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[flowerpeddle]

★ Character Information ★

Character Name: Aerith Gainsborough
Character Age: 22
Character Species: Ancient
Current Health: Dead, but otherwise perfectly fine
Outfit: Here

Character Canon: Final Fantasy VII (original)
Link to History: Here
Canon Point: Post-game
Canon Iteration: Original

★ Folkmore Roles & Attributes ★

Skills: Aerith is skilled at using staffs and staves in battle, alongside materia slotted into those weapons.
Canon Abilities: Aerith is an Ancient, which means she can communicate with the planet. By doing so she can hear what the planet has to say, can be told when people she or others care about have died and can sometimes reach out and speak to animals and plants. She also has what is called "Limit Breaks", which are powerful spell-like abilities that allow her to do various things, including healing, empowering other party members breaks, seal enemies away and protect her friends, by communicating directly with the planet. She was also able to command the Lifestream after death and cast Holy, a spell that cleansed the planet of all threats.

Role: Legend
Role Qualities/Attributes: Aerith will manifest white wings when she chooses to, alongside a halo. Her eyes will change colour with her emotions. Furthermore, she will develop a sixth sense for people being nearby - this reflects her previous ability to speak with the planet.
Role Reasoning: Aerith is almost literally an angel in FFVII canon; after her death she supports her friends from the Lifestream, protecting and guiding them despite being gone. Her core goal was saving the planet from evil and she has consistently been kind, generous and loving with her time and energy. She's also the healer of the party and is the one most naturally inclined to use healing magic. She absolutely portrays all of the positive traits of being a legend.

★ Personality ★

Option 2.

What was the most traumatic experience your character endured? How did this change them?

Aerith has survived a lot of trauma, but the most traumatic thing that she has experienced is her own death: she was praying to save the planet when she was killed. Having lived on in the Lifestream and had to do what she could from literally beyond death to try and help her friends and save the planet. It didn't have the kind of impact that it might have others - the images we have of Aerith post-death show her as the same, optimistic, brave young woman she had always been. It did, however, change her focus, make her more determined, make her far sadder, and made her all the more determined, in death, to do something to make the Planet better and help it survive.

Which Taylor Swift era is your character going through right now and why?

For most of the game, Aerith is in a sort of "Speak Now" era; she is writing her own story, refusing to be moulded by the people around her, and demanding her own future - that she will make of it what she can and she won't let anyone hold her back. She also has those tender hints of new romance and tenderness as she grieves her relationship with Zack (very "Mine"/"Ours") and thinks about a newborn relationship with Cloud ("Sparks Fly"/"Enchanted") that is ripped from them both with her death. Add that to her natural fairytale-like energy and her own soft nature "Speak Now" fits her very well.

Is your character capable of forgiveness or will they hold a grudge until they die? Would anything ever make them change their mind?

Aerith is the most forgiving person in the franchise - no matter what people do to her she seems capable of finding the kindness in her heart to forgive them and move forward. There are very few people that she doesn't hold this kind of forgiveness for, and even people who have consistently wronged her are given some of her positivity - the Turks, for example, have been watching (practically stalking) her for her entire life and she still treats them with kindness, even when they kidnap her. Aerith's whole nature is one of forgiveness, sweetness and kindness - it would take a serious wrong (such as Sephiroth literally murdering her) to be completely unforgivable.

What is your character's safespace? When do they feel the most settled and comfortable? When do they feel confident and relaxed?

Her safe space is the Church where she grows her flowers. Aerith's life has been almost centered around the Church and it is where some of her most important and formative relationships have developed - she met both Zack and Cloud in the Church and it is where she spends the most of her time. She prays there, she grows flowers there, she hides there when she is sad and upset and it is the place where she is most connected to the Planet. It's both a safe space and a second home for her, where she can feel most at peace and more happy.

If you could give your character a Taylor Swift playlist, which songs would be on it and what would they represent about your character?

There are a few songs that encapsulate Aerith's romantic storylines in both Crisis Core and Final Fantasy VII proper - "Mine" fits with her very childish and idealistic relationship that she had with Zack, whereas "Enchanted" echoes her meeting with Cloud and the way that she felt when they began to get closer and closer. "Sparks Fly" also matches perfectly with her relationship with both men. "Last Kiss" is an excellent song for her and Zack, especially with Swift saying it was sort of a 'letter' after a breakup - Aerith literally sent letters to Zack before she knew he died. "Bigger than the Whole Sky" is very Aerith after her death, speaking of all her regrets and the things she's not unable to do because of Sephiroth killing her.

★ Player Information ★

Player Name: Rachel
Pronouns: She/her
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact(s): aziraphale @ plurk
Who Invited You?: Already ingame
Current Characters: Raven, Erik, Yuji
Permissions: Here
Writing Samples: TDM 1 and TDM 2