Entry tags:
Application; Tanagura
OOC INFO
_NAME: Trap
_PLURK:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
payoncave
_AGE: 20+
_CONCURRENT CHARACTERS: Lightning (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lightstrike)
IC INFO
_CHARACTER'S NAME: Hitoshura (Demi-Fiend in English versions), real name unknown. Whenever it's necessary, I'll be using Naoki Kashima, his name in the drama CD.
_CANON: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
_CANON POINT: Post-game, True Demon ending
_CHARACTER'S (ACTUAL) AGE: Last year of high school so 17-18. For specifics I'll stick with 18.
_CHARACTER'S (APPARENT) AGE: He looks his age, maybe a year or two younger.
_CHARACTER'S HAIR COLOR: Black.
_TANAGURA (elite) OR MIDAS (mongrel)?: Midas
_HOUSING PREFERENCE: Anywhere in Mistral Park.
_HISTORY: Here. Meanwhile, TV Tropes has its own, well-written summary for those who want a more detailed account of the game, or have trouble reading the SMT Wiki's white-on-black style (like yours truly).
_ABILITIES:
MAGATAMA
Naoki's first and main mode of attack is punching the ever-living hell out of enemies. At higher levels and the right stats, he has the potential to be a powerhouse by just introducing demons to his right hook. However, having been born without any superhuman abilities, he needs some outside help to gain more strength and some magic. This help comes in the form of a small parasite called Magatama. It's thanks to these Magatama that he has a horn at the back of his neck (where the Magatama resides while in his body) and those tattoos (and yes, the tatts do glow in the dark)-- and hell, just all his demonic powers.
Basics of a Magatama:
Pros:
Cons:
Naoki switches Magatama up by 'ingesting' them-- meaning he coughs one up and swallows another. ... No one ever said a half-demon's life is glamorous, but how else do you think he'd switch among them? Certainly not through his eye again-- those things aren't eyedrops.
Current skill set:
Skills that don't take up a slot:
Attack: The default attack. Normal punching, doesn't cost anything.
Talk: Attempt to negotiate with demon, doesn't cost anything.
Still confused? Don't worry, everyone gets confused with SMT moves at first. Here's a list of the terms and definitions, made by yours truly.
DEMONIC BODY
Basically, Lucifer wanted a weapon, so he got a walking, talking weapon in Naoki.
As a demon, Naoki is now more powerful and more durable than a human, and can survive something that would normally kill a human, like jumping off the 60th floor of a building-- of course, he'llbe reduced to 1 HP be heavily injured, but he'll still be alive. He's also become immune to illnesses that humans would get, though now he's now susceptible to ailments for demons (the former will be nerfed to an acceptable level for aphrodisiacs and such).
His senses are pretty damn sharp too. He can see a little better than a regular person (though he's still going to stagger around blindly in the dark), smell better, and is even capable of sensing power, magic, Magatsuhi, or something similar from the next room. Behind closed doors. And thick titanium-enforced walls. Basically he can sense things because he's more receptive to them now, and it helps a great deal if he's about to get into sudden boss battles and the like.
His tattoos meanwhile are not just for show-- just like his horn, they're a sign of his demonic power. How do you know if he's losing energy? Watch those tattoos closely. They usually glow green and are visible in the dark, but when he's suffering from an ailment (but not Magatama curses) or low health, they go red.
DEMON SUMMONING
An unusual case in SMT games, because he's a demon himself, and does not use a medium like a COMP, or a container to keep them all in and carry them around. It's all very nebulous, but it appears he has his own hammerspace for demons, so he can swap them out as he pleases. He cant drag around more than twelve demons at any given time, and can only have up to three in battle.
Negotiation also falls under this, because without any skill in dealings with demons, he wouldn't have any companions in the first place. Nor would he be able to persuade them into demon fusion, because it essentially means they give up themselves in order to be something else. Sure, they can be recorded in a Compendium and recalled at any time, but dying to become something new seems scary to anyone, so Naoki's learned how to persuade them to do it.
_PERSONALITY:I am so so sorry for the length
If you know video games like the back of your hand, then you may recognize the SMT franchise to be one that employs heroic mimes as the player character and requires the player to make choices for them, and Nocturne is no exception. So what the hell am I writing a personality section for?
Believe it or not, there is some kind of personality in Naoki. It's one that you'd never realize if you didn't keep your eyes open for every little detail. Even in conversation topics, there's always a consistent personality no matter what choice you make.
He was pretty much a normal kid before his life was turned upside down. His schoolmates greet him warmly and his teacher likes him enough to speak to him about personal matters, which implies that he has good social and academic standings. He used to love playing video games and had an interest in the occult-- in fact, he did geeky things such as wear a hoodie with pixel demon patterns on the sleeves (irony! or foreshadowing). He's also rather eloquent because he gives straight replies, and doesn't stutter in any of the conversation choices presented to the player. Though, you would think an avid gamer, occult fan and a decent student would be a little more genre savvy, but that's not how the stereotype goes all the time. A lot of people are naive even if they're downright geniuses and have other hobbies.
Naoki really is the silent type, preferring to watch what's going on while preparing to make his own move. This makes him very adaptable, and out of all his friends is the first in picking up a new skill and understand the changes around him because he acts, not reacts. And act he must, because he's incapable of staying still while the world keeps moving around him-- that never felt right to him. He cant stay idle when other people are doing things. One of his friends even makes mention of this, though believes it's a weakness instead of a strength. Of course, this silence also serves to show off his ability to imitate a doormat but we'll get to that later.
So. The silent type. He's managed to turn it into an advantage, because it makes him look stronger. Weak means dead amongst demons, even the non-Yosuga ones, and Naoki's silence helps a lot with that too, as he's not the type to show a lot of emotion or wear his heart on his sleeve, meaning he doesn't lose his cool or wimp out under pressure-- a big yes for a leader of demons. If the leader was a giant wuss or had a short fuse, they wouldn't be following him in the first place, and he's learned to make use of this trait pretty well, not to mention hone it over time.
The result? He has a pokerface that's hard to crack. Not to mention he's pretty unflappable, and has managed to stay calm most of the time. You spend a long time around literally power-hungry demons, and you'll grow a spine, or a pair of adamantium balls, or even both, just the way he did.
That doesn't mean he keeps this pokerface on 24/7 though. He can show emotions any other time when he feels like it, or when he feels it's necessary or appropriate-- like baring his teeth when he needs to threaten someone, or smile when he thinks he should. However, it'd take something really big in order to get him to really emote on a 6 ('wtf?') on a scale of 1 ('boooooring') to 10 ('HULK SMASH'), because nowadays he's mostly on a 3 ('oh, ok').
Of course, probably one of the reasons why he started out so good at dealing with demons was because he tended to just give stuff up when they're demanded and not think about whether or not he was being ripped off. He used to be a bit of a doormat in that people could walk all over him and he wouldn't even mind-- in fact, he started on his journey around the Vortex World all because of a simple statement made by a man he'd known for less than an hour. But this was not because he was dumb, but instead because he was so naive and trusting, and this amped up a notch when the only living humans left could be counted on one hand, not including Naoki himself.
These people left are Hijiri, Yuko, Chiaki, Isamu and Hikawa, and they're absolutely crazy as far he's concerned, and he wants nothing to do with them anymore because of the many ways they've screwed him over.
Hijiri started out as a reasonable man, making intelligent comments and reasonable requests that Naoki was all too happy to do-- after all, who wouldn't want information about this strange new place their world has turned into? But then he went crazy and admitted that he was attempting to create a new world for himself but got killed for his trouble. Hijiri is probably one of the only two he does not dislike because he actually helped Naoki as much as Naoki helped him, such as guiding Naoki through the Amala Network, and giving him important information about the Vortex World.
The other person Naoki doesn't dislike is Yuko, his old homeroom teacher, because she didn't try and bring him into some kind of crazy, cult-like thinking, not to mention there was still some respect for her that carried over from the old school days. Nowadays though, he also feels sorry for her for going through crap and getting screwed over at every turn. But she did leave him with one last lesson-- he could do change the world himself, without anyone pushing him, that he could take matters into his own hands. And what do you know? He took it to heart and totally did just that.
Because there are only two people he is fine with by the end, his friends obviously get the short end of the stick. He had an extremely close bond with both of them before the Conception, and would have started dating Chiaki if everything never literally went to hell. Would he have still done it if she were still alive? Absolutely not-- that ship sailed ever since she came up with her Reason. Her Reason of creating a world only for the strong sat well with a lot of demons, and but it involved killing the weak. He thinks it's absurd, especially when he now sees it as a world full of paranoia and constantly watching out for assassins. Not a practical way to live, in his opinion.
Isamu was that other friend. However, Isamu freely admitted to manipulating him for his Reason because of his doormat tendencies, and outright abandoned Naoki, effectively destroying their friendship. Naoki never liked his Reason from the beginning, because Isamu wanted a world where everyone lived independently, with full freedom to do whatever they wanted and without having to answer to anyone-- basically, a world where everyone was alone. Again, a big no for him, especially since it's just so hypocritical of Isamu to want a world like that when he did nothing but ask for Naoki's help to get it done.
And Hikawa? Fuck that guy. He's tried to kill Naoki a few times without even showing a hint of remorse, and is the man behind the Concepcion, even if Yuko's power was what brought it about. That's not something you forgive and forget so easily. Not to mention his Reason was a world of absolute inner peace, where there was no passion or individuality. Peace is a nice thing to strive for, if a little unrealistic, Naoki will agree to that, but a world where everyone had no personality? Just no.
Honestly, he's gotten better over time, and has already thrown away his doormat tendencies. When it comes to demons, Naoki knows the rules well-- each demon likes to be treated differently from the other guy and it's okay to be a jackass if it gets them on your side. Overall, he's become more discerning about whether or not he's being bullshitted and will definitely not take it lying down if he realizes that it's happening. Sometimes he'd even talk back with scathing words, or just outright deck the demon bothering him.
He'd gotten a little too good with dealing with demons though, and began changing the more he spent with them-- after all, if you keep interacting with demons, you start learning their ways and eventually you start to think and act like them. And then when that happens, where's the line between yourself and them? It's one of the reasons why it was easy to shed his humanity to become a true demon-- because there wasn't much human left in him when he got to that point. He did struggle with his changing mindset the same way he struggled with his new powers throughout his journey, but in the end he made his choice about his identity.
So what path did he choose if he rejected all of the Reasons presented to him? There were three choices left-- either return the world to the way it was, leave it as is, or join Lucifer as his godslaying ace-in-the-hole. The first option seemed like the best one to anyone else, so why did he choose Lucifer instead? It wasn't because he liked Lucifer, no-- he's leaning on ambivalent towards the guy because of how he manipulated him, but I digress. Because the deeper he went into the Labyrinth of Amala, the more he heard the truth, and decided he wouldn't stand for the endless cycle of death and rebirth of countless worlds in the multiverse-- not to mention he realized that the Conception would have happened again some day if he chose one of the other two paths. So really, Lucifer seemed like the lesser of two evils.
However, being a demon doesn't mean Naoki-- well, Hitoshura as he prefers to be called nowadays-- is feral, irrational or immoral. In fact, he's far from it, because he retains his quiet nature and levelheadedness.
Okay, sure, killing Kagutsuchi did have some disastrous consequences that are undoubtedly awful, but Shura is firmly of the belief that these consequences are preferable to the alternative, and he'll stand by to this decision to the end, because he's not the kind of person to waver in his choices, especially ones that are this big. He thought long and hard on it after all, so he wouldn't regret it.
Demons are not evil for the sake of being evil the way human culture portrays them to be. It just happens to look like that through human eyes because they're an entirely different life (or undead for some) form altogether. Hell, you'll even find some pretty noble, loyal, and downright nice demons hanging around in the Vortex World-- demons have a sense of community, and are very willing to help each other. Of course, for the right price because there's no such thing as altruism among demons, but when the going gets tough, Hitoshura knows he can rely on them more than he will ever rely on humans.
In fact, some demons believe that humans are the true monsters. Humans have free will, which lets them commit actions such as murder and theft just because they feel like it. Demons always have a reason for doing something, even killing each other, but for them, humans don't-- it's not surprising that some demons are scared of them. While Shura himself isn't scared, he's far more comfortable around non-human beings and is more likely to gravitate towards them because they're more familiar. To him, humans are… fine. Weird now that he's an outsider looking in, and he's wary because they're unpredictable, but fine as long as they don't act like the last few humans he knew.
Demons think of humans as scary because of free will, sure, but that's also what makes them unique and human. It's also one of the things that sets Shura apart from the other demons, because he retained this trait. He has choices, and always will have them. It's also one of the reasons why he went with Lucifer's plan-- God's Will or not, he couldn't just stand around while someone tried to destroy that. And exercised his free will by choosing not to let it pass him by because, again, it's not in his nature to let things pass him by if it affected him and/or the world around him directly, and if he could do something about it.
Another thing that makes him different is that he's constantly changing-- demons are immortal but set in their ways, while humans have short lives but will never stop learning until they die. As a demon who started out human, Hitoshura is both immortal (heavily implied to be anyway) and is still capable of learning from his experiences as time goes on.
He may come off as stiff, blunt, cold or downright rude at times though, because he still feels the need to keep up with his pokerface no matter what. He'll also difficulty remembering how it is to interact with humans, especially humans who aren't crazy. At least those kinds of humans he can either ignore or punch out. After all, conversation with demons is so different from conversation with humans, so that can give way to all sorts of problems and misunderstandings. But that doesn't mean he's forgotten the meaning of fun-- on the contrary, he's learned to have fun when he can, and he prefers subtlety and sarcasm when bringing out his lighter side, instead of being loud, bubbly or obnoxious as expected of a teenaged boy. Oh, he can be loud and laugh like anyone else, but he only does it around people he can trust.
Due to being a former student of Yuko, and having to actually exercise her lessons around the Vortex World, he's also become proficient in logical thinking-- something a few other demons (and some humans too) don't excel in. He's not going to spout all of the capitals of the world because he's not a genius with perfect recall, but he's not dumb either, and is capable of solving needlessly complicated puzzles and mazes when the situation calls for it.
In the end, Hitoshura is irrevocably changed from the naive young man he was before. In a lot of ways, he much tougher than before, as mentioned already, but at the same time, he's also a little softer as well. He was still a kid when going through the Vortex World, with heavy burdens on his shoulders, and part-demon or not, that's still enough to warp anyone. He's far more mature, and more discerning of people because he's become guarded. But it's not so much that he'll turn away anyone who comes to him directly for help-- he just wont take things at face value anymore, and instead weigh their words and seek out the truth for himself if he thinks he's being lied to.
_ITEMS: All his Magatama, his clothes (… not that there's a lot of 'em), and the other stuff in his hammerspace (gemstones, healing/cure items, special items, etc.), but not his demons because they're all overpowered endgame assholes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY CHARACTER IS THE FOLLOWING:
_SENTIENT: Yes.
_MENTALLY ADULT: Yes.
_CAPABLE OF CONSENT: Yes.
_CAPABLE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL: Yes.
_NAME: Trap
_PLURK:
_AGE: 20+
_CONCURRENT CHARACTERS: Lightning (
lightstrike)IC INFO
_CHARACTER'S NAME: Hitoshura (Demi-Fiend in English versions), real name unknown. Whenever it's necessary, I'll be using Naoki Kashima, his name in the drama CD.
_CANON: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
_CANON POINT: Post-game, True Demon ending
_CHARACTER'S (ACTUAL) AGE: Last year of high school so 17-18. For specifics I'll stick with 18.
_CHARACTER'S (APPARENT) AGE: He looks his age, maybe a year or two younger.
_CHARACTER'S HAIR COLOR: Black.
_TANAGURA (elite) OR MIDAS (mongrel)?: Midas
_HOUSING PREFERENCE: Anywhere in Mistral Park.
_HISTORY: Here. Meanwhile, TV Tropes has its own, well-written summary for those who want a more detailed account of the game, or have trouble reading the SMT Wiki's white-on-black style (like yours truly).
_ABILITIES:
MAGATAMA
Naoki's first and main mode of attack is punching the ever-living hell out of enemies. At higher levels and the right stats, he has the potential to be a powerhouse by just introducing demons to his right hook. However, having been born without any superhuman abilities, he needs some outside help to gain more strength and some magic. This help comes in the form of a small parasite called Magatama. It's thanks to these Magatama that he has a horn at the back of his neck (where the Magatama resides while in his body) and those tattoos (and yes, the tatts do glow in the dark)-- and hell, just all his demonic powers.
Basics of a Magatama:
Pros:
✔ Demonic power source.
✔ Gives new skills at certain levels.
✔ Gives temporary stat bonuses while ingested.
✔ Occasionally gives one permanent stat increase.
✔ Occasionally heals Naoki or entire party.
✔ Specializes in one element or skill set.
✔ Resists, repels or completely voids at least one element while ingested.
✔ Can mix and match skills from different Magatama to make a powerful skill set.
Cons:
✗ Limited number of available skills.
✗ Gives an elemental weakness while ingested (except for Marogareh and Masakados).
✗ Occasionally gives a curse (not related to the status ailments) that can render Naoki temporarily incapable of fighting or changing Magatama, or even occasionally fighting his own team, and interferes in demon fusion until he's been cleansed (in-game, until it wears off after a certain amount of time).
✗ Occasionally inflicts an actual status ailment.
✗ Can never go without one.
✗ Cant ingest two Magatama at once.
✗ Only 8 skills at a time.
✗ Skills only learned at specific levels.
Naoki switches Magatama up by 'ingesting' them-- meaning he coughs one up and swallows another. ... No one ever said a half-demon's life is glamorous, but how else do you think he'd switch among them? Certainly not through his eye again-- those things aren't eyedrops.
Current skill set:
Focus: Allows the next physical attack used to deal more than double the usual damage. Only for the user. Costs MP to use.
Deadly Fury: Deals heavy physical damage to all enemies. Has high crit rate and high accuracy. Costs HP to use.
Freikugel: Deals mega almighty-based physical damage to one enemy. Has high accuracy but slightly lower crit rate. Costs HP to use.
Endure: Saves user from a killing blow and leaves them with 1 HP. Passive skill and will only work once per battle.
Pierce: Allows physical skills (yes, even Freikugel) to ignore enemy resistances and protective barriers except for repel. Passive skill.
Diarahan: Restores full HP to self or one ally. Costs MP to use.
Gaea Rage: Deals mega physical damage to all enemies. Has a decent crit rate. Costs HP to use.
Bolt Storm: Deals heavy electric damage to random enemies with chance to hit multiple times. Has a chance to inflict shock. Costs MP to use.
Skills that don't take up a slot:
Attack: The default attack. Normal punching, doesn't cost anything.
Talk: Attempt to negotiate with demon, doesn't cost anything.
Still confused? Don't worry, everyone gets confused with SMT moves at first. Here's a list of the terms and definitions, made by yours truly.
DEMONIC BODY
Basically, Lucifer wanted a weapon, so he got a walking, talking weapon in Naoki.
As a demon, Naoki is now more powerful and more durable than a human, and can survive something that would normally kill a human, like jumping off the 60th floor of a building-- of course, he'll
His senses are pretty damn sharp too. He can see a little better than a regular person (though he's still going to stagger around blindly in the dark), smell better, and is even capable of sensing power, magic, Magatsuhi, or something similar from the next room. Behind closed doors. And thick titanium-enforced walls. Basically he can sense things because he's more receptive to them now, and it helps a great deal if he's about to get into sudden boss battles and the like.
His tattoos meanwhile are not just for show-- just like his horn, they're a sign of his demonic power. How do you know if he's losing energy? Watch those tattoos closely. They usually glow green and are visible in the dark, but when he's suffering from an ailment (but not Magatama curses) or low health, they go red.
DEMON SUMMONING
An unusual case in SMT games, because he's a demon himself, and does not use a medium like a COMP, or a container to keep them all in and carry them around. It's all very nebulous, but it appears he has his own hammerspace for demons, so he can swap them out as he pleases. He cant drag around more than twelve demons at any given time, and can only have up to three in battle.
Negotiation also falls under this, because without any skill in dealings with demons, he wouldn't have any companions in the first place. Nor would he be able to persuade them into demon fusion, because it essentially means they give up themselves in order to be something else. Sure, they can be recorded in a Compendium and recalled at any time, but dying to become something new seems scary to anyone, so Naoki's learned how to persuade them to do it.
_PERSONALITY:
If you know video games like the back of your hand, then you may recognize the SMT franchise to be one that employs heroic mimes as the player character and requires the player to make choices for them, and Nocturne is no exception. So what the hell am I writing a personality section for?
Believe it or not, there is some kind of personality in Naoki. It's one that you'd never realize if you didn't keep your eyes open for every little detail. Even in conversation topics, there's always a consistent personality no matter what choice you make.
He was pretty much a normal kid before his life was turned upside down. His schoolmates greet him warmly and his teacher likes him enough to speak to him about personal matters, which implies that he has good social and academic standings. He used to love playing video games and had an interest in the occult-- in fact, he did geeky things such as wear a hoodie with pixel demon patterns on the sleeves (irony! or foreshadowing). He's also rather eloquent because he gives straight replies, and doesn't stutter in any of the conversation choices presented to the player. Though, you would think an avid gamer, occult fan and a decent student would be a little more genre savvy, but that's not how the stereotype goes all the time. A lot of people are naive even if they're downright geniuses and have other hobbies.
Naoki really is the silent type, preferring to watch what's going on while preparing to make his own move. This makes him very adaptable, and out of all his friends is the first in picking up a new skill and understand the changes around him because he acts, not reacts. And act he must, because he's incapable of staying still while the world keeps moving around him-- that never felt right to him. He cant stay idle when other people are doing things. One of his friends even makes mention of this, though believes it's a weakness instead of a strength. Of course, this silence also serves to show off his ability to imitate a doormat but we'll get to that later.
So. The silent type. He's managed to turn it into an advantage, because it makes him look stronger. Weak means dead amongst demons, even the non-Yosuga ones, and Naoki's silence helps a lot with that too, as he's not the type to show a lot of emotion or wear his heart on his sleeve, meaning he doesn't lose his cool or wimp out under pressure-- a big yes for a leader of demons. If the leader was a giant wuss or had a short fuse, they wouldn't be following him in the first place, and he's learned to make use of this trait pretty well, not to mention hone it over time.
The result? He has a pokerface that's hard to crack. Not to mention he's pretty unflappable, and has managed to stay calm most of the time. You spend a long time around literally power-hungry demons, and you'll grow a spine, or a pair of adamantium balls, or even both, just the way he did.
That doesn't mean he keeps this pokerface on 24/7 though. He can show emotions any other time when he feels like it, or when he feels it's necessary or appropriate-- like baring his teeth when he needs to threaten someone, or smile when he thinks he should. However, it'd take something really big in order to get him to really emote on a 6 ('wtf?') on a scale of 1 ('boooooring') to 10 ('HULK SMASH'), because nowadays he's mostly on a 3 ('oh, ok').
Of course, probably one of the reasons why he started out so good at dealing with demons was because he tended to just give stuff up when they're demanded and not think about whether or not he was being ripped off. He used to be a bit of a doormat in that people could walk all over him and he wouldn't even mind-- in fact, he started on his journey around the Vortex World all because of a simple statement made by a man he'd known for less than an hour. But this was not because he was dumb, but instead because he was so naive and trusting, and this amped up a notch when the only living humans left could be counted on one hand, not including Naoki himself.
These people left are Hijiri, Yuko, Chiaki, Isamu and Hikawa, and they're absolutely crazy as far he's concerned, and he wants nothing to do with them anymore because of the many ways they've screwed him over.
Hijiri started out as a reasonable man, making intelligent comments and reasonable requests that Naoki was all too happy to do-- after all, who wouldn't want information about this strange new place their world has turned into? But then he went crazy and admitted that he was attempting to create a new world for himself but got killed for his trouble. Hijiri is probably one of the only two he does not dislike because he actually helped Naoki as much as Naoki helped him, such as guiding Naoki through the Amala Network, and giving him important information about the Vortex World.
The other person Naoki doesn't dislike is Yuko, his old homeroom teacher, because she didn't try and bring him into some kind of crazy, cult-like thinking, not to mention there was still some respect for her that carried over from the old school days. Nowadays though, he also feels sorry for her for going through crap and getting screwed over at every turn. But she did leave him with one last lesson-- he could do change the world himself, without anyone pushing him, that he could take matters into his own hands. And what do you know? He took it to heart and totally did just that.
Because there are only two people he is fine with by the end, his friends obviously get the short end of the stick. He had an extremely close bond with both of them before the Conception, and would have started dating Chiaki if everything never literally went to hell. Would he have still done it if she were still alive? Absolutely not-- that ship sailed ever since she came up with her Reason. Her Reason of creating a world only for the strong sat well with a lot of demons, and but it involved killing the weak. He thinks it's absurd, especially when he now sees it as a world full of paranoia and constantly watching out for assassins. Not a practical way to live, in his opinion.
Isamu was that other friend. However, Isamu freely admitted to manipulating him for his Reason because of his doormat tendencies, and outright abandoned Naoki, effectively destroying their friendship. Naoki never liked his Reason from the beginning, because Isamu wanted a world where everyone lived independently, with full freedom to do whatever they wanted and without having to answer to anyone-- basically, a world where everyone was alone. Again, a big no for him, especially since it's just so hypocritical of Isamu to want a world like that when he did nothing but ask for Naoki's help to get it done.
And Hikawa? Fuck that guy. He's tried to kill Naoki a few times without even showing a hint of remorse, and is the man behind the Concepcion, even if Yuko's power was what brought it about. That's not something you forgive and forget so easily. Not to mention his Reason was a world of absolute inner peace, where there was no passion or individuality. Peace is a nice thing to strive for, if a little unrealistic, Naoki will agree to that, but a world where everyone had no personality? Just no.
Honestly, he's gotten better over time, and has already thrown away his doormat tendencies. When it comes to demons, Naoki knows the rules well-- each demon likes to be treated differently from the other guy and it's okay to be a jackass if it gets them on your side. Overall, he's become more discerning about whether or not he's being bullshitted and will definitely not take it lying down if he realizes that it's happening. Sometimes he'd even talk back with scathing words, or just outright deck the demon bothering him.
He'd gotten a little too good with dealing with demons though, and began changing the more he spent with them-- after all, if you keep interacting with demons, you start learning their ways and eventually you start to think and act like them. And then when that happens, where's the line between yourself and them? It's one of the reasons why it was easy to shed his humanity to become a true demon-- because there wasn't much human left in him when he got to that point. He did struggle with his changing mindset the same way he struggled with his new powers throughout his journey, but in the end he made his choice about his identity.
So what path did he choose if he rejected all of the Reasons presented to him? There were three choices left-- either return the world to the way it was, leave it as is, or join Lucifer as his godslaying ace-in-the-hole. The first option seemed like the best one to anyone else, so why did he choose Lucifer instead? It wasn't because he liked Lucifer, no-- he's leaning on ambivalent towards the guy because of how he manipulated him, but I digress. Because the deeper he went into the Labyrinth of Amala, the more he heard the truth, and decided he wouldn't stand for the endless cycle of death and rebirth of countless worlds in the multiverse-- not to mention he realized that the Conception would have happened again some day if he chose one of the other two paths. So really, Lucifer seemed like the lesser of two evils.
However, being a demon doesn't mean Naoki-- well, Hitoshura as he prefers to be called nowadays-- is feral, irrational or immoral. In fact, he's far from it, because he retains his quiet nature and levelheadedness.
Okay, sure, killing Kagutsuchi did have some disastrous consequences that are undoubtedly awful, but Shura is firmly of the belief that these consequences are preferable to the alternative, and he'll stand by to this decision to the end, because he's not the kind of person to waver in his choices, especially ones that are this big. He thought long and hard on it after all, so he wouldn't regret it.
Demons are not evil for the sake of being evil the way human culture portrays them to be. It just happens to look like that through human eyes because they're an entirely different life (or undead for some) form altogether. Hell, you'll even find some pretty noble, loyal, and downright nice demons hanging around in the Vortex World-- demons have a sense of community, and are very willing to help each other. Of course, for the right price because there's no such thing as altruism among demons, but when the going gets tough, Hitoshura knows he can rely on them more than he will ever rely on humans.
In fact, some demons believe that humans are the true monsters. Humans have free will, which lets them commit actions such as murder and theft just because they feel like it. Demons always have a reason for doing something, even killing each other, but for them, humans don't-- it's not surprising that some demons are scared of them. While Shura himself isn't scared, he's far more comfortable around non-human beings and is more likely to gravitate towards them because they're more familiar. To him, humans are… fine. Weird now that he's an outsider looking in, and he's wary because they're unpredictable, but fine as long as they don't act like the last few humans he knew.
Demons think of humans as scary because of free will, sure, but that's also what makes them unique and human. It's also one of the things that sets Shura apart from the other demons, because he retained this trait. He has choices, and always will have them. It's also one of the reasons why he went with Lucifer's plan-- God's Will or not, he couldn't just stand around while someone tried to destroy that. And exercised his free will by choosing not to let it pass him by because, again, it's not in his nature to let things pass him by if it affected him and/or the world around him directly, and if he could do something about it.
Another thing that makes him different is that he's constantly changing-- demons are immortal but set in their ways, while humans have short lives but will never stop learning until they die. As a demon who started out human, Hitoshura is both immortal (heavily implied to be anyway) and is still capable of learning from his experiences as time goes on.
He may come off as stiff, blunt, cold or downright rude at times though, because he still feels the need to keep up with his pokerface no matter what. He'll also difficulty remembering how it is to interact with humans, especially humans who aren't crazy. At least those kinds of humans he can either ignore or punch out. After all, conversation with demons is so different from conversation with humans, so that can give way to all sorts of problems and misunderstandings. But that doesn't mean he's forgotten the meaning of fun-- on the contrary, he's learned to have fun when he can, and he prefers subtlety and sarcasm when bringing out his lighter side, instead of being loud, bubbly or obnoxious as expected of a teenaged boy. Oh, he can be loud and laugh like anyone else, but he only does it around people he can trust.
Due to being a former student of Yuko, and having to actually exercise her lessons around the Vortex World, he's also become proficient in logical thinking-- something a few other demons (and some humans too) don't excel in. He's not going to spout all of the capitals of the world because he's not a genius with perfect recall, but he's not dumb either, and is capable of solving needlessly complicated puzzles and mazes when the situation calls for it.
In the end, Hitoshura is irrevocably changed from the naive young man he was before. In a lot of ways, he much tougher than before, as mentioned already, but at the same time, he's also a little softer as well. He was still a kid when going through the Vortex World, with heavy burdens on his shoulders, and part-demon or not, that's still enough to warp anyone. He's far more mature, and more discerning of people because he's become guarded. But it's not so much that he'll turn away anyone who comes to him directly for help-- he just wont take things at face value anymore, and instead weigh their words and seek out the truth for himself if he thinks he's being lied to.
_ITEMS: All his Magatama, his clothes (… not that there's a lot of 'em), and the other stuff in his hammerspace (gemstones, healing/cure items, special items, etc.), but not his demons because they're all overpowered endgame assholes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY CHARACTER IS THE FOLLOWING:
_SENTIENT: Yes.
_MENTALLY ADULT: Yes.
_CAPABLE OF CONSENT: Yes.
_CAPABLE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL: Yes.