We ask that potential applicants post their application in comments rather than linking. If their application contains explicit references to 'hard' spoilers (character death, unforeseen plot twists, big reveals, he was evil all along etc), players should put the application in their own journal or their character's journal and link it, making sure to mention the presence of spoilers within. For further clarification on our spoilers policy and whether or not your application needs to be linked, please check this page. Thank you for your cooperation!
The comment character limit on Dreamwidth is 16,000 characters so apps no longer need to be split into multiple comments; however this is at players' discretion.
While players are welcome to play multiple characters (five characters maximum are allowed per player!), please only apply for one character at a time, and wait for a decision before submitting another application!
A reminder for those waiting to hear back: Please don't be worried if we skip yours while going through them. It only means we needed a little more time to research!
Please use the form below to apply! If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of the mods.
Helpful links!
Taken / Reserves Please do not app a character from either of these unless you reserved them!
Starter Pokémon! A compiled list of the starter Pokémon to choose from offered in Victory Road!
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pokemon! Congratulations, you have a fun and exciting adventure awaiting you.
Now that you've been accepted... [○] Respond to this with your character's journal. This is a must! [○] Comment in the Taken Characters post, alphabetized by series: # thru G, H thru O, or P thru Z. [○] Join the following communities: victory_road, the_plateau, and ohmyarceus. Only Team Rocket personnel should join silph_co, but we ask that all Victory Road members subscribe to it. Note! You will not be accepted to the main or logs community until you've commented in the aforementioned places. [○] If you're still on the reserved list, please let us know that they've been accepted. [○] Please make sure to check out the Calendar for the weather and upcoming plots and swarms! [○] You can also find our mod plurk at victoryroad; if you have a Plurk, we suggest you become a fan!
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pokemon! Congratulations, you have a fun and exciting adventure awaiting you.
Now that you've been accepted... [○] Respond to this with your character's journal. This is a must! [○] Comment in the Taken Characters post, alphabetized by series: # thru G, H thru O, or P thru Z. [○] Join the following communities: victory_road, the_plateau, and ohmyarceus. Only Team Rocket personnel should join silph_co, but we ask that all Victory Road members subscribe to it. Note! You will not be accepted to the main or logs community until you've commented in the aforementioned places. [○] If you're still on the reserved list, please let us know that they've been accepted. [○] Please make sure to check out the Calendar for the weather and upcoming plots and swarms! [○] You can also find our mod plurk at victoryroad; if you have a Plurk, we suggest you become a fan!
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pokemon! Congratulations, you have a fun and exciting adventure awaiting you.
Now that you've been accepted... [○] Respond to this with your character's journal. This is a must! [○] Comment in the Taken Characters post, alphabetized by series: # thru G, H thru O, or P thru Z. [○] Join the following communities: victory_road, the_plateau, and ohmyarceus. Only Team Rocket personnel should join silph_co, but we ask that all Victory Road members subscribe to it. Note! You will not be accepted to the main or logs community until you've commented in the aforementioned places. [○] If you're still on the reserved list, please let us know that they've been accepted. [○] Please make sure to check out the Calendar for the weather and upcoming plots and swarms! [○] You can also find our mod plurk at victoryroad; if you have a Plurk, we suggest you become a fan!
Before we make our final decision on your application, we would like an added section explaining what the in-canon evidence is for Frisk's personality and for you to enter the password found in the Rules and FAQ pages, even if those pages are not fully up to date.
Your application is solid, we just want to see the justification for your choices and proof you've read our current rules and guidelines!
You will have one week to complete these requests before the character is available again.
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pokemon! Congratulations, you have a fun and exciting adventure awaiting you.
Now that you've been accepted... [○] Respond to this with your character's journal. This is a must! [○] Comment in the Taken Characters post, alphabetized by series: # thru G, H thru O, or P thru Z. [○] Join the following communities: victory_road, the_plateau, and ohmyarceus. Only Team Rocket personnel should join silph_co, but we ask that all Victory Road members subscribe to it. Note! You will not be accepted to the main or logs community until you've commented in the aforementioned places. [○] If you're still on the reserved list, please let us know that they've been accepted. [○] Please make sure to check out the Calendar for the weather and upcoming plots and swarms! [○] You can also find our mod plurk at victoryroad; if you have a Plurk, we suggest you become a fan!
Player Name: Art E-mail: musical8trackmind (at) gmail.com Preferred Contact:ArtWildenTanzen Timezone: EST Current Characters in Victory Road: None!
Character Name: Yotsuba Koiwai Series: Yotsuba& Timeline: Chap. 89 Canon Resource Links:Character info Series info
Personality: Yotsuba is, above and beyond all other traits, an optimist. Very little can get her down, and even when she's down it's hard to keep her there. She finds enjoyment in every aspect of life, and her youthful naivete makes all new experiences things of wonder.
Yotsuba is, as mentioned above, naive. She's 5 and from the country, after all. However, every new experience she has teaches her more about the world she's in and how she fits in it. She's learning every day, about the world and about herself.
Yotsuba is infectious, especially when it comes to her cheer. She can put a smile on nearly anyone's face. Her enthusiasm and simple joy with life are hard to resist.
When Yotsuba is scared, she goes for her comfort zones. Usually this is her home or her father, but in VR it'll be her pokemon. When she's sad, she cries. She has her heart on her sleeve, basically.
Yotsuba does not understand restraint very well, though over the course of her canon she improves in this. Her greatest strength is that she's flexible and adaptive with her positivity, bouncing back from nearly any situation. Socially, her lack of restraint makes her very open and sometimes demanding, but she tends to be friendly enough to make up for it.
In general, Yotsuba's strengths are her optimism and friendliness. Her weaknesses are her over-trusting nature, her naivete, and her lack of restraint.
(If you want more on her personality, just let me know!)
Pokémon Information Affiliation: Trainer! Starter: Nincada (Female) Password: Atomic Fireball
Victory Road Sample: Yotsuba yawns really big whenever she wakes up, and today is no exception. She wriggles out of her sleeping bag, and goes to poke her nincada awake. "Good morning, sleepyhead! Rise and shine! It's time for breakfast!"
Breakfast consists mostly of berries and fruits from the wild for her pokemon, accompanied by the remains of the trail mix from Mom (a relative Yotsuba had never had before) for Yotsuba. The people on the trail and on the pokegear helped her figure out which fruits were safe, but Cicada-chan (as she affectionately nicknamed her nincada) is far from picky. She even likes tree sap! It was never hard to feed her.
Once breakfast is over, Yotsuba packs up camp and starts to walk. She's been wandering for days, it feels like, meeting new people, but it's mostly lonely. She's thinking about home, and all the people she misses (Daddy... Jumbo... Fuuka... Ena... Asagi... Mom... Grams... even Yanda!), so she barely notices when she wanders into the tall grass. She only looks up when the music changes, and a fierce grin spreads across her face, her eyes narrowing in challenge. "You better be careful! Cicada-chan beats up all the bad guys!" The wild pokemon, a ratata, just squeaks. Cicada-chan hops off her shoulder, and chitters back, as combative as her trainer. "Go, Cicada-chan! Use leash life!"
Once the battle is over, and the ratata lies knocked out, Yotsuba remembers. "Didn't the grown-ups say something about catching them? Yotsuba doesn't want to get in trouble..." She pushes the ratata, just barely coming around, back into the surrounding grasses, and keeps walking. Soon enough, the nervousness about her failed capture wears off, and her mood visibly improves. "City, city! We're going to a city! Just like home! Ole!" She sings to herself as she walks, striking a pose with every cry of "Ole!", following the beat of the constant background music.
Personality: Kaz is, at his very core, a half-Japanese-half-American punk from post-WWII Yokosuka that never truly belonged to either culture, and will do anything to build and protect someplace he can finally call "home".
Too bad he put all his hopes and dreams into building that home, it got blown sky-high after a few months, he lost two of his limbs, and was only able to hold himself together with Captain Ahab levels of obsessive, bloodthirsty vengeance against the people who took that home from him. Then, he killed that guy (yeah, singular, long story), got betrayed by the person he trusted the most, and has channeled all his hatred into making sure his former friend/partner bites the dust. He's doing about as well as you'd expect, and in any other story, he'd probably be a villein.
But despite a character development trajectory that goes from 'well-read, charismatic fuckboy with big dreams' to 'Byronic hero' (and past this canonpoint, to 'amused Yoda that does a great job covering up his issues'), Kaz has three major traits that have always defined him and always will-- his mixed-race status, his loyalty, and his pride.
As you'd expect, growing up as a mixed-race in postwar Japan had an enormous impact on Kaz. Born the bastard son of an American soldier and a Japanese prostitute, he was unfortunate enough to turn out looking distinctly American and as a result, earn pretty much every type of social ridicule possible. Being that Japan is a collectivistic culture that emphasizes group conformity, this was intensely painful for him, and he turned to idolizing the Americans on the nearby military base, declaring himself one of them instead. Eventually, he got to America, and found he didn't fit in there, either, since he'd been raised in a Japanese culture. Being too Japanese for America and too American for Japan, Kaz has never really belonged anywhere at all, and that has always been an intense driving force on him. It's even worse now that he did know what it was like to have a home with MSF (which specifically exists outside nations and ideologies), and that's been ripped away from him. He's tried to rebuild with Diamond Dogs, but is ironically too paranoid of losing that home again to ever stop jumping at shadows and let himself connect with the people there. Effectively, he's no longer a member of the family like he wants to be, he's the family's frothing-at-the-mouth guard dog that bites everything that's not its family, including people trying to help them. And a good chunk of the family is scared of him and/or regard him with a healthy amount of wariness, which is alluded to multiple times in base conversations.
This makes it all the worse that socially speaking, Kaz is incredibly extroverted at heart. He likes people, is naturally empathetic, is good with names and faces, and previously, could be found at the center of any party, probably drunk and mooning someone (the mooning is canon and you can take that to the bank). Unfortunately, because of his trauma, he's so hostile and generally incapable of forming human bonds at this point that it's hard for him to interact with anyone in a genuine way, so he's now a closed-off, miserable extrovert. Though, the flip side of his charisma is that he is, and always has been, an excellent liar and manipulator, and that's a skill he's kept honed.
Second point. Kaz is an incredibly loyal person, once you manage to get it. Because of the aforementioned manipulative tendencies, he can end up treating people as tools, but once you actually reach him, he will die for you, kill for you, chase you halfway across the world, wait nine years while you're in a coma so he can protect you when you wake up, and lose two limbs making himself a distraction while you can escape. He is, to put it mildly, very emotionally intense in the way he bonds to people. God help anyone who tries to hurt someone he cares about at this point, he's liable to track them down and torture them for revenge.
Finally. Kaz is a proud moutherfucker, and he's full of grit and tenacity. 'I'll never lose again, we'll never lose again', is not only a statement about postwar Japan, it's a sort of personal mantra for him. As a testament to this, when meeting Big Boss, who almost everyone is immediately drawn to and inclined to follow even when they're on opposite sides, he uses a dirty trick to try and kill them both instead of admitting defeat (because pride, in Kaz's case, does not mean honor, but the willingness to do anything to win). After being captured, he refuses to join MSF even under threat of torture and death, ends up in a frankly childish competition with Boss where if he wins a single challenge he'll be free to go, drags this on all day even after he loses challenge after challenge, and then conducts the escape attempt that he's been planning this entire time. Only when Boss reveals he's talked all of Kaz's own soldiers into changing sides and the two of them end up in danger during the following chase/fight does he finally give up. And even then he proposes it as a partnership, not a loss. So, it's not an understatement to say that if Kaz met Death himself, he'd spit in his face and try to kill him, because damn if he isn't going down without a fight, even in an unwinnable situation. His ability to dig in his heels and stand his ground no matter what is probably both his most admirable and most frustrating trait.
In general, his motives tend towards revenge, and pulling strings to advance his own situation-- as mentioned, he has a very unfortunate manipulative streak, and this is nicely covered in his earlier canonpoints by the fact that he's manipulating things in favor of MSF instead of himself (however, he still doesn't tell anyone what he's doing, which throws it back in the 'seriously questionable' category). However, in the absence of anything from home in-game, and because he will immediately recognize that either the many-worlds interpretation is true or he's finally cracked, he's probably going to be motivated primarily by his competitive nature in the absence of any other obvious direction. He's gonna be the very best, like no one ever was.
(I could go on, because Kaz is a really complicated person-- howhe was a dreamer/idealist and that's been totally crushed, his conflict between being a logical, detached problem-solver and being an inherently emotional person, how even at his worst he's taking into accounts the human considerations of his men because he does care and look after his own, the double-edged sword that is his ruthless ambition, his political opinions and worldview --but this seems like enough.)
PROS Trilingual. Speaks and writes fluent Japanese, English, and Spanish. Intelligent / Well-Read. As the main Exposition Fairy in Peace Walker and one of two Exposition Fairies in MGSV, Kaz is an incredibly smart individual. Over the course of the series, he displays extensive knowledge in history, literature, politics, business, military strategy, wilderness survival, and various sciences, including one point where he appears to solve a chemistry problem in his head. A lot of tapes consist of him speculating wildly to himself while Boss/Venom just sort of listens. It's vaguely implied that he reads and lends people books. But judging by all the things he knows, he reads a lot. Adaptable / Quick Learner. His stats in both games show that he's skilled at a wide range of tasks and will excel at almost any duty he's assigned, including medicine (he is, apparently, a fantastic medic, although this is never actually talked about) and cooking (which is later made a joke of). His only bad stat is engineering, which he's still fair at. He actually says himself that he'll "kick ass" at whatever he's told to do.
Diligent: If you ask him to do something, it will be done to the nines, with every tiny detail accounted for and then some.
Loyal: If you somehow work your way past all his garbage and become someone he can trust, he will follow you to the ends of the earth and... probably attach to you kind of unhealthily at this point, to be honest.
Leader. Although he's not the sort of person who naturally draws in followers, he makes up for that in sheer competence. He is good at taking care of people and telling them what to do. (Limited) Kindness. Previously, Kaz used to be the unambiguously human voice, repeatedly advocating for peace, mercy, justice, and not doing any more damage than they had to as an organization. Those days are gone, but even now he's still the only one that repeatedly speaks out against child soldiers and tries to ensure the welfare of the children instead, despite claiming to hate children, and he argues for taking prisoners alive whenever possible. So long as Cipher's/Boss' blood isn't in the water, he doesn't want to cause any more harm than necessary. There is a good person down there, if you can find it. Music. Kaz displays the ability to play guitar, write lyrics, and compose songs, even if they're peppy j-pop love songs from the point of view of teenage girls (though he originally composed the slower guitar version), that ended up being sung by a not!teenage girl because he can't sing for shit. Except he composed the lyrics in Japanese. Whoops, sorry Paz. Military-related skills: He can punch things and shoot things, and even does it really well when all his limbs are intact. He can also fly a helicopter, which is pretty cool but will sadly probably never be relevant.
CONS Paranoid: After his betrayal by Huey, Kaz was already extremely paranoid. After his betrayal by Boss, this is going to get infinitesimally worse. Emotionally Volatile: Kaz's moods flip on a dime, and rarely to anything nice. Good luck. Cruel: Despite his previously mentioned inherently kind nature, Kaz has sacrificed a lot of his morals to keep going, and will do things like sending his people out on assassinations, or willfully engaging in torture. Don't get on his bad side, or he will literally bend your legs back until they break (hi, Huey). Violent. Kaz has been solving his problems with his fists/gun for a long time. This tendency is unlikely to stop anytime soon. Manipulative: He will use you, he'll use your dog, he'll use your mom if it gets him any further on whatever righteous crusade he's put himself on. He'll even get some totally innocent kid to murder his own father for the sake of personal vengeance. Although, to be entirely fair, said father was a nutcase who was trying to put the world in a state of perpetual war, but that wasn't why Kaz was doing it. Obsessive: If you haven't gotten that Kaz has some crazy levels of tunnel vision going on at this point re: his vengeance, I don't know what to tell you.
Despite that truly horrific list of traits, Kaz is capable of having a normal, if guarded and cynical, conversation. He's at least functional in an everyday capacity, even if he scares the people around him with his... everything.
It's also worth mentioning that Kaz is disabled-- he's missing almost all of his right arm, half of his left leg, and Word of God (or more accurately, Word of an Archangel That God Has Yet to Deny) has confirmed that the opaque quality in his eyes is photophobia. Being particularly sensitive to bright light isn't that bad and more or less just renders his sunglasses medical, so I'm going to leave it as is. And because the arm and leg and their accompanying phantom pain are an important part of his character, he's not going to be healed, and is instead going to receive some very nice prosthetics. He's going to be pissed about this, because he refused the opportunity for very nice, lifelike prosthetics in canon to wallow in his pain like an idiot. Unfortunately, he's going to have to deal with them if he ever wants to leave New Bark Town, because his cane is going to be gone.
Pokémon Information Affiliation: Trainer! Ace trainer, specifically. Starter: Houndour ("Havoc"). For three reasons: the mutt's awful, it's a dog of war (Caesar reference, ha ha), and as a stealth tribute to the people back home, who are also dogs of war. If it is okay with the mods, I'm going to have the thing be pretty much entirely feral and bite the shit out of Kaz and anyone else in its way (and yes, I'll obviously consult players before it bites anyone else). Password: Atomic Fireball
Samples RP Sample:This thread is a good one if you don't mind vague shipping implications, this is more gen but less impressive.
Victory Road Sample:
{ VIDEO }
[a man in his mid-thirties comes onto the feed. his bag is open next to him with the contents ruffled through, and there's an open Pokéball on the ground. the lower left sleeve of his trenchcoat is also leaking blood from what looks like puncture marks (a bite wound?) and is slightly singed, but he doesn't appear to be paying it much mind.]
I read the handbook, but there's one thing I'm not getting. These creatures-- Pokémon --are they pets, or are they weapons? The information here contradicts itself. It says here that friendship is an important part of raising the things, but as far as I'm aware, you don't usually make nice with animals you're teaching to cockfight.
And what kind of anarchistic society is this that the person with the strongest Pokemon wins every possible interpersonal conflict? All right, so it's not that different from most third-world countries, or your average political standoff, but seeing that kind of thing on an individual, culturally-encouraged level is a little disturbing. [he lets out a snort of disapproval.] 'Might makes right', I guess.
{ TEXT, LOCKED TO SELF AT 30% }
LOVE DETERRENCE
[the clumsy, highly experimental nature of the lock makes it fairly obvious that this is someone trying to work out how to filter and hack.]
Before we make our final decision on your application, we would like a revised personality section for Yotsuba.
We would like a more in-depth picture of Yotsuba's inner workings and beliefs. Please elaborate on the points you have made; more examples of her behavior from canon may help to portray not just how she behaves, but who she is.
You will have one week to complete these requests before the character is available again.
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pokemon! Congratulations, you have a fun and exciting adventure awaiting you.
Now that you've been accepted... [○] Respond to this with your character's journal. This is a must! [○] Comment in the Taken Characters post, alphabetized by series: # thru G, H thru O, or P thru Z. [○] Join the following communities: victory_road, the_plateau, and ohmyarceus. Only Team Rocket personnel should join silph_co, but we ask that all Victory Road members subscribe to it. Note! You will not be accepted to the main or logs community until you've commented in the aforementioned places. [○] If you're still on the reserved list, please let us know that they've been accepted. [○] Please make sure to check out the Calendar for the weather and upcoming plots and swarms! [○] You can also find our mod plurk at victoryroad; if you have a Plurk, we suggest you become a fan!
We'd also like to take this moment to inform you of the Eastern Kanto Ferry! For only P2000, you can take a three day, all-inclusive ferry ride from New Bark Town to Pallet Town and begin a new pokémon journey in the Kanto region! Otherwise, feel free to start in Johto!
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pokemon! Congratulations, you have a fun and exciting adventure awaiting you.
Now that you've been accepted... [○] Respond to this with your character's journal. This is a must! [○] Comment in the Taken Characters post, alphabetized by series: # thru G, H thru O, or P thru Z. [○] Join the following communities: victory_road, the_plateau, and ohmyarceus. Only Team Rocket personnel should join silph_co, but we ask that all Victory Road members subscribe to it. Note! You will not be accepted to the main or logs community until you've commented in the aforementioned places. [○] If you're still on the reserved list, please let us know that they've been accepted. [○] Please make sure to check out the Calendar for the weather and upcoming plots and swarms! [○] You can also find our mod plurk at victoryroad; if you have a Plurk, we suggest you become a fan!
We'd also like to take this moment to inform you of the Eastern Kanto Ferry! For only P2000, you can take a three day, all-inclusive ferry ride from New Bark Town to Pallet Town and begin a new pokémon journey in the Kanto region! Otherwise, feel free to start in Johto!
Player Name: Kari E-mail: thisismy_username@aol.com Preferred Contact: wonderfullyworthy Timezone: EST Current Characters in Victory Road: none!
Character Name: Rhys Series: Tales from the Borderlands Timeline: Middle of Episode 5 Canon Resource Links:Rhys' wiki, TFTBL wiki
Personality:
Rhys. How in the hell do you describe Rhys?
At the beginning, it's easy to say that he's a corporate monkey. Being an employee of a major business where the main rule is to save yourself before you save others, Rhys seems to fit in rather well. Up in space, where everybody's main goal is to sit in the golden chair, Rhys is like everyone else. He's ambitious, relentless, - and to be honest? - a bit of a dick. He saw nothing wrong with this, though.
He wants to be the very best, like one person ever was. From the get-go, Rhys makes us aware that his model was Handsome Jack, at least, in regards to running a business. Before his "promotion" he was Middle Manager for Hyperion, which was a pretty damn good position considering the atmosphere of his workplace. Ambition and determination run hand in hand with Rhys; his longing for the top job in Hyperion drives him to go as far as replacing his left eye and right arm with cybernetics, and even a head-port that acts as a USB cable, shooting information straight into his brain. When he's met with a difficult situation, he doesn't stand there and let the battle be over. Even if it's doing something as minimal as hiding behind cover, he'll take it. Defeat isn't an option.
When something isn't met in his favor, it's been shown that Rhys can side a little with revenge. When he's demoted, Rhys goes for the guilty party's throat; which in this case, was a (fake) Vault key, which was a grand total of ten million dollars. With the help of his friends, Rhys takes the money that his nemesis, Vasquez, embezzled, traveled to Pandora, and tried to take his business. Things didn't quite go that way, obviously.
When he first travels to Pandora, it's easy to see that like majority of the people on Helios, he completely doubted what the main planet had to offer. To make it plain, Rhys is completely unprepared for whatever hell Pandora could bring. He can't walk the walk or talk the talk, and if fighting was brought into the equation, he would be an absolute mess- sticking more behind shelter without a weapon, or being almost clueless on how to use it. Pandora is filled with wildlife that is constantly after your ass, and the only thing Rhys brought along to his field trip was a stun baton.
That being said, he's a quick thinker. Whether he's behind a wall being shot at by bandits, or he's in a situation where he needs to move quick or die, Rhys can do so while keeping a level head...most of the time. But for the all in all, he's able to decide what to do, what others should do, and what their next plan of action should be. Sometimes they can be a bit extravagant, but he's not exactly used to how Pandora works.
Compared to Pandora (and honestly, the entire universe of the game in general), Rhys can be seen as a softie. To get his promotion, his nemesis pushed his boss out of an airlock into space. Rhys wouldn't be willing to do that. He's more opted to the less disgusting, less bloody side of things. To put things nicely, he's pretty damn squicky.
There's a lot that could be said about a guy who's dream is to be like their sick, twisted boss before his passing or the fact that through the game, he actually tries to trust that person, but through thick and thin, Rhys is a nice guy. On Helios, he has friends that's helped him get him to where he is, and he knows that without their help he would probably not be in the position he was in. They've been with him, they've stuck with him through thick and thin. Mostly.
He makes his fair share of friends on Pandora, too. Near the end of the game, a group of friends is formed who stick with each other through thick and thin. No matter what's thrown at them, Rhys considers them all to be very close friends! For the most part.
He may be seen as a flop who works in a company full of rabid assholes, but Rhys isn't all like that. He has his compassionate side, and is loyal down to the bone. It's something that a lot of people don't tend to recognize at first (especially those from Pandora), but his kindness is there, and it's what makes Rhys shine.
That kindness can be tested though, especially with the fact that he has an AI of his dead boss floating around in his brain. After inserting an ID drive into his head-port, Rhys has been able to see a blue hologram version of Handsome Jack through majority of the game. It's only someone he can see though, which can make things interesting through the game. And awkward. And tense. Jack tries to be the angel and the devil who sits on Rhys' shoulders, offering advice on things he should and shouldn't do. It's all very hard on Rhys, especially considering that nobody can see Jack or hear a thing he says. Rhys was inspired by Jack, sure. But he was all very intimidated by him. When Jack made a motion to come after him, artificial intelligence or not, he would flinch. He stutters. Especially when he learns that AI Jack can take control of his body via his cybernetics, Rhys learns there's a lot to fear from Jack as well.
A lot of the results you get from interacting with your friends and Handsome Jack depend on how you play the game. If you play your cards one way, Rhys will do something that he wouldn't do if you did something different.
(i guess i should put in what i did in the game because i chose weird stuff.)
episode one had loader bot evacuate trusted sasha chose vaughn over vasquez's deal
episode two told vaughn about handsome jack chose to go to old haven brofisted vaughn trusted jack
episode three allied with jack let sasha pick the flower allowed sasha to let go
episode four claimed to search database used dumpy on yvette ruled hyperion
At the point in time which he's going to be taken, Rhys knows a lot more about Jack than what he did before. He's seen what a sick, twisted person he is. He's more than aware that Jack manipulates and lies, just to get his way instead of caring for the person hosting the AI. Through the game, Rhys starts to realize how much of a disgusting person Jack is, and it really hits around episode five. He can seem like it at times, but Rhys isn't stupid. Far from it, in fact.
To put it simply, Rhys is a turd. But he's a turd that grows on you as the game continues on!
Pokémon Information Affiliation: Rhys will take the Trainer route! Starter: Elgyem Password: Atomic Fireball!
Rhys took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. It was funny how incredibly different things were in the short span of a day. Not too long ago, he was falling through space in an escape pod on his way to a gross planet filled with bandits and monsters. Now? He was walking along a pathway with this little green thing padding its way behind him. Instead of making sure Handsome Jack was nothing but a memory, his new job is to try and catch more little things like the...what was it called? Elgyem? Whatever.
Rhys is silent as as the Elgyem pads along behind, making little noises as floated along. He...wasn't quite sure what to make of this thing. Pandora was filled with horrible people and things that would try to eat you no matter what. Suddenly being tossed in a different world where you had hundreds of these little creatures that wouldn't try to hurt you (for the most part) was a pretty big shift. Almost like culture shock. He wanted to trust the people who instructed him on what to do and where to go, but it was so hard. Seriously. It was difficult to believe that all of a sudden, he had been thrust in a world where your job was to catch these little things. Nothing else.
No ladders to climb, no enemies...for the most part. Was this real?
After a few more minutes of walking, Rhys decides enough is enough. He plops down on the edge of the path, giving his sore feet a break. His whole body aches- the last thing he really wants to do is walk half a marathon. Crash landing in an escape pod from space will do that to you.
The little Elgyem hovers beside him, green eyes sparkling with interest. To be honest, it looks harmless. Rhys hasn't really gotten into any situations where it wouldn't be quite yet. Maybe it was best to actually get to know this thing. The weird guy he met outside his "house" told him it wasn't going to leave him alone, after all.
"Making out there okay?" It's a tiny question, mostly to observe. The Elgyem nods, spinning around once in the air with a little chant. So it wasn't stupid; Rhys didn't really expect it to be. A lot of the -what were they called?- Pokemon didn't seem unintelligent, but after being on Pandora with hungry monsters, he couldn't be sure.
"It's a pretty long walk, huh? Maybe I should have worn different shoes." Rhys stretches his legs out, showing his expensive skag-skin shoes. Sure they were comfortable, but they were more for show than anything else. All part of being a part of Hyperion. "If I knew I was going to this weird world with you guys, I probably would have brought something else. Something that supports the foot more, you know?"
The Elgyem beams, chirping. It had been so silent before, and hardly as animated. Now it was leaning towards him, obviously interested in what Rhys had to say. Maybe it was happy for a break too?
Or maybe it was happy that it was being addressed as a comrade. Or a friend.
Rhys looks to his dirty shoes, brow furrowing for a second or two before bringing his knees up a little closer to his chest. "'Elgyem' sounds like a pretty complicated name. I don't even know if I'm saying it right. Maybe...a nickname would be better?"
It was silent, but Rhys could almost feel the excitement coming from it. It was radiating it.
"I'll take that as a yes." He looked down and smiled. Even though it didn't have a mouth, he was pretty sure it would be smiling, if it could. "Alright then. How about...Greeny?" It was green, after all. "No, no. That's a crappy nickname. Okay." He pauses. "How, how about Gem? Because your fingers look like gems?" It shook its head. Nope.
"Floaty?" Nope.
"Tail?" Absolutely not.
Eventually he resorts back to silence, but he racks his brain for something that would fit. Maybe he should focus more on its personality, and not so much appearance. Good idea.
This Elgyem almost reminded him of Loader Bot. At first, he thought it was just a robot that was shot down from Helios to protect him and his best friend from the dangers Pandora brought. And he did. Ultimately, Loader Bot sacrificed himself to make sure Rhys got a safe ticket off of Helios to somewhat safer ground. If it wasn't for his robot buddy, Rhys would be gone. Dead.
He looks over to Elgyem, then back to his shoes. Then back to Elgyem. Oh, duh! What happened to naming his first born...?
"Loader. What about Loader?"
It looks to him, silent, but the answer is clear. It's a yes.
Rhys smiles, and looks up to the blue sky. If only his robot friend could see him now. After a moment or two, Rhys gets back to his feet. He looks down to the little Elgyem, and smiles. "Alrighty, Loader. Is it time to go back on the road?"
Loader chirps again, floating up a little closer and resting on his shoulder. With a smile and a chuckle, he continues on.
Player Name: Kiyuu E-mail: kiyuuchan@gmail.com Preferred Contact:Kiyuukins Timezone: EST Current Characters in Victory Road: Queen Elsa (defyingfrigidity), Ruby Rose (rosetotheoccasion)
Character Name: Athena Series: Borderlands Timeline: after the events of Tales from the Borderlands Canon Resource Links:Athena @ the Borderlands wiki. It should be noted that, though Tales is a game by Telltale, and thus can be customized very differently depending on player actions, very little of the major choices in the game impact Athena, so an extensive write-up probably shouldn't be needed. Some major choices, however, do involve her, so I'll make a note of them here!
In episode 2, Rhys and Vaughn choose to go to Old Haven over Hollow Point, leading to a much longer interaction between Athena and the sisters. In episode 3, Fiona managed to talk Athena down from killing the last remaining Atlas employee on Pandora, which forced her to come to terms with just what her revenge quest really was about. In episode 4, while telling Janey about how Athena was captured by Brick and Mordecai, Fiona gave her a little white lie and told Janey that Athena said she loved her before she was captured, leading to the two repairing their rocky relationship. This comes back in episode 5, where Athena, out of gratitude for Fiona's help in saving her relationship (as well as a desire for the riches of the Vault to help pay for her and Janey's wedding) helps Fiona's group bring down The Traveler and claim its Vault.
Personality: Gladiator. A ruthless warrior whose sole purpose in life is to fight, who only lives from kill to kill, who slaughters all opponents in the name of one thing. For some, it's glory. For others, it's for their masters. Some even fight purely to sate their own bloodlust. In some ways, Athena is a pure definition of her class title. But below that armored surface, she's so much more than that.
First off: it's true, Athena can be extremely ruthless. She gets a thrill out of fighting, and actually takes great joy in it. She cheers and laughs when she scores crits and headshots, often brags and excitedly asks the other Vault Hunters if they saw what she did, and even cracks jokes when she shocks, freezes, or sets enemies on fire. She'll bring down entire megacorporations in the name of her own personal revenge, and she'll even go so far as to try and kill harmless scientists simply because they carry the Atlas name. Her reputation is a dark and chilling one, to the point where even hardened mercs will drop a chase when they see that she's involved, so she most certainly lives up to it.
As a hardened soldier, Athena's had a deep sense of loyalty drilled into her, but this loyalty is a... complicated thing. It's not an overall thing; she divides it into loyalty to her mission, and loyalty to people. The former is absolute; Athena refuses to drop a mission, even if she no longer agrees with it or her employer. This is most glaringly obvious in the case of the rise of Handsome Jack. Athena was one of his most loyal Vault Hunters, who defended him for longer than most, and truly believed that for most of their journey, Jack was a hero. But even when he began showing how unhinged he truly was, and Athena was openly speaking out against him and trying to turn him away from his revenge on Moxxi, Roland, and Lilith, she stuck to the mission, following it through to the very end. She was clearly disgusted with the man Jack had become, but she couldn't leave what she had started half-finished.
On the other side of the coin, personal loyalty is something Athena gives out much less freely, and is something much more fragile. She'll certainly value this loyalty as much as anything else - she was definitely loyal to Jack on some personal level before he started losing it, as it took Tassiter threatening to kill any remaining family she had left when she refused to help him dig up dirt on Jack, and even after taking down Atlas, she was still able to look fondly back on her memory of General Knoxx, but when someone betrays that trust.... well. See the whole "revenge quest" thing.
But this is all Athena on the battlefield, in the middle of a mission. When she's not on duty, she's still... a bit severe, yes. She comes off as more than a bit stoic, speaking little and letting her glares and her eyes do the talking. She's quick to snap at people who are frustrating her, and isn't above sarcasm. This bluntless, of course, comes with its downsides: Athena is a very bad liar. What's even worse about that is that she believes she's a good liar, leading her to feel proud and smug over something nobody believes.
All of this, though, is much like her signature weapon: a shield. Something to hide behind. It's implied, with the way Claptrap describes her as a "confused-looking warrior lady with sad eyes" in the Claptastic Voyage DLC, that Athena is struggling with a lot of grief, possibly even PTSD, over the event that caused her fallout with Atlas; when her superiors learned from General Knoxx that Athena was trying to track down her long-lost sister so she can leave the Crimson Lance behind and escape Pandora with her, they sent Athena's squad on a mission to raze the village where Athena's sister, Jess, lived. During the chaos, Athena herself killed Jess, and when she found out, she went AWOL and has been consumed with revenge ever since. Fiona even calls her out on it, that her revenge is fueled more by her grief and anger than a desire to avenge her sister's death.
It's also revealed through recordings of Knoxx that Athena was once a bit more lighthearted than she is now. He says that she was a "nice enough kid", despite the training Atlas forced her through, and she had a tendency to ramble (in a rather endearing way, he notes) when she excitedly confides in him her plan to escape Pandora with Jess. The change between this... happy Athena and the AWOL soldier who would do anything to bring down Atlas is obviously marked by the death of her sister, thus clearly supporting the hints that there's a lot of unresolved trauma at work under Athena's armor.
As an assassin raised from childhood to be a killer, Athena... doesn't really have much experience living a normal life. She can manage well enough, but things as simple as motivational posters and appreciating nature's beauty go a bit over her head. She sees everything from a tactical perspective, for how it can be used in a fight or how dangerous it might be, never from just... a normal perspective. She's easily thrown off when Janey Springs flirts with her over the course of her time on Elpis, though in that case, it may just be embarrassment, considering the feelings she develops for the other woman.
She is trying to adapt to a relatively normal life now, though even that she has difficulties with, which is most glaringly obvious in her relationship with Janey. It's clear from the viewer's perspective that Athena does indeed love her; the way she smiles when Janey kisses her and calls Athena her girlfriend, and the fact that she became close enough to want to marry her are clear signs that she is indeed in love. But she lies to her, she bickers when Janey calls her out on continuing her bounty hunting - which she only continues doing because she wants to support the two of them with the only skills she has - and she apparently has enough trouble expressing her feelings that Janey wonders if Athena even likes her. But they've lasted this long, and if the ending of Tales is anything to go by, Athena is most certainly willing to to compromise to make her loved ones happy.
Friendships are a little easier to manage. It takes a remarkably short time for Athena to warm up to Fiona and Sasha, and it's through these two that she proves to be a remarkably loyal, protective friend. She's still rough around the edges, preferring to simply yell at Fiona until something sticks while training her, but when the chips are down, Athena is completely willing to sacrifice herself - giving away her only means of protection when Fiona was in danger - for these girls she's known for only a few days. It shows that she's come a long way from when she was in Jack's employ, where it was clear that she considered his other Vault Hunters as coworkers, and nothing more.
All in all, Athena is a soldier trying to make it in a new life without superiors, orders, or a mission to accomplish. She stumbles and succeeds, and is clearly struggling with how this sort of life works, but she tries, and that's what really matters.
Pokémon Information Affiliation: Trainer Starter: Honedge ("Xiphos") Password: Atomic Fireball
Victory Road Sample: [The gear comes to life today on the rather severe face of a young woman. Dark blue hair chopped short, pale blue eyes narrowed in annoyance... she's the very image of Pissed Off, and her clipped tone of voice only manages to reflect that even more when she speaks.]
Whatever dirty scav or bandit thought it was a smart idea to do this has a ten second head start before I start tracking you down. And trust me, you don't want that.
[If it was possible, the woman's frown deepens. This kidnapping had happened in her home, and as shitty as her and Janey's apartment in Hollow Point was, she'd made damn sure it was secure. And if she had been taken, then...
Shit.]
Janey. If you can year this, send me an echo as soon as you're able to.
[There's no panic in her voice as she calls out to "Janey", but there's an even sharper edge to it now. Almost unconsciously, she reaches up, fingering a gleaming silver ring hanging from a chain around her neck, before she realizes what she's doing and quickly tucks it beneath her shirt.]
And if anyone can direct me to the nearest fast-travel station, the information will be much appreciated. [There's a pause, and the curious eye of a Honedge peeks on-screen with a gleam of curiosity. The woman glances at it, scowls, and pushes it away from the camera.] Also, the nearest gun vendor.
[Because this isn't the first odd creature she's seen so far, and she's really pissed that she doesn't have any of her guns, or Xiphos and Aspis.]
If anyone familiar to me is viewing this, I will update my status as soon as I find my bearings in this bizarre town, and we can arrange a meetup then. Until then:
Yotsuba is... a strange, curious child. She's not particularly deep, emotionally, and mentally is all over the place. She makes connections no one else would think of, and tends to throw people off with them, like when she decided an old man was a ghost because it was Obon and then asked if her home was heaven because it was full of flowers and food. Yotsuba is driven by curiosity and a passion for the world. Her friendships power her through even tough situations, but her sheer lack of understanding of the world sometimes leave her disappointed, like when she thought all trips should lead to souveniers.
When it comes to her lack of restraint, it is best explained in her constant asking others for things. Whether she's checking someone else's fridge for cake (and complaining when they don't have any) or directly telling someone to make her plans come through or practically begging for a souvenir or painting a table without permission, her restraint leaves much to be desired, but improves over time as she grows up in canon, until she learns from her gram more about responsibility.
Yotsuba is extremely cheerful. She's not afraid to spread that cheer either, whether that's to dozens of people by giving them flowers or to one solemn noodle maker by showing a genuine interest in what he's doing. She uses that cheer to bounce back from anything, even though she doesn't take criticism well, as revealed when Miura criticized her drawing and made Yotsuba sad.
Yotsuba doesn't always think things through, especially when she's emotionally invested in an idea. When she wanted to go cicada hunting, for instance, she had no plans. Once again she relies on those she has relationships with to see things through. Then again, she is 5 - wisdom is not to be super expected of her.
Yotsuba believes in love, friendship, and being together, which is great considering she's adopted. She's not afraid of people, and she likes to make friends. In fact, there is very little that scares Yotsuba, besides giant eyeballs. When she IS scared, she runs and hides behind her father if possible. In VR she's more likely to sic her pokemon on things that scare her.
She's naive, that much should be mentioned. She's gotten on a bus full of strangers for no reason other than because she could ride free. Yotsuba is not aware of many of the dangers of the world. However, she knows to listen to what her elders tell her, even if she doesn't know WHY things are dangerous.
Yotsuba's brain works in weird ways. When she swims, she thinks like a fish, for instance, which makes it impossible for her to teach others. One thing is clear, though. As weird as she can be, Yotsuba likes to make people happy and learn from them.
Player Name: Anya E-mail: AppropriateMetaphor@gmail.com Preferred Contact:appropriatemetaphor || Skype:CloudedBlaze Timezone: CST Current Characters in Victory Road:
Character Name: Zack Fair Series: Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core Timeline: After arriving in Nibelheim Canon Resource Links:Zack Fair Wiki || Final Fantasy VII Wiki
Personality:
There are a few key words that instantly come to mind when describing Zack - positive, energetic, and friendly. Through everything life throws at him, Zack's core always remains the same. He has a strong sense of will and determination that never fail, even in the toughest of times.
In the beginning, Zack is best equated to an energetic puppy who doesn't quite know when to quit. Always up for anything and eager to prove himself, he normally goes a little overboard and over the top, especially when fighting - 'letting loose' as he refers to it. Always eager to please and prove himself, to show that he's worthy of not only becoming a First, but also of obtaining his end goal. Zack is strong willed and determined, mind completely set on accomplishing his dreams, even when everyone else tells him it's foolish. And to many, Zack's dream does seem rather far fetched. To become a hero seems more like something out of a bedtime story than real life. But Zack remains positive and upbeat, never letting other's words or opinions get to him.
Even once the story progresses and Zack begins to face the harsh realities of the company he's loyal to, he never stops keeping that dream inside of him, never stops being just as determined to accomplish it. His dream is his passion, and it's one that nothing can ever dampen.
Zack is loyal almost to a fault, as demonstrated by the way he sticks with ShinRa, even when there's mass desertions taking place. As well as the way he remains steadfast in his believe that Angeal isn't the monster he claims to be, but the good hearted person he came to know, even going so far as to try and protect him. It's only once he's left with no other choice does his loyalty become broken. One of the major events in Zack's life is Angeal's death at his hands. It's a source of sorrow and guilt, a stain upon his hands and heart that he can't quite forget about. It left him with the x-shaped scar on his lower cheek as a memento, and he carries it with him each and every day.
Angeal taught him about dreams and honor. To never forget his dreams and to never forget his honor as SOLDIER.
And Zack never does. He goes on to teach it to others, uses it as a source to remind himself of his purpose when things aren't going right or when he's forgotten his way. Zack is extremely unselfish, giving of himself to others almost endlessly, wanting to be there for everyone, often all at the same time. He's exceptionally friendly and easygoing, the type of person who can start a conversation with anyone. Because of this he often makes friends wherever he goes. Zack accepts people as they are, and doesn’t try to change them to suit his own needs. He's something of a flirt, asking Aerith for a date after only knowing her for mere minutes. It's the entirely harmless good natured sort of flirting, one that comes easily and doesn't feel as if he's trying to hard.
Zack is protective of those he cares about, even going so far as to risk himself to ensure their safety. This is shown time and time again, often with him physically putting himself between that person and whatever is threatening them. The ultimate show of this is with Cloud, specifically after they've escaped Nibelheim. Although Cloud is comatose, Zack carries him around for almost a year, before finally sacrificing himself in order to save the other. (Please note that this does take place after his chosen canon point, but it's far too important not to mention.)
Zack is a phenomenal SOLDIER, fighter and friend. He's the kind of person you want on your side. The kind that can take a rained out picnic and find the good in the situation. Everything really does have a bright side and silver lining in Zack's world. There’s something almost warm and comforting about being in his presence. He see's terrible things, does some terrible things, but nothing can ever quite completely dampen that positive core of who he is. That strength and determination, that never ending source of will that drives him forward. There's a dream that he's chasing, and nothing is going to stop him from accomplishing it.
Zack never attempts to change nor does he allow anything to change him. He adapts, most definitely, shifts certain ideals and beliefs, but his heart remains ever the same. Steadfast, loyal, passionate, and eager.
Strengths/Weaknesses
+ Positive Attitude: There's not much that can bring him down. He's always friendly and upbeat, nice to everyone he meets. Even when life deals him a bad hand, he still always looks for and finds the bright side.
+ Sense of Humor: Zack is a bit of goofball, especially early on in the events of the story line. He's easily excited and has absolutely no problem showing it. He's a light hearted sort of guy, the type who's easy to joke around with. Nothing much offends him, and he can find the joy in humor in almost anything.
+Loyal & Protective: Zack is extremely loyal, to a fault. Once you're his friend, you are his friend for life. There truly isn't much you could ever do that would change that. If you are precious to him then he will fight until his dying breath to protect you, no matter the cost.
+Strong Willed & Determined: Zack has a dream, and nothing and no one is going to stand in his way of accomplishing it. Once he sets his mind to something, he will do it.
+/-Kind, Caring & Compassionate: This is a sort of doubled edged sword. While being kind and compassionate is definitely a good thing, it makes him easy to take advantage of. It's part of what makes him such a good person, is how much he truly cares for others, but it can also cause him to be easily hurt.
+/-Selfless: Zack is exceptionally selfless, constantly putting other's well being above his own. If put into a situation where he had to choose between himself and another, he would always choose them. This is a strength because it works into the core of him being a good person, but it's also another thing that's extremely easy to take advantage of.
-Short Attention Span: Zack really is just like a restless puppy. He always has to be moving or doing something - fighting, doing squats, talking to someone. He's not one for down time, and often doesn't quite know what to do with himself during it, which causes a lot of restlessness and impatience.
-Trusting: Zack is a pretty trusting person who genuinely believes that all people have some good in them. This can often get him into trouble as he doesn't see danger until it's directly under his nose or it's entirely too late.
Pokémon Information Affiliation: Trainer Starter: Vulpix (Female) Password: Atomic Fireball
Zack had been sitting in the same patch of thick grass for nearly an hour, thankful for the shade provided by the nearby trees keeping them out of the hot sun. Every few minutes he would make another attempt to open his pokeball, only to have it shake so violently it would fall from his hands. After a rather frantic chase on the second or third try, he'd firmly planted it in his lap, body hunched over to keep it in place.
Taking a deep inwards breath, he quickly opened the small sphere as carefully as he could, closing one eye and leaning slightly away, as if fully expecting it to explode.
Only to find a very small, very adorable brown fox like creature staring up at him, head slightly cocked, likely wondering what she had done to get that sort of reaction.
"Huh?" Of all the things he was expecting, this definitely wasn't it. Sure, nothing about this entire day so far had been what he'd expected. Waking up to find yourself some place entirely different than where you went to sleep, nothing but a backpack and a red and white ball and the clothes upon your back. Sure, it beat another day spent in a dusty old library looking for clues, or traveling around the mountain trails having his picture taking for whatever promotional propaganda ShinRa was planning.
"Well, hey there little guy! Wasn't expecting to find you in there." Holding out a leather clad hand, he waited for the pokemon to approach and deem him worthy, before running his fingers along the length of her head, moving to scratch slowly behind an ear. "No wonder you were shaking so much. It must have been pretty cramped in there."
Pushing himself upwards, he replaced the pokeball into a pocket inside of his backpack, before dusting himself off. Lifting a hand, he spread it over his eyes, blocking out the sun and allowing him to see the distance more clearly.
"Looks like it's gonna be quite a walk." Hands falling to his hips, he turns his attention once more to the vulpix. "Guess we better get going."
There's another moment of contemplation, bright blue eyes staring down at her, before lowering himself into a kneel, gesturing to one of his shoulders. "Climb on. If we run into trouble, I'm gonna need you in top form." Which meant having her get all tired out from the walk wouldn't do.
She stares at him for a moment, cocking her head before scampering over, climbing up his arm and onto his shoulder, promptly curling her tail under her. "Comfy up there?" Despite the lack of answer, a small smile came still crossed his features. She looked pretty comfortable, and plenty regal sitting upon his shoulder. Almost like a little guardian angel.
Less than ten minutes in and he already had the perfect name. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pokemon! Congratulations, you have a fun and exciting adventure awaiting you.
Now that you've been accepted... [○] Respond to this with your character's journal. This is a must! [○] Comment in the Taken Characters post, alphabetized by series: # thru G, H thru O, or P thru Z. [○] Join the following communities: victory_road, the_plateau, and ohmyarceus. Only Team Rocket personnel should join silph_co, but we ask that all Victory Road members subscribe to it. Note! You will not be accepted to the main or logs community until you've commented in the aforementioned places. [○] If you're still on the reserved list, please let us know that they've been accepted. [○] Please make sure to check out the Calendar for the weather and upcoming plots and swarms! [○] You can also find our mod plurk at victoryroad; if you have a Plurk, we suggest you become a fan!
We'd also like to take this moment to inform you of the Eastern Kanto Ferry! For only P2000, you can take a three day, all-inclusive ferry ride from New Bark Town to Pallet Town and begin a new pokémon journey in the Kanto region! Otherwise, feel free to start in Johto!
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indigo_league) wrote2016-05-03 09:48 pm
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