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PLAYER INFO
Name: Andy!
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Contact Info: AIM: alternianfool | Live/email: badandi86@gmail.com |![[plurk.com profile]](https://www.plurk.com/favicon.ico)
BaDandy
Played Characters: Armaros-smoothangel
AC Reminders: Just the usual from before.
CHARACTER INFO
Name: Tatsuya Suou
Age: 18
Species: Human
Series: Persona 2: Innocent Sin
OU/AU: OU
Canon Point: A little bit after rescuing Jun and after Xibalba appears.
History: Wiki Entry
Personality:
Sign: Leo Blood Type: B
Student in Class 3-B at Seven Sisters. His cool looks and loner attitude make him the envy of men and women alike.
You've all seen this guy in high school, or at least guys very similar to him. He's not the popular, social jock or the valedictorian who gets straight As or the class clown. He's the cool, aloof senior, the guy who doesn't even bother going to class if he doesn't feel like it. The guy that no one really knows but everyone hears about anyway. "Did you know, he beat up this gang of thugs in middle school, all by himself!" "I heard Lisa's going out with him, that lucky bastard." "The boss of Cuss High has it in for him, they're rivals. Suou could totally kick his ass, though." "He's already found work. He's really good with machines, no wonder he doesn't bother going to Sevens." "He seems like a bad boy, but he's sooooooo cool!" That's Tatsuya Suou. He's the king of Seven Sisters High in Sumaru City, despite the fact that he's rarely seen at school. The envy of men and women alike, he comes and goes to school as he pleases, seemingly not bound to the whims of society or its restrictions. He's very quiet and aloof, coming off as cold, but he looks mature and handsome, which is probably why everyone at school thinks he's so awesome; he acts like an adult, like he doesn't need school and he has his life figured out already.
This could not be further from the truth. In fact, out of the entire main cast, Tatsuya is the one who has this shit the least figured out and has a ton of issues that take two full games to resolve. And to think, it all started with a chance meeting at the Alaya Shrine ten years back...
Believe it or not, Tatsuya wasn't always this shy and reclusive. When he was a kid, he was actually very outgoing and enjoyed making new friends. One of these friends was Jun Kurosu, a boy he met at a festival near the shrine when they were both eight years old. Since they were both wearing Featherman masks, their friendship kicked off with them playing from their favorite show. The more they hung out, the closer they became, to the point where they exchanged keepsakes with each other. Tatsuya gave Jun his father's watch, while Jun gave him his father's lighter. This is the same Zippo lighter that Tatsuya fiddles with and flicks open and shut whenever he feels uncomfortable or awkward. It's still working to this day and it's one of his most precious possessions, more precious than even his used motorcycle. He will never forget the bond that he shared with Jun, no matter how long they've been out of touch.
A little later, a white girl and a chubby boy from the sushi place were at the shrine and met Tatsuya and Jun. They became friends as well, playing along with the Featherman game and calling themselves the Masked Circle. They always met up and played at the shrine for their own reasons; most of them didn't have any other friends and Jun's homelife wasn't the greatest, what with him becoming sort of a latchkey kid because of his mother's work and father's disappearance. In a way, the Masked Circle was another family for all of them, with Jun as their leader, and that was fine with Tatsuya. Way he saw it, Jun was the smart one and more of a natural leader anyway. Plus, as long as he was happy...
One day, the four friends met a middle school girl at the shrine and adopted her into their group. She was really cool and smart and ended up as their Big Sis. Big Sis became a kind of second mom to Jun, and he and Tatsuya promised each other to always protect her no matter what. Everyone in the group loved her, and for her part, Big Sis taught them some cool things, including a game called Persona that would help you see what your future self would be like. She was also the first to point out that Tatsuya and Jun were like dopplegangers, like the light and dark half of the same person. Which is very true; whatever differences they have compliment each other rather than drive them apart. Jun was the brains and the leader while Tatsuya was the brawn and energy of the group.
Everything was perfect until Big Sis had to move away. Everyone was devastated by this news, but the group had a ~Brilliant Idea~ to lock Big Sis in the shrine overnight because hey, if she wasn't home, then she couldn't move and when they let her out, she could stay forever! Shockingly, Tatsuya objected to this flawless logic, so they decided to lock him in with Big Sis. Which wasn't bad, really; they just decided to wait it out overnight until the other kids came by to let them out again. It would have been uneventful if an insane student from Seven Sisters hadn't shown up to burn down the Alaya Shrine. Tatsuya managed to escape and tried to stop the student, but Big Sis was still trapped inside and there was a crazy arsonist twice his size who just stabbed him right in the back. Fearing for his life, he instinctively summoned his Persona, Vulcanus, and burned off half of the young man's face. He fled and Tatsuya passed out, while Big Sis managed to escape with some serious burns. Tatsuya didn't know that she escaped, though; he assumed that she died in the fire and tried to forget about the whole thing, repressing a very traumatic event. The rest of the kids tried to forget too; they hid their masks away in Mt. Iwato and the Masked Circle was broken up. Tatsuya lost touch with everyone after that. Later on, when he was in middle school, he got into a tussle with some delinquent students and his Persona popped up again, torching everything and almost killing them. Ever since then, he became afraid of himself and shut down emotionally and socially, becoming the aloof and quiet boy that everyone at Sevens thinks is so cool. Ms Saeko asks him what's wrong, why he builds these walls around him constantly with everyone he interacts with, which is partly why he's been avoiding guidance counseling for so long; she's absolutely right, but what can he possibly say to that? "Well Ma'am, it's because either everyone I'm friends with leaves me forever, or a fire monster who lives in my head comes out and tries to kill people I don't like. It's for the best if I become my own island and stop feeling emotions anymore. I hope you understand!" She'd never buy it and she'd probably call his parents about it.
Speaking of parents, Tatsuya has loads of dad/male authority figure issues. When he was ten, his father, a police officer, was close to fingering who the serial arsonist was who set fire to Alaya Shrine (and many other places) and was just about to put him away for good. Problem was, the arsonist was Tatsuya Sudou, the son of a prominent and corrupt Japanese politician. Sudou's father retaliated by framing Officer Suou for being involved with the Yakuza, forcing him to resign in disgrace and threatening the safety of the Suou family in order to keep him quiet. Officer Suou complied, seeing as he had no choice. His wife understood this and so did Katsuya, Tatsuya's older brother, who decided to abandon his dream of becoming apastry chef pastissier so he could help support Tatsuya and try to investigate what happened so he could clear his father's name.
Tatsuya didn't know this, obviously, and when his father was arrested, his world was shattered. All his life, he looked up to his dad and couldn't understand why he had done something so cowardly. If you look at one of his Contact options, Discuss Manliness is one of the things that pops up. When you use that, it's very apparent that this is a topic that Tatsuya gets worked up about (which is really weird, since he's normally laid back about a lot of things), speaking passionately about it and going into great detail, almost like he's giving a lecture about manliness instead of just talking about it. His dad is the reason why; since he looked up to his father as a male role model and what a man should be like, when his father suddenly didn't measure up to that anymore, Tatsuya had to reassess those priorities and logically think about "Manliness" and what that meant in the first place. So his logic went, "Dad was powerless--->Real men are not powerless--->I don't have to take my dad seriously as a role model," and it ballooned from there. Katsuya didn't help matters either (even though it wasn't on purpose) by throwing himself into his studies and becoming the perfect student and role model, which just made Tatsuya feel inadequate since he was very absent-minded when it came to his studies. So Katsuya would nag him about his studies and Tatsuya would feel more inadequate, which made him avoid his studies and classes, which made Katsuya be more overbearing and nag some more and... It spiraled out of control. When you add to it that Katsuya sees him more as "Tatsuya, His Kid Brother" instead of "Tatsuya, The 18-Year-Old Young Man", you get someone who just wants to get the hell away from his family as soon as possible. He spends all of his free time (and even some school time) working part time jobs, mostly at a motorcycle shop, so he can stay away from home as much as possible and so he can save up enough to live independently. Oddly, he has no more specific goals than this. He hasn't really thought about going to college or what specific field he'd work in; just Operation: Get The Hell Out of The Suou House. Other than that, he's pretty directionless and not very decisive about anything. If it weren't for Personas and the weird crazyness he was suddenly thrust into, Tatsuya wouldn't be a leader at all. He was forced into the position and has to make do with what he's given. He does turn out to be a decent leader when he tries, though, especially since he never tries to coddle anyone in his party and lets them go through whatever they need to themselves. Eventually, he becomes inspired by Maya Amano to help people realize their dreams and also becomes more comfortable with having actual friends and relying on them for help. It takes awhile, but he does warm up to it, symbolized when his Persona transforms from Vulcanus (Haephestus), the crippled God of smithing and metal work who hid himself away from the world to work on his creations and machines, to Apollo, Lord of music, civilization, and later on, the sun itself, shining proudly in the Heavens.
Of course, everything he's become comfortable with and all the growing he did is metaphorically table-flipped by Nyarlathotep and he has to relearn to be all right with relying on others again (adults, for that matter) in Eternal Punishment, but that is a story for another time.
Basically, Tatsuya might seem cold and aloof to complete strangers, but he's actually a nice kid, if a little quiet. He's just a lot like a cat. He's not used to interacting with strangers a lot, so he's rather shy and needs tons of personal space, which is why Ginko's constant badgering to go out with her grates on his nerves at best and outright terrifies him at worst (he's scared of being left alone with her when she first shows up). Also like a cat, Tatsuya will just wander off with little to no warning and gets these restless streaks that he either has to run or ride off, or do something. And, even though he looks and sounds very mature for his age, it's very easy for him to lapse into childish reactions when he's uncomfortable, like avoiding his guidance counselor for no real reason or getting all defensive and angry at his brother. Thankfully, these reactions only surface when certain buttons are pushed, but he still falls into the trap of trying to act like his idea of an adult while missing the point that adults don't actually do that, they're just...themselves. If Tatsuya warms up to you, though (which is a very big "If"), you have a guaranteed friend for life.
Powers:
Persona: A Persona is a physical manifestation of one's psyche that's summoned to protect the user. It's "another self", and they usually manifest as gods, spirits, or demons that dwell in the hearts of all mankind. Tatsuya has Apollo, who is at Rank 1 at the moment. Any other Persona cards he had aren't on his person right now, oops. In addition to being able to cast Agidyne at things he shouldn't, it also gives him some benefits outside of fighting, including a ridiculous amount of dexterity and decent strength, vitality, and agility; and "Resonance", which lets the Persona user know if other users (or otherwise supernatural beings) are close by. It kind of works in the same way support Personas in P3 and P4 do, but in a much more generalized way. Basically, it's the game's way of telling you, "SAVE NOW, BOSS FIGHT UP AHEAD."
Tatsuya is also very good with handling machines. It's very unclear whether or not this is because of his Persona, since in Eternal Punishment, the Tatsuya who never got his Persona isn't very good with them, or if it's another thing that's made true because of a rumor, since him being good with machines got shunted into Sumaru's rumor mill. It may be a little bit of both, since time and time again it's shown that rumors begin from a single grain of truth that gets...blown waaaay out of proportion. Tatsuya, say, being good at fixing bikes isn't a huge stretch, since his starting Persona was Vulcanus and he maintains his own bike. Then he's actually able to deactivate bomb detonators. Later on, in Eternal Punishment, he's able to drive things like blimps andMetal Gears mini-mechs, so it ends up getting pretty ridiculous since "He's good with machines" is really generalized and could mean a number of things. It's tough to say whether or not this talent will stick when he reaches Meridian, but having someone who's good at mechanics could be useful...
One of his stranger talents is imitation. Specifically, imitating the sounds of machines. Fighter jets, construction equipment, motorcycle engines... all kinds of stuff, really. No one knows how he got started on this weird talent, but it can probably be assumed that he was bored one day and decided to start practicing weird sound effects and he just...hasn't stopped. He's about as good as Michael Winslow from Police Academy; hell, he probably tried that machine gun trick at Kounan PD once or twice before Katsuya told him to knock it off.
When he isn't being quiet, Tastuya is also good at talking things out with people (or demons), or is at least good enough at talking to be good at persuasion, either from puffing himself up and being threatening enough to get the other party to back down, or coming off as gentle enough to get the other to calm down. It's really a shame that he's so quiet, since a lot of the time, he ends up being the voice of reason and the one that people turn to for direction. It's probably why he's the psuedo-leader of his party; he isn't bossy or overly controlling and usually lets the others handle themselves until they actually need his help, so he's much more approachable as a leader than, say, Eikichi would be.
He's also a pretty decent runner (and fast), good in a fistfight when he doesn't have his sword (which he is also good at using), and...he can play the guitar! Tatsuya is at least better on the guitar than Eikichi is at singing, which isn't difficult, but it's still a talent worth mentioning. Interestingly, we see in Eternal Punishment that Katsuya can play the guitar too. Hmm... maybe they're more alike than he wants to admit.
Weaknesses: What else butwater and ice attacks pride? This probably stems from his whole "Being a man means..." schtick, which stems from his Dad issues, which basically boils down to, "I must not depend on others in order to be independent." In his continual quest to move away from his family and prove himself to be an adult, he's taken to loathing accepting help, admitting defeat, or admitting weakness. It's like his Shadow will say later on, "I view weakness as the ultimate sin." Men aren't supposed to be weak or be coddled, so neither should he. Oddly, he uses this same standard on the women of the group as well when they're in a position to either be rescued or to stand on their own, so in his mind, it's probably less of a difference between men and women and more a matter of being a man versus being a boy or a child. Boys are weak, men are strong. Boys are victims, men are heroes. Boys are cowardly while men have power. He doesn't understand that, most of the time, grown men and adults are powerless too, which is one of the things he learns during Eternal Punishment and eventually asks about ("Is it hard...being an adult?").
This ties into his inferiority complex with his brother as well, and why he apparently acts really hot-blooded and cocky when in battle. It's something that he's been given power to do. This is something that Tatsuya can actually do that his brother can't. Sure, Katsuya was Mr. Perfect Student and is the best detective in the department and always nags and nags him about whatever he might be doing wrong today, but can Katsuya fight demons or wield untold supernatural forces through the power of his psyche? Has he ever been a hero or fought with a sword? Has he ever defeated Nazis? No? There you go, then. Who needs to get good grades when you're busy fighting demons, right?
It doesn't help that Tatsuya starts as pretty directionless and unmotivated with many things in his life, aside from "Get out of the Suou House ASAP." Fighting and being thrust into the position of Leader was the only thing that made him get off his ass and accomplish things and, honestly, it's still comfortable to him in a weird way since it's something else setting him along the rails. He doesn't have a choice but to fight. It could be linked to him being sickened by cowards and people who are powerless. They say that the qualities of your Shadow are easily seen in others, qualities that you instinctively detest almost automatically, and Tatsuya is no exception. All his life, he felt powerless and like he's never made any real decisions for himself, and fighting makes him feel like he has enough power to feel comfortable, but he's still being swept along and distracted from dealing with actual, real world priorities. It's another way for his avoidance to pop up. Everything he's uncomfortable with, he avoids; feelings, people, real-world goals, his studies, all of that. Now that fighting isn't going to be as huge of a thing in Meridian, there's nothing to distract him from that anymore...
This all sounds very childish of him, doesn't it? Well, yeah, it is! Tatsuya can be very childish. Then why do a lot of people see him as cool and mature, even when they know about some if his issues? It's simple, really; Tatsuya is pretty mature...compared to other teenagers. He's just good at hiding it and coming off as stoic and balanced, making him look mature, but he actually isn't. Most of the party in Innocent Sin are around his age, except for Maya (who's...well...Maya), but in Eternal Punishment, he's suddenly surrounded by adults, so it's easier to see his immaturity. It doesn't help that he tries to come across as more mature than he is to make up for that...which just highlights how much of a child he is even more. Plus, he has that annoying habit of thinking the "I am 18 years old, therefore I already know everything about the world," line of thought that a lot of teenagers fall into on accident.
Funny that, when asked about his weaknesses, he'll just say, "Dunno." He does know, but it's not like he'll admit or acknowledge them. Weakness is the ultimate sin, remember?
Possessions:
One (1) Zippo Lighter: Plain except for the engraved saying, "The most important things can't be seen with the eyes," a quote from Jun Kurosu's favorite book, The Little Prince. Taking it and flicking the lid open and closed is how Tatsuya fidgets when he feels awkward or uncomfortable, which will happen a lot.
One (1) Used Motorcycle: It's a speedster instead of a powerhouse, but it's his main way of getting around and it's his baby. Do not touch it.
One (1) Helmet: Can't ride without a helmet.
One (1) Seven Sisters Bookbag: With a couple of English textbooks, gym clothes, a miniature tool kit so he can work on his bike when he needs to, a bunch of flowers that Jun kept randomly tossing at him, one (1) Red Eagle Featherman mask, and a few healing items like Beads, Muscle Drinks, and Antidotes (two or three of each).
One (1) Katana: CAN'T FIGHT DEMONS WITHOUT THIS. It doesn't have any special abilities; just a useable sword that gets the job done.
His Clothes: That also work as armor...somehow. Rumors sure are weird.
Marking Location: On top of his right arm, where Nyarlathotep's brand will eventually be.
Miscellaneous: His Arcana is The Sun, starting off as Reversed before progressing into Upright. He also has the best compatibility with Hanged Man and The World.
This is what Tatsuya sounds like.
First Person: [It's odd, hearing the sound of tools working on something in this city. It's not like anything works anymore, so trying to fix anything mechanical would be pointless.
This young man doesn't know that, though. He doesn't even notice anyone approaching, as he's much too busy trying to figure out what's wrong with his bike. He reaches in, giving a few tugs before pulling out a spark plug with his bare hands and staring at it.]
...Weird. [It looks okay. The teenager carefully sets the spark plug back where it was, stands upright and turns the key on his bike. ...Nothing. Dead. Not even the sound of the engine trying to turn over. The battery can't be dead, right? He circles around his bike a few times, a lighter suddenly in his hand, being flicked open and shut, open and shut, while he outright glares at the bike. Like it's suddenly being uncooperative on purpose and he could intimidate it into working again.
Until he notices you, of course.]
Yeah, what? [It doesn't look like he's in a talkative mood. You probably caught him at a bad time.]
Third Person: The one good thing about staying in a place with no electricity was that there was no light pollution. The sky was absolutely beautiful at night. Everything was clearer, much more intense than what Tatsuya was used to. Obviously the reasonable thing to do when it was nice out was to climb onto a roof with some soda and chips he found and hang around there for awhile, looking at the sky. Sure, he was alone, but... maybe if he waited in this place a little bit longer, he'd find them. Or they would find him, somehow. Plus, looking at the stars made him feel less... lonely? Funny, since when did he start caring about that kind of stuff again?
The sky was very clear tonight, though, and there wasn't anything else to do, so why not? He laid back, gripping his unopened bottle of soda and searched the skies, trying to see if he could recognize anything. He wasn't as good at this as Jun, but... Oh! There was the Big Dipper, at least. Good, maybe he could find Polaris. Er, wait, was that the Little Dipper instead? Whatever, it was one of the Dippers, so he was at least still on Earth, right? Right.
After trying to find the Pleaides, Tatsuya sighed and sat up while finally opening his soda. This was stupid. Missing his friend was one thing, but he wasn't seriously starting to miss school, was he? Must have been because there wasn't much else to do here. Yeah, that had to be it. Oh well, he'd try walking around tomorrow to see if there was a way out of this city, if you could still call something that's been abandoned like this a "city".
He took a sip, then immediately spat out whatever he drank, so surprised by the flavor that it went down the wrong pipe and he started coughing. "What the-!?" Damn, it tasted...chicken-y? Please tell him that he didn't just drink fizzy chicken broth by mistake.
Tatsuya tossed the bottle off of the roof with a frustrated grunt and flopped onto his back, suddenly not very hungry anymore.
Name: Andy!
Main Journal:
girlyboylushContact Info: AIM: alternianfool | Live/email: badandi86@gmail.com |
Played Characters: Armaros-
smoothangelAC Reminders: Just the usual from before.
CHARACTER INFO
Name: Tatsuya Suou
Age: 18
Species: Human
Series: Persona 2: Innocent Sin
OU/AU: OU
Canon Point: A little bit after rescuing Jun and after Xibalba appears.
History: Wiki Entry
Personality:
Sign: Leo Blood Type: B
Student in Class 3-B at Seven Sisters. His cool looks and loner attitude make him the envy of men and women alike.
You've all seen this guy in high school, or at least guys very similar to him. He's not the popular, social jock or the valedictorian who gets straight As or the class clown. He's the cool, aloof senior, the guy who doesn't even bother going to class if he doesn't feel like it. The guy that no one really knows but everyone hears about anyway. "Did you know, he beat up this gang of thugs in middle school, all by himself!" "I heard Lisa's going out with him, that lucky bastard." "The boss of Cuss High has it in for him, they're rivals. Suou could totally kick his ass, though." "He's already found work. He's really good with machines, no wonder he doesn't bother going to Sevens." "He seems like a bad boy, but he's sooooooo cool!" That's Tatsuya Suou. He's the king of Seven Sisters High in Sumaru City, despite the fact that he's rarely seen at school. The envy of men and women alike, he comes and goes to school as he pleases, seemingly not bound to the whims of society or its restrictions. He's very quiet and aloof, coming off as cold, but he looks mature and handsome, which is probably why everyone at school thinks he's so awesome; he acts like an adult, like he doesn't need school and he has his life figured out already.
This could not be further from the truth. In fact, out of the entire main cast, Tatsuya is the one who has this shit the least figured out and has a ton of issues that take two full games to resolve. And to think, it all started with a chance meeting at the Alaya Shrine ten years back...
Believe it or not, Tatsuya wasn't always this shy and reclusive. When he was a kid, he was actually very outgoing and enjoyed making new friends. One of these friends was Jun Kurosu, a boy he met at a festival near the shrine when they were both eight years old. Since they were both wearing Featherman masks, their friendship kicked off with them playing from their favorite show. The more they hung out, the closer they became, to the point where they exchanged keepsakes with each other. Tatsuya gave Jun his father's watch, while Jun gave him his father's lighter. This is the same Zippo lighter that Tatsuya fiddles with and flicks open and shut whenever he feels uncomfortable or awkward. It's still working to this day and it's one of his most precious possessions, more precious than even his used motorcycle. He will never forget the bond that he shared with Jun, no matter how long they've been out of touch.
A little later, a white girl and a chubby boy from the sushi place were at the shrine and met Tatsuya and Jun. They became friends as well, playing along with the Featherman game and calling themselves the Masked Circle. They always met up and played at the shrine for their own reasons; most of them didn't have any other friends and Jun's homelife wasn't the greatest, what with him becoming sort of a latchkey kid because of his mother's work and father's disappearance. In a way, the Masked Circle was another family for all of them, with Jun as their leader, and that was fine with Tatsuya. Way he saw it, Jun was the smart one and more of a natural leader anyway. Plus, as long as he was happy...
One day, the four friends met a middle school girl at the shrine and adopted her into their group. She was really cool and smart and ended up as their Big Sis. Big Sis became a kind of second mom to Jun, and he and Tatsuya promised each other to always protect her no matter what. Everyone in the group loved her, and for her part, Big Sis taught them some cool things, including a game called Persona that would help you see what your future self would be like. She was also the first to point out that Tatsuya and Jun were like dopplegangers, like the light and dark half of the same person. Which is very true; whatever differences they have compliment each other rather than drive them apart. Jun was the brains and the leader while Tatsuya was the brawn and energy of the group.
Everything was perfect until Big Sis had to move away. Everyone was devastated by this news, but the group had a ~Brilliant Idea~ to lock Big Sis in the shrine overnight because hey, if she wasn't home, then she couldn't move and when they let her out, she could stay forever! Shockingly, Tatsuya objected to this flawless logic, so they decided to lock him in with Big Sis. Which wasn't bad, really; they just decided to wait it out overnight until the other kids came by to let them out again. It would have been uneventful if an insane student from Seven Sisters hadn't shown up to burn down the Alaya Shrine. Tatsuya managed to escape and tried to stop the student, but Big Sis was still trapped inside and there was a crazy arsonist twice his size who just stabbed him right in the back. Fearing for his life, he instinctively summoned his Persona, Vulcanus, and burned off half of the young man's face. He fled and Tatsuya passed out, while Big Sis managed to escape with some serious burns. Tatsuya didn't know that she escaped, though; he assumed that she died in the fire and tried to forget about the whole thing, repressing a very traumatic event. The rest of the kids tried to forget too; they hid their masks away in Mt. Iwato and the Masked Circle was broken up. Tatsuya lost touch with everyone after that. Later on, when he was in middle school, he got into a tussle with some delinquent students and his Persona popped up again, torching everything and almost killing them. Ever since then, he became afraid of himself and shut down emotionally and socially, becoming the aloof and quiet boy that everyone at Sevens thinks is so cool. Ms Saeko asks him what's wrong, why he builds these walls around him constantly with everyone he interacts with, which is partly why he's been avoiding guidance counseling for so long; she's absolutely right, but what can he possibly say to that? "Well Ma'am, it's because either everyone I'm friends with leaves me forever, or a fire monster who lives in my head comes out and tries to kill people I don't like. It's for the best if I become my own island and stop feeling emotions anymore. I hope you understand!" She'd never buy it and she'd probably call his parents about it.
Speaking of parents, Tatsuya has loads of dad/male authority figure issues. When he was ten, his father, a police officer, was close to fingering who the serial arsonist was who set fire to Alaya Shrine (and many other places) and was just about to put him away for good. Problem was, the arsonist was Tatsuya Sudou, the son of a prominent and corrupt Japanese politician. Sudou's father retaliated by framing Officer Suou for being involved with the Yakuza, forcing him to resign in disgrace and threatening the safety of the Suou family in order to keep him quiet. Officer Suou complied, seeing as he had no choice. His wife understood this and so did Katsuya, Tatsuya's older brother, who decided to abandon his dream of becoming a
Tatsuya didn't know this, obviously, and when his father was arrested, his world was shattered. All his life, he looked up to his dad and couldn't understand why he had done something so cowardly. If you look at one of his Contact options, Discuss Manliness is one of the things that pops up. When you use that, it's very apparent that this is a topic that Tatsuya gets worked up about (which is really weird, since he's normally laid back about a lot of things), speaking passionately about it and going into great detail, almost like he's giving a lecture about manliness instead of just talking about it. His dad is the reason why; since he looked up to his father as a male role model and what a man should be like, when his father suddenly didn't measure up to that anymore, Tatsuya had to reassess those priorities and logically think about "Manliness" and what that meant in the first place. So his logic went, "Dad was powerless--->Real men are not powerless--->I don't have to take my dad seriously as a role model," and it ballooned from there. Katsuya didn't help matters either (even though it wasn't on purpose) by throwing himself into his studies and becoming the perfect student and role model, which just made Tatsuya feel inadequate since he was very absent-minded when it came to his studies. So Katsuya would nag him about his studies and Tatsuya would feel more inadequate, which made him avoid his studies and classes, which made Katsuya be more overbearing and nag some more and... It spiraled out of control. When you add to it that Katsuya sees him more as "Tatsuya, His Kid Brother" instead of "Tatsuya, The 18-Year-Old Young Man", you get someone who just wants to get the hell away from his family as soon as possible. He spends all of his free time (and even some school time) working part time jobs, mostly at a motorcycle shop, so he can stay away from home as much as possible and so he can save up enough to live independently. Oddly, he has no more specific goals than this. He hasn't really thought about going to college or what specific field he'd work in; just Operation: Get The Hell Out of The Suou House. Other than that, he's pretty directionless and not very decisive about anything. If it weren't for Personas and the weird crazyness he was suddenly thrust into, Tatsuya wouldn't be a leader at all. He was forced into the position and has to make do with what he's given. He does turn out to be a decent leader when he tries, though, especially since he never tries to coddle anyone in his party and lets them go through whatever they need to themselves. Eventually, he becomes inspired by Maya Amano to help people realize their dreams and also becomes more comfortable with having actual friends and relying on them for help. It takes awhile, but he does warm up to it, symbolized when his Persona transforms from Vulcanus (Haephestus), the crippled God of smithing and metal work who hid himself away from the world to work on his creations and machines, to Apollo, Lord of music, civilization, and later on, the sun itself, shining proudly in the Heavens.
Of course, everything he's become comfortable with and all the growing he did is metaphorically table-flipped by Nyarlathotep and he has to relearn to be all right with relying on others again (adults, for that matter) in Eternal Punishment, but that is a story for another time.
Basically, Tatsuya might seem cold and aloof to complete strangers, but he's actually a nice kid, if a little quiet. He's just a lot like a cat. He's not used to interacting with strangers a lot, so he's rather shy and needs tons of personal space, which is why Ginko's constant badgering to go out with her grates on his nerves at best and outright terrifies him at worst (he's scared of being left alone with her when she first shows up). Also like a cat, Tatsuya will just wander off with little to no warning and gets these restless streaks that he either has to run or ride off, or do something. And, even though he looks and sounds very mature for his age, it's very easy for him to lapse into childish reactions when he's uncomfortable, like avoiding his guidance counselor for no real reason or getting all defensive and angry at his brother. Thankfully, these reactions only surface when certain buttons are pushed, but he still falls into the trap of trying to act like his idea of an adult while missing the point that adults don't actually do that, they're just...themselves. If Tatsuya warms up to you, though (which is a very big "If"), you have a guaranteed friend for life.
Powers:
Persona: A Persona is a physical manifestation of one's psyche that's summoned to protect the user. It's "another self", and they usually manifest as gods, spirits, or demons that dwell in the hearts of all mankind. Tatsuya has Apollo, who is at Rank 1 at the moment. Any other Persona cards he had aren't on his person right now, oops. In addition to being able to cast Agidyne at things he shouldn't, it also gives him some benefits outside of fighting, including a ridiculous amount of dexterity and decent strength, vitality, and agility; and "Resonance", which lets the Persona user know if other users (or otherwise supernatural beings) are close by. It kind of works in the same way support Personas in P3 and P4 do, but in a much more generalized way. Basically, it's the game's way of telling you, "SAVE NOW, BOSS FIGHT UP AHEAD."
Tatsuya is also very good with handling machines. It's very unclear whether or not this is because of his Persona, since in Eternal Punishment, the Tatsuya who never got his Persona isn't very good with them, or if it's another thing that's made true because of a rumor, since him being good with machines got shunted into Sumaru's rumor mill. It may be a little bit of both, since time and time again it's shown that rumors begin from a single grain of truth that gets...blown waaaay out of proportion. Tatsuya, say, being good at fixing bikes isn't a huge stretch, since his starting Persona was Vulcanus and he maintains his own bike. Then he's actually able to deactivate bomb detonators. Later on, in Eternal Punishment, he's able to drive things like blimps and
One of his stranger talents is imitation. Specifically, imitating the sounds of machines. Fighter jets, construction equipment, motorcycle engines... all kinds of stuff, really. No one knows how he got started on this weird talent, but it can probably be assumed that he was bored one day and decided to start practicing weird sound effects and he just...hasn't stopped. He's about as good as Michael Winslow from Police Academy; hell, he probably tried that machine gun trick at Kounan PD once or twice before Katsuya told him to knock it off.
When he isn't being quiet, Tastuya is also good at talking things out with people (or demons), or is at least good enough at talking to be good at persuasion, either from puffing himself up and being threatening enough to get the other party to back down, or coming off as gentle enough to get the other to calm down. It's really a shame that he's so quiet, since a lot of the time, he ends up being the voice of reason and the one that people turn to for direction. It's probably why he's the psuedo-leader of his party; he isn't bossy or overly controlling and usually lets the others handle themselves until they actually need his help, so he's much more approachable as a leader than, say, Eikichi would be.
He's also a pretty decent runner (and fast), good in a fistfight when he doesn't have his sword (which he is also good at using), and...he can play the guitar! Tatsuya is at least better on the guitar than Eikichi is at singing, which isn't difficult, but it's still a talent worth mentioning. Interestingly, we see in Eternal Punishment that Katsuya can play the guitar too. Hmm... maybe they're more alike than he wants to admit.
Weaknesses: What else but
This ties into his inferiority complex with his brother as well, and why he apparently acts really hot-blooded and cocky when in battle. It's something that he's been given power to do. This is something that Tatsuya can actually do that his brother can't. Sure, Katsuya was Mr. Perfect Student and is the best detective in the department and always nags and nags him about whatever he might be doing wrong today, but can Katsuya fight demons or wield untold supernatural forces through the power of his psyche? Has he ever been a hero or fought with a sword? Has he ever defeated Nazis? No? There you go, then. Who needs to get good grades when you're busy fighting demons, right?
It doesn't help that Tatsuya starts as pretty directionless and unmotivated with many things in his life, aside from "Get out of the Suou House ASAP." Fighting and being thrust into the position of Leader was the only thing that made him get off his ass and accomplish things and, honestly, it's still comfortable to him in a weird way since it's something else setting him along the rails. He doesn't have a choice but to fight. It could be linked to him being sickened by cowards and people who are powerless. They say that the qualities of your Shadow are easily seen in others, qualities that you instinctively detest almost automatically, and Tatsuya is no exception. All his life, he felt powerless and like he's never made any real decisions for himself, and fighting makes him feel like he has enough power to feel comfortable, but he's still being swept along and distracted from dealing with actual, real world priorities. It's another way for his avoidance to pop up. Everything he's uncomfortable with, he avoids; feelings, people, real-world goals, his studies, all of that. Now that fighting isn't going to be as huge of a thing in Meridian, there's nothing to distract him from that anymore...
This all sounds very childish of him, doesn't it? Well, yeah, it is! Tatsuya can be very childish. Then why do a lot of people see him as cool and mature, even when they know about some if his issues? It's simple, really; Tatsuya is pretty mature...compared to other teenagers. He's just good at hiding it and coming off as stoic and balanced, making him look mature, but he actually isn't. Most of the party in Innocent Sin are around his age, except for Maya (who's...well...Maya), but in Eternal Punishment, he's suddenly surrounded by adults, so it's easier to see his immaturity. It doesn't help that he tries to come across as more mature than he is to make up for that...which just highlights how much of a child he is even more. Plus, he has that annoying habit of thinking the "I am 18 years old, therefore I already know everything about the world," line of thought that a lot of teenagers fall into on accident.
Funny that, when asked about his weaknesses, he'll just say, "Dunno." He does know, but it's not like he'll admit or acknowledge them. Weakness is the ultimate sin, remember?
Possessions:
One (1) Zippo Lighter: Plain except for the engraved saying, "The most important things can't be seen with the eyes," a quote from Jun Kurosu's favorite book, The Little Prince. Taking it and flicking the lid open and closed is how Tatsuya fidgets when he feels awkward or uncomfortable, which will happen a lot.
One (1) Used Motorcycle: It's a speedster instead of a powerhouse, but it's his main way of getting around and it's his baby. Do not touch it.
One (1) Helmet: Can't ride without a helmet.
One (1) Seven Sisters Bookbag: With a couple of English textbooks, gym clothes, a miniature tool kit so he can work on his bike when he needs to, a bunch of flowers that Jun kept randomly tossing at him, one (1) Red Eagle Featherman mask, and a few healing items like Beads, Muscle Drinks, and Antidotes (two or three of each).
One (1) Katana: CAN'T FIGHT DEMONS WITHOUT THIS. It doesn't have any special abilities; just a useable sword that gets the job done.
His Clothes: That also work as armor...somehow. Rumors sure are weird.
Marking Location: On top of his right arm, where Nyarlathotep's brand will eventually be.
Miscellaneous: His Arcana is The Sun, starting off as Reversed before progressing into Upright. He also has the best compatibility with Hanged Man and The World.
This is what Tatsuya sounds like.
First Person: [It's odd, hearing the sound of tools working on something in this city. It's not like anything works anymore, so trying to fix anything mechanical would be pointless.
This young man doesn't know that, though. He doesn't even notice anyone approaching, as he's much too busy trying to figure out what's wrong with his bike. He reaches in, giving a few tugs before pulling out a spark plug with his bare hands and staring at it.]
...Weird. [It looks okay. The teenager carefully sets the spark plug back where it was, stands upright and turns the key on his bike. ...Nothing. Dead. Not even the sound of the engine trying to turn over. The battery can't be dead, right? He circles around his bike a few times, a lighter suddenly in his hand, being flicked open and shut, open and shut, while he outright glares at the bike. Like it's suddenly being uncooperative on purpose and he could intimidate it into working again.
Until he notices you, of course.]
Yeah, what? [It doesn't look like he's in a talkative mood. You probably caught him at a bad time.]
Third Person: The one good thing about staying in a place with no electricity was that there was no light pollution. The sky was absolutely beautiful at night. Everything was clearer, much more intense than what Tatsuya was used to. Obviously the reasonable thing to do when it was nice out was to climb onto a roof with some soda and chips he found and hang around there for awhile, looking at the sky. Sure, he was alone, but... maybe if he waited in this place a little bit longer, he'd find them. Or they would find him, somehow. Plus, looking at the stars made him feel less... lonely? Funny, since when did he start caring about that kind of stuff again?
The sky was very clear tonight, though, and there wasn't anything else to do, so why not? He laid back, gripping his unopened bottle of soda and searched the skies, trying to see if he could recognize anything. He wasn't as good at this as Jun, but... Oh! There was the Big Dipper, at least. Good, maybe he could find Polaris. Er, wait, was that the Little Dipper instead? Whatever, it was one of the Dippers, so he was at least still on Earth, right? Right.
After trying to find the Pleaides, Tatsuya sighed and sat up while finally opening his soda. This was stupid. Missing his friend was one thing, but he wasn't seriously starting to miss school, was he? Must have been because there wasn't much else to do here. Yeah, that had to be it. Oh well, he'd try walking around tomorrow to see if there was a way out of this city, if you could still call something that's been abandoned like this a "city".
He took a sip, then immediately spat out whatever he drank, so surprised by the flavor that it went down the wrong pipe and he started coughing. "What the-!?" Damn, it tasted...chicken-y? Please tell him that he didn't just drink fizzy chicken broth by mistake.
Tatsuya tossed the bottle off of the roof with a frustrated grunt and flopped onto his back, suddenly not very hungry anymore.