Ten Forward application
Oct. 3rd, 2014 08:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
immutablysamYour name or online alias:Jeff
Your email:chasejyd@blarg.net
Another preferred means of contact:http://immutablysam.dreamwidth.org/454.html
Character's Full Name:Samantha Bowe
Character's Canon:the Dawn of Steam series
Character's Journal Name:ImmutablySam
What would you like your character's tag to be?:Sam Bowe
Answer the following questions in no less than 300 words but no greater than 1000 words put together...
Character's background (their past and present): Sam is older than she looks. She spent most of her life traveling the world with her father, Dr. Robert Bowe, whose travel journals became very popular in 1810s England and its colonies (within the alternate-historical Dawn of Steam timeline) as escapist literature. She was most at home with tribal cultures in the Americas and Australia, but those 'civilized' people who know of her think of her as an American colonist.
From the Summer of 1815 (well, the calendar called it Summer) to the Summer of 1819, she traveled with the crew of the airship Dame Fortuna to prove her father's work was not speculative fiction. On the way, they met with various unexpected murder attempts and accidentally started and/or finished a war or three. For personal reasons, Sam absolutely refuses to discuss anything that happened in her world after May 1817.
Character's personality: Sam Bowe is the sort of person who is more likely to volunteer for an apparent suicide mission than volunteer private information. She will not clear up any misconceptions about her gender, race, or age (which are very easy to make; passing is all about assumption and context) unless she finds it necessary, but jumping off of buildings or out of aircraft is entirely reasonable.
Sam has no interest in technology except for her pet autonomous ornithopter, Bubsy (see below), but doesn't object to those who like or need things like guns (or ...phasers, or whatever). She just needs more of a challenge than that, and is drawn to older methods in general.
Sam has something of a love-hate relationship with Western Civilization in general and can be pretty uncouth when she isn't just being quiet.
Sam has zero romantic or sexual interest in men and could theoretically get problematic in situations where this is not quickly understood.
Character's skills/abilities/powers:Sam's speed, reflexes, strength, sensory acuity and agility are at the highest possible level for a human woman. Her ability to recuperate from injury is somewhat beyond that, though she is certainly theoretically capable of being maimed or killed. She speaks dozens of languages with varying degrees of fluency, and is an extraordinarily well trained knife fighter, survivalist and athlete. Around most people, her abilities will appear virtually superhuman, if on a low-level basis, similar to Captain America or similarly borderline-enhanced/superbly trained individuals.
Sam is also a whole lot older than she looks. Her aging is greatly retarded, again about 1 year for every 5 to 7 that pass. This also helps inform the depth of some of her skills - she's had a lot of time to practice and learn.
Any special equipment your character is bringing along? This includes weaponry, magic items, etc.: Sam is accompanied by a small one-person flying machine, an ornithopter, made of wood, cloth, and an experimental metal which can imprint energy signatures. The ornithopter was accidentally and permanently imprinted with the energy signature of a sheepdog named Bubsy.
Sam also has lots and lots of knives.
Are you bringing your character to![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
ten_fwd from another game? If you are, which game?:No
If you answered yes above, briefly summarize how they were changed by and what challenges they faced in the climate of their previous game(s):
Why do you want to play this character in Ten Forward, and what do you plan to do with them? Sam is my favorite character from the series, but given the format, a lot of her time was spent being observed and written about, more than directly voiced. I'd like an opportunity to have the character do more, and interact with a wider variety of people. She's also a throwback in her native, steampunk setting - she'll be even more so here, and more so than most of the 21st century folks as well.
I'm hoping to start with the highly capable fish out of water, and interact with people from a wide variety of other fandoms and settings with her. In particular, I'd love to see a sparring session or two with Captain America, as well as chances to hopefully get a chance to shine on the occasional off-ship thing, if they occur due to plots, where she ends up more at home than the people used to civilization's comforts, kind of reversing the usual situation, if just for a little bit.
Writing Sample #1: (A letter from Sam to her father) : I was glad to get your last letter. All circumstances considered, didn't know when to write back or what to say. I definitely wasn't going to drop in without warning, and I still won't. Now, though, I have something I know we can talk about. I've found your Tizona thief. His name, apparently, is Cristobal Ramirez. I've now directly confronted him and seen the sword. The inscriptions are correct, and the man's skill is bolstered. This is where El Cid's blade went, all right. He certainly fights as if he believes its legend to be true, that in the hands of the worthy, the wielder cannot be defeated. Other stories have it that no man can defeat him, even though El Cid himself took the blade in a trial of combat. People have strange memories for legends. Perhaps someday the technicality of a woman's hand defeating a man will hold some water in a tale, but I don't want to risk it yet. Likewise, I don't think that thievery and disloyalty to his nation will be much proof that he was unworthy in the heads of most folk. He has some skill – that much is certain – and no lack of courage. With those things, he is near enough a match that I believe the sword still has the kind of enchantment that lingers about very old things: no matter how enlightened or advanced a nation thinks itself to be, the legend has power right up 'til someone disproves it. El Cid's story still has enough shine to it that a lot of folk still cling to it, and his sword is still a national treasure. The second that legend gets proven wrong, it will just be spendy but outdated blacksmithing. I keep diverting him off the others, and to myself. It's cost me the chance to get to York and put an end to his foolishness, but near as I can tell, that bit of fate lies with James Coltrane, once we get him back. Our fortuneteller's cards say so (clever stuff; tidier than tea leaves or Yoruba bones. I think you'd like her), and it seems right to me. For now, I'll keep stalemating the Spaniard and take my shots at the rest where I can. Until there is an opportunity to recover the blade without taking the shine off of its story, it's the best I can do. You said to me often enough, "The world is marching on, and as its marching, it's bringing along less and less of what makes it a magical place." The recovery of one of Spain's national treasures might help that a touch or two. A supposed British colonist being the one to bring it back to them might even go a long way towards pacifying them a bit. I know you're retired, off to study and whatever else it is you've found in New Orleans. Just now, I think I need to see this through. There's some good to be done with this crew. This chance and this challenge are too much to pass up. I'm sure you've also heard I had a hand in fighting the Spanish again. I argued against it the first time, but followed along when they put it to a vote. I have more stake with James Coltrane and his lot than I do with Spain. Besides, skirmishes with England might give some of the native tribes more time to figure a defense. That cause, at least, I can get behind. They're already talking about locals revolting in Argentina and parts of Mexico. Now that the war has started, I'd be of a mind to push them again to see it through, but York has captured James Coltrane, and that can't stand. Besides, he's got the Spaniard with him, which means the sword has headed south with them. All of that comes before a border skirmish that will resolve with or without us now that reinforcements are showing. On top of that, the fortuneteller says we need to keep moving to stay ahead of the storm. If the last storm she predicted was any indication, whether this one is literal or figurative, I'd just as soon not get caught in it. Yes, I got involved. I know you think I don't listen, but I do still follow plenty of your advice. I still check my boots in the morning: good habit even where there ain't so many spiders and scorpions. I still make sure I keep up with knowing Apache marks from the other tribes. And I ain't let any man's hand too near that didn't get a knife through it (still no inclination for them anyhow).
I just think this venture is worthwhile. Maybe when folks get a better look at what's out there, they'll appreciate it for more than thinking about who might have some gold. But whatever else we manage to be able to talk about or not, I wanted you to know I found out who stole the sword.
Regards, Sam
Your email:chasejyd@blarg.net
Another preferred means of contact:http://immutablysam.dreamwidth.org/454.html
Character's Full Name:Samantha Bowe
Character's Canon:the Dawn of Steam series
Character's Journal Name:ImmutablySam
What would you like your character's tag to be?:Sam Bowe
Answer the following questions in no less than 300 words but no greater than 1000 words put together...
Character's background (their past and present): Sam is older than she looks. She spent most of her life traveling the world with her father, Dr. Robert Bowe, whose travel journals became very popular in 1810s England and its colonies (within the alternate-historical Dawn of Steam timeline) as escapist literature. She was most at home with tribal cultures in the Americas and Australia, but those 'civilized' people who know of her think of her as an American colonist.
From the Summer of 1815 (well, the calendar called it Summer) to the Summer of 1819, she traveled with the crew of the airship Dame Fortuna to prove her father's work was not speculative fiction. On the way, they met with various unexpected murder attempts and accidentally started and/or finished a war or three. For personal reasons, Sam absolutely refuses to discuss anything that happened in her world after May 1817.
Character's personality: Sam Bowe is the sort of person who is more likely to volunteer for an apparent suicide mission than volunteer private information. She will not clear up any misconceptions about her gender, race, or age (which are very easy to make; passing is all about assumption and context) unless she finds it necessary, but jumping off of buildings or out of aircraft is entirely reasonable.
Sam has no interest in technology except for her pet autonomous ornithopter, Bubsy (see below), but doesn't object to those who like or need things like guns (or ...phasers, or whatever). She just needs more of a challenge than that, and is drawn to older methods in general.
Sam has something of a love-hate relationship with Western Civilization in general and can be pretty uncouth when she isn't just being quiet.
Sam has zero romantic or sexual interest in men and could theoretically get problematic in situations where this is not quickly understood.
Character's skills/abilities/powers:Sam's speed, reflexes, strength, sensory acuity and agility are at the highest possible level for a human woman. Her ability to recuperate from injury is somewhat beyond that, though she is certainly theoretically capable of being maimed or killed. She speaks dozens of languages with varying degrees of fluency, and is an extraordinarily well trained knife fighter, survivalist and athlete. Around most people, her abilities will appear virtually superhuman, if on a low-level basis, similar to Captain America or similarly borderline-enhanced/superbly trained individuals.
Sam is also a whole lot older than she looks. Her aging is greatly retarded, again about 1 year for every 5 to 7 that pass. This also helps inform the depth of some of her skills - she's had a lot of time to practice and learn.
Any special equipment your character is bringing along? This includes weaponry, magic items, etc.: Sam is accompanied by a small one-person flying machine, an ornithopter, made of wood, cloth, and an experimental metal which can imprint energy signatures. The ornithopter was accidentally and permanently imprinted with the energy signature of a sheepdog named Bubsy.
Sam also has lots and lots of knives.
Are you bringing your character to
ten_fwd from another game? If you are, which game?:NoIf you answered yes above, briefly summarize how they were changed by and what challenges they faced in the climate of their previous game(s):
Why do you want to play this character in Ten Forward, and what do you plan to do with them? Sam is my favorite character from the series, but given the format, a lot of her time was spent being observed and written about, more than directly voiced. I'd like an opportunity to have the character do more, and interact with a wider variety of people. She's also a throwback in her native, steampunk setting - she'll be even more so here, and more so than most of the 21st century folks as well.
I'm hoping to start with the highly capable fish out of water, and interact with people from a wide variety of other fandoms and settings with her. In particular, I'd love to see a sparring session or two with Captain America, as well as chances to hopefully get a chance to shine on the occasional off-ship thing, if they occur due to plots, where she ends up more at home than the people used to civilization's comforts, kind of reversing the usual situation, if just for a little bit.
Writing Sample #1: (A letter from Sam to her father) : I was glad to get your last letter. All circumstances considered, didn't know when to write back or what to say. I definitely wasn't going to drop in without warning, and I still won't. Now, though, I have something I know we can talk about. I've found your Tizona thief. His name, apparently, is Cristobal Ramirez. I've now directly confronted him and seen the sword. The inscriptions are correct, and the man's skill is bolstered. This is where El Cid's blade went, all right. He certainly fights as if he believes its legend to be true, that in the hands of the worthy, the wielder cannot be defeated. Other stories have it that no man can defeat him, even though El Cid himself took the blade in a trial of combat. People have strange memories for legends. Perhaps someday the technicality of a woman's hand defeating a man will hold some water in a tale, but I don't want to risk it yet. Likewise, I don't think that thievery and disloyalty to his nation will be much proof that he was unworthy in the heads of most folk. He has some skill – that much is certain – and no lack of courage. With those things, he is near enough a match that I believe the sword still has the kind of enchantment that lingers about very old things: no matter how enlightened or advanced a nation thinks itself to be, the legend has power right up 'til someone disproves it. El Cid's story still has enough shine to it that a lot of folk still cling to it, and his sword is still a national treasure. The second that legend gets proven wrong, it will just be spendy but outdated blacksmithing. I keep diverting him off the others, and to myself. It's cost me the chance to get to York and put an end to his foolishness, but near as I can tell, that bit of fate lies with James Coltrane, once we get him back. Our fortuneteller's cards say so (clever stuff; tidier than tea leaves or Yoruba bones. I think you'd like her), and it seems right to me. For now, I'll keep stalemating the Spaniard and take my shots at the rest where I can. Until there is an opportunity to recover the blade without taking the shine off of its story, it's the best I can do. You said to me often enough, "The world is marching on, and as its marching, it's bringing along less and less of what makes it a magical place." The recovery of one of Spain's national treasures might help that a touch or two. A supposed British colonist being the one to bring it back to them might even go a long way towards pacifying them a bit. I know you're retired, off to study and whatever else it is you've found in New Orleans. Just now, I think I need to see this through. There's some good to be done with this crew. This chance and this challenge are too much to pass up. I'm sure you've also heard I had a hand in fighting the Spanish again. I argued against it the first time, but followed along when they put it to a vote. I have more stake with James Coltrane and his lot than I do with Spain. Besides, skirmishes with England might give some of the native tribes more time to figure a defense. That cause, at least, I can get behind. They're already talking about locals revolting in Argentina and parts of Mexico. Now that the war has started, I'd be of a mind to push them again to see it through, but York has captured James Coltrane, and that can't stand. Besides, he's got the Spaniard with him, which means the sword has headed south with them. All of that comes before a border skirmish that will resolve with or without us now that reinforcements are showing. On top of that, the fortuneteller says we need to keep moving to stay ahead of the storm. If the last storm she predicted was any indication, whether this one is literal or figurative, I'd just as soon not get caught in it. Yes, I got involved. I know you think I don't listen, but I do still follow plenty of your advice. I still check my boots in the morning: good habit even where there ain't so many spiders and scorpions. I still make sure I keep up with knowing Apache marks from the other tribes. And I ain't let any man's hand too near that didn't get a knife through it (still no inclination for them anyhow).
I just think this venture is worthwhile. Maybe when folks get a better look at what's out there, they'll appreciate it for more than thinking about who might have some gold. But whatever else we manage to be able to talk about or not, I wanted you to know I found out who stole the sword.
Regards, Sam
