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Application :: Aather
PLAYER INFO
NAME: Aaron
AGE: 20
TIMEZONE: EST
CONTACT: elvenmagic92@gmail.com | AIM; portaling
I WILL NEED A DREAMWIDTH CODE: No!
CHARACTER INFO
NAME: Arya Stark
CANON: A Song of Ice and Fire
REFERENCE LINKS: Arya's Wiki Page.
CHARACTER INFO:
Arya of House Stark was born the youngest daughter to a proud, higher noble family, and raised to have great respect for what that duty to other people means. A lot of her pride around her family comes from her respect and love of her parents, Eddard and Catelyn -- she is fiercely proud of being a Stark, and throughout the books, even when she's lying about her identity, she can never quite forget that. As a child, she learned very quickly that she hated traditional women's skills -- Arya developed a scornful personality towards anything "ladylike," preferring to ally herself with the warrior maids of stories. She followed her brothers around, learning how to swordfight and shoot a bow, driving her parents and nurse crazy. A lot of the scorn was centered on her sister, Sansa; Arya hated the idea that she had to sit and wait for things to happen to her, while her older sister cherished the thought. This was encouraged by her bastard brother, Jon, who gave her a sword named Needle as a parting gift when she was nine. Because of the love (and adoration) she held for Jon, Needle became one of Arya's prized possessions, and she hid it from other people who would take it away from her.
At nine, Arya traveled with her father from her childhood home to the seat of power in Westeros, King's Landing. A lot of her time there was spent exploring -- and hiding from people who seemed deadly, or threatening. Arya began to learn valuable information about a plot on her father's life, which he didn't believe. But like a good father, he did do something useful for her -- gave her sword lessons with the master Syrio Forel. These sword lessons turned Arya from simply a person who liked to be everywhere into a person who could deftly sneak everywhere and no one would notice her. They began a change in the way she saw herself; Arya learned to set fear aside and focus on the task at hand, something that became especially useful when the plot to overthrow and kill her father gets put in motion. Instead of staying with her family, Arya fled into the city. She's a survivor, like no other -- she refused to die, instead catching pigeons and rats and eating them to live. Arya's tenacity is only outmatched by her growing hatred -- for the men who imprisoned her father, she felt nothing but the need for revenge. Arya knew she could be caught, and yet she went to her father's beheading anyway. That was one of the biggest changing points in her life -- the point when she could no longer rely on her parents for her safety. Arya is taken by the night's watch and transformed into Arry, a recruit for the wall (who is secretly being taken back home). But that doesn't last long -- she's captured and sent to a village, where they're torturing and killing people, and then to Harrenhal to serve as a servant. It's here that her hatred finally takes a tangible form: Arya's hit list, where she names nightly the people that one day, she's going to kill. She hates them so much that she'll get her revenge any way she can: a fatalistic tendency for a nine year old.
Eventually she gets a way: a man named Jaqen H'ghar, who offers to kill three people for her. Arya wastes two of them on petty things, but finally realizes she needs to cheat to get more, and names Jaqen as the third person. In return for unnaming him, he helps Arya free Stark men from the dungeons of Harrenhal. He leaves after that, giving her a coin and a phrase if she ever wishes to find him: Valar Morghulis, or All Men Must Die. Eventually she escapes from Harrenhal, always with the intent of getting back to her family -- remember her strong connection to the Starks? That's still a thing. Along the way, she meets the Brotherhood (and hates them because they don't do squat), runs away, gets captured by Sandor Clegane, and dragged to the Twins to be ransomed to her brother. Only when they get there, it turns out that the Freys have betrayed Arya's family; Arya witnesses the slaughter of her family (again), and is only stopped from trying to help them by being knocked out. She's got a bit of a justice complex -- she hates and loves in equal measure, and never forgets who wronged her. After more traveling with Clegane, they come across one of the men on her list: the Tickler, or Polliver. Arya takes her revenge in the only way she knows how; she stabs him repeatedly, screaming the things he used to say to the people he tortured at him, well past his death. She's so full of hatred that Sandor has to pull her off; Arya leaves him to die when he akss her to, and rides off without him. At this point she's so suspicious of others (and knows her real name would only get her kidnapped and ransomed) so she's gone through a festival of names: Arry, Weasel, Nymeria ("Nan"), and Salty are all names she's possessed along the way. Claiming to be a wench from Saltpans, Arya boards a Braavosi ship and hands them her coin, claiming passage to not only Braavos but entry into the group of Faceless Men, denizens of death.
tl;dr: Arya is a fierce girl who pulls no punches, believes that death is the only option for the irredeemable, and is so suspicious of everyone that she lies and changes face at the drop of a hat to save herself. But underneath it all she's fiercely devoted to her family and friends and would do anything for them, and prides herself on being a Stark through thick and thin.
CONSIDERATIONS:
Without her painful memories of betrayal and death, Arya would become less of a suspicious person, and a slightly more trusting one. She'd still be very spunky -- that's more of a personality trait than anything else -- but she'd be quicker to trust others. In an environment where women actually are allowed to own swords and become knights (see: apping her as a knight) I think that Arya will learn to trust in herself a lot more as well, and not in the "I can trust myself to kill others" way. She might be able to put aside her suspicions of other people, too, especially since she won't remember them. A lot of it will be personality regression from the tentative, sneaky person she's become in later books to the more open, sassy person she was at the beginning. Lying will still be second nature to her - she's a person who can worm her way out of anything if she tries hard enough - but she won't feel the need to do it quite so often as she might have before.
Also, without her memories, Arya will lose a little bit of the wildness she's built up, especially over things that are generally classified as "women's work". She'll learn a new respect for girls, especially for those who combine feminine aspects and their own work. She'll finally have female heroes to look up to! There are people on the teams and in the knights who are girls who kick ass! Which will be a plus, since the only ones she's had are ones from stories, who people tell her don't exist. Arya might be able to also live once again as (somewhat) of a regular nine year old, who isn't burdened by multiple instances of murder and regret. She won't have to be constantly watching her back, and will probably loosen up a little bit and learn once more to love and trust those people around her.
SKILLS:
+ Arya is very clever and quick-witted, able to talk herself out of almost anything. She's quite a smooth talker.
+ A skilled liar. Arya can make up falsehoods without blinking an eye, and they're usually believed.
+ When she doesn't want to be seen, she can blend in with crowds and slip away in the shadows. She's quiet and sneaky.
+ Needlework: unlike a traditional noble lady, Arya's needlework consists of work with a short, skinny sword named Needle. She is trained (somewhat) in the Braavosi fashion of swordfighting, a fluid and subtle style favored by people who fight in the streets.
+ Arya speaks a few different languages: the language of Westeros, as well as High Valyrian, an ancient language.
+ She can pass as a boy when she needs to.
+ Warg powers: Arya is known as a warg, or a person who can share a consciousness with animals. While she sleeps, Arya can combine her consciousness with any nearby animal that she has a particular fondness for -- her Direwolf Nymeria, for example, or any number of cats she meets in Braavos. At her current skill level, she mostly is along for the ride. It makes for interesting dreams, at least.
+ Archery. Arya is very good at archery; in the first episode of the TV series, she shoots a bull's eye flawlessly.
SUITED TO BE A KNIGHT?
Although she's young, Arya has already shown her ability to both take care of herself and her friends multiple times. Although she's not a particularly nice person, she is very just -- and if someone needs to be protected, she will do it, if connected to them in some way. As a knight, I think her biggest struggle would be having to help those people who she doesn't particularly like -- but like any good challenge, that could be overcome with time. Arya is a fighter, capable of dispensing justice and helping people in equal measure. She won't hesitate to help if she thinks she can.
Also, as a knight, Arya falls into the role of "somewhat of a loner" that she seems to pick up in canon. While it's not specifically important, it makes a lot of sense for a person who spends a good deal of her time working alone and occasionally collaborating with others to also fall into that role in a different world.
WRITING SAMPLE:
OPTION 1:
She needed to remember if she could swim. It wasn't something that had occurred to her before - Arya just assumed that somewhere in the past she couldn't remember, she had learned to swim - but to get to the island, she would have to learn the hard way. Too stubborn to ask anyone to help her, of course. She wouldn't have wanted to look weak, or inconvenience anyone; as one of the youngest people in this weird…place, she wanted to appear as strong as possible. And to look as strong as possible meant that Arya of House Stark had to learn if she could swim on her own.
She stuck a foot into the ocean, testing its temperature -- ugh, why is it cold? -- before drawing back. Even though she had convinced herself to do this, it still seemed risky. She could die, and no one was around on this part of the beach to really do anything about it.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "You're not stupid," she reassured herself. "If you start to sink, you just have to pull yourself to shore." With that in mind, she decided not to put it off any longer. Walking, then running, Arya lept into the ocean, holding her nose so she wouldn't get any water in it. When she realized that no strange creatures had grabbed her ankles and pulled her down into the deep - what kind of fish would do that? - she popped back up, breathing deep. That wasn't so bad, she thought to herself. Taking a few doggy paddles, she realized that she knew how to swim after all. She wasn't a fabulous swimmer, by any means. But at least somewhere in her past, someone had taught her that sinking was bad. Arya braved another duck under the ocean's gentle waves, keeping her eyes open this time. It seemed blue and blurry, not impressive at all, at least what she could see -- which admittedly, wasn't much. With a humph -- and people had said the ocean was spectacular -- she began the slow paddle towards the far off island. At least that would give her something to look forward to.
OPTION 3:
Introduce yourself in a few sentences
[ She looks to the side, then back. ] M' Nymeria. Most people just call me Nan, since the other's too long. I haven't been here that long.
[ Quietly: ] I'm not planning on staying any longer, either.
"The suffering of a few is okay if it benefits a great many" -- do you agree with this sentiment? Why or why not?
It's just like all the war at home. [ Staring. ] My father died for his loyalty. I don't know if I want to do the same.
It would have to have a really good reason.
What event from your past has impacted you the most? Please describe:
I don't have anything in my past like that. I'm just a girl from the north. My brothers fought for Robb Stark in the fight against the Lannisters, and they died.
[ LOOK AT ALL THESE LIES. ]
I guess losing my family counts.
If you were a kind of food item, what item would you be and why?
That's ridiculous. [ But then after a moment, she smiles. ] I think I would like to be pudding. It's very wiggly. You have to catch it to eat it.
Do you believe in soulmates or love at first sight?
No! That sort of stuff is for fairy tales and babies. [ AND HER SISTER but she doesn't say that. ] Love at first sight is silly nonsense.
"Killing criminals is okay if they've committed a grave crime" -- do you agree with this? Why or why not?
Yes. Because they're bad, and they deserve it. There doesn't need to be another reason if they've already proven it. Especially if they have hurt people.
Do you consider yourself a strong person? Why or not why?
I'm just a little girl. [ but the look she gives, it's clear she thinks otherwise ] I guess so. If I had to say something.
How would you control a large rioting crowd?
You don't.
What magic power would you have and why? If you already have a magic power, if your magic power was taken away from you how would you compensate?
[ A smile. ] I'd want the ability to be invisible, when I wanted to be. That way, I could learn everyone's secrets, and no one could tell that I was there unless I wanted them to.
If someone screwed you over, how would you get back at them? If you would not get back at them, please describe a prank or surprise party you would construct for a friend.
What does screw over mean? I'm too young to make children, if that's what you're asking for. If someone tried, I'd probably hurt them. No one gets to make children with me. That's disgusting.
[ From the look of disgust, hurt probably equals stabbing. ]
Free section: (Please put something which you think symbolizes you or is otherwise important to you)
I don't know if I should show you this… [ But maybe this was the time she's supposed to use it? Jaqen was pretty nonspecific. ] If you don't understand, you can't tell anyone about it.
[ Holds out a coin. ] Valar Morghulis.
NAME: Aaron
AGE: 20
TIMEZONE: EST
CONTACT: elvenmagic92@gmail.com | AIM; portaling
I WILL NEED A DREAMWIDTH CODE: No!
CHARACTER INFO
NAME: Arya Stark
CANON: A Song of Ice and Fire
REFERENCE LINKS: Arya's Wiki Page.
CHARACTER INFO:
Arya of House Stark was born the youngest daughter to a proud, higher noble family, and raised to have great respect for what that duty to other people means. A lot of her pride around her family comes from her respect and love of her parents, Eddard and Catelyn -- she is fiercely proud of being a Stark, and throughout the books, even when she's lying about her identity, she can never quite forget that. As a child, she learned very quickly that she hated traditional women's skills -- Arya developed a scornful personality towards anything "ladylike," preferring to ally herself with the warrior maids of stories. She followed her brothers around, learning how to swordfight and shoot a bow, driving her parents and nurse crazy. A lot of the scorn was centered on her sister, Sansa; Arya hated the idea that she had to sit and wait for things to happen to her, while her older sister cherished the thought. This was encouraged by her bastard brother, Jon, who gave her a sword named Needle as a parting gift when she was nine. Because of the love (and adoration) she held for Jon, Needle became one of Arya's prized possessions, and she hid it from other people who would take it away from her.
At nine, Arya traveled with her father from her childhood home to the seat of power in Westeros, King's Landing. A lot of her time there was spent exploring -- and hiding from people who seemed deadly, or threatening. Arya began to learn valuable information about a plot on her father's life, which he didn't believe. But like a good father, he did do something useful for her -- gave her sword lessons with the master Syrio Forel. These sword lessons turned Arya from simply a person who liked to be everywhere into a person who could deftly sneak everywhere and no one would notice her. They began a change in the way she saw herself; Arya learned to set fear aside and focus on the task at hand, something that became especially useful when the plot to overthrow and kill her father gets put in motion. Instead of staying with her family, Arya fled into the city. She's a survivor, like no other -- she refused to die, instead catching pigeons and rats and eating them to live. Arya's tenacity is only outmatched by her growing hatred -- for the men who imprisoned her father, she felt nothing but the need for revenge. Arya knew she could be caught, and yet she went to her father's beheading anyway. That was one of the biggest changing points in her life -- the point when she could no longer rely on her parents for her safety. Arya is taken by the night's watch and transformed into Arry, a recruit for the wall (who is secretly being taken back home). But that doesn't last long -- she's captured and sent to a village, where they're torturing and killing people, and then to Harrenhal to serve as a servant. It's here that her hatred finally takes a tangible form: Arya's hit list, where she names nightly the people that one day, she's going to kill. She hates them so much that she'll get her revenge any way she can: a fatalistic tendency for a nine year old.
Eventually she gets a way: a man named Jaqen H'ghar, who offers to kill three people for her. Arya wastes two of them on petty things, but finally realizes she needs to cheat to get more, and names Jaqen as the third person. In return for unnaming him, he helps Arya free Stark men from the dungeons of Harrenhal. He leaves after that, giving her a coin and a phrase if she ever wishes to find him: Valar Morghulis, or All Men Must Die. Eventually she escapes from Harrenhal, always with the intent of getting back to her family -- remember her strong connection to the Starks? That's still a thing. Along the way, she meets the Brotherhood (and hates them because they don't do squat), runs away, gets captured by Sandor Clegane, and dragged to the Twins to be ransomed to her brother. Only when they get there, it turns out that the Freys have betrayed Arya's family; Arya witnesses the slaughter of her family (again), and is only stopped from trying to help them by being knocked out. She's got a bit of a justice complex -- she hates and loves in equal measure, and never forgets who wronged her. After more traveling with Clegane, they come across one of the men on her list: the Tickler, or Polliver. Arya takes her revenge in the only way she knows how; she stabs him repeatedly, screaming the things he used to say to the people he tortured at him, well past his death. She's so full of hatred that Sandor has to pull her off; Arya leaves him to die when he akss her to, and rides off without him. At this point she's so suspicious of others (and knows her real name would only get her kidnapped and ransomed) so she's gone through a festival of names: Arry, Weasel, Nymeria ("Nan"), and Salty are all names she's possessed along the way. Claiming to be a wench from Saltpans, Arya boards a Braavosi ship and hands them her coin, claiming passage to not only Braavos but entry into the group of Faceless Men, denizens of death.
tl;dr: Arya is a fierce girl who pulls no punches, believes that death is the only option for the irredeemable, and is so suspicious of everyone that she lies and changes face at the drop of a hat to save herself. But underneath it all she's fiercely devoted to her family and friends and would do anything for them, and prides herself on being a Stark through thick and thin.
CONSIDERATIONS:
Without her painful memories of betrayal and death, Arya would become less of a suspicious person, and a slightly more trusting one. She'd still be very spunky -- that's more of a personality trait than anything else -- but she'd be quicker to trust others. In an environment where women actually are allowed to own swords and become knights (see: apping her as a knight) I think that Arya will learn to trust in herself a lot more as well, and not in the "I can trust myself to kill others" way. She might be able to put aside her suspicions of other people, too, especially since she won't remember them. A lot of it will be personality regression from the tentative, sneaky person she's become in later books to the more open, sassy person she was at the beginning. Lying will still be second nature to her - she's a person who can worm her way out of anything if she tries hard enough - but she won't feel the need to do it quite so often as she might have before.
Also, without her memories, Arya will lose a little bit of the wildness she's built up, especially over things that are generally classified as "women's work". She'll learn a new respect for girls, especially for those who combine feminine aspects and their own work. She'll finally have female heroes to look up to! There are people on the teams and in the knights who are girls who kick ass! Which will be a plus, since the only ones she's had are ones from stories, who people tell her don't exist. Arya might be able to also live once again as (somewhat) of a regular nine year old, who isn't burdened by multiple instances of murder and regret. She won't have to be constantly watching her back, and will probably loosen up a little bit and learn once more to love and trust those people around her.
SKILLS:
+ Arya is very clever and quick-witted, able to talk herself out of almost anything. She's quite a smooth talker.
+ A skilled liar. Arya can make up falsehoods without blinking an eye, and they're usually believed.
+ When she doesn't want to be seen, she can blend in with crowds and slip away in the shadows. She's quiet and sneaky.
+ Needlework: unlike a traditional noble lady, Arya's needlework consists of work with a short, skinny sword named Needle. She is trained (somewhat) in the Braavosi fashion of swordfighting, a fluid and subtle style favored by people who fight in the streets.
+ Arya speaks a few different languages: the language of Westeros, as well as High Valyrian, an ancient language.
+ She can pass as a boy when she needs to.
+ Warg powers: Arya is known as a warg, or a person who can share a consciousness with animals. While she sleeps, Arya can combine her consciousness with any nearby animal that she has a particular fondness for -- her Direwolf Nymeria, for example, or any number of cats she meets in Braavos. At her current skill level, she mostly is along for the ride. It makes for interesting dreams, at least.
+ Archery. Arya is very good at archery; in the first episode of the TV series, she shoots a bull's eye flawlessly.
SUITED TO BE A KNIGHT?
Although she's young, Arya has already shown her ability to both take care of herself and her friends multiple times. Although she's not a particularly nice person, she is very just -- and if someone needs to be protected, she will do it, if connected to them in some way. As a knight, I think her biggest struggle would be having to help those people who she doesn't particularly like -- but like any good challenge, that could be overcome with time. Arya is a fighter, capable of dispensing justice and helping people in equal measure. She won't hesitate to help if she thinks she can.
Also, as a knight, Arya falls into the role of "somewhat of a loner" that she seems to pick up in canon. While it's not specifically important, it makes a lot of sense for a person who spends a good deal of her time working alone and occasionally collaborating with others to also fall into that role in a different world.
WRITING SAMPLE:
OPTION 1:
She needed to remember if she could swim. It wasn't something that had occurred to her before - Arya just assumed that somewhere in the past she couldn't remember, she had learned to swim - but to get to the island, she would have to learn the hard way. Too stubborn to ask anyone to help her, of course. She wouldn't have wanted to look weak, or inconvenience anyone; as one of the youngest people in this weird…place, she wanted to appear as strong as possible. And to look as strong as possible meant that Arya of House Stark had to learn if she could swim on her own.
She stuck a foot into the ocean, testing its temperature -- ugh, why is it cold? -- before drawing back. Even though she had convinced herself to do this, it still seemed risky. She could die, and no one was around on this part of the beach to really do anything about it.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "You're not stupid," she reassured herself. "If you start to sink, you just have to pull yourself to shore." With that in mind, she decided not to put it off any longer. Walking, then running, Arya lept into the ocean, holding her nose so she wouldn't get any water in it. When she realized that no strange creatures had grabbed her ankles and pulled her down into the deep - what kind of fish would do that? - she popped back up, breathing deep. That wasn't so bad, she thought to herself. Taking a few doggy paddles, she realized that she knew how to swim after all. She wasn't a fabulous swimmer, by any means. But at least somewhere in her past, someone had taught her that sinking was bad. Arya braved another duck under the ocean's gentle waves, keeping her eyes open this time. It seemed blue and blurry, not impressive at all, at least what she could see -- which admittedly, wasn't much. With a humph -- and people had said the ocean was spectacular -- she began the slow paddle towards the far off island. At least that would give her something to look forward to.
OPTION 3:
Introduce yourself in a few sentences
[ She looks to the side, then back. ] M' Nymeria. Most people just call me Nan, since the other's too long. I haven't been here that long.
[ Quietly: ] I'm not planning on staying any longer, either.
"The suffering of a few is okay if it benefits a great many" -- do you agree with this sentiment? Why or why not?
It's just like all the war at home. [ Staring. ] My father died for his loyalty. I don't know if I want to do the same.
It would have to have a really good reason.
What event from your past has impacted you the most? Please describe:
I don't have anything in my past like that. I'm just a girl from the north. My brothers fought for Robb Stark in the fight against the Lannisters, and they died.
[ LOOK AT ALL THESE LIES. ]
I guess losing my family counts.
If you were a kind of food item, what item would you be and why?
That's ridiculous. [ But then after a moment, she smiles. ] I think I would like to be pudding. It's very wiggly. You have to catch it to eat it.
Do you believe in soulmates or love at first sight?
No! That sort of stuff is for fairy tales and babies. [ AND HER SISTER but she doesn't say that. ] Love at first sight is silly nonsense.
"Killing criminals is okay if they've committed a grave crime" -- do you agree with this? Why or why not?
Yes. Because they're bad, and they deserve it. There doesn't need to be another reason if they've already proven it. Especially if they have hurt people.
Do you consider yourself a strong person? Why or not why?
I'm just a little girl. [ but the look she gives, it's clear she thinks otherwise ] I guess so. If I had to say something.
How would you control a large rioting crowd?
You don't.
What magic power would you have and why? If you already have a magic power, if your magic power was taken away from you how would you compensate?
[ A smile. ] I'd want the ability to be invisible, when I wanted to be. That way, I could learn everyone's secrets, and no one could tell that I was there unless I wanted them to.
If someone screwed you over, how would you get back at them? If you would not get back at them, please describe a prank or surprise party you would construct for a friend.
What does screw over mean? I'm too young to make children, if that's what you're asking for. If someone tried, I'd probably hurt them. No one gets to make children with me. That's disgusting.
[ From the look of disgust, hurt probably equals stabbing. ]
Free section: (Please put something which you think symbolizes you or is otherwise important to you)
I don't know if I should show you this… [ But maybe this was the time she's supposed to use it? Jaqen was pretty nonspecific. ] If you don't understand, you can't tell anyone about it.
[ Holds out a coin. ] Valar Morghulis.