Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
Jax Shepherd had not been happy about the idea of a Halloween party in this mansion. In fact, he had been loathed to agree to it. But unfortunately, being the eldest brother to three younger sisters often made him a wimp about saying no, and Penny, the youngest, had all of these grand plans with the mansion they had inherited. With peace hanging in the balance of the Shepherd family, he relented and said yes. Now though, he was left with the consequences of elaborate decorations, lights, and sounds. Fog pumped through the house as people mingled and hired helped roamed. Jax himself, felt eerily on edge.
But...he always felt on edge. In new places. In crowds. Sometimes he just slept in his closet because he knew it was safe, and no one knew. Jax had been coasting by, any episodes he had happened in private. The man knew he had been lucky that it had been that way, every loved one in his life - his sisters, Ember, Olympia, Roman - none of them seemed to know what haunted his mind still from years ago. Now though, something felt different, perhaps because this party was evading his personal space, his home, his safety.
He took a swig of his drink, trying to calm his nerves, push his thoughts out of his head, "You're fine," Jax muttered to himself, even as a drunk couple stumbled near him, causing him to balk. The man knew now he had to move, and he skirted around crowds, weaving ever so careful to not make contact with anyone in case it was a mine field. A soft and gentle hand reached out though, touching his forearm and hazel eyes snapped to the person, only to see a familiar face, "Bea?"
They say its a suicide mission. I intend to prove them wrong.
thanks aofie!
Thirty Six . Inactive US NAVY . Floral Designer . Crushing
full name • Jax Merrick Shepherd Jr. nicknames • JJ, Shep, Reaper age • Thirty Five birthday • October 20 occupation • Floral Designer at Maewha Floral Designs & Gifts; Retired US Navy gender • Male sexuality • Hetero
the appearance
face claim• John Krasinski
identifying features• Towering over people at Six Foot Three, Shep had to work hard to learned how to blend into his environment in his former life. Despite being retired from the military, he's managed to keep up his muscle mass and stay in shape. He has brunette hair, which can be a little bit unruly so he often is stuck keeping after it with a comb and jell. Shep also tends to sport a beard, favoring it over keeping to being clean shaven, but he's willing to make the sacrifice if needed. He is completed by a set of hazel eyes, which often have been discribed as soulful - much to his annoyance. When he was little, he used to be self conscious of his nose and ears, since they were also the subjects of teasing due to their size. He has this half sleeve on his right arm along with the U.S. Navy Crest on his chest, right over the place of his heart.
the personality
likes • Hot Sauce, Home Made Fried Chicken - None of this fast food chain business, Tranquil Sounds & Environments, Dogs - especially working breed dogs such as German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Labrador Retrievers, Rough Hiking, Rock Climbing, Working Out, Designing Floral Displays and Bouquet - He Doesn't Realize This Yet, Off Roading dislikes • Nightmares, Fireworks, Admitting he has PTSD, Unreasonable People, Men who throw their weight around - especially with Women, Militia and Fake Military People, Conspiracy Theorists, Sitting in Sedans - They are too tiny for his long limbs! Yoga - The Body is NOT meant to bend like that strengths • Talking to People, Handling Spice, Trekking over Rough Terrain, Fast Reflexes weaknesses • Taking About Himself and/or his service, Loud Sounds, People in Distress - Especially Women & Children dreams • Laying that PTSD to rest; Learning about His Dad fears • Some fear or PTSD episode crippling him in a situation where he is trying to help someone or being intimate overall personality • Shep's personality took shape from his childhood with a single mom and two younger sisters to look after as well as what was dealt to him during the aggressive training he went through with the U.S. Navy. He's rather personable and bold when it comes to interacting with people - although he has been known to get shy around pretty women - and has a tendency to try and resolve conflict when it's dumped on his lap. He is a quick decision maker - confident and assertive. Shep is likely to put more trust in his gut when making decisions and executing plans. He does have a streak of subbornness though, which can make him combative and a little confrontational, even though he tries his best to avoid confrontation. It's an annoying contradiction that Shep is keenly aware of that he does, and yet he cannot help himself. He is quick to shy away about talking about himself though for no other reason other than he's not fond to do so, and doesn't like touching base on his service time either. A majority of the time, he can be pretty resilient in matters, but he's been known to have panic attacks, something that he's still trying to figure out how to handle. Shep feels as if he is constantly searching for peace and harmony within himself, and feels the need to put himself out there more in order to achieve it.
the history
father • Jackson "Jax" Shepherd, Deceased mother • Abigail Shepherd, 60, Office Secretary siblings • ---- Shepherd, 32, Sister ----- Shepherd, 30, Sister ----- Shepherd, 28, Sister important people • -----Hughes, British Military hometown • Rock Hill, South Carolina overall history • Shep was born to Jax and Abigail Shepherd in a Rock Hill, South Carolina - home of the Carolina Reaper Pepper. It felt like as if it every two years, Abigail was popping out a baby and the finally put an end with four children. Out of the four Shepherd children, it is Shep who remembers their dad the clearest: his voice - that English accent so foreign to the people of Rock Hill, his smell, his laugh, his hugs, and most of all, his stories. But one day he left, no word, no note, no nothing but a sad wife and even sadder children. It all fell onto Shep to be the main of the house at eight years old, something his mom kept on telling him that he didn't have to be but he refused to listen to her.
He grew up knowing nothing but South Carolina. He lived, breathed, and thought he would die there despite the fact that there was a nagging in his soul for something more, something bigger. Maybe it was the movies or the fact that downtown had a recruiter office, but Shep started doing his research on how to make it into one of the military academies in the United States with the idea of becoming an officer after graduating. The U.S. Naval Academy ended up accepting him into their program, where he spent four grueling years of college learning and training to become an officer upon graduation. He made sure to take all of his classes seriously regardless of subject matter - uncertain of what would be needed later in life - and that included both math even though he thought it was the worse.
As a joke, he applied to the Navy Seals after graduating. He took the aptitude test, physical tests, and got submitted for a security clearance. They told him they would call him, and just carry about what the Navy assigned him to for the time being. Three years later, he got the call. Truth be told, Shep had completely forgotten about it. But he accepted it and took to the training. Boot camp was brutal, and that had only been the beginning. He then went on to training and advancement, which was only worse. Day by day, Shep watched as his class dwindled down to eight classmates at graduation. Upon graduation, he was given his orders and shipped off.
He spent 10 years with the SEALS. Shep saw many things - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A lot of his work went unrecognized for the sake of the mission and classification to protect his squads identity. It was his brotherhood and it pretty much became the only life he knew. He also made friends with military allies across the world. Unfortunately, Shep's time with the Navy came to a traumatic end with a botched mission and bad intel, with his squad walking into a trap. Not all of them made it out alive due to use of high end explosives. His head was ringing from the experience, and he came out with a bad concussion and needing shrapnel dug out out of his body, and Shep knew he got off lucky with keeping not only his limbs, but his life as well.
The reality of the trauma dealt soon became to kick in after that. He couldn't handle loud or sudden noises. Closets got suspicious to him, and he had to check the rooms he entered. Even going out, Shep always needed to know where the door was and if he was at a restaurant, he needed to be seated facing the door. He called them quirks but the reality of it was was that it was PTSD, but he didn't want to admit it - because it would cause him to be taken out of active duty. Unfortunately, he could only hide it for so long and a standard training exercise involving a fake motar simulation set him off. Shep found himself put on the very thing he was trying to avoid - inactive duty, along with a mandate to see a shrink provided by the Navy.
Around that same time, Shep's mom called him - requesting that he come home. When he asked her why, she gave him nothing and when he called up his sisters, it turned out that they were summoned too and had no answers. When they arrived back in Rock Hill, they found their mom with a lawyer. A will sitting in front of them. Apparently Jackson 'Jax' Shepherd Sr. - their father and her husband- had passed away in the countryside of Hickstead, England. They were floored, having written off their dad all of those years ago. They will stated that the estate in Hickstead was left to them, along with the inherence. They were all baffled, but Shep saw it as an excuse to not go to his appointed Naval shrink and up and left for Hickstead to figure it out
the role player
alias • forever age • n/a other characters • the herd
