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Applications
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.
Takasugi Shinsuke | Gintama | Reserved
Player
Name: Elise
Age: 25
Contact:
Character
Name: Takasugi Shinsuke | Alias: Tani Umenosuke
Age: 30s
Memory Option: Full AU
Established Status: 1 ½ years - Takasugi has been around long enough to acquire functioning illegal trade deals with several criminal organizations. Upon his arrival, he was installed as the leader of the 'Kiheitai' - a resistance movement founded in violence and devoid of political principal. Over time, he's expanded its influence over the Quad and out into the J. He hasn't directly participated in any significant developments during this time, instead strengthening his position and waiting for the right opportunities.
Canon: Gintama
Canon Point: Post Shogun Assassination, Pre Rakyou - abducted during his coma
Citizenship: Takasugi Shinsuke is originally from Leith | Tani Umenosuke has Westerly citizenship
Job: Resistance Leader / Terrorist - He deals in illegal arms trade, dabbles in the drug trade, and is known for high-casualty terrorist attacks. Right now, his focus is political upheaval.
Abilities:
✿ SWORDSMANSHIP - Takasugi is a formidable swordsman, first teaching himself as a child and then learning from his teacher on Edo.
✿ LEADERSHIP - Very adept at fanning the flames of anger and inspiring loyalty, Takasugi was able to raise an army during the Edo Rebellion and retains high regard among those who remain from the conflict.
✿ STRINGED INSTRUMENT - While Takasugi typically favors the shamisen, an instrument from Edo, he has good aptitude for any similar instrument.
✿ POETRY - A skilled wordsmith, Takasugi has always found putting words to paper somewhat calming, and has a good sense for composition. He doesn't share it often, however.
Personality:
Takasugi Shinsuke defines himself as a man whose singular interest is destruction. To him, there is nothing in the world worth protecting, and thus no part of it has any business existing.
Destruction is at the core of Takasugi's behavior. Growing up, his restlessness bred his desire for strength while his weakness betrayed his ability to keep himself on the path to a real future. Now, as an adult, his mantra has become "I simply destroy," and he holds to it. He makes no deviations from his goal, and he will employ any attrition necessary to achieve it. Wiping out an entire village, city, or planet is not too steep of a price to pay.
Control is very important to Takasugi - he pulls many strings and will involve himself in many plots in order to accomplish his goal. In his position, having everything tied around his finger is of utmost importance. However, he also thirsts for control in all other areas of his life. From expressing displeasure at his own high-officer's disobedience to declining a powerful ally in order to remain absolute over his own smaller army, Takasugi is not one to fantasize about 'letting go'. Takasugi's singular childhood desire was to become stronger. While so many aspirations have fallen to the wayside in favor of destruction, that particular drive has not diminished. Control, being a clear display of strength, is one of the things he seeks in this pursuit.
Takasugi is incredibly capable of motivating people. He sees their 'fangs' and spurs them to often violent action. In doing this, he extends his violent impulses further. He manipulates many individuals within the series, such as Gengai and Itou, with varying levels of importance. At the festival, the chaos he produced seemed isolated to indulging the beast within him while Itou's crippling of the Shinsengumi served to aid his greater plan.
From Takasugi's skill in manipulation rises his charisma. Holding together all sorts of radical warriors in a volunteer army, the Kiheitai general commands great respect from his men. He inspires this using every avenue available to him, from looking the part to displaying his strength. With a casual demeanor that implies ease of interaction, the man is shrewd in discovering what element of behavior those around him are attracted to.
When it comes to people, Takasugi has two reactions. He either removes himself with abundant apathy or develops deep bonds that may twist into obsession. Even high ranking members of the Kiheitai are susceptible to being discarded, should they fall in the line of battle. However, Takasugi's focus on Shouyou is what drives him. It is precisely because he cannot move on that he lashes out at the world. For the small group of people whom Takasugi considers worth his emotional investment, he would ignite anything. From the small group of people who Takasugi knows understand him, he expects an equal measure of focus.
Takasugi is quite adept at humoring people, no matter their value. He has demonstrated this with close friends (Katsura) and members of his militia (the three officers immediately below him engage in comedy routines often in his presence). He takes the idiosyncrasies of others in stride, perhaps for not wanting to appear thrown off by anything.
All of his life, Takasugi has never given up on a goal. Whether it was fighting Gintoki however many times it took to beat him as a child, or propelling himself towards the destruction of the Bafuku, the man is tenacious to a fault. His determined nature has skewed into something more dangerous - a single-mindedness that arises from raw unrest and deep seated hatred rather than a strong work-ethic.
Takasugi has a great deal of pride. He seeks to be the strongest warrior, refuses to give up on ambitions, expects certain behavior from his militia, and can typically be found with a smug smirk on his face. To project all of this further, Takasugi takes care of his image. He dresses in elaborate, fashionable clothing that shows off his musculature while lounging in typically traditional Japanese settings. Even in opening/ending scenes, he is often standing at the bow of his ship in the sky, watching the moon or the sunset. So much as this plays into his image, Takasugi also seems to have a deeper appreciation for the aesthetic around him.
Prideful as he is, Takasugi also harbors self-destructive inclinations. Consumed not only by hate and lust for revenge over his teacher's death, but also guilt, Takasugi has thought numerous times about turning his sword on himself. His own weakness that caused such devastation and should destroy him as well - but instead it drags him forward. His endeavor is not only to reduce the world to rubble, but to kill Gintoki and thus harm himself more than suicide ever could. Though this is not to say he plans on living beyond reaching his objective.
Takasugi's favorite form of self-deprecation is calling himself a 'no good brat' who does not understand Bushido. He isn't honorable, he isn't someone who is capable of laying his life down for principles or society or people he doesn't know. Takasugi fights selfishly: to gain power, to protect or destroy, to settle a score. All of his reasoning surrounds himself and himself only - a fact which he recognizes.
Competition is a healthy habit that Takasugi has not completely forgotten. As a child and a teen, he relished in finding worthy opponents and fights hard won. He is so focused on his rivalry with Gintoki that he keeps score of their matches. He was fairly easy to goad into competing over basically anything as a teen, though this has fallen to the wayside in his adult life as his goal overshadows everything else. Still, he competes with Kamui on several occasions so the inclination has not completely vanished.
Takasugi feels. Emotions affect him viscerally as an uncontrollable beast within him. It bids him to lash out and destroy what's around him until it's satisfied. Vulnerability is not acceptable to Takasugi, so when emotions threaten to tear into him he is likely to rip into something else before they overtake him. None of his officers seem to have communicated with him about this, though he may ruminate on verse to express himself while he is alone. The only people he's reached out to are Gintoki, Katsura and Shouyou - people he feels can understand him.
At the base of it all, Takasugi is and always has been restless. As a child, he didn't know what he wanted. Becoming strong was his singular goal, yet before Shouyou he was lost along his path to even such a simple desire. Aspirations grew and changed, but the feeling of being 'lost' never quite dissipated. One of the reasons he was so drawn to Shouyou was due to the other's admitted ongoing experience with the same issue. During the war, Takasugi had a goal, but failing that, he no longer has any footing to stand on aside from destruction. He wants to give in to the beast and tear things down until it stops whining - a very vague calling that betrays the inability to be at peace that has lurked within him his entire life.
This condition created a habit of isolation. No one understood - not even him - so how was he to form meaningful connections? Takasugi didn't gain many, but the ones he did foster were and are intensely important to him.
Takasugi regards Gintoki as his other half. Gintoki is the one who showed him a fight worth striving to win, the one who introduced him to Shouyou and the one who understood him best. Gintoki and Takasugi would often compete in every way. Not talking for months after getting into a conflict over a prostitute or arguing when meeting a new ally, the two were brats through and through. But Gintoki is also the one who betrayed Takasugi's trust by executing the man who gave Takasugi a path in life. Gintoki moved on and Takasugi resents him both for his bond with Shouyou and for his ability to go forward. It's a complicated relationship - best friends and rivals and perfect enemies.
Katsura was Takasugi's first friend. As a child, Takasugi was a loner, but Katsura simply approached and called him an idiot. Takasugi considered Katsura the same, but through mutual needling and teaching, they helped each other grow to understand one another. Even after the war and the death of their teacher, Takasugi corresponded and cooperated with Katsura until their methods broke apart. It does not appear that Takasugi carries as much resentment for Katsura as he does Gintoki, though he hasn't made an effort to reconnect.
Shouyou is the man who defined Takasugi. When the boy could not find himself, he told him that was alright. He was lost as well, and they would both find their paths. The idea of a samurai as one who fights their weakness, who improves themselves and struggles for personal strength is a concept which Takasugi has taken to heart. There is no way to overstate Shouyou's importance to Takasugi at all stages of his life. He felt more for his teacher than he ever felt for his family, he spent years fighting to rescue Shouyou and he's set on exhausting himself to avenge his death.
Among his men, Takasugi is the charismatic yet often silent figure of authority. He is more candid with his officers - Hanpeita, Matako and Bansai - though even they do not receive many glimpses into his deeper motives. He will discuss private matters, but not open himself up to vulnerability. However, this group is compared to Katsura's joui and Gintoki's yorozua as Takasugi's 'found family', and so his relationship with them is likely deeper than he recognizes or will allow.
Takasugi's interest in Kamui stems from the boy's power. Being strong for the sake of being strong, being reckless and enjoying the thrill of a fight are all mentalities which Takasugi can understand, so he was drawn to Kamui and has no trouble communicating with him. While he cannot completely control the Yato, he doesn't find the other's tendency to cause chaos a hindrance. Rather, whatever connection they've developed stems from mutual respect and an almost healthy competition between them.
no subject
He ran away from home with growing frequently, seeking out areas where he could sit and think, and welcoming any conflicts that came his way. In one such wandering, he met a boy and a man. The boy would become his
best friendclosest rival, and the man his beloved teacher.Takasugi eventually left home for good, running away to meander through the J with his teacher and his companion. Eventually, they settled on the planet of Edo, where their teacher founded a school.
For Takasugi, the war concluded when his teacher was executed. He was witness to the public killing, and the failure shattered his hope for the future. At some point during the fighting, he lost his left eye, and he hasn't had it replaced. The injury serves as a reminder of everything he lost - both before and during the war.
Original History: don't you hear it too?
Inventory:
❁ SIMPLE KATANA - modified with a special coating to withstand far greater impact than regular folded steel
❁ KISERU - and a small satchel of flavored tobacco
and sometimes an opiatethe pipe's style is uncommon in the Quad, having originated on EdoSamples: a forest fire about to flood over an empire
Miscellaneous Notes:
ACCEPTED
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:
- Request to join the following communities: Logs · Network · OOC · Memes
- Friend the mod account, thenine, and respond to the player contact page.
- Reply to the taken page.
- Fill out the job registry.
- (Optional) Follow the mod plurk here to stay up to date about upcoming plots, community discussions, and more!
- (Optional) Put your application, IC contact/inbox, and permissions post in your journal, then introduce yourself to the OOC community!
- 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