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P L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: Shea
OOC Journal:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
laceandlaudanum
Under 18?: Over
Email + IM: Sheawheatleyb@gmail.com, Ophelia.Drowns @AIM
Characters Played at Ataraxion: n/a
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Éponine Thénardier
Canon: Les Misérables
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Her death at the barricades
Number: 317
Setting: Look down, look down
History: ONCE UPON A TIME IN 19TH CENTURY FRANCE, the people were revolting. Quite often, leading to a lot of bad jokes. Louis XVIII had died, cake was eaten, Napoleon had fallen in Waterloo and was exiled, and Charles X was a terrible king. The poor were starving, there was no bread, property prices were sky rocketing, and it was a terrible time to be French. People were dying, and poverty was everywhere. The polluted water gave way to sickness and disease, and it was clear that it was time for a change. In 1830, Charles was overthrown as king thanks to the July Revolution, and a new system of government was installed. A constitutional monarchy.
Two years later, students do what students will do, and decided that Occupy: Barricade was a really good idea. This is the story of a girl who just happened to pass by the revolution.
Eponine Thenardier was born in Montfermeil, France, a suburb of Paris, the oldest child to the Thenardiers. The Thenardiers ran an inn called the Sergeant at Waterloo, where they used unsavory methods to cheat their patrons out of their money.
When she was three-years-old, her mother took in a girl her same age known as Cosette as a ward. Cosette was the bastard daughter of a woman named Fantine, who couldn't afford to take care of Cosette herself. As such, she asked the Thénardiers to take Cosette, and agreed to send them money monthly to pay for her cost of living.
Even though she was so young, Cosette was treated terribly. Though she was a ward of the Thenardiers, she played the role of servant, whipping boy, scapegoat, and dog. Learning from example, Eponine treated Cosette in the same manner, hardly recognizing her as a person. On the other side of things, Eponine was doted on by her parents, firmly believing their eldest daughter could do no wrong.
When Eponine turned seven, a man arrived and took Cosette away, after paying the Thenardiers the debts that Fantine obeyed. With 1500 Francs in their pockets, the Thenardiers only grew greedier, and as such, their debt grew, and soon lost the inn.
The family of five was forced to relocate to Paris, to the slums of San Michele under the assumed surname of Jondrette, in hopes of finding their fortune. They did not find fortune, however, but instead, fell further and further into poverty. M. Thenardier fell in with one of Paris' notorious gangs, Patron-Minette, and dragged his family in along with him. It was all they could do to stay alive. Eponine played many roles in Patron-Minette, from a look-out to a distraction, and often found herself using her particular talents on her father's behest. Eponine and her sister would bring letters to assumedly wealthy members of Parisian society, begging for money under various pseudonyms, and would themselves be offered up to be used however saw fit in exchange. Eponine was every bit as much of a member of the seedy underbelly of Paris as her father.
When Eponine was seventeen, she met a young man named Marius Pontmercy, and fell in love. In an effort to become closer to him, she brought him to his love's home (who happened to be Cosette), then when she was forced to go away, hid the letter she left for Marius and followed him to the barricades in order to get him killed.
Now, a bit more about these barricades. In June of 1832, a group of students called the Amis de L'ABC decided they were tired of living in a democracy, they wanted to return France to the beautiful republic it had once been. When General Lamarque, a wealthy aristocrat who had spoken out for the poor, lay dying, they began to plot, figuring out what to do next. It was when his death was announced that it was decided. On the day of funeral, they would rebel, taking to the streets and urging the people to join them to take back the France they knew and loved. The leader was a young man named Enjolras, and he was flanked by his lieutenants, Courfeyrac and Combeferre. Other members of this group included the drunken Grantaire, romantic Jehan Prouvaire, unlucky Bahorel, hypochondriac Joly, poor Polish Batman Feuilly, and rowdy Bahorel. They were joined by a young boy whom idolized these young gents and had been taken in by them as a friend named, oh, right, Gavroche Thenardier. On June 5th, they took to the streets, creating barricades all over the city. But the National Guard was prepared. The National Guard was ordered not to use violence. But the Amis saw otherwise, and so, the National Guard fired upon them. At first, they appeared to be holding strong, but come morning, the people of France had not risen as they had hoped, leaving them abandoned. When the fighting stopped, every man who had taken arms against oppression lay dead, along with their dream. Toldja it was Occupy: Barricade.
Now that you know the future, it's easy to enjoy the present.
At the barricade, Eponine, disguised as a boy, joined in the revolution. She didn't care for the cause, but rather only wanted to get herself killed along side Marius. She took a bullet for him, in order to die first so that she wouldn't have to live without him. She died in his arms, using her last breath to tell him she loved him.
Personality: Eponine Thenardier is not an easy girl to describe. Though she's quite young, she's gone through more hardships than most people in their lives should ever have gone through. Having been raised by a rather aristocratic-for-the-small-town family in Montfermeil, France, very early on in life, she lost everything she'd had, and was forced to leave the comfortable life her family had, in favor of the slums of Paris. It's there that Eponine changed from the spoiled, bratty girl to the damaged, bright young woman that exists today. This drastic change is something she will always remember, and makes her all the more aware and angry at her living situation. She used to be well-off, she used to be beautiful, and now, like Cosette had been, she's simply the scum of the street.
Eponine has no sense of morals, understandably, given that she'd been raised at her father's knee, learning to charge the patrons of the inn for absolutely everything. This then translated to proper theft in Paris, when her father fell in with a gang of layabouts, the Patron-Minette. Eponine, as the eldest Thenardier child, came in quite often to do their work, playing distraction, look-out, or even taking part in their schemes. Eponine is fearless, for she's seen the worst of people, and the worst side of life, and knows she can take it. This is something she's quite proud of, and has no qualms about sharing. What does she have to fear, anyway? She knows her life has no meaning or great purpose, and recognizes that death would be a wonderful relief to her.
She's proud, in a strange sort of way, of who she is, just as much as she is ashamed of herself. The shame, however, comes in from comparing herself to the wealthy people around her, and daydreaming about lives she will never have, but could have once belonged to her. Within all of this, she has grown to hate herself, and her lot in life. Shortly before her death, when she was called an angel, she corrected the man, informing him that she was indeed the devil. And she believes it. She sees no reason to live most days, and has even spoken openly about the desire to kill herself. The only thing keeping her, as she told Marius, was the thought that the water was too cold for her to drown herself. It's also important to understand that, given her Roman Catholic upbringing, suicide is considered a sin, and will surely condemn her soul to Hell. Additionally, suicide is against the law in France, and if her last act in life is to commit a crime, she'd rather avoid it. Her inherent death wish has turned her into a bold young woman, who will not let anything stand in her way. Furthermore, this colors Eponine as a very selfish young woman. She will bring pain to others in order to relieve hers (though she does not believe anyone will care if she does, and, truth be told, no one does), and doesn't care for the wants of any others. When she sees something she wants, she will destroy everything she can to get it. If she's going down, she will bring the world with her.
She's seen the way the other half lives, and she hates it, filling her with bitterness. She envies them, but somewhere within all of that, she loathes these people for having what she can't have. Not because she's never had it, but because she once had dolls and kittens and fine woolen petticoats, and now, she remains dressed in threadbare rags with no shoes to call her own save those which her family shared amongst themselves. While her parents have made part of their living soliciting wealthy aristocrats for money, Eponine, if left to her own devices, will refuse it. She'd rather steal then have someone give something to her, because it implies that she needs help and that only they can help her. Eponine is extremely capable of helping herself. If she was in a bad position that she didn't want to be in, she would leave. She'd fight her way out, tooth and nail, and refuse to play the victim. She's poor, and terrible, but she has some pride left over. Eponine does not need a hero, because she's going to save herself.
Living in such poor conditions, Eponine spent the majority of her life alone. She had no one to relate to, save her mother and younger sister, and longs for someone she can call a companion. When she finds someone that will speak to her, she'll prattle on for hours and hours, dogging their steps to simply be near them. She creates relationships in her head that aren't truly there, desperate for friendship and companionship. For example, her relationship with Marius. She asks him immediately to call her 'thou', which, at the time, was the informal way of addressing a person (this is still seen in languages other than English, such as Spanish, where you have the informal tu, and the formal usted.) She sees a friendship that does not exist, and loves him dearly. Were she to ever make any other sort of friends, she would assign similar roles to those people. She's a strange woman, with no decent way to express these emotions, and subsequently, comes off as too strong, or even delusional.
She is, of course, delusional in some ways. Living in poverty, Eponine hasn't seen a proper meal since she can remember. The hunger often effects her by giving her hallucinations. In order to starve off the hunger, she turns to drink, which only, in the end, makes everything worse and causes Eponine to be extremely mentally unstable. Her unstable living environment, and abusive upbringing in Paris has only made matters worse.
Having gone from having so much to having nothing at all, Eponine has turned into a very selfish young woman. If she wants something, she will not let anything stand in her way until she gets it. The reason she went to the barricade, in the first place, after all, was to die alongside the man she loved, believing that if she couldn't have him, no one else will. In order to do this, she hid the letter that his beloved had given to her to give to him, and manipulated him into going to the barricade, too, with suicide in mind. The only reason Eponine even attempted to stop the bullet from killing him was because she didn't want to live in a world without him, and knew he would die shortly after she fell.
And yet, Eponine is friendly, for all her quirks. She likes to speak to people, even if it oversteps boundaries. Having been conversing with men since she was younger, she finds it easiest to flirt with them in order to achieve conversation (or whatever ends it is she wants). She's been around, to put it politely, which, in 19th century France, was rather frowned upon. But she is under no illusion that she's beautiful. She isn't. She's skinny and starved, but, like everything else, Eponine refuses to let that hold her down. But within this, she is vain. When she finds a mirror, she will spend time admiring her reflection, as she so often did in Marius' apartment in Gorbeau House. She once had the best dresses her family could afford, and would be all too happy to go back to that once again.
The reason Eponine is so fixated on Marius is that, to her, he symbolizes what she could have. He is a handsome, well-dressed and educated young man, whom she finds extremely kind and friendly. Though she can tell he pities her, she finds him intriguing, unaware of the Thenardier/Pontmercy connection. To her, he is a beacon of hope, and she longs for anyone to treat her the way he treats Cosette. She tends to latch on to any sort of kindness that is offered her way, confusing it for love and affection. As such, she has focused her affections on Marius, though he does not return them. This also explains her relationship with Montparnasse, a brutal murderer and thief, who somehow has fond Eponine under his skin. She likes spending time with him and enjoying his carnal affections, though it is not the love she believes she can get from Marius. But it will do.
And she does love him. A lot. He's the man she would do anything for, just to be noticed by him. Like Helena in Midsummer Nights Dream declares, "[…]for this intelligence/ if I have any thanks it is a dear expense/ for herein mean I to enrich my pain/ to have his sight thither and back again," Eponine will do anything for Marius' attention. She tells him where Cosette is living in order to get him to speak to her, to be impressed by her, and ignores all social cues that seem to be radiating off of him. Many people who do not understand Eponine tend to claim that she's Les Mis' version of the Nice Guy meme, when in fact, that's the opposite. Marius, despite what she believes, is not her friend. He does not owe her anything. Eponine is delusional in the depths of their relationship, and means nothing to him. They are not friends, so there is no 'friend zone' to put her in. A 'casual acquaintances that creep me out but provide me with valuable information' zone, maybe, but not a friend zone. That does not mean that he means nothing to her. She would die without him, and is content to do so. And when she is going to lose him to Cosette, she will do whatever she can to keep him, or ensure that, if she can't have him, no one else will.
Eponine has little love for her family. Though she once loved her parents, as they loved her, they've caused her so much pain that they no longer mean much to her, though they all rely on each other to remain alive. at the time of her death, the only one she truly cares about is Gavroche, whom no longer even lives with the Thenardiers. When she noticed him as she lay dying, she told Marius to make sure he didn't see, because he would only scold her for being at the barricade in the first place. She recognizes that perhaps she was not the best sister to him, and that she was wrong in that.
And as for Cosette, Eponine cannot stand her. Outwardly, if they were to properly meet again, she would play the role of the friend, but secretly plan her destruction every step of the way. Cosette is the reason her family is in poverty, if you ask her. Cosette is the reason she had to go to the barricade to kill herself and Marius. Cosette is unworthy of this happiness that she has received, and Eponine cannot stand the fact that their places have been switched. The Lark should be plucked free of all of it's feathers, then let them see how much Marius loves her.
Though much of her personality seems to be contradictory, this in and of itself is very characteristic of Eponine herself. She's hard to predict, and is often subject to the whims of her emotions at any given time. She will scream and yell at you, or sing in the middle of a robbery or in public with no shame at all, but then she'll blush to be seen without a shawl at the same time. It's been hypothesized that, had Eponine been alive in modern times, she would be a strong candidate for borderline personality disorder. Eponine is wild, Eponine is free, and Eponine is as terrible as she is loving. And she will never make any excuses for it.
Given that Eponine's death was very much an assisted suicide, the news that she now remains somewhere between death, life, and dreaming, will be met with great cautiousness. While it's better than life (anything is better than her life), it's still not ideal. She's likely to equate it to purgatory or some such, given her Roman Catholic upbringing. At first, the understanding will likely be pushed to the side in favor of dealing with everything new. She may laugh or cry when the realization of it all finally hits her, and certainly drink-, but her death was one she welcomed. Still, the question is why is she still here, in this strange world when she'd so desperately craved death? What did she do to deserve this fate? Is it punishment, or a reward?, Or is it something else? Is this finally what death is? and she's going to be eager to find out the answer to these questions. What will hit her the hardest, however, is news of her brother's death. Though he, too, is here, her guilt at forcing him to watch her die, and that she hadn't been able to spare him from such a life will certainly weigh heavily on her.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Eponine is an impoverished, starving young woman from 19th Century France. Let's think about that for a second. Truth be told, for her position in life, she's quite adept. Not only is she capable of reading and writing (which is extremely surprising given her social status), but she's a skilled thief, having used those abilities to get by on the streets for the past nine years. Given that she was raised on her father's knee in Montfermiel, and the movie musical shows Thénardier teaching her the ways of running a crooked business, it can be assumed that Eponine has a surprising talent for math.
She has a basic knowledge of 19th century firearms, given her part in the June Rebellion.
She also is able to scare off large groups of grown men by being one scary ass lady.
Inventory: -One (1) mens shirt, covered in her own blood
-One (1) large brown coat, also covered in her own blood
-One (1) lovely brown hat.
-One (1) brown belt
-One (1) pair overly large mens shoes.
-One (1) pair of mens pants, also covered in her own blood.
-One (1) length of cheesecloth, used for binding her breasts, obviously covered in her own blood, but wow, someone should have cut that thing off because dying is HARD when you can't even properly breath.
-One (1) obsession with Baron Marius Pontmercy.
Appearance: Samantha Barks
Eponine is not a pretty girl. Ask anyone. Or at least, anyone that she grew up around. They will tell you that she's a pitiful creature, with a raspy voice. And that much is true. Frail and starved, Eponine has not had a good meal in her since she was seven. As a result, she has not matured physically the way many other young women would. Eponine is hardly 5' 1'' tall, and is severely malnourished- she has no curves to speak of, and her breasts are humble if existent at all. To put it simply, Eponine looks very much like a 12-year-old boy.
Eponine still smiles, however, a broken smile that never quite reaches her glittering eyes. She will smile and she will laugh, full-bodily, tossing her head back and enjoying what little joy there is for her in her life. When she has so little to make her happy, there is no need to waste what does.
She has not worn shoes for the majority of her life, so Eponine's feet are hardened and calloused, just as her hands are. Her body is littered with all manner of scars and marks from one thing or another; life on the streets was hard for all, and her father often turned his rages towards her and her sister.
Eponine is not pretty. Her dark hair is tangled and matted, and it would take hours combing it out. But she does not let this stop her. She conducts herself around people as though she were just as beautiful as anyone, heaven help you if you try to call her ugly. She knows what she is, but that's for her to say, never for you.
Age: 17
AU Clarification: n/a
S A M P L E S
Log Sample: "And what is all of this!" It was the first thing that Eponine could even come to think of, the second she was released from the strange tube. "I have died- I remember that much, I should never forget a thing like that! I-" she reached up, gently touching her forehead with trembling hands. Slowly, a smile broke out across her lips. He'd kissed her. She remembered it! Just as she said she would! Marius Pontmercy had kissed her, and she had died in his arms! Surely he would be arriving shortly, then! Tossing her head back, Eponine laughed, moving about the chamber. Or, she would have, had her feet not caught beneath her, sending her careening towards the floor. Reacting quickly, she threw her hands out, catching herself against the wall. With a deep breath, Eponine righted herself. Perhaps she would not spin. Not for now.
But her trip was soon abandoned, overlooked just the same as the fact that she was cold and dressed in undergarments that she'd never seen. There were other things to think of.
"He has kissed me!" She shrieked, pushing herself off of the wall. "I have died happily, I will tell anyone who will listen! Surely there is someone here- come! If you are here, speak to me! Tell me, where am I? Surely it is not heaven- though I am happy here. I am bound for hell, and I remember my death. See? Look, here!" She held up her right palm, before gasping. The bullet wound was no longer there, instead, a dark red scar.
"The wound is gone! That proves it! I am dead, and yet I am here, and I breathe." Lowering her arm, Eponine caught sight for the first time of the three letters inscribed on her arm. She knew what they were- a tattoo. She'd seen them before, on her father's men, and others. Running a finger along the numbers, she looked around cautiously, sobering for the first time.
"No, this is not heaven… And it is no hell I recognize… Perhaps… Is my hell loneliness?" Drawing her hands to her chest, she took a cautious step around the room. No. No, her hell could not be something she had experienced so readily, so often in life. That was cruel. Far, far too cruel. Should she not have some mercy, at least in death?
Comms Sample: [An image flicks on, of a young woman with dark, messy hair. She appears to be gazing into the device, and with a watery smile, she reaches up to push her hair behind her ear.] Oh, no, I do not like that. [Her hand is back up in her hair, pushing it back over her ear. She smiles again, and nods approvingly.] There! Now I am far better suited to be myself.
[Eponine, the young woman, now feels camera-ready and smiles, as though she was unaware that she had even been recording in the first place. Hint: she wasn't.]
Bonjour! I was told this strange device can speak with others here. I found it. It was with my things, old and new, when I arrived here. I'm told this is my apartment, now. How strange a place this is! I am sure it is some sort of black dream, and when it is over, I shall be in hell. But it is a curious thing, with it's noises and bells and lights… What use is it, other than to speak with those I have not yet seen?
accepted
Your Name: Shea
OOC Journal:
laceandlaudanumUnder 18?: Over
Email + IM: Sheawheatleyb@gmail.com, Ophelia.Drowns @AIM
Characters Played at Ataraxion: n/a
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Éponine Thénardier
Canon: Les Misérables
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Her death at the barricades
Number: 317
Setting: Look down, look down
History: ONCE UPON A TIME IN 19TH CENTURY FRANCE, the people were revolting. Quite often, leading to a lot of bad jokes. Louis XVIII had died, cake was eaten, Napoleon had fallen in Waterloo and was exiled, and Charles X was a terrible king. The poor were starving, there was no bread, property prices were sky rocketing, and it was a terrible time to be French. People were dying, and poverty was everywhere. The polluted water gave way to sickness and disease, and it was clear that it was time for a change. In 1830, Charles was overthrown as king thanks to the July Revolution, and a new system of government was installed. A constitutional monarchy.
Two years later, students do what students will do, and decided that Occupy: Barricade was a really good idea. This is the story of a girl who just happened to pass by the revolution.
Eponine Thenardier was born in Montfermeil, France, a suburb of Paris, the oldest child to the Thenardiers. The Thenardiers ran an inn called the Sergeant at Waterloo, where they used unsavory methods to cheat their patrons out of their money.
When she was three-years-old, her mother took in a girl her same age known as Cosette as a ward. Cosette was the bastard daughter of a woman named Fantine, who couldn't afford to take care of Cosette herself. As such, she asked the Thénardiers to take Cosette, and agreed to send them money monthly to pay for her cost of living.
Even though she was so young, Cosette was treated terribly. Though she was a ward of the Thenardiers, she played the role of servant, whipping boy, scapegoat, and dog. Learning from example, Eponine treated Cosette in the same manner, hardly recognizing her as a person. On the other side of things, Eponine was doted on by her parents, firmly believing their eldest daughter could do no wrong.
When Eponine turned seven, a man arrived and took Cosette away, after paying the Thenardiers the debts that Fantine obeyed. With 1500 Francs in their pockets, the Thenardiers only grew greedier, and as such, their debt grew, and soon lost the inn.
The family of five was forced to relocate to Paris, to the slums of San Michele under the assumed surname of Jondrette, in hopes of finding their fortune. They did not find fortune, however, but instead, fell further and further into poverty. M. Thenardier fell in with one of Paris' notorious gangs, Patron-Minette, and dragged his family in along with him. It was all they could do to stay alive. Eponine played many roles in Patron-Minette, from a look-out to a distraction, and often found herself using her particular talents on her father's behest. Eponine and her sister would bring letters to assumedly wealthy members of Parisian society, begging for money under various pseudonyms, and would themselves be offered up to be used however saw fit in exchange. Eponine was every bit as much of a member of the seedy underbelly of Paris as her father.
When Eponine was seventeen, she met a young man named Marius Pontmercy, and fell in love. In an effort to become closer to him, she brought him to his love's home (who happened to be Cosette), then when she was forced to go away, hid the letter she left for Marius and followed him to the barricades in order to get him killed.
Now, a bit more about these barricades. In June of 1832, a group of students called the Amis de L'ABC decided they were tired of living in a democracy, they wanted to return France to the beautiful republic it had once been. When General Lamarque, a wealthy aristocrat who had spoken out for the poor, lay dying, they began to plot, figuring out what to do next. It was when his death was announced that it was decided. On the day of funeral, they would rebel, taking to the streets and urging the people to join them to take back the France they knew and loved. The leader was a young man named Enjolras, and he was flanked by his lieutenants, Courfeyrac and Combeferre. Other members of this group included the drunken Grantaire, romantic Jehan Prouvaire, unlucky Bahorel, hypochondriac Joly, poor Polish Batman Feuilly, and rowdy Bahorel. They were joined by a young boy whom idolized these young gents and had been taken in by them as a friend named, oh, right, Gavroche Thenardier. On June 5th, they took to the streets, creating barricades all over the city. But the National Guard was prepared. The National Guard was ordered not to use violence. But the Amis saw otherwise, and so, the National Guard fired upon them. At first, they appeared to be holding strong, but come morning, the people of France had not risen as they had hoped, leaving them abandoned. When the fighting stopped, every man who had taken arms against oppression lay dead, along with their dream. Toldja it was Occupy: Barricade.
Now that you know the future, it's easy to enjoy the present.
At the barricade, Eponine, disguised as a boy, joined in the revolution. She didn't care for the cause, but rather only wanted to get herself killed along side Marius. She took a bullet for him, in order to die first so that she wouldn't have to live without him. She died in his arms, using her last breath to tell him she loved him.
Personality: Eponine Thenardier is not an easy girl to describe. Though she's quite young, she's gone through more hardships than most people in their lives should ever have gone through. Having been raised by a rather aristocratic-for-the-small-town family in Montfermeil, France, very early on in life, she lost everything she'd had, and was forced to leave the comfortable life her family had, in favor of the slums of Paris. It's there that Eponine changed from the spoiled, bratty girl to the damaged, bright young woman that exists today. This drastic change is something she will always remember, and makes her all the more aware and angry at her living situation. She used to be well-off, she used to be beautiful, and now, like Cosette had been, she's simply the scum of the street.
Eponine has no sense of morals, understandably, given that she'd been raised at her father's knee, learning to charge the patrons of the inn for absolutely everything. This then translated to proper theft in Paris, when her father fell in with a gang of layabouts, the Patron-Minette. Eponine, as the eldest Thenardier child, came in quite often to do their work, playing distraction, look-out, or even taking part in their schemes. Eponine is fearless, for she's seen the worst of people, and the worst side of life, and knows she can take it. This is something she's quite proud of, and has no qualms about sharing. What does she have to fear, anyway? She knows her life has no meaning or great purpose, and recognizes that death would be a wonderful relief to her.
She's proud, in a strange sort of way, of who she is, just as much as she is ashamed of herself. The shame, however, comes in from comparing herself to the wealthy people around her, and daydreaming about lives she will never have, but could have once belonged to her. Within all of this, she has grown to hate herself, and her lot in life. Shortly before her death, when she was called an angel, she corrected the man, informing him that she was indeed the devil. And she believes it. She sees no reason to live most days, and has even spoken openly about the desire to kill herself. The only thing keeping her, as she told Marius, was the thought that the water was too cold for her to drown herself. It's also important to understand that, given her Roman Catholic upbringing, suicide is considered a sin, and will surely condemn her soul to Hell. Additionally, suicide is against the law in France, and if her last act in life is to commit a crime, she'd rather avoid it. Her inherent death wish has turned her into a bold young woman, who will not let anything stand in her way. Furthermore, this colors Eponine as a very selfish young woman. She will bring pain to others in order to relieve hers (though she does not believe anyone will care if she does, and, truth be told, no one does), and doesn't care for the wants of any others. When she sees something she wants, she will destroy everything she can to get it. If she's going down, she will bring the world with her.
She's seen the way the other half lives, and she hates it, filling her with bitterness. She envies them, but somewhere within all of that, she loathes these people for having what she can't have. Not because she's never had it, but because she once had dolls and kittens and fine woolen petticoats, and now, she remains dressed in threadbare rags with no shoes to call her own save those which her family shared amongst themselves. While her parents have made part of their living soliciting wealthy aristocrats for money, Eponine, if left to her own devices, will refuse it. She'd rather steal then have someone give something to her, because it implies that she needs help and that only they can help her. Eponine is extremely capable of helping herself. If she was in a bad position that she didn't want to be in, she would leave. She'd fight her way out, tooth and nail, and refuse to play the victim. She's poor, and terrible, but she has some pride left over. Eponine does not need a hero, because she's going to save herself.
Living in such poor conditions, Eponine spent the majority of her life alone. She had no one to relate to, save her mother and younger sister, and longs for someone she can call a companion. When she finds someone that will speak to her, she'll prattle on for hours and hours, dogging their steps to simply be near them. She creates relationships in her head that aren't truly there, desperate for friendship and companionship. For example, her relationship with Marius. She asks him immediately to call her 'thou', which, at the time, was the informal way of addressing a person (this is still seen in languages other than English, such as Spanish, where you have the informal tu, and the formal usted.) She sees a friendship that does not exist, and loves him dearly. Were she to ever make any other sort of friends, she would assign similar roles to those people. She's a strange woman, with no decent way to express these emotions, and subsequently, comes off as too strong, or even delusional.
She is, of course, delusional in some ways. Living in poverty, Eponine hasn't seen a proper meal since she can remember. The hunger often effects her by giving her hallucinations. In order to starve off the hunger, she turns to drink, which only, in the end, makes everything worse and causes Eponine to be extremely mentally unstable. Her unstable living environment, and abusive upbringing in Paris has only made matters worse.
Having gone from having so much to having nothing at all, Eponine has turned into a very selfish young woman. If she wants something, she will not let anything stand in her way until she gets it. The reason she went to the barricade, in the first place, after all, was to die alongside the man she loved, believing that if she couldn't have him, no one else will. In order to do this, she hid the letter that his beloved had given to her to give to him, and manipulated him into going to the barricade, too, with suicide in mind. The only reason Eponine even attempted to stop the bullet from killing him was because she didn't want to live in a world without him, and knew he would die shortly after she fell.
And yet, Eponine is friendly, for all her quirks. She likes to speak to people, even if it oversteps boundaries. Having been conversing with men since she was younger, she finds it easiest to flirt with them in order to achieve conversation (or whatever ends it is she wants). She's been around, to put it politely, which, in 19th century France, was rather frowned upon. But she is under no illusion that she's beautiful. She isn't. She's skinny and starved, but, like everything else, Eponine refuses to let that hold her down. But within this, she is vain. When she finds a mirror, she will spend time admiring her reflection, as she so often did in Marius' apartment in Gorbeau House. She once had the best dresses her family could afford, and would be all too happy to go back to that once again.
The reason Eponine is so fixated on Marius is that, to her, he symbolizes what she could have. He is a handsome, well-dressed and educated young man, whom she finds extremely kind and friendly. Though she can tell he pities her, she finds him intriguing, unaware of the Thenardier/Pontmercy connection. To her, he is a beacon of hope, and she longs for anyone to treat her the way he treats Cosette. She tends to latch on to any sort of kindness that is offered her way, confusing it for love and affection. As such, she has focused her affections on Marius, though he does not return them. This also explains her relationship with Montparnasse, a brutal murderer and thief, who somehow has fond Eponine under his skin. She likes spending time with him and enjoying his carnal affections, though it is not the love she believes she can get from Marius. But it will do.
And she does love him. A lot. He's the man she would do anything for, just to be noticed by him. Like Helena in Midsummer Nights Dream declares, "[…]for this intelligence/ if I have any thanks it is a dear expense/ for herein mean I to enrich my pain/ to have his sight thither and back again," Eponine will do anything for Marius' attention. She tells him where Cosette is living in order to get him to speak to her, to be impressed by her, and ignores all social cues that seem to be radiating off of him. Many people who do not understand Eponine tend to claim that she's Les Mis' version of the Nice Guy meme, when in fact, that's the opposite. Marius, despite what she believes, is not her friend. He does not owe her anything. Eponine is delusional in the depths of their relationship, and means nothing to him. They are not friends, so there is no 'friend zone' to put her in. A 'casual acquaintances that creep me out but provide me with valuable information' zone, maybe, but not a friend zone. That does not mean that he means nothing to her. She would die without him, and is content to do so. And when she is going to lose him to Cosette, she will do whatever she can to keep him, or ensure that, if she can't have him, no one else will.
Eponine has little love for her family. Though she once loved her parents, as they loved her, they've caused her so much pain that they no longer mean much to her, though they all rely on each other to remain alive. at the time of her death, the only one she truly cares about is Gavroche, whom no longer even lives with the Thenardiers. When she noticed him as she lay dying, she told Marius to make sure he didn't see, because he would only scold her for being at the barricade in the first place. She recognizes that perhaps she was not the best sister to him, and that she was wrong in that.
And as for Cosette, Eponine cannot stand her. Outwardly, if they were to properly meet again, she would play the role of the friend, but secretly plan her destruction every step of the way. Cosette is the reason her family is in poverty, if you ask her. Cosette is the reason she had to go to the barricade to kill herself and Marius. Cosette is unworthy of this happiness that she has received, and Eponine cannot stand the fact that their places have been switched. The Lark should be plucked free of all of it's feathers, then let them see how much Marius loves her.
Though much of her personality seems to be contradictory, this in and of itself is very characteristic of Eponine herself. She's hard to predict, and is often subject to the whims of her emotions at any given time. She will scream and yell at you, or sing in the middle of a robbery or in public with no shame at all, but then she'll blush to be seen without a shawl at the same time. It's been hypothesized that, had Eponine been alive in modern times, she would be a strong candidate for borderline personality disorder. Eponine is wild, Eponine is free, and Eponine is as terrible as she is loving. And she will never make any excuses for it.
Given that Eponine's death was very much an assisted suicide, the news that she now remains somewhere between death, life, and dreaming, will be met with great cautiousness. While it's better than life (anything is better than her life), it's still not ideal. She's likely to equate it to purgatory or some such, given her Roman Catholic upbringing. At first, the understanding will likely be pushed to the side in favor of dealing with everything new. She may laugh or cry when the realization of it all finally hits her, and certainly drink-, but her death was one she welcomed. Still, the question is why is she still here, in this strange world when she'd so desperately craved death? What did she do to deserve this fate? Is it punishment, or a reward?, Or is it something else? Is this finally what death is? and she's going to be eager to find out the answer to these questions. What will hit her the hardest, however, is news of her brother's death. Though he, too, is here, her guilt at forcing him to watch her die, and that she hadn't been able to spare him from such a life will certainly weigh heavily on her.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Eponine is an impoverished, starving young woman from 19th Century France. Let's think about that for a second. Truth be told, for her position in life, she's quite adept. Not only is she capable of reading and writing (which is extremely surprising given her social status), but she's a skilled thief, having used those abilities to get by on the streets for the past nine years. Given that she was raised on her father's knee in Montfermiel, and the movie musical shows Thénardier teaching her the ways of running a crooked business, it can be assumed that Eponine has a surprising talent for math.
She has a basic knowledge of 19th century firearms, given her part in the June Rebellion.
She also is able to scare off large groups of grown men by being one scary ass lady.
Inventory: -One (1) mens shirt, covered in her own blood
-One (1) large brown coat, also covered in her own blood
-One (1) lovely brown hat.
-One (1) brown belt
-One (1) pair overly large mens shoes.
-One (1) pair of mens pants, also covered in her own blood.
-One (1) length of cheesecloth, used for binding her breasts, obviously covered in her own blood, but wow, someone should have cut that thing off because dying is HARD when you can't even properly breath.
-One (1) obsession with Baron Marius Pontmercy.
Appearance: Samantha Barks
Eponine is not a pretty girl. Ask anyone. Or at least, anyone that she grew up around. They will tell you that she's a pitiful creature, with a raspy voice. And that much is true. Frail and starved, Eponine has not had a good meal in her since she was seven. As a result, she has not matured physically the way many other young women would. Eponine is hardly 5' 1'' tall, and is severely malnourished- she has no curves to speak of, and her breasts are humble if existent at all. To put it simply, Eponine looks very much like a 12-year-old boy.
Eponine still smiles, however, a broken smile that never quite reaches her glittering eyes. She will smile and she will laugh, full-bodily, tossing her head back and enjoying what little joy there is for her in her life. When she has so little to make her happy, there is no need to waste what does.
She has not worn shoes for the majority of her life, so Eponine's feet are hardened and calloused, just as her hands are. Her body is littered with all manner of scars and marks from one thing or another; life on the streets was hard for all, and her father often turned his rages towards her and her sister.
Eponine is not pretty. Her dark hair is tangled and matted, and it would take hours combing it out. But she does not let this stop her. She conducts herself around people as though she were just as beautiful as anyone, heaven help you if you try to call her ugly. She knows what she is, but that's for her to say, never for you.
Age: 17
AU Clarification: n/a
S A M P L E S
Log Sample: "And what is all of this!" It was the first thing that Eponine could even come to think of, the second she was released from the strange tube. "I have died- I remember that much, I should never forget a thing like that! I-" she reached up, gently touching her forehead with trembling hands. Slowly, a smile broke out across her lips. He'd kissed her. She remembered it! Just as she said she would! Marius Pontmercy had kissed her, and she had died in his arms! Surely he would be arriving shortly, then! Tossing her head back, Eponine laughed, moving about the chamber. Or, she would have, had her feet not caught beneath her, sending her careening towards the floor. Reacting quickly, she threw her hands out, catching herself against the wall. With a deep breath, Eponine righted herself. Perhaps she would not spin. Not for now.
But her trip was soon abandoned, overlooked just the same as the fact that she was cold and dressed in undergarments that she'd never seen. There were other things to think of.
"He has kissed me!" She shrieked, pushing herself off of the wall. "I have died happily, I will tell anyone who will listen! Surely there is someone here- come! If you are here, speak to me! Tell me, where am I? Surely it is not heaven- though I am happy here. I am bound for hell, and I remember my death. See? Look, here!" She held up her right palm, before gasping. The bullet wound was no longer there, instead, a dark red scar.
"The wound is gone! That proves it! I am dead, and yet I am here, and I breathe." Lowering her arm, Eponine caught sight for the first time of the three letters inscribed on her arm. She knew what they were- a tattoo. She'd seen them before, on her father's men, and others. Running a finger along the numbers, she looked around cautiously, sobering for the first time.
"No, this is not heaven… And it is no hell I recognize… Perhaps… Is my hell loneliness?" Drawing her hands to her chest, she took a cautious step around the room. No. No, her hell could not be something she had experienced so readily, so often in life. That was cruel. Far, far too cruel. Should she not have some mercy, at least in death?
Comms Sample: [An image flicks on, of a young woman with dark, messy hair. She appears to be gazing into the device, and with a watery smile, she reaches up to push her hair behind her ear.] Oh, no, I do not like that. [Her hand is back up in her hair, pushing it back over her ear. She smiles again, and nods approvingly.] There! Now I am far better suited to be myself.
[Eponine, the young woman, now feels camera-ready and smiles, as though she was unaware that she had even been recording in the first place. Hint: she wasn't.]
Bonjour! I was told this strange device can speak with others here. I found it. It was with my things, old and new, when I arrived here. I'm told this is my apartment, now. How strange a place this is! I am sure it is some sort of black dream, and when it is over, I shall be in hell. But it is a curious thing, with it's noises and bells and lights… What use is it, other than to speak with those I have not yet seen?
accepted