(no subject)

[empyrus]

OOC Information:
Name: Coco
Are you over 15? Yep!
Contact: lilligant

IC Information:
Name: Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca; reincarnated name is Adelle Koenig
Canon: Final Fantasy XII
Age: 19
Preincarnation Appearance: not as happy as she looks tbh
Any differences: None!
Preincarnated History:

Ashe bears the name of Dalmasca, denoting her as a child of King Raminas, a descendant of King Raithwall, The Dynast King, and the princess of Dalmasca. Born the youngest, number nine, she watched as she slowly became an only child, her eight older brother slowly dying out from illness and battle. Soon, Ashe became the only heir to the throne.

Early on, she lived an easy life, that of a princess. Bred how a princess should be, she was taught royal etiquette, politics, how to handle her duties as princess, as well as how to defend herself, all skills that become crucial later in life. Her uncle sums the young Ashe up quite succinctly by saying "I once knew a girl whose only wish was to be carried in her uncle's arms." Ashe was happy as a child. Her life, albeit privileged, was simple.

At the age of seventeen, Ashe was betrothed to the prince of the neighboring country, Nabradia. A political marriage, Rasler, who was initially dismissive of the possibility and rejected Ashe, eventually came to love her, and Ashe in turn came to love Rasler. In between this, Ashe discovered that her caregiver, Argas, was plotting to assassinate Ashe, and Rasler rejected her to protect her from said assassination.

And so, as it were, Ashe and Rasler's arranged marriage proved to be a strong marriage despite it's unorthodox origins. Officially married at age 17, citizens of both Dalmasca and Nabradia gathered in the plaza of Rabanastre, rejoicing over this political yet halcyon marriage.

Unfortunately, it did not last long. A short while afterwards, at the Battle of Nalbina, Ashe was made a widow. Not long after that, an orphan, as her father was murdered by Judge Gabranth, posing as his twin brother, Basch, who was in employ by Dalmasca. This was truly the end of Dalmasca's reign, as Archades soon seized it.

This was a true turning point for Ashe. Fueled with her rage for the empire, she went into hiding, and later, Halim Ondore of Bhujerba, her 'uncle', announced that she had committed suicide. Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca was dead. There was no heir to the throne now. Or so everyone throughout Ivalice thought.

Thus, Amalia was born, and along with Amalia, the Resistance. Together with Vossler, a captain of the (now dissipated) Dalmascan army, and former colleauge of Basch, and, for two years, goes unnoticed. The Resistance, for 2 whole years, went under the radar. Ashe had no choice but to live underground and quietly plot just how her tiny force would be able to win against the great Archadian Empire.

Now 19, Vayne Solidor, son of the emperor of Archades, is appointed Consul of Rabanstre. At his coronation, the Resistance plots to attack the palace, Ashe's former home. Unbeknownst to them, however, it is a trap, and after getting separated from her Resistance comrades, Ashe meets with one (1) street rat named Vaan, and two (2) sky pirates named Balthier and Fran, who just happened to have been looting the palace themselves.

Together, Ashe and the three ragtag thieves attempt to escape the sewer, only to be captured by Judge Ghis of Archades. It is then revealed that she is the 'dead' princess, Ashelia. Ashe is taken aboard Judge Ghis's airship while Balthier, Vaan, and Fran are thrown into Nalbina Fortress.

Later, Vaan, Balthier, Fran, and Basch, the former captain of the Dalmascan army, save Ashe from her imprisonment, in which Ashe reacts violently to Basch's presence, greeting him with a slap to the face. They discover that Judge Ghis plans to execute Ashe as an impostor to the throne, due to the fact that she holds neither the dawn or dusk shard, two pieces of deifacted nethicite given to the Dynast King and Ashe's ancestor, Raithwall.

It is then revealed that an item Vaan stole from the palace is, in fact, the Dusk Shard. Judge Ghis promptly confiscates it from him. Moments later, Vossler and the Resistance crash the party, and escape from the Leviathan. En route, they meet with Vaan's friend, Penelo, and Vayne's younger brother, Prince Larsa. Larsa proposes an allegiance between the two to Ashe. She accepts, they defeat Ghis, and get the heck off of the airship.

They then head straight to Bhujerba, to seal counsel with Ondore, Ashe's 'uncle'. Ondore informs her that it will be impossible for Ashe to rally anyone without proof of her lineage — the dusk or dawn shard. He urges her to do absolutely nothing and stay in Bhujerba with her, which Ashe vehemently refuses. She attempts to hijack Balthier's airship, the Strahl, only to be caught by Balthier himself. In an act of desperation, she pleads him to 'kidnap her'.

They head to the Tomb of Raithwall to recover the Dawn Shard. Ashe convinces Balthier by promising him that the treasure of Raithwall is his to keep, if he assists her. Midway, they meet with Vossler, who joins them on their quest. They fight an Esper, Belias, within the tomb, and Ashe reveals that this is Raithwall's treasure. Balthier is not pleased.

They find the Dawn Shard, and a ghostly visage of Rasler appears — only to Ashe and Vaan. However, Vaan sees it as his dead brother, Reks. As they leave the tomb, they are greeted by the Archadian army, and are once again taken onto Leviathan. Vossler reveals that he is working with the Archadian empire to 'restore Dalmasca's peace'. Ashe is disgusted with him. The Dawn Shard is taken from Ashe, and they are transferred to another ship. Midway, Fran goes berserk from Ghis testing the Dawn Shard and the subsequent mist pouring from it, and the others take advantage of this situation and defeat Vossler. He later dies from his wounds.

The Dawn Shard eventually overloads the airship, and Ashe and crew only barely manage to escape from it in time. Amidst the wreckage, the Dawn Shard remains, and they fly to retrieve it, then return to Rabanastre to plot their next course of action. They decide to travel to Jahara, to inquire on how to use the Nethicite from the Garif. Ashe convinces Fran and Balthier to come with her by relinquishing Rasler's wedding band to them.

Arriving in Jahara, they learn just about nothing. The garif have no idea how to use the Dawn Shard either. However, they do meet again with Larsa, who is heading to Mt. Bur-Omisace, to meet with a member of the Rozarrian royal family in hopes to ally with them. He invites Ashe to come along.

After a detour through the Golmore Jungle and the Henne Mines, they arrive in Mt. Bur-Omisace, in which they learn of Emperor Gramis's death, ending any hope of a peaceful resolution. Later, they are sent to the Stilshrine of Miriam to obtain the Sword of Kings, which has the capability of destroying Nethicite, therefore preventing the empire from using it.

Once they obtain it, Ashe nearly destroys the Dawn Shard with it, but after seeing the same visage of Rasler, she wavers, and instead chooses to keep it for the time being.

Returning to Mt. Bur-Omisace, they find it ravaged by Judge Bergan, who has killed the Gran Kiltias. They defeat him, then meet up with an injured Al-Cid, who implores Ashe to return with him to Rozarria to plot their next move. She refuses, and after some advice from Balthier, decides to head to the Draklor Laboratories in Archadia.

On the way there, Balthier informs Ashe that his father is, in fact, Dr. Cid of the Draklor Labs. He compares Ashe to his father, and urges her not to become obsessed with the power of nethicite like his father did, as he saw firsthand how it ravaged his and his father's lives and relationship.

Arriving, they confront the doctor, but fail to destroy the shard he possesses, as Dr. Cid has the aid of an Occuria, something like a god of Ivalice. Before fleeing, he informs Ashe that he is going to the Ancient City of Giruvegan. Reddas, a Sky Pirate who was also present to challenge Dr. Cid, aids them in their escape, and they return to his manse in the Port of Balfonheim. After a long talk, they discover Reddas had rendezvoused with Marquis Ondore, who planned to lead the Resistance against the Empire.

Ashe decides to head to Giruvegan, in search of the answers she desires from Dr. Cid. After arriving, she is taken to another plane where the Occuria exist, in which they 'choose' her as the new Dynast King, and bless her with the Treaty Blade to cut a new shard from the Sun-Cryst. They also implore her to destroy Venat, who they've branded as a heretic. They determine that Cid sent her here on purpose, simultaneously giving her the option of destroying and making nethicite.

They return to Balfonheim, where Reddas decides to join them in their quest to find the Sun-Cryst. Traveling to the Pharos of Ridorana, they climb to the top of the massive, abandoned castle. There, they meet with Gabranth, who ambushes them and attempts to ogle Ashe into cutting a slice from the Sun-Cryst and take revenge.

Ashe then tries to strike him down, only to be greeted once again by the apparition of Rasler. It is here that she learns that the apparition is the Occuria's attempt to manipulate her through her emotions. It is here that Ashe resolves not to fall into the Occuria's hands and instead forge her own destiny, as opposed to one the Occuria had slated for her.

After defeating Dr. Cid and his Esper, the Sun-Cryst goes wild in a mist-fueled frenzy. They also learn that the Sun-Cryst's mist has been used to fuel the Sky Fortress Bahamut, an airship forged by Dr. Cid, which now flies overhead Rabanastre, ready to destroy it.

After Dr. Cid perishes, Ashe and Vaan attempt to destroy the Sun-Cryst, but the mist is too powerful for them to get to it. Reddas takes the Sword of Kings and Treaty Blade from them, and urges them to escape while they can. Reddas sacrifices himself, and manages to destroy the Sun-Cryst, along with most of the Pharos in the subsequent explosion. The part manages to make it back to the Strahl in time, and they fly back to Balfonheim.

Once their, they determine their next course of action: flying to the Sky Fortress Bahamut above Rabanstre, to finish Vayne before he can destroy the entire resistance's armada. Sneaking in during a battle, they make it to the lift to where Vayne is when they are confronted by Gabranth. Defeating him, they rise up and confront Vayne. Larsa is there, as well, and joins in the battle, realizing there is no hope for Vayne and he must be taken down.

After he is defeated, he falls to the ground. Larsa runs to his brother, but Vayne's manufacted nethicite sucks energy from him. He transforms and contorts into what is called Vayne Novus, an unnaturally muscley version of his former self. Gabranth joins in this fight, determined to protect Larsa, and in the end, is struck down and fatally wounded. The party follows Vayne as he limps to the bridge of the ship, where he calls to Venat. Venat gives Vayne its energy, turning Vayne into The Undying.

Finally, after an arduous battle with Vayne's last form, he explodes in a cloud of mist. They quickly board the Strahl, Larsa in tow, and Basch, impersonating his brother, manages to get both sides to stand down, with the aid of Larsa and Ashe's political power.

It doesn't end here, though. The Bahamut, losing power, finally starts plummeting to Rabanastre. Judge Zargabaath is near ramming his airship into it to knock it off course when Balthier and Fran page in, who are apparently still on the Bahamut. Ashe pleads for him to get off, but Balthier deflects him with one of his 'leading man' comments and restarts the engine. Bahamut finally crashes outside of Rabanstre.

A year later, the party splits up. Penelo denotes in a letter to Larsa that Ashe has taken her place as queen, and is going to be coronated in a month. The Strahl also has been stolen, but everyone knew it was Balthier who had liberated it. Balthier left behind Ashe's ring that she had paid him off with a year earlier. Basch took the place of his now deceased brother as Judge Magister.

Then Revenant Wings happens which no one cares about and I won't be incorporating at all.

Reincarnated History:

Born the child of an oil tycoon, Desmond Koenig, Ashe was the apple of her father's eye. Her mother died not long after her birth, and her two older brothers were both over ten years older than her and successful, so her father, to combat his depression due to his wife's untimely death, spoiled Adelle quite a bit. Homeschooled, she was taught the basics as well as more 'high-class' things, like etiquette, horseback riding, and piano, as well as anything that suited her waning interests. This included ballet, taekwondo (she still remembers a few moves and is not afraid to use them), Her brothers, during their seldom visits from overseas, often teased her and endearingly called her 'princess'.

Truthfully, her life was much like a princess's, idealistic and blind to how cruel the world could be, as well as her father's true colors.

At age 16, Adelle overheard a phone call. A phone call she was not meant to hear. It was a phone call where her father discussed with another person (she's still unsure who this person is) to arrange the assassination of another person, presumably a competitor of some sorts. Adelle, disgusted with this injustice, confronted her father at dinner that night about it. She could hardly believe her father, the one with the strong arms who always held her when she was sad, could be a murderer.

Shockingly, he came clean, as he casually picked at his flounder. It was almost as if it was no secret. Upon research, there were many scandals surrounding her father and the shady dealings he had going on. Paparazzi constantly badgered him, and rather scandalizing pictures that Adelle was personally repulsed by surfaced upon a google search. How could she be so blind to these awful things her father had been doing? The injustice he had made his new money empire off of? For the next two years, her and her father had a rocky relationship.

Sick of the gross bureaucracy, on her 18th Adelle told her father she was leaving. Over the past two years, she'd gathered money from part-timing as a waitress (her father thought it would teach her the value of a dollar), and she'd gathered enough to enter college — on her own. This, coupled with scholarships and a job, should be enough. Adelle bid her father farewell and hasn't spoken to him since.

She's currently attending Locke University, double majoring in Political Science as well as Criminal Justice. If nothing else, her father inspired her and gave her life purpose.

First Echo: Her roommate is dropping out and getting married. Adelle severely judges her for this. However, her roommate did invite her to go wedding dress shopping with her. Adelle went along for whatever reason, and was mostly underwhelmed by them all, until she spotted a beautiful, gold trimmed dress, similar to her own, only minus the midriff. Touching it, she sees a parade, and later, her on a parade float in an extravagant dress, with a handsome man.

Her friend bought the dress, and Adelle rushed out of the store. She hasn't seen her since.
Preincarnation Personality:

Ashe is a girl largely shaped by a series of tragic events.

Born the only (surviving) daughter of King Raminas, Ashe is the princess of Dalmasca and sole heir to the throne. Her childhood was a happy, easy one, but also one full of many lessons and responsibilities; dealings in rhetoric, education, royal niceties, and even the defensive arts, all to prepare her for her inevitable crowning as Queen. It all culminated when she was 17, and was to be (politically) wed to the prince of Nabradia, a neighboring country, to symbolize their alliance. Despite it being an arranged marriage, they both harbored feelings for one another.

Her perfect marriage came to an abrupt end only a short time later, when Rasler was whisked away to the battle of Nalbina Fortress. He, as well as her father, were killed, leaving Ashe a widow, orphan, and princess of a besieged kingdom. However, Ashe did not falter; in fact, these events fueled her rage, fostered a deep rooted hatred for the Empire. She faked her own suicide, opting to take on a pseudonym and form the Resistance along with Vossler, the former Dalmascan Army's captain. Her drive here is evident. Instead of giving up, she chose to press on, to seek out the vengeance and restoration of her country she felt she deserved. A girl used to a pampered life in a palace, she now took refuge in Rabanastre's underground.

A good way to describe Ashe is as a 'loyalist'; she puts trust in those she feels she can, and expects that trust to be reciprocated and not broken. She follows through for them till the end, or until that trust is betrayed, but this trust is not something easily gained. Blunt, bitingly sardonic, and quick to shove people away, Ashe is a girl turned bitter because of the fall of her Kingdom. Ashe has a steely, emotional wall that she has placed up to prevent others from getting in and so that she might focus on her eternal goal: to restore Dalmasca and get the vengeance she desires. It takes her nearly the whole game to consider Balthier and Fran lifelong companions, and by that point, she would do anything to protect them. The few times this wall fades are only when she is devastated, such as when Vossler betrays her or she sees the mirage of Rasler while in Raithwall's tomb.

Ashe has her moments of good humor, as well. While it's often subtle, she can kid around, and has quite a few sassy moments in the game. She'll often remind Vaan not to interrupt her, and isn't afraid to tell it like it is to the Judges. She can also be a bit arrogant at times, such as when Vaan notes that they didn't even recognize who she was. She replies with a curt 'I noticed'. Ashe is capable of being charming. After all, she is a princess, and was raised around heaps of people. And when around friends, in a stress free environment (which she rarely is), she is amicable and friendly. These rare moments remind us that Ashe is a human, not just the rebel, renegade princess.

Ashe is impulsive, and goes by her own gut feelings and intuition. When advised by the Ondore to stay in Bhujerba and wait until the time is right to announce that she is alive, she chooses instead to flee and seek out the Dawn Shard, to prove her identity. She can get ahead of herself, such as when she gives a fervent speech about using the Dawn Shard to crush the Empire, to which Vaan simply replies "Do you even know how to use it?" She is also quite cunning and clever, in that she stages her own 'kidnapping'; an easy explanation for her own disappearance. She also lies to Balthier for his continued cooperation, informing him that he may have all of King Raithwall's hidden treasure, knowing full well that the actual treasure is his Esper, not something he can exactly pawn for money.

Her dedication to her mission of reclaiming the throne is unquestionable. She even parts with her wedding ring as a 'down payment' to Balthier, so that he may continue to assist her in her endeavors. At times, she can be blinded by her own emotions and inclinations for revenge; when prompted as to whether a peace can be met between Dalmasca and the Empire, she wavers, unsure as to whether peace is enough for her.

To fully comprehend Ashe, it's important to recall who she once was. We see so much of her anger in the game, we forget that she was once a kind, loving girl, a girl who's main worry was that her future husband liked her. As Ondore says, "[He] once knew a girl who's only wish was to be held in her uncle's arms." Ashe is by no means a bad person, despite the fact that she makes questionable, amoral, and selfish choices. She is a person who has been duly wronged, over and over again, and has her mind set on a goal that she's so blinded by she fails to realize it won't restore her kindgom. Many people could easily see her as near villainous for most of the game, but if you examine her closely, you'll see that she's just as much a victim as anyone else in the game. She deals with the loss of her identity, her kingdom, her husband and father, and only their memories fuel her and allow her to trudge through the game.

By the end of Final Fantasy XII, however, she learns that revenge is not the way, and her people should come before her petty, personal issues. Her character culminates in the climactic battle with Vayne, in which she states "I am simply myself. No more and no less. And I want only to be free." This is where Vayne and Ashe finally differ. For most of the game, they are near mirror images of each other, consumed by their own selfish desires. But Ashe finally differentiates herself from him, choosing to take the higher road and live for her kingdom.

Any differences:

Notably, Adelle isn't the revenge filled, bitter person that Ashe was. At least, not to the same degree. Adelle can be bitter, she can be cynical, and this is because of her father, but she is nowhere near as bent on a cause like, say, restoring her former country, or decimating the empire that killed her husband and father.

While Adelle is very much one of those angry, fervent Poli Sci students you hear stories about, she's a lot more amicable and willing to commiserate with people than Ashe. She isn't the nicest person ever, and she still retains her fair amount of sass, but she won't mind idle chit-chat.

However, she does have a reputation for being not-so-nice. She's got 'chronic bitch face', as people around campus would like to put it, and also has a reputation for being arrogant. While not exactly arrogant, per se, she can be self-righteous and is also the dogmatic type that will constantly remind you that, say, cigarettes are bad for you or fast food makes you fat. She's more than a little abrasive. Also, she'll quickly get into an argument about politics.

Along with this, her trust issues are still there, but to a much lesser degree. Really, it's anyone in a position of power that she questions more than normal, everyday people. She'd like to make the world a better place, a place where dirty politics don't exist and justice prevails. Adelle is not a person who would be so quick to resort to violence. In fact, because of her father, she abhors violence. She seeks solutions that deviate from violence, and, ironically, is more of a diplomat than Ashe. Let's just say she was not a Romney supporter.. She felt very lucky to turn 18 in 2012.

She's a bit wary of men, if only because the men in her life have been jerks. Not quite to misandry levels, but she does consider herself a feminist and The Handmaid's Tale is one of her favorite books.

Another notable difference is Adelle's lack of significant interpersonal relationships in her life. Whereas Ashe wasn't a social butterfly, she had her uncle, her late father and husband, Vossler, and now has the rest of the game's party. Adelle doesn't have much of anyone. She seldom sees her brothers, her father and her have a severed relationship, and while she has casual friends and acquaintances, she is admittedly bad at keeping friends. She has difficulty keeping up with other people. She doesn't even have a facebook.

Naturally, she's a lot less formal in her speech, due to the era and culture she was raised in. Her sentence structure is a lot simpler and she doesn't shaft in complex words as often.

Abilities:

Ashe, because of the battle system in FFXII, is able to use every single weapon in the game. However, she joins the party with a sword and shield, and her stats incline her to magically based weapons like katanas and maces.

She's quite adept at all kinds of magicks, and even starts with basic white magick skills. In the sequel, (which I have not played) she is classified as a 'Time Mage', with with abilities like hastega and slowga which speed up allies or slow down enemies respectively. As such, as Ashe regains her abilities, I'll be showing emphasis to magicks, swords, and shields.

Ashe is able to use Quickenings. It is never really explained what Quickenings are, but it can be presumed to be a burst of Mist, seeing as you must have full MP to use one. Ashe's Quickenings, in order of level, are Northswain's Glow, Heaven's Wrath, and Maelstrom's Bolt. All three are very divine and holy in nature, with Northswain's Glow summoning pillars of light and Heaven's Wrath calling balls (also of light) to attack the enemy. Maelstrom's bolt summons a giant thunderbolt.

Lastly, Ashe, like the rest of the party, has access to Espers, a group of 12 higher beings who were forsaken for rebelling against their creators. Of the 12 Espers, any of them can be assigned to any character, but I'd like if Ashe were able to regain Belias, if possible! It was the Esper that belonged to her ancestor, Raithwall. He also canonically has to be assigned to someone, as he is required to be summoned to get into the Ancient City of Giruvegan. It's fine if not, though!

Roleplay Sample – Third Person:

Adelle had been in the library since 9 AM this morning. She had no classes today, on Fridays, as she liked to devote them to studying and working on projects. It made her more productive, she felt, and it's not like she had much of a social life to speak of.

That's what made Fridays in the library so convenient. All she had to do was walk in, flash her student ID to obtain one of the library's laptop, and find a secluded area and a dry erase board for peaceful studying. There were so few people, she often brought an iPod dock and played her own music lightly. It helped her get into the flow, she felt.

Today, though, she was having problems getting into that 'flow'. She slowly turned her flashcards, and upon flipping them, realized she hadn't even attempted to guess the answer.

"What's wrong with me.." Without realizing, she was whispering to herself. It was less of a reflective question, though, than a statement; she knew what was wrong with her.

That vision, if she could call it that. Her 'marriage'. Was she that desperate that she started seeing things? No, that couldn't be it.

It felt so visceral. That's the only word that could be used to describe what she saw. Adelle lightly tapped her pen on the table, then begins to jot some things down. She wanted to record what she saw, before she forgot it. Not that she would forget something like that, but all of the finer details.

"Strange, midriff wedding dress.." She whispered to herself, sardonically, "Lizard people, husband clad in armor.." It was like something out of Lord of the Rings. And she had never seen Lord of the Rings. So why would she fantasize about a fairy tale wedding?

Before she knew it, she had 4 index cards of bullet pointed details before her, but she still couldn't make sense of any of it. Grunting, she reclines back into her seat. She sits there, hands covering her face for a few minutes before she remembers.

The string of numbers. Quickly sitting back up, she writes the string down. It had moved from Lord of the Rings to Lost, it seemed. She just hoped this didn't mean she was going to be stranded on an island sometime soon.

"Excuse me." She heard a stern, elderly voice, and looked up, stirred from her trance. It was the head librarian. She waved the keys in her hand; her car keys, Adelle presumed. She was ready to go home.

"We're locking up, sweetie, you've got to find some other place to study, I'm afraid." Adelle looked at the mess of index cards on the table before her, then back up. She nodded.

"Yes ma'am. I.. lost track of the time, aha."

Roleplay Sample - Network:

This is incredible. Both that a network like this exists and that it's used for such juvenile reasons.

Don't worry, I've done my research. That is to say, I've found the 'guide'. My name is Adelle, and I'm a university student. That's about all you need to know about me for now.

[ despite everything, Adelle is still rather suspicious about all of this. She's willing to allot some information about herself to test the waters, but she's being a bit steely about the nitty gritty. ]

I didn't ask for this, and to be honest, I could have gone my whole life without knowing something as farfetched as this exists. However, it seems this effort needs as much help as it can get, so I'll assist to the best of my abilities.

I'm.. not completely sure where I'm going with this. This is still very— overwhelming.

How many of you attend Locke U?

Any Questions? If you need to clear up any lingering questions or concerns, here's the place to do it.