Braig ♦ Xigbar (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
freelyfalling) wrote2014-05-03 09:43 am
freelyfalling) wrote2014-05-03 09:43 am
Application for BNW
PLAYER INFO
Name: Sleepy
Contact Information: Plurk sleepyphoenix, AIM oneirologue, PM.
Time Zone: GMT
Characters Played: Kanji Tatsumi
CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Braig (Xigbar)
Character Canon: Kingdom Hearts
History:
Kingdom Hearts wiki links for both of his personas in the series:
http://www.khwiki.com/Braig
http://www.khwiki.com/Xigbar
AU History: Braig was a son of a typical large Union family. While he had always dreamed of becoming a Ranger or Delver, there was a history of joining the Guard in his family - under pressure, and just wanting to make things easy for himself, he went along with it. While he would eventually discover Enlightened abilities, it would be as an adult, and nothing spectacular. How was he supposed to impress anyone with teleporting alone? No, he’d keep that as an extra trick in his toolbox for when it was needed.
Still, as guards went, he had a solid enough career, not moving up too far in the hierarchy - but that was how he liked it.
For most of his life, the knowledge that he was helping keep humanity safe helped him stick with a position that he frequently saw as somewhat of a burden. After all, it was them versus the wilds - and more than that, it made him important. But when he started to see people from distant lands braving the forests, making it to the city, it … started to make him wonder. And when some of those people started to bring technology beyond anything he’d ever seen used?
Well.
Maybe it was time for him to start getting a bit more involved with things. Unfortunately, he'd be badly injured by a feral Krookodile as the word came in about Caldera, losing an eye among other things and putting him in a position where he'd need to undergo a measure of rehabilitation - but as soon as he's back on his feet, he's ready to go.
Canon Personality: To a casual observer, Braig - or Xigbar, as the case may be, the difference between his incarnations is negligible - is the most laid back person imaginable. He’s friendly, willing to talk to whoever approaches him, and generally seems like a fun sort of guy. His speech pattern has often been compared to a ‘surfer dude’ - someone who’s willing to just roll with life and chill out, full of slang - hardly the sort of attitude to be expected from the second most senior member of his group. Notably, he’s fond of giving people he deals with nicknames. Most of the time, they’re teasing or seemingly affectionate, rather than insulting, although he’s been known to refer to an authority figure as “old coot” to his face.
While he’s theoretically in an authority position in his group, and is seen in this position a few times, he prefers to have a more hands-on and active role than some, having been seen to go on active missions with inexperienced group members. He’s also someone who’ll get the job done, whatever’s asked, whatever it takes - a seemingly reliable team member. He’s willing to offer advice and reassure those in a tight spot. As long as someone’s doing what they can, he’s got their back, and has been seen to demonstrate this towards younger team members.
However, underneath this exterior is a far less pleasant individual. Despite his outright friendliness, there are very few people that he cares for on more than a superficial and practical level - he’s been seen to be quite content to write off dead colleagues as irrelevant at the drop of a hat. More than that, he’s potentially treacherous - his loyalty is very much for sale to whoever can provide him with what he needs and desires. He’s willing to go to extreme lengths to fulfil his wants, to the point where he’s seen to basically sacrifice his individuality for the promise of power and a mythical weapon - allowing himself to be gradually converted into a duplicate of the person offering it as a reward, though it is hard to see if this has directly impacted his personality. He’s willing to go the extra mile for whoever he’s working for, and will be completely dedicated to them, but he's very good at making it look otherwise...
As such, he’s happy to lie and cheat if the situation calls for it, and is a very manipulative person. He’s been seen to happily drop cryptic hints and clues to someone on the opposite side, just to toy with their head and push them down the road that’s needed. Even when he's toying with someone, manipulating them, he's still likely to seem every bit as happy and cheerful as if he were talking to them normally - for him, there's precious little difference. He’s not someone who can be trusted unless he knows he's getting something out of it.
His problems come when plans go off the rails. He’s not the sort of guy who copes well with change, and tends to panic a little when things go wrong, demonstrating this when an opponent manages to turn his taunts and threats back in his face. It’s probably the only time that his chilled-out facade ever breaks… if he puts his trust in you, you'd better be worth it. As much as he doesn’t like change being thrown in his face, though, he’s tricky and unpredictable enough that he’s usually the one who’s throwing surprises at others.
All in all, as manipulative traitors go, there are worse ones to have a drink with.
AU Deviation: As Braig’s canon obsession with the Keyblade isn’t something that’s present here, his fascination instead is with the sort of knowledge that trainers from distant lands - including Team Evolution - brought from their far-off home: he finds Pokéballs an intriguing concept and hardly sees the problem with them, rather than seeing them as the sort of taboo item that the majority of the city do. If the Pokémon’s happy to travel in one, why not? It’s the trainer, not the tool, that’s the problem in his eye… Even without their influence, he’s fascinated by what’s considered ‘forbidden’ by the average Union resident, although he’s got the sense not to mention such things to anyone else. He also loves the concept of Mega Evolution, and in general, newly induced evolutionary states and formes, and pushing past the limits of what’s been known in general. If he’s ever presented with the chance to access one, he’ll jump on it.
That said, he’s got less in the way of active schemes going on without Xehanort’s presence and influence, and is more looking for opportunities to get ahead than anything - he’ll lie and cheat if it’s necessary, certainly, but there’s less it’s necessary for. He’s more of a wild card and a potential villain than an active one.
(He still thinks Klefki are pretty cool, mind.)
Canon Abilities:
On a mundane level, Braig is a trained sniper, having spent time as part of a royal guard unit. He’s quick-thinking on the battlefield and off. He’s an extremely persuasive speaker, able to use both the truth and lies to his advantage. He’s no grunt soldier, either - he’s intelligent enough to have been able to cope as an apprentice to a genius scientist, something that involved a high level of technical knowledge.
Braig’s supernatural abilities are based around space control and warping in both his incarnations. He is capable of teleportation and self-levitation, to the point where he is seen quite happily walking upside down. He can also warp space or open portals around the shots he fires in order to aim them how he pleases. He has certain ‘speedster’ abilities, too, able to run fast enough to leave after-images and to jump far higher than the human norm.
Enlightened Abilities:
Braig starts as a pure Psychic type with Mastery of Battle. (Resists: Fighting, Psychic; Weakness: Bug, Dark, Ghost) He carries a pistol that infuses the bullets fired with Dark-type energies (and a matching mundane one.)
Basic:
At this stage, Braig’s only powers are teleportation, boosted speed and jumping abilities, and the ability to create illusions as he moves - in effect, his movepool is limited to Teleport and Double Team.
Stage 1:
At this stage in his evolution, he acquires the Dark typing. (Resists: none, Immune: Psychic, Weakness: Fairy, Bug x2).
He gains limited self-levitation abilities at this stage, akin to the Pokémon ability Levitate, as well as a wider range of telekinetic and Psychic abilities as a whole, enabling him to remotely lift and manipulate targets: for example, Telekinesis, Miracle Eye, and a variation on Kinesis with whatever's handy.
His first damage-dealing moves manifest at this stage, in his new type, though they tend towards the ‘trickery’ rather than ‘shadowy’ side of the typing, or moves that are passively assisted by shadow: for example, Pursuit, Feint Attack and Foul Play.
His teleportation range as a whole has also grown larger.
Appearance changes include an eye colour change to yellow, white streaks in his hair and pointed ears.
Stage 2:
(This evolutionary stage will take influence from Xehanort’s abilities in Kingdom Hearts as well as Braig’s own native skills.)
Braig’s existing levitation and teleportation abilities take another boost at this stage, with him now able to glide around freely and quickly.
While his Psychic skills are still limited to moves that do not directly damage the opponent, he gains a couple of new tricks - the moves Heart Swap, Ally Switch (and in general, the ability to remotely teleport others), Trick Room and Gravity. His telekinetic control is highly refined.
His Dark type attacks now encompass a range of moves that directly manipulate darkness and shadow, such as Dark Pulse (though he has more powerful Special-type moves available), and purely Dark-typed variants on the Shadow Pokémon moves Shadow Wave, Hold and Panic.
In a manner akin to the attacks Trick-or-Treat or Forest’s Curse, he can temporarily add the Dark type to a target’s existing types.
Appearance modifications include but are not limited to his hair turning entirely white and his skin deeply tanned.
Starter Pokémon: Espurr, Murkrow.
Notes/Special Considerations: I'd like to have his first evolution correspond to his "being seeded with" Xehanort's heart and receiving his dark powers in Kingdom Hearts BBS. Are there any options available that could lead to this - finding a way to use a Dusk Stone on himself at the appropriate time, or interference/effects from a powerful Dark-type Pokémon?
Further special request details currently removed for plot reveal reasons but available on request.
SAMPLES
First person:
Well, what have we got here? All of you new visitors, showing up on our doorstep… I hope our hospitality is up to the standards you expect. Bit of a shock, huh?
But sit down! Relax! You’re in good hands.
...Mostly, anyway. Can’t speak for all of these goofballs.
So how about we talk for a bit? Who’s got the wildest stories? Any legends from back home that you haven't heard anything about here? Any Pokémon whose types you haven’t seen running around here - or anything we've got here that you just can't wrap your head around?
Man, you guys… don’t tell me you haven’t got anything to say? As if. You’ve got to have something. Yeah, yeah, I know. "It's not all that special", right? Guess what. Special's what you make of it. And right now, you guys are.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
Still shy? Fine. You tell me one, I'll tell you one. Sound fair?
Third person: Questionnaire used. Given that Braig is a very deceptive character, his spoken reply is in quotes and his thought process in brackets and italics where it differs.
-What do you feel your role in Union is?
“Me? Hey, I’m just a guard. Keeping this place safe. Ain’t anywhere like it, after all - sure, we’re finding new places every day, but here? This is where everything’s happening! And I want to make sure we’re ready for whatever’s next.”
(As if. We’re one city. Once upon a time, we didn’t know, but now we do… Sure, I’m going to pull my weight. I’m not some slacker. But we’re not special. Not any more. What’s the point of talking like we’re the gods’ best friends?
And given what my role is supposed to be? Guess I’ve got to find something new…)
-What do you seek for humanity’s future?
“Come on! We’ve got to move forward! With everything that’s out there, we can’t keep sitting behind these walls forever… you get a good view of what’s out there behind them from up here, you know. We’ve got to improve and expand.”
(Eh. ‘Humanity’ for its own sake is over-rated. It’s not about ‘human’ or ‘Pokémon’, Union or Caldera or even those crazies in Gigas or… whatever the heck’s out there. It’s about people, wherever they’re from, moving on and becoming more than they are.
However that’s possible.)
-What does the story of the Savior mean to you?
“We’ll never know everything that happened back then… but it gives us something to strive for, right? An ideal.”
(It’s a pretty tale to keep people from thinking. The lady probably wasn’t any different from anyone else… she was just in the right place at the right time. Knew what to do and say. That’s all.)
-You are alone and bereft of your Pokémon allies, upon what strengths do you rely on to see yourself safely home?
“Hey, guard training wasn’t just trying to remember which end of a sword’s the pointy one. I can look after myself. Bit of gut instinct, bit of logic… I’m going to be just fine. And - come on, teleporter, remember?”
-You plunge into the depths of the Old City. What is it that you seek from the past? Treasure, technology, wisdom?
“That’s easy, guys. We’re sitting on all this history, all this knowledge - me, pass this up? As if! Shame I’m probably not going to be bringing any books back in a hurry, but - a guy can dream, huh?”
(If only some people weren’t so fussy about what technology’s out there…)
-No Enlightened chooses their abilities - and not all are Enlightened. What type abilities would you most desire to manifest and why?
“Hey, I’m just fine being who I am. Sure, my Psychic stuff’s not much, but it’s useful, huh?”
(Nothing wrong with Psychic, sure, and any power’s better than being a regular guy on the street: but sometimes I can’t help but wish for something with a bit more style… something that wasn’t the most common thing out there.
Something special.)
-What area do you seek to explore? The peaceful forest, in search of new, previously overlooked discoveries; the uncharted caves, in search of the unknown; or the wildest of mountain terrain, in search of danger, adventure, and thrills?
“Cutting the list a little short, aren’t we? As long as it’s all new, I’m not going to complain. I’ve seen enough of the forest from up on the walls, you know? Let's call it the caves. Got to be something good down there.”
Name: Sleepy
Contact Information: Plurk sleepyphoenix, AIM oneirologue, PM.
Time Zone: GMT
Characters Played: Kanji Tatsumi
CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Braig (Xigbar)
Character Canon: Kingdom Hearts
History:
Kingdom Hearts wiki links for both of his personas in the series:
http://www.khwiki.com/Braig
http://www.khwiki.com/Xigbar
AU History: Braig was a son of a typical large Union family. While he had always dreamed of becoming a Ranger or Delver, there was a history of joining the Guard in his family - under pressure, and just wanting to make things easy for himself, he went along with it. While he would eventually discover Enlightened abilities, it would be as an adult, and nothing spectacular. How was he supposed to impress anyone with teleporting alone? No, he’d keep that as an extra trick in his toolbox for when it was needed.
Still, as guards went, he had a solid enough career, not moving up too far in the hierarchy - but that was how he liked it.
For most of his life, the knowledge that he was helping keep humanity safe helped him stick with a position that he frequently saw as somewhat of a burden. After all, it was them versus the wilds - and more than that, it made him important. But when he started to see people from distant lands braving the forests, making it to the city, it … started to make him wonder. And when some of those people started to bring technology beyond anything he’d ever seen used?
Well.
Maybe it was time for him to start getting a bit more involved with things. Unfortunately, he'd be badly injured by a feral Krookodile as the word came in about Caldera, losing an eye among other things and putting him in a position where he'd need to undergo a measure of rehabilitation - but as soon as he's back on his feet, he's ready to go.
Canon Personality: To a casual observer, Braig - or Xigbar, as the case may be, the difference between his incarnations is negligible - is the most laid back person imaginable. He’s friendly, willing to talk to whoever approaches him, and generally seems like a fun sort of guy. His speech pattern has often been compared to a ‘surfer dude’ - someone who’s willing to just roll with life and chill out, full of slang - hardly the sort of attitude to be expected from the second most senior member of his group. Notably, he’s fond of giving people he deals with nicknames. Most of the time, they’re teasing or seemingly affectionate, rather than insulting, although he’s been known to refer to an authority figure as “old coot” to his face.
While he’s theoretically in an authority position in his group, and is seen in this position a few times, he prefers to have a more hands-on and active role than some, having been seen to go on active missions with inexperienced group members. He’s also someone who’ll get the job done, whatever’s asked, whatever it takes - a seemingly reliable team member. He’s willing to offer advice and reassure those in a tight spot. As long as someone’s doing what they can, he’s got their back, and has been seen to demonstrate this towards younger team members.
However, underneath this exterior is a far less pleasant individual. Despite his outright friendliness, there are very few people that he cares for on more than a superficial and practical level - he’s been seen to be quite content to write off dead colleagues as irrelevant at the drop of a hat. More than that, he’s potentially treacherous - his loyalty is very much for sale to whoever can provide him with what he needs and desires. He’s willing to go to extreme lengths to fulfil his wants, to the point where he’s seen to basically sacrifice his individuality for the promise of power and a mythical weapon - allowing himself to be gradually converted into a duplicate of the person offering it as a reward, though it is hard to see if this has directly impacted his personality. He’s willing to go the extra mile for whoever he’s working for, and will be completely dedicated to them, but he's very good at making it look otherwise...
As such, he’s happy to lie and cheat if the situation calls for it, and is a very manipulative person. He’s been seen to happily drop cryptic hints and clues to someone on the opposite side, just to toy with their head and push them down the road that’s needed. Even when he's toying with someone, manipulating them, he's still likely to seem every bit as happy and cheerful as if he were talking to them normally - for him, there's precious little difference. He’s not someone who can be trusted unless he knows he's getting something out of it.
His problems come when plans go off the rails. He’s not the sort of guy who copes well with change, and tends to panic a little when things go wrong, demonstrating this when an opponent manages to turn his taunts and threats back in his face. It’s probably the only time that his chilled-out facade ever breaks… if he puts his trust in you, you'd better be worth it. As much as he doesn’t like change being thrown in his face, though, he’s tricky and unpredictable enough that he’s usually the one who’s throwing surprises at others.
All in all, as manipulative traitors go, there are worse ones to have a drink with.
AU Deviation: As Braig’s canon obsession with the Keyblade isn’t something that’s present here, his fascination instead is with the sort of knowledge that trainers from distant lands - including Team Evolution - brought from their far-off home: he finds Pokéballs an intriguing concept and hardly sees the problem with them, rather than seeing them as the sort of taboo item that the majority of the city do. If the Pokémon’s happy to travel in one, why not? It’s the trainer, not the tool, that’s the problem in his eye… Even without their influence, he’s fascinated by what’s considered ‘forbidden’ by the average Union resident, although he’s got the sense not to mention such things to anyone else. He also loves the concept of Mega Evolution, and in general, newly induced evolutionary states and formes, and pushing past the limits of what’s been known in general. If he’s ever presented with the chance to access one, he’ll jump on it.
That said, he’s got less in the way of active schemes going on without Xehanort’s presence and influence, and is more looking for opportunities to get ahead than anything - he’ll lie and cheat if it’s necessary, certainly, but there’s less it’s necessary for. He’s more of a wild card and a potential villain than an active one.
(He still thinks Klefki are pretty cool, mind.)
Canon Abilities:
On a mundane level, Braig is a trained sniper, having spent time as part of a royal guard unit. He’s quick-thinking on the battlefield and off. He’s an extremely persuasive speaker, able to use both the truth and lies to his advantage. He’s no grunt soldier, either - he’s intelligent enough to have been able to cope as an apprentice to a genius scientist, something that involved a high level of technical knowledge.
Braig’s supernatural abilities are based around space control and warping in both his incarnations. He is capable of teleportation and self-levitation, to the point where he is seen quite happily walking upside down. He can also warp space or open portals around the shots he fires in order to aim them how he pleases. He has certain ‘speedster’ abilities, too, able to run fast enough to leave after-images and to jump far higher than the human norm.
Enlightened Abilities:
Braig starts as a pure Psychic type with Mastery of Battle. (Resists: Fighting, Psychic; Weakness: Bug, Dark, Ghost) He carries a pistol that infuses the bullets fired with Dark-type energies (and a matching mundane one.)
Basic:
At this stage, Braig’s only powers are teleportation, boosted speed and jumping abilities, and the ability to create illusions as he moves - in effect, his movepool is limited to Teleport and Double Team.
Stage 1:
At this stage in his evolution, he acquires the Dark typing. (Resists: none, Immune: Psychic, Weakness: Fairy, Bug x2).
He gains limited self-levitation abilities at this stage, akin to the Pokémon ability Levitate, as well as a wider range of telekinetic and Psychic abilities as a whole, enabling him to remotely lift and manipulate targets: for example, Telekinesis, Miracle Eye, and a variation on Kinesis with whatever's handy.
His first damage-dealing moves manifest at this stage, in his new type, though they tend towards the ‘trickery’ rather than ‘shadowy’ side of the typing, or moves that are passively assisted by shadow: for example, Pursuit, Feint Attack and Foul Play.
His teleportation range as a whole has also grown larger.
Appearance changes include an eye colour change to yellow, white streaks in his hair and pointed ears.
Stage 2:
(This evolutionary stage will take influence from Xehanort’s abilities in Kingdom Hearts as well as Braig’s own native skills.)
Braig’s existing levitation and teleportation abilities take another boost at this stage, with him now able to glide around freely and quickly.
While his Psychic skills are still limited to moves that do not directly damage the opponent, he gains a couple of new tricks - the moves Heart Swap, Ally Switch (and in general, the ability to remotely teleport others), Trick Room and Gravity. His telekinetic control is highly refined.
His Dark type attacks now encompass a range of moves that directly manipulate darkness and shadow, such as Dark Pulse (though he has more powerful Special-type moves available), and purely Dark-typed variants on the Shadow Pokémon moves Shadow Wave, Hold and Panic.
In a manner akin to the attacks Trick-or-Treat or Forest’s Curse, he can temporarily add the Dark type to a target’s existing types.
Appearance modifications include but are not limited to his hair turning entirely white and his skin deeply tanned.
Starter Pokémon: Espurr, Murkrow.
Notes/Special Considerations: I'd like to have his first evolution correspond to his "being seeded with" Xehanort's heart and receiving his dark powers in Kingdom Hearts BBS. Are there any options available that could lead to this - finding a way to use a Dusk Stone on himself at the appropriate time, or interference/effects from a powerful Dark-type Pokémon?
Further special request details currently removed for plot reveal reasons but available on request.
SAMPLES
First person:
Well, what have we got here? All of you new visitors, showing up on our doorstep… I hope our hospitality is up to the standards you expect. Bit of a shock, huh?
But sit down! Relax! You’re in good hands.
...Mostly, anyway. Can’t speak for all of these goofballs.
So how about we talk for a bit? Who’s got the wildest stories? Any legends from back home that you haven't heard anything about here? Any Pokémon whose types you haven’t seen running around here - or anything we've got here that you just can't wrap your head around?
Man, you guys… don’t tell me you haven’t got anything to say? As if. You’ve got to have something. Yeah, yeah, I know. "It's not all that special", right? Guess what. Special's what you make of it. And right now, you guys are.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
Still shy? Fine. You tell me one, I'll tell you one. Sound fair?
Third person: Questionnaire used. Given that Braig is a very deceptive character, his spoken reply is in quotes and his thought process in brackets and italics where it differs.
-What do you feel your role in Union is?
“Me? Hey, I’m just a guard. Keeping this place safe. Ain’t anywhere like it, after all - sure, we’re finding new places every day, but here? This is where everything’s happening! And I want to make sure we’re ready for whatever’s next.”
(As if. We’re one city. Once upon a time, we didn’t know, but now we do… Sure, I’m going to pull my weight. I’m not some slacker. But we’re not special. Not any more. What’s the point of talking like we’re the gods’ best friends?
And given what my role is supposed to be? Guess I’ve got to find something new…)
-What do you seek for humanity’s future?
“Come on! We’ve got to move forward! With everything that’s out there, we can’t keep sitting behind these walls forever… you get a good view of what’s out there behind them from up here, you know. We’ve got to improve and expand.”
(Eh. ‘Humanity’ for its own sake is over-rated. It’s not about ‘human’ or ‘Pokémon’, Union or Caldera or even those crazies in Gigas or… whatever the heck’s out there. It’s about people, wherever they’re from, moving on and becoming more than they are.
However that’s possible.)
-What does the story of the Savior mean to you?
“We’ll never know everything that happened back then… but it gives us something to strive for, right? An ideal.”
(It’s a pretty tale to keep people from thinking. The lady probably wasn’t any different from anyone else… she was just in the right place at the right time. Knew what to do and say. That’s all.)
-You are alone and bereft of your Pokémon allies, upon what strengths do you rely on to see yourself safely home?
“Hey, guard training wasn’t just trying to remember which end of a sword’s the pointy one. I can look after myself. Bit of gut instinct, bit of logic… I’m going to be just fine. And - come on, teleporter, remember?”
-You plunge into the depths of the Old City. What is it that you seek from the past? Treasure, technology, wisdom?
“That’s easy, guys. We’re sitting on all this history, all this knowledge - me, pass this up? As if! Shame I’m probably not going to be bringing any books back in a hurry, but - a guy can dream, huh?”
(If only some people weren’t so fussy about what technology’s out there…)
-No Enlightened chooses their abilities - and not all are Enlightened. What type abilities would you most desire to manifest and why?
“Hey, I’m just fine being who I am. Sure, my Psychic stuff’s not much, but it’s useful, huh?”
(Nothing wrong with Psychic, sure, and any power’s better than being a regular guy on the street: but sometimes I can’t help but wish for something with a bit more style… something that wasn’t the most common thing out there.
Something special.)
-What area do you seek to explore? The peaceful forest, in search of new, previously overlooked discoveries; the uncharted caves, in search of the unknown; or the wildest of mountain terrain, in search of danger, adventure, and thrills?
“Cutting the list a little short, aren’t we? As long as it’s all new, I’m not going to complain. I’ve seen enough of the forest from up on the walls, you know? Let's call it the caves. Got to be something good down there.”