Player Name: Rui Character Name: Azul Ashengrotto Path to Graduation: When Azul Ashengrotto first came to the Barge, he was a horribly insecure and paranoid kid that hid behind a veneer of niceties and salesperson smiles. He was extremely suspicious of even the kindest souls, and had every intention to game the system to graduation while building a "good reputation" among the residents to take advantage of when the time came.
That rapidly changed as his and Jamil's relationship developed, and he met people who went out of their way to do things for him and check after him. The very, very tiny circle of people he cared about on the ship, composing of just him and Jamil, started to very tentatively grow, even if Azul didn't want to admit it himself.
The Brigantine was a major shifting point for him. Though initially it had Jamil and Azul backsliding and giving in to their darker urges, they also met Jecht and Tiernan, who cared for and protected them in some of their most vulnerable moments. Azul became especially attached to Jecht, who quickly became like a father-figure. It was here he understood for the first time that not all people sought to take advantage of others the first chance they got, and between that and Jamil, he slowly began to relearn how to trust.
The loss of Jecht and Tiernan via their ejection from The Brigantine, coupled with Jamil's death, pushed Azul over the edge and caused him to have a fantastic magical emotional breakdown ala Overblot. Once again, his heart was touched by the kindness and forgiveness of others.
From this point on, he began to cultivate real, genuine relationships outside of just his boyfriend, Jamil. The Infimary team was not just a workplace, but began to feel like a small, tight-knit group. He finally decided to trust Xie Lian, which developed into one of his closest and most cherished relationships. He learned to trust Jamil fully and without fear. As security and warmth grew in his life, Azul's need to hide behind a facade and use others to his benefits faded.
All this development culminated in his approach of Idia Shroud, an acquaintance from home. He recognized the pain within Idia, and instead of seeking to use his vulnerability as he would have been tempted to do before, he selflessly offered himself as an outlet for Idia's rage. It's a truly generous act to which there was no real benefit to Azul; in fact, he may have only suffered for it. He had only done it with the knowledge that allowing Idia to vent some of his pain onto one of the people who had upended his life (or at least, a version of them) might help bring some relief.
Also important to note that due to his development, he could've easily taken advantage of the fact that the designation-swapping flood gave him authority over the Infirmary as well as over other wardens. Considering he has felt wronged by some wardens in the past, he could have used this as a chance for revenge, or at least to give himself some particular benefits. However, he instead properly used his role to help the Infirmary continue work as normal and tried to mitigate the chaos rather than contribute to it.
To be certain, in no way is Azul fully reformed; he still sees the system as something of a game, though his opinions of the Admiral have softened from what they initially were. While his main goal of being a Warden would be for the "deal" as the end prize, he's undoubtedly become softer towards people in general. He has even offered help here and there, unprompted and without strings attached. His mentality around incremental progress and self-improvement will undoubtedly prove invaluable to the struggling Inmate, and his being tasked with the guidance of an Inmate will inevitably help him continue to grow and mature as well.
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Character Name: Azul Ashengrotto
Path to Graduation: When Azul Ashengrotto first came to the Barge, he was a horribly insecure and paranoid kid that hid behind a veneer of niceties and salesperson smiles. He was extremely suspicious of even the kindest souls, and had every intention to game the system to graduation while building a "good reputation" among the residents to take advantage of when the time came.
That rapidly changed as his and Jamil's relationship developed, and he met people who went out of their way to do things for him and check after him. The very, very tiny circle of people he cared about on the ship, composing of just him and Jamil, started to very tentatively grow, even if Azul didn't want to admit it himself.
The Brigantine was a major shifting point for him. Though initially it had Jamil and Azul backsliding and giving in to their darker urges, they also met Jecht and Tiernan, who cared for and protected them in some of their most vulnerable moments. Azul became especially attached to Jecht, who quickly became like a father-figure. It was here he understood for the first time that not all people sought to take advantage of others the first chance they got, and between that and Jamil, he slowly began to relearn how to trust.
The loss of Jecht and Tiernan via their ejection from The Brigantine, coupled with Jamil's death, pushed Azul over the edge and caused him to have a fantastic magical emotional breakdown ala Overblot. Once again, his heart was touched by the kindness and forgiveness of others.
From this point on, he began to cultivate real, genuine relationships outside of just his boyfriend, Jamil. The Infimary team was not just a workplace, but began to feel like a small, tight-knit group. He finally decided to trust Xie Lian, which developed into one of his closest and most cherished relationships. He learned to trust Jamil fully and without fear. As security and warmth grew in his life, Azul's need to hide behind a facade and use others to his benefits faded.
All this development culminated in his approach of Idia Shroud, an acquaintance from home. He recognized the pain within Idia, and instead of seeking to use his vulnerability as he would have been tempted to do before, he selflessly offered himself as an outlet for Idia's rage. It's a truly generous act to which there was no real benefit to Azul; in fact, he may have only suffered for it. He had only done it with the knowledge that allowing Idia to vent some of his pain onto one of the people who had upended his life (or at least, a version of them) might help bring some relief.
Also important to note that due to his development, he could've easily taken advantage of the fact that the designation-swapping flood gave him authority over the Infirmary as well as over other wardens. Considering he has felt wronged by some wardens in the past, he could have used this as a chance for revenge, or at least to give himself some particular benefits. However, he instead properly used his role to help the Infirmary continue work as normal and tried to mitigate the chaos rather than contribute to it.
To be certain, in no way is Azul fully reformed; he still sees the system as something of a game, though his opinions of the Admiral have softened from what they initially were. While his main goal of being a Warden would be for the "deal" as the end prize, he's undoubtedly become softer towards people in general. He has even offered help here and there, unprompted and without strings attached. His mentality around incremental progress and self-improvement will undoubtedly prove invaluable to the struggling Inmate, and his being tasked with the guidance of an Inmate will inevitably help him continue to grow and mature as well.