cerealia | app

[bluetruth]

Applicant Info

◎ Name: Owl
◎ Journal: avian
◎ Contact: ryoji

Character Info

◎ Character's Name: Battler Ushiromiya
◎ Character's Canon: Umineko no Naku Koro ni
◎ Character's Age: 18
◎ Canon Point: Post-EP3
◎ Background/History:
Here
Here, under ‘story’.
◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? No.

◎ Personality:

Battler is complicated for one so outwardly simple on the face front. He's a deep thinker, even with knowing his inner monologue makes up a good portion of the visual novel's text. While a boy of his age and even more openly perverse than most (treating reaching for a woman's breasts as a cheerful greeting, accepting the slap that would inevitably come because in his eyes it's an icebreaker), there's plenty that Battler is smart about in the world. One of his strengths, and the forwarding plot of the story, is that Battler is incredibly genre-savvy. After being murdered along with his family, he wakes up to them eating snacks together and calling it a bad end, saying a witch had murdered them all. Only Battler is brave enough to stand up and say no, that's wrong. Witches don't exist. While not apparent right at that moment, Battler has understood that his life and that iteration of it had taken on the mantle of a story, and even though he was shellshocked when the witch, Beatrice, revealed herself, he was quick to say that she'd only been granted a half-existence out of the others' belief in her. If everyone believed it, it might as well be the truth, and that sustained her. Ready to avenge his family and claim his world back, Battler challenged her to a witch's game, ready to prove that humans could have committed the murders.

And this is where one of Battler's biggest weaknesses lie. He was crushed easily and broken down in his first true game with her, reduced to admitting magic was real and in the end, stripped naked and lead by the witch on a leash. While Battler was smart enough to assess the situation, he was not necessarily so to progress it, or understand that the cards were stacked heavily against him in that situation. It was only by the inspiration from another relative that Battler regained his existence and challenged her again. Battler's cycle of weakness and strength go from his inability to assess the situation, and for lack of better word, bullshit his way to attempt a victory, and he strength comes from standing up again no matter what if he falls. This endurance can be easily seen when Beatrice repeatedly murders him, reducing him to meat with her stakes, between games. He laughs it off. 'Stupid like a fox' applies here, and it applies heavily.

But even if Battler makes dumb mistakes, he will occasionally get a stroke of brilliance and get even footing in the game. Battler falls fast, but learns quickly for it, able to understand excruciating puzzles and metaphors when, frankly, one in his situation would expect him not to, although a reader's perspective might understand it a lot easier. Where he will trip, he will learn. This endurance might take him far in this game-- but he's bound to take some hard falls as well. When left to his thoughts, Battler can figure out and work through a lot. Though jovial and playful, the seriousness of a situation is never lost on him. However, his kindness can lead to gullibility, and once bitten, twice shy applies. The game of witches has robbed him of some of his simpler innocence that the 'piece' Battler maintains. The difference is Battler still maintains a lot of it in comparison to what he lost. He can grit his teeth and happily grin when something goes his way. For seeing his family murdered repeatedly, the end victory is what matters to him. He has not let himself go cold or distant out of what has happened to him, another of his strengths.

A surprising part of Battler is, despite his occasionally whimsical nature, is his sense of duty to the things he cares about. When it took Beatrice to break and die for Battler to finally understand her and her motivations, his tone took a dramatic shift to both revive and protect her and what she means to him. His sympathy is deep-running and if there is a reason for Battler to believe in someone, he will do so without fail. Throughout the course of Umineko, Battler goes from a cheerful persona to someone burdened with deep responsibility for the person he loves, and holds no regret or resentment for that burden, only guilt for the pain he caused and the perseverance to make things right. Battler is capable of great forgiveness and unyielding love, even in the face of things like the deaths of his entire family. The only thing, and only motivation the player Battler has towards the end of EP4 and onward is to understand Beatrice and let her finally rest.

Battler is constantly reading into things, even if he trips up. The power of his observation is a strong one. Even if he’s not on the level of some of the better detectives of fiction, he’s extremely socially savvy. He knows when to intervene with relatives and how to get along with children to cheer them up. Maria, his cousin who has problem child tendencies, is a great example of how Battler can get along with and help ease tensions between his family by getting along with her. In general, Battler seems to possess a sense of conflict understanding that leads him to intervene and be the peacemaker among family members. Occasionally, there’s nothing he can do to help the Ushiromiyas, but when he has opportunities, it’s obvious that most everyone in the family finds him amicable.

He’s not without his flaws and faults. He jumps the shark easily and can easily make a bad situation worse without foresight. This is not usually within Rokkenjima itself, but more in his fights with the witch, Beatrice. He’s an honest person who shows his hand easily, and is too trusting when his heartstrings are being played. His deductive prowess is often challenged by this, and it makes him prone to loss on the chessboard. In the earlier parts of the game, there’s nothing that makes Battler want to doubt the family he loves and trusts, but time and understanding erodes his belief in what the Ushiromiya family is capable of. Battler is easily prone to becoming jaded, even non-responsive, in situations that are stacked against him. He is ruled so thoroughly by his emotions that sometimes, it dictates his functionality. He’s occasionally unable to separate his beliefs from his rationale and it stops him from being a full-fledged opponent in the first four games. In the latter four, Battler’s shift in demeanor gives way to having a more competent and adept understanding of Beatrice’s world.

Battler will generally treat everyone (barring people who make themselves known as threats) with kindness and teasing and generally being amicable. He doesn't mistrust someone unless they make it apparent they should not be trusted. One more important thing to hammer in is that Battler thinks a lot. Plenty of his discussion with other people will be broken by his own internal narration, and continued. Mind readers will feel like they are reading an autobiography. Etc.

Battler is cheery, chatty, and extroverted. He’s the kind of person who can light up a room if given the center stage, and often does so. The fact that he can be a real charmer doesn’t mask his several flaws, though; he’s got a lot on his plate and a lot to be responsible for, but he still manages to be irresponsible even when he really shouldn’t be. Understanding the gravity of the situation is something Battler can have trouble with, and is bound to get him in trouble. Fortunately or unfortunately, he’s even able to adjust being torn apart and reviving by Beatrice’s seven stakes. To him, nothing can be as bad as the reality he faces back home, and even if he runs into trouble here, he’ll have a hard time believing he’ll “actually” die until Beatrice is done with him.

There’s a slight mesh of ‘survival instincts’ and ‘willing to die to protect others’ in Battler, which makes for a confusing set of instincts. He will go as far as he can to get to his goal, but protecting others is also a main priority. If he knows he’ll come back, he’ll throw himself down for someone else’s safety unless it’s vital that he remains alive, and even then the guilt will eat him up a bit. It’s measuring what’s right and what’s necessary, with the first one often balancing out the second.

His personable personality often leads him to make quick bonds with other people, quickly rekindling his old friendships with his cousins after not seeing them for six years. He’s great with kids for the most part, as well. Also, he’s good at reaching out to others and offering empathy or sympathy for their situations, something that becomes a huge part of him in the latter half of his games. Battler does come off as a little empty headed at times, and it will be extremely apparent when he’s surrounded by people who know more about the situation than him. He’s oft to make quick assumptions and go off on tangential ideas before being fully informed, and often has to have things explained to him.

Nothing at his core changes the fact that he’s a strong hearted person, deeply stubborn and steel willed. His entire story arc is about discovery, solving, and understanding the truth of what happens around him and how he comes to understand the great Golden Witch.

◎ Powers/Abilities:

Abilities:

• Blue Truth
The ability to make theories in floating, blue text that can be weaponized. As an abstract weapon and power, it can only be used against other Umineko cast members or as a flashy non-power to those who don't wield any text. This can manifest as a blade but cannot do any actual sword work against a normal human being.

Endless Nine
• The ability to deny magic so completely that abstract concepts about it no longer affect him. This doesn't mean anything in regards to the magic that he'll have to face against in the game. This is purely a canon-only power that only makes itself visible here as something someone can sense (and hopefully nerfs it to be more suitable for the setting). Like sensing magic, but in the completely opposite direction.

Battler is physically strong for his age, given that he works out. He's got a lean, limber body that's probably on the mid-upper scale of physical fitness but is nothing to write home about. In addition, Battler has a strong constitution even when dealing with intense situations, and can think his way through them most of the time. He can deal with being torn up and pieced back together again on a good day in the meta world, but only at the behest of Beatrice and her infinite magic. A natural quick thinker, Battler keeps himself on his feet when facing off with opponents and either does well under pressure or falls apart so completely that it's a little agonizing to watch. Regardless, there's a lot to be said for his logical deduction, even if a lot of it is stalling for time.

In weaknesses, Battler's not so great with motion sickness. Moving vehicles can often leave him shaken up or otherwise in a mess once he's on them. He has no fighting prowess, so while he's physically fit, he can't fight off anyone beyond what a normal human being can do. Battler also has a tendency to break down emotionally and loudly when things get too up close and personal, which granted, is something he gets better at the more it happens, rounding out into a bigger strength towards the end of the game but isn't one quite yet. He's far from perfect, a lot of his detective reasoning is based on a simple mystery enthusiast's knowledge and doesn't extend beyond it, leaving him cornered at times. He's definitely more about action than sitting around and plotting, which leaves him at a disadvantage at times.

He has problems seeing things that are right in front of him, even to the point where people spell it out for him and he still needs more hints as to the true nature of what he's looking for. He can be especially stubborn, hard headed, and brash when he feels pressure mounting and it leads him to trip up with a lot of mistakes.
◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory: Nothing aside from the clothes on his back.

CEREALIA-Specific

◎ Element: Fire.
◎ Sense: Sight. Battler is the detective of his story, and while all senses are important to a detective, none are so important as the ability to bear witness and observe from a crime scene. There’s also the issue that Battler, while a detective, cannot be everywhere and witness everything, so sight is also the trait that challenges him the most.
◎ Seven Character Traits:
( + hot-blooded, driven, devoted) ( - dramatic, prone to failure, tunnel vision) + stubborn.

Samples

◎ First-Person Sample:
Here and here and here.

◎ Third-Person Sample:

They aren't wooden. They aren't painted. They aren't things to be shifted around on a board.

Battler eyed the chessboard laying innocently on the table with contempt. He picked up the piece that was supposed to represent him.

We're all people... we're all so much more than this.

He saw people he loved and cared about die in cruel and unusual ways. Executioners would be more gentle than the golden witch. He'd fallen for a pity-plea and paid the price for it, if not for the red-haired girl that stopped him at the end. If all was fair in war, why did it have so many rules to bind him and kick him while he was down? There was no point in questioning that. He entered this game and repeatedly learned from it that it was going to be played that way-- with him at a severe, if not crushing disadvantage. His trial would be to overcome it, and he would. He was a man without a plan, however, that wasn't entirely his own. There was no one he could speak to, and no one he could trust, except for possibly that girl. Who was she? He could only guess a woman with his best interests in mind, given how brutally she had crashed the previous party.

He leaned back, and thought. He thought about things that weren't the game, about school and about a few of his friends and family, about discussions and things he did a few summers back, about things he wanted to do in the future. He thought about how lucky George was and Jessica too, and he hoped the best for Maria, and his aunts and uncles. He stopped thinking about the old geezer because he was already thinking other things about him, but thinking about his life that wasn't the game, even if for only five, ten minutes, gave him something strange. Something to look at outside the world he was presently trapped in, reminding him he still needed to get back there. He had friends, a future, a little sister who was sick at home. He had hopes and aspirations like anyone else, even if he was a rich kid with a weird name who was probably expected to handle business later. If Battler understood one thing, even through his fear and anger, is that he could carve his way out if he wanted to. Like he needed to.

His hand fumbled for the last cookie on the table. God, he was tired of tea. He wanted a vending machine outside the door or something. Tea was such a depressing drink, and when he got out of here, he'd probably swear it off forever. The cookies he might miss. Ronove was pretty damn good at that if he stopped to think about it, then humored if the rumors were true and people really did line up for his cookies. Then he considered he might be lucky, and then considered with how up close and personal Ronove liked to get, that he might be satisfied with store bought cookies too.

... He spent the last five minutes thinking about cookies when he should have been thinking of the fourth game strategy. He sat back up in the chair and slapped himself a little, thinking he needed to go wash his face with cold water and get his mind back on track, lest he wanted to be schooled yet again. Third time would be the charm if he didn't believe in charms. Third time would be his own personal win, and then he could go think about those inane things as if thinking about them was a luxury, through and through.

When he hadn't been paying attention, breakfast had appeared on the table. And then he would have to brawl one of those ass nee-chans for it and suddenly wonder why he became so used to this as his life.

◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories? Nope!