Richard, King of Windor (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ledbythewind) wrote2000-05-08 02:23 pm
ledbythewind) wrote2000-05-08 02:23 pm
(no subject)
Player
Name: Luna
Age: 31
Personal Journal:luna_hoshino
Contact: LunaHoshino @ plurk
Other In-Game Characters: N/A
Character (Original Universe)
Name: Richard
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Canon: Tales of Graces f
Canon Point: Post-future arc in f, after Fodra Queen has been defeated and everyone is returning home to their respective countries.
History: http://aselia.wikia.com/wiki/Richard
Personality:
An important note here: throughout a large part of the main story of the game, Richard is possessed by a being named Lambda, whose presence alters his personality drastically. Lambda is no longer inside of Richard's body by the Future Arc of f, so I'm going to be detailing the real Richard's personality here, not his personality when hosting Lambda.
As a child, Richard is initially withdrawn and suspicious, and for good reason-- he's accustomed to people trying to use his status as prince to advance themselves or gain favor. Asbel is the first person who has ever treated him as a person rather than a title. He's polite and knows proper manners, sure, but he's awkward when it comes to how one behaves towards friends at first, as we see when he attempts to repay Asbel for trying to save his life by giving him his signet ring. That entire event serves as a major turning point for Richard; after that he becomes somewhat more open and trusting towards Asbel and the others.
Young Richard is a seemingly contradictory mix of idealism and realism. He tells Asbel that he wants to create a world without conflict, and in the same breath says that he fully expects someone will try to poison him as well once he becomes king. But he also accepts Asbel's offer to come and help him if he's ever in trouble, even knowing that Asbel wouldn't be able to do much of anything, showing that at least for now his hopeful side is winning out.
Seven years later, Richard has grown up into a fine young man and a splendid prince, a far cry from what he was like when he was younger. Despite his royal upbringing, however, Richard is about as far from spoiled or stuck-up as you can get-- instead, he is very down-to-earth and kind. While he has a cultured air about him that shines through in both his body language and his behavior towards others, most notably his politeness, he isn't particularly formal (even going so far as to tell Asbel to stop using such formal language with him and just address him as he would an equal), which makes him seem friendly and approachable. In short, Richard is a very amiable person.
Richard is also a very honest, straightforward person, though not in a thoughtless or cruel way. On more than one occasion he voices aloud what he knows Asbel is thinking but won't say: for instance, when Asbel is telling him how he called the new Sophie "Sophie" because he met her in the same place but wasn't sure if she was the original Sophie or not, Richard says, "I think it's her. They have the same... feeling about them. You must sense it too. That's why you gave her that name."
The one thing Richard is rarely honest about, however, is his own feelings. Asbel is the only person he opens up to about those matters, and even then he doesn't share the true extent of his emotional turmoil. He writes Asbel a letter during the seven years that they are separated and talks about how he would like to see Asbel again and how he snuck out of the castle to go see him, but even then he can't bring himself to say just how much he misses his friend. He keeps the pain of people using him to gain status and influence and the constant political feuds occurring in the castle hidden under his cheerful, kind facade; it is revealed later that this pain is what made it easy for Lambda to take control of him, and why he was not able to sway Lambda's mind (the two of them were too alike, and Lambda sympathized with Richard's pain).
Seven years of political dispute and assassination attempts (at least three by the time he is 19) have jaded Richard and made him somewhat less idealistic than his younger self. He is still very much a pacifist, but at the same time he recognizes that sometimes fighting is necessary (IE, taking Barona back from Cedric and his men). That doesn't mean he likes it, however-- in one skit the thought of having to fight his own countrymen causes him to feel ill. He also spends many skits ruminating on the entire political mess, clearly troubled by it.
Those seven years have also given him the ability to remain calm and collected under almost any circumstances. He is amazingly composed for someone whose father was just murdered right in front of him and who was almost killed as well. Even when he's lying injured in the tunnel after having just escaped from the castle, he keeps himself together enough to know exactly what he has to do and where he has to go to get help. He is then able to help come up with a plan to infiltrate Wallbridge and regain control of it to allow his and Dalen's men to storm Barona, even offering to be a part of the infiltration party himself. That's not to say that he isn't affected by these things-- he simply hides it all from the outside world.
This and his charisma are part of what make him a natural leader. It's easy to see how he earned the love of the people of Windor, as he has no trouble getting up in front of a hastily-assembled army and giving them an inspiring short speech. He also takes initiative to help design the plan to infiltrate Wallbridge and use the system of gates and bridges to their advantage against Cedric's army.
Though he doesn't get many opportunities to show it, there is a playful, teasing side to him as well, the side that is amused at being dubbed "Big Brother Tiger Festival" and that pokes fun at Asbel not realizing that throwing a message in a bottle into a lake is a useless endeavor. Most of this teasing is directed towards Asbel; he seems to enjoy ribbing his best friend. If he's able to keep his sense of humor intact even immediately after going through what he did (an assassination attempt and seeing his own father killed), it stands to reason that he'd probably be even more playful when not in such stressful circumstances.
Perhaps the most important thing that Richard has learned from all of his experiences is the true meaning of friendship. Lambda's influence caused him to doubt Asbel-- in the Strahtan desert, he speaks half to himself and half to Lambda, trying to convince himself that Asbel and the others would never betray him because they are his friends. But to him at that moment, Asbel's actions seemed like a betrayal. Still, deep down he trusted Asbel all along and believed that he would come to save him. That trust is finally rewarded when Asbel does rescue him, just as he promised, and Richard realizes just how strong their friendship is. He no longer doubts Asbel or any of his friends-- his trust in them is complete and absolute. He tells Asbel that even while they were fighting, he was wishing that Asbel would save him, and is touched that Asbel would still call someone like him a friend even after everything he has done.
At the same time, he now carries a deep guilt for everything he has done while under Lambda's influence. He's hurt countless people and caused conflict, something he wanted to eliminate from the world. This guilt weighs heavily on him and he wants to atone for it; his very last lines in the main story of the game are him thinking to himself that he's going to do his best to be a good king. Though he's worked through some of it by the time the Future Arc rolls around, there are still several moments that make it clear that the guilt still haunts him and likely always will: in one skit, the rest of the party discusses Richard's worldwide popularity, and Richard's immediate reaction is to assume that they're implying that his efforts to eradicate the monsters are some sort of publicity stunt or an attempt to gain favor.
The Future Arc allows Richard's true personality to shine through far more clearly now that Windor is returning to normal and his life is no longer in constant danger. That playful, teasing side of him turns out to be Richard's actual, normal self-- he is a troll and a tease of the highest order, though never too malicious about his joking. Sometimes he'll come out with something that's so ridiculous it leaves the rest of the party wondering just what on earth he's thinking. Asbel left his stash of 500 gald hidden in the rafters of his old room in the Knight Academy? No worries, Richard will "disguise himself" with a sheet around his head and go sneak in to get it for him... only to bump into Asbel (who doesn't recognize him) on the way back, so he just rolls with it and claims to be "the Mask of Barona," acting on Richard's behalf to get Asbel his money back. Oh, except he forgot to get the money, so he just brought Asbel a dirty romance novel instead. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Fw9xO5mFc -- no, I am not making any of this up)
Richard has also matured somewhat overall and is taking a more active role in his own life as well as in the kingdom itself. He states outright that he wants to protect Asbel too rather than just letting Asbel protect him all the time. That confidence he projects is slowly becoming more genuine and less of a mask, though he still has a ways to go on that front. He also expresses a desire to become stronger and to atone for his sins himself, saying that he wants "strength like Asbel's" and the ability to trust others-- which he is learning how to do now that he has friends there to support him. All said, he's more well-adjusted emotionally, and while he's still a long way from being fine, he's on the right track now that he has the chance to actually LIVE instead of just existing.
Third-Person Sample:
Perhaps the most startling thing of all about being in a new world was the fact that no one noticed him. Here, Richard was simply a normal person, no one worth noticing, and that realization was both freeing and disconcerting all at once. Never before had he been able to walk down a street without attracting attention, or enter a store without the owner and other workers immediately rushing to his side and offering to show him their most high-quality wares, only the best for the king.
So this was how regular people lived. It was... nice. To be sure, he missed the luxuries of Barona Castle, yet the freedom he'd gained in exchange was mor than worth it. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could truly be himself. There was no one here to judge his behavior, no one here to search for ulterior motives in whatever he did. He was simply Richard, not King Richard of Windor.
"Richard?" Frieda's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you all right, kupo? You looked like you had your head in the clouds there."
"I'm fine, Frieda," he was quick to reassure her. "I was just... thinking, that's all."
"You do that too much," she scolded him, though there was no malice in her tone.
That earned her a soft chuckle out of him. He couldn't deny that much; her presence had gone a long way towards cutting off his brooding at the pass, and for that he was grateful, even if she was somewhat overly-talkative at times. He'd spent enough time with Pascal by now to be able to take that in stride. "You're right. Why don't we go get something to eat? We can take a walk after that and think about absolutely nothing at all."
"Now that's more like it, kupo!" She turned in a happy circle, her pom bouncing with glee. "See, you're starting to get the hang of this whole relaxing thing already."
The smile that played on Richard's lips was a genuine one this time. Yes, this world wasn't bad at all. He could get used to it for however long fate dictated he was to be here...
Mognet Sample:
What a fascinating means of communication. Although I can't help but worry about just how much effort this must be for Frieda...
But enough about that. My name is Richard, and I suppose I should say it is a pleasure to meet all of you, even though I'm not certain of just who it is I am addressing. Perhaps someone who reads this could answer some questions I had about these Great Crystals that are housed in the temples. I've been told that they are the source of all life in this world, and that their existence is necessary for the continued survival of this planet. My own world has a similar system, so I would be curious to learn if these crystals operate in the same way. My hope is that I might be able to share what I know and learn from those here to the benefit of both our worlds.
You may send me a message via Frieda here if you wish to speak more about this. There is much we stand to gain from sharing our knowledge on this subject with each other.
-- Richard
Crystallis
Moogle Name: Frieda
Moogle Gender: Female
First Job: Paladin
Second Job: Black Mage
Limit Break: Vertex Rose-- The blade of Richard's sword is surrounded by swirling green wind and he lunges forward, stabbing the enemy multiple times in quick succession. He turns around as a giant blue rose appears behind the enemy; with a sweep of his arm, the petals of the rose scatter, dealing a final burst of damage.
Name: Luna
Age: 31
Personal Journal:
luna_hoshinoContact: LunaHoshino @ plurk
Other In-Game Characters: N/A
Character (Original Universe)
Name: Richard
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Canon: Tales of Graces f
Canon Point: Post-future arc in f, after Fodra Queen has been defeated and everyone is returning home to their respective countries.
History: http://aselia.wikia.com/wiki/Richard
Personality:
An important note here: throughout a large part of the main story of the game, Richard is possessed by a being named Lambda, whose presence alters his personality drastically. Lambda is no longer inside of Richard's body by the Future Arc of f, so I'm going to be detailing the real Richard's personality here, not his personality when hosting Lambda.
As a child, Richard is initially withdrawn and suspicious, and for good reason-- he's accustomed to people trying to use his status as prince to advance themselves or gain favor. Asbel is the first person who has ever treated him as a person rather than a title. He's polite and knows proper manners, sure, but he's awkward when it comes to how one behaves towards friends at first, as we see when he attempts to repay Asbel for trying to save his life by giving him his signet ring. That entire event serves as a major turning point for Richard; after that he becomes somewhat more open and trusting towards Asbel and the others.
Young Richard is a seemingly contradictory mix of idealism and realism. He tells Asbel that he wants to create a world without conflict, and in the same breath says that he fully expects someone will try to poison him as well once he becomes king. But he also accepts Asbel's offer to come and help him if he's ever in trouble, even knowing that Asbel wouldn't be able to do much of anything, showing that at least for now his hopeful side is winning out.
Seven years later, Richard has grown up into a fine young man and a splendid prince, a far cry from what he was like when he was younger. Despite his royal upbringing, however, Richard is about as far from spoiled or stuck-up as you can get-- instead, he is very down-to-earth and kind. While he has a cultured air about him that shines through in both his body language and his behavior towards others, most notably his politeness, he isn't particularly formal (even going so far as to tell Asbel to stop using such formal language with him and just address him as he would an equal), which makes him seem friendly and approachable. In short, Richard is a very amiable person.
Richard is also a very honest, straightforward person, though not in a thoughtless or cruel way. On more than one occasion he voices aloud what he knows Asbel is thinking but won't say: for instance, when Asbel is telling him how he called the new Sophie "Sophie" because he met her in the same place but wasn't sure if she was the original Sophie or not, Richard says, "I think it's her. They have the same... feeling about them. You must sense it too. That's why you gave her that name."
The one thing Richard is rarely honest about, however, is his own feelings. Asbel is the only person he opens up to about those matters, and even then he doesn't share the true extent of his emotional turmoil. He writes Asbel a letter during the seven years that they are separated and talks about how he would like to see Asbel again and how he snuck out of the castle to go see him, but even then he can't bring himself to say just how much he misses his friend. He keeps the pain of people using him to gain status and influence and the constant political feuds occurring in the castle hidden under his cheerful, kind facade; it is revealed later that this pain is what made it easy for Lambda to take control of him, and why he was not able to sway Lambda's mind (the two of them were too alike, and Lambda sympathized with Richard's pain).
Seven years of political dispute and assassination attempts (at least three by the time he is 19) have jaded Richard and made him somewhat less idealistic than his younger self. He is still very much a pacifist, but at the same time he recognizes that sometimes fighting is necessary (IE, taking Barona back from Cedric and his men). That doesn't mean he likes it, however-- in one skit the thought of having to fight his own countrymen causes him to feel ill. He also spends many skits ruminating on the entire political mess, clearly troubled by it.
Those seven years have also given him the ability to remain calm and collected under almost any circumstances. He is amazingly composed for someone whose father was just murdered right in front of him and who was almost killed as well. Even when he's lying injured in the tunnel after having just escaped from the castle, he keeps himself together enough to know exactly what he has to do and where he has to go to get help. He is then able to help come up with a plan to infiltrate Wallbridge and regain control of it to allow his and Dalen's men to storm Barona, even offering to be a part of the infiltration party himself. That's not to say that he isn't affected by these things-- he simply hides it all from the outside world.
This and his charisma are part of what make him a natural leader. It's easy to see how he earned the love of the people of Windor, as he has no trouble getting up in front of a hastily-assembled army and giving them an inspiring short speech. He also takes initiative to help design the plan to infiltrate Wallbridge and use the system of gates and bridges to their advantage against Cedric's army.
Though he doesn't get many opportunities to show it, there is a playful, teasing side to him as well, the side that is amused at being dubbed "Big Brother Tiger Festival" and that pokes fun at Asbel not realizing that throwing a message in a bottle into a lake is a useless endeavor. Most of this teasing is directed towards Asbel; he seems to enjoy ribbing his best friend. If he's able to keep his sense of humor intact even immediately after going through what he did (an assassination attempt and seeing his own father killed), it stands to reason that he'd probably be even more playful when not in such stressful circumstances.
Perhaps the most important thing that Richard has learned from all of his experiences is the true meaning of friendship. Lambda's influence caused him to doubt Asbel-- in the Strahtan desert, he speaks half to himself and half to Lambda, trying to convince himself that Asbel and the others would never betray him because they are his friends. But to him at that moment, Asbel's actions seemed like a betrayal. Still, deep down he trusted Asbel all along and believed that he would come to save him. That trust is finally rewarded when Asbel does rescue him, just as he promised, and Richard realizes just how strong their friendship is. He no longer doubts Asbel or any of his friends-- his trust in them is complete and absolute. He tells Asbel that even while they were fighting, he was wishing that Asbel would save him, and is touched that Asbel would still call someone like him a friend even after everything he has done.
At the same time, he now carries a deep guilt for everything he has done while under Lambda's influence. He's hurt countless people and caused conflict, something he wanted to eliminate from the world. This guilt weighs heavily on him and he wants to atone for it; his very last lines in the main story of the game are him thinking to himself that he's going to do his best to be a good king. Though he's worked through some of it by the time the Future Arc rolls around, there are still several moments that make it clear that the guilt still haunts him and likely always will: in one skit, the rest of the party discusses Richard's worldwide popularity, and Richard's immediate reaction is to assume that they're implying that his efforts to eradicate the monsters are some sort of publicity stunt or an attempt to gain favor.
The Future Arc allows Richard's true personality to shine through far more clearly now that Windor is returning to normal and his life is no longer in constant danger. That playful, teasing side of him turns out to be Richard's actual, normal self-- he is a troll and a tease of the highest order, though never too malicious about his joking. Sometimes he'll come out with something that's so ridiculous it leaves the rest of the party wondering just what on earth he's thinking. Asbel left his stash of 500 gald hidden in the rafters of his old room in the Knight Academy? No worries, Richard will "disguise himself" with a sheet around his head and go sneak in to get it for him... only to bump into Asbel (who doesn't recognize him) on the way back, so he just rolls with it and claims to be "the Mask of Barona," acting on Richard's behalf to get Asbel his money back. Oh, except he forgot to get the money, so he just brought Asbel a dirty romance novel instead. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Fw9xO5mFc -- no, I am not making any of this up)
Richard has also matured somewhat overall and is taking a more active role in his own life as well as in the kingdom itself. He states outright that he wants to protect Asbel too rather than just letting Asbel protect him all the time. That confidence he projects is slowly becoming more genuine and less of a mask, though he still has a ways to go on that front. He also expresses a desire to become stronger and to atone for his sins himself, saying that he wants "strength like Asbel's" and the ability to trust others-- which he is learning how to do now that he has friends there to support him. All said, he's more well-adjusted emotionally, and while he's still a long way from being fine, he's on the right track now that he has the chance to actually LIVE instead of just existing.
Third-Person Sample:
Perhaps the most startling thing of all about being in a new world was the fact that no one noticed him. Here, Richard was simply a normal person, no one worth noticing, and that realization was both freeing and disconcerting all at once. Never before had he been able to walk down a street without attracting attention, or enter a store without the owner and other workers immediately rushing to his side and offering to show him their most high-quality wares, only the best for the king.
So this was how regular people lived. It was... nice. To be sure, he missed the luxuries of Barona Castle, yet the freedom he'd gained in exchange was mor than worth it. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could truly be himself. There was no one here to judge his behavior, no one here to search for ulterior motives in whatever he did. He was simply Richard, not King Richard of Windor.
"Richard?" Frieda's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you all right, kupo? You looked like you had your head in the clouds there."
"I'm fine, Frieda," he was quick to reassure her. "I was just... thinking, that's all."
"You do that too much," she scolded him, though there was no malice in her tone.
That earned her a soft chuckle out of him. He couldn't deny that much; her presence had gone a long way towards cutting off his brooding at the pass, and for that he was grateful, even if she was somewhat overly-talkative at times. He'd spent enough time with Pascal by now to be able to take that in stride. "You're right. Why don't we go get something to eat? We can take a walk after that and think about absolutely nothing at all."
"Now that's more like it, kupo!" She turned in a happy circle, her pom bouncing with glee. "See, you're starting to get the hang of this whole relaxing thing already."
The smile that played on Richard's lips was a genuine one this time. Yes, this world wasn't bad at all. He could get used to it for however long fate dictated he was to be here...
Mognet Sample:
What a fascinating means of communication. Although I can't help but worry about just how much effort this must be for Frieda...
But enough about that. My name is Richard, and I suppose I should say it is a pleasure to meet all of you, even though I'm not certain of just who it is I am addressing. Perhaps someone who reads this could answer some questions I had about these Great Crystals that are housed in the temples. I've been told that they are the source of all life in this world, and that their existence is necessary for the continued survival of this planet. My own world has a similar system, so I would be curious to learn if these crystals operate in the same way. My hope is that I might be able to share what I know and learn from those here to the benefit of both our worlds.
You may send me a message via Frieda here if you wish to speak more about this. There is much we stand to gain from sharing our knowledge on this subject with each other.
-- Richard
Crystallis
Moogle Name: Frieda
Moogle Gender: Female
First Job: Paladin
Second Job: Black Mage
Limit Break: Vertex Rose-- The blade of Richard's sword is surrounded by swirling green wind and he lunges forward, stabbing the enemy multiple times in quick succession. He turns around as a giant blue rose appears behind the enemy; with a sweep of his arm, the petals of the rose scatter, dealing a final burst of damage.