[Character Application] Mikage
Character Information
Character
Name: Mikage
Fandom: 07-Ghost
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Time Period: Mid-chapter 5
Wing Color: Classic rose, the colour of the fyulong dragon
History: Here.
Personality:
Mikage is a young man with a wealth of cheer and a capacity for kindness that seems to know no limit. He is honest and straightforward; he never seems to hide his heart from those he cares about, or those he views as trustworthy or decent. He'll smile without hesitation, cry when he wants to, say "I love you" with no irony or pause. He is, in essence, what it means to be a friend.
He's not perfect by any means, however. He's obnoxious when he feels that the situation demands it- he'll rebel against authority, mock, dismiss, or outright ignore even his own employer if he feels they're behaving unjustly, such as Shuuri Oak's mistreatment of Teito. He doesn't like causing trouble or getting into physical fights over trivial matters, though; when the honour of he and his family is insulted and Teito intervenes with violence, he stops the fight saying it isn't worth it. Rather than getting his friend into trouble, he ignores the insult and is just thankful for the support, instead.
On the flipside, he's not afraid of real combat in the slightest. Despite not being as strong as Teito, he has faith in his own skills and the strength of his zaiphon abilities, and he's able to work side by side with Teito- they've trained together enough that they can move and attack in sync. It's pretty much assumed that he has a normal-strength offensive zaiphon, since he doesn't heal nor manipulate. Attitude-wise, while he stays serious in real battles, he's not above having a bit of fun even during training. Really, he comes off as something of a prankster and a goof; he's always looking for ways to have fun and play around, using his sense of humour and ability to read people to try and bring a smile to someone's face. He loves to make people happy. In chapter 1 he says, "Want to scrimmage so I can get pumped and not get into any accidents tomorrow?" which sheds a bit of light on his battle prep tactics. AKA get excited and keep the adrenaline pumping, orz
A great deal of Mikage's personal strength comes from his enthusiasm. Tough situations roll right off his back, and whatever happens, he's bound and determined to smile through it all for the sake of those he loves. His family means a great deal to him, considering he entered the military for their sake- not to make them proud or obey their wishes like many others, but specifically to protect them. His idea of family isn't limited to blood relations, however; he specifically states that Teito is family to him, and that's why he's unable to choose between them. He puts a lot of heart into what he does, without expecting much in return; when he does get a favourable response (such as Teito's confession that being called Mikage's best friend is like having a family) his response can vary, but typically is overenthusiastic and cheeky in some way. He and Teito are prone to razzing on and insulting each other, but boys will be boys. :|b His feelings are genuine, though, and he loves both honestly and deeply.
He places a lot of trust on his friends, and thus he holds true to his promises as best as he can; he's all about fluff and love and bromance, and he never seems ashamed of anything he feels. Putting it simply, he lives to be the light of others.
...As an aside: he hates hospitals and bell peppers, and if the anime can be trusted, he loves all things yakisoba. His favourite colour is sunset orange.
Strengths:
Physical: Though he isn't as strong as Teito, he has enough control over his offensive-type zaiphon to have been accepted into the military academy (all of whom were candidates for accepting the Eye of Michael, were it to be found.) He's built more physically than Teito as far as size goes, and when possessed Ayanami he's able to manhandle Teito pretty effectively, but it's dubious whether or not he could manage that on his own. Judging by some of the official art, it looks like as a cadet he's had some training with weaponry, but his skill level is unknown.
Mental: Mikage is surprisingly resilient when it comes to serious matters; he can keep his cool relatively well in battle, he withstands Ayanami and the Black Hawks' interrogation after Teito's escape, and he holds himself together as long as possible despite Ayanami's possession and the separation of his soul for the sake of protecting Teito and his family. His will to protect those he loves, even at the cost of his own death, is a wish he holds very dear to his own heart.
Emotional: When he's devoted to someone, it is completely and wholly. He won't desert, abandon, or betray that person, period. Due to his honesty he's emotionally all over the place, but for the most part his greatest strength is his ability to smile through adversity, and to use that strength to find ways to make those around him share that smile no matter what.
Weaknesses:
Physical: Since his main strength lies in his zaiphon, it's more or less safe to assume that any other physical talents would be secondary in power; skills with weapons (such as guns or swords, as shown in some of the art) would be less impressive, and he lacks the natural talent at physical combat that Teito has. He can keep up and hold his own in a fight, but he's used to working in a team, so he probably would have more difficulty if he was fighting alone. He prefers working with Teito anyway.
Mental: This ties somewhat into physical as well, since it affects his body, but the main effect is spiritual- Mikage possesses only half of his soul due to Ayanami's theft of the other half in order to possess him. Because of this, his body is cold, and if Ayanami extended his influence, Mikage would lose control of his body and become what's essentially a one-winged Kor. Destroying the wing results in his death, so that's his most obvious physical and mental weakness when he's in that state.
Emotional: The trouble with having such an open heart is that it's also unguarded from attack. Mikage's weakness is his love for others; his family, his friends- if you make him choose between them, or hurt them while he's unable to protect them, he falters and finds it difficult to deal with the situation. Naturally he hides it by being all smiles, but even he isn't perfect, and if pushed to the limit, he'll crack under the pressure. He's afraid of dying (which is normal enough but worth noting since he sort of accepted it to save his best friend instead of trying to save himself) and his emotional attachments to people mean he's liable to feel discouraged or lonely when certain people are absent from his life.