Yusuke "shibari is an art form" Kitagawa (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fabrefactions) wrote2017-08-26 01:13 pm
fabrefactions) wrote2017-08-26 01:13 pm
Entry tags:
APP
PLAYER
YOUR NAME: becks
18+?: yes
CONTACT: tsundoku @plurk, or pm the journal!
CHARACTERS IN GAME: none!
RESERVATION LINK: over here
YOUR NAME: becks
18+?: yes
CONTACT: tsundoku @plurk, or pm the journal!
CHARACTERS IN GAME: none!
RESERVATION LINK: over here
CHARACTER: CANON SECTION
NAME: Yusuke Kitagawa
AGE: ~16
CANON: Persona 5
NAME: Yusuke Kitagawa
AGE: ~16
CANON: Persona 5
CANON HISTORY: Here is a summary of the events of Persona 5 overall, and here is a breakdown of Yusuke's specific arc in game. Fair warning for emotional abuse.
CANON PERSONALITY:
At first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking Yusuke was quite a classy and sophisticated young man. He's tall and slender; attractive yet distant with a mysterious air about him, well-spoken and very polite. A gifted artist on a scholarship at a well-established private academy, mentored by a widely respected and world famous artist lauded for his skill in multiple different styles of art. On paper he seems like an ideal individual.
First impressions are, of course, deceiving. Yusuke is an incredibly eccentric young man who keeps himself at arms length out of a general lack of interest in most things outside of pursuing his love of art and an inability to comprehend how to behave in social situations that makes him just too off kilter for most people to deal with. While this is all seems entertaining, it's less so when you learn his lack of social filter and oddities stem from what essentially amounts to a life time of emotional abuse and neglect.
Yusuke has spent almost all of his life under the care of Ichiryusai Madarame, a famed and well respected Japanese painter. His talent was discovered when he was very young, and he has spent the past 13-odd years refining, living and breathing art over everything else. While this means he is a technically brilliant artist at the young age of 16, it has had its ramifications. His life in Madarame's atelier was incredibly sheltered – his family and major social circle began and ended with Madarame and his other apprentices, all of whom left or were kicked out over the years until Yusuke was the only one left. When he wasn't at school, he was painting, or seeking inspiration for his art; he had no time for socialising when he could be painting.
Of course, his single-minded attitude towards his artwork makes more sense when you learn that his place – and quite literally the only life and home he knew – as Madarame's pupil hinged on his obedience and ability to create pieces for Madarame himself to use in his own exhibitions. Considering that by the time the main game starts, Yusuke is Madarame's only pupil, it would be safe to assume that he is under a lot of pressure to produce art and produce it well. Not that Yusuke lets on to any of this - when it comes to his mentor, Yusuke is a bit of a contradiction. He knows nothing but life with Madarame, and sees him as a foster father, so his loyalty to him is fierce and stubborn. He remains wilfully ignorant regarding his surrogate parent's plagiarism, counterfeiting and emotional abuse of his students (Yusuke himself included) until he's literally forced to accept the truth, and can get very confrontational regarding the issue. Once he learns the truth of what Madarame had done and exactly how his mother died, his emotions swing from single-minded loyalty to deep hatred and disgust at the actions of the man he admired so deeply but he never quite manages to sort out his emotions regarding Madarame. He understands that Madarame's actions were truly terrible and that he has ruined multiple people's lives and dreams for the sake of his own greed, but is also aware that he still cares for Madarame despite all that and can't bring himself to completely hate him.
His trouble seeing the greys inbetween the blacks and whites of social interaction stems from his sheltered lifestyle, and is something he's only able to begin to comprehend once he's freed from Madarame's control. It starts with that realisation that he both loves and hates his former guardian, and even bleeds into how he views his artwork – a large part of his personal story in the Emperor Confidant involves him coming to terms with the world and the people in it are far more complicated than 'good' or 'bad' and that sometimes you need a little of both for things to work out for the best. Yusuke wants to create more than anything, but thanks to Madarame he sees monetising his artwork as corrupt and wrong. Yet he's fully aware that if he does become a professional artist he cannot live off his passion alone, and spends most of his confidant reconciling the idea that he can do both without turning to the sort of corruption and greed Madarame did.
Thanks to his sheltered upbringing, Yusuke is also … a little odd. He's gullible to a point, and can be fairly narrow-minded and naïve with odd priorities and a surprising lack of tolerance. When forced to move back into his school dorms after the Madarame incident, Yusuke immediate deems them too loud and impossible for him to live in. While this attitude doesn't last, he doesn't even consider giving it a couple of days to see if things will improve, he just up and decides that he can't deal with the situation and will move in with Ann instead. (Not that he asks. Or does actually move into her home, in the end.)
He's fully aware that people find him odd, or difficult to deal with and he really doesn't care. He's not great at social cues, is incredibly blunt and honest with what he wants to say in almost all situations, and is unable to read the mood of a room even when stood in the middle of it. Sometimes it works to his advantage – he's the second person in the team to actually hold a proper conversation with Futaba simply because he doesn't care about stepping on eggshells around her … or about respecting her personal property – but most of the time it means people are unwilling to go out of their way to deal with him. Rather than feeling ostracised, Yusuke is surprisingly comfortable with his own quirks and doesn't feel ashamed of them. He even makes offhand comments about his rather solitary lifestyle at school, only for the other members of the Phantom Thieves to feel sad for him. It's more like he didn't realise what he didn't have until he experienced it for the first time, and only realised how alone he was once surrounded by people who genuinely love him.
He's not cold, or unfeeling though. And he certainly doesn't hate other people. In fact, he flourishes in the company of the Phantom Thieves – all of the outcasts in some way, just like him – and was very fond of the other students that lived with Madarame in the past. It's due to this new “found family” of his that he loves and respects dearly that he's able to develop a little more awareness of himself and how he comes across.
In fact, Yusuke is quite sympathetic towards those in trouble, and is quick to agree with heist plans or targets in Mementos. Like the other Phantom Thieves, Yusuke has been burned by authority before, and been let down by adults who were supposed to help and protect him, not hurt him. As such, he wants to help out people in similar situations. He may be polite and rule-conscious in his everyday life, but he's no exception to the rebellious attitudes of his team. He can keep himself calm and cool tempered in times of stress, but will absolutely bite back against those who hurt others. Especially in cases involving betrayal or abuse at the hands of family.
Overall, Yusuke is many things – he's an artist, driven by passion, stumbling out into the world for the first time. He's hardworking, and gets intensely frustrated with himself when he suffers from a block that doesn't let him work. He seems cool and collected, but is just as prone to joy and to sorrow that borders on “drama queen”. He revels in the beauty of the world, but knows first hand it has a dark and ugly side as well, and as such is aggressively determined to help those suffering because of it now he has the ability to do so. He's a teenaged boy who has been left incredibly alone and unguided for a long time, who has finally found people just like him who genuinely care for him as much as he does for them. And he is determined to use his new abilities as a Persona-user to protect them, and other people like them as best he can.
SKILLS/ABILITIES:
> ART: Yusuke is very gifted at art – enough that he actually has a scholarship to a prestigious academy on the back of his abilities in the game. He specialises in traditional art, specifically paint-on-canvas style. But because I'm the worst I'm having him branch out into digital media and comic art in recolle for the extra pennies.
> Confidant/Replication: Tying in with his art skills, Yusuke's confidant slowly unlocks his ability at... well. Forgery. Akira can hand over Persona skill cards to Yusuke to create usable copies of certain skills. (So if anyone wants him to dabble in forgery in game... he'll probably say no because he likes not being arrested.) He's also able to use other battle abilities as his confidant ranks up – including healing status skills (by slapping people of course), taking hits for teammates and boosting his own stats when switching turns with his other teammates.
> Running on Empty: Somehow he keeps going and is able to keep up with the other Phantom Thieves despite the fact he doesn't have a clue how to take care of himself. Like. At all. He buys paints instead of buying FOOD. He lives off soy-sauce and rice. How does he not pass out mid-Palace exploration? It is a mystery.
> Katana: Despite being an obsessive art boy, Yusuke can wield a katana with an impressive amount of skill. He is a Traditional Japanese Boy, so it's probably for the aesthetic. Regardless, somehow this beanpole is one of – if not the - heaviest hitters of the team. Again, It Is A Mystery.
> Gift of Expression: Goes nicely with his artist background – Yusuke is dramatic as heck. Which also means his language is extensive enough to combine his dramatic personality with his dramatic language. Also prone to falling to his knees in despair in public places and yelling to the sky.
> Goemon: Yusuke's initial Persona is Goemon, based off a figure in Japanese history Ishikawa Goemon, a Japanese outlaw who supposedly attempted to execute Toyotomi Hideyoshi (albeit one with only two notable historical references, both written after his death). He specialises in Ice and Physical skills – both individual and group attacks, with a few spell focused on speed boosts and counterstrike abilities.
It gives Yusuke a natural resistance to Ice attacks... but also a weakness to Fire attacks.
CANON PERSONALITY:
At first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking Yusuke was quite a classy and sophisticated young man. He's tall and slender; attractive yet distant with a mysterious air about him, well-spoken and very polite. A gifted artist on a scholarship at a well-established private academy, mentored by a widely respected and world famous artist lauded for his skill in multiple different styles of art. On paper he seems like an ideal individual.
First impressions are, of course, deceiving. Yusuke is an incredibly eccentric young man who keeps himself at arms length out of a general lack of interest in most things outside of pursuing his love of art and an inability to comprehend how to behave in social situations that makes him just too off kilter for most people to deal with. While this is all seems entertaining, it's less so when you learn his lack of social filter and oddities stem from what essentially amounts to a life time of emotional abuse and neglect.
Yusuke has spent almost all of his life under the care of Ichiryusai Madarame, a famed and well respected Japanese painter. His talent was discovered when he was very young, and he has spent the past 13-odd years refining, living and breathing art over everything else. While this means he is a technically brilliant artist at the young age of 16, it has had its ramifications. His life in Madarame's atelier was incredibly sheltered – his family and major social circle began and ended with Madarame and his other apprentices, all of whom left or were kicked out over the years until Yusuke was the only one left. When he wasn't at school, he was painting, or seeking inspiration for his art; he had no time for socialising when he could be painting.
Of course, his single-minded attitude towards his artwork makes more sense when you learn that his place – and quite literally the only life and home he knew – as Madarame's pupil hinged on his obedience and ability to create pieces for Madarame himself to use in his own exhibitions. Considering that by the time the main game starts, Yusuke is Madarame's only pupil, it would be safe to assume that he is under a lot of pressure to produce art and produce it well. Not that Yusuke lets on to any of this - when it comes to his mentor, Yusuke is a bit of a contradiction. He knows nothing but life with Madarame, and sees him as a foster father, so his loyalty to him is fierce and stubborn. He remains wilfully ignorant regarding his surrogate parent's plagiarism, counterfeiting and emotional abuse of his students (Yusuke himself included) until he's literally forced to accept the truth, and can get very confrontational regarding the issue. Once he learns the truth of what Madarame had done and exactly how his mother died, his emotions swing from single-minded loyalty to deep hatred and disgust at the actions of the man he admired so deeply but he never quite manages to sort out his emotions regarding Madarame. He understands that Madarame's actions were truly terrible and that he has ruined multiple people's lives and dreams for the sake of his own greed, but is also aware that he still cares for Madarame despite all that and can't bring himself to completely hate him.
His trouble seeing the greys inbetween the blacks and whites of social interaction stems from his sheltered lifestyle, and is something he's only able to begin to comprehend once he's freed from Madarame's control. It starts with that realisation that he both loves and hates his former guardian, and even bleeds into how he views his artwork – a large part of his personal story in the Emperor Confidant involves him coming to terms with the world and the people in it are far more complicated than 'good' or 'bad' and that sometimes you need a little of both for things to work out for the best. Yusuke wants to create more than anything, but thanks to Madarame he sees monetising his artwork as corrupt and wrong. Yet he's fully aware that if he does become a professional artist he cannot live off his passion alone, and spends most of his confidant reconciling the idea that he can do both without turning to the sort of corruption and greed Madarame did.
Thanks to his sheltered upbringing, Yusuke is also … a little odd. He's gullible to a point, and can be fairly narrow-minded and naïve with odd priorities and a surprising lack of tolerance. When forced to move back into his school dorms after the Madarame incident, Yusuke immediate deems them too loud and impossible for him to live in. While this attitude doesn't last, he doesn't even consider giving it a couple of days to see if things will improve, he just up and decides that he can't deal with the situation and will move in with Ann instead. (Not that he asks. Or does actually move into her home, in the end.)
He's fully aware that people find him odd, or difficult to deal with and he really doesn't care. He's not great at social cues, is incredibly blunt and honest with what he wants to say in almost all situations, and is unable to read the mood of a room even when stood in the middle of it. Sometimes it works to his advantage – he's the second person in the team to actually hold a proper conversation with Futaba simply because he doesn't care about stepping on eggshells around her … or about respecting her personal property – but most of the time it means people are unwilling to go out of their way to deal with him. Rather than feeling ostracised, Yusuke is surprisingly comfortable with his own quirks and doesn't feel ashamed of them. He even makes offhand comments about his rather solitary lifestyle at school, only for the other members of the Phantom Thieves to feel sad for him. It's more like he didn't realise what he didn't have until he experienced it for the first time, and only realised how alone he was once surrounded by people who genuinely love him.
He's not cold, or unfeeling though. And he certainly doesn't hate other people. In fact, he flourishes in the company of the Phantom Thieves – all of the outcasts in some way, just like him – and was very fond of the other students that lived with Madarame in the past. It's due to this new “found family” of his that he loves and respects dearly that he's able to develop a little more awareness of himself and how he comes across.
In fact, Yusuke is quite sympathetic towards those in trouble, and is quick to agree with heist plans or targets in Mementos. Like the other Phantom Thieves, Yusuke has been burned by authority before, and been let down by adults who were supposed to help and protect him, not hurt him. As such, he wants to help out people in similar situations. He may be polite and rule-conscious in his everyday life, but he's no exception to the rebellious attitudes of his team. He can keep himself calm and cool tempered in times of stress, but will absolutely bite back against those who hurt others. Especially in cases involving betrayal or abuse at the hands of family.
Overall, Yusuke is many things – he's an artist, driven by passion, stumbling out into the world for the first time. He's hardworking, and gets intensely frustrated with himself when he suffers from a block that doesn't let him work. He seems cool and collected, but is just as prone to joy and to sorrow that borders on “drama queen”. He revels in the beauty of the world, but knows first hand it has a dark and ugly side as well, and as such is aggressively determined to help those suffering because of it now he has the ability to do so. He's a teenaged boy who has been left incredibly alone and unguided for a long time, who has finally found people just like him who genuinely care for him as much as he does for them. And he is determined to use his new abilities as a Persona-user to protect them, and other people like them as best he can.
SKILLS/ABILITIES:
> ART: Yusuke is very gifted at art – enough that he actually has a scholarship to a prestigious academy on the back of his abilities in the game. He specialises in traditional art, specifically paint-on-canvas style. But because I'm the worst I'm having him branch out into digital media and comic art in recolle for the extra pennies.
> Confidant/Replication: Tying in with his art skills, Yusuke's confidant slowly unlocks his ability at... well. Forgery. Akira can hand over Persona skill cards to Yusuke to create usable copies of certain skills. (So if anyone wants him to dabble in forgery in game... he'll probably say no because he likes not being arrested.) He's also able to use other battle abilities as his confidant ranks up – including healing status skills (by slapping people of course), taking hits for teammates and boosting his own stats when switching turns with his other teammates.
> Running on Empty: Somehow he keeps going and is able to keep up with the other Phantom Thieves despite the fact he doesn't have a clue how to take care of himself. Like. At all. He buys paints instead of buying FOOD. He lives off soy-sauce and rice. How does he not pass out mid-Palace exploration? It is a mystery.
> Katana: Despite being an obsessive art boy, Yusuke can wield a katana with an impressive amount of skill. He is a Traditional Japanese Boy, so it's probably for the aesthetic. Regardless, somehow this beanpole is one of – if not the - heaviest hitters of the team. Again, It Is A Mystery.
> Gift of Expression: Goes nicely with his artist background – Yusuke is dramatic as heck. Which also means his language is extensive enough to combine his dramatic personality with his dramatic language. Also prone to falling to his knees in despair in public places and yelling to the sky.
> Goemon: Yusuke's initial Persona is Goemon, based off a figure in Japanese history Ishikawa Goemon, a Japanese outlaw who supposedly attempted to execute Toyotomi Hideyoshi (albeit one with only two notable historical references, both written after his death). He specialises in Ice and Physical skills – both individual and group attacks, with a few spell focused on speed boosts and counterstrike abilities.
It gives Yusuke a natural resistance to Ice attacks... but also a weakness to Fire attacks.
CHARACTER: AU SECTION
AU NAME: Yusuke Kitagawa
AU AGE:18
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: None of note, he looks how he does in game.
AU NAME: Yusuke Kitagawa
AU AGE:18
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: None of note, he looks how he does in game.
AU HISTORY:
❅ Yusuke was born in Japan, but moved to Recolle when he was only a couple of years old due to a transfer of his father's job.
❅ He grew up with both his father and mother present in his life, until he was roughly 12 years old when his father was killed in an accident. His mother had always had poor health, and while she had been responding well to treatment in Recolle, Yusuke's father had been listed as her carer for times where her health deteriorated. With his father gone, and their extended family all living in Japan, Yusuke became a carer for his mother.
❅ Things were difficult for a few years – when his father was alive, if his mother was suffering from ill health, he would be able to carry Yusuke's mother downstairs to her art studio and settle her there so she could rest and if she felt better she wouldn't have far to go to start working. After his father died,
Yusuke wasn't physically strong enough to carry his mother, so if she couldn't get out of bed in the morning then none of her commissions would be worked on.
❅ In order to compensate for the loss of steady income, Yusuke tried selling some of his own artwork. He learned pretty quickly that traditional artwork wasn't as easy to market, so he grit his teeth and worked on a more marketable “cartoon” style. He's collaborated on doujinshi style comics and sells prints and keychains online for extra money, but does so under a pseudonym (Inari) that he keeps very separate from his traditional work.
❅ Ultimately, his mother is very stable and well cared for at this current point in Yusuke's life – the trial medication she was taking has become a standardised treatment, so her health has remained stable. She's able to work on her commissions and museum submissions, and even helps out at the museum that houses her artworks, so the family has a more steady income again. But this wasn't always the case - because of this, Yusuke is prone to prioritising his mother's well being over his own to fairly extreme levels. This leads to as equally poor a relationship with food and regular meals as he has in Persona 5, only for different reasons.
❅ He's still a little detached from his peers – partially due to spending a lot of his teenaged years caring for his mother outside of school hours. But he was lucky to find himself with a small but very appreciated network of childhood friends (agreed via the AU workshop), and some other Japanese families living in Recolle.
❅ While Yusuke's grades were rather up and down due to missing chunks of school to care for his mother, he is an incredibly gifted artist. Enough that he netted himself scholarship funding for a degree in Fine Arts at University, something that he is due to start in the new academic year. His mother is an equally talented artist, and a bulk of their finances come from art work she creates when she is well enough.
Yusuke works part time at a local art supply shop nowadays, but does occasionally collaborate on comics or commissions for some extra cash. He tends to veer towards what is most popular, to up his chances of earning more cash.
❅ He owns three Fiddler Crabs, named Bisque, Rangoon and Gejang and is very fond of them. Most people think his choice of pet is weird.
AU PERSONALITY:
Ultimately, Yusuke in Recolle is a little better adjusted than Yusuke in Persona 5 but still shares a lot of his OU counterpart's quirks. He had both his parents around while he was growing up, and had a happy childhood. He's not quite as socially dense as he can be in Persona 5, but he's still an eccentric and considered to be odd by the people around him.
However, the loss of his father hit him hard, in a lot more ways than just emotionally. His father had been the stabiliser of the family – he earned a good and regular wage to balance out the fact his mother was essentially freelancing, and he was the main carer for his wife. When he died, that rug of security was whipped out from beneath Yusuke's feet in a matter of seconds. Because he spent most of his time caring for his mother and spending time with her, he missed out on a lot of social development among his peers and is still socially awkward like his OU counterpart. However, because his mother was still around he didn't grow up completely clueless – he had a confidant who cared deeply for him, and while he never really wanted to talk about how becoming her carer sometimes caused him difficulty, he had a shoulder to lean on. And someone who genuinely had his best interests at heart, not someone out to manipulate him for their own gain.
So, while he's still a socially awkward little turtle, his oddities come from a good place rather than just a lack of care or guidance in his life. He's still cultivated a deep and intense love of art, but is free to pursue his own goals through it with the support of his mother. He shows little concern for what people think of him or his methods of gaining inspiration, because he has support from a good place telling him to be proud of who he is. But he has an awareness that OU!Yusuke doesn't have – he's more aware of when to tone down his oddities and when he should be cultivating a positive image to the people around him.
As such, he doesn't have as much trouble making friends. When he was little he did run into problems, because his classmates didn't understand why he kept vanishing from class or why he didn't want to hang out after school he ended up a little ostracised. However, as the years went by some of his classmates were able to empathise with his situation better and he found himself chatting with his peers more. He's still definitely “odd” and prefers his own company and the company of a canvas to big school gatherings, but he has more of an awareness of when it comes to talking with other people who don't quite understand him.
He still has issues with food and eating – in part because he absorbs himself in his artwork and forgets to eat, and also because he's used to making sure his mother is well fed and remaining healthy. There were times where he'd lie about how much food they had in the house to make sure his mother was fed, even if he wasn't. Things are no where near as intense as that now, but if he's not focusing he'll skip meals or give himself smaller portions without thinking about it, and has to be nagged or dragged away from his work to make sure he actually eats.
He's incredibly appreciative of his closest friends though – whether he met them years ago, or recently. The people who just “get” him and go out of their way to know him just as he is are incredibly important to him.
❅ Yusuke was born in Japan, but moved to Recolle when he was only a couple of years old due to a transfer of his father's job.
❅ He grew up with both his father and mother present in his life, until he was roughly 12 years old when his father was killed in an accident. His mother had always had poor health, and while she had been responding well to treatment in Recolle, Yusuke's father had been listed as her carer for times where her health deteriorated. With his father gone, and their extended family all living in Japan, Yusuke became a carer for his mother.
❅ Things were difficult for a few years – when his father was alive, if his mother was suffering from ill health, he would be able to carry Yusuke's mother downstairs to her art studio and settle her there so she could rest and if she felt better she wouldn't have far to go to start working. After his father died,
Yusuke wasn't physically strong enough to carry his mother, so if she couldn't get out of bed in the morning then none of her commissions would be worked on.
❅ In order to compensate for the loss of steady income, Yusuke tried selling some of his own artwork. He learned pretty quickly that traditional artwork wasn't as easy to market, so he grit his teeth and worked on a more marketable “cartoon” style. He's collaborated on doujinshi style comics and sells prints and keychains online for extra money, but does so under a pseudonym (Inari) that he keeps very separate from his traditional work.
❅ Ultimately, his mother is very stable and well cared for at this current point in Yusuke's life – the trial medication she was taking has become a standardised treatment, so her health has remained stable. She's able to work on her commissions and museum submissions, and even helps out at the museum that houses her artworks, so the family has a more steady income again. But this wasn't always the case - because of this, Yusuke is prone to prioritising his mother's well being over his own to fairly extreme levels. This leads to as equally poor a relationship with food and regular meals as he has in Persona 5, only for different reasons.
❅ He's still a little detached from his peers – partially due to spending a lot of his teenaged years caring for his mother outside of school hours. But he was lucky to find himself with a small but very appreciated network of childhood friends (agreed via the AU workshop), and some other Japanese families living in Recolle.
❅ While Yusuke's grades were rather up and down due to missing chunks of school to care for his mother, he is an incredibly gifted artist. Enough that he netted himself scholarship funding for a degree in Fine Arts at University, something that he is due to start in the new academic year. His mother is an equally talented artist, and a bulk of their finances come from art work she creates when she is well enough.
Yusuke works part time at a local art supply shop nowadays, but does occasionally collaborate on comics or commissions for some extra cash. He tends to veer towards what is most popular, to up his chances of earning more cash.
❅ He owns three Fiddler Crabs, named Bisque, Rangoon and Gejang and is very fond of them. Most people think his choice of pet is weird.
AU PERSONALITY:
Ultimately, Yusuke in Recolle is a little better adjusted than Yusuke in Persona 5 but still shares a lot of his OU counterpart's quirks. He had both his parents around while he was growing up, and had a happy childhood. He's not quite as socially dense as he can be in Persona 5, but he's still an eccentric and considered to be odd by the people around him.
However, the loss of his father hit him hard, in a lot more ways than just emotionally. His father had been the stabiliser of the family – he earned a good and regular wage to balance out the fact his mother was essentially freelancing, and he was the main carer for his wife. When he died, that rug of security was whipped out from beneath Yusuke's feet in a matter of seconds. Because he spent most of his time caring for his mother and spending time with her, he missed out on a lot of social development among his peers and is still socially awkward like his OU counterpart. However, because his mother was still around he didn't grow up completely clueless – he had a confidant who cared deeply for him, and while he never really wanted to talk about how becoming her carer sometimes caused him difficulty, he had a shoulder to lean on. And someone who genuinely had his best interests at heart, not someone out to manipulate him for their own gain.
So, while he's still a socially awkward little turtle, his oddities come from a good place rather than just a lack of care or guidance in his life. He's still cultivated a deep and intense love of art, but is free to pursue his own goals through it with the support of his mother. He shows little concern for what people think of him or his methods of gaining inspiration, because he has support from a good place telling him to be proud of who he is. But he has an awareness that OU!Yusuke doesn't have – he's more aware of when to tone down his oddities and when he should be cultivating a positive image to the people around him.
As such, he doesn't have as much trouble making friends. When he was little he did run into problems, because his classmates didn't understand why he kept vanishing from class or why he didn't want to hang out after school he ended up a little ostracised. However, as the years went by some of his classmates were able to empathise with his situation better and he found himself chatting with his peers more. He's still definitely “odd” and prefers his own company and the company of a canvas to big school gatherings, but he has more of an awareness of when it comes to talking with other people who don't quite understand him.
He still has issues with food and eating – in part because he absorbs himself in his artwork and forgets to eat, and also because he's used to making sure his mother is well fed and remaining healthy. There were times where he'd lie about how much food they had in the house to make sure his mother was fed, even if he wasn't. Things are no where near as intense as that now, but if he's not focusing he'll skip meals or give himself smaller portions without thinking about it, and has to be nagged or dragged away from his work to make sure he actually eats.
He's incredibly appreciative of his closest friends though – whether he met them years ago, or recently. The people who just “get” him and go out of their way to know him just as he is are incredibly important to him.