Player and Character Info
Name/Handle: Aviy
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Timezone: EST
E-Mail Address: aviychan at gmail.com
GChat: aviychan
AIM: Fonic Filigree
Personal LJ username: aviy
Character: Luke fon Fabre
Character's role in their canon: OUR HERO.
Character's age: 18 physically, but has only been alive for eight years. Still, his mentality is closer to eighteen. This is either because he learns surprisingly fast, or because the years on Auldrant are twice as long as ours.
Character's gender: Male
Character’s “Real Name”: Mark Schriber
History: The number one thing you need to understand about Luke fon Fabre to understand his history, is that half of it isn't really is.
A boy named Luke fon Fabre was born in the year 2000 ND. With him came this prophecy: "In Kimlasca shall be born one who inherits the power of Lorelei. He will be a boy with royal blood and hair of red. He will be called Light of the Sacred Flame and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to glory."
The prophecy came from something known as the Score, which on the world of Auldrant, is basically like the complete history and future of the entire planet. One woman, Yulie Jue, 'read' all of this years ago and wrote it all down in 'stone' so that people of the future could follow it to prosperity. The Score is like the single religion of the entire planet. EVERYONE has one and EVERYONE follows it, it is not in anyway considered shameful. And living by the Score so that Auldrant can reach propensity is akin to seeking out Heaven, only instead of vague guidelines you have a step-by-step instruction manual.
Thus it's not surprising that when you have a step-by-step guide on how to bring everyone happiness, the people in control of this knowledge learn to make the decision to allow some sacrifices. If the Score says a boy named Luke fon Fabre will harness his awesome cosmic power to destroy an entire city, and himself, AND start a war... but it's all for the greater good? Well. Why not. Even his own father would sacrifice him to the cause.
THAT Luke fon Fabre was a very serious boy who was born, son of Duke Fabre, nephew to the King of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, heir to the throne, fiancé to the princess. He was all set to do his best to rule the nation, when his beloved mentor, trainer, and surrogate father figure, Van Grants, kidnapped him. And... locked him in a cage, then strapped him to a table, and did a rather painful thing to create a replica of him when he was only ten years old.
That replica did not have the Original Luke's memories, nor a mind beyond that of a child. But he did physically look STRIKINGLY like his original, with the only differences being a lighter hair color and tendency to favor his left hand. The replica was taken home by Master Van, who was heralded as a hero for saving the poor kidnapped boy from the eeevil clutches of enemy nation, Malkuth. Everyone was so happy that he was JUST ALIVE that no one seemed to really mind that 'Luke' had 'lost all of his memories'. He was a very cute child, a ten year old that would laugh and hug the maids and cry when he fell over. No one noticed that he wasn't the 'real' Luke. The kidnapped, Original Luke, went through his own story, but eventually accepted his replaced fate and adopted the name Asch the Bloody. His replica was raised with his life and became ever after known as Luke fon Fabre. And for the rest of this application I'll call them Luke and Asch.
Luke grew up hearing about Asch's life, and believing he had simply 'forgotten' the first ten years of his life. He was taught how to walk again, how to run, how to talk, how to read. But he never learned to share Asch's penchant for TAKING HIS FUTURE SERIOUSLY. Possibly because, after the kidnapping, everyone was so afraid of it happening again that they locked him in his father's manor permanently. In the seven years of his life, up until the start of the game, he had never gotten to leave the manor.
Thus adorable cute baby Luke grew into something of a brat. Though undeniably a GOOD, kind hearted brat. One who deeply wanted attention. After all his father was very withdrawn and never seemed to care for him, the only other children he ever knew were his servant, Guy Cecil, and his overbearing fiancé, Natalia Lanvaldear. Everyone else in his life was just a servant, and everyone did love him, but they also all kept waiting for him to 'remember' and become someone he wasn't. The only person who treated him like he was ONLY the person he'd been for the past seven years was Van Grants. Master Van taught Luke the sword, discipline, and basically ended up as Luke's hero and surrogate father as well. Luke would do ANYTHING for Master Van, which is all Master Van wanted in the end. To him Luke was a carefully crafted tool.
ANYWAY. THEN THE GAME STARTS.
Due to Complicated Psuedo-Science Stuff Luke is flung from his home clear across the WORLD, into the enemy territory of Malkuth, only with a girl who tried to kill Master Van (and later turns out to be Master Van's sister). He is for this duration of the game, very naive and bratty. He demands respect he didn't earn, tends to assume he is the most important person around, and is very casually selfish without realizing it at all. None-the-less, he clearly values life, instinctively, very highly, and rejects heatedly to the idea that he's a thief. When he meets a young, weak boy named Ion, he's immediately reduced to awkward blushing by something so simple as Ion being truly kind and respectful and grateful to him. At his heart, Luke was really just a very young kid wanting some positive attention, who had never learned the best way to get was to earn it instead of act like it was his birthright.
The story continues and Luke, as the RPG hero he is, GETS A PARTY. Anise Tatlin, the cute and devious little girl who protects Ion. Ion, THE POPE of the world. Guy Cecil, Luke's servant and BFF. Tear Grants, Van's younger sister. Jade Curtiss, a colonel from the Malkuth army. Natalia, that overbearing (BUT AMAZING) fiancé. And Mieu, Luke's personal Mascot. Despite the fact that Luke is selfish, bratty, narrow minded and eventually EXTREMELY arrogant in dealing with very serious situations, the members of his party all begin to genuinely care for him. This is important! Because he's really not doing anything heroic or particularly redeemable, but he still makes friends, and people still like him, and still see him as a good person even before he goes through a vital personality change.
THEN LUKE BLOWS UP A CITY. The Party is sent to a mining town called Akzeriuth, where poisonous gas is making it uninhabitable, they are to help the evacuation. Seems simple enough! But Master Van tells Luke that he can use his hyperresonance, a power which lets him basically negate matter, to get rid of the gas and save the whole town! Luke is taken with the idea of BEING A HERO, and follows Master Van's words to the letter, even as everyone around him is suspicious. Even as Asch YELLS IN LUKE'S HEAD for him to stop what he's doing.
Through following Van's orders, the pillar which supports Akzeriuth is destroyed, and the entire city falls into the Qliphoth, which is the swampy/gaseous/very unsafe space that exists below the crust of Akzerituh (which... floats supported by ten pillars called The Sephiroth). Luke and party survive, but literally EVERYONE IN THE TOWN DIES. You later can find out that Akzeriuth had a population of ten thousand people.
There is a rather beautiful and heartbreaking scene that follows, where no one accuses Luke of what he has done, just states what has happened. Luke, feeling progressively more guilty and upset, abruptly denies that it is his fault at all, blames Master Van entirely, and yells at the party. Everyone, disgusted with him, says as much and leaves. Except for Mieu, who says that he understands Luke's pain, because Mieu also caused a fire on his home forest, which killed many of his own people. Luke breaks down into tears.
Then Luke has his first real confrontation with Asch! Though they met a few times before that, Luke never really got any answers, just a very unsettled feeling. Asch tells Luke that he's a replica, and clearly a useless one. Luke denies this, they fight. Who wins depends on the player (I assume Luke won, as it feels in keeping with the overall 'replica is superior to the original' story line that is central to Asch's character), but afterward Luke passes out.
I realize this section here is a bit more 'play by play' but it's really central to the huge change in Luke's character after this point. While unconscious, he is 'connected' to Asch, and rides around in Asch's head as Asch assists the party. There Luke sees the mixed reactions of the party, from being completely dismissed by some of them, to the worried expressions of other. Guy completely leaves the party at one point, to go back for Luke. Choosing (to Asch's bitter acceptance) Luke over Asch. Throughout this whole section Luke is withdrawn and worried about his party, but also caring toward Asch.
When he wakes up, Luke has changed completely. His very first reaction is to be kind toward Mieu, who he was previously only ever abusive toward. Tear scolds him, tells him she will not be easy on him and won't accept him until he's proved he can change, but if he really intends to TRY, she will watch for it. Luke cuts his VERY LONG HAIR down to the shorter style he'll wear for the rest of the game, and vows to do his best to think for himself in the future.
Thinking for himself sort of becomes Luke's defining characteristic from here on out. He is not always right. He is not incredibly intelligent. But he honestly and seriously listens to everyone's opinions but always makes his own choices on matters. Choosing to live his life this way makes him gradually more intelligent in action, if not... book smarts.
And so as the plot continues Luke wins back his party. And basically turns completely into a jesus character. When they have to evacuate another town, Luke makes it completely his priority to see that everyone is safe, going so far as to carry older citizens on his back as a piggy back ride. He buys a rich man a mansion JUST BECAUSE HE ASKED. He begins to frequently use phrases like 'thank you' and 'sorry'. At the same time he gradually finds himself more, and listens to Guy's advice when he's told that it is better to LIVE for repentance than die for it.
Explaining the entire plot of the game is a very in depth, convoluted essay in of itself. But it also closely ties into a lot of the character changes Luke goes through. I will try to explain what is necessary without going over my word limit here.
When Luke confronts Master Van again, the once stern but caring Master is gone. Van treats him coldly, but almost indifferently. He tells him he is a tool who did not even function correctly, as Luke was meant to die at Akzeriuth. But in reality, Van is not too upset at this, in reality Luke is not important to him, not even human, and thus not worth much emotion.
Luke... never complains over this, actually. He's just that... accepting, by that point. He does not ever stop loving Master Van, and continues to call him 'Master' nearly all of the time. But he also agrees that since Master Van is trying to basically kill all of humanity, he has to be stopped at any cost. The team travels around the world trying to stop The Bad Guys, and eventually there is a show down with Master Van at one of the Sephiroth.
By this point Luke is pretty well settled into his kindness and selflessness, but has become lost due to... not being human. He withdraws on his own issues a lot, and doesn't talk about it much. But when he meets with Van again, wants to know what his reason for existing is. It seems like an odd thing to fixate on, but...
The thing about replicas is that they are not IN the Score. They are the only 'humans' in existence which do not have a predetermined future. Though having 'fate' is often considered a bad thing in our society, on Auldrant it is not only so common EVERYONE has one, but it's seen as a good thing. By following the Score, the world will reach prosperity. By being a replica, not only did Luke find out he doesn't really have ANYTHING he'd thought he had, from parents, to a past, to his own name, but he doesn't have the one thing that connects everyone on the planet: A reason for his existence. In the 'big picture' he is the only person who literally does not exist. And that was probably upsetting.
Luke does not find the answer to his question with Van, and the game seems to end after he is defeated. Everyone goes home, and Luke lazes around in the manor for a month, everyone else moves on.
But actually that was only the half way point! When things get moving again, Luke is still a little wistfully dissatisfied with his place in everything. And not quite fully formed as a person yet.
The party gets back together when it becomes apparent that Van Isn't Really Dead.
Much of the second half of the game is dedicated to other people's story lines. Luke as a character continues to learn and grow through learning about other people, and discovering the conviction of the villains. But as far as Important Character Points there is, primarily, The Tower of Rem.
Due to Van's efforts, the entire planet becomes covered with a poisoned miasma from the Qliphoth. This is the same gas that was threatening Akzeriuth. In a frantic effort to find a way to prevent literally 80% of the population from growing sick and dying, the party ends up on an island, in a tower called the Tower of Rem.
The only way to get rid of the miasma to use Luke and Asch's hyperresonance power. They are the only two people in the world who can use this technique at will, and it takes considerable energy from them. In order to get rid of ALL of the miasma on the entire planet, they would need a physical sacrifice of other bodies made from the same matter Luke is made from: the Seventh Fonon. You could get the Seventh fonon from either thousaands of Seventh Fonists. OR From a hell of a lot of replicas. Fortunately for the planet, Van had experimentally created thousands of replicas, who now lacked a purpose or a home, and were widely being rejected by the rest of society.
The hundreds of the replicas are willing to die to save the planet and everyone on it, so long as it is promised that the replicas remaining will be given a place in society. But only Luke or Asch can actually cause the hyperresonance that will save the world, and which ever of them does it will surely die.
They actually FIGHT over this 'honor'. Luke cannot accept Asch dying, just can not, and Asch is (secretly) dying himself, and believes Luke to be his superior which means Luke should show down with Master Van. Luke's entire party has mixed feelings, largely ranging toward the negative, but Luke chooses to think for himself, and at the last minute shoves Asch away and tries to create the hyperresonance.
In another HEART BREAKING SCENE. He can't stop thinking about how much he doesn't want to die, as he sacrifices himself.
But he also begins to fail, and Asch steps in to help him. Together they rid the world of the miasma and kill a few hundred replicas, but neither of them dies. ...Sort of. Luke learns later that while he isn't dead instantly, his body is basically falling apart, and there's no way to know when he will simply fade away. But pleased to be alive at ALL, and determined to enjoy his last moments for as long as he can, and for the greater good, he doesn't tell his party about this. They head into end game.
Master Van's ultimate goal is to kill all of humanity and replace them with replicas. For all that he does not immediately acknowledge replicas as human beings, he feels there is no purpose to a life which you do not have a choice in. Believing the Score to be something that controls people, rather than guides them, the only way to end it completely is to end everyone connected to it. He fully intended to kill even himself and his followers to this cause.
The party believes, inspired by Luke's actions, that is possible to change your destiny, that the Score is not a fact but merely a possible path. In the end they are unable to sort things out through talk (though they do TRY), because both parties just have completely different beliefs. In the end, Luke's party is of course, 'right'. But ironically, if Van's side was correct, they would have been the heroes.
While going through the final dungeon, Luke faces Asch one more time. They agree to battle each other, this time. Asch to prove that he isn't weaker than a replica, and Luke to prove that he isn't just a replica. Luke wins, and Asch stays behind to let Luke free. Asch eventually dies at the hands of a wave of fodder enemies, and when he does so his... something. His soul, perhaps, or his hyperresonance, or his data, goes back to Luke on the final level of the dungeon and Luke knows Asch died.
Incredibly saddened, but determined, Luke decides this means 'Asch is with me' and goes on to face Master Van.
Van acknowledges Luke as a human for the first time, saying he proved it by 'reaching him over a mountain of corpses'. They argue a bit about their different philosophies, but can't reach an agreement. They fight, and of course the party wins. As Van dies Luke still loves him, and says "Master! ... Thank you."
Van only tells his Brethren (humanity, I think) that he is sorry for failing, and dies. (THIS IS ALSO A HEARTBREAKING SCENE).
Luke gets a few moments with each party member, before he has to stay behind and die classically for humanity. He promises them that he will return one day, knowing it's probably not really possible, but, I think, fully intending to try. In the end of course, he does die. Stopping Van's plans completely means releasing Lorelei (Lorelei sort of IS the Score, in some respects, but is also 'the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon' and sort of like a very powerful spirit that Van harnessed for his plans). In freeing Lorelei, Luke uses up the last of himself. Asch falls down with him amid the crumbling dungeon, and Luke catches him. There is a flash of light as Luke accepts his death.
What happens afterward is highly debated among fandom. The factual version is that two years later, a boy with long read hair appears before the party and says he was here because had to keep a promise. They are happy to see him, Tear runs to him, crying. We get no more than that, and whether it is Luke or Asch, or Luke AND Asch, or a completely new person, or a fusion of their memories or just a fusion of their bodies, etc, is up to the player.
I will be taking Luke from immediately after his death, and before any kind of fusing. But my personal opinion on that is that it is a new person. There is a side quest which basically states that even if the replica and original returned to each other, the memory would be lost. It's sadder that way, but to me, most accurate.
Personality: Luke is, at his core, just A Good Guy. He is not especially bright (nor especially stupid), he becomes one of the strongest people in the world throughout the game, but he is not defined in any way by his fighting ability. He is 'destined' to lead a nation, but he never seems very excited about that, and really puts very little thought toward being King, even after his dramatic character change. His core character is BEING GOOD primarily because of what he did before: He was bratty and selfish and simple minded, he took responsibility for nothing, not even himself, he made no effort to be in control of his own life or his actions. This all resulted in him killing thousands of innocent people. And since then he has done his best to never be a burden on anyone, and to always be aware of the needs and feelings of others.
Luke is very far from suicidal, despite his actions. Though he once wanted to know the reason for his existence, he eventually found that there WAS no reason. When, at the Tower of Rem, he wanted nothing more than to LIVE, he realized that's all there was. As such, even though Luke dies and accepts his death, he very much LIKES LIFE. He would die for another person, he is not the type of suicidal hero who would do that if there were any other option he could try. He values his own life, fears dying, and will cling desperately to any hope of living both for himself and for anyone else. Furthermore, while he will do ANYTHING to make up for what he has done, he considers himself more valuable alive, because then he can help more people.
He's decisive! Though very kind, understanding, and a good listener, Luke takes 'thinking for himself' very seriously. But since he lived most of his life trapped in a manor, he doesn't KNOW a lot about a lot of things. Thus he asks questions, and tries to understand situations wholly so he can find his own answers. He is open to any opinion, and listening to why someone believes what they do, but he will always make his own choices, for his own reasons, and he will stand beside them unless given a good reason to reconsider his opinions. This results in interesting things, like how Luke can COMPLETELY LOVE someone who COMPLETELY DOESN'T LOVE HIM. He never stops feeling loyalty and respect and love for Van, even after EVERYTHING HORRIBLE VAN DID TO HIM. He also decides for himself to love Asch quite a lot, even though Asch really never accepts him and they never find resolution. People don't have to like Luke for him to like them, and he tends to accept their feelings without complaint.
He's still kinda bratty. Through sooooo much better, he's still the same PERSON he was at the start of the game. He can be stupid, cock sure, snarky, and childish. Though now it is more along the lines of childish pranks or sarcastic remarks, Luke is not above poking people, using his royalty to get ahead in a situation, or using his mascot as a projectile to take down toddlers.
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Timezone: EST
E-Mail Address: aviychan at gmail.com
GChat: aviychan
AIM: Fonic Filigree
Personal LJ username: aviy
Character: Luke fon Fabre
Character's role in their canon: OUR HERO.
Character's age: 18 physically, but has only been alive for eight years. Still, his mentality is closer to eighteen. This is either because he learns surprisingly fast, or because the years on Auldrant are twice as long as ours.
Character's gender: Male
Character’s “Real Name”: Mark Schriber
History: The number one thing you need to understand about Luke fon Fabre to understand his history, is that half of it isn't really is.
A boy named Luke fon Fabre was born in the year 2000 ND. With him came this prophecy: "In Kimlasca shall be born one who inherits the power of Lorelei. He will be a boy with royal blood and hair of red. He will be called Light of the Sacred Flame and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to glory."
The prophecy came from something known as the Score, which on the world of Auldrant, is basically like the complete history and future of the entire planet. One woman, Yulie Jue, 'read' all of this years ago and wrote it all down in 'stone' so that people of the future could follow it to prosperity. The Score is like the single religion of the entire planet. EVERYONE has one and EVERYONE follows it, it is not in anyway considered shameful. And living by the Score so that Auldrant can reach propensity is akin to seeking out Heaven, only instead of vague guidelines you have a step-by-step instruction manual.
Thus it's not surprising that when you have a step-by-step guide on how to bring everyone happiness, the people in control of this knowledge learn to make the decision to allow some sacrifices. If the Score says a boy named Luke fon Fabre will harness his awesome cosmic power to destroy an entire city, and himself, AND start a war... but it's all for the greater good? Well. Why not. Even his own father would sacrifice him to the cause.
THAT Luke fon Fabre was a very serious boy who was born, son of Duke Fabre, nephew to the King of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, heir to the throne, fiancé to the princess. He was all set to do his best to rule the nation, when his beloved mentor, trainer, and surrogate father figure, Van Grants, kidnapped him. And... locked him in a cage, then strapped him to a table, and did a rather painful thing to create a replica of him when he was only ten years old.
That replica did not have the Original Luke's memories, nor a mind beyond that of a child. But he did physically look STRIKINGLY like his original, with the only differences being a lighter hair color and tendency to favor his left hand. The replica was taken home by Master Van, who was heralded as a hero for saving the poor kidnapped boy from the eeevil clutches of enemy nation, Malkuth. Everyone was so happy that he was JUST ALIVE that no one seemed to really mind that 'Luke' had 'lost all of his memories'. He was a very cute child, a ten year old that would laugh and hug the maids and cry when he fell over. No one noticed that he wasn't the 'real' Luke. The kidnapped, Original Luke, went through his own story, but eventually accepted his replaced fate and adopted the name Asch the Bloody. His replica was raised with his life and became ever after known as Luke fon Fabre. And for the rest of this application I'll call them Luke and Asch.
Luke grew up hearing about Asch's life, and believing he had simply 'forgotten' the first ten years of his life. He was taught how to walk again, how to run, how to talk, how to read. But he never learned to share Asch's penchant for TAKING HIS FUTURE SERIOUSLY. Possibly because, after the kidnapping, everyone was so afraid of it happening again that they locked him in his father's manor permanently. In the seven years of his life, up until the start of the game, he had never gotten to leave the manor.
Thus adorable cute baby Luke grew into something of a brat. Though undeniably a GOOD, kind hearted brat. One who deeply wanted attention. After all his father was very withdrawn and never seemed to care for him, the only other children he ever knew were his servant, Guy Cecil, and his overbearing fiancé, Natalia Lanvaldear. Everyone else in his life was just a servant, and everyone did love him, but they also all kept waiting for him to 'remember' and become someone he wasn't. The only person who treated him like he was ONLY the person he'd been for the past seven years was Van Grants. Master Van taught Luke the sword, discipline, and basically ended up as Luke's hero and surrogate father as well. Luke would do ANYTHING for Master Van, which is all Master Van wanted in the end. To him Luke was a carefully crafted tool.
ANYWAY. THEN THE GAME STARTS.
Due to Complicated Psuedo-Science Stuff Luke is flung from his home clear across the WORLD, into the enemy territory of Malkuth, only with a girl who tried to kill Master Van (and later turns out to be Master Van's sister). He is for this duration of the game, very naive and bratty. He demands respect he didn't earn, tends to assume he is the most important person around, and is very casually selfish without realizing it at all. None-the-less, he clearly values life, instinctively, very highly, and rejects heatedly to the idea that he's a thief. When he meets a young, weak boy named Ion, he's immediately reduced to awkward blushing by something so simple as Ion being truly kind and respectful and grateful to him. At his heart, Luke was really just a very young kid wanting some positive attention, who had never learned the best way to get was to earn it instead of act like it was his birthright.
The story continues and Luke, as the RPG hero he is, GETS A PARTY. Anise Tatlin, the cute and devious little girl who protects Ion. Ion, THE POPE of the world. Guy Cecil, Luke's servant and BFF. Tear Grants, Van's younger sister. Jade Curtiss, a colonel from the Malkuth army. Natalia, that overbearing (BUT AMAZING) fiancé. And Mieu, Luke's personal Mascot. Despite the fact that Luke is selfish, bratty, narrow minded and eventually EXTREMELY arrogant in dealing with very serious situations, the members of his party all begin to genuinely care for him. This is important! Because he's really not doing anything heroic or particularly redeemable, but he still makes friends, and people still like him, and still see him as a good person even before he goes through a vital personality change.
THEN LUKE BLOWS UP A CITY. The Party is sent to a mining town called Akzeriuth, where poisonous gas is making it uninhabitable, they are to help the evacuation. Seems simple enough! But Master Van tells Luke that he can use his hyperresonance, a power which lets him basically negate matter, to get rid of the gas and save the whole town! Luke is taken with the idea of BEING A HERO, and follows Master Van's words to the letter, even as everyone around him is suspicious. Even as Asch YELLS IN LUKE'S HEAD for him to stop what he's doing.
Through following Van's orders, the pillar which supports Akzeriuth is destroyed, and the entire city falls into the Qliphoth, which is the swampy/gaseous/very unsafe space that exists below the crust of Akzerituh (which... floats supported by ten pillars called The Sephiroth). Luke and party survive, but literally EVERYONE IN THE TOWN DIES. You later can find out that Akzeriuth had a population of ten thousand people.
There is a rather beautiful and heartbreaking scene that follows, where no one accuses Luke of what he has done, just states what has happened. Luke, feeling progressively more guilty and upset, abruptly denies that it is his fault at all, blames Master Van entirely, and yells at the party. Everyone, disgusted with him, says as much and leaves. Except for Mieu, who says that he understands Luke's pain, because Mieu also caused a fire on his home forest, which killed many of his own people. Luke breaks down into tears.
Then Luke has his first real confrontation with Asch! Though they met a few times before that, Luke never really got any answers, just a very unsettled feeling. Asch tells Luke that he's a replica, and clearly a useless one. Luke denies this, they fight. Who wins depends on the player (I assume Luke won, as it feels in keeping with the overall 'replica is superior to the original' story line that is central to Asch's character), but afterward Luke passes out.
I realize this section here is a bit more 'play by play' but it's really central to the huge change in Luke's character after this point. While unconscious, he is 'connected' to Asch, and rides around in Asch's head as Asch assists the party. There Luke sees the mixed reactions of the party, from being completely dismissed by some of them, to the worried expressions of other. Guy completely leaves the party at one point, to go back for Luke. Choosing (to Asch's bitter acceptance) Luke over Asch. Throughout this whole section Luke is withdrawn and worried about his party, but also caring toward Asch.
When he wakes up, Luke has changed completely. His very first reaction is to be kind toward Mieu, who he was previously only ever abusive toward. Tear scolds him, tells him she will not be easy on him and won't accept him until he's proved he can change, but if he really intends to TRY, she will watch for it. Luke cuts his VERY LONG HAIR down to the shorter style he'll wear for the rest of the game, and vows to do his best to think for himself in the future.
Thinking for himself sort of becomes Luke's defining characteristic from here on out. He is not always right. He is not incredibly intelligent. But he honestly and seriously listens to everyone's opinions but always makes his own choices on matters. Choosing to live his life this way makes him gradually more intelligent in action, if not... book smarts.
And so as the plot continues Luke wins back his party. And basically turns completely into a jesus character. When they have to evacuate another town, Luke makes it completely his priority to see that everyone is safe, going so far as to carry older citizens on his back as a piggy back ride. He buys a rich man a mansion JUST BECAUSE HE ASKED. He begins to frequently use phrases like 'thank you' and 'sorry'. At the same time he gradually finds himself more, and listens to Guy's advice when he's told that it is better to LIVE for repentance than die for it.
Explaining the entire plot of the game is a very in depth, convoluted essay in of itself. But it also closely ties into a lot of the character changes Luke goes through. I will try to explain what is necessary without going over my word limit here.
When Luke confronts Master Van again, the once stern but caring Master is gone. Van treats him coldly, but almost indifferently. He tells him he is a tool who did not even function correctly, as Luke was meant to die at Akzeriuth. But in reality, Van is not too upset at this, in reality Luke is not important to him, not even human, and thus not worth much emotion.
Luke... never complains over this, actually. He's just that... accepting, by that point. He does not ever stop loving Master Van, and continues to call him 'Master' nearly all of the time. But he also agrees that since Master Van is trying to basically kill all of humanity, he has to be stopped at any cost. The team travels around the world trying to stop The Bad Guys, and eventually there is a show down with Master Van at one of the Sephiroth.
By this point Luke is pretty well settled into his kindness and selflessness, but has become lost due to... not being human. He withdraws on his own issues a lot, and doesn't talk about it much. But when he meets with Van again, wants to know what his reason for existing is. It seems like an odd thing to fixate on, but...
The thing about replicas is that they are not IN the Score. They are the only 'humans' in existence which do not have a predetermined future. Though having 'fate' is often considered a bad thing in our society, on Auldrant it is not only so common EVERYONE has one, but it's seen as a good thing. By following the Score, the world will reach prosperity. By being a replica, not only did Luke find out he doesn't really have ANYTHING he'd thought he had, from parents, to a past, to his own name, but he doesn't have the one thing that connects everyone on the planet: A reason for his existence. In the 'big picture' he is the only person who literally does not exist. And that was probably upsetting.
Luke does not find the answer to his question with Van, and the game seems to end after he is defeated. Everyone goes home, and Luke lazes around in the manor for a month, everyone else moves on.
But actually that was only the half way point! When things get moving again, Luke is still a little wistfully dissatisfied with his place in everything. And not quite fully formed as a person yet.
The party gets back together when it becomes apparent that Van Isn't Really Dead.
Much of the second half of the game is dedicated to other people's story lines. Luke as a character continues to learn and grow through learning about other people, and discovering the conviction of the villains. But as far as Important Character Points there is, primarily, The Tower of Rem.
Due to Van's efforts, the entire planet becomes covered with a poisoned miasma from the Qliphoth. This is the same gas that was threatening Akzeriuth. In a frantic effort to find a way to prevent literally 80% of the population from growing sick and dying, the party ends up on an island, in a tower called the Tower of Rem.
The only way to get rid of the miasma to use Luke and Asch's hyperresonance power. They are the only two people in the world who can use this technique at will, and it takes considerable energy from them. In order to get rid of ALL of the miasma on the entire planet, they would need a physical sacrifice of other bodies made from the same matter Luke is made from: the Seventh Fonon. You could get the Seventh fonon from either thousaands of Seventh Fonists. OR From a hell of a lot of replicas. Fortunately for the planet, Van had experimentally created thousands of replicas, who now lacked a purpose or a home, and were widely being rejected by the rest of society.
The hundreds of the replicas are willing to die to save the planet and everyone on it, so long as it is promised that the replicas remaining will be given a place in society. But only Luke or Asch can actually cause the hyperresonance that will save the world, and which ever of them does it will surely die.
They actually FIGHT over this 'honor'. Luke cannot accept Asch dying, just can not, and Asch is (secretly) dying himself, and believes Luke to be his superior which means Luke should show down with Master Van. Luke's entire party has mixed feelings, largely ranging toward the negative, but Luke chooses to think for himself, and at the last minute shoves Asch away and tries to create the hyperresonance.
In another HEART BREAKING SCENE. He can't stop thinking about how much he doesn't want to die, as he sacrifices himself.
But he also begins to fail, and Asch steps in to help him. Together they rid the world of the miasma and kill a few hundred replicas, but neither of them dies. ...Sort of. Luke learns later that while he isn't dead instantly, his body is basically falling apart, and there's no way to know when he will simply fade away. But pleased to be alive at ALL, and determined to enjoy his last moments for as long as he can, and for the greater good, he doesn't tell his party about this. They head into end game.
Master Van's ultimate goal is to kill all of humanity and replace them with replicas. For all that he does not immediately acknowledge replicas as human beings, he feels there is no purpose to a life which you do not have a choice in. Believing the Score to be something that controls people, rather than guides them, the only way to end it completely is to end everyone connected to it. He fully intended to kill even himself and his followers to this cause.
The party believes, inspired by Luke's actions, that is possible to change your destiny, that the Score is not a fact but merely a possible path. In the end they are unable to sort things out through talk (though they do TRY), because both parties just have completely different beliefs. In the end, Luke's party is of course, 'right'. But ironically, if Van's side was correct, they would have been the heroes.
While going through the final dungeon, Luke faces Asch one more time. They agree to battle each other, this time. Asch to prove that he isn't weaker than a replica, and Luke to prove that he isn't just a replica. Luke wins, and Asch stays behind to let Luke free. Asch eventually dies at the hands of a wave of fodder enemies, and when he does so his... something. His soul, perhaps, or his hyperresonance, or his data, goes back to Luke on the final level of the dungeon and Luke knows Asch died.
Incredibly saddened, but determined, Luke decides this means 'Asch is with me' and goes on to face Master Van.
Van acknowledges Luke as a human for the first time, saying he proved it by 'reaching him over a mountain of corpses'. They argue a bit about their different philosophies, but can't reach an agreement. They fight, and of course the party wins. As Van dies Luke still loves him, and says "Master! ... Thank you."
Van only tells his Brethren (humanity, I think) that he is sorry for failing, and dies. (THIS IS ALSO A HEARTBREAKING SCENE).
Luke gets a few moments with each party member, before he has to stay behind and die classically for humanity. He promises them that he will return one day, knowing it's probably not really possible, but, I think, fully intending to try. In the end of course, he does die. Stopping Van's plans completely means releasing Lorelei (Lorelei sort of IS the Score, in some respects, but is also 'the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon' and sort of like a very powerful spirit that Van harnessed for his plans). In freeing Lorelei, Luke uses up the last of himself. Asch falls down with him amid the crumbling dungeon, and Luke catches him. There is a flash of light as Luke accepts his death.
What happens afterward is highly debated among fandom. The factual version is that two years later, a boy with long read hair appears before the party and says he was here because had to keep a promise. They are happy to see him, Tear runs to him, crying. We get no more than that, and whether it is Luke or Asch, or Luke AND Asch, or a completely new person, or a fusion of their memories or just a fusion of their bodies, etc, is up to the player.
I will be taking Luke from immediately after his death, and before any kind of fusing. But my personal opinion on that is that it is a new person. There is a side quest which basically states that even if the replica and original returned to each other, the memory would be lost. It's sadder that way, but to me, most accurate.
Personality: Luke is, at his core, just A Good Guy. He is not especially bright (nor especially stupid), he becomes one of the strongest people in the world throughout the game, but he is not defined in any way by his fighting ability. He is 'destined' to lead a nation, but he never seems very excited about that, and really puts very little thought toward being King, even after his dramatic character change. His core character is BEING GOOD primarily because of what he did before: He was bratty and selfish and simple minded, he took responsibility for nothing, not even himself, he made no effort to be in control of his own life or his actions. This all resulted in him killing thousands of innocent people. And since then he has done his best to never be a burden on anyone, and to always be aware of the needs and feelings of others.
Luke is very far from suicidal, despite his actions. Though he once wanted to know the reason for his existence, he eventually found that there WAS no reason. When, at the Tower of Rem, he wanted nothing more than to LIVE, he realized that's all there was. As such, even though Luke dies and accepts his death, he very much LIKES LIFE. He would die for another person, he is not the type of suicidal hero who would do that if there were any other option he could try. He values his own life, fears dying, and will cling desperately to any hope of living both for himself and for anyone else. Furthermore, while he will do ANYTHING to make up for what he has done, he considers himself more valuable alive, because then he can help more people.
He's decisive! Though very kind, understanding, and a good listener, Luke takes 'thinking for himself' very seriously. But since he lived most of his life trapped in a manor, he doesn't KNOW a lot about a lot of things. Thus he asks questions, and tries to understand situations wholly so he can find his own answers. He is open to any opinion, and listening to why someone believes what they do, but he will always make his own choices, for his own reasons, and he will stand beside them unless given a good reason to reconsider his opinions. This results in interesting things, like how Luke can COMPLETELY LOVE someone who COMPLETELY DOESN'T LOVE HIM. He never stops feeling loyalty and respect and love for Van, even after EVERYTHING HORRIBLE VAN DID TO HIM. He also decides for himself to love Asch quite a lot, even though Asch really never accepts him and they never find resolution. People don't have to like Luke for him to like them, and he tends to accept their feelings without complaint.
He's still kinda bratty. Through sooooo much better, he's still the same PERSON he was at the start of the game. He can be stupid, cock sure, snarky, and childish. Though now it is more along the lines of childish pranks or sarcastic remarks, Luke is not above poking people, using his royalty to get ahead in a situation, or using his mascot as a projectile to take down toddlers.