Entry tags:
&application (excerpt).
PLAYER
Name: Saffy
Journal Username:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thrall
E-mail: jerkbender@gmail.com
AIM/PLURK: AIM: heroic bsod; PLURK: fonfabre
Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
CHARACTER
Name: Luke fon Fabre
Canon: Tales of the Abyss (game canon, with supplements from manga/anime as needed)
Gender: Male
Age: 18 (mentally 8) (there's actually some debate on this, the journey took about 2 years in total depending on the source, so he's actually closer to 18 than 17)
Wing Color: Red, like his hair, with blonde at the tips.
Canon Point: Right after he poofs into sparkles. So he's already talked to Lorelei and held Asch's body and all that jazz. He's dead, Jim.
Canon Point Explanation: This is the end of Luke's story. Any appearances of "Luke" after this point are debatable, and it's also the point where he's had the most development.
History: Here is a relevant link to Luke’s history. That Wiki doesn’t have much, but if you’re curious, here it is.
Once, a noble boy named Luke fon Fabre was kidnapped to Choral Castle. In the basement was a wondrous development in fomicry, the art of replication. From that boy's torture came a perfect copy, ten years old, with the same bright red hair and green eyes. The copy was also completely and utterly helpless as all newborns tend to be. The replica was left in the original noble child's place, and taken back home to be coddled and raised completely spoiled by his mother and his servants. No one ever knew the difference and thus he was raised in complete ignorance of his origins.
In addition to the pressure of learning everything at once, Luke was forbidden to leave the manor in case he was kidnapped again. He occasionally suffered headaches, like short-lived migraines, that allowed him to hear strange voices. This was seen as post-traumatic stress from the kidnapping, but in reality it was because he was connected to Lorelei, a deity that had long remained imprisoned within the core of the planet.
Seven years after the kidnapping, the otherwise peaceful land of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear seemed to be stirring with whispers of war against neighboring Malkuth. Dorian General Van Grants stopped by Duke Fabre's manor as he had so many times in the past in order to meet with Luke's father, and then train Luke before heading off to find Fon Master Ion, who had disappeared from his home in Daath.
However, all did not go as planned. Van's sister, Tear, subdued the manor's guards and attempted to assassinate her brother. Luke overcame it and stopped her, and as they clashed, they both exploded in light. They woke up in Malkuth-- enemy territory-- and by chance met up with a Malkuth military official, another person in the Order of Lorelei, and Fon Master Ion, who had not been kidnapped but ran away of his own free will.
From there, Luke and his acquaintances began to uncover a heinous plot to bring Malkuth and Kimlasca to war again. There were whispers of different factions within the supposedly neutral state of Daath, which Ion represented. At this point, Luke just wanted to go home. However, his attempts to do just that were sabotaged by the Six God-Generals, who were trying to take Ion back and ruin any efforts of attaining peace.
One such kidnapping attempt ended with a face-to-face meeting outside of Baticul. Luke fought Asch the Bloody-- a God General-- in the rain, and discovered that they had the same face. Asch fled without explanation, but he popped up a few times afterward. His voice was in Luke’s head, leading him to their location so that Luke could take Ion back. Mostly it was a voice of warning, but eventually Asch seemed to get some semblance of control over Luke. This mysterious power seemed to be similar to Lorelei’s phone calls to Luke’s brain.
The subsequent fights and brushes with fate, little by little, revealed that Luke held a legendary power that was kept a state secret. Or at least that’s how Van put it. There was also the matter of the Score-- a record of the Planet's memory both past, present, and future, which people took for granted and often fought over. The world was dying, and Van convinced Luke that he was a chosen hero. At Akzeriuth, where dangerous miasma was gathering, Luke realized he wanted to do something to help too. Even though he didn't know healing artes like everyone else... He wanted to try. Van commanded Luke to use his hyperresonance to neutralize the miasma deep within the mine, but when he did, he ended up vaporizing the support that held it up.
The results were disastrous. Ten thousand people died when Akzeriuth fell into the miasma, the muddy and poisonous ocean of the earth beneath the earth. Not only was it Luke's fault, but Van had betrayed him-- used him-- and the redhead was unable to deal with the consequences. Pathetic, sobbing, he was written completely out of the equation by the traitor God-General, Asch, who was the original Luke fon Fabre.
Luke was a fake. A replica. Useless and completely irresponsible for what he'd done. He collapsed after he fought Asch and fell into a deep sleep, in which he saw everything from Asch's point of view. He learned about their special isofonic method of communication and where exactly the group was heading next. It seemed that Luke's friends had abandoned him to travel with Asch for that short while, all save Tear.
Luke woke up eventually and found Tear. They spoke, and he expressed a desire to atone for what he'd done. He would have to earn every bit of trust back that he'd lost. He promised to change and she promised to watch over him, though she could leave at any time. With that, Luke cut his hair and adopted the stylish duckbutt that we all know and love. The transformation was slow, but noticeable by Guy when they met up once more. Luke was saying please and thank you and not taking people for granted.
While Asch and his thoughts were still unclear to Luke-- his words abrasive at best-- Luke began to piece together what they would have to do in order to lower the Outer Lands into the Qliphoth safely, using the Sephiroth to make the descent slow and easy. Otherwise, the entire world as they knew it would crumble. War was escalating as well despite their best efforts. Luke and Natalia were captured and nearly executed for being fake royalty (Natalia, a commoner? Oh my!) but Asch appeared once again and saved them from a horrible fate.
Luke and his friends sped to unlock the arcane mysteries of the Sephiroth supporting the Outer Lands with hyperresonance, even to the detriment of Tear's health. This was something they would have to do. Ion’s status as a replica was revealed at the planet’s core in an encounter with Sync, yet another replica of Ion. With the planet’s vibration stopped, Luke would have to face his teacher, and Tear would have to face her brother. Together they stood at the Absorption Gate and fought Van with everything they had. He fell, disappearing into the planet's core with a bout of crazy laughter.
And they went home. Guy left the manor to pursue his heritage in Malkuth and some fierce rappig-walking. Tear, Jade, and Anise returned to their various militaristic duties. Ion and Natalia had politics to sort out, and Luke... He and Mieu had a lot of sitting around in Baticul to do. Luke was bothered by Van’s words. Couldn’t he live without some kind of purpose? Though Ion thought Luke would be able to settle it then and there, Luke only sank deeper into depression as the world kept turning.
Peace was only an illusion, however. People demanded to know the Score they had depended on all their lives, despite the Order of Lorelei banning all readings. It would soon become clear that saving the world had consequences for everyone, and Luke's restless soul was not alone. Spurred on by the letters he received and a kind word from his mother, Luke went around the world and gathered up all his friends again while pursuing Asch and various leads. Apparently there were unidentifiable units masquerading as soldiers, trying to start a war. Again.
Amidst the reports of possible God General activity, replicas appearing on the battlefield, and the planet’s core suddenly heightening in activity, Asch was also investigating something. Lorelei was apparently trapped and had sent Asch a powerful Dawn Age artifact called the Key of Lorelei. Luke was supposed to receive the Jewel, but he couldn’t even do that right. So Asch spent hours and hours of his time searching the Sephiroth for the Jewel and Luke handled what was going on elsewhere.
Peace held between Malkuth and Kimlasca, but Mohs escaped his trial with the help of Dist. While trying to figure out what to do about that, they returned to Daath. Tear collapsed from her sensitivity to the miasma-- which returned, due to the agitation of the planet’s core-- and then Ion was kidnapped one final time. This time he was betrayed by his own guardian. Anise’s parents were in danger and so she had reported everything to Mohs from the beginning. Mohs, in his freakish denial of the truth of the abandoned Score, forced Ion to read it anyway. Arietta helped Luke and company get there, but it was too late; Ion perished in Luke’s arms from fonon separation. From then on, Luke was spurred to find meaning in his own existence, in Ion’s legacy, in his future as it related to Asch.
He went to Belkend. There, it was suggested that a hyperresonance could destroy the miasma if amplified by the deaths of ten thousand people, along with the channeler. The party didn’t think much of it, but Luke internalized this information and mulled over it as he traipsed around the world sidequesting. Replicas were flooding the world with chaos, the God-Generals were most certainly alive, and Luke still hadn’t found the Jewel of Lorelei.
A large amount of Seventh Fonons were being consumed to make replicas. The party flew around looking for the source until they found the Isle of Feres, a moving base for fomicry that had been resurrected from the ocean floor. The replicas there said they were going to the Tower of Rem and left. Then Arietta challenged Anise to a duel in order to avenge Ion. She lost badly because ligers can’t tank.
Still searching for a cure for the miasma, Asch suddenly got it in his head to kill ten thousand replicas instead of Seventh Fonists. Armed with the knowledge that Asch was about to do something incredibly stupid, the party chased him down. They also found Dist and punted him so hard that it seemed he was dead. Then Luke and Asch fought over who would die with the replicas. Asch volunteered himself, but Luke was still caught up on his inferiority complex and thus sought permission from the three leaders of the world. And his friends. His friends tried to stop him, everyone but Tear. At this point, Luke was facing his death and he knew he didn’t want to die-- so much more than when he’d started out. His decision was made, though, and they trekked back up to the Tower of Rem. There was epic punching and kicking, a promise to give the replicas a place to live, and then Luke caused a massive hyperresonance that annihilated all the miasma in the world. It wasn’t enough by himself, and Asch jumped in to help. Somehow, some way, they both lived through it.
Luke knew the truth, though. He saw right through his hand when it was all over, and he knew. A doctor’s checkup in Belkend confirmed it. Luke chose not to tell everyone for fear of making the rest of his journey sad, but Jade saw right through the lie and Tear overheard it from Mieu. They had a nice long talk about it in Luke’s room… after he’d lured Asch there to meet with his parents like the tricky kid he is. Asch screamed something about how he wasn’t Luke anymore and ran off again as he was wont to do.
Oh, and a giant island, a resurrected Hod, suddenly leaped into the sky. And it was eating actual land masses near where Hod had disappeared so that it could replicate the whole land. That was part of Van’s plan. They had to find a way to stop it! But Hod-- or rather, Eldrant-- was protected by a whirlwind of pwn similar to the Planet Storm, which meant they had to stop the Planet Storm. Somewhere in there, Natalia was informed about her true origin as daughter of one God-General, Largo the Black Lion, and given the chance to fight him or stay home. Of course she went with. Also, Luke and Asch met in Grand Chokmah and Luke tried to shove the Jewel at him, saying that he needed to free Lorelei and stop the Planet Storm. Once again, Asch refused and screamed about how stupid and naïve the dreck was and left. Same as usual.
Luke took the party to the Absorption Gate to stop the Planet Storm and encountered Largo. Also they ran into Van, who was apparently struggling to maintain a physical form with Lorelei trapped inside him. He was alive, that meeting confirmed it. Largo was what needed to be put down though, and Natalia managed to plant an arrow pretty deeply into her biological father’s armor. Mohs turned into an even crazier fatty and flew off somewhere with another Ion replica, and Luke cornered him at the Radiation Gate. He was killed, the Planet Storm was stopped for good, and the Ion replica (named Florian) was taken to Daath and given a new life there.
With Eldrant’s planetary defenses gone, all that was left was anti-aircraft fire. Malkuth and Kimlasca ordered a joint military operation that would allow Luke and company to fly in and confront Van there, hopefully destroying Eldrant’s replication facilities and halting his crazy dream forever. The night before, Luke nearly confessed his obvious feelings for Tear but held back. What a dumbass.
Anyway. It was off to save the world again! Noelle did some stunt flying but found it difficult to get in, and then Eldrant tried to ram into the airship. Not very nice. Team Asch used this distraction to fly into Eldrant and crash into a turret, creating their own opening. Team Luke followed and chased Asch for the final time into the depths of Eldrant. They had some resistance, of course. Legretta was the first to step in their way and fall, so Tear was sad about killing her former teacher.
Eventually the Fon Fuckups walked into a trap and ended up in a room by themselves. Rather than do the smart thing, they fought each other to prove they were different people. Asch lost despite having three times Luke’s hit points and handed him the Key of Lorelei. And then he opened the door. There were Oracle Knights coming and Asch had to hold them off. Luke made him promise to come back, but Asch blew him off. Luke rejoined the party! Three screens later, Asch had an epic death scene and gained the title “Ultimate Pincushion”! Natalia sobbed, Luke was sad, and then Sync tried to blow all of them up out of his love for fellow replicas.
How nice of him. They couldn’t get out of the trap in time so Luke suddenly called out for Asch to help him, and then a second-order hyperresonance occurred. That meant that Luke could destroy the trap-arte threatening to kill them, and it also meant that he had a good chance against Van. Sync revealed himself and attacked them, hating all of their resolve until his bitter end.
All that was left before them was Van. Luke steeled himself, not alone and definitely not helpless and confused this time. Van acknowledged that he had become greater than his original, but that wasn’t what Luke wanted. He turned down Van’s offer to join him one final time and clashed, each fighting for their ideals and methods. Tear sang the Grand Fonic Hymn that Van had taught her, which made Lorelei restless, and Luke used that moment of weakness to drive his sword home.
Luke said goodbye to his master. Now he had to say goodbye to his friends. Some scolded him about keeping his disappearing thing quiet. He smiled at all of them, and then he promised Tear that he would come home. The party left their tank behind as Eldrant began to collapse. And Luke… did what he had to do. He freed Lorelei from within Van, crumbling Eldrant and destroying himself in the process. Falling through into infinite green, it was not unlike the core of the planet. Asch’s body fell into his arms, and Luke felt warm. This time disappearing didn’t hurt.
If you read all of this, congratulations. I considered Bel-Airing it halfway through.
Personality:
Luke's journey is one of self-discovery and transformation. At first, he plays the role of spoiled brat. Being locked up inside of a mansion for as long as he can remember wasn't exactly conducive to kindness. He could have everything he wanted except freedom. As a result, he treated everyone around him the same: people were to be used, ignored, or defied. When finally given the chance to roam the world, Luke's naïve and cowardly side showed, and he clung to Tear (only out of necessity, or so he convinced himself). He was highly defensive, prone to jumping to conclusions, and mostly unpleasant to be around.
Luke had his good points though they were far and few between. Those close to him saw through the front he created to protect himself from what he didn't know. Luke may have been hotheaded, arrogant and brash, but the more he learned about the world he lived in the more he realized that he couldn't sit around and let things happen. He desperately wanted to help the people who suffered around him even though he didn't know how. Luke also felt terrible about killing people (months later he's still plagued by nightmares about every person he kills). The best thing about Luke at that time was his tendency to live in the moment; he didn't have a past and didn't think he needed one to live the way he wanted to.
A major part of the way Luke functioned was his tendency to not think for himself, though he denied this, and would occasionally yell at someone who had decided the same thing he had. He followed his mentor without question despite signs that he might not have had the world's best interests in mind. And after the disaster at Akzeriuth, Luke was about to do the same thing with Asch's guidance. It was Tear who finally told him to shape up, lose the codependency, and not take his own existence so lightly.
And he listened. Spurred on by his guilt, Luke told Tear that he wanted to change. He cut his hair as a symbol of leaving his old, spoiled royal life behind and dedicated himself to doing what he could. After this transformation, he shocked the people he knew by being more polite, saying please and thank you, and not snapping when he usually would. He went from taking none of the blame to taking all of it— quite an extreme. From then on, Luke did his best to puzzle out what to do, even when it was frustrating or looked impossible. He was faced with distrust at every corner, but he knew he deserved it. Using the initial support from his best friend and his new teacher, Luke slowly learned how to be the good person he was never able to express before. Ion mentioned that when they landed in Keterburg much to Luke's embarrassment. While Jade and Anise disagreed, Ion had always seen that desire to do good in Luke. Even if that was true, what could he do?
Time and time again, he realized that no amount of apologies could ever make up for what he did, but there was still something reckless about the way he thought. Luke's determination to earn the trust of his friends back soon turned into doing everything he could to save the world, one step at a time. Even as a replica with a stolen name and existence and power, he refused to give up on his mission. And yet he tried to get Asch to take his place. The revelation that he was a replica, a replacement, had really shattered Luke. He touched upon this later, saying that it wasn't that he didn't need a past back then, he didn't have one. Guy argued that what Luke said was important; it helped him let go of his own tumultuous past. Luke didn't understand the impact he had on people around him because he didn't value himself as much as other people did.
Deep down, Luke still searched for a purpose. Asch's behavior certainly didn't help. He alternated between belittling his replica and telling him to stop acting so pathetic. Asch wouldn't give him an answer, nor did he have any interest in his old life, and thus Luke's only choice was to confront his former mentor. What Van said haunted him even after the world seemed to be at peace. Could he not live unless it was for some purpose? Was Luke's purpose simply to be a fake, something to be thrown away when he lost his use? If that was true, then why was he still alive? Why was he still living using someone else's name, in someone else's house? Though these questions haunted him, Luke's effect on his friends was obvious. He had a knack for finding the bright side of other people's problems. And beyond that, he encouraged them in his own way to think for themselves, turn aside the past, and embrace what they could do as people.
He only realized his own impact on the world when he was faced with the consequences of his death. Luke chose to sacrifice himself at the Tower of Rem because he believed he was inferior to the original, and besides that, he felt more blood on his hands would be acceptable if it would help other people in his position. But as he began to fade, Luke realized that he didn't want to die. He lived due to some miracle, and through that, he found his answer. Luke existed with his own memories, feelings, and experiences. He was different from Asch. They lived their lives separately. Some part of him still longed for Asch to accept him as his own person, and that was a big part of what they settled on Eldrant.
Luke also had to settle his feelings on dying. The way he dealt with that problem was by keeping it a secret from everyone. Jade saw right through his lies (Luke is rather easy to read, even though he's not against lying for a good cause) and Tear found out from Mieu. He was especially hurt by this because he didn't want people to be sad around him and he didn't want to be constantly reminded of his death. Maybe that was selfish, but it was how he wanted to spend the rest of his time. Luke chose to live his life with all its sad moments along with his joyful moments, and so he wanted his journey to be a happy one, no matter how hard it was. He held back his feelings for Tear for similar reasons.
Luke is described by his friends as intense. He's too sad, too happy, too stubborn, and too angry-- but he's completely honest with those feelings. He can be considered a generally optimistic person. He has made mistakes and he acknowledges them. He honestly cares about the world he's in and the welfare of other people, sometimes to the extent of neglecting himself. Luke still has some childish tendencies, like when he gets carried away by his emotions or blurts something out without thinking about it; there's a soft, awkward, well-meaning naiveté to his actions as well, as he believed to the end that he could make “Master Van” see the error of his ways. Luke still believes in the power of promises, making Asch promise to live, and personally promising Tear that he would return.
Though he's only been alive for about seven years, the amount of maturity Luke achieved in such a small amount of time is miraculous. His effect on the world and on the people around him is incredible and undeniable. When he pushes aside the guilt and inferior thoughts, he can do almost anything, and he has certainly made a lasting imprint on the world he had just begun to love.
Strengths
Physical: Luke is a swordsman, first and foremost. He’s the main character and thus equipped to handle front-line situations. He was taught by Van who was quite the tank himself, and like many characters in the Tales series, Luke incorporates elemental attacks into his sword techniques to give them tremendous power. He can also use the leftover magical energy from someone else’s elemental attack or his own (fields of fonons, what) to create a super-powered elemental version of many of his artes. Luke can also heal his allies and himself to some degree with these techniques, but he is not a healer in any case, or even a support healer. He’s just a character that hits hard and fast. He’s got enough mobility on the battlefield to be a good wall, and with the right capacity core he can be a decent speed freak.
Luke can’t cast any fonic artes on his own, so none of that fancy chanting crap for him. He does, however, possess Mystic Artes. Mystic Artes are basically his world’s Limit Breaks. It’s a supercharged attack that can be dodged or countered by another Mystic Arte if you’re quick. The first MA, Radiant Howl, involves Luke summoning a whole shitload of light to obliterate his surrounding opponents and then a baby kamehameha beam. Ion adds a fun exploding fonic glyph variation to it sometimes. The other MA, Lost Fon Drive, is only possible while he possesses the Sword of Lorelei. It involves a bunch of sword slashes followed by a gigantic Dhaos Laser of fiery death.
Luke has one special power unique to him and Asch only. This ability is called hyperresonance. Hyperresonance grants someone the ability to neutralize and reform any matter, but it also lends its uses to blasting apart monsters, transporting people across the world by accident, and literally rewriting Dawn Age code. Luke and Asch are the only people who can create a hyperresonance by themselves. Luke also receives a power called second-order hyperresonance when Asch dies and his fonons have tea with Luke’s, but this power is never expanded on-- was only theoretical, until it happened-- and so the only thing we know it can do is destroy exploding fonic glyphs.
All of this needs to be taken with a grain of salt, though. Difficult monsters and bosses don’t die in one hit, even with a mystic arte involved.
Mental: He's very capable of solving puzzles and real-world problem-solving, as well as dealing with things diplomatically.
Emotional: Luke can smile even when he's not feeling great. He's able to look at most things positively, and he doesn't give up even if it's hopeless. He's a bit stubborn, actually.
Weaknesses
Physical: Luke is not quite as fast as some characters in the game, so if he's dealing with someone faster than he is, they can easily get the upper hand. Many of his techniques also leave him wide open afterward. And, of course, magic. He bleeds like everyone else, though if Luke dies, he's more likely to burst into a million billion bits of light than actually leave a body due to being a replica. He's also prone to headaches and hearing weird things because Lorelei, and Asch talking into his head causes him physical pain. He won't be falling apart due to being taken post-death, however. He also doesn't sleep well, and not for very long.
Mental: Luke has a tendency to dwell about things way too long, so he ends up thinking himself into a depression/anxiety spiral. He's actually rather dependent on others for their trust and guidance, though less so than when he first cut his hair; he doesn't do well alone without some kind of mission in mind. While he's asserted his identity, he still harbors many insecurities about what other people will think of him for being a replica, and thus his psyche is a bit fragile and newly-formed in that regard. He's also a really awful liar and an easy read.
Emotional: He cares deeply about what other people think, which makes him prone to getting down on himself. In general he's just way too sensitive. In a world full of military people who are cold and impersonal about things like death and trauma, he reacts the most normally by having nightmares and remembering every life he takes.
Name: Saffy
Journal Username:
thrallE-mail: jerkbender@gmail.com
AIM/PLURK: AIM: heroic bsod; PLURK: fonfabre
Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
CHARACTER
Name: Luke fon Fabre
Canon: Tales of the Abyss (game canon, with supplements from manga/anime as needed)
Gender: Male
Age: 18 (mentally 8) (there's actually some debate on this, the journey took about 2 years in total depending on the source, so he's actually closer to 18 than 17)
Wing Color: Red, like his hair, with blonde at the tips.
Canon Point: Right after he poofs into sparkles. So he's already talked to Lorelei and held Asch's body and all that jazz. He's dead, Jim.
Canon Point Explanation: This is the end of Luke's story. Any appearances of "Luke" after this point are debatable, and it's also the point where he's had the most development.
History: Here is a relevant link to Luke’s history. That Wiki doesn’t have much, but if you’re curious, here it is.
Once, a noble boy named Luke fon Fabre was kidnapped to Choral Castle. In the basement was a wondrous development in fomicry, the art of replication. From that boy's torture came a perfect copy, ten years old, with the same bright red hair and green eyes. The copy was also completely and utterly helpless as all newborns tend to be. The replica was left in the original noble child's place, and taken back home to be coddled and raised completely spoiled by his mother and his servants. No one ever knew the difference and thus he was raised in complete ignorance of his origins.
In addition to the pressure of learning everything at once, Luke was forbidden to leave the manor in case he was kidnapped again. He occasionally suffered headaches, like short-lived migraines, that allowed him to hear strange voices. This was seen as post-traumatic stress from the kidnapping, but in reality it was because he was connected to Lorelei, a deity that had long remained imprisoned within the core of the planet.
Seven years after the kidnapping, the otherwise peaceful land of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear seemed to be stirring with whispers of war against neighboring Malkuth. Dorian General Van Grants stopped by Duke Fabre's manor as he had so many times in the past in order to meet with Luke's father, and then train Luke before heading off to find Fon Master Ion, who had disappeared from his home in Daath.
However, all did not go as planned. Van's sister, Tear, subdued the manor's guards and attempted to assassinate her brother. Luke overcame it and stopped her, and as they clashed, they both exploded in light. They woke up in Malkuth-- enemy territory-- and by chance met up with a Malkuth military official, another person in the Order of Lorelei, and Fon Master Ion, who had not been kidnapped but ran away of his own free will.
From there, Luke and his acquaintances began to uncover a heinous plot to bring Malkuth and Kimlasca to war again. There were whispers of different factions within the supposedly neutral state of Daath, which Ion represented. At this point, Luke just wanted to go home. However, his attempts to do just that were sabotaged by the Six God-Generals, who were trying to take Ion back and ruin any efforts of attaining peace.
One such kidnapping attempt ended with a face-to-face meeting outside of Baticul. Luke fought Asch the Bloody-- a God General-- in the rain, and discovered that they had the same face. Asch fled without explanation, but he popped up a few times afterward. His voice was in Luke’s head, leading him to their location so that Luke could take Ion back. Mostly it was a voice of warning, but eventually Asch seemed to get some semblance of control over Luke. This mysterious power seemed to be similar to Lorelei’s phone calls to Luke’s brain.
The subsequent fights and brushes with fate, little by little, revealed that Luke held a legendary power that was kept a state secret. Or at least that’s how Van put it. There was also the matter of the Score-- a record of the Planet's memory both past, present, and future, which people took for granted and often fought over. The world was dying, and Van convinced Luke that he was a chosen hero. At Akzeriuth, where dangerous miasma was gathering, Luke realized he wanted to do something to help too. Even though he didn't know healing artes like everyone else... He wanted to try. Van commanded Luke to use his hyperresonance to neutralize the miasma deep within the mine, but when he did, he ended up vaporizing the support that held it up.
The results were disastrous. Ten thousand people died when Akzeriuth fell into the miasma, the muddy and poisonous ocean of the earth beneath the earth. Not only was it Luke's fault, but Van had betrayed him-- used him-- and the redhead was unable to deal with the consequences. Pathetic, sobbing, he was written completely out of the equation by the traitor God-General, Asch, who was the original Luke fon Fabre.
Luke was a fake. A replica. Useless and completely irresponsible for what he'd done. He collapsed after he fought Asch and fell into a deep sleep, in which he saw everything from Asch's point of view. He learned about their special isofonic method of communication and where exactly the group was heading next. It seemed that Luke's friends had abandoned him to travel with Asch for that short while, all save Tear.
Luke woke up eventually and found Tear. They spoke, and he expressed a desire to atone for what he'd done. He would have to earn every bit of trust back that he'd lost. He promised to change and she promised to watch over him, though she could leave at any time. With that, Luke cut his hair and adopted the stylish duckbutt that we all know and love. The transformation was slow, but noticeable by Guy when they met up once more. Luke was saying please and thank you and not taking people for granted.
While Asch and his thoughts were still unclear to Luke-- his words abrasive at best-- Luke began to piece together what they would have to do in order to lower the Outer Lands into the Qliphoth safely, using the Sephiroth to make the descent slow and easy. Otherwise, the entire world as they knew it would crumble. War was escalating as well despite their best efforts. Luke and Natalia were captured and nearly executed for being fake royalty (Natalia, a commoner? Oh my!) but Asch appeared once again and saved them from a horrible fate.
Luke and his friends sped to unlock the arcane mysteries of the Sephiroth supporting the Outer Lands with hyperresonance, even to the detriment of Tear's health. This was something they would have to do. Ion’s status as a replica was revealed at the planet’s core in an encounter with Sync, yet another replica of Ion. With the planet’s vibration stopped, Luke would have to face his teacher, and Tear would have to face her brother. Together they stood at the Absorption Gate and fought Van with everything they had. He fell, disappearing into the planet's core with a bout of crazy laughter.
And they went home. Guy left the manor to pursue his heritage in Malkuth and some fierce rappig-walking. Tear, Jade, and Anise returned to their various militaristic duties. Ion and Natalia had politics to sort out, and Luke... He and Mieu had a lot of sitting around in Baticul to do. Luke was bothered by Van’s words. Couldn’t he live without some kind of purpose? Though Ion thought Luke would be able to settle it then and there, Luke only sank deeper into depression as the world kept turning.
Peace was only an illusion, however. People demanded to know the Score they had depended on all their lives, despite the Order of Lorelei banning all readings. It would soon become clear that saving the world had consequences for everyone, and Luke's restless soul was not alone. Spurred on by the letters he received and a kind word from his mother, Luke went around the world and gathered up all his friends again while pursuing Asch and various leads. Apparently there were unidentifiable units masquerading as soldiers, trying to start a war. Again.
Amidst the reports of possible God General activity, replicas appearing on the battlefield, and the planet’s core suddenly heightening in activity, Asch was also investigating something. Lorelei was apparently trapped and had sent Asch a powerful Dawn Age artifact called the Key of Lorelei. Luke was supposed to receive the Jewel, but he couldn’t even do that right. So Asch spent hours and hours of his time searching the Sephiroth for the Jewel and Luke handled what was going on elsewhere.
Peace held between Malkuth and Kimlasca, but Mohs escaped his trial with the help of Dist. While trying to figure out what to do about that, they returned to Daath. Tear collapsed from her sensitivity to the miasma-- which returned, due to the agitation of the planet’s core-- and then Ion was kidnapped one final time. This time he was betrayed by his own guardian. Anise’s parents were in danger and so she had reported everything to Mohs from the beginning. Mohs, in his freakish denial of the truth of the abandoned Score, forced Ion to read it anyway. Arietta helped Luke and company get there, but it was too late; Ion perished in Luke’s arms from fonon separation. From then on, Luke was spurred to find meaning in his own existence, in Ion’s legacy, in his future as it related to Asch.
He went to Belkend. There, it was suggested that a hyperresonance could destroy the miasma if amplified by the deaths of ten thousand people, along with the channeler. The party didn’t think much of it, but Luke internalized this information and mulled over it as he traipsed around the world sidequesting. Replicas were flooding the world with chaos, the God-Generals were most certainly alive, and Luke still hadn’t found the Jewel of Lorelei.
A large amount of Seventh Fonons were being consumed to make replicas. The party flew around looking for the source until they found the Isle of Feres, a moving base for fomicry that had been resurrected from the ocean floor. The replicas there said they were going to the Tower of Rem and left. Then Arietta challenged Anise to a duel in order to avenge Ion. She lost badly because ligers can’t tank.
Still searching for a cure for the miasma, Asch suddenly got it in his head to kill ten thousand replicas instead of Seventh Fonists. Armed with the knowledge that Asch was about to do something incredibly stupid, the party chased him down. They also found Dist and punted him so hard that it seemed he was dead. Then Luke and Asch fought over who would die with the replicas. Asch volunteered himself, but Luke was still caught up on his inferiority complex and thus sought permission from the three leaders of the world. And his friends. His friends tried to stop him, everyone but Tear. At this point, Luke was facing his death and he knew he didn’t want to die-- so much more than when he’d started out. His decision was made, though, and they trekked back up to the Tower of Rem. There was epic punching and kicking, a promise to give the replicas a place to live, and then Luke caused a massive hyperresonance that annihilated all the miasma in the world. It wasn’t enough by himself, and Asch jumped in to help. Somehow, some way, they both lived through it.
Luke knew the truth, though. He saw right through his hand when it was all over, and he knew. A doctor’s checkup in Belkend confirmed it. Luke chose not to tell everyone for fear of making the rest of his journey sad, but Jade saw right through the lie and Tear overheard it from Mieu. They had a nice long talk about it in Luke’s room… after he’d lured Asch there to meet with his parents like the tricky kid he is. Asch screamed something about how he wasn’t Luke anymore and ran off again as he was wont to do.
Oh, and a giant island, a resurrected Hod, suddenly leaped into the sky. And it was eating actual land masses near where Hod had disappeared so that it could replicate the whole land. That was part of Van’s plan. They had to find a way to stop it! But Hod-- or rather, Eldrant-- was protected by a whirlwind of pwn similar to the Planet Storm, which meant they had to stop the Planet Storm. Somewhere in there, Natalia was informed about her true origin as daughter of one God-General, Largo the Black Lion, and given the chance to fight him or stay home. Of course she went with. Also, Luke and Asch met in Grand Chokmah and Luke tried to shove the Jewel at him, saying that he needed to free Lorelei and stop the Planet Storm. Once again, Asch refused and screamed about how stupid and naïve the dreck was and left. Same as usual.
Luke took the party to the Absorption Gate to stop the Planet Storm and encountered Largo. Also they ran into Van, who was apparently struggling to maintain a physical form with Lorelei trapped inside him. He was alive, that meeting confirmed it. Largo was what needed to be put down though, and Natalia managed to plant an arrow pretty deeply into her biological father’s armor. Mohs turned into an even crazier fatty and flew off somewhere with another Ion replica, and Luke cornered him at the Radiation Gate. He was killed, the Planet Storm was stopped for good, and the Ion replica (named Florian) was taken to Daath and given a new life there.
With Eldrant’s planetary defenses gone, all that was left was anti-aircraft fire. Malkuth and Kimlasca ordered a joint military operation that would allow Luke and company to fly in and confront Van there, hopefully destroying Eldrant’s replication facilities and halting his crazy dream forever. The night before, Luke nearly confessed his obvious feelings for Tear but held back. What a dumbass.
Anyway. It was off to save the world again! Noelle did some stunt flying but found it difficult to get in, and then Eldrant tried to ram into the airship. Not very nice. Team Asch used this distraction to fly into Eldrant and crash into a turret, creating their own opening. Team Luke followed and chased Asch for the final time into the depths of Eldrant. They had some resistance, of course. Legretta was the first to step in their way and fall, so Tear was sad about killing her former teacher.
Eventually the Fon Fuckups walked into a trap and ended up in a room by themselves. Rather than do the smart thing, they fought each other to prove they were different people. Asch lost despite having three times Luke’s hit points and handed him the Key of Lorelei. And then he opened the door. There were Oracle Knights coming and Asch had to hold them off. Luke made him promise to come back, but Asch blew him off. Luke rejoined the party! Three screens later, Asch had an epic death scene and gained the title “Ultimate Pincushion”! Natalia sobbed, Luke was sad, and then Sync tried to blow all of them up out of his love for fellow replicas.
How nice of him. They couldn’t get out of the trap in time so Luke suddenly called out for Asch to help him, and then a second-order hyperresonance occurred. That meant that Luke could destroy the trap-arte threatening to kill them, and it also meant that he had a good chance against Van. Sync revealed himself and attacked them, hating all of their resolve until his bitter end.
All that was left before them was Van. Luke steeled himself, not alone and definitely not helpless and confused this time. Van acknowledged that he had become greater than his original, but that wasn’t what Luke wanted. He turned down Van’s offer to join him one final time and clashed, each fighting for their ideals and methods. Tear sang the Grand Fonic Hymn that Van had taught her, which made Lorelei restless, and Luke used that moment of weakness to drive his sword home.
Luke said goodbye to his master. Now he had to say goodbye to his friends. Some scolded him about keeping his disappearing thing quiet. He smiled at all of them, and then he promised Tear that he would come home. The party left their tank behind as Eldrant began to collapse. And Luke… did what he had to do. He freed Lorelei from within Van, crumbling Eldrant and destroying himself in the process. Falling through into infinite green, it was not unlike the core of the planet. Asch’s body fell into his arms, and Luke felt warm. This time disappearing didn’t hurt.
If you read all of this, congratulations. I considered Bel-Airing it halfway through.
Personality:
Luke's journey is one of self-discovery and transformation. At first, he plays the role of spoiled brat. Being locked up inside of a mansion for as long as he can remember wasn't exactly conducive to kindness. He could have everything he wanted except freedom. As a result, he treated everyone around him the same: people were to be used, ignored, or defied. When finally given the chance to roam the world, Luke's naïve and cowardly side showed, and he clung to Tear (only out of necessity, or so he convinced himself). He was highly defensive, prone to jumping to conclusions, and mostly unpleasant to be around.
Luke had his good points though they were far and few between. Those close to him saw through the front he created to protect himself from what he didn't know. Luke may have been hotheaded, arrogant and brash, but the more he learned about the world he lived in the more he realized that he couldn't sit around and let things happen. He desperately wanted to help the people who suffered around him even though he didn't know how. Luke also felt terrible about killing people (months later he's still plagued by nightmares about every person he kills). The best thing about Luke at that time was his tendency to live in the moment; he didn't have a past and didn't think he needed one to live the way he wanted to.
A major part of the way Luke functioned was his tendency to not think for himself, though he denied this, and would occasionally yell at someone who had decided the same thing he had. He followed his mentor without question despite signs that he might not have had the world's best interests in mind. And after the disaster at Akzeriuth, Luke was about to do the same thing with Asch's guidance. It was Tear who finally told him to shape up, lose the codependency, and not take his own existence so lightly.
And he listened. Spurred on by his guilt, Luke told Tear that he wanted to change. He cut his hair as a symbol of leaving his old, spoiled royal life behind and dedicated himself to doing what he could. After this transformation, he shocked the people he knew by being more polite, saying please and thank you, and not snapping when he usually would. He went from taking none of the blame to taking all of it— quite an extreme. From then on, Luke did his best to puzzle out what to do, even when it was frustrating or looked impossible. He was faced with distrust at every corner, but he knew he deserved it. Using the initial support from his best friend and his new teacher, Luke slowly learned how to be the good person he was never able to express before. Ion mentioned that when they landed in Keterburg much to Luke's embarrassment. While Jade and Anise disagreed, Ion had always seen that desire to do good in Luke. Even if that was true, what could he do?
Time and time again, he realized that no amount of apologies could ever make up for what he did, but there was still something reckless about the way he thought. Luke's determination to earn the trust of his friends back soon turned into doing everything he could to save the world, one step at a time. Even as a replica with a stolen name and existence and power, he refused to give up on his mission. And yet he tried to get Asch to take his place. The revelation that he was a replica, a replacement, had really shattered Luke. He touched upon this later, saying that it wasn't that he didn't need a past back then, he didn't have one. Guy argued that what Luke said was important; it helped him let go of his own tumultuous past. Luke didn't understand the impact he had on people around him because he didn't value himself as much as other people did.
Deep down, Luke still searched for a purpose. Asch's behavior certainly didn't help. He alternated between belittling his replica and telling him to stop acting so pathetic. Asch wouldn't give him an answer, nor did he have any interest in his old life, and thus Luke's only choice was to confront his former mentor. What Van said haunted him even after the world seemed to be at peace. Could he not live unless it was for some purpose? Was Luke's purpose simply to be a fake, something to be thrown away when he lost his use? If that was true, then why was he still alive? Why was he still living using someone else's name, in someone else's house? Though these questions haunted him, Luke's effect on his friends was obvious. He had a knack for finding the bright side of other people's problems. And beyond that, he encouraged them in his own way to think for themselves, turn aside the past, and embrace what they could do as people.
He only realized his own impact on the world when he was faced with the consequences of his death. Luke chose to sacrifice himself at the Tower of Rem because he believed he was inferior to the original, and besides that, he felt more blood on his hands would be acceptable if it would help other people in his position. But as he began to fade, Luke realized that he didn't want to die. He lived due to some miracle, and through that, he found his answer. Luke existed with his own memories, feelings, and experiences. He was different from Asch. They lived their lives separately. Some part of him still longed for Asch to accept him as his own person, and that was a big part of what they settled on Eldrant.
Luke also had to settle his feelings on dying. The way he dealt with that problem was by keeping it a secret from everyone. Jade saw right through his lies (Luke is rather easy to read, even though he's not against lying for a good cause) and Tear found out from Mieu. He was especially hurt by this because he didn't want people to be sad around him and he didn't want to be constantly reminded of his death. Maybe that was selfish, but it was how he wanted to spend the rest of his time. Luke chose to live his life with all its sad moments along with his joyful moments, and so he wanted his journey to be a happy one, no matter how hard it was. He held back his feelings for Tear for similar reasons.
Luke is described by his friends as intense. He's too sad, too happy, too stubborn, and too angry-- but he's completely honest with those feelings. He can be considered a generally optimistic person. He has made mistakes and he acknowledges them. He honestly cares about the world he's in and the welfare of other people, sometimes to the extent of neglecting himself. Luke still has some childish tendencies, like when he gets carried away by his emotions or blurts something out without thinking about it; there's a soft, awkward, well-meaning naiveté to his actions as well, as he believed to the end that he could make “Master Van” see the error of his ways. Luke still believes in the power of promises, making Asch promise to live, and personally promising Tear that he would return.
Though he's only been alive for about seven years, the amount of maturity Luke achieved in such a small amount of time is miraculous. His effect on the world and on the people around him is incredible and undeniable. When he pushes aside the guilt and inferior thoughts, he can do almost anything, and he has certainly made a lasting imprint on the world he had just begun to love.
Strengths
Luke can’t cast any fonic artes on his own, so none of that fancy chanting crap for him. He does, however, possess Mystic Artes. Mystic Artes are basically his world’s Limit Breaks. It’s a supercharged attack that can be dodged or countered by another Mystic Arte if you’re quick. The first MA, Radiant Howl, involves Luke summoning a whole shitload of light to obliterate his surrounding opponents and then a baby kamehameha beam. Ion adds a fun exploding fonic glyph variation to it sometimes. The other MA, Lost Fon Drive, is only possible while he possesses the Sword of Lorelei. It involves a bunch of sword slashes followed by a gigantic Dhaos Laser of fiery death.
Luke has one special power unique to him and Asch only. This ability is called hyperresonance. Hyperresonance grants someone the ability to neutralize and reform any matter, but it also lends its uses to blasting apart monsters, transporting people across the world by accident, and literally rewriting Dawn Age code. Luke and Asch are the only people who can create a hyperresonance by themselves. Luke also receives a power called second-order hyperresonance when Asch dies and his fonons have tea with Luke’s, but this power is never expanded on-- was only theoretical, until it happened-- and so the only thing we know it can do is destroy exploding fonic glyphs.
All of this needs to be taken with a grain of salt, though. Difficult monsters and bosses don’t die in one hit, even with a mystic arte involved.
Mental: He's very capable of solving puzzles and real-world problem-solving, as well as dealing with things diplomatically.
Emotional: Luke can smile even when he's not feeling great. He's able to look at most things positively, and he doesn't give up even if it's hopeless. He's a bit stubborn, actually.
Weaknesses
Mental: Luke has a tendency to dwell about things way too long, so he ends up thinking himself into a depression/anxiety spiral. He's actually rather dependent on others for their trust and guidance, though less so than when he first cut his hair; he doesn't do well alone without some kind of mission in mind. While he's asserted his identity, he still harbors many insecurities about what other people will think of him for being a replica, and thus his psyche is a bit fragile and newly-formed in that regard. He's also a really awful liar and an easy read.
Emotional: He cares deeply about what other people think, which makes him prone to getting down on himself. In general he's just way too sensitive. In a world full of military people who are cold and impersonal about things like death and trauma, he reacts the most normally by having nightmares and remembering every life he takes.