Waver Velvet | Lord El Melloi II (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
slightlytaller) wrote2025-01-11 05:40 pm
slightlytaller) wrote2025-01-11 05:40 pm
App for Route 666
Player: Basil
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
woodrift
Age: 30+
Other Characters: n/a
Name: Waver Velvet (Lord El Melloi II)
Canon: Fate/
Canon Point: End of the Case Files anime, when he learned that he wasn't chosen to participate in the 5th Holy Grail War
Age: 30
Backstory: Wiki Link
Personality:
Waver Velvet, both as person and in his role as the (temporary) Lord El Melloi II, comes across as rough mannered man who prefers to keep company with only his memories, his video games, and a very small but selective group of people. He is grumpy and standoffish, but much of this is as superficial as the suits he wears and the expensive cigarettes he smokes. Anyone who scratches the surface can see that he is uncomfortable with himself and uncertain about a great many things in life, due largely to his literal inability to be a the great mage that a practitioner of his intellect and experience should be.
Much of how he moves through the world is by wearing his pride and isolation like armor-- but, it's important to note that, despite the cracks in his armor, he is fully dedicated to fulfilling his responsibilities and his duty no matter the personal cost.
Ultimately, the thing that pushes Waver forward is this sense of responsibility-- even for incidents that he had no offer in. On his way back to London from Fuyuki, he took multiple stops internationally in part to better understand the long dead King whom he had dedicated his life to forming. This took him into Iraq, Greece, and other areas where Iskandar stopped or had significant influence. During these stops he does everything from help village kids restart their vehicles to get into town for a doctor, teach the young people bits of magecraft that he could, and even work to undo the work of an unethical mage who was harming the local people and using them in tavern with Iskandar's tomb as a magical battery to commit heinous activity.
In no way was he asked to step in; he stepped in, anyway.
This sense of duty is part of why he accepted his role as Lord of the El Mello house despite being at odds with the finger head. He was, in a small part, responsible for the death of Kayneth El Melloi Archibald due to his theft of the relic that summoned Iskandar. Him not intervening would have put the life of a literal child at risk, and no one else among Kayneth's students knew the ins and less of archiving like he did.
This all falls back on his final orders from Iskandar at the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War. "Live, and tell the tale of my final ride."
No matter what happens, no matter how many mages and summoned spirits he has to defy, he's going to survive to tell the story.
The biggest thing that holds Waver back is his own fear of failure, and of being inept to those who mean something to him. He doesn't regret what he has done with his life.... Except for not being able to do more. A third rate mage with a crappy system of mana storage and transfer in his system, he wasn't able to be an adequate partner to Iskandar in Fuyuki. Similarly, he hates that he has to rely so heavily on his apprentice, Gray, and his students in the lecture hall. As their teacher, he should be the one protecting them. Instead, they spend as much time saving each other in and out of academic settings.
Hurting his students or the people that he's been tasked to assist is what causes Waver to dive headlong into danger, every time. From monsters in the sewers to one of the El Melloi political rivals implicating bystanders and even a stray cat in their attempts on his life, Waver Checker does not tolerate people or creatures implicating others in their quarrel with him.
He even stood up to and risked death by the hands of a Servant on the Rail Zeppelin to keep Gray out of harm's way.
For all other problems, Waver's greatest enemy is himself. His inability to move on from Iskandar has left him isolated and depressed; his self hatred about not being able to do more leaves him flustered and frozen while his mind is in overdrive for a solution before he finally gives up and asks for help.
Memory of Iskandar, even in parallel, brings him to tears.
Loyalty and Honesty are values that Waver tries to live by. In a society where self interest is key, this puts him at odds with nearly everyone who can be called a 'proper mage' because the cut throat rivalries and the dedication to the Craft and Bloodline no matter what causes everyone to keep their secrets and no one to have any trust within the community.
As a teacher, he guarantees his students two things: that he'll tell them the truth, and that he won't abandon them... No matter how many headaches come along the way.
What he admires and also tries to live by is the tenacity to never give up and the will to face hardship with a firm stance and a clear vision.
There have been so many traumas in Waver's life that the only thing he can do is stubbornly push forward. He's fine too far and lost too much a long the way to do less. Starting with the death of his mother that lead him to sell his worldly belongings for acceptance into the academy that laughed him out of the lecture hall, to having his personal crest held hostage until his duty to the El Melloi clan is completed, to finally watching the man who changed his life ride to his death...
What else can he do?
A little monster transformation, although unexpected, won't be the worst thing he's faced in his life. He already faced that horror, and he's still here.
Powers/Abilities: A key point to note is that, while Waver is a very adept teacher of magical arts, he is far from even being capable as a fully fledged mage due to the physical traits he was born with-- that being a poor capacity to hold mana and poor quality of magic circuits within his body. He was barely capable of sustaining Iskandar during the 4th Holy Grail War because of this-- but that doesn't mean he is without his simpler methods of performing the same tasks.
- Power -- Mana Use: Mana is the general magical energy used in Fate/verse that is accessible both in the external world and within the body. While Waver has poor mana storage capacity and poor ability to manipulate it, he is quite good at small, targeted practices ranging from using it to forcibly start small personal vehicles and fire off offensive bursts as need be. This is also what allows him to identity leylines and bounded fields, although full manipulation of them requires someone with more raw capacity than he has who is willing to follow direction.
- Power-- Hypnosis: This is another actual magical talent that we see Waver use, although it seems mostly similar to real world hypnosis with the use of suggestion and guided imagery when he's not trying to cover his tracks (poorly) by rewriting someone's memories.
We don't see him do the latter part in Case Files-- but it seems that the elderly couple he stayed with in Japan became aware of what he was doing and decided to roll with the ploy anyway. He still regards Glenn and Martha Mackenzie as his grandparents and even sends them gifts.
That is it with actual powers. Howerver...
- Skill -- Alchemy. Waver is a skilled alchemist but goes about it with the discipline of a chemist, gathering materials and mixing reagents to fulfill his task. Much of alchemy as we see in Fate/verse seems to be Chemistry + Folklore + Targeted mana usage. He uses it himself as a means of problem solving, and wishes that he could perform the same tasks in a 'proper' manner.
- Skill -- Investigation: Waver is a Good Problem Solver, often being called by the Mage's Association to intervene with dangerous and troubling affairs that they need resolved but don't want to dirty their hands with. His guiding question is the 'Whydunit', because they know obviously what happened and how it happened. Why guides people to the truth.
- Skill -- Teacher: Waver is nothing if not a Good Teacher. While he is far from exemplary as a mage, he fulfills the function equivalent of a dance teacher guiding students to perfection. He knows what proper form is supposed to look like and can guide his students to reach those levels. Often, his students graduate at ranks higher than he can ever achieve on his own because of his analytical skills and his ability to encourage others to try... much like Iskandar did with him
Other than this, he fills the role of professor, detective, archivist, and surrogate parent to his many troubled students. He also appears to have a nearly photographic memory.
Inventory:
-A crumbled pack of cigarettes
-A lighter
-A pocket knife
-A pair of glasses that dispel magics based on visual contact
Game Plans: Waver just had a dream where he met Iskandar on the shores of the fabled endless ocean, Okeanos, wherein he processed his recent news of no longer having a chance to meet his King again in his lifetime. Iskandar asked: "Are you having fun?" to which Waver tearfully said he was.
My plans for Waver in this game are how he grows from here. How does he manage to carve his own path, independent of meeting Iskandar again? How will he redefine himself when separated entirely from the context of his arrangement as conservator of what remains of the El Melloi household, his temporary Lordship in which he has a target on himself while the young Reines El Melloi Archisorte comes of age, and his role both as a professor at the very school that laughed him out of the lecture halls as a student and as the mentor to the young grave keeper and scion to King Arthur's legacy, Gray?
All of this, while he grapples with the changes to both his physical nature and his nature in regards to access to magic-- since it seems as if every Monster type offers magic of a sort. He finally has a chance to grasp the power he sought after for his entire life. What will he do with it?
Monster Choice: I've put a lot of thought into this. My thoughts are as follows
Taurus-- Centaur: This choice refers to Waver's partner, Iskandar's Rider class, the fact that the mythic centaur Chiron fulfilled a role similar to Waver in teaching the 'Next Generation of Heroes' so to speak, and also the fact that Waver has an ongoing fascination with the classics after the 4th Holy Grail War. Although Waver is physically nothing impressive, he is far too stubborn to just lay down and die-- to the point that he faced certain death to defy a Servant. Twice.
The Earth association is also fitting for how Waver is associated with that element in the Fate/Grand Order app game via the incomplete summon and subsequent possession by Zhuge Liang. As a note: Waver does not come from this canon point but it is a nice nod to the meta aspects of the canon.
Elemental -- Slime: This is as a reference to how Waver inherited the Volumen Hydrageum from Kayneth El Melloi Archibald, his old professor for who's death he is blamed for. The Volumen Hydrageum takes the form of a shapeless but volatile body of quicksilver. Waver reprogrammed it to take the form of a maid and body guard after he inherited it, although sometimes it acts like the Terminator.
It's also a reference to how Waver is an avid gamer-- and slimes are noted for not being too terribly powerful monsters.
Zoanthrope -- Werecat:There is an incident in Case Files where Waver has his soul tied to that of a feral street cat-- and an attempt at murdering him via this connection with a feral cat was made. Also, tbqh, Waver is such a cat in his general temperament and this will be very funny.
Beyond the humor, he is very geared working in groups with others and the pack oriented features could really assist how he would operate regardless of which monster type he ends up as.
Vehicle Choice: A Volkswagen T2 Bus-- one that was used in the wilderness of the United States during the era of music festivals and free love. It has a shag rug, comfortable seating, and vaguely smells like.... special herbs that cannot be bought legally (;D).
It's special quality is that it's spacious, as befits a vintage party wagon in questionable repair.
Sample: Toplevel with Various Replies
Contact:
Age: 30+
Other Characters: n/a
Name: Waver Velvet (Lord El Melloi II)
Canon: Fate/
Canon Point: End of the Case Files anime, when he learned that he wasn't chosen to participate in the 5th Holy Grail War
Age: 30
Backstory: Wiki Link
Personality:
Waver Velvet, both as person and in his role as the (temporary) Lord El Melloi II, comes across as rough mannered man who prefers to keep company with only his memories, his video games, and a very small but selective group of people. He is grumpy and standoffish, but much of this is as superficial as the suits he wears and the expensive cigarettes he smokes. Anyone who scratches the surface can see that he is uncomfortable with himself and uncertain about a great many things in life, due largely to his literal inability to be a the great mage that a practitioner of his intellect and experience should be.
Much of how he moves through the world is by wearing his pride and isolation like armor-- but, it's important to note that, despite the cracks in his armor, he is fully dedicated to fulfilling his responsibilities and his duty no matter the personal cost.
Ultimately, the thing that pushes Waver forward is this sense of responsibility-- even for incidents that he had no offer in. On his way back to London from Fuyuki, he took multiple stops internationally in part to better understand the long dead King whom he had dedicated his life to forming. This took him into Iraq, Greece, and other areas where Iskandar stopped or had significant influence. During these stops he does everything from help village kids restart their vehicles to get into town for a doctor, teach the young people bits of magecraft that he could, and even work to undo the work of an unethical mage who was harming the local people and using them in tavern with Iskandar's tomb as a magical battery to commit heinous activity.
In no way was he asked to step in; he stepped in, anyway.
This sense of duty is part of why he accepted his role as Lord of the El Mello house despite being at odds with the finger head. He was, in a small part, responsible for the death of Kayneth El Melloi Archibald due to his theft of the relic that summoned Iskandar. Him not intervening would have put the life of a literal child at risk, and no one else among Kayneth's students knew the ins and less of archiving like he did.
This all falls back on his final orders from Iskandar at the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War. "Live, and tell the tale of my final ride."
No matter what happens, no matter how many mages and summoned spirits he has to defy, he's going to survive to tell the story.
The biggest thing that holds Waver back is his own fear of failure, and of being inept to those who mean something to him. He doesn't regret what he has done with his life.... Except for not being able to do more. A third rate mage with a crappy system of mana storage and transfer in his system, he wasn't able to be an adequate partner to Iskandar in Fuyuki. Similarly, he hates that he has to rely so heavily on his apprentice, Gray, and his students in the lecture hall. As their teacher, he should be the one protecting them. Instead, they spend as much time saving each other in and out of academic settings.
Hurting his students or the people that he's been tasked to assist is what causes Waver to dive headlong into danger, every time. From monsters in the sewers to one of the El Melloi political rivals implicating bystanders and even a stray cat in their attempts on his life, Waver Checker does not tolerate people or creatures implicating others in their quarrel with him.
He even stood up to and risked death by the hands of a Servant on the Rail Zeppelin to keep Gray out of harm's way.
For all other problems, Waver's greatest enemy is himself. His inability to move on from Iskandar has left him isolated and depressed; his self hatred about not being able to do more leaves him flustered and frozen while his mind is in overdrive for a solution before he finally gives up and asks for help.
Memory of Iskandar, even in parallel, brings him to tears.
Loyalty and Honesty are values that Waver tries to live by. In a society where self interest is key, this puts him at odds with nearly everyone who can be called a 'proper mage' because the cut throat rivalries and the dedication to the Craft and Bloodline no matter what causes everyone to keep their secrets and no one to have any trust within the community.
As a teacher, he guarantees his students two things: that he'll tell them the truth, and that he won't abandon them... No matter how many headaches come along the way.
What he admires and also tries to live by is the tenacity to never give up and the will to face hardship with a firm stance and a clear vision.
There have been so many traumas in Waver's life that the only thing he can do is stubbornly push forward. He's fine too far and lost too much a long the way to do less. Starting with the death of his mother that lead him to sell his worldly belongings for acceptance into the academy that laughed him out of the lecture hall, to having his personal crest held hostage until his duty to the El Melloi clan is completed, to finally watching the man who changed his life ride to his death...
What else can he do?
A little monster transformation, although unexpected, won't be the worst thing he's faced in his life. He already faced that horror, and he's still here.
Powers/Abilities: A key point to note is that, while Waver is a very adept teacher of magical arts, he is far from even being capable as a fully fledged mage due to the physical traits he was born with-- that being a poor capacity to hold mana and poor quality of magic circuits within his body. He was barely capable of sustaining Iskandar during the 4th Holy Grail War because of this-- but that doesn't mean he is without his simpler methods of performing the same tasks.
- Power -- Mana Use: Mana is the general magical energy used in Fate/verse that is accessible both in the external world and within the body. While Waver has poor mana storage capacity and poor ability to manipulate it, he is quite good at small, targeted practices ranging from using it to forcibly start small personal vehicles and fire off offensive bursts as need be. This is also what allows him to identity leylines and bounded fields, although full manipulation of them requires someone with more raw capacity than he has who is willing to follow direction.
- Power-- Hypnosis: This is another actual magical talent that we see Waver use, although it seems mostly similar to real world hypnosis with the use of suggestion and guided imagery when he's not trying to cover his tracks (poorly) by rewriting someone's memories.
We don't see him do the latter part in Case Files-- but it seems that the elderly couple he stayed with in Japan became aware of what he was doing and decided to roll with the ploy anyway. He still regards Glenn and Martha Mackenzie as his grandparents and even sends them gifts.
That is it with actual powers. Howerver...
- Skill -- Alchemy. Waver is a skilled alchemist but goes about it with the discipline of a chemist, gathering materials and mixing reagents to fulfill his task. Much of alchemy as we see in Fate/verse seems to be Chemistry + Folklore + Targeted mana usage. He uses it himself as a means of problem solving, and wishes that he could perform the same tasks in a 'proper' manner.
- Skill -- Investigation: Waver is a Good Problem Solver, often being called by the Mage's Association to intervene with dangerous and troubling affairs that they need resolved but don't want to dirty their hands with. His guiding question is the 'Whydunit', because they know obviously what happened and how it happened. Why guides people to the truth.
- Skill -- Teacher: Waver is nothing if not a Good Teacher. While he is far from exemplary as a mage, he fulfills the function equivalent of a dance teacher guiding students to perfection. He knows what proper form is supposed to look like and can guide his students to reach those levels. Often, his students graduate at ranks higher than he can ever achieve on his own because of his analytical skills and his ability to encourage others to try... much like Iskandar did with him
Other than this, he fills the role of professor, detective, archivist, and surrogate parent to his many troubled students. He also appears to have a nearly photographic memory.
Inventory:
-A crumbled pack of cigarettes
-A lighter
-A pocket knife
-A pair of glasses that dispel magics based on visual contact
Game Plans: Waver just had a dream where he met Iskandar on the shores of the fabled endless ocean, Okeanos, wherein he processed his recent news of no longer having a chance to meet his King again in his lifetime. Iskandar asked: "Are you having fun?" to which Waver tearfully said he was.
My plans for Waver in this game are how he grows from here. How does he manage to carve his own path, independent of meeting Iskandar again? How will he redefine himself when separated entirely from the context of his arrangement as conservator of what remains of the El Melloi household, his temporary Lordship in which he has a target on himself while the young Reines El Melloi Archisorte comes of age, and his role both as a professor at the very school that laughed him out of the lecture halls as a student and as the mentor to the young grave keeper and scion to King Arthur's legacy, Gray?
All of this, while he grapples with the changes to both his physical nature and his nature in regards to access to magic-- since it seems as if every Monster type offers magic of a sort. He finally has a chance to grasp the power he sought after for his entire life. What will he do with it?
Monster Choice: I've put a lot of thought into this. My thoughts are as follows
Taurus-- Centaur: This choice refers to Waver's partner, Iskandar's Rider class, the fact that the mythic centaur Chiron fulfilled a role similar to Waver in teaching the 'Next Generation of Heroes' so to speak, and also the fact that Waver has an ongoing fascination with the classics after the 4th Holy Grail War. Although Waver is physically nothing impressive, he is far too stubborn to just lay down and die-- to the point that he faced certain death to defy a Servant. Twice.
The Earth association is also fitting for how Waver is associated with that element in the Fate/Grand Order app game via the incomplete summon and subsequent possession by Zhuge Liang. As a note: Waver does not come from this canon point but it is a nice nod to the meta aspects of the canon.
Elemental -- Slime: This is as a reference to how Waver inherited the Volumen Hydrageum from Kayneth El Melloi Archibald, his old professor for who's death he is blamed for. The Volumen Hydrageum takes the form of a shapeless but volatile body of quicksilver. Waver reprogrammed it to take the form of a maid and body guard after he inherited it, although sometimes it acts like the Terminator.
It's also a reference to how Waver is an avid gamer-- and slimes are noted for not being too terribly powerful monsters.
Zoanthrope -- Werecat:There is an incident in Case Files where Waver has his soul tied to that of a feral street cat-- and an attempt at murdering him via this connection with a feral cat was made. Also, tbqh, Waver is such a cat in his general temperament and this will be very funny.
Beyond the humor, he is very geared working in groups with others and the pack oriented features could really assist how he would operate regardless of which monster type he ends up as.
Vehicle Choice: A Volkswagen T2 Bus-- one that was used in the wilderness of the United States during the era of music festivals and free love. It has a shag rug, comfortable seating, and vaguely smells like.... special herbs that cannot be bought legally (;D).
It's special quality is that it's spacious, as befits a vintage party wagon in questionable repair.
Sample: Toplevel with Various Replies