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Ryou Arakawa
Topic Started: Oct 10 2016, 04:42 PM (340 Views)
Zesseract
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Name: Ryou Arakawa
Gender: Male
Age: 16

Class: 2nd year at Reitaku, class 2-B

Clubs/Occupation: He's a stockboy at Bookstore Adyton in uptown Nagashima, after-school of -course-.

Personality: At first glance, Ryou appears to be a young man averse to all things in the world, with a tendency to keep others at arm's length (at least), and greatly relishing any time he can spend alone. Antipathetic to the point of near isolation, he views others as obstacles to maneuver around, often in the way of his pursuit alone-time. Maintaining a stone-faced facade, he engages the world through a lens of detachment from the lives of others, in a way deigning to live only in only in a world he can experience; when confronted he defaults to cynicism to defend himself, seeking a quick way out of any forced interaction, as the idea of people tires him and he simply lacks any drive to engage others any more than he needs to.

He dislikes busybodies, as to him the notion of prying into other people's affairs is to commit ultimate sin, and places such high value on privacy, that this often puts him at odds with a world that seems increasingly concerned with becoming ever more interconnected. Though he's not a Luddite, he doesn't indulge devices any more than he needs to, and in a way views people in much the same vein.

While not self-centered, he does tend to take a me-first attitude when approaching anything, arguing that to do so would be to deny one's intrinsic sense of self-preservation. This tendency to rationalize his selfishness along with his disagreeable temperament makes apparent to others why a certain Arakawa, Ryou is without company most of the time. In fact it's because of this 'self-preservation' instinct, that he makes a point not to put himself on the spot; however, oftentimes he wonders what that may feel like, and while indulging in this fantasy he may fail to catch himself and show something through his stone-faced veneer. He views himself as a ghost walking through crowded halls, visible only for the most briefest of instances, and only if he requires something. Any attempt to engage him, or get his attention will usually result in his rebuffing the person attempting to establish contact. This is a convenient mechanism for Ryou to avoid having to make any special contact with others, he reasons that if he's off-putting towards others, he won't mind their dislike of him when they begin to do so.

This doesn't mean that he views others as things to use and discard in pursuit of his needs, far from it, and perhaps it's his strong conviction towards the idea of individuality that he identifies as a self-determined person. To him, life should never be a place wherein one resides because of the decisions of others, and those without a strong sense of self should not be helped nor pitied, rather they should be shown to act on their behalf. His adherence to this idea is quasi-religious in a way, and lends itself to his being intractable to others.

Faced with such appealing personality traits, you might ask if there's any reason one might deal with Ryou at all, and while the following qualities may not exactly entreat him to others, I'd like to make the case that perhaps if seen through a more favorable lens, that these may better define him as something more than a self-exiled curmudgeon.

Though difficult to deal with, he's not entirely without redemption and with such a set worldview come fringe benefits -some would say-, when dealing with Ryou; his rigid ideals lend themselves to a strange code of honor, epitomized by the respect of other's decisions, and the consequences derived from said decisions be they pursuits or how they deal with their day to day, the zeroth rule of this being that these decisions be made over oneself and never over others. With this in mind, he may even seek out the company of others who are so self-determined, though always keeping a relative distance.

Though he seems mostly preoccupied with himself, this is not a view that extends to his parents; having precious little time to interact with them, he doesn't wish to cause them undue grief, and builds up to their expectations in order for them not to worry. Having spent a good portion of his life as a sort of latchkey kid, he is entirely comfortable with solitude, and having to do things largely by and for himself, an individual in every sense of the word.

History: The Arakawa household sprang from the union of 2 engineers, one Takumi and one Michiyo; the union was a happy one and from it begot 2 children, Touma and Ryou. The Arakawa siblings lead a happy life, and while not exactly well-off, their parent's jobs certainly provided for them. From a young age, the Arakawas inculcated a strong sense of independence unto the siblings, which Touma seemed to best exemplify, while Ryou instead lagged behind, attaching himself to Touma. In a way the two seemed opposite to one another, with Touma developing into a well-adjusted, extroverted young boy while Ryou seemed more at-home with his parents, and his books.

While the Arakawas maintained a comfortable life, it wasn't long before more hours needed to be put into work, and with both Takumi and Michiyo just breaking into their respective fields, they needed to 'prove they possessed company spirit'. Though the idea of leaving Touma to handle young Ryou, didn't sit well with Takumi & Michiyo, necessity precipitated this course of action, and while they wouldn't be left to their own devices, for a long time, Touma formed the only constant in Ryou's life.

Ryou's early years were characterized by the absence of his parents, a lack which daycare did not fill; it sufficed for Touma, however, as he took to the other children as the errant sheep returned to its flock. For Ryou, less so, after all in his mind he had Touma, and that was all he needed, -that- and the constant invitation to participate did little to endear him to his peers. With time he came to show a bit of initiative in this regard, not out of want for companionship but because it seemed to please his caretakers, and at the least the children seemed nice. This 'friendship' did not outlast the daycare/kindergarten phase of his life, but for a while he at least appeared to be happy, only Touma saw through Ryou's gambit.

The task set before him was not an easy one, as more and more Ryou seemed to grow more insular, shirking contact with other children his age to be by himself. His penchant for ignoring the other children and burying himself in books would made him the butt of jokes, and ridicule from the other children, in turn Ryou seemed to further distance himself from a world that wanted little to do with him. Though Touma attempted to bring Ryou out of his funk, Ryou posited that his loneliness was his decision, that he found the other children to be annoying, and that he much preferred his book people, this was in direct confrontation to the times when Ryou's 'facade' would break down and he couldn't deal with himself anymore.

As Touma grew, his responsibilities would later encompass taking his younger brother to school and picking him up, and additionally acting as a sort of emotional cushion for Ryou when he couldn't keep up his brave face. Many times he attempted to break Ryou out of his shell, but any progress proved to be momentary, and at the slightest provocation from the other children, Ryou would default to his anti-social self. The pattern would repeat itself over the years, and soon Ryou seemed to withdraw entirely within himself. Eventually Touma outgrew his household, and couldn't take much more of Ryou's self-indulgent ways. The siblings soon began to fight: "You're just too busy feeling sorry for yourself that you can't see that the others are trying to help.", "It's always the same with you, you'll just hide in one of your books and hope it goes away." "Why don't you get over yourself and DO something?" For Ryou, hearing Touma speak these words, seemed like the ultimate betrayal.

The siblings seemed to grow further apart, and when Touma came of age he left the apartment to make his own life elsewhere; his last words to Ryou were that he wished Ryou could see himself as Touma did. It's been naught but a downward spiral since, and Ryou continues this cycle of self-degradation and rationalized unpleasantness towards others, whilst allegedly pursuing his own happiness, though often he fails to see that the source of his misery is directly his own. Ryou lives his life a day at a time, waiting for something to rouse him from the dreary world he's constructed for himself. Eventually even crunch time wasn't enough to conceal this problem from his parents, who had by now been called over by Ryou's school to discuss his situation. Outside circumstances precipitated the decision for Ryou to 'start over' at a new place, Ryou seems to think this course of action was mandated less for his well-being and more out of convenience for his parents' positions. With efforts being made to revitalize Nagashima's inner city areas, engineers seemed to flock to the city in hopes of moving to a place where better oportunities may present themselves; for the most part, Ryou's parents thought that the change of scenery would help ease Ryou's troubles, yet he remains remiss to leave the cage of his own artifice.

Appearance:
Posted Image
Usami, Natsuki from Tsuritama


Measuring a fair 5'4", and weighing a slight 110lbs, fair-skinned, willowy Ryou is certainly not the most physically imposing person, and this suits him just fine. Not suited for demanding tasks, his problems are further exacerbated by his long and gangly limbs, which seem to cause him no small amount of grief. To watch him walk is truly a sight to behold, as his uncoordinated moves means he doesn't so much as move from point a to b, as he seems to stumble in a semi-coherent fashion to where he means to go. His face is buried beneath a mess of curly black hair, framed in a heart shape with, with a small turn-up nose, his half-lidded, brown eyes are hidden behind thick black-rimmed glasses, and seems to perpetually hold an expression of bemusement.

Always with him, is a grey 'leather' messenger bag slung across his shoulder, filled with whatever he happened to have needed for school that day along with a couple of favorite books, because of its make it may appear as being deceptively light, until actually lifted; fortunately, Ryou has become accustomed to the weight of his 'valuables' and no longer struggles lugging the thing around, to the point he's never seen without it. Apart from that he possesses no singly identifiable features.

When not in his uniform, Ryou prefers wearing loose shirts favoring the colors navy blue, gunmetal and grey; he can often be found wearing tapered jeans, with suspenders (not attached), and a pair of shoes not unlike the style of black converse sneakers. If the weather allows, he'll pull up a sweater, finding coats to be a bit too restrictive and clumsy to move into.

Current Weapon/Combat Skill: He's had no formal training in the use of any weapons, but CAN in fact wield a heavy satchel bag to surprising effect as a flail.

Mask: A striking red lacquered mask in the shape of a mitre, which protrudes forward in a cross-shape embossed in gold-leaf.

Persona:
Ladies and gentlemen... let me introduce to you

The backseat lodestar...

The slothful charmer of snakes and men...

The first Great Duke of hell, Astaroth


Posted Image
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the art, this particular piece is by
I no longer have access to the one without the watermark,
sadly, still this awesome piece by :themightyblue




Within the Goetia, Astaroth is described as an imposing figure, appearing as a fallen angel riding an infernal dragon, and carrying a viper in his right hand; he epitomizes the sin of sloth, and seduces men through this, self-doubt and rationalized philosophies. Said to have commanded over 40 legions of demons, he would bequeath unto the summoner knowledge of mathematical sciences, and handicrafts, he would answer any question formulated to him and even lead men to hidden treasures; last but not least he could turn men invisible and give them dominion over snakes.

The Astaroth that will emerge from Ryou is sort of like that, minus the many boons he could bestow upon summoners, he is still an imposing figure but lacks his infernal mount and traditional 'weapon'.

Standing at an imposing 7 feet, Astaroth's countenance is hidden behind a horned, great-helm decorated in gold leaf accents, bearing a shroud which conceals his impressive physical form. His entire body is draped in red, and bears little to no armor to conceal himself, save for two faulds which protect his thighs. Carrying an immense greatsword, albeit one without an edge, Astaroth wields it to great effect as a makeshift club.

To Ryou, Astaroth reflects his ideals, as a sort of paragon of masculinity and celebrant of the virtues which Ryou idealizes. The Duke appears as a self-assured man, with an air of solemnity about him, which he perceives as the onus of self-determination. In a way, Astaroth lives in the world he created, and others come to him seeking the means through which to attain that perfect state of authenticity: He is himself, as he deigns to be without the compunctions of others placed upon him. In truth, Astaroth is less a guide and more a pillar of support, as his strengths truly shine when he's assisting others, a fact that's yet to dawn upon Ryou.

~Arcana: Moon
~Drain:
~Weak: Electricity, Ice, Light
~Null: Earth
~Reflect:
~Resist: Phys
~Skills:

  • Bash
  • Analysis
  • Rampage
  • Sukunda
  • Support Scan



Have you read all the stickies? I think? Unless more cropped up during the writing of this application...
Edited by Zesseract, Oct 30 2017, 04:57 PM.
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Yes
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Hey, welcome aboard. All around, a good application, but I've got some things to look at. Some of is mechanical/logistical in nature, but there are questions that I'd like answered, either in the application, or if you can grab me in chat/PM rather than as a reply to this post:
  • For bookkeeping purposes, we use [Given name] [Surname] order on the site.
  • After reading the application, I think that he fits the Moon or Hermit far better than Chariot.
  • Japanese students are grouped by ages into their grades. For a 2nd year high schooler, you're looking at the 16-17 range.
  • From the way the app is written, it seems like Ryou and Touma didn't have any formal caretakers. With how busy Japanese parents are, kids tend to end up at day cares. The household can certainly afford to send their two boys there and it would certainly be reasonable. Did they go through day care without forming lasting relationships and in spite of anything a caretaker might have done to show them affection?
  • How does Astaroth reflect his character?
Edited by Yes, Oct 10 2016, 11:48 PM.
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Zesseract
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Ok, I think the pertinent changes have been made; if there's anything else, please let me know.
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Yes
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Thank you for being patient! Your app is good to go. There is a minor thing you should edit: Analysis is double-listed. That aside, you're good to go.

Approved.
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