Application for towerofanimus

Player Information

Name: Albiel
Personal Journal: walther
Age: 20
Contact Info: plurk: albiel, AIM: ion lazarus
Other Characters Played: Apping Uuji and Aru.

Character Information

Character Name: Shiki Nanaya
Character Series: Tsukihime (Melty Blood)
Character Age: Looks about 18, but has only been summoned for a very short time.
Character Gender: Male.
Original Universe
Canon Point: Right at the beginning of Actress Again.
Background Link: Here
Personality: Nanaya’s personality archetype is that of a ‘blood knight’. While Shiki Tohno’s characterization in Tsukihime is all about coming to terms with the fragility and inner value of life, respecting it just as much as one would death, Nanaya much prefers to stab it in the gut and smile as all that ‘inner value’ comes out. He spends his every waking moment looking for a good fight, and anything that tries to stop him becomes part of the fun. It’s a good system.

That is not to say that that’s all there is to Nanaya. While it is indeed very hard to draw him out of his calm, snarky personality, there are a few triggers which seem to do the trick. Coming face to face with his father’s murderer, for one, seems to do the job, albeit only to such a degree that he enjoys his victory more than normal. He also seems to hold a certain degree of affection for White Len, given how he could be a lot more unreasonable in his actions (not that he doesn’t take the occasional unannounced vacation). Throughout Act Cadenza and Actress Again, it becomes evident that Nanaya’s able to develop just as much as an ordinary person now, not at all locked into the characteristics he first possessed.

It is important to note that Nanaya, while a sadistic killer, is certainly not an indiscriminate one. Unlike his Kagetsu Tohya incarnation, this Nanaya is not the representation of Shiki’s fears of what he could become, but his actual unused instincts and personality given form. This translates into an… admirable? Admirable work ethic. Sort of. After all, Nanaya’s business is to do away with demons and vampires, and in the time and place he comes from, business is a-boomin’. The certainty that he’ll attempt to kill demons, vampires, or anything abnormally strong should not give rise to the belief that he won’t attack anyone else. Killing weak people may be boring, but a murder’s a murder. However, he’s unlikely to attack people like these unless circumstances prompt him to do so.

Nanaya’s incredibly poetic, mixing this with his typical non-chalance and some slang every now and then. It’s an uncommon combination, but he makes it work. He displays a decent degree of intelligence through his vocabulary, but not in many other areas, given his single-minded obsession with murder. Indeed, he actually seems to have a basis for his madness, expressing through his words how beautiful, how fascinating he finds his trade. This could be interpreted as a mirror image of Shiki’s respect for life, as Nanaya certainly likes to make a person’s last moment as memorable as possible.

Despite all that, everything still comes down to his love for turning life into death. To Nanaya, living is simply a means towards taking the life of others. He seeks instant self-gratification, and is not at all opposed to committing murder when it would kill him as well, even if he very much would prefer to remain. Despite knowing everyone Shiki knows, addressing them the same way and even indicating that he still has the same relation, he will have any feeling his original counterpart felt towards them replaced by the insatiable need to stab, slice, rip them apart.

Abilities: Nanaya has… pretty much the same abilities his counterparts have, even if he's probably in somewhat better shape than regular Shiki. He's quite capable of performing such feats as snapping necks with his bare hands, and is quite willing to engage in battle without his knife.

He's also learned Flash Sheath. You know the drill. Nanaya moves so fast and has enough technique that he’s able to avoid human sight. This allows him to remain undetected up until the moment he strikes. Nanaya's specific speed is unspecified, but he can, at the very least, outrun a knife going at mach speeds.

He is also in possession of incredible instincts, and is able to sense the nature of people, at least to such a degree that he can immediately know how human they are. I've described how this comes in handy.

A distinctive difference between Nanaya and Shiki is that these abilities are the norm for him, reflected in gameplay by him being able to use them at any time.

Of course, like all Shikis before him, this is one of the few Nanayas that is capable of using the Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception. These bring the object to its natural conclusion as soon as the lines they display are traced with any object, and are capable of cutting pretty much anything Nanaya can visualize the death of. Concepts and beings beyond Gaia do not fit this classification for him. Unlike other Shikis, Nanaya’s very careful about using his power, by which I mean he doesn’t. Ever. Nanaya enjoys the thrill of a good fight far too much to give himself that advantage, and prefers to compensate for his lack of use of it by getting more creative. In fact, he will never use it so long as he can feasibly harm his target through normal means.

A big difference with the other Shikis is his reliance on White Len to exist, given how he's a TATARI construct. I'm not going to lie here. I'm going to handwave his existence in the tower with Nasubabble. Big time. On the other hand, his contract with her indicates he's just as capable of providing prana as a normal human.

Sample Entry: “And another. Let’s see if this one is as entertaining as last month’s.”

It’s a genuine inquiry. The quiet musings of an individual who’s coming to realize something’s off. Like everyone, he sees the chaos developing within the walls of this murderous garden, but naturally, the feelings of a killer are different in the face of such an event. Nanaya is no stranger to a slaughter. Slowly as he may take it, most nights end with a fountain of blood, a festival of death when it comes to him. At the very least, they all end with the intention of carrying them out.

However, enjoying the act of doing something does not necessarily equate one deriving happiness from watching it. Large-scale incidents in this tower end all too often in a slaughter, and while Nanaya is more than happy to partake in such a feast, there is something to be said for how much it takes from the meaning of killing. During these times, death lost its importance, becoming an expectation of the tower’s residents. Shiki rather enjoys the challenge of a fight in which both participants know the stakes, but…

“Too similar. Didn’t they hear that variety is the spice of life?”

The drawing of a knife is unnecessary. Nanaya would not feel at ease if he didn’t have it in his hand at all times. Instead, the blade simply separates from the hilt, granting it lethal form.

“Although ‘life’ isn’t really accurate here, is it? In that case, my job for the day is clear. You don't need to worry about variety, tower. I will give you the most palatable of deaths.” He does not speak to anyone in particular. No, the words are directed at whoever is unfortunate enough to be his partner for the evening. It makes little difference for them, even if Nanaya hopes they can provide a memorable occasion.