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Applications Two

APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED!
The next application opening date is Friday 16th January, 7pm EST.
The next application processing date is Friday 23rd January, 7pm EST.
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In order to apply for a canon character, please fill out the information below and post it in a comment in this entry. For an OC, please apply using the OC information. Please do not link to applications, all applications must be posted here. Please do not delete your applications; if you do not want it to be seen, you can request for it to be screened after a decision is made.
You may apply for two characters every application round, to a total of six characters. Only two of these may be from the same canon, and they cannot be too familiar with one another. Please make sure to mark the header of your comment(s) with RESERVED or NOT RESERVED, as well as the character name and canon. App challenges are not allowed currently.
Try to remember spelling and grammar are important, and in app length quality and not quantity is what matters. All parts of the application must be your own work, plagiarism will not be tolerated, though you are welcome to reuse your own old applications.
If you are asked for revisions, please don't panic! It doesn't mean the mods don't like you, only that we probably need more information before making a decision. If you are asked for revisions, you will have one week to supply them.
Applications are open on a monthly cycle, where they will be opened on the second Friday of every month for a week, and then processed on the third Friday of the month, before being closed again.
We now have a test drive community athaventest which is continuously open. Posts there may be used in lieu of a sample in the application. You may also link posts, logs, or threads from other games and memes in lieu of samples, though we ask that they be no more than one year old. As of November 22nd 2014, samples cannot be "where am I" intro posts. The reason for this is that we often find it hard to gauge characterization from those, as most people when immediately in a new surrounding are confused or frightened.
While we encourage players who have dropped to re-join us, we do not encourage the continual rapid dropping and re-apping of the same character in a short time period. You are welcome to request specific housing, and all attempts will be made to accommodate that request, but it may not always be possible.
To see what we are looking for:
Canon Characters:
Sample Application (Faith Lehane)
Sample Application (Iroh)
Original Characters:
Sample Application (Mors)
Sample Application (Vera de Barr)
Sample Application (Malkus Iverwelling)
Previous Game History:
Sample Application (Abel Nightroad/Mayfield RPG)
Sample Application (Bolin/Discedo)
The old application post can be found here if you would like to look through past accepted applications.
Applications will be open on the following dates (from 7pm EST):
12th-19th December
16th-23rd January
Applications will be processed on the following dates (at 7pm EST):
19th December
23rd January
To apply for a canon character, please fill out this form:
To apply for an original character, please fill out this form:
Aragorn | Lord of the Rings | Not Reserved
Contact Info: listenfortheocean[at]gmail[dot]com
Other Characters Played: Nagito Komaeda (
Preferred Apartment: None!
Character Name: Aragorn
Canon: Lord of the Rings (films)
Canon Point: Just before entering the Paths of the Dead
Background/History:
Character wiki
Wikipedia page
Personality:
Aragorn is a man carrying heavy burdens. For his entire adult life, he has been aware of both a legacy and a destiny that reside in him alone in the World of Men. These have both heavily influenced who he has become as a man. Aragorn is the last living heir in a long line of dethroned kings -- tracing back to Elendil and Isildur , the man who both defeated Sauron and then failed to destroy the One Ring, essentially ensuring that the war would not be over. This legacy of greatness and weakness is a large part of Aragorn's struggles. He fears making the same mistakes as his forebears, fears his inherent weakness. This fear has created a wariness in him, a distrust of himself on a very basic level.
However, Aragorn has never let this self doubt hold him back -- mostly. He has avoided any attempts to reclaim the throne of Gondor that is his birthright. Despite this, he never shied away from being a leader among the Rangers of the North, nor from joining in battles in the land of his people (though in the latter, he kept his identity a secret). His identity is one that he has only recently even begun to reveal openly to many people; in the past it was kept mostly to close confidants or those who had known him a long time. His identity had long been kept a secret even from him, after all. After his father was murdered when Aragorn was still a toddler, his mother brought him to Rivendell to live among the elves in hiding. He was renamed Estel and lived his childhood years having no idea of his legacy or birthright. Maybe these unburdened years are the sources of the mirth and happiness that he is capable of expressing still, that peek out in quieter times among those he trusts.
His time in Rivendell is also where he learned of love. When he was a young man he met Arwen and soon fell in love with her. The feeling was mutual, but problematic since Arwen is an elf and Aragorn a (admittedly long-lived) mortal. But she was willing to eschew her immortal life to live as his wife. Her father, on the other hand, withheld his blessing on this union, at least while Aragorn was not sitting upon the throne of his forefathers. It's very clear that Aragorn has given his heart to Arwen, but he is also willing to give up the chance to be with her when Elrond tells him that it is in her best interest, that he needs to let her go so that she can leave Middle Earth and return over the seas with the rest of the elves. Though it breaks his heart, Aragorn tells Arwen that they cannot be together before he leaves with the fellowship.
After his childhood in Rivendell, Aragorn spends a great deal of time wandering the entirety of Middle Earth, but especially the northern lands. He lives as a Ranger, a man of the wilderness, an outcast by definition despite how the Rangers secretly protect those who treat them as such. When Frodo and the other hobbits first meet him in Bree at the beginning of the Fellowship of the Rings, he is noted as quiet, strange and a bit intimidating. And it's true. Aragorn is often very serious, and when he is intent on something, little can get in his way. His first interaction with the hobbits is to sweep Frodo away after an accident with the Ring and scold him for his careless and foolish mistake. Aragorn is usually quite patient, but in such important things, he has little time to mince words. He does not sugar coat things, even if he is very skilled diplomatically when the situation calls for it (as can be seen later, especially in his interaction with Theoden, king of Rohan).
Though the hobbits don't know whether to trust Aragorn (or Strider, as he calls himself at the time), they choose to follow him. Frodo says that he trusts Aragorn because a servant of the enemy would "look fairer but seem fouler" to which Aragorn seems genuinely amused and assumes that it must mean that he looks a significant bit fouler than fair. His sense of humor is subdued, but it does make appearances often enough. He grows close to the members of the Fellowship (Frodo, Legolas and Gimli in particular). He smokes a pipe and enjoys singing and trading stories, he laughs at the antics of some of his less serious companions. In general, there is a spark in him that has survived despite the dark times and the difficult situations he has lived through.
Even so, throughout everything and even in his happier moments, there is a distant weariness and sadness in Aragorn that never really goes away. Perhaps he has seen too many battles or is too burdened with the threat that Sauron poses to the world in general, in part blaming his bloodline for the Dark Lord's continued existence. This does not mean that he is a gloomy or morose figure. On the contrary, Aragorn is not one to dwell on situations or feel bad for himself. He is always trying to move forward. Even after the "death" of Gandalf, he gathers the grieving Fellowship to continue on, even if Boromir initially thinks it cruel to not give them the time to grieve. But Aragorn knows that danger is close behind and will not risk the rest of his companions.
There is a deep sense of loyalty in Aragorn, to those who he undertakes to protect or who are his friends and loved ones. He will fight to the death for them. When Merry and Pippin are kidnapped, he runs for days on end in pursuit with Gimli and Legolas, and later, when Frodo is moving through Mordor he openly announces himself as Isildur's air and declares his claim on the throne of Gondor to distract Sauron, even if he is unsure about fulfilling that role. Aragorn is often more than he believes himself to be. He still greatly fears his own weakness, even after he is able to send Frodo away with the Ring, not giving into its temptation, proving that he can overcome what his ancestor could not.
It's very rare that Aragorn's temper flares -- outside of battle, but even there, it's a very controlled and focused determination more than rage. When it does, he is quick to forget and forgive and move on. He is much quicker to mercy, even imploring Theoden to spare the life of the traitorous Grima, saying that enough blood has already been spilled. Aragorn is thoughtful and measured, and there's a gentleness about him that is surprising considering how skilled he is in battle. In the siege at Helm's Deep, when so many are despairing, a young boy who has been called to act as a soldier catches his eye because of his apparent terror, and Aragorn makes a point to speak to and reassure the boy, to try and give him some courage.
People are drawn to him again and again, due to perhaps the confident but humble and quiet way he carries himself. Or maybe it's a less precise variety of charisma. He acts as many would want a leader to act, even while doubting his ability to become the king to reclaim the throne he was born to. He takes responsibilities very seriously and will do all in his power to see them achieved. He looks out for his friends and vehemently protects those who cannot protect themselves. Though he is from a line of kings, there's a humbleness about him. He does not engage Boromir in anything to do with the throne of Gondor, which Boromir's family has acted as stewards to for so long. Despite the tension between the two, he manages to connect with him and is there for Boromir when he dies, helping the other man find some absolution and peace.
Aragorn is a flawed man. He is full of doubt and has spent his life avoiding facing that fear. But he is beginning to stand up to his destiny and do his best to fulfill it. He often seems a little world-weary. But he is loyal and unafraid to fight for what he believes in or for the people he loves. He sometimes succumbs to anger, but he seldom lets it get to him for an extended period. Throughout his long years (and he has many left ahead of him; 87 is the prime of life for men of his lineage), Aragorn has seen many things -- suffering, pain, war, love, friendship -- but he's still growing as a person, still coming to realize his entire potential.
**Though Aragorn is from film-canon, the novels that the films were based on supply a lot of the history of his character in the timeline before the movies.
Abilities/Powers:
Aragorn has no powers beyond what is normal for humans -- except that his people are exceptionally long-lived. He is 87 years old, but physically is in the prime of his life.
However he has a number of notable skills. He's an excellent tracker and hunter, able to move through the woods nearly unheard and unseen, after all his time with the Rangers of the north where he mostly lived in the woods. He's skilled in combat with a sword as well as more close combat with his knife or hand to hand if he must. Though he is no elf, he is no slouch with a bow and arrow either.
He speaks both the Common Tongue and Elvish fluently.
Though it is not touched upon too much in the films, he is a skilled healer as well.
Items/Weapons:
1. Anduril -- his sword, (reforged from the shattered Narsil)
2. Long, curved dagger
3. Evenstar Pendant Necklace
Sample Entry:
[It's not all that different from a Palantir, Aragorn thinks as he gazes down at the little device in his hand. But that's concerning in and of itself. After all, in the Seeing Stones, it's never clear who is on the other end.
Maybe that's true here. After a long moment he speaks, voice calm, low.] So much in this place is strange to me. There are magics and machinery at work that I have never witnessed, never even heard tell of. Even in story and song, nothing ever came close to what I have found here.
[Here, he pauses, eyes dropping for a moment, brow furrowing just briefly. It's a lot to digest, so to speak.] I am not so arrogant as to think I can begin to understand all of it, but perhaps at least in some way...
I do not know who may be hearing this, but if anyone would be willing, I have questions. There is little I can offer in return now, I fear, save my gratitude.
Sample Entry Two:
Aragorn had never feared the dark. Too many places in the world were full of it; to fear it was to invite hesitation, and in the moments that count, hesitation can be deadly. But more than that, darkness was an old acquaintance, one he had spent a great deal of time in solitude with, in the wilder places of the world. So even though this land was strange and foreign, even though he was yet certain that dangers lurked in the not-so-distant edges of the night, Aragorn was not afraid.
It was less confining out here, in the open spaces, than it was in the shared apartment. Not that he minded his roommates. They all seemed pleasant enough, and they were all swept up in this same mess, whatever it was in the end. Whatever the purpose of their captors wrenching them all out of their homes and worlds and dropping them here, Aragorn doubted it was good.
The small campfire burned small and smokey in front of him, chasing off the chill in the night air only slightly. But it was better than nothing. Even if it might well draw attention of anything that hunted or stalked the darkened night, well. He would risk it, since it was only him. More than that, he wanted to know what lurked in the shadows, what threats waited and stalked, unseen. Would they attack a man alone? True he was isolated, but he was not unarmed. Not helpless.
Even now, his sword and its sheath were close, an inch from his hand should he need to draw it quickly, to defend against any violence. And Aragorn was alert, listening and watching, despite the fact that to any who passed close enough, he would look as though he was simply tending his fire, unaware of what may be passing by outside that little ring of light. But even as he listened and waited, remained on alert, his thoughts did wander. Back home. To his friends who must question his absence, who he could not bear to think of having abandoned to the battles that awaited them. To Arwen, who waited and waned back in Rivendell. To the throne that had seemed so inevitably at the end of his path, even if he was not yet convinced of his capability to claim it.
The night was quiet, but Aragorn's thoughts were not. Somehow it made the silence deafening, interrupted by the quiet crackling of flames.
Re: Aragorn | Lord of the Rings | Not Reserved
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