Maria Thorpe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
givetheslip) wrote2017-02-05 09:17 pm
givetheslip) wrote2017-02-05 09:17 pm
Entry tags:
Maria Thorpe Application
P L A Y E R;
NAME: Jaina
AGE: 30+
PLAYER JOURNAL:effervescible, not really used
TIMEZONE: Eastern
CONTACT: aim: JainaX, plurk:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
effervescible, PMs
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: None
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Maria Thorpe
CANON: Assassin's Creed
POINT IN CANON: Between 1-2 years after Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
AGE: Approx. 32
APPEARANCE: Here!
CANON HISTORY: Wiki link
CANON PERSONALITY: "I'm what they call the unusual one in my family. Growing up, I always preferred the boys' games. Dolls weren't for me, much to my parents' continued exasperation. I used to pull their heads off."
Maria Thorpe may have steered her life down a path incredibly different from that which was expected, leading her to become a cross-dressing warrior, ambitious would-be knight and friend of Assassins, but she didn't start out as someone who broke the rules just to be contrary. As a child, she indulged in activities unsuitable for a girl of her time and class, but when she grew into adulthood, she didn't object to the standard arranged marriage either, instead hoping that she would be embraced for her whole character and not just her role as wife. When she concluded that this would not happen, it marked the last time in her life that she went along with someone else's plans for her instead of making up her own mind.
Unencumbered by the weight of a 'proper' societal role, Maria is a resourceful, brave person with a practical mind. Her choice of joining the Crusades as a way of exiting the life in which everyone's expectations had been let down—including her own—was as much about taking on a role that fit her personality and making a fresh start as it was support of the war's purpose; Maria demonstrates skill in battle, but shows no bloodlust or enjoyment of killing for its own sake. She is also cunning enough to successfully disguise herself as a man long enough to prove her worth to Robert, a powerful leader.
Engage her in conversation, and Maria is either refreshingly straightforward or—if you get on her bad side—somewhat abrasive. She's not one to go out of her way to be rude, but she doesn't mince words, to others or to herself. Enemies and subordinates will get a sharp tongue-lashing, and if she's in a bad situation, she won't lie to herself or cling to optimism to make herself feel better. Back her into a figurative corner, and she might stew in frustration for a while, but she'll manage to keep a clear head...most of the time. Because Maria has limits, and when pushed far enough, she has a tendency to let her anger get the best of her. Her anger at her fall from favor with the Templars is a major contributor to her losing the second fight with Altaïr (along with his superior skill), and as a captive, she lets a piece of information slip once or twice before catching herself. While she's not a total hothead, it's a weakness that can be exploited by someone who's good at pushing buttons.
In any environment, whether it's familiar or unknown, Maria thrives when given the opportunity to act, to contribute, in a manner that makes use of her capabilities, especially when it will make a notable difference. There's no doubt that her life running a proper English noble household would have been its own kind of work, but she expressed serious distaste for the “hierarchies and politics of the staff," along with her limited ability to express her whole personality. It doesn't have to be a perfect situation; life as a soldier and steward in the Crusades obviously suited Maria more than her previous station, but she later acknowledges that Robert exploited her potential as much as he recognized it. For a time, it was a bargain she was willing to make.
The strong mind and determination that brought Maria to the Crusades are also what keep her going through difficult times once she's there. She has her own ideas about what she should be doing, and she's not about to allow others to dictate whether that will change or not. After the new Templar Grand Master made it clear that he considered her incompetent or a traitor and no longer welcome among their high ranks, it would have been more convenient for her to immediately ally herself with Altaïr, who had made overtures of wanting her to understand the Assassins' perspective, but her beliefs didn't change quickly just because her situation did.
It's important to Maria that she ask her own questions, make her own investigations and come to her own conclusions. For her, it's a matter of finding a balance, neither locking her into a single point of view forever nor being overly credulous. As her future self will one day remark, “It is one thing to have a mind that is open. It is quite another to have one so open that the birds can shit into it." And while she does have a sense of pride, once she does change her mind about the Templars and about her own life, she’s not too proud or embarrassed by past actions to accept Altaïr’s help, or to help him in return.
"Everything I worked for in the Holy Land, I no longer want. And everything I gave up to join the Templars... I wonder where all that went, and if I should try to find it again."
Ultimately, Maria chose a path she never would have expected: she married the Assassin she once fought nearly to the death, and found satisfaction in a land and culture that was very different from the one she'd been raised in. She was surprised and happy to find love with a man who respected her and treated her as an equal, but becoming part of a couple wasn't her happy ending. Being able to transcend the societal role dictated to her at birth without becoming someone else's tool, supporting a cause she believed in, and making true connections with other people and build the sort of life she wanted, were the things most important in the end.
POINT OF DEPARTURE: n/a
VETERAN?: No.
ABILITIES: Maria is a normal human being with no powers but has these skills:
-Combat: Trained to fight as a knight would during the Third Crusade, she's skilled with a longsword and was able to fight a master Assassin nearly to the death. She likely would have spent more time training in the Assassin style after joining them, but it's not her expertise.
-Languages: Maria likely speaks English, French and Arabic, though it is sort of hazy considering the language drift—i.e. it's not French as we know it today.
-Free-running/climbing: Again, not as skilled as an Assassin, but she keeps up with Altair pretty well in Bloodlines.
INVENTORY:
-Her longsword
-A dagger hidden in her boot
-One outfit suitable for combat training
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW? Nope!
M A R K S;
JUSTIFICATION:
Magician: Maria became a soldier and a trusted lieutenant in a time when that REALLY REALLY was not an option for women through many of these qualities listed. Focus, determination and initiative got her to the Crusaders, albeit initially disguised as a boy. She had the self-confidence in her skills and potential to take action to get to where she wanted to be.
Emperor: I suppose Maria plays a "masculine" role according to the standards of her era, though she is comfortable in her identity as a woman. But for much of her life, she valued the discipline and organization of the Knights Templar. The stable framework of it gave her a structure in which she could thrive by living up to specific standards. She could have been happy as a soldier indefinitely, if corruption hadn't found its way into the organization.
Chariot: This is a little more past-Maria than current-Maria, but she was very willing to die in battle against an Assassin, and would have found honor in that by doing her duty. It was also hella brave. As mentioned above, self-confidence, conviction and discipline also played big parts in getting her to the Crusades and eventually where she is today.
S A M P L E S;
ACTIONSPAM SAMPLE: Thread from a previous game
PROSE SAMPLE: Maria supposed it was possible she had gone mad. Brought into a place, a world that wasn't hers, this so-called liminal space—none of it made sense, and if described to another it would no doubt make the speaker sound mad. But she doubted it; perhaps the mad didn't realize their condition, but she felt as steady and calm as ever, despite her surroundings.
It could also have been a lie, a trick, another illusion cast by the Apple of Eden. The artifact had that kind of power; she'd seen it with her own eyes. But the Apple was also in the hands of a man who had resisted using that power for years, and this felt all too real. If it was an illusion, it was a very convincing one, and she could see no other option that was better than assuming it was reality until shown otherwise.
Maria leaned back and regarded her blade carefully, as if it might hold answers. It didn’t, of course. It didn’t even need cleaning anymore, but doing so gave her time to think without doing much else, and it was a habit from home.
Home. It caused a pang in her stomach. She had never imagined that Masyaf would become that to her, but so it had, more a home than England had been for many years. She already missed it, the crisp mountain air, the sounds of the novices training in the yard, the cooking fires in the village.
She shook her head and reached for her sheath. Enough of that. Whatever she felt about her current circumstances, they were what they were, and endless ruminating wouldn’t change things. Action might, if she knew the right action to take. From what she had been told, idleness was not something she would have to bear for long. In the meantime, well, at least her sword would be ready.
NAME: Jaina
AGE: 30+
PLAYER JOURNAL:
effervescible, not really usedTIMEZONE: Eastern
CONTACT: aim: JainaX, plurk:
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: None
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Maria Thorpe
CANON: Assassin's Creed
POINT IN CANON: Between 1-2 years after Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
AGE: Approx. 32
APPEARANCE: Here!
CANON HISTORY: Wiki link
CANON PERSONALITY: "I'm what they call the unusual one in my family. Growing up, I always preferred the boys' games. Dolls weren't for me, much to my parents' continued exasperation. I used to pull their heads off."
Maria Thorpe may have steered her life down a path incredibly different from that which was expected, leading her to become a cross-dressing warrior, ambitious would-be knight and friend of Assassins, but she didn't start out as someone who broke the rules just to be contrary. As a child, she indulged in activities unsuitable for a girl of her time and class, but when she grew into adulthood, she didn't object to the standard arranged marriage either, instead hoping that she would be embraced for her whole character and not just her role as wife. When she concluded that this would not happen, it marked the last time in her life that she went along with someone else's plans for her instead of making up her own mind.
Unencumbered by the weight of a 'proper' societal role, Maria is a resourceful, brave person with a practical mind. Her choice of joining the Crusades as a way of exiting the life in which everyone's expectations had been let down—including her own—was as much about taking on a role that fit her personality and making a fresh start as it was support of the war's purpose; Maria demonstrates skill in battle, but shows no bloodlust or enjoyment of killing for its own sake. She is also cunning enough to successfully disguise herself as a man long enough to prove her worth to Robert, a powerful leader.
Engage her in conversation, and Maria is either refreshingly straightforward or—if you get on her bad side—somewhat abrasive. She's not one to go out of her way to be rude, but she doesn't mince words, to others or to herself. Enemies and subordinates will get a sharp tongue-lashing, and if she's in a bad situation, she won't lie to herself or cling to optimism to make herself feel better. Back her into a figurative corner, and she might stew in frustration for a while, but she'll manage to keep a clear head...most of the time. Because Maria has limits, and when pushed far enough, she has a tendency to let her anger get the best of her. Her anger at her fall from favor with the Templars is a major contributor to her losing the second fight with Altaïr (along with his superior skill), and as a captive, she lets a piece of information slip once or twice before catching herself. While she's not a total hothead, it's a weakness that can be exploited by someone who's good at pushing buttons.
In any environment, whether it's familiar or unknown, Maria thrives when given the opportunity to act, to contribute, in a manner that makes use of her capabilities, especially when it will make a notable difference. There's no doubt that her life running a proper English noble household would have been its own kind of work, but she expressed serious distaste for the “hierarchies and politics of the staff," along with her limited ability to express her whole personality. It doesn't have to be a perfect situation; life as a soldier and steward in the Crusades obviously suited Maria more than her previous station, but she later acknowledges that Robert exploited her potential as much as he recognized it. For a time, it was a bargain she was willing to make.
The strong mind and determination that brought Maria to the Crusades are also what keep her going through difficult times once she's there. She has her own ideas about what she should be doing, and she's not about to allow others to dictate whether that will change or not. After the new Templar Grand Master made it clear that he considered her incompetent or a traitor and no longer welcome among their high ranks, it would have been more convenient for her to immediately ally herself with Altaïr, who had made overtures of wanting her to understand the Assassins' perspective, but her beliefs didn't change quickly just because her situation did.
It's important to Maria that she ask her own questions, make her own investigations and come to her own conclusions. For her, it's a matter of finding a balance, neither locking her into a single point of view forever nor being overly credulous. As her future self will one day remark, “It is one thing to have a mind that is open. It is quite another to have one so open that the birds can shit into it." And while she does have a sense of pride, once she does change her mind about the Templars and about her own life, she’s not too proud or embarrassed by past actions to accept Altaïr’s help, or to help him in return.
"Everything I worked for in the Holy Land, I no longer want. And everything I gave up to join the Templars... I wonder where all that went, and if I should try to find it again."
Ultimately, Maria chose a path she never would have expected: she married the Assassin she once fought nearly to the death, and found satisfaction in a land and culture that was very different from the one she'd been raised in. She was surprised and happy to find love with a man who respected her and treated her as an equal, but becoming part of a couple wasn't her happy ending. Being able to transcend the societal role dictated to her at birth without becoming someone else's tool, supporting a cause she believed in, and making true connections with other people and build the sort of life she wanted, were the things most important in the end.
POINT OF DEPARTURE: n/a
VETERAN?: No.
ABILITIES: Maria is a normal human being with no powers but has these skills:
-Combat: Trained to fight as a knight would during the Third Crusade, she's skilled with a longsword and was able to fight a master Assassin nearly to the death. She likely would have spent more time training in the Assassin style after joining them, but it's not her expertise.
-Languages: Maria likely speaks English, French and Arabic, though it is sort of hazy considering the language drift—i.e. it's not French as we know it today.
-Free-running/climbing: Again, not as skilled as an Assassin, but she keeps up with Altair pretty well in Bloodlines.
INVENTORY:
-Her longsword
-A dagger hidden in her boot
-One outfit suitable for combat training
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW? Nope!
M A R K S;
JUSTIFICATION:
Magician: Maria became a soldier and a trusted lieutenant in a time when that REALLY REALLY was not an option for women through many of these qualities listed. Focus, determination and initiative got her to the Crusaders, albeit initially disguised as a boy. She had the self-confidence in her skills and potential to take action to get to where she wanted to be.
Emperor: I suppose Maria plays a "masculine" role according to the standards of her era, though she is comfortable in her identity as a woman. But for much of her life, she valued the discipline and organization of the Knights Templar. The stable framework of it gave her a structure in which she could thrive by living up to specific standards. She could have been happy as a soldier indefinitely, if corruption hadn't found its way into the organization.
Chariot: This is a little more past-Maria than current-Maria, but she was very willing to die in battle against an Assassin, and would have found honor in that by doing her duty. It was also hella brave. As mentioned above, self-confidence, conviction and discipline also played big parts in getting her to the Crusades and eventually where she is today.
S A M P L E S;
ACTIONSPAM SAMPLE: Thread from a previous game
PROSE SAMPLE: Maria supposed it was possible she had gone mad. Brought into a place, a world that wasn't hers, this so-called liminal space—none of it made sense, and if described to another it would no doubt make the speaker sound mad. But she doubted it; perhaps the mad didn't realize their condition, but she felt as steady and calm as ever, despite her surroundings.
It could also have been a lie, a trick, another illusion cast by the Apple of Eden. The artifact had that kind of power; she'd seen it with her own eyes. But the Apple was also in the hands of a man who had resisted using that power for years, and this felt all too real. If it was an illusion, it was a very convincing one, and she could see no other option that was better than assuming it was reality until shown otherwise.
Maria leaned back and regarded her blade carefully, as if it might hold answers. It didn’t, of course. It didn’t even need cleaning anymore, but doing so gave her time to think without doing much else, and it was a habit from home.
Home. It caused a pang in her stomach. She had never imagined that Masyaf would become that to her, but so it had, more a home than England had been for many years. She already missed it, the crisp mountain air, the sounds of the novices training in the yard, the cooking fires in the village.
She shook her head and reached for her sheath. Enough of that. Whatever she felt about her current circumstances, they were what they were, and endless ruminating wouldn’t change things. Action might, if she knew the right action to take. From what she had been told, idleness was not something she would have to bear for long. In the meantime, well, at least her sword would be ready.