{App} The Citadel
May. 19th, 2012 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
guren_no_honoo Player Information:
Name: Yuriko
Age: 28
Contact info:chiba_yuriko; Aim- Chiba Yuriko; Email/Gtalk- wagamama.puu@gmail.com; plurk- wagamamapuu
Current characters: n/a
Character Information:
Name: Ashura
Canon: RG Veda (manga)
Canon point: Vol. 9: Chapter: Twin Castles in Flames and Thunder I (Just before 5 of the 6 Stars gathered reach Zenmi Castle to find the last Star and confront Taishakuten.)
Age: 300+ years old, but he appears at this point in canon to be somewhere between 11-14
Appearance: Note: Despite the fact that Ashura is technically sexless, I will be using “he” and other male pronouns when needed as English has no true gender-neutral pronoun and for convenience’s sake. This is also what is used in the official English translation for RG Veda.
Picture example.
Ashura has a slim and petite build, even for a child, and fair skin. My best guess is he’s probably around 4’9” or so. Black hair is thick and somewhat wavy/curly and when it is down loose hangs down his back as low as his shoulder blades, generally however, it is pulled up into a high ponytail with messy bangs and tendrils framing a young face.
His features overall are rather androgynous as the child has no determinate sex, so Ashura can be easily assumed to be either male or female convincingly. He has striking gold eyes and long pointed ears, both of which are physical markers of his clan. In his world, he typically wears a long white tunic, belted with a wide black belt. There are black gauntlet like wrappings around his lower calves and lower forearms and he goes barefoot. There is a gold circlet-style necklace that hangs loose around his neck set with a red sphere gemstone. The ornament holding his hair up is gold with another red stone set into it and was a gift, so he is quite attached to it. Sometimes there is a gold cuff bracelet to be found on his upper arm as well. He will typically be found in clothes similar to what he arrives in or robes, unless given clothing by some outside party to influence his choices. Other jewelry is also often portrayed on him, generally again in golds and reds, ornate and dangly.
Ashura is usually very open with his expressions and they will be whatever he is feeling, straightforward and unmasked, even when his other personality slips through, it too hides nothing in his expressions. If he's happy he'll be smiling brightly and laughing. If he's sad he'll be withdrawn physically (unless seeking comfort and clinging to a willing body) and is quick to cry.
When his other personality shows through there is a certain amount of elegance to his motions and bearing that Ashura himself doesn't always have. And the age of the being that he is shows through in his eyes during those times. Otherwise, he's generally got very child-like expressions that are easy to read.
Background: This is the general overview of the series. This is very brief, but it does summarize the gist of stuff.
I will touch on a few of the more important people they met/events that occurred along the journey up until where I'm pulling him from though:
-Gigei: Early in their flight from Taishakuten's men, Ashura and Yasha came across a dance troupe performing. One of the dancers is a young woman named Gigei, whom is in love with Yasha. Thus, giving them a place to sleep that night and a meal, she demands they stay one more day as part of the troupe. Ashura gets quite attached to her in this short time and Gigei promises after her last performance at the Emperor's castle for a festival to meet up with them again, since she was set on Yasha being her first love and she rather liked little Ashura as well. She left a very strong influence on the child and since he'd just learned of the concept of a mother from the children of the troupe and he was hoping Gigei could somehow be his mother (since he didn't yet know of his own). Later he finds out that she was killed at the festival and it's yet another person who died because of him.
-Ryuu-ou: One of the Six Stars that joins Yasha and Ashura on their journey. He becomes much like a bigger brother to Ashura and the two squabble as such constantly as well. Ashura cares for Ryuu-ou very deeply even if he does pick on him often with teasing. Ashura worries sometimes about whether or not bad things will happen to Ryuu-ou and his people because he's joined them just like everyone else he gets close to, but Ryuu-ou reminds him time and again that he's strong, so he'll be fine. He joins them fairly early on in their journey, so Ashura had lots of time to get close to the young King of the Ryuu tribe, developing and concreting the bond between them. Ashura even calls him Ryuu-chan (which is very familiar and somewhat cutesy and childish). Time and again, Ryuu-ou fights and stands strong with Yasha and Ashura along with Souma.
-Kumaraten/Kaara in Kusumapura : When the group arrives at the underground city of Kusumapura to find Shura-to, Ashura's sword which would be needed to fulfill the prophecy and find the others of the Six Stars, Ashura is kidnapped and stolen away to the lower levels by the king of the decimated city. At his side is Kaara, Shashi's (Ashura's mother) much kinder sister. She speaks to Ashura while he is imprisoned, unable to help free him, but wishing to make him happy and comfortable. She tells him what she can of his mother when he asks, but avoids telling him the truth that she was a cruel person who tried to kill her own child for power. However, when the sword calls to Ashura and he escapes his prison in a trance to retrieve it, those memories are given to him anyhow. Ashura sees images of his mother's attempt to kill him directly himself when Kaara gives him the first seal on the sword, thus ending her own life. She was only living on borrowed time for that day as a last service to Ashura-ou, the child’s father. The king,Kumaraten, then chooses to die with Kaara as the city crumbled around them after finding out he could never stop Taishakuten on his own and take revenge for his people. Two more that Ashura knows died because of their involvement with him. Ashura also from this point onward knew that his mother never wanted him, which left some trauma, to say the least. It is a sticking point up until the time he confronts his mother in Zemni Castle directly.
-The Ice Castle mazoku kidnapping: This time, Yasha got kidnapped when they re-visited the wasted lands that used to be his kingdom. A mazoku (demon monster thingy) takes him to eat him and gain insanely long life as Yasha is a god and one of the strongest at that. Ashura and the others have to fight their way to the Ice Castle where the mazoku makes its home as well as work with Kujaku to get inside. This event was important in that Ashura had to go save Yasha and fight on his own with the others while also proving to the others that he trusts in Kujaku despite how shady a character he is and not knowing what the man is precisely either.
-Rasetsua/Shara: When Yasha leads the group of rebels back to the ruins of his land, they come across his brother who blames him and Ashura for the death of the Yasha tribe. A battle ensues between the brothers, with Ashura watching on distraught until finally, unable to stand the thought of Yasha getting hurt or killed, especially for something he blames himself for, he summons Shura-to to him and attacks Rasetsu himself, injuring him and knocking him unconscious. Guilt overtakes him for this, knowing it is Yasha’s brother, but Yasha just assures him, he doesn’t blame him. Ashura however, has a hard time with his guilt over all the deaths just because he was born throughout this conflict, turning to both Souma and Kujaku for comfort as he feels too guilty to turn to Yasha as he usually would, especially with Yasha’s brother there and injured. But when the man wakes again and he affirms his brother’s resolve to protect this child, he reveals he’s glad that Yasha is living for himself finally and not sacrificing all for his duties and tells Ashura he does not blame him. As the band moves on, unfortunately one of Taishakuten’s four generals catches up and kill Rasetsu as a member of the Yasha tribe that survived. During this time, Ashura tries to come to terms with his guilt over all those deaths and being unwanted and reaffirms that if Yasha wants him, he will believe him and live for Yasha’s sake. That he will grow stronger to protect him in turn as well.
By coincidence, or perhaps more cruelty played by fate, they find shelter in their travels with a woman who turns out to be Rasetsu’s wife, Shara. She is kind and also treats Ashura with warmth and acceptance. Unfortunately after they move on, yet again, the general catches up and demands information from Shara, whether or not she’s seen Yasha-ou and a child travelling together. Knowing by then that Rasetsu is dead, she kills herself to keep from giving the man any information and to join her husband in death. When this is discovered when the general finally catches up with them, Yasha takes revenge for them both while Ashura helps with the fighting off of the general’s men.
This is also the first time (and up to the canon point Ashura is coming from, only time) that Ashura meets his twin brother, Tenou. Tenou happens upon the party just before the general arrives and the fighting breaks out and a bond is proven between the two, sharing pain and images at their meeting. Unfortunately though, neither could speak to the other as Tenou had to flee the battle and leave Ashura behind in order to get Kendappa-ou (his crush he was there with) away from the fighting.
After this event, Karura-ou joins them and Ashura, using Shura-to, reveals that they are five of the Six Stars gathered together and they all decide to head to Zemni Castle to confront Taishakuten directly. Ashura wishing to ask him in person why he would do all that he had done, spilling so much blood, but he also wishes to see his mother himself and ask her why as well, she hated him so and did not want him.
Previous Game History: n/a
Personality: Ashura has what can be described as a split personality. The surface personality, and the one that is most predominant, is that of a deeply loving and somewhat needy child who carries a heavy burden of guilt and feelings of being unwanted.
Largely, Ashura is a sweet, kind, and trusting child. He’s very friendly and open and curious, asking lots of questions about things he doesn’t understand (and given that he’s spent almost 300 years of his 300 year life asleep, that’s quite a bit). He very much loves making friends, though it makes him wary due to the dangerous life he lives and his belief that he is a cursed child. But he can’t help himself despite that concern. Ashura seeks acceptance and love somewhat desperately. He strives to please those he looks up to and can be very affectionate. Physical closeness is almost as important to him as feelings of belonging. Being alone is not something Ashura deals with well and does not choose to be so if given a choice. Companionship is very important. To be wanted and have a place to belong.
And though he’s sweet and loving, that is not to say that Ashura does not have his bratty traits as well. He can be very demanding, like any child can be, as well as stubborn. He is not above name-calling, chasing, getting into silly scuffles over pride or hurt feelings or teasing. He’s not the most mature, but that’s understandable given his life experience is next to nothing. This immaturity can also be noted in the small bit of bitterness he holds for his twin brother, who had lived a life of love and nurturing while Ashura had been nearly killed and then hunted down. He knows it isn’t Tenou’s fault which shows a measure of some maturity really, but that hurt still remains and he buries it within, holding on to it. But with it is a longing for the family he never got to have as well.
I would also like to note, a slightly childish aspect of Ashura is never satisfied appetite. This little god can eat. To the point that he’s really a bottomless pit and will complain of being hungry 5 minutes after a meal. It’s earned him a nickname as a piggy by Ryuu-ou and he drives Ashura crazy with teasing because of it.
Given that the events of RG Veda are set into motion by his birth, Ashura and others in the series largely trace back blame to the child and he takes this to heart harder than he should, given that none of it was by his own choice or volition. That guilt over deaths, injuries, and just plain tragedy befalling those around him begins early on, starting with the slaughter of the Yasha tribe for sheltering him even if that choice was Yasha-ou’s (their king), not his own. Being as young as he was at that time, he was very impressionable and the hate and accusation in the eyes of someone who had only hours earlier looked on him with warmth and acceptance left a lasting impression. And it is only the first of the deaths that Ashura is blamed for simply for being alive, the next of which strikes much more deeply when the dancer Gigei is killed for having protected the whereabouts of Ashura and Yasha from Taishakuten’s men. A young woman he’d latched onto like a mother. So when Ashura discovers the truth about her fate, he becomes rather fixated on only allowing the strong to surround him, so that they can survive being close to a cursed child like himself. Unfortunately for him, as those around him continue to fall upon misfortune or death, being strong proves to not be enough to protect them from the fate laid out for them and him. Suffice it to say, he carries a heavy burden of guilt and concern for the well-being of those around him.
Tied to his guilt is also a great sense of abandonment. The fact that he has no mother like other children he has met briefly unsettles him and makes him lonely. Once the lies that his mother loved him and simply couldn’t care for him are revealed to the boy once he breaks the first seal on the Shura sword, it breaks his heart to realize he was truly unwanted. So much so that his mother tried to kill him as a baby. This pain is one that never heals or lessens but instead festers inside the child and is a large part of the undoing of Ashura-ou and Taishakuten’s plan. Shashi’s abandonment and cruelty to one of her children allows Ashura to kill her in what should have been an unthinkable task and in consequence, released the last seal on his true nature and the god within him.
And that brings us to the god within. The other side of Ashura and his supposed “true” nature is that of a god of war and destruction. One who wields fire with glee and revels in bloodshed. This side of Ashura has no regard for the feelings of the child he usually is to the point that the true god’s first act once unsealed is to immediately slaughter one of the Six Stars that had been like a big brother to Ashura and a dear dear friend. The role of the true Ashura is to create a realm of fire, razing it all equally to the ground, heaven and earth both and to kill all who stand in the way (or just have the bad luck to cross paths even). There are points peppered throughout the story before the seals are removed that this side of Ashura peers through the surface. The first was when the child, curious and knowing no better, began to lick and lap at the blood of the recently murdered stargazer Kuyou. This woke the sleeping god who knew already of what Yasha had brought upon his clan. Other times are usually prompted by moments of extreme duress or when Ashura is pushed to using abilities like communing with the Shura-to. When these moments of what lurks within pass, Ashura generally passes out and has no memory whatsoever of the experience. But there will be moments from time to time when the “true” Ashura within only leaks through just enough for the child to say or do something slightly off or creepy or cryptic as well, not really realizing it after it has passed.
And while Ashura may never have a Yasha to play off of, he still needs to be addressed in order to fully cover Ashura’s personality. Yasha is easily the most important person to Ashura and the nature of their relationship to one another is both very simple and complex. Put simply, they love one another, unconditionally. Call it fate or perhaps it was Ashura-ou’s intent to change fate that brought them together lastingly. Regardless, it is the relationship that the fate of heaven and earth hinges on. But how that love is acted upon between them changes throughout the series rather fluidly. It begins as a relationship between a guardian and their charge with fierce protective love (it is even joked about that Yasha is like Ashura’s father by other characters), but that relationship transforms into something more akin to tragic lovers by the end of the series. As a note, by the end of the series, Ashura has physically aged to an adult form, though their love and devotion to one another is not blocked by Ashura’s apparent age. And to Ashura himself, love is love. The source or kind makes little difference, except that Yasha will always be his most important person and in CLAMP-land that is the same as saying they are soulmates. Without him he grows even more vulnerable and lost, but it also spurs him with determination to grow stronger to fight alongside him when they would reunited, because Yasha will always come for him. And if not, he will return to him himself.
Skills and Powers: As the last of his kind and child of the last king of the Ashura tribe, Ashura has in his possession the sword Shura-to. Since the first seal was broken, the sword responds to him and he has earned the right to wield the blade. Shura-to on top of being a strong weapon also has the ability to show the Six Stars identities. This sword is linked to the Yama sword that is wielded by that Yasha tribe as well as they respond to one another. It also is the key to entering the castle of the Ashura tribe that is a direct reflection of Zemni Castle It is a long thin sword with a translucent blade, but it is by no means fragile like the glass it appears to be. Ashura has learned out of necessity how to use this sword and is decent enough to defend himself against an attacker, but is by no means a master swordsman. The sword has no sheath, but instead is literally sheathed within Ashura’s body and he can call it to his hand at will. Even if he does not re-sheath it in his body and it is in the possession of another, he can call it to him.
Ashura himself also has the ability to produce and wield fire. Think like mid to mid-large scale fire spells as an equivalent. The larger scale usage requires tapping deeper into himself, which can trigger his seals slipping or in turn, his seals will slip due to a dangerous situation and instinct takes over to protect himself.
Also, in canon, near the beginning, it was shown when he was too young to defend himself in a dangerous situation, that he would become encased in a large nigh-impenetrable cocoon-like mass of branches or a mass of a tree-trunk. When Ashura emerged from these cocoons, he had aged by years at a time - in theory to make him more capable of defending himself and surviving. I don’t believe this should ever come up in game however, unless it was related to a dream, as it is only ever activated twice very early in canon until his final seal is broken and it occurs once more for him to emerge as the true god of war and an adult.
While Ashura is a god, most of his really destructive powers are still sealed by the last seal on Shura-to. As for his fire abilities, any larger scale attacks on people or areas would only be done with either player or mod permission as needed.
Items: Ashura is arriving with his clothes, the hair ornament Gigei gave him, and of course Shura-to. That’s it.
As for his compact, I have chosen this:
Writing samples:
Action:
[Over the mirror network comes a fair face, probably far too close up at first before the compact is pulled back a little bit. Wide gold eyes blink a few times into it and though Ashura still isn’t sure how these magic mirrors work, he has a very pressing question for the population of the city.]
Um, hello! [A bright smile is offered finally, assured that it seems to be working.] I was wondering, where could I find a place to work? Since there isn’t much here to catch to eat ourselves... But someone told Ashura all I had to do was get a job and Ashura could have lots of food!
But when I asked them if I could work there, they laughed. [His brows furrow and a pout tugs at the child’s lips.] What kind of work could I do? Does anyone need help? I promise I’ll work really hard!
Ashura has to do his best, after all.
I’ll even work for food! Since that’s what I want anyway. Ahhh, so many weird new things to try, but they taste so good! [Shakes his head and re-addresses the mirror from his little excited aside.] But my name is Ashura, so if you need help, call me!
Thank you. [His head bobs gratefully before he snaps the compact shut.]
Third Person Prose: (( I wrote this as if it could be the set up for a log, I hope that is okay...))
Ashura’s feet had once again carried him to the area that felt the closest to home, in the strange district he’d heard others call Nimaraya. The greenery and trees gave him some small measure of comfort he didn’t feel in the crowded and busy city otherwise.
After all, he’d spent all of his waking life really on the run, moving through forests and vast swaths of wilderness and passing through small villages except for one brief visit to a bustling city. That hadn’t gone so well though and for obvious reasons such places had been avoided thereafter. As fugitives of an entire empire, being in densely populated areas wasn’t really the best of strategies. Especially with Ashura’s very distinctive features.
For this reason, the child wasn’t yet comfortable exploring the other parts of this new land, particularly alone. But Nimaraya had a calming effect and he needed the nostalgic feel of trees and nature to try and ease the building feeling of homesickness.
Though really, it wasn’t a home he missed so much as the people he’d come to love and trust. He missed Ryuu-ou and Souma something terrible. If Kujaku were to suddenly appear with a laugh and a joke that made little sense to the child, he would be delighted beyond belief and the strange man would receive the tightest of hugs. But of course, the one he missed the most and ached for was Yasha.
He hoped they were all okay... They were strong. He knew they could protect themselves, but Zemni Castle was dangerous! Taishakuten within even more so! Ashura should be with them. He didn’t understand why things had happened like this. He owed them too much to have come so far and then to fail like this.
A soft sigh escaped his lips and he wiped away tears that threatened to spill. Lifting his gold eyes to the tree he’d stopped beneath, he craned his neck back to look up up up into the dense green foliage. And with a quick glance around for anyone watching, he began to scale the trunk. It took a few tries, but he was determined. He wanted the familiar embrace of a tree as much as he’d complained about the fear of falling out of them back in Tenkai. He wouldn’t stay there until nightfall of course, that would worry his new friends. But a short nap couldn’t hurt right? He scrambled up into the crook of a sturdy branch and leaned his back against the trunk.
It wasn’t really what he wanted, but it would have to be good enough. Until Yasha came for him or he could return to him, he would make do on his own. Ashura closed his eyes on that thought and nodded his head to himself, strengthening his resolve. He woke a short time later to a grumbling noise, stirring him from his sleep. And then his stomach growled, loudly, startling him awake. With a flail and a yelp, gold eyes flew open wide as he toppled out of the tree. Thankfully there was an unfortunate passerby to break the child’s fall.
“Ooooooow!” he whined lightly before he realized he was sitting on his accidental savior. “Ah, Ashura is so sorry! Are you okay?”
Any questions and concerns go here:
Name: Yuriko
Age: 28
Contact info:
chiba_yuriko; Aim- Chiba Yuriko; Email/Gtalk- wagamama.puu@gmail.com; plurk- wagamamapuuCurrent characters: n/a
Character Information:
Name: Ashura
Canon: RG Veda (manga)
Canon point: Vol. 9: Chapter: Twin Castles in Flames and Thunder I (Just before 5 of the 6 Stars gathered reach Zenmi Castle to find the last Star and confront Taishakuten.)
Age: 300+ years old, but he appears at this point in canon to be somewhere between 11-14
Appearance: Note: Despite the fact that Ashura is technically sexless, I will be using “he” and other male pronouns when needed as English has no true gender-neutral pronoun and for convenience’s sake. This is also what is used in the official English translation for RG Veda.
Picture example.
Ashura has a slim and petite build, even for a child, and fair skin. My best guess is he’s probably around 4’9” or so. Black hair is thick and somewhat wavy/curly and when it is down loose hangs down his back as low as his shoulder blades, generally however, it is pulled up into a high ponytail with messy bangs and tendrils framing a young face.
His features overall are rather androgynous as the child has no determinate sex, so Ashura can be easily assumed to be either male or female convincingly. He has striking gold eyes and long pointed ears, both of which are physical markers of his clan. In his world, he typically wears a long white tunic, belted with a wide black belt. There are black gauntlet like wrappings around his lower calves and lower forearms and he goes barefoot. There is a gold circlet-style necklace that hangs loose around his neck set with a red sphere gemstone. The ornament holding his hair up is gold with another red stone set into it and was a gift, so he is quite attached to it. Sometimes there is a gold cuff bracelet to be found on his upper arm as well. He will typically be found in clothes similar to what he arrives in or robes, unless given clothing by some outside party to influence his choices. Other jewelry is also often portrayed on him, generally again in golds and reds, ornate and dangly.
Ashura is usually very open with his expressions and they will be whatever he is feeling, straightforward and unmasked, even when his other personality slips through, it too hides nothing in his expressions. If he's happy he'll be smiling brightly and laughing. If he's sad he'll be withdrawn physically (unless seeking comfort and clinging to a willing body) and is quick to cry.
When his other personality shows through there is a certain amount of elegance to his motions and bearing that Ashura himself doesn't always have. And the age of the being that he is shows through in his eyes during those times. Otherwise, he's generally got very child-like expressions that are easy to read.
Background: This is the general overview of the series. This is very brief, but it does summarize the gist of stuff.
I will touch on a few of the more important people they met/events that occurred along the journey up until where I'm pulling him from though:
-Gigei: Early in their flight from Taishakuten's men, Ashura and Yasha came across a dance troupe performing. One of the dancers is a young woman named Gigei, whom is in love with Yasha. Thus, giving them a place to sleep that night and a meal, she demands they stay one more day as part of the troupe. Ashura gets quite attached to her in this short time and Gigei promises after her last performance at the Emperor's castle for a festival to meet up with them again, since she was set on Yasha being her first love and she rather liked little Ashura as well. She left a very strong influence on the child and since he'd just learned of the concept of a mother from the children of the troupe and he was hoping Gigei could somehow be his mother (since he didn't yet know of his own). Later he finds out that she was killed at the festival and it's yet another person who died because of him.
-Ryuu-ou: One of the Six Stars that joins Yasha and Ashura on their journey. He becomes much like a bigger brother to Ashura and the two squabble as such constantly as well. Ashura cares for Ryuu-ou very deeply even if he does pick on him often with teasing. Ashura worries sometimes about whether or not bad things will happen to Ryuu-ou and his people because he's joined them just like everyone else he gets close to, but Ryuu-ou reminds him time and again that he's strong, so he'll be fine. He joins them fairly early on in their journey, so Ashura had lots of time to get close to the young King of the Ryuu tribe, developing and concreting the bond between them. Ashura even calls him Ryuu-chan (which is very familiar and somewhat cutesy and childish). Time and again, Ryuu-ou fights and stands strong with Yasha and Ashura along with Souma.
-Kumaraten/Kaara in Kusumapura : When the group arrives at the underground city of Kusumapura to find Shura-to, Ashura's sword which would be needed to fulfill the prophecy and find the others of the Six Stars, Ashura is kidnapped and stolen away to the lower levels by the king of the decimated city. At his side is Kaara, Shashi's (Ashura's mother) much kinder sister. She speaks to Ashura while he is imprisoned, unable to help free him, but wishing to make him happy and comfortable. She tells him what she can of his mother when he asks, but avoids telling him the truth that she was a cruel person who tried to kill her own child for power. However, when the sword calls to Ashura and he escapes his prison in a trance to retrieve it, those memories are given to him anyhow. Ashura sees images of his mother's attempt to kill him directly himself when Kaara gives him the first seal on the sword, thus ending her own life. She was only living on borrowed time for that day as a last service to Ashura-ou, the child’s father. The king,Kumaraten, then chooses to die with Kaara as the city crumbled around them after finding out he could never stop Taishakuten on his own and take revenge for his people. Two more that Ashura knows died because of their involvement with him. Ashura also from this point onward knew that his mother never wanted him, which left some trauma, to say the least. It is a sticking point up until the time he confronts his mother in Zemni Castle directly.
-The Ice Castle mazoku kidnapping: This time, Yasha got kidnapped when they re-visited the wasted lands that used to be his kingdom. A mazoku (demon monster thingy) takes him to eat him and gain insanely long life as Yasha is a god and one of the strongest at that. Ashura and the others have to fight their way to the Ice Castle where the mazoku makes its home as well as work with Kujaku to get inside. This event was important in that Ashura had to go save Yasha and fight on his own with the others while also proving to the others that he trusts in Kujaku despite how shady a character he is and not knowing what the man is precisely either.
-Rasetsua/Shara: When Yasha leads the group of rebels back to the ruins of his land, they come across his brother who blames him and Ashura for the death of the Yasha tribe. A battle ensues between the brothers, with Ashura watching on distraught until finally, unable to stand the thought of Yasha getting hurt or killed, especially for something he blames himself for, he summons Shura-to to him and attacks Rasetsu himself, injuring him and knocking him unconscious. Guilt overtakes him for this, knowing it is Yasha’s brother, but Yasha just assures him, he doesn’t blame him. Ashura however, has a hard time with his guilt over all the deaths just because he was born throughout this conflict, turning to both Souma and Kujaku for comfort as he feels too guilty to turn to Yasha as he usually would, especially with Yasha’s brother there and injured. But when the man wakes again and he affirms his brother’s resolve to protect this child, he reveals he’s glad that Yasha is living for himself finally and not sacrificing all for his duties and tells Ashura he does not blame him. As the band moves on, unfortunately one of Taishakuten’s four generals catches up and kill Rasetsu as a member of the Yasha tribe that survived. During this time, Ashura tries to come to terms with his guilt over all those deaths and being unwanted and reaffirms that if Yasha wants him, he will believe him and live for Yasha’s sake. That he will grow stronger to protect him in turn as well.
By coincidence, or perhaps more cruelty played by fate, they find shelter in their travels with a woman who turns out to be Rasetsu’s wife, Shara. She is kind and also treats Ashura with warmth and acceptance. Unfortunately after they move on, yet again, the general catches up and demands information from Shara, whether or not she’s seen Yasha-ou and a child travelling together. Knowing by then that Rasetsu is dead, she kills herself to keep from giving the man any information and to join her husband in death. When this is discovered when the general finally catches up with them, Yasha takes revenge for them both while Ashura helps with the fighting off of the general’s men.
This is also the first time (and up to the canon point Ashura is coming from, only time) that Ashura meets his twin brother, Tenou. Tenou happens upon the party just before the general arrives and the fighting breaks out and a bond is proven between the two, sharing pain and images at their meeting. Unfortunately though, neither could speak to the other as Tenou had to flee the battle and leave Ashura behind in order to get Kendappa-ou (his crush he was there with) away from the fighting.
After this event, Karura-ou joins them and Ashura, using Shura-to, reveals that they are five of the Six Stars gathered together and they all decide to head to Zemni Castle to confront Taishakuten directly. Ashura wishing to ask him in person why he would do all that he had done, spilling so much blood, but he also wishes to see his mother himself and ask her why as well, she hated him so and did not want him.
Previous Game History: n/a
Personality: Ashura has what can be described as a split personality. The surface personality, and the one that is most predominant, is that of a deeply loving and somewhat needy child who carries a heavy burden of guilt and feelings of being unwanted.
Largely, Ashura is a sweet, kind, and trusting child. He’s very friendly and open and curious, asking lots of questions about things he doesn’t understand (and given that he’s spent almost 300 years of his 300 year life asleep, that’s quite a bit). He very much loves making friends, though it makes him wary due to the dangerous life he lives and his belief that he is a cursed child. But he can’t help himself despite that concern. Ashura seeks acceptance and love somewhat desperately. He strives to please those he looks up to and can be very affectionate. Physical closeness is almost as important to him as feelings of belonging. Being alone is not something Ashura deals with well and does not choose to be so if given a choice. Companionship is very important. To be wanted and have a place to belong.
And though he’s sweet and loving, that is not to say that Ashura does not have his bratty traits as well. He can be very demanding, like any child can be, as well as stubborn. He is not above name-calling, chasing, getting into silly scuffles over pride or hurt feelings or teasing. He’s not the most mature, but that’s understandable given his life experience is next to nothing. This immaturity can also be noted in the small bit of bitterness he holds for his twin brother, who had lived a life of love and nurturing while Ashura had been nearly killed and then hunted down. He knows it isn’t Tenou’s fault which shows a measure of some maturity really, but that hurt still remains and he buries it within, holding on to it. But with it is a longing for the family he never got to have as well.
I would also like to note, a slightly childish aspect of Ashura is never satisfied appetite. This little god can eat. To the point that he’s really a bottomless pit and will complain of being hungry 5 minutes after a meal. It’s earned him a nickname as a piggy by Ryuu-ou and he drives Ashura crazy with teasing because of it.
Given that the events of RG Veda are set into motion by his birth, Ashura and others in the series largely trace back blame to the child and he takes this to heart harder than he should, given that none of it was by his own choice or volition. That guilt over deaths, injuries, and just plain tragedy befalling those around him begins early on, starting with the slaughter of the Yasha tribe for sheltering him even if that choice was Yasha-ou’s (their king), not his own. Being as young as he was at that time, he was very impressionable and the hate and accusation in the eyes of someone who had only hours earlier looked on him with warmth and acceptance left a lasting impression. And it is only the first of the deaths that Ashura is blamed for simply for being alive, the next of which strikes much more deeply when the dancer Gigei is killed for having protected the whereabouts of Ashura and Yasha from Taishakuten’s men. A young woman he’d latched onto like a mother. So when Ashura discovers the truth about her fate, he becomes rather fixated on only allowing the strong to surround him, so that they can survive being close to a cursed child like himself. Unfortunately for him, as those around him continue to fall upon misfortune or death, being strong proves to not be enough to protect them from the fate laid out for them and him. Suffice it to say, he carries a heavy burden of guilt and concern for the well-being of those around him.
Tied to his guilt is also a great sense of abandonment. The fact that he has no mother like other children he has met briefly unsettles him and makes him lonely. Once the lies that his mother loved him and simply couldn’t care for him are revealed to the boy once he breaks the first seal on the Shura sword, it breaks his heart to realize he was truly unwanted. So much so that his mother tried to kill him as a baby. This pain is one that never heals or lessens but instead festers inside the child and is a large part of the undoing of Ashura-ou and Taishakuten’s plan. Shashi’s abandonment and cruelty to one of her children allows Ashura to kill her in what should have been an unthinkable task and in consequence, released the last seal on his true nature and the god within him.
And that brings us to the god within. The other side of Ashura and his supposed “true” nature is that of a god of war and destruction. One who wields fire with glee and revels in bloodshed. This side of Ashura has no regard for the feelings of the child he usually is to the point that the true god’s first act once unsealed is to immediately slaughter one of the Six Stars that had been like a big brother to Ashura and a dear dear friend. The role of the true Ashura is to create a realm of fire, razing it all equally to the ground, heaven and earth both and to kill all who stand in the way (or just have the bad luck to cross paths even). There are points peppered throughout the story before the seals are removed that this side of Ashura peers through the surface. The first was when the child, curious and knowing no better, began to lick and lap at the blood of the recently murdered stargazer Kuyou. This woke the sleeping god who knew already of what Yasha had brought upon his clan. Other times are usually prompted by moments of extreme duress or when Ashura is pushed to using abilities like communing with the Shura-to. When these moments of what lurks within pass, Ashura generally passes out and has no memory whatsoever of the experience. But there will be moments from time to time when the “true” Ashura within only leaks through just enough for the child to say or do something slightly off or creepy or cryptic as well, not really realizing it after it has passed.
And while Ashura may never have a Yasha to play off of, he still needs to be addressed in order to fully cover Ashura’s personality. Yasha is easily the most important person to Ashura and the nature of their relationship to one another is both very simple and complex. Put simply, they love one another, unconditionally. Call it fate or perhaps it was Ashura-ou’s intent to change fate that brought them together lastingly. Regardless, it is the relationship that the fate of heaven and earth hinges on. But how that love is acted upon between them changes throughout the series rather fluidly. It begins as a relationship between a guardian and their charge with fierce protective love (it is even joked about that Yasha is like Ashura’s father by other characters), but that relationship transforms into something more akin to tragic lovers by the end of the series. As a note, by the end of the series, Ashura has physically aged to an adult form, though their love and devotion to one another is not blocked by Ashura’s apparent age. And to Ashura himself, love is love. The source or kind makes little difference, except that Yasha will always be his most important person and in CLAMP-land that is the same as saying they are soulmates. Without him he grows even more vulnerable and lost, but it also spurs him with determination to grow stronger to fight alongside him when they would reunited, because Yasha will always come for him. And if not, he will return to him himself.
Skills and Powers: As the last of his kind and child of the last king of the Ashura tribe, Ashura has in his possession the sword Shura-to. Since the first seal was broken, the sword responds to him and he has earned the right to wield the blade. Shura-to on top of being a strong weapon also has the ability to show the Six Stars identities. This sword is linked to the Yama sword that is wielded by that Yasha tribe as well as they respond to one another. It also is the key to entering the castle of the Ashura tribe that is a direct reflection of Zemni Castle It is a long thin sword with a translucent blade, but it is by no means fragile like the glass it appears to be. Ashura has learned out of necessity how to use this sword and is decent enough to defend himself against an attacker, but is by no means a master swordsman. The sword has no sheath, but instead is literally sheathed within Ashura’s body and he can call it to his hand at will. Even if he does not re-sheath it in his body and it is in the possession of another, he can call it to him.
Ashura himself also has the ability to produce and wield fire. Think like mid to mid-large scale fire spells as an equivalent. The larger scale usage requires tapping deeper into himself, which can trigger his seals slipping or in turn, his seals will slip due to a dangerous situation and instinct takes over to protect himself.
Also, in canon, near the beginning, it was shown when he was too young to defend himself in a dangerous situation, that he would become encased in a large nigh-impenetrable cocoon-like mass of branches or a mass of a tree-trunk. When Ashura emerged from these cocoons, he had aged by years at a time - in theory to make him more capable of defending himself and surviving. I don’t believe this should ever come up in game however, unless it was related to a dream, as it is only ever activated twice very early in canon until his final seal is broken and it occurs once more for him to emerge as the true god of war and an adult.
While Ashura is a god, most of his really destructive powers are still sealed by the last seal on Shura-to. As for his fire abilities, any larger scale attacks on people or areas would only be done with either player or mod permission as needed.
Items: Ashura is arriving with his clothes, the hair ornament Gigei gave him, and of course Shura-to. That’s it.
As for his compact, I have chosen this:
Writing samples:
Action:
[Over the mirror network comes a fair face, probably far too close up at first before the compact is pulled back a little bit. Wide gold eyes blink a few times into it and though Ashura still isn’t sure how these magic mirrors work, he has a very pressing question for the population of the city.]
Um, hello! [A bright smile is offered finally, assured that it seems to be working.] I was wondering, where could I find a place to work? Since there isn’t much here to catch to eat ourselves... But someone told Ashura all I had to do was get a job and Ashura could have lots of food!
But when I asked them if I could work there, they laughed. [His brows furrow and a pout tugs at the child’s lips.] What kind of work could I do? Does anyone need help? I promise I’ll work really hard!
Ashura has to do his best, after all.
I’ll even work for food! Since that’s what I want anyway. Ahhh, so many weird new things to try, but they taste so good! [Shakes his head and re-addresses the mirror from his little excited aside.] But my name is Ashura, so if you need help, call me!
Thank you. [His head bobs gratefully before he snaps the compact shut.]
Third Person Prose: (( I wrote this as if it could be the set up for a log, I hope that is okay...))
Ashura’s feet had once again carried him to the area that felt the closest to home, in the strange district he’d heard others call Nimaraya. The greenery and trees gave him some small measure of comfort he didn’t feel in the crowded and busy city otherwise.
After all, he’d spent all of his waking life really on the run, moving through forests and vast swaths of wilderness and passing through small villages except for one brief visit to a bustling city. That hadn’t gone so well though and for obvious reasons such places had been avoided thereafter. As fugitives of an entire empire, being in densely populated areas wasn’t really the best of strategies. Especially with Ashura’s very distinctive features.
For this reason, the child wasn’t yet comfortable exploring the other parts of this new land, particularly alone. But Nimaraya had a calming effect and he needed the nostalgic feel of trees and nature to try and ease the building feeling of homesickness.
Though really, it wasn’t a home he missed so much as the people he’d come to love and trust. He missed Ryuu-ou and Souma something terrible. If Kujaku were to suddenly appear with a laugh and a joke that made little sense to the child, he would be delighted beyond belief and the strange man would receive the tightest of hugs. But of course, the one he missed the most and ached for was Yasha.
He hoped they were all okay... They were strong. He knew they could protect themselves, but Zemni Castle was dangerous! Taishakuten within even more so! Ashura should be with them. He didn’t understand why things had happened like this. He owed them too much to have come so far and then to fail like this.
A soft sigh escaped his lips and he wiped away tears that threatened to spill. Lifting his gold eyes to the tree he’d stopped beneath, he craned his neck back to look up up up into the dense green foliage. And with a quick glance around for anyone watching, he began to scale the trunk. It took a few tries, but he was determined. He wanted the familiar embrace of a tree as much as he’d complained about the fear of falling out of them back in Tenkai. He wouldn’t stay there until nightfall of course, that would worry his new friends. But a short nap couldn’t hurt right? He scrambled up into the crook of a sturdy branch and leaned his back against the trunk.
It wasn’t really what he wanted, but it would have to be good enough. Until Yasha came for him or he could return to him, he would make do on his own. Ashura closed his eyes on that thought and nodded his head to himself, strengthening his resolve. He woke a short time later to a grumbling noise, stirring him from his sleep. And then his stomach growled, loudly, startling him awake. With a flail and a yelp, gold eyes flew open wide as he toppled out of the tree. Thankfully there was an unfortunate passerby to break the child’s fall.
“Ooooooow!” he whined lightly before he realized he was sitting on his accidental savior. “Ah, Ashura is so sorry! Are you okay?”
Any questions and concerns go here:
