Dark XII's X: Ruold [R]

[albion]

Name: Ruold {Pronounced Row-uld}


Nickname: Fluke {by 'friends'} Alkana {Incognito name}


Organization XIII or Dark XII Title: The Walker of the Wheel.


Age: Unknown. Estimated to be around 29.


Gender: Male.


Species: Heartless.


Position: Chaotic Neutral | Dark XII.


Powers/Abilities/Techniques/Skills: Deft: While unable to perform acrobatic feats, Ruold is quite quick on his feet, and reacts to situations quite quickly. He can amplify it with the power of Darkness (5MP) for quick dashes; if used with Hastera, it makes

Magic: Being by frame and nature a rather poor physical fighter, Ruold relies more on magic and other ranged techniques to fight. He has a pool of 200MP.

• Alkana Force: Ruold casts a seal on the foe that saps HP and prevents usage of items, and either techniques or magic. The seal lasts for as many posts as Ruold has gone without attacking with Charades. 15MP.
• Immobilize/Disable: Prevents one target from either moving or using spells/abilities for their next post. 10MP.

Darkness: As with every other Dark XII member, Ruold is capable of manipulating Darkness. His abilities concerning the element are noted to be greater compared to others of the XII. Examples of his prowess are:

• Using Corridors of Darkness.
  
• Using Darkness to attack, and otherwise utilize it. 10, 25, or 40 MP, depending on the scale of manipulation.
  
• 'Smelling' others, stealing Hearts from the defeated.
  
• Controlling minor Heartless; his specific dominion is over Black Ballades and Stealth Soldiers. Summoning three Heartless takes 5 MP.
  
• ~Transform: At most times, Ruold can fuse with his Macabre Mantle and partially or totally turn himself into pure darkness. 5MP. This yields a few changes for him:
  ~~Can change form; but is limited to a shadowy appearance.
  ~~He can vary his attacks with Charades by infusing them with Darkness.
  ~~Phantom: the change itself requires a 2-post cooldown after he reverts back. It allows him flight, and the ability to not be damaged by most medium-weak attacks(he may still flinch). 10MP for changing in and out.

Chronokinesis: Ruold has the ability to manipulate time, a skill found few and far between; he is known to be one of the most adept in the skill, even if his powers are a bit limited.

• ~Chronopath: An innate ability to sense reverberations in time. He can see, hear, and feel things that have happened in the past (in his immediate area, within the topic). For 5MP per post, he can negate the effects of time magic used against him.
• Stopga: Halts the actions of up to two targets. Lesser enemies can be stopped in droves. 25MP.
• Slowra/Hastera: Slows down or speeds up the actions of two targets for the next two posts. Also changes their perception to match the change in speed. 20MP.
• Rewind: Reverses time for one target, healing them of recent injuries received in the past two posts. They still remember everything, though. 25MP.
• Temporal Teleport: Sends the target to a point they were in the near past, in an attempt to throw them off guard or make an attack miss. Can be used on one person, even himself. 25MP.

Limit Break: Lethal Frame:
Usable only when Ruold is in a tight situation, with at least 60MP left. Casting Stopza, Ruold unleashes a varied and lethal barrage of attacks at any and all targets in sight. Damage accumulates and is dealt all at once when time resumes. Twelve-post cooldown, 50MP.

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Weapon/Items:

• Charades: Numerous orbs of energy of varying colors and other visual effects; they hover or circle around Ruold, and deal damage upon contact. The key to this weapon is that the type, element, Magic/Physical, and even the amount of damage vary uncontrollably. {I choose whether it's magical/physical damage, bludgeoning/cutting if it is physical, and the element; the target chooses the amount of damage.}
  
• Macabre Mantle: A piece of fabric sewn from Darkness, disguised as his coat. He can Transform it to amplify his physical strength, and can use multiple attacks with the element. It also lets him turn into Phantom.

Picture: Ruold.


Appearance: A light-boned individual, Ruold is 5'9" and 135lb. His black hair is relatively mid-length, his bangs being long; they flow with the wind, just as he does. Typically, Ruold's attire consists of a black buttoned jacket with a thick, beige turtleneck as an undershirt. From his recollections of human life, being a Heartless is... cold, to him. On recon missions, or days that he feels extra 'cold', he wears a cap for either protection or disguise. Then, his expressionless eyes are camoflauged completely by his matching coat collar, hair, and the shadow of his cap. His pants generally are tan, in fashion of his head-covering. He wears shoes in style of brown loafers, completing his version of semi-formal attire.


Personality: As with his Nobody counterpart, Ruold is among the most whimsical of his group, even if he hasn't the heart to actually be a droll individual. He takes few situations as his 'absolute serious' catagory, and as such sometimes gets off-task. However, that's not to say that he's lazy; just easily bored, and thus distracted. He's rather odd, as his mind is constantly veering off of the course he's set to, but can stay on-topic when he's really focused(or as he would say, 'into something'). Even though lack of a Heart leaves him emotionless, somehow he manages to feel the smallest bit of remorse for the mass Heart-stealing that is his main vocation. Even with his semi-bubbly "personality", he has a formal side to him, much like his mind and soul; evidence is his outfit, his walk(in fashion of DiZ) and his eloquence in speech. He's known for his combination of sarcasm and formality. Overall, he is a very convincing human; whether this is an act or the result of echoes of his lost heart is unsure even to him. His Heartless nature invokes in him, at times, an uncharacteristic twitchy state. He's known for his attention to nuance, and things others might find trivial 'irk' him at times.
Disguised as Alkana, he tends not to talk too much, for fear of blowing his cover. However, if someone gets his speech running, there's no guessing what he may reveal. He tends to remember his secrecy orders mid-sentence, and stops himself awkwardly.



Original World: Realm of Darkness.
Current World: The World That Never Was.


History: It wasn't that he forgot... he just can't remember it all. It probably was the same with most like him: clueless at first, and then developing more of a sense of identity as it came back to him.

So far, he remembered his original self; he didn't resemble Ruold, as he had short, brown hair. His destruction wasn't clear; it had something to do with another's ill will. However, his own wrongdoing seemed to have perpetuated this. One thing he knew: He was not going to take chances on every little thing. He couldn't help being compelled to gamble a little, though. He wasn't sure if he submitted to Darkness, or it had taken over him by force.

For a brief period of time, he remembered being set free...from somewhere...until he was defeated. The whole thing was just a blur....

But then he came back. He was here now. Although....
Where was "here"?
In fact, he was in where all Heartless originated; the Realm of Darkness. However, how was he supposed to get out?

After who-knows-how-long, as time in the Realm of Darkness is immeasurable, Ruold discovered his power to exert control over the element that had managed to trap him. Although it strained him, he managed to open a Corridor of Darkness to the neighbor of the Realm: The World that Never Was. Little did Ruold know that this would be where he'd take up residence for a good, long while. Walking through the Dark City, he saw numerous fights, white and black. At one point, even he was attacked; the ones he would know as his underlings defended him. As he ran from the fight, he found himself facing two castles. Oddly, he felt more at home near one than the other, and entered it in the same fashion as the world itself. Walking the halls and corridors of this fortress, he felt as if this place was made for him, where he belonged. After a time, he discovered a resident of the giant castle, one that from just a glance, Ruold could tell was like him.

After a not-so-brief discussion with a friendlier member, he gained a sense of selfhood: He was a Heartless. Not just a Heartless, he could think and plan. Sort of like a second life. It wasn't so bad; losing a heart did not come without its perks. At the very least, what happened to him this time would not repeat itself.
It was rather comforting to know what one was. It's too often taken for granted.

It took maybe a few days for Ruold to get adjusted. The routine soon became a lifestyle, which he quickly attuned to. At first, missions were tough; he didn't have any way to defend himself, and he didn't exactly sneak around. After training for extensive periods of time, he tapped his potential-- or, rather, his collaborated powers from his two past incarnations. It took quite a bit of time and work, but Ruold is among the higher-ups in the XII in terms of mission success.

He was nearly destroyed by an encounter with one who was both a Princess of Heart and a Keybearer. He managed to survive by sending himself to the Realm of Darkness, but had trouble getting out for a long time.


Role Playing Sample: Ruold walked the halls of the Castle of Abyss. For the most part, he knew his way around the castle; however, he always got lost in the highest levels. He wasn't one to idle, so he always spent his free time walking around. The occasional guard Heartless would force him to stop for a split second, and he would proceed again.
Today, he decided to venture into the Dark City. The tall skyscraper made a good place to think. It reminded him a bit of his past life at the clock tower; the wind was constantly blowing, being high up in the sky. It brought back enough memories that he decided to relive the few moments he had back then. It was rather strange, because for a moment, he didn't feel as empty as he looked. After a few oddly joyful moments, he returned to the top of the giant building. This actually made him question his nature: was he really without a heart? Were there some residual emotions left insde of him?

The profound conversation with himself was cut short by a rather untimely attack by the Nobodies. Nothing too major, there couldn't have been more than thirty, not counting the Dusks. The latter were nothing of a problem, but given his lack of fighting experience at the time, the Dragoons, Samurai, and Sorcerers, collaboratively, were a challenge to defeat. One could do what the other couldn't, and they all kept MOVING, that was the biggest part. They should have known their fate, and just stood there. However, it was inevitable against a Heartless of his stature, and after ten minutes of fighting, he had finally finished things. He had noticed the Assassins and Snipers waiting for him to let down his guard, however, and proceeded to attack those.
They were even MORE annoying, especially because he couldn't spot them when they moved. Charades couldn't hurt the Assassins, so they took awhile. The Snipers were worthy of their name, as they swiftly moved away as he tried to attack. This was a battle that, while more easily fought, was hard to fight in the first place. While he couldn't say it wasn't a fair fight, it still peeved him that the Nobodies chose to attack him. He wasn't the weakest link or something. Was he? He couldn't possibly be weaker than... than... than... Oh, crap, he thought. He couldn't think of anyone weaker than him in the Dark XII. ((Because there's no one playing half of them XD))

Wearily, he walked back to the Castle of Abyss; he probably could have summoned a Corridor of Darkness, but he sure didn't feel like he could. That settles it. I'm going to become stronger, so I won't be the weak one!
Nary a Nobody even got near him as he returned to the place he called home. After a good long rest, he walked about the castle.
Ruold decided to just let it stay that way.


Questions/Comments/Suggestions?

[Bluebird]

Hi Ruold! I am Bluebird, and I will be checking over this profile! ^7

First of all, I wish to apologize for how long it's taken for someone to get to this. You may have noticed there was a change in staffing. That has something to do with it. Hence why I'm here! 'Allo!!

I've read your profile, but I'm not quite ready to give feedback just yet. I need a second opinion on some things, so once I get in touch with Era, we can start the process! Whee!!

[Era]

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Hello:
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Hello Albion!

Bluebird and I have been discussing Ruold and we have decided on the following:

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Intro text:
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Your preliminary text (name, nickname, affiliation, age, et cetera) checks out!

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Abilities:
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We agreed that we could both see your character abilities in a video game. They are just so right for a game play-through, and well thought out as well. However, we're a little iffy on how it'll look in forum Role-Play.

What we would like to see regarding Ruold's abilities are as follows:

Regarding specific abilities:
-Alkana force: We feel this ability needs to be reworked or removed. While it would be a great video-game move, again we feel it's kind of restrictive in a Roleplay sense.

-Immobilize is another conern. While I do realize that Ruold has a handle on the element of time, I think this needs to be re-worked. A stopped character in RP is literally an open and defenseless target.

We don't think you'll abuse your abilities on the board, especially since you seem to have a sense of balance already, but we can see how it could get out of hand (potential for Immobilize -> Attack -> Immobilize -> Attack forever, without the opposing party able to do much of anything). Like I said, I doubt you'll use this character that way, but it would make the staff feel better if this ability were reworked or removed.

One suggestion for Immobilize to be reworked would be to give it a cooldown (post count for instance), and specify that it's up to the target's RPer to approve of being halted that round.

If you would like to make it so that it Immobilize works on Non-owned characters (like extras... probably Nobodies or random human individuals) then I would be all right with seeing it stay like it is.

-Stealing hearts: What does he do with a heart after it's been stolen? Bluebird and I were both curious about this.

-Chronopath: This one is creative, and I like it! The only thing we'd like to see is a particular time-frame added in thread-time instead of a post count. (The ability goes as far back as approximately X minutes in a particular thread's timeframe). We'll leave it up to you to decide how far back that would be.

-Stopga: In several areas, Stopza included, we would like Ruold to start out a little less powerful than you intend him to be in the end, so that he can learn new abilties and strengthen the ones he has throughout your time RPing on World Destiny.

The length of time he can stop a target should start out short (ish), and as he learns, grows and improves as a chracter, so does his ability and the length of time an enemy can be stopped. Stopza included, we would like to see the opposing party able to approve their character getting stopped in all stop-halt-immobilize type abilities.

-Lethal Frame:
I applaud you for the limit break, and I think it's a very cool concept. Again, the concern lies in the possibility of this being too powerful against player(s). I would go with a similar ruling as with the above if used against players : to at least decide the amount of damage that happens should the move execute correctly.

General:

We have two suggestions for his abilities over-all:

-Either a boost in MP cost / a reduction in the over-all mana pool, or:
-Employ a system that opperates on a more vague basis.

We would like to open up the possibilites for ability variations on a per-thread / fight basis (think on your feet / abilities adapt to your own particular creativity in a given situation), and Bluebird and I agree that it would be good to see something that gives more of an "included, but not limited to" type of explanation regarding his abilities. For example: "Ruold does __, and ___ is what could happen if the person he's firing at got hit".

This leaves it up to the opponent for a hit or miss, but also doesn't limit him to only the abilities pre-determined in his profile.

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Weapon:
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I have to applaud you for the creativity of your weapon choice. I think this is a very good twist / touch and adds uniqueness to this character.

Weapons have my stamp of approval.

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Appearance:
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Ruold's appearance checks out!

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History:
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I liked the read! It was nicely constructed. My only note regards mention of whom I presume to be Kairi.

Here on World Destiny, a character interaction may be approved by the RolePlayer in possession of the character being mentioned. In accordance with that standing, please PM Kairi's RPer (Ellie) and ask her to approve of the interaction that takes place, even if it's minor. If it would affect the opposite character's memories, it would be good to run it by the other RPer to keep both of you on the same page. =P

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RP sample:
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This seems to check out!

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Conclusion:
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I know I'm giving you a lot to work on. Most of the notes involve his abilities. I would like to give you two weeks (initially) to edit this character.

You may need more time to work on him, and that is perfectly understandable. But please post below and communicate with us so that we can work with you and get this character into approval!

Thank you for your interest in Roleplaying here on World Destiny, and I look forward to reading up on Ruold again soon,

-Era

[Bluebird]

Albion got swept away in the Activity Check!! If you wander back here and are still interested in applying as Ruold, please register for a new account (it can be the same as your old username) and apply once more!

I'll be moving ths to Rejected now.