Difference between revisions of "Shinjiro Aragaki"

"Everything we do has consequences."

Shinjiro Aragaki is not your average Persona-User. One of the founding members of SEES, he nonetheless distanced himself from the group for three years after an incident in which he lost control of his power and accidentally killed an innocent bystander. A rather infamous member of Darkside, he has a wide array of contacts of varying legitimacy, though he makes a point of keeping his own activities beneficent. He blames himself for the death he caused, and tries to avoid using Personae because of this... even though he has rejoined SEES as an active member. Many of his underclassmen have come to see him as a mentor figure, despite his obvious issues.

Killing Glare, Lecture, I Have A Particular Set of Skills, Best Senpai, Kohai Army, Gangland Hero(?), Self-Loathing 101, Angry Young Man, Skipping School, Don't Be Like Me, Knowledge: Underworld, Knowledge: Cooking, My Feelings Will Not Be Repressed, SEES 'Nam Vet, Less Doomed

Equipment:

• Weapon: Heavy axes, maces, hammers, zweihanders, stop signs. Anything that looks like he shouldn't be able to wield it one-handed the way he does. Current choice is a double-bladed axe about half his height.
• Body: Dark red peacoat. Sometimes, a leather jacket.
• Feet: Boots. Well-worn, with a slight heel.
• Accessories:
  • A badly-made twine bracelet, worn hidden under his sleeve. He doesn't talk about it.
  • A heavy copper-and-steel braided ring given him by Ran. It is occasionally worn on the hand, but more often worn on a chain around his neck (due to not wanting to break it on someone's deserving jaw).

Social Stats:

• Courage: 5 - Fucking Iron
• Diligence: 5 - Suicidally Stubborn
• Expression: 0 - Goddamn Rude
• Understanding: 2 - Depends On Topic
• Knowledge: 2 - What's 'Attendance'
• Street Smarts: 5 - Undisputed Alpha

Contacts:

• Intimidate: Armor-piercing glare.
• Ignore: Walked away five minutes ago.
• Lecture: "Back in 'Nam, we didn't TALK to demons..."
• Dere: "Fuckin useless goddamn... hey you. C'mere."

Shinjiro will fuck you up.

Castor, the mortal son. One of the Dioscuri, sons of Zeus and Tyndareus. Castor was fated to die, having been born a man, but his immortal brother Polydeuces opted to share his immortality. This allowed both brothers to live one day on Olympus as gods, but the next day as shades in the underworld.

Shinjiro's lack of total control over his Persona arises from his lack of internal harmony or coherence between what he is, and what he tries to be. There is a sharp schism between the face he presents to the world, and his actual nature: which is heavily-repressed, and embodied by his Persona. Castor, when he was first manifested, was an accurate reflection of Shinjiro; however, since the accident he has found himself denied and suppressed to a psychologically-unhealthy point.

The drugs in particular have had a detrimental effect. While they do succeed in suppressing Personae, they also drive them a little mad through the damage they cause. Though Shinjiro has stopped using, Castor has yet to fully regenerate the damage. He is in near-constant conflict with Shinjiro's conscious self, and occasionally finds outlet in uncontrolled rages: typically when Shinjiro is too weakened or overwrought to properly restrain him.

Ever since recent events within the TV (Log of that TV scene) and some frank self-assessment with those who are closest to him, Shinjiro is slowly reconciling himself with his actual nature and allowing himself not only to live, but also to be the flawed and headstrong person he naturally is. As such, his Persona is growing marginally more stable... though he still has trouble truly relaxing his white-knuckled attempts to repress and control.

Castor's appearance has altered in view of the the fact Shinjiro's psychology is slightly healthier, as a direct result of IC events. In the past, the instability and suicidal self-destructiveness of Shinjiro's mind manifested itself in Castor's incomplete, lamed appearance. With a little more mental stability comes a more complete horse and rider: four-legged, stable, and alert.

Castor changes from day to day, as befits the myth. One day it's a skeletal horse sheathed in blackened barding, bearing a rider impaled upon a spear, and the beast will have control of the aggregate. The next, it's a living white horse, lightly armored and wreathed in seafoam, with a living rider that has full control of his mount.

• SENSE: Wild, impulsive, destructive, and chaotic. The first (and for most people, the /only/) thing "felt" is the impression of a fully-armored warhorse, higher at the shoulder than most men are tall, violent-eyed and only barely restrained from lashing out and breaking others beneath its hooves. Those with stronger senses, however, might be able to look past the beast to see the beneficent rider astride it.
• SCENT:Rushing horses in wet steel-and-leather tack. Sea foam, a salted wind, and the electric tang of St. Elmo's Fire.
• SOUND:Surf on the shore, broken up by the regular four-beat gait of galloping horses and the rustle of honed steel.

• O - THE FOOL
  • Tohru Adachi: The unlikeliest of BFFS.
  • Minako Arisato: DDDD:

• I - THE MAGICIAN
  • Shiki Ichimonji: One of the first kohais Shinjiro took a personal hand in mentoring, Shinjiro is quite proud (in a near-paternal way) of how far Shiki has come.

• II - THE HIGH PRIESTESS
  • None of note.

• III - THE EMPRESS
  • Mitsuru Kirijo: One of Shinjiro's three oldest and best friends. His feelings towards her alternate between devotion, protectiveness, and gratitude; but he is also one of the very few people who is not afraid to occasionally interact with-- and advise-- her as an equal.

• IV - THE EMPEROR
  • Akihiko Sanada: G=(e_eG)
  • Akatsuki Enda: Shinjiro doesn't understand Akatsuki very well. Though he respects the other boy, he finds Akatsuki's sensitivity and emotional preoccupation difficult to navigate.

• V - THE HIEROPHANT
  • None of note. Unless you count Ryotaro Dojima, the one male adult who can get Shinjiro to ._.;

• VI - THE LOVERS
  • Tohya Kidzuki: Shinjiro doesn't know Tohya well, but from what little he's seen of her (and what he has heard of her) he believes she must be a decent sort, even if she does like Kandori for some incomprehensible reason. He is relieved Tohya is no longer with the NWO.

• VII - THE CHARIOT
  • Aigis: Though Aigis may be a deadly battle bot, Shinjiro treats her with the same gentleness and guidance he would give any flesh and blood kohai.
  • Chisaki Tohsaki: Another of the kohais Shinjiro has taken a personal interest in (and who has taken a personal interest in him, in turn), Shinjiro is very fond of Chisaki's upbeat, frank attitude and way with weapons. They also have in common certain issues with their Personae.

• VIII - JUSTICE
  • Ken Amada: :(((

• IX - THE HERMIT
  • None of note.

• X - THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE
  • Ran Itoh: h_h
  • Takaya Sakaki: Shinjiro hates and actually fears Takaya as: 1) a reminder of his miserable existence in the streets and his dependence on the suppressant drugs, 2) responsible for the attempt to kill/enlighten him and Ran by pushing them into the Inaba TV. More than the actual man himself, Shinjiro hates thhe dirty feeling of remembering that he was once dependent on anything-- or anyone.

• XI - STRENGTH
  • Enoha Koinose: Where Shinjiro lectures kohais, Enoha lectures Shinjiro. Enoha is the closest Shinjiro has to an elder sister figure.

• XII - THE HANGED MAN
  • None of note.

• XIII - DEATH
  • None of note.

• XIV - TEMPERANCE
  • Miwa Saitou: Despite being the same age (or year, at least) as Miwa, Shinjiro tends to think of her as 'another kohai.' Though he isn't foolish enough to think that she doesn't have an inner strength of her own, he certainly thinks of her as someone who needs protecting.
  • Naomi Suzuno: What began as a tense relationship-- with Naomi highly unsettled by Shinjiro's strong Resonance, and Shinjiro scornful of what he assumed to be another spoilt princess-- has become a trusting friendship. Though neither of them have fully revealed all their secrets to the other, they are beginning to consider one another to be excellent sources of counsel. Naomi brings out the teasing, rakish aspects of Shinjiro that have not seen use in years.

• XV - THE DEVIL
  • Itsuka Mizuhara: If Shinjiro regards Shiki as something almost like a son, Itsuka must certainly be the well-loved daddy's girl. He is aware of her devotion to him, and a desire to avoid hurting her was a predominant reason for his decision not to die. Though he can occasionally be a little troubled by certain of her tendencies, they spur him to care for her more as opposed to pushing her away.

• XVI - THE TOWER
  • Thora Kobayashi: Thora and Shinjiro's relationship started off highly antagonistic, both of them being alpha personalities quick to leap into conflict. However, after seeing Thora trying to make her own bento in the wake of her mother's murder, Shinjiro's empathy was stirred enough for him to show her a kindness that Thora has not forgotten. Gentle treatment being such a rare thing in Thora's life, Shinjiro has earned the right to be the only person Thora will address as 'senpai.' It is highly likely, given Thora and Shinjiro's reputations, that no one would EVER guess this respect was won not through brute force, but through kindness.
  • Himeru Namikawa: A peer of Shiki and Itsuka's in Shinjiro's mind, Shinjiro-- in his typical gruff way-- cares for Himeru as one of his underclassmen. He sees in her an unhealthy amount of emotional repression to rival his own, and though he is hardly an adept at navigating emotional waters, he would like to relieve her of some of her crippling guilt. He knows firsthand how heavy such burdens can be.

• XVII - THE STAR
  • Hinata Itoh: Ran's little sister. Possibly... a future sister-in-law?!

• XVIII - THE MOON
  • None of note.

• XIX - THE SUN
  • Tatsuya Suou: Though their surface personalities are rather different, Tatsuya being more given to even, direct bluntness and Shinjiro more volatile and prone to moods and passions, at heart they are rather similar: delinquent gentleman committed to the protection of others. This means they are able to get along effortlessly and communicate by delinquent telepathy.

• XX - JUDGMENT
  • Kanon Itoh: Ran's elder sister. Also possibly a future relative e_e;;

• Shinjiro has charge of the SEES armory (where all the weapons gotten from Officer Kurosawa are generally kept and maintained). It can be generally assumed he will provide rudimentary training on their use to SEES members who ask.
• Due to the TV shenanigans, Shinjiro no longer needs his Evoker to summon his Persona. It'll be a sad day for all those around him the moment he notices this.
• Shinjiro is not full-blooded Japanese. His mother was Japanese and his father was a Russian. He doesn't really know this for sure himself, since he was orphaned at such an early age and since not that much is known about his parents. It's not obvious in his features, they're more Asian than anything else, but nonetheless he still looks 'different' enough (especially in bone structure, eye color, and height) to make his life more difficult than it strictly had to be (being teased, not being adopted because he was visibly not a pure-blood, continuing discrimination, etc.).
• Shinjiro is typically very preoccupied with cleanliness. It's a compulsion that comes primarily from his time on the streets. Having seen and endured some of the most horrible conditions possible, he's gotten a little freakish about keeping clean now that he's returned to proper civilization. That shit isn't something he needs to experience again, now that he can avoid it. It drives him crazy to see people living in untidy squalor, not taking full advantage of their posh living environments. As such, he cannot stand Junpei's room.
• He supported himself doing the absolute bare minimum in order to stay alive. This included working(??) just enough to have money for food: whether legitimate work, illegal work, or supplementary gambling on the side (it is typically unwise to play mahjong against him). Life was fairly horrible early on, but after hitting a stride and cleaning up a little, he was able to get work in kitchens. He's known (and generally well-liked) by many proprietors along Iwatodai and Paulownia. This is also, incidentally, how he got quite so good at cooking; he always had natural talent, but working in kitchens and watching the cooks helped refine it.
• His connections with local businesses also helped in terms of basic shelter, cleanliness, necessities; the more kind-hearted of his erstwhile 'employers' eventually came to trust him enough to occasionally help him out. Some have even let him grab a shower and a spot on their floor to overnight when it's cold or raining.
• Shinjiro also haunted a lot of net cafes over the past two years. It's probably how he got to know about Darkside.
• Shinjiro's "accident" wasn't quite as simple as "Castor jumped out of his head against his will, without being called, and started going nuts." The reaction he has to it-- to ostracize and kill himself-- seems a little extreme if he wasn't even directly responsible for his Persona being out in the first place. Here he has a little more culpability; he made a conscious decision to summon his Persona, even in tight quarters, in the hubristic belief that he could handle it and that he would prove himself, his control and his competence by being the one to chase down the Shadow. Probably, something had happened a few days before that implicated his self-confidence-- maybe he was thinking about his upbringing as an unwanted orphan, maybe he'd just argued with Akihiko about his lack of full control-- and he wanted to prove everyone wrong and show what he was worth. So he brought Castor out, and pushed him, and while he was being reckless he lost control and killed somebody. Hence why he punished himself so hard and insisted against it when people told him it wasn't his fault. This was all in his head, so no one else knew that this was how it really happened; which is why no one understood his extreme need to punish himself.
• Shinjiro gets migraines occasionally, usually caused by dissonance between himself and his Persona.

Shinjiro's Evoker holster is a black leather concealment holster, designed to be worn at the hip. It was a gift from Mitsuru/Kirijo Group back when Shinjiro first joined SEES. Despite it being designed to carry one of the very things that most bothers him, it's one of his more treasured possessions due to the fact of who gave it to him (along with his multipurpose pocketknife from the orphanage).

• • Shinjiro fucking loves Pochacco. Shinjiro will also kill your fucking ass dead if you ever find out he does.