from the botanical asks! [ currently accepting! ]
Chamomile: what is your muse likely to take away from a painful experience? are they one to be haunted by adversity, or to use what they’ve gone through to become stronger?
It really depends for Ichi-- he might take a good lesson or a bad one from a painful experience, it really depends on how much he thinks was his fault. If he feels like what he did was his fault, where the pain he felt was of his own doing, he’ll likely take a lesson of self-blame from it. He’d lost someone, so, so important in the past, and he felt it was something he did to cause their split. He took the idea that he wasn’t meant to rely on others like he did, that the only ones he could lean on were himself and his brothers, however little he does. But, when he was faced with the realities of his life early on, and witnessed things unspeakable that led to him taking his brothers and going on their own? He’s taken a message of resilience as a result.
He’s haunted by some things, certainly. The world has been less than kind to him. But overarchingly, he uses it to grow stronger. Some things, some wounds, however, can’t simply be healed with perseverance and time.
Holly: how strong is your muse’s sense of intuition? are they aware of it? do they ever fear that it is only paranoia?
Ichiro’s intuition is pretty good. He was a street cat for a while, and can relatively navigate different situations with ease. There’s been a few times where his gut has failed him, but for the most part, he takes his intuition and his internal planning into account when tackling most issues. I don’t think he thinks of it as paranoia-- probably just street smarts.
Rose: how much does your muse value other people? do they wish to have many friends, lovers, and/or associates? are they an easy person to love?
Ichi is such a loyal person. If he decides he cares about you, he will go to the ends of the earth for you. It’s his nature to care about others and help them-- it’s definitely an understatement to say he only values those he cares about. He’ll do whatever he can to show someone how much he values them.
He also values quality over quantity, ultimately: He’d rather have a few close friends, a few lovers, a few trusted associates, as opposed to large numbers of them. As stated before, he’s incredibly loyal, so the few people he’d let into his closest circle would likely be there for life, as long as they want to stick around him.
Boy howdy! Ichiro is a sweetheart. It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t like him. But does that mean he thinks he’s easy to love? Not in the slightest! He has a tendency to put his brothers above himself, and to keep most people at arm’s length. He doesn’t have the time to be his own person. He has to take care of his little bros. So, ultimately, that leaves little room for anyone that’s not his immediate family. Kinda hard to be with someone like that, he thinks.
Has that ever stopped him? Never. He’s loved before. He just feels like he could never be loved back.