Beth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
elfwannabe) wrote2016-09-08 01:55 am
elfwannabe) wrote2016-09-08 01:55 am
Entry tags:
old Ruby city app for Galadriel
PLAYER
Name: Beth
Age: 26
Personal Journal:elfwannabeE-mail: emaj88 [at] gmail [dot] com
AIM/MSN/etc: elfwannabe88
CHARACTER
Name: Galadriel
Canon: Tolkien Universe
Age: Real : approximately 8,000 years old. More or less. Apparent: late twenties to mid thirties
Timeline: Post Fellowship of the Ring/Early Two Towers- After healing the newly resurrected Gandalf after his fight with the Balrog. This doesn’t appear “onscreen,” so to give you an ideal, Gandalf arrives in Lorien directly after the Fellowship leaves.
Personality:
The first thing one is likely to notice about Galadriel’s personality is her Lordliness. As the last remaining member of the House of Finwë, a powerful family of Noldor, in Middle-Earth, she has spent centuries in some form of power or leadership, even in those years in which she did not have a kingdom of her own, and this has left an indelible mark on her. She is unlikely to be casual with those she doesn’t know well, which could be easily mistaken for a superiority complex or a form of “uppityness.” Though unfailing polite (unless provoked) she may seem distant, untouchable, or even lacking in emotion, at first. Her nobility explains some of this distance-she is still very proud, although not as much as she was in her youth, and acts as she thinks befits one of her stature, namely with honor and extreme dignity. Besides this, she has lived for over eight thousand years. During this time she has learned to control the face that the public sees. As a telepath and one whose mind is constantly under siege by Sauron himself, it behooves her to carefully select what she lets others see of her thoughts.
It would be a mistake, however, to think that this emotional distance is insurmountable. To those she considers friends and allies, Galadriel has been known to display extraordinary thoughtfulness, compassion, and kindness. Her actions during the War of the Ring, in particular demonstrate this: not only did she welcome the Fellowship into her realm, offer what comforts she could, and give to them each an item to help them in their quests (most likely planned using her mirror), she gave Frodo and Sam use of the mirror, a high honor. But her kindness is not limited to aid. The way that she treats those around to her often reveals a gentle wisdom and quiet affection for those who merit it. For example, her treatment of Gimli- rebuking her husband for speaking out against dwarves and even gifting Gimli with three locks of her hair upon his asking for one, which is all the more significant when compared with her constant refusal of Fëanor’s requests for the same.
She is also clearly very fond of her family, although she expresses this in a typically muted way in public. She often refers to Celeborn as “Celeborn the Wise” and when she speaks of him, she seems to express an admiration for his abilities that one might not quite expect given the vast difference between their power levels. Although Celeborn may not be as mystically powerful as his wife, it is clear that she relies on him as someone to talk to and as a source of support. Over the years she has come to admire his wisdom and respect his counsel. The couple is also obviously on very good terms with their grandchildren who, before the war, would come and visit often. The small family that Galadriel does have is all the more important in light of the devastation that the First and Second Ages had on her family tree. These are, literally, all the kin that she has and the thought of something happening to them would be extremely painful. For this reason, her departure into the West at the end of Return of the King will be bitter sweet. She finally gets to go home (and re-unite with her daughter), but she will be parted from Celeborn for a time and from Arwen forever.
On the other hand, she has no problem with being harsh if she deems it necessary. It seems likely that she knew Boromir would attempt to take the Ring from Frodo, for example, and although she tested the minds and hearts of all the Fellowship, it was he who seemed the most affected by it, suggesting that she deliberately pushed at his mind the hardest in the hope of exposing its cracks. She is, by nature, a forgiving person who believes in redemption (she even offered Saruman a last chance!), but she also knows that introspection and change are often painful. Her ruthless pushing at Boromir’s mind was, ultimately, an attempt at a kindness as well as an effort to save the quest of the Ring. She hoped to force him to confront what affect his ambitions and the Ring were having on him. If she must be cruel in order to be kind, she will.
She can also hold “grudges,” for lack of a better word, for a very long time. If she senses enough darkness about a person to alarm her, it will take a lot for her to come to trust them, even if they haven’t actually done anything (yet). Probably more than is actually possible. Experience has left her feeling very justified in this. This doesn’t mean that she will be openly rude or discourteous, but, well, she can be very cold when she wishes to without breaking a single rule of etiquette. In the past, this has not always stopped her from associating herself with the ventures of such people, as was the case with Fëanor, but given how well that turned out it is unlikely that she would enter into such a situation lightly.
In his description of Galadriel, Samwise Gamgee described her in a series of contradictory terms:
“Sometimes like a great tree in flower, sometimes like a white daffadowndilly, small and slender like. Hard as di'monds, soft as moonlight. Warm as sunlight, cold as frost in the stars. Proud and far-off as a snow mountain, and as merry as any lass I ever saw with daisies in her hair in springtime.”
And he may not have been as “far off [his] mark” as he thought. She is stern, yet forgiving; distant, yet caring; proud, yet keenly aware of her own fallibility; she may be melancholy, but she takes mirth where she can. Thousands of years and almost as many sorrows have made her cautious and reluctant to show her whole self to anyone not of her family. Those who encounter her, then, typically see a “face” of Galadriel defined by the nature of their interaction. Because of this, to most she remains an enigma: something to be marveled at, respected, perhaps even feared, but not completely understood
Background: Because Tolkien wrote multiple backstories for Galadriel and never fully settled on one, I’ve had to decide which parts I am using in my portrayal of her. For the most part, I take a tiered canon approach: LOTR>The Silmarillion>Unfinished Tales>Tolkien’s letters and notes.
I’ve written out the background that I use for another game. You can read it here. And here is the LOTR wikia article on her.
Abilities: I've written a tl;dr explanation of her powers here. A basic, simplified rundown is below.
-Nenya: The Ring of Water, or Ring of the Adamant. This is one of the three Elven Rings of Power. It's actual abilities are only vaguely mentioned in the text, but they are described as protection, preservation, and nurturing growth. The rings are said to enhance the abilities of those who bear them. In addition to this, we know that it is capable of protecting a fairly large area- Lothlórien in the text. It's quite likely that it works in a similar manner to the girdle of Melian.
-Telepathy
--Reading Thoughts: Exactly what it sounds like. This is the traditional "mind reading" where she can listen to what other people are thinking. She can turn this on and off and isn't likely to use this all the time.
--Judging hearts: For lack of a better word, she gets "vibes" from people. It's described in text as sensing "darkness" in people's hearts. It's not foul proof and I try to use this very judiciously in roleplay for obvious reasons, but she generally has a pretty good idea who the "bad guys," "good guys," and "mostly good with a touch of temptation guys" are.
--Testing hearts: This is what she did to the Fellowship in Lothlórien. At it's core, this is a way of sizing people up and can best be described as a combination of temptation and questioning. Various members of the Fellowship stated that it felt as though she had asked them what they would do if she were to give them something they wanted very much if they would turn away from their quest. They also stated that it felt as though they were questioned for many hours, even though they were only in her prescience for a few moments and she spoke no words to them beyond a welcome.
--Blocking her mind: Basically, this is her ability to prevent other people from reading her mind. It's strong enough that she was able to keep out Sauron, a fallen divine being, but panfandom rp being what it is, it's not impossible to break through. But it would be exceedingly difficult and require a lot of effort and skill.
--Speaking into the minds of others: Exactly what it says on the tin: placing her word and/or thoughts into the minds of others. Basically a form of communication.
--Presenting visions to others: Again, exactly what it sounds like. Pretty much a visual form of the power mentioned above.
-Foresight
--Visions and insight: She can see "what is, what was, and some things that have not yet come to pass." It seems that these visions come both unbidden and, to a lesser degree, on command.
--With the mirror: Like Nenya, the Mirror of Galadriel basically amplifies all her existing powers as well as enabling her to share what she sees with others.
-Healing: Some of this is just knowledge of herbs and skill, but it's also likely that there is a certain amount of magic ability involved in Elven healing.
-Large Scale Destructive Power: In a passage in Lord of the Rings, Galadriel goes to the fortress of Dol Guldur after Celeborn and his forces have taken it and “threw down its walls and laid bare its pits.” This is really the only time any magic like this is attributed to her. And, significantly, it is after the destruction of the One Ring, so it is probably the power of Galadriel herself and not Nenya.
Because this ability makes Galadriel ridiculously powerful, it is poorly defined, and she only uses it once in all of the text about her, I’m basically going to ignore this. It’s very unlikely that she would ever need to use this anyway.
-“Immortality”: This is rather a misnomer when it comes to elves. Elves can be killed and they can fade from grief, but they don't age and they are naturally immune to disease. On a side note, it also takes a lot longer to get them drunk.
First Person: Link from the Ruby City test drive.
Third Person:
She was at the mirror, as she was so often as of late. It was not surprising that he would seek her there and, indeed, as she gazed into the water she felt Celeborn’s presence and heard his approaching footsteps. He knew better than to interrupt her visions, so he stood silently, waiting for her acknowledgement.
“My Lord.”
He stepped forward and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “My Lady.”
She continued to stare into the mirror, her head bowed, though naught but the stars was now before her. “He comes ever closer, bringing Doom into our very midst.”
“You knew it would be so. It is as we intended.”
She did not answer.
“You doubt yourself.” It was not a question. Celeborn may not have possessed his wife’s gifts, but he knew her thoughts, perhaps better than any other living being.
“Have I not reason?” She turned to face him as she asked it, though she almost regretted it when their eyes met; He saw what she was feeling much too keenly.
“Galadriel, Meleth Nîn.” He reached out and pulled her closer. “You will not find your answers here. Do not tire yourself needlessly. And, pray, do not grieve so, for how often have I heard you speak to others of hope and change?”
After a moment of hesitation, she smiled softly and brought her hand to her husband’s face, resting it upon his cheek.
“Well I have named you, Celeborn the Wise. Your counsel is sound and I shall heed it.”
He returned the smile, taking a moment to run his fingers through her hair before he spoke again. “Then will you walk with me, My Lady? Long has it been since we have enjoyed the gardens as we should-under the stars and in each other’s company.”
She nodded and took his arm. There was so much darkness in the world, so much doubt and pain, but this- this she could take comfort in, at least for tonight.
Name: Beth
Age: 26
Personal Journal:
elfwannabeE-mail: emaj88 [at] gmail [dot] comAIM/MSN/etc: elfwannabe88
CHARACTER
Name: Galadriel
Canon: Tolkien Universe
Age: Real : approximately 8,000 years old. More or less. Apparent: late twenties to mid thirties
Timeline: Post Fellowship of the Ring/Early Two Towers- After healing the newly resurrected Gandalf after his fight with the Balrog. This doesn’t appear “onscreen,” so to give you an ideal, Gandalf arrives in Lorien directly after the Fellowship leaves.
Personality:
The first thing one is likely to notice about Galadriel’s personality is her Lordliness. As the last remaining member of the House of Finwë, a powerful family of Noldor, in Middle-Earth, she has spent centuries in some form of power or leadership, even in those years in which she did not have a kingdom of her own, and this has left an indelible mark on her. She is unlikely to be casual with those she doesn’t know well, which could be easily mistaken for a superiority complex or a form of “uppityness.” Though unfailing polite (unless provoked) she may seem distant, untouchable, or even lacking in emotion, at first. Her nobility explains some of this distance-she is still very proud, although not as much as she was in her youth, and acts as she thinks befits one of her stature, namely with honor and extreme dignity. Besides this, she has lived for over eight thousand years. During this time she has learned to control the face that the public sees. As a telepath and one whose mind is constantly under siege by Sauron himself, it behooves her to carefully select what she lets others see of her thoughts.
It would be a mistake, however, to think that this emotional distance is insurmountable. To those she considers friends and allies, Galadriel has been known to display extraordinary thoughtfulness, compassion, and kindness. Her actions during the War of the Ring, in particular demonstrate this: not only did she welcome the Fellowship into her realm, offer what comforts she could, and give to them each an item to help them in their quests (most likely planned using her mirror), she gave Frodo and Sam use of the mirror, a high honor. But her kindness is not limited to aid. The way that she treats those around to her often reveals a gentle wisdom and quiet affection for those who merit it. For example, her treatment of Gimli- rebuking her husband for speaking out against dwarves and even gifting Gimli with three locks of her hair upon his asking for one, which is all the more significant when compared with her constant refusal of Fëanor’s requests for the same.
She is also clearly very fond of her family, although she expresses this in a typically muted way in public. She often refers to Celeborn as “Celeborn the Wise” and when she speaks of him, she seems to express an admiration for his abilities that one might not quite expect given the vast difference between their power levels. Although Celeborn may not be as mystically powerful as his wife, it is clear that she relies on him as someone to talk to and as a source of support. Over the years she has come to admire his wisdom and respect his counsel. The couple is also obviously on very good terms with their grandchildren who, before the war, would come and visit often. The small family that Galadriel does have is all the more important in light of the devastation that the First and Second Ages had on her family tree. These are, literally, all the kin that she has and the thought of something happening to them would be extremely painful. For this reason, her departure into the West at the end of Return of the King will be bitter sweet. She finally gets to go home (and re-unite with her daughter), but she will be parted from Celeborn for a time and from Arwen forever.
On the other hand, she has no problem with being harsh if she deems it necessary. It seems likely that she knew Boromir would attempt to take the Ring from Frodo, for example, and although she tested the minds and hearts of all the Fellowship, it was he who seemed the most affected by it, suggesting that she deliberately pushed at his mind the hardest in the hope of exposing its cracks. She is, by nature, a forgiving person who believes in redemption (she even offered Saruman a last chance!), but she also knows that introspection and change are often painful. Her ruthless pushing at Boromir’s mind was, ultimately, an attempt at a kindness as well as an effort to save the quest of the Ring. She hoped to force him to confront what affect his ambitions and the Ring were having on him. If she must be cruel in order to be kind, she will.
She can also hold “grudges,” for lack of a better word, for a very long time. If she senses enough darkness about a person to alarm her, it will take a lot for her to come to trust them, even if they haven’t actually done anything (yet). Probably more than is actually possible. Experience has left her feeling very justified in this. This doesn’t mean that she will be openly rude or discourteous, but, well, she can be very cold when she wishes to without breaking a single rule of etiquette. In the past, this has not always stopped her from associating herself with the ventures of such people, as was the case with Fëanor, but given how well that turned out it is unlikely that she would enter into such a situation lightly.
In his description of Galadriel, Samwise Gamgee described her in a series of contradictory terms:
“Sometimes like a great tree in flower, sometimes like a white daffadowndilly, small and slender like. Hard as di'monds, soft as moonlight. Warm as sunlight, cold as frost in the stars. Proud and far-off as a snow mountain, and as merry as any lass I ever saw with daisies in her hair in springtime.”
And he may not have been as “far off [his] mark” as he thought. She is stern, yet forgiving; distant, yet caring; proud, yet keenly aware of her own fallibility; she may be melancholy, but she takes mirth where she can. Thousands of years and almost as many sorrows have made her cautious and reluctant to show her whole self to anyone not of her family. Those who encounter her, then, typically see a “face” of Galadriel defined by the nature of their interaction. Because of this, to most she remains an enigma: something to be marveled at, respected, perhaps even feared, but not completely understood
Background: Because Tolkien wrote multiple backstories for Galadriel and never fully settled on one, I’ve had to decide which parts I am using in my portrayal of her. For the most part, I take a tiered canon approach: LOTR>The Silmarillion>Unfinished Tales>Tolkien’s letters and notes.
I’ve written out the background that I use for another game. You can read it here. And here is the LOTR wikia article on her.
Abilities: I've written a tl;dr explanation of her powers here. A basic, simplified rundown is below.
-Nenya: The Ring of Water, or Ring of the Adamant. This is one of the three Elven Rings of Power. It's actual abilities are only vaguely mentioned in the text, but they are described as protection, preservation, and nurturing growth. The rings are said to enhance the abilities of those who bear them. In addition to this, we know that it is capable of protecting a fairly large area- Lothlórien in the text. It's quite likely that it works in a similar manner to the girdle of Melian.
-Telepathy
--Reading Thoughts: Exactly what it sounds like. This is the traditional "mind reading" where she can listen to what other people are thinking. She can turn this on and off and isn't likely to use this all the time.
--Judging hearts: For lack of a better word, she gets "vibes" from people. It's described in text as sensing "darkness" in people's hearts. It's not foul proof and I try to use this very judiciously in roleplay for obvious reasons, but she generally has a pretty good idea who the "bad guys," "good guys," and "mostly good with a touch of temptation guys" are.
--Testing hearts: This is what she did to the Fellowship in Lothlórien. At it's core, this is a way of sizing people up and can best be described as a combination of temptation and questioning. Various members of the Fellowship stated that it felt as though she had asked them what they would do if she were to give them something they wanted very much if they would turn away from their quest. They also stated that it felt as though they were questioned for many hours, even though they were only in her prescience for a few moments and she spoke no words to them beyond a welcome.
--Blocking her mind: Basically, this is her ability to prevent other people from reading her mind. It's strong enough that she was able to keep out Sauron, a fallen divine being, but panfandom rp being what it is, it's not impossible to break through. But it would be exceedingly difficult and require a lot of effort and skill.
--Speaking into the minds of others: Exactly what it says on the tin: placing her word and/or thoughts into the minds of others. Basically a form of communication.
--Presenting visions to others: Again, exactly what it sounds like. Pretty much a visual form of the power mentioned above.
-Foresight
--Visions and insight: She can see "what is, what was, and some things that have not yet come to pass." It seems that these visions come both unbidden and, to a lesser degree, on command.
--With the mirror: Like Nenya, the Mirror of Galadriel basically amplifies all her existing powers as well as enabling her to share what she sees with others.
-Healing: Some of this is just knowledge of herbs and skill, but it's also likely that there is a certain amount of magic ability involved in Elven healing.
-Large Scale Destructive Power: In a passage in Lord of the Rings, Galadriel goes to the fortress of Dol Guldur after Celeborn and his forces have taken it and “threw down its walls and laid bare its pits.” This is really the only time any magic like this is attributed to her. And, significantly, it is after the destruction of the One Ring, so it is probably the power of Galadriel herself and not Nenya.
Because this ability makes Galadriel ridiculously powerful, it is poorly defined, and she only uses it once in all of the text about her, I’m basically going to ignore this. It’s very unlikely that she would ever need to use this anyway.
-“Immortality”: This is rather a misnomer when it comes to elves. Elves can be killed and they can fade from grief, but they don't age and they are naturally immune to disease. On a side note, it also takes a lot longer to get them drunk.
First Person: Link from the Ruby City test drive.
Third Person:
She was at the mirror, as she was so often as of late. It was not surprising that he would seek her there and, indeed, as she gazed into the water she felt Celeborn’s presence and heard his approaching footsteps. He knew better than to interrupt her visions, so he stood silently, waiting for her acknowledgement.
“My Lord.”
He stepped forward and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “My Lady.”
She continued to stare into the mirror, her head bowed, though naught but the stars was now before her. “He comes ever closer, bringing Doom into our very midst.”
“You knew it would be so. It is as we intended.”
She did not answer.
“You doubt yourself.” It was not a question. Celeborn may not have possessed his wife’s gifts, but he knew her thoughts, perhaps better than any other living being.
“Have I not reason?” She turned to face him as she asked it, though she almost regretted it when their eyes met; He saw what she was feeling much too keenly.
“Galadriel, Meleth Nîn.” He reached out and pulled her closer. “You will not find your answers here. Do not tire yourself needlessly. And, pray, do not grieve so, for how often have I heard you speak to others of hope and change?”
After a moment of hesitation, she smiled softly and brought her hand to her husband’s face, resting it upon his cheek.
“Well I have named you, Celeborn the Wise. Your counsel is sound and I shall heed it.”
He returned the smile, taking a moment to run his fingers through her hair before he spoke again. “Then will you walk with me, My Lady? Long has it been since we have enjoyed the gardens as we should-under the stars and in each other’s company.”
She nodded and took his arm. There was so much darkness in the world, so much doubt and pain, but this- this she could take comfort in, at least for tonight.