Everyone's a hero in their own way!

Trainer

Name: Snow Villiers
Class: Punk Guy
Type: Ice / Steel
Ability: Mastery of Training

Level: 13
Pokémon Bound: 2

Abilities: Snow wears a trench coat - much like his original coat in canon - with the distinct ability to be augmented and modified by specific plates (as opposed to the emblems of his original coat, powered by AMP technology). He'll start off with the Icicle Plate which, combined with his coat, will not only give the moves of his Ice-type Pokémon a 20% boost, but will also grant him an elemental physical attack along the lines of Froststrike, and will change his Sovereign Fist into an Ice-type attack. Of course, Snow will only be able to equip one plate at a time to his coat and, in his travels through the Old City and beyond, he will surely have to come to rely on finding new plates to change up his strategies in battle.

PLAYER INFO

Name: Steve
Contact Information: abnormacus | Abnormacus on Plurk
Time Zone: EST
Characters Played: N/A

CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Snow Villiers
Character Canon: Final Fantasy XIII

History: Snow Villiers @ the FF Wiki

AU History: For the most part, Snow’s story isn’t too different from his original status pre-Final Fantasy XIII. An orphaned youth, Snow never had the chance to know his parents, spending a good deal of his childhood in an impoverished orphanage somewhere within inner Union.

It is said that children of ages past would mark their tenth year as the year that they’d come of age. On the eve of his tenth birthday, Snow decided to follow in the example of his ancestors, setting off on his own - (read: running away from home) - to make a life for himself exploring the streets of Union and, one day, the world beyond it. He is his own best teacher and his own worst student.

Not long after he set out on his journey, Snow met his first Pokémon - a stray Eevee who, in the middle of the night, had made its way over to Snow and snagged his bandanna right off his head. Snow woke the next morning to discover that the Eevee, still sleeping, had rolled herself up within the bandanna to keep warm overnight. The Eevee - who Snow nicknamed “Shiva,” after a legendary character he’d heard many a tale about back in the orphanage - hasn’t left Snow’s side since that day, and now sports a small black bandanna of her own to match her Trainer’s.

At eighteen, somewhere on the outskirts of Union, Snow met his best friend - a young girl named Rikku who, due to her Al Bhed heritage, was even more of a social outcast than he ever was. Not one to ignore those in trouble, Snow stuck up for her when others wouldn't, and the two became fast friends and partners-in-crime. As Rikku's people were exiled to the wilderness beyond Union, Snow was there to help her acclimate to city life, offering her knowledge of how to survive the streets as he had for years. In exchange, Rikku has taught him a good deal about wilderness survival, and occasionally gives him a lesson or two in learning the language of the Al Bhed (a language that Snow still occasionally butchers).

Presently, at twenty-one, Snow owns a small place in the Industrial District, freelances as a Ranger, and has been working closely with Rikku on assembling a small team of trainers to act as a neighborhood watch group (of sorts) known as NORA, short for No Obligations, Rules, or Authority. Once preparations are complete, he hopes to share with others his great passion for exploring the world around him and helping anyone in need that they come across in their travels. In the prime of his youth and always eager for the next adventure, Snow hasn't really stopped to consider settling down at all, but should he ever meet the right girl, that could easily change...

Canon Personality: Snow Villiers may not be the main hero of Final Fantasy XIII, but his bold personality and the courageous actions he takes over the course of the story pretty much cements his status as a big damn hero regardless. Described by his unwilling sister-in-law-to-be as "arrogant and chummy from the get-go," a man who "thinks he's everyone's pal," one of Snow's most well-defined characteristics is his charisma, to say nothing of his winning smile. While his charm has certainly enthralled his fiancé, Serah, and his close compadres in NORA, the fact of the matter is that there are plenty of people who don't approve of his attitude at all. His character profile describes him as "an irrepressible, fiery young man" who "dives headfirst into danger," and, yes, Snow's very much the sort of guy who plans his victory speeches long before any actual victories. "Since when have heroes ever needed plans?" he's bold enough to ask. His lack of foresight leads to plenty of ire from the rest of his party, causing Lightning and even Vanille to consider Snow "nothing but talk."

Admittedly, a good deal of it is talk. There are plenty of moments in which Snow can do nothing but talk in order to keep his spirit going. Because no matter how much he'd hate to admit it, heroes do fail. Sad, but true. For instance, a hastily-organized resistance effort against the Sanctum's military forces leads to the unexpected deaths of numerous untrained civilians, including Hope's mother. Sure, he makes one last promise to her before she fell, but has no idea where to even begin. "Where do you start?" he lashed out. "What do you say?" All he can do is run away from that promise, with hopes that in doing something greater for Cocoon and the world in general, Snow would find some way to atone for what he'd done. "If you don't know who to save, you just protect them all, right?" he asks his friend, Gadot, in hopes of validation. Without any idea that the woman he couldn't protect was Hope's mother, Snow fails to realize that the boy she had wanted brought home was standing right behind him this whole time, waiting to place a dagger in his back.

Even after Hope attempts to kill him in revenge, though, Snow hardly hesitates to put his life on the line to keep Hope safe. He doesn't once complain about what had happened, even giving Hope another opportunity to punish him as he carries the boy home, leaving himself completely exposed. When it comes down to it, Snow is definitely capable of taking some serious responsibilities for his actions. It's also evident in the way he tarnishes his own name in Palumpolum, declaring himself a Pulse l'Cie and firing his gun into the air in the midst of a massive crowd of people. Within seconds after the crowd disperses, it's made clear that he did so in order to keep those around him safe from any of PSICOM's attacks, as they would have attacked regardless of the threat of civilian casualty.

Snow isn't always the fastest learner. Consider, for example, all three of his encounters with Primarch Galenth Dysley, and how each swipe Snow takes at him wound up backfiring in the exact same fashion. But he's a powerful force to be reckoned with nonetheless. Not only in regards to his brute strength and physical stamina, but in terms of his unquestionable loyalty to his friends, to NORA, and to Serah. Snow's devotion to Serah - to keeping her safe, following her word, fulfilling their Focus in hopes of saving her - is arguably the biggest driving force in Final Fantasy XIII, and though the rest of the party may not realize it? In large part, their successes and their progression could be considered a result of following Snow's example. They didn't always have a plan, and constantly found themselves wallowing in their own despair. But at the end of the day, the group of l'Cie would need to put their doubts aside, continuing forward and doing whatever it takes to save everyone. To be true heroes.

AU Deviation: So what's different about the Snow Villiers of Brave New World? In terms of his upbringing, not too much. Although his allies in Union are fewer in number than those he had back in Bodhum, to start, Snow still grew up without knowing a thing about his parents, still grew up on the streets, still made a select number of close friends that share the same dreams that he, himself, has.

Perhaps the largest change in Snow's lifestyle here in Brave New World would be the fact that he still has yet to meet the love of his life, Serah Farron. While this might not necessarily change Snow's usual heroics and passion for adventure, his love for Serah in Final Fantasy XIII is one of the key focuses (no pun intended) of his character in canon; that they haven't entered each others' lives yet is sure to affect Snow's character and his general approach to most situations. For example, having grown up mostly on his own, Snow's always wanted to raise a big family eventually, but having not yet met a girl like Serah, those thoughts of settling down are still very much out-of-sight, out-of-mind. The day that Snow does meet Serah, should it ever arrive, could yield some very interesting potential, and, as opposed to having their relationship already previously established, would allow for creative interpretations of their relationship dynamic to be explored from the very beginning.

Canon Abilities: At the very start of Final Fantasy XIII, the only weapons Snow could truly rely on were his own two fists. That and the augmentative seals on the back of his trench coat. Powered by AMP technology, the emblems on the back of Snow’s jacket could serve as a means to amplify his strength and to help him pack just a bit more punch.

Following his transformation into a l'Cie, however, Snow gains a considerable amount of new abilities and paradigms. His three strongest affinities are with the Commando, Ravager, and Sentinel classes. As a Commando, Snow attacks with his powerful fists. As a Ravager, he makes use of Water, Ice, and Wind magic. And as a Sentinel, he acts as a defensive shield, provoking foes into focusing their attacks on him in order to allow his allies an opportunity to strike.

He's very strong, and has incredible stamina, given the fact that - of the six party members of Final Fantasy XIII - Snow has the highest HP growth. And it’s demonstrated in that even after spending an afternoon on the run through Palumpolum, getting blasted off a roof by Hope, falling from that tall ledge and catching Hope (while landing painfully on his back), the hero is still able to carry the young boy on his back for the nearly the rest of the journey back to the Estheim house.

Finally, Snow has the ability to summon a team of Eidolons known as the Shiva Sisters. These two sisters are spirits of Ice, supporting Snow as a Ravager / Commando duo and combining themselves into a motorcycle in their Gestalt mode (which Snow can ride on).

Enlightened Abilities:

Pokémon Type: Ice/Steel
Enlightened Ability: Mastery of Training

Snow will also wear a trench coat - much like his original coat in canon - with the distinct ability to be augmented and modified by specific plates (as opposed to the emblems of his original coat, powered by AMP technology). He'll start off with the Icicle Plate which, combined with his coat, will not only give the moves of his Ice-type Pokémon a 20% boost, but will also grant him an elemental physical attack along the lines of Froststrike, and will change his Sovereign Fist into an Ice-type attack. Of course, Snow will only be able to equip one plate at a time to his coat and, in his travels through the Old City and beyond, he will surely have to come to rely on finding new plates to change up his strategies in battle.

Starter Pokémon: Eevee

Notes/Special Considerations: N/A

SAMPLES
(NOTE: You may link a previous entry or thread, including testrun or musebox threads (but NOT Dear Mun), for one or both samples. However, we want to see the character in the setting of Brave New World and specifically in their AU for at least one sample.)

First-Person: Here is a sample from the Test Run!

Third-Person:

"What the...?"

Snow stopped in his tracks, caught off-guard by the shrill new sound that pierced through the crumbling wreckage of the Old City. He flinched, involuntarily, as a bushy tail brushed lightly against the back of his neck.

"Shhh... Easy, girl," he murmured soothingly, straightening up as Shiva began readjusting her weight from her perch atop his shoulder. The Old City below may have been dark, but when he finally peeked over at her, he still couldn't help but notice the faintest of twitches in one of her ears.

"You heard it too?" he whispered.

"'Vee," was her simple reply, her brown eyes uncertain. Snow frowned, squinting from Shiva to the dank, musty back street to his left. Though Rikku had told him a few things about her travels outside of Union, he still wasn't entirely familiar with this part of town. And that noise... It sounded almost like a scream...

Sure enough, there it was again. And another screaming voice, too, here to join the first. More Rangers, like him? Or could these people be wayward Researchers, lost in the ruins like so many others before them? These were all questions Snow should have been asking himself, and yet he didn't feel the need.

To him, it didn't matter who these people were. They were in trouble, and that was a good enough reason to go find them.

"Sounds like they could use a Helping Hand," he said, glancing back at Shiva. "Don't you think?"

Shiva leapt off Snow's shoulders, landing perfectly on all fours before turning back to face him. Whatever fear or uncertainty there had been in Shiva's eyes just before was now pushed aside, overpowered by a certain brightness that matched her Trainer's. Eleven years now, they'd been together, and they had always been very good at inspiring each other in that regard. With a vigorous nod, she barked out, "'Vee!"

Snow balled up his right hand into a fist, punched the palm of his left hand, allowed his left hand to envelop the right. And he grinned.

"Then we better get a move on." He bolted into the alleyway, but not before calling out over his shoulder, "Race you there!"