Application
[series]: Jigoku Shoujo
[character]: Ren Ichimoku
[character history / background]: A tsukumogami is an object that gains a soul after 100 years of being used. It is essential a spirit that can think and witness but is not human. Ren began life as a katana. He was used by many masters for a number of purposes. To gain money, to win love, to get power. He witnessed all of these things but could say nothing about it. He couldn't count how many lives were taken by his blade but he drank more blood than most could ever hope to count. All the while, he couldn't understand why humans would do these things. Why did they kill each other? None of it made any sense to him.
During a battle he was cast aside and left in a rock. While he was there, Enma Ai and her companion Wanyuudou came across him. She recognized right away that he seemed to be searching for something. What that was wasn't clear however she did offer to have him join her. Saying that he was bored where he was, he accepted and she came to pull him free. In doing so, he was gifted with the form of a breathtakingly handsome young man. A form he favored throughout the years.
Together with Ai and her other two companions (a woman named Hane-Onna later joined them), Ren helped to drag people to Hell when someone cursed them out of revenge. This went on for hundreds of years and he watched time pass and technology blossom. However, through it all, the need for vengeance continued on. It wasn't that unusual really and he would always become a witness or Ai's doll in the situations. As the former he was there to see why the person was sending the other to Hell. What had happened between the two to cause such hatred? As the latter, he became a blue straw doll with a red string wrapped around its neck. He would remain like this until his mistress called him back or until the person pulled the string so he could grant them their revenge. Either way, once the string was pulled it was his duty to aid in terrifying the person who was being dragged to Hell, to show them their wrong doings.
Things changed somewhat when a journalist started appear every time someone had a doll. Unable to figure out how this man knew where they were all the time, they favored little pranks here and there to stop him from convincing the targets to not pull the string. In time, they came to learn that the man always knew where they were because his daughter had a connection with Ai. She could see when Ai was giving the doll and when she was going to drag someone to Hell. Why they had this connection wasn't so clear though and it baffled the companions who could do nothing to stop it. In time they learned out why.
These two were the descendants of a boy from Ai's dark past. Because of this, Ren's mistress hated them and wanted her revenge. Using her powers, she attacked the journalist and his daughter causing the Lord of Hell to become displeased. Knowing that Ai had broken the rules, her companions could only watched as she was dragged into Hell. Unable to do anything, they watched and waited to see if their mistress would truly be alright.
As it turned out, Ai wasn't done. Sending the journalist to her home of eternal twilight, she took Wanyuudou to go after the daughter. With her, she gave her the Wanyuudou doll and started to try convincing her to send her father to Hell. Why? Because years ago he hadn't forgiven her mother and her mother had gone off, getting in a car accident that killed her. The girl resisted though, not wanting to do such a thing. But her anger continued to build.
In the land of eternal twilight, Ren and Hane-Onna found the journalist and talked to him. Eventually they also helped him to get back to his world. There they tried to stop Ai but were attacked by her power and cast aside. It was up to the girl and her father. Taking them to the scene of the accident, Ai forced them to watch it again. Rather than acting the way she expected him to though, the journalist admitted that it was all his fault and that it should have been him. In an amazing moment, the girl forgave her father. Able to come to terms with her past, Ai let them go and let go of her hatred to become Hell Girl once again with her three companions at her side.
Several years later and things continued on as usual. Names were written into Hell Correspondence and if the string was pulled then the four would drag the target to Hell. During the cases they kept meeting a strange little girl. As it turned out, Ai knew her and the girl, Kikuri, would only listen to what Ai had to say. However, she clearly wasn't human and would even help with the cases.
One such case brought them in contact with a boy named Takuma. A friend of the boy's father wanted revenge and was trashing their yard and making posters about how Takuma was the Devil's child. But, the boy had never done a thing to anyone or anything. Deciding to spare his family this pain, Takuma's father prepared to have them move. Sadly, the night that they packed, the friend shot an arrow into the house that hit the mother in the throat. She died right before the boy's eyes.
At the funeral, Takuma overheard who was at fault and told his father. His father went to talk with his friend while Takuma stayed him to call the police. Not knowing that his father was over there, he was surprised to see him in the window. Rushing over, he found that the friend had slashed his father's throat with a broken bottle. The man was about to attack him as well when suddenly someone sent him to Hell. The police arrived in time for it to look like Takuma did it though there was no evidence to suggest it. With Takuma's father in the hospital, Ai and her companions moved on.
But they were destined to meet this boy again. He was an outcast and the companions sympathized with him. Especially when they knew that the mysterious disappearances throughout the town were caused by someone that wasn't the boy. However, his name was always the way people pointed fingers to take the blame off themselves. One detective sided with Takuma though and his little sister as well. The sister went to talk to Takuma but ended up being kidnapped by Kikuri to go to the land of eternal twilight. Worried about her, the detective went to see Takuma and ended up searching the house with the help of some of the neighborhood men. To protect himself, one of these men started to attack Takuma but vanished right before the eyes of everyone there.
Things in the town got worse and worse. Ren and the other two companions found themselves overworked as they were constantly sending people to Hell in that one little town. And everything was blamed on Takuma. Eventually, the townspeople decided to put an end to Takuma to end the chaos. Ai, in the meantime, brought the sister back to the reality she belonged in and the sister found Takuma and brought him into hiding. All would have been well but Kikuri showed the people where the two were hiding. These people had already beaten the detective and hidden him away. Now they were taking these two to a lake where they tied them up and put them on a boat with a hole in it to drown them. What they didn't expect was for the detective to show up and save them. Unfortunately, as they were driving away, the detective was sent to Hell.
Ai and her companions watched as the children survived the car crash and walked along. Desperate to end it all, the sister decided to send Takuma to Hell. Because if he disappeared then everything would be alright again. Pulling the string, Takuma was sent. On the ferry in though, he begged to be spared.
Back in the other reality, Ren waited with Hane-Onna and Wanyuudou for Ai to return. They felt bad for the boy but there was nothing that they could do about it. But then Kikuri showed up to tell them that Ai had brought Takuma back and because of that she had been returned to a human body. Not only that but Kikuri was the human embodiment of the Lord of Hell. Distressed by the news, they searched frantically for Ai. But when they found her, she pushed them aside. She no longer recognized them nor remembered them. They were in their own personal Hell now where their mistress didn't know them.
Becoming witnesses, they watched as their mistress saved Takuma from being killed and was walking away with him. In that moment, she was struck down and beaten to death. All the while she had a smile on her face because it was finally all over. The moment she died, she burst into a cloud of glowing sakura petals that floated off.
Left to themselves, Ren and the other two decided to live their lives in this century. It would be a Hell all its own but why not? Each of them went their separate ways then to find a new way to live.
[character abilities]: First of all, it should be noted that Ren is not actually human. He is a spirit. An object that has a soul. Because of this, he doesn't age, doesn't become ill, doesn't need to eat or rest, doesn't die. It can also be implied that he can't get hurt. This is not to say he can't be defeated. Strong powers can bind him and can force him back. It's probably possible that he could be destroyed but why would he allow that to happen to his pretty face?
When he was a sword, Ren witnessed the world around him. Because of that, he can now witness anything, anywhere, anytime. By calling upon an eye that he can place anywhere, he can watch a scene unfold. This eye can only be noticed by others if he wishes them to notice it. On the other hand, some people might notice a feeling of being watched by another. This eye can be useful since he can place it on the back of his head to see directly behind him. It can also be used to create a beam of light that can cause harm to supernatural beings and knock out a human.
As a fighter, he is very capable and people have described him as fighting as if he has eyes in the back of his head. Really, this isn't so far from the truth. What people don't always realize is that he's also stronger, faster, and more agile than a normal human being. He can also teleport (for the sake of the game his ability to teleport between dimensions will be gone) from place to place.
To blend in, he can change his clothes with a simple thought. Plus, he is a skilled actor and convince people that he belongs in a situation, able to pick up on the skills of a profession easily. This allows him to spy on a target to gather more information as to why the hatred is so deep. Also, he can play the role of several different people (a teacher, a funeral worker, a construction worker) and have the ability to have people believe that he was a different person each time without them realizing that it was all the same person. (An ability he probably won't use in the City.) And, pictures of him tend to vanish so he won't leave a record on history. As in, someone takes a picture of him and the picture just...disappears. But he can also change into a blue straw doll. This can either be by his own will or by the will of Ai. Ai can also force him to change if she so desires to do so.
Another power that is important to note though it isn't likely to be played, is that he can transform into anything. A pile of money, another person. The reason this is unlikely to be played is because he does this when he is helping to terrify a person while dragging them to Hell. This is not really a power that he's displayed outside of this moment nor shown a desire to display.
[character personality]: When it comes to Ren's personality it can be very fluid. He is used to adapting his personality to fit a situation, to get closer to a given person. This allows him to lie flawlessly and make it hard for anyone to tell what the truth actually is. What one can be certain of is that he adapts himself to be easily forgettable. Just another face in the crowd. Since he never was human, he can be quite objective and neutral in most situations and can also generally avoid growing attached to those around him during his interactions. Of course, he can sometimes seem callous with how sensible he is about things since humanity can baffle him.
Humanity has been doing things that have no logic or reason behind them for years. This is something he is curious about and he has been known to go off on his own simply to observe how a situation unfolds. Though sensible about things, he does want to know why a person will do what they do. What makes a family bond so special? Why does this person want to save that one but kill another? At times he will question such things aloud as he ponders it, attempting to come to a full understanding of what is going on. Because of his curiosity, he often takes on a passive role of just standing by and watching. This can seem cruel but he doesn't see a reason to interfere in a situation unless that is his mistress' wish. Even if one person is torturing another.
That said, he has a strong sense of right and wrong and sympathizes with those that are right. When someone is hurt because they are weak, he frowns upon it. He dislikes how ugly the human race can be at times with their unnecessary desire to cause pain to others. Of course, he watches this all so he can see the full explanation for it, no matter how much he might dislike it. It takes a very rare situation for him to actually personally step in to change things. Ren has seen the worst of humanity as well as the horrors of Hell. Really there is little that can truly disturb him. And his only fear is to be unable to be there for his mistress. This is a fear he now lives with because Ai no longer remembers him. All the same, he still keeps a cool face.
To those around him that are not his companions, he comes across as a handsome young man who is polite and friendly. He's well-mannered and charismatic. Not only that but he's a heartbreaker. Men and women have fallen for him causing him to leave behind a trail of broken hearts. Really this is something that entertains him so he allows others to fall for him even if he feels no real attachment to them. He knows that he's pretty and, while he isn't narcissistic, enjoys being admired for that reason. This can include admiring himself and comparing himself to other attractive people around him. These good looks are useful to him and help him to get closer to people if he needs to. On the other hand, he does get a little down when he realizes that he's not the one being admired.
Around those he considers himself close to, he can still be cool and smiling but he also has a dry-witted sense of humor and cynical. Rare irritation can crop up but this is mostly directed towards Kikuri who can get on the nerves of just about anyone. Really he doesn't have friends though and considers Ai, Hane-Onna, and Wanyuudou to be his family. What he seems to want the most is companionship even if he doesn't seem to fully realize that for himself. With these three he is protective, especially of Ai, and doesn't want to see them harmed. No matter what they have his true devotion and loyalty.
It should also be noted that while he can be so cynical about humanity, he does seem to genuinely care for them. He treats them kindly and hates when a good person is sent to Hell. There has even been a moment where he rushed in to cover a daughter's eyes so she wouldn't have to see her mother hit the ground when her mother jumped off a bridge onto the street below. According to Ai, he does care even if he doesn't always do something to help another in the end.
When one sees Ren, one will usually find a pleasant smile on his face. It's rare to see him without it when someone doesn't know him well. It's a look that is very inviting and perhaps a mirror into that bit of him that cares so much. Cares enough to be the witness when no one else can see what happens.
Ren is a cool guy who is friendly to others. However, he's not human and never was human. Therefore, he spends his time watching passively to see what happens. But he is sure to give you a smile even in some of the darkest times.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: Post Season 2
[journal post]:
[The video turns on to show the face of a handsome young man. He's smiling and rubbing the back of his head as he looks down at the device. He lets out a small laugh before he speaks.]
Eh-heh. It looks like I'm a little lost. My boss won't be so happy if I'm late to work.
[He looks around blinking like he just noticed something.] Hmm...The season is different...
[He looks back at the screen and tilts his head to the side as he smiles again.] Help?
[third person / log sample]:
The song he was singing while he mopped the floors was a simple one. Old too. He remembered hearing it hundreds of years ago. Having liked it then, he'd remembered it. Singing it now meant a lack of silence as he did his job. There seemed to be a lot of that for him lately. Silence.
It wasn't that long ago that he'd watched his mistress get beaten to death. Ren hadn't been able to do anything at that time but watch. He wasn't meant to. She hadn't known who he was. Something that had probably been more painful than anything else he could remember experiencing. His family that had been so precious to him had come to an end with her death. Hane-Onna and Wanyuudo were off doing their own things now in this world they were forever trapped in. It wasn't like they had anywhere else to go. Spirits and demons were meant to wander the Earth.
His hands stilled a moment before he rose up to his full height to stare at the wet floor. Once he'd been a sword. A katana. He could have sliced through bone without any problems. And he had. Countless masters had made him slice through hundreds of people. Conquests, murders, theft, rape...he'd seen it all. During that time he'd only been able to shout at them to demand why they did it without them ever hearing his cries.
Humming, he looked out the wink. Dark clouds that threatened to rain covered the sky. There had been clouds that day too... The day she found him.
Ren had been abandoned on a rock. His master long since gone. To this day he didn't know if the man had died or if he'd simply given up on battle. It really didn't matter. Humans did strange things sometimes. Whatever the case, he'd been left there. It was at that time that his mistress had come along. The first surprise had been that she could hear him. The second was when she told him that he was searching for something. He'd accepted her offer to have him join her and he'd been given this body. A very beautiful body actually. There were still times he loved to check himself out in reflective surfaces. Not that anyone could blame him. He looked good.
Over the years he'd even found what he was looking for. Companionship with Ai, Hane-Onna, and Wanyuudo. Enough so to consider them family. Smiling at the memory, he looked away from the window and over to where he heard some shouting.
Pausing a moment, he just listened before curiosity took over. Extending his reach outward with his mind, he opened an eye in the ceiling over the next room. There he watched a man and a woman shouting at each other. His boss and a former employee. She was furious about not getting her last paycheck. Hm. This was the woman who had claimed she'd been sexually harassed before she'd been fired to prevent further problems. Watching them before, he thought about his days with his mistress.
This woman would have contacted the Hotline to Hell and received a straw doll with a string around the neck. If she pulled the string, she would have sent the person she hated to Hell. That was how it had worked back when Ai had been alive.
Watching a little more, he finally closed the eye and went back to mopping the floor. Why humans insisted upon hurting each other was beyond him. Even after all these years it was still strange that they seemed to enjoy living in sin and corruption. That they had to abuse the innocent who didn't go along with that mindset. It was a fact that they did it though. He'd witnessed over four hundred years of it. That endless cycle of hate and revenge and pain and suffering. It was so rare to find something pure that didn't get tainted.
Ren frowned before smoothing out his features and started singing again as he continued to hear the shouts. They could do as they liked. It wasn't his place to interfere. Besides, the floors weren't done.
[character]: Ren Ichimoku
[character history / background]: A tsukumogami is an object that gains a soul after 100 years of being used. It is essential a spirit that can think and witness but is not human. Ren began life as a katana. He was used by many masters for a number of purposes. To gain money, to win love, to get power. He witnessed all of these things but could say nothing about it. He couldn't count how many lives were taken by his blade but he drank more blood than most could ever hope to count. All the while, he couldn't understand why humans would do these things. Why did they kill each other? None of it made any sense to him.
During a battle he was cast aside and left in a rock. While he was there, Enma Ai and her companion Wanyuudou came across him. She recognized right away that he seemed to be searching for something. What that was wasn't clear however she did offer to have him join her. Saying that he was bored where he was, he accepted and she came to pull him free. In doing so, he was gifted with the form of a breathtakingly handsome young man. A form he favored throughout the years.
Together with Ai and her other two companions (a woman named Hane-Onna later joined them), Ren helped to drag people to Hell when someone cursed them out of revenge. This went on for hundreds of years and he watched time pass and technology blossom. However, through it all, the need for vengeance continued on. It wasn't that unusual really and he would always become a witness or Ai's doll in the situations. As the former he was there to see why the person was sending the other to Hell. What had happened between the two to cause such hatred? As the latter, he became a blue straw doll with a red string wrapped around its neck. He would remain like this until his mistress called him back or until the person pulled the string so he could grant them their revenge. Either way, once the string was pulled it was his duty to aid in terrifying the person who was being dragged to Hell, to show them their wrong doings.
Things changed somewhat when a journalist started appear every time someone had a doll. Unable to figure out how this man knew where they were all the time, they favored little pranks here and there to stop him from convincing the targets to not pull the string. In time, they came to learn that the man always knew where they were because his daughter had a connection with Ai. She could see when Ai was giving the doll and when she was going to drag someone to Hell. Why they had this connection wasn't so clear though and it baffled the companions who could do nothing to stop it. In time they learned out why.
These two were the descendants of a boy from Ai's dark past. Because of this, Ren's mistress hated them and wanted her revenge. Using her powers, she attacked the journalist and his daughter causing the Lord of Hell to become displeased. Knowing that Ai had broken the rules, her companions could only watched as she was dragged into Hell. Unable to do anything, they watched and waited to see if their mistress would truly be alright.
As it turned out, Ai wasn't done. Sending the journalist to her home of eternal twilight, she took Wanyuudou to go after the daughter. With her, she gave her the Wanyuudou doll and started to try convincing her to send her father to Hell. Why? Because years ago he hadn't forgiven her mother and her mother had gone off, getting in a car accident that killed her. The girl resisted though, not wanting to do such a thing. But her anger continued to build.
In the land of eternal twilight, Ren and Hane-Onna found the journalist and talked to him. Eventually they also helped him to get back to his world. There they tried to stop Ai but were attacked by her power and cast aside. It was up to the girl and her father. Taking them to the scene of the accident, Ai forced them to watch it again. Rather than acting the way she expected him to though, the journalist admitted that it was all his fault and that it should have been him. In an amazing moment, the girl forgave her father. Able to come to terms with her past, Ai let them go and let go of her hatred to become Hell Girl once again with her three companions at her side.
Several years later and things continued on as usual. Names were written into Hell Correspondence and if the string was pulled then the four would drag the target to Hell. During the cases they kept meeting a strange little girl. As it turned out, Ai knew her and the girl, Kikuri, would only listen to what Ai had to say. However, she clearly wasn't human and would even help with the cases.
One such case brought them in contact with a boy named Takuma. A friend of the boy's father wanted revenge and was trashing their yard and making posters about how Takuma was the Devil's child. But, the boy had never done a thing to anyone or anything. Deciding to spare his family this pain, Takuma's father prepared to have them move. Sadly, the night that they packed, the friend shot an arrow into the house that hit the mother in the throat. She died right before the boy's eyes.
At the funeral, Takuma overheard who was at fault and told his father. His father went to talk with his friend while Takuma stayed him to call the police. Not knowing that his father was over there, he was surprised to see him in the window. Rushing over, he found that the friend had slashed his father's throat with a broken bottle. The man was about to attack him as well when suddenly someone sent him to Hell. The police arrived in time for it to look like Takuma did it though there was no evidence to suggest it. With Takuma's father in the hospital, Ai and her companions moved on.
But they were destined to meet this boy again. He was an outcast and the companions sympathized with him. Especially when they knew that the mysterious disappearances throughout the town were caused by someone that wasn't the boy. However, his name was always the way people pointed fingers to take the blame off themselves. One detective sided with Takuma though and his little sister as well. The sister went to talk to Takuma but ended up being kidnapped by Kikuri to go to the land of eternal twilight. Worried about her, the detective went to see Takuma and ended up searching the house with the help of some of the neighborhood men. To protect himself, one of these men started to attack Takuma but vanished right before the eyes of everyone there.
Things in the town got worse and worse. Ren and the other two companions found themselves overworked as they were constantly sending people to Hell in that one little town. And everything was blamed on Takuma. Eventually, the townspeople decided to put an end to Takuma to end the chaos. Ai, in the meantime, brought the sister back to the reality she belonged in and the sister found Takuma and brought him into hiding. All would have been well but Kikuri showed the people where the two were hiding. These people had already beaten the detective and hidden him away. Now they were taking these two to a lake where they tied them up and put them on a boat with a hole in it to drown them. What they didn't expect was for the detective to show up and save them. Unfortunately, as they were driving away, the detective was sent to Hell.
Ai and her companions watched as the children survived the car crash and walked along. Desperate to end it all, the sister decided to send Takuma to Hell. Because if he disappeared then everything would be alright again. Pulling the string, Takuma was sent. On the ferry in though, he begged to be spared.
Back in the other reality, Ren waited with Hane-Onna and Wanyuudou for Ai to return. They felt bad for the boy but there was nothing that they could do about it. But then Kikuri showed up to tell them that Ai had brought Takuma back and because of that she had been returned to a human body. Not only that but Kikuri was the human embodiment of the Lord of Hell. Distressed by the news, they searched frantically for Ai. But when they found her, she pushed them aside. She no longer recognized them nor remembered them. They were in their own personal Hell now where their mistress didn't know them.
Becoming witnesses, they watched as their mistress saved Takuma from being killed and was walking away with him. In that moment, she was struck down and beaten to death. All the while she had a smile on her face because it was finally all over. The moment she died, she burst into a cloud of glowing sakura petals that floated off.
Left to themselves, Ren and the other two decided to live their lives in this century. It would be a Hell all its own but why not? Each of them went their separate ways then to find a new way to live.
[character abilities]: First of all, it should be noted that Ren is not actually human. He is a spirit. An object that has a soul. Because of this, he doesn't age, doesn't become ill, doesn't need to eat or rest, doesn't die. It can also be implied that he can't get hurt. This is not to say he can't be defeated. Strong powers can bind him and can force him back. It's probably possible that he could be destroyed but why would he allow that to happen to his pretty face?
When he was a sword, Ren witnessed the world around him. Because of that, he can now witness anything, anywhere, anytime. By calling upon an eye that he can place anywhere, he can watch a scene unfold. This eye can only be noticed by others if he wishes them to notice it. On the other hand, some people might notice a feeling of being watched by another. This eye can be useful since he can place it on the back of his head to see directly behind him. It can also be used to create a beam of light that can cause harm to supernatural beings and knock out a human.
As a fighter, he is very capable and people have described him as fighting as if he has eyes in the back of his head. Really, this isn't so far from the truth. What people don't always realize is that he's also stronger, faster, and more agile than a normal human being. He can also teleport (for the sake of the game his ability to teleport between dimensions will be gone) from place to place.
To blend in, he can change his clothes with a simple thought. Plus, he is a skilled actor and convince people that he belongs in a situation, able to pick up on the skills of a profession easily. This allows him to spy on a target to gather more information as to why the hatred is so deep. Also, he can play the role of several different people (a teacher, a funeral worker, a construction worker) and have the ability to have people believe that he was a different person each time without them realizing that it was all the same person. (An ability he probably won't use in the City.) And, pictures of him tend to vanish so he won't leave a record on history. As in, someone takes a picture of him and the picture just...disappears. But he can also change into a blue straw doll. This can either be by his own will or by the will of Ai. Ai can also force him to change if she so desires to do so.
Another power that is important to note though it isn't likely to be played, is that he can transform into anything. A pile of money, another person. The reason this is unlikely to be played is because he does this when he is helping to terrify a person while dragging them to Hell. This is not really a power that he's displayed outside of this moment nor shown a desire to display.
[character personality]: When it comes to Ren's personality it can be very fluid. He is used to adapting his personality to fit a situation, to get closer to a given person. This allows him to lie flawlessly and make it hard for anyone to tell what the truth actually is. What one can be certain of is that he adapts himself to be easily forgettable. Just another face in the crowd. Since he never was human, he can be quite objective and neutral in most situations and can also generally avoid growing attached to those around him during his interactions. Of course, he can sometimes seem callous with how sensible he is about things since humanity can baffle him.
Humanity has been doing things that have no logic or reason behind them for years. This is something he is curious about and he has been known to go off on his own simply to observe how a situation unfolds. Though sensible about things, he does want to know why a person will do what they do. What makes a family bond so special? Why does this person want to save that one but kill another? At times he will question such things aloud as he ponders it, attempting to come to a full understanding of what is going on. Because of his curiosity, he often takes on a passive role of just standing by and watching. This can seem cruel but he doesn't see a reason to interfere in a situation unless that is his mistress' wish. Even if one person is torturing another.
That said, he has a strong sense of right and wrong and sympathizes with those that are right. When someone is hurt because they are weak, he frowns upon it. He dislikes how ugly the human race can be at times with their unnecessary desire to cause pain to others. Of course, he watches this all so he can see the full explanation for it, no matter how much he might dislike it. It takes a very rare situation for him to actually personally step in to change things. Ren has seen the worst of humanity as well as the horrors of Hell. Really there is little that can truly disturb him. And his only fear is to be unable to be there for his mistress. This is a fear he now lives with because Ai no longer remembers him. All the same, he still keeps a cool face.
To those around him that are not his companions, he comes across as a handsome young man who is polite and friendly. He's well-mannered and charismatic. Not only that but he's a heartbreaker. Men and women have fallen for him causing him to leave behind a trail of broken hearts. Really this is something that entertains him so he allows others to fall for him even if he feels no real attachment to them. He knows that he's pretty and, while he isn't narcissistic, enjoys being admired for that reason. This can include admiring himself and comparing himself to other attractive people around him. These good looks are useful to him and help him to get closer to people if he needs to. On the other hand, he does get a little down when he realizes that he's not the one being admired.
Around those he considers himself close to, he can still be cool and smiling but he also has a dry-witted sense of humor and cynical. Rare irritation can crop up but this is mostly directed towards Kikuri who can get on the nerves of just about anyone. Really he doesn't have friends though and considers Ai, Hane-Onna, and Wanyuudou to be his family. What he seems to want the most is companionship even if he doesn't seem to fully realize that for himself. With these three he is protective, especially of Ai, and doesn't want to see them harmed. No matter what they have his true devotion and loyalty.
It should also be noted that while he can be so cynical about humanity, he does seem to genuinely care for them. He treats them kindly and hates when a good person is sent to Hell. There has even been a moment where he rushed in to cover a daughter's eyes so she wouldn't have to see her mother hit the ground when her mother jumped off a bridge onto the street below. According to Ai, he does care even if he doesn't always do something to help another in the end.
When one sees Ren, one will usually find a pleasant smile on his face. It's rare to see him without it when someone doesn't know him well. It's a look that is very inviting and perhaps a mirror into that bit of him that cares so much. Cares enough to be the witness when no one else can see what happens.
Ren is a cool guy who is friendly to others. However, he's not human and never was human. Therefore, he spends his time watching passively to see what happens. But he is sure to give you a smile even in some of the darkest times.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: Post Season 2
[journal post]:
[The video turns on to show the face of a handsome young man. He's smiling and rubbing the back of his head as he looks down at the device. He lets out a small laugh before he speaks.]
Eh-heh. It looks like I'm a little lost. My boss won't be so happy if I'm late to work.
[He looks around blinking like he just noticed something.] Hmm...The season is different...
[He looks back at the screen and tilts his head to the side as he smiles again.] Help?
[third person / log sample]:
The song he was singing while he mopped the floors was a simple one. Old too. He remembered hearing it hundreds of years ago. Having liked it then, he'd remembered it. Singing it now meant a lack of silence as he did his job. There seemed to be a lot of that for him lately. Silence.
It wasn't that long ago that he'd watched his mistress get beaten to death. Ren hadn't been able to do anything at that time but watch. He wasn't meant to. She hadn't known who he was. Something that had probably been more painful than anything else he could remember experiencing. His family that had been so precious to him had come to an end with her death. Hane-Onna and Wanyuudo were off doing their own things now in this world they were forever trapped in. It wasn't like they had anywhere else to go. Spirits and demons were meant to wander the Earth.
His hands stilled a moment before he rose up to his full height to stare at the wet floor. Once he'd been a sword. A katana. He could have sliced through bone without any problems. And he had. Countless masters had made him slice through hundreds of people. Conquests, murders, theft, rape...he'd seen it all. During that time he'd only been able to shout at them to demand why they did it without them ever hearing his cries.
Humming, he looked out the wink. Dark clouds that threatened to rain covered the sky. There had been clouds that day too... The day she found him.
Ren had been abandoned on a rock. His master long since gone. To this day he didn't know if the man had died or if he'd simply given up on battle. It really didn't matter. Humans did strange things sometimes. Whatever the case, he'd been left there. It was at that time that his mistress had come along. The first surprise had been that she could hear him. The second was when she told him that he was searching for something. He'd accepted her offer to have him join her and he'd been given this body. A very beautiful body actually. There were still times he loved to check himself out in reflective surfaces. Not that anyone could blame him. He looked good.
Over the years he'd even found what he was looking for. Companionship with Ai, Hane-Onna, and Wanyuudo. Enough so to consider them family. Smiling at the memory, he looked away from the window and over to where he heard some shouting.
Pausing a moment, he just listened before curiosity took over. Extending his reach outward with his mind, he opened an eye in the ceiling over the next room. There he watched a man and a woman shouting at each other. His boss and a former employee. She was furious about not getting her last paycheck. Hm. This was the woman who had claimed she'd been sexually harassed before she'd been fired to prevent further problems. Watching them before, he thought about his days with his mistress.
This woman would have contacted the Hotline to Hell and received a straw doll with a string around the neck. If she pulled the string, she would have sent the person she hated to Hell. That was how it had worked back when Ai had been alive.
Watching a little more, he finally closed the eye and went back to mopping the floor. Why humans insisted upon hurting each other was beyond him. Even after all these years it was still strange that they seemed to enjoy living in sin and corruption. That they had to abuse the innocent who didn't go along with that mindset. It was a fact that they did it though. He'd witnessed over four hundred years of it. That endless cycle of hate and revenge and pain and suffering. It was so rare to find something pure that didn't get tainted.
Ren frowned before smoothing out his features and started singing again as he continued to hear the shouts. They could do as they liked. It wasn't his place to interfere. Besides, the floors weren't done.