OOC ☁ Relationships
But first, a word about Cloud...
In his canon Cloud is not the sort to get attached, to anyone. He seems not to really have a distinction between how he acts toward "close friends" and "strangers"; he often asks personal questions, gets to know how people think, meddles in people's affairs, gives harsh advice, and even risks his own life--but then he walks off, stopping any potential relationships from developing any further. He usually leaves without saying goodbye, and as soon as he possibly can. It's not so much being afraid to get closer to anyone, and more the knowledge that no matter how much he might want to stay in this village or with that person sooner or later he has to move on... preferably sooner, before he gets attached. Because of his very nature, he has no choice.
Obviously in Edensphere he has no memory of this, and is now forced to do exactly what he never could--stay in one place more or less. But he will still be trying to keep his distance, even here... and I'll probably play him a little more 'distant' than he might normally act at first, due to his Serious Unstated and (to him) Unexplained Issues with memory loss.
Finally, thanks to that very same memory loss, Cloud will probably be more willing to be friends--I mean real, proper friends--with people, since he doesn't remember that he has certain lines his canon self won't cross. In Edensphere, he has only vague intuition and undefined murky anxiety about those self-imposed lines and boundaries... and he can easily ignore both those things, if he wants to.
KEY
☀ = Fondness
One: He’ll remember your name, and greet you if he sees you. Maybe looking to learn more about you.
Two: He consciously likes you, and finds you interesting-maybe sympathizes with your view of the world. He’ll probably make an effort to get to know you better.
Three: Willing to acknowledge you as a 'friend.' He’ll talk about more personal things-and go out of his way to speak with or help you, even if he doesn't know how to solve the problem. Getting beyond this point is very difficult.
Four: A good friend, someone who he feels he knows well-perhaps (but not always) one who knows him and the way he thinks: his weaknesses in particular. He’ll do about anything you ask of him.
Five: A dear friend-not something familiar to him, as it depends either on having the time to become truly familiar with someone or a unique co-dependency. He will shy away from this level of closeness, instinctively-as he feels it is like making a promise he can’t keep.
☇ = Love (belonging)
The mark after five. The kind of affection that Cloud is completely unfamiliar with, in his canon. If five marks a fondness on his end that would continue without communication, or even reciprocation-then this marks what happens when that kind of friendship is returned and expected. A bond comparable to camaraderie/familial love. If you crumble Cloud’s defenses and instincts down to this level... you’re breaking new ground.
☈ = Love (commitment)
Even while the circumstances of his canon have made him aloof, strong attachment still characterizes the rare relationships Cloud forms. In some ways this mark is the inverse of the one above; rather than the familiarity of friendship, this marks the kind of love you feel for the relative you've never met but heard wonderful stories about, or the friend you can only write to but are comfortable sharing anything with. He's as comfortable with this as he is uncomfortable with the above. Clearly, you are someone he respects/would protect.
☂ = Dislike
One: You’re a bit annoying. Or stupid. Maybe a little of both.
Two: Your stupidity is a little harmful, too.
Three: You're intentional with that harm to others, or blinded to it by self-centeredness.
Four: He has no respect for you; you contribute nothing to the world-only detract with selfish intent.
Five: Doesn’t give a damn if you live or die. You’ve forfeited the place in the world gifted to every living thing.
☄ = Curiosity
Because of his detached nature, there is a fine line between Cloud liking someone, and finding them interesting. It doesn’t mean he looks at you like some kind of fern-humans aren't things-but one of these does indicate an interest motivated more by curiosity than affection. Four means you've triggered the level of curiosity he usually reserves for things infested with mushi (not that... he really remembers what those are, yet).
❉ = Complicated
This refers to the complications that are naturally going to arise from being stuck in one place with interesting people. It’s in Cloud’s nature to ask questions and get to know how people think, and meddle in their business-but canonically walking off into the sunset (and his memories of exactly why it's bad to get so close to people) automatically limits the closeness that would normally result. One of these marks a confusion, and/or a worry that he's getting more emotionally involved than he really should.
*************
Edensphere CR
POLLUX (Akihiko Sanada)
Dropped from ES Nov. 2010
Brother, both in the way of Edensphere and fully accepted as such by Ginko. The fact that they look pretty similar doesn't hurt.
He left long before Ginko ever got his true name, and was Ginko's first true loss in Edensphere. Though he accepts Pollux as family, he isn't as close to him as some others he's met here--after all, he didn't know his brother even a year. But he still cares about the kid, and still thinks of him as family. He always will, provided his memories aren't tampered with again.☀☀☀☀☀☇
CASTOR (Aragaki Shinjiro)
They don't speak much anymore, but Castor is still one of Ginko's closest CRs. He probably knows more about Castor, and has told him more about himself, than anyone else in Edensphere. He still keeps an eye on the other man, but is content to leave him be other than that.
Because he saw one of Castor's dreams, he knows part of his brother's real name--'Shinji.' But because Castor hasn't told him in the waking world, he doesn't call him that out of respect for his brother's choices. He knows Castor hasn't told everyone, and it's none of his business if Castor decided to tell someone else in private.☀☀☀☀☀☇
SNIPER (Usopp)
Sniper is probably as close to Ginko as anyone ever gets, at this point. Their relationship has developed from Ginko finding Sniper tolerable and amusing to someone he would find it difficult to live without. He realized that when Sniper died--suddenly, he was faced with the realization that Sniper is far more important to him than he'd expected. If he hadn't had the Mystery of the Tree Roots to concentrate on (and half-kill himself trying to figure it out), that could have been very, very bad.
There's no longer any point in trying to push the other away, so he's quietly accepting it. And he's actually glad; Sniper's natural cheerfulness and exaggerated reactions to bad stuff reminds him that there are good things about Edensphere, too. He needs that, sometimes. He still hopes he can go back to Sniper's world instead of his own. He could live without his friend if he had to, but... he no longer wants to. And he definitely doesn't want to go back to his old life.☀☀☀☀☀☇
CARA (Krile Maia Baldesion)
Krile is one of the few who managed to worm her way through his defenses without really even trying. Other than his brothers, she's probably the one he grew closest too the fastest, and he's only sorry they don't talk more. He's always cherished the blanket she gave him, which is probably the first gift he's ever gotten.
Her being upset over the animals, and specifically the birds, of Edensphere dying upset him a bit as well. He now wishes she'd persuaded him to go flying at least once more, but he'll settle for comforting her as best he can.
Not quite family, but he cares deeply for her anyway.☀☀☀☀
☈
HAWK (Kouei)
Hawk has always been a kindred spirit, and someone he's comfortable with. It's only recently that they've started to take that relationship a bit further, to being friends. It's a comfortable relationship; unlike many, Ginko has never been bothered by this relationship. Maybe it's because they are so similar in many ways.
Hawk isn't quite family, but he's very close.
You choose to hold someone as your family, you don't cast them aside when they err. Otherwise, who's there to return the favour when you need it?☀☀☀☀
LEA (Axel)
He first met Axel (then calling himself Lea) when the elevator captured them both and two others, taking them down to the mysterious 4th floor to see a selection of memories. He's always found the black shadow-like things Axel can produce to be both fascinating and distinctly off-putting. He's never had the chance to look at them more closely--but then again, he's not sure he really wants to.
He still considers himself in Axel's debt, due to his actions on two separate occasions--for helping when Ginko was struck with temporary blindness, and for keeping Ginko's box for him when he was killed.
He was indoctrinated into the 'Ginger Club' because of this relationship, a sort of underground resistance against the Tree, though he hasn't done much with that.
He considers Axel a friend.☀☀☀
☄
BELLFLOWER (Retsu Unohana)
In the time that he's known her, she has changed from 'stranger' to 'sister' to 'love interest' to a tentative sort of 'friend.' He met her sword, once. That was very interesting, and something he won't forget about. She pings him for Tanyuu, which is half of why he decided he was in love with her.
He still cares for her deeply, but over time his feelings have changed from amorous to protective--but he doesn't quite think of her as family. They're not quite close enough for that. He does add '-san' to her name, since he doesn't feel they're quite close enough to drop that.☀☀☀
☈
GENIUS (Topher Brink)
Genius is someone he honestly doesn't know what to think about. He's someone who acts immature, yet his friends clearly care a lot about him, and most of them are respected members of the Edensphere community. Over time he's found that their banter has become something less annoying and more... familiar. Even the 'old man' comments have lost their sting--it's just something that Genius says.
They're not exactly friends, but maybe you could call them friendly rivals. Frienemies, if you like.☀☀☀
☂
☄
SMOKE (Sha Gojyo)
Smoke is someone Ginko likes, and has gotten closer to, slowly, over time. They have had some unfortunate meetings, but when they can meet each other in a more-or-less normal way, they get along fine. One of the people who saw/found Ginko's body.
Not a close friend, but a friend nonetheless.☀☀
SPRING (Rock Lee)
He first met the kid when he was feeling kind of down and they both had cat ears. He knows the boy as Gai's son, and since they look so alike that's not hard to believe. They've met and spoken on several different occasions; Ginko likes him well enough, even if he's not really sure what to do with the kid.
Not quite a friend, but he likes talking to him.☀☀
☄
KURAYAMI (Reki)
He's always been 'pinged' by her name, though he never really understood why. He has also been interested by the fact that she finds Edensphere to be familiar in some ways, much like he does. Add to that her unique anatomy... he couldn't resist taking an interest in her. When she reacted badly to his nosiness he backed off immediately.
Since that time, she seems to have become more comfortable around him. He's mostly left her alone, though he still keeps an eye on her, when he can.☀☀
☄
SPIKE (Sky Tate)
Sky (who has known his real name as long as Ginko has known him) was his greeter, the first person to welcome his brother and him into Edensphere. He didn't always keep a very close eye on the other man, but he's always been grateful for his help. The few times they've spoken he was pleased to find that they had a similar way of thinking about things.
Ginko respects him enough to add the '-san' to his name, but they're not close enough to be really friends.☀☀
COMPANION (Inara Serra)
Dropped Dec. 2011
She was Sky's girlfriend, and the person who rented him his room in the Spa. He didn't really know her all that well, though he liked what he saw of her--and respected her enough to use '-san'.
He was sorry when she left, both because it effected Sky so badly and for the simple fact that he thought he could have gotten to like her as a friend.☀
HUO (Zhuge Liang)
Huo was, more or less, indirectly responsible for Sniper's death. Ginko isn't sure what to think about that; Huo is the brother of Hawk, which is another complication. He confronted Huo about his actions in regard to Sniper; still waiting to find out the end of that log.
He also recently saw Huo talking about being useless and wanting to do something on the journals. Even if he's not sure he likes the man, Ginko replied, telling him not to do anything stupid.
So, feelings are mixed here, but chances are he won't demand revenge for Sniper's death. Mostly because that was Sniper's choice, and he refuses to belittle that sacrifice. But he's not at all sure what to think about Huo, perhaps especially because he liked him well enough before this happened.☀
☂
☄
❉
PRINCE, CHIVALRY (Sanji)
Came in twice, a different name each time; hasn't been back since Nov. 2010
Prince--or Chivalry, depending--is one of the few examples Ginko knows about personally of a person who came to Edensphere twice with no memories each time. The first time through, he barely paid attention to Prince; however, by the time Chivalry arrived, he had formed a tenuous relationship with Sniper, and was more interested in him because of Sniper's sketchy memories of the man. Sadly, neither version stuck around long enough for them to form any kind of relationship. Still, he liked what little he saw of Chivalry while he was here.☀
☄☄
YOUTH (Maito Gai)
Even after all this time, Ginko's still not sure what to think of this guy. He knows Gai thought he was trying to help warning people about the 'apples'; if he hadn't done it so bluntly, there might not have been any issue at all.
Still, they seem to have made a sort of peace between them. It's something he's cautiously glad about, but he wouldn't mind speaking to Gai again at some point. See if he can't gain more information by talking to the man face-to-face.☀
☂
BELL (Hatake Kakashi)
He doesn't really know much about this guy, though they've met a few times. He knows Bell and Gai are lovers, which isn't something he has a problem with at all--Bell is, in many respects, far more level-headed and sensible than Gai is. He never did get around to asking about Bell's left eye...
Maybe it's just as well.☀
Qǐ (River Tam)
He's spoken with her a few times via the journals, still not really sure what to make of this person who seems to be able to see right through his defenses. He wants to talk to her more; her way of writing in riddles interests him.☀
☄
WILL (Simon Tam)
Co-worker. Doesn't know much about the man other than the fact that he's an excellent doctor and he takes care of his sister.☀
TIAN (Goujun)
Dropped Sept. 2011
A dragon that can turn into a man... or maybe it's the other way around. But he was born into Edensphere in the form of a massive dragon, and that's how Ginko first met him.
He wasn't always happy with the fact that Tian seemed determined to aggravate the powers that be☀
☄
AMURUI (Senri)
Dropped Sept. 2011
This quiet boy pinged Ginko for himself as a child. He interacted with him a few times, but more or less let him be other than that. He might have done more to help the kid, but since he was Smoke's brother, he mostly let the man take care of his own--with the unfortunate result that he never got to know the kid better before he vanished.☀
☄
JEEP (Cho Hakkai)
Jeep is a soft-spoken man with magical healing abilities. Ginko has met him a few times, though they haven't really spoken much. Looking back at it, his first entry was a little odd--who calmly writes about how they're a mass murderer?--but he doesn't seem like one to Ginko.☀
☄
BEN (Luke Skywalker)
This guy can speak to mushi. Or communicate with them somehow. If that's wasn't enough to grab Ginko's attention, the fact that he glows faintly definitely did. He seems to have some special abilities, the extent of which Ginko isnt' sure of. Ginko hasn't had the chance to talk to him much recently.
The man helped him out once, too, which is more points in his favor.☀
☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄
RAIN (Yamazaki Susumu)
Rain is another person who stays in one of the Spa's back rooms. He's a good neighbor, by Ginko's standards--quiet, calm, keeps himself to himself. They've spoken on occasion.☀
BLOOD (Kusajishi Yachiru)
Dropped Dec. 2011.
He didn't know her all that well, but the few times he ran into here were memorable, to say the least--once when he helped her to find some medical kits in the Walt Disney World Wilderness, and once when he was trapped at the top of a tower (in a woman's kimono, no less) and she simply picked him up and carried him down.
She interested him, but in many ways he's glad she's not in Edensphere anymore. This place isn't exactly suited for children.☄
DAITOU (Souji Okita)
He doesn't know this young man well, though they've talked a few times; just that he's a friend of Sniper and Hawk. Oh, and he seems to be from some sort of world where children kill people and get comforted afterward. Really not sure what to think about that part.☀
KOI (Ukitake Jyuushirou)
Dropped Nov. 2010.
If there was one person Ginko wishes he could have gotten to know better, it was this man. He seemed so calm and peaceful, and was someone Ginko found nice to talk to. Ginko helped him find part of his sword, and claimed a cup of tea as his reward. Though they spoke over the journals a few other times, that was the extent of their face-to-face interaction.☀
STELLARIS (Anew Returner)
Co-worker in the Clinic. He only knows her by sight; also, she was killed by Hawk's evil dragon-twin. He was unable to do anything for her, as she was dead when he arrived on the scene. She came back to life soon after, but he has never really spoken to her. Close friend of Hawk and Huo.☀
STONEFACE (Sam Vimes)
Captain of the Watch. Another person who found/saw his dead body. Ginko only spoke to him once, but he thought the man seemed pretty level-headed.☀
SNAP (Roy Mustang)
Dropped June 2010
Snap used to be sole head of the Adventurer corps, but he vanished relatively soon after Ginko showed up. Didn't know him well; called him 'Mustang-san,' after the man recovered his true name.☀
LOCKET (Layer)
She's currently his main boss in the Adventurers, head of the recon and mapping division. He respects her, and knows she's a robot... even if he's not entirely clear on what a robot is. He adds a '-san' to her name.☀
TARGET (Riza Hawkeye)
Head of the filing division of the Adventurers, he respects her as another one of his bosses. Especially since she's the one who draws up the schedules. He adds a '-san' to her name.☀
KIBA (Abarai Renji)
Head of the combat division. Ginko has little to do with him, but he still adds a '-san' to his name and respects him somewhat.☀
JUSTICE (Miles Edgeworth)
Ginko only really spent significant time with this man when he was recovering from a head injury and they were forced to share cabin space. Ginko knows him by sight as well, due to his work around the Clinic; he finds him quiet, but doesn't know too much else about him.☀
LEZARD VALETH
Head of Medical. Ginko finds him... unsettling, at times, but he seems to know a lot about medical matters. Gets the '-san' added to his name.....???
GRIFT (Thomas Evans)
He's talked to Grift a few times, both in person and on the journals. He's also aware of Grift's rather nasty death... and the fact that he was reborn several months later. He hasn't done anything to re-establish contact with the man.☀
☄
COMPOSER (Joshua Kiryu)
Co-worker in the Clinic. A kid who seems eager to do well; he seems to like Simon, though Ginko isn't sure in what way. Doesn't know much about him, and hasn't ever really spoken to him.☀
ROSALIND (Ema Skye)
Co-worker in the Clinic. Or at least, he's seen her there on occasion; he's not really clear on what she does. She was one of the people who saw his dead body.☀
MAVERICK (Zero)
Co-worker in the Adventurers. He gave Ginko a tiny model of himself once, found in one of the Wildernesses; Ginko knows he's a robot, just like Locket, but doesn't know much else about him.☀
☄
SYLVAR (Juhani)
He only met her once, though he's spoken to her on the journals once or twice. She was one of the people who was in the group blinded by the memory crystal; he never did manage to apologize for that in person, but at least he did it over the journals.☄
SAMEHADA (Hoshigaki Kisame)
Co-worker in the Adventurers. Ginko doesn't know why he's blue. They've spoken occasionally, mostly over the journals.☀
☄
ETERNITY (Sephiroth)
Dropped June 2010
Ginko met him once, talked with him about how the journals were made. He always meant to talk to him more, but that became impossible when Eternity vanished.☄
LANCE (Kresnik Ahtreide)
Dropped Dec. 2010
This man came to the Clinic one time when Ginko was on duty. After running some routine tests, Ginko discovered he had something in his blood--nanobots, to be exact, not that he knows what those are. Interesting, but Lance vanished before Ginko could get around to asking him more about it.☄
GOOSE (Shawn Spencer)
Dropped May 2010
A strange man, one who seemed to know more than he let on. Ginko never managed to figure him out, and never managed to talk to him more than once.☄
ZOMBIE (Haine Rammsteiner)
Dropped Dec. 2010
Ginko saw one of his memories, courtesy of the 4th floor--one where a young Zombie was killing children. He was also knocked into a wall by him, which cracked some ribs, but the next time they met Zombie seemed calm and even subdued, so he's really not sure what to think of this guy.☄
MATERIA/MARBLES (Yuffie)
Ginko is not at all sure what to make of this one. The first time they met, she acted scared of him... but then she brought him cookies, later on. Not that Ginko really appreciated that, since he's not very fond of sweet things. He's not sure what he's going to do if she keeps following him around... but at least she seems harmless enough.☂
☄☄
LIN (Soi Fong)
They got off spectacularly on the wrong foot, when she attacked his brother, Pollux, through the journals. He has since decided that she was, for whatever reason, jealous of Pollux's relationship with Castor.
Still, that doesn't excuse her rude behavior. Hasn't talked to her recently.☂
BOSS (Michael Scott)
Dropped October 2010
Perhaps best known for popping up wherever he wasn't wanted, especially when people were talking to their bosses, Boss probably wouldn't even be on Ginko's radar except for the fact that they were forced to watch each other's memories. Because of that, Ginko has some passing familiarity with cars, GPS systems, and the trials and tribulations of gifting people with turtles.☂☂
ARTHUR (Deadpool)
Dropped Nov. 2010.
Due to an event, Arthur pretty much had control of Ginko, Castor, and Zombie for a week or so. During that time he forced them to learn how to use a sword and how to fire a gun. That might actually be useful, but unfortunately the 'final lesson' consisted of them firing at stationary practice targets... and then Arthur shooting them in the same place they hit their target. Because Ginko shot his target in the knee, as it was a incapacitating wound rather than a deadly one, Arthur also stabbed him in the stomach for dishonoring himself in battle. Then he shot Zombie and Castor in the head.
Thankfully, they were all gifted with Arthur's healing abilities at the time. Unfortunately, they didn't realize it until after they were shot, so that was an unpleasant ten minutes or so (in Ginko's case, at least).
He is somewhat wary (and perhaps a little scared) of Arthur because of this, and if he ever runs into another 'Arthur' that will definitely carry over.☂☂☂☂☂
APOSTLE (Hidan)
Dropped Sept. 2010
When Apostle killed him, it was random and quite brutal. The only thing going for the death is that it was fast--though he still felt a few moments of pain, which is something he'll never tell anyone.
He hates Apostle, which is something he doesn't do a lot. Not enough to try to kill the man, since he knows that would just be suicide, but enough to get a sour taste in his mouth whenever he thinks about him.
It's not that the man killed him. It's that he made a good person, and one if Cloud's friends, blame herself for his death.
He won't forgive Apostle for that anytime soon.☂☂☂☂☂
(Side note: If your character has at least one of these [☄], or a combination of these two [☀☄], Ginko is most likely stalking you via the journals. Just so you know.)
Please comment if I've left you out, of course!
C H A R A C T E R N A M E
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The 'like/dislike/complicated' thing in this post was stolen from one_green_eye, with permission.