01. Applications

[heraldings]

=================ARIEL APP
→ OOC
□ Name: xandrei/xan
□ Age: 26
□ Contact: plurk: vaulkner, aim: knifesxedge
□ Journal: xandrei
□ Do you play anyone in Ariel?: Reno (FFVII)

→ IC
□ Name: Brad Crawford
□ Journal: heraldings
□ Series: Weiss Kreuz
□ Canon point: Episode 22, as the mansion is being destroyed by Nagi
□ History: Not too much is known about Crawford's history prior to the series. What is known is that he's American, a precognitive (gift of foresight), about 27 years old at the time of Kapitel canon, and at one point resided in Rosenkrüs, a facility for developing psychics. There, he and some of his other later teammates were overseen by Eszett, who split them up into small groups to work out on the field. Crawford is the leader of the group Schwarz (going by codename Oracle), which consists of Schuldig (telepath), Farfarello (unable to feel pain), and much later, Nagi Naoe (telekinetic). Two other such teams exist: Farblos and Rosen. Schwarz comes into contact with them, but only after the original series (Weiss Kreuz Kapitel).

In chronology, the first time he really shows up in canon is during the events of one of the drama CDs (Dramatic Collection 1- Holy Children). He visits Sister Amamiya, who has ties to Ken from Weiss. Really, he's there to check in on Nagi, whose telekinetic powers have gone into hibernation after a traumatic incident with his parents. When he shows, it can be inferred that he's likely going to recruit Nagi, but just needs his powers to resurface. Amamiya tells him they have to be patient about it, and agrees to whatever mission Crawford proposes to her. In the end, she also warns him not to show himself to Nagi, citing that the "child…seems to be very afraid of you". Crawford says he'll be careful and leaves. Later, after Nagi's powers return due to Ken's apparent "betrayal" of Sister Amamiya (who was using orphans to kill "wrongful" people), Crawford and Nagi are on an airplane, heading overseas. Brad tells him to say goodbye to Japan and that he'll meet his other teammates soon. Nagi swears to kill Weiss, Crawford is silent.

As for his history in Kapitel– the first time he shows up is in episode 2, where the group Weiss (Omi, Aya, Ken, and Yohji) goes in to eliminate an underground fighting ring. He's never really introduced (besides as a bodyguard), but is seen hovering near Reiji Takatori, who is one of the primary antagonists of the series. Schwarz doesn't show up again until a little later, on Mission 8, where they're flanking Takatori once more as he goes to visit his son, Masafumi. They find out Masafumi's been the mastermind behind some gene-splicing experiments done on people, but don't seem to react one way or the other. Soon after that visit, however, Reiji orders Schwarz to "take care" of his son, because he's causing unwanted attention. Crawford predicts something will happen to Masafumi, though, without them having to intervene (he turns out to be right, as Masafumi is essentially taken down by Weiss). After Masafumi's demise, Schwarz is quiet again, until Mission 11, where Schuldig stirs up some trouble, along with Farfarello. The two of them antagonize Weiss after Omi finds out he's part of the Takatori family, and in turn, accidentally end up getting Reiji's daughter Ouka killed. When they return to Reiji at the beginning of Mission 13, he turns that anger on them and proceeds to beat them with a gold club. Crawford intervenes, grabbing the club and reasoning with Reiji enough to pin the blame on Weiss instead. Crisis averted, they aren't seen until a tiny bit later, when Aya tries to assassinate Reiji. When Aya goes to try and kill who he thinks is Reiji Takatori, Crawford ends up being there instead, saying he'd foreseen Aya trying to kill his boss. Farfarello and Crawford fight Aya, who is trounced along with the rest of Weiss. Unfortunately, as Crawford's about to kill Aya, Weiss' boss Shuuichi Takatori shows up and pulls Aya into his car to take him away. Soon after, Reiji is elected as Prime Minister and ends up locking Schwarz up, which is the first point we see where he understands who their real boss is (Eszett). He states he knows they were sent to be his bodyguards so they could spy on him. Schuldig and Farfarello attempt to argue with Reiji, but Crawford steps in between them, essentially telling them to cool it. This choice comes back to haunt Reiji in Mission 15, since he asks for Schwarz's help against Weiss (who has broken in to kill him), and they decline, leaving him behind.

Mission 18 is when they're seen next, this time for some backstory with Farfarello (who originally was called Jei). Crawford notices that Farfarello is gone, and upon questioning Nagi about it, finds out that he's at a nearby church, probably causing trouble. Schwarz doesn't fully show up until a little later, to save Farfarello from the clutches of Weiss, but Crawford does show up before then. Omi and Ken are fighting with Farfarello at that point, and when Aya and Yohji show up, the Oracle is there to stop them from advancing. Eventually, Schuldig swings by with a car, pulls Farfarello into it, and Crawford jumps in to escape Weiss. He shows up briefly in Mission 19, mostly to praise the work of Kawaji, a composer whose music has the ability to control minds. Mission 22 is where things start to pick up for Schwarz, they're ordered to acquire Aya-chan (Aya's comatose sister) for a sacrificial ritual. Crawford schemes how to get her out from under Schreient (Masafumi's personal bodyguard). Schwarz visits Schreient to try and get them to hand Aya-chan over, but they refuse, and Crawford plays it nice, saying he'll help draw Weiss to Schreient for them. Weiss takes said bait. In the meantime, Nagi gets scolded by Crawford, for being emotionally attached to Tot, one of the Schreient girls. Later, when Weiss and Schreient start fighting, Schwarz swoops in and takes Aya-chan behind all their backs. Brad tells Schreient's leader they basically had no intention of truly helping them. Tot tries to stop Schwarz from taking Aya-chan away, but Farfarello stabs her, causing Nagi to lose it and go berserk. Nagi brings the building down and is buried under the rubble with Schreient, Weiss, and the remains of Masafumi's encapsulated body. The rest of Schwarz makes a clean getaway. After this, some spies sent after them (by Weiss' Manx) are all killed as they try to gain information from Schwarz. Weiss gets two missions– first to kill Schwarz and second to kill the three leaders of Eszett. They fail both missions after a face-off with Schwarz (Crawford and Farfarello at first, Schuldig later), and a police siren cuts their fight short in the end.

Lastly, Mission 24 is where a lot about Schwarz comes to light. The beginning of the episode shows Crawford and Schuldig both lamenting the absurdity of the Eszett leaders. Through a series of events, Weiss' helper Birman finds out where Eszett is holding their ritual, and because of this, the Eszett followers are all evacuating the scene. The previously captured Aya-chan and Sakura end up switching places because of a choice Sakura makes. She hides Aya-chan in a closet, where Weiss finds her when they sweep the premises. Eszett meets with Schwarz, asking where Aya-chan is, and Crawford realizes something has gone horribly wrong. He starts trying to get things back on track by sending Nagi to Weiss' headquarters, asking them to exchange Aya-chan for Sakura. Aya shows up without his sister, gets told he was drawn out by Crawford anyway, and ends up having to fight some guys Crawford has hired. The rest of Schwarz goes to Weiss HQ, Farfarello recaptures Aya-chan. Weiss goes to where the ritual with Eszett is going to take place, and take on the three leaders. They end up killing two of them, while a third escapes. The last leader ends up in a room with Schwarz, who promptly inform him they aren't on his side. He's killed, and Weiss shows up to pick a fight with Schwarz in order to get Aya-chan back. Sakura tries to take Aya-chan back, Crawford tries to shoot her, but Manx ends up shooting him in the hand instead, and Manx + Sakura are able to recover Aya-chan. Weiss and Schwarz continue to fight, and the building they're fighting in ends up crumbling below their feet into the ocean. Weiss thinks Schwarz is dead but….

…Crawford and Schuldig show up at the end of the OVAs, Verbrechen and Strafe. They have a very short interlude, which mostly consists of a conversation about flower symbology and presumably Weiss being chained down by sin.

After this, Schwarz gets their own Drama CDs (III and IV), which show them getting involved with a Malefici (Witch) named Sally Schumars by complete accident. As Sally is trying to escape Rosenkrüs with her boyfriend (Rudolf), she gets saved by Farfarello. Rudolf is killed prior to her being saved. When Farfarello shows up with Sally, the rest of Schwarz questions her, and they find out that Farblos is after her. Crawford mentions that the leader of Farblos is Colonel Amlisch, another precognitive of high skill. He presumes that Amlisch will find them, which he ultimately does. Seeing it as the path of least resistance, Crawford, Farfarello, and Schuldig go to meet Amlisch and Sylvia (Farblos' telekinetic) to tell them they'll hand over Sally. Unfortunately, Farfarello doesn't want to hand her over, and goes ballistic. Schwarz ends up getting away thanks to Nagi showing up with a getaway car. Schwarz finds a boat, where Nagi is able to figure out a way to shield them from Farblos' searching eyes (and powers). Eventually, after constantly running from Farblos, they ultimately decide it'll be easier to take them on. They set up a way to draw them out to a warehouse, claiming that they'll hand over Sally. Sally impresses her aura on a mannequin, which Amlisch, Sylvia, and Sergei initially seem to fall for. By some strange turn of psychic powers, Amlisch shows that they aren't in fact killed by the poison gas and explosions that Schwarz had set off on "Farblos" in the warehouse– it was an illusion. This is where the real fight begins. Sylvia and Schuldig go head to head, Nagi goes against Sergei, and Crawford is left to Amlisch. The three of them appear to get taken out by Farblos, and Farfarello takes a sword to the chest via Sylvia. Just when it looks like they're going to lose, Farfarello pulls his sword out, stabs Sylvia with it, and then goes after Sergei (strangles him and decapitates him), Schuldig kills Amlisch's pet dove (Nina), and Amlisch is sufficiently distracted to get shot by Crawford two times. Amlisch is shocked and asks how he's alive, Crawford tells him they had bullet proof vests and then shoots the Colonel in the head saying "Well then, Colonel…excuse me". Sylvia, from her near-dead state, congratulates Crawford, who is surprised she's still alive. She tries to bargain with him, but he coldly turns her down and shoots her in the head too. After Farblos is killed, they allow Farfarello and Sally to get away in a nearby boat, leaving the rest of Schwarz to clean up.

They aren't seen again until Gluhen, where they show up to help Weiss take down a branch of Rosenkrüs that has been set up in Japan. Nagi, who has been working for Omi (now going by Mamoru Takatori/Persia), rejoins Crawford and Schuldig to help kill Rosen, the last (known) psychic group. Crawford helps Omi, who was nearby the telepathic Berger, and essentially takes his place in the fight, pretty hell bent on destroying Berger. He gets trapped in the other man's head, however, and isn't able to shake free until he gets assistance from Nagi. The other two Schwarz members had taken out their respective Rosen targets by this point, and the focus flips back to Weiss. Schwarz isn't seen after that, but considering they lived through the ordeal, they likely escaped the Rosenkrüs school and are floating about somewhere in the world.

□ Personality: American-born Crawford is the leader of Schwarz and he takes his job rather seriously. He's got a number of qualities that make him a leader figure, some good, some bad. Among the better traits are his confidence, adaptability, foresight, physical/mental fortitude, organization, and focus. However, some of these traits show up in the negative sense, as he comes across as arrogant and emotionless. There are a few times in the series where his arrogance and focus (keeping his eye on the prize) backfire in a fairly spectacular fashion. One such example: episode 22, he shoots a member of Schreient, triggering a poor sequence of events. His dependence of foresight also gets him injured in episode 24, when he gets shot in the hand, something he did not foresee and therefore surprises him.

As much as Crawford is very calculating, he is not completely emotionless. When fighting Weiss, he can show frustration and annoyance with how they get in the way of things. He has also shown irritation when working with the rest of Schwarz on occasion (for not following orders, doing things he hadn't planned for, etc.) In dealing with the rest of his team, he keeps them on a tight rein, but doesn't just treat them as tools. The very fact that he takes Nagi in shows that he does possibly have some small part of him that isn't just self-interest. Furthermore, he was not afraid to step in to help out Schuldig when their boss Takatori was going to beat him to death with a golf club (episode 13, after Farfarello follows Schuldig’s call and gets Ouka killed) and even calms Takatori down somewhat to make sure he would have functioning members on his team. His coldness shows up, though, when he tells Nagi not to get distracted by Tot (and slaps the kid across the face), and when he doesn't seem to have much of a problem leaving Nagi behind in the rubble of the manor near the end of the series. Contradictory to that, he's shown as having more solidarity with Schwarz in the Drama CDs, especially in IV, when Nagi says they have to help Farfarello and fight against Amlisch so he can be with Sally. Schuldig mocks the situation, asking Crawford if they're "fighting for love" now. Crawford shrugs it off, but says they'll take their stand against Farblos anyway, so may as well. When they fight Farblos is when Crawford really shows more of his plan-ahead personality, managing to create two or three backup plans, should his original one fail against Amlisch. However, he also shows concern for his teammates. When Sergei (Farblos) knocks Nagi off his feet, Crawford gets distracted and shouts his name and ends up getting shot by Amlisch. He recovers enough to show Amlisch up and shoot both the Colonel and Sylvia in the head (killing Sylvia after she asks if they were ever in love, to which he says no). Later, when Schwarz minus Farfarello go to see Farfarello and Sally off, he mentions something about love being for fools, but that it might not be a bad thing if he could be that once.

That side of him never gets follow up, though, since him and Schuldig just turn up again in Gluhen after most of the series is already over. They only show up to kill the group Rosen. Crawford takes on the telepath Berger, and handily shows off his calculation, foresight, and his ability to adapt but turning Berger's mind trap on him, thus killing him.

Emotions and such aside, Crawford also excels at hand to hand combat (mostly in a boxing style, as well as basic martial arts) and is proficient with a gun. Moreover, if there's anything that can sum him up the most, it's that his focus is on the future at (almost) all times. His past is seemingly irrelevant, and he does not appear to have any hobbies, as he is constantly working towards the end game.

□ Age: 27
□ Gender: Male
□ Appearance: He cuts a pretty imposing figure, with broad shoulders and tall stature (probably somewhere between 6'1'' and 6'3''). Crawford has a sharp face, all angles and hard lines. His eyes are a medium brown (sometimes gold-ish) and narrow, giving him a calculating look. He has tapered and arched brows, which only serve to give him an even colder look. Sharp nose, and lips that seem like they're constantly pressed into a thin line. He’s got fair skin, likely to set him apart as an American. His normal attire in Kapitel is a cream/off-white suit, brown waistcoat, and teal green tie. Near the end of the series, however, he's shown in a completely white suit, as is the rest of Schwarz. In Gluhen, he has a completely different look, due to copyright issues with the original concept artist and the animation company. He sports slicked back (grey) hair, a grey military looking uniform, gloves, and a monocle.

□ Abilities/Powers: Crawford has the powers of precognition and can see glimpses into the future. It’s never really shown in the series how he’s able to access this or how it works, however, he uses it fairly frequently, for various things. From big events to small things (dodging a punch in a fight), he’s able to tap into his power to help him out. It doesn’t always help though, and can backfire if he’s depending on it solely. Moreover, as mentioned, he can handle a firearm without any issue and he is a well-trained boxer, something that shows up in canon fights with Weiss (particularly against Aya).

□ Personal Items: Boxing hand tape, pistol, extra pair of glasses, watch, and a white suit.

□ First Person Sample:
To those it may concern: I seek information.

In my attempt to gather knowledge from the welcome center that granted my entry into this place, however, I found they were less than forthcoming with the answers I desire.

In order to make it less difficult to satisfy this need, I pose these queries–
Am I to believe anything the man said upon my coming here?
And, if I understand this place correctly, sex is required as a mode of upwards mobility– what happens then, if one refuses to participate?

If one or even many are able to provide these answers, you have my thanks ahead of time.

□ Third Person Sample:
As he stared up at the clinically bright fluorescent lighting above him, he realized he most certainly, undoubtedly, had not seen this event happening. Yet, even with the moderate shock that the future hadn’t seen fit to unfold itself for him in this particular instance, he willed himself into a calm mind. Focused, precise, and unwilling to give away any signs of weakness. As it was, the horrid lighting and spartan white walls reminded him of only one place– Rosenkrüs– and any “weak” moment was simply not tolerated.

Briefly, he entertained the notion that perhaps he had been brought back to the place where it all started. Had the Elders seen something worthy? Unworthy? If unworthy, were they going to reconfigure him to match what they wanted? It was arrogant of him to think, but he knew they wouldn’t just be rid of him. He was too useful to them. They’d spend too many resources and precious time trying to find a suitable replacement. With that in mind, he set that idea aside. His gift didn’t pull at him while on that line of thought, so there was likely to be another reason.

An image flashed through his mind as he sat up– ah, the last thing he remembered. He’d been running out of Masafumi’s manor, away from Schreient and Weiss, but...it had been crumbling around them. There hadn’t been panic going through his head at the time (panic was simply not in his vocabulary), though plans and re-routing had been going at a faster pace than normal. His hand paused as he reached over for his glasses on the nearby clinic tray; had something gone awry while in the manor? It was almost laughable to imagine, him finally achieving a step towards Schwarz’s ultimate goal, only to be killed while escaping, no thanks to a distressingly overpowered telekinetic.

Hah! Out of the question. Or so he wanted it to be. It was highly possible he was dead and this was the afterlife. Frankly, it was more than he expected, if this was indeed post-mortem. Plucking his glasses up from the side table, he put them back on, granting him more clarity. There were details in the room that simply did not fit with his memory of Rosenkrüs, so it was becoming more likely that was not the case. An afterlife situation wasn’t completely out of the picture yet, as much of a setback as that was.

A third possibility was unfolding, however, as a scientist stepped into the room, clipboard held straight and hair swept back professionally. She made some quick notes with a pen before telling him he was free to go, welcoming him to a place named “Proxima”. Several questions popped into mind, and he chose the most pertinent one to ask– why am I here?– but was only met with a curving smirk and a repeated gesture for him to exit the room. No part of him enjoyed taking orders, but he followed them (for now), taking into account he did not have all the pieces of the puzzle. He was not one to rush into things. Patience, time, and focus would give him what he wanted.

And what he wanted was answers about this Proxima place. All in due time.




=================PROX APP
PLAYER INFORMATION
➤ NAME: xandrei/xan or vaulkner
➤ AGE: dob: 12/09/87
➤ JOURNAL: heraldings

CHARACTER INFORMATION
➤ CHARACTER NAME: Brad Crawford
➤ SERIES: Weiss Kreuz
➤ CHARACTER AGE: 27
➤ REFERENCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei%C3%9F_Kreuz#Schwarz
➤ CANON POINT: Episode 22, as the mansion is being destroyed by Nagi.
➤ SEXUALITY: Unknown
➤ PERSONALITY: American-born Crawford is the leader of Schwarz, a group of psychically gifted elite assassins that rival the good guys in Weiss Kreuz. He takes his job rather seriously and has many qualities that make him a leader figure, some good, some bad. Among the better traits are his confidence, adaptability, foresight, physical/mental fortitude, organization, and focus. However, some of these traits show up in the negative sense, as he comes across as arrogant and emotionless. There are a few times in the series where his arrogance and focus (keeping his eye on the prize) backfire in a fairly spectacular fashion. One such example: episode 22, he shoots a member of Schreient, triggering a poor sequence of events. His dependence of foresight also gets him injured in episode 24, when he gets shot in the hand, something he did not foresee and therefore surprises him.

As much as Crawford is very calculating, he is not completely emotionless. When fighting Weiss, he can show frustration and annoyance with how they get in the way of things. He has also shown irritation when working with the rest of Schwarz on occasion (for not following orders, doing things he hadn't planned for, etc.) In dealing with the rest of his team, he keeps them on a tight rein, but doesn't just treat them as tools. The very fact that he takes Nagi in shows that he does possibly have some small part of him that isn't just self-interest. Furthermore, he was not afraid to step in to help out Schuldig when their boss Takatori was going to beat him to death with a golf club (episode 13, after Farfarello follows Schuldig’s call and gets Ouka killed) and even calms Takatori down somewhat to make sure he would have functioning members on his team. Even with all of this, it does not seem as though he has any particular loyalty to the rest of Schwarz. They're useful to him in the moment while he reaches for their goal, but if given a completely different team and directive, he would probably walk away from the trio without any heartbreak.

Emotions and such aside, Crawford also excels at hand to hand combat (mostly in a boxing style, as well as basic martial arts) and is proficient with a gun. Moreover, if there's anything that can sum him up the most, it's that his focus is on the future at all times. His past is seemingly irrelevant, and he does not appear to have any hobbies, as he is constantly working towards the end game.
➤ POWERS: Crawford has the powers of precognition and can see glimpses into the future. He's a fit fighter with assassin-like training, but nothing superhuman in physical abilities. Also, as previously mentioned, he is an accomplished boxer and can handle a firearm without issue.
➤ SUITABILITY: He's an adaptable character that enjoys a challenge, both mental and physical– mostly because he likes to be top dog. The dome setting would be akin to the schooling he's alluded to having had when he was younger, with a sort of winner-takes-all ideal. He would play very nicely (or ruthlessly) to make sure he was comfortable and that he got what he wanted.
➤ FIRST PERSON EXAMPLE: [begin text input transmission.]

To those it may concern: I seek information.

In my attempt to gather knowledge from the scientist that granted my entry into this place, however, I found they were less than forthcoming with the answers I desire. I know that I am likely asking for something that has a high price; let it be known I can make it worth your while.

In order to make it less difficult to satisfy this need, I pose these queries–
Where and what is this place?
What purpose am I or we to serve?
How is it I have found myself here?

If one or even many are able to provide in this, you have my thanks ahead of time.

[end transmission.]
➤ THIRD PERSON EXAMPLE: As he stared up at the clinically bright fluorescent lighting above him, he realized he most certainly, undoubtedly, had not seen this event happening. Yet, even with the moderate shock that the future hadn’t seen fit to unfold itself for him in this particular instance, he willed himself into a calm mind. Focused, precise, and unwilling to give away any signs of weakness. As it was, the horrid lighting and spartan white walls reminded him of only one place– Rosenkreuz– and any “weak” moment was simply not tolerated.

Briefly, he entertained the notion that perhaps he had been brought back to the place where it all started. Had the Elders seen something worthy? Unworthy? If unworthy, were they going to reconfigure him to match what they wanted? It was arrogant of him to think, but he knew they wouldn’t just be rid of him. He was too useful to them. They’d spend too many resources and precious time trying to find a suitable replacement. With that in mind, he set that idea aside. His gift didn’t pull at him while on that line of thought, so there was likely to be another reason.

An image flashed through his mind as he sat up– ah, the last thing he remembered. He’d been carrying Aya-chan out of Masafumi’s manor, away from Schreient and Weiss, but...it had been crumbling around them. There hadn’t been panic going through his head at the time (panic was simply not in his vocabulary), though plans and re-routing had been going at a faster pace than normal. His hand paused as he reached over for his glasses on the nearby clinic tray; had something gone awry while in the manor? It was almost laughable to imagine, him finally achieving a step towards Schwarz’s ultimate goal, only to be killed while escaping, no thanks to a distressingly overpowered telekinetic.

Hah! Out of the question. Or so he wanted it to be. It was highly possible he was dead and this was the afterlife. Frankly, it was more than he expected, if this was indeed post-mortem. Plucking his glasses up from the side table, he put them back on, granting him more clarity. There were details in the room that simply did not fit with his memory of Rosenkreuz, so it was becoming more likely that was not the case. An afterlife situation wasn’t completely out of the picture yet, as much of a setback as that was.

A third possibility was unfolding, however, as a scientist stepped into the room, clipboard held straight and hair swept back professionally. She made some quick notes with a pen before telling him he was free to go, welcoming him to a place named “Proxima”. Several questions popped into mind, and he chose the most pertinent one to ask– why am I here?– but was only met with a curving smirk and a repeated gesture for him to exit the room. No part of him enjoyed taking orders, but he followed them (for now), taking into account he did not have all the pieces of the puzzle. He was not one to rush into things. Patience, time, and focus would give him what he wanted.

And what he wanted was answers about this Proxima place. All in due time.