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 Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:06 pm
Name
Arashi
Nickname
Ara
Appearance Age
Early twenties or late teens.
Actual Age
Six months... No! Half a year! Wait...
Personality
Confused. Identity. Orientation. Direction. The world is a blur to him. Everything is a shade of gray, taken one way or another.. Or is it a tone of grey? Poor little thing can't decide exactly who he is either. He knows he is a book child, a part of the city, but what exactly his role is in the City changes as he can't make up his mind.
This and that. That and this. He can't make up his mind. He weighs things in his mind by pros and cons, categorising them, but... In the end, he still has difficulty trying to stick to his first decision or even making one in the first place. Where do you want to eat? "Uh.. Where do you want to eat?"
Religious. Arashi needs the concept of a higher being. He needs for there to be some sort of universal order. Though he can't decide which ideology is correct or best for him and switches from one to another, he becomes a fervent believer. He doesn't go shouting and discussing his beliefs out in the streets, but whatever rituals or procedures are part of his new religion, he follows the rules as laws and codes... until he changes his mind and turns to another one.
His core philosophy changes so often that it somehow encompass all of the religions he's experience so far at the same time. When questioned about conflicts between two specific ones, he could only give a dumb-founded look at reply, "I don't know..."
Clingy. For a lack of a better adjective. He extremely enjoys other people's company. He finds people's presences to be like his name, like anchors. Something certain. Something static. But when a person changes or does something out of the norm, he becomes extremely confused for a long period of time before being able to adapt to the changes or simply call that single moment an anomaly.
Death is something that is absolutely difficult for Arashi to process, for that would mean absolutely no trace left of a person. For such a sudden change, he would go into a form of shock that is not completely related to grief.
Malleable. But because of his need of security and of people, he's easily influenced by those around him. At times, because of his severe doubt of himself, he'd believe anything. Nearly anything. The only requirement is that there is some form of logic, no matter how terrible, that leads to that idea. His trust in the City People and Book Children are equal, so he believes everyone, leaving to very odd combinations of opinions which are usually borrowed from someone else.
If he sees someone act in a certain behaviour and no one rebukes said person, Arashi just may copy that very action even if it ends up being rude or obnoxious. Until someone tells him what he's doing is wrong or until he finds another action to copy, it'll just become a part of his habit.
Intelligent. But in only a skewed sense of the word. He can think for himself, he can create his own opinions, but rarely does so. Rather it's his talent for simply absorbing knowledge. He studied under a mechanist, and was rather skilled at his apprenticeship. It was simple. There was an objective, tools, materials, and a plan.
He's able to deconstruct and reconstruct any mechanism, but when it finally came for him to design the machines, he panicked for he quickly flooded with a plethora of possibilities. He could choose this design, or that one, or perhaps change the metal of this part. In the end, he couldn't make up his mind and simply stared at the pages upon pages upon pages of sketches and blue-prints.
Repetitive. Because of his constant update of his wardrobe, money becomes tight and Arashi ends up selling much of his clothes only to fall in debt to buy the next season's set of clothing. It's a terrible cycle. Though, luckily, he can find a job with his jack-of-all-trade set of skills and work his way out of debt... until the next season comes with its own set of styles and clothing.
But Arashi doesn't mind being in debt over 9o% of the time. He actually gets more nervous when he's done paying his owes, his rent, his food expenses, and has leftover coin towards the end of the season. He doesn't know what to do with the extra money, even if they sometimes end up only being a few tens. So he usually dumps this all in the bank. If he kept it in his small room, he might notice it growing and growing like some sort of fungi, and that'll just disturb him.
His room rarely changes. The only thing in his sparse room that changes is what's in his wardrobe and perhaps the number of people inside. Aside from a bed, closet, a night stand, a small lamp, and a single clock, there isn't much else. If something breaks or stops working, he panics for a minute before going out to fix whatever is broken.
Thoughts on the Forest
It's there. It's always there. It never changes, it never moves. Arashi finds it to be a perfect place. He's never seen new trees grow or fall, unlike the building and destroying of buildings in the City. He always considers returning, but in the impossible chance that he does, that would mean leaving his current lifestyle, which would cause a big disruption to his mind and soul.
Thoughts of Book Children
He likes them. He likes all the Book Children, whether they're cruel or nice. [[Though, of course, he likes the nicer ones more.]] He likes hearing other stories and learning more about them, hoping that it'll help stabilise his own idea of self. However, he is rarely vocal about anything. The only way to tell if someone or something pleases him is if he's smiling or he's just not nervous about something or another.
Thoughts on City People
He likes them too. He likes all the denizens of the City. He enjoys meeting strong personas and attempting to emulate them with his own wishy-washy self.
He also enjoys learning and many of the City People are willing to teach him, so long as he's willing to stick around.
Physical Appearance
Thin and willowy. He appears to be the sort that'll be knocked right over if one blew too hard. His hair is black, short, and cut choppy, as though he cut it himself without a mirror, which is actually the truth. The farthest locks of hair only reaches to the base of his skull, though the longest strands would be his bangs, which reach past his ears. His eyes are also a dull black colour, but his clothes on the other hand...
He keeps up with the latest fashion with the City People. He can't help it. The upper and middle class are focused on how they appear, and so Arashi inevitably also believes so. Fashion is his only constant religion. However, because he is a Book Child, his clothes still retain it's bright colours instead of turning into the pitch black for the City People, often making him stick out in a crowd. But that's only whenever he can afford the extra bit of colour.
Usually he'd wear the simple black and white clothing with only some colourful accents to mimick both the other Book-Children and the City People. In terms of style, he can keep it somewhat coordinated, seeing as fashion is just a repeat and remash of the past. Though, at times, he may make a mistake and adorn clothing for the fairer sex, someone usually is kind enough to point out his mistake, being now somewhat infamous for this. [[He usually becomes so flustered, the only thing he can do is run straight home and change his entire outfit... and perhaps get rid of said garment.]]
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:10 pm
History
Arashi as all other Book Children awoke in the Paper Forest. But at the time, he had no name. Taking his time, he sat in the forest and recited his story over and over again, but there were names in his story. Desperate for something, he chose the name 'Arashi' simply because the name was of the author of the preface of the book The Unknown Speak, a collection of short stories and poems by lost names, his story being one of the uncredited pieces. Though, he does not know the other stories in the book, the preface was universal to them all, and thus known to each of the other stories.
After his final decision of what to call himself, one of the Guardians, Atelhe, took notice of the book child and gently began to pull him towards the City. At the new sight, Arashi wasn't sure he wanted to enter the empty city. He panicked. He didn't know what to do. He was so unsure and uncertain that he stood unmoving at the border of the City for a few hours. But the Guardian finally pushed him out, leaving him forever stuck in the City.
Without any other paths to take, Arashi slowly wandered into the City, careful not to touch anything for fear of something terrifying. Without sleep, without food, he lasted for weeks in the empty city in a state of absolute paranoia. Until one day, in a state of exhaustion, he grabbed a small piece of food, hid under a bed, and ate, hoping that no one noticed, even when there was no one to be seen. He didn't notice he had fallen asleep until he woke up to the sounds of.. well, sounds! There were other people!
Peeking from under his 'fortress', he heard a chatter of another Book Child and saw the scroll of words from some dark shadow, which he would later learn was a City Person. From the lack of company for so long, even the scary Guardian would have been a welcome at that time, he crawled out and introduced himself as though it was perfectly normal for Book Children to pop out of bed frames. The two were rather astonished at his appearance, but he was welcomed to the small family.
Later, he would leave the family and begin his wanderings around the City, still unsure of so many things.
Hobbies
Mimicking people. Following instructions. Listening or reading other stories.
Birthday
[?]
Favorite Things
New ideas and people. Clarity. Consistency. Plans.
Hated Things
New ideas and people. Ambiguity. Confusion. Change. Thinking. Being creative.
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:11 pm
Story
"But Yesterday, I was a Goldfish"
Transcribed from an unknown Storyteller
"Well, of course I'm not human. I'm obviously a butterfly." With this, he grabbed the edges of his robe's long sleeves and flapped his arm multiple times, catching the wind with the cloth like sails and letting them go so they'd flutter like the wings of.. a butterfly. "But yesterday, I was a goldfish." Again he grabbed his sleeves, but this time, moved only one arm in a slow loop following the infinity sign. His sleeves wavered and billowed back and forth as he moved his hand following the invisible currents of air and water.
He had already left his seat long ago and was now moving his arms in elaborate circles and shapes, mimicking a fish... or still a butterfly?
"Fate had told me to jump and swim in the air, so I did. But when I left my watery world, I couldn't breathe. So I died suspended in space above my home." The man began to slow down and simply circle the room. His hands moved still in slow infinity signs, but his sleeves no longer moved with him, but rather hung quiet and still. "My body decayed and shriveled up to a small, black thing. My spirit cried, and the Great Spirit cried alongside me. He pitied me for I had died following my dreams. How could I swim at all now? I thought to myself." He shrugged his shoulders in a grudging disbelief and shook his head gravely.
"The Great Spirit continued to cry, when quietly tears of His fell upon my body. When I was alive, I was as golden and vibrant as the sun. But the Great Spirit's love and sadness had painted soft and mute wings upon my dead body, feathery clouds surrounding a full moon. I flapped my newly gifted wings as hard as I could to live again... For I no longer had a heart beat, so I had to create one of my own. Do you not hear it now?" He again grabbed his sleeves with his fingers and brought them together to create a whoo.., but quickly drew them away from each other, shh! Again and again, whoo... shh! Whoo... shh! He created his heart beat.
"I lived again. My dark dead body only a reminder of a past life as a beautiful but discontent goldfish. My dull purple wings were my new life as a fragile but happy butterfly. For as long as I beat my wings, I will live."
Favorite type of Ending
Happy and complete ones. One that aren't cliffhangers.
Favorite Illustration
"This is Not a Pipe"
"It makes sense! It is not a pipe!"
Dreams
To be content with something entirely without doubt.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 10:30 pm
My, my...what an intriguing book child, this Arashi. He seems to be rather conflicted by all the various opinions he's taking in from others. Almost like being 'too' open-minded. XD I like him a lot.
Hmm...questions, though. For one, besides style of clothing, how does he know what fashions to keep up with in terms of colors if he just follows the fashions of the City people, who wear simply black and white? Are the colors for the clothes he picks just as conflicted and clashing as his ideas, or do they go well together? If so, why? How? Does he have an eye for color? Does he put neutrals with bright colors to balance them, or does he wear all bright colors to balance his own neutral countenance/demeanor out? Does he like sticking out in a crowd? Does he know bright colors cause him to?
What happens when he encouters 'cruel' book children? It says he still likes them, but does he express that to them? Even if they do something like punch him in the face?
Also, what if he's caught up in the middle of an argument between too opposing views? Would he be clueless? Would he takes sides at all, or refuse? How would he absorb both conflicting sides of information? What if he knows more about one side than another? Would he side with that side, or try to find out more about the other first? Would he play devil's advocate, or simply try to slip away from the argument altogether?
I like his choice of name, as names are very important things. I also admire how you made it very clear that he likes consistant, stable things and that he himself has trouble finding stability. Arashi sounds like a very fun character to interact with. I really hope you manage to bring him to life soon!
~Kit
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 4:44 pm
:3 Thanks for the crit, Kit.
Oh lol.. The clothes bit is a really good question. Haha.. I assume he doesn't know what colour coordination is because the City People don't need colour.
I'll have to go ask a few questions about the fashion before I go change it. XD
Cruel people are still people, thus why Arashi admires them unless they're not very consistent. He does express his like with a smile and perhaps a few words, but for the most part it's his facial expression and body language.
If someone did punch him in the face... well, he might start thinking that punching people in the face is a good thing. XD
He's a child in the sense that everything he sees is what he believes to be correct, which he wants to mimic.
If he was in between an argument or a conversation with different views, he takes both their sides and usually pays more attention to the better talker or the one with 'better' logic, whether it's all that great or not. He wouldn't join the argument, as that would mean he would have to elaborate on something he doesn't 'know'.
If it's an 'old' argument, one he's already heard, he just repeats whatever side he thought was correct before, and just as well may switch his opinions in the new argument.
Haha. Thanks. But I chose the name before I even began building his personality. I just chose a random author from my local library. XD
Though, I like how his name meaning fit him pretty well.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:47 pm
You're very welcome! And sorry to throw that curve ball with the color at ya. Heh, I'm just a color person, so trying to picture him in the latest fashion without knowing what colors he was wearing was bothering me. Not that I know anything about fashion. >_>;
Haha, aw, poor Arashi! He might think it's a good thing?! Wow...yup, definitely seems to have the open mind of a child. I suppose all one can do is hope he encounters 'nicer' people first or in greater numbers than the 'cruel' people he may encounter.
I really like his concept. Very creative. It captures his book spirit well, and he's almost like a mirror reflecting all the opinions he's giving. He sounds like he'd be an awful lot of fun to play with in rp. Best of luck!
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 6:00 pm
Ah, no. It was a legit question and one that got answered pretty quickly on the Q&A thread.
I just assumed everything was in colour because of the Book Children having colour.
[[Oh God.. Now I have to figure out what is the current trend. XD]]
Haha. Thank you.
But he's just so.. neurotic. XD
I have no other words left for him but that.
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Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 1:53 am
t h e C a r d M a s t e r  A few things need work, but, as far at the meta is concerned good to go. As a reader though, Could you perhaps format the text to be aligned to the left? ;w; It's just hard for me (Vamps) to read lol.
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Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:54 am
Yeah for Meta~
And oh, sorry. I'm used to formatting my profiles a little different, but alright.
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