WR app

[earthlychild]

Character Name: Aerith Gainsborough
Series: Final Fantasy VII
Gender: Female
Age & Canon Point: 22, just after meeting with the elders at Cosmo Canyon.
Requested Sponsor: N/A
Entry position (Cadet, SeeD, Instructor, other): Instructor of MAG 202 M/W/F
History: (Wiki link or 400-500 word summary. If they're arriving with memories from another RP, tell us about it here.) Here. Her timeline cuts off after the mention of Cosmo Canyon under Final Fantasy VII. Also, a note: her name is changed to Aeris in this section due to a wiki compromise with fans who prefer the original localization of her name, one that was corrected by the company later. It's a long story, but it's enough to say that most fans choose one or the other spelling for her name. I choose Aerith.

Garden History:
It's been a very difficult transition for Aerith. She was so strongly connected to her home planet that the separation from her world affected her deeply. The voices of the Planet had been her companions, and they were now gone. She excelled in basic combat courses, but para-magic and GFs presented a mental block for some time after Materia usage had come so naturally to her. She spent most of her time as a cadet either in the Training Center or outside to adjust to this new reality.

By the time she graduated, her knack for healing had shone through once again. She was a successful Medic of the Magic Operative platoon, and earned her license by guiding a group of medic cadets through the healing after a disastrous mission.

Abilities & Physical Abnormalities:
Nothing unusual. Her home planet and her innate connection to it was the source of her abnormalities in canon, so she now functions as a normal human with an affinity for gardening.

Personality:
Aerith has known from an early age that she is a rather unusual girl as a Cetra, and that experience has shaped her life. How many other girls hear voices in their head that they can't understand, how many others seem to know something's amiss before anyone else, how many others live their lives under a constant threat of abduction? In her early years, Aerith was a very frightened girl. She never wanted any trouble, and so she tried to pretend she wasn't unusual. It left her with a laundry list of insecurities and fears about herself and other people, along with a lifetime habit of concealing things..

Over time, the frightened girl has grown into a bolder woman with her own shadows. Evading the Shin-Ra over and over again, a whirlwind fling with a mysterious SOLDIER warrior named Zack, and her growing business in the rough-and-tumble environment of Midgar have transformed Aerith into a street-wise and independent woman, though she hasn't lost her sense of wonder and fun entirely. She's a playfully feminine woman who embraces pink dresses, gardening, and girl-talk, but she also speaks as someone who's seen all that the big city has to offer, the good and the bad.

Though her business savvy and outgoing nature might lead someone to guess that Aerith has forged many deep friendships, this isn't the case. Aerith knows deep in her heart that she's different, and the part of herself she hides forms a deep barrier between herself and others. She'll talk openly about other people's taboo subjects with ease, but when a conversation turns toward the Cetra or her powers, she'll quickly change the subject or run away unless the others absolutely need to know what's going on. She flees from a very personal conversation before people can begin to see her as 'too strange', and as one result of her self-imposed isolation, she readily admits that very few people have ever truly known her. She's slowly trying to change this, but it's not an easy transition.

The other result of Aerith's isolated childhood, in prison and then on the run from captors, is that her frank and straightforward manner sometimes verges into 'too blunt' territory. She can't always read a social situation accurately, and there are times when she's needled someone past the breaking point and caused an explosive reaction---her misguided attempt to cheer up Barret at Gold Saucer being the prime example.

Her social troubles don't stop there, though! This woman is about as movable as a very deeply rooted tree when it comes to decision-making. When her mind's made up about something, she's going to do it, and she has very little patience for overbearing protectors who would dare to tell her something is 'too dangerous'. She'll hire a bodyguard and ask for help when it's necessary, but she doesn't tolerate being condescended to. Her impulsiveness has landed her in a dangerous situation more than once.

Even with the communication barriers, she's a caring and compassionate woman who follows her instinct to heal. It's a sort of spiritual calling for her, as much a part of her heritage as her journey. She watches over Cloud, brings Marlene to safety, and comforts her friends. No matter the trouble it takes to get there, she'll always reach out.

What are your plans for the character in-game? Aerith needs to grow by really connecting with people---not just to heal them or push their buttons, but to learn to form lasting bonds again. She'll always feel different, but it doesn't have to be lonely.

The loss of her Planet and her original role as its protector is also a recurring theme. She wants to get to know this new world, but it will always feel alien to her.

Anything else? I haven't had a chance to play Crisis Core (no PSP), but I've familiarized myself with those events.


Complete TWO out of the FOUR options.
i) IC Questionnaire (can be found on the application page)
(As this questionnaire is entirely IC, your character is free to lie.)
What do you prefer to be known as?
Aerith, please.
How old are you?
I'm twenty-two years old.
Do you have any history in combat?
Yes.
If so, have you ever killed?
When I've been forced to.

i) How do you feel when you get involved in some project that calls for immediate and rapid activity?
I shrug and get going. It's a little scary at first, but life takes you by surprise sometimes. You just have to keep going.

ii) Do you organize and initiate leisure activities?
When there's time, of course I do. It's important to give yourself time to recuperate. But they're not always organized. Sometimes a person needs to be spontaneous.

iii) What role do you take when working in a group?
I'm the support. I'll make sure everyone's able to keep going, but that doesn't mean they can leave me behind.

iv) How talkative are you around other people?
As talkative as the situation calls for. Some people have a lot to say. Others don't but think they do.

v) What three things would you want to have with you on a desert island? State your reasoning.
I'd like to have an Ice materia to melt fresh water for myself (and to attack monsters on the island for food), a boat for leaving the island, and a nice dress for sailing back to town comfortably.

vi) Is it important to be liked by a wide range of people?
No. You don't want to be hated or feared, but you don't need everyone. Only a few people close to you.

vii) When the odds are against you, is it worth taking a chance?
If it's something worth fighting for: your family, your freedom, or something you really love.

viii) Do you consider yourself to be an impulsive person?
My mother says so, and she's usually not wrong!

ix) Would you agree that planning things ahead takes the fun out of life?
Most of the time.

x) Do you like surprises?
If they're fun surprises. I'd much rather have a new kitten at my door than someone out to hurt me, wouldn't you? But I'd have to keep the kitten from eating the flowers.

xi) Do you sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with you?
No. Nothing's wrong at all. I'm exactly who I'm supposed to be.

xii) Do you consider yourself to be smarter than your superiors, and disagree with their decisions?
I don't usually have superiors, unless you mean my mother. I listen to her! And I don't disagree with others' decisions all the time, just when they're ignoring something important.

xiii) Lastly, how do you feel about cabbages?
I'd love to grow some! I'll see if I can find some seeds here.

ii) Prose sample (can be general or a response to the post's prompt).
"I'll catch up in a while. Go play! And make sure you win, we need something good to talk about tonight." Aerith waved to her new classmates, watching them retreat to their latest game.

For once in her life, Aerith Gainsborough was completely...normal. Or at least this was what she imagined normalcy to feel like.

When she laid on the grass to enjoy the sunshine, there were no voices competing for attention at her ear. The wind didn't call her forward, the sky didn't seem to swallow her as she took a step. There was no special destiny for her on this planet, and for once...she seemed to have a choice. If she wanted to stay in Balamb and study, she could do that. If she wanted to explore the other continents, it would be on her own terms.

Aerith spread her arms wide as if to embrace her freedom. She was in the same boat as everyone else: an off-worlder, still treated with suspicion, but the other new students were in the same situation. There was a place of safety for her.

Could it last? When she quieted her mind, she found that it was nearly impossible to meditate. Her mind would remain restless, reaching out to grasp something that was no longer there. She heard empty echoes of her Planet's cries, and she found herself curling into a ball to block that out.

I'm sorry. But it's not my fault, please give me some more time, she prayed, shifting into a kneeling position. Not at all. We're going to fix these holes in time, and then I'll come back to you, everyone. We'll stop Sephiroth from hurting the Planet. Please hold on. I know you can.

Her mind calmed, Aerith inhaled. She'd expected the sweet-but-different scent of Balamb's grass, but what she smelled was stronger than that. It was some frightfully pungent breath, so hot she could almost feel her face burning up.

She opened her eyes. A monster was upon her.

"Get off!" Aerith yelped, lifting a hand and drawing upon a Fire spell. She cast it to give herself some distance and rolled into a crouching position, pushing herself to her feet with her staff. The wounded creature howled, charging at her just as she danced to the side.

"If you're looking for a picnic lunch, you're in the wrong place," she scolded, calling up a Blizzard spell. "Now freeze!"