{001. application}
.the myth;
» Nymph: Daphne Peneia
» Reference: Info! and some more.
» Family: {mother & father} Creusa (naiad) & Peneios (river god)
» Played By: Elisha Cuthbert
» Human Alias: Laurel Palmer
» Human Age: 17
» God of...: n/a (nymph)
» Flair: n/a
» Flair Type: n/a
» Fitting in: High school student
» Weakness:
Daphne has severe trust issues. Ok, to be more specific, they practically border on the point of paranoia, when it comes to dealing with people, friends especially. It can hardly be said to be her fault: after all, the best friend she ever had turned out to be lying to her completely about who they were. On top of this, she's spent the last several months of her life as a tree, which hasn't done all that much to add to her mental stability. This all tends to manifest in a tendency to be very suspicious of people's motives (men in particular, but girls aren't excluded). She's much more careful about letting herself getting close to people now, and she views someone lying to her as an unforgiveable sin.
Like a lot of nymphs, Daphne has a terrible temper, though it can be hard to get her to the point where she chooses to exercise it. Once someone has earned her wrath, however, they're going to find themselves regretting it, and regretting it hard. She can hold a grudge like nobody's business. To go with this, she's insanely stubborn, often past the point of rational or wise action. When she's got her mind set, one would be hard pressed to alter it.
In her prime, Daphne was used to being the center of attention, and the core of her own little posse, which carries over to her attitude here and now as well. She assumes that she'll be granted a certain amount of queen bee status, and so can come off as being stuck-up or self-centered.
Not to mention at times she can be a little bit of an air-head.
» History:
I'm using a slight mish-mash of a few version of Daphne's mythology, which is hopefully okay.
As a river nymph, Daphne's early life was pretty carefree and simple. She was well loved by her father, the river-god Peneios, and thought of as especially beautiful, even by nymph standards. As a devout worshipper of Artemis, she had a particular love for hunting, running, and other physical activities. She also had little interest in men, entertaining the idea of entering a life of chastity like her beloved goddess. Artemis had a special affection for her as a result of this, and blessed her, granting her excellent markmanship with a bow.
With all her beauty and renowned skill, it's little wonder that she attracted some attention of the male persuasion. Leukippos, the prince of Elis, fell completely in love with her. Having seen her completely reject men who came to openly woo her, he decided to be a little more subtle in his approach. Or a lot more subtle and a little more creepy. In what sounds a lot like the plot to She's the Man, he disguised himself as his own sister, Oeno, who was also into hunting. It was easy enough, therefore, for him to join up with Daphne and her hunting companions, and he had an instant in to get to know her without frightening her off. They became very close friends, and Daphne would hug and hold hands with 'Oeno' in what was to her a sisterly show of deep affection, but was to Leukippos a little closer to heaven on earth.
Meanwhile, Apollo had gone and angered Eros (who had just wanted to play with his bow), and was shot with Eros' golden dart o' love as a result. He saw Daphne and fell completely in love with her, and (willfully) misinterpreted the word of his own oracles that she would be his. Since Apollo could see through Leukippos' disguise, he was incredibly jealous of the attentions Daphne was unwittingly showering on another man, and so planted the suggestion in Daphne's mind to go bathe with her female companions in the river. Obviously, Leukippos/Oeno was a little reluctant to follow the girls' example when they all started taking off their clothes, so the girls ripped them from him, thinking it was funny, and well, got an unpleasant surprise. Outraged by what he had done, and how he had fooled them all, nymph tempers took over, and they all stabbed him, killing him right in the river.
Apollo saw his chance, now that his only competition (if you could call it that), was out of the way, and came down himself to woo Daphne. As one might expect, she was already a little freaked out that her best girl friend had turned out to be a guy trying to get in her pants, and having a god show up and shower her with flowery poetic praise, saying he wanted her to be his wife pushed her over the edge. She was terrified. Fight or flight instinct kicked in, and she ran for it as fast as her legs would carry her. Of course, she couldn't outrun a god, and soon Apollo was almost upon her. In fear of what he might do (honestly terrified that he was going to rape her; everyone's heard the stories about the gods) she cried out to Zeus to hide her from Apollo's sight.
Well, no one ever said Zeus didn't have a sense of humor. He hid her in plain sight - by changing the young beauty into a lovely tree. Apollo mourned upon reaching it, and declared that the laurel would be his symbol, in memory of his love for her.
Several months later, Daphne abruptly finds herself no longer a tree, no longer by a river, oh, and yes, far in the future, in New York.
» Personality:
I've already expanded above on some of Daphne's worse characteristics: stubbornness, suspicion, temper, etc. so I won't bother repeating those here. Beyond those flaws however, lies a girl who possesses a strange blend of fragility and determination.
Daphne possesses an enigmatic quality, often the one who sits listening to others at the lunch table, without exactly leading the conversation. Nevertheless, people tend to want to know what she's thinking, just because she's precisely so mysterious, which grants her the interest and popularity that she's accustomed to. Really though, the girl isn't shy or lacking in confidence, she's just literally unaccustomed to talking, given that she hasn't held a conversation in months, and had expected to never be able to do so again. Sometimes she forgets to participate in things, just because she's so used to being a silent observer.
When she does get talking, on the other hand, this girl knows what she wants. She's so determined not to be victimized again, or taken advantage of, that she has no problem telling anyone 'no' or letting her own thoughts on a subject be known. When she finds something to be enthusiastic about, she can get carried away like nobody's business, and she'll make sure everyone knows it.
Her interests tend to be physical, rather than mental: she still loves hunting, archery, and running, and she's expanded into really anything that involves a great deal of movement. She's so thankful to not be locked in the static form a tree, that movement is a cause for celebration to her, which has birthed a great interest in dance within her. It fits her well, as she's naturally graceful, and it allows her to express her conflicting emotions in a healthy manner.
Her experience with Apollo left her a little bit on edge when it comes to the sort of things that are generally associated with him (spending all day at the beach in the sun, poetry units at school, etc.), so she can get very strange about these kinds of activities, occasionally refusing to partake in them altogether.
On a separate note, despite the fact that in her life as a nymph, she was incredibly devout, her experiences have actually left her feeling incredibly embittered towards the gods, and more than a little disenchanted of the divine aura they once held in her eyes. Coupled with the fact that they're all mortal here now, she's bound to present a very different attitude towards them than she ever used to. She feels let down by Artemis (to whom she had been incredibly faithful, and whom she had thought herself well loved by) given that Artemis did nothing to interfere with either Leukippos' trickery, or Apollo's mad pursuit of her. She feels as if Zeus played a horrible trick on her, twisting her words into a punishment that she didn't deserve. And don't get her started on Apollo. In other words, she's put a lot less stock in pleasing the powers that be, and a lot more in the power of the individual.
As for boys, she'd originally sworn them off entirely, wanting to pursue a life of chastity like her idol, Artemis. But given her shift in feelings towards the goddess, she no longer clings to the desire to emulate her, and is now simply much more likely to avoid boys because she's had such horrific experiences with men in the past. Of course, what with this whole high school thing, she can't avoid them completely...
» Sample Journal:
I don't understand.
I don't understand what this place is, or how I got here.
Where are the forests? The grass? All I see is a forest of metal, and noise, and smoke.
What is an 'apartment'? And why do I have to adopt a new name? Who is this man who is going on about paperwork and 'high school'?
... I suppose in the end though, I don't care if I don't even get answers to those questions.
I'm free.
Everything else pales next to this.
» Sample Roleplay: Daphne slowed down, books squashed against her chest, as she caught sight of something through the windows set into the corridor, that showed the interior of the gym.
She came to a complete stop as she grew transfixed by what she saw. There were about twelve girls inside, in spandex tights, sports bras, hair pulled back in bands or scrunchies that looked like big white flowers tied in their hair. The tiniest curve of lip betrayed her pleasure at that tiny detail: it reminded her of home.
But what were they doing?
They were all moving fluidly, in sync, and it took her a moment to realize that the vibrating pulse beneath her feet was due to music flooding through the gym. She stepped closer to the window, straining to hear it. It was completely different from any music she’d ever heard - it was stronger, sturdier somehow. Darker. What was that word that the girls in her class had used?
Cooler.
Yeah, that seemed about right. It had an edge to it, an attitude, and there was something in that that Daphne responded to. It was what she wanted to be able to be like. Powerful.
And the way they were moving.
People talked a lot about nymphs dancing, and exactly how stirring that was to watch. But what she was used to calling dancing was nothing next to the choreographed energy and presence these girls were exuding. They were telling a story, and it wasn’t some weepy drama. It was an epic narrative.
She found herself breaking into a real smile, her feet tapping in rhythm, her own hips aching to try and execute the graceful and dangerous dips that those girls managed with ease. It was sensual without actually being carnal.
It looked fun.
Her eyes slid across the window pane, resting on a bunch of yellow signs taped there. One in particular caught her eye - there was a silhouetted image of a woman executing a graceful arch with her entire body, painting a picture with the curve of an arm, a leg.
“Dance Team tryouts” the sign proclaimed.
Determinedly, she ripped it right off the window, smiling to herself.
Maybe ‘high school’ wouldn’t be a total drag after all.
» Nymph: Daphne Peneia
» Reference: Info! and some more.
» Family: {mother & father} Creusa (naiad) & Peneios (river god)
» Played By: Elisha Cuthbert
» Human Alias: Laurel Palmer
» Human Age: 17
» God of...: n/a (nymph)
» Flair: n/a
» Flair Type: n/a
» Fitting in: High school student
» Weakness:
Daphne has severe trust issues. Ok, to be more specific, they practically border on the point of paranoia, when it comes to dealing with people, friends especially. It can hardly be said to be her fault: after all, the best friend she ever had turned out to be lying to her completely about who they were. On top of this, she's spent the last several months of her life as a tree, which hasn't done all that much to add to her mental stability. This all tends to manifest in a tendency to be very suspicious of people's motives (men in particular, but girls aren't excluded). She's much more careful about letting herself getting close to people now, and she views someone lying to her as an unforgiveable sin.
Like a lot of nymphs, Daphne has a terrible temper, though it can be hard to get her to the point where she chooses to exercise it. Once someone has earned her wrath, however, they're going to find themselves regretting it, and regretting it hard. She can hold a grudge like nobody's business. To go with this, she's insanely stubborn, often past the point of rational or wise action. When she's got her mind set, one would be hard pressed to alter it.
In her prime, Daphne was used to being the center of attention, and the core of her own little posse, which carries over to her attitude here and now as well. She assumes that she'll be granted a certain amount of queen bee status, and so can come off as being stuck-up or self-centered.
Not to mention at times she can be a little bit of an air-head.
» History:
I'm using a slight mish-mash of a few version of Daphne's mythology, which is hopefully okay.
As a river nymph, Daphne's early life was pretty carefree and simple. She was well loved by her father, the river-god Peneios, and thought of as especially beautiful, even by nymph standards. As a devout worshipper of Artemis, she had a particular love for hunting, running, and other physical activities. She also had little interest in men, entertaining the idea of entering a life of chastity like her beloved goddess. Artemis had a special affection for her as a result of this, and blessed her, granting her excellent markmanship with a bow.
With all her beauty and renowned skill, it's little wonder that she attracted some attention of the male persuasion. Leukippos, the prince of Elis, fell completely in love with her. Having seen her completely reject men who came to openly woo her, he decided to be a little more subtle in his approach. Or a lot more subtle and a little more creepy. In what sounds a lot like the plot to She's the Man, he disguised himself as his own sister, Oeno, who was also into hunting. It was easy enough, therefore, for him to join up with Daphne and her hunting companions, and he had an instant in to get to know her without frightening her off. They became very close friends, and Daphne would hug and hold hands with 'Oeno' in what was to her a sisterly show of deep affection, but was to Leukippos a little closer to heaven on earth.
Meanwhile, Apollo had gone and angered Eros (who had just wanted to play with his bow), and was shot with Eros' golden dart o' love as a result. He saw Daphne and fell completely in love with her, and (willfully) misinterpreted the word of his own oracles that she would be his. Since Apollo could see through Leukippos' disguise, he was incredibly jealous of the attentions Daphne was unwittingly showering on another man, and so planted the suggestion in Daphne's mind to go bathe with her female companions in the river. Obviously, Leukippos/Oeno was a little reluctant to follow the girls' example when they all started taking off their clothes, so the girls ripped them from him, thinking it was funny, and well, got an unpleasant surprise. Outraged by what he had done, and how he had fooled them all, nymph tempers took over, and they all stabbed him, killing him right in the river.
Apollo saw his chance, now that his only competition (if you could call it that), was out of the way, and came down himself to woo Daphne. As one might expect, she was already a little freaked out that her best girl friend had turned out to be a guy trying to get in her pants, and having a god show up and shower her with flowery poetic praise, saying he wanted her to be his wife pushed her over the edge. She was terrified. Fight or flight instinct kicked in, and she ran for it as fast as her legs would carry her. Of course, she couldn't outrun a god, and soon Apollo was almost upon her. In fear of what he might do (honestly terrified that he was going to rape her; everyone's heard the stories about the gods) she cried out to Zeus to hide her from Apollo's sight.
Well, no one ever said Zeus didn't have a sense of humor. He hid her in plain sight - by changing the young beauty into a lovely tree. Apollo mourned upon reaching it, and declared that the laurel would be his symbol, in memory of his love for her.
Several months later, Daphne abruptly finds herself no longer a tree, no longer by a river, oh, and yes, far in the future, in New York.
» Personality:
I've already expanded above on some of Daphne's worse characteristics: stubbornness, suspicion, temper, etc. so I won't bother repeating those here. Beyond those flaws however, lies a girl who possesses a strange blend of fragility and determination.
Daphne possesses an enigmatic quality, often the one who sits listening to others at the lunch table, without exactly leading the conversation. Nevertheless, people tend to want to know what she's thinking, just because she's precisely so mysterious, which grants her the interest and popularity that she's accustomed to. Really though, the girl isn't shy or lacking in confidence, she's just literally unaccustomed to talking, given that she hasn't held a conversation in months, and had expected to never be able to do so again. Sometimes she forgets to participate in things, just because she's so used to being a silent observer.
When she does get talking, on the other hand, this girl knows what she wants. She's so determined not to be victimized again, or taken advantage of, that she has no problem telling anyone 'no' or letting her own thoughts on a subject be known. When she finds something to be enthusiastic about, she can get carried away like nobody's business, and she'll make sure everyone knows it.
Her interests tend to be physical, rather than mental: she still loves hunting, archery, and running, and she's expanded into really anything that involves a great deal of movement. She's so thankful to not be locked in the static form a tree, that movement is a cause for celebration to her, which has birthed a great interest in dance within her. It fits her well, as she's naturally graceful, and it allows her to express her conflicting emotions in a healthy manner.
Her experience with Apollo left her a little bit on edge when it comes to the sort of things that are generally associated with him (spending all day at the beach in the sun, poetry units at school, etc.), so she can get very strange about these kinds of activities, occasionally refusing to partake in them altogether.
On a separate note, despite the fact that in her life as a nymph, she was incredibly devout, her experiences have actually left her feeling incredibly embittered towards the gods, and more than a little disenchanted of the divine aura they once held in her eyes. Coupled with the fact that they're all mortal here now, she's bound to present a very different attitude towards them than she ever used to. She feels let down by Artemis (to whom she had been incredibly faithful, and whom she had thought herself well loved by) given that Artemis did nothing to interfere with either Leukippos' trickery, or Apollo's mad pursuit of her. She feels as if Zeus played a horrible trick on her, twisting her words into a punishment that she didn't deserve. And don't get her started on Apollo. In other words, she's put a lot less stock in pleasing the powers that be, and a lot more in the power of the individual.
As for boys, she'd originally sworn them off entirely, wanting to pursue a life of chastity like her idol, Artemis. But given her shift in feelings towards the goddess, she no longer clings to the desire to emulate her, and is now simply much more likely to avoid boys because she's had such horrific experiences with men in the past. Of course, what with this whole high school thing, she can't avoid them completely...
» Sample Journal:
I don't understand.
I don't understand what this place is, or how I got here.
Where are the forests? The grass? All I see is a forest of metal, and noise, and smoke.
What is an 'apartment'? And why do I have to adopt a new name? Who is this man who is going on about paperwork and 'high school'?
... I suppose in the end though, I don't care if I don't even get answers to those questions.
I'm free.
Everything else pales next to this.
» Sample Roleplay: Daphne slowed down, books squashed against her chest, as she caught sight of something through the windows set into the corridor, that showed the interior of the gym.
She came to a complete stop as she grew transfixed by what she saw. There were about twelve girls inside, in spandex tights, sports bras, hair pulled back in bands or scrunchies that looked like big white flowers tied in their hair. The tiniest curve of lip betrayed her pleasure at that tiny detail: it reminded her of home.
But what were they doing?
They were all moving fluidly, in sync, and it took her a moment to realize that the vibrating pulse beneath her feet was due to music flooding through the gym. She stepped closer to the window, straining to hear it. It was completely different from any music she’d ever heard - it was stronger, sturdier somehow. Darker. What was that word that the girls in her class had used?
Cooler.
Yeah, that seemed about right. It had an edge to it, an attitude, and there was something in that that Daphne responded to. It was what she wanted to be able to be like. Powerful.
And the way they were moving.
People talked a lot about nymphs dancing, and exactly how stirring that was to watch. But what she was used to calling dancing was nothing next to the choreographed energy and presence these girls were exuding. They were telling a story, and it wasn’t some weepy drama. It was an epic narrative.
She found herself breaking into a real smile, her feet tapping in rhythm, her own hips aching to try and execute the graceful and dangerous dips that those girls managed with ease. It was sensual without actually being carnal.
It looked fun.
Her eyes slid across the window pane, resting on a bunch of yellow signs taped there. One in particular caught her eye - there was a silhouetted image of a woman executing a graceful arch with her entire body, painting a picture with the curve of an arm, a leg.
“Dance Team tryouts” the sign proclaimed.
Determinedly, she ripped it right off the window, smiling to herself.
Maybe ‘high school’ wouldn’t be a total drag after all.