❥ Character Information

Character Name: Kotarou Satou
Character Age: 4
Character Species: Human
Current Health: Stable
Outfit: Here

Character Canon: Kotarou Lives Alone
Link to History:
CW: Child abuse and abandonment

Kotarou started his life in a home that would quickly become broken. His mother left home, promising to someday return, and his father was abusive. Because of this, Kotarou came to live in a home with other orphans when he was around three years old. While growing with some of the children here, his father discovered his location due to a picture taken of him that was posted on a website.

Because of this, and due to the money he receives from his mother's life insurance after her passing, Kotarou moves into an apartment complex on his own. He greets each of his neighbours with a gift of boxed tissues, and quickly makes friends with them. The three adults that otherwise live in the complex keep Kotarou company often and do their best to protect him. Despite this, Kotarou seems oddly mature and apt at taking care of himself. However, that does not mean he doesn't appreciate the companionship of the other residents at the apartment complex.

With them, Kotarou often goes on mundane daily adventures to the store, the bathhouse, and school, and reflecting his want for friends and acceptance while being able to see through others' masks and adapt accordingly.

Canon Point: Episode 4, shortly after returning home from "running away" and believing no one is there to worry for him.

Canon Iteration: Original canon

❥ Folkmore Roles & Attributes

Skills:
Cooking: Can cook exceptionally well, and is even praised by others for how tasty and elabourate his cooking skills are.

Observant: Kotarou is exceptionally observant and perceptive of others, even when those people believe they are hiding themselves quite well. He can see through their masks and adjust his behaviour based on what he believes they need the most from him.

Budgeting: Kotarou knows how to manage his own money and making sure he's taken care of. He never goes over the allowance given him by his benefactor, though he has occasionally asked for more to help those close to him.

Housekeeping: Kotarou is efficient at cleaning and taking care of his apartment.

Foraging: Kotarou is very capable at finding, identifying, and gathering various foods in the wild, from plants to wild animals. He is able to fish with gathered materials, and knows how to properly treat any foods he gathers.

Canon Abilities:
Role: Familiar
Role Qualities/Attributes: Short white ears and long orange tail of a Japanese Marten.
Role Reasoning: Kotarou views himself as a feudal lord, based on his favourite character Tonosaman. While he is very good-natured and would also fit in a Legend role, he has manifested his talents and observations to somewhat cater to others. He is very good at seeing through the facades that others present and adjusting himself accordingly to those perceptions.

He quickly denies to himself many things, but offers comfort to others, such as encouraging others to take better care of themselves and do what they need to survive with surprisingly mature insights. With this care and observance, he's better in a Familiar role, at least for the time being.

❥ Personality

OPTION 2 QUESTIONS (PICK 4-5) 100-300 WORD LIMIT EACH:

What was the most traumatic experience your character endured? How did this change them?

CW: Child abuse and abandonment

Kotarou's most traumatic event is in regards to his parents. And while it can be split both ways, I believe the larger impact was his father. While his mother did abandon him, his father was extensively abusive. So much so that he had to be taken away from him and put in a home with other children that were no longer with their parents. However, Kotarou does not fully blame his father for those actions. While he will agree they are inexcusable in the ways of behaviour, he believes he was not strong enough to help his father "fight the darkness". Kotarou lives alone, away from others, both out of necessity and choice. And when it is revealed that his father is aware of his relative location, he asks that the investigator tell his father to please wait to meet him until Kotarou is stronger. When Mizuki is abused, he tells her that she does not want to be the reason someone becomes a bad guy. He supports escaping bad circumstances, but also expects more from himself in regards to helping his own father stop being abusive.

What is the most important and defining relationship(s) in your character's life and why?

The relationships that are most defining to Kotarou are arguably those that visibly support and care for him. While Kotarou has learnt to deal with things himself, he is still a child and thus desperately craves stable and comforting relationships. Ryouta stood up for him tearing apart a pillow on his first day in the orphan home. Mizuki is able to be compassionate to the signs of Kotarou's abuse and treat him gently. Shin protects him and goes out of his way to make sure that Kotarou has help with things. Isamu attempts to give affection, but is also able to show how a father should take care of his son even in trying circumstances. Kotarou values these lessons and companionships, and even though he may be stubborn about showing it, he cares about these people deeply. It also shows him that he's not fighting this world alone just because he is without his parents. There are those who will care for him, even if Kotarou does not feel that he needs such things. But they also respect Kotarou's boundaries and voice, and will honour him by letting him still make his own choices, despite his age. The permission to be himself while still being accepted and cared for means the world to him.

What is your character's moral code? Do they have one? Why or why not?

Kotarou's moral code lies within two things: his favourite show, Tonosaman, and his personal experiences. Because of his past with his parents, Kotarou is very apt at reading between the lines with other people and wanting to ease their pain. Because of this, it is very easy for him to be courteous to others and support them even at the expense of himself.

Because he did not have a role model from a very young age, Kotarou also models himself after his favourite character, Tonosaman, going as far as to speak as similarly to him as possible. But he also believes in being strong for others and doing his best to protect them, akin to the cartoon samurai. This also makes him seek to correct wrongs that he may witness.

With both of these combined, Kotarou supports others in being independent but also in allowing them to be themselves in the face of adversity and pain. Yet he also feels bound to a sense of service to others, such as holding an umbrella for others during rainy days, or getting ice immediately for someone who has been crying. He wishes to lead a life where he can essentially protect others from whatever hazards the world may bring, emotional or physical, and yet also model the ideal strength he believes others should have in themselves. He admittedly doesn't approve of those who lean on others to the point of greed and brattiness.

What famous folklore, legend, or myth would you associate your character with? Are they literally inspired by Snow White? Do they have similar struggles or energy as Red Riding Hood?

The fairy tale I'd associate most with Kotarou is probably Jack and the Beanstalk. Where Jack was viewed rather poorly and inept, Kotarou feels the same after having been separated from his parents; that perhaps he was insufficient at helping and protecting his home and keeping his father from becoming abusive. While Jack's mother degrades him for his foolish mistakes, he views his father's actions as a similar scolding. The throwing of the beans and their growth can be seen as Kotarou's need for him to leave his home, knowing the road may lead to something better for him and his family.

The giant's wife may be seen as the influential friends he gathers along the way, especially those in the apartment complex he lives in. They want to care for him and protect him from his abusive father.

The trials and tribulations of climbing the beanstalk, facing the giant, and attempting to attain the coin, the harp, and the golden goose reflects on Kotarou's life in that he's trying his best to get stronger so that he can help his father "overcome the darkness", bring his mother back home, and give them a safe and happy place to live. Wanting the best happiness for those around him, Kotarou is doing all he can to gather the pieces in the hopes of a better future for all of them.

❥ Player Information

Player Name: Tseil
Pronouns: He/Him
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact(s): Tseil
Who Invited You?: Here
Current Characters: N/A
Permissions: Here
Writing Samples:
TDM with Luz
TDM with Loki
TDM with Fjord
TDM with Mollymauk