RYOKOTSUSEI OF FUJING

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past titles: 'fujing's black dragon'
nicknames: ryu, kotsusei
scent: smokey embers, cut bamboo
voice claim: godfrey gao

BEING THERE ISN'T THE SAME AS BELONGING THERE
reference

Indominable at a glance, Ryukotsusei is defined by thick, coiled muscle beneath an obsidian hide. There are few details on the stallion that can be considered small, save perhaps his thin mane, or perhaps the sprinkling of color that serves as his only markings. Large hooves finish robust legs, fed into a broad chest and body. Most of his form is dipped in pitch permablack, save for two areas. One is his visage where it rests almost like an incomplete mask, primarily focusing on the bridge of the nose and forehead. Rose petal, sky blue, sunset orange, and alabaster litter his face in obscure, roan-like patterns, brightest at the center. The second location is his front left leg, up to shoulder where the color mottles back to midnight. Additionally, this same leg sports a golden band as a symbol in his marital union and does not have feathering like his other extremities.

Most peculiar are transparent feathers that adorn him in several locations. Four fan from behind his ears, two dance along the tip of long tendrils sprouting from his withers, and another cluster sit at the base of his tail, just at the dock. They emit no light themselves but are always visible. One can 'touch' them, and they will 'respond' to the touch, but they are almost phantasmal and the prodding will feel nothing physically. To elaborate more upon the second location mentioned, two weightless threads seem to follow him, always airborne but otherwise only aesthetic as they cannot be controlled. They sit in a bed of thick, charcoal mane that sits upon his shoulders.

Atop his head is four horns. One set sits before his rather bearded years; they are shorter in length and sit near to the temple and are coal in color. Another, more antler-esque e set, stretches from behind the ears in a back angle that steadily inclines skyward until ended with a curl. The tines are sharp, and the horns themselves have faint segments mostly discernable when reflecting light. The crown of these antlers seems to be cracked or shattering. The same golden light of the phantom feathers fills these cracks, making them smooth and whole again.

Last, but certainly not the least interesting of his appearance, are eyes of black sclera. A slit pupil sits in these obsidian pools of a sharp, burning citrine color. One would think they would glow, but I the writer can confirm that they do not.

SPEAK WITH HONESTY, ACT WITH INTEGRITY

+ loyal, charitable, pragmatic, open, honorable
-/+ brave, sensitive, accommodating, honest, dutiful
- short-tempered, defensive, blunt, martyr

One could argue that of all the physical features Ryukotsusei possesses, it is not the outside that is most interesting. Not unlike a gemstone, there are different facets to this governer's son. At surface value, he is cordial, easily personable with seemingly anyone, and always utilizes a great deal of manners when dealing with others. He is the man who will stride forward to the door to hold it open for others, while also being the man who would gladly give his coat to another if they shivered. On a regular day, he is cool, calm, and collected. It is not uncommon to find him in deep meditation somewhere quiet, centering and grounding himself to the present and exploring his own emotions. At a glance, he's your charming socialite prince, restrained and mysterious.

Beneath the surface, however, burns the smallest of flames that not even the cooling waters of meditation can snuff. He is not the man to run blind into a fight with no backing, nor is he the man to call out insults at those who try to abuse him verbally. Rather, he is an accurate inferno, one who will find a justified target and unleash his maladies. He is sensitive, in tune with his own emotions and feelings, and sometimes this can frustrate him. Ryukotsusei holds himself to high, almost impossible standards, and when he fails to meet them, he struggles to not diminish his self-worth.

Though his intentions are mostly pure, Ryukotsusei has a difficult time delivery news gently. He is rather blunt, both when he thinks a plan may not be the best or when he is admitting his own actions. There is little "sugar coating" to his words, and though he may think that the honest truth is the best answer, it is not always the easiest to digest. Though he can handle it when his words may upset others because even he feels the chafe of any criticism or scolding. Perhaps it would even be best to call him a rather raw. There are no shields guarding his heart, as he wears it on his sleeve. He does not prepare words as they leave his lips, but rather looses them freely, and at times it may not be he who is in control but his emotions. Some may call it reactionary, but there is some patience to be had, and a bit of intelligence whirring behind his fiery eyes.

MARRIAGE IS A SENTENCE

fujing & esnoaria.

Besides growing up in the house of a governor, Ryukotsusei's childhood was an average one. There is nothing particularly interesting surrounding his youth, save perhaps political dinners hosted in his home, as the remainder of his time was consumed by general studies and internalizing proper etiquette. While he was a short-tempered boy (only slightly improved with age), even his squabbles were of little note. Of course, he suffered from a spat with his brothers here and there, but they were trivial disputes. Otherwise, he generally grew well under the shadows of his older siblings. His eldest brother, Tatsu, was being groomed to rule the province after their father's inevitable retirement, and his second brother, Setsuna, also had to devote a large amount of his time to similar studies if Tatsu, gods forbid, ever fell. So Ryukotsusei was left to his own devices and wandered through the great bamboo forests of Fujing by himself, sometimes even with his mother's company.

Truly, perhaps his comfort with the opposing sex is due to the time spent with her. Izayoi was a natural maternal figure, cared for each of her boys with a firm but loving hoof, and always seemed to have time for them when they were in need. Ryukotsusei loved her fiercely, and it was her resolute calm that inspired him to remain cool, collected, and composed whenever possible. Of course, his short temper always bubbled to the surface now and again, but Izayoi saw a learning opportunity in her son's fire, and took it upon herself to teach him meditation. To this day he still utilizes the techniques, as they have proven invaluable.

After his uneventful youth, Ryukotsusei was sent to serve for a period of time in Matsutoro's army for the nation's king. It brought honor to the family, proved his loyalty to his country, and continued to teach him valuable techniques in managing his anger as well as piquing the young stud physically. Here he earned the nickname of "Fujing's Black Dragon", as his alternative form was a striking image in battle. After a few short years of service and small a small amount of battles won, Ryukotsusei was returned home.

By this time, Tatsu had been married to a bride from another province, and both were swept into preparations to ascend to the provincial leaders to allow their father a quick, easy retirement. Setsuna and Ryukotsusei were left to their own devices, and when events called for appearances the two youngest sons were rotated as ambassadors. The closer Tatsu's coronation drew, the more intensely Setsuna was needed for additional preparations specific to receiving the throne in case of emergency, and Ryukotsusei was left hopelessly bored and without a job. The only breaks to the monotonous, but comfortable, life he began to lead were the steady stream of events he attended in Fujing's honor. With a bride set up for Setsuna, it was time for his parents to finally start searching and showcasing their third son.

This is what brought him to Esnoaria's court. With no other eligible son to send to a suitors event, Ryujotsusei attended his first. It was a strange kingdom, one far louder than Fujing, but the company - albeit nosy - was decent and the accommodations comfortable. He watched as the daughter was paraded around the room, treated more like a showroom piece than a living, breathing woman. He felt for her but played the part expected of him.<.p>

And, he was selected as her intended.

They met a few times following so that their parents could make swift arrangements. Mostly he visited Esnoaria, but did have the chance to show his bride, Myrle, the beauty of Fujing. Much to his delight, she chose to host the ceremony in the misty mountains of Fujing, proceeded by a large affair in Esnoaria. It was welcomed, as the culture was far more... open in her home than his, and he quickly grew to realize how much he valued the privacy he had so easily acquired back home.

It seemed they were wed before even the stoic, meditative 3rd son could blink. Afterwards, they were to live in the kingdom of Esnoaria - much to his dismay. He did not dislike the locale, rather enjoyed the clear, starry nights and landscapes, but one always felt a twinge of fear when leaving home.

When the invasion came, Ryukotsusei, like many others, was rattled with shock. Where usually he would run into battle, defend his homeland, he no longer could act as if his life was simply his own. He had a wife now, and her protection and security was just as much his responsibility as it was hers. They escaped, rushing to Fujing for reinforcements and asylum, when fate seemed to sing a different song...

present.

ANGER IS BETTER THAN GRIEF

Like all other males in his family, Ryukotsusei can transform into a dragon. Its confirmation is of the lung variety, with a sleek, long body with the ability of flight despite the lack of wings. Once upon a story, in his homeland of Fujing, the size of the dragon one shifted to depended upon the age of the user, and at another time, Ryukotsusei was of a formidable size. Much to his chagrin, he will find his form stunted in these lands, no larger than his true form as an equine.

This draconic form serves no other purpose in its current status than altering his aesthetic, perhaps inflicting some sort of intimidation or fright, providing additional battle technique, and providing him the ability to hover at tree height. Due to the breed, he cannot breathe fire, is not impervious to flame, and is otherwise thinly scaled, which negates any advantages of hardened carapaces. Additionally, while in the dragon state, Ryukotsusei cannot speak. His vocal communications are limited to growling, roars, and other feral sounds.

Seeing as the transformation is almost a sacred one, passed generation through generation, it brings him great disdain and anger to be limited from its former glory, and it is not uncommon this is reflected while transformed.

VULNERABILITIES

In his draconic form Ryukotsusei's body is no more protected than if he were an equine, as his hide is sleek and mostly fur.

His temper is shorter in his draconic state, especially considering it is stunted from its former glory. He is quicker to lash out, if in a poor mood (this does not translate to 100% of the time)

Additionally due to the stunted version of his previous magic, Ryukotsusei finds himself drained more quickly than it would have been previously. After roughly an hour or two, Ryukotsusei is forced to revert back to his equine form and cannot return to his dragon state until the next sunrise.

While he can understand what others say, he cannot verbally communicate while in his dragon form

It takes 2 (one post to initiate the shift, then another to finish it) posts to transition, and during his transition, he is more vulnerable physically and can be seriously injured if attacked/injured in the process. Those that prove strong enough can even stop the shift from occurring and revert him back to his equine state. If this occurs, he still cannot revert back to the dragon form until the next sunrise.

The shifting process is not quiet and cannot be performed stealthily - it will rain black fur and scales when he transitions with an audible tell.

AM I HAPPY?

Profile Background by Jennifer Chen

Full credits can be found here