Wu (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
royalfling) wrote2020-12-03 08:00 pm
royalfling) wrote2020-12-03 08:00 pm
Entry tags:
Deerington App
IN CHARACTER
Character Name: Wu
Canon: Legend of Korra
Canon Point: In the post-series comics Ruins of the Empire, right when he’s brainwashed by Guan
In-Game Tattoo Placement: Over his shoulder blades
Current Health/Status: Healthy
Age: 21
Species: Human
Content Warnings: N/A
History: History
Personality: Wu is a study in contradictions. He’s privileged, spoiled, and self-centered, but deeply thoughtful and empathetic. He’s coiffed and confident, but he’s anxious and terrible at improvising. He tries to be the Prince and King he was trained to be, but he can’t quite fit the mold. When he tries to be the ladies-man Prince, he’s too loud, too brash, too inappropriate to be taken seriously. When he tries to be a serious, confident King, he breaks as soon as he something unplanned happens.
Wu's been told he has to be many things in his life, and he’s tried hard to follow the scripts he’s been given. Being raised a Prince, he was rewarded for certain behaviors, mostly ones that his Great-Aunt the Queen approved of. When he’s acting as the Prince, everything is about him, about him having a good time and getting what he wants. He takes what he wants, like conscripting Mako as his bodyguard, with little regard for others opinions or feelings. He flirts shamelessly with women who he believes should like him because he’s rich and famous, but he fails terribly at every turn because he tries too hard to be that person, coming off desperate and self-absorbed. When he meets Asami and Kuvira for the first time, he flirts inappropriately with both of them, leading to Asami feeling insulted, and Kuvira being more certain than ever in her plan to usurp his claim to the throne. He ignores the reality of his situation in favor of the prettier dream, like he planned a big party of a coronation when his Kingdom could barely afford to set up a. few bleachers. When Kuvira uses this coronation as a venue to announce her plans to take full control of the Earth Empire, he breaks down, unable to handle the reality of his powerlessness.
When Wu tries to be the King, he can't quite live up to his own expectations. He can recite his prepared speech, but the moment he’s asked a question, he freezes. Instead of answering the reporter, he bursts into song, and ends up throwing his crown into the audience before passing out in Mako's arms. Mako gives him the advice to “be himself,” but who Wu is and who he thinks a King should be are starkly different things. He doesn’t feel prepared for the role, and believes he has to perform it in a certain way, a way that is unnatural and uncomfortable for him. He knows what he wants to do as a King, but isn’t always able to execute his vision while trying to be his idea of a King. After his botched speech, President Moon saves the moment, demonstrating the type leader that Wu wants to be but can't quite achieve.
He does have moments of success as a King, like when he decides to abolish the Earth Kingdom monarchy. He was able to step outside of his self-centered, privileged life and see the reality of what his family has wrought on his Kingdom, and understands that it isn’t good for his people, or even for him. Through his experiences in Republic City, being free of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se for the first time in his life, meeting people like Mako's extended family who lived in poverty in Ba Sing Se, he’s able to being a new perspective on his role. When he lets himself be more authentic, he's able to connect with people. He helps motivate the citizens of Republic City to evacuate using a metaphor about going to the bathroom, broadcasting his off-color sense of propriety over a city-wide loudspeaker. When he lets his instincts guide him, he’s able to make thoughtful, prudent decisions, like reevaluating his plan to expedite elections in Earth Kingdom provinces after a first failed attempt. He’s willing to admit when he’s wrong and be vulnerable, understanding that the life he’s lived isn't the norm for his people or his friends. Wu's successful style of leadership is to utilize others to their full potential, taking the role of driving the ship from behind instead of in front.
The real Wu was hiding for much of Wu's life, first because of his Great-Aunt strict household, and then behind the persona of the spoiled Prince. His relationship with Mako helps Wu dig himself out from under the layers of repression that have been put on him, and that he's put on himself. As Wu's bodyguard, Mako is his constant companion, following him to every spa day and fancy event. He has firsthand access to Wu's extravagant lifestyle, but also to Wu himself. Since Wu's family and friends were killed in the Red Lotus' attack on Ba Sing Se, Mako became the only person who really knows who Wu is, without his bluster or finery or his off-color jokes about his family's deaths. Wu doesn't necessarily let Mako in, but Mako gets to see the real Wu anyway, since Wu can't keep up his Prince persona 24/7. After his botched coronation, Mako is the one to talk him down. He's the only one who's there for Wu, and who's honest with Wu. He gets through to Wu, making Wu take a step back and think about others, seeing how his actions affect them, and to see his place in the world. It doesn't hurt that one of Wu's main motivations over those three years is to get Mako's attention and approval.
The real Wu was hiding for much of Wu's life, first because of his Great-Aunt strict household, and then behind the persona of the spoiled Prince. His relationship with Mako helps Wu dig himself out from under the layers of repression that have been put on him, and that he's put on himself. As Wu's bodyguard, Mako is his constant companion, following him to every spa day and fancy event. He has firsthand access to Wu's extravagant lifestyle, but also to Wu himself. Since Wu's family and friends were killed in the Red Lotus' attack on Ba Sing Se, Mako became the only person who really knows who Wu is, without his bluster or finery or his off-color jokes about his family's deaths. Wu doesn't necessarily let Mako in, but Mako gets to see the real Wu anyway, since Wu can't keep up his Prince persona 24/7. After his botched coronation, Mako is the one to talk him down. He's the only one who's there for Wu, and who's honest with Wu. He gets through to Wu, making Wu take a step back and think about others, seeing how his actions affect them, and to see his place in the world. It doesn't hurt that one of Wu's main motivations over those three years is to get Mako's attention and approval.
Wu without his Prince persona is less performative, more honest. He’ll dance in the street like nobody’s watching, like he does when demonstrating what his coronation should be like, and he’ll sing on the back of a badgermole to rescue the Republic City refugees from Kuvira’s attack on the city. His approach to problem solving is untraditional, looking at things sideways. He has a deep love of music, dance, animals, clothes, and food, and he likes to indulge. He's always dressing impeccably or daydreaming about the next song he wants to write. Wu wishes for a life of leisure, which he could have gotten by following in the footsteps of his predecessors, but his moral compass led him to chose the harder path of abolishing the monarchy. However, that doesn't mean that he'll skip his daily sauna time.
Wu doesn't want to be exceptional. He wants to have the freedom to be himself, and to be loved as himself, instead of as a King.
Abilities/Powers/Weaknesses & Warping: No powers, no warping, normal human weaknesses (particularly weak to bee stings).
Inventory:
- A fancy suit
- Another fancy suit
- Yet another fancy suit
- Silk pajamas and slippers
- A nice winter top coat
- A Royal Satomobile (an old timey car)
OUT OF CHARACTER
Other Characters In Game: Eda Clawthorne
In-Game Tag If Accepted: wu: mads
Permissions for Character: Permissions
Are you comfortable with prominent elements of fourth-walling?: Yes
What themes of horror/psychological thrillers do you enjoy the most?: Don't love reading or watching them, but one of many things I love about horror games is characters trying to find a new normal within chaos.
Is there anything in particular you absolutely need specific content warnings for?: Nope