arrowpoint: (➹ daedelu)
arrowpoint ([personal profile] arrowpoint) wrote2013-12-29 12:00 am

StE app

OOC Information:
Name: Mark
Are you over 15? Very Yes.
Contact: PM or [plurk.com profile] marcuswolf828
Current characters in the game: None

IC Information:
Name: Preincarnation: Legolas, New name: Liam Brendon Benedict
Canon and medium: Tolkien Universe, Books/Films
Age: Around 2200 -> 21 years old in StE.
Preincarnation Species: Sindarin Elf
Preincarnation Appearance: link to image
Any differences: Losing the pointy ears.
Starting Location: Locke City, NJ, USA.

Preincarnated History:

His history can be found here at the lotr wiki
Sections on The War of the Ring, After the War, and The Hobbit Trilogy (Films) are most relevant to history.

It is likely Legolas was fairly sheltered for much of his life in regards to travel. The furthest place
outside of Mirkwood he probably would have traveled to was Esgaroth or Dale. (Map) His father, King Thranduil, tends to keep a tight hold on the people of Mirkwood, which supports this theory.


Otherwise, there is a big blank spot in his history up to information from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. What can be gathered from the movie includes an long-standing friendship with Tauriel, and a high ranking position in Mirkwood's guard. It is also likely that as a prince, he would have been educated in matters of royalty and command throughout his life.

Events in the Lord of the Rings:
-Attends the Council of Elrond in Rivendell to report Gollum's escape
-Joins the Fellowship of the Ring, who endeavor to take the One Ring to Mordor to destroy it.
-Passed through Moria: Witnessed Gandalf's fall.
-Entered Lothlorien, Loved the trees there. Was given Longbow of the Galadhrim.
-Began to form friendship with Gimli.
-Witnessed Boromir's death.
-Pursued the kidnapped Merry and Pippen, accompanied by Aragorn and Gimli.
-Took part in the Battle of the Hornburg, had kill-count contest with Gimli.
-Took the Paths to the Dead with Aragorn, Gimli, Elladan and Elrohir.
-Saw the gulls at Pelargir, began to long for the Sea.
-Fought in the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Engaged in another kill-count contest with Gimli.
-The One Ring destroyed by Frodo
-Attended Aragorns Coronation and the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen
- Traveled to Fangorn Forest, Glittering Caves, and other places with Gimli.
-Settled in Ithilien to restore the area, took some Elves from Mirkwood (now Eyrn Lasgalen) to help out.
-Death of Aragorn (King Elessar),
-Built a ship in Ithilien and sailed to the Undying Lands with Gimli.


Reincarnated History:

Liam was born to Lisa (nee O'Reynne) and Arnold Benedict on April 10, 1993. He was raised in one of the ritzier parts of New York City, where his father is both a well known artist and has an art gallery. He grew up with one sister, Keira, his twin, who were both taught (primarily by their mother) to respect the environment and try to keep their ecological footprint as minimal as realistically possible.

In his childhood, Liam and his sister often spent time at the O'Reynne family estate-cabin where his uncle Teagan resides, on the outskirts of Locke City. They also have an aunt, Gwyneth, however as she is often away for business they are not particularly close.

Because his mother was often busy with her work at Rain Industries, Liam's father took more of the role of seeing to his children's daily needs. However, at certain times of the year, the Benedict Art Gallery would be exceptionally busy, and Liam and Lisa would generally be left to govern themselves.

Liam did well at school (private, of course), and made friends easily there. He still keeps in touch with some of his high school compatriots and classmates from college.

During his years at college, Liam majored in Environmental Studies, with a minor in Sustainability. His choice of major was somewhat influenced by his family situation, however he sincerely enjoys the natural world and is interested in protecting it, so he did not feel particularly pressured by this. Liam graduated this past May, 2013, From Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

These four years were influential on Liam, as he made many friends who influenced his choice to eat a strictly organic/locally grown and vegan food, and wear clothing of (at least mostly) natural fibers (even shoes!). In this way, his love for the environment reached a new level. A lover of animals, he also acquired a pet dog for company, a long-haired ("fluffy" is the official term) corgi, called Lumberjack, and he is three years old.

Due to the recent events occurring in Locke City, Liam felt strongly about returning to the area where he spent many summers growing up, and endeavors to be a part of the restoration efforts that Rain Industries is taking part in.


First Echo: Upon seeing the pink light over Las Vegas via news on television, Liam remembers a plain gold ring on a carved stone table, that makes him feel uneasy.


Preincarnation Personality:

There is an almost ethereal quality about Legolas that comes in part from being an Elf. He is graceful, agile, and a master of his own body. He is both filled with sorrow and joy at the same time, and can be a bit child-like in wonder as well as have a wisdom of someone who has lived for thousands of years.

However, though well educated, he is a bit unworldly, not having traveled much outside of Mirkwood. It is clear that before the events in the Lord of the Rings series, he had not yet been to Lothlórien, and probably Imladris (Rivendell) as well, before this time despite his ample time to have done so.

Interestingly, Legolas never refers to himself as a prince, and between characters rarely mentioned and once only in jest by Gimli in the movies. His everyday actions tell us that he doesn't usually consider himself particularly entitled - this may be in some part cultural, as Elves are immortal, and it is very possible that he'd never have to succeed his father.

That is not to say that he is in any way uncouth, or ignorant about the matters of being a King's son. He is also very loyal to his father, though not noticeably close, and has even said "if my Elven-lord allows" when talking about his idea regarding moving part of their people to Ithilien.

On a related matter, Legolas is at least half Sindarin on his father's side of the family. Yet, he says things like "...to us of the Silvan folk" which shows he in some way identifies with the Silvan or Woodland Elves - the majority of the people his father rules over. As he was likely raised entirely in the Greenwood/Mirkwood, this doesn't seem too odd.

Due to his age and overall Elvish-ness, Legolas sometimes feels a sense of superiority over those of other races. While he is generally respects other members of the fellowship, he considers them "children" whose hearts might be in the right place, but are in some ways immature.

Ironically, sometimes Legolas himself can appear a bit like a child in his inquisitiveness, and lack of experience in the world outside of Mirkwood. This curiosity is especially peaked at historical or legendary sites. Sometimes as the Fellowship encounters such places, if it is safe to take a moment and stop, he asks to do so. For example upon reaching the river Gilrain, he stops to enjoy it and sing a song about the Elf Maiden Nimrodel to whom the river was an important place.

When it comes to Dwarves, due to long-standing troubles in the relations between Elves and Dwarves (Doubly so with Mirkwood Elves - Of which his father played a part,) He found them particularly distasteful before the events of the Fellowship, and even treated them roughly.

However, over his time in the Fellowship he forms a particularly strong bond with Gimli, which shows his ability to learn and overcome prejudice. The friendship between Gimli and Legolas is considered to be "greater than any that has been between Elf and Dwarf."

Otherwise, Legolas is able to make friends easily, and keeps a light heart when things are going well. Considering how long Elves live, and how little time he spent with the Fellowship of the Ring, it's surprising that he became close to many of them. Also, Legolas also appears to have no problems with occasionally joking around or gently teasing his friends. He made fun Aragorn and Boromir when they had trouble walking through snow, and on one occasion he called Merry "Master Sluggard" for being lazy. His exchanges with Gimli are often humorous or lighthearted, including having a kill-count contest with Gimli on at least two occasions.

Nature is something he takes joy in, and is able to draw strength from. He is often admiring trees, and was thrilled to see the mallorn-trees in Lothlórien. He was also awed by the age and atmosphere of Fangorn forest, and made plans to re-visit after the war was over. He also mentioned that Minas Tirith could use more gardens, and said he would help make the place green again.

One thing that makes Legolas stand out a little among other elves we see in the series is his tendency to show emotion a touch more readily. When he is angered his reaction is quick, strong, and brief. He often has an expression of wonder when it comes to nature, and he smiles regularly with his friends.

Sadness and sorrow are things Legolas feels a bit deeper. When it comes to deaths of people close to him, or losses that follow a battle, the grief that he feels is almost painful. He, like most elves, is a being of deep feeling, and his reverence for life would make the loss of it all the more difficult.

Towards the end of the war, after seeing and hearing the gulls at the ports at Pelargir, Legolas' Sea-longing began. This is an innate desire in all Elves to sail across the Sea to Valinor. While Legolas makes plans to delay this trip, this feeling of wistfulness began to increase. His experiences in the War of the Ring had likely contributed to this.


Any differences:

Unlike Legolas, Liam has done a lot of traveling. With a more permissive father, Liam also hasn't had to work for what he has, and is a a bit more judgmental than Legolas; for example, of people who aren't environmentally conscious "enough."

At only 21 years old, rather than over 2200 or so, he is still a youth in all respects, including mentally, and is immature and makes poor decisions. Liam is obviously not an Elf, and therefore does not have the melancholy associated with Sea-longing, although he still feels emotions a bit stronger than his peers.


Abilities:

Archery:
Legolas is an expert at Archery. At peak performance, it is very rare for him to miss a target, even one moving and from a great distance away, or in a dim/dark environment.

Melee skills:
At close range Legolas is deadly with a knife or sword, though he prefers knives. He has also been shown to have some skill with hand-to-hand combat, but it's not his usual go-to strategy.


Elven Abilities:

By nature of simply being an Elf, Legolas is endowed with a set of abilities. A summary of those abilities is below, however if more clarity is needed, there is an extended abilities section here, which breaks down the abilities into bite-sized pieces.

In summation: Elves are immortal, so they do not age, or get sick. Their senses are enhanced, and they have extra Elven senses as in detection of evil influences (AKA "my Elvish senses are tingling!"), They commune with nature and animals in ways beyond normal human comprehension. They have greater endurance, resistance to the elements, do not require sleep, heal quicker, and may survive grievous injury that would otherwise kill someone. They are graceful and leave only light tracks as they walk, and can walk over snow without sinking into it. They also do not grow facial hair.

Equipment Preincarnation Legolas uses:
Longbow of the Galadhrim
Quiver and arrows
Two long knives


Roleplay Sample

So much death.

The events of the last two days had been trying for them all. The road to Helm's Deep had been perilous, and many of the Men died in the Warg attack. Worst of all, they had nearly lost Aragorn - in fact, for a moment, they all thought that they had.

When he plucked the necklace of the Evenstar from the dead Orc's hand. Legolas' heart had sunk into his stomach. He had been certain that the evil creature had told him the truth. He had been fortunate to have the opportunity to return the treasure to the ranger, but others had not been so lucky.

Perhaps that is why he fell briefly into despair. There was such a disparity between armies. Three hundred against ten thousand... it was an impossible task to hold back the siege. How could Men manage such a thing? It did not help that most of them too young or too old, and hindered by fear.

Legolas tried to brace himself for the oncoming loss of life, but at first he could not find the calmness he sought. Words of frustration had slipped from behind his lips while the Men made preparations in the armory. Seeing Aragorn's reaction, he was immediately filled with regret.

However, Elrond had rightly chosen 'Estel' as the ranger's childhood name, for hope is what he gave them all. Somehow, he always seemed able to pull them through. That thought, along with the arrival of the Elven army had renewed Legolas' spirit. Perhaps they stood a chance after all.

The night brought rain, lightning, and the thundering of the enemy's march towards the keep. The victory was dearly paid for in the lives of both Elves and Men, and even valiant warriors such as Haldir had fallen.

Now, sifting through the wreckage for intact arrows to return to his quiver, Legolas looked up from an Uruk-hai corpse to see Gimli contentedly puffing on his pipe. The sight of him relaxed Legolas somewhat, and helped him put the night's events behind him.

The Dwarf looked at him expectantly, and that was when the Elf remembered that they still had a score to settle. He approached.

After a moment of discussion, it seemed terribly convenient that his friend's score was just one above his own, and the Elf wouldn't have put it past Gimli to cheat. He was a bit annoyed, and was about to call the Dwarf out on it - but instead he laughed. The tension pent up inside Legolas burst free like water breaking through a dam.

He was overcome with relief - Gimli was alive. It was hard enough to see the piled corpses made of a strangers, let alone that of a friend. Legolas wasn't sure if he could have withstood the sorrow.

"Well, you sound surprisingly pleased with your own loss," said the Dwarf, confused.

"I mind not the score," He said, grabbing a firm hold of his friend's shoulder. "For the joy for me was in the game, and to have this chance to speak of it with you."



Roleplay Sample - Network:

TEXT

Check out this awesome trail. I was going through old pics and I found it. I think it's from freshman year, but I'm not sure. I used to love hiking up there, anyway.

[image]

I know things are a little weird right now for everybody, but when you've still got stuff like this in the world then life is pretty good, yeah?




Any Questions?

Not so much a question as a comment: Regarding Liam's history, any connection to Teagan's (Thranduil's) family has been cleared with the player.

Supplemental Test Drive Thread, if needed.