(no subject)

[glansande]

Player Information
» Name: Faith
» Date of Birth: 09/10/1980
» Journal: I tend to use LJ, and I go by kissangel there.
» Contact: AIM: LilyFae698; Y!: sunflowersaffron

Deity Information
» Pantheon: Norse
» Deity: Baldr
» Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldr
http://www.haxton.org/Baldr.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hel_%28goddess%29
» Divine Family: {mother & father} Frigg and Odin; {spouse} Nanna; {siblings} Hoðr, Hermond, Bragi, Tyr; {children} Forseti

» Mythology:

Baldr. Son of Odin and Frigg, something akin to a crosshatched Norse lovechild of Achilles and Jesus.

Baldr was, by most accounts, practically invincible. And pretty much loved by everybody. After he and his mother both had a premonition of his own demise (though did not have any details, and in some variations of the story, Odin is said to have had this dream), Frigg wanted to make sure that nothing would harm her boy. And so, she went to every living thing and made each swear that it would never harm Baldr. All, that is, except for mistletoe, which she deemed too young to uphold such a promise, or be able to do such harm. Leave it to Loki, the trickster, to construct a spear out of the unsworn mistletoe.

At a gathering of the Aesir, where the lot of them were taking turns throwing things at Baldr to see if one could possibly hurt him, Loki showed up with the weapon he had forged. He gave it to Baldr’s blind brother, Hoðr, who first objected to such a feat with the argument that he was blind. According to some accounts, Loki helped him guide the spear, while others state that Hoðr had thrown it himself and accidentally killed his brother. In any case, Loki headed for the hills and Hoðr was left to pay the price. He died at the hand of Vali, the spawn of Odin and the giantess Rindr.

Odin carried his son to the ship Hringhorni, where he was ceremoniously burned at sea. Before Baldr was set aflame, his father whispered something in his ear, though no one is entirely certain as to what it actually was. As Baldr burned, his wife, Nanna, threw herself onto the fire in her grief.

At the beseeching of Frigg for volunteers to ride into Hel to find Baldr, Hermóðr steps forward for the task. After finding him, he begs for the god’s release, explaining the grief that had befallen the Aesir at the loss of Baldr. Hel sends a message back with him to give, stating that all things dead or alive must grieve for Baldr. Should even one not shed a single tear or dismiss him in any way, then Baldr would remain with Hel. All things did show their love and truly wept for Baldr… except for one, Þökk, who ended up being Loki in disguise. Once discovered, the gods had Loki and Sigyn’s children killed, and bound the trickster to rocks with their entrails, stationing a deadly snake above that dripped its venom onto him. Eventually, Loki did escape and set the wheels of Ragnarok into motion.

Character Information
» Played By: Chris Evans
» Journal: Put the character's journal name here. shiningone
» Current Name: Sean Gregory
» Birthdate: 12/29/1981
» Height: 6’1”
» Distinguishing Marks: He wears glasses most of the time, but will occasionally wear contacts.
» Family: {mother & father} Elaine and Pierce Gregory; {marital status/spouse} Single; {siblings} None; {children} None; {pets} None
» Occupation: Currently unemployed (was a communications specialist for the Peace Corps)
» Currently Residing In: Palo Alto, CA
» Ability: Baldr is pretty much invulnerable to everything that would harm him. Aside from mistletoe, there really isn't much that can kill him (although some of the more modern technology can severely injure him). He’s also variously psychic, usually only through his dreams, and even then he has trouble deciphering just what these dreams mean. Especially when they come in bits and fragments, he has difficulty piecing them together.

In his god form, Baldr glowed. He has been referred to as ‘The Shining One’, though as a mortal this will apply more to his general charm rather than a physical shine. Even if he is as awkward or grumpy as can be, people will be drawn to him. It’s more subtle when he is in a foul mood, but it definitely shines through when he is pleasant.


» History:

Sean Harrison Gregory was born on a rather rainy California winter morning to one Pierce and Elaine Gregory, two kids fresh out of college and married shortly afterwards. It was strange how other nursery visitors commented on what a beautiful child he was and how the only other baby next to him seemed to sleep better.

He was a typical boy growing up. Running, jumping, climbing trees. Dirt, scrapes and various reptiles were pretty typical in the Gregory household, and Elaine Gregory enjoyed almost every minute of it (By almost, she considers the day he fell out of the neighbor's lemon tree one of the worst. There was a broken arm involved and she thought Pierce might have an aneurysm). Other than that and the few scuffles he managed to get into throughout the course of his life, things just seemed to sort of bounce off of him, for lack of a better term.

Sean made it through high school without too much issue. He seemed to get along with just about everyone, although it wasn't beyond him to get in a fight or three to protect a virtue or a potential nerdly head going into the toilet. His best friend could absolutely either be his wing man in these scuffles or be the start of some of these altercations, and it wasn't unheard of for Sean to meet his friend's face with a punch to the eye if he deserved it. He never really saw himself as a ladies' man, but he did seem to have an awful lot of invitations to homecoming, prom and whatever movie was new. One or two girls caught his fancy in those years, and for whatever reason they didn't seem to pan out. Puppy love seemed to work that way, didn't it? He ended up at Stanford, much like his parents had been, and managed a double major in Sociology and Business. And while he didn't find his One True Love in college to marry right out of school, Sean did end up meeting a pretty great girl by the name of Jehanne from South Africa when he decided to go join the U.S. Army right out of Stanford, wanting to do more with his life than just sit behind a desk for the entirety of his working career (despite the disapproval of his parents who tried to get him to stay out; they eventually relinquished and gave him the support he needed).

When his parents split, Sean's view on love became slightly skewed, despite the fact that it was as obvious as the nose on his face that his parents loved and cared for each other far more deeply than any two people had a right to do. He understood well, though: Mom had decided to start a business for herself to stay occupied after he started becoming more socially involved (amazing what a driver license will do) and Dad already had the business, but he seemed to lose sight of the bigger picture along the way. Sean had grown accustomed to his father being gone more often than not, but Pierce had always been there for him when he needed him and even at times when he didn't. As much as he loved his father, he also loved his mother and it pained him to see her not really alone per se (her friends, work and sometimes Sean's schedule kept her quite occupied), but she was lonely. It was a void that Sean knew he would never be able to fill.

Unfortunately, it was Sean's journey into the Army that brought him back to California, sans Jehanne, his job, and a good portion of his sanity. While taking some personal time in Morocco with his girl in a small cafe in a heavily-populated market district, a suicide bomber decided that it was the best place at the busiest time of day to want to do his part in the war. Jehanne was closest to the man when the blast ignited. Sean was at the counter paying their tab and had been far enough away to sustain severe, but non-mortal wounds to his arms, back and leg. He remembered asking about Jehanne when medical help arrived. He also remembered how he broke down when they told him she was gone, when her parents had been so generous to give to him Jehanne's very favorite ebony elephant charm she rarely went without, and when he said goodbye to them to come back home to California where he would have to figure his life out all over again, discharged from the Army and gifted with a Purple Heart.

» Personality: There’s a saying that goes something like, “They can really light up a room.” For Sean Gregory, this has always been true. Not only in the way he handles himself in a group situation, but there’s just something about him that seems to make the room a little brighter, a little more welcoming. Just ask his mother.

Sean, even as a child, was embracing of everyone. Even that new kid with the hearing aid and the little girl who always sat alone because she had a stutter, part of that stemming from some of the teasing he did receive upon the acquirement of glasses at about age 7. The other part, well, he was just born with. He can be overly pleasant, to a fault, but is ready to take on the bigger guy with all the piss and vinegar he can muster--and being his father’s son, there's quite a lot to be mustered. He began working out in high school as a way to keep himself sane with the stress of school, of his parents having their varying but constant fights and the world in general. He runs every morning and will still lift weights if he's got a set handy. By no means does this make him a meathead. He'll brush off insults with either a laugh or a zinger of his own but has been known to be in the occasional fight in the defense of someone else. His mother once asked him why he came home with black eyes and bloodied lips (he once broke two fingers with a missed punch). He said, "It keeps the both of us on our toes."

He's far from a goody two-shoes, but he tends to be polite in most situations. He's a guy, so a dirty mind isn't lost on him by any means; he's just got the proper comment filter on at all times. He's a gentleman when he needs to be because if he wasn't, his parents would likely have his ass, and he's 31 years old. And like every kid (no matter how old), his parents drive him crazy, especially when they don't talk or when they argue about stupid things and he somehow plays occasional mediator. He has the work ethic of his mother and the tenacity of his father. Sean learned long ago to balance work and relationships, even with coworkers and those that he aids when he takes his tours with the Peace Corps, as a result of his father putting his mother on the back burner more often than not for his job. And while Sean loves his job in the corporate portion of the program, it's the people that they do this for that calls him to do what he does.

By nature, Sean is a guy who tends to love life in general and has learned to never take things for granted. When he's happy, it's something he tries to share. He's earned the gift of a long fuse for his temper, but once it's set off he's ready to take anyone and anything on. This is generally achieved by speaking poorly of his mother, being a horrible person to his friends or to those who cannot readily defend themselves and sometimes it's not even worth his time to deal with a person of that nature. Sean picks and chooses his fights, some are chosen for him, but he'll back down if he's ever in the wrong.

There's not much by the way of music he doesn't enjoy, but like most folks, there's always a few things that get under his skin (and not in a good way... for instance: Don't ever call Avril Lavigne 'punk'). He's surprisingly good at dancing though he doesn't often advertise, but has been known to cut a rug after a few drinks. He's a pretty cheap date (but he'll never treat someone as a cheap date), happy with just sitting and talking over coffee or a Coney Dog or variations thereof, and realized early on that the people that want you and tell you to spend the most money on them are the ones that are worth the walk-away.

After a horrific and (to say the least) traumatic incident while Sean was spending time in Morocco, he's had to come home, diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He's been more guarded, a little more quiet than usual. He still attempts to be himself and most days he does all right when he's with others, but being alone for too long can wreak havoc on his psyche. Sometimes getting inside one's own head is not a good thing. The nightmares have overtaken more pleasant dreams and because of it he's not been sleeping particularly well. Sean has kept a good chunk of his inner pain to himself as he heals physically, but he's likely to be a bit more short with his temper. He'll occasionally take walks at any time of the day or night, feeling as though his soul needs more searching.

» Other Notes: He speaks some conversational Arabic and German and has a habit of chewing on pens when he’s thinking.

» Sample Journal:

Walking casts really are just made for dragging. Pretty sure I’ve never felt more like Quasimodo as I do with crutches and a boot. suchbullshit

Also: Just putting this out there, but does anyone have any leads on gainful employment? Previously employed in communications all the good it did me Thought I'd ask before I pound the pavement and classifieds in other cities and states. Lack of a car hinders a lot Thanks in advance.

» Sample Log:
The dream had been the same the past few nights.

"I love you," he said before Jehanne's skin turned black and bloody, part of her lovely face missing as the skin melted away from sinew and bone.

Tonight had been no different. Sean was exhausted, but wide awake and tired of his failing attempts to sleep. He was beginning to rethink the sleep aid and anti-anxiety meds that he'd turned down. As much as he tried, Sean realized that he was having one hell of a time trying to keep up the outer 'I'm Okay!' facade. He'd known that his sleep would likely be affected without help, but his snapping at his mother's insistence to actually eat more than half a French fry at lunch made him retreat inwardly. He didn't say a word to her on the way back to his father's and was mildly content in locking himself away for the rest of the night.

Sean stood on the balcony and looked out at the early morning world--what he could see of it without corrective lenses. It was quiet, aside from the light wind rustling the leaves and the sound of the ocean some miles away. He wondered how his life would have gone if he had stayed in California. Would he have been happier? Would Jehanne still be alive, even though they would have likely never met? It was difficult to say as many 'what ifs' and philosophical questions at five in the morning tended to be.

He found his way to one of his father's insanely nice patio chairs and eased himself into it, his leg and chest starting to bother him. The injuries Sean had endured were healing more slowly than he would have liked. He had the itch to go running, which is really hard to do with a broken leg, and not being able to do something that was a daily ritual made him feel sunk.

Maybe he could half-enjoy the sunrise. Never mind that it was the last thing he wanted to do.

His hand ran over his face. Where the fuck were his glasses? "On the bed with that book you were reading, dipshit," he muttered to himself and the morning.

[Canon update 7/23/17]