Player InformationName: Alice
Contact: mimarin @ plurk
Age: 37
Other Characters: Ayumu Yamazaki
Character InformationName: Petra Ral
Canon: Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin (Anime)
Canon Point: Post-Death
Age: Estimated to be around 20. Petra doesn't have an official age.
History: Petra Ral's wiki pagePersonality: Petra comes across as good-natured, kind, and brave. She's caring and empathetic, demonstrated when she comforts and reassures her captain after a dying soldier in their corps asks if he'd been useful at all and if his sacrifice had any meaning in the humanity's fight against extinction in spite of her own tears over the loss. This trait is demonstrated again when she reaches out to Eren, the newest member of the Special Operations Squad they're both a part of, and discloses information about Captain Levi in an attempt to include and befriend him. It's also displayed in a more comical and backhanded way during her frequent bickering with another team member, Oluo, and her tough love responses to his immature behavior and insistence that he just be himself instead of trying imitate the captain.
However, Petra isn't always as nice as she seems at surface glance. Years of fighting Titans in a military corps with a high casualty rate has left her a scarred woman. In canon, it's stated that surviving, traumatized members of the Survey Corps have a strong tendency to assume worst case scenarios when they're on edge and act without mercy against potential threats they may perceive. Despite her nice exterior, Petra's no exception to this. When Eren accidentally partially transforms to pick up a teaspoon, Petra has her swords drawn ready to kill him on the spot despite being a friendly attachment figure for him before that point. Like the rest of her squad, she becomes irrational and agitated, demanding that Levi get away from him because he's dangerous and joins in on a heated interrogation along with them. This kind of panicked emotional response appears other times as well, suggesting that Petra may be suffering from post-traumatic stress and anxiety - once just before her death when she witnesses the Female Titan kill her squadmate right in front of her and loses her head entirely, something she doesn't do only minutes before after seeing another squadmate be murdered by what looks to be another human. The other happens when Eren suggests that Petra's superiors don't trust her or their squad because they didn't fill her in on the details of their operation.
Trust is of extreme importance to Petra. On multiple occasions she asks Eren to have faith and trust in her, their squad, their superiors, and the Survey Corps in general and is elated when he makes the decision to do so. Her own Titan kill record and behavior during missions show a strong emphasis on trust. While Petra does have a fair number of solo kills in battle, the vast majority of them are assisted kills, suggesting that she often works as a unit with other members to take out Titans. During the one Titan battle we do see with her, she's executing perfectly coordinated attacks with two other members of her squad, all without planning or speaking.
This stems from a firm belief in the strength of organized numbers. In a couple of the canon's video games, Petra states that people are weak individually but when they come together to fight, they're strong. She believes very strongly in the principle of banding together to overcome each other's shortcomings. Further reflecting this, Petra is respectful of the chain of command and a loyal, obedient soldier to her superiors. Sometimes it's to a fault, in canon she shows hersef to be indecisive if not given clear orders from her captain when tensions are high, going so far as to plead with him to give them if none are forthcoming. After a directive's given, Petra relaxes and follows it to the letter.
Petra also shows great resilience. It's implied that she'd been in the Survey Corps for quite a while, well over a year but less than five, by the time of her death in canon. It's stated that 60% of all recruits to their branch die fairly quickly and that Petra cried and soiled herself on her first expedition beyond the wall. When she's introduced, she carries herself with the poise and confidence of a seasoned, experienced soldier. She's capable of great adaptability, growth, and emotional survival in the face of tremendous adversity.
In general, Petra's motivated by kindness whether it be to specific individuals for to humanity at large. She's always been starkly aware than her survival chances are low in the Survey Corps and it's likely that she'll die an early, painful death. But with mankind's future so bleak, especially after the fall of Wall Maria, she truly believes beyond a doubt that the work they do is important and worth doing. Every life that's lost, including her own, is worth it in pursuit of a greater goal and brighter future for the human race, and she regrets nothing. Petra advises others to have faith because she has so much of it herself and she knows from personal experience, how much strength to survive and be gleaned from it.
Abilities: Petra's an extensively trained soldier, proficient with the 3D Maneuver Gear, special piece of equipment that uses steel cables and gas powered fans to propel the wear through the air at high speeds. As a Titan killer, she's skilled at dual wielding swords and battling giants mid-air with the use of her gear. In addition to this, Petra's a capable swordswoman on the ground as well as adept at hand-to-hand combat. Like all soldiers in her canon's military, Petra knows how to operate a cannon.
As a result of her military training, Petra has basic survival and first aid skills. She also knows how to ride a horse and handle one when in hostile terrain or being pursued by enemies.
Aside from these things, Petra's an ordinary human with no supernatural abilities of note.
Strengths: Kind, supportive, faithful, cooperative, resilient
Weaknesses: Indecisive, meddlesome, gossipy, tactless, traumatized
God/Shinki: Shinki
Why?: In her canon, Petra is a supportive figure as well as a trained soldier who excels at loyally following orders and working harmoniously with others in a team to take down opponents. The role of shinki, particularly that of an exemplar, plays well to Petra's strengths. She's also dead in her canon, giving her a ready-made entrance to being a shinki.
Cause Of Death: Stomped into a tree by the Female Titan and subsequently crushed to death.
Here's a clip.Vessel: Her Survey Corps cloakName Location: Over her heart.
Power: Aerial Mobility - When in vessel form, Petra's power gives her god to maneuver well in mid-air. Her god will be able to glide, perform air dashes and leaps, even temporarily brake their descent should they fall. What it can't do is give them the power of true flight. The god will have to jump or fall first for Petra's power to activate and take effect but once it does, she can conceivably work together with her god to keep them both aloft until one of them becomes too tired to continue.
Writing SampleSample: Petra's post on the TDMOtherAnything Else?: Nope! I think I covered everything.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
