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[luneminary]

OOC INFORMATION
Player Name: Novas
Pronoun Preferences: They/Them
Contact: soukokus
Are you over the age of 18?: Yes
Invitation Link: here!
Current Characters: N/A
Link to Permissions: Permissions.

IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Ryoji Mochizuki
Species: Persona/Shadow
Canon: Persona 3
Canon Point: Follows the route where the protagonist is the male MC, post-game.
Character Age: Appears to be 17. Technically he is much older, as the concept of death has existed in this world since time immemorial, but he very much acts like a teenager.
CRAU: No
Character Appearance: Here!
Powers and Abilities:

Ryoji is a Shadow, a being born from human emotions. They are the "offspring" of Nyx, wherein her psyche exists within the collective unconscious of humanity. One could say that Ryoji is a part of Nyx, destined to assimilate with her. Those who are sensitive to his nature may feel unsettled around him, even though they may be unable to pinpoint the reason why. It is implied that even in human form, Ryoji still has access to his abilities - although we do not see the fight itself, he manages to singlehandedly take down Aigis unscathed. Shadows can be dispersed but they do not "die", not when they can eventually reform or become part of a greater Shadow once defeated. (And really, is it even possible for the concept of Death to be killed?) Ryoji himself is an amalgamation of the twelve powerful Shadows that S.E.E.S has managed to defeat.

Ryoji's true form as a Shadow is Thanatos. In Persona 3, the ultimate persona of the Death arcana takes this form as it is a representation of the protagonist's bond with Pharos. Therefore, it should be safe to assume that Ryoji!Thanatos possesses the same abilities as Persona!Thanatos. Thanatos is depicted as a brutal fighter, responsible for giving the protagonist a literal headache the first time they summoned a Persona. While he wields a long sword he also isn't afraid to get his hands dirty...literally.

There is also the Nyx Avatar, the form he takes as he brings down The Fall. In this form his connection to Nyx is at its strongest and therefore it is at his most powerful, displayed by his gigantic sword, gigantic wings, and gigantic number of phases. While the Nyx Avatar seems to be aware of his existence as his identities, including Ryoji, he is more inhuman in this form, and his personality has a more god-like edge to it. As Nyx does not necessarily exist in this world, his connection to her is diluted and chances are he would not take upon this form...unless some plot shenanigans take place.

What Did Your Character Wish For? To have a life that is truly his.
What Potion Did They Receive? Gold
Did They Drink It? Yes
If Yes, What Element/Animal? Crow

Character Questions:
1. Who is the person your character is most bonded with from their canon, or who is someone they miss the most and why?

As Minato is here at this time of writing, the person Ryoji misses the most is his best friend, Junpei Iori. While Ryoji has managed to form bonds with everyone from SEES it is Junpei that he ends up considering as his closest friend: they share interests, hang out at the dorm, and at one point unknowingly gave Junpei comfort to the loss he just experienced. It's just nice to have a fellow guy your age as a companion, you know? Outside of Minato, he is also the person Ryoji has bonded with the most, and the person that he gets to be the most "normal" towards.

2. What are they most afraid of and why?

Ryoji fears pain and suffering the most. Death is inevitable to all and is an unavoidable aspect of life, but he doesn't want it to be meaningless. He doesn't want it to hurt. It's simply ingrained into his peaceful nature, as someone who wishes the best for everyone. Nothing may last forever, but at least he would want others to have something pleasant to remember before it all ends. To spend one's final moments in fear or anger, to Ryoji, feels like a fate worse than death. This is why he gave SEES and Minato the choice to kill him in the first place, as killing him would make them forget the knowledge of their impending doom and let them live out the rest of their lives in ignorant bliss.

3. What are their emotional, mental, and physical weaknesses and why?

Emotionally he is a teenager and with it comes the usual faults of puberty: he can be unintentionally thoughtless, especially when it comes to his playboy tendencies. He doesn't really know that he can be too forward at times! On the flipside he is also someone who is lacking in determination: Ryoji can be quite fatalistic at times, and even though he knows his friends are capable of changing their fates he doesn't think he can do the same thing for himself.

Mentally, he also is just an teenager when it comes to the usual things. He's only average when it comes to academics. He may know a lot of things about Personas and Shadows, but there's a lot of things in normal life that he can be clueless about. Ryoji's open mindedness is his saving grace however, as he's very adventurous and willing to willing to learn more about the things around him.

Physically, though, he only has one weakness. He cannot be killed, and is effectively immortal. There is only one exception to this: Minato Arisato can kill him due to their mutual connection with Nyx. Everything else? He can come out of it unscathed.

4. What discrepancies are there between their inner self (who they feel they are) and their outer self (how they present themselves to others)?

The way he presents himself is completely different to who he actually is - after all, who would have imagined Death to act like a happy go lucky highschool boy? To others he is usually cheerful if not flirtatious presence, one who enjoys the company of others more than anything. He has his mature and insightful moments, sometimes willing to give helpful advice when needed, but at the end of the days he wants to just be a normal teenager.

That's not all he is, however. Not when he isn't human, when the knowledge of unspeakable things run through his head. It shows in moments of melancholy, his sorrow on everything ephemeral, and the way he might appear divine or otherworldly to others. Death can be vicious and aggressive when it wants to be and being silly does not make Ryoji any less powerful than he really is.

5. What would make them happiest and why?

Simply exploring life in itself makes him happy. The fact that Ryoji Mochizuki exists in itself is a miracle to him, one that has let him be human in a way Death was never supposed to be. As such, anything he can do as Ryoji is a treasure - being able to experience a normal life, experiencing memories and emotions, making connections with others...all of this is a happiness that he shall never take for granted. And if the people he has a connection towards are also happy, then that's even better. Their happiness influences his own happiness, too.

6. What characteristics does someone need to have to be your character's ideal significant other?

Ryoji's significant other is Minato, full stop. It doesn't matter what his appearance may take, what way his personality take shapes, or what decisions he will make: the fact that he is living alone because of their circumstances together makes their fates intertwined. Ryoji exists solely because he was sealed inside of Minato for the longest time, and Ryoji is the way he is because of the experiences Minato has accumulated throughout his life. And to Ryoji, that is his ideal enough - he doesn't mind that his existence is so closely tethered towards another.

7. Would your character make a sacrifice to save someone else and why or why not?

He would, without a doubt - in fact, he has already done this in canon in both endings. He offers himself to be killed in order for a momentary period of happiness for this friends, and even when they refuse to do so he tells them of a possible way for them to confront them on the Promised Day such that they may try to defeat him and prevent the apocalypse he was born to do. The reason is simple: he was never supposed to exist in the first place, why would he be so selfish to keep a life that was never truly his?

8. What is one thing they would tell their younger self if they had the chance, or if your character is young, what is one thing they would want their older self to remember?

Ryoji would want to tell his older self to never forget the bonds he has made, and the difference they were able to make in this world. That man is in control of their destiny, and even though the end is the same things could still change in the middle of it all. These are things that he has learned as a human being, as someone who isn't just a shadow known as Death, and he wants to carry those feelings towards tomorrow. Maybe Ryoji would cease to exist one day, but that doesn't mean that everything about him would disappear forever as a result. And hopefully, with these experiences, Death can even someday find a way to defy fate.

9. When in dire circumstances does your character fight, flee, freeze or fawn and how does that look?

When it comes to confronting adversaries Ryoji would flee, but that's not for the usual reasons. He would flee because he wouldn't want anyone to get hurt because of him - not when he's an all-powerful Shadow capable of wiping out humans with a single wave of his hand. He knows how dangerous he is, and he has no real control of stopping anyone form hurting themselves by trying to fight him. He would flee because of fear, but not for his own sake but for the enemy in front of him.

However, when it comes to circumstances like saving someone from a fire or protecting someone, Ryoji would fight. He is very much an active force in people's lives, capable of giving others the push they need. And while he might take on a supportive role for most circumstances, he would also be one of the first people to take action towards a crisis.

10. Why did your character make the wish they did?

If this was a wish consciously made, Ryoji would have used it for the happiness of his friends and loved ones. He's a selfless individual, and would use that wish for the sake of others. However, as it turns out, he does have a wish of his own - and that wish is to continue living as Ryoji Mochizuki. He likes being alive and having an identity of his own outside of being Death, and he would want that happiness to last forever. Being human might not be the perfect experience, and it won't be all sunshine and rainbows all the time, but he also wants to experience the sorrows that come with it: that is all part of life, after all.