Messenger Bird/Voice/Image/Action
*If you want to harass an old man, feel free. Expect dry humor in return if you're trying to be smart.*
Entry tags:
The Spotted Cats Inn
Located in Verens, Spotted Cats Inn is a cozy place to spend a night away from home. Renovated from a rambling old house, each room has a different theme to it. The inn is also home to two cats, Masa and Mune, who patrol the halls and are available for petting if they decide to like you. Safes to lock up valuables available on request.
Bathrooms are located on each floor. Breakfast and dinner will be served daily. 50 sylvs a night without food, 75 sylvs with food. Long term lodging available, rates negotiable.
Proprietors: Auron and Regis.
Security: Jecht
Employment available
Bathrooms are located on each floor. Breakfast and dinner will be served daily. 50 sylvs a night without food, 75 sylvs with food. Long term lodging available, rates negotiable.
Proprietors: Auron and Regis.
Security: Jecht
Employment available
HMD for Empatheias
HMD
Do you have any helpful crit? Like what you see or think I could change a few things? I'd really appreciate any suggestions for the old man.
Do you have any helpful crit? Like what you see or think I could change a few things? I'd really appreciate any suggestions for the old man.
Entry tags:
Empatheias application
Player: Belmont
Contact:
Age: 39
Current Characters: n/a
Character: Auron
Age: 35
Canon: Final Fantasy X
Canon Point: At the moment of being Sent.
Background: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Auron
Personality: If a man is considered by the planet at large to be a hero, one would expect such a hero to lap up the attention and adoration in recognition of his deeds. Auron considers his “heroic” deeds to be the worst failure of his entire life and all subsequent actions are only a means to fix what went horribly wrong.
He appears to be very much like an ideal warrior – stoic, powerful, not prone to making idle conversation unless needed. He's the sort of man to keep his cool when others would panic, size up a situation and act accordingly. Auron's sense of personal honor guides him to act how he feels is right, even if this would put him at a disadvantage or radically change his life. He had been on the fast track to an elite position as a monk of Yevon, but he refused a political marriage and ended up in disgrace.
His sense of loyalty to either a cause or a person is deep and unwavering, as long as that person and cause is true to him. He only knew a little about Braska and nothing about Jecht before meeting them, but they gelled as a group and became close friends, practically family. Even when knowing his friends were going to give their lives for the sake of Spira, he swore to watch over their children as best he could.
This is not to say that Auron never gets emotional. When he confronted Yunalesca after a “successful” fight with Sin that resulted in Braska dead and Jecht gone, he found out the terrible truth. Everything they fought for had been for nothing because of the very system set up by the Church of Yevon. With a voice breaking in emotion, Auron completely lost his temper and rushed Yunalesca, only to be dealt what would turn out to be fatal wounds. There is also a scene where the past is played out before the party and Auron can watch his past self. He didn't do anything to stop Braska and Jecht, not having another way to solve the problem of Sin. Auron, usually the calmest of the bunch, loses his temper at his failure and repeatedly slashes his sword through his past self.
His experiences have left him more cynical in general, but especially of the promises of the Church. Idealism has been thoroughly scrubbed from his soul. At the same time, he is not the type of man to tell someone that their idealism is misplaced. He'd much rather the person learn for themselves to they could make their own decisions. Along with the cynicism, he's sharp with the occasional quip, even indulging in a bit of gallows humor, remarking, “Being dead has some advantages.”
After finding out the truth of his friends' deaths, Auron was filled with despair and a horrible sense of failure, along with self-loathing. It could be argued that his rush to attack Yunalesca was his inability to deal with the enormity of the truth. He either lost his senses momentarily and his temper snapped or was filled with so much remorse that he wanted to die as well. However powerful these negative feelings had on Auron, they are countered by one of his greatest strengths: sheer determination.
Not only didn't he die at the point of attack, he crawled down a mountain, sought help, crossed a field, had enough strength to ask someone to take care of Braska's kid and only when he fulfilled one promise as best he could, did he pass on. Even then, his strength of will and the need to both avenge his friends and protect Jecht's son allowed Auron to live on as an Unsent, a living ghost. Spira has multiple paths for the dead. Either a person dies and fades to pyreflies and goes into the Farplane, a person is filled with negative emotions and turns into a fiend (a monster) or a person has enough sheer willpower to stay with senses in tact and become an Unsent. A person has to keep a strong hold over whatever is tying them to Spira or they will pass on. In this form, Auron found a way to raise Jecht's son and enact his revenge on the system that had killed his friends and so many people over a thousand years. They are the kind of actions that would be impossible for most people and lauded if pulled off. For Auron, they aren't anything worth celebrating. All he sees of these accomplishments are a means to correct a mistake and fulfill a promise. He is not a glory hound, looking for fame. If his determination has helped him accomplish a goal, there is a personal sense of self-satisfaction and that is enough reward for him.
Although not having children of his own, he does have paternal feelings towards Tidus and Yuna, seeing their fathers in both of them. He did watch over Tidus for 10 years. Canon doesn't specify what kind of familial relationship Auron and Tidus had. We do watch a little flashback from Tidus' perspective that Auron watches Tidus' games and knows enough about the sport that Tidus is highly interested in to give commentary on how poorly he did one time. Considering that earlier in his life, Auron didn't know or care about the rules of blitzball, it's evident that he took the time to learn something important to both his friend and the kid he watched over. He might be the stern kind of guardian but he does seem to care enough to offer constructive (not abusive) criticism.
In addition to criticism, Auron also is willing to let the people around him make mistakes and make their conclusions in order to help them grow and change as people. He knew all of the terrible truths surrounding the pilgrimages to stop Sin, but he didn't stop Yuna from making her own decisions. Even though having Yuna give up her pilgrimage for marriage would have been a giant stumbling block in trying to avenge his friends, he didn't stop her from making the decision herself. He is the sort of person to know that people need to have their own experiences in order to make their own decisions instead of forcing his opinion on other people.
Auron is the sort of man that might be a bit difficult to get to know and even sound like a grumpy old man who'd most likely tell you get off his lawn, but if you somehow became friends with him, you would not find a truer, more loyal person at your side.
Abilities: Having been trained as a monk in the Church of Yevon, Auron is no stranger to combat. Although he isn't one to boast about his skills, he had been considered to lead all of the monks in the church. His preferred weapon is a giant blade that would be called a great sword in most other cultures, being nearly as long as he is tall, but is called a katana. For sake of clarity, I refer to it as a Spiran katana. He has also traveled his world twice on pilgrimages so he is no stranger to long distance travel and living off the land. Depending on how you build up the character in game, you could go full on mage with him, but he works best as a swordsman and he possesses Overdrives (ultimate attacks) that either rip the enemy apart or punt them into space. He also served as a parental guardian of sorts for Tidus for 10 years, so he does have some knowledge on how to parent a young man.
Alignment: Sosyne as Auron normally is a very calm individual, trained as a monk to be battle hardened and not panic in situations where normal people would. However, when his ire is truly up or in the thick of a fight, calmness is replaced by action and anger at his opponent.
Other: As Auron has accomplished his revenge and all that he set out to do on Spira, he might actually be a bit more approachable. Over time, anyway. He'll be bringing with him his clothes, his Spiran katana and a jug of questionable liquor.
Remember that we ask for samples that show 1) core character portrayal and 2) some use of emotions, such as environmental effect. You can also use the same sample source for both, just make sure to directly link or quote the emotion portion. We highly encourage using the Test Drive, and you can use prompts from the Test Drives, Intro Logs, and the Task board if you need them. Refer to the main application page for links and more suggestions.
General Sample: http://empatheias-ooc.dreamwidth.org/164808.html?thread=19804616#cmt19804616
Emotion Sample: [Auron sat down in the field, his legs crossed and tucked close to his body. Although skeptical of the importance of emotional magic, he couldn't deny that this place certainly prized the idea. He supposed it could be like any skill – hard to accomplish at first but growing easier with practice. His Spiran katana rested in the grass beside him. He'd heard much lauded about his skills, but when he'd started learning art of weaponry, he'd been flat out terrible.]
Nothing like getting kicked down to beginner. [He could meditate – something he'd also trained over time as a monk – but this exercise seemed to be the opposite. Emptying the mind and relaxing was the opposite of feeling. He could try thinking about something he enjoyed, but his past experiences and his altered existence as an Unsent had divorced him from a lot of simple joys.]
[Maybe...maybe he could concentrate on something he did appreciate now: being grateful to be alive. To feel blood in his veins, his heart beating, the sun's warmth on his skin. His senses felt much sharper than he remembered while Unsent and he felt simply...thankful.]
[The grass around him had grown more vibrant in response. He thought it might be a trick because how could that even be possible? But it was true. He could track the color change with his eye. In a circle around him, the grass was definitely a lighter, brighter shade than the grass further out.]
Hunh. I don't know what good coloring grass does, but it's a start.
Questions: I think I'm okay!
App for Rekindle
OOC Information
Player Name: Belmont
Player Age: Pretty damn old. 35
Player Contact: Plurk is draculabackwards
Player/Character HMD: http://nofarplaneyet.dreamwidth.org/2038.html
Other characters in game: N/A
IC Information
Character Name: Auron
Character Canon: Final Fantasy X (OU)
Character Age/Gender: 25 at time of death, 35 chronologically, 55-60 physically
Canon Point: End game, as he's heading to the Farplane
Character Canon History: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Auron
Character Personality:
Auron is a man haunted by failure, only his failure happened to be doing exactly as he'd been trained to do all his life. This seeming contradiction drives and motivates Auron far beyond what any human being is ever expected to do.
You wouldn't know that on first glance, though. Auron keeps his own counsel, preferring to let his actions do the talking. He will talk but there needs to be a purpose. He is not the kind of person to idly engage in small talk. So he's quiet for the most part. However, he does have a sense of humor, albeit very dry and very infrequent. He'll chuckle at something if he finds it amusing and catch someone off guard with a humorous observation if the situation strikes him as such.
He doesn't believe in an easy road or its rewards until he feels he's earned them. He was offered the chance to be the head of all the monks in the Church of Yevon at a young age, all if he'd just consent to a political marriage. He turned it down. It started his distrust and disgrace in the Church. Years later, Auron has the chance to kill all his pain by ending his Unsent existence at any time. He refuses because to himself, he has not earned that right until he has righted the huge wrongs in Spira and avenged his friends.
As he doesn't believe in easy roads for himself, he certainly doesn't believe in that road for Yuna's party. With knowledge of the huge lies surrounding Sin and the Church, Auron could have easily told what he knew to Yuna. He chose not to. Having someone tell you a truth isn't as powerful as experiencing it for yourself. It's almost like very tough love. Auron isn't the kind of person to expect any sympathy from if you haven't done damn near EVERYTHING to accomplish your goal.
Defiance is coupled with his feelings of failure. Upon completing his pilgrimage and realizing that his two dearest friends who basically became like family to him died for nothing, it broke his temper and cost his life. It was his first defiance at the traditions of Spira and it wouldn't be the last. So angry and despairing at the loss of his friends, instead of allowing his injuries to kill him, Auron defied death with his sheer willpower and became Unsent. In this form, he could last forever if that's what it took to put right the wrongs done to his friends.
As you can tell, loyalty is one of Auron's biggest motivators. He had respect for Braska and actually hated Jecht when their pilgrimage started but as time went on, they became the greatest of friends. As part of a Guardian's duty, it was to put the Summoner first and protect him or her no matter what on their journey. He made promises to his friends about their care of their children. When he lost them both for nothing, it drove him to attacking Yunalesca and to his death. However, because he had such strong loyalty toward his friends and to the promises he made, it helped him defy death as an Unsent. He would not abandon life or his promises until he found a way to put things right. It led him to a completely different world to become a parental guardian to a seven-year-old kid he'd never met. All because Jecht asked him to.
Next to loyalty and defiance, guilt over his failure dogs him every step of the way. The man probably has one of the worst cases of survivor's guilt on record. Instead of being able to enjoy his life, he engaged in what could be construed as suicide by fayth. He snaps out of it at the end of his life and manages to hang on in order to not break his promises. He keeps his guilt close at hand but he has been known to let it, along with his temper, show if pushed too far.
Out of all of this, Auron puts his work or his mission above all else, to the exclusion of forming close attachments with most people. There's no mention of any love interests so you'd think it means he just doesn't care. That's not the case. He loves and loves deeply. No one who didn't love their friends deeply wouldn't break the culture of an entire world over his knee or defy death itself for the sake of them.
Becoming an Unsent and raising Jecht's son has taught Auron a lot in the way of patience. There is a burning desire to put right the wrongs, yes, but in order for the plan to work, Auron and Jecht have to wait for Tidus to grow up. There's nothing ever mentioned in canon about it, but one would imagine that being forced to raise someone else's kid would involve patience in learning to deal with a child or learning how to parent a child to the best of his ability. Even when the two are in the middle of escaping from Zanarkand, Auron takes the time to instruct Tidus on what to do to survive.
In short, Auron is the world's worst person to ever screw over his friends because he will move heaven and earth to get back at you. He's a quiet guy who might not say much but if you're patient enough, you might earn his respect and friendship. Because he's spent enough time raising a child, he might be a bit more lenient if someone younger were to try to befriend him.
AU Information: N/A
Character Abilities: Expert swordsman, good at traveling, likely good as a survivalist because of said traveling, drinking, long-range planning
Character Inventory: His clothes, shades, huge sword, nog jug, special sword abilities like Armor Break. A list is found in the wiki link.
Samples: Thread is here: http://soul-logs.dreamwidth.org/741247.html#cutid1
Third person sample: Part of a larger fic I wrote, so I hope this sample is okay!
A blond little scowl. That's what Tidus looked like to anyone watching him sulking on the beach. That's what it looked like to Auron. He watched the kid pout and sit with his knees drawn up to his chin, toeing the sand.
“We understand that it's very difficult for a child to lose both of his parents, but we're beginning to lose hope of getting Tidus to tell us what's on his mind.” Rayan, one of the guardians of all the kids in foster care, twisted her braid in her hands.
Tidus now resided within this special group. Although Auron had tried to explain it had been the wishes of his parents that he watch over the kid, a man's word wasn't enough evidence in this city. Sadly, Tidus' mother hadn't written any of her wishes down. So now he was truly stymied in his desire to fulfill Jecht's promise.
The fayth keeping the dream alive couldn't directly interfere. Upon arriving to the Dream Zanarkand, the fayth explained to him they couldn't bend the wills of all the people in order for them to accept Auron. Just the fact Auron was able to enter into the dream put a lot of its residents off balance. Even if they couldn't understand why. He had to explain that he lived on the far outskirts of the city and had been an occasional friend of Jecht's.
That had explained his appearance – outskirts equaled foreign territory – and why he hadn't been seen much in the city before. As for Jecht's passing, Auron had said, truthfully, he'd been one of the last people to see Jecht alive before setting out to sea. It helped when Jecht's wife believed his story and believed he told the truth about Jecht's death.
Auron cursed himself a thousand times, knowing his words had killed someone else. That death didn't sting nearly as much as the loss of Jecht and Braska crushing his chest every waking moment of the day. He tried to rationalize it in his mind. If Auron had never shown up in the dream, likely Jecht's wife would have died anyway, knowing her husband was already gone.
It didn't help much.
It also didn't help, months later, that he had no say in what was happening to Tidus. The people seemed sympathetic to his plight and his willingness to apply himself to be a legal guardian. Auron had had to find a place to live (so very tiny and cramped in the city!) and apply for work and continue to show up punctually for every supervised visit.
The only good thing out of the mess was the houseboat belonging to Jecht had been previously paid for. It would be held in trust until Tidus turned 16 or until Auron could prove himself to these stubborn people that he had the kid's best interests in his Unsent heart.
So today's unexpected call (all this machina, real and unreal, hurt his head) seemed like a breakthrough.
“Has he been giving you any trouble at all?” Auron asked.
“Not any more trouble than any other kid we have, sir,” the caretaker replied. “He just seems to be bottling everything up. It's like he's made a conscious decision that no one can help him.”
Fayth, Auron knew that feeling too well. Many times he'd been on the verge of breakdown but he never skirted over that edge. He knew no one would help him and if he gave up, Tidus would also have no one to help him.
Dark resignation settled in his soul. Fine. No one would ever be able to help him. The sorrow would never go away. If he could do anything to stop that from happening to anyone else, especially a kid who had no control over the circumstances, Auron would find the strength to follow through on his promise.
Player Name: Belmont
Player Age: Pretty damn old. 35
Player Contact: Plurk is draculabackwards
Player/Character HMD: http://nofarplaneyet.dreamwidth.org/2038.html
Other characters in game: N/A
IC Information
Character Name: Auron
Character Canon: Final Fantasy X (OU)
Character Age/Gender: 25 at time of death, 35 chronologically, 55-60 physically
Canon Point: End game, as he's heading to the Farplane
Character Canon History: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Auron
Character Personality:
Auron is a man haunted by failure, only his failure happened to be doing exactly as he'd been trained to do all his life. This seeming contradiction drives and motivates Auron far beyond what any human being is ever expected to do.
You wouldn't know that on first glance, though. Auron keeps his own counsel, preferring to let his actions do the talking. He will talk but there needs to be a purpose. He is not the kind of person to idly engage in small talk. So he's quiet for the most part. However, he does have a sense of humor, albeit very dry and very infrequent. He'll chuckle at something if he finds it amusing and catch someone off guard with a humorous observation if the situation strikes him as such.
He doesn't believe in an easy road or its rewards until he feels he's earned them. He was offered the chance to be the head of all the monks in the Church of Yevon at a young age, all if he'd just consent to a political marriage. He turned it down. It started his distrust and disgrace in the Church. Years later, Auron has the chance to kill all his pain by ending his Unsent existence at any time. He refuses because to himself, he has not earned that right until he has righted the huge wrongs in Spira and avenged his friends.
As he doesn't believe in easy roads for himself, he certainly doesn't believe in that road for Yuna's party. With knowledge of the huge lies surrounding Sin and the Church, Auron could have easily told what he knew to Yuna. He chose not to. Having someone tell you a truth isn't as powerful as experiencing it for yourself. It's almost like very tough love. Auron isn't the kind of person to expect any sympathy from if you haven't done damn near EVERYTHING to accomplish your goal.
Defiance is coupled with his feelings of failure. Upon completing his pilgrimage and realizing that his two dearest friends who basically became like family to him died for nothing, it broke his temper and cost his life. It was his first defiance at the traditions of Spira and it wouldn't be the last. So angry and despairing at the loss of his friends, instead of allowing his injuries to kill him, Auron defied death with his sheer willpower and became Unsent. In this form, he could last forever if that's what it took to put right the wrongs done to his friends.
As you can tell, loyalty is one of Auron's biggest motivators. He had respect for Braska and actually hated Jecht when their pilgrimage started but as time went on, they became the greatest of friends. As part of a Guardian's duty, it was to put the Summoner first and protect him or her no matter what on their journey. He made promises to his friends about their care of their children. When he lost them both for nothing, it drove him to attacking Yunalesca and to his death. However, because he had such strong loyalty toward his friends and to the promises he made, it helped him defy death as an Unsent. He would not abandon life or his promises until he found a way to put things right. It led him to a completely different world to become a parental guardian to a seven-year-old kid he'd never met. All because Jecht asked him to.
Next to loyalty and defiance, guilt over his failure dogs him every step of the way. The man probably has one of the worst cases of survivor's guilt on record. Instead of being able to enjoy his life, he engaged in what could be construed as suicide by fayth. He snaps out of it at the end of his life and manages to hang on in order to not break his promises. He keeps his guilt close at hand but he has been known to let it, along with his temper, show if pushed too far.
Out of all of this, Auron puts his work or his mission above all else, to the exclusion of forming close attachments with most people. There's no mention of any love interests so you'd think it means he just doesn't care. That's not the case. He loves and loves deeply. No one who didn't love their friends deeply wouldn't break the culture of an entire world over his knee or defy death itself for the sake of them.
Becoming an Unsent and raising Jecht's son has taught Auron a lot in the way of patience. There is a burning desire to put right the wrongs, yes, but in order for the plan to work, Auron and Jecht have to wait for Tidus to grow up. There's nothing ever mentioned in canon about it, but one would imagine that being forced to raise someone else's kid would involve patience in learning to deal with a child or learning how to parent a child to the best of his ability. Even when the two are in the middle of escaping from Zanarkand, Auron takes the time to instruct Tidus on what to do to survive.
In short, Auron is the world's worst person to ever screw over his friends because he will move heaven and earth to get back at you. He's a quiet guy who might not say much but if you're patient enough, you might earn his respect and friendship. Because he's spent enough time raising a child, he might be a bit more lenient if someone younger were to try to befriend him.
AU Information: N/A
Character Abilities: Expert swordsman, good at traveling, likely good as a survivalist because of said traveling, drinking, long-range planning
Character Inventory: His clothes, shades, huge sword, nog jug, special sword abilities like Armor Break. A list is found in the wiki link.
Samples: Thread is here: http://soul-logs.dreamwidth.org/741247.html#cutid1
Third person sample: Part of a larger fic I wrote, so I hope this sample is okay!
A blond little scowl. That's what Tidus looked like to anyone watching him sulking on the beach. That's what it looked like to Auron. He watched the kid pout and sit with his knees drawn up to his chin, toeing the sand.
“We understand that it's very difficult for a child to lose both of his parents, but we're beginning to lose hope of getting Tidus to tell us what's on his mind.” Rayan, one of the guardians of all the kids in foster care, twisted her braid in her hands.
Tidus now resided within this special group. Although Auron had tried to explain it had been the wishes of his parents that he watch over the kid, a man's word wasn't enough evidence in this city. Sadly, Tidus' mother hadn't written any of her wishes down. So now he was truly stymied in his desire to fulfill Jecht's promise.
The fayth keeping the dream alive couldn't directly interfere. Upon arriving to the Dream Zanarkand, the fayth explained to him they couldn't bend the wills of all the people in order for them to accept Auron. Just the fact Auron was able to enter into the dream put a lot of its residents off balance. Even if they couldn't understand why. He had to explain that he lived on the far outskirts of the city and had been an occasional friend of Jecht's.
That had explained his appearance – outskirts equaled foreign territory – and why he hadn't been seen much in the city before. As for Jecht's passing, Auron had said, truthfully, he'd been one of the last people to see Jecht alive before setting out to sea. It helped when Jecht's wife believed his story and believed he told the truth about Jecht's death.
Auron cursed himself a thousand times, knowing his words had killed someone else. That death didn't sting nearly as much as the loss of Jecht and Braska crushing his chest every waking moment of the day. He tried to rationalize it in his mind. If Auron had never shown up in the dream, likely Jecht's wife would have died anyway, knowing her husband was already gone.
It didn't help much.
It also didn't help, months later, that he had no say in what was happening to Tidus. The people seemed sympathetic to his plight and his willingness to apply himself to be a legal guardian. Auron had had to find a place to live (so very tiny and cramped in the city!) and apply for work and continue to show up punctually for every supervised visit.
The only good thing out of the mess was the houseboat belonging to Jecht had been previously paid for. It would be held in trust until Tidus turned 16 or until Auron could prove himself to these stubborn people that he had the kid's best interests in his Unsent heart.
So today's unexpected call (all this machina, real and unreal, hurt his head) seemed like a breakthrough.
“Has he been giving you any trouble at all?” Auron asked.
“Not any more trouble than any other kid we have, sir,” the caretaker replied. “He just seems to be bottling everything up. It's like he's made a conscious decision that no one can help him.”
Fayth, Auron knew that feeling too well. Many times he'd been on the verge of breakdown but he never skirted over that edge. He knew no one would help him and if he gave up, Tidus would also have no one to help him.
Dark resignation settled in his soul. Fine. No one would ever be able to help him. The sorrow would never go away. If he could do anything to stop that from happening to anyone else, especially a kid who had no control over the circumstances, Auron would find the strength to follow through on his promise.
How's my driving?
Got any questions on how I play the old man? Let's have 'em!
Anonymous enabled, IP logging disabled, screening disabled, will screen upon request.
Anonymous enabled, IP logging disabled, screening disabled, will screen upon request.
Entry tags:
In Kefka's tower -- open to tower residents
*It had been a while since his rescue. He'd had enough of sleep and nightmares and pain that Auron finally had the strength to really get out of bed and figure out this new place he found himself in.*