i'm a loser baby
PLAYER
Name: haru
Personal Journal: metaphand
Age: 20
Contact: aim xeroxedflare
Other Characters Played: demguns
Link to last AC:
CHARACTER
Name: KAMUI
note there's a huge kerfuffle over his name because what he introduces himself as is normally irrelevant to who other people wish him to be. formally his name is kamui, but kamui is also the title of the leader of the dragons of heaven, or the dragons of earth. his magical powers make it a little difficult to decide for others whether he's kamui or not-kamui. add to that the fact that nobody actually acknowledges him whenever he says I AM KAMUI, because most people still remember him as 'monou fuuma' -- and by most people i mean, the dragons of heaven -- so it's all a matter of guesstimating who he is. TRUST ME, IT NEVER GETS CLEARER. for the sake of this app, when i'm talking about kamui, of the dragons of heaven, i will write him as kamui; when i'm talking about kamui, of the dragons of earth, i'll write him as kamui.
Fandom: X/1999
Age: 17, but Kamui's known for not acting like his age. Considering the world's ending where he comes from, he likely won't even give a fuck about his age.
OU or AU?: OU
Timeline: volume 18, just before he kills Kamui. Or tries to. It's hard to tell because CLAMP hiatused on a cliffhanger chapter. 8I
Wiki link: doot doot doot
History & Personality:
HISTORY.
In 1999, the world was changing. Monou Fuuma and his sister suddenly receive word that their mutual friend, Shirou Kamui, has returned after being away for so long. Fuuma remembers Kamui as a pretty nice dude, and so does Kotori, his sister. So they were really surprised when Kamui returned and he was kind of an ass.
Fuuma doesn't know anything about the end of the world. Back then he's still a high school student and had relatively simple worries. Kamui does, and Kamui knows that he has to protect the ones he love -- Kotori and Fuuma. Kamui also knows that he'll end up fighting -- for which side, he doesn't know yet. He just knows that he'll have to fight, and in doing so he'll probably get both of his friends involved. Best he don't speak to them for a while. There are other reasons, too: Kamui is mourning the death of his mother, who went up in flames in their house back in Okinawa because she was a premature sacrifice (shadow sacrifice, they call them) for all the hurt and destruction that will befall the Earth. Kamui walks knowing there will be two more deaths: a sacrifice for him, and someone else -- whoever it is who'll take his opposite.
Things get a little muddy when both sides gather in Tokyo for the next couple of weeks after Kamui's arrival. They're waiting for the end of the world and they're waiting for the Kamui to appear. Kamui is approached by Arisogawa Sorata and Kishuu Arashi first, from his side, who try and convince him to fight for humanity. Then there's Kanoe, the dreamseer for the Dragons of Earth, who try and convince him to change the world for the better (by destroying humanity. ha ha ha). The dreamseers are the ones who bring together both sides for the end of the world; they see the future through their dreams and share it with others. It's never actually explained why Kamui and Fuuma are chosen. Kamui is just slammed with two visions on different occasions by the seers: one is a vision of the world renewed by the Dragons of Earth. Another, a world preserved by the Dragons of Heaven. Nobody explains anything to Fuuma, since as far as the seers are concerned, Fuuma isn't part of the calculations. The seers always see two of Kamui fighting, but tend to forget that Kamui is just as good of a title as it is a name.
While Kamui's taking his time to decide and try and make meaning out of these appearances and apparitions, two things happen: the Shinken, which was kept in Fuuma's father's shrine, was stolen. Fuuma's father dies trying to protect the sword; in his dying moments he tries to impart to Fuuma who he really is to Kamui. The sword is important to Fuuma in more ways than one: after all, his mother died giving birth to it as well after the siblings. Fuuma never fully understands, but something in him changes and he knows that, more than ever, he has to protect Kamui. His sister, Kotori, goes mad with their father's death. Kamui arrives at this scene. Their aunt Tokiko arrives later in the shrine to give birth to the second sword, the second shinken, right then and there, and the three of them watched her body die as the sword came out.
The three of them eventually were escorted into CLAMP academy where the chairman explains that he has been in contact with Kamui's aunt, Tokiko Magami, who has left an important message for him. The message being he is the Kamui with the choice: and that he should choose whether he wishes to preserve the earth for his loved ones, or have it destroyed, which is not really much of a choice. Fuuma and Kotori were somewhere in the pool where Kotori has fallen in love with everything that is blue -- the sky, the sea, the water -- because it reminds her of Kamui. When Kamui takes her out of the water and hears this, he makes his decision: he is going to protect the world for both of them, no matter what. Hearing this, Fuuma changes and turns into the other Kamui -- if Kamui is going to protect the world, then he, his opposite, is going to destroy it. His first course of action is to kill Kotori, who becomes a shadow sacrifice for Kamui. After that, he starts to engineer the end of the world.
PERSONALITY
When the time came to decide the fate of the earth, Kamui made the choice to save it, along with the people that he cared for the most. In order to balance the choice that he made, Monou Fuuma then occupied the position of Kamui's "twin star", and it is later revealed that he is the one born to fill the void when Kamui either chooses to be a Dragon of Heaven (also known as the Seals) or a Dragon of Earth (also known as the Angels). Both titles hold power: being a Seal means that you use your powers to protect the world; being an Angel means that you use your powers to wipe humanity so that the Earth can have a rebirth. While the powers of the Seals and Angels are in-grown, it is implied that the Kamui get it depending on which side they choose to represent: the Heavens, or the Earth. Both Kamuis have equal power to save or destroy the world; or rather, Kamui's power is dependent on Kamui in that if Kamui becomes stronger, so does Kamui. If his power is subdued (as was in the case where they locked the Shinken up so that he won't use it until the Final Day), Kamui's powers are subdued as well. Both Kamui can also hear the Earth "crying". In Kamui's case he says he can hear it crying for change, which the Dragons of Earth deliver by causing an apocalypse.
(Note that Fuuma doesn't get to choose which side she wants to fight on. Had Kamui chosen to fight for the Dragons of Earth, Fuuma would've been the Kamui of the Dragons of Heaven. Fuuma's fate was decided the moment he was born; same with the other Dragons. It is only Kamui who has a choice.)
It is important to note the significance of Shirou Kamui's name. Shirou's first name, 'Kamui', actually means two things: 1) he who wields the power of god, and 2) he who rejects the power of god. Kamui's decision to protect the world makes him the embodiment of the first definition, and because Fuuma is born to fill the void left by Kamui, he takes on the burden to be his twin star, the one born to hunt, to destroy the seven seals and renew the Earth. Hence, after his choice, Fuuma becomes Kamui; any trace of Fuuma in Kamui is erased. In fact, every time Kamui tries to tell him that he wants to save Fuuma, Kamui always replies that he is not Fuuma, and that Fuuma no longer exists.
So. Who is Kamui? It is better to describe the Kamui of the Dragons of Earth as an amalgamation of personalities; none of which are actually, entirely him. Kamui has retained some of the things that made him Fuuma -- he is polite, he is charming, he smiles a lot (maybe a bit too much, like he knows something that you don't -- and often, he really does), and is usually calm; until he starts talking, anyway, then it's pretty easy to forget that he's just seventeen. He has an unflappable air around himself, reckless, carefree, even if the world is falling into chaos. He can even be playful if he wants to be. At the same time, he is cruel and ruthless, even when smiling, even when polite, even when he's being charming as he smiles. He has his serious, cold side, too. Usually he reserves this during times when he's contemplating her role in the world, which he does a lot.
Nobody can be entirely comfortable with him, because conversations with Kamui tend to take a creepy tone, since he has a habit of not really being honest, unless he has to. Or when he gets fed up of idiots not knowing what they want; not that they'll know, because Kamui will never let them know -- he gets a kick in being ambiguous as fuck. He's mysterious, and tends to keep things to herself, even when you desperately want to know the truth, and that's exactly how he likes it. Part of this is because Kamui isn't really threatened by the presence of anything -- he knows she's strong, he knows only Kamui can defeat him, and that's going well, isn't it? He can be really arrogant at times -- and the other half is because he likes to watch other people struggle with themselves, and figure out what they want, even if they fail.
As Kamui of the Dragons of Earth, Kamui is driven, and always on task, but is not entirely controlling (though he is manipulative as hell, and often plays on people based on what they wish, especially if it gets a kekkai destroyed). He gives his Angels the choice of either joining him in her crusade, or stepping back and watching the show from the sidelines. So long as they don't get in the way of his work, the non-involvement is perfectly fine. The problem with dealing with other people, of course, is that they tend to get to know you after a while. Kamui deals with this rather coldly, and has a tendency to push people off when it happens; whether it is for their sake or his, is another matter entirely. He can be expressive at times: physical contact with Kamui tends to go from a range of innocent touching to badtouching and maybe extreme contact that can get anyone killed. This is all dependent on the other person's wish, as well.
The important thing to realize is that Kamui is not doing all of this just because she wants to; Kamui is driven to do these things simply because he was shafted and given the short end of the stick with the apocalypse. He, unlike Kamui, was never given a choice as to whether he too would like to protect the earth or not. One of the things that motivates him is that he, too, has a wish; and unlike other people, his wish cannot be granted by anyone else -- only Kamui can. But because Kamui doesn't wholly know what to wish for in his life, and time is running out for everyone in his world, his chances of having Kamui's wish granted is becoming very small. The truth is, in the manga, we seldom ever see him do anything for himself, he's too busy trying to destroy the world / granting people's wishes. It can't be blamed when he comes off a little bitter on the end of the world -- not that anyone knows; as far as the Seals and Angels are concerned he's evil, anyway.
That being said, Kamui is a person whose destiny has been moved by someone else's choice, and completely without his consent. He has sacrificed himself to this cause, even if they undermine the value of his life. Kamui continually grants other people's wishes, but it seems that he cannot grant he own and relies heavily on his twin star in order for his wish to be granted. Whether or not Shirou Kamui decides to grant it is still debatable; since he doesn't seem to realize that Fuuma and Kamui are one and the same.
Mode of Entrance: Portal
Suitability: WORLDS DYING IS KAMUI'S DEAL. Survival, you say? Hell yes. His team has an awesome survivability rate! Don't expect him to lend a hand, though, unless you specifically Wish for it. Lastly, the game has a need for someone who can make creepy, vague sexual advances and innuendos. Everybody's been so nice lately, we need a few anti-heroes to restore the balance.
FOR OUs ONLY
Items: Uniform, the carrying cloth for the shinken, the shinken / Holy Sword. In his pockets he has a pair of ray-bans that make him look cool, and some spare change enough to buy ice cream.
Abilities/Powers: Hoo boy. Note: Kamui can use all of these abilities awesomely. More often than not he goes out to downtown Tokyo -- or what's left of it -- to use all of this shit in one volume, I kid you not. (Yes, he dreamwalks in the morning. Don't ask.)
Main ability: the power to eliminate humanity. This he employs using ki blasts / telekinesis that can bring down buildings, and bend matter to his will, or store them in innocent objects (such as pop cans) that, once he unleahes the power, brings about a huge explosion that can level down cities and kill people. The shinken (holy sword) also brings out his full strength, which is why it was only used in The Final Day. He also has the ability to reflect and utilize magic, even if it's not him own. His more powerful ki blasts take the shape of a rampaging dragon, kinda like summoning a raging Gyarados straight out of hell and into the field and using outrage forever until the field is wiped out. (Except that he does it smiling.) He can also fly.
Side abilities: Kamui can see wishes. This is normally defined as a person's innermost desire. Sometimes, (and only if granting the wish in question is within him abilities) he grants them. This can turn eithim good or extremely problematic for the parties involved, depending on the wish of the person. He can also invade other people's dreams and see what they're dreaming about. Within the dreamworld, any form of spiritual barrier is useless to him as well; he can walk in them like it's any othim day in the park, or he can just manipulate any space in order for it to work for him instead of against him. (Getting out is another matter, though; this is possible only if the one who raised the kekkai or created the dream is killed. Or just severely injured, depending on what they wihed for.) Related to seeing Wishes, Kamui also has a tendency to look like the person you want to see the most. This prevents most people from actually seeing his true face, and makes people reluctant to acknowledge him as Kamui. Kamui also has good supernatural senses, and tends to know where his other colleagues are.
Other: Boy heals fast! Also, Kamui was an athlete when he was known as "Fuuma" -- or rather, when Fuuma existed and Kamui wasn't even alive yet. Also, if you want to die, he has a preference for sticking his entire arm right through your chest. Or decapitating heads with the Shinken, but only if you're his sister.
Despite all this, however, Kamui only kills the ones who really wish to die (other than the Seals), anyone else who gets in him way while doing his duties who are not the Seals but are remotely related to the fate of Tokyo, and attacks only those who are Really Wishing For It (this tends to end badly, unless the opponent has a strong sense of will and really, truly wants to live, no matter what, like Yuzuriha Nekoi, whose wish is not to die), or who attacks him first (whether they live or not after is up to them). When he's not killing people or doing Angel duties, he likes eating ice cream and sleeping on fountains while looking pretty.
Weaknesses: Being powerful isn't always the best. Because he is so powerful, Kamui tends to alienate people around him; depending on the circumstances, he can either appear to be completely charismatic or cold towards everybody else -- Kamui has no one true face that he can present to anyone anymore, since he has thrown himself away in order to become Kamui's twin star. His default face that he uses to deal with everybody is a mask of a nice, ordinary boy. Kamui is always running around granting everybody's wihes and has no control over the person who can grant his wish. The reality is, as powerful as Kamui is, he really has no control over what he is, and goes to do him duties in the hopes that one day, everything will end and him wish will be granted, too. This makes him distrustful of most people, to some extent, since he has this idea that they're all just out to use him to grant their own wishes anyway. He is highly critical of the people who don't see his face whenever they look at him.
Along with being the Kamui of the Dragons of Earth comes a sense of purpose. In Arkham he's going to lose this, because what is a destroyer of the world if he's not allowed to destroy the world? Kamui is probably going to cling to the only identity he is sure of, which is that of being the Kamui of his side, even if there is no side to speak of. And because Kamui's not exactly the sanest kid in the world, he's going to run on a self-destructive rampage. Because of his destructive tendencies, he tends to forget that he is only mortal, and more importantly, that he's only seventeen. WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF AGE WHEN he CAN BECOME GOD??? It's not that he's completely forgotten what it's like to be Fuuma -- it is the basis for himself, after all -- it's just that in the midst of war, and sacrificing himself for the sake of the world, whatever is left of the boy that he was tends to get worn down and hidden behind him many excuses for what he is, what he should be, and what he can be, given the lack of a destiny to carry.
There's also his reliance with his powers. You never actually see Kamui fight hand to hand; he has a tendency to blast his opponents off buildings or crush them with concrete in order to kill them. (Or decapitate them. See: his sister. Or not, because he doesn't have a head anymore. HAHAHA) He kind of sucks hand-to-hand; or is just more lazy doing so, depending on the fight and depending on what he feels at the moment. This is rather ridiculous considering he used to be in sports and worked hard on him sword skillz and all, but hey, if you're close to being a god, why would you need to lift a finger to beat the fuck outta someone when you can just destroy the world they live in? Or have others do it for you?
TL;DR he'll make a lot of enemies & no1curr
Suggested Power Reductions: I am so good with power-capping because man do I hate setting up permissions posts. BUT HERE'S A FEW:
1 - we'll seal his ki-blasting thing and make it only about 30% in the setting, and only if there are magical shenanigans going on. This means that he'll be able to slam someone against the wall hard enough to give them a concussion, but if he wants to break a wall, he'll probably want to borrow a pickaxe. (At this point he'll be too lazy to break a wall.) Also, he won't be able to fly anymore, since there's kind of no point flying around Arkham anyway.
2 - I'm keeping his healing abilities! Though he'll probably take about a week or so for full recovery.
3 - WISH-SEEING IS IN FULL EFFECT, and happens the moment Kamui looks at someone. This one I don't want to be reduced, so I'll set up permissions post for this and stuff.
4 - Certain aspects of wish-granting will have to be sealed. You don't want him talking to Cthulhu. You really don't. The only exception to this is if the person in question wants to see someone badly, because then they'll see the person they want to see the most on Kamui instead of Kamui himself; also, so long as the wish is not world-altering or something, it's all good. Other than that, no mega Geniemode. And speaking of Cthulhu --
5 - We'll take out the part where he can "hear" the world, because the last thing we want is for him to start seeing Cthulhu's bros.
6 - Dreamwalking is limited to days before magical shenanigans occur, if that's alright? 8Ia Otherwise, I'm fine with dreamwalking in general, but he won't be able to cause physical damage or permanent brain damage to the dreamer.
7 - the Shinken is a Holy Sword, but whether or not Kamui is holy is another thing. (Only if you want him to be.) Likely it'll just function as an ordinary sword.
WRITING SAMPLES
First Person:
[the phone is quiet, for a bit; it's as if someone decided to call, and, not really expecting anyone to listen, or not really expecting anyone to pick up the other line, it's quiet, and all you hear is a low sound of breathing, like someone forgot that it's on. on the other side kamui is actually apprehensive and he's not sure whether someone will answer him or not -- or if it's even worth it -- there's been too much talking done in his life and not enough resolutions being made. what's the point?
after a while, you hear a voice. the voice is low, amused, but somehow, a little grave:]
Odd. That the world is here, and yet it won't even speak. Even the heavens are quiet. And the earth just isn't talking.
.... that tells me two things. [he tilts his head. there's some static in the line as kamui shifts on his chair to something more comfortable; boy's got a lot of time to think on things.] Three, if I count the last one, which is probably the easiest to agree with. One is that there is something in this world powerful enough to silence the noise. All living things must have a voice. When that voice is silenced, I worry for the kind of world I'm thrown in.
Two, that the world has turned its back from me and I am relieved of duty. If that's the case, I wouldn't mind getting paid, after all that trouble. [he smiles. his sarcasm is carefully hidden out of his words, but you can probably imagine the slow lift of his mouth on his face. it's a rather sad smile, but it's the only smile he has.] At this point, I'll even settle for ice cream.
Being insane is a valid answer, too, I guess.
[there's another pause. this one is longer than the other pauses, and it's clear that he's hesitating based on how often he starts and decides not to speak, and finally speaks out anyway:]
I don't know if you're there, after all that trouble with the world. [he's directing it specifically to his acquaintances, but not that you'd know. it might as well be for you. it's not like kamui cares much; being in his position is somewhat a lonely place to be, after all.] If you're there, and still know my voice: I am here. I wait.
Third Person:
an imaginary alternate ending on what could've happened to giovanni and kamui's stalemate back in SC:
There's a silent breeze that moves within the room and it makes his bangs tumble playfully over his eyes, shading them in his sleepiness as he walks around the living room looking for his aspirin. Work sucked. That's nothing new. The lonely are often the hardest to talk to for the very simple reason that they can't listen to the silence that welcomes them.
He takes one pill, grabs a glass, grabs a pitcher of water from the fridge, drinks.
A dog watches from the window as his adam's apple bobs up and down and swallows hard.
And because old habits die hard, Kamui smiles, sets the glass down. Turns to the window and laughs. "It's open."
There's a frown that creeps on his pale face but disappears just as fast as it got there. Like it never was there. He slips through the glass, walks quietly on the carpet, stops a few feet away from him. The shades are doing a good job of reflecting the light away from his eyes, but that's nothing to a shadow who's done nothing but reflect himself, all his life. His short life.
Kamui smiles. "You're here for a wish."
"Were you waiting?" A pause. Giovanni doesn't like him and it shows in the way those muscles are tense below his jaw. "Do you know why i'm here?"
In the dim light, Kamui's half-lidded eyes are a dark gold. "All of humanity has one purpose, and that is why we're assigned to eliminate them. It's not just an act of terror; it's an act of mercy."
"I'm not like --"
"Both of us aren't."
Pitiful shadows.
He can make out the glare through tinted glasses.
"That's why you're here. To carry on what has been long awaited and long expected of those who came before you."
"That is?"
Kamui laughs. "You've come here to feed." We have an eternal drive to consume and be consumed.
There's a smile that passes between the two of them that fills another silence and fulfills a need.
Giovanni takes a reward of open ribs and flayed guts that night. The heart he left on a sink under running water. He's not superstitious, but the way Kamui laughed when he tore him open made him pause and shudder as he whispered the names of seven of the greater arcana Joshua gave him.
a dreamwalking third person, this one from a musebox thing a friend and i did long ago. kamui is in chase young's dream:
One of the dreams end up like this: a desert in endless blistering heat as it dies off in the afternoon, the horizon red, the air dry and merciless. He lies naked before a dead tree with the carrion-birds watching him turn red and dark on the sad and cooked open alive. Kamui feels himself soaked in sweat as it pools on the hollows of his throat and on the widths and curves of his muscles. The dragon arrives. The carrion-birds scream and caw in a shrill tune and snaps their beaks in the branches of the tree, waiting in anticipation. Tension so thick he can feel it.
Easier if you close your eyes, the dragon snarls, and Kamui laughs because that's such a waste of a beautiful thing, to not even see death especially when you've waited so long for it. A claw pushes through his chest, and he feels his chest collapse, he feels his ribs cave in as it pushes through. He barely feels anything anymore when two claws move in to the sticky, sickly fountain of red and gore (waste not want not nothing savoury slithering away from the rip in his chest to his stomach) and opens him with such hunger that the birds trill, and begin the feast.
Other nights, sometimes it's not him. Sometimes it's the tigers and the lions who eagerly await for his return. Sometimes he lets them gnaw on his bones, and sometimes he takes them by their throats and crush them in his hands, letting the blood wash over his arm and trickle down his chest, letting it spatter beautifully on his face. Everything beautiful, everything violent, everything so vicious. Kamui is curious and he licks the pads of his bloody fingers. Give and take and all that.
Additional Notes: uhhh the samples are confusing and you guys are probably sick of reading Kamui's name by now so like let me know if things need to be fixed and all.