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OOC INFO
Name/Handle: Dem
Pronouns: they/them
Contact: PM, jigglyballs
Reserve?: yup!

IC INFO
Name: Squalo Superbi (he usually just goes by Squalo though)
Journal: sharktrash
Canon: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
Age: 22-23
Species: human

Canon Point: ch398
Condition: Arrives alive and healthy, which is surprising to him because he just had a giant hole in his chest a second ago! If possible I'd like him to keep a scar from it though.


History: Wiki link but it barely covers anything so strap yourselves in:

We know nothing about Squalo's childhood or parents, aside from the fact that he originates from Italy and his family had mafia relations, since he was attending a special school for mafia kids (same one as Dino). It is also mentioned that he was a child fencing prodigy. As a teen he quickly became famous for his bloodthirst and skill with the blade (during this time he also traveled the world challenging swordsmen and learning their techniques in order to create his own style), and by the time he reached 14, he was already scouted by the Varia, the elite assassination group for Vongola Familia. Around this time, he also met Xanxus, Vongola's current boss' (adopted) son for the first time in some kind of mafia gathering, and was immediately drawn to him ("his rage", as he so eloquently put it. Love loyalty at first sight).

Squalo agreed to enlist to Varia in exchange for a duel with their current boss, Sword Emperor Tyr. Nobody thought much of it but he did the impossible and killed the guy (yup, only at 14. He cut his own hand off to do it), and therefore became the prime candidate to become Varia's next boss. Instead of taking the position, though, he gave it to Xanxus, who subsequently became the boss of Varia with Squalo as his right hand man and the Second Sword Emperor. Xanxus already harbored the ambition to eliminate Vongola's Ninth boss and secure the position for himself, and Squalo swore loyalty to him, also promising not to cut his hair until that plan becomes reality. (Because growing your hair out is something you do for your boss.)

Very soon after that, Varia staged a coup, trying to assassinate the Vongola boss. It ultimately failed, and resulted with Xanxus being frozen in magical ice for eight years while the rest of the Varia stagnated, most likely having to deal with constant surveilance on their asses at least (I'm genuinely surprised they were not all shot, but apparently wiping out your own assassination squad is too much trouble). It seems as though most of their non-restrained efforts were put into waiting and trying to find ways to free Xanxus, as at least Squalo doesn't seem to have improved much over those eight years, his strongest move still being the one he used in his duel with Tyr. Also, he's become the Rapunzel we know today during his time, because he takes his dedication to his boss Very Seriously.

It's not very clear if it was Varia or some outside forces that managed to free Xanxus from his prison, but it finally happened, and Varia rejoiced. Or, more like, immediately moved to carry on another betrayal, this time aiming to eliminate both the Ninth and his chosen successor, the manga's protagonist Sawada Tsunayoshi from Japan. They somewhat followed protocol this time, that is, forging the Ninth's will (after sticking him into a machine that runs on a person's life force and using it as a lackey) which resulted in their and the protagonist's groups having a series of strictly supervised duels over the seven Vongola rings of the Sky Flames. (Yeah, you got it, they were arc villains).

Anyway, they somehow managed to eventually lose to a bunch of pre-teens, but after trying to take the rings by force, it turned out that the rings did not accept Xanxus and he almost died after putting one on (the official version is that he had no blood relation to the Ninth, but with how much he looks like Second, it's hard to believe. Most likely the Esteemed Ancestors still hovering inside the rings decided that he's too much of an asshole and they'd rather have Tsuna as a successor).

After that, they were all taken back to Italy, and for some reason, once again not dealt with in any consequential way (perhaps the Vongola decided that having their asses handed to them like this would finally Calm Their Tits, and it seems to have done just that). They proceeded to work for the Vongola and even aid the new generation at times, although Xanxus harbors resentment for Tsuna for the rest of the series, usually not even showing up at Vongola ceremonies that involve him. So they kinda go from villains to neutral. Never exactly to "good", and that's in a manga where the 'good' guys are friggin mafia.

Squalo takes his own loss a bit better; despite of almost dying (from falling into water and being torn into by a fucking SHARK) and spending some time in a wheelchair, he makes a full recovery and eventually forms something of a mentor-student relationship with the kid that defeated him.

A lot of other weird shit happens to the main cast, and everyone (including the Varia) receives memories from the battle their future selves fight ten years in the future, which is also where the whole Squalo teaching (and beating up) Yamamoto originates from (mostly offscreen). In the end, it ends well, though Squalo almost dies again as he shows up onscreen only to volunteer to stay behind and hold back a Big Bad while the protagonists get away.

He almost dies once more toward the main storyline's end, having his heart pierced by a zombie-like enemy who cleans the floor with Allied Team's five strongest fighters, in an attempt to shield Xanxus from harm. He Gets Better, although he will not be aware of this ingame as that's the point I'm taking him from.


Personality:

Pros:

- Ambition. Pride in all its varieties is really both Squalo's flaw and strength and the biggest reason he ticks the way he does. It's what drives him to push himself, to succeed, to protect his family and teammates and to sneer in the face of danger and/or death. Sure, he's a thrill seeker and seems to seek out fights like an addict would another dose, but a big part of it is the potential rush it will give him if he wins, further asserting his superiority.

- Loyalty/dedication. Squalo is absolutely and fiercely loyal to his boss, despite the fact that he's treated like trash on a good day. He is pretty much a knight in that regard -- although he has no qualms about fighting dirty and finishing off people who are on the ground already. He made an oath not to cut his hair until he saw Xanxus become the leader of the most powerful mafia family in the world, and he kept it for eight years after the other was imprisoned, making sure to keep their assassination squad up to mark in the meantime. Even when he discovered the truth about Xanxus' heritage and that he will never be a true successor, Squalo did not abandon him, and knowing full well it was against the current law, tried to help him take Vongola back by force. Twice. And, of course, he still hasn't cut his hair, though a reasonable person would argue that his promise can no longer be fulfilled and this perseverance is unhealthy at the least.

- Valor. Squalo is brave, and while part of it might stem from his confidence (detailed below), he also has just a little bit of disregard for death. He enjoys the thrill and glory that comes with battles, and he also likes the danger - he doesn't cower, doesn't run away from fights, and certainly doesn't run because he's scared. He's willing to make sacrifices for (what he considers to be) the right thing, displayed both when he cuts off his own hand to beat the Sword Emperor, and in the future, when he stays behind to fight an opponent that's basically an unknown force of nature, knowing he's unlikely to win or even survive, so the protagonists can flee.

- Confidence. It rather ties in with ambition/pride so I'm not going to expand on it terribly, but Squalo has a lot of faith in himself - a lot more than needed, to be honest. And it's not just lip service; he's worked hard to be where he is, and he's good at what he does. He's part of an elite team, he's been considered a fencing prodigy since he was seven, and he's defeated the Sword Emperor at fourteen - he likes to think that he hasn't slowed down since then. While he does not need validation from any source, there's certain implications of perfectionism seen when he chides his teammates for acting unprofessional, and he appears familiar with mafia formalities because there's nothing worse than bringing shame to your family with sloppy assassinations, half-raw steak or clumsy footwork in the ballroom. When he does something, he knows that he will succeed - and has likely put in some work to make sure that he does.

- Adaptability. One of the core qualities expected from an assassin in this series - the ability to react to circumstances and change their own way to best benefit from it. It's mostly explained as being able to read through another person's moves in the heat of battle and be able to recreate and improve them, reacting and strategizing on the fly, but it can also refer to social situations and keeping a (relatively) low profile when needed.

- Tactical thinking. This one's a bit unexpected, which is why I'm adding it in. Squalo might come off as the loud, brash type who bashes heads in first and asks questions later. That is not incorrect. There is, however, more to it than meets the eye. He can think before he acts, and he does it frequently enough (he just also often decides that violence is the best course of action, or at least the perks outweigh the cons). He is intelligent enough to de facto lead an assassination squad with a near perfect rate of mission success, and to quickly see through (or "read") his opponents' moves in the middle of battle - something shown several times in canon. His team also refers to him as "strategy captain" in the future arc, and he seems to be the one who planned their mission to take over a fortified enemy base with several times their numbers - successfully.


Cons:

- Arrogance. Each member of the Varia is design to represent one of the Seven Sins, and Squalo's is Pride, focusing of course on its negative aspects such as arrogance, vanity, narcissism and the like. Like Xanxus, he has a tendency of insulting and berating everyone else around him, especially when he's irritated, and he cares little for any critique on himself or his boss even if it may be well-found.

The most literal instance of it being a fatal flaw is during Squalo's initial story arc, where he's drummed up to be The Best Sword Master In The World and subsequently defeated by a Protagonist Kid, as it happens. There's a bit more than Power Of Plot going on there, however; Squalo consciously sabotages himself during the fight due to his overconfidence and completely underestimating his opponent. Because he's so convinced of his own superiority and because he prefers a challenge, he resorts to playing a game of cat and mouse, and instead of battling seriously, he limits himself to using only the same attacks as his opponent (after calling the particular sword style pathetic and outdated, no less), allowing him to eventually land a surprise hit to his head. In addition to this, when his Nice Opponent offers to help him out of the flooded battle arena, Squalo blatantly refuses, again out of pride (though he calls it tainting his "honor"), and is near-fatally mauled by a giant shark as a result.

- Violence/bloodthirst. Squalo will gladly solve minor annoyances by stabbing, hitting or otherwise lashing out at the source, and he's also not much for peaceful negotiations, even if he's capable of it to some extent. The violent way is more fun and usually faster, after all. It's likely he enjoys fighting as much as he does because it allows him to channel out all the destruction that he wants, and he's not above just randomly breaking things to make a point. He also clearly enjoys the aspect of killing and has on more than one occasion talked about "slicing up into ribbons" which is likely his preferred method of murder.

- Temper. Doesn't spell good news in addition to the above. Squalo is fairly easy to rile up or enrage, and he has tendency to react with violence, even if he's better at controlling himself than some other members of his squad. He is, however, also prone to just yelling a lot, which is slightly less deadly but honestly probably just as painful because his voice is LOUD.

- Impatience. He's bored easily when he doesn't have things to fight or yell at, and he hates waiting or spending time on unexciting tasks. His body language and facial expressions often indicate someone slightly manic or at least ready to tear into throats.

- Abrasiveness. Squalo has a really loud, grating voice and doesn't seem to be capable of whispering, which is not something particularly beneficial to an assassin. He also doesn't mince words and can be considered rude as a result - in fact, in the novel, his teammate comments at him being bad at hiding things or lying.

- Spitefulness/pettiness. Saying he doesn't like people messing with him would be an understatement. He can harbor a grudge for literal years (in the novel, he doesn't kill a traitor presumably so Xanxus can deal with him himself upon his return, which does lead into a much more painful death for the guy involved), and then there's all the little fights the Varia get into with each other over the peskiest things; food, whose turn it is to babysit a younger member, how to better deal with an issue and so on. There's one teammate Squalo shares a particular mutual dislike with, and aside from the numerous snide or insulting verbal remarks, he outright offers him to another family during a confrontation (but they don't want him either).


Inventory:
- the clothes he's wearing (full set of the Varia uniform, including coat and gloves)
- his artificial hand/prosthetic (will be functioning as a normal hand for the most part, no hidden tricks or anything, but obviously it's hard and he has no sensation in it. if it would be okay to let it stay a little bit stronger than his real one that would be cool, but up to you!)
- three pocket/sleeve/boot knives

stuff from his pockets (if applicable):
- satellite cellphone (is/will soon be dead)
- wallet (with a fake ID, a couple credit cards and some paper/coin euros in it)
- dental floss
- chewing gum (mint flavored)
- some strangulation wire


Powers/Abilities:
In canon, he has an ability called Rain Flames (think like chakra in Naruto, or bending in Avatar). It's a specific type of a wider power group that specializes in numbing/absorbing other types of Flames or energy, which extends to the human body e.g. coming in contact with Rain Flames can make it go calm and eventually numb. (At high enough level it stills everything to the point of death, but Squalo is not shown to have that kind of proficiency with it, and usually just uses it to supplement his weapons.) It does allow him to also summon a flying shark to do his bidding as a sort of soul manifestation/magic weapon.

In game, I assume he simply won't be able to activate Rain Flames at all, although if "dampening" is an option, we could say that he can make people feel numb or sleepy but he needs to be in direct physical contact for it? I'm good with either of those options. He also obviously won't be able to summon any sharks. The power is fairly recent to him and therefore not a huge part of his identity, so he isn't really going to need to adapt, although he might occasionally feel like something is "missing" from his entirety.

...Not sure if I'm supposed to list non-supernatural abilities like swordsmanship, swimming or cooking? Let me know if it's needed and I'll expand this section!


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