Shinsuke Kusagawa

Shinsuke Kusagawa Error creating thumbnail: File seems to be missing: /home/m295reb/public_html/mw/images/8/88/ShinsukePortrait2.1.png   Status Full Name Kusagawa Shinsuke (草川 真輔) Arcana VI. The Lovers Nature Persona-User Gender Male Height 178 cm (5'10") Date of Birth July 18th, 1993 (Cancer) Age 17 Guardian Dragon Light Dragon Persona Kay Weapon One-handed Swords Faction SEES Team The Eclipse Squad Seiyuu Nozomu Sasaki Voice Actor Crispin Freeman Player Lustrare Equipment Weapon: Sword Rapier - A heavier rapier that can be used both for pointwork and for slashing. Body: Designer Coat - A black coat from a fashionable Aristocrat boutique. Feet: Black Leather Boots - A pair of fine tall leather boots, which lace all the way up. Accessory: Ice-Blue Contact Lenses - The perfect finish to his impeccable wardrobe. Social Stats Courage: 3 - He's Getting Better Diligence: 5 - Driven and Determined Expression: 4 - Extremely Eloquent Charm: 5 - This Stat Is Now Diamonds Understanding: 4 - Favorite Subject: People Knowledge: 5 - (Polite) Know-It-All Academics: 5 - Future Valedictorian Trivia Shinsuke's personal name means "true helper", but can be poetically translated as "sincere assistance". Shinsuke's family name, Kusagawa, means "grassy river". He finds the similarity between it and Itsuka's surname fascinating -- Mizuhara means "flooded plain". Shinsuke's father, Dr. Kusagawa, works at Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, where he may or may not now be appraised of the true nature of afflictions such as Apathy Syndrome. That's why they're in Tatsumi Port Island in the first place. Shinsuke dresses primarily in designer Gothic Aristocrat fashions, albeit somewhat understated. His iteration of the style is less crosses and lace and more leather and silk, and he tends to wear pieces that are more elegant and aesthetic than just 'out-there'. He has been known to just throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but such occasions are rare. He always wears gloves. Shinsuke's ice-blue eyes are indeed colored contact lenses. His eyes are actually brown. Following a heated race, Shinsuke has been elected Student Council Secretary at Gekkoukan. Though he doesn't plan on becoming a music student when he gets to university, Shinsuke plays both piano and violin quite well. He has a decent amount of experience with other stringed instruments, primarily the cello, and also composes his own music. Similarly, Shinsuke has been fencing at the national level since middle school. Because he learned it from a British tutor (and from reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes), Shinsuke's English is the Queen's English, and he does have an accent (which is likely being amplified by Kay) when he speaks it. Shinsuke's favorite color, obviously, is blue. Shinsuke loves food. Especially food that conveys to him the personality of the one who made it. Shinsuke also loves people. He is genuinely interested in the people around him, but the people he's most interested in at the moment are those in Itsuka's group of friends. They are, after all, the ones who have been caring for her in his (unintentional) absence. Naturally talented, Shinsuke easily excels at all of his subjects in school. His favorites are the sciences, but he also enjoys literature and music. Shinsuke has a large library, most of which he's brought to the dorm. It includes classics of both the East and the West (a great deal of Western works, actually), as well as a fairly prodigious amount of manga. Yes, that includes Captain Rebellion. Thanks to his father's position, Shinsuke has an inordinate amount of money at his disposal. He mostly uses it to buy clothes, books, and food. Shinsuke is an accomplished chef. Being alone 75% of the time and hating processed food will do that to you. Though he doesn't need the money, Shinsuke is now working as a pianist at Chagall Café. His main job is to look elegant, though he can actually play (thus eliminating the need for a recording or automated piano). Free cake is part of his salary. While he has many flaws, one in particular really upsets Shinsuke: He is terminally unable to keep any sort of plant alive, and gardening is right out. This bothers him both because Itsuka has always been good at horticulture and because his Velvet Room is a garden. Way to drive the point home, Collective Unconsciousness. Shinsuke likes collecting things. Things, mind, not people. Shinsuke is fascinated by death. This is not limited to physical death, either. Shinsuke possesses remarkable empathy. This may cause him to develop the ability to sense Resonance at some point. During a recent SEES mission, Kay slipped Shinsuke's control and went on a rampage. Fortunately no one was hurt, but how long can that last? Don't make Shinsuke angry. You won't like him when he's angry. Contacts Charm: "*kisses hand* My, Nekomata, but aren't you lovely!" - Shinsuke effusively charms the demon, which may provoke happy or interested reactions. Inquisition: "How fascinating! Please, tell me more about yourself!" - Shinsuke asks the demon a series of flattering yet pointed questions. May provoke happy, interested, or angry reactions. Veiled Threat: "I wouldn't want anything untoward to happen to such a fine demon as yourself." - Shinsuke sweetly warns the demon to stay the hell away from his loved ones. May provoke interested or frightened reactions. Clever Wisdom: "Impudent cur! Treat not with me until thou learnest a sweeter tongue -- or else find another who might speak for thee in thy stead, one more eloquent and accustomed to treating with humans. Oni, perhaps?" - Shinsuke sarcastically insults the demon. May provoke angry, interested, happy, or sad reactions. This contact is more likely to be employed if Shinsuke is currently under Kay's influence. Gallery Quote "You can never go back." Profile and Skills Profile: Popular and admired, Shinsuke presents an elegant and aristocratic face to the world -- or at least, to those he keeps at arm's length. To those who know him, he's charming, if somewhat stiff and reserved, but his carefully-maintained façade is beginning to crack; he has more and more of late been acidly sarcastic, coldly critical, even bitterly venomous. The discrepancy may lead one to wonder, knowing how kind and warm he usually is, what's really going on? Even his recent attempts to loosen up haven't affected this strange dissonance in his personality...or his control issues, which have not improved despite his efforts. There's more beneath the surface, it would seem, but it may take something drastic to finally drag it out into the light. Skills: Am I The Good Twin?, Knight In Shining (?) Armor, The Good Son, (Far From) Effortlessly Perfect, Requiem For A Dream, Strings And Piano, Out Of Eden, An Immortal Emperor In A Mundane Universe, A Little Morbid, Also Kind Of A Romantic, Sister Complex, Everybody Lies (And They Do It All The Time), Rhapsody In Blue, Death Drive, Fire In His Eyes, Sure I'll Help You With Your Homework, Just Don't Touch My Stuff, None Of Your Business, Control Freak, The Earth Is A Character Gallery, Devil's Advocate, Has Thorns, The Sunlit Garden: Illusion Combat Information Let us say that Shinsuke is versatile. Special: Saionji Special - When he feels that he has been insulted, Shinsuke takes a page out of Kay's book and backhands the one who offended him. The flame of his affronted rage informs the strike, leaving a nasty burn as well as a welt. Its name is taken from a character in the anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena who has a habit of doing this. Persona Information and Resonance "I am thou...thou art I. I am Kay, Seneschal of the Kingdom of Dreams. Now then, show me thy mettle and prove to me thou art a full worthy knight, for I shall accept no better master." Shinsuke's Persona is Kay, seneschal and devil's advocate of the Court of King Arthur. He started out in the early Welsh tradition as a valiant, clever, and eloquent warrior with various fire- and water-related supernatural powers; the later tradition assigned him a wicked tongue and a decided contempt for anyone who didn't measure up to his exacting standards. Despite his villainous qualities, Kay was passing loyal to his comrades, particularly Bedivere and Gawain, and to his king (who was also his foster-brother). His pointed insults were his way of ensuring the quality of those who would call themselves Knights of the Round Table. As seneschal Kay was the master of the king's household, and was skilled in all manner of domestic tasks as well as those expected of a knight of his stature. He is also the only major knight who is not pledged to a lady, instead being more or less pledged to Arthur himself. That's not significant at all, though. Resonance: SENSE: A feeling of safety and closeness, like sitting by the fire in a castle kitchen, and a distinct feeling of loyalty and solidarity. SOUND: The ring of steel against steel and the blowing of rain-soaked wind. SMELL: Spices and burning wood. Now that he has slipped Shinsuke's control, the tenuous bond between the Seneschal and his master is dissolving. The dissolution has infected Shinsuke's Resonance; there is now a darker undertone and a faintly burnt smell -- as though whatever had been baking was left in the fire a moment too long -- which color the existing aura. Strangely, the safe feeling has not changed. Social Links 0. The Fool Minako Arisato: I. The Magician Shiki Ichimonji: Itsuka's boyfriend and author of the acclaimed shounen series Captain Rebellion. Shinsuke finds his exuberance endearing, and his valiance worthy of high respect. Now that he and Itsuka are separated, however, their friendship is strained somewhat; Shinsuke knows the difficulties his sister faced in her relationship, showing his friend in a new light. He hasn't allowed it to impact the Eclipse Squad's teamwork, however, and the two boys are still foils for one another. Theme II. The High Priestess Maki Sonomura: Maki stopped by the Lucky 7 one day while Shinsuke was there getting a snack before club, where Itsuka introduced them. Shinsuke thinks she's a little odd, but likes her well enough -- after all, she apparently located him with her...Persona, or something...when he went to meet Itsuka for the first time in six years at Wakatsu. She does seem to be friends with both Itsuka and Shiki, and their joint endorsement is good enough for him. Fuuka Yamagishi: Upon learning of his cooking skill, Fuuka asked Shinsuke to help her improve her own. He agreed to undertake the Herculean task and, with the (semi-distracting) aid of Seiichi Miyamoto, managed to help Fuuka create an edible dish! He is fairly certain it wasn't a fluke, given that Fuuka can apparently follow directions. III. The Empress Mitsuru Kirijo: The leader of SEES made a deep impression on the newest recruit when they were properly introduced; Shinsuke himself was struck by her presence, but Kay immediately recognized her as a worthy queen. Because of this, Shinsuke has taken to referring to Mitsuru as "Kirijo-sama" or "my lady", treating her with the proper deference (which is partially supernaturally-influenced) and respect due a queen from a knight in her service. He's also informed her of his control issues, but didn't feel a great deal of support from the ice queen. He isn't sure who to go to for that now that his confidence in his leader has been shaken. IV. The Emperor Akatsuki Enda: A night at a love hotel on Shirakawa Boulevard led to a kiss and a revelation Akatsuki never expected; the conversation that followed a week or so later actually strengthened the two boys' relationship. Now that he no longer needs to hide his sexuality from Akatsuki, Shinsuke has begun to loosen up. He was able to tell the older boy his true feelings for him, which aren't actually romantic love, and said feelings were apparently not only welcome but also quite touching. Shinsuke respects Akatsuki a great deal, and values the unique understanding they share. Theme Sai Chiji: V. The Hierophant Shinjiro Aragaki: For some reason, Shinsuke has no idea that Shinjiro can cook. This would not be weird except for the fact that Shinsuke spends a fair amount of time in the kitchen. How very odd... VI. The Lovers Shinsuke has not developed any notable Lovers links. VII. The Chariot Aigis: True to form, once Shinsuke learned that SEES' resident anti-Shadow tactical gynoid was, in fact, exactly that, he was instantly alright with her. It helped him immensely to know that her awkwardness, and his inability to read her, were the result of her inorganic nature, and he offered her his assistance as she integrates into human society -- especially important as she is now Gekkoukan Student Council President! More importantly, however, is that Aigis is the first and only person Shinsuke has discussed the matter of his parents' divorce with, judging that she wouldn't be likely to view it in the same stigmatised fashion that the average Japanese person might. (He was right, of course.) Shinsuke doesn't yet realise how much not talking about it has damaged him emotionally, and -- with any luck -- this encounter with Aigis will begin to help him open up in the ways he so very much needs. Chisaki Tohsaki: Yoh Yamagatani: VIII. Justice Arisa Shiratori: IX. The Hermit Kotone Nakamura: Though they haven't spoken much since Shinsuke assisted in her rescue, the Secretary is glad SEES' resident moeblob seems to be doing well. X. The Wheel of Fortune Takaya Sakaki: During a raid on the Karma Palace, Shinsuke nearly killed the Strega leader while under the influence of a Tentarafoo spell. This lead to a frank discussion with the rest of the Eclipse Squad that revealed Shinsuke's willingness to kill to protect what he loves. Ran Itoh: XI. Strength Masahiko Irie: XII. The Hanged Man Chidori Yoshino: XIII. Death Seiichi Miyamoto: Seiichi and Shinsuke are decent friends now that they've had a few more encounters, and the music student was present at Fuuka's first successful cooking lesson. Shinsuke still finds Seiichi extremely attractive, but that wasn't really ever going to change. Theme Minamo Takagawa: Through a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, Shinsuke and Minamo do not get along at all. This fact didn't stop him from saving her life during a Shadow attack, and now she's a member of SEES...as well as Itsuka's new best friend. :| Mamoru Yasuragi: Douche beat the crap out of Shinsuke's senpai. They met the same day, and apparently do not get along because they set one another off. Shinsuke may be taking advantage of this fact soon... :U Riki Houjou: The Secretary of Seven Sisters High. He, Shirou, and Shinsuke have unofficially dubbed their trio the "Pocketwatch Secretary Club", due to their inexplicable discovery of one another's pocketwatches /and/ Council Secretary status at the same serendipitous meeting. Shinsuke finds Riki refreshingly intelligent and possessed of a wonderfully dry sense of humor. Shirou Sekigawa: Yasogami High's Secretary. They met at the same time Shinsuke met Riki in the above serendipitous situation. Not only does Shinsuke enjoy Shirou's edgy attitude and wicked sense of humor, he also thinks the other boy is hot. Though he does wonder, admittedly, where that new scar came from... XIV. Temperance Hitoshi Taniguchi: For various reasons, Shinsuke does not have a very high opinion of Hitoshi. He won't do anything untoward to the boy should they be in the field together, but otherwise attempts to keep his interactions with Hitoshi to a minimum. Daiya Kagami: Through a crazy scheme Hinata cooked up, Shinsuke was present for the rescue of Akatsuki's probably unfaithful girlfriend. His knowledge of how unhappy his friend is with the situation has not inclined him favorably to the beautiful Sevens Vice President. Shinsuke has not gotten close enough to Daiya for anyone to realise that he is not affected by her aura of supernatural beauty (not that anyone consciously realises it exists, because that's part of the point). He won't interfere in their relationship -- he respects Akatsuki enough to stay out of it -- but he will be there for his friend regardless of what happens. Naomi Suzuno: Shinsuke's first meeting with the Seven Sisters President was in the midst of an extremely emotional venture into the Abyss of Time. They'll actually talk soon, after the trauma wears off. XV. The Devil Itsuka Mizuhara: Shinsuke's twin sister is his confidante, best friend, and occasional sparring partner. He loves her dearly and would do anything for her, partially in the attempt to assuage his crushing guilt over the way he treated her when they were children. This guilt has been magnified by the events of Mai Namikawa's visit to the Abyss of Time, but they'll surely be alright in the end! Right? Well...now that the lingering tensions over their feelings regarding one anothers' parents are bubbling to the surface, that possibility looks further away than ever. Theme Hiromi Sato: XVI. The Tower Thora Kobayashi: Shinsuke was introduced to the famous Oni of Osaka by Itsuka, who promptly brought up intensely personal things about Thora in front of him. Internally Shinsuke was terribly embarrassed by this (and a little intimidated by her in general), but he handled it well and even told Thora something important -- "If you believe you're human, then you are" -- in spite of his embarrassment. He appears to have charmed Thora, or at least managed to impress her; she also appears to be enamored of his deliciously scented Resonance. Mai Namikawa: The Disciplinary Committee chairperson tracked Shinsuke down at fencing practice one day and cut through his crowd of admirers to speak with her fellow Councilor. Shinsuke likes Mai quite a bit -- she's very different than the girls he's accustomed to -- and appears to have impressed (charmed?) her. At the very least, she seems to appreciate his willingness to dispense with charm when necessary. More recently, Shinsuke discovered Mai's feelings for Akatsuki...and accompanied SEES through the Abyss of Time to rescue her. Guilt-knifing and traumatising ensued, but she's still alive. XVII. The Star Hinata Itoh: Shinsuke encountered the youngest Itoh sister one day in the dorms, and was promptly charmed by her earnest and outgoing nature. He made her lunch and ascertained the nature of her relationship with his sister, which seems to be a good one. Hinata seems to think of him as a prince. She soon discovered that he can also bake cookies and dance, and has begun calling him 'Shinsuke-chan'. He appears to be okay with this. <3~ Despite a bit of lingering awkwardness, the two are once again fast friends. Theme Kasumi Horie: XVIII. The Moon Fumiko Kohaku: XIX. The Sun Shinsuke has not developed any notable Sun links. XX. Judgement Nagisa Renge: Soundtrack Adam Lambert, "If I Had You" BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger OST, Lust SIN Blue October, "Hate Me" -- Itsuka Enrique Iglesias, "Tonight" E.S. Posthumus, Vishnu Lady Gaga "Just Dance" "Poker Face" "Telephone" Madonna, "Into the Groove" Metallica, "Nothing Else Matters" (S&M version) -- Itsuka Michael Jackson, "Thriller" -- The Dark Hour Shinkichi Mitsumune "The Sunlit Garden" "Invisible Rose" "The Sunlit Garden: Illusion" "Dreaming Cells" "Nemuro Memorial Hall" "Scarlet Group's Dance ~ Reunion" "Abraxas In The Sunlit Garden" Sting "Englishman In New York" "Fortress Around Your Heart" -- Itsuka Taio Cruz, "Break Your Heart" Two Steps From Hell Heart of Courage Ironwing -- Kay War of Angels -- Dissolution VNV Nation, Rubicon Within Temptation, "Dark Wings" -- Tartarus and the Shadows