empatheias application (old)

[viasun]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Sheila
Contact: sheilubby
Age: 28
Current Characters: Maya Fey (spiritedafey) & Lightning Farron (distantlight)

⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Sun Wukong
Age: 18
Canon: RWBY
Canon Point: Volume 4, Chapter 9, when he's injured by Ilia.

Background: Sun on the RWBY wiki

Personality:

"Hey, a 'no-good stowaway' would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!"

First impressions of Sun tend to be along the lines of the "fun-loving, confident, mischievous boy" with little regard for the law and the consequences of breaking it. It isn't a far off perception of him when you take his introduction to the gang into account. After being discovered stowed away on a ship, he barely makes his daring escape from the crew and the two police detectives pursuing him, and drops a banana peel on one of them before running off. This can hardly be classified as lawful, if at all. Not only that, but an episode later, he is stealing apples for Blake, not so subtly mentioning having done so. But while Sun may have a natural talent for rule-breaking, as we all know, first impressions are not everything.

It's almost impossible to talk about Sun without first mentioning Blake and his friendship with her. As a character, Sun serves as an explicit and obvious foil to the quiet, introverted person that Blake is, right down to their opposing character aesthetics. He is the bright to her dark and the yin to her yang, and her more reserved nature highlights Sun's more outgoing personality. He's confident, sure of himself, and proud of being a Faunus, and is often the one to remind her that she should be, too. Sun is the type of person who wears his heart on his sleeve and has no qualms with voicing his opinions – he's blunt, honest with his feelings, and has an extreme dislike for people who carry themselves with a "holier than thou" attitude, compared to his more laid-back outlook on life.

It's that openness about his thoughts that brings on another stark contrast: the loud versus quiet which is, on occasion, a problematic concept for Sun. Because he often says what's on his mind, rational or not, his mouth has a tendency to run much faster than his brain. He digs a lot of his own graves and puts himself into more foot-in-mouth situations than he probably cares to; his first impression on the Belladonnas, Ghira especially, leaves much to be desired. He does a lot of back-pedaling and tries to pull himself out of the holes he makes for himself where he talks about Blake's "moves" and how she is "above average." Never a good ice-breaker with someone twice your size and has a look that could kill if they could.

But as we already know, first impressions are to be taken with a grain of salt, especially Sun's.

He soon grew on the Belladonnas after proving himself a capable fighter and a reliable sidekick in battle, which is something we see as early as Volume 1. Even if he carries himself in a mellow and relaxed way, he takes his fights seriously. Being the leader of SSSN from Haven Academy comes with responsibilities and Sun, being the optimistic and energetic type he is, fits into the role of a leader nicely. He is not the kind of person who will back down or run from a fight, especially where his friends are concerned. He is willing to put his life on the line to help the people he cares about, although he can be a bit hypocritical at times. He abhors the idea of watching his friends get hurt, even if he would do the same. The night of the fall of Beacon, Sun warned Ruby and Weiss to not return to the tower and to seek safety instead, contradictory to his own actions.

It is only a couple of days after he meets Blake that he joins her side in her investigation of the White Fang and Roman Torchwick, and fights alongside her through it all. Against his doubts and beliefs on what the White Fang represents ("stupid, holier than thou creeps who use force to get whatever they want"), Sun puts his faith into Blake after patiently listening to what she had to say. Together, they head to the docks where they expect to find them, in hopes that they won't, and he goes head to head, or hand-to-hand, with Roman Torchwick and some members of the White Fang. Whether it's his martial arts skills put to work or his weapon, Sun is a guy who can hold his own in a fight and someone you want fighting with you, not against you.

"Jury's still out on that one, but I'm leaning towards earnest."

As Blake so eloquently puts it, Sun is the embodiment of earnestness. When he sets his mind on something, it's all in or all out; there's no real in-between. Everything he does, it's with boundless certainty and purpose, and he's passionate about his cause, whatever it may be at the time which, for a majority of the series, is helping Blake reach her goal and defeating the White Fang. His constant pursuits to help his friends, whether it's Blake during her darker times or his fellow students during the attack on Beacon, it's always with enthusiasm. He believes that you should always get friends involved in things, and is determined to stand by that belief.

Sun has a flair for finding the silver lining in just about everything, which is what makes him such a great companion. When Blake ran after the fall of Beacon, he ends up searching for and going after her, even going as far as stowing himself away on a ship bound for Menagerie. Under the impression that he would be joining her in the continuation of their fight against the White Fang, Sun took it upon herself to – rather persistently – remind her that she needs someone to watch her back, and just like everything else, he isn't going to let her do it alone. He's a friend, and you get friends involved, right? Even when she corrects him and admits that it's not to fight, Sun shows no signs of backing out and finds that other reason to stay.

Besides, he was kind of already on the boat...

Sun makes for great comedic relief and can easily put a smile on anyone's face when his foot isn't in his mouth, but he still has his moments when he knows the circumstances call for him to be more serious. Being a leader means being responsible for your team, and those duties are likely no different than the ones that Ruby or Jaune carry for Team RWBY or Team JNPR respectively, and while we don't necessarily see this occur in canon outside of his team's interactions during the Vytal tournament as well as his banter with his old friend, Neptune, it's clear that they work well together as a team. He knows their strengths and weaknesses and how to use them to their advantage.

His maturity shines especially bright during his time in Menagerie, after he's injured by Ilia in a pursuit. Not only does he manage to cheer Blake up with his certainty and confidence, but he takes the time to remind her that while they all have the ability to make their own decisions, no one is in any position to make choices for their friends. It has always been his choice to be where he is, and he is there because he wants to be. She's upset that someone else is hurt because of her fight, but Sun fights because he wants to, and because that's what friends do. He isn't the kind of person who does things he doesn't want to, just as much as he is the kind of person who does what he wants.

"You can make your own choices, sure. But you don't get to make ours. When your friends fight for you, it's because we want to."

It's his free spirit that truly makes Sun who he is, and if there is ever one other word to sum him up, it's that. Not only does he portray this on a more physical level, but it's something that truly encompasses him as a person on a much higher level than just his choice of clothes or how he walks like he hasn't got a care in the world. His fluid personality allows him to be forgiving and mellow, and it gifts him with an infectious energy that rubs off on people on their worst days, almost like there's nothing that can bring him down. It's true – there isn't a whole lot that can. He does what he wants, says what he wants, and it's all with a positivity fiery enough to match that of a thousand Suns.

Abilities:

Aura: Like all other residents of Remnant, Sun has an Aura – a manifestation of one's soul. It can be used for a number of things, such as strengthening one's own abilities, or as a defensive mechanic, serving as a shield in some way. Sun's Aura is drained when he uses his Semblance for a long time.

Semblance: His Semblance, Via Sun, allows him to create up spectral copies of himself to fight for him. It requires concentration, so he cannot move or fight while his Semblance is active. These clones are solid enough that they can grab onto things, or have things grab onto or jump off of them. However, using his Semblance takes a lot of his Aura and should not be overused.

Athleticism: Sun is capable of running for extended periods of time, as well as jumping long distances. His tail helps him with his balance, and it can also be used as an extra appendage that allows him to hang from things as well as grab on like another hand. He is also a skilled climber.

Martial Arts and combat: He is skilled in the arts of hand-to-hand combat, as well as his weapon that comes in two forms: gunchucks called Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, that can attach together to form a bō staff. As a result, he's exceptionally skilled in the arts of bō jutsu.

Alignment:

Daimonia – Sun has a bright and exuberant soul that's difficult to snuff out, even during the hardest and darkest times. He's had his moments of grief and feelings of hopelessness but he's always quick to bounce back from them, more convicted and determined than before, and sometimes even with a smile.

Other: N/A

⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
General Sample: Sun's top level on the TDM, thread with Oscar on the TDM

Emotion Sample: One and two


Questions: N/A