Chuck Hansen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
theyoungperish) wrote2015-05-23 12:56 am
theyoungperish) wrote2015-05-23 12:56 am
the games app
OUT of CHARACTER
Name: Alyssa
Other characters: Clint Barton
IN CHARACTER
Name: Charles “Chuck” Hansen
Alias: “Striker Eureka”, “Striker”, "Lucky Seven", “That Punkass Kid”, ect, ect.
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Canon point/AU: Victor AU
Journal:theyoungperish
PB: Rob Kazinsky
Age: Twenty one
History:
canon wikia.
The world starts in District 4, for Charles “Chuck” Hansen. Born to Angela and Hercules “Herc” Hansen, he was a normal child, raised by two loving parents -- even if his dad was often gone because he was a member of the Peacekeeping Force. Chuck’s early life was a relatively easy one, he spent most of his time with his mother, and grew up in her shadow.
For ten years, Chuck was the same as your average District 4 child.
He grew up idolizing his father, even if Herc was more often in the Capitol than home, and wanted to be just like him when he was older. His mother was a spitfire, but she was loving and protective, and she kept him from the horrors and dangers of the world. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know about the Reapings, or the Games, either. Because that’s not something you could miss in this world and this society. But she kept him from seeing the true depth of the poverty, or experiencing it first hand. But while his mother tried to keep him from tragedy, she could never be successful.
As the months turned to fall, tragedy struck the family. While visiting a friend at work, Angela was killed when a shoddily built building collapsed. She wasn’t the only death, of course, and there was plenty of mourning throughout the district. To Chuck, his world had ended in one swift moment, and he could never completely move forward from this point. His father had been in the Capitol, and though he rushed home, Chuck could never quite forgive his father for failing to save his mother either, even if there was no way he could have. In a way, Chuck’s kept that childish grudge, that rage, and it’s the thing that’s fueled him through the years.
Though Herc tried to bring Chuck with him to the Capitol after the accident, Chuck fought him viciously over it, and they wound up staying in District 4. This doesn’t mean that they grew closer, or that Chuck found comfort in his father. Instead, he threw himself into the Career training that ran through District 4, pushing himself to become a better Peacekeeper than his father ever was. Unfortunately for him, while his dad was originally from District 2 where most Peacekeepers were recruited, Chuck himself wasn't. The road to becoming a Peacekeeper, one better than his father, was one that had a certain amount of adversary for him. Especially after his Uncle Scott fell into controversy, and was jailed. His father kept him from figuring out the truth for a long while, and that simply served to widen the gulf between them. Especially once Chuck found out that Herc was the one to turn in Scott for his crimes. The path to Peacekeeping was all but closed to him, but if Chuck is anything, it's stubborn. He forged forward to be the best irregardless. The ambition in this, the rage, and a friendship founded with Derek, whose father died alongside Chuck’s mother, are the things that push him forward. For years he lived like this, agony and rage tied up in a tiny body.
But when the Reaping came around in his 14th year, the name picked out of the rest is his own. This was the first time Chuck’s seen his father truly distraught in four years, and though he makes a promise -- ”You make it through, Chuck, no matter what. You hear me?” “Yeah, whatever old man.” -- Chuck knows that he’s got a limited shot of winning. He’s strong, but he’s young, and anything can happen in a Game.
It’s a combination of skill, and sheer dumb luck that gets Chuck through his Game. He can be charismatic when he wants to be, but he’s also an angry child, rough around the edges and quicker with a biting comment than anything else. Somehow, this and his past win him some fans, and Chuck’s not sure if it’s because it's a novelty or what, but he capitalizes on it. In the end, Chuck found himself slaughtering a massive amount of the ‘Kaiju’ mutts that stole into the drowning city at night, and he killed fellow tributes when pushed into it as well. He knew, darkly, completely, that there is no other way to win this Game. Sure, he could hide and wait it out, but Chuck isn’t cowardly enough for that, nor is he patient. In the end, the game ended with him tossing the last tribute off the top of a building and watching his body splatter across pavement.
He comes out of the Game angrier, but brittle at the edges, closed off from everyone and snapping like a wounded dog. The mutts and people he killed don’t leave him, and for a while, Chuck is deteriorating. Sure, he’s running around doing the promo things the Capitol requires of him. He trains hard, harder than ever before, but he can only keep down small bits of food and water. He can’t sleep, and the more his dad pushes, the worse it gets. In the end, it’s only Derek who pulls him out of it after long months of trying, and soon enough, Chuck is in full force.
Which means, of course, that the rug must be pulled out from underneath him all over again.
Mere months after he pulled himself together, the next Game rolled around, and Derek’s name was the one to be pulled. Chuck had no idea how to Mentor, but he tried anyway. Pushing until he gained sponsors, favors, anything to help his only friend survive. By the end of the Game, Chuck’s nerves were frayed, his eyes bloodshot and dark with sleepless nights, but Derek pulled through, and the fear that he’d have to lose someone again left him. Not completely, but gone in the immediate moment.
In the next few years, Chuck grew up in the Capitol’s shadow, arrogant and sarcastic and vitriolic. He didn’t care to keep an appearance of thankful abandon that seemed common among the other Victors. He wasn’t necessarily rebellious, but he wasn’t a little sheep either. Chuck took his duties as Mentor seriously, despite his seemingly dismissive attitude. He would work harder than anybody to keep his tributes alive through their Games, hoping beyond hope that one of them would win. But he only had a few years of this, before the Capitol found a way to drag tributes in from other worlds. To Chuck’s mind, it was a good thing that the children from his district weren’t killing each other. But these new tributes couldn’t understand. They weren’t from Panem, they were trouble makers and interlopers. In short, Chuck basically decided “screw these guys”. He withdrew from the Capitol, and headed back to District 4. Right up until his Dad made a comment about staying away from the tributes, and in a manner reminiscent of a teenager rebelling against his parents, Chuck packed his bags and headed back to the Capitol to pick up where he left off. Derek, as usual, at his heel.
Presentation:
"As for you, well you're easy: you’re an egotistical jerk with daddy issues, a simple puzzle I solved on day one. But you are your father’s son. So we'll Drift just fine." —Stacker Pentecost to Chuck
There are many things to be said of Chuck Hansen, but of these, the most easily apparent are the fact that he’s a perfectionist, arrogant and confident in his own skills, and demeaning to those he doesn’t consider worth his time and effort. Chuck is, as Stacker Pentecost eloquently stated, an egotistical jerk who has issues with his father, as well as everyone else. But he is more than just a bitter, single minded Victor. Chuck was raised in a war of his own making, he was baptized by the death of his mother and rose from the dust of District 4 like a vengeful spirit. He was encompassed by the need to become the best, and though he never managed to become the Peacekeeper he once wanted to be, he never lost the drive to strive for further. To Chuck, the world is fucked, but he will still try to keep his tributes alive as long as he can.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we?
Chuck Hansen is, at the very base, a stubborn bastard. He knows what he wants and he will pull no stops to get it. He pushes himself to insane levels, holds himself to immense standards, and he holds everyone else around him to those standards too. From a young age, Chuck pushed himself to become a Peacekeeper -- but more so he pushed himself to be the best Peacekeeper out there and this didn’t mean simply training. Chuck pushed himself to be the best in everything he learned. In the end, he was a capable fighter, scrappy and vicious, and considering the fact that he won his Game at 14, when he’d barely started training four years before, it speaks volumes as to the amount he’d pushed himself. This is very much fueled by the perfectionist tendencies that are buried deep in Chuck’s psyche.
Since a young age Chuck has lived off the anger and bitterness that his mother’s death and Herc’s perceived failure to save her incited within him. This, is where his perfectionism sprouts, but also where the vast majorities of his issues stem from. Chuck has major anger issues; while he’s grown up around the Force, raised on the values of the Capitol and the Peacekeepers and all it stands for, he’s also an arrogant, cocky jerk who is incited into a rage far too easily. He all too often gives into the urge to provoke people into throwing the first punch, and feels far from responsible in doing so. In truth, he feels justified, because it’s not as if he threw the first punch, is it? But Chuck is perpetually angry, not just at his Dad, but at everyone, and that coupled with his single-minded desire to become the best has left Chuck with literally no life outside of the Capitol. He has one friend, no lovers beyond one night stands, he’s largely alone -- and that’s the way he likes it. In part, this is because he views most people as unworthy of his time, but Chuck has also been so single minded and angry for so long that he can not find it in himself to empathize with others. He has little to no people skills, and doesn’t believe he needs them. Even with the other Victors, Chuck socializes only when needed, and this is certainly due to his ego problems.
On the topic of problems, Chuck is chock full to the brim with daddy issues. It’s hard to say whether or not Chuck had a good relationship with his father before, but it’s ultimately somewhat unlikely. Given that his father was part of the Peacekeeping Force, it’s likely he was more of a distant, fleeting figure. Chuck grew up more so on the principles that the Capitol and training fed him than he did on any fatherly relationship. This is not to say that Herc didn’t try to be a good father to his son, but Chuck pushed him away rather than let himself be comforted and relied only on himself, partially because he didn’t want to let himself get close to anybody else and lose them, but partially because he held nothing but bitter resentment towards his father and a withering sort of childish love a young child holds towards their parents. Chuck views his father as a rival and a checkpoint, he aims to surpass his father in terms of ability and will push himself to great lengths to accomplish this. Beyond this, their relationship is described in canon as “non-existent.” To a degree, this is in part a leftover of a childish pique of rage, aimed at Herc’s sore spots so he could hit as hard as he could and get out of there. To Chuck, any hint of vulnerability is a weakness and something he cannot allow himself to feel, and so he pushes everyone away and only lets himself show any hint of positive emotion towards Derek and his dog, Max.
Physically, Chuck is a 6’ tall ginger kid, all pale skin, freckles, and long limbs. He’s broad shouldered and sturdy, but most of the time looks smaller than he is considering he hangs out with a six and a half foot monster of a best friend. He can usually be found with a cocky smirk at his mouth and sharp words upon his tongue, and he doesn’t care if people don’t like him.
In the Capitol, Chuck looks every bit of your regular Victor. He keeps a rather understated closet, preferring informal to formal, low-maintenance to the over the top fashion choices. He generally looks scruffy and like he’s going to either fight you or convince you a romp in bed is the best idea ever right about now. Generally speaking, Chuck is an arrogant son of a bitch who cares more about himself than the broad spectrum of the Capitol -- or at least it seems as such. He loses himself in the Capitol, finds and holds secrets for his own gain, and isn’t afraid to use it. He’s not necessarily kind, though there can be kindness hidden behind some of his actions, even if they’re mired in joke or reproach.
Chuck just doesn’t know how to treat people with that kindness, not really, and he doesn’t particularly care to. He does, however, utilize humor on a daily level. This is to say, he makes jokes at every expense, often biting, taunting things, but he also tends to share any bit of affection or respect through sarcasm.
Motivations: That said, Chuck is very much still that angry little boy scrambling desperately for nothing more than survival.
Chuck has gone through loss, and he reforged himself with each stroke, but the truth is, there is no real safety in the Capitol. Being a Victor is a tenuous position, despite the fame and the seeming security offered to them. Chuck is damn smart, and he knows a cage when he sees one. Maybe his father knew back when he was first reaped, but Chuck was still young and though he’d lost his faith in heroes, he had some hope left.
By now, this is gone. Shattered, really.
Chuck is motived only by continued survival, of himself, and of Derek. If there is a threat to that, he will shut it down as best as possible, and move on. He won’t give anybody a weakness or vulnerability to get a handle on, and he won’t let himself fall apart. This is easier nowadays, and as long as he’s got Derek at his side it’s typically a given that they’re going to feed off each other and be a solid wall against any adversary. But while Chuck doesn’t let others see that, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. He lives because he’s always angry, fueled by rage that eats at everything. There is no guilt, because Chuck did what he had to to survive, and he would do it all over again if he had to. But that rage never leaves him. It’s been the only thing that’s fueled him for eleven years, without it, Chuck wouldn’t know what to do.
He also lives to do exactly the opposite of what his dad says, as evidence by his return to the Capitol and reassuming of mentoring. This isn’t always relevant, but occasionally might be following a missive from an absent father.
Setting: Chuck’s lived in the Capitol for years, and he’s no stranger to the world he lives in. He grew up in a world where kids kill each other, and death is an eventuality. He doesn’t take well to his agency being stripped away, but he knows he can’t react to viscerally and verbally about it. At least, not out loud and not where the Capitol can hear. Which, admittedly, is most places. So over all, he’ll be playing along with the game the Capitol plays, doing whatever he can to keep himself and Derek alive and moving. This doesn’t mean he’s the most liked though, because Chuck is still a tactless asshole.
SAMPLES
First Person Thread:
[ He really couldn’t care less about the person who namedropped him, some random Capitolite hoping to garner attention, maybe. The camera clicks on, and Chuck’s sprawling in his chair like it’s a throne, chin propped in an open palm, brow raised sardonically. And truth told? Chuck thinks the new Games are a joke. Sure, the premise hasn’t changed, the blood, the gore, the emotional and physical trauma.
The mania and enthusiasm it sets off through the Capitol.
He thinks it’s a fucking embarrassment, a fucking joke. The new tributes have no idea what they’re fighting for, why they’re fighting. They band together, protect each other as long as possible, keep the children safe, and he wants to laugh because that guarantees exactly the opposite. But Chuck was blooded at 14, he killed mutt and man alike, gutted a kid no more than a year older than him because there was always only going to be one winner and he didn’t plan on dying yet. So no, he doesn’t care for the new Games. But here, now, this means that none of his District’s children have to fight and die, and that’s maybe a good thing. And even though Chuck’s foolhardy at times, an upstart at others, he knows when saying something might just get him killed. ]
My opinion? [ He scoffs a laugh, leaning back in his chair. His accent is drawling, bored. ] It’s all a big relief, ain’t it? Now y’don’t have to worry ‘bout investing in people who’re gonna die anyway.
[ A pause, thoughtful. ]
But it cuts into my time, havin’ these Tributes hanging around past their death. Guess someone got tired of me partying so much, huh?
[ He trails off with a smirk, head titled, lashes lowered. Isn’t it a shame?, he seems to ask, as if the world revolved around his own personal enjoyment. ]
Prose:
[ In the end, he pissed off too many people and pulled too many stunts that reeked of rebellion. While not entirely wrong, the truth is Chuck is pissed off and reeling with it. Derek's out there somewhere, still safe for now hopefully, but there's no way Chuck is coming back from this alive. He won't be allowed, not with Snow's fury and fierce retribution. The only chance he has is to take out as many as he can, to prove himself, to fight even if he's choking on blood in his lungs, even if his limbs don't want to work.
He fought through this once before, he lived, he was promised safety. And now they seek to take it from him? Now they seek to rip him apart like he was that teenager with nothing but rage left to him?
Well, he’ll show them.
There’s a spear lying there just for him, sleek chrome, sturdier than the one he used before. It fits perfectly in his hands, even as he rolls it between fingertips, a cocky little gesture. With one hand pressed palm against his chest, Chuck bows, gaze smouldering and black, mouth curled in a sharp smirk. ]
Guess you’ll be wantin’ another show, then?
[ He straightens, before slashing out at one of the dummies, spear buried deep in the fabric above its heart. Pulls back, spinning on heel, and jabs the spear through another dummy’s eye, and again, through another’s throat. And again, again, again, kill shots on all the dummies around him until the ground is covered with cloth and foam, and the dummies are all torn apart.
He steps back then, breathing hard, but not winded, and snaps the spear point down. Bows sharply at the waist, gaze never leaving the watchers. Then he spins on his heel, spear tossed back on its rack, and exits the room. Can’t resist tossing a sharp last word over his shoulder. ]
Good enough for you?
What is your character scored: His original score was probably around a 7. He was young, and still pretty short, but he was strong and knew how to fight and how to handle weaponry. That said, Chuck wasn’t the most likeable -- still isn’t -- and any comment about his parents could get him to fly of the handle. This wouldn’t be as relevant out of Game, but inside, it probably got him into trouble a time or two. Further, he’s a lone wolf, and wouldn’t have made any allies.
Since then, he would probably level up to a 9, or a 10 at best. He’s trained obsessively and constantly for a decade and a half, he knows how to fight and how to kill, and Chuck will not hesitate. He also knows how to manipulate crowds, and especially women in general. He’s a cocky son of a bitch, but he knows how to work things to his advantage.
And while he doesn’t have any powers, he’s still extremely dangerous.
Token: A golden locket, inside is a photo of Chuck’s mother and himself as a baby. It used to be hers, and after the building’s collapse, is what they used to identify her.
Additional information:
Past victor:
Chuck lucked out with his Game, well, not entirely, as it was a long drawn out one. But when the platforms rose, he found himself in a ghost town. It was a run down ruin, buildings falling apart, rusted from the ocean's weathering, nothing was safe. The cornucopia in the middle of the Arena was smaller than usual, bearing mostly weapons and a few medical supplies, but no food or water, nor any visible way to get some. While there was some water around the Arena, it was cloudy with blue and clearly unsafe to drink. The few that gave into desperation and drank from it died from horrible diseases that ate at their insides. Likewise, there was little food to be found easily, aside from mangy, thin animals that fought desperately and wounded those looking to eat them.
The tributes' only hope we're small platforms outside the island, filled with canteens of clean water and food. While the swim wasn't far or that dangerous, there were strange glowing lights in the water, and sinuous forms that would snatch tributes if they weren't fast enough. However, while the platforms were only a few feet outside the island at first, the longer the Arena dragged on the further they got. This wasn't to say they were moving backwards, but rather the island itself was slowly crumbling into the ocean. Bits and pieces fell off into the ocean by day, sometimes small chunks of sidewalk, sometimes an entire Skyscraper. At night, the island settled, but it wasn't exactly any safer.
Because at night, those glowing, sinuous forms proved to be mutts named 'Kaiju'. The kaiju were writhing, snarling animals that looked half a mix between sea creatures and mammal, and during the night they dragged themselves up out of the water to hunt down unwary tributes. They were loud creatures, with howling, ululating calls that chilled to the bone and wouldn't let people sleep. Once injured, they bled neon and chemicals, acidic fluid that would burn through cloth and eat at skin. Chuck found this out the hard way when he got blood on his arms. He barely managed to get off before it ate through more of his flesh and got to the muscle, and still bears some faded chemical burn scars on his forearms to this day. The kaiju were incredibly tough to kill, but Chuck hadn't trained extensively for nothing, and he managed to kill 11 of them, having the highest kill count in the arena.
Because of his distinctive pattern of striking and throwing himself out of the way before striking again, the Capitol's media started calling him "Striker". When coupled with a throw away whisper of eureka! that the Capitol found quite endearing, Chuck became known as "Striker Eureka". He could do without being known for a drive by comment, but as far as titles go, it's not the worst.
That said, Chuck wasn't so lucky as to avoid killing other tributes. Though technically part of a Career district, Chuck spurned the idea of joining their alliance and instead struck out on his own. This saved him, as the larger group had a harder time finding safety that would bear their combined weight and the team that year was a disastrous one that snapped at each other like rabid dogs. He was one of the youngest in the entire Game, and would have been targeted easily had he stuck around. Further, Chuck was an accomplished swimmer and managed to get enough food and water to bunker down for a while as the city went to shit around him.
Eventually, sick with hunger and dehydration and sleep deprivation, the rest of the tributes would brave the ocean or attempt to slaughter each other for supplies that didn't exist. Chuck had run the cornucopia and snatched a long fishing spear that saved his life several times -- seven times, in fact, which lead to him being called "Lucky Seven" on occasion -- and he didn't bother trying that run again. Instead, as the island grew smaller and his time dragged on, Chuck lost his tenuous patience. He started hunting his fellow tributes during the day while they tried to sleep. By now, there were less than half of the original 24, and the Careers themselves hasn't fared very well. But the three Careers leftover -- two from District 2, the girl from District 1 -- had started the same plan. The last few days were a haze and frenzy of falling buildings and pooling puddles of poisonous blood, interspersed by desperate hunts and vicious kills. Chuck's first kill was a girl maybe a year older than him who had survived by hiding, he spilled her guts and ran when her screams drew the attention of the Careers. This is how it went, a game of cat and mouse, with Chuck pitted against the Careers as they tried to avoid falling buildings, kaiju, and a surprise attack by the other tributes.
On the last day, his spear wound up near snapping in half as he slaughtered a tribute that had tried to sneak up on him. He pulled it carefully out of the kid's eye and then had to climb higher as he was chased by the two tributes remaining. The girl had been badly wounded, and as they climbed carefully higher up a deteriorating staircase she slipped and fell, breaking her head open against the steps. With one tribute left, Chuck knew his chances were 50/50, but the Career left was four years older, atleast 80 pounds heavier, and half-rabid. If he got caught, chances were Chuck wasn't come out of this alive.
To which his stubborn streak said fuck the odds.
The rooftop was torn largely in two, unsteady and wobbling, covered with a few half-dried puddles of kaiju blue. Chuck's luck meant he stayed out of the Career's grasp, fighting him off with sharp stabs of his spear at leg and arm and belly. But with each one it splintered more, and both of them knew it. Eventually, Chuck got a good hit in and buried the point of his spear low in between two ribs, but it snapped in half as he pulled back and sent him sprawling close to the edge of the roof.
Distracted with laughter, and relief, the Career advanced. Knowing he was dead unless he tried something stupid at the last second, Chuck tripped the Career into a puddle of kaiju blue and as he got to his feet cursing and screaming, pushed him off the roof.
For Chuck, his Game ended with a scream, a long fall, and a dim wet splat.
The return to the Capitol meant an end to pain and hunger and thirst, but he was haunted by what he'd seen and done. Not as bad as some previous Victors, because Chuck knew what he was getting into when he promised to come back. But he grew up quickly early, and this was a very aggressive end to the boy who had once been "Charlie" to a long dead mother and a largely absent father. The Capitol, therefore, is just a part of Chuck's life and has been since he can remember. He hates it in some way, because the lavish lifestyle and disregard for District lives. But he's not overly rebellious or against it. Largely ambivalent, because he can work it to his advantage, or thinks he can, and because it means he keeps himself and his best friend safe. Furthermore, he views it as payment. He slaughtered children for them, offered himself up as entertainment, and in return they’ve carved a place out for him to live in. He takes as much as he can and he revels in it. He can be quite a vain, arrogant guy. But the few years trying to keep his tributes alive were long and wore on him, given that aside from Derek, none of them survived.
Hunger Games AU and OC:
What is your reasoning for the Capitol to include your canon doppelganger if they app in?
It’s possible the Capitol would bring in a doppelganger in order to experience the thrill of his Game all over again without actually putting Chuck back in the Arena. They could also attempt to do so as a way to intimidate him into behaving, or trying to figure out if he’s selling the Capitol out and get him to stop. In both cases, they’d fail, because Chuck is stubborn and he doesn’t like letting people pull one over him or win.
What district is your character from? How do they feel about home?
Chuck is from District 4, and while he has fondness for the District, he doesn’t necessarily feel at home there. His home was lost alongside his mother, and while his dad tried, it felt empty without her. After he moved into one of the Victor’s homes, it just seemed even less personal. He spent years living in the Capitol though, and that doesn’t feel like a home either.
Name: Alyssa
Other characters: Clint Barton
IN CHARACTER
Name: Charles “Chuck” Hansen
Alias: “Striker Eureka”, “Striker”, "Lucky Seven", “That Punkass Kid”, ect, ect.
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Canon point/AU: Victor AU
Journal:
theyoungperishPB: Rob Kazinsky
Age: Twenty one
History:
canon wikia.
The world starts in District 4, for Charles “Chuck” Hansen. Born to Angela and Hercules “Herc” Hansen, he was a normal child, raised by two loving parents -- even if his dad was often gone because he was a member of the Peacekeeping Force. Chuck’s early life was a relatively easy one, he spent most of his time with his mother, and grew up in her shadow.
For ten years, Chuck was the same as your average District 4 child.
He grew up idolizing his father, even if Herc was more often in the Capitol than home, and wanted to be just like him when he was older. His mother was a spitfire, but she was loving and protective, and she kept him from the horrors and dangers of the world. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know about the Reapings, or the Games, either. Because that’s not something you could miss in this world and this society. But she kept him from seeing the true depth of the poverty, or experiencing it first hand. But while his mother tried to keep him from tragedy, she could never be successful.
As the months turned to fall, tragedy struck the family. While visiting a friend at work, Angela was killed when a shoddily built building collapsed. She wasn’t the only death, of course, and there was plenty of mourning throughout the district. To Chuck, his world had ended in one swift moment, and he could never completely move forward from this point. His father had been in the Capitol, and though he rushed home, Chuck could never quite forgive his father for failing to save his mother either, even if there was no way he could have. In a way, Chuck’s kept that childish grudge, that rage, and it’s the thing that’s fueled him through the years.
Though Herc tried to bring Chuck with him to the Capitol after the accident, Chuck fought him viciously over it, and they wound up staying in District 4. This doesn’t mean that they grew closer, or that Chuck found comfort in his father. Instead, he threw himself into the Career training that ran through District 4, pushing himself to become a better Peacekeeper than his father ever was. Unfortunately for him, while his dad was originally from District 2 where most Peacekeepers were recruited, Chuck himself wasn't. The road to becoming a Peacekeeper, one better than his father, was one that had a certain amount of adversary for him. Especially after his Uncle Scott fell into controversy, and was jailed. His father kept him from figuring out the truth for a long while, and that simply served to widen the gulf between them. Especially once Chuck found out that Herc was the one to turn in Scott for his crimes. The path to Peacekeeping was all but closed to him, but if Chuck is anything, it's stubborn. He forged forward to be the best irregardless. The ambition in this, the rage, and a friendship founded with Derek, whose father died alongside Chuck’s mother, are the things that push him forward. For years he lived like this, agony and rage tied up in a tiny body.
But when the Reaping came around in his 14th year, the name picked out of the rest is his own. This was the first time Chuck’s seen his father truly distraught in four years, and though he makes a promise -- ”You make it through, Chuck, no matter what. You hear me?” “Yeah, whatever old man.” -- Chuck knows that he’s got a limited shot of winning. He’s strong, but he’s young, and anything can happen in a Game.
It’s a combination of skill, and sheer dumb luck that gets Chuck through his Game. He can be charismatic when he wants to be, but he’s also an angry child, rough around the edges and quicker with a biting comment than anything else. Somehow, this and his past win him some fans, and Chuck’s not sure if it’s because it's a novelty or what, but he capitalizes on it. In the end, Chuck found himself slaughtering a massive amount of the ‘Kaiju’ mutts that stole into the drowning city at night, and he killed fellow tributes when pushed into it as well. He knew, darkly, completely, that there is no other way to win this Game. Sure, he could hide and wait it out, but Chuck isn’t cowardly enough for that, nor is he patient. In the end, the game ended with him tossing the last tribute off the top of a building and watching his body splatter across pavement.
He comes out of the Game angrier, but brittle at the edges, closed off from everyone and snapping like a wounded dog. The mutts and people he killed don’t leave him, and for a while, Chuck is deteriorating. Sure, he’s running around doing the promo things the Capitol requires of him. He trains hard, harder than ever before, but he can only keep down small bits of food and water. He can’t sleep, and the more his dad pushes, the worse it gets. In the end, it’s only Derek who pulls him out of it after long months of trying, and soon enough, Chuck is in full force.
Which means, of course, that the rug must be pulled out from underneath him all over again.
Mere months after he pulled himself together, the next Game rolled around, and Derek’s name was the one to be pulled. Chuck had no idea how to Mentor, but he tried anyway. Pushing until he gained sponsors, favors, anything to help his only friend survive. By the end of the Game, Chuck’s nerves were frayed, his eyes bloodshot and dark with sleepless nights, but Derek pulled through, and the fear that he’d have to lose someone again left him. Not completely, but gone in the immediate moment.
In the next few years, Chuck grew up in the Capitol’s shadow, arrogant and sarcastic and vitriolic. He didn’t care to keep an appearance of thankful abandon that seemed common among the other Victors. He wasn’t necessarily rebellious, but he wasn’t a little sheep either. Chuck took his duties as Mentor seriously, despite his seemingly dismissive attitude. He would work harder than anybody to keep his tributes alive through their Games, hoping beyond hope that one of them would win. But he only had a few years of this, before the Capitol found a way to drag tributes in from other worlds. To Chuck’s mind, it was a good thing that the children from his district weren’t killing each other. But these new tributes couldn’t understand. They weren’t from Panem, they were trouble makers and interlopers. In short, Chuck basically decided “screw these guys”. He withdrew from the Capitol, and headed back to District 4. Right up until his Dad made a comment about staying away from the tributes, and in a manner reminiscent of a teenager rebelling against his parents, Chuck packed his bags and headed back to the Capitol to pick up where he left off. Derek, as usual, at his heel.
Presentation:
"As for you, well you're easy: you’re an egotistical jerk with daddy issues, a simple puzzle I solved on day one. But you are your father’s son. So we'll Drift just fine." —Stacker Pentecost to Chuck
There are many things to be said of Chuck Hansen, but of these, the most easily apparent are the fact that he’s a perfectionist, arrogant and confident in his own skills, and demeaning to those he doesn’t consider worth his time and effort. Chuck is, as Stacker Pentecost eloquently stated, an egotistical jerk who has issues with his father, as well as everyone else. But he is more than just a bitter, single minded Victor. Chuck was raised in a war of his own making, he was baptized by the death of his mother and rose from the dust of District 4 like a vengeful spirit. He was encompassed by the need to become the best, and though he never managed to become the Peacekeeper he once wanted to be, he never lost the drive to strive for further. To Chuck, the world is fucked, but he will still try to keep his tributes alive as long as he can.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we?
Chuck Hansen is, at the very base, a stubborn bastard. He knows what he wants and he will pull no stops to get it. He pushes himself to insane levels, holds himself to immense standards, and he holds everyone else around him to those standards too. From a young age, Chuck pushed himself to become a Peacekeeper -- but more so he pushed himself to be the best Peacekeeper out there and this didn’t mean simply training. Chuck pushed himself to be the best in everything he learned. In the end, he was a capable fighter, scrappy and vicious, and considering the fact that he won his Game at 14, when he’d barely started training four years before, it speaks volumes as to the amount he’d pushed himself. This is very much fueled by the perfectionist tendencies that are buried deep in Chuck’s psyche.
Since a young age Chuck has lived off the anger and bitterness that his mother’s death and Herc’s perceived failure to save her incited within him. This, is where his perfectionism sprouts, but also where the vast majorities of his issues stem from. Chuck has major anger issues; while he’s grown up around the Force, raised on the values of the Capitol and the Peacekeepers and all it stands for, he’s also an arrogant, cocky jerk who is incited into a rage far too easily. He all too often gives into the urge to provoke people into throwing the first punch, and feels far from responsible in doing so. In truth, he feels justified, because it’s not as if he threw the first punch, is it? But Chuck is perpetually angry, not just at his Dad, but at everyone, and that coupled with his single-minded desire to become the best has left Chuck with literally no life outside of the Capitol. He has one friend, no lovers beyond one night stands, he’s largely alone -- and that’s the way he likes it. In part, this is because he views most people as unworthy of his time, but Chuck has also been so single minded and angry for so long that he can not find it in himself to empathize with others. He has little to no people skills, and doesn’t believe he needs them. Even with the other Victors, Chuck socializes only when needed, and this is certainly due to his ego problems.
On the topic of problems, Chuck is chock full to the brim with daddy issues. It’s hard to say whether or not Chuck had a good relationship with his father before, but it’s ultimately somewhat unlikely. Given that his father was part of the Peacekeeping Force, it’s likely he was more of a distant, fleeting figure. Chuck grew up more so on the principles that the Capitol and training fed him than he did on any fatherly relationship. This is not to say that Herc didn’t try to be a good father to his son, but Chuck pushed him away rather than let himself be comforted and relied only on himself, partially because he didn’t want to let himself get close to anybody else and lose them, but partially because he held nothing but bitter resentment towards his father and a withering sort of childish love a young child holds towards their parents. Chuck views his father as a rival and a checkpoint, he aims to surpass his father in terms of ability and will push himself to great lengths to accomplish this. Beyond this, their relationship is described in canon as “non-existent.” To a degree, this is in part a leftover of a childish pique of rage, aimed at Herc’s sore spots so he could hit as hard as he could and get out of there. To Chuck, any hint of vulnerability is a weakness and something he cannot allow himself to feel, and so he pushes everyone away and only lets himself show any hint of positive emotion towards Derek and his dog, Max.
Physically, Chuck is a 6’ tall ginger kid, all pale skin, freckles, and long limbs. He’s broad shouldered and sturdy, but most of the time looks smaller than he is considering he hangs out with a six and a half foot monster of a best friend. He can usually be found with a cocky smirk at his mouth and sharp words upon his tongue, and he doesn’t care if people don’t like him.
In the Capitol, Chuck looks every bit of your regular Victor. He keeps a rather understated closet, preferring informal to formal, low-maintenance to the over the top fashion choices. He generally looks scruffy and like he’s going to either fight you or convince you a romp in bed is the best idea ever right about now. Generally speaking, Chuck is an arrogant son of a bitch who cares more about himself than the broad spectrum of the Capitol -- or at least it seems as such. He loses himself in the Capitol, finds and holds secrets for his own gain, and isn’t afraid to use it. He’s not necessarily kind, though there can be kindness hidden behind some of his actions, even if they’re mired in joke or reproach.
Chuck just doesn’t know how to treat people with that kindness, not really, and he doesn’t particularly care to. He does, however, utilize humor on a daily level. This is to say, he makes jokes at every expense, often biting, taunting things, but he also tends to share any bit of affection or respect through sarcasm.
Motivations: That said, Chuck is very much still that angry little boy scrambling desperately for nothing more than survival.
Chuck has gone through loss, and he reforged himself with each stroke, but the truth is, there is no real safety in the Capitol. Being a Victor is a tenuous position, despite the fame and the seeming security offered to them. Chuck is damn smart, and he knows a cage when he sees one. Maybe his father knew back when he was first reaped, but Chuck was still young and though he’d lost his faith in heroes, he had some hope left.
By now, this is gone. Shattered, really.
Chuck is motived only by continued survival, of himself, and of Derek. If there is a threat to that, he will shut it down as best as possible, and move on. He won’t give anybody a weakness or vulnerability to get a handle on, and he won’t let himself fall apart. This is easier nowadays, and as long as he’s got Derek at his side it’s typically a given that they’re going to feed off each other and be a solid wall against any adversary. But while Chuck doesn’t let others see that, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. He lives because he’s always angry, fueled by rage that eats at everything. There is no guilt, because Chuck did what he had to to survive, and he would do it all over again if he had to. But that rage never leaves him. It’s been the only thing that’s fueled him for eleven years, without it, Chuck wouldn’t know what to do.
He also lives to do exactly the opposite of what his dad says, as evidence by his return to the Capitol and reassuming of mentoring. This isn’t always relevant, but occasionally might be following a missive from an absent father.
Setting: Chuck’s lived in the Capitol for years, and he’s no stranger to the world he lives in. He grew up in a world where kids kill each other, and death is an eventuality. He doesn’t take well to his agency being stripped away, but he knows he can’t react to viscerally and verbally about it. At least, not out loud and not where the Capitol can hear. Which, admittedly, is most places. So over all, he’ll be playing along with the game the Capitol plays, doing whatever he can to keep himself and Derek alive and moving. This doesn’t mean he’s the most liked though, because Chuck is still a tactless asshole.
SAMPLES
First Person Thread:
[ He really couldn’t care less about the person who namedropped him, some random Capitolite hoping to garner attention, maybe. The camera clicks on, and Chuck’s sprawling in his chair like it’s a throne, chin propped in an open palm, brow raised sardonically. And truth told? Chuck thinks the new Games are a joke. Sure, the premise hasn’t changed, the blood, the gore, the emotional and physical trauma.
The mania and enthusiasm it sets off through the Capitol.
He thinks it’s a fucking embarrassment, a fucking joke. The new tributes have no idea what they’re fighting for, why they’re fighting. They band together, protect each other as long as possible, keep the children safe, and he wants to laugh because that guarantees exactly the opposite. But Chuck was blooded at 14, he killed mutt and man alike, gutted a kid no more than a year older than him because there was always only going to be one winner and he didn’t plan on dying yet. So no, he doesn’t care for the new Games. But here, now, this means that none of his District’s children have to fight and die, and that’s maybe a good thing. And even though Chuck’s foolhardy at times, an upstart at others, he knows when saying something might just get him killed. ]
My opinion? [ He scoffs a laugh, leaning back in his chair. His accent is drawling, bored. ] It’s all a big relief, ain’t it? Now y’don’t have to worry ‘bout investing in people who’re gonna die anyway.
[ A pause, thoughtful. ]
But it cuts into my time, havin’ these Tributes hanging around past their death. Guess someone got tired of me partying so much, huh?
[ He trails off with a smirk, head titled, lashes lowered. Isn’t it a shame?, he seems to ask, as if the world revolved around his own personal enjoyment. ]
Prose:
[ In the end, he pissed off too many people and pulled too many stunts that reeked of rebellion. While not entirely wrong, the truth is Chuck is pissed off and reeling with it. Derek's out there somewhere, still safe for now hopefully, but there's no way Chuck is coming back from this alive. He won't be allowed, not with Snow's fury and fierce retribution. The only chance he has is to take out as many as he can, to prove himself, to fight even if he's choking on blood in his lungs, even if his limbs don't want to work.
He fought through this once before, he lived, he was promised safety. And now they seek to take it from him? Now they seek to rip him apart like he was that teenager with nothing but rage left to him?
Well, he’ll show them.
There’s a spear lying there just for him, sleek chrome, sturdier than the one he used before. It fits perfectly in his hands, even as he rolls it between fingertips, a cocky little gesture. With one hand pressed palm against his chest, Chuck bows, gaze smouldering and black, mouth curled in a sharp smirk. ]
Guess you’ll be wantin’ another show, then?
[ He straightens, before slashing out at one of the dummies, spear buried deep in the fabric above its heart. Pulls back, spinning on heel, and jabs the spear through another dummy’s eye, and again, through another’s throat. And again, again, again, kill shots on all the dummies around him until the ground is covered with cloth and foam, and the dummies are all torn apart.
He steps back then, breathing hard, but not winded, and snaps the spear point down. Bows sharply at the waist, gaze never leaving the watchers. Then he spins on his heel, spear tossed back on its rack, and exits the room. Can’t resist tossing a sharp last word over his shoulder. ]
Good enough for you?
What is your character scored: His original score was probably around a 7. He was young, and still pretty short, but he was strong and knew how to fight and how to handle weaponry. That said, Chuck wasn’t the most likeable -- still isn’t -- and any comment about his parents could get him to fly of the handle. This wouldn’t be as relevant out of Game, but inside, it probably got him into trouble a time or two. Further, he’s a lone wolf, and wouldn’t have made any allies.
Since then, he would probably level up to a 9, or a 10 at best. He’s trained obsessively and constantly for a decade and a half, he knows how to fight and how to kill, and Chuck will not hesitate. He also knows how to manipulate crowds, and especially women in general. He’s a cocky son of a bitch, but he knows how to work things to his advantage.
And while he doesn’t have any powers, he’s still extremely dangerous.
Token: A golden locket, inside is a photo of Chuck’s mother and himself as a baby. It used to be hers, and after the building’s collapse, is what they used to identify her.
Additional information:
Past victor:
Chuck lucked out with his Game, well, not entirely, as it was a long drawn out one. But when the platforms rose, he found himself in a ghost town. It was a run down ruin, buildings falling apart, rusted from the ocean's weathering, nothing was safe. The cornucopia in the middle of the Arena was smaller than usual, bearing mostly weapons and a few medical supplies, but no food or water, nor any visible way to get some. While there was some water around the Arena, it was cloudy with blue and clearly unsafe to drink. The few that gave into desperation and drank from it died from horrible diseases that ate at their insides. Likewise, there was little food to be found easily, aside from mangy, thin animals that fought desperately and wounded those looking to eat them.
The tributes' only hope we're small platforms outside the island, filled with canteens of clean water and food. While the swim wasn't far or that dangerous, there were strange glowing lights in the water, and sinuous forms that would snatch tributes if they weren't fast enough. However, while the platforms were only a few feet outside the island at first, the longer the Arena dragged on the further they got. This wasn't to say they were moving backwards, but rather the island itself was slowly crumbling into the ocean. Bits and pieces fell off into the ocean by day, sometimes small chunks of sidewalk, sometimes an entire Skyscraper. At night, the island settled, but it wasn't exactly any safer.
Because at night, those glowing, sinuous forms proved to be mutts named 'Kaiju'. The kaiju were writhing, snarling animals that looked half a mix between sea creatures and mammal, and during the night they dragged themselves up out of the water to hunt down unwary tributes. They were loud creatures, with howling, ululating calls that chilled to the bone and wouldn't let people sleep. Once injured, they bled neon and chemicals, acidic fluid that would burn through cloth and eat at skin. Chuck found this out the hard way when he got blood on his arms. He barely managed to get off before it ate through more of his flesh and got to the muscle, and still bears some faded chemical burn scars on his forearms to this day. The kaiju were incredibly tough to kill, but Chuck hadn't trained extensively for nothing, and he managed to kill 11 of them, having the highest kill count in the arena.
Because of his distinctive pattern of striking and throwing himself out of the way before striking again, the Capitol's media started calling him "Striker". When coupled with a throw away whisper of eureka! that the Capitol found quite endearing, Chuck became known as "Striker Eureka". He could do without being known for a drive by comment, but as far as titles go, it's not the worst.
That said, Chuck wasn't so lucky as to avoid killing other tributes. Though technically part of a Career district, Chuck spurned the idea of joining their alliance and instead struck out on his own. This saved him, as the larger group had a harder time finding safety that would bear their combined weight and the team that year was a disastrous one that snapped at each other like rabid dogs. He was one of the youngest in the entire Game, and would have been targeted easily had he stuck around. Further, Chuck was an accomplished swimmer and managed to get enough food and water to bunker down for a while as the city went to shit around him.
Eventually, sick with hunger and dehydration and sleep deprivation, the rest of the tributes would brave the ocean or attempt to slaughter each other for supplies that didn't exist. Chuck had run the cornucopia and snatched a long fishing spear that saved his life several times -- seven times, in fact, which lead to him being called "Lucky Seven" on occasion -- and he didn't bother trying that run again. Instead, as the island grew smaller and his time dragged on, Chuck lost his tenuous patience. He started hunting his fellow tributes during the day while they tried to sleep. By now, there were less than half of the original 24, and the Careers themselves hasn't fared very well. But the three Careers leftover -- two from District 2, the girl from District 1 -- had started the same plan. The last few days were a haze and frenzy of falling buildings and pooling puddles of poisonous blood, interspersed by desperate hunts and vicious kills. Chuck's first kill was a girl maybe a year older than him who had survived by hiding, he spilled her guts and ran when her screams drew the attention of the Careers. This is how it went, a game of cat and mouse, with Chuck pitted against the Careers as they tried to avoid falling buildings, kaiju, and a surprise attack by the other tributes.
On the last day, his spear wound up near snapping in half as he slaughtered a tribute that had tried to sneak up on him. He pulled it carefully out of the kid's eye and then had to climb higher as he was chased by the two tributes remaining. The girl had been badly wounded, and as they climbed carefully higher up a deteriorating staircase she slipped and fell, breaking her head open against the steps. With one tribute left, Chuck knew his chances were 50/50, but the Career left was four years older, atleast 80 pounds heavier, and half-rabid. If he got caught, chances were Chuck wasn't come out of this alive.
To which his stubborn streak said fuck the odds.
The rooftop was torn largely in two, unsteady and wobbling, covered with a few half-dried puddles of kaiju blue. Chuck's luck meant he stayed out of the Career's grasp, fighting him off with sharp stabs of his spear at leg and arm and belly. But with each one it splintered more, and both of them knew it. Eventually, Chuck got a good hit in and buried the point of his spear low in between two ribs, but it snapped in half as he pulled back and sent him sprawling close to the edge of the roof.
Distracted with laughter, and relief, the Career advanced. Knowing he was dead unless he tried something stupid at the last second, Chuck tripped the Career into a puddle of kaiju blue and as he got to his feet cursing and screaming, pushed him off the roof.
For Chuck, his Game ended with a scream, a long fall, and a dim wet splat.
The return to the Capitol meant an end to pain and hunger and thirst, but he was haunted by what he'd seen and done. Not as bad as some previous Victors, because Chuck knew what he was getting into when he promised to come back. But he grew up quickly early, and this was a very aggressive end to the boy who had once been "Charlie" to a long dead mother and a largely absent father. The Capitol, therefore, is just a part of Chuck's life and has been since he can remember. He hates it in some way, because the lavish lifestyle and disregard for District lives. But he's not overly rebellious or against it. Largely ambivalent, because he can work it to his advantage, or thinks he can, and because it means he keeps himself and his best friend safe. Furthermore, he views it as payment. He slaughtered children for them, offered himself up as entertainment, and in return they’ve carved a place out for him to live in. He takes as much as he can and he revels in it. He can be quite a vain, arrogant guy. But the few years trying to keep his tributes alive were long and wore on him, given that aside from Derek, none of them survived.
Hunger Games AU and OC:
What is your reasoning for the Capitol to include your canon doppelganger if they app in?
It’s possible the Capitol would bring in a doppelganger in order to experience the thrill of his Game all over again without actually putting Chuck back in the Arena. They could also attempt to do so as a way to intimidate him into behaving, or trying to figure out if he’s selling the Capitol out and get him to stop. In both cases, they’d fail, because Chuck is stubborn and he doesn’t like letting people pull one over him or win.
What district is your character from? How do they feel about home?
Chuck is from District 4, and while he has fondness for the District, he doesn’t necessarily feel at home there. His home was lost alongside his mother, and while his dad tried, it felt empty without her. After he moved into one of the Victor’s homes, it just seemed even less personal. He spent years living in the Capitol though, and that doesn’t feel like a home either.