DAS SPIEGELBILD

 

Mundane

Name: The Ephster!

E-mail: foxymuffin at the gmail dot com

AIM: f0xymuff1n

Website: Not required!

Character Desired: Rumpelstiltskin!

 

Civilian Form

Name: At the moment, and for simplicity’s sake, he has the rest of Das call him Edwin Barrington III Esq. It was the first alias he thought of and the one of the first ones he had when he met the rest of them. He wants to be sure that few people as possible know his actual name, so it changes often. He often will forget exactly who he told which name to, but is such a smooth talker, usually he can squeeze his way around a mix up of names.

 

Kingdom: Seventh.

 

Apparent Age: He looks probably to be about in his mid 30s.

 

Birthdate: Seed Moon 13

 

Occupation: He doesn’t really have a solid job, like a career. Rumps’ll pick up odd jobs here and there, such as handing out babies, collecting debts, and constantly finding new ways to weasel things out of unsuspecting people. Pretty much he sort of runs a little black market ring. Anything you need, he can get it for you, just be sure you give a good price.

 

Likes: Equivalency: Rumpelstiltskin may be a sneaky little bastard, but everything must be fair, even in the loosest sense of terms. Eye for an eye and all that. Something must always been given to get something in return because let’s face it, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and stealing is just wrong. You gave your priceless broach to receive this hen for dinner? Well that’s just fine! Think you paid too much? As long as you gave something to get something, that’s the only thing that matters to him. Of course that also means you very much have a chance of cheating him out of a fair profit, because as long as he thinks it’s equal, he’ll take it. Needless to say, he has a very skewed sense of equality, always in his favor of course. But still, can’t get something for nothing.

 

Gambling: Yay! Risks! Rumps is certainly a high roller, to boot. Why do you think he can never let anyone speak his real name? That’s right, he lost it in a gamble, but ooh, it was just too delicious of a risk to turn down. There’s just an overwhelming rush with the chance that he might loose, but at the same time could gain so much more! Certainly an embodiment of greed, he just can’t turn down a challenge, even when it’s too good to be true.

 

Talking: He really does love hearing the sound of his own voice. One might also say that he has quite the silver tongue. Even when no one is around, he’ll just be talking to himself. It’s kinda what he does.

 

Being left alone: For the most part, he’s pretty self sufficient, and would like it very much to stay that way. He likes to think of himself more like a contractor for Das and very much appreciates that so far he’s really been able to get left up to his own devices. He can get into more trouble by himself that way, not to mention he doesn’t have to deal with

 

A Way Out: Of course this is a double edged sword. Rumps likes to cover his ass in case anything should happen that does not fall into favor for him. But then again, should anyone he’s trying to weasel find some kind of legal loophole of their own, he’s pretty much boned.

 

Dislikes: Losing: HATES with a capital HATES. Rumpelstiltskin is the worst kind of loser there is. He’s really the one you don’t ever want to play board games with, as he will call out BLITZKRIEG and wipe the board clean in the unlikely event he ever loses. He will always try to make sure as many things as he can are in his favor, but as stated before, he can never turn down a challenge, but that doesn’t mean that he can accept losing any more than he already doesn’t.

 

Not the Boss: Used to being his own man, in charge, and so dislikes taking orders. He will, but is vastly more apt to do so if you address him more like a partner than a subordinate. Doesn’t mean he won’t do what he’s supposed to if he knew what’s good for him, but he’ll not be happy about it, and is more prone to screwing it up and not giving his all. He’ll do “favors” as an equal, but not “chores” like your slave.

 

Short People: Not really a big thing, but a thing nonetheless. Just not a fan of shorties, and that includes when he himself is a bit smaller than usual. He really yearns to be a man that’s larger than life, and when he has this curse of sometimes being less than a foot tall, it kind of dampens your style. It often causes Rumpy to be pretty irritable, curt with responses, and rather unforgiving.

                               

Hobbies: Study the laws: Rumps has to, and he very much prides himself on knowing the ins and outs of all the rules. It’s so important for him to know all the exceptions and backdoors into The Way Things Are because he will always want to get close enough to the line without ever actually crossing it. He’s a man that lives on the edge, tests the waters, and loves pushing people’s buttons. Never wants to do things the simple way, wants to make things as complicated as he can, just to cover his tracks, confuse John Doe, and make sure that even if he did miss something while toeing that line, he most likely won’t be found out. And though written laws are simple, the implied are trickier, and of course more fun to learn. Those nitpicky taboos such as you never wear your floral hat with your filigreed gloves, or some things are just not talked about.

 

“Going Out”: He’ll be back later, and that’s all you need to know. Of course everything he does on his sudden outings are on a need to know basis, and all that need to know will. Stop asking.

 

Mind Games: Rumps likes messing with people’s heads. He’s not always successful, but will always walk away with a smug look on his face, regardless. He will attempt to confuse and baffle people by his roundabout logic and will almost ALWAYS make things more difficult that need be, just because people showing that perplexity is his favorite expression of all. It must be noted that most of the time, people just don’t know what he’s talking about rather than they can’t follow his twisted logic.

 

Aspirations: All Rumps really is concerned about is always making sure that he is ahead of the game and always coming out on top. Basically, he really is right around where he wants to be anyway, he just wants to make sure he stays that way. Because let’s face it, life is good.

 

Friends and Family: Rumpelstiltskin is a one man show and will only take on accomplices if it benefits him, or he’s sure he can cover for them. Another way of saying: NO ONE IS HERE! <3

 

History:

Many in the Seventh Kingdom probably remember a story about a cobbler who had a little bit of help in the middle of the night by something people have, over time, been known to call Elves. But really, these elves weren’t elves at all, but a vaguely similar species known as the Heinzelmännchen, or also called Brownies, which they are called because all of them have characteristically brown hair. Back in the day, the Heinzelmännchen were known to be a helpful race, but no one had ever seen more than a glimpse of the small beings, mostly because they liked to keep to themselves but partially because they were all around only a foot tall, or less. Some would help, others created mischief, but none of them really caused any harm, and one day, they just were just not really heard of, and dismissed as nothing but a fable. So eventually, stories get twisted, and good deeds brought about by the Heinzelmännchen were really twisted and stretched and exaggerated. They felt pretty proud of themselves, eavesdropping by hiding in tight corners, sneaking in tight spaces, and some of the privileged few were able to walk about the humans, completely unnoticed. Well, word got back to the race of small brown-haired mischief makers that it was no longer them that were the so called selfless heroes of the story, but a similar but entirely different brand of creature. And while the Heinzelmännchen liked to lay low, they also take great pride in their work and require recognition when due, and news of their names being wiped from even the most trivial of tasks, well that didn’t sit right. But try as they may, they could not convince anyone to change their story. Besides, ‘Elves’ are a lot easier to say than ‘Heinzelmännchen’. So they decided to make names for themselves that the humans would not forget. And although they still are very secretive, if a human ever runs across their path, they are in for a world of trouble and mischief, having become more poltergeist like these days.

 

Rumpelstiltskin is definitely no exception. He’s proud, devious, and tricky like a fox, and loves every minute of it. He’s also very stupid in an impulsive way. Rumps was raised, as all Heinzelmännchen are, in a community with a funny name and a twisted sense of logic. He found himself among the gifted who can surpass the normal magicks of his race and begin to branch out in glamour and transmuting spells that only the most skilled could achieve. And he found his love of chance, which wasn’t hard, really, since all Heinzelmännchens play nothing but chance games. But again, he’s stupidly impulsive, one turn lead to another, and Rumpelstiltskin ended up getting caught. Not only caught, but caught cheating. And not only caught cheating, but caught cheating by someone who was not amused, and harbored a power different and a little greater than his. Because his victim was so upset, she never wanted to hear his name uttered ever again, and cursed Rumpelstiltskin to lose his spells when someone were to utter his name. As you might imagine, Rumps was pissed to no end, as every single damn time someone mentioned his name, anything magical he might have done recently just disappeared. And he was quite fond of his name to boot. So he left the greater part of the Seventh Kingdom behind him, since that was one of the only things he could think of doing, leaving behind all that knew his name, and just began to venture out. This is where he began to make new names for himself, using whatever fit his mood at the time. He still loved gambling, and still loved tricks, so a stupid little incident like that wasn’t going to stop his fun in the least.

 

Along his travels he acquired more talents, tricked a few people out of money and other such collateral. One happened to be this miller father who stupidly told everyone his daughter could spin straw into gold. Could you believe it? Now Rumps was just hanging in a tree nearby and heard about this and he KNEW that the girl could do no such thing. Thinking it time to make some easy cash, Rumps took it upon himself to swindle what he could out of the girl, who was locked away by a greedy noble. He managed to get trifle trinkets as he seemingly spun the straw into gold, but really just made it golden in color. Not that anyone ever really noticed. Finally the girl had run out of things to give, and one of Rumps’ philosophies is that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Getting desperate, the girl offered up her first born child, having nothing left. Being too delicious of a deal, Rumps snatched it up, the girl was saved from a greedy noble’s temper, and all was good.

 

He stuck around, just to be sure the girl kept up her end of the deal.Eventually it came time for him to collect on her debt, and he’s not one to forget when people owe him things. Not wanting to give up the child, the new mother pleaded, and Rumps, up for another game, gave her one last chance. She had three days to figure out what his name was, or the kid was his. Three days passed, he went to take the child, she never guessed his name, he made off with bouncing baby and sold it to someone else the next town over.

 

When Rumps wins, he gets cocky and even more rash, so up for more games, he went looking. But instead of him finding his next victim, they found him. Or rather, she. Her name was Kriemhild, and she challenged Rumpelstiltskin in a battle of wits. In a close win by Rumps, no doubt allowed by Kriemhild, the Queen sulked over her loss while the victor characteristically gloated. After teasing the woman, Rumps paused to hear what she had to say. Kriemhild certainly wove a beautiful tale of riches and desires to try and entice Rumps to come and help her in her time of need. He wasn’t convinced as he did as he pleased anyway, so in a dirty trick, Kriemhild called him by name and sealed him away, with only the slightest of agreements to maybe get rid of such a nasty curse, which placated Rumpelstiltskin enough.

 

Personality:

The first thing to notice about Rumps is that he is generally a very likeable, charismatic person. He absolutely comes across as the person you could go to for things, someone you could trust, and yes you WOULD buy a used car from this man. He’s just oozing with that wonderful personality, the feeling of fairness, trust, and generally just warm fuzzies. What he’s noticed for is his honesty and inability to back out of any sort of contract. If he’ll agree to it, he will be sure to exploit and follow it to a T, and that’s something you can always rely on. Integrity and all of that on the line. He might be perverse, but he’s not without some ethics.

 

He is also and totally about fairness. Granted it’s his own special brand of fairness, but at least something is there. He is a full believer you can’t get something for nothing, and you can’t give something without something else in return. He is definitely a stickler for equality in that sense, but both sides of the scale don’t have to balance, there just has to be something on there, and he will do anything to be sure that they tip in his favor. Advantages are okay in his book, even when they completely overshadow the competition, but as long as the other side has the slightest sliver of a chance, it’s okay and “equal”.  Rumps really is the kind of guy that you would want on your side, because to cross him is to have a terrible enemy on your hands.

 

Rumps is really quite ruthless when he gets right down to it. He is a little stubborn with a short fuse (only about the most trifle of things, such as what he thinks to be personal attacks on himself, or his “curse”), but is determined to hide it well, usually by becoming uncharacteristically quiet, hiding behind grimaces, and being more curt and downright mean in his actions. Usually one to beat around the bush in a labyrinth of confusion, when Rumps is downright mad he gets to the point, which is always too crude for such a self proclaimed Dapper Dan. Surely not something he’s proud of, but frankly, he doesn’t care. Consequences be damned, they started it, they don’t deserve nice. Besides, he doesn’t have the time for those who waste his by making him upset. Now, being upset is certainly not something to blow his cover over, but he does need help from time to time to keep himself in check. There will always be that instance where he just cannot hold himself in any longer, and that’s when he needs to know that the best thing to do is just to walk away.

 

Although while he can seem to get angered quite easily, he really does mostly come off as a laid back, happy go lucky person. He gets focused until the task is done, or it becomes too tedious to hold his attention, then will jump to the next job. Rumps is rather impulsive at times, but he swears there is some method to his madness, but mostly he just does what will spark his interest the most. Spontaneous, but secretive, since no one ever really knows what he’s doing except “Oh, there he goes again. I wonder what he needs with that large bag of straw and mandolin this time…”

 

Unfortunately, Rumps has a great weakness. He has an abnormal love for a challenge, gamble, risk, whatever you want to call it. It gives him such a rush, such a feeling of excitement, like a cliffhanger to his own life, waiting with baited breath and all. There really aren’t enough words to describe the complete euphoria he experiences when engaging in something as hazardous and chancy. He could win all that and more, but the off chance that he might lose? Exhilarating! Unless he really does lose, and then he’s the most bitter sourpuss you ever laid your eyes on, call his opponent a cheater, and stomp away, the sorest loser of all the kingdoms. Because of that, he will do what it takes to make sure absolutely everything he can is in his favor.

 

            Strengths: Everything must be “equal”, a man of his word, charismatic, convincing

            Flaws: Inability to turn down a challenge, greedy, thinks only for himself, secretive, short temper when it comes to the small things

 

 

Appearance:

Eyes: Violet and sly. If one thing were to be said about his eyes to describe them, cat-like would be it. His eyes are narrow and burning with cool flames at times, and wide and mischievous during others, almost inhuman in some situations. But his beautiful and entrancing wine colored eyes also betray him, for they can never hide what emotions he may really be feeling at the time, no matter what may come out of his mouth to contradict them. One only needs to know how to read it.

 

Hair: A little long for the short side of haircuts, Rumps has dark hair, like the color of a wet potato. In it’s natural state, it’s made entirely of tiny curls, which actually gives his hair more of a crimped, or frizzy look, which tends to stick up in every which direction. But we can’t leave it that way, oh no. So Rumps has taken to using a sort of soft wax made for taming unruly hair, like pomade. With this not so magical salve, Rumps will comb his hair into a very sleek, slicked back style, almost in used car salesman fashion.

 

Face: Rumps’ face is long, but still holds onto a little bit of roundness before ending in a sharp point of his chin, resulting in a dramatic heart shaped face. High cheekbones give his face a snooty air about him, and his nose is long, crooked and pointy. He has a mouth, almost constantly in a grin, and already the “laugh lines” are showing around his mouth and eyes, just from constantly being stuck in such a position. His eyebrows are thin, yet full, and are expertly pointed at both ends, and his complexion is maybe a good few shades pale from being a healthy tan.

 

Body Shape: Long, stringy, and pointed. Rumps looks slightly awkward for his body, and he just ends in angles everywhere. The only out of place feature would be his belly, which looks like he hadn’t been able to loose weight in that isolated area. It isn’t large and in charge, but it does tend to make his silhouette similar to a snake who had just eaten a tasty snack. Love handles ahoy!

 

Usual Attire: Depending on the task, Rumps’ clothes can range from rags to riches, though he will always look FABULOUS doing it, somehow. He dresses flamboyantly in a subdued manner, so while he enjoys the fineries and beautiful ornate patterns, he’s not one to wear shockingly bright colors, but does like the darker, richer, bold ones. Always up on the times, Rumps is usually sporting some of the most fashionable pieces according to what he might be doing or where he might be. He always favors long, embroidered coats, fancy shoes, and whatever else his greedy little mind can think up. You’re more convincing if you dress the part, afterall.

 

Mannerisms: Grand gestures, whether happy or angered. Rumps loves to elaborate and over exaggerate the simplest body language, from slapping someone squarely on the back, or trying to “hint” from across the room, where no doubt everyone could see. Even when acting proper, his actions are quite embellished, but always ends with a laugh, especially characteristic of him since he always has that stupid grin plastered on his face.

 

True Form: 8” tall and very similar to his human counterpart, this Heinzelmännchen basically just looks like a very small person. Some of his features, such as his fingers, chin, and nose have become more exaggerated and he tends to look a bit caricature-like. His eyes have almost no whites, his ears elongate to a point, and his clothes always revert back to not quite crude short pants and a long tunic-type shirt. Simple, un-flashy, poor, and totally not his style.

 

Mirror: Rumpelstiltskin’s mirror isn’t so much of a looking glass as it’s more like a looking BOWL. That’s right, a bowl. Made from a highly reflective glass, the bowl is shallow and has a 2” wide lip all around, somewhat similar to a pasta bowl or a small wash basin. Formulas, symbols and other inscriptions are etched rather meticulously into the glass and if ever asked why, Rumps will definitely confirm the importance of everything on there, but he wouldn’t want to bore himself in explaining the details to you. Just accept they’re there, and we’ll move on.

 

Now the bowl only reflects one way, and that’s when you look down into the basin. Trying to look by the bottom of the mirrored bowl will only result in looking through your own personal window with not a reflection in sight.

 

His large, non travel mirror is round and surrounded buy an Ouroboros that fades from lead to gold. It doesn’t seem to have a start or an end as to where the one metal starts and the other ends, being rather mesmerizing to look at.

 

Spells:

 

Conjure Objects: Rumpelstiltskin CAN conjure things, but his conjuring abilities are limited. This really goes against his equivalency standard, and he feels rather uneasy while doing such, even with his skewed equality sense. It’s still getting something for nothing. One could suppose that the act of conjuring was payment enough, but something just doesn’t sit right with him. He will do it if the necessity arises, but since he doesn’t practice this skill as much as he probably should, he’s only able to concentrate and call forth only the basics.   

 

Master of disguise: Most definitely a sort of glamour spell, Rumps can change almost anything about his appearance; height, hair, face shape – you name it. Unfortunately, his eyes are the one thing he cannot change about himself, and that little detail that eludes him will piss him off to no end from time to time because it is simply something he cannot control. Window to the soul and all of that.

                                                                                                   

Transmute: This is probably his most favorite thing in the world to do. Rumps delights in turning something into something else. Red apples green, spoons to forks, straw to gold, that kind of thing. He’s rather good at this because he will do it all the time, mostly just to mess with people. (“Weren’t those curtains blue?”) Certainly the loveable scamp, isn’t he?

 

Purify metal: Making you believe he can do this without so much as a single thought on his end, Rumps can take impurities out of any sort of metal you’d like to throw at him. While it can take quite a bit of effort, it ruins the performance if he lets you see even a hint of the slightest strain. Yes he’s a speshul snowflake, and he won’t let you forget it if he has any say about it.

 

Abilities:

Knows How Things Work: Or if he doesn’t he will find out, but Rumps definitely has his innate sense of knowing these things. He’s taken apart enough doohickeys and learned enough science (or as “science” as it gets) about the inner mechanics for reactions and things. In his room, among the Things You Cannot Look At Much Less Touch, he has piles of small machines he had somehow commandeered and completely stripped down to the last piece. He never really reassembles them, because he doesn’t think there’s much of a need. He took it apart, he saw how it worked, its job is done now.

 

Slight of Hand: Simple parlor tricks, pulling coins out of ears, finding your card, that sort of thing. Rumps is endlessly fascinated with where things go when NOT using magic. He has practiced endlessly, as there’s really not much for him to do except whatever he wants. Admittedly it’s not as impressive since there’s real magic floating about, but its fun, and he’s good at it. It also comes in handy when he needs to sneak something into a pocket without anyone noticing.

 

 

Anything Else?

 

Mirror Mask – plain mirrored masquerade mask – Cyrano mask

 

Make this application bleed, ladies! <3 I want Rumps to be all he can be and more.