Applications

[thenine]

APPLICATIONS

Since the game is in the closing process, applications are permanently CLOSED.
Reserves are currently CLOSED.

Please be sure to review our FAQ, rules, and taken page!

Player Cap: 38/60

Please note that reserves only hold the character for you to apply with. Should all player slots be filled before the end of the scheduled application round, applications will close at that time. Due to the limited number of player slots, revision requests will be given a 24 hour window for re-submission.

To submit your application during an open round, copy and paste it directly in a comment here. If your application exceeds the character length, please only use one top-level and reply to it with as many comments as needed.

Please title your comments in the following format:

CHARACTER NAME | CANON | RESERVED/NOT RESERVED

Player

Name:

Age:

Contact:

Preferred Pronouns:

Other Characters: If this is your second character, please list your first here.

Character

Name: Please include any known aliases as well.

Age:

Memory Option: (1, 2, 3 -- see HERE for more information).

Established Status: Y/N. If yes, please state for how long (up to five years, more information can be found here) and detail briefly what they've been doing since they've come to Overjoyed. Please note that no memory regains will be possible prior to game-start: this option is only available to allow you to better establish your character and their potential organizations/business/etc.

Canon:

Canon Point:

Citizenship: Please review the settings guide and job guide, as not all characters will have citizenship. This will be very important for plot events and will not be easily changed once accepted, so consider your options carefully.

Job: See our jobs, FAQ, and culture pages for more information. Who they work for--whether it's The Company, The RAC, or another option, will have a significant impact on their daily lives. The most important thing to bear in mind is that the job should make sense for the character--we probably wouldn't have Gundam Wing's Heero become a pastry chef (though that would be its own level of awesome), and likewise, Ash Ketchum probably isn't suited for biomedical engineering.

* Level: For characters who are applying as members of the RAC, please state the level you believe is the most logical starting point for them. Keep in mind that no one begins higher than a level 4.

Abilities: For an overview of how your character's canon powers can translate to Overjoyed, please review the FAQ, powers guide and/or hit up the brainstorming meme where a mod will be happy to work with you. In short, we will only be nerfing those abilities deemed game-breaking, but will require that magical abilities translate into more scifi iterations of themselves. Additionally, you will need to classify your abilities between minor and major and explain why you chose that classification. Minor abilities will be available from day one, but major abilities can only be regained through AC purchases.

This section should also include any standard physical or mental abilities that are noteworthy about your character.

Personality: We expect this section to be thorough and as comprehensive as possible. While we understand that the nature of an AU-bending game will skew a canon personality, we ask that you refrain from heavy use of headcanon and, in the instances where you do use it, provide your logic and reference canon to back it up. Things to consider in this section: How do they react to conflict? What are their strongest traits and their weakest points? In their worst moments, what are they like? How about when they're at their best? We want to see well-rounded characters--no one is perfect and no one is completely flawed.

CRAU: Yes or no. If yes, please provide a brief summary of the world setting they're coming from, the developments and/or formative experiences that occurred during the time they were there, and a link to the game's main navigation page.

AU History: This is the section where you will blend the world setting with your character's original history. Because we realize that this isn't the easiest task, we want to make it as painless--and as fun--as possible. If you're struggling for ideas, please don't hesitate to hit up the brainstorming meme. Your history does not need to mirror canon precisely--some things just won't translate well at all, but try to stay as true to the original path as you can. The people tasked with rewriting your character's memory would try to align it as closely to true experiences as they could.

Original History:
If canon: A wiki link is sufficient as long as it covers the pertinent details and pertains to the specific universe in which you're pulling your character from (anime, manga, game, etc).

If OC: Please provide a detailed account of their life and general world setting of their original universe. If possible, try to limit this section to no more than 1000 words, but know that this is more of a general guideline for your moderators' sanity than unbending rule (so if you feel that you need to write more to convey important details, we understand).

Inventory: Items that your character had on their person at the time of leaving their universe will be permitted, though some may change form when entering Overjoyed to suit the environment (i.e., if you had a magical pocketwatch, it would probably look slightly different now.) For application purposes, please list any items within their possession at the canon point you'll be taking them from, and describe any changes the items will undergo.

Samples: Please provide either (A) a sample written within the game verse or (B) two threads, only one of which may be network, wherein at least one is set within game verse (i.e., tdm).

Miscellaneous Notes: Is there anything you would like the mods to consider that didn't quite fit into the above sections? For original characters, please note your PB here. Otherwise, feel free to add anything pertinent that didn't quite fall into the above categories.

Template

<h2 style="color: #000!important; font-weight: normal!important; font-family: Georgia, serif!important; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; letter-spacing: 5px; font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: uppercase!important; border-bottom: 1px solid #5f5f5f; text-align:right;">Player</h2> <b>Name</b>: <b>Age</b>: <b>Contact</b>: <b>Preferred Pronouns</b>: <b>Other Characters</b>: <h2 style="color: #000!important; font-weight: normal!important; font-family: Georgia, serif!important; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; letter-spacing: 5px; font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: uppercase!important; border-bottom: 1px solid #5f5f5f; text-align:right;">Character</h2> <b>Name</b>: <b>Age</b>: <b>Memory Option</b>: <b>Established Status</b>: <b>Canon</b>: <b>Canon Point</b>: <b>Citizenship</b>: <b>Job</b>: <div style="margin-left: 40px;">* <u>Level</u>:</div> <b>Abilities</b> <b>Personality</b>: <b>AU History</b>: <b>CRAU</b>: <b>Original History</b>: <b>Inventory</b>: <b>Samples</b>: <b>Miscellaneous Notes</b>:

Comments

julius visconti | god eater 2 rage burst | reserved

[tousei]

Player

Name: Eon

Age: 20

Contact: PM is best, but I'm also on plurk at haemoglobin

Preferred Pronouns: they/them

[tousei]

Character

Name: Julius Visconti

Age: 20

Memory Option: 1

Established Status: Yes. I'd say about 5 years of Company work.

Canon: God Eater 2

NB: There are slight differences in personality and dialogue options between the Japanese and English versions. I will be playing him from the Japanese version, so this application will reflect that.

Canon Point: Immediately before 'Aria of Light'

Citizenship: Leithian

Job: Company Enforcer

* Level: Mid-level, not high enough to be administration but not low enough to be entry-level either.

Abilities
- Minor | Enhanced Biology
Julius is a God Eater, someone who has been biologically modified for battle. His physical strength, agility and endurance are greatly augmented by the process, and he is able to wield a God Arc as a weapon with great aptitude. God Eaters have heightened resistance to extreme temperatures (one stage in the game has great pools of magma), physical stress, and have a healing factor as well. It's enough to heal small scratches and scrapes quite fast, large injuries within days, but not powerful enough to regenerate lost limbs or fatal wounds.

- Mundane | Combat Proficiency
As someone who has served in his world's equivalent of a military since age 15, he is someone very proficient in combat, tactics and other related skills. Other skills picked up in service include skill with technology, first aid, and other things that would be expected for a Captain of his status to know.

- Minor > Major | Weapon-Specific Power
Due to being injected with the P66 Bias Factor, he also has an ability (Blood Power) named Control. He is able to buff (burst in game terms) his allies whenever he uses a Blood Art, but this is restricted to only fellow God Eaters/Oracle Cell based technology and will not apply to normal humans. Blood Arts can be used with weapons other than God Arcs, they merely have to be the same shape/category of weapon as what the user is trained for. In his case, it's a Long Blade (sword, basically).

In the game, this will be divided into two halves. His Blood Art, Galestrike, will be a minor ability, while his ability to buff others will be considered a major ability.

Galestrike is a Blood Art, a special technique that can be executed in the game with certain combos. Upon using Zero Stance, pressing Triangle will initiate the usual forward dash attack, upon hitting an enemy, extra slashes will be done on the target, while the player dashes through as per normal. This can be chained infinitely as long as the player performs Zero Stance after each attack. The game doesn't elaborate on what exactly the slashes are, so I'll be assuming they're air blades produced via force of will. (Yes, this sounds extremely hammy, but God Eater is all about making hamminess and shounen protagonist powers explainable via handwaved science so IT WORKS... SOMEHOW....)

Control will raise the overall stats of an ally by raising the level of Burst in the game. Burst is a state that characters in GE can enter when they devour an Aragami, basically by taking in extra Oracle Cells from an Aragami, they are able to activate the Oracle Cells in their own body and increase their own capabilities. Julius can activate others' Cells just by force of will alone (and it's even stackable), and later on in the game he is able to use it to telepathically command a platoon of android soldiers (made from Oracle Cells) as well as transfer his combat expertise and memories to them. The exact limitations of it is never touched upon in canon, but of course it will cause him strain when it is used just like any other mental ability.

To translate this into the Overjoyed setting, he would be given a mod that lets him telepathically control machinery and other electronics with a compatible mod installed into them (like his sword). As for buffing other people, they would need to have a similar mod on their person as well (whether temporary or permanently grafted into them). I was thinking that perhaps the Company researchers assigned to monitor him after his mother's death would take blueprints from her lab and start testing out devices that will be compatible with his resonance. In the future/with HP, I could regain some of this devices and give to his CR, stuff like that.

- Major | Singularity Status
Later on in his canon Julius is experimented on and turned into the Person Who Opens The World, an unique Aragami termed the Singularity. It is an extremely strong opponent in battle, acting as the vanilla GE2 game's final boss. It is able to telepathically control the six swords that are part of its body as well as summon lasers to damage foes. Not only that, it also has the ability to initiate the Devouring Apocalypse, a process that would consume all matter on the Earth and redistribute it.

Since transformation is irreversible, I would have this stalled in the game. The only things I would plan for him to eventually regain would be the combat abilities of the Person Who Opens The World as well as a few cosmetic changes, and even then there will be restrictions as stipulated in the AU history section below.

He has no magic or any other abilities of note.

Lapis Fathalla | Original | Not Reserved

[oneirism]

Player

Name: Jayes

Age: 24

Contact: moonpaper

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

Character

Name: Lapis Fathalla

Age: 22 (+2 years in-game, so apparently 24)

Memory Option: 1

Established Status: Yes, about two years!

Canon: Original

Canon Point: A month after arriving in Washington and meeting Elliot.

Citizenship: Lethian, but currently resides in Westerly

Job: Bar Singer/Information Broker

[oneirism]

Abilities

Lapis is a Ghost Master; a powerful spirit medium who has the unique capability to make spiritual energy links with spirits, so long as the spirit is not stronger than her. The 'contract' increases the power of the spirit, and also increases her own spiritual power. Lapis can also adjust how much energy the spirit gains, and can drain them of power if she so wishes to. However, this works both ways, and Lapis can be drained of power as well. When these 'contracts' are made, the spirits can either stay with her in the land of the living, or go rest in the spirit world until she needs to summon them. At this moment in time, Lapis has around twenty spirits resting in the spirit world, and two actively summoned with her, Mitchell and Peter.

Since there's no ghosts or anything like that in Overjoy, her powers will be translated as follows;

Skills
👻 Singing and Dancing ; Lapis is greatly skilled in singing and dancing, and used these skills as ways to conduct rituals, and they also made her greatly agile and with more stamina than one would expect. In Overjoy, it's primarily an interest she developed and harnessed since she was a child, since she had been left alone often and used her AI to research the subject.

👻 Advanced Knowledge of Human Anatomy ; As a result of hanging around ghosts constantly and learning about ways in which they died, Lapis gained a lot of knowledge relating to human anatomy. In Overjoy, it would again be a result of an interest she developed due to being alone often and using her AI to research.

Passive
👻 Superhuman Speed/Teleportation ; The excess spiritual energy Lapis possessed manifested itself as being able to move at superhuman speeds, to the point of being able to basically teleport. Instead, she will possess something similar in the form of a device that can produce an invisibility cloak, that possesses light-bending technology and completely conceals Lapis presence – such as heat signature and any items connected to her – for about one minute. However, it will de-active if something or someone knocks into her while it's active. It will then require a five minute cool down until it can be used again, and it takes the form of a plain white bracelet on her right wrist.

👻 Sensing ; As a powerful spirit medium, Lapis is able to sense ghosts/other supernatural beings. In Overjoy, this will instead be her AI 'ghosts' being able to sense electronic devices nearby, the kind of device it is, other AI's, and if someone is modded/what kind of mods they have. Player permission will be asked for this, though.

Minor
👻 Seeing ; Lapis is able to allow other people to 'see' ghosts as she does, even if they don't have the ability to. It requires physical contact, and tends to be rather painful for the person being allowed to 'see'. Though this power will be nerfed in Overjoy, since it would probably be rather impossible to get a normal person to see AI.

👻 Barrier ; Mediums like Lapis are able to conjure barriers, to protect them against attacks. This will instead be in the form of a device that can produce a particle barrier that's short-burst, only able to defend for one second before needing to recharge for ten seconds. It can only defend in the direction that Lapis is facing, so she will still be vulnerable from the sides and from behind. It takes the form of a plain white bracelet on her left wrist.

Major
👻 Connection to Ghosts ; The main part of Lapis' powers is how she's able to make connections with ghosts, and is able to ask them for aid with anything. In Overjoy, her ghosts will instead be AI that she constructs within her mind, as a result of a neural technology experiment conducted on her before she was born. These programs are unable to be seen by anyone else, and are able to interact with technology, letting Lapis overhear conversations or find information on devices, and even possess/manipulate technology. Lapis is only able to create and send out a maximum of three AI at a time, however this is a huge drain on her energy, so she tends to stick to only sending out one.

👻 Banishment ; The other main part of Lapis' powers is the ability to banish and fight back against spirits, so long as she and her own spirits are stronger than those they're fighting against. This will present itself as being able to overtake and possibly delete AI that are in electronic devices, though any systems that contain more than one AI will be impossible for Lapis to take over/delete, and attempting to do this will be a massive strain on Lapis.

Giovanni Rammsteiner | DOGS | Reserved

[ofobedience]

Player

Name: Kam

Age: 32

Contact: kamaitachiyoukai @ plurk

Preferred Pronouns: Female pronouns

Character

Name: Giovanni Rammsteiner

Age: unknown/around 22

Memory Option: 2

Established Status: Yes. Giovanni has been established here for 5 years. During that time, he has belonged to the Company as part of their ‘Cerberus Unit’, based in Westerly.

Canon: DOGS: Bullets & Carnage

Canon Point: Chapter 65, whilst being held prisoner by Zollner Neubauten

Citizenship: Westerly, Company property

Job: Cerberus Unit operative (details in the AU history section!)

Abilities

Translated Abilites

Passive | Autonomic Regeneration: Canonly, Giovanni is able to heal almost instantly from a multitude of injuries, including direct headshots/a crushed skull, and possesses the ability to regrow limbs within minutes. However, as discussed with the mods, these abilities will be nerfed somewhat in game in order to maintain balance-- he will be able to heal almost instantly up to a certain point (as a measurement, a full magazine’s worth of bullets entering his body below the head), and after this his regeneration abilities will slowly lose steam so that, if he were to continue taking damage, healing would begin to take longer until finally he’d be unable to heal at all. Regeneration of severed limbs will remain, but to a much slower degree (hours rather than minutes), unless using the help of a Company Lab (or ‘the Kennel’, mentioned in the AU history section), which of course he will not always have access to. In game, unlike in canon, a headshot or massive trauma to the brain would be able to kill him.

The explanation used here will be similar to canon, but slightly translated-- He has an implanted technologically developed Spine, which in gameverse would translate to being a hack-mod paired with nanotech, where the implanted Spine controls the nanotech giving him his enhanced powers. Company Dog Handlers will be equipped with a sword coated in a tech virus known as Dog Bite, which, when stabbed directly into the Spine has the capacity to kill a Cerberus Unit operative instantly, or subduing them if it enters any other part of the body.

Passive | Heightened senses: hearing and sense of smell would be similar to that of a dog rather than a human, and his eyesight would be 2x that of a normal human.

Passive | Enhanced Speed/Strength/Agility: 3x that of a normal human

Passive | Immunity to poisons and diseases Whilst in canon this refers to all known poisons and diseases, in game it applies to MOST, but with an added susceptibility to complex tech viruses that target nanotechnology. As long as his modifications are working optimally, he will be immune, but if he were to be infected with a tech virus, he would be left with a weaker immune system than most since the nanotech has been doing the heavy lifting in place of his own body

Personality:
Giovanni begins life as a timid, fearful and withdrawn child who struggles to cope with the horror and violence he was actually created for. He consistently voices a belief that he doesn’t belong in the facility/Cerberus Unit and is often found crying/whimpering/cowering away from whatever awful test he and the other children are subjected to (earning him the nickname ‘crybaby Giovanni’ and occasional teasing or disdain from the other children). Because he starts out as a somewhat inferior specimen, he is constantly berated by ‘Mother’, who subjects him to verbal abuse and consistently informs him of his own uselessness. This sparks the beginnings of a deep jealousy which is only exacerbated by Heine’s escape from the Cerberus Project (see AU history!).

As he matures, the horror and violence of the test facility he has grown up in and the fact that he was abandoned to the facility by Heine has a deep and traumatic effect on Giovanni, leading him to become dissociated from his softer emotions and detached from everything around him. Given the events of his everyday life and his lack of other experiences to draw from, he realises that in order to survive among wolves he has to become one himself, and the jealousy and bitterness he feels towards Heine (the ‘favourite’ child, who also left him behind) and his own sizable inferiority complex drive him to develop control over his own abilities and to become the deadly but loyal fighting machine he was created to be.

Giovanni presents himself as a smooth, collected, violent individual, referring to jobs he’s sent out on as ‘fun’ or ‘games’. He’ll often be found smiling or laughing during violent encounters, takes on a suave, snarky personality and appears to take great enjoyment from violence in general. His tone of voice is often wry, sardonic, and mocking, and on encountering him in a situation outside of the Kennel or away from figures of significant authority within the Company, he would seem to be assertive, confident and ruthless.

However, Giovanni does not, in fact, partake in violence merely for its own sake. Instead, his personality and behaviour are constructed from a persistent undercurrent of jealousy, fear, and his pervasive desire for approval. Despite having proven himself in terms of his abilities among the Dogs, he continues to consider himself second-rate, still somehow defective, and because of this he is always attempting to prove that he is loyal, obedient, deadly, and above all useful. Given his training and background and the fact that he began life with a somewhat ‘submissive’ personality to begin with, he is loyal to the Company down to the bones and considers himself to be little more than a tool ( a ‘leashed dog’, something he openly recognises and makes reference to, at times). He has spent his entire life taking orders and acting almost entirely under the direction of someone else, which suggests that he wouldn’t even begin to know what to do with himself if those ties were broken.

As his life revolves around violence and simple survival, it’s safe to say that he has little idea of where his own interests might lie. He has no deep interpersonal relationships outside of his loyalty to his creator and his connection with the Company (who for the most part look down on him as he is, essentially, just an 'attack dog', a weapon to be used). His distance from everyone around him stems in part from the dissociation created between himself and his emotions following Heine’s perceived abandonment of him, and in part because he is, essentially, just a weapon - he lacks normal socialisation and his creator and superiors in the Company treat him accordingly (a tool, not a friend or even an autonomous person). All in all Giovanni's existence focuses entirely on three things: being the obedient weapon he was intended to be, Heine, and his loyalty to the Company. He has nothing else. However, he does harbour an intense dislike towards Handsome Jack thanks to his role in orchestrating Heine’s escape, and while his training and loyalty to the Company prevent him from seeking a violent revenge, his less-than-friendly feelings towards him are thinly veiled, at best.

When away from battle, Giovanni is an intensely morose, lonely individual who spends much of his time dwelling on the past and almost entirely cut off from his present. His feelings towards – and virtual obsession with – Heine are also more complicated than pure bitterness and jealousy; Heine is the one person who he had shared any level of closeness with and while he in no way expects a return of this closeness, he still misses Heine deeply and has a strong desire for the other man to at least acknowledge his existence. Still, despite his inferiority complex, his desire to please, his abiding fear and his longing for the past, this is not to say that deep down he is still that gentle-natured child who just wants to be liked. In order to survive the horror and violence that makes up his existence, it was essential to become equally violent and ruthless; while he may not be the arrogant, self-confident killing machine he presents himself to be in front of others, he does enjoy fighting and would kill mercilessly if ordered to or if someone stood between him and the goals set out for him. At least some of his bitterness towards Heine stems from Heine’s readiness to abandon the Cerberus Unit; because of his own jealousy, his inferiority complex and his desire to push himself to be better, Giovanni finds it hard to comprehend why Heine wouldn’t want to reach his full potential and become the very best that the Cerberus Unit has to offer, referring to him as a stray mutt. This acts to demonstrate that this kind of violence and ruthlessness is something Giovanni strives for, that the gentleness in him has been largely suppressed by the harshness of his life. He's damaged certainly, and a product of the life he was forced into, but violence is now so deeply ingrained in him that he's come to enjoy it to some extent.

[ofobedience]

AU History:

Giovanni’s first memory is of waking up as a child of around 8 - 10 in a sterile white room, surrounded by other child, all wearing what appear to be hospital-issue clothes and with metal collars bolted down into their necks. Soon after waking, a tall, imposing, but beautiful woman walks into the room, introduces herself only as Mother, and informs them that they are to become ‘the military’s most beautiful weapons’. No sooner has she announced this then a group of hack-mod experimental subjects that only bear a passing resemblance to humans (failed test subjects, as it happens) are let loose into the room, and the children are expected to ‘despatch’ them with nothing more than their own hands. His first memories, then, are drenched in confusion, bloodshed, and fear.

As it transpires, he and the other children he came into consciousness beside are test subjects for a special unit of hack-mod soldiers (known as the Cerberus Project and, later, when the project comes to fruition, the Cerberus Unit) originally intended to be used by the military. Whether they were children stolen from the streets of the Old Town and underground tunnels in Westerly, or produced specifically for the Cerberus Unit, is never revealed to them, and what follows from his first moment of waking is day after day after day of gruelling training (weapons training, combat training, ‘test exercises’ where they are forced to kill normal human soldiers and failed test subjects alike), as well as horrific experiments designed to ascertain the limits of their hack-mod abilities.

As a test subject, Giovanni is somewhat slow to develop in comparison with the other children, his Spine needing further tweaking in order to keep up with the demands of their training (which of course involves further experiments and surgeries, fun times for him). He is considered an inferior subject by Mother and the rest of the scientists working on the Cerberus Project, and is often derided by them for being substandard trash. As such he develops the somewhat fearful and timid personality detailed in the personality section, alongside a life-long inferiority complex.

Whilst their days are highly regimented and consist of little more than one grueling training session/test after another, they are given some downtime for meals, sleep, and controlled socialisation amongst each other. It’s during these socialisation sessions that he develops a friendship with one of the other children, his older ‘brother’ Heine. Unlike Giovanni, Heine is considered ‘top of the range’ within their test group, performing better than all the others in every aspect of their training and testing. As such, Giovanni looks up to him as a kind of role model and protector, although he also harbours some level of jealousy towards him for being the favoured test subject.

At some point during their training stage, Mother becomes romantically involved with one of the Company’s employees, Handsome Jack, and - being the exceptional scientist and doctor that she is - manages to pull some strings and switches from military personnel over to Company employment, taking her pet project (heh heh) along with her. It’s at this time that Handsome Jack comes into contact with the Cerberus Unit and, more specifically, Heine, and notices the unhealthy level of interest Mother invests in Heine, as her favourite of the ‘Dogs’. He devises a plan to free Heine, essentially stealing Company property and releasing him into the overpopulated warrens of Westerly.

Left without the one person Giovanni had anything approaching a positive relationship with, and subjected to the continued rigorous training/testing processes, he endeavours to become the ‘perfect Dog’; singularly loyal to the Company and to Mother herself despite never being quite able to live up to the standard Heine had set, or winning that level of praise and adulation.

Further adding to his fears and his determination to prove himself unequivocally useful is the ever-present threat of being ‘put down’, held over them by those above them. Whilst this threat is one that is rarely carried out due to their status as particularly expensive and effective equipment, the fact that it exists still casts an ominous shadow over Giovanni’s every day life. As previously mentioned, weapons laced with the tech ‘poison’ known as Dog Bite are issued to those in a position of control over the Dogs, and the few occasions where Giovanni was unfortunate enough to witness its effects weigh heavily on his mind. The first instance occurred when all of them, as a demonstrative tactic, were cut with a sword laced with Dog Bite - just a superficial cut along the forearm, nothing that would create cause for concern in and of itself, yet even this small wound had momentous effects. With the poison quickly entering their bloodstream, all of the Dogs were down within minutes, suffering from intense nausea, uncontrollable shaking, frothing at the mouth, fever, a burning pain spreading from the site of the wound and throughout the nerves, and eventually temporary paralysis (lasting up to an hour). It proved an effective tactic-- the experience has been burned into Giovanni’s memory, and it’s not one he is eager to repeat. The second incident was when, during a training session, one of the other Dogs - pushed to breaking point by the violence and brutality of their existence - turned on their Handler in a bid to escape. The Handler plunged the Dog Bite sword directly into the Spine of said Dog, leading to their death...only the death wasn’t instantaneous. It was drawn-out and painful, consisting of the effects experienced with a minor dose of the poison, only further exacerbated, and eventually ending in fatality. Witnessing the agonised death of one of his Unit had a profound effect on Giovanni, further cementing his loyalty and obedience to his superiors through fear.

Time passes, and Giovanni grows up along with the other Dogs, who are put to use by the Company in particularly volatile or difficult situations where something a little extra is needed (prison riots, the hunting down and disposal of particularly dangerous oppositional agents etc, or use as ‘guard dogs’/body guards), utilised when Company loyalty is required and discretion is of the utmost importance. Most often they’re accompanied by Dog Handlers or lent out to other Company employees/parties when back-up or something needing their particular skill-set is in order, or to keep an eye on untrustworthy parties due to the intense loyalty to the Company that has been drilled into them. They only rarely work alone due to the potential risk involved in letting loose something so potentially volatile, and whilst their presence can be requested across the Quad, they must always be accompanied, their visas tightly controlled. They are based more permanently in Westerly (at a Company building referred to as ‘the Kennel’) where, if an incident were to occur and the Company lost control of any of the Dogs, the only citizens at risk would be those no-one particularly cares about. Given that the Dogs are known for their ruthlessness and propensity for brutality, capable of tearing apart their enemies with nothing more than their hands and teeth should it come down to it, they’re not exactly the kind of thing you’d want housed in a nice neighbourhood on Leith!

As you can imagine, they’re not especially popular outside of their ‘work’, and for the most part Giovanni’s existence is quite a lonely one. Despite this, as well as the lack of praise and recognition he so desperately wants from those high enough above him, Giovanni’s loyalty to the Company remains absolute; he executes the jobs he’s sent out on with skill and ruthless precision, following orders down to the last letter. Whilst there’s a small part of him that longs vaguely for a better kind of existence, extricating himself from the loyalty and obedience that have been hammered into him for as long as he can remember is, quite frankly, beyond him.

CRAU: N/A

Original History:

The series is set in a dystopian, unnamed European city with three levels: the surface level or the ‘Above’, the Underground, then the ‘Below’, who very few have even heard of, and which consists of the hellish facility were Giovanni was created.

Giovanni’s earliest memory is of waking up in a large, white room surrounded by other children, all of whom have no idea who they are or how they came to be there. They are all in fact ‘synthetic life-forms’; test-tube babies (clones, copies, blah blah blah) created specifically to be highly compatible with the ‘Kerberos Spine’ they all have implanted in their backs. The Spine is the source of their unnatural abilities. These Spines are designed to resonate and respond to the original Spine, ‘Fuhrer’, making them obedient ‘lapdogs’ to whoever has the original Spine implanted, basically creating a ruthless yet controllable army of living weapons who are near impossible to kill thanks to their healing and regenerative ability unless they take major damage to the head (the Rammsteiner series, from which Giovanni’s ‘last name’ is derived). Giovanni starts out as a poor specimen, deemed defective and inefficient, as his abilities fail to manifest straight away.

He develops a friendship with two of the other children (Heine, the main anti-hero protagonist, and Lily) who generally ensure that he survives in the Below. Heine is the most ‘successful’ creation in that he demonstrates an ability to harness the Spine and utilise it in a controlled way, while Lily is by far the strongest, but has very poor control over her Kerberos Spine and goes into a blacked-out rage where she will destroy anything and everything, including the other children. Heine is the only one able to calm her down and bring her back under control.

As the children grow more aware of what’s happening to them and what they’re intended for, they realise that at some point they are all likely to be destroyed, either consumed by the blackouts as Lily is beginning to demonstrate or when Angelika (their creator) creates an improved series, THEY will become the ‘beasts’ to be destroyed (all the enemies they face during their training are earlier, less successful experiments). They begin to talk about escaping, though each time the subject is brought up – despite the fact that he’s voiced the opinion that he doesn’t belong in such a violent place – Giovanni shows a great deal of reluctance, demonstrating a fear of the outside world and what might be waiting for them out there, as well as a fear of what would happen to them if they were caught trying to escape. Whenever the plan to escape is brought up, he removes himself from the discussion because it causes him so much anxiety.

Shortly after all the talk of escape really gets underway and just before they execute any kind of plan, they wake up to find themselves in an unfamiliar test room, and to discover that Heine is missing. They are then informed by Angelika that the selection process is complete, that Heine has been chosen to be a ‘Master’ and therefore the rest of them are no longer needed. However! Of course she has some compassion! Whoever of them survive this final test, she insists, she will ‘love with all her heart’ (aka. they will get to live). She then promptly orders them to destroy each other. At some unseen command, the Spine overcomes them and they begin to rip each other apart, some of them trying to get a hold of themselves and prevent the others from killing each other, to no avail. Giovanni attacks Lily, and when one of the other children sees this happening he demands Giovanni ‘snap out of it’, thinking he has been overcome by the Spine. However, Giovanni is completely in control of his mental faculties yet he attacks Lily regardless, voicing a deep jealousy and confusion over how much power all the other children have whilst he has nothing. Lily - being much stronger than Giovanni – turns the situation around and attacks him, though doesn’t quite kill him. At which point Heine disconnects himself from the ‘Fuhrer’ Spine, bursts into the test room and tears Lily apart with his bare hands, ‘saving’ her from the monster she’s become. Heine comes round, realises what he’s done, then goes berserk, killing everyone that remains in the immediate vicinity - all the researchers, Angelika’s clone body (she has many ‘spares’ so that she cannot be killed) - and escapes. Giovanni is the only one (barely) alive, and he is left behind by Heine in the facility.

Cut to the present canon time! Giovanni has been ‘upgraded’ by Angelika and can now heal and regenerate etc. He has also been given an additional update, and can take massive damage to the head and still regenerate. Where he’d once been gentle-natured, reticent and fearful, he now portrays himself as suave, violent, and ruthless. Loyal to Angelika, he becomes one of the antagonists of the series and routinely attacks Heine, in part under orders and in part due to personal reasons. Angelika has decided the time has come to launch an attack on both the Underground and the ‘Above’ and has readied an army of mindless soldiers which she sends out to cut all train lines running between the Above and the Underground, launches a full-scale attack on the Underground, and then breaks out into the Above. Giovanni is charged with going after the mayor of the city (Zollner Neubauten), and after engaging in a fight with Heine and the other protagonists, Giovanni takes advantage of the explosions (the mindless soldiers have all been programmed to blow up) to break into the above and attack Zollner. On his way to meet with Herbst (another antagonist) it is revealed that Giovanni has begun to have blackouts and is slowly losing his memories (it is later revealed in chapters 80 - 82 that this is a side-effect of his 'update'; the brain may be able to regenerate but the stress of it on the body causes cells to slowly deteriorate after regeneration, destroying his memories).

After pulling himself together, Giovanni meets with Herbst and the attack on the above begins. However, when Giovanni bursts into Zollner’s building and shoots him in the head, he discovers that Zollner has a Kerberos Spine too; Zollner regenerates and then swiftly subdues and captures Giovanni. This is where I’ll be playing him from.

Inventory: Two Walther P38 pistols, a pair of orange sunglasses, one rather snazzy suit, a weird straightjacket-like device (all things he was wearing in canon just prior to arrival)

Samples: one two

Miscellaneous Notes:

Carrie Kelley | DC Comics | not reserved

[slingshots]

Player

Name: Zee

Age: 27

Contact: plurk: buttadventure

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Character

Name: Carrie Kelley

Age: 15

Memory Option: 1

Established Status: Yes: she’ll have been around for 6 months.

Canon: DC Comics (Millerverse)

Canon Point: Post-Dark Knight Returns

Citizenship: Westie

Job: Part time student, part time dish washer, part time information broker.

Abilities

Though Carrie doesn't (typically) have any superhuman abilities, she's still a Robin. That means she's had Bat-training, which looks good on any resume. She's shown to have great aim with her slingshot, acrobatic abilities, the know-how to hack Batman's helicopter and reprogram it, the know-how to fly said helicopter, lock-picking, bomb-setting, undercover acting, and a propensity for picking up skills quickly. It can be assumed that she has a few other Batman-like skills, seeing as she's been training under him for about a year at her canon point.

The power she picked up from the Core at Siren’s Port was that of density manipulation, which in this setting will be recreated as gravity manipulation. She got herself a hack-mod implanted in the back of her neck, which allows her to increase or decrease the gravity of herself or anything she’s touching. At this point she would still be learning it, but ultimately she’ll be able to manipulate it for pseudo flight, weigh down to the point of crushing outside objects or make them completely weightless instead, change the gravitational pull of an area, and surround herself in a short-lasting gravitational field to amplify strength or repel attacks.

Personality:

Carrie Kelley is a decisive girl. After being saved by a newly returned Batman, she takes it upon herself to become Robin. She isn't sure how she'll find Batman and even less sure how she'll get him to take her on, but she has decided to become Robin and it's really just as simple as that. Her attempts at crimefighting are small things at first, breaking up gambling and drug rings armed with fire crackers and a slingshot, but she eventually does manage to find her way to Batman. All she can do at first is watch his fight, but when it becomes clear that he's in trouble, a burst of bravery sends her into the fray to lend an assist. Afterward, when the both of them have made it back to the Batmobile, she ignores Alfred's voice over the radio explaining that she really ought to just wait in the corner and leave the medical things to him when they get back to the cave, and splints Batman's broken arm herself.

It's from then on that Robin is on the job. She's glad to be taken on, but never says so quite in words. She leaves her feelings to actions (an enthusiastic hug for Bruce Wayne once he announces that she can stay on as Robin), and really says very little. When she does speak it's in short slang phrases, saying only as much as necessary and leaving her snark (of which there is plenty) to be discovered and taken offense at or missed completely. Either way is fine with her, really. She's a fan of private jokes, and feels no need to explain them. Batman patronizes her once in regards to the helicopter, stating that it's voice-activated technology, and she wouldn't understand it. She accepts this with a shrug and a small smile, and later reprograms the entire thing to respond only to her slang commands ("ace the cloak, billy in close"). She rebels against Batman's commands a few times, and isn't one to blindly follow orders. These times typically turn out to be for the best though, and her quick thinking and ingenuity keep Batman from being angry enough about it to fire her.

She does have a more serious side, though. While she's shown as continuously (if quietly) glad to be Robin, she has watched people die. She's watched children die -- her friends, even. The Joker's first task once out of Arkham was to kill an entire studio audience, but his second strike hit a little closer to home. Batman and Robin arrived at the fair too late to stop him, but not too late to see the bodies -- men, women, and most of all children -- that he'd left in his wake. Carrie knows the stakes of the game that she plays, and there's a solemnity behind the surface innocence.

But despite her capability, her willingness to put herself into dangerous situations, and her adaptability, Carrie is still only a young girl. She tries to be brave and in control, but there are moments she just can't. She fights one of the Joker's henchmen once, a large man with an obsession with girls and puppets, and begins to panic when he gets his hands around her neck. She's saved when a jolt of the roller coaster they're on flings him over the side and to his death, and she has to take a few minutes to suffer shock at it. It had been not only the first time she'd been in real close-to-death danger, but the first time she'd had a hand in a death. She snaps out of it when she sees that Batman is in danger though, and regains her senses just in time to save him. After this instance of helplessness she learns to handle fear better.

Toward the end of the story, Batman has attracted enough attention from the government that they feel the need to send out their biggest guns against him. That being, of course, Superman. Superman's challenge is issued in the form of a single word burned into the ground before Batman and Robin ("WHERE?"), and when Carrie asks what it means, Bruce turns to go and says only that it means she's fired. By then she knows him well enough not to take this at face value, and follows after him after a short few seconds. Batman has a plan, of course, and Carrie trusts him enough not to demand to know if it'll be okay, not to freak out when he says that yes, he figures he'll die. She’s learned a lot by that point, from how to form an on-the-fly plan to how to trust a partner completely, and Batman has a capable and devoted student in her.

AU History:

As far as Carrie remembers, she’s always been just another Westie kid, scrounging through the grime of the city to survive. She has parents, which is more than some kids can say, but parents who were usually indulging in jakk, hokk, or both. They manage to put food on the table (usually), but don’t feel that their duties extend much beyond that. She learned long ago that she could slip out of the house as often as she wanted for as long as she wanted, with her parents rarely noticing or caring.

School was dull, but her job kept her engaged. Mostly because of the interesting characters that would turn up for a meal at the restaurant where she helped out, and she’d listen with great interest to the exciting stories of the killjoys, or the whispers of the brokers, or even the hushed murmurs of those involved in something even more secretive — resistance was a word she caught once or twice. After all, who thinks to fall silent around the kid bussing two tables over? It was all the things she heard at work that first got her into following around especially interesting characters, which in turn led her to two in particular: Kará Styrdóttir, the quietly badass well-hidden information broker, and Jason Todd, taciturn killjoy with no shortage of skills.

Her first official meeting with Kara was explosive — literally. She’d taken to following the fascinating woman around to see what information brokerage was really all about, which didn’t go unnoticed. Carrie wasn’t quite as stealthy as she liked to think at that point. But Kara allowed it for curiosity if nothing else, up until the day that one of her carefully arranged meetings went awry. It was a trap, and with the whole place rigged to explode, what was she going to do but rescue her tiny stalker before it all went up in flames? For Carrie, that was it. Kara was the best. She attached herself from then on, determined to learn everything she could from Kara, and not to mention help out in whatever way she could manage. Kara found herself a protege.

It was a similar story with Jason, in terms of Carrie having singled out a compelling patron of the restaurant. He was a brutally efficient killjoy, who took on all the most exciting warrants. Carrie knew immediately that she could learn a lot from the guy. It was during one of the more dangerous warrants Carrie was spying on that she first snagged her chance to step out of the shadows. She did it when Jason found himself backed into a grim corner against a mark that brought unexpected backup, moving without thinking. Well, almost without thinking. It took some thought to hotwire Jason’s ride, bust it in through the wall, and pick him up in his own car for a well-timed rescue.

Much like with Kara, Carrie held tight to the connection she forged with Jason, hanging around him for whatever lessons he could offer her. In both cases her affections blossomed quickly into a fierce sort of loyalty, and she’s with one or the other of them as often as possible (which is usually as often as they’ll allow). She sees home less and less these days. Her parents never report her missing (she keeps an eye on it); more likely, she figures they forgot they had a daughter, which suits her fine.

Recently Carrie has taken to dabbling in information brokerage herself, with Kara and Jason’s pointers and assistance, and she’s so far made a successful and competent broker. She uses the codename Robin, of which she’s grown immediately and increasingly fond.

CRAU:

Carrie comes with memories (and powers, sort of) from sirenspull. Back when she first showed up in the islander island city called Siren’s Port, Carrie was met with a pretty discouraging lineup. She found evidence on the Network of Joker, Poison Ivy, the Scarecrow, the Riddler, Killer Croc, and at least two others that I'm definitely forgetting. All them, and not a single Bat-anything in sight. It was kind of alarming! So, she did what any reasonable 14 year old girl would do. She went into paranoia lock-down. All of her posts and conversations with people were in text only, unless she made sure to heavily encrypt them first. She went only by Robin, but never mentioned Batman in public. She was careful.

It was too bad she didn't know to be wary of Black Mask. The guy didn't exist in her version of the world, what's a girl to do? She took him on after watching him shoot a homeless man to death, and the fight didn't go well. She was shot in the thigh, and would have been killed altogether if Naruto hadn't showed up at the perfect moment for a rescue. This lovely incident killed her self-esteem for a while, but what was there to do besides skulk around in the shadows some more and look for people to rescue?

It was around this time that she made friends with the people that would come to be pretty ridiculously important to her. Sherlock Holmes, whom she couldn't seem to leave alone for curiosity's sake. Griffin, on whom she developed a highly embarrassing magic-mistletoe-induced crush the first time she met. Jack Kelly, to whom she took a full year to finally give her real name. Edgeworth, the first really good lawyer she ever met. She-Hulk, a ridiculously impressive green lady that eventually left Robin in charge of the Avengers. Superman, who was terrifying in her own world, and the most comforting guy she could think of in this one. Sirius, who could manage to make her smile in any situation. Raven, who became her only crime-fighting friend against a world of rogues. And, of course, the Other Batman.

The first time she met this Bruce, he wasn't around long. Just long enough to train her, better arm her, and fill her in on all the universe-discrepancies she'd been missing, being from an alternate future. She was surprised to find him… well, nicer than the Bruce she'd come to know at home, but she didn't mind it. But this Bruce vanished pretty quickly, leaving only the Batsuit behind, and Carrie was back to being one Robin against an entire array of rogues.

It was in this gap between Batmans that she had her heart stolen, and not metaphorically. She'd been shot, she'd lost fights, she'd failed to save people from the Darkness. Nothing was quite as devastating as having her heart cut away—and subsequently, losing her emotions. She took to killing people. Not just anyone, of course. Ever logical Robin, unhampered by emotions, only killed the really bad criminals. Seven in total, and one in front of Sherlock Holmes, before her heart was restored to her. The knowledge of what she'd done left her a pretty miserable wreck for a few months, and she used what money she'd managed to save to pay support to what families of the men she could manage to locate. But she knew that telling anyone about it would mean reprehension, and so she kept it a guilty secret from all but the closest friends.

But, of course, upon the arrival of the next Bruce Wayne, he dug up her secret almost immediately. This Bruce came to the Port directly after his own death, and he gave nothing close to the acceptance she'd found from the last guy. This one had to test her first. He was, in short, a huge dick. He berated her in front of Superman, he kept her from patrol, he denied her basically any form of communication or trust. And Carrie, eventually, stood up to that. She was here to save people, after all, not to be Batman's partner. And if striking out on her own and refusing to work with Batman anymore was what it took for her to save people, well, so be it.

It was the first time she got a smile out of him.

The two grew close over the months. In a hundred little events, Robin proved herself to Batman, and Batman endeared himself to Robin in ways she'd never have seen at home from her own version of him. He encouraged her to take control of the Avengers when She-Hulk left, which Carrie did. He saved her from the Joker, when a few missteps brought her too close to him. And while he failed to save her from Sylar, no one could say he didn't do a damn good job taking him down afterward, at the cost of his own life. Even as other Bat-folk began to show up, including other Robins, current Robins, and Bruce's own son among them, he allowed Carrie to remain his Robin. And really, she couldn't ask for anything else.

Original History: Here!


Inventory:

Utility belt, involving: grappling gun, slingshot + pellets (metal, incendiary, smoke, and sleeping gas), tracers (which function as mics), a batarang or two, lock picking kit, swiss army knife, first aid basics, rebreather. Also her Robin outfit (winter edition, with pants, scarf, and boots), and totally sweet green shades. She would have a memory of having picked up the batarangs in some seedy underbelly of town, and feel incongruously fond of them.

Carrie Kelley | DC Comics | not reserved

[slingshots]

Samples:

She’d gotten really, really good at sitting on the precarious part of a rooftop. Tonight that meant just under the slouching eave. It kept the silhouette of the roof unbroken in case anyone happened to glance out from the tall building across the street, and meant that the rain beat a steady drip just left of her right hand, rather than directly on her. She listened to the patter of rain overhead for a few long seconds, focusing on that above the drone of traffic and foot traffic below. Any second now, she was going to hear…

There. The quiet hiss of the electronic door just below her perch, inside. Carrie — Robin right now, since she was on duty — immediately hit the switch on her jammer, then the button on her mic. She wouldn’t have long. The firewalls on this building were pretty good, and the system would boot up again and kick out her jammer in about 45 seconds. 48 seconds to be exact, but Robin liked to have a 3 second buffer. Just in case.

“…Shipment on the 23rd,” a quiet voice said, carried up from a floor below, through the wall, and into her earpiece. Robin smiled under her dark green shades as she began recording. Modified bliss, the voices told her. More potent, more expensive. More explosive. So that’s what had all the dealers whispering like excited schoolgirls. She counted the seconds silently, lip bitten, patience forced over her. She had a good post, but too much fidgeting would still give her away. And… there, she had it. Two names to look into, and a date to do it before.

She snapped off the jammer just as the system overrode it, and killed the mic before the extraneous signal could be picked up. Smiling wide and pleased, she patted the recorder like a dog that’d done a good fetch. This one would go to Jason, she knew he’d be all sorts of interested in getting his hands on those names. Next up was a quick run through the southside of Montgomery Field, to pick up the correspondance Kara was too busy tonight to stop in for herself. A busy night all around.

Not that she minded. Robin hopped lightly to her feet and scrambled up onto the roof proper, light footsteps (made even lighter thanks to the mod in her neck) taking her at a dash toward her next stop.

Noctis Lucis Caelum | FFXV | Reserved

[uncrownings]

Player

Name: marzi
Age: 29
Contact: plurk @marchpane
Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Character

Name: Noctis Lucis Caelum
Age: 20
Memory Option: 1, memory deterioration
Established Status: Yes, five years
Canon: Final Fantasy XV
Canon Point: Chapter 13
Citizenship: Leith
Job: Arms dealer by day, black market trade&transport by night

Abilities
(I went ahead and wrote out all of his canon abilities just to have them on record, but added notes beneath them on how these powers would be nerfed and/or inaccessible in game. Please please please let me know if there's anything you need me to nix or adjust!)

magical arsenal | minor

Called "The Power of Kings," as heir to the Lucian bloodline, Noctis shares his father's ability to manifest weapons from thin air. It seems like the only requirement for him to be able to manifest the weapon in the first place is that he has to physically own it (Noctis can only do this with weapons a player purchases and equips) and not just one he comes into contact with. He's also the only one capable of claiming the Royal Arms- individual weapons owned by his ancestors. Once he goes to their tombs and lays claim to them, these also become part of his magically manifesting armory.

The Lucian royals are able to share this power with the people around them. Notably, his father was able to share his weapon summoning and warping abilities with an army, while we see that Noctis shares only the weapon summoning with his three friends. To clarify- no one else is able to use his royal weapons, but they are able to manifest their own from thin air.

nerf note: Thanks to a fantastic suggestion on the brainstorming meme- instead of having a ridiculously large personal arsenal, Noctis will own one weapon capable molecular reconfiguration. Created on his own world and recognizing the nanites exclusive to his bloodline (more on this in the warp section) his sword is programmable matter. It recognizes and responds to its wielder's needs by taking the shape and quality of one of thirteen weapons from Lucian dna memory. It can only reshape to one of his family's weapons and thus cannot be adapted to suddenly become the shiny new bazooka he sees on the shelf, or the plasma cutter he wants to try out.

the one ring | minor

Speaking of inheriting magical things from one's ancestors, the Ring of the Lucii is a royal artifact with a few different abilities. Supposedly given to this line of kings by the gods, should the ring accept its wearer it will allow that person to access the wisdom of the long dead Lucian kings- and also to communicate with the Crystal (a source of immense and mysterious power in his canon world.)

The kings have historically used this ring to erect a magical wall around the city of Insomnia, protecting it from harm, though we see similar barriers appear as shields for the king from time to time. It should be noted that the ring's power comes at the cost of the wearer's life. King Regis' physical health is shown to be rapidly deteriorating, and Noctis himself later dies in exchange for the power he requests.

In combat the ring gives him three spells: Death, which drains the life-force of enemies and to restore his own, Alterna, which sends enemies into another dimension, and Holy which is a counter that allows him to reduce damage he takes and do damage in return.

nerf note: The combat powers don't exactly play well with others, so it's my intention to scrap them entirely. Additionally, as the Crystal and dead kings don't exist in the game's environment those are also aspects I'm going to ignore. As for the ring's power to create the wall, I was hoping to use that power in a symbolic sense. The ring can project a shield for a limited length of time, and the number of instances he can use it is limited to the power it's been charged with. Essentially, he could use a shield multiple times for a few seconds, or he could use one shield to withstand a barrage, but he has a finite amount of battery to work with. At maximum capacity he's able to stretch the height and width of this shield to encompass others, but is still subject to battery drain. It's just there to protect him, really.

warp drive mr sulu | ???

If Noctis throws his weapon he's able to use it as a relay point, allowing him to instantly cover long distances and to reach otherwise impossible heights. He's also able to phase through both objects and oncoming attacks and if he is mid-warp at the time, he can pass through these unscathed. In times of extreme duress Noctis becomes stereotypically OP for less than a minute at a time, becoming faster, able to warp an unlimited number of times, able to fly (why did square enix decide this) and is able to use all of his magical royal arms at once.

nerf note: Since this ability is linked exclusively to his bloodline within his canon universe, I wanted to parallel it with the use of bio-locked nanotechnology instead.

Owed entirely to nanites in his bloodstream from childhood, Noctis essentially has exaggerated survival skills. These nanites activate with his body's fight or flight and allow his body to phase shift. This will allow objects and people to pass through his body, while also leaving him unseen and unheard for as long as he's in this different molecular state. This ability is instantaneous, meant to protect him from harm or get to safety, so it isn't designed to last- meaning Noctis can't hang around and use it as invisibility, for example. While he also experiences a brief increase in strength, endurance, and speed, he is far from superhuman and is subject to the same eventual coming-down as anyone else.

Also I think flying is stupid so that's definitely off the list.

ur a wizard noctis | ???

Noctis is able to draw elemental energy from deposits and energy banks in his world! These deposits are either Lightning, Blizzard, or Fire and from them he can craft spells usable by himself or others.

nerf note: In his canon, you're able to aim and chuck those spells not unlike lobbing grenades, so I figured I'd just translate these elemental abilities to elemental based tech. Here they would be explosives, electrical currents, and cyrogenics. In keeping with the personal nature of this crafting, Noctis' elemental grenades will be locked to a biosignature; his own, an ally's, or a customer's.

hold L2 for the please save me button | inapplicable

As "the rightful king," Noctis collects the blessings of 5 of the 6 gods of Eos. These gods come to protect him and kill his enemies in one fell swoop when Noctis is in dire straights. He isn't able to decide which god he calls upon, but when he or his party are especially close to death, one of them will appear and lay waste to whatever is attacking them.

nerf note: I'm going to nix this because gods and summoning is too messy and wouldn't really translate!

| passive

Raised to rule in a nation more of less under siege also meant being raised for combat. Noctis has been learning how to fight since he was at least eight years old and is able to comfortably wield a wide variety of weapons. Swords, lances, daggers, guns, you name it and he can manage it. He's not an ultra precise marksman and he isn't a professional warrior by any stretch of the imagination, but he can hold his own in a fight and works well coordinating with others, executing various techniques in tandem with a partner.

nerf note: n/a! This one sounds fine as is!

[uncrownings]

Personality:

Noctis is an easy character to misunderstand. We're used to stories that have a hero, usually flawed in some way, taking a journey that helps him face his shortcoming and ultimately standing up to do the right thing.

While that's more or less the narrative arc of Final Fantasy XV, the hero in question doesn't have flaws that fit neatly into an overcomeable box. There are no skeletons in his closet or a deep dark secret, he acts on his desire for revenge but never gets to the moral highground of realizing the futility of it. He ultimately accepts the fate he's been given, but it drives him to tears more than once. He doesn't fearlessly embrace it, we see his confusion, disbelief, and pain. While part of his journey is a coming of age story and his role in becoming a legend, Noctis never loses his soft, emotional core. While his story does conclude with self-sacrifice and the completion of truly epic acts, it still feels like a tragedy, and that's because we reach the happy ending with full knowledge of what it cost. This personality section is going to touch on quite a bit of his canon environment, so I apologize for the length- but Noctis' identity has been shaped around his role for his country and around a prophecy predating his birth. Instead of discovering them later in life, he's grown up knowing that he must fulfill both of these tasks- meaning he's been raised to one end and one end only.


" Wheresoever you should go, the line of Lucis goes with you. "

With the death of his mother early in his life, and with his father singularly responsible for the safety of his country, Noctis spent most of youth not simply lonely, but also doing his best to internalize it. He doesn't resent his father, and instead admires him- looking to the man as a guidepost for the kind of king he should one day be. There's profound love in their small family, though neither really got the time they wanted together, and both understood that it was one of many sacrifices to be made for the good of Insomnia.

The role and importance of responsibility are huge themes not just for the game, but for Noctis himself. The power to protect their home takes a toll on his dad, and Noctis is profoundly affected by watching his father physically deteriorate. Instead of speaking openly about what this was like for him, Noctis chose to keep his thoughts to himself, forcing those around him to read between the lines and try to interpret things he couldn't put words to. Appearing apathetic at best and hostile at worst, this translation wasn't easy for those closest to him. The men who would come to be like brothers to him once dismissed him as selfish and childish, only later coming to see the mute resignation and deep love at the root of his behavior.

Though he often treats his friends as equals and seems largely without the qualities that might make him a charming prince, Noctis' upbringing comes through in other ways. In the obvious this manifests through dialogue: he isn't a smooth talker while out taking odd jobs for people, but he manages diplomatic negotiations with an annexed nation while leaving a positive impression on the governing forces there. In the more subtle, Noctis carries himself differently than his companions- his posture and movements ironed out by years of well-mannered staff in the Citadel. He maneuvers with comfort and confidence through encounters with his political peers, but stumbles when trying to decline a job to chase after frogs.

Noctis' upbringing hasn't been entirely sheltered, but it's abundantly clear that there are life experiences he just hasn't had to deal with before being sent away from Insomnia. He's able to make hugely influential decisions that others stop short of, and he is regularly turned to for instruction from the group, but he would probably survive solely on french fries given the option and often lets his heart lead where cooler heads would prevail.

" How long will you remain the protected? The king entrusted the role of protector to you. "

At eight years old, Noctis had been told that he was the "chosen," the only person capable of using the power of the crystal to rid their home of the starscourge- a darkness infecting and corrupting living beings across the land. Initially hesitant about his ability to do this, we see him seek out reassurance from the only peer he has, Lunafreya. This is a foundation point for him, one that expands as he grows up. Noctis doesn't have a wide circle of people in his life, but those that are there help to guide him along the way, and this help is something he never fights or disregards. He doesn't feel capable of realizing his immense future alone, despite knowing that he's the only one who can.

Introduced to this destiny so early on, and with a role-model who embodied service for the greater good, Noctis never fought against or tried to outrun it. And why should he? Insomnia was a modern city and his life, despite being the heir apparent, was fairly ordinary. Attacks from the enemy nation never penetrated the wall. He'd been engaged to a girl he knew from childhood but hadn't seen in more than a decade. He went to school and had average grades, he likes playing video games and hanging out with the one friend had that didn't come as part of being the prince of Lucis. He hates eating vegetables and likes to fish for fun. He's good-natured enough to just go along with it when he's roped into running errands for people and he never tells them his name when they want to thank him in the end. Noctis knows he can be hot-headed, lazy, and sometimes irresponsible in taking care of himself, and as a result doesn't so much expect his friends to look after him as he's accepted that it's what they do.

But things start to change for him right out of the gate.

The life he knew is lost almost as soon as he leaves Insomnia- when the city is attacked Noctis is both orphaned and exiled. He has no place to return to. He has no one waiting for him. The point B from his point A has been erased from his world without warning and Noctis immediately flounders. He's enraged that his father seemed to know this was coming and failed to share it with him- he's furious that his life has been spared in exchange for the sacking of his home. He's faced then with the knowledge that there is no more time for him to take it slow or trust in his father to lead the way- the duty of kingship falls to him now and the only support he has is his party, and the distant Lunafreya.

Her eventual death and Ignis' blindness change everything for him. Noctis isn't really strong on his own. Everything he endures and everything he comes out the other side of is largely owed to the people around him- who act this way because they care about him, because they want to see him fulfill his destiny, because it's their duty- or a combination of the three. He doesn't know how to make sense of the immense losses he's felt because he's never really known them before. The terrible things that happen were always things that would happen sometime in the intangible future. When he learns that he must make the decision to kill himself to guarantee safety for the rest of the world it's a metaphorical nail in the coffin. This isn't about not going back, it's about Noctis having to find the strength of character to do it- and he does!

Despite the fact that he doesn't always inspire confidence, Noctis' heart is in the right place. He comes to reconcile that he has been protected and cared for by his companions for many years. In return he needs to do right by his people and this combines with years upon years of grooming to help him accept even the most difficult of facts.

" I ask not that you guide my wayward son, merely that you remain at his side. "

Noctis has entire conversations with cats. He sleeps in like it's going out of style and complains about having to train, about having to camp, about the weather, about the next time he'll get to use a shower. He befriends old fishermen and takes it as a personal challenge to land legendary fish with the sort of enthusiasm he never shows about his swordsmanship. He doesn't like it when his friends decide to play games on their phones without him and has been noted to sulk. He likes pinball and goes out of his way to collect tiny cactus figurines to give to a kid only distantly related to him.

He's shy, almost painfully so, and while he doesn't carry himself with false bravado he's never quite as candid with anyone as he is with his friends. He can trust them to keep him going in the right direction, he can rely on them to have his back in times of trouble. As heir to the throne Noctis has always drawn the eye of everyone in the room and to cope with this he's learned to make it look like he couldn't care less.

With such a heavy burden to bear, what Noctis needs most is companionship. From even an early age, Noctis has appeared both cold and distant- not cruel by any means, but insulated from the world around him. Then as he grew Noctis became a teenager trying to appear cooler and more mature than he is. The future becomes an enormous and uncertain thing to him, and it's only when he's losing the people he loves most that he comes to realize how much he's leaned on them until now.

Ultimately, Noctis is an ordinary young man trying to figure out who he is- all the while knowing that the choices he makes affect hundreds and hundreds of lives.

AU History:

Noctis' home had started dying long before he was born. On the outskirts of the J Star Cluster, his planet has been ravaged by civil war and the land has been unable to recover. With governing forces focused on militarization, acts of aggressive expansion were only a matter of time and one by one, independent cities and populations collapsed under conquest.

As the decades passed, an arms race initially fueled by greed and pride had become one of survival.

Two sides emerged as the dominant forces in these disputes and those families that could afford to relocate for protection or resources did so. Many could not. Skirmishes were replaced by bombings, then by chemical warfare. The atmosphere choked and once fertile grounds became unable to produce sustainable foods. People began to starve and then they began to grow desperate. When scientific efforts began breaking new ground, attempts to genetically and technologically modify soldiers began. What started as an interest in robotics ended in whole squadrons of programmable men and women, some raised from infancy and others converted wholesale. People who had been left with no alternative found themselves enlisted in war to put food in their stomachs and keep a roof over their heads.

Historically, Noctis' family owed their fortune to the ongoing conflict. They had funded and pioneered the overlap between biology and nanotechnical application- even going so far as to create a genetic signature for their family, a symbol of power that many in their home looked to for reassurance. Surely, they thought, this war had gone on forever and would continue forever. Surely, they thought, they had nothing to really be afraid of. Breaking the deadlock came down to a matter of distribution- where Noctis' family had kept their advancements accessible to only a few, their enemies had begun applying their knowledge to each new territory it had taken in. Recognizing the end for what it was, the only option left was a great purge. The evacuation of their nation's findings had a naive and desperate goal: to launch this satellite outside of the star cluster in the hope that one day, there would be enough aid to make use of their work and return home.

Task complete and with nowhere left to return to, Noctis made his way back towards civilization to try and carve out a life for himself. Utopia's if you're buying I'm selling philosophy and its fringe patrons had made him some unique connections. He spent his first two years carving out a niche for himself there as a guy with some interesting ideas about bio-hacking and where the line between weapon and wielder might blur. (It probably also explains his wardrobe if we're honest. Edgelord.) It was here that Noctis had enough to bring to the table to attract a few benefactors- not enough to own land, but enough to get himself papers claiming Leithian citizenship. Without much interest in staking a claim of his own or in upsetting the socio-political climate of the day, he isn't a threat to the established order. Instead, he's a guest to call around when dinner has finished, after more civilized friends have gone home. These last three years Noctis has traveled with somewhat limited freedom, plying his trade to Leithians and Westies alike- provided someone has the joy to make him an offer.

Original History:

Right over here!

Inventory:

the clothes on his back
cell phone
ring of the lucii
sword*

*I figured I'd leave a link to the royal arms here just to be on the safe side- as the programmable matter would allow his weapon to turn into these guys, and I just wanted to be thorough OTL

ignis scientia | ffxv | reserved

[equerry]

Player

Name: king

Age: 28

Contact: latitudes

Preferred Pronouns: he/him

Character

Name: Ignis Scientia

Age: 32

Memory Option: 1, memory deterioration

Established Status: 5 yrs

Canon: Final Fantasy XV

Canon Point: post game

Citizenship: Leith

Job: Bartender and chef, lowkey member of the Resistance

Abilities:

battle ready
Ignis is a skilled fighter, even without eyesight. He is athletic and acrobatic, able to accurately use polearms and knives for close and long-distance combat. In the world of FFXV, he is able to "borrow" the king's magic as one of his Crownsguard, giving him access to elemancy. In the realm of Overjoyed, this will mean the ability to access Noctis' elemental bombs. He is a master tactician, able to strategize his way in and out of most scenarios and keeping a level head in moments of crisis.

one hell of a butler
Not only is Ignis an excellent fighter, but he is skilled in the abilities of a chamberlain. He is an excellent cook, can mend clothing, and is knowledgeable in advanced first aid. He has exceptional time management skills and has an eye for those in need. Though at his play point in Overjoyed he is no longer a chamberlain, he still has the knowledge and ability to navigate the inner workings of the upper classes.

analyze - minor ability
In FFXV this ability displays enemy strengths and weaknesses for the player to exploit. Within the context of Overjoyed this will be the ability of his augmented eyes. This augmentation doesn't give him his sight back, but allows him to scan people, buildings and technology to give him heat signatures and basic details on what he is looking at. For example: he would be able to tell if a person was injured or hiding technology on their body, the closest entrances and exits of a building and the materials their made out of, if a computer is locked with a password (but not what the password is), or the make and model of a weapon as long as it is made within the Quad. His augmentation gives no hacking abilities, and is able to provide basic information only.

sagefire - major ability
In FFXV Ignis has the capability to exploit enemy weaknesses by boosting Noctis' weapons with elemental magic or boosting his own daggers with fire called Sagefire: a massive attack that can break armor and snap limbs off of daemons. In Overjoyed I'd like this to be the ability to manipulate nanites or other microtechnology. It will let him either boost a weapon's effectiveness for a short period of time by adding a combustive quality to it or temporarily short out opposing weaponry when he makes physical contact with it. When the microtech is introduced in either of these scenarios, they will run a short program that will fry after about a minute, causing them to lose their effectiveness.

Personality:

Ignis is the apparent definition of composure. Raised to be the right hand to the heir apparent, Ignis acts as chamberlain, managing Noctis' affairs from mending clothes to navigating appointments. Though Gladiolus Amicitia is officially the King's Shield, Ignis has been protecting and taking care of the prince since they were both small, which has instilled a great sense of duty in him. He's organized, resourceful, and highly efficient in seemingly every aspect of his life: even his pattern of speech is sophisticated and calculated when compared to his friends.

Keeping up appearances is important to Ignis. He consistently reminds Noctis and the others to eat properly, sleep enough, and look put together. Even during their road trip from the Crown City to Altissia, Ignis is sure to keep clothes mended and to stop everyone from persistently eating junk food, regardless of how much running around in the bush they do. If they spend too many nights camping, he suggests staying at a hotel. Health is important for the prince due to his position, and for the Crownsguard to keep him safe, which is his top priority.

Though a skilled fighter, Ignis' true talent comes in his prowess as a strategist. He is able to analyze his opponents to discern their strengths and weaknesses and come up with tactics to best take the enemy out. Multiple times during the course of the game he devises plans to infiltrate enemy bases that severely outnumber and outgun them. He is methodical and intelligent, able to create plans of attack on the fly, a skill that only seems to sharpen, even later on when he loses his eyesight.

The other side to this stiff personality is an extremely loyal, compassionate, and creative man. One of Ignis' great passions is cooking, and in coming up with new recipes. He is constantly seeking to concoct new dishes and better the ones he has already tried his hand at, getting the most enjoyment out of the responses from the people who eat them. At one point he tells Noctis "I'll never forget the smile on your face the first time I cooked for you." and has spent years of his life trying to recreate a pastry that Noctis tried as a little boy in the province of Tenebrae, with only Noctis' memory of the flavor and no known ingredients. While this would seem like a personal mission, it becomes clear there is more to it when you discover that Noctis had this pastry during the happiest years of his young life, before he was injured and his personality became more somber. Ignis cares deeply for the prince and his friends, and it is only around them that we see some of his metaphorical walls come down.

His playfulness appears in his wry and sarcastic way of speaking toward the party. He teases Prompto that they will leave him behind to make room for groceries in the car, and about Noctis' dislike for anything resembling a vegetable. He enjoys making puns and is easily roped into playing King's Knight, a popular mobile game, with the others. He says things like "I'll pretend I didn't hear that." when they express interest in other people cooking for them outside of a restaurant situation.

Only those closest to him see that unguarded side of him, but Ignis is still direct in his day to day interactions. He likes things to be crystal clear, and has a deep dislike for ambiguity. Ignis is careful about what he says, and while he doesn't demand this same transparency from the people around him— impossible, when surrounded by politicians— it is immediately apparent how much he dislikes it when he meets someone with secrets that he cannot decipher. He is a steadfast and stubborn man who is easily stirred by passion, but equally calculating in how to respond— whether this is through gathering intel or coming up with a strategy for revenge.

The only thing blindness has served to change in Ignis is his vehement determination not to let his disability slow him down. He insists on seeing Noctis' journey through to the end, telling his friends he will bow out if he slows them down, and he spends ten years of his life becoming as proficient a fighter as he had been with his eyesight. When we see him again after the timeskip in game, he has opened a diner where he does most of his cooking without assistance and goes out to fight overpowered daemons on his own with the insistence that "He is more used to the darkness, anyway." If nothing else, Ignis is a man stubbornly devoted to his duty and his people, who refuses to be knocked down and not get back up again.

AU History:

Ignis was born into a noble family that have been vassals to the Qreshi middle class for centuries. His family members are raised as chamberlains and bodyguards, performing duties from housekeeping to knowing how to fight in defense of their charge. As the population boomed, parts of his bloodline were shuffled to Leith to continue their duty on the new planet with Leithian descendants.

Years later, parts of the Scientia family have become Westerly sympathizers. While a number of them still serve loyally, some have developed companionship with servants that have been shuffled to Leith, slaving away on farms. Ignis' uncle was one such person, who began using his wealth and status to free Westerlies from unwilling consignment and extended contracts. Discovering the sort of squalor and fear Westerlies live in on the neighbouring moon, Ignis shared his uncle's outlook and helped in these endeavors. Eventually this was uncovered and a warrant was put out on Ignis' uncle. Caught in the crossfire in attempting to stop the hit on his uncle, Ignis was blinded. Not wanting this altercation to sully their political status, the extended vassal family line had any sympathizers even remotely involved sacked from their jobs and cast into disrepute.

Now without his eyesight and without a name to stand on, Ignis sought escape from Leith with a determination grounded in revenge through the cheapest means possible: Arcturus. Traveling on the slave ship meant fighting off his debt, but it also meant a way to keep what money he had left to use for possible augmentation. Not one to be taken advantage of and with his mind on a clear goal, Ignis used his time on board keeping a low profile earning income and keeping an ear out for what he wanted to hear: access to a black room surgeon.

Eyes don't come cheap, and so his are far from the finest on the market. They don't give him eyesight so much as they give him the ability to scan people and technology. This is good for tactical movement and little else, but strategy is what Ignis is good at, and this is what he brings with him to Westerly searching after the whispers of Resistance.

Westerly is where he meets Noctis and becomes invested enough in the young transporter to enter an agreement wherein they act as one another's covers— for Noctis, an alibi for his illegal trafficking, and for Ignis, another set of eyes and ears for the Resistance.

Original History: wiki link

Inventory:

• crownsguard attire
  
• 2 pairs opaque glasses
  
• 2 sizable daggers
  
• keys to the Regalia
  
• 1 cellphone

Samples:

Harvest Week never fails to bring with it the most colourful assortment of people. Ignis doesn't see it so much as he hears it and smells it. Raucous laughter, the smell of oil off engineers, alcohol clinging stubbornly to inebriated clientele and the ozone of firecrackers shot off too close to the general populace.

Visitors this time of year aren't interested in any kind of palate cleansing that isn't pumpkin beer, hard liquor, or a shot of Hokk and so Ignis trades his apron for fitted shirts and full-time hours for part-time pay at any club that will have him. It had taken both convincing and physical evidence upon his arrival to Westlery that not only could he do the job, but that he would have the capacity to deal with the din in Old Town when it grew to a crescendo.

Tonight it is the Royale, where he will undoubtedly be sweeping up glass and sopping up vomit during the early hours when most party-goers have either passed out in the streets or found a body to warm their beds. That won't be for some time, if the number of voices calling for his attention down the bar are anything to go by.

He keeps track of patrons with exceptional hearing and with the occasional flicker of his eyes, hidden behind the opaque tint of his aspectacles. In a place as crowded as this, all the augmentation gives him is a sea of red and orange, the dull electric glimmer of weapons and tech. Ignis cleanly pours three shots and pushes them across the bar to waiting customers, nimbly avoiding his fellow bartender to make his way to the secondary well. His fingers dance unseeingly over the glasses— they'll need to have more washed, soon— before landing on the cloth he's seeking to wipe excess spillage left on the counter.

"Hey Specs," It comes from in front of him, slightly to his left, where the voice has wedged it's way between two other patrons to get to the front. "You gonna be off soon, come party with us?"

Ignis tips his head cordially, reaching into the space between them for the waiting joy. "Unfortunately I will be required for most of the evening," There is, he must admit, some part of him that yearns to join the fray— though not necessarily one for this kind of merry-making-to-the-extreme, he knows too well how intoxicating the thump of adrenaline can be. He pushes two tumblers of glittering liquid back across the counter to into those recently emptied hands, and drops the rest of it into the tip jar. "I expect you to do more than enough to make up for my absence."

Miscellaneous Notes:
Let me know if anything in here doesn't work or needs tweaking, I flew by the seat of my pants for some of this... Also one thing I wasn't sure about was whether he would need to be a citizen of Westlerly in order to work there permanently— which, if he does, then he'll be a former citizen of Leith and currently of Westerly.

ACCEPTED

[thenine]

 

 

Congratulations! You've been accepted into Overjoyed.

We’re so excited to have you join our community. Before we can get started, please do the following:

1. Request to join the following communities: Logs · Network · OOC · Memes


2. Friend the mod account, thenine, and respond to the player contact page.


3. Reply to the taken page.


4. Fill out the job registry.


5. (Optional) Follow the mod plurk here to stay up to date about upcoming plots, community discussions, and more!


6. (Optional) Put your application, IC contact/inbox, and permissions post in your journal, then introduce yourself to the OOC community!


7. Second Round Applicants: You've caught us in a bit of a transition period! The new chapter/plot will launch on January 10th. In the meantime, you're free to create pregame CR or play around with the current setting and get your character established until the next plot installment. Thanks so much for joining us!

All characters will start with a balance of 100 bonus HP. This balance can be used towards AC bank purchases, but may not be used for satisfying monthly AC requirements.

Note: Since it sounds like Ignis himself never had a warrant and his family was discredited but not unilaterally razed to the ground, he would still retain his Leithian citizenship and have full rights to do as he likes on Westerley so long as he pays his dues (taxes, etc) and doesn't get into legal trouble!

If you have any further questions or comments, please don't hesitate to reach out to us by PM or on the contact page.

Once again, we’re so happy to have you, and thanks for joining us!

Yours,
Overjoyed Mods

Lunafreya nox Fleuret | FFXV | reserved

[munia]

Player

Name: Luna

Age: 28

Contact: lunation

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Character

Name: Lunafreya Nox Fleuret

Age: 24

Memory Option: 1.

Established Status: yes - 5 years

Canon: Final Fantasy XV

Canon Point: right before the ritual to summon Leviathan.

Citizenship: Leithian

Job: Scarback

Abilities

the babe with the power
As the Oracle, it's Luna's power that drives the effects of the Starscourge from the ill masses. In canon, this manifests as a golden glow from her hands that restores as she runs her palms over deadened skin. In the game, she has nanotech implants that allow her to gently heal over minor injuries at a touch, such as bruises, cuts, or burns, and to soothe headaches. Anything more serious in-game will actually require her medical training.

power of voodoo
Luna's greater purpose is to be the ambassador of humanity to the divine: she has a trident given to her lineage by the dragon god Bahamut, which enables her to awaken the sleeping Astrals (gods), and to understand their language. In use, it glows with delicate golden motes. This trident will present as a simple walking stick with a solar-powered light at its tip to see by, and its true nature and appearance will not be uncovered until Luna has regained memories of it. Its Astral-related powers will naturally be null in the Quad.

The trident might itself be used as a weapon, but melee combat—or combat of any kind—is not a skill Luna possesses. she also can'T DRIVE FOr shIT

Personality:

"It is my duty to protect the Prince, and see his destiny fulfilled." "And what of your destiny?" "My duty is my destiny, Your Majesty. These twelve years haven't changed that. I'm prepared to accept whatever may come to pass."

That's how the audience is introduced to Lunafreya in Kingsglaive, and it sets the tone for Luna's place in the story. For context, the Oracle's duty is to stand by the King of Light and guide his path, to speak with the gods on his behalf and to secure their cooperation in a covenant with him; once the six Astrals brought to heel by the Oracle, the King can claim his birthright, and wipe away the Starscourge, which lengthens the nights. However, these powers take their toll: for the rite to be completed, the Oracle and King must die.

Luna has lived her whole life with its end in sight. Yet rather than hinder her, it bolsters her: her resolve is tremendous with so much riding on her, and she can dedicate herself utterly to her cause. Within the narrative, she serves as foil to Noctis, active where he is reactive, instigating events where he holds back. She leads and he follows. Because Luna places no value on her own individual life, she is fearless: her only true "freedom" within a framework that grants her none. For example, when her would-be bodyguard refuses to land the helicopter they're in and take her back to a bombed-out castle, she throws herself bodily from the vehicle in mid-flight, several hundred feet from the ground, knowing it will force his hand. When Imperial troops storm into the room to seize her, she pushes the muzzles of the guns out of her face and walks right past. It isn't that Luna would put her life on the line for her cause, it's that she never hesitates to do so if it gets her closer to her goals.

Few of Luna's motivations concern her own safety, then. She knows the people of Eos depend on her as a religious figure, a political leader and as a healer: she is their advocate in all things. As the youngest Oracle in history, Luna's compassion was obvious from a young age, as she tells an interviewer she 'would be selfish to complain of [her] burden when so many suffer in wait'. She grew up giving speeches, interviews and issuing statements for the public. As Noctis and his friends drive along, Luna can be heard over the radio: "Rest assured, my marriage will not stand in the way of my calling. You will find me in your towns and villages, as you always have." When those who are bedridden cannot come to her, she goes to them, visiting their homes to deliver solace. People queue for hours to see her and be blessed; and Lunafreya, naturally, sees them all with very real concern. Her Tenebraean staff are familiar with her, as she treats everyone as her equal, with respect and genuine kindness. Even mortally stabbed, she spares a bit of power to bless her attacker, the Chancellor of Niflheim himself. She is the very image of gentleness, but it's easy to dismiss that sweet temperament as weak, and to forget that it hides a will like steel. After all, she and Gentiana march the whole length of Eos ahead of Noctis and his friends, awakening the Astrals. Each summoning brings her that much closer to death, but she soldiers on.

It's still a lonely existence. Her only companion is Gentiana, a spirit, but their relationship is formal, based on her duties rather than on mutual support. With her parents dead, her brother Ravus working for the Empire, and her people relying on her for support, she has to make her own way. She gives tremendously of herself, without asking for anything in return because she knows what lies ahead for her. The only genuine friend she has is Noctis, but even he doesn't know the full extent of the burden they both carry. That doesn't stop Noctis from being precious beyond belief to Lunafreya. Though she might have dedicated her life to the symbol he represents, Noctis himself, the man, is her only real 'selfishness', the only thing in her life that is completely hers. They've shared a notebook since they were children, sending it back and forth as pen-pals. Within the pages of that notebook Luna can leave behind the mantle of Oracle and simply be herself, a young woman she barely knows. When Ravus is upset over the fact that she's quite literally killing herself to help Noctis, she admits that she would give anything just to laugh with him again, as when they were children, knowing that it's all she'll never have. In Tenebrae, a little girl tells Noctis that Lunafreya was excited to be married to him; to Gentiana, Luna confesses she fears having little to offer him beyond her power as Oracle. Being completely defined by her role, Luna flounders in knowing who she is and what her needs are. Her real emotions are kept subdued or ignored, facing the future with a brave front.

An iron fist inside a velvet glove: that's how you could summarize Lunafreya. She'll set herself on fire if it'll keep someone else warm, but she always keeps the long-term in mind. Unafraid to reach for her goals, she pushes into extremes of behaviour that can make her difficult to keep up with.

AU History:

Raised in a wealthy Leithian trading family, Lunafreya was something of a black sheep: even young, she was sensitive to the pain of others, and made doubly so by the poor treatment endured by the staff at her overbearing father's hand and the suffering it caused to her half-brother Sion. Travelling with her father to 'learn the business', she was able to see first-hand the living conditions of some of the Quad's poorest. Instead of following in the family footsteps then, she took to medical training as early as she could, and when she was revealed to be a hard worker with a promising future, the family paid for the installation of nanotech in her hands to ease the job.

For some years, things continued like this--an uneasy relationship between Luna and her parents, but a more genuine closeness with her brothers. They exchanged letters, Sion's military life versus Luna's training and Ravus' learning. But Father's work wasn't all that clean, and eventually brought him under fire from the Nine. He died at the hands of a RAC agent, along with her mother, "a suicide". None of the siblings were fooled. Luna returned to her family's estate just in time for distant cousins and previously-unknown relations to fall on the orphans like vultures, pecking at the leftover funds; Luna inherited her mother's walking-stick but refused the rest. It was around this time that Lunafreya began to realize the ramifications of the power systems in play, and the part of the Nine in orchestrating all the suffering she wished so badly to eradicate.

Ravus left to join Sion in the military to help provide for his sister, but, refusing to be a burden, Lunafreya made her own choice: she needed freedom and she would not find it among the high families of Leith. She joined the Scarback order, training for some years under a succession of masters, lending her medical training to their cause and eventually earning her own robes. Religion was a balm for her: she saw it as the other side of the coin she was missing, the spiritual complement to physical health. In the ceremonial dagger she could abandon wealth and prestige, shed all the skin her family had given her and set her hands to better use. But rumbles in the Order spoke of revolution, and Luna was hardly deaf to that, either. It appealed to all the ruthlessness her father had tried so hard to instill in his children, the need for big dreams and high risks.

She established herself in Westerly soon thereafter, opening something vaguely resembling a "practice" in the slums, which more or less was a ramshackle tent in an alleyway where she could tend to the poor. There she made a reputation for providing blood blessings and healing to the neediest, which garnered her some local respect and kept Old Town's seediest--mostly--off her back.

Original History: Find it here!

Inventory: her trident walking stick, her scarback robes, some sandals.

Samples:

She can't say she particularly likes Harvest Week, with the flood of supplicants it brings her--but she is always ready for it. Those only here for blessings she siphons away to their aunts and uncles scattered across the city, leaving her to tend to the aftermaths of bar brawls and the sweating convulsions of bad trips. The air smells more like vomit than usual, but that doesn't keep her from kneeling in the puke and the dust, hands outstretched to cup a bruised cheek here, or press her palm to a swollen eye there. They watch her with a kind of amazed tenderness that she can't help but drink in. As she works, she reminds them that they are all leaves from the same tree, grown from the same root, brothers and sisters--one family beneath one sun. They have nowhere to go, and so they listen. (There are no trees in Old Town; she thinks some of the youngest here may have never seen one.)

"Th-thank you, Aunt," the latest says, his head dipping in gratitude. She presses a bloodied thumb to his forehead, leaving a rust-red smear there. Just past his head, she sees a raucous whirlwind of limbs approaching, and wordlessly pushes him gently down and sideways, picking up her walking-stick. Amidst the plastic tarps and torn-up mats, those who have been here before turn their heads away, close their eyes.

"Aunt! Aunt, see me!" He's drunk, very much, very visibly, pupils blown wide evident even in the dirt and din and blood trickling down the side of his head. She considers him, brows knitting. If he's well enough to stand and sway about, he can wait. She is amused, in a sense, watching him. Even for this one, she spares a scrap of tenderness. He's shoving supplicants out of the way, but doesn't get far. She raises the stick, brings it down sharply; light cascades from it, making him wince, and fall.

"I see you," she tells him, mouth rolled up softly. "Find a mat and sit, I will come to you when I can. All that you need from me, you will receive."

It's the only promise she can give him, even as the glow of the stick dims and she's left in the relative darkness, the tent and alleyway lit with hazy old neons. Dizzy but unharmed, he crawls to a scrap of mat and sits to wait. She's always short--time, supplies, energy. But so long as there's work to be done, she will always find more to give.

Miscellaneous Notes: I'd like to put Luna's 100 activity HP towards bringing in Umbra, her dog. As mentioned on the brainstorming meme, Umbra is cybernetically enhanced with cloaking tech, which makes him a good messenger, but he can't carry much beyond a letter or small package. Besides being clever he's a normal dog, without any special skills.

ACCEPTED

[thenine]

 

 

Congratulations! You've been accepted into Overjoyed.

We’re so excited to have you join our community. Before we can get started, please do the following:

1. Request to join the following communities: Logs · Network · OOC · Memes


2. Friend the mod account, thenine, and respond to the player contact page.


3. Reply to the taken page.


4. Fill out the job registry.


5. (Optional) Follow the mod plurk here to stay up to date about upcoming plots, community discussions, and more!


6. (Optional) Put your application, IC contact/inbox, and permissions post in your journal, then introduce yourself to the OOC community!


7. Second Round Applicants: You've caught us in a bit of a transition period! The new chapter/plot will launch on January 10th. In the meantime, you're free to create pregame CR or play around with the current setting and get your character established until the next plot installment. Thanks so much for joining us!

All characters will start with a balance of 100 bonus HP. This balance can be used towards AC bank purchases, but may not be used for satisfying monthly AC requirements.

Note: Please stop by the AC bank to put in your purchase for Umbra so we can keep track of the points, thank you!

If you have any further questions or comments, please don't hesitate to reach out to us by PM or on the contact page.

Once again, we’re so happy to have you, and thanks for joining us!

Yours,
Overjoyed Mods

John Steinbeck | Bungou Stray Dogs | Not Reserved

[graftage]

Player

Name: Crystal

Age: 23

Contact: vampirize

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Character

Name: John Steinbeck

Age: 21

Memory Option: 1

Established Status: 2 years

Canon: Bungou Stray Dogs

Canon Point: Chapter 44, after seeing that his boss, Fitzgerald, is still alive after the failed Yokohama plan

Citizenship: Originally Westerley, now Leithian due to completing his Scarback training in the Monastery

Job: He's a Scarback acolyte that completed his training two years ago, and lives on the donations of other citizens.

Abilities

In Bungou Stray Dogs, people are born with supernatural abilities that are named after the works or sayings of the authors that wield them. There is no explanation for how these abilities came to be, or how they work, or why some get abilities and others don't. A select few can be transferred through families, but regardless of that, little to nothing is known about their nature.

Steinbeck's supernatural ability is called The Grapes of Wrath, which allows him to control and accelerate the growth of grape seeds, and manipulate the movement of grapevines. While he has been shown to grow them outside of himself, Steinbeck often takes a very gruesome approach to his ability by inserting grape seeds into his open wounds, allowing his own body to become the "soil" that the grapes can grow from. Through this, he is connected to the sensations of the plant, allowing him to detect sound and movement through the plants as extensions of his own body. He can even move the vines like limbs, often using them defensively to hit away bullets or using them offensively to try to knock a opponent down. Growing grapevines from his own body doesn't seem to permanently hurt him - while he feels terrible pain and bleeds if a vine is pulled out of him, it doesn't last, and any damage to his insides isn't life-threatening.

However, this ability hardly seems impressive until you factor in the fact that grapes are often used for grafting onto other plants, and Steinbeck's ability becomes quite the deadly thing - using the grapevines he grows, he can attach them to other plants, therefore expanding his control and range far more effectively. He can literally control an entire forest if he allows his vines to connect to it, allowing him to move and grow roots and trees with the power of his will. However, if his connection is lost through a severing of his vines, he loses the control over all the plants he has grafted to.

In the world of Overjoyed, his grape seeds are actually engineered pods that grow like plants, and he has made bio enhancements and inserted nanomachines into his own body to allow the pods to grow inside of him without drastic harm to himself. With the enhancements, he can receive sound + touch biofeedback from the pods into his neural network, and using a neural feedback with the nanomachines inside the pods, he can control their growth with his mind. If the pods grow and attach to any plant in his vicinity, the nanomachines inside the pods spread to the plant, expanding Steinbeck's outreach and range of control.

Other than that, Steinbeck can hold himself fairly well in a fight and seems to have a higher threshold of pain tolerance than most people, but boasts no other specialized skills - usually, it's his ability that does most of the work for him.

PASSIVE ABILITIES (currently available)

• increased level of pain tolerance
• above average fight capabilities

MINOR ABILITIES (currently available)

• ability to grow the engineered pods out of himself - he will have some control over their growth and movement, but will not be able to graft them onto any other plants, and their touch+sound feedback is limited

MAJOR ABILITIES (not available)

• ability for his pods to graft onto other plants, allowing him to control them with his own will like extensions of his own body
• touch + sound feedback through his pods is now improved, and steinbeck can use his vines to detect movement and sound if he desires

[graftage]

Personality:

If you looked up the idiom of "don't judge a book by its cover" in the dictionary, you'd probably find a picture of Steinbeck smiling cheerfully right smack dab underneath the definition.

First impressions would tell you that Steinbeck doesn't look like a threat. He looks young for his age and constantly smiles, treating mostly everything with a certain nonchalant glib that makes him seem like he barely has a worry in the world. During a job, he snacks on potatoes, pauses to happily comment on how much he likes being in the countryside, and takes whatever chance he can get to talk about how much he loves his many siblings. He's friendly, easygoing, and just seems like a nice farmer boy who couldn't hurt a fly.

Unfortunately, Steinbeck can and has hurt far, far more than a fly. John Steinbeck is a mercenary, after all.

His cheerful attitude isn't a lie, but it's only just the tip of the iceberg. Steinbeck is, in reality, an absolutely ruthless individual who can threaten innocents and kill others without a single regret. The reason he can do such terrible things without crippling guilt? As he states himself in response to another wondering why he does the things he does, "it's work". Steinbeck's character, as his name suggests, is based on the real life author and his stories, and seems to be the very incarnation of the famous Steinbeck quote "There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do.". He does know that what he's doing is wrong, and doesn't really think his soul is squeaky clean (at one point, he refers to himself with the telling phrase "God exists, but he just doesn't love you"), but nevertheless he feels like it's just work that he needs to do, and he feels justified in everything that he does. After all, the crux of his motivations is his family - he does the terrible work he does to receive the money he needs to support his starving family back home. Nothing else matters to him - he can sacrifice himself as long as his family is happy.

Other people who aren't part of his family? Well, he might be sympathetic to them, but if orders come through that order them to be harmed, he'll never hesitate. In canon, he tortures a young boy for the sake of helping his boss succeed with his plan - a plan which resulted in the death of at least a hundred innocent people. One might think with his nice attitude about it all means that he's perfectly loyal to the cause of the organization he works for...but this isn't true. He's only in it for the money. He has a deep loathing for his boss that he manages to hide under his cheerful smile - as he states in canon, he hates people who manipulate others with money, and hates himself for the fact that by using wealth to save his family, he can be considered the same as them. This internal conflict upsets him, but Steinbeck goes around it by displacing all of his self-hatred onto others he feels are far worse. Of course, he's not doing the right thing, but it's not like he'll be bad as that guy, right? At one point, he even blames his boss for his tendencies to torture children, even though it was he tortured a young boy by his own hand and volition.

Steinbeck can be a very cunning individual. He states that he hates chores and often tries to figure out the quickest solution to a problem, never shying away from underhanded tactics or ambushes if he feels he can win out on them. However, at times his own confidence backfires on him - in canon, he wastes precious time talking to an enemy he's captured about how he's won the fight, allowing the other to take advantage of that. Sometimes, Steinbeck assumes he has a better grasp on a scenario than he does, and that only leads to his own failure. At one point, he even gloats to another about how powerful his partner is, which only leads to his partner's downfall as he unintentionally reveals his weakness when he does so. Steinbeck seems the type to run into a situation assuming he'll win easily without really stopping to think about the consequences.

For the most part, Steinbeck comes off as...well, a bit strange. In canon, he notes that one of his few friends he has is a man who literally turns into an eldritch monstrosity on a regular basis. Lovecraft, his friend, is quite the creepy individual, but Steinbeck just shrugs at all his idiosyncrasies - he doesn't seem at all terrified by him and seems perfectly happy to chat with him whenever he can. It just goes to show that he not only has a high tolerance for the weird and uncanny, but he cares little for the backgrounds of Lovecraft and the other members of the organization he comes from. Are you a thief, or a bad person, or even an actual monster? Steinbeck doesn't care. What matters to him most is how you act now.

Overall, Steinbeck is a determined man, almost scarily so. If he has a goal in mind, he'll put everything into that goal, even if it means others shall get hurt in the process. As he stated in canon when he saw his boss, the man he hated, still alive and willing to continue the work he had before:

I will crush your ambition. That haughty conviction and soul will be broken. When you are no longer able to stand up again, for the first time, you and I can become friends.

Steinbeck is a weed. He seems harmless at first, nothing but a nice sprout among the rich, extravagant flowers that seems to just be there to enjoy life. Turn your back on that weed, though, and he'll strangle and destroy as many things as he can, an invader who wants nothing more than to see your pretty garden ruined so lowly weeds like him can get what they think they deserve.

Don't judge Steinbeck by his cover, because he's a man who will use that cover to paint a picture of a nice, morally clean person he never will be.

[teiaiel]

Player

Name: Sana.

Age: Old.

Contact: PMs are probably the most reliable method.

Preferred Pronouns: she/not picky.

Character

Name: Tieria Erde.

Age: 5. Appears to be ~16.

Memory Option: 2

Established Status: Established, 5 years.

Canon: Gundam 00.

Canon Point: Pre-anime.

Citizenship: Authorized non-citizen.

Job: Company Department of Internal Affairs Employee.

* Level:

N/A.

[teiaiel]

Abilities

Passive | Cyborg
Tieria was designed as a combat type cyborg for police and military use, and it would be a mistake to believe that his frail looks imply weakness. Much of his body has been replaced or heavily augmented by technology, and a minimal amount of organic material remains (mainly in the central nervous system). He's capable of surviving in full vacuum for at least a day, or longer if he has backup battery power. His steel skeleton adds substantial heft to his blows, so when one of his limp-wristed slaps connects with the face of an unfortunate underling who has incurred his wrath, it's likely to leave a bruise... or a broken jaw, depending on how angry he is. Beneath his covering of bioengineered skin, the waifish young man is constructed like a tank - minus the rocket launchers, of course, but he is very proficient with guns. However, raw power and strong defenses came at the expense of speed, agility and balance, so Tieria's model line was deemed unsuitable for physical combat early in the development process. He doesn't sleep, but he does need to recharge for several hours at least once a week.

Passive | Built-In Wifi
Instead, his computing abilities were maximized. Tieria's digitally connected brain is capable of direct interface with the Company's extensive computer network, provided that he has access to a wireless network signal. He's also an adept hacker, so any insufficiently secure computer that is connected to the internet is an open book to him. (Hacking of player/mod restricted data will be by permission only). He can remotely control machinery, spaceships and robotics almost as an extension of his own body. However, he's subject to panic attacks when cut off from his network (such as during long-range space travel or when going underground).

Passive | High-Speed Data Transfer Mode
As an employee of the Internal Affairs Division, his job is to monitor the flow of data for signs of improper conduct or disloyalty within the Agency's ranks. But even if information is in VEDA's files, Tieria does not necessarily have immediate access to it. Even a computer program would take hours, days, weeks to search through the incredible amount of data. Often his vocation demands that he sift through hundreds of hours of security camera footage or rewrite the department's entire cyber defense system... and it's likely that his supervisor expects the completed work on her desk by the end of the business day. Programming and hacking, which Tieria has natural affinity for, are likewise laborious processes involving much trial and error, but even the most powerful computer cannnot warp time. For this reason, Tieria is capable of entering an enhanced data transfer mode in which his brain goes into overdrive and the subjective flow of time is slowed. When activated, his eyes glow brilliant yellow, and both processing ability and visual acuity are increased dramatically. He needs to be directly connected to a power source to do this for any significant length of time.


Personality:
Tieria is an advanced biological computer in a synthetic body, but in many ways, his crudely developed personality is a reminder of technology's shortcomings. While he understands emotion on a theoretical basis, he's unaware that his own behaviors are very much driven by feelings that he's only begun to explore. Like a child, he lashes out (often violently) when irritated, refuses to take responsibility for his mistakes, and cannot tolerate criticism... even though he's more than willing to unleash judgement on everyone else.

Tieria has little concept of "happiness" beyond the satisfaction of a job well done, so anything that interferes with his work is a distraction to be eliminated. He rejects compassion, believing that it will affect his ability to make impartial criminal judgements; however, he fails to recognize that his cynicism also creates bias.

Tieria's haughty attitude masks a deep inferiority complex. He's a Company creation, programmed to follow orders without question and destined to be used and disposed of when he is no longer useful. He resents being treated like a piece of office equipment, but he's wary of kindness. He believes that those who try to encourage his humanity are being patronizing at best... and at worst, trying to avoid investigation by the Office of Internal Affairs. It takes a long time to earn his trust and loyalty. While these may be irrational fears at odds with his logical nature, Tieria uses them to justify his cynical, suspicious outlook on the world.

His attachment to the Company network borders on religious fervor. Data is pure, data is truthful, data is God... and he's an avenging angel. Without a connection, he's paralyzed by self-doubt and his behavior becomes panicked and unpredictable.

He has few hobbies, but he's surprisingly fastidious about his appearance. He's amassed a collection of shapeless, pastel-colored sweaters, and he wears glasses despite having no physical need for them. He enjoys reading... or, rather, he enjoys complaining about the books he reads. While he's aware that other people find him odd and off-putting, he's very protective of the idiosyncrasies in his personality - they're a part of his developing "human" identity.

Sion Astal | Legend of Legendary Heroes | Reserved

[sunderings]

Player

Name: Avi

Age: 27

Contact: avichuus/PM

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

Character

Name: Sion Astal

Age: 20

Memory Option: 1; AU Memory Deterioration

Established Status: 5 years of climbing the Company ladder.

Canon: Legend of Legendary Heroes

Canon Point: Sequel; Volume 10, Chapter 1

Citizenship: Leith

Job: Company; Administrative Director (Westerley)

Abilities:

SKILLS

Leadership: When Sion speaks, he speaks to everyone; he is a King known for appealing to the needs of the collective whole, inspiring the loyalty of many, and moving not only the masses, but the world beneath his feet. One might say that his good looks and A-rank charisma are a one-two punch, especially when he has cute grannies ladies of all ages vying for prints of his portrait around the continent (and even in enemy territories !!).
Strategy: Since childhood, Sion has fended off assassins not through strength, but with a tactician's wit, and canonically Sion has time and time again brought the Kings of enemy countries to their knees in his campaign to conquer the continent of Menoris with the flawless execution of his, at times, ruthless designs.
Swordsmanship: Sion is an expert with a broadsword, and can function as a tank in a pinch, even if he'd much prefer to dual-wield DPS.

PASSIVES

Physical Strength: Can and will toss bros twice his size around like ragdolls. Sion's strength is roughly twice that of a normal human's.
Immortality/Invulnerability: Canonically, Sion's life is tied to the fate of his world—he cannot die until it meets with its doomed. With this manner of "immortality", Sion ceased to age after the God better known as the "Fallen Dark Hero" awoke inside him, leaving his physical appearance frozen at age 18. In Overjoyed, Sion's agelessness will stem from synthetic biology, and his immortality nerfed to being "stupid hard to kill". A clean headshot is a guy's or (gal's???) best bet to take Sion out.

POWERS

►Magic: In canon, Sion casts spells by manipulating energy into magic arrays, or more specifically, magic arrays which are comprised of equations. How the equations are arranged directly influences the effects of the spell, enabling skilled and seasoned users to create their own spells from scratch. What's more, each country on the continent of Menoris structures their spells differently, causing for unique and varied magic heralding from each corner of the globe. Sion, quite naturally, uses Roland's magic, all of which is nature based.

⤷ In Overjoyed, Sion's ability to use "magic" stems from synthetic biology. During his time spent at a military academy with a reputation for not only fostering, but molding, the next generation of Company leadership, Sion was subject to extensive cell transformation experimentation which resulted in the creation of biological circuits within his body. This network of circuits allows Sion to manipulate programmable matter—also integrated within his person—to yield a variety of desired outputs:

ᴍɪɴᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ғɪᴇʟᴅ >>> ʙᴀᴋᴜsʜᴜ; Solidifies light particles, often used to create both ropes and platforms upon which to stand.
ᴍɪɴᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs ʙʀɪʟʟɪᴀɴᴄᴇ >>> ᴋᴀʀᴀsᴀɢɪ; A simple illumination spell, calls forth a sphere of light.
ᴍɪɴᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs sɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ >>> ᴀɴᴛᴇ; Renders an entire area soundless.
ᴍɪɴᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ғʟᴀsʜ >>> ᴋᴜᴇɴ; Enables its caster to fall a large distance safely.

ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs ᴛʜᴜɴᴅᴇʀ >>> ɪᴢᴜᴄʜɪ; Summons a bolt of lightning upon casting.
ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴍɪsᴛ >>> ᴍɪsᴜᴍɪ; Calls forth a large torrent of water.
ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs ǫᴜᴀᴋɪɴɢ ғᴀɴɢs >>> ᴄʜɪɢᴀsʜɪʀᴀ; Raises earthen spikes from the ground.
ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ғɪᴇʟᴅ >>> ᴋᴜʀᴇɴᴀɪ; Creates a firestorm which rains down from the sky.
ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ | ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sᴇᴇᴋ ɪs ɪʀɪᴅᴇsᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ >>> ᴋᴜᴜʀɪ; Emits a single, searing destructive beam of light.
ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ | sᴡᴏʀᴅ >>> Creates, shapes, and manipulation of swords. Described as "blacker, darker than night", and as blades which reek of "smoke the color of black blood", the swords are summoned with a simple command and function as projectiles which respond to Sion's will. The blades may also be traditionally wielded.

Canonically, all mages are attuned to the energy flow of the world, allowing for heightened perception and enhanced spiritual awareness. For example, Sion is able to sense the "killing intent", enmity, and evil of all beings. This not only helps him to discern the true nature of those who surround him, but also stay any would-be threats, preventing calamities from happening. Notably, Sion is also able to sense the presence of supernatural powers in other living beings and gain detailed understanding of them, including their nature and intensity.

⤷ In Overjoyed, this will take shape as a (passive) biometric scanning system also integrated within Sion's person, capable of identifying those who carry modified or carrying non-standard DNA.

Additionally, due to being so heavily biologically modified, Sion no longer can be called "human". In canon, being the incarnation of a deity is not without its toll on the body. After "awakening" and taking his Godly form unto his human self, Sion suffers from constant, excruciating pain. Likened to a sensation of "something being overturned", and a pain so acute that "his chest hurt so much that he felt like his insides would come rushing out of his mouth", Sion will continue to endure constant pain in Overjoyed, but as a side-effect of experimentation.

...along with blood that no longer runs red, but a sparkly vitriolic shade of gold, as it does in canon.

ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ | ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ α; No longer human himself, Sion is a Human α, otherwise known as a Human Alpha. As a Human Alpha, the more people who love Sion (whether or not it is genuine adoration, being subject to his rule as King, or simply influenced by him in some way), the more powerful Sion will become. Eventually, he will amass strength enough to either destroy the world or to rewrite it completely.

⤷ Nerfing this entirely! It's an ability unique to the LOLH!verse setting.

ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ | ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴀʙsᴏʀᴘᴛɪᴏɴ; By "consuming" an individual on a spiritual level, Sion is able to take their abilities unto himself, gaining strength and power.

⤷In Overjoyed, this ability will manifest as the capacity to absorb the energy from programmable matter used by others into his own body/biological circuits to fuel his "spells" for a short duration of time (30 seconds).

ᴍɪɴᴏʀ | ᴛᴇʟᴇᴘᴏʀᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ; By diffusing into light, Sion is able to move at light-speed across short distances.

⤷ In Overjoyed, I'd like for this ability to translate to a refractive shield which allows for its user to remain invisible to conventional sensors (the human eye, security tech) for short bursts of time, creating the illusion of teleportation.

[sunderings]

Personality: "This country... with unequal status amongst its people, this country that oppresses the weak and wages war unending...
I want to become King of this country. I want to change everything."

Sion Astal is the perfect King. Champion of Roland, Sion lead the revolution which freed the country from tyranny, doing away with the corruption of the royal and noble houses, and abolishing their dated, draconian laws. Kind to even his enemies, his methods were righteous and just, and Sion became known as the Hero King, well loved as a savior, beacon of hope, and paragon of justice all.

The illegitimate son of Roland's former King, Sion's sense of justice was ingrained early on during childhood. His mother, a happily wed woman, was stripped from her husband and taken from her home for no other reason than Sion's father so happened to like the look of her. Made a concubine to the King, she was kept within the walls of Roland's castle until Sion was born, and tossed back out onto the streets shortly thereafter. Life outside of the castle's bounds was no safer than life within them, however, and as a child, Sion constantly found himself at the mercy of his half-brothers, enduring the torment they saw fit to inflict upon him for being lowborn, the product of a King taking pity upon a cur.

Unable to reconcile why such a thing was allowed to happen—why the King could do as he pleased, why his half-brothers were permitted to commit crimes without facing due punishment, and why both himself and his mother were treated as something less than human—Sion adopted a steadfast creed: if people are wrong, change their minds. If the world is wrong, change the world. Corruption festered in Roland's nobility, as it did in Roland's King, and Sion could not abide by it. To prevent anyone else from suffering as he had, and as his mother did, he vowed to one day become King, and through the revolution which he orchestrated, he did.

By taking his father's head.

For the sake of building a better country, nothing is beyond Sion. Though he strives to create a long-lasting era of peace, and to make Roland a country whose citizens are not judged by birthright, but by merit alone, Sion is well aware that he must do so by employing any and all means necessary. If left with no other alternative, it is in his nature along to sacrifice everything most important to him in order to achieve his goals. His friends, loved ones, everything—he could for sake them all to create an ideal world, and it is with this knowledge that he purposely chooses to walk a kinder, more gentle path than his predecessor.

When faced with the choice of purging the old, corrupt nobility of Roland for the sake of political advance and uniting the country under a single banner, Sion consents, though with the condition that any noble who would swear fealty to him be spared. He proclaims that he is King of all the people of Roland, even the nobility who would oppose him (nobility, who would even go so far as to make attempts on his life), and so he must take their welfare into account as well. Always, he strives to take the path with the least amount of sacrifices, and all the while he remains aware that he would trample upon anything and anyone, even his personal convictions and beliefs, if it contributed to the greater good.

Unfaltering and unfailing in his methods, Sion is revered as a flawless king, a divine existence beyond the people's grasp, and he is an expert at perpetuating the belief. He addresses his subjects with grace, magnanimity, and the renowned light of his smile, allowing them to see nothing of the dark deeds he is guilty of committing on their behalf.


"I want the power to create a world where the people before me... my allies, my friends, my family, everyone can smile foolishly without having to cry.
I'll sacrifice anything for that goal. And so—and so, give me that power."

"In return for that suffering, any happiness you obtain in the future will not last."

"I know."

"In return for that despair, you yourself will not obtain a single thing."

"I know."

"Instead, you will only suffer. You will not be rewarded. You will not find happiness.
Nevertheless—nevertheless, do you desire power?"

"Yes."

"You're insane, aren't you?"

"Not as much as you."

At heart, Sion is a compassionate fool of a man. There is nothing more that he wishes to create than a world where no one will have to feel loss, where no one will have to cry, and where everyone can enjoy the simple leisure of taking an afternoon nap—this dream, he pursues so single-mindedly that he often loses sight of himself. He works tirelessly to better his kingdom, possessed of the belief that he alone bears the responsibility for the entire country. Nothing—no amount of work, no small measure of progress, and no great stride forward—is ever enough, and his care for the people of Roland manifests in a workaholic's tendencies: Sion seldom sleeps, frequently decides against eating, and chooses to shoulder burdens on his own, but... he isn't so foolish as to allow for anyone to take notice.

Always wearing a cordial, kind-hearted smile, Sion's troubles are rarely, if ever, seen at all. When among friends, he is quick to give way to teasing and to banter, jovially tormenting his Field Marshal with promises of "You had better live, if you die, I'll cry!", and his best friend with casual threats of "If I hurry up and die, you'll take my job, right?". And when among enemies, he adopts a flawless, perfect veneer, leading many nobles of Roland to believe that he bears no weaknesses at all; that he is a heartless, tearless, and cold King, one who would smile and accept it if his companions were killed before his very eyes.

No one could possibly know that Sion is often immobilized by a lack of self-worth and doubt. Constantly dubious, Sion always asks himself: are his choices correct? Are his decisions able to save anyone? Should he sacrifice the left hand, the right? Daily, he struggles to achieve an idealistic dream through pragmatism, weighs individual interests against collective needs, and the worth of lives against lives. There is not a second which passes Sion by that he does not regret his most immoral decisions, even when cold rationale tells him that his choices were sound. Oftentimes at war with himself, Sion's inner turmoil is a personal allegory of his battle against the constraints of his own power and the necessary evil which the world demands in order to begin anew.

If there is one thing Sion is certain of, it is his own self-sacrifice. Before his ascension to the throne, he descended into hell alongside Lucile Eris, the head of House Eris, the protectors of the royal line and the rightful King. There, after undergoing a series of tests to determine both his worth and his suitability for the crown, Sion was granted two things: first, power by absorbing the legendary Fallen Dark Hero, Asruld Roland, into his body; the second, a promise from Lucile.

"My enemy is the same as all those who you would wish to defeat," Lucile had said, and in that instant Sion realized the one who he wished to defeat, the one person who he needed to overcome more than anything else, was himself. The weak him. The weak him who was unable to protect anyone, and more than that, destroy all those who would use the hand of fate to toy with people's lives, be they corrupt nobility, Heroes, or Goddesses.


"In that case, let's go already. Let's start a revolution.
Let's stray from the scenario created by the worthless Hero.
Fom the scenario formed by the disgusting Goddesses.
From the scenario written by that irritating man, Rahel Miller...
From now on, I'll begin writing my own scenario."

Regardless of the strife within him, and the way which the world he dreams of drifts further and further out of reach, Sion cannot help but move forward. If he can save someone, help someone, and if there is the slightest chance that he might be able to see the world progress in a better direction, he will always walk on. Even if peace proves to be unattainable, and even if there has never been a country, an existence, an world without conflict, pain, or hurt, Sion will always choose to pursue the ideal. His ideal, the scenario which he will move toward while wearing a smile.

⤷The Fallen Dark Hero/Mad Hero: "…What…Asruld… you have devoured him? What are you saying?
How can...how can it be, a mere human, cannot possibly…"

The Fallen Dark Hero, a former Goddess, is better known as Asruld Roland. Fashioned into a divine entity of destruction, Asruld has lived on in many incarnations of 'Sion', consuming their consciousnesses and possessing them as hosts. To date, not a single incarnation of 'Sion' has been able to stave off Asruld's encroachment upon their minds, not until Sion Astal. Where the Fallen Dark Hero had once been at ends with him, making consistent attempts to wrestle control of Sion's body from him, Asruld is unable to do as much now. More than that, Sion has begun to devour Asruld, merging with the Hero on a spiritual level. Where Asruld had been formerly known to overtake and absorb all his vessels, the tables have been turned by Sion, who through the sheer force of his will, took all of the Fallen Dark Hero's power for himself.

Though not without first paying the price of his own humanity.

Gradually losing both his heart and his ability to feel as a human, Sion is often wont to compare himself to a monster. Upon the battlefield and in times of quiet, he is given to moments of soliloquy and reflection, remarking upon his own diminishing emotions with satire: the me who isn't human any longer feels sad...?

Sion, though, will not allow himself to stop. In order to achieve his beautiful ideal, he will accept any condition and kill anyone to achieve his aim, even if he should be a monster, in the end.

giorno giovanna / jjba / reserved

[tropism]

Player

Name: haru

Age: 26

Contact: pm my journal or pp me at plurk niphablepsia

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

[tropism]

Character

Name: Giorno Giovanna

Giorno's real name is Haruno Shiobana, though from the very beginning in the manga, he goes by Giorno Giovanna. The reason for this is how Italians apparently mispronounce his Japanese name. Giorno just goes by the Italian one. In keeping with the 'Jojo' theme, Giorno is sometimes called 'Giogio'.

In this game, he is only going by his Italian name.

Age: 15

Memory Option: Full AU

Established Status: A ... while, wherein all the events in his timeline have happened up to him being a level 1 RAC agent. Let's say 2 years.

Canon: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, part 5 (Vento Aureo)

Canon Point: Post-White Album fight

Citizenship: He's a reclamation agent!

Job: RAC

* Level: 1

Abilities: From here, Giorno will have the following with his blood-abilities:

Jojo canon states that all abilities must have a song- or band-related name, so let's call this one ⎡ ＳＵＮＤＡＹ ＢＬＯＯＤＹ ＳＵＮＤＡＹ ⎦:

1. Tracking ability, minor - last for a few days (except in circumstances with extreme temperatures)
2. Ability to control weaker animal and plant life, major
3. Blood enhancement (item- or ability-based), minor, no more than few hours at max and few minutes at minimum
4. Corruptive blood, passive - invulnerable to most organic poisons/diseases but at-risk for computer viruses
5. Advanced clotting, passive (minor wounds are a-ok but more fatal wounds would take time to heal)

OTHER ABILITIES.

1. Wheelin' and Stealin' - with the exception of planes and ships, Giorno is quite proficient at stealing vehicles; but you know, he's fifteen, so make sure you pray. In terms of thief skills, he's a 9/10.
2. Decent Combat Skills - his Stand has an ability of C, which means that Giorno can hold his own in a fight, but he's no Superman. His blood abilities are there to make him last longer in a fight.
3. Running Away - comes from the Joestar side of his blood, he has no problems leaving the scene and doing a tactical retreat if it's a possibility to do so. Otherwise he'll just fight until he wins or backup help arrives. Being a cautious kinda guy, Giorno doesn't enter fights unless he's certain that there's a chance of him winning, or at least coming out of it alive.

He can also stuff his earlobe into his ear, he's a riot at parties.

Personality: Giorno is the kind of guy who makes smart decisions or offers suggestions to help solve problems, and then keeps to himself, generally content to watch and see how events unfold before him so that he can act accordingly. Unlike the previous Jojos, whose personalities carried the storylines on their own, up until the end of the manga, Giorno contented himself with being more of a 'support' character, often gently steering or manipulating others into agreeing with him if necessary, and outright fighting with others where a more subtle approach can't be utilized. This oppportunistic way of approaching people and situations often stems from his troubled background: firstly, as a child, Giorno had a terrible childhood, wherein any form of 'acting out' or wanting attention was met with physical abuse and neglect by his parents and peers, until it was resolved by an outside influence. Second, Giorno lives in a Naples that is rather fraught with mafiosos carrying out gangwars with the establishment and the city, riddled with crime and the terrible influence of the drug trade on the young and the poor. This environment makes Giorno susceptible to violence whenever necessary. Though young, he has no problems scamming and stealing his way throughout Naples, and killing other people if he has to. He idolizes criminals, obeys rank and heirarchy within the gang he joined - within limits - as his current objective is to become the Don of Naples. Lastly, although he has made friends of Buccellati's gang in the end, Giorno certainly respects and trusts them enough with his life, but never with his goals. That is kept between him and Buccellati; revealing that he joined the gang in order to depose the current Don could potentially undermine his work, and Giorno is nothing but cautious, and terribly so. The traits that he has cultivated as a young boy where he 'reads' people and situations works for him well enough as a mafioso, so Giorno continues to use them while pretending to be a Passione member.

By himself, Giorno is shown to be polite, firm, has a dry sense of humour, can be utterly ridiculous ( he drinks piss as part of a dare and an initiation rite! He folds his ear into his earlobe to entertain cops while he pays them protection money! He steals a hundred cars and turns them into frogs while he helps a friend hotwire another car so the gang can make a getaway! ), likes sweet things and is a big fan of Les Miserables. He takes pains to present himself as maturely as he can; he's the youngest in their group, he has to act like he deserves to be there, especially with only the grace of Buccellati protecting him. But he enjoys spending time with them whenever they have the chance, will help them if necessary, and is often the first to comfort them if need be. When he was still going to school, he was the kind of guy whom almost everybody knew his name, and were eager to ask him to be part of their activities. ( Whether this is a product of the gangster helping him in his youth is something else. ) Girls adore him, even if he didn't care much for them at all. But as a gangster Giorno Giovanna is only kind to his friends. Anyone else who stands in his way of becoming a Don is immediately killed, or he will use them until he figures out how they fit in his plans.

HARUNO SHIOBANA. In the summer of 1985, DIO, a vampire menace who has plagued the Joestars for the past four storylines, decided to further become a thorn in humanity's side by procreating. Since DIO views women as tools, or food, he didn't exactly stay for the morning after and probably went on his business of killing and banging the rather attractive population of Egypt until Jotaro from part 3 put a stop to that nonsense. It's not clear how Dio and Mrs. Shiobana met, but Mrs. Shiobana gave birth to Giorno - who back then was called Haruno - in Japan.

Giorno did not have a good childhood. In Japan, he was often left alone by his mother when he was young. Once his mother remarried to an Italian guy when he was four, the Shiobana family moved to Italy. Behind his mother's back, Giorno was often physically abused by his stepfather. Because he suffered so much abuse at the hands of his parents, Giorno forced himself to be as quiet and unassuming as possible in order to 'read' people, so that he can know when and how to escape abuse if he can. It's because of this personality of his that he became a prime target of the bullies in his school, too - quiet and unassuming isn't exactly an aggressive personality, and people often took advantage of his passive nature.

This had a profound effect on him as a child. It wasn't long before Giorno came to think of himself as the scum of the Earth, undeserving of any kind of trust or respect as a person. He was well on his way into becoming a rather twisted, sad individual when a chance encounter changed his life: as Giorno was walking home one day from school, he saw a bloody man on the ground in the shadows of a stone wall. Instead of being afraid of the man, Giorno sympathized with him, wounded and melancholy as he was. When a group of men came by looking for him, Giorno lied and told them that he had gone the other way. The man was then obscured in the ground with grass growing around him due to Giorno's Stand ability, though he hadn't exactly realized what a Stand is at the time and it had only activated unconsciously.

He thought nothing of it for two months, until he met the man again. The man then said that he would never forget Giorno's kindness towards him. Later on, Giorno found out that the man was a gangster. ( This is an inference considering the environment that Giorno lived in in Naples was crawling with them. ) After the gangster's reappearance in his life, Giorno's life got better. His father stopped beating him, the bullies in his neighbourhood started offering him a seat in crowded movie theatres, and so on. He and the gangster never fully interacted, but the gangster always watched over him when he was young, and approached him with the kind of respect that most people never afforded him in the first place. Ironically, Giorno learned how to trust people because of the gangster. And in a grosser twist of fate, although the gangster always had a strict position about not getting Giorno involved in the gang world, Giorno began to idolize this criminal anyway and dreamed of becoming a gangster himself.

Giorno also cares about his actual father, Dio, and often insists to anyone that his looks are from his dad, who died in Egypt. He has more of a connection to this absent father of his than to his step-father, even after he started acting nicer to him thanks to the gangster. Dio isn't really prominent here, though, but suffice to say that Giorno's sense of family only comes from the friends he ends up choosing to the picture of Dio he always keeps in his wallet. One can say that the gangster life offered Giorno the kind of communal feeling that his actual family never let him have. He doesn't exactly resent them, though. Giorno is more than happy to move on to his criminal pursuits and do whatever it takes so that he can become a gangster like his hero.

GIOGIO. After this encounter, Giorno Giovanna became a polite and serene individual, confident of his strengths and abilities, and stubborn when it comes to his beliefs and ideals. If Giorno thinks that he's right, he will insist upon it, even if it means breaking rank as the newbie to defy the older, more experienced members of his gang ( it helps to have the capo on your side ). This will often lead him into a fight, but Giorno is prepared to fight for his ideals, always, and will make a point to prove himself right if necessary. If he is wrong, he owns up to his mistakes and apologizes profusely. Because Giorno's Stand can 'fix' any potential accidents, Giorno can be utterly reckless where proving his loyalty and strengths are concerned. Part of it is because of his need to be recognized as a capable member of the gang he's infiltrated, but the other part of it is just Giorno being his stubborn self. Now that he doesn't have to be as much of a doormat as he had been when he was a child, if Giorno knows that he can do something, he will set his mind on that goal until it is achieved. On the other hand, Giorno also knows that there are certain goals he can't attain by himself, and therefore will do his best to prove, or convince, the other party that he is worth investing time and energy on. There is a sense in Giorno that wants to please people, but this is never for his personal goal and is almost often related to their use where his actual objective is concerned.

As a kid, he is unshakeable where his dream - to become a gangster - is concerned. The entire plot of Vento Aureo revolves around how Giorno manages to enable another gangster ( Buccellati ) to take revenge against his cruel boss while taking him in as a member in the same gang so that he can replace him as the boss. His story is one which doesn't quite match with the rest of the other members: while most of them have been chosen by Buccellati because of their abilities or their tenacity, or because Buccellati foresaw that they will waste their lives in jail, Giorno is a relatively popular school boy with a troubled home. But he values the same things that most of the protagonists in the manga do: he values courage, resolve, chivalry, and earnestness. He despises the cruel. It's a very childish view of the world, though Giorno is a bit more lenient when it comes to people he has to know. Once he makes an enemy out of someone, he always comes prepared to kill them.

Giorno's reasons for wanting to become a "gangstar" is equally childish and naive: he wants to become a gangster out of reverence for the mafioso whose life he saved. When he found out from Buccellati that the current boss of Passione, his gang, is the one responsible for the way the drug trade has affected the poor and the weak in the area, he then swore to become a Don instead of just a regular gangster, so that he can kill the boss and set the mafia right again: protecting the weak despite being the criminals that they are. In order to do that, Giorno decides that he has to kill the current boss and take over the gang. This would've been impossible if not for the fact that Giorno has a powerful Stand, as well as the kind of ruthlessness his self-righteousness affords him, which is in line with the kind of ideals that are admired among his friends. It's a noble dream, but Giorno also has no problems using whatever methods necessary at his disposal in order to attain it.

Giorno also prizes his silence, and is honest - whenever it suits him. He is most protective of the things that he values the most, and these he keeps close to his chest: things like his dream of becoming the Don, which he never reveals to anyone even after Buccellati's death. He never gives out information about him that he doesn't believe would benefit the discussion. He is always carefully polite when he gives his reasons, but he never acknowledges any pointed commentary if asked if it is for his benefit or of the gang's. He doesn't exactly regret this behaviour either.

Finally, Giorno can be quite vengeful. While he takes great pains to be as calm and serene whenever he can, nothing infuriates him more than cruelty and preying on the weak. He metes out severe punishments to those whom he thinks deserves to suffer for their crimes. An example of this is how he destroyed Cioccolata: a sadistic doctor who likes to record the pain of his patients, Giorno turns the bullet in his body into a flesh-eating scarab beetle to destroy his brain, and then finishes him off with a lengthy barrage into a trash compactor to kill him. The more cruel one is how he deals with the boss of Passione: his Stand forces him to experience death for eternity, in ever-changing ways. Almost everyone that has crossed his path during their travel has died rather messily.

In the game, I want to see where his loyalties will place him depending on the factions and the plot, so Giorno's current goal is to become the best RAC agent, but any sort of plots like taking over teams and whatnot I'm content to let it happen on a more organic scale - as opposed to how it is in canon where things just work out for him because he's a violent and tenacious protagonist reminiscent of how his terrible father had done things for the past few arcs. Since he knows full well that he'll be damaging his reputation if he doesn't obey rank and file, Giorno will present himself as a decent RAC agent so long as it benefits him.

Also, I have skipped discussion of his Stand abilities since it won't be present here at all - since his powers don't exactly translate well into the setting - but just in case, here is a link to his Stand.

RHYS | BORDERLANDS | reserved

[rhygret]

Player

Name: Dolly

Age: 27

Contact: owlits

Preferred Pronouns: She/her

Character

Name: Rhys

Age: 28

Memory Option: 1, deteriorating.

Established Status: Yes. Rhys has been in the Quad for 4 years doing the Rich Relative thing and generally being a sub-par human being.

Canon: Borderlands

Canon Point: End of Episode 5: The Vault of the Traveller (After entering the Vault)

Citizenship: Qreshi

Job: High-level, zero-importance Trophy Position at The Company. Aka Senior Vice-President of Westerlyn Resource Acquisition & Management Inquiries.

Abilities: Great-looking hair.

...Which is a nice way of saying Rhys is about as supernaturally gifted as a rock. He does have some everyday skills which stand out however, first and foremost being hacking and data mining! Rhys predominantly uses his ECHO eye and cybernetic arm systems to do this and is actually pretty competent at it? Not Handsome Jack-levels of awesome mind you, but he does a fairly good job for someone with like, twenty years less experience than a programming CEO of a trillion bajillion dollar corporation.

He does have some pretty sweet tech in his cybernetics though!

Cybernetic arm: It comes with a holographic display, a light, slightly increased strength (nothing dramatic), and the ability to run hacking programs. It's basically a HUD.

ECHOEye Implant: This allows Rjhys to see in the dark as well as scan any object he trains his eye on...provided there's information on it in his database/The Company's database. And provided he has the clearance for it.

EchoPort A small port located on Rhys's temple which allows him to upload data directly to his brain--or download from it onto a computer (this is how Jack moves from the ID drive, to Rhys's brain, to Helios, and then back into his brain in canon).

Personality:

Rhys is not a Good Person, but then again he also comes from a canon of People who aren't, ranging from the megalomaniacal to the outright insane, "meat buddies riding the death train for life" sort. In fact the only actual "good" people where Rhys comes from aren't humans but robots with AIs, so that should really say something. Borderlands is not a series about Good Guys doing Good Things but in fact one of "People are Doing Things to Kill For Money or Power Pretty Much Most of the Time," and Rhys is no different in that regard. Actually he pretty much just fits right in.

In canon Rhys works for the Hyperion corporation which he admits makes him the "bad guy" in his story. Hyperion is responsible for a long list of atrocities, the least of which is Ruining The Lives Of Everyone on Pandora. They bled the planet dry for rare alien minerals, destroyed entire settlements for profit and gain, and under Handsome Jack's rule went around murdering and killing anyone who got into their way. There isn't a single person on Pandora who's fond of them, and for good reason. While Rhys himself may not have personally taken part in any of these atrocities, he has done things like brokering shady Eridium mine deals for his own gain and even went so far as to orchestrate a little corporate revenge on a company rival named Vasquez following a stolen promotion which resulted in "three years of wasted effort" when his former boss was vented into space. That was pretty much to the extent that Rhys was broken up about that before he decided he was going to screw Vasquez over by stealing his deal. Which? Not actually all that uncommon or unusual in Hyperion. Everyone gets somewhere by screwing someone else over, and the best way to get ahead? Be just as cold and scheming as everyone else around you. It's sink or swim in the world Rhys works.

So yeah Rhys isn't exactly a great person. He's willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead barring outright murder for a position, openly disdainful of Pandora and the people who live there, and at times just a little bit two-faced. Rhys did spend three years sucking up to Henderson in hopes of a promotion after all. It's all part of the Hyperion Experience^TM, and as much as Rhys hates it he's always wanted to run his own company (he made a club with his friends as a kid so he could print business cards. It's as nerdy as it sounds).

Rhys dreams of getting ahead: he wants to rule the Hyperion corporation and have all the perks that go along with it. Greed and a want for the money and power that come with that sort of status drive Rhys in the beginning of the game. He wants the respect it'll grant him even if his best friend Vaughn reminds him that "the only ones who talk like that are poor people no one likes". Rhys has Ambition and wants to be just like his hero: Handsome Jack.

...Who is admittedly not that greatest role model out there considering he murdered and blackmailed his way to the top and then committed a number of atrocities including robot genocide and mass-murder, but. You know. He was also super-charismatic and funny about it which made it kind...of...?? Okay? Or something. He was mostly just killing bandits and awful Pandoran stuff so it's almost sorta justified to Rhys in the beginning. That particular mindset changes a lot after he meets the man for himself (read: uploads an AI of him into his brain and almost gets murdered by him). It's pretty disillusioning when your hero tries to kill you by shoving a metal skeleton inside your body for his robot army.

Luckily there's more to Rhys then just being Hyperion. He wants to reach the top sure, but he wants to bring his friends Vaughn and Yvette with him. The plan is for all three of them to take over and rule Hyperion; they work together to get Rhys into a position where he can move up, and then he in turn would promote them up with him. He may be a bit of an asshole but Rhys is actually incredibly loyal to his friends and tends to put a lot of his faith and trust in them. Even Vasquez offering him back his old job and splitting ten million dollars wasn't enough to even make Rhys consider blaming the whole thing on Vaughn and letting him take the fall. He tells Vasquez to go stuff it, because betrayal of the friend variety? Not Rhys's cup of tea.

In fact Rhys actually likes...having them. And being liked. Even if he's quick to dismiss Fiona and Sasha as being Pandoran and therefor a bit beneath him, he actually takes the chance to open up to Sasha about how Helios isn't all it's cracked up to be, even tries to relate to her a little bit. Which may or may not have to do with a slight crush on her but the point is that yeah, Rhys kinda sucks. But he's not a totally despicable person and once he starts to like someone and warm up to them (which honestly does not take much, this guy is starved for kindness jfc) he's actually...a pretty decent friend. Loader Bot helps him and Vaughn and Rhys grows attached. Dumpy helps him fight off August and his goons and Rhys grows attached. Fiona calls him a friend and Rhys looks surprised and touched as all hell. So I guess it's more accurate to say that he's vain jerk with more of a gooey center to him than you'd expect. But that's also because he's a giant nerd no matter how he tries to portray himself as the Cool Company Man.

Yes, a nerd. And a fanboy! He idolized Handsome Jack and kept posters of him in his room. He keeps a collection of ridiculously-colored socks. The very first words he manages to utter to Zer0 after witnessing him kill a Skag? Telling him how cool he is, and at the mention that Zer0 might fight the Vault monster alongside him and Gortys, Rhys is mostly concerned about getting to sit next to him. And getting told he did well?? "Ohhh my god, thank you"--yeah. This loser gets it bad.

I mean sure Rhys is good at his job. But he also initially has no idea how his stun baton works (but he remarks that it looks neat), no idea how to work Loader Bot initially, shoves a random ID drive into his head and electrocutes himself, and often forgets that he even has a robot arm capable of doing stuff way better than his human one. Case an point: anytime it comes to punching someone or trying to strangle that one bandit who thought it was a joke at first. Rhys is Not Strong. And he comically messes up! A lot! Like a loooot, actually. Rhys can look he part of a aspiring businessman but in practice he's more like a dorky businessman whose idea of intimidating his rival is "I could be creeping up, behind you and" while stuttering and fumbling over what he's trying to say.

So yeah. Rhys is a little ways off from being the awesomely capable figure he sees himself as, but he never hurts for confidence! Even when he really shouldn't have any or it's kind of unfounded. Of all things Rhys still somehow manages that. Or well, he manages it whenever he doesn't manage to be awkward which is about a fifty-fifty split. He talks a good talk about how smoothly things will go with the Vault Key deal with Vaughn and then totally trips over himself trying to tell Sasha she's pretty. What it works out to be is Rhys presenting himself as totally capable without actually being prepared for the reality (see: all of Pandora). On Helios Rhys is actually perfectly capable! He knows his environment and doesn't even flinch when he gets cornered by accountants bearing finger guns. Put him on Pandora trying to ask for directions? And he winds up in a firefight with an entire town of bandits.

The best way to look at Rhys is someone who isn't Great, but who isn't Awful either. He has plenty of vices: he wants power and money, he's materialistic, wants recognition and he's vain! The first thing Rhys does after getting Jack out of his head and thinking himself betrayed by Fiona and Sasha is to get himself a haircut and a new suit. He also kind of took the rights to Atlas and named himself CEO and starts making people President of Stuff and all that but there you go. He doesn't seek his friends out because he assumed they betrayed him--but when he thinks he's contacted by them? Rhys heads over right away, by himself, unarmed and unguarded, ready to work things out. And then gets kidnapped and stuff but yes.

Rhys is sarcastic and egotistical, overly confident at times and more than a little bit of a pain, but he's also someone capable of expressing remorse for past deeds (apologizing to Vaughn for their junior years), learning from his mistakes (trusting and idolizing Jack), and being genuinely sincere when he cares about someone. Once Rhys cares about someone he tends to care A Lot: he chases down a car and fights off bandits to get to Vaughn, he refuses to let Sasha fall when they're stuck hanging, tells Loader Bot to save himself when attacked, and comes to view Fiona as an equal partner/friend despite his bias against Pandorans and being conned by her. Rhys can forgive people and move on from his misgivings with people, which is something that sets him apart from a lot of people at Hyperion.

By the time Rhys enters the Vault with Fiona at the end of the game he's grown from someone whose drives and goals revolves entirely around advancing himself and his close friends, to an individual who wants to work to make something better of himself and Atlas, who cares deeply about the tight-knit group of close friends he made during his time on Pandora, and who knows exactly the kind of person he doesn't want to be: the sort Hyperion turned out under the rule of Handsome Jack, and exactly the person he had been shaping up to be before the Vault. Rhys wants to be better both for himself and to make up for his past mistakes. When he rebuilds Atlas it isn't going to be like Hyperion was: he's determine it not be.

[rhygret]

AU History:

Rhys was born to a surrogate with a silver spoon in his mouth, quite possibly literally thanks to his fortune of having been part of Land Kendry and a rightful citizen of Qresh. This status would give him wealth and comfort, a snobbish upbringing with plenty of disdain for the lower classes on Westerly, and the ever-looming knowledge that he would never be an heir to Land Kendry. He was the only son of a cousin to the main line, meaning there were plenty of other heirs in line before he could even come close to dreaming of that kind of power. Rhys was important, sure, but only so much as any other member of his family as insurance and back-up if tragedy should befall the Head or main line. His status as Qreshi royalty was just that: a title which would afford him a lavish and comfortable living without any need for hardship.

And Rhys did grow up comfortably. Materialistically, anyway. With both parents entrenched in the politics and workings of The Nine, Rhys was often left to his own devices. For them, having a child was simply a way to ensure that their accumulated wealth and status was preserved for the future; it was never about a want to raise or even entertain the idea of caring for a child. Especially one who was...fortunate, enough, to have so many familial genetic connections within the Kendrys. But with second-cousins as parents it really shouldn't have surprised them. Inbreeding to keep the lines pure had been causing certain "less desirable" traits in the family, but somehow it never occurred to them that their own son might be one of those cases.

While he was outwardly fine and indeed born healthy, Rhys suffered from nerve damage due to birth defect in his right arm. The limb was almost effectively useless and hampered the boy's ability to perform even the most basic of tasks, an embarrassment to his parents. It was quickly arranged for his arm to be replaced with a cybernetic one specifically tailored to look as realistic as possible. A hack-modded family member was only slightly more desirable than a useless one after all. But for Rhys it was one of the few profoundly excellent moments of his childhood where his parents put time and effort into him. The arm was never a source of shame to him; he wore it proud and became ever-more interested and intrigued by the technology which had given him back the use of his arm, and what would ultimately have him arrange further modifications to himself: he would go on to replace his left eye as he became an adult, and installed a data port into his temple.

With these mods and his arm combined however Rhys would be pushed over the legal limit for hack mods to sit firmly at 35% modded. Legally he wasn't even considered a citizen anymore, and if found out that would mean no more inheritance, no more status. So he had his eye made as close to human-seeming as possible and kept his arm covered in synthetic to make it appear flesh.

With his childhood spent largely in neglect with far too much time on his hands, Rhys quickly threw himself into the hobby of data mining and hacking. He didn't specifically aim for those two things specifically at first of course, but happened upon it as he fiddled with diagnostics of his arm, the home security systems, and the AI designed to be both companion and caretaker to him in his parents' absence. Rhys began to learn the ins and outs of systems, how to bypass low levels of security and how to dig for what he wanted inside the coding of the system. If his parents weren't going to tell him anything, then he'd find it for himself.

That drive to do things on his own, to overcome others and feel himself as superior would be what motivated him for years and had Rhys ultimately come to the understanding that no one would ever see him as anything beyond his claim to the Kendry name. Rhys wanted recognition for more than that. He wanted it for himself, for people to respect him because of his own efforts and accomplishments. So Rhys replaced his eye to give him that sleek, insubordinate edge that would allow him a leg-up on anyone he encountered, and made enough noise until his parents caved in and pulled strings to get him a position at The Company where he could finally work to seize the status he wanted:

Senior Vice-President of Westerlyn Resource Acquisition & Management Inquiries.

Or, more accurately, "that job where even a brick could succeed because there isn't actually even any real work to do, it's just a bunch of paperwork and sitting around in an office and basically your parents are hoping you get this nonsense out of your system and go back to being rich and complacent."

It was not the dream job Rhys had envisioned propelling him to the top. He had underlings sure, but the work was dull and unimportant and no one would even notice if he never showed up. Nothing he did in his job mattered: it all amounted to stamping on X and filing. It was just report after report on the most mundane and honestly boring stuff in the entire existence of the Quad. Why this job even existed was beyond him and Rhys really was about to give up, to march on back to his parents and demand something actually fitting his skill set...when he noticed The Discrepancy.

It was what could have simply been a small resource allocation error. Nothing big or worrisome and if he wanted he could've just easily written it off. But Rhys was beyond bored, beyond Done with the monotony of his job and decided hey, finally something to do maybe it'll actually be something I can kill the afternoon with! What he didn't expect was to follow the paper trail and discover a fellow high-end employee not only embezzling money, but apparently allocating resources to what he assumed were smugglers. It was The Break Rhys had been looking for: turning this guy in would bring him the recognition he wanted. No one could ignore how awesome he was if he blew this things wide open and exposed a lower class for their treachery and ruined their chances on Leith forever. Because there was nothing the Kendrys enjoyed more than depriving the lower classes of anything and everything.

Now realistically, all Rhys had to do was report it. He just had to send word upstairs in The Company and their enforcers would handle it and everything would be peachy. He'd get maybe a bonus, maybe his parents might even bat an eye at the dinner table.

But no. Rhys wanted more than that. He wanted to prove how capable he was, and what better way to do that than by uncovering the deception and bringing it all to light himself?? He would insert himself where the traitor was meant to be, take over the deal, expose the smugglers and then get the traitor and everyone they ever worked with kicked off of Leith and onto that dirt hole of a moon, Westerly. It was a brilliant plan that was perfect and could totally never fail in any way whatsoever.

So naturally it failed in every single way conceivable.

Both Rhys and the traitor showed up. Then the smugglers showed up. Then the smugglers shot the traitor, who died just in time for the Resistance to show up, take out the smugglers, save Rhys...and take him for their new Informant. By the time Rhys realized that he was never dealing with smugglers as the problem to begin with it was too late: he'd already been implicated, the Resistance knew about his hack mods, and there was no way he was going to be able to cover up his involvement in any of this without exposing the fact that he never reported it in the first place. If anything, from all sides it looked like the traitor had been killed trying to rat Rhys out and that all along it was Rhys pulling the strings.

He was going to have no choice but to go along with things and put up with their demands for help. There was too much at stake for him either way...and thus Rhys basically joined the Resistance by accident and without meaning to, therefor hating his life forever and ever.

Especially once he realized if he'd never shown up at all the traitor would have just gotten killed on his own anyway and Rhys could've been at home enjoying being rich.

CRAU: Nope!

Original History: Here

Inventory:
-1 JR4000 Stun Baton
-Dumpy

Samples: TDM 1, if you need more just let me know!

Miscellaneous Notes:
A Vaughn plans to app next round, so we're going to assumed history between them both where Rhys's parents basically hired Vaughn's family to shell their kid out to be friends with him. Like rich people do.

Meliodas | The Seven Deadly Sins | Not Reserved

[perma_banned]

Player

Name: Dan

Age: 28

Contact: PM is fine!

Preferred Pronouns: He/His/Him

Character

Name: Meliodas

Age: 35 (Appears to be 16)

Memory Option: 1

Established Status: Leithian(Former)

Canon: The Seven Deadly Sins

Canon Point: Chapter 202

Citizenship: Authorized, Non-Citizen
Job: Bar owner in Old Town (Former RAC Agent)

* Level: 3 (Former)

Meliodas | The Seven Deadly Sins | Not Reserved

[perma_banned]

Abilities
In his canon, Meliodas is a magic demon. So...

Super Strength, Speed, Endurance(Passive): In canon, he's a demon and those fellas come with strength, speed, and endurance in extremes well beyond normal people. Given how excessive it is, it would be nerfed down quite a bit down to 3x a human's capabilities. Actively pushing his enhancements to their limit will darken Meliodas' irises.

Martial Artis(Passive)t: Meliodas is extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat in canon to the point of being able to deal with multiple enemies at and above his level in rapid succession. This could be explained in Overjoyed as Meliodas being trained very harshly from a young age by his father and his associates.

Full Counter (Major): The ability to reverse the various effects of magic back on the user, if timed correctly. Fireball? Meliodas can reflect it back on someone at twice the power. Can they blind someone with magic? He can reflect that back on them, too. In this setting, it would be more appropriate to say that it in this setting can 'reflect' the use of tech back upon the user. Against something like a punch or a swing of a regular ol' hammer--it wouldn't do anything unless that hammer was churning with electricity or something... then it would reflect just the electricity back to the user. As far as limitations and changes for this kind of ability, I'd say it would be more fitting if Meliodas had a small piece of tech(possibly a small hexagonal, transparent energy buckler to go over his hand or arm) that absorbed energy-based attacks and spat them back out at the attacker in bursts. It wouldn't be able to deal with something like a 'current' of electricity, but absorbing one flash of lightning would be possible.

Full Vanish(Major): Meliodas holds up a hand, and it just nullifies magical attacks. It wouldn't undo something like a 'curse, ' but it would make a fireball cease to be. In-game, it would make sense to act like an EMP that disables all tech within a certain range for a few moments.

Revenge Counter(Major): Meliodas takes damage intentionally, sucking up any magical power that's struck him before turning it into his power for an energy based beam/sphere attack. This would work well in conjunction with his ‘Full Counter’ tech. It would do nothing to protect him and serve only as a trump card in which he'd hope he could survive each attack and be able to make a desperate counter attack at the last moment. It would come in the form of a thin, easily penetrable shield that would absorb background energy from offensive tech to gather power for his big counter-attack blast.

Darkness/Demon Mark (Major): Meliodas' ability to manifest darkness that can coat the body to accomplish a few things. First, the darkness can coat the body and act as a protective barrier. Second, it can be used offensively in the form of bladed weapons, claws and it can even get extended so far and quickly that it can act as an explosive pressure. Next, it can repair a person's body from bodily harm(though the user still feels immense fatigue and pain from the original injury, so it isn't a proper cure). Finally, it can be used to fly by forming wings out of the solidified darkness. In this setting, it could act as a larger scale version of the little robot drones from Big Hero 6. The little drones would have to be controlled telepathically by Meliodas and bound to him. Instead of it just being 'darkness,' they could be nanomachines compiled into a black sludge that would be able to enhance Meliodas, protect him from harm, fashion into weapons and be able to make some repairs to him if he came into harm. Given that they would probably expend themselves on occasion, I'd say they would have to be replenished by stealing bits of metal to remake themselves--but their clear limitation would be that Meliodas couldn't just make a sea of them. He'd have a hard limit of how many he could control telepathically--limiting himself to a beachball-sized globe of those nanomachines.

Hellblaze/Divine Slayer (Major): Meliodas can summon demonic fire that can nullify regeneration. There isn't much known about it other than the fact that it seems effective against people who heal extremely fast. I would tie this into the 'Darkness' tech and have it be his nanomachines reinforcing a weapon and remotely disabling tech that allows the body to heal. The effect would last as long as ten minutes depending on how swiftly someone begins to treat the wound with normal medicine/stitching/bandaging.

Lostvayne (Major): Meliodas' magic sword that gives him the ability to make weaker clones of himself. It splits his power in half each time he makes clones until he's the last one left. As far as tech goes, I would just say that a light-refracting device could just create holograms of Meliodas to confuse people.

Immortality(Passive): Kinda not passive in canon--and, 'kind of' doesn't count as immortality rather than him being remade as a zombie over and over. Meliodas doesn't heal super fast unless it's with his Darkness, so if he dies--, he dies. In canon, he's only brought back to life by the curse of his father, The Demon King, but in this sort of environment, that kind of control over life and death wouldn't fly. Instead, I'd rather just implement one aspect of the curse of immortality into his in-game backstory--the fact that the immortality robs him of his kind qualities since his father returns him to an evil state of mind each time he comes back to life. I'd like to say his daddy would force use psycho-stimulation to try and force Meliodas to maintain a hateful and cruel personality. I'm just gonna ignore this one. This power isn't useable, but in the game setting, I'll go with having it be a side-effect of Meliodas' body modifications. He'll have a slow aging process due to the treatments his father put him through when he was young. He would age half as quickly as normal people as a result. He should, physically, appear to be between 15-16 years old at this point.


Personality: At first glance, Meliodas is somewhat aloof, perverse, goofy, and fun-loving. He likes drinking, cooking poorly, running his bar, and spending time with close friends. He has a penchant for enjoying little fights with his friends and doesn't stick out that much regarding personality. He doesn't try to be the life of the party, but he does his best to enjoy the party that's going on. He snickers often and enjoys the moment, being supportive of others when possible. He's been known to give others advice in life and help them out in pinches. Despite this, Meliodas has quite a lot of trouble in his life that he suppresses. For one reason or another, Meliodas doesn't talk much about the sort of person he used to be. While the Meliodas of 'now' is someone who has fun in his daily life in an era rife with hardship, he had once been a cruel and sadistic monster without a hint of remorse regarding the harm he caused others or the means to which he accomplished his ends.

Meliodas spent quite a bit of his young life being a prince of demons, killing and enacting cruelty left and right in his father's name. A goddess, Elizabeth, managed to get through to him and peel away his cruel exterior to show what kind of person he was. He developed more, became more vocal and emotive, and his rage seemed to melt down. Meliodas, who had once been an evil person, saw a better life with Elizabeth and began improving. Events progressing in the story lead to Meliodas' curse of immortality, leaving him alone for the better part of 3000 years. It's implied that Elizabeth suffered a similar punishment, likely with her repeatedly reincarnating and meeting Meliodas every few lifetimes while he wandered around in sorrow. Meeting Elizabeth during the events of the series in her later incarnations, Meliodas seemed to resume a happy life in her presence. He found friends. He became a knight. Meliodas turned from being the literal prince of darkness to being a happy-go-lucky guy looking to spend his days in relaxation. The person he had once been was cast aside for a much happier and kinder person.

Despite this, Meliodas had been depressed for the better part of 3000 years, constantly wanting to die to end his internal suffering, likely from constantly being alone or knowing Elizabeth would die over and over again. Meliodas and Elizabeth's attempts to save Britannia from the demon clan had ultimately failed, and Meliodas would suffer in abundance for it. Unable to truly die, Meliodas would simply come back to life after the demon king's curse would remove all semblance of his happiness and stability. Each time Meliodas died and came back to life, the curse would return him to the monster he was before--something that terrified Meliodas. He was so afraid of becoming that sort of man again in one instance that he burst into tears in Elizabeth's presence. He felt ashamed that his friends saw him in that state, feeling he lost them when he showed them who he had once been. Meliodas, hating that side of himself, flat out admits to Zaratras that he couldn't die--not for lack of trying. Meliodas admits that he's tried to kill himself in numerous ways and that it wouldn't stick. This highlights the grief that Meliodas doesn't show. For the better part of the series, viewers/readers assume that their protagonist is a fairly happy person aside from a few tragedies in his life. It turns out that Meliodas' self-loathing had become a desire to die a long time ago. Even though he feels this way, though, Meliodas has no desire to leave Elizabeth alone or die without saving her. As much as he hates himself, he loves her more.

Meliodas had shown throughout the series that he abhors killing to the point that he was called out by an ally for being 'naive' and that they couldn't spare every enemy. It shows that Meliodas had spent a greater part of those three thousand years trying not to behave like his old self, refusing to use a weapon to defend himself most times because he would end up truly harming people beyond repair if he used any. His personality for the better part of the story isn't emphasized for many episodes until this point. The viewer simply sees Meliodas as the goofy barkeep who just so happens to want to help save his kingdom. In part, that's what he is--but Meliodas finds it hard to truly distance himself from his evil nature as a former demon prince.

In quieter and happier moments, Meliodas is prone to doling out helpful advice in life, helping other people fix their problems and offering himself for their benefit. There is no doubt in the viewer's mind that Meliodas is a compassionate and empathetic person throughout the series as he endeavors to help save people on his journey without asking for recognition or reward. If anything, Meliodas could care less if people ended up hating him for his sins. Confronted with his image as the 'Sin of Wrath,' Meliodas believes he still has to atone for his punishments.

He has a penchant for leading others, being extremely charismatic and insightful in most instances. He can make up sensible rules for others to list to that will keep them in line though he's likely to forget them as soon as he makes them. Meliodas' group, The Seven Deadly Sins, show that Meliodas' talents as a leader extent to even a band of would-be criminals. He gains their trust easily and even earns their lifetimes of loyalty. Even among the Holy Knights of Danafor and Liones, Meliodas was a popular and well-liked person, always remarked as being somewhat insightful even if quite immature when he didn't get his way or he was impatient. As good as Meliodas' lessons tended to be and despite how useful they were for building confidence, he would always be somewhat impatient and smack his students if they weren't absorbing lessons quickly enough.

Meliodas can be summed up as a person who, despite his past, tries to live in the present happily and fails to do so on a regular basis. While he keeps trying to live happily, he's just as unhappy as he is persistent. Meliodas covers up his emotions with vacant expressions and grins whenever he can but in truth--he's as far from stable and happy as one can get in most instances. Despite his inner turmoil, Meliodas works to make others happy and share whatever joy he can with them. He tries to be helpful and give whatever advice he can to the people who need it and asks for little in return(unless he needs drinking money). Regardless of his past and his worries, Meliodas tries to remain loyal and good to his friends to the best of his ability.

Dio Brando | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure | Reserved

[kicksdogs]

Player

Name: Lassie

Age: 24

Contact: plurk @ experiments | discord @ venetae#9293

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Character

Name: Dio Brando

Age: 12

Memory Option: Full AU

Established Status: Yes! He's been on the streets since he was ten, two years ago, making him twelve now and a very troublesome street rat.

Canon: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Phantom Blood

Canon Point: Post – fight with Jonathan after kissing Erina.

Citizenship: He has citizenship.

Job: Errand boy for a few local businesses, but that's off and on so mostly he gets by through petty theft and pick-pocketing.

* Level:

Abilities Dio is a twelve year old boy who grew up in the slums of Westerly. He may not be incredibly strong, but he's a fast learner and extremely adaptable to his environment. He isn't afraid to fight hard and dirty in a fight, physical or otherwise.

Things he can do very well:
- Shoving his thumb in someone's eye during a fist fight
- Knowledge of how certain poisons work.
- Kicking dogs
- Arson
- Playing chess
- Theft

Dio Brando | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure | Reserved

[kicksdogs]

Personality:

“Your upbringing made you a villain, you say? It didn't! You've been evil since your birth!”

Dio was born into poverty and grew up the beginning of his life in the slums where he sat under the heel of abhorrent adults, one of which being his own father who was both an alcoholic and abusive towards him. The seeds of hatred and disdain towards everyone around him first grew here, primarily focusing on his father. Dio grew up hating him and found it disgusting knowing his blood ran through his veins. Arguably, the only person Dio ever showed care towards was his mother, who also suffered under Dario Brando's abuse until she was forced to work herself to death. After her passing Dio begins to slowly poison his own father and it's only on Dario's death bed that he tells Dio to cash in a favor from George Joestar thus putting into motion Dio's second chapter and his ascent from rags to riches. He takes this blessing by spitting on his father's grave and a promise to himself that he will claim the fame and fortune he was always believed he was destined for.

Even before Dio meets Jonathan he already hates him. Upon their first meeting he sees him as a naive and spoiled brat with no indication to how the real world works around them – especially around Dio. It's at that moment he decides to completely ruin Jonathan's life and take his family fortune for himself by any means necessary. His plan to do this takes years, but Dio is nothing if not patient. He knows that in time he can reap the rewards of his dirty handiwork and it will be all worth it to see the look on Jonathan's face when the other realizes Dio is yet again always a step ahead (or above) him. For Dio that's how it should be with everyone looking up to him and for him to be looking down.

On top of being patient Dio is both clever and manipulative, both dangerous characteristics for someone who wouldn't hesitate to step on the backs of others without regret or regard for their feelings. He's incredibly bright for a young boy and this self-aware intelligence leaves him arrogant and feeling superior despite his age. This arrogance does come to bite him in the ass more than a few times however when the people he looks down on suddenly rise up to fight back against him, whether it be beating a man in chess in a bar and then getting his face slammed into the table or when Jonathan starts a fight with him after he hurts Erina's pride.

Dio feels most comfortable sitting at the top, but when that seat is suddenly pulled out from under him it legitimately surprises him and his normally cool and collected attitude is shattered. Later in life he learns how to handle these set-backs with more grace, but being only a kid now he handles these moments with as much grace as a cat being thrown into water. When Jonathan throws the first punch, to Dio's surprise, he is in disbelief and infuriated to the point where later he throws Jonathan's dog, Danny, in the incinerator in retaliation for Jonathan actually daring to stand up to him. In his mind it's an eye for an eye and perfectly fair.

When Dio hates something or someone he really goes the full mile. He hated his father so he poisoned him to his death and then cursed his name while spitting on his grave, he hated Jonathan and then set the next seven years of their life together to ruining Jonathan's life without second thought. He hates feeling inferior to others so of course he does everything in his power to keep himself at the top of the food chain. From a young age he always believed he was destined for greater things and he'll set the rest of his life on the path to achieve that.

Hijikata Toushirou | Gintama | Not Reserved

[mayora13]

Player

Name:Elise

Age: 25

Contact: fromgilbo

Character

Name: Hijikata Toushirou

Age: 27

Memory Option: Partial AU - Deteriorating

Established Status: He's spent one full year working for the company.

Canon: Gintama

Canon Point: Immediately before the Shogun Assassination Arc

Citizenship: Leith

Job: Hijikata works as a company official, highly ranked enough to have his own squad of men. While he's very skilled at what he does, his background leaves a bad taste in the mouths of his superiors, so he's often charged with less than desirable jobs.

Abilities:
✘ Swordfighting — Hijikata's job is to arrest terrorists, and often things come to blows. Hijikata's style was defined by life or death fights, so he takes every conflict seriously. He once cut a bullet in half (shortly after being blown up way to go champ). He's responsible and dedicated, practicing every day and keeping his equipment in order.

✘ Follow-Up — Hijikata is absurdly skilled at writing formal paperwork or letters, probably from the even more absurd amount of practice he's had with it. As the vice-chief of the Shinsengumi, he does a lot of his own paperwork on top of correcting everyone else's blunders.

✘ Smoking — This man is never seen without a cigarette between his lips. Hijikata is literally constantly chain smoking. He's so addicted that he actually for real left Earth when a smoking ban was placed so that he could get his fix. Fun fact: he can fit at least two whole packs of cigarettes in his mouth at the same time.

✘ Mayo Eating — Hijikata will just drink it out of the bottle. Sometimes his need is so great that he'll get out of bed in the middle of the night to slurp some down. It's embarrassing. It's disgusting. Everyone wishes he would please just stop.

Personality:
Hijikata Toushirou is the sort of man who seems cool. He's always found with either a cigarette or a sword in his hand. If it's the latter, then the cigarette is in his mouth. He's widely respected and feared by his subordinates and the citizens of Edo. The former due to his dedication and strict rules, and the latter because they don't know he subsists on mayonnaise and anguishes if he misses his evening TV drama rerun.

He may seem like he's not concerned with his image, given his habit of eating 'food' comprised of 80% mayonnaise and flailing his sword around in the street yelling death threats, but Hijikata is incredibly prideful. He holds himself to the same standards that he holds others, if not higher. While this deep sense of pride helps him accomplish tasks both menial (directing traffic) and large scale (busting terrorist HQs), it also makes him incredibly stubborn.

Losing isn't an option for Hijikata. He'll fight until he can no longer physically move, lie through his teeth, or get weird surgical implants from a shady dentist before he'll admit defeat. The man's stubbornness typically gets him into both dangerous and absurd situations. More seriously, he isn't the sort of person who will ever ask for help, preferring to shoulder every hardship himself instead of burdening others or showing vulnerability.

As a busy police officer with many important things to do, Hijikata isn't a friendly man. He has an incredibly short temper and flings threats freely. They're not usually the most creative, instead getting straight to the point where he kills whoever is being a shit. The man takes his rage out physically, displaying a temper so strong that when he was possessed by a demon otaku sword, he broke free only to slam Gintoki's head into the dashboard of his cop car in anger.

Living the long suffering life of the straight man to many of the other characters' outlandish personalities, Hijikata has a no nonsense aura. As the enforcer of order within the Shinsengumi, Hijikata is strict, even ruthless. He's insistent on not only practical procedure but paperwork being completed properly. The threat of 'commit seppuku' hangs over everyone in the force, with Hijikata bearing down on anyone who breaks one of the 45 regulations he's set. He takes his work incredibly seriously, and is frequently makes the mistake of trying to get something done.

To say that all Hijikata cares about is fighting isn't entirely untrue. He holds the members of the Shinsengumi, and a handful of others, close to his heart, and it is because of his desire to protect them that he fights. The more powerful he is, the more he can do to keep others safe. Bloodlust, however, isn't completely absent from Hijikata's fighting, and he does enjoy himself when he's crossing blades with an enemy.

Hijikata is extremely tight lipped, and almost never speaks about his feelings. He simply experiences them and comes to terms with them internally. Really, he doesn't like talking about himself at all. For example, he is incredibly dedicated to his training, but doesn't advertise it. When Kondo confronts him on practicing in their country dojo, Hijikata argues that he simply got his hand stuck in a convenience store door. Which is apparently somehow cooler and less embarrassing than admitting he'd gotten blisters practicing.

Engaging in self-sacrificing acts of violence is Hijikata's typical method of problem solving. The man doesn't want to die, but he doesn't fear death and typically has little regard for his life when it comes to charging bazookas blazing into a dangerous situation. Despite all of his angry outbursts, Hijikata is nicer than he lets on. He prefers to let people live their lives, and will butt into attempted interference if necessary. Protecting is important to him, but he doesn't want to let it show. He'll take no credit, and will often play off any helpful acts with irritation.

Hijikata has a very set and narrow idea of manliness. By that same token, he has a stupidly vague idea of womanhood. For a man who boasts that he cares for little other than strength, he is quickly thrown off if faced with a female opponent. When fighting Kyubei, upon finding out she was female, his attacks declined in ferocity and he was defeated. It isn't that Hijikata expects women to be subservient to him, he's simply grown up surrounded by men, so his idea of femininity is fairly limited.

When it comes to love, Hijikata has stated that it is both an illusion and for other people. The first conclusion arose from the fact that he is generally popular with women - whom he treats casually if not a bit coldly - until they observe his strange eating habits. Their subsequent appalled reactions have hardened him against believing that affection so readily expressed is genuine. As for considering love to be out of his domain, Hijikata doesn't consider himself an eligible man. His career and dedication to fighting, throwing himself into any dangerous situation that arises, could rob him of his life at any moment. When faced with his budding dangerous position and his love interest, he pushed the girl away intentionally. He was convinced that his lifestyle could never give her happiness.

When Hijikata cares for someone, he'll get his hands dirty so that they can live a clean life. When he found out that the girl he loved's fiance was dealing in illegal smuggling, he went after the man's life alone. He was willing to be marked as a heartless killer so long as he could prevent her potential heartache. He'll sacrifice his personal relationship with someone to secure their safety without hesitation, even if his presence was something they desired.

As strict as Hijikata is determined to be, his attitude can switch on a dime if he is under enough duress. Unfortunately, he's trying to get work done in a comedy anime, so his life is frustrating. When a situation gets ridiculous, he ardently resists being dragged into absurdity or juvenile banter by his peers, but will typically crumble and deliver something dumb anyway. As for experiencing fear, Hijikata will always attempt to play himself straight and even until the last moment, when running and hiding is unavoidable. Even then, he'll attempt to explain it away with something 'cool', like looking for a mythological figure in a vase.

Some people like mayonnaise, some people love mayonnaise, and some people are Hijikata. He's nothing short of obsessed with it; all of his meals consist of more mayonnaise than actual food. To put Hijikata's love for mayonnaise in perspective, he once made the entire Shinsengumi - people he purportedly cares about - eat nothing but mayo for days so he could win a tour of the mayonnaise factory. What he thought would be a thrilling w*lly w*nka experience ended up to be an absolutely normal boring factory tour. He collapsed on the sidewalk afterwords. It was embarrassing.

Muramasha, Hijikata's blade, is terribly cursed with the soul of a vengeful otaku. This curse forced a personality known as 'Tosshi' to develop. An avid anime fan, Tosshi was a coward and even more socially inept than Hijikata's original flavor sparkling personality. More importantly, Tosshi's desire to not fade away without accomplishing anything reflects Hijikata's own lifestyle of carving his own path out to leave behind a mark of his existence.

The Shinsengumi are Hijikata's family. When he is about to fade away, succumbing to his sword's curse, he puts aside his pride to ask the Yorozuya to protect them. Having people to protect who accept all of his violent tendencies is central to Hijikata's being. While Kondo considers him the glue that holds the Shinsengumi together, Hijikata considers this position to be Kondo's - the man's attitude and kind nature binding them all together as something that could be called a family. Hijikata is fiercely protective of Kondo in every way. Though, he has slipped into calling the man a gorilla or taking other pot shots at the man.

The bane of Hijikata's existence lives in the form of Okita Sogo - the super sadist who makes his life a living hell. Hijikata suffers an obscene amount of abuse at the younger officer's hands, and takes it with varying amounts of grace. At times, Hijikata is able to ignore Sogo's attempts on his life, but more typically he'll yell and fight back. Despite all of the potential tension between them, the two do work very well together when necessary.

To Hijikata, Gintoki is an annoyance. They typically compete with one another when it comes to who breaks and abandons their pride first. Usually, neither of them does, and they both end up in an exceeding amount of physical or emotional anguish. However, Hijikata knows that he can rely on Gintoki, albeit always begrudgingly. Mostly, he wants to either not hear from him or fight him. Despite all of this, they synchronize well when push comes to shove.

AU History:
Born a bastard child to a farming family on Leith, Hijikata's prospects to be anything beyond a worker weren't strong. A solidly middle-class family, with no ties to the nobility, they didn't care to adopt him as one of their own. However, Hijikata's oldest brother was a kind man, and due to his father's death before his birth, and his mother's death when he was a toddler, he was taken in to the family proper. His brother raised him as one of their own, and until the age of eleven, Hijikata live a peaceful, rural life.

Whether the group that attacked his family's farm was a mere isolated entourage of criminals or tied to a greater political ideology is unknown, but their assault resulted in the crops and infrastructure of Hijikata's family being razed to the ground. His brother was blinded in the incident, putting himself between the attackers and Hijikata himself. In response, Hijikata attacked the aggressors in a flash of rage, slicing their eyes out one by one until they were all writhing on the ground.

And then he left, blaming himself for his brother's injury. Hijikata boarded the first ship he could stow away on to Westerley. There he grew up, roaming the streets and taking petty jobs - and eventually fighting in bloodsport - to maintain himself. After seven years of thrashing in the filth of society, someone saw fit to take him from the streets, clean him up, and present him to the Company for 'honest' work.

That man was a saint, and Hijikata's loyalty is to that individual, or anyone associated with him, rather than the Company itself. However, he's very dedicated to doing his job, and doing it right. In the nine years he's been working for the Company, Hijikata has managed to move up the ranks, and now has a squad of his own men at his command. This isn't to say his position is one of prestige - his ancestry and his upbringing don't sit well with his superiors, and he often has to work doubly hard to win their trust.

This includes undertaking prerogatives that may he may morally disagree with. He needs to keep his position no matter what, even if he's committing atrocities that don't sit well with him. Ultimately, he's a strict and feared member of the Company's active force, readily capable but not often given jobs of major significance. His typical station is Westerley, where he lives in Company quarters, but as any disliked member of an organization will be, he's sent all over the Quad to work where no one else wants to.

Original History: Don't look back just carry on

Inventory:
✘ Samurai Sword - modified with a special coating to withstand far greater impact than regular folded steel
✘ Mayo Bottles - at least one at all times
✘ Cigarettes - replaced cigs made from local tobacco
✘ Lighter - shaped like a mayo bottle)

Samples:
NETWORK | LOG | IN-VERSE

Miscellaneous Notes:

( source )

ACCEPTED

[thenine]

 

 

Congratulations! You've been accepted into Overjoyed.

We’re so excited to have you join our community. Before we can get started, please do the following:

1. Request to join the following communities: Logs · Network · OOC · Memes


2. Friend the mod account, thenine, and respond to the player contact page.


3. Reply to the taken page.


4. Fill out the job registry.


5. (Optional) Follow the mod plurk here to stay up to date about upcoming plots, community discussions, and more!


6. (Optional) Put your application, IC contact/inbox, and permissions post in your journal, then introduce yourself to the OOC community!


7. Second Round Applicants: You've caught us in a bit of a transition period! The new chapter/plot will launch on January 10th. In the meantime, you're free to create pregame CR or play around with the current setting and get your character established until the next plot installment. Thanks so much for joining us!

All characters will start with a balance of 100 bonus HP. This balance can be used towards AC bank purchases, but may not be used for satisfying monthly AC requirements.

If you have any further questions or comments, please don't hesitate to reach out to us by PM or on the contact page.

Once again, we’re so happy to have you, and thanks for joining us!

Yours,
Overjoyed Mods

Ravus Nox Fleuret | Final Fantasy XV | Reserved

[ex_infantry157]

Player

Name: Danielle

Age: 22

Contact: grantairian

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Character

Name: Ravus Nox Fleuret.

Age: 28 ( +5 years in game setting )

Memory Option: 1.

Established Status: 5 years of working within the military, ascending ranks.

Canon: Final Fantasy XV

Canon Point: Before the battle with Leviathan in Altissia.

Citizenship: Leith

Job: Lower ranked General in the military stationed in Westerly.

Abilities

✗ SKILL | SWORDSMANSHIP
Within the game Ravus is shown to have immense skill with a sword, in his encounter with Noctis and his companions after they overtake one of the Empire’s bases in Lucis, he is seen to best Gladio ( the prince’s sworn shield ) with one swing of his sword he overpowers the other and flings him away. In game, Ravus will have the same prowess with swords, most likely due to his military training in early life.

✗ SKILL | MILITARY TRAINING
After the Empire successfully occupies Tenebrae ( though it retains some of it’s autonomy due to the fact that Lunafreya holds the title of Oracle ), Ravus sees no other path available to the power he desires than joining ranks with Niflheim and entering their military forces. In Kingsglaive Ravus is seen as atleast a high level officer, and in the game he is given complete control over Niflheim’s forces with the title of Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army. To hold such a position, Ravus must have extensive knowledge on military operations and protocols as well as standard training. Within the game verse, Ravus will have the same knowledge + skill set having entered the military after his brother Sion to be able to provide for his siblings.

✗ PASSIVE | PROSTHETIC
In his belief that he should be the prophesized King of Light, Ravus puts on the Ring of the Lucii which holds the wisdom of all the past rulers of Lucis and grants the wearer the vast power. The ring rejects him, and it sets the entirety of his arm ablaze in that rejection. The next time we see Ravus in the canon, he has a magitek prosthetic in his arm’s place, magitek being the result of technology infused with magic. In game, Ravus will have a prosthetic arm, of close to the same design, that amplifies his strength by 5x.

[ex_infantry157]

Personality:

A large part of Ravus’s motivation in both Kingsglaive ( the movie prelude to Final Fantasy XV ) and the game itself is resentment. Resentment more specifically towards the kingdom of Lucis, it’s king Regis, and the Caelum lineage itself. Bitterness is largely what propels him forward in Kingslglaive. In the first scenes of the movie, a young Ravus is seen in the midst on an assault on his home of Tenebrae— of which he is the first son. Nifheilm unleashes it’s magitek infantry when the royalty are least expecting it, and are hosting the King Regis and his son the young Prince Noctis. A soldier targets Ravus while he is left vulnerable to attack, but his mother Queen Sylva puts herself between her son and the soldier. She is then run through by the General Glauca. Instead of using this opportunity to flee with his sister and Regis, he stays beside the motionless form of his mother and beckons for aid. The call is not asnwered. King Regis manages to escape with Noctis, and leaves Tenebrae to be conquered.

This event, is the motivation behind the Ravus we see in Kingsglaive.

In the wake of his mother’s death, and the loss of his birthright as Tenebrae’s heir, Ravus seeks someone to blame. Instead of blaming the Empire of even General Glauca as the direct agent of his mother’s death he blames Regis. In his eyes, Regis is the one who did not turn back when he signaled for aid, and the one who left he and Lunafreya to live under the Empire’s occupation just to save his own son and bloodline. Bitterness is assumedly what spurs Ravus to joining the ranks of the Niflheim army. At the beginning of Kingsglaive, Ravus’s position within the army is not specifically mentioned but he is a high officer. The guiding force at this point in Ravus’s life is the desire for power, enough to act on the resentment he feels towards the Caelum line even though it is against the wishes of his only living family, his sister Lunafreya. Lunafreya is the Oracle, meant to herald the coming of the King of Light who she believes is Noctis. She is completely devoted to her duty to help him ascend to this position, and rid the world of Eos of it’s blight. The will of his sister is not enough to stop Ravus from taking what he believes is rightful revenge on the Lucian kingdom. He arrives at it’s capital Insomnia to witness a treaty signed between the Emprire and Lucis though that is far from what happens.

Instead Niflheim makes an attempt to take over Insomnia and retrieve it’s crystal which holds immense power. Ravus finally gets to see the King Regis again, and when he has the opportunity to get his hands on the Ring of the Lucii ( an artifact that itself symbolizes the Lucian line and is handed down from King to King holding the wisdom of each ) he takes it, and believing himself worthy of the ring and the power it holds ( though he is not of the Caelum lineage, he is a Nox Fleuret which is the bloodline of the Oracle ) puts it on.

It rejects him.

The ring incinerates his arm. Though he ascended through the Empire’s military ranks, became part of the organization that orchestrated his mother’s death, it still wasn’t enough. He wasn’t worthy, is forever reminded of that fact by the prosthetic he was granted in place of his burned arm. The next time Ravus appears it is in the game of Final Fantasy XV.

“Hᴇɪʀ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴ ʙᴇғɪᴛᴛɪɴɢ ɴᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ... ᴡɪᴛɴᴇss ʜɪs sᴘʟᴇɴᴅᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʟᴏʀʏ. Aʟʟ ʜᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ Cʜᴏsᴇɴ Kɪɴɢ”

The first time Ravus appears in game it is of course in a confrontation with older Prince Noctis and his companions after Insomnia has fell to the Empire. He appears before Noctis with nothing but contempt for the other. He says that Noctis is too weak to fulfill the prophecy of the King od Light, and even more so too weak to be what Lunafreya is siphoning her life force off for. He is bitter still, that the Ring of the Lucii rejected him, and presumably will choose Noctis. The only time in this confrontation where Ravus truly loses his composure is when Noctis makes the remark that he is hunting down Lunafreya.

Which from what the player knows so far about Ravus from Kingsglaive might as well be the truth. This comment is what spurs Ravus to grab the prince by the throat and push, as well as easily outdo Gladio with a wing of his sword. The confrontation is only put to an end by the arrival of Ardyn Izunia, the Imperial Chancellor of Niflheim.

So far, based on what the player has seen and knows of Ravus, he is simply a one note character. One embroiled in hatred, and motivated by bitterness and the desire to take revenge on the Caelum linage. He has sided with the empire and is hunting down his sister because she is awakening the astrals who guard the world of Eos, and readying them to make covenants with the Prince.

This is what Noctis believes of Ravus himself, until he ventures towards Tenebrae and meets with a woman named Maria who was once one of the retainers of House Fleuret. She asks if Lunafreya had delivered him the Ring of the Lucii, which after it had burned off Ravus’s arm came into her possession. Noctis answers in the affirmative and Maria exclaims that Lord Ravus too will be happy to receive the news.

Noctis, as well as the player at this point experiences a moment of wait, what? Why would Ravus, who hates Noctis, who works for the Empire as their dog be glad that Noctis received the ring from his sister.

“Nᴏ. I ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛ ɪᴛ. Bʏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ. Tᴏ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴsᴘʀɪᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴɢ ɪs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴀʟʟɪɴɢ. Yᴏᴜ ᴍᴜsᴛɴ’ᴛ ғᴀʟʟ."

In a flashback of Lunafreya and Ravus in Altissia ( where Lunafreya awaits the arrival of the Prince Noctis so that she can summon Leviathan ) Lunafreya is shown to be weakened and doubting her ability to deliever the ring to Noctis. Ravus kneels down before her and tells her that he believes in her, that she has the inner fortitude to do her duty as Oracle and give Noctis the Ring od the Lucii, and even urges her to show Noctis the truth of her heart separate from her duties as Oracle. This flashback shows that Ravus has the capacity to be a caring individual, he gingerly grasps Lunafreya’s hand while he reassures her, and at this moment comes closer to smiling than he does the whole rest of the game.

The assumption that Ravus was fully in leage with Niflheim is questioned again in another scene with the Chancellor Ardyn Izunia in Altissia. He stands in the rain in the Capital and Ardyn asks him whether or not he had the chance to speak with Lunafreya. Ravus answers with a resound no, even though we have seen that he did speak with her to reassure her of her own strength. While it was once assumed that he did not care about Lunafreya’s mission as Oracle, and was willing to hunt her down, that is not the case. The love that Ravus has for his sister, his last living family, is immense. While Lunafreya was planning to summon the Leviathan, Ravus was in preparations to take the beast down for her sake— not to capture the power of the astral for the Empire, or to prevent the Prince from making a covenant with it.

Ravus, though largely motivated by bitterness, is not ruled by it. There is a part of Ravus that is still the child that beckoned for help from a King and received none, but there is also a part that wants to protect his sister above all else. While working for the Empire he wrote Lunafreya several letters, one predictably advising her that Noctis was not worthy of the sacrifice she was making, and two others that advised her to cut ties completely with the Empire and offered to send her an escort to return to the manner as the Empire was starting to fear the awakening of the Astral. Somewhere along the line, Ravus had a change of heart about Noctis, and is even willing to return to the Prince the sword he had taken from King Regis as a trophy.

On the outside, Ravus appears to be stoic and single minded with aspirations towards power and revenge. On further analysis of his actions, he is more of what Gladio gives as his epithet: a man with hopes and dreams.

Sui Feng | Bleach | Reserved

[homonka]

Player

Name: Ari.

Age: 27.

Contact: Screaming at the clouds. Or plurk @ redrumreversal.

Preferred Pronouns: She/her. Laure's wife.

Character

Name: Sui Feng

Age: 30 (AU age only; canonically has no given age--at least 130)

Memory Option: Deteriorating AU (1)

Established Status: Y. Five years.

Canon: Bleach

Canon Point: Ch. 389

Citizenship: Qresh

Job: Company Officer - Intelligence/Internal Affairs.

[homonka]

Abilities

Skills

Swordsman. While she specializes in unarmed combat, Sui Feng is a highly proficient swordsman. Rather than fighting in the traditional style, the second division captain wields her sword more like a wakizashi, holding it in a horizontal reverse grip and making her strikes by sweeping the arm out, much like a punch, thereby allowing her martial arts skills to directly apply in a sword fight.

Stealth. Given her family's tradition of militaristic executioners, it's no surprise that Sui Feng is an expert when it concerns matter of stealth, intelligence gathering, and discrete assassinations.

Poison. Sui Feng has spent years building a resistance to every poison she encounters, making her not just a wicked scary person to have tea time with, but also immune to most poisons that might be used against her (in combination with her enhanced endurance).

Strategist. As someone trained and brought up beneath a house which serves as a piece of the Company's Intelligence division, Sui Feng's strategies are more often focused on subterfuge and confusion, but she's thoroughly capable of thinking out battle tactics of any variety. As necessary, she will use force, intelligence, and outright deceit to turn the tide of a battle, whether it involves herself, her subordinates, or an entirely different squadron.

Hakuda. While her former master will likely always hold superiority in terms of movement speed, Sui Feng's mastery of unarmed combat techniques, or hand to hand combat, is without rival in her canon. She is able to not just hold her ground against Yoruichi, who all but exclusively uses hakuda to fight, but also gains the upper hand, wounding her master numerous times (although she was unable to wound her twice in the same location due the other's superior speed).

In Overjoyed, hakuda will be translated more generally as a mastery of several martial arts techniques honed throughout her lifetime of training.

Passive

Death God → Human

Canonically, Sui Feng is a soul reaper or shinigami, and among the most powerful of her kind. Like all soul reapers, she’s above-average in terms of durability, and does not age in the same manner of humans. Soul Reapers can live for a thousand years or more, though Sui Feng herself is quite young for her species. Since the biological immortality would be, in essence, pointless in this ‘verse, I will be nerfing it entirely.

Sui Feng’s passive abilities will be derived from a combination of careful genetic engineering and high grade nanotech enhancements installed throughout her youth.

Enhanced Durability. It takes significantly more damage to kill Sui Feng than the average human and she will persist with injuries that would ordinarily cripple another. While in canon her spiritual pressure would sustain her despite having no special healing capacities, this ability will be carried over as a combination of genetic engineering to strengthen her immune responses and nanotech-laced blood responsible for repairing major organs and staunching major wounds long enough to keep her fighting. In other words, while she won't have any regenerative abilities, her body will react to trauma with emergency protocols to keep her alive and moving longer than most.

This same mechanism will result in her near immunity to most common diseases and pathogens, as any damage done will be repaired by the nanotechnology once it reaches critical levels. As in canon, the best way to kill her is taking off her head with a gun or, more traditionally, a sword.

Enhanced Speed. Canonically, much of Sui Feng’s skill relies on her capacity to move quickly—near teleportation levels of quickly. This will be nerfed down to about three times the speed of a normal human and entail hormone/neurochemical manipulation on the part of her nanotech to make her subjective perception of time slow down and allow her to react more quickly, as well as genetic engineering to make her form particularly agile and quick.

Enhanced Strength. Using the same mechanics that gift her speed, Sui Feng is around three times as strong as she should be for her diminutive size, and when coupled with her endurance and consistent training, a particularly difficult foe to face in hand to hand combat.

Powers

Suzumebachi.

Suzumebachi, or "Hornet", resembles a normal wakizashi with a golden hilt before release. She wears it across her lower back, attached by a tether, and releases its first stage (shikai) by calling out its name and ordering "sting all enemies to death". This transformation results in the weapon becoming a fitted black and gold gauntlet and stinger, as seen here.

In Overjoyed, it will remain in its sealed wakizashi form without regains and its shape-changing ability, or shikai, will be due to programmable matter, but will not be accessible until her first major power regain.

MAJOR | Shikai | Nigeki Kessatsu/Death in Two Steps: Sui Feng's special ability is directly linked to the poison of her suzumebachi. Upon first strike, a homonka is left behind, resembling a large black butterfly mark across the victim. In addition to creating a deep puncture wound, poison enters the blood stream, and within a matter of minutes begins to impact the function of internal organs. Its true power, however, is in its second strike. If she successfully strikes anything (living or not) in the same place as her homonka, the result is an imminently fatal dose of poison and destructive spiritual pressure. (This aspect will be nerfed.)

In Overjoyed, its poison will be a direct application of a neurotoxic dose of nanomachines intended to attack the organs and break down the immune system with its first strike. The second strike, rather than causing magical glowy destruction, will result in an additional dose of neurotoxic poison capable of inducing seizures, brain hemorrhaging, or death.

Since there’s no reason for her to have a spiritual nuke, her bankai (Suzumebachi's second release) will be nerfed entirely.

MAJOR | Shunpo/Flash Stepping: Second only to Yoruichi Shihoin, Sui Feng is highly adept at the art of Shunpo, or flash stepping, a basic technique of movement in which all Soul Reapers are trained but few, outside of the stealth squad, master. The movement is often too fast for even the trained eye to follow and makes Sui Feng highly evasive in both close and extended quarters.

In Overjoyed, this will be translated as the above enhanced speed (passive) and phase-shifting technology embedded in her skin that allows her to become invisible to the naked-eye for a few seconds at a time when activated. Although this ability canonically allows her to ascend the sky, I’ll be nerfing that aspect entirely.

Angel | Borderlands | Reserved

[r3f4c70r3d]

Player

Name: Tam

Age: 27

Contact:

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Character

Name: Angel AKA the Guardian Angel

Age: 18

Memory Option: One

Established Status: Yes -- 5 IC years

Canon: Borderlands

Canon Point: post "Where Angels Fear to Tread"

Citizenship: Technically none, she is too far modded to legally be her own person. Currently, she is housed in a well hidden bunker on Leith.

Job: Publicly unknown, seems to have no faction ties. Privately intelligence for the Company under Handsome Jack

Abilities: Though once an average girl, Angel has been modded to the point where she’s near unrecognizable from who she once was. The mods in question are of the more advanced variety, installed up her spine and into her brain, giving her the ability to hack like it’s breathing, to “think code.” Although she remains stationary, through the network she’s “plugged in” to she is able to easily interface with other computers and AI, delving deep into their systems and overriding when necessary.
However, augmentations this lofty don’t come without a price. To keep her body from rejecting the mods, Angel has to be fed a near constant drip of a high grade drug called dextroeridimine (or eridium, for short) with side effects that include higher neural activity and less need for sleep -- or rather, an inability to sleep properly.)
The lack of sleep combined with the constant brain activity increases her potential for seizures, fevers and migraines, and with those the chance for her original memories to begin to resurface after an episode.
Finally, past a certain threshold, the body becomes dependant on it, and without a regulated supply, the likely result is a painful death.

Personality:
On the surface, Angel comes across as a kind, gentle mannered and helpful young woman-- as she should, since these are traits expected of the AI she impersonates, and this is the personality most who interact with her will meet.
To an extent, these traits are true to her actual character, she is kind, she does want to be helpful, but she is also in many ways her father’s daughter; she’s quick witted, snarky, and when the situation calls for it, she will take drastic means to meet an end. Also like him, she too wears a type of mask, though hers is not a literal one. Underneath the politeness, the platitudes, Angel harbors deep seated anger, bitterness and resent.
Though she wants to believe in her father’s vision for a more orderly Westerly, in truth what he’s done to both her and its people has left her doubtful, and guilt ridden over how she continues to be used as his spy. These are thoughts she tries not to dwell on, though, Jack is the only father and friend she has, and if she can’t believe in him, then what has she got?
Deep down Angel craves the true companionship that she’s been denied most of her life, someone beyond Jack, or the occasional yes-man, body double or scientist he brings in to observe her (and who usually die shortly after by “unknown causes.) A genuine friend who she can call her own, beyond the orders of Jack, and maybe, if she’s lucky, a final path to freedom.

AU History: Angel was born in Westerly to mother [redacted] and father John "Handsome Jack" Marten, a healthy baby girl of the Marten family's seventh generation, and eligible for the boon that came with it . Angel lived a life typical to most Westerly children until she was (discuss? 11?) when her family was subject to an act of random violence, killing her mother and badly injuring her head. In order to save her life, Jack had cybernetic implants installed that helped to stimulate the brain and retain its functionality. The operation was successful, but a gateway for more extreme modifications in the future. After the accident Jack radically changed, starting with overprotective gestures and over time twisting into a love so overwhelming it was as suffocating as it was terrifying.

After the first augmentation was a success, Jack started looking into ways to take it further, becoming focused on the concept of creating a human computer, so that she may be uploaded, saved, and preserved. These operations of course went way past the safety limits, and would have likely meant Angels death if not for Jack's connections to higher quality drugs; Dextroeridimine, or "eridium" for short, is a drug developed to help with implant integration, healing, and preventing of rejection. and was initially given to Angel after her first surgery. It is something meant for one time use due to it's severe side effects, but with the amount of modifications done to her person, she has to be fed a constant drip of it through intravenous, and risks death if her supply is cut off.

These days, Angel may be one of Westerly (maybe even the whole quads') best kept secrets. Secluded from the world in a high security bunker beneath the city, Angel operates nearly 24/7 as Jack's eyes and ears around town, gathering information and manipulating others actions while disguising herself as a helpful AI with no obvious alliance.

With no means of escape, Angel is subject to her fathers cruel whims, but perhaps there is hope for her yet, she just needs to find the right opportunity.

CRAU: No

Original History: Wiki Here

Inventory: An injection harness that helps to stabilize her augmentations, a comfortable two piece bodysuit, a neckpiece that doubles as a means to track her vitals and a fun shock collar!

Samples: From the TDM

Miscellaneous Notes: Angel's life of isolation has left her with a pretty colourless history, hence its shorter length. If this needs more elaboration, please let me know!

Revisions Request

[thenine]

 

 

Thank you for applying to Overjoyed. The moderation team has reviewed your application and found it to be very strong. However, we would like to request some revision(s) before we can accept your application.

Please amend the material as discussed via PM, thank you!

If you’d like to discuss the specifics or need clarity, please feel free to PM the mod account. You will have 48 hours to reply with your revisions to this comment.

Additionally, looking over Overjoyed's FAQ, Premise, Culture/Factions, Powers, & Memory Mechanics might be of help to you during your revisions.

Thank you again for your interest in Overjoyed, and we look forward to seeing your revised application!

Yours,
Overjoyed Mods

Kate Bishop | Marvel 616 | Not Reserved

[fledges]

Player

Name: Jenny

Age: 25

Contact: cephalopods

Preferred Pronouns: She/her

Character

Name: Katherine "Kate" Bishop | Hawkeye

Age: Early 20s, because comics are vague

Memory Option: 1

Established Status: About two years, during which she's been on Westerley, primarily in Old Town, working for the resistance.

Canon: Marvel 616

Canon Point: Hawkeye vol. 4 #14

Citizenship: Leithian, but lives on Westerley

Job: Private eye! Or so Kate loftily calls herself.

Abilities
Kate's abilities are all normal human skills, which makes things easy!

↠ Marksman - Kate's been training in archery for years, and was then taught one on one by Clint Barton, which means she is a really great shot with incredible accuracy. She's been shown to pull off somewhat ridiculous feats, such as the "Robin Hood shot", as well as being able to shoot multiple arrows simultaneously and accurately. Kate does know how to use firearms, although she isn't as comfortable with them as her bow. She can also use other projectile weapons with precision, such as throwing knives.

↠ Combat - Trained in various martial arts. Kate's really good at hand-to-hand combat, and she knows how to fence as well as use more random weapons like batons/escrima sticks.

↠ Strategy - In grand Hawkeye tradition, Kate sometimes uses trick arrows to great effect. These include explosive ones, net arrows, boomerang and acid arrows, etc. She's also shown a talent for using tricks and intelligence to make up for her relative lack of experience and superpowers.

↠ Superhero stuff - Kate's picked up a lot of random skills that I don't know where to list, so! She's been shown to be able to drive cars in incredibly dangerous situations, such as high speed chases. She has experience infiltrating enemy buildings and can be pretty damn sneaky, and she knows how to pick locks. She's also a capable leader!

Personality:
Kate grew up in an environment where she was not only given every resource she needed to succeed, but was expected to. Everyone assumed she was going to do great things, and she rose to those expectations, in many ways the perfect daughter. Kate grew up going to the best schools, athletic and intelligent and something of an overachiever. As the youngest daughter of a hyper rich Manhattan CEO, Kate was raised with status in mind at all times. She attended her father’s fundraisers, galas and dinners, and was sent to Interlochen in the summer. She learned cello, archery and fencing, and always rose to the challenges set in front of her. Her mother, however, instilled in her a somewhat humble view of money and status, and Kate took after her habit of donating money and volunteering for the less fortunate. As a teenager, Kate even took to scolding her older sister’s propensity for needless extravagance. For the most part, she was raised in safety and security, until one night, while walking in Central Park, she was assaulted. While she told no one but her therapist about this event, it shook her deeply. Kate claims it was the first time she felt truly scared and powerless, and she resolved to never let anyone else feel that way, throwing herself further into her fencing and archery training and adding martial arts classes to the mix, as well as doubling down her efforts to be more charitable.

Still, Kate did grow up rich, and when Clint says “she’s like nine years old and spoiled rotten”, it isn’t just out of affectionate hyperbole. Kate was spoiled, and is very privileged. She’s had opportunities few other people have, and she’s used to being listened to. This has made Kate incredibly confident, but also incredibly opinionated. She is especially married to her morals—she believes helping people is hugely important, and views being a superhero as the most important and amazing things she’s ever done. She’ll never turn away someone in need, but this can put her at odds with her teammates when her desire to help puts them in dangerous situations, or she insists on helping someone potentially untrustworthy. While Kate generally takes a stance against crime, she sometimes breaks this rule, such as helping Tommy Shepard break into the Avengers’ hideout to steal back Clint’s bow and arrows after he took them from her. Similarly, while she believes deeply in the creed that Avengers don’t kill, she isn’t against maiming or permanently injuring bad guys. In Fraction’s Hawkeye run, Kate has a stand off with a pretty bad dude. She claims that she feels “super sketchy” shooting him with a gun, but then shoots him through the wrist with an arrow. Similarly, while she doesn’t kill any of the men they’re up against, she does permanently blind a few of them, something that Clint comments on. At the same time, many of the superheroes she looks up to and works with regularly kill people on the job and are open about that fact. Basically, Kate is willing to bend the rules if she believes the people she’s facing are bad guys or deserve it in some way.

This stubbornness and staunch belief that she’s right translates into a sort of inflexibility. Kate will argue endlessly if she’s convinced she’s doing the right thing, and sometimes this turns into a close-mindedness, or a tendency to handle conflict poorly. Again during Fraction’s run, Kate and Clint end up butting heads a lot. It’s clear that Clint is being unfair to her and treating everyone badly due to a breakdown of self-esteem and depression, and Kate gets fed up with it. While she does try different tactics such as talking to him openly, cajoling him, and finally flat out arguing with him, her final solution is to take his dog without his permission and impulsively leave for Los Angeles after a huge fight. Her decision to get distance is understandable, but she tends to do things like this in very aggressive, destructive ways. She can also be a bit of a bully, pushing teammates and friends to do things her way and getting upset when they don’t give her a good enough reason for refusing. More accurately, she gets upset when she thinks their reasons aren’t good enough, even if they’re logical. She is also utterly unafraid to sever relationships when she feels the other person has crossed a line she can’t accept. The perfect example of this is her father. At first, she looked the other way despite having an idea of his shady dealings, but when she found out he was part of a plot to kill Clint, she completely cut him out of her life and promised to stop him. Still, she generally cares for people deeply and rarely stops caring about him, later admitting that she still loves her father.

Kate does have a big heart, and she tends to be the stereotypical “heart of the team” in most of the team ups she’s placed on. During her time with the Young Avengers, she took on a big sister role with Cassie and later kid Loki, teasing them affectionately and also giving them advice and pushing them when they needed it. With Clint, she constantly tries to get him to be better because she believes he can be better, and because she believes they balance out each others’ flaws. Clint is more laid back where Kate is more of an intense Type A personality, and he balances out her lack of experience with his years and years of superhero-ing. Generally, Kate is sarcastic and teasing, ribbing her friends affectionately. Still, she has genuine, compassionate conversations with Clint and with many of her other friends when they need it, to the point that America Chavez once says that she prefers when Kate insults her over “sincere Kate”.

In general, Kate tends to get along with a ton of people, and has impressed a lot of other heroes in the Marvel Universe. Captain America first gives Kate permission to use the name Hawkeye after Kate dresses him down in a way he claims only Clint ever really did, and Spider-Woman similarly agrees that Kate deserves the title. Clint, while initially believing Kate wasn’t ready to claim the name, eventually tells her they can both use it, and later calls her “without a doubt the finest and most gifted bowman I’ve ever met”. When Kate decides to do something, she sticks to it until she excels at it. When she thinks she can help, she does everything she can to be of use, even to the point of jumping into situations in brave, but incredibly reckless, ways. She essentially strong-armed her way onto the Young Avengers, and took out the men holding her sister’s wedding hostage despite having no superhero experience at the time. In other ways, she’s your usual 20-something year old—she’s very extroverted, a bit of a flirt, and pop culture obsessed. She ends up absolutely broke and struggling to make ends meet, and she has a love of food and fashion, it’s just that she spends the vast majority of her time fighting bad guys and occasionally saving the world.

AU History:
Because comics are notoriously tricky history wise, in Kate’s AU I’m snipping certain origin events/retcons that are somewhat redundant and don’t add any new insight to her character or her motivations.

Kate’s false memories make her a Leithian, and her father, Derek, one of the many more prominent members of society working for the Nine. Because Derek had a high position, largely working in publishing and propaganda for the Company, he was able to give his family almost anything they could want. Derek had a tendency to be distant and a workaholic, while Kate’s older sister was happy to spend their family’s money as she wished, Kate grew up feeling for those less fortunate and grew increasingly uncomfortable with the trappings of their wealth and status. Despite this, Kate grew up relatively happy, although she always felt the need to seek out her father’s attention and approval and was painfully aware that her parents were essentially estranged. This fostered Kate’s independent streak and her insistence to rely on herself.

Kate’s mother died when she was young, leaving Derek to raise the two girls. Kate poured most of her time into school and into athletics. From a young age, she took fencing, archery and ballet classes, as well as cello lessons, and her father did his best to keep his daughters sheltered from the truth of the company. There were a few times growing up when Kate overheard conversations she shouldn’t, and she began to realize that her father wasn’t quite who she thought he was. A huge turning point came, however, when Kate was out late at a park and was assaulted. This completely shifted her worldview and made her feel truly powerless for the first time in her life. She refused to share the event with her family, though, and simply added martial arts classes to the list, vowing to do anything to keep anyone from feeling the fear and helplessness she had. Eventually, as Kate grew older, family relations broke down further. Derek married a former classmate of Kate’s, only three years older, and insisted that Kate call her “mom”. She found herself unable to reconcile her morals with her father’s choices and the truth of the company, and after an explosive argument, she ran off, using her money to get herself to Westerley, where she thought she could do the most good. Kate’s father was not at all pleased with this, and cut her off monetarily, although at that point Kate would have rather cut her own foot off than ask for his help.

She started off in Old Town, running what she called a detective business but what amounted more to taking any money she was offered in order to help people in need, whether that boiled down to investigating thefts or disappearances or just finding lost pets. Kate was talented though, and clever, and it didn’t take long for her to fall in with the resistance in Old Town, where she felt she could do the most good. It was there that she ran into an older member of the movement, a talented archer himself, who took her under his wing and provided a sort of familial connection she’d longed for for years. Things went on this way for about two years, until a few crushing resistance defeats caused her mentor to distance himself from her, and when Kate could no longer handle his self-destructive and defeatist attitude, the two had a falling out as well. Kate currently still lives in Old Town running her sort of detective business and working with the resistance, and her family has no idea where she is.

CRAU: Nope!

Original History: Here!

Inventory:
- Her bow

- A quiver with both normal and trick arrows in them (explosive, boomerang, acid, etc.)

- Her superhero outfit!

Samples:
TDM thread, but it's short!

Here's a slightly old but much longer PSL thread.

Miscellaneous Notes: Hopefully those samples are enough! If not, I do have more PSL threads I can give you!

Accepted!

[thenine]

 

 

Congratulations! You've been accepted into Overjoyed.

We’re so excited to have you join our community. Before we can get started, please do the following:

1. Request to join the following communities: Logs · Network · OOC · Memes


2. Friend the mod account, thenine, and respond to the player contact page.


3. Reply to the taken page.


4. Fill out the job registry.


5. (Optional) Follow the mod plurk here to stay up to date about upcoming plots, community discussions, and more!


6. (Optional) Put your application, IC contact/inbox, and permissions post in your journal, then introduce yourself to the OOC community!


7. First Round Only: See welcome post on the OOC community for more information on pre-game start activity.

All characters will start with a balance of 100 bonus HP. This balance can be used towards AC bank purchases, but may not be used for satisfying monthly AC requirements.

If you have any further questions or comments, please don't hesitate to reach out to us by PM or on the contact page.

Once again, we’re so happy to have you, and thanks for joining us!

Yours,
Overjoyed Mods

steph brown | dcu | not reserved

[eggplanting]

Player

Name: Justine

Age: 25

Contact: batsecretary

Preferred Pronouns: Her/she

Character

Name: Stephanie Brown

Age: 19 + 11months so like 20 something

Memory Option: None memories with left beef(option 3)

Established Status: 11 months

Canon: DCU

Canon Point: End of the Batgirl series (preboot)

Citizenship: Leithian

Job: Freight pilot for the Company

Abilities:

Steph was an accomplished gymnast on her school team before beginning her vigilante career, and her skills have improved greatly with time and hard work. She's undergone a significant amount of training in terms of martial arts, receiving tutelage from two of the top martial arts in the DCU (Dinah Lance and Cassandra Cain), as well as training from Tim Drake, Batman, and Barbara Gordon. Although her martial arts training primarily focused on hand to hand combat, she's also more than capable in the use of a bo staff, escrima sticks and the traditional batarangs. She is trained to use guns, although she doesn't use them (grapple guns don't count). Both as Spoiler and Robin, Steph underwent the typical Bat-training, including but not limited to, chemistry, forensic psychology, undercover work, and escapology. As Batgirl, she's had Oracle teaching her how to use computer systems and other technological devices to her advantage.

And between the requisite medical knowledge that Batman expects his Robins to know, the fact Steph's mom is a nurse, and the year Steph spent in Africa with Doctors Without Borders, she's gained a fairly comprehensive knowledge of medical procedure. She can clean and sew up a wound, set bones, remove bullets or shrapnel, administer injections, pop dislocated joints back into place and knows how to treat assorted infections, diseases and responses to trauma.

(She also nearly snuck up on Batman once.)

In Overjoyed, apparently whoever forgot to give her new memories at least gave her the skills needed to fly and maintain her ship, so that's nice.

[eggplanting]

Personality:

Stephanie Brown doesn't give up. Everything she does is based around her refusal to quit, no matter how tough things get. She's been told numerous times that she'll never amount to anything and keeps trying anyway, keeps trying to be better, to get more training and prove people wrong. At first, Steph kept being Spoiler because she wanted to prove people wrong about her, because she enjoyed the thrill of the control it gave her when everything else in her life was a mess, and because she wanted vengeance against her dad. But after her dad was in prison, she began to realize other reasons to keep fighting, and the Spoiler became about protecting the people of Gotham and about doing the right thing. Steph recognized a need and she filled it by setting out to stop other kids from having to grow up the way she did, surrounded by violence and neglect. This is one of her strongest convictions and it's why she won't quit regardless of anything that stands in her way.

Her stubbornness can be her downfall on occasion, since she doesn't know when to back down or make a strategic retreat, instead she'll keep trying until she can't anymore, regardless of the costs to herself. It can also lead to her making rash decisions and rushing into things just for the sake of doing something, rather than spending the time to work out a good game plan while people are potentially getting hurt. She's trying to learn a little restraint in that regard, to weigh up all her options before jumping in, and to know when it's better to back down and come back for a second round, but it's not as easy as she thought it would be, and sometimes her eagerness, stubbornness and temper get the best of her, and she still makes mistakes on occasion.

On the surface, Steph might come across as a little shallow. Her sense of humor alternates between dry sarcasm, and dorky puns, with an occasional edge of bitter or self-deprecating jokes. She uses humor to cover up her emotions, especially fear and insecurity. She tries to always keep a cheerful countenance, and when people don't know her very well, this can be seen as not taking things seriously enough. This isn't quite right, Steph is cheerful because she wants to be, because she refuses to stay down in the face of all the shit she's been through. Just like she refuses to give up in a fight, she refuses to give up on her spirit and her optimism. A positive attitude doesn't mean she's naive and Steph is going to enjoy her life, the rest of the world be damned. The best revenge is living well.

She can also be kind of cheeky, with a special fondness for teasing her friends. It works as another aspect of her sense of humor and as a way to test boundaries - she teases to see how much her friends will put up with. Her friendships with both Tim and Cass often featured gentle taunting and mocking, coming from all parties. Steph also felt the humor and teasing was necessary for keeping Tim down to earth, she always worried that he was going to turn into Batman and didn't want that for him. It's one of the things she regrets about letting everyone believe she was dead; she feels like it contributed to pushing Tim towards that end. Sometimes she doesn't even recognize him anymore.

Beyond the surface level, though, Steph has a hard time making friends, in part due to her nighttime activities, but also because she has some trust issues thanks to like everyone she knows betraying/abandoning her at some point (except for Cass, who has done nothing wrong, ever, in her life). Plus she can be kind of abrasive, as she'd rather speak her mind than hold her tongue. Steph is the kind of person who has a small circle of very close friends that she's extremely devoted to. In a vigilante capacity, despite often working alone, she's been shown to work well when partnering up with other heroes, even if they've never met before.

Her friendship with Cass is one of Steph's most formative relationships. Although it took them a while to trust each other and work together well, Steph and Cass both care deeply for each other and the friendship has helped both of them grow and change. Cass's respect for Steph - earned when Steph refused to quit even after getting beaten down by Cass - helps Steph to respect herself. And even though Cass was often doubtful of Steph's skills, she still tried to teach Steph how to improve, rather than trying to make her quit. It was a huge moment for Steph when Cass gave her the Batgirl name and costume and one of the main reasons she tries so hard to make Batgirl into something to be proud of. Cass is her best friend and Steph doesn't want to let her down. (Her relationship with Tim is a fucking mess that needs it's own dissertation and do we need that? No.)

Steph is fiercely protective, both of her friends and of people that she thinks need protecting, often those that are ignored or put down by the current system. If someone hurts her friends, she's very unlikely to ever forgive them for it, and while she isn't necessarily inclined towards self-sacrifice, she'd take a bullet for her friends. That also means she'll occasionally stick her nose into other people's business (by which I mean: stalking them) if she's worried about what her friends are up to. When it comes to people who have been hurt or abandoned by the system, she feels more need to look out for them and to protect them from the world.

She can be quick to anger, especially when someone is threatening children and sometimes she relishes the violence she gets to deal out as a vigilante. It's cathartic, beating up the sort of assholes that remind her of the people she grew up around, and she always feels good in knowing that she stopped the bad guy. Her anger can be both personal, and righteous. She's attacked the Riddler because she blamed him for her father's death, she punched her ex-boyfriend for leaving her alone when she was pregnant and she slapped Batman for making her play his games. On the other hand, she's turned her anger towards the cause that she believes in which has led to her rage at the Penguin for exploiting children and at the Calculator for hurting her friends.

There's a ruthlessness in the way she fights, often hitting harder than someone like Batman would deem "necessary". Sometimes she just likes violence as the first option to solve the problem; it's quick, simple and it's what's kept her alive growing up in a house full of criminals. She's working on trying to find other ways to deal with problems. Steph doesn't kill, but that's mostly out of respect for Batman's rules and the legacy of the costume -- it was Cass's identity and Steph knows how she feels about killing. But she's never understood why they have to go out of their way to not kill the bad guys. She figures they should be able to beat them up as much as is required to stop them and if that means potentially killing them, so be it. Canonically, she's wanted to leave the unconscious criminal in a building about to explode, or to freeze to death in the snow. Some of Batman's issues with Stephanie stem from this, as he doesn't trust her not to use lethal force. When confronted with Zsasz, Steph was ready to kill him to save Batman and any future victims of Zsasz, an act which Batman scolded her for. She believes she did the right thing, despite Batman's insistence otherwise.

That said, she understands that not all criminals commit crime because they want to. Her background gives her enough insight to know that sometimes it's the only option and she tends to be lenient with kids from backgrounds like hers, who get caught up in gangs or drugs, encouraging them to get their life back on track, if that's possible. Similarly, she is critical of Batman's approach to crime fighting, which often focuses on the big crimes and tends to overlook the little people. It's why Stephanie kept being Spoiler, she wanted to stick to the suburbs and the parts of Gotham that Batman doesn't go to, and try to make a difference there.

She's used to dealing with her problems by herself, a symptom of her trust issues and the victim blaming she faced after her dad's friend attempted to sexually assault her. As a result she tries to keep her personal life personal, except from her closest friends, and even then there are topics she doesn't like to talk about. Her child is on that list because she doesn't really like thinking about it; she knows she made the right choice but it doesn't stop her from wondering what could have been. She also doesn't like talking about her mom's addiction as it was a hard time for both of them. She doesn't like to talk, or think, about what happened during the gang war even though she's trying to make peace with herself about what went down. Sometimes she still blames herself for what happened, but if anyone else tries to blame her, she'll break their nose.

The relationship between Steph and Crystal is a difficult one, despite being the most important in her life, complicated by Arthur, Crystal's addiction and Stephanie's crime fighting activities. She became the Spoiler to stop her dad from ever hurting her mom again and Steph loves Crystal, but she can't forget all the times that she's been hurt both by Crystal, and while she stood idly by as Arthur hurt Steph. Sometimes she blames her mom for letting Arthur stay in the house even though she knows Crystal had no choice. Even more often, she blames her for turning to drugs when things got too hard to bear and for leaving Steph "alone" to deal with Arthur. But Crystal has recognized her mistakes, apologized for them, and done her best to atone for them. With Arthur presumed dead, they'd tried to make themselves into a family again without him, and were mostly succeeding until the gang war and Steph's "death", an event that hit Crystal hard. When Steph came back, it was her turn to do the apologizing and she's grateful that her mom forgave her for not returning sooner.

Cystal's opinions on Stephanie's vigilantism has varied through Steph's career; Crystal has encouraged her actions, overlooked them, and told Steph to stop. After Steph's "return from the dead", her mom made her promise to stop being a superhero and Steph said she would. It's been a constant source of guilt for Steph because she hates lying to her mom. In the final issue of Steph's Batgirl run, her mom finds out that she's been operating as Batgirl for a few months, and after a slightly awkward discussion, Crystal tells Steph that she's proud of her. This is an important moment for Steph, and it's taken a lot of weight off her shoulders; she no longer needs to worry about keeping the secret.

Also Steph is a Green Lantern fight me Brian Q Miller.

AU History: whodafuck knows

By which I mean because Steph has no memories from before she woke up one morning about 11 months ago, she's mostly pieced together her "life" from clues.

Apparently she's an orphan, the files say her mother died young and her father was a Company man who was KIA about a year before Steph lost her memory. She assumes he's the reason she ended up with the Company, having apparently gone through the training and certification process to fly her own transport ship. Judging by the lack of people who've called her out on not being her, she guessed that she wasn't particularly close to anyone else in the Company and kept mostly to herself.

In the months she's been established, that hasn't changed much. She woke up one morning to a reminder that was due to report to her ship for a delivery and no memories of what had happened in her life before that moment. Even without memories, her Bat-paranoia kicked in and she decided to just... wing it. Walking through the halls, she recognized what certain devices were for, knew how much Joy to pay for a cup of coffee at the cafeteria, and understood the controls of "her" ship (it's on lease from the Company, she later discovered) well enough to complete the day's job.

The next few weeks were spent researching herself, looking up her files, reading her own notes, searching every inch of her room to find whatever clues she could about her life. Eventually, she fell into the rhythm of working and her focus shifted from working out who she was, to figuring out what happened to her. In her spare time, Steph devours any information she can about amnesia, hoping that something will be helpful.

When not working or researching, Steph has also been... researching because she's a Bat I'm so sorry. In this instance her attention is focused on the Company, and she's been starting to realize that there's some shady shit in the state of Denmark Quad. At the moment, she's still trying to work out what the hell to do about this revelation, but she's thinking that the Resistance has a nice ring to it.

CRAU: N/A

Original History:
Wikipedia biography. It's so nice when I can do this. Friends don't let friends play OCs.

Inventory:
God can I say her Batgirl suit is stashed somewhere and she just hasn't found it yet? It'll come with a utility belt full of batarangs + first aid shit + a grapple gun.

Samples:

There are bars on Leith, both Company owned and private, but Steph very rarely bothers with any of those, preferring to avoid places she might be recognized. The trick to pretending to be someone she isn't often means that she cant risk anyone who should know her, because as soon as someone unfamiliar says her name, she's caught. It's lucky that she seems to be fairly good with computers - it means she can get into the files of her 'colleagues' to at least match names to faces, so she doesn't slip up and forget a friend's name.

But overall, it's easier to be on Westerley, where she finds herself able to blend in with the locals, and there's little chance to seeing someone who Stephanie Brown should know.

Westerley feels more familiar, somehow, despite the fact that shouldn't fit with the life Steph has pieced together from notes and files and work records, because she hasn't spent all that much time here. She wonders if everything she's found is a lie, if she's a plant of some kind, a sleeper agent that someone fucked up. It's unsettling to think about and she'd rather just spend a little Joy on getting drunk.

Alcohol takes the edge off the paranoia and the constant worry about what the hell she's going to do with herself when someone finally catches on to the ruse.

But no one has yet, she's nearly made it to the year mark, and that's... something. It's exhausting, really, and she still doesn't know how she's ever going to figure this one out, unless her memories happen to suddenly come back.

By the time she finishes a handful of drinks, there are no solutions to her problem and all she can do is stumble her way out of the bar, caught up in her own thoughts when she should be paying attention to where she's going. The moment she realizes that something is wrong is when she hears heavy footsteps behind her. She's wandered in to the wrong part of town.

There's no time for her to run before a hand lands on her shoulder, and everything from that moment is a blur. Her finger close around the man's wrist, she drops her shoulder and reaches over with her other hand to hook around the back of his head, and then suddenly he's on the ground in front of her. He scrambles to his feet and she kicks at the inside of his knee, dropping him down again, before punching him square in the nose with more force than she realized she was capable of.

The man goes down hard and Steph's breathing hasn't even changed.

"What the fuck just happened."

The words are muttered under her breath as she stares down at what she just did. This changes everything.

Miscellaneous Notes: MADE IT

timothy lawrence | borderlands | reserved

[blap]

Player

Name: Xel
Age: 29
Contact: piasora
Preferred Pronouns: She/her

Character

Name: Timothy Lawrence

Age: 26

Memory Option: 1 — full AU / deterioration

Established Status: Y; two years.

Canon: Borderlands

Canon Point: Post-Claptastic Voyage

Citizenship: Complicated. As "Jack," Westerley (via Company). As Timothy, currently undocumented.

Job: Personal bodyguard/body double to Handsome Jack. Essentially an Enforcer in the field.


Abilities

Timothy was impressively average prior to the many procedures that turned him into Jack. Sure, he knew how to throw a punch, maybe, but he'd never been shot at or shot at anyone in return. That changed after entering Jack's employ. In a shockingly short amount of time, Tim picked up an impressive set of combat skills that includes but isn't limited to close-quarters (read: punch it until it dies), high-altitude/low-gravity (lots of jumping, screaming, and possible barfing), vehicle-mounted weapons, and basically every type of gun under the sun. He's a much better than average shot (better than Jack, but shhhh). All in all, if you want Tim's biggest strength, it's his insane adaptability to equally insane situations.

He also has Digi-Jacks. Yep, you heard that right. At the press of his wristwatch he can digistruct two copies of himself that deliver inspirational Jack quotes and shoot lasers at things. Think holograms that are actually capable of interacting with matter. Since digistructing is never explained super well side from being Mysterious Alien Technology, for the purposes of the game setting we're gonna say that these are some sort of programmable matter tech—claytronics or something similar to that. While the Digi-Jacks possess some rudimentary level of artificial intelligence and can act semi-autonomously once summoned, they are not actually sentient. Really good copies, but not sentient.

His second greatest power is his abysmal luck—an ability shared by countless others in the Borderlandsverse.

Personality:

For someone looking to create a convincing copy of himself, Jack really couldn't have picked a guy less like him than Timothy Lawrence. Tim may look, sound, and do his best to act like Jack, but enough time spent with him one on one will reveal that the person not far beneath the surface is very different. Where Jack is confident to a point of delusion, Timothy is painfully aware of himself and his mistakes. Where Jack is ruthless and his anger terrible, Tim's usually likelier to mourn his terrible lot in life than retaliate, which may partly be attributed to the fact that he actually has a bit of a conscience. While Jack may be significantly more charismatic and Tim is awkward, he's also shown to be genuinely kind.

However, note that this is not to say that he's a perfect pure cinnamon roll, despite, er, looking really good by comparison to most other people in the series. Firstly, he's a pretty excellent actor. This means all that Jack-brand douchery we know and love is present in full force; the lower the stakes, the happier Tim is to showcase his inner (well, outer) bastard. While he may lack the underlying venom of the real thing, this means he's still prone to being patronizing, irreverent, and egotistical. This is on top of his own major flaws, the most glaring of which is his ability to ignore his own conscience and/or decency out of self-interest. At one point in his canon, Tim phrases it thusly: "like it or not, I work for Jack." When Moxxi asks how he feels about Jack venting a bunch of innocent people into space, he responds, "I dunno. I just work here." Getting out of debt is so consuming an ambition for Tim that he's completely managed to overlook the fact that he's now considered legally dead, which probably implies his debt no longer exists. He also genuinely seems to believe that his surgery will be reversed at the end of his contract, which seems... unrealistic for a handful of canon reasons. Similarly, his Overjoyed backstory has him going along with Jack and his various shady endeavors because he's deluded himself into thinking Jack is his only remaining means of regaining his citizenship in time for Claimant Day. With all that said, we can also safely say that rational foresight isn't one of Tim's strengths when he's put in a desperate situation.

But along with all of this, he's just a genuinely decent sort of guy. He's a bit standoffish toward people he doesn't know well but he trusts friends easily and is generally trustworthy in return. He's effusively affectionate toward those he's romantically attracted to, and though he's far from a smooth operator he can be very charming in his own way. Maybe we can say he's jaded, but he's actually a pretty chill person for all that he's been through. A good ally to have overall—provided one understands that he'll almost always put himself (or worse, what Jack wants) first.

AU History:

Timothy Lawrence spent most of his life up to this point as your typical Westie just trying to eke out a living working, keeping his head down, and eagerly awaiting the day that his family's fortune would finally turn around. This brought him into the employ of the Company before too long; selected not for his skill or his pedigree but rather for his more than passing resemblance to one "Handsome" Jack Marten, Tim was told that for the low, low price of a couple "minor" cosmetic and hack-mod procedures (improvements, Jack would probably say), he'd be paid, er, handsomely and his poor single mother would be taken care of until the arrival of Claimant Day. Tim said yes without thinking too much about it.

Then, early in the process, a series of freak clerical errors erased Tim from the citizenship records of the Quad. Too many mods, they said. Stuck with someone else's face and effectively dead, Tim was in a tough spot. He could back out, dooming himself to a short life slaving away in the mines... or he could stick with Jack, who generously offered to work on getting this whole mess sorted out while Tim did his day to day job as Jack's body double. (Spoiler, Jack is not getting this whole mess sorted out. In fact, there's a good chance Jack caused it.)

Fast forward two years; Jack's exceptional rise in the Company and on Westerley has only been bolstered by his seeming ability to do the work of two men in one day, maintaining both administrative control in the Prisoner Intake Facility and a presence in the streets among the common people, and "Timothy Lawrence" is known only to an extremely scarce few. It's a desperately lonely existence, if Tim's honest, but as long as he sticks to the plan, everything's gonna turn out okay in the end. Jack's looking out for his best interests, after all. Right?

CRAU:

N/A!

Original History:

here!

Inventory:

One (1) digital watch thinger that summons his claytronic minions
One (1) stupid mask that looks just like his face
Two (2) wrist-mounted laser weapons for tasing the undesirables

Samples:

Both TDM threads here!

Miscellaneous Notes:

ACCEPTED

[thenine]

 

 

Congratulations! You've been accepted into Overjoyed.

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Second Round Applications Closed!

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Third Round Applications are Open!

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hanzo shimada | overwatch | reserved

[chakushi]

Player

Name: Freshy

Age: 26

Contact: deuil

Preferred Pronouns: She/her

Character

Name: Hanzo Shimada

Age: 38

Memory Option: 1.

Established Status: Yes - has spent four years working under Company employ as an Enforcer.

Canon: Overwatch

Canon Point: Post-"Dragons", the animated short.

Citizenship: Current Leithian citizenship.

Job: Company member/Enforcer, with a focus on border and arms control.

[chakushi]

Abilities:
Hanzo is, for all intents and purposes, a squishy human. Aside from the bullshit dragon powers that he has, all of his physical prowess boils down to mastery achieved through training and meditation. Here are some of his most notable talents:

↣ Real Life Ninja Skills: What it says on the tin. Hanzo can perform a myriad of physical acrobatics that you see in movies about guys who parkour in the night, including wallclimbing, backflipping, and dodgerolling. He's probably one of the few people in Japan that can enter one of those sadistic game shows aimed to lowkey murder their contestants and come out of it without breaking a sweat. Speaking of murder, though—

↣ Skilled assassin: —Hanzo is also really good at killing people. Being groomed from birth by a yakuza clan with a shady history will do that to you, not to mention being trained with the expectation that people will want your head. Hanzo is good enough of a fighter that he fended off ten years of people actively trying to get rid of him after he broke from his clan— suffice it to say that he knows a thing or two about stealth and all manners of lethal combat.

↣ Archery: Also what it says on the tin! Hanzo is a master archer, deeming himself to be peerless in the craft.

↣ Various martial arts experience: While Blizzard hasn't been explicit with regard to Hanzo's scope of expertise, it's been confirmed that he's extremely skilled with a blade (his weapon of choice when he 'killed' his brother, and incidentally the weapon that he abandoned after Genji's 'death'). His close-range fighting style also hints at a proficiency in judo (basic throws).

↣ Strategic/tactical knowledge: Hanzo's been trained in classical Japanese heihou, which is just a fancy way to refer to military strategies that can be applied to all facets of life.

And, well. Finally, let's not forget the...

↣ Bullshit Dragon Powers: Succinctly, the ability to summon incredibly destructive twin spirit dragons that consume anything in the linear path that Hanzo casts his arrow in. Here is a handy visual of what it looks like.

As discussed in the brainstorming meme, the dragons in-game will just be an aesthetic projection via technology in Hanzo's bow! How the mighty have fallen.

Personality:

First and foremost, let's get this out of the way: Hanzo Shimada is the product of a reverse Cinderella story. It's one of those horrendously cliche narratives about a rich boy who suddenly finds himself in Not So Great circumstances, but this isn't the history section of this app— it's the personality section, so let's begin unpacking who Hanzo is in light of his very traditional, very straightforward narrative.

Hanzo is prideful. This is no surprise given his background as an ostensible monarch within his underground kingdom. Born into yakuza royalty, Hanzo was raised on the principle that he would be the eventual successor to the entirety of his family's wealth and influence. As the formerly rightful heir to an empire that survived centuries of dominance (longer than some countries remain countries), Hanzo carries himself with an imperiousness that can only be a product of upbringing— straight-backed, neck craned, eagle-eyed. He speaks with the gravitas and sparseness of a man taught to measure his ideas in importance ("from one thing, know ten thousand things"), and with the sharpness of a man accustomed to intimidation ("unworthy"). Domineering and uncompromising, Hanzo is the textbook definition of a feudal lord from an archaic time period when honor was synonymous with moral currency. God knows he mentions the word often enough.

As much as these traits seem unpalatable to anyone looking for someone to pal around with, all of these traits served Hanzo well when he was the Shimada clan's future leader, when the preeminence of his birthright supposedly wasn't always enough to earn the respect of men who were two, three times Hanzo's age. It's not difficult to imagine why Hanzo's perfectionism and consistent need to assert his superiority persists even after his descent into disgrace; his worth has always been measured in his capability to prove himself to opportunistic third parties. A mindset like this isn't easily corrected ("never second best"), especially if it's been a guiding principle for most of one's childhood and adult life. It also easily extends to Hanzo's appraisal of others, often resulting in condescension and criticisms that verge just on the side of being obnoxious. (He is, however, capable of sincerity when he believes others to have earned his respect.)

With that said, it's when the uncontrollable factors of his life start to catch up with him that Hanzo's inflexibility starts becoming a bane instead of a boon. The thing about being raised on a rigid set of principles with a specific endgoal in mind is that it often leaves people ill-equipped to deal with anything that doesn't fit within their purview— Hanzo, while extremely intelligent in the field of practical knowledge, is fairly stunted when it comes to the subject of interpersonal relationships.

Exhibit A: meet Genji Shimada, Hanzo's younger brother. The id to Hanzo's ego, the wind to Hanzo's earth. If Hanzo had the grace to navigate his relationship with his brother on terms that didn't end in binaries, he probably wouldn't have 'killed' Genji for the sake of his clan. But his ultimate choice was to adhere to obligation instead of his heart, resulting in the breaking of the latter and the persistence of his inability to engage in emotional compromise thereinafter. Long story short, Hanzo sucks at communication— if the kinslaying aspect doesn't speak for itself. His obstinacy is wildly damaging, both to others and himself.

None of this really paints a great portrait of Hanzo Shimada at all, but here's where some of his redeeming qualities come into play. Take, for example, how his poor decisions profoundly hurt him. As prideful, unpalatable, stubborn, demanding, esoteric, and uncompromising as Hanzo can be, at the core of his carefully-preserved exterior is a man who harbors an unspeakable amount of pain for his own cowardice. In choosing his perceived duty as a clan leader over his fundamental human obligations to his brother, Hanzo comes to realize the fragility of his own pre-established self and concludes that he cannot bear to live with himself any longer. He ostensibly follows Genji into the afterlife by 'killing' his identity as the Shimada heir, breaking from the very organization that he destroyed Genji to uphold. Wounded and unable to forgive himself, he decides to live the rest of his life as a 21st-century ronin.

(So, yes— Hanzo might also be a little melodramatic.)

And really, in the barest of terms, Hanzo is someone who is treading water. Someone who is suspended in a place that's neither the past nor the future, and not entirely the present. Someone who still behaves with the haughtiness of a royal upbringing but wears that crown with no small amount of self-disdain; someone who still adheres to ridiculous standards if only because that's the only way he knows how to live. Someone who lives day to day as penance to the brother he murdered while waiting for the day that someone finally puts and end to him. Someone who fancied himself to know everything and found, one day, that he understood nothing.

Hanzo is lost, essentially. Even when he finds that Genji has miraculously survived his slaughtering, he remains steadfastly grounded in his belief that he is beyond redemption and sticks to it with the sort of rage that implies that he would rather the entire world scorn him than believe he could be forgiven. He lashes out and self-sabotages with his refusal to move on, but consider: paradigm shifts have never been easy for him. He was never supposed to have them, after all.

Hanbei Takenaka | Samurai Warriors | reserved

[shigeharu]

Player

Name: Sam

Age: 32

Contact: estamir @ plurk

Preferred Pronouns: She/her

Other Characters: n/a

Character

Name: Hanbei Takenaka. Hanbei is actually a nickname he received in conjunction with a character not present in game, his real given name being Shigeharu, so for AU purposes, I'm thinking he won't have the Hanbei nickname here - it'll just be something else to confuse him in memory regains.

Age: 34

Memory Option: 1

Established Status: Yes, five years. Which he has spent playing political advisor and generally annoying the f. out of everyone who has to listen to him.

Canon: Samurai Warriors

Canon Point: Directly before his death.

Citizenship: Leith

Job: Political advisor to the Nine.

Abilities
► Hanbei is best known for his intelligence and insight, to the point where his name has become a Japanese idiom for ridiculously keen insight. He's well-read and booksmart, but where he truly shines is in getting a read on people; most of his best military maneuvers are rooting in his knack for predicting his opposition's intentions and reactions.
► The fighting style in his canon generally involves using unexplained energies (musou, the spirit gauge) to do limit-break type moves, enter states of temporarily invulnerability, and generally bend the laws of physics gently over the table. I'm not sure how to reasonably translate these, but realistically, given his health at his canon point, I don't think it'll be particularly necessary, as he won't be in much shape to pull it off, so I'd like to just nerf it for now.
► Hanbei's weapon is a compass with attached rotating blades; his fighting style is a mishmash of hitting enemies with the blunt side, slicing with the blades and twirling them, and throwing his weapon to use as a ranged weapon (and reeling it back in via an attached wire). He's also able to spin the blades at high speed to use it like a one-man steampunk helicopter to fly a short distance above the ground and move around the battlefield very quickly. I think it'd be easy enough to assume some updated tech is worked into the frame to make the physically illogical parts of that more feasible.

Personality:
The image Hanbei presents in a first meeting is not, generally, one of a wise and well-seasoned strategist who shapes the flow of entire battlefields. He is small, quite young-looking for his age, and perhaps in response to this, tends to play up that image at times with deceptively cutesy body language. He has a mischievous streak a mile wide, claims he wishes he was a cat, and tells Masanori ridiculous stories about how his intelligence actually came from a magic helmet. However, Hanbei knows perfectly well what he's doing; as he himself points out, deception is the true art of war, and nobody who bothers to look past that seemingly harmless facade would make the mistake of underestimating Hanbei twice.

He is smart - and while traditional book learning is certainly a part of that, a great deal of Hanbei's intelligence seems to be attributable to an uncanny ability to read people and get a good idea of how they think. Some of Hanbei's best battlefield ploys come from knowing who to put the pressure on and knowing how his opponents are likely to react to what he puts in front of them - or what reactions they're hoping to elicit with the formations they put in front of him. He's good at making character judgments; while everyone else is still talking about Nobunaga bringing peace to the land, Hanbei is the first to point out that while Nobunaga is an excellent choice to quell the chaos, he has no talent for leading men at times of peace and proper unification is beyond his talents - but not beyond Hideyoshi's. Hanbei predicts that the road to peace will take several leaders, long before events prove him right. In SWC, he seems to suspect Mitsuhide's eventual betrayal before Mitsuhide himself has even thought of it. He's good at taking people's measure, and at realizing things about their motivations that may not be obvious to the people in question.

And as someone who sees those truths, he's not afraid to say them - and to be quite pointed about them, at times. Hanbei can be very blunt in his observations; when he feels something needs to be said, he doesn't worry about politeness or protocol. He doesn't make excuses or try to soften the blow of what's in front of them; he's the guy who will tell you up front, yeah, I'll serve you but you're gonna have to be ready to dispose of your lord someday for the sake of Japan, because he's gonna be pretty shitty at building peace out of the chaos. He's the guy who will tell you that if you want to bring peace, you're going to have to be ready to carry the weight of thousands of lives and thousands of grudges. He may be cute, but he does not sugarcoat what needs to be said.

He takes the weight of human life very seriously; he confesses at one point that for every battle he plans, he runs through it in his head thousands of times, trying to figure out the best way to reduce the casualties, and that he looks "lazy" because he's compensating for overtaxing his brain (although the fact that he is terminally ill probably also has something to do with that). Although he's usually very composed, the one time he's ever shown losing his temper in canon is when he confronts Nobunaga about treating the lives of all of his men as completely expendable. Hanbei's job puts him in a position where he has to send a lot of people to their deaths, but he takes it deathly seriously and does everything in his power to keep as many people alive as possible, and he's very conscious of the weight of those lives, to the point where he lets it wear on him a bit too much sometimes.

He is ill and died from it; specifics aren't given in his canon but the usual historical assumption is that he has tuberculosis. He is pretty clearly aware of his own mortality and is generally calm about it when it comes up; he doesn't really engage in self-pity about his condition. He tends to downplay it when asked (he brushes off concerns from other characters, and in the battle before he dies in SW3, he simply says that he's "a bit under the weather"), but it's presumably been bad enough that the writing has been on the wall for a long time - he has some pretty bad convulsions in one of his scenes that takes place some four years before his death, and Nobunaga, at least, has noticed by this point that he's very close to dying, so it's something he's been living with for years. But he ignores it when his own lord suggests he should get off the battlefield and rest up, insisting that he's fine - and saying that he would prefer to die on the battlefield anyway. (In a couple of the alternate story paths in SW3, where the player can kill him rather than him dying from his illness, he actually thanks whoever strikes him down for giving him an honorable battlefield death.) So while he is calm about his fate, he has some well-buried issues with it, and although he can be somewhat critical of bushido and the way it leads some other characters to throw away their lives (this comes up in particular when he deals with Nagamasa), he ultimately wants that honorable samurai death for himself, rather than a pointless one in a sickbed.

Overall, while Hanbei comes across as rather composed and perhaps a bit detached, his own impending mortality and the demands of his position as a strategist have left him intensely aware of the value of life and death, and that guides his thoughts and actions to a far greater extent than he makes obvious. He looks for other ways around things, he aims to avoid wholesale slaughter, and he prefers to negotiate, build alliances, force defections, and use whatever other methods he can to settle a battle without it coming to throwing soldiers at each other and seeing who runs out first. He is highly intelligent and very driven, despite his eccentricities, and he's not above taking advantage of his rather deceptive appearance to deflect attention and keep people from paying attention to his issues (which he would prefer to remain his issues and not the business of everyone who passes by). With as cheerful and breezy an attitude as he shows to most people, it's easy to overlook just how serious he can be underneath that smartass exterior - which is fine, because that's just the way he seems to like it.

As a more AU-specific note, while Hanbei's position working with the Nine does imply that his cold side will be a bit more prominent here than in canon, the nature of it isn't really changing much - he suppresses his empathy where necessary to make the appropriate sacrifices to maintain stability, rather than bring out peace. He's not without a human sense of decency, even here, but he's in a position where he does bad things for what he sees as better ends, and he has a bit less of an appreciation for the ideal of a peaceful future where everybody can be happy because this universe is a little too fucked for him to hope for that much.

AU History:
Shigeharu Takenaka, like so many, was born to minor nobility that saw better prospects on Leith than on Qresh proper, and so had resettled there and accepted an existence off the main path of power and politics.

From a young age, Shigeharu was highly observant, and early on he impressed those around him with the conclusions he drew about the people around him, but observant as he was, he noted other things: the importance people placed on first impressions, the lack of threat people tended to assign to certain personality types, even when they ought to know better. And so it was only slightly less early on that he started cultivating an attitude to take advantage of that, a combination of flippant commentary, feigned ignorance, and childish mannerisms that did their job perfectly well - disarming the suspicions of those he dealt with, leaving him frequently underestimated and frequently taking very good advantage of that fact.

As a result, he acquired something of a dual reputation. Some noticed and praised his talent, others chalked it up to luck and maintained that he wasn't worth the headache of dealing with. When he was sixteen, his father died, and although he was unable to officially hold control of the family assets until two years later, he had little trouble keeping his legal guardian wrapped around his finger until he came of age. Once in full control, he managed his lands and interests deftly and with aplomb, which eventually drew the attention of some among the Nine.

One man in particular took notice and was completely unfazed by the rumors of Shigeharu's extremely unpleasant personality, and issued a politely worded request that was clearly not really a request, to meet with him and discuss the political situation - and since that meeting, Shigeharu's earned himself a solid place alongside the hierarchy - alongside it because he's unconventional enough that nobody's willing to try very hard to properly integrate him inside it. His status as an advisor to the Nine has granted him a travel permit to Qresh, and he's a frequent sight (and perhaps more frequent source of headaches) there. But he's known to be odd, as the polite ones tend to put it, and those who rely on his advice have just gotten used to him running meetings in his bathrobe or making them endure twenty minutes of small talk about cats before getting down to business - as well as the fact that his advice tends to be extremely blunt, sometimes unpleasant, and he's not one to sugarcoat his observations about public opinion.

It's worth it, they say. Others on Qresh aren't so sure.

Several years ago, Shigeharu contracted a retroviral infection while on business travel. He's fortunate; his status gives him access to nanotech treatments to combat it. He's less fortunate in that the treatment is barely adequate - doctors have been able to keep him alive, but his health has gone down the shitter as the nanotech tries to keep his DNA from mutating beyond recognition.

Not so ill he can't work, though. Even death would have trouble keeping him from that.

CRAU: No.

Original History: here.

Inventory:
► His compass...blade-spinny...weaponthing. There's probably some better tech worked into it to make the whole "using it to fly" part less ridiculous. It's probably also sitting in his home like some kind of weird piece of modernist sculpture because he's going to need some memories for what it even is to make sense.
► His adorable hat? idk, he doesn't take much with him.

[shigeharu]

Samples:
The doctor is competent enough, he's already concluded. Not much bedside manner, and never sounds quite sure enough of herself when she speaks; there's something in her tone that sounds like she's apologizing for every word that comes out of her mouth, as if the diagnosis is her fault and not just her judgment - but her science seems sound enough, and he's the last person who'd take someone's delivery as proof of the mind behind the words.

So Shigeharu doesn't have any reason to disbelieve her, when she stops shuffling by the foot of his bed and staring at her notes and finally gets down to business.

"There's good news and bad news," she says. "The treatment was as successful as we'd hoped."

The implied but is obvious enough. She's too specific; there's nothing said about recovery or improvement, nothing that defining that success as anything more than it did what we thought it would do - and while he'd normally have taken note of what that was to begin with, he'd been a little busy coughing his lungs out and trying not to vomit when they'd hastily tried to explain things before the sedatives kicked in.

"And by that -" He breaks off in a cough for a few seconds. Not, he notes, as awful of one as he'd been sporting when he came through that door, but it's certainly not a good sound, nonetheless. "By that, you mean that you weren't really hoping to accomplish much of anything at all."

She winces, and he can already imagine exactly the hyper-apologetic inflection of her voice before she's even opened her mouth to answer. "You're not going to die. The nanotech is holding it off. But..."

"But that's about all I can expect it to do," he helpfully supplies, his own tone light and perfectly calculated not to sound bitter. "Hey, has there ever been a successful hack-job that replaced someone's lungs? Maybe I'm looking at the wrong branch of medicine."

The doctor pales a bit. "Surely - surely you can't be serious."

"Of course I'm not serious. I'm dying, not delusional." He twiddles his thumbs and settles back against his pillow. "And I'm sure anywhere illegal enough to get that sort of thing done, I'd be shot before I made it to the waiting room anyway."

She's shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking more uncomfortable by the second, and that, he thinks, is far more satisfying than all the pity in the world. So go on. Give him the immediate prognosis, the well-meaning instructions that he may or may not actually take to heart -

- and then get on out and give him some privacy for this next part, because he's got a lot of thinking to do.

Miscellaneous Notes: