Tiki

PLAYER INFO

Name: Wighty
Contact Information: Holsety. PM also works!
Time Zone: EST/EDT
Characters Played: Lucas from Mother 3!


CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Tiki
Character Canon: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem - Heroes of Light and Shadow, Fire Emblem Awakening

History: History in all three games. Let me know if elaboration is required for the non-translated games.

AU History:
Long ago, there lived a young Salamence who had only just earned her wings when a terrible war broke forth between humans and her fellow Pokemon. Though possessed of incredible power, she was naive and inexperienced, and she did not wish to use such power to incite destruction on one side or another. While her people went to war, she remained behind, shielded by an older Salamence who had always served as her guardian.

The Dragons became a major force in the fight against the humans. Giving in to their madness and uncontrollable rage, they destroyed the cities of the humans and devoured them where they stood, heedless of the destruction and suffering they wrought. The Salamence watched with sorrow, for it seemed that humanity sat on the verge of destruction. Though she held no great love for them, she had no desire to see them obliterated, either.

One night, a human appeared in front of her and her guardian.

Rumors had spread of their existence, hidden away in a cave within the mountains as they were. He had sought them out to beseech their favor - if they did not wish to fight against the humans, could they find it in them to provide aid? Not all humans were selfish. Not all humans were evil. They deserved a chance, still, but the Pokemon fought so fiercely they would not listen. He asked them to join him, to see the truth of the matter for themselves.

She could never remember why it was that she had agreed - perhaps she had felt his kindness and his strength. Perhaps she felt pity. Perhaps she felt she understood what it was that the great dragons she venerated would want of her. Regardless of the reason, she accepted.

The human called her Tiki, and her guardian, Bantu.

She lived amongst the humans for some time, and she grew to know and understand them. She fought alongside them, too, interceding when they clashed with her fellows, pleading for the Pokemon to stop the endless war and to make peace. She came to know the one who would be called the Savior, and she exulted when the gods returned to declare that human and Pokemon would no longer be at odds, that mankind was to be given a chance at redemption.

Tiki herself was recognized - for her diplomacy, she was given the name "the Voice of the Dragons", and for her kindness, she was given a gift she had never even realized she desired: the gift to walk amongst both human and Pokemon, the gift to be recognized and accepted by all. Then, too, she was imparted with the task of always serving to make peace between human and Pokemon...

For years after the war, she lived a happy life as an ambassador. ...But of course, it couldn't last. Her human grew old and died. And Tiki, no longer young, grew weary. She understood now, that what she had believed to be gifts were equal measures responsibility and pain. For her and the others like her, it was their destiny to suffer because of their love for the humans.

She quietly left humanity behind, then, seeking some measure of peace. And eventually, she came across a village - the village of Mist, founded by a Gardevoir Shifter named Yukari. As a Shifter of minor renown, Tiki was known to them and welcomed, and she quickly became a respected member of the community. She worked hard to make this a haven for those who straddled the realm between human and Pokemon, a true home for those who sought respite.

Years passed.

Some decades later, when Mist had grown and thrived beyond any of her expectations and had become the haven she wished it to be, she recognized that her work was done. She could feel her power waning and her long years weighing upon her. Her role in this era was concluded. Leaving Mist into the hands of Yukari's young apprentice, Ran, Tiki entered into a deep sleep, not expecting to ever be needed again.

For over 400 years, she slept, dreaming of the time she had spent at the side of the one whom she had loved.

Then, one day, she awoke.

She didn't understand why it was that she had - indeed, she barely understood anything, having lost nearly all the memories of her previous life. She remembered Mist, of course, and she remembered Him. She recalled brief glimmers of fights she had partaken in and the sorrows she had seen. But her memory was fragmented, and she relied heavily on Ran, who, upon seeing her unexpected reawakening, had immediately returned control of the village. Yukari remained asleep, and for some years, Tiki served as the acting mayoress of Mist, becoming more cognizant of the state of the world some four centuries later.

It was then that the first vanishings began. They seemed explainable at first - a child lost in the woods, an elderly man set upon by predators. They mourned for each one lost, but as time passed, the disappearances became more and more frequent and they realized, too late, what was happening. She gave the order to leave. Frightened, the people of Mist fled as quietly as they could.

But though each move temporarily brought an end to the vanishings, they always picked up once again without relief. No matter where they fled, they could never completely hide. She thought she understood, then, why it was that she had reawakened.

Five years after the first vanishing, they struck in the middle of the night.

Mist was destroyed. The majority of its people were captured and the remainder scattered as they fled from their assailants. Though she tried to retaliate and pursue the unknown attackers, her long sleep had sapped her power, and she was gravely injured and forced to flee for her life. In the space of a single night, everything was lost - Ran and Yukari, she knew, remained safe, at least, but many of their people had been taken.

She was furious. But she was so weak she could barely stand, and so she regressed to her basest state and slept once again.

It was some two years later when she awoke and returned to herself, ready to hunt down the enemy and exact vengeance. She wandered the wilderness and searched for clues, looking for any signs as to the perpetrators and any hints as to the reason behind these attacks. She was overjoyed, along the way, to stumble across a young child from Mist with much the same purpose: Rydia. She had known the child's parents, years and years ago, and they swore that they would uncover the truth together. But though they did everything they could, it wouldn't be enough. They have yet to find out the truth about what happened to Mist.

In the present day, they stumble upon the City of Union. And after great deliberation, they decide to incorporate themselves amongst the ranks of the humans, in hopes of finally uncovering some sort of answer.

Canon Personality: As Tiki is thousands of years old in the last source she appears in, I'll be describing her personality as an adult.

Tiki is one of the more enigmatic characters in Fire Emblem Awakening and without seeing a few of her supports or extra Xenologues, it's difficult to get a good grasp on her personality. Above all else, she exists to carry out her duties as the Voice of the Divine Dragon - indeed, in a terrible end where the world is in dire need of it, Tiki herself steps up to become the new Naga and is forced to separate herself from humanity forever to become a god. As one of the oldest beings in the setting of Awakening, she is acutely aware of how inhuman she really is and must always be - as she tells Nah, the curse of the Manakete is that despite their love for humans, they must always suffer because they cannot live together as one. She imparts her hope that Nah, perhaps, will be able to live together happily with humanity, being the first half-human, half-Manakete the world had ever seen.

That said, despite knowing this in her heart, Tiki desperately desires interpersonal relationships and human contacts as well. In her conversations with Say'ri, she implores her long-time human servant to think of her not as some distant, far-off creature to worship and serve, but to allow her to draw close as a friend. As Tiki says, it is unbearable to see her precious friends dying as the years pass, always knowing that she must live on alone, but it is infinitely more painful to never even have friendship at all. Long years of near immortality have taught Tiki that although her burden is one that is impossible to set aside, she can, at least, accept it with grace. Each friend, though their lives wink by so quickly, is of invaluable worth to her and she treasures her relationships greatly.

Along these lines, it is also evident that Tiki searches for something more as well. As a child, she met and fell in love with King Marth, who already loved another - moreover, the gulf between Manakete and human was too great to ever be breached. The power she carried meant that she could never live with humans as one. And as the years passed, she had to watch the one she loved and all of the precious friends she had made grow old and die. Though she suffered greatly because of this, she never set aside her love, calling it the greatest friendship she ever knew. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that when she meets someone who carries the same soul as the Hero King millennia later, she become smitten again. Though their time together may be brief, Tiki is capable of falling in love with the Avatar as well.

"I know that to love another, I must watch the world move past him. But such short years make an eternity worth living."

Her loneliness and destiny to suffer define the majority of Tiki's character, but we also see hints of her more human side as well. With Say'ri, she laughs and jokes and behaves in a childish manner, saying that she doesn't care what other people think of her. She's lived too long to be concerned with appearances, and she will act the way she wishes. As a child, Tiki had not yet known the pain she carried in Awakening, and with those whom she trusts and loves, her more childlike self will resurface. With Anna, she is capable of wielding a wry wit and leveling threats in a perfectly serious tone of voice, giving a glimpse into her sense of humor. She's also a bit naive, failing to see that Anna is taking advantage of her until much later than most people would realize.

Tiki also has a certain peculiarity in that she has the habit of falling asleep whenever she's even slightly tired, even in the middle of conversation. It's possible she may do this on purpose to irritate or tease the person she's talking to on occasion, but it genuinely seems as if she's constantly fighting the desire to go back to bed.

AU Deviation: Tiki's personality will be fairly similar to what is seen in canon. There is one major difference between the two, though - Tiki, in this world, is not anywhere close to being one-of-a-kind. Though she's also incredibly long-lived for some reason she doesn't even know, leading to the same pain and suffering at watching the people she cares for die over the years, she's not quite as isolated. There are many other Salamence and Shifters in the world, and she will be much less isolated in this game as a result. Rather than considering herself inhuman, Tiki will consider herself both human and Pokemon in some way, and will strive to bridge the gap between the two, believing that this was the task she was given.

Additionally, having acted as mayoress of Mist for so long, Tiki has formed many relationships with those like her, and she will be warmer and more capable of befriending others. She's also driven in these circumstances by a great desire to find out who or what destroyed her village, and she'll be merciless if she ever uncovers the truth. The circumstances here are a little less dire than 'the destruction of the entire world', but nonetheless, Tiki won't stop until she's exacted her vengeance.

Canon Abilities: Tiki is a Manakete, and in the group of games she comes from, this means her people originally lived as dragons. The Dragon Tribe found, though, that they were beginning to succumb to madness and to prevent their people from dying out, they sealed their power into Dragonstones and assumed human form.

As a Divine Dragon and as the daughter of Naga, Tiki is capable of using any kind of Dragonstone to become a Dragon of any tribe - Fire, Ice, Earth, Dark, Flying, Demon, and Divine, to become a Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, Earth Dragon, Dark Dragon, Wyvern, Mage Dragon, and Divine Dragon, respectively. They all have different powers, but generally, they breathe things and people die.

Enlightened Abilities: Tiki will be a Salamence Shifter, learning the moves as she levels and evolves. She will begin as a Bagon, having degenerated due to her long years of sleep. She will also come with the Enhanced Item of a Dragon Gem to mimic the Dragonstones in canon. The Dragon Gem will be usable once a fight, like it would be in trainer fights in the Pokemon games.

Starter Pokémon: Dratini

Notes/Special Considerations: None.

SAMPLES
First-Person:
[A pleasant voice sounds over the Warp Band, the speaker's tone calm and placid.]

How times have changed. A device to communicate with those across great distances... How many tragedies might have been avoided had such things always existed.

...But I suppose it cannot be much of a marvel to you who have lived your lives within these walls. How foolish you must think me. Yet I must confess, I cannot help but feel as if I speak to nothing more than the air about me. It must be a learned trick - a particular loss of self-awareness. Perhaps in the future, I shall stand in front of a mirror and dim the lights so as to pretend there is another nearby.

That's quite enough from me, in any case. I did have a reason to use this...

Ah -- Yes, that's right. I wandered into some tunnels earlier that have taken me rather far. This is a very strange city you have, I must say. Would there be directions posted anywhere?

[Tiki's beacon will register as being about six hours' worth of travel in the direction of the iron mines through the tunnels of the Old City.]

Third-Person:
"What's going on?!"

She emerges from her tent, eyes wide with alarm, the most alert she seems to have been since the time of her reawakening. She takes in the situation in the space of a single blink of an eye - the screams of her people, the acrid scent of smoke, the smell of blood and fear and despair.

"...Gods protect us."

There is a scream from her left side - she reacts without conscious thought, shifting immediately and flying forward with teeth bared and claws outstretched, her eyes livid with rage. She sinks her teeth into the neck of the one who holds the child, and he collapses before he can so much as aim his weapon, his warm blood spraying across her body.

Run!

The child is not-too-gently pushed away, in the direction of the woods; the girl does as she is told, and she turns back to the rest of the burning village, her breaths heaving. The enemy is everywhere - setting fire to their homes, attacking without relent, fighting and killing and ensnaring and destroying. ...There are far too many in need of her.

A terrible roar resounds over the rest of the chaos, and for the space of an instant, brings about a stunned silence.

I will not rest... I will never rest again until those who dared such atrocities are destroyed. So utterly destroyed that their names will be forgotten by even time itself... That is my vow.