openhanded: (animated) (☆it will pass i promise you)
sorey not sorey | ɢʀᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇᴘʜᴇʀᴅ ([personal profile] openhanded) wrote2017-01-08 03:43 pm
Entry tags:

[community profile] recolle app.

PLAYER
YOUR NAME: Saffy
18+?: Yes.
CONTACT: email: jerkbender[@]gmail[.]com; AIM: heroic bsod, PLURK: [plurk.com profile] fonfabre
CHARACTERS IN GAME: None!

CHARACTER: CANON SECTION
NAME: Sorey
AGE: 17
CANON: Tales of Zestiria

CANON HISTORY: Setting/Plot. I'd also like to correct something in the ending paragraph that says Sorey merges with Maotelus to purify the world; it's only to purify the continent of Glenwood, which Maotelus watched over. The rest is accurate, though.
CANON PERSONALITY:

Even before becoming the Shepherd, Sorey acts as a bastion of light for all he meets and a source of support for the world around him. He is honest without being awfully blunt, although he doesn't always tell the whole truth; he would rather lie a little bit and keep someone happy than be right for the sake of being right. He's kind and generous with his affection and energy, which is dangerous when one is supposed to be a pure savior of the world, and it invites burnout. Yet he never seems to reach it. Around strangers, he tends to be polite and slightly reserved. He shoulders his burdens as he is expected to, and hardly ever complains.

There are parts of him he doesn't let show, of course. No one is perfect but Sorey feels the pressure and takes it quietly without letting go of his ideals. He will fight for them-- and yes, even kill for them-- though it's only toward the end of the game that he makes this decision. He worries about things more than he lets on, though since he's a bad liar, it's usually fairly obvious that he's troubled. He always, always puts others before himself, even if it's a damned stupid decision. And to add insult to injury, he doesn't like other people to worry for him in return.

It's important to note that Mikleo and Sorey are written to be mirrors of each other. Between Sorey's impulsive but earnest nature and Mikleo's dose of logic and wait a second you idiot, they make up a functioning protagonist. Even their skit poses are mirrored and made to be opposites of each other. This is indicative of their relationship as a whole, which is integral to the game. They push each other forward and sometimes to the brink, but always for a good reason.

As Sorey grows into his powers and his place in the world, he learns to open up about what he is struggling with. He only troubles his friends with these things when it becomes absolutely necessary, though. Shepherds have to learn to share the burden lest they become burdened with malevolence-- the evil that taints the world, like darkness in Kingdom Hearts-- and he takes his duty very seriously (aside from the occasional sheep puns, of course). Sorey's way of sharing also means trying to buoy the party in the worst of circumstances, so long as it's respectful; he has a gentle sense of humor and a quiet laugh that carries him through the worst of times. Stunningly, he also has absolute faith in people, even ones he barely knows. This can be owed to his ability to sense malevolence, but he seems to have a natural empathy as well.

Sorey saturated himself with the Shepherd legend so it's no surprise he tries to emulate it. The pressure is real. And yet, even when he's broken down and tired and forced to go against his number one rule of no killing, ever-- he doesn't lose himself. He realizes from example that sometimes... sometimes death is a release. Sometimes death can be a mercy. And he always wishes for it to be different.

He has a lot of faith in peace, too. He believes humans and seraphim can get along just like they did in ancient history and he lays down the rest of his mortal life to defend this idea. It's Sorey's absolute dedication in this that keeps him pure, and eventually spreads resonance to the (very, very large) continent he resides on, so that everyone can see seraphim and learn to live with them once again. His opinion doesn't change after witnessing (and participating) in the horrors of war, though by all rights, it should; it's an awful experience that he doesn't want to repeat, so he works toward preventing it from happening again.

All of that, and he still has to keep that unshakable core. Even Sorey has his moments of self-doubt. He trudges on like he isn't even human, and to those who are, he can be both savior and destroyer. Sorey has so much power and humans just can't comprehend it. Some of them are scared of him, some of them hate him, and all of them are people he tries to save. He takes it all on his shoulders, knowing that the moment he begins to doubt his mission, he'll doom the seraphim around him to turning into dragons. That's another thing. He's scared that his mistakes will cause people to be hurt. And worse, what if he screws up and dooms the whole world? What if he becomes the next Lord of Calamity because he was wrong?

Thankfully, Sorey has surrounded himself with people who can tell what he's thinking. That strong support system allows him to become truly independent at the end of the game, when he pushes Rose away to save her. He then kills the main villain, a sympathetic one (made by the last Shepherd!) with his own hands. The whole game is about Sorey's unrealistic ideals, and he handles that problem in a very Sorey-like way: by taking them on, accepting them, and giving all of himself to ensure that the light reigns.

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

The most special thing about Sorey is that he possesses resonance, which is the ability to sense the supernatural on his world. He can see, hear, and interact with seraphim as well as other creatures with no problem, and it's this ability that allows him to become the Shepherd. He also has empathy, and can sense what's in people's hearts and what troubles them. This extends to malevolence, a conflict inside humans that manifests as negative energy; by sensing malevolence, he can purify it (with a Prime Lord's pact) and thus do his job as a Shepherd.

Being the Shepherd comes with its own set of benefits. He can form pacts with seraphim and lend his resonance to other humans, though only with a Prime Lord pact. He can project his own 'domain', something like a blessing of purification, that keeps the seraphim he's bonded with from becoming tainted with malevolence. Using divine artifacts, he can become one with his seraphic companions and use their element to make miracles, as well as heal himself/others and wield their elements. Separated from the seraphim, he still has access to physical and elementally-augmented techniques, as well as a final resort ability called a Mystic Arte that unleashes a finishing blow.

Finally, he is fluent in an ancient language and knowledgeable about history.

CHARACTER: AU SECTION
AU NAME: Surei "Sorey" Doushi (導師 守洌)
AU AGE: 20
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: None!

AU HISTORY:

Note: I have Ryuuto's permission to include her Mikleo ([personal profile] torrential_aegis/[personal profile] rulayracing) in my history!

Sorey's mother always liked to travel. While in America, she fell in love with a handsome foreigner and eventually became pregnant; however, her boyfriend took off before Sorey was born. She became nationalized while raising Sorey. She kept in touch with her family, though, and thus he became somewhat inundated with Japanese language and culture while visiting his family annually overseas.

When he was still small, he met his new neighbor, Mikleo. As the only other child around his age, they became inseparable; it helped that their mothers got along well, too. They would always get into trouble together, either by running off to explore new places or solving mysteries. It was no surprise that when Sorey found his first fossil as a kid, he chose to become an adventurer archaeologist... and Mikleo, always wanting to keep up with him, chose that too.

Sorey wasn't a bad student, though he was more interested in history, literature, P.E. than anything else. He moved from sport to sport but it was martial arts-- swordfighting, specifically-- that caught his attention, and he ended up continuing it up through college. He took on a hefty major in archaeology to the surprise of no one.

As a junior, he spends the majority of his time as a student teacher and a tutor. His gift with people has piqued an interest in counseling or teaching, but he's just too busy for another degree right now.

AU PERSONALITY:

Sorey doesn't have anything to hold him back in this AU, since he was raised by humans and around humans; he doesn't have any barriers to keep him from befriending people. As a result his empathy comes out in full force. He is absolutely qualified to guide others and be there for them, and guide them even without the pressure of the 'Shepherd' legacy. Here, he's just a teacher-- but a teacher can make a huge difference. He lacks a real father figure and perhaps unconsciously wants to be there for others.

Mikleo continues to be a very important presence in Sorey's life. Not only did he give him his nickname ('Sorey' is so much easier to say than 'Surei' when you're five years old), but Mikleo taught Sorey how to be gentle with those who are different. Of course Sorey still has his blind spots, but having seen Mikleo's scars and how other people treat him, he has a much better idea of how to handle others with care.

Compared to his canon counterpart, this Sorey is much happier. He actually knows his mother and has a huge family-- long distance though it is-- and he's never really known true suffering or loss. He also doesn't know what it's like to be shunned or feared for his powers though that may soon change. AU Sorey's selflessness comes from a more realistic point of view as a teacher and public worker with an adventurous bent, while canon Sorey is selfless because it's in the job description.

REVISIONS
-We would like an expansion on the AU history. For this expansion, please consider things like why Sorey and Mikleo were finding fossils or the like, if Sorey ever cared about his father, and how and why he and Mikleo befriended one another so quickly, etc. (These are examples, please use these or other instances to support your AU personality as you'd like.) As we don't have Mikleo's app to review, we would like to see see more of a focus on Sorey personally and his history and the events that support your AU personality for him.


NEW AU HISTORY:

Revisions are in bold.

Sorey's mother always liked to travel. While in America, she fell in love with a handsome foreigner and eventually became pregnant; however, her boyfriend took off before Sorey was born. She became nationalized while raising Sorey. She kept in touch with her family, though, and thus he became somewhat inundated with Japanese language and culture while visiting his family annually overseas.

With the lack of a father, he turned everyone around him into his family, including all the various cousins he had through his mother's side. This also extended to the people on his block, as he was able to live in one place for basically his entire childhood. His mother landed a very good office job and remained there for a long, long time; this, and her family overseas, allowed her to afford a small house when she might not otherwise.

When he was still small, Sorey met his new neighbor, Mikleo. As the only other child on his street, they became inseparable; it helped that their mothers got along well, too. They would always get into trouble together, either by running off to explore new places or solving mysteries, usually inspired by something Sorey had read or watched. It was no surprise that when Sorey found his first fossil as a kid-- owing to a movie where he'd seen fossils on the beach -- he chose to become an adventurer archaeologist... and his friend, always wanting to keep up with him, chose that too.

Sorey wasn't a bad student or disruptive, though he was interested in history, literature, and P.E. more than anything else. He moved from sport to sport but it was martial arts-- swordfighting, specifically-- that caught his attention, and he ended up continuing it up through college. It's safe to say that he chose swordfighting because it has a deep Japanese history and was one of the few things from his mother's land that he could take with him.

He took on a hefty major in archaeology to the surprise of no one, guided by his deep love of the humanities and history, and a desire to learn more about the past. One could easily say this was because he had no idea about his father or that side of his family, but it didn't consciously bother him growing up. He felt he had plenty of family and hid all the bad thoughts deep, deep down. He also leaned heavily on his mother's father, who disapproved of the affair his daughter had but adored the child who came out of it. Sorey learned some serious old wisdom from him, though he passed away in his sleep during Sorey's sophomore year. Sorey was devastated but still managed to finish the year, mostly with the support of his family and friends.

As a junior in college, he spends the majority of his time as a student teacher and a tutor. His gift with people has piqued an interest in counseling or teaching, but he's just too busy for another degree right now. He certainly has the capacity for it if his priorities shift and he realizes that his dream was a child's.

NEW AU PERSONALITY:

Sorey doesn't have anything to hold him back in this AU, since he was raised by humans and around humans; he doesn't have any barriers to keep him from befriending people. As a result his empathy comes out in full force. He is absolutely qualified to guide others and be there for them, and guide them even without the pressure of the 'Shepherd' legacy. Here, he's just a teacher-- but a teacher can make a huge difference. He lacks a real father figure and perhaps unconsciously wants to be there for others.

Mikleo continues to be a very important presence in Sorey's life. Not only did he give him his nickname ('Sorey' is so much easier to say than 'Surei' when you're five years old), but Mikleo taught Sorey how to be gentle with those who are different. Of course Sorey still has his blind spots, but having seen Mikleo's scars and how other people treat him, he has a much better idea of how to handle others with care.

Compared to his canon counterpart, this Sorey is much happier. He actually knows his mother and has a huge family-- long distance though it is-- and he's never really known true suffering or loss the way he did in canon. He was very close to his maternal grandfather who just recently passed away, but he died of old age-- nothing like having to kill him himself. He also doesn't know what it's like to be shunned or feared for his powers though that may soon change. AU Sorey's selflessness comes from a more realistic point of view as a teacher and public worker with an adventurous bent, while canon Sorey is selfless because it's in the job description.

He doesn't acknowledge that he is sad about his father, but it's certainly something he will have to deal with at some point, especially if he is supposed to help other people with father issues. As stated above, he has a great innate capability for teaching and counseling, but he also continues to repress things he doesn't want to feel much like his canon counterpart. Sorey has a tendency to put other people first and he knows that by poking around his father's history, he'll bring up the man who hurt his mother. He's also somewhat worried that since his father was the kind of person to run out on someone who's pregnant, he might be the nasty sort of person Sorey can't stand. On the other hand, Sorey is still a bit sheltered due to being lower middle class basically, so he thinks people maybe aren't all bad.