclassmen, though he's no slouch. One of his favorite spells is summoning giant cauldrons similar to a witch's cauldron. He's able to do a large number of these back-to-back without exhausting himself, indicating that he has a lot of raw power. He was also known to use his magic to bully other people back in his hometown and seems to be pretty good in magical fights. On the other hand, Deuce can struggle with more complex spells, doing so badly in alchemy and potion-making that Professor Crewel spends hours teaching him after class. Deuce can often screw up due to overthinking things, but when he keeps himself focused, he's very sharp.

Deuce also has a Signature Spell, something that is unique to him, called Double Down. If he is attacked by magic, he can counter it with an equally powerful force. The more powerful the magic thrown at him, the more powerful the spell. It's never explained clearly what it does and Deuce himself doesn't understand it, but another character implies that it's Deuce seeking "payback" against someone who wronged him or his friends.

It should be noted, that like all Twisted Wonderland students, Deuce's magic can generate a toxic substance in his body known as Blot. If he over-extends himself due to a combination of casting too many spells and too much stress, the blot will over-accumulate and turn Deuce into a monster and will fight until he is either forced back to normal or dies. To mitigate these effects most students use mage stones, which can filter and display blot to an extent. Most NRC students carry their mage stones in the form of a magic pen. Since I’m assuming Deuce will be arriving without his, he'll probably hesitate to cast any big spells unless he has to. He'll likely stick to smaller bits of magic if that's allowed.

Outside of magic, it's noted that Deuce is a poor student in general. He's a slow learner and constantly struggles with studying and maintaining his grades even though he wants to be an honor student. He can be taught, but it tends to take patience. The only class he excels at is PE, where he's a pro due to being active and sporty. He's also on the Track and Field team and it's noted multiple times that he's faster than normal, regularly winning medals.

Deuce is also talented in physical fighting and can take multiple opponents on, showing a bloodthirsty and aggressive attitude when he does. This is mostly due to his days as a delinquent when he was known to get into constant fights

Lastly, he's fairly talented at fixing machines and appliances. He likes tinkering and is known to have a magic touch, even if it's just whacking a radio with his hand. He's able to fix Malleus's Tamagotchi style pet despite it being old and soaked through with little effort. Tying in with his interest in machinery, Deuce is good at driving blastcycles, the magical equivalent of motorcycles, able to take hairpin turns with no fear.

VICES:

-Impulsive:Deuce is often known to act without thinking, such as when he accidentally destroys a chandelier when trying to stop a flying Grim. Or when he made a contract with Azul in exchange for a study guide without thinking the consequences through. His impulsiveness can range from jumping to conclusions to acting without thinking. Most of Deuce's other flaws tie into this one in some way and he often looks before he leaps. Deuce notes it himself when he states that if he had to choose another dorm, it'd be Scarabia so that he could learn their spirit of mindfulness and become more thoughtful.

-Anger Issues: Deuce has a bad temper and when triggered, his anger is so intense some have thought he had a split personality. A good example is when a group of students bumped into him causing him to drop a bunch of eggs. When the students didn't apologize, he ended up flying into a rage because they had destroyed the potential of the eggs. Deuce is embarrassed by his outbursts, but tends to fall back into the same bad habits. He eventually manages to make some progress in canon in that he doesn't automatically get into fistfights with people and learns to use intimidation tactics instead. The temper is still there though, ready to come out if the right buttons are pushed.

-Lacks guile: Tying into his impulsiveness, Deuce can be a little too trusting of people and a little too honest. The best example can be seen in his lab vignette where Deuce sees his planets withered due to the caretaker neglecting them. Vil sarcastically tells Deuce they might get better when he talks to them. Deuce takes him at face value and does just that, which ends in Vil scoffing at him.

It's noted that Deuce often gets tricked easily, such as losing at card games with Ace despite knowing the other cheats, but not being able to catch him. Some of this gullibility is due to Deuce being a pretty simple guy. Unless he knows not to trust you right off the bat, his mind isn't jumping to distrust.

VIRTUES:

-Determination: Deuce is a very strong willed individual. Once he sets his mind to something, he'll do it, no matter how difficult it is. His stargazer storyline is a good example of this, where he ends up making a bet with Idia to take on the other's share of the work gathering wishes from the student body. This is along with Deuce's own wish-gathering activities, as well as learning dancing. Much to Idia's shock, Deuce accomplishes all of this without breaking a sweat, motivated by the desire to prove him wrong.

-Honesty: Deuce is an incredibly straightforward guy, who strives hard to fit the image of an honor student. When he promises to do something, he'll do it, even if it's dangerous, such as going to meet Malleus when he mistakenly believed the other had challenged him to the duel. Considering Malleus is one of the most powerful mages in the world, this is a stupid and gutsy move, but Deuce felt it was his duty as a man to meet him head-on.

Deuce is more sincere than most NRC students, with an earnest wish to please his Mom and never make her cry again. He's easy to read and bad at lying in general.

-Loyalty: Deuce shows a lot of devotion to his friends, even if he gets a bit flustered over admitting it sometimes. He's willing to interrupt his winter break to try and save Yuu when they're in trouble even though this means taking multiple buses and airplanes to reach them. He also volunteers to join the SDC competition in part to help and encourage Epel despite not knowing him very well.

SURVEY

▶ I REGULARLY MAKE NEW FRIENDS.
▷ 3, Neutral. Deuce mentions at one point that he didn't have many friends in Middle School due to being a delinquent. The only people he seems to have hung out with pre-series were other bad kids.
That said, he has more friends at Night Raven College. He gets on well with most of his fellow first years, especially Epel Felmier with whom he shares interests. He also does well with Jack Howl, who he shares club activities with. He's also part of the Prefect's friend group, along with Grim and Ace due to the adventures the four have shared. He generally gets along with most characters he tends to interact with unless they're being actively abrasive towards him.

▶ SEEING OTHER PEOPLE CRY MAKES ME WANT TO CRY TOO.
▷ 2, slight disagree. Deuce is a sentimental guy and will get emotional in the right circumstances, but isn't a weepy guy by nature. Unless it's something he strongly relates to or an emotional situation, he probably won't. For instance, when Epel and Kalim cried after they lost the SDC, Deuce didn't. Trey also notes that Deuce isn't the kind of person to cry easily.

▶ I OFTEN MAKE A BACKUP PLAN FOR A BACKUP PLAN.
▷2, slight disagree. Deuce is not a careful planner. He's too impulsive and single-minded most of the time. Not that he can't come up with or follow plans, but it's never going to be anything elaborate. He's more likely to let other, smarter people do the thinking for him unless he's going up against someone he understands such as another delinquent. In those situations, he can be pretty sharp, but he's never going to be a genius mastermind.

▶ I USUALLY STAY CALM, EVEN WHEN UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE.
▷ 2, slight disagree. Deuce is not the type to stay calm when stressed. He's very emotional, startling easily, and loses his temper when provoked. He often overthinks situations and can get paralyzed by indecision. He's very much the kind of guy to get paralyzed during exams.
That said, he can be reliable in dangerous situations, showing incredible courage and focus. When worse comes to worse, Deuce will be there.

▶ I AM VERY SENTIMENTAL.
▷ 4, slight agree. Deuce is sentimental and does apply emotional weight to certain things. For instance, he expresses a lot of delight in wearing his ceremonial robes because it's proof that he's attending the school of his dreams. We see the same thing in the stargazer event where he's pleased by the thought of getting to participate in an important school event and give it his all. He can be surprisingly sensitive in general, often criticizing Ace for not reading the room and saying something tactless.

▶ EVEN A SMALL MISTAKE CAN CAUSE ME TO DOUBT MY OVERALL ABILITIES AND KNOWLEDGE.
▷ 3, Neutral. Sometimes Deuce does lose confidence in himself, especially when it comes to his weak points, such as his tendency to get into fights. But he usually picks himself up pretty quickly. He'll be a little hard on himself, but not overly so. When he gets jabbed at for his more foolish moments, Deuce will hang his head in shame if it's justified.

▶ I AM MORE INCLINED TO FOLLOW MY HEAD THAN MY HEART.
▷ 1, strong disagree. Deuce is the kind of person who follows his gut. Especially if he has something to prove or it hits an emotional button. He'll do what he thinks is right, even if it seems impossible or foolish. He's a feeling rather than a thinking person and at one point Kalim and Jamil advise him to stop trying to hold too many thoughts in his head. Once he listens to their advice, he starts improving his magic and dancing skills significantly.

▶ I AM PRONE TO WORRYING THAT THINGS WILL TAKE A TURN FOR THE WORSE.
▷ 3, Neutral. There are things Deuce worries about, but he's a pretty simple guy at the end of the day. He'll get agitated about certain things like his exams and it's noted that he grinds his teeth in his sleep due to nerves, but other times he's pretty relaxed. This is probably due to Deuce getting easily distracted from his issues such as when he forgot to study due to being too engaged in his sports training.

▶ I ENJOY WATCHING PEOPLE ARGUE.
▷3, neutral. Generally, Deuce wants people to get along and doesn’t seem to care for conflict between people unless they've annoyed him in some way or have it coming. He'll support people arguing if it's for the right reason, such as when Ace told Riddle off for going too far, but as an aspiring honor student, Deuce values order. He's just as likely to criticize people when they go too far in harassing others.

▶ I TEND TO AVOID DRAWING ATTENTION TO MYSELF.
▷ 3, neutral. Deuce doesn't go out of the way to get any kind of attention, but sometimes he likes having the spotlight, such as when he was happy to be awarded a medal in front of the school for his achievements on the Track team. On the other hand, he was a little wary about joining the SDC competition at first, even though there was a cash prize since it wasn't his thing.

▶ I OFTEN DO THINGS AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT.
▷4, slight agree. Deuce is definitely the kind to procrastinate due to being easily distracted. He then tends to panic and try to make up for that, such as when he's forgotten to study for important exams. Other times Deuce might jump the gun in trying to get ahead of matters.

▶ I FIND IT EASY TO EMPATHIZE WITH A PERSON WHOSE EXPERIENCES ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM MINE.
▷ 4, slight agree. Deuce is shown to be highly empathetic at times, despite being a simple guy. He's a flawed person himself, so he understands that others make their own mistakes. For instance, when an embarrassing past photo of Azul is revealed, Deuce is the one member of the group who demands no one look since everyone has something they want to forget. And Azul hadn't been treating him well up to that point. Deuce can pretty easily have compassion for others unless they've gone too far.

▶ I BECOME BORED OR LOSE INTEREST WHEN THE DISCUSSION GETS HIGHLY THEORETICAL.
▷ 3, neutral. Deuce is not a theory guy and has to work hard to maintain his focus. But he also respects people who are good at that kind of thinking and will do his best to engage with their ideas or at least listen to them, though he might space out a little.

▶ I RARELY FEEL INSECURE.
▷ 2, slight disagree. Deuce definitely has some major insecurities. His past as a delinquent, his bad temper, and his grades are all things that can get him feeling down. That said, he's also pretty good about getting past that and has other areas where he feels confident, like his athletics and skill in riding blastcycles. He likes to brag about his strengths just as much as anyone else, though he can also be humbled by a snide remark.

▶ I AM STILL BOTHERED BY MISTAKES I MADE A LONG TIME AGO.
▷ 5, strong agree. In case you haven't noticed, he's very bothered by his past as a delinquent. He still feels a lot of guilt over it and the hard time he gave his Mom. Deuce's driving motivation is to become an honor student as a way of overcoming his past and never making his Mom cry again. He's also expressed regret for how his old ways caused him to miss out on his education and making friends in school and strives to make up for that. So yes, he definitely regrets his past mistakes.

SUIT REQUESTS:

Spades: It's an obvious one, but Deuce is very much a person who struggles with his negative side. He's been working hard to be what he thinks a good person should be and seeing him come into conflict with that would interesting. He might give in or he might resist. Or he might find some middle ground and accept the worst parts of himself while still holding onto his ideals.

Diamonds: Deuce is a very physical person so having to struggle with his body working against him would be a unique experience. He's the kind of person who follows his feelings more than his head, so he'd take his physical reactions very seriously once he realized he couldn't tough it out.

Hearts: Third option, but on a silly level, I think Deuce would be annoyed to have a heart mark on his person since that's Ace's mark and they annoy the heck out of each other. But on a serious note, Deuce is a pretty positive, earnest guy in canon, so seeing him be more would be a different experience. He'd risk losing some of his greatest strengths and would have to make some tough choices to stay on top of things. I also think the negative effects would be very fun to play out.

RANK REQUESTS: N/A. Hit me with whatever you want, mods!

SAMPLES:
Tdm top level
Tdm with Kalim
Tdm with Hiyori