Caterina Sforza, Countess of Forlì (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thetigress) wrote2016-01-22 10:50 pm
thetigress) wrote2016-01-22 10:50 pm
Entry tags:
Drift Fleet app
OUT OF CHARACTER:
Name/Handle: Beth
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
elfwannabe
Reference:
Other characters: Finrod Felagund
IN-CHARACTER:
Character name: Caterina Sforza
Character journal:thetigress
Series name: The Borgias
Canon notes: NA
Species: Human
History:
I bend my knee to no man. Unless I choose to.
The character bio section here covers from 1492 until 1499, up until the last episode of the series. In that last episode, Forli is, indeed, besieged by Cesare, who manages to put Caterina at a disadvantage by hiding one of his armies in the woods near Forli and springing the attack earlier than expected. Although Caterina puts up a valiant fight, ultimately, Forli falls to Cesare and she is taken prisoner (despite her expressed wish that her assassin not let her be taken alive and her attempt to end her own life).
Well aware of the power of Caterina's legend, Cesare has her dressed in one of her gowns- yellow and black, for tiger stripes- and brought into Rome in a carriage built to resemble a cage. A grand and utterly humiliating display, leading to nothing more for Caterina than imprisonment in apartments prepared for her in the Castel Sant'Angelo.
And then, apparently, Atroma decided to intervene.
.
Personality:
I am a freak of nature, Cardinal. An aberration. A free woman in a man’s world.
Caterina's defining traits are easy enough to pick out: intelligence, determination, pride, ambition, and a certain ruthlessness when it comes to the means she uses to achieve her goals. This is not to say, however, that she is not capable of deeper feeling. They are rare, but there are a few moments in the show when she displays a more tender side- notably, almost always in connection to her son.
Caterina is, unquestionably, extraordinarily intelligent, as one must be to be successful in Italian politics. She has proven herself adept at navigating plots, schemes, and carefully side-stepping the traps of her enemies- as well as setting up political mechanisms of her own. Indeed, this is her main role in The Borgias; she is "the spider of Forli," leaving political webs, making connections, and finding ways to bring about the downfall of the titular family. But her intelligence serves her as well on the battlefield as well as in the political arena. She is able to position her troops for battle and work through a plan of attack just as well as she is able to banter and manipulate social situations.
As Caterina says to Cesare, "the Sforzas of Forli never surrender." This is clearly something that Caterina prides herself on and her actions support her words time and time again. Even when her son is held captive and threatened with torture, she refuses to surrender. There are likely several reasons for that choice, of course; Caterina suspected, I'm sure, that her surrender would not guarantee her son's life. But, undeniably, a part of her choice was no more and no less than a refusal to back down and admit defeat. After her capture, even, she does not lose her bite. She reminds Pope Alexander that, although he may have declawed the tigress, she still has teeth (and bites at his hand, which he has offered for her to kiss). This action can only do her harm- she is a prisoner and she well knows it. But, even then, she just can't bring herself to meekly submit. It's not in her character.
This determination, of course, is also tied to Caterina's pride. She can kneel, as she explains to Cesare, but only when she chooses- and this is a key point. There can be no doubt that she has a great deal of pride in her family name, in her position, in her power, and in her own abilities, but she is not above playing a part in politics. It simply has to be her choice. Her pride does not allow surrender and it does not allow submission. This shows in the declarations mentioned above- that the Sforzas do not surrender- and in her tone, her movements, her bearing. During his visit to Forli, Caterina tells Cesare of her father, her voice filled with admiration as she describes how, after losing an eye on the battlefield, he removed his own nose so that his vision would not be occluded during the fight. Is it any surprise that this woman refuses to "bend her knee to the whoremaster of Rome?" Again, even after she is captured, her pride is evident. She had wanted to be killed, rather than captured alive- in part, to be spared the humiliation of being a Borgia prize. And this shows on her face and in her actions. Cesare has her dressed in yellow and black- "tiger stripes"- and walks with her to a carriage built to resemble a cage. Her actions and options are limited here, but still, she does her best to maintain a certain dignity. When Cesare tells her to take his arm, she replies coldly "this is my wake, not my wedding," and when in the "cage" and on display, she keeps a stony face, refusing to show weakness.
There is a very good reason that Caterina is one of, if not the, most dangerous of the Borgia's enemies. In addition to her intelligence, her skill at strategy, and her steel will, Caterina is unrepentantly ruthless in her attacks and plots. She has, throughout the series, attempted assassination numerous times, including the pope's family in one of her attempts, sided with the French in an effort to overthrow said pope, and attempted to expose the entire Vatican to plague through a contaminated handkerchief sent in a "peace offering". When crossed, Caterina is absolutely vicious. The key to understanding Caterina, however, is realizing that her viciousness is strategic and planned; there is a purpose to it all. In the context of her time, she is simply very good at playing a game that a lot of people are playing. It is essential to remember that she is absolutely not insanely violent or violent for the sake of being violent. She is willfully, thoughtfully, carefully violent. And that is what makes her such a threat.
As said above, however, she is not without a heart. Several times throughout the series she is moved to tears- always in connection with family. At the death of her cousin, Giovanni, is the first time we see her weep. The next instance is during the siege of Forli, when Juan Borgia is threatening to torture her son before her eyes. In the end, she stands strong and refuses to back down despite the danger. But tears stream down her face as she makes her choice and the first opportunity she has, she yells for her men to save her son, the emotion audible in her voice. Indeed, when her son was first taken, she nearly rode after him- she does not, but she starts forward and you can tell that her instinct is to help him. And later, when he is finally slain, she cries openly over his dead body. Given the nature of her role in the series, it makes sense that we only see these tender moments of hers in the context of loss, but it's safe to say that she feels strongly about her family, especially about her son, and it's no stretch to imagine that she expresses those feelings in private.
Abilities:
Augment Skillset: Tactical- recon or scout would be perfect. (God help us)
Sample:
It did not take long for Caterina to find her way to the armory of her ship. Once she was sufficiently settled and had gathered her bearings, it was very nearly her first stop. She was, after all, still a prisoner of sorts. If her captors were foolish enough to allow her access to weaponry, she certainly wasn’t going to allow that opportunity to pass her by.
She runs her fingers slowly over a blaster, admiring its form, its light weight. If its firepower is half of what she has been told, this is a gift indeed. And to think, she had admired the efficiency of cannon.
The sound of footfall and the feeling of eyes upon her alerted her to another’s presence. Raising the blaster to her eye, testing the sight, she speaks without turning.
“It is well-made. Elegant, one might even say.” She lowers the blaster, finally glancing over her shoulder to acknowledge the stranger’s arrival. “Where might I test their range?”
Name/Handle: Beth
Contact:
Reference:
Other characters: Finrod Felagund
IN-CHARACTER:
Character name: Caterina Sforza
Character journal:
thetigressSeries name: The Borgias
Canon notes: NA
Species: Human
History:
I bend my knee to no man. Unless I choose to.
The character bio section here covers from 1492 until 1499, up until the last episode of the series. In that last episode, Forli is, indeed, besieged by Cesare, who manages to put Caterina at a disadvantage by hiding one of his armies in the woods near Forli and springing the attack earlier than expected. Although Caterina puts up a valiant fight, ultimately, Forli falls to Cesare and she is taken prisoner (despite her expressed wish that her assassin not let her be taken alive and her attempt to end her own life).
Well aware of the power of Caterina's legend, Cesare has her dressed in one of her gowns- yellow and black, for tiger stripes- and brought into Rome in a carriage built to resemble a cage. A grand and utterly humiliating display, leading to nothing more for Caterina than imprisonment in apartments prepared for her in the Castel Sant'Angelo.
And then, apparently, Atroma decided to intervene.
.
Personality:
I am a freak of nature, Cardinal. An aberration. A free woman in a man’s world.
Caterina's defining traits are easy enough to pick out: intelligence, determination, pride, ambition, and a certain ruthlessness when it comes to the means she uses to achieve her goals. This is not to say, however, that she is not capable of deeper feeling. They are rare, but there are a few moments in the show when she displays a more tender side- notably, almost always in connection to her son.
Caterina is, unquestionably, extraordinarily intelligent, as one must be to be successful in Italian politics. She has proven herself adept at navigating plots, schemes, and carefully side-stepping the traps of her enemies- as well as setting up political mechanisms of her own. Indeed, this is her main role in The Borgias; she is "the spider of Forli," leaving political webs, making connections, and finding ways to bring about the downfall of the titular family. But her intelligence serves her as well on the battlefield as well as in the political arena. She is able to position her troops for battle and work through a plan of attack just as well as she is able to banter and manipulate social situations.
As Caterina says to Cesare, "the Sforzas of Forli never surrender." This is clearly something that Caterina prides herself on and her actions support her words time and time again. Even when her son is held captive and threatened with torture, she refuses to surrender. There are likely several reasons for that choice, of course; Caterina suspected, I'm sure, that her surrender would not guarantee her son's life. But, undeniably, a part of her choice was no more and no less than a refusal to back down and admit defeat. After her capture, even, she does not lose her bite. She reminds Pope Alexander that, although he may have declawed the tigress, she still has teeth (and bites at his hand, which he has offered for her to kiss). This action can only do her harm- she is a prisoner and she well knows it. But, even then, she just can't bring herself to meekly submit. It's not in her character.
This determination, of course, is also tied to Caterina's pride. She can kneel, as she explains to Cesare, but only when she chooses- and this is a key point. There can be no doubt that she has a great deal of pride in her family name, in her position, in her power, and in her own abilities, but she is not above playing a part in politics. It simply has to be her choice. Her pride does not allow surrender and it does not allow submission. This shows in the declarations mentioned above- that the Sforzas do not surrender- and in her tone, her movements, her bearing. During his visit to Forli, Caterina tells Cesare of her father, her voice filled with admiration as she describes how, after losing an eye on the battlefield, he removed his own nose so that his vision would not be occluded during the fight. Is it any surprise that this woman refuses to "bend her knee to the whoremaster of Rome?" Again, even after she is captured, her pride is evident. She had wanted to be killed, rather than captured alive- in part, to be spared the humiliation of being a Borgia prize. And this shows on her face and in her actions. Cesare has her dressed in yellow and black- "tiger stripes"- and walks with her to a carriage built to resemble a cage. Her actions and options are limited here, but still, she does her best to maintain a certain dignity. When Cesare tells her to take his arm, she replies coldly "this is my wake, not my wedding," and when in the "cage" and on display, she keeps a stony face, refusing to show weakness.
There is a very good reason that Caterina is one of, if not the, most dangerous of the Borgia's enemies. In addition to her intelligence, her skill at strategy, and her steel will, Caterina is unrepentantly ruthless in her attacks and plots. She has, throughout the series, attempted assassination numerous times, including the pope's family in one of her attempts, sided with the French in an effort to overthrow said pope, and attempted to expose the entire Vatican to plague through a contaminated handkerchief sent in a "peace offering". When crossed, Caterina is absolutely vicious. The key to understanding Caterina, however, is realizing that her viciousness is strategic and planned; there is a purpose to it all. In the context of her time, she is simply very good at playing a game that a lot of people are playing. It is essential to remember that she is absolutely not insanely violent or violent for the sake of being violent. She is willfully, thoughtfully, carefully violent. And that is what makes her such a threat.
As said above, however, she is not without a heart. Several times throughout the series she is moved to tears- always in connection with family. At the death of her cousin, Giovanni, is the first time we see her weep. The next instance is during the siege of Forli, when Juan Borgia is threatening to torture her son before her eyes. In the end, she stands strong and refuses to back down despite the danger. But tears stream down her face as she makes her choice and the first opportunity she has, she yells for her men to save her son, the emotion audible in her voice. Indeed, when her son was first taken, she nearly rode after him- she does not, but she starts forward and you can tell that her instinct is to help him. And later, when he is finally slain, she cries openly over his dead body. Given the nature of her role in the series, it makes sense that we only see these tender moments of hers in the context of loss, but it's safe to say that she feels strongly about her family, especially about her son, and it's no stretch to imagine that she expresses those feelings in private.
Abilities:
- Strategy/plotting
- diplomacy
- fencing
- military combat
- knife throwing (her idea of foreplay, apparently)
- falconry (when will this ever come up?)
Augment Skillset: Tactical- recon or scout would be perfect. (God help us)
Sample:
It did not take long for Caterina to find her way to the armory of her ship. Once she was sufficiently settled and had gathered her bearings, it was very nearly her first stop. She was, after all, still a prisoner of sorts. If her captors were foolish enough to allow her access to weaponry, she certainly wasn’t going to allow that opportunity to pass her by.
She runs her fingers slowly over a blaster, admiring its form, its light weight. If its firepower is half of what she has been told, this is a gift indeed. And to think, she had admired the efficiency of cannon.
The sound of footfall and the feeling of eyes upon her alerted her to another’s presence. Raising the blaster to her eye, testing the sight, she speaks without turning.
“It is well-made. Elegant, one might even say.” She lowers the blaster, finally glancing over her shoulder to acknowledge the stranger’s arrival. “Where might I test their range?”