Difference between revisions of "Sebastien Ardennais"

"I like a man who grins when he fights." --Churchill

• One of his defining characteristics is that he's constantly looking for something new, unfamiliar, or unknown to explore. This holds true of places, of subject matter, and also of people; as a result, he's accrued a ridiculous amount of stamps in his passport, hobbies/interests/facts, and ex-girlfriends...each one crazier and angrier than the last. While he tends to emphasize the 'international playboy' angle of the aforementioned as much as possible in conversation, what this makes him, more or less, is a well-traveled nerd -- or 'academic,' if one is feeling charitable.

• As part of the above, he's something of a distinguished polyglot. Languages (and, indeed, ciphers of all kinds) are a specialty of his. It's only a matter of time until he's as fluent in Japanese as he is in the double-handful of other languages he knows. His native language, for those with any interest in obscure backwater variants of French, is Walloon.

• Somewhere along the way, he's learned how to play bass guitar. Not exceptionally well, or anything -- just passably. This may lead to Developments.

• He likes to play pranks on people. A lot. A LOT. Never satisfied with ordinary, run-of-the-mill whoopie-cushion variety pranks, however, his pranks tend to be elaborate, over-the-top affairs, and he never forgets a balance due.

• If languages make up one side of the 'stuff Sebastien kicks ass at' coin, then the other side belongs entirely to parkour, otherwise known as free-running. Almost excessively agile, built like a whip, the sport feeds directly into his addiction to adrenaline (and his occasional needs to make a hasty escape). No rooftop or stairwell is safe.

While Sebastien has been spared the discomforts of living in a bad part of town by Naomi's family graciously providing him with lodgings at their hotel, he's been placed on an extremely short leash in virtually every other regard. He has a small stipend from his parents with which to purchase necessities, but otherwise he'll be facing a somewhat spartan existence for the duration of his time in Japan -- attending classes at Sumaru University, working in his free time for the Spencer family for virtually no compensation, and theoretically learning about personal restraint -- unless he can charm his way into better, of course. A fundamentally social creature at heart, he isn't likely to let his still-hazy grasp of the language keep him from insinuating himself wherever he's able.

The myth of the spirit fox is not at all exclusive to Japan, though it has special resonances for Japanese culture, where the concept has been expanded to include a wide variety of perspectives. Wikipedia has the following to say:

"Kitsune are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. They are a type of yōkai, or spiritual entity, and the word kitsune is often translated as fox spirit. However, this does not mean that kitsune are ghosts, nor that they are fundamentally different from regular foxes. Because the word spirit is used to reflect a state of knowledge or enlightenment, all long-lived foxes gain supernatural abilities.

There are two common classifications of kitsune. The zenko (善狐, literally good foxes) are benevolent, celestial foxes associated with the god Inari; they are sometimes simply called Inari foxes. On the other hand, the yako (野狐), literally field foxes, also called nogitsune) tend to be mischievous or even malicious. Local traditions add further types."

Probably the most familiar image of the kitsune is the nine-tailed type, about which wikipedia states:

"Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox; in fact, some folktales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived 100 years. One, five, seven, and nine tails are the most common numbers in folk stories. When a kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur becomes white or gold. These kyūbi no kitsune (九尾の狐, nine-tailed foxes) gain the ability to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world. Other tales attribute them infinite wisdom (omniscience)."

Being shadow-possessed, Sebastien's shadowform lacks the bevy of tails that would be a hallmark of personal enlightenment, for what are probably obvious reasons: his shadow-possession indicates a serious, potentially dangerous imbalance within himself -- something antithetical to kyūbi no kitsune.

While all of the forms that his shadowform takes are one-tailed foxes, that is where the consistency ends; he's capable of taking a variety of shapes and sizes for different purposes, from fennec-sized kits (for one of his favorite activities, Running the Hell Away and Hiding) right up to pony-sized iterations with fur like fire that have no analogue in the natural world.

Through some quirk of his shadow-possession, he is incapable of sensing the resonance of others unless he's been exposed to it for a very long time, and formed some manner of significant attachment to the person in question...at which point he's able to sense it very strongly.

His own resonance tends to center around natural themes -- sunlit trees, foliage, wildflowers, damp earth -- but particularly those that one might think of as belonging to the autumn season, including berries, frost, and evergreen sap. For many, there may be overtones of certain herbs or spices associated with fall, like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, or maple. It might remind someone of sitting by a lit fireplace, or it might feel more like being out in the biting cold of the snow.

• Arrivée: Sebastien touches down in Japan. Naomi is supposed to pick him up from the airport. A simple transaction, right? ...yeah. Right.

• A Reckless Disregard for Gravity: Cutscene.

• Log: Interrogation? More like Interro-GREAT-tion: Mitsuru has some questions.

• Log: If All Your Friends Jumped Off A Bridge: Miwa UNCENSORED AND UNCHAPERONED. Also super-uninterested in jumping off of a bridge.