Bleak

[Bleak 0]

 

Appearance

Black hair is the trademark of many Asian backgrounds; but in Japan, the rebellious youth are notorious for dying theirs as a form of defiance- the streaks of red than stain his locks are striking. Tall, lithe, and toned, he usually wears a loose fitting black haori over a bodyglove, and bandages around his neck that he sometimes uses to cover the lower side of his face.

Profile

About

While he's not a Japanese National, Touya's parents were always fiercely traditional. His father an international banker and his mother a homemaker, they had four children who they raised to be studious and respectful. In the shadow of two elder brothers who placed nationally in exams and were accepted to prestigious schools, Touya was an enigma. He spent his early years as intended, learning and emulating the behaviors of the two that came before him, but often swept over when it came time to tend his sister, the first and only girl child that his parents were blessed with. As he reached his teenage years, the favoritism and lack of acknowledgement from his parents, even to his best efforts and accolades drove a wedge between him and his family. He started to spend less time at home and more time with friends- mostly other Asians at first, but more diverse and less traditional as time marched on. Once he made it to high school though, Touya fell in with decidedly the wrong crowd.

By the time he was 15, he was involved in nearly daily violence. He started to come home with new scars, scrapes, bruises, and eventually wounds that did not escape his mother's notice. When she asked him about it, Touya deflected. Until his school called home and his father got brought into things, she had stopped asking. When he got his family's attention, it wasn't at all the way he wanted it. His father's anger and disapproval brought the decision to enroll him in a martial arts program for both discipline and self-defense. Thinking this would be a deterrent for Touya, his father withdrew himself from the situation and left dealing with it to his mother. This created resentment, and pushed the youth further toward his friend group. 

Street fighting became easier as he became more thick-skinned. It was easier to ignore pain, to hide wounds, and inevitably, to win fights. At that point, his physique had grown hardened, toned, and less and less often people messed with him. He started to lift weights to maintain his physique as his grades slipped. While he pulled further away from his parents, his brothers sought to intervene and hopefully pull him back from the dark path he had started down. Asahi, the second brother, started to challenge him to various video games and got him hooked on virtual reality; and his eldest brother, Kouhei, started introducing him to fantasy novels and literature. Touya began to find interest in roleplaying games, middle ground between both his brothers interests, as a result- though he kept his interests hidden from his "friends," who would never have accepted them.

HIs interests slowly began to diverge. His brothers had succeeded in giving him "healthier" interests, but in turn caused unexpected strife. Much of his time began to deviate away from the deviant lifestyle he had cultivated, but in turn drew their ire toward him. The people who he had called friend started to turn on him, ostracizing him, making his life a living hell. He dropped out of school and joined the workforce against his parents' wishes, and though it made him a black sheep to his father, he was allowed to remain at home so long as he paid rent.

Work was mundane, monotonous. He used the excess funds to fill his days with his favorite pastimes, books, games, and to quietly continue his studies. He was able to get his GED and decided that he wanted to continue his education, though he did not want help from his parents and he did not want them to learn about it. Into his twenties, he was able to save an ample amount of money by scrounging, but the drawn out effort left him drained, disinterested, dispassionate. Touya had lost the spark of light that once burned in his eyes- though in truth, it had long been dying.

He dove head first into Kouhei's books and started to spend more time in Asahi's games, retreating from the reality that had betrayed him. Touya's father still not present, his mother stepped in when she realized her son was losing the battle with depression.

She heard about a game that was coming out, and because of the wonderful things her two other sons had been telling her about Touya's budding interests, she bought him the state of the art NerveGear and when Sword Art Online was released, he was given the limited opportunity to be one of the lucky players.

Well... for a given value of luck.

Virtues/Flaws

Grown in the Chaos: His experience as a playground bully, street fighter, and gang member have hardened him and given him experience.  Characterized by thick skin and an aloof response to most stimuli, Touya is able to keep a level head in even the most volatile of situations.

Tried and True:  To those who are his close friends and family, Touya is unwaveringly faithful. Though their numbers have dwindled, anyone who the young man gets close to can count on his unwavering support and help whenever they are in need of it.                 

Logic Engine: Born gifted, Touya can parse information quickly and is able to reason through problems to a solution. He excels at problem solving and rational thinking, and can easily tie together information in order to formulate strategies and piece together puzzles.

Adversary: Legendary holder of grudges. Touya does not easily forgive or forget. Those who earn his ire are slow to come back into his good graces, and he might even go as far as to impede them or make their lives more difficult. In the most extreme of cases, he might even be able to justify violece.

Savagery: Hardship has made Touya lack compassion and mercy. When in a battle, Touya was taught to cast aside his good graces and indulge his inner beast. Instinct driven and severe, the way he fights senses weakness and cuts straight to the heart of it. This can also carry over into his speech and the way he deals with others- vulgar, cruel, and at times heartless. He will often be able to read the room, yet still say something hurtful or harsh because it's blunt and honest. 

Worthless Lack of attention from his parents, being spurned by friends, he struggles with value. One of many reasons people fall into a life of delinquency and bullying is because of a poor home life and lack of love from their parents- this is extremely true for Touya. Though his mother tried where she could, his father's distance and a few too many heartbreaks during childhood led him down the path of low-to-no-self-worth. He projects this onto others, treating them with little to no respect unless they earn it from him. Even worse, he's his own harshest critic.                                                                                                                                            

Skills

Rank 1 Polearms

Inventory

(Uncommon) Weathered Polearm

(Uncommon) Tattered Haori

(5) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)

2,500 Col and (10) Materials

Roleplay Log

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Friends List

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Relationships

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Story So Far

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Edited December 20 by Bleak

[Morningstar 0]

Approved