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bravenewworld
Jan. 2nd, 2014 03:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tinytacticianPLAYER INFO
Name: Jolee
Contact Information: Private Journal |leejolee, Plurk | ![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
ceedawkes
Time Zone: PST~
Characters Played: No others~
CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Armin Arlert
Character Canon: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
History: Wiki page!
AU History: Armin was born the only child of two Delvers in the most populated part of Union. His mother's father was particularly well-off and doted on his daughter and grandson. Armin had a happy, if sheltered babyhood -- his parents and grandfather noticed that he was easily made upset when around a lot of people and tended to keep him safe at home. His status as a wealthier family meant that his grandfather was able to afford one of the larger dwellings, with more space to keep Armin away from the crowds. This only intensified when both his parents set out on an expedition to the Old City, unwisely choosing to go off without back-up and disappearing. For a long time, Armin's grandfather held out hope that his daughter and son-in-law would return, but after nearly ten years, he's all but given that up.
Instead, he reacted by completely closing his grandson off from anything dangerous or potentially unsafe. Armin has spent the majority of his childhood at home, tutored by the best private teachers and absolutely forbidden from leaving the top two floors of their home, so there's always an empty room between himself and others. However, that obviously couldn't last forever, and when Armin was twelve, his grandfather was forced to enroll him in school again. As a result of being kept away from society, Armin was physically weaker than his peers, much more likely to want to read or discuss the artifacts documented by the Historians than to run, play or explore. In addition, as an (unidentified) Enlightened Psychic type, Armin has low-level empathetic abilities which make him extremely sensitive to other's emotions. Having the pale, shrimpy, wide-eyed nerd kid coming up and asking if you're all right without you saying a word has led to Armin having a reputation as a liiiiittle bit of a creepy kid. This in turn has led to him being bullied and teased and having very few friends.
Now on the cusp of sixteen, Armin is still an outcast among his peers, preferring to spend his time with the Historians and his personal bonded Pokemon, a Ralts he calls "Meredith". As per his grandfather's wishes, he tells everyone that he wants to also be a Historian when he grows older. However, this isn't precisely true...
Canon Personality: Armin is a perfect example of the saying "don't judge a book by it's cover". He's small for his age, not physically strong or particularly adept at anything combat-related, which is a problem in a city that's in a perpetual state of war, oops. This is evident in his very first appearance -- he's nine years old, tiny and weak and cornered by the town bullies, getting the stuffing kicked out of him. This is not the first time this has happened to Armin -- as a small, intelligent child, he's often targeted by the bigger kids. However, this first appearance also gives a very important clue as to Armin's hidden depths. Even with bruises all over his face, he stares down the bullies and defiantly states that they're just beating him up because they can't prove him wrong. Armin is a very very smart cookie, who in his canon is one of the few human beings who dreams about life outside the protective city walls. This is frowned upon by society as a whole, and the fact that a tiny little boy isn't afraid to dream and talk about forbidden things is very telling. Full of courage and defiance and intelligence, Armin has the capacity for great and terrible things.
However, after his (stronger and bigger) friends come to his rescue, the other major force motivating Armin comes to light. With an expression of self-loathing, he refuses help getting to his feet, insisting he can do it himself. This independence doesn't stem out of any pride -- quite the opposite, actually. Armin is painfully aware of his shortcomings as someone physically weak and unable to defend himself, and he absolutely hates himself for that. In addition, he believes that everyone else resents him just as much, for the same reasons. It's this constant battle between knowledge of his abilities and conviction of his status as a "burden" that characterizes Armin's major internal struggle. Throughout his canon, he's seen pushing himself to the absolute limits of his body and mind, refusing all help in an effort to keep himself from dragging others down. This leads to him graduating with a reputation for being unskilled in physical combat, but absolutely remarkable when it comes to strategy and tactics.
Armin's major turning point comes when he's at his lowest, after graduation and after a major attack from the Titans. Unprepared for this attack, the cadets had fought back as best they could, with Armin in a state of horrified panic after seeing many of his classmates brutally devoured. This culminates in him witnessing his best friend Eren being mutilated and devoured, which sends him into a state of shock, to the point where he's willing to commit suicide so as to avoid the inevitable grim death that awaits him. It takes his other dearest friend, Mikasa, Eren's adoptive sister, to snap him out of it long enough for them to mount a rescue of those troops trapped by a group of Titans in a nearby building. Even in his extreme emotional distress, Armin has the presence of mind to formulate an ingenious plan to use their limited ammunition and numbers to take out the Titans. Even though this plan is a success, it isn't until Armin, Mikasa and not-dead-after-all-but-actually-a-Titan-it's-complicated-okay!Eren are staring down the cannons of the frightened and bewildered army that the aforementioned turning point comes. In the fact of certain doom, Armin's friends place their faith and trust in him to save them using his words and mind, affirming his talents while simultaneously destroying his biggest fear: that everyone considers him a burden and a waste of space. As soon as this delusion is corrected, Armin immediately rises to the occasion with the brilliance, conviction and courage that he's been capable of all along.
Outside of this formative and character-defining struggle between confidence and shame, Armin is a genuinely nice, if reserved person. He's on friendly terms with the entirety of his graduating class, everyone from his closest childhood friends, to Eren's constant partner in bickering, Jean, to characters he has little to nothing in common with. He's polite and eloquent, always trying to do the right thing in any given situation -- cautioning Eren against rocking the boat too much, offering encouragement to his friends when they're second-guessing themselves, obeying orders as best he can under stressful circumstances. Even when he's directly insulted, his reaction is understated, but honest. He's not a particularly overemotional person -- except, of course, when he's seeing people getting eaten, in which case shock and horror combine to make him a total mess. Armin seems to internalize a lot of things; when he's hurt or upset, or even when he has something exciting to share. His dreams are reserved for his nearest and dearest -- the few people he trusts enough to really be his genuine, enthusiastic self around. This is very rare, and Armin doesn't open up easily at all.
AU Deviation: As a result of growing up so sheltered, in this AU Armin hasn't moved past feeling his overwhelming self-loathing and annoyance at his less-than-impressive physical abilities. This, coupled with his confusing and sometimes terrifying empathetic powers means that he's much more reclusive and closed-off around people, seeing himself as abnormal and unpleasant. However, there's still that genuinely kind and caring spirit present -- he genuinely wants people to be happy and, much like his Ralts, tends to gravitate towards people who have pleasant, friendly personalities. In addition, despite telling everyone (especially his grandfather) that he wants to be a Historian, Armin has secret ambitions of great adventures and excitement, and longs to be a Delver like his parents. He knows he isn't particularly brave or strong, but he's itching for something other than his safe, quiet, boring little life.
Canon Abilities: Mundane abilities include exceptional intelligence, tactical ability, skillful in interpreting and understanding situations and people and how best to manipulate and play them and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Actual equipment is the 3D Manuever Gear, which is essentially a grappling hook + engine that enables soldiers to move up and down as well as side to side. Think Spiderman's webs, only mechanical.
Enlightened Abilities: Armin's a Psychic type -- specifically one based on the Ralts Pokemon, with mild empath abilities. This plays into his AU history, as he was isolated due to his grandfather's overprotectiveness and his tendency to become easily upset by people's strong emotions.
His first evolution will heighten these abilities of sensing, understanding and even manipulating emotions -- a throw-back to his in-canon ability to analyze a situation and manipulate it to suit his purposes.
His second one adds telepathy -- with those he's closest and most in-tune with -- and (a reference to the 3D Maneuver Gear) the ability to defy gravity, for short periods of time.
Starter Pokémon: A Ralts. Of course. One, specifically, that he met as a lonely, prone-to-sickness child who rarely left his home. It was one of the few outside friends his grandfather was comfortable with. He calls it Meredith~
SAMPLES
First-Person: Thread on Bakerstreet.
Third-Person: "Freak (frēk), noun. 1. a very unusual and unexpected event or situation. 2. a person, animal, or plant with an unusual physical abnormality. Synonyms: aberration, abnormality, irregularity, oddity; monster--"
It was not an interruption in the traditional sense -- the eerie stillness of the sitting room was only broken by the boy's soft sound of discomfort, words breaking off suddenly mid-sentence. But it accomplished the intent of the small creature perched on the arm of the chair. It reached out, poking reproachfully at the human's forehead to back up the wave of disapproval it had projected with all the might in it's tiny body.
Closing his eyes -- and the dictionary as well, since it seemed so offensive -- Armin Arlert rubbed in vain at his forehead, an instinctive gesture against the dizziness that came whenever his closest companion was upset with him. "I'm sorry," he muttered needlessly. The small being, a Ralts that accepted the nickname Armin had bestowed on it at seven years of age -- "Meredith" -- was already moving to sit on the dictionary, peering up from underneath it's green hair and poking again at it's friend. Knowing he was forgiven, Armin managed a small smile.
"I didn't mean you were a freak," he reassured the Pokemon, propping his chin in his hands. "You're supposed to do what you do. It makes you special." He patted the Ralts gently on the top of it's head, feeling the soft warmth -- like a candlelight, or a wooly pair of socks -- that was the response to his affection. Meredith was his first, his best, his only friend, and the entire world -- or at least the entire town -- knew it.
Armin knew it too, and that chased the smile right off his face. Another soft feeling, less of reproach and more of sympathy, curled itself loose in his chest, matching the look of concern on the Ralts's face. "I didn't mean I was one either..." Armin attempted, knowing even before he said it that both of them were aware it was a lie.
So, clearing his throat and his head and poking gently at the Pokemon's side to prompt it to get off the book, Armin opened it again and attempted to distract them both from how heavy the silence in the room suddenly was. "Freedom (frēdəm), noun. 1. the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint..."
Name: Jolee
Contact Information: Private Journal |
leejolee, Plurk | Time Zone: PST~
Characters Played: No others~
CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Armin Arlert
Character Canon: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
History: Wiki page!
AU History: Armin was born the only child of two Delvers in the most populated part of Union. His mother's father was particularly well-off and doted on his daughter and grandson. Armin had a happy, if sheltered babyhood -- his parents and grandfather noticed that he was easily made upset when around a lot of people and tended to keep him safe at home. His status as a wealthier family meant that his grandfather was able to afford one of the larger dwellings, with more space to keep Armin away from the crowds. This only intensified when both his parents set out on an expedition to the Old City, unwisely choosing to go off without back-up and disappearing. For a long time, Armin's grandfather held out hope that his daughter and son-in-law would return, but after nearly ten years, he's all but given that up.
Instead, he reacted by completely closing his grandson off from anything dangerous or potentially unsafe. Armin has spent the majority of his childhood at home, tutored by the best private teachers and absolutely forbidden from leaving the top two floors of their home, so there's always an empty room between himself and others. However, that obviously couldn't last forever, and when Armin was twelve, his grandfather was forced to enroll him in school again. As a result of being kept away from society, Armin was physically weaker than his peers, much more likely to want to read or discuss the artifacts documented by the Historians than to run, play or explore. In addition, as an (unidentified) Enlightened Psychic type, Armin has low-level empathetic abilities which make him extremely sensitive to other's emotions. Having the pale, shrimpy, wide-eyed nerd kid coming up and asking if you're all right without you saying a word has led to Armin having a reputation as a liiiiittle bit of a creepy kid. This in turn has led to him being bullied and teased and having very few friends.
Now on the cusp of sixteen, Armin is still an outcast among his peers, preferring to spend his time with the Historians and his personal bonded Pokemon, a Ralts he calls "Meredith". As per his grandfather's wishes, he tells everyone that he wants to also be a Historian when he grows older. However, this isn't precisely true...
Canon Personality: Armin is a perfect example of the saying "don't judge a book by it's cover". He's small for his age, not physically strong or particularly adept at anything combat-related, which is a problem in a city that's in a perpetual state of war, oops. This is evident in his very first appearance -- he's nine years old, tiny and weak and cornered by the town bullies, getting the stuffing kicked out of him. This is not the first time this has happened to Armin -- as a small, intelligent child, he's often targeted by the bigger kids. However, this first appearance also gives a very important clue as to Armin's hidden depths. Even with bruises all over his face, he stares down the bullies and defiantly states that they're just beating him up because they can't prove him wrong. Armin is a very very smart cookie, who in his canon is one of the few human beings who dreams about life outside the protective city walls. This is frowned upon by society as a whole, and the fact that a tiny little boy isn't afraid to dream and talk about forbidden things is very telling. Full of courage and defiance and intelligence, Armin has the capacity for great and terrible things.
However, after his (stronger and bigger) friends come to his rescue, the other major force motivating Armin comes to light. With an expression of self-loathing, he refuses help getting to his feet, insisting he can do it himself. This independence doesn't stem out of any pride -- quite the opposite, actually. Armin is painfully aware of his shortcomings as someone physically weak and unable to defend himself, and he absolutely hates himself for that. In addition, he believes that everyone else resents him just as much, for the same reasons. It's this constant battle between knowledge of his abilities and conviction of his status as a "burden" that characterizes Armin's major internal struggle. Throughout his canon, he's seen pushing himself to the absolute limits of his body and mind, refusing all help in an effort to keep himself from dragging others down. This leads to him graduating with a reputation for being unskilled in physical combat, but absolutely remarkable when it comes to strategy and tactics.
Armin's major turning point comes when he's at his lowest, after graduation and after a major attack from the Titans. Unprepared for this attack, the cadets had fought back as best they could, with Armin in a state of horrified panic after seeing many of his classmates brutally devoured. This culminates in him witnessing his best friend Eren being mutilated and devoured, which sends him into a state of shock, to the point where he's willing to commit suicide so as to avoid the inevitable grim death that awaits him. It takes his other dearest friend, Mikasa, Eren's adoptive sister, to snap him out of it long enough for them to mount a rescue of those troops trapped by a group of Titans in a nearby building. Even in his extreme emotional distress, Armin has the presence of mind to formulate an ingenious plan to use their limited ammunition and numbers to take out the Titans. Even though this plan is a success, it isn't until Armin, Mikasa and not-dead-after-all-but-actually-a-Titan-it's-complicated-okay!Eren are staring down the cannons of the frightened and bewildered army that the aforementioned turning point comes. In the fact of certain doom, Armin's friends place their faith and trust in him to save them using his words and mind, affirming his talents while simultaneously destroying his biggest fear: that everyone considers him a burden and a waste of space. As soon as this delusion is corrected, Armin immediately rises to the occasion with the brilliance, conviction and courage that he's been capable of all along.
Outside of this formative and character-defining struggle between confidence and shame, Armin is a genuinely nice, if reserved person. He's on friendly terms with the entirety of his graduating class, everyone from his closest childhood friends, to Eren's constant partner in bickering, Jean, to characters he has little to nothing in common with. He's polite and eloquent, always trying to do the right thing in any given situation -- cautioning Eren against rocking the boat too much, offering encouragement to his friends when they're second-guessing themselves, obeying orders as best he can under stressful circumstances. Even when he's directly insulted, his reaction is understated, but honest. He's not a particularly overemotional person -- except, of course, when he's seeing people getting eaten, in which case shock and horror combine to make him a total mess. Armin seems to internalize a lot of things; when he's hurt or upset, or even when he has something exciting to share. His dreams are reserved for his nearest and dearest -- the few people he trusts enough to really be his genuine, enthusiastic self around. This is very rare, and Armin doesn't open up easily at all.
AU Deviation: As a result of growing up so sheltered, in this AU Armin hasn't moved past feeling his overwhelming self-loathing and annoyance at his less-than-impressive physical abilities. This, coupled with his confusing and sometimes terrifying empathetic powers means that he's much more reclusive and closed-off around people, seeing himself as abnormal and unpleasant. However, there's still that genuinely kind and caring spirit present -- he genuinely wants people to be happy and, much like his Ralts, tends to gravitate towards people who have pleasant, friendly personalities. In addition, despite telling everyone (especially his grandfather) that he wants to be a Historian, Armin has secret ambitions of great adventures and excitement, and longs to be a Delver like his parents. He knows he isn't particularly brave or strong, but he's itching for something other than his safe, quiet, boring little life.
Canon Abilities: Mundane abilities include exceptional intelligence, tactical ability, skillful in interpreting and understanding situations and people and how best to manipulate and play them and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Actual equipment is the 3D Manuever Gear, which is essentially a grappling hook + engine that enables soldiers to move up and down as well as side to side. Think Spiderman's webs, only mechanical.
Enlightened Abilities: Armin's a Psychic type -- specifically one based on the Ralts Pokemon, with mild empath abilities. This plays into his AU history, as he was isolated due to his grandfather's overprotectiveness and his tendency to become easily upset by people's strong emotions.
His first evolution will heighten these abilities of sensing, understanding and even manipulating emotions -- a throw-back to his in-canon ability to analyze a situation and manipulate it to suit his purposes.
His second one adds telepathy -- with those he's closest and most in-tune with -- and (a reference to the 3D Maneuver Gear) the ability to defy gravity, for short periods of time.
Starter Pokémon: A Ralts. Of course. One, specifically, that he met as a lonely, prone-to-sickness child who rarely left his home. It was one of the few outside friends his grandfather was comfortable with. He calls it Meredith~
SAMPLES
First-Person: Thread on Bakerstreet.
Third-Person: "Freak (frēk), noun. 1. a very unusual and unexpected event or situation. 2. a person, animal, or plant with an unusual physical abnormality. Synonyms: aberration, abnormality, irregularity, oddity; monster--"
It was not an interruption in the traditional sense -- the eerie stillness of the sitting room was only broken by the boy's soft sound of discomfort, words breaking off suddenly mid-sentence. But it accomplished the intent of the small creature perched on the arm of the chair. It reached out, poking reproachfully at the human's forehead to back up the wave of disapproval it had projected with all the might in it's tiny body.
Closing his eyes -- and the dictionary as well, since it seemed so offensive -- Armin Arlert rubbed in vain at his forehead, an instinctive gesture against the dizziness that came whenever his closest companion was upset with him. "I'm sorry," he muttered needlessly. The small being, a Ralts that accepted the nickname Armin had bestowed on it at seven years of age -- "Meredith" -- was already moving to sit on the dictionary, peering up from underneath it's green hair and poking again at it's friend. Knowing he was forgiven, Armin managed a small smile.
"I didn't mean you were a freak," he reassured the Pokemon, propping his chin in his hands. "You're supposed to do what you do. It makes you special." He patted the Ralts gently on the top of it's head, feeling the soft warmth -- like a candlelight, or a wooly pair of socks -- that was the response to his affection. Meredith was his first, his best, his only friend, and the entire world -- or at least the entire town -- knew it.
Armin knew it too, and that chased the smile right off his face. Another soft feeling, less of reproach and more of sympathy, curled itself loose in his chest, matching the look of concern on the Ralts's face. "I didn't mean I was one either..." Armin attempted, knowing even before he said it that both of them were aware it was a lie.
So, clearing his throat and his head and poking gently at the Pokemon's side to prompt it to get off the book, Armin opened it again and attempted to distract them both from how heavy the silence in the room suddenly was. "Freedom (frēdəm), noun. 1. the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint..."
