â GENERAL INFO â
Preferred Name: "I go by Jake most of the time."
Ethnicity: "Uh...German decent but like...American. What the fuck is Ethnicity, I don't even know how to answer this."
Birth Date: "October 30. So close to Halloween. So fucking close."
Age: "Twenty-Five. I'm getting old. Dammnit."
Sexuality: "Girls kind of scare the shit out of me if I'm being honest."
Height: 6'
Scars/Tattoos/Piercings:
Due to his light complexion, most of Jake's scars fade away or simply become overlooked in favor of the vast amount of colorful tattoos that decorate at least eighty percent of his body. In all honesty, the majority of Jake's scars are nothing spectacular; just leftover marks from childhood. He does have a few interesting ones though -- his left ear is nicked at the top, enough so that there's a noticeable split on the upper shell (he calls it his 'kitty mark'), he has one in his inner thigh that's large, gashed, and kind of horrible to look at (he tried climbing a barbwire fence), and a slice through his ring finger from playing Five Finger Fillet and "slipping".
Jake has more tattoos than scars, though he can't even tell you how many or where they all are. Both of his arms are work-in-progress sleeves, he has two on his chest, and a wide collection of others.
He only has a few piercings: both of his ears (usually filled by small Batman gauges), the right side of his lip, and the left side of his nose. Generally he wears silver hoops through them, but on occasion he will switch them out.
Jake's tall and lean, made up of wiry muscles that he's usually too lazy to put any real work into. His long limbs are either accompanied by shocking grace or flailing arms and legs, depending on the day.
His hair has a tendency to never really stay the same. Sometimes he grows it out, cuts it off, dyes it odd colors, lets it be shaggy, styles it, ect. Currently it's short, dark brown, shaved on one side but falls in his eyes a lot.
He wears mostly black and can usually be seen in band tee shirts..
â PERSONALITY â
Jake is, to put it lightly, an asshole. He's got a loud mouth on him, constantly pared with sarcastic comments and pushy dares. He's never been known for being able to shut up and sit down.
A hyperactive little bastard, Jake is just in love with being alive. He thrives on energy and taking risks that he never thinks out. He's quick to laugh, smile, and cry. He's a talkative little thing and will ramble through just about any silence, but he's oddly tight lipped about his personal life. He's smarter than he pretends to be, but usually doesn't put those talents to work until he's about to get his ass in some kind of trouble. He makes bets way too easily, makes decisions at the drop of a pen, jumps without looking. As a general rule, his mind is spinning constantly and it's safe to assume he's already thought three steps ahead.
He never quite seems to...relax. Constantly moving, even when he's standing still. Most people are amazed he can tattoo, because even when he's drawing he has a tendency to get up and walk around or climb the stool he's sitting on. In fact, the only way anyone has ever seen him calm is after putting an ink gun in his hand.
Jake can be rough around the edges, a little dark and shady, and brutally honest. His half smirks can make people extremely uncomfortable, as well as the fact that he seems to overhear everything. He's a bit of a bad influence, with a devil-may-care attitude and a small addiction problem to things, people, and certain lifestyle rushes. He's loyal and carefree, creative and reckless, and loves openly.
Role: "I own Midnight Ink. Well, co-own technically, but I opened it so whatever."
Skills: "Drawing and Tattooing, obviously. I'm actually a good chess player. Does drinking count as a skill? And I'm a fucking amazing cuddler, just saying."
Art Type: "New School. It's just...I like the colors and getting to be a little bit crazy."
â HISTORY â
Relationship Status: "I'm doomed to die alone...maybe I'll buy another cat..."
Friends & Family: "I mean, I have Role 2 and she's pretty cool. And [Role 6] is my best mate, but I kind of consider everyone at the studio family on some level."
The Masters Family: Fiona Masters | Richard Masters | Blake Masters | Julia Masters | Jakob Masters | Elizabeth "Effy" Masters | Lucy Masters
Known Languages: "English and uh...do swear words count as a language?"
Jake grew up poor, in a small home with a big family and not enough money to cover them all. Their parents were always gone, working themselves to the bone trying to survive -- Fiona at the diner down town and Richard at the garage on the East side with their oldest son Blake. The remaining Masters kids mostly raised themselves...which meant they were left to their own devices and eventually spun out of control.
Julia did her best trying to be the driving force in the Masters household -- she took care of herself, the housework, and the other three kids for the most part. Unfortunately, she was too young to play mother, and try as she might the broken pieces of their family never quite fit together. Jake had the hardest time at school. He was too quirky, eccentric, loud and restless compared to the sensible teachers and classmates he had. Despite being effortlessly smart (especially in math and english), Jake had no drive when it came to learning. By the time he was a freshman he was failing every class but art. Eventually, however, it was the fighting that got him expelled.
At sixteen Jake found himself more alone than he had been before. Parents absent as ever, Blake in prison, and Julia off to art school left the weight of the world on his shoulders. Try as he might, Jake was never the embodiment of 'mature', and things quickly slipped through his fingers. Lucy mostly took care of herself, but Effy's drug habit had become something that could no longer be ignored. To keep himself sane he looked for a job. In the span of one year he spiraled through being fired and storming out of every place he ever walked into: supermarkets, game stores, gas stations, bars, anywhere that would even look at him without a Highschool education.
Eventually, he wound up in a cafe, working the midnight shifts where he usually busied himself with drawing. It was there that he met Matt Berks, who commented on the sketch that would eventually turn into the first tattoo Jake ever got, and what lead to Matt asking him if he had ever considered being a tattoo artist himself.
The question sent Jake on a whirlwind that prompted him to get back into taking art classes and accepting an apprenticeship. Three years later found Jake with the means to open his own studio. Which he did, with Mason at his side. All in. Go big, or go home.
As the plans were finishing and Jake was in the transition of moving into the flat above his new parlor, Julia's weekly phone calls took a turn for the worst -- she was no longer able to even pretend like she was handling the situation at school. After a what do I do conversation, Jake offered her a spot in his new studio. Really, it's one of the greatest decisions he's ever made.
Mason and Jake met as kids. They grew up in the same neighborhood, with similar backgrounds, but never really spoke to each other. Until one day when fate happened to throw them into the same convenient store only hours after Julia admitted they didn't have enough money for Jake to buy his favorite candy bar. Out of the prying eyes of his sister, Jake came up with the brilliant idea to take said candy bar (and many others) by stuffing them down his pants.
It wasn't usual for kids to constantly take things from the store, but Jake's attempt was the one that finally pushed the owner over the edge. Mason - five years old at the time - approached the other boy in attempt to tell him "No. Stealing is wrong. Put the candy back or pay for it." Which resulted in a heated argument only halted when the cops showed up.
Needless to say, the boys ran, tearing their way out of the convenient store with more damage that it was worth, but getting away. They sealed their life long friendship over stolen snicker bars and chocolatey fingers. To this day it's not uncommon for Jake to throw a smirk his best friend's way, only to be met with a wary glance and a: "are we gunna be running from the cops again?"
Other: Jake has two cats that live in his apartment with him. Nala is an all white rescue cat who hates everyone except for Jake. Asher was a pound kitten and is extremely friendly, but always getting into trouble.
â They Don't Need to Understandâ
