♡PARADISA, APPLICATION.
CHARACTER NAME: N, full name is N Harmonia
FANDOM: Pokemon Black/White
CANON: Post-game.
WHAT THEY LOST: The ability to communicate with Pokemon. N has been interacting with Pokemon for almost his entire life, and definitely far longer than he has been interacting with humans. Without the ability to understand and speak with Pokemon (of which there are a few of in Paradisa, if not he is likely to wish for one), his interactions will be completely limited to other human beings. In other words, he'll have no choice but to turn to humans for in-depth company from now on.
ABOUT THE CHARACTER:
N spent a vast portion of his life confined to his castle, accompanied by little more than toys and secret propaganda. Ghetsis, N's father and the head of Team Plasma's Seven Sages, envisions a world where he is in control of people and the use of their precious Pokemon, a world where he is essentially the sole seat of power. In order for these dramatic ambitions to become a reality, he requires one of the legendary dragons of Unova legend, Zekrom or Reshiram. In order to awaken these sleeping deities, however, legend dictates that a hero must be chosen by one of the mighty beasts.
N was born, raised, and essentially cultivated in a way that would make his status as a worthy candidate of Zekrom/Reshiram's blessing uncontested. According to Concordia and Anthea, two of N's servants, N spent his childhood isolated from humans, and the only company he was allowed to keep were Pokemon. However, these Pokemon were all chosen specifically by Ghetsis because they had been abused and abandoned by their trainers. N, who has the ability to communicate with Pokemon, garnered the impression that humans were cruel, selfish, unpleasant beings who took advantage of Pokemon and did not have positive relationships with them because of this.
This left him with a very low opinion of trainers, regarding them as only interested in battles for the sake of competition with no concern for the health of their Pokemon ("They may say it is for understanding one another better, but what Trainers really use battles for is to compete..."), and he deems all of them unworthy of the priveledge of coexisting with Pokemon. When met with disagreement, he showed exasperation and even petulance towards having his negative impression proven right and his ideals misunderstood.
In the beginning, N is one half of the representation of the game's concept of the various facets of black and white (the other half being the main character, henceforth referred to as Hilbert/Hilda); he believes deep down that Pokemon and humans must be separated, that there are no good Pokemon trainers for the simple act of being a trainer denotes the approval of their use (and consequent harm) in battle, and that the only way Pokemon can be truly happy is if they are liberated from their oppressors and given their own world to live on. These beliefs were largely influenced by Ghetsis' exposing him only to Pokemon who were battered in their past, but what Ghetsis did not count on was that N's sincerity to be kind to all Pokemon ran so deep that despite his stark views and extreme methods for achieving Team Plasma's goal, N's heart always lied with the inherent happiness of all Pokemon. In other words, Ghetsis did not count on N's fateful meeting with Hilbert/Hilda being the catalyst spurring change within him.
Throughout various encounters and battles, N slowly begins to become aware of the fallacies in his logic as he begins to trust in and become closer to Hilbert/Hilda. The change is a gradual one, but each one leaves a more and more profound effect on him. As early on as Nacrene City, N is clearly intent on having Hilbert/Hilda understand him and his ideals, and later reveals that he is also interested in becoming friends, which is a curious thing at the time because his disdain for trainers and the concept of training Pokemon is somewhat apparent at that point.
Another pivotal moment comes in Chargestone Cave, where N pulls Hilbert/Hilda aside and asks them about their dreams and ideals. Again, he expresses great disdain towards the prospect of Pokemon and humans cohabiting space, saying "[It] is unforgivable! I will separate Pokémon and people, and black and white will be clearly distinct! Only then will Pokémon become perfect beings!" and, as he is giving Professor Juniper a piece of his mind, "You're saying I should just allow people to think whatever they want and treat Pokémon however they want, no matter whether the Pokémon suffer? I refuse to tolerate the existence of a world like that!" However, despite the harshness of his words criticising trainers, he makes it very apparent that his interests do not lie with power, something many Team Plasma members and even Ghetsis himself often implied were the primary motivators of Team Plasma's grand scheme. Instead, N asserts that the main purpose of his goal is to support Pokemon in a way that will bring about their perfection and happiness, something he believes can only come from being apart from trainers. Before prompting Hilbert/Hilda to answer to his question of dreams, he goes on to say that his is to befriend the legendary dragon Pokemon.
While these views, which he is resolute in at this point, are harsh in tone, in reality, N is and always has been a gentle soul at heart. He never fails to express concern for his Pokemons' well-being the many times he battles Hilbert/Hilda, and at one point even laments his having them battle, saying his friends getting hurt are all battles are. This is not a product of Ghetsis' manipulation and propaganda; Pokemon who are mistreated do exist and it is for their sake that N fights so hard to separate Pokemon from humans because he believes deep down in his heart that this is truly what is best for them. However, during Hilbert/Hilda's final encounter with him in Plasma Castle, N confesses that ever since their first battle, he has found himself slowly feeling as if he can understand Hilbert/Hilda better and better, and that he was truly taken back during their initial meeting in Accumula upon hearing Hilbert/Hilda's Pokemon regard them with nothing but praise. N admits that he did not realize at that point there were both good and bad trainers, and that humans, just like Pokemon, could not be separated into such arbitrary and extreme values such as black and white. His primary goal all throughout the game was indeed to liberate Pokemon from a painful life, and while the methods of his suboordinates (who were often unsupervised, so it is unclear whether N knew of some of their more cruel measures) were often extreme in nature, he proclaims that he has no desire to change the world using force. He wishes for people to understand his ideal world and release their Pokemon willingly, even if that willingness is induced by intimidation. The reason for this is because he wants to avoid innocent Pokemon getting hurt in the crossfire.
N never once discouraged Hilbert/Hilda throughout their journey; the only time he came close to such a thing was in Chargestone Cave, where he if Hilbert/Hilda tells N that they do not have a dream that he will crush their will. Perhaps his affinity towards Hilbert/Hilda as a friend, an antithesis and a rival, is due to Hilbert/Hilda's acclaimed "ordinariness", the simplicity found within their personality that is uncomplicated, black and white in a sense. N found out from the Seven Sages and from Hilbert/Hilda's own Pokemon that Hilbert/Hilda is a fairly ordinary person, and N himself regarded Hilbert/Hilda as someone who is "more of a neutral presence", someone who is not swayed by power, truth or ideals.
Regardless, this friendship and desire to see Hilbert/Hilda test his will and the strength of his resolve, as well as the legendary dragon choosing him, shows that N is a sincere and kind person deep down who is looking out only for the best interests of Pokemon. In the Dragonspiral Tower, he challenges Hilbert/Hilda in not just a battle of training skill, but a battle of ideals and wills. He commands them to seek out and awaken Zekrom/Reshiram so that they may face each other as equals, and only then will it become clear to him whether Pokemon loving and trusting Hilbert/Hilda is a variable in this formula he has dedicated his life to finding the answer to, or if the intent of his actions aren't as well-founded as he thought they were. He openly invites Hilbert/Hilda to challenge him in every way possible in order to find out what is truly best for Pokemon, if they are truly meant to be with humans or if humans are nothing but a detriment to them.
Even when Ghetsis reveals his true reasons for cultivating N into the perfect hero of legend after both he and N lose to Hilbert/Hilda, N never loses sight of his desire to do what is best for Pokemon. However, at this point (the end of the game), N is slowly beginning to understand the importance of different perspectives. He has also learned at this point that most people actually care a great deal for their Pokemon and that Pokemon often speak of their trainers with esteem. Although he began his journey as what Ghetsis reffered to as a "heartless, inhuman monster", by clinging to his desire to see Pokemon in a happy world and since broadening his horizons upon meeting Hilbert/Hilda, he realizes that this world he envisioned, while not perfect in the dramatic sense he had aspired towards, was always right in front of him and that he is no longer tied down to a formulaic point of view where only black and white exists. N realizes that there are other unseen variables, other shades of grey, countless different people and just as many Pokemon to accompany them, and he sets out to find new dreams in the hopes of understanding these many new colors granted by this brand new vision.
THIRD-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE:
He awakens to warmth balled up against his stomach, and before N can even open his eyes he reaches down to brush his fingertips along the contours of Zorua's spine, undulating black fur rippling over the promise of bone and resilience. The Pokemon gives a small whine, nestling further into the sleep-warm body and for a moment N doesn't quite have the heart to wake him completely. Five more minutes, he decides, and only five more; he's able to calculate the exact time right down to the nanosecond using nothing but old paradigms and formulas he had strung together with the utmost care and precision over the years. He bases this particular equation on the beats of Zorua's heart, the gentle murmur of a life nearly snuffed out but thankfully revitalized with nothing but sheer kindness, pure warmth.
He loves this Zorua, he decides. He honestly loves this precious creature and that's why N opens his eyes, exhaling the sleep from his lungs with a deep breath, and sits up to draw away from the small creature.
Today is the day he is finally permitted to leave the tall white walls of Plasma Castle, the low blue ceiling and smooth wallpaper of his room, and he faintly recalls the overwhelming squeeze in his chest as he was drifting off to sleep the night before. In all his time contained within his domain, he had fancied it as a personal microcosm in a way, his own inner universe where he was the shepherd of these poor, tender-hearted creatures brought to him by his father, and here he would soothe the pains in their hearts and promise them a better life than what they knew before.
They had to come from somewhere, however, these poor Pokemon, and that somewhere happened to be outside and N wouldn't have said he was afraid of venturing out among such a dense concentration of humans. Nervous perhaps? He wagered it was that and nothing more, didn't care to overthink it because in the end it wouldn't matter; despite the apprehension accumulating in his chest, he reaches down to scratch Zorua between his long ears and can't hold back a smile when the Pokemon stirs with a yawn, looking up at him with lazy eyes, and it is then and there that N promises himself that he'll change the world for this creature and all his other friends, the ones yet to be saved and the ones still healing, no matter what the cost.
FIRST-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE:
This is not an Xtransceiver, is it? And yet it says I am "connected" to some unseen network... How peculiar. Regardless, I do not recognize this place and my friends are also missing, which alarms me quite a bit. I have to find them immediately, before I even begin thinking of escaping this place.
If there is anyone else who is also connected to this network, I would like to know where I am. I do not have time to dawdle in strange buildings. There's something very important I need to attend to right away and can't afford to waste even a moment here, no matter what the reason may be.
INTENT: N is cute and hot and funny and I like love him and stuff so I wanna like play him at a game??