empatheias application

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⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Kate
Contact: enabled
Age: 34
Current Characters: N/A


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Kain Highwind.
Age: 21
Canon: Final Fantasy IV
Canon Point: End of game during his time on Mt Ordeals.

Background: wiki link

Personality:

Kain is the poster child for "that emo guy" which tends to happen in Final Fantasy games. From the start he's shown to be a somewhat quiet and serious young man. He's devoted to his work as the Commander of the Dragoons in Baron, something taken very seriously by Highwind due to the fact they'd been in a right state prior to him taking over. Kain is one of the better commanders the group has had, as talking to other dragoons they mention how much in awe of the Commander they're in which goes to show that Kain isn't all talk when it comes to prowess. Anyone would be forgiven for thinking that Kain would merely stick to himself at all times with an opening introduction like that,
however growing up he managed to make a few good friends that he would ultimately stick with until the very end.

When with his friend Cecil, Kain is more talkative and occasionally enjoys a friendly soldier rivalry with the knight (or he used to). Kain and Cecil started on the wrong foot when first meeting but getting past that the pair became firm friends as shown in the start of the game when Kain stands up for Cecil against the King of Baron. Doing so went against everything he'd been trained in but Kain could see how much Cecil was hurting over the orders he'd been made to carry out. With Rosa, his other best friend, Kain again talks more, proving that he will do so when he knows the person. He's not completely standoffish when it comes to people and society. With Rosa, things are slightly more complicated; from a young age Kain has secretly loved on Rosa, keeping it completely to himself. No-one knows and he doesn't act out of line. The reasoning for this is that Rosa and Cecil are an item and Kain values his friendship most of all and refuses to step in between the pair just for his own gain showing common sense and shrewdness beyond his twenty-one years.

"Forgive me, Rosa... not all I've done was because of Golbez's spell. I just wanted to... I just wanted to keep you by my side."

During the events of the game, Kain finds himself being brainwashed not once but twice due to the Rosa issue. Even if he doesn't act on his feelings they live him wide open to being exploited. That and the jealousy towards his best friend also doesn't help any and Golbez saw it as a chink in the dragoon's armor and managed to weasel his way in and control Kain to do his bidding not once but twice. Remembering everything that he did during that time, including stealing important items from his friends, physically brawling with them and screwing them over, Kain carries a heavy sense of guilt and some humiliation on his shoulders. In the dragoon's mind he would never have been in that situation if he'd been stronger to resist it, end of story and so he takes on all the responsibility he feels he should carry. Not only that, but his friends somewhat forgave him for what went on, something that Kain feels he doesn't deserve, he understands what he did caused enough problems that mere words can't truly fix what was done. Even at the end of the game he skipped over Rosa and Cecil's wedding so he could seclude himself on a mountaintop and train in order to seek redemption for himself (which actually takes about fifteen years according to the sequel). Kain occasionally allows himself to sink into self pity and the odd bout of despair, brooding over the could-haves and would-haves that happened in the events of the game. They're not often and he can distract himself from them when finding something to do, but they do and can happen.

"This, too, is the path I choose!"

Brainwashing aside, Kain is a serious young man with a large sense of justice. Seeing things that aren't even or fair is enough for him to try and get involved to fix it even if it's to his own detriment. In the Dissidia series he's even seen to be fighting the people on his side only for it to be revealed that if he did it, the enemy wouldn't and therefore it wouldn't be permanent. He doesn't shy away from responsibility either, taking it head on from taking his father's place as Commander of Dragoons to bearing the responsibility of helping awaken the Giant of Babil and almost destroying the world. Kain is also prone to bouts of dry sarcasm, pride and also arrogance on occasion. He's not one for frivolous things, and is rarely if ever seen smiling. With a sense of justice and a mouth that can't seem to grin, most people could be put off by this brooding presence. Kain even has an affinity for high places and staying in the background when needed so most would not feel him to be a team player from the get-go. That and the fact is his track record isn't great, Kain knows it and will make the assumption that if others know it they will not want to know or work with him. He certainly isn't impressed with himself and others can be forgiven for thinking the same.


Abilities:

Apart from expert battle skills with any kind of spear weapon - javelins, halberds, pole arms - Kain has few skills in game including the iconic Jump ability. It doesn't sound very exciting, but Kain set the staple for future characters in Final Fantasy games with this move. All dragoons are able to use Jump, enabling them to jump thirty, forty even fifty foot straight upwards depending on the amount of effort used. Not only is this useful for getting around, but can also be used as a fierce attack, making sure to land on their target with spear pointing downwards (or on their feet, it's optional). He's not seen using magic in his world (though in the DS some could be linked to him). His skillset is simply agility, the fierce prowess in fighting with a spear and enough knowledge of battles to be able to think on his feet. He's not Commander of the Baron Dragoons through good looks alone and knows his way around a fight and how to exploit a weakness to lead the way to victory.

Alignment:

Aiada for the envy side of things. It was a toss up between Aiada and Peromei, however ultimately most of what happens to Kain boils down to the fact he was envious of his friends and the bond that they had. If Kain had come to terms with the fact his best friends were an item and not held a candle for Rosa for so long after his friends had gotten together, he may have stood more of a chance when Golbez tried to take control. Ultimately, Kain was offered everything Cecil had and that jealousy was the major flaw that managed to allow the brainwashing to take hold. Even at the end of the game, Kain doesn't go to Cecil and Rosa's wedding. He states it's due to the fact he needs to train but it's more than likely down to the simple fact that between feeling guilty over the whole thing and the enviousness that Cecil is now going to be married to Rosa and being hailed as the hero of everything it just wouldn't do well for him to be there. Kain's envy eclipses his despair at events, so he would do better being aligned with Aiada. Maybe one day he'll come to just appreciate the forgiveness his friends gave him some more.

(He can appreciate things; Kain likes dragons, high places, sometimes nice scenery. He's not totally dead inside.)


Other: n/a


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉

General Sample: TDM link 1

Emotion Sample: TDM link 1 (wildcard prompt)


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