BASIC INFO
Name: Mark Smeaton.
Sex: Male.
Age: Mid 20's.
Species: Human.
Sexuality: Homosexual.
Handwriting: BRB
Voice: Here.
Hobbies & Interests: He's a musician by heart, and it's his life's blood. He can sing, play and dance. Life of the party, really.
Previous Residence: London, England.
Canon: The Tudors
Canon Point: Season 2 Episode 7: After getting the brush off from George.
Tropes: ONE DAY
HISTORY
“A rotten twig upon so high a tree, Hath slipped thy hold, and thou art dead and gone.”Mark was a commoner, who thanks to his musical talent, brought himself into the Tudor court with Queen Anne as his patron. He became a part of the court background, playing his music, dancing and generally entertaining others. He soon fell in with George Bolyen, and they had a rather torid affair, which didn't stop even after George got married. He became close to Anne, becoming a confidant and friend to her, which ultimately sealed his fate- lucky for him, he isn't aware of that. Yet.
Extended history herePERSONALITY
"Oh, Mark. You’re such a free spirit. I love that. Everyone else constrains me. Nobody understands. Never leave me."First and foremost, Mark is a man who loves life, so much he's almost high on it. It makes him somewhat daring, and certainly blinds him to dangers that would be obvious to others. It's this love of life that eventually leads him to be brought under the Boylen's patronage, and his daring that allows him to rise with them through the Tudor courts. Court musician is a lofty position for a commoner, and it very much goes to Mark's head. He flirts with nobles, using his insatiable charm to bring them closer to him, as he gains influences that people of his station would not normally be allowed to even consider wielding.
It makes him bold. He takes chances, speaks above his station, and raises more than a few questioning eyebrows. He has no issue with flirting with his lover, George, in the open, despite the fact his homosexuality would get them both killed. Mark knows the risks, but takes them gladly, he allows nothing, not even his position in life to curb his free spirit and sense of daring. He is who he is, and he is content in that, he doesn't have a sense of shame about his sexuality, as George does. By his canon point, this is what causes something of a rift between them. Even then, he doesn't show George any hostility, he just shrugs it off, and continues to live his life as he sees fit.
He is still a genuinely caring man, however. He becomes Anne's confidant, spending all the hours she asks of him in her company. He is happy to make her smile, give her a reason to dance, and be a listening ear for her ever increasing worries. He wishes very much to unburden her of her troubles, but despite his playing in the court, he is still not a noble, and can't give her the answers she seeks. When she ask for answers, he's usually lost for words, he's much better to be a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on than he is at giving sound advice. And basically being her Tudor-age MP3 player, ready to play any song for her at a moment's notice, depending on her mood. Still, his adoration towards her is absolute, he would do anything for for her. This, ultimately, is what gets the ladies in waiting talking and seals both his and Anne's doom; but he doesn't know about that, just yet.
Anne isn't his only friend, of course. He's also close to the poet, Thomas Wyatt, who is the man who introduced him to the Boylens in the first place. To Wyatt, too, Mark acts something as a confidant, listening to Wyatt mooning over his lost love of Anne, and attempting to cheer him up from his almost perpetual morose mood. They share a love for the arts, Mark a musician and Wyatt a poet, this shared interest bringing them closer as friends.
Music means the world to Mark, it's his way of truly bearing his soul to the world, and he revels in seeing people experience the joy of listening to it. He's good at it, too. He didn't become the court musician on wit and charm alone, his talent is second to none. Likely one of the first things he will do when he arrives at Teleios is to find a violin, to allow him to continue with his art.
Coming to a world largely populated by those who are more familiar with a more modern world will certainly be a culture shock for Mark, but once he's over that initial shock, he'll largely shrug it off and embrace it as a new adventure to face. He'd likely see his debt as an amusing challenge, more than anything else. No one is threatening him with death, for his 'crimes', after all, so why not make a game of scrubbing his debt clean?
A sassy social climber, Mark is a musician who will be a loyal confidant to those who gain his friendship, always eager to bring a smile to their face.