Yuri Lowell

"... hey. If you got this, I'm not answering right now. Beep comin'."

*beep*

[ Player Name ] : Moro
[ Personal DW ] : moro_kun
[ Age ] : 21
[ Timezone ] : PST / GMT -8
[ Other Characters ] : Shing Meteoryte (oursomalink)

[ Character's Name ] : Yuri Lowell
[ Character's Age ] : 21
[ Series ] : Tales of Vesperia
[ Canon Point ] : How about dat post-Zaude. Make him think he woke up and went to hell.

[ History ] : If you lose me somewhere, and your tears are in the air, I will ring a bell until you feel me by your side...

[ Personality ] :

Several aspects to Yuri's personality can be discussed in detail -- though the three main bits of personality that are readily apparent are his sarcastic wit, his cynicism and his general empathy towards others. Unless you're a noble. We'll get into that in a bit.

As mentioned earlier, Yuri comes across as being sarcastic and highly cynical of others, especially those who are of noble birth. He also tends to manifest this in his dealings with most Imperial Knights, as well, if his interactions with Cumore, Adecor and Boccos at the beginning of the game are any indication. For the most part, the root of this can be traced back to his childhood -- growing up as an orphan in the Lower Quarter with his besst friend, Flynn, he was a regular witness to the nobility's general apathy and haughtiness towards the common people, as well as their tendency to turn a blind eye towards their suffering. He was also witness to the rampant corruption that ran thick through the Imperial Knights, as well, during his short tenure as one, which also explains his general lack of trust towards the organization in general.

It's also because of his experience with the nobility and the knights in general that he tends to side more with the common people in general, which has manifested in game several times during discussions about the nobility and their treatment of commoners in general. This is also the main reason why he breaks into the Zaphias castle in the beginning of the game -- since he doesn't think that anyone would readily give a damn about the Lower Quarter and the people who took care of him in his youth, he takes matters into his own hands and investigates into their problems himself.

Which leads to another important aspect of Yuri's personality -- his experiences in general have pretty much made him less prone to indecision and depression. He's not afraid of making difficult decisions and taking difficult matters into his own hands, especially since he realizes that (1) no one else would be willing to do it, and (2) he would rather spare his friends from the trauma associated with the consequences of such actions. In-game, this leads to him murdering several corrupt members of the Empire in order to protect the innocent and make sure that justice truly is served. He's well aware of the costs, though -- a discussion with his best friend Flynn in Mantiac reveals that he's aware -- and to some extent worried -- that by taking the law into his own hands, he could very well become the kind of monstrous person that he himself despises.

Admittedly, though, not too many people other than Flynn, and eventually Estelle, are made aware of his worries. He does a damn good job of hiding almost everything from even his closest companions, whether it be his fears, worries, emotions, true feelings, etc. It's very difficult for him to open up to other people, and he's also good at keeping secrets from the party for most of the game. Even when he does have something on his mind, he evades the subject or tells it off using sarcastic humor. Coaxing him to admit what he really feelings would be akin to pulling a tooth, and he feels that he can handle things by himself -- it's because of this mindset that he feels driven to pursue his vigilante ways for the better part of the game. He does get better, but only slightly. Really, Yuri's comfortable with staying the person that he is.

Despite having some awareness and knowledge of the world around him, though, he does have a bit of a derpy side to him, as well. For one, he lacks a complete understanding of female psychology; i.e., he doesn't seem to show that much romantic attraction towards any of the female party members in the game. (No, flirting with Judith doesn't count.) This doesn't mean he doesn't care about them, though -- suffice to say, it's not in his nature for him to just leave someone alone when they're suffering or need help. He's fiercely protective of his friends and those that he cares about, and as shown above he's willing to go to all manner of extreme lengths to ensure their safety. And he will notice any romantic feelings towards him once he figures it out, too.

...which means trying to get that across to him (and making him realize his own feelings in particular) would be the hardest part. lol

So in short, Yuri's a deadpan snarker and an eternal cynic who has a nice side to him. And even some derpiness to him, too.

[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :

He's got a bit of a dramatic flair when it comes to fighting, and it shows. Despite looking like a mad rush towards his enemy, Yuri actually carefully plans how each swing and each blow will hit and affect his enemy. He's also a bit... eager to show off and fight monsters, rushing right into the thick of things in a fight. Needless to say, he almost craves the rush from fighting someone or something stronger than him and putting the skills he's developed to work. Also, he's quite ambidextrous in battle, effortlessly switched between his left and right hand when fighting. And he even uses his free hand to punch whomever he's fighting.

Emotionally, Yuri's pretty stable and well-rounded as a result of being the second-oldest member of the party. As noted previously, he's comfortable with who he is, and any change can take a while to manifest. Or be really subtle. This makes him less prone to hesitation when it comes to whatever action is needed, but this tends to work against him because his cynical nature make it difficult for people to really know him on a personal level.

Otherwise... he's ordinary. Seriously. About the only thing that's noticeable about him is how womanly he looks thanks to his long hair, and unless you're looking for the business end of his sword I wouldn't mention that to him.

[ Other Important Facts ] :

In Yuri's world, much of its citizens relies on a form of techonology called blastia, which is formed from the Entelexia, a sentient race that lives alongside humans in Terca Lumireis. Fueled by another substance called aer, which the Entelexia regulate, blastia perform all kinds of functions from the mundane (water supply) to battle (using them allows for amplification of a person's fighting abilities). Of course, there's one problem -- too much blastia use results in a cataclysm called the Adephagos, basically a giant... tentacle... thing that rapes the planet to death, for lack of a better phrase. Don't look at me like that, I WISH I were making this up.

Of course by game's end the tentacle rape thing is dead thanks to one Yuri Lowell, so at least there's that. Though he doesn't know it yet thanks to his current canon-point. Good job, Yuri. 8U

[ Sample ] : Starfishbucks test drive post.

[ Questions? Comments? Concerns? ] : Uh... do note that the starfishbucks post was made BEFORE I decided on a canon point for Yuri, so... yeah, there's gonna be some retcon going on over here. Oops.