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OOC Info:
Player Name: EJ
Player Email: heraldofzeus@gmail.com
Other player contact: [AIM] paythepiper79
Player age: 27

IC Info:
Character Name: Jack Donovan
Character Journal Username: jackotrades
Age and physical description: 29 (He’ll be 30 by the 30th of December.) Physically speaking, Jack is a fit man. At five feet, nine inches in height, he is built lean and strong. This mostly has to do with his obsession with health and gyms. Jack’s lean, from his daily 3+ mile runs, but his chest is pretty solid from the weight lifting he does at the gyms. He has blond, wavy hair that he keeps at a medium to short length. He is usually clean shaven, but sometimes he lets a few days worth of facial hair grow. His eyes are a sharp blue. He is a looker, which is something that he is very much aware of.

As for his clothing, Jack usually wears a pressed business suit and tie to work, and for most of his weekdays. He has more polished dress shoes, and power-suit options than most women have dresses. At home, when he is lounging around, he can usually be found in a pair of loose jeans, or gym shorts with a simple white tee-shirt. When going out on the weekends, camping, or otherwise not working (which is somewhat rare these days) he can be seen in jeans, cowboy boots, white teeshirts and button down over shirts. When going out for a ride, he’s pretty much in the same get up.

Former Deity Name and Pantheon: Hermes, Greek Pantheon

Personality: Jack’s personality is a bit two fold- One side of him is extremely playful, but the other side is focused and serious. His playful side comes in with his cheeky attitude, and bright smiles. He likes to play practical jokes of people he is close to, and he adores making them laugh with silly antics and jokes. He’s the life of the party, and an attention seeker. He’ll be the one on the table giving a mock strip tease just as much as the guy having a serious business discussion. He’s also a flirt, having high confidence in himself. He hardly pauses when he sees a girl he likes, offering to buy her a drink, or asking her to dance at a club. Jack even has a romantic side of himself that allows him to buy a rose for a woman, and give her a candle-light dinner under the stars in spring. All told, he loves to be loved.

As for his serious side, Jack’s also a workoholic. Be it in his personal life or with his profession. One example of his work ethic is the fact that he wakes up at four am every morning to eat breakfast, drink some juice, then go for an three to four mile run each morning. If it is too snowy or rainy outside, he’ll use his building’s gym, but he will get his work out in. After that he returns home, showers, watches the morning news while getting dressed and then leaves for work. He’s rarely late, into the office by 7am at the latest. While at work he is focused on his task, pushing for his daily goals and giving his all. He’s a money maker, a cooperate machine that makes the things happen. If he can’t make them happen? He keeps trying until he can. He doesn’t quit, he always finds a way to get what he wants. He can be ruthless, exacting, and precise in what he does. And by the time he leaves the office, the busy rush of the day is over, and he’s likely to be one of the last to leave.

That isn’t to say those are the only two things to know about Jack. It is merely that those are the two obvious traits. Jack Donovan is always a sweet man in his personal life. He is a devoted friend, a devoted father, and a determined to succeed type. He’s loyal to a fault, and willing to bend over backwards to help even a stranger in hard times. He gets angry when people are taken advantage of, cries a little when watching UP, has a soft spot for animals of all kinds, and just wants to be able to say “I accomplished great things” when he is old. He isn’t sure if he is the ‘settling down’ type, but he has love in his life when it comes to his roommate. Together they make a weird sort of family that works for him, for them. And as far as he is concerned, anyone talking about reincarnated deities being trapped inside of him? Are crazier than blind man driving a car.

History: Jack Donovan was born in the early hours of December 30th, 1980 in Greenville, Texas. When he was born his parents, Nancy and Richard Donovan, knew their son would be someone special, but they never did quite bargain for what they received.

Being raised on a ranch in east Texas was certainly an experience worth keeping in Jack’s opinion. By the time he was 5 he’d already learned to ride a pony, help feed the cows, and trained the dogs how to herd him about the back yard. He was an adventurous youth, full of energy and an unbreakable spirit. He and his best friend Morgan (the son of one of the work-hands on the ranch) would often disappear for long hours into the woods as children, and grew up with a sense of the world being full of magic. However, Jack was certainly reckless even as a child. Something that grew more apparent as he got older.

By 14 he was already a known face to the local authorities for criminal actions, breaking and entering on at least three occasions, minor thefts of farm equipment, and generally labeled a ‘hell raiser’. He’s parents, while always proud, considered sending him to boot camp one summer because of his behavior, but backed out when he joined the track team. At least he had one way of expending his endless amounts of restless energy.

When he got his license (at fifteen), he used to race a Ford truck down the old dirt roads. He raced friends, and he raced anything…until the tickets started pouring in. At 17 he was involved in a particularly ugly wreck that thankfully did not leave anyone seriously injured, though it totaled both the truck and the car Jack hit. Jack was charged with reckless driving, and driving while intoxicated. The judge revoked his license for one year, and gave him 150 hours of community service. The judge promised the next time he came before the courts for anything he’d be serving three to five years minimum.

Graduating from High school when he was 18, Jack and his best friend went out to a wild party. Jack, well known as a playboy all through high school, got the scare of his life that night. Jennie, a girl that Jack had an ongoing sexual relationship with, came up pregnant. Freaking out she ran to Jack, telling him she was going to have his baby.

Like any 18 year old boy, Jack flipped out. He and Jennie spent most of the night outdoors screaming at each other about what they should do. She wanted to keep it; Jack didn’t want to be a father. That night Jack was involved in a second major wreck. By sheer luck, the police ruled that it wasn’t Jack’s fault, but only because people lied for him; mostly Morgan.

Jennie ended up keeping the baby, while Jack started as a freshman at the University of Texas that August on a track scholarship. Six weeks into the semester he rushed Sigma Nu. He went in as a Business major, and by his sophomore year he was putting his business skills to the test. In the Frat Jack arranged and ran an illegal casino. Luck was certainly on his side with running this thing, too. Amazingly he ran it for three years without ever getting caught, despite all the close calls.

Spring of 2001 Jack was offered a job in a D.C. based company called, Spytech Inc.. Having won several business school awards, graduating with honors and numerous athletic awards, Jack accepted the job and left college with a bright future ahead of him. He had full intentions of continuing on to get his Masters degree, and starting his own company. However, his schedule and success at Spytech did not give him enough time to accomplish that goal.

He was promoted to a project manager, soon after starting, and put in a number of excellent years with Spytech. When he was twenty six, Jack was approached by Damion Sorosin and offered a job within his company. Taking the offer, Jack now makes an easy six figures each year, lives by Dave Ramsey’s living debt free approach, and finds that sometimes he has more time for the simple things in life now.

Around that three years ago, Jack's son, Taylor, came to live with him. His mother had come to realize that Jack could provide him with a better life. After several months of discussion, they both agreed. Jennie also took a job in D.C., so she could be near them both

Strengths: Moral compass, compassion, business minded nature, making money, taking gambles, telling the truth (if not the whole truth), seeing through lies, sleight of hand, running.

Weaknesses: Impatience, telling the truth (what? It is a double edged sword), leaving well enough alone, brashness, wanting to be the center of attention, rushing in without thinking it through completely, sometimes jumping to conclusions, not always being around for his son, and his son in general.

General Deity History: There is a LOT of info about Hermes, which could take as much time to explain as writing this whole app. So- I apologize.

Personality: Hermes is a trickster God by definition. He's playful and youthful, and particularly mischievous. Throughout his mythology he is shown to grant prayers and blessings in the most unorthodox methods. An arrogant child, he often believes that people should adore him simply because he is one of the 12 seated Olympians. He feels he is privileged (example of this is in how he became on of the 12 seated Olympians, where he stole Apollo's cattle) and does not except to be held responsible for his actions (again, in the case of stealing Apollo's cattle, he was rewarded with what he wanted with very little cost to himself.) He also has a burning desire to be accepted, almost demanding of it.

In a lot of ways Hermes can be childish and child-like in his behavior. That isn't to say that he can't be an adult (he is the representation of wisdom, after all), it is just that among his peers he tends to be very selfish and attention demanding. He likes to be the center of attention, often claiming to be 'Zeus' favorite', though there isn't too much bases in that. He is fond of his siblings, though Apollo and Dionysus are by far his closest siblings. Apollo and he are often found to court the same women, as well as share in day to day events. Dionysus, however, Hermes helped save and raise when the godling was first born. He repeatedly hid the child from Hera, and would later be in Dionysus' company a great deal. And despite his apparent attitude toward Ares, Hermes is also close to his oldest brother in his own way, though most would be hard pressed to see it behind all the teasing he does.

Hermes is also a lover more than a fighter. That being said, he won't engage in a direct fight with anyone or anything. Hermes relies more on is wit and cunning. He will often attack from behind, with quick, deadly blows...or simply bow out of the fight as he did with Leto in the Illiad. He does not feel inclined to give in to people who attempt to goad him into a fight either. Hermes wit and cunning, however, does not come to the forefront of Hermes personality only when confronted with a fight, however. He doesn't like to give answer out right, even if he knows the answer already. He enjoys word play, and double speaking, and trying to get others to trip up in what they are saying. Not that he will lie, if it comes to it. In fact, while he is a patron deity of liars and thieves, Hermes himself is oath bound to not lie.

And among his many quirks, there is the fact that Hermes is a rather tactile individual, as well as affectionate. Mostly this side comes about after he has done something 'wrong' and is of a mind to help smooth over any rough edges that might have resulted. He has no desire to actively hurt people, generally speaking, but that doesn't stop him from being a pain in their butts. ((Re-Cattle stealing))

History: Hermes was born in a whirlwind of events. Zeus, the mighty king of the Olympus spied upon the nymph Maia, and conceived the god. It took but a day for the impatient child to be born into the world, a babe of a single determination- to become one of the twelve seated Gods of Mount Olympus. However there were a few problems that stood in his path. The first was his mother, the quiet, shy nymph Maia. She had spent her whole life avoiding the deathless ones (gods), and had no more interest in them after her son was born than before so. (Homeric Hymn 18 to Hermes 3 ff). Secondly, he had to gain his own father’s attention, which was much easier said than done.

The just born godling, however, stole away from his cradle when his mother rested, and embarked upon his first quest with barely hours of life in him. Outside of the cave, though, he was quickly distracted by finding a tortoise, which he then killed and hollowed out. He ran strings across the shell, creating the lyre, before he gleefully went back to his task at hand. He slipped from the mount he was born on (Kyllene). He travelled the land swiftly until he came upon the fields that Apollo’s cattle grazed. Carefully he sectioned off 50 of the cattle, and forced them to walk backwards so to confuse anyone that tried to track them.

He convinced the moon to look the other way, and only a lone farmer, Battos, to forget he saw anything. He said to the man, “Old man, digging about your vines with bowed shoulders, surely you shall have much wine when all these bear fruit, if you obey me and strictly remember not to have seen what you have seen, and not to have heard what you have heard, and to keep silent when nothing of your own is harmed.”
Hermes drove the cattle back to a grotto where he built a pit and made fire by rubbing dried sticks together. He was a bit of an ingenious child, for being but a day old. However, once done with that, he dragged two horned cows to the fire, and killed them. He cut up the fat and meat, and roasted it over the fire, preparing twelve portions in honor of the twelve highest gods on Olympus. As he prepared the food, he longed to eat it…however he abstained, because a god cannot feast from the food of mortals. He spent his first night in the world beneath the stars with the cattle before slinking back home. By dawn’s break he was once again in his cradle, playing the part of hapless babe, his mother none the wiser on the antics of her son.

Or so he thought. She approached him soon after and said to him: “How now, you rogue! Whence come you back so at night-time, you that wear shamelessness as a garment? And now I surely believe Letoides [Apollon] will soon have you forth out of doors with unbreakable cords about your ribs, or you will live a rogue's life in the glens robbing by whiles. Go to, then; your father got you to be a great worry to mortal men and deathless gods.”*

Swiftly Hermes did answer her with: “Mother, why do you seek to frighten me like a feeble child whose heart knows few words of blame, a fearful babe that fears its mother's scolding? Nay, but I will try whatever plan is best, and so feed myself and you continually. We will not be content to remain here, as you bid, alone of all the gods unfee'd with offerings and prayers. Better to live in fellowship with the deathless gods continually, rich, wealthy, and enjoying stories of grain, than to sit always in a gloomy cave: and, as regards honour, I too will enter upon the privilege that Apollon has [i.e. as the god of cattle-herders]. If my father will not give it to me, I will seek--and I am able--to be a prince of robbers. And if Leto's most glorious son [Apollon] shall seek me out, I think another and a greater loss will befall him. For I will go to Pytho to break into his great house, and will plunder therefrom splendid tripods, and cauldrons, and gold, and plenty of bright iron, and much apparel; and you shall see it if you will.”*

And while Maia and her son argued, Apollo had risen in search of his cattle. Despite Hermes words to Battos, the old farmer told Apollo what he had seen and the God then followed the tracks to Maia’s home. When Hermes and his mother finally saw the great golden god, they found him in a rage. Hermes, crafty and cunning, snuggled down into his garments and cuddled himself up into a ball as Apollo approached him, appearing to be asleep as a new born bade should be. But Apollo did not fall for such a trick, and instead said to Hermes: “Child, lying in the cradle, make haste and tell me of my cattle, or we two will soon fall out angrily. For I will take and cast you into dusty Tartaros and awful hopeless darkness, and neither your mother nor your father shall free you or bring you up again to the light, but you will wander under the earth and be the leader amongst little folk.”*

Hermes did reply to his brother then, saying, “Letoides, what harsh words are these you have spoken? And is it cattle of the field you are come here to seek? I have not seen them: I have not heard of them : no one has told me of them. I cannot give news of them, nor win the reward for news. Am I like a cattle-liter, a stalwart person? This is no task for me: rather I care for other things: I care for sleep, and milk of my mother's breast, and wrappings round my shoulders, and warm baths. Let no one hear the cause of this dispute; for this would be a great marvel indeed among the deathless gods, that a child newly born should pass in through the forepart of the house with cattle of the field: herein you speak extravagantly. I was born yesterday, and my feet are soft and the ground beneath is rough; nevertheless, if you will have it so, I will swear a great oath by my father's head and vow that neither am I guilty myself, neither have I seen any other who stole your cows --whatever cows may be; for I know them only by hearsay.”*

Apollo then laughed at him, saying in return, “O rogue, deceiver, crafty in heart, you talk so innocently that I most surely believe that you have broken into many a well-built house and stripped more than one poor wretch bare this night, gathering his goods together all over the house without noise. You will plague many a lonely herdsman in mountain glades, when you come on herds and thick-fleeced sheep, and have a hankering after flesh. But come now, if you would not sleep your last and latest sleep, get out of your cradle, you comrade of dark night. Surely hereafter this shall be your title amongst the deathless gods, to be called the prince of robbers (arkhos pheleteon) continually.”*

In the end, Hermes and Apollo argued on until they came before Zeus with their case. There Apollo gave his accusation, only for cunning Hermes to reply with his own silver tongue, saying: “Zeus, my father, indeed I will speak truth to you; for I am truthful and I cannot tell a lie. He came to our house to-day looking for his shambling cows, as the sun was newly rising. He brought no witnesses with him nor any of the blessed gods who had seen the theft, but with great violence ordered me to confess, threatening much to throw me into wide Tartaros. For he has the rich bloom of glorious youth, while I was born but yesterday--as he too knows--nor am I like a cattle-lifter, a sturdy fellow. Believe my tale (for you claim to be my own father), that I did not drive his cows to my house--so may I prosper--nor crossed the threshold: this I say truly. I reverence Helios greatly and the other gods, and you I love and him I dread. You yourself know that I am not guilty: and I will swear a great oath upon it:--No! by these rich-decked porticoes of the gods. And some day I will punish him, strong as he is, for this pitiless inquisition; but now do you help the younger.”*

Unfortunately for Hermes, his own father could see the wheels turning in his head, and then ordered him and Apollo to search out the cattle. This time, though, the king of the gods did order Hermes to be honest and take his brother to them. And so he did, leading the great Apollo to the grotto that held his cattle. However, while impressed with Hermes great skills (and more so with the fact that he killed two cows on his own while being but a new born babe), Apollo twisted a part of osier withes, and attempted to bind Hermes hands. The withes, however, fell from Hermes arms to the ground, where there they grew and covered the cattle. Apollo stood astonished as he gazed.

Looking from side to side, Hermes then took up his lyre which he had brought with him, and began to play. He entranced Apollo with his song to the point that he brother then agreed to trade the cattle for the instrument. But then an idea struck Hermes, and he created the shepherd’s pipe, and played it as well. Apollo was once again entranced, and traded the skill of divination by stones and birds and well as the heralds staff. And then the brothers made an oath to each other. Hermes swore to never steal anything from Apollo again, and indeed to keep clear of the god’s home. And in return, Apollo swore to lover no man or immortal as well as he then loved Hermes. And Zeus did confirm that oath, and thus they were bound to it.

And then Zeus did confirm one more thing, that Hermes was the twelfth seated deity on Olympus, messenger to the gods and mortal men, master of thieves, bringer of luck, wanderer, and many other things. And so, the young godling left his mother to be raised as a prince of Olympus should be, and then came to take his seat at his father’s side. (Story of the cattle comes from: Homeric Hymn 4 to Hermes (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) * marks direct quotes from text.)

However, once free to do as he pleased, Hermes returned to the old man Battos, and for telling Apollo of his theft, the god then turned the man to stone where he stood. (Hesiod, The Great Eoiae Frag 16 (from Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 23) From that point on Hermes acted as all gods acted. He gave favor to those whom he loved and cherished, and punished those that dared to defy the gods.

Among the many things he did, though, he gave Pandora a box in which many evil spirits where locked away from man. In the box, Hermes placed lies and falsehood, gifts born of his silver-tongue; though he had long sworn to never tell a lie himself. He also tied Prometheus to the mountain, as punishment for giving mankind the gift of fire, and each morning he called the eagle to feast upon the titan’s entrails. He assisted Perseus in his quest against the gorgon, giving over his own winged sandals so that the hero could fly. Hermes did so, some say, out of love, others say it was because Zeus bid him to. In truth, he did it for both reasons, and eventually took Perseus as a lover. He sired children within women, and for hundreds of years the youthful god played more than aided those around him. He even saved his own brother, Dionysus, from the wrath of Hera by changing him into a goat.

Hermes sense of humor was never far from him in the things he did. Though, perhaps, Hercules was not of the same humor as the messenger sold him to slavery. All the same, Hermes answered the prayers of men in many ways, none ever direct, and few ever simple to understand. One man prayed for money, and was never answered until the day he destroyed the god’s effigy, and coin spilled from the wreckage. He guided the dead to Hades, and escorted Persephone from Tartarus…or would have if she had not eaten the fruit of the Underworld.

And of all these things, nothing, perhaps, caused the greatest trouble as when Eris tossed the golden apple between the great goddesses of Olympus. Hermes, as ordered by Zeus, sought out the shepherd turned prince, Paris, to come stand judge over the goddesses. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all rose to claim the title, and each offered Paris great gifts if he were to choose her. But Aphrodite offered the most tempting, the hand and heart of Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman. And so, Paris choose Aphrodite, and Hermes then stole her from her husband, a powerful Grecian king.

Thus the Trojan war was born.

Hermes, ironically, sided with the Greeks…by Zeus’ request. However, he was not much of a fighter. Nor was he particularly biased against the Trojans, as he lead Priam to see his fallen son, and then helped the king still Hektor’s body away for a proper burial. And as the war came to blows, Hermes had found himself pitted against Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis. Against her he refused to fight, and politely set aside his golden sword saying: “Leto, I will not fight with you; since it is a hard thing to come to blows with the brides of Zeus who gathers the clouds. No sooner you may freely speak among the immortal gods, and claim that you were stronger than I, and beat me.” (Homer, Iliad 21.493)

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Played By: Charlie Hunnam

Other Pertinent Info As Needed: He has an adoptive brother, Tucker, who is ten years younger than him. Tucker was adopted, though, after Jack was in college and had his own son to think about. For a while there wasn’t much bonding between them, but Jack feels a sort of need to be protective of Tucker. Indeed, the circumstances which lead to Tucker’s arrival in the Donovan household make Jack grateful that he has his son with him, and never has to worry about that ever happening to his own child.

Jack also owns several horses. He boards them at a farm just north of D.C.

Role-playing Sample: Jack was focused on running. The music was blaring from his headphones, the snow was following around him as his breath came out in smokey huffs every few seconds or so. He could run this same path with his eyes closed, he thought. The feel of the concrete beneath his shoes was familiar, every dip and crack, the slow curves and gentle slops. After so many years of running that same path, he was as intimately as familiar with it as he was any lover he'd taken.

So it came as a surprise to him that something, or rather, someone was suddenly in his path. Crying out the way a driver would lay on his own, Jack through his arms out, and tried to dodge the figure with little success. His ankle twisted, snapping loudly as he slipped off the icy curb, sending a wave of sharp pain through his leg.

"Fuck!" He cried out, hands grabbing at his ankle as his eyes squeezed shut. "Fuck, that hurts..." Not that he'd cry, not with someone standing there staring at him in shock.

"....Jack?"

He barely registered the familiar voice, turning his head as he blinked.

"Jack, its me, Morg...what the hell..."

He blinked again, "dude...I think I broke my leg." He said, eyes squeezing shut as he rolled back on the pavement. He couldn't do anything else but laugh.

How'd You Find Us?: Yooou toooooold meeeeee