[OOC: Blue is Carolina, Yellow is York, and Purple is North!]

Okay, come on, now, we’re turning here. Five more feet, dude.

[Though distracted, York seems to notice that the camera is rolling and offers the screen a quick grin. He’s leading a blindfolded North up the street by both hands, the light Christmas snow crunching under their feet.]

Much as I don't mind the blindfold, this wasn't quite what I was expecting when you put it on me.

[The corner of his mouth is turned up in an amused grin, and if his eyes were uncovered they would likely be sparkling with happiness nonetheless. His hands are stretched out in front of him, holding onto York's like if he lets go he'll immediately get lost no matter how close York says they are. It's a testament to how much he trusts them, that he let them blindfold him, but York's hands are warm around his and he knows that even if she's not holding his hand or providing more than the occasional commentary, Carolina isn't far behind. His footsteps are a little less certain than York's, not because he's afraid that York will lead him astray but because he has to shift his weight with every step so that he doesn't slip on the fresh, crunching snow.]

Hey, watch it. You’re on live, you know.

[Carolina can’t keep the laughter out of her voice, though; she’s the one holding the camera for this venture, because by their point in history, embarrassing people on whatever ‘internet’ they can get a hold of is just the norm. She’s not visible on camera, since she’s the one holding the pokégear, but that also makes her voice the most apparent.

But York’s laugh is still audible.]

Yeah, North, not in front of the kids.

[He sees you two talking to all those teenagers, don’t think he doesn’t. Not that he’s any better. But anyway, they appear to have reached their goal, and he stops North, checks over his own shoulder to make sure he’s positioned him just right, and nods, satisfied.]

Okay, right here. [He lets his hands drop and backs up the couple steps he needs to reach the door, places one hand on the doorknob.] All right, you can take it off now.

[North's ears and cheekbones had flushed red with more than the crisp air when Carolina mentioned that he was on camera, and for the last few feet he said nothing. He stops when York lets go of his hands, waiting patiently for further instruction, and when he's told that he can take off the blindfold he slides his thumbs underneath it and peels it off over his head.

And gasps, just a quick little intake of air, before looking first at York and then at Carolina (and subsequently the camera) in disbelief.

Good job guys, he's speechless.]

Merry Christmas!

[Chimes Carolina from behind the camera.]

You gonna open it or what?

[York sidles closer to the doorknob, making space. Apparently he’s not asking about opening the door. He’s asking about the big, dumb red ribbon on the door. You know, just to make it unmissably clear to North: This is the present. The present is the house.]

[North looks back at the house, and then at Carolina, and then notices the gear and puts his face in his hands, blindfold still hanging from his fingers.]

I can't believe you. I can't believe this.

[He sounds like he's almost crying. And also smiling.]

[There’s a gentle laughter from behind the camera, and just the slightest bit of a tilt.]

York! You went and made him cry.

[Yeah, blame it on York.]

Hey, come on! It was your idea, too!

[But he’s grinning too much to be mad as he lets go of the door handle entirely, scoops up and packs some snow, and lobs it Carolina-wards.]

[There's a wet laugh from behind North's hands, before he scrubs them over his face and looks up again, flushed from his cheekbones to his ears, and steps toward the door.]

I love you both. Come on, let's get inside before Carolina buries you for that, York.

Yooork!

Oh man, wait until you see the inside, dude--

[It’s not long before the feed clicks off. Sorry about them, literally all of Route.]

Alright, I guess it's about time I got to using this thing right.

[A rather calm looking Carolina appears this morning-- on video, for once-- on the gear. But what's also visible is the fact she's pinned to the bed by a three-legged houndour, and on either side of her are two sleeping human lumps. Two sleeping human lumps, and one sleeping growlithe lump on the larger human lump's back. It would seem that Carolina's dogs have imposed a Mandatory Day Off, and the freelancers are finally abiding.

They're comfortable, ok. For the first time in years.]

This is Agent Carolina, reporting in from Goldenrod. The unfortunate snoring in the background is thanks to Agents York and North Dakota.

[Keep that one on record, guys.]

So anyway, I figured this isn't exactly anything like America. But I've been wondering; how much do people around here celebrate thanksgiving?

I need to know if we should be feeding these two tonight or not.

[And she gestures toward Agents North and York with her shoulder.

...Then, she looks awkwardly at the camera, as though she isn't sure how to continue. What do you say at the end of something that isn't a military transmission?

She's gotta be... casual. Chill. Loosen up. Like Church suggested, right? Loosen up. Not 'bow-chicka-bow-wow' up, no, we're not going there again, but yeah. Casual. C-h-i-l-l.]

SSssoo, uh. Thanks in advance... buds. [Success.]

Lookin' forward to it.

[So. Chill.]

VOCAL: This conversation is a good indicator of how she tends to talk on the regular. Though she speaks somewhat militaristically, her tone of voice also tends to be a bit dry.

and i'll edit this post more later bye

This is Agent Carolina, reporting in from New Bark Town.

[Carolina’s tone is just as militaristic as ever, as though she’s making a call straight from Chorus. She holds the pokégear steady despite the squirming, wiggling growlithe in her other arm. Of course, the growlithe can't be seen, but his little wiggly yips can certainly be heard.]

I understand that I— hey, calm down—

[Yeah, hold that thought. Carolina has to put the growlithe down before she’s going to be able to say anything else.

There's a sigh before she starts to talk again.]

...Sorry about that.

I understand this line is a public channel, so if any of my men are hearing this, please send me your coordinates. Or.

[Right. They can't do that.]

...Just let me know if you're here.

Assuming they aren't here, I’d like to put out a request. I’m in charge of a crew of soldiers who refer to themselves as the reds and blues [(though, the way she says that, it sounds more like she’s their babysitter)] and if I’ve turned up here, it’s just as likely they will, too.

If you hear from anyone going by the names Washington, Church, Tucker, Simmons, Grif, Sarge, or Caboose, please send word to me. They can be a bit of a handful, but I’d really appreciate it.

[That last bit is said with a hint of an affectionate smile in her voice.]

In any case, thank you in advance, and it’s… nice to meet you all. I’m sure we’re not all here under the best of circumstances… but…

[She sounds lost for a moment, as if searching for the next thing to say.]

Anyway. Thank you for your time, and if… anyone is experienced with the pokémon ‘growlithe’, I’d appreciate any pointers.

Agent Carolina, signing out.

[but before she can disconnect..]

Hey, what are you-- No, don't bite that! What are you doi--

[As for action, Carolina can be found just outside New Bark, glaring at the ledges.]

Player
Name: Luciano
Personal Journal: je_ri_cho
E-mail: lucdionicioperez @ gmail
AIM/Plurk/Etc.: gueyprince @ plurk
Timezone: EDT/EST
Current Characters in Route: none

passwords: cherries and strudel

Character
Name: Agent Carolina
Series: Red Versus Blue
Timeline:
Canon Resource Links: Carolina on the RVB | Project Freelancer

Personality:

Carolina comes from a canon that is, for the most part, a comedy. A comedy about soldiers. A comedy specifically about space marines, based on Halo.

Carolina comes from a comedic fan fiction about Halo, basically. That said, her story isn’t exactly hilarious. But we’re not here to tell the Carolina History summary! We’re here to talk about how she is as a person. And yes, as a person, she actually is kind of hilarious.

She plays somewhat of a straightman to the crew of idiots that makes up the Blood Gulch Crew (the combination of Red team and Blue team), a host of, again, real idiots, with what seems to be A-rank luck. Or E-rank luck. It depends on how you look at it. Regardless, her former teammate, Agent Washington, is the real straightman to the group, but Carolina starts out pretty much right along there with him.

Carolina was actually trained as a sophisticated and intelligent soldier. The Blood Gulch Crew, of course, was not. With her strong military background and overwhelming grudge against the director of the project she was once a part of, Carolina had quite a bit of trouble adjusting to the attitudes of the Blood Gulch Crew when she first met them. Her experiences had hardened her heart, and losing the Freelancers, the team with which she was ‘raised’ as a soldier, had left her unwilling to trust the merry men of the reds and blues. At the time she came across only as a hardened soldier with no regard for anyone’s feelings, uncompromising, forceful, and dedicated only to revenge.

It took a certain AI named Epsilon to start pulling the real Carolina from past the wall of her own distrust and anger— as well as the words of Carolina’s late teammate, Agent New York, with whom it’s heavily hinted she had a romantic history. His words of apology and forgiveness started to soften her heart again— and Epsilon and the Blood Gulch Crew got in the next big go at it.

After Carolina’s need for revenge was sated instead with closure, her personality started to become more clear— and a look into her past revealed even more about her. Though being a big tough soldier is a HUGE part of her personality, she’s also quite nuanced. For one thing, she cares. She cares almost too much. She cares about these idiots that have ended up in her life and will do anything to keep them safe— even going so far as to refer to them as a second family. She’s a bit awkward in social situations that are new to her; when told to loosen up she cracks a joke that has the whole crowd silent, and the reaction leaves her confused. But she’s also easily amused by her ridiculous ‘family’, often heard with an amused tone of voice when watching the reds and blues do silly things. In her past she even seemed to find York amusing, which is terrible. He’s not even funny. He’s just stupidly charming, somehow, and Carolina has a shitty sense of humor for finding him funny. What are you doing, Carolina.

It was also revealed that her rivalry against another character, Texas, had stemmed from her time as a part of Project Freelancer. Carolina had been at the top of the leaderboard in the project, a role that meant much more than an ego stroke to her; it represented the way things should be. Everything had been going just fine when she was the leader and York was second place; missions were successful, she could trust her teammates, and she could trust Project Freelancer. Only when Tex took her place on the leaderboard did things start to tank.

(Another important point is that her found family has always been important to her— more important than rankings, more important even than orders. A teammate of hers defects to join a rebel sect and Carolina’s team is ordered to track her down and kill her. However, it’s obvious from the start that Carolina neither wants to kill the teammate nor intends to do so, and probably hopes to disable and disarm the teammate. When Agent Texas strikes a fatal blow to their former teammate just before said teammate and their companion get away, Carolina is furious and tells Texas that she needs to learn the difference between her friends and enemies, a line that is turned against her when she fails to trust the blood gulch crew so many years later.)

Carolina’s competitiveness never seems to leave her; Epsilon mentions her ego more than once in the present day portions of the series, and her fight scenes are a bit flashy (read: she once punches a giant robot. to death. with her fist.) She’s a showoff and she likes to be the best, and she’s well aware of it— but she holds that Epsilon is just the same. And while she comes across as mature compared to the blood gulch crew, her over-competitiveness and tendency to throw a little bit of a tantrum when things don’t go her way show that she’s not exactly much better off than they are in some respects.

Carolina’s care for her team and strong leadership qualities, however, outweigh her immaturity both in the eyes of the Blood Gulch Crew and the fans. She’s a highly respected character often depicted like a glorious heroine and the reds and blues, who at first feared and resented her, now trust and love her, treating her as one of them.

Strengths/Weaknesses:

+ : Soldier

Carolina’s experience as a soldier leaves her with an analytical, tactical, and physical advantage. Despite the fact that much of her power is due to the enhancements on her armor, she was still required to be in top shape to use them. She is muscular and knows how to move her body. She knows how to analyse a situation for the best solution. She responds to things militaristically, with the mind of a soldier always at the forefront.

-/+ : flashy/showoff

All eyes are on Carolina in a fight. She knows how to out-perform every soldier on the battlefield while still getting the job done and god help her if she can look cool while kicking your ass she will do it. Punch a robot in the face? Check. Punch a flame-throwing super soldier through a train door? Check. Are you watching. Do you see how cool she looks are you stroking her ego yet

+/- : Competitor

To Carolina, first place is more than just being the best. It’s keeping things in order. That’s why she has to be the best, and will take almost any challenge down. Mercenaries and Freelancers generally tend to be won over with favors or money, but Carolina prefers to be won over with a challenge. She’ll take on anyone. She’ll kick your ass. She’ll kick your dog’s ass. She’ll kick her own ass. Carolina loves money just as much as anyone else, but you can avoid paying if you realize she’ll put her pride before a price.

- : shitty humor

She thinks York is funny. She thinks Tucker victory dancing at prisoners is funny. She thinks she herself is funny. There’s nothing more to say about this. The only thing she’s right about is teasing Washington. Teasing Washington is funny.

- : afraid to lose

Losing first place meant losing everything to Carolina. It meant losing the family she had, losing the goals she had, and losing the belief that she and the other freelancers were helping people. Nowadays losing means losing another family, and Carolina freely admits that she is afraid to lose them.

+ : compassionate

Carolina always believed that Project Freelancer was helping people. She likes to be a hero, she likes to show off— but more than that, she likes to help. When she discovers shady dealings on Chorus, her first goal is to shut them down and help the people of Chorus before she focuses on getting home. While the only way they can get home is by helping, it’s obvious that Carolina does want to help, often offering advice to the officials in charge and leading the Blood Gulch Crew to assist them.

- : awkward

Carolina hasn’t been around people in a long time. She’s a bit uptight because of it and doesn’t always know the right way to interact with people— especially not people that act more like civilians than soldiers. It can lead to a few awkward moments when business is no longer on the line. Social situations are… a work in progress.

- : Can’t stop, won’t stop

York is not the only person who remarks that Carolina’s competitive nature can be self-destructive. She doesn’t stop, even when she’s hurt, and that has caused her even more physical pain on numerous occasions. Relaxing is not an option for her. But what’s interesting is that York himself states that it’s less like Carolina doesn’t want to stop and more as though she’s incapable, that her drive and her pride and determination prevent her from slowing down.

Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainier
Starter: Growlithe
Password: Cherries, Strudel

Samples

First Person Sample: This is Agent Carolina, reporting in from New Bark Town.

[Carolina’s tone is just as militaristic as ever, as though she’s making a call straight from Chorus. She holds the pokégear steady despite the squirming, wiggling growlithe in her other arm.]

I understand that I— hey, calm down—

[Yeah, hold that thought. Carolina has to put the growlithe down before she’s going to be able to say anything else.

Completely deadpan, she stares back into the video feed.]

I understand this network is used for regular communication, and so I’d like to put out a request. I’m in charge of a crew of soldiers who refer to themselves as the reds and blues [(though, the way she says that, it sounds more like she’s their babysitter)] and if I’ve turned up here, it’s just as likely they will, too.

If you hear from anyone going by the names Washington, Church, Tucker, Simmons, Grif, Sarge, or Caboose, please send word to me. They can be a bit of a handful, but I’d really appreciate it.

[That last bit is said with a hint of an affectionate smile, and she quickly shakes her head.]

In any case, thank you in advance, and it’s… nice to meet you all. I’m sure we’re not all here under the best of circumstances… but…

[She looks lost for a moment, as if searching for the next thing to say.]

Anyway. Thank you for your time, and if… anyone is experienced with the pokémon ‘growlithe’, I’d appreciate any pointers.

Agent Carolina, signing out.

Third Person Sample:

There have been times when the agents of Project Freelancer have done what has seemed impossible. They have stolen artifacts from highly protected facilities, destroyed entire enemy bases. Even the Blood Gulch reds and blues have done things that seemed impossible; namely, existing. They have seen armor and weaponry that surpassed the technological capacities of mankind here in Johto, and witnessed the alien technology of centuries-old civilizations light up giant floating towers.

So why is it that Carolina can't scale a god damn ledge?

"What is going on?" she asks herself, fists balling up at her sides as she stares the foot-high cliff, gritting her teeth. This doesn't make sense. This is a small hunk of dirt. A slight elevation. But even Stripes, the little growlithe panting and waiting beside Carolina's foot, doesn't seem to be capable of scaling it. When instructed, he simply tilts his head, despite the fact he'll follow anywhere else.

Staring at the little cliff, Carolina lifts her foot again and tries to grab a foothold over the ledge-- nothing. Misses. Misses again. Slams her foot down and-- slips, as though the ledge is muddy, right onto her face.

With a furious exclamation, Carolina lifts her head, raises her arm, reaches forward-- reaches--!! There's no way it can stop her from pulling herself up it, right? She closes her eyes to breathe in her frustration and is so sure that she's pulled herself forward and up--!

But when she opens her eyes again, she's right where she was before, flat on her stomach, staring a small bit of elevation in the face.

Carolina is a first class specialist soldier who has punched robots in the face and she cannot climb a god damn ledge. Another scream of frustration, and she buries her face in her arms-- if only because there's no one besides Stripes to witness.

A bit worried, the little growlithe approaches her, snuffling at her face with a whine. When Carolina looks up, lifting her head just enough for one eye to peek at Stripes, she raises a brow. Stripes responds with another set of whines, and Carolina sits up, pulling Stripes into her lap.

"Alright, alright," she says in a voice that's half pout and half comforting, "I'm okay. Don't worry." Her shoulders slouch as she pets Stripes, whose tail wags a mile a minute. It's relaxing, she supposes, though it certainly doesn't fix anything completely. For Carolina it's more than stupid ledges. It's being completely powerless, torn away from her comrades-- and she can only barely rest in the security that their battle had just ended the last she remembered. It seemed too easy, it all had to have been too easy, there was no way that could have been all--

She notices her fists start to clench again and to avoid getting Stripes's fur caught between her worry-cramped fingers, Carolina leans back on her palms, closes her eyes, and starts to breathe.

There is nothing she can do for Washington or Church or Tucker or anyone here. She needs to stop, to stop thinking about it, to just calm down, but the powerlessness of it all starts to well up in her, starts to overwhelm her, as though she can't breathe and her thoughts race and--

And then she notices a peculiar feeling on her face, which she soon comes to recognise as Stripes licking her cheeks. Her fingers find his fur, her voice a "shhh, shhh" pattern to repeat, and her breathing a slow rhythm to follow. Burying her face in Stripes's fur, Carolina starts to recall that not everything is hopeless just because she isn't in control.

Testing!