APPLICATIONS.

[chickbike]

OOC:

Name: Aiden.
Are you over 16?: Yeeeep.
Personal LJ: owlcoholic
Email: aidenesque@gmail.com
Timezone: EST.
Other contact: aim; kansqualto
Characters already in the game: Nada.
How did you find us?: previous player/enabled back by dear_mun


IC:

Character name: Snow Villiers.
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIII.
Timeline: Aaaalmost post-canon. Right after Orphan is defeated, but before they are crystallized and lose their l'cie brands.
Age: 21.

~*Magical*~ abilities and strengths:
Snow is incredibly strong, a melee fighter who uses his fists as weapons, but his main specialization is in protection. He fills the role of Sentinel quite perfectly, provoking enemies to attack him rather than his comrades and taking all damage in their place. Snow is slow and heavy, but he packs a mean, hard punch, focusing on brute strength and defense over agility and speed. His HP is staggeringly high, he's built like a brick wall, and he is the first to acquire all of the Sentinel abilities in the game.

Because of his status as a l'cie, he is able to manipulate magics, though he isn't quite as adept with it as a few of his companions. He mainly controls ice and water spells, with a few lower level wind spells thrown into the mix. He has an eidolon - or rather, two eidolons, the Shiva Sisters, who he is able to summon to fight alongside him in battle. Their presence makes him nearly invincible, as one sister attacks while the other heals. The sisters can also combine in Gestalt mode to create a motorcycle, which Snow is able to ride.

Aside from that, Snow is also informally trained in firearms, and though he would much prefer to use his fists in a fight, he can pick up and use this sort of weaponry in a battle if necessary.

A more extensive list of his skills can be found here. Snow is also a fairly accomplished Commando and Ravager.

How would they use their abilities?:
Considering Snow's innate drive to protect those around him, his abilities would be used ONLY FOR GOOD. He enjoys a good fight well enough, but what Snow truly cares about is keeping those around him safe - and not only his friends, but everyone he can. In canon, Snow's main motivation is protecting and saving Serah, but he also wishes to protect all of Cocoon. So his skills will be utilized for the good of the people on the ship, and it's unlikely that he would become an aggressor unless someone or something were to threaten his loved ones.

Appearance:
Image lol. Snow's size is impressive. He stands at a towering 6'7", and it is noted that his shoe size is a whopping 33cm. Aside from his height, Snow is also broad and extremely well built. His skin is rough and tanned from excessive time spent outdoors, his hair ( shoulder-length and choppy ) and stubble are a pale blond, and his eyes are deep blue. He wears a dark bandanna over his head, a blue zipped-up vest beneath a long, frayed old beige trench coat. This coat is, oddly enough, Snow's main weapon. It's infused with AMP ( antimatter manipulation principle ) technology which imbues the wearer with greater strength and improved skills. He also wears baggy pants, grey combat boots, a blue plaid scarf, black leather gloves, and a few necklaces - one being the twin of the engagement necklace he gave Serah, as well as another bearing the logo of NORA, the resistance group that Snow leads. His l'cie brand is on his left forearm.

Background/Personality:
Snow is native to the city of Bodhum, a small seaside town situated at the edge of Cocoon. The world he hails from is a bit unique in its topography - the vast majority of the human population live on Cocoon, a sort of hollowed out satellite that floats above the wild, mysterious world of Gran Pulse. The people of Cocoon know very little about Pulse, and they all fear the land and anything at all associated with it, to the point that they will purge an entire town of people to their deaths upon learning of Pulse activity in the area. Both worlds are overseen by strange, mechanical godlike beings known as fal'Cie. Cocoon's fal'Cie are considered almost holy in nature, for they supply Cocoon with everything it needs to survive - light, water, and food - and keep it aloft in stasis above Gran Pulse. Pulsian fal'Cie, however, are widely feared. Fal'Cie are able to force humans into their service by marking them with a brand and giving them a 'Focus' - a mission that they must complete. These people are known as l'Cie; they are cursed, unfortunate individuals who must face and complete their focus, lest they turn to horrific, mindless monsters known as Cieth. However, if a l'Cie is able to complete their focus, they gain eternal life in crystal stasis. L'Cie of Cocoon are considered heroes, working for the fal'Cie that power Cocoon, but Pulse l'Cie are considered dangerous enemies of Cocoon, and will be hunted down at all costs.

Monsters and fiends still stalk Cocoon's lands, and alongside his childhood friends, Snow founded group to combat these monsters, called NORA ( No Obligation, Rules, or Authority ). He thinks of himself as a hero, personally charging himself with the protection of Bodhum (and his loved ones) from not only monsters, but whatever else threatens them. Snow is exceedingly protective of people, be they close to him, or perfect strangers, and it is this unrelenting drive to protect others that helps to fuel Snow's tenacity and unwillingness to give up, even against all odds. When he meets and, subsequently, begins a relationship with Serah Farron, that protective streak umbrellas her as well, and Snow forms a fierce bond with her. When Serah suddenly breaks up with him without warning, Snow is confused, but he refuses to let go of their relationship so easily. Serah then reveals to him that, after wandering into a vestige of Pulse that had (until recently) sat harmlessly beside Bodhum, she has been branded as a Pulse l'Cie. Shocked into silence, Snow is able to do nothing but stare helplessly as Serah runs away in tears, but he soon gives chase and promises Serah that he will help her, that he will stand by her and help her complete her focus, come hell or high-water.

To prove his loyalty, Snow proposes to Serah only days later, promising himself to her forever. To his great relief, Serah accepts. While watching the fireworks festival, Serah expresses her apprehension about telling her older sister, Lightning, that she has become a l'Cie. Snow promises to be by her side and sure enough, the very next day at Lightning's birthday party, Serah reveals her fate to her sister. Lightning responds with anger and disbelief, Serah runs away, and Snow and Lightning engage in a heated argument. Lightning had always disapproved of Snow and his relationship with Serah, and believes that Snow only proposed to Serah because she became a l'Cie. After accusing Lightning of closing Serah out, he also leaves, to find his fiancee. Soon they devise a plan to take Serah back to the Pulse vestige to face the fal'Cie that branded her, but all goes awry, and Serah is captured. The vestige and fal'Cie are soon discovered by the government, and the town is quickly quarantined. As the Sanctum doesn't wish to threaten all of Cocoon with a possibly tainted town, the entire city is 'purged' with the vestige, to Pulse.

Both Snow and Lightning rush to the Hanging Edge, where the refugees are being taken to their doom, and with the help of NORA, Snow leads a rebellion. When PSICOM (specialized Sanctum forces) brings down a raised highway, several of the refugees that Snow is attempting to save fall to their deaths before his very eyes, including a married woman he had been working beside. Before losing consciousness, she asks Snow to 'get him home' without revealing who, exactly, 'he' is. Snow is crushed with guilt, but he has no other choice but to move on and find Serah. He flies up to the vestige, where he meets a strange girl, Vanille, and a young boy, Hope, who - unbeknown to him - is the very son of the woman he was unable to rescue. Lightning and Sazh, another man from the purge train, also arrive in the vestige. When Snow finds Serah he sees that Lightning has already appeared, and Serah is barely conscious. She takes Snow's hand and asks them all to save Cocoon, before promptly turning to crystal before them. Infuriated and confused, both Snow and Lightning rush to find the nearby fal'Cie. While Snow begs it to return Serah to them, stating that he will, in turn, take her place, Lightning responds with anger and attacks the fal'Cie. The group of five is trapped, and they put up a good fight, but outside the vestige PSICOM forces give assault. In its death throes, the fal'Cie brands all five of them as l'Cie as the vestige falls through the Hanging Edge and into the lands below. It crashes into Lake Bresha, which quickly transforms to crystal in the fal'Cie's final act.

As they search for Serah's crystal statue, the group quickly falls into discord. They're angry for becoming l'Cie and begin to shift the blame around, and none of them can agree on what their focus is. L'Cie are not told expressly what their focus is, they are given only hazy glimpses to assist them. Many of them believe that, as enemies of Cocoon, their focus is to destroy it, but because of Serah's last words before turning to crystal, Snow is certain that their focus is to save it. Lightning thinks him a fool, and says he is all talk. They soon find Serah's statue wedged into the crystallized lake, but after wasting several precious minutes attempting to dig her out, Sazh points out that, without tools, they will be digging for days. As PSICOM is already on their tail, they simply don't have the time to afford to dig her out. Fiercely loyal, Snow outright refuses to abandon Serah, and even after repeated punches to the face by Lightning, he insists that he will do whatever it takes to protect Serah and save Cocoon. The group moves on, leaving Snow to diligently dig away at the statue of his fiancee. Sure enough, several PSICOM units show up and assault him in wave after wave, and Snow fights until his legs give out beneath him. Just as he thinks all is lost, his brand begins to glow and two strange monsters appear, the Shiva Sisters - they leap to his defense and and blow away the remaining soldiers before turning on him. Snow is able to defeat them and take them as his Eidolons, which he can then summon to his aid.

He is soon apprehended by the Sanctum's Cavalry, where he meets a tall, mysterious woman named Fang (who is also l'Cie), and Cid Raines, brigadier general of the Cavalry, and captain of the colossal airship Lindblum. Snow doesn't come quietly, but he is cuffed nonetheless. Cid tells him that he needs Snow's assistance in finding the other l'Cie, as the Sanctum plans to publicly execute them all to soothe the fears of Cocoon's people. Of course, Snow refuses, but he has no other choice but to team up with them if he wishes to stay alive. They move off to hunt l'Cie, and soon arrive in the city of Palumpolum, where Snow and Fang find Lightning and Hope, and make a daring rescue. The group soon splits again, Hope now under Snow's protection. Snow reveals to Hope that the cavalry is attempting to help them, and both groups begin to make their way through the city, fighting PSICOM as they go.

The two groups keep in contact via a cell phone, and Lightning attempts to warn Snow that Hope plans to take revenge on Snow for the death of his mother, but Snow is unable to hear her. Sure enough, after fighting a mech together and stopping for a break, Hope confronts Snow. Snow is shocked to realize that this is the boy that the woman had asked him to protect, and, crushed by his guilt, Snow breaks down and tells Hope that he doesn't know how to atone for his past sins, and that Hope should tell him what he deserves. In a rage, Hope knocks Snow over a ledge and raises the knife that Lightning lent to him, ready to exact revenge, but an explosion blows them both over the ledge. In a last ditch effort to protect him, Snow shields Hope's body with his own as they fall a great distance. Snow awakens in great pain - likely sporting many sprains and broken ribs and a bit of internal bleeding - to find Hope still out cold. Despite his great injuries, Snow places Hope on his back and carries him all the way through Palumpolum, though his body nearly gives out on the way there. The two groups meet at Hope's father's home in Felix Heights, a different section of the city. Snow soon loses consciousness as well.

When he opens his eyes again, he finds that he's been placed in a bed and thoroughly bandaged. Lightning is sitting quietly nearby, toying with her knife. She tells Snow that Hope returned it to her, saying that he no longer needed it, before she goes on to apologize. Snow isn't sure what she's apologizing for, but Lightning insists that she is apologizing for everything. The two have little time to kiss and make up, however, because they are soon located by PSICOM and the house is surrounded. Shirtless and defenseless, Snow alone leaves the house and raises his hands in a gesture of surrender, where he is faced down, alone, by hundreds of troops. He is confronted by Rosch, the director of PSICOM, who tells him that their lives are forfeit, and that if they care about Cocoon at all, they will give themselves up. Snow says that if the Sanctum wants to hunt l'Cie, they should hunt l'Cie and leave innocent people out of it, stating that things like the purge have to stop. They are soon assaulted by a skytank, and after the group defeats it, the Cavalry rushes in to save them and spirit them away from Palumpolum. Now only two l'Cie remain on the loose.

Cid tells them that the Sanctum has located two other l'Cie, Sazh and Vanille, and that they have been captured. The group boards the Palamecia, Galenth Dysley (the Sanctum's primarch)'s ship and successfully rescue Sazh and Vanille before the full group of them assault Dysley. The elderly primarch reveals to them that he is no human, and that he is actually the fal'Cie Barthandelus, going on to tell them that their real focus is to destroy Cocoon. In order to do so they will have to confront Orphan, the fal'Cie that serves as Cocoon's power source. He also says that Serah's focus was not to save Cocoon, but to bring them all together so that they, in turn, would be able to destroy it. They take on Barthandelus, but are soon blown to a secret area of Cocoon, known as the Fifth Ark, where several Pulsian monsters and machines lie in wait. Fang and Vanille explain that this has probably been here for a long while, and that Barthandelus likely sent them here so that they could polish their skills. Snow, however, is still devastated by the news that Serah's focus was not to save Cocoon, but Lightning tells him that it was his loyalty to Serah, and his belief in her, that brought them this far. They begin to move through the ark, and are soon confronted by Cid, who reveals that he, too, is a l'Cie like them, and that also like them, he is attempting to save Cocoon in his own way; he believes that humans should rule Cocoon, not fal'Cie. He is defeated, and turned to crystal. Snow's hope is renewed, and he decides that their focus doesn't matter at all - that they should believe in Serah and Cid, and do whatever they need to do, focus be damned.

The group soon comes across an airship that will take them to Gran Pulse, and figuring that they have nothing else to lose, they board it. Gran Pulse is wild and beautiful, and they spend a great deal of time exploring it and traveling before deciding to make for the village of Oerba, Fang and Vanille's home town. On the way there, Snow's heart falters, and he expresses his insecurities to Lightning, asking her if she thinks they will see Serah again. Lightning consoles him, and even goes so far as to lean her face into the back of his coat while asserting that they will see Serah again, that they will find her together. After making their way there, they find that the city is deserted and has long since been abandoned. To Snow's shock, Serah appears near the outskirts of the village and rushes into his arms. She recites the legend of Ragnarok, the story of the great monster that descended upon Cocoon in the old war of Transgression, over 500 years ago. Snow is suspicious of her, and sure enough, they find that she is only Barthandelus in disguise. The party brings him down again, and decide to board the ship back to Cocoon's capital city, Eden, to face Orphan once and for all.

They crash into the grand prix in an epic scene where all six of them ride their eidolons into battle, and Snow arrogantly brandishes his heroism all about without thinking to cover up the brand on his forearm. The onlookers fall into chaos, but Snow's revealing them as l'Cie soon falls to the backburner, as hundreds of Pulsian monsters begin pouring into Eden through portals from the Fifth Ark. Snow and the others face down terrible monsters and elite PSICOM forces as they make their way towards the center of the city. They find that the Cavalry's good intentions have been manipulated, that they, also, plan to destroy Orphan, so it becomes a desperate race to Orphan's Cradle. NORA's members show up, and, to his surprise, they support Snow, and chastise him for now allowing them to help him sooner. With their help, the group makes it past Eden's defenses and into Orphan's Cradle. After one final face off against Barthandelus, Orphan appears and resurrects him as a part of itself, and the party finally prepares to finish Orphan off for good. They severely damage it, but Snow, Lightning, Hope and Sazh are all banished to an illusionary world while Orphan tortures Fang before Vanille's eyes, attempting to bring about the second coming of Ragnarok. Orphan, like Barthandelus, only wants death, hoping that Cocoon's destruction will reawaken the Maker, the creator of all. Snow and the gang break through the illusion and come to Fang's rescue, delivering the final blow to Orphan.

So as you can see, Snow's main personality points are his loyalty, his tenacity, and his fierce need to protect. He wishes to guard not only Serah, but Lightning and the other l'Cie, and all of Cocoon, despite the fact that they are now hated l'Cie. Snow is stubborn in his convictions, and it is his belief in others and in himself that keeps him going. His drive is relentless when it comes to protecting others, and though he does occasionally falter, he is always able to pick himself up again and keep going. Snow has a bountiful amount of stamina, both physically and mentally, and though he can be a little slow on the uptake, he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He's a tough, broad, big man who is really nothing but a big teddy bear beneath his stubble and shaggy hair, and he will sacrifice almost anything to keep his loved ones safe. This tireless drive is what helps him to do the impossible, to save Serah and Cocoon, and his charisma is infectious. His positivity is often what keeps others going in the face of danger.

Snow also carries around a great deal of guilt. As he is such a sympathetic guy, it doesn't take much to make him feel guilty. He tends to talk and act before he thinks (evidenced by his revealing of his brand at the grand prix), and as such he is akin to a bull in a china shop, unaware of the damage he causes around him. But once he is aware, you can bet your bottom dollar that he will do everything in his power to fix it. It doesn't take much to make him feel guilty for his actions, and Snow wears his big heart on his sleeve almost all the time. He can be arrogant, fashioning himself a 'hero' and flaunting his charisma about like a high school kid, and though he's a big softie beneath that bandanna, he will stand firmly behind his beliefs and convictions. He is a formidable enemy, but a fast friend and ally.

Have you read up on how the game works?:
Yeeep. The journal thinger is the FlamingFerret, and you can make money by mooching, getting missions, taking classes etc etc.

1st person sample:
[ Snow's no stranger to this sort of technology, so it doesn't take him long to get the video function working properly ( though these buttons seem a little tiny for his big fingers, urgh ). He's grinning into the video feed, but looking a little put out, while digging the end of his pinky finger into his right ear. He's actually looking a little roughed up - scraped and disheveled, with a doozy of a bruise blossoming beneath his right eye. ]

So, uh .. what's the big idea? Those rough lookin' alien guys are trying to tell me that everything got destroyed or somethin' - but that can't be right, right? I mean, come on, after all that- I mean, we came so far-

..

[ he frowns, then rubs at the back of his head. ]

Nah. Can't be right.

So - Light? Serah? You guys can come out now, yeah yeah, the joke's on me. I bet you think you're pretty funny, but I'm about ready to get home now. This 'outer space' thing is pretty cool and all, but I'm feelin' a little claustrophobic.

-- Wait, how did you manage to pull all this off?

3rd person sample:
A fish? A fish. It didn't even look like a fish. It looked more like a slimy, yellow, wriggling worm-leech-parasitic kind of thing, and though Snow was all about being friendly to the environment, there was nothing about that "fish" that he wanted anywhere near him.

"Woah, uh - c'mon guys, don't you think this has gone far enough? I mean the joke's getting a little stale now-"

They were closing in on him rapidly, and though Snow was a pretty big guy, these hulking creatures were wide and many and more than a little gross looking. It took several of them to hold him back; Snow was a wild bull when restrained, and he didn't like the look of the slime ball of a fish that they were bringing towards him. Of course, it didn't help that he couldn't understand a word of the mumbled garbage that these strange fiends were garbling out. "No, hey hey, let's be cool here, all right? I don't want that thing in- no, no way are you putting that in my-" Squelch. Pop!

"Auuuugghyyyhh!"

He was released just as quickly as he had been abducted, and Snow was now too busy hollering and pawing at his ear to notice that the garbled voices of the large creatures were now audible. They mumbled to themselves and shoved at his broad back, tossing a towel over his head and shoving a strange electronic book into his arms before giving him a rather unceremonious boot into the next room. A thronging, bustling crowd milled about in queue beneath the dingy, flickering lights, and Snow slowly lowered his hand, staring blankly over the room. Like hell he'd have the patience to wait through this nonsense.

"You've got to be kidding me."

He was about ready to wake up from this bizarro dream any time now.

Questions?:
What..
..is your favorite color?

Did you put your characters name and fandom in the subject: Ooooof course!