Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
oathshackledbird) wrote2014-01-01 08:00 pm
oathshackledbird) wrote2014-01-01 08:00 pm
Entry tags:
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
rubycity_rp (Ruby City) Application
PLAYER
Name: Neko Sandy
Age: 34
Personal Journal:nekosandy (However, I don't generally use this journal. For contact purposes, please use oathshackledbird instead.)
E-mail: beagalltach3@gmail.com
AIM/MSN/etc:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
NekoSandy
CHARACTER
Name: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer)
Canon: Fate/Zero
Age: Diarmuid appears to be around 25 because the Grail summons people back into the world at their primes. However, he was actually older than that when he died during his first life as a hero. Unfortunately, how much older is unknown.
Timeline: The End of Episode 5: "Howl of the Mad Beast"
If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: N/A
Personality: (Parts of this have been reused from my Tower of Animus application.)
If one were to describe Lancer in a word, that word would be 'knight,' though unlike many of his counterparts who call themselves knights, he is truly a personification of that term. His life, thoughts, and decisions all are bounded by the twin rules of knighthood--loyalty to one's master and honor in one's actions. Given two choices, the one he takes will be the one that is most honorable and loyal to his master's wants. Indeed, these two characteristics are so overwhelming that they sometimes completely cover a good many of his other personality traits--like his quick wit, unwillingness to give up, and optimistic nature--leaving him to be seen by outsiders as little more than his master's tool instead of a person who has feelings and cares of his own. This is especially true at this early canon point, since most of Lancer's time so far has been spent in his fight with Saber. However this overshadowing, for the most part, is something that Lancer, as a good knight, doesn't mind since his own needs and wants are secondary to his master's wishes. In fact, he takes great pride in living as he does.
However, as is often the case for people who so completely believe in something, Lancer's strong devotion to loyalty and honor are also his greatest weaknesses. They often narrow his view of people and the world around him as he expects others to act in a similar manner. This expectation is only strengthened because the first servant he meets, Saber, is just as honorable and noble as he is. She very happy to hear that he wishes to fight an honorable battle, just as he is happy to be able to face a strong female warrior who won't be weakened by his curse. Unfortunately, as Lancer will soon learn the hard way, she and he are the exceptions in this war. Few others, aside from Rider, care anything for honor and this includes Lancer's own master.
It is Lancer's own master's lack of respect for his honor and loyalty that set up one of Lancer's main conflicts in the series--the idea of a master so dishonorable that he has to constantly choose between violating one the two rules he has formed his whole existence around. At the canon point I am drawing him from, this conflict has only just begun to manifest itself shown in how Kayneth forces him to act during his fight with Saber. Instead of allowing Lancer to finish things off with Saber one-on-one, which would be the honorable method, Kayneth forces him to team up with Berserker via a command spell. This is a command Lancer tries to fight since it is a dishonorable action against one who he has already come to respect and honor, but in the end his will is overcome and he has no choice but to attack even as he whispers his apologies. Because of Kayneth's use of the command spell, Lancer really has no choice but to choose loyalty over honor even if he might have been wavering in the other direction. As the war progresses, though, his choice will not be made for him leading to an escalation of this internal conflict.
Though much of the series focuses Lancer's loyalty and honor and how they are tried because of Kayneth's nature and attitudes toward him, one of Lancer's other main personality traits does show itself even at this early canon point because it is something that is highlighted by his honorable and loyal nature. Unsurprisingly, Lancer is a man who greatly values other honorable and skilled fighters to the extent that he will put himself into hardship if it will help those he so respects. An example of this is shown early through his reactions to Saber during the first part of their duel. While they are destined to fight to the death because they are opponents in a war only one can win, it takes only a short conversation and a few exchanged blows for him to realize that they are kindred souls--both knights who value the same things and are not willing to sacrifice them to win. Instead, they will find a way to win that doesn't require them to fall to the levels that others might. They will remain honorable and respectful to each other even if the end result of their battle will be one of their deaths. In fact, Lancer goes so far as to protect Saber from Berserker's attack later in their fight because their duel is unfinished and the honorable course of action is for them to finish that duel before any other battles are begun. He risks placing himself between her--an honorable warrior though also an enemy--and Berserker--an unpredictable madman--despite the fact that only moments before he was going all out trying to kill her and had wounded her with a wound that cannot be healed. One might assume that Lancer is stepping in to 'protect' her just because of that wound, but that would be an incorrect assumption as proven by his words. Indeed, he is not thinking of the wound at all, at this point. Instead, his focus is solely on what is the honorable thing to do in the situation.
While Lancer's relationship with Saber shows how he trying to stay true to his sense of honor while fighting with those he respects, his relationship with another--his master's fiancée, Sola-Ui--shows his attempts to stay loyal. At this canon point, the audience has not seen them interacting yet, but since Sola-Ui is the person who supplies Lancer with mana, it is almost certain that she would have been present at his summoning. Since she already seems to have some affection for Lancer during the first encounter the audience sees, it is likely she started feeling the effects of his curse early on, setting the stage for Lancer's current situation to begin to mimic the one that occurred with Grainne during his first life. It is Grainne who, once under his curse's sway, first tries to make him make the painful choice between honor and loyalty. Lancer is bound by his respect for all she is willing to sacrifice to escape her wedding to his lord and by his honor once she places the geis on him to take her away, but giving her what she wants means giving up his loyalty to his Lord--something that it breaks his heart to do. In the end, after a lot of soul searching, Lancer chooses to go with Grainne, though he is not choosing honor over loyalty at this point. Instead, he is testing himself to see if he can find a way to keep both even in this difficult situation. (This is one of the times where is unwillingness to give up on what means the most to him really shows through.) However, in the end, he feels he failed in this test and it is that failure that leads him to his wish--a wish to have the chance to serve his lord until the end instead of being forced to betray him, a wish that lets him pick up his honor and loyalty and carry them both to the end. It is because of this similarity to what happened in the past and how it threatens his wish, that Lancer will already have a few worries and reservations about Sola-Ui even at this early canon point. The potential for his past to repeat itself, while currently small, is there because of she has been affected by the curse just like Grainne was. However, because his determination to do things correctly this time is so strong, Lancer seems to believe things will turn out right as long as he keeps trying. That is why, at this time, even if he is worried about Sola-Ui and the past repeating itself, he will outwardly show very little, if any, sign of it. Lancer will just keep his worries quiet, preferring instead to focus all of his attention on on remaining loyal and achieving his master's goal in the most honorable way possible.
It is just a shame that his master cares so little for these things that make up so very much of what Lancer is.
While Lancer's appearance in the anime as of his canon point highlights his high value on loyalty and honor, I feel like it would be an over-simplification of his personality not to mention a few other traits and weaknesses that are part of him, but aren't really shown until later in the series, especially since they are things that may show up during his time in the city. First, as mentioned in the opening paragraph of this section, despite being polite and well mannered as fitting a knight, Lancer is rather clever and witty with his words, especially when he is excited about being in or comfortable in someone's presence. This is briefly shown during the first part of his duel with Saber as he banters with her even as they are fighting, but it is shown again when he and Saber are fighting Caster in the forest around the Einzbern castle. This wit and lightheartedness ties strongly into his pride and confidence in his abilities, as well as his optimism. After fighting and winning so many battles in the past, Lancer is confident enough in his abilities (in fact, his Eye of the Mind (True) ability is a reflection of just how skilled he is) to believe that he will find a way to win. That confidence allows him to be more relaxed in battle, since he is really more used to being there than anywhere else. Unlike some combatants of the Holy Grail War, he is completely at home and looks forward to fighting so that he can bring victory to his master.
Undermining his confidence, though, is something we have only seen a short glimpse of at his current canon point--his emotions. As with many who are so strongly devoted to something or believe passionately in their goals, Lancer, at times, wears his emotions on his sleeve. For the most part, he is calm, collected, and in control, but when things start to go against how he believes they should or his path is questioned, that changes. We see this very briefly when he practically begs Kayneth to allow him to continue his fight with Saber honorably, instead of along the path Kayneth suggests. Not only is he allowing his wish to finish the battle honorably to cause him to question the man he is suppose to be loyal to, Lancer is also allowing any who are watching to see that there is a divide between he and his master--a clashing of ideals and goals--something that he would never let happen in a calmer state because it would put both his master and their goals in danger. This is not the only time this will happen as Lancer's passion and devotion lead to other instances later in canon where he will allow his emotions to direct him in ways that seems to go against what would be best for his master and their goals. For example, he will willingly destroy his one of his own Noble Phantasms, leaving himself and therefore his master, weaker. Though he does this calmly, he is obviously not thinking of the impact it will have on his fight for the Grail. Instead, he is caught up in being honorable and doing 'the right thing.'
The strongest example of Lancer losing control of his emotions happens near the end of his part in the series. After losing Sola-Ui, Kayneth gives Lancer a very harsh lecture and devalues everything that Lancer holds dear, making it obvious he will never trust nor care for his servant no matter what Lancer does. It is clear in the anime, from the few passionate words Lancer speaks and then from his silence, he is trying hard to keep himself together. In fact, in the novel it is stated he comes very close to tears during the lecture. This scene and those before it point out that while he is calm and collected most of the time, if certain buttons are pressed, Lancer will lose his ability to remain focused and in control, and instead allow his emotions to take over. At this point in his timeline, it will take a lot more to push him to that point since he will not have faced the failures he has faced later on, but it is something that could happen especially considering there are those in the city who know exactly what will happen to him in the war and may not be afraid to find those buttons and push them.
Finally, despite having a lot of information put into his head about the modern day (if modern day was around 1990) by the Grail, Lancer does have gaps in knowledge about how things in modern day work. For example, while knowing a lot about cars, (enough, in fact that he can tell different kinds by just hearing them) because he lacks the Riding ability he wouldn't know how to drive one. Another example would be while knowing what a microwave is, he wouldn't know how to use it. And, while the Grail does give information about current mindsets and social patterns, it doesn't actively change his beliefs and mindsets. As a result, Lancer will sometimes default back to what he expects people to do from when he first lived. This leads to him being a bit more trusting and open than he probably should be since he lived in a much simpler time where things tended to be black and white instead of grey. However, since Kayneth wishes to work from the shadows and the rules of the War themselves dictate secrecy, Lancer finds himself at odds, caught between how he is used to acting and how he is being told to act. One example of this occurs when he says more than once during his first fight that he wishes to tell Saber his name because it is the honorable thing to do but cannot. In the city, while it might take a while, without his master and the rules of the war to force him into secrecy, Lancer will likely begin to shift back toward being open and trusting. For better or worse.
Background: Diarmuid's Type-Moon Wiki Entry & a link a text version of Diarmuid's myth. (In case the link does not directly take you to the section for Diarmuid, the books related to him are book 6--his early life and adventures--and book 7--the pursuit itself. I use this primarily to round out his character. Wherever anime canon contradicts his actual myth, anime canon always takes precedence.)
Abilities: (Most of this has been reused from my Tower of Animus application.)
Lancer is a heroic spirit which means he's not a human despite having a humanoid form. Instead, he is the materialized copy of a hero's soul recorded long ago to the Throne of Heroes and called back into the world by a master's magic. Heroic spirits usually require energy from their masters to survive, though in Lancer's case, he gets his energy from his master's fiancée instead of his master.
Despite being a hero from the past because of the information he is given by the Holy Grail when he is called into the 4th War, Lancer does know a little bit about modern devices and times--that is if modern were still the 1990s. When it comes down to it, he probably knows just enough to get him into trouble with technology, but he would most likely be fine, if a little unsure, when it comes to other--less rapidly changing--things.
As a spirit given human form, Lancer's speed, strength, and other such abilities are very far above those of normal humans. Below is a list of his skills ranked as they are in the series. Rankings go from the low end of the chart, E, up to the highest rank of EX which is actually used for skill levels that are off the charts.
Strength: B
Mana: D
Endurance: C
Agility: A+
Luck: E
As a feature of his class, Lancer has extraordinary speed and agility even among other servants. On the other hand, his luck is just as low as it can be. Despite that low luck stat, his luck is still much better than that of a normal human.
Lancer is an extraordinary fighter skilled in the use of many weapons. However, since he is called into the Lancer class during the war, his skills have been limited and focused on using spears. He has two that he dual wields with blinding speed and deadly force despite their different lengths. (It should be noted that while dual wielding is his preferred fighting mode, he can wield them each alone with just as much skill as when he uses them together.) The shorter of the two is called Gae Buidhe and the longer Gae Dearg. Both spears he keeps wrapped in talisman cloths to hide their identities and to seal their abilities which are passive and don't require any special words to invoke. When unsealed, Gae Buidhe causes wounds that cannot be healed in any way until either the weapon is destroyed or Lancer himself is killed. Gae Dearg's ability can pierce magical projections and enhancements by severing their ties to the energy that they need to keep themselves manifest. The effect is only temporary and lasts just as long as the spear's point is in contact with the object in question. While this might not seem very useful ability because of how temporary the effect is, it can devastating against those who over rely on magical abilities or expect magically projected/enhanced armor to protect them.
Most servants have a set of armor that, along with their Noble Phantasms (in Lancer's case, his spears), are considered a part of them and can be manifest and dismissed at will. Lancer's armor despite not looking like much is highly resistant, though not impervious, to damage.
In addition to his physical skills, Lancer has several mental/magical skills. First of all, he has good resistance to magical effects--a B ranking--which in his world would mean that very few magic abilities would be a danger to him.
Lancer also possesses an ability called Eye of the Mind (True) as a result of all the experience he's gained fighting. This ability gives him a greater chance of winning or properly escaping any battle. In addition to his calm and perceptive nature, this skill allows him to lead other experienced fighters into well thought out traps. In fact, this kind of smart fighting is something he excels at since Lancers generally tend to be fragile, acrobatic fighters and would have a hard time straight out fighting someone much stronger and heavier than they are.
His last ability is one that has caused him a great deal of grief in both his first life and his life as a servant. Classified as a Mystic Face ability, Lancer has a small mole under his right eye. This mole is a physical manifestation of the curse he carries. Any woman who looks at his face is said to fall in love with him. Those with a fairly high magical resistance can often shrug off the curse unless they wish to be under its effects, but those who have no magical resistance have no way to fight it off. Lancer has no control over this curse much to his displeasure.
(Note for the Mods: It is my understanding that there generally no power limits for this game. However, Lancer's love curse can be considered game breaking because it is always active and would take control of a player's character away from them. Please let me know if there will be any kind of limitation set on it or if a permissions post is needed. Thank you!)
Finally, as a more general ability, all servants can disappear into spirit form which makes them invisible and allows them to move through walls and other obstacles.
First Person (A):
[Despite the fact that Lancer has a firm idea of what he is going to do the moment he steps off the train, once he is standing in the train station, he doesn't move right away. This is because, while he has decided on what he is going to do, how exactly he's going to do it is a much harder decision. He needs to get back home to his lord and to the war as soon as possible. But what is the most expedient way?
Obviously, he needs to gather more information and the device in his hand--a bronze pocket watch--should help him if the flyers posted around the station are correct. The problem? Lancer's lord will have a fit if he finds out Lancer freely gave out any kind of information about who he is, what is going on, and why he needs to get back home so badly.
This is true even if said lord is not here, which is likely since Lancer's bonds to both him and Lady Sola-Ui are silent.
In the end, Lancer decides to do things simply and vaguely. Perhaps, he can give more details once he finds those he can trust. After all, it is easier to give more information than to take back what has already been given.
Even if he would much rather just be direct about the whole thing.
He clicks the watch open, finding, after a few moments, the correct way to activate the video posting option.]
Greetings. I expect all of you are used to these kind of messages by now, so I will keep this one brief. I am newly arrived in this place and am seeking any information I can get on it. While I am not in a position right now to repay your kindness, I swear on my pride as a knight that I will find a way once I am better settled into the city.
[Lancer ends the feed and clicks the watch shut. Even as he does that, he is in motion, dashing so quickly as to make it impossible to be seen toward what he has spotted as the tallest building around. It will give him the best chance to gain an overview of the city and with his speed and agility, it won't be hard at all to make his way to the top.
The muscles in his legs tense as he readies himself to jump into the air. Already, his mind has mapped out several points where he can ricochet and redirect himself so that he will make it to the top of the tower will little effort. So little effort, in fact, that when the watch beeps alerting him that there has been a response to his post, he pulls it out and begins answering even though he is in mid-air and about to redirect his momentum off an overhang.
Hopefully, whoever is answering doesn't get motion sickness easily.]
Thank you for your quick response. What can you tell me about this place?
First Person (B): Since it's much longer now and Rider pulled out that witty side of him that doesn't always get to be seen... Test Drive Thread.
Third Person:
"This is getting ridiculous," Lancer muttered under his breath with no small bit of annoyance as he dashed around another corner to hide in a doorway. He should be used to women chasing him by now considering it had happened all the time during his first life, but perhaps there were some things a person just didn't get used to. Then again, few women were as persistent as this sorceress was. Lancer had tried speed. He had tried agility. He had tried speed and agility. He had tried even using spirit form which rendered him invisible to almost everything and still she was able to find him again after a few minutes.
Perhaps at a different time, he would have found this amusing or treated it like a game, but right now it was causing him to take time away from his quest to find a way back home to his lord and the war. After what had happened between them at end of his fight with Saber and the use of one of Kayneth's command spells, it was obvious they needed to discuss some things. Like why his lord seemed to distrust him already when he had done nothing but fight for their goals.
Lancer shook his head and pushed those thoughts away. If what others said was true, he might have to wait a long time to have that conversation and the more immediate concern was the woman chasing him. He still didn't understand why she was being affected by his curse at all. She had boasted being so magical and powerful and that should have offered her protection, but then...
Cackles sounded in the air, and Lancer whipped his head around. There she was...again! She hadn't spotted him yet, so he could dash away, but what good would that do at this point? She would just find him again.
A sigh slipped from Lancer's mouth and he stepped into view in front of her, "Fine, Lady. You win for now. Shall we do this 'date' thing so that I may return to my business?"
Though, that return to the business of finding a way home might be delayed for a while so Lancer could do some shopping. Finding something that covered his mole, and hopefully disrupted his curse, suddenly seemed a lot more important...
Name: Neko Sandy
Age: 34
Personal Journal:
nekosandy (However, I don't generally use this journal. For contact purposes, please use oathshackledbird instead.)E-mail: beagalltach3@gmail.com
AIM/MSN/etc:
CHARACTER
Name: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer)
Canon: Fate/Zero
Age: Diarmuid appears to be around 25 because the Grail summons people back into the world at their primes. However, he was actually older than that when he died during his first life as a hero. Unfortunately, how much older is unknown.
Timeline: The End of Episode 5: "Howl of the Mad Beast"
If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: N/A
Personality: (Parts of this have been reused from my Tower of Animus application.)
If one were to describe Lancer in a word, that word would be 'knight,' though unlike many of his counterparts who call themselves knights, he is truly a personification of that term. His life, thoughts, and decisions all are bounded by the twin rules of knighthood--loyalty to one's master and honor in one's actions. Given two choices, the one he takes will be the one that is most honorable and loyal to his master's wants. Indeed, these two characteristics are so overwhelming that they sometimes completely cover a good many of his other personality traits--like his quick wit, unwillingness to give up, and optimistic nature--leaving him to be seen by outsiders as little more than his master's tool instead of a person who has feelings and cares of his own. This is especially true at this early canon point, since most of Lancer's time so far has been spent in his fight with Saber. However this overshadowing, for the most part, is something that Lancer, as a good knight, doesn't mind since his own needs and wants are secondary to his master's wishes. In fact, he takes great pride in living as he does.
However, as is often the case for people who so completely believe in something, Lancer's strong devotion to loyalty and honor are also his greatest weaknesses. They often narrow his view of people and the world around him as he expects others to act in a similar manner. This expectation is only strengthened because the first servant he meets, Saber, is just as honorable and noble as he is. She very happy to hear that he wishes to fight an honorable battle, just as he is happy to be able to face a strong female warrior who won't be weakened by his curse. Unfortunately, as Lancer will soon learn the hard way, she and he are the exceptions in this war. Few others, aside from Rider, care anything for honor and this includes Lancer's own master.
It is Lancer's own master's lack of respect for his honor and loyalty that set up one of Lancer's main conflicts in the series--the idea of a master so dishonorable that he has to constantly choose between violating one the two rules he has formed his whole existence around. At the canon point I am drawing him from, this conflict has only just begun to manifest itself shown in how Kayneth forces him to act during his fight with Saber. Instead of allowing Lancer to finish things off with Saber one-on-one, which would be the honorable method, Kayneth forces him to team up with Berserker via a command spell. This is a command Lancer tries to fight since it is a dishonorable action against one who he has already come to respect and honor, but in the end his will is overcome and he has no choice but to attack even as he whispers his apologies. Because of Kayneth's use of the command spell, Lancer really has no choice but to choose loyalty over honor even if he might have been wavering in the other direction. As the war progresses, though, his choice will not be made for him leading to an escalation of this internal conflict.
Though much of the series focuses Lancer's loyalty and honor and how they are tried because of Kayneth's nature and attitudes toward him, one of Lancer's other main personality traits does show itself even at this early canon point because it is something that is highlighted by his honorable and loyal nature. Unsurprisingly, Lancer is a man who greatly values other honorable and skilled fighters to the extent that he will put himself into hardship if it will help those he so respects. An example of this is shown early through his reactions to Saber during the first part of their duel. While they are destined to fight to the death because they are opponents in a war only one can win, it takes only a short conversation and a few exchanged blows for him to realize that they are kindred souls--both knights who value the same things and are not willing to sacrifice them to win. Instead, they will find a way to win that doesn't require them to fall to the levels that others might. They will remain honorable and respectful to each other even if the end result of their battle will be one of their deaths. In fact, Lancer goes so far as to protect Saber from Berserker's attack later in their fight because their duel is unfinished and the honorable course of action is for them to finish that duel before any other battles are begun. He risks placing himself between her--an honorable warrior though also an enemy--and Berserker--an unpredictable madman--despite the fact that only moments before he was going all out trying to kill her and had wounded her with a wound that cannot be healed. One might assume that Lancer is stepping in to 'protect' her just because of that wound, but that would be an incorrect assumption as proven by his words. Indeed, he is not thinking of the wound at all, at this point. Instead, his focus is solely on what is the honorable thing to do in the situation.
While Lancer's relationship with Saber shows how he trying to stay true to his sense of honor while fighting with those he respects, his relationship with another--his master's fiancée, Sola-Ui--shows his attempts to stay loyal. At this canon point, the audience has not seen them interacting yet, but since Sola-Ui is the person who supplies Lancer with mana, it is almost certain that she would have been present at his summoning. Since she already seems to have some affection for Lancer during the first encounter the audience sees, it is likely she started feeling the effects of his curse early on, setting the stage for Lancer's current situation to begin to mimic the one that occurred with Grainne during his first life. It is Grainne who, once under his curse's sway, first tries to make him make the painful choice between honor and loyalty. Lancer is bound by his respect for all she is willing to sacrifice to escape her wedding to his lord and by his honor once she places the geis on him to take her away, but giving her what she wants means giving up his loyalty to his Lord--something that it breaks his heart to do. In the end, after a lot of soul searching, Lancer chooses to go with Grainne, though he is not choosing honor over loyalty at this point. Instead, he is testing himself to see if he can find a way to keep both even in this difficult situation. (This is one of the times where is unwillingness to give up on what means the most to him really shows through.) However, in the end, he feels he failed in this test and it is that failure that leads him to his wish--a wish to have the chance to serve his lord until the end instead of being forced to betray him, a wish that lets him pick up his honor and loyalty and carry them both to the end. It is because of this similarity to what happened in the past and how it threatens his wish, that Lancer will already have a few worries and reservations about Sola-Ui even at this early canon point. The potential for his past to repeat itself, while currently small, is there because of she has been affected by the curse just like Grainne was. However, because his determination to do things correctly this time is so strong, Lancer seems to believe things will turn out right as long as he keeps trying. That is why, at this time, even if he is worried about Sola-Ui and the past repeating itself, he will outwardly show very little, if any, sign of it. Lancer will just keep his worries quiet, preferring instead to focus all of his attention on on remaining loyal and achieving his master's goal in the most honorable way possible.
It is just a shame that his master cares so little for these things that make up so very much of what Lancer is.
While Lancer's appearance in the anime as of his canon point highlights his high value on loyalty and honor, I feel like it would be an over-simplification of his personality not to mention a few other traits and weaknesses that are part of him, but aren't really shown until later in the series, especially since they are things that may show up during his time in the city. First, as mentioned in the opening paragraph of this section, despite being polite and well mannered as fitting a knight, Lancer is rather clever and witty with his words, especially when he is excited about being in or comfortable in someone's presence. This is briefly shown during the first part of his duel with Saber as he banters with her even as they are fighting, but it is shown again when he and Saber are fighting Caster in the forest around the Einzbern castle. This wit and lightheartedness ties strongly into his pride and confidence in his abilities, as well as his optimism. After fighting and winning so many battles in the past, Lancer is confident enough in his abilities (in fact, his Eye of the Mind (True) ability is a reflection of just how skilled he is) to believe that he will find a way to win. That confidence allows him to be more relaxed in battle, since he is really more used to being there than anywhere else. Unlike some combatants of the Holy Grail War, he is completely at home and looks forward to fighting so that he can bring victory to his master.
Undermining his confidence, though, is something we have only seen a short glimpse of at his current canon point--his emotions. As with many who are so strongly devoted to something or believe passionately in their goals, Lancer, at times, wears his emotions on his sleeve. For the most part, he is calm, collected, and in control, but when things start to go against how he believes they should or his path is questioned, that changes. We see this very briefly when he practically begs Kayneth to allow him to continue his fight with Saber honorably, instead of along the path Kayneth suggests. Not only is he allowing his wish to finish the battle honorably to cause him to question the man he is suppose to be loyal to, Lancer is also allowing any who are watching to see that there is a divide between he and his master--a clashing of ideals and goals--something that he would never let happen in a calmer state because it would put both his master and their goals in danger. This is not the only time this will happen as Lancer's passion and devotion lead to other instances later in canon where he will allow his emotions to direct him in ways that seems to go against what would be best for his master and their goals. For example, he will willingly destroy his one of his own Noble Phantasms, leaving himself and therefore his master, weaker. Though he does this calmly, he is obviously not thinking of the impact it will have on his fight for the Grail. Instead, he is caught up in being honorable and doing 'the right thing.'
The strongest example of Lancer losing control of his emotions happens near the end of his part in the series. After losing Sola-Ui, Kayneth gives Lancer a very harsh lecture and devalues everything that Lancer holds dear, making it obvious he will never trust nor care for his servant no matter what Lancer does. It is clear in the anime, from the few passionate words Lancer speaks and then from his silence, he is trying hard to keep himself together. In fact, in the novel it is stated he comes very close to tears during the lecture. This scene and those before it point out that while he is calm and collected most of the time, if certain buttons are pressed, Lancer will lose his ability to remain focused and in control, and instead allow his emotions to take over. At this point in his timeline, it will take a lot more to push him to that point since he will not have faced the failures he has faced later on, but it is something that could happen especially considering there are those in the city who know exactly what will happen to him in the war and may not be afraid to find those buttons and push them.
Finally, despite having a lot of information put into his head about the modern day (if modern day was around 1990) by the Grail, Lancer does have gaps in knowledge about how things in modern day work. For example, while knowing a lot about cars, (enough, in fact that he can tell different kinds by just hearing them) because he lacks the Riding ability he wouldn't know how to drive one. Another example would be while knowing what a microwave is, he wouldn't know how to use it. And, while the Grail does give information about current mindsets and social patterns, it doesn't actively change his beliefs and mindsets. As a result, Lancer will sometimes default back to what he expects people to do from when he first lived. This leads to him being a bit more trusting and open than he probably should be since he lived in a much simpler time where things tended to be black and white instead of grey. However, since Kayneth wishes to work from the shadows and the rules of the War themselves dictate secrecy, Lancer finds himself at odds, caught between how he is used to acting and how he is being told to act. One example of this occurs when he says more than once during his first fight that he wishes to tell Saber his name because it is the honorable thing to do but cannot. In the city, while it might take a while, without his master and the rules of the war to force him into secrecy, Lancer will likely begin to shift back toward being open and trusting. For better or worse.
Background: Diarmuid's Type-Moon Wiki Entry & a link a text version of Diarmuid's myth. (In case the link does not directly take you to the section for Diarmuid, the books related to him are book 6--his early life and adventures--and book 7--the pursuit itself. I use this primarily to round out his character. Wherever anime canon contradicts his actual myth, anime canon always takes precedence.)
Abilities: (Most of this has been reused from my Tower of Animus application.)
Lancer is a heroic spirit which means he's not a human despite having a humanoid form. Instead, he is the materialized copy of a hero's soul recorded long ago to the Throne of Heroes and called back into the world by a master's magic. Heroic spirits usually require energy from their masters to survive, though in Lancer's case, he gets his energy from his master's fiancée instead of his master.
Despite being a hero from the past because of the information he is given by the Holy Grail when he is called into the 4th War, Lancer does know a little bit about modern devices and times--that is if modern were still the 1990s. When it comes down to it, he probably knows just enough to get him into trouble with technology, but he would most likely be fine, if a little unsure, when it comes to other--less rapidly changing--things.
As a spirit given human form, Lancer's speed, strength, and other such abilities are very far above those of normal humans. Below is a list of his skills ranked as they are in the series. Rankings go from the low end of the chart, E, up to the highest rank of EX which is actually used for skill levels that are off the charts.
Strength: B
Mana: D
Endurance: C
Agility: A+
Luck: E
As a feature of his class, Lancer has extraordinary speed and agility even among other servants. On the other hand, his luck is just as low as it can be. Despite that low luck stat, his luck is still much better than that of a normal human.
Lancer is an extraordinary fighter skilled in the use of many weapons. However, since he is called into the Lancer class during the war, his skills have been limited and focused on using spears. He has two that he dual wields with blinding speed and deadly force despite their different lengths. (It should be noted that while dual wielding is his preferred fighting mode, he can wield them each alone with just as much skill as when he uses them together.) The shorter of the two is called Gae Buidhe and the longer Gae Dearg. Both spears he keeps wrapped in talisman cloths to hide their identities and to seal their abilities which are passive and don't require any special words to invoke. When unsealed, Gae Buidhe causes wounds that cannot be healed in any way until either the weapon is destroyed or Lancer himself is killed. Gae Dearg's ability can pierce magical projections and enhancements by severing their ties to the energy that they need to keep themselves manifest. The effect is only temporary and lasts just as long as the spear's point is in contact with the object in question. While this might not seem very useful ability because of how temporary the effect is, it can devastating against those who over rely on magical abilities or expect magically projected/enhanced armor to protect them.
Most servants have a set of armor that, along with their Noble Phantasms (in Lancer's case, his spears), are considered a part of them and can be manifest and dismissed at will. Lancer's armor despite not looking like much is highly resistant, though not impervious, to damage.
In addition to his physical skills, Lancer has several mental/magical skills. First of all, he has good resistance to magical effects--a B ranking--which in his world would mean that very few magic abilities would be a danger to him.
Lancer also possesses an ability called Eye of the Mind (True) as a result of all the experience he's gained fighting. This ability gives him a greater chance of winning or properly escaping any battle. In addition to his calm and perceptive nature, this skill allows him to lead other experienced fighters into well thought out traps. In fact, this kind of smart fighting is something he excels at since Lancers generally tend to be fragile, acrobatic fighters and would have a hard time straight out fighting someone much stronger and heavier than they are.
His last ability is one that has caused him a great deal of grief in both his first life and his life as a servant. Classified as a Mystic Face ability, Lancer has a small mole under his right eye. This mole is a physical manifestation of the curse he carries. Any woman who looks at his face is said to fall in love with him. Those with a fairly high magical resistance can often shrug off the curse unless they wish to be under its effects, but those who have no magical resistance have no way to fight it off. Lancer has no control over this curse much to his displeasure.
(Note for the Mods: It is my understanding that there generally no power limits for this game. However, Lancer's love curse can be considered game breaking because it is always active and would take control of a player's character away from them. Please let me know if there will be any kind of limitation set on it or if a permissions post is needed. Thank you!)
Finally, as a more general ability, all servants can disappear into spirit form which makes them invisible and allows them to move through walls and other obstacles.
First Person (A):
[Despite the fact that Lancer has a firm idea of what he is going to do the moment he steps off the train, once he is standing in the train station, he doesn't move right away. This is because, while he has decided on what he is going to do, how exactly he's going to do it is a much harder decision. He needs to get back home to his lord and to the war as soon as possible. But what is the most expedient way?
Obviously, he needs to gather more information and the device in his hand--a bronze pocket watch--should help him if the flyers posted around the station are correct. The problem? Lancer's lord will have a fit if he finds out Lancer freely gave out any kind of information about who he is, what is going on, and why he needs to get back home so badly.
This is true even if said lord is not here, which is likely since Lancer's bonds to both him and Lady Sola-Ui are silent.
In the end, Lancer decides to do things simply and vaguely. Perhaps, he can give more details once he finds those he can trust. After all, it is easier to give more information than to take back what has already been given.
Even if he would much rather just be direct about the whole thing.
He clicks the watch open, finding, after a few moments, the correct way to activate the video posting option.]
Greetings. I expect all of you are used to these kind of messages by now, so I will keep this one brief. I am newly arrived in this place and am seeking any information I can get on it. While I am not in a position right now to repay your kindness, I swear on my pride as a knight that I will find a way once I am better settled into the city.
[Lancer ends the feed and clicks the watch shut. Even as he does that, he is in motion, dashing so quickly as to make it impossible to be seen toward what he has spotted as the tallest building around. It will give him the best chance to gain an overview of the city and with his speed and agility, it won't be hard at all to make his way to the top.
The muscles in his legs tense as he readies himself to jump into the air. Already, his mind has mapped out several points where he can ricochet and redirect himself so that he will make it to the top of the tower will little effort. So little effort, in fact, that when the watch beeps alerting him that there has been a response to his post, he pulls it out and begins answering even though he is in mid-air and about to redirect his momentum off an overhang.
Hopefully, whoever is answering doesn't get motion sickness easily.]
Thank you for your quick response. What can you tell me about this place?
First Person (B): Since it's much longer now and Rider pulled out that witty side of him that doesn't always get to be seen... Test Drive Thread.
Third Person:
"This is getting ridiculous," Lancer muttered under his breath with no small bit of annoyance as he dashed around another corner to hide in a doorway. He should be used to women chasing him by now considering it had happened all the time during his first life, but perhaps there were some things a person just didn't get used to. Then again, few women were as persistent as this sorceress was. Lancer had tried speed. He had tried agility. He had tried speed and agility. He had tried even using spirit form which rendered him invisible to almost everything and still she was able to find him again after a few minutes.
Perhaps at a different time, he would have found this amusing or treated it like a game, but right now it was causing him to take time away from his quest to find a way back home to his lord and the war. After what had happened between them at end of his fight with Saber and the use of one of Kayneth's command spells, it was obvious they needed to discuss some things. Like why his lord seemed to distrust him already when he had done nothing but fight for their goals.
Lancer shook his head and pushed those thoughts away. If what others said was true, he might have to wait a long time to have that conversation and the more immediate concern was the woman chasing him. He still didn't understand why she was being affected by his curse at all. She had boasted being so magical and powerful and that should have offered her protection, but then...
Cackles sounded in the air, and Lancer whipped his head around. There she was...again! She hadn't spotted him yet, so he could dash away, but what good would that do at this point? She would just find him again.
A sigh slipped from Lancer's mouth and he stepped into view in front of her, "Fine, Lady. You win for now. Shall we do this 'date' thing so that I may return to my business?"
Though, that return to the business of finding a way home might be delayed for a while so Lancer could do some shopping. Finding something that covered his mole, and hopefully disrupted his curse, suddenly seemed a lot more important...
10/31/15: Canon update (CW: Mentions of blood and forced suicide)
Canon: Fate/Zero
Original Application: Here!
Current canon point: The end of episode 5: "Howl of the Mad Beast"
Updating to: The end of episode 16: "The End of Honor"
Personality (if applicable): Diarmuid is going to be updating from basically the beginning of his canon to the end of it so he is going to be going through a great deal of personality change. I am going to do a quick summary of the events he is going to be going through and then explain how his personality will change because of it. (Okay, so it's not that quick, but...)
And this is how he will return to Ruby City. While the game will have healed the mortal part of his wounds, it cannot so easily heal a shattered heart and soul. A lot of Diarmuid's character focuses on two knightly aspects of his personality--loyalty and honor. During his first life and again during the war, Diarmuid is forced to chose between those two things. No matter how hard he tries, he can never be both. During his first life, he ran away with Grainne to keep his honor, but that eventually force him to break his loyalty with Fionn. In the war, he tries to be loyal to Kayneth no matter what he is told to do, but very often Diarmuid ends up being honorable over being loyal (for example, when he weakened himself and by extension his master, by destroying one of his Noble Phantasms). By the time he goes to face Saber in the duel right before he dies, Diarmuid feels he has failed at both being loyal (Kayneth doesn't trust him and never has) and being honorable. To have his life taken from him without the chance to finish the duel that was the only bright thing left in him for the war, is devastating. Not only that, he ends up believing (incorrectly) that the only person like him in the war actually lied to and betrayed him just as his master did. It is all too much for him to take and as a result he literally crumbles under the weight of it.
As he will be grabbed and pulled back to the city after he has faded, but before he returns to the Grail, Diarmuid will still be in the grips of that madness and despair. Fortunately, he has a network here that will be able to draw him back closer to himself, but he is never going to be the same naive, optimistic man he was before he was taken away from the city to finish the war. He is going to be less optimistic, less trusting and less open than he has been in the past. He will, however, be free to focus entirely on finding out what exactly Ruby City is because it will be all he has left. If he goes back to his world, he will be erased as if he never was. That is the Fate of all servants. He knows that now, and while he would love to forget everything that happened to him in the war, that is not the natural order of things. Memories are parts of a person's soul and what make them themselves. Even as shattered as his soul may be right now, he does not want to give up anymore than he already has. After all, he doesn't have a whole lot left. And while he does still believe in loyalty, honor, and all those knightly aspects he has shaped his life around, his failure is going to leave him not knowing what he is suppose to be. Diarmuid was a knight his whole life and doesn't really know what else to be. If he can't be that, what is left for him? This is something he is going to have to find out once he returns to the city.
Abilities (if applicable): When Diarmuid returns, he will have lost access to one of his spears, Gae Buidhe, because he destroyed it during battle so that Caster could be defeated by Saber. Otherwise, his abilities will remain the same.
Mod approved on 10/11/15.