#exemplar

There are certain concepts or subjects that one probably would not immediately think of as an identity, as many identities are thought of as an internal, personal experience. Some, however, do come from one's relation to other people. Archetropy, for example, some trope type does need interaction with others in order for one to properly embody them.

My own Bond Weaver archetrope is where I go and connect people, make yuan[1] happen. I have to interact with people to perform my archetropy. Yajuu is my inner demon, in a technical sort of speaking sense. It more specifically aligns itself with the Inner Beast archetrope. As one can imagine, this is largely a very uniquely plural sort of tropetype. The way Yajuu first came about was all very accidental, unintentional, and unexpected. Perhaps it decided I needed it, which I do. It was sort of daemon-like, and basically formed out of my rage and anger. I have a lot of it you see, even with Yajuu around, I still have more to give.

We don't really do roles, people kind of just slot into what they want or to find themselves end up doing. It's like, "Oh, the laundry needs to be done. I'm good at laundry/I have a free moment, lemme take care of that." Yajuu being big and beastly, well, sort of took up what the community would typically dub "gatekeeper". We just call it the Gate Guardian.

Talk about beastly, I'm sure readers have realized that really matches the whole Inner Beast vibe.

Yajuu, before it became Yajuu, was just The Beast. That was its name. Our names are all sort of like that, I'm (Yume) Ryuu[2], or translated, the (dream) dragon, Akumu (Ryuu) means nightmare (dragon). They are more descriptive titles when you translate them, but also our names.

When Akumu was pondering about the possibility of having a Sasuke hearttype, he mentioned Yajuu, Beast back then, had been contemplating about Kurama archetrope. Some time during all that, Beast got intrigued by the names of the bijuu/tailed beasts of the Naruto world. It wanted something similar.

We gone through a couple of different variations, combining ideas of Wild Beast and similar themes. We had at first settled on Yakaryuu, Wildling, beastly youkai dragon, 野の化け物の竜. Honestly, I thought it sounded great. But by itself, Yaka? Guess it's rather lacking. And really, our partner helped us brainstorm it, and we eventually ended on Yajuu, literally Beast. It is just a full circle. But it fit the theme of the Dream Dragons. I am the Dragon, Akumu is the Nightmare, and Yajuu is the Beast.

Now you see, layers upon layers of reinforcing the same identity of Yajuu being The Beast. And Kurama? He had been in that same position early on in the series of Naruto. Yajuu and I don't have that kind of antagonistic relationship. I love Yajuu, I adore all my fellow Dream Dragons. But Yajuu being The Beast Within is very on the nose and very much what it is. Kurama's trope of being an Inner Beast is adopted by Yajuu as its own archetrope, and Kurama himself is the Exemplar of such a trope.

[1] Yuan, or yuanfen. “Predestined bond through time” due to the culture it’s connected to. I use it outside of multi-lives business as well. A little bit I wrote on it here: The Concept of Yuanfen: "Predestined connection".