Application
The Player
Name/Nickname: Carrie
Age: 32
Pronouns: she/her
Contact: AIM or PM
Experience:
Currently Played Characters: Daine, Sunshine, Greta and Steven
The Character
DW account:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
whaaaaat
Name: Jillian Holtzmann
Alias: just Holtzmann
Age/Birthdate: 32
Species: human
Gender: female
Canon: the Ghostbusters reboot
Canon point: post-movie
Played By: Kate McKinnon
Icon:
Abilities:
In a word: SCIENCE. Holtzmann is a brilliant and inventive nuclear engineer, adept at cobbling together complex machinery with relatively short notice. She particularly enjoys making things go boom, splat, or fwoosh. Also, protons.
Appearance:
Holtzmann's two most immediately noticeable traits are her hair, which is usually pulled back on one side in a pseudo-undercut and varying degrees of fluffy everywhere else, and her general mad scientist/casually masculine style. In the lab, she'll stick with more practical stuff that stays out of her way and can take a little damage, like overalls/coveralls, gloves of assorted sizes/materials, and goggles. When she's feeling a bit fancier, you can expect nice slacks, a dress shirt, and a vest or suspenders. Maybe she'll throw in some colorful accessories, too. Tinted sunglasses are all but omnipresent, though she can see just fine without them.
She's prone to striking interesting poses when she's feeling victorious, doing weird little accents just for the hell of it, and making odd noises to blow off steam. She doesn't mind taking up space, and is as comfortable putting her feet up on someone else's desk as she is on her own. She has resting zen face, and is smiling more often than not.
Personality:
Holtzmann is adaptable, unflappable, and often seems to regard the world at large as an amusing show that she isn't quite a part of. She accepts most of what life throws at her with a good-natured shrug, and takes the behavior of others in stride (even if it's truly bizarre or unfair). People will do whatever they do, and so long as it's not putting lives at risk, she'll roll with it. Probably because, being on the fringes, herself, she doesn't begrudge anyone else their own oddities, or hold herself accountable for 'getting' what drives people to behave a specific way in the moment. They've got their reasons, right?
She's spent enough time on the aforementioned fringes that she's made herself fairly comfortable there. She's confident and unselfconscious in her own weirdness, which can either be endearing or off-putting, depending on how uptight you are. If you do find her off-putting, well, she's used to it.
See, growing up brilliant meant growing up different meant growing up lonely. Though she rarely appears to take life all that seriously, and doesn't give the impression that rejection would leave her stricken, Holtzmann spent most of her life assuming that she was Too Different to truly connect with anyone. That changed when she met Abby and realized friendship was a thing that she could actually have.
Armed with a fresh outlook on interpersonal relationships, Holtzmann is a big ol' flirt with the ladies, and often reaches out to people in her own off-beat, showing-off-on-the-monkey-bars way. The friendships she forms are deeply valued, and she harbors a great deal of affection for (and loyalty towards) those who accept her for who she is. Beneath her bonkers exterior, she cares about people more than she's comfortable admitting. (Though she'll admit it anyway. And then make a weird noise to disperse the feels.)
And hey, if other people don't appreciate her sense of humor, at least she does. Holtzmann isn't above fucking with people for the fun of it, though it's rarely (if ever) mean-spirited. She wants to be a goober and have a good time; she doesn't want to actually hurt people.
She can be a bit reckless in the pursuit of science. Safety features take a back seat to practical results. While she doesn't endanger people deliberately, her primary focus is on making sure whatever she's invented does its job; then she'll worry about minimizing collateral damage. To a point, anyway. Warning lights are for dudes.
History:
GO SEE GHOSTBUSTERS. GO. GO SEE IT. I'LL WAIT.
...
OKAY HI WELCOME BACK. THAT SCENE, RIGHT? WITH THE SLOW-MO AND THE THINGS AND THE MUSIC?? GOLLY.
Anyway. As far as Holtzmann's personal history is concerned, there are a few things we can surmise.
She's always been brilliant - a precocious kid who liked to take appliances apart to see how they worked. Her parents might have been a bit bewildered by her particular interests, but they were supportive, giving her the confidence to pursue her hobbies irrespective of what her peers thought. Since she was basically friendless prior to meeting Abby, it's safe to say they weren't impressed. Babby!Holtzmann was well acquainted with being socially ostracized.
At some point during the course of her higher education, she was mentored by Rebecca Gorin, a fellow brilliant scientist with notable hair- and fashion-related choices (though Gorin didn't play things quite so fast and loose in the general safety department). She was considered for a position at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, so she clearly knows her stuff, but she ultimately remained stateside.
One of the most significant turning points in her life was befriending Abby Yates, who both appreciated what Holtzmann could bring to the table from a scientific standpoint, and appreciated her as a person. The paranormal focus of Abby's work wasn't a problem, as the Yates-Gilbert Equation (which Abby and Erin developed before Holtzmann entered the picture) put it all within an accessible framework. And it was thrilling to apply her skills in an otherwise unexplored field, since no one else was taking paranormal research all that seriously. Holtzmann was able to pioneer technology on the paranormal detection and containment fronts.
I don't want to turn this into a blow-by-blow of the movie, so suffice it to say that Holtzmann made even more friends by way of ghostbusting (namely: Erin Gilbert, Patty Tolan, and Kevin the dumb blonde secretary), which was super exciting for her. She'll be a lot more inclined to reach out and make friends now that there's a precedent for that actually working out for her.
Also, SHE PUT A GHOST IN A BOX. So the last few weeks for her have seen a lot of social and professional growth. The latter is mostly technobabble that I will make up with extensive help from the actual hard copy of 'Ghosts From Our Past' that I have in my possession.
Writing Sample:
Dr. Jillian Holtzmann lands flat on her back, a stunned smile on her face. Whoops. She was not anticipating such a dramatic reaction. An exhilarated giggle escapes her, part of her brain already buzzing with the adjustments she'll need to make to prevent another blow-up like that. But she doesn't get very far before she registers, through her soot-smeared goggles, that there's open sky above her. Oh, shit. Was she actually blown outside? Good thing no one else was in the lab, but god, the collateral damage - her toys...
She heaves herself up into a sit, one arm cradling the prototype for a new-and-improved PKE meter. There's an unseasonable nip in the air, sending a pulse of surprise surging through her. Is this... did she actually make it to Michigan? Her free hand shoves her goggles up onto her forehead, clearing her vision, and she sighs at the familiar skyline. Still New York. Michigan would have been a hell of a story to tell the rest of the team, though.
Then again, this is shaping up to be a pretty decent story in its own right. She's nowhere near headquarters. Whatever just happened, it sent her all the way to Bryant Park.
... It is really cold out. Granted, dicking around with the PKE meter was pretty distracting, and she didn't check the weather this morning, but this seems extreme for September. But hey, it's a short walk to Grand Central. She left her phone and wallet on her work bench, but Abby will take a collect call. It'll be hilarious. Collect calls are still a thing you can do, right?
Hell, worst case scenario, she can just walk. She's farther from HQ than a standard (survivable) explosion could send her, but she's not that far.
She looks down at the prototype. It's in a sad state, all blackened on one side, but most of the damage appears to be cosmetic. Once she's back in her lab (presuming it's not a smoldering ruin, but she's not seeing smoke or hearing sirens from that general direction, so that's promising), she'll have it patched up and polished in no time.
Holtzmann gets to her feet, not even bothering to brush at the soot coating most of her front (with the exception of a prototype-shaped clean spot where the PKE meter took the brunt of it). She probably looks like some kind of dystopian chimney sweep. Oh, well. She notes a passer-by's startled glance, and gives them a wry grin and a salute. "I'm fine!" she yells for good measure. "I'm a professional!" A few other strangers look her way, so she adds, "Don't try this at home, kids."
Well, there's the PR for today handled. Holtzmann flips the PKE prototype up to rest on her shoulder, then sets off for Grand Central Station.
The Game
How did you find out about Big Applesauce?
What interests you about the game, and your character's place in it?
Well, we already have a few scientists in dire need of science bros, so there are a lot of practical things Holtzmann could achieve. She is also a no-holds-barred delightful weirdo who can easily mingle with the adult contingent, so it'll be good to have someone reminding everyone not to take themselves too seriously.
Anything else?
Name/Nickname: Carrie
Age: 32
Pronouns: she/her
Contact: AIM or PM
Experience:
Currently Played Characters: Daine, Sunshine, Greta and Steven
The Character
DW account:
whaaaaatName: Jillian Holtzmann
Alias: just Holtzmann
Age/Birthdate: 32
Species: human
Gender: female
Canon: the Ghostbusters reboot
Canon point: post-movie
Played By: Kate McKinnon
Icon:
Abilities:
In a word: SCIENCE. Holtzmann is a brilliant and inventive nuclear engineer, adept at cobbling together complex machinery with relatively short notice. She particularly enjoys making things go boom, splat, or fwoosh. Also, protons.
Appearance:
Holtzmann's two most immediately noticeable traits are her hair, which is usually pulled back on one side in a pseudo-undercut and varying degrees of fluffy everywhere else, and her general mad scientist/casually masculine style. In the lab, she'll stick with more practical stuff that stays out of her way and can take a little damage, like overalls/coveralls, gloves of assorted sizes/materials, and goggles. When she's feeling a bit fancier, you can expect nice slacks, a dress shirt, and a vest or suspenders. Maybe she'll throw in some colorful accessories, too. Tinted sunglasses are all but omnipresent, though she can see just fine without them.
She's prone to striking interesting poses when she's feeling victorious, doing weird little accents just for the hell of it, and making odd noises to blow off steam. She doesn't mind taking up space, and is as comfortable putting her feet up on someone else's desk as she is on her own. She has resting zen face, and is smiling more often than not.
Personality:
Holtzmann is adaptable, unflappable, and often seems to regard the world at large as an amusing show that she isn't quite a part of. She accepts most of what life throws at her with a good-natured shrug, and takes the behavior of others in stride (even if it's truly bizarre or unfair). People will do whatever they do, and so long as it's not putting lives at risk, she'll roll with it. Probably because, being on the fringes, herself, she doesn't begrudge anyone else their own oddities, or hold herself accountable for 'getting' what drives people to behave a specific way in the moment. They've got their reasons, right?
She's spent enough time on the aforementioned fringes that she's made herself fairly comfortable there. She's confident and unselfconscious in her own weirdness, which can either be endearing or off-putting, depending on how uptight you are. If you do find her off-putting, well, she's used to it.
See, growing up brilliant meant growing up different meant growing up lonely. Though she rarely appears to take life all that seriously, and doesn't give the impression that rejection would leave her stricken, Holtzmann spent most of her life assuming that she was Too Different to truly connect with anyone. That changed when she met Abby and realized friendship was a thing that she could actually have.
Armed with a fresh outlook on interpersonal relationships, Holtzmann is a big ol' flirt with the ladies, and often reaches out to people in her own off-beat, showing-off-on-the-monkey-bars way. The friendships she forms are deeply valued, and she harbors a great deal of affection for (and loyalty towards) those who accept her for who she is. Beneath her bonkers exterior, she cares about people more than she's comfortable admitting. (Though she'll admit it anyway. And then make a weird noise to disperse the feels.)
And hey, if other people don't appreciate her sense of humor, at least she does. Holtzmann isn't above fucking with people for the fun of it, though it's rarely (if ever) mean-spirited. She wants to be a goober and have a good time; she doesn't want to actually hurt people.
She can be a bit reckless in the pursuit of science. Safety features take a back seat to practical results. While she doesn't endanger people deliberately, her primary focus is on making sure whatever she's invented does its job; then she'll worry about minimizing collateral damage. To a point, anyway. Warning lights are for dudes.
History:
GO SEE GHOSTBUSTERS. GO. GO SEE IT. I'LL WAIT.
...
OKAY HI WELCOME BACK. THAT SCENE, RIGHT? WITH THE SLOW-MO AND THE THINGS AND THE MUSIC?? GOLLY.
Anyway. As far as Holtzmann's personal history is concerned, there are a few things we can surmise.
She's always been brilliant - a precocious kid who liked to take appliances apart to see how they worked. Her parents might have been a bit bewildered by her particular interests, but they were supportive, giving her the confidence to pursue her hobbies irrespective of what her peers thought. Since she was basically friendless prior to meeting Abby, it's safe to say they weren't impressed. Babby!Holtzmann was well acquainted with being socially ostracized.
At some point during the course of her higher education, she was mentored by Rebecca Gorin, a fellow brilliant scientist with notable hair- and fashion-related choices (though Gorin didn't play things quite so fast and loose in the general safety department). She was considered for a position at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, so she clearly knows her stuff, but she ultimately remained stateside.
One of the most significant turning points in her life was befriending Abby Yates, who both appreciated what Holtzmann could bring to the table from a scientific standpoint, and appreciated her as a person. The paranormal focus of Abby's work wasn't a problem, as the Yates-Gilbert Equation (which Abby and Erin developed before Holtzmann entered the picture) put it all within an accessible framework. And it was thrilling to apply her skills in an otherwise unexplored field, since no one else was taking paranormal research all that seriously. Holtzmann was able to pioneer technology on the paranormal detection and containment fronts.
I don't want to turn this into a blow-by-blow of the movie, so suffice it to say that Holtzmann made even more friends by way of ghostbusting (namely: Erin Gilbert, Patty Tolan, and Kevin the dumb blonde secretary), which was super exciting for her. She'll be a lot more inclined to reach out and make friends now that there's a precedent for that actually working out for her.
Also, SHE PUT A GHOST IN A BOX. So the last few weeks for her have seen a lot of social and professional growth. The latter is mostly technobabble that I will make up with extensive help from the actual hard copy of 'Ghosts From Our Past' that I have in my possession.
Writing Sample:
Dr. Jillian Holtzmann lands flat on her back, a stunned smile on her face. Whoops. She was not anticipating such a dramatic reaction. An exhilarated giggle escapes her, part of her brain already buzzing with the adjustments she'll need to make to prevent another blow-up like that. But she doesn't get very far before she registers, through her soot-smeared goggles, that there's open sky above her. Oh, shit. Was she actually blown outside? Good thing no one else was in the lab, but god, the collateral damage - her toys...
She heaves herself up into a sit, one arm cradling the prototype for a new-and-improved PKE meter. There's an unseasonable nip in the air, sending a pulse of surprise surging through her. Is this... did she actually make it to Michigan? Her free hand shoves her goggles up onto her forehead, clearing her vision, and she sighs at the familiar skyline. Still New York. Michigan would have been a hell of a story to tell the rest of the team, though.
Then again, this is shaping up to be a pretty decent story in its own right. She's nowhere near headquarters. Whatever just happened, it sent her all the way to Bryant Park.
... It is really cold out. Granted, dicking around with the PKE meter was pretty distracting, and she didn't check the weather this morning, but this seems extreme for September. But hey, it's a short walk to Grand Central. She left her phone and wallet on her work bench, but Abby will take a collect call. It'll be hilarious. Collect calls are still a thing you can do, right?
Hell, worst case scenario, she can just walk. She's farther from HQ than a standard (survivable) explosion could send her, but she's not that far.
She looks down at the prototype. It's in a sad state, all blackened on one side, but most of the damage appears to be cosmetic. Once she's back in her lab (presuming it's not a smoldering ruin, but she's not seeing smoke or hearing sirens from that general direction, so that's promising), she'll have it patched up and polished in no time.
Holtzmann gets to her feet, not even bothering to brush at the soot coating most of her front (with the exception of a prototype-shaped clean spot where the PKE meter took the brunt of it). She probably looks like some kind of dystopian chimney sweep. Oh, well. She notes a passer-by's startled glance, and gives them a wry grin and a salute. "I'm fine!" she yells for good measure. "I'm a professional!" A few other strangers look her way, so she adds, "Don't try this at home, kids."
Well, there's the PR for today handled. Holtzmann flips the PKE prototype up to rest on her shoulder, then sets off for Grand Central Station.
The Game
How did you find out about Big Applesauce?
What interests you about the game, and your character's place in it?
Well, we already have a few scientists in dire need of science bros, so there are a lot of practical things Holtzmann could achieve. She is also a no-holds-barred delightful weirdo who can easily mingle with the adult contingent, so it'll be good to have someone reminding everyone not to take themselves too seriously.
Anything else?