!empaitheis

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Brie
Contact: mackens @ plurk / replicates#2461 @ discord
Age: 24
Current Characters: none.


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Ritsuka Aoyagi
Age: 12
Canon: LOVELESS
Canon Point: Chapter 33.

Background:
Canon Wiki Link | Loveless Wiki Entry (somewhat outdated)

Personality:

When we’re first introduced to Ritsuka, he’s a cold hearted jerk with social issues. Seemingly. Right away he’s quite vocal about the things that tick him off and that he does not like (first, people who use others and people who are used.) This bluntness drives people away almost immediately, which Ritsuka is just fine with. He doesn’t need nor want friends, because he believes soon he will cease to exist and the “real” Ritsuka will take his place once more. When this happens, becoming close to anyone will have been pointless.

But this bluntness not only serves to drive others away, but to keep him from doing the one thing he dislikes the most: lying. Ritsuka can’t stand lies or liars. So if he thinks you’re an idiot, he’s going to tell you in the most straightforward (and probably rude) way he possibly can, because sugarcoating is would be lying just the same.

However, as the series progresses and Ritsuka’s walls fall down just a little, we begin to see that he is kind, and he can be friendly. Ritsuka is not the kind of person who makes many friends, but the ones he does remain very close.

And Soubi, in his thoughts, sums up very well what happens when he begins to care deeply for people: When Ritsuka finds that “love object” he is so desperate for; he will cling to it with all his strength and endure whatever is put to him because of it. This is why he endures the abuse his mother subjects him to. This is why he clings so desperately to the image of the loving older brother that Seimei gave him. He refuses to lose faith in them, will forgive them if they betray him. A good example of this are his interactions with Seimei: even when told it’s possible Seimei is alive, that he faked his death and left Ritsuka all alone at the mercy of their mother, he says he will forgive him. Knowing that Seimei would have had to kill someone in his place, that Seimei has purposely lied to him, he insists that it doesn’t matter, and he loves Seimei no matter what.

His mother beats him on a daily basis, frequently telling him that he is not her son, and at one point that she should have cut him out of her before he was born. And yet, he tells Soubi, he’s alright with that. As long as she’s safe at home, and doesn’t die and leave him alone like Seimei did, he’s fine with the way he is treated.

This extends into his pacifism, which is present for a good portion of the story so far, and only begins to wane when he realizes that to figure out what is going on, to find Seimei’s killer, to adapt to all this Fighter/Sacrifice business, he’s going to have to fight. He hates using violence against others, and despises ordering Soubi around despite how the man constantly requests it. It is worse to hurt someone emotionally, he says early on, because physical wounds will heal, but emotional scars last forever.

Despite this pacifism, Ritsuka could win an award for ability to hold a grudge. And is bound and determined to find who he believes killed his brother, and to avenge that murder. He quickly becomes angry and hostile at those he thinks have knowledge of it, or might be involved with it. He will put himself in any danger, go to any lengths to find his brother’s murderer, even when it very much risks his health, at the hands of other Bonded or at his own mother’s.

He keeps on, because Ritsuka is nothing if not determined, and isn’t the kind of person who gives up easily at all. This is both a good thing and a bad one, because while it does get him where he needs to go, it puts him at risk, and will one day reveal some things he is much better off not knowing. When presented with danger, Ritsuka just won’t turn back. Even if it brings him harm, Ritsuka wants to know the truth. He doesn’t want to get himself hurt ot into trouble, but if that is what it takes to get the while truth, that’s what he will do.

On the flip side of this, however, when he finds someone (such as Soubi) who has some sort of connection to Seimei, he is all too eager to latch onto them. It is through them that he can find out more about his brother, and how others regarded him.

Ritsuka’s love and seemingly doomed devotion to Seimei is a significant driver of the story and a big part of his personality. To Ritsuka, Seimei is one of the most important people in his life, and the day he “died” was the most devastating day of his life. Ritsuka himself says that afterwards, life lost its meaning and he was simply waiting die as well. This love remains, even as evidence stacks up that Seimei is not who Ritsuka thought he was at all. Even when he comes to realize that his relationship with his brother was not normal, that he is the only one who remembers good things about him, Ritsuka continues to insist that no matter what, he will always love Seimei, and always forgive him.

The present Ritsuka is incredibly mature for twelve, reading books written by authors such as Nietzsche, understanding concept, ideas, and words that other sixth graders couldn’t even begin to consider comprehending. He takes on responsibilities –even those he shouldn’t have to—and seems to deal with them as well as he can. Instead of being cared for by his mother, he instead takes care of her, deals every day with her insistence that he is not her child, and tries his best to adjust to how he “should” be, to make her happy.

But however mature Ritsuka presents himself to be, when it comes down to it, he is still a child.

And this mature childishness manifests in a truly heartbreaking way: Ritsuka is afraid of being forgotten. He does not believe he is the real Ritsuka because his Mother does not. He says himself that that he accepts that one day the real Ritsuka will come back and he will give him back his life when does. And while Ritsuka does not want to disappear, he puts it in a very straightforward way: “But so it goes.”

And so Ritsuka takes photos, to prove that he was there, even if he will one day cease to exist. He knows the “real” Ritsuka through photos, and so he will be known through them as well. Through those photos, he can stop others from forgetting about him. And if he doesn’t have them, it will be as if he never existed.

But despite this maturity and this complex child-but-so-adult nature of his, Ritsuka is still childish in his own ways.

This manifests itself for a large portion of the beginning of the story in his views and reactions the adults. As is usual for someone of his age, the world is divided simplistically, into “adults” and “children”. Adults are liars, to a point, and sometimes simply can’t be trusted. Because they’re adults, he thinks they have all the answers, because they act as if they do. And when they don’t, he doesn’t understand why. But as time goes on and Ritsuka grows up and is exposed to more people, he begins to realize that that isn’t true. Not even adults have the answers to everything, and even when they do, they can be wrong.

And that really is a point all its own: for as much as Ritsuka projects a cool, mature exterior, he’s short-tempered and easily irritated. When irritated, he reacts by tsuning snapping, and usually at Soubi. He’s generally a pretty grumpy boy with a perpetual scowl and limited patience. This temper especially comes out when he is embarrassed or feeling unsure, making him a little on the defensive side.

And, to be fair, Soubi does often try to get this reaction on purpose.

Abilities:

In the world of LOVELESS, certain people share a name, determined an unknown amount of time before they’re even born. These people are called Bonded Pairs, and separated into two categories: Fighters and Sacrifices.

As a team, they fight against other Bonded Pairs in Word Spell battles, a fight conducted using spells summoned by words (and, frankly, flowery language) as the name implies. In these battles, the Fighter is the attacker, using their linguistic skills to wage war on the other pairs Sacrifice at the command of their own. The Sacrifice, in return, issues orders and takes damage during the fight. The battle ends once the opponent’s Sacrifice is completely restricted of movement.

Fighters and Sacrifices have the most special connections in LOVELESS, bound together by a single name and a literal thread of fate, connecting from their hearts. This connection lasts even outside of battle, enabling them to find or call each other from great distances.

Ritsuka is a Sacrifice, but a special case. His name (the LOVELESS the series is named for) has yet to appear, and he’s never met his Fighter, at least not while knowing they are so (Yun Kouga has said he knows them, but they haven’t been introduced yet).

But there’s another thing that makes him, while not entirely unique as we find out later, definitely out of the ordinary: He is using another’s Fighter. Soubi fights for Ritsuka, although he belongs to Ritsuka’s brother Seimei and the pair “BELOVED”.

The non-matching names doesn’t seem to hinder his ability to act as a Sacrifice for Soubi, however.

Alignment:

Though the decision between Elios and Piphron was a difficult to make as both could apply well to Ritsuka, I ultimately decided to go with Elios for love and hate.

As much as trust/distrust is a factor in Ritsuka's life, his entire journey and motivations as a character comes down to what he does out of love. He desires love so much that he is willing to forgive hurt or betrayal, no matter how bad it is. His mother abuses him, but he forgives her because he loves her and wants her to love him as well. It is Ritsuka's love for Seimei that drives him to hunt down his brother's killer and then, upon finding out he's still alive, decide to bring him back home.

The love of other's affect him greatly as well. Seimei's 'love' for him is twisted and obsessive, more possessiveness and ownership than actual love. It's implied Seimei is behind whatever it was that caused Ritsuka to lose his memory of his life before he was ten. He sees himself and Ritsuka as the only two humans in the world and claims his love is the reason for the terrible things he is doing.

It is Yuiko's love for Ritsuka that drives her to befriend him, becoming a force of positivity and normalcy in his life. Soubi's love protects him and helps him in finding answers, no matter how hard they are.

Ultimately, Ritsuka is suited for the Elios alignment because love and hate are so intertwined in his life it even manifests in his 'true name': Loveless.

Other: none!


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
Remember that we ask for samples that show 1) core character portrayal and 2) some use of emotions, such as environmental effect. You can also use the same sample source for both, just make sure to directly link or quote the emotion portion. We highly encourage using the Test Drive, and you can use prompts from the Test Drives, Intro Logs, and the Task board if you need them. Refer to the main application page for links and more suggestions.

General Sample: Written or link to sample for general character portrayal

Emotion Sample: Written or link to sample for use and effects of emotions. If part of a thread, please DIRECTLY LINK to the specific tag.


Questions:

!driftfleet

OUT OF CHARACTER:
Name/Handle: Brie
Contact: mackens @ plurk / replicates#2641 @ discord
Reference: Ashlee
Other characters: none.

IN-CHARACTER:
Character name: Ritsuka Aoyagi
Character journal: sacrifights
Series name: LOVELESS
Canon notes: Ritsukea is from volume 7, after his Mother has attempted to drown him, but before they've left for Gora.

Species: Human.

History:
Canon Wiki Link | Loveless Wiki Entry (somewhat outdated)

Personality:

When we’re first introduced to Ritsuka, he’s a cold hearted jerk with social issues. Seemingly. Right away he’s quite vocal about the things that tick him off and that he does not like (first, people who use others and people who are used.) This bluntness drives people away almost immediately, which Ritsuka is just fine with. He doesn’t need nor want friends, because he believes soon he will cease to exist and the “real” Ritsuka will take his place once more. When this happens, becoming close to anyone will have been pointless.

But this bluntness not only serves to drive others away, but to keep him from doing the one thing he dislikes the most: lying. Ritsuka can’t stand lies or liars. So if he thinks you’re an idiot, he’s going to tell you in the most straightforward (and probably rude) way he possibly can, because sugarcoating is would be lying just the same.

However, as the series progresses and Ritsuka’s walls fall down just a little, we begin to see that he is kind, and he can be friendly. Ritsuka is not the kind of person who makes many friends, but the ones he does remain very close.

And Soubi, in his thoughts, sums up very well what happens when he begins to care deeply for people: When Ritsuka finds that “love object” he is so desperate for; he will cling to it with all his strength and endure whatever is put to him because of it. This is why he endures the abuse his mother subjects him to. This is why he clings so desperately to the image of the loving older brother that Seimei gave him. He refuses to lose faith in them, will forgive them if they betray him. A good example of this are his interactions with Seimei: even when told it’s possible Seimei is alive, that he faked his death and left Ritsuka all alone at the mercy of their mother, he says he will forgive him. Knowing that Seimei would have had to kill someone in his place, that Seimei has purposely lied to him, he insists that it doesn’t matter, and he loves Seimei no matter what.

His mother beats him on a daily basis, frequently telling him that he is not her son, and at one point that she should have cut him out of her before he was born. And yet, he tells Soubi, he’s alright with that. As long as she’s safe at home, and doesn’t die and leave him alone like Seimei did, he’s fine with the way he is treated.

This extends into his pacifism, which is present for a good portion of the story so far, and only begins to wane when he realizes that to figure out what is going on, to find Seimei’s killer, to adapt to all this Fighter/Sacrifice business, he’s going to have to fight. He hates using violence against others, and despises ordering Soubi around despite how the man constantly requests it. It is worse to hurt someone emotionally, he says early on, because physical wounds will heal, but emotional scars last forever.

Despite this pacifism, Ritsuka could win an award for ability to hold a grudge. And is bound and determined to find who he believes killed his brother, and to avenge that murder. He quickly becomes angry and hostile at those he thinks have knowledge of it, or might be involved with it. He will put himself in any danger, go to any lengths to find his brother’s murderer, even when it very much risks his health, at the hands of other Bonded or at his own mother’s.

He keeps on, because Ritsuka is nothing if not determined, and isn’t the kind of person who gives up easily at all. This is both a good thing and a bad one, because while it does get him where he needs to go, it puts him at risk, and will one day reveal some things he is much better off not knowing. When presented with danger, Ritsuka just won’t turn back. Even if it brings him harm, Ritsuka wants to know the truth. He doesn’t want to get himself hurt ot into trouble, but if that is what it takes to get the while truth, that’s what he will do.

On the flip side of this, however, when he finds someone (such as Soubi) who has some sort of connection to Seimei, he is all too eager to latch onto them. It is through them that he can find out more about his brother, and how others regarded him.

Ritsuka’s love and seemingly doomed devotion to Seimei is a significant driver of the story and a big part of his personality. To Ritsuka, Seimei is one of the most important people in his life, and the day he “died” was the most devastating day of his life. Ritsuka himself says that afterwards, life lost its meaning and he was simply waiting die as well. This love remains, even as evidence stacks up that Seimei is not who Ritsuka thought he was at all. Even when he comes to realize that his relationship with his brother was not normal, that he is the only one who remembers good things about him, Ritsuka continues to insist that no matter what, he will always love Seimei, and always forgive him.

The present Ritsuka is incredibly mature for twelve, reading books written by authors such as Nietzsche, understanding concept, ideas, and words that other sixth graders couldn’t even begin to consider comprehending. He takes on responsibilities –even those he shouldn’t have to—and seems to deal with them as well as he can. Instead of being cared for by his mother, he instead takes care of her, deals every day with her insistence that he is not her child, and tries his best to adjust to how he “should” be, to make her happy.

But however mature Ritsuka presents himself to be, when it comes down to it, he is still a child.

And this mature childishness manifests in a truly heartbreaking way: Ritsuka is afraid of being forgotten. He does not believe he is the real Ritsuka because his Mother does not. He says himself that that he accepts that one day the real Ritsuka will come back and he will give him back his life when does. And while Ritsuka does not want to disappear, he puts it in a very straightforward way: “But so it goes.”

And so Ritsuka takes photos, to prove that he was there, even if he will one day cease to exist. He knows the “real” Ritsuka through photos, and so he will be known through them as well. Through those photos, he can stop others from forgetting about him. And if he doesn’t have them, it will be as if he never existed.

But despite this maturity and this complex child-but-so-adult nature of his, Ritsuka is still childish in his own ways.

This manifests itself for a large portion of the beginning of the story in his views and reactions the adults. As is usual for someone of his age, the world is divided simplistically, into “adults” and “children”. Adults are liars, to a point, and sometimes simply can’t be trusted. Because they’re adults, he thinks they have all the answers, because they act as if they do. And when they don’t, he doesn’t understand why. But as time goes on and Ritsuka grows up and is exposed to more people, he begins to realize that that isn’t true. Not even adults have the answers to everything, and even when they do, they can be wrong.

And that really is a point all its own: for as much as Ritsuka projects a cool, mature exterior, he’s short-tempered and easily irritated. When irritated, he reacts by tsuning snapping, and usually at Soubi. He’s generally a pretty grumpy boy with a perpetual scowl and limited patience. This temper especially comes out when he is embarrassed or feeling unsure, making him a little on the defensive side.

And, to be fair, Soubi does often try to get this reaction on purpose.

Abilities:

In the world of LOVELESS, certain people share a name, determined an unknown amount of time before they’re even born. These people are called Bonded Pairs, and separated into two categories: Fighters and Sacrifices.

As a team, they fight against other Bonded Pairs in Word Spell battles, a fight conducted using spells summoned by words (and, frankly, flowery language) as the name implies. In these battles, the Fighter is the attacker, using their linguistic skills to wage war on the other pairs Sacrifice at the command of their own. The Sacrifice, in return, issues orders and takes damage during the fight. The battle ends once the opponent’s Sacrifice is completely restricted of movement.

Fighters and Sacrifices have the most special connections in LOVELESS, bound together by a single name and a literal thread of fate, connecting from their hearts. This connection lasts even outside of battle, enabling them to find or call each other from great distances.

Ritsuka is a Sacrifice, but a special case. His name (the LOVELESS the series is named for) has yet to appear, and he’s never met his Fighter, at least not while knowing they are so (Yun Kouga has said he knows them, but they haven’t been introduced yet).

But there’s another thing that makes him, while not entirely unique as we find out later, definitely out of the ordinary: He is using another’s Fighter. Soubi fights for Ritsuka, although he belongs to Ritsuka’s brother Seimei and the pair “BELOVED”.

The non-matching names doesn’t seem to hinder his ability to act as a Sacrifice for Soubi, however.

Augment Skillset: Communications.

Sample:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4