OOC: INFORMATION
[Character IC Information]
Character Name and Series: Dokugakuji/Sha Jien from Saiyuki
Name in Role Play: Same as above. Goes by Dokugakuji.
Race/Ethnicity: Demon/Chinese
Age: 32 but appears 20.
Gender: Male
Appearance:
If Dokugakuji wanted to blend in with the people of Allupato, he certainly doesn't know how to do it properly. His hair is jet-black and cut short, coming down just slightly over his forehead, but it only appears this way if he has just showered or if he is feeling particularly lazy. He usually has it slicked back with gel, and when it is styled, it sticks up all over the place at the top, but generally obeys and stays in place, the points of his hair directed to the back of his head. His eyes are a deep blue, and his face is somewhat square-shaped, having a strong jaw. His teeth are sharp, more so at his incisors, which are similar to a vampire's fangs, but are not retractable while he's in his natural demon form. His ears are pointed and long, making it quite easy to tell he's not entirely human if he's without his limiter. Whenever he's out and about, he has a sunny disposition and rarely frowns or looks upset in public; he looks very approachable and friendly, rarely, if ever, intimidating, aside from his bulky build and stature.
Dokugakuji's build is firm and muscled, and he can take a great deal of hits without much sign of discomfort. He has a few scars here and there on his body from previous fights, but most have healed over and don't look any more suspicious than the scars a man might get from a life of hard work. His hands are calloused and broad, the nails short and blunt unless his claws are out. When his limiter is off, he has markings on his face, one going over across his nose and the other on his forehead. These markings disappear when the limiter is on.
Clothing is something Dokugakuji isn't entirely picky about. He typically seems to enjoy traditional Chinese wear, but he isn't above trying something new, as long as it isn't too outrageous. He also has been known to walk around shirtless, weather permitting, and since he has an aesthetically appealing build, he rarely receives complaints about it, unless he's going into a public area. When socializing with humans, Dokugakuji wears a ring around the middle finger of his left hand, or on a chain around his neck. There is nothing special about the ring itself; it's silver-colored, with a very small, ornate design etched into it. If one was to hold it, it wouldn't give them any sort of indication that it was anything more than a piece of jewelry. However, it is much more than that. It's a limiter of sorts, one that binds Dokugakuji's demonic power and seals it so that he can take on a human appearance. His fangs, eyes, ears and markings on his face change to become human-like when the ring is in contact with his skin. Once it is removed, he can no longer suppress his demonic qualities and he reverts back.
Personality:
The most prominent aspect of Dokugakuji's personality is the fact that he is extremely overprotective. If you are considered by him to be a friend, or even a good acquaintance, you've pretty much signed yourself over to a life of being doted on by the man. He prides himself in being a good protector and friend and if anyone ever dared to show disrespect or try to bring harm to someone he cared for, they would have to deal with him and he wouldn't be too happy. He hold little tolerance for things like mocking and disrespect for his friends and can become irrationally angry if it doesn't cease.
However, to those he is friends with, Dokugakuji is laid-back and often takes up the role of the affectionate big brother, teasing and joking with them quite often. He isn't easily stressed and can take a lot of things in stride, if said things are directed to himself. For example, one could make fun or mock how he goes about doing things and Dokugakuji will simply laugh it off as if it were nothing and might even join in making fun of himself. He's light-hearted and tries his best to see the good side of things; he doesn't like to dwell on the bad things about the past, either his or the past of others, and will talk about it in a detached manner, as if it doesn't bother him. The fact of the matter is that his past does in fact bother him, but he has already dedicated himself to become a better person because of it, and looking back on it only makes him more determined to do so. Being overprotective is his way of atoning for what had happened.
When it comes to fighting, Dokugakuji doesn't take matters entirely seriously. You wanna fight with him? Hah, sure, why not? He's very confident in his abilities, seeing as most fights as just a way to kill time or appease his opponent until they realize who they're stacked against is so out of their league. He also won't back down from a fight if challenged, if just to further prove how damn bad-ass he really is. However, Dokugakuji is starkly against killing, and he will avoid it whenever possible. He doesn't like taking lives and he doesn't see fighting or defending himself as a reason or excuse to do such. If anything, Dokugakuji gets the most fulfillment out of fighting when it's for someone else's sake.
His sense of honor is extremely strong and he lives by it to the tee. He won't continue a fight if his opponent is obviously defeated, he won't kill someone, he won't use underhanded methods to win and if someone saves his skin, he'll be indebted to them and stick by them until the debt is paid off. He doesn't like being seen as a coward, either, but if the situation calls for a regrouping or an escape, he'll take it. This sense of honor overrides just about ever aspect of his life and there is probably nothing one can do to shake him of it, short of attacking someone he is meant to protect.
Because of this, he foolishly expects everyone else to hold the same values he does. When he is proven wrong, Dokugakuji can become troubled or confused, at a loss for what to do to handle the situation. However, if the offender apologizes, Dokugakuji is all too eager to forgive them, provided they truly appear apologetic to him.
The only other time Dokugakuji has a problem with forgiveness is if the situation directly involves his friends or family. He finds it extremely difficult to find reason to forgive someone who harms them, and has an even harder time forgiving himself for failing in his "job" of a protector. Underneath his laid-back nature, Dokugakuji utterly despises himself and if his plans or abilities fail him, he finds himself useless as a person. Keeping people safe is what he prides himself on and if he can't accomplish that, he has no purpose. He can become depressed and it's hard to shake him out of a funk, short of giving him a slap across the face.
After that, Dokugakuji is apologetic and guilty for making others worry about him, promptly shoving away whatever problems he has on the back burner. Anything he might have an issue with is not important to him in comparison to the wellness of others. He will respect the decisions of others for this fact, trying to not let his own bias cloud his judgment. Even so, Dokugakuji's older brother syndrome does come into play a lot of the time, and he will often try to coerce people into making decisions that are beneficial to themselves. He will be supportive and eager to help them when needed, but if they disagree with him, he will perhaps speak out a few times, but outside of that, will eventually let them go. There's only so much a big brother can do, after all.
To the general public, Dokugakuji is cheerful, but not exactly bubbly. He gives off the air of a nice man who might not be too smart about society in Italy, but eager to learn. He enjoys talking to just about anyone and everyone, and seems to make friends relatively easily because of this.
Abilities/Weaponry:
As a demon, he has the typical abilities an average demon would. Souped up strength, speed and healing ability all apply. On top of this, Dokugakuji also has the power given to him by trading his soul, which happened to be a demonic sword. The sword is handy in that he doesn't actually have to carry anything on his person. All he has to do to use the sword is perform a short chant and it appears. The sword itself is odd-looking in that its handle is short and lacks a pommel or guard, and resembles a Chinese Jian sword. It's double-edged and the blade is very sharp, mostly used for quick and close fighting. It has strange markings all over it, comparable to veins or vines, and in the center there is an eye that protrudes up from the surface of the metal. The eye doesn't seem to add anything special to the power of the sword, but it moves on its own and closes as the sword is swung around.
Dokugakuji's build is meant to be able to take a lot of blunt force and it shows. A few punches here and there probably wouldn't do more than make him grunt or laugh a little. He can take a lot of damage, more than probably normal for a human of the same build, and he prides himself on that.
His body innately feeds off of negative energy put off by humans and if he's in the company of some particularly negative people, Dokugakuji feels more alert and rejuvenated than if in the company of happy people. It doesn't do much for his actual power, as opposed to a True demon, but it does do a lot for his energy.
Weaknesses:
Holy items from any monotheistic religion make Dokugakuji visibly ill and he cringes at the sight of them. This makes it hard to navigate around Allupato and Italy in general, due to the high-amount of Catholicism, and if anyone were to start praying or touch him with a cross, he would be repelled, making it obvious that he wasn't human, even if he was wearing his limiter. The limiter itself is also needed by him to hide himself in society and if he was to lose it, he would be in big trouble.
Dokugakuji also has a real problem with seeing people suffer. He hates to see people in pain, especially in situations that involve domestic violence. Women and children are real weaknesses to him and he will become soft and overprotective of them, whether he knows them personally or not. This heavily conflicts with the fact that his body often feeds off of negative emotions and energy against his will and his body will be at odds with his mind about it.
He is extremely overprotective and this can make Dokugakuji act stupidly. While he knows full-well when it is time to retreat, if he is protecting someone who is unable, for whatever reason, to make the escape with him, he will stand his guard and continue to fight, even if it means putting himself at large physical risk. Similarly, if someone he cared for was taken from him, Dokugakuji could lose control, abandoning all rational thought in favor of finding a way to get his friend back, no matter how dangerous the expedition would prove to be.
Finally, his name is a large weakness. Due to the fact that he had changed it when he made his contract, it's a very sensitive target to those who know how to mess with it. Without his name, Dokugakuji would be rendered powerless. Because of this, he can be slightly picky about who he introduces himself to, mostly pertaining to other demons and humans who are overly-religious, making him seem paranoid.
History:
Born into a human family in China as Sha Jien, Dokugakuji was the only child for several years. He was doted on by his mother and his father was accepting of his son, even if his job as a businessman kept him away from home for long periods of time. The family was relatively well-off, never seeming to have too many problems when it came to finances, and Jien lived a pretty normal childhood for a while.
But, not everything was well in their family, most of which young Jien was utterly oblivious to for the majority of his early life. His mother, while kind and loving to him, was seen as overbearing and clingy by his father, constantly questioning her husband's faith to her. Her accusations often caused quite a few fights in the house, but most were kept under wraps by his mother's insistence of keeping Jien pure and sweet, as she loved him. His father eventually grew tired of the accusations his wife made of him and one night, he actually acted upon them, developing a relationship with a woman he worked with at his office.
She became his mistress and eventually Jien's mother was fully aware of her existence. The fighting suddenly stopped for a long period, perhaps both parents feeling some sort of guilt for their actions. But, then, the house became too quiet; dinners went without their usual talks and whenever his father was home, his mother would barely acknowledge his presence. Jien started to suspect things and began to worry, but his mother would always reassure him that nothing was wrong.
Then, things did go wrong. His father's mistress became pregnant and she refused to get an abortion, despite knowing how the unborn child's existence would definitely break their family apart. After the nine months, a child was born, one Jien's father named Gojyo. Instead of shunning the child and breaking off ties with the mistress, his father brought Gojyo into their family, determined to make the baby a part of it.
Jien's mother was infuriated beyond all rational thought. Here, the man she loved and married was cheating on her, admitted to cheating on her, had a child with his mistress and then had the audacity to bring the vile thing into her home and expect her to take care of it?!
Jien himself? He was actually pretty excited about the addition to their family, convinced that with a baby brother around, things wouldn't be so quiet and tense and maybe they could all act like a family again! He wouldn't understand why his mother didn't seem to ever smile when Gojyo was in his father's arms, or why she'd cry when Jien would play with him until he was much older.
Two years later, his father's mistress disappeared without a trace. There were rumors that she had become a vampire's meal by the more superstitious of the townsfolk, but most others claim she killed herself out of guilt for having broken apart her lover's family. Whatever the reason for her disappearance was didn't seem to make a difference for the outcome: without his mother, Gojyo would be living at the Sha residence indefinitely. This information only caused Jien's mother more grief and her fits of mental and emotional breakdowns would increase.
Around this time, their father fell ill. It was a strange sickness, one that seemed to suck the very life out of him as the days passed. The symptoms were hard to determine, but the local monk deemed that their father was cursed by an unknown assailant. It wasn't long before the illness took his life; Jien was 12 and Gojyo was 4 when he finally passed at home, in his bed.
Without her husband, Jien's mother finally snapped. Jien soon took on the role of the man of the house, dropping out of school and getting a job to be able to take care of both Gojyo and his mentally unstable mother. It was not an easy task by any means. Any time Gojyo was around his mother alone, she would abuse him by beating on him, kicking him or throwing things at him. She despised looking at Gojyo because of the fact that when she looked at him, she not only saw the face of her dead husband, but also traces of a woman she had never met before. She rarely would stop these fits on her own and because of this, Jien would be forced to step in to comfort his mother.
It was times like these that his mother would go into psychotic fits because of how much Jien looked like his father and throw herself at him, leaving Jien with the task of having sex with her to calm her down and to "give her her husband back" for those moments of time. Jien felt horrible and sick for doing what he did with his mother, the same mother who doted on him and dressed him and bathed him when he was young, but his overprotective nature often won over logic; if in sleeping with his mother, she would calm down and not harm his little brother, he would do it.
His relationship with Gojyo was very closely knit; Jien loved him as if he was his full-brother instead of just a half-brother, and he never saw anything wrong with the way he looked, like his mother did. Whenever his mother was asleep or preoccupied, he would spend as much time as he could with him, trying to instill in his mind that he was loved; no matter how much his mother abused him, Jien would love Gojyo no matter what.
The situation with his family often made Jien physically ill and the stress drove him, much like Gojyo, to start smoking at a young age. He had to learn to force himself to push back his problems for the sake of fixing what was wrong with his family, and thus he took to bottling his emotions up, finding that they only made situations worse.
But, finally, they seemed to reach a peak. When Gojyo was about 10, Jien's mother finally snapped completely. She went out back to an unused tool shed of her husband's and took an ax down from the spot it had been sitting in for the past 6 years. Coming back in the house, she stood in front of Gojyo and cried as she raised her arms up, intending to finally kill the source of her pain and suffering.
At the same time, Jien had been coming home from grocery shopping, walking in to see the scene about the unfold before his eyes. Panicked, Jien dropped everything and ran into the kitchen, grabbing a knife off the counter top. Without thinking, he stabbed his mother in the back twice, killing her. As she fell to the ground, Jien started to cry, his emotions conflicting heavily in his mind. He had just killed his mother, someone he was trying so hard to protect, but in killing her, he protected Gojyo from harm. It was too much for him to bear and in a daze, he wandered out of the house and left Gojyo behind, unable to face him as he was.
He wandered around China, uncertain of what to do with himself or what he had done. He was unemployed and lacked a great deal of mental stability to actually go out and do anything, not to mention the fact he had abandoned his little brother was killing him slowly. It wasn't until he had wandered into a bustling city, scraggly and poor, did he find a way to fix what he had become.
A fortune teller was preaching about a method to gain whatever one's heart desired and if anyone was willing to seal their eternal fate, he would be willing to divulge the secret. Having nothing left to lose, Jien agreed to listen to the man and in doing so, he learned of the demons. Things he had assumed were metaphors in religion and mere creatures in fairy tales were actually real and they had powers that he couldn't fathom.
Intrigued, Jien requested audience with one of these demons. The fortune teller smiled at him and gave him instructions on how to go about summoning a demon for his own personal gain. But, he gave Jien a warning: invoking a demon was not something that should be taken lightly. Once they are summoned, they will be expecting something; you couldn't simply summon a demon and then change your mind about it. Understanding this, Jien took the directions and wandered off to a forest to summon a demon.
Using rabbit's blood, he drew out the needed symbol as drawn by the fortune teller, and invoked the words written. The demon appeared before him and Jien was never more frightened than he could ever remember in his life. It was a gruesome creature, resembling a mixture between a bat and a wolf, and it just smelled evil. Its voice was loud, and it spoke in a language Jien couldn't recognize, but he found he somehow understood it anyway. After only slight hesitation, Jien made his request.
He wanted strength. Strength to protect those he cared about. Strength that wouldn't falter, something that he could rely on. He wanted to make sure that he would never allow his loved ones to ever hurt again and he wanted to fix everything he wronged. The demon laughed at the request, finding it funny for some reason or another, and he took it in a literal sense rather than in a figurative sense.
Jien was granted his strength, but it wasn't emotional strength or mental strength. It was physical strength. He was given a demonic sword on top of this, and the demon taught him the proper incantation to summon it when he needed it. Finally, he was given a ring by the demon, which was explained to him that it was needed in order to blend in with humans. Jien was furious with the trade and was in the mind to try and fell the demon for the stupid joke it played on him. Instead, the demon laughed again and offered Jien some more advice.
"Change your name," was what it told him. Jien didn't entirely understand what the point of that would be, but for some reason, he went along with it. He dropped his former name of Sha Jien that day and instead became bound to the name Dokugakuji, and his newly found demonic powers were connected to it. He later realized that in changing his name, he dropped his past self, his past life, and could start anew.
But before he could do that, he was determined to find his little brother again. He backtracked through China, back to his home town, only to find no sign of Gojyo anywhere. The demon's words echoed in his head, reminding him that he had dropped his previous life. He didn't know if it was in a literal or figurative sense--the damn demon seemed to like to play with those kinds of technicalities--and he decided to travel instead. He moved all over the world, travelling from China through India and soon he was past Germany and heading to Italy.
It was here that he would stop, deciding it to be far enough away from his past life so that he could start over again properly.
Organization/Pack/Clan/Guild?: None.