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[individualized]

OOC INFORMATION

Name: Kaito
Are you over 18?: Y
Contact: kaitodoushi, Discord @ belinsk
Other characters: N/A
Permissions & opt-out: Permissions, Opt-out

IC INFORMATION

Name: Echo
Canon: Pandora Hearts
Age: "Self-identifies as" 16 (this is how it's canonically listed). Basically, she's physically and mentally 16 but hasn't actually been alive that long.
Gender: Female
Species: Chain/Baskerville (Specifically, she's a Chain in the body of a Baskerville)
Appearance: On arrival, she'll be dressed like this (with the cloak in tact, if not a bit bloodied). Patho-Gen willing, she'll be regaining her preferred outfit (does not include chains). She's 160 cm/5'2", petite, and while she's not expressionless, her face may seem surprisingly blank in average situations.
Canon point: After Retrace 98, plus time spent in deercountry and expiationlogs

History: Here
CRAU details: Echo first showed up in Deer Country and immediately noticed that Noise wasn't with her. There was this whole thing with squids involved, long story. She very quickly encountered Oz, who almost literally dragged her to the big house that other Pandora Hearts characters plus a few more lived in. He and White Alice got her to think about having her own space and making it nice and decorating and things like that. Oz also encouraged her to be more social, which got her to try asking questions on the network even though they were usually weird. When Ada turned up and pretty much immediately got herself killed, Echo decided that she would be her bodyguard because she wanted to do it.

At one point, Echo and her housemates went out to help Break and Oz fight a dangerous monster. She was under an effect that made her overly confident, and Oz got worried and called to her as "Echo". She got distracted by that, and he ended up turning into the full B-Rabbit Chain when the powers went out of control. He'd been on the cusp, but Echo didn't know that. Oz nearly attacked Black Alice, but Echo took the hit. Being both a Chain and a Baskerville, it was double super effective on her. It left her with some scars that her clothes covered up.

The incident affected a lot. She and Black Alice started getting along in their own way. Oz was killed in that event, then not long after that he left the game. Echo blamed herself for the whole thing but didn't mention it. She started getting closer with people from other canons after this, and at one point even went to a wedding. The rest of the house started leaving the game, and eventually it was just Echo, Black Alice, Break, and another character. This pushed her to get closer to Break and overcome her dislike of him.

She suddenly found herself at Expiation next. Echo found out that some mysterious organization was charging her with the crime of desertion. The other residents informed her that they were apparently in some sort of AI. Early on, she got into a situation with dreams that caused her to essentially relive what had happened to Oz in Deer Country. The other character who witnessed it told her it wasn't her fault for the first time. Echo didn't really believe it, but actually hearing that still made a difference.

She was troubled by people telling her about how many people had come and gone and how that made them sad, because she knew what that was like. Later on, a few people with ties to the world's history appeared but claimed they had no idea of who they used to be. Echo got very upset because this sounded just like Noise. She decided she wanted to do whatever she could to help them out. But then everything just shut down suddenly.

The major recurring theme in Echo's story across the games has been relationships, namely friendship. Very early on she decided she wanted to try making friends, but she thought there must be some set process and a point where it's obvious you've hit the goal. It didn't help that Oz was the first person to tell her they were friends, because she thought that meant anything she felt about him was how people felt about all of their friends. When she was in Expiation, she began to wonder if she actually had more friends than she realized and was working on gathering information about it.

Personality answers:
Who in your character's canon influenced the most growth in your character? What do they think about this character?

Undoubtedly, Oz Vessalius influenced Echo's growth the most. He's actually single-handedly responsible for ALL of her development. All it took for him to achieve this was simply giving her attention and treating her like an actual person.

Oz annoys Echo, especially at first. He wouldn't leave her alone when she kept telling him to, and calls her "Eko-chan" all of the time even though she insists it's just "Echo". She gets angry with him any time he makes her feel embarrassed for any reason, probably because she doesn't completely understand what's she feeling.

At the same time, Oz means a lot to Echo and she cares about him deeply. When he was at his lowest, most hopeless moment, Echo gave up her most prized possession (a plushie) to buy time alone with him. In spite of the situation, she tried to cheer him up even though she had no idea how to do that.

In the end, she credits Oz and his nickname for her as what made her start to feel like an actual existence, and says he gave her the strength to stand back up and to be able to act on her own will. He means so much that she chooses to spend her final moments in his arms while thanking him. Echo really can't figure out a way to describe these feelings she has for him, though. Such a mystery...

Explain which event in canon is most pivotal to your character's development, and who they are today.

The St. Bridget's Day festival is probably a very typical celebration in Echo's world, and there was probably nothing overly special in the one she attended with Oz. For her, though, it was easily the most important moment of her life. She generally spent her people-watching time on the sidelines, but Oz dragged her into participating for the first time. She experienced parades, vendors, and the overall hubbub. She got a plushie, which was quite likely the first time anyone bought something for her that she didn't need.

Another important factor was the use of costumes and false identities the holiday included. It gave Echo a chance to come out of her shell a little, and she finally got to vent about how much she didn't like Vincent. It was also quiet likely the first time she ever said aloud that she saw herself as "just an echo" with no rights.

The most important part was at the end of the day. Echo saw fireworks for the first time, which she really liked. Oz had mentioned a foreign emotion called "happy" earlier, and she realized that was probably what she was feeling. Then he gave her the blue feather hairclip. He had no idea it was some kind of romantic gesture, and Echo certainly didn't see it as one. However, it was the first time she saw herself as a lifeform who could receive love, and someone who another person might be able to feel affection for, rather than just a tool.

What is your character most afraid of?

Echo is afraid of disappearing, even if she would never tell you that she is. She probably doesn't realize it herself. It was an outcome she had to face from the moment she was born, that in the end she would just fade away into nothing. Echo convinced herself very early on that she was at peace with it.

Her actions don't add up with that, though. The most obvious example is her diary. As she tells Oz, she needed to write down everything she saw with her eyes. An argument could be made that she did this to help herself understand the confusing world around her, and Echo says that's the reason in one of the light novels. If it were only about information, though, it seems strange that she would want to write everything she saw and not just what made her curious. It's a record of her existence, and it's tangible proof that means she couldn't be completely gone.

Near the end, Echo expresses confusion about why she can't stop crying as she's starting to fade away. Her newfound sense of self certainly had an impact on the emotions she was feeling, but her fear of disappearing was at the heart of them. Were she not afraid of it, she may have been able to accept fading away regardless of how sad it made her. Being afraid of disappearing and actively fighting it is a big part of what allowed her to last.

What would be your character's lowest, darkest moment they've lived through? How did they respond to their troubles and face their demons?

Echo found herself at her absolute lowest right after the murder of Oscar Vessalius. Basically, she had decided to go with Oz as he escaped, but just after she found him Noise suddenly took over and fatally stabbed Oz's beloved uncle. This was when the main protagonists found out that the two of them made up the character Zwei, who'd tormented them in the past and who they really didn't like.

Echo was completely despondent after the incident, and it was all she could do to curl up and cry somewhere. Noise took advantage of Echo's anguish by reenforcing exactly what Echo was the most scared about: that they were both equally responsible and that Oz hated her now. Though she feebly attempted to protest her involvement, Echo grew even more upset by this and it weakened her enough that Noise took over her body again.

Echo was still aware of what Noise was doing, and completely panicked when she encountered Oz again. Echo wanted to run and not even deal with facing him. Noise said she'd never seen her get so worked up before. Oz told Noise that he could never hate Echo and that she was different from her, and that was enough to help empower Echo later. But as for the actual incident, Echo just seemed to sweep her feelings under the rug and focus on everything else that happened.

Nothing says she had to handle this moment well, does it?

Inventory:
‣ Her regular outfit
‣ Her twin short swords. Technically these are part of her clothes as they can be deployed and pulled back in with some unseen device in her sleeves. I think it's better to consider them two separate regains.
‣ Her diary
‣ A pencil for use in said diary
Powers/Abilities: Echo is in the body of a Baskerville, which means she has superhuman physical stamina and endurance. This not only includes being able to run at high speed for long amounts of time, jumping impressively high, and the ability to do gymnastic-like battle moves, but also means she can be perfectly still and quiet for hours at a time and maintain her focus. Her body also has healing powers and can do so noticeably quickly, including from very serious injuries. Most wounds that would usually prove fatal incapacitate her for a while at worst, but regrowing a limb or head is not possible.

Samples: Here & Here
Player Goals: I have always played Echo with her building relationships in mind, and it's definitely no different here. I'm including the CRAU from both games for a few reasons. For one, her social skills are greatly improved and I'm not sure how easily I could get her back there without Oz nudging her. There was also that incident where she thought she got him killed, and I've been wanting her to have to face the trauma from that. I did do a little bit at Expiation on that, and I'd kind of like to not go back to square one. I also really want to work with Noise being gone, particularly since in Expiation she was told she was guilty of "desertion". I want her to get to think about how responsible she actually is for this other person, and maybe realize she can focus on herself a bit more? I think the monster transformation will help since she may think she's watching someone else's body change because of her. BUT YES, I mostly want her to finally learn about friends and know she's made them and to let her have some extended positive relationships.
Soul Choice: Arthropoda