application ; recollé

[recusancy]

PLAYER
YOUR NAME: Malathyne
18+?: yeppo
CONTACT: Malathyne, Discord: Malathyne #3688
CHARACTERS IN GAME: n/a
RESERVATION LINK: [here]

CHARACTER: CANON SECTION
NAME: Saïx
AGE: His exact age is unknown, but we can guess. In Birth by Sleep, we see Saïx as a teenager (Isa), who is supposedly around the same age or a little older as Ventus, who is fourteen or fifteen. When we see Saïx as an adult, it's ten years after BbS, so our best estimate is mid-twenties.
CANON: Kingdom Hearts

CANON HISTORY: (I'm sorry for having so many links here but Kingdom Hearts is, uh, let's call it "complicated," so just a character page wouldn't explain everything you need to know... So here are also some relevant terms to understanding wtf Saïx's deal is.)
[as Isa] [as Saïx]
Important Terms:
[Hearts] [Keyblades] [Heartless] [Nobodies]
[Organization XIII] [the Organization's true purpose]
[an important note on Nobodies and Hearts]

CANON PERSONALITY:

One of the first things noticed about Saïx is that he is quiet, aloof, and detached. He gives off an air of being unapproachable; he's intimidating without trying to be, which suits him just fine, as it means people are going to keep their distance. Saïx is a solitary person, not really being seen around other people in casual settings. In canon, he associates with other Organization members only as necessary for work, never engaging in small-talk and always getting to the point whenever he has to.

Everything he does has a purpose, even conversation. This is because Saïx is intensely goal-driven. Maybe he has a piece of information he wants out of someone, or he simply wants them to leave him alone. He has little interest in things that don't relate to his goals, and that interest lies in how it may be useful later. Although he's extremely goal-oriented, he isn't blind to the fact that plans can and often are derailed. Any scrap of information, even if it seems pointless now, may turn out to be a useful tool later down the line. So even if he seems to look down on something and discard it as useless, that doesn't mean he forgets about it.

Saïx's "finish line"-style focus is exemplified in his work in and for the Organization. Saïx is known by the other Organization members to be "bossy," as he constantly harps on others (such as, and especially, Demyx) to go back to work, because he so values efficiency (seen also in how scornful and condescending he gets with Xion after she begins to repeatedly fail). But his most important goal is to have his heart back, more than anything else. And to get at it, he's willing to align himself with others he doesn't trust or respect, and use other people (see: Sora and his friends, and even the other Organization members) as stepping stones to get where he wanted to be. He very much subscribes to an "ends justify the means" school of thought, so far as to take it to an extreme.

Saïx is downright ruthless, willing to play other people like chess pieces with utter disregard for their well-being. He will openly toy with their emotions if he thinks it will get him what he believes is the outcome necessary for the next step of his plan, and he has no qualms about hitting below the belt. This is evidenced by the way Saïx used Sora's attachment to Kairi to make Sora angry with him, so he would hopefully take that anger out on the Heartless, and as such further the Organization's plans. It wouldn't be a stretch to call him underhanded and manipulative, because he is, though he doesn't care in the slightest about what it says about him. To him, it simply isn't a question of morals. The morality of all of it doesn't even register. What matters most to him is what tool will best get the job done.

But despite his manipulative tactics, Saïx isn't known to lie. When he was using Kairi to manipulate Sora, he spoke only the truth. But that doesn't mean he's always straight-forward. Speaking cryptically is another favorite tactic of his, and he does this when he first meets Sora, saying, "Do you want to end up like Riku?" before leaving, specifically teasing information about Sora's missing friend to make him more emotional and easier to manipulate. In 358/2 Days, he often uses layered, veiled messages in his speech, and it isn't uncommon for even seemingly blunt comments to hold multiple meanings. This applies even when he's talking to Axel, his partner-in-crime and childhood best friend, especially to keep him in the dark about what's happening with Axel's friend Xion, even while he warned him not to get involved with her with no solid explanation. This is behavior is so common that Axel even calls him out on it, demanding, "Why can't you be straight with me for once?"

There isn't much in the world that he trusts, and it's hard to blame him, considering what a hostile environment Organization XIII makes. Even with the person he's supposed to trust the most (Axel), he treats as though he can't trust with all the information. Saïx may have started out 358/2 Days by seemingly trusting Axel, giving him leniency when Axel vouches for Roxas and Xion working together, but this doesn't last, and eventually, Saïx begins scolding Axel for getting too close to them. This (along with Saïx's harsh treatment of his new friends) only drives Axel farther away from him, despite the plan they share, the one they developed upon joining the Organization and had been acting out together. In canon, their plan is never spelled out, but they discuss how figuring out what the Organization's leader, Xemnas, is one key step to it. Saïx is perceptive enough to be able to tell that there's something big going on, something they aren't being told, and his distrust of others propels him to be incredibly suspicious of everyone around him, especially his superiors. And one trait that also fuels into this is one he shows as a teenager in Birth by Sleep -- an intense curiousity, as he and Lea (Axel) had been planning to break into the local castle. Not only did they do research on the castle guards for their plan, but when they failed, they kept trying. This "need to know" behavior and his tenacity to follow it and not give up are two things he hasn't lost with the loss of his heart.

This is interesting to think about, because the teenaged Isa shown to us in BbS doesn't seem to share a lot of the harsher traits his adult self exhibits. He's definitely on the quiet side, quick to quip playfully at his best friend, and he's shown to be goal-focused and determined, just like Saïx. But how does he become so cruel and cold, even in his interactions with the only person he seems to value other than himself? This stems from the fact that, for the past ten years, he has been a Nobody -- a being without emotion. Once upon a time, he was a whole person, the boy named Isa with a thirst for adventure and a dream of sneaking into the castle. He had a quick tongue, a penchant for sarcastic banter, and wanted nothing more than to spend time with his best friend. But when he lost his heart when the Heartless destroyed his homeworld, he lost any ability to have an emotional drive. He isn't capable of shrugging and following his whims, or listening to what he thinks is morally right and wrong. And he certainly sees no reason why he should indulge in whims he doesn't have.

But while Isa grew up as a Nobody, he didn't become the ruthless Saïx without help. While the loss of his heart definitely had its impact on his ethics and ability to connect with other people, the extent of his cutthroat nature actually did not come to him naturally. The reason why Saïx bears the X scar on his face is to mark him as a vessel for brainwashing and identity replacement. This is why his eyes have changed from teal to yellow and his ears have grown pointed. It's all due to the fact that there is a seed of Xehanort's heart within him, planted there where his own heart was meant to go. As it took root and grew, it changed not only his physical appearance to take after Xehanort, but likewise several aspects of his personality, as well. Aspects such as a powerful ambition, extensive manipulation of other people, and an utter lack of concern for what happens to the people in his way.

This does not excuse him of the consequences of his actions, but the change has not entirely been within Saïx's control, though he does not know it. The tragedy in this is how attached Saïx is to his sense of self; the reason why he is still who he is, instead of being a lesser Nobody, is because he has such a strong self-identity. But he has no idea how much of his identity has been taken out of his hands. These new personality traits have warped his development, hardening him and, interestingly, making him even more devoted to finding out the truth behind Xemnas' motivations. But this only plays further into Xehanort's hands, because the more driven he gets, the more he allows himself to push away other people -- especially the person who had once been his best friend -- the unwanted heart seed inside him grows stronger. He only continues to lose his original self as Isa, and takes steps closer to becoming a copy of Xehanort.

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Saïx has high endurance (read as: hit points) and strength. He also has a critical eye for weak points and the ruthlessness to hit them hard (read as: do even more damage when he lands a critical hit). That said, his defensive and magical abilities are lower than average.
  
• He wields a weapon called a claymore (even though it is very obviously nothing like a real claymore). The signature – and his preferred – form of his weapon is the Lunatic. His weapon is a sort of extension of his soul, which means he can summon his weapon seemingly out of nothingness and dismiss it similarly.
  
• He can channel his magic through his weapon to draw out another form, one with extended blades of energy, and to create shock waves of moon magic to puncture the ends of his attacks. When he externalizes his magic in this way, blue-gray auras are formed around himself and his weapon.
  
• He is capable of using an array of spells typical to his universe. His spell list covers the three-stage branches of Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, and Cure.
  
• When Saïx's health is dangerously low, he taps into a store of power that allows him to unleash an attack called his Limit Break, Berserking. In this state, he uses the magic of the moon to enhance his body (his strength, defense, and speed increase, he shrugs off pain unless it is in large quantities, his teeth sharpening to canines, his eyes turning pure yellow, his scar mutating hideously), and he rampages. Everything about him seems to change then; his calm, cool attitude explodes into relentless fury as he tears into his enemies, and it is during this time that he adds shock waves to the ends of his attacks. In the presence of extraneous moon magic (such as that exuded by the Kingdom Hearts created by the Organization in Kingdom Hearts II), he does not need to drop to low health to activate his berserked state. All he needs to do is refill his magic with that radiating from the moon, and once he is recharged, he can rage anew. (This does not work in the presence of the regular moon.)
  
• Capable of summoning and commanding Lesser Nobodies and Heartless. Saïx favors the use of Dusks and Berserkers.
  
• The usage of corridors of darkness (passages through the Realm of Darkness that allows for travel between worlds) is standard for Organization members.
  
• Really good at bureaucracy work and general management skills. There's a very strong impression in canon that he's the one who manages all the paperwork for the Organization. It's definitely canon that Saïx is the one who decides the missions, delegates them to members, collects and reads mission reports, logs them into the Organization's database... Likely the only thing he doesn't do when it comes to this is set the agenda, which would come from Xemnas.

CHARACTER: AU SECTION
AU NAME: Isa Furugawa
AU AGE: 26
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: Instead of having blue hair and yellow eyes, he's going to have dark hair and blue eyes. His scar and pointed ears will also be absent.

AU HISTORY:

• Recollé born and raised, grew up in Veia
  
• Isa's mother passed away when he was a child, leaving him to be raised by his father. As Isa grew older, he began to clash badly with his father, and throughout middle and high school he did what he could to stay out of the house and away from his father. When he came of age, he moved out immediately and applied to legally change his surname from his father's to his mother's maiden name.
  
• Activities he participated in during his school years (officially school-sanctioned or not) included: kendo, spending time in the arcade, rollerskating, swimming, orchestra (playing the viola), horseback riding, trying out different exercise programs (including weight lifting), spending time in the city library, tutoring ...
  
• In school he developed a reputation among his honors classmates as being by and large quiet and standoffish ... unless he had to prove someone wrong about something, or be a smartass, or otherwise try to be the smartest person in the room. He wasn't terribly popular, which mostly suited him fine.
  
• He decided in high school that he wanted to be a detective due to his love for investigation and all things mystery. His stubbornness and goal-hyperfocusing habits formed at a fairly young age, which means once he chose what he wanted to do, he pursued it at full tilt. At first opportunity, he enrolled in the police academy, and worked his ass off to aim for top marks. But over the years, his strengths in organizational and bureaucratical affairs shone through, and despite his stubbornness, he actually accepted this and rolled with it. It was what he was good at, and he wanted to excel in his field, where his people skills were lacking enough to make him less successful at detective work. So instead of bullheadedly following his original goal, Isa opted to become a desk officer. And he's stuck with it ever since. He currently holds the position of desk sergeant
  
• In his free time, he continues to be very active, and is more likely to be out of his apartment (located in Tribunal Terrace) than spending a night in. He favors activities that allow him independence and avoid excessive socialization
  
• Current activities: practicing viola and attending orchestral concerts, horseback riding, working out, spending time in the city library, volunteering at the animal shelter as a dog walker, visiting a few bars (he's a regular at like two or three and cycles through depending on his mood), crafts (for DIY interior decorations) ...

AU PERSONALITY:

Take Saïx, and strip the majority of the Xehanort out of him. This is an Isa who was able to grow up with his emotions, but still exhibits quite a few basic traits in common with Saïx. He's still fairly solitary, though this time, it comes from having a poor relationship with his father growing up, which made him distrustful of others, then mix in a healthy dose of cranky rebellious teenager, all of which eventually added up to an adult who is independent and holds other people at arm's length. He's still very driven and stubborn to the point of bull-headedness, so when he makes his mind up about something, he's extremely likely to stick to it. But that doesn't mean he isn't adaptable; it's his goal that stays fixed, not the path he takes to achieve it.

This, when combined with his solid self-confidence and natural curiousity, means he's fairly ambitious, and always has a goal of some sort he's striving for. His pride together with his perceptive, intelligent nature also equals as him feeling the need to prove himself to be one of the smartest people in the room at times, giving him a penchant for sarcastic, biting quips. Otherwise, he's a fairly quiet individual, and while he wants to prove himself, it's more to himself as well as some nebulous audience than to any clear authority figure. (Though it can be argued that this is because he's seeking approval from some higher figure, he would, under the influence of a lot of alcohol and in the presence of someone he's comfortable with, insist that he wants to stick it to his father more than anything else.)

Something important to note is that because Isa has a heart and is missing several Xehanort components, this means that, while he prefers to do most of his activities alone, he isn't actually adverse to making friends. He's just incredibly unlikely to seek them out himself. If Isa makes friends, it isn't because he made up his mind to befriend someone, it's going to be because they worked their way past his defenses and he didn't see the need to fight them off. Luckily, since he lives an active lifestyle and, honestly, is pretty nosy, he's going to be around people quite a lot.

It will be interesting to see how Isa reacts to losing his heart as an adult, instead of a teenager, and without being immediately surrounded by the suspicious and hostile social atmosphere of Organization XIII. Hopefully, he will have also collected decent CR by the time he gets this "regain," because that could also heavily influence the way the loss of his heart changes him -- or, at least, how he handles it. What will be even more interesting will be to see his ruthless personality start to trickle back in, thanks to the influence of Xehanort's heart. He might push people away, or he might start using them like chess pieces -- or, if they're close to him, he might bring them in on whatever his Plan ends up being, as "co-conspirators."

But most interesting of all is the fact that, in Kingdom Hearts, someone who has lost a heart does not go without one forever. The process of growing a heart is a natural one, and influenced by the people around, especially friends... and enemies.

SAMPLE

The return of warm temperatures signifies Isa's return to Churchill Downs. During the cold months, he doesn't take the trip out here very often, since he feels the inclement weather makes it not worth the effort, both for the trip and for the ride once he gets there. It's actually more chilly than he'd like right now, but he isn't interested in riding. He has a different motivation today.

"Kweh!"

You are not a horse, Isa thinks pointedly and loudly at the giant yellow bird standing in front of him, as if it might somehow hear him. Its existence is... He'll settle for calling it "downright perplexing." If he was entirely honest, he'd also admit how much it disturbs him. Everything about the stables is more or less the same. The layout hasn't changed, the staff are the same... But the animals available for riding?

"Kweh!"

You are not a horse.

Even Churchill's logo has changed to reflect the birds' presence.

"Hey, Isa," comes a voice behind him. He half-turns so he can look over his shoulder and look at the stablehand. It's one of the staff members who have worked here for years, someone who has known Isa since his high school days. "You wanna saddle up for a ride today?"

"Hm." He looks back at the bird. Chocobos, they're called. He doubts riding a yellow ostrich is going to be the same as riding a horse. But it'd be strange if he said no, because he never comes here for any other reason. It'd be best to go ahead and try. "Yes, I do."

"Cool. Let me get Selene ready for you, then."

It takes Isa a moment to realize what the stablehand is referring to. Surely, they don't mean...? His brow furrows. "Selene? Where is she?"

The worker stops in the middle of picking a saddle off a hook on the wall to give Isa a strange look. "Do you need your eyes checked or something? She's right there."

"Kweh!"

"I'm not the one with vision problems," Isa answers irritably. "This... thing isn't Selene."

"Don't talk about her like that. She can understand you, you're going to hurt her feelings." The stablehand sets the saddle on the chocobo's back, then stops and looks at Isa again. "Can you seriously not recognize her? You've only been riding her for, you know, years."

Isa stares at the bird. It isn't just occupying Selene's stall. The staff member apparently thinks this is Selene. This entire conversation only supports the running trend. Most people he's talked to don't seem to notice anything amiss. The chocobo stares back at him.

"Never mind," Isa says, shaking his head. "Finish getting it ready."

The worker frowns at him, and he can tell they're thinking, What is your problem? or something similar. He ignores them in favor of stepping away and pulling his phone out of his back pocket. When he turns it on, the front page for that Retrospect app is right there, waiting for him. His thumb hovers over the screen. The arrival of this strange social media app that installs and uninstalls itself, and the abrupt existence of chocobos... The coincidence doesn't escape him. Even though he doesn't have any hard evidence, he has a suspicion that, somehow, the two are linked. But how? There's no logical explanation for this. If someone drugged the city's water supply and triggered a mass hallucination or something, why wouldn't everyone be affected? Maybe the ones who remember horses are resistant to the chemical. He needs to try to look into the company that runs this app, see if he can dig anything --

"All done," calls the stablehand, interrupting his thoughts.

Isa turns his phone's screen off and slips it back into his pocket. Investigating Retrospect will have to wait. For now, he has to figure out how he's supposed to ride this thing.