Balamb Garden (Final Fantasy VIII) -Please Use Recruitment Thread in First Post-

[Caitlin]

I figured I'd put your template in code, it's easier to copy/paste that way. ;)

Code Select Expand

CHARACTER APPLICATION
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Enrollment Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]

[b]Weapon:[/b]
[b]Specialization:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Backstory:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]


GF APPLICATION
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Element:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b]
[b]Bonus:[/b]
[b]Special Attack:[/b]

[Florence]

Thank you kindly, for that :>

[Occident]

Never played it. Is there anything I would want to read up on if I were to participate?

[Florence]

Never played it. Is there anything I would want to read up on if I were to participate?

I posted some links in the first post that might be helpful. Really, one of the best things you could do is just read the pages on there concerning FFVIII, Balamb Garden, SeeD and just the world and its locations. In addition to that, I can recommend you look up videos of it on youtube, or find a good Lets Play of it. I'm afraid I'm not really sure of any specific ones to recommend, but I'm sure you can find something with a quick google or youtube search.

The game has received a rather... mixed response from people. So some people may be more scathing in their descriptions than others. I personally absolutely loved the game, despite its few flaws.

[Florence]

Final Fantasy VIII (Let's Play) - Part 1 - Introduction

Here, I found this one. Sorry to double-post, but if you're looking for a Lets Play, this one doesn't seem to be terrible.

[Caitlin]

To me FF VIII represents one of the best games all-time, it brought many innovative elements to games and it was one of the most original FF's, though FF VII was even more innovative. FF VII even changed the game industry as a whole and made RPG's what they are today, it was the first RPG that became really popular in the western world.

[Revenent]

FFVII wasn't all that innovative... The Materia system was really just a more complex version of the Magicite system from VI, more or less, and it didn't really add anything else gameplay-wise. I guess you might be right as far as how it affected cinematics in RPGs, but look where that's led us: Square deciding FFXIII should be a movie instead of a game. ::)

[Caitlin]

GF APPLICATION
Bonus: (What kind of benefits does it give the user? Magical Power, Physical Strength, Stamina, special abilities? If using a GF from the game, it doesn't have to match up EXACTLY with what the GF does in game, as long as its in the same general area.)

How many bonusses do we get? Maybe it'd be a good idea to list what kind of bonusses we can pick from. Strength, Magic, Stamina, Vitality and Spirit were main stats I believe, but the Junction system allowed for many other kinds of bonusses too.

Additionally; will we be able to pick up more bonusses during the game?

[edit]
I was also wondering how important this all is really going to be? Maybe it's better to leave this out of the template? I more or less ended up researching all the different abilities that were in FF VIII and to be honest, it's getting quite a bit overwhelming already. Considering we're not going to use dices and considering we already noted our character's specialisation, it might be better to skip this part? Unless this will be really functional for the roleplay of course, but I was under the impression that you don't want GF's to play too large a role either?

[edit2]
We can also skip coming up with limit breaks?
How heavily will combat future in the game?/ What's the game's focus going to be?

[Snake]

I'm interested. it's been years since I played it but I remember quite a bit about it.

[Caitlin]

CHARACTER APPLICATION
Name: Nasha Flinder
Age: Sixteen
Enrollment Age: Six
Gender: Female

Weapon: Staff (Melee Weapon)
Specialization: Magic
Personality: Nasha is a studious teenager, who is typically a happy person, but who is also afflicted by mood swings, which cause her to be depressed and listless. She likes socializing with her girlfriends, but she is generally shy around guys, especially the more popular ones. She likes pulling pranks on people, but only when she's sure that she won't get caught by the faculty.
Back Story:
Nasha was born and raised in a small village located in the Bika Snowfields. When she was six years old a terrible blizzard raged over her village. The Blizaga tornado destroyed nearly all houses and the villagers were forced to abandon their homes. The storm had made all outside communication impossible and the elders decided that it was best to head to Shumi Village, which was located further to the north, but also the closest nearby sanctuary.

During the chaos of the impromptu evacuation that followed, Nasha and her parents were separated from the main group and got lost in the blizzard that still raged on around them. When her parents spotted an ice cavern that emitted a gentle glow, they decided to head there, hoping to find sanctuary.

The lack of food and biting cold had severely weakened her parents and they were plagued by hypothermia. They did their best to keep their little girl as warm as possible, but it came at the cost of exposing their own bodies to the elements. Unfortunately the storm didn't show any signs of slowing down and hypothermia overtook her parents, killing them both in the process.

Nasha would have shared their fate if it wasn't for the intervention of a Guardian Force, who cradled the small girl in her arms and soothed her with her warm embrace until Nasha fell asleep. The Guardian Force also emitted a powerful light that acted as a beacon, which in turn attracted a group of Moombas who were bravely defying the blizzard on their trek south. When they spotted the light, their curiosity was aroused and they sought out its origin, where they found a peacefully sleeping Nasha in the ice cavern. The Guardian Force, however, had disappeared without a trace.

The Moombas took Nasha with them to Trabia Garden, where she was enlisted as an orphan and the Garden took her under their care. Nasha could remember little of what had happened during the storm, but she realized that it was something special that had saved her. After she mourned her parents for a considerable time, her curiosity took over and she wanted to find out why she had survived, while her parents had died. This in turn urged her to study magic and Guardian Forces, hoping that she would find an answer.

Over the years that followed her original reasons for studying magic and Guardian Forces slowly faded, while her general interest in magic had widened. At the age of eleven she had learned everything about magic that Trabia Garden had to offer and she requested a transfer to Balamb Garden, which had a bigger library and more specialized teachers, which allow her to further her studies.

Due to her excellent grades and demonstrated skills in the manipulation of magic, Nasha applied for, and was granted, SeeD candidacy at the age of fifteen.

Appearance: Nasha is 1.68 meter (5'7”) tall, weighs 58 kg (127 pounds), has a light Caucasian skin, shoulder length, snow-white hair which she typically wears in a ponytail, light blonde eyebrows, crystal-clear blue eyes, dark mascara, B cup breasts, manicured fingernails with white nail polish and a toned body that is clean-shaven. Her light skin color, white hair and blue eyes are a genetic trait that all the people of her birth village shared.

Nasha is quite adapted to the cold climate of the northern regions, but she finds the moderate climate of Balamb Garden uncomfortably warm. As a result she tends to wear as little clothes as possible. She typically wears a dark blue tank top, that features the image of a cute Chicobo. Her breasts are firm enough to go without needing a bra. She also wears tight, silver-colored hotpants and a large, black belt made of leather, to which she attaches items and her weapon. She also wears white gym shoes with pink tints.

Her weapon is an extending staff made of titanium that hangs on her belt when she doesn't use it. In it's retracted form it's 30 centimeters (1 ft) large, while it's 150 centimeters (5 ft) when fully extended. On the inside it's hollow, but the tips are enforced with 2,5 centimeters (1 inch) of titanium to make them extra heavy. This adds more momentum to her swings and allows her to deal lethal hits when the tips connect with her target. The staff fully extends and retracts in half a second with the push of a button. Rather than relying on brute force, Nasha's fighting technique is based on speed and agility. She hits the pressure points of her target with a deadly accuracy until she can strike a lethal point that will kill the target.

When Nasha performs a magic related attack she will first retract the staff and hang it on her belt, so she has both hands available to perform her attack.



GF APPLICATION
Name: Vishka
Element: Holy
Description: When Vishka is summoned a small golden sphere appears in mid-air, which rapidly expands and then transforms into her true form. Once her true form is reached, tiny golden sparkles of light from the original sphere slowly fade away.

Vishka has the body of a twenty-five year old woman, with a very light Caucasian skin that emits a tranquil glow. Her eyes have silver glowing irises, while her lips are a very light pink color, only slightly darker than her skin color. Her long, flowing hair shines with a brilliant golden color, lighting up the area around her. She's slim, with C cup breasts, full hips, long legs and slender arms.

Vishka only wears a skintight, white baby doll, that sharply contrasts with her skin color. She levitates above the ground, where a warm, golden wind breezes around her body, as she gently flaps her large, white, angelic wings.
Bonus: Vishka improves Magic, Spirit and Speed.
Special Attack: Holy Nova

When Vishka summons her special attack, she will look at the targets and then slowly closes her eyes in concentration, while a small smile forms on her lips. She brings her hands up at breast level with a very elegant gesture, having her palms facing outwards. Next she sharply snaps her fingers with both hands. At the same time she flaps her wings more powerfully, which levitates her higher in the air, while she simultaneously opens her eyes, wears a  frown on her face and the small smile leaves her lips. A second after she snapped her fingers a nova of golden light explodes in the middle of the targets, dealing a moderate amount of holy damage for the duration of the three second explosion. When the light of the blast washes over the party, they get blessed with Haste.

[Caitlin]

I hope the character is okay. I decided to forego the GF bonus though. I'm really not sure what to add there or how many abilities we can add in. I'm guessing we're not strongly focussing on the abilities during the game and mostly only mention them in fights, so I think it's okay to leave that out. :-)

[AribethAmkiir]

Do we need to limit weapons to martial arts weapons and those that were in the game?

Also, I'll likely submit a character sheet this evening.

[Revenent]

Do we need to limit weapons to martial arts weapons and those that were in the game?

Also, I'll likely submit a character sheet this evening.

I'd imagine not, since he included Ranged as a specialization and doesn't seem to care about only having stuff from the game.

[Florence]

How many bonusses do we get? Maybe it'd be a good idea to list what kind of bonusses we can pick from. Strength, Magic, Stamina, Vitality and Spirit were main stats I believe, but the Junction system allowed for many other kinds of bonusses too.

Additionally; will we be able to pick up more bonusses during the game?

[edit]
I was also wondering how important this all is really going to be? Maybe it's better to leave this out of the template? I more or less ended up researching all the different abilities that were in FF VIII and to be honest, it's getting quite a bit overwhelming already. Considering we're not going to use dices and considering we already noted our character's specialisation, it might be better to skip this part? Unless this will be really functional for the roleplay of course, but I was under the impression that you don't want GF's to play too large a role either?

[edit2]
We can also skip coming up with limit breaks?
How heavily will combat future in the game?/ What's the game's focus going to be?

The combat stuff, quite honestly, isn't all that important, but since they're training to be mercenaries, i figured it'd be good to iron that out now, so when a fight does break out, it doesn't devolve into DBZ style move invention. Its also why I wasn't too specific on the bonuses. Its less like... a set of strict stat boosts and more a general "What does the GF make you better at?" kinda thing.

Do we need to limit weapons to martial arts weapons and those that were in the game?

Also, I'll likely submit a character sheet this evening.

Not at all. The only restriction is that it should be something fits the world. Like... a scythe, a spear, a gun, an axe, a whip, a sword, daggers, baseball bat, etc. fine. But I would prefer if no one apply to use a giant laser cannon or a lightsaber. But all in all, feel free to be creative.

[Eislynn]

I love FF8! Didn't finish reading the thread but I already know I want in. Will finish reading tomorrow and come up with a character to post for approval shortly thereafter.

[Florence]

I love FF8! Didn't finish reading the thread but I already know I want in. Will finish reading tomorrow and come up with a character to post for approval shortly thereafter.

Glad to hear there's interest :D

[Fenrir]

I'm totally in!  *nods and immediately starts working on a character sheet*

Oh, do you want me to post it here?  And if so... you may want to put that in your first post so people don't have to search around for it!

[Florence]

Yes, post it up here, if you're interested!

[Caitlin]

I completely forgot to describe what my character wears and how her weapon functions, I'll add that in shortly. I'll also add more details about my GF's bonus. I figure I'd go for Magic/ spirit since that makes sense for Nasha.

I don't believe there were any staff weapons in FF8 and hers functions more like a Bo (the staff that Gabrielle had in Xena warrior princess) than like a traditional wizard staff.

[Caitlin]

I updated my character sheet.

If you want to put it in the original topic then here is the code you can use.

Code Select Expand

[spoiler=Caitlin - Character: Nasha Flinder]CHARACTER APPLICATION
[b]Name:[/b] Nasha Flinder
[b]Age:[/b] Sixteen
[b]Enrollment Age:[/b] Six
[b]Gender:[/b] Female

[b]Weapon:[/b] Staff (Melee Weapon)
[b]Specialization:[/b] Magic
[b]Personality:[/b] Nasha is a studious teenager, who is typically a happy person, but who is also afflicted by mood swings, which cause her to be depressed and listless. She likes socializing with her girlfriends, but she is generally shy around guys, especially the more popular ones. She likes pulling pranks on people, but only when she's sure that she won't get caught by the faculty.
[b]Back Story:[/b]
Nasha was born and raised in a small village located in the Bika Snowfields. When she was six years old a terrible blizzard raged over her village. The Blizaga tornado destroyed nearly all houses and the villagers were forced to abandon their homes. The storm had made all outside communication impossible and the elders decided that it was best to head to Shumi Village, which was located further to the north, but also the closest nearby sanctuary.

During the chaos of the impromptu evacuation that followed, Nasha and her parents were separated from the main group and got lost in the blizzard that still raged on around them. When her parents spotted an ice cavern that emitted a gentle glow, they decided to head there, hoping to find sanctuary.

The lack of food and biting cold had severely weakened her parents and they were plagued by hypothermia. They did their best to keep their little girl as warm as possible, but it came at the cost of exposing their own bodies to the elements. Unfortunately the storm didn't show any signs of slowing down and hypothermia overtook her parents, killing them both in the process.

Nasha would have shared their fate if it wasn't for the intervention of a Guardian Force, who cradled the small girl in her arms and soothed her with her warm embrace until Nasha fell asleep. The Guardian Force also emitted a powerful light that acted as a beacon, which in turn attracted a group of Moombas who were bravely defying the blizzard on their trek south. When they spotted the light, their curiosity was aroused and they sought out its origin, where they found a peacefully sleeping Nasha in the ice cavern. The Guardian Force, however, had disappeared without a trace.

The Moombas took Nasha with them to Trabia Garden, where she was enlisted as an orphan and the Garden took her under their care. Nasha could remember little of what had happened during the storm, but she realized that it was something special that had saved her. After she mourned her parents for a considerable time, her curiosity took over and she wanted to find out why she had survived, while her parents had died. This in turn urged her to study magic and Guardian Forces, hoping that she would find an answer.

Over the years that followed her original reasons for studying magic and Guardian Forces slowly faded, while her general interest in magic had widened. At the age of eleven she had learned everything about magic that Trabia Garden had to offer and she requested a transfer to Balamb Garden, which had a bigger library and more specialized teachers, which allow her to further her studies.

Due to her excellent grades and demonstrated skills in the manipulation of magic, Nasha applied for, and was granted, SeeD candidacy at the age of fifteen.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Nasha is 1.68 meter (5'7”) tall, weighs 58 kg (127 pounds), has a light Caucasian skin, shoulder length, snow-white hair which she typically wears in a ponytail, light blonde eyebrows, crystal-clear blue eyes, dark mascara, B cup breasts, manicured fingernails with white nail polish and a toned body that is clean-shaven. Her light skin color, white hair and blue eyes are a genetic trait that all the people of her birth village shared.

Nasha is quite adapted to the cold climate of the northern regions, but she finds the moderate climate of Balamb Garden uncomfortably warm. As a result she tends to wear as little clothes as possible. She typically wears a dark blue tank top, that features the image of a cute Chicobo. Her breasts are firm enough to go without needing a bra. She also wears tight, silver-colored hotpants and a large, black belt made of leather, to which she attaches items and her weapon. She also wears white gym shoes with pink tints.

Her weapon is an extending staff made of titanium that hangs on her belt when she doesn't use it. In it's retracted form it's 30 centimeters (1 ft) large, while it's 150 centimeters (5 ft) when fully extended. On the inside it's hollow, but the tips are enforced with 2,5 centimeters (1 inch) of titanium to make them extra heavy. This adds more momentum to her swings and allows her to deal lethal hits when the tips connect with her target. The staff fully extends and retracts in half a second with the push of a button. Rather than relying on brute force, Nasha's fighting technique is based on speed and agility. She hits the pressure points of her target with a deadly accuracy until she can strike a lethal point that will kill the target.

When Nasha performs a magic related attack she will first retract the staff and hang it on her belt, so she has both hands available to perform her attack.



GF APPLICATION
[b]Name:[/b] Vishka
[b]Element:[/b] Holy
[b]Description:[/b] When Vishka is summoned a small golden sphere appears in mid-air, which rapidly expands and then transforms into her true form. Once her true form is reached, tiny golden sparkles of light from the original sphere slowly fade away.

Vishka has the body of a twenty-five year old woman, with a very light Caucasian skin that emits a tranquil glow. Her eyes have silver glowing irises, while her lips are a very light pink color, only slightly darker than her skin color. Her long, flowing hair shines with a brilliant golden color, lighting up the area around her. She's slim, with C cup breasts, full hips, long legs and slender arms.

Vishka only wears a skintight, white baby doll, that sharply contrasts with her skin color. She levitates above the ground, where a warm, golden wind breezes around her body, as she gently flaps her large, white, angelic wings.
[b]Bonus:[/b] Vishka improves Magic, Spirit and Speed.
[b]Special Attack:[/b] Holy Nova

When Vishka summons her special attack, she will look at the targets and then slowly closes her eyes in concentration, while a small smile forms on her lips. She brings her hands up at breast level with a very elegant gesture, having her palms facing outwards. Next she sharply snaps her fingers with both hands. At the same time she flaps her wings more powerfully, which levitates her higher in the air, while she simultaneously opens her eyes, wears a  frown on her face and the small smile leaves her lips. A second after she snapped her fingers a nova of golden light explodes in the middle of the targets, dealing a moderate amount of holy damage for the duration of the three second explosion. When the light of the blast washes over the party, they get blessed with Haste.
[/spoiler]

By the way, are my character and GF okay?

[AndyZ]

Name: Alyssa Deftrix
Age: 17
Enrollment Age: 5
Gender: Female

Weapon: Gunblade
Specialization: Melee Combat.  She has a notable talent for acrobatic fighting, the strength given to her by Shiva helping her to wield the heavy gunblade without difficulty as well as jump higher than most.  She's not very good with most magic, though she's decent with Cure and Ice spells, and knows a few creative tricks like freezing water to let her cross.
Personality: Devil-may-care attitude that never seems to quit.  Only a select few have peeked under the mask to see her concealed insecurities.
Backstory: Having been in the Garden for as long as she can remember, she's gone from lamenting her fate in her childhood, to being desperate for attention and to prove herself, and now just lives at the edge.  Some people think that she doesn't know when to quit, but a few of her teachers realize that she simply can't quit, because if she ever stops, she might look down, or look back.
Appearance: Although she commonly wears jeans even in warm weather, her shirts can wildly vary based on music, or movies, or anything else which becomes popular and catches her attention.  The rapid shift comes as a combination of living life at high speed combined with the damage to her clothes in combat.  She never wears a jacket, no matter how much it snows (thanks to the resistance to the cold from Shiva), and she doesn't like purses because she has pockets and prefers to travel light.

GF APPLICATION
Name: Shiva
Element: Ice
Description: A blue-skinned frozen woman
Bonus: Strength, giving the otherwise average looking girl a great degree of physical force, and a resistance to cold.
Special Attack: Diamond Dust.  Ice crystals appear with Shiva inside, and she shatters them to send shards of ice bursting out to slash enemies.

[Caitlin]

Hehe, originally I thought of going with a Shiva-like GF which would have had a Permafrost special attack (her appearance being a combination of Vishka and Shiva), but then I settled for a holy elemental instead. ^_^

I'm glad to see Shiva making an appearance though, she was my favourite GF of all the GF's out there. I wonder if anybody will take Ifrit as well?

[AndyZ]

My other plan was to make an angel with Holy, but after I saw that you'd taken that, I didn't want to make another.  Shiva was my favorite entry GF, although Ice is my favorite of the level 1 elements, so it's not hard to figure out why.

[Revenent]

...Doomtrain is where it's really at.

[Caitlin]

My other plan was to make an angel with Holy, but after I saw that you'd taken that, I didn't want to make another.  Shiva was my favorite entry GF, although Ice is my favorite of the level 1 elements, so it's not hard to figure out why.

Cool, great minds think alike! ;D

And yeah, my GF is really a lot like an angel in appearance. I thought up an interesting back story to that as well, it probably isn't very hard to guess who the GF was that saved Nasha. :-)

It just sucks that I couldn't find any pictures that did my character or GF any justice. I hope the descriptions are clear enough to allow people to envision them in their mind though.