Leia Organa

Player Name: Kris
Player E-mail: thisgray [ at ] gmail.com
Instant message contact (AIM/MSN/etc): N/A
Plurk (if applicable): cityoflight
Is the player at least 18 years of age? Yes

Character's Full Name: Princess Leia Organa
Canon Star Wars
PB/Actor: Carrie Fisher
Character's Starting Level: Undecided for now
Character Age: Early thirties
Physical Description: Princess Leia stands at 5’1” with a slender build. She has brown hair and brown eyes.
Character's Species/Race (aka human, elf, dragonblood human, etc): Human

Character History (Pre-Veil): Wiki link
Post Veil History:
Leia came through the veil on her search for her children, landing in northern Scotland. Her memories of the last decade were erased, recalling that she was traveling aboard her ship, the Tantive IV, and somehow ended up in a strange, new land. Distressed by her current predicament, Leia got herself into quite a bit of trouble in her first few days, demanding answers from people who had none to offer, and incurring backlash from those who didn’t think kindly of her kind. Her intelligence served her well, and Leia quickly realized that she had to travel, and adapt to her new surroundings if she was going to get any answers. It took quite some time to learn about the nature of the new world she’d found herself in, but as she traveled further south and met Sir Colin Banks, Leia gradually became less discontent with her present circumstances and began to see the potential for lending her assistance while she remained in this world. Her desire to be with her family again would never wane, yet after spending a year in this world, she was eager to help the Knights when approached, seeing it as her chance to assist and lead, and not wanting to be idle and simply bemoan her unexpected circumstances.

Chosen Canon Point: After her children are kidnapped in The Crystal Star and she launches a rescue mission to find them.

Personality and Psychology:
Princess Leia has always been a driven, passionate leader. She never backs down from a challenge, and is always eager to help. Growing up, Leia shirked her duties as princess somewhat, more of a tomboy and interested in adventure than her regal duties. As she grew and her father became involved with the Rebellion, she began to seriously take on a leadership role within the Alliance, hoping to help defeat the Galactic Empire.

Some of Leia’s biggest fears include failure and loss. She has been raised her entire life to guide, she’s been shaped and molded into being someone who can help people by assuming a position of authority, and she never wants to be the person responsible for something failing. Oftentimes, failure goes hand in hand with loss, and she fears something happening to anyone else as a result of her deficiencies as a leader.

What motivates Leia?
Leia is primarily driven by her loyalty to those she cares about or leads, her duties (in various roles, as princess, Senator, etc.), and her desire to help others. She is deeply passionate about her family, and though she lost her adoptive parents and so many relatives and friends upon the destruction of Alderaan, Leia forms a deep bond with Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, both of whom become part of her surrogate family (and, eventually, actual family).

Influences
It seems Leia was largely influenced by her adoptive parents, who raised her in a loving environment on Alderaan. As they were involved in politics, some of the people with whom her parents interacted also played a part in Leia’s development. She was tutored in political and diplomatic affairs by Mon Mothma, and the two maintained a close relationship as Leia grew up. Another big influence on Leia as she was growing up was her adopted sister, Winter, whom Leia’s parents took in after Winter’s parents were killed. Growing up, Winter was a comfort for Leia, as well as a confidant, and their relationship strengthened as they aged.

Strengths
Leia is tenacious, passionate, and loves fiercely. She will do anything to protect and take care of others, and despite her sometimes hard-edged facade, she has a warm and loving heart. She manages to be both strong, yet vulnerable when it comes to love, allowing herself to open up to Han even in a time of war, knowing that each day is an uncertainty and they could lose each other in an instant. She puts the needs of others far above what she wants or needs, sometimes to her detriment, especially when she takes on a leadership role in the New Republic.

She can often be fearless, as in the case of her imprisonment at the hands of Vader and Tarkin on the first Death Star. Even knowing what they’re fully capable of doing to her, she employs snark and conveys an unflappable demeanor, and does her best to protect her people on Alderaan, though her efforts are tragically unsuccessful.

Leia has a bold, forthright, “take charge” personality, seen when Han and Luke attempt to “rescue her” on the Death Star, and she turns the tables on them, with no qualms about being the one to lead. She doesn’t want or need anyone to take care of her, and she has a strong, unwavering personality, very much a force of nature. It serves her well especially in times of crisis, when she can be the voice of wisdom, the anchor while others around her might be uncertain and full of doubt.

Weaknesses
Because Leia is often so determined to take care of herself, this leads to a stubbornness which can be far more destructive than useful. In matters of diplomacy and things that affect other people, Leia is wise enough to know when she needs to turn to allies. When it comes to herself, especially where it concerns emotional turmoil, Leia buries her feelings, not wanting to risk being perceived as vulnerable. Burying her feelings can make it hard for others to get closer to her, beyond a superficial level. Even with Luke, we see that they enjoy a close bond, yet it takes time even between them for Leia to relinquish the carefully constructed hold on her emotions, to let him in beyond a superficial level. It seems during the Rebellion, much of her reluctance to get close to anyone is rooted in fear; she’s already lost so much with the destruction of Alderaan that she’s afraid to have to deal with that kind of loss again.

Her outward personality can be somewhat aloof with people she doesn’t know if she can trust, or if she feels like she doesn’t want to risk getting close. At times, she can come across as gruff, even cold, when she’s simply trying to maintain a level of detachment which will allow her to be an effective leader.

Memories Retained or Lost: Leia remembers her life on Alderaan, and enlisting to help in the struggle against the Galactic Empire, but she knows nothing of her life with Luke or Han, nothing of her marriage to Han and their children together.

Powers and Abilities:
Leia is capable of self-defense, able to wield a blaster/gun and lightsaber (despite not remembering that she can) and can fly. She is also force sensitive, she can sense the presence of others who are Force sensitive, and has strong telekinetic powers through the Force, though again, she won’t remember this at first.

Roleplay Samples

Link to a sample of your character in action:
Link!

And additional sample:

The loss of Alderaan will always be with her, but the intense pain has waned as time has gone on, and she’s grateful that she can finally catch her breath again, that thoughts of her parents don’t immediately compel the urge to cry. She managed to maintain her composure in those early days immediately after her entire planet had been decimated, simply because there was so much to focus on, and letting herself be sad for even a moment would meant forfeiting her control, and potentially unraveling her entirely.

She allows herself a few private moments to grieve now and then, but enough time has passed that she can remember her parents with fondness, that recalling their faces elicits a smile instead a deluge of sadness. Opening up to Luke and allowing herself to truly care for him has helped to heal a part of her soul, but the person who scares her the most is Han Solo. He’s an enigma to her, a man who at first seemed not to care for anyone but himself, yet he’s stayed with the Rebellion, helping them, never once relenting in his banter and flirtation with her. She knows how easily she could give into him, and that’s precisely why she so often espouses a more abrasive demeanor with him, hoping he’ll simply relent. She fears that she’ll give into him, and fears even more what allowing herself to be attached to him will do to her. She won’t be as objective as she needs to be, her thoughts will be weighed more heavily with worry for him, whereas now she can do so in private.

If she wavers for just a moment, Han will sense it, he’ll know that she cares for him far more than she wants to admit to anyone but herself, and when he comes up to her with a bright grin, she feels her heart clench in her chest, though outwardly, he’s met with nothing more than a tight, stoic face:

“What is it now, Captain?”

Link to a sample of your prose writing style:
Ficlet here

Any other important information (including special inventory items in their possession): N/A

Why do you think this character would join/work with the Knights?
Leia is someone who needs to be busy, she needs to be helping, and even if she’s not the one leading, she wants to be contributing to something important. Being in another world is initially distressing, but once she finally accepts that this is where she needs to be, she doesn’t want to turn down the chance to help others and make some sort of difference.

Do you have a preference for which NPC brought in your character? No.