Aden Dellebecque

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[edit] Basic Information Combat History Relationships Rumors Visuals RP Hooks OOC Notes  Aden Dellebecque Gender Male Race Miqo’te Clan Seeker of the Sun Citizenship Gridania Age 19 Occupation Apprentice dragoon, hunter Orientation Homosexual Affiliation Wandering Tonberry Trading Co. GENERAL INFORMATION Aden Dellebecque Farmboy, apprentice dragoon, and bearer of the hopes, dreams, and burdens of many. Aden is an anxious young man looking to prove himself, to define his own purpose and direction. Somewhere along the way, he'll have to finally face the sins of his family. APPEARANCE Sleek and muscular, Aden’s been fit all his life from growing up working on the farm, but training with the lance has begun to really hone his form. His eyes are mismatched, one emerald green and the other almost a honey color, but it doesn’t seem to have any impact on his vision. In addition to the scar on his left cheek he has a few under his clothes: one on his right shoulder, and one on the lower left side of his chest between two ribs, both linear and fairly ugly; with a third across the upper portion of his stomach, just below his ribcage, wider but less severe. The tip of his right ear has been nicked. PERSONALITY Aden is quiet and serious, and content to be ignored in most social situations. On the surface he is awkward and polite to a fault, clearly falling back on learned behavior. He evades topics he considers impolite to discuss, and ones he feels are none of his business. Likewise, he is evasive of personal questions, chiefly because he doesn’t think it’s anyone else’s business, and secondarily because he feels he has little of interest to share. He is bookish, downplays his own achievements, is uncomfortable with attention, and dismissive of praise. He will readily agree to what someone else is saying if he feels the argument is going nowhere. Beneath this projection he is driven, passionate, and iron-willed. While he is quite willing to listen to reason and usually takes the time to think his actions through, little will stand in his way if he wants something. He’s thoughtful, too, constantly trying to put himself in the place of others and reason out why they’ve made the choices they’ve made. LIKES Chocobos The farm Aden grew up on converted to a chocobo farm as soon as they were able, and his mothers have an enduring love of the birds. They have been part of his life for long enough that it’s second nature to handle them. Books Aden spends most of his free time reading, especially travelogues, journals from adventurers, and natural histories. Combat While Aden abhors violence, like any sensible and good-natured person, he is rapidly discovering he’s an adrenaline junkie, and there’s no better high than being behind the lance and fighting for his life. Travel In particular Aden loves the outdoors, finally seeing places he's only read about. When he has enough free time he rambles around, just learning new places. DISLIKES Vagueness Aden’s social skills are lacking, so innuendo of any kind often goes over his head. Flirting Aden dislikes attention, and this sort of attention in particular is unwelcome—if he realizes he’s being flirted with in the first place. Being alone with strangers Again tied into Aden’s social anxieties, he strongly dislikes situations in which he is expected to “perform” to some sort of social standard he doesn’t quite understand. STRENGTHS Fast reaction time As a miqo’te Aden is hardwired for impressive feats of dexterity, and between dealing with chocobos regularly and his training this grows more and more honed as time passes. Fast learner Aden is quick-witted as well, and good at retaining new information. Above-average strength Aden is quite strong from his years of farm work and his intense dedication to the lance. While he’s capable of nothing superhuman, he is quite capable of doing things one might not expect. Experienced chocobo rider/handlerWith as much time as he spent working on the farm, he’s supremely comfortable dealing with chocobos. This is one area in which Aden is genuinely skilled. WEAKNESSES Inexperience Though he’s quite good at fooling people into thinking he’s competent, Aden is still young and has much to learn in all regards. Social anxiety Though he is learning to better cope with this strangers, casual social situations that would seem innocuous to others are daunting to Aden. While he may learn to master himself and present a confident front he will never fully overcome this. Isolation Integral to the previous two, Aden grew up in relative isolation. He is lacking experiences and exposure that are commonplace to others. Thrillseeker Aden is discovering he is an adrenaline junkie, and feels that he has something to prove after his upbringing. He naturally gravitates towards people and situations he perceives as dangerous. COMBAT & WEAPONRY Aden is training as a dragoon, and while he is capable of performing some of the impressive feats of strength and agility associated with the order, they are still quite challenging and strenuous. As a learning lancer he is a prodigy, precociously skilled but not a master by any stretch of the imagination. Aside from his current training Aden was drilled in self-defense and hand-to-hand from an early age. Again he is no master, but he can put up enough of a challenge to escape most situations. In particular he is skilled at fighting and disarming armed opponents, with enough passing familiarity with most melee weapons to then incorporate them into his fighting or to at least keep them out of their owner’s hands. Longspear Aden is fast approaching the point where he is never parted from his weapon, a very plain, unassuming spear. This is the weapon with which he is most skilled, and most confident as well. Hunting Knife A very plain knife that could see many uses from its design. Aden carries it everywhere, and has for quite some time. EXPERIENCE LOG Nothing to see here yet.... Opponent Name (Date) : Weapon. Details about the fight. Opponent Name (Date) : Weapon. Details about the fight. BACKSTORY The information that follows is for archival purposes only. Some of this information is available through IC interaction, and some is currently obscured even to the character himself. The Bloody Belles C’shala Taran was always a rebellious child, railing against anyone who would indulge her anger. She left her tribe as a teenager, making her way to Limsa Lominsa where she realized her good looks and quick tongue made people trust her—and that a miqo’te could be very good at getting into places she shouldn’t. She made her way as a con artist and thief, thrilling in the danger and the act of parting a fool from his money. As time passed she grew weary, needing new thrills, and sought out an adventuring company that might make use of her skills. Nadine Dellebecque and Arild Brewster were members of an all-female adventuring company, working equal parts as mercenaries, treasure hunters and problem solvers. They had by chance encountered C’shala some years before, and Arild vouched for her entry. Over the years Arild and Nadine grew very close, and after Arild was grievously injured in a fight Nadine turned all her savings towards buying a farm in the Twelveswood where they could comfortably retire. C'Shala continued adventuring, but extracted an oath from her dear friends--she had always wanted children, and if she happened to have any and something unfortunate happened, Nadine and Arild would take them in. C'Shala left the company after an argument with their leader, struck out on her own and fell out of contact. The last letter she sent to Arild indicated she was considering a contract in Ishgard for something shady she would not otherwise detail. The Aubeux Family Family legend holds that three Lynx-tribe Seeker cousins rebelled against tribal structure and lifestyle and struck out on their own. Their wanderings took them far and wide, seeking a land in which they might escape tribal pressures altogether. Eventually they found their way to Ishgard, not realizing they traded one prison for another. They arrived, two of the cousins with child by roaming Keepers and the third having found a Tia who was not averse to eschewing traditional lifestyle and settling down. Throwing aside their birthnames for local ones did little to help with fitting in amongst their elezen and hyur neighbors. Over the generations the family made further attempts to integrate themselves, with varying degrees of success. Their most notable members have been mistresses or courtesans to citizens of note, sons in the family often dying young as they chase the one path open to them for advancement in society as perpetual outsiders. That is, until Lior. His mother was mistress to a minor noble, and leveraged her status as beloved to get her dear boy the training those before him had lacked from an early age. He had to push twice as hard to prove himself worthy, but eventually he made the ranks of the dragoons. Only a couple of years passed before he encountered C’shala, and his entire world shifted two steps to the left. The Unspoken Promise In the time when circumstances forced them together, C’shala and Lior fell for one another—Lior wholeheartedly, and C’shala in so much as she was capable of falling for anyone. They returned from the secretive mission C’shala had been hired for by a minor noble house, and Lior assigned to her as a watchman, with C’shala pregnant. She moved into the Aubeux family’s ancestral home, and there found a prison worse than her tribe had been—one of social gymnastics and kowtowing to their betters to stay not merely in favor, but afloat. She railed violently against it, and as soon as their son was born she struck out with him, leaving Lior only a note for her passing. He begged leave from his superiors to pursue her, and was granted it. Lior returned three moons later with his infant son, but not his lover, drastically changed from the eager young man he’d been. He dutifully raised his son with as little help from his family as he could manage, and was a loving, supportive father, but inevitably called on the old promise C’shala had extracted from her friends. The Stray A stranger brought Aden, no older than four, to the Dellebecque farm with a letter. Nadine and Arild assumed the worst. They took Aden in and raised him as their own, cherishing in him the memory of their dearest friend. He was an insatiably curious and observant child with an appetite for stories of adventure--which Nadine and Arild fed with tales from their own time in the sun. Nadine schooled him in self-defense, and as he showed aptitude indulged him in combat training as if he were her own apprentice. Much of Aden's training from his youth focused on speed, strength, and defense, in keeping with his mothers' desire to steer him away from adventuring. Flights of Fancy As soon as they were able Nadine and Arild converted the farm into a chocobo farm, as Arild always had an enduring love of the birds. This included an egg that Nadine would not reveal the origin of, though Arild long suspected it acquired from a prime Ishgardian stable and smuggled via old adventuring contacts. The birds became the household's primary focus, and the farm flourished--in no small part because of the wild rumors surrounding that supposedly smuggled bird. The Storm As he grew the family saw in Aden a blooming wanderlust, and fearful of their ability to keep up with him as they aged his mothers tightened their leash. He begged for leave to take up the lance--for his favorite figures in tales of great battles and distant places were always the lancers and dragoons, and he remembered more of his father than he let on--but they denied him time and time again. Finally they left to attend a retirement party for an old companion, and in their absence the farm's prize bird escaped. Aden went after it out in the wilderness, and ran afoul of Ixali. He nearly bested them, and didn't shirk from bloodshed, but ultimately survived only by the aid of a pair of Quivermen patrolling in the woods. Gridania Aden's mothers could no longer deny him his dearest wish after the Quivermen regaled them with the story of Aden's fight, understanding they could send him for training or lose him to inexperience in a future incident. He took up with the Lancers' Guild for training, and threw himself at it wholeheartedly--much to frustration of his trainers, who saw in him great potential but had difficulty addressing the hodgepodge of styles he'd learned from Nadine. He was bounced between several individual trainers, until by chance encountering Flynt Knoltros. Flynt agreed to take him as an apprentice, and Aden quickly fell in with Flynt's adventuring company as well. RECENT HISTORY Aden still struggles to find his place with the Wandering Tonberries, but he is no longer an outsider. He has uncovered his mentor's history as a dragoon and is now being trained as such himself, properly a squire under the same house Flynt once served. He has uncovered information about his father as well, with Flynt's help, though he has yet to pursue it. RELATIONSHIPS RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND ♥ Romantic Attraction – ♥ Physical Attraction – ♥ Platonic Love – $ Business – ❖ Deceased – ✔ Positive – ✖ Negative – ● Neutral – ? Unsure – ? Trust FAMILY & TRIBE These are mostly backstory-related relationships. LIST OF FAMILY MEMBERS C'shala Taran birth mother. ( ● ) Aden does not remember his birth mother, and knows of her only through stories from Nadine and Arild. He assumes she is deceased. While he would seize the opportunity to meet her if she were alive, he would do so warily, knowing enough about her chosen vocation to approach with caution. Lior Aubeux, father. ( ♥? ) For years Aden insisted he didn't recall his father, either, but he does, though details slip away with time. His father was indulgent, loving, and wholly dedicated. He would seize on the chance to see his father again, but not without hesitation--sending him away was the greatest betrayal of Aden's life. Nadine Dellebecque, adoptive mother. ( ♥ ?) Of his adoptive mothers Aden is closer to and takes after Nadine. She's stern, quiet, and supportive, though she has never fully understood what she's doing as a mother. Of the two she is also the most protective and insistent that Aden be pushed into leading a quiet life without adventuring. Arild Brewster, adoptive mother. ( ♥ ? ) Of his two adoptive parents Arild perhaps understands Aden better, and has been content to play second fiddle to Nadine, of a sorts. While she never wanted children she took to being a mother easily, and her bond with Aden is much warmer than Nadine's. NON-FAMILY Listed here are the non-family characters, both PC and NPC, that Aden has interacted with enough that he considers himself close to them. Last Update... DATE. * An asterisks denotes that CHARACTER doesn't know the individual's true name. LIST OF NON-FAMILY RELATIONS Flynt Knoltros, mentor, huntmaster. ( ♥✔ )? Aden regards Flynt with a complex mix of emotions, but above all else gratitude. Flynt took him on around the time Aden expected to be bounced from the lancer's guild entirely, and has provided exactly the training he needed; he provided Aden with an avenue to find out about his father; and of all the people Aden has ever known Flynt understands him best, and seemingly effortlessly. He wouldn't place the burden of being a father figure on Flynt, and would rather have him as a friend, but Flynt has begun to fill that hole in his life anyway. Celestus Shinozaki, company officer. ( ✔ )? ) Lady Shinozaki barely registered to Aden as more than another member of the company before she sat down with him for a serious discussion about his performance in the company and what he's looking to accomplish. She's provided him with the right tools and right mindset to keep moving forward and growing, and to push out of his fear of attention--and laid on him a responsibility that he must rise to meet. Kyo'to Roku, adoptive brother. ( ♥✔ )?</font ) CHARACTER’s Thoughts: "Who, that asshole?" Aden met Kyo his first night with the Tonberries, when Kyo was thrown right past his head into a wall in the training room. That evening Aden decided learning to help Kyo with his own unique problem would be the most challenging thing he could do with the company, and set about figuring out how. They were friends, but weren't close until Raik, the pillar keeping Kyo stable, disappeared. Kyo admitted he's considered Aden like a little brother, and in repayment Aden poured everything he had into getting Raik back and putting Kyo at the forefront of the effort. Leah Leyweaver, company officer. ( t-variant:small-caps;">Flynt Knoltros, mentor, huntmaster. ( ♥✔ )? ) Leah is quiet, bookish, and anxious--in many ways a mirror to Aden. They've become fast friends, and Aden is comfortable around her. RUMORS These are rumors, both from NPCs and PCs, that one might overhear in regards to Aden. Feel free to utilize these in your RP hooks, or add your own! ◢ Common Rumors - Easily overheard. Use these freely! “That kid glued to Flynt’s tail? Doesn’t seem to talk much. Won’t look you in the eye or say nothin’ unless you talk to him first.” “See more of him around Ul’dah than in Gridania nowadays.” ◢ Uncommon Rumors - A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first! “Nadine’s boy? He doesn’t seem like much but if he’s anything like her, he could lay you out if he wanted to.” “I hear he had a rough time with the Wailers, getting passed around from trainer to trainer. It’s a wonder anybody else picked him up.” ◢ Rare Rumors - Very rarely overheard. Ask before using “His mother was a right scoundrel, and one day that’s gonna come knockin’.” "Bears a close resemblance to a fellow I met up north.... Never did get the man's name or what he was doing there." ◢ Player Character Rumors - Feel free to add rumors of your own! (Insert rumor here.) -- Rumor Author / Location "... He's a good student, if you want to know anything else ask him yourself." -- Flynt Knoltros (If you add a player rumor, please first copy and paste the above line of code to leave behind for the next person! Thanks!) SCREENSHOTS A collection of screenshots of CHARACTER that serves as a visual reference, or snapshots from certain roleplaying scenes. FILE NAME.png FILE NAME.png FILE NAME.png ARTWORK A collection of artwork of Aden, either commissioned or gifted by the respective artist(s). Artist names & info are linked when you hover over images. You are not permitted to re-use this artwork for your own characters or purposes, whether on Final Fantasy XIV or on other games, forums, etc. FILE NAME.PNG [WWW.URL.COM Artist Name] ROLEPLAY HOOKS The challenge of RPing with Aden, since he's a socially anxious character, is coming up with a plausible reason to encounter him and get him to stick around long enough to talk. Here are a few suggestions. The bookstore: From time to time Aden works at an NPC-run bookstore in Gridania. It would be easy enough to know of him from the store or to encounter him there. The Wailers/the Twin Adder:Aden spent some time before his apprenticeship with Flynt as part of this group, and it would be easy to know him/know of him from there. Hunting: Aden is beginning to spend some of his free time engaging in the focus of the company he's joined: hunting. He can be found out and about taking care of minor requests directed to the company or just for practice. He tends to be a little bit more sociable since he feels more in his element and has a ready reason to just walk away. ABOUT THE PLAYER I've been RPing for roughly seventeen years, and my first real start was on a FF7 board. Since then I've built up extensive experience with LARP and tabletop systems, and while I have RPed in MMOs before this is the first time I've really pushed into organized and community play in one. I'm chill and actively try to be a low maintenance RPer--everyone has multiple partners, multiple engagements, and I can go make my own trouble while you're off plotting, no problem. That said, I expect the same understanding out of RPers. If we're more than just casually encountering each other, understand that I am an adult with a full time job, a healthy long-term relationship, and interests outside of XIV. Sometimes I just won't feel like RPing, too. Never take it personally if I tell you no, I will usually try to explain myself. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND... Romance is (probably) off the table.Yes, this is a requisite disclaimer, because a lot of people are apparently very concerned with it. It's not essential to the narrative I'm looking for with Aden, and I'm somewhat burned out on romance RP. I find it inevitably comes to dominate a character, and I don't want that. Aden is not interested, and I am avoiding it. That said, if something organically develops I will not take steps to stop it. Just understand that if you come into RP with me looking for this, you will probably be disappointed. Aden is young, and more than a sweeping romance he is likely to end up in a series of short, failed relationships. His personality lends itself more to casual encounters or at very best, friends with benefits. He is always going to put more emotional investment in close friendships. No I won't join your FC. I'm home. I am (probably) IC.If I am not crafting or in a dungeon, I am probably IC. You can always /tell first to check, and if you walk up and emote at me and see my armor suddenly change it means I'm switching to go IC and respond. I play from work sometimes. My job affords me long periods of downtime, and sometimes I log in and RP during them. However, the nature of the job means I have to be able to drop whatever I'm doing without warning. I will let you know if I am at work, and if so expect short, unannounced AFKs. If I am dealing with something that will take more than five minutes to resolve I'll try to let you know. Aden is a heroic character. His arc is ultimately about hope, and the thought that maybe, just maybe, we can have nice things just this once. He carries a lot of responsibility in the hopes and aspirations others have put on him, and what he himself has taken on as well. The previous generation always wants better for the next, and if I can pull it off Aden is that succeeding for once. GUIDELINES I WILL NOT... ERP It's weird, it's awkward, I'm just not interested. I will push the upper boundaries of what would go in an R rating, but my usual way of dealing with this is to do a fade to black before things get heavy and then offer to finish the scene as a short piece of erotica. Keep in mind your chances of dealing with this aspect approach zero. Kill my character Don't even ask. Be your villain While I'm good at playing villains, this is not the character for that. I WILL... Engage in mature RP. It's a sometimes food, but I am comfortable with violence/torture/sexual content short of ERP/dark themes/etc. It has to be appropriate, you can't just throw it in for no reason, and have to understand the limits of remaining tasteful, but I'm game. Be your bro. If your character puts the work in to befriend Aden he is behind them with an intensity that you might not expect. These are the relationships that are most important to him. Go on zany adventures with you. See above. If Aden trusts you, he'll throw in with just about any half-baked idea that doesn't sound like a disaster waiting to happen. OTHER LINKS Writing featuring Aden: Wandering Lost. XIV Tumblr: [dellebecque.tumblr.com Wandering Lost]. This template was created by Deirdre Ta'ea, then modified/mixed from Franz Renatus, Leanne Delphium, Bancroft Gairn, and Jaliqai Qulaan. 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