PLAYER
» Journal: roflskate
» Birthdate/Age: 10/90 (21)
» Characters Played: N/A, but I used to play here a while back.

CHARACTER
» Name: Stannis Baratheon
» Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire (Book series)
» Reference: Here.
» Canon Point: A Dance with Dragons: Just prior to marching south from the Wall.
» Gender: Physically and mentally male
» Age: Roughly 35-36 (his age was stated as 34 in A Clash of Kings, and about two years have passed by the time of A Dance with Dragons.)
» Orientation:

Functionally asexual. Although he is married and has a daughter, Stannis shows little to no interest in women. His brother remarks that he "goes to his marriage bed like he goes to battle: with a grim look in his eyes and a determination to do his duty". While this could perhaps be attributed to the fact that (in the eloquent words of Petyr Baelish) "you'd have to be a fool to want to bed Selyse Florent", Stannis treats other women in a similar detached manner. Asha Greyjoy remarks that "[the] king seemed to be one of those men to whom women are another race, as strange and unfathomable as giants." The only woman that seems to be exempt from this treatment is Melisandre, and even then he doesn't seem to treat her with any particular sort of traditional affection with her remarking (when comparing Stannis to Jon Snow) "he does not love her... but he will make use of her". While it is heavily implied (if not outright stated in the TV series) that there is a sexual element to their relationship, any such relations are also implied to be, at best based around duty and obligation and at worst, vaguely consensual, and the only way for Melisandre to utilise a certain ability she possesses. Though the truth most likely lies somewhere in between (the text only implies that they slept together twice, and Stannis was left drained from those encounters), it is clear that neither party factors in lust or love (and indeed, it is worth noting that on the TV series, where one of their encounters is made explicit, Stannis only gives into her advances both because she tells him it is the only way to defeat his younger brother and that she promises him a son).

Similarly, while he does not have this same discomfort around men, he has also never demonstrated any attraction to them. Ultimately, he is a man focused on his obligations who would deny any physical attraction to any individual, male or female. Sex is like everything else to him: a duty and never ever for personal gratification.

» Personality:

Stannis Baratheon is the king that no one wanted. After all, unlike his more popular brothers, he is mostly humorless (with the exception of some extremely deadpan comments), stern and certainly not the sort of man that easily inspires love. With the exception of Davos Seaworth and the Red Priestess Melisandre, there are few who feel any deep sense of loyalty towards him. At times, it seems that even Stannis himself doesn't want the crown. But, he still pursues it with all the passion in the world for one reason alone: because he is the rightful heir, and it is his duty to fight for it. His belief in his own righteousness leads him to some strange bedfellows, and a strange new religion. Unlike his wife or Melisandre however, Stannis doesn't seem to have a deep connection to his new faith. In fact, he confides in his advisor, Davos that he doesn't worship any gods. All the same, he follows her counsel because she has proven herself to have some manner of power that will be able to deliver him to the throne that is his by rights. While she also proclaims him to the the Prince Who Was Promised, a legendary figure destined to save the world from the Long Night, Stannis doesn't particularly seem to buy into that either, growing visibly uncomfortable whenever she brings it up (a particularly obvious example is near the end of Book 3, where Samwell Tarly notes this and observes Stannis rapidly change the subject). However, he still goes north to the Wall to fight off the Wildlings (and eventually the Others), because as rightful king, it is his duty to do so. Yes, more than any god, Stannis "worships" duty.

Above even his belief in duty, Stannis's greatest defining trait is his unyielding sense of justice. While someone like Melisandre views men as being either entirely good or entirely evil, Stannis takes a different approach. For him, a man is the sum of his actions. As he discusses with his friend and advisor Davos in A Clash of Kings: "A good act does not wash out the bad, nor the bad act the good." According to Stannis, even a virtuous man should be punished accordingly if he has committed a crime, and a charlatan rewarded should he act heroic. Furthermore, he also does not particularly judge men solely based based on their birth (as evidenced by his counsel with Jon Snow and Davos Seaworth alike, whose opinions he listens to because they have proven themselves knowledgable on certain situations) something many other lords would find inconceivable. Such an attitude contributes to the reasons why he is not particularly well-liked among the highborn lords of Westeros; to him his allies should be judged for their crimes the same way as his enemies. Ultimately however, this makes little difference to Stannis. No matter what it takes, he is a man that will have justice for the realm.

However, despite his stubbornness and rigidity, Stannis not a man without any scruples. As he tells Davos, one of the hardest decisions of his life was choosing to side with his elder brother, rather than his rightful king. Also, when his younger (and usurping) brother Renly is killed (by Melisandre, with the implication that Stannis was somehow involved), he expresses nothing short of regret for the way things turned out, again confiding in Davos how much he truly loved the young man. Later, when he is confronted with the possibility in burning his bastard nephew in exchange for what might be the salvation of Westeros, he shows similar reservations (after all, Edric is his own blood and more importantly, his daughter's friend, but is one life worth the lives of millions?). Like any other man, he is faced with difficult decisions, and is conflicted when what is dutiful conflicts with his own personal morals.

To sum it up, Stannis is not the sort of man that's easy to like. After all he's the king that no one particularly wanted. But in the end, he is someone who ultimately tries to do the "right" thing, no matter the cost.

» Appearance:

The Baratheon line has a long history of producing men and women with black hair and deep blue eyes. Stannis is no exception to this rule, though he has lost most of his hair. Like his brothers Robert and Renly, Stannis is also a tall and relatively sturdily-built man. However, that's where most of the similarities end.

While Renly and Robert (in his youth) were described as being extremely good-looking, Stannis is described as being rather plain, if not harsh. He keeps his beard trimmed extremely short as well. By the time of A Dance With Dragons, he has also lost quite a bit weight, giving him a more gaunt appearance. Perhaps unusually for a king, he also prefers to dress in modest clothing.

NOTE: For consistency, PB-wise I'm using his actor from the show, Stephen Dillane, who has a bit of a different appearance than Book!Stannis.

» Suitability: N/A

SAMPLES
» "amatomnes" First-Person Network Entry:

[ The device flicks on and off... and on and off, clearly indicative of someone who has never seen such technology before. Network viewers may here murmurs of curses levied at the helpfulness of the maids.

Finally, after some time, the video feed flicks on for good, revealing a man dressed in clothing that is far too heavy for the current climate. Blue eyes regard the network with suspicion, and there is the audible sound of the grinding of teeth. Finally, the man speaks, and though his voice is somewhat hesitant, it carries with it a certain air of command. ]

This is clearly not the Wall.

[ And nor is it Westeros. The question that remained was where exactly he was and how he got there. Use this was all he had been told, and he still seemed no closer to finding any answers. None of it made sense. Back and forth go his teeth. ]

I know not what sort of game is being played, and I am not patient man. I demand an explanation of the situation as well as a method to return to my rightful place.

[ his voice is full of conviction. ]

As the rightful King of Westeros, I command you to speak. I have important duties to attend to.

[ With equal difficulty (and one or two curses), the feed finally terminates. ]

» "amatomneslogs" Third-Person Prose Entry:

This dream was different than the other ones. But as King Stannis Baratheon awoke, it disturbed him just as much as all the others had. Of everything he could have possibly dreamt about on the eve of battle, why...that? His lady wife was far away at Eastwatch, but he could still feel her fingers upon his back, urging him on for the good of the realm while the rest of them watched, whispering of red women and onions and... whatever else men were prone to whisper of (though why all of court should be in a man's bedchamber while he does his duty with his lady wife is utterly lost on him). Of all the things to dream about... It made no sense.

He was so preoccupied in his own thoughts, it took him perhaps a moment longer to realize what else was incredibly wrong about his situation. But as his mind began to clear, such things soon became evident as well.

First of all, he was utterly naked (which may not be cause for alarm for some men, but certainly not Stannis Baratheon). Or rather, he was utterly naked save for something he felt dangling around his neck. He brought a hand to it, tracing his fingers along its edge. It was leather of some sort, and closer inspection revealed the sigil of the black stag of House Baratheon engraved into it. Almost like one a dog might wear.

Or... a slave.

Which brought him to the second point... he had no idea where he was. The warm temperature was the first clue of that, even before he had a chance to survey his surroundings. Had he been the sort of man to indulge in fantastical thoughts, he may have believed himself to be back in King's Landing, the past three years being nothing but one long and disturbing dream. But, that was hardly the sort of thing he would indulge in, and one look around his quarters would tell him that it was not King's Landing.

And nor was it Westeros. Which still begged the question as to where he was. The last thing he recalled was a conversation with the boy Commander on what should be his next move heading south from the Wall. Which begged the question as to how he arrived in a mysterious land in the first place. Perhaps, somehow he had been captured and taken to one of the Free Cities, but it seemed improbable that he would be unconscious for so long and bear no signs of such a thing. He recalled the tales of the afterlife from both the Faith of the Seven and R'Hllor. If nothing else seemed to make any sense, perhaps...

He did not like that thought one bit. Clenching his jaw, he moved his teeth from side to side.

Looking at the foot of his bed, he spotted his clothing, and dressed as quickly as he possibly could. Lightbringer, to his surprise, had lost its glow (not that it made much difference). He debated putting his crown back on for a moment, but instead cast it to the side, frowning. A king protects his people or he is no king at all.

But what of a king who could not even protect himself? No. He could not allow himself a moment of weakness. However, his thoughts were interrupted yet again when he saw some form of movement outside his door. Wasting no time, he called after the figure, blunt and tactless as ever.

"You! Explain!"

Someone would answer for this.