somarium Application
[Player name] Jax
[Age] 23
[Personal Journal] madam_mora
[Other characters currently played]
madcuriosity||Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Alice Through the Looking Glass
loving_kitten||Loveless
cursedtosleep||Sleeping Beauty
mommysthief||King of Bandits Jing
white_polaris||Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
[Character name] Queen Elizabeth I/Elizabeth Tudor
[Age] 56
[Canon] Elizabeth/Elizabeth: The Golden Age
[Point in time taken from canon] End of second movie
[Background]
Despite some serious historical inaccuracies, Elizabeth will be based mostly on the canon provided by the two movies. What the films don’t cover, I will pull from actual history but will endeavor to remain as close to the movie canons as I can.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
[Personality]
Elizabeth is an extremely intelligent woman and very fond of the arts. She even participated in several instruments herself such as the lute and harpsichord. Under her reign theater flourished as did music and art. Her birth as a princess of England, gave her an extremely detailed and thorough education that only nobility and royalty gained during that era. She knows several languages; is well versed in philosophies, politics, music, and was a frequent fan of the theater. She is well aware of her position as an unmarried woman in such a high political position and uses it to her advantage. She could, in fact, make anything become a part of her benefit. However she is also smart enough to know when to cut her losses even if it involves military, court, or the economy. She in fact uses that she is a woman to her gain in a world mostly ruled by men. She can play coy and coquette and “nothing more than a woman” but she can also use that very same coquette-attitude to have things tip in her favor. She can use ethos and pathos to appeal to the parliament if she wants something to be done. But even though she is capable of being “submissive” that does mean she is actually willing to submit to a man’s will. Elizabeth is extremely witty and strong-willed as she’s needed to be as the Queen of England and a Protestant against a strong Catholic nation. She is capable of standing up against an entire parliament of men set against her opinion and in true strength of will; she is willing to stand up against an empire far more powerful than her own.
Her childhood was filled with constant tumults, intrigue, and people exploiting or trying to execute her for treason. Because of this, it has made her cautious with those she keeps around her as well as making any rash decisions. But what few realize is that Elizabeth views family as very important even if her own family life was riddled with trouble and strife. When she is forced to take action against relatives it hurts her deeply because she has been constantly accused of being involved in plots to hurt or betray her own family. Since she isn’t close to any family member, Elizabeth has a tendency to have “favorites” outside of her family, within her court. Those whom fall into that category end up having to tread a fine line with Elizabeth. She will dote on them and bestow gifts and favors but if they go too far she is quick to punish them and even go so far as to exile them. She will be extremely possessive and become even jealous of those who try to get too close to her favorites. Her possessiveness to her favorites is partially linked to being queen. However the majority of her possessiveness lies in her desire and need to have something solely hers. She feels betrayal deeply and will even strike out at those who hurt her emotionally. While she will not do more than hit them, it is a great dishonor to be slapped by the queen. It is in fact better to never have been in her favor than to fall out of it. If you fall from her favor she will strike out and make life for you difficult. If she doesn’t exile you from the court and possibly even from the country, then Elizabeth will make it difficult for you by outright ignoring you in public and then making it difficult for you in private. Depending on how badly you betray her, she may force you out into war or in a destitute country. This is because when Elizabeth invests in someone, she invests in them deeply be they male or female and so if they betray her, the betray is just as deep. In fact, when one of her Ladies in Waiting becomes her new favorite, she will even have that woman wear the same colors and nearly the same style of dress as Elizabeth for whatever occasion. When she favors someone she will be so fond of them that she will lapse in judgment and bestow gifts that endanger her reputation. Her reputation is something she herself constructed and she uses it shrewdly. Elizabeth is very wise and surrounds herself with intelligent people that she trusts. Those that she trusts are in a completely different realm than those who are favored. Elizabeth will listen to the advice and counsel offered by those she trusts while she may only indulge those she has favored.
It is understood that Elizabeth is extremely charismatic. She can draw people to her with her conversation, wit, as well as her elegance. Everything about her is both calculated and manicured to offer results in her favor. She wears extremely flamboyant and colorful outfits in public so all eyes are on her. The very flick of her wrists or the shift of her brow could have a new meaning and connotation to indicate her mood. While in private she may have an array of emotions that are very expressive, in public she is very guarded with every little action. That is why her change in moods must be read by the tilt of her head or the lilt of her voice when she is in public. Elizabeth has many moods and many faces. She had to have them to have survived as long as she did as an unmarried Queen in a patriarchal society. So she is well trained and practiced in etiquette and very self aware of her appearance. She has learned the intricate language of the body and those who wished to survive and flourish and garner her favor learned to read her smallest movements and her constantly changing moods. As royalty, Elizabeth has always been aware of the public eye on every little action she may do. While she may smile in public and something may even amuse her, she will not show that anything is wrong even when it’s something horrible. In private and among those she considers friend she is more expressive and open to her thoughts and feelings.
As a Queen, Elizabeth constantly has to be on guard because there are very few she can trust completely. Someone may always be trying to use her for gain or even try to assassinate her so she can never be fully open except around an explicit few. Even then, the pressure of being a Queen weighs on her every minute of every day and there are very few moments when she can let the pressure and responsibility as Queen disappear. This is very rare and usually only occurs when she is in the company of only one or two people or strictly her Ladies in Waiting or some of the few men in her council. On a rare occasion she will open herself up to the men she favors. However, something as simple as the wrong word can make her remember her position to all others. Very few have ever seen her at her worst. There is a constant wall between her and all others because she is a God anointed Queen. She has absolutely no immediate family by blood or marriage. The closest relatives she has are distant cousins and nephews and nieces all whom either vie for her throne after her death or desire it by force and intrigue whilst she is alive. She gets very lonely because of her lack of family as well as the conspiracy that surrounds her. She puts on a brave mask to hide this however her lack of a child is a sobering and somber thought because when she dies she knows there will be no blood heir. Because she is unmarried, many men have tried to win her hand, even those of a far lesser station.
Even though she is unmarried, Elizabeth uses her status as the virgin queen to her advantage in the political field offering a potential union with her for the gain and assistance of her nation and status. Because she is unmarried however, this has left her to flirt. Elizabeth is very fond of young attractive gentleman especially if they are very adept at speech and honorable. Keeping such company allows her to feel young and even beautiful. She is very vain and constantly worried about her age since she has to use her position as an unmarried queen to help her country. Even though she would use her unwed-status she never married, claiming she was faithfully wedded to England. Elizabeth is extremely loyal and concerned about the opinions of her people as well as their safety. She loves her people to such an extent she will even fight alongside them on the battlefield and meet fate with them rather than stay behind in the palace to wait for news. She did this during the fight against the Spanish Armada. While she was growing up, it was because of her popularity with the people that helped her from being executed several times. The people’s opinion is so important to Elizabeth that it even affected her love life because a few of the people she loved and almost married were hated by her people as well as other political problems that prevented her from marrying.
Elizabeth is extremely slow to act, sometimes even berated for it. However, when she is angered she is fierce and almost even violent willing to throw people into the Tower of London or to have them executed. Her anger is slow to show its head since she is a political figure always. But she is also legitimately pious to the Protestant religion. Elizabeth truly believes she is a God anointed queen and that her blood and lineage is blessed and royal. Because she is a Queen but also a woman she is constantly tip-toeing the line between a monarch and being “lesser” as a woman. She has great sympathy for women but she is also harder on them simultaneously. To help with her role as an unmarried woman she will refer to herself as a “prince” or with the “heart and stomach of a man” to help imply that she is able to be as fierce as a man may be. But she is also able to forgive. Even this ability to forgive, however, is only to a certain extent. Depending on the circumstance, Elizabeth will feel great remorse and sorrow that she had to punish or strike out against someone. This feeling of remorse lies only with her favorites or family or trusted council.
Elizabeth has great moments of silence and calm. She is extremely eloquent but she is also fully capable of using the gift of silence. Many of her thoughts she will mull over and contemplate before she even seeks the advice of those she trusts deeply. When Elizabeth does not hear advice she thinks reasonable, she will rely on herself. In fact, Elizabeth is so used to depending on herself that it affects a good deal of her decisions. Elizabeth is always prepared to be betrayed except by those who are closest to her. She does, in fact, have a very fragile side. She wants to freedom sometimes but she also loves her country so deeply she could never think of abandoning them. As a woman, Elizabeth has sacrificed a good deal to keep her people happy and safe. When she is so deeply wounded by those she loves most but she has to act for her people, she hides everything that may be hurting her. She hides behind a mask but sometimes the mask cracks and she can’t stop herself from breaking down. However, as a queen, these breakdowns are things she can’t afford.
At face value, Elizabeth is a strong, beautiful, powerful woman who is in complete control and is perturbed by nothing. She is graceful and poised at all times, able to stare down the barrel of an assassin. However, she is a woman of many masks and many moods. She is highly fickle and prone to the (well-deserved) mood swings.
[Abilities]
- While she does not have magical skills (though she’s been called a faerie queen) she does have extremely powerful political skills. She’s able to give very poignant speeches and is militaristically knowledgeable.
- She’s fluent and knows how to speak and write French, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, German, Russian, Italian, Dutch, and write Arabic
- She knows courtly dances, how to play the harpsichord and the lute, and embroider
- Elizabeth is able to ride horses and while she does not fence or joust she is knowledgeable in all the moves and motions that would occur in a joust and duel
[Other important stuff]
As stated previously, Elizabeth will be following the canon of the movies, regardless of some serious historical inaccuracies. What the movies don’t cover, I will pull from actual historical facts while still trying to keep close to the movie canons.
Elizabeth only uses the royal “we” when using official statements, in private conversation she will use “I.”
[Sample post]
[First Person]
If you could go back home, would you? Why or why not?
Of course We would, Our country is in need of Us. We do not have time for this nonsense of dream realms and idle-minded men and women.
If you were to describe yourself in one sentence, what would that be?
It is a very plain man, who can only describe himself in one sentence. We are not plain.
Would you consider yourself a power hungry individual?
The power We seek is to ensure the safety of our people. It is of little concern of yours how it is gained or used.
Do you stand up against authority, go against all odds, and if you could, pierce the heavens with your fighting spirit? If not, would you if you could?
Clearly, you have not heard of Our predicament with Spain. If you had, you would not be asking Us such nonsense.
Would you consider yourself a hero or a villain? Why? Neither is an option as well, but still tell why.
I am a Queen [And if you dare to question her further, you’re an idiot.]
Your country is in the middle of a war. What do you think of it? Do you support it or try to solve it yourself by going on an epic quest? Explain.
If Our country is caught in an epic battle, then We will face the challenge and do everything in Our power to ensure England shall never fall.
You are on the verge of death. You know there is no way to survive and there's no coming back. Choose any of the following to answer: What is your last wish? Your last regret? Last thoughts? How do you feel? Who is the last person you think of other than your killer?
Robert.... [She trails off, offering nothing more.]
Murder. What is your opinion?
A necessary action against certain individuals.
There is a cake in the rain. What do you do?
How wasteful.
Do you prefer adventure or the peaceful life?
Idleness does not bode well for a prince.
You see a bloody knife on the floor. What do you do or think?
A failed assassination attempt.
Am I asking too many personal or strange questions?
[She merely raises her brow and looks at you like you’re an utter idiot.]
Can you surpass God?
I am a God anointed Queen. There is no surpassing the Almighty. There is only His will.
[Third Person]
She was calm, for outward appearances. She was in some village when only moments before she had been in her rooms at the palace. Her mind was already calculating what fool kidnapped her. Spain wouldn’t be so foolish as to attempt anything after their embarrassing defeat a year ago, no... Not them... But certainly someone. So who?
Elizabeth looked around her, taking a step forward. She heard something clatter to the ground but she took no notice of the black box. She lifted her chin and began to address... the air. Whoever took surely had to be nearby.
“We demand to know who has brought us here and how. You will answer to Us immediately or We shall exact due punishment upon those who dare to trifle with Us. We do warn you Sirs or Madams, you shall regret your actions if said actions have been done in animosity towards Our person. We will not be made into a pawn or used for ransom against Our nation. All of England’s might shall fall upon your head in swift justice for your foolish actions.” Elizabeth paused. She let her face soften, she would play both sides of the coin. Perhaps she could entice at least one of her captors to take her clemency. Yes, she needed only one traitor in the nest. “But We are not so cruel to deny pardon if you are truly remorseful for your indignation against Our person. We are willing to forgive as is in Our nature to be slow to punish those who have seen the error of their way. But We warn you, the patience of princes and the kindness of their station is not to be tested and tried. You will reveal yourself to Us, and it is then We shall decide how the stroke may fall.”
And now, she waited, she continued to take everything in around her. Some sort of peasants village was her current placement, she glanced up and noted that she had to have been asleep the entire time because it was mid-day. That... How could she have been stolen out of her own palace! What manner was this! Where were her guards! Her ladies in waiting! How could someone just come to the palace and take her. No... No, she knew that her servants were already reporting her absence. Queens didn’t simply “disappear.” Her assailants were fools to kidnap her and apparently leave her to her own devices. Simply because she was in some strange peasant village didn’t mean she couldn’t devise where she was or get the help she needed.
“Fools,” she muttered softly to herself, her panic being replaced by a calm sense of what needed to be done and where she needed to go.
[Why do you want to play this character in Somarium?] I think it would be interesting to bring her to Somarium.... PLUS SOMARIUM NEEDS MORE WOMEN!
[Which rule was your favorite and why?] No player-cest
[Where did you hear about Somarium?] A sparkly vampire named Edward who is no longer here, unfortunately.
[Any questions?] Elizabeth can has castle?