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thefarshore
Player Information
Name: Muse
Contact: Plurk @![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
sometimesamuse
Age: over 18
Other Characters: n/a
Character Information
Name: Zack Fair
Canon: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Canon Point: At the point of his death in Crisis Core
Age: 23
History: There is a decently in-depth article here on the Final Fantasy Wiki. Additionally, a summation of the Crisis Core storyline is available here on the wiki.
Personality: Zack Fair is, in a way, a study in opposites. His natural personality is best described by the phrase "free spirit": he's friendly, caring, flirty, and can be energetic almost to a fault. His mentor Angeal Hewley had modeled to him the importance of honor and what it means to pursue one's dreams; along with "becoming a hero" these ideals are a large part of what defines SOLDIER for Zack.
Or "defined," because all dreams must eventually give way to wakefulness. But let's hold that thought for a moment.
Zack was a teenager when he left his hometown and his family to travel to Midgar with dreams of joining SOLDIER. Approximately four years after that he'd achieved the rank of SOLDIER Second Class; still young and still idealistic he believed that he was truly on the path of becoming a hero – enough so that his brain sometimes got ahead of him, as evidenced in training sessions wherein Angeal would put him in his place. Even so, he was a "good person": dependable, cheerful, and still very much believing that what he was doing in life was the "right thing." He'd learned a great deal, yet he was still in many ways an idealistic, almost naïve teen.
Then, as the saying goes, "life happened."
In relatively short order, Genesis Rhapsodos, one of the highest-ranking SOLDIERs defected, Angeal defected, the war ShinRa was fighting with the country of Wutai ended, and Zack received a promotion to First Class. So many events in such a short time could not come without some sort of consequence, especially on the part of the people left to pick up the proverbial pieces. While Zack was shown to retain his upbeat personality (tempered, of course, by the blow that was Angeal's absence), he also clung stubbornly to his belief that Angeal was not a traitor, that Angeal would not betray his honor like that. Perhaps it was naïveté and perhaps it was loyalty – more likely a bit of both – but Zack believed, truly believed, that Angeal was not the monster he claimed himself to be. Even to the very end of his mentor's life, when Angeal merged his body with that of several monsters, forcing Zack to slay him in combat – even then, did Zack believe in the man's heart and his sense of honor. His belief ran so deep that he accepted the burden of Angeal's Buster Sword – the physical symbol of what honor meant to Angeal – allowing his mentor to pass it on to him with his dying breaths.
From that day forward, Zack's demeanor took on a much more serious note. Even after his (implied by game canon) mourning period, he displayed an attitude that was much more subdued than his previous, sometimes unbelievable level of energy. "Zack the Puppy" was still very much himself, but tempered, honed – shaped, in a way, into his mentor's shadow. Angeal had been the "heart and soul" of the SOLDIER program; Zack is seen taking on that role after the elder man's death, passing along the importance of holding true to one's dreams and honor. It's a belief so strong in him that he draws his sword against his superior officer and sort-of friend, General Sephiroth when the General is gripped by the madness of the creature Jenova. It's a belief so strong in him that at the sight of a figure he thinks is Angeal, he is able to force himself from the torture-and-experimentation-induced stupor of floating in a Mako tube in Hojo's lab, breaking out of captivity with a Mako-poisoned Cloud in tow.
It's a belief so strong in him that he gives his life on a cliff top, fighting against too-steep odds because the company he had lived for, the dream he had lived his life pursuing, had come crashing down on him.
Abilities: Zack is a SOLDIER – a man given superhuman abilities through exposure to Mako; a warrior whose body has been modified to perform at a higher level than ordinary soldiers. Zack is stronger, faster and has better reflexes than a normal human; he is by extension more resistant to illness and injury (though by no means immune!).
He comes to the game wielding the Buster Sword, a broadsword almost as long as he is tall. It is a heavy weapon though canon shows Zack's ability to wield it with ease, something that speaks to the level of enhancement a SOLDIER is given. The bulk of the blade is a dark etched steel; the base is given a gold color and a more elaborate, swirling design. (It is unclear if the sword's base is made of a different metal or if the gold is some form of plating over the main blade.) The hilt is plain and wrapped in red; the material can be assumed as leather for both durability and grip. The hilt is more than long enough for two hands to grip it, as Zack sometimes does in a guard position, but he most often swings it with a single hand and possesses the strength to do so with ease. The sword has two circular Materia slots near its base.
Which brings the discussion around to Materia! Materia is, essentially, crystalline Mako that enables a user to focus energy into the casting of a spell. By the point in canon from which Zack is taken, he has the potential to have pretty much every variety of Materia available in the game, and to have mastered each one of them. As this would make him ridiculously overpowered, he is only going to come into the game with six spells available to him – equal to the maximum number of Materia the player can equip to Zack in the game. Those six Materia will include:
Firaga: Enables fire-based attack spells. Throws three large homing fireballs at the target. Can strike multiple targets.
Blizzaga: Enables ice-based attack spells. A huge block of ice materializes above the target, then falls onto it. Can strike multiple targets and can miss if the target moves.
Thundaga: Enables lightning-based attack spells. Hurls a huge thunderbolt at the target. Can strike multiple targets.
Curaga: Enables magic that restores HP. Heavy healing based on MAG.
Dispel: Enables magic that nulls enemy magic. Removes beneficial status effects from the target.
Dualcast: Enables equipped magic to be cast twice in succession. Doubles MP cost as well. Does not work with Flare or Ultima. Once an item that grants 0 MP cost is equipped, Dualcast becomes extremely powerful coupled with strong spells like Energy, Quake, Electrocute and Graviga.
(Please note that the descriptions are courtesy of the Crisis Core player's guide, Materia section, pages 171 through 185. They are presented here only for accuracy in description; no infringement is intended.)
Of course if Materia won't work with the game's premise, Zack can easily be brought in without it.
Zack also has an amazing amount of willpower, such that it gives him the ability to push himself past his physical limits, as evidenced in his final stand. Even with his body failing he is able to keep fighting purely on his strength of will, and the inspirations of his memories of those closest to him. It is when his mind feels the fatigue of the fight and breaks that he finally falls.
On the more mundane side of abilities, Zack is shown to be able to ride a motorcycle. He has improvised a beach umbrella into a weapon, and he knows how to aim and shoot a gun.
Strengths: Loyalty; strong willpower; survivor; honorable; optimistic
Weaknesses: Pride; naïveté; heart-on-sleeve; cares too much; too idealistic
God/Shinki: God
Why?: Because Zack would be uncomfortable in the role, and that provides a wonderful opportunity for character growth. He's spent most of his adult life pursuing the dream of being a hero and he died a traitor to the company that birthed that dream (though it could be said ShinRa betrayed him, but that's another argument). To just be given this awesome power and responsibility right off the bat is going to make him struggle, and in struggle is the best chance of development.
Top 3 Choices:Poseidon, Hephaestus, or Chronos
God Type: The reason I'm hoping to stay within the Greek pantheon is because of the idea of Fate and that even gods cannot change what is fated to be. I would really enjoy for Zack to be bound by that idea because of the struggles he has with being unable to save his friends in canon — and here where he would have the power to do that sort of thing, he can't because of Fate. Once he figures out that balance and the necessity of it being kept, he's likely to relax a little into the role. Zack is an eternal optimist in canon and believes the best of people. The concepts of honor and of having (and following) dreams are very important; he's likely to answer prayers that relate heavily to those two ideas.
Power: In keeping with the theme of each suggested god:if Poseidon, control of the tides (oceans/lakes/rivers/ponds/etc.); if Hephaestus, manipulation of metal; if Chronos, manipulation of time (i.e., being able to speed up or slow down to the point of time appearing to stand still, not actually doing anything game breaking like stopping time for everyone).
Writing Sample
Sample: Honor means always following your dreams, even when your dreams are hard to follow. Angeal had had some weird ideas about honor— Zack still wasn't sure how it related to clean boxers because sometimes laundry just had to be stretched, okay?— but that one still rang strong with him, always had and always would. It was why he hadn't hesitated on that cliff top, knowing that they couldn't, absolutely could not, return to ShinRa. Cloud would live— Cloud had to live— and that was all that mattered.
What he didn't understand was...well, everything now, it seemed. Why were his wounds treated, bandaged, healing? Who'd done it? You'd managed to do it without him being aware of it? Had he been that far gone?
How had be survived? Had he survived, or was this the afterlife, this strange hotel with the too-friendly staff? It didn't seem quite right to be the Lifestream, but Zack really couldn't be sure— it's not like he'd ever died before, after all.
He sighed, nudging the wristwatch-thing with his foot; arms wrapped around drawn-up knees, he was comfortably seated in the center of the floor of a very clean and entirely unfamiliar room. His armor was set aside, along with boots and the upper half of his uniform; he'd cleaned the pieces as best as he could while worrying at the same time about the state of his sword. He'd had to use the blade's edge instead of just its back in that last battle, and his mentor's words about wear and tear still rang strong in his memory. And it was a hard memory: pleasant for the fact of being on a mission together with the man he admired the most, and painful for it being the mission from which Angeal had not returned. Thoughts of Angeal were painful, thoughts of Cloud were painful, thoughts of Aerith were painful, thoughts of Sephiroth were painful and confusing...
And all he'd gotten here were too-vague non-explanations and too-friendly smiles, along with something about his now being a "god." It was not at all satisfying, but Zack had little choice on that piece of things, and he knew it. Whatever game this was, he'd have to play it at least somewhat— and devote a large amount of energy to finding out just what, exactly, was going on here. He could already feel his mind spinning off into possibilities and tangents, and it took something of restraint to ground his thoughts. He needed to temper the urge to run out and find out all the answers he could right away; he had a feeling it would not be that simple, and that if he really gave some thought to it, the pieces would start to sort themselves. Too bad his brain was too scattered to really concentrate on such an activity.
Well, there was only one thing for it, if his thoughts wouldn't calm down on their own. He pulled himself to his feet a bit more gingerly than usual, stretched to test his injuries' limits, and started doing squats.
"One, two... c'mon self, gotta recover. Three, four, five..."
Other
Anything Else?: I believe that Kate was going to app Sephiroth as a Shinki; if so, we had talked about him being tied to Zack. Thanks!
Name: Muse
Contact: Plurk @
Age: over 18
Other Characters: n/a
Character Information
Name: Zack Fair
Canon: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Canon Point: At the point of his death in Crisis Core
Age: 23
History: There is a decently in-depth article here on the Final Fantasy Wiki. Additionally, a summation of the Crisis Core storyline is available here on the wiki.
Personality: Zack Fair is, in a way, a study in opposites. His natural personality is best described by the phrase "free spirit": he's friendly, caring, flirty, and can be energetic almost to a fault. His mentor Angeal Hewley had modeled to him the importance of honor and what it means to pursue one's dreams; along with "becoming a hero" these ideals are a large part of what defines SOLDIER for Zack.
Or "defined," because all dreams must eventually give way to wakefulness. But let's hold that thought for a moment.
Zack was a teenager when he left his hometown and his family to travel to Midgar with dreams of joining SOLDIER. Approximately four years after that he'd achieved the rank of SOLDIER Second Class; still young and still idealistic he believed that he was truly on the path of becoming a hero – enough so that his brain sometimes got ahead of him, as evidenced in training sessions wherein Angeal would put him in his place. Even so, he was a "good person": dependable, cheerful, and still very much believing that what he was doing in life was the "right thing." He'd learned a great deal, yet he was still in many ways an idealistic, almost naïve teen.
Then, as the saying goes, "life happened."
In relatively short order, Genesis Rhapsodos, one of the highest-ranking SOLDIERs defected, Angeal defected, the war ShinRa was fighting with the country of Wutai ended, and Zack received a promotion to First Class. So many events in such a short time could not come without some sort of consequence, especially on the part of the people left to pick up the proverbial pieces. While Zack was shown to retain his upbeat personality (tempered, of course, by the blow that was Angeal's absence), he also clung stubbornly to his belief that Angeal was not a traitor, that Angeal would not betray his honor like that. Perhaps it was naïveté and perhaps it was loyalty – more likely a bit of both – but Zack believed, truly believed, that Angeal was not the monster he claimed himself to be. Even to the very end of his mentor's life, when Angeal merged his body with that of several monsters, forcing Zack to slay him in combat – even then, did Zack believe in the man's heart and his sense of honor. His belief ran so deep that he accepted the burden of Angeal's Buster Sword – the physical symbol of what honor meant to Angeal – allowing his mentor to pass it on to him with his dying breaths.
From that day forward, Zack's demeanor took on a much more serious note. Even after his (implied by game canon) mourning period, he displayed an attitude that was much more subdued than his previous, sometimes unbelievable level of energy. "Zack the Puppy" was still very much himself, but tempered, honed – shaped, in a way, into his mentor's shadow. Angeal had been the "heart and soul" of the SOLDIER program; Zack is seen taking on that role after the elder man's death, passing along the importance of holding true to one's dreams and honor. It's a belief so strong in him that he draws his sword against his superior officer and sort-of friend, General Sephiroth when the General is gripped by the madness of the creature Jenova. It's a belief so strong in him that at the sight of a figure he thinks is Angeal, he is able to force himself from the torture-and-experimentation-induced stupor of floating in a Mako tube in Hojo's lab, breaking out of captivity with a Mako-poisoned Cloud in tow.
It's a belief so strong in him that he gives his life on a cliff top, fighting against too-steep odds because the company he had lived for, the dream he had lived his life pursuing, had come crashing down on him.
Abilities: Zack is a SOLDIER – a man given superhuman abilities through exposure to Mako; a warrior whose body has been modified to perform at a higher level than ordinary soldiers. Zack is stronger, faster and has better reflexes than a normal human; he is by extension more resistant to illness and injury (though by no means immune!).
He comes to the game wielding the Buster Sword, a broadsword almost as long as he is tall. It is a heavy weapon though canon shows Zack's ability to wield it with ease, something that speaks to the level of enhancement a SOLDIER is given. The bulk of the blade is a dark etched steel; the base is given a gold color and a more elaborate, swirling design. (It is unclear if the sword's base is made of a different metal or if the gold is some form of plating over the main blade.) The hilt is plain and wrapped in red; the material can be assumed as leather for both durability and grip. The hilt is more than long enough for two hands to grip it, as Zack sometimes does in a guard position, but he most often swings it with a single hand and possesses the strength to do so with ease. The sword has two circular Materia slots near its base.
Which brings the discussion around to Materia! Materia is, essentially, crystalline Mako that enables a user to focus energy into the casting of a spell. By the point in canon from which Zack is taken, he has the potential to have pretty much every variety of Materia available in the game, and to have mastered each one of them. As this would make him ridiculously overpowered, he is only going to come into the game with six spells available to him – equal to the maximum number of Materia the player can equip to Zack in the game. Those six Materia will include:
» Note: adapting the spell to the game setting, it will become what its name suggests: a spell that cure wounds and, to some extent, fatigue.
» Note: adapting the spell to the game setting, Zack will be able to use it to attempt to nullify magic-based attacks from other player-characters and/or NPCs as plotting allows. Or, in other words, it might not always work, and details would always be worked out with other player(s) beforehand.
» Note: adapting the spell to the game setting, this spell will enable Zack to quickly double-cast his other spells, but will fatigue him in so doing. If he overuses it, he runs the risk of passing out from exertion.
(Please note that the descriptions are courtesy of the Crisis Core player's guide, Materia section, pages 171 through 185. They are presented here only for accuracy in description; no infringement is intended.)
Of course if Materia won't work with the game's premise, Zack can easily be brought in without it.
Zack also has an amazing amount of willpower, such that it gives him the ability to push himself past his physical limits, as evidenced in his final stand. Even with his body failing he is able to keep fighting purely on his strength of will, and the inspirations of his memories of those closest to him. It is when his mind feels the fatigue of the fight and breaks that he finally falls.
On the more mundane side of abilities, Zack is shown to be able to ride a motorcycle. He has improvised a beach umbrella into a weapon, and he knows how to aim and shoot a gun.
Strengths: Loyalty; strong willpower; survivor; honorable; optimistic
Weaknesses: Pride; naïveté; heart-on-sleeve; cares too much; too idealistic
God/Shinki: God
Why?: Because Zack would be uncomfortable in the role, and that provides a wonderful opportunity for character growth. He's spent most of his adult life pursuing the dream of being a hero and he died a traitor to the company that birthed that dream (though it could be said ShinRa betrayed him, but that's another argument). To just be given this awesome power and responsibility right off the bat is going to make him struggle, and in struggle is the best chance of development.
Top 3 Choices:
God Type: The reason I'm hoping to stay within the Greek pantheon is because of the idea of Fate and that even gods cannot change what is fated to be. I would really enjoy for Zack to be bound by that idea because of the struggles he has with being unable to save his friends in canon — and here where he would have the power to do that sort of thing, he can't because of Fate. Once he figures out that balance and the necessity of it being kept, he's likely to relax a little into the role. Zack is an eternal optimist in canon and believes the best of people. The concepts of honor and of having (and following) dreams are very important; he's likely to answer prayers that relate heavily to those two ideas.
Power: In keeping with the theme of each suggested god:
Writing Sample
Sample: Honor means always following your dreams, even when your dreams are hard to follow. Angeal had had some weird ideas about honor— Zack still wasn't sure how it related to clean boxers because sometimes laundry just had to be stretched, okay?— but that one still rang strong with him, always had and always would. It was why he hadn't hesitated on that cliff top, knowing that they couldn't, absolutely could not, return to ShinRa. Cloud would live— Cloud had to live— and that was all that mattered.
What he didn't understand was...well, everything now, it seemed. Why were his wounds treated, bandaged, healing? Who'd done it? You'd managed to do it without him being aware of it? Had he been that far gone?
How had be survived? Had he survived, or was this the afterlife, this strange hotel with the too-friendly staff? It didn't seem quite right to be the Lifestream, but Zack really couldn't be sure— it's not like he'd ever died before, after all.
He sighed, nudging the wristwatch-thing with his foot; arms wrapped around drawn-up knees, he was comfortably seated in the center of the floor of a very clean and entirely unfamiliar room. His armor was set aside, along with boots and the upper half of his uniform; he'd cleaned the pieces as best as he could while worrying at the same time about the state of his sword. He'd had to use the blade's edge instead of just its back in that last battle, and his mentor's words about wear and tear still rang strong in his memory. And it was a hard memory: pleasant for the fact of being on a mission together with the man he admired the most, and painful for it being the mission from which Angeal had not returned. Thoughts of Angeal were painful, thoughts of Cloud were painful, thoughts of Aerith were painful, thoughts of Sephiroth were painful and confusing...
And all he'd gotten here were too-vague non-explanations and too-friendly smiles, along with something about his now being a "god." It was not at all satisfying, but Zack had little choice on that piece of things, and he knew it. Whatever game this was, he'd have to play it at least somewhat— and devote a large amount of energy to finding out just what, exactly, was going on here. He could already feel his mind spinning off into possibilities and tangents, and it took something of restraint to ground his thoughts. He needed to temper the urge to run out and find out all the answers he could right away; he had a feeling it would not be that simple, and that if he really gave some thought to it, the pieces would start to sort themselves. Too bad his brain was too scattered to really concentrate on such an activity.
Well, there was only one thing for it, if his thoughts wouldn't calm down on their own. He pulled himself to his feet a bit more gingerly than usual, stretched to test his injuries' limits, and started doing squats.
"One, two... c'mon self, gotta recover. Three, four, five..."
Other
Anything Else?: I believe that Kate was going to app Sephiroth as a Shinki; if so, we had talked about him being tied to Zack. Thanks!