truestrength | application for deerington

IN CHARACTER

Character Name: Kurogane
Canon: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
Canon Point: end of chapter 233

In-Game Tattoo Placement: On the back of his right hand
Current Health/Status: Healthy! His left arm is a prosthetic.
Age: 25
Species: Human

Content Warnings: Kurogane's canon and background contain violence, death, illness, loss of a limb, and murder.

History: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle summary, Kurogane's background

Personality:

Kurogane starts out as incredibly aggressive, rude, and only looking out for himself. All he cares about is getting stronger for the sake of getting stronger, and killing as much as he wants. He disobeys orders just to fight, not caring about anyone else. So that he can learn the true meaning of strength, Tomoyo sends him to Yuuko to travel across worlds and forbids him from killing unecessarily, placing a curse on him so that he will become weaker with each person he kills. As time passes, Kurogane undergoes significant growth, proving to be someone incredibly loyal, caring, and protective of the ones he cares about.

The first impression of Kurogane is of someone who is abrasive, rude, aggressive, and overly blunt. He often has no time for pleasantries or idle conversation, often not even addressing anyone by name. Kurogane also tends to not mince his words, usually outright saying what he thinks, which shows in the way he calls attention to the fact that Fai is putting up a facade. He's also easily riled up and irritated, balking at nicknames and yelling at anyone that teases him—namely at Fai and Mokona, who often bounce off of one another with ridiculous nicknames and statements about Kurogane. While he eventually eases up on this, even letting the nicknames go, it takes a long time for him to reach that point.

At first, Kurogane only cares about going back home, cooperating in finding Sakura's feathers with the hopes that the next world they go to will be home. As he joins in, however, he starts to grow closer with his compainions Syaoran, Sakura, and Fai. By the time they reach the country of Ôto, Kurogane starts to show fondness towards Syaoran, agreeing to teach him how to use a sword. Even though he says that it's so they can find feathers and potentially get back to his home more quickly, the fact that he agreed at all shows that he's more willing to involve himself in the lives of his companions. At this point, deeper parts of Kurogane's personality are coming to the surface.

One aspect of Kurogane that becomes apparent early on is that he is incredibly perceptive. While they are in Ôto, Kurogane points out that he's noticed that Syaoran is blind in his right eye, because of the delayed reactions to things that happen on his right and the quick reaction to any unseen forces on that side as well. He also notices immediately that Fai is keeping himself distant, and confronts him about it multiple times, going as far as to tell him that he knows Fai is trying to keep everyone at a distance.

As time goes on, Kurogane starts to show his care for the others, often by telling them what he thinks they need to hear. Still, his harsh nature comes through in this, as the things they need to hear aren't always what they want to hear. This is especially prevalent with Fai, as Kurogane tells him in Tokyo that he doesn't care about Fai's past and that he needs to figure out what he's going to do from there on out. He's much more gentle with Syaoran, however, telling Syaoran not to carry the weight of Kurogane's past just because he knows about it and later when they are in Infinity, Kurogane tells Syaoran that he doesn't need to feel responsible for what his clone does in other worlds. Throughout the series, Kurogane expresses what he values most and it comes across in the way that he shows he cares about others. At one point he says that he hates the kind of people that still have lives to live but refuse to actually live them. Kurogane also tends to view the past as something to look forward from, rather than to live in. These views are usually expressed when he speaks to Fai, often telling him to let go of his past and that Fai's past doesn't matter to him. He knows that Fai still has life to live, and does whatever he can to get that point across to Fai, even when it comes down to making decisions that Fai does not agree with. Even though Kurogane has his own tragic past, he still wants Fai to move past his own and look forward to the future.

Kurogane's caring nature also shows up in the way he protects others too, even if he gets injured. This is shown when they are in the final race in Piffle, when a geyser shoots up during the course and Kurogane forfeits the race by pushing Sakura out of the way and getting hit with the geyser himself. He knew that it wouldn't be something Sakura could survive, and that any injuries he had would be something he could survive. While they are in Tokyo, Kurogane also refuses to get his injuries treated because he knows Sakura will need the limited supply of medicine they have when she gets back from her trip. His protective nature can go too far, however, such as when he makes the decision to save Fai's life even though Fai doesn't want to be saved. He makes the wish to turn Fai into a vampire to save him, even going so far as to become Fai's sole source of sustenance. If he thinks it's the right decision to make, then he will make it regardless of what anyone else says.

His resolve is also incredibly apparent in that he does not regret or back out of any of his decisions. Even when he learns that he will be the one Fai drinks blood from, Kurogane does not back out of his wish, accepting the full price of it. He also shows this resolve when he saves Fai in Seresu. Due to Fai's curse, he would seal off the world with his own magic, with a spell that would require the caster to stay in the center of it. When Kurogane realized Fai would not be able to go with him, Tomoyo reached him through her dreams to tell him that he would be able to use magic equivalent to Fai's in order to save him. Since Fai cast a spell on Kurogane's hand to be able to draw out his sword from it before they left, he cuts off his arm to use as a body double for Fai. Once he wakes back up in Japan, Kurogane does not show any regret for doing so, only glad that everyone was safe.

Although Kurogane is still rude and easily irritated, by the end of the series he starts to care about using his strength to protect others around him and especially the people he cares about. He even mentions that strength alone can't protect someone from everything, showing that he has learned what the meaning of strength entails. While his methods can be harsh, Kurogane shows the other that he cares about them by making the decisions he thinks are best and telling them what they need to hear. By the end of the series, Kurogane puts his mission to go back home on pause, even leaving Japan when he finally goes back to help Syaoran, showing that he has decided to stay loyal to his companions. Through his travels, he becomes someone that always does what he can to protect the people he cares about, and to ensure that they are safe.

Abilities/Powers/Weaknesses & Warping:

-Swordsmanship: Kurogane is highly skilled with a sword, and easily able to cut down multiple enemies at a time. He uses different attacks throughout the series, ranging from ones that send out a circular wave of cuts to others that follow their target.
-Strength: Due to his training, Kurogane is incredibly strong, and possesses immense strength.

Inventory: His sword Ginryu and the clothes on his back.

Writing Samples: one, two

OUT OF CHARACTER

Player Name: Amber
Player Age: 27
Player Contact:

secondhandmagic

Other Characters In Game: N/A
In-Game Tag If Accepted: Kurogane:Amber
Permissions for Character: here
Are you comfortable with prominent elements of fourth-walling?: Yes
What themes of horror/psychological thrillers do you enjoy the most?: Ghosts, not being able to see the threat but still feeling a since of danger and foreboding
Is there anything in particular you absolutely need specific content warnings for?: No
Additional Information: N/A