LANCRESS, DANIELLE 'ELLIE'

[DANIELLE LANCRESS]

BASIC INFORMATION

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Full Name: Danielle Nicole Lancress.
Nickname(s): Elle/Ellie.
Explanation of Name(s): Danielle is obviously the name of the character in Ever After. Nicole is the name of her mother in the film, which she uses as a pseudonym. Lancress is an Anglicised verision of Lancres the surname Danielle uses when pretending to be a courtier.
Age: 18.
Date of Birth: 8th March 1479.
Occupation: Servant.
Origin: Danielle de Barbarac » Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998) » Cinderella.

APPEARANCE

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Play-by: Drew Barrymore.
Explanation of Play-by: She portrays Danielle in the movie and I saw no reason to change it. My interpretation of Danielle, however, is blonde rather than brown haired as in the film.
General Appearance: All things considered, Ellie had the potential to look rather lovely with her rounded cheeks and physique so popular at this time. However, her attitude and circumstances do not allow her to, as some girls call it "make the best" of her looks. For one thing, Ellie does not have the temperament or consideration of what others think of her to care what she looks like. The people she is close with do not mind what she looks like and those that mind are not worth her time. And secondly, Ellie does not have the clothes, the leisure time, or the money to look as good as other women due to her status in the world.

Genetically, Ellie was dealt a fairly good hand. Her naturally round face and curvy body are popular in this day and age and she wears her hair long and feminine, the colour and style of which appear angelic when hanging around her face. The blonde curls do not, however, match baby blues but a brown coloured iris, speckled with darker flecks of black chocolate. Her skin would be, nowadays labelled as a peaches and cream complexion and her height is average for a woman her age. Most women tend to be on the shorter side of her and most men on the taller.

When it comes to personal grooming, Ellie lack of care lets her down appearance wise. She stays reasonably clean and fresh smelling but tends to end up covered in soot or muck or dust from her daily chores. Her hair is often tangled from running around, specially in the woods, and her hands are always dirty. Though Ellie insists that this is just how life treats her and that it is impossible to remain clean when performing a servants tasks there is also an element of boyish conduct in the way she that she isn't careful to not get dirty when doing her chores.

In terms of clothing, Ellie is always in a dress, as she is expected as a women and generally likes a dark blue colour. Her clothing consists of parts that tie around her different body parts rather than the expensive clothes that are in one piece. This is also handy for her servant status as it allows her to wash certain bits of clothing when they get mucky. Her clothes are usually made out of some sort of stout linen or wool and never out of silk or velvet.

Considering accessories and customization, Ellie wears no form of jewellery and, instead, prefers to keep with her her books at all times. Her hair is normally pulled back into a thick plait that hangs down her back or is left to hang loose and two smaller braid weave from her temple to the back of her head.

Altogether, Ellie is a charming looking girl but usually her firm ideals and outspokenness blind others to what lies beneath the dirt and she is never glanced at when walking down the street. Her servant status overrides any potential interest in others, and that tends to be the way Elle prefers it.

PERSONALITY

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Likes:
» Reading: Ellie loves to read. But not just childish stories or the pamphlets of the realm. In fact she never reads pamphlets and newsletters and, instead, hears their content from others. What she loves to read are book on ideology, philosophy and science. The idea that there is more to the world than what you see in everyday life inspires her.
» Her friends: Ellie is an incredibly loyal individual who puts her friends before herself. Family is important to her and this term is not applied only to blood relatives but to those she is close with.
» Debating: Ellie has strong opinions, focused and evidenced by her wide reading and enjoys debating and discussing with fellow enthusiasts. She also likes the challenge of conforming others to her view through clever and insightful discussion.
» Swimming: Elle loves the feeling of floating and swimming through rivers and streams. This comes from the river of Puddleton being her home town and her favourite place to play as a child.
» Exploring: Ellie is enchanted by the simplest of things. Her father inspired within her a sense of joy and interest in nature and the beauty that came come from it rather than from human craft and she loves to explore and witness the world in its original and pure state.
Dislikes:
» The Nobility: Ellie has a firm dislike for those of the upper classes who seem to think that life is to be lived at ease and in luxury, without a days hard work. She finds them arrogant and spoiled and it would take something interesting and hard to ignore for her to change her mind about anyone from those kinds of social circles.
» Prunes: Ellie hates the taste and texture of prunes yet will eat them if they are the only think available to her because she was raised to never turn her nose up at anything given to her.
» Slavery and Servitude: Ellie is an independent woman and, as such, has a strong and independent attitude when it comes to seeing people as individuals. No matter anyone's station she sees them as a person and has a firm hatred for any kind of slavery. She does not even particularly like servitude but feels that at least servants are paid.
» Cowardice: Both in herself and in others, Ellie dislikes the emotion that makes people cower and accept things as they are. She falls prey to it many times herself but, given a chance to pluck up her courage, Ellie will always stand up for herself and fight back against her fear.
» Hypocrisy: The one thing Ellie hates the most is hypocrisy or being two-faced. The nobles who punish thieves when it is their laws that have forced them to steal, for example, is a hatred of hers, along with any lies she herself has been forced to tell to save herself or others from the laws of the kingdom when she hates lying.
Fears:
» Ellie fears greatly for her friends and family and the fact that things in the kingdom can change so suddenly and without warning against them that they could be forced into a circumstance or life they despise. To live a life you do not want is torture and Ellie fears that, while she is strong enough to fight back she has friends and family who are too old or weak to do the same.
» Deep down, Ellie's greatest fear is that she will never be loved. After the exile of her father, she has had a family that holds no love for her and friends who care for her. But she has not had the love of a parent since she was eight years old and fears that her independent spirit and lowly status makes her the last choice of any man to be loved by. Though Ellie will deny this and insist that she does not need a man there is a part of her that she cannot love until someone else loves it also.
» Ellie fears that she will never be able to achieve her greatest ambition of taking back her home. As this is the strongest desire of her heart, the fear of never attaining it is high.
Dreams:
» To take back her father's manor and let her friends and family live and die there in peace.
» To put her intelligence and reading to good use somehow. She does not know how or when she will do it but Ellie has grown up with people telling her she's an idiot to be reading and why does she waste what little money she has on books when she could buy gowns. She hopes to at least prove these people wrong and put her books to effective use at some point in the future.
» Though she has no true hope of attaining this, Ellie dreams of a day when peasantry and the lower classes can prove their equality to those of noble birth. She hates the idea that she, who can work the land and read books in equal measure, is considered lower than members of the upper classes who can do neither. She hopes that one day she, or someone else, will be able to prove to the world that everyone is the same inside.
Virtues:
» Ellie is exceptionally hard-working. She was raised to believe that if there is a job to do you do it right and with your whole effort. She is never happy to allow something to be half-done.
» Elle is also incredibly kind hearted and generous. She goes out of her way to help others and puts her own difficulties behind those of others. She finds it particularly important to help those who can't help themselves.
» With all the labour Ellie does in her everyday life she has a rather slim waist and toned physique, though her round face obviously doesn't change. The downside to this is that she tends to have quite rough hands from her chores.
» Ellie is a high-spirited person and manages to stay cheerful and appear content and appropriate most of the time. What simmers beneath the surface is rarely allowed to come to fruition whether by her or by her circumstances. This means that she appears cheerful and friendly most of the time.
» When Ellie is able to stamp down on her fear, she can be quite courageous. She holds a confidence and is good at acting that confidence to its limit, making her appear stronger than she is. This bravery is often short spent and, when she hits bottom, or a truly bad or emotional situation her fear starts to get the better of her again. But when she can muster it, Ellie can be rather brave.
Flaws:
» Because Ellie works the land and is steeped in effort every day, she has a certain amount of arrogance herself. She does not believe the upper circles and nobility know the truth about life and world and looks at them with pity. This gives her a condescending attitude toward the higher social circles.
» Ellie works hard to keep her emotions inside and remain calm and cheerful on the outside 24/7. This means, however, that when she does crack or is allowed to speak her passion and drive comes out with a little too much pent up energy and it can be either inappropriate or shock the person she is speaking with, unless they know her well. If she interacts with those who know her, however, they tend to let her speak what she will, meaning that there is far less chance of her making an emotional outburst.
» If brave and emotional strength is on her side, these little outbursts can cost Ellie greatly. She can, quite often, drop herself into a situation that is not good for her or those around her because she was not quick enough to quiet her tongue.
» Ellie is unused to any level of romance or interaction with men, other than her friends or the villagers. Therefore, if any man was to approach her in a romantic sense she would be at a complete loss and, most likely, become overtly emotional.
» Ellie doesn't always think through her actions before she does them. She will quite often let her tongue run away with her and jump in whole-heartedly to something that she could have avoided were she to just stop and think for a moment before leaping forward.
» Elle can be a little naive when to comes to people talking about her. She finds it a million times easier to accept insults or derogatory comments about her than flattering ones which means it is hard to convince her to accept a compliment and harder to shake her impressions of low self esteem.
Skills:
» Fast reader.
» Good memory for quotes.
» Has a good aim when throwing things.
» Can swim (more than can be said for some people of the time) and climb.
» She's a clever and unique thinker, who sees the world differently to others.
» Knife-throwing.
» Sword-play (a little).
Traits:
» Ellie will always have direct eye-contact with someone, when speaking, whether they are nobility or lower class. This, occasionally, angers those of upper class circles, even though she does, at least, bow her head.
» Ellie has no shame in picking up her skirts to run or taking off her gowns to climb. She believes it what is practical and most effective and if that means showing some under garments or tights then so be it.
» Ellie has a strong mother hen nature and feels the need to look after anyone who cannot look after themselves. Therefore, when going through town, if she can spare any kind of coin or food for the beggars on the streets, she always gives what she can.
General Personality:
» The Servant: Though she hates and despises bowing her head and playing the meek role, Ellie is well aware of the world and how it works. Therefore and therein she plays the game as best she can and curtsies etc. where appropriate. With her grandmother now looking after the servants she has come to love, she also has an obligation and expectation to behave in order to protect them, and so does so.
» The Independent Thinker: When allowed to speak, Ellie will talk of anything she believes in strongly. She has a quick and sharp mind and feels that it is important to educate those who are not in order for them to experience and understand life to the full rather than fall prey to the upper circles because they do not know any better. She has a confidence and a determination in her thinking because she knows that independent thought can never be wrong whether it is unconventional or not.
» The Little Girl: Ellie has been, in a lot of ways, lost since her father was exiled in the sense that she does what is needed to and not what she wants to do. She no longer lives her life as an individual but as an asset and helping hand to those around her. She does not see this, in any way, as a fault but, when looked at objectively, Ellie does not take the time to listen to her own heart which is making her unable to understand it.
» The Woman: Thought of as shrewish and cat-like, Ellie is well aware that she is not the kind of woman men queue up to marry. She knows that she is different from others and does not see the likelihood of meeting a man who likes this at any point. Therefore, she doesn't tend to see herself as a fully-fledged woman, leading to the climbing about in her undergarments and learning to sword-fight and knife throw. She sees no problem in being man-like because she does not consider herself to be a desirable or attractive female.

HISTORY

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Home Town: Puddleton village.
Biography:
Danielle Lancress was born in Puddleton village in 1479 to only her father. Her mother, Nicole, whom her middle name was taken from, died during the birth and Danielle was left to a life never knowing her mother. Her father, Auguste Lancress was a kind and gentle father who worked hard to support his daughter. In the main manor house of Puddleton village, they lived in peace with their servants Paulette, Louise and Maurice. Auguste Lancress was a well sought after food supplier whose farm was famous in the area. He would travel between the villages and occasionally further afield, past the great pass of the mountains, into other provinces of Vienne. During these times, Danielle or "Ellie" as the servants called her, was left to her own devices, supervised by the servants who rapidly became her family. Growing up in the village meant that she became friends with many of the other children and would run and play with them as often as she could, whether they were boys or girls (usually boys). She learnt, from a young age, how to work the land and make it yield its fruits, how to look after the animals and how to tend to the fields. She enjoyed going out with her servant family and helping them to work, easing the strain on Louise and Maurice in particular who were beginning to age.

One day, however, soldiers came to the door of the Manor. They were looking for August and Danielle refused to let them into the house as he was not home. When they stormed in, knocking her to the ground, her father, who had arrived home by horseback moments before angrily hit the nobleman in charge of the soldiers. At this point Danielle had been knocked unconscious from the collision of her head to the side table and she never saw what happened next. Her father, whom the soldiers had come to inspect for debt and non-payment of taxes that he could not afford, was taken away now under the arrest also of striking a member of the nobility. He was sentenced by the noble town court to be sent away to work at Thebes Quarry, a place of back-breaking work and skin-peeling sun.

Danielle has not seen her father since. At the age of eight she lost him and, ten years later she has still not had the chance to say goodbye or apologise for her unintentional involvement in his enslavement.

As Ellie - as she was now called after losing her father of whom was the only one to call her by her full name - grew up without any parents at all for several years, she was shocked when a carriage pulled up to the house. It had taken time but her father's mother had been tracked down. Auguste Lancress had run away from his home as a teenager in order to elope with Danielle's mother and it had taken some time to find his old family. With no will or testament of what to do were her father to be unable to pay for the house, Danielle was forced to watch as her house was sold to the crown and put up for sale to another nobleman of some kind and her family and she, tossed out. Her grandmother, Dame Eleanor, took her under her wing and brought her to her new manor in Bishopsgate - a home she had taken up upon travelling to the area. After much begging and pleading, Ellie was allowed to bring her family with her but at the cost that they would be servants without pay. Ellie had now forced all of her family into slavery.

Now, as a form of penance she has cast upon herself, Ellie works the menial and labour jobs that were meant for her older friends in an effort to lighten their load. She ensures that they are fed and given decent living quarters and that they are never over-worked by doing most of the work herself. After years of this routine Ellie has practically become a servant in her own new home (also without pay) and has never complained once. Dame Eleanor, who has daughters and other granddaughters of her own who have full noble blood cares little for the "servant child" she has picked up and does nothing to try and help her out of her situation or convince her that it is not necessary for her to perform the duties of a servant.

So now, Ellie lives in a manor a little off the beaten track by Bishopsgate with her servant family and her real one and knows exactly to which she belongs in her heart. She works hard and has turned the heart of her family and friends towards her with her efforts and her selflessness. The difficulty is the restlessness that is now approaching her. As she grows older she begins to question and wonder about what he difference is between her two families and why she should worry about one starving while the other sits in luxury, when it is in fact that ones in luxury that do no deserve their good fortune. Elle's reading and learning are starting to come to the surface as she becomes more and more annoyed about the way the world is and vows to help it change.

Her dreams now consist of getting enough money together - through working odd jobs here and there - to take back her father's old house and then to help free him from his slavery. She wants to have her home back once more in order to look after her ageing family and let them die in the place they also call home.

LINKING BACK

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• Not just the play-by of course, but, Ellie's appearance if very similar to that of Danielle's, such as hair-style and the preferred dark blue clothing.
  
• Ellie's love of reading is the same as Danielle's, especially focused on science and philosophy as she was.
  
• Danielle swims in the river at one point in the Ever After movie, and this Ellie loves to swim for that reason.
  
• Her dislike of prunes. This is a silly connection between her offering Pierre Le Pieu prunes in the movie and having a firm dislike for him both then and at the end of the film.
  
• Her dislike of hypocrisy. Danielle and Henry discuss at one point the ideas of contradictions in people and Danielle loathes her own lying to Henry. The both of them find it particularly heartbreaking as the truth of Danielle's status and lies is revealed. Therefore I have placed hypocrisy and lying as a dislike of Ellie's despite the fact that she will, one day, do the same thing.
  
• Her dislike of cowardice. Danielle talks to herself several times in the film in order to pluck up her courage in certain scenes: "Lord give me strength." "Just breathe." Therefore I have written Ellie as a girl whose courage is difficult to hold onto yet she dislikes being afraid.
  
• Ellie's outspokenness/nervousness cross over personality is the same as Danielle's in the film as she, at times, shies away from being overtly forward or opinionated and, at others, can't stop herself.
  
• Generally, Ellie's complete personality and skills are in line with the movie. The major differences for her are the different circumstances with her father and grandmother (not stepmother) and the fact that she is a little more ambitious and fire-y than the on-screen Danielle. Rather than bluffing as she probably does in the movie about her sword-skill, Ellie is also quite good it that as well as knife throwing, which she has learnt is a valuable skill for hustling people in taverns in order to win some money. This is linked to her having a good arm and aim with apples in Ever After.
  

[DANIELLE LANCRESS]

<td style="text-align:justify" valign="top" class="latestlink" rowspan="3" height="100%"><div class="boardtitle2"> <img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/ix5mb6.jpg"> Latest Acceptance</div>
                           <div class="latestfrontpage"><img src="http://i39.tinypic.com/2mry59z.jpg" align="left" alt="Danielle Lancress" title="Danielle Lancress" style='border: 2px solid #E5DCDC; padding: 4px; align: center;'> <div class="latesttitle">DANIELLE LANCRESS</div><br>
                           <b>Full Name:</b> Danielle Nicole Lancress.<br><b>Nickname(s):</b> Elle/Ellie.<br><b>Age:</b> 18.<br><b>Occupation:</b> Servant.<br><br>Danielle Lancress was born in Puddleton village in 1479 to only her father. Her mother, Nicole, whom her middle name was taken from, died during the birth and Danielle was left to a life never knowing her mother. Her father, Auguste Lancress was a kind and gentle father who worked hard to support his daughter. In the main manor house of Puddleton village, they lived in peace with their servants Paulette, Louise and Maurice. Auguste Lancress was a well sought after food supplier whose farm was famous in the area. He would travel between the villages and occasionally further afield, past the great pass of the mountains, into other provinces of Vienne. During these times, Danielle or "Ellie" as the servants called her, was left to her own devices, supervised by the servants who rapidly became her family. Growing up in the village meant that she became friends with many of the other children and would run and play with them as often as she could, whether they were boys or girls (usually boys). She learnt, from a young age, how to work the land and make it yield its fruits, how to look | <a href="http://albanybeauty.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=bios&action=display&thread=39"><b>Read more</b></a>…</div></td>

[DANIELLE LANCRESS]