• Petting Zoo Justice - Dance Gavin Dance
• No Nurture - A Lot Like Birds
• We Need More Skulls - The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die

Aloof and unemotional, Ruu keeps his distance from others to maintain an air of control. And that control is likely one of the first things someone would notice about him: what Ruu says, goes. Moreover, Ruu also uses this exertion of control as means to hide weakness. He inherited his father's authority and strictness, both through genetics and upbringing.

Due to said upbringing however, Ruu also struggles extensively with interpersonal relationships and social situations. Aside from terrorising anyone under him, he has no idea how to relate, or even care for, another human being. Ruu struggles to understand anyone who does not think or behave the way he does and though he would not admit it, he is scared of people in a way.

Ruu also exhibits a number of childish tendencies, most notably: poor impulse control, a vivid imagination, and a tendency to space out while daydreaming. Despite first impressions however, Ruu is not, nor has ever been, intent on causing needless harm. He shies away from violence as much as possible, and would much rather spend his days isolated and lost in his own little world than the criminal empire he found himself head of.

Ruu has been told - more times than he can count - that he inherited his mother's looks. He has no way to confirm this as she died before he could form long-term memories, and any evidence of her ever existing has seemingly vanished.

Calling what existed between Ruu's father and mother a "relationship" stretches the word's meaning. Jeremiah was a boss within the GreyNorth organised crime syndicate and, though Ruu cannot be certain, he suspects his mother met Jeremiah through some debt or other illicit business. Maybe her death was caused by her wanting to leave GreyNorth. There must have been an additional, more personal reason however, because aside from attempting to erase her memory, Jeremiah only ever mentioned the woman between imprecations and derogatory terms.

Ruu's childhood was not easy. He was exposed to a world of violence and deceit at a young age, all by a father that never showed any traces of affection. Jeremiah switched (seemingly at random) between seeing Ruu as a trophy and parading him around as such (those under him used to joke about Ruu being like a puppy from following his father so closely) and being cruel to the boy, ridiculing his interests and mannerisms and demanding a ludicrous level of discipline. If Jeremiah was displeased by anything Ruu did, he had no qualms with resorting to corporal punishment.

Between the abuse and lack of socialisation, Ruu grew incredibly socially inept. He withdrew from everyone around him out of fear of being hurt and of a budding arrogance; his privileged upbringing with designer clothes and prestigious private schooling led him to believe himself a notch above the masses. And as he grew, Ruu also began to spend as much time away from his father and the world of organised crime as he could.

The murder of Ruu's father came when the boy was merely sixteen. His feelings were complicated and exhausting - to such extent that he avoided even acknowledging it at first. On one hand, Jeremiah's death was a relief. He found comfort in knowing he was free of his father's hyper controlling ways. Yet, he was also alone for the time in his life. Not that Ruu had much time to contemplate what his sudden adulthood meant, as Jeremiah's death had left an open gap within the gang's leadership and, Ruu knew from experience, such power vacuums brought nothing but bloodshed. He established himself as his father's successor before anyone could sweep the position from under his feet; through a mixture of sheer luck and strategic alliances, Ruu managed to garner enough support for his new position to not be questioned.

Two years have passed since the death of his father. Now eighteen and finishing high school, Ruu's authority in GreyNorth is hardly questioned. He will go to university after school - not quite sure what faculty yet - and, despite everything in his life, he tries to look ahead. Ruu knows he cannot neglect his duties in GreyNorth (and also knows that what few enemies he has would gladly backstab him were he to lose power), but tries regardless to distance himself from that life bit by bit. Though he would never admit it, Ruu has humoured the thought of running away and starting life anew more than once.

trivia

• Uses his mother's surname
• The story with Ruu's mother is halfway tragic and halfway... Bizarre. He has never seen a photo of her, nobody seems to know her first name (and many question whether Minami was even her real surname) nor does anyone know where she was from or how she met Ruu's father. Any attempts to find out anything about her have led nowhere - and this causes Ruu a lot of distress
• Does a lot, a lot, of maladaptive daydreaming
• Honestly Ruu would be perfectly happy sitting down and daydreaming for a couple hours straight
• Loves animals! Dogs especially and wolfdogs even more
• Has been drawing ever since he was a child and enjoys it a lot, though nobody is allowed to see his art it's all wolves tho js
• Does not swear and dislikes it when people around him do
• Tends to talk in a very formal way - not polite, just formal
• Does not like being touched at all

design

• Always has sunglasses on him (if he's not wearing them they're tucked in his shirt/on his head)
• Hair is asymmetrical and longer on the left side
• Stylish expensive looking clothes?? Designer jackets, leather shoes...
• Was last seen smiling never

Cecile

Saying Ruu finds Cecile unpleasant is an understatement. Cecile's visceral hatred towards Ruu's father moved onto Ruu following the man's death (and Ruu's refusal to do anything about the alleged murder of Cecile's mother). Cecile frequently criticises Ruu by saying he is turning into his father, which infuriates him.

Sebastian

Someone Ruu hardly knows but who seems to have made it a point to grow close to Ruu. While Ruu appreciates Sebastian's loyalty, he wishes he would shut up more often.

Alena

A hitman Ruu only ever met in person once or twice. He has no opinion on the woman aside from finding her useful. However, he also knows better than to let his guard down, and makes sure to remind her to never underestimate him.