@hawks-stratagem: an 18+ original character affiliated with @yesterrp.
TSURUGIJI TAKANARU, Grandmaster & Philanthropist.
USERNAME: KingsGambit
7'5" old money grandmaster philanthropist. he was born into generational wealth, only to redistribute his family's treasury amongst the lower classes.
gentlemanly guy of the dandy variety. knows both eastern and western etiquette. carries himself with utmost respect and speaks with indiscriminate politeness.
the embodiment of a blinding light. the sunburst radiating behind a seraph's halo.
a study of: dualities and contradictions, inauthenticity to retain control, the man forced to be a myth, the consequences of a god complex and the fragile vessel containing it.
Tsurugiji pokes the newly-grown antlers sticking out of his head, its velvet texture muddied underwater. The gills breathing in and out, tickling his large rib-cage is difficult to ignore when everyone else around him had transformed into sea creatures or the closest equivalent to. He doesn't know why the magicks imbued in these waters decided to bestow him Amaterasu's glistening antlers.
(When he eventually awakened, Tsurugiji stood in front of the bathroom mirror and squinted at his reflection. His teeth felt a bit sharper, his eyes much more keen.)
Instead of standing around his home and pondering, Tsurugiji decided to explore the watery depths surrounding his home. Rather than swim with his stringent limbs, the ryuu-to-be walks normally around Glacier with a bothered scowl and fangs poking out from his upper lip.
"Why, of all times, did a flood happen after I acquired a fine bottle of wine?"
Good Heavens. Does the Magician hate him? The Magician hates him, doesn't he.
I'll be drawing this later — to match Tsurugiji's unusual height (for his species) and the grandiose presentation of his character, he'll be a ryū. It's a gradual, slightly painful transformation because I hate this man and I want him to go through turmoil /hj. Gills, antlers, scales, whiskers, paws. He'll gain a much more dragon-like body throughout the month, but he'll start out with the gills and antlers at the very beginning.
He'll be more akin to the dragons guarding Ryūgū than a god. Tsurugiji is still capable of human thought and speech, but he'll have stronger instincts as he gains more bestial traits over time. Will he want to make it rain? Well, there wouldn't be any point in that. Does he want to eat fresh lobster? Yeah, sure. Sorry to everyone who turned into a lobster, it's his favorite food.
A little weather wasn't about to stop him from going where he pleased, when he pleased - sure, he'd heard the warnings about twisters in the desert, but why he should care is beyond him. It's just a bit of wind - they didn't even do anything fun, like scream while they spun or have a pocket dimension trapped in the middle of the cyclone. He wasn't about to let something as boring as that get the best of him.
At least, that's what he keeps telling himself. Even as he clings onto the nearest solid surface to try and avoid getting picked up and flung around. He can totally ride this out and this wasn't a bad choice at all! Sheer spite will guide him through this. And he definitely doesn't need help either, seeing how he's very pointedly ignoring anyone in the surrounding area. He's fine, thanks.
The coldest winters resided in Kyoto, Tsurugiji quickly adapted to his surroundings and prepared solely for making trips to & from his latest home. With his immensely tall stature and the humanity clinging to his vile flesh, he thought it'd be an interesting day to indulge his cravings and curiosities. Sure, he's in an unfamiliar world reeking with the supernatural and the paranormal—it doesn't mean he has to limit his options to the safest routes.
His arrogance is how he landed in - of all places - Sunset's End. Powerful winds twisting and turning at every second, glistening specks of sand digging into his rough skin. He trudged through the area, breathing in the scattered powder with flared nostrils.
And...
... What the hell is that?
"Curses," he spits upon witnessing a top-hatted golden triangle trying to fight against the winds. It's a pathetic sight, really. If he were his husband, he'd dote upon the poor thing and help him out. Unfortunately, this is Tsurugiji Takanaru we're talking about, and he lacks the tact needed to waltz in and aid the damned triangle.
He struts forward, reaching a mighty hand towards Bill and commandeers.
"What is this folly, surely you aren't risking your life for no reason. ... Are you? Pray tell, do you need my company? Any help at all? Or, do you wish to flap around like paper?"
[ KingsGambit ] -> Oh, certainly! I wonder what you mean, however I should not question too much. I do not wish to be unreasonably invasive!
[ KingsGambit ] -> What is the alternative, though? Dead? Imprisoned? For me, it is unable to continue the labor I have consistently worked to maintain these past few years.
[ KingsGambit ] -> A mere kidnapping is not something that typically happens, especially one such as this. However, I am more durable than the average man.
[ KingsGambit ] -> If there is anything I must determine from this experience already, it is that I have no need for panic. And to remain concentrated, I must focus on adapting to my new circumstances.
[ KingsGambit ] -> If I may ask, how have you been? I am sure, you are quite elated and having a marvelous time! That is what I assume, of course. I hope it is not terribly rude to do so.
Tsurugiji blinks. For a moment, he had been preparing for his annual trip to Switzerland — polishing his favorite Oxfords, finalizing the week's schedule, briefing his second-in-command to handle their organization's activities. By the late evening, he already arrived to his fancy hotel in Lausanne. Greeted by the bellhops and receptionist, guided to his room by an all-too familiar concierge, and holding his daughters' smiles close to his heart.
Eyes shut, he slumbered. By then, Tsurugiji awakened in a distant place. Far away from Switzerland, far away from his home in Kyoto, and from Earth itself.
Welcomed by open arms, ushered onto a foreigner's worn-out couch and lauded into a short-term, unpaid survey. His burning stars rolled around in their sockets, and he wrote in his usual, fancy-cursive handwriting laced with obnoxious sophistication in each answer.
Three questions. And one of them was a want for friendship?
Tsurugiji scoffs, on his way towards his newest home within Glacier's Peak. How lonely must the Magician be to ask him such a question? In fact, does he ask everyone summoned into his harrowed apartment to become his friend?
Most importantly, he wasn't well-prepared for the elements. The frostbitten temperatures of the Peak brushed against his rough skin, an undesirable feeling as he journeys into the second circle. It's much more bearable for those who aren't dressed from head-to-toe in his usual formal business-wear, yet his fox stole remains warm.
Once he arrives to the Equinox Avenue, Tsurugiji wrinkles his nose in an effort to be relieved from his frustration. To be met with flowering gardens, more beautiful than those he'd witnessed at events and held in his hands. He adores Philou's marvelous gardens and displays, though - the fantastical beauty found irritates his nostrils, to a certain extent he finds unwanted from perfumes and colognes.
He doesn't stop to sniff the roses, but continues his trek. Tsurugiji stands before his home's door, baffled by the proportions. He doesn't know much about the denizens here, not accustomed to he's just arrived —
— If he's rooming with a giant, Tsurugiji scrunches his thick eyebrows together and sighs.
"Thank goodness, I'm not going to be at the whims of my usual taunter. And neither will those who live here."
Tsurugiji musters a snaggle-toothed smug grin, then knocks on the door as his key's inserted into the lock.
"I suppose, this is it! You cannot flee from your destiny, Tsurugiji. Whoever lives here, must extend the same gestures towards mine own." Or, this is what he's hoping for.
Yes, that's what he's hoping for! Unless, he's living alone. Then, that's even better!
So, he opens the door and willingly flies into his new cage.