Characterisation isn't always an easy task and at times we can all be very quick to brush over character development. But being able to know your character better than you know yourself lets you play with all sorts of aspects of the character that you might not have known existed before! And it certainly makes RPing a heck of a lot more fun when you can really show off just how realistic and interesting your character is.

So to help you all along, I thought I might just put up some questions for you all to chew on! You can post your answers below if you want and you can answer the questions in 1st person or 3rd person as you wish. This exercise revolves around self-perception and hopefully after exploring what your character thinks of themselves, you'll be able to explore further how your character interacts with others!

And so let's begin!

SELF-PERCEPTION 

• If your character had to describe themselves in 1 word , what would it be?
• Take a look at your personality and appearance in your app and write 1 paragraph description for your personality and 1 for your appearance in the point of view of your character. Be sure to note what your character notices and misses and how they view certain traits.
  
• What does your character consider their best and worst physical characteristics?  
  
• What does your character consider their best and worst personality characteristics?
  
• Are these realistic assessments? If not, why not?
  
• How do they think others perceive them?
• What would they most like to change about themselves? Why?
  
• If these changes were made, would your character be as happy as they think? If not, why not?
  

Just one word,that's not fair,it takes multiple words to sum me up. But if I could only chose one word,other than the obvious choice of the word strange, I guess I would pick...complex.

I guess I'm a handful,huh?
I don't think it causes any harm to others the way that I am....but...am I too different? I always give everyone such a hard time,it's a wonder that they enjoy my presence. I look funny too...it makes me wonder what my parents looked like. Why am I so dark? I have short brown hair,freshly cut by my blade. My skin is like that of elk,warm,light brown. My eyes are said to be quite interesting indeed,they are brown...unlike the usual gray and blue,makes me wonder if I'm somehow broken. If I have a genetic defect.....,did my parents look like this? I'm tall for my age,at least I think so...
I am slightly mischievous,I can't help it. It entertains me when I'm bored beyond compare. I'm...I'm... HEY! Who wrote that I was insecure there?! I don't want people knowing that....ahem. I love music and all that goes with it,singing,dancing,I don't think I'm very special but others say I perform with a certain grace.......aren't all elves graceful?

I think my worst trait is my eyes,they are so useless, they aren't pretty like the others...and I can't see as far or as well at night,other than basic seeing I'm pretty much blind compared to other elves. My best trait....do I have one..... I...I guess... I would say my hair...I like the fact that it never gets in the way...and it falls perfectly around my face.

My worst personality trait is..my stubbornness,I have moments when I now it would be better off for me just to submit and listen but every fiber in my being tells me to do what I please. My best trait is my view towards nature...I love the way the fresh wind,water,the sounds of little wood creatures make me feel,I become so happy.

These are realistic but ette fails to notice her strong points,or that she's indifferent and slightly prone to liking creepy things.

I think the others only see me as a unfortunate child,I have no parents,and I'm so different. They take pity on me and try to make me feel happy..but....do any of them really care about me?

Sometimes I wish I was normal,that I had a normal family,looked like the others, wore my hair long. I feel so outside of the loop with the way I am now,I don't understand half the problems that other people have.

But....I like the way I am now,it makes me special...unlike any other,a rebel to the core. My situation with my parents is like a quest. Everyday I face a different trail and each step gets me closer to my goal...... It gives me reason...a purpose to be who I am

If your character had to describe themselves in 1 word , what would it be?

Hmm... One word... Well I'd possibly say brave. I haven't always made the wisest of choices and my pride has gotten in the way before... but I've never been afraid to at least stand up for what I thought was right.


Take a look at your personality and appearance in your app and write 1 paragraph description for your personality and 1 for your appearance in the point of view of your character. Be sure to note what your character notices and misses and how they view certain traits.


Well I think first and foremost, in comparison to the Elves in Arda, I'm definitely a lot taller. Which was quite the change having being used to looking up to all of my mother's kin on the slopes of Taniquetil and being of a fairly standard height back in the Tirion, my height was never anything that stuck out until I returned to Arda. I have to say if they ever met Nelyo, I'd just laugh myself to death. Erestor would probably only reach his stomach (What an adorable thought though...). But I have to say, it's a lot of fun being taller than the others, makes you feel more important (Ingwë probably gets it a lot too)

Having lived as long as myself isn't really something to brag about for I've seen many dark times and watched my friends fall before my eyes but it does mean that I can do something none of the others can do back in Rivendell: GLOW (Well there are a select few who can glow but they don't pull it off as well as I do and they're nowhere near as bright as me).

But my best-known trait is my hair. And yes... it is as beautiful as the stories say (probably more so). It's same the gold colour that my Amilyë had and the radiant glow only adds to it. I do have to spend a while brushing it in the mornings and evenings though... All that running around makes it a little knotty and sometimes I find all sorts of things from Trollshaw in there. I don't like braiding it... Ecthelion didn't like it braided and neither do I- but I've taken to sometimes braiding back the two strands at the front for practical purposes. Though if you ask me, a silver circlet is much prettier.

What feels a little weird though is that after I got my body back... I lost all my scars and wounds from the battles I had lived through. And I know that sounds like a really good thing. But thing is that I know they're there. I just can't see them. And it'll be on one of those days that it starts to hurt and I can't really describe the pain.. It stings at times as though it was being damaged in that instant but there's nothing there. And I'm not going to lie but I've been through one or two mirrors on days like that.


What does your character consider their best and worst physical characteristics?


Well my best trait would be my hair. Amilyë would spend ages brushing it at night time and it is my most recognisable features (Just about every epessë I'm given mentions it). Ecthelion liked it too, he would often say that it reminded him of the small yellow buttercups that grew in Yavanna's Pastures back when we lived in the bliss of Valinor.
As for my worst trait, I can only think of how how smooth my skin is and almost how foreign it feels, even now. Doesn't sound that bad I know, but it feels awful to remember how you got non-existent scars.


What does your character consider their best and worst personality characteristics?


I was asked to describe myself in one word above, and I'm going to put down bravery again for my best trait. The Valar know that there are many times when I've been scared in my life and I'm by no means fearless. I sometimes wonder whether it would be easier to just live comfortably in Imladris for the rest of my days, rather than facing my fears of losing those closest to me and losing my own life. But when I see what a difference it makes to go out there and fight for good and what's right, it makes me proud to have been able to put my fears aside and pick up the sword to help others.
My worst trait would be my pride. Amilyë always said that being proud of your work was good but too much pride was dangerous.. I suppose I never took that to heart until my pride had already landed me in a lot of trouble and it's very, very difficult to become modest after feeding your arrogance for years...

Are these realistic assessments? If not, why not?


Glorfindel has a tendency to think see most things through rose-tinted glasses and often when he looks at his own traits, he sees himself a little better than he really is and tends to brush over a lot of the smaller flaws and exaggerate some of his lesser strengths. But on the whole, it's not a bad assessment as he is aware of his bigger and more important flaws.


How do they think others perceive them?


Well, let's be honest- I don't have a lot of enemies who aren't servants of Mairon and that's because I'm a good person and I care about other people. I know what a lot of people think about me because it's they'll often write about me in songs and stories and just about all of it is positive stuff. There's the occasional sourpuss I come across (...like Erestor) but they just need a little more time to know me before they warm up to me. 


What would they most like to change about themselves? Why?


It's a strange question because I always ramble on about how I would like to be young again and be able to remember what it's like not to be burdened with thousands of years of experience. But if I was given the option, I don't think I would want that actually- my experiences have made me who I am and I wouldn't want to relive the initial shock of realising that immortality is not as great a gift as you once thought it to be.
When I think about it, what I'd really like most of all is to be the kind of person that would make Erestor proud to have me at his side. I can't really think of anything that I would need more than that. But I don't think that's something I would want changed about me, I think that's something that I'd want to do myself. It's something I'd want to show Erestor myself... because if I'm old enough to give out any advice, it's that all you really need to survive is just one person that truly loves you. 


If these changes were made, would your character be as happy as they think? If not, why not?


It would keep him happy to the end of Arda to know that he made Erestor truly happy. Everything else isn't really that important.