Application - M.S. Elegante
Your Name: Ren
Age: 24
Username: nottheaveragekg (No, I still don’t have a personal LJ.)
Email: moonslayeramethyst [at] hotmail [dot] com; (Actually, email me at yummyrenrennom [at] gmail [dot] com, because I don't check the hotmail one anymore.)
IM: (AIM) abirdofebon
Character Name: Ashelin Praxis
Series: Jak 2 [Renegade]
Timeline: [Directly Post] Vin's conversation about the Precursor Stone
Background:
• Wiki Entry: Here
One would think growing up in a palace would be a blessing and an honor, but in Ashelin’s case, it’s more like a prison-and because of her father more than anything else. Baron Praxis is a mad man, to put it lightly (and that’s probably even an understatement); obsessive, excessive, tyrannical, cruel, and barbaric. There’s a fine line between professionalism and the dictatorship that the man (elf, havenite, whatever) runs.
Ashelin grew up to war. She came into the world having an ‘impressive’ military lineage (if taking a position of power from the rightful ruler can be considered ‘impressive’). Because of this outstanding circumstance and the ever-constant state of Haven City, she has had to become exceptionally rock hard. Her strength is not only for her father (a man she holds familial obligatory sentimentality for), but for the soldiers beneath her, and for herself.
In Haven, there’s no guarantee someone’s going to be alive the next day. Metal Heads can burst through the walls and decimate the town. They’ve already proved it once before, and even before Ashelin’s time. As a consequence, it’d be common occurrence to take things for granted. Don’t put off what you can do the same day because the following day just might never come. Live every moment as your last. You know the drill. Melodramatic to anyone outside the situation, sure, but on the inside, that’s the only way to survive. The lifestyle in Haven is so much Social Darwinism that it’s almost ridiculous.
The determination to improve the lifestyle is what drives people to join the Underground and anything else remotely considered ‘resistance’ to the oppression. Ashelin’s place is somewhere in between, a position of being the daughter to a man who’s still her father, but knowing what he’s doing is wrong and that he must be stopped. It must be frustrating if not downright confusing at times to have that hanging over the head and sitting on the shoulders. Ashelin’s persistent, however, knowing that she has to do what she has to do, even if she’s not absolutely certain she wants to do it.
Not that there’s any room for uncertainty in the Krimzon Guard.
[Fanon] Perhaps in Ashelin’s head she’s condemned herself to that fate, which is why she’s so determined to change it for the benefit of other people.
It’s likely that Baron Praxis was more than displeased with the idea that Ashelin’s mother gave birth to a girl rather than a boy. Men are a race of dignity and strength and it’s far more a traditional perspective to pass on titles and kingdoms to men than it is to women. Ashelin breaks the mold for the traditional woman, however. She’s akin to a tomboy, except far over the line and stretches to the point of being easy on the eyes with an attitude that reminds associates they’re playing with fire. This outward appearance is probably a combination of Ashelin’s essential need to be accepted by her father in spite of being a woman, and a form of protecting herself from traditional views.
Most of the women in Haven (if not all, thanks to the living conditions), however, are battle-hardened maidens who break society’s mold anyhow. Ashelin’s just in a higher social status and therefore more likely to be considered an ideal role model or someone to aspire being like.
Her goals, her wants, her desires, how she goes about obtaining them, and how they shape her as a person are most definitely affected by the imprisonment by Haven City itself, her father, the Krimzon Guard, and the war with the Metal Heads. Fortunately, she’s got people like those in the Underground and Jak who can shape her to be a little more… ‘human’. [/Fanon]
Personality:
First and foremost, Ashelin is professional. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to have fun, crack a few jokes (and on occasion, a few nuts), and generally enjoy herself. The situation is the most important variable that determines how she chooses to carry herself.
She is rough and rigid, razor-edged and fiery, with a spirit that cannot be doused with water and only increases when booze is added to the concoction that is her. More often than not, she portrays herself with business at the foreground of her mind. If there’s a greater purpose to be reaching for, you can bet her hand is going to be the first one in the direction to take a hold of it.
This can be coupled with the idea that she’s very prideful. She’s proud of her strength. She could even tiptoe into being considered overconfident at times, or perhaps it’s stubbornness mistaken as overconfidence. She has the professional training, however, and the mentality of a soldier, which provides more than enough concrete evidence that she’s more than suited for her position and as capable as any other well-armored man.
At times, it seems that her stern outlook can be mistaken for dancing along the border of being a grade ‘A’ bitch. While that might occasionally be the case, Ashelin as a whole doesn’t fit that persona. There’s a time to be serious and there’s a time to play. She’s coming from a point when her home is being further and further pulled into a spiral down into a living Hell. It’s hard to laugh anything off and not be stiff.
She has the ability be caring, however, even for as heartless as she sometimes appears to be. Ashelin is what could be considered incredibly socially inept. She’s a soldier, grew up as a soldier, and has had it repeatedly implanted into her head that she needs to be a soldier, and really, she knows no other lifestyle outside of it. As a result, once you pull her from the battlefield and give her an opportunity to be a ‘normal’ person, she has no idea really what do with herself.
Someone who fights for a purpose and loses that purpose is in danger of losing that spark. Ashelin’s hardly an exception to that. In moments like those, however, and even in rare glimpses of her anger and determination, Ashelin’s raw emotions sit beneath. She cares about the people she defines as ‘close’. She honestly, genuinely cares for them. Supporting them with words, looks, brief touches, those are all small things she does to contradict her overwhelming wall of absolute ambition.
She’s not immune to regret. She’s not invincible, no matter how much she’d like to think so. Beneath all of the hardened exterior, it’s not at all unlikely that she’s not the slightest bit soft. She’s not fragile, by any means, but Ashelin when she’s not hosting the soldier façade is likely not nearly as hard as she publicly portrays herself to be. Unfortunately, only those that she trusts the most get to see her in states that are a stark contrast to her atypical behavior.
There are no easy or simple words to explain exactly who or what Ashelin is. We could say ‘Ashelin is Ashelin’, but that doesn’t seem entirely fair either. Ashelin is a woman torn between two different lifestyles-one she’s never had (but probably dreams about), and one she’s never had an escape from. Although confident and tough, these traits are accompanied by a hidden compassion and loyalty through sentimentality.
Appearance:
• Picture Link: Here
The common error made will be by looking at the ears. Long and pointed, Ashelin is not an elf. She’s a Havenite. (At least by fanon terms, that seems to be the popular way to go.) In comparison to the ears of male Havenites, however, her ears actually seem not quite as long and a little wider. (This seems more represented in 3-D renders as opposed to the original art work.) Of course, it seems not all Havenites can be considered the same, so Ashelin’s ears might be a one-of-a-kind case.
Ashelin’s face is home to tattoos. They start from the roots of her hair, inch about halfway up her ears, and stop around the base of her neck. It’s almost like a part of the initiation process for members of the Krimzon Guard to get inked. Erol’s got them. Torn’s got them. Women are no exclusion, if Ashelin is any indication.
The best way to describe her hair is that it’s constantly coiled into dreadlocks. We’ve never had the opportunity of seeing her canonically without this, but it’s popular consensus that her hair is probably fairly curly. (We also don’t know how long she’s been wearing her hair in that style, so it’s a possibility that she’s fooled the proteins in her hair into thinking they’re curly by default.)
So red hair (eco red for the Jaktards) and green eyes. She almost sounds like she could be Irish! Except she doesn’t have any freckles and she seems a bit darker and not quite so fair of complexion. Chances are with her military position, Ashelin’s in the sun a lot. Even if she’s naturally fair, the darker skin tone can be attributed to a potential tan. (She does strike me as the type to lounge about in a bikini if given the opportunity.)
Overall body type is more than a little accentuated when it comes to curves. Maybe realistically she shouldn’t look like that. It’s almost a little too perfect. Bust is a bit abnormally large, waist is incredibly small, and hips that cannot be missed. On the other hand, Ashelin’s very well-toned and in peak physical condition. Any girth is probably caused by the strenuous training she’s had to go through.
Spoken / written languages:
• Spoken: Common (I’m supposing this is whatever the common language would have been in Haven)
• Written: Precurian (which is more like a cipher than an actual language, so it can probably be treated as a code, if not the same thing as Common) / Common
Abilities:
Considering the Elegante doesn’t allow for weaponry, Ashelin’s abilities to use a blaster gun will likely not be used very often, if at all. She does, however, have the experience of using firearms and maneuvering various vehicles, like zoomers and cruisers. While she’s not as masterful with technology, she’s definitely not unaccustomed to it, so in cases regarding the communicators, she won’t have too rough a time utilizing them to their full potential.
There’s no doubt that Ashelin is athletic. Her reflexes are fast and she’s had top notch training to get out of most situations. With the amount of time she’s been on her feet and the kind of activities soldiers often have to go through, the muscles in her legs probably far outweigh those in her arms. That’s not to say she doesn’t have any there. She probably just doesn’t have as much.
It’s not a physical ability, but Ashelin has the talent to take command like no other. She knows how to get most people to listen to her, and knows when it’s the right time to take control of a situation and what needs to be done to enforce some kind of change. One could say it’s a type of charisma, though Ashelin would never consider herself ‘charming’ by any means.
Items:
• Herself (as if this was questioned at all)
• Her identification
• The security pass she was going to give to Jak to get out of the palace
• Her clothes (armor more or less, minus anything that may be defined as potential weaponry)
• And one piss poor attitude (because she wouldn’t be Ashelin without it)
Third Person Sample:
(I’m reusing my original samples. Let me know if new ones are necessary.)
A ship.
Of all damn things, Ashelin got stuck on a ship. Didn’t anyone realize there was a war going on?! She, being a captain of the Krimzon Guard, needed to be present for it. There were bound to be suspicions risen when she didn’t show up for reports or essential meetings, whether it be at her father’s command or the Underground. Not that anyone could scorn her in her absence. What if she wanted to be lectured, though? Right. She still had some version of her father aboard to do exactly that. It nullified any potential desire to face parental chiding.
She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she kicked the ground roughly, “Damn it all! I’ve got better things to do than to just wait for the bastards to let me go. Nothing’s going to happen if I just let the pieces fall into place. I’m going to take a stand.”
Why the hell hadn’t the others done that yet? Did they want to be stuck on the ship? That was unlikely. Ashelin interpreted it as laziness. To a degree, that didn’t seem right either. Precursors. This was all a bunch of bullshit. Something on the ship did something to the people on it. Something made them lose their spirit and determination. There was no way that was going to happen to her. She wasn’t going to just submit and be done with it. Anyone who thought that was going to find himself on her bad side. It didn’t mean she wasn’t going to take things in stride, though. Ashelin wasn’t a fool. She knew what did and what didn’t work.
Her right hand dropped to the empty holster at her thigh and she scowled.
“Without them, we’re almost powerless. We’ll have to improvise. Shouldn’t be too hard, considering the babbling idiots we’ve got on board. If they’ve managed to stay alive, then the smart ones have a good chance of executing foolproof plans.”
Just because it sounded logical didn’t mean it was. Things would be so much easier if they had their weapons, though. She could whip it out, aim it at the nearest target, and blast off the face. If it ever came to that, Ashelin would make the shot count and she’d ensure it went to someone who deserved it. The Captain, more or less. It’d be even better if it was at pointblank range, when she really gave it serious thought.
“Something’s going to need to be done. I know I’m not the only one who thinks that. Before I take action, I’ll need information.”
She gave a half grin and settled onto her heels as she folded her arms across her chest, “And I know just who to go to for some of that.”
If he didn’t give it? She’d just have to be creative.
First Person Sample:
[Tap. Tap. Tap.]
Just like the ones in Haven.
[Ashelin’s voice is firm. She’s pissed, but she’s willing to restrain that for the time being. Nothing ever gets done when people are too damn irrational to make sense out of anything.]
I don’t care who’s out there. [Much.]
Give me my damn gun, and send me the hell back.
[It’s like some torture for disobeying her father, she thinks momentarily.]
The Metal Heads aren’t clever enough to put this together. Don’t give a shit who’s responsible. Just give me my pistol and I’ll be on my way.
I don’t have time for this.
Preferred Quarters:
Don’t really have any preferences. How about somewhere near one of the bars? Or near someplace where she can really let off some steam. I’m sure she’d appreciate that.