application for absolute_hold

[armagus]

⌦ the basics
▐ YOUR NAME Seiko
▐ OVER 18? yes
▐ PERSONAL LJ gearcheim
▐ EMAIL/IM seikobox at gmail dot com
▐ OTHER AT CHARACTERS --
▐ RESERVED? yes

჻ CHARACTER Ragna the Bloodedge
჻ CANON SERIES Blazblue
჻ TIMELINE Post Continuum-Shift
჻ WIKI LINK FOR BIO/HISTORY: ----

⇶ the details
▐ ELABORATE

NOTE: {This info is derived from various places, including Dustloop Forums, TVTropes, Official Game Scripts, and self gameplay/reading/observation/whatever of the game and its supplement materials (Materials Collection, Phase -0- Novel, Wheel of Fortune Drama CD). So, it's more like an information dump and basically, unless you're using this app as a reference for your own app (and you plan to link it as such), probably not a good idea to pull info from since you'll have a difficult time finding online sources for some information pieces. And, watch out for spoilers, please! c:}


჻ HISTORY ≡ CUE GROUND ZERO
Once upon a time, Ragna lived as an orphan with his two siblings-Jin and Saya-in a cute little church under the care of a nun known only as "Sister". Both younger siblings adored their older brother and his attention, and Ragna adored them just as much. He tended to Saya more than Jin because of Saya's physical frailty, which apparently caused them to have a special relationship that was lacking in with his and Jin's. And that was enough for Jin to eventually get so jealous and obsessive to have his brother's attention all to himself that he went so far as to become susceptible to possession and burn the church down with Saya inside.

Ragna lost his left arm in that incident and was left to die at the scene (a possessed Jin and unconscious/injured Saya were taken away by who is later revealed to be Terumi, the one who possessed Jin and had him act on all his crazy to begin with-well, we think or so we're told and explained. Let's not totally excuse the power of Jin's crazy on his own accord, either.)

Ragna is saved by Rachel, a vampire who acts on seeing his desire to live despite his inevitable fate to die (shit happens when you're arm gets sliced off and you're left bleeding) by using her vampire abilities to bite him and turn him into a vampire, as well. Although Ragna and Rachel are vampires, this is rarely brought up (Terumi only refers to the constant smell of "that shitty vampire" re: Rachel and Ragna doesn't seem to give off the same offensive odor, perhaps because he's technically only half?) as vampires in Blazblue don't act like regular vampires. Their "vampirisms" such as drinking blood and feeding are not necessary and treated like uncivilized urges and indulgences rather than necessities for their survival. (Since Blazblue takes place in the future, it's possible that somewhere along the way vampires evolved from their more "primitive" needs as parasites or it's just they were never like traditional vampires to begin with in the BB canon universe.)

After being saved, he is taken under Jubei's wing (mostly at Rachel's request for Jubei to take care of him) and learns how to use the armagus that he has come to acquire in the form of his new right arm. Prior to this, he showed no talent or ability in being able to wield grimoires or do anything with ars magus, so this might be why he is left to die (both Saya and Jin seem to have shown considerable talent considering Jin was able to use Yukianesa when he was a child and Saya was taken to be used as the templates for the Murakumo Units).

CUE CALAMITY TRIGGER
THIS IS WHEN SHIT SUCKED

CUE CONTINUUM SHIFT
THIS IS WHEN SHIT SUCKED WORSE

≡ CUE PHASE -0-

The truth is that Ragna was not part of the Black Beast as most came to assume (not technically, anyway). Instead of being fused with Nu when falling into the Cauldron, Ragna suffered a fate similar to the Jin who became Hakumen only with memory loss. Ragna's memories and powers were lost, his right arm become unusable due to Nu fusing with the power of the fake Azure Grimoire instead of Ragna entirely. While with amnesia, Ragna went to become known as Bloodedge. He saved Jubei and they became quite good friends as well as supposedly ultimately sacrificing his life fending off the Black Beast and sacrificing himself for Jubei's sake. Single handedly, Bloodedge fended off the Black Beast for a year during which the Black Beast was said to go into "inactivity" which gave Nine enough time to complete the concept of Ars Magus. Ultimately losing his life to the Beast, Bloodedge's memories and power did return during his presence around the Black Beast (which may or may not have contributed to his ultimately demise) but for some reason or another he wasn't powerful enough to survive the encounter of his year long struggle with the monster. (It's safe to say that he may have died prematurely due to circumstance with Jubei being involved, from Jubei's conversation in a flashblack with Hakumen in Hakumen's story mode. Jubei expresses extreme anger and guilt over Bloodedge's sacrifice and makes mention of him dying to in particular reference to saving his life and wondering why he'd do such a thing. It's said that Bloodedge saves Jubei once during the War from death and after that happened, they became close friends. Whether the wording is inconsistent or if Bloodedge saves Jubei twice, the second time dying for him, currently, is a little unclear.)

It's also interesting to note that Hakumen never meets Bloodedge and is quite unaware of who he is. Although Rachel seems to know who Bloodedge is (she mentions when Ragna receives the sword and coat that all she could do was helplessly watch as he was killed by the Beast), but this knowledge doesn't seem to be shared by Hakumen even though he exists outside of the timeloop . When Jubei speaks of Bloodedge, Hakumen comments that though he's never met him, he's sure he was a great warrior/worthy of the respect and praise Jubei gave him. Considering Hakumen's contempt for Ragna as the Black Beast, well, it's safe to assume that he really didn't know his brother was in fact not part of it.

{That said, it's also possible Hakumen's contempt towards calling Ragna the Black Beast is simply the fact that he's referring to his arm and his role in ultimately forming the Black Beast. Even though that conversation shows his contempt for Ragna and he doesn't even acknowledge him as his brother, it's possible that throughout the time loops Hakumen did come to find out that his Ragna never did become the Black Beast and even helped fend it off, giving that unforseen "break" that allowed the Six Heroes to do what was necessary. However, that would easily be able to lead Hakumen into further hatred of the Black Beast, knowing his brother died at its hands and was absorbed by it. It may also be where some of that "grimalkin" wording comes from in reference to Jubei rather than simply because he's related to Kokonoe. Hakumen with his detachment from being Jin Kisaragi seems quite able to distance himself from the Ragna of the current timeline, although when thought about that isn't so far fetched, regardless of his feelings. *His* timeline brother is dead, afterall, and there is a version of Jin in the current, so all Hakumen would really have to see is the one indirectly responsible for assisting to create the Black Beast that ultimately murdered and absorbed his brother‐that's assuming he even knew.}
Anyway, a memoryless Ragna is sent back in time with the Black Beast and is stumbled across by a girl named Caelica A. Mercury, sister to the eventual six hero Nine and daughter of Shuuichirou Ayatsuki (シュウイチロウ＝アヤツキ), a colleague working alongside both Terumi and Relius Clover. Seems Shuuichirou also had a bone to pick with Amaterasu (as well as having an inferiority complex to deal with concerning his two partners), but not much is known beyond that. It seems during an experiment with a Boundary Prime Field Device they accidentally unleashed the Black Beast that had been sent back in time
{so it's not clear if the Black Beast just randomly appeared one day/was discovered by them or was actually spit out into the past particularly because of this experiment/unleashed. Judging from the wording, it seems like the current "truth"-since it all changes so much AND NOTHING WE BELIEVE IS REAL NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE'RE CORRECTED OR GIVEN NEW INFORMATION BECAUSE "WELL, ACTUALLY..."-is said that Shuuichirou, Terumi, and Relius were directly responsible for the Beast's release into the past anyway [and, technically, since they were all doing research on Kusanagi, which is what the Black Beast was a failed attempt at creating, it's quite safe to say they were directly responsible one way or another-whether it was creating the Black Beast or just unleashing it. It's important to note that, in Continuum Shift, Terumi mentions the Black Beast being his-their?-little pet, but it's unclear if he means that he set it up so that Ragna and Nu would conveniently fall into the Cauldron in an attempt to smelt the sword or that if the Black Beast was a failed experiment of attempted fusion of Ragna and Nu (or Ragna's arm and no Ragna to be found as he was already in the past? \o/ NO IDEA TOTAL SPECULATION WAIT FOR "CR")]}.
Caelica runs into Bloodedge while searching for her father, who disappears after a nuclear attack is launched in attempt subdue the Black Beast (but all it does is make things worse).

Anyhow, Caelica isn't one to let someone wander about injured so she heals Ragna and they apparently become close during the light novel, so much that it could definitely be hinted there was something between them just like Ragna and every other character in this stupid series oh my god??. In the end, Caelica is left waiting for Bloodedge to return after he's done with the Black Beast (he left to go fight the Black Beast and said he'd return, but dying tends to put a damper on that sort of thing?? GJ RAGNA). She is the person who becomes known as "Sister" to little Ragna and is murdered when the Church is burned down where she resides taking care of the children and guarding (? "guarding"...) the Black Beast's remains after it is finally vanquished. (Her taking care of a younger Ragna and his siblings is said to be a fulfillment of her promise/waiting for him to return although it seems she may not have been aware of their connection at all, especially considering she doesn't exist outside the time loop and is always murdered by Terumi-one more bone for Ragna to pick with the bastard).

≡ CUE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

***IDK YET ALL I KNOW IS THAT RELIUS AND TERUMI ARE BITCHES AND USING HIS BB SISTER AS A VESSEL AFTER THEY WENT AND MADE HER A CREEPY PURPLE HAIRED SLUT GOD***




჻ PERSONALITY


THE BOY
As a child, Ragna had a rather endearing personality. He was carefree, kind (his siblings-both of them-meant the world to him) and he seemed quite happy with his going nowhere lifestyle of being an orphan.
That is, until his world went down in a ball of flames and he lost both siblings, the Sister he knew to be the closest thing to a mother he would ever have, and lost his right arm in the process.

Ragna's personality did a 180 then, although it particularly manifests itself much later as he grows older, the scarring effects taking their toll. While Ragna says after that fateful day he learned to hate everything, it's seen that Ragna isn't quite so cynical and dark until he reaches maturity. Even after the incident, despite his want for revenge, he's still just a kid (he even calls Jubei a big fluffy kitty when they first meet and he runs around playing with a tiny kitten version of Taokaka when they first meet as well) and has his innocent (and stubborn sides). As he grows up, that hatred seems to manifest, perhaps the gravity of the situation weighing down more heavily and realistically than it once did.

One thing that doesn't change is his rude bickering with Rachel, although he gets less tolerant and more rude as he gets older (and Rachel gets less teasing and more bitchy so maybe it's a mutual transition in an "adult relationship" for the two of them, who knows.

THE GRIM REAPER
Despite his master's concerns about Ragna himself and his grimoire, Ragna eventually took to starting his revenge, starting with destroying the N.O.L. one base at a time. At the start of Calamity Trigger, it already is shown that he has a temper problem. He had it even as a boy, but over time it seems to have only worsened. Besides a rather hot temper, Ragna is distant and often cold to those he meets, strangers meaning nothing to him. A classic loner.

However, it's eventually shown by the time he meets up with his brother, Jin, now a Major of the N.O.L., that he's not as distant from everyone and everything. He holds a different attitude towards his siblings (even Jin, never delivering a killing blow when he could have, doing his best to keep Jin uninvolved, and even in one game scenario he shows he still has faith in Jin and isn't just ready to give him up as another N.O.L enemy.

Ragna has always had a loud mouth, and he still does even though he often wants to be just left alone. He's blunt, to the point, and sprays vulgar insults every given chance. He's quite impulsive, often jumping too far ahead, but he's also determined like no one else to achieve his goal. (In his defense, no one ever tells him anything until its too late whether he asks for the help or not). There's a bit of a sarcastic side to him, as well, and one might say he probably isn't good with kids.

Most of all, Ragna has severe trust issues, these helping explain his moody loner self. He won't trust anyone on first meeting and he probably won't trust them on the 70th meeting, either. In order to be acknowledged and not receive the cold shoulder is a difficult task, even for those he knows quite well. Considering his sister is still missing, his brother is crazy and trying to kill him, and then another nuisance by the name of Hazama, his trust issues are certainly justified. Gain his trust, though, and you have it for life.

≡ THE BLACK BEAST
THIS IS WHEN -- oh

Although the history section "phase -0-" clarifies the whole "being the Black Beast" stigma for Ragna (...well, it kind of does, anyway), it's impossible to deny some base things such as Ragna's Grimoire definitely holding the power of the Black Beast and in both games him having endings where he is consumed by the Black Beast itself (and in CS, it's without Nu being anywhere nearby).

In terms of contributing to Ragna's personality, the Black Beast feeds off of Ragna's hate and dependence (greed, even) for power and his lack of ability to respect what he's given. The Black Beast comes about in times when Ragna fails to heed both Jubei and Rachel and their warnings of respecting and acknowledging what power is his and what power isn't. His lack of intuition and understanding of being allowed to tap a power that isn't his and that power being his is what ultimately dooms him and sends him to the bad endings of his storyline in game.

That said, while the Black Beast comes about from wrong decisions and thinking and bad paths taken by the player, the Black Beast is definitely the "dark side" to Ragna and not something to be ignored in terms of his personality and makeup. It's his own inner demon (as well as many others' outer demon and worst nightmare) and feeds off Ragna's inability to have control. Whether it's control over his emotions, his ambitions, his thoughts, or his opinions, it's a significant lack of control. His understanding may not be so much absent as it is simply smothered by his lack of control, but the lack of it for whatever reason certainly doesn't help bring him salvation. Considering Terumi feeds off of his hate in particular, the Black Beast part of Ragna is something that try as he might, probably isn't going to go away any time soon. And as seen from CS, even though they missed the supposed intial timeline point where the Black Beast is created and the loop starts all over again, that doesn't mean it's not still lingering somewhere with the chance to still create-or, rather, revive since it's already been around once before-itself.

Part of Ragna's growth as a character is learning to accept and acknowledge his own limitations without letting them hold him back. The Black Beast also represents that denial on some level, such as his refusal to acknowledge that the power of the Blazblue is, in fact, not his. He's using it and he's learned to wield it as well as use it to the point that even with a fake he can tap into the power of the genuine Azure, but it's forever important for him to continue to realize that it's not his and to not become so dependent on its power.

The Black Beast also comes about when Ragna abuses the use of his Grimoire (Canonly, despite player options for bad endings and twists and turns, begrudging accepts that he shouldn't use the blazblue unless absolutely necessary-and he holds to this quite well, despite being overenthusiastic in his decisions of when it's neccessary to use it in ... well, using it (case, point: encounter with Hazama in CS-immediate activation of the grimoire despite everyone telling him to not use it/rely on it and that he can't beat Terumi, anyway!!).


≡ THE BLOODEDGE
As the Bloodedge, Ragna's personality is different from his derpy self. He's more typical bad ass silent hero protagonist, loner, etc (less of a temper, you know, more ~*mature*~). He has a very morbid and serious weight to his persona, and judging from most people's lack of knowledge of him (having mostly known about him through Jubei and Rachel-although Nine and Caelica were quite familiar with him, as well) suggest he was quite content with no one ever knowing of his existence.

Jubei has a lot of respect for this man and persona of Ragna, so it's definitely safe to see without his memories he lost a good deal of his derpy brash side (although not enough of that brashness to avoid giving his life in the end without anyone even knowing who he was or what he was doing-talk about self sacrifice). This personality is probably much the same as the transition from Jin to Hakumen that Hakumen has to make, only is quite a bit more abrupt and sudden considering his particularly comes about through amnesia (and with no one or nothing to connect the pieces for him-that is, until he gets his power and memories back in vicinity of the Black Beast, there's no much for him to "transition" from especially being sent to such grim times).

***Haven't read the novel myself yet, but it's safe to say that Ragna still had his stubborn side and was more than a pain at getting to view other people's viewpoints and suggestions, which is typical enough of Ragna and doesn't need memories or experiences to be present in someone's personality.***




჻ RELATIONSHIPS JIN KISARAGI
--creepy pain in the ass to deal with little brother--

NOEL VERMILLION
--bolverk wielding whacked-out chick that has sister's face--

RACHEL ALUCARD
--crazy sadistic bitch rabbit--

HAZAMA/TERUMI
--green haired crazy bastard who ruined his life, a lot--
JUBEI
--big fluffy kitty master--

NINE & CAELICA
--sisters oh ho--

SAYA
--his bb sister who is also a psychotic war mongering genocide approving creep--

EVERYONE ELSE
-- Carl Clover (brat), Hakumen (freak), Taokaka (annoying kitty bounty hunter), Kokonoe (witch cat!lady), Litchi (doctor!lady he talks to too much and ends up in clinic way too often in non-canon info scenes), Relius (probably knows him better than he'd ever want to), Nu/Lambda (ugh), Luna/Sena/Trinity (FSKHGjjkfhda), Hype Dog (soul mate) --




჻ SKILLS/ABILITIES/WEAPONS BLAZBLUE/AZURE GRIMOIRE
--his armagus oh ho /o/--

BLOODSCYTHE
--his big ass sword that turns into a scythe and he stabs people in the face with.--

ELEMENT: DARKNESS
--yup--

THE BLACK BEAST
--yikes!!--

INFERNO DIVIDER (& and all those other stupid moves)
--idk probably not worth elaborating--

SOUL EATER
--ouch--

"DOES IT STING?"
--his fighting skill and abilities and persona as a fighter--

LEFT HANDED BTW
-- he's not right handed. fff --

⇶ nuadoria specific
▐ WHAT ARE THEY BRINGING TO NUADORIA?: Armagus: Blazblue (The Azure Grimoire-fake), the Idea Engine (this comboed with the Blazblue is not quite so fake in terms of power ability)
▐ YOUR CHARACTER'S ELEMENT: fire
▐ WHAT IS THEIR GESTALT?: lionheaded rabbit
▐ HOW WILL THIS CHARACTER FIT INTO THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE GAME?: (this is really important! please explain from character personality, traits, background information, canon itself, or anything else why this character will be able to fit into the environment of AT. What benefit (help or trouble !) could they bring by being played? What will you be able to do with them interactively both solo and with other characters. Etc. Please make as valid an argument as possible. There is no word limit: quality over quantity. This is here to prevent people from applying for the WRONG type of characters into AT, not to make the application harder.)

⇶ samples [If you've played the character before, please link 3 third person samples and 2 first person samples as references to how you play the character interactively. If you come from a game where 1st person is not used, you may submit 4 third person samples as long as at least one of them has the character speaking]
✔ LINKED SAMPLES : ➊ (third person sample) ➋ (third person sample) ➌ (third person sample)
➀ (first person sample) ➁ (first person sample)

✔ INTERACTIVE SAMPLE: 3rd person prose [past or present]
✔ INTERACTIVE SAMPLE LINK: here