 _______________________________________________Identity Full Name - Ryuuichi Sakamoto
Nicknames - Ryuu, to all those who know what's good for them; he hates his full name
Age - 17
Gender - Male
Year - First
Personality A man of action
So it's no secret that Ryuu is... pretty bad with words. And whether the hen came before the egg or not, he's always preferred to show his feelings and beliefs through his actions rather than his words. After all, he has some trust issues when it comes to words, both his own and others'. Sometimes people say what they don't mean, either by accident or on purpose, or what they say gets misconstrued, or something goes wrong and leads to misunderstandings. But if someone puts themselves between you and danger, or brings a shoulder when you really need to lean against one... yeah. That's way more difficult to mess up — not that... he hasn't managed to done that, too. After all, his propensity for action does mean that he often leaps into things before thinking, and that if he feels like something needs doing now, he's going to get up and do it — even if it's the middle of history class.
Self-fulfilling prophecy
If you're told you're a trouble maker your whole life, if you weren't one before, you sure as hell become one eventually. While there might have been a time when Ryuu tried to explain his side of things, he rarely bothers to do so anymore. In fact, ever since he managed to make like-minded...ish friends in Tokyo, he's embraced people's views of him, and even encouraged them to a degree — as evidenced by many aspects of his appearance and outward attitude. So yeah, even if he doesn't need to it, he may as well kick the shit outta that trashcan when he gets angry, or whirl on that guy touching his shoulder to ask him to please quiet down, because that's what people expect, anyway. It's easier to make everyone at least leave him the hell alone than trying to change just to make friends.
Is it bravery or stupidity?
Probably both, in his case. All too often, his readiness to act despite danger comes from the fact that he hasn't yet stopped to think about the possible consequences, aka, he doesn't even realize he should be scared until after the fact. What, there's a cat stuck in a tree, precariously hanging off the side of the mountain?! Hold his bag, he's scaling that shit. Falling? ... Oh, yeah, guess there was the danger of that, too, huh. Anyway, here's the cat. He can be somewhat of a daredevil, and has a burning need to prove people wrong whenever they tell him he isn't able to do something - unless, of course, that something has to do with school. He's given up on his grades. Also, come a difficult social situation? That previous bravery and boldness is very quick to wane, no matter how much he tries to cling to the illusion it hasn't.
A sense of justice?!
Though it might be difficult to believe nowadays, the sense of justice that guided many of his seemingly unruly actions as a child is still there, buried underneath layers upon layers of anger and bitterness as it may be. It doesn't make up for the bad things he's done, nor does it prevent him from doing bad things in the future (he will kill over his grandma's flowers, seriously, watch your step, or watch him), but it does mean he won't clock just anyone for any reason, contrary to popular belief. He's not about to get physical with someone who can't fight back, and to this day, he will still intervene if he sees someone getting bullied or otherwise discriminated against in his vicinity. Which... is admittedly ironic, because to some of his peers, he's decidedly the bully.
Character Relationships Osanai Suzuka
"Shit, shit, shit, she saw me feedin' and playin' with Mochimaru-chan the other day! I don't think she's told anyone, not like she talks much anyway, but... I mean, she does have a buncha friends, so... huh. Come to think of it, how does she have that many, when she's kind of a loner like me? She must know somethin' I don't. ... Imma ask her."
Isshiki Mikako
pending whether they've met before!
Fuji Eikichi
"The guy can talk, I'll give him that. That's... kinda awesome, gotta admit, always managing to say shit the way you intend to. Means he's gotta be smart. I can tell he's tryina look cool, and yeah, he's popular, he's getting there, but-- I think dude needs a dye job. Not like I'm gonna tell him that, though, I sure as hell don't need to meddle with a meddler."
Haruto Morioka
"I don't trust him. No, seriously, dude's always happy and smiling, that just ain't right!
I mean, yeah, he seems genuinely nice and-- actually, he kinda reminds me of Mika-ch-- Mikako. Hell, they must get along well. Super well. Like two peas in a bed. Pod? Bed. ... Shit, I really don't think I like him."
Arashiyama Junko
"Scary. What? I ain't say nothin', alright?! Just, yeah, she's a lot. Looks-like-she-could-fold-me-into-half-lot, you know? It's cool. She's pretty cool, but also-- wait, is she lookin' this way? What does she want?! I told her I'm NOT joining the damn judo cl-"
Shinomiya Koharu
"Oh shit, talk about a glow up. It's not like I knew her all that well back then either, but I almost didn't recognize her now! At least there ain't no way she remembers me now either, thank god. Glad she's doin' well, but I really don't need her talkin' to me and drawing even more attention."
Takaya Chihara
"Nerd alert! Man, can't believe I was ever friends with this guy. Dude's just like the rest, saw him almost drop his stack o' papers tryina avoid me in the hallway. Fine, whatever, not like I'm all eager to sit down with him and talk about... what, studies? Grades? Borin'."
Other Information - Spends a lot of his free time playing online games, usually as a medic, healer, or whatever the game's equivalent is. Lately, he's been pretty into Underwatch. He enjoys knowing that, as a healer, he is in fact needed by an entire team of people, even if they don't outright say it. And there's nothing quite as satisfying as passive-aggressively shoving his healing staff where the sun don't shine if one of his teammates acts up.
So, well, if you've ever wondered why your cute catgirl of a healer becomes a swearing, toxic hellian at the drop of a hat, now you know. It was probably Ryuu.
- Green thumb by circumstance, all thanks to Grandma's garden. Granted, his hands are still often scratched up, if not because of the cats, then because he isn't very good at handling sharp objects or thorns in the garden.
- All the moving and trouble he's gotten himself into have caused him to fall behind and miss enough school that, at seventeen, he's the oldest first year to start at the local school. He tries to hide his age, but few things stay a secret in such a small community. | Physical Description
In all honesty, Ryuu wouldn't need to stand out as much as he does. He's only a little taller than average, and doesn't have any particular features that would notably stick out, were he to conform to dress code and lose the garnish. He is athletic, sure, but not to the extent it'd turn heads in a casual setting — especially with absolute units like Junko around.
Add in the offensively red hair, red contacts, cap, earrings, and the tattoo his father almost disowned him over and the tendency to try and skirt dress code whenever and wherever possible, though, and suddenly you have a dude that very much sticks out. Part of it is just his personal preference; the way he dressed when he felt part of a group for the first time back in Tokyo. In part, though, it's a deliberate choice, a blaring middle finger, a warning not to stray too close.
At least, at school. At home, he dresses much more traditionally, quite liking his grandmother's handmade samue and jinbei in summer in particular. He loses the contacts too, even if he still refuses to tame his hair — though that might be more inability than anything else.
Personal Story
Ever since young, Ryuu has been a troublemaker — especially if you were to ask his no-nonsense, self-made parents, who hoped their son might not only inherit their successful tech firm, but their good business sense and ambition as well. A futile hope, they realized early on, when Ryuu clearly lacked both the patience and the smarts to keep up with his peers, let alone rise above them.
What he did have in spades was curiosity and boldness. He was always the one to go first when exploring new — admittedly, often dangerous — places, and he was the first to speak up for himself and others when he saw the need arise — be it against bullies or teachers. Sometimes his meddling came from a good place; the will to help out other kids who couldn't help themselves. Sometimes, though, he really did it because, quite frankly, he rather enjoyed the rush, the feeling of something happening in a life that his parents did their best to make dull. Reasons hardly mattered to his parents, however. A kid who stood out was a kid in need of stricter rules and boundaries, even punishment if necessary, lest rumours start to spread.
For as long as Ryuu can remember, the most notable part of his year were always the summers. His family used to vacation on Kumoriyama Island, where his paternal grandparents lived. Ryuu loved the island. He used to sneak out come every opportunity to explore, and had quite a few interesting encounters there over the years. Every year, upon returning, he seemed to be more well-behaved for a time after, almost as if the clean island air had soothed him, or chased away whatever yokai must've possessed him for the rest of the year.
Unfortunately, while still in elementary school, their island vacationing tradition came to an abrupt halt, as Ryuu broke the nose of another boy local to the island. He insisted he'd done it to save a girl, but his parents were decidedly not interested in his reasons and, fearing backlash towards them or his father's parents, decided to no longer take him with them.
And so, deprived of not only the one thing that made him happy, but forced to spend his summers thereafter with his uncle in the heart of bustling Tokyo, Ryuu's behaviour worsened. Only, in the big city, he wasn't the only troublemaking kid around — and so, as he reached his preteen and eventually teenage years, he managed to eventually find his own crew. People who understood him and accepted him, without question. Delinquents, many of whom had done way worse things than Ryuu could ever imagine getting involved in. For the first time, Ryuu really cared about fitting in however, and so instead of trying to shed his issues, he cultivated them into a proper tough guy persona.
Until, once again, his parents'd had enough. Remembering that the rural island had helped at least somewhat all those years ago, they sent him back to Kumoriyama, this time to live with his paternal grandfather. He had made a man out of his son in his yourh — surely, he could do the same for his unruly grandson.
He could not. He did make Ryuu behave for a time, granted, but out of fear rather than respect, and only by forcing him to suppress all the feelings and thoughts his grandfather deemed bothersome or unmanly. So, the boy who used to wear his emotions on his sleeve, crying when sad, shouting when angry, became a ticking timebomb, calm until the dam burst, and then came the fists and the violence and the plethora of rumours and tales and whispers shared between the locals. A truly troublesome kid, that Ryuu.
Troublesome to a point, some said, that he even drove a good man to an early grave out of sheer stress! Never mind that his grandfather had already been old as time when Ryuu had moved in, let alone when he'd passed at almost ninety. By then, Ryuu had already been in trouble with the law more than once, and considering he was now a minor without a guardian, a move back to the mainland seemed to be in order.
At least, were it not for Grandma, living on the other side of the island.
Grandma was not truly Ryuu's grandmother, their blood connection distant at best, but to Ryuu she quickly became the closest family he'd ever had. She took him in, and the few years he spent with her were— if not calm, at least calmer. Until she, too, had to leave. Her daughter overseas needed her, living alone after a grave accident. Grandma promised, however, that she would be back as soon as she was able, and that she would send postcards regularly. She's kept that promise, and Ryuu's learned patience waiting for her return and taking care of her house, garden, and the many cats she used to feed.
In the few months since her leaving, Ryuu has managed to keep out of trouble for the most part — except that one time he assaulted a police officer, who came to check the premises with no regard for his Grandma's beloved flowers. He ended up locked up for a few nights for that.
And he'd do it again, goddamnit. |
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