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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:31 pm
Character Name: Seraphan. Type: Pokemon. Species: Zekrom. Gender: Male. Height: 5’8” Age: Appears to be in his twenties. Hair Color: Black. Eye Color: Yellow, with red sclera. Skin Color: Tan. Other: He rarely removes the mask over the lower part of his face while others are around, and he is almost always in armor.
Nature: Adamant. Ability: Teravolt Skill Set: Fusion Bolt: The user throws down a giant thunderbolt. This attack does greater damage when influenced by an enormous flame. Bolt Strike: The user charges at its target, surrounding itself with a great amount of electricity. It may leave the target with paralysis. Outrage: The user rampages and attacks for two to three turns. It then becomes confused, however. Dragon Claw: The user slashes the target with huge, sharp claws.
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:33 pm
Personality:
"I wish to make the world better, not worse." [Approachable >> Restrained] Seraphan is generally easygoing and easy to approach. He likes speaking to people and hearing what they have to say, and he's generally willing to hear people out, though he generally does not tolerate speech that promotes the harm or oppression of others. He's quiet and not frightening or unfriendly, despite his intimidating appearance, and he tends to find humor in the people around him and in his immediate situation. And while he sometimes causes offense due to his lack of understanding of modern society, he usually means well at heart; he doesn't try to hurt others for fun.
However, he has difficulty displaying emotion, even when it's warranted or expected. This is a necessary check that he imposes on himself; if he were to become angry and lose control of his powers, he could cause a lot of damage to innocent bystanders. So he controls his displays of emotion, acts calm even when he feels anything but, and tries to resolve arguments quietly or reasonably, preventing them from escalating. It's difficult (though not impossible) to provoke him into so much as raising his voice. This restraint also extends to emotional displays in general; while he might sympathize with someone, he won't do so emotionally and tearfully -- and if he were to strike down an enemy, it would be with as little outward emotion as possible.
"Much has changed. Better to stay quiet and be thought a fool, than to speak and prove it." [Naive >> Inquisitive] Seraphan has only been back on the ground, interacting with people frequently, for a few months. While he had the opportunity to watch people from within the clouds he hid in, watching did not prepare him for actually interacting with them, and he's surprisingly ignorant of many things people might consider commonplace. For example, he would be curious about piercings, not understanding why people would do something painful for aesthetic purposes. He is still learning the unspoken rules of interacting with people in general; having spent so long in self-contemplation, he doesn't understand why some of his questions would be considered offensively personal or upsetting. For example, he would ask someone why they say one thing and act another way, and then simply not comprehend why it might upset them. He also has difficulty understanding jokes that rely on things like societal norms, or stereotypes, as he simply doesn't understand them.
Having stepped on a few toes in the past with questions he never meant to be offensive, he prefers to look, listen, and learn first, rather than simply diving headfirst into a situation. When he's actively interacting, not just watching from afar, he often asks questions about people's opinions and viewpoints on a variety of topics, both philosophical (the nature of good and evil) and mundane (why another person acts the way they do). While he's sometimes satisfied by short answers, he really prefers long debates and discussions, though he tends to listen more than he speaks, or to volunteer to take the opposing position just to get more information. He's honestly interested in hearing everyone's opinion, and he's willing to listen to all perspectives in the name of furthering his understanding. After all, one of the ideals he believes in is freedom -- and that includes freedom to believe anything, so long as it doesn't harm anyone and others can have the same freedom.
"The laws of this region were made for the protection and betterment of all. I may follow the spirit of the law, but I am not a slave to the letter of it."[Contemplative >> Good Intentions] Seraphan engages in a lot of philosophizing and deep thought. He's had a very, very long time to simply ponder what is right and what is not, and he continues to do so as a gijinka. If he can, he will take his time making a decision, and ponder at length about the morality and consequences of his choices. His set of ideals are the result of many years spent thinking carefully about right and wrong, as they appear to him, for example. He generally doesn't rush into decisions, and will usually hear out both sides of an argument before he settles on a conclusion.
However, he formed his ideals without much caring about the laws of the regions he now inhabits. To him, actions that promote the happiness and welfare of others are just and right -- whether or not those actions break the law. He considers both law and freedom to be necessary so that the most people can be happy, and has no bias for or against either. But, though he follows the law when he can, he does not feel beholden to it, and he will not hesitate to break laws if he thinks it would bring about greater good for others. For example, if he caught a man stealing bread to feed a family, he would return the stolen bread, then give the man some money to legally buy food and let him go, because following the law and calling the police on the man would just hurt him and his family more. He would also not hesitate to break a law if he found it to be cruel, oppressive, or harmful.
"When I think about it, I wonder...is the world we once sought to create now out of reach? Or was it never within our reach?" [Virtuous >> Doubtful] As a Pokemon born of ideals, Seraphan believes wholeheartedly in the capability of humans and Pokemon alike to be good, to learn to embrace their differences along with their similarities, and to work together to improve the world. He also believes that he should act to uphold his beliefs and make the world a better place, whether his actions are big or small; he's willing to intervene to prevent a crime, share a meal with someone who had no food, or even just listen to someone who's had a bad day. While he's not a vigilante -- he doesn't go out and search out wrongs to right -- he won't just watch a crime he could prevent, and if someone comes to him for help, he'll do everything in his power to help. It's less about compassion, and more about his dedication to his ideals. For him, it's easier to simply help people, no strings attached, than it is to actually become friends or make a real connection with them.
However, while he's confident that the ideals he follows are right for him, and he believes that he's doing the right thing in helping others, he is no longer certain whether others share his conviction. He envisions a world where cooperation and acceptance are practiced as well as preached, but he knows that he could never achieve such a world by himself, no matter how powerful he is. He's been rather dismayed to find out just how few people share his ideals, and he's come to doubt whether such a world could ever be possible.
"The good must be protected; the wicked must be punished. I will not falter." [Protective >> Dutiful] Seraphan's first goal is to help people -- and sometimes he must do so by protecting them from others. Though he does not go out looking for wrongs to right and crimes to prevent, he will not hesitate to step in if he sees one, or if he's asked for help. He is still a warrior at heart -- after all, he was born from conflict -- although he will try peaceful methods if possible, and he considers force and lethal force to be last resorts. If he's pushed to that point, though, he will not hesitate to use them. For example, he wouldn't try to kill a small-time pickpocket, but if killing a person will save a victim in immediate danger of being killed, he will do so. He does not hold his own well-being above that of others, and will intervene even if he must put himself in danger.
Although he is normally confident in his decisions, he doesn't want to let that confidence become prideful stubbornness, which could cause harm instead of good. If he's been wrong -- and despite his best efforts, he sometimes is -- he feels a great deal of remorse and concern over his error, and will immediately attempt to repair any damage done.
Strengths: Seraphan is a very powerful fighter; his combat instinct was honed through long battles against his own brother, with whom he was evenly matched. He is physically strong and sturdy, and although he's not particularly fast or agile on the ground, he's a strong flier. He learns quickly, and his transition back into the human world is going (relatively) smoothly; he has a surprising talent for cooking, even though his wings are often a hindrance in the kitchen. Weaknesses: He hates the cold and, as a Pokemon used to reigning over the skies, he's actually very claustrophobic. Though he's fine with buildings as long as their rooms are fairly large, he gets uncomfortable with small rooms, where he can touch the walls with his wings if he spreads them; closets are worse. Both situations leave him distracted, unfocused, and performing at far less than his best, and he becomes agitated and restless more easily; in an extreme situation (e.g., a space so small he could barely move), he would probably be too panicked to think rationally. Also, although he's fairly good at watching and learning from other people, he finds it difficult to make actual friendships, which would benefit his mental state in the long run.
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:34 pm
History:
In the beginning, there was only one. One pair of brothers and one dragon, united and at peace. There were long days spent traveling, long nights spent ruminating; countless time spent creating, making the world as it could be.
Then there was strife. Disagreement. Anger. Where there had been one, there were two: two brothers and two dragons, no longer united, but turned against each other. They fought and raged, the brothers with words, the dragons with fire and lightning. And then, even when they had reconciled, there were still two, so different they would never reunite and be one again. Time could heal some wounds, but it would never bring the two dragons back together again. When the brothers died, so did the peace they had reached, but before the fighting could begin again, fire and lightning rained down upon their homes, and the dragons disappeared to parts unknown.
That much is known to history.
For his part, Seraphan withdrew, escaping humans and Pokemon alike. He wanted time to think about how everything had gone wrong, and about what he really believed in. He hid himself among stormclouds, watching over people from afar, and spent most of his time in solitary contemplation. Although he met other flying Pokemon occasionally (and, memorably, one plane), he kept largely to himself. But even then, the actions of the humans and Pokemon below had already begun to trouble him. Humans treated Pokemon as tools and weapons, rather than the sentient, feeling beings they were. Pokemon fought back, nursing bitterness and hatred in their hearts. Despite seeing this, he did not yet move to intervene, still consumed with his own troubles and unsure of what he could do to help.
After many years of pondering the values of different virtues and vices, he decided upon a set of ideals that represented his beliefs, and vowed to uphold them. Not long after this, things started to change again. New beings were appearing in the towns and forests, and the wind carried rumors of a lone Musharna who was giving Pokemon human shapes. Human voices. He perceived the stirrings of conflict. He saw humans who wanted to capture and enslave gijinka as they did Pokemon, seeing them as tools to be bent to the wills of their betters -- and he saw Pokemon who plotted to take revenge on the humans who had hurt them, even if it meant harming the innocent. But he also saw an opportunity -- a chance for Pokemon and humans to work together, with gijinka as intermediaries, able to communicate properly for the first time. It was a chance to bring about a better world.
That was something he could not just sit by and watch, even though he was safe in the clouds. He felt that he needed to help, to stand with the other Pokemon and actually act on the ideals he had once fought his own brother for -- and with that resolution came a dream. He didn't hesitate to accept Musharna's offer. Humans, Pokemon, and gijinka alike would need guidance and protection in the turbulent times to come, and he had spent too many years alone with his own thoughts; it was time to act.
However, observing people did not prepare him for interacting with them. As a gijinka himself, he met both prejudice and kindness, and his resolve was shaken. He began to doubt and question himself, no longer certain of whether his vision of a world without strife could ever come to fruition. He decided to walk and live among people, striving to understand them and learn from them, until he could decide whether his ideals were still worth fighting for.
He has spent three months wandering Unova so far, and he is still no closer to an answer, but he has yet to give up.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 12:46 pm
Hello! o uo I will be your friendly crit staff representative today~ If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
I'll be moving right along to personality, obviously, haha-- no need to critique art information for art you already have > A>;;; Not that I usually do anyway- ah, rambling. I won't be critting the history today, because I see that you want to change it potentially at a later date.
Personality Overview: It doesn't seem like he should have to be "brave," or that the trait suits him particularly; as a zekrom, I feel like it should be a given that there's not a whole lot that's gonna freak him out, unless you specify that there is (which doubtful covers). Perhaps consider swapping it out for Observative, or even Cognizant, to reflect his skill at analyzing situations or others. At the moment, his personality seems really divided: it looks like you've written his personality both pre-doubt and post-doubt, so it muddles all the traits together. I would say pick the side which is most current (the doubtful side, I imagine) and write his personality only from that perspective. You can, in his history, perhaps talk about how he used to be, but this section would ideally show how he is now. So, for example, with all the doubt and all the things he has seen about beings "tearing the world apart," why would he honestly still be idealistic? Hopeful, sure, but I can't imagine that as being a neutral trait even then.
Brave: In order to be brave, usually the notion is that one feels fear but acts despite that fear? This trait is a little scattered, and I think that perhaps you might consider reworking it in light of the "doubtful" trait, because it doesn't make him sound all that brave, really-- it seems like he's entirely unsure of himself. Maybe it's just a question of putting less emphasis on his doubts in this trait, and trying to focus primarily on what makes him brave: is he brave around others, is he brave in a way that means he'll save someone from an impossible situation, etc...? You might even find a better positive trait than "brave," because this is a legendary Zekrom we're talking about here, so it seems like kind of a moot point: when would Zekrom really have to be brave? It says he's "brave" in daily life, but trying new things isn't really bravery, so much as a willingness to experiment. Keeping an open mind is definitely not bravery. "He has nothing to fear; few people could hurt him if they tried." If it wasn't for his doubtfulness, I'd say that it sounds more like "self-assuredness" or "self-confidence," but in this case because he's so doubtful even that wouldn't work. In any case, I don't really see him as being particularly brave given the text here. Maybe you could consider "valiant" instead, and work that in?
Thoughtful: I think Contemplative would be the right word for this; "thoughtful" usually implies that someone is considerate of others, but contemplative would be the word for thinking a lot. This makes him being thoughtful sound like a reflex developed to counteract the fact that he can't interact very smoothly with others (a flaw?). I think if you try to tone up what exactly is positive about this trait, then maybe it would seem more like a strength. In fact, this even seems more like a neutral trait, the way it's worded right now: he tries to hang back and observe, which isn't necessarily a good or bad thing. I would say it's the way that he chooses to act on these observations which would be a positive or a negative. I'm not sure that provoking people is a positive thing, either; he seems argumentative and socially inept in this trait, neither of which strike me as a particular strength...?
Idealistic: His trait of hanging back and observing seems to fit rather uncomfortably with an idealistic sense of altruism; could you maybe elaborate more on how these two traits interact? Especially because it seems like he has good observational skills, but in this trait it says that he gets manipulate or hurt surprisingly easily. I feel a little like this trait is maybe viewed as altruism from an outside point of view, but is a personal weakness, in the sense that people often say "he is too kind for his own good," while I typically consider a neutral trait to be a trait which, on its own, has no inherent value in terms of strength or weakness, but rather the way in which it is uses changes it from one to the other. So, for example, if you were to claim determination was a neutral trait, you could then carry on to say it is a strength when it means that he can complete many tasks, even daunting ones, because he's so determined to finish... but on the other hand, he sometimes misjudges a task's worth or meaning, and takes on impossible toils which wear him out, just because he's too determined to see when it's better to walk away. In this sense, I'd definitely like to see what "fortune" this trait gives him, exactly? How has he, with all his experience and observations, remained idealistic? That trait is typically associated with the youthful or gullible.
Doubtful: This trait seems to mar all the other traits, and it looks like you've got two personalities going on. Basically, this trait does make sense, but at the moment it messes with so many of the other traits that I think his personality needs to be tweaked to represent this?... With a trait so overwhelmingly negative, it's important that you qualify it so that you / we really know how it interacts with his other traits. For example, is there anything he still believes in? Can people make him doubt himself so easily as to merely ask him if he isn't sure? Or will he ever stand up for himself? If he's so doubtful, how does he know what's right, how can he even be brave? It's not so much that this can't exist in harmony with the others, is merely important to talk about when which trait overpowers another, etc.
Merciless: If his temper is slow to rouse, and it takes him forever to make up his mind as to who is "good" and who is "evil," how can he simultaneously "still clearly recognize evil for what it is"? Wouldn't he, himself, be perceived as evil for his love of fighting? It seems like this trait is the odd one out, especially given is altruistic "idealism" in his "neutral" trait. It seems more like he should know better than to assume there is a "good" and an "evil," after all his time contemplating, being a legendary.
Strengths: His only strengths are combat-related? Can he do anything else well? Why is he so stressed out over everything, or even "brave," if he's this powerful? Weaknesses: Again, does he have any other meaningful weaknesses?... Hating the cold is more of a quirk than a weakness, unless he goes into like life-threatening hibernation or something. Claustrophobia can be bad, yes, but again it's situational.
Again, please ask any questions you have! Maybe you could try to summarize what you're going for in 1-2 sentences, like a thesis, if you feel I didn't understand your info well enough o uo
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:41 pm
Aah, thanks so much Face <3
I included 'brave' because I see it as being one of his defining traits, even though he's somewhat doubtful of his own motives now -- it's not like it disappeared entirely, and he's still motivated to get out there and help people. I usually think of bravery as being willing to do something in spite of fear, or doubt, so there's a 'physical' sort of bravery, that involves taking on physical challenges despite fear, and a 'moral' courage that involves being willing to uphold one's own beliefs. Plenty of physically strong people are afraid of 'small' things (I know a martial artist, for example, who's been known to drop everything and freak out over spiders). As a legendary who's known for hiding in stormclouds, he could also easily be distant and removed from people entirely, and unwilling to get involved in their fights, so I thought it was important to clarify that he was willing to act.
Edit: Also, I'm not quite sure how 'valiant' would be different from 'brave'? If memory serves, they're synonyms, but I think 'valiant' has more to do with that moral courage; is that what you mean? o no
Contemplative does seem like a better word! I've seen 'thoughtful' used both in the considerate sense, and in the sense that a person tends to think at length before acting/speaking. I made it a positive trait because he's able to observe and analyze people, and thinks very carefully about more overarching matters like morals and philosophy. I don't really think of him as argumentative in that he'll try to start a fight just for fun -- he's most interested in seeing how people respond to difficult questions, and sometimes they respond angrily. He's likely to point out what he perceives as hypocrisy or self-contradiction, for example, and ask someone why they act in a way they profess to disagree with.
I think of his idealism as being a belief in people's better sides; I went with this trait because Zekrom was said to believe in ideals, which is something I didn't want to lose from the original Pokemon's traits. I'll definitely elaborate on how he shows the idealism, and how it works with his observational trait.
I don't mean for 'doubtful' to come across as so overwhelmingly negative, so I probably at least need to tweak it for tone. It isn't an all-consuming doubt so much as that he's less certain of the ideals he used to uphold, and he's not very sure about his earlier convictions that people are inherently good and can work together. It's driving his current interactions with people as he strives to figure out a way to put things back together.
While he's slow to judge on good and evil, he's actually more certain once he makes up his mind, since he's taken the time to think on it and weigh people's actions and words more carefully. It's not that he finds it impossible to decide, just that it takes somewhat longer, since he's thinking about more issues. I wasn't too clear on this, I think, but his sense of morality isn't the same as a 'normal' human's -- to him, enjoying fighting when he's fighting someone he perceives to be, say, cruel or unjust, is not a bad thing.
For strengths and weaknesses, I'd thought that these were supposed to be mainly physical, since it's not really covered in the rest of the profile, but I can definitely add more skills and tweaks.
Thanks Face~ /gets on fixing everything
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:18 am
Mmmkay, retooled his personality. I decided that the 5-trait model I was using didn't fit him very well, since I see him as being largely a neutral, observational figure, so I switched to the double-sided model instead. And wrote a huge wall of text |D;; Hopefully he's a bit clearer now~
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:05 pm
Firstly, I think that the trait model you're using now suits your style much better! It's a lot easier to see how you want him to be played, so yay :D Thank you for elaborating upon his strengths and weaknesses; they seem a lot less two-dimensional now o uo
If you'd like to see my comments in response to your first post following my critique, read the section below; if not, skip down to the next large break! I'll cover your edits there o uo
Do you still think brave should be one of his traits, given your comments, though? o no Also I don't consider "brave" acting in spite of doubt, because it depends on the origin of doubt: if it's self-doubt, and you need to overcome self-doubt to complete a task which you know will help others, that's different? But if it's like... You're not sure what the right thing to do is, it's not "brave" to force your hand and make a choice and then follow through with it. I think that's where the confusion lay, in that it wasn't clear why a Legendary was afraid of something so intangible. The reason I suggested Valiant was because it's a trait more associated with, yes, moral courage or rather acting for the good of someone else within that connotation, whereas "brave" can merely mean acting despite fear, ex. exhibiting courage. Valiant has a much more "shining hero," sound to it-- that's just my opinion, anyway. The way it was previously worded made it sound more like valiant would have been appropriate. Well, even using the example of the martial artist being afraid of a spider is more tangible than what was initially provided to me? You didn't say what he was afraid of, just that he would be brave. In order to have made his bravery tangible, you could have said what he even needed to fear? Because being plagued by self-doubt is considerably different from, for example, knowing that some overwhelming force could defeat you and ruin all you love.
I suppose you could use Thoughtful in that second sense, it just seemed easy to use the word Contemplative and strike out any ambiguity. I don't think that needling people to see what they believe in is a positive trait, especially if it's to expose hypocrisy. Using his contemplation to construct careful backup plans to ensure everyone around him is safe and well would be a different notion entirely from using his contemplation to harass people. The way it's worded sounds like it could either be obnoxious or good, so it would have made a better neutral trait, still, in my mind.
Essentially, his moral compass is kind of flimsy, if he thinks that fighting someone immoral makes fighting alright; it shows an inconsistency and a double standard. I understand what you were going for, however. o uo
Physical is fine! I just wanted to understand exactly how disliking the cold was a weakness (but I see you have edited it in now, so that fixes that issue anyhow!)
COMMENTS on new traits start here!
The double-trait model, definitely a good idea. I'm glad you switched over! It also eliminated the irritating and sometimes lengthy business of figuring out what exactly a suitable "neutral" trait might be.
Personality Overview: What you've done with this new format is far clearer, and way more focused than before! There are still a few issues which were in the previous traits, however, despite you having reworked some stuff. The first two trait bits are the most solid, I think, but I am still seeing a lot of unexplained conflict between his idealistic side and his merciless side.
1: Pleasant >> Restrained: Really much clearer! No substantial complaints, though I will ask: do you mean pleasant in the sense of like... inoffensive? Because I did see the "wry observations" line as, though not a problem in terms of his personality, out of place within the trait itself. I'm not saying you need to take it out or anything, but perhaps you can tighten this paragraph up just a tiny bit, filtering out anything that doesn't directly explain how he is "pleasant." Again, this isn't like... I didn't get it, or didn't like it; it's much easier to read, and I understand his personality a lot more even by this point.
Observant >> Aloof: Good description of how he is observant, I'm glad you could use some of the previous material o uo Hey, and this was a good place to include why he asks people questions / needles them! Much better place for it than previously. I like it, yay. You might want to cut the last couple sentences from the second paragraph and put them into the first, though, as you seem to have largely divided them into observant in one paragraph and aloof in the second; the two traits about how he likes to interact with others definitely suit observant more. Again, just an organizational comment.
Idealistic >> Neutral Good: My only qualms with the description of "idealistic" at the end there is that he'd intervene to prevent a crime, to share a meal, or listen to someone who had a bad day, etc... this is really strange given his observant/aloof personality, do you think you could maybe elaborate upon how he can be both aloof and so obviously caring? This trait section is a little weaker than the two previous ones; the 2nd paragraph seems to be an entirely different trait from the third paragraph, for example; this appears to be describing that he is idealistic, demanding and... in actuality, I don't think that he would be described as neutral good. "Chaotic good" would allow for what you talk about with him breaking the law. I think you could make these two sides interact if you phrased it like his idealism makes him believe the best of everyone, and that a "better world" is achievable with force, so that it explains how he could be chaotic good, breaking laws if he thinks out of idealism that there is an achievable way good can be brought about (without really realizing the repercussions of his actions). Would that be an acceptable compromise?
Contemplative >> Doubtful: (( The traits get longer and longer as you move along xDD )) This trait I find much more ... tangible and notable than the previous trait combo, and they also have some cross-chatter: for example, in the last trait it says that he'll break laws if it suits his purposes and the 'greater good,' but here it seems to say that he can't figure out exactly what the 'good' is? It's not something impossible, especially if you frame it here as his doubt affects further his ability to manifest his ideals? Idk, it's hard to rectify idealism with so much doubt, but perhaps if you are able to explain a little further how these two relate... It's just that I could far more easily see Idealism >> Doubt, and then Contemplative >> Chaotic Good: this pairing would instead allow you to talk about how he is primarily idealistic but lately has been learning to doubt himself and his ideals, while pairing contemplative with chaotic good would allow you to talk about how his contemplating nature makes him analyze situations and determine what is "good" in order to influence his actions? Does that make sense? I feel like that would solve a lot of the cross-chatter problem!
Resolute >> Merciless: My only issue with this, again, is that if he's in a moral turmoil about what is "just" and what is unlawful, how is he such a loyal ally? Does he ever pick the wrong side? I especially think you should keep his idealism in mind when you look over this trait, because in his idealistic trait it does infer that he would be "compassionate" or "understanding," so perhaps you should weigh the two traits and consider which you value more for him at this time? Giving him a tough side is good, but I think perhaps it's a matter of finding the fulcrum between the two. Within this trait there are conflicting descriptions: "Seraphan remains ... a bitter enemy to the cruel and selfish" yet he is "often reluctant to define people as his enemies"? If this trait is supposed to both be about his resolute and merciless sides, then I don't think it's the place to talk about how he is reluctant or such. I didn't really read "merciless" out of this, so much as that he actually derives pleasure from fighting, which would make him... well, the way it's worded it sounds a little sadistic, actually. Even that isn't exactly the right word.
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:22 am
Aah, thank you Face! xD You're so fast <3 Hmm. I should probably provide examples of what kinds of observations he makes -- generally he doesn't try to be hurtful, he just tends to note unusual or amusing things about people, like he'd note how hypocritical it is for trainers to claim to be friends with Pokemon, then treat them like nothing more than pets. I do have a bad habit of rambling with my traits though xD;; I'll clean it up for sure~ Ah, that's something I should've touched on! Basically, he has difficulty with personally connecting with people -- actually making friends with them -- whereas he's fine with just helping a stranger, then moving on. To him, I think, it's not so much caring about the specific person as it is upholding his ideals. I might take out the second paragraph, too, since it doesn't seem to fit. I used this page on alignment to describe Seraphan. 'Neutral good' people tend to generally follow the law, and break it when they deem it necessary to bring about more good. 'Chaotic good' people, on the other hand, believe that rules and laws are unnecessary and always bring about harm, and so break the law when they can. Seraphan will generally follow the law, and break it only if he feels he needs to; he still thinks that laws are generally good things, and obeys them. He believes in doing what's necessary to achieve a better world, including force if that's necessary -- and I think it's not that his moral compass is flimsy, so much as it's not aligned like a 'normal' human's would be. He believes something different, that's all. I'll definitely add that in! Hmm, I might still be unclear -- it's not that he can't figure out what 'the good' is, it's more that he knows what's good to him, and follows that, but he's not sure what's good to everyone else, and that's what he's seeking to understand. He's confident in his own ability to uphold his ideals, he's just not certain whether others feel the same way. I think that the different pairing would be really interesting, though, and I'll see if I can tweak it some! I'll also clean up [Resolute >> Merciless] -- it's that while he's slower to judge than he used to be, he's still confident in his decisions once he makes them. Of course, being wrong would deeply shake and upset him, and once he realized it, he'd try to fix the situation however possible; he is still fallible. I'm afraid I don't quite see the conflict; he might be reluctant to label people as his enemies, but once he does so, he's not reluctant to fight them. I'll find a better way to describe things, too >u< Thanks! Edit: And, revisions done <3 I really appreciate your crits, Face! Seraphan's already a very defined character in my head, so I often have trouble properly describing him to others xD
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 5:10 pm
Since you requested, I'm going to go ahead and crit this.
Personality:
"I see no reason to broadcast my feelings for the whole world to see." [Pleasant >> Restrained] This entire trait is unclear, still. As I read it I'm uncertain as to what is actually being described here. It feels very vague, like you're trying to go too many different directions with it. Focus on the words that you used to describe him and focus on telling us why he is those words.
"Much has changed. Better to stay quiet and be thought a fool, than to speak and prove it." [Observant >> Aloof] The way you're using aloof in relation to pleasant isn't quite working in my mind. He can't be all that pleasant if he also makes people really uncomfortable. Also I don't see how he be offended by modern stereotypes if he doesn't really know what they are? It's difficult to get a joke without knowing the context. He sounds more socially awkward than aloof or pleasant.
"The laws of this region were made for the protection and betterment of all. I may follow the spirit of the law, but I am not a slave to the letter of it."[Contemplative >> Neutral Good] Typically I am going to advise against using the D&D traits as actual personality traits, but what you're describing is 'Chaotic Good'. I only know this from years of Baldur's Gate and other such D&D based games. If you want him to be 'neutral good' then there should be a lot less violence and a lot less bending of actual laws. In fact I don't see him as neutral at all, but, as I said, I typically I don't recommending using the D&D alignment system for describing a character outside of D&D.
"When I think about it, I wonder...is the world we once sought to create now out of reach? Or was it never within our reach?" [Idealistic >> Doubtful] First I would like to mention that from the general feel of the first portion of the profile that seems... Out of place. Such an unjaded viewpoint from a being as old and as careworn as a legendary, one that had to war with its other half, doesn't seem like someone that would hold onto ideals. Also someone who is idealistic is also typically naive, which doesn't seem like the case judging from the first paragraph of the personality.
"The good must be protected; the wicked must be punished. I will not falter." [Resolute >> Merciless] I don't have a real problem with this section, though I will say that this entire personality feels like it clashes. It isn't smooth and it does not all feel like it works together. This trait is no exception. Each trait feels like it's from a different character which is what I think is the biggest problem with Seraphan. The traits don't feel like parts of a whole, they feel like... just pieces.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:22 am
Okayyy, updated his personality, and after talking with Herb, his history is also ready for crit. Hopefully he flows a little bit better now.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 2:10 pm

Okie dokie. Try giving this a crack. If you have any questions or need any clarifications, please feel free to ask! <3
"I wish to make the world better, not worse." [Well-Meaning >> Restrained]
I'm thinking this should probably read more along the lines as "Seraphan is for the most part is easy-going" as opposed to "easy to get along with", for this varies heavily on the personality of the people he meets. Also I don't think the hearing others out thing should be written as an absolute considering your "()" statement contradicts it immediately. So to me it sounds like it should be probably be more around "Will try to hear them out to the best of his ability but has a hard time supporting those whose means involve acts of violence or ill intent." I'm also thinking "Well-Meaning" reads more as being "Open" That way it does come off as having two of the same trait well-meaning/Good intentions.
So minor fixes there but I believe for the most part its pretty alright otherwise.
The second half, Restrain checks out alright. Could use a little smoothing out to make it a bit more clear but doesn't necessarily need to be changed. *Thumbs up*
"Much has changed. Better to stay quiet and be thought a fool, than to speak and prove it." [Naive >> Inquisitive]
For the most part I think this pretty well works out. I only have a problem with one thing and that's "Since he spends most of his time trying to understand others, he's gotten quite good at reading body language and expressions." I feel this should probably be left out for now since he's only been interacting with people for a little while now and it makes he read as not being all too naive, especially since body language--even for people who've been around others for ages, this can be hard to pick up on. However, I honestly think that maybe this would be great for character growth after awhile <3 Though I do see him perhaps questioning the being of others if say their behavior/body language seems abnormal? That would fit nicely with his inquisitive trait. c:
"The laws of this region were made for the protection and betterment of all. I may follow the spirit of the law, but I am not a slave to the letter of it."[Contemplative >> Good Intentions]
Don't see anything wrong with this Q uQ <3
"When I think about it, I wonder...is the world we once sought to create now out of reach? Or was it never within our reach?" [Virtuous >> Doubtful]
This seems okay too <:
"The good must be protected; the wicked must be punished. I will not falter." [Resolute >> Merciless]
I'm... not entirely sure how I feel about this. With his reluctance to make enemies and do harm to others as well as his restrained and somewhat gentle demeanor I personally see this as being more dutiful of his cause than actually resolute. Also with that in mind I have a hard time seeing him not showing any mercy. Especially if he's open minded and contemplative of the reasoning for others actions. Perhaps you can clarify some things with me? I think I might understand where you're trying to go with this but with it's current wording it comes off as a bit odd.
Other then that, just minor structure errors. I know you were working kind of late on this, so xD <3
Also read over his history! <: Sounds great! I don't think it will need any revising.
★★  ★ ★
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:45 pm

Read over edits, moving to approval.
★★  ★ ★
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