Character solidifying! 3, 6, 7, 22, aaand 43
3. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?
She has one sibling: An older step-brother, Akira! She’ll be the first to tell you she absolutely loves her big brother; he’s done so much for her, taking care of her and keeping her safe after the loss of their parents, that to Aoi, the term ‘Step-sibling’ doesn’t apply. He’s her brother, regardless of blood, and that’s never going to change, no matter what anyone says or what happens. She’s going to fight for and protect him just as much as he has her.
On the flip side, she won’t tell you she hates how much he works. Aoi understands his job at SOL is 100% nescesary and she loves he’s doing big things there, and that he’s doing it for her and their family on top of the network itself, especially post-canon. But in the process of trying to take care of her and keep them fed and sheltered, he had less time to spend with her - And Aoi slowly grew to hate that. She didn’t want him to think of her as a child he had t protect so fiercely anymore - She wanted his approval, to see she’d grown up an could stand on her own two feet! She wanted his attention for more than a few minutes a day!
But that’s where the catch lies: She understands. Doesn’t mean she likes it, but it’s an evil she has to deal with until she gets her own job there/post-canon.
6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?
Lots of rejection, unfortunately. Aoi was always the ‘odd duck out’ of sorts, no matter what she tried, and it frequently led to her being shunned and ignored. She was the new kid, the quiet one, why didn’t she talk much, why was she so shy, where did she come from... They were answers she couldn’t really give as a child, and thanks to this, she was largely rejected by her peers. She got a lot of affection from Akira, but even that came mixed with tinges of rejection; the more he worked to put and then keep a roof over their head and food on the table, the less time they had to spend together, and while she’s never once doubted her brother and his love, she couldn’t help but feel left out and hurt, too.
Even Miyu ended up being a source of rejection, though not by Miyu herself. Affection was a solid at that point, but once she was forcibly pulled from her life... Aoi’s only just now beginning to feel the real affection and acception she’s always craved at 16, though she’s had moments of it before. It’s just been weighed down by rejection she couldn’t really fight as a child.
7. What was the economic status of their family?
Not really high-class and rich, but fairly close to it. She lives in a penthouse, gets first access to a lot of SOL tech (if allowed, and doubly so after getting a job there herself), her brother is head of security... She’s not really rich, but fairly close to high class.
22. Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or ‘ideal’ partner?
This depends on when you’re asking this of her, but by post-canon, she counts Kusanagi, Miyu, and Yusaku as friends offline, and Soulburner is added to that online, if only because she doesn’t really know Takeru and hasn’t taken the time to try just yet. She’d also include Aqua as a friend, even if she’s no longer with them, much to Aoi’s heartbreak. Naoki is... Well... It depends on the day? Like... 4 days a month maybe-
As for lovers, it’s not really anything that’s crossed her mind? She has some feelings for Yusaku/Playmaker, but considering she doesn’t really understand them, they’ve gone totally brushed under the rug for the time being. Really if she starts seeing anyone, she just wants someone who’s going to listen to her, be willing to be there for her, able to put up with her work scheddule/popularity inside Link VRAINS, and above all else, love her. She’s not entirely sure what she needs in a relationship other than that - It’s.. Never really something she thinks of?
43. Does your character have any secrets? If so, are they holding them back?
The biggest one would probably be that she’s Blue Angel, Blue Girl, and Blue Maiden, which she’s not even disclosed to SOL on getting her job there. Keeping Angel a secret was solely because Angel was an escape; when the world felt against her, Blue Angel was a mask Aoi could put on to cover for her depression, giving her a few hours to bask in the attention and cheer of her fans while trying to get Akira’s attention and show him she’d grown up. Girl was meant to be an undercover avatar to use while she was working with Ghost Girl that also doubled as Aoi’s look into herself in hopes of growing.
Maiden, on the other hand, is her current avatar, inspired by her own strength, growth, and Aqua’s influence, and to Aoi, telling anyone she’s the face behind one of the heroes of Link VRAINS puts not only all of that at risk, but also risks those she loves. Anyone wanting to get at her would just have to go for her offline or those she’s trying to protect... No thanks. She’s good keeping that a secret, usuing a more generic, slightly knockoff version of Maiden (and Girl, prior to switching to Maiden) whenever she needs to log in for work.
Aoi also keeps smaller things like her depression and dislike of how much Akira works a secret, though none of these she really feels hold her back in any form - And she’d be right, honestly. Hiding her depression isn’t holding her back, though it does hurt her in the long run for not talking about it, and so long as peace reigns, logging in as Maiden largely just means keeping an eye on things and enjoying herself. Perhaps it might someday, but for now... Not really-
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