(no subject)

〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Greer
AGE: 22
JOURNAL: zhopa
IM / EMAIL: greerhopper
PLURK: zhopa
RETURNING: 1 (gon freecs)

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Baroona
CHARACTER AGE: 20
SERIES: Vagrant Soldier Ares
CHRONOLOGY: Chapter 82
CLASS: Freelancer. Hero, if he needs a classification. He leans towards good but overall doesn't care for either title.
HOUSING: With Mikael, if possible.

BACKGROUND: Ares is set in a world of anachronisms. Though largely set in a mash-up of Ancient Rome/European Medieval times, small modern inventions like stoves, cigarettes and converses break through. This is most commonly seen in the characters' dress and the foods they eat, all of which are modern and make no logical sense in the context of the mashed-up periods.

The majority of Ares takes place in the country of Chronos with brief forays into the surrounding kingdoms (for reference) of Isiris, Silonica and the Radink Alliance (a collection of smaller countries, one of the largest being Daraak). At the time of the story's start in 237, Chronos has enjoyed 10 years without war, a landmark for the country. While it's stated that Chronos and its surrounding territories have been plagued with violent feuds for most of their history, the main war mentioned with Chronos is a recent conflict with Daraak and a brief inference of war with Isiris long ago. All of the countries are ruled by kings and largely follow the standard governmental standard set by monarchy.

The main characters of Ares all work for a mercenary troupe called the Temple Mercenaries which is one of the most famous mercenary troupes in Chronos. Their "rival" (used loosely, even in canon, really) are the Marlen Mercenaries, who are also based in Chronos.

As the setting suggests, the world of Ares is one that is heavily based in conflict. Almost all the characters introduced have experienced violence in one way, shape or form and it is crucial to understanding the mentalities of the characters. The series itself has no supernatural presences and all battle is grounded in reality. Most of the battles that take place throughout the series steal or mimic famous war strategies, further stressing the importance of a more realistic portrayal of war.

Before arriving in the country of Chronos, Baroona was enslaved by the country of Daraak. He was a gladiator in the Daraakian coliseum for most of his youth and survived based on the skills his mentor, Marino, taught him. At unspecified points in time he became the champion of the coliseum, was forced to kill Marino in the arena, and escaped from both the coliseum and Daraak, finding his way to another country called Chronos and enlisting in the Temple Mercenaries.

His first mission with the mercenaries was to defend the village of Jagsen from bandits. During the mission, he bonded with his fellow mercenaries Ares, Mikael and Gohu. Together, they proved themselves to be up-and-comers within the Temple ranks.

For their next mission, they're hired by one of the generals of Chronos, Icarus, to fight with the Chronosian army against the island of Minos. They invade. Mikael brutally defeats one of the Minoans best warriors, garnering Icarus' attention. The army pushes forward, attacking the capital city with the intention of capturing the king. Baroona, Mikael and Gohu catch sight of the king fleeing with his elite guards and follow. As a result, Mikael and Baroona end up stuck within a tunnel with the guards, with the king nowhere to be found. Gohu leaves to get them reinforcements and in the span of his absence, Mikael confronts and kills the head of the guard, the swordsmaster Bellisk, while Baroona deals with the remaining 39. Gohu manages to find the king and gets rewarded while Baroona and Mikael fall into Icarus' favor for their display of skill.

Thanks to their performance in Minos, Baroona and Mikael get rehired by Icarus, this time bringing Ares and Gohu along with them. It's a simple escort mission to guard Icarus while he travels and attempts to keep peace with the neighboring kingdom of Daraak. As they travel, tensions rise in Chronos as the king is deposed leading into a coup by the two remaining generals.

Icarus reaches his destination safely but the peacekeeping fails. The Daraakians declare war. During the meeting, Ares also snaps when he sees someone who looks identical to the man who killed his master, the legendary swordsman, Kiron. He attempts to kill the look-alike but is stopped by both Baroona and Mikael who later on ask about the event. Ares explains that he is Kiron's apprentice and wants to seek revenge on the Red-Eyed Swordsman, the man who killed him. Baroona and Mikael agree to help him. Afterwards, the group is attacked by Icarus' other guards who are acting on orders from the rival generals. Ares kills them and the group rides off to stop what is starting to become a civil war.

Icarus' plot is pretty simple and within two battles he defeats the other generals and stops the war. The people appoint him the new king of Chronos and then they're launched into another war with the Daraakians. Baroona encounters the current champion of the Daraakian coliseum, Ouranos, and kills him after nearly dying himself. Mikael and Ares encounter the actual Red-Eyed Swordsman and fight him, only to end up losing in a humiliating defeat. The war ends in Chronos' favor and everyone goes back home.

After a period of Ares and Mikael moping and being mad, Mikael announces that he's leaving the mercenaries. Gohu, Ares and Baroona have a farewell celebration before he goes, with each of them giving him a gift.

PERSONALITY: Baroona isn't spectacularly smart but he is perceptive. He knows how to see through shields and mannerisms people invoke to hide answers and problems. He knows how to break them and how to aid them, quiet but gifted in saying the right things at the right time. Having been controlled, he knows how to do it-a skill most clearly seen when he eggs the Red-Eyed Swordsman into fighting him by correctly pinpointing his insecurities to irritate him. Likewise, he knows how to comfort. It's a skill he uses repeatedly on Ares and, again, is most clearly seen in the fight with the Red-Eyed Swordsman.

Out of anyone, Baroona's relationship with Ares is crucial to understanding his character. While at the beginning of the story they don't seem that close, as the manwha progresses and they start losing more and more of the people they knew, Ares and Baroona's bond becomes tighter. It's mostly out of desperation-neither one of them wants to be alone, with both of them saying so at different points. In that way, their friendship is symbiotic though it doesn't seem that way at first.

At first, it seems somewhat lopsided mostly due to their roles in the story. Ares, the protagonist, goes through the most emotional trauma and needs healing. Baroona, the support character, does just that, avidly protecting him and watching over him, going so far to create a disguise and follow Ares on his journey in the last volume. In fact, most of the second half of the series is Baroona staying close to Ares and supporting him in various ways. Not that it matters which way he does it–Baroona's presence alone is a stabilizing factor in Ares' life. And that's how Ares supports Baroona, as well. They both ground each other and that balance is what makes them so important to each other. It's what balances it out because just like Ares needs a stable presence in his life, Baroona needs someone he knows will stay around.

It's a need that makes sense when you think about Baroona's background and what he's been through. Not only is there the revolving door of people in the coliseum, but also the amount of people he's met while on the run and even in Temple mercenaries that have left his life in one way or another. Coupled with the loss of a significant number of his closest friends, it's easy to see why Baroona would want a friend he could depend on to simply stay alive.

Baroona has an odd relationship with death in that he accepts it but fights at the same time. To put it simpler: If it comes to him, he'll accept it but if it's something he can prevent, he'll fight it. While he doesn't actively go searching it out, he does realize that his line of work will eventually lead to it. There are a couple moments in the manwha that show this: three points in which he realizes he's on the brink of death. Two of the three times are when he's fighting an opponent that has either worn him down or outmatches him in terms of skill. In those two instances he remains calm and resigned. The only one he fights is the third point when he's facing an opponent he knows he can win against.

Unsurprisingly, his views on death shift when his friends are involved. Even when fighting for his own life, he remains calm; when his friends are in danger, he becomes more emotional, becoming knowingly reckless in an attempt to save them. Whether it's distracting the deadliest man alive or charging into a crowd of elite soldiers, Baroona tends to lose the cool he usually maintains when his friends are in danger.

Again, this brings up his distaste for those he's close with dying. While it doesn't seem strong enough to be a fear, Baroona states himself that he doesn't want to be left alone which directly contrasts how he acts at the beginning of the manga–personable but still distant. With that in mind, it can only be assumed that the prolonged friendships he formed (and lost) changed his views and made him value company and the loss of it more than he previously did.

Socially, Baroona isn't exactly a standout. He's quiet, subdued, and usually tends to keep to himself unless approached. In conversations, he prefers to listen and learn about the person talking rather than mention things about himself. He'll ask questions, make comments–but they'll all be focused around the other person. It's a rare occasion that Baroona talks about himself or his own life experiences. Usually he only does it when asked and asked seriously.

While there's no canon explanation for why he acts this way, the way he answers questions about himself shows that he probably doesn't see it worth mentioning. He's never shown to be ashamed of anything he's done, either in past or present so it's unlikely that his silence is based on a feeling of regret. Instead, it's probably more because he separates the past from the present and is much more oriented in living and dealing with the present. He doesn't bring up the past because he doesn't see past actions mattering more than current ones.

Reserved as he is, Baroona is more playful than cold. Once you get past his quietness, it's pretty easy to see. He's a trickster, albeit a subtle one. Oftentimes he'll exaggerate dumbness and sincerity, tricking people into trusting him using the air of seriousness associated with his usual demeanor. Canonly, he states that he's a liar and that's seen both in conversation and in battle.

Baroona isn't a noble fighter. He's underhanded and dirty, using any means necessary to win. He doesn't believe in honor but rather survival and will do whatever he can to continue living. In a fight, he lies, cheats, goes for the low blows and ropes in other people to help him. Nothing is above him; surviving is his winning.

Not to say that he doesn't have his own sense of pride. It's just less along the lines of a noble "warrior" and more in tune with being proud of what he can accomplish. He knows he can easily kill a man and takes pride in that. He was forced to fight as a gladiator and he became the champion–he's proud of that too, never once showing shame in his tattoos or attempting to hide them. They are a symbol of what he's single-handedly pulled himself from and he's proud of that.

Unsurprisingly, a large sense of pride is easily wounded and Baroona is no exception. Despite his own perceptiveness, he still doesn't have the control to see when people are using his own tricks against him. If someone looks down on him, he gets riled up. If someone shows that they're better than him, his temper flares. While he can still keep it under control, sometimes his hold slips. A good example of this is when he fights Ouranos, another gladiator, in the manwha. As the ex-champion, his pride is already on the line to hold the title he takes pride in. As such, he loses his reasoning and accepts the Ouranos' challenge despite knowing how reckless it is and almost dies as a result.

Overall, Baroona's pride gets the better of him. Not so much that it's all-consuming, but enough that it can interrupt his usual calm demeanor. Yet even when he's irritated by someone's bait he never becomes bloodthirsty. A likely side effect of being a gladiator, Baroona knows the value of life having (presumably) taken so many. As such, he is the only actively fighting character in Ares that is shown to hesitate when killing and the only one shown willing to spare lives.

This distaste towards killing directly contrasts his own love of fighting, which is shown when he fights in low-tension battles (ones that he knows won't end in death) and while waiting to fight. In low-tension fights, he's seen grinning and sometimes goes so far as to almost play with his opponent. That attitude changes later on when the battlefield stretches to not just one war, but four. While the situation in general demands more seriousness, so does his new role. As the story shifts around, Baroona's role transforms into one of a protector where he's forced to kill in order to keep himself and others alive. While still not okay with it, Baroona knows that it's a mandatory thing that needs to happen and is willing to perform it in order to, again, keep surviving.

Probably the largest issue for Baroona stems from his time as a gladiator. While the specifics of his time aren't thoroughly brought up, one fact is: He had a "master" (probably more like a mentor) who taught him everything he knows and, by some circumstances, killed him in the coliseum. It's a fact that he never brings up and is only mentioned by Ouranos during their aforementioned fight. He freezes up when the subject is brought up and completely snaps when Ouranos pushes that his master's death was his fault–something he firmly rejects.

The problem is, due to setting of the fight and the nature of the setting, it is very likely that Baroona killed his master of his own will. While the choices presented to him would have been limited, there would have been different methods, suggesting that Baroona's insistence of having no choice could be a misinterpretation of the options available or, in part, denial of his own role in the death. I play it as both, with a heavy leaning on a deep-rooted and completely convincing denial that he did not kill his mentor.

The stretch of his denial isn't fully explored in canon beyond the Ouranos instance, but it does highlight how Baroona, in general, copes with things. Avoidance is the best answer–as seen in how he never brings up his mentor again, even going so far as to lie when asked about it. While this coping method can be a good technique, the extent to which Baroona uses it borderlines unhealthy in that he pushes things behind him so fast that he has no proper time to confront them.

POWER:
SLINKY TRANSFORMATION Non-canon. A power that kicks in randomly, changing whatever Baroona is touching into a slinky. Cereal, lamps, cars-it doesn't matter what it is, it'll turn into a slinky. The only exception to the rule will be while he's touching people. In that case the person will remain human while their clothes turn into a slinky wrapped around them. Objects can be changed back when touched again.

ENHANCED SKILLS Non-canon. A power that grants enhanced strength, speed, endurance, etc. On the power-spectrum, he'd be at the level of an average superhero.

SOOTHING WHISTLE Non-canon. Through whistling, Baroona will be able to placate other people. Whether this means calming someone down from a fit of anger or lulling someone to sleep is dependent on the situation. The effect stops when he stops whistling.

〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
musebox thread here!

LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:

The suit wrapped around him like a constrictor, hugging his every curve and line. The tie-tied by a roommate and not himself-scratched at his throat. He pulled at it impatiently, loosening it to point that it might as well be undone. His roommate fixed him with short glares whenever possible.

Why would anyone choose to wear this? The question cropped up more than once as he stared into the mirror. Sure, the clothes cut a figure, made him handsome. He'd attract attention, if only some. Autographs, excitement. The limelight. Once he had enjoyed it.

A finger curls into the central knot of the tie and wiggles the rest free, undoing his roommate's hard work only to attempt to retry it per the directions given. Over, under, around and up-a simple pattern turned complex by unfamiliarity. He tugs down and a knot forms but the tie ends are crooked. A mistake was made. Figures. Sighing, he starts again-over, under, around and up-and gets the same result.

He wasn't meant to be here. The world, like the suit, is uncomfortable. Too tight and trimmed to himself and his possibilities. Everything in the world feels tailored. Accommodating. Snip and tucked to his needs and wants. A new house, sure. A local job, why not? Even the market-transformed into a sick, "super" version of itself-was inundated with choices that ensured he'd never be without.

It was odd. It was wrong.

This was a life meant for someone else or, better yet his past self. Back when he bathed in the glory that came with fame and public attention. He had grown out of it, become something better than the shell the arena had made him. At least, that's what he had hoped. Yet staring in the mirror, the suit felt like nothing better than a suit of armor, hollowed and lifeless. Years ago, this is the luxury he would have hoped for. The life he would have killed for, equipped with a warm bed, plentiful food and public admiration. Now, it simply felt stolen. Someone else's birthright dropped into his lap.

The tie hangs loose, abandoned. The knot was too complicated to figure out, a parallel, perhaps, to the world he was in. Something too alien to consume. Shaking his head, he slides it off, lets gravity escort it to the floor. He looks better now. Less tidy. Less like someone else's image of what he should be. Who he should be. His roommate passes by and shows disapproval; Baroona takes it as the opposite. A step in the right direction.

He's different from the gladiator who pleased to survive. Different from the vagabond who catered to live. Now, he's something else. Something his own. Free from the tailored, fussed-about life.

The clothes don't suit him. He unbuttons the shirt, takes off the pants and folds them neatly on the bed. His door is slightly ajar and his roommate takes full advantage, watching skeptically as he changes into his standard fare of baggy clothing. A sweatshirt, some jeans, ripped along the hem. Shoves on boots one size too big and smooths himself out in the mirror.

"You're going to the swear-in like that?" His roommate asks incredulously.

With a faint smile, Baroona regards himself in the mirror. Things already feel lighter.

"Yeah, I am."
FINAL NOTES: