No oath, no spell

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〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Kiwi
AGE: 29
JOURNAL: n/a
IM / EMAIL: aim: kawaiikitsuwa / dedreamweavers@gmail.com
PLURK: atomic_kiwi
RETURNING: no

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Arya Stark
CHARACTER AGE: 17
CANON ORIGIN: A Song of Ice And Fire
CHRONOLOGY: Following slaying Walder Frey
CLASS: anti-hero
HOUSING: Open to whatever

BACKGROUND: History Link

PERSONALITY: Since she was very little, Arya has proven herself time and time again to be a contrary child. When her older brothers played pranks, where Sansa had shrieked and run, Arya was the one to punch the offending brother, chiding him for scaring the toddler Brandon. This tendency only continued on as she grew, fighting against the role that society had prepared for her as she spurned the womanly arts her sister took to, much to the frustration of her Septa as well as her parents. Her interests instead lay with adventure, dreams of becoming a warrior, a brave knight, or any number of countless destinies reserved exclusively for males. She ran and played and fought with her brothers, as well as the children of Winterfell's families with no concern for status, either her own, or her playmates.

While her interest in those things expected of a lady certainly hasn’t changed, her dreams for the future have changed dramatically. No longer does she want to become a knight, especially after seeing what so many of them have done in the name of one lord or another. Her goals have shifted since she’s been out in the world, learning of how to survive in a place where honor means little or actively paints a target on a person, such as her time spent travelling with the Hound. While she felt a deep hatred for him, blaming him for his part in the events that led to her father’s death, she came to recognize that things were not quite so black and white. She still hates the man, but she came to learn from his methods in a way, better understanding the less-honorable standard that so many operated by, knowledge that would keep her alive. But at the same time it helped to sharpen her, to turn her anger to something colder. Calculating and bloodthirsty in a way that seemed to startle even the Hound at times, such as when they discussed her list, or her promise to him that she’d stab him through the eye.

Truth be told she also had little skill for things such as needlework or playing instruments, however as bright as she was, it may have been her stubborn defiance of what was expected of her that led to her not improving despite the practice that was forced on her over the years. However her rebellion was always at odds with her want to make her family proud, which left her often at odds with Sansa through their wildly differing personalities and skills. It has however allowed her to survive in situations where she might otherwise be expected to die, allowing her to evade capture by the Lannisters.

Defiant or not, the young lady is conflicted even as she's set against what society has planned for her, knowing that by growing into a lady like Sansa was, by excelling in that manner she would make her father proud, something she dearly wants. But at the same time she knows through their interactions that even if he's not supposed to say when she's rebelling against that role, that there is a sort of pride there as well, though she's certainly picked up on the melancholy that often accompanies his praise, his mentions that she reminds him of her aunt, the woman she's only heard about, a woman she doesn't understand how she could resemble in any way.

Despite being the daughter of a noble house, Arya has a pragmatic streak, no naive little lady daydreaming of true love. That very behavior in her sister drives the younger to absolute frustration and disgust, especially as Sansa showed interest in Joffery when they first met the Lannisters, partly out of a fear that once Sansa was wed? She would leave. She would leave their family for the family and hold of her husband, something that was absolutely anathema to the younger Stark daughter. She herself is a fiercely loyal girl to her family, that demeanor in conjunction with her wildness and independence making her very much like the direwolf that graces her family's coat of arms.

Though that independence can come at a cost; any slight against her is taken as a personal affront, and when she does not have the calmer heads of her father, or her bastard brother, then she can lash out in an attempt to keep others at a distance before she reassesses the situation to see if truly there was an offense meant. She's increasingly lucky as she goes on that she's as resourceful as she is; there's many times where her rapid jump to taking offense could spell trouble, burned bridges when all one has in the world is the clothes on their back. She tends to realize too late if she was in the wrong, and becomes reluctant to bring up the old argument, especially to admit that she'd done wrong. However in the case of a true affront? There's a startling viciousness to her as her quest for vengeance continues, that savagery tempered somewhat by the presence of others, family, or those few that she comes to call friend.

However as it stands, she has been alone for some time, both in Braavos training with the Faceless Men, and now back in Westeros. While her training has definitely allowed her to temper her initial temper-driven responses, as seen by the fact that she managed to get into the Frey household and remain hidden long enough to make a plan. However it is clear that this patience is not tempered in virtue, as it seems to be the means to a horrifically savage end, as she bakes two of Walder Frey’s sons into a pie to serve him before slitting his throat. In fact she seems to derive some sort of satisfaction from the act of vengeance, a sure sign that she’s headed down a dangerous, cruel sort of path from which there is no real return.

As independent as she is, as slow to trust, when someone does earn it, she is their steadfast ally, unwilling to leave them behind when danger rears its head, despite that it would ensure her own safety. Her own well-being becomes a small thing in comparison to the safety of those she sees as her 'pack', especially those who seem less able to handle themselves in a dangerous situation. Sometimes that good nature can be extended to others outside her pack, though the difference between what she does for 'pack' and for others is easily discerned with observation. Anyone that gains her trust and breaks it seems to be taken as a personal blow, such as the hurt sort of defiance with which Arya throws the offer of becoming a Faceless Man back into the Kindly Man’s face after she realizes the manner in which he pit she and the Waif against each other resulting in the older girl’s death. Despite her hatred of her peer, she seemed to hate the idea of being manipulated into the choice of taking her life, despite that there was little choice when she was cornered injured in the city. A strange sort of honor to hold, that any violence or murder would be on her own terms and no one else’s, in an echo of her typical defiance especially when she was younger and defying the wishes of her mother to be a proper lady. This obstinate nature seems to serve her well, but it remains to be seen if it will eventually prove to be her downfall in the future.

With everything she’s endured, she sometimes worries that should she finally return home, that her family simply won’t see her as Arya anymore. That she’s changed in some fundamental way from who she is that will make her anathema to the honor that Ned Stark worked so hard to instill in his children. But at the same time she sees the risk as acceptable, if it will allow even one of her siblings to live in safety when she’s finished her bloody work. The burden she’s placed upon herself has cooled her exuberance quite a bit, leaving her in general quite a bit calmer- the same girl who rashly went after Joffery when travelling from Winterfell to King’s Landing was later able to hold her anger on enough of a leash to serve as Tywin Lannister’s cupbearer. It’s questionable how far this developing patience will carry her, though it’s already come into play in how she got access to Meryn Trant. Where before she’d simply have attempted to cut him down at the first chance, she instead stalked him, learned his inclinations, and used them to disguise herself and present herself as a desirable target to get him alone before she finally crossed him off of her list.

POWER:
Shapeshifting: Arya is able to change form to mimic either a human or animal, including her voice changing to match. The smaller or larger something or someone is compared to her the more difficult it is, and in the case of mimicking an existing person, she has to be able to see and hear them several times to make an effective match- the fewer times she’s studied them or heard them, the more likely it is that her copy will be off in some way discernable to those who know the target better than she. With animal forms, she is able to use the natural abilities they come with, (cat’s night vision, or a bird’s flight for example) but the first time she takes a form she effectively has to learn how to use it; things like how a bird’s wings work, how running as a wolf works do not come intuitively. If she’s become a similar creature before it’s easier, especially for similar animals. How long she can hold a form depends on the sheer differences between herself and her held shape- a girl of similar size and build to her would be less strain, whereas remaining a field mouse or a giraffe would take considerable effort and energy. It is also more difficult to ‘make up’ a form to wear versus using the form of a real person.

Physical Attributes: She has a few abilities that tend to be more ‘passive’ in that they seem to be a constant thing than anything she consciously controls, which can both be a good and bad thing. First off, she moves silently- if wearing clothing that has nothing on it to create noise she’s utterly silent, aside from the general signs of life such as a heartbeat and pulse- even breathing is silent. She has to make herself walk noisily, such as if she needs to blend in while in a shapeshifted form- it would be a tell to the observant that Clumsy Clive suddenly moved with complete silence after all. In a similar vein, she has an unnerving sense of balance, able to walk run or jump across dangerous terrain with little worry, as well as keep steady on things such as narrow railings or even clotheslines should they be strong enough to hold her weight. Lastly, she has night vision not unlike a nocturnal animal- sudden bright light can be discomforting, and once again can give her away in a darkened scenario if she’s trying to pretend to be someone else, as if someone flashed a light her way in the right angle they’d certainly see the reflection of her eyes. Like any nocturnal animal there needs to be some light for her to be able to see- in complete darkness she’d be as blind as anyone else.

Direwolf Companion: She will arrive with Nymeria who was her direwolf in Winterfell. She is a playful sort, intelligent as all direwolves seem to be, but fiercely protective of Arya, as seen when she attacked Joffery. While full-grown direwolves are known to be as large as horses, Nymeria is a juvenile and as such only stands as high as a man’s waist at her shoulder.


〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[It had taken some time, but Arya has figured out how the communicators work. Or at least she’s managed to bully someone into showing her the buttons to push to make it work, it’s debatable if she yet understands the intricacies of it.]

So. I can use this device, and it will share my words with everyone else who also has these devices? I can see how that might be useful, but at the same time it seems rather easy to eavesdrop on such conversations… you don’t even know who’s listening in.

At least with a crow or messenger, you can tell if someone’s tampered with your letters…

[She makes a face, brows furrowing as she studied the options.]

Who would bother with texting on these things if you can speak to each other through them? You may as well just pass on letters. This is just stupid. Fancy for the sake of being fancy.

LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:
TDM Link
FINAL NOTES: N/A