//The Kid - All you need to know and More//
OOC Information
Name: Leo
LJ: funkensei
Contact: goodandlost (AIM) - greatwildworld (at) gmail (dawt com)
IC Information
Name: “The Kid”
Canon: Bastion
Timeline: After the Bastion is restored, at game’s end.
Canon Resource Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastion_(video_game)
'The Kid' - at no point is his real name ever asked or given, but this fresh-faced young man needs little else to by; a nickname seems to suit him just fine.
Born to a modest family in the capitol city of Caeldonia, Kid never knew his father, taken away by tragedy before the boy was even up and walking. This left their small family, just him and his frail, sickly mother, in a very difficult position. They managed to get by, though, little by little, both supporting each other as best they could. His mother, a woman with snow-white hair, was kind and smart, always working hard to earn a living for her son. Kid inherited the same shade of hair from birth, and as a lad, this earned him no end of teasing; he learned to stand up for himself quick enough, though.
Once he was old enough, Kid decided that he was finished with his education, and instead of going off to an academy, he instead turned to military service, signing on for a tour to guard the kingdom's shield, the Rippling Wall. Education was expensive, he reasoned, but enlisting would let him earn money that he could send back to his mother. Being more the physical sort, this sort of work is perfect for him; he learns quickly, developing strength and a keen skill with weaponry - fixing, upgrading, and wielding them. A thick, hefty hammer becomes his favorite, and with it in hand, he kept the city safe from all manner of ghastly creatures roaming the wilds of the country.
Four years later, his tour is done and he immediately returns home. Unfortunately, he finds that his mother isn't there to greet him; she has passed, and the money he had been sending home is gone. No one quite knows just what Kid did at that point, but it probably wasn't pretty.
With no place else to go, Kid returned to service for another four years, heading right back to the Wall. Apparently, no one in the kingdom's history had ever re-enlisted - who in their right mind would? The Kid, though, being far from average, buries himself in his work, quickly becoming one of the most prominent men in the service. Even the Marshalls, the kingdom's most trusted guardians, call upon Kid for help every now and then.
During one such mission, however, something 'new' happens. "The Calamity". It's a simple way to describe the End of the World. Kid wakes up one day and finds the world around him, everything in sight, has been horrendously distorted. The streets are nearly empty - the only things that stir in this quiet, surreal landscape are creatures from beyond the Rippling Wall, and they're certainly not friendly. The people are frozen in place, trapped in their last bit of activity; they're now more ash and stone than flesh and blood. All the Kid could do, with trusty hammer in hand, is head for 'The Bastion', a place built as an impenetrable shelter in case disaster should ever befall the kingdom.
The journey there is no picnic, but when he arrives, he's surprised to meet only one person there, an older gentleman named Rucks. Strangely knowledgeable about the Bastion, he informs the Kid that to get the place up and running, they've got to take a sky-walk across the country and gather up the Cores, crystals that act as a living history of a place in time. Plug them into the Bastion, and the effects of the Calamity can be reversed.
So off he goes, bouncing from place to place, from ruined cities to wild jungles. Piece by piece, the Kid gets the job done - the Bastion is raised up, but that's not the end of things, is it? The Kid has to make one final choice...
Personality: Although 'The Kid' acts as a primarily silent character during his cataclysmic adventure, his is the type that speaks through his history and his actions, and the sheer depth of struggles this man goes through, trying to rebuild an entire world, speak volumes.
He may be a bit quiet, perhaps even a little shy, but the solid look this young man wears on his face and in his steely eyes shows that he is calm, thinking his next step over before he takes it; after all, the world he lives in is a dangerous place where the ground seems to rise up under your feet, prompting (or even forcing) him to learn to be patient.
Thoughtful, that hushed nature of him lends well to a contemplative personality. Undoubtedly, with so much chaos happening around him, Kid seems to be lost in his own head most of the time. He allows things to unfold around him, rather than waste a lot of time and words.
Even though he has great capacity to break, Kid seems to be very kind, positively selfless even - his quest to restore the Bastion, and thereby the world, is grueling; forced to endure long journeys through wild lands and fight his way past countless monsters and nightmares, he continues, often without rest, despite the setbacks he encounters and the cruelty of this dead world he finds himself emersed in. When he chances upon survivors, he eagerly brings them to safety, and when they are threatened, he goes to incredible lengths to find and rescue them. The Kid is certainly dedicated: dedicated to the mission and to his friends as well.
Courage is definitely one of his strong suits as well, and his small build belies the strength of a lion. Putting aside the daunting task of actually traveling the wilds, there are beasts and creatures in his path that are capable of killing an ordinary man several times over - or even swallowing one whole without a thought. Kid faces them all down, never once allowing these monsters, great or small, to slow him in the least.
Powers & Abilities:The Kid does not appear to have any overtly visible powers, per se, but some of his attributes border on inhuman levels.
Kid is quite strong, practically superhuman, having built up a lean, yet incredibly powerful body over a number of years. Not only can he swing around a rather large mallet with complete ease, but his ability to injure armored creatures and bring beasts easily five times his size to their knees suggests that his physical strength is very high. Additionally, he even takes to wielding a large, stone pillar at one point, using it as a battering ram of sorts; while this slows his speed down, he can swing the massive object quickly and slam it into the ground with enough power to shake the earth and bring down showers of stone.
Kid's reactionary speed and perception are very high as well; lightning-quick with his shots, his ability to focus in on and bring down moving targets makes him dangerous. With a shield in hand and a good sense of timing, his prowess at fast attacks and counterattacks can even allow him to take the force and momentum of his opponent's blows and return them twice over.
On top of his top-notch fighting aptitude, The Kid is also quite inventive. During his service, he developed a great level of skill on how to build and upgrade highly-effective weapons out of raw material. He's a good builder, and he'll probably come in handy when it comes to little fix-it projects.
What items will they be bringing with them to Discedo? Swept away from his home, the Kid only had his Bullhead shield and a pair of weapons handy: his crushing Cael Hammer, and his thick-stringed Breakers Bow. Hopefully, he might be able to round up supplies and rebuild some of his arsenal (not to mention a steady supply of arrows).
Posting Samples
Third-Person Sample:
How much further was that exit now? Turning back and headin' the other way was starting to look very appealing around then.
Kid was starting to feel worn down, the great strength he normally exuded ebbing away little by little. One could hardly blame him - he had traveled hundreds upon hundreds of miles, every last one of them hostile, and with mallet in hand, he'd fought his way bitterly over every inch. This part was a bit different, though; with the weight of another man's life resting, quite literally, on his shoulders, the Kid trudged forward, staring determinedly ahead while armed enemies cropped up from behind every last bit of natural cover.
The Ura...proud people, all of them had become resolved here in their last stand to stop the Kid from getting his hands on the last shard needed to rebuild the Bastion. They'd refused to suffer the ones they felt were responsible for the Calamity in the first place. We'd told them that we could fix things - set everything right again, but it wasn't enough. Now Kid had the shard, but he still had to get back home with it.
Zolf's motionless body was still slung over his shoulder, draining his last bit of strength quickly. Still, the Kid kept himself upright, plenty proud himself; he wouldn't go down easy, no matter how his body ached and trembled.
One of the Ura leapt up suddenly, a bow in his hand. He let out a angered cry, then squeezed his rusty trigger with all his might. The Kid saw him immediately, but to dodge was impossible; he'd simply collapse if he did anything other than keep moving slowly ahead. The arrow unceremoniously jabbed into his side and buried itself there.
Kid didn't yell out. He only winced, his eyes clentched tightly for a split-second. He kept on moving, keeping his strides careful and even. His boots hit the ground heavily, feeling more like anchors at that point, then lifted up again to make another valiant stride forward.
More Ura. More arrows. Many of them simply grazed him, their gleaming tips raking against his clothes and clawing at his skin. Some of the others made full contact, though, and found a new home engraved in his body.
He tightened his grip on his passenger, keeping one hand firmly wrapped around Zolf's shoulder, even while his breathing became more spaced and shallow. The Ura were relentless, dozens of them firing upon the weary target as he marched endlessly onward. He could see his exit coming up - just a little farther, and he could put this whole nightmare behind him. No more fighting, no more struggling through the wilderness, no more seeing the horrified faces of his liveless friends and neighbors, turned into statues of ash by the Calamity.
The Calamity. We can turn it all around again, Kid. Make it all just like new. Just gotta keep movin'.
Trickles of red began to escape from holes in the Kid's clothing. His vision blurred and his body heaved, but his spirit remained resolved. Just a little farther.
Then...the arrows stopped. The Ura, still eying him like starving wolves, began to back away, allowing this ragged figure to continue uninhibited.
Had they finally realized what we were doing? That our's were nothing but the best intentions? Not just for us, but this whole world. To this very day, we still don't know.
One of the Ura, however, was not so quick to forgive, or allow this trespass to continue; he shouted furiously, then let one more arrow fly. Its edge skimmed just across the Kid's cheek, leaving a lean, red mark. He was unable to fire off another shot, though - one of his countrymen roared at him in their native language, then struck him firmly, knocking him down. Now, surrounding him like some grim wedding procession, they were lined up at each side, simply watching and waiting as he weakly walked past.
Not once did the Kid make a move against any of them. Not once did he scream or cry out for mercy. He barely even looked in their direction - his eyes had always remained fixed on the exit, and with one last, weighted step, he, Zolf, and the shard were sent off into the sky, heading back for the Bastion at last. No matter what happened at that point, he thought of Zolf or even himself, things could finally be set right.
First-Person Sample:
[First impressions are pretty important, and that was the first thing on the Kid's mind as he held up the odd-lookin' communicator he'd been given; turning it on was one thing, but tryin' to figure out just what to say and how to say it was another problem altogether. He was a shave on the shy side, too, so all he could do was stand there, staring at that bright, beaming screen.]
...hello out there. Umm...sorry to bother you - anyone listening - but I just wound up here, and I'm a little lost.
[His voice is soft and smooth, but quiet. Humble. He's confident that he could survive, but a helping hand in a brand new place couldn't hurt.]
I'm in...oh...I'm in a graveyard, and I can't see much around me.
...what is that?
[Then the Kid sees...well, 'something'. Something bad. He can't quite describe it - walking around like a man, but its body is dull and brown, and it lumbers towards him slowly, weight shifting back and forth. A shrill, piercing cry rings out, coming across the communicator as mostly static.]
...hold on a minute, please.
[His right hand takes a nice, hard grip on the long pole of the hammer he's brought with him; that heavy little thing should serve as a fine companion. Just as he shuts the lid of the communicator, cutting off the feed, and slips it back into one of his pockets, it looks like he's moving straight towards the ReDead that apparently wanted to meet him.]
Name: Leo
LJ: funkensei
Contact: goodandlost (AIM) - greatwildworld (at) gmail (dawt com)
IC Information
Name: “The Kid”
Canon: Bastion
Timeline: After the Bastion is restored, at game’s end.
Canon Resource Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastion_(video_game)
'The Kid' - at no point is his real name ever asked or given, but this fresh-faced young man needs little else to by; a nickname seems to suit him just fine.
Born to a modest family in the capitol city of Caeldonia, Kid never knew his father, taken away by tragedy before the boy was even up and walking. This left their small family, just him and his frail, sickly mother, in a very difficult position. They managed to get by, though, little by little, both supporting each other as best they could. His mother, a woman with snow-white hair, was kind and smart, always working hard to earn a living for her son. Kid inherited the same shade of hair from birth, and as a lad, this earned him no end of teasing; he learned to stand up for himself quick enough, though.
Once he was old enough, Kid decided that he was finished with his education, and instead of going off to an academy, he instead turned to military service, signing on for a tour to guard the kingdom's shield, the Rippling Wall. Education was expensive, he reasoned, but enlisting would let him earn money that he could send back to his mother. Being more the physical sort, this sort of work is perfect for him; he learns quickly, developing strength and a keen skill with weaponry - fixing, upgrading, and wielding them. A thick, hefty hammer becomes his favorite, and with it in hand, he kept the city safe from all manner of ghastly creatures roaming the wilds of the country.
Four years later, his tour is done and he immediately returns home. Unfortunately, he finds that his mother isn't there to greet him; she has passed, and the money he had been sending home is gone. No one quite knows just what Kid did at that point, but it probably wasn't pretty.
With no place else to go, Kid returned to service for another four years, heading right back to the Wall. Apparently, no one in the kingdom's history had ever re-enlisted - who in their right mind would? The Kid, though, being far from average, buries himself in his work, quickly becoming one of the most prominent men in the service. Even the Marshalls, the kingdom's most trusted guardians, call upon Kid for help every now and then.
During one such mission, however, something 'new' happens. "The Calamity". It's a simple way to describe the End of the World. Kid wakes up one day and finds the world around him, everything in sight, has been horrendously distorted. The streets are nearly empty - the only things that stir in this quiet, surreal landscape are creatures from beyond the Rippling Wall, and they're certainly not friendly. The people are frozen in place, trapped in their last bit of activity; they're now more ash and stone than flesh and blood. All the Kid could do, with trusty hammer in hand, is head for 'The Bastion', a place built as an impenetrable shelter in case disaster should ever befall the kingdom.
The journey there is no picnic, but when he arrives, he's surprised to meet only one person there, an older gentleman named Rucks. Strangely knowledgeable about the Bastion, he informs the Kid that to get the place up and running, they've got to take a sky-walk across the country and gather up the Cores, crystals that act as a living history of a place in time. Plug them into the Bastion, and the effects of the Calamity can be reversed.
So off he goes, bouncing from place to place, from ruined cities to wild jungles. Piece by piece, the Kid gets the job done - the Bastion is raised up, but that's not the end of things, is it? The Kid has to make one final choice...
Personality: Although 'The Kid' acts as a primarily silent character during his cataclysmic adventure, his is the type that speaks through his history and his actions, and the sheer depth of struggles this man goes through, trying to rebuild an entire world, speak volumes.
He may be a bit quiet, perhaps even a little shy, but the solid look this young man wears on his face and in his steely eyes shows that he is calm, thinking his next step over before he takes it; after all, the world he lives in is a dangerous place where the ground seems to rise up under your feet, prompting (or even forcing) him to learn to be patient.
Thoughtful, that hushed nature of him lends well to a contemplative personality. Undoubtedly, with so much chaos happening around him, Kid seems to be lost in his own head most of the time. He allows things to unfold around him, rather than waste a lot of time and words.
Even though he has great capacity to break, Kid seems to be very kind, positively selfless even - his quest to restore the Bastion, and thereby the world, is grueling; forced to endure long journeys through wild lands and fight his way past countless monsters and nightmares, he continues, often without rest, despite the setbacks he encounters and the cruelty of this dead world he finds himself emersed in. When he chances upon survivors, he eagerly brings them to safety, and when they are threatened, he goes to incredible lengths to find and rescue them. The Kid is certainly dedicated: dedicated to the mission and to his friends as well.
Courage is definitely one of his strong suits as well, and his small build belies the strength of a lion. Putting aside the daunting task of actually traveling the wilds, there are beasts and creatures in his path that are capable of killing an ordinary man several times over - or even swallowing one whole without a thought. Kid faces them all down, never once allowing these monsters, great or small, to slow him in the least.
Powers & Abilities:The Kid does not appear to have any overtly visible powers, per se, but some of his attributes border on inhuman levels.
Kid is quite strong, practically superhuman, having built up a lean, yet incredibly powerful body over a number of years. Not only can he swing around a rather large mallet with complete ease, but his ability to injure armored creatures and bring beasts easily five times his size to their knees suggests that his physical strength is very high. Additionally, he even takes to wielding a large, stone pillar at one point, using it as a battering ram of sorts; while this slows his speed down, he can swing the massive object quickly and slam it into the ground with enough power to shake the earth and bring down showers of stone.
Kid's reactionary speed and perception are very high as well; lightning-quick with his shots, his ability to focus in on and bring down moving targets makes him dangerous. With a shield in hand and a good sense of timing, his prowess at fast attacks and counterattacks can even allow him to take the force and momentum of his opponent's blows and return them twice over.
On top of his top-notch fighting aptitude, The Kid is also quite inventive. During his service, he developed a great level of skill on how to build and upgrade highly-effective weapons out of raw material. He's a good builder, and he'll probably come in handy when it comes to little fix-it projects.
What items will they be bringing with them to Discedo? Swept away from his home, the Kid only had his Bullhead shield and a pair of weapons handy: his crushing Cael Hammer, and his thick-stringed Breakers Bow. Hopefully, he might be able to round up supplies and rebuild some of his arsenal (not to mention a steady supply of arrows).
Posting Samples
Third-Person Sample:
How much further was that exit now? Turning back and headin' the other way was starting to look very appealing around then.
Kid was starting to feel worn down, the great strength he normally exuded ebbing away little by little. One could hardly blame him - he had traveled hundreds upon hundreds of miles, every last one of them hostile, and with mallet in hand, he'd fought his way bitterly over every inch. This part was a bit different, though; with the weight of another man's life resting, quite literally, on his shoulders, the Kid trudged forward, staring determinedly ahead while armed enemies cropped up from behind every last bit of natural cover.
The Ura...proud people, all of them had become resolved here in their last stand to stop the Kid from getting his hands on the last shard needed to rebuild the Bastion. They'd refused to suffer the ones they felt were responsible for the Calamity in the first place. We'd told them that we could fix things - set everything right again, but it wasn't enough. Now Kid had the shard, but he still had to get back home with it.
Zolf's motionless body was still slung over his shoulder, draining his last bit of strength quickly. Still, the Kid kept himself upright, plenty proud himself; he wouldn't go down easy, no matter how his body ached and trembled.
One of the Ura leapt up suddenly, a bow in his hand. He let out a angered cry, then squeezed his rusty trigger with all his might. The Kid saw him immediately, but to dodge was impossible; he'd simply collapse if he did anything other than keep moving slowly ahead. The arrow unceremoniously jabbed into his side and buried itself there.
Kid didn't yell out. He only winced, his eyes clentched tightly for a split-second. He kept on moving, keeping his strides careful and even. His boots hit the ground heavily, feeling more like anchors at that point, then lifted up again to make another valiant stride forward.
More Ura. More arrows. Many of them simply grazed him, their gleaming tips raking against his clothes and clawing at his skin. Some of the others made full contact, though, and found a new home engraved in his body.
He tightened his grip on his passenger, keeping one hand firmly wrapped around Zolf's shoulder, even while his breathing became more spaced and shallow. The Ura were relentless, dozens of them firing upon the weary target as he marched endlessly onward. He could see his exit coming up - just a little farther, and he could put this whole nightmare behind him. No more fighting, no more struggling through the wilderness, no more seeing the horrified faces of his liveless friends and neighbors, turned into statues of ash by the Calamity.
The Calamity. We can turn it all around again, Kid. Make it all just like new. Just gotta keep movin'.
Trickles of red began to escape from holes in the Kid's clothing. His vision blurred and his body heaved, but his spirit remained resolved. Just a little farther.
Then...the arrows stopped. The Ura, still eying him like starving wolves, began to back away, allowing this ragged figure to continue uninhibited.
Had they finally realized what we were doing? That our's were nothing but the best intentions? Not just for us, but this whole world. To this very day, we still don't know.
One of the Ura, however, was not so quick to forgive, or allow this trespass to continue; he shouted furiously, then let one more arrow fly. Its edge skimmed just across the Kid's cheek, leaving a lean, red mark. He was unable to fire off another shot, though - one of his countrymen roared at him in their native language, then struck him firmly, knocking him down. Now, surrounding him like some grim wedding procession, they were lined up at each side, simply watching and waiting as he weakly walked past.
Not once did the Kid make a move against any of them. Not once did he scream or cry out for mercy. He barely even looked in their direction - his eyes had always remained fixed on the exit, and with one last, weighted step, he, Zolf, and the shard were sent off into the sky, heading back for the Bastion at last. No matter what happened at that point, he thought of Zolf or even himself, things could finally be set right.
First-Person Sample:
[First impressions are pretty important, and that was the first thing on the Kid's mind as he held up the odd-lookin' communicator he'd been given; turning it on was one thing, but tryin' to figure out just what to say and how to say it was another problem altogether. He was a shave on the shy side, too, so all he could do was stand there, staring at that bright, beaming screen.]
...hello out there. Umm...sorry to bother you - anyone listening - but I just wound up here, and I'm a little lost.
[His voice is soft and smooth, but quiet. Humble. He's confident that he could survive, but a helping hand in a brand new place couldn't hurt.]
I'm in...oh...I'm in a graveyard, and I can't see much around me.
...what is that?
[Then the Kid sees...well, 'something'. Something bad. He can't quite describe it - walking around like a man, but its body is dull and brown, and it lumbers towards him slowly, weight shifting back and forth. A shrill, piercing cry rings out, coming across the communicator as mostly static.]
...hold on a minute, please.
[His right hand takes a nice, hard grip on the long pole of the hammer he's brought with him; that heavy little thing should serve as a fine companion. Just as he shuts the lid of the communicator, cutting off the feed, and slips it back into one of his pockets, it looks like he's moving straight towards the ReDead that apparently wanted to meet him.]