![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
App for Synodiporia
Feb. 27th, 2018 05:58 pmP L A Y E R;
NAME: Matt
AGE: 33
PLAYER JOURNAL: n/a
TIMEZONE: CST
CONTACT: mattnificent @ plurk
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: Ikari Shinji
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Beatrice Portinari
CANON: Dante’s Divine Comedy
POINT IN CANON: end of canon
AGE: 24
APPEARANCE: Beatrice is a prim-looking redhead with a heart-shaped face and a slender build, green eyes, and an aura of patience and courtesy which is hard to shake.
CANON HISTORY:
Beatrice “Bice” Di Folco Portinari was the daughter of Folco Portinari, a pious banker and philanthropist in Florence. Born 1265, she lived a life of pleasure and privilege, and took joy in scholarship, her social life, and religious contemplation. Her mother died when she was still young, inspiring her father to fund a local hospital to study the treatment of women. On two occasions in life (once at nine, once at eighteen) she met Dante Alighieri and impressed him with her gentleness and courtesy. Paintings of her usually depict her either in prayer or in laughter. At twenty-one, she was married to another Florentine banker, Simone di Bardi. They had no children. At twenty-four, she died of a fever after a brief illness, and her soul ascended to heaven.
From Heaven, she followed Dante’s life, in friendship and interest, a fondness spiritual rather than romantic, and when she found his soul in difficulty on his journey, descended as a radiant spirit to commission the spirit of the poet Virgil to assist him before it was too late.
Once Virgil was stopped as Dante’s guide at the gates of Heaven, Beatrice herself chose to become his guide, helping him understand until his mind was capable of briefly, directly viewing and comprehending God, at which time she returned to her harmonious afterlife dwelling with God as souls in heaven do, an experience of transcendent love and peace, cared for by angels.
As a guide, Beatrice helped Dante understand the nature and limits of virtue; extolled scientific experiment and understanding, and maintained a patient and almost maternal care for him.
(some portions of this history are extrapolations, but all are supported by canon. particularly, her specific cause of death, or what lead her father to donate to a women’s hospital, are unknown).
CANON PERSONALITY
All we see of Beatrice is through Dante’s eyes, and he is certainly biased. However, she was apparently a pure soul worthy of Heaven, who cared enough for Dante to help guide his journey. Because we know she must have been true to all seven cardinal virtues to have earned a place in heaven, we know that she is just, prudent, temperate, charitable, faithful, hopeful, and possesses fortitude. But we do know some more specific traits: she is joyful and wishes for perfect understanding, as befits a personification of beatific spiritual love. She specifically advocates for the scientific method. She has a strong sense of presence and personality: Dante describes meeting her as the coming of a spirit stronger than him, who would rule him. She was courteous, bit contained deep passions, as symbolized when Dante claims to have dreamed that she ate his burning heart. She accepts his affection, even if she only returns it distantly and chastely; she does take a personal interest in his life. She made Dante and those around her wish to be their best selves, was unfailingly courteous, was ‘maternal, radiant, and comforting,’ and was also described as gentle and kind.
So. How is this paragon of virtue not an insufferable Mary Sue? How is she playable?
Beatrice, as I see her, is bound by firm restrictions on her notions of what is appropriate and right, by thirteenth century Roman Catholic standards. She is prim, perhaps a little judgmental, caught up in piety, and passive in what she sees as her guiding or educational role. Indeed, educating others is her primary interest, not only in morality and theology but in science and scholarship. She is inflexible, but non-confrontational. She is mournful, having been taken from Heaven (by her description, willingly, to act as a guide to others on their journey of mystical understanding). She will filter everything she encounters through a keen and scientific but also parochial lens. She will take joy in simple pleasures of material existence, but avoid excess.
Demure, spiritual, inquiring, prim, and simultaneously submissive and rigidly enduring or commanding, Beatrice will be distant, generous, and slightly insufferable to others, certain her spiritual path is correct but embodying a loving and understanding nature which does not use flaws as an excuse for rejection, but rather, for education. Under no circumstances will she use violence, and whenever it does not conflict with her virtues she will obey men and those older than her. She will also scrupulously avoid being alone with any man, considering it improper, and strictly avoid physical contact of any kind with men.
POINT OF DEPARTURE: Her past game is, well, Synodiporia before it existed in the real world. Beatrice played in the round of the game which was won by Fortune, and stayed behind to guide the next generation of Travelers, which involved suspension out of ambit; a time she spent in prayer and meditation. Preferring not to intervene in others’ choices, she teaches, stays apart and contemplative, and prays for each of her Infiltrations, wishing them the best but trying not to be influenced by their desires or beliefs.
VETERAN?: Beatrice was present for the first five Jaunts of this round, and avoided the memory loss of Moebius, but due to a long time out of ambit, the memories are distant and hazy. She’s been, well, nowhere - and conscious of it - for about six years.
ABILITIES:
PSYCHIC: Network Archive Retrieval, Filter Intrusion, Sensory Livestreaming, Memory Sharing, Instant Memory Sharing, Network Bookmarking, Psychic Protection I, Sensory Eavesdropping, Psychic Snapshot, Psychic Deduction, Psychic Download, Psychic Upload, Psychic Mirror, Psychic Echo, Psychic Hypocognition, Psychic Invisibility, Image Projection, Mind Palace I.
LIMINAL: Stationary Portal Creation, Hammerspace.
COMBO: Psychic Computer.
JAUNT: Illusionary Magic, Salt Gift: Eel Summoning, Spirit Sensitivity, Heroic Age Necromancy.
MARK: faded tattoo of an Ophanim on the center of her back.
INVENTORY: n/a
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?
Given the special circumstances of her arrival, Beatrice will not claim any bonus or double skills. Ever.
M A R K S;
NOT APPLICABLE
S A M P L E S;
ACTIONSPAM SAMPLE: https://synodiporia.dreamwidth.org/169475.html?thread=71100675#cmt71100675
PROSE SAMPLE:
https://synodiporia.dreamwidth.org/169475.html?thread=71100675#cmt71100675
(I’ve linked the same thread here, but it’s over 20 comments long, and I think it demonstrates both prose and character dialogue very well. If needed, I can add a separate thread.)
NAME: Matt
AGE: 33
PLAYER JOURNAL: n/a
TIMEZONE: CST
CONTACT: mattnificent @ plurk
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: Ikari Shinji
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Beatrice Portinari
CANON: Dante’s Divine Comedy
POINT IN CANON: end of canon
AGE: 24
APPEARANCE: Beatrice is a prim-looking redhead with a heart-shaped face and a slender build, green eyes, and an aura of patience and courtesy which is hard to shake.
CANON HISTORY:
Beatrice “Bice” Di Folco Portinari was the daughter of Folco Portinari, a pious banker and philanthropist in Florence. Born 1265, she lived a life of pleasure and privilege, and took joy in scholarship, her social life, and religious contemplation. Her mother died when she was still young, inspiring her father to fund a local hospital to study the treatment of women. On two occasions in life (once at nine, once at eighteen) she met Dante Alighieri and impressed him with her gentleness and courtesy. Paintings of her usually depict her either in prayer or in laughter. At twenty-one, she was married to another Florentine banker, Simone di Bardi. They had no children. At twenty-four, she died of a fever after a brief illness, and her soul ascended to heaven.
From Heaven, she followed Dante’s life, in friendship and interest, a fondness spiritual rather than romantic, and when she found his soul in difficulty on his journey, descended as a radiant spirit to commission the spirit of the poet Virgil to assist him before it was too late.
Once Virgil was stopped as Dante’s guide at the gates of Heaven, Beatrice herself chose to become his guide, helping him understand until his mind was capable of briefly, directly viewing and comprehending God, at which time she returned to her harmonious afterlife dwelling with God as souls in heaven do, an experience of transcendent love and peace, cared for by angels.
As a guide, Beatrice helped Dante understand the nature and limits of virtue; extolled scientific experiment and understanding, and maintained a patient and almost maternal care for him.
(some portions of this history are extrapolations, but all are supported by canon. particularly, her specific cause of death, or what lead her father to donate to a women’s hospital, are unknown).
CANON PERSONALITY
All we see of Beatrice is through Dante’s eyes, and he is certainly biased. However, she was apparently a pure soul worthy of Heaven, who cared enough for Dante to help guide his journey. Because we know she must have been true to all seven cardinal virtues to have earned a place in heaven, we know that she is just, prudent, temperate, charitable, faithful, hopeful, and possesses fortitude. But we do know some more specific traits: she is joyful and wishes for perfect understanding, as befits a personification of beatific spiritual love. She specifically advocates for the scientific method. She has a strong sense of presence and personality: Dante describes meeting her as the coming of a spirit stronger than him, who would rule him. She was courteous, bit contained deep passions, as symbolized when Dante claims to have dreamed that she ate his burning heart. She accepts his affection, even if she only returns it distantly and chastely; she does take a personal interest in his life. She made Dante and those around her wish to be their best selves, was unfailingly courteous, was ‘maternal, radiant, and comforting,’ and was also described as gentle and kind.
So. How is this paragon of virtue not an insufferable Mary Sue? How is she playable?
Beatrice, as I see her, is bound by firm restrictions on her notions of what is appropriate and right, by thirteenth century Roman Catholic standards. She is prim, perhaps a little judgmental, caught up in piety, and passive in what she sees as her guiding or educational role. Indeed, educating others is her primary interest, not only in morality and theology but in science and scholarship. She is inflexible, but non-confrontational. She is mournful, having been taken from Heaven (by her description, willingly, to act as a guide to others on their journey of mystical understanding). She will filter everything she encounters through a keen and scientific but also parochial lens. She will take joy in simple pleasures of material existence, but avoid excess.
Demure, spiritual, inquiring, prim, and simultaneously submissive and rigidly enduring or commanding, Beatrice will be distant, generous, and slightly insufferable to others, certain her spiritual path is correct but embodying a loving and understanding nature which does not use flaws as an excuse for rejection, but rather, for education. Under no circumstances will she use violence, and whenever it does not conflict with her virtues she will obey men and those older than her. She will also scrupulously avoid being alone with any man, considering it improper, and strictly avoid physical contact of any kind with men.
POINT OF DEPARTURE: Her past game is, well, Synodiporia before it existed in the real world. Beatrice played in the round of the game which was won by Fortune, and stayed behind to guide the next generation of Travelers, which involved suspension out of ambit; a time she spent in prayer and meditation. Preferring not to intervene in others’ choices, she teaches, stays apart and contemplative, and prays for each of her Infiltrations, wishing them the best but trying not to be influenced by their desires or beliefs.
VETERAN?: Beatrice was present for the first five Jaunts of this round, and avoided the memory loss of Moebius, but due to a long time out of ambit, the memories are distant and hazy. She’s been, well, nowhere - and conscious of it - for about six years.
ABILITIES:
PSYCHIC: Network Archive Retrieval, Filter Intrusion, Sensory Livestreaming, Memory Sharing, Instant Memory Sharing, Network Bookmarking, Psychic Protection I, Sensory Eavesdropping, Psychic Snapshot, Psychic Deduction, Psychic Download, Psychic Upload, Psychic Mirror, Psychic Echo, Psychic Hypocognition, Psychic Invisibility, Image Projection, Mind Palace I.
LIMINAL: Stationary Portal Creation, Hammerspace.
COMBO: Psychic Computer.
JAUNT: Illusionary Magic, Salt Gift: Eel Summoning, Spirit Sensitivity, Heroic Age Necromancy.
MARK: faded tattoo of an Ophanim on the center of her back.
INVENTORY: n/a
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?
Given the special circumstances of her arrival, Beatrice will not claim any bonus or double skills. Ever.
M A R K S;
NOT APPLICABLE
S A M P L E S;
ACTIONSPAM SAMPLE: https://synodiporia.dreamwidth.org/169475.html?thread=71100675#cmt71100675
PROSE SAMPLE:
https://synodiporia.dreamwidth.org/169475.html?thread=71100675#cmt71100675
(I’ve linked the same thread here, but it’s over 20 comments long, and I think it demonstrates both prose and character dialogue very well. If needed, I can add a separate thread.)
