for route_29
Player
Name: Seve
Livejournal Username: sevetenks
E-mail: chaosbass2000[at]yahoo(dot)com
AIM/plurk: lagann impact/calamitydrive
Timezone: EST
Current Characters in Route: Hiroto Ibuki (Devil Survivor), Kinzo Ushiromiya (Umineko)
Character
Name: Soma
Series: Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel
Timeline: Phase IV, Post-Finnel CS Completion, During Ku Climb
Canon Resource Links: @Ar Tonelico Wiki, @Wikipedia
Personality:
To understand Soma, there are some things you first have to know about Soma. The first and, well, most painstakingly obvious of them being that she spends her days in someone else's body - think a situation like Yu-Gi-Oh!, except instead of getting an ancient pharaoh when you crack open your character of choice, you get a harem of different girls. Soma happens to be one of these body-sharing girls - but make no mistake, she may be "part" of them in that sense, but only in that sense. She's still her own person, and very much so.
The other thing to know about Soma is that she was an assassin - the world's best, in fact, up until she chose to give that title up. An assassin who has always had to share a body with three other people. Yeah, it's kind of complicated.
Regardless of (or perhaps because of, in some cases) these factors, this still gives us quite the girl: Powerful, strong, efficient, and more. She is feared across the world, and her name is pretty well known. In person, she will simply leap into action to get her job done. When she wants something (barring certain fields - such as the romantic), she goes for it, no matter how dirty she has to play. When she wanted to win a race, for instance, she decided her best bet was to attempt to kill the other racer. Better than losing, right?
Soma is cool, confident, bold, and, naturally, even quite nasty at times - her typical response to something that upsets her enough is violence. Not only that, but she's smart and skilled enough to know just how to kill you so you don't feel a thing, among a few dozen other deaths. Her sense of humor can often tread down the path of morbidness (when someone suggests killing themself in order to get to the afterlife - even when it's someone she's got growing romantic feelings for - she just finds it hilarious and says she's glad to do it for him) and even though she's given up the title and job of being an assassin, the fact that she was one still runs through her veins... in more ways than one.
Despite all of this, however, Soma is quite intelligent. You can't be number one simply by being lethal and ruthless - you have to be smart, witty, and manipulative. Though she doesn't show it often (because, well, she seems to enjoy being mean too), there's just no way she could have gotten to where she is on might alone. Not only that, the girl is a stick outside of her costume. The fact that she's learned to kill as well as she has and become such a ruthless monster (or so they say) without getting scarred herself is quite a feat.
Violence and morbidity aside, Soma has changed. She's even fought and killed her old self in battle, proving it. She feels guilt now, regret as well, though she knows full well feeling bad about it now won't bring any of the people she's killed back from the dead - which, if anything, just adds more to her guilt. All of which is, naturally, something she keeps on the down low most of the time, out of pride, shame, the guilt (obviously), or simply because it's not relevant (because, again, they're dead), or perhaps a mixture of all of it.
Going along with that change, Soma grew to become very protective of Finnel - her "host", if you will - though it is notable that, to an extent, she always had been protecting Finnel in her own way, from behind the scenes. Regardless, with her change and her "fusing" with Finnel, she since became more open about this fact: If you lay a hand on even a hair of Finnel's head, you will have Clustania's ace assassin knocking on your door and there will be hell to pay.
(This, naturally, does not apply to Aoto. Instead, he gets the "If he lays a hand on Saki, the hand gets cut off." clause. Finnel's emotional happiness is also important!)
Regardless, change or no change, Soma still has quite the temper, and the strength (physically and mentally) to back it up, for better AND for worse. She can be nasty, cruel, and, barring recent changes, there are many very good reasons why she is widely known as a complete monster, some of which still apply. She's even introduced by her bursting through a window - not just any window, though, a monk's window - to start some shit with the party, and has held Finnel - the person she wants to protect most - hostage more times than Aoto lets Saki away from his sight to run away/get kidnapped during the first half of the game, just because it tied in with her other goals... including, yes, protecting Finnel.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
+ Strong, flexible, nimble, agile, the whole toolbox of death. Not only was she the top assassin of the entire Clustania army, she did it while wearing a giant jester... clown... costume... thing! By the way, here's a fun fact: This adds in quite a bit of heat tolerance to boot, given the game points out she's drenched in sweat upon taking it off. And being A: female and B: in this game, boy does she take it off.
+ Until her temper kicks in (watch out once it does, by the way), she can be calm, cool, and relaxed at the best and worst of times - she has to be, being an assassin and all. She can strike a bargain one moment with a completely straight face, while be planning to kill you halfway through as she shakes your hand. She's a ruthless like that.
+ Bold. She's not afraid to say or show how she feels. Whether it's walking around in a drenched gown - one that all can see through - on a regular basis as her normal attire, or just confessing her feelings for Aoto to him like they're the most natural thing in the world (her disappointment aside - it was quickly followed by "That's okay. I like your denseness too."), she isn't afraid to state her mind and do what she wants, when she wants it.
- Though she comes off as the calm, cool, and collected type, Soma actually has quite the temper and is prone to snapping; tick her off and her first thought is to cut you up up, down down, and all the way until there's nothing to X. Though this is a mental weakness of hers (... your mileage may vary, enemies), if you're in her way, you probably think this as anything but.
- To that end, WHEN ticked off and having snapped, she is prone to blowing up. Though she's perfectly capable to execute her kills with her typical laid back attitude, once things get out of hand, she'll be in your face, with a mad grin (mask or no mask - note that the mask has one crazy ass grin) and ready to get down to business.
+/- Quick, calculating, and fatally sharp, like a precisely thrown blade. Often, this works to Soma's advantage - she decides on something fast and acts on it, consequences aside (this has led to a lot of pain for Finnel, even when she was acting in Finnel's best interests). She can be in you like a knife and as fast as a bullet, but if she's not careful - and, with the exceptions of things like assassinations and specific goals - that knife might wind up in the back of someone on her side of the battlefield.
+/- Finnel. Though she appeared as Finnel's enemy for a great part of the game, ultimately, Finnel is the person she wants to protect and keep safe. She'd do anything for Finnel, and in Finnel's Cosmosphere, this has led to her killing herself twice - once, in which she literally killed herself to get to Aoto and Finnel in the "afterlife" there, and once more when she killed a personification of her former self, Soma the assassin, to save Aoto and Finnel from the imposter.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Team Rocket (Defection Probability: 60-80%)
Starter: Sneasel
Password: Taco Bell
Samples
First Person Sample:
What a boring machine. It can't even do half of the things that any decent piece of equipment in Clustania could. Can I get a refund? I bet even Aoto could make something better than this piece of junk.
[Though the voice speaking is that of a young woman's (or is it?), the face looking back at those watching the feed is that of a rather creepy mask. A clown? The court jester? Either way... Creepy. The eyes, almost glowing, seem to stare right into your soul, and the grin seems as though it will just crack the entire face in half.]
... I suppose it'll be useful for now. Until I find something better. Maybe someone watching this has something better they'd like to share, hmm? Think about it.
[That sounds less like a question, though, and more like a "If I find out you have something that sounds like what I want I'll be there soon to take it from you."]
Anyway, enough about that boring stuff; I actually did have something to say. Want to listen? I'm looking for more Pokemon like that my Sneasel right here. Seems like someone borrowed a few things of mine, so I'm looking to stock up on... replacements.
[To that end, the camera changes its focus - now we viewers are given a nice view of a Sneasel... and then, more specifically, the claws of a Sneasel. You probably get the idea, don't you?]
So long as they've got something like that, I don't really care about the rest as long as it's not hideous looking. I just need to be able to get the job done.
Understand? [Then, as if the mask is grinning more, a chuckle escapes from it.] I'll be waiting.
Third Person Sample:
The costumed figure sat from on her perch, silent and unmoving, as if she were a statue. She was high up in the trees, looking down below onto a clearing - she had been staking this spot out for two nights now, and she knew that this spot was the one she had been looking for. Under the mask, Soma licked her lips; lips that were, naturally, damp with sweat, just like the rest of her was. It came with wearing her "clothes" for hours on end. She was used to it.
More importantly, though--!!
A stick below her snapped. Then another, followed by yet another. The ex-assassin's target had arrived. Excitement filled her body and a grin spread across her lips, matching the wicked one on her mask, as she waited for it to approach the bait. She had been watching this area for more than she preferred to have had to, and no early movements on her part would mess this up for her...
Just as the the wild Pokemon bent down to bite into the bait, the bait she had painstakingly cooked Sleep Powder into, there was a movement next to her. Soma's eyes snapped to attention, and she thrust an arm to her side to grab her partner, but it was too late-- All she could do was watch as her inexperienced Sneasel leaped down, thinking it was time to strike, and attack... nothing.
"There was a reason I had to make all that food...!" Soma told the Dark type Pokemon, leaping down from the trees with far more ease and finesse than should be possible for one in such a heavy costume, landing on all fours next to her bait - her prey, the rare Pokemon of this forest, long gone now. She stood gracefully, picking up the meat with disdain, and turned to her Pokemon.
It whimpered in response. It had learned by now that the number one thing to not do to his trainer was get her mad at him. Getting her mad at anything else - that was fine - she was hardly abusive, but you never, ever wanted to be the target of Soma's anger. That was just asking for it... The Caterpie they had used to have with them had learned that the hard way...
"Well, now it'll know something's up with this. So what should we do with this?" In the dark of night, the little Sneasel had never been more frightened of the colors red and blue - the exact colors of the eyes of his master's mask. He didn't need to see her real eyes to know that he would regret messing this up.
In fact, he didn't need to see anything to know that. He knew better by now.
"... I know. I've got a great idea. Want to hear about it?"
... Or did he? He hesitantly looked up at her, hopeful that a punishment wouldn't be in his future. Surely, with that sweet (too sweet, as a certain steeplejack might point out) tone of voice, there were only apologies and hugs in his future! Right?
"This can be your dinner." A laugh. "Eat up, okay? I worked really hard on it, so I want to know that it's enjoyed."
........ No, it seems as though he had been right the first time.
He definitely knew his master.
Name: Seve
Livejournal Username: sevetenks
E-mail: chaosbass2000[at]yahoo(dot)com
AIM/plurk: lagann impact/calamitydrive
Timezone: EST
Current Characters in Route: Hiroto Ibuki (Devil Survivor), Kinzo Ushiromiya (Umineko)
Character
Name: Soma
Series: Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel
Timeline: Phase IV, Post-Finnel CS Completion, During Ku Climb
Canon Resource Links: @Ar Tonelico Wiki, @Wikipedia
Personality:
To understand Soma, there are some things you first have to know about Soma. The first and, well, most painstakingly obvious of them being that she spends her days in someone else's body - think a situation like Yu-Gi-Oh!, except instead of getting an ancient pharaoh when you crack open your character of choice, you get a harem of different girls. Soma happens to be one of these body-sharing girls - but make no mistake, she may be "part" of them in that sense, but only in that sense. She's still her own person, and very much so.
The other thing to know about Soma is that she was an assassin - the world's best, in fact, up until she chose to give that title up. An assassin who has always had to share a body with three other people. Yeah, it's kind of complicated.
Regardless of (or perhaps because of, in some cases) these factors, this still gives us quite the girl: Powerful, strong, efficient, and more. She is feared across the world, and her name is pretty well known. In person, she will simply leap into action to get her job done. When she wants something (barring certain fields - such as the romantic), she goes for it, no matter how dirty she has to play. When she wanted to win a race, for instance, she decided her best bet was to attempt to kill the other racer. Better than losing, right?
Soma is cool, confident, bold, and, naturally, even quite nasty at times - her typical response to something that upsets her enough is violence. Not only that, but she's smart and skilled enough to know just how to kill you so you don't feel a thing, among a few dozen other deaths. Her sense of humor can often tread down the path of morbidness (when someone suggests killing themself in order to get to the afterlife - even when it's someone she's got growing romantic feelings for - she just finds it hilarious and says she's glad to do it for him) and even though she's given up the title and job of being an assassin, the fact that she was one still runs through her veins... in more ways than one.
Despite all of this, however, Soma is quite intelligent. You can't be number one simply by being lethal and ruthless - you have to be smart, witty, and manipulative. Though she doesn't show it often (because, well, she seems to enjoy being mean too), there's just no way she could have gotten to where she is on might alone. Not only that, the girl is a stick outside of her costume. The fact that she's learned to kill as well as she has and become such a ruthless monster (or so they say) without getting scarred herself is quite a feat.
Violence and morbidity aside, Soma has changed. She's even fought and killed her old self in battle, proving it. She feels guilt now, regret as well, though she knows full well feeling bad about it now won't bring any of the people she's killed back from the dead - which, if anything, just adds more to her guilt. All of which is, naturally, something she keeps on the down low most of the time, out of pride, shame, the guilt (obviously), or simply because it's not relevant (because, again, they're dead), or perhaps a mixture of all of it.
Going along with that change, Soma grew to become very protective of Finnel - her "host", if you will - though it is notable that, to an extent, she always had been protecting Finnel in her own way, from behind the scenes. Regardless, with her change and her "fusing" with Finnel, she since became more open about this fact: If you lay a hand on even a hair of Finnel's head, you will have Clustania's ace assassin knocking on your door and there will be hell to pay.
(This, naturally, does not apply to Aoto. Instead, he gets the "If he lays a hand on Saki, the hand gets cut off." clause. Finnel's emotional happiness is also important!)
Regardless, change or no change, Soma still has quite the temper, and the strength (physically and mentally) to back it up, for better AND for worse. She can be nasty, cruel, and, barring recent changes, there are many very good reasons why she is widely known as a complete monster, some of which still apply. She's even introduced by her bursting through a window - not just any window, though, a monk's window - to start some shit with the party, and has held Finnel - the person she wants to protect most - hostage more times than Aoto lets Saki away from his sight to run away/get kidnapped during the first half of the game, just because it tied in with her other goals... including, yes, protecting Finnel.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
+ Strong, flexible, nimble, agile, the whole toolbox of death. Not only was she the top assassin of the entire Clustania army, she did it while wearing a giant jester... clown... costume... thing! By the way, here's a fun fact: This adds in quite a bit of heat tolerance to boot, given the game points out she's drenched in sweat upon taking it off. And being A: female and B: in this game, boy does she take it off.
+ Until her temper kicks in (watch out once it does, by the way), she can be calm, cool, and relaxed at the best and worst of times - she has to be, being an assassin and all. She can strike a bargain one moment with a completely straight face, while be planning to kill you halfway through as she shakes your hand. She's a ruthless like that.
+ Bold. She's not afraid to say or show how she feels. Whether it's walking around in a drenched gown - one that all can see through - on a regular basis as her normal attire, or just confessing her feelings for Aoto to him like they're the most natural thing in the world (her disappointment aside - it was quickly followed by "That's okay. I like your denseness too."), she isn't afraid to state her mind and do what she wants, when she wants it.
- Though she comes off as the calm, cool, and collected type, Soma actually has quite the temper and is prone to snapping; tick her off and her first thought is to cut you up up, down down, and all the way until there's nothing to X. Though this is a mental weakness of hers (... your mileage may vary, enemies), if you're in her way, you probably think this as anything but.
- To that end, WHEN ticked off and having snapped, she is prone to blowing up. Though she's perfectly capable to execute her kills with her typical laid back attitude, once things get out of hand, she'll be in your face, with a mad grin (mask or no mask - note that the mask has one crazy ass grin) and ready to get down to business.
+/- Quick, calculating, and fatally sharp, like a precisely thrown blade. Often, this works to Soma's advantage - she decides on something fast and acts on it, consequences aside (this has led to a lot of pain for Finnel, even when she was acting in Finnel's best interests). She can be in you like a knife and as fast as a bullet, but if she's not careful - and, with the exceptions of things like assassinations and specific goals - that knife might wind up in the back of someone on her side of the battlefield.
+/- Finnel. Though she appeared as Finnel's enemy for a great part of the game, ultimately, Finnel is the person she wants to protect and keep safe. She'd do anything for Finnel, and in Finnel's Cosmosphere, this has led to her killing herself twice - once, in which she literally killed herself to get to Aoto and Finnel in the "afterlife" there, and once more when she killed a personification of her former self, Soma the assassin, to save Aoto and Finnel from the imposter.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Team Rocket (Defection Probability: 60-80%)
Starter: Sneasel
Password: Taco Bell
Samples
First Person Sample:
What a boring machine. It can't even do half of the things that any decent piece of equipment in Clustania could. Can I get a refund? I bet even Aoto could make something better than this piece of junk.
[Though the voice speaking is that of a young woman's (or is it?), the face looking back at those watching the feed is that of a rather creepy mask. A clown? The court jester? Either way... Creepy. The eyes, almost glowing, seem to stare right into your soul, and the grin seems as though it will just crack the entire face in half.]
... I suppose it'll be useful for now. Until I find something better. Maybe someone watching this has something better they'd like to share, hmm? Think about it.
[That sounds less like a question, though, and more like a "If I find out you have something that sounds like what I want I'll be there soon to take it from you."]
Anyway, enough about that boring stuff; I actually did have something to say. Want to listen? I'm looking for more Pokemon like that my Sneasel right here. Seems like someone borrowed a few things of mine, so I'm looking to stock up on... replacements.
[To that end, the camera changes its focus - now we viewers are given a nice view of a Sneasel... and then, more specifically, the claws of a Sneasel. You probably get the idea, don't you?]
So long as they've got something like that, I don't really care about the rest as long as it's not hideous looking. I just need to be able to get the job done.
Understand? [Then, as if the mask is grinning more, a chuckle escapes from it.] I'll be waiting.
Third Person Sample:
The costumed figure sat from on her perch, silent and unmoving, as if she were a statue. She was high up in the trees, looking down below onto a clearing - she had been staking this spot out for two nights now, and she knew that this spot was the one she had been looking for. Under the mask, Soma licked her lips; lips that were, naturally, damp with sweat, just like the rest of her was. It came with wearing her "clothes" for hours on end. She was used to it.
More importantly, though--!!
A stick below her snapped. Then another, followed by yet another. The ex-assassin's target had arrived. Excitement filled her body and a grin spread across her lips, matching the wicked one on her mask, as she waited for it to approach the bait. She had been watching this area for more than she preferred to have had to, and no early movements on her part would mess this up for her...
Just as the the wild Pokemon bent down to bite into the bait, the bait she had painstakingly cooked Sleep Powder into, there was a movement next to her. Soma's eyes snapped to attention, and she thrust an arm to her side to grab her partner, but it was too late-- All she could do was watch as her inexperienced Sneasel leaped down, thinking it was time to strike, and attack... nothing.
"There was a reason I had to make all that food...!" Soma told the Dark type Pokemon, leaping down from the trees with far more ease and finesse than should be possible for one in such a heavy costume, landing on all fours next to her bait - her prey, the rare Pokemon of this forest, long gone now. She stood gracefully, picking up the meat with disdain, and turned to her Pokemon.
It whimpered in response. It had learned by now that the number one thing to not do to his trainer was get her mad at him. Getting her mad at anything else - that was fine - she was hardly abusive, but you never, ever wanted to be the target of Soma's anger. That was just asking for it... The Caterpie they had used to have with them had learned that the hard way...
"Well, now it'll know something's up with this. So what should we do with this?" In the dark of night, the little Sneasel had never been more frightened of the colors red and blue - the exact colors of the eyes of his master's mask. He didn't need to see her real eyes to know that he would regret messing this up.
In fact, he didn't need to see anything to know that. He knew better by now.
"... I know. I've got a great idea. Want to hear about it?"
... Or did he? He hesitantly looked up at her, hopeful that a punishment wouldn't be in his future. Surely, with that sweet (too sweet, as a certain steeplejack might point out) tone of voice, there were only apologies and hugs in his future! Right?
"This can be your dinner." A laugh. "Eat up, okay? I worked really hard on it, so I want to know that it's enjoyed."
........ No, it seems as though he had been right the first time.
He definitely knew his master.