☄ character info
STATS
» NAME: Tear Grants [ Mystearica Aura Fende ]
» APPEARANCE:
Tear has long brown hair, fringes that cover the right side of her face, and teal-colored eyes. She has a pale complexion as a result of living most of her life in the Qliphoth/Yulia City. She also has a very mature and curvaceous figure at the ripe age of sixteen. Her breast size is aptly described by Luke as being the size of melons. Upon being aged up, Tear would grown slightly taller, breasts and hips widening a bit, but otherwise, Tear would be very much herself. She likely wouldn't notice the change as well and it is more likely that someone else who's known her before would notice the slightly bigger melons.
♠ a picture of her is available here: she's one hot lady...
» PERSONALITY:
Tear is an awkward teenager who doesn't really seem anything like a teenager with the way she speaks, carries herself, and acts. Part of it is because of her upbringing and the place, the circumstance, and the role she was brought up into. To elaborate a bit, Tear-or Mystearica- was born in Yulia City shortly after the destruction of Hod in ND 2002. Her brother, Van, and her then pregnant mother had fallen in from the Outer Lands, saved from the miasma and the impact of the fall by Van's singing of one of Yulia hymns (presumably, the hymn that invokes Force Field). It's implied that her mother died shortly after. Yulia City is the sole inhabitable structure within the Qliphoth, which is a wide expanse of land that is liquefied and mixed with the toxic miasma between the Outer Lands and the Dividing Line and the planet's core. The Qliphoth, quite simply, is a place void of life, except for Yulia City itself. Having said all that, being born in a place-that is also situated within the Qliphoth- like Yulia City has certainly given Tear a rather bleak view of life and a very strong sense of duty as Yulia City prides itself in being the "City of Watchers", the chosen people who willingly stay within a world that is void of sunlight and is quite literally a world of death for the sole purpose of watching and upholding the Score for the benefit of the people living on the Outer Lands above them. Tear doesn't really act very much like a girl, or rather, she is uptight and often doesn't seem to know what normal girls her age does. She was often referred to as being very cold and "rough" earlier on in the game and this is very likely the result of having been brought up by her brother mostly, since her mother is implied to have died shortly after her birth. The only other important woman figure in her life is Major Legretta, her instructor, who does seem to have been her model in growing up. Legretta is a tough-as-nails soldier who is very demanding and, later on in the game, is revealed to be very brutal (the murder of the Sheridan civilians, in which Legretta doesn't so much as blink after causing the deaths old people). At the beginning of the game, Tear exhibits a pragmatic, no-nonsense, and near cold-hearted nature, that somewhat echoes Legretta. She never quite, or never did, have the capacity for the same kind of thoroughness as Legretta, though, and later on in the game she becomes comfortable in being lax in this after seeing the damages her beloved brother and Legretta wrought.
Her desire to become a soldier at the side of her brother, to be able to help her brother, is also part of the reason Tear has developed a strong work ethic, and a realist's approach to matters. Like Jade and Guy (to a lesser extent), Tear understands the importance of being objective in the battlefield, and separating emotions from what they must do. At first, it seems like Tear is incapable of feeling anymore as she moves from one objective to another, according to what the current situation dictates, but Tear does get affected by all that happens. Tear is someone who, for the sake of other of people, prefers to put up a strong facade instead of showing weakness. After the murder of Sheridan civilians, for example, Luke yells at Tear for dismissing the deaths that had occurred for the sake of moving on with their plan of neutralizing the core's vibrations with the Tartarus (they were on a time limit then), but Guy shortly after that she her eyes were watery and that she must be feeling terrible as the orchestrator of those murders were her brother who, despite all that he has done, she still loved. Later on, when it becomes clear that Tear is dying from all the miasma-tainted seventh fonons that had accumulated in her body (as a result of activating the Sephiroths in preparation for lowering the Outer Lands), Tear continues to try and put up a strong front, stating that the whole world were counting on them. Her life wasn't worth worrying about since the fate of the Outer Lands relied on them activating the rest of the Sephiroths. She does have a cry about it, but continues on forward.
For all of Tear's tough-girl attitude, she does have some weaknesses. For one, while she never voices this to strangers or people she doesn't really know, Tear has a tendency of indulging in a bit of self-pity. After Ion's death, knowing that it was partially for her that Ion went along with the Grand Maestro Moh's desire to read the planet score, when you speak to her in the hallway of the Daath Cathedral, Tear tells you how she feels "helpless" at being the possible cause of that tragedy (In a skit, it becomes clear that the party cannot possibly blame Anise or Tear for Ion's death. They believe that the sole person to blame for Ion's death is the Grand Maestro Mohs). Later on, she also admits that she "must be a terrible sister" for not being glad that Van is still alive, even if it's common knowledge for the party already that she really shouldn't be because of the terrible plans Van has had for the world. Less serious of her weaknesses is her affinity for anything cute. It's something she denies , probably because it clashes a lot with her tough-girl-outward-appearance, but its pretty hard not to spot. She is very fond of Mieu and other sorts of cute things and dresses. Likely, because Yulia City was so lacking of these things and at the end of the day, Tear is a sixteen year old girl. She's also afraid of ghosts and doesn't enjoy stories with the supernatural element (ie. ghosts, malevolent curse and grudges connected with ghosts), a fact that is brought up in several skits and integrated into some sidequests.
Tear is very conservative, as well, preferring to cover as much skin as possible. In the Keterburg hot springs event, instead of wearing one of Emperor Peony's trashy revealing bathing suits, Tear opts for a rental one. And then her pragmatic side kicks in, and she throws in her garters to be prepared for fighting in the hot springs, probably.
Going back to her weaknesses; while learned in the ways of a soldier, being an member of the Oracle Knights Intelligence Division, Tear is awkward. To elaborate on what was mentioned before, Tear lacks common sense in some areas. Normal areas. An example would be this skit from after the Outer Lands are lowered and Luke reunites with Tear:
Skit # 304: Tear Hasn't Changed at All
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TEAR: Hee hee... Luke, Mieu, it's nice to see you again.
MIEU: You too!
LUKE: Yeah, it feels like it's been a long time.
TEAR: Yes, it does.
LUKE: Though it looks like you haven't changed at all.
TEAR: I kept myself prepared so I could leave at any time.
MIEU: Mieu mieu?
TEAR: Even with the crust lowered, there's no telling what could happen...
These Order of Lorelei clothes may still prove useful.
LUKE: What are you talking about?
TEAR: Um, my clothes?
LUKE: Hah hah hah... You really haven't changed, have you? That's a relief.
MIEU: Heh heh heh. Master, you look a little more cheerful now.
LUKE: Yeah, I guess.
TEAR: ...?
With this skit as an example, it's clear that while Tear's deduction abilities when it comes to serious matters-particularly in the workings of the enemies and the like-are sharp... when it comes to normal things, she's a bit lacking. Bordering on dense. She admits in a letter to Luke that she's never actually written (a letter) to anyone and as a result it comes out reading more like a situational report.
Tear is someone who judges people based on their actions, and is able to forgive based on people's willingness to change as well. This is exhibited in her dealings with Luke, a person who she disliked at first but learned to respect, and even love, as she saw how Luke has struggled to change and what kind of life and circumstances he's been through. She is nurturing, being one of the two people who decides to stand by Luke after the Fall of Akzeriuth, and to see him stand by his two feet again. She is determined, able to learn to disregard what she once perceived as the unfaltering and perfect Score, set aside her feelings for her most-important brother out of worry for the Outer Lands, and able to to continue on even when the miasma was literally killing her because she knew it was the right thing to do.
She is gentle, and firm at the same time, able to comfort her friends-Luke, in particular- and berate them when they are very clearly just wallowing in self-pity.
Finally, she is patient. She is someone who was able to wait for Luke as he sorted things out and worked towards changing after Akzeriuth. And she also waited for Luke after the final battle at Eldrant, even if it did take three years for him to return, she never seemed to have lost hope.
» BACKGROUND:
- coming soon, but for now check out the aselia wiki link down there -
♠ 『aselia|wiki 』 ♠