MunName: Lizzie!!!
Livejournal Username: ohlizzie at eljay dot.com.
E-mail: same as below. C:
AIM/MSN: theflailingwalrus@hotmail.com
Current Characters at Luceti: None.
CharacterName: Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Time Period: Before Coming of Age Ceremony yet post-game.
Wing Color: starts white at the base and blends into gold.
History Here you go. ~Personality: At a glance, Natalia is arrogant, haughty, and spoiled. She can be described as a nag, overly bossy, and by Luke early in the game, ‘a stuck-up wannabe Queen’. However, this is far from who she is as a person. Yes, Natalia is very much a girl used to the pampered life. From the start of the game the most we see of Natalia is her bossiness, her stubbornness, and her haughty yet elegant nature. She has no issues giving out orders. She even goes so far as to seem pushy, as she does when the party meets her for the first time in Luke’s manor. Getting up straight in Guy’s face, she haughtily declares that he should discard his fear of women if he hopes to serve her and Luke effectively once they’re married. She’s loose with how she speaks to others, perhaps due to her title, but it’s in her nature to be forthright. “You’d best get used to it.” She finishes.
So the first part of the game we are thinking, ‘Oh, she’s a brat.’ But only after you head to the throne room that you see a glimpse of what Natalia is really about. When describing the situation of Akzeriuth, Natalia, despite her position, is the first to ask her Father if she can accompany Luke. We can easily assume it’s because her fiancé, Luke, is going. However, it’s only after she uses her stubbornness, despite being told not to go, to sneak out, dress in traveling clothes and go into the dirty old Baticul factory that we find another reason.
“Two countries are about to make peace. This is no time for a Princess to be sitting at home.” For reasons completely separate from wanting to be with her fiancé, Natalia actually does it out of sheer concern for the people trapped in the miner’s city. Her sheer boldness and pushiness comes into play as she feels her entitlement as royalty, her duty “to aid those in need” empowers her to break her Father’s refusal and go off into danger for her convictions. It’s this sometimes foolhardy courage and determination that makes the framework for Natalia’s personality. That desire to act on what her heart tells her instead of what is far more prudent, her mind. Of course Natalia was never a Princess to really sit around when her feelings propel her to act.
Natalia’s convictions are one of the driving forces that makes her such a political and emotional force. When they finally arrive to the Miner’s City, the drive to ‘aid those in need’ comes in to play, and once Natalia has her mind set, nothing, not dirt or grime from the declining City, can keep her from helping someone in front of her. So when Luke tells her if she gets near the sick and injured that she, a princess, will get dirty, Natalia responds with anger, “Who’s dirty? Don’t say such things!” And resumes doing whatever she can to help who’s around her.
This is a key point in describing how Natalia is as a person, and as a Princess. While she is dressed to the nines even for someone traveling, while she maintains perfect poise, grace and manners even among those of lower stations, when it comes down to it, Natalia doesn’t care about propriety half as much as when the situation calls for her to get dirty and involved in order to help. This willingness, this desire to serve instead of be served that comes first and foremost, is what makes Natalia such a beloved Princess to her people.
Behind her Princessly qualities, Natalia is very much a girl at heart. She can tend to be very gullible with the party, often believing whatever she hears, for instance, when Anise tells her Van’s power comes from his beard as a joke, to the party’s amusement, Natalia instantly believes her. She has a passionate love for ghost-stories and likes nothing more than to hear something that gets her riled up. When the party goes to Keterburg, Natalia is the first to admit that the weather is lovely enough to walk with a gentleman around, giving what the party more of what they already know, that she is a deep romantic at heart. “Oh how romantic would it be if the first thing you remembered was your promise to me?” She asks Luke near the beginning of the game, and very childishly offers out a pinky for them to swear by, suggesting that she still has her fair share of childlike qualities.
Her innocence contrasts with the soldiers of the group, and her instant horror at seeing death only causes the party to wonder if she is capable. “I’m a studied healer and master of Lanvaldear-style archery, “ She says smartly to them, but the party realizes the only time she’s actually seen combat is when she visited an army camp, not actually participated in battle. So while Natalia puts on a front of experience, she is still very much as new a soul in the world as Luke is starting out. This changes as she sees things with her own eyes, connecting it to what she feels she must do as a Princess and a person.
Appearance-wise and quirk wise, Natalia keeps a fairly proper stance, and when incensed or feeling passionate, points with her finger commandingly when she wants to make a statement. When startled, she clasps her hands to her mouth with a gasp, and often says either, “Oh my!” or “Goodness!” As opposed to what the normal person would most likely just gawk and say something simple. As the party worries over Natalia during a situation that confronts her past, Natalia’s mind is instead worried about the sand on her clothes! “A sweaty princess…” She murmurs, causing the rest of the party to wonder what really goes on in her head. Just like any regular girl Natalia is prone to daydreaming or escaping somewhere else instead of focusing on important things. That’s not to say she won’t give it her all of course!
In cooking, this is one situation the party wishes she didn’t put her 100% dedication into. Using the group as test subjects, Natalia’s cooking can easily send them under. When trying Asch’s cooking she says, “I just can’t accept that you cook better than me, “with embarrassment, her pride as a woman in question! She can take the smallest things very seriously in this regard, and when she does, the party tends to back away when she gets feisty. Natalia tends to go like the saying goes ‘all out’ hands on her hips, leaning in close and it’s suddenly a whirlwind of much nagging and scolding. While her quirks are in good fun, teasing her on them is sure to invoke this reaction.
Girlish is certainly another quirk we can find in the spunky Princess. On a sidequest, Natalia dreamily states that she’s always wanted to be like the “beautiful, mysterious’ phantom thief, the Star of Malkuth. This gives us an insight to how silly the Princess really can be beneath her fancy way of talking and her pretty clothes. She has as much imagination and heart as a young girl, and her adventurous nature and curiosity towards the unknown is both a source of amusement and exasperation to the group.
Natalia is exceedingly compassionate, despite her bossy and sometimes haughty demeanor. Her kind nature shines through her bossiness. “We must do all we can for those who are suffering, “ She says point blank to the party, setting aside emotional situations in order to do just that. Natalia is extremely emotional, as pointed out in her weaknesses section, and above all, extremely naïve. She’s deeply compassionate, headstrong, and dedicated. To her, being a Princess is not about the dresses and gowns, (although Natalia very girlishly enjoys speaking about the luxuries, example: Comparing Keterburg’s spa as being ‘tiny’.) but the people. Her sense of responsibility to them and her Father is tremendous.
“Natalia, you truly are this kingdom’s princess, “Tear says deep words considering only recently Natalia was chased out of her kingdom for being not of royal blood, chased by her Father’s men. Instead of hating her kingdom for some of its people losing faith in her, Natalia turns and says, “I want to be. I love this kingdom with all my heart.” Natalia by no means, even though she uses pretty words, gained this sort of love from sitting in her castle watching her people from afar. She’s not a lazy person by any means when t comes to helping or serving those she loves. In this case, the tens of thousands of citizens of Baticul who share the same city she lives in.
She went out among them, created jobs for them, created hospitals and devoted her heart and soul into projects for them. This sort of love was not misplaced. Not to Asch, and not to the kingdom who repays her by defending her against the ruling King even though she is his adopted daughter. “We don’t give a damn if you’re the real Princess or not. “ This sense of responsibility to them, born out of love, is doubled further when they actually do defend her.
Whenever something happens to Kimlasca while Natalia is gone, she considers herself personally responsible. “In the end, I failed to protect my people, “ She says at one point when the people of Sheridan sacrifice themselves for their escape. Natalia’s concern for her people extends to many forms. Not being a Princess by blood, Natalia says soon after that she worries if she is doing the right thing. She even refers to herself as ‘A commoner in this position’ and asks the party, “How am I certain my motives aren’t selfish?” The fact that she continues to do altruistic things for others while worrying if she’s doing them for personal gain or satisfaction, shows that in reality, Natalia isn’t so arrogant at all, in fact, most of her motives are purely unselfish.
Most of her arrogance is really national pride. Like a real princess, she is the first to defend her country against any claims of indecency, even quicker to defend the decisions of her Father. She hotly protests against anyone so much as insulting or harming her nation or it’s people with the description of it being her Kimlasca. She’s fairly possessive over it. This is where most of her pride stems from.
Natalia is fairly powerful in spirit, as well. She faces the brunt of many brutal events in the game, and even then, while she stumbles and has her breakdowns, rational reactions, it’s noted that she is also one to get back up not soon after with the firm insistence that ‘She’s alright now.’ She confesses to Guy that she isn’t truly alone, that she has his support, something she had much of in the Inista Marsh, and she’s seen ‘everyone’s strength.’ This strength of heart comes from her sense of responsibility, the inspiration from seeing her comrades around her continue on, and her own words, “We can’t avert our eyes now that we have seen the truth.” So while Natalia loses many things she loves in the course of the game, she knows, after she lets the emotions wash over her, that she has to keep moving. That she can’t go back to the spoiled, naïve princess she was before she began her journey, like she tells Luke in Keterburg, “You and I are completely different people than when we started out on this journey.”
This causes her to do a lot of thinking and a lot of backtracking. This involves her going so far as to renounce the promise that shaped so much of her life and ideals, her promise with Asch. She often mixed Luke and Asch often in the game since both hold the same name, and says, “I realize I was holding you to a promise that was no longer valid.” It hurts Natalia to admit or to let go of things that make such an impact on her life, and it even involves a few shares of mental withdrawal from the party. Particularly when Asch dies, we see the same Natalia we saw in Inista Marsh, breaking down, letting her powerful emotional side get the best of her as she grieves someone she loved.
When Natalia gets like this, her dependent side comes out. Natalia by nature is a naively trusting person, someone who is more prone to think people are favorable than not. Having her dreams, all her childhood dreams (things she was beginning to see not happening the more time was spent with Asch, the more she saw the way of the real world outside of Baticul, etc) be shattered, from learning her real history, losing Asch, being chased from her home by her own Father, all of it takes it’s toll. Eventually Natalia has a breaking point, and when it becomes too much, she caves in, and shuts herself out. She hides behind a foggy, almost half-state of awareness, even being flippant on her ideals as she retreats into a remotely distant shell. After she loses Asch, the dependency she has on support, people to remind her of what’s important, slowly begins to dissolve. At the point she’s taken from, Natalia, already well acquainted with loss, realizes that she is the one left to protect and guard Kimlasca now, as it’s sole heir to the throne. Her sense of responsibility is now born from the realization that thousands of died in the series of occurrences since Van began to move, and while Asch’s promise to her was when he was a different person, now it only serves as a bittersweet reminder that she plans to fulfill on her own. At the end of the game Natalia is still standing, still with her heart on her sleeve, still fragile, but with the same powerful strength of will despite the many losses she’s suffered. Her desire to help and to serve her people hasn’t lessened in the least, marking her as still, what the people consider, a True Princess, and more than that, someone who will one day become their Queen.
Strengths: Natalia’s compassion, is one of the defining traits of her character. Natalia by no means, is a selfish, greedy princess. While she comes off as haughty and arrogant, her love for those of her country is genuine. Her love for others doesn’t stop there, she often is the first to express concern for people involved in a certain dilemma, whether they are from her country or not.
When she sees enemies suffering, sees things that need help or aid, Natalia is often first to rush to help. For example, when the party falls into the Qlipoth, Natalia is the one who leaps forward to try and save a boy about to sink into the miasma. “I’ll save you,” She cries, only to be pulled back by Tear. Natalia possesses a strong sense of integrity and moral fiber that propels most of her actions.
.
Her insight, her concerns with how she herself acts shows not only a degree of constant concern for others, but a sign that even an heir to the throne of a powerful kingdom is willing to take critiscism and better herself.
Natalia’s tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve isn’t just harmful. On the contrary, it is also something that displays the level of strength and power she has within herself to be able to freely display her joys, her sorrows, and happiness with the party. It also shows a strong level of trust that she tends to show to others.
Her sense of grace and confidence, her way with words, could also be a strength. She carries herself with dignity as befitting of her station, but at the same time with the power of an individual who knows what she wants and is willing to take effort, not just from assistance from servants, but for herself to help others. She goes so far as to place herself in constant danger in order to do what she feels is right. Her bravery is something that sometimes needs to be built up, but the Princess is brave, make no mistake about that. In order to meet with the very Father who sentenced her to execution, she charges the capital city of her kingdom with her people urging her to flee again, willing to sacrifice herself in order to plead for peace between the two countries. Such behavior isn’t something you can’t force on anyone, but a strength that comes from within.
She shows her courage and strength when it counts, and it helps to have a tender heart that motivates such a strength.
Weaknesses: Natalia, while having her share of powerful traits, is still someone with plenty of mental and emotional insecurities. These can be involved from both being set on one person, to stemming from experiences she receives ingame.
One of her most prominent weaknesses is most likely, Asch. As someone who shares a deep history with her that greatly shapes who she is as a person, hearing if anything happens to Asch immediately sets her into a worrying state. Natalia’s obvious affections for Asch weren’t subtle in the game, and the struggle to differentiate between the boy he was and the man he’s become were a constant open-book in the skits and the dialogue the two share. Asch served as a way of motivating and inspiring Natalia back to herself, and she unwittingly began to rely on him much like she would have relied on him if he were still the man meant to rule alongside her. When he died, it was safe to say Natalia was crippled with grief. From her gamepoint, even while she is still grieving, Natalia realizes that the best way she can honor and show how much she cared for Asch and their memories, is to move forward and create a world, a kingdom, that he would be proud of, not just for him, but as much closure for herself. This is still a sore-spot for her, however, and don’t be surprised if she gets quiet over discussions relative to him or her memories of him.
Natalia’s capacity to show and feel emotion, is both a weakness and a strength for her. In this section, we go into the weaknesses of it. As a Princess, to be able to feel strongly for your people can be a blessing, but in some cases, Natalia can feel so strongly about something, that it can temporarily blind her to what she needs to be doing next. For good or ill, the young Princess is starkly contrasted with the reality-aware soldiers Tear and Anise. As a naïve idealist by nature, Natalia is more prone to feel her emotions and show them rather than hide them behind battle-hardened discipline. While she can be strong and steadfast in critical situations, Natalia is just as prone to react on the emotions of her heart in a crisis just as easily. For example, when discovering her birth was forfeit and false, Natalia falls into a state of depression, half-awareness, and despair. She becomes ruled by her emotions and serves as a stumbling block to the party. She isn’t one to hide how she feels, even when she tries, it’s obvious that there is something wrong. In this case, it took the support of her castmates to help her realize what the despair in her mind could not: Regardless of her birthrights, Natalia was still beloved by her people.
Strong emotions can obscure the truth to Natalia just like any regular person.
In terms of combat, Natalia is by no means a close-range fighter. She tends to fight from afar with her arrows and supports the group with spells/artes aimed towards a single person instead of wide-ranged like Tear. Her spells are more concentrated, and she has no outstanding physical combat techniques.
(Physical, mental and emotional; PLEASE PROVIDE CANON EXAMPLES)
One of Natalia’s greatest (For the strengths and weaknesses section, feel free to include powers or special abilities if they apply.)
Samples (ALL samples must be set in Luceti-verse.)
First Person: People of Luceti, I extend my greetings. My name is Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, and I require a moment of your time.
First, I will go right to the point: Is anyone from the world of Auldrant among you? If so, please, I urge you to reply. As Princess of Kimlasca and as a fellow resident of our world I have a duty to ensure your wellbeing.
Second, I demand to know why I am placed here. I have a strange tattoo on my neck and a set of wings that are far more fitting on a monster than on one of royalty. I am half-certain I am hallucinating.
Such insolence and lack of propriety for another cannot go unpunished, and to those of you who share my fate, please, I humbly request all information you have to offer so that we can come closer to distributing proper punishment.
And finally, I offer my services, to you, city. Not to those in power who have brought us here, but to those of us who are currently stuck within this world. I will do whatever I can to aid you, you have my sworn word. Times such as these require everyone working together. That said, once I am settled, you will have my assistance.
Until then, I await further responses. [click]
Third Person: The forest floor had a new visitor today. It was a clear afternoon and the sunlight filtering through the trees did nothing but help cause one very disoriented girl to begin opening her eyes. Lying still on the ground, a white shift cloaked around her body, was a young woman with curly gold hair. She appeared to be asleep at a glance, but it was only the grimace on her face that suggested sleep hadn’t been intentional.
A quiet groan escaped her lips as she stubbornly continued to attempt to open her eyes. After a few pauses, a pair of foggy green eyes looked at their surroundings.
“Where…” Her voice was nothing but a quiet croak, as Natalia proceeded to untangle her limbs. The last she remembered was going over some paperwork with some of the knights assigned to her latest projects, clad in something far classier than what she was wearing now. Her nose wrinkled in distaste, as she had enough calm to remark, “This doesn’t even pass as sleeping garments. How distasteful.” The princess muttered, looking up at the open sky with mounting anxiety. “This doesn’t look anything like a place in Baticul, I surely would have known, and I wouldn’t have been so willingly kidnapped—“ She tried to think of anything out of the ordinary, but came up blank. White lights stuck out in her mind but that was about it.
“This is unacceptable. “ Irritation became her driving force to keep herself active, to not fall into disarray at her current dilemma. “Once I find the culprit I will have a few choice words with them...” She snapped, dusting off the leaves in her short curls with a hand, only to stiffen at the sudden pain shooting from her shoulder blades and the feathery sensation against her wrists when she reached behind her head to dust them off.
“What..” She began, rising to her feet shakily, trying to reach for the source of the sensation. But the more she reached, the more pain she felt. Confusion clouded the girl’s mind as she stared at her bare feet, trying her best not to panic. She was barely clothed, (hardly befitting a Princess anyway), and there was some sort of injury on her back that she couldn’t reach without hurting herself further.
“Where is this..” She muttered, sharp green eyes looking around with full awareness now. There were no knights to be had, no sign of civilization save this wood, and she had no weapon to defend herself against the monsters she was certain she’d encounter. “I’ll look for the closest Inn and some clothing. Then I’ll look for the source of this incident, “ She said to herself, her mind focused on her immediate return to her kingdom’s capital.
“Forgive me, Father. I’ll be at your side soon enough. “ The Princess whispered quietly, after all, she couldn’t change her country in a plain shift and no shoes on her feet. Mind set, Natalia continued her uncertain trek through the woods, a pain sharp in her back and questions rising in her mind.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
..
"You've reached Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear.
