Vatheon Application

[chokmahemperor]

[ Player Name ] : Lambency
[ Personal DW ] : obscuredtempest
[ Age ] : 24
[ Timezone ] : US Central Time
[ Other Characters ] : n/a

[ Character's Name ] : Emperor Peony Upala Malkuth IX
[ Character's Age ] : 36
[ Series ] : Tales of the Abyss
[ Canon Point ] : Post-epilogue

[ History ] :
Before he was born, Yulia Jue left the Score. Within this Score, there was told the death of Malkuth's final emperor at the hands of the Kimlascans and a plague that would spread across the lands. Good thing the Score isn't perfect, right?

Peony was born into the royal family of Malkuth, child of the emperor and his wife of lowest standing. The Score foretold of Peony's claim to the throne. He was sent away as a child to Keterburg, a snowy city on another continent far from Malkuth and away from the danger his family found itself entangled with. It was there he met Jade, Jade's sister Nephry, and Saphir. He schooled with them under Professor Nebilim when he wasn't kept within the walls of the mansion he was fairly trapped within. In fact, he just up and used his late older brother's name as a pseudonym and said he was from Chessedonia so people wouldn't know he was royalty.

During his time in Keterburg, Peony fell in love with Nephry. It was after Jade and Saphir left, and even when he was drawn back to Grand Chokmah, he vowed to love her still. Peony was advised to abandon the notion, and Nephry was meant to marry someone else. So they parted ways, but he'd always love her.

The mansion now stands empty in Keterburg with Peony IX taking his place as emperor of Malkuth, dwelling in its capital city of Grand Chokmah. His best friend serves in his military, and his rooms are filled with... livestock. Rappigs, to be precise. As infuriating to some as it may be, Peony's thoughts on the matter have never once wavered. They're cute. ♥

The emperor sent a letter to Kimlasca, alongside Jade, Fon Master Ion (acting as a neutral supporter and aided by the Malkuth military), and Ion's guardian, Anise. Through the entire unpleasantness of dealing with Van, Mohs, Asch, and everything else that just wanted to thwart peace just to be a pest (alright, maybe just the baddies that decided they didn't want peace for various reasons (coughScorecough)), the aim was ultimately successful thanks to everyone who eventually got that damn letter where it needed to go in spite of the rest of the game's plot. A merry chase of rappigs, spas, and other such things peppered our heroes' journey when they stopped in Grand Chokmah and with... no small amount of Peony's, er, eccentricities. After this monumental letter carrying task was completed (and between replicas being used to incite violence against both countries, it didn't end with the letter obviously), Peony provided our heroes with SUPER SEKRIT TEKNOLOGIES. ...Or a plane, yanno. Either or. They're both right. Somewhere in there was a bout to try and remove Peony from the throne with someone posing as his eldest brother's illegitimate child, but that was all just... Well. People who can't handle a relaxed emperor. Also a terrified/pissed off Jade is not something you want to see in life.

Peace would continue after the final defeat of Van and the resurrection of Lorelei, and Peony has no intentions of allowing the violence to return. His people are that which is dearest to him, and in a world without the absoluteness of the Score... Well, there are going to be plenty of growing pains when it comes to getting used to that.

[ Personality ] :
Peony is... "laid back" might be the proper term, though "lazy" might also apply. He is untidy and lacking in formality for the most part--most inappropriate for any ruler. He's an easy hand on his kingdom, firm and guiding without being intense. That's more Jade's department, he'd probably say. Jade's the one to scare people, not him. This can shift when something more important arises, and the need for complete seriousness is in order. He'll layer his easier attitude over that when he deems things manageable enough without being stern.

In addition to being messy and not 100% serious at all times, Peony keeps livestock in his chambers. Livestock he names after those he cares about. He names them in this way so he remembers their names, but... Not many, surely, want a rappig (a pig-like creature with rabbit-like ears, still good for bacon) named after them. Nevertheless, he keeps this habit, and his favourites of the "herd" are fondly given the names "Jade" and "Nephry" (who has the best looking collar). One reason he keeps the rappigs around is because, of course, they are unbelievably cute (at least in his eyes). Another reason is the way he feels about them. It is far easier to place faith in a pet than another person, and a pet's loyalty is nearly unbreakable. It's comfortable and reassuring for him, silly as it might be. No cooking them.

Peony's taste in aesthetics guides him towards the intelligent beauty. He's only ever been in love with a woman once--Jade's sister, Nephry, who married another man. He's had some trouble with marriage and commitment due to this, and so he has yet to give his country an heir. Despite the fact that it's a doomed love, that flame will always burn within him and he will always love her. And then you have his "my Jade" line...? He is intelligent, but... He's a ladies' man, though, and he'll pull out the charm every time. That being said, he isn't shallow. He knows what "too far" is and makes it a point to stay clear of that (although he does tease sometimes).

Growing up, Jade, Saphir (who would later call himself "Dist" and prove to be a proper pain in the ass) and Nephry were his closest friends (though Nephry claimed his heart later), and Jade took the top spot of the two. He behaves more freely in front of his colonel, and is generally more open. ...As well as undoubtedly obnoxious in the fonist's eyes with the fierce differences between their personalities. That being said, Peony has the best mechanism for putting up with Jade's attitude: he turns it right back on him. He might be a little gentler with his wording, but Peony can be just as much of a snarky jerk with the way he banters with his friend. He also has limitless faith in Jade's ability to persist (and really in Jade himself, in spite of the mistakes of the past), and the man is one of very, very few he places trust in. Nephry is another of these few.

Peony can also be a huge fanboy given the time to develop the fanaticism. Case in point: Abyss Man. Just... Fanboy. This kind of goes along with the fact that Peony can be a bit of a man-child, making other people do stupid things that really shouldn't take very long and that he could easily do himself (and calling it a mission, giving them no room to argue) or sticking them in silly costumes because :D. But yanno. Emperor. He's allowed to be a little weird. In retrospect, it might be done just to annoy Jade. :D

[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
+ Peony doesn't possess the intelligence of someone like Jade or Saphir, but he does possess wisdom and insight that serve him well as a monarch.
+ Persuasiveness and a gilded tongue are fantastic allies in politics.
+ Peony is also very charismatic and charming. All in all, he makes for a wonderful ruler combining this with the above traits. His people love him enough, anyway.
+ While he can be protective of his friends, he is sure to let them learn their lessons as needed. He doesn't coddle.
+ Peony's a pretty tough guy, built broad through the chest and shoulders and able to take a little more punishment than most. His martial arts skills help with that, too.

- He doesn't trust immediately on a personal level.
- He has few freedoms that aren't limited by the politics he's surrounded by now, and as a result some of his eccentricities are worsened.
- While he can use a sword, it isn't likely that he'd do well in real combat with one as he's protected by the Malkuth military and he's not really meant to be on the field. There's only so much practice can do. MA, on the other hand... But even then, he doesn't have much experience in real combat.
- Stress! Easy to come by in a position like his. That said, he's fairly adept at hiding it, but... It does get to him. This is what pets are for!


[ Other Important Facts ] :
Peony collects weapons as a hobby. It is a messy hobby since he just kind of drops them wherever.
If Jade begs him for anything, he's pretty sure he'll puke. It's probably the insincerity.


[ Sample ] :
The rappigs had gotten out again. He distinctly remembered the maid remarking as such, and seeing others who were trying to find the adorable creatures (how could anyone not love a face that cute?). He'd found one of them, been busy fussing at it and pressing his nose to its snout in as much fondness as a man could muster for something so unbelievably adorable, when things seemed to come to an abrupt halt before jarring back into motion. The blond found himself flat on his back, soaking wet, and more than a little confused. At first, the emperor thought he'd toppled over backwards and into the water that surrounded his beautiful city. But if that was the case, how did he end up in it? He hadn't been near an open window; hadn't been near any sort of railing that was near water; cute Jade had tucked himself away between one wall and a staircase again. For that matter, how did he not realize he'd fallen? That was what made this all a little hard to process. Peony was many things, but he was prone neither to narcolepsy, sleepwalking, nor blackouts. A little "blonde" at times, but that only went so far.

Hefting himself up and wringing the water out of his hair, Peony wandered aimlessly for a moment, straying left to right until he found himself back where he started. Strange; this definitely wasn't Grand Chokmah, but he knew that from the start. It wasn't anywhere in Malkuth, for that matter; neither Kimlasca nor Daath, as far as he could remember. It was too wet, for one. Definitely would have been harder to get him to either of those places as well, unless he'd just been hit with some sort of Hyperressonance that just vibrated him from one place to another. A distinct possibility, after a bit of thought. But where would it have come from? The only two people he knew capable of such a thing wouldn't have done that... And Jade had been missing since that day, so it couldn't have been him. Not that he really expected Jade to tamper too much with anything like that. Smart, probably a little crazy, but not that crazy. Yulia City? No...

Folding his arms behind his head, Peony flipped through the problems with being somewhere like this: a place to which he wasn't sure how he'd gotten. Well for one, his court was probably flipping out. For another, he couldn't actually perform his duties from here. That was a problem since things were trying to pick back up again. Honestly, the list went on. Now the bigger problem: where to go from here? He was left with little other choice than to seek someone out and start asking questions!

The blue was something he was used to; all of Grand Chokmah was blue--the waterfall behind his throne, the sea surrounding the city itself. The coral, on the other hand? Not so much. With a curious grin, the emperor approached it, brushed tanned fingers over it. It was then he noticed the fishes, and just where the blue really was.

"Well, I didn't think it quite worked like that," he chuckled. Even if no one was around, he was just fine with talking to himself; made it feel a little less strange since it meant there was at least a little something familiar. "But at least I'm not drowning. Wet, though. Guess I should do something about that." Rather not catch cold in a weird place that looked like it was just one fonic barrier of some kind away from being waterlogged.

[ Questions? Comments? Concerns? ] :
I am forever flexible with headcanons? I dunno what else I could put here. lulz Oh. I know I reserved him under the handle "Ten", but I didn't notice that someone with that handle's already playing on the comm. Switched to "Lambency" to avoid confusion. ;;