maskormenace

[lux_ex_tenebris]

〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Riddle
AGE: 33
JOURNAL: meadowed
IM / EMAIL: N/A
PLURK: tiger_eyes
RETURNING: I'm a current player with Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao (dazzlingdream).

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Claire "Lightning" Farron
CHARACTER AGE: 521
SERIES: Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns
CHRONOLOGY: After she is reunited with Lumina.
CLASS: Hero
HOUSING: I'm open!

BACKGROUND: "I took their lives just because I didn't want to die. I felt that it was a sin, but I deluded myself, saying I had no choice. I had selfishly decided the weight of life and selfishly convinced myself of it. I didn't even stop to think that their lives were sacrificed for mine. It was all me... so sinful and arrogant."

PERSONALITY: Before she became the "Savior", ordained by the god Bhunivelze, Lightning was a complicated young woman. She and her sister, Serah, were orphaned at a young age and, as Lightning (then known as Claire) is the oldest, she took all responsibility for their well-being. In order to forget her painful past, she changed her name from Claire to Lightning. ("Lightning. It flashes bright. Then fades away. It can't protect...it only destroys.") It is clear to see, from her own words, that she does not think highly of herself. That lack of confidence gives her a short temper and her fear over losing Serah makes it worse. She lashes out with her words when, in reality, she loves and values her little sister above everything and everyone.

Thus when Serah became a l'Cie, her fear reached a painful pinnacle and she used her love as a sword, cutting into Serah emotionally. Her regret kept her going; it kept her fighting until she was reunited, ever so briefly, with her sister. However there was a key piece in her original journey that Lightning never understood: when she was cutting down the l'Cie that had become monstrous in form, she had been sacrificing their lives for her purpose (i.e. rescuing/seeing Serah). The goddess Etro saw a chance to teach Lightning to have an empathetic heart and to form her into a true knight for her cause. For the first time since losing her parents, Lightning's angry, frustrated facade cracked and her true weakness was revealed.

She was just a young woman struggling to follow and abide by the responsibilities her parents had left behind. If she failed in that regard, she felt she had no reason to exist.

So Etro gave her a new purpose and the armor and weaponry to achieve it. Lightning followed a new path, putting her trust and faith in Etro's plan and giving each battle her all. But, in the end, Serah was lost again and Lightning's pain was so great that she willing became a crystallized l'Cie.

When she awoke, five hundred years later, it was because of Bhunivelze. He removed the empathy, the honor, the faith and love from her, leaving her an emotionless puppet. Yet Lightning retained enough independence to dislike how he dangled Serah, like a treat, before her eyes. However she was willing to see his task through - at least until the truth was revealed. No matter where she turned, there was a friend in danger and time was running out.

Lumina proved to be her salvation. Once they rejoined, Lightning understood that the girl was nothing more than a part of her - and a vessel for Serah's soul. She has been given her humanity and Lumina will never be alone. They will never be alone. Lightning is ready to see the end of the world and she will sacrifice everything to see the souls of everyone safely transported to a new planet; one brimming with promise and not chaos.

Lightning is still complicated, but she no longer wears a mask of frustration. She understands herself and how she has suffered from so many losses, however she also realizes that she is stronger for them. Regret is a thing of the past; she has released her hold on what could have been in favor of what will be. She is brave, she is strong and while she isn't the best at expressing her emotions, once she gives her loyalty, even the gods can't break it. She loves with her whole heart and if there is a battle for a good cause, you can bet she will be on the front lines.

On a less serious note, Lightning can also be downright sarcastic (or even sassy) if she is grumpy or being playful. She might be five hundred and twenty one years old, but maturity hasn't conquered her fully. Maybe it never will. What good is life if you're too serious all the time anyway?

As for her temper, it has been reduced from a raging tiger to a hissing house cat. She has no trouble being defensive if the occasion calls for it - and especially if her friends/sister are threatened - but, for the most part, she is much, much calmer. She is far more prone to smiling and there is something almost shy about her demeanor (though heaven help you if you point that out). Lightning, perhaps, is more like Claire - the girl her parents knew - and it is easy to see how much she resembles Serah (or vice versa). The Farron girls are strong, but, ultimately, very kind.

POWER: Knight

Her defensive skills - with her gun-blade especially - are inhuman (meaning she can fight a god in her world). While she absolutely can be defeated, expect her to come back for another round. She is resilient, a marksman and physically much stronger than her rather small frame and her humanity might suggest.

I'd say she can fight a crowd or one large opponent without getting seriously winded. If there are droves after droves of some foe, she might start to falter.

Savior

She can summon her Eidolon, Odin, and ride him into battle, dual-wielding Zantetsuken. With his aid, she can probably make something very big stumble and/or topple a small crowd of monsters etc. under his hooves. Her Zantetsuken are as sharp as her Gun-Blade (i.e. able to cut deeply into her opponents).

Messenger

She can send messages via dreams. (Obviously this power will require the permission of others. I presume the messages will be visual and/or auditory depending on the situation. I will work out the specifics with the other mun/muns if/when it comes up.) The messages themselves won't be long - just a glimpse or a nudge - so we're not talking about full-fledged dreams (more like visions).

〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE: TDM

LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE: [I expanded on a TDM sample. I hope that's acceptable. If not, I can write another.]

This is not where she should be. Lightning blinks, awkward and confused, by the jolly Jack Inna Box. He keeps spouting jokes at her with punchlines so silly that, in the past, she would have punched him. But she knows to be kinder now - patient. Humanity is thriving in this world; chaos isn't consuming all life and though she wants to send him away with a scowl, she smiles, ever so faintly.

"It's nice to meet you too." she inclines her head, pink strands tickling her cheek. With a loud laugh, he pats her on the head and bounces off to meet someone new. Cheeks red, she, the supposed "Savior" of mankind, glances around, completely at a loss.

What next? Where does she go from here? It has been five hundred years since she lived a normal life. And even then -

Being a teen mother and father wasn't exactly normal. Swallowing her nerves, she passes through the throng of people, pulling the pamphlet she had been given at the Welcome Center out of her pocket. So she has been given a home, but is it furnished?

What about Serah? What about her friends? Are they here too?

"Where are you?" she mutters, frowning sadly, "Wait for me. Don't face him alone."

She can't do anything else but send out a silent prayer - and that rankles. What god is listening? What god cares? Not Bhunivelze. One of her hands curls into a fist and she lengthens her strides to carry her faster to her new "home". At the door, she pushes the key into the lock and lets herself in, overwhelmed, for a moment, by the comfortable array of furnishings.

Everything is -

Blinking rapidly, she closes the door behind her and walks further inside, touching the chairs...the table...

Why has she been brought to a world that shouldn't exist while her friends - her family - are made to suffer? Guilt weighs her down and she sits down in one of the chairs heavily, dropping her face into her hands. If this place - Earth - needs a hero, she isn't sure she can provide them with one.

Maybe she wasn't much of a hero - or a "Savior" - in the first place. But she can't give up. That has never been an option.