Lavern Matsubara, the Wild Card

"The world is full of life, yet I've only seen a fraction of it..."

PST ◈ Mateus ◈ Crystal

A rava viera from Dalmasca. Orphaned at a young age, Lavern was adopted by a Whalaqee woman who taught him her blue magic. After her passing, he became a Sharlayan gleaner to study beasts while secretly working as a Kugane informant to help those in need.

Dossier

Name: Lavern Matsubara
Nicknames: Plumhead
Race / Clan: Viera / Rava
Gender: Male (he/him)
Age: ~44 years old
Height: 5'8" (5 fulms, 8 ilm)
Nameday: 6th Sun of the 5th Astral Moon
Sexuality: Bisexual
Relationship Status: Taken ("It's complicated.")Background:
Lavern Djt-Maruoc was born in the kingdom of Dalmasca to a family of traders. He was the second of four siblings, who all worked in their family's Valen business. There, the young viera would interact with people from all corners of the world, sparking curiosity and a desire to learn more. Lavern often found himself at the storefront just to hear stories from customers, which his parents encouraged. However, his life would change forever with the arrival of the Garlean Empire. Lavern's parents took action by moving their family from city to city, hoping to escape the empire's reach. Their luck would run out when his father and many others were duped into a supposed safe haven. Amidst the chaos, Lavern would witness the death of his father and be separated from the rest of his family by the escaping crowd.While Lavern was grateful for his survival, he was now alone.For the next few years, Lavern would fend for himself by any means necessary. He would fight for scraps on the streets, become proficient with a bow to be a hunter, and even steal things from Garleans just for somewhere to rest. He considered the Orbonne Monastery as a place to venture to, but after hearing the icy response they had towards non-Golmoran viera, he decided against it. Then one day, Lavern would go and pick-pocket a woman who he saw as an easy pick. In response, he was struck by an aetheric flying fish.The woman, upon realizing Lavern's situation, took pity on him. Introducing herself as a traveling member of the Whalaqee tribe, she would take him under her wing. She secured a ship that took them from out of Southern Othard to her home in Kugane. There, she would formally adopt Lavern and have him change his last name, turning him into Lavern Matsubara. Together with her Doman husband, they would give him a family again, allowing him to live for life's joys instead of fighting for the next sunrise. However, she also saw to it that he had a means to protect himself. Thus, she trained him in the ways of Blue Magic.Several years would pass; Lavern had built a strong bond with his adoptive parents and maintained some of his street smarts by becoming an informant. However, as he settled into his new life, his status quo would shatter as his adoptive mother's age caught up to her. In her final moments, she encouraged Lavern to live out his dream of pursuing knowledge, knowing that it was the one thing he longed for most. He would take her words to heart, opting to use his talents to become a gleaner for the city of Old Sharlayan. In a way, he would be able to keep his mother's teachings alive combined with his own dreams.Since then, Lavern balances his life as a beast gleaner (where he's tasked with finding and reporting data on any and all manners of creatures) by day and an informant by night. While many people would say that his secondary job is far below him, he can't help but be enamored by the actions of Kugane's underground, nor can he turn his back on those in need of his services.Personality:
At a glance, Lavern is your average academic from Sharlayan. Incredibly observant and ever curious, he is always a little meek with people he's meeting for the first time, speaking in a formal tone. Lavern is a firm believer in good first impressions and strives to be his best on the first encounter. However, as he grows more comfortable, his actual personality is revealed. Lavern is an incredibly passionate individual; when he sets his sights on something, he'll stop at nothing to pursue it even if it makes him lose sleep. He does his best to maintain the calm demeanor he has built, but it's easy to crack for a few reasons. When a subject is brought up that he knows about, Lavern can go into a heart-felt (yet long-winded) yap session on it. He's also quite silly at times; Lavern loves pointing out random details and even pulls small pranks on people for the fun of it. Nothing ever serious, of course, it's always for the amusement of himself and others.He is very prideful of his work and capabilities, so much so that he tends to get carried away with gloating about it. If someone tries to bruise his ego (or just mess with him in general), Lavern is the type of person to hold a grudge, even if it's incredibly inane. Thankfully, in most scenarios, it's easy to talk him out of it. Though, if one were to insult his heritage, he holds nothing back. The biggest aspect of Lavern's character is his bleeding heart. Having understood the trials of life due to being a Dalmascan orphan, the viera will extend a hand to those that need it. Lavern can only do so much with his skillset, but as long as he can do something, it's better than nothing. At least, according to the man himself.In battle, Lavern translates his observant mind into the battlefield, always trying to stay a few steps ahead of his enemies. His go-to whenever heading in is to fight with a calm mind and develop a strategy best fit for what he's dealing with. Through this, he can be a capable leader given the opportunity to do so, though he often fights alone. When Lavern really gets into it, he can be shockingly eccentric, borderline theatric at times. This can be good or bad, depending on the interpretation, but Lavern only does it when he know he is on the path to victory.Features & Quirks:
♦ Lavern possesses freckles all over his body, a trait he had inherited from his father.
♦ His aether is astral-themed, which stems from his family line. His aether is incredibly abundant, though he doesn't have a clue why.
♦ Lavern's aether sensitivity manifests as the ability to sense and understand the emotion of beasts, which he can interpret into words or raw emotion. Through this, he can converse with them, though how well he can depends on the type of and ferocity of the beast. It also acts as a means of identifying them.
♦ He has proficiency in Dalmascan, Hingan, and Eorzean. Sometimes, he ends up thinking with all three.
♦ As a Viera who is barely scratching 50 years old, Lavern is considered insanely young.
♦ On the topic of Garleans: Lavern will actively shun any Garlean loyalist, but will extend a hand to those who have defected.
♦ While growing up in Kugane, Lavern developed a fondness for beetle wrestling. He could probably talk your ear off about the various battles he's witnessed over the years.
♦ He is a close ally of the Namazu, having grown a fondness for the strange critters during his travels.
♦ Lavern dabbles in the use of glamour plates, which allows him to assume an alter-ego or change the look of his attire on the fly. A viera's got to have options, after all!Voice Reference:
Aleks Le, his cadence being an in-between of Jiji (Dandadan) and Salesperson (ENA: Dream BBQ)Character Inspirations:
♦ Tsukasa Kadoya (Kamen Rider Decade)
♦ Laios Touden (Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon)
♦ Linhardt von Hevring (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
♦ Sento Kiryu (Kamen Rider Build)
♦ Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
♦ Ren Amamiya/Akira Kurusu (Persona 5)

Hooks

(Common) A Wandering Gleaner
The nature of Lavern's assignment, coupled with his general attitude, means that he'll always stick his nose in anything beast-related. He may be on the quest to fulfill the Forum's orders or he could be there to sate his own hunger for knowledge. Regardless, he's just passing-through. Remember that!(Common) From Blue Mage to Blue Mage
The art of Blue Magic holds a special place in Lavern's heart, so he's eager to interact with anyone who is knowledgeable in the field. Whether they've taken a liking to the Eorzean rebranding or the Whalaqee's original teachings, Lavern hopes to form a close group of blue mages so he isn't on his own.(Rare) Remembering Home
Truth be told, Lavern remembers little from his time in Dalmasca outside of what he experienced with his family. And with the kingdom in ruins thanks to the Garlean Empire, he can only walk through Dalmasca through its scattered people and the remains of its culture. He is desperate to keep the image of his former home alive, which is why he'll naturally gravitate to those originating from the lost kingdom.(Rare) Mythic Menagerie
Although his focus lies in the creatures of the overworld, Lavern has an interest into the world's mythic beasts; auspices, primals, you name it. It's something that he has to keep to himself; the Forum is strict when it comes to the investigation of such creatures, but that's what makes it all the more thrilling.(Ultra Rare) Behind Closed Doors
Before he entered the Studium, Lavern worked as an informant in Kugane's criminal underworld under the alias Faust. Through this, he forged a web of connections which had spanned underground organizations, members of the Sekiseigumi, and even certain yakuza clans. However, it has been quite some time since he assumed his alias, so his network isn't as strong as it used to be. Still, if his services are required, Lavern is more than willing to assume the identity again.(Ultra Rare) A World Beyond Our Own
Lavern is interested in the worlds beyond Hydaelyn, namely Norvrandt. His curiosity began when he found evidence suggesting that there were spells beyond his comprehension. Through some digging, he learned it was due to the creatures not existing in 'this' world. From that day forward, this mystery became one of his main goals to conquer, with Lavern willing to do anything to unravel the mysteries of his spellbook.

Blue Magic

Lavern's blue magic is unique as it was born from the traditional ways of the Whalaqee tribe with an added personal touch by his adoptive mother. Rather than relying on a Blue Mage's Arm, Lavern creates aetheric cards in the image of Triple Triad Cards. These cards can then be thrown or be used to imbue himself and or others with its properties. Examples include:
• Throwing Flying Sardine which transforms into the titular fish mid-air.
• Applying his staff with Magic Hammer to transform it.
• Imbuing himself with Loom to teleport with his line of sight OR tossing it to teleport where it lands.He can produce two types of cards: Memoria Cards and Historia Cards. Memoria stems from his personal experiences and can be created at any time. Historia, in contrast, are created from sources of knowledge, such as historical accounts, word of mouth, etc. The latter allows Lavern to create and use spells that he couldn't have learned otherwise, such as from certain primals or from alternate worlds. However, Historia Cards are bogged down by being limited use (typically 1 to 3 times) and varying wildly in terms of potency. If the card is born from a detailed historical account, it will be a near-perfect recreation. However, if he is only going off of word of mouth or sparse bits of info, it could lead to an incredibly bastardized take on it.Lastly, Lavern has the ability to create Fusion Spells, which form by combining two or more spells together in one hand. He can toss three flaming tridents by combining Fire Angon with Triple Trident, become the embodiment of Medusa by combining The Look with Level 5 Petrify, and so more! When 4 or more cards are thrown together, it becomes a Limit Burst; powerful Fusions that are on par with Limit Breaks.

OOC

About Me:
Hey hey people, Neo here!I'm a 23 year old university student who's been roleplaying for the last decade. I've recently come back from a roleplay hiatus due to personal issues, but I'm back to wreck havoc!• I'll only roleplay with users who are 18 years old or older, 21+ preferred.
• It goes without saying, but I'm not my character and my character isn't me!
• My writing style jumps between semi-para to para. I do one-lines if it's warranted.
• When it comes to roleplay, I'm down for most things as long as you let me know ahead of time. If something is making me feel uncomfortable, I'll let you know right away.
• Down for short-term/one-off roleplays, but I'd also like to build long-term friendships! This also applies to OOC shenanigans, because the more roleplay friends I have, the better.
• I'll allow for lore bending as long as it doesn't bend the rules of the world too hard.Background:
Final Fantasy XIV: Old Sharlayan Loading Screen