Character Info
Out of Character Information
player name: Mai/Blue
player livejournal: NONE, I have none at all
playing here: Nope!
where did you find us? Dear Mun -- I think. But then I played here a few months ago too :D
are you 16 years of age or older?: Yes sirma'am!
In Character Information
character name: Freya
Fandom: BBC's Merlin
Timeline: After Merlin brings her to the tunnels to hide from Halig.
character's age: 19
powers, skills, pets and equipment:
The only power that Freya possesses is one she has little control over, and one that is quite unwanted. Cursed by a sorceress, she is forced to turn into a bastet every evening - a dangerous, magical creature that looks like a panther with bat wings. In this form she is compelled to hunt and kill whatever or whoever she sees. There are exceptions to the rule - if she's extremely close to the person she sees, there is a chance she can prevent herself from attacking them.
[ Assuming I can keep the same ability from before - with a slight tweak ]
In Anatole the ability to turn into a bastet is a little bit more dominant. In her own world, she was a bastet for only one hour every night, from 12am to 1am. Here her time as a bastet, when she changed, it was for longer, lasting from midnight till dawn. In addition to the extended time, her change into the bastet was connected to her fight-or-flight reflex. When she felt threatened or frightened, she could turn into the bastet - of course given her hesitation with the bastet perior, Freya would prefer to flee. *Tweak if I can add* - and in this form she will find the additional ability to communicate - though it takes a lot of concentration to separate her mind from beast-to-human mentality to form words and actually use them.
She has the skills of an average young girl who has had to make her life in a forest, on the run from people for days, even weeks on end. This would include foraging, a fair knowledge of herbs, but that's about it. Her hunting skills were presumably mediocre at best, and in fact her primary food source most likely came from her Bastet form's hunts. At least she never ate humans. We think. She brings no equipment with her, beyond her knowledge and survival skills. Having grown up around druids she may also have some knowledge of druidic magic, such as potions or healing herbs, but given the fact that she turned her back on magic because of what the sorceress did to her - she likely won't use any of it.
canon history: There is fairly little told about Freya, but what is told about her is story enough. Her story begins before Camelot; her origins place her among the druids, with a loving family. She does not have a happy tale to tell, however. It can be assumed that up until her nineteenth year of life, she lived happily with her family and friends with the druids, until a fateful encounter with the son of a sorcerer.
It had been an accident, but the results were the same. She didn't know his intentions, but they surely couldn't have been good if she was forced to defend herself. But she had meant to only defend, and not kill - and regrettably she took his life. When his mother, the sorceress in question, discovered what had happened, she was so full of grief and rage that she took it out on Freya. A mark formed on the girl's arm, the physical sign of the sorceress' curse. What that curse was, Freya wouldn't find out until that evening.
On the stroke of midnight, she went into a rather painful transformation from young druid girl to that of a bastet - a magical creature that resembled a winged panther, with a thirst for blood and a desire to kill. "Cursed to Kill Forever" the sorceress had said. It didn't matter whether Freya wanted to kill or not, or that the death of the woman's son had been an accident. What mattered now was that Freya in her Bastet form could do little more than hunt, and woe unto the one who came across her.
Her family was unable to help her, for they had died - the circumstances were not detailed, but whatever the reason, her only protection had been taken away. Knowing her for what she was, the other druids were fearful of her. While most druid clans would never cast out their own, this one knew the threat that Freya presented. They drove her off.
Fleeing her former home, terrified of herself and terrified of what might happen if anyone got close to her, she spent an indeterminate amount of time running, constantly watching the roads for those who knew about her other form or thought her to be a simple monster. Some of those who came across her offered to help her, only to be frightened off by her beast-form. Others who came across her wanted only to hunt her, for she would fetch a high price with the right person. That person of course, would be Uther, who had an irrational hatred of all things even remotely related to magic.
While she managed to elude most of those after her, there was one particularly persistent bounty hunter who finally caught her. While again, the exact details of how it happened were rather vague, what we do know is that Freya had trusted someone enough to let her guard down. That person must have betrayed her to Halig the Bounty Hunter, as she was captured and locked into a cage shortly afterward.
Here this put her a few days away from Camelot. Her treatment in the hands of the bounty hunter were more than likely hardly gentle, as he seemed to take pleasure in trying to frighten her through the bars of her cage. Despite that she was the hunter's captive, he didn't seem to know about her beast form, and only knew through word of mouth that she was a dangerous person. As she was kept in a cage her entire time, the hunter was obviously not keeping watch on her through the night, and probably slept elsewhere during his journey to Camelot.
Speaking of Camelot, it is there that Freya's journey came to an end, and her rain of extremely bad luck began to let up. Particularly when she had a chance encounter with a young warlock named Merlin. He was apalled to see her trapped in the cage and knowing that death only awaited her once the bounty hunter met with Uther, he secretly plotted to rescue her. Fortunately the plan was a success, and while Freya didn't at first, understand why he was helping her, she grew fond of the young man.
For his part, Merlin repeatedly reassured her that he would look after her, because she was someone who could understand him and he could be himself around - without having to hide his magic. Because she couldn't venture out of the spot Merlin brought her to, Merlin brought her candles and food. Each visit, she lowered her guard a little more, and eventually the two seemed to mutually develop feelings for the other. Only where Merlin was perfectly willing to give up his life in Camelot to be with her, Freya was not so willing to let him give up such a good life.
She had already taken four lives in Camelot at this point - a loving couple out for a nightly stroll, and a pair of knights. She couldn't bring her curse onto him, knowing she would always be afraid, always be watchful. When Merlin planned a way to flee from Camelot with her, she played along with his plan. As much as it hurt, as much as she wanted to be with him, she knew it couldn't be. When he went to get supplies, she slipped away under the cover of darkness.
She was found by the guards again almost immediately - it would have been impossible to escape alone anyway, she had to know that. But she ran regardless, and was cornered in an alley. She was confronted by Arthur, Halig and several of Arthur's knights - while she pleaded for them to let her escape, it was not to be. Halig approached to capture her, but by then it was too late. It was midnight, and the transformation occurred.
Halig was the first to suffer - the second she became the bastet, he was killed. She would have attacked the other knights as well, but Arthur struck a fatal blow. She was forced to flee a second time, but would have been killed if not for the timely intervention of Merlin. He provided a distraction so that she could run away, back to the tunnel. When he finally found her, she was already dying. He could do only one last thing for her: He brought her to Lake Avalon, a lake surrounded by wildflowers, where she died. She was given a burial in a small boat on that very lake. (And later became the Lady of the Lake but that is not relevant to this until/unless I decide to canon update her.)
personality: Before being cursed by the sorceress, Freya was more then likely a kind, considerate young woman. You see bits of this beneath the walls she puts up when she meets people now. Ultimately she can be perfectly nice, if you can get past her suspicious and cautious attitude. It might be a little difficult to get to know her, but once someone has her trust, she is a good bit nicer. She'll never be particularly social and outgoing, unfortunately, which makes her wish to be like a normal girl a bit difficult. At the same time, there's no way she'd ever be confused for a normal girl.
Since becoming cursed and losing both her family and her home, Freya has become a good deal more cautious and mistrusting of people. It would seem that there were those who claimed to want to help her or pretend at being her friend, only to inevitably betray her and force her to flee again. At the surface, she both hates what she has become, and fears it - knowing her other side existed only to hunt and kill, and terrified that she would inevitably kill someone she cared for, she is insistant on not getting close to anyone. It does make her lonely and wish for even one friend, but she often goes in circles - people tend to run away when they see her for what she is, and would certainly only see her as the monster she turns into. No one would want to be friends with that.
Those she has been forced to kill as the bastet, she feels an immeasureable guilt. For as much guilt as she feels for the victims of her beast form, however, and as much self loathing and fear she feels for herself, the thought of suicide never enters her mind. Granted it would probably be the easiest way to keep people safe, but it was not an option she thought wise, possibly due to her beliefs. Or more that she was afraid to take her own life.
There is a vulnerability behind her actions and behavior, as when she is first rescued frop captivity, she views Merlin with suspicious and caution, and often stands with a defensive posture, arms wrapped around herself and body turned away from who she's speaking to. Certainly she dislikes being touched, particularly by strangers, and had a habit of getting as far back from someone as possible- either by backing up against the wall or curling in the far corner of her cage. With Merlin, she obviously didn't trust Merlin at first, and though she was grateful that he helped her, she still wasn't willing to discuss any part of her background. Her opinion of him changed when he made the effort to see her every day after his chores, bringing her food and talking with her.
A large part of her base behavior also seems to be particularly wild, like the monster she becomes at night - but then she'd been alone for a long time, and constantly on the run - it was only natural to be skittish. Especially when most people just wanted her dead. Merlin figured out quickly that the easiest way to calm her was to talk quietly and make no sudden movements, just as one would a real wild animal. His compassion for a monster like her - though he didn't know she was one at the time - was touching, and her affection for the warlock even bled into her beast form, leading one to believe that she may resist the urge to kill if her affection for someone was strong enough.
why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting?
Freya from her character point is - has been - a survivor for some time; since the day her family died and the druids cast her out, she's been on her own, having to fend for herself. In her world, this means both humans and other magical creatures that some might call monsters themselves.
previous game: Here, actually! :D ... does that count?
length of time there: A couple of months. March to August
important development and/or events in your previous game:No real changes in her personality, though the most important thing that happened was when she was kidnapped by Bellatrix, and tortured. And very very confused about how she was supposed to feel about the situation. :D; OH! And having been forced to kill a number of people because of Bellatrix too. :<
notes: Well - I'd kinda like for her to be able to speak in cat form (so it isn't so limiting if she's ever stuck in that form) Other than that, nada~!
Writing Samples
Network Post Sample:
[ This Forge thing probably isn't too complicated for someone familiar with technology. Freya isn't. But eventually she muddles it through, and once she sees it's recording, she stares at it for a few minutes, not sure what to say. If what she was told was believable, people could communicate with her through it. And maybe... maybe she might make a friend. It was the safest way to do so. ]
I ... [ No. This was a mistake - even if it was fleeting, she was only deceiving herself. She was still a monster at the core. Hesitantly, she forced herself to speak more. ] I ... I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here.
[ But when she thought about it, anywhere was better than where she'd been heading, right? Camelot... it would have been the last place she ever saw. Uther would definitely have had her killed. ] I was told that ...there were a lot of other people here. That arrived in the same way, but ...there's no way back. Is it really true? I don't think I want to go back either way, I'm just... I guess I'm just curious. And... [ Pause. ] No, nothing. Nevermind.
Um... Sorry. [ She almost drops the Forge in her haste to end the feed. ]
Third Person Sample:
When she woke, she was ravenous. She hadn't eaten in several days - and Halig barely fed her, beyond throwing her scraps and laughing. She feared and hated him - but not more than she feared and hated herself. But that was neither here nor there - her cage was surprisingly cozy, and when she awoke, she realized she wasn't in the cage at all. No, she was in a soft bed - this was surprising enough to cause her nearly to panick over the situation. How had she gotten there? Who had put her there - and how had she not noticed?
There was a curious device with her, something she had never seen before. No one else was around to claim it, so she nabbed it. She could always ask what it was later, and if nothing else, she could possibly sell it for something to eat. So, goals: Find some food, Find out where she was, and get as far away as possible from anyone else, before night fell. And if Halig was here - ... no, she wouldn't think about it.
A quick glance out the window revealed that it was a bit far to the ground. She could technically jump, but the door was a more viable possibility. Unless she were under guard, but there was only one way to find out. Silently, she crept over to the door and tested the knob - it was unlocked. Even better, when she pushed it open a crack, she couldn't see anyone. Wasting no time, she darted out of the room like a wild animal, glancing for an exit. After finding a flight of stairs, she did find the way out, and took it gladly, only to be even more confused by her surroundings.
It was no city she had ever seen or heard of, but she supposed she oughn't complain. More importantly, her frenzied dash out of the building she had been in had garnered the attention of one or two locals - seeing the dirty faced girl in tattered clothing would normally lead to questions. Questions she didn't want to answer. Freya backed away slowly, remembering the last time someone questioned her, it had led to her capture. Instead, she spun on her heel and sprinted across the ground, barefoot - she didn't know where she was going, or how far, but the only thing that halted her was a whiff of something delicious.
Her sense of smell was better as a Bastet of course, but that smell was unmistakable. Food. She followed her nose, going in circles once or twice, until she spied her target. A man was sitting nearby, his lunch ignored on the seat beside him. He was so busy with talking on that strange device that surely he didn't need that food so desperately. Her stomach growled at her again as she crept towards the man from behind, her eyes alternatively looking from him to the food.
Yes sir, he wouldn't miss that food. He certainly missed her snatching the sandwich and dashing away. She was already shoving it into her mouth when she heard his outraged, 'HEY!' but he hadn't seen her, so she was safe. For the moment. Belly full for the time being, Freya spent the rest of the day looking around - and scampering away from anyone who tried to get her attention. She'd try to figure out the device she found later.
Anything else? o/~ And the cat came back the x amount of months after, and the cat came back, we thought she was a goner, but the cat came back, she just couldn't stay away o/~ [ And promptly gets rejected for mangling that song. ;o; *SOB*! ]