FINALLY Fleshing Out a Persona
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 11:44 pm
Okay, so I’ve been doing this hobby in one form or another for like a dozen years now, but one of the things I have avoided for a long long time is actually fleshing out a persona. I started by focusing more on my kit and accoutrements, and told myself eventually I’d get around to figuring out exactly *who I am* in this universe, but in the end, I never really did. So! No time like the present, right?
I figure this is going to be a work in progress for a while, so I’d love to get some input from the community to see what everyone thinks, and maybe mine for some ideas/inspiration. Right now I’m just sort of in the brainstorming stages.
So with that in mind, here’s where my head is at right now:
First and foremost, I know I want to aim for an Arnorian Dúnadan Ranger impression. Not really interested in the Gondorian/Ithilien Rangers at the moment. I also know I want certain aspects of my persona to be grounded in my own life and experiences so as to make it a little more real and relatable. For instance, I certainly want my persona to be active in and around the Misty Mountains, since I live in Colorado and I do most of my ranging in and around the Rockies.
Obviously I will likely have to fudge certain other aspects a little. I am, after all, NOT actually a Ranger of Middle-earth, so my own real-world skills such as hunting, tracking, foraging, combat, reconnaissance, etc. are not really what they would be if I actually lived in Tolkien’s universe. But I also think having an established story and character in mind might help me focus on honing my specific skills so that they might match my persona’s better in reality.
So right now there are a few things I figure I need to establish right off the bat:
- Name
I like the idea Greg and some other folks have put forward of having several names I am known by, including an Elvish name, a Breeish nickname, etc. Manveruon was a very hasty and badly done translation of my own name (Michael) into Sindarin that I attempted when I was a teenager, and it just kind of stuck for lack of anything better. I think I would like to come up with something a little more appropriate, but it also needs to feel natural. It needs to feel like my name.
I thought this was a really interesting take on translating the name Michael into Elvish: https://realelvish.net/2021/05/31/michael-in-elvish/
Basically, it says the name Michael can’t really be translated into any known form of Elvish, because it is technically a a rhetorical question (“Who is like unto God?” With the implication being “No one”), and Elvish names just… aren’t made like that. But it does offer some alternative suggestions, and I kind of like the idea of using some form of “Servant of Eru” or “Servant of the Vala,” because that seems to coincide relatively well with the concept of the name Michael (I certainly like it better than anything that translates to “God-like,” because that’s honestly the total opposite of what the name actually means).
But beyond the Elvish name, I’d love to consider maybe a Breeish name (see below for the background I have in mind, but like maybe his Dúnadan mother named him something in Elvish, but his Breeish father gave him a more “mundane” Breeish name), and then probably some kind of nickname as well - something along the lines of “Strider” that the folks of Bree might call him as a descriptive nickname.
- Background
The more I think about it the more inclined I am to make my persona’s background somewhat mixed. I was thinking maybe a Dúnadan mother of mixed descent and a Breeish father? I’m of pretty average height but not exactly tall (5’10” if I’m really really lucky ), I tend to wear a beard, and I have a fairly swarthy complexion - all of which are characteristic of Bree men, but not so much of the Numenoreans/Dúnedain. I figure maybe a bit more than half of his ancestry is from the Breelands, and the rest is from Numenor, but his father died when he was young, and his mother raised him amongst her people.
I also know that I am a bit of a Hobbit at heart - I like my creature comforts, and I have a love for food, drink, and music. So I was thinking perhaps that he might be extremely fond of Hobbits in particular, and have many halfling friends in and around Bree - such that perhaps his fellow Rangers half suspect him of being part Hobbit himself!
Perhaps he dreams one day of settling down somewhere in Bree or even near the borders of the Shire and living a quiet life among the locals?
I don’t want to create a terribly “exceptional” backstory that starts to veer into the fantastical - I believe in aiming for a common impression - but I also want to address certain habits and physical traits, and I think this might accomplish that? Any thoughts here?
- Location
As mentioned, I live near Denver, CO, and I do most of my ranging in and around the Rockies. In my head, I guess I have sort of always thought of my “range” as being in and around the lands on the WESTERN slopes of the Misty Mountains, near Rivendell perhaps - but the fact is, I am actually situated on the EASTERN slopes of the Rockies - which, if I’m looking for parallels in Middle-earth, would be on the opposite side of the Misty Mountains, more towards the lands of the Beornings. Does it even make sense for Rangers to be that far East? I feel like Tolkien really intended for them to be based to the west of the mountains and not really cross over them much unless in great need, like Halbarad and the Grey Company. Should I just continue pretending I’m on the other side of the mountains? What would you do?
- Time Period
I’m kind of inclined to aim for an early-4th-Age period rather than 3rd-Age. I feel like there is a ton of unexplored potential in that period, with the kingdoms of north and south reunited under Elessar. It would also be fun to incorporate into our own local group and outings here, since a lot of our participants play as Hobbits and such, which might be more inclined to travel and mingle since the defeat of Sauron. Seems like maybe the Rangers might have also expanded their range in that time period too, which could potentially eliminate the location problems.
Anyway, that’s all the brainstorming I’ve done so far, but I would love to hear all of your takes on it and get some feedback about what you think might be best! It’s been much too long, and I’m excited about finally finding out who I really am
I figure this is going to be a work in progress for a while, so I’d love to get some input from the community to see what everyone thinks, and maybe mine for some ideas/inspiration. Right now I’m just sort of in the brainstorming stages.
So with that in mind, here’s where my head is at right now:
First and foremost, I know I want to aim for an Arnorian Dúnadan Ranger impression. Not really interested in the Gondorian/Ithilien Rangers at the moment. I also know I want certain aspects of my persona to be grounded in my own life and experiences so as to make it a little more real and relatable. For instance, I certainly want my persona to be active in and around the Misty Mountains, since I live in Colorado and I do most of my ranging in and around the Rockies.
Obviously I will likely have to fudge certain other aspects a little. I am, after all, NOT actually a Ranger of Middle-earth, so my own real-world skills such as hunting, tracking, foraging, combat, reconnaissance, etc. are not really what they would be if I actually lived in Tolkien’s universe. But I also think having an established story and character in mind might help me focus on honing my specific skills so that they might match my persona’s better in reality.
So right now there are a few things I figure I need to establish right off the bat:
- Name
I like the idea Greg and some other folks have put forward of having several names I am known by, including an Elvish name, a Breeish nickname, etc. Manveruon was a very hasty and badly done translation of my own name (Michael) into Sindarin that I attempted when I was a teenager, and it just kind of stuck for lack of anything better. I think I would like to come up with something a little more appropriate, but it also needs to feel natural. It needs to feel like my name.
I thought this was a really interesting take on translating the name Michael into Elvish: https://realelvish.net/2021/05/31/michael-in-elvish/
Basically, it says the name Michael can’t really be translated into any known form of Elvish, because it is technically a a rhetorical question (“Who is like unto God?” With the implication being “No one”), and Elvish names just… aren’t made like that. But it does offer some alternative suggestions, and I kind of like the idea of using some form of “Servant of Eru” or “Servant of the Vala,” because that seems to coincide relatively well with the concept of the name Michael (I certainly like it better than anything that translates to “God-like,” because that’s honestly the total opposite of what the name actually means).
But beyond the Elvish name, I’d love to consider maybe a Breeish name (see below for the background I have in mind, but like maybe his Dúnadan mother named him something in Elvish, but his Breeish father gave him a more “mundane” Breeish name), and then probably some kind of nickname as well - something along the lines of “Strider” that the folks of Bree might call him as a descriptive nickname.
- Background
The more I think about it the more inclined I am to make my persona’s background somewhat mixed. I was thinking maybe a Dúnadan mother of mixed descent and a Breeish father? I’m of pretty average height but not exactly tall (5’10” if I’m really really lucky ), I tend to wear a beard, and I have a fairly swarthy complexion - all of which are characteristic of Bree men, but not so much of the Numenoreans/Dúnedain. I figure maybe a bit more than half of his ancestry is from the Breelands, and the rest is from Numenor, but his father died when he was young, and his mother raised him amongst her people.
I also know that I am a bit of a Hobbit at heart - I like my creature comforts, and I have a love for food, drink, and music. So I was thinking perhaps that he might be extremely fond of Hobbits in particular, and have many halfling friends in and around Bree - such that perhaps his fellow Rangers half suspect him of being part Hobbit himself!
Perhaps he dreams one day of settling down somewhere in Bree or even near the borders of the Shire and living a quiet life among the locals?
I don’t want to create a terribly “exceptional” backstory that starts to veer into the fantastical - I believe in aiming for a common impression - but I also want to address certain habits and physical traits, and I think this might accomplish that? Any thoughts here?
- Location
As mentioned, I live near Denver, CO, and I do most of my ranging in and around the Rockies. In my head, I guess I have sort of always thought of my “range” as being in and around the lands on the WESTERN slopes of the Misty Mountains, near Rivendell perhaps - but the fact is, I am actually situated on the EASTERN slopes of the Rockies - which, if I’m looking for parallels in Middle-earth, would be on the opposite side of the Misty Mountains, more towards the lands of the Beornings. Does it even make sense for Rangers to be that far East? I feel like Tolkien really intended for them to be based to the west of the mountains and not really cross over them much unless in great need, like Halbarad and the Grey Company. Should I just continue pretending I’m on the other side of the mountains? What would you do?
- Time Period
I’m kind of inclined to aim for an early-4th-Age period rather than 3rd-Age. I feel like there is a ton of unexplored potential in that period, with the kingdoms of north and south reunited under Elessar. It would also be fun to incorporate into our own local group and outings here, since a lot of our participants play as Hobbits and such, which might be more inclined to travel and mingle since the defeat of Sauron. Seems like maybe the Rangers might have also expanded their range in that time period too, which could potentially eliminate the location problems.
Anyway, that’s all the brainstorming I’ve done so far, but I would love to hear all of your takes on it and get some feedback about what you think might be best! It’s been much too long, and I’m excited about finally finding out who I really am