Jules (The Artful Dealer)

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5 years, 7 months ago
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lovebug
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Jules Langford
(The Artful Dealer)

25 . male . bisexual

Artist, you think, as the lanky young man takes the seat across from you. Slender fingers, lean figure, dusty sweater, the slightly pale look of someone who spent extended lengths time indoors hunched over a desk. Half-grin and messy fringe, the type that charmed girls and boys alike with effortless arrogance.

Yes, he is doing an MFA, he laughs when you ask him. He orders a cup of coffee - with latte art, of course. Have you had the cakes here, he asks, they're the best, but if you are more of a pie person then you have to go to Hannah's across the street, but shh - loud conspiratorial whisper - don't tell the waiters I told you this, what if they spit into my 3D kitten foam?

He notices your impatience, because he is suddenly all brisk business. So what is it that you are looking for, he rests his chin on his hands, looking for all the world as if he is on a first date.

You ask him what he can offer. Anything, he grins widely, that roguish charm returning. I can acquire anything for you. I helped a fine Russian gentleman obtain two Asian toddlers just last week. I helped a dictator - I know what you want to ask but pardon me if I maintain some semblance of confidentiality here - I helped him win an election and a country. I helped a man put his rival in prison and a woman get the most exotic beauty of a mistress. I can get you the finest jewels, the highest powers, the greatest vengeance. Ask for the moon and you will have it on a string, on your doorstep by tomorrow morning, even faster than Amazon Prime.

You raise an eyebrow at his confidence, but his reputation has preceded him and your own investigations have revealed these to be no idle boasts. You do not know his name - of course, no one ever gives their real name in such circles. But his moniker is known far and wide, whispered across lips with a mixture of reverence and jealousy and fear - the Artful Dealer.


" We're all ladies and gentlemen around here. We're all quality. "

. . . .
Species Human
Height 181cm
Race Mixed
Era Millenial
Status [info]

Charisma
Confidence
Intelligence
Empathy
Maturity
  • Racially mixed - white and east asian
  • Likes to wear slimfitted turtlenecks and tapered trousers, even on hot days
  • Will throw on a black wool peacoat, and matching scarf/beanie/gloves set on colder days
  • Wears colourful patterned socks
  • MFA student who writes for obscure literary magazines but considers fanfiction and roleplaying beneath his dignity

Childhood & Adolescence

Jules was the youngest of four children, born to mixed-race parents living in London. His family was of humble means - his father was a cab driver while his mother was a part-time cleaner. Nonetheless, the family got by in state housing and the children always had clothes on their back and food on the dinner table.

He was never interested in school, and spent most of his time goofing around in the classroom and playing rugby after school with his mates. He got into scrapes easily, which grew longer and worse as he got older. Once, he got a two-week suspension for throwing a chair at another boy who insulted his mother.

The strain of caring for 4 children on a tight financial leash eventually drove his parents apart, and they divorced when Jules was 11 years old. His 3 older siblings lived with his mother, while he was sent to his father's custody. His father decided to be strict with the young Jules, and cobbled together enough funds and charity money to send Jules to a private school.

Finding himself out of place among richer peers, Jules strove to fit in. Whereas at his old school, he was admired and feared for being tough and fighting rough, he quickly learned that such behaviour isolated him from other boys now. He learned to sit still at the table, to say please and thank you, to turn in his work on time with neat handwriting. It was all a bore, at first, but Jules grew to realise that he enjoyed this lifestyle. Moreover, he discovered that he had a talent and inclination for artistic pursuits - drawing, writing, drama.

Adulthood

Jules performed well enough in his A Levels and was admitted to Cambridge to study English Literature. He thoroughly enjoyed his time there - studying on weekdays, drinking on weekends. Yet, it only heightened the discrepancy between himself and his peers. Whereas his friends were able to blow money without a second thought on fancy dinners and new clothes, he had to carefully ration his own finances.

Ever enterprising, Jules began to seek new ways to earn money. He realised one great opportunity - his fellow students had a lot of money to spend, but often not enough time to spend it. Girls wanted lavish gowns for the annual balls, but were too many essays due to go shopping. Guys wanted the newest iPhone release, but couldn't queue for it when there were lectures to get to. Jules began acting as a middleman for his peers, taking a percentage fee for his services.

He began to develop a reputation among other students for his talents in procuring items they had difficulty finding. More and more requests came in, with ever more complexity - the specific 1957 edition of a book, an autographed CD of a dead singer, the out-of-stock on-trend necklace with a very specific gem cut. Jules didn't mind - he upped his fee for cases like these, and his clients were always willing to pay whatever price he set. In fact, he rather enjoyed the challenge of it all. Soon, he was only picking the most challenging clients - with extremely marked up charges, obviously.

By his final year in Cambridge, the effect of picking and choosing difficult requests had led to a natural evolution of his enterprise into a criminal one. After all, the most difficult-to-find items also tend to be illegal. Intelligent and sensible enough to be cautious, Jules took the necessary measures - untraceable phone, changing pay-as-you-go SIM cards, VPN, the entire works. And, of course, a completely new name: The Artful Dealer. A homage, perhaps, to the Artful Dodger of Charles Dickens fame.


Current Life

With an ample financial safety net, Jules has the luxury of pursuing his artistic dreams. He moved to the USA, and is taking an MFA in Creative Writing at Yale. He lives in his own studio apartment off-campus. He writes literary fiction and occasionally romance. He also does watercolour painting for leisure. He has developed a taste for fine foods, and considers himself something of a connoiseur (or, in others' eyes, a snob).

He is seen by fellow students as a charming, affable young man, who loves a good cup of coffee on Monday mornings and a good cocktail on Friday evenings. He is breezy and friendly to everyone, although most students would say that he isn't really their friend per se. He is someone you get along with, but never really get to know. He can speak to you at length about history and current affairs and the latest gossip - but never about himself.

And as the Artful Dealer, he is well-known by anyone with just a touch of underworld dealings. Clients come from far and wide - well, through virtual means of course - to seek his services. He has never failed anyone, and his extending bankroll is testament to this. He deals in anything and deals with everyone - a true artist in his own right.

He still keeps in contact with his father by phone, though the two have little to say to each other. He has long lost contact with his older siblings and his mother. He has had a handful of relationships with both men and women, but these never last more than 2 months. His partner never quite felt that they could get close to him - and Jules wasn't about to encourage further intimacy in any case. He would never admit it, but he fears at times that the entire world he built for himself would crash down, and he would return to being the poor kid at school. To him, letting anyone in too close might cause the shaky foundations of his life to crumble, and he would never risk that.

He is happy enough anyway, isn't he, with all that he has ever dreamed of?

Character Name
Relationship

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Character Name
Relationship

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus lorem nisi, luctus eget venenatis at, tincidunt nec est. Donec consequat massa nisl, ac efficitur enim convallis at.

Aliquam suscipit urna massa, at sollicitudin lacus viverra at.

Character Name
Relationship

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus lorem nisi, luctus eget venenatis at, tincidunt nec est. Donec consequat massa nisl, ac efficitur enim convallis at.

Aliquam suscipit urna massa, at sollicitudin lacus viverra at.