♖ anne boleyn || professional cosmic backpacker

[ensorceler]

IN CHARACTER
Name: Anne Boleyn
Canon: The Tudors
Canon Point: During 1x05: Arise, My Lord (after turning down Henry's offer of being his mistress).
Age: 27 (including CRAU time)

Canon History:

Anne was born in Norfolk and raised in Kent to a comfortably wealthy family. Despite common belief, the Boleyns were of high esteem by the time she came of age, and this along with her father's ambition is why she was able to receive so high an education; much higher than many people of that era, especially women without any titles or land. She did not only learn the languages and arts, but politics and math, and it was soon apparent her wit could easily outmatch her sister's, perhaps even her brother's.

But she did not stay at Hever for long, as when she was still just eleven or twelve she was sent to the Austrian court in the Netherlands to serve the Archduchess Margaret for just over a year, which is where she learned French and much about the ways of the world and the courts. When she was sent to France for the next several years to serve Queen Mary and then Queen Claude, Anne learned more and tasted the ways of the world she had learned so much of. By the time she returned to England several years later, she had grown into an alarmingly bold, witty, and playful woman who seemed to fear nothing. But she was also cautious, knowing the ways of the King, her own sister having borne a bastard by him and discarded, she wanted nothing to do with the King when her father first approached her on the matter. But while Anne thought for herself, she loved her father and owed deference to both him and her uncle, and so when she initially caught King Henry's eye, it was out of duty and ambition rather than affection.

A wiki link gives a rough summary of some further deets in season one. Anne was taken to Exsilium during episode 1x05 some time after refusing to be Henry's mistress and subtly confiding in her brother.

CRAU History:

Exsilium:
• • Anne arrived to a future Earth where everything was garbage, then told by rebels called the 'Initiative' all about tech, time travel, and other worlds. Then about how she was one of many Transports meant to help fight an inter-dimensional war for Earth and all those aforementioned worlds. No pressure.
• • Pressure! The UE (United Earth) appeared and caused massive destruction by spreading a deadly epidemic and then bombing the city, killing many people in all of the combined disasters. Anne survived with others by nursing a friend in some catacombs while the bombings continued. Some other Transports saved the day!
• • Local exiles got pissy about things always getting fecked up because of the Initiative and Transports so things got awkward, as in with the occasional rude mob and such. Anne learned to dress with (slightly) more humility and began taking battle training more seriously.
• • Also gained some insomnia which was less cool, but a fellow Transport named Jesse Pinkman gave her some sleep meds and a promise of dramatic future CR (jk, the last part was unpredictable).
• • She went on some missions! Some involved space and jungles and research, while others involved politics and sword duels. She was a busy lady, but learned some hypnosis magic from her sentient weapon after all that.
• • Parties were crashed and Transports were mind-controlled and kidnapped by the UE for cloning shenanigans. Anne went along on the eventual rescue, witnessing a battlefield of epic proportions, but stayed behind the front line with others in order to provide back-up. Here she was given the special ability to become transparent.
• • The UE gave an epic middle finger in retaliation by threatening nuclear assault, and everyone panicked. Very few people could escape and survive up on the moonbase in time, which meant maybe 98% Transports and 2% Initiative members survived, but Anne wouldn't know exactly. The native Exiles were basically told to 'duck and cover', so Anne and fellow Transport Jesse Pinkman tucked away a young native boy to safety. Together they watched him and kept him hidden from the Initiative during his time on the moonbase.
• • Via the moonbase's broadcasts, Anne and the other survivors watched half a million people murdered by the nuclear bombing. She remained in a state of mourning after that, usually dressing in black.
• • Morale was generally low, but important missions continued and food fights helped. The (zombified) former moonbase inhabitants that were suddenly discovered didn't help so much, especially when a Transport mutiny struck up around the same time, but...These Things Happen?
• • Anne got another special ability of mind control, more enhanced than what her sword could manage. She tried using it a couple times during and after the Transport mutiny, but wasn't as practiced as she is now and it got her into trouble. The mutiny was eventually squashed, but it fractured the Transports as they continued to clash on ideals and how to handle the aftermath.
• • This was quickly overshadowed when everything was altered due to the collective actions of the Transports' missions in time...and I mean everything. Earth's history became so altered that an ice age buried Exsilium, and while the UE and Initiative still existed, they were different animals (especially the Initiative). A side-effect of this was that the native child Anne had been caring for was wiped from existence, though she and Jesse continued to remember and mourn him.
• • Life got even harder after this due to the harsh living conditions and harsher cynicism from the 'new' Exsilium natives and Initiative. Anne moved into a small building with her best lady friends, and she learned even more about survival and humble living. Transport missions continued in earnest, most desperate to restore Exsilium, including Anne. She infiltrated a UE conference with a companion in order to help garner more information for the Initiative.
• • Then she went on the worst vacation ever, as her most loyal friends joined her in a two week trek across the snow to locate her old home in Kent. Of course, it was long gone and buried in ice, but there was bonding, and yetis! She wore pants!
• • Everything escalated when the Artificial Intelligence that guided and dictated to the Transports began receiving messages saying 'kill me'. The source was eventually discovered to be an AI program stolen, altered and used by the UE, called the 'Presidential' AI. Both it and the Transport's AI were corrupting one another across time, so some Transports went into the past to find and destroy the Presidential AI. As they were linked, this should have killed the Transport AI, but some special actions and a Transport sacrifice managed to keep this from happening.
• • With the UE all fucked up beyond repair and hope for the cosmos restored, AI chose to permanently shut down the Transporter pad, giving Transports a week to decide if they wished to return home victorious or remain behind to help rebuild Exsilium and take down what UE outposts were still left.
• • It was a painful decision, but Anne chose to say farewell to her friends and go home with a new sense of confidence and purpose, only sharpened from the horror she had witnessed and experienced.

Teleios:
• • Or so she thought. Instead she ended up in a pagan temple in a magic realm called Teleios, which was treated as a sort of limbo where everybody was designated a specific amount of years, or 'debt', for past crimes or guilt. She was forced to wear a bracelet for psychic communication (no tablets there) and given a job. Anne learned that if she didn't work and contribute, privileges like food and shelter would slowly be stripped away until she would have to leave the Grand Temple and go fend for herself.
• • She also learned that they were governed by gods and goddesses from various pantheons, though they described themselves merely as Agents who had their own debts. Anne was dubious on if the gods were real, especially when confronted with the Archangel Michael as a female, but whatever, right???
• • Anne did her job but refused to seek out missions from the Agents, finding the entire cause of the realm to be petty and ridiculous, as none but God were supposed to judge her. She tried to keep quiet most of the time out of fear that her debt would only be increased. Already she had to look forward to being there for over half a million years, as her guilt brought the burden of Exsilium's lost lives with her.
• • She tried pleading her case with the goddess Athena, but instead gained access to her files to see exactly why she was trapped there for so long. This temporarily quelled her, and her first two months were mostly peaceful as she worked as a maid, then as a cook, and made all sorts of friends with magical entities and strange people.
• • One of those strange friends, Alaric Saltzman, became Enemy #1 when he assaulted her, sexually handling her, hypnotizing her and then drinking her blood. Another vampire, Angel, managed to intervene so that she could run, but she would have bled to death in an alley if not discovered and saved by Regina Mills and Dr. Beverly Crusher. She could never take her revenge on Alaric because he disappeared shortly after.
• • To try to regain some sense of control and cope, Anne became more attentive to feeling out every new arrival, setting up a 'welcome table' every month just as her friends from Exsilium once had. She also attended the Council meetings that Regina Mills set up at City Hall in order to subtly plant her ideas and concerns.
• • Her future buddy and execution companion, Mark Smeaton, showed up and made Anne's days brighter.
• • Then, shockingly, King Henry VIII arrived! Anne was suddenly caught between elation and frustration. She couldn't operate as she had before while under the scrutiny of the King, and had experienced a lot since last seeing him in England. To add to the confusion, he was from the future where she was already his Queen.
• • Not complicated enough! Add in Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, to the equation then toss into a blender. Anne and Henry had no knowledge of her, but Jane fixed that by confronting Anne and pleading with Henry that she was his true wife. Needless to say, it was the stuff of nightmares, and although an angered Henry eventually banished Jane from their sight, Anne couldn't forget the insane stuff Jane had said or the locket she claimed was from Henry. Unfortunately she no longer had access to time travel to discover the truth, so she had to push her doubts aside for sanity's sake.
• • Both the Tower of London and Hampton Court appeared in the landscape of Teleios along with some other massive buildings, allowing both Henry and Anne to move out of the Grand Temple and act like even bigger snobs. She began to accept her role as Henry's future consort and became re-accustomed to the lavish life and his wooing, though continued her kitchen work and battle training in private so as to keep herself grounded.
• • Anne and Henry threw a massive Christmas masquerade at Hampton Court, and Henry used the opportunity to announce their engagement, proving his loyalty to Anne by waiting to marry again.
• • New Years was celebrated with a massive earthquake and sudden flood of unusual arrivals that were appearing all over the realm instead of inside the Temple. Henry's mother, as her younger self, should have been the most shocking arrival, but then Anne discovered that three of her best friends from Exsilium (Max Briest, Donny Casey, and Jesse Pinkman) had also shown up. Taking it as a sign, she convinced the three of them to stay with her and work for her and Henry while keeping her Exsilium secrets from him as well. She especially had to hide her past with Jesse from Henry, as they had a complicated history that included an adopted son.
• • Still having his powers of transference, Jesse gave Anne abilities again, including teleportation. She used it to rescue any new visitors that were appearing out in the harsh winter, including Graham Humbert.
• • Before anything could get more complicated, it was announced after a month that most of the arrivals had been a mistake, and Thor demanded that they leave. Henry's mother remained, but Donny, Max, and Jesse all had to leave. Jesse gave her a goodbye kiss and Anne was left broken-hearted and angrier than ever at the Agents and her situation.
• • This led to her training more fervently in battle and infiltration, gaining secret lessons from the assassin Aveline.
• • It wasn't enough to quell her rage, so she was prime picking when a spell infected many of the Indebted and parted their shadows from them, creating angels of retribution that had amazing powers and one goal: revenge. Anne manifested an 'Angel' that joined with a group of others to attack and kill the god Thor, but he survived with the help of Indebted. Anne only learned of what occurred later.
• • Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves arrived! Although she didn't share her future with Henry, she hinted at enough to leave Anne Boleyn disconcerted and once again thinking over her future and things that Jane Seymour had said.
• • At this point, Anne B. was just looking for someone to push her far enough. That someone ended up being Graham Humbert, as Anne learned that his 'Angel' had nearly killed Regina. Still owing Regina her life, Anne tricked Graham into a hunting trip, where she then judged and attempted to execute him for Regina and Henry's safety. She tried to gain Daryl Dixon's help, but he wasn't having it and told her off for the very suggestion. She pursued Graham anyway, but the attempt failed and she wasn't hard-hearted enough to try a second time, instead taking him to Dr. Crusher to be healed. She more-or-less threatened Graham that she would finish the job if he ever told anyone, especially Henry, and he kept quiet. She continued to stalk him to make sure he kept his word. Poor dude.
• • Anne got a gift! In learning that she'd give birth to a daughter instead of a son. Well, shit, what was she supposed to do with that information? She went to Henry of course, and he comforted her in saying they would eventually have a son, but her doubts were piling up and she was back to suffering insomnia.
• • The clear answer was to throw another Tudor party at Hampton Court for May Day! This time a grand tourney was organized, and Anne competed under an alias and mask (hidden even from Henry), getting rather far in the ranks but not winning. Dr. Crusher treated her injuries so that nobody would be suspicious.
• • Then one morning, everyone woke up with a crystal that showcased the memories of others. Though they could be ignored, Anne chose to observe the memories of her friends, since she believed she had the right if someone out there was also witnessing hers. She was terrified of what memories some might see, given she kept many secrets even (especially?) from Henry, but fortunately nothing catastrophic happened. Instead she learned more about her friends and other worlds, but always worried if someone was hiding a memory from her.
• • Although Henry's mother left, the Tudors just kept on coming, as Henry's first daughter Mary arrived at an older age than when Anne last saw. Things were tense, but the peace was kept for Henry's sake.
• • Monster attack! Portals were torn open and beasts from all kinds of worlds arrived. No longer able to completely hide her skills any longer and play the damsel, Anne summoned her special powers and fighting skills learned from Exsilium and Aveline, though she found ways to do it without Henry seeing, using teleportation and mind control to the max. The three of them stayed locked away during the worst of it, but Anne would teleport out in the night to seek and protect her friends (wasn't sleeping anyway!).
• • Unfortunately she lost control of one of the monsters when becoming overwhelmed with the circumstances and was knocked unconscious. Perhaps she was sent through one of the portals that brought the beasts, but for some reason it cut her debt short and she was sent from Teleios.
• • Instead of being lucky enough to go home, Anne was ported somewhere strange and alien again. Maybe the third time would be the charm?

Personality:

Anne Boleyn didn't start out ambitious, but she was most definitely raised to be. Thomas Boleyn had the highest hopes for his children (or rather, for himself) and worked tirelessly to make sure they were not only well-educated, but kept only the finest company and knew all the court tricks. While George played around with his luck and Mary was simply not ambitious enough to keep hold of hers, Anne made her own success instead. She tried her best to do her father and uncle proud, and to share and empower their views and his status to make sure her family rose along with her.

She grew into ambition and politics as if she were born to do so, and although she could excel at partying, she didn't like wasting time with anything that might get in the way of her success, even if that meant giving up something she previously enjoyed (so long as she didn't enjoy it too much). Though she did engage in some frivolity, she normally tried to use that to her gain. Socializing was a tool to gain esteem and noteriety, after all. When her dalliance with Thomas Wyatt became a threat to her future, she ended it, as he had nothing of true value to offer her. After the harrowing experiences in Exsilium and Teleios, Anne became even more ambitious and eager to take control of her own fate, yet less likely to cut ties with those she cares for.

Unfortunately, growing up in court, be it French or English, and then getting knocked around dimensions and timelines took its toll on the young woman's softer qualities. She had been forced to sharpen her claws over the years and darken her views of the world, finding it difficult to have much hope for herself. She understood politics well enough, even those from future Earth timelines, and she more than understood how to use her wit and feminine wiles so that it could become difficult to tell when she was complimenting, seducing, or insulting. The wrong words could have gotten you banished or worse in England.

From her time in court, she not only grew confident in her abilities, but became borderline arrogant. Anne knew she was beautiful; she was reminded daily. She knew she was clever, because few could truly keep up with her in a conversation. She used these traits like weapons in order to earn King Henry's love and respect in England, and to garner as many allies as she could while in Exsilium and Teleios. Rhetoric remained her most-used weapon, even after she learned how to wield a sword in Exsilium, though there were times her temper got the better of her and her barbs did her little good. Time away from court and with so many different people allowed Anne to adapt to being her own person, which only encouraged her to learn more and ensnare more people for her cause.

That isn't to say that her ways were all cynical and conniving. Anne could be a mirthful and playful woman. Sometimes her own happiness meant others' misfortune--sometimes it was brought on by other's kindness. In this, Anne Boleyn could be very mercurial. She loved to have fun, to dance, to talk and be merry. "The Most Happy" was her family motto, and she did her best to live up to it. She could tower over others and don a dark, fearful approach, but what won Henry over was her wit, grace and her utter delight in living life. Though time within court and among war had dimmed this view somewhat over the past couple years, Anne still enjoyed her pleasurable activities and flirtations, though with the underlying knowledge that it must be fleeting if not serving her a purpose. She never would have pursued the King if not urged by her father and uncle to do so for the good of the family's political machinations in shutting down the Catholic Church. Though Anne always wanted to be able to love and be loved by her future husband, she understood what was most important in the world she lived in.

Purpose and loyalty was always important, even more-so after fearing for her and England's future, and consistently having that taken from her in Exsilium and Teleios made her somewhat more volatile. While Anne could be shrewd and calculating, she could also be woefully prone to losing her temper and acting on her jealousy when feeling emotionally beset upon or neglected. This was not only due to how deeply she could love (such as King Henry later in her canon), but also her ever-lingering fear that she would lose any power she fought so hard to gain, either because of Katherine and her daughter Mary back in England, or because of one of the countless unknowns that now seem to keep her from returning home. More likely now to keep her friends held fiercely for fear of being alone in another world, she'd also react poorly and vindictively to being rejected or belittled by them or those known to them. So often very patient in most matters due to force of will, Anne's fierce way of loving and believing still sometimes caused hiccups in her plans.

While her fears were understandable, as they'd only grown with time, revealing them was never fitting for a lady, let alone a future Queen. She rarely shared her deepest concerns with friends, at least not explicitly, and almost never weighed down Henry's ear with them until later on. She could discuss her views on so many worldly matters, but when it came to her heart, she attempted to shield it as best she could. Most often when sharing, she would keep her words vague, hoping others understood her rhetoric enough to read between the lines. Exceptions arose when influenced by alcohol, anger, or the pain of losing loved ones, of course. And when angered, she became your worst enemy, but sometimes she became her own. This was especially true during her time on Exsilium's moonbase, as her fury and pain grew over the loss of the native exiles, and then the little boy she'd loved as a son. Anne reacted dangerously on more than one occasion, since she became scared and more unwilling to lose the loved ones she had left. She put herself in danger in manners she wouldn't have only a year earlier, such as trying to free an imprisoned friend or openly lashing out at figures of authority.

In her future as Queen, it was more or less her unwillingness to shut her mouth on her principles and bow her head that ended her life, although not bearing a male heir cemented that downfall as well. Her eagerness to get rid of her enemies and her absolute obsession with keeping the King's love resulted in her becoming so bitter and paranoid in that in trying to protect herself and her daughter, she finalized her death and the death of her brother and friends. From her current timeline, Anne wasn't yet quite so paranoid or prone to drinking binges, but time in Exsilium and Teleios did heighten the qualities somewhat, as the increase in knowledge and abilities also gained her more fears and secrets to keep.

Her fears, however, never kept her from seeking control. The types of power she pursued changed over time, as perhaps initially she just wanted some power over her own future and choice of husband, then at least consider power over her own happiness. That didn't happen, but she gained power over others, and that was still worth something. Given enough time, she no doubt would have wished to have power over church and state, and this only increased whenever she was shuffled to a new realm and told what she was to do if ever she wanted to leave. Doing as told rarely seemed to help her long-term, even if she understood the short-term benefits to garnering trust. Carrying the newfound independence back to England would be difficult. No matter what, Anne would never have had supreme power in England. So long as there was a king, she would merely be Queen Consort, and as such could only throw her weight around where he approved. Even her manipulations of him only went so far. It took time for her to reach the point where she realized she wanted that much power, but once discovered it was difficult to stifle. Time away from Henry again would probably only increase her desire to control her surroundings.

Setting: Anne has experience in both inter-dimensional and time travel, so she'll recover from her shock quickly and won't have an issue with technology or magic. She'll just be furious that she this keeps happening, so she'll try to learn everything she can quickly in order to rise high and either take shit over or get out. She'll be cynical and goal-oriented, no doubt try to get involved in community activities and social network, but also be more open to conflict to achieve happiness. There are some people or names in Thisavrou that she'll recognize, such as Angel, Ellie Williams, and Jesse Pinkman from Exsilium, and Carol Peletier and Daryl Dixon from Teleios, but nothing will be instigated ICly before I check with the players.

Abilities/Skills: Standard 16th century lady-like skills, including song, music and dance (she excels at all three), maths and history, language, horseback riding, needlework, archery and the like. Reading should count as a skill as often as she does it, and she also dabbles in poetry and drawing. She gained the ability to use poignards and rapiers in Exsilium. In Teleios she received two special powers: teleportation and hypnotic persuasion/suggestion (like Jessica Jones' Kilgrave but NOT KILGRAVE). I have an opt-in here if it's OK for her to keep these powers.

Strengths/Weaknesses:

+ Loyal to friends and convictions
+ Witty
+ Intelligent
+ Charming
+ Adaptable
+ Persuasive
+ Artistic/creative
+ Pragmatic
+ Charitable
+ Kind to most
+ Quick to take control of a situation
+ Stubborn

- Deceptive
- Unforgiving
- Vindictive
- Slow to trust
- Cruel to percieved enemies
- Arrogant
- Self-serving
- Crazy baggage and guilt
- Borderline alcoholic
- Stubborn!

Items: Her dress and jewelry, a vervain bracelet on her left wrist, and a small prayer book and rosary in her satchel (along with a photograph, I almost forgot!).

SAMPLES
Network Sample: [ She might as well feel out the masses, getting déjà vu as she turns on the video to address people at large. This sardonic face and a proper English accent greets you, friends (or enemies). ]

You are well met, fellow denizens. I would know who it is I am to be engaged with whilst here, though camaraderie is not the only goal I desire, be it a noble one. I seek to make the most of time and spirit, and ask how it might be that you spend your days and if there is anything you would change of its passing? If it is not too bold.

[ Anne's gaze dips down away from the TAB screen only momentarily in a polite nod, as much as one can curtsy so close to the camera, before looking back up with the tiniest of smiles. She doesn't feel like smiling, but she can fake it to make it. ]

Of course, I cannot forgive indecent manners, so I offer up my name in initiation: I am Anne Boleyn. Where I hail it would be most assured to address me as Mistress Boleyn or Lady Anne, but as this is not my first trek into an unknown realm, I shall adapt to any address you see most fit, if you only would humor me with precious consideration and answers.

I am most grateful for any assistance provided in this hour of need, and for suggestions on how I may assist in turn. Sitting idle has never been a state that agrees with me. Should you respond, you have my humbled thanks.

Prose/Action Sample: Test drive meme!