#ajatamaru

[thecharcoalalchemist]

More progress!! At this point, the work is finished enough for me to use it on the blog as Ajatamaru's character reference, but I might continue on and add a layer of highlights...maybe. Highlights were never a talent of mine. T_T

[thecharcoalalchemist]

First color test for Ajatamaru! I feel like he needs a few more accents of the red, though....perhaps on the legs?

[on-guard-in-the-mist]

Headcanon

Guardsmen in Kishava usually have one or two titles to their name by the time they're fully inducted, and each title represents some sort of accomplishment or history. It's not unheard of for a Guardsman to have as many as four or five (or six, if they're especially memorable), and the most decorated Guardsmen in history had upwards of ten titles.

Kakuto has at least four titles to his name, including; 

"Son of the Burning Heart" (after his father)

"Knight of Flames" (for his own powers)

"the Lion-Hearted" (for the Spirit Beast bonded to him)

"Carmine Knight" (what Dark Axis forces began to call him when he fought with the powers of the Lion)

Ajatamaru holds two titles; 

"Stormcaller's Heir" (after his father)

"of the Whirling Sands" (for his own powers)

Nagaomaru possesses three titles; 

"of the Rattling Forests" (referencing the bamboo forests in Ark, his homeland)

"The King's Strategist" (which he is)

"Crane of the East" (for the Spirit beast bonded to him)

Siven is the holder of two titles; 

"Knight of the Storm" (referencing his lightning magic)

"the Oncoming Storm" (referencing his lightning magic and his temper, this title was started jokingly, but has become stuck)

Ourania - being from Maldur and not Kishava - holds only one title: "Princess". If you call her this to her face, she will try to cave it in…but with her father and uncle both applicable for the position of King of Maldur, that's exactly what she is. Siven is the only one known to get away calling her by this title without being (seriously) hurt, but he usually does so in a sarcastic manner.

[on-guard-in-the-mist]

Headcanon

Ajatamaru's father was called Kagenaga the Stormcaller, and he is the source of Ajatamaru's wind-based powers. Kagenaga and his mate, Cherry, were both immigrants direct from Ark, and came to Kishava after the death of Kagenaga's master. When his master was killed in battle, the winner gave Kagenaga the option of exile with his mate, or death for the both of them; to protect Cherry, who was already carrying his future heir, Kagenaga chose exile.

Their wanderings led them through a gateway from Ark to Kishava, and the couple decided to settle down in this new land. They raised their son, Ajatamaru, to be as integrated as possible into this new culture, though Kagenaga was hesitant to allow his son to serve what he perceived to be the land's shoguns (considering how it had worked out for him). However, he eventually let Ajatamaru join the Royal Guard, and he insistently wrote to his son every day. 

Though neither Kagenaga nor Cherry were members of the Kishava Royal Guard, when the Dark Axis threatened their new home, they both took up arms and signed up as volunteer forces. They were quickly overwhelmed and supposedly killed.

[on-guard-in-the-mist]

Headcanon

Kakuto and Ajatamaru aren't related to one another, though a stranger meeting them for the first time wouldn't be able to tell. They bicker and tease each other as much as normal siblings, and they know each other just as well. The two were raised side by side, after all.

Kakuto's family was wealthy and powerful, but had a waffling reputation that not all respected. Kakuto inherited his ancestor's armor when his father died in war, and he was enrolled in the Royal Guard in an attempt to bring a little respect back to his family name. He didn't have much - if any - contact with his family after he left home, and his father's funeral was the last time he saw his mother. Kakuto's letters were rarely returned, and as the years rolled by, Kakuto eventually gave up writing home.

Ajatamaru came from a poorer immigrant family, and inherited the armor of his ancestors when he enrolled in the Royal Guard. He received letters from his family every month, without fail. After the first year, however, Ajatamaru asked his family if they could write letters to Kakuto as well, since he knew his friend had no contact. His family agreed, and though Kakuto was confused when he received that first letter, he was immensely grateful for the contact, and kept every one of those letters.

However, the war with the Dark Axis killed many innocents over the years…and eventually, both Ajatamaru' and Kakuto's families were among the casualties. Their deaths caused the boys to depend on each other for support, and after this, they began to call each other 'brother' out loud.

[on-guard-in-the-mist]

Headcanon

Kishava's war with the Dark Axis has been going on for a very long time; Kakuto and Ajatamaru are part of a generation born and raised in a near-constant state of war, and it was against the Dark Axis that Kakuto's father fell in battle. Over the years, this ongoing war claimed millions of lives, and this death toll eventually included both the young Guardsmen's families.

Siven and Nagaomaru have been facing the Dark Axis threat since early in their careers, and both of them expect to die under its shadow (though if asked, both will deny it). They've seen most of their graduating class of Guardsmen fall to this conflict, and now they're watching the next generation follow the same path.

[on-guard-in-the-mist]

Layover (RP with maidenofice)

Travel through the portal was quick, but quite disorienting. Ajatamaru had to sit on the ground for a minute or two before he could stand up without swaying. Kakuto was nowhere to be seen, but they'd been warned about that.

The very magic that created the portals made them unstable. Separation was a danger of using them to travel, but Ajatamaru had no doubts that Kakuto could handle himself in the event of trouble.

So could he, if his head ever stopped spinning...

[on-guard-in-the-mist]

Headcanon

Despite the fact that Kakuto’s usual appearance can be frightening, he and his friend Ajatamaru used to be fairly popular among the children of the capitol city. They would get together to practice with their elemental magic, and since Kishava borders a desert on one side, sand was always in high supply.

With Kakuto’s fire magic, and Ajatamaru’s wind to shape the sand, the pair could create glass structures, and later (after they’d practiced a while) glass figures. Since they never had to actually pay for the materials, the boys would just give the figures away. Even Queen Rhea had a small collection. Kakuto and Ajatamaru fell out of this habit after the Dark Axis invasion.