Revision as of 05:49, 12 June 2010

"I guess I need to teach you a lesson, huh?"

Profile

It wasn't too long ago that Hideo Aratami was known as an idiot first year, throwing himself into danger to protect students weaker than him and showing a blatant disregard for common sense and safety alike. Something about him has changed since he first started school, though. He's grown distant, almost apathetic to those around him. Though he still intercedes on behalf of the bullied he's quicker to take charge of situations than he is to sacrifice himself and he no longer seems to take pride in his accomplishments. The image change has done wonders for his social status, although at the same time it makes him rather difficult to approach.

Skills

Don't Speak And Carry A Big Stick, Never Say Die, Falling Star, Cool And Aloof, Tatsuya Imitator, The Purest Of Hearts, What Is Love?, Shattered Idealist, Grey Knight, There's Nothing Lonelier Than A Hero, Beneath The Mask Is...

Pre-MUSH History

As a young child Hideo was relatively advanced for his age. He excelled in maths and sciences, at least insofar as a child young enough that he can still count his age on his hands can be, and was quick to pick up new concepts. He led a carefree life in Lunarvale with his salaryman father and housewife mother.

One evening when his parents went out for a romantic evening they were accosted by a junkie who held them up at knife point. A combination of preexisting mental instability and withdrawal-wracked nerves led the man to become violent and in the ensuing scuffle he killed both of his victims. When the news was broken to Hideo the next day that he would never see his parents again he quickly put two and two together and the realization broke him. The intelligent, outgoing young boy became little more than a doll, unwilling or unable to speak or interact with anyone more than was absolutely necessary.

His grandparents in Sumaru City were the closest relatives willing to take him in, and try as they might they were unable to get him to come out of his shell. The boy was left to his own devices, which on most days involved sitting by himself in front of the TV. It was here that he encountered Phoenix Ranger Featherman, a popular and long-running transforming superhero show. No matter what trials the Rangers faced, no matter how serious, they were always able to conquer their enemies within half an hour (or sixty minutes for two part specials). They were heroes who didn't let the unpleasantness of reality get to them no matter how many times they were beaten or how unfair the world was. This, Hideo realized, was what he wanted to aspire to be: a hero who could save the world and not be bothered by anything.

His second transformation was as swift as the first: he went from antisocial mute to ever-cheerful little snot practically overnight. His therapists were surprised but ultimately declared he had finished grieving and was ready to move on with his life. He would wear the mask of a Phoenix Ranger, never allowing himself to get close enough to anything to get hurt but always willing to step in to save the day no matter what the personal cost.

MUSH Events

Entrance to the World of Persona

Hideo advanced to high school without incident, aside from the odd asskicking he received from overestimating his abilities to fight off people several times his size. He was content to continue in his old role of would-be hero until one day in October. He had been visiting his parents' graves in Lunarvale when he got lost in his thoughts and wandered into a large fight between SEES and Strega. Not knowing what was going on and catching sight of weapons ranging from pipes and sticks to swords and revolvers he nonetheless charged into the conflict, sneaking onto the catwalks of the warehouse above the fight and encountering his first Shadow: Tomomi Fujimori. She and Momos easily beat him back, all the while grinding into his head how powerless he was for being an ordinary person. Mere minutes after this Minato Arisato had a mental break which temporarily released Thanatos.

Hideo awoke the next morning hiding in a dumpster, pants soiled and nightmares filling his head every time he closed his eyes.

The would-be hero hoped that the previous night's events were just a dream but he wanted to make sure. He went to Port Island to try and track down some of the students whose school uniforms he had recognized as belonging to Gekkoukan High, and in doing so was introduced to Itsuka Mizuhara and the world of Persona. Naturally, his first instinct was to dive headfirst into the war between Persona-users and the Shadow-possessed, little understanding what exactly this would entail. He had his ass handed to him many a time by Shadows but somehow managed to avoid being horribly murdered, though whether it was through blind luck, force of will or an increedibly hard head is anyone's guess. What is for sure is that it WASN'T because of his Persona. Hideo lacked the Potential.

Eventually he took up rumormongering, trying figure out a way to get his own Persona by keeping track of the supernatural events in Sumaru and the surrounding cities as well as Internet boards like Darkside. In addition to meeting often with Itsuka, who misinterpreted his interest in her as wanting to have a relationship, he spoke often with Miwa Saitou, an upperclassman at Seven Sisters who he kenw had a Persona after he defended her from a malicious Shadow-possessed girl, and it was through his conversations with her that he managed to spread several key rumors in Sevens: that the Midnight Channel existed on rainy nights, that people who appeared on it disappeared, and that accepting one's Shadow as a part of oneself brought great power.

Typhoon Nobunaga and the Shadow Knight

In September 2009 a typhoon hit Japan, and in a strange act of coincidence Hideo found himself trapped in Miwa's apartment along with two known SEES members, Itsuka and Shiki Ichimonji. An unfortunate series of events involving an exploratory poke, a wet floor, and a kettle of tea ended with Hideo slipping into Sumaru's Midnight Channel and encountering his own Shadow.

Shadow Hideo was, much like the real Hideo before he started watching sentai shows as a child, little more than a doll. It didn't react to its other self at all, not even to defend itself as Hideo tried to beat the creature into reacting to him and granting him otherworldly power. Days passed before the typhoon died down enough to mount a rescue, and it was at the approach of other people that the Shadow finally broke its silence. It claimed that it did not care about anyone or anything, that it was just playing a part in the grand play of life because it had no meaning of its own anymore. It was a bit player in other people's stories.

Battle ensued as it is prone to when Shadows are involved. The creature revealed its true form as Galahad, the Holiest Knight, and proceeded to try and destroy everything around it so that it could be left alone. Itsuka made the mistake of shouting out how much she cared for Hideo, agitating the Shadow and causing it to try and crush her to death while it shouted that he thought of her as little more than a plaything.

The Shadow was eventually defeated and the rescue team began to pick up the pieces. Akatsuki Enda, who Hideo mistook for his identical twin brother Kyo Enda, tried to help Hideo accept his Shadow as a part of himself and grow past it-- just because he lost so much early in life didn't mean he couldn't forge new, honest bonds now. The boy turned to Itsuka, the girl who had been closest to him in the last few months, with intent to affirm that he wanted to be with her... only to hear her say she wanted nothing to do with him and run into Shiki's arms, kissing the other boy in the middle of the plaza at the center of Hideo's TV World.

Being rejected so harshly just as he was on the cusp of a personal breakthrough sent Hideo spiraling downwards. His Shadow was quick to whisper words of strength in his ear and the hero was weak enough to listen to them, fleeing into the night as he allowed his Id to take over. He showed up at school the next day a changed boy, completely apathetic towards the people and events around him and unnaturally focused upon acts of abuse by his peers. He no longer had a purpose of his own so he accepted the one the school had given him: a champion of the weak who fought those that took advantage of their power.

Probably not by coincidence Hideo soon rescued Toumei Minami from a group of muggers. The boy was a recruiter for Strega who said he could provide a fitting purpose for the errant knight and soon introduced him to the leader of Strega, Takaya Sakaki. He found the man's story compelling and his cause to be just but was still wary of joining the death cult. Once he saw Takaya summon Hypnos through sheer force of will, however, Hideo was convinced. He fell to his knee immediately and pledged himself to the cause of Nyx and the Fall.