APPLICATION
Out of Character Information
player name: Sam the Redhead (seeing as a Sam already exists in the game! just to avoid confusion and the like~)
player livejournal: redheadpowers
playing here: N/A
where did you find us? Through friends, and ATP
are you 16 years of age or older?: By about three years, yes.
In Character Information
character name: Esmeralda
Fandom: Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Timeline: right after Quasimodo helps her escape the tower (aka: after their first meeting).
character's age: I’m going with a tentative…20-ish range. She can’t be any younger than 18. She’s sixteen in the novel, but we’re going with Disney and in the Disney commentary they said they designed her to look like a woman who’s…"been around". She’s definitely an adult, not a teen.
powers, skills, pets and equipment:
Canonly, she is an extremely skilled performer, namely with regards to acrobatics, music and merry-making, and pole dancing. She knows a few parlor tricks, namely magic acts that make it seem like she disappears out of thin air. It’s not actual magic, just the usual street performer charade, smoke and mirrors and the like. As for equipment…all she has is her trusty tambourine which she plays really well. She’s also really good a disguising herself and blending into crowds.
And like most Disney heroines, she has herself an animal sidekick named Djali. He’s smarter than the average goat, and enjoys butting people who harass Esmeralda. The two are pretty much inseparable, so he’d probably arrive with her if that’s all right. He’s about as big as a medium-sized dog.
IN SCORCHED she’ll gain the power of teleportation. She won’t be able to teleport far. At maximum, she’ll be able to teleport at around 50 feet, possibly a bit farther, but probably won't ever need to. When she teleports, she’ll "disappear" in a poof of purple smoke. It will be for quick getaways, not legitimate travel.
canon history:
Esmeralda’s (short) backstory on Disney Wikia.
Esmeralda’s history with regards to the movie’s plot on Disney Wikia.
personality:
Esmeralda is a woman who grew up on the streets of a city that never wanted her. As a gypsy, she is a pariah, an outcast like the rest of her people, and thus her personality has been sculpted around such. She is a stubborn woman, but her stubbornness is not unnecessary, nor is it selfish. She's stubborn in the sense that she's unyielding, to both the people who have wronged her and her people, and the law that perpetuates such acts of unfairness. While prone to bursts of hotheadedness, she is never needlessly hotheaded or prone to violence. She only ever acts in self defense, always being the one who is chased after, never the one that chases. Esmeralda has a quick reaction time, and always errs on the side of caution when dealing with people who are obviously higher ranked in society. She's not paranoid, but rather just overly cautious due to her upbringing. Growing up in a society you're not wanted in tends to leave the person treading lightly when around people who don't come from her walk of life, and thus if you do try to sneak up from behind her she will react in a negative way. She'll grab for the nearest object to defend herself with, and it isn't until after she's shown that you mean her no harm will she slowly put down the fight. She also does not like the idea of staying in one place for two long, especially inside places which allow little to no freedom. She's a nomad by upbringing and in nature, and being encased in stone walls and having what little freedom she has taken away from her is not something she enjoys.
That being said, she's not completely untrustworthy. In fact, she is rather good at reading individuals, able to look past their appearances and social standings to see what they truly are. She's kind to Quasimodo because she sees that, despite looking grotesque, the man inside is anything but, and she eventually warms up to someone as high on the social ladder as Phoebus due to being able to see the kind heart with in (which is funny when one considers the novel but....this is Disney we're talking about). And on the complete opposite hand, she doesn't respect orders given to her by a lawful official not because she's outside the law (though due to her lifestyle, she is), but because she knows that both the law and the man up-keeping said laws are needlessly cruel and unjust. She is incredibly aware of the idea of justice, and she never backs down from defending those that have acts of injustice thrust upon them. She's an advocate for outcasts and unfortunates alike, and can be described as humanitarian in nature. In simpler terms: she's a Disney character with a heart of gold.
Like we haven't seen those around before.
But yes, she's kind and caring. An overall warm individual who some describe as angelic...if you're talking to the right person. She has respect for people who have no respect from the general consensus of society, and refuses to respect those who don't earn respect and simply rely on the law and find fear the equivalent of admiration. The Machiavellian ideals of "it's better to be feared than loved" do not sit with Esmeralda, and those who use force and violence to make their point don't sit well with her. She's a charitable person, an honest woman who just happens to make a living on a way that is deemed dishonest, and as said...she looks out for those in need. She earns her money the only way she knows how, and does refrain from stealing though if she does steal...it would probably be from those who deserve it, or those who have enough coin not to notice. She wasn't raised to be a pickpocket, but she was raised to be a distraction (there are other reasons why her people put on fantastic displays to draw in large crowds of people after all).
As for other personality quirks, Esmeralda has shown to be witty and sarcastic and demonstrates a strong emotional strength. She's capable of verbal banter when the situation calls for it, and snark is not something she is unfamiliar with. She's playful, it's part of her appeal, and she uses that to her advantage. She's not a temptress, and not a witch (though ask the right people and they'll tell you otherwise...but they're crazy like Frollo.), but she is a woman who's "been around" and knows the inner workings of the male's mind. But her flirtations are usually saved for her performance, but sexuality is something she is all too aware of. If only because it's another demonstration of social injustice, but we're not going to get into that.
In short, Esmeralda is a street-smart, quick-witted gypsy girl with a heart of gold, an ability to demonstrate compassion to even the most unsightly of God's creations, but at the same time she's no wilting flower. She's strong, capable, and goes along with her heart rather than with the law of the land.
why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting?
DESPITE BEING A DISNEY CHARACTER Esmeralda is from a film that has much darker undertones. She’s a worldly character, and not only that, but a character who was brought up only to survive in harsh, unforgiving conditions. She’s a survivor by nature, and knows how to get out of trouble with ease. Not only that, but she knows what it’s like to deal with monsters (albeit, human, but monsters nonetheless) chasing after her and wanting her dead. She can put up a fight if she has to, but she’ll mostly be a character who relies on stealth and wit when it comes to danger.
Writing Samples
Network Post Sample:
[This is going to be one of those videos where the Forge is video-recording the inside of an animal's mouth. It's pretty gross, actually, and brief shots of the floor and the ceiling of an outworlder apartment can be seen as the perpetrator rotates it. But it's mostly dark with shots of herbivorous teeth every now and then...accompanied with gross sloppy saliva sounds and...bleating.
It goes on for about a minute before a muffled outside voice is heard, and suddenly there's a wave of light as it's yanked out of the animal's mouth.]
Djali. You shouldn't try to eat things that aren't...well...[The Forge is turned over in the speaker's hand, and there's a shot of bright green eyes before it's brought down to reveal a whole face.] edible. [A brief moment of darkness again as she wipes it clean with her dress. She gives it a closer look, quirking an eyebrow, and then she sets it on the bed. Her voice is distant now, like she's away from the bed looking out of a window or something.]
We don't even know where we are. But this definitely doesn't look like the inside of the Palace of Justice...[The sound of a curtain being pulled back.] In fact, I don't even think we're in Paris anymore...
Third Person Sample:
Esmeralda couldn't stay in that apartment for long. It was too small a room, too confining in space, and while it's a natural human desire to have a place that's safe enough to lay your head down for a night, it's also in her nature to wander...to have herself surrounded by the buildings of the city. To get to know every nook and cranny of the streets and alleyways. She was raised to be a street performer, and it is on the streets where she felt most comfortable; even the streets of an unfamiliar city were more comfortable to her than the supposed safety of a claustrophobic apartment. The complex was certainly no Court of Miracles, and while living somewhere that didn't require walking through ankle-deep sewage to get there was a luxurious thought, luxury was never something Esmeralda sought.
Her goat, Djali followed her as she took to the streets, staying close to her feet. She wrapped a cloak around her for good measure, tucked her hair in as she exited the apartment building. There was a moment of stillness, as she took in the unfamiliarity of the city, and she looked at it with awe before she rested her back against a stone wall to assess her culture shock. It takes her a moment, but her survival kick in and she's ready to adapt. She's ready to learn the streets, and after getting a nod from her goat, she pushed herself away from the wall and headed into the city of Anatole.
After all, she had to get a feel for what this city was like, if she planned on continuing her "job" as a street performer. Even without Clopin around, Esmeralda knew that was where her only true talents were, the only way she would be able to receive coin for food and drink despite the months supply up in her apartment. In her apartment...now that was a weird thought. She wasn't sure of the population's treatment of those of Roma descent, but there was nothing wrong with erring at the side of caution. Besides, she wasn't entirely sure if she could even hold up a "traditional" job in the first place. Street performing was something she lived and breathed, it was the only life she ever knew.
And...speak of the devil, she found herself happening upon a puppet show taking place for the native children. Djali runs ahead to make friendly with the kids, and Esmeralda lingers in the background. Watching, taking in the sights and sounds of both the people and their city. It was no Notre Dame, but...she could manage.
Anything else? NOT THAT I CAN THINK OF except for the fact that she doesn't wear shoes. I think it's symbolic or something but who looks for symbolism in films. Not me. Nope.