☆ application for realityshifted
Player Name: Kukki
Player LJ: shokora_kukki
Email and/or AIM: kukkimonster@hotmail.com
shokora kukki at aol
Timezone: US Central
Other Characters: I'm such fresh meat I haven't even been put on the grill yet. :|
Character: Lloyd Irving
Series: Tales of Symphonia
Deviance: 1
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Species: Human (with a possible dash of Angel thanks to daddy.)
Canon Used: The game and its sequel, with the bits Tales of Fandom threw at us, material from the manga and the drama CDs.
Appearance: Compared to many others in the Tales series, Lloyd is pretty much a plain, average guy, as he was intended to be. Aside from his wild hair that's mostly pushed up and to the side save for a few locks of hair and weird rat tails in the back, he looks pretty plain and unassuming; brown hair, brown eyes, an average height of 5'8" and a rather ordinary outfit, if you don't count the button fetish (seriously, I counted 35 buttons on his normal outfit). Heck, he wears suspenders and pants that are way too high on him. His sense of fashion is outdated at best and tacky at worst.
Lloyd mostly has a relaxed expression with even a hint of a smile. He's a teenager who enjoys all the simple pleasures in life, and it's obvious just by looking at him. He carries himself well, though he slouches when he sits - he's someone who's grown up happily. And he's someone who's grown up defending himself and working hard all of his life; Lloyd carries two swords at his sides at almost all times, using them for both offense and defense, as he's traveled to and from a forest filled with monsters just about every day. As a swordsman, he's thin, yet toned, enough to look like an athelete who trains regularly. Most of Lloyd's body is covered by dwarven clothing, which I assume is a little stronger and more durable than normal, and… it's pretty obvious he loves the color red. He wears gloves for work and for fighting, and on the back of his left hand sits a small blue jewel mounted on a golden crest of sorts; respectively, that's his Exsphere and his Key Crest.
Psychology:
Lloyd Irving is, simply put, a well-intentioned country boy. He's fueled by his love for his friends and what he believes is right which, at the beginning, is what's considered right by everyone else in the world, too. As I said before, he takes joy in the simple pleasures of life - the stars at night give him a sort of nostalgic comfort that turned into a passion, he enjoys artwork and creating things with his hands, he has a love for the world, and the exploration of it, which steadily reveals itself and grows fiercely as the story goes on, and boy, does he love to eat. Set anything down in front of the boy, except tomatoes, and he'll scarf it right down.
Along with that simplicity comes the fact that… well, Lloyd can be dumb. It's a running gag that sword fighting is just about the only thing Lloyd is good at (which isn't true; he's also excellent with art, crafting, and navigating his way even in dense woods), so it's no surprise that he gets huffy when anyone puts it down, especially guys like Kratos, who excels at the art. Lloyd has no interest whatsoever in school. Most of the time he can be found in the back of the class holding two buckets of water for falling asleep in class, or daydreaming out the window. Because of his lack of attention, he sometimes misses the obvious and makes a remark to emphasize that, he doesn't think about the things he should, and his imagination jumps all over the place. When he sees an angel for the first time, he doesn't wonder where they come from or what the rest are like; he merely ponders over what an inconvenience the wings must be. His lack of smarts really shine through in the game - there's a point where everyone takes a test at a school, and Lloyd gets a 25, his highest grade ever! … Out of 400.
It's mostly that he just isn't book smart. When it comes down to it, Lloyd can really think things through and come up with some of the best ideas. He's not exactly patient when it comes to this or… much of anything, though. Instead of really thinking on a sticky situation, he'd rather get past all of the long explanations and go straight to the point. He doesn't want to know the "why", he wants to know the "what can be done". True, this makes him sometimes rush into things and get into trouble for it, but it also saves him from thinking about technicalities and instead focusing on how it can be fixed. Sure, there are times when even he has to sit alone for a while and think, but those happen once in a blue moon. Lloyd is definitely not a thinker, but a doer.
Speaking of his little patience, despite Lloyd's good intentions, he can come off as… well, a bit of a jerk. At least, near the beginning. He wants his way, and he will protest if he doesn't get it. He'd proud of who he is, too, as one of the boys who's one of the best he knows at fighting and someone people generally look up to. If his position is threatened, he'll be jealous, brash and confrontational. As time passes and Iselia is no longer the only place he knows of, he starts to calm down and realize just how big the world is. He's not the only fighter, and he definitely has a lot to learn. It's a harsh thing to swallow, but he manages it pretty well, angry muttering and all.
One of the things Lloyd is most known for is his acceptance of others. He doesn't know it at the beginning, but once it's revealed that his best friend and his sister are half-elves, a race that's persecuted in his world, he says that it doesn't matter what they are; they're still themselves. They still have the same hearts. And that, truly, is the core of what keeps Lloyd going and makes him strive for a better world. Everyone has a heart, one that holds the same strengths and weaknesses. It doesn’t matter who or what they are - that will never change. And the one thing he wishes for above all else is for everyone else to see that. He knows that it'll take a while, but that's just human nature and he knows it.
It's also human nature to doubt one's self. Even Lloyd has his dark sides. He can be guilty, though it usually doesn't last for too long. When most of Iselia is burned down, costing some lives as well as the death of one of Genis' dear friends, Lloyd knew it was all his fault, and it stayed with him for a while even though he didn't mention it for a while. When Lloyd feels guilty, he'll outwardly show how terrible he feels about it for a while, then bury it deep inside and go on with his life. He does not forgive himself, instead, he lets it stay and linger with him. Thankfully, this doesn't seem to bother him much, as he can still smile and have fun. He's learned how to deal with that pain. However, when it's something as big as half of the world hating him and wanting him dead and blaming him for something, then it'll get to him, as evidenced by the sequel to the game.
Lloyd is strong, hot-headed and stubborn as hell. He's pretty quick to anger, though that fizzles out quickly unless it's something to really RAGE about. And even then, he'll calm down enough to get stuff done, though he'll still obviously be angry about it. Lloyd can hold quite a grudge when someone betrays his trust. When Kratos betrays the group, Lloyd is absolutely furious for a while, and there are several skits which show him raging about how Kratos is a traitor while you're trying to escape from your prison. And throughout the game, he shows a lot of anger towards the man, even being irrational with it, though that dwindles down to just a pained confusion and wariness. He even wants Kratos to come back to them later on, even before he finds out his relation to him. Really, it depends on how it's played out - when Zelos betrays them, Lloyd is enraged, even shaking with anger, but then it's revealed that he was a spy for just about everyone, and he saved Lloyd's friends and came back to him. Lloyd was still pretty miffed, but got over it much faster than the situation with Kratos, who took FOREVER to come back as well as do some horrible things.
As I said before, he's stubborn, which is both a good and bad thing. While he does his best to solve his friends' problems and never gives up on them, and while he wants to save this world with such a twisted and confusing system involved, he'll really get himself in over his head with some of those ideas of his, and it can be hard to get past that thick skull. He remains steadfast in his decisions and his ideals, and it can take some time to get him to think differently. The only reason he came to see that everyone had the same heart, even people he hates, was because of seeing it himself, not someone calling him out on it. Sure, he might grow quiet if someone makes a point, and he might even follow along with it, but that doesn't mean he'll truly accept it unless he sees it as right. He's a bit irrational that way, too. He's quick to defend himself and his decisions, especially in the first half of the game.
He can be overenthusiastic at times, and while this can sometimes be a good trait, it's easily shadowed by his lack of attention and boredom. Lloyd will be especially excited over exploring something new, whether it's a place or a new device, only to quickly lose interest. He loves to see and experience new things, but once it wears out on him, he's done. Let's get back to what we were doing now. That ties in to how simple he is - his over enthusiasm followed by boredom becomes pretty predictable, to the point where everyone in the party jabs at him for it. He's also naïve, enough that some jokes and some facts of life fly right over his head. Sometimes even the lessons Kratos tries to teach are completely missed by Lloyd, which can be frustrating for someone trying to subtly tell him something or for people who just want to tease him.
Lloyd can be kind of tricky at times, too. He has a set of rules that he follows that was laid down by his adoptive father, Dirk, called the Dwarven Vows. Not all of them are listed in the game, but there are at least 100 of them, and all of them are general moral laws. "Goodness and love will always win", "Never abandon someone in need", "Lying is the first step to the path of thievery", and so on and so forth. Yet despite Lloyd following these and becoming annoyed or angry at people who break them, he's not above breaking them either. He will lie if he has to, and while he's generally bad at it, he can be quite good when he has to be. He'll stutter and pause if he has to quickly think of one, but given time, he can put on a good poker face and lie through his teeth like a pro. It's mostly for the good of others, though it can be to save his own hide, too. He can also be dependent on his friends, going far out of his way to ensure their safety and unsure of what to do when they're gone. He can even be jealous of people who try to take his friends away - he goes as far as to stalk Mithos and Genis a little to see what they're up to. It's probably because of that that he's harsh and unforgiving to those who betray their trust as well as his own. When Mithos revealed himself as Yggdrasill, it wasn't because of the fact that he was the big bad of the game that Lloyd initially attacked him; it was because he had betrayed Genis, and Lloyd only stopped when Genis leapt in front of him.
Also he will tear people apart if they insult and/or hurt his parents. :|
Other Skills/Abilities:
Lloyd's Exsphere enhances his strength, speed, reflexes and skill. Basically it beefs up everything. In the game, he falls from a rather large cliff and is absolutely okay. Even Forcystus comments on it, because only those with an Exsphere can survive falls like that. Lloyd's is special, as it's an incomplete Cruxis Crystal, and thus gives him the ability to use huge ass wings. However, those only appear once at the end of the game and are never used again, so it's possibly that it's very hard for him to do. Or he just doesn't know how.
He's also a swordsman, though he's self-taught, so he mostly just follows his gut and instincts in battle. Lloyd wields the twin swords, which seems to say that he's ambidextrous, though he prefers his right hand. In battle, Lloyd can use a variety of techniques, or artes, as later games would call them. They're usually bursts of mana that allow him to pull off moves such as jabbing his sword in rapid succession, flying in the air and slicing at the enemy, and other such styles of attacks. One other thing to note is that he's particularly speedy - Lloyd's the fastest character when used in battle, both in the original game and its sequel.
Soon, Lloyd will come into possession of the Sorcerer's Ring. It doesn't do much, just shoots out a tiny ball of fire with an amusing little "BLING" noise. It can apparently burn people. :|a
Other Weaknesses:
Despite having enhanced abilities, Lloyd is like a regular human. He can be killed through all the age old methods, and despite his athleticism, he can wear out or grow ill just like anyone else. If his Exsphere were removed, it'd probably gradually take away all of his strength and make him feel pretty lousy for a while. I only say it won't happen immediately because he has taken it off before, briefly, and didn't seem to feel any side effects right off.
History:
Aselia did it for me.
Canon Point:
Right before the start of the game. Lloyd is in Sylvarant and heading to his school in Iselia with his giant dog Noishe. And he's late as always.
Reality Description:
The world used to be called Aselia, but when the two countries were split into two entire worlds at the end of the Kharlan War, they were given the names Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. They exist beside each other without being aware of it, a trick of dimensions. For thousands of years, the two existed on a system of giving and receiving mana - one world would vie for the other's mana, their life force, and flourish, while the other would decline without it. At the center of these two worlds is the Great Seed, the only thing left of the great tree that gave the world its mana. Many years in the past, wars using magitechnology, which consumed mana, caused it to be this way, and the plan was to use Derris-Kharlan's (a giant comet) mass amount of mana to revive it. However, now it contains Martel's spirit, and it stays in place by mana links made from the Summon Spirits of both worlds. Derris-Kharlan itself is kept in place between them by the power of the Eternal Sword, a weapon forged by a Summon Spirit for Mithos before he betrayed them, and the comet is kept hidden protective barrier projected by the Tower of Salvation, which is connected both worlds.
The mana links also serve as a path for the flow of mana between the two worlds, and they're held by opposing summon spirits of each world: fire and ice, water and electricity, wind and earth, light and darkness. When one world is flourishing, the summon spirits of the opposing world will sleep, and if both spirits are awakened, the link between them breaks. If all of the links are broken, then everything pretty much goes to hell. But that won't happen for a while.
Sylvarant is the declining world, and thus it's backwater. Technology is pretty much lost, and most all of the cities are mere villages with small houses and dirt paths (Palmacosta is the only exception, since it's one of the more advanced cities in Sylvarant). Mana is drying up, so droughts and shortages of food and water are commonplace there. It's the more natural world, whereas Tethe'alla, the flourishing one, is more technology driven. Tethe'alla has large cities made of stone, even an entire kingdom with a castle. Most of their technology is powered by Exspheres, including a huge drawbridge with thousands of them. Food and water are plentiful, and it's been that way for quite a while.
Third Person Writing Sample:
Carnations.
To his adoptive father, they were a symbol. The man loved plants and flowers, so it wasn't a surprise that he knew the deeper meanings that only those who cared enough to look knew. There were different colors, and each had a meaning. When Lloyd was old enough to understand and appreciate such things, he told him that white carnations symbolized remembrance, and that they were the perfect type of flowers to rest by his mother's grave.
To Lloyd, they were just pretty. Beautiful, even, like he's sure his mother was when she was alive. It had been so long that he could only remember the shape of her hair - short and straight, and the feeling of being safe around her. It was the same with his father; all he remembered was sitting on his broad shoulders and holding onto his hair, feeling as if nothing could hurt him. They were both entities that Lloyd would dream of and feel contented when he woke up, or deeply sad. They were both memories, memories that Lloyd chased down and could never quite seem to grasp tightly enough.
The white carnations that Lloyd placed upon the grave and the whisper of a child's insecurities to his parents wasn't just for his mother. They were for his lost father, too, the one whose fate was never known to Lloyd. He could be wandering the world, quietly missing his wife and child. He might have thought they were dead. Or… he himself could be dead, with a body that was never found and could never be found by Lloyd himself.
The memory of his mother was safe, warm and absolutely impossible to truly define. His father, however…
It was only a simple hope, a wish from long ago that stayed in his heart, yet as he waved to his best friend and ran off to meet with him, it bloomed into a longing.
I want to find him again.
Did you read the rules? Yes!
Player LJ: shokora_kukki
Email and/or AIM: kukkimonster@hotmail.com
shokora kukki at aol
Timezone: US Central
Other Characters: I'm such fresh meat I haven't even been put on the grill yet. :|
Character: Lloyd Irving
Series: Tales of Symphonia
Deviance: 1
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Species: Human (with a possible dash of Angel thanks to daddy.)
Canon Used: The game and its sequel, with the bits Tales of Fandom threw at us, material from the manga and the drama CDs.
Appearance: Compared to many others in the Tales series, Lloyd is pretty much a plain, average guy, as he was intended to be. Aside from his wild hair that's mostly pushed up and to the side save for a few locks of hair and weird rat tails in the back, he looks pretty plain and unassuming; brown hair, brown eyes, an average height of 5'8" and a rather ordinary outfit, if you don't count the button fetish (seriously, I counted 35 buttons on his normal outfit). Heck, he wears suspenders and pants that are way too high on him. His sense of fashion is outdated at best and tacky at worst.
Lloyd mostly has a relaxed expression with even a hint of a smile. He's a teenager who enjoys all the simple pleasures in life, and it's obvious just by looking at him. He carries himself well, though he slouches when he sits - he's someone who's grown up happily. And he's someone who's grown up defending himself and working hard all of his life; Lloyd carries two swords at his sides at almost all times, using them for both offense and defense, as he's traveled to and from a forest filled with monsters just about every day. As a swordsman, he's thin, yet toned, enough to look like an athelete who trains regularly. Most of Lloyd's body is covered by dwarven clothing, which I assume is a little stronger and more durable than normal, and… it's pretty obvious he loves the color red. He wears gloves for work and for fighting, and on the back of his left hand sits a small blue jewel mounted on a golden crest of sorts; respectively, that's his Exsphere and his Key Crest.
Psychology:
Lloyd Irving is, simply put, a well-intentioned country boy. He's fueled by his love for his friends and what he believes is right which, at the beginning, is what's considered right by everyone else in the world, too. As I said before, he takes joy in the simple pleasures of life - the stars at night give him a sort of nostalgic comfort that turned into a passion, he enjoys artwork and creating things with his hands, he has a love for the world, and the exploration of it, which steadily reveals itself and grows fiercely as the story goes on, and boy, does he love to eat. Set anything down in front of the boy, except tomatoes, and he'll scarf it right down.
Along with that simplicity comes the fact that… well, Lloyd can be dumb. It's a running gag that sword fighting is just about the only thing Lloyd is good at (which isn't true; he's also excellent with art, crafting, and navigating his way even in dense woods), so it's no surprise that he gets huffy when anyone puts it down, especially guys like Kratos, who excels at the art. Lloyd has no interest whatsoever in school. Most of the time he can be found in the back of the class holding two buckets of water for falling asleep in class, or daydreaming out the window. Because of his lack of attention, he sometimes misses the obvious and makes a remark to emphasize that, he doesn't think about the things he should, and his imagination jumps all over the place. When he sees an angel for the first time, he doesn't wonder where they come from or what the rest are like; he merely ponders over what an inconvenience the wings must be. His lack of smarts really shine through in the game - there's a point where everyone takes a test at a school, and Lloyd gets a 25, his highest grade ever! … Out of 400.
It's mostly that he just isn't book smart. When it comes down to it, Lloyd can really think things through and come up with some of the best ideas. He's not exactly patient when it comes to this or… much of anything, though. Instead of really thinking on a sticky situation, he'd rather get past all of the long explanations and go straight to the point. He doesn't want to know the "why", he wants to know the "what can be done". True, this makes him sometimes rush into things and get into trouble for it, but it also saves him from thinking about technicalities and instead focusing on how it can be fixed. Sure, there are times when even he has to sit alone for a while and think, but those happen once in a blue moon. Lloyd is definitely not a thinker, but a doer.
Speaking of his little patience, despite Lloyd's good intentions, he can come off as… well, a bit of a jerk. At least, near the beginning. He wants his way, and he will protest if he doesn't get it. He'd proud of who he is, too, as one of the boys who's one of the best he knows at fighting and someone people generally look up to. If his position is threatened, he'll be jealous, brash and confrontational. As time passes and Iselia is no longer the only place he knows of, he starts to calm down and realize just how big the world is. He's not the only fighter, and he definitely has a lot to learn. It's a harsh thing to swallow, but he manages it pretty well, angry muttering and all.
One of the things Lloyd is most known for is his acceptance of others. He doesn't know it at the beginning, but once it's revealed that his best friend and his sister are half-elves, a race that's persecuted in his world, he says that it doesn't matter what they are; they're still themselves. They still have the same hearts. And that, truly, is the core of what keeps Lloyd going and makes him strive for a better world. Everyone has a heart, one that holds the same strengths and weaknesses. It doesn’t matter who or what they are - that will never change. And the one thing he wishes for above all else is for everyone else to see that. He knows that it'll take a while, but that's just human nature and he knows it.
It's also human nature to doubt one's self. Even Lloyd has his dark sides. He can be guilty, though it usually doesn't last for too long. When most of Iselia is burned down, costing some lives as well as the death of one of Genis' dear friends, Lloyd knew it was all his fault, and it stayed with him for a while even though he didn't mention it for a while. When Lloyd feels guilty, he'll outwardly show how terrible he feels about it for a while, then bury it deep inside and go on with his life. He does not forgive himself, instead, he lets it stay and linger with him. Thankfully, this doesn't seem to bother him much, as he can still smile and have fun. He's learned how to deal with that pain. However, when it's something as big as half of the world hating him and wanting him dead and blaming him for something, then it'll get to him, as evidenced by the sequel to the game.
Lloyd is strong, hot-headed and stubborn as hell. He's pretty quick to anger, though that fizzles out quickly unless it's something to really RAGE about. And even then, he'll calm down enough to get stuff done, though he'll still obviously be angry about it. Lloyd can hold quite a grudge when someone betrays his trust. When Kratos betrays the group, Lloyd is absolutely furious for a while, and there are several skits which show him raging about how Kratos is a traitor while you're trying to escape from your prison. And throughout the game, he shows a lot of anger towards the man, even being irrational with it, though that dwindles down to just a pained confusion and wariness. He even wants Kratos to come back to them later on, even before he finds out his relation to him. Really, it depends on how it's played out - when Zelos betrays them, Lloyd is enraged, even shaking with anger, but then it's revealed that he was a spy for just about everyone, and he saved Lloyd's friends and came back to him. Lloyd was still pretty miffed, but got over it much faster than the situation with Kratos, who took FOREVER to come back as well as do some horrible things.
As I said before, he's stubborn, which is both a good and bad thing. While he does his best to solve his friends' problems and never gives up on them, and while he wants to save this world with such a twisted and confusing system involved, he'll really get himself in over his head with some of those ideas of his, and it can be hard to get past that thick skull. He remains steadfast in his decisions and his ideals, and it can take some time to get him to think differently. The only reason he came to see that everyone had the same heart, even people he hates, was because of seeing it himself, not someone calling him out on it. Sure, he might grow quiet if someone makes a point, and he might even follow along with it, but that doesn't mean he'll truly accept it unless he sees it as right. He's a bit irrational that way, too. He's quick to defend himself and his decisions, especially in the first half of the game.
He can be overenthusiastic at times, and while this can sometimes be a good trait, it's easily shadowed by his lack of attention and boredom. Lloyd will be especially excited over exploring something new, whether it's a place or a new device, only to quickly lose interest. He loves to see and experience new things, but once it wears out on him, he's done. Let's get back to what we were doing now. That ties in to how simple he is - his over enthusiasm followed by boredom becomes pretty predictable, to the point where everyone in the party jabs at him for it. He's also naïve, enough that some jokes and some facts of life fly right over his head. Sometimes even the lessons Kratos tries to teach are completely missed by Lloyd, which can be frustrating for someone trying to subtly tell him something or for people who just want to tease him.
Lloyd can be kind of tricky at times, too. He has a set of rules that he follows that was laid down by his adoptive father, Dirk, called the Dwarven Vows. Not all of them are listed in the game, but there are at least 100 of them, and all of them are general moral laws. "Goodness and love will always win", "Never abandon someone in need", "Lying is the first step to the path of thievery", and so on and so forth. Yet despite Lloyd following these and becoming annoyed or angry at people who break them, he's not above breaking them either. He will lie if he has to, and while he's generally bad at it, he can be quite good when he has to be. He'll stutter and pause if he has to quickly think of one, but given time, he can put on a good poker face and lie through his teeth like a pro. It's mostly for the good of others, though it can be to save his own hide, too. He can also be dependent on his friends, going far out of his way to ensure their safety and unsure of what to do when they're gone. He can even be jealous of people who try to take his friends away - he goes as far as to stalk Mithos and Genis a little to see what they're up to. It's probably because of that that he's harsh and unforgiving to those who betray their trust as well as his own. When Mithos revealed himself as Yggdrasill, it wasn't because of the fact that he was the big bad of the game that Lloyd initially attacked him; it was because he had betrayed Genis, and Lloyd only stopped when Genis leapt in front of him.
Also he will tear people apart if they insult and/or hurt his parents. :|
Other Skills/Abilities:
Lloyd's Exsphere enhances his strength, speed, reflexes and skill. Basically it beefs up everything. In the game, he falls from a rather large cliff and is absolutely okay. Even Forcystus comments on it, because only those with an Exsphere can survive falls like that. Lloyd's is special, as it's an incomplete Cruxis Crystal, and thus gives him the ability to use huge ass wings. However, those only appear once at the end of the game and are never used again, so it's possibly that it's very hard for him to do. Or he just doesn't know how.
He's also a swordsman, though he's self-taught, so he mostly just follows his gut and instincts in battle. Lloyd wields the twin swords, which seems to say that he's ambidextrous, though he prefers his right hand. In battle, Lloyd can use a variety of techniques, or artes, as later games would call them. They're usually bursts of mana that allow him to pull off moves such as jabbing his sword in rapid succession, flying in the air and slicing at the enemy, and other such styles of attacks. One other thing to note is that he's particularly speedy - Lloyd's the fastest character when used in battle, both in the original game and its sequel.
Soon, Lloyd will come into possession of the Sorcerer's Ring. It doesn't do much, just shoots out a tiny ball of fire with an amusing little "BLING" noise. It can apparently burn people. :|a
Other Weaknesses:
Despite having enhanced abilities, Lloyd is like a regular human. He can be killed through all the age old methods, and despite his athleticism, he can wear out or grow ill just like anyone else. If his Exsphere were removed, it'd probably gradually take away all of his strength and make him feel pretty lousy for a while. I only say it won't happen immediately because he has taken it off before, briefly, and didn't seem to feel any side effects right off.
History:
Aselia did it for me.
Canon Point:
Right before the start of the game. Lloyd is in Sylvarant and heading to his school in Iselia with his giant dog Noishe. And he's late as always.
Reality Description:
The world used to be called Aselia, but when the two countries were split into two entire worlds at the end of the Kharlan War, they were given the names Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. They exist beside each other without being aware of it, a trick of dimensions. For thousands of years, the two existed on a system of giving and receiving mana - one world would vie for the other's mana, their life force, and flourish, while the other would decline without it. At the center of these two worlds is the Great Seed, the only thing left of the great tree that gave the world its mana. Many years in the past, wars using magitechnology, which consumed mana, caused it to be this way, and the plan was to use Derris-Kharlan's (a giant comet) mass amount of mana to revive it. However, now it contains Martel's spirit, and it stays in place by mana links made from the Summon Spirits of both worlds. Derris-Kharlan itself is kept in place between them by the power of the Eternal Sword, a weapon forged by a Summon Spirit for Mithos before he betrayed them, and the comet is kept hidden protective barrier projected by the Tower of Salvation, which is connected both worlds.
The mana links also serve as a path for the flow of mana between the two worlds, and they're held by opposing summon spirits of each world: fire and ice, water and electricity, wind and earth, light and darkness. When one world is flourishing, the summon spirits of the opposing world will sleep, and if both spirits are awakened, the link between them breaks. If all of the links are broken, then everything pretty much goes to hell. But that won't happen for a while.
Sylvarant is the declining world, and thus it's backwater. Technology is pretty much lost, and most all of the cities are mere villages with small houses and dirt paths (Palmacosta is the only exception, since it's one of the more advanced cities in Sylvarant). Mana is drying up, so droughts and shortages of food and water are commonplace there. It's the more natural world, whereas Tethe'alla, the flourishing one, is more technology driven. Tethe'alla has large cities made of stone, even an entire kingdom with a castle. Most of their technology is powered by Exspheres, including a huge drawbridge with thousands of them. Food and water are plentiful, and it's been that way for quite a while.
Third Person Writing Sample:
Carnations.
To his adoptive father, they were a symbol. The man loved plants and flowers, so it wasn't a surprise that he knew the deeper meanings that only those who cared enough to look knew. There were different colors, and each had a meaning. When Lloyd was old enough to understand and appreciate such things, he told him that white carnations symbolized remembrance, and that they were the perfect type of flowers to rest by his mother's grave.
To Lloyd, they were just pretty. Beautiful, even, like he's sure his mother was when she was alive. It had been so long that he could only remember the shape of her hair - short and straight, and the feeling of being safe around her. It was the same with his father; all he remembered was sitting on his broad shoulders and holding onto his hair, feeling as if nothing could hurt him. They were both entities that Lloyd would dream of and feel contented when he woke up, or deeply sad. They were both memories, memories that Lloyd chased down and could never quite seem to grasp tightly enough.
The white carnations that Lloyd placed upon the grave and the whisper of a child's insecurities to his parents wasn't just for his mother. They were for his lost father, too, the one whose fate was never known to Lloyd. He could be wandering the world, quietly missing his wife and child. He might have thought they were dead. Or… he himself could be dead, with a body that was never found and could never be found by Lloyd himself.
The memory of his mother was safe, warm and absolutely impossible to truly define. His father, however…
It was only a simple hope, a wish from long ago that stayed in his heart, yet as he waved to his best friend and ran off to meet with him, it bloomed into a longing.
I want to find him again.
Did you read the rules? Yes!