Background

[furrytailprince]

Ever wonder what the story would be like if Mokuba was the main antagonist in Yugioh instead of Kaiba or Nunnally was the main character in Code Geass instead of Lelouch? Ariel is the dark spin on that concept.

Ariel is the second son of the werewolf king. He has always been a sickly child and nearly died soon after birth. This resulted in complications with manifesting his werewolf side, and Ariel didn't manage his first change until he was 18. His condition also led his father to hide him from the rest of the pack, acknowledging only that he had another son but that he was too sick to leave the keep. The only people who ever seemed to give Ariel the time of day were his mother (who saw him as a valuable possession) and his older brother Eli (who saw him as innocent and pure amid their brutal family). In fact, Eli challenged his father to take Ariel away from the kingdom and live in exile until the death of their father made Eli king and forced him to return.

Much of Ariel's personality is a direct result of this sheltered upbringing. He's been both ignored and pampered simultaneously and is not really used to taking care of himself or doing things for himself, making him quite arrogant and bossy, but with little actual authority to back it up. If it wasn't the keep providing for him, it was his older brother. This lack of actual authority doesn't stop him from trying to act like he's always on top of every possible situation or that he knows more than anyone else. He hates being told what to do and will act extremely put upon when it seems like someone is trying to give him orders.

Ariel also has a strong interest in science since his family has significant ties into genetics research. While not reaching anywhere near genius levels of intelligence, Ariel is devoted to research and history. Having always been kept in the dark by both his father and later Eli while growing up, Ariel seeks to learn as much as he can about the world around him and prove that he too is capable of managing the family's legacy. This desire to prove himself is a huge driver in Ariel's behavior and actions. Though Ariel will boast about his lineage and his inherent abilities, he also knows that nobody believes he will amount to much and suffers from continuous bouts of self-doubt, which he struggles to hide.

Feeding into this self-doubt is his near inability to control his change because of how late he obtained it and the catalyst. Unlike most weres, Ariel's change was triggered by a vicious attack from another were that managed to finally awaken the latent powers in his blood, which had remained dormant since his birth. Ariel barely survived the attack and only managed to do so because his forced change healed him. Now the werewolf's predatory nature consumes him whenever he's emotionally worked up (or around a lot of blood) and throws him into a savage frenzy, which is a direct contrast to his normally cool and suave persona. Ariel fears this side of himself immensely and is constantly fighting to maintain control. This does not mean that he detests his werewolf side completely, though, since it also provides him with power to escape his weaker human form and engage with life as he truly wishes.

Another component of Ariel's snippy nature is his complicated relationship with his brother. While Ariel cares deeply for Eli, he is also fiercely jealous of him and Eli's apparent ability to have and do anything he likes, especially when it comes to power. It also doesn't help that Eli is overly protective of him and does everything in his power to never let Ariel out of his sight. Eli's protective nature makes sense, considering that Eli and Ariel are the last surviving members of their family and people are usually trying to kill them. At first, Ariel's greatest desire is to take the kingdom from Eli and prove himself a powerful king.

It isn't until he actually interacts more with the rest of the pack, following the true awakening of his werewolf side, that Ariel even understands what he wants to do with the power he seeks. He realizes the discrimination and oppression the smaller or weaker wolves regularly experience due to the werewolf caste system that views them as only as liabilities to the pack and not worthy of protection. Ariel also discovers the corruption among the wolves that results in poverty among the humans. Basically, those in far worse situations than himself. He makes it his mission to create a better world for everyone.

Though his default personality is selfish, Ariel does respond to those who are struggling, possibly because of his ability to relate to them on some level. Not that he'll ever admit it because he needs them to believe he's just as amazing as he says. It should also be noted that much of Ariel's kinder side slowly starts to reveal himself after he meets someone that seems to genuinely support and believe in him, a genetically enhanced werewolf named Raoul. Ariel initially befriended Raoul to share his power, but after several life-and-death situations, they both come to trust each other and Ariel learns how to depend on at least one person that he doesn't think is trying to hold him back. This allows Ariel to embrace his deeper emotions and even come to love Raoul and confide his true insecurities in him.