haibanemods | Application

Application

APPLICATIONS

Applications are: CLOSED

Fill out the following form and post the application below. Please post your applications as comments to this post, rather than as a link to another page.

By applying to this game, you are saying that you have read all of the information pages, and you agree with the rules as they have been presented.

PLAYER INFORMATION

Name: The name you want to go by
Age: You must be over 16 to play in this game.
Contact: Some way of contacting you. AIM, plurk, a journal to PM, an email, etc.
Current characters: Characters you currently have in this game.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

True name: The character's name in canon
Given name: The name they are given in-game. Be sure to explain the significance behind the given name, as well as how it is connected to the cocoon dream.
Canon: The name of their canon
Canonpoint: The point at which you are apping them from, as well as how they died at that moment.
History: A link will suffice, but be sure to write it out if there is no history available elsewhere.

Personality: This part should consist of two clear sections: their personality in canon, and how they will act within the game. If there are any differences between the two, be sure to explain why that is. This is one of the sections we will be judging heavily, so do not skimp here.

Powers: List any powers they have. Only powers that are listed here can be regained via memories.
Memory bank: This section should be linked to a memory bank in your character's journal. At this point, you do not need to have all of your memories fully written out; a short title or summary of each one (except for the two used as samples) will be enough. Any memories that are headcanon must be labeled as such. There is no upper limit on the number of memories you may have in the memory bank, but the minimum is 20.
Job: The job you would like your character to start out with. Please refer to the job board to see what jobs are currently available. If the job you are requesting is a limited-spot job, please be sure to list two backups, in case your first choice is filled.
Dream: Describe your character's cocoon dream. This should relate to their trial in some way, and serve as a clue to what they need to do to complete their trial. This dream will be their defining moment until they begin to regain memories, so put plenty of details into it.
Trial: What is the trial your character will be facing? What regret do they have, unfinished business they have to fulfill, or character flaw they need to overcome? This should be personal to themselves, and a trial that can be completed within the game. Additionally, describe your general idea for what you will have your character do to complete that trial. And, if you want to have them struggle at completing their trial, describe the difficulties they will have. You do not have to stick with this plan completely, but ideally you should be using it as a guide for what you will be doing with your character, so we want to see some thought put into it. We will be judging this section heavily, so do not skimp on details.

SAMPLES

Memories: Pick two of the memories from your memory bank and write them out completely. Each memory should have a specific point to it (to remind your character of a specific skill they have, or an important detail of their previous life that will help them with their trial), but should also be fragmented and difficult to understand without some thought put into it. Also, no names or clear faces should be present within the memories. For example your character can remember that they are a parent, but they cannot remember what their kids look like, or what their names are. These memories should also be listed in your memory bank, for use later when your character begins to regain memories.

RP sample: Pick one of the following:

1: link at least 30 comments from the test drive. This can be over more than one thread.

2: Write out a log starter as if your character has been present in the game for over a month. You can use prompts from the test drive, or come up with ideas on your own.

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PLAYER INFORMATION

Name: jade
Age: 26
Contact: homopathic
Current characters: n/a

CHARACTER INFORMATION

True name: Takasugi Shinsuke
Given name: Cedar. Not only does his family name directly translate to "High Cedar" (and he was disowned by his family), but he definitely can't see the forest for the trees. A further reminder to avoid his self-destructive nature. It relates to his trial in that one tree doesn't make a forest and one tree can't build a home.
Canon: Gintama
Canonpoint: JOUI-Wars Era; age 17. It'd be just before he loses his eye.
History: I've written his history out here!

Personality:
There are a lot of things that can be gleaned off of Takasugi at but a glance. With squared shoulders and a body language that is all stiffness, it’s obvious he takes a great amount of pride in how he carries himself, particularly in front of others, only ever seen slouching while in the comfort of his closest confidants. That he is a warrior and that he considers himself utterly formidable is practically written all over his body language: folded arms, a raised chin, a strong stride. He maintains eye contact and barks out orders like it’s the nature he was born with -- and with clips of his childhood self hoisting up his closest friend by the yukata aggressively like a high school bully, it seems he may as well have been. This only proved to fortify his competitive nature and somewhat short temper.

Even his speech patterns have an pretension and way of isolating others. He uses extremely rude and rough forms of Japanese, talking down to others like it’s nothing -- which is certainly not to be confused with crude. The language itself has a sort of caste system, and he speaks to everyone like they’re all peons. It’s offensive, but not obscene; in fact, likely stemming from his teachers’ love of word and his later-in-life affinity for proverb and myth, he can speak extremely well and with a lot of metaphor and rhetoric, which acts to bolster his charisma. He enjoys an intelligent and witty rapport and will attract others who are the same (...the rest of the Joui is not a good example though…).

But, arrogant as he is, to see him smirking is a rare thing and laughing is something that never gets displayed during the wars. He has a decidedly somber nature about him, all furrowed eyebrows and deep scowls and dark eyes. Levity is not something he grants with ease, which seems entirely reserved for when Gintoki -- who he regards as his personal rival -- is struggling. This isn’t to say he lacks a sense of humor; merely that what he considers “funny” tends to be morbidly-tinged and is often a disturbance to others, and what the viewers consider “funny” about Takasugi is actually him being entirely too serious. For instance, he buys his comrades Yakult, a bitter health drink, that Gintoki takes advantage of by ripping everyone off, and while Takasugi reacts in a humorous way, he’s being completely serious. They’re men fighting a war against a government that doesn’t like them for a society that doesn’t like them; the downtime is rare.

Admittedly, Takasugi has a tendency to be completely self-involved. It’s always his pain that’s being struggled with, not theirs. On a deeper level, it makes him blind to the suffering of others… and on the shallower, it makes him… well. A bit of a lush who just does what he wants when it comes to things that are irrelevant to fighting the war.

He carries a heavy weight on his shoulders. His natural inclination for responsibility and his tireless ambition have him ascending ranks and even forming his own hand-picked faction within the war efforts, a company of men directly under his command that were said to “fight like demons”. The lives and, inevitably, deaths of these men are directly related to the decisions he makes at the drop of a hat. He’s heard screaming “follow me” as he charges wildly into a flood of enemies, no hesitation, no questions. He never stops and asks himself, “is what we’re doing right?” or “have I chosen the right path?” Driven by loss, he utterly refuses to stop moving forward until his goals are met, and even when everyone else is exhausted, he refuses to rest... until it’s time to bury the next wave of comrades after battle. A boy who was once lost as to what his goals in life could’ve been was shaped by a man who was stolen from him, and fighting to get him back is what gave his life purpose.

The interesting part is that those goals are beginning to shift. Previously, it was to free his teacher from prison, but once that was no longer an option due to a man who has been his rival and companion since childhood... what comes next? Vengeance and a massive vendetta to fuel it.

Some ten years later, he is totally bent on destruction. He says he wants to burn down the disgusting world that took his teacher from him… but perhaps the most terrifying part of what he tells Katsura after offering up both his and Gintoki’s heads to an alien crime syndicate for their support is that he “never changed”: that he’s stayed the same person from the time he was a child to the time he’s a cold-blooded sociopath, that he’s always had those feelings of rage and anger inside of him.

It can be difficult to extrapolate how much of that is legitimately truth. This much is fact: his relationships with the remainder of the Jouishishi are strained at best -- going so far as to say they were never anything to sentimental as “nakama” (comrades or, even more, friends so close they’re family) and almost killing his subordinate that suggested it, that his dedication to his teacher borders on the fanatical and obsessive, and that he has all the motivation and potential to become a man driven by a “Black Beast of Revenge”, as he later calls it, appropriately mirroring Gintoki’s war-earned nickname of The White Demon.

But Takasugi has also been known to show deep sympathy and swear his brothers' problems upon himself. When Sakamoto is injured in battle, it seems like he's condescending him -- and he probably is -- but he and Gintoki also swear revenge upon the enemy who gave him the blow. He'll take the responsibilities of his wounded comrades at the risk of his own life... so ultimately what he really means later on in life is that things would be much easier if he only felt hate and the need for vengeance. If he could truly commit himself to believing there were never bonds or trust between comrades, his path would be sturdier and his goal would be clearer, but this is who Takasugi Shinsuke is: a man who feels deeply, has too much passion, and tries to deny it in cowardice and in fear, pulling from the wrong parts of himself because he is lost and in agony.

Ultimately, his cunning, his hate, and his ambition will never allow him to stop fighting the war, even after he’s removed from the battlefield.

At least, that covers how I would write his personality in a 'normal' setting. There will definitely be some changes inside of Glie and almost all of them relate to the fact that he has lost his goal along with his memories, and I'll cover those here.

Takasugi is an incredibly goal-oriented man. When he was young, it was travelling from dojo to dojo to defeat everyone he possibly could and become stronger. It then becomes a drive to save his teacher from imprisonment. Eventually (later in his canon), it becomes an all-consuming obsession to seek revenge for his teacher's death. Without a goal, Takasugi will be completely lost. His trial will tug him down a path he'll ignore and he'll be stuck in stagnation that he absolutely hates, but everything he tries will be so unsatisfying. He likes books and learning, why not get a job at the library? That's comfortable, but Takasugi has never really liked "comfort"; he likes competition and fights and sweat and victory. So maybe he just needs to use his body more, why not get a job as a physical laborer? No, that's too routine and boring, and now he's not using his mind at all. He is owed both struggle and greatness, and those will be calling out to him -- but how does he get them in Glie? He'll throw himself into things wildly and with a passion and reckless abandon that's familiar to him, but it won't be sustaining. His will can only be forged in violence.

At his point in time, he's accustomed to having comrades. He may isolate himself from them, but they're there: a body sleeping (or fitfully not sleeping) next to him, someone to play Kick The can against, a companion to share sake with. Without remembering Gintoki's betrayal, he'll have much more of a prevalent feeling of being around others. Not knowing anyone but having an incredibly strong desire to be 'loyal' to someone as he once was Sensei will lead him to wanting to establish more roots with others but having a Bad Personality for doing so (still too critical, too cruel, not open enough). It's a combination that will leave him yearning and slightly more vulnerable around others. It may be just the push he needs to subtly reach out to others and be more open with them.

But don't doubt that he'll still have that stubborn, fiery will.
Powers: No powers! He just has strength and swordsmanship (without... a sword) ingrained in him but not remember any of his lessons. He's pretty shounen-protagonist level of bamf though so I think I'll actually dull down just how capable he is and have his full abilities as a warrior regained later.

Memory bank: Here!

Job:
Library: Shelver/general help
School: Teacher's assistant
Dream:
Takasugi is an intelligent man; he enjoys proverbs and myths, references deities and their stories frequently, and enjoys learning new bits of history and mythology. His teacher taught him academics and swordsmanship and a war taught him how to survive, how to lead, and especially how to bury the dead.

Confucius said, "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." That's exactly what Takasugi will be doing in his dream. He'll remember his palms blistered under his gloves from holding the shovel, his brow damp with sweat and tied off with fabric, cicadas screaming, and fire burning in the distance. He'll remember how cold the earth feels in comparison to the ground and how cold it feels in comparison to the anger boiling inside of him.

There aren't any bodies in these graves. One feels like home and the other is reserved for someone else. Someone he knows, someone close. He'll feel like he's dug these holes before but they were never for these people, never for him, never for that person.

No matter how deep he digs, no matter how much effort he puts into it, the hole on the left will fill with fresh dirt. It feels like he has been and will do this for hours without an outside interruption. He needs to let that shovel go, he needs to give up, but instead he only clutches it and digs that much deeper and works that much harder. He needs to walk forward, but all he can do is work and stare at the giant, gaping socket next to him as if it's staring back like the earth's own eye got removed.

The snap of a branch will draw his attention, a sign of footfalls. He'll look up and see a forest full of trees.

Nothing but cedar trees and the fire is about to consume them all. (note: "takasugi" translates to "high cedar"; this will be his given name) When asked about the dream, he won't talk about the graves, just the trees.
Trial:
The trial Takasugi would need to overcome would definitely have to do with learning to accept loss in the most healthy manner possible and letting go of things beyond his control, since he can't actually get his revenge for any "unfinished business" while inside of Glie. Of course, this is completely against his intrinsic character and the defining point of his appearances later in canon; to reach any kind of resolution, he would need to either kill everyone who was involved with murdering his teacher (which would be incredibly hard to do because the guy who actually killed his teacher is his best friend and rival) or channel all of his passion and drive and pain into something constructive like, you know, actually trying to help rebuild the corrupt government.

Trying to move on in a healthy way isn't going to be easy for him by a long-shot. He's an obsessive, power-hungry, critical, and controlling person. He's a veritable cocktail of repressed emotions and selfishness that makes him attach, latch on, and refuse to let go of an idea or, more importantly, a person, and boy does he love the concept of revenge. I imagine he's going to waffle on the path between a sin-bound and normal, or even stay on a steady path of avoiding his trial for a great length of time because honestly who would want to remember a lot of the things he's been through? His curiosity will keep him picking at wounds but any actual developments towards a specific alignment may be long and drawn out, reflecting his canon questionable morality and evolution from the protagonist's rival to friend and comrade to enemy to... whatever the heck they are in the most recent chapters tbh.

Dealing with characters he's attached to reaching their Day of Flight and moving on and/or being dropped would be a good way to get him to start considering losses of a smaller value and working his way up from there. Having him regain memories of times he felt connected to his comrades and schoolmates while not being able to see them in Glie would be another good catalyst. In general, having conversations about loss and death and how to properly grieve about those things with other characters could prove either very cathartic (if he feels accepted, that his negative feelings are justified) or incredibly isolating depending on how those conversations go. His development will hinge heavily on how he's received by others and whether or not he feels comfortable enough to talk about his own experiences -- as well as others proving trustworthy and respectable enough to earn them from his perspective.

Feeling betrayed by his closest friend, a sense of loyalty would be very important to him and get him to open up more in Glie. He'll gravitate towards people who seem reliable and loyal to him as friends, but as mentioned in previous parts of the app, he also has a terrible self-destructive streak -- it wouldn't be hard for him to find bedfellows with bad influences and head that direction instead.

Which path he walks is highly dependent on the kinds of interactions he meets and I'm very excited to play that aspect of development either way.

SAMPLES

Memories: 1 and 2.

RP sample: Here and here but it's not quite enough and I want to get my app in, so here's a written sample!

[a green gaze, nearly obscured on one side by a wilting halo, shifts from the scratchings of his native tongue in his reflection in water disrupted by a fountain's spray, narrowing at a glowing ring and wings that have been dogmatically forced to cooperate with him]

[he thinks back on it all for one moment of sharp memory -- receiving the ledger from the Toga, the heavy weight on fresh wings a set of bells had been, the treacherous hike there, and decides it's annoyance and disdain sitting in the back of his throat]

[it isn't his first time visiting the Main Gate, but it is the first time he's watched those doors open and close, the briefest moments of an unrestrained world passing before him and gone just as quickly. the people are lined up like cattle, he thinks, or worse: slaves begging for a hand-out, something to sustain them, to bide their time. the enigmatic robes and growl of watch dogs only seems to enforce it]

[this place feels like a prison where half of the inhabitants are sleeping]

Oi. [he addresses the townsperson next to him before his fingers begin emulating signs passed between the Toga and the communicator] ...You really like living this way?

[how obvious it is that his inquiry is unwanted and he scoffs, turning to the next person] We outnumber them.

[the crowd's beginning to disperse around him and he's attracting a watchful eye -- it seems like the seeds of revolution may have to plant themselves elsewhere]

[to what end? why does he feel so discontented when everyone else seems satisfied? is the frustration mounting in him an angry, red dream or is he more awake than everyone else in this sleepy town?]

Congratulations, you have been accepted into Haibane Renmei!

Your character will arrive in Old Home and live in East Wing, room 403, and their job will be "Shelver/general help" at the library. Their comm tag will be " cedar (takasugi shinsuke)".

Please be sure to do the following:

-Reply to this comment with the journal you will be using.
-Join

haibanerenmei and

haibaneooc. You may also join

haibanememe if you like, but that is not required.
-Subscribe to the mod journal.
-Reply to the taken characters page.
-Re-read the rules and FAQ page if needed.
-Introduce yourself on the OOC comm.

Thank you for applying, and we hope you enjoy the game!

Thank you very much!

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Application

Takasugi Shinsuke | Gintama

Takasugi Shinsuke | Gintama | Done!

Accepted

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