| — Aston Auric |
Aston is the fourth member of Team FCHA. He is the team's tank and primary form of support in combat.
| Age | 18 |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Golden Boy |
| Status | Active |
| Color | Gold |
| Gender | Male |
| Handedness | Left |
| Complexion | Tan |
| Hair | Blonde |
| Eyes | Blue |
| Semblance | Pariah's Shield |
| Height | 6'1" |
| Weight | 185 |
| Affiliation | Beacon Academy |
| Team | Team FCHA |
| Partner | Fuchsia Thalia |
Apperance[]
Tall, tan, and athletic, Aston possesses golden-boy good looks to match his family name. He has wavy, golden blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and a broad, perfectly white smile. His handsome face still retains some of his boyish charm despite the fact that he appears more mature than his actual age by several years. Taller than average, he has a well muscled, medium build and is in incredibly good shape.
Aston sports a white lettermans jacket with crimson sleeves and trim, gold buttons, and with his emblem embroidered on the left breast in the same crimson. Underneath is a simple, tight black shirt, though it is barely noticeable as the jacket is almost always closed. He wears a pair of charcoal grey jeans held up by a white belt with a simple gold buckle. On his feet, Aston has a pair of white sneakers with red laces and highlights, and gold eyelets for the laces. He is unarmored, save for a heavy golden bracer that covers the entirety of his right forearm.
Personality[]
An excellent athlete and a natural leader, Aston has always found himself to be the center of attention in whatever group he is in. Whenever it came to sports, he was always made the team captain, and whenever he was assigned to a group project, he was always put in charge. Aston leads by example, and is incredibly responsible. His good looks and natural confidence, combined with his family's wealth and reputation and his own long list of athletic and academic successes have combined to make him an incredibly popular figure among his peers. He is calm, thoughtful, and rarely puts anyone down. All in all, Aston is one of the most likeable individuals that many people will ever meet.
Striving to make the world a better place, and succeeding, is one of the great legacies of his family. Aston has embraced this fully, being genuinely glad to dedicate his life to helping others. While he is smart enough to be a great engineer like most of his relatives, he has chosen a much more hands-on approach to helping people than the rest of the Auric clan. By becoming a Hunstsman, he hopes to not only do his part in bettering the world, but to set himself apart from his family. Always one to follow the rules and trust in the system, Aston has an upright and honest bearing that will serve him well as a Huntsman
| — Fuchsia Thalia |
Aston's embodiment of the standard 'jock' archetype put him at odds with the rest of his team almost as soon as Team FCHA was formed. Being designated as the 'normal' in a group of criminally insane and heavily armed teenagers has presented Aston with challenges that he had never imagined before arriving at Beacon. He had never been around a group that he had so little in common with, and with whom his natural charms didn't automatically open doors. His initial attempts to keep the team flying right and away from trouble were an absolute catastrophe. He has since learned to just sit back and proverbially brace for impact while trying to mitigate the damage that Fuchsia causes as much as possible.
Background[]
Aston was born to a prominent and wealthy family in Atlas, where he was raised. The fourth of five children, Aston has two older brothers and an older and younger sister. Both of his parents are noted engineers, as were his paternal grandparents. His grandfather had been instrumental in the design of several key pieces of technology that are still pivotal in all modern airships. The Auric family has had no need of income ever since. That being said, both his parents, two aunts on his fathers side, and his oldest sister are constantly working, trying to push the boundaries of modern engineering, and always searching for new ways to improve people's lives. All of Aston's siblings are gearing up for that path as well. So, too, was Aston set on this path at an early age.
That life has never been one that Aston wanted. From an early age, Aston always wanted to be outside, exploring or finding some kind of adventure, rather than inside learning about math and science. He was a naturally charismatic child, and as he grew up he showed signs of becoming a promising athlete. He put these traits to good use, organizing teams of local children at whatever sport was in season at the time and then leading his teams to victory. All the while, he maintained good grades, if only to keep his parents off his back. Aston simply didn't have the drive for academics that the rest of his family did, and traditional schooling held less and less appeal for him with each passing year. It was while he was searching for an answer to this problem that he decided on combat school. His parents were initially hesitant to let him go, but eventually relented.
At combat school, Aston quickly realized he had made the right choice. It was the first time that he had ever been surrounded by so many other people of his physical ability, and the first time that he was really challenged in that regard. It was also at combat school that he first encountered problems because of his last name. Because of how well known his family was, many of the teachers and staff either went easy on him, thinking that he couldn't handle it, or demanded exponentially more out of him, expecting genius to run in the family. It was a very trying four years for Aston, who never felt like he got a fair chance to demonstrate his abilities. When it came time to choose a Huntsman academy, Aston decided to leave Atlas and enroll in Beacon, hoping to start with a blank slate.
Relationships[]
Team FCHA: Aston's assignment to Team FCHA immediately undermined a lot of the goals he had set for himself at Beacon. Their constant trouble making has left him on cleanup duty indefinitely. He has had to admit to himself, however, that not only has his team grown on him, but that, in some weird way, it was probably the perfect place for him.
- Fuchsia Thalia- If she would just think before she acted, Aston's life would be immeasurably easier. As it is, he spends most of his time cleaning up her messes and trying to steer the team in a less destructive direction. In spite of all that, he does have quite the soft spot for her.
- Corbin Sable- If ever Aston had a demon in his life, it would be Corbin. Corbin's love of pranks and general mischief has left Aston questioning his sanity on more than one occasion. Though they have become actual friends, to this day Aston still has a hard time telling when the puckish faunus is plotting something at his expense.
- Hail Brash- Hail is easily the smartest member of the team, and that's not something that Aston admits easily. They developed a very healthy mutual respect early on, and without that, Aston is relatively sure the rest of the team never would have warmed up to him. Aston really enjoys having someone around that he can actually be intellectual with, though he learned a long time ago never to challenge Hail to a game of chess.
Combat[]
Having signed up to become a Huntsman to protect people, it is no surprise that Aston's weapon's and semblance are defense-oriented. While capable of dealing his fair share of damage, it is when he serves as a bulwark for for others that he truly shines, letting others carry out their missions while absorbing truly incredible amounts of damage in their stead.
Weapons- Arma Statera[]
Arma Statera is an incredibly large, angular shield. Made of steel and painted gold, it is 4 1/2 feet tall and as wide as Aston. Vaguely kite-shaped, it has no curves to its' outline, instead having eight sides connected at angles. There is a large cross pattern raised out of the metal that extends to the edges of the shield. Arma Statera is very thick, very heavy, and very durable. Despite the fact that Aston is left handed, he wears his shield on his left arm, as it is not only his defense, but his primary source of offense as well.
Primary- Shield and Blade[]
At its' most basic level, Arma Statera is just a shield. It is large, sturdy, and very effective at deflecting damage. When in melee, Aston will pair his shield with his secondary weapon; a broad, wrist mounted blade that is stored in the large bracer on his right forearm. Effectively a punching dagger, it is none-the-less effective at landing devastating strikes on opponents after their defenses have been swept away by a shield bash with Arma Statera. Aston also likes to change things up by parrying with the short blade, and then countering by bashing with his shield, effectively trying to punch his opponents with the giant hunk of metal strapped to his arm.
Secondary- Embeded Shotgun[]
When opponents are too fast for Aston, or prefer to avoid melee combat with him and try to hang back just out of his reach and pelt him with ranged attacks, Arma Statera has a surprise for them. The raised cross pattern in the shield is raised for a reason; it houses Aston's ranged assault options. The section of the cross that runs parallel to the ground is over Aston's arm when he is gripping the shield. This section of the cross pattern holds a shotgun that points out of the side of the shield, directly over Aston's hand. When Aston extends his arm fully, while seemingly open to attack, he is in fact aiming the shotgun at whatever is in front of him.
Typically loaded with wide dispersal fire-Dust rounds, he can blast away quite effectively at anything at close to mid range. In melee, the shotgun gives him a lot of extra options, as he can fire it freely without reducing his melee capabilities. When punching with Arma Statera, he typically makes contact with the portion of the shield housing the shotgun barrel, giving his punches a significant damage boost should he fire on impact.
Tertiary- Embeded Grenade Launcher[]
When stabbing, bashing, and blasting away aren't enough, Arma Statera has one more trick in store for Aston's adversaries. The long section of the raised cross pattern houses a grenade launcher. The barrel extends the length of the shield and fires through an opening in the bottom edge. When Aston activates the grenade launcher mode, the grips on the back of the shield rotate on a track 90 degrees, altering the orientation of the weapon so that the long section of the shield, which the grenade launcher is housed in, now extends outward from Aston's hand. A section of the lower portion of the shield edge slides away, revealing a grip for Aston's right hand and allowing him to steady the aim of the otherwise awkward weapon. While ineffective in melee, it is an incredibly effective weapon against hardened targets, groups of enemies, or in support teammates in larger battles.
Semblance- Pariah's Shield[]
| — Corbin Sable |
Aston's semblance is straightforward and has always served to underline his selfless nature. To activate Pariah's Shield, Aston merely has to touch his target. When he does, he places a small, glowing sigil in the shape of his emblem on his target where he touched them. For as long as that sigil is on Aston's target, any damage that their aura takes is transferred to his aura instead, leaving his target unharmed. Those protected by Pariah's Shield are still physically affected by any attacks that hit them (For instance, an explosion will still send them flying), they just don't take any damage.
Aston can remove the sigil at will with just a thought, allowing him to control how much of his aura is drained by protecting others. Should his aura be completely drained while his semblance is active, the sigil will simply dissapear, and whoever is protected by it will begin taking damage as normal. If a damaging enough attack is landed on Aston's target to drain Aston's semblance completely without absorbing the full damage of the attack, the rest of the damage will carry over to the target's aura.
Tactics[]
Valuing defense above all else, Aston is a careful and precise combatant. He prefers to let his opponents wear themselves out trying to get around or through his guard while chipping away at them with measured strikes and counterattacks. He typically only unleashes his shotgun when he feels that his shield and blade combo aren't enough to be effective. His grenade launcher only sees use against grimm, against enemies behind deep cover, or when his team is in dire straights. Owing to the nature of his teams leadership, this last scenario occurs far more often than Aston would like. Pariah's shield, while something that most teams would treasure and respect, is often simply not enough to offset the recklessness of his team, and Aston finds himself with his Aura in the red rather often. While adept at avoiding damage behind his shield, it is still an incredibly uncomfortable situation for him.
Strengths[]
- Precise and careful, Aston is excellent at picking apart his enemies from their weakest points.
- The variety of attacks and effective ranges offered by Arma Statera makes Aston an effective combatant from anywhere on the battlefield.
- Aston's skills with his shield make him incredibly difficult to damage outright.
- Pariah's Shield is an incredibly effective support tool, allowing Aston's allies to weather far more damage than they otherwise could.
Weaknesses[]
- Despite his strength, Arma Statera is still heavy enough that it limits Aston's speed and agility in combat, rendering him susceptible to attack from faster opponents.
- Pariah's Shield can leave Aston almost helpless should he misjudge the situation before shielding someone or if he leaves his sigil intact for too long.
Trivia[]
- Aston is derived from two Old English elements meaning 'noble' and 'stone'. Classical western alchemy was largely dedicated to the pursuit of transforming base metals, such as lead, into more 'noble' metals, particularly gold. Hence, 'noble stone' can be taken as a reference to gold. Auric is from the Latin word for gold.
- Aston is based on the constellation Libra and its' mythology, in keeping with Team FCHA's theme of constellation based inspiration.
- Arma Statera is Latin and roughly translates as 'the balance of arms.'
Character Theme: Heavy- Collective Soul
Battle Theme: To Where the River Flows- Collective Soul