Jack Ellis

THE HIGH PRIEST (38) opera hypnotist/mentalist -commitment, ethical, traditionalist, sharing knowledge, provider rule-breaking, flighty, unconventional, dismissive "I promise you will enjoy this next show."

[lucy-harker]

NOSFERATU (2024) dir. Robert Eggers

[jackellisfv]

ooc | Jack & Lydia

I feel like I read somewhere that you feel like Lydia kinda gives "big sister energy" to the carnival?? And honestly, I feel like Jack really sees her as such??? I'm not sure why, exactly, but I just get older sister/younger brother vibes from them??? Like Jack can definitely be ~a problem~ but I do think, at his core, he is a good guy -- he's just been spending a little bit too much time with Alastor tbqh -- and I do think that spending time with people like Lydia help to bring out the better side of him???

That being said, he does sorta lowkey idolize Alastor and he does know that he is interested in Lydia and I think he is also here to sometimes play his wingman and try to get Lydia to reconsider accepting his advances ... which idk how well that will go over but it won't stop Jack from trying!

[lydiapricefv]

Yes yes yes! Lydia def feels protective of and deeply cares for (most) everyone in the carnival in a very big-sister energy way. And I absolutely agree that Lydia sees Jack as like the very annoying youngest brother who she will ABSOLUTELY kick in the pants one moment and the next slip him a cookie or something, hahaha. Especially because I agree! Jack is a good guy at heart and I think Lydia def sees that but also sees what Alastor does to him & how he instigates Jack into becoming kind of the worst version of himself. Which ofc frustrates Lydia and makes her even less of a fan of Alastor, which I'm sure also frustrates Jack!!! I think there's been a lot of times when Lydia just really wants to take Jack by the shoulders and shake him and be like: "Darling, you're so much better than this, why are you choosing this path?!?" Which is also funny when Jack is like: "I see you seem determined to be a sad old divorcee, have you considered my good friend Alastor White instead of your own depressing path?" And Lydia just rolls her eyes and shoves him out of her office for the millionth time about it. I think vis-a-vis Jack's wingmaning, she basically takes it at face value of this stupid little brother of hers can't take a hint and she's not going to be cruel to him about it, so Lydia just lets him talk and nods absently before shooing him away. How do you think Jack feels about Lydia's close friendship with Thea, tho? Lydia def sees her as a confidante, and I can see how that relationship may rankle Jack with their rivalry being kind of at the center of it all! Especially because if Jack ever brought it up, Lydia would be very firm in asserting that "I am perfectly capable of being friends with both yourself and Theodosia despite your insistence on continuing this petty rivalry."

[jackellisfv]

omg yes!! Lauren, this is exactly the relationship I feel like they would have!!!! <333

I don't think Jack really sees or understands the effects of his friendship with Alastor -- in fact, he credits everything in his life that is good as a result of his friendship with him!! -- so I do think that this is something they probably disagree over a lot and at the end of the day, I think that Jack just thinks Lydia is being stubborn and that she just needs to give him a chance! Jack also thinks that she needs to ~move on~ and what better way to do that than to entertain the advances of someone else?? Like, I do think that Jack lowkey loves the idea of Lydia and Alastor ending up together but, even if they don't end up in any kind of serious relationship, Jack is convinced that Lydia does need to have some fun and who better than Alastor to show her a good time??!? (Lydia: literally anyone else, thank you!)

So, re: Lydia's friendship with Thea, I feel like externally he would be like "why are you friends with her??!? she's the worst!! I'm clearly the better one / I hope you are ready to console her when I demolish her / I'm so offended by this mistreatment / etc / etc " but internally he .... totally and completely gets it!??! Like, he would be friends with her (and more!) if a) he had his way and b) this competition wasn't a thing and so I do feel like he would complain about it, but given how well I feel Lydia knows him, I think she would also see that he's not completely serious about it?? I'm not sure if she would pick up that Jack's feelings towards Thea are more complicated than he is letting one or not, but she would definitely see that she's not just the bitter rival he tries to paint her as.

[lucy-harker]

AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON as FRIEDRICH HARDING NOSFERATU (2024) dir. Robert Eggers

[theodosiamoorefv]

OOC | Theodosia & Jack

so this one promises to be another trademark lizzy/kate aa its complicated relationship right here hahaha what w these two literally being pitted against eo!!

ok so i took the liberty of researching a two-card high priestess/hierophant (aka the high priest in some decks) drawing and it seems like that is a big kick in the pants to seek answers and balance, however you slice it, whether upright or reversed

UPRIGHT DUO

[ "The coming together of the High Priestess and the Hierophant in a tarot reading signifies a powerful fusion of intuition and wisdom, offering profound insights into the mysteries of the spiritual realm. Both cards hold significant importance in their own right, representing aspects of guidance, transcendence, and divine inspiration. However, when paired together, they create a synergy that leads to transformative experiences and personal growth." ] and also [ "This couple is often drawn together by the very differences that invariably pull them part. At first, the High Priestess admires the rebellious and carefree ways of The Hierophant who equally admires the emotional nurturance the High Priestess offers." ] and [ "High Priestess and the Hierophant are a fascinating, yet tricky pair to interpret in a tarot reading. At first glance, they appear to offer a similar but awkwardly opposite message...I’ll say right up front, the combination represents a powerful energy with a deep impact on the seeker’s life." ] (that last article i think is esp helpful!)

REVERSED DUO

reversed, however, "suggests a potential clash between personal intuition and adherence to established norms or traditions. It may indicate questioning conventional beliefs and a desire for more personal autonomy. The High Priestess reversed can also point to hidden aspects or secrets, while the Hierophant reversed may suggest a rebellion against traditional relationship expectations." (emphasis not mine, i couldn't figure out how to remove it so there it shall stay hahaha) bc her reversed position is a lack of faith (in intuition) and his a rebellion against authority/tradition, so the combo "suggests a potential conflict between the need to trust one's instincts and the desire to conform to societal expectations or established norms. It may also indicate a need to find balance between personal autonomy and social responsibility" and can be understood as "a need to re-evaluate one's beliefs and values, embrace personal intuition, and break free from outdated patterns or expectations. It might also be a call to find a more authentic and individual path, while still respecting the need for social connection and structure" which i feel like kinda fits w their whole pitted against eo as a symbolic war for the soul of humanity...thing alksjdfkjsdf

note: i didn't look into when just one is reversed and the other upright since, given the nature of this rp, they're presumably both in either the overworld or the underworld together/at the same time so...yeah lajdsfkljsdf

obv we don't need to go w any of this, but i thought it was an interesting potential jumping-off point so there it is whether we wish to use it or no!

in any case, i def think thea is lowkey kinda...troubled but also confused by this relationship! i think on her topmost layer she's absolutely like 'that is my rival whom i must conquer' sorta thing but also there's def attraction there which i think she's def keen to deny frankly! a place where she is def blocking her own intuition tsk tsk! ;D but anyway

[jackellisfv]

I'm always here for complicated kate aa/lizzy relationships <333

Okay, so my initial thoughts are that Jack feels pretty similarly towards her? He's determined to ~conquer~ her and prove himself to be superior, but there is definitely an attraction on his side, too, and I feel like part of him feels like maybe he can exploit that if he ever feels like maybe the attraction is mutual? But there's also a part of him that starts to like her the more he gets to know her? And it's put him in a very thought spot that I think he both loves and hates with equal measure!

I do think that Jack relishes a challenge and also the chance to further prove himself to Alastor, but there's also this undeniable ~spark~ about Theodosia that he's never seen before in anyone and he finds he loves just being around her?? Even if he's just here to talk smack lmao

I also love everything about their upright combo, because I feel like this is everything their relationship COULD be if they worked together? And I ultimately think that Theodosia has the power, if anyone does, to help get Jack to reach his full potential and that they could actually be really great together, however Jack is definitely being pulled towards his underworld traits, even in the overworld, which makes it harder and harder to achieve this end ++ paired with the fact that they are also just being pitted against each other!!

[ernestcarterfv]

OOC | Ernest & Jack

so these two are friends!! i wonder if, since jack kinda went on tour and worked at pleasure houses and such, if he maybe ever worked at the silver cross? bc in that case, they might've met even ~before the circus? but either way, they've def met now! hahaha

idk that the strongman and the mentalist would have too many acts together honestly hahaha but i do think that, of all the weirdnesses and powers here, that one would probs spook ernest most ngl lakjsdfjsdf i think he's def got a murtagh-esque energy going on of my brain is my sanctuary and the idea of someone being able to get in there and muck around is not! comforting!! tho at least its a friend alkdsjfjdfs still an unsettling thought to him tho ngl akjsdfjdf ernest voice, narrowing his eyes: 'but then i guess you already knew that...'

alsdjflksdjf ;DDD

[jackellisfv]

I honestly love the idea that they possibly knew each other before all of this?? And since Jack had been touring at lots of pleasure houses before all of this, I'm going to say yes??? Which also means that they probably have known each other for more than 10 years probably??

Also, just judging from Ernest's natural distrust of Jack just due to his ~abilities~ I feel like they were not instant friends?? And that they sorta had to work their way up to this? And possibly even have an enemies-to-friends relationship type thing because Jack can be kind of an ass -- especially when he's under Alastor's influence -- so I can see where they definitely would have gotten off on the wrong foot?

I kind of see Jack doing something though that changes Ernest's opinion of him -- like idek what it would be yet but I feel like it would have to be something big, and something that also made him come around and eventually trust Jack?? (at least as much as he cAN trust him lmao)

I also have a head cannon that being Alastor's protege/Jack being heavily influenced by Alastor, that that often leaves Jack more prone to adopting his underworld personality, even if they are in the overworld, so his reserved traits shine through a little more than they do w/ others, however, I do also feel like his close friends -- like Ernest -- and eventually, Theodosia -- will have the opposite effect on him where they can draw him out a little more and see his upright traits (perhaps even in the underworld)

Basically, TL;DR, I feel like Ernest does end to pull out the best of him!!

[jackellisfv]

ooc | Jack & Lydia

I feel like I read somewhere that you feel like Lydia kinda gives "big sister energy" to the carnival?? And honestly, I feel like Jack really sees her as such??? I'm not sure why, exactly, but I just get older sister/younger brother vibes from them??? Like Jack can definitely be ~a problem~ but I do think, at his core, he is a good guy -- he's just been spending a little bit too much time with Alastor tbqh -- and I do think that spending time with people like Lydia help to bring out the better side of him???

That being said, he does sorta lowkey idolize Alastor and he does know that he is interested in Lydia and I think he is also here to sometimes play his wingman and try to get Lydia to reconsider accepting his advances ... which idk how well that will go over but it won't stop Jack from trying!

[violethawthornefv]

OOC | Violet & Jack

ok so violet's thing is the moon, but she's also a big sister fighting to care for her younger siblings, so i def think she's someone who spends a lot of time tryna appear serene and fearless, but really she wants sm more excitement than she'll let on, and i think is really much less logical than she'd like you to think lkajsdkfjdsf which probs makes her a lil leery of jack, if he really can read minds bc!! she has a carefully constructed front to protect!! lasjdfkjds tho idk that she cares as much in the underworld hahah and there i think she's more likely to be like 'you have been to gambling houses! show me how to gamble!' or smth which overworld her would neVER admit to being interested in and is like *hides face* when next she sees him there bc he ~knows she wanted to know abt gambling BAHAHAHA def getting a lil victorian repression in smdh alksjdfjsdf her like emotionally 'i was drunk then' but the underworld is actually where she lets herself feel most alive bc of the moon reversed le sad but here we are lakjdsflkjdskfj but anyway

TL;DR: she's probs tighter w him in the underworld and more embarrassed around him in the overworld bc she thinks he knows her dirty secrets (dirty secrets literally = innocent curiosity/a wish for fun and excitement but here we are laksjdfljkdf baby girl ~thinks she's not but she's really quite innocent in her way aljsdfjksdf)

[jackellisfv]

aldskfjalsdjfj omg I love this!!! And I feel like Jack would, too, honestly??! Anyway, I'm still figuring Jack out, but I feel like he is a little complicated and leans a little heavier into his underworld traits, even in the overworld (although I think he's gonna develop more into them as the rp goes on! I feel like Alastor has sorta helped to draw out his underworld persona a little more into the overworld as well??) anyway, in the overworld he is just more ~ethical and ~traditional than he is otherwise, although idk if I would straight up describe him as that, if that makes sense?

And like, I feel like he is very encouraging of her in the underworld although lowkey thinks that it is cute that this is the best she's got when it comes to really letting her hair down and getting wild ;DD and in the overworld he can't help but tease her about it but he probably does this by just heavily eluding to it without being overly explicit and like messing with her in that he's always threatening to expose her but never actually does ;DD

[jackellisfv]

ooc | Jack & Lucian

Since Jack & Lucian are both Alastor's proteges, I feel like they spend a lot of time together?? They also owe this opportunity to Alastor && he did get them out of a bad situation, and idk where Lucian lands on it, but Jack does feel both grateful and indebted to Alastor and tends to be rather prone to agreeing with basically everything Alastor says?? And yeah I wasn't sure how Lucian feels about him??

[jackellisfv]

ooc | Jack & Francis

I feel like Jack might be another contender for some of Francis's parables lmao! He leans a littler harder into his underworld qualities even when they aren't there, as he's been making a living off of lying like his entire life!! He's also one of Alastor's proteges and I think he kinda buys into a lot of what Alastor is selling? Plus, Alastor literally came into his life and got him out of a bad situation and he feels rather indebted to him and yeah I don't think Jack thinks he is being manipulated by him, but I think is v clear that he is sometimes!!

[festumveritatis]

Jack Ellis - Hypnotist/Mentalist - thirty-eight - Aaron Taylor-Johnson [Anna Karenina/Nosferatu] Reserved for Lizzy -The High Priest (Upright: Commitment, Ethical, Traditionalist, Sharing Knowledge, Provider | Reversed: Rule-Breaking, Flighty, Unconventional, Dismissive ) Relationships: Alastor White (mentor), Theodosia Moore (rival/interest), Leander Ward, Ernest Carter (friends) *As the son of a lord that had fallen into deep gambling debt, Jack had learned from a young age how to read people. At first he found the skill was most useful in being able to tell at a glance what mood his father was in whenever he came home. Whether it was best to quickly slink off to his own room and hope for everything to pass by morning or if it was better to take whatever was coming head on. *Eventually his father discovered Jack’s talents, which he quickly surmised meant the young lad was useful to have him at the whist table - catching his opponent’s tells and making sure they lost when the pot was largest.*After a particularly terrible game, in which even Jack’s abilities were failing him, Jack’s father, in desperation, wagered his own eighteen year old son. He barked that the boy was mostly useless as it was, better to pawn him in the game as an apprentice than keep feeding another mouth. *This is how Jack Ellis came under the tutelage of Alastor White and grew to be one of the greatest liars in the world. *He and Alastor travelled the world, performing at larger and larger stages as Jack used his keen intuition and sharp eye to tell people exactly what they wanted to hear. And when his senses failed him, well, there was always a plant or two in the audience to make sure the money kept pouring in. *After fifteen years of vaudeville and pleasure house stages, Alastor finally announced that he found them a permanent home, Festum Veritatis, the Circus of Truths. Jack would be one of the premiere acts of the show, pitted against a young woman named Theodosia Moore. *Alastor told him it was imperative that Jack use all of his wiles and devious skills in his arsenal to outperform and outshine Miss Moore, that their very livelihoods depended upon it. *Jack figured this mostly to be the ravings of yet one more man obsessed with collecting shillings hand over fist, and yet… *It did not help that Alastor had not informed him that Miss Moore would also be a most enchanting creature. This competition would be much more difficult than he thought.