ａｇａｔｓｕｍａ ｓｏｕｂｉ 「我妻草灯」 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
slampoetry) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
chavaniac2014-05-11 09:29 pm
slampoetry) wrote in chavaniac2014-05-11 09:29 pm
Entry tags:
gurgles
P L A Y E R;
NAME: Christy
AGE: 23
PLAYER JOURNAL:swagu
TIMEZONE: CST
CONTACT:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
swagu
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Agatsuma Soubi
CANON: Loveless
POINT IN CANON: Chapter 102
AGE: 21
APPEARANCE: Here
CANON HISTORY: Here! If more detail is needed,I can write my own summary!
CANON PERSONALITY:
A lot of who Soubi is today is heavily based in his past, so it’s important to start with the negatives of who Soubi is. Soubi is a broken person, and a product of abuse of almost every kind. After becoming an orphan, he was taken in by a family friend, but this family friend used Soubi both sexually and for the advancement of his own projects and ambitions. Soubi was just a child at the time, and certainly didn’t think he had any way to escape the abuse, but he also seems to have been somewhat indifferent to it. Since Loveless isn’t a stellar story of what abusive relationships do to people, it’s unclear whether this was an existing facet of Soubi’s personality or a coping mechanism, but it also doesn’t necessarily matter, since Soubi’s apathy is a major part of his personality as an adult.
Soubi is a loner, and tends to distance himself from people, and often times quite purposefully. He’s very blunt and doesn’t mince words at all, even when what he says is very hurtful or rude. He casually tells a woman that he’s not interested right after meeting her and otherwise tends to say what’s on his mind in rather harsh ways. Other than Seimei, the only exception is people younger than him, which he gives more sympathy and leeway to. While he’s still not exactly the nicest person, it’s also clear that he makes more of an effort to be nice to people younger than he is, to the point of being rather awkward about it.
After all, because of the aforementioned abuse, Soubi has major boundary issues. He tries to kiss Ritsuka almost immediately after meeting him, even though they’re no more than strangers, and once Ritsuka accepts Soubi’s affections, Soubi also isn’t shy about kissing him at all, even though their relationship is quite taboo. Yet the only person to really receive such physical affection at all is Ritsuka, because Ritsuka is the person that Soubi trusts completely and loves. For everyone else, he tends to come off as cold and stoic, which is almost seems paradoxical, but it’s truly just the only way Soubi thinks to show how he cares and is affectionate towards Ritsuka. He’s a product of his abuse, so the only way he can think of to show he deeply cares for Ritsuka veers quickly into inappropriate.
This is also a larger theme with Soubi’s personality, since despite his handsome appearance, he’s rather emotionally stunted and socially awkward. It’s stated that Soubi’s only friend is Kio, a classmate from his college, and based on Soubi’s past, it’s implied that Kio was his first real friend, period. Soubi keeps most people at arms’ length, and even says the only reason he tolerated Kio’s bubbly, energetic personality was because of Kio’s tattoos, which interested him. His personality tends to be rather off-putting, which is what he seems to be going for, but when he does allow someone to befriend him, he still sort of just… messes it up. When he takes in Youji and Natsuo after fighting them and is trying to get Youji to go to sleep, he thinks it’s quite reasonable to get him to go to sleep by spiking his milk with (quite a lot of) vodka, he shoots down Ritsuka’s homeroom teacher harshly even though she expressed very little interest in him, and generally just tends to go to extremes in his social interactions, giving the impression that he’s not exactly used to them.
As for his relationship with Ritsuka, this relationship is crucially important to Soubi because after leaving an absolutely abusive relationship with Ritsuka’s older brother Seimei, Soubi almost seems to have expected the same amount of harsh control from Ritsuka. Yet as he’s quickly proved wrong, Ritsuka becomes someone that Soubi genuinely cares for, which is a first for him, and this is also why he goes to extremes in showing his love. And while I go into this next part, I’ll give a general disclaimer that this is my interpretation of what Soubi’s relationship with Ritsuka means for Soubi, and there are definitely multiple ones, since a true romantic love is definitely just as valid. However, I tend to interpret Soubi’s love for Ritsuka as a misplaced affection and not knowing how to healthily express caring for someone. As a theme for Soubi, his important relationships have all been no less than abusive and awful for him, from Ritsu Minami to Seimei, where the other party clearly did not care about Soubi, and Soubi was more a tool than a person. He accepts this without complaint, but when he meets Ritsuka and finds that Ritsuka does care for him greatly and without expecting things in return, it's so unlike Soubi's previous relationships that Soubi almost immediately becomes affectionate, to the point of seeming a bit strange. After all, this sort of friendly affection is unusual for Soubi to receive, much less express, so he almost goes overboard with it.
That said, as the series progresses, Soubi learns to expression friendship and affection somewhat more normally, also thanks to taking in Youji and Natsuo. He takes on the role of caretaker for the two of them, even if he isn't the best parental figure (i.e., the vodka), he does genuinely care for them and is deeply upset when they leave. Soubi deeply wants to connect to others and is a very lonely person at heart, but he tries his best to hide it. Still, his greatest fear is of being abandoned, which is also why he clings to people and allows them to use him without question.
Overall, Soubi is just a rather odd man. He's rather quiet and keeps to himself, yet longs to be around people. He can be very kind, almost paternal in how he cares for people, and goes through great lengths for others' happiness, yet on the other hand, at times he can be callous and rude. Soubi is hardly a bad person, but he's a damaged one. He's an adult that has been shaped by a childhood full of trauma, and he's getting by as best he can and slowly learning to make friends. Even if they tend to be much younger than he is.
POINT OF DEPARTURE:
The nature of Soubi’s AU is actually quite simple to explain and doesn’t change too much about the story itself. Rather than Ritsuka being 12, in this AU, Ritsuka is instead 17. In terms of the overall story of Loveless, very little is changed in terms of the plot. Ritsuka lost his memories two years prior to the story, when he was 15 instead of 10, and Seimei is the same age, making them just closer in age than in canon. Ritsuka himself is still very mature for his age, and is affected by the same problems at 17 as he would be at 12.
However, what is changed the most for this AU is the psychological effect of Soubi’s relationship with Ritsuka. In canon, their relationship is unarguably unhealthy, since it’s a somewhat intimate relationship between a 12 year old boy and a 21 year old man. While the reasons for this relationship are expanded upon somewhat in the personality section with Soubi’s particular hangups, some of these are avoided with Ritsuka being aged up. For example, Soubi doesn’t seem to think of his relationship with a 12 year old Ritsuka as particularly bad or shameful, largely due to his own childhood abuse and how public sexuality ends up being in the world of Loveless. With an older Ritsuka, Soubi still doesn’t hesitate or think of their relationship as being inappropriate, it’s at least somewhat more socially acceptable, and doesn’t draw the same sort of attention. Soubi also doesn’t project his issues as strongly onto Ritsuka. That said, there is some taboo element still inherent in their relationship, since without it the overall themes of the story are diminished, but it isn’t as strong with the age gap between them being reduced.
In addition, other characters close to the same age as Ritsuka are also aged up in this AU, so for example Yayoi, Youji, and Natsuo are all five years older as well, though this does not change Soubi or the overall story.
ABILITIES:
Soubi is a Fighter, which is not really explained at all what they are, so bear with me... In Loveless, people are paired together to fight other pairs, paired under one name, with one person being a Fighter, and the other is a Sacrifice. The Sacrifice enhances the Fighter's power, but all of the fighting ability comes from the Fighter. In terms of what that power is, Fighters are able to manipulate reality around them based on words. It's not just saying words though, but it's saying them in a poetry-like way, and it's, of course, all improv. This is extremely powerful, and while there's no real consistency about the rules themselves, we see Soubi lower the air around him to subzero temperatures, repel attacks with invisible barriers, and essentially, it seems like anything Soubi is able to express poetically is possible, but what's expressed must be some physical change rather than anything else.
INVENTORY; Just the clothes on his back and a pack of cigarettes + a lighter in his pocket.
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?
Hopefully not!
S A M P L E S;
FIRST PERSON:
Test Drive Here!
THIRD PERSON:
It's not so unfamiliar, to feel as if he had stepped through a door.
When he was younger, Soubi had made that comparison when the fight between two Pairs would begin. It was a strange sort of energy, and it was like a different world opened up to them, accessed only through beautiful words. But Soubi also knows right away that this is different, because there's something indescribable about how the atmosphere just feels. It's not as dangerous. And considering where he had just been...
Guiltily, he feels like it's a relief.
Soubi ignores the people milling around him, whether they mention him as a fool or as a friend, and only lights a cigarette to passively observe until the moment finishes, he's sure. At least until one of them tells a story. It's a story unlike any he's ever heard, but his face doesn't change at all, just listening with a distant sort of coolness, as if he weren't interested at all. By the story's end, the cigarette has dwindled down to its end, so Soubi drops it and grinds it under his heel.
"Alright."
His answer is cool and simple, but he agrees easily and with no complaint at all. It doesn't matter what it's for, he feels, because this way—even if this was no more than a dream—He could fight back, in his way. He could never stray from Seimei's side. That much had just been proven very true, as he had walked away from Seimei's little brother that he had cared for so much. But maybe this way... He could escape. He hated himself for wanting to at all, because it was his role to be at Seimei's side, but this might be a little hope.
...Well, probably not, when he really thought about it. But it was a nice thought, wasn't it?
NAME: Christy
AGE: 23
PLAYER JOURNAL:
swaguTIMEZONE: CST
CONTACT:
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Agatsuma Soubi
CANON: Loveless
POINT IN CANON: Chapter 102
AGE: 21
APPEARANCE: Here
CANON HISTORY: Here! If more detail is needed,I can write my own summary!
CANON PERSONALITY:
A lot of who Soubi is today is heavily based in his past, so it’s important to start with the negatives of who Soubi is. Soubi is a broken person, and a product of abuse of almost every kind. After becoming an orphan, he was taken in by a family friend, but this family friend used Soubi both sexually and for the advancement of his own projects and ambitions. Soubi was just a child at the time, and certainly didn’t think he had any way to escape the abuse, but he also seems to have been somewhat indifferent to it. Since Loveless isn’t a stellar story of what abusive relationships do to people, it’s unclear whether this was an existing facet of Soubi’s personality or a coping mechanism, but it also doesn’t necessarily matter, since Soubi’s apathy is a major part of his personality as an adult.
Soubi is a loner, and tends to distance himself from people, and often times quite purposefully. He’s very blunt and doesn’t mince words at all, even when what he says is very hurtful or rude. He casually tells a woman that he’s not interested right after meeting her and otherwise tends to say what’s on his mind in rather harsh ways. Other than Seimei, the only exception is people younger than him, which he gives more sympathy and leeway to. While he’s still not exactly the nicest person, it’s also clear that he makes more of an effort to be nice to people younger than he is, to the point of being rather awkward about it.
After all, because of the aforementioned abuse, Soubi has major boundary issues. He tries to kiss Ritsuka almost immediately after meeting him, even though they’re no more than strangers, and once Ritsuka accepts Soubi’s affections, Soubi also isn’t shy about kissing him at all, even though their relationship is quite taboo. Yet the only person to really receive such physical affection at all is Ritsuka, because Ritsuka is the person that Soubi trusts completely and loves. For everyone else, he tends to come off as cold and stoic, which is almost seems paradoxical, but it’s truly just the only way Soubi thinks to show how he cares and is affectionate towards Ritsuka. He’s a product of his abuse, so the only way he can think of to show he deeply cares for Ritsuka veers quickly into inappropriate.
This is also a larger theme with Soubi’s personality, since despite his handsome appearance, he’s rather emotionally stunted and socially awkward. It’s stated that Soubi’s only friend is Kio, a classmate from his college, and based on Soubi’s past, it’s implied that Kio was his first real friend, period. Soubi keeps most people at arms’ length, and even says the only reason he tolerated Kio’s bubbly, energetic personality was because of Kio’s tattoos, which interested him. His personality tends to be rather off-putting, which is what he seems to be going for, but when he does allow someone to befriend him, he still sort of just… messes it up. When he takes in Youji and Natsuo after fighting them and is trying to get Youji to go to sleep, he thinks it’s quite reasonable to get him to go to sleep by spiking his milk with (quite a lot of) vodka, he shoots down Ritsuka’s homeroom teacher harshly even though she expressed very little interest in him, and generally just tends to go to extremes in his social interactions, giving the impression that he’s not exactly used to them.
As for his relationship with Ritsuka, this relationship is crucially important to Soubi because after leaving an absolutely abusive relationship with Ritsuka’s older brother Seimei, Soubi almost seems to have expected the same amount of harsh control from Ritsuka. Yet as he’s quickly proved wrong, Ritsuka becomes someone that Soubi genuinely cares for, which is a first for him, and this is also why he goes to extremes in showing his love. And while I go into this next part, I’ll give a general disclaimer that this is my interpretation of what Soubi’s relationship with Ritsuka means for Soubi, and there are definitely multiple ones, since a true romantic love is definitely just as valid. However, I tend to interpret Soubi’s love for Ritsuka as a misplaced affection and not knowing how to healthily express caring for someone. As a theme for Soubi, his important relationships have all been no less than abusive and awful for him, from Ritsu Minami to Seimei, where the other party clearly did not care about Soubi, and Soubi was more a tool than a person. He accepts this without complaint, but when he meets Ritsuka and finds that Ritsuka does care for him greatly and without expecting things in return, it's so unlike Soubi's previous relationships that Soubi almost immediately becomes affectionate, to the point of seeming a bit strange. After all, this sort of friendly affection is unusual for Soubi to receive, much less express, so he almost goes overboard with it.
That said, as the series progresses, Soubi learns to expression friendship and affection somewhat more normally, also thanks to taking in Youji and Natsuo. He takes on the role of caretaker for the two of them, even if he isn't the best parental figure (i.e., the vodka), he does genuinely care for them and is deeply upset when they leave. Soubi deeply wants to connect to others and is a very lonely person at heart, but he tries his best to hide it. Still, his greatest fear is of being abandoned, which is also why he clings to people and allows them to use him without question.
Overall, Soubi is just a rather odd man. He's rather quiet and keeps to himself, yet longs to be around people. He can be very kind, almost paternal in how he cares for people, and goes through great lengths for others' happiness, yet on the other hand, at times he can be callous and rude. Soubi is hardly a bad person, but he's a damaged one. He's an adult that has been shaped by a childhood full of trauma, and he's getting by as best he can and slowly learning to make friends. Even if they tend to be much younger than he is.
POINT OF DEPARTURE:
The nature of Soubi’s AU is actually quite simple to explain and doesn’t change too much about the story itself. Rather than Ritsuka being 12, in this AU, Ritsuka is instead 17. In terms of the overall story of Loveless, very little is changed in terms of the plot. Ritsuka lost his memories two years prior to the story, when he was 15 instead of 10, and Seimei is the same age, making them just closer in age than in canon. Ritsuka himself is still very mature for his age, and is affected by the same problems at 17 as he would be at 12.
However, what is changed the most for this AU is the psychological effect of Soubi’s relationship with Ritsuka. In canon, their relationship is unarguably unhealthy, since it’s a somewhat intimate relationship between a 12 year old boy and a 21 year old man. While the reasons for this relationship are expanded upon somewhat in the personality section with Soubi’s particular hangups, some of these are avoided with Ritsuka being aged up. For example, Soubi doesn’t seem to think of his relationship with a 12 year old Ritsuka as particularly bad or shameful, largely due to his own childhood abuse and how public sexuality ends up being in the world of Loveless. With an older Ritsuka, Soubi still doesn’t hesitate or think of their relationship as being inappropriate, it’s at least somewhat more socially acceptable, and doesn’t draw the same sort of attention. Soubi also doesn’t project his issues as strongly onto Ritsuka. That said, there is some taboo element still inherent in their relationship, since without it the overall themes of the story are diminished, but it isn’t as strong with the age gap between them being reduced.
In addition, other characters close to the same age as Ritsuka are also aged up in this AU, so for example Yayoi, Youji, and Natsuo are all five years older as well, though this does not change Soubi or the overall story.
ABILITIES:
Soubi is a Fighter, which is not really explained at all what they are, so bear with me... In Loveless, people are paired together to fight other pairs, paired under one name, with one person being a Fighter, and the other is a Sacrifice. The Sacrifice enhances the Fighter's power, but all of the fighting ability comes from the Fighter. In terms of what that power is, Fighters are able to manipulate reality around them based on words. It's not just saying words though, but it's saying them in a poetry-like way, and it's, of course, all improv. This is extremely powerful, and while there's no real consistency about the rules themselves, we see Soubi lower the air around him to subzero temperatures, repel attacks with invisible barriers, and essentially, it seems like anything Soubi is able to express poetically is possible, but what's expressed must be some physical change rather than anything else.
INVENTORY; Just the clothes on his back and a pack of cigarettes + a lighter in his pocket.
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?
Hopefully not!
S A M P L E S;
FIRST PERSON:
Test Drive Here!
THIRD PERSON:
It's not so unfamiliar, to feel as if he had stepped through a door.
When he was younger, Soubi had made that comparison when the fight between two Pairs would begin. It was a strange sort of energy, and it was like a different world opened up to them, accessed only through beautiful words. But Soubi also knows right away that this is different, because there's something indescribable about how the atmosphere just feels. It's not as dangerous. And considering where he had just been...
Guiltily, he feels like it's a relief.
Soubi ignores the people milling around him, whether they mention him as a fool or as a friend, and only lights a cigarette to passively observe until the moment finishes, he's sure. At least until one of them tells a story. It's a story unlike any he's ever heard, but his face doesn't change at all, just listening with a distant sort of coolness, as if he weren't interested at all. By the story's end, the cigarette has dwindled down to its end, so Soubi drops it and grinds it under his heel.
"Alright."
His answer is cool and simple, but he agrees easily and with no complaint at all. It doesn't matter what it's for, he feels, because this way—even if this was no more than a dream—He could fight back, in his way. He could never stray from Seimei's side. That much had just been proven very true, as he had walked away from Seimei's little brother that he had cared for so much. But maybe this way... He could escape. He hated himself for wanting to at all, because it was his role to be at Seimei's side, but this might be a little hope.
...Well, probably not, when he really thought about it. But it was a nice thought, wasn't it?