(no subject)

[justnotthesame]

Name: Elly
Journal: tigerphoenix
Contact: tigerphoenix@gmail.com




OC or AU: Canon OC
Character Name: Zakari Aetherun
Series: Final Fantasy VIII
Gender: Male
Age: 18 (born Nov. 24)
Requested Sponsor: Bloodstone
Entry position (Cadet, SeeD, Instructor, other): Cadet
Appearance: Zak is tall and somewhat gangly, 6'2 and at most 165 pounds. This makes finding clothes that fit sort of difficult. Sure, his Garden uniforms get tailored, but everything else he wears tends to be sort of ill-fitting, shirts hanging off his shoulders and jeans cinched tightly around his waist with a belt. He doesn't look very muscular, but he counts on that deception in a fight--he is stronger than he looks. His hair is shoulder length, somewhere between auburn and brown, and often falls in his blue eyes. He has no great love for pulling it back and tends to leave it loose, unless in uniform.

He tends to wear t-shirts and jeans (in various states of disrepair) when wearing his Garden uniform is not mandatory. When he can get away with it, he tends to open his uniform jacket to reveal the white t-shirt beneath.

History: Zakari's scientist parents moved from Esthar to Dollet before he was born, in the desire to raise their child out of the swift-moving hustle and bustle of that particular city. (And, presumably, to raise him away from Sorceress influence.) Their cover story was that they were from Fisherman's Horizon, as they had hoped no one would pry into their past. Thus he was born in Dollet, seven years before the Galbadian army invaded. As his parents were the ones working on originally repairing the radio tower, he was very aware of the invasion and the SeeD exam that liberated Dollet. Unfortunately, his parents died in that siege, and with no one in Dollet able to take over his care, Zak was remanded to the care of the very people who orphaned him. Sent to Galbadia Garden, he was enrolled in the military program there despite his youth. During the regular education he excelled, especially in sciences and mathematics, with a defined interest in martial arts. Unfortunately, once the actual military training began, his rebellious streak evidenced itself. He did recall that the Galbadians were the ones who killed his parents, after all.

While in his young childhood he had friends (he and Maria Cyphert were in the same kindergarten, and he has vague memories of her), he made no lasting or permanent friendships while in Galbadia Garden. He took an almost incarcerated attitude, biding his time until he got 'out of there'. He may recognize Applejack on sight, however, as they shared a class or two.

Zak's interest in Balamb and the SeeD organization, interestingly enough, comes not from the SeeDs involved in the exam who succeeded, but Seifer Almasy. Despite the failures and mistakes that Seifer has endured, Zak has focused on the fact that underneath it all, his idol was still trying to do the right thing. This has also had the effect on Zak that despite his tough crusty outside, he has a soft heart beneath the surface.

He is well aware that this is his "last chance", and that he'll be turned out on the street if he's as much of a malcontent at Balamb as he was in Galbadia. His general attitude hasn't softened much, but it has been mitigated by the fact that Zak no longer feels so oppressed.

The above, it seems, wasn't quite true. A technical error sent Zak back to Galbadia, and he was faced with a decision--go back to his old, angry ways, and never have a chance to get back to Balamb, or keep his head down, work hard, and try to get sent to Balamb once again. Zak chose the latter. His grades at Galbadia improved somewhat--he was getting Cs and Ds, rather than Fs (but not the As or Bs he got at Balamb).


Abilities & Physical Abnormalities: He is perhaps a bit above the human bell curve for agility, mostly because of excessive training--jogging, running, and even gymnastics, though that's unusual. He has a good deal of skill with fixing and building machinery and with firearms. Zakari is drawn to both the martial arts specialization and the firearms one, and even now probably has not decided between the two.


Personality: Zak tends to be rather reserved at first, and will continue to do so in Garden, at least at the beginning. He was not interested in making friends with people in Galbadia and would even go so far to say he is prejudiced against them (despite the fact that most Galbadians had nothing to do with the deaths of his parents). For someone so young, he can be bitter, cynical, and pessimistic. That may change, assuming people try to reach out to him.

Most of this is a sham. The deaths of his parents hurt him deeply, and so he puts on an act to keep nearly everyone at arm's length. He has no idea who he can trust, and so the clear answer, to him, is to trust no one. Though he certainly has a soft spot underneath the hardened exterior. Someone in distress, in clear need of help, or Hyne help him, tears, will get that help, even if Zak ends up a bit awkward about it in the end.

Should someone actually break through the shell (a difficult endeavor at best), one might find themself at confidante level all of a sudden, though Zak will probably be taciturn and reluctant to open up still. He isn't fond of talking about his past and would rather brush off questions than open up.

Zak can come off as a bit arrogant, as he's confident enough in himself and his abilities--almost to the point of taking too much on his shoulders, as he's had only himself to rely on for the longest time.

Surprisingly to him, he softened up more quickly than he'd expected at Balamb, but he had to take up the protective shell again when he was in Galbadia, so the above is still fairly accurate.


What are your plans for the character in-game? See if anyone can actually crack the tough nut--can he make real friends? Only time will tell.

Anything else? Applejack and Maria Cyphert used with permission!


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? I prefer Zak, but I'll answer to Zakari, if you must.

How old are you? 17? Don't break my brain with the Time Compression crap, 'k?

Do you have any history in combat? Some. They like picking on nerdy kids, ya know?

If so, have you ever killed? No. Don't particularly want to start, either.

i) How do you feel when you get involved in some project that calls for immediate and rapid activity? All right, I guess. If it needs to get done it gets done, right?

ii) Do you organize and initiate leisure activities? If we're talking about my own, sure.

iii) What role do you take when working in a group? If they need to know about science, I'm their guy.

iv) How talkative are you around other people? Only as much as I have to be.

v) What three things would you want to have with you on a desert island? State your reasoning. I want my toolbox. I can do anything I need to if I have that. There should be enough raw materials, be it scrap or naturally occurring, that I can make my way just fine.

vi) Is it important to be liked by a wide range of people? I'm not, and I'm just fine.

vii) When the odds are against you, is it worth taking a chance? It might be the only thing that's worth it.

viii) Do you consider yourself to be an impulsive person? Not really.

ix) Would you agree that planning things ahead takes the fun out of life? No.

x) Do you like surprises? No.

xi) Do you sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with you? [At this, he just smiles a very small, bitter smile.]

xii) Do you consider yourself to be smarter than your superiors, and disagree with their decisions? Here, I'll have to wait and see. At Galbadia? Yes, yes, and hell yes. I don't think all Gardens are the same though.

xiii) Lastly, how do you feel about cabbages? ...they're edible?

iv) Thread link
Sometimes even a troll gets trolled.