Post by Marlene Wallace on Jul 8, 2010 17:29:00 GMT -5
Marlene Wallace
"Sadness was the price to see it end. It's been two years since they told me that."
Custom Title: ToughCookie
Age: 7
Gender: Female
Family: Dyne - Biological Father
Eleanor - Biological Mother
Barret Wallace - Adoptive Father
Cloud Strife - Caretaker/Guardian (unofficial foster father)
Tifa Lockheart - Caretaker/Guardian (unofficial foster mother)
Race: Human
Sexual Orientation: Marlene hasn't hit puberty yet, but we'll assume straight.
Home World: Corel
Alignment: Good
Job: Official taster of Tifa's children's menu.
Items:
Accessories: Pink ribbon, backpack med kit, basic medic stitching kit, medical gauze, several potions and ethers, Phoenix Down, a tent, Cornucopia, Maiden's Kiss, Echo Herbs, Eye Drop, Remedy, Tranquilizer, and a Silver Pendant.
Appearance Marlene's a sweet girl who is usually dressed in white, or other bright colors. She usually has her soft brown hair braided down her back with a pink ribbon tied in her hair. Her eyes, much like her hair, are also soft brown, and her skin is a healthy peach color. She has a kind smile, and a caring manner that set her apart from kids her age. Thus, she has difficulty blending into a crowd.
Personality: Marlene can tend to be a little shy around people she doesn't know. When said people are around, she's usually quiet and doesn't say much of anything. When surrounded by people that are important to her, though, she really opens up. She's a strong and caring little girl. She likes to be the center of attention every once in a while-but which kid doesn't? She usually spends her time worrying about her family, and other orphans Cloud and Tifa have adopted. She is fairly tough, having lived through so much in her short lifetime. And, although she is very well mannered and extremely polite, there are times she can just snap, especially at Cloud.
Marlene has the wonderful ability to be able to keep her chin up, no matter what life throws her way. Her sensitive side, though, can allow her to become very attached to the people she loves. Thus, it hurts her deeply when something happens to them. It is also this side that cam and lighten the mood of others, but it renders her to not be able to deal with death very well. Once she's set her mind to do something, she can be very determined. Unfortunately, due to her age and size, she's not able to do everything she wants, and is usually rendered mostly defenseless, annoying her greatly.
History: There was once a tiny mining town named Corel. It was a warm town where everyone knew everyone else, and where everyone went about their business. In this tiny, shut-off world, a baby girl, named Marlene, was born to a man and woman called Dyne and Eleanor. The baby’s father couldn’t have been more proud, and his awe for the little girl was shared by his close friend Barret. Unfortunately, Shinra came. Mako became the leading energy source, and coal exports slowed. The way of life Corel’s people had known for years was suddenly gone. The business they had loved was all they knew-all they were expected to know. Luckily for them, the corporation came prepared with a back-up plan. To build a reactor on the outskirts of town. The people of the tiny town would have jobs to support their families, and business would once again returned to Corel. Having no other alternatives, the town agreed, but there remained a certain happy father unwilling to wholly agree with Shinra’s intentions. However, he soon agreed after some coaxing on Barret’s part. He, also, might have agreed because he had a wife and child to think about. With all in favor, construction began, and profits were made. However, production was cut short when an explosion rocked the majo reactor. It wasn't a fault of its own, Shinra insisted. The only reasonable explanation was that it was a deliberate attack on the organization, and the culprits were anonymous terrorists hiding out in the small mining town. Such a horrible crime warranted even harsher punishment, and the corporation soon flew in its troops. Barret and Dyne were out on the surrounding mountains when they received word of an attack by Shinra troops. Before the two could make it back to protect their homes, they encountered a group of soldiers who immediately opened fire. The two were separated when a spray of bullets caught both men in the arms and caused Dyne to tumble from the bluff. Despite his injury, Barret pushed onward to Corel where he was greeted by the remnants of an all-out massacre. Men, women-Marlene’s mother included-and children were slain in the name of justice during Shinra's raid for the alleged terrorists, and the town itself had been reduced to rubble. By some miracle, the infant Marlene had survived the slaughter, and Barret vowed to raise the little girl as if she were his own, leaving for Midgar with the baby and a heavy heart. Barret and Dyne do not meet for four years. In a way, it was hardly a surprise to find Dyne alive -- Barret had suspected his survival after hearing stories of another man receiving a gun-arm when his procedure was done -- however, Barret is shocked to find his friend had changed for the worse. Unlike Barret who still has the little girl to live for, Dyne lost everything. In a desperate attempt to get through the violence to the old friend he knew, Barret brings up the one thing that seems to hold them together: the baby girl they both love so much. Unfortunately, Dyne-having a breakdown-insisted that she join her mother, causing a battle to errupt between the two of them. After a short battle, Dyne is subdued, thoughts returning to his daughter as if he were just now processing the horrible words he had spat only moments before. He had wanted to kill his own daughter for the sake of a memory. And with that, he jumps to his death.
At the age of four, Marlene was introduced to Cloud as Barret Wallace’s daughter. Although she was adopted, it’s obviously clear that she means everything to the leader of the anti-Shinra group AVALANCHE. She acts as most children do; she's impressionable but without the understanding of the darkness around her. She pours all the love her child's heart can muster onto her adoring adoptive father and her unofficial foster mother Tifa Lockheart, hanging on to their every word as if they were the two greatest people to tread the unworthy earth. Marlene could be found at the 7th Heaven--Tifa Lockheart's bar and unconventional family's home. She is never seen interacting with people outside of her guardians and the few members of AVALANCHE that have assembled, but she does not seem to mind the lack of playmates her age. On the contrary, she is perfectly content with the adults that have accepted her so willingly. Sadly, this isolation is more than likely accepted because the horrible life of near-poverty in the Sector 7 slums is all she knows. Although she does not accompany them on their dangerous journey, Marlene is a constant reminder to her father and his companions that the futures of millions of innocent people depend on their every action. Aerith gives up her freedom when the girl's life is in danger, but the issue takes center stage when Shinra decides to take her as a hostage to keep AVALANCHE in line. At a time when the team finally has an advantage over Shinra and -- potentially -- Sephiroth, Cloud chooses to comply with Shinra's demands in exchange for Marlene's safety.
When Marlene's stand-in mother Tifa and hero Cloud Strife decide to pursue a relationship, Marlene is entrusted in the pair while her adoptive father travels the world. From this point onward, Marlene is acknowledged as part of a "family of three"--later a "family of four." Her narrative payoff evolves from that of Barret's motivation to the crux in a relationship as it builds and breaks. Although it is important to remember that she is still very important to Barret, his story is treated more as an anecdote in the latest conflict. Although told from Tifa's perspective, the focus is on Cloud as he falters in the face of happiness. Marlene is presented as a measure for his breakdown. Her presence in the house transforms Cloud and Tifa's living situation from one of a new couple to that of a family. Most importantly, they have responsibilities beyond a romance or their respective businesses, and their quality of life is measured by their ability to spend time together as a family--Cloud, Tifa, and Marlene. With this is mind, it is not a coincidence that Marlene is the first to address the change in Cloud. She tells Tifa that Cloud has been ignoring her when he used to give her his full attention. Similarly, when a the riff in the household is too large to ignore, Marlene is the first to articulate it, lamenting to her father that Cloud and Tifa aren't getting along. This confession serves as a painful reminder that, just as it was during the Jenova War, innocent lives depend on their actions, and Cloud and Tifa maintain civility for Marlene's sake.
It takes a new face to balance out the struggling family: a little boy named Denzel. Denzel is from the affluent upper plate that overlooked the slums in which Marlene was raised. However, the demolition of Sector 7 makes the two children more alike than one would think. He is orphaned in the initial bombing and loses his later guardians to the aftermath of Meteor. He miraculously survives on his own in the city's ruins before Cloud brings him back to the bar. Marlene treats Denzel like an older brother after he is adopted by Cloud and Tifa. The two make helping Cloud manage his orders a nightly ritual, and Marlene always turns to Denzel for help--Cloud is only consulted when not even Denzel can read the mystery word. In turn, Marlene takes it upon herself to help Denzel when he is too sick to leave his bed. Denzel suffers from a terminal illness known as Geostigma. The Geostigma epidemic first crops up after the Lifestream rose to protect the Planet from Meteor. Many victims were killed instantly in Midgar where the Lifestream was concentrated, though other cases develop as far away as Wutai. Geostigma is the body's rejection of Jenova cells, resulting in ugly, black scars that cause the victim unbearable pain. It is considered a death sentence. Nevertheless, Marlene sits at Denzel's side, brings him meals, and prays for his recovery--a heartbreaking image, to say the least. Unbeknownst to the rest of the house, Cloud develops his own case of Geostigma. He chooses to keep it under wraps (literally) until it finally tears the family apart. Marlene will have none of this. Just as she did when Tifa and Cloud's relationship first faltered, Marlene confronts the problem with bluntness only a child can convey. She tells Cloud outright that she wants nothing to do with him when he won't listen to his family, and she refuses to go home with him until he concedes. This well-meant temper tantrum is surprising considering the circumstances. Yes Cloud has fallen into the depths of depression -- inadvertently taking his family with him -- but Marlene had escaped her kidnappers only moments before the outburst! One would think she's be grateful to see such a familiar face. In addition to the Geostigma epidemic, the Planet is plagued by remnants of Sephiroth--three young men who exist solely to fulfill his Reunion. They do so by rounding up the afflicted children of the world, however, the leader Kadaj gives specific orders to abduct a healthy Marlene. Although it is never explicitly stated, the reasons she was targeted are more than likely similar to those of Shinra two years prior: she is close to the primary threat. There is no doubt Kadaj knows that Cloud is one of few people capable of preventing the Reunion, and that Marlene is close to him.
Abilities: N/A
Summons: N/A
Magic: N/A
Strengths: Having a good heart. Making friend’s easily. Being reponsible.
Weaknesses: Trusting easily. Age. Being a little sensitive.
Weapon N/A
Crushes: (somewhat) Denzel
Role Play Sample: Sometimes, she woke up with a nightmare. The worst part would be finding her pillow wet with tears. No, that wasn't the worst part, just the more annoying. The worst part would be hiding the redness from Tifa, Denzel, and just about anyone she interacted with. She didn't like them to know that memories of her kidnapping still scared her at night. She liked them to believe that she was perfectly alright, even when she wasn't.
So that's why, when Marlene Wallace woke up to her cheeks being wet and her hands clenching on to her bed sheets, she quickly let out a small groan of frustration. The nightmares weren't everyday, but they did tend to occur every week. She unwrapped her fingers from her bed, and passed one of them through her hair. She trembled slightly at the memory of having her might-as-well-be brother sick again before allowing her soft feet to hit the cold floor. She ignored the cold sensation that rushed up her legs in order to move around her bed and get dressed. She, for a brief moment, wondered where Tifa was, as the older girl was usually around to wake her up. Not that she wasn't thankful that she wasn't there to wake her up on that day.
She also wondered where Denzel was, and looking for him was the first thing she was going to do...after getting dressed. She slid on a white, sleeveless, turtleneck shirt and a pink shirt that went down three inches below her knees. She jumped back on her bed so that she could put her shoes on, before standing back up. Her hair had grown a little more, and she was sure she was going to need a haircut sooner or later. Brushing the idea from her head, Marlene sighed and grabbed the pink ribbon that was on the end of the bed, like it usually was. She was going to go look for Denzel, but she figured it would be better to go and look for Tifa so that she wouldn't look bad in front of him.
"Right. Okay. Denzel after Tifa, and, maybe after I find Denzel, I'll go see if Papa's around."
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