permissions // {please be gentle

spearhands — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:55:09 GMT

ooc

backtagging → of course!
threadjacking → if you're worried, drop me a line? but I'm generally okay with it.
fourthwalling → I'd rather you didn't.
offensive subjects → depends on the situation. you can never go wrong by asking!

ic

hugging → go right ahead.
kissing → if the situation calls for it? I'm a bit weird about this. I'd rather it be discussed beforehand.
flirting → hello, it's Judith. shyeah!
fighting → again, Judith. go to town.
injuring → I'm always up for this, but I'd like it to be discussed beforehand.
killing → no, sorry.

If you're curious about something that hasn't been listed here, feel free to drop me a line! I am always up for plotting. :3

hmd // {contact

spearhands — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:49:23 GMT

What up.

Comments are screened, IP logging is off, anonymous is allowed.

app // {magicdrafted

spearhands — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:35:51 GMT

PLAYER INFORMATION

NAME: Jes
AGE: 23
JOURNAL: threnoder
AIM/PLURK/EMAIL: Plurk: bedlam
CURRENT CHARACTERS: None

CHARACTER INFORMATION

SERIES: Tales of Vesperia
NAME: Judith
RACE: Krityan
AGE: 19
CANON POINT: Post-game
REFERENCES: Tales of Vesperia / Judith
GENDER: Female

APPEARANCE:
Toned, long-legged, curvy and tall, Judith makes a quick physical impression. She stands at 5’9”, weight undisclosed, and has a noticeably active and athletic figure with – to put this delicately – sizeable tracts of land. She has a pretty face and certain features unique to her species, being Krityan-born rather than human – red eyes and long, blue antenna that reach down past her knees. The antenna poke out from behind her ears and are soft and feathery, but with a wide stalk and strength. Her ears are pointed back rather than curved and can at times droop downward, depending on her mood. While Judith is capable of bright smiles, her expression are usually neutral and understated, pointedly giving little away in terms of mood or purpose – one might say she has the ultimate poker face, with a smile just short of Stepford when the situation calls for it.

Her hair is a dark blue, bordering on a blue-violet, with a side fringe she leaves loose, and the rest of it usually coiled in a tight bun; presumably for ease of movement when fighting. Judith’s clothing choice also has some practical, utilitarian function – wearing as little as possible can only help move faster in battle, right? When flying, she makes a point to wear full-body armor to protect her skin but otherwise is content to do the exact opposite in everyday life, having no particular foibles or insecurities when it comes to physical appearance. Judith favours accessories and unrestrictive, supporting armor over, say, pants.

When Judith arrives, she’ll be wearing the outfit linked above, for better or for worse. It’s cold in Scotland, right?

PERSONALITY & HOUSE REQUESTS:

First, a bit of background information is necessary: Terca Lumireis, the Tales of Vesperia planet, runs on two things: aer (“air”), and blastia – a compound of technology and magic. Blastia are what allows people to use artes (magic spells) and also provides a lot of every day conveniences: barriers that protect cities from monsters, plumbing and electrical work, and so on. Blastia was invented by Krityans, who live alongside humans on Terca Lumireis. However, blastia had long since begun to corrupt the aer, turning it poisonous and uncontrollable and threatening the world – as well as systematically killing out the Entelexeia, an ancient species now thought to be a myth. Judith partners up with one such Entelexeia – the repeatedly mentioned Ba’ul – and takes it upon herself to destroy all blastia she comes across. Why? Because her father, Hermes, invented the most widely used incarnation of blastia. Now:

Judith manages to straddle the difficult line of being cool without being cold, and of not giving much way without being reserved. Her emotions are understated and she never loses her temper or her nerve. At best, she’s calm and collected in even the most troubling scenarios. At worst, she’s nearly inhuman, all emotion suppressed in exchange for monotone and purpose. Judith is very much a woman made up of a mission and a goal and has cleaved to the idea that those were all that mattered, for many years of her life. If she has to exchange interpersonal wellbeing for it, then that is what she must do.

As a Krityan, Judith maintains a strong empathic connection with her partner, Ba’ul. Having rescued her when she was a child during the Great War, Ba’ul has remained her close friend and companion for many years. Despite being what most would consider an animal, Judith never refers to Ba’ul as her pet or her ward. Ba’ul is always, “my friend,” and “my partner.” No matter what, she and Ba’ul are on equal terms. However, this connection is a bit of a double-edged sword: after all, why would you need to form new relationships when you already have an intrinsic partnership? Add in her mission: to destroy Blastia, the technology by which the world runs itself in the manner to which it’s accustomed, without prejudice. Well-aware that such a goal will not endear the public at large to her, no matter how noble her intentions, Judith keeps primarily to her own company. Her intimate thoughts, her beliefs, her intentions – all of these are kept well under wraps.

When Judith does reveal her more hidden machinations, either by the situation demanding it or making a rare show of trust, her confidence in herself doesn’t waver – it simply changes. She may apologise or regret, but she will not back down or crumble. She will get from Point A to Point B no matter what the cost, even if she has to get by on sheer determination alone. Judith would like to believe she doesn’t need others, but has grown enough to recognise it as a fable. She can’t live alone; she knows this much. Compromise with her, let her keep what’s hers. She’ll appreciate you all the more for it.

She has an impulsive streak and loves a good fight, more than anything. Judith is no stranger to getting her hands dirty, able to handle herself in all sorts of close-quarters combat – give her a weapon and she’ll gut you with that. Leave her without one; she still has four limbs and an impressive pair of combat stilettos. It is important to note, however, that Judith is not cruel or malicious. She does not initiate violence against the helpless. She engages those who engage her and she fights those who can fight back. Ask her about this, she’ll simply tell you that fighting an unarmed opponent wouldn’t be any fun at all. While that’s probably true, it underestimates the kindness of spirit that guides her actions – such as the mission to destroy Blastia, which were slowly poisoning the world through... MacGuffin!

Another Krityan trait Judith has inherited is -- the ability to chill. It wouldn’t be difficult to describe Judith as perpetually relaxed. No matter what the situation, Judith never gets angry, never raises her voice or loses her composure. She greets most, if not all, situations with complete and utter tranquility. When she feels someone needs to be corrected, she does so in the same tone she uses when imparting information, or flirting, or in simple casual conversation. Rarely will she try to control the actions of another on her own, however – Judith is much more the type to offer a suggestion and let the other party reach their own conclusions. The single exception is when she feels someone may not be quite aware of the impact their choices are having on others. A small incidence of this would be her comments to Estelle, “I wasn’t aware we were still following this girl’s whims,” when Estelle had made the assumption that the quest still revolved around her.

Socially, this can make her seem a little spacy. If something distracts her, Judith will just wander off without a care and return with a smile and a, “shall we?” It is also worth noting that Judith is no stranger to the pout, either – she, like everyone else in existence, enjoys getting what she wants. She loves to flirt and troll in equal measure – her tranquil nature and subdued expression a perfect mask for her utter playfulness.

By her own admission, Judith is a poor liar. While this may be true, a great deal of her nature comes from simply not talking about things. She defers to a pleasant, calm state, making it seem as if nothing is ever wrong. When the mask comes off, Judith is considerably more weighed down – with guilt, if not regret; with an apologetic sort of resignation. In her own way, Judith will not stop until the world is “fixed” – it’s only the method that might change. Judith knows the difference between bending and breaking.

At the end of the day, Judith is far from unkind. It may take a while for her to consider someone a friend, but being a friend of Judith’s is a lifelong arrangement. Taking the bad in with the good; she’s straightforward to the point of (hilariously) inappropriate, a wicked tease, and sometimes utterly without shame – as well as capable, unwavering, kind and wise. Not a bad trade off.

One good fit for Judith would be Hufflepuff. Patient, hardworking, just and fair – these are qualities that fit Judith easily. She is willing to put years of work into a single task; “unafraid of toil,” indeed. Her longstanding allied friendship with the Entelexeia in her world also demonstrates an ability to look beyond the more shallow side of things – she does not judge or discriminate. However, Judith’s reserved nature puts her at a bit of a disadvantage for this house. She can and will be incredibly loyal once it’s earned, but it must be earned. Judith is not friends with anyone she meets after five seconds, or even five days. In that respect, dealing with Judith also requires a fair amount of patience – but it can go both ways, can’t it?

The other fit would by Gryffindor. Judith takes fearlessness and nerves of steel to a new level – at one point, Yuri Lowell, the protagonist of Tales of Vesperia, is seriously afraid that she’s capable of ripping her way out of a monster’s stomach if it swallows her. Gryffindors are chivalrous, daring, brave and selfless – all of which fit Judith easily. She dedicated her life to a single, tumultuous and trying cause for the good of the world, even when it threatened to cost her everything; while not entirely selfless, as it had been done at least in part for her own emotional satisfaction, it certainly fits. There is very little Judith is afraid of or will not attempt, even in something as mundane as every day conversation.

I feel her general nature – relaxed, slightly spacy, and mildly disconcerting – would make Hufflepuff the best fit overall. The world she’ll be in is very different, and without blastia to destroy or monsters to fight, she’ll be able to focus more on the interpersonal side of life.

COMMUTER DETAILS: Untapped.

POSITION: Student.

ABILITIES & POWERS:

Canonically, Judith is a very skilled fighter and has the ability, as all Krityans do, to bond and communicate telepathically with Entelexeia – “monsters” that have reached a certain evolutionary stage that renders them self-aware and intelligent, in the human sense of the word. This is the purpose of Judith's antenna, to create that link - which she uses most commonly to keep herself in contact with her friend and partner, a “dragon” called Ba’ul. (Quotation marks as the canon never properly expands on what Ba’ul is, but if it looks like a dragon and flies like a dragon!)

Flying: Judith is accustomed to heights and occasionally, gravity-defying feats: the former, from her partnership with Ba'ul, a flying dragon who served as her mode of transportation; and the latter, simply from video game mechanics of leaping several feet into the air. (Like you do.) Judith has very good balance and knows how to estimate the wind currents and navigate foreign terrain, even high up in the air. It doesn't hurt that her hometown was a city in the sky, either.

Care of magical creatures: Judith shares the same racial trait of all Krityan to be sensitive to both wildlife and plant life, to the extent of being able to communicate with some animalistic beings (the Entelexeia, exclusive to her source canon) by use of empathic/telepathic connection via her antenna. This would translate to a similar intuitive connection to magical creatures, knowing what they need and feel.

Herbology: See above. Judith has the racial advantage of being in tune to the plant life around her. Although it is a considerably weaker empathic connection than her and animals, it is still there.

Dueling: A veteran of many physical battles, Judith would know how to disarm and get the better of an opponent. However, she has a rather cold-blooded and occasionally brutal sense of fighting - "Just beat 'em senseless and you'll win," quoth she - and would go for the harsh offensive over the clever defensive every time. Quick, agile and strong, she would be a formidable opponent.

Judith will be notably poorer at the more theoretical practices, such as numerology, divination, any sort of history. While Judith is not stupid by any real sense of the word, she favours action and intuition over calculation and intrigue. She is a very skilled fighter, with a sort of physical personality that prefers the solid to the theoretical or the written. Something she can touch or hear or taste is something real, and something she cannot is more alien to her. The more precise and finite and immaterial something is, the less likely she is to be interested in it - or be able to give it her full attention.

Another thing to note would be Occlumency, even though it is not strictly taught to students. Judith is a very reserved, withheld individual. Her agenda remains a mystery until the last possible moment, with omissions, distractions and stories coming out easier than the truth. She knows the advantage of an untapped motivation and would be a skilled Occlumens, knowing well how to unobtrusively keep people from delving too deep.

Judith is also a capable cook and is a very skilled gambling hand - canonically, her poker face is infamous in gambling circles.

WAND:

Aspen and dragon heartstring, 14 inches, flexible.

The wood: Quoth Pottermore, ” The proper owner of the aspen wand is often an accomplished duellist, or destined to be so, for the aspen wand is one of those particularly suited to martial magic.” Judith’s natural inclination toward combat makes her a skilled duellist, combining fearlessness, a love for the adrenaline that comes with a battle, and being able to think on her feet.

The core: Having spent many years in the sole company of a dragon, the dragon heartstring is most suited to Judith – reflective of all those years ago, where the dragon chose the rider, and Judith gained her first true friend.

Again, according to lore, ”While [dragon heartstring wands] can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner.” The bond between wand and owner suits Judith well, having sworn her life to a single goal and understanding that in such devotion, some things have to be sacrificed – a strong bond today does not always mean a strong bond tomorrow, and Judith does not hold grudges.

Regarding it to be the easiest to turn to dark arts, Judith is very much not a whitehat, and she recognises that sometimes the ends justify the means. Her actions can border on morally ambiguous. While she is not a malicious person, she is not a saint either.

The flexibility: Judith’s wand is flexible. It will bend long before breaking and be as malleable for changing situations as she needs it to be. Judith is someone who can adapt, switch sides, forgive, change perspectives – but she never stops being Judith, and she never gives up or breaks.

MISC.: There's a troll in the dungeon.

WRITING SAMPLES

FIRST PERSON:

[ video ]

This is a bit restricting.

[Anyone who’s watching will see what she means: the uniform. Judith fusses with the sleeves over and over again, finding no real relief in the gesture. Her feet click together at the heels, having not gotten used to the shoes either. Despite this, the face on the feed is mild and the voice speaking is calm, almost detached.]

I suppose everyone dressing the same helps focus on the studying aspect of attending a school. [She flaps her arm, pouting a little as the sweater’s sleeve slips over her hand.] And we’re lucky to have that sort of forethought.

I’m not sure what these are, though.

[She gestures down, to the dark kneesocks. At least she figured them out?]

THIRD PERSON:

There are times when Judith just needs air and sky, and when these times come, she climbs. A tree, a hut, the side of the astronomy tower – anything that can provide her the vantage point she seeks. The wind and the chill may be biting, her fringe whipping against her cheek with it, but she is unmoved. She can sit and see and be alone, if only for a little while – it’s all she needs.

The castle – Hogwarts – holds her too tightly. Everyday restrictions, rules and a buttoned up collar that only feels more and more choking. She is unused to schedules, to curfews and having to answer to anyone but herself. Seeing it from the top of the parapet, legs curled beneath her, it’s difficult to mind – it’s green upon green, grass and moss and ocean.

Judith wonders idly of what Ba’ul would make of it.

The silence that follows is the worst part of it. Ba’ul is far from her, leaving her with only the sinking quiet of it. It feels like part of her is missing – she’s simply half of the whole and has to figure out how to be both halves.

She leans back a little into the wind, closing her eyes – only to open them anew at the flutter of wings.

“Hello there,” she smiles down at a tawny owl, perched next to her. She had never seen such an animal back home, but Hogwarts was rife with them and she quite enjoyed their quiet eyes, the way their feathers ruffled just so. She pulls up her sleeve a little and holds out a hand, just to see what he would do.

The curved beak nudges her fingers a little, and her smile shifts. Gaining, not losing.

“I agree,” she says, even though there’s nothing tangible for her to agree to. She’s not above a bit of artifice and pretense to set her soul at ease, no matter what it looks like from far away. Maybe the owl can understand her, she muses. It wouldn’t surprise her. She continues, “If you’re hungry, how about I cook? Do you like mutton?”

The owl hoots, its wings settling once more, and she nods. “I do too.”

shooting hearts dead

permissions // {please be gentle

ooc

ic

hmd // {contact

app // {magicdrafted