Application for Counted_Stars
Player Information:
Name or Handle: Annie
LJ: succubint
Email: zoriah13@gmail.com
AIM/ MSN / Plurk name: notahobgoblin
Any current characters here?: Lindsey McDonald
Character Information:
Character Name: Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.
Age: 32
Canon: Buffy the Vampire Slayer AND Angel the Series.
Appearance: Wesley is in his early thirties. He is tall (6'1"), of lean and lanky, yet toned build. Dark brown hair which is kept neat and short in style, it has a tendency to curl otherwise. Blue eyes. Clean shaven. Wears spectacles due to myopia. Tendency to wear suits, button down shirts and ties.
Personality:
Wesley has the typical British reserve and isn't particularly chatty or verbose except when it comes to expounding on matters where he believes has some considerable expertise. Which is quite often, actually. He's highly educated and of an intellectual bent so that will come across in his vocabulary and mannerisms. Some may find him a touch irritating and arrogant because of this. He also possesses a rather dry acerbic wit.
Wes is cerebral by nature and largely governed by logic and reason in his decision-making processes. He is often repressive of his own emotions and personal desires, and can sometimes come across as lacking in compassion or caring when, in fact, he does feel and care deeply for others. He has a tendency towards introspection and over-thinking his own actions and those of others. That's not to say he can't react quickly and decisively to situations, but he does often dwell on things. The past, the present, the future.
Perhaps the biggest driving forces behind his personality have been his strong sense of duty and a perpetual need to prove himself worthy, to gain the approval and respect of his peers and ultimately his father. While intellectually gifted in many ways, Wesley has suffered from an underlying fear of failure which was instilled in him at an early age.
His Watcher father, an exacting and dominating individual, taught him the importance of striving for excellence, discipline and a strict adherence to rules and tradition. Unfortunately this manifested itself into Wesley being conservative and inflexible in his approach to his Watcher duties and also rather rigid in how he viewed moral issues. There's also canon evidence that that Roger Wyndam-pryce was an abusive father, locking his son under the stairs as a punishment, verbally belittling him whenever he felt disappointment in Wesley's achievements, or lack thereof. When Wesley was six or seven, he stole a scroll from his father's library and attempted to resurrect a dead bird. This was perhaps his first act of defiance against his father, and Wes' perception of self-worth as an individual has continued to be deeply influenced by what he believes his father (even in absentia) would think of his actions and decisions. This sort of desire for external validation from a perceived figure of authority has also been evident in his dealings with the Watcher Rupert Giles and Angel.
I see the pre-Watcher Wesley as a rather lonely boy who turned to books and academic accomplishments to compensate for the lack of familial warmth and support. It was also the only avenue with which he could strive to please his father. Most likely he did not make friends easily, especially with Roger vetting anyone who might wish to get socially closer to the youth. He would have developed the kind of personality in school which others probably labelled as stuck up. It would not surprise me if he earned the reputation of being a stick in the mud, a goody two shoes and a prat.
Lacking in having close family and friends in those early formative years, I can see Wesley having relied on his intellectual and academic prowess to give himself status. Thus his propensity to arrogantly pontificate and correct his colleagues on matters he felt he was an authority on. It was really his only outlet in where he had felt some measure of confidence and self-satisfaction. And even then it could be easily undermined by insecurity and doubt if he was proven wrong in his theories or decisions based upon his expert opinion.
Wesley's desperate need for respect and approval over the years has led to him becoming a bit of a try-hard. Eager to please others almost to the point of being a hindrance at times. His over-zealousness to offer aid and assistance sometimes turned him into a bit of a bumbling idiot, especially when he was in a situation which made him feel deeply insecure.
Since joining Angel's agency and being voted its leader, however, these moments of puppy-dog enthusiasm and physical clumsiness have gradually become less and less frequent. Maturity and having gained more field experience (plus the bonds of friendship he had formed with those in Angel Investigations), has aided Wesley into growing into a more capable and valuable member of their team. He's survived many dangerous battles, grievous injuries (including being shot in the stomach by a zombie cop) and more than once had to step up as leader and commander because people were relying upon him. This has tempered him into a slightly more self-assured version of himself (although the insecure needy little boy within himself still remains, just buried a little bit deeper in his psyche).
Through his interactions with Angel and Cordy and the rest of the AI team, Wesley has finally started to gain a sense of belonging, of being a part of a family and being needed. This has been extremely important to him in terms of finally starting to become comfortable in his own skin and healing his rather stunted self-esteem.
At his core, Wesley has been a gallant and a romantic idealist. In the past this sometimes meant that while charmingly chivalrous and rousing in his rallying speeches, he could also be unwittingly patronizing to members of the female gender, or overly sanctimonious and self-righteous when it came to debating moral issues. But he is always well-intentioned and wants to fight the good fight, wants to believe that good will ultimately triumph over evil if one is dedicated enough to battle such forces on a daily basis.
Background:
Wesley was born and raised in England, although the exact location of where his family resides is unknown. There is a reference to Cambridge, so I have headcanoned that as a possible area of familiarity. An only child, Wesley was subjected to a strict and demanding childhood under the dominance of his overbearing father Roger Wyndam-Pryce, who is a longstanding member of the Watcher's Council and a man he never quite feels he can measure up to.
Wesley attended an all boy's preparatory school before being accepted into the Watcher's Academy in South Hampshire where he eventually gained the prestigious rank of Head Boy. Upon graduating, Wesley joined the Watcher's Council as a fully fledged member. He was assigned to replace Rupert Giles as Watcher of both Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane with little to no actual field experience under his belt. His inexperience lead to a mishandling of the situation when Faith was at a moral crossroads which ultimately led to Faith turning rogue and Wesley being sacked from the council for incompetence.
Completely directionless, Wesley decided to become an independent demon hunter, roaming the country for cases where he could apply his training and expertise and still fight the good fight. This eventually led him to Los Angeles where he met up with Angel and Cordelia and joined their cause as part of Angel Investigations. Together they attempted to fight the forces of darkness one case at a time, helping those who needed help with supernatural and paranormal problems. Wes' watcher training and his expertise with ancient languages and extensive knowledge of demons helped them to overcome many difficult challenges.
One of Wes' biggest early challenges was translating the prophecies Angel stole from the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart. It spoke of a vampire with a soul, and how he would shanshu. It took Wesley some time to decipher that it meant Angel might eventually, after many trials, gain the reward of human mortality.
Another notable event was his former charge Faith escaping from Sunnydale and coming to LA. Employed as an assassin by Wolfram and Hart, she terrorized Angel's friends, abducted Wesley and tortured him nearly to death before Angel intervened and discovered she was suffering an emotional meltdown due to guilt over her many crimes.
In season 2, due to a difficult time dealing with Darla, Angel's ex-lover, Angel sacked the entire team. After a period of shock and despondency, Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn reformed the agency and attempted to make their own way without Angel's assistance. It was a lonely and difficult time, where clients were few and far between. It was during this period when Wesley began to grow and mature as a leader, trying to keep everyone's morale up as they struggled on with their cause.
Eventually Angel reconciled with them and the team reformed, with Wes remaining the 'boss' of the agency.
External links: http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Wesley_Wyndam-Pryce ;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Wyndam-Pryce
Canon point:
I'd like to take Wesley from during the Season 2 Episode: Over the Rainbow. When Wesley, Angel, Lorne and Gunn are in Angel's car, at a psychic hot spot and are trying to get to through the portal to Pylea in order to rescue Cordelia.
I think this is a great place to draw him from because he will be expecting to be arriving in a different dimension...just not the one he lands in. His mission to rescue Cordelia will still be intact. I would like the opportunity to play Wesley in that transitional period from the bumbling know-it-all from the Buffy and early AtS days to the tragic badass character he becomes post S3 betrayal. Revan's galactic civil war is an excellent proving ground to see what kind of man Wesley could become if circumstances were different. In Pylea, he learned the hard lesson that sometimes individuals had to be sacrificed in order to serve the greater good. What lessons would he learn in this environment instead? Where the fate of billions is at stake?
Special Abilities:
Wesley's greatest gift (and in some ways his greatest weakness) is his exceptional intellect. Extensive knowledge of demonology, occult and supernatural lore. Brilliant academically, with knowledge in a wide range of subjects from the classics, to history, biology, and chemistry. Expert in many human and non-human languages and dialects, including those of ancient cultures and supernatural/demonic races. Trained in various forms of combat including hand to hand, fencing, martial weapons, crossbow and firearms with varying degrees of skill. He is particularly competent with sharp-shooting and favors range weapons when given the choice. Excellent strategist when it comes to military maneuvers (although largely untested at this canon point).
Sect:
I'd like to pick civilian for now with the option of discovering Force sensitivity and joining Jedi at a later date.
Job:
Nothing comes to mind immediately. Will let that develop in-game.
Samples:
First Person:
What in the blazes...?
[Wes spins around, once, then twice, trying to get his bearings; to make sense of what he's experiencing. He examines himself with bemusement, somewhat mortified that he's only in his boxers. Where had his clothes gone? Surely inter-dimensional travel did not whisk away one's outer garments.
He notices the Blackberry or PDA lying nearby but ignores it for now, pacing to look out of the window and is surprised by what he finds. He calls out to his friends, hoping they are within shouting distance.]
Angel? Gunn? Lorne? I may have made a slight error in my calculations. This doesn't appear to be Pylea at all.
[The first thought which comes to mind is that this is the work of Wolfram and Hart. Some new gambit in their quest to bend the souled vampire to their collective will. The device appears to be transmitting. Wesley adjusts his spectacles in a grave manner, takes a bracing breath and stares at what he presumes is the recording aperture. Trying to look unfazed and intimidating in his underwear is not the best look, but by god he will give it a good try.]
Whoever you are, this is not going to work. You will not be able to turn me against my friends no matter what devious schemes you have in play. Nor will I allow myself to be used as leverage or bait. While I may not possess superhuman strength or other otherworldly powers, I can still hold my own. So have at it, if you dare. But you have been warned, I will not break, no matter what vile or...
[His gaze flickers down at himself briefly.]
...seductive means you employ to achieve your ends.
Third Person:
“Actually, a single letter can make a world of difference when translating ancient texts. For example, several centuries ago, the demon tribes of Khanesh became embroiled in an extremely bloody hundred year war simply over a mistranslation of one of their territorial treaties. It was just one letter being mistaken for another which sparked a particularly brutal period of--”
Wesley caught himself and lowered his gesticulating hand. He'd been in lecture mode without realising.
“Yes, well... Perhaps not the best topic of conversation to be having while eating dinner.”
He smiled sheepishly and reached for his glass of wine.
“Let me propose a toast instead. Here's to celebrating our first paycheck after having struck out on our own. I know it hasn't exactly been an easy path to take. There has been much blood, sweat and tears shed in order to get Angel Investigations back up and running. And the offices still smell a little 'funky' according to Gunn. But let me just say, that I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished as a team.”
His eyes misted over slightly and he fidgeted with his napkin and place-setting with his free hand.
“We have faced adversity and overcome it. I only wish...” He trailed off, not wanting to bring Angel's name up and change the celebratory atmosphere of their little gathering. However, a slight sense of melancholy had pervaded his thoughts and he could not completely banish it. “To absent friends.”
Wesley raised his glass to his lips and took a solemn sip from it.
Anything Else:
Wesley is a character who constantly evolves and reinvents himself throughout his canon. Although being pulled prior to the events of S3 where he betrayed Angel in order to save his son and was shunned from the group, it should be noted that Wesley has occasionally portrayed a pragmatism and ruthlessness which has hinted at this darker turn in his persona. As the series develops it becomes clear that Wes is capable of making the hard decisions, often at his own personal expense, in the name of the greater good.
Name or Handle: Annie
LJ: succubint
Email: zoriah13@gmail.com
AIM/ MSN / Plurk name: notahobgoblin
Any current characters here?: Lindsey McDonald
Character Information:
Character Name: Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.
Age: 32
Canon: Buffy the Vampire Slayer AND Angel the Series.
Appearance: Wesley is in his early thirties. He is tall (6'1"), of lean and lanky, yet toned build. Dark brown hair which is kept neat and short in style, it has a tendency to curl otherwise. Blue eyes. Clean shaven. Wears spectacles due to myopia. Tendency to wear suits, button down shirts and ties.
Personality:
Wesley has the typical British reserve and isn't particularly chatty or verbose except when it comes to expounding on matters where he believes has some considerable expertise. Which is quite often, actually. He's highly educated and of an intellectual bent so that will come across in his vocabulary and mannerisms. Some may find him a touch irritating and arrogant because of this. He also possesses a rather dry acerbic wit.
Wes is cerebral by nature and largely governed by logic and reason in his decision-making processes. He is often repressive of his own emotions and personal desires, and can sometimes come across as lacking in compassion or caring when, in fact, he does feel and care deeply for others. He has a tendency towards introspection and over-thinking his own actions and those of others. That's not to say he can't react quickly and decisively to situations, but he does often dwell on things. The past, the present, the future.
Perhaps the biggest driving forces behind his personality have been his strong sense of duty and a perpetual need to prove himself worthy, to gain the approval and respect of his peers and ultimately his father. While intellectually gifted in many ways, Wesley has suffered from an underlying fear of failure which was instilled in him at an early age.
His Watcher father, an exacting and dominating individual, taught him the importance of striving for excellence, discipline and a strict adherence to rules and tradition. Unfortunately this manifested itself into Wesley being conservative and inflexible in his approach to his Watcher duties and also rather rigid in how he viewed moral issues. There's also canon evidence that that Roger Wyndam-pryce was an abusive father, locking his son under the stairs as a punishment, verbally belittling him whenever he felt disappointment in Wesley's achievements, or lack thereof. When Wesley was six or seven, he stole a scroll from his father's library and attempted to resurrect a dead bird. This was perhaps his first act of defiance against his father, and Wes' perception of self-worth as an individual has continued to be deeply influenced by what he believes his father (even in absentia) would think of his actions and decisions. This sort of desire for external validation from a perceived figure of authority has also been evident in his dealings with the Watcher Rupert Giles and Angel.
I see the pre-Watcher Wesley as a rather lonely boy who turned to books and academic accomplishments to compensate for the lack of familial warmth and support. It was also the only avenue with which he could strive to please his father. Most likely he did not make friends easily, especially with Roger vetting anyone who might wish to get socially closer to the youth. He would have developed the kind of personality in school which others probably labelled as stuck up. It would not surprise me if he earned the reputation of being a stick in the mud, a goody two shoes and a prat.
Lacking in having close family and friends in those early formative years, I can see Wesley having relied on his intellectual and academic prowess to give himself status. Thus his propensity to arrogantly pontificate and correct his colleagues on matters he felt he was an authority on. It was really his only outlet in where he had felt some measure of confidence and self-satisfaction. And even then it could be easily undermined by insecurity and doubt if he was proven wrong in his theories or decisions based upon his expert opinion.
Wesley's desperate need for respect and approval over the years has led to him becoming a bit of a try-hard. Eager to please others almost to the point of being a hindrance at times. His over-zealousness to offer aid and assistance sometimes turned him into a bit of a bumbling idiot, especially when he was in a situation which made him feel deeply insecure.
Since joining Angel's agency and being voted its leader, however, these moments of puppy-dog enthusiasm and physical clumsiness have gradually become less and less frequent. Maturity and having gained more field experience (plus the bonds of friendship he had formed with those in Angel Investigations), has aided Wesley into growing into a more capable and valuable member of their team. He's survived many dangerous battles, grievous injuries (including being shot in the stomach by a zombie cop) and more than once had to step up as leader and commander because people were relying upon him. This has tempered him into a slightly more self-assured version of himself (although the insecure needy little boy within himself still remains, just buried a little bit deeper in his psyche).
Through his interactions with Angel and Cordy and the rest of the AI team, Wesley has finally started to gain a sense of belonging, of being a part of a family and being needed. This has been extremely important to him in terms of finally starting to become comfortable in his own skin and healing his rather stunted self-esteem.
At his core, Wesley has been a gallant and a romantic idealist. In the past this sometimes meant that while charmingly chivalrous and rousing in his rallying speeches, he could also be unwittingly patronizing to members of the female gender, or overly sanctimonious and self-righteous when it came to debating moral issues. But he is always well-intentioned and wants to fight the good fight, wants to believe that good will ultimately triumph over evil if one is dedicated enough to battle such forces on a daily basis.
Background:
Wesley was born and raised in England, although the exact location of where his family resides is unknown. There is a reference to Cambridge, so I have headcanoned that as a possible area of familiarity. An only child, Wesley was subjected to a strict and demanding childhood under the dominance of his overbearing father Roger Wyndam-Pryce, who is a longstanding member of the Watcher's Council and a man he never quite feels he can measure up to.
Wesley attended an all boy's preparatory school before being accepted into the Watcher's Academy in South Hampshire where he eventually gained the prestigious rank of Head Boy. Upon graduating, Wesley joined the Watcher's Council as a fully fledged member. He was assigned to replace Rupert Giles as Watcher of both Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane with little to no actual field experience under his belt. His inexperience lead to a mishandling of the situation when Faith was at a moral crossroads which ultimately led to Faith turning rogue and Wesley being sacked from the council for incompetence.
Completely directionless, Wesley decided to become an independent demon hunter, roaming the country for cases where he could apply his training and expertise and still fight the good fight. This eventually led him to Los Angeles where he met up with Angel and Cordelia and joined their cause as part of Angel Investigations. Together they attempted to fight the forces of darkness one case at a time, helping those who needed help with supernatural and paranormal problems. Wes' watcher training and his expertise with ancient languages and extensive knowledge of demons helped them to overcome many difficult challenges.
One of Wes' biggest early challenges was translating the prophecies Angel stole from the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart. It spoke of a vampire with a soul, and how he would shanshu. It took Wesley some time to decipher that it meant Angel might eventually, after many trials, gain the reward of human mortality.
Another notable event was his former charge Faith escaping from Sunnydale and coming to LA. Employed as an assassin by Wolfram and Hart, she terrorized Angel's friends, abducted Wesley and tortured him nearly to death before Angel intervened and discovered she was suffering an emotional meltdown due to guilt over her many crimes.
In season 2, due to a difficult time dealing with Darla, Angel's ex-lover, Angel sacked the entire team. After a period of shock and despondency, Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn reformed the agency and attempted to make their own way without Angel's assistance. It was a lonely and difficult time, where clients were few and far between. It was during this period when Wesley began to grow and mature as a leader, trying to keep everyone's morale up as they struggled on with their cause.
Eventually Angel reconciled with them and the team reformed, with Wes remaining the 'boss' of the agency.
External links: http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Wesley_Wyndam-Pryce ;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Wyndam-Pryce
Canon point:
I'd like to take Wesley from during the Season 2 Episode: Over the Rainbow. When Wesley, Angel, Lorne and Gunn are in Angel's car, at a psychic hot spot and are trying to get to through the portal to Pylea in order to rescue Cordelia.
I think this is a great place to draw him from because he will be expecting to be arriving in a different dimension...just not the one he lands in. His mission to rescue Cordelia will still be intact. I would like the opportunity to play Wesley in that transitional period from the bumbling know-it-all from the Buffy and early AtS days to the tragic badass character he becomes post S3 betrayal. Revan's galactic civil war is an excellent proving ground to see what kind of man Wesley could become if circumstances were different. In Pylea, he learned the hard lesson that sometimes individuals had to be sacrificed in order to serve the greater good. What lessons would he learn in this environment instead? Where the fate of billions is at stake?
Special Abilities:
Wesley's greatest gift (and in some ways his greatest weakness) is his exceptional intellect. Extensive knowledge of demonology, occult and supernatural lore. Brilliant academically, with knowledge in a wide range of subjects from the classics, to history, biology, and chemistry. Expert in many human and non-human languages and dialects, including those of ancient cultures and supernatural/demonic races. Trained in various forms of combat including hand to hand, fencing, martial weapons, crossbow and firearms with varying degrees of skill. He is particularly competent with sharp-shooting and favors range weapons when given the choice. Excellent strategist when it comes to military maneuvers (although largely untested at this canon point).
Sect:
I'd like to pick civilian for now with the option of discovering Force sensitivity and joining Jedi at a later date.
Job:
Nothing comes to mind immediately. Will let that develop in-game.
Samples:
First Person:
What in the blazes...?
[Wes spins around, once, then twice, trying to get his bearings; to make sense of what he's experiencing. He examines himself with bemusement, somewhat mortified that he's only in his boxers. Where had his clothes gone? Surely inter-dimensional travel did not whisk away one's outer garments.
He notices the Blackberry or PDA lying nearby but ignores it for now, pacing to look out of the window and is surprised by what he finds. He calls out to his friends, hoping they are within shouting distance.]
Angel? Gunn? Lorne? I may have made a slight error in my calculations. This doesn't appear to be Pylea at all.
[The first thought which comes to mind is that this is the work of Wolfram and Hart. Some new gambit in their quest to bend the souled vampire to their collective will. The device appears to be transmitting. Wesley adjusts his spectacles in a grave manner, takes a bracing breath and stares at what he presumes is the recording aperture. Trying to look unfazed and intimidating in his underwear is not the best look, but by god he will give it a good try.]
Whoever you are, this is not going to work. You will not be able to turn me against my friends no matter what devious schemes you have in play. Nor will I allow myself to be used as leverage or bait. While I may not possess superhuman strength or other otherworldly powers, I can still hold my own. So have at it, if you dare. But you have been warned, I will not break, no matter what vile or...
[His gaze flickers down at himself briefly.]
...seductive means you employ to achieve your ends.
Third Person:
“Actually, a single letter can make a world of difference when translating ancient texts. For example, several centuries ago, the demon tribes of Khanesh became embroiled in an extremely bloody hundred year war simply over a mistranslation of one of their territorial treaties. It was just one letter being mistaken for another which sparked a particularly brutal period of--”
Wesley caught himself and lowered his gesticulating hand. He'd been in lecture mode without realising.
“Yes, well... Perhaps not the best topic of conversation to be having while eating dinner.”
He smiled sheepishly and reached for his glass of wine.
“Let me propose a toast instead. Here's to celebrating our first paycheck after having struck out on our own. I know it hasn't exactly been an easy path to take. There has been much blood, sweat and tears shed in order to get Angel Investigations back up and running. And the offices still smell a little 'funky' according to Gunn. But let me just say, that I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished as a team.”
His eyes misted over slightly and he fidgeted with his napkin and place-setting with his free hand.
“We have faced adversity and overcome it. I only wish...” He trailed off, not wanting to bring Angel's name up and change the celebratory atmosphere of their little gathering. However, a slight sense of melancholy had pervaded his thoughts and he could not completely banish it. “To absent friends.”
Wesley raised his glass to his lips and took a solemn sip from it.
Anything Else:
Wesley is a character who constantly evolves and reinvents himself throughout his canon. Although being pulled prior to the events of S3 where he betrayed Angel in order to save his son and was shunned from the group, it should be noted that Wesley has occasionally portrayed a pragmatism and ruthlessness which has hinted at this darker turn in his persona. As the series develops it becomes clear that Wes is capable of making the hard decisions, often at his own personal expense, in the name of the greater good.