[application]

[lightninglobster]

Player Information

Name: QC

Contact: memorybane @ plurk, tothejackals#0005 @ discord

Age: 28

Other Characters: N/A

Character Information

Name: Ryoma

Canon: Fire Emblem: Fates

Canon Point: Chapter 25: Conquest route

Age:Not explicitly stated, but likely in his late twenties/early thirties

History: Wiki link

Personality: Do you like the romanticized ideals of a samurai with an impeccable code of honor? Wise, noble kings with lofty, compassionate hearts? Are you looking for a man who’s equal parts comically serious, a bit of a dork, and prone to expressing volatile emotions in the key of loud? Do you like your warriors stubborn as a mule that’s decided it must end you and everyone you’ve ever known as a matter of course?

Well today’s your lucky day--congratulations, welcome to Ryoma and the many facets of who he is as a person! Good luck with all of this.

Ryoma is a person who seems like he’s a fairly simple read, at first--he’s the crown prince of Hoshido, a very stern man who takes his duty to his people very seriously. He’s an accomplished swordsman and general, the type of person that inspires his allies and worries his enemies through the sheer force of his presence alone. He’s disciplined, decisive, charismatic, and level-headed (except for when he’s not, but we’ll get to that). This read isn’t exactly wrong when it comes to Ryoma, but it’s missing a lot of who he is when you get under the princely veneer. In several supports he makes mention of the way he acts as being very deliberately done--Ryoma meditates for two hours a day to focus his mind, and spend a lot of off-duty time looking for ways to help people better themselves for their own good.

There’s a desire to help in Ryoma, like the way a father or an older brother would help--he’s not really going to give anything but a truthful perspective, no matter how blunt it may sound. That’s not to say he’s unkind--there’s a earnestness and sincerity in everything Ryoma chooses to do. For every piece of criticism he offers, there’s also an offer of him helping to resolve the problem if the other person so wants--he’s a man of action, of results. He has a code of honor that he follows--his personal skill is named Bushido, and in his conversations with his potential son, Shiro, he makes reference to leading with strength, fairness, patience, compassion, and a sense of utmost responsibility. He shows a sense of humility--for all his pride and how stubborn he can be in trying to establish connections or help people with their issues, he’s also not afraid to apologize or admit when he’s wrong about something. He rarely backs away from challenges and has a tendency to see things through… even if those things have so far fed him rice balls with bitter chocolate and pure salt lumps in the middle. He’s not a man who jokes often, but the dad jokes are strong within him, just waiting for the right chance to surge forth and overtake the world--unfortunately, the middle of a war isn’t really a place where a very responsible leader usually finds a lot of humor or chances to unwind.

Ryoma has always shone a level of consideration, care, and maturity--when his father first married Mikoto, he was among the first to accept her as his mother, and put forth a great effort to accept her as a mother and a queen. This takes a bit of an unfortunate turn, however, when Ryoma’s father is murdered--there’s a sense that the boy went from twelve to forty-two overnight, immediately stepping up to learn his father’s duties and take care of his four (er, three. Four?) younger siblings alongside his grieving stepmother. Ryoma idolized his father--Sumeragi was near perfect in Ryoma’s eyes, the goal that he sought to equal or potentially surpass, so having him taken so young left Ryoma with a lot of bitterness and distrust towards Nohrians, though he’s better at not yelling about it like certain other siblings. It also pushed him into growing up quickly, shouldering responsibilities and a sense of seriousness that reflects in the conversations with his younger siblings. Ryoma loves his siblings, but he is a touch oblivious to their personal issues--something that he seems to recognize when they’re older, and seems willing to work on given a chance.

… there is, however, a harder side to Ryoma’s personality. He is a kind if formal man towards his people, family, and allies--but his enemies get to see a much more ruthless side of him. Ryoma leads by example and tends to be first on a battlefield, and he has no particular qualms about letting his sword do the talking that diplomacy failed on. He doesn’t take betrayal well--and he also doesn’t seem particularly keen on realizing there are shades of gray in every action. In the Conquest route, when Corrin chooses to return to Nohr, Ryoma vows to bring them home and also attempts to knock the shit out of the enemy general for brainwashing his sibling. He threatens Elise’s life at one point, refusing Corrin access to medicine that’ll cure an illness she’s dying from unless Corrin returns to Hoshido and has to be fought back. Ryoma is stubborn and hard to deter once he’s truly settled on a path--or once something pushes him past his breaking point.

During Ryoma’s last stand on the Conquest route, he loses the last of his patience when he is shown his sister’s bloody weapon and informed of her death. Before that point, he’d still believed in Corrin’s innocence, in the chance to bring his family back together--but the ‘death’ of his sister sent him into a fury that couldn’t be reasoned with until after he was defeated once more. His own code of honor and staunch viewpoint on life made it near impossible for him to realize that there were more factors at work than were immediately apparent--he shows a last bit of stubbornness with his death, refusing to die by a Nohrian’s hand or let Corrin be punished for being unable to kill him, choosing instead to turn his sword on himself. Ryoma as an antagonist is someone who’s trying very hard to protect the people that rely on him, perhaps to the detriment of being able to take another path or change the course of a decision. He is bound to his principles--though in spite of his principles, he’s still a man who cares about the people around him very much, even if he doesn’t show it in overt ways… until it’s too late and time to swear a blood feud on an entire country. He’s got a hot-headed streak, despite how much work he puts into being a patient man.

In conclusion, Ryoma is a decisive, kind man who lives by a code of honor and wants the best for the people around him. He holds himself to impossible standards and does a pretty bang-up job of reaching them with what seems like minimal effort. He’s determined to succeed, no matter what the task is, because to give up would be unthinkable. This often leads to his downfall, as he’s too hard-headed and determined to abandon a path once he’s chosen it. He’s a man with a lot of weight on his shoulders and not much in the way of relaxing and letting others shoulder part of the burden.

Abilities: Ryoma is an exceptional swordsman. Like, in the chapters where he shows up as an antagonist, he is frequently used as That One Boss that either makes the player go out of their way to do certain mechanics to avoid fighting him, or makes the player do something geared to punch the player in the gut--like beat up Sakura, his youngest sister who’s an innocent and a healer, you monster. More than a few people have strategies that consist of ‘let Ryoma do it, it’s like letting a lawnmower run down an army of marshmallows’. He will kick ass and kill units and probably have something pithy to say about it.

Ryoma’s swordplay takes on a new and exciting turn when he’s paired with his divine weapon, Raijinto. Not only does he sword really, really good, but when he’s holding Raijinto he can also channel and imbue his sword with friggin’ lightning. This also gives him a ranged element--you thought you were going to have your ranged fighters pick him off because you forgot to grind exp on a DLC map? Nope. Lightning bolt, and it’s not a blue beanbag being pelted at your face.

Being Hoshidan royalty, Ryoma has the blood of the Dawn Dragon in his veins. This gives him the ability to channel dragon veins in the land, which alters the terrain in mysterious ways.

Ryoma’s hair is an alternate dimension where ribbons, hair ornaments, combs, and at least one butterfly have met their maker. If not kept in check by his lion helmet (you shut up about the lobster jokes), his hair would expand and consume the universe.

Strengths: Charismatic, disciplined, diplomatic, loyal, supportive

Weaknesses: Stubborn, distant, reckless, aggressive, blunt

God/Shinki: Shinki

Why?: Ryoma’s kind of an obvious choice for a god, what with the whole ‘eldest prince who’s great at everything and has never been wrong about anything in his life (except when his temper gets the better of him and he won’t listen or stop for like ten seconds to just chill, Ryoma, please) thing’, so the idea of him with the constraints of his position and responsibilities removed is an interesting one. He’s very much the authoritarian and the fucker in charge of you fucking fucks, so getting a chance to see who he’d be as Not the Dominant Force is more of an exploration for him.

Cause Of Death: After Corrin manages to defeat Ryoma in their duel at Castle Shirasagi during the invasion of Hoshido, King Garon shows up and orders Corrin to execute Ryoma. Corrin tries to refuse, at which point Garon threatens to have Corrin and their followers killed instead. Having realized his sibling was being forced to lie to him about certain things, Ryoma takes a third option and turns his sword on himself, committing suicide to go out on his own terms and save his sibling and their mission.

Vessel: A katana (that is legally distinct from his own Raijinto, miss u buddy)

Name Location: Underside of his right forearm

Power: Electricity manipulation. When he’s a sword, Ryoma is able to draw and channel electricity. At his most basic, he’s able to charge the blade portion of his shinki form with crackling electricity. With time and practice, he’ll be able to arc the energy off of himself like a small lightning strike. This is just manipulation, however--there has to be an outside source for the electricity, like a street light, power line, or cell phone battery… hope you weren't waiting for a text. Or your crops on a farm game app.