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[reuser]

Applicant Info

◎ ɴᴀᴍᴇ: Jes.
◎ ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟ: lenity.
◎ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ: propast.

Character Info

◎ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ's ɴᴀᴍᴇ: Pyrrha Nikos.
◎ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ's ᴄᴀɴᴏɴ: RWBY.
◎ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ's ᴀɢᴇ: 17.
◎ ᴄᴀɴᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: Volume 3, episode 12, after the Cinder fight.
◎ ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ/ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ: Wiki.
◎ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ʜᴀᴄᴋᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ/ᴏʀ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sɪxᴛʜ﹣sᴇɴsᴇ? Nope!

◎ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ:

Through-out her whole life, Pyrrha has been lauded as the best and strongest. And why shouldn’t she be? On the battlefield, she shines. Quick, capable and guileful. She’s not inspired by the legend of Achilles for nothing. Outside of the battlefield, she’s clever and studious, in the top of her class both physically and intellectually. There’s little reason not to assume Pyrrha hasn’t been gifted with everything.

While this might make some people haughty or unkind, Pyrrha is far from either. Trusting and remarkably generous of spirit, Pyrrha endeavours to make friends with everyone she meets. This is apparent in her early interactions with Weiss and Jaune. In the case of the former, she happily encourages the idea of them being teammates despite not knowing Weiss very well; in the latter’s case, she immediately recognises the potential in Jaune and doesn’t hesitate to voice it, encouraging him without hesitation. There are very few people Pyrrha doesn’t treat kindly or politely, but there are examples. For instance, Cardin Winchester earns her ire for his cruel, bullying ways and she jokingly remarks to Jaune that she will break Cardin’s legs if he continues to harass people. Although warm and friendly, her sense of justice is unflinching.

Despite not being the leader of her team, Pyrrha is seen as the motherly figure within. There are reasons for this. Kind, patient, and a good listener, Pyrrha is most likely to bend over backwards to take care of her teammates’ emotional needs. This is most heavily indicated in her interaction with Jaune, but Word of God is that she would do the same for any of her friends if they needed it. Another reason is her relative isolation prior to the beginning of the series. Held up on a pedestal due to her celebrity status and combat prowess, Pyrrha has had a hard time forming meaningful attachments. People worship her, she says, but they are afraid to get to know her. Befriending Jaune, Ren and Nora is considered a bright spot in her life - as such, she would do anything for them. This includes setting her own feelings aside for their happiness, as proven by Pyrrha willfully disregarding her own pain when Jaune ignores her for another girl. She's saddened by it but she gives him heartfelt advice and does her best to ensure his success regardless.

It is important to point out that, despite Pyrrha’s comparable success, she’s more of a follower than a leader. That’s not to say that she’s incapable of taking initiative or that people don’t look to her for guidance; both are provably untrue statements. However, she is unused to being a part of a larger whole. It can be assumed that part of the reason Pyrrha is so strong is that she never had a team to have her back before and had to learn to rely on her own self very quickly. Interestingly, rather than make her caustic or combative, this has made her somewhat of a pushover. She accepts a sponsorship deal with a company that manufactures and distributes a product she can’t bring herself to compliment - (Weiss, about Pyrrha: “She’s on the cover of every Pumpkin Pete’s Marshmallow Flakes box!” Pyrrha, in response: “Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn’t very good for you.”) - and arguably this is because Pyrrha could not say no when asked. She could not disappoint a hopeful businessman and his employees, okay!!

In every day interaction, Pyrrha is formal and gracious, often deferring to a more old fashioned form of speaking. She’s not one to take the lead in conversation, especially with people she doesn’t know that well. Although far from taciturn, it wouldn’t be a stretch to describe Pyrrha as the strong and (relatively) silent type. With her friends, however, Pyrrha is warm and honest. She is a surprising playful streak and doesn’t hesitate to get involved in Nora’s mischief or back Jaune up in his more ridiculous moments. By nature, she longs for social interactions and, at the end of the day, is just another teenage girl who wants to have fun with her friends.

In fact, she can get quite wrapped up in the mischief of others. There are a few notable times in canon where she goes along with her teammate’s more ridiculous moments without batting an eyelash - such as happily spectating Nora and Yang’s game of cross-cafeteria food toss and then, that same afternoon, serving as one of the unflinching “guards” of Queen Nora’s castle. (I mean, there had to have been a moment where they were all like, “okay, we’ll stand on the overturned tower of tables with our arms crossed, giving Team RWBY the thousand-yard stare, BAM.” And sensible, reliable Pyrrha stands closest to the top. You know what, just watch the scene for yourself.) As well, although Pyrrha is generally composed, that same composure can be unraveled in moments in frustration. One such moment is Pyrrha angrily shouting Nora’s name when her teammate suctions a jarful of sap into her mouth (somehow).

One interesting, often unseen part of Pyrrha’s personality is her guile. She’s certainly book smart as well as a famed athlete, but Pyrrha has a certain amount of cunning to her advantage. Cleverly, she hides the details of her Semblance (explained below) and uses it very sparingly. This gives her an untouchable mystique in battle. Of this, Cinder remarks, “people assume [Pyrrha is] fated for victory.” It’s very arguable that this is intentional on Pyrrha’s part. She deliberately cultivates a battle strategy to give her a leg-up on her opponents. Like her battle style, it’s done without excess, not a single thing wasted.

◎ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀs/ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇs:

In-universe, Pyrrha is a very accomplished fighter - even in a school of well-trained combatants, she stands out as a star. In fact, she has been featured as a celebrity endorsement on cereal boxes following her several consecutive wins in the Mistral Regional Tournament. She’s quite skilled and agile, refined at both hand-to-hand combat and use of her weapons: a metallic javelin that transforms into both a short sword and a hunting rifle, with sight, depending on her needs in battle; and a shield. Her accuracy with the javelin is uncontested. Early on in the series, she is able to pin a falling target (Jaune) to a tree several hundred feet away using only her thumb and eyesight to mark the spot. Pyrrha’s weapons are an extension of herself and she uses them as such; armed, she is remarkably fluid and precise, never wasting a single moment or fumbling.

However, there is a significant amount of guile in her infamous battle prowess. Pyrrha’s Semblance - the in-universe special ability all characters in RWBY have - is magnetism. Purposefully, Pyrrha does not advertise this. In combat, she maintains a certain mystique by only applying slight, mechanical adjustments to the movements of the other combatant in order to gain the upper hand. If an opponent is about to get a good hit in, she will use a small magnetic pulse to push away whatever metal is close at hand. This is demonstrated in her battle with Mercury in the second volume. Twice, she manipulates his boots to keep him from striking effectively. Pyrrha can use her Semblance in a more splashy way (such as when she fires an entire barrage of beverage cans at Team RWBY in the second volume opener) but often does not. The illusion of being fated for victory isn’t something to so willingly sacrifice, after all.

Also, she can fight in a corset. Think about that for a second.

Intellectually, Pyrrha is no slouch either. She’s studious and well-read, quietly excelling in the academic side of her Beacon career. As explained above, it’s her cleverness that makes Pyrrha a dangerous opponent; something she’s very well aware of.

◎ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴᴠᴇɴᴛᴏʀʏ:

Pyrrha’s weapons are called Miló and Akoúo̱. Their names mean speak and listen, respectively, in Greek. Akoúo̱ is a sturdy, circular metallic shield that Pyrrha uses for both throwing and protective purposes while in battle. Miló is an offensive weapon that can transition between a rifle with sight, a javelin, and a short sword depending upon Pyrrha’s needs. More information on Miló and Akoú here.

Pyrrha also carries her handheld scroll on her person at all times. In the RWBY-verse, scrolls are monitoring and communication devices, not unlike an iPhone that also somehow keeps track of heartbeats. Her scroll can stream videos, monitor Aura, give live updates on the status of her teammates, and serves as Pyrrha’s student identification at Beacon. More information on scrolls here. In Cerealia, it will be unable to charge and, after about twenty-four hours, lose power permanently.

She will arrive with the clothes on her back, plus her student uniform (sans one (1) circlet, missing in action).

CEREALIA-Specific

◎ ᴇʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ:

Earth. Pyrrha is very sturdy and motherly, often providing the foundation others need to get their footing. Additionally, her Semblance of polarity bears the most resemblance to earth as an element, considering where metals are found.

◎ sᴇɴsᴇ:

Sight. Pyrrha places a good deal of importance on perceptions - and the disregarding thereof - to the point where she tells Jaune she appreciates his friendship because he saw her for her. As well, a lot of her battle tactics are based around quick, methodical judgments based on what she sees.

◎ sᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴛʀᴀɪᴛs:

( + ) Loyal, kind, patient.
( - ) Pushover, overly apologetic, reticent.
( +/- ) Guile.

Samples

◎ ғɪʀsᴛ﹣ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ sᴀᴍᴘʟᴇ: Voice test post | Test drive

◎ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ﹣ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ sᴀᴍᴘʟᴇ:

There are many differences between life in Cerealia and life at Beacon. Although Pyrrha can say for a fact that she prefers the latter - and why wouldn’t she, when it’s where her friends and dreams alike are housed? - she knows that mourning it will have its due, but she must continue on. She can’t risk falling out of shape. This new life lacks in challenges. To contest that, Pyrrha challenges herself.

She imagines Professor Goodwitch offering tepid notes of approval in her usual tone, Well done, Miss Nikos.

She imagines the sparring arena; hot lights, the moment adrenaline begins to peak and she can feel fluttering excitement in her breast. An opponent, or two, or three or four. She can imagine faces, because Pyrrha wouldn’t do an opponent the disservice of forgetting them later, but even that would be disrespectful. People do not live to be simple players in her imagination. Her conjured up opponents are faceless. Battle tactics, and not identity. Feet and fists and weapons, but voiceless, breathless. Her team would be there, though. Nora cheering, Ren’s eyes following each strike she landed with quiet but thorough observation, and - Jaune.

It’s not the truth, though.

Pyrrha’s only in a gym in the city’s residential district (one of the less technological ones; filled with actual equipment rather than holographic) and her only company is the stuffed martial mannequin she’s engaging. Sand spills at her feet and she realizes that the vinyl holding the dummy together has frayed, splitting under her blows. Her imaginations are whisked away in a second. Another one ruined. Another one she’ll have to—

“Hey!”

—apologise about and pay for. Spinning on a foot, she tucks her hands behind her back, chin rising and expression appropriately shamed. Her grimace could be confused for an embarrassed smile and her cheeks feel tight, almost pulled.

“I’m sorry,” says Pyrrha. It feels like the millionth time this month she’s had to engage the poor man in such a way. Guilt turns her cheeks bright. He’s just trying to run a business and she keeps accidentally destroying his equipment. “I’ll pay for its replacement, I swear.”

The word of Pyrrha Nikos is nothing short of a promise, her guarantee heartfelt and unbreakable.

Next week, the whole incident repeats itself.

◎ ɪs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ʀᴇᴛᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴʏ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜs ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇs? She'll be retaining her memories from her first stint in Cerealia.