a list!
In light of some conversations with Kohaku-mun about how I'm playing Soujirou, I thought I'd make a list of some of the things that I draw from canon (but are up to interpretation) and some things that I feel might be his habits around camp. I kind of suck and no one has to read this, r-really. It's more for myself than anything.
-He realizes somewhere deep down that the fact that no one has heard of the Juppongatana in the future means that the cause was probably wiped off the face of the earth, but he chooses to push it to the back of his mind and not acknowledge its presence. For now, at least. I should probably essay about that D:
-No matter how much respect he has for a person (or lack of, for that matter), he refers to them as "*insertnamehere*-san." It's polite, certainly, but also neutral; even Shishio, who has a relationship with Soujirou similar to the leader and follower of a religious cult, is still referred to as "Shishio-san." On the same branch, Soujirou doesn't expect anyone to refer to him with anything other than neutrality as well. Unless the speakers happen to be direct underlings to him, I believe he actually feels uncomfortable if anyone starts either speaking too formally or too informally with him. Neutral is good. Neutral means that there is no special relationship and he won't have to feel anything if he has to stab someone in the back later. There are some exceptions to the rule, such as Kamatari (Sou-chan~) and Yumi (BOUYA!) in the series, but...yeah. For the most part, he'll call you -san (and only -san) and doesn't expect anything more from anyone else either.
-Other than the occasional ping, he pretty much takes no notice of romance or finds himself attracted to anyone. As I've said, practically asexual. This is very possibly due to the fact that a) he has barely any emotions, and b) he has a hard time trusting people and in searching them for any hints of a threat or betrayal, he misses out on the people themselves. Also, poke him at own risk, because...unless he really trusts you(like Yumi-level trust), he'll probably have a blade up to your throat in a split second. Oh, misunderstandings.
-He's completely comfortable with telling people about his organization and what they plan on doing; furthermore, he's ready to argue with anyone who would like to dispute the "strong live, weak die" mantra. However, what he doesn't particularly want to make public is that the Juppongatana is sliiiightly illegal (just a bit!) and his own personal experience that proved the mantra to him. Speaking of...
-...Soujirou will never talk about his past lightly. He will say that he knows that "strong will live, weak will die" is right because of personal experience. He will say that he began fighting/training when he was eight. He will say that he has met "demons" earlier in life. However, he will never come out and say, "Oh yeah, my family sort of beat the shit out of me and then I killed them all in the pouring rain." It took a good deal of mental breakdown in the series before he began to even speak vaguely about his childhood.
-All the above being said, his experience as a diplomat gives him a certain ease with casual conversation and he is likely to go along cheerfully with a conversation, no matter how silly (hay Osaka dear~ XD). He can fake compassion and sweetness with little trouble. Shifts to serious conversation are fine as well, as long as they don't clip too closely to his own trauma.
-He walks around with his sword at his waist all day, and then sleeps with it by his side at night. However, whether he is paying attention to it or not indicates his comfort level at the moment. Most of the time, he has his hands away from the hilt in a completely peaceful manner. If he senses some kind of suspicious activity or uncertainty about a person, he may have his fingers tapping at the hilt very lightly. If he's more unsure, he's probably tapping the hilt to direct someone's attention towards it (read: I can kill you, so I'd shut up right about now~) or gripping the hilt in anticipation for some kind of threat. And if he's really threatened...well...let's just say that he will not hold back and he moves extremely fast.
-Although he may go into the woods to practice everyday, he's very neat about the whole process and takes special care to clean up any and all blood that may have gotten on his being. He also doesn't feel the particular need to practice the Shukuchi in camp, but will occasionally go on a run to inspect the barrier for any signs of weakness. That takes about...oh...maybe five, ten minutes tops? at the speed that he runs. Also, he does not smell. He has standards. Or Yumi might have just yelled at him a lot, but it comes to the same outcome.
-He's simultaneously fascinated and frightened by the future he's been thrust into. Not a particularly unique response, I'd imagine, but it exists nevertheless. On the same note, he misses home and all of the crazy Juppongatana antics.
-He prefers to steal into the woods for a nap rather than return to the cabin he was invited to. Again, little to no trust for others. And he hangs around on tree branches in canon, so I guess that might be one of his preferred hideouts.
-...I promise that he won't kill anyone in their sleep? ¦D Although he does have his eye on quite a few of the campers and will continue to watch them for signs of trouble. But it's not enough for him to make a move yet.
If I made any gross flaws to the nature of his character or you feel you have something to input, feel free to comment~
-He realizes somewhere deep down that the fact that no one has heard of the Juppongatana in the future means that the cause was probably wiped off the face of the earth, but he chooses to push it to the back of his mind and not acknowledge its presence. For now, at least. I should probably essay about that D:
-No matter how much respect he has for a person (or lack of, for that matter), he refers to them as "*insertnamehere*-san." It's polite, certainly, but also neutral; even Shishio, who has a relationship with Soujirou similar to the leader and follower of a religious cult, is still referred to as "Shishio-san." On the same branch, Soujirou doesn't expect anyone to refer to him with anything other than neutrality as well. Unless the speakers happen to be direct underlings to him, I believe he actually feels uncomfortable if anyone starts either speaking too formally or too informally with him. Neutral is good. Neutral means that there is no special relationship and he won't have to feel anything if he has to stab someone in the back later. There are some exceptions to the rule, such as Kamatari (Sou-chan~) and Yumi (BOUYA!) in the series, but...yeah. For the most part, he'll call you -san (and only -san) and doesn't expect anything more from anyone else either.
-Other than the occasional ping, he pretty much takes no notice of romance or finds himself attracted to anyone. As I've said, practically asexual. This is very possibly due to the fact that a) he has barely any emotions, and b) he has a hard time trusting people and in searching them for any hints of a threat or betrayal, he misses out on the people themselves. Also, poke him at own risk, because...unless he really trusts you(like Yumi-level trust), he'll probably have a blade up to your throat in a split second. Oh, misunderstandings.
-He's completely comfortable with telling people about his organization and what they plan on doing; furthermore, he's ready to argue with anyone who would like to dispute the "strong live, weak die" mantra. However, what he doesn't particularly want to make public is that the Juppongatana is sliiiightly illegal (just a bit!) and his own personal experience that proved the mantra to him. Speaking of...
-...Soujirou will never talk about his past lightly. He will say that he knows that "strong will live, weak will die" is right because of personal experience. He will say that he began fighting/training when he was eight. He will say that he has met "demons" earlier in life. However, he will never come out and say, "Oh yeah, my family sort of beat the shit out of me and then I killed them all in the pouring rain." It took a good deal of mental breakdown in the series before he began to even speak vaguely about his childhood.
-All the above being said, his experience as a diplomat gives him a certain ease with casual conversation and he is likely to go along cheerfully with a conversation, no matter how silly (hay Osaka dear~ XD). He can fake compassion and sweetness with little trouble. Shifts to serious conversation are fine as well, as long as they don't clip too closely to his own trauma.
-He walks around with his sword at his waist all day, and then sleeps with it by his side at night. However, whether he is paying attention to it or not indicates his comfort level at the moment. Most of the time, he has his hands away from the hilt in a completely peaceful manner. If he senses some kind of suspicious activity or uncertainty about a person, he may have his fingers tapping at the hilt very lightly. If he's more unsure, he's probably tapping the hilt to direct someone's attention towards it (read: I can kill you, so I'd shut up right about now~) or gripping the hilt in anticipation for some kind of threat. And if he's really threatened...well...let's just say that he will not hold back and he moves extremely fast.
-Although he may go into the woods to practice everyday, he's very neat about the whole process and takes special care to clean up any and all blood that may have gotten on his being. He also doesn't feel the particular need to practice the Shukuchi in camp, but will occasionally go on a run to inspect the barrier for any signs of weakness. That takes about...oh...maybe five, ten minutes tops? at the speed that he runs. Also, he does not smell. He has standards. Or Yumi might have just yelled at him a lot, but it comes to the same outcome.
-He's simultaneously fascinated and frightened by the future he's been thrust into. Not a particularly unique response, I'd imagine, but it exists nevertheless. On the same note, he misses home and all of the crazy Juppongatana antics.
-He prefers to steal into the woods for a nap rather than return to the cabin he was invited to. Again, little to no trust for others. And he hangs around on tree branches in canon, so I guess that might be one of his preferred hideouts.
-...I promise that he won't kill anyone in their sleep? ¦D Although he does have his eye on quite a few of the campers and will continue to watch them for signs of trouble. But it's not enough for him to make a move yet.
If I made any gross flaws to the nature of his character or you feel you have something to input, feel free to comment~