Application | Teito Klein

[pandorable]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Akai
Contact: fontech @ plurk, fontechie @ gmail
Age: 30
Current Characters: N/A


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Teito Klein
Age: 15
Canon: 07-Ghost
Canon Point: Kapitel (Chapter) 19

Background:

Teito is the protagonist of 07-Ghost, so his role in the canon is pretty significant. Not only that, but his existence in the 07-Ghost world itself is a big deal. The wikia is very bare bones The actual character history wikia is here, but I'd already written it out when I found this, so have a two-for-one :B

Born Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs, the son of the king of Raggs and his mistress, he was going to be announced as the official heir when he was 4. To prevent that, his father's wife, the queen, illegally burned him with a slave brand and then handed him over to the pope in order to save herself. The pope had Tiashe smuggled into a religious ritual which caused him to become Pandora’s Box, meaning his body acts as a prison for one half of Verloren, a fallen angel-turned-demon. If freed and reunited with the other half, Verloren will probably destroy the world, so it's kind of a Big Deal. The pope was stopped before he could free Verloren, but to save Tiashe from being destroyed from within, his father made him the host of a powerful jewel known as the Eye of Mikhail, in which dwells one of two archangels with incredible power. The fusion worked, and the Eye accepted Tiashe as a host and shielded him from Verloren's power. However, when they tried to alert the church and their neighbouring country, Barsburg, of the pope’s treachery, the message was twisted and treated as a declaration of war, and Barsburg attacked and eventually destroyed the Raggs kingdom. Tiashe was given a new identity - Teito Klein - and his guardians tried to get him somewhere safe, but they were killed and he was captured by the empire, who had no idea who he was.

After that, Teito was raised as a battle slave in Barsburg for years with no memories prior to his enslavement. He was trained to follow orders, kill whenever directed, and bury his emotions until he reached an age where he was allowed to enroll in the military academy. There, he met Mikage, who managed to befriend him, and things were going well until a man called Ayanami, leader of the elite soldier unit Black Hawks, showed up to oversee the graduation test for the school's senior students. His presence triggers a fragment of Teito's sealed memories, and he is imprisoned for trying to kill Ayanami (since said memory was Ayanami murdering his dad during the war, oops). He escapes and flees the military, winding up in the territory of the 7th district church, where he is given sanctuary.

While he's in the church, Mikage arrives from the military, sent to retrieve him. When Teito tells him he can never go back, Mikage's body is taken over by Ayanami and attacks him. Teito is saved from capture by Frau, the bishop who found him injured outside of the church, but Mikage is killed in the fight, and Teito is consumed by rage and grief. He vows to avenge Mikage and the family he barely remembers by killing Ayanami. This determination is averted only slightly when Frau shows up with a baby fyulong dragon, stating that it is Mikage's reincarnation. The bishops manage to convince Teito that he should stay in the church and undergo training to become a bishop, in order to a) learn how to fight the monsters/demons who serve Ayanami and his team and b) travel unhindered through the country with a bishop's pass, which can get him closer to those he wants to kill.

At his chosen canon point Teito is preparing to take the first apprentice bishop examination. He has recently been attacked by members of the Black Hawks trying to capture him, the Eye of Mikhail is trying to separate from him to protect him, and memories of home have been triggered in the middle of the battle. The emotions related to these attacks are what brings him to Empatheias.


Personality:

As Teito is possessed by Mikhail, the personality of the archangel will take over on rare occasions when Teito is unable to handle situations on his own, or threatened while unconscious. His presence manifests as a red jewel appearing on the back of Teito's right hand and his eyes turning red. The more memories Teito regains, the more he is able to communicate directly with Mikhail and utilize his power. Because he has a personality that is distinctly different from Teito, I’m including both.

Teito/Tiashe:

Teito is sort of a weird mix between the classic tsundere and a kicked puppy. Due to his upbringing as a slave, he spent many years burying his emotions, hiding his fears, and following orders, just to survive and avoid being hurt for disobedience or failure. He learned to not want things that were deemed "unnecessary" by his superiors, and was graded only on his ability to kill quickly and efficiently since he was very young. With people who don't care about him or only view him as a tool, he is curt and apathetic, keeping to himself.

When he's with people he cares about, it's like Teito is a completely different person. He smiles, he's bright and open. He craves kindness so badly due to years of neglect that as soon as it's offered to him in even the slightest way, he'll take it gladly and befriend someone almost at once. For example, his assigned roommate at the church, Hakuren, gives (and receives in turn) a terrible first impression, but during a teaching session Hakuren offers him some helpful advice, and Teito is able to warm up to him. They become friends pretty quickly after that.

At the very core, Teito desires most what he'd always been lacking as a slave- affection and compassion. When he entered the military academy, he met Mikage, who became his roommate, best friend, and teacher of all things good in the world. All attempts at getting Mikage to stop befriending him were met with shrugs and smiles, so over time, Teito grew to welcome and appreciate the presence of his first and only friend. It's because of Mikage that Teito is much more open and expressive than he was prior to entering the academy. Mikage taught him how to smile, how to truly enjoy life, and how to make friends rather than live a solitary life.

Despite being absurdly traumatized as a child and then forced to become a murder-slave, it's observed by multiple characters that Teito has a surprisingly pure heart. He's not innocent by any means, but he can be sweet and rather clueless about the world. He has never received money for working, nor visited a real city, and seeing them both for the first time gets him curious and asking questions. He's a studious kid - his grades were good in the academy and he's serious about his research - and he tends to chastise slackers and perverts.

Since escaping the army, Teito has sought out ways to help people, rather than hurting them. As a slave he never enjoyed killing, but wasn't able to avoid it; now that he has the freedom to choose what to do for the first time in his life, he's able to find joy in his work, befriend his peers, and gain respect for his accomplishments. It's all done wonders for his self-esteem. He can fight freely alongside his comrades, whether it's against the kors (demons) or the military still hunting him, and he's able to open up and share his thoughts.

Teito in general doesn't care about what people say or how they treat him- if attacked physically, he'll defend himself, but he prefers to ignore bullies or unkind words. If someone insults or upsets someone he cares about, however, the gloves are off and he'll pick a fight at the drop of a hat. He's punched an upperclassmen for insulting Mikage in the past.

Teito has a lot of passion, and he's not afraid to show it. He's a bit of a bleeding heart, making decisions based on what is morally right rather than what would be in his best interest. It's said by multiple characters, most notably Frau (Teito's assigned bishop teacher), that he can't sit by when someone is in trouble. He has a tendency to get himself involved in situations that most people would steer clear of, either due to the danger or because the ones involved are unwanted by society, like slaves or reformed criminals.

Teito can have some serious attitude, which is where the tsun comes in. He's easily flustered, and when embarrassed he lashes out with insults or denial. Generally it doesn’t get in the way of his open-hearted nature, but if someone draws attention to the fact that he's being a sap, there's a fifty-fifty chance of either them getting slapped or Teito removing himself from the conversation in a huff. He's still very much a kid at heart.

Because of his past, Teito doesn't value his life much. He's reckless and if he holds a grudge against someone, he'll charge in wildly with no regard for whether or not his attack will actually succeed- after Mikage is killed by Ayanami, Teito immediately tries to leave the church in order to seek him out and kill him despite being completely overpowered only days before. The only reason he stays is due to the bishops convincing him that becoming a bishop himself would make it easier to infiltrate the district Ayanami is in, rather than going in without a plan and being caught and/or executed at once. Later on in the series, he learns that if he is able to travel to the legendary Land of Seele, he can exchange his life for Mikage’s and revive his dead friend. He decides almost immediately that it’s his ultimate goal to do so, shrugging off all criticism he receives about the value of his own life. He’s a huge hypocrite about it, because any time that another person says or implies that their life doesn’t have any value, he shoots the idea down and tries to build them up as someone important. Personal worth is something that he struggles with a great deal over the course of the manga.

Mikhail:

Mikhail is a volatile and overprotective presence, quick to challenge or attack a perceived threat, though typically will refrain from causing any damage if the target shows no further aggression. His presence is described as intense and frightening, and his abilities are dangerous, but many of his demonstrations are just a show of power and a warning. “Stop messing with Teito or else”, basically.

Despite being probably thousands of years old, Mikhail is actually very childish. He is possessive of Teito, vain (he gushes about how beautiful his chosen vessels tend to be), and lashes out at even the smallest gesture that could be viewed as an attack. He will yell and sulk when he feels like he doesn't have the upper hand, and can be insufferably smug. Since he is a being just below the god of their world, he has the ego of one, looking down on mortals and even the undead protector spirits, the titular seven “Ghosts”. Even his counterpart archangel, Raphael, gets reprimanded a few times.

Childish behaviour aside, he is genuine in his care for Teito, taking on many of the unpleasant experiences and allowing Teito to sleep in his own mind rather than deal with the memories. It is implied that Mikhail took over the first time Teito was forced to kill someone, and when Teito was possessed by a wars (a different kind of demon) Mikhail drew it into himself and separated from Teito rather than letting it hurt him. He hates to be dominated but he allows Teito to hold him back from hurting people needlessly, and he can recognize when his chosen actions might hurt Teito indirectly. He has a clumsy way of showing it, but he does care.

The easiest way to think about it is that Mikhail is the wrath/justice of a god- Teito is the forgiving moral compass that keeps him from wasting anyone willy nilly.


Abilities:

Zaiphon: essentially the ability to utilize life energy as a weapon, zaiphon manifests as glowing letters in the air controlled by the user's movement, generally with hand gestures. Zaiphon exists in three forms- offensive, healing, and manipulative. Teito has offensive zaiphon, so his abilities are generally battle-only. He can a) strike out at a target to bash, cut, or destroy depending on intent and whatever he’s hitting is made of, b) channel it through a weapon (swords, guns, and currently, the bishop's staff known as baculus), or c) form a shield around himself as a temporary defense.

Eye of Mikhail: Embedded in Teito's right hand is a red jewel that appears when Mikhail's power is being used. As Mikhail is essentially possessing Teito, he has the power to force himself to the front of Teito's mind, taking over when Teito can't handle the threat or is unconscious and can't defend himself. Mikhail's power, and Teito's control over it, grows as he regains more memories from his childhood over time. There are different levels of power, and several abilities that unlock:

Weapons = when the host is threatened, growths resembling a series of connected knife-like bones form out of the host's hand (from around the Eye) to attack or shield, depending on use. The structures appear fragile but can pierce nearly anything, grow at an alarming rate, and move according to Mikhail's will.

Wings = Mikhail can manifest a pair of angel wings, granting him the ability to fly. At Teito's current canon point, the wings only appear as black skeletal frames and cannot fly, as Teito isn't strong enough to control the eye to that extent yet. This changes over time in canon.

Illusions = only shown once, Mikhail can create a brief destructive scenario that can cause the target to see their own death at his hands. This can cause the target to pass out without enough mental capacity (or supernatural power) to handle it. Not much is shown or explained about this power, so my intent is to avoid it unless it became important for a plot reason.

Ranged destruction = the Eye of Mikhail, when fully activated, can cause a massive explosion, destroying a vast amount of terrain and anything living on it in a singular strike from above. In canon the range is anywhere between about a dozen feet to six kilometers at full power. This ability is being super toned down for RP purposes to a much smaller radius- a few feet at most, maybe. Anything bigger is unlikely to even be considered, but if it did, mod permission/plot would be required.

Powers aside, due to his years of training, Teito is physically stronger than he looks, able to break chains, punch holes in ships, and bend pipes with his bare hands. He's been trained to use guns and swords, typically enhanced by zaiphon energy, as well as hand to hand. More recently he's been training to utilize the baculus, a weapon of the bishops, which still channels zaiphon but in a less volatile way than other weapons, designed to fight darkness rather than physical opponents.


Alignment:

Elios - hate > love: Teito's life has revolved around these emotions. He was the product of forbidden love between a king and the mistress he couldn't marry due to his class, and as the only heir and prince, was beloved and sheltered by his family and guardians. Because of this, his father's wife hated him, forcing a slave brand on his back and handing him over to the pope, who conspired to make him the new Pandora's Box, the prison for the angel of death who hates the world. He grew up hated and used as a slave, but for his entire life has been seeking and craving the love he doesn't remember ever having. He loved his best friend, and hates the man who killed him.

This alignment fits in neatly with Mikhail as well, who loves Teito (his chosen master) and hates all who try to cause him harm. Love and hate is a theme woven throughout 07-Ghost, which is primarily Teito's story, so it suits him well.


Other:
Couple of things!

To clarify the Mikhail stuff: Teito is possessed by the Eye of Mikhail, which houses the god Mikhail. Much like a split personality, when Teito is unconscious, injured, or threatened, there is a chance that Mikhail will awaken and possess him. By your FAQ, this could either be "split personas" or "sharing hosts". Mikhail is never shown in canon to be without Teito except in his own psyche/dreamscape, and his personality is limited mostly to protecting his host- without one, the Eye becomes dormant, and Mikhail personally chose Teito as his host. Because of this, it's unlikely that he would be apped, but I have seen it done, so I can't say it's impossible, either. Because they're two beings in a shared body, I've included Mikhail in the app, both personality and ability. Please let me know if I need to adjust the app or answer questions if clarification is needed. In the unlikely situation that someone wanted to app Mikhail, I would have the Eye separated from Teito.

Teito also has a baby fyulong dragon (a little pink fluffball) for a pet, that I'd like for him to have, as they're always together. He has no speech ability and his personality is your standard "cute loyal pet animal". The fyulong is the reincarnation of his best friend, a human and very appable character. In this case I'd love for Teito to have the fyulong with him, and if someone apps the human version, the fyulong would be replaced by the playable incarnation.

Again, if there are any problems, don't hesitate to let me know!


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
Sample: Remember that the sample needs to show both 1) core character portrayal and 2) some use of emotions, either as an environmental effect or discussing why a character is not feeling anything at all if they are more apathetic or less emotional than most. We highly encourage using the Test Drive, and you can use prompts from the Test Drives, Intro Logs, and the Task board if you need them. Refer to the main application page for links and more suggestions.

DO THIS PART OMG


Questions:

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