keith keith, the liger man (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
secondnature) wrote2018-06-16 01:30 pm
secondnature) wrote2018-06-16 01:30 pm
wilderlands application
APPLICATION
Player Name: Alison
Plurk Handle:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
medieval
Player Status: New player
Other characters: N/A
Character Name: Keith
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Character Journal:secondnature
OU, AU, or OC? Original universe
If canon, canon point: End of S6
PB: N/A (animation)
Setting Background: N/A
History: Official wikipedia | Official show website Fan wiki.
Personality: The audience first learns about Keith through a passing mention: he's the "most talented pilot" that got kicked out of the Galaxy Garrison because of a disciplinary problem (the show runner later revealed that he attacked one of his instructors and permanently damaged his eye). Riddled with grief because the most important person in his life, Takeshi Shirogane, had been declared dead, he acted out and found himself without a path to follow. Thanks to that, he chased a strange feeling that led to him finding out that Shiro was alive, and on the path to becoming a paladin of Voltron.
Initially, Keith is a bit of an unreasonable hothead. It's fitting that Keith starts off in the Red lion, who's just as brash, temperamental, and difficult as Keith himself. Only a talented and intuitive pilot like Keith could handle the difficult Red at first. The problem is that Keith's troublesome side is worsened by his tendency to isolate himself from others. He doesn't open up about how he feels outside of his outbursts, and he prefers to act mostly according to his impulses. He doesn't pause to consider the people around him when he makes a decision that feels right. His instincts may be right, but that doesn't mean that other people would be factored into his decision making.
In fact, Keith's greatest weakness is his inability to empathize with others. He doesn't just fail to consider others—he flat out doesn't understand what their feelings might be in any given moment. The only exception to this is Shiro—sort of. It's difficult for him to tell when or why someone's upset. When Pidge wanted to leave the team to find her family, Keith attacks her for the decision. Shiro has to remind him that no one can be forced to be a part of the team. It's apparent that Keith only understands that he thinks she shouldn't leave. A lot of these behavior issues are because he grew up as an orphan: his father died when he was young and his mother had to leave him to protect him, leaving him without the social skills or love for a healthy upbringing.
Despite the rough nature of Keith's upbringing, he's always wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself. The problem is that the world showed him a life where only one person (Shiro) believed in him and would never give up on him. Even if he's fond of teamwork and being a part of Team Voltron, his cripplingly low self-esteem makes him believe he's worthless and unwanted. But he's always craved a connection to others. One of his cutest moments is when he realizes that on a quantum level, everyone is connected in the universe. He seems incredibly happy about this. He seeks out that connection, but doesn't know how to express it or step up into the role that suits him best (as the leader of Team Voltron).
Keith feels that his isolation from others growing up is partly explained by being Galra. He's always feel more likely to anger or be frustrated than most people, and he's felt divided in himself. It's never made clear whether this is a social or biological circumstance, but it's hard for him to connect to others. He struggles at first with his heritage (since the Galra are bad dudes who subjugated and destroyed countless planets in Keith's universe), but once he comes to accept it and sees that not all Galra are bad, he accepts it. He begins to find some inner peace. That peace doesn't make him feel entirely complete, however, as his abandonment complex is firmly in place.
Thanks to inheriting some traits from his mother (who is, incidentally, the Galra side of his heritage), Keith can still be rash, stubborn, and more likely to cut to the heart of a scenario than ever before. He'll make a decision and act on it for the good of everyone around him, which is something he's always been able to do for himself. Thanks to finding some of that inner peace, he's able to do it for others. Keith is sharp and has the makings of a good leader once he gets over himself a bit, and he's shown to be finally ready to step into the leadership role in a time of strife without thinking twice (whereas before, he acted out in grief when he first took on this role). Working through his low self-esteem has brought him to this moment, but it took a lot of work. He's just as blunt and abrasive as he's always been; he's simply warmer than he has been, and a touch more patient. Everyone takes work, and Keith isn't excluded from that. While he once tried to thrive based on others' (namely Shiro's) belief in him, that was never enough. He now believes in himself more, and that helps hone his willingness to do good, selfless acts for the universe.
All of this has changed recently: thanks to two years on a space whale with his mom and a cosmic wolf, Keith realized his mother hadn't abandoned him but left him to protect him. She loved him, and wanted him to grow up safe from the Galra Empire. It's understanding this with his mom and spending two years with her that lends Keith the ability to not give up on himself or Shiro when the latter spirals out of control due to a convoluted plot where an imposter clone was unleashed onto Team Voltron. This helps Keith realize that maybe, just maybe, he should be a little more certain about his actions and trust in himself. If he can believe in himself, he has the ability to take the initiative and do just about anything.
Canon Powers:
Blade of Marmora blade: While Keith doesn't have any special powers himself, he has a magical-ish knife that reacts to Keith's specific DNA and desire to selflessly do good in the universe: it can go from the shape of a dagger to the shape of a fully-grown sword. The problem is that I personally don't know if this knife is magic or technology, but I'm guessing it's more the former than the latter due to his it responds to Keith's intentions and DNA. I'm fine if the knife is just a knife, though, without its ability to become bigger. Aside from changing from a dagger to a sword and back, the dagger doesn't have any special powers.
For his animal companion, the cosmic wolf: Keith's wolf is able to teleport. It's unclear how far the teleport works, but I'm definitely willing to accept the nerf of "within line of sight."
Freebie Powers:
Cosmetic difference (part-Galra physical appearance): The Galra are a species of purple cat-like aliens. Keith decidedly doesn't look a whole lot like them. However, during a fight or during times of duress, he can exhibit Galra-like traits. Specifically, he can form sharp, cat-like canine teeth and cat-like eye slits (pictured here).
Galra Physiology: Voltron never actually specifies what it means to be part-Galra, but from what I can discern, it means that the individual in question is able to endure and fight to the best of his ability. Keith is said to fight with a Galran-fighting style (despite never being trained in it), but that's more about how he moves physically and doesn't give up.
Power Selection: Native superpowers.
Game Powers:
Form changing knife: Keith's Blade of Marmora knife can change from a dagger to a sword and back. Only Keith is able to activate this knife. It glows with a mysterious indigo energy from a symbol on the sword.
Cosmic wolf teleportation: Keith's wolf will be able to teleport within line of sight, but nothing further. Keith cannot teleport with his wolf.
Non-Powered Abilities:
General piloting: Called the "best pilot at the garrison," Keith is fairly talented, able to fly through an asteroid belt with his lion robot without running into too much trouble. He can take to piloting just about anything with ease. This will, of course, be utterly useless in game.
Mecha piloting: An attention of his previous talent, he's the pilot for the Red Lion and later the Black Lion. As the latter's paladin, he has to manage both piloting a lion he's unfamiliar with and Voltron in its united form. As a result, he has "general mecha piloting" downpat. Again, useless, but hey, he can do it!
General resilience and combat training: He takes to fighting naturally, and seems to not be able to be taken down easily. He manages to pilot his robot against Emperor Zarkon, even if Zarkon is able to handle most of the robots with ease. Zarkon mentions that he fights like a "galra" because of his ability to give him a good fight. Yes, he's inside of his lion, but it speaks volumes about him, especially in contrast to other hand-to-hand combat scenarios he finds himself in. Basically, thanks to his hand-to-hand combat skills, Keith is a bit of a ninja who doesn't know when to quit.
Swordplay: Wielding a sword (and other blades) comes naturally to him. His swift movement means he likely prefers smaller blades to larger ones, but he utilizes both rather well. He stands out to an alien ghost for his ability to fight with a blade in the comics.
Covert field work: "Espionage" isn't exactly the right word for this, but he takes to field work rather easily. He can handle field missions rather well, thinking on his feet in the heat of a battle or to come up with creative plans when a scenario requires it.
Leadership skills: Being able to take initiative and come up with rather outlandish plans on the spot is a big part of Keith's leadership skills. Thanks to two years with his mom, he's more comfortable in his skin and being able to act on these.
Setting/Suitability: As a paladin of Voltron, Keith has dealt with both being sent out into the universe to save a lot of people and a lot of weird circumstances involving the multiverse. Not only has he been to another dimension, he's also just been involved in a plot that involved ending the rifts to another reality lest they start corroding his current one. He has fighting skills, the ability to survive against all odds due to his resilience, and the ability to work with others. He'll have moments of wanting to run off himself on a self-sacrificing bent, but he knows that teamwork makes the dream work, so to speak. Basically, Keith is an anime protagonist who just went through his major arc to believe in himself.
SAMPLES
Prose Sample:
note: I updated one of my TDM prompts to be compliant with S6, but worked it into being more of a sample than a top-level.
[In terms of a first mission—or quest or test or whatever is the right word for it—Keith doesn't think that anything is going that badly. Fighting a bunch of seemingly mindless monsters feels like it's par for the course in his life. It's just that the Galra (violent, warring, and not unlike him when someone gets down to it) are more sentient than these things. From what he can see. Keith isn't stopping to ask them about their days.
Keith is panting when he turns a sharp corner and comes to press up against a wall. Even if he can handle monsters—and running from them when needed—that doesn't mean he has endless endurance. He doesn't.
He sighs as he straightens up and starts moving, steps ginger before he turns a corner to find a rapidly changing form on its knees. His knees. Her knees. The boggart changes rapidly, moving from one form to another, changing frequently to show Keith all of his fellow paladins in pain and dying.
It ends on Shiro, with white hair and a twisted smile. His eyes flicker purple as he looks at Keith.]
Look at what you did to us. To all of us. You thought you found me? I'm gone, Keith. I'm gone because there's no point in coming back for you. I see where following you leads. We'll all see it soon enough. [Because why would a boggart pull its punches?
Keith straightens up, his lips twisting downward. After his fight with Shiro just days ago—though it undoubtedly feels like even longer—he knows better than to be tricked by some kind of ... illusion. His lips twist downward and his fingers curl into fists. He can handle this. He can.
It doesn't mean that he wants to hear it, though. Who would?]
Can't you throw something new at me? [Keith says, but there's a bit of his snappish tone to his words. He can't cut that tendency away entirely. What "Shiro" says really hurts here.] We've been through this already. Even if you can't be the real Shiro, I won't give up that easily. Not on you. Not on any of the paladins. [Keith steps forward, and the boggart reacts. Lance flickers in, screaming at Keith that he isn't much of a leader, and then it's back to Shiro.]
I don't know what you are here, but I can handle you. You got that?
[Boggart-Shiro laughs, doubling over in pain at the same time, coughing thanks to the wound.]
Then come on, Keith. Prove it to me.
[The thing about boggart-Shiro is that he's a cross of Shiro's lives: the white-haired one that Keith just saw, and the one infected by the Galra-tech in his arm. Whereas it had been difficult before, Keith acts now with purpose. He draws his blade and slashes down on the mechanical arm, cutting it away from the boggart.
There's a flicker of images of his teammates, but then the boggart retreats, leaving Keith be.]
Network Sample:
Your character's inner child has been separated from your character into its own individual entity by a powerful spirit, and your character can speak to them through the game's magic mirror network. The child has been commanded to listen in silence, and in an ultimate test of self-awareness, your character has been told they must talk to them and pass them wisdom and emotional honesty they've gained through life experience. Every time you character lies or is otherwise insincere about something from their adult life, they get zapped with a painful magical shock from the spirit.
[It feels like the opposite experience he had when he was with his mom heading into the quantum abyss, hoping for a way through so they could have answers. Keith looks at his child-like selfish: the angry expression, the fact that he feels abandoned, and he feels a familiar ache. How can't he? He knows what it was like to be that age. Looking at him, his dad had just died …
That seems right.]
Look—the first thing you have to do is trust yourself. [Keith considers these words, but proceeds to grimace. Maybe they're the wrong ones. He thinks they're the wrong ones.
He makes a displeased sound and then goes on:] I know you think I'm saying that because who else can you trust? Mom left. Dad died. No one wants to take you in. You already know that you're going into a group home. It sucked. You lost everyone and you had nothing.
[Okay. Bad pep talk. What would Shiro say here?
No, this isn't about Shiro's wisdom. It's Keith. To himself. What would he say to himself?]
You're gonna wonder why Mom could leave you. She did it to protect you. Protecting what matters most is the most important to us. To her. To you. You can't just give up. Okay? It's not because you don't matter. It's because you mattered that much. That's why you have that knife. She had a feeling you'd find your way back to her. Somehow.
[Keith crosses his arms. This is weird, to say the least.]
In a couple years, you'll meet Shiro. Trust yourself with him. Believe even a little of what he believes in you. He needs you, too.
And when it comes to that weird feeling in the desert: follow it. That's your intuition. Sometimes, that's all we ever had.
Additional info: If possible, Keith will be coming into game with paladin armor that will be utterly useless. While its power is somewhat attributed to magic, it'll just be … armor. It'll reflect damage and help him take some punches, but it won't be able to do any of the cool space things it does. It won't light up, or have limited jetpack power, or anything like that.
In addition, I'd like for him to have his Marmora blade, as covered above, and his cosmic wolf companion. I've included the powers earlier in the application, as they are the things I'd like him to have as he moves through game!
Player Name: Alison
Plurk Handle:
Player Status: New player
Other characters: N/A
Character Name: Keith
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Character Journal:
secondnatureOU, AU, or OC? Original universe
If canon, canon point: End of S6
PB: N/A (animation)
Setting Background: N/A
History: Official wikipedia | Official show website Fan wiki.
Personality: The audience first learns about Keith through a passing mention: he's the "most talented pilot" that got kicked out of the Galaxy Garrison because of a disciplinary problem (the show runner later revealed that he attacked one of his instructors and permanently damaged his eye). Riddled with grief because the most important person in his life, Takeshi Shirogane, had been declared dead, he acted out and found himself without a path to follow. Thanks to that, he chased a strange feeling that led to him finding out that Shiro was alive, and on the path to becoming a paladin of Voltron.
Initially, Keith is a bit of an unreasonable hothead. It's fitting that Keith starts off in the Red lion, who's just as brash, temperamental, and difficult as Keith himself. Only a talented and intuitive pilot like Keith could handle the difficult Red at first. The problem is that Keith's troublesome side is worsened by his tendency to isolate himself from others. He doesn't open up about how he feels outside of his outbursts, and he prefers to act mostly according to his impulses. He doesn't pause to consider the people around him when he makes a decision that feels right. His instincts may be right, but that doesn't mean that other people would be factored into his decision making.
In fact, Keith's greatest weakness is his inability to empathize with others. He doesn't just fail to consider others—he flat out doesn't understand what their feelings might be in any given moment. The only exception to this is Shiro—sort of. It's difficult for him to tell when or why someone's upset. When Pidge wanted to leave the team to find her family, Keith attacks her for the decision. Shiro has to remind him that no one can be forced to be a part of the team. It's apparent that Keith only understands that he thinks she shouldn't leave. A lot of these behavior issues are because he grew up as an orphan: his father died when he was young and his mother had to leave him to protect him, leaving him without the social skills or love for a healthy upbringing.
Despite the rough nature of Keith's upbringing, he's always wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself. The problem is that the world showed him a life where only one person (Shiro) believed in him and would never give up on him. Even if he's fond of teamwork and being a part of Team Voltron, his cripplingly low self-esteem makes him believe he's worthless and unwanted. But he's always craved a connection to others. One of his cutest moments is when he realizes that on a quantum level, everyone is connected in the universe. He seems incredibly happy about this. He seeks out that connection, but doesn't know how to express it or step up into the role that suits him best (as the leader of Team Voltron).
Keith feels that his isolation from others growing up is partly explained by being Galra. He's always feel more likely to anger or be frustrated than most people, and he's felt divided in himself. It's never made clear whether this is a social or biological circumstance, but it's hard for him to connect to others. He struggles at first with his heritage (since the Galra are bad dudes who subjugated and destroyed countless planets in Keith's universe), but once he comes to accept it and sees that not all Galra are bad, he accepts it. He begins to find some inner peace. That peace doesn't make him feel entirely complete, however, as his abandonment complex is firmly in place.
Thanks to inheriting some traits from his mother (who is, incidentally, the Galra side of his heritage), Keith can still be rash, stubborn, and more likely to cut to the heart of a scenario than ever before. He'll make a decision and act on it for the good of everyone around him, which is something he's always been able to do for himself. Thanks to finding some of that inner peace, he's able to do it for others. Keith is sharp and has the makings of a good leader once he gets over himself a bit, and he's shown to be finally ready to step into the leadership role in a time of strife without thinking twice (whereas before, he acted out in grief when he first took on this role). Working through his low self-esteem has brought him to this moment, but it took a lot of work. He's just as blunt and abrasive as he's always been; he's simply warmer than he has been, and a touch more patient. Everyone takes work, and Keith isn't excluded from that. While he once tried to thrive based on others' (namely Shiro's) belief in him, that was never enough. He now believes in himself more, and that helps hone his willingness to do good, selfless acts for the universe.
All of this has changed recently: thanks to two years on a space whale with his mom and a cosmic wolf, Keith realized his mother hadn't abandoned him but left him to protect him. She loved him, and wanted him to grow up safe from the Galra Empire. It's understanding this with his mom and spending two years with her that lends Keith the ability to not give up on himself or Shiro when the latter spirals out of control due to a convoluted plot where an imposter clone was unleashed onto Team Voltron. This helps Keith realize that maybe, just maybe, he should be a little more certain about his actions and trust in himself. If he can believe in himself, he has the ability to take the initiative and do just about anything.
Canon Powers:
Blade of Marmora blade: While Keith doesn't have any special powers himself, he has a magical-ish knife that reacts to Keith's specific DNA and desire to selflessly do good in the universe: it can go from the shape of a dagger to the shape of a fully-grown sword. The problem is that I personally don't know if this knife is magic or technology, but I'm guessing it's more the former than the latter due to his it responds to Keith's intentions and DNA. I'm fine if the knife is just a knife, though, without its ability to become bigger. Aside from changing from a dagger to a sword and back, the dagger doesn't have any special powers.
For his animal companion, the cosmic wolf: Keith's wolf is able to teleport. It's unclear how far the teleport works, but I'm definitely willing to accept the nerf of "within line of sight."
Freebie Powers:
Cosmetic difference (part-Galra physical appearance): The Galra are a species of purple cat-like aliens. Keith decidedly doesn't look a whole lot like them. However, during a fight or during times of duress, he can exhibit Galra-like traits. Specifically, he can form sharp, cat-like canine teeth and cat-like eye slits (pictured here).
Galra Physiology: Voltron never actually specifies what it means to be part-Galra, but from what I can discern, it means that the individual in question is able to endure and fight to the best of his ability. Keith is said to fight with a Galran-fighting style (despite never being trained in it), but that's more about how he moves physically and doesn't give up.
Power Selection: Native superpowers.
Game Powers:
Non-Powered Abilities:
Setting/Suitability: As a paladin of Voltron, Keith has dealt with both being sent out into the universe to save a lot of people and a lot of weird circumstances involving the multiverse. Not only has he been to another dimension, he's also just been involved in a plot that involved ending the rifts to another reality lest they start corroding his current one. He has fighting skills, the ability to survive against all odds due to his resilience, and the ability to work with others. He'll have moments of wanting to run off himself on a self-sacrificing bent, but he knows that teamwork makes the dream work, so to speak. Basically, Keith is an anime protagonist who just went through his major arc to believe in himself.
SAMPLES
Prose Sample:
note: I updated one of my TDM prompts to be compliant with S6, but worked it into being more of a sample than a top-level.
[In terms of a first mission—or quest or test or whatever is the right word for it—Keith doesn't think that anything is going that badly. Fighting a bunch of seemingly mindless monsters feels like it's par for the course in his life. It's just that the Galra (violent, warring, and not unlike him when someone gets down to it) are more sentient than these things. From what he can see. Keith isn't stopping to ask them about their days.
Keith is panting when he turns a sharp corner and comes to press up against a wall. Even if he can handle monsters—and running from them when needed—that doesn't mean he has endless endurance. He doesn't.
He sighs as he straightens up and starts moving, steps ginger before he turns a corner to find a rapidly changing form on its knees. His knees. Her knees. The boggart changes rapidly, moving from one form to another, changing frequently to show Keith all of his fellow paladins in pain and dying.
It ends on Shiro, with white hair and a twisted smile. His eyes flicker purple as he looks at Keith.]
Look at what you did to us. To all of us. You thought you found me? I'm gone, Keith. I'm gone because there's no point in coming back for you. I see where following you leads. We'll all see it soon enough. [Because why would a boggart pull its punches?
Keith straightens up, his lips twisting downward. After his fight with Shiro just days ago—though it undoubtedly feels like even longer—he knows better than to be tricked by some kind of ... illusion. His lips twist downward and his fingers curl into fists. He can handle this. He can.
It doesn't mean that he wants to hear it, though. Who would?]
Can't you throw something new at me? [Keith says, but there's a bit of his snappish tone to his words. He can't cut that tendency away entirely. What "Shiro" says really hurts here.] We've been through this already. Even if you can't be the real Shiro, I won't give up that easily. Not on you. Not on any of the paladins. [Keith steps forward, and the boggart reacts. Lance flickers in, screaming at Keith that he isn't much of a leader, and then it's back to Shiro.]
I don't know what you are here, but I can handle you. You got that?
[Boggart-Shiro laughs, doubling over in pain at the same time, coughing thanks to the wound.]
Then come on, Keith. Prove it to me.
[The thing about boggart-Shiro is that he's a cross of Shiro's lives: the white-haired one that Keith just saw, and the one infected by the Galra-tech in his arm. Whereas it had been difficult before, Keith acts now with purpose. He draws his blade and slashes down on the mechanical arm, cutting it away from the boggart.
There's a flicker of images of his teammates, but then the boggart retreats, leaving Keith be.]
Network Sample:
Your character's inner child has been separated from your character into its own individual entity by a powerful spirit, and your character can speak to them through the game's magic mirror network. The child has been commanded to listen in silence, and in an ultimate test of self-awareness, your character has been told they must talk to them and pass them wisdom and emotional honesty they've gained through life experience. Every time you character lies or is otherwise insincere about something from their adult life, they get zapped with a painful magical shock from the spirit.
[It feels like the opposite experience he had when he was with his mom heading into the quantum abyss, hoping for a way through so they could have answers. Keith looks at his child-like selfish: the angry expression, the fact that he feels abandoned, and he feels a familiar ache. How can't he? He knows what it was like to be that age. Looking at him, his dad had just died …
That seems right.]
Look—the first thing you have to do is trust yourself. [Keith considers these words, but proceeds to grimace. Maybe they're the wrong ones. He thinks they're the wrong ones.
He makes a displeased sound and then goes on:] I know you think I'm saying that because who else can you trust? Mom left. Dad died. No one wants to take you in. You already know that you're going into a group home. It sucked. You lost everyone and you had nothing.
[Okay. Bad pep talk. What would Shiro say here?
No, this isn't about Shiro's wisdom. It's Keith. To himself. What would he say to himself?]
You're gonna wonder why Mom could leave you. She did it to protect you. Protecting what matters most is the most important to us. To her. To you. You can't just give up. Okay? It's not because you don't matter. It's because you mattered that much. That's why you have that knife. She had a feeling you'd find your way back to her. Somehow.
[Keith crosses his arms. This is weird, to say the least.]
In a couple years, you'll meet Shiro. Trust yourself with him. Believe even a little of what he believes in you. He needs you, too.
And when it comes to that weird feeling in the desert: follow it. That's your intuition. Sometimes, that's all we ever had.
Additional info: If possible, Keith will be coming into game with paladin armor that will be utterly useless. While its power is somewhat attributed to magic, it'll just be … armor. It'll reflect damage and help him take some punches, but it won't be able to do any of the cool space things it does. It won't light up, or have limited jetpack power, or anything like that.
In addition, I'd like for him to have his Marmora blade, as covered above, and his cosmic wolf companion. I've included the powers earlier in the application, as they are the things I'd like him to have as he moves through game!