Risa Pzallon

"Sir, yes sir! ...uhh, what were our orders again?"

Frequently described by her superiors as being "a ditz" or "clueless," despite her Coordinator heritage, Risa Pzallon is a genuine and good-natured young woman who truly means well. A former resident of the now-destroyed colony of Heliopolis, she enlisted with Anaheim Electronics and became a test pilot in attempt to further her efforts in fighting to avenge her parents' and others' needless deaths as result of pointless conflict. Though she is a forgetful and easily distracted outside a Mobile Suit, within a unit Risa is actually a capable pilot who specializes and excels in melee-based combat with her unit, the well-armed Itzpapalotl II. Driven by a desire to succeed in her pursuits, she works hard to become the best she can be for the sake of others, rather than herself. Unfortunately, Risa has a hard time remembering peoples' names or keeping facts and information straight. But that's only a MINOR inconvenience. Right..?

Background Information
On the peaceful PLANT colony of Decapre, Risa Pzallon was "born."

She, like many, was a Coordinator, born to two Coordinators who could not naturally conceive children. Her mother was a geneticist on Decapre while her father worked agriculture. Despite their shortcomings when it came to bearing children, the couple was happy and loved one another deeply. They had no second thoughts about turning to science for familial happiness.

At first, things went well. Invetro fertilization was successful, and soon enough Risa’s mother was pregnant. However, not too far into pregnancy complications arose, and threatened to ruin their hard work. They were warned: if she went through term and had the child, it could possibly end in miscarriage or permanent defect. As with some Coordinator invetro fertilization, her mother’s womb did not necessarily nurture and support the modifications made to the embryo. But, regardless of this, Risa’s mother didn’t care--she wanted this child. The child symbolized the happiness she and her husband worked hard for. He agreed: they would have the child.

Carried to term, Risa was born in May of 101. But, as warned, there were complications. She had not developed full Coordinator ability, which would impact her mental growth as such. When this was discovered, her parents decided they would protect their daughter--and her mother’s reputation. Thus, records were altered, and their daughter’s ‘malady’ as a Coordinator kept secret.

As Risa grew, her problems became more apparent. While ‘normal’ Coordinators could focus their full attention and multitask, Risa was less so. She could focus intensely--but not multitask as well as typical Coordinators. Furthermore, Risa had difficulties with memorization, and was frequently forgetful of facts or information, such as names. While other Coordinators flourished, she struggled a bit--but it only pushed her that much more, making her determined to prove herself and worth, to make her parents proud.

But secrets cannot always last forever. The war began to rise in 117, and with it PLANT’s guardians, ZAFT, join forces in the war. Tensions were high--and as result, Risa and her parents chose to leave Decapre behind.

Unfortunately, her mother’s superiors did not want one of their top geneticists to leave. They had knowledge of her daughter Risa’s birth ‘defect,’ and swiftly chose to use that against her. Immediately she was discredited as a scientist for lying and modifying their daughter’s records at birth--but she didn’t care, as family was now more important than her reputation. So, they left for Orb, to start life over on more peaceful grounds, leaving Decapre behind.

At Heliopolis, life began again. Her mother chose a different career as a teacher, while her father pursued more agriculture work. For a time, things were well for her family. But again, things would not last--not with war rising. ZAFT forces arose, and the colony became under attack, destruction raining down on Risa’s newfound home. Citizens were rushed to evacuate the colony, herded into lifeboats. From there, they were to be taken to Orb Mainland. Risa made it.

Her parents, however, did not, their lifeboat too slow in parting from Heliopolis. It was destroyed along with the colony. In an instant, Risa’s parents were taken from her by the war and she, like many thousands of children, became an orphan of war.

Forced to start a ‘new’ life alone on the Orb Mainland, Risa found a new calling. Disgusted by the war and what had been taken from her, she wanted to do something and make a difference in the universe. Knowing she wasn’t exactly the smartest Coordinator in the world, she was determined to join in the fight to end such needless violence and end wars, inspired not only by her story, but the stories of others who also suffered. Thus, Risa sought to join in the fight by becoming a test pilot at Anaheim despite its "neutral" stance. Her experience in simulators on the Heliopolis were of interest to her superiors at Anaheim, as was her Coordinator nature, shortcomings aside. Thus, she was given a particularly troublesome (and somewhat lacking) unit they had on hand: the Itzpapalotl, a black and pale blue colored mobile suit composed, sometimes (for the sake of pronunciation) referred to as the Obsidian Butterfly.

She took to the unit like a pro, as it turned out. Capable of synchronizing with the unit, Risa found piloting the machine to be of little trouble for her. The two responded well, and so she was assigned to it. Eventually, after numerous test runs and adjustments for performance on the field, it was upgraded properly to the Itzpapalotl II.

And so Risa fights. She’s a good pilot and fighter, her shortcomings aside, however frustrating it may be to superiors and allies alike. But her heart is in the right place--and that’s what matters, right?

Personality Traits
Outwardly, Risa often comes across initially to most people as being a forgetful and somewhat air-headed young woman. Due to complications in the womb during her invetro conception, she didn’t develop as well or fully as most Coordinator children typically do. As result she tends to regularly butcher or outright forget peoples’ names, sometimes people, mix up her facts or forget them, to name a few minor complications.

Still, to some, it is a somewhat endearing trait about Risa, due to her kind-hearted and genuinely good nature. She means well when she deals with others, usually the sort to go out of her way for her friends or superiors to help them out, ready to lend a hand. Even it combat she has a tendency to keep an eye out for those she likes, and will aid them in a heartbeat.

She’s not precisely perfect, however. Risa has her flaws, particularly a slight temper at times. She gets easily worked up, especially when she has trouble focusing and multitasking (since, despite her Coordinator heritage, she’s pretty bad at it) and in the cockpit.

On average, Risa is a cheerful young woman, ready and willing to offer smiles and greet people as enthusiastically as she can. With her, there is always a silver lining, the glass always half-full. Though the future may seem bleak for her ambitions (mainly, to end war by helping Orb Union) she doesn’t let that get her down. She has to be strong--it helps her hide the grief she endured at losing her friends and family at Heliopolis.

...which just means she bottles things up. While she is a sweet and nice person, she uses her compassion (unwittingly) as a means of keeping people from really getting close to her. Part of Risa fears losing her friends again, and while she gets somewhat attached to them, she attempts to mitigate this by closing herself off. Very few people can get past her outward demeanor--such takes considerable effort and trust in her self. War has essentially ruined her life. She doesn’t want to endure any more sadness, even if she knows that it is inevitable as a soldier.

Logs

 * None yet. :(