--- FRERE-SAMA ---
--- DAISUU SHINJA ---
--- KITSUNÉNOMEN ---
Name: Frere-Sama ('real' name Daisuu Shinja).
Nationality: English?
Age: Physically 14 or 15.
Height: 5' 7''.
Weight: 119 lbs.
Hair: Poppy Red.
Eyes: Green.
Blood Type: A.
IQ: 145.
Backstory: Frere-Sama told Yisrayl that he was orphaned at a very young age, and was raised by a small, fanatically religious shepherd community in the mountains surrounding Cirencester (in England), where he supposedly learnt his mountaineering skills and acquired his characteristic resistance to extremes of heat and cold. According to Frere-Sama, the name his mother gave him before she died was Daisuu Shinja (which literally translates as Algebra Christian), but he took the name 'Frere-Sama' (which means either 'Outsider' or 'Lord of the Wanderers' depending on who in the FATM world you ask) because that was what everyone in Cirencester called him when he came down from the mountains to look for lost sheep. However, when questioned, the shepherds denied all knowledge of any orphan boy, claiming that the only 'Frere-Sama' they knew was a trickster god from local (pagan) folklore who took the form of a fox with red fur and green eyes...
Commentary: The most ambiguous character in Falling as They Might. Taking everything at face value, he's a deeply Christian shepherd boy who is tagging along after Yisrayl in an attempt to save what he sees as a soul drowning in its own darkness. However, I've LITTERED the series with hints as to his true nature/purpose, many of which are mutually contradictory:
POSSIBILITY 1:- He is exactly what he claims to be. The hints are red herrings, and the elder shepherds are lying (or simply not telling all the truth) for their own purposes (?!?).
POSSIBILITY 2:- He is exactly what he claims to be - an agent of Heaven sent to help Yisrayl. His animosity with Mia is based on the fact that she is luring Yisrayl away from divine truth.
POSSIBILITY 3:- He is an angel/an agent of Heaven sent to help Yisrayl. For the first three episodes he is invisible to everyone except Yisrayl, after which he enters more fully into the physical realm to better face off against Mia DuFallen, who is a demon/a demoniac/an agent of Hell, trying to drag Yisrayl down into perdition.
POSSIBILITY 4:- He is Yisrayl's guardian angel. For the first three episodes he is invisible to everyone except Yisrayl, after which he falls from grace (but with no change in moral behaviour?) trying to help Yisrayl against the commands of the Almighty. His animosity with Mia is based on the fact that he and she are now the same, and he cannot accept that fact.
POSSIBILITY 5:- He is Yisrayl's younger brother. Being a legitimate son of Israyl Macchiata he has a better claim to the throne, but is helping his brother attain the throne instead out of a pure heart.
POSSIBILITY 6:- He is the spirit of Israel Charlemagne, sent to try and persuade his grandson not to follow the same unwholesome path of greed and ambition he took in life. Hence he is immune to heat and cold.
POSSIBILITY 7:- He is Israel Charlemagne (who may or may not be Daisuu Shirow Kitsuné). The fact that he hasn't aged in 60 years strongly suggests he is immortal. Hence he is immune to some elements, like heat and cold.
POSSIBILITY 8:- He is the trickster god/kitsuné Frere-Sama. He is helping Yisrayl because it amuses him to play the role of moralist. His antagonism with Mia is a front.
POSSIBILITY 9:- He is the trickster god/kitsuné Frere-Sama. He is helping Yisrayl because it amuses him to have an Emperor under his control. His animosity with Mia is genuine, and is based on the fact that she is another kitsuné who is trying to gain control over Yisrayl.
POSSIBILITY 10:- He is the trickster spirit/kitsuné Frere-Sama, who has repented of his past and is now trying to follow God. Daisuu Shinja is his 'good' side; Daisuu Shiro Kitsuné is his 'evil' side. His animosity with Mia is based on the fact that she is an unrepentant kitsuné who is trying to pull Yisrayl's soul into hell.
And those are just the possibilities I have consciously hinted at! For the record, in the context of Falling as They Might, POSSIBILITY 1 is true (with an option on 2-4). In the context of the NOT Saga (a circular epic which spans Falling as They Might, Fourth Wall, Ground Zero: Legend of the Wulong, and Falling as They Might: The Beginning), POSSIBILITY 7 is true.
GALLERY (click to view full):
More to come (hopefully)…
Quotes:
"There's not much use talking to me. I don't go into the village much except to find lost sheep ... and I think that suits -them- just fine. I come from up there, you see, and the villagers don't much like outsiders" - Frere-Sama, Act 2, "Freefall".
"It might take a while to get to Vienna, if you keep getting in trouble with the law" - Frere-Sama, Act 2, "Freefall".
"So run, that ye may obtain" - Frere-Sama, Act 3, "Freefall".
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But I did not refer to myself" - Frere-Sama, Act 3, "Freefall".
Personality Keywords:
Caring – Compassionate – Courageous – Dignified – Docile – Faithful – Forgiving – Gentle – Guileless – Hard-working – Helpful – Honest – Kind – Meek – Moral – Peaceful – Pure – Sensitive – Shy – Soft – Sorrowful – Submissive – Sympathetic – Sweet – Tender-hearted – Trusting – Trustworthy – Warm
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