Irene's Canon Status & History
With the recent release of the movie, I feel this might be needed for anyone regularly interacting with her.
Small spoilers for Irene's history from the film Sherlock Holmes are included.
I began playing Irene in September of 2009, but she was a character I had been considering a long while. I picked her up for crowdedhour, in return for the lovely Arden picking up Holmes (elementrymydear). At the time, very little was known about the film besides the cast and what was seen in the trailers. We both chose to use PBs from the film, for ease as well as in high hopes that we both would love the movie.
Irene's History
Irene's canon status began as a mixture of what little I could draw of her character from "A Scandal in Bohemia," though I used that mainly as a platform and added to it to make Irene very much my own creation. In my mind, she came from a rather privileged upbringing in New Jersey. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father influenced her greatly not only in her love for music and travel, but also in that he allowed her to be outspoken, intelligent, and free-spirited. She loved opera, and retired young in order to become the renowned adventuress she is.
She loved the King of Bohemia, for a moment, and loved Godfrey Norton for a bit longer. But more than anything, she loved her freedom, she loved her intelligence, and she loved her power over men. She never knew Sherlock Holmes, but she loved the idea of him, almost as much as she loved the fact that she beat him at his own game.
Irene didn't love England any more than she loved America, or South Africa, or India, or any other place she may call her home on any given day. Love was reserved for a home, and Irene's home is in her freedom, her inability to ever be still.
Sherlock Holmes: The Movie
The decision to update this journal to be that of the representation of Irene from the movie was reliant on simply two things; 1) that Irene was represented in a way that I felt I could channel, and close enough to my already preset characterization that canon-updating her would not be a leap; and 2) that I loved the film. Only one of these requirements were met. The second one.
I loved the film. If I had began playing Irene post-viewing, I would not have had any reservation in her representation or that of Holmes canon. It was a great film, and I will probably draw from certain aspects now and again in my roleplaying.
However, I felt that the Irene of the film, while wonderful and completely a fair reading of her characterization from the story, is not the Irene I play, and is very difficult to meld the two together. My Irene's joy in not in the chase, but simply the run; she's never been a thief for thrills, but only when it specifically gives her the upper hand. She has no interest in being a renowned criminal, but simply a seeker of adventure. What she runs from is in within the creation of her own mind, not that of the law.
In closing, Irene will remain in the canon state I began playing her in. Not out of disappointment in the film, but out of ease. Also, her background in the film is very similar to that of Vala Mal Doran, whom I also play at crowdedhour, and I would prefer to stick to my current background in order to keep the two more separated in my mind. If I ever chose to play a movie-verse Irene in any RP or prompt community, the difference will be noted. For now, I hope that the Irene of my mind will continue to grow and be as interesting and as challenging as the one represented in the film.
Small spoilers for Irene's history from the film Sherlock Holmes are included.
I began playing Irene in September of 2009, but she was a character I had been considering a long while. I picked her up for crowdedhour, in return for the lovely Arden picking up Holmes (elementrymydear). At the time, very little was known about the film besides the cast and what was seen in the trailers. We both chose to use PBs from the film, for ease as well as in high hopes that we both would love the movie.
Irene's History
Irene's canon status began as a mixture of what little I could draw of her character from "A Scandal in Bohemia," though I used that mainly as a platform and added to it to make Irene very much my own creation. In my mind, she came from a rather privileged upbringing in New Jersey. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father influenced her greatly not only in her love for music and travel, but also in that he allowed her to be outspoken, intelligent, and free-spirited. She loved opera, and retired young in order to become the renowned adventuress she is.
She loved the King of Bohemia, for a moment, and loved Godfrey Norton for a bit longer. But more than anything, she loved her freedom, she loved her intelligence, and she loved her power over men. She never knew Sherlock Holmes, but she loved the idea of him, almost as much as she loved the fact that she beat him at his own game.
Irene didn't love England any more than she loved America, or South Africa, or India, or any other place she may call her home on any given day. Love was reserved for a home, and Irene's home is in her freedom, her inability to ever be still.
Sherlock Holmes: The Movie
The decision to update this journal to be that of the representation of Irene from the movie was reliant on simply two things; 1) that Irene was represented in a way that I felt I could channel, and close enough to my already preset characterization that canon-updating her would not be a leap; and 2) that I loved the film. Only one of these requirements were met. The second one.
I loved the film. If I had began playing Irene post-viewing, I would not have had any reservation in her representation or that of Holmes canon. It was a great film, and I will probably draw from certain aspects now and again in my roleplaying.
However, I felt that the Irene of the film, while wonderful and completely a fair reading of her characterization from the story, is not the Irene I play, and is very difficult to meld the two together. My Irene's joy in not in the chase, but simply the run; she's never been a thief for thrills, but only when it specifically gives her the upper hand. She has no interest in being a renowned criminal, but simply a seeker of adventure. What she runs from is in within the creation of her own mind, not that of the law.
In closing, Irene will remain in the canon state I began playing her in. Not out of disappointment in the film, but out of ease. Also, her background in the film is very similar to that of Vala Mal Doran, whom I also play at crowdedhour, and I would prefer to stick to my current background in order to keep the two more separated in my mind. If I ever chose to play a movie-verse Irene in any RP or prompt community, the difference will be noted. For now, I hope that the Irene of my mind will continue to grow and be as interesting and as challenging as the one represented in the film.