( ooc ) application for Forest Covered

[beeeeees]

( PLAYER INFORMATION )

Name: Lycoris
Contact: psychelocks | AIM: vertigo monologue
Are you over 17?: Yes.
Characters in Forest Covered: n/a

( CHARACTER INFORMATION )

Name/Work Name: Arakune (Lotte "Roy" Carmine) / Iktomi
Canon: BlazBlue
Canon Point: Post BlazBlue: Chronophantasma.
AU/CRAU: No to both.
Age: Early to mid 30s (estimate).
History: http://blazblue.wikia.com/wiki/Arakune
Personality: First of all, allow me to say a few things about the man Lotte Carmine used to be. The words that describe him best are naturally curious and ambitious, both of which are traits that make a great scientist material, so it's no wonder he joined Sector Seven─ an organization dedicated to the development of science. While working there, Roy (as he was referred to by his coworkers) was always enthusiastic about the research and its progress, as well as dedicated to his job. Outside of his work, he was a kind and friendly person, always polite if a little absent-minded. He was honored to have a chance of working with one of the Sector's finest minds: Professor Kokonoe; however, he soon started growing tired of her attitude. She would often disrespect him, treating him like a servant more than a fellow scientist, to the point of even stating he's "only good for making coffee" (which, mind you, she never drank anyway). As a driven person determined to prove himself and achieve success, Roy was deeply irritated by Kokonoe's lack of interest in his findings, which led to him developing a deep inferiority complex and, after some time, hatred towards his boss. Unlike her, he wasn't a genius, but rather worked hard to reach her level─ all in vain, it seemed. Desperate to surpass Kokonoe and fulfill his ambitions, Roy ignored the warnings he'd been given and began investigating the power of the Boundary: another dimension beyond human understanding, which supposedly held the answers to all questions.

And thus, his descent into madness began.

Exposing himself to the power of Boundary did grand him almost limitless knowledge, yes─ but it was not something a mortal man could handle. As such, he has slowly began going insane, his speech becoming broken and incomprehensible to other people. He's also changed physically, turning into some hideous abomination. And yet, Roy himself failed notice anything was different about him. Finally, he reached the point where he was completely mad, obsessed with gaining more and more knowledge, and for that purpose began searching for the legendary artifact which could give him that─ the Azure.

That's how Arakune was born.

The way he is now, Arakune is closer to a monster than a human being: he's a black blob full of insects, living deep in the sewers of 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi and praying on the cat-like members of the Kaka clan. Like a wild animal, when approached he's likely to either attack a person or run away. He tends to devour those he defeats, as he's instinctively drawn to and feeds on souls, especially strong ones. He lost most of his memories, but despite that, he seems to have retained some of his previous traits, such as curiosity and scientific thinking, insane as it may be. He often talks to himself, his speech torn and unintelligible, sometimes repeating the same thing over and over again or cackling like a maniac. His sole purpose at this point is gaining all possible knowledge and understanding the power of the Boundary. For that reason, he's constantly in search of the Azure, and is obsessed with getting it to the point that whenever he meets someone in possession of it (such as Ragna), he becomes even more unstable than usually. Thanks to Relius installing an artificial causality weapon inside him after capturing him, Arakune's speech has improved to a degree, though it still doesn't make much sense. He also seems to be slightly less crazy, not attacking and eating everyone in sight but rather deciding whom to engage in battle. The price for that is that Relius has somehow managed to bind Arakune's to his will, and he now obeys him without question in spite of his previous hatred for the man.

The thing Arakune despises the most is ignorance, and frankly, he considers most humans to be fools as they fail to notice what he's learned from the Boundary. He's grown arrogant due to the experience, and now seems to consider himself superior to the rest of the mankind. As such, he's not the most social... well, he can't really be called a person anymore anyway. The fact everyone else doesn't understand what he sees as obvious grates on his nerves, which is one of the reasons he'd rather keep to himself most of the time (aside from being a man-eating monster, of course). Another thing that is quick to enrage him is anything related to Kokonoe; just mentioning her name in his presence is most likely to prompt a string of curses and eventually, an attack.

However, it appears that the part of the old Lotte Carmine is still buried beneath all that madness. There are times where he regains his ability to speak coherently, usually when facing his former coworker, Litchi Faye-Ling. In certain story routes, he manages to retain his Roy personality long enough to call her name and warn her not to engage with the Boundary, telling her to turn to Kokonoe for help. In one of his endings, he even chooses to erase Litchi's memories to stop her from pursuing him any further, knowing it would only bring her pain. Whether it's possible for him to go back to the person he once was remains unclear.

Debt: Arakune has gotten too close to the Boundary─ the place that should be beyond the reach of mortals and for that, he'll have to pay. He doesn't consider it something he should be punished for, though, so the final push for agreement in his case would be the promise of wish fulfillment─ which, naturally, would be acquiring the one thing he desires the most: the Azure.
Suitability: Honestly, being forced into the position of someone's tool is not much of a change from Arakune's current situation─ and just as he serves Relius in canon, he'll serve the Witch, all while believing it's for his own agenda. He may not be too thrilled about the work itself, but the circumstances aren't against him; after all, he's in a world filled with spirits, who surely possess infinite knowledge known to no man, and that's not an opportunity any scientist would miss. The promise of the Azure at the end of the road would also play a crucial role in determining him to do a good job... and hopefully discourage him from eating any patrons. Or coworkers, though that's less certain.

Previous Game Info: n/a

Inventory: The mask that serves as his face, as well as the various bugs that live inside him. That's... all, really.

Abilities, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Abilities: First, have a handy move list for reference: http://blazblue.wikia.com/wiki/Arakune/Move_List

As his body is made mostly of liquid seithr (a substance present everywhere in the air in the BlazBlue universe), Arakune is capable of molding himself in different ways for both attack and defense. He can sink into the ground like a puddle and reappear on the other side of the opponent, as well as teleport on short distances and float in the air for short periods of time. In addition to this, he can also render himself invisible until he's hit. Inside his body he keeps a number of bones, which he can freely shapeshift into melee weapons as necessary.

His Drive (special ability) is called Crimson and allows him to "curse" a person, making them the target of swarms of poisonous insects he summons from inside his body. Like other characters in the game, Arakune also possesses an ability called Overdrive (specifically Crimson Depths), which enhances the strength of his Drive. As of Chronophantasma, Relius installed an artificial causality weapon within Arakune, thus increasing his fighting potential.

Strengths: For a... well, a pile of goo, Arakune is a surprisingly strong and dangerous opponent to face. Due to his lack of limitations that come with being human, he becomes quite unpredictable─ his body allows him to both strike and avoid hits in ways one couldn't imagine. Additionally, it's not difficult for him to gain the psychological advantage over his foes: given his appearance, broken speech and the fact he tends to devour those he defeats, it's easy to see why he's feared by those who have met him.

It cannot be denied Arakune is intelligent, or at least knowledgeable─ whatever it was he's seen inside the Boundary, it sure granted him the understanding of the working of the world. As such, he is aware and can notice a lot of things that escape other characters of the series... but whether he can apply that knowledge which has driven him insane is a different matter.

Weaknesses: To put it simply, Arakune is completely batshit─ he lost his mind after coming into contact with the Boundary. That, combined with his arrogance and lack of proper judgment, often causes him to lash out mindlessly and attack people far more powerful than himself (for example Ragna or Hakumen). His pride, along with the feeling of superiority and self-importance due to achieving something no one else has before make it almost impossible for him to accept offers of help, be it from his friend Litchi or former boss Kokonoe.

Aside from that, he's basically a trashbag full of bees. While it may have its merits in battle, that's hardly a pleasant life to live─ and certainly not the key to peaceful coexistence with other people, so that's probably something he'll need to make an effort and work on... preferably without eating anyone.

( SAMPLE )

thread

Darkness was an ally Arakune had grown to appreciate greatly in the past few years, and it's value was only confirmed during his stay on the island. The quarters were noisy, full of pathetic fools who failed to grasp the meaning of the unusual situation they had found themselves in. Frankly, he couldn't stand just being around them─ their mindless blabbing was interrupting his research, and for that he simply could not condone. So on his day off, the blob-like creature left the building in haste, quickly moving to the back alleys. They shadows there were comforting... and granted him an opportunity to observe the patrons passing by as they walked down the main street. Those were most curious of creatures and he could sense how powerful they were: some felt similar to what he'd found in the Boundary; others appeared completely different.

"In th...own many souls...great stren...have gathered... Spirits...ich...in possess...knowledge beyond...man comprehension."

There was no doubt he could learn more from them than what any books present in his world could offer. Ah, such wisdom right in front of him, waiting for him to reach for it... With that, he could easily surpass Kokonoe. And not just her; with so much information at his disposal, he would most likely outmatch any scientist in the world... And then, he could find it... the Azure.

"Kihi...hihihihihihi..." The black blob shook violently, its laughter only subduing after a moment. "I...I will eat...vour...consume..."

With a cackle, Arakune sank into the ground below like a puddle, the dark stain in the place where he'd disappeared and the horrible stink lingering in the air being the only traces of his presence.