JJ Doe

The Spirits Within: Stigma

@Archangel89 Wait. Surgery? Are you okay? Wait, no, that's a stupid question: you're not okay, that's why you're undergoing surgery. I hope it's nothing serious and I also hope you get out of it safely.

The Spirits Within: Stigma

Main Story — Oakridge Campus — Rui’s Room

For Rui Liú, the graduation party was something akin to a living funeral —and not in a philosophical way either. This was not some symbolic event, which marked the end of irresponsible youth and innocence; the last time one could party as a minor and the first time one would party as a full-fledged member of society. No. For Rui, zhe had no doubt in zher mind that the graduation party was going to be the last big social gathering zhe would ever be a part of. So zhe sure as hell made sure zhe had as much fun as possible —although what constitutes as “fun” for Rui is questionable.

For the first half of the party, when Rui was not partaking in typical party activities with zher peers, zhe was stealthily causing some kind of trouble as if zhe was the director of a live reality show or prank show; trouble that usually involved more than one person and caused unnecessary drama, to which Rui would simply watch from afar while simultaneously pretending to be innocent of any involvement. It was a terrible thing to enjoy and Rui knew zhe’d go straight to whatever hell equivalent Libra had to offer to abominations (the void, perhaps?), but it was totally worth it. Or, at least, it was to Rui.

While Rui did find some enjoyment in mingling with zher peers who actually knew little to nothing about zhim, it was only when the second half of the party started when Rui really started to have some fun: Olivia tracked down and kidnapped all of her childhood friends and dragged them to various nightclubs in Lasana for the rest of the evening and the early part of the morning. At each club the group talked about trivial things; played stupid games; danced until their legs ached; drank a little too much to be considered healthy; and just enjoyed each other’s company. Rui did, however, refrain from drinking and was probably the only person who remained truly sober the entire time. Zhe did this largely for five reasons: 1.) zhe didn’t really like the taste of alcohol in the first place; 2.) someone had to be the designated driver; 3.) zhe wanted to be sober if and when Scout, Eric, and/or Aaron did something stupid so that zhe could tease them about it when they did eventually become sober again; 4.) zhe never wanted to be the vulnerable one; and most importantly 5.) to protect the clueless drunkards from the dangers that were ever present in every other bar they went to, especially Alabaster.

Powerful superhumans they may be, Guardians are not immune to the effects of… suspicious looking drugs. Rui immediately recognized the looks some of the clubs’ patrons gave to the good-looking men and women in the group —which Rui would proudly proclaim that it was every damn person in said group— and was automatically on high alert. Every time someone added something that was not supposed to be in a drink for any of zher friends or zhimself, Rui made sure it failed to reach anyone’s lips by “accidentally” spilling the contents of the drink on: the floor; the person who offered the drink; Scout’s hair; or Eric’s expensive looking suit. But mostly on Eric’s clothes. The only exception was when a spiked drink was given to Alabaster. Like the spiked drinks before, Rui felt Malice get unusually excited by the drink and noticed other spirits of particular emotions respond strongly to the drink to it as well; “prints” of the perpetrator and their intentions oozed from the innocuous looking drink… and it disgusted Rui. Before Alabaster’s fingers could touch the drink, Rui quickly snatched the glass away and managed to subtly return the drink to the perpetrator when zhe offered to buy them a drink. Then zhe waited. Waited until zhe was sure they drank their own poison, before excusing zhimself from the group. Rui disappeared with the now-victim ex-perpetrator into the back of the club and didn’t return for 30 minutes. When zhe finally returned, zhe was alone. If anyone asked where zhe had gone off to, Rui claimed that zhe went to the bathroom. Those who went to the bathroom and happened to check on the other one to see if Rui might have been in there knew that zhe was lying; or at least not telling the entire truth. When told about this, Rui just smiled, “I’m not lying. I had to clean the mess off myself in the bathroom.”

---

The second the door shut behind zher, and zhe was left standing alone in zher dark dormitory room, Rui suddenly felt an almost overwhelming sense of loneliness. Perhaps it was because zhe had spent a full day hanging out with people or perhaps the sudden realization that zhe had graduated —that “this life” was over— hit Rui as hard as a bird hit by a bullet train, or perhaps both. Zhe surveyed zher room, the only home zhe had ever had, as if it was the last time zhe’d ever see it again. Zhe wondered what would happen to zher stuff. If “they” were going to throw the stuff away, maybe zhe should just completely destroy zher own room as one last “f**k you” to the world. The thought only lasted for a split second, however, since it was quickly replaced by Alabaster’s face, then Elvira’s, and then the rest of the gang, until Samuel’s face emerged. Rui sighed, almost in defeat, before zhe began to organize zher personal belongings into specific boxes and cleaned zher own room.

By the time Rui was finished, the sun rose high into the sky. Zhe hadn’t slept at all, but didn’t feel particularly tired either so zhe decided it was a good of time as any to get ready for the day. Sure, there was nothing special happening today, but Rui would never be caught dead wearing the same outfit two days in a row if zhe could help it. Well, okay, maybe zhe was lying to zhimself: something “special” was supposed to happen today, but if Rui were to wear something that best represented how zhe felt about WARG registration, Rui would have dressed up as a hobo and rolled in a pigsty before heading to the administration office. But alas, “hobo” is not in Rui’s fashion arsenal and is unlikely to be a trend within Rui’s lifetime. The best thing to do was to take zher sweet time getting ready, which zhe does.

When Rui finally left zher room, housekeeping had reached zher end of the dormitory. Zhe smiled at the housekeeper and greeted her politely, “Good day Mrs. Green.” The middle woman greeted Rui with a warm smile, “Hello darling. Starting the day off late, I see?”
“It was an exciting night. I don’t think anyone who went to a party woke up early… well, at least not without feeling incredibly sick.”
“Oh, you don’t need to tell me. I’ve already cleaned most of this place and I have seen the damage. I can never understand why people would drink to the point that they’d throw it all back up the next morning. It’s such a waste… and more work for us.”
“You are a braver soul than I, Mrs. Green. I cannot imagine how you manage to do your job.”
“Sweethearts like you make it much more easier. Now, I know the answer, but I’ll ask anyways: does your room need cleaning?” Mrs. Green glanced at Rui’s door, which was left ajar, then immediately raised her eyebrows. The housekeepers never had a problem with Rui’s room since it was always kept clean, but it had never looked so bleak before. It only took a few seconds for Mrs. Green to realize that almost everything had been placed into moving boxes. She turned to Rui quizzically, “Are you moving out, darling?”

Rui was about to open zher mouth when the announcement rang through the halls, summoning the members of the Helston Team to the administration office. “I’m sorry Mrs. Green, it seems I am wanted.” Rui bowed lightly.
“It’s okay. Have a good day, darling.”
“You too, Mrs. Green.” Rui began to walk down the hall, but then quickly halted when a black garbage bag caught zher eyes. Rui turned back to the housekeeper, “I’m sorry again, Mrs. Green, but is it all right if I can have this?”
Mrs. Green’s eyes followed the direction Rui’s finger was pointing, “Oh, I doubt you’d want what’s inside of there, darling. It’s some of the damage I was just talking about. Mostly… you know, things like vomit and… other human excretions that contaminated objects.”
“I was helping Dr. Edrik with collecting… samples for a study. He didn’t specify where I could get the samples, so I thought we could use this opportunity to use what is… naturally available and plentiful at the moment.”
“Dr. Edrik? Well… if he wants these… samples, I can deliver it to him after I’m done with these rooms.”
“Oh, no Mrs. Green, you are far too busy to be doing that! I have to meet Dr. Edrik later today, anyways, so I can deliver it myself.”
“Are… you sure?”
“I am positive,” Rui took the garbage bag and saluted to Mrs. Green, “I wish you luck on your dangerous, but necessary quest.”
Mrs. Green laughed lightly at the gesture, but returned it before vanishing into the dorm room next door. As soon as she disappeared, Rui swiftly returned to zher own room with the bag and came back out without it a few moments later, locking the door shut.

Main Story — Oakridge Campus — Administration Offices

It didn’t actually matter whether or not Rui went to the administration office to register for WARG: as Rui’s “owner” the military already decided everything for zhim. Zhe could have ignored the summoning completely and Rui’s registration would have still been completed… a month ago. So in truth, Rui going to the office was just a formality. The only reason why Rui was even heading to the office was because zhe had nothing better to do and it was highly likely that zhe would see some familiar faces if zhe went. Zhe didn’t expect the first face to be Eric though. On second thought, of course it was Eric. Why wouldn’t he want to be the first one there?

Rui groaned and was ready to accost Eric, when zhe thought zhe heard his stomach rumble. Rui waited a few more seconds, hoping to hear it again for confirmation, but no such thing happened. Was… Eric hungry? Rui stared at the man, then glanced down at the granola bars Rui had snatched from the cafeteria on zher way to the office as a light late-breakfast, then at what the man wore, then at the coffee vending machine that was placed in the waiting room. A wicked smile grew across Rui’s face.

---

“Hello, Eric!” Rui cheerfully greeted Eric as zhe walked towards him, “How’d you sleep?” With how long they’ve known each other it should have been obvious to Eric that Rui was up to something; most likely to torment him in some way or form. “I’m just soooooo tired, I needed to get a cup of coffee,” Rui said as zhe raised zher extremely shaky hand to show Eric the coffee zhe just purchased from the vending machine. Rui continued to shake the cup —ever threatening to spill it’s contents on to the floor… or more likely, on Eric’s expensive suit, just like the night before—, “sorry, I’m feeling a little shaky for some reason. Maybe I’m hungry,” Rui said as zhe whipped out an already open granola bar and took a nice, slow, bite out of it. “MMMMM! De-licious.”

The Spirits Within: Stigma

Ah, okay. Gotacha. In which case, I'm sure they would love to beat the crap out of each other XD Best sparring buddies ever!

The Spirits Within: Stigma

@DJAtomika Duel buddies? Buddies? I’m surprised! I recall you saying something along the lines that there wasn’t a reason for Eric wanting to friends with Rui. Perhaps he doesn’t know about Rui’s dark side? You know it’s okay for Eric to out right hate Rui :)

The Spirits Within: Stigma

I’m guessing the only person’s character(s) we haven’t seen yet is @Redrum’s?

Edit: Ah, and @Frettzo's.

@DJAtomikaSo… Erick and Rui’s relationship… What shall it be? >:)

The Spirits Within: Stigma

@DJAtomikaYay! Can't wait to see him!

@clericbeastPure frenemies it is then >:)

@Halcyon


Nah, don’t worry about it ;)

Well, Rui would rather not have people knowing about zher dark side and zhe does zher best to keep it hidden, but sometimes it just slips (especially when zhe gets emotional). Frenemies do know about Rui’s dark side and Rui won’t hesitate to show that side in front of them as long as people who don’t know about the dark side aren’t around. Friends most likely do know about Rui’s dark side (it depends on the player), but I don’t know if they actually know how dark and twisted Rui can get since Rui wouldn’t do the things zhe does to enemies to zher friends. If Rui does care about someone like family, then the dark side rarely appears.

The Spirits Within: Stigma

@DJAtomika*Pokes DJ* Hey. *Pokes DJ again* Hey. When are we going to be able to see Eric?

@WhoamiHmmmmm... I wonder... What would Kade and Rui's relationship be? I'm not sure if Rui even showed zher dark side in front of her before (at least, not intentionally).

If the academy does school festivals (cultural festivals?) then I could see the celebrity singer of Cetra and the teen idol of Oakridge doing something together.

@PriskAt least Rui has one fan in the group! XD

It almost sounds like one of those situations where a parent is trying to make their teenage child try to behave a certain way and the teenager gets all moody when that happens, but it's not like they don't love their parent? Yeah. That. Might end up having a similar relationship that Olivia and Elvira have...Huh...the "Designated Parents/Parental Substitute" trope might work with Olivia and Rui's relationship...

Not surprised "angelic Rui" resonates well with Olivia since that side is, to some degree, influenced by Olivia.

The Spirits Within: Stigma

Rui Liú

29 February | 145cm

Personality

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who believe Rui is an angelic sweetheart and those who know Rui’s “other face.” If one were to ask about Rui, a majority of “her” acquaintances would say —with great confidence— that Rui is a sweet, adorable, innocent, and innocuous young woman. Being the social butterfly that she is, it does not take long for people to like Rui. She is, at the very least, popular amongst her peers and school faculty; revered as Oakridge’s teen idol. This can be attributed to the fact that Rui acts equally nice, polite, and friendly to everyone she meets. “Acts,” being the key word.

The unfortunate few who discovered Rui’s “other side”, know that “angelic Rui” is just a façade: zhe only acts that way to make sure zhe gets what zhe wants; to camouflage zher true self and zher less than noble intentions. “Dark Rui” is a foulmouthed, self-centered, manipulative, sadist. Mischievous by nature, Rui will cause various degrees of trouble for the sake of personal entertainment, but it is only when one get’s on her bad side that things can get extremely dangerous. Rui gets ruthless when zhe seeks revenge and will do everything in zher power to make zher target miserable. The more (mental) pain zhe knows zhe inflected on zher target, the more exhilarated Rui becomes. Once Rui is satisfied with the amount of damage zhe has done, then Rui quickly looses interest of the target and leave him/her to whatever fate awaits them. When the target continuously stands triumphant over every “unfortunate event” that occurred to them, Rui becomes increasingly enraged and obsessed over the target. Eventually, Rui would simply snap and resort to old-fashion assault, which usually does the trick. Interestingly, despite how angry Rui gets, zhe is always rational enough to cover zher track; making sure that nothing negative zhe does leads back to zhim. Most of zher victims don’t even know that Rui was the mastermind and no one believes the few that do know it was Rui and attempted to expose zhim. If people saw how brutally Rui fights the Mordrem, they might have been more inclined to believing the claims.

Although great at pretending to be sympathetic towards others, in truth, Rui is extremely apathetic towards almost everything and everyone, especially if it does no directly affect Rui and those zhe loves. If Rui witnessed a stranger being beaten to death and did absolutely nothing about it (whether it be calling for help or some other form of intervention), Rui could still walk away with a clear conscious. While Rui is capable of caring about others, more often than not, zhe cares because of their usefulness. There are only a hand full of people Rui genuinely cares about and considers to be a friend or family. As one can imagine, it is difficult to become friends with Rui and even harder to become more than that. Not just because of Rui’s darker side, but also because Rui does not trust others easily or willingly. One would not be wrong to assume that this distrust stems from fear of being betrayed and/or abandoned.

It is difficult to claim with absolute certainty that “angelic Rui” —or even “dark Rui” for that matter— is a completely “fake” or “real” idiosyncrasy of Rui’s for a number of reasons. First off, people who knew Rui when zhe was younger —mainly zher childhood friends— remember little Rui being a soft-spoken child who was well mannered, but was lonely and desperate for love and acceptance. Zhe just simply gave up, one day; as if zhe discovered that the only person who would ever truly care about Rui… was Rui. It has also been confirmed that Rui is capable of being a decent human being even when zhe is not in full “deceptive angelic” mode. This is a rare occurrence for strangers and mere acquaintances, but can be seen more frequently based on how close Rui considers the other person to be to zhim. Zhe is especially nice to those Rui regards as family. Although Rui may still act like an ass, zhe treasures the few friends and family zhe has and is more likely to protect and help them in their time of need; anyone or anything that does harm to Rui’s friends and/or family will become zher enemy… and no one wants to be Rui’s enemy (frenemies are an entirely different story). Lastly, it is possible that Rui’s aggressiveness was induced by and/or accentuated by spirits and the experimental drugs administered as part of a study that Rui is a participant of.

Appearance

At first, second, third, and even fourth glance or more, Rui appears to look like a lady in her adolescence (preadolescence, depending on the person), but zher appearance is just as deceptive as zher personality. Despite Rui’s baby face, petite body, and doe-eyes, zhe is a full-grown 22 year old. Rui’s sex is more of a mystery: many assume that zhe is female, but the truth is that no one actually knows if that is true. The only people who know the answer are bound to doctor-patient confidentiality and every official document or ID simply states that Rui is neither and, at times, both. The fact that Rui has an androgynous body type and no noticeable secondary sex characteristics does not make guessing any easier. It is even more confusing when one sees Rui using both the men’s and women’s room.

Rui’s natural hair and eye color is jet black, but zhe likes to change their colors. Currently Rui has zher long hair dyed one-quarter brown and the rest blond. Zhe refrained from putting on color contacts since they would be purely troublesome during missions. Normally Rui’s nails would be covered in nail art, but, again, for the sake of the mission, zhe has left them naked.

As a very social individual, Rui takes great care of zher appearance. Every morning, Rui makes sure that every inch of zher body is clean and will spend a significant amount of time to do hair and makeup to be sure they fit the theme of zher attire that day. Rui tends to wear the most recent fashion trend that does not expose little, if any, skin of the torso. A lot of zher clothes are very girly, but zhe does wear boyish clothes when there is no school or no social event zhe plans to participate in. Zhe wears glasses as a part of fashion, but does not necessarily need them to see things.

The most unusual things on —or rather in— Rui’s person are the two mechanical devices imbedded near the atlas (the topmost vertebra) of the spine. The devices are miniature in size and usually covered by Rui’s hair so no one tends to notice it unless they are looking for it or scrutinizing the general area. Apparently the devices are constantly recording Rui’s vitals and other biological phenomena for research purposes.

Ringtone

Background

Rui was the result of a crime lord wanting the perfect baby; one who would grow up to be the heir of his mighty dynasty. However, when genetic modification produced Rui, the family threw the baby away like a defective merchandise. With nowhere to go, Rui has been in foster care; changing caretakers as frequently as one would change clothes. Years of enduring neglect and abuse; playing the “good kid”; waiting for that one day that perhaps someone would actually want Rui as their child. But that day never came. Instead, Rui was sold to the military. Unlike the majority of children who enroll into military schools, Rui is legally the military’s property: zhe is both protected and confined by the military. Thus, anything the military does to Rui and zher fellow “siblings”— however inhumane it maybe to do on “non-military property” —is permitted by law under the belief that “it is for the betterment of mankind.” Before Rui hit zher teens, zhe became a guinea pig for an experimental treatment for Stigma, which has affected zhim in more ways than zhe realized. If that wasn’t enough, the military wanted Rui to fight for mankind as a Guardian in addition to participating in the Stigma Project. Rui wasn’t too surprised though: they planned to use all that they could from zhim until Rui was completely useless or a threat to them or humanity in general. Rui was going to be thrown away like trash, just like zhe was when zhe was born.

Considering Rui’s past with foster and military care and how zhe is the one to be sacrificed for the good of the many, it is no wonder that zhe is empathetic towards most of humanity: they don’t care about Rui, so why should zhe? If they intend to use zhim for their own benefit, then zhe will use them for zher own benefit. Perhaps it is unjustified resentment, but Rui is not selfless enough to think other wise. Rui tries to enjoy zher life to the fullest, because zhe knows zhe most likely would not live long as the others.

The only time in Rui’s life

Tropes

• The Fake Cutie
• Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon
• More Deadly Than The Male
• Bitch in Sheep’s Clothing
• Beneath the Mask
• Becoming the Mask

Memories

Rui used to be the shy one who never did anything bold on zher own and was mature beyond zher years. Zhe was especially well mannered in front of adults, but this was most likely 1.) An attempt to get an adult to like Rui (and perhaps even consider adopting zhim) and 2.) A protective measure to decrease the occurrence of abuse and neglect (mostly from zher foster family). It was only when Rui was with Samuel and his gang that zhe could be an adventurous little rascal; a kid.

Relationships

• Olivia Celestine: Rui has mixed feelings about Olivia. At times, she is the annoying mother figure zhe can’t help but love; other times zhe simply admires the female incarnation of Samuel; and then there are those times when… something just feels wrong. Rui doesn’t know what it is exactly, but there is something about Olivia that scares zhim.
• Kade Sicario: Out of all the childhood friends, Rui is the most distant with Kade. Despite being one of the models for “angelic Rui,” it seems as though Rui is hesitant to be around Kade. This may, however, have to do less with Kade and more with her singing. The more time passes, the harder it is for Rui to listen to Kade sing. Sometimes it gets bad to the point where zhe actually feels ill.
• Elvira Ravenwood: Study buddy. They may not be the best of friends, but Elvira is the person Rui trusts the most due to her intelligence and honesty.
• Scout: Frenemy and occasional accomplice. One second they might be smiling and hugging each other for successfully executing a scheme they concocted together; the next, they might be duking it out. As a frenemy, Rui will help Scout every now and then, but if it is beneficial for zhim to rat Scout out, zhe would do it... As long as Rui knows Scout won’t die because of the snitching.
• Alabaster “Al” Zabek: Little brother figure. Rui has always seen the same lonely orphan in Alabaster, although they chose very different paths to combat their loneliness. As the one of the few people in the world that Rui considers family, zhe is protective of Alabaster and likes to check in on him periodically, if not to simply hangout with him (zhe claims it’s to take care of him).
• Eric Wormwood: Vitriolic best buds and dueling “buddy.” If these two aren’t bickering like an old married couple, then they are fighting as bitter rivals. Out of all the childhood friends, it is difficult for Rui to be honest towards Eric and is prone to lying over the most trivial of things. Zhe enjoys making his life difficult; every time Rui manages to break Eric’s composure, zhe considers it a personal victory.
• Aaron "Stonewall" Nyles: Something about Aaron makes Rui feel exceptionally impish. Perhaps the two have met each other in a past life? Who knows. It doesn’t change the fact that zhe likes messing with him.

Weapon

Rui’s preferred weapon of choice is the whip; more specifically, an energy whip that runs on crystals. Depending on the element of the crystal being used, the type of elemental damage the whip does on a target will vary. Rui is also proficient with a blade, so when the situation calls for it zhe will use the pair of single-edged long knives that zhe keeps on zher person. Due to their resemblance to a pair of scissors, Rui’s knives are referred to as “scissor blades.” Since the two knives can be used like scissors when combined, it is likely that it’s appearance was intentional.

Spirits

“Misery”
Effects: Dispel; Blind; Silence; DeProtect; DeShell; Imperil; Slow; Zombie; Meltdown; Pain; All
Description: Misery is a lonely spirit and loves any company it can get. But when said company is not as equally or more miserable than Misery, Misery only feels lonelier, so it tries to spread misery by inflicting it on others. It does this by manifesting into various torture devices and forcing all enemies to undergo gruesome tortures. If the enemy manages to survive the ordeal, all positive effects would be removed and replaced with negative ones.

“Knight”
Effects: Protect; Shell
Description: As one would expect a paragon of chivalry to be, Knight is very protective of it’s host and will materialize as some form of armor or shield to protect Rui.

“Vigor”
Effects: Might and/or Faith
Description: When Vigor bestows Rui with Might or Faith, Rui’s hair and eye starts to glow red or blue, respectively. When Vigor blesses Rui with both, Rui’s hair and eye color turns completely purple.

“Tough Love”
Effects: Revive
Description: When Rui gives a good slap across the face of a fallen ally (although kicks and punches also works) the power of Love helps the alley regain consciousness. Love knows you want to rest, but rest can come later. Now you must fight. If you don’t stand up now, you’ll never be able to get back up later. It’s tough love, but love nonetheless. If Rui didn’t care at all, zhe’d leave you to rot.

“Malice”
Effects: Darkness
Description: Unlike the other spirits, it is hard to know when Malice actually surfaces. The best indication for others to know when Malice is used is when Rui suddenly bursts into a maniacal laugh and starts ravaging an enemy without much thought to zher current situation.

Trivia

Trivia

• Rui is fond of animals, especially small fluffy ones.
• Despite zher claim that zhe detests children, Rui is good at taking care of babies and small children.
• Rui may play dumb, but zhe is a straight A student even without manipulating teachers or other students.
• Rui loves playing video games.
• Rui is what is known as a “second-class citizen”. Check the Stigma Project codex for details.
• Rui doesn’t really like to drink alcohol and tends to avoid it.

Related Codices

The Stigma Project

The Stigma Project

A series of studies and experiments conducted to further humanity’s understanding of Stigma and the Mordrem. The project began soon after the Calamity struck Libra and its ultimate goal is to find an effective treatment against Stigma. However, this does not mean that the project did not attempt to find alternate uses for Stigma or Mordrem; including, but not limited to, biological warfare.

It is common knowledge that there are dark rumors surrounding the Stigma Project and institutions that are officially involved in the project, but even if half of them are true, it is highly likely that the Sanctum and any remaining law enforcement organizations intentionally turn a blind eye to it all. While people may complain, nothing is actually done about it, because all the atrocities that occur as part of the Stigma Project is regarded as a “necessary evil”… or so people tell themselves. The truth of the matter is that some of the questionable things that do happen have nothing to do with the Stigma Project. Rather, the Stigma Project is sometimes used as an excuse to push various agendas and for individuals to indulge in unacceptable behavior. It is undeniable that there are people who take advantage the dire situation to do whatever they want.

One of the most famous and controversial changes the Stigma Project was involved in is the legalization of second-class citizenship. Although there were brave and self-less individuals willing to volunteer as test subjects for the Stigma Project, there were simply not enough to produce significant results. So, in addition to other non-Stigma related reasons, the government decided to legalize second-class citizenship to increase the number of participants in experiments without anyone feeling guilty about doing so.

Second-class citizens

Second-class citizens

At first glance, there is no difference between second-class and first-class citizenship. There are even some benefits to being a second-class citizen (for example, second-class citizens are guaranteed housing and food; pardoned from certain crimes and civic duties), however, the benefits never out way the cons, because second-class citizens are legally the property of the government (and by extension, the military) and not really regarded as humans: they cannot disobey anything the government/military does to them, no matter how cruel it may be. They are the first to be abandoned when something goes wrong; they are sacrificed to save first-class citizens; and they are most commonly used as test subjects in the Stigma Project. Simply put, second-class citizens are disposable assets.

A majority of second-class citizens are pariahs (such as convicted criminals), poverty-stricken people who are desperate enough to think that second-class citizenship is preferable, and any other undesirables. Unfortunately, “other undesirables” are commonly unwanted children who were basically sold to the Sanctum or the military. The average life span of a second-class citizen is short compared to other citizens, because they are highly likely to die from unnatural causes; usually a cause related to the experiments the Stigma Project conducts, but this is not always the case.

The Spirits Within: Stigma

@clericbeastIf they are pure frenemies, then you can expect Rui to rat Scout out if it is beneficial for Rui to do so. I image they would occasionally have brawls, because they pissed each other off enough too.

If they’re more friends than frenemies, then Rui will most definitely give Scout an alibi if zhe is able to and wouldn’t rat Scout out no matter what. But they probably wouldn't brawl… well, if Scout requests a whipping session, then Rui would bring out the whip, but that’s about it.

Which do you prefer?

@HalcyonWhether a character knows about Rui’s dual nature depends on you guys. Do you want Elvira to know about it?

The Spirits Within: Stigma

@RennyGotcha.

@PriskOooo…! Perfect! Thank you Prisk :D

---

So the discussion about relationships had me thinking and I believe the best way to go about Rui’s relation is to first decide where your character might be in Rui’s relationship tier.

Tiers

• Enemy- Those who have crossed Rui in some shape or form. Dark Rui is at the height of zher game and will only become more ruthless the longer the enemy withstands zher attacks.
• Pawns- The mass. Rui will put on a good show, but zhe doesn’t actually care about these people, because zhe knows that they don’t truly care about zhim either.
• People of some degree of importance- Rui will be full on “angelic” mode to keep them on zher side (even save them if they are in need), but zhe does not feel anything special with them. Zhe may even hate them, but they are useful or potentially useful enough that they don’t drop down to “Pawn” or “Enemy”... doesn't mean dark Rui will make their lives any easier though.
• Frenemy- A rare relationship Rui may or may not have. Frenemies know about Rui’s dark side and Rui will display it without hesitation when they are alone, but it is never as bad as it is when zhe and another character are enemies. They hate each other, sure, but they probably love to hate each other. Rui does not actually want frenemies to die and if they are gone (for whatever reason) Rui will miss them.
• Friend- The line where “angelic Rui” and “dark Rui” begins to blur: it is when Rui starts to seem like a decent human being. Zhe can still be an ass and brutally frank, but Rui will not try to intentionally scar zher friends. Rui is more likely to protect and help friends in need. Anyone or anything that does harm to Rui’s friend will become zher “Enemy”.
• Family- Family is the one thing Rui wanted, and still kind of, wants. Thus, when Rui considers a character family, they will know that zhe does based on how warmly zhe interacts with them. Rui is infinitely nicer to “family” members so some might think that “angelic” mode activated, but that is not the case. In a way, zhe becomes the mask, although those who knew how Rui acted before, would simply think that the “old Rui” came back.
• Lover- Never had one so it’s a mystery how Rui will act.

Now to starting brainstorming relationships with people who have CS’s up!

@HalcyonInterestingly I think Elvira and Rui are similar in how they have tiers for relationships.

Rui is definitely tough skinned enough to take Elvira’s bluntness or sarcasm. Rui may even trust Elvira more than others, because Rui knows that Elvira is intelligent and she would be honest with zhim.

Hmm… I can imagine them being study buddies.

@Archangel89 I think Rui would love to play pranks on him… but then again, it might just be because Ghost keeps possessing Rui when Aaron is around >:D I do think that they see each other often in social events.

@clericbeastNow Rui would love to collaborate with Scout on various shenanigans. Might even be the friend who would give Scout an alibi when she needs one. But I can also imagine the two being frenemies; I'm guessing Scout would probably either really hate or really like (dark) Rui.

@PriskRui admired Sam and by extension Olivia, but Rui can’t help but feel like Olivia is going to snap one day. Rui might even be a little scared of (or for) Olivia.

Do you think Olivia would be attempting to get the “old (childhood) Rui” back?

@All:If you'd rather discuss character dynamics on PM, we can do that instead :)