(no subject)

[grievers]

Player info
Your Name: Sabi
Your E-Mail/AIM/Whatever:
e-Mail radiantwish@gmail
AIM heartrebelling
Plurk starsvanished

Livejournal: pleione
Your age: 28 god i'm so old weeps

Character info
Series/Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Character's Name: Squall Leonhart
Character's Sex: Male
Character's Age: 17
Canon point: Post-Canon
Abilities:

His Limit Break—Renzokuken—is a series of moves performed with his gunblade that deal a lethal amount of damage while firing bullets into his opponents. After throwing in multiple slashes, he finishes it off with a key move. A few notable ones are:

Rough Divide - A simple maneuver where he slashes upward and leaps into the air causing an explosion around the opponents feet.

Fated Circle - A move where he leaps into the air and releases a shockwave of energy at his opponents.

Blasting Zone - After lifting the gunblade into the air, he charges a pillar of energy that literally reaches the heavens until finally slamming the blade in a downward slash hitting everyone within range of it.

Lion Heart - His most powerful attack. A ton of slashes followed by one explosive attack.

Strengths:

Squall is highly trained SeeD in Balamb Garden who is later promoted to Commander. As the leader of the group and main hero of the game, Squall is quite the beast in combat when in terms of physical strength. Years of training has allowed him to master the use of the Gunblade which is an incredibly difficult weapon to master. His years of training both with others and his rival, Seifer, has allowed him to create a wide range of techniques when in combat with others. Being junctioned to a Guardian Force (GF) boosts his abilities completely from stats to defenses.

Weaknesses:

Unfortunately, there aren’t any known physical weaknesses that come to mind immediately about Squall. He's strong, healthy, and doesn't really have any known disabilities that would make him incapable of fighting flawlessly. However, if we're getting technical about it, one can say that without being junctioned to his Guardian Forces, Squall—and everyone else who’s not a sorceress—would fall prey easily to even the weakest magic attack. These are needed not only to enhance his own powers but also boost his defenses against known attacks and spells. Take it away and you're left with glass cannon: still strong and powerful but easy to break.

Background:
maybe i'm a lion

Appearance:
too many damn belts, son

Personality:

At first, one might be prone to label this stoic male as a bit of an introverted loner. While that may be true in some areas, the term alone simply does not do him justice. Beneath the layer of this monosyllabic protagonist is a boy with layers of emotions, confidence, and even fears. Outside, we see a male who is very unapproachable and prefers to keep isolated from the rest of the world. He talks whenever spoken to and prefers to keep mostly to himself throughout most of his life in Balamb Garden. He's even referred to as a 'Lone Wolf' by others on campus. Angsty? No, not quite. He’s simply very low key and reserved while at the same time able to hold a decent conversation like everyone else. Squall is not shy by any means of the word, just more of an observant guy who only speaks when addressed to or when he really has something he wants to say. When given the opportunity, Squall can be very blunt and direct when speaking to others, often unintentionally without any hint of compassion noted in his voice. This is only when he feels the need to intervene or openly speak out; otherwise he tends to keep it bottled up in thoughts. In fact, most of his dialogue is purely thoughts alone. So while he can be blunt when asked, he doesn't always come right out and say it, especially if it's something when in regards to his feelings. That stays behind locked doors.

But inside, the reason Squall prefers this solitude is because of his abandonment issues tied to his past. He never knew his mother, never knew his father, and most of all lost his older 'sis'. He was left to be alone at the orphanage with the other kids (who happened to be his friends later on). Had his life not been so overly screwed, Squall might have grown up to be much like his father; happy, carefree, and content ... and not stupid. But unfortunately the cards were not played in his favor and left him as nothing more than a scared boy who only wanted to see his family again. His way around it was by creating a hard, cold outer shell impenetrable by anyone. Well, almost anyone. This means that his entire demeanor in general—cold, uncaring, ruthless at times—is just one big façade put up as a defensive barrier against getting too close to others. He only pretends to be a stoic, insensitive guy when deep down he really isn’t. This is something noted right off the back when he agreed to give Selphie a tour of the Garden. For someone who’s supposed to be a jerk, why would he agree to help a complete stranger? It slips every now and then, that 'good guy quality' side of him, but it’s generally masked by his aloof and nonchalant behavior. Squall likes to make himself as complicated as possible which he openly admits to Quistis. Sadly, even Quistis manages to understand the lingo that is Squall and tends to tease him.

That said, when under high emotional situations or just extreme stress in general, he’s capable of showing emotion. This is easily seen when Squall was left with a comatose Rinoa in bed after being possessed by Ultimecia. Unable to handle the fact that she was no longer the bubbly, spirited girl he once knew, he whisked her off to seek help while leaving everything he knew behind. The same emotions were displayed when he threw himself out into space to retrieve her. These emotions are not limited to feelings of despair or longing but can also range from anger and frustration, as well. He does care and it does show, but it’s usually only seen when the situation calls for it. Then and only then is he unable to keep it bottled up, the walls usually come down and a softer, compassionate, and maybe even dependent side of Squall emerges to show that deep down he’s really still that scared little boy who doesn’t want to be alone and would risk everything to protect and retrieve the ones he loves. Rinoa brings this side out of him the most. She personally changed him by making him open up and removed the barriers he set around himself. Somehow her cheery demeanor was just what this monosyllabic and apathetic male needed.
So what does this mean for Squall now that everything is said and done? Well, for starters, he’s no longer extremely cold towards others and is a little more approachable now. Don’t expect him to start the most amazing conversations, but he does allow himself to show concern when problems arise or unexpected changes set in. While not easily seen by anyone who doesn’t know him, for those who are familiar with Squall and how he was previously, this is perhaps one of the biggest improvements for him since the start of the game thanks to them. He’s comfortable enough to openly offer help and receive it in return, no longer living by the rule that everyone has to depend on themselves when so many showed him that it’s simply not true.

Not a whole lot has changed on the general personality front, but he is a little more open with his emotions around certain people. He still prefers to keep a lot of his thoughts to himself, but he's become a lot better with expressing them when asked or feels the need to share. However, most of this is usually reserved for either Rinoa exclusively—the gentle side of him, that is—and just about anyone he feels generally comfortable around. It wouldn't surprise me if they shared a papou fruit together. He isn't exactly blabbing this to anyone he happens to run across, only the ones who he has a long-standing trust with. So overall, it may not seem like a large change for anyone, but it is. He's come a long way from the angsty little teenager who preferred to steer clear of groups and disliked the idea of getting close to others. While he still has a few flaws ranging in that area, he's definitely warmed a lot thanks to friends, teamwork, and love. With time, he may even learn how to socialize like a certain Heartilly. Maybe. Probably not. He's trying, okay?

Strengths:

Squall is driven by this military-esque approach towards mostly everything thanks to years of being polished into the perfect militant ready to accept orders and carry them out. He's a 'business and facts only, please' kind of man who likes to have everything squared out, written, and properly planned before executing it. He doesn't like going into anything that has a high probability of failing, but usually goes into it anyway just to defeat the odds even if they are highly against him. He's very headstrong about everything that he does, and while he can be rather modest about it, when put in a situation that calls for the utmost amount of concentration and focus, he exceeds it and goes above and beyond the call of duty. He's driven to want to succeed even if he doesn't outwardly show it and is a natural born leader whether he wants to admit it or not. All of this can be easily seen throughout most of the game when he is assigned to various tasks and missions as a SeeD and later as the Commander (hint: leader) He is, in every sense of the word, a Lion by being courageous, filled with pride, and overly driven by a plethora of different key inspirations in his life.

It helps that his stoic demeanor keeps his opponents guessing when in combat. He doesn't like to show fear and approaches everything with fierce determination within his eyes. Squall is by no means a pushover and it shows. So maybe that facade isn't completely useless, it helps him tackle challenges by masking whatever concerns or fears behind it and thus makes it easier when he goes into the situation knowing he can do it.

Weaknesses:

This is Squall. Of course he has emotional flaws. Welcome to the world of 'teenagers' where bottling your emotions can often lead to random outbursts, blinding decisions made to protect others and just an overall mess when it comes to understanding himself and others. Thankfully, this isn't quite as bad as it was earlier in the game, but he still is prone to being an emotional ball of angst. He has a very strange and often blind focus when ti comes to protecting the people he cares most about These two are quite literally his weakness in every way—Rinoa and Ellone. If either of these two are ever placed in a situation of extreme danger, Squall's protective side kicks into action and puts him into overdrive in keeping them safe. It's not even a question sometimes; he just gets up and does it regardless of the consequences or dangers he puts himself into. It's really a unique quality about him given that he tends to be very cautious about most of his decisions, yet put a girl in distress and suddenly none of that matter anymore. This kid could use some ice cream for all his angsting, I swear.

Perhaps the most notable weakness is the one side-effect when being junctioned to a Guardian Force—memory loss. It is an ability highly criticized at home and why it receives such mixed reviews. Due to this, only Balamb Garden has approved the usage of GF's while others refrain. For Squall, this means that he has forgotten a lot of his childhood, specifically the parts involving his sister and his life at the orphanage. There may be other elements of his life also forgotten but never asked or explored, so it's possible for him to be 'abuh' about a few things. After all, it was that same memory loss that made him the cold person he is today. He forgot what it meant to be loved and appreciated and thus made him close out the world in fear of being hurt again.

Samples
Action/Journal Sample:

[ The feed switches on to display open terrain. It eventually switches over to give a zoom in of someone wearing a leather jacket and a pendant designed like a lion. As he lifts the camera up, Squall seems more than a little disappointed at whatever he's holding. ]

This is Squall Leonhart, a member of SeeD and Commander of Balamb Garden. If anyone can tell me where I might be able to—

Kupo!

[ There's a pause as he looks down to his feet and almost glowers. ]

I'm not particularly sure how I arrived here, but it's important that I return back to Balamb Garden. If ... anyone ... can tell me where I might be able to—

Kupo!

[ With that, Squall simply ... facepalmed. For the past hour and a half, he was unsuccessful in trying to lose the moogle who appeared interested in him. If this was a mission, it was quite possibly his worst one yet. The hand lowered and sat on his hip. Why was he put into this situation? ]

What is it? You already said you can't help me get back home.

If you just listen to me, I can explain why you're here, kupo!

[ Squall sighed and shook his head, then placed a hand over the lens of the camera while mumbling one final word before it was shut off completely. ]

... Whatever.

RP Sample:

( Where am I? )

It could have been worst. This was probably the only encouraging words he could think of while standing amidst the trees, shrubbery, and other greenery present within the forest. He didn’t have a clue how he ended up here or if any of this was within reach of Balamb Garden. All he knew was that this was either an elaborate trick played by his friends or a bad case of sleep-walking gone wrong. So wrong that somehow along the way he managed to acquire wings that turned out to be part of his actual anatomy now.

Surprisingly, the wings didn’t really bother him any. Sure, it was a little annoying at first upon discovery that someone would think about altering his body and the fact that they were a little painful at the moment, but it could have certainly been worst. How, he wasn’t sure, but he had his health and his weapon at his side. So as long as he was able to properly defend himself, then returning home wouldn’t be a problem. The only thing he couldn’t figure out exactly was why he was out here in the first place. The GF's. Were they to blame for this lack of memory for why he was here? It wouldn't be the first time they were responsible for taking away some of his more important memories. Unfortunately, there was no way to either confirm or deny this.

( ... Where is everyone? )

His brow furrowed and lips pressed into its usual frown. A cold, sinking feeling told him that he was no where within reaches of home, and it was that same gut feeling that made him unwilling to move, concerned that what lied just ahead. But if he didn't move, he'd be stuck out here in the wilderness and forced to figure things out in the dark since nightfall was quickly approaching. Choices. He was limited here. With a shake of his head, the troubled teen swallowed his concerns and trudged forward, drawn by the scent of baked goods and the presence of life seen somewhere within the distance. If not for one person, he would have opted on roughing it out in the woods. But knowing her and given his situation, there was a string of concerns that had him wondering if somehow she was caught up in this same situation. If so, he needed to protect her. He needed to protect...

( ... Rinoa. )

Have you read the rules & F.A.Q.s? Hells yea.